Halford & Brough in the Morning - Retired NHL Coach Rick Bowness + What We Learned

Episode Date: September 4, 2024

In hour three, Mike & Jason chat with retired NHL head coach Rick Bowness (:56) who reflects on his coaching career in the league, 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.

This is the meat seeker app music, by the way. 802 on a Wednesday. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Halford & Brough of the Morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. 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. Rick Bonas is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off Hour 3. Hour 3 is brought to you by Campbell & Pound Real Estate Appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell & Pound. Visit them oners. 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 studio.

Kintec, Canada's favorite orthotics provider, powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. Sorfie, what are you waiting for? Kintec. To the phone lines we go. Our next guest, 38 seasons behind NHL benches as a head coach and an assistant coach. Rick Bonas joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.

Good morning, Rick. How are you? Good morning, guys. Doing great, thank you. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Congrats on retirement after a terrific and lengthy career. How is retirement treating you so far, Rick? Well, I think the true test is going to happen in a couple of weeks when training camps open. You know, we're obviously

all off during the summer months. There's very little hockey news going along. So yeah, in two weeks, around the 18th, I think the camps open up. That's going to be the real challenge. So I've already prepared Judy for it. I said, get ready.

I might be a little moody for a couple of days, but I think that'll be the real challenge. So I've already prepared Judy for it. I said, get ready. I might be a little moody for a couple of days, but I think that'll be the true test and we'll go from there. But I think it helps that I knew at the end of last year that it, that it was time to step away from the, just from the coaching. I'm not retiring from life, not retiring from everything, but to get away from the coaching for a little bit. So I just felt it was time and and now we'll see what happens next, what the next chapter brings.

But again, yeah, call me in a couple of weeks, and I might have a different answer for you. Two questions for you here. What will you miss most about the job? What will you not miss at all about the job? I think I'm going to I'm going to miss everything about the job. I really am.

I enjoy the pressure of the games. I enjoy the practices. I guess the most important thing for me in the latter stages of my career was the ability to have a relationship with the players. You know, sometimes when you're young in the league,

you're trying to do everything to lengthen your career. But at the end of my career, I'm not looking for another 10 years doing this job. So I'm just going to enjoy it as much as I can. And I really enjoy the relationships with the players and building that trust, building that bond. And the talking, just casually talking to all of them every

day like whether it's on the ice or in the dressing room, just bumping into them and see how things are going. I put a lot of value in those conversations but I will certainly miss that. But there's nothing I won't miss. listen, dealing with you guys is all part of the job

some of them are easier days than others when you're not winning or not playing well, but there's nothing really that I'll say oh wow, I won't miss that there really isn't everything, I loved every day of the job and I tell the players that all the time listen, every day

in the National Hockey League, and you've heard me say this a hundred times, it's a blessing. It's a true honor and privilege to play or be associated with the National Hockey League. And I've never taken a different approach to it. I count it every day as a blessing. I count it every day as an honor and privilege

to be in the National Hockey League. So there really isn't anything I'm going to, you know, I don't have to worry about doing again. What is, if you think back, I don't know how much time you've spent reflecting on your career, but what is one thing that you really learned a lot as a head coach? Maybe something you had no idea about when you started coaching

all the way back in the 80s, and now that you've retired, you can say, wow, I learned this is important. I've always, from the day I got into coaching in 1983, I've always felt it very important for the coach, whether assistant coach or head coach, to have a trusting bond with the players. As time went on, I think, and the generations changed, and different players were coming into our league with different needs. I felt more and more that I had to keep staying on top of that,

that I couldn't back off on it just because I'd been around forever. Again, that bond and that trust and that communication to players it became more and more important as my career progressed because when I first got into coaching don't forget a lot of guys were in the minors for a few years they came up and they played and they knew how to play and you know last little while obviously the players are getting rushed in. They're getting force fed, and they need a lot more information. They need a lot more patience, and they need a lot more knowledge knowing that the coach has trust in them,

regardless of their minutes, that the coach believes in them and trusts in them and is working to do the best and get the most out of their abilities and their career. So, again, as my career went on, I put a lot more emphasis on that than anything. Were you always happy to do that? I mean, I think that's in a lot of workforces right now. You get some people that have been working for a long time and you know like why are these young people so needy constant talking to i mean did you ever have that that experience or were you just happy to do it i was happy to do it because it came with the job and again again

you got to adapt every generation come in the league you got to adapt. And the younger players today, they need to know that, that you have their back and that you're working with them and trying to get the best out of them for their careers. So, yeah, but, yeah, is it more important today than 20 years ago? Absolutely it is. They need it. But as the coach, you have to adapt to that. They're not going to adapt to you.

This is how they've been raised. This is how they're coming into the league, and you have to adapt to that. They're not going to adapt to you. This is how they've been raised. This is how they're coming into the league, and you have to adapt to that. So that old line in Moneyball when Brad Pitt is firing to the head's foot there and he says, adapt or die, well, there's a lot of truth to that one. And you do have to adapt, and you have to change the way you're doing things,

depending on the players you're dealing with. Yeah, that's a good point. You can pine for the good old days, but they're not coming back, so you better adapt. They're not coming back. It is what it is, and do the best you can with it.

That's what coaching in the National Hockey League is all about today. It is. Let's visit the good old days a little bit. Your time in Vancouver alongside AV and you got to coach guys like Kevin Bieksa and you really got to help him in his career. What are your memories of your many years in Vancouver? You know, Judy and I often talk that those seven years with the Canucks were probably the best of our

career. We just loved living in Vancouver. It was a great organization, great ownership, management. We got along great with the coaches and a lot of just great hockey players on the ice, but just as important, really good people off the ice. You can't find better people than the Twins and Louie and Ryan Kessler and Kevin and Burroughs and these guys. They were just such a pleasure to work with every day. They were true pros. They came to the rink,

ready to work every day. I was in good spirits. Henrik was just one hell of a captain for us and he did a great job with everybody, but working with those guys every day, it wasn't so much work. You were working with them and they wanted to win wasn't so much work. It was you were working with them, and they wanted to win. They wanted the best.

It was just so much fun to be around. They taught me a lot of it, you know, again, being a really good pro and coming to the rink every day with the right attitude and putting the time in to get better. And if you watch those guys every day, that's what they did. And that's why we had the success we had. We had great teams there. Now we're all so disappointed to live with all of us for the rest of our lives,

losing that game seven against Boston. But in that phase of it, and that burns. Today, that still burns. And that's what we were all made of. We were all committed to winning and bringing the Stanley Cup to Vancouver. And when we came up that short, it burned us. But the other side of that is, man, the players gave

everything they could to make that happen. And they did. We came up short. Somebody has to lose. And unfortunately, it was us in that series. But great team. Many great teams. Great players to work with, which I really, really enjoyed. Loved the organization. Loved the city. Loved the organization, loved the city,

loved the fan base. And I always say this, I remember in L.A. going back there in August of our first year. And it's like your shows, the radio talk shows before about a month before the season even started. And we looked at each other and said, wow,

there's a true passionate fan base here. And we love that because I firmly believe that's a healthy pressure on everyone to perform. And the fan base is avid and is knowledgeable and fanatical as the Canuck fans are. That's a healthy pressure on everyone. You know you have to perform, and I think that's a wonderful thing. We're speaking with Rick Bonas here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. You've mentioned pressure a few times times and you mentioned earlier in our chat that you were going to miss the pressure of big games. So often pressure is seen as a negative. What did you like about the

pressure? The moment. Man, I just love being in the moment. You walk over that bench and you've got to be in the moment and you do and let the noise, the noise in terms of media, the fans and everything else, and not just the acoustic noise, but everything about the game. You just had to block it all out and you had to stay in the moment, especially in the playoffs. And I really, I love that pressure. When you walk out, you're behind the bench and you're quiet.

Your brain is quiet. You're not hearing all this. You're not seeing all this. Yours are so dialed in on the game and what's in front of you. I love that part. The pressure, yeah. A lot of that is external. People go out and put pressure on you because you have to win, you have to win, you have to win.

That's all part of being a pro. That comes with the territory. I didn't mind that. I kind of enjoyed it. Now, especially last year, I was disappointed in me when we lost in the playoffs. I don't, you know, I just wasn't happy with me. So, but other than that, the pressure of the games was, that's what makes it all worthwhile. We all know 82 games, travel, practice, injuries, everything you go through, it's dragged on and on at times,

but you have to enjoy every day. You have to enjoy the moment. And that's what I, that's what I enjoy the most, the pressure and the moment. That moment that you're talking about, who was the best player that you saw perform in that moment? Either a guy that you coached or a guy that you coached against,

because you talk about how great that moment is. Who was the player that really stepped up and performed in front of your eyes in that type of moment? I would go with Ray Bork. I mean, I could name a lot of the Canucks, the Twins, everybody else. But Ray Bork was just a special human being just because of the way he – like, he was a big man. He wasn't a small man.

He was big and heavy. And just the way he like he was a big man he wasn't a small man he was big and heavy and just the way he competed every shift it was 40 45 50 seconds of everything he's got every shift and he'd come off the ice dead tired and in about 30 seconds he he's ready to go he's looking at me like okay i want to get back out there ray wanted to be on the ice all the time. And it was incredible to watch him every game. October, right through, how hard he worked. And the pride he took in being the best player on the ice. And when things weren't going well, the pride he took in settling things down

and making a difference in the game that way. And when the game was on the line, making a difference, whether it was defending their one-goal lead or going to get a goal, the tremendous pride he took in being out there. But he had to be on the ice, and it was an amazing thing to watch him. And I've watched him battle some big, big guys in the corner from the net for 15, 20 seconds, come off the ice exhausted, and 30 seconds later, he's looking me. Like, okay, let's

go. So I've always respected that about Ray. Just a wonderful human being, clearly a Hall of Famer, great player, but man, oh man, what a competitor. We're speaking to legendary NHL coach Rick Bonas here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet

650. John Cooper, Rick, so you coached with him in Tampa Bay. You guys went to a Stanley Cup final together. You coached against him in a Stanley Cup final when he was in Tampa Bay, and you were in Dallas. What's your relationship like with John Cooper? He's a guy we talk a lot about on the show. He's from here.

He's the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL. So I'm curious, what's your relationship like with John Cooper? Fine. When we played against each other, we bumped into each other and we talked for sure. John's a wonderful coach and he's the right guy to lead the Canadian team in the Four Nations Olympics. He's a wonderful coach. So are we talking in a regular way? No, we're not.

I mean, that's how many years ago now that I leave there. I don't even know. But no, no problem there at all. I had a lot of respect for John. I think we both knew at the end of it it was time for me to move on, and I knew it. And he knew it, and that's fine.

That happens in our industry, in our business. You can't take those things personally. You kind of feel in your gut, you know what, it's time to move on. And he felt it, I knew it, and so there was no problem there at all. Who were some of the best friends you made in the game? Elaine, for sure. Funny, I got a text from him yesterday.

So he was saying, I was thinking about you because it was that day after Labor Day. We're all heading to the office, right? There's, okay, that's your cue. Summer's over. Start getting dialed in for training camp. You do all your work and everything, but you really got to get dialed in the day after Labor Day. So it's funny. I got that text from him yesterday, and I'm in Florida now for the winter,

and he'll be coming down here soon, so we'll make sure we get together. But I've made a ton of friends. There's too many to mention, but I've made a ton of friends. There's all kinds of them. You ask me what allowed this? I'm Miss Shorty coming down with a cup of coffee for me in the morning skate. Shorty, I want to start up with a coffee. You guys had a lot of laughs, didn't you?

That's what I've heard about that group, Shorty, AVU, and others. You laughed a lot. Well, we did, and I always go back to Murph. Murph used to interview me between periods sometimes, and he'd ask one question, and of course, me, I can ramble on for a couple of minutes and say nothing. But I always wondered if y'all ever had a second question. So I remember there was one interview after a period,

and he asked me a question, and I gave him a one-word answer. It was either yes or no. I forget what it was. And I'm looking at him to see if he's got another question or if he's just winging it with one at a time. But being the pro that he is, he had that second question, and we both had a little chuckle. But I did answer the second question with a few more words than just one word. But that's the fun we had. It was a close group.

We trusted everybody. You just trusted everybody in the group that was traveling with the team, and they're still very good friends today. I love seeing Murph

while we were team, Shorty and Johnny Garrett and everybody that was around the team. It was a close group, not just the players and the management and everything,

but those guys were a big part of it as well. You said it still burns, the 2011 losing that Game 7. We've actually tried to talk about it less and less on the show because we find ourselves going down this rabbit hole of like, what if this had happened? What if that had happened?

Well, it didn't happen. Are you at peace with it? Because as a lifelong Canucks fan, I just want to see them win the Cup once. I understand that my life really isn't going to change that much whether or not they do or they don't. But are you at peace with that game or does it still bug you? Is it still in the back of your mind or maybe the front of your mind that, oh, we just need to win that one more game? Yeah.

No, no, that'll stay with me the rest of my life as it will with everyone. But the Canucks, listen, they're in great hands with me the rest of my life as it will with everyone, but the Canucks, listen, they're in great hands with Jimmy and they're going to win talks. They're like, they're in really good hands. They're going to win. They've got a great team, great management, and great coaching staff, so hang in there with

them. At some point, I'm sure they're going to win. I've got a lot of faith in what they're doing there and the people running the franchise, but no, it does. It burns you. You come that close. And if you go back to John and I in Tampa, it's funny how that goes because the first year we went to the finals,

or the second year, we kind of knew we weren't ready. Everything just kind of fell into place. And we weren't quite ready. We had great shares in the Rangers to get there, and we're playing Chicago, and obviously they were at the top of their game. And I just remember Ben Bishop missing a game or two, and that really hurt because Ben Bishop, when he was on, he was the top three goalkeeper in that league.

And I think when you get that close, you want to make sure your team is 100% healthy. And if you go back to the Canucks, when we lost to Hammer and we lost to Aaron Rome and we lost a few other guys, like those things hurt. Anyone who's ever won a cup will always tell you, you got to be healthy, you got to be lucky.

And so if we had had a full run, they're not excuses. It's all part of the game, man. You're going to lose guys. You don't want to lose guys when the game is at its utmost importance, as they are in the Stanley Cup Finals. The year we went to the Finals in the bubble with Dallas, again, Bish was hurt. And we played really – I am confident to say that our team game was better

than Tampa's in that final. But they had Bassey, and Bassey was a huge difference. Listen, Hrubobin played great for us, but he's not Ben Bishop. Ben Bishop would have been the difference in that game. So when you come that close and you're in the finals, you want your whole team ready to go. If you go back and the Bruins beat us, take two of their top five defensemen out of that lineup

for the last couple of games, and you've got a whole different discussion going on. But again, you have to live with those things, and that's all part of the pain of losing. Gosh, we only had everyone playing. Danny Hamlin played great hockey for us. Aaron Rome was playing the best hockey in his life for us and you take two of those guys

out as early as we lost them that hurts but that's all part of the game that you live with every day and every time you watch the finals you know you're watching

okay who's healthy and you know it just increases your odds of winning the ultimate prize when you've got you've got a good squad and you've got everybody healthy and you've got everyone running for the same campaign.

Rick, one final question. What does it mean to have such a lengthy career in the NHL and have so many people say, Rick Bonus, that guy is a great guy? Yeah.

Excuse me. Well, again i listen we all want to be treated with respect and uh i've always tried to treat everyone in the league players media trainers everybody with the same amount of respect that they that they deserve and um so but yeah that that's nice to hear. But that will probably settle in later on as you get a little bit older. I haven't given that a whole lot of thought. All I know is when I went to the rink every day, I tried to do my absolute best. And, again, to treat everyone with the utmost of respect until I didn't deserve it anymore.

And I guess that was just the way I wanted to take the approach, and that's the way I was going to be, and that's who I am, and that's the way I was going to do it every day. Now, I'll go back to the communication part. When I approached the Bruins in 91-92, they hated the fact that I was talking to the players because in that era, that just didn't happen. And they wanted to pardon those and do it my way or the highway.

That just wasn't me. Throughout my whole career, I've just tried to make sure I treat everyone with the same amount of respect that I want to give them back to me. Rick, this was fantastic. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this today. It was great chatting with you. Once again, congrats on a terrific career.

Enjoy retirement. Try and enjoy it even when the hockey season starts. I know there will be pangs there, but try and enjoy it. Thank you. We'll be around. I won't disappear, but thanks for your time today. Yeah, thanks for yours. Appreciate it.

That's Rick Bonas, former NHL head coach, here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. That was awesome. Very cool conversation. We've got a lot more to get to on the program. Before we go to break, I need to tell you about the BC Lions. The Roar is back at BC Place for the BC Lions 70th season. Get your tickets

now at bclions.com. Coming up on the other side of the break, we're going to do what we learned. We're going to do ours. We're going to read yours. Not only is it your chance to be on the radio, it's also your chance to win a four-pack of tickets to see the Vancouver Canadiens in Northwest League playoff action. Tuesday, September 10th.

So next Tuesday, it is the Canadiens and Spokane coming to town for the playoffs. We're giving away a four-pack of tickets to Nat Bailey. Best What We Learn gets it. Hashtag WWL and put a ticket emoji into your text. The Dunbar Lumber text line is 650-650. What We Learn is coming up next on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. 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. 831 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody.

Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford Brough for the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. 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. You faded it out again. Faded it again. Two days in a row with this guy. What are you waiting for? The da-da-da-da-da

That's how you get fired Fired Zach So you want to hear the da-da-da-da-da and then fade it out? Or just drop it, I don't care at that point My part's done, I don't care That's what happens after that We'll figure it out by Friday Yeah, clearly

Let's hope It's only Wednesday You better hope He went from intern Zach To regular Zach To fired Zach Yeah, clearly. Let's hope. It's only Wednesday. You better hope. He went from intern Zach to regular Zach to fired Zach. We just had a conversation with Rick Bonus, and he keeps emphasizing how much he has respect for everyone that he works with, and then we do the complete opposite.

Ruff is like, that's interesting because I just can't relate to this. Yeah, but what about the guys you hate? What's the opposite of respect? How do you work with them? They're so needy. They must be annoying. He's like, no, that's part of the job. I'm like, yeah, but come on. Some of them know.

Does it have to be part of the job? What are you feeling right now? It's not quite respect for you. I don't know how to contextualize it. Okay, we got to do what we learned. We've got two from our side of the table before we turn it over to the listeners and anoint the winner of the four pack of tickets.

We're going to start with a dog. You're up. You need it. You didn't do one yesterday. We weren't working on Monday. This is your first what we learned of the weeks. This is really exciting. Tell me what you learned. I learned that there is a Minecraft movie starring Jack Black being made. They just released a trailer for today. I learned that there is a Minecraft movie starring Jack Black being made.

They just released a trailer for today. I'll preface by saying, as many of our listeners know, I'm a big gamer. Zach is too, apparently. It's very nice to be joined by a fellow gamer. I've never played Minecraft. I don't get it. I don't understand it. I'm not familiar with the property.

Is that like Qbert? No, it's like, no. No. But I see how you made the connection. There's squares involved in both of them. So I suppose that's not that bad. Minecraft, it's like, no. No. But I see how you made the connection. There's squares involved in both of them. So I suppose that's not that bad. Minecraft, it's a building game. You build things out of blocks, in essence.

Like you can make cities. Like Lego. Whatever. Yeah, sure. It's a video game version of Lego. Think of it like that. Like Lego and Q-Bert together. That's not even right.

There could be a bit of pitfall in it if you make little caves. It's not even close. Anyways, I don't know anything about Minecraft. It's not even right. There could be a bit of pitfall in it if you make little caves. It's not even close. Anyways, I don't know anything about Minecraft. It's not my forte. All I know is it's very strange that they're making a movie out of this because the game doesn't really have a story per se. But then Halford, you taught me something. I learned something from Halford today.

Apparently, Jack Black is this huge Minecraft fan, and he wrote a book on it? No, no. I didn't say any of those words Minecraft fan and he wrote a book on it? No, no. I didn't say any of those words. You said he wrote a book on Minecraft. I did not say that. Or he voiced an audio book on Minecraft. I don't recall saying any of those words. I learned a lot from Halford.

I didn't say any of that. I learned that Andy can't listen. Please clarify. Jack Black voiced the Minecraft audio book. So a few years ago when i was there's an audiobook yeah of minecraft yes so what is it about though so the book begins and it's like the protagonist is self-aware that he's been dropped into the minecraft world okay he wakes up and he's in this world where everything is squares cubertbert is not there. Spoiler alert.

But it's like he slowly starts to learn the Minecraft world while still being cognizant of the fact that he existed in a previous real world and now he's in Minecraft. Right. It's very, like Jack Black has a great voice and he's very animated. But he didn't write the book and he may not necessarily be a fan. He did not write the book. He was busy acting. Ah.

Interesting. Yeah. So anyway, and he may not necessarily be a fan of it. He did not write the book. He was busy acting. Ah. Interesting. Yeah. So anyway, and also you buried the lead because Jason Momoa is the star of the Minecraft movie. How's that burying the lead? Because Jason Momoa is the star. Jason Momoa is a bigger star. We almost canceled Jack Black. Jack Black is a bigger star than Jason Momoa.

Oh, now we got to throw that out to listeners. No, he is. Come on. Actively, who's the bigger star? Jack Black has had way more big movies than Jason Momoa. Momoa is known mostly for Game of Thrones and I guess Aquaman. We're going to turn this over to the listeners. The listeners will agree with me.

Will they? Yes. Currently, this day of our Lord, September 4th, 2024, who is the bigger Hollywood star, Jason Momoa or Jack or jack black that is i i think i'd be very i would still say man i'm not in the now jack black it's jack i just had to google i had to google jason momoa i'm like oh that guy yeah you know i mean anybody replying jason momoa is probably related to him um anyway another spoiler alert uh for the the audiobook for minecraft you don't need to get it it wasn't't... Well, that's what I'm wondering about.

It was a tough list. What's this move? I mean, I will admit the trailer, like, visually, it looks kind of cool. So I guess I could see the appeal just from a purely visual... I just don't understand why it would be an interesting watch.

I don't... It just looks very lame. Well, this has been a hell of a What We Learned. Thanks for sharing that. There's a lot of What We Learneds. Please give us a mookow on that. What We Learned was brought to you by Meat Seeker. Okay.

We do need to clarify this in danger of losing yet another sponsor to the station and the show. The read, which a lot of these are, how do I put it? Written very well. It's like they're written by someone that has never spoken English before. And this one wants to introduce this new app called Seeker. Right. Which is great. Kind of a clever name.

Clever spelling. S-E-E-K-R. Unfortunately, in introducing it, the copywriter wrote, meet Seeker. As in, meet them. Meet. But. Little did he know it would be meat seeker. For a non-visual medium where you just hear the words,

I understand, like everyone else, that this sounds like an app where you're seeking meat. Meat seeker. It's an app that allows you to find your local butcher shop. It's actually quite useful. Hot young butchers in your area. Looking for a slab of meat? Big or small.

Hot or cold. Where are we going on this? Good sponsorship. It's called Seeker. Okay. Is this what we learned? No, he's brought it up. Because there are like 9,000 texts about it.

We have so many texts coming in being like, can I learn more about Meat Seeker? I'm like, that's not it. Where do I download the Meat Seeker app? It's not Meat Seeker. We're meeting Seeker. Can I do what we learned? I don't know if there's an app called Meat Seeker. If there's not, you should start one because apparently a lot of people are interested in it. Didn't Zach

find a Meat Seeker app? You did. Yeah, it's a website for archery. What? Yeah, there's a bow and arrows. You can get a Meat for archery. What? Yeah, there's a bow and arrows. You can get a meat-seeker bow. Oh. So it's kind of like a play on the heat-seeker missile. That's actually in there about, yeah.

Right. Okay. And not anything else. Yeah, definitely not a meat arrow. You'd hope not. Can't be very aerodynamic. I didn't write the copy, dude. Don't look at me.

You interrupted me during the break. I did. This is all my fault. You started this with your meat-seeking. What I learned is there will be three Canadians on the President's Cup team. Mike Weir, the captain of the President's Cup team, and this tournament is going to be played in Montreal in just a few weeks' time. He picked three Canadians and he went with Taylor Pendrith, the Canadian who did

well and actually played in the tour championship. He went with Corey Connors, who deserves to be there as well. And then the one that was maybe a little bit of a surprise was he did go with Mackenzie Hughes. But I think the reason he went with Mackenzie Hughes is because Mackenzie Hughes has an unbelievable short game. So maybe the idea would be you have an all Canadian duo of either Taylor Pendrith with Mackenzie Hughes or Corey Connors with Mackenzie Hughes,

because those guys are great ball strikers, hit the ball a long way. and maybe if you have a team, you've got Mackenzie Hughes that can get up and down or make the putts, et cetera, et cetera. Where is the President's Cup being played? I just said it's being played at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, and that is in Montreal, Quebec, in the country of Canada. Oh, that Montreal.

And it will be from September 26th to the 29th. And the international team, 12 members, but three of them are Canadians. And including, not including, the captain, Mike Weir, who is Canadian. And they will be fairly heavy underdogs against an American team that will be led by Scotty Scheffler, who made approximately $600 million on tour last season. Did you know? And Xander Shoffley, who made slightly less than that.

Did you know that each President's Cup has an honorary chairman or chairwoman, a head of state or head of government? Yeah, it was like Stephen Harper was the guy for the last time it was in Canada, I think. Yep. Beloved. Yep.

Moo cow. Who is it this year? Do you even know? Well, wouldn't it? Does it have to be the head of state? Is it Trudeau? Well, I actually don't know. You're the one that brought this up.

It doesn't have the most reason. 2022 was Biden. 2017 was Trump. The last two times it was in the US. Oh, okay. And then before that, it was Obama. Right. It'll have to be Trudeau.

Yep. That'll go over well. And his pregame speech will be like, and we can do this together. Together. Together. Just together. Oh, the Trudeau 3000 is glitching together. Together. Together. Just move. Together. Oh, the Trudeau 3000 is glitching again.

Oh, no. Together. Oh, no. Together. You know what else is glitching? The Dunbar Lumber text message in basket. Okay, let's fire the dot matrix. Give me some fire plan.

Oh, my God. We're having a fire plan. Now, sometimes in the effort to encourage new texters and new listeners to the show, we have to make sure that we reward people that aren't signature listeners, right? You can't give every prize to Mike the Urologist from Brockville, right? Can't give everything to Tambo from East Van. People get angry. They're like, you guys are always siding with the people that text in all the time. So I am giving today's tickets to a first-time texter.

Long-time listener, but first-time texter. Ben, the painter nerd. And I know that Ben, the painter nerd, is a long-time listener because he texted in about yesterday's conversation about guitar. Okay. Okay. He writes, hashtag WWF. And the conversation yesterday was me asking the question, does anyone play the guitar anymore?

Is it still cool to be a guitarist? Right. So he said, hashtag WWO, what we learned. While I respect and love a lot of older classic rock that goes heavy through my rotation, yesterday was the first time in a long time I found myself shouting at the radio and actually turned it off for a little bit over the discussion of quote unquote, no good current guitar rock music. It's definitely out there with bands like, bands like Wolfgang Van Halen's band, Mammoth, and Greta Van Fleet. You just need to know where to look. Long time listener, first time texter, love the show, and I hope you gents

have a good day. Ben, the painter nerd. Are those guys big stars though? I mean, Greta Van Fleet is one a lot of people mentioned after the fact. I probably should have thought of them. I mean, they're very much like a Led Zeppelin. I mean, when I say Led Zeppelin, they are Led Zeppelin now. Like, they sound exactly like them,

due to just a Led Zeppelin ripoff, but a really good ripoff. They do a really good job of it. And, yeah, a lot of heavy guitar riffs with Greta Van Fleet. So that'd be a good pull for sure. Wolfgang Van Halen? I don't know them very well, so I can't comment. Well, it's a person. Oh, I don't know him very well.

It's the son. Really? Oh, is it Van Halen? I don't know them very well, so I can't comment. Well, it's a person. Oh, I don't know him very well. It's the son. Really? Oh, is it Van Halen's son? I thought it was just a cool band name. I mean, it sounded like they're Van Halen fans. You know what? I'm not going to lie. When I saw it for the first time, I thought the first thing was Van Halen.

Yeah, that would be a good band name. Like if it wasn't just a person, it was like an actual band that just sounded like Van Halen. It's the son of Valerie Bertinelli. Oh, yeah. You would assume he'd probably be a pretty good guitar player. And he also said Queens of Stone Age. They don't count. They've been around for 20 years.

They're not. I mean, I know they're still an active band, and they do have a lot of guitar riffs, but I don't count them just because they've been around for so long now. They play them on classic rock stations. Despite Ben yelling at the radio, I think my point stands. You are correct. Yes. The guitar is no longer this cool instrument.

Well, I don't know if I agree with you on that. That kids dream about playing and being a famous guitarist. How many kids dream about being a famous guitarist versus now dreaming about becoming a famous DJ? Or a rapper. Or a TikTok star or something. Yeah. You can be a TikTok star and be a famous DJ. Or a rapper. Or a TikTok star or something. Yeah. No, you know what?

Well, you can be a TikTok star and be a guitarist. Occasionally, I'll push back on these things, but I think he's, like, dead right. Like, you got to remember. It's no judgment. It's not judgment. It's not a judgment. I'm just wondering.

There were times where you would know who the greatest guitarist was, and it would be, like, you could just one name. Clapton,endrix yeah well that's the part i agree on yes there's less guitar rock these days towns and you know what i mean like yeah and that was considered the zenith of iconic rock guitar rock just isn't in right see i think this is a good point too current rock music like that however just emulates old rock and roll. Right. And I actually Googled, what is it, Greta Van Fleet? Yes.

Okay. And I'd heard of them. I didn't really know much about them. The first thing that came up was a Vanity Fair article saying, can this band link Generation Z or whatever it is with the boomers? Right. Well, why should it have to link it? I think a lot of kids that are just probably really into guitar rock

are probably just listening to the classic rock anyways. They're just going to the classics because that's the style that does it best. And it's not in the popular rock mainstream right now. So if you really want to seek out those artists, yeah, there's the Greta Van Fleet, sure. But they are few and far between. All the really great guitar rock bands, unfortunately, yeah, there's the Greta Van Fleet, sure, but they are few and far between. All the really great guitar rock bands, unfortunately, today

are old bands now. So you have to go back to the classics. But I disagree that the guitar isn't cool. I still think it's cool for kids to play, but you may be right in the fact that there are more kids now wanting to be different styles of musicians as opposed to these guitar guys. Yeah, because things evolve.

Yeah, they change. Right? That's the way it is. Quick update. Have we decided via the listeners who the bigger star is currently? I haven't even looked yet and I know it's Jack Black. I think it's about 50-50. No, it's Jack Black. Well, they're wrong then. All these people that are texting in these bands that I've never heard of are kind of proving my

point and they're saying like, look them up. You shouldn't have to look them up. You shouldn't have to look them up, right? No one would be texting in if this was, you know, I don't know, God, 50 years ago? It was like, Led Zeppelin, look them up. Got a lot of angry mail the next day. I've seen a couple people text in Brad Paisley

who you need no introduction to. You know Brad Paisley. I guess. I mean, they have a point. A lot of the big guitar riffy guys are of today are in the country realm

and even like country is weird because it's like pop right like it's like when I hear country music today it's like well it's just pop

I mean it's not like it's barely any twang to it anymore it's very that's a whole nother argument someone said check out Viagra Boys is that a band

you just got Dollywalled or is that yeah that's what I'm saying is that I mean check out Viagra Boys like Ruff and I or is there a band called the Viagra Boys. Is that a band? You just got Dolly Mold. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Does that mean check out Viagra Boys? Like, Ruff and I, or is there a band called the Viagra Boys? Oh, maybe there is. Don't worry. I've got a computer.

I'm looking it up. Shane and Abby, you are so wrong, Ruff. Ben is correct that there is a lot of excellent guitar rock bands. You just have to find it. I'm not doubting that there are some good. I'm just saying they're not the lead stars anymore. They're not the biggest bands in the world right now. Yeah.

Like you just have to find it. Yeah. Like the big stadium rock bands right now. Those six words that you put in have proven my point. You just have to find it. What, I have to go out in the middle of the night at three in the morning and find the good rock,

like the guitar bands. You know what I mean? Quick update. Viagra Boys are indeed a band. Nice. We did not get Dollywood. They're from Sweden. Oh.

Yeah. Excellent. All the accents can't be the same, Andy. They can't. General European accent. All right. We got to read some listening to what we learned here.

We already fired up everything, so we're good to go. Marcus and Gibson's What We Learned. I learned it's a national spend the night with your wife and partner day, the last day before NFL football starts.

We get an extra one this week. We get Thursday night, Friday night, Sunday, and Monday. Good job, NFL. We didn't monopolize the weekend. That's great.

I've seen a few things on Instagram where guys present their wives with like a letter. The two-week notice. The two-week notice, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Football's about to start. Yeah, that's fair. Those two week notice. The two week notice, right? The two week notice. Yeah, that's fair. That's pretty funny.

Woodrow, the eligible bachelor. Hashtag WWO, what we learned. You guys had a great interview with Rick Bonas. Thanks, Woodrow. Insightful, funny, and retrospective. Hockey won't be the same without Bonas. Yeah, well, it's almost 40 years in that Rick Bonas was behind an NHL bench.

It is going to, like, quite literally, hockey won't be the same. He's been omnipresent there forever. By the way, you mentioned this at the break. I didn't realize that him and John Cooper weren't, like, buddies. That was hilarious. I didn't know. What's your relationship, like, with John Cooper? He's like, we don't talk anymore.

I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. They coached together in Tampa. So why did you ask the question? Because they coached together in Tampa Bay. And then when they coached against each other in the Stanley Cup final, Cooper spoke glowingly about bonus. I just thought that they were good.

I mean, they worked together. They went to a Stanley Cup final together. And now Coop, obviously. I was enjoying that. You asked one question, and it was kind of a clanker. I was like, ugh. I'm sitting there like head down. Ralph's laughing.

I'm like, I only got one question in. And he was very formal about his answer. Gunner from Kelowna. I learned after being sick in bed for two days and having time to watch the Paralympics that those athletes are truly remarkable in dedication and talent. I was overwhelmed.

I will no longer complain about a tight hamstring. Yeah, the Paralympics are absolutely inspiring because I always think about their stories. Um, and they all have unique stories. Something bad happened. What did they do with that? You know, how did happened. What did they do with that? You know, how did they, how did they deal with that? And, um, you know, the end of the day, like a lot

of people just want to compete. They just want to compete. And you talk about Rick bonus, what, what he's going to miss the most in the game is the moment. And I was kind of jealous of him at that point, you know, that he got to experience those moments because that's what sports is all about.

It really is like, okay, do I have time for a rant here? I find a lot of sports talk and sports writing these days is about sports knowing. Like, I know these guys. I know their stats. I know the analytics. We watch sports, though, for the moment and the spectacle and to be part of that like right at

the center of it either you know as a player or as a coach on the bench you walk out rogers arena the towels are waving the spectacle the moment the pressure that's living don't you think yep like like people say well i you know pressure and that's why i Don't you think? Yep. Like, like people say, well, I, you know, pressure. And that's why I said, well,

you know, pressure is often seen as like a bad thing. Well, it shouldn't be. If you're in a pressure situation, as long as like your life isn't in jeopardy or anything like that, isn't that what you want? Isn't that truly living when you're embracing that pressure and going, man, there are some stakes here.

Just to pivot off this because it reminded me of something. And I always forget to mention. Reminded me of Meat Seeker. No, yeah. Weirdly enough. No, you were talking about the Paralympics. And we always talk about the best sports movies on this show and I always forget

to mention this one. Murder Ball. It's the story of the Canadian and US wheelchair rugby teams. It is an awesome movie.

Never mind sports movies. It is awesome. I saw it in the theater. What's the one on Fifth Ave Theater which has changed now. Yeah. And I remember seeing it there. I went back and saw it like a week later because it was so good uh the old what's the one uh on fifth fifth ab theater which has changed now yeah um and i

remember seeing it there i went back and saw it like a week later because it was so good and um it talks about what a lot you were talking about is it's like there's this inherent desire on all these guys to compete and then they found this sport where not only they could compete but they could ram into each other yeah yeah yeah so it an awesome movie. It's like 20 years old now. But I always forget when I'm talking about the best sports movies of all time, Murderball is like always at the top of list. So what you just said reminded me of it, and I wanted to get it out there. So I did that.

You know, our job, I see our job as promoting the moments and promoting the spectacles of sports. And, yeah, we'll talk once in a while about, does this fifth defenseman better than this fifth defenseman? But it's not really that interesting, right? No. It's not interesting to talk about. You're building up to certain moments in the season.

What are we building up to right now? We're building up to training camp and all the expectations that are going to be set at training camp for the Canucks. And then we build up for the start of the regular season. And then hopefully we'll build up for the playoffs again. And it's all those moments that matter in

sports and, you know, bringing it back to Rick Bonas, how many moments has he experienced where he's like, I'm going to miss the pressure of the big game. Yeah. What does that feel like to walk out onto the bench right before a big playoff game? And maybe you're in your office and you can hear the crowd chanting. You can hear it's a little louder today than it is during the regular season.

Those guys get to experience that. And that's something I'll always be jealous of. And I think that's why a lot of people love this stuff because they think about like, what would it be like? What would it be like to score a goal in the NHL and to be right at the center of 20,000 fans cheering as soon as you scored? What an incredible moment that would be. No wonder it's so hard for some of these guys to retire. Where else are you going to find that? Very well said, and that's it for today. The music's not playing, but I know by the clock that we've got to get out of here. It's been another fun day on the show. We've got two more days until the end of the week. Thank you all for joining us.

Thank you all for listening, and thanks for submitting your What We Learns. For now, though, we've got to say goodbye. Signing off, I have been Mike Halford. He's been Jason Brough. He's been A-Dog. He's been regular Zach. This has been the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.