Halford & Brough in the Morning - Canucks Forward Teddy Blueger

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

In hour three, Mike & Jason chat with recently re-signed Canucks forward Teddy Blueger about his new deal and the season to come (3:00), plus the boys tell us what they learned (27:00). 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.

802 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody. Halford Brow, Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda. Vancouver Honda is Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for. Sales, financing, service, or parts. How about those horns?

We are in our... Are we a circus now? Are we just a circus? Pretty close at this point. Yeah, pretty close. We are in our three of the program. I think that's one of the funniest things that you can say on the golf course. If someone has a bad swing or is having a bad moment,

just be like, could somebody please put a tent over that circus? Absolute clown show right there. Very befitting of the Halford and Brough show. We are in hour three of the program. Teddy Bluger is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off hour three. Hour three is brought to you by Campbell & Pound Real Estate Appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell & Pound.

Visit them on the internet at campbell-pound.com today. We are coming to you live from the Kintec Circus. Kintec, Canada's favorite orthotics provider, powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. Sorfie, what are you waiting for? Kintec, that's what you're waiting for. To the phone lines we go. Our next guest signed a two-year contract extension yesterday.

He joins us now. It's Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Bluger here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Teddy. How are you? I'm doing good, thanks. How are you guys doing? We're good. Thanks for taking the time to do this. We appreciate it. Congrats on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Teddy. How are you? I'm doing good, thanks. How are you guys doing? We're good. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

We appreciate it. Congrats on the new deal. Everyone here has been talking about it all morning, very excited about having you back in the fold. What made you choose Vancouver to stay here for two years as opposed to maybe going to try and test free agency on July 1? Yeah, probably a number of different things. I think the biggest thing, we really loved it there.

I loved all the guys. It was really a blast coming to the rink every morning. I think, you know, we built some pretty good friendships. You know, my wife, everyone, all the families were pretty close, especially towards the end of the year. You know, made some memories, and I think that was a big driving force. I mean, everyone in the organization, the way we're treated, the staff was all great.

So it's a great place to be from that standpoint, I think. The fan base and especially kind of the little run we had and the atmosphere at the rink, I think that was something special to be a part of. And I think that's, you know, you don't always have those opportunities to play in a place like that where people care so much.

And the team and hockey means so much to the community. So I think that that's something special that you can't take for granted. And yeah, so those, I mean, we love Vancouver. We love living there. It's, you know, beautiful.

A lot of things to do. So, I mean, it's, it was, I think our mindset kind of leaving after the year was that was that would be our number one choice for sure so yeah really happy to be coming back next year. How long did the contract negotiations take how long did you guys talk for? I mean probably from the you know first conversation i mean there's maybe you know two two-ish weeks to go or so um but i mean it really kind of went in spurts and you know there'd be some going on and be quiet for a little bit but i think once it really got going i mean it was literally just the last couple

days so after that it went pretty quick and um yeah we got it done. Were you pretty confident that something would get done? I mean, yeah. I don't know if I'd say, like, confident. I think, you know, once the year's over, it's kind of completely out of your control. I mean, you did what you could during the season, and then, you know, the business side of it, there's a lot of moving parts, and especially with the salary cap these days,

I think there's a lot of things in play. So I actually think I did a pretty good job of just kind of shutting it out and just kind of letting it play out. I mean, we were definitely hopeful to come back, but you never know how it can go. And so I think, honestly, like didn't really think about it too much. And then, you know, when my agent called,

we talked and whatever, and, you know, we knew we wanted to go back. But other than that, I think, uh, tried not to think about it as much as I could, cause there's nothing I could really do that would, that would influence it that much anyway. So for the listeners who don't really know how this sort of stuff works, um, do you ever talk to other guys that are in similar situation? Cause you know, there's a lot of pending ufas um still on the canucks do you ever reach out to those guys and be like hey what are you going to do or is that considered something that's kind of taboo that you don't do that you let everyone deal with their individual circumstances by themselves uh no i think we talk for sure. I mean, things can change quick too.

And I think, you know, you can be talking to someone and they'll be like, yeah, it's not, you know, it's not looking good for me. I don't think I'll be back. And then, you know, two days later, it's like things turn around and negotiations pick up and they might be back. So you never know. But you talk a little bit. I think there's a little bit of a kind of like, you you know everyone has their priorities and there's different things they're looking for

whether it's you know certain locations they want to play in for your you know family stuff or you know maybe term and money or whatever like i think everyone's got different priorities that way so i think everyone's respectful of that and there's no kind of right or wrong with that kind of stuff um i think you definitely talk a little bit, especially guys, you know, you're close with and even different guys around the league on different teams and what they're hearing. You know, guys, you're close. I mean, it's just like any one of your friends

that you talk to. I think that stuff comes up and, you know, those conversations definitely happen. So now please provide us an update on each of the Canucks UFAs and what they're thinking of. I don't think I'll be able to do that. Teddy, you said that there was a two, three-month stretch

where you thought you were playing the most consistent, best hockey of your career, and you mentioned especially offensively. And I think a lot of us here in Vancouver were very impressed with your creativity, especially when you were playing with Garland and Joshua. Why do you think you were able to play your best hockey of your career? What happened out there? Was it just the chemistry or did you try and take your game to a different level yeah i mean i think i think for a bit of both i think obviously you know those guys are great players and um you know for sure a lot of credit to them and and you know they made me look good out there many times so um they were a huge part of it and um yeah we did have you know a good time playing together. I think a little bit, the other side, I think I did grow my game and try to improve some of that creativity and some of

that making plays and that kind of thing. So I think probably ultimately a bit of both. I mean, obviously when you're playing with great players, that helps a lot and they can mask some of your weaknesses, so that was a big part of it for sure. So there's the potential for the PK group, both forwards and defense, to change significantly this offseason. You will be one of the returning members of a PK

that was very much improved and looked especially good at times in the playoffs. How do you feel about your responsibility, not only to continue playing well on the PK, but bringing in possibly a new group of guys to try and kill penalties? Yeah, I mean, I think I feel good. I think that's been kind of a big part of my game ever since I've been in the league. So, you know, I think that's an important aspect of what I bring to the team.

I think as far as different guys, like I bring to the team, I think, as far as different guys. Like, yeah, we did have good groups, and I think we built, you know, built good chemistry with each other. But I think it's kind of the same to the team picture overall. I think, you know, the team unit is greater and more stronger than any individual player. And I think whoever comes in, you in, whether it's guys coming back or if it's new guys, they'll adjust pretty quick

and click into gear and we'll build chemistry and work together. I think obviously we've had a good foundation from last year that we're going to look to carry over. The expectations are much higher, I think, both on the PK and I think for our team as a whole. Is it tough to go into a season with significantly higher expectations? I don't know. I think that's kind of what you want, right? You want to be on a good team where the expectations are high,

where you have to push each other because I think obviously everyone wants to win the Stanley Cup. I think next year, we're not surprising anyone like we might have at the start of last year. I think that's just kind of the natural process of evolving as a team and growing and getting better that you have to get through where we know we're going to get everyone's best game and no one's going to take us lightly. We're going to have to get through that challenge,

and that's going to help us grow and get better as a team and try to take that next step. How does it work when you're pushing each other? Is that an enthusiasm for coming to the rink, or is that a willingness to call people out if they're not up to the task? What does that look like? Yeah, I mean, I think it's a bit of both. I mean, it's both the things you said, I think.

I think when we were winning and doing well last year, I think obviously that helps the mood and everyone's got a little more energy. When you're fighting regular season to get into playoffs compared to being out of it, I think that brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm and just more positive vibes, I think, as far as calling each other out.

Yeah, I think that can be a part of it as well. I think at this point, I think we all kind of know what it takes to have a strong season, to get into playoffs, and we understand how hard it is to actually win playoff games and playoff series from last year. So I think everyone knows the standard that each guy has to hold himself accountable to. And I think as far as calling each other out, I think we've got a great group for that. I think we've got great leadership. And it's not just one or two guys, but it's kind of a group effort and different guys step up at different times.

So I think – and also I think guys have strong enough relationships where it's not, you know, if someone calls someone out or, you know, goes at someone a little bit, it's not going to break relationships or create any kind of drama, I think. It's understood that, you know, we're all in this together and we're all pushing for a common goal. And if that's what's needed, that kind of needs to happen. And then you move on really quick from that. We're speaking to Canucks forward Teddy Bluger here

on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. How much did you bring with you from what you learned in the Pittsburgh organization? Because there's obviously a strong Pittsburgh influence in Vancouver. I didn't even realize this. Every year that you've been in the NHL, you've played in the playoffs. Every single season since you broke in in 2018, 2019, you've been in the playoffs.

And a lot of that was with Pittsburgh. Obviously, the run with Vegas, too, the year prior to this. But that Pittsburgh organization, how much of that sort of heightened expectations, there's a sense that you're getting to the playoffs and you're trying to win a cup, given where they're at as an organization. How much did you bring with that to Vancouver when you joined last season? Yeah, I mean, I think that kind of, you know, for me, like that was all I knew in my career.

Obviously, I was fortunate to learn from the best in Sid and the way he was about it. And when you see that every day, I think that kind of, you know, shapes you and influences you as a player and as a person. So I think, yeah, quite a bit. I think it influenced me. Obviously, in Pittsburgh, we came up short, you know, in and as a person. So I think, yeah, quite a bit. I think it influenced me. Obviously, in Pittsburgh, we came up short in playoffs all those years. But I think as far as the overall dynamic, it's like even regular season,

you're going into every game with the expectation and goal of winning. You're not thinking to just get through or whatever. I think as far as going into different teams, if you're playing, it can be tough to manage. You're playing in maybe a team that's like San Jose or Chicago that's going through some changes or whatever, and I think it's easy to kind of maybe take those games lightly or not as serious, but I think in Pittsburgh,

that was a real point of emphasis, and good teams, you've got to you know, like in Pittsburgh, that was a real point of emphasis and good teams got to, you know, you got to take care of business and games like that. And so I, I think, I don't know if it's anything that I carried over consciously. I think it's just kind of the sort of environment I basically grew up in and, and kind of was around as a player for, for several years. And even before that, I think, you know, being in Wilkes-Barre, it's a similar type of culture to that.

So, yeah, it's just kind of part of the way, I guess, I try to play and kind of go about my business. Speaking of Wilkes-Barre, you spent, what, parts of four seasons in the AHL. Was there ever times that you were getting impatient down there or did you feel that you had a lot to learn down there? So you just kind of embraced it and felt that your time would come. I mean, no, for sure. I mean, there's, you know, definitely kind of some frustrating times and you know,

I think the year before I actually played a game, I was called up for a couple of weeks and I just ended up taking warmups for like six or seven games and actually getting the game. Um, and I felt like I was having some pretty good success down there and wasn't really getting called up. So there's, there's for sure times of frustrations, but I think, you know, I had to learn to kind of stick with it and, and all I could do is, you know know show up to the rink every day work as hard as I

can play my best and you know if the results aren't going my way that's I got to make sure I'm doing everything in my control um to try to change that but also kind of letting it go a little bit and um you know eventually the hard work paid off so that was that was obviously great when that did happen. But, you know, I learned a lot about patience and, you know, that side of it and perseverance. So I think in the end it worked out pretty good because it was great for my character. And I think that stuff really carries over to everyday life and to life after hockey. So I think that was a really valuable time in my life for that um you know speaking of the pittsburgh organizations one of the guys that you played with there uh is jake genzel mentioning him for no reason in particular but i also understand that

you guys well you guys also share an age i'm not asking for intel i'm not going to be like brough and ask for intel i just want to know what the guy is what's going on with jake yeah right but i just want to know what the guy is like as a player and as a teammate and if you because i mean yeah we're just making a conversation here just just i'm just curious about i'm just curious about a very good player that you played with for a few years right i mean yeah i think i mean as a player everyone's seeing what he can do right like he you know he delivers in clutch situations and um i think the thing that stands out for me is just his awareness and how smart he is on the ice.

He's not the fastest. He's not the biggest. He doesn't have the best shot. He just finds a way to be in the right spot. He makes plays. He competes hard. So that's kind of what I'd say as a player kind of stands out to me. I mean, as a person, um, he's a pretty funny character, uh, you know, really good in the room. Um, so yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, for, for our team, you know, he would be a great addition for any team. Um, so yeah, we'll see. Who's the funniest guy in the Canucks room right now?

There's actually, that's a spot with some big competition. Nils Hoglander comes to mind. And there's a couple other guys I'd say, but if they ever heard me say that, I think their egos might get too big, so I'm not going to say. So you you spent so correct me if i'm wrong here but uh born and raised in in latvia but you came over and played at shattuck saint marie's um when you were what 15 years old uh which is in yeah 14 which was in minnesota and then you went to Minnesota State for four years.

Did you pick up any of the Minnesota accent and what does the Minnesota accent combined with the Latvian accent sound like? I mean, I maybe picked it up a little bit. I mean, I guess you guys tell me. I think Minnesota is probably sort of similar to like a Canadian where they exaggerate their roles maybe a little bit. Yeah. But yeah, I don't know.

I don't know. You guys tell me what I sound like. I guess I don't know what accent I have or whatnot. I think you sound like Vancouver, frankly. Maybe that's why you were signed. You're signing in nicely. Yeah, I feel like I've been around and lived different places enough to where I feel like I just kind of blend

in everywhere. Well, we've had Ben Hankinson on the show before. I don't think anyone sounds more Minnesota than him. He's got the biggest Minnesota accent I've ever heard in my life. Yeah, yeah. Well, he's born and raised here, so he should be that way. Is that where you spend your off-season? Yeah, I'll go back home a couple weeks and then, but yeah,

like a good chunk of it in Minnesota, yeah. What do you do in Minnesota? I mean, enjoy the summer here, the warm weather, the lakes, and then train besides that. I mean, there's so many rinks and so many pro guys here that, you know, it's great for that. I've been a lot of, I think, you know, within probably a 15, 20-mile radius, there's probably 20 sheets of ice around where I live.

So it's easy to find ice. It's easy to find guys to skate with. There's really competitive and good skates. Lots of good places to train, so it's really good for that as well. And then, obviously, going to high school here and college, and my wife did the same. So we kind of spent a lot of time growing up here. So we have a lot of friends and both of our brothers live here. So, you know, spend time with those people as well. Well, Teddy, enjoy

your off season. Take some time to enjoy it. I'm sure you'll be training hard as well. Congratulations on the new deal and we're all excited for next season. Yeah, for sure. Me too. Thank you very much. Thanks for coming on. We appreciate it. That's Teddy Bluger, Canucks Forward here on the Halford & Ruff Show on Sportsnet 650. He did say that Jake Gensel would be a great addition.

There's your headline. Radio me, folks. Radio me and Teddy Bluger. Teddy Bluger guarantees Gensel signing. That would be funny if Teddy just went through all the UFAs. Like, Dakota, talking to him, I don't know. You know, I'm glad you asked.

I've been thinking about this, and I've made a list. He's got a big offer on the table. I don't know if you guys heard. Tyler Myers, garnering interest from other markets. Yeah, that would have been good. Yeah, so Teddy Bluger back in the fold. Two years, $1.8 million per. Just had him on the show.

Good guy to talk to. And hopefully a good, not acquisition, but a re-upping for the Vancouver Canucks over the next two seasons. I think I put him on the spot awkwardly with the accent question. He was probably not expecting that. Well, I've noticed...

He doesn't realize how much we talk about the Minnesota accent. It's hard to know what your accent sounds like. You don't listen to yourself. It's true, actually. That is a good point. They do. You don't listen to yourself, actually. Actually, I listen to the show every day. God, this is a good show.

And then the best of, and then the repeat at night. Wait, wait. I say something really funny here. Oh, don't worry. It'll be on again. Hold on, honey. I gotta listen to this. It'll be on again in two hours. Don't worry about it.

Okay, we got a lot more to get to on the show. What we learned are coming up. I'm going to do my customary call without even checking the in-basket, just assuming that because there's no giveaways, we might be light on content. So, Texeman Dunbar-Lemmer, Tex-Light is 650-650. What did you learn over the last 24 hours in sports?

If you want to weigh in on all the stories that we did not touch today, now is your time to do it. We have not mentioned the football at all. That of the European variety. Euro, group stage, done. We're down to the round of 16. It begins on Saturday. So, no Euros this morning.

No Euros Friday. If you want to weigh in on that, do so. Dunbar-Lumber text line 650-650. NBA draft, if you were into that, if you watched that, if you would like to weigh in on that, you can do that as well. Well, why don't I do one right now? What we learned, England once again gets an easy draw. Sure.

Now they could still blow it for sure, but there was a possibility, a strong possibility heading into yesterday's action that England would actually get the Netherlands in the round of 16, even though England won their group, they would have played a third place team, the Netherlands, which would have been tough.

But thanks to Georgia upsetting Portugal 2-0, England will now play Slovakia. So listen, England have not been good at this tournament. They haven't lost yet, but they haven't been good. So I'm not going to sit here and guarantee a win over anyone.

Slovakia is a solid team. They made it to the round of 16, so they are a good team, but you look at the way the draw broke and this has happened for England in recent tournaments. They've been on the good side of the draw. They're not on the side of the draw with Spain, Germany, Portugal, France.

They are on the side of the draw with unlikely group winners, Romania, Austria. They could get Italy. If they beat Slovakia, they could get Italy in the quarterfinals. So that would be a rematch of the last Euro final. But, you know, they continue to get lucky

despite not performing all that well. The results yesterday, everyone universally agreed that England got as favorable a draw as you can get for as poorly as you've played. That was cool when Georgia beat Portugal. Now Portugal... A historic moment for the country.

Yeah, and Portugal didn't have a lot to play for in that game. Well, they turned over their starting 11, except for a handful of guys. Yes. Ronaldo played, but everyone- But Georgia got off to an unbelievable start, took advantage of a Portugal turnover and scored. And I now have a question for A-Dog.

Is A-Dog listening right now? A-Dog. He's getting the Bluger video up right now. He's getting the video? Okay, fine. I'll ask Laddie. Where's Georgia? The country. The country of Georgia? Like exactly? I don't know. Could you point it out on a map?

I could not point it out on a map. It's pretty small, isn't it? Yes, it's very tiny. This is their first time in the Euro and the win against Portugal was their first ever win obviously at the Euro and they're advancing to was their first ever win obviously at the Euro and they're advancing to the round of 16 for the first.

It's Eastern Europe somewhere. It's between, it's south of Russia and north of Turkey. Yeah. Sandwiched, like a turkey sandwich. Nice.

Nice. Turkey, Turkey and beets. We got to start, we got to stop saying Turkey by the way. No we don't. Turkey.

Yeah. It's next to Azerbaijan. Yeah. Yeah. I did, so that the black pretty cool story for that that country it's incredibly small incredibly small and they have um some really tantalizing young talents uh that sounds sexy cavar di scala who i think i'm pronouncing i've tried to it's cavartes chela i believe uh who plays in italy and has been uh and the leading score of the tournament is uh georgie micatadze see i got that one right he's the only scorer so far with three goals not counting my favorite score own goal who is leading the tournament in goals he's still leading the tournament he's so good og is so good great finish one basketball

fail the sec is really tough georgia has made the knockout stage at the euros there's a country called georgia that's incredible uh yeah so it it was a great thing yesterday though it was a really great story have you noticed the atmosphere at these euros has been awesome that's what you get it has been except for the the beer cup throwing at Gareth Southgate. Well, even that had its charms. They were plastic cups. I mean, having it in a country like Germany that already has great stadiums

and it's relatively easy for pretty much everyone to get to. So, you know. It is, it is, it has been a terrific start to this tournament. So, you know, all those xenophobic Europeans are already

complaining about the 2026 world cup being in north america oh they gotta travel over no because they're saying it will nothing will ever replicate the the europeans especially the ones that i follow the writers that i follow on twitter all have the same sort of sense that it's like you'll never get a better tournament than you will hosting it in europe no it doesn't matter they said like they well but the Euros is special too. I'm not defending it. So think of some of the matchups that we're going to get. We got France and Belgium.

Amazing. They're neighbors. Germany and Denmark. Denmark is just north of Germany. So they're essentially neighbors. Switzerland and Italy. They're neighbors. That's cool.

Yeah. And, and some of the clashes that you could, you're probably going to get in the, in the quarterfinals are you, you just, you might not get them at a world cup, right?

You could in the second round, Spain and Portugal, France in the second, in the, in the quarterfinals, which would be Romania, Austria. Amazing.

Yeah. Traditional powers. Where were you when Romania played Austria in the quarterfinals? Yeah, so they're all saying Qatar World Cup was awful because it didn't have anywhere close to the atmosphere, and they're already projecting those negative vibes, which I think is totally misguided. I think the World Cup here is going to be amazing,

and the point you brought up on a number of occasions is the amount of people that are going to embrace the travel to go see a lot of these north american cities and then take in the world cup as well i think it's going to be amazing i think it's going to be terrific atmosphere in north america yeah like i but i do see that sentiment a lot where it's like every tournament should be in europe and well sometimes you get countries sometimes you get countries that you you're playing that you don't never really think about in the World Cup. Yeah. Like you have no relationship to them. You know, when Canada played, you know, Morocco,

you're kind of like, yeah, those Moroccans. The historic rivalry between Canada and Morocco. Yeah. Playing out on the pitch. Okay. Whoa, we're way up against it for time. Humanoid What We Learn is coming up next. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650.

Hey, it's Vic Nazar. Have your say and join me on the People's Show with big takes and even bigger bets weekdays 3 to 4 on Sportsnet 650 or wherever you get your podcasts. Now for my favorite part of the show. What'd I say? Talk to the audience.

Oh, God, this is always dead. It's what we learn time. It's what we learn time. It's what we learn time. On the show. It's what we learn time. On the show. 836 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody.

Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Pacific Honda. North Vancouver's premier destination for Honda vehicle sales and service. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for. Sales, financing, service, or parts. We are in Hour 3 of the program. It is what we learn time. Hour 3 is brought to you by Campbell & Pound Real Estate Appraisers.

Trust the expertise of Campbell & Pound. Visit them on the internet at campbell-pound.com today. I hit the post good on that one. Very smooth. Okay, Bruff's going to do what we learned about the St. Louis Blues, and I'm going to do what we learned about the NBA draft. Jason, go. Yeah, I've learned that Claude Julien will be the next head coach of the St. Louis Blues.

Now, Drew Bannister is still the head coach of the St. Louis Blues. Oh, yeah. Drew Bannister. It's a bit of a joke. Claude Julien has been named an assistant coach on the St. Louis Blues. Steve Ott, remember him? Oh, yeah.

He's been promoted to associate coach there. Now, Drew Bannister was named the head coach. The interim tag was removed after Craig Brubé was fired. So, Drew Bannister is still the head coach, and we don't know if Claude Julien will be the next head coach. But I think everyone was kind of thinking like, hmm, I wonder how Drew Bannister thinks about this.

Like this guy being added to your coaching staff, maybe it's a good thing for him. He's a very experienced coach, and he'll be able to help in an assistant's role. But whenever a coach like that is added, and Claude Julien was a very good head coach. Claude Julien's just staring at him the entire time, writing stuff down on the list.

Yeah, he's like, oh, I wouldn't do it like that. Oh, it's interesting choices, okay. Yeah, you go ahead and do it like that, Drew. Can I just say that if you're an- Your name is Drew, right? I forgot it. I forget it sometimes. If you're an organization that has a history

of very public succession plans like this is the most obvious so you may as well just say that he's going to be that coach soon you do it all the time anyway you did it with what was it mike yo taking over from ken hitchcock and you did it with alex steen taking over from d Armstrong. And then someone, there's a diehard blues fan in Vancouver who only tweets at me when we get something wrong about the blues. Yeah. And never any other time. I've checked his timeline before.

It's actually kind of funny. He got mad at me. And then gets passive aggressive. He's like, we got a cup. Yeah, he did do that, actually. Hashtag, we got a cup. And I was like, hashtag, you're now blocked. But he also pointed out that they did this when Armstrong took the job from Larry Plo, I want to say.

Okay. Mr. Plo. That's his name. That name, again, is Mr. Plo. So this is an organization that is built on succession plans. Just say that Julian's going to be the next head coach. Don't hide it. Embrace it.

That's what the Blues are all about. Julian's always standing right behind him. Yeah. Just looking at him. He's like, you know I'm next in line, right? They don't even have to say it publicly. Claude Julian, 64 years old, from Blind River, Ontario. Oh.

Poor River. I thought he was from Arlen, Texas. He does look like... Like Bill? The Billdozer. Yeah. All right, give us a muco on that. Here's everything I learned about the NBA draft in hopefully two minutes or less.

One, probably the most anonymous first overall pick in NBA history. Now, it's Zachary Rizashe, they say, because he's from France. If he was American, he'd be Zach Rizacher. But it's Zachary Rizache, a 19-year-old forward that starred in the French League last year. He won best young player in the French League. Actually, basketball royalty in France. His dad was a longtime member of the national team and is in the French basketball. His dad was the king of basketball.

He's the king of France and the king of French basketball. And then the second overall pick was also a Frenchman. Alex Saar went second overall. Zach Eady, good Canadian kid, ninth overall to the Memphis Grizzlies. He, of course, was the best player in college basketball this year at Purdue. The Toronto Raptors drafted a guy by the name of Jacoby Walter. J-A-apostrophe capital K-O-B-E. He did confirm that his name is a combination of the name of all-time greats, Michael Jordan.

That's the Ja. And Kobe Bryant. That's the Kobe. Okay. Jacoby Bryant. Oh, that's where the Kobe comes from. Right. I thought it was the beef.

I thought it was Ja Morant. Yeah. You're all wrong. So where's the Ja in Jordan? Michael Jawarden. I thought it was Ja Rule. I think it was just a J. But anyway.

And finally, Bronny James not selected in the first round. Michael Jawarden. Bronny James did not get drafted last night, did not go in the first round. Michael Joward. Bronny James did not get drafted last night, did not go in the first round. So we have to wait until today to see where the eldest son of LeBron James will end up if he gets drafted at all. There's your NBA draft update. Moo, count me.

Now we fire up the dot matrix. What we learned in the editions is brought to you by Get Fire Plan. Protect what matters most with comprehensive fire safety plans, monthly audits, and risk mitigation at $200 off. This is them at GetFirePlan.com. Oh, my God. We're having a fire. Plan.

Unsigned. What we learned. What I learned. The Stanley Cup is having so much fun in Florida right now, and I'm very jealous. Luongo was eating pasta out of the Stanley Cup is having so much fun in Florida right now and I'm very jealous. Luongo was eating pasta out of the Stanley Cup. That was nice to see. Yep.

Because he's Italian. Yeah. Get it? Well, I think he enjoys it. Oh yeah. He was carbo loading. Yeah, yeah. He was going to do a fun run later.

Matthew Kachuk is still partying there. So we talked about this yesterday. The Stanley Cup parade isn't until Sunday. These guys are going to be on an IV by the time they get to that Stanley Cup parade. Yep. Do you think they'll take a day off? Probably not, eh? I remember following, in particular, the-

These guys are really terrific athletes. Fine. Jess, their blood type is going be like michelob light this is what they train for you think they train for the game sam reinhardt said he didn't have a drop of booze for the last three months right so uh i imagine and they're all i mean they are drink if you're in florida too that's the other you're drinking two butt lights and ended up in the drunk tank face down oh what a night i don't remember what i did um you're in florida it's hot hot hot you're drinking like bud and miller lights and mickey mickey lights like they're going out of style right because that you can't it's no one's ordering a full-bodied stout. I would. You know? It would be dark.

Ah, crispy. It's so warm. It's so warm. It's like drinking oatmeal. This is exactly like on the beach. Could you imagine? A big bowl of oatmeal on the beach?

You guys flip-flops. You're like, do you have any Guinness? What is the heaviest stout you guys have? What are you talking about? What a terrible order. Okay, anyway.

It does look like I'm having fun, but that's too much of a gap between winning the cup and doing the parade. They're going to end up like poor wild Bill Carlson at Vegas this last year. Do you remember that? Oh, the speech? Oh, and the-

During the championship speech? Yeah, the Golden Knights. Didn't they have to take them off stage, basically? The PR staffer was like, that's enough. Yeah. The old grandma meme, like, there, there, grandma. But do you think any of

them will take it off? Do you think there'll be like a group of guys like, does anyone want to see a movie tonight? I've heard Inside Out 2 was quick. Right, like,

bring the cup to the theater. How about a quiet night tonight? No, because it's Thursday. Popcorn in the cup, that'd be awesome. It's Thursday right now, so if you're doing

the partying schedule. Tonight is the night, night though tonight is the night to take the night off i know friday night saturday you look at it you're like you're like well we get if we're if we're the part of the parade's on sunday we got to start gearing up on friday right friday big night out it's friday everyone's working for the weekend saturday obviously you're gonna give her because it's the day before the parade. Yeah, exactly. So then logically you're thinking, well, we should probably just get it started on Thursday. Like not take the night off. Should any of us be working out? Yeah.

No, none of you. Gunner from Kelowna, what we learned. I learned after a trip last week to Salt Lake City, there is surprisingly a lot of excitement about the NHL coming to the city from the general population who are otherwise not super hockey fans. That is interesting. You know, it's not the biggest city in North America. They only have one major league team of the

four major leagues that got MLS, but NBA has been, you know, a part of that city for so, so long. It's the fabric of Salt Lake. Yeah. Well, and so if you get a second team, and especially if it's owned by the same guy that owns the NBA team, they have the promotional power too. Also, I got to give gary betman credit man like the way that he

managed to just when you think just when you think that he's fully committed to this arizona debacle and it's i think i think he danced his way out of it pretty good i think gary had revenge on his mind as soon as that vote was lost. Do you remember the vote that they actually lost? Yeah. I think it was Tucson. Tucson, was it? I think so.

Wasn't it? I can't even remember. No, it wasn't Tucson. Tucson's out of town. At any rate, they lost a vote and- Tempe. Tempe, yeah. Sorry.

Yeah. Started with a T. Right. For the purposes of Tempe, yeah. Sorry. Yeah. Started with a T. Right. For the purposes of our show, that's the same thing. They lost that vote and it really embarrassed the league. Yes. Because they had told the league, we're going to win this thing. Don't worry about it.

We're going to win this thing and everything's going to be fine. And the league went, okay. And then do you remember those days after? Very terse comments that they issued publicly. And then the comments kind of softened a little bit. But that's when Gary Bettman was doing his godfather thing. Like, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Yeah.

I think the moment that they lost the Tempe vote, he called Ryan Smith the next day. He's like, hello, Utah. Or yeah, and Bettman knew like this guy will never, never own a franchise again. Yeah. It's almost like nobody in the state of Arizona.

He walked up to him and gave him the kiss of death. Hi, Gary. That was very friendly. Yeah. Kind of romantic. Reed. And Alex Morello has been pining for Gary Bettman ever Yeah, kind of romantic. Reed and Alex Morello has been pining for Gary Bettman ever since. Kind of weird.

Reed in Vancouver with a What We Learned hashtag WWF What We Learned. Ryan Suter has been bought out again. Yeah, Dallas bought him out. Now there are two players who've been bought out more than once.

The other being Tony D'Angelo. I forgot about that. Reed then goes on to write at 28 years old, though, Tony has enough time to complete what some are calling the D'Angelo, I forgot about that. Reid then goes on to write, at 28 years old, though, Tony has enough time to complete what some are calling the D'Angelo hat trick, the illustrious three buyout career. Yeah, it's a race now between Ryan Suter, who's old,

and Tony D'Angelo, who's less old, to see who will sign a new deal and then get bought out by the third team. That's the real interesting, that's the exciting one now. Right. I can't wait to see that. Yeah.

If so, that's a real question though. Like is Suter done? Would someone sign him? I think someone would sign him for a year. I've heard he's grumpy. Yeah. That shouldn't come into effect though.

Well, if you're a bottom pairing guy, like he was a, he was a, if you're a distraction, you don't want to be a distraction. But he was a contributing member of a team that went to the Western Conference Finals. And then they bought him out.

His foot speed is pretty much all gone, but he still can do something. He never had a ton of foot speed. He never really skated all that well. And I think that's the reason he was able to play like 30 minutes a game. Yeah, he didn't move too much. A lot of gliding going on. Yeah. Unsigned text, hashtag WWF, what we learned.

With England playing Slovakia, this means you need to have a bet with estranged nephew Dom. Yeah, I thought up until really yesterday's action, I was pretty sure that England was going to play the Netherlands because even while the matches were going on, it was still hovering around. I think it was like 65, 70% likelihood. I thought Dom was Hungarian.

He's half Hungarian, half Slovakian. How do you not know this about our former nephew? Who? I thought it was going to be the Netherlands. So I was bracing for, well, that's the way that this ends for England. The Netherlands have not been great this tournament, but the Netherlands have a ton, a ton of talent on that roster. They just kind of underperformed.

It seems a little bit like it's janky. I don't think that they don't feel that solid defensively. Which is weird because they have very good defenders. Yeah. Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake, they have good defenders. It's actually kind of bizarre. They have great players all over the place. And you know what's funny

is that of the two teams... Van Dijk actually made a big mistake on one of the goals that was allowed. He's been prone to those in the later stages of his career. Liverpool fans will tell you that he's not the Virgil van Dijk of years prior. The teams that probably had the most talent that played the worst in the group stage were the netherlands and england yeah

and they are the two teams that are going to benefit the most from it because they got the best draws never try yeah just coast your way and underperform in the group stage uh austin in langley what we learned the funniest thing about Mikheyev being moved is that it's to make room to pay Zdorov. Milstein facilitating a trade to get that commission money. Yeah, we'll see. We kind of joked about that earlier in the show. But that money can be allocated to anyone, really.

There's word that the Canucks have started talking to Dakota Joshua again. So maybe he'll end up getting the McKay of money. Uh, Dustin from Abby, what we learned, the Leafs are going to come out of their shoes to sign Chris Tanev and his injury woes will resurface next season. It's science. Um, let's play that Brad for living audio right now. Uh, here's Brad for living talking about his priorities for this off season in Toronto.

Well, I think there's lots of, you know, lots of priorities. Um, I think for us, I don't think it's a secret. Um, our defense is an area that we'd like to, we'd like to see if we can improve, um, you know, easier said than done. So, but that's certainly an area that we've been focused on.

You know, looking at the trade market since we've finished the end of the year, the difficulty, the types of players you're looking for usually aren't available in the trade market. So that's an area right now. We've got, you know, we've got some cap space, but you do look at the holes that we have to's an area right now. We've got, you know, we've got some cap space, but.

You do look at the holes that we have to fill and it goes quickly. So, um, you know, we're trying to be as prudent as we can to look at the defense. I wouldn't say look at it first, but look at it first before we, you know, before we commit too many cap dollars anywhere else. So most people expect them to take a run at Chris Tanev. Nikita Zdorov is another guy that Bradger Living is very familiar with. So it wouldn't be surprised if the Leafs are keeping their eye on Zdorov negotiations with

the Vancouver Canucks. Patrick Alveen, so hot right now in Vancouver. So hot. I'm going to read a couple of what we learned here. Scott, what we learned. It's so nice having management that can actually dump bad contracts instead of waiting them out, even if it's their own signings.

Frank from Lloyd Minster. What we learned. I learned that Alvin is a warlock. How else can you explain getting Bluger to take less money than last year, being able to move two years of Mikheyev's money and actually add a draft pick. Black magic, baby. Yeah, well, they had to give up a draft pick as well.

But they did manage to get one back in 2027, which is shaping up to the big year. Laddy, you work for Elite Prospects. What does the 2027 draft look like? Are we mortgaging? Not onto that one. How are the 14-year-olds looking? We're still working out the

early preliminary lists on that draft. I love that. I wish. Don't clip that. Yeah, please don't. Please do not play that out of context ever. That's another one. I will be on a few lists. The old Jason Brough out of context playlist. How are the 14 year olds looking? No, you know what? Clip it.

We'll keep it for later. Ada, what is a warlock? It's a male witch. I thought that was a wizard. It's the same. Oh, my God. You're almost spot on. Wizards and warlocks.

What's the difference between a wizard and a warlock? Warlock's black magic, I think, like dark. A wizard does not. A wizard's like good magic. A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Yeah, there you go. A wizard does not practice Wizards like good magic. A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Yeah, there you go. A wizard does not practice witchcraft. What does a wizard do?

Wizardry. Wizardry. Yeah. It's in the name, stupid. He has an orb and he spends a lot of time pondering the orb. See, you know, 99% of questions I know are not for a dog. But that one. That one was.

Dude was born for this. All right. We got to was dude was born for this. All right. We got to get out of here for today, but we will be back tomorrow. Thank you all for listening and

contributing. Tomorrow's ask us anything Friday and it's day one. The first round of the NHL draft. But for now, we got to say goodbye

signing off. I have been Mike Alford. He's been Jason Brough. He's been a dog and he's been laddie. Enjoy the NHL awards

tonight, everyone. This has been the Alfred and Brough, he's been Adog, and he's been Laddie. Enjoy the NHL Awards tonight, everyone. This has been the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.