Halford & Brough in the Morning - Are The Canucks Worried About Their Brand?

Episode Date: April 2, 2026

In hour two, Mike & Jason chat some baseball with MLB Network's Adnan Virk (2:31), they discuss the headlines the Canucks have been making lately internationally, plus the boys talk youth sports with Better Sports Parents podcast host Scott Rintoul (26:02).  This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

It's time to chat with Adenan. It's Adnan Furkees on the show. We're gonna talk some baseball and take a trip to the silver screen. That's right, it's time for Adenan. Yes, Adenin Ferdke joins us now. We'll head out to the ball game and talk about all the films he's seen. 7.1. Oh, 703.

We need a clock in here, by the way. I got one time on my laptop, a different time on my phone. Then I got the reads. What time is your, what time is on your laptop, 1984? Yeah. That's a reference to how old my laptop is.

Everyone like can't see. You got two laptops. This one's a very... On your little TV dinner tray. This one's a very much. moderns, sleek one. I really thought the new studio would be a time for you to move up to the next level, you know?

You know they sell them, right? I'm never getting rid of this laptop. But they sell and there's so much faster now and this thing's great. They don't make loud noises. What kind of laptop is that white one? The company that makes it no longer exists. Right. Yeah.

It's the white whale. Put it in the edge. She's great. That's a good job. Does that thing run on diesel? I had to go fill it up this morning before. It runs on kerosene. By the way, I know.

Adnan's waiting. I drove to the wrong studio this morning. Oh, did you? Yeah, I was in autopilot. I pulled up and I looked at the front and I'm like, nope, this isn't it. This isn't where I'm supposed to be. Then I came here. You are listening to the Halford and Brough show on SportsNet 650. Halford and Brough of the morning is brought you by Sands and Associates. Do you have payday loan debt? If you do,

Sands and Associates could cut your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at sands dash trustee.com. We are now an hour two of the program. Adnan Burke from MLB Network is going to join us in just a moment here. hour two of this program is brought to by Jason Hamanuk at Jason. Dot Mortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you.

Visit them online at Jason. Don Mortgage. We are coming to live from the Kintech Studios. Step Strong with orthotics and footwear from Kintech. Let's go now to the ABLE Auctions hotline. Our next guest is a presentation of Angry Otter Liquor. Paying those bills here on the Halford and Brough show. Adnan, Virk, joins us now on SportsNet 650.

Morning, Adnan. How are you? I'm doing great. Mike Jason, angry otter coming to the rescue. I love it. Yeah, it's pretty good stuff. I want to start, I was going to start with the J's, but then I thought, you know what?

We need to talk to Adnan, because I don't think we've really gotten into this yet. ABS and how it is revitalized baseball in a way that I'm not sure everyone saw coming because the challenges themselves are almost more enjoyable and more theatrical than like home runs and everything else that's going on in baseball on a regular basis.

What have you thought of the early days of ABS, Adnan? Yeah, baseball on quite a role here, Mike, the last two innovations. One, of course, the pitch clock, which I think has been universally lauded. Nobody is lamenting saying, oh, what happened was three hour, 10 minute games. And secondly, ABS. And what I like about ABS is as a tennis fan, I knew it would be quick. It's a hot guy technology. Federal challenges.

Seconds later, answer yes or no. What I didn't anticipate was how much the crowds would get into it. And the situation we had on Saturday with CB Buckley, which, listen, he's been a much maligned umpire for many years. Basically, he had a wrong call in A.U.N.A.O. Hsuarez, the batter who challenged him, and he was wrong by 0.4 of an inch. Okay. The next call outside again, he rings him home, calls him strike three.

Suarez challenges it. That time it's over a foot outside. In that game, I believe, the teams went seven for seven on challenges. So, just not a good feeling for CBU. The umpires, but the crowd was roaring. You know what I mean? This is an opportunity to drive in some runs as far as it's obviously a trivicarator for them.

So when he was winning to call, the crowd was going nuts. I was not expecting ABS, while technically proficient in anything is right, I didn't think it would become a fan favorite so quickly. Let's talk about the Toronto Blue Jays here. It was a great start to the season and the series win over the A's.

Not as great in the second series against the Rockies. They lose the series, lose yesterday as well. What have you seen? days, obviously, but what have you seen through the Jays through the first two series of the season? Well, I think it's a situation where certainly they can pitch

and we saw that like a Dylan C's type performance of their 12 strikeouts in 5 and a third. I mean, that's those are eye-opening numbers and just how good he can be. I still think they have an issue with closure, considering how much money they've spent and how close, thank God. Nobody feels great about Jeff Hoffman

still as the closer. Rogers has come in as a premier setup guy, but clearly you're not going to have a guy, closing who's throwing 76 miles an hour for submarine position. So that's a concern there. The good news is everyone seems to love Okamoto. You know, the thought they had, internally the Blue Jays kind of felt like this guy said to have a higher war than Bo Bichette when all is said and done.

That bow is going to hit, no doubt about it, 311 a season ago. If it wasn't for a judge, you'd be a Voting champion. But third base is a challenge to adapt you. Like, Bo Bichette's not a guy who dives ever. And you've got to dive at third base, even with your range being a little. it's a tough reactionary play. I also don't think he has a strong enough arm. So that's a concern there.

So I think there was some fear that, oh, my God, the Jays would lose Boba Bouchette. But Oklahoma-Whor's done a nice job so far. And I think all along it's going to be the Yankees, Jay's dog fight. No surprise right now. Look at the standings. It's Yankees and then Jays. Yankees 5-1 because there are standings starting pitching.

But for Toronto, this is a rarity fellow because the Leaves have been in the last nine straight seasons. this year they're out. So the focus is on this team right now, right out of the game. Everybody's focused on Blue Jays baseball and I cannot wait for this series. Toronto, L.A. to have the Dodgers at Rogers

Center this early in the season. That's going to be a treat. Adnan, we're having some technical difficulties with the phones on our side here. We're going to drop the call and try and pick it back up. Adnan, Burke, from MLB Network here on the Halford and Brough Show on SportsNet 650. By the way, if you were trying to watch the Jays game today,

I will say, don't bother. They have, in a weird move for Major League Baseball, they've actually postponed a game a day in advance because of incoming inclement weather, which is actually probably the right move. I know baseball likes to get the people out to the yard. We'll wait and see, but they've decided to call this one a day early. So the Blue Jays are going to get a day off.

Laddie, are you excited for the Dodgers series? That's coming up. I guess it starts next Monday in Toronto. Yeah, super excited to see our old friends from L.A. Back to the building. Is there, because like in, in 2011 or 12, I can't remember if it was in the first half of the season

or the second half, the Canucks had a famous game eight against the Boston Bruins. And there was a lot of, there was a lot of energy out there on the ice. And there was a few fights, some controversial hits. I'm not suggesting that the Blue Jays and, and the dogs are going to have a bench,

Clare and Brawl. It's going to low bridge. No, no, but Donnie. But is there. is there going to be like the Canucks fans were really happy when they won that game but ultimately obviously Boston got to keep the Stanley Cup

they shouldn't have they should have had to give it back that's right but like will there be any extra emotion for you in that Dodgers series? I think there has to be right when a team like that comes back especially so quick since the World Series if it was like four months down the road then it probably wouldn't have as much

I'm glad the schedule makers did it this way they got it they got them early and I know that baseball games in April don't necessarily matter as much as once later in the season, but with Interleague play and everything else, I think this is a great move to get, like, when I saw this on the schedule, I was like, this is good, this is great theater.

I don't love the current state of the Blue Jays starting rotation with the health or lack thereof. And- sucks for Cody Ponce, man. He was just in line to get like a bulk of innings after being in Korea for a number of years. So they're saying that this is an ACL sprain for Pons. A pretty major one, though, for the sounds of it.

And I mean, because I mean, I think the line from Schneider was, we hope he pitches again this season. So it doesn't sound like it's going to be a minor thing. A couple months at least. Yeah. It'll be evaluated. And it's weird because if you want to talk about the pitching for the Js this year, it's been such a mixed bag in terms of narratives because the pitching itself has been excellent.

Right. And again, last night, like another good pitching performance. Oh, you wasted it. Yeah. The strikeout rate has been high. That first series against the A's. I think it was 50 strikeouts across three games. So that was huge.

But the health right now, like, no you savids. Ponce is going to be out for a while. And you don't know, I have no idea what the return date is for you, Savage. I know people are like geek to see him, but it doesn't sound like they're going to rush it and they're going to try and get through with what they've got. I think with these Savage, it's not really an injury. They're just, they're trying to delay his start because of how late the season went last year. And they don't want him to rack up a ton of innings this year.

So is there any contractual advantage to keeping him out? Not contractually, because he's already made the big leagues. He's a big leaguer. He's accruing big league time right now. So I think that's out the window. It's all just about his health. They've really pushed him last year. They didn't really.

They expected to go to the World Series and have him, what was it? Five starts in the postseason. So I think they're just trying to take it easy for you, Salvin. Real quick. We're not going to be able to get Adnan back. Technical difficulties.

But Adnan, Verkan, Verkan, Sports Net 650 was brought to you by Angry Outer Licker. Angry Outer Lickers game day lineup starts with Budweiser, 24 packs plus program members save 99. That's a weird way to write that. This month only. They saved 99? Find out more.

99. I think it's the price at the end. Find out more. Great deals at angry outer liquor. That's CRS. I really want to know what 99 they say. Yeah, I want to find that out. You know what?

I'll dig into it. I'll figure it out. Okay, we're going to chase Jonas Siegel for the show tomorrow. I have a feeling that he is going to be much requested from sports radio across the country.

and this is Jonas Siegel of the Athletic, who's written a couple of stories on the Leafs. One is about the quote unquote premium experiences that the Leafs are offering since Keith Pelly took over. And I know you read that article yesterday. I did. I did. The other is an interview that I think it was Jonas and Chris Johnston did with William Nylander.

one of the, quote unquote, foundational pieces that Keith, a lot of quote unquote, sorry, that Keith Pelly referred to in his press conference. And we talked about this yesterday. We're like, okay, well, it doesn't sound like the Leafs are going to rebuild because Keith Pelley, who is the CEO of MLSC, came out and said, well, you know, I'm going to rely on whoever we hire for hockey ops, but I see two foundational. He didn't say two.

He said we have foundational pieces here. Yeah. And most people are like, okay, he's talking about Austin Matthews and Wilhelm Neelander. So Neelander did an interview with the athletic yesterday after practice. And he said, unless it was a full rebuild and we were going to get rid of everybody, then it's a different story, meaning that he's willing to stay on if it's just some changes are coming. sure. We're still going to be chasing Stanley Cups. But it's a different story if it's a full rebuild.

I think that makes sense. Just to do a retool or whatever, I still want to be here. So Neelander also said that Trilliving said that he doesn't want to rebuild. He just wants to retool. And that sounded fine. So the question is really in Toronto is like, Is anyone who wants that job, and there's going to be a lot of people that want that job, I know it's a challenging situation, but it's to be the head of hockey ops,

the GM president, whatever they call it, of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And with that comes not only notoriety, money, but it also comes with a ton of resources, which is why a guy like Mike Gillis might, might make sense. because for Mike Gillis to do his program, he needs resources, right? He needs money for mind rooms. He needs money for, I don't know, lots of stuff, right? New stick rack. Yeah, whatever.

Whatever he needs his money for. He's got a long PowerPoint presentation that lays it all out. The question is, though, is what if, let's say you're Mike Gillis and you really want this job. Okay, okay. I'm putting myself in the role. And you look. look. Okay, well, let's do some role playing. How are you doing, Mike? Great. How are you?

No, no, no. What does he normally have to do? Fine. Yeah, yeah. Average. Now I'm really in the role. Okay. So that's the end of the role playing. Okay. So what if you think that the best move for the leaves is to rebuild? Then you go in and you say it's to rebuild. If you don't get the job, you die on that hill and you stand on your laurels. You stand on business. But you really want the job.

It doesn't matter. You don't really want the job if you can't. to it your way, Jason. How many people think they should rebuild? Because I just look at, I look at their lack of assets in terms of futures, like prospects, draft picks.

I look at Austin Matthews and still a great player. But the injuries and the kind of like the annoying little stuff is, is piling up. And he's not the same player. He's still a very good player, but he's not the Austin Matthews

of a few years, ago. And, you know, I think it's fair to wonder if he can get back to that position. I realize he's late 20, so there is time. But those are the types of calculated guesses that you have to make in this position. Because if he doesn't get back to, like, top five player in the NHL, then you've got a real problem if you're going to try and retool this. So there's something really interesting going on with this organization and really bigger picture with Toronto and the Maple Leafs in that market. And Jonas kind of highlighted this. in a very clever and subtle way in his piece

when talking about the money gouging and price gouging that's going on with all these fan experiences. And the sentiment is, I'm going to try and be as succinct as possible here, everything about this organization right now is very unlikable. The team itself, as it's constructed, is very unlikable. That's a big factor with those two as well.

Not sticking up for Matthews made this team further unlikable. And then when you go to higher levels of the organization, it looks like they're more interested in making money and selling product than winning games and having an identity and a culture that matters and will be conducive to winning.

By that, I mean, it seems like the Maple Leafs at times are more interested in being a business and a corporation than a hockey team. Now, I think there's an opportunity for an incoming guy, not unlike Vancouver to say, we've got a real opportunity here

because we can rethink, and reshape and remake this organization to whatever we want it to be. Because we are so unlikable right now that there's nowhere to go but up. I think you can do it in Vancouver right now. I think if you got to... 100%.

If there's a savvy... There's a great opportunity in Vancouver right now. If there's a savvy enough individual out there who can sell it, you could say, what you guys think is, you know, the lowest of the lows. I actually see it as the starting point

because we can do anything here. we can remake this team any way we want because things can't get any worse right now. In Toronto, the biggest issue you're going to have is you're going to have to try and sell that to Keith Pelly, who's the guy making a lot of these decisions about what the Maple Leafs are right now,

selling $1,000 pregame experiences to dine in the Maple Leafs dressing room and have premium experiences meeting front office members and stuff. I've had friends, I have had friends that have done this over in the UK. Had a buddy of mine that he had a sit-down dinner at the Etihad for Man City. And it was one of those premium experiences. How did he get is he rich?

He's not poor. Okay. Yeah. So he paid for it? He had a friend who set it up. Right. His friend's even wealthier. Sometimes it's just companies do that stuff.

And they're just like, you can take a client, right? So he said it was unbelievable the access that two individuals were able to get that were outside. Like you were brought into the dressing room. You sat down with Man City Legends. You broke bread. You ate food. You got pitch line, touchline access.

Yeah. It costs an incredible amount of money. And it's a great experience and then they can go brag to their friends about it. And what's the thing with City? It's considered a very soulless corporate club. That there's not really a foundation of these guys are here for what it means to the community and what it means to the supporters. It's how much money can we extract from this enterprise?

The Leafs have started to dabble in that. I mean, this started. I mean, and maybe even further. They've been doing it forever. I mean, but these, you know those,

those, those, whatever they call it, where maybe is it called the champions club in Vancouver? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And they sit right behind the benches or whatever. And then, you know, those seats are empty at the start of the period because everyone's in there is like, it's an open bar down here. Yeah. I'm going to go.

Yeah. I'm going to go back to the game. And there's a much bigger conversation we can have here about the premium experiencing of sport. and how it's pricing out random fans and average fans and all that. But back to the point, I think that, again, Toronto and Vancouver really mimic each other right now and that they are, they're in bad spots equally. Toronto obviously has more talent without question and more assets without question,

but big picture stuff, culture, identity, direction moving forward, both are in very similar spots because they have an opportunity here to completely reimagine what they are. Would you say they have the, one of my favorite words, disdain of the fan base. Yes. I'd be curious to see. Of the hardcore fans is just like, you know what? I love my team. I think about my team every day and I want my team to win a Stanley Cup, but I don't like my team right now. I love them, but I don't like them. Rick from Colonna just texted in. Vancouver is so much more likable as a team these days. I've seen this sentiment

come through. I agree. In part, because while it's still in its infancy, but it's also, they've acknowledged that it's not working and we got to rebuild. Now, will they stick to it? I don't know. And there's a lot of trepidation from fans on that. But that media credential story has blown up way bigger than even I thought it would.

I thought it was going to be a story. I was like, you know, one of the things about picking a fight with the media is that we are very sensitive souls. And then we have the access to go and write about it. It's been written, like, it's been, like the Globe and Mail has written twice on it. And that, and that's a, that is a big deal still in a lot of circles. Awful announcing that. Because, yeah, yeah, front office sports.

But the Globe and Mail is, is the newspaper that's read by all the elites in Canada. I believe it's the newspaper of record in this country. Thank you, Matthew Secarus. but it is right everyone still reads the business section there and they've had just a general story on what happened and then yesterday kathal kelly who is the columnist wrote a scathing article yeah on the vancouver canucks he called them bush league like it was it was it was scathing and this is being read by people all across the country where the columnist in the Globe and Mail

is absolutely taking the boots to the Canucks. And that's the sort of thing. You know, look, when Gary Mason writes an article in the Globe and Mail, it's a big deal. And Jim Rutherford chose Gary Mason. On a few occasions. including the one that preceded the J.T. Miller trade where he basically acknowledged, like,

listen, we got an issue with JT and PD. So I think this whole idea of, you know, are you worried about your brand? Are you worried about what your hardcore fans really think? Or are you more worried just about extracting however much you can out, of the top 10% of the population in terms of their wealth.

Like what, what's, what's your ball game here? That's a great point to bring. Because in some ways, the disdain from the average fan only grows. When they feel like the team only cares about that top 10% of the population, like they don't get the service in terms of buying tickets.

It's all about, you know, I, the average Joe that comes and spends a couple hundred bucks here. I care about the whale that's going to come and spend and I'm not kidding here like 5, 10 grand a night.

Yeah, metaphorical oil. On a, yeah, yeah, well, I mean, they do eat a lot in the suite and the sweet charges. I mean, like, there was a whale. They're like, God, it was a major issue. Yeah, and yeah, it was like, you should see what we charge for sushi, too. Like, this guy is going to eat a lot. No, have you ever seen the prices in the sweets? It is. It's ridiculous. It is insane.

It's insane. It's insane. And a lot of people are just like, yeah, whatever. It's the law firm will take care of this, right? No problem. The partnership or the law firm will just pass it along to some clients. Yeah, but, okay, back to the original point. There is something to be said about your identity and what you stand for as an organization.

And at times, the business part of it, and I'm talking about everything like we've discussed, fan experiences, price gouging, all that stuff can be separate. But sometimes it's not. and if you were able to come in and sell and in both Vancouver and Toronto on the notion that things have gotten bad you need to acknowledge this, but this is a chance for you

to reestablish something, a connectivity, an ethos where the fan base really, really likes your team, which is not an easy thing to accomplish. I think then the trickle-down effect is this is how we're going to act at every level of our organization,

from business to the executive to the coaches to the players. We all have the same singular idea that we're going to work hard, care about the market, put forth a good shift every night, and try and be something that we haven't been in a long time. And honestly, the end of the siege mentality in Nand state needs to end. Yeah, you need to be likable. And I know it sounds crazy that that's how basement bottom level this is, but that's what they both need to do.

Okay, we got a lot more to get through. on the program. We're at the midway point of the show. Coming up on the other side, Scott Rintoul is going to join the program. You remember him. He's likable. He is very likable. That's why we're having him on the program. Also, to discuss his podcast, the better sports parents' podcast. We can also talk to Scott to Scott Rintoul is going on locally in sports because there is a lot going on. Scott Rintoul is going to join us next on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. It's Kinnuck Central on Sportsnet 650 from exclusive interviews to insider scoops and post-game break. We've got it all. Tune in weekdays 4 to 6 p.m. on radio and on demand through your favorite

podcast app. 733 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody. Halford, Brough, SportsNet 650. Halford and Brub of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Are you getting collection calls? If you are, Sands and Associates could cut your debt

by up 80% and stop those calls. Visit them today at Sands dash trustee.com. Still in our two of the program are the midway point of the show. Scott Rintwell's going to join us in just a moment here. Our two of this program is brought to at Jason hominock at Jason.com. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.

Dotmorgia. To the able auctions hotline, we go, our next guest, formerly of Sportsnet 650. Now the host of the Better SportsP Parents Podcast. Scott Rintwell joins us now on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. What up, Rinty. gentlemen, how are you? We're well, man. Thanks for taking the time to do this. It's been a while. I can keep a tabs on the Better Sports Parents podcast, as you probably know. Breff and I spend a lot of time talking about youth sports on the show, given how much we've been involved with them and how we continue to be involved with them. It's funny. The other day, I was talking to a fellow sport parent, and I asked him a question that I don't think I've asked him in an awfully long time.

I'm like, do you think our kids are having fun out here? Does that matter? Yeah. It's a hilarious. thing to ask and then when you sit in the silence afterwards and you realize what you're asking, it's kind of funny but also a little disconcerting at the same time. How much do you guys talk about that on the pod, Rinty? Is like, are the kids having fun doing this?

Quite a bit, actually. And what qualifies is fun, I think changes depending on what age we're at and what level of competition. You guys know that depending how far your child might want to take things or or how far you wanted to take things in your own youth sports journey. But yeah, it should be at the center of it. And I think when people put their kids in youth sports, it is the number one priority,

but it changes so fast for parents, especially if you're in a competitive environment, depending on what sport, and I'm not here to run down any sport. I'm not. But we all know, because of the national identity of this country when it comes to sports,

that in hockey it tends to go quicker than perhaps other sports. And lose sight of perhaps the fact that it's supposed to be fun for kids because that's what's going to keep the minute the longest. And I think that has to be our North Star as parents. How long can we keep our kids active? Not because they're going to play in the NHL or the NBA one day. That'd be great if that's something they want to pursue. But ultimately, we're just trying to help mold them into healthy, functional adults.

aren't we? Yeah, I think it's a tough question to answer because, like you said, it depends what you think is fun. If you were to go to hockey practice or soccer or baseball or whatever and you said, right, kids, we're just going to have fun today. So you guys go have fun. It would be chaos. Half of them would just be like, all right, I'm going to take my iPad out.

Like, that's what I consider fun. And, you know, one of the things that. I think is important to get across to the kids, even if, you know, at 10 or 11 years old, is that competition can be fun and to go out there and work hard and feel after the game like, man, that was, that was a great competition because I've seen it. I've coached at that level and I've seen how the kids respond and what it's like when they're in a really tight game and they do have to work hard. and they do have to fight for the puck

and win or lose after the game, they're like, man, that was a fun game and that was a good experience. So how do you balance trying to get that result while also letting them be kids in the way that they normally are? Well, this is the multi-million dollar question. I guess when it comes to youth sports, a billion dollar question given how much money

gets spent on it every single year, because it's a nuanced conversation. and when you bring up fun, there are people who are on the other side of it, like you said, the competition side of it. They go, oh, yeah, you want to give everybody a participation ribbon. Well, to a certain degree, yes, I do, actually. And if you go look at what Norway is doing, it's working out pretty well for them. I know there's been a lot of attention paid to Norway after the Winter Olympics.

They dominated it. They don't have standings or scorekeeping to the extent that we do in North America until after 12 years old. And their goal is to keep kids in sport. as long as possible. And it's working out pretty well for them. Now, I know we're not going to completely go that way, and there is a healthy medium. But look, you use the fun example.

Go watch recess at any elementary school. Those kids are having fun. And they're not in a structured, organized environment, and they all play together. And there are some kids who are really skilled and really physically literate. And there are other kids who aren't. You can tell they don't play that sport,

but they're out there all having fun together. So there's that version, and I don't think we have enough of that quite frankly, but then there's the other version where, all right, you're 10 years old, and we're going to teach you a system, and you better play the system, and we're going to get on you if you make mistakes. And that is the other end of the spectrum, which I don't think is healthy, and that drives kids away from sports as well. I agree with you.

Competition is fun, but kids are going to compete naturally. I really believe that. And there are too many adults, in my opinion, that don't think so on. and think that has to be really driven into the kids. Most kids, when they play a game, they want to win. But once the game is done, they're pretty cool going back to just being kids. And that's where we have to delineate. Can you relate to our listeners the anecdote that former Vancouver Canuck Aaron Volpatti

had on your pod about the no pool rule? Yeah, absolutely. And it's funny because it caused a pretty healthy debate online. I put this clip out because Volatti's on the podcast as week. He's a really good interview. If you guys haven't seen what he's doing now, it's really interesting the journey he's taken. For those who don't know Aaron's story,

just a quick backstory. Aaron, people remember him for being a fighter and a hitter in the NHL. He played 114 games, but he was burned badly, like in an accident. He's written a book about it called Fighter, and I recommend people go have a little bit of look at that.

But Aaron's got a 10-year-old son. He's 11 now. And he's got two toddler, says, and he's got a three-year-old, but his 10-year-old son's playing hockey, and he's on a team that went to a tournament in Calgary, and Aaron's story was, look, we got to the tournament, and they had a no pool rule, can't go into the pool in between games.

And Aaron went, I think that's a miss at this age, in my opinion. And he was talking to his buddy whose kid is also on the team. They played junior together, and his other buddy also played pro. And they were both like, yeah, like, this is what I remember from my child. I don't remember how many games or tournaments we won. I remember that stuff in between. And it sparked a pretty healthy debate online because most people said, yeah, I'm with you 100%. They're kids.

Let them be kids. There are a bunch of other people. Well, hold on a second here. This is a rep team. And part of learning and developing is understanding that when there's games, we've got to take those a little bit serious. Like that's why we're here. And then after those games are done for the egg, you can go in the pool after that. But in between games, no, we're going to focus on the fact that we're in the tournament.

And I'm not here to say which one is right or wrong. I know how I personally feel about it. I'm more on the Volpatti side of things. It's a 10-year-old hockey tournament at the end of the day. Like, let them enjoy being kids. Because if we play this all out, okay, hey, winning the tournament and competing as hard as we can is the most important thing. All right, are we going to watch what they eat in between those as well?

Like, are we going to be like, hey, you guys, pretty strict, chicken and broccoli. That's all we're eating between games. You guys know that, right? Like, we've got to refuel or you guys got to get your bio steel or whatever protein drinking after the game. again, they're 10. So how far do we want to take this? Do we want it to be, guys, we're here to win the tournament? So that means you bottom two lines.

You're not going to play much today. Well, they're 10. Like, these kids got to play and develop. So we can play it out to either end of the spectrum, but that was the story he relayed. And it did cause for a pretty emphatic debate in the Instagram quotes and comments if you care about that. Do you think the ex-NHLers just last?

at some of the parents in minor hockey because I honestly sometimes wonder if the ex-NHL or sometimes look at the parents and going, I'm just looking at you and I know your kid is not going to the NHL because, I mean, the one thing that is sometimes hard to acknowledge, but I think it's very much the truth is like genetics and your natural ability. There are some reasons what, you know, like I think about a guy. guy like Brett Hall who played house hockey throughout most of his youth and was not exactly the most productive youth in the world. And then he turns into one of the NHL's greatest goal scores, you know, who was his dad?

Yeah, right. You know, there is a huge genetics angle there. And I, and I sometimes, I honestly do wonder if some of those NHLers just look at some of those parents, be like, you know, I get why you want your son or daughter to be really successful here, but they might play at a reasonable level, but they are not going to play at the highest level, and I can guarantee that. Yeah, I think that they laugh for a couple of reasons, and I'm not saying all of them do. I do think there's the occasional ex-pro that's pretty serious, but for the most part,

and this is why I took the format I did with the podcast. I think most ex-pros or people who've been to the highest level of the game and have seen every level leading up, I think they get it. I think they understand that there's a time to be serious, there's a time for fun, but it all has to be based in enjoyment and interest in the game. And yeah, I'm a pretty big believer in the genetic component too. Now, that's not to say you have to have a professional playing father and or mother to make it to the highest level. But genetics is a component to a degree.

I think there are some people who cannot work their genetics and have that extra level of grit and competitive fire. And maybe they replace those who are genetically gifted but don't care enough. or get burned out. I don't know what that percentage is, but yeah, I'm on that side that I think most pros I've encountered, they're like, let them be kids, let them play, let them fall in love at the game, and then when they get to an age where they show this really defined interest

in pursuing it, all right, at that point, we can show you what you're really going to need to do. But if it's not rooted in that love, eventually it's going to find a bad ending. Scotty, I don't know if this is a bit of an exact question, but at what age are kids ready to accept tough feedback? That's a great question. I think it's probably once they get into high school, but I always think that it depends on the relationship they have with a coach. And you guys have coached so you understand this.

There are coaches who just show up. They've got the practice plan. And they're about getting through it and then getting the kids out. the door and getting the next group in. And I'm not talking volunteer coaches in most cases because you're coaching your own kids. But even if we get into that paid coach environment, I think there are coaches like that. I think there are other coaches and you've either had them or you've been one or you've been around them, they care about the players.

And once you show kids or adults for that matter that you care about them, they will accept hard feedback. They really will. Yeah. They want to get better. And you can tell because if you've established a relationship, with a teenager or a 12-year-old, it doesn't really matter, quite frankly. If they know, hey, this is coming from a place where they care about me.

And I've shown them that I want to get better because there are players who say, I want to be really good, but they don't understand what it takes to get there. Or they maybe aren't willing to put in the work that it takes to get to that level. And you have to have more of that difficult conversation. Hey, yeah, that's great that you want to be a rep player. But unless you're willing to do this, you're not going to get there. And that's okay. If you don't want to be at that level, if you're not willing to make that tradeoff, that's okay.

But here's what you're going to need to do. I think it has to be based in care. Once they know you care about them, you can tell them what they need to do. I just think there's nothing more rewarding for a coach when you see a player that puts the work in and gets the result. and there's probably nothing more rewarding for the player to learn that if you do work hard at something, that you can do really impressive things, even things that you didn't think you could do.

And are we not trying to teach these kids life lessons that, and one of them, I think, is if you put the work in in really anything you want to do, you will improve, you will get better. It's not all just your natural, abilities. Everyone wants to be naturally good at things. You know, you want to, you know, you want to be like, you know, and kids, I think adults even just like, yeah, I'm just good at this. Like, I don't even have to try. But I think the real value is when you have to struggle. And then maybe you even get to enjoy the struggle a little bit and you get to enjoy the process of you've got this challenge. I'm going to break it down. It's not going to happen. and overnight, but if I keep working at it, I'm going to get some results. 100%.

Did you guys see the clip of the Maryland coach in the women's tournament that went? I was just looking it up. That's hilarious. Brenda Freeze. Yeah. And again, I think that translates to a lower level, not because you're going to really get in a child's face the way that you were a young woman because they had a good relationship, but that was hard coaching where Brenda Freeze had that conversation saying,

I believe in you, but you need to believe in yourself. and you can do this. This is your game. Go get it. And you can do that to a certain extent. I coached grade seven girls basketball this year. I've been coaching with these girls because my daughter played. And the reason I'm bringing this up is because we had a really small class of girls.

And so we just had enough players to have a team. And you guys know this because of injuries or maybe a player is in some foul trouble. Sometimes you get in a situation in a game. And this is not a serious level. But for these kids, that's their team and that's their world. And she has to ask kids, hey, I need you to play more when you're a little bit tired because we don't have another player right now. And when you see a child go, I didn't think I could do that, but I was asked to do it. I did it.

Oh, my God. I had no idea I was capable of that. We had a girl that joined the team last year in grade six. And she came out because she's joined a bunch of the clubs and teams at school. but she's not naturally inclined athletically, but she wanted to be a part of it. I don't think she believed she could score a basket in the game. I really don't.

She scored last year, and the look on that child's face was everything. Like, everything to me. I turned to one of the coaches. I said, I'm leaving. I stayed, but I said, I can leave because I don't care what happens the rest of the season because that look makes it all worth it.

And that's what we're there to do, I think, as coaches is just help people do things and believe in themselves in a way they didn't think possible before. Rinty, do you regret throwing the chair across the court in one of those great seven games? Gotta make a statement. I'm with them. Got to make a statement. Sometimes you do.

Sometimes you have to go Bobby Knight on this situation. The guy, you know, you're laughing, but like my just turned nine-year-old, but she's playing like eight-year-old soccer this year. I watched them play a game this year, and the coach on the other team, I'm doing the line on the other side of the field. and the coach and the other team, his team could see these are eight-year-olds. Like, you guys know it. They run around in a pack and chase the ball.

They're not quite sure what position they are. They just went to five-on-five with a goalie. Like, they're just playing in that level. His team got scored and he threw a water bottle, like 20 yards. Because his team got, I'm like, what are you doing? Like, what are you doing, man? They're eight years old. They don't even know which way they're going some of the time.

I do want to continue the conversation about the parental side of things, maybe not necessarily with coaching, but what I think is commonly known as parental fomo, where the parents, and it's an interesting dynamic because I think some parents, and fair enough, think that, you know, in order to be

the best parent and give my kid every opportunity, I can't miss out on anything. And that's a very powerful thing and a very powerful leverage to get people to shell out money and roll their kids and everything. How much do you guys talk about parental fomo on the pod? Quite a bit. And it's

not just because of the parents. I do think there's a parental element to it. I think there's a keeping up with the Jones's element to it. I also think part of it is the system that we're currently operating in right now, guys, quite frankly, because yes, you are in this peer group once your kid joins sports. And when you find out as a parent, well, they all want to play together next year and these three other kids in the team are going to extra development or they're going to enroll in this camp this summer. and I think there's a natural inclination to go, oh, well, what if my kid doesn't do that?

Is he or she going to be able to make that team next year? And then there are some organizations and coaches that make that implication for you. And that's where it gets difficult, I think, for parents, because many of them don't know what to do. Brandon Morrison told this story on the podcast. His daughter was playing soccer, good team, team that was making provincials every year, that kind of thing. and came time for the season to end. And he was like, all right, we'll see you guys in September. And they went, well, hold on.

No, there's a summer program. And he went, and again, this is a little different than the way it operates in some provinces. But he went, well, no, we go away for the summer. Like, that's our family time. Yeah, yep. And all the other parents said, well, how's she going to make the team next year? And he went, well, she'll either make it or she won't. Like, we're not going away to Vancouver.

And I think most people are listening to know Brendan's a pretty avid outdoorsman and goes away to Vancouver Island a lot, and that's what they did as a family in the summers. And it turns out that she ended up being the only player of that group that would go on to play Division I soccer. So it didn't cost her. Genetics. Whether it was because of that or not,

but everybody else is involved in the development, and they're playing year-round. And she gets a break. She gets a break mentally. She gets to miss it a little bit as well, if that's something she actually wants to pursue. And I think that's an underrated part of what parents miss sometimes. Kindell said this as well.

Steve Kindell was on the program. I think you guys know his son Ben plays for the Penguins. They never had him in spring and summer hockey. He's still never been on a skating treadmill. And Steve said we just needed him to have a break because he and his wife believed that you need to miss a sport a little bit at times. You need to have some downtime. It's worked out okay for Ben.

Yeah, no, that's a great point. Needing to miss the sport is a great point. And it's so difficult to do with certain parent groups because all you're trying to do is keep up with the Joneses. And you assume that if you're not working, you're atrophying. And you're not. Like, that's a big part of it is sometimes staying away makes the kid want it more. But that's a real difficult one to try and sell the parents, especially in this age.

And I talk about this all the time. I hate coining all these guys as snake oil salesmen or empty promises offered. But a lot of these academies are based on the notion of there's a parent who wants to keep up with all the other parents. and if we tell them that their kid might have something special, boom, cash in pocket, we're making money. That is an incredible feeling when you hear, yeah, your kid might have it. Yeah. Like you start the daydreaming. It's where do I sign and how much money, right?

I mean, Rinty, have you ever experienced something like that? I haven't because my kids aren't playing that level of sport, but I've seen it and I've talked to other parents about it. And I totally understand it because who doesn't want to hear that their kid excels it, something. Something. Anything. Yeah. Maybe they're special.

Sure. Every parent wants to hear that. And that's where you have to take a step back. And I think that's the message that's getting reinforced by the Volpatties and the Morrison's and the Kindels. Yes, some of their children have quote unquote made it. We'll see about Volpatties. But it's going to have to be their desire at some point.

And I think what happens sometimes with kids at an early age is the parents' desires for what they think is the best for their kid takes over. Sometimes the kid doesn't even get to weigh in, quite frankly. Like when's the last time you guys said, oh, do we know if they're having fun? Have we asked? Like, it sounds so stupid, but how many parents forget to ask if their kids enjoying it or what they like about it? That's the other one.

I asked my daughter that last year. I hadn't thought of it at least about a year and a half ago. She was playing basketball and we were doing the drive to a game that she had midweek. And I just asked her, hey, what do you like about playing? basketball.

And it's not because she wanted to win or be the best player on the court. Like, that stuff comes later. Oh, it's fun and I like playing with my friends and meeting new friends. And like,

for some kids, it's a social setting. And other stuff, the competition stuff, the winning, the I want to get to a div one school or maybe play in the big leagues one day. That comes later for a lot of kids.

Rinty, we got to do this more often, man. The feedback in the Dunbar Lumber text message in Baskin is fantastic. The conversation was fantastic. We didn't even get to any of a lot. It's such a good topic. And it really is.

And it really is perfect for the podcast format. And Rinty, I'm glad you're the one that's doing it. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. Always a pleasure. Thanks, dude. It's the Better Sports Parents podcast. It's Scott Rintoole.

You're hearing him here right here on SportsNet 650. Go check it out on socials. And, of course, the podcast. on all major podcast platforms Better Sports Parents Podcasts was Scott Rintel. Are you doing baseball this year? No, baseball's all done. Baseball's all done.

After Little League. You're just, it's out. It's full soccer now? Full soccer. I love baseball season. I miss baseball season. Because I have nothing, no input on it. I just show up with a margarita and my Yeti.

So, I have a big Yeti so they can fit two in there sometimes. And I love a good lawn chair. And I just sit there. and I yell at the umps. Remember when daddy threw the beer bottle and the umpire? I'll say this.

If you can get the right vibe for Little League baseball or minor baseball, whatever one the kids plays, there are certain summer days that you're just like, this is bliss because... Totally. The kids are having fun. The parents aren't, you know,

throwing beer bottles at the empires. And they'll just, There'll be a handful. There's only a handful because everything needs to work right. The kids aren't pissing you off. The parents aren't being idiots. The coaches aren't being morons. But there'll be a day or two where it's like the most idyllic day afternoon evening at the park where there's a barbecue afterwards and the parents are having beverages. It's just great.

And it's only baseball can have it. It's got to do with the weather and everything else. But there'll be those moments where it's just like this is what it's supposed to be about. Totally. They're fleeting and they're not all the time. You have to put up with a lot of crap to get there, but they'll be those days. For all you parents out there,

they can't see the forest from the trees. There will be a day like that out there. And then you're like, you gotta hit the cut off. That's right. We worked on this. It's our cut program. Why are you not doing it?

Anyway, okay, we got to go to break. When we go back, we got one final hour to go on the Halford and Breff show on SportsNet 650. Randy Chandee, Canaanist analyst on SportsNet 650 is going to join us to recap. What was an absolutely wild and crazy night for the Canucks in Denver last night,

Canucks scored a season high, eight goals in an eight six win against the Colorado Avalanche. That is coming up next. You are listening to The Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet, 650.