Halford & Brough in the Morning - Canadian Tennis Icon Vasek Pospisil

Episode Date: July 24, 2025

In hour one, Mike Halford & guest host Josh Elliott-Wolfe look back at the previous day in sports, plus they chat with Canadian tennis star Vasek Pospisil about his playing career and recent retirement announcement.  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.

You're listening to Halford and Brough. And a little bounce towards third. Schneider coming to the plate and he's safe. And now Springer coming in behind him. And somehow the Blue Jays get two runs out of that. Cleveland Browns, they're riding their own obituary. I thought you said Troy McClure was dead. No, what I said was he sleeps with the fishins.

Good morning Vancouver, 6-0-1 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday everybody, this is Halford, it is brough. Oh no wait, it's Josh Elliott-Wolf. We are coming to you live from the Kintec Studios in beautiful Fairview Slopes in Vancouver. Josh, good morning to you. Good morning. Adog, good morning to you. Good morning.

And get this, regular Zach is back. Regular Zach, good morning to you as well. Good morning. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates, BC's first and trusted choice for that help with over 3,000 five star reviews. There's them online at sans-trustee.com We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio Kintec footwear and orthotics working together with you in step So in case you're wondering who's in studio today at sports net

650 it is a never-ending cast of characters here. Normally it's Jason and I and then cast the characters here. Normally it's Jason and I. Jason's vacationing. So Jamie Dodd was in for the first half of the week and now it's Josh Elia-Wolf for the back half of the week. Producer Andy Adog remains the same. Laddie's on vacation. Basketball Ben was in, now he's out.

Now it's regular Zach. Welcome back, regular Zach. We're going through operators at an unsustainable pace. We're gonna run out of guys by Friday. But hey, we've only got two days left in the week. Tomorrow's Friday. Today we worry about today. We got a big guest list ahead for a Thursday here on the Halford and Breff show on Sportsnet 650. Guest list today begins at 6 30. Vashik Paspasil is going to join the program. Vernon native, good British Columbian kid, Canadian tennis icon has announced his retirement from the game after an 18-year professional career

that saw him win a Wimbledon doubles title. Also a Davis Cup win representing his country on the grandest stage. His farewell tourney, the NBO, begins this weekend in Toronto. We'll talk to Vasashik at 6.30 about his legacy, his early days playing tennis, how he became one of the greatest Canadian men's tennis players of all time. Vashik Posposil will join the program at 8.30 or sorry, 6.30, uh, seven o'clock Adnan Virk from MLB network is going to join the program. Another big win for the Jays last night,

taking their series against the Yankees with an eight four victory. We'll get into that in what happened as well. Also this weekend, it's the MLB's hall of fame induction ceremony. Dick Allen, Billy Wagner, CC, Sebastian Ichiro Suzuki and the late great Dave Parker are going to be inducted this weekend. So we'll talk to Adnan about all that at seven, seven 30. We're going to go to the NFL. Nick shook from NFL.com is going to join the program.

We'll whip around to some of the biggest stories from NFL training camps, which are now all underway. What's the latest with Micah Parsons in Dallas? How is Tyreek Hills fence mending going on in Miami? How is Joe Burrow reacting to all the contract drama in Cincy? We'll get into all that with Nick Shook at 7.30. And then at 8 o'clock

Ryan Kennedy editor-in-chief of the hockey news is going to join the program They recently released their top 100 players issue. Who's number one Josh Nathan McKinnon. Oh, you spoiled it Oh, that's okay. I thought that was a that was a question It was and then I saw your your hand movements, and I was like ah it's not a question But I've started saying the name it's okay, and it's yeah That's on me. You know what, the best part is that nobody listens at 6.04 in the morning. So by the time Ryan is on the show, oh well, no. It'll be another surprise.

Ryan is also a prospects expert for the hockey news. We can ask him about this ongoing story that is the rise of NCAA hockey. With Porter Martone of the Philadelphia Flyers is on his way to Michigan State, another high-end prospect making his way to the collegiate game. So there's lots to get into there at eight o'clock with Ryan Kennedy. So working in reverse on that guest list, eight o'clock Ryan Kennedy from the hockey news,

seven thirty Nick Shook from NFL.com, seven o'clock Adnan Virk from MLB network, six thirty Vashak Paspasil, Canadian tennis icon. That's what's happening on the program today. Zach, let's tell everybody what happened. classic Pospacil Canadian tennis icon. That's what's happening on the program today. Zach, let's tell everybody what happened. Hey, did you guys see the game last night? No. What happened?

I missed all the action because I was... We know how busy your life can be. What happened? You missed that? What happened? What happened is brought to you by the BC Construction Safety Alliance. Making safety simpler by giving construction companies the best in tools, resources and safety training. Visit them online at bccsa.ca.

Yesterday it was Bo Bichette hitting a two run homer, Chris Bassett striking out eight in seven and a third's inning, a season high for him. And the Blue Jays took advantage of not one, not two, not three, but four New York Yankees errors. That's too many. That's too many errors in a game. Those sloppy Yankees and those airtight Jays. 8-4 a win for the Jays to take the series over the Yankees last night. Here's what the final call sounded like, courtesy Blue Jays play by play man, Dan Schulman.

Fly ball left center. light courtesy Blue Jays play-by-play man Dan Schulman. Fly ball left center straw is there and the Blue Jays win the series. What a game this was tonight as the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 8-4 take two out of three and are now four games up in the American League East and Joe are now tied with the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League Unbelievable this run that the Blue Jays are on over the last two and a half three months Vladdy Guerrero jr. Josh big night last night. He showed me he showed me at a couple clutch AVs He didn't you know what he didn't hit the home run that I was hoping he would it that's okay. That's okay

That's okay He drove into run scored twice the Jays of one for the 18th time in 23 games all due respect To people like mark and white rock who can't believe that we're starting every show with the Blue Jays I will once again reiterate what I said earlier in the week It's not just that we work for Rogers and they do have some very immediate ties to the Toronto Blue Jays. What they are doing right now is worthy

of any sort of coverage on any sort of network because this is a team that is on a heater, a generational heater for this organization. You must remember that this is the first time prior to losing the mid game of this series, the first time in franchise history that the Blue Jays won 11 consecutive games at home throughout the course of their 40 plus years of existence. This is a very, very impressive thing that they are doing.

And what's more, they have also maybe broken the brains of the New York Yankees, which also deserves top billing because the Yankees look horrible right now. Yeah, it's crazy how bad they were defensively in like in that whole series. They had seven errors in the whole series and it felt like every ball hit on the infield that Miles Straw like kind of ran on. They were like, I don't know what to do. Please don't do this anymore. And yeah, it was it was kind of embarrassing from the Yankees. I do think they're like fixable issues if you're looking at it from a Yankees perspective. But the Jays keep getting the breaks to go their way in clutch moments. So the Jays have had a really good time against the Yankees

this year especially at home. And we'll play the audio from Aaron Boone in a sec. Aaron Boone had a real tough night last night. He got chucked from the game for arguing balls and strikes. And then after the game was forced to address a series in which they just booted around the ball like crazy, tried to defend his guys, but we'll get into the audio in a second. The Yankees have committed 52 errors

through 102 games this year. If you're like, does that total matter? Well, consider this. They're 41 and 22 when they play error-free baseball. 15 and 24 when they make at least one miscue. They made four last night. And some of them were ridiculous in nature. The jazz chism throwaway when he caught a liner

and then threw it back to first base to try and I guess tag up Vladdy at first, who was already on the bag by the time he threw. Made no sense whatsoever. Got to throw a shot at. Yeah, I don't get what they were doing, but here's the thing. The Jays do a really nice job of putting baseballs in play.

They don't strike out an awful lot. They're not the sort of prototypical modern MLB team that goes yard with regularity like we saw the Yankees do in this series, including Aaron Judge yesterday. But they almost can smell blood in the water. Like when a team is reeling defensively, it's like, what if we just put the ball in play an awful lot?

What if we just like, especially with two strikes, we bear down and even if it's something to the gap in the infield, let's just see what happens here, right? Let's put pressure on the defense. Now, Aaron Boone acknowledged that his team did not have a good defensive series throughout the three games in which they were only able to manage one and fell further behind the Jays in the standings. Here's Aaron Boone

on his beleaguered defensive team after Boone got chucked from yesterday's 8-4 loss to the Jays. Yeah, just not good enough. And, you know, look, I think we have a very good defensive club, but clearly in the seven games we've played up here, giving them extra outs, whether it's through air or not making a play that we need to make, that's cost us in these two series up here, we're really hurt. So we've gotta obviously tighten it up,

confident we will, we'll continue to work at it. We have good defenders here, but tonight was obviously a rough night for us. So I was digging as deep as I could into Yankees Twitter and all of the you know pundits and then also like the social media Personalities that cover the team and the frustration level is very high right now. Yeah, justifiably so it's like it's like that is the most frustrating Way to lose baseball games, especially because it did feel like every time the Yankees made an error, it was leading directly to Blue Jays rallies. Like it wasn't like, Hey, you made an error and then you got a double play on the, on the next play. It was, it led to extended runs for the Jays that honestly in, in the two games they won, it's, it's probably

the reason they won the games. Yeah. you can boot the ball around it's fine and if that's if you're not a good defensive team you're not a good defensive team but when you're doing it against the team that's kind of owned you this year and by the way that's now seven wins in ten over the Yankees for the Jays this season so if you're three and seven against the team and the continual issues are your inability to feel the ball especially in Toronto. I did like how Aaron Boone mentioned there he's like we're having a hard time feeling the ball here. On the turf, but it's not the turf's fault.

It's the loud fans at the Rogers Center. So kudos to the Jays and kudos to everybody involved with that win over the Yankees in that series. They now move on to another big series against the Detroit Tigers and that one begins tonight. So we'll keep an eye on that. And once again, tomorrow morning, I can almost guarantee we'll be leading off the show

with the Jays. But we gotta move on to a local story, non-Connex division to start. I know all of you are clamoring for some Jack Roslick talk. You will have to wait. We're gonna talk about the Vancouver Whitecaps. So yesterday, prior to the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Commissioner Don Garber was asked about the future of the Vancouver whitecaps

And I've got the audio here. It's lengthy He's very animated and there are some very interesting takeaways about the whitecaps Their current situation at BC place and where they may play in the future and how badly they need to address their stadium situation Here now MLS commissioner Don Garber on the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps. No plans to move the Vancouver Whitecaps, but right now they don't have a viable stadium situation and they need one. We have a stadium that we'll lose access to because of construction for the 2026 World Cup.

We get 17 days where we can play our games and that's it. We don't have any flexibility, including what happened with their playoff game last year. The Vancouver Whitecaps need a new stadium. We need to find a way to work with the city and work with the province and get Greg Kerfoot, who's committed to working with the city and the province, to find a stadium solution. Not our first rodeo, and we'll figure that out. We'll be able to get a stadium, I hope, and we're working hard at it. We got an update on it over the last couple of days, and we're hopeful that we'll be able

to achieve something to at least look at a way that we could have a place for the Vancouver Whitecaps to play. And then we'll continue to deal with what happens if they don't have a place to play but there is no plan to move the Vancouver Whitecaps. There isn't any update that I can share with you today but the update is we got to get a new stadium situation for the Vancouver Whitecaps. I will say the city has been more engaged now than they have been in the past and we appreciate that. So I think everybody recognizes that Whitecaps are an important brand. They've been in the city a long time and we'd like to find a solution.

Shout out to intrepid local Whitecaps reporter Harjo Hall for asking the questions of Don Garber there. And that was her in the middle, very astutely asking right away, what was that update, Don, that you got about the current Whitecaps stadium situation? And then Don quickly and astutely dodged that one and just reiterated that they need to get a new stadium situation. So a lot to unpack here. I want to ask you, Josh. Me. When you first heard that audio, maybe you

didn't know that it was coming and you, I don't know how up to speed you are with the current White Cap Stadium situation, but I think that's almost a good thing because when you heard Garber speak and you heard that minute and a half of audio, what was your immediate takeaway in the aftermath of hearing it? Concern, I think, because, I don't know, I think as someone who, yeah, is more of a casual follower of the Whitecaps, it does feel, it's felt almost inevitable

that something was gonna happen in terms of relocation and it's frustrating. And then when you hear that in the, you know, BC Place having issues and, you know, dates place having issues and, and, you know, dates being limited and all of this, it is concerning. Now he did mention the update. And so maybe there's the glimmer of hope in there that, Hey, there could be a stadium update somewhere.

And, and they're trying to work with the city and there's been positive signs from the city. But I don't know. I think it's hard to, it's hard to not be concerned when you hear the commissioner of MLS talking about that. So there's a real key part early in Zach, I'm going to get you to cue back up the first part of his answer here, where he talks about the unsustainability of the current situation at BC Place. So not only is it like clearly and squarely on the radar of the MLS commissioner, who by the way, in addition to dealing with this, is dealing with a million other things right now, all of which were covered yesterday.

But he makes very, no bones about it, like very explicitly talking about the issues in good detail and almost saying the quiet part out loud. Can you roll it from the top again? Right after he starts talking about the issues that they have with only having 17 dates available and how this was an issue all the way dating back to last year's playoffs where they had to move their game.

I want to play this again just so I can dive into it a little bit deeper. Here's Don Garber on the issues that BC plays. Just roll it straight from the top. No plans to move the Vancouver Whitecaps, but right now they don't have a viable stadium situation and they need one. We have a stadium that we'll lose access to because of construction for the 2026 World Cup. It is the, we get 17 days where we can play our games and that's it. We don't have any flexibility, including what happened with their playoff game last year. The Vancouver

Whitecaps need a new stadium. So I had a few people reach out to me. They're like, what's this we get 17 days where we can play our games all about? So I had spoken to someone, a former employee of the club, and this has kind of been common knowledge for a while, but with Garber saying it yesterday, and I don't know how many listeners right now

were aware of this at the time, but may as well get it out there. Well, as one of the anchor tenants in BC plays, the Whitecaps get very limited dates available to them from PavCo for when they can play their games. When it comes time to doing the MLS schedule, as Garber says, we get a handful of dates throughout the entire summer.

He says 17, I've heard the number fluctuates a little bit there, where they can slot in their games. And it's been an ongoing issue with the Whitecaps and I think to a lesser degree the Lions, but we'll focus on the Whitecaps here because they're the ones talking about potentially moving out and their lease is up to continue playing games at BC Place. Now, BC Place tries to hold a lot of summer dates open for things like concerts, for example. And look, let's just readily admit this,

acknowledge this right away. It is true that you're gonna make more money off a major concert tour that comes through than you are off a regular season MLS or CFL game. That being said, those are also speculative dates as opposed to your anchor tenants, which are going to guarantee you revenue on those particular nights that they're playing.

The issue is, is that the whitecaps for the longest time didn't have a ton of leverage in talks about, hey, can we get a better deal? Can we get some more dates? Can we have a better working relationship? Because Papka wasn't necessarily worried about it because they were never gonna leave, right? Your anchor tenants, the anchor was very much

a key part of this. There's not a lot of give and take when one side knows that the other side doesn't have any leverage. And now I do wonder how things are gonna change because this is almost every significant stakeholder involved with this is now openly saying and acknowledging that the current situation is unsustainable. Right. When the commissioner of the league is up there talking in great detail about how bad the stadium deal is for the MLS club, you know that they're not long for this. And I do think that there's some strategy involved with this from the MLS side of things. We've had Axel Schuster on the show before.

I know he's talked about going in and renegotiating the lease deal for the Whitecaps to continue playing at BC Place in the interim. But having Garber say it at one of the league's marquee events and going into great detail. And we've got the video up at Sportsnet650's Twitter account now, I put it up on Twitter yesterday.

He's very animated when he's talking about this, especially what happened last year in the playoffs. That was a awful look for that league when they had to shift around someone's home playoff date because they couldn't get their building available because Motocross was in the building. Yeah, that's a tough sell. It's a bad look.

For like a major league that's trying to you know Develop and and be more of a legit operation and you got to like move stuff around because of this It's got to be it sounded like he was very frustrated Anything white caps related? I mean on one hand he's talking about Leonel Messi's involvement or lack thereof in the all-star game yesterday and then at the same time He's also talking about a team that last year had a home playoff date scuttled because their building was rented out from Motocross.

So that's what MLS is dealing with right now. The growth of the league has been in leaps and bounds and the Messi thing put it in a whole different stratosphere. So I'll be very curious to see where this goes for the Vancouver Whitecaps. But I did think it was important because that is also one of the first real tangible updates, even though it was a sort of non-update that we had on the Whitecaps stadium situation in a while. By the way, speaking of the Whitecaps in the MLS All-Star game, I will say that they were very well represented yesterday. MLS All-Stars beat the Liga MX All-Stars 3-1. Tristan Blackman, Sebastian Berhalter,

who we had on the show yesterday, they both started. Yohei Takayoka got involved as a sub, so too did Brian White. Brian White scored the first ever Whitecaps goal in an MLS All-Star game, the insurance marker in a 3-1 win last night. So very eventful times for the Vancouver Whitecaps. We didn't even mention yesterday's news that Veselinovich tours ACL, and he's out for the year.

So there's a lot to get into there. Okay, final thing before we move on in what happened. Finally, everyone says, finally, Jack Roselvick talk. I've been waiting. I've been waiting. So walk us through it here. What did we get yesterday, both from Rick Dollywall and then from Patrick Johnson of the province

as to what's going on with the unrestricted free agent center So about 20 hours ago Rick Dolly wall tweeting out for those asking not sure where this goes But the Canucks continue to talk with ufa Jack Rulott Roslavix camp that's it. You know what maybe I hope he doesn't sign It's too difficult too difficult of. Fewer syllables, please. And then PJ, in an article, adds that there's a continued interest in Roslovick, as well as a potential interest in Mason McTavish.

Which we talked a lot about yesterday. From the Vancouver Canucks. So those are the updates, and there has been no update since on anything Roslovick related. So I understand what the Canucks are trying to do here. This is value mining later in free agency for what, the third consecutive summer. They do have a penchant for doing this. They've hit it out of the park before, specific with Pugh suitor. They've also swung and missed, which I would consider Daniel Sprong,

who, by the way, signed in the KHL yesterday. Good for him. Yeah. So I'm not all that bullish on this particular move. I kind of hope that the clearing of Dakota Joshua's salary would lead to something bigger. This kind of feels like a consolation prize is consolation prize. My thing on it is like, okay, you can go,

like the situation the Canucks are in is if a center gets injured, they are just in such a bad spot. If Pedersen or Heedle get injured early in the season, it's just not good. And so the way I view this is just as insurance and someone who, even if he's not being an injury replacement or in the top six, he can still put up points in the middle six. To me, he's just like a more offensive minded version of

Pugh suitor middle six forward who can play a versatile role. You still have to get better. Like you have to get a better player than Jack Rosalvick, but you, I, I have no problem with him being the insurance until you get to a point where you can add said player. The insurance thing does make a ton of sense because the team was just ravaged by injury last year. Right. And we had Thomas Drantz on the show yesterday talking about the amount of man games lost to injury and you know again Not all man games lost injury created equal

there's a big difference between losing a top line guy and losing a fourth line grinder, but Injuries are injuries and for a team that doesn't have a lot of depth any man game lost will hurt and I think Especially with the two guys that you mentioned, Hedl and Pedersen, there's an inherent injury concern now. Pedersen, I would say less so because I do think last year could be written off as an anomaly in the sense that there's a bounce back to be had. The Hedl story from day one has been health. We had Larry Brooks on the show shortly after the trade was consummated.

And he spoke glowingly about H heatle and his time in New York, but he said the same thing over and over. We had no idea what he could be because he was always on the shelf. The health was always going to be a big thing with him. So stylistically, in terms of off season acquisitions, I can see why this unsexy move of bringing in a guy this late in the summer might be the right one because you're just insulating yourself from injury, but I

I'm crying out for not just the Canucks to do something bigger but for this entire Mythical secondary robust trade market that we've talked about to take off. It just doesn't seem like it's happened Maybe someone just needs to sign him for it to happen. I don't know. I Do like ideally I know people, it's not gonna be super inspiring or sexy if they sign Roslivic, but I do, I want that big move to happen too, but I just wonder if these moves,

the big moves, aren't gonna happen until teams recognize that they're not gonna make the playoffs. And right now, every team other than like three think they're gonna make the playoffs Yeah, like who's a dedicated seller right now Pittsburgh and then San Jose in Chicago, but it's like well Do you want anyone how long before the Seattle crack can become very quickly Jared McCann come on down Okay, we gotta go to break and then on the other side

We're gonna talk to Canadian tennis icon retiring Canadian tennis icon Vasik Pospisil here But before we go to break I need to tell you about the BC Lions. July 27th bring the family to celebrate generations of Lions fans at the family traditions game as your Lions take on the Ticats. Get your tickets at bclions.com. Vashik Pospisil, BC's very own, retiring after an 18 year pro tennis career. He's coming up next on the Halford and Bref Show on Sportsnet 650. 631 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650.

Halford and Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Learn how a consumer proposal reduces your debt by up to 80% with no more interest. Visit them online at Sands-trustee.com. We are in hour one of the program. Our next guest, Vashek Pospisil, is gonna join us in just a moment here. A Vernon native, good BC boy, Canadian tennis icon has announced his retirement

after an 18-year professional career that included a Wimbledon doubles win and a Davis Cup win back in 2022. So let's go now to the Power West Industries hotline. As mentioned, our next guest, Vashik Pospisil, joins us now on the Haliford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Morning Vashik, how are you?

Morning, doing great. Thanks for taking the time to do this, we appreciate it. And I wanted to ask, with the retirement news, what made the decision now for you to step away from the game that you've been playing professionally for close to the last two decades? Yeah, you know what? The time is right.

I'm 35 years old. The last three years I've been dealing with quite a few injuries and they just keep kind of popping up. And I think it's, you know, I think my body has taken the toll and I think it's just the right time to go, you know, combine that with a little bit of burnout as well. And mental burnout is, there's only so much you can put your body through for so many years.

And so it's, you know, I've no doubt, no doubt in my mind that this is the right move and the right time to do it. Have you been able to take the time to reflect on your career and what you were able to do professionally? Yeah, I have. And it's really hit me more so this past week. I've tried throughout my career to pause and reflect and be grateful for where I am. And, cause obviously, looking back in hindsight,

and if you, coming from Vernon and just, the career I've had, I mean, if someone told me I'd have this career when I was a kid, I would take in a heartbeat and I wouldn't believe them. And then once you, when you get into the grind and you get into the high level sport and competition and you keep pushing for more and you keep putting more pressure on yourself and you get to top 50 or you're like, oh, I got to go higher.

And then you're always trying to do more and more and more. But the reality is I've had an incredible career, especially where I came from and my background, obviously. And so I'm very grateful for that. And like I said, it's really hit me this past week. This is where I'm like, wow, this is the end. And I'm seeing some highlights coming up online. And I'm very grateful for the career that I've had for sure.

Well, let's keep reflecting on this journey. Let's go all the way back to the beginning. You mentioned your start in Vernon. And as I understand it, not exactly a tennis hotbed. So what did you have to do? What steps did you have to take? And how big an investment of time did you and your family have to come from such a small place

to get to the level that you did where you became one of the greatest Canadian tennis players of all time? Well, I have my family to thank for that. My father especially, when they escaped the communist regime in the former Czechoslovakia, came to Canada with hardly any money, basically nothing. And my dad just started working two jobs, double shifts over time, and became very passionate about tennis. I mean, it was his dream that his sons, for his sons to be professional athletes.

So my brothers never made it, but I was lucky that I had them to play with because in Vernon there was hardly any tennis at all. And it was just so much hard work, honestly. I mean, from a young age, it's all I wanted to do. I homeschooled when I was 11 years old just to focus on tennis. My dad ended up quitting his job

so he could coach me and travel to tournaments with me on a two string budget. And so, you know, of course it can't happen me and travel to tournaments with me on a two-string budget. Of course, it can't happen without very hard work and sacrifice and tons of commitment, but it also equally, at least in my position, it would have been impossible if my parents hadn't sacrificed what they had and to give me that opportunity. So I'm forever grateful for them. I'll never be able to, you know, thank them enough for that. And, yeah, and I guess, you know,

there's a lot more to the story, but that's the essence right there. You know, hard work and sacrifice. For sure. In the time since, you know, there's been a lot of Canadian stars that have popped up in the world of tennis and it feels like there's been a lot of Canadian stars that have popped up in the world of tennis and it feels like there's been a growth in the game. What have you thought

about the growth in Canadian tennis since you've been a part of it? Yeah, I mean, it's extraordinary. Canada was never a tennis nation and now we have a ton of top talent, young players. I also mention this quite often that it's easy to take for granted, and we can't take it for granted that we have such great players at the top of the game right now because it's unusual for a winter sport country to have so many great tennis players. But you know Tennis Canada is doing a great job and they've got a good program going right now so hopefully we can keep riding the momentum. But it's just from my perspective it's really nice to see because when I started off and even when I broke through I mean we never really had any top singles players and you know now we have a handful of them.

So it's great and I think you, at least for the next 10 years, there's quite a bit that Canadian tennis fans can be excited about. We're speaking to Canadian tennis icon and BC native Vasik Paspasil here on the Haliford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Vasik, if you had to pick one singular accomplishment throughout your 18 year career that you're most proud of,

what would that one singular accomplishment be? Oh, I can only choose one, okay. Well, I'm gonna pick two, I'm gonna say two. Fine, pick two, that's okay. The Wimbledon and Davis Cup. The Wimbledon and Davis Cup. Wimbledon and Davis Cup for obviously different reasons. Wimbledon is, I mean, it's the biggest tournament in tennis so that's

you know that goes without saying but but Davis Cup is is I would maybe put that as number one to be honest because playing for your country you know being able to win win that event for the first time in history for Canada and also at the end of my career, I mean it was in 2022, it was really one of the last chances that I had to be part of the winning team. So yeah, it was extraordinary and I mean I put so much pride into representing Canada all these years and it was something that I really, really wanted to accomplish for over 10 years. So to finally be able to do it, it was very emotional for myself and my family and everyone on the team and it was an extraordinary accomplishment.

I got a couple of questions about the Davis Cup stuff because it always fascinates me. We talk a lot about from a golf perspective with the Ryder Cup, how the guys go from playing and almost focused entirely on the individual. It's a singular sport in that instance. And then all of a sudden you're thrown into a team dynamic and the dynamics obviously change. So for you, what was it like going from focusing just on Vashek Pospis on what you need to do in singles,

let's just put it in that context, to then all of a sudden being part of a larger scale team and realizing that you weren't just about your game but trying to prop up other people's game as well? Yeah, it's very different and I think it's one of the reasons why we've had so much success in Davis Cup because you need to be selfless and you need to work as a team. I mean, yes, there are singles matches that are played but if someone's not feeling confident or playing well you know it's not about them, it's not about you right so you have to it's about making sure

that the team wins and it's I think it was you know you know I speak for myself here but I think I can speak for everyone on the team is you know we were all in the same, same boat. We all, we all wanted the best for each other. Um, and we were all willing to step out of a, of a, you know, potential match if we felt like we weren't the guys to play. And I think we had really good chemistry amongst, among the team. So it was very, it was very fun, very fun to play, um, for Canada in a team environment. You know, you don't get to do that throughout the year. It's always individual. You're always flying around the world alone or with your coach or

say a small team. So it's a very, very special event. And there's an element to it where it's less stress because you have so many people around you or you're on the same team, but there is way more pressure, right? Because you're playing suddenly if you, if you lose your match, you're not, you're not just losing it for yourself, but you're losing for your country and you're, you know, and, and for all your teammates, you're like potentially letting them down. So, uh, and that, that extra pressure is actually something that I really, really enjoyed and, and thrived in and actually, you know, may have been the reason I played

some of my best tennis when I represented Canada. Well, yeah. The other interesting thing about when you guys were playing for Canada and representing the Maple Leaf is that you're also doing it in a sport where Canada didn't have a ton of international success. Obviously, it was the first Davis Cup that it ever won. And if you look around the sporting landscape, you've got like the Canadian men's soccer team qualifying for a World Cup for the first time in nearly four decades, Canadian men's basketball achieving heights and you know,

accomplishments internationally that they never have before. Was there an added element of excitement or passion because not only that you were representing Canada, but you were putting Canada on the map in terms of being very competitive in a sport where you hadn't been prior. Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's, that's uh, you know, it, it, initially when I was 17 years old, it was, you know, just to represent Canada was, I mean, it's still to this day, I mean, it's the same, same, but,

but it was just an unbelievable honor and a dream. But then, of course, being able to win Davis Cup and have meaningful results at major competitions around the world for your country, that's just another level, right? So I think that made it that much more special, being able to be remembered as one of the team members that really impacted those results and contributed to the success makes it that much more fulfilling. It is BC's very own Vashek Kaspasil joining us on the Halford and Brough show. So a big part of your legacy as well is that

you're one of the co-founders of the Professional Tennis Players Association. How much does that work mean to you? Oh, it means a lot. And I sacrificed quite a bit, you know, actually for that. It's just a lot of effort, a lot of time and energy the last four or five years. And, you know, I do think that it'll be a success where we're on our way there.

Tennis needs reform. Unfortunately, if you look under the hood, it is a broken sport and it's a huge multi-billion dollar business and that is run a certain way that isn't right and from a player's perspective there needs to be change. There's no question about it. Without getting into all the details, it'll be arguably more important than anything I could have done on court in terms of my results. So I'll continue to stay close to that and push it through to the end.

And you have to stand up for what you believe in and for what's right. And if you have the ability to change something for the better, I think it's, you know, your duty to, to, to, to at least try to do that. So I'm not going anywhere as it relates to, you know, the fight for, for players in the sport. Well, let's dive into the details a little bit here. Cause it one, it is very important work and two, I can tell that you're passionate about it. I guess where does the original motivation come from wanting to do this sort of work

and almost being involved in the labor side of things? Because there would be some players, I think, that would look at it and say, my primary objective here is to maximize earnings and play as long as I can and focus just on the tennis, not the player union side of things. So what motivated you to get involved in that side of the business?

Well, when you first come on tour and you first start getting your big paycheck and you just think everything is amazing, right? So it's not uncommon for the young players to kind of just go on through their day Right? So it's, it's, uh, it's not uncommon for, for the young players to, to, you know, kind of just go, go on through their day and, and, and, and think that everything is great. And then when they, when they get to their, when they realize, you know, how many, how many issues there are from the, from the business side of, of tennis.

And, and for me, when I, when I broke through and I was 25 or 26 and I started to understand how things were actually operating and how unfair it was, I would say objectively, I couldn't believe that it was the way it was and I wanted to change it. So I went on the player council and I know I'm a man of principle and I felt like, and that I would be able to pull it off and do it. And of course, it took me a few years to actually launch it because I was playing and I was very busy. You know, I couldn't really find the time. And then I had back surgery in 2019 and I had all this time on my hands.

And that's when I was like, well, what am I going to do for the next nine months? And I just felt like that was the perfect time to go after this mission. And in hindsight, I will say I maybe was a little bit naive. I thought I would be able to do it a little quicker and that it would take a little less energy than it did. I don't regret that at all, although it did take away a little bit from my performance and there's no question about that. But it was really 2019, that back surgery. I just said, all right, you know what? There've been multiple player uprisings

over the last 30 years that were all squashed by the establishment. And I thought, I thought I'm gonna do things differently, I'm gonna learn from the past and I'm gonna, I'll be the one that'll be able to do this. That was my thinking at the time and you know, I'm glad that I did it and I'm glad that I didn't realize that it was going to be such a long and painful journey because you know I'm not sure I would have jumped into it so quickly so easily but it was definitely the right move. So your final tournament, it's this weekend. It's the NBO. It's in Toronto. Vashjik when it's done and it's all said and done and your playing days are over, how do you want to be remembered?

Yeah, it's a good question. I mean I want to be remembered as someone that you know, really put in the work. I was hardworking, you know, always, you know, someone that had high integrity. I mean, I feel like, you know, always doing what he thought was right and, you know, treated people well. I hope, you know, obviously I'm a little biased. I'm talking about myself here, but yeah. I think, I think, I would say those are kind of the main ones there.

Well, a couple things here. Juan, we want to thank you for taking the time to do this this morning, we really appreciate it. Best of luck in the Father Swan song this weekend at the NBO, and it's been a lot of fun watching you play tennis and watching you blaze this trail for Canadian tennis. We cheer for Canadians all the time but specifically ones from our neck of the woods here in BC. So from Vernon all the way to this it's been a

heck of a career. Thank you very much for doing this and congrats once again Vashik. Thank you and thanks so much for having me. Yeah thank you that's Vashik Popsos old Canadian at tennis star Vernon's very own here on the Halford and Bruff show on Sportsnet 650. What a colorful career, both in terms of on court accomplishments. Obviously said winning Wimbledon is doubles with Jack Sock named Jack Sock. And also of course, winning the Davis Cup, which I distinctly remember him being like the emotional heartbeat of that team is one of the veterans. And then, of course, the impact that he's had on the tour in terms of, you know,

forming a players association and, you know, unionizing and understanding that there's so much more to protecting players than just what goes on to in terms of health and getting from place to place. So yeah, Vashjik Vospisil calling it a career this weekend at the NBO in Toronto. Very underrated career. You mentioned the yeah all the accomplishments and went to the Olympics and all that too. So yeah it's good for him and yeah I'm sure we'll still be hearing about him with all the work he's doing off the court as well. What do we got? Okay so we're doing the Canucks hypotheticals, Mount Rushmore's all of that stuff summer content summer content You beg your listeners for questions and you know what they did it

We got one from sir Ducks worth if you could transport one current Canuck who is not Quinn here's because that would be the obvious obvious answer yes back in time to the 2011 Cup final in an attempt to flip the end result Who would you pick? This one's a good one? We've done this before with different iterations, but we've never done it with the current roster Sans Quinn Hughes because yes, the obvious answer is send him back. Okay, so if we're gonna break down the 2011 Stanley Cup final in detail You're not gonna need a goalie.

No. Because they had an option right there over a little longer. They could play Corg Schneider or not. It's got to be a defenseman, right? Well, I think you could make the argument. I do lean defensemen, but I was going back and forth because they needed goals, too. Yeah.

They needed to score. They did. And to be fair, this current Canucks team not very good at scoring which is an issue But yeah, I was I think I ultimately I go defenseman, but someone like Brock Besser was in contention for me I had to narrowed it down to the two forwards that I would have brought along were Besser and Garland as the options if you were going to add A forward. I thought about Pedersen, but then I was like, ah, I don't know. I don't know if you're built for this world. The world of going back in time.

It's funny. Okay. So I think the obvious answer given the injuries to Ham Hughes and the fact that they were all the way down to their inner defensemen, it would have been a defenseman. I think it's got to be, I think the right answer, if you're to look at this objectively and you're trying to get a general consensus is Philip Horonik.

Or Marcus Pedersen. I think Horonik. I go Horonik too, but so for right-handed defensemen, they had Biaxa. See. They had Tanev. Yeah, that's the first thing that I thought is like, do you just automatically plug in a lefty

where your left side was? Inferior or do you ignore handedness altogether and just say we're going to get the best Defenseman from the current iteration into that group is let's be honest if you were just to pick who's the better Defenseman nine out of ten people are gonna say Hronik over Pettersson Yeah, of course Okay but I do wonder if the the fit of Marcus Patterson would be very similar to what they lost in Dan Ham use And so that's why I might lean Patterson, but I don't think there's there's an issue with either Hironic if ham Hughes was healthy, I think is the very very obvious pick. Okay, but I don't know

I might go Patterson just for the Just for the handedness Marcus Patterson just for the, just for the handedness. Marcus Pedersen. Yeah, I was gonna say, I noticed no one jumped on Leas Pedersen there, which was a very interesting one. Okay, we're up against it for time a little bit. I need to do a quick reset because our one of the program is in the books.

First, a reminder, if you wanna weigh in on any of these Canucks hypotheticals, ask us any of things, Mount Rushmore's bar, you know bar type conversations that you would have with your buddies over a few beers. Send them in, Dunbar number text line is 650-650. Also, get your what we learneds in. Tell us what you learned over the last 24 hours in sports.

Hashtag it WWL, the text number, exactly the same. Dunbar number text line is 650-650. In the seven o'clock hour of the show, we're gonna talk some Major League Baseball with Adnan Virk from MLB Network. We'll talk about the Jays big series win over the Yankees. We'll go around MLB. It's the Hall of Fame induction weekend this weekend as well.

At 7.30, we're gonna talk to Nick Shook from NFL.com. We'll do another whip around this time. NFL training camps, they're all open. They're all running. There's a bunch of stories throughout the league. So we'll get to all that with Nick shook at seven 30. Also, before we go to break, I do need to tell you about Jan pro from warehouses to washrooms and everywhere in between Jan pro keeps workplaces tidy, clean,

and disinfected for a free quote. Visit them online at Jan pro.ca. So again, coming up on the other side of the break, Adnan Virk at seven, Nick Shook at 7.30. We're going to do some baseball talk and some football talk. That's all coming up in hour two of the Haliford and Breff show on Sportsnet 650.