Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Abbotsford Canucks Have Been Red Hot

Episode Date: January 30, 2025

In hour two, Mike & Jason chat with The Athletic NHL's Joshua Kloke (1:06) about changing post-game habits of professional hockey players, plus they speak with Abbotsford Canucks commentator Brandon Astle (28:27) about the team's 8-game win streak prior to last night's loss.  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.

Music 702 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday everybody. Halford Brough Sportsnet 650. Halford and 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 two of the program. Josh Cloak from The Athletic is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off hour two. Hour two is brought to you by Jason Hominuk from Jason.mortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit him online at Jason.mortgage. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio. Kintec, footwear and orthotics working

together with you in step. To the phone lines we go. Josh Cloak from The Athletic joins us now on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Morning Josh, how are you? Boys, how are we doing today? We are well. Thanks for taking the time to do this. We appreciate it. So both of us read this story last week in The Athletic. First off, very well done. Secondly, I just want to read the headline for everyone so they know what we're talking about here. In the NHL, boozing is out, edible cannabis and video games are in. So I ask you, Josh, what led you to decide to write this particular piece? Yeah, it's a great question and this is very, you know, how the sausage is made, but it was some point last season, we've been working on the story

for a long time, at some point last season. And you know how it goes, you go through Dry Spells, and I was having kind of a brainstorming, you know, session with one of my editors. And, you know, my editor knows me, you know, what I like to do, my skill set, he knows I like to have a good time. And he just said, Why don't you figure out what partying in the NHL looks like in 2024? And, you know, who would turn down that assignment, right? So all I started to do was starting, you know, asking players, what does it look like to you? And sometimes you kind of get lucky, sometimes it's strange. One of the very first players I asked just said, man, it barely happens anymore. And I said, why? And he just said, you got to look into weed gummies.

And the light bulb goes off. And it was interesting, the player estimated that around 40% of the league, and that's a rough estimate, but he said 40% of the league he estimated was taking weed gummies as a way to decompress and as a, I guess, a substitute for alcohol, you know, much in the way that I'm sure we all imagine hockey players in the 80s, 90s, whatever, you know, like to have beers on the bus, right? But that's not the case anymore. And sure enough, I would ask dozens of players and the number we came to was 38%. So one player kind of gave me a tip and that started about a year's worth of work.

And it was fascinating because I think in a way, and I'm sure we're gonna talk about this, it really, for NHL players, I think it was pretty clear that what they're going through mirrors what a lot of us just mere mortals in society are going through too, you know? What do you mean by that?

I just think that we all suffered after the pandemic and we all found it really difficult to socialize. And I think if you asked a lot of people, they would all say that we don to socialize. And I think if you asked a lot of people, they would all say that we don't socialize in the way we used to in 2019. I think as a society, and I'm no expert on this, but I think as a society, we're becoming a lot more withdrawn,

a lot more interested in spending time on our screens than we are with people. And that's where the video game aspect came in, that it's a lot more prevalent for young players in the NHL to bring their video game consoles on the road. So there's a little bit of that. And, you know, I think we're all aware of, you know, the effects of alcohol. And this isn't to say, you know, it's a bad thing, but we're all hyper aware of the effects of what certain foods and things do to our bodies in a way that maybe we weren't 20, 30 years ago. And I think NHL players

are even more aware of that. We know that the better care you take of your body, the longer life you're going to have. And I just think it was fascinating to me because I think, at least me, growing up, you think of NHL players as leading very different lives than we do. And through the reporting of this story with my talented colleague, Dan Robson, we kind of learned that in a lot of ways, like I said, they're a lot like us. Josh, did you happen to read an article in the Atlantic recently called the anti-social century? I got through about probably a few hundred words. I was reading it on my couch in an intermission of a game and then the game popped back on. So that's a very honest answer, but I started, I tried, I gave it the call, let's try. You should get back to it because I think it goes

into a lot of what you're saying about society and us kind of withdrawing. And it talks a lot about how good essentially the entertainment at home has become. So it's kind of like, well, why would I go to a movie? I got this great setup here. It talks about the ease of just picking up your

phone to be entertained. It talks about things ease of just picking up your phone to be entertained. It talks about things like how restaurants are way more reliant now on takeout and that sort of thing. Anyway, because I read that article and I read your article at the same time and I was thinking there's something going on here that's, you know, there's societal things that are happening in the NHL. And I'm not saying that it's necessarily a bad

thing that the guys are boozing less and partying less, but I do wonder from a team building perspective, in a team bonding perspective, if there's something being lost by these guys spending time alone. That's the balance. And a lot of veterans that we spoke to and a lot of, you know, whom were quoted in the story would

say that, um, they miss the way that the NHL was 10 years ago, right? And that doesn't mean they miss, you know, alcoholism or that kind of thing. What they miss is players getting together for large team dinners, players getting together more often on the road. I had a lot of players say that, you know, they

would kind of make deals with some younger guys, like I'll play video games with you tonight and then tomorrow you got to come out for dinner with us, right? So there's stuff like that for real, right? And it's like dad and son. It is, it is, but like, and so I think you're right. I think there is a definite feeling at least in the NHL veterans we spoke to that

something is missing and it's that quote unquote traditional team bonding. But what a lot of these veterans also told me is that, and something I didn't bring up earlier that I think is important to bring up at least with the edible cannabis is you know and and we're generalizing here but there's some truth to it 10 20 30 years ago in the NHL it was a lot easier for players to find you know very hard prescription sleep aids right and a lot of players we spoke to spoke of, you know, the dangers of that, whereas something like edible cannabis, depending on what you guys get, not you guys, but depending on what people get, it's a sleep aid, right? And I think a lot of

NHL players are more hyper aware of, you know, the anxiety that comes with playing in front of 20,000 people. I mean, I don't need to tell you guys, considering everything that's going on with Canucks, it wears on players, right? In a way that maybe it didn't in the past and sleep is vital to athletes. So to get a more natural sleep aid, and I don't mean to sound like a doctor here, but I think that matters to players. That was my understanding is that that's a big

reason of why they're going that route. And if that means you miss out on the team dinner because you want to get a really good night's sleep, then that's kind of the by-product, right? There was a quote from Mitch Marner that really struck me and he was talking about what he likes to do at night, I guess. And he said, usually I like to get home to my dog,

chill for a little bit and then go downstairs and just kind of black out in my own world. And I thought, me too, buddy. Yeah. That sounds like an amazing plan, but I also know that when I spend too much time by myself, it's not a good thing for me. It's kind of what I want to do. But I also know that when I spend too much time by myself, it's not a good thing for me. It's kind of what I want to do, but I also know that it's not a good thing for me. But I get it from the perspective of these players, especially if they haven't been disciplined enough to not be on social media, not see what people are talking about. And I wonder how much of this is like a coping

mechanism for all the pressures that they're dealing with, not only playing in front of 20,000 people, but I mean, we're talking about Mitch Marner and if Mitch Marner goes onto Twitter or X and he just puts his name in there, he can just scroll forever and some of it won't be good. I think a lot of it won't be good. Again, you guys know, I think a lot of it won't be good.

Right? Like I, again, like you guys know, like, like you think about what's going on, you'll get some of these Canucks, um, and some of these leads now talking about the teams that they're on. Um, and the experiences they're having, you get them talking 10, 20 years from now, you give them true serum, I would almost guarantee they would say this was the most stressful point in their lives

and stress that they probably don't feel they deserve. Right? Like how many other industries have people talking about their days at work on the radio? And it's great. Like it's part of what we all do and we love it. But I can't imagine the pressures that Mitch Marner endures. And if, you know, video games in his basement is a way to decompress instead of, you know, going out on King West here in Toronto and maybe getting into trouble in a way that, you know, leafs of the past might have. And people filming it. Right.

And like, I don't think we're coming back from this either. Like, I don't think it's going to swing the other way. There's just, and this is something that a lot of players told me as well, there's just too much money involved and too much money at stake for NHL players now. You know, like look at what the contracts are compared to what they were in the 70s and the 80s. Right? You can't, one bad game can cost a lot of players their spot in the lineup. So if the options are going home and playing video games to decompress or going out and having X amount of drinks and then feeling like garbage the next day, they're going to pick the former because they know that there's too many good players on their heels, lineup spots aren't guaranteed, the game is growing, there's more and better players.

Like I'll give you guys an example. Yesterday, you know, I know the Leafs are coming to Vancouver next week and I was talking to Fraser Minton, right? Who's a Vancouver born kid about this. And I was just talking to him about growing up in Vancouver and he just said as a Bantam age kid, so what's that a teenager, right? What's a Bantam age kid? He said if you're not playing in like a prep school, academy type setting as a 14 year old, he said you're dead, right? You're not gonna play elsewhere. And I thought, wow, for a 14 year old to to to be aware of that, that's a lot and those pressures only get exacerbated year after year. So, you know, if you're aware of 14 that if I don't make this

school, like I'm not going to have a career, think about like how you're feeling at 23 when you're like, if I don't have a good game in my 12 minutes, someone from the HL is going to take my spot. This is what they sign up for. They know it, but however they want to cope, I think fair play to them, right? I'm glad you brought that point up because I was, I, what's the phrase I was trying to toy around is like generational delineation. Like, was there a certain like marking point of, because this is a generational thing, right? You allude to a comment from Nate Schmidt, who's still an active NHLer talking about when he broke in,

it wasn't like this. So there's an obviously marking point in the generations where everything shifted as opposed to the decades prior where it was a rite of passage, the boozy nights and team bonding, right? Did you get a real sense or did you figure out like when the shift happened because it definitely happened on our watch I don't I'm gonna assume like there's two things here I mean that the COVID that was a turning point right but

that's only a few years ago so but there's one and like I'm kind of guessing here, but like, I think when the salary cap comes in, and it becomes like jobs and money become a lot more limited, right? And there's just a structure around kind of money and in the NHL in a way that there might not have been, I think maybe that was a point, like, it's easy to say, to say the 2000s, but yeah, a lot of the players I spoke to that were like, it ain't like it used to be, right? Old man yells at cloud. Those were guys that had played, I would say, in the 2000s, right? I didn't really talk

to any players that began after 2010 that would say, oh yeah, it ain't like it used to be. That was kind of the point. So yeah, like I think again, like I get it. Like I see it, you know, I got a six-year-old and he lives on his screen. And as much as we can try and limit screen time, like, you know, first thing in the morning, he's like, Vic, Dad, can I watch the least highlights from last night? Right. And you know, in a way that, and you pull out the laptop and he's like, Dad, can I watch the Leafs highlights from last night? Right? And you know, in a way that and you pull out the laptop and it's just kids are just so much more in tune digitally. And I think there was a quote that got in the story as well from Matthew Dice, who's in his second year with the Leafs. And he just said, it's so much easier to live a digital life than a real one. I'm paraphrasing, but like, that's the way that the kids think.

So for them to kind of, for a young player to say, after the game, I want to go play video games against my teammates. That's their form of socializing, right? That's normal to them. I don't know how you, how old you guys are, but it's normal to them in a way that, that probably wasn't normal to us in high school or whatever right? Yeah no I agree I know we got to let you go you're up against it for time I highly recommend everyone listening to check out the article in the NHL boozing is out edible cannabis

and video games are in Josh this was great thanks for taking the time to do this we really appreciate it. Anytime boys take care. Yeah you too thanks that's Josh Cloak from the athletic NHL writer here on the Halifax and the Bref Show on Sportsnet 650. So that article I was referencing in the Atlantic, like there has been a trend in North America that goes well beyond the internet. And have you seen on Netflix, I mean, I'm sure you haven't watched this because it's not really a

sports documentary, but there's a documentary out there called Join or Die. No. And it's not, of course you haven't seen it. No. But maybe some of the listeners have, and it's basically about the decline of civic engagement in our society, and this goes way back to a guy by the name of Andrew Putnam who was a professor

who wrote a book called Bowling Alone. And essentially the story was back in the 50s after the war a lot of people bowled, it was a lot of bowling leagues and then he noticed this like decline in bowling leagues and bowling participation. And then he was like, well, is this just about bowling or is this about something bigger?

And then he noticed a decline and you remember those like, you know how you'd hear about like, I was a member of the Elks. Yes. You know, like those sorts of clubs, those fraternal clubs. Social clubs. Yeah, social clubs. Well, not like the social clubs in the mafia or anything,

but just like clubs, like- Social groups. Fraternities for people. And then there were, you know, all sorts of book clubs and just clubs. There were a lot of clubs. Things designed forities for people. And then there were all sorts of book clubs and just clubs. There were a lot of clubs. Things designed for groups of people to hang out together. Yes, because there wasn't TV.

Right. I don't know, seriously. No, I know. And you're a big, you've read David Foster Wallace and his theory was that like TV, and this was back in the 90s, his theory was that TV TV, and this was back in the nineties, his theory was that TV was going to get so good and so targeted at what people want

that we are going to become slaves to TV. Now he passed away, but he would probably not be surprised to see what's happened to society and that entertainment has essentially become so good that a lot of the times we're just like, give me my phone and leave me alone. Well, the one thing that I, I know the writings that he had, he was more talking about the content

on the screen or the device. I don't think what anyone saw coming was how rapidly the technology was going to advance. Because TV now, if you talk to a lot of clinical behavioral theorists or people that work with children, TV is actually like a pro. I know, if they can sit down and watch one show, it's great.

Right, it's like, this is incredible. I know, kids are like, TV is so boring now. Yeah, so there's no interaction with it's very passive, but your original point is Very much astute, especially when we're talking about this With and you're talking about the draw for the individual athletes to Do things almost in isolation, right? It's funny because I had a conversation with Paul Dolan actually, former Canadian men's national team goalie for soccer, played with Vancouver 86ers, still involved with the game. And we were going back and forth about this exact thing. He was talking about it in the context of like what the Canadian men's national team, that team that went

on that sort of storybook run and qualified for the World Cup. Yeah. And say what you will about John Herbman in the aftermath. And I know there's a lot of dark marks on his resume now, but one of the things that he was really good at was building team chemistry and team camaraderie. Now, did that happen by playing video games and getting high drones? No, no, he, he was very much a motivator first. And then like sort of like a soccer coach and a tactician second.

But what we, and then we kind of came to the realization like it's a lot more difficult for the modern coach to do and has to do those things because back in the day you would be like, I don't need to worry about the boys getting together cause that's what they're gonna do after the game. The guys are gonna go and they're gonna go out for the dinners and they're gonna go out for drinks

and they're gonna go out for beers. And that was bonding. And bonding was taken care of, right? Team building, team camaraderie, team chemistry was taken care of. You would often hear, you know, coaches say like, if two guys had a problem in the room, the best way to solve it was for them to go out and have a bunch of beers together.

Yeah. Easiest way to do it. Get wacky. Right. And you know who doesn't have to deal with it at that point? The head coach, the general manager, and the president of Hockey Ops. Intern Ryan, what do you think about this conversation between these two old guys pining for the old days when the guys would go out for beers? Do you think we're just old and we don't get it?

No, I, I a hundred percent agree. I think that's like, I mean, people, people aren't going out as much, definitely like you guys were saying. And honestly about the TV conversation as well, like people don't have the attention span for TV anymore. Everything is so fast paced.

No one has the attention span to just sit there and like, like, I don't know, I have three nieces and they don't even watch TV. for TV anymore. Everything is so fast paced. No one has the attention span to just sit there and like, I don't know, I have three nieces and they don't even watch TV. It's like TikTok and YouTube shorts and reels and that attention span is just not there anymore. But I'm all for going for drinks and chatting it out. I don't know if that's like, the girls love doing that. I do, my friends do, but yeah, like.

Why aren't people going out as much? Well, people are entertained by sitting in their bed scrolling on social media. You can get that serotonin boost and feel like you're talking to people when you're on social media. People are doing these videos, talking to their cameras, it's so engaging that people don't even need to leave their house. Do you talk about this with your friends or is this, or are people just like, yeah, that's just the way we are and we don't see anything wrong with it? I mean, I think I don't really talk about it

with my friends. Like I said, I love going out with my friends. I can chat all day. But yeah, I think there's definitely an issue and it's just so normalized now. It's hard to be self-aware when it's super normal. When it's like. 100%.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. You don't look internally when it feels normal and it looks normal and it sounds normal. It's like, why would I try and analyze this behavior? It's interesting. A lot of people texting in that it's too expensive to go out now. Yeah.

Yeah, there's a dog. Yeah, for sure. My wife and I have a joke. For sure, that's part of it. Anytime we leave the house, it costs $100. That's what she said. And you're kind of like, well, we could just watch Netflix, which we've already paid for. And that seems easy.

Or scrolling our phones, which we've already paid for it. There's no additional cost to there. Sure. I find it fascinating though, because, um, you know, I think from a team building perspective, it's, it's, there are challenges, there are challenges. I really do believe in face to face getting to know each other.

And I realize you can have conversations with your friends while you're playing video games. I don't quite think it's the same thing. Because it's not. But if I was a team, you know, I think they do need to get creative in, you know, bringing the guys together as a group. Well, that's what I was talking about when I was going back and forth with Dolan.

Yeah, yeah. One of the things. I had this conversation, by the way, with the UBC golf coach who was saying like Chris McDonald, and he was saying like, I have to push the, like, why don't you go out? Yeah. Why don't you go out and have some fun?

It's added another like necessary element to coaching that a previous generation of coaches didn't have to deal with, because it used to be there was that divide and understanding like the coach coached and the players played. And then you almost didn't want to have the coach, I guess, embroiled in that element because it was your thing. And now it's really changed and it creates a lot more, quite frankly, headaches for coaches on top of everything else.

Now I have to try and be the motivator to go and hang out outside of this sport. I hope this didn't come across as lecturing to anyone who was younger and listening. I think young people have a ton of stuff to deal with. Like I think they get in a lot of ways, a real raw deal. Um, it's super expensive out there. Um, education is more expensive now. Like I came out of university with no student debt and people that that's changed.

Now we're becoming more like the United States in terms of students piling up student debt. Um, obviously living expenses are way through the roof. Good luck buying a house. And I think I would not want to have dealt with social media and texting and, uh, smartphones when I was in high school.

Let's just put it that way. Yeah. The main thing I took away from the cloak piece is I think the Conuck should be. One night I had out, I did not want that on video. There are no pictures of it and I like it that way. The main thing I took away from the cloak piece is I think the Canucks should do a team outing where it's just weed gummies and they fly drones for a day. You may be a head coach in the making, Andy. Bring everyone together.

Okay, so let's be adults here, right? Must we? Um, I love weed gummies, right? But when I take a weed gummy, leave me by myself. I want to watch TV, I want to watch a movie, I want to be my, by myself. It is not for me a social drug. It was kind of the thing that Josh was getting at in the piece, right? Well yeah,, exactly. There was a distinct juxtaposition between booze, social, cannabis, internalized, sit there and think. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love to drink by myself. But it's more of a social thing. The old guy's like, let's go out and party.

The young guy's like, I just want to go to sleep and play some video games. He mostly wants to do all these things on his own, which is interesting. Honestly, this one I really like. Well, there is that draw. And I actually have to tell myself You may think and this was the crux of the the article in the Atlantic by the way You may think you want to be alone you may think oh, I need some time to decompress, but actually You should try and fight that urge and go out and hang out with other people

It's a good it's not me lecturing, that was the crux of the art. I love being alone, it's awesome. Yeah, and you're thriving, aren't you buddy? I'm playing video games. You're thriving, I am. I am, I am very happy. You're a Viking. Yeah, yeah, that's why I'm a Viking.

All right, we gotta go to break. When we come back, we're gonna go out to Abbotsford. Brandon Astle, play-by-play voice of the Abbotsford Canucks is gonna join us. In classic Halbrow fashion, we got ahold of them while they were on an eight game winning streak. And then that eight game winning streak ended last night with a loss in Coachella Valley. Still though, a great run for the Abbotsford Canucks as they vaulted back into a playoff spot in the division. We will talk to Brandon Astle coming up next on the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet

650. Hey, it's Mick Nazar. Have your say and join me on the People's Show with big takes and even bigger bets, weekdays three to four on Sports Night 650. Halpern Bruff 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 two of the program. Brandon Astle, the play-by-play voice of the Abbotsford Canucks is going to join us in just a moment here. Hour two of this program is brought to you by Jason Hominuk from Jason.mortgage.

If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit him online at Jason.mortgage. We're gonna see Jason later today. We're doing a commercial shoot today. You have to put on our fancy clothes. Are you gonna wear a hat? I don't know. Okay. People don't think I have hair. Are you gonna wear a hat? I bet I don't know Okay, people don't get shouldn't people don't think I won't people don't think I have hair you You wear this every once in a while. I see you without a hat on it's very disconcerting. I was I I suffered the same

Situation people were like I only see Jason in a hat and then he took his hat off and I was surprised He wasn't bald a bald guy got mad at me me actually. Oh, it was a Costanza? It was like, live, damn it. Yeah, because I've got like a lot of hair and it's thick and it's, dare I say, luscious. But the guy was like, what are you doing? What are you doing? I had no answer for him.

I just let it. You're lazy. I'm lazy, yeah. Well, it's early in the morning. Yeah, but it's often. Yeah, it's also in the afternoon. Hell, if the show was on at six o'clock at night, I'd still be wearing a hat. Anyway, to the phone lines we go. Hell, if the show was on at six o'clock at night, I'd still be wearing a hat.

Anyway, to the phone lines we go. Brandon Astle joins us now on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Brandon, how are you? You know what, boys? I got a bit of a bone to pick with you guys. Uh-oh. Yesterday, before the Abbey Canucks game,

a dog asked me to come on the show and I thought about saying no for the betterment of the Abbey Canucks. They're on this winning streak.'t want to mess around and sure enough I said yes, and we know what happened the a.k.a. winning tree comes to an end last night So I partly blame you boys. You should fully blame us the Haliford and Brev Jinx is alive and well I you know what I'll even acknowledge this on the air After the second period when the Habsburg Cox were up 2-1 I sent a text to the group

I'm like the vibes are strong for tomorrow show the Canucks have their winning streak and Abbotsford has their winning streak and then it was a 5-2 loss to Koachov Alley So before we get in that was a huge jinx. I'm sorry. I'm acknowledging it publicly I will take the scorn from the listeners and from Brandon You know what? Daniel Sprong heard about your text and he's like I'm taking over this game He had a goal and a sift and like less than a minute in the third period in the listeners and from Brandon. You know what? Daniel Sprong heard about your techs and he's like, I'm taking over this game. He had a goal and assistant like less than a minute

in the third period in the rest of his history. Okay. Yeah. So, so walk us through really quickly. The bad from last night and then we'll get into the good from the eight game winning streak. What happened last night in Coachella Valley? Yeah. Like you mentioned, it was looking strong after 40 minutes. They had a two one lead. They just got a late goal in the second to go up by one. And then the third period began. And then, yeah, Daniel Sprung showed up. He set up a nice goal,

then scored a nice one less than a minute later. And they just kind of found their mojo. Coach Ella Valley did, and Abbotsford is kind of spinning their wheels and couldn't really get back in the game. They put another one in to make it 5 to two, which we haven't really seen during the eight game winning streak. Um, Abbotsford was really putting opponents away in the third period, but give credit to Coachella Valley, they've been to the Calderco finals back to back years, they're such a good team and really took over in that final 20.

Okay. Well forget about last night. I mean, that's on us. All right. Yeah. It doesn't matter. What was the key to the team putting together the winning streak that proceededed last night?

You know what, Bruv, I think they really found their identity. Like this is a pretty young team and if you guys want to feel old, the oldest player on the atmosphere, Canucks is 30. Um, usually that was the average age in the AHL not too long ago. So it's a really young man's game now.

And it sometimes it takes a little bit to, to get used to the systems and coach Malhotra who's in his first year has game now and it sometimes it takes a little bit to to get used to the systems and coach malhotra who's in his first years come in and it's done such a great job he's been very patient and has been preaching to the guys just to like stick with the systems the process he's very process driven in abitsford he doesn't care after what obviously he cares after a win or a loss but it's always the same message of sticking to that process, working hard in practice and the big picture will shine. And that's what we've seen over these last eight weeks. They've really found their identity, which is a team that's going to work you play with

some pace, make things difficult to score against. And they also found that killer instinct. Like I said, we're not talking about last night, but during the wind streak, they were a team that they were stepping on the opponent's throw, even if they're up two during the win streak, um, they were a team that they were stepping on the opponent's throat. Even if they're up two, one, uh, three, one, they were trying to put the game away early. And in fact, going into last night, they were outscoring opponents 12 to six in the third period during the eight game winning streak. So last night was a bit surprising to see, but that happens. Like I said, they're relatively young group and they're missing some key players right

now with, with Carlson, Rod,atu and Pederson in the big club. But every other team is going to the same thing. They're not going to use that as an excuse and hopefully they can take some momentum that they got from the 8-game win streak and then apply it against a very good Calgary team tomorrow. Tell us about the Autu-Ratu's game that got him called up to the Canucks. Ratu was a healthy scratch last night in Nashville, but he did get the call up. Yeah, I'm interested to see how this recall goes for him because he got a run at games as we all know in Vancouver earlier this year. Shilled some pretty good flashes of what he

can be and then got sent down to Abbotsford to work on his overall game. What I like to look at right away when a guy gets sent down is how they manage that. Obviously, it's emotional. How do they take the news? Do they work hard? Do they mope? And Rod too has just been excellent. He's a kid that's got such a good attitude and he's obviously putting up great numbers like before getting called up.

He had 13 points over seven games. He was the age I'll play her the week a few weeks ago, but I, I look at his overall game and what will make him successful at the next level. And that comes down to how locked in is he when it comes to taking care of his own end. He's a very smart player. How was he looking in the faceoff dot penalty kill. And so far over these last few weeks, at least a lot of check marks in all those areas. And I think he's, he's come to the realization of what he needs to be to become a full-time

NHL or, and that's right now, at least to make the to be to become a full-time NHLer. And that right now, at least, to make the NHL club as a full-timer, is to be a reliable bottom six center. Does he have a higher ceiling than that? I think he does. He's really skilled, can make plays, and has the numbers to back that up in the AHL, operating at a point per game, which is really hard to do in this league. But it's just a matter of transferring that consistently into the NHL, which is the toughest thing to do for a young player.

So many have tried, but have been unsuccessful. It's just a matter of finding that confidence early. And I mean, he's got a head coach at Abbotsford, Manny Malhotra, who really carved out a great career being a reliable centerman, tough to play against, great in the faceoff, so I know that he's been bending his ear a lot and getting some advice and it's definitely been paying off. Um, is skating still his biggest challenge? Knowing that he worked on his skating a lot and he even said he had some aha moments and, uh, you know, it

improved over the off season, but is he still, is that still the, the area of his game that you look at and go, that's going to be what's going to limit him if there's anything. I think that's fair. But like you said, he has improved, but I guess when you're at his age, like he's 22 now, how much more can you improve your skating? Obviously there's little things he can work on,

whether it's like stop and starts or acceleration to the neutral zone, but there definitely has been a solid improvement. But the way that he can kind of combat that is the way he thinks the game and can put himself in in in different spots on the ice that can make him successful. Like he's not going to win every foot race. But if he can put himself in certain areas and using body position and using

his brain to get him quicker to the park or getting closer, trying to bang home a rebound or something like that. Obviously, that's that's something that'll help him get to the next level. So I'll mention it to see like, can he add another gear to his stride or change anything up? I'm not sure. Like they said, you kind of are what you are at this age. Remember, Bo Horvat wasn't the quickest guy and then all of a sudden, in a couple years, found an extra gear.

So maybe that can happen to him. But at the end of the day, this is still a relatively younger player that's still working on his overall game. And hopefully he can put it all together here during this newest call up. Hey, is Jonathan Leckermacky okay? I think so. The good news is that he was able to skate off under his own power a few nights ago.

Haven't gotten a hard update on what the time line is gonna be, hopefully we get that tomorrow. But when you see that play, you kind of gasp just because of the impact you hear against the boards. I mean, it didn't look good, but it was great to see him at least go off the ice on his own. And it was pretty late in the game,

so he wasn't gonna to come back anyway. And then obviously didn't play yesterday. So hopefully they're just kind of being on the cautious side and can get back. If not this weekend, but next weekend in Calgary for the listeners that didn't see it, what happened? So he was just like coming close, cutting towards the crease in his own zone. And it looked like he caught another player on Tucson who like hit his skate and then he was kind of by the goal line when that happened and just kind of launched himself

into the end boards and looked very awkward to say the least and like I mentioned the sound you heard he kind of was like oh boy get up get up get up and you realize who it is and you're just kind of just holding your breath and and was kind of scary to see. But like I said, he was able to skate off under his own power and was definitely in some pain. And we'll see what the timeline looks like. So who is another guy that we should be asking you about who is making an impact down there or maybe,

I don't know, you can go house of negativity and struggling a little bit. You choose. We'll go positivity. One guy that just continues to wow me is Ty Mueller. This is a guy that was drafted in the fourth round in 2023, um, was at Nebraska Omaha, uh, came out of there last year, joined the Abbotsford Canucks as like a black ace during these stages of the regular season and the

playoffs, he didn't play a game, but he was into the overall pro environment, got a taste of what it's like. One of the off season knew what to work on and what to expect when coming back to Abbotsford in September. And this is a guy that just like, hasn't really hit the rookie wall yet. He kind of reminds me of Max Sass in that regard. He's just waiting for him to be like a healthy scratch here or there, but that just hasn't happened. And he's just a guy that is a complete 200 foot player. And at such a young age, someone to see someone take this much pride and in their own zone, he's reliable in the face off dot and he penalty kills. He's on the first line power play.

He kind of reminds me of a PSUder a little bit, just someone he can toss in on any line he can play left wing on the fourth line, right wing on the third line, first line center. He has literally done it all this year. And Manny Malhotra has just been raving about what tie ranks the table. And it starts in his own end. He takes care of his own end of the rink before heading down and trying to create some offense. He's skilled. He's got a great shot. I just think that this kid's got NHL potential written all over him.

And just before a few weeks ago, he was leading the team in scoring, just kind of like out of nowhere. Then unfortunately got hurt, missed a couple of games, but he's back now and has seven points over his last seven games. So circle that name down, Ty Mueller. I think he's got a bright future. We're speaking to Abbotsford Canucks play by play man, Brandon Astle here on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650.

If you look at the scoring leaderboard in Abbotsford right now, two guys tied for the goal scoring lead, Jonathan Leckermacky, no surprise there, Danila Klimovic tied both on 14 goals. He's always been a very interesting, polarized and intriguing prospect. The good, he's got 14 goals, the bad, he's only got four assists.

I feel like a lot of those goals came early in the season too. Yeah, so walk us through what Kliemovich's season has been like. Yeah, hot and cold, I would say is fair. He got off to a hot start, like you said, was leading the team in scoring for quite a while there and then suffered a bit of a dip. In early December, I would say, got back in the lineup, but just before Christmas scored a couple of goals, went through a little bit of a dip again. And now he's, he's hot.

He's got three goals over the last two games. And I would say taking advantage of the opportunity with guys like raw two and Sasson and Carlson up with a big club. He's getting some more minutes in the top six on the power play. He plays, plays the point. He's got such a weapon of a shot. I mean, his one-timers is ridiculous. He doesn't need a lot of time and space or even a lot of space over

the goalie shoulder to put it in. He's a natural goal scorer. That's his best asset for sure. Guys are trying to get on the puck on a consistent basis, but at the end of the day, he's someone that's always looking to work on his overall game. We saw it for the last few years. There's been inconsistency in that area, just working on playing his own end, but it seems like it's getting better. And like I mentioned with Rahtoo learning from someone like Manny Mahotra,

same deal with Danila. You can learn from his head coach and figure out how to win board battles, break in out of his own end, because that you need to add that part to his game on a more consistent basis if he's going to get a look in the NHL because the skills there, there's no question about it. A couple years ago, he had the most even strength goals on the Abbotsford Canucks. Last year was one to forget for sure was in and out of the lineup was injured a bit. And this year, I'll give him full credit, he's come back looking like a new, um, hopefully he can get to the 20 goal mark this year. It looks like he's on pace to do that. And, uh, we'll see where he takes it from there. Hey, let's talk about the goaltending situation. Um, how does Tolopila look?

But I think probably more importantly, has Archer Silov's kind of stopped the bleeding. Yes, I believe he has. He's on a four game personal winning streak has looked very good over these these these last couple weeks. Obviously, the team success has something to do that as well. He had a 42 save performance a couple weeks ago against Ontario was a first star and you can start to see the smile coming back on his face after that one.

But the thing about Artie, he's someone that's going to be even keel. You wouldn't know if things are going well or not. He's someone that just brings a good attitude to the rink every day, kind of keeps to himself, not going to say a whole lot. And we obviously know like the talents there. There's no question about it. Still a young guy that's putting the work in in Abbotsford with Justin Pogge, his goaltending coach. And if there's another opportunity to go up there I think that he's going to take the ball and run with it. And in terms of Tola Pilo, had a tough loss last night, played very well through two periods. Yesterday wasn't his fault, no question

about that, but he was also playing well during during the winning streak. Him and she lost are pretty much just been alternating starts. And when it comes to Tola Pilo, obviously the thing that stands out at this frame is a very big man at six foot six and 230 pounds. And on top of that, it is very athletic. I love what's in store for his future. Just a matter of putting some more time in, uh, in Abbotsford and working with Justin Pogge and who knows where that can take them.

And you got a taste of the NHL life last year in the playoffs when he went up and I know he wants to get back there quickly. Hey, how's Eric Brandstrom been? He's been awesome. He's gotten a point in every game so far. He had a goal last night. Obviously, we know that the offense is always gonna be there

with a guy like him. It just comes down to how he plays in his own end. And he knows that, talking to him a few weeks ago, told me that he's in the film room a lot and in practice working on the defensive side of the game. He's getting a lot of minutes, which is great, and put in some high-tent situations. And hopefully that we can see some improvement in that area

because obviously what stands out is just the way he operates at the puck. He's almost like a rover out there at times but he's got to, I guess, maybe pick a spot a bit more when to jump up or go deep in the corner in the offensive zone and maybe who knows what happens here over the next few months and works on that part of his game and gets confidence and can get back to the NHL because he's definitely got the high end skill that can keep him there. But at the end of the day, you got to, you got to play at both ends and that's something he's still working on right now.

The Abbotsford Canucks are back in action this weekend at home in Abbotsford. It's a Friday, Saturday back to back against the Calgary Wranglers. Hey, Brandon, thanks for doing this today, man. We really appreciate it. Enjoy the weekend. Have a good call. We'll do this again soon. I will. Thanks boys do this again soon. I will, thanks boys, always a pleasure. Thank you. Brandon Astle, play by play voice of the Abbotsford Canucks

here on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. I was having some fun with the texter. Oh no. Wow. Oh no. Do you think there will ever be a day that we won't get a question during an interview like that from one of the listeners saying,

how's Jet Wu doing? Ask him about Jet Wu. Oh, okay, I thought we were on a totally different. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. And I was like, we can't keep doing this. Jet Wu is on, Jet Wu is- 24 years old, it's very, very unlikely that he's on a pairing. It's gonna happen for him.

He's on a pairing with Eric Brinstrom right now. Good. Yep. I'm kinda with you. I think people have. Prove me wrong. Jet woo. It was high. It was a fairly high draft capital they used on him.

Oh yeah. A 37th overall pick. Taking one spot behind him was Alexander Romanov. Yeah. And there was talk that he might be part of the team, Canada world juniors team, but it never, never really happened. Why?

Um, again, back when I used to chase stories, when I was a dedicated, dedicated capital J journalist. Chase stories. Uh, I remember talking to Tim Hunter, who is his coach in Moose Jaw. Is that right? That sound familiar?

I don't know. You wrote the story. Yeah. It was a long time ago though. And I drink a lot. Um, no, it was his Moose Jaw. Yeah. Yeah.

Anyway, um, Hunter was also responsible for one of the junior teams that Jetwoo was trying out on. And all I remember from the interview was I was asking him every leading question to try and get him to say something enthusiastic about Jetwoo's chances of making the team. He did not bite. I was like, okay.

All right. Well, this kind of paints a not rosy picture. Um, yeah, people want it to happen. I honestly, your next question was talk about your nose. Yeah, let's just talk about something totally different. Look, at this stage of the game, given how many players have been recalled from Abbotsford this year, it's probably like if you're a glass half full guy down there, you're like, hey, everyone's getting their shot this year.

It has been a really overwhelming amount of guys that have come up and played games Yeah 24 right though. They'd probably rather look at kudriatsa or you know, Elias petterson Who's right right now the glass half empty as well There's this many guys that have gotten a bite at the Apple and I haven't got my bite What does that say, you know, and that's kind of where we're at I mean who's played games on the blue line right now for the Canucks that have been called up?

Friedman's got games, Breesbois got games, Pedersen's got games. I mean, you got to be pretty far down the pecking or Branstrom obviously who played a bunch and now he's in Abbotsford. So there's a, I wouldn't call it a log jam, but it's hard to look at it any other way if you're that far down the pecking order.

Okay. Thomas Drance is going to join us next and we'll talk about all the drama surrounding the Canucks as well as last night's victory over the Nashville Predators. The Predators, it was their third straight win and they're back into a playoff spot, though, you know, with Drantz coming up, we have to

mention not by points percentage. Calgary still has the Canucks by one point, I think in points percentage. Um, get your, what we learned into the Dunbar lumber text line. There is no shortage of stuff to discuss with you. Uh, we'll read your, what we learned in the final segment of Halford and Ruff on Sportsnet 650.

Uh, before we go to break, I need to tell you about our big football party at the Clayton Public House, of course, hosted by Sportsnet 650. Visit theclaytonpub.com for reservations and more. Clayton Public House, good food, good people, good times.