Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Best of Halford and Brough 10/09/25

Episode Date: October 9, 2025

Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports, they discuss the Blue Jays knocking off the Yankees to secure a spot at the ALCS for the first time since 2016, they hear from 'Nucks president Jim Rutherford on the start of another year of Canucks hockey and what to expect, plus the boys set up tonight's season opener versus the Flames with television commentator John Shorthouse. This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to Halford and Brough. Jeff Hoffman strikes out Cody Bellinger, and the Blue Jays have done it. They have knocked off the New York Yankee. He's... Yeah, can lose. Start spreading the news. We're going to be fired up.

We're ready to go. I don't get to go. Let's go. Yeah, let's go, Canada. Oh, my freaking ears. Good morning, Vancouver, 6-1 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody. It's Halford.

It is rough. It is Sportsnet 650. We are coming you live from the Kintech Studios and beautiful Fairview Slopes in Vancouver. Jason, good morning. Good morning. Hey, dog, good morning to you. Good morning. Laddie, good morning to you as well.

Hello, hello. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Score a debt freedom hat trick. One, no more interest, two, much lower payments, and three, financial peace of mind. Visit them online at sands dash trustee.com. We are in hour one of the program. Hour one is brought to you by North Star Metal Recycling. Vancouver's premier metal recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal.

North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle. You get paid. Visit the Middle 17th, Pall Street in Vancouver. We are coming to you live from the Kintex, studio Kintech, footwear and orthotics working together with you in step. It just keeps rolling here at the Halford and Brough show on SportsNet 650. Another great sports night last night. Another great sports night on the horizon for tonight.

Yeah, we're more of a baseball show now. More of a baseball show. Yeah. Do the Canucks play tonight? They do. First game of the season. Last night was like flames and oilers, leaps and habs. And it was like, yeah, yeah.

By the way, the night games last. night after the baseball in the national hockey league what a great great dessert if you will if it was a meal of sports the two games last night flames never doubt the flames never doubt those plucky calgary flames and vegas and l.A put on a show too there's so much happening in the world of sports right now we got a million things we got to get into first hour of the show it's all uninterrupted halford and brough going to spend a lot of time and congratulations to the Toronto Blue Jays, and super fan Greg Laddie Ballick. Going to the ALCS for the first time in nine years.

Greg, congratulations. Yeah, this is basically the furthest they've gotten next to 2015, I think it was, that they've gotten this far in my fandom life because I don't remember 92, 93. I'm happy for you. I'm happy for you as well. You put the grind in, you put in the work, the blood, the sweat, the tears. You did it all. It's all me, really.

Later to the ALCS, did you tape up the room yesterday and throw some champagne around? I cannot believe how many texts I got from my buddies or I saw it on social media who are like, man, it's not like hockey. Like hockey you win around and you don't celebrate like that. I was like, it's different. It's different. And also just let them have a good time. Just like they're having a good time. Just let them.

Just let them. Everyone loves to put on ski goggles, right? Maybe hockey players should celebrate every round like that. We're too tired because it's hard game. I got asked yesterday, they're like, what's up with the ski goggles? And I'm like, well, between the beer and the champagne, getting your eyes, it can sting. And I said, and then the corporate overlords at New Era jumped in, and they're like, we're going to brand those. Give them to everybody, and we can make a buck off.

They should get bigger each round, the ski goggles. Whether you go, the bigger they get. By the time you win the World Series, you should be wearing a full helmet. Yes. With a giant champagne bottle. 100%. I got a report that Laddie's been banned from AJ's pizza for life. So AJ's coming

on the show tomorrow, maybe. And we'll see if any of us are allowed back, because he has pointed out that this show has been decidedly pro Blue Jay over the last little. By the way, do you know how dumb I am? I do. Tell me anyway. Because you just said, like, the ski goggles are sponsored. Yeah. Part of me last night

and I part of me last night was like so do the Jays like have to put that in their luggage like bring their don't forget your ski goggles so yeah I'm not joking I think that used to be how it works because you had to bring it and it was wearing Oakley's and stuff right

they got a ski goggles for the first time I'm like that's a bit presumptuous to to pack it if I was on the other team I'd be like these guys have packed their ski goggles they are ready to go all right we're using that as motivation ski goggles are in the building and now new Is there?

Seems a bit jinxy. Well, it's like now we're way off topic, but like March Madness, remember they'd always bring the ladder out to cut down the nets. Right, right, right, right. And some keen company was like, what if? What if we sponsored that ladder? Then everyone can make money off this. And that's the important thing at the end of the day

is that everyone squeezes every last dollar out of everything. Yeah, they used to have to ask the stadium janitor. Yeah. Where's the ladder? And he'd be like, I don't know. I'm using it right now to cut out the bottoms of the peach baskets. Anyway. Need those beach baskets.

Okay, guest list. Seven o'clock at Anverk is going to join us from MLV Network. The Jays are on their way to their first ALCS in nine years. Who they play remains up in the air because in addition to everything else, the Jays are also the first team to book their ticket to the CS, the final four. We won't find out who they play until Friday because that's when Seattle and Detroit get underway. Game five back in Seattle. That's going to be awesome on Friday.

We could find out the NLCS matchup tonight, though. The Dodgers and the Brewers are both going to get right back at it, looking to finish the job as both are up to 1 in their respective series. Adnan Verk is going to join us at 7 o'clock to talk about all that. 7.30, Brady Henderson, our Seahawks insider from ESPN is going to join the program. Very interesting game for the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday as they go all the way east to Jacksonville to take on the Red Hot Jaguars. It's a 10 a.m. start our time. Jags are one-point home favorites,

despite the fact they have won three straight games against very good opponents. Houston, San Fran, Casey. We will preview that game with Brady at 7.30. At 8 o'clock, a very befitting guest booking, given that it's the Canucks home and season opener tonight, John Shorthouse is going to join the program. Doesn't do a lot of radio, a bit of a recluse.

Doesn't like to go and make a big deal, despite the fact he's on TV 82 times a year. The play-by-play voice of your Vancouver Canucks. Can I'm a recluse? Isn't it recluse? I don't know. I always thought it was recluse. Recluse?

Maybe it's both. Potato potato. You should just one of those things. You should ask Shorty only Blue J's questions. He's a big F1 guy. I think I might pivot. Oh, do that route then. You could be our F1 insider because I know nothing about F1.

So we could ask him about that. We'll probably ask him about the Vancouver Canucks. Wow, he must have loved him. We had David Colthard on that one time. He must have loved that. Yeah, he did. when I asked if the cars have power windows. He liked that question.

The Canucks are in action tonight, as we mentioned. They finally get their 2025, 2025, 26 regular season underway. Great sports, that is to mention. The Canucks game is one of 14 NHL games tonight on the slate. Plus, you got Thursday night football. Plus, you have two Major League Baseball potential elimination games. It is a huge night for sports.

We got a lot more to get into on the program. So working universe on the guest list, 8 o'clock. Shorty, 7.30, Brady, 7 o'clock, Adnan. That's what's happening on the program today. Laddie, let's tell everybody what happened. Hey, did you guys see the game last night? No. No. What happened? I missed all the action because I was... We know how busy your life can be. What happened? Miss that? You missed that? What happened is brought to you by the BC Construction Safety Alliance. Making safety simpler by giving construction companies,

Sebastian, tools, resources, and safety training. Visit them online at BCCSA.ca.ca.a. We begin where else with the Toronto Blue Jays. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer each drove in runs. Eight, count them eight Toronto pitchers. Shut down the New York Yankees in a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night that sent the Jays to the ALCS. As we mentioned for the first time since 2016,

let's play it now. Hoffman on the bump, Shulman on the call. Here's what it sounded like as the Jays punched their ticket to the next round. The one-two pitch. Got him! Jeff Hoffman strikes out Cody Bellinger and the Blue Jays have done it.

They have knocked off to New York Yankees. They have won their first playoff series since 2016, and they are going to the American League Championship Series. So first things first, and this will pivot over to you as well, they deserve a ton,

underline ton of credit for the way that they played yesterday. All that talk after blowing a five-run lead in game three and having to face game four with this makeshift bullpen start going up against Cam Schlittler who was a star against Boston,

I was skeptical that they were going to get it done in game four. I was worried about how many residual scars there were going to be from game three. They flushed all of it and played textbook. And here's the important part, Blue Jay Baseball yesterday. Now, stop rolling your eyes if you don't like how I'm saying this because that was a Blue Jay performance.

They scattered 12 hits across nine innings. They got contributions from everyone. And then I think it was befitting that they were able to use I mean I hated watching it I hate bullpen games but I understand they're a part of the modern game eight pitchers over nine innings like the ultimate everyone is pulling the rope type performance from the jays it was remarkable laddie it was amazing and I agree with you though the eight pitchers is a bit much I always have the mentality that one of them is bound to have a bad day so when you use that many pitchers it's bound to go wrong at some point but hey it worked out this time and they took down and Cam Schlittler. So yesterday we said we're going to find out what the Blue Jays are made of

because they put themselves in this position of uh-oh. Like, uh-oh, we didn't get that done. Might have given the Yankees life and we did find out what they're made of. And it was very impressive.

It was, look, the bullpen games might not be for everyone, but I think what it showed yesterday was how many guys the Js have that can contribute and that's you know I know sometimes it doesn't go go well but like you couldn't how many guys how many guys would you say last night where you're like wow you had a major contribution to the game like all of them take your pick like honestly

I wonder if there was one guy in the room afterwards that was like I didn't do anything tray you savage um no it was like of the guys that played Of the guys that played, everyone contributed. And the plays in the field that they didn't make in game three, they made in game four. There was a nervous pop-up to the foul line, you know, the one that Barger screwed up in game three. And they made the play. Vladie at first in the ninth inning made a very nice play. You told me the crowd was getting on them and they couldn't handle the pressure.

I thought it was the wind. he thought it was the pressure. Yeah, the pressure. You know what it was last night? None of it. Laddie. None of it. They did lose their composure in game three, and they found it in game four.

And that was really impressive. And I think a lot of credit goes to the leader, John Schneider, because I, you know, there's a story that he texted the... Pete Walker and the other Blue Jays pitching coaches, and this was reported by Keegan Matheson. and he said this is an opportunity to have some fun and they went out there and they had fun

the message wasn't like oh come on please guys let's get this done let's buckle down it was like go out there and have fun and relish the opportunity it was very impressive

and I said yesterday I went old man mode and I said the Jays you know back in the day when I was a super fan of the Jays they would choke all the time and then there was game four in the ALCS against Oakland in 1992 where they came back from being down in a big way

Roberto Aalimar hit a big home run and that was kind of their get over the hump moment I honestly wonder if we'll look back at that game yesterday and say that was their get over the hump moment where they could face adversity and they could face the doubters and they could confidently go out there and win a huge game on the road.

Yeah, still early days in the playoffs, right? It is. Right. Without question. Like, all you've done, and if you want to, if you want to adopt the philosophy that Schneider had after game three, which was, you know, we flush it and tomorrow's a new day and a new opportunity and we start a new, then you have to do that after a win as well, unfortunately. You don't rest on your laurels. You're like, let's get back to work. I'll say this.

It is kind of refreshing, having followed the J's this year, perhaps closer than I have in the last decade. to half, two decades because of the run that they went on, especially early when it was the summer. There was, I'm going to be dead on, it's not a ton else going on. So we were very invested in the Jays on a day to day. And I kind of became enamored with the way they played baseball because, yeah, they have highly paid guys, none more so than Vladdy Guerrero. So they're like a lot of other MLB teams and they've got high price talent.

But they've also got guys like Nathan Lucas and Miles Straw and Ernie Clement, who went out and just did the business all year long. Now, the question was, can you count on these guys who are like AAA lifers to step up in the biggest moments? And, you know, Lucas yesterday was amazing. That's a guy that has played 733 games at various development levels along the way. He played for Victoria. Yeah. The Victoria Harbor Cats, they're a summer league.

They play in the summer league? They're not a winter league. No, no, no. But like, what's it called? It's a collegiate summer league. Yeah, it's a collegiate summer league. That's what I mean. He was 19 when he came to the victory.

He was 19 and he played for the Harbor Cats. He's played nearly 400 AAA games. Like he's a guy that's just been around, just hung around. He's 31. Yeah. Ernie Clement. Ernie Clement went nine for 12 in the series. If it wasn't for Vladdy and I mean,

Vladdy's numbers were ridiculous. Vladdy had 529 in the series, right? But if it wasn't for him, like you could have made the argument that Clement was their MVP. He got on base all the time. And then, you know what? I wrote down every single name of the guys that pitched yesterday because outside of Hoffman, who's the most well-known for good and occasionally bad reasons, it was Louis Varland, Mason Fleurdy, Sir Anthony Dominguez, Eric Lauer,

Yarrow Rodriguez, Brendan Little, Braden Fisher, and then Hoffman doing the job, just one after another, a conveyor belt of pitchers coming out. Now, again, I think part of the bullpen game is that you do mess up whatever flow or whatever momentum is going on in a game. They like to say, the broadcasters like to say that it's about putting out fires. Like it gives the manager the opportunity to put out a fire.

I don't even think it's that. I think you're snuffing out even the potential of a fire burning before it starts. How challenging is that for the opposition? Like how hard was it for the Yankees? I mean, in theory, it's like a bullpen game because like, ah, so you don't have any good starters?

So you're going to start the scraps from your bullpen? but you also, as the opposition, when you're the Yankees, like how do you prepare for a bullpen game? There was a really cool, I don't know if you guys follow Pitching Ninja. He overlaid all of the Blue Jays pitchers that pitched in the game, and they all had different release points. It was like a rainbow release points, and that's got to be difficult for the hit.

And the Yankees will have been familiar with some of those guys because they faced them before during the regular season, but it's hard to remember all those details. Which one are you? guy again? Are you Lauer or are you Flew Hardy? Turn around. Flew Hardy. What kind of name is that? Strikeout. Damn it. Over Canadian.

That's right. And so that in itself was very reflective of this. And I mentioned us already. This Blue Jays team is like everyone chips in. Everyone is swinging bats and throwing pitches and we get it done collectively. Compared to a Yankees team. And I know this was one of the many criticisms of this Yankees team, but it seemed like everyone was waiting around for the meat of that order to come up every time.

Because the button, I mean, I know who was it, yes, and McMahon went yard, which was a bit of a nine-hitter. Yeah, but also, Anthony Volpe was terrible at the plate. He did nothing. And that bottom half of the lineup didn't really do a whole hell of a lot. If you look at that series, Judge was really, really good, really good. But they were able to minimize the damage that he did and take care of the rest of the guys. And then finally, final note on this before we move on,

the Yankees over the course of this series defended a lot worse than the Jays did. I know the Jays kicked it around in game three and it wasn't pretty but the Yankees made and this was reflective of the regular season as well over a larger sample size they made more mistakes in the field and that was the Yankees

a bit of an Achilles heel during the regular season whereas it wasn't for the Jays so it's nice to see that play out over the course of a five four game series but best of five anyway so on top of everything else The Jays now get to sit and wait. They get a little bit of extra rest. They get to rest some of these arms.

They won't kick off until Sunday, and they have no idea who they're playing yet because the Mariners and the Tigers, the Tigers won yesterday, so they forced the Game 5 back in Seattle on Friday. Someone texted in and said that Little almost had a bad game for the Blue Jays. Bottom of the 7th.

Yep. That Grisham foul out to short was massive because Judge was waiting then. Yeah, it was, you know, that was a little bit. And then judge has to, judge has to lead off the eighth, which is, you know, but you, you want judge with runners and scoring position out. Like, that was the big, I think that was the biggest out of the game. It was right up there. Yeah. Because it was, uh, as, as the English, like to say, squeaky bum time when that, that ball went in the air. I was like, oh no, not another high pop.

This is not good. But lo and behold, they took care of business. And then Judge still wasn't done. He got a run scored in the ninth. Yeah. They just didn't go down. He was the one guy that They just couldn't get out. Yeah, it was funny. Someone sent me a picture yesterday. It was a picture of Aaron Boone, Photoshop, wearing a Savannah Bananas uniform. And I was like, I should put this on Twitter.

And I'm like, no, I'm bigger than that. I'm going to wait. Okay, the rest of the baseball story, real quick from yesterday, we mentioned all apologies to the Mariners fans out there. We just don't have a ton of time to get into what the Mariners did, or more specifically didn't do yesterday. A big fourth-run, six inning for the Tigers yesterday,

green and Baez homered. So the Tigers keep their season live. Did you know that that was the first game that the Tigers had won at Comerica Park in a month? That's crazy. Finish the season. And their one win away from going to the ALCS. But, you know, I would prefer to look at this

from the Mariners perspective. And I would throw it out there and say, can you believe the Mariners are one win away from an ALCS with the Js? I know. And I really wanted to happen. I really, really, really wanted to. They're going to be, who cares.

Vancouver sports fans have grown up with a choice basically of two teams. You cheer for the Blue Jays or you cheer for the Mariners. Back in the day, I guess the Expos were an option as well. But it's become Toronto or Seattle. Never did I start this season in particular thinking, maybe we'll have a Mariners Blue Jays ALCS. Just because I wouldn't have dared to think about that. one went away from it.

Unfortunately, it's a scoble start. Now, the Mariners have already beaten him in this series, but are they going to beat him? They won the game. They won a game in which he started. Yeah. How likely is that to happen twice? I know they're at home, but man, I want this to happen so badly.

First of all, it's an opportunity if you're a Jay's fan to get down to Seattle and watch an ALCS. I don't know what the Mariners are going to do to try and keep Canadians out of there but who cares we can find a way in there if you want but I just can't believe that's a possibility. I need it to happen I'm going to be watching this Mariners game

cheering so hard and I'm kind of like a neutral observer I just want to see it I want to see that happening. If the Mariners take on the Jays and the ALCS that's the most I will have ever watched baseball in my life it would be amazing I will watch that entire series this is part of the reason like I always wanted and I always enjoyed working in sports is that it does every now and again give you something that you've never seen before it's the beauty of the unscripted part of it and like I've been doing this for so long now and the thing I'm like wow this could be the first time that all the years of watching baseball and following all these teams and working in the industry that I'd get to see Toronto and Seattle with a chance to go to the world series like it's an amazing thing and it's never happened before and the possibility of it hanging there is great Terrick scubel's in the

way of it. I'm a bit worried about that. The tigers are just be like, oh, the tigers? I know. And the M's are going to send Kirby to the bump, and he was also, I mean, he pitched in the game one of the series, if I'm not mistaken, the one that went 11 on Saturday night. Struck out eight over like five and a third. So, there's

potential here. With his fancy mustache? It's all on the table. Yeah. Mastash and all. It's all on the table. But it's a very tall order because he got to beat one of the best pitchers in the American League to do it. Other games last night really quick. Philly stayed alive. Kyle Schwerber. Schwaber went yard twice.

Lots of staving going on. A lot of staving. A lot of staving. And PCA, Pete, Crow, Armstrong, hit a tie-breaking two-run singles. The Cubs, in a series we have paid zero attention to. This is the most I've spoken about it. Avoided this week by holding up the Brewers.

So those two series go right back at it tonight. So by the end of tonight, we could have our NLCS matchup set. If not, game fives in the NL, both would go on Saturday, which would make for a pretty amazing sports. Saturday, and what's going to be an already amazing sports weekend. Okay, we're getting up against it for time.

Quick reset here on the program. We're going to get into all the hockey stuff next, including what happened in the NHL last night. Also, Canucks president of hockey ups, Jim Rutherford was on the station yesterday. Canucks Central was sat and Dan. We got a bunch of audio there. There's a lot of optimism coming from the Canucks executive ranks right now

about this season. A lot of optimism. Loves what Adam Foote has done, loves the new system, the attacking system that Adam Foote has brought in. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. Jim Rutherford, I want to start with just Lattie Pick his most overall positive audio clip. I think there might be an audio clip where Jim Rutherford, it just says Rutherford on positivity.

Now that sounds positive because he is very, um, I'm excited about a number of things. He's excited about what Adam Foote has done in his short tenure as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He's excited about the youth, what a guy like Braden Coots has brought and Lecker Mackie has brought. And some of the good young defensemen that the Canucks have, he's excited about Elias Pedersen and we'll play a separate audio clip on Petty. but here is Jim Rutherford talking about the positivity that he sees. Yeah, it's the same. We, the same as everybody feels right now.

Adam Foote, he, he's really done a really good job right from when he got the position as far as communication with the players in the offseason, setting goals for them, making them accountable, and everybody bought into it. And he put a leadership group together that he talks to on a regular basis. And what he asked of the players,

they bought into and they did it. And they came to camp prepared. And what he's done with his system and everything he's trying to do, the players have bought into it and everybody feels more relaxed, more positive, and looking forward to the season. All right. Hey, that sounds pretty good.

Pretty excited. Vives are high. Pretty excited. You're getting a fat and happy flames team coming into Rogers Arena. With their backup goalie. With their backup goalie. Don't deal with that's the one. Who is their backup?

Who do they choose? Oh, dear. I don't even remember. Who do they go out and get? Well, they have pros. Z-Z-Z-Z-Zaw? Or Cooley. Yeah, Cooley or Prostvatov. It's Cooley, I think.

Okay. I think Cooley made it, yeah. All right. Well, it just goes to show that. I'll find it out. You guys talk. It's Cooley. It's not a particular big name.

No. Now, I want to talk about Elyas Pederson and what Jim Rutherford had to say about Pedersen because the vibes are high when it comes to PD as well. Now, I don't think it was a spectacular preseason by any means for Elyas Peterson. I don't think we watched him play and we're like wow he's back

yeah he did have that great one timer on the power play and he had some flashes at five on five but I don't think he was dominant out there and we don't he didn't need to be dominant he just needs to show signs of progress

and that he's going to be able to maybe ramp it up as the season starts I want to play this audio from Jim Rutherford on Elias Pedersen because, you know, it was always going to start, I think, with Pedersen's attitude and his approach to the season and maybe he was going to come into this year with a better attitude because he was embarrassed about what happened last season or unhappy about what happened last season. Maybe he was going to come into camp

in better shape because J.T. Miller wasn't going to be at camp or Rick Talkett wasn't going to be at camp. doesn't matter why really it just matters that he is seemingly a changed player this season as far as his attitude goes here is jim rutherford on that yeah p.D is in a totally different place than he was a year ago and he's done everything he can to prepare himself for the season everything that that he was advised to do he was asked to do um He worked, he got stronger, he looks better, but mentally he just, he's just a different guy. A lot more relaxed, the guy you can talk to a lot more now.

And he's excited about getting going. A lot more relaxed than a guy you can talk to now. Hey, Pete, what's going on? What's going on, man? Well, I mean, the things that we heard last year was that, you know, Petey wasn't a guy you could talk. to he kind of shut down yeah he's getting yelled at too much yeah and he was just i don't know he was out of it right and that's why they needed him to come in this season and be more invested Shorty, the man who's got the call.

Shorty, he's actually really tall. 802 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. We're coming to you live from the Kintech studio, Kintech, what wear and orthotics working together with you in step. This is a tough one. We don't play it very often.

I tried to time it up. I missed. I love it. It's very good. Add in those random shorts. We need a third verse. That's courtesy the man himself. Really?

Yeah, we've been working on one behind the scenes. Oh, nice. Yeah. I look forward to hearing it. You don't get to write your own jingle. We will unveil. That's like giving yourself your own nickname. Yeah.

We will unveil the third. We will unveil the third verse in 2026. That's the plan there. You are listening to the Halford, and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Alfred and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Score a debt freedom hat trick. One, no more interest.

Two, much lower payments and three financial peace of mind. Visit them online at Sands dash trustee.com. We are now in hour three of the program, as the name and the music suggests. John Shorthouse is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off hour three. Our three is brought to by Campbell and Pound, real estate appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell and Pound. Visit them on the internet at Campbell-Dash pound.com today. Our next guest is the play-by-play voice of the Vancouver Canucks.

It's John Shorthouse here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650, end quote. Good morning, John. How are you? I'm well. Thank you, Michael. Thank you. We got to do a quick vibe check at the start of the season. I know that there's already been... Well, no, you know what we need to do? What do we need to do?

What? I need to, between now and 7 p.m., so I've got 11 hours to get a hold of my boss in Toronto and figure out if, like, the rule, of broadcasts have seismically shifted because I would love tonight to be, rather than John Shorthouse, John Schneider, and then Ray could be Kevin Gosman. And we could really like, you know,

pick the you know what out of this broadcast. You almost went there right there. Teach and I, for decades, used to fantasize about winning the lottery and then going on and having the all honest broadcast. like the last broadcast of your career yeah that would be it yeah anyway that was fun last night what a what a week of sports it's uh it's uh it's it's it's been fun just to channel hop for the last week or so and um it's funny sorry i know i'm rambling no no no go you know i only come on

i only come on once a year and we'll get to that lyric in a second because i want to dedicate it to someone. But I, you know, I'm like everybody. I've kind of caught up. Well, not everybody. I can't speak very much. But, you know, you get kind of caught up with the Jays because I find this quite a likable group. And obviously what they've done has been pretty exciting. But, you know, a lot of us as sportsmen, your allegiance is formed in your youth. And when it came to baseball in Canada, I was more of an expose guy, right? And when it came to baseball, overall, I was pretty partial as I answered most of their teams, but I was a

mariner's guy, right? You know, and I was kind of like mid-80s mariners, like Jack Perconi and Spike Owen and Ken Phelps, Harold Reynolds, Dave Valley. Nice. Alvin Davis. Alvin Davis. Yeah. Gorman Thomas for that brief period when he came over from Milwaukee. That was weird. Anyway,

did you run to the jingle? The this is how I was so under the Mariners, and I'm sure like Andy and and Lattie with their YouTube expertise we'll find this before the segment is over but it was like take me to the ball game

I want to see the M's the Mariners are playing hard ball hit it again and again and again hit it again Why are you that was one amazing rendition of a good jingle too you should just be doing your own jingles for the show I don't remember that one

Laddy's curiously searching it up right now I mean it was called hit it again because that was sort of the refrain that went on Yeah, so anyway, in terms of the lyric to my song, and this goes out to Brian Red Hamilton, who takes over from Pat O'Neill as the head equipment manager with the Canucks this year, and Red's been around the local sports scene forever,

with the Lions and with the Canucks now for decades, and he's amazing, he's here to an amazing job, but he just always loves to needle me. And so the lyric coming into this segment was Shorty, the man who's got the call, Shorty, he's actually really tall. And so in honor of red, he loves to just get under my skin

whenever he can. I think the next lyric should be, Shorty, we really miss Rick Ball. That is good, actually. We're going to pivot from one jingle to another. Laddie, Googler extraordinaire, has found the aforementioned Mariners.

Here we go. I think I did a good job. Let's set it up. Get ready. play hard ball in the kingdom Take me to the ball game I want to see the end The parrot is a playing hard ball Did it again and again and again

Did it again and again That is that is sharp That is really good That is a jingle. That is in 1983 Wow Year before I was born So that's exactly my real house I'm old

That was a good band Was that blood sweat and tears playing in the back Yeah, I think it was, actually. It was on a B side. It was, you know. All right. Well, you know what? As we set up, the vibes are strong right now.

People are loving this, as you would expect. But with the actual team that we'll play tonight, 7 o'clock, Rogers Arena, first game of the season, I'm curious, having been around the team for a little bit now throughout the preseason, and of course, these practices leading up to the opener. Let's get a vibe check on the group. And maybe we'll start with the new head coach, Adam Foote, who has been stressing. very much about chemistry and camaraderie and everyone getting along and having a good time. And he seems like the right guy to lead that kind of charge because we've had him on the show before.

Very personable, very animated, but really seems to embrace that like family and togetherness ethos when it comes to building a hockey team. Well, what he doesn't do is embrace the heart, I guess. And I heard you guys talking earlier about how you wanted nothing, you wanted nothing but the worst for J.T. Miller. And you hope that, you know, you wanted to, you know, put a cell. on Rick Tocket. There was a fan in Penn Tickton

who actually cracked me up, which is not the easiest thing to do sometimes. But this fan came up to me and said, you know what I'm thinking? I was like, what? It says, this whole Rick Tockett thing, it's like, guys, we got to embrace the hard. Wait a second.

This is a bit too hard. I'm going to say. We want it hard, just not that hard. Yeah, this is, this, I didn't know. sign up for this. And I think Adam foot is like first and foremost, he's an excellent communicator.

And what he comes across as, and it's not like he's coming across as it like it's an act. He's very genuine. And he's honest, but he can really get his points across. And he doesn't in a manner that I don't know how to put it exactly, but there's almost like a fatherly

feel to when he speaks to you. Like he's there to keep you in line. He's there to tell you the ground rules and what you're going to do. But he does it in sort of like a, I don't know, like he says, there's just a, there's a gentleness to it and a compassion to it, I guess. I don't know how to put it. I don't want to get like two, uh, two, uh, whatever the word is flowery in describing his approach, but he's, I really think that this is going to be a good

fit. And then the entire, like Jim Rutherford, I was speaking to him to EBC a few weeks. So he's really excited about the staff as a whole. You know, Kevin Dean has a lot of experience. Brett McLean is just like Tommy Larsh, I would describe it as a little pepper pot, you know, because he's just out there with a full of energy and bark. And, you know, he's just like a whirling dervish, if you will. Scott Young as well. And you look at the Stanley Cup experience, too.

I know, Young won a couple. One is a player, one with Pittsburgh and one with Colorado. Adam Foot, of course, won twice in 96 and 01. with Colorado. Evan Dean, what an introduction he had. In his rookie year, he won the Calder Cup

and then he won the Stanley Cup the same spring with New Jersey. And, you know, so they lost some experience for sure, but they've replaced it quite adequately. And I really think there's a, you talk about the vibe. I just think there's like freshness

to the entire situation, starting with the coaching staff. And then you take that down to the roster, which everyone has kind of agreed, is, you know, somewhat reminiscent of last year. But, okay, now you have a healthy Thatcher Denko. You have a clean slate of Elias Pedersen. You have Brock Besser without, you know, his future hanging over his head.

That's decided, you know, they're not like completely running it back, but they're running it back to a degree that I think is understandable. Because for all the stuff that went on last year, and I won't say stuff tonight if I do the John Schneider broadcast, But for all the stuff that went on last year, you know, they were, what, six points out of eighth place. Yeah. And they were terrible in overtime. Seven and twelve. Seven and twelve.

Yeah. You know, it's it's not like it was a completely lost season. I mean, I guess it was a lost season because there were so much potential there. And they kind of sabotage themselves in a way. Is that a fair way to put it? Yeah, I think 100%. So that makes it a lost season, but I don't think it was lost in terms of, you know,

being unable to look at this group and saying, well, maybe they could take that next step. Maybe they still can be pretty good. I think that's, I think we've all been pretty sensitive to the vibe this year. Like, okay, how's the vibe? You know, because last year, obviously, it was very, it was very publicly on display. like there were issues with this team and a lot of it had to do with you know personality conflicts and and what went on in the walls of the dressing room so i think that everybody's been kind of sensitive to you know is the vibe that this year is the vibe going to be okay and there really is i think it was a really um successful camp i think i think adam really did a good job of laying the blueprint of how he wants to play i'm going to be curious to see quite honestly how sustainable it is but even he has said

we're going to adapt from night tonight. But, you know, if you're going to play an up-tempo, puck pursuit, you know, really aggressive style in a condensed season, that could be a chunk. And I know I said on the preseason, I had my math wrong, and Brennan Batchelor, he's always very keen to correct me. They have, early in the year with that road trip and they're coming home and playing the back-to-back,

I said on the broadcast, it was seven games and ten nights, which seemed insane. But even at seven games and 11 nights, thank you, batch. It's tough, right? with travel. And that trip ends in Nashville. They fly home one day between the games. Then they go back to back Saturday, Sunday at home.

So, like, there's, and they're not alone in this. It's a condensed season for everyone. But with the travel they do, compared to some other teams, particularly the ones in the East, it's going to be a challenge. But I'm excited. I really am. This is year 28 for me.

27th season, thank you, Bob and Gary. But 28th year. and I'm excited for it. Again, there's just a good feel. They have a good preseason, and there's just a good feel. Shorty, are you excited for the style that they seem to want to play under Adam Foot? And again, you know, you mentioned, I think the caveat is that some nights they're going to have to adapt to the other team, so they might not want to run and gun with like Nathan McKinnon in Denver or whatever,

but they do seem to want to bring up the defensemen in the rush and put more pressure on. And I know last season you must have been able to watch the games blindfolded sometimes because you're like, I bet it's going back to the point. And then if it's Quinn Hughes, he's going to dance around a little bit back there and he's going to wrist one on net. Like, you know, the game, it was, I don't love preseason hockey, but the last game between the Oilers and the Canucks,

I don't think it was a masterpiece or anything, but it was entertaining to watch. And I actually, like, it was like, I watched the whole thing, like I deserved to pat on the back or anything. But it was, it was good. And I'm hoping that the hockey is going to be, first of all, successful for the Canucks, but also fun to watch. I hope so too. It was the previous Edmonton game, actually. So it would have been game four of the six preseason games, where I just, it was in Edmonton. And you probably heard the, like, kind of double take, rub my eyes, shock and I'm just,

was that Derek Forbert? Yeah. What's he doing that? And that wasn't the only store he scored in Calgary, right? Short-handed. Yeah, right. Which was also like, was that Derek Forbert? You know, like the one in Edmondson, it was like, why's he there?

Like, he's like in the crease trying to tap on a century pass. Um, so yeah, I'm looking forward to it. And I think, I mean, I hate to admit this, rough, but I think you probably know more about hockey than I do. Um, like, but this is a very pretty general commentary. But what is the absolute strength of this team if you were to ask people on the league? What's the number one strength? I mean, the back end?

Or, or, or, I mean, I think if you have queen, you have queen, I think if you have Quinn Hughes, I might just answer with one name Quinn Hughes. Okay, let's take that out of the equation. But I think people, I think people would pretty uniformly say that this team is built from the back. Yes, of course. Yes. And if you're going to activate your defense and maybe that's, you know, going to leave you a bit vulnerable going the other way, potentially if it doesn't work out, like, isn't this the team to do it with?

Because if goal-tending is, in fact, your strength. For sure. Like, isn't that your big mop-up? Yeah. And we'll see how it goes. you know, and there's going to be glitches and there's going to be oopsies and there's going to be all those things. And I won't say oopsies tonight if it's a John Schneider.

But it could be a good bit, I'm telling you. But, you know, I think if you have, and I've heard people say people who have been around the game longer than I, you know, they think this is the best one-two-punching goal in the league. And if it's not, then it's probably up there, right? Top five, top whatever. then maybe this is the team to do it with because you have that sort of get out of jail

back in your own net. The Canucks are going to give up 10 two-on-ones and the bench is going to be like, prove you're the best goalie tandem out there, boys. We're speaking to John Shorthouse here on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 6' fit for a reminder. The Canucks finally get their regular season underway

tonight. 7 o'clock from Rogers Arena. Shorty will be on the call. And when you're on the call, whatever kind of broadcast you're going to do, the Schneider version or otherwise, there will probably be some attention paid to the 18-year-old Brayden Coots who's going to make his NHL debut tonight, born in February of 2007.

So I imagine there's lots of good material. You could even go back to the year 2007. That was the first year for the Vancouver Connects with Aline Vino and Roberta Lwango on the job, just to give everyone a sense. In the year, 07. He should do 18-year-old Sam Bennett, but 18-year-old Braden-Coutes. Make that a thing all year. like Brayden, remember this Mariners jingle?

I don't know what you're talking about. 18-year-old Brayton Coots gets the fuck. That's a jingle. So he's the 8th, 18-year-old to play for the Canucks. He's the third youngest. I think Lyndon and I want to say Cam Neely were a little bit further away from their 19th birthdays than his Braden Coots. So he's the first since Ned that we've gone through,

but he's the first opening nighter, assuming he dresses tonight since Lyndon. And how many, I think there's five from this year's draft class that have cracked the opening night roster. That's correct. So, I mean, it's an accomplishment because he's not a number one pick. He's not a top three pick. But he hasn't had a misstep, you know, since they started skating in Penticton. He's just answered every quiz test, however you want to put it, that's then handed him. So why not?

And you do have the option of deciding that, okay, maybe this isn't the time. But I don't see that happening based on what I observe so far. I'm really impressed just with the mental makeup, the maturity, the level-headedness, and then the hockey IQ. Like just a little place. Like, again, on the back of that game in Edmonton, game four of the preseason, like that little play where he goes in on the forecheck, but he doesn't just go in there aren't going to have a fight for this spot.

Like he angles himself, positions his body, so that the puck is only going to be his. You know, and then he's able to center, and I can't remember who he's saddling, but, and set up a chance in front. But that doesn't happen if he doesn't have the wherewithal and the, the, the forethought to position himself properly. And that's like reading the situation as you, as you enter into it, not just going in blindly that I'm going to fight like hell for the side. you know he's smart and and I'm excited I'm excited to see how it goes Shorty while you were in the middle of speaking someone texted in why is John Shorthouse not a regular guest and I replied because if he was a regular guest it wouldn't make these hits so special also he doesn't he doesn't want to be

yeah he desperately does not want to be on this show but we appreciate you doing it today it's not my thing it's not my thing like when I when I when I when I I like I honestly I'll be honest with you listeners listeners lean in let's all have a little chat here okay okay like when it comes to X's and O's and contract situations and cap ramifications and all these things that go into talking about NHL teams in today's day and age I can't compete and so if I come on you know let's say once a year and have some fun you know and but eventually like i'm going to run out of the fun things to do and we're going to actually have to get back to the brass tax and you're like i can't compete with

this i can't compete with grants or carman or uh you know i it's just so yeah i love you guys mike's like my my best friend i'm just going to let that linger sorry bruff um Brough, you're okay. I'm good friends with Ferraro. I'm a regular listener. Put it that way. Shorty, you just have one question about the third forward pair on the PK and who, whether or not, whether or not you think the Canucks have the right one.

See you, buddy. I know my strength. I know my strength. You're the best, pal. We'll do this again in 2026. Thank you very much. This is actually fun. This was fun.

You got a little emotional there talking about Halford being your best friend. I didn't love the actual. Well, no, I just wanted to let it hang. I just sort of gravitas. Yeah, that was nice. It felt great. Thanks for doing this, buddy. You're my best friend, too.

I hope Murph's not listening. Yeah, Murph just had a hole in one, so he's feeling good. He's probably working out. He did. Yeah, yeah. Okay, Shorty, thanks, buddy. See you. Bye.

John Shorthouse here on the Halford & Bruff Show on Sportsnet, 650. I want to see the ends. The Mariners are playing harpoon. Hit it again and again and again. Hit it again. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough.