Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Best Of Halford And Brough 2/4/25

Episode Date: February 4, 2025

Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports, plus they preview tonight's Canucks matchup vs. the Avs with NHL analyst Ray Ferraro. 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 thing is they play great together. Turn it up or not! Hartman intentionally uses his forearm and body weight to drive Stutzla's head directly into the ice. You can't do that! 2024 Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, and it was a tremendous championship and watched by all. Good morning, Vancouver.

6 a.m. on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday, everybody. It is Halford and his brother. It is a great day. and this championship and watched by all. Good morning Vancouver 601 on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday everybody. It is Halford, it is Brough, it is Sportsnet 650. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studios and beautiful Fairview slopes in Vancouver. Jason, good morning. Good morning. Adog, good morning to you.

Good morning. Ladi, good morning to you as well. Hello, hello. Halford and Brough for the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for, sales, financing, service or parts.

We are in hour 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 them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. We are coming to you live from the Kintex studio. Kintex footwear and orthotics, working together with you in step.

A lot to get into on the show today. We got a big guest list ahead. We have a Canucks game day tonight, seven o'clock. Rogers Arena, it is the Vancouver Canucks and the visiting Colorado Avalanche. Speaking of the avalanche, at 6.30, Aerith Dean is going to join the program from Colorado Hockey Now, talk about an Avalanche team that's won two straight and three of their last four and Laddie.

Not only have they won two straight, both of those two wins have come via shutout from Mackenzie Blackwood. So we'll talk to Aerith about all that. Love to see it. Also the last time the Canucks played the Colorado Avalanche is slightly different team They had Miko ranting in the lineup no longer. It's Marty Natchez and Jack Drew right now So we'll talk to Arif about that Blackwood's got the Canucks number as well. I wonder if he'll play tonight I think he will I was looking at their schedule

They've got a back-to-back coming up in Edmonton and Calgary So they'll probably split there, but I would suggest that yes It would be Mackenzie Blackwood, who has the Canucks number apparently tonight for the Avs. Seven o'clock Ray Ferrara was going to join the program. Lots to talk to Ray about. He was on the call over the weekend for JT Miller's New York Rangers return in Boston on Saturday. So

we can talk to him about that. He's going to be calling the Canucks Avs tonight as well. Yeah. I'm also going to, we're also going to talk to Ray about playing under pressure and the tips that he developed. What did you just get, the shivers or something? I'm excited. Excited, talking about playing under pressure?

Yeah, like a guy finishing off at the urinal there. It was just the shivers. Just a little shivers. Just a little shake, just getting excited. It's just Ray Ferraro, man. Just ready to face the day. Just getting excited. Jeez Louise, okay. Ray's gonna Ray Ferraro, man. Just ready to face the day. Just getting excited.

Jeez Louise, okay. Ray's gonna join us at seven o'clock. Brendan Batchelor at eight o'clock. Reminder, it is the Canucks and the Avs. Our list today of fine Canucks programming begins at four o'clock. Canucks Central, you got Sat and Dan from four to six. Sat and Dan will then take you through the pregame show

six to seven. Batch and Randy, puck drop at 7, they are on the call. And then Sat and Bik Nizar are going to be doing intermissions and post game right up until 10 PM. That's at 8 o'clock, Brendan Batchelor. Then at 8.30, Jason, this is exciting. Five-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, Super Bowl champion, one of the keynote members of the Legion of Boom.

Richard Sherman is going to join the program at 8.30. He of course is the guest speaker at this year's JCC Sports Dinner. So we got a bunch of questions that we'll ask Richard Sherman about his time playing in the NFL, current state of the NFL. Do you think Richard Sherman like is fully prepared for every one of these interviews?

He's like, yes, we did not like Russ. Uh, yes, that was controversial when he threw an interception in the Superball. Yes, that did screw up the team a little bit. Like he must, he must, how many times do you think he's answered questions about that? It's on the, it's on the Russ get preferential treatment. Yes. It's on the Mount Rushmore of Richard Sherman questions, but you are going to

ask them today, right? You know, I don't know what direction we're going to go. We like to do is because we're such good radio host. All that stuff has been established. Yeah, we could ask him some different things. Yeah, but I want to hear you harass him. Harass Richard Sherman. Yeah, these questions.

Yeah, I think he'd I mean, here's the thing. Love the Legion of Boom. Love those Seahawks teams. He was such an important part of it. And he's got this entire cool second chapter of his career now where he's doing Thursday Night Football for Amazon and everything else. So we'll talk to Richard Sherman at 8.30.

Now you'll note, we've got a guest at 8.30. Not a usual thing for the Haliford and Bruff show. So we will try and weave some what we learned into the program. We've got an open segment at 7.30. So that feels like a good time to do it. A good time to send them in is right now. Dunbar number text line is 650, 650. Get your what we learneds in. 730 so that feels like a good time to do it a good time to send them in is right now down bar

Number text line is 650 650 get your what we learns in tell us what you learned over the last 24 hours in sports There was a lot that happened. We will get into it shortly real quick working in reverse on the guest list 830 Richard Sherman 8 o'clock Brandon Bachelor 7 o'clock Ray Ferraro, and then 630 Arif Dean 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. What happened? I missed all the action because I was.

We know how busy your life can be. What happened? You missed that? What happened? What Happened is brought to you by the BC Construction Safety Alliance. Making safety simpler by giving construction companies the best in tools, resources and safety training. Visit them online at bccsa.ca.

So yesterday, Vancouver Canucks had a day off, but Vancouver Canucks news and stories certainly did not have a day off. There was some very interesting reporting from Elliot Friedman in 32 Thoughts about another story coming out in the aftermath of the Elias Pettersson, JT Miller rift. Now that JT Miller is a member of the New York Rangers. So what was the, what was the new story that came out?

The timeline really, you know, everyone was talking about, well, when did this situation become untenable? Right? That was one of the big questions when Jim Rutherford finally did the interview with the Globe and Mail and kind of acknowledged like, yes, this situation become untenable? That was one of the big questions when Jim Rutherford finally did the interview with the Globe and Mail and kind of acknowledged, I guess this relationship is broken and it's probably not going to get fixed.

And according to Freage, this dates all the way back to very, very early in the season. Remember that Eastern road trip they took through Florida, but what, three or four games into the season? Right. Yeah, because they started off with the Calgary game. Correct. And then they played Philly. Two unforgettable games.

Yeah. My friend here can barely remember the Philadelphia game. And then they went, and they hadn't won. Yeah. And then they went on to the road. So they needed a meeting that early in the season? What was the meeting all about? There was a conversation with a small group of

players, Friedman said, and it was asked that Miller and Pedersen try to solve this. But here's the kicker, as Fried writes, it just didn't get any better. So was this, I'm not expecting you to answer this. No, I can answer everything. Oh, okay.

No, I can't. So did this go back to training camp or did this go back to the playoffs?'t. So did this go back to training camp or did this go back to the playoffs? Like how far did this go that they needed to call a meeting? Three games into the regular season so JT didn't even play a lot during the regular or sorry During the preseason, right? All really that final game of the preseason. So There here's the thing a lot of the reporting that's going on right now is of the, I'm close on this, but I don't have it nailed down variety.

There's a lot of, I've been told different versions, I've been told different varieties, and I think part of that is I've been told different timelines. A lot of people have suggested that this dates back to the prior campaign and around the time that you've on numerous occasions pointed out where it felt like everything changed for Pedersen and that's when they leaned on him to sign the contract and then he ultimately signed the contract. And people have suggested that that was a real flash point

in a negative way in the relationship. Now, part of it obviously has to do with the fact that when you sign a contract of that magnitude, the richest contract in the history of the Vancouver Canucks, you're going to be held to a higher standard. And Jim Rutherford and Patrick Alveen have talked about this in the aftermath, right? That the expectations are raised, life is going to get harder. Things are going to get more challenging for you. I think where a lot of people's frustrations and possibly even J.T. Miller's was that Ped Pederson did not seem to rise to the occasion after the contract was signed. That there was

almost a deterioration in the game as opposed to, you know, meeting the challenges and rising to the level and embracing the hard as Brick Talket likes to say. So, okay, there was the meeting and then, well, let's fast forward a little bit because that meeting apparently didn't solve anything. Didn't solve anything. And then would you say that the flash point in all this was the Nashville game?

This season, yes. The Nashville game was the one that I think everyone kind of points to. So that was the game you'll recall where JT Miller was benched in the third period. and then it was the one that preceded his leave of absence which lasted ten games in total. Now this is where in his article I could just read verbatim from the article. They, the Vancouver Canucks, had the national game and whatever happened after that game I've heard a

couple different versions and nobody will confirm it, so I'm not going to say it. But whatever the case was, JT Miller went on his leave. When Miller came back from his leave, things just didn't get better in terms of the relationship and stress and everything like that. I think everybody hoped he would come back and things would change, but they didn't. Yeah. This is actually from the 32 Thoughts podcast. It's a transcript of what Fried said on the podcast. So if you want to download the podcast, you can. Um, yeah, something did happen after that Nashville game and then when he went on the leave of absence,

I remember Rick Tocket went to the meeting and said, guys, don't speculate. It's not about the benching. Okay. And then the Canucks throughout the mental health reason for the leave of absence and suggested that JT was getting help in something.

Working on himself. Said something like, you know, like we're all a family in here. So I don't know, I don't know if they were just using that for cover or if there was some mental health aspects to that, but I think we all know now that it wasn't just as simple as that. It wasn't just like, there's a mental health thing going on, that's it, right? It wasn't. Um, that's it, right? Like it wasn't, I mean, there, there was a bunch of things going on. Um, and again, Freach doesn't have all the

details on this, but goes on his leave of absence. They hope things can cool down after that comes back, things haven't cooled down. The relationship hasn't cooled down. Conversations happen between the Canucks and JT Miller and his agent and all sides agree that the best thing for everyone, including JT, is to get traded. And from what I've heard him, from what most

people have heard, JT wanted to go to the Rangers. That was something that appealed to him. He's got a really good friend there in Vincent Trotschek. See, they're living together right now. Really? Yeah. JT Miller moved in with Vincent Trotschek temporarily. I hope it's temporarily, but yeah, he's living with Vincent Trotschek. See, they're living together right now. Really? Yeah. JT Miller moved in with Vincent Trotschek temporarily.

I hope it's temporarily, but yeah, he's living with Vincent Trotschek right now. Okay. So that just shows how good a buddy he is. And that was it, really. That's the story. I just want to reflect a little bit. This isn't me sticking up for media or anything. I just want to reflect on what a crazy story it's been to cover. Yes. And to talk about, I remember getting plenty of

heat for bringing up like, Hey, why is this JT Miller? What's going on with this JT Miller leave of absence anyway? Like this feels like an elephant in the room that we're not talking about. Like there was that 10 game absence and it was kind of like, it felt like we were going to get

in trouble if we talked about it. Because we're so sensitive to mental health and that's not a bad thing. We should be more sensitive to mental health. But it was clearly not just a mental health leave of absence. I don't think that the way that it was handled in the aftermath was fair to a lot of the

parties involved. JT Miller coming back and then he sort of leading the charge of shutting down all lines of questioning about what was going on or what happened. I mean, he just flat out refused to talk about it. And so too did the organization. And in the aftermath, if you have to piece together, which is I think what we've done here,

that the 10- game leave of absence was kind of the, the last salvo, I suppose, in trying to salvage this relationship, which is what it clearly looks like in hindsight. That when Jim Rutherford did the interview with Gary Mason, the global man, and said like, we tried a lot of things. We tried a lot of different things to mend and fix this relationship.

And now the details are coming out of all the different things that they tried. Numerous meetings with Rick Tauket and the players. The players intervening on this Florida road trip to try and have the players come together and sort their issues out. Then essentially banishing Miller from the team for a while in the hopes that things would cool off.

It was clear that these were all steps with one ultimate goal. And that was to mend the fences between Pedersen and Miller. Now. I just didn't like, I didn't like that people out there, the fans, I'm not talking about the media, I'm not talking, I'm talking about the

fans were kind of like, there was a lot of, you know, earnest, legitimate, I hope JT is okay. You know, I hope his family is okay. You know what I mean? And maybe there still was an element of that. Like I'm sure this was difficult for Miller to go through, right? I'm sure it was, but the way it was framed, I guess I probably need to know even more details about this,

but you know but people were worried about JT Miller and I felt like almost they were using the mental health angle as cover for the story, that's all. Yeah. And I mean, look, with a story of this magnitude in a market that's so frenzied, it's very complex and it's very dynamic and at times it can be all consuming. I think this is an interesting time to pivot off into another thing here is, and I'll ask you the question,

two parter, just how screwed up was this team? Oh my God. Through the first 40 games of the season and with the benefit of hindsight, do we go down the road of, do the Canucks deserve credit for keeping their heads above water during what was clearly a very tumultuous time? Yeah, I'm not sure if I want to credit the Canucks deserve credit for keeping their heads above water during what was clearly a very tumultuous time?

Yeah. I'm not sure if I want to credit the Canucks for staying in the playoff race since the Miller Peterson feud was self-inflicted and the organization has not exactly looked like a well oiled machine the past few months. They've been the talk of the NHL. People have been going like, what is going on

in Vancouver? But I guess I'm kind of impressed of all the guys that weren't involved in this, that they never collapsed completely. At times, it really did look like they were teetering on the edge of destruction. There were little mini collapses. Especially with all the injuries. But little mini collapses. They never let the losing get out of hand like it did in say Buffalo, right?

Then they had their 13 game losing streak and you know, that seems like, you know, kind of, I don't know if you're going to praise like, hey, way not to have a 13 game losing streak. It'd be like Buffalo, but the Canucks, I mean, all the, the stuff that they were apparently dealing with, with Miller and Pedersen's relationship and how awkward that must've been around the room, stuff that they were apparently dealing with, with Miller and Pedersen's relationship and how

awkward that must've been around the room. Plus Demko's injury and, and his struggle to return from it, plus Silov's not playing very well at all early in the season, Hronik's injury, Dakota Joshua's cancer scare, and his, I would say struggle to get back into form. Sure. Not to mention like, even though they were

responsible for the losses, cause they were the team playing it, like it must've been hard. All those embarrassing home losses, like that must've been difficult to handle. And yet like they had the win in Toronto, that win over the Oilers, the Saturday night wins, right? Like, and recently a three game winning streak, including a win over Washington,

which I believe was on Saturday night, right? Like they, they, they always pulled it together for Saturday nights. Yeah. They, they, they just found a way once in a while to get some much needed wins. And even though yesterday we were bemoaning their overtime loss, they, they would still get a point out of those games that they managed to get to overtime. You know, Shorty would say manage your losses.

If you're going to lose, lose in overtime. And the Canucks have done a great job of managing their losses this season. Fantastic, really. So, um, I think what I would throw out to the listeners now is what does a good season look like now? You have to accept that everything has happened. JT Miller is no longer part of the team.

What does a good season look like now? Because Rick Tuckett has said, this is kind of like a fresh start for not only the new guys on the team, which are getting definitely a fresh start with a, you know, new team, new city. But he kind of said like, let's start at zero for some of the guys that haven't had the season that they wanted. So obviously top of mind, you think about

Elias Pedersen, but I would also include Nils Holglunder, Dakota Joshua, probably a few others. Um, so what does a good season look like? Is it, is it making the playoffs? Is it fending off Calgary for that final wild card birth? Is it making a run in the playoffs or is it just about calming the noise down and getting guys like Elias Pedersen back on track? Is that what a good season looks like?

I think they go their part and parcel. I think getting Pedersen back on track correlates to getting in the playoffs. I was on with Kipper and Bourne yesterday, Fan 590 in Toronto, and they asked a very similar question. And I said, go look at the standings. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Canucks can jump the flames.

And then at that point, it's like the Kings are within spitting distance as well. The Kings are on 60 points, the Flames are on 59, the Canucks are on 57. The Kings are not playing good hockey right now. They did when they're pre, their last game out, but they're three, six and one in their last 10. They've sputtered basically since the calendar turned to 2025.

These are, when you talk about what the Canucks can do moving forward, I think what Rick Tuckett said after and around the Detroit game on Sunday was very instructive because I think he genuinely believes what he said, which is we're starting from zero. It's a fresh start. We've got new players in the door and it's not quite a different team. But in terms of a mid-season shift,

you don't get many in the modern NHL more profound than when the Canucks have gone through. The departure of Miller is a huge change in their identity without question, right? It was a leading, like emotional leader, point getter, he was a big part of the team and he's gone. Then you bring in some new faces that are going to bring things to the table, including a shot in the arm and he's gone. Then you bring in some new faces that are going to bring

things to the table, including a shot in the arm and new energy, but also the sense that, hey, we are kind of starting fresh. This is almost like training camp for these guys. Like we got to come up with a nickname for the third Pederson. We don't know what we're getting with Heedle. We like O'Connor. Like there's these things that you can kind of buy into if you're at the one that now we're past the midway point. But that break going into foreign nations where you're like, when we come out of this, we are kind of a different Canucks team.

Now, the biggest challenge of all of this, we talked a lot about this yesterday, is Pedersen and in a very, very weird way for a guy that's just signed a $96 million contract extension, however much money it is, to me, it almost feels like he's going to be on like a 30 game trial and then however many games they get in the

playoffs if they make it there, to almost sort of re-prove to everybody in the organization, Rutherford, Alvin and all the way down, that it's going to be okay. And that the contract is going to be all right. Like that's what, and if it's not. Starts with him really does. It, the, it's hard to say that the primary focus

of a team in a playoff chase over the final 30 games is one player, but that is the dynamic at play because. Remember we kind of went through this before when greener got fired, right? And we were like, what is the number one goal for Bruce Boudreau? And that was to get Pedersen back on track. Am I remembering that correctly?

Yeah, you are. That was, I mean, it was like, it was top of mind, right? Yeah. Cause everyone was like, what's going on here? Cause when Green got fired, there were two reasons that I remembered why, you know, like a lot losing, but, um, the penalty kill was terrible, but also Pedersen was not playing well.

Like he, he was in one of his funks, right? And then Bruce, there it is, came back and. Was that racking up the points? And Pedersen hit rock bottom in Carolina and any, and he came back. So is that possible this season? I don't see it. I hope I'm wrong, but like watching him skate

the other day in the last game, JT Miller wasn't there. Right now his skating is just, it's not there. So they asked. It's not even close right now. Kipper asked me yesterday, he's like, if the status quo is maintained, like the way he's playing right now, would the Connection say like, this is it,

and we're moving forward with this? And I said, I can't imagine they would, because Rutherford and Albion have been very outspoken, very outspoken about how Pedersen hasn't met expectations. And the important thing to note is that that's not just talk from these guys. Like when they come out publicly and say something, generally speaking, there's a move that follows.

I mean, I think the whole Globe and Mail and then trade three days later scenario was a very illustrative point that they know what they wanna do that they know what they want to do and they know where they want to go and they're not afraid to make moves to get it done. What they did, and again, I'm not heaping a ton of praise on a management group that kind of dug their own hole on this one, but you don't see a lot of groups do what they've done mid-season to not just try and salvage the season,

but a lot of moving pieces on the chessboard too. Okay, we gotta solve this J.T. Miller situation and we gotta upgrade our blue line and we're gonna do it all in one night. It was a lot of action and a lot of movement and I think it was representative of a group that, one, knew it wasn't good enough and two, knew that it was imperative to fix it

and fix it right away. Don't let it fester, don't let it linger anymore. Don't let it hang around till the off season. Like there's a problem, something's rotten, and you gotta fix it. Now the question is, did they fix it in time for this season? And is Pedersen ever gonna return to the form where he got an $11.6 million a year extension?

I think the playoff thing got an 11.6 million dollar a year extension. I think the playoff thing is very possible. I'm starting to have major doubts on the second one. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. Ray Ferraro joins us now on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. What up Ray, how you doing? Well, woke up to the snow today and I was like, oh, planned part of my morning. I was not, looks like the driveway's not gonna shovel itself. There you go.

Don't you, you have your sons. That is good workout. Yes. Yeah, don't you have a bunch of kids around? They're helpful. Yeah. Hey dad, look, they're not- They're snowing.

They're not helpful at all, are they? No, we should do something about that. Hey, before we get into the topic of the day, the Canucks and Avalanche, I wanted to ask you about the game you worked on the weekend. JT Miller's first game as a New York Ranger in Boston, what was that like? It was terrific. I anticipate he was running mostly on fumes. I think he got to Boston about three. They, once the trade was finished and completed and signed off by the league, they got a plane and

zipped into Boston. The game was at at 330 in the afternoon and I've had that happen where you get traded at night I get traded from Atlanta to St. Louis I by the time I got you know organized the next morning I left early there were no charters back then and I got to St. Louis about four o'clock for a seven o'clock game and two chicken sandwiches from Wendy's as a pregame and had a goal in the fist and then slept for like days, you know, like it just crashed. But he looks familiar in that uniform. He knows people like him and Trocheck are really tight.

I noticed right away he was like, you know, he's on the power play. He doesn't really know where to go. And so he's got, you know, how he conducts those meetings on the ice. And I'm like, he's conducting the same meetings just with four different guys. And I'm like, you know, like his, one of the things I said in the game, everything that Miller is, the Rangers don't have. Like, you know, he's loud, he's physical, he's mean, you know, bold player. The Rangers are a really quiet group. If you think about the outside of the TROCHAC, you think about the players in their top of their,

you know, Fox doesn't say much. He's not a real outwardly aggressive guy. Kreider is not that. Panarin, Zabanajad, they're all pretty quiet guys. And so I, you know, and then he had a fabulous day. I mean, he was terrific. So, yeah, he looks happy and I assume he's, you know, they've made some changes to the lineup because of him.

You know, they pushed the bandage ad to the wing and see how long that lasts, but you know, he gives them options, options of a very good player. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, we're left to talk about Elias Pedersen and the pressure that he's going to be under, uh, now that Miller is gone. Um, how do you think he's going to react to it?

Um, I think we saw the ways it could go, um, on whatever day that was, Sunday, right? Um, you know, the first two periods he appeared like on the outside of the game. Tim had been skate very well. Um, didn't have the puck much. And then the third period I was actually sitting with Landon and I was like, well, where was that before? Like he looked fantastic.

It was all over the place. He had jump in his stride. He attacked with the puck. They should have had between him, Besser and the brusk, they should have scored three or four times in the third period. It just didn't happen. He gets the chance in overtime.

And right when he goes to shoot it, the puck flips up flat on his stick and he ends up launching it way over top of the net. And the reason I say this is I don't really know what the future is, except in the past, we've seen both great and not so great. We've seen average, you know, like a 70 point guy. Like I think he could stumble around out there and get 70 points anyway. But yeah, like a 70 point guy. Like I think he could stumble around out there and get 70 points anyway. But yeah, like I just think he's, that he will get that anyway.

That's not what we're talking about though. Like we're talking about somebody to be a centerpiece of a team that, of a forward group, somebody that can control the play when he's on the ice. And by the way, when I say control, I don't mean that every time he's on the ice, you get a scoring chance. The game does not work like that. It just doesn't.

But there's what the difference between when he skates and doesn't is literally night and day. And so is that pressure? literally night and day. And so is that pressure, is that being unsure, not, not strong enough or healthy enough or like I don't even really know what it is but I think he internally welcomes the pressure but it's another thing to go and attack the pressure. Like you can't let the pressure come to you. You have to push right into the game. And that's what really, really good players do.

You know what's going to be tough for the Canucks if they have to make a decision before the no move clause kicks in, is that I wonder if a really good off season of training is exactly what Elias Pedersen needs because his skating and his burst doesn't seem to be there, but if that's what they decide, it's a heck of a risk that that would be the thing if they're like, okay, we'll keep him.

His no move clause will kick in. Hopefully he has a good off season and then you're like, okay, we'll keep him. His no move clause will kick in. Hopefully he has a good off season and then you're like fingers crossed for October. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So the season ends in the middle of April.

Um, uh, last year, I think you guys might know, like they played till the first of May or something or thereabouts in that first week of May, and that was the second round. And that was a really good accomplishment. So in the time that, well, between now and then, and then from whenever they're finished to the 29th of June, you have runway to see what the training is going to look like. Here's where it gets tricky. It's easy to say, I want you to stay in Vancouver and I want you to train under our trainers. And so we have an eye on you all the time. It's really easy to say that the player is under no obligation to do that. If he wants to go back to Sweden, he can go back to see Sweden.

If you don't have, if you don't have the sense that the training is going to go the way you want it to go, if that's, I mean, that's what we're talking about here, then you have to the 29th of June to figure it out. And you can have all kinds of conversations until then. You can set up three different deals if you want and say, I'll tell you on the 29th. Right? Like there is no rule against that. What is really critical is the player has to understand, like the player in this case being Pedersen, that the Canucks that the Canucks moved JT and now a lot of the future sits in your hands, what you want it to be. And if you trust that, if you're the Canucks that he's going to respond, then there really is no decision. If you don't trust it, then you're pushed into a really tough decision. And here's something I've heard over the last few weeks

from media, it doesn't matter, but the fans are emotional and they can say whatever they need to say and wanna say because that's what being a fan is. But when I hear from the media, well, I wouldn't have done that. I would have done this. I would have traded him three weeks ago.

It's, it's irrelevant what those conversations are publicly, because people don't know. They don't understand that it's not what you would do really. What if the other team doesn't want the player? What if the other team doesn't want it at your term? What if the what if the team wants you to hold back $3 million? Like there's 50 different variations of that deal, but it all comes down to the trust between the team and the player that, that Pedersen will be that type of

player come July 1st, because it's a whole new ball game on the 1st, as opposed to the 30th. Um, were there any tips that you picked up during your career on how to play when you're under a tremendous amount of pressure? Well, I watched guys that had that pressure. Um, like I could feel the pressure, but I wasn't at the level where a team was saying, okay, look, you're our number one guy. You're the guy that, you know, that has to carry the offense or push the offense.

Right. But I watched guys do it and the best of them, they basically said, F you do it. Like they just waited straight into it. It, you know, it's like walking into the ocean. They just like kind of walked right in. And they did it differently, right? Guys did it differently. Ronnie Francis did it pretty quietly. Pat LaFontaine was like a, he wasn't a really loud guy, but there was a, an energy to him. Messier did it, you know, the way he did it. Elbows first.

All those years. Yeah. I mean, how about if you see one of those elbows on your, on your feed and then they lean into about nine more of them and you're like, oh, you're getting brutal. Were we discussing that with you because for some reason Instagram thinks I want to see

Marc Messier elbows all the time. Same. It's crazy. I'm like, no, I want to see cats. Come on. The one that he hits the rushing guy behind the net and they go, whoa, it looks like he got his elbow up a little bit there. The guy's head's rolling around like a bowling ball.

It was like unbelievable. But those guys, like they all did it different, but they just, they did it with, like with their chin up, right? Chest out. And they just like, like they just accepted it and pushed back on it. If you, it can, it can clearly overwhelm people. I mean, we've seen it in, in all kinds of sports and. Like in all different variations, right? It could be something is, you know, I'll say small, but how critical is it?

Like a kicker, it goes out there and sometimes you look at them and you go, Oh my God, that guy is like, he is like nervous as all hell. And then other guys go out there and they're like, and you can, as long as he can kick it far enough, it's going to go in. Like you don't have any doubt. Same with quarterbacks or pitchers. I mean, like you, you just see it all the time.

And, and PD is going to be under a great, great pressure that the one thing he can't do is try to please everybody. You can't, is try to please everybody. Yes. He can't. You cannot do that. You can't, your fans are yelling to shoot and you think it's a pass, you gotta pass it. You know, like that's just a simple example. Like you have to play the game that's in front of you. You were drafted in a position and paid in a position that people have faith that

you can be a difference maker. And he has to have the same faith in himself. I think, I think you kind of nailed it with the word acceptance. Like just accept that you're not going to be able to please everyone. And you know, Mike and I and the dogs and probably you Ray are as guilty as anyone of like complaining

about stuff that we can't control. Like I hate what that guy said in the text inbox or I can't believe anyone would think that who would send that to me on Twitter or acts like, you know, and you're like, yeah, but like that's what you signed up for. Like, do you think everyone is going to sit here and agree with all your opinions on hockey

and they're going to be like, wow, Jason Brough, the smartest mind in sports radio ever, right? Like the whole thing that we sign up for is to have a sports discussion show and debate topics and some people are going to disagree with you and they're going to be mean about it. The one thing that I've always noticed about Ped, or noticed, not realized, noticed about Pedersen is he has this line that he always goes to, is like, I don't want to make a headline for you when he's talking to the media. And my response is kind of like, you're

Elias Pedersen, you could go to the grocery store and make a headline. That is the life you've chosen, especially resigning in here in Vancouver. So just accept it. Like he didn't, he didn't really choose that. Right. Like that just comes with it. Yes.

Like there's, there's a difference to that. Like, do you think, I mean, looking at his personality for however many years he's been here, do you think he chose the spotlight? Do you think he chose more people talking about him? Not a chance. I think he liked it when times were good.

Who doesn't? Well, that's what I'm saying, right? Yeah, but you don't choose it. You just play and it comes with you because you happen to be really, really good. The point I think you're, I think we're talking about is you don't have a choice. Like it's coming anyway.

Yes, that's my point. Yes. And it's much easier though, like I know this with my experience slash age is that I do know it's coming and I do know some people are going to like what I say and I know some people are going to hate it and think that I'm an idiot. Albeit that, you know, they can't, you know, they wouldn't go to a mechanic and tell them how to fix their car yet because they played or didn't play, they think I can be a complete freaking moron about the game.

You know, it's like, it might be a bad example, but that's, that's kind of, it's taken me years and years to go. It doesn't matter that I have experience or that I've been around the NHL for 40 years, it doesn't matter that Pedersen was a, you know, was a hundred point player, it doesn't matter if somebody wants to critique it and crap on you, they're gonna, that's just, it's just the way it is. If you're sensitive to it, which I think when you're in your twenties, you're far more

sensitive than you are now. Like do you even really give a damn anymore? You're like, whatever, like this is my opinion. You like it or you don't like it, that's my job, I have to do it. Sometimes if I'm having a bad day, it bugs me more than others, but at the end of the day, I'm kind of like, yeah, this is what I signed up

for and this is part of the fun. But if you did it, but if you guys did this when you were in your twenties, do you think you would think the same way? No chance. No. So this is a really, I don't know if intense is the word, but a fishbowl market, right? Like whenever you do, everybody is going to talk about it around the team,

because the team is the biggest game in the city. And there's going to be great and there's going to be tough with it. And that's just the way it goes. It's easy to say, well, don't pay attention. Don't read social media. Don't it's that's easy to say, but really hard to do. It would be really beneficial, but who lives that, you know, in a bubble like that anymore? Like nobody, like everybody has some form of something that leaks into their life that probably wouldn't be helpful.

I'm telling you, if he can accept this and just kind of let it go and just play, he'll be so far better off. Yeah. It's so much easier said than done. It's so much easier said than done. Oh man, it's so easy. Isn't it ever, why don't you just than done. Oh man, it's so easy.

You know, like. Isn't it ever, you know, why doesn't, why don't you just get some confidence? Oh, sure. I'd like to. However, every time I touch the puck, I beat it up like a, you know, just beat it into pulp. So like, like the third period yesterday or the

other day, I honestly, I can't remember the last time he played with such energy and look at what happened. Like there was one, there was an energy on Sunday to the Canucks. It's not been there a lot. Like I think if you look at that game and, and totality, like there was an energy, a quickness and aggression that often hasn't been there on any consistent basis. And he's going to be the leader of it. He really, you're not going to be a speech,

but he's going to be the leader of it. Speaking of that game on Sunday, uh, I know we only got a few minutes before we got to let you go. What did you think of Heidel? Okay. I've seen him play a lot. Um, he is a, well, as you saw, like just a dynamic skater, like when he gets going, like he's, he's sneaky, sorry, he's sneaky big, like he's much bigger than he might look on the ice. He's, um, he's a

powerful skater, strong. Um, uh, his game is transporting the puck. Um, in New York, there were like I wondered I said to Landon when we're watching overtime I said I wonder if he said like what am I doing out here because in New York you never got to go out there right wait 14 minutes a game so this opportunity in front of Heidel is enormous for him like I there are injury concerns that have been in there, that have been there. I mean, everybody knows about that. And the hope, of course, is that those

stay in the back. There were, if you remember, injury concerns about Sidney Crosby. Same thing. Would he ever be a player? Well, he's played 1,600 games. So players will react and whatever the good fortune hopefully is in front of you, there's played 1600 games. So players will react how and whatever the good fortune hopefully is in front of you. There was a road in front of him to he's not a 40 point player. He's a 60 to 70 point player that I think because there's going to be opportunity. There's going to be opportunity. He just never got like to say in New York. Oh, he played on the second power play. He played on that power play as much as me and you did. Like those guys never come off the ice.

Right. Right, they get out there with like 14 seconds left and you're like, oh yeah, see he plays the second power play. You know what? It was a goalie. We had Larry Brooks on the show yesterday and his review of Heedle was glowing to the point where I was like,

did I miss something in New York? Because I looked at it and the only, I mean, granted, it's a team that's on the, I'm on the outside looking in, but I was just like, Heedle to me, the only story was that he was hurt all the time. So no one ever got a really great look and Larry was saying fantastic player, fantastic person. he always felt bad for him that he had gone through so many different health issues. I think the line that he used was, you never know when his next hit absorbed is gonna be his last.

And I was like, yeah, that makes sense. But he was very, very complimentary of Hedl, which, and then of course we watched on Sunday, right? Yeah, two years ago they played this Kib line, they called, right, it was Hedl and Kako and Lafreniere. And the Rangers went to the, not how the years come together. They either went to the seventh game of the second round or they went to the conference final.

I can't quite, I can't remember. It was the second round. It was the conference. Yeah. And they were fantastic. Like they were the most talked about part of that team that just they all three of them just exploded onto the scene. Now two of them are gone. It's funny how, how sport is right? Two of those three players that were such a big part

of the Ranger future are gone. Heedle is a, it's easy to see what a player hasn't done from the outside but when you watch when you get the opportunity to watch them a lot it is it's a different it it brings you a different perspective I think he's a really really good player and I'm excited to see what, what can happen for him here because there's, as I said, there's going to be opportunity that just was not his fault, not the Rangers fault, just not available to him when he was in New York.

And no, he's not going to play in front of Trojack, he's not going to play in front of Zabanajad, like that's the way it goes. Yeah. Get that time in his career, it's just not going to happen. And now he's got a it goes. Yeah. Get that time in his career, it's just not going to happen. And now he's got a chance here. Well, Ray, have fun calling the game tonight.

Uh, Canucks in Colorado, we won't agree with all of your analysis, but you know what? That's okay. That's what you signed up for. I know I signed up for not to get texts from you. That's what I signed up for. See you buddy. See you Ray, thanks bud.

Have a good week guys, you'll be well. You too, thanks. That's Ray Ferraro here on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough.