Halford & Brough in the Morning - Torts Is Back!

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

In hour two, Mike & Jason discuss the latest hockey news with NHL.com's Dan Rosen (1:26), including the Vegas Golden Knights firing Bruce Cassidy and hiring John Tortorella, as Vegas get set to host the Canucks this evening, plus the boys chat the top golf news of the day with The Athletic PGA's Brody Miller (32:50).  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.

Hey Monday. Happy Monday, everybody. Halford, Brough, SportsNet, 650. Halford & Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Do you have CRA debt? If you do, Sands and Associates could cut your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at Sands-dastrustee.com. We're now an hour two of the program. Dan Rosen, senior writer from NHL.com is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off Hour 2.

Hour 2 is brought to by Jason Hominock at Jason. dot mortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.morgage. We're coming to you live from the Kintech studio. Step Strong with orthotics and footwear from Kintech. Guests on Sportsnet 650 call in on the ABLE Auctions hotline email sales at abelhe auctions.ca to get your business assets sold and your building cleared. Let's go now to the Able Auctions hotline. Our next guest, senior writer from nhl.com. Dan Rosen joins us now on the Halford and Brough

Show on SportsNet 650. Morning, Dan, how are you? Morning, boys, what's going on? Not much. You know, I thought when we originally booked this, we were going to do a big Eastern Conference Playoff look, all the stuff that happened over the weekend, but no, Vegas decided to throw us a curveball,

and what a curveball it was. Bruce Cassidy out. John Tortorella in, how shocked were you, when you heard the news? Maybe not necessarily that they were moving off. Cassidy. but that Tortorella was going to be the replacement. Well, that was it, right?

So first off, I'm here for the chaos. I love it, right? I mean, this is, you get a story like this in late March with a team that's likely going to the playoffs. I'm like, let's go. This is great chaos. I love it, right? I will say, I was having a, I was at the Rangers game yesterday, and I was having

a conversation actually with somebody there. And we were talking about, you know, the playoff races and coaching and whatnot. And I said, listen, I don't think. Cassidy's longed for Vegas. I mean, unless they go on a run. I literally was saying this in the morning yesterday. Like, I don't think Cassidy's longed for Vegas unless they go on a run. I could definitely see a change being made there. And then boom, it happens, right? So I obviously, I was not surprised. Timing-wise, you have to be a little bit surprised because there's eight games to go in the season for Vegas. But then you look at how they've been playing of late and you

think to yourself, and I've tweeted this yesterday, like if you've been following the Vegas Golden Knights since they got in the league, you should not be really all that surprised that this happened because they do not have emotion in any decisions that they make, whether it's players or with coaches,

and they will do anything it takes that they believe can help them win. And this is one of those moves. And obviously they have not been playing well, three, five, and two in their past 10, eight, 15, and four since January 19th. they're not secure in a spot, so I wasn't surprised. I didn't see Tortorella coming, you know?

But then we need to really think about it, like, it wasn't going to be Pete DeBore, right? No. Like, he's not, that wasn't going to happen. And John just coached the U.S. at the Olympics. He was an assistant. Obviously, had a huge role there on Mike Sullivan staff, along with David Quinn and John Hines. And so he's been in the game. He's been following the game.

He's been doing work with the SPS. so it's not like he's checked out of the game and he's checked out of what's going on. He obviously wanted to continue coaching. And this is a, it's not necessarily a sharp turn. And I think in terms of style and, you know, old school type coaching. But what it does is, you know, Bruce Cassidy was there for a long time and maybe that's the type of voice that, you know, when you're an old school coach. coached in like that way and you're you you ride your players a little bit it works at the start maybe that kind of wears so torts is a similar coach in that way but this is bang a brand new voice

and everything so that's you know we'll see the the impact that has my guess is this is going to have a positive impact on the golden nights in the short term I really do think so because I think the team is better than they've been goaltending wise they still have issues but I think they're they have to be better than they've been. Plus, he knows Jack Eichael well. He just helped coach him there at the Olympics. Same with Noah Hannafin. So there's familiarity there as well.

But I didn't see that one coming. I'll be honest with you. When do you think about the Vegas roster? I mean, you mentioned the goaltending, and the goaltending is problematic, and I'm going to be really curious to see what the relationship is like with Torts and his goaltenders.

Sometimes Torts isn't the most empathetic towards his goalie. She's just like, hey, you need to make more saves. And they're like, I'm trying, coach. But I also, I also wonder, you know, like, I think St. Louis really had trouble when they lost Petrangelo. And I think Vegas is having a lot of trouble losing Petrangelo. And then, you know, I'll also be curious to get your thoughts on the forward group. I know it's star studded, but I think it's fair to say that Thomas Hurtle has been a disappointment with the Vegas Golden Knights. and then some of the other guys, you know, like the speed and the legs,

maybe they're starting to fall off a little bit in some of those older players. Yeah, listen, I will agree with you on Thomas Hurdle. I don't think he's been, I mean, for the contract that he has and all that stuff, you want more than 24 goals and what does he have? Something that will just allishate over 50 points, and he has not been good defensively, and a lot of it has come on the power play, I believe. So you want more than that. Listen, Jack Eichel is a terrific player.

I think Mitch Marner is a terrific player. Mark Stone's a terrific player. Pavel Dorfayev is a goal scorer. Like, he's a really good goal scorer. I like Barboshev. I think Barboshev is the perfect middle six forward. You play them on your top line. 50 to 60 point guy, 65 points.

Like, he's hard to play against. I like the group. I really do. I like the group. The depth maybe drops a little bit. They're very top heavy. You know what I mean with Vegas? In terms of the four group, but their top heavy is pretty good.

The defense, I agree with you. They miss Alex Petrangelo. He is a settling force on the back end. Big, had mobility, long reach, solid defender, can play 24 minutes a night. can play against anybody and play with anybody. That's hard to replace. And they've really, like, they've tried to replace him with Rasmus Anderson, who's just not that player, right?

I mean, he's simply just not that player. Like, he's a completely different player, and he hasn't really fit there, I don't think, in Vegas. And, you look, I mean, Hanifin's a good player, but, you know, I think Hanifin is a guy who was made better when Petrangelo was in the lineup. I think Jash Theodore is a really good player, again, made better when Petrangelo is a good player.

Angela was in the lineup. And then, you know, some of the other guys, they have their bottom pair defensemen. You know what I mean? So I think they've missed their, and the goaltending is an issue. But it should be, the roster is better than the record. The roster is better than what they are right now. The record, like that's a problem. And that's why they've made the coaching change.

And the other problem with them, and I don't know why, but they get down in games a lot. They have to chase games. and when you do that and you chase as many games as they have chased, you end up playing into overtime a lot because you're coming back and maybe you make their way back all the way back. And they've played into overtime a lot. And if you look at it, I think they're second in the league, I believe, in overtime or shootout losses around that neighborhood.

I think tied for second or second. I think L.A. has the most. But they're second, I believe. and that's a lot of points left on the table. You know what I mean? Yeah. So I know the NHL's playoff format is continuing to come under fire. And I understand from a fairness point,

there are. For this season, for sure. There are criticisms to be made. But that being said, I love the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And imagine if we can add Dallas, so to add to Dallas and Minnesota, which is going to be a great,

series with terrific storylines, desperations for both those teams, too, the best teams in the NHL, but also Edmonton,

Vegas, with this added storyline of Tortorella has come in to coach the Vegas Golden Knights. Yeah, you're right about that,

right? Like, that is the thing. You can make cases of for and against, and a lot of people make cases against

the playoff format as it's set up right now. I also love the first round of the playoffs. and it's this is like maybe from a fairness standpoint Dallas should not be playing Minnesota. I get that in the first round if that's how it ends up. But this is compelling.

And especially you're right, Edmonton Vegas and that's going to be really compelling. And Edmonton Vegas, like they're going to play in it. And those two teams, I could see both of those teams. If they play in the first round, the winner could go on a run because they have the talent. And they have the experience.

Do they have the goaltending? Like every game in that series could be 6-5, which would be fun, right? But like, do they have the goaltending? Can they keep the puck out of the net enough to go on a run? But both of those teams, whoever comes out of that series, if that's the first round series, you know, absolutely could go on a run, which would basically negate all the crap that they've had to deal with through the regular season. If they go on a run to the Western Conference final or even beyond. that, right? I mean, that kind of does, doesn't it? So it's so much still needs to be written here,

but that would be really compelling. And having, like I said, I'm a big John Tortorilla support. I like John Tortorale. Okay. I like, I think he's got personality. And when he was coaching the Rangers those years ago, he went overboard. And I was part of it. I was in the press conferences and everything. And that was, that was too much. When he went to Vancouver, it was way too much. okay but I think since then since coming back he has shown he has he has given you the personality

he has answered he is he's enlightening in his post game press conferences and in his off day press conferences because he he can talk the game very well and he will answer questions and he'll answer them honestly for the most part and he's

he's obviously a good coach he knows how to coach but it is a grind when you play for him and when you're every day. So like this is going to be really entertaining to see how it goes. You know, I think he was the wrong fit in Vancouver for a couple of reasons. I think he just like the Canucks were a veteran team that had nearly won the Stanley Cup. They weren't a team that needed a John Tortorella type to come in and tell them how to win.

Like they've been winning. They needed some other. And I also just always wondered if his heart was in it. And it reminds me of a situation that you're covering right now. Actually, I wonder if it does. Halford and I were discussing this earlier. What do you think Mike Sullivan is thinking about his decision to take that Rangers job so soon after leaving Pittsburgh where he had such a successful run?

Well, it's not going the way he thought it would go. That's number one. So I'm sure in the back of his mind there are some reservations. I don't know about regret, but I'm sure they're in the back of his mind. He's maybe questioning like, did I do the right thing or not, not regretting the decision, questioning like, is this right for me? But I will say he has been steady throughout the course of this season. His message has been steady. His approach has been steady, how he has been on the bench during games, from what we see in, what I don't go to every practice, but what I've

seen in practice and what I hear in his post game, the way he answers questions on off days and pregame, post game and all that, everything has been consistent, everything has been steady. and now what they're starting to see in New York is young players coming up and showing them something. Gabe Perrault, for example, is a, you know, is a prime example of that. He's been a really good player since they've put him with Mika's advantage at and Alexi Lafranier. Since Panarin was traded, Lafranier has been a really good player. Now they're seeing Adam Sikora, who's just an energy guy. I said yesterday, I think the Rangers might have had a third line forward.

here, you know, a real good, energetic third line forward who can pop a few in. You know, he kind of reminds me at Connor Garland in a little bit, you know, in that way, and he's going to be a pesty player to play against and whatnot. He's only 21 years old. I don't know about the kid Fortescue, the rookie that they brought in from Boston College. I think he needs time in the American Hockey League, but they're seeing young guys come up, and you don't, you know, like I know Mike Sullivan is experienced enough to understand that when you see these guys come up and the games don't necessarily matter,

is that a full of that? Can you get a full evaluation of that? But for these guys, the games do matter. And I think what he's seen here since the Olympic break on probably has energized him again about this job and where he could go with it. We're speaking to Dan Rosen from NHL.com here on the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650.

I think I've managed to sort of trim down this Eastern Conference playoff chase and that there's six teams within three points of each other all jockeying for like either last spot and the metro or that second wild card spot. So you got the islanders, the penguins,

the blue jackets, the senators, the red wings and the flyers, all within three points of each other with, you know, I think the bottom three having games in hand. Have you had any luck trying to handicap how this thing is going to go? Because I look at it now and I'm like, You can't discount Philly, for example, even though they're at the wrong end of this thing.

They've won eight of their last 10. They've won three in a row. They've signed part of Martone. They've got a lot of things going for them. It's just such a tough race to handicap. How are you kind of going about that right now? Well, you go by the elimination part of it, right? I don't love the Red Wings.

Yeah. I just don't love the Red Wings right now. Four or five and one in our last 10. Like, I'm just not loving what I'm seeing from Detroit. March has been a tough month for them in the past. I'm not eliminating them per se, but I don't love them. I like Philadelphia more than I like the Red Wings right now, and they have the same amount of points and the same amount of games played.

Now, the Red Wings have more regulation wins. That's the tiebreaker, but you got to, both these teams have to climb. Boston, I really like. Boston is playing very good hockey. That was a huge win for them. I like the Boston Bruins a lot. I think they are definite, like, if you look around, I think they're as close to a lock now.

I'm ready to, yeah, I put them in for sure. Okay, yeah. Right, okay. Listen, two of the three Islanders, Penguins, and Blue Jackets are getting in. They have to, right? Unless it's your throw in the flyers, and the flyers are going to climb all the way up. So I guess you count two of the four are absolutely getting in. They have to.

I like the Islanders. I really like the Islanders. I like the energy. I like the goal-tending. I like the fact that they can win a two-to-one game. in late March and early April. And I think that's going to play a role here. Pittsburgh, get Malkin back, going to have Crosby.

There's a huge game tonight, obviously, the Islanders and Penguins. And if that's a three-point game, by the way, tonight, that is killer for a team like the Philadelphia Flyers. Okay. But I do like the Islanders. I'm not 100% sold on Pittsburgh. I don't particularly like the Red Wings. The Flyers have, you've got to be.

impressed, can they continue to keep climbing? Ottawa, I don't know. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know what to think about. That's a great take because I, every, you look at them and they're like, by all metrics, they should be better than they are. But the defense, the injuries on the back and the losing is a killer for that team.

And I like Columbus, listen, I said this the other day. I wrote about this the other day too. And I was just like, you know, the scary thing for Columbus is when you ride out. When you're so hot for so long, you do wonder what's lurking behind that, right? Eventually, there's a market correction there. And is it going to come at the wrong time for the blue jacket? Is it already coming at the wrong time for the blue jackets? Is Montreal getting better and better as the season goes on? Yeah, they're scary good. Scary good.

Cole Cawfield is incredible to watch. And so is his buddy, Nick Suzuki, is probably going to win. Is he going to win the Selkie this year? He very well could I haven't really dug into that but yeah listen I think Suzuki is a top 10 center in the league

I think he's that good and Caulfield is obviously one of the elite goal scores in the league the question for Montreal and it's going to be the question for Montreal is who's going to be the goalie

who is your starting goalie game one and is that and do you have enough faith and trust in that guy because the Canadians like they are as wildly entertaining team but are they going to

be able to play that style playoff hockey. Right? You know what I mean? I think you can get away with it on a couple of games in the playoffs, but can you get away with it from the seven game series

if you're playing Tampa, right? And right now, I understand right now it would be, it would be Buffalo. But can you get away with that if you're playing Tampa? Like, that's the scary thing from the Canadians.

But they're also scary good and they're scary entertaining and like in a really good way. I mean, like they are fun to watch and they are, They can go. And they are, I think you're right. I think they are getting better.

And I think the experience that they gained last year is benefiting them right now. I remember Marty St. Louis and the Canadians, they came into New York, or midseason. And I asked Marty San Luis, so do you feel as though the experience you gained last year is already benefiting you this year? And his answer was yes, and we're going to find out more, but they're seeing it. And I think you're seeing it more now, too. Would a Buffalo Montreal first round series be an all-timer in terms of fan atmosphere in both buildings? Oh, God, how fun would that be to cover? First off, like, I was in Montreal last year for the first round against Washington, and it was incredible.

Yeah. Like, it was, and I've been there. I've been in Montreal for playoffs years. I covered the Eastern Conference final there. When they played the Rangers, I've covered other series there. I believe it was when they played Washington in 2010, I think it was, when they beat the, the capitals were the number one seed at the time. Like, it's, it's the greatest atmosphere to cover a playoff game in my mind.

And then you toss in the, listen, I mean, we had Rob Ray on our podcast last week, and he's talking about what it's like in Buffalo right now and what the, and like, even the players are like, oh, my God, like, I did not know this, you know, because they haven't experienced it. And now they're going to start the fan. And he keeps telling the players, he's like, well, just you wait, just you wait until you get into the playoffs and what this place is going to be like. and Montreal is going to be like that.

We know that. So it would be an all-timer, that's for sure. Dan, this was great, buddy. Thanks for taking the time to do it. We appreciate it. We will probably circle back as we get closer and closer to the start of the playoffs.

All right, guys, happy to do it. Thanks. Thanks, buddy. Appreciate it. That's Dan Rosen from NHL.com here on the Halford Inbrough show on Sportsnet 650. So for as much heat as the playoff format is going to take. And again, I get it.

I have a lot of sympathy for the people that are fans of Dallas or Minnesota or just the fans of fairness in general but if you could have a first round that has Buffalo and Montreal in the east and Dallas and

Minnesota with all that's on the line for both those teams you got Minnesota that made the Quinn Hughes acquisition they better get out of the first round Dallas is kind of the Carolina of the West and that you know they've been a really good team for a few years but they haven't been able to get over the hump if they go out in the first round

conference final. You know, and then Oilers in Vegas, oilers with the Connor McDavid clock ticking down and then Vegas has just made this coaching change to John Tortorella. Like,

that's incredible. I mean, maybe, you know, you were talking about two, three matchups, Islanders, penguins, that would be like,

man, I don't know, but like, still compelling, but nothing compared to those. So I, I think the NHL takes,

more pride in its first round than any other league. It does. Right? The first round is the gem. More so than I would say the Stanley Cup final. This is like nobody's got a better first round than us. It's a crazy way I think about it, but it's the way they think about it. So I think Gary Betman is there's a reason why he sticks up for it.

Plus like travel reasons and rivalry reasons. Fairness might take a back seat. And for some people, that's just purely unacceptable. And I totally get that. I'm still going to be excited for these matchups, though, man. I think the other thing you got to understand is that when the NHL markets the Stanley Cup and its playoffs is the toughest grind in all of the major sports, the toughest trophy to win. They put their guys through the most. I think the unspoken part of that is oftentimes when these teams get to the Stanley Cup final, they're wiped.

Like, they're not, they're not putting forward. Amaciated and hurt. and injured and they're not running like the energy that you get on the first few nights of the playoffs you can't replicate. No. Physically you can't replicate it. It's incredible. Never mind the energy from the building and the fans

and everything. Like the energy from the players that are running right, you can't do that over the course of two months that it takes to win the Stanley Cup. So in a very weird way, the peak entertainment value and I think the NHL has leaned into it without kind of saying the quiet part out loud is like the hockey's better in the first round. By the time you get to the Stanley Cup

funnel, oftentimes it's not great. It's a war of attrition, and oftentimes the end of a war of attrition, it looks ugly. We're going to take a detour to the Tiger Woods story with Brody Miller of the athletic coming up next on the Halford and Brough show on SportsNet 650. Hey, it's Jamie Dodd and Thomas Grants. Get your daily dose of Canucks talk with us weekdays from 12 to 2 on SportsNet 650 or catch up on demand through your favorite podcast app. 732 on a Monday. Happy Monday, everybody.

Halford, Brough, Sportsnet 650. Alfred and Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Do you have credit card debt? If you do, Sands and Associates could cut your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at sands dash trustee.com. We're in hour two of the program, midway point of the show. Brody Miller, golf writer for the athletics, is going to join us in a moment here to talk about Tiger Woods.

Hour two of this program is brought to by Jason hominock at Jason. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason and shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.morgage. Let's go now to the ABLE Auctions hotline. As mentioned, our next guest is a golf writer for the athletic. Brody Miller joins us now on the Halford and Breff Show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Brody, how are you?

Brody has disconnected. Or we disconnected Brody. Who's to say, really? Was it A-Dog's fault? I'd like to, by the way. I think he hung up. It's A-Dod's birthday today. It is.

So everyone wish A-Dog a happy birthday as he panics to get Brody Miller. He made it to the right old age of 42. Yeah. I'm impressed, honestly, that he did. That he made it that far? Yeah. It's got to be a record for a dog. We've seen how he lives, right? What's that in Doug? I can't. It's almost 300. It's a dog, I think. So the reason we're getting Brody on the show, obviously, is the news over the weekend

that Tiger Woods was evolved in a vehicle rollover crash, subsequently charged with DUI. There's a lot to unpack here from the story. Brody's story is we don't need to quit Tiger Woods, but we must ask less of him. And you were talking about over the weekend that a lot of live coverage like from the golf channel itself did a sort of like breaking news sounder and an update and they went straight to the Tiger Woods story.

That's still the hold that he has over the golf world. Yeah. Apparently, according to the sheriff, not alcohol. But so he passed the breathalizer. No problem. And then they were like, do you want to do a urine test? He's like, not really. Take a pass on that, thank you.

Yeah, take a pass on that. So they do charge him with DUI, but I'm not sure what the consequences could be, but obviously a massive, another massive black guy for Tiger Woods. See, so there's two real parts to this story, right? There's, and I don't want to make light of the incident itself, right? I don't think it's very appropriate to sort of crack jokes. Yeah, someone could have been pretty badly hurt. Right, DUI is a serious thing.

but there is the sideshow element of it in which this figure still has such a grasp on the golfing world that everything he does and a lot of it now is away from the actual golf course consumes all of golf media. Part of the story this weekend was the volume of coverage that Tiger Woods' rollover crash and DUI got. Like the coverage of the story became a story.

So I'm reading, you know, page six. Yes. It's kind of a gossipy. Was that originally New York Post page six? Yes, that's correct. Okay. So I don't know if it still is or if it was spun off, but he is currently dating Vanessa Trump, who is the... Now, who's that? Who's the ex-wife of one of Trump's sons?

Okay. So, you know how they do, they get like quotes from sources? like a source close to Vanessa. This is a source to page 6 that I'm reading. The source says he's embarrassed. He's mortified at all this. And this is really humiliating for it to happen again. And Vanessa is embarrassed too.

All her friends are like, girl, what the hell? Girl, you need to get him a driver? Not the golf driver. Sometimes I were clear. Sometimes I wonder. if those sources are true when a quote is like that. And Vanessa is embarrassed too. All her friends are like,

girl, what the hell? Does that actually not make it more of a legitimate source? I can see someone saying that to her, just sitting her down. By the way, is this story totally captivating golf over the weekend in light of what Gary Woodland did? Does that not further what I'm talking about here?

So for those that don't know, it was the Texas Children's Houston Open this. weekend. And Gary Woodland won in a very emotional and very inspirational way. And if you want to take it from here, please do. Because I don't know all the details about everything that we went through, but I know that this was a great sort of overcoming obstacle story culminating with the win in Houston on the weekend. Gary Woodland, a few years ago, was diagnosed with a brain lesion. Okay. And he was having all sorts of crazy anxiety. and his personality changed and he was just very anxious and it sounded like it was a real nightmare and he gets diagnosed with this brain lesion so he needs brain surgery so he comes back from that and everyone's like great you made it through he's like I'm still struggling and he was eventually

diagnosed with PTSD so he had brain surgery PTSD and he's still not 100% and he still managed to go out and win on the PGA tour, which is an incredible story. Super emotional story. And I think one of the best stories that

we've seen in golf all season. And yet, yeah, Tiger Woods rolled his car over and that is the number one story in golf. By a mile. And unfortunately, we're not going to be able to connect with Brody Miller from the athletic here. We're having some technical difficulties here at SportsNet 650.

So we will table that discussion. Well, let's have a conversation about Tiger Woods. Sure. Because I am having trouble and I'm going back and forth between empathy for a guy with an addiction issue, but also I don't like to use the word outrage because I wasn't like walking around the house all weekend. I am outraged. But it was it was inconsiderate, you know?

and potentially dangerous when you're out driving. Well, I didn't take potential out of it. It's just dangerous, period. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It is. And the sheriff said that it was on a small road that it happened. I think Tiger tried to pass someone with a trailer.

He clipped it and it rolled over. And he said, well, it was a small road. If someone had been the other way, it could have been a lot worse. And Tiger has already hurt himself badly in a car accident. Nearly lost his leg because of a car accident. And now, look, I don't know if he was intoxicated in that car accident, but he's clearly a guy who's struggling with issues. We have friends.

Most of us have friends. If you reach the age that we've reached, that are, we'd say, this guy is my friend. He's a good person. He does some dumb stuff when he drinks or does dress. or whatever. Right. And I think most people that have people like that in their lives go back and forth

between like, man, I feel bad for you. You don't want to be like this. But also, there are certain things that you can still control. So that's an interesting point to bring up here. Because when you talk about how people view their friends, it can be pretty varied, right? And it's not necessarily a black and white thing. Like, I have empathy for them, but I'm also frustrated by him. I think the really fascinating thing here is that a lot of people are still judging Tiger Woods through the lens of golf.

And like this is a story about a 50 year old guy that's got personal struggles and demons who also engages in routinely reckless and careless behavior. And it's not about a redemptive arc in sports anymore. Yeah. I saw some people trying to- We don't need the narrative. I saw some people trying to frame this like, well, what about his comeback? and I'm like, come back to what? Like, there's a totally different story going on here

than the one I think a lot of people were trying to tell or trying to spin, and that's why we wanted to talk to Brody. And we finally have them on the line now. So joining us from the athletic, golf writer, Brody Miller, joins us here now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Brody. How are you?

Good morning, guys. Yeah, I apologize if that was my air, but no, glad to be here. And I just want to jump in and say, like, I overheard obviously the last, like, minute or so of what you were saying. And I think I couldn't agree more with the way you guys are framing it just in terms of with Tiger Woods. You know, it's like there is this just redet. Like everything's about the comeback arc with him because he's somebody who's been making comebacks for 30 years.

And I think you nailed it. Like he's a 50-year-old guy who is just having really sad issues. And it's no longer, it shouldn't anymore be about like our obsession with Tiger, like living out our dreams. It should just be like, guys, let's take a step back. I don't know if he's getting all the help he needs right now. Yeah. Do you struggle like we are struggling to either be empathetic or judgmental in a negative way? I keep going back and forth because I feel awful for anyone with an addiction issue.

But I also know that if you have an addiction issue, you know, in your, you know, and you're, you're not good to drive, you shouldn't be driving. Yeah, no, I think I am struggling with that the same way you are. Yeah, I think it's like, I think I am empathetic of what he's going through. I understand. I want him to get help, but I think there is a, it is no longer just a, oh, man, can you believe he had this incident, you know, like, it's just going to be another mark to his comeback toward.

I think, yeah, to your point, it's more like, hey, this is now, three pretty bad incidents. This is just an adult who has a habitual problem. And yeah, there needs to be a little bit of a harsher way we view him through. It needs to stop being like part of the Shakespearean arc and just like, hey, let's hold you accountable a little bit more. He is, it is fair to say it's selfish behavior now. It is fair to say it is putting people severely at risk. You know, it's like, I think even the falling asleep in his car on painkillers instead of 2017,

it just didn't feel the same. And then because there's, it felt more sad than it did like, what are you, like, you're being reckless. And I think then the 2021 crash, because there, there was no testing, there was no toxicology report, I don't even want to insinuate that he might have been under the, you know, inflowice. But I have no idea. That would be reckless. But like combining that going 90 and 45. with this. Yeah, it's just you are no longer

somebody who exactly thinks about other people. And any, I think the best way to like that, like, reframe my mind was Tiger Woods is a 50-year-old high-ranking executive of the PGA tour. He is the head of committees. He is and any other industry, including the PGA tour, if a high-ranking executive was getting into these incidents, yeah, you would be holding them to a much harsher standard and you would probably be putting them away, like, at least taking them

away from some of these powerful positions. and that's not me trying to cancel Tiger Woods because yeah, the empathy is probably my number one feeling here, but as somebody who has written a book on Tiger Woods and like sincerely loves the that narrative arc we always talk about with him, I'm over it now.

What does this mean for the PGA tour? Because they got a new CEO. This is a real transition moment for the PGA tour. I don't even think they're 100% sure where they're going. And of course, this was all kind of kicked off with the live thing and it's evolved into that. Tigers are hoping to count on him for his advice and his guidance.

But at one point does he become more of a distraction or maybe even not unreliable in that position? Yeah, I think we're reaching a point where it's fair to ask. You know, I don't think it's like this binary is like now he's bad for it. I'm sure so much of his value is ruined. the fact that he just has so much influence and so many people and so many players, let's put it out, like,

we'll do what he says and revere him and all these things. So, like, it's not like that probably just went away, right? I don't think it's just gone because he's having some off the course issues. But I think Brian Roelap is in stress zone. I mean, I think it's

trending the right way. I think he's lobbying quite successfully. I think some of these huge changes that I think they would like to have completely kind of ironed out by the next June big board meeting, they need everybody aligned. They need Tiger Woods to be an impactful member of that or get out of the way. And I think that is a really tricky time. Everything the PGA tour is doing right now is about the next TV deal.

And it is about the fact that, you know, next summer they want to own the TV calendar, especially with, you know, baseball possibly having a lockout. They want to redo their schedule. they want to redo their entire structure and be able to bring new ratings and new success to, you know, the broadcasters in a year and a half. And I think that is everything Brian Rola has to do it. So it's not like there's a time crunch in terms of, oh, man, if they don't figure out what the right model is, it's bad for the tour. Like success? No, it's just they have a timeline to get the most money they can and survive.

And I think this is a really interesting business story the next two years. And that's why I ask, like, I don't know. Tiger Woods still being involved is harmful, but it's just, it needs to be looked into. We are speaking to Brody Miller, golf writer for the athletic here on the Halford & Brough show, on SportsNet 650. You mentioned that we don't always want to make things binary here, black and white or one of the other, but I'm going to do it anyway, Brody.

So on a weekend where you have the Tiger Woods story and the Gary Woodland story, what does it say about golf and golf media and the current climate around the sport, that Tiger's story got as much oxygen, as it did compared to Woodland's story. Wow, that's a really good question. I think it says a lot about, I mean, the old quick answer is it just says so much about

Tiger Woods is like Michael Jordan is really the only sports comp in terms. Sure. Overall zeitgeist, right? And that's just going to win out. But yeah, I think there is an American and probably all the world, obsession with tragedy and obsession with disaster that I think is really flawed. and sad that like that is always going to get more attention. And I think probably there's something too.

We don't do a good enough job of promoting the Gary Woodland. You know, like I think if I went to one out of five casual, two out of five casual sports fans, they don't know who Gary Woodland is. And yeah, the one, the two out of five who like are in the weeds on golf are like, this is the best story in sports. But I think a lot of them just, you know, golf is a niche. And I think that's unfortunate. But I think we could do a better job.

And, you know, I think a good amount of the Gulf media landscape has really lead into this moment and really promoted it. And some of them are even very smartly framing it like you did very smartly about this tiger through this Tiger lens of like, we have a job as media members, right? To we choose the frame. We choose the lens we look at the world through that that shows the rest of the world. And yeah, we have a choice. We have a choice to be like, hey, let's just keep talking about Tiger for five days. And guess what, man, I see our numbers on the athletic. Our numbers are still off the charts on Tiger Woods.

And that is kind of not like what I want. You know, that's not a very articulate way of putting it. And I wish more of it was like, guys, Gary Woodland. This is incredible. So I don't think I answered your question well, but I think it's a really important conversation to have about how we handle it. I think you answered it well. I think you kind of hit it on the head.

It's not a clear answer. Can you imagine a tougher sport to win in than golf when going through some of the things that Gary Woodland was going through? No, I mean, that's the beauty, like, I mean, like, I'm sure there are other examples, but the idea of you are just walking alone for four to five hours a day with noises everywhere, people cheering, and you are just kind of, it feels like an entire arena is just focused on you. And every, you've all seen the interview, right?

Like, every sound is just slightly terrified him. as caddy, God bless him, just has to be this, you know, very calming figure at all times helping him get through this. I would think it's already the hardest sport to win, you know, roughly. You know, you're a Gary Woodland, who's like, I don't know, the 70th best player in the world, has, you know, like a 2% chance to win a given tournament. And then you add in these factors, you add in the fact that he, like, it's almost like we forget that he's also recovering from brain surgery. And then you add in the PTSD.

No, I think it is unbelievable because not just the three days before this. But then that final day when everyone's cheering for you and everyone's focusing on your story, not just the pressure element, but what that probably does to the PTSD feelings, it is an unbelievable story. And I don't love when media members are just always like, oh, this is the best guy. And we should. I just love this for him. But like, I'm sorry, Gary Woodland is one of the best guys.

Like, he is truly just that good of a dude. The guy you can just go to talk to about anything, who will get emotional with you about anything. It's just genuinely cool And I think it's okay sometimes To just be like, let's focus on the pool As a golf writer I mean we're talking about the Tiger Woods story

Which has created a lot of content And a lot of books and a lot of articles You know we talk about golf a little bit on our show But we're Canada We're mostly hockey up here and mostly the Vancouver Canucks I'm always a little bit jealous of golf riders Because I think you guys

might have the best sport to cover in terms of the human story because there's nothing that makes someone more vulnerable than a pressure situation in golf. I mean, Tiger Woods, I mean, for years, he wasn't vulnerable. And then all of a sudden he was very vulnerable. Gary Woodland, I think his vulnerability was what made him so interesting in conceding and admitting and coming out and saying that he had this issue with Pete. PTSD after after brain surgery and I think about on a weekly basis, which Rory McElroy am I going to see? Is it, you know, like Rory, I really like Rory, but I often describe him like

he's on tilt. Like he's trying to, he's trying to find, he's trying to find the right Rory McElroy and the right thing to say every week. Do you feel the same way about being a golf writer. Like, not only is it a great sport to to cover because the game is great and you get to go to warm climates to go to go watch golf. I mean, the human stories in this sport are terrific. No, I actually appreciate that you see that. Yeah, I think I was mainly a college football writer for about seven,

eight years and I love that. But I always was drawn to like, hey, if the athletic really does golf, I really want to do it. Because every story from both your just daily round story to your big stories. They're all just human stories. They are all like, yeah, it's about how they played that day, but it's about to your point, how are they handling the highs? How are they handling the lows? How are they handling with being the man in the arena every day? And whatever they're dealing with in their day to day life. And there's no other sport where like what they're dealing with in their day to day life might actually literally affect their shotgun. Like there's not many

sports that really operate that way. So yeah, every story you write is essentially a profile. And I love that part of it. I think sometimes it can lend itself to some pop psychology that's probably a little dangerous, but I absolutely agree. And I think like what you're saying about, Rory, and I think that's why I love it, and I think that's why the people who

love golf are so encapsulated by it, that it's just, every day you're watching somebody go through it, both good and the bad. You're watching somebody try to conquer, like, it's so dramatic, but it's true. Every winner's story is

is usually somebody conquering their demons in some way or another, fixing some fatal flaw in their game. And getting there, and guess what? Every one of those also has a downfall, as weird as that is. Like, golf greatness usually lasts very short. And that is poetic and beautiful in its own way. And I think that, I think it's a really smart lens to view this whole past week through. That that is both why we are obsessed with Tiger Woods, because no one has given us more of these human stories for 30 years than Tiger Woods. look, not even close.

Even Michael Jordan probably didn't give us this much, like, narrative things to hone in on and discuss. And it's why we love Gary Wood. I mean, I think that's, it's why we loved him, even though Cam Young might not be seen as an interesting figure, it's why we loved Cam Young's win at the players, because it was, oh, we suddenly, like, learned who this guy is in a very, very transparent way in his biggest moment. It's why JJ Spawn winning, when no one really knew his name, suddenly you get to tell this

guy's story. And I think that is both why we love it is why so many golf fans love it, but it also does kind of give us a responsibility as golf riders to, like, that's as bizarre as this is to say. That means there's a lot of power in that, like, how you view people and how the world views people. And I don't want to, like, be too reckless with that because when you do that, it leads to situations like Tegu was a 50 years old, you know? And I think there is a danger there. but it's a really cool job. Sorry for the dramatic answer.

No, you know what? I'm really glad we got the phone issue sorted out because this was awesome, Brody. Thanks for taking the time to do this day. We really appreciate it. Very insightful stuff. Oh, anytime, guys. I really enjoyed it. Take care.

Thanks, Brody. Yeah, that's Brody Miller, golf writer for the athletic here on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. Before we go to break, I need to do the smart decision brought to you by Crow. Easiest one I've ever had to do because the smart decision right now amazingly comes from Major League Baseball. The automatic ball strike system is amazing theater.

What we saw over the weekend, and these are early days. We still have more drama to come. It has been such a pardon the pun, home run for Major League Baseball. The ABS system has been great. So the most memorable part of the weekend was Saturday in Cincinnati

when Ejanios Suarez had consecutive strike three calls overturned by the same umpire C.B. Buckner, who had a terrible weekend. Oh, what a shock. CB. So not only was watching the calls get reversed in like dramatic fashion grade, the pop and the response from the Cincinnati Reds fans was louder than during the game when the Reds hit two home runs. Just think about this. The challenge successfully being overturned had a louder pop than the two home runs of the Reds hit during that game.

It was amazing to watch. I want one of the umps to be noticeably frustrated with the call. Like, it's going to happen. Or just be like, it's going to happen. Just start laughing or something like that. I want a reaction because you know they've been told,

don't react at all. It just be like, yep, it went against you. That's fine. But all of a sudden, it's like they're in the game. Uh-huh.

Do you know what I mean? They're getting live real. time job performances. Yeah. They're failing them. And you get to watch it. It's amazing. It's the smart decision brought to you by Crow.

You're trusting accounting and tax advisors for over 55 years. Crow smart decisions lasting value. Learn more at crowmachai.ca. Two hours of the program in the books hour three coming up. Kevin Woodley, NHL.com and Inglew Magazine is going to join us next on the Halford and Breff Show on Sportsnet 650.