Games with Names - Luc Robitaille on the 1993 Conference Finals | Kings vs. Maple Leafs

Episode Date: April 21, 2026

Luc Robitaille is in studio! The Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Famer is with us to relive one of the greatest games in Los Angeles Kings history: the 1993 Campbell Conference Finals between the Los Angeles and the Toronto Maple Leafs.  (00:00) We kick things off. (02:47) Luc jones us on the couch. (31:06) We go back to 1993. (40:24) We get into the rosters. (56:06) We dive into the game. (1:07:07) We score it. Support the show: http://www.gameswithnames.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

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Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Ceno Show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor, cultural icon Danny Trail to talk about addiction, transformation, and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to bench featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Addish, Johnny Knoxville, and more. I'm an alcoholic. And without this group, I'm going to die. Listen to Sino's show on the IHR Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dick and Poll show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand. Better version of Play Stupid Games, win Stupid Prizes. Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift, who said that for the first time. I actually thought it was. I got that wrong. But, hey, no one's perfect.

We're pretty close, though. Listen to the Nick Dick and Paul show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's Financial Literacy Month, and the podcast, Eating While Broke, is bringing real conversations about money, growth, and building your future. This month, hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer, and venture capitalist Lakeisha Landrum Pierre, as they share their journeys from starting out to leveling up. There's an economic component to community striving. If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship happening in communities, they failed. Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. May 29, 1993 Maple Leafs Garden, Toronto, Canada.

That's a good voice. One game stands between the kings and their first Stanley Cup final. And the great one was about to deliver. his greatest one. This together is Game 7 of the 1993 Campbell

Conference final. Welcome to Games with Names. I'm Julian. They're Jack and Kyler. We're on a mission to finding the greatest game of all time. We got a great episode coming today with Stanley Cup champion and president of the L.A. King's Luke Robbins, Tie. And if you haven't already, drop a like and subscribe. Games with Names, let's go.

Games with Names, a production of IHeart Radio. Welcome to Games with Names. Today we are looking at Game 7 of the 1993 Campbell Conference Finals between the Kings and the Maple Leaves with Luke Robatai. That's right. See, the French names always Robitai. There it is. I look at the name and I think, is that Italian? Yeah, yeah. It could be.

But it's not. It's the Quebec. Now, in one sentence, why did we pick this game? I mean, you know, you're a hockey player. You know, going to a game seven, it's so special. I was fortunate to play in a few of them. But that one, it was the first time the L.A. Kings went to the finals after. Growing up, Gretzky was my idol.

So, and it was, you know, everyone considered that game, Gretzky's best game ever. So I was part of that team. So for us, it was still mesmerizing, like, the way that the whole thing went about. Wow. Is this the greatest game of all time? I don't know if it's the greatest game of all time.

It's so hard to pick one game, you know, you could go back some of those Red Wings, Colorado series. back in the days, there were some amazing games. What made this game special is, you know, and you've seen that, you guys say, the greatest player in our game and the history of our game was at his best and even better. And that's what becomes,

and that was his neighborhood, his dad was there, and it was just, like, from that standpoint, it was amazing. And we'll jump into it, that's electric, but you just mentioned Colorado, you're kings, you're the president of the kings now, and they're playing Colorado going in the first round. How are we feeling? We feel good about it.

We've had a funny season. We've been up and down our year, but there's one thing about, you know, defense, you need to score a few points to win, but defense wins you championship. So we've had one of the best defensive team for the last few years. We've played really what defensively this year. Sometimes our goalies went up and down, you know,

but we play a, We play a way that it's hard to play against. And I think we went this year. We did a record. I think we went 33 or 34. Almost half of our games went to overtime this year. It's never been seen. And so that means we're always in the game.

So there's not a lot of room when you play us. So going against Colorado now and they got the best offense in the league, we know what we have to do. We just got to keep playing our game. And, you know, we're going to play it tight. We're going to make it miserable for them. You got to. I mean, offense sells tickets, defense wins championship. Sorry. Right?

They got the best defenseman in our league right now, Kail McCart, one of the top forward in Nathan McKinnon. So we know who they are. Hockey, just like football, it's about the team. It's always about the team. Not one guy can win it all, you know. And so if we play as a team and we get a couple guys to get hot, and our goalie makes the save you're supposed to do,

we're going to be in every game and then it's, you know, you get into overtime, it's one break here or there. There's no three on three or shootouts and no playoffs. We weren't good at it this year. 33 overtime games, man, that is wild. That is wild. Now, how is that this going to be the last game for NZ Kopitar?

Yeah, that's going to be his last, hopefully it's two months, you know, and it's his last run. So it's interesting, you know, He was struggling a little bit this year. He got hurt more than ever before. And I think there was a lot of pressure. You know, the fact that he knew it was his last year, everybody seemed to put pressure.

And then about a month and a half ago, he just kind of, you know, he's an athlete. He just flipped. And he said, okay, we got to get in. And he's been one of our best player. We made a trade for Panarin, Artami Panarin, who was a star in our league. And we put him together.

And they're one of the main reason we got in. And now he's going in. And, you know, we had a. day after day, I see him in the gym, and he is as pump as ever. And the guy just wants to play a couple of months instead of a couple weeks. Yeah, I mean, that's got to be a special moment for an athlete. Like, I didn't know I was going to retire my year. Yeah.

But if you know you're going to retire, you get to play out that year. You really get to have a little time of perspective. Yes. And get to enjoy it, which a lot of us didn't get to have that opportunity. It's different. For me, I never told anybody, but I knew my last year. I mean, I was so old. You know, I knew I was near the end,

and my back was beat up. And I remember around January, I told myself, then I told my, well, I think this is going to be it, but I was going to keep going. But I do remember suddenly nothing bothered me in the room. You know, sometimes little things bother you. You're like, why are you doing this?

Suddenly I was enjoying everything, you know. It made it special from that standpoint. So I think you're right. When you know it's probably your last seat, you could see differently, like things a little bit differently. And you kind of enjoy those moments because we all miss the room. We all miss the room. Yeah.

You know, it's true. Like those practices that used to agitate you. If you know it's like you come into an end, you sit there and you, you enjoy those Thursday fucking practices and pool pads in the conditioning afterwards. That's right. You know, you enjoy it's different. It's different. When you're 22 years old, you're like, what the fuck are you doing that? Fuck this shit.

Now, walk us through being the president of the L.A. Kings. What does the president of a hockey organization do for the team? Like, are you making all the decisions? What's your day to day? Well, day to day, there's always something. Like, I usually split my day and a half because our hockey operation, you know, operates really early in the morning. The coaches are in really early.

So I'll be part of some of those meetings. and then we have a practice. Sometimes we'll go a few of us watch practice. And then the afternoon, I'll try to go more on the business side and meet with our guys about what's going on. And, you know, you're figuring out the marketing and, you know, sponsorship and the way we're doing our PR. The one perspective that I always bring is I always want our franchise

to respect and understand the players. You know, you can't just have like a gimmick about, you know, marketing for the team and everything. You got to understand, well, the players have to feel something, you know, so you become a good organization. So it's a little bit of my day. Every day there's, you know, sponsorship pitch. Sometimes we're trying to elevate our franchise.

This city is 11 pro teams. There's always competition. But I enjoy it. It's fun. The one thing that I see that on the hockey side, that's fun. We still have a room. We have a bunch of ex-players in the room. we still tease each other like the locker room and everything.

It's not much HR once the doors closed, you know, so we have fun from that standpoint. Still, you know, I say the same thing. That's where I get my room fix is when I get to go to Fox and I work on NFL kickoff, the pregame show. And, you know, we'll be in there with the kickoff or with the NFL show with like Howie, Terry, Michael, Gron, Charles Woodson. And it may not be the room, but you get. get a fix of the room.

You get a little bit, a couple little jokes here and there. You remember when you were a player, correct? Yeah. Player is a player. And you get to see what they, what kind of player, even if we didn't play together. You can see what kind of player they were in the room. Exactly. Yeah, right.

Because it gives you that sense over in the room. That's right. Now, what's the best part of being the president? You're still involved. I was a kid. I was a kid. We didn't have much money. The NHO was so far away.

in Canada, I want to play junior major. That would be like a kid playing football and say, I want to play college. That's my goal. Like, my goal was to play junior major. I had seen this guy, Mario Lemieux, and I had seen some guys, like, you know, live. We didn't have a lot of money.

We never went to pro game. We would go see my dad and I, junior hockey, and it was sold out. Everybody was smoking in those days. And so that was my goal. And I made it there. And then one day I got drafted. And once I got drafted, I'm like,

oh, maybe I do have a chance. My name's on the list now. It's up to me. But I never seen that. So I don't forget how I feel today. I feel fortunate. I was a kid practicing against the wall trying to get better. Not knowing I was doing my 10,000 hours.

And I'm still involved with the game I love. So I feel lucky about it every day. Now, I mean, that's incredible. Very similar. Because I just wanted, you're a worry about what's on your plate kind of guy. Yeah. You're not thinking into the future. Like for me, when I was playing, I never thought, we all wanted to go to the league.

I wanted to go to the NFL, but I wasn't thinking like, oh, I'm doing everything for the NFL. Yeah. I'm doing this because I love the fucking game. Yeah. And I want to play Division I one football. I got to be better tomorrow. That's what it was. Yeah.

That's what it was. What's the worst part about being the president? There's no worse part. I think I'm better at picking life today. You know, I think at first, when I retired, and I got right away on the business side and with our company, Aege, it was a great company. They're so big, they own crypto.comer, and they own Coachella.

You know, so they're really big. And at first, the intensity I had as a player, I took it on the business side. So I was all in all the time. And even as a player, I always say, if you're going to be successful in pro sport, kind of have to be selfish in your life. It's sad to say, but there's a lot of selfishness on getting ready,

you know, the way you go to bed, the way you do everything, correct? Okay, so I did that. And now I think I'm better at saying, okay, there's a life. Like, as you get older, you start seeing people you used to look up. They're all like getting in their 80s. Like, oh, shit, I better start paying attention to real value of life, but I do still enjoy what I do. But it's so true. It's not being selfishness.

It is a form of selfishness, but it's a form of being unbalanced. and your family understanding that every decision you make when you're a professional athlete is predicated around how is it going to make you better on the field. That's right. You know, birthdays, anniversaries, you know, graduations, those are all sacrificed as a professional athlete. And it's sad, but it is selfish, but it's more of that unbalanced life.

Yeah, like I call you're right. I get it too. I say it all time. That's all any of us did. Because all the matter was the next game, always. Always. How do I get to feel the best? How do I get to play the best? And for our sport, it's magnified because we only do it for three hours once a week.

I know. You guys have a lot of pressure for you guys. It's a lot of pressure, but it's also a lot of, it's a lot of like psychological thinking throughout the week after a practice. Like, man, is that going to affect me for this? All right. Well, I got to tighten this up. how am I going to sleep tomorrow if we don't get this tightened up for tomorrow?

Because we got this neckgo, you know what I mean? Yeah. So it's different because you guys could slide off in a game and say, oh, we got two more next week or this week. And, you know, guys, we got to slide. And, you know, when you have it all, all your eggs in one basket, it's like the preparation process is so magnified to it. You know what I mean?

You guys sports are like, I remember this is it. I think it was late 80s. How are we long? We used to go to his golf tournament in LA. He was with the Raiders. And he said, why don't you come to the game? So we went to the game.

And he got us on the field at the old Coliseum. And we were like, holy shit, is that a tough sport? But there was our ego. You say, yeah, we hit two, but we played three, four times a week. So football, they get a week. And then I'll go on the field. And I realized how the impact, each impact was big. and then the biggest eye-opener for me

was after the game he took us in the locker room and I saw beat up some of the guys were. I was like, that's just one game. And I was like, oh my God, these guys, the respect I got, because then I never realized, too, you can win a battle against the guy, but you're facing the same guy the rest of the game pretty much.

And the other guy is a pro too. Yeah, he gets paid. The other guy wants to win too. It's like you think about facing the same. guy if you're on the line the whole game and oh my god i couldn't believe it you know but the risk you guys you know with hockey you guys are going like 28 miles an hour on the ice everything's so fast so quick 30 seconds on 30 seconds off guys got sticks and the weapons and and the skill that you guys have to play with it's it's you know it's it's it's a you guys have a mixture of of that masculinity

but the skillness that combines a couple sports. It combines football with baseball where you have to have the hand-eye to fucking be able to do something while you got shit in your face. It's crazy. I watch you guys and how you guys can handle that little puck with the variables around you guys is incredible. Some of that, you're right.

I think that football and hockey, the toughness of guys, people not knowing about injuries and guys playing. And we get a lot of that. We always get a kickout. You know, I love soccer, but we laugh on guys. But it's part of their game to fake it, you know? Or the other day, like we had meetings with some of our fans and they were asking. I said, well, I said, I won't tell you who the player is on our team,

but there's a player in the NBA that just got announced for an injury missing six weeks. I go, the same week, our player got the same injury because the same doctor diagnosed him, took the same MRI. And I go, our guy hasn't missed the game yet. He's been frozen every game. I just want you to know that's a difference. And that's football's the same, you know. I would say, well, we're off topic, but I would say the hockey guys, you know, football is that way because they'll replace you.

Yeah. Your contract's not guaranteed. There's guys coming in and out. so you can't afford to be off the field. I mean, you know, we all know the Drew, the, the, the Bledso story where he was the first $100 million player, the six-round draft pick guy comes in, never gives up the spot named Tom Brady. Like, that's how this game is.

The absolute love for the sport with the hockey guys, out of all the guys I've interviewed, I feel like they love their sport more than anyone. You know what I mean? It's just like the, the, the beautiness of the guys and how team-orienting. that you guys are is incredible. But what was it like? You brought in Howie Long. I love Howie.

He's, is he not like, is he not like the man's man of men? Oh, he's so cool. I haven't seen him in about 25 years. I don't see him on TV, but he was the coolest guy.

I mean, he's incredible. What was Life Like playing in the 90s in L.A.? Well, for us, we got Gretzky. So we got, we got Gretz, and it,

just happened that the Lakers were in a little bit of a slide. And it was like, it changed our world. Like, we had an owner or two that wanted to market the game. And Wayne came in, and it was even close. He was the best player in the world. Like, guys used to get 125 points a year. And he would get 200. You mean, you think if you look at Gretzky's records and you try to put him in perspective,

probably Wilk Chamberlain, you know, like, didn't he get like 50 points a game or something? He scored a hundred in the game. You know, and like Wayne is the only guy. That's how far apart he was from everyone. The best player in our game now is Connor McDavid. And the other day they had a stat. They said he's going to hit whatever, 1,300 points before 30, which he's number three in the all-time list.

And number two is Mary Lemieux, whatever. Let's say it's 1,400 point. And they said, who's number right? Well, Gretzky, but he's at 2,300. He's like a thousand points ahead. It's crazy and all great he was when you think about it, you know. And you guys being in L.A. We got L.A. and we had this guy Bruce McNauland.

And hockey, I think football's like this. There's no one in a room, correct? Maybe TV before the game. There's no one in our room. Us. It's always very quiet. But this guy would bring like every movie star before the game, after the game in our locker room. We had Ronald Reagan come to our games.

we didn't know what was happening. I was the youngest guy, so it was like the greatest experience. I couldn't believe it. Like, it was like, he put the hockey on the map. Like, Wayne came in L.A. and we were the only team on the West Coast,

except for a team in Vancouver. And then we started doing preseason games within two years. We played Miami a couple of times, Houston, Phoenix, and Dallas, and next thing you know, four years later, there were teams everywhere.

And I do believe it had everything to do with Wayne coming in and showing that in the south side hockey could be successful. And then the league just went like on a tear. I think we went up almost like eight teams within a few years. Jeez. The Gretzky effect. Yeah, I called it the Gretzky effect. It was amazing.

We'll be right back after this quick break. I'm Luke Wilson. Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind. Now got my own show. If you're tired of lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, Join us each week. Film Never Lies available on all TSN platforms

in the IHeart Radio app. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball

to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations

some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either.

We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield. And in this new season of the Girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care.

So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm AGO-You. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Wodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo. Woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place they come. Look for up and coming. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved.

And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah. It would not be. Right.

It wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Who was the coolest person in that locker room that you saw? Well. You remember. Oh, the coolest person to come in, it was kind of cool on Ronald Reagan. You know, like I remember.

I remember he brought Stallone before the game. And Sly was great. he comes in and Arnold said, I brought Rocky to pump you up and he's high-fiving. Then he leaves the room and you've seen those guys on TV and everyone was like, he's really small. Tom Cruise would come and Kevin Koster. I mean, you name it.

Goldie and Kurt Russell were hanging out with us all the time. Tony Robbins would travel with us. John Candy was like our, John Candy was great because in those days in Toronto and in Montreal, there were two seats literally on the bench. So you'd have the team on the bench. And then there were two fans that were literally right next to the bench. So our owner gave John Candy a seat next to the bench one time.

So he would open the door when we would change. And he would just make us laugh the whole game. It was awesome. Joe Montana. Hey, there's John Candy on the other than the bench. Oh, yeah. He would have been like, like, well, Gretz was like that. I read a few things about Joe Montaigne.

Gretz was like that. He just knew everything in the stands. you're talking about game seven that series we we started in Toronto against the Maple Leafs and we both knew Mike Myers who's a really nice guy before I tell him this story but and Mike somehow I had talked to him he needed some tickets because it was Toronto was impossible to get tickets and somehow maybe him or someone else like called Grets so I can't remember we gave him four tickets so we're in the warm up and this is like the same thing. semi-final, like, I'm so pumped.

You know, you're not looking. You're just, like, Gretz comes to me, goes, did you buy tickets to Mike Myers? I go, I think I got him too. He goes, yeah, he goes, never again. This fucking guy's never again. I go, really? Why?

He goes, look. And this is like, I think it was right before the anthem. He goes, look at him. And I go, he's got a fucking Toronto Maple Leaf jersey. We bought him the tickets. He was the biggest lease. I love Mike. At least he was loyal to his team.

And Gris is like, that's it. We're not fucking buying him tickets. I'm like, Oh, okay, let's go play the game, boy. Fucking Austin Powers, bro. Yeah. Come on. One Swedish penis pump.

Man, that's incredible. But guys like that, they do notice everything, huh? Yeah. I mean, that's the amount of stars, because I remember seeing the stars always going. Because I grew up in this time. And I, and I was a Bay Area kid. But you'd be like, there's so many guys. damn people. Because there's so many Canadian

Canadians that are in Hollywood. Yeah. Yeah. Like John Candy was Canadian. Yep. That's right. You know, Mike Myers, Canadian. You know, Ryan Reynolds probably hit you up a couple times for some, you know, all these Canadians. There is from the game. That's Jersey. That's literally from the game. He's tickets, though. Come on. Wayne?

Oh, fucking Wayne's world. He's a good guy, though. Now, you played in L.A., that's what we're talking about. Before we get into this game, You also played in Pittsburgh, Detroit, and New York. You did the old, I leave, I come back, I leave, I come back. And you did that three times. Yeah.

I've never seen that. How is that? You know, it's sports. It's weird sometimes. The first time when I got traded, I was kind of fortunate I knew it was going to happen. So, and our owner was always very fair to me, Bruce McNaul. And he had told me he would let me know. I ended up going to Pittsburgh and Mario Lemieux was there.

He was a superstar. But we got a lockout that year and Mario had a bad back so he didn't play the whole year. And then at the end of the year, when the lockout gets settled, the salaries were going to change. And there was something changing my contract. And I was able to file for arbitration. And the owner that was there knew my agent real well. And he said, I'm not going to be able to pay everybody because Mary was coming back next year. so if he win the arbitration case,

I can't pay him, but my agent says, you got to do what you got to do for yourself. So we filed, and then I got traded to the Rangers. You know, it was a money thing. And I love playing for the Rangers. For some reason,

I didn't understand my role there. Really, that's the way to describe it. And not understanding my role, I was stuck in my head. I was trying to get better and everything, and I got hurt a bunch of times too because of it. I don't know, maybe I was, you know,

foot a couple times and and then after two years they you know the GM says to me he says I'm not sure you could play more I'm not sure about your role I said okay I said I'm okay as long as I understand my role but he said to me said L.A. called and they'd be interested in getting you back I said well I would go back in L.A. you know so he was fair his name was Neil Smith and he traded me to L.A. and I went back and I restarted my career suddenly I had a role I understood my role and I understood my role and you know, and I played there, and I think it was four or five years, and we had really good success. We didn't get to the finals, but we were getting better.

And I was getting a little bit older, but I had changed my workout. I knew what to do, and I became a free agent for the first time. I did think I was going to sign in L.A. I was sure. And then the last second I was offered, like it wasn't a contract. I was expected, so I wasn't happy with it, you know, and I didn't understand the business side of it.

Like everybody has a budget. No one explained that to me. So I was kind of, I wasn't happy. My kids were starting school to make a long story short. My wife asked me, she goes, who do you think I has a chance to win the cup? If you're going to go somewhere, I said, well, Detroit. We had just beaten Detroit the year before,

but they had just gotten the best goal in the world, Dominic Hasek, and they still had one of the best teams. So she said, well, why don't you try to go there? but I thought it would be a lot of traveling for her and the kids because we made a deal the first year I would just go alone. And she said, well, it doesn't matter if it's San Jose, Dallas or Detroit. You still got to get to the airport. And so I said, okay, we called Detroit and made the deal in about a half hour

and went there, won the cup. Then when I became a free agent, the president of the King's Tim Laikiki told me, he goes, I want you to finish your career after I sign it. I think he had met with me. I give him credit. he says, we screwed up. He goes, I hope you win the cup. But he goes, in two years, if you want to come back and finish here, he goes, we'd love to have you.

I said, okay, so two years later, I called him. I didn't, this time I said, I said, I didn't, this time I said, I'm not waiting for anybody. I'm not waiting for my agent. I just call him. I go, remember where you said? He goes, yeah, I go, I want to come back. And I came back. Man.

That 2002 Detroit Red Wings roster, just looking at it the other day. It's in all of sports. I mean, you guys were like. the super team. That year there's 20 players on a hockey team that wins two goalies, 18. 11 of those players are Hall of Famers. So you think you put a team where you got 20 guys, more than half of them are Hall of Famers,

that probably could never happen again. There were no salary caps in those days. I'm just going to say the names for the Ainsett Holmes. Brett Hall, Nick Lidsstrom, Dominic Haskich, Sergei, Sergey Federoff, Steve Yisman, Brandon Shanhan, Pavel Datsuk was on that team. Chris Chelyos, Igor Larianov, Scotty Bowman, Even Sean Avery, your friend was on the...

Shout out, Sean. He's my guy. Is he? Well, he... Yeah, he is my guy. But he also, he lives in my daughter's neighborhood. And he's like the freaking... You remember when the TMZ thing?

Yeah. Oh, are you? That was like right next to my house. I know Sean. I know Sean. So, I'm playing with Sean two different teams. The first day, like, I'm over there, my daughter's house. Over in the area.

And I'm walking up. And this guy started. chirping me. Oh, yeah, he would. I just retired. You know, we're at a barbecue. These guys, you quit working out or something?

He said that to him. I've never met him. Like, who the fuck is this guy? And then we became boys, but he's crazy that guy. Sean's never found any trouble. He can't just go and go get more, you know?

We play with him. We had to babysit him. We had to, we did everything. And just when everything was super smooth, he found a way to get care. awesome to our really crazy. He was a great fire.

He was tough. He was really tough. Was he living in Brezhol's garage? Is that what he said? That's where he told us. Yeah, I think so. He's,

I love, Sean. He's just a piece of work. He's a beauty. As the hockey guys would say, no, we got to get this Mount Rushmore French Canadian hockey players.

Everyone's been asking me about it. I said, I only know two of them. You're one of them. Oh. The best French Canadians? French Canadian.

I mean, I grew up in Montreal. So for me, Mary Lemieux is number one. And you're the other for me. And Ray Bork. Ray Bork. I wouldn't put myself in that bucket because I was a ninth round tour

so I always think as a ninth round. Guy Lafleur growing up in Quebec. I mean, he, it was amazing. Then you go back, Ray Bork on defense and then Jean-Billy-Voe. like that was like a if you grew up in Quebec that was like Joe DiMaggio that was our Joe DiMaggio like he the guy won the stand a couple 18 times he's got his name on it it's like they try it's like as a

surpassed everything 12 11 time or 10 times as a player then a bunch time as a manager and then the other one that growing up in Quebec that was like every Christmas like any holiday the rocket richard Morris richard was uh was uh was uh babe ruth of hockey's the rocket, Richard. He was tough. He fought. First guy to score 50 goals in the NHL. So those were like, for us, that was the Mount Rushmore. Like Gila Fleur, the rocket, the John Bill.

Then the new people would be merry on Ray Bork. And probably I would throw in, even though they both were really even. Patrick or Marty Berger, Patrick was probably got more impact because of as a goalie on history. Yeah. And winning the cup for Montreal. Yeah, he won a cup as a rookie. He was a goalie. So you're from Quebec, and I know we're going to jump into this game,

but playing against the Maple Leafs, you probably hated them growing up, right? Or are you, Maple's Leafs, Sam? Well, I didn't know, because you got to remember, I grew up in the 70s, and Montreal always won the Cup. Always won. So we thought that was normal. We thought only one team won. That's like watching you guys, if you're a young kid, you're eight years old,

and you watch a Patriot, you're like, oh, yeah, they always win. Like, you know, kids think, you know, when you're eight years old, Like, yeah, they win every two years or they win every year. Like, you know, that's how we, Montreal won four years in a row from the time I was like, you know, eight years old, the 12. So I was like, yeah, I like the white Canadian and the red Canadian, the road to, we didn't even understand that part, you know. There was only a couple of games a week on TV, not a lot of information. No. So we didn't hate the Maple Leaf.

We just, we knew the Boston Bruins in Montreal was always a lot of fights. Yeah. Not the Maple Leafs in those days. It was more to Boston Bruins. Man, let's go back into time. This is a segment where we go over the pop culture around the time the game took place. This game took place May 29th, 1993. And look at some of these.

You said you had Sly in the locker room. Cliffinger. I love the clip. That was awesome. I rewatched it. I was like, man, it looks a little more green screen than I remember. It does. When the girl falls down, like, oh, that doesn't look quite real.

Yeah. Real, Dan. It looked amazing then. Number one song, that's the way love goes by Janet Jackson. That's the way love. Dude, this was a fun time. It's a good year.

Pop culture. Intel unveils the Pentium processor. I think we're on the 15 now. Pentium 15. Started it all. The Cup winners, Canadians, the Bulls. I mean,

they were winning every year that year. Charles Barkley, MVP. Shout out Chuck. Mario Lemu got the heart trophy. Yeah. I mean, what was life like for you, How old are you in 93? I was 20, it was like 20, I was 26.

It was awesome. Like we lost against Montreal. I hate to see Montreal, you know, but we beat the least in game seven. It was a weird year for us because Gretz got hurt at camp and they said he might never play again. So we were a total underdog and we had a new coach. His name was Barry Melrose. He was on ESPN for years. Great mull.

And he came in, great mullet. He had the big mullet in those days. And he was a great motivator. He found a way to pump us up every night. And he made us play really fast. We surprised a ton of teams. So by the time Gretz came back, you add the best player in the world to a team that we had it rolling as a team.

And we went on a tear in the playoffs. Look at that mullet. That was unbelievable. And, you know, we almost beat Montreal. We won game one. lost game two and overtime. People remember there was an illegal stick curve

called. Years later. Montreal police weren't on it I heard. Yes, I'm the one that told that story because the policeman in 98 told me in the new arena. He goes, I was there they told me to look the other way and he said they took four, three or four

sticks. One was mine and Marty and Alex Zittenden and Thomas Sandstrom. It was four sticks. Those were the players. And they measured them, they put them back. But you knew in those days when teams would look on the ice to measure. We all had a legal one, you know, when the game got near the end. Because they were made by wood, so you never knew what kind of curve you were getting.

And I didn't know that Marty Sticks was illegal when they called it, but they knew what they were calling before because it takes a lot of balls. Did Marty know it was illegal? I don't know that Marty knew. I don't think Marty knew. I think Marty just played like. Crapshoot with that wood. It's a crapshoot with the old wood ones, right?

Yeah, because even it had to be three inches or less, and most of them, they were handmade. So they would come three and a quarter. You didn't bother to measure most of the time. It was rare that people called a stick because it was a penalty the other way if you were wrong. So, I mean, it happened when I was in Detroit. We're playing against the Colorado Avalanche.

We won in game seven, that series. and the coach, the train, one of the stick boy for Colorado asked Dominic Hasick for a stick. I can't remember if it was at the beginning of the season or near the end of year, you know, for his kids. So Dominic Essex signs a stick. And during the playoffs, we knew the coach on the inside liked to call the illegal stick. And Dominic Hasick said, I remember giving him a stick. So they measured the width of his blade. And it was a little bit above three inches.

So the trainer shaved all the sticks. And the fucking guy called his stick in a game when it was, I think, 2-2. And Dominic Kasich was so mad. We were so mad. It's disrespectful. You can't be a coach and ask for a stick. And then you use it against the guy. So our stick was legal.

We got the power play. We ended up winning that game. Then they lost in game seven. Carmar hit him big. But I do remember that. Our guys were pissed at that coach for it. I think even the Colorado guys were pissed. The unwritten rules of hockey.

It's kind of like that baseball shit too. There's a lot of that hidden rule stuff. Man, I was a bitch sometimes. Man, I don't want to get ahead of ourselves here, but Luke, when Jacques Demir did that, were you guys like, bro, come on. Well, we were up to one. We weren't really thinking.

We didn't know it, but I remember if you see the replay, you see me go to the referee, and Gretz was pissed. and I just go, I go, is it close? Because he's trying, there's a measurement. It's by the bench. He's trying. And if you saw like daylight, it was illegal. I go, is it close?

And I can see he's trying to make it legal. He goes, it's not even close. So I go back to the bench. I go, hey, it's not even close. God, darn it. They got them. Damn. All right, let's jump into the game, Jackie.

So we hit these Maple Leafs real quick. Yeah. All right, let's get these 93 Maple Leafs. Forty four, 24, 29. 11. First year of the Pat Burns era coming off back-to-back years where they missed the playoffs. So this was big. Felix Pavin won the Calder Trophy. He was

on fire that year. Rookie year, awesome. We got to talk. Doug Gilmore was bawling out this year. 127 points. Glenn Anderson was also awesome this year. Both made big plays in this game we're talking about. Yeah, Luke, what do you remember about these guys? Well, Dave Andrew Chuck had a great

years of front and that guy. Doug Gilmore was their engine. He was their leader. He was was phenomenal and he was a warrior. What made Doug Gilmore special is he just played the game so hard and he was mean on the ice and he was a little guy

and he just took no per every shift was the last like his last shift their captain when the Clark was one of the toughest guy in the league at the time. I can't believe he's only 5-11 there. He felt like he was like a giant out there. Him and Marty McSorley had one of the

best fight during that series. He was, he could really punch. Like, he, he was like, he could punch and knock guys out. I, I, I forgot they had Grant Fier. I see that. The guy Mark Osborne works for us as a scout today. That's kind of funny. I see the name Pat Byrne, because that was my coach in junior. So Pat Burns was just a policeman that turned into coach and my team in junior. And he, he got us on. And I didn't know at the time he was only 28 or 29 years old when he was our coach and he was tough and mean. And he becomes the Toronto Maple Leafs coach? He became the

true. We won everything in junior and all the only thing was motivation and we played in this little city and I was his leader. He would come to me and after the game when we'd win he'd say you guys could go out. You know, the drinking age 18 in Quebec he goes you guys could go out he goes

what bar are you going to? I go we're going to go this bar. I don't want to see any of you fucking guys that bar. We didn't know he was there. It was two bars. He was the best coach. He was so much fun to play for. As long as he went. He would sit in the back of the bus with us and tell jokes on, you know,

these four or five hour bus ride in junior. He was fun. So to see him after, all his teams were tough. They all played hard because that's his personality. And he was special. Glenn Anderson, he had such a great career in Emmington.

He was a gamer in the playoffs. He was always a gamer day. You know, some of those guys I see that Todd Gilder, he was a tough, mean defense. He made you pay a price. They had a really good team. You know, Phyllis Pavain, the cat. He was a great goalie, and that's why we went to game seven. Are the Maple Leafs cursed?

I don't know. I learned to never talk against. We'll move on. We'll move on. We'll move on. We'll move on. We'll move on a few years. But I don't know that they're cursed.

say the problem with our game now, it's getting harder and harder because of the salary cap and the parity is hard. And the cap is starting to go up rather quickly. So there's really not a lot of trade anymore. All the good players are being signed by their team. So it's getting harder and harder to make your team. So the way to do it in our game because it's not like you guys, you can't cut a guy. You're responsible for salary.

And so it counts against the cap. So at some point you've got to say, we're going to break it down to the bare bone, get all assets, and then you draft, you draft, you make a couple trades here and there to build the character, and you hope you get a superstar. You know, if you pick one or two, and the odds are, you know, as you know, it's thin. Yeah, that happens. But, I mean, the great teams are always built through the draft. Yeah, it's through the draft for sure, yeah.

You know, it's crazy. We'll be right back after this quick break. I'm Luke Wilson. Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind, and now, I've got my own show. So if you're tired or lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, join us each week. Film Never Lies available on all TSN platforms in the IHeart Radio app. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by.

Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, Never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist.

I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe.

On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell.

Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day. And I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah.

He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that.

There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Jackie, jump into these kings. These kings, man, 39, 35, and 10. Like Luke said, a little bit of up and down season. Missed Wayne for a lot of this year. back injury hurt. But man, Luke balled the heck out this season.

63 goals. Set an NHL record for goals by a left winger in a single season. Broken by OV and like 06. But man, that thing stood forever. Let's talk about some dudes on this team. You got Luke, of course. You got the great one, of course. You got Mike Donnelly.

You got Yari Curry. You got Blake. I mean, this is a good team, man. Rob Blake. What made that team really special is like, we didn't know at the time when we lived. lost Wayne, we thought we're done. I would say the coach, the coach found a way to make us play as a team. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, Eric Curry is number two or number three,

the best right winger in the history of the NHL. That year, he was my sentiment. So to be a sentiment in hockey, that's like saying, okay, you're a receiver, you're going to be a quarterback. Now, you know, it's like, it's that hard. And he became my sentiment. And, uh, and he literally carried our team because our center in hockey plays offense and defense, you know, all the time. So, and then guys like Tony Granado, that was all character. These guys were just pure

character, all in, all out. Like, the way you played, you were kind of nuts, you know, you come across the middle and took fucking hard. Tony Granada was like that. He was not big. He fucking, he had ball. Like, he just, this guy was a warrior. Mike Donnelly still works

for us, a lot of speed. In those days, they weren't a lot of players with a lot of speed he had speed. By the time we got Gretz back, it took him in a little while to get back, but once he got in, man, he was, he was lights out. And then the one thing that people forget, we had Rob Blake that was, where's Rob Blake? How old was he? He was 23. But then we had this guy, Darryl Siddor that was, he was very young. And we had Alex Zittnick that was 20. So we had three defensemen in the early 20s, and that never happens in sport.

We basically had, we call it a big three moving forward. I don't know why the Kings started trading a couple of those guys within two years after, and then never went back in the playoffs until 2000. Wow. You know, you need defense. And we had the three guys, the three guys that could have carried us for a long time.

Zitnik, Sador, and Blake, and then Zitnik and Sodoran ended up being traded over the next few years. it kind of reminds me when you say when Gretz was out it forced us to become a team and then once he came back we were a better team and you add on Wayne Gretzky

it's gonna only be better it reminds me of kind of like in 2016 when Brady was suspended for four games and Gropolo came in the team was getting like I just remember right before the bench I said we're gonna oil this man

for you to come in. It's going to be perfect for you when you get back into your bubs. And that's what Jimmy G did. We ended up getting all the other positions right. You know, other receivers and showing Tom, these guys can perform. That guy can perform. Once he came,

it was easy transition. I don't think he threw a pick all year. We won the Super Bowl that year. But it was like, it's almost like the team had to get better once your best player leaves. But it forced us to get better. And then once he came back, it was like, we were better, way better. Yeah.

That's funny you're talking about. I just had that thought. Like I was always fascinated by you guys. So I saw the documentary, read the book, you know? So now you're like, oh, yeah, I remember that. Oil the machine. It's kind of like this. Now, you wore the sea when Gretzky was out.

Yeah. How was that? I mean, I had the time. time. I remember Barry Merrill's was the coach. And when you get a new coach a year before, you never know where you're going to stand. In hockey, the coach kind of dictates your role because, you know, you say you go on the ice 30, 40 second. There's four lines of forwards. If the coach forgets you for one shift, you're like, did I do something? You start thinking. The minute you start thinking, you're behind, you know. So I didn't know where I stood with that coach. And he came at

camp and he used me as an example to say, I want us to play hard. this year, like a guy like Luke, he goes to front of the net, takes a beating every game, everybody's going to have to do the same. I was like, oh, shit, I think this guy likes me. Yeah, you know. So I didn't take that for granted. I took it

and ran with it. And says, I know he likes me, I'm going to take it easy. I just, I had this mentality, I got to be better now for him. So we go through training camp and things are going good, but Gret's not there. And we had one game left. And he takes me aside. He says,

he was a good communicator with us. You know, he kind of had a leadership group. He spent time with us. And you kind of felt there was something special. He had a good way about him. So he said, I need to name a new captain. He goes, who do you think it should be? He's asking me.

And it's in the hallway before like a morning's case. So I'm like, I don't know if I can think. And we had this veteran Dave Taylor. He was 37 years old that before Gretz he was the captain. So I go, his nickname was Stitch. I go, Stitch, you know, he goes, and he kind of smiled. He goes, I was thinking of you. I'm like, oh, really?

I'm like, really? I go, okay. Then I do remember he asked me for one thing. He said, I, if you're going to be my captain, you need to be the hardest guy to practice every day. And I said, okay. And I want to make an effort because, like, we were talking about getting ready for, every game. I didn't know. We didn't have nutritionists. We didn't have trainers and no one told us what to do. So it was all in your mind what you thought was better. So I was drafted in the ninth.

I wasn't a good skater. I wasn't the strongest guy, the biggest guy at the time. But my will and my willingness to learn the game and to try to be better every day was what I had. So there were days in practice. I'm like, I got a game tomorrow. I can't go too hard today. I was literally figuring out And then I would go home and hurry, drink a bunch of water because someone had told me drink a lot of water and take a nap. And I was always trying to be ready for the next game, you know. So there were some practices where I was kind of like dogging it, which is not good for the team. But I didn't know that. So when he asked me that, I do remember that year that tweaking me and that change.

And I became every practice, I had to be number one. I knew that was important. But it's funny, that was my best year too. Yeah. You know. I mean, you rose up to the occasion of the letter. Yeah. But then Grets come back.

I remember people were saying, who should be? I'm like, fucking Wayne Gretzky's our captain. He's our leader. He's going to take us, you know. So it was just the real reason why I was named captain is because we were told he might never come back. That's really the reason. Once he was coming back, that was always his team. Wow.

You know. That's incredible. you know Was Tom quiet in the room? No Gretz was quiet He didn't say much It's different as a quarterback

Yeah Because you I mean he was quiet In the team room Yeah yeah yeah But when we got into the offense Oh yeah Gretz on the ice was vocal

Yeah you know like In our offense meetings Because we always We have team meeting for 50 minutes Then you break it up for hours Offense Then you go into skill group And you change into that

And whenever it was just the quarterbacks and receivers, he was very vocal because he was big on the communication because the trust factor for him of earning his trust. He wanted to know where you were going to be at every single time. So if there was any kind of question mark, he was going to let you know. You know what I mean? And it's, you know, I think it's different in football because he's he's the coach on the field. You know, and in the offensive meeting, you know, he would be vocal on things that he needed you to hear. you know. Gretz was my idol growing up.

You know, we were five years apart. When I was 13, he was 18. He's breaking every record. So then I'm 14. I'm watching every one of his games. So I get to the NHL, and I'm playing him against the first game. I remember, like, I wanted to impress him.

You know, he's playing. And then two years later, he's on my team. I literally couldn't talk. I mean, every time he would, and I remember, I had modeled my game against him. I was trying to pass like him and everything. I'm playing with him to start the year, and we get on a two-on-one,

and I wanted to be Wayne Gretzky in my mind, you know? So I'm like, I'm going to wait. I'm going to give him the perfect pass. He's just going to tap it in. And I wait, I wait. I go to pass it, and the dean knocks it out of the air, and they go the other way. So Gretz come back to the bench.

He goes, hey, lucky, he goes, just give it to me. He goes, just give it to me. I'll give it back. I'm like, well, no shit. I know that. So for the poor person. guy was playing with me for the next month. Like, the puck was like a hot potato

on my stuff. The minute I get, I would just throw it at him. I was so nervous. I just wanted to please my hero. It was kind of funny. At one point, a coach says, we're going to play you off his line a little bit. You're not yourself, you know, but it did. It took me almost a year to come back and say,

I could play with this guy now, like, you know, but that's how much I idolized him, you know. It was very, it was very similar for all the young players when you came in to play with Tom. Yeah. And like for me, I remember my first OTA practice with the veterans, they put in a four wide group in, which there was four receivers you take out a tight end. They specifically made it to see how I would handle it. And I ran around. I did it. And Tom darted a ball at me and I dropped it. And he goes, what are we doing or something? He called me out. And I like, shit my pants. But he was testing me because the next play I made a catch. he was testing me to see how he had to work with me. Yeah.

You know, because some guys, if Tom would, you know, he couldn't get on everyone because they've been watching him, you know, by the time I got there, he was in the league for 10 years. That's amazing, yeah. You know, and then by my 10th year, he's been in there for, you know, 10, 20 years. And you got a kid who's 22 years old

who was watching this guy his whole life, literally wasn't born in his first, you know, you can't get on certain guys. You're right. So I think that's how the great leaders are. They always have to know how they are with each and every guy because some guys need to be pat on the ass. Some guys need to be motherfucked.

I was a motherfucker type of guy where you could coach me hard. And I would respond. And, you know, I think, but I was nervous as fuck. The whole, you know, it was crazy. We would go out. Gretz would go. We'd always go to dinner on the road, you know, like, traveling is so long, like sometimes in hockey would be.

And Gretz would say he'd reserve. like a table, we'd go like seven, eight of us and eat. You want to come with us? Like, yeah, I go, fuck yeah, you know. But his dinner was like 7.30 and we'd go home by 11. And before that, I was in bed at 10. And then I had my ritual. I would watch like a show, then I'd think cheers would come on.

Then I'd go to bed, you know? So I remember at one point, I go, I don't think I could go to dinner with him. I'm not going to be ready for my games anymore. It was hard to say I can't go to dinner. That was a hard thing. And I'm like, I don't want him to not like me. It's just that I know I can't be good tomorrow. Like it was my thing as a kid.

1,000. There's always that veteran group. Yeah. Where you're not quite in that group yet. Oh, I didn't want to. You want to be in that group, but you don't want to fuck up the opportunity of being in that group. Exactly.

You know, I know exactly what you're feeling. Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh. So the first time you earned Gretz's trust. How did you feel that? I think I always had Gretzstra. It's more me that was like freaking out playing with him. The biggest thing that happened is like, I think it was my first year.

So like I said to you, in junior, I got really big stats. I wanted to be Gretzky. So I was the playmaker in my team. I got like 130 assists. I got a lot of goal. But I was known as a playmaker. So then I get to the pro and I become a score. I'm playing with different guys.

And then Wayne comes, and when you get a power play in hockey, it's two minutes. So the year before, when Wayne wasn't there, I played, it's called the half wall. But the best player in the world in the half wall was Wayne Gretzky. So the whole year before I got like 100 points and I'm on the half wall and we have a good power play. Wayne comes on the team. I'm the half wall, he's a half wall, he's Wayne Gretzky. So they say, okay, yeah, Luca, you take Wayne on a change.

and the power play is two minutes. Most guys go for a minute. But Wayne Gretzky should stay two minutes. He's fucking Wayne Gretzky. So he's staying most of the time two minutes or he's scoring right away. You know? So the whole year for about three quarters a year, I got my foot over the board and Wayne's not coming or he's scoring.

And so I'm really not in a power play. So at some point, I had like two, three games I hadn't scored. And the GM calls me up. And you could tell the coach, Dr. Jim, say, pump him up a little bit. but he's a young kid on the team. Tell him, you know, we need him. He's a secondary scoring. So I go to GM and he goes, yeah, he goes, look, he goes,

I know you haven't scored, but keep working hard. You're doing good. He goes, I know it's hard on the PPP. You're not getting on a power plea because you're taking Wayne. And I go, yeah, but, you know, I'm not complaining. He goes, he goes, it's too bad you don't play in front of the net. He goes, we're looking to get a front of the net. I'm actually looking to trade.

So I look at him, I go, I go, I go, really? I go, I played the front of net. He goes, you did? I go, yeah, my whole Korean junior, I played the front of the net. I lied. I'd never been in front of the fucking net. I mean, that's scary in front of the net.

A hundred miles of hours shot are coming. You're trying to tip him. Half of them hits you. But I lied because I'm like, I'm going to get to play with Wayne on the power play. So I tell the gym, I go, oh, yeah, my whole career and junior, the three years I played the front of net,

I go, you can, there was no video in those days. 86. Thanks. We're good. Then I go on the ice and the practice and our coach comes next to me. He goes, you played the front of the net in June. I go, yeah. He goes, fuck, I didn't know that.

He goes, we're going to put you in front of that. I go, all right, thanks. And then that was it. I made my entire career. Everybody knows me as a front of net guy. It was just I lied in my way to play with Wayne. You got to take advantage of some opportunity sometime. Yeah, actually.

He's like, I'm not going to replace Gretzky. No. Oh, my God. I was like when you lie on your resume, but it works out. Yeah. That's the best. I used to do that all the time. If you ever cover a kick, yeah.

You play quarterback in college. We have all your film. I did. Coach, we're like, okay. Okay. They're always willing for the willing guy. That's right. Let's get this game lead up.

All right, quick lead up here real quick. Toronto had to play two seven game series to get there. Beat Detroit, beat St. Louis. L.A. on the other hand got a Canadian teams too. Yeah. All right. That's crazy. No, for real.

L.A. on the other hand beat Calgary and Vancouver, both in six game series, 4242. And then this is a seven game series, of course. Game six, do or die, wild O.T. finish. Gretzky scores the winner. Got some momentum going into this one. Yeah. That was wild.

How would you sum up to this point? Going into this game seven, what are you feeling personally going into this game? This is your biggest game of this franchise. Yeah. You don't think like that as a play. You know, you just think game six, I remember we were down three, two. And I was a little bit stuck in my head in game five. I remember. In game six, I just came in and I was pumping. That was one of my best game. Is that game six there? Oh, this is game seven. This is game seven now. I can pull game six. Game six is down here at the bottom right. Game six, I got like a two or three points. I can't remember, but I remember feeling good.

And I'm the one I gave it to Gretz to score in overtime. And it just like, you know, we were down three, two, and we had to win that game. And then going to game seven, then it was like, okay, now it's ultimate sacrifice. So for me, I was, it was like that whole series was one game after another. It just, and then we kind of felt mentally we were the team that traveled a lot. So we felt the longer the series would go, it would play to our advantage because we were used to traveling back and forth. Yeah. And we knew Toronto was not.

That was much harder for them. So going back to game seven, I think we played like, you know, Thursday and it was Saturday right away or it might have been Wednesday, Friday. So there was, there's no time to turn around. It's like, you're traveling another six hour next day. You got to play. And we really felt that was our advantage, you know. So did you watch Cheers the night before this? No, because when you go to Canada, they didn't have it.

Oh, geez. It kind of screwed up my routine a little bit in Canada. In Canada, it's only hockey. It's only hockey. They leave the news, the middle of the news. There's a car crash on hockey. And I hope you like Don Cherry. Man.

Yeah, it was Don Cherry. Man, so games. What is the first thought? when you think of this game? Game 7. My first thought is it was kind of cool because Wayne's dad

was sitting on the glass. And I love Wayne so much. I love his dad as my. His dad was Wallie. He was like a legend in Canada. So it was kind of cool to see him there. And we started the game. We just knew it was going to be a tight game. And I don't think you realize until

the end, how amazing the whole game was, regrets, the way he, the third goal was a little bit lucky, but the first two goals, the way he just turned around under all that pressure and to be able to score those big goals and make the big plays, he kind of knew we were going to win.

Yeah. You got, you had that feeling we were just going to win, you know? Now, it wasn't easy. They ended up scoring near the end of the game. And, and, but it certainly was, the way he managed the game. Every time he got the puck, it's like the whole world slowed down for him. It was totally there.

All of us were playing an honest game. It was all about the details because we knew they were physical. They played a certain way. They held the blue line. We knew we had to chip it in. And they had Big D. They would try to hit us, but they weren't super fast. So we're trying to keep it down low.

But when Gregg's got the puck, the game was different that night. Like that's where, like Doug, Gilmore was an amazing player, but Wayne Gretzky suddenly became Wayne Gretzky. How did you know he was going to be in the zone that night before the game? It was kind of funny because throughout the series, you know, he had a couple games where they were really physical on him. And Wayne was not a big guy, as you know. And, you know, it's Toronto.

So they're like, Chris, is Wayne tired? Is he done? Is he like, I think by game two, they said something. I don't know if he only had a point or something. Well, up next thing, you know, game six, he gets the winner. He gets a couple, I think he got three or four points in games. You kind of knew now it's like, holy shit, he's going. And I knew he was, we didn't know how many goals he'd score,

but you knew he was going to be a difference maker. We'll be right back after this quick break. I'm Luke Wilson. Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind, and now got my own show. If you're tired of lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, join us each week.

Film Never Lies available on all TSN platforms in the IHeart Radio app. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield. And in this new season of the girlfriends, oh my God, this is the same. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck.

I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up-and-coming talent.

He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there.

Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, why is 2-0 the scariest lead of all time? Do nothing. It just sucks. I just hear it hockey all the time.

I know that old adage. I think the complacency guys come in. Yeah, maybe you lead one nothing. You lead one nothing. It's like you guys. It's a game of mistakes. So you don't make any mistakes. It's all about the blue line for us.

You get in near your blue line's got to come out. get near the offensive blue line. If you don't have a play, better go in. So you're up to nothing. Maybe one guy tries a play at the middle. Next thing you know, it's a two-on-one the other way.

It's 2-1. And now it's like, oh, you got to go back to playing like it would be 1-0. And it just, I don't know, it's a myth, but it just seems to be, I know everybody says it every game. Because I guess, see, if you're up to nothing in hockey

and you can make it 3-0, it's close to over. But, you know, it stays to nothing and the team makes it two-one. It's like, you get the end, you pull the goal there. You're close enough. We're going. This year, the three-goal lead is the new two-goal lead. It's insane.

This year, the NHL is out of control. It's just crazy. Now, who's talking in between periods in the locker room for your team? What was that like? Pretty quiet that game. It was pretty quiet that game. I think if I were to, I'm trying to go by memory. I think that's before the game.

He rarely spoke, but he said, we're just going to play our game. Let's just play our game. I do remember guys saying, we're the team that's used to traveling. We're the team that we got the advantage. We felt we had the advantage because we were used to traveling. That was the one thing that was said, like that we kind of felt that way. It wasn't a lot said between periods. It was more like quiet.

Everybody knew their job. let the coach go. Yeah. We got to be in it. Jack, let's get into it. Put a ball on it. Yeah, put a bow on this thing. Five, four kings win it on the road in Toronto.

Gretzky hat trick. Eighth of his career in the playoffs, I believe. Short-handed goal. First one, put him up, open the scoring. Heck of a game. That's slap shot goal from the slot. Slapshot goal, I think it was the second period. It was sick.

You just got a feeling it when you're just letting that rip. He cut right in front. Right in front. He only got to. I could cut like that in those days. And then the bank and the wrap of the hatcher. I always get a kick out of the third goal because only Wayne Gretzky gets those goals. For some reason, he's the only guy I've ever seen where he's going behind the net.

Everybody goes for a change. There's no one. He throws a, he hits the defense with skates and goes in. And you're like, yeah, he's winning Gretzky. It would work. So years later in 1998, Canada goes to the Olympics and Gretz is near the end of his career. He goes to Japan. The first time the NHL goes to the Olympics.

The final goes to, I can't remember if it was the final, but the game goes into overtime, and then in the Olympic, it would go to a shootout. So you had to pick five shooters. And the coaching staff at the time, which I ended up knowing the coach later, they don't pick Gretzky to go on the five shooters. Because they had practice and like,

oh, Gretz's not good in breakaways, okay? So you see Gretz on the bench, he unties. He's passed. he's fucking Wayne Gretzky. He's got 900 goals. Just fucking put him out there. So I tell the coach, I said,

why didn't you put Gretzky? Like 10 years later, he goes, wow, they would look. I go, let me tell you something. He's fucking Wayne Gretzky. I go, he would have flipped it. It would have hit the goal. He's mask.

His stick is blocker. It would have rolled in the net. He's Wayne Gretzky. He finds a way. I go, he has found out of his entire. I go, and I tell him, I go, go watch Game 7 against Toronto and watch his third goal.

Then years later, too, I played with Wayne with the Rangers, and we had a guy Pat Flatley. He says, I don't know. Wayne is getting older. It's going to be hard in the playoffs. The game is really physical now. And Wayne was, I think retired the next year. I go, I go, trust me. I go, Wayne will figure out the way.

He's fucking Wayne Gutski. So we started to play. I think the whole year he had 13 goals. He got 13 in the playoffs that year. Same thing. We're playing the biggest team in the league, the Flyers. He's got two goals. He's in the corner.

He fires it in front of that. He hits the guy's skate, goes in the net. He gets a hat trick. We won three, two, or four, three. And I look at that guy, Paffa. I go, I told you. It's just, it's right. He's Lerickie.

It's amazing. You miss 100% to the shots you don't take. That's right. Wayne Gretzky? There it is. You take them. They go. That was incredible.

What a game, all-timer. Wayne said it. Lucas said it. Best game in Wayne Gretzzi's career. Many say. They would go on to play in the Stanley Cup, lose 4-1 to the hometown Montreal-Canadians, unfortunately. What was that like playing your hometown team? It was cool.

It's a lot, though, your hometown team. Yeah. T-kicks and all that crap, you know. So the first day was a nightmare. And plus, we had won game seven. We flew over there. And we only, I think we only had a day in between. So it was a little bit of a nightmare from that standpoint.

And after game one, we won game one. And things settled down. unfortunately we lost game two. And then what people forget, we lost game three and four in overtime. If we win one of those games and we go like Toronto, a long series,

I think we end up winning. But we lost three games in a row in overtime. The travel. Yeah. Maybe it got you by them. Yeah. But we think we would have gotten them over time. But you lose three in overtime.

Next day you know you go to Montreal. You're down 3-1. It was, you know. It's hard. If you get one of those in overtime, it's two-two, might be different. And then Luke would get his in 02 with Detroit, win the Stanley Cup, bring two more to L.A. as an exec.

And then in 09, of course, get elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Heck yeah. Wow. What a game. That was awesome. Let's name the game. This is what we're, now, this is why we have the show. We basically go and we score each game.

We see where it stands on the list. We name the game. These are some of the names that we came up with. If you have a specific name that you call it. Myers game. No, sorry, Mike. We'll call it a Gretzky game. The Gretzky game.

The game seven. Gretzky hat trick game. Yeah. Or the Mike Myers game. I would call it a Gretzky hat trick game. It's just the sick of the game. We'll call it the Gretzky hat trick game. Sorry, Mike.

Frikin Mike Myers. Come on, man. Shout out. We're in a goddamn maple's leafs. You get you tickets. You're going to get, come on, man. The least you can do, buddy. Is this the greatest game of all time?

Let's score it. Decimals encourage the stakes of this conference finals game. Zero to 10. Decimals encouraged. Oh, it's 10. Yeah. It's game. So we're trying to get to the first one.

Since the six to seven. The Kings hadn't won at this point. Yeah. Yeah. For me, I got to go 9.2. You know, I'm a sucker for stakes being extra high if you're going back to back. You're going for a three-p. And championship.

championship. I agree with that. Everyone's a little different. I had a 9.1. Star power. We got a boatload of stars here. Star power of this game 0 to 10 decimals encouraged.

Well, Anthony Robbins was there. Does that count? Yeah, it does. And the Bill is in our room. Hey, Gretzky's dad. That's a big one too. Gregske's dad. Mike Myers.

I don't know who else is there. I might have to bump it now that Mike was there. I don't know. 9.8 is the highest, you know, the league's probably been relevant. We just did the 2002 gold medal match between U.S. and Canada with Chris Pronger. That might have been our highest star power all time. It's like 20 total Hall of Famers in that, but pretty good game too. This, I got to go, I gave that a pretty high one over there, didn't I?

You did like 9-9, I think. No, I got to go 9-4, 9-4. 9-4 for Star Power, okay. 9-4. went seven. That's a little Russian judges. I didn't like Mike Myers. I love Mike. The game of this

game seven conference championship final. So gameplay like the back and forthness for the viewer, for you as a player, it was tight. Was it a blowout? If you were, if you're a hockey fan, the gameplay is probably one of the greatest

Because earlier in it, I can't remember which game. I think Toronto was up and Gretz, Nick Doug Gilmore in the face with his stick, and the referee missed it. High stick, call. And he didn't get a penalty, so we ended up winning. And Toronto still complains about that. It might have been game seven. I can't remember.

But they still complain about that. At one point, Marty McSolle ran over Doug Gilmore, and then it was one of the greatest fight ever, Wendell Clark. and Marty. I think that was game one. That was like, if you see that fight, it's like, sick.

And then some of the stuff going back and forth with Wayne where the press was hard on him and so forth. So game play, I'm in the high nine. I don't know, because I see you guys scoring now.

I didn't know first one. You can tell I was asleep at 10. I'll give a 9-7. I like that. Integrity score. I mean, and the last minute was wild, too. Everyone was flying around like crazy.

He scored. Yeah. And then. I'm going to go with the 9-4 again. I got to go 9-4. You're real high here. I'm high. 7-4.

Little too low again. I regret these. Man. And then lastly, we name or we score the name of the game, the Gretzky hat-trick game. Oh, that's a 10 in our game. That's a 10. There's nothing. It's a great one.

I mean, if you got Gretzky in the name and hat-trick. means three. It's pre-dames. It's 8, 6, or 96, 96, or 96, 96. This is going to be high. I'm going to have to rescuer mine. I didn't know what we were picking. Yeah, we're bad over here.

I'm going to go with anyone. We'll be and tweeted them over here. Wait over there. Give Pung. Get it. No. N-0. 8.1.

8. 201. Hey, we're getting into new information here. Get them, Louie. Making the rules up as we go along. Okay. What is it? 9-0-4.

Oh, baby. this is a high game. Oh, yeah. 9-0-4 is our tied. . for the game we just did 2002 Olympic old medal game USA versus Canada this is too high sorry we really tied

home or our eighth overall game tied just behind I mean you got the great one this isn't even a championship game yeah it's game seven though it's his best game this is too high we'll have to fight Chris Prokner to see who takes over the spot you go first

don't give him a stick I like some of your games you got there like yeah do you know you know Jim Hill that does a Two, he does the sports news. Here? Yeah, in L.A. You guys have been around forever. He was a football player.

And on the game, the catch, because he had played football, he must have told his cameraman, get ready, get ready. He must have read the play. As he catches the ball, he steps on the field. Dangerous run. It's the most incredible call I've ever seen of a newscaster. He's literally on the field. He's catching the ball.

I mean, I don't even know how he did it to this day. Oh, my gosh. That's the Joe Montana, the catch game. We just had Chris Berman on because he was there on the sidelines too. Oh, that's incredible. Oh, I got to look it up. I'll try to find it and send it to you. I'll ask Jim Hillie, Dick, I see him from time to time.

It's really cool. I've seen it. It's pretty wild. That's the best. Luke, we miss anything from this game? No, no, didn't miss anything. I got an egg thrown in my head on the way out. Did you?

Yeah. We had security and we literally had to do five feet to get to the bus and there were so many fans that were pissed and they were throwing eggs and what got right? Oh my God. Hard boiled? It wasn't hard boiled? No, no, no.

Actually, I got one question. I'm a huge Penguins fan. You played with Yarmory Yager. Do you have any Yager stories? Yeah, Yags was, this was his coming out. He had won the Cup, but he was good. But Mariel was hurt. And that year he led the league in scoring.

And he was actually a really hard word. He was like a kid always. He just played all the time. He would stay on the ice for hours, just play. And he had a long mullet, and he blow dry his hair. My son was really young at the time, and we put my son to this day, he remembers because we would put baby powder in the hairdryer. So we got it.

But, but, yeah, what a great player. And he worked really hard on the ice, off the ice. I don't think people realize how hard he worked at his game. Still playing. Yeah. Yeah, it's amazing. He's still playing. Luke, I want to ask you one last thing before you go.

Because, you know, learning your story, very similar type guy. What does hockey mean to you? It's been my life, you know. It's been my life, you know, going like I said, I'm prioritizing different things. I realize now what my family, you know, me. I don't think I realize about life, but hockey's been everything to me. It's given me everything, and it's been everything.

It's just been a great ride. I never forget that I was a kid. It's like even when I turned to management, I wrote down ahead. I was going to put it above my door. I didn't do it, but I don't need to because I remember. I always say, don't ever forget what it felt like to be a player. Because we all have insecurities and everything.

Because when you get into management, different pressure people forget. And I remember playing for guys that I'd played with. I'm like, what happened to him? So I try to never forget that feeling. That's amazing. It's true. Yeah.

Because there's going to be a day. I remember walking behind a very prominent running back that we brought in. And he looked like he couldn't walk no more. I'm like, man. I was in my prime. I was a young, 26-year-old in my prime. You look at him. you're like, and then there's that day you turn into that.

Yeah, no, exactly. I was, I was 22 or 23. We had this guy, he's doing our TV bracket. His name was Jim Fox. And he was, he was only 30. And he hadn't played with us. He was hurt, his knee, but, you know, you just keep on playing. And he kept rehabbing and he tried to come back.

And he couldn't make it. So I'm walking out of practice one day, and the doc had just told him his career was over. didn't know that. And he looks at me and he, dead serious, he goes, enjoy every fucking day, enjoy every fucking day of this fucking career. And he walks through him, like, what the fuck's wrong with him? You know? You walk away. Then the next day they announced, he was retiring. And I told them the next day when I heard him, I told them a year ago, I said, never forgot when you told me that you were right. Because you're 21, you think it's going to last forever. Yeah. Next thing you know, you're 30. You're looking around. Oh, shit. Like I'm those guys I used to

look at. They seem so old and wise. It's crazy. Luke, thank you so much for coming on. This was amazing. This was fun. Everyone go check out the L.A. Kings, root them on. Big playoff. It's going, when this is going out, they're playing the game two tonight. Game two tonight, so we have game one. Back at

home on Thursday. Harmonica ladies coming back? Who? Hermonica ladies for the National Anthem? No, it didn't work. Okay. It worked for a little bit. I'm not superstitious, but I'll stick to whatever it were you. It didn't fucking It works for a little bit. You got to try to win it all.

They were great, but I love him, but it didn't work. Get them out. Sorry, ladies. We're not superstitious, though, but they're not coming back. Our stuff, when they were like, they brought the armor. I go, this is great. And then I'm like, fuck it, bring him in the plug. They're like, really?

I go, yeah. And if we win, we're riding. We rode them for a while. To the wheels fell off. Let's go. Luke, thank you so much. Thank you. Man.

Luke's pretty cool, dude. Hockey guys are always good. Dangs, man. They really are. He was awesome. Hockey guys are the easiest dude to talk to. Are we becoming puckheads? I'm a full puck hut.

I think I might be too. I was born. I was born. You were merely adopted. And also, I mean, it's all coming together. We had the Miz on recently. Yeah, man. And I was thinking about puck from the real world.

The other puck. You know, I mean, there's a lot of pucks going on in my head right now. This is true, brother. Fuck it up, maybe. That's a little sneak preview for, I think, next week's episode or in two weeks? Two weeks. He was the man. He was the man.

And good luck to the Kings, right? This would. Fuck yeah. It'd be. Game two. I'm now committed to the Kings, even though I didn't ask him anything about Stollie. I know. Didn't ask about Stoley.

Didn't ask about Stole, even though we're kind of committed to the, we're not committed to anything, Kings, but we like, we don't want to see them do bad. You can root for the Kings all the way up to the Stanley Cup final. All right. Yeah. Look was that cool? Well, I'm also a fucking, you know, I'm a Bay Area kid. But they didn't make it.

Fats. They didn't make the blasts. Give me a little sniff of that, that smelling salts. Man. Oh my God. This is this misiest match yet. Go Kings Go. Go.

Go. We didn't even get to talk. He's one of the mini, many statues outside the arena, man. We didn't even go out of those statues. Jack knows how much I have opinions about the. Big statue. That guy's got a TED talk on that. I think there's a guy that sells popcorn and has got a statue

up in front of crimper. Well I haven't been out there in a while So I don't have anything to say on it But Lukey Is they call him Luke Lucky Lucky Luke?

Oh Cool hand Luke I saw was a nickname Yeah Cool hand Luke's a fucking That's a cool ass That's a cool ass Yeah I like cool hand Luke

I like that too He was the man Man got to get him back in here Do that that win Yeah When he won the Stanley Cups We're in it now Yeah

What a cool dude though just this whole story too, you know, like late rounder making it. Having all these hockey guys, it makes me, man, I should have played hockey. You know what? You would have been a good hockey player. You got like the right like body type and size. But I'm just saying like, it's one of the boys. I know.

You know, one of the boys. I like to steal valor as one of the, yeah. Like hockey guy, like use their terminology, hang with them. They seem like they just have so much fun. They really do. They're all just cool guys. happy that our hockey players are like good players now. Because we've had biz on the show.

No disrespect to biz. But he has like two career goals. And then Sean Avery, who's known for being like a scumbag. He's great. He's a hall of famer. Luke was saying Avery was a really good hockey player. Well, they're all good.

No, he was saying like he was really good. Just sometimes he just turned crazy a little. Would he say there's no calm situation he couldn't bring chaos into? I don't know if he said that. Quote, that's a bar right there. That is a bar. Dude, we're going to get Sean Evry back in here. We got to get him back in.

I love it. Oh, we just reached out. He's down, whatever we want him. Oh, heck yeah. Yeah, he hit you. He said, yeah, whatever. He was the coolest. I love him.

Talk way too much about him. Yeah, it's awesome. We talk way too much about him. Honorary Nut House goat, bro. We'll be right back after this quick break. I'm Luke Wilson. Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind.

Now, got my own show. If you're tired of lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, join us each week. Film Never Lies available on all TSN platforms in the IHeartRadio app. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations

with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield

and in this new season of The Girlfriends Oh my God, this is the same man A group of women discover They've all dated the same prolific con artist I felt like I got hit by a truck I thought how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care So they take matters into their own hands

I said oh hell no I vowed I will be his last target He's gonna get what he deserves Listen to the Girlfriends Trust me babe On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wode.

My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but. I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent.

He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat just hang in there.

Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You know what? I'm feeling a little thirsty. Ooh. I feel like I need to rehydrate.

We have something for you. Do you have anything for that? What do you have? We got liquid IV. We've got Firecracker Popsicle. Oh, Firecracker Popsicle, me. Okay, here we go. Yeah, baby.

Firecracker Popsicle. Drink up and lock in. Oh. Another pass. That's a good throw. Lefty guy. You know how to throw it though because that thing, the first one like spiraled to me.

That was like this. That was awesome. Like I would have had to like do that. Which would have been a really good drill back in the day. Work your hands. Pinch. Pinches. I used to try to catch cards with different fingers.

Jack, do you want one? I would love one. Do you want firecrack? Drink up and lock in because it's time for everyone's favorite game. Do you know ball? the game where we answer football questions so thought-provoking that you'll need a liquid IV by the end. Let's get into it.

Oh, and it's draft-related because it's draft this week. Draft week. Yeah, draft week. Jules, give me your NFL predictions. Do you know ball? My NFL predictions. That was a hook. That was the hook.

Oh, yeah. You go first. What position will the Patriots draft in the first round? What do they pick? 31. Yes. Ooh, this tastes delicious. So good.

I like the rainbow sherbert or sorbet. I like, honestly, the peach ones to die for. We got peach. I like the peach. I like the firecracker. Well, the firecracker one, I mean, who doesn't like firecracker?

Jules. What position will the Patriots draft with their first round pick? Ooh, first round pick. since they're getting AJ Brown June 1st they don't need a receiver I think you need to get a little more of that line

that's what I was thinking too you know hey and Campbell is unbelievable he's a rookie played his balls off this year and he's only going to get better but why not add to the O line

Morgan Moe another young player why not I like it. Get a group of them in there. Protect Drake May. Some people are saying tight end. Ooh, tight end would be good too. And I honestly, I think they got to get him to where he can protect himself all the time.

And you get that confidence in that offense align and Drake. All the other stuff will come. Like they have Hunter Henry. Is he still there this year? Yep. You know what I mean? They got some decent tight end play. They got good tight end play.

you go on get A.J. Brown, you solidify that offense line. Guard or tackle. Huh? Or just any line or guard or tackle? I think you got to go, you got to get a tackle, probably. Right tackle. But or I would just go best guy out, best guy available. Best available lineman.

Best available lineman. Yes. I like that. Because they could use both. Because Moses is, I mean, he's a really good football player, but he's getting kind of old. Yeah. You know, and how many more years do you have? And you got a veteran guy like him that gets to teach both these young tackles.

He's get these twin towers in there. Or, you know, you get an inside guy. I just think, let's get an offense alignment. Or you can never go bad with an edge guy. Yeah. He's got a bad. Shout out Will Anderson, 50 a year. Did he say?

Yeah. A three-year deal? Oh, bro, he's going to eat in three years. He's only 24. He's going to make some. Man, he's so rich. Daniel Hunter, 90 mil come beyond this year. He's Louise.

Okay, Jules. Over under. Fernando Mendoza will start four and a half games this season. Ooh. What's their pick? They got a bunch of picks. Because they need to get some linemen too. Because if they can get the offense line solidified,

I think in a good, you know, the little, Alshan Jeffer, what is his name? Oh, Austin. Gentie. Genty. Over under four and a half. They said they wanted to not play them. I'm going to go under.

Under. Under. I'm going to go under. The Raiders do have a lot of draft picks. They have one, 36, 67, 102, 117, 134. A tough division. 175, 185, 208 and 219. That's a tough division.

It is. You know, Clint Kubiak, though. Kubiak knows the division. His daddy was in that division for a while. Won a soupie with them, right? But November. Yeah.

It was Kubiak who won it. I miss Vegas beat. I miss Vegas beat. That division's tough. That's it. I mean, you're going to have, maybe will Justin Herbert get a healthy offense a line this year? You know,

I made the early, you know, pick for the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. I might do that same pick this year. You can actually put it in this time? I'm actually put it in this time. I got to go to Vegas. Chargers, Super Bowl, with a Herbert.

MVP. Interesting. I like that. 50 bucks to win a billion. So we're going with Mojave Mendoza under. Oh, Javier Mendoza. Under four to a half. Trade market. Trade market. I like the Mojave Mendoza. Next up, Jules. Which college team will have the most first round picks?

Ohio State. All day, baby. I don't even think there. Who else is up in there? Miami's got some guys looking around. Is Carson Beck going to go in the first round? I have seen a lot of second, but I, quarterbacks always, always shoot up the board late. Yeah, but they haven't been talking about him like. Yeah, yeah.

The only one has been Ty. Ty Simpson's been talking to. Every since or Lowsky was saying that he would draft him over him. Yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to think. Where have I seen? I'm a Mendoza guy. I think he'll be good, man.

Ohio State, probably going to have the most guys drafted. I think Miami comes in a clear two, maybe. Got out, Matt, Patricia. to Maddie P. You can have like five of his guys. Which tells me that those guys are going to do well in the league because you know Maddie P probably gave him some some NFL type defense.

So they're going to be able like, Sunny Stiles, right? The middle linebacker. That's a lot of value. If he could be able, if he's able to retain like a Matty P defense and execute that being the green. green dot guy, which I think they have green dots now

in college. Caleb Downs, Downs, Downs, Rees. Generational safety. I mean, they might have... The Reese guy is supposed to be like... Yeah, Ava Reese. They might have three or four guys in the top six or seven. Yeah. And then you got them... Cornell Tate. It's crazy right now, bro.

I mean, they all are right now. Yeah, it's... I mean, they're going to have two receivers that may go first round, right? Yeah, you got, um... What do we just talk about there? Downs? Tate and Downs. date and there's another one.

Then there is... LaVone. Lemon. Oh, he's from USC. Malachi Lemon. I always get... Or Mackay Lemon. Sorry, I like Lemon. He's really good. And then you got Cooper Jr., the guy from Indiana. Another good receiver.

Yeah, I mean... It's gonna be Ohio State all day, I think. This is an exciting time of the year. It is draft time. We love it. What will Jeremiah love stat line be next NFL season. Oh, Jeremiah love running back. So who's got

pick two, three, four? They're saying he could go, the latest mock draft has him going four to the Titans. Who's two? Two is the New York Jets. The latest mock draft has them going with David Bailey, the outside

linebacker from Texas Tech. Yeah, people like him. And they also like Averill Reese, who they have projected going three, another outside linebacker this time. from Ohio State. I like that Bain guy from Miami. Everyone's down on his arm length. Yeah,

like a fucking beast anytime I saw him play. I was just going to say that guy was a game record. Right now he's going eight to the Saints and that way to snow. Top 10. I mean, top 10. Yeah, so where do we think love goes? And then how much do you think he's doing? I mean,

Jets, Cardinals, Titans, Giants, Browns, commanders, saints, then Chiefs, and Bengals. Tennessee's, it's going to be hard. This is four. I'm just saying if he can, goes to Tennessee, that'd be really good for Dayball and Cam Ward. Young quarterback's best friends, a real good running game.

Do Scataboo. I think he's probably going to go. I think he'll go over a thousand. Thousand? Okay. How many tugs? He just depends on injury or not. He never got hurt in college. Imagine he's the healthiest. Let's be positive. He's healthy. He stays healthy the whole time. He could have eight touchdowns.

Thousand yards, eight touchdowns. Okay. That's probably, where Vegas sets the over under period. I could see that's really good. Maybe touchdowns slightly high, but I mean last year, what a year 199 carries, 1,300 yards, 18 touchdowns, 6.9 yards of carry. He's like Jamar Gibbs are saying, right? It's crazy, bro.

And I mean, his open, I loved watching him play it in under name. The fact we didn't see him. The other running back's about to go in the first round too, right? Price, yeah, he should go. What's his name? Jadarian Price. He should go late to first. Yeah, he'll go, I think they have him going 30, The latest projection is like in the 30s, I believe.

He's the man, too. Let's either the Patriots, Super Bowl champions, or Denver. Denver could use them. Yeah. Yeah, that would be. Man, that'd be tough. That would be real tough. What's another one?

Running back-wise? No question. Another question. Let's see. How well do you know ball? The next question is, how many quarterbacks will be drafted in the first round? Two. Ty Simpson.

Yeah. And I will get in. Yep. You were getting drafted this year. Which celebrity would you want to announce your pick? Oh. Which celebrity would I like to announce my pick? Mm-hmm.

That I mean, ding ding. The selection is in. Out walks. You can also go sick kid. You can go a military unit from overseas. I'm doing. I'm doing. the U.S. Navy General.

I want an admiral. All right. Do you want an admiral or hire? Admiral or hire for the U.S. Navy. I'll at sea. Yeah. I like that. I want something military in there.

These men putting their lives on the line. Shout out. Can go professional wrestler? It's in Pittsburgh this year. I was thinking what's, uh, I want the line cook at permitting. I was in Texas girl.

Oh my God. Ella Langley? Yeah. Only because I've been, I've been that my daughter loves that or my daughter likes that song so that came to my head. She is goaded brother. Ella can't miss right now. Absolutely on for our new album.

Bang her. Ella Langley. Chews in Texas. Dandelion. Dandelion. Born and live free. Oh, it's so good.

Yeah. I mean, does anyone rugs or bags? She's doing it. She can't miss. I'd probably, yeah, go to Admiral.

I like that. I'd go Ella Langley. Now that you mention it. What is it? I always forget the lyric. Which one? Which song? I saw her to step around the room.

He's two stepping round the room. Actually, I want the commissioner. Because that means I went in the first round. Judging by the smile that's written on his face. There's nothing I can do. Oh, yeah. That means. And you get to give him a hug.

And I get to give him a hug. Or a quick step around the room. Or Gronk on Pink 69. I could tell by the smile. All right. Next one, Jules. The guy boy always nice Way to leave.

In Texas, I can tell. Delisted. Which team Jules needs to have the best draft. We got to nail this draft. Hmm. Which team needs to have a good draft? Needs to nail it.

I think Buffalo, bro. Mm-hmm. Okay, we need to, we got to go. Okay Got more You got cooks You got Josh Allen Joe Brady era baby

Joe Brady New coach Let's go Yep And you got to win in the draft You look at a lot of the best teams That go out and win Super Bowls They build their teams through that draft

And they're like a draft away They could be a good draft away Yeah Also bills You could also say cheese Chiefs got the ninth overall pick. Chiefs, definitely. You want to talk about Second Dynasty.

Now you've got to start drafting those. They also, Chiefs are up there as well because they also have a, they had a reset year in the middle of what, with Patrick Mahomes. Like when Tom got hurt, they went 10 and 7. No, 11 and 5.

Or 11 and 5 and didn't make the playoffs. So they had a late pick. I think they got, what, they got 9? Pick 9? The Chiefs, I believe,

they got a 9th. Yeah, they got the ninth pick. That's a big boy pick. So I'm going with the Chiefs and the Bills. If they can get some players, they got to. They got to. And they will. Because they built that team before through the draft.

That's true. I think the pressure is more on the bills, though. Yeah. Yeah. New stadium too. Come on now. New stadium? A lot of new things.

I'm excited for the Bills. New Stadium. New year. I mean, what did the Patriots do when they went to the new stadium? won that soupy 01 Foxboro They won The last year

Of Foxborough And then they Yeah But they still won two with Gillette Oh Sorry sorry So the bills would have had to win this year Well I'm just trying to get

Buffalo going Next one Who will get booed more Remember this game's in Pittsburgh In Pittsburgh This is in Pittsburgh Who will get booed more Roger Goodell or anyone from the Ravens.

That was Leah, if anyone picked that up. Boo. Now, do they bring in like Ed Reed or... Sometimes they do that. Ray Lewis. They bring people on. I think that they've surpassed Pittsburgh hating them because they were so good. Okay, who's a level of a raven, all-time raven great that hasn't reached respect

great and still hated great? Paul Suggs? Sugs. Yeah. Sugs. Which is he's going to be. a Hall of Famer. Yeah. For sure. Yeah, yeah. But I'm, but Suggs used to talk that shit, too. Yeah. T. Sizzle. We had

him up here in the nut. I love T. Cisle. He won us over, man. I want us over. I'm so sad. I missed that. Fucking JetBlue. What a guy. Uh, so are you saying Ravens? Or Goodell? Goodell. Goodell. I love Goodell. But it's, it's, it's, it's, it's turned in. The internet has become fun. You know, because, because, because of the internet. In the years of prior of the booing, now it's just like each city's trying to surpass the other city. They all want to be New York fans.

Yeah, yeah. It should be a New York thing. Now it's everybody. Because this is a hockey episode, you're saying? That like the NHL fans were the first ones to boo the commissioner. They used to boo Gary Bettman when he bring the cup out. And then like NFL has taken that on. And it's a fun during the draft to boo Godel.

But hockey fans started that first. Just say. Hockey did it first. In what round, Jules, will the football? first special teamer be drafted. Ooh. Kicker, punter. Traditionally, it's fifth round.

Yeah. But there has been noted exception. Look, this could change because is there any like extraordinary kickers right now with, I mean, look at how big of a weapon Aubrey is right now. It's insane. I mean, Sebastian Janakowski went in the first. Ray Guy went the first. Didn't he?

Ray guy? No. He went early. He went early. Yeah. let me look. But I would say I'm going to go with the third round. Okay. Good round. Nice. Yeah. I like that play.

Third round. Yeah, Ray Guy. First, 23rd overall. Is there one more we want to replace or should we just wrap it? One more, one more. One more. Um. How many Kent State players will be drafted? None but two will make priority for agents. Shout out to Darylis Clark, my man. The realist.

He's one of the best names in college football. Is he Kent? Yeah, Ken State guy. He was only junior this year, so he's coming back. He's coming back. Out of Lima, Ohio, baby. Damn, my knuckles are big right now. You've been boxing too much?

I don't know. Maybe I just seen it for the first time. Look at that. The thing is, true. What? That's funny. You got one more? Jules, on a scale of 1 to 10.

How confident are you in these answers? About a seven. That's pretty good. Respectable. Oh, okay. Seven don't play. Right on. And that was another edition of Do You Know Ball?

Presented by Liquid Ivy. Get hydrated. What a game. And thanks again to Luke Robatai. Man. The pre, the first time I got to say everyone's names kind of, I get, I have butterflies every time.

You did pretty good. I'll psych myself out, even though right before we turn the cameras on, I will say it with Jack and Kyler 10 times. And still. Still, still get the butterflies and still fuck it up. What's funny with Luke Robatai is you were worried about the tie part. Yeah. And you went weird on the robe. You went like Rubatai.

Yeah. See? It's something. But there is some flexibility with a kubekwa. Because you can put a little. You can put a little spice on it. And they're like, cool. And they're like, right now,

I didn't need a... No, that's going about we're listening to. That's been another episode of games with names. Subscribe on Apple, podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. Comment a game you want us to do, and remember, rate and review.

Leave us a five-star review on Spotify while you're there. Remember to follow games with names on YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat. Leave a comment on the YouTube full episodes. We'll read the best ones in the future. your episodes.

Leave a message on the old hotline. That number is two. What is that number? That number is 424-291-2290. And we'll see you guys next week. Games with names and production of I-HeartRadio. Visit the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits. My basketball and college football. journey or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow

at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dick and Poll show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand. Better version of Play Stupid Games, win stupid prizes. Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong. But hey, no one's perfect. We're pretty close, though. Listen to the Nick, Dick, and Paul show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey there, folks. Amy Robach and T. TJ Holmes here. And we know. Oh, there is a lot of news coming at you these days from the war with Iran to the ongoing Epstein fallout, government shutdowns, high-profile trials, and what the hell is that Blake lively thing about anyway? We are on it every day, all day. Follow us, Amy and TJ for news updates throughout the day. Listen to Amy and TJ on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It's Financial Literacy Month, and the podcast Eating While Broke is bringing real conversations about money. growth and building your future. This month, hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer,

and venture capitalist Lakeisha Landrum Pierre, as they share their journeys from starting out to leveling up. There's an economic component to communities thriving. If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship happening in communities, they failed. Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.