Halford & Brough in the Morning - Laine Cleared to Play + WWL

Episode Date: July 29, 2024

In hour three, Josh & Jason are joined The Athletic's Aaron Portzline to discuss what comes next for Patrik Laine now that he's cleared to play (2:00), plus the guys tell us what they learned (25:00).... 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.

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 welcome back to halford and brough i'm josh halliwell filling in for mike halford it's 802 on a rainy it's raining outside vancouver morning i'm old now so i think i say things like we needed this rain. I thought that immediately when I drove outside. Am I old? I hope not. Ben said that when he came in, too.
Starting point is 00:00:33 You've got an old soul. Ben probably said it for golf reasons. The greens are too hard right now. That was my second thought. Soften them up. Alfred and Brock, brought to you by the Dilawri family of Honda dealers. Experience the Dilawri difference today. Visit your nearest Dilawri Honda dealer today.
Starting point is 00:00:52 And this hour of Alfred and Bruff is brought to you by Campbell & Pound real estate appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell & Pound. Visit campbell-pound.com today. You're getting better. Thank you. You're getting better. Thank you. You're getting better. We're coming to you live from the Kintec studio. Kintec, Canada's favorite orthotics provider,
Starting point is 00:01:10 powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. So, Rafi, what are you waiting for? Let's bring in our next guest. It is Aaron Portsline covering the Columbus Blue Jackets for The Athletic. Thanks for taking the time, Aaron. How are you? Doing very well, thanks. Good morning. How are you guys? We are? Doing very well, thanks. Good morning.
Starting point is 00:01:25 How are you guys? We are doing well. Are you big into the Summer Olympics, or are you just checked out of that? You know what? I usually am really into it. This year I've been away, and we've had a lot going on, so I haven't really dialed in. I watched a bit of the opening ceremony
Starting point is 00:01:45 but haven't really thrown myself full into them just yet but usually I am yet. Well tell us about the work that you are doing on the Patrick Laine front. What is the latest with Laine? Well the good news is and this is good news on many levels, is he's been cleared from the NHL, NHLPA Players Assistance Program. Of course, the first level is that's an indication that whatever care Patrick needed for what he described as mental health issues, he's been deemed better by doctors within the program. So now he is able to resume his duties as a player. That's the best part, the first part.
Starting point is 00:02:33 And the second part is that it now opens up other clubs to speak directly with Line A. The Blue Jackets general manager, Don Waddell, has given permission to his agent to have all of those conversations. They're trying to trade him. He has asked for a trade. I think it's important to say that it's a mutual decision at this point, too, that I think the Blue Jackets are fully on board with that and new direction for both sides. So, yeah, it can proceed now.
Starting point is 00:03:08 I'm not sure how long it takes. It's probably a little more difficult at this point in the summer than it would have been before the draft, before free agency played itself almost out. But they proceed. And Don Waddell has said that teams have continually expressed interest and wondered when he was going to be approved. So perhaps there is a market that they can take steps forward to trading. So are the Jackets, I guess you're answering that question while I'm asking it,
Starting point is 00:03:38 but are the Jackets fairly confident that they can get a deal done here? Because there are some impediments to getting this done uh including you know something you mentioned in in your article he's got a cap hit of 8.7 million per season which is sizable two years left on that deal he's got a limited no trade clause in which he can select 10 nhl clubs to which he cannot be traded. And also just the timing of this, there's a lot of teams that have already committed a lot of cap space through free agency. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:04:12 And I think another aspect of this, since we're so far along, almost in August now, is the Blue Jackets say they want to make a hockey trade. Well, of course they do. They'd love to move line A for a significant roster player and some picks and what have you. I think it's pretty clear to most that they're going to have to take some money back or a significant amount of money back.
Starting point is 00:04:41 I think if teams out there believe that Patrick Laine could get back to his 44 goal self or 40 goal self even, I don't think 8.7 is too much to pay. But there's only like six teams that have that
Starting point is 00:04:59 much cap space that could acquire Laine without either sending something back to Columbus or taking on or making other moves to facilitate line A. So they're going to have to take a significant contract back. I think what it comes down to is, is that significant contract a player that Columbus believes has some value to them as well. I think they'd rather do that than just eat half of line A's salary to get it done. So I would think there's a lot of moving parts,
Starting point is 00:05:35 and probably what they discuss will be different with all of the teams in its own way because everyone's got their own sort of setup and their needs and their their extras if you will is don waddell going to be waiting for the kind of return that if maybe a team values him as an elite goal scorer still or is it going to be more of a situation where hey a team is willing to take on all the money and give you something back and and you jump at that opportunity? It's a good question. I think the latter probably would be preferred. I think if you look at their lineup now,
Starting point is 00:06:18 certainly they've got a lot of growth that's going to be necessary before they're competitive. But they can fill up a lineup card pretty easily right now with more help on the way. So if the season started today, even without line, they've got a lineup that I think they feel like they can be competitive with. But if you get a veteran player back, I almost feel like the signing of Monahan and Jack Johnson on defense, we're not sure what Johnson's going to give them this year based on what they need,
Starting point is 00:06:51 but Monahan's going to be a significant player for them or should be. It's pretty clear that Don Waddell wanted to bring more veterans in the room. I think there's always space for that guy, preferably a highly competitive one, but I'm also not naive to think if this is a highly competitive veteran player who's productive, those guys, I'm not sure why a team would make that move. There's a lot of question marks around line. He played 18 games last year, did a lot of entries, has line. He played 18 games last year, did a lot of entries,
Starting point is 00:07:26 has not been the goal scorer. He was early in his career with Winnebago now. Is that because of who he's had around him? Quite possibly. He has not worked with Johnny Gaudreau. It just has not clicked. They've played a lot together on the line. They've played a lot together on the power play.
Starting point is 00:07:44 And in two years, Gaudreau has exactly six primary assists on line angles. Six out of 28. Yeah. Just hasn't gelled. So it's time, I think, both sides agreed to move on. What have you seen from him when he's healthy in Columbus? Because his point totals aren't bad in the two seasons.
Starting point is 00:08:08 Granted, he only played 56 and 55 games respectively, but he was pretty much a point-of-game player. Was he a good player or was he a liability defensively? Tell us a bit about him because this is what these teams are going to be scouting. Sure. Yeah, well, there was really only one stretch, and it wasn't last year, it was the year before, where he went on a goal scoring like he was known for early in his career. I think he's been a more well-rounded player at his best than he was early in his career,
Starting point is 00:08:46 not just a goal scorer. His assists have picked up big time if you look at the early parts of his career. And there are times when he's engaged. This has not been a very good club at all defensively. He certainly owns part of that. I think the frustrating thing, and maybe one of the reasons it is seen to no longer work here, he's a big guy. And, yeah, you know what?
Starting point is 00:09:14 The guy scoring 44 goals, it's not an issue. If he's not, you kind of want that 6'5 guy to use his size a little bit. I'm not saying Patrick Lining should become a third-line checker by any stretch, but you'd like to see him win more board battles. You'd like to see him be more of a physical presence. He's a big guy, but that's just not part of the makeup. So I think that's been a frustration. But the biggest frustration has just been his availability at his best.
Starting point is 00:09:48 His two best seasons in Columbus, he's missed about a third of the games. And I'll say this, too, in his favor. He really, last season, tried to go in a different direction, to become a leader. And it was really apparent during training camp, he's the one, not Goudreau, not Jenner, not some of the other guys that jump off the page when you look at the Columbus roster.
Starting point is 00:10:17 It was Laine who took Adam Fantilli under his wing and tried to be a big brother to him, which was really a step that I didn't expect from Patrick. I don't think a lot of guys in the room did. You could tell he was trying to forge a different path. I think he really sensed that this is going to work. He's got to come here. And he threw himself fully into it.
Starting point is 00:10:42 And then he got hurt. And it was back to the same stuff again. Broke his collarbone, had a setback in his recovery, and then we didn't see him again because he entered the program. I think there's just a lot of frustration. And I think, honestly, I don't think
Starting point is 00:10:57 he has anything against the city of Columbus. He seemed to like it here a lot. I don't think it's even the players in the room. I think it's seen as part of his new outlook on life, as part of his recovery plan, really, to have a fresh start somewhere. So I certainly hope it works out for him. When was the last time you got to chat with Patrick Laine? Because I imagine the teams that are thinking of acquiring him are going to want to chat with him just to see where his head is at.
Starting point is 00:11:29 Yeah, for sure. And they've been given clearance to do that. The last time I talked to him, I certainly wouldn't know the date, but it was probably shortly before he got injured. I remember writing a story early last season about he and Doudreau and how it just hasn't worked and why it hasn't worked. Line A pushed back a little bit
Starting point is 00:11:50 on that, said maybe if lines stayed together we could actually develop some chemistry. Gaudreau said, yeah, you're right. I think it's because we both want the puck. And it just hasn't worked. I'm not sure why it hasn't worked. I'm not smart enough to know why it hasn't worked. I'm not sure why it hasn't worked. I'm not smart enough to know why it hasn't worked.
Starting point is 00:12:07 And Laine was sort of coming at it from a different place. But that's the last time I remember talking to him. He's an interesting guy. He is, you know, as critical as anybody can be on Patrick Laine. Nobody is more critical on Patrick Lining than Patrick Lining. You think you've given his play a hard critique and then you talk to him and he goes at it
Starting point is 00:12:39 and really buries himself in a way that, jeez, if you ever wrote that as a writer, people would be like, oh my God, how do you come back from this? He just killed himself, verbally, of course, just buried himself in his play. And he did that more than a few times in Columbus. He did it in Winnipeg too.
Starting point is 00:12:59 Yeah. That's part of his makeup. I just wanted to ask you one final question about the Blue Jackets. It's a local angle. Kent Johnson signed a three-year contract extension. What are expectations for him? I know he dealt with some injuries,
Starting point is 00:13:15 but it's been kind of up and down for him in Columbus. Sorry, who is this for? Kent Johnson? Kent Johnson, yeah. Yeah. Well, I like that contract a lot because I think Johnson's going to be in some really prime positions here. Had a really good rookie season, as you know, 16 goals and 40 assists.
Starting point is 00:13:34 Back pedaled last year as a sophomore, sophomore slump, classic version of that. Injured. You know, the push has been on from the club for him to bulk up a little bit. He's never going to be a big player, a physical player, but boy is he lanky still. Part of that's just going to
Starting point is 00:13:54 come with his growth, but he is a sublime playmaker. He sees the ice incredibly well. And I think he could be in a situation this year where he plays with Fantilli, perhaps on the opposite side of Boone Jenner
Starting point is 00:14:09 on the other wing. He's a power play guy. They think he's a big part of this in the future. That contract surprised me a little bit. I think the club was expecting him to go just one year,
Starting point is 00:14:22 kind of a proven contract, because they think big things are ahead for him. Well, Aaron, I want to thank you for taking the time during these summer months to chat with us about the hockey, and perhaps we'll chat again once the Patrick Laine situation resolves itself. Yeah, maybe it'll be a canup. Who knows? I look at the cap space I don't think so
Starting point is 00:14:45 maybe maybe we'll see alright Aaron take care cheers that's Aaron Portsline from the Athletic one of the best beat reporters in the NHL on the Patrick Laine situation where do you think he'll end up Chicago?
Starting point is 00:15:01 Chicago makes sense we got a text that said hey LA might be a good fit because they obviously need scoring. But again, I feel like that's a similar situation to Vancouver where it's like he just might not buy into what they're selling. You have to win board battles if you want to play for talk. Honestly, you got to win board battles everywhere. Yeah, any competitive team.
Starting point is 00:15:25 Yeah, and I think that's the concern with Liney. honestly, they got to win board battles everywhere. Yeah. Any competitive team. Yeah. And I think that's the concern with Lainey. There are times when he just doesn't look particularly competitive and maybe that's because he beats himself up so much, you know, maybe, you know, mentally. And I know, I don't want to compare what he went into the program for just to typical, like the mental side of sports, you know, but like, you know, maybe that's connected. And if you, if you have a competitive team and you have playoff expectations, if not Stanley cup expectations, adding a player like Patrick line is a huge risk because what was one of the keys for the Canucks this
Starting point is 00:16:05 season? Everyone was buying in. Everyone bought into the system. And the guys that didn't, think of a guy like Kuzmenko, not on the team. Not on the team anymore. You ship a player like that out. You can't just do things your own way. Unless, of course, you're scoring a ton of goals. Yeah. And maybe that's the bet a team wants to make is that he're scoring a ton of goals yeah and maybe that's unless that's the bet a team wants to make is that he can score a bunch of goals and you just put him with someone who's going to set him up for said bunch of goals and it'll just work out and you'll be fine with the offense he provides but to me i look at it and it just feels like the obvious fit is to go to a team where there's not a lot of pressure you can try to get your game back to where you think it should be.
Starting point is 00:16:49 And hopefully, either when your contract is up or if that team gets competitive, whatever, then you're ready to go and ready to be a contributing piece on a competitive team. Because right now, I just don't think he is that. And I don't think a competitive team would make that bet. What about reuniting with Winnipeg? There was a report earlier this week in the Winnipeg Free Press about McGroarty, the prospect they have who isn't looking like he's going to sign with Winnipeg.
Starting point is 00:17:16 I won't say a problem for a problem, but it's a guy they're familiar with in Winnipeg. They might be willing to take him back in. Could be a scenario. I feel like Jets fans would hate that, would they not? They need the offense, right? They need the offense. I thought there was some ill will.
Starting point is 00:17:30 Well, new coaching staff, right? It's a different crew there. Potentially. I don't think it would. I don't know, man. Doesn't Winnipeg kind of hang its hat on playing defensively? Yeah. That's what they're all about?
Starting point is 00:17:43 I don't know. You still need to score at the end of the day. You need somebody to put the puck in there. I think there's a possibility they won't be able to trade him. To be perfectly honest with you. That's kind of what I was wondering is like, can you go into the season with him on your roster? And like, maybe it works out.
Starting point is 00:17:55 Maybe. Maybe. We'll see. Let's do some what we learned. I've got a quick what we learned. Manchester United is working on plans to build a new 100,000 seat stadium and that would replace Old Trafford, which is already one of
Starting point is 00:18:14 the biggest stadiums in England. And they do have a new owner there, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who you're buddies with, aren't you? Yeah, no, we go way back. And it's his preference to build a stadium from scratch a new stadium maybe they would call it New Trafford
Starting point is 00:18:34 Yeah do you do the Yankee Stadium thing where you're just like that's the old one this is just Trafford It's just Trafford? Yeah it's just Trafford They could maybe do that but there's two options theyord? Yeah, it's just Trafford. They could maybe do that. But there's two options. They got to fix it up. It is not up to par with some of the new stadiums in the Premier League.
Starting point is 00:18:52 You think about Arsenal Stadium, which is not super new, but it's new-ish. Tottenham has a beautiful new stadium and there's other stadiums planned. And so they need to build a stadium. And because it's Manchester United, they need to do something really special and they need to make it big. And I think Sir Jim Ratcliffe was thinking, okay, well, I could renovate Old Trafford.
Starting point is 00:19:17 But when you're renovating a stadium during play, first of all, you're limiting capacity and it's just kind of awkward to do it. So it is possible that Manchester United could have a 100,000 seat stadium in the near future. Is this not like sacrilege though? Some people will say that. Yeah, because for me though, like I equate it to
Starting point is 00:19:44 baseball almost where it's like, man, if the Red Sox were playing at not Fenway Park or the Cubs were not at Wrigley Field, that would feel wrong. Yeah. But I guess like the Yankees did it. I mean, I've been to Old Trafford. It's bad. It's not bad. It's cool with the history, but it's old.
Starting point is 00:20:01 They put it right in the name. Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. It it right in the name. Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. It's right in the name. I mean, the only match I've ever been to in England was at Arsenal's old ground at Highbury, and that had history, but it had to go. There was too many problems, and now I don't think many Arsenal fans would complain about the new stadium there. Maybe ticket prices are too high, but maybe it's too corporate now,
Starting point is 00:20:25 but that's the way things are going. Give me a moocow on that. So I have a couple what we learned. Would we rather hear about a 58-year-old at the Olympics or a movie starring Timu Solani and Brett Hull? Both of them. You're doing both of them. Okay, I'm doing both of them. We're going to start with the 58-year-old.
Starting point is 00:20:45 There is a 58-year-old at the Olympics. I might butcher the name. I've been reading things wrong all day. Brof, there's still time. So it's fine. That was the joke I was going to do. You blew it. Jenji Ying was playing in women's table tennis.
Starting point is 00:21:00 Oh. 58? 58. So I say was because she lost on Saturday, so she's out okay she got beat by a 46 year old oh my god lebanese woman um but so i thought for sure she'd be an equestrian no like the horse was doing the work that would be like okay i'm not even going to mention that because it's the horse um but she represents that is awesome yeah she represents chile she played for the chinese national team for 40 years but i guess she's lived in chile for a while so she can
Starting point is 00:21:32 play for the wise citizen yeah so she uh i was reading about her after she said she wants to continue playing but she doesn't think she'll be able to make the next olympics because she'll be 62 but yeah physically as you get older the travel becomes hard it's a long trip but 58 gotta watch matlock in the evening yeah i just uh i don't know how old are you i'm 26 so i have 32 years. You're Laine's age. Yeah. Well, yeah. You look better than Laine. Thank you. I didn't do the hair thing that he did. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:22:10 Hope you're not going to Winnipeg either. Yeah, hopefully. Well, we'll see. All right. Mukau that one. And congratulations to the 58-year-old in the Olympics. What was the second one? Oh, the second one.
Starting point is 00:22:22 So this just came across my timeline so i don't have all the information on it but there is a uh a movie called minor leaguer movie which is going to be available minor leaguer movie it's going to be available on august 1st so a few days from now okay and it stars is it a theater release or this is going going straight to vhs This is straight to VHS. This might just be a Betamax thing. It stars Timu Solani and Brett Hall. This is how they are marketing it.
Starting point is 00:22:58 And from what I've seen, I've seen one trailer without audio. And you didn't need it? No, no, no, no. It looks bad. What's the storyline? Essentially, it seems like there's this one guy who is not Timur Solani and Brett Hull, who's trying to make a team or whatever. But also, he knows Timur Solani and Brett Hull, and they are rivals.
Starting point is 00:23:18 Solani and Hull do not like each other. Okay. And I guess they butt heads. Hijinks ensues. Why is he putting a team together? Like in the NHL? No, I don't think it's NHL related at all, if I'm being honest. What's this movie called?
Starting point is 00:23:31 It's called Minor Leaguer. If you go to at Minor Leaguer move, M-O-P, on Twitter, you can watch the trailer. Their account has 77 followers. Okay. I feel like you need to prep this What We Learn more. Yeah, no. If you thought I was unprepared for the earlier interview, yeah. Yeah, there was a little less pressure. A minor league hockey player struggles with the massive ego of his team's new owner,
Starting point is 00:23:58 a hockey legend who was once his childhood hero. Okay. That's the premise on Rotten Tomatoes. So there we go. All right. I probably won't watch that one no i wouldn't recommend watching it you know what i'm watching right now presumed innocent with jake gyllenhaal oh on apple very good yeah timo salani not in it no that's probably
Starting point is 00:24:16 the highlight brett hall is in it spoiler he's the killer what wow but he was presumed innocent. No, he just showed up on the last episode and he was like, yeah, I did it. Damn. Just owned up to it. All right.
Starting point is 00:24:31 What a plot twist. All right. Get your what we learns. We have time for yours on the other side if you got a laddie.
Starting point is 00:24:38 Text in to the Dunbar Lumber text line 650-650 with your what we learns and I anticipate quite a few mean ones about me, and I deserve it for my blunder earlier in the show. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.
Starting point is 00:24:54 The Roar is back at BC Place for the BC Lions 70th season. Get your tickets now at bclions.com. Hey, it's Mike Halford. And Jason Brough. Join us for Halford & Brough in the morning weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. on Sportsnet 650. Or on demand anytime through your favorite podcast app. Now for my favorite part of the show.
Starting point is 00:25:18 What'd I say? Talk to the audience. Oh, God, this is always dead. It's what we Oh, God. This is always dead. It's what we learn time. It's what we learn time. It's what we
Starting point is 00:25:34 learn time. Oh, does he keep doing this? On the show. Josh. Josh. And 834 on a Monday. Oh, right. He does that thing.
Starting point is 00:25:46 It just comes in same the time, right? And you have to do it excruciatingly loud. You cut A-Dog off. Yeah. So I misremembered this intro. I thought he just kept saying it's what we learned in time. It faded out slowly. It did not.
Starting point is 00:26:01 I don't want to be nitpicky, but you also forgot to say Kintec after the last Kintec read. Did I? You just moved right on to the next thing. Wow. A few people noticed in the text inbox. You know what? It's Monday. We have a routine here.
Starting point is 00:26:15 Yeah. No, I'm figuring that out. You're doing a great job following the routine of screwing up the reads that Halford has already said. Thank you. And I'm doing a great job following the routine of asking terrible questions anyway this how this hour of halford and brough is brought to you by campbell and bound real estate appraisers trust the expertise of campbell and pound visit campbell-pound.com today and halford and brough is also also brought to you by the delari family of h Honda dealers. Experience the Dilawri difference today.
Starting point is 00:26:47 Visit your nearest Dilawri Honda dealer today. Didn't mess those ones up. It is what we learned in time. Laddie, you had one? I have a quirky one, yeah. I love quirky baseball stuff, right? Korean League? This is not Korean.
Starting point is 00:27:00 This is MLB. This is staying in North America. As we know, Danny Jansen got traded to the Boston Red Sox from the Toronto Blue Jays. That was the big deal over the weekend. There is a game between the Jays and the Red Sox that needs to be made up on August 26th. Danny Jansen was the batter when the game was postponed
Starting point is 00:27:20 for the Blue Jays. There is a possibility, you guys. He won't be the first ever player to be traded while a game was suspended, but he could be the first player to play for both teams in the same game, technically, because it's being played at a later date, and he might be catching in the at-bat
Starting point is 00:27:40 that he started as a hitter with the Blue Jays. So wrap your head around that one. I'm so confused by that. So he was batting. So they start the game over though, right? No. They pick up with a 1-0 count. A 1-0 count to Danny Jansen is when it was postponed.
Starting point is 00:27:54 Well, they started at the 1-0 count too. I thought they at least like restarted the at-bat. No, they started right where it left off. So what do they do then? They just play on. Danny Jansen will be on the Red Sox and you're allowed to have a different lineup. Danny Jansen will be on the Red Sox and you're allowed to have a different lineup. Danny Jansen should be on the Blue Jays.
Starting point is 00:28:08 They should make him strap on Just for that one game. That would be amazing. So it's happened before This is easily the most interesting thing left in the Blue Jays season. Correct. It'll be interesting to see what they do. August 26th is the date. And this has never happened before? Like no players ever
Starting point is 00:28:24 It's happened where a player had been traded away from their team so they're no longer involved in the makeup game. And this has never happened before? Like no players ever? It's happened where a player had been traded away from their team so they're no longer involved in the makeup game. But they've never been traded to the team that they were playing and going to play in the game that's going to be made up.
Starting point is 00:28:35 So that's really out there for... If the Red Sox don't play him in that game, they hate fun. And they shouldn't be allowed to be a team anymore. Or if they DH him or something boring. Yeah. He better be catching That'd be great because you go from at the plate
Starting point is 00:28:49 To now you're behind the plate That was cool You know what that's more than quirky That's interesting Wow Good job That's the most well earned moo cow I've ever gotten Yeah now we fire up the dot matrix, right?
Starting point is 00:29:05 Right? Right? What did Helfer call it? Organized chaos? Yeah, I don't know. He's got some phrase for it. Oh, it's administrative nonsense. There it is.
Starting point is 00:29:15 Yeah. I think Justin and Ysvan came up with that phrase. Yeah. What we learned, this one calling into us, and Paris's rainy opening ceremonies to their best vancouver impression i half expected to see xenodane zedan jump into a pickup truck with the torch um i was uh remembering vancouver's opening ceremony while i was watching this and remembering how nervous I was.
Starting point is 00:29:46 And I don't know if any Parisians were nervous that something would go wrong. And a few things did go wrong. I think there was a mix-up between North Korea and South Korea. That's a tough mix-up. The arm didn't come down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But do you remember in Canada, was it up or down?
Starting point is 00:30:03 I think the arm was supposed to go. The arm didn't go up. Yeah. So there were like four arms or something like that. And one of the massive mechanical arms didn't go up. And I remember watching that at, I think it was like one of those Molson Canadian beer halls or whatever. And like just my heart sinking. I'm like, oh my God, this is going to be a disaster. Like there's, but I think there was like this
Starting point is 00:30:26 almost like inferiority complex, you know, still, cause I've grown, I've been born and raised in Vancouver and I've gone from us being like a city that most people hadn't heard of to being like a global city that most people have heard of. Yeah. And so I've still got that like, oh, you know,
Starting point is 00:30:44 being called a village in the 1979 soccer bowl or whatever it was. Um, and, uh, and I remember just being really nervous about that. And then to make matters worse, they put Wayne Gretzky in the back of a pickup truck. I was so nervous for that. And I'm like, he should be bolted in somehow.
Starting point is 00:31:00 Cause he looked nervous. He looked nervous. He looked cold and it looked like if he was, uh, if they took a wrong turn, like that surprised him, he was going to like catapult right off that thing. And you know what? I think they probably would have had to cancel the Olympics if that happened.
Starting point is 00:31:17 Um, but, uh, I watched a bit of the, uh, opening ceremony and then I flipped around, I watched a movie and then I came back to it and it was still on. And then I flipped around. I watched a movie, and then I came back to it, and it was still on. And then I flipped around and watched a four-hour movie, and it was still on. It was long. It was long. It was long. I liked the way they did it, though, with all sorts of street performers that seemed to anger up the blood of the American populace.
Starting point is 00:31:39 That'll happen. That'll happen. Yeah, every time I see an opening ceremony, my first thought is, oh, hey, remember when Vancouver didn't have an arm go up? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was happen. That'll happen. Yeah, every time I see an opening ceremonies, my first thought is, oh, hey, remember when Vancouver didn't have an arm go up? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was fun. But I always liked them. That was way too long.
Starting point is 00:31:52 The speeches are always what's too long for me. Right. They're over the top. Why are there speeches? I don't know. Just have music and presentations. We get it. So I didn't watch it this far.
Starting point is 00:32:04 How did they light the torch? They had- Just like a Bic lighter. That's the French way. They were like, we spent the budget, guys. A cigarette. Just put it in there. Just throw a flick of cigarette in there.
Starting point is 00:32:16 How did they light it? So they had two torchbearers go up, and then it was like a hot air balloon looking thing. Okay. And then it lit a ring of fire around the hot air balloon. A burning ring of fire. A burning ring of fire. And then it went up and was suspended in the air. I don't know if it stays in the air.
Starting point is 00:32:34 I assume it does. Was it cool? It was cool. Yeah. Yeah, it was neat. Will anything beat the archery? No. That was incredible.
Starting point is 00:32:42 That was incredible. You want to talk about pressure. Yeah, yeah. And your heart beating. Can you imagine if you get the. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And their heart beating. Can you imagine if you get the yips doing that? Oh my God. And it's bad. The arrow goes into the crowd.
Starting point is 00:32:51 The wind. It was windy. Wide left, wide left. There's so much pressure. More! We should have him as a guest coming on. Oh my God. There's a King of the Hill episode where Hank drops the torch and it extinguishes.
Starting point is 00:33:06 Oh, right. But no one's around to see it. I've seen more Snoop Dogg than I thought I would at these Olympics. Okay, the one thing I didn't like about these opening ceremonies
Starting point is 00:33:15 is they just had like Rafa Nadal there. I'm like, he's from Spain. They had Serena Williams there like holding the torch near the end. And they kind of counted them as French heroes
Starting point is 00:33:25 because they did well at the French Open? I still don't. Like, to me, if the Olympics were back in Vancouver and they were like, here's Patrick Kane, I'd be like, no, we're not doing this. What if they had Sidney Crosby? That's fine because he's Canadian. Right.
Starting point is 00:33:43 Well, if they did it in France, though, if they had Crosby, would you have been upset? Yeah, that would have been dumb. Like, you shouldn't have people from other countries that are, like, noteworthy Americans or whatever in your opening ceremonies. One of the things I like about opening ceremonies is that it's all, like, local flair.
Starting point is 00:34:01 They have their own athletes, and they're paying homage to that country. Right. But when you're bringing in like people from around the world and having them do the important parts, I don't know. I didn't love that part. Buddy and Suri, what we learned, the people will roast Jason not because he deserves it, but because they like low hanging fruit. Thank you, Buddy and Suri. I do deserve to be.
Starting point is 00:34:23 Also, he does. Also, the deserving. Todd has bad takes. What we learned, if you can get past the shame stage, it is incredibly satisfying to sprawl in front of the TV, gorging on unhealthy snacks while watching incredibly fit, incredibly driven athletes give their all for our country. And that is what makes it so fun to be hyper critical
Starting point is 00:34:46 of these athletes yeah again going back to gymnastics yeah hey you went out of bounds you're bad but also you're doing incredible things that i would never be able to do or think so we were talking about like secondhand embarrassment yeah and when i watch gymnastics or diving it's i feel like i'm waiting for them to mess up. Yeah. Whereas when I watch track and field or swimming, I'm like, go, go faster. Except the hurdles. I'll never watch the hurdles again. I'll tell you that much.
Starting point is 00:35:11 But I'm so scared every time they do a flip or those beams or whatever. I'm like, you're going to fall and smack your face on the ground. Yeah. There was a huge bale that I saw on the bars. Oh. And. They missed? Just a miss miss and like smack down yeah yeah that's that's a tough one that's a bad feeling you reach out there nothing yeah we're falling the surfing
Starting point is 00:35:38 guy did you guys see that no what happened i hit my big wave and uh it's pants fell down broadcast oh yes like this is my biggest moment yeah and that is how i go wrong Got hit by a big wave and his pants fell down. Actually? Yes. He's like, this is my biggest moment. Yeah. And that is how you. What could possibly go wrong? Like, that is just the worst. The guy's built his whole life up to that moment,
Starting point is 00:35:53 and that is what he'll be remembered for. What we learned on Sine Text, Brough is a distraught without Halford. Nah, I'm not. I've wanted to work with Josh. I went to Canberra, and I said, this rookie. And it's paid off greatly, day one. Yeah. And now I'm. I went to Canberra and I said, this rookie. And it's paid off greatly, day one. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:36:08 And now I'm going to go into Canberra. I'm never working. He's like, don't stick me alone with Laddie. We're supposed to host another week together later in the summer. And all of a sudden, I will be off the schedule for that week. Cam's going to be like, you want another week off? I think so. Really?
Starting point is 00:36:20 I think so. Oh, okay. He's like, oh. I've got some more wiggle room with my vacation that I might have to switch around no it's going great I'm looking forward to it Justin and East Van what we learned with
Starting point is 00:36:33 the addition of Josh Elliott Wolfe and basketball Ben the average age of the Halbro show has dropped from 41 and a half down to 33.5 brough is set up to lead this young core to success. So you're like LeBron? You're LeBron. Aye aye, Captain.
Starting point is 00:36:51 Yeah. You're Jason Day and I'm sitting on the bench. I was going to say, Halford is. I'm playing. No, Halford's off the team. Make the team. Halford is Jalen Brown. Okay, I want to read this one. I want to get your guys' take.
Starting point is 00:37:07 Josh and Laddie, I know you guys are big baseball fans. Chet and Burnaby, what we learned. I learned that baseball has the most underwhelming trades of the four major American sports.
Starting point is 00:37:21 Yes, I agree. I agree. Well, no, yeah, I agree. The agree um the deadline the deadline big names are involved though but it's always like i think the the underwhelming part is more of the return just because there's so many prospects and most people don't know any of these prospects we're as in hockey you're like oh matthew savoie got traded that's neat because i remember being invested in that guy ahead of the draft or whatever whereas in baseball like most people until they're in your organization and have played a bit don't know these prospects
Starting point is 00:37:55 and i don't think a lot of mlb teams are massively overhauling their teams at the deadline a lot of it's just like oh we need a bullpen arm or, oh, we're, you know, we're short in this backup third baseman. Like we need another infielder. Who did the crazy overhaul? Was it Atlanta? Did the crazy overhaul? Was that before the deadline? They were sort of middling though, right?
Starting point is 00:38:12 They were about 500 and then they got into the playoffs and then did well. So they knew they had to make changes. Most teams that are in the playoff race right now like their team. I'm pretty sure. And like I said, there's just a few areas that they like to bolster, which is what you see at the Reds. So what have the Jays done so far? They have traded Danny Jansen, Nate Pearson to the Cubs,
Starting point is 00:38:33 and Jimmy Garcia to the Mariners. And what have they gotten? They got some things back. They got some things. Kikuchi's still going to be traded. There's rumors flying this morning that he's out the door. But, like, as a Jays fan, how are you feeling about it? It feels like the thing about every baseball trade is like,
Starting point is 00:38:53 here's a lottery ticket and hope it works out. A swath of prospects, you hope one pans out. Especially when you're not trading. When Juan Soto got traded, it's like, okay, you're going to get the other team's top prospect or whatever or a couple of them whereas this is like you get the 8th best prospect in their system or the 12th or whatever it is
Starting point is 00:39:12 and you're supposed to be pumped about it and I just can't really get pumped about it as a Jays fan specifically I think this deadline's a little bit questionable because of the people running behind it I don't know if the player acquisition side of things have been their greatest part of their tenure, we'll put it that way. The trading
Starting point is 00:39:28 aspect, they made some good signings, they brought in some good players, but the trades specifically, if you look back over the tenure, hit and miss. Can you trade draft picks? You can't, right? I think you can now. They made a change in the latest CBA. You can trade... I feel like we would have seen draft picks traded, though.
Starting point is 00:39:44 But they're not often enough that it's worth it. Right. And you can trade slot value. There's a whole bunch. The MLB draft is totally different than the other four. You can trade cash and stuff, too. Rich with what we learned. How can Brough lead these young guys to success
Starting point is 00:39:55 when there are too many hurdles in his way? Oh, hurdles. We also got a text saying that. You never know what's going to end your career, you know? You think that was it? Perdita? Felicia? That's a one. It happens.
Starting point is 00:40:10 Fair enough. We also got a text saying that we should just blame Brett Hall for everything that happened. He can be our Tibor? Yeah. I kind of like that. Yeah, well, he was the killer and presumed innocent. Yeah, exactly. It's crazy. I didn't see it coming. If he never played hockey, I doubt you would have made that hurdles reference.
Starting point is 00:40:27 It would have been fine. That's true. What we learned, the Mariners went from worst offense to best offense after one trade. Okay, they played the White Sox. The White Sox are so bad. I think Josh's softball team. The White Sox at the deadline. Might beat the Chicago White Sox.
Starting point is 00:40:42 One out of three at least. We got a chance. We had some softball drama this weekend. Oh, really? Yeah. So you were in a softball tournament? I was in a softball tournament in Chilliwack. We play in the worst division in the worst league.
Starting point is 00:40:56 Is that like, is it co-ed? It's co-ed. It's slow pitch. Is sliding allowed? So sliding is allowed. Have you ever had like a bad slide? Oh, yeah. That I can think of. I tore my leg.
Starting point is 00:41:09 Actually, the worst memory of my life. When you tripped on that hurdle. Okay, tell us about the softball drama. So, and people that play softball can probably relate to this, but it's the playoffs was this tournament. And one of the teams in the division and again this is that we are the worst division and we got a lot of bad players um one of the teams all of a sudden had been bad throughout the season all of a sudden they were really really
Starting point is 00:41:37 good had a few new players picked up had a had a few new players so we had to we checked the rosters and like there were three or four original players during the season, and a bunch of really, really good players. And you can tell in warm-up, too, they had this one lady who was like windmilling softballs across the field. You've done it before.
Starting point is 00:42:00 We're done. So Dirty Dave and the boys really got to us. What were the roster rules rules and they won so you're not allowed to bring in ringers like you have to have played a certain amount of games during the season any league has that three yeah three or four games during the season and then you can play um they did not but also because we are the worst division the powers that be were like whatever it's fine oh really yeah really yeah you should appeal we tried we tried to appeal again appeal the lack of appeal yeah so we're
Starting point is 00:42:31 probably not going to do that okay you're just not going to come back next year we might join a different league yeah it's not a good it's not a good look for the league no i know unsigned what we learned what we learned one year of being good and the fans who supported the team during the Benning era get priced out. Uh, yeah, I guess this was a fairly big story. Uh, well, in terms of Canucks news lately, uh, the Canucks revealed their single game ticket prices and they're not cheap.
Starting point is 00:43:01 Um, I just wanted to read one part of this. So we all know that dynamic pricing exists now. Pretty much every team does it, but. Dynamic gouging? Dynamic gouging. The Canucks have six categories and they adjust the price accordingly. There's regular. there's regular plus. Okay.
Starting point is 00:43:30 There's premium and there's premium plus. What? They make a good cracker. These are just gas types. There's marquee and then there's marquee plus. Now, apparently, correct me if I'm wrong here, there's only one Marquee Plus game this year and that is when the Toronto Maple Leafs
Starting point is 00:43:53 come to town. And this is courtesy Daily Hive. The cheapest ticket, and I'm just going to read the article here, that we saw to watch that Leafs game at Rogers Arena, February 8th, $277 for the ticket. We're talking nosebleeds.
Starting point is 00:44:10 That will get you into section 301, which is in the upper bowl in the corner behind the net, the Canucks defend twice. So typically if you're in the end zone, you want to see the Canucks shooting twice. Yeah. I mean, this just goes to overall ticket prices to see everything these days is crazy. And, you know, it just gets harder and harder in this city to do anything, let alone pay for groceries.
Starting point is 00:44:46 Back in your day, tickets only cost like a quarter each, I'm pretty sure. You joke, you joke, and by the way, I'm going to get you during this week. The cheapest ticket that I can remember when I was first going to Canucks games was the Upper Blues at the Coliseum, $8. Dang.
Starting point is 00:45:07 $8 to get in. And I remember my dad being very upset having to pay $20 once to buy some tickets off a friend of mine. Now the cheapest for Game Against the Leafs. What was it, $277? $277. Right. Anyway, appreciate everyone texting in today, everyone listening.
Starting point is 00:45:29 Thanks to Basketball Ben. Thanks to Laddie. Thanks to Jason Brough for sticking with me through those reads. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise. I will do better as well. I will research every guest thoroughly. It would be hilarious if it happened again, though. We have a different hurdles person up.
Starting point is 00:45:49 Anyway, this has been Halpern and Brough on Sportsnet 650.

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