Halford & Brough in the Morning - Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong + Tyson Barrie

Episode Date: August 27, 2025

In hour three, Mike & Jason chat with Utah Mammoth General Manager Bill Armstrong (1:16) about their inaugural campaign, as well as expectations for the upcoming season, plus recently retired NHLer Tyson Barrie (25:04) joins the show to reflect on his career.  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.

Kessel Ring carries it across, drops one, shot, scour! Dilling Gunther, lights the left. Utah on the board first. Their first ever goal by number 11. 801 on a Wednesday, happy Wednesday, everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet, 650. Halford Brub for the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates.

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West Industries don't get caught in the dark when it matters most. Visit them at powerwest.c.cate today. They keep the lights on. Let's go now to the Power West Industries hotline. The general manager of the Utah mammoth. Bill Armstrong joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650. Morning, Bill. How are you? Good morning, Mike and Jason.

How are you guys doing today? We're great. Thanks for taking the time to do this today. We appreciate it. So we've got lots of questions about what happened in the offseason and what's to come for the future of the Utah Mammoth, but before we get into all that, what was it like going through that experience

of the inaugural first season in Utah? It was exciting. It kind of didn't know what to expect when you got in there. And it was just like the fans embraced it right away. There's a special thing about Utah. They're super proud people and they were so excited about having an NHL team

in their city and they just ran with it. You know, if you looked inside our building, You know, in a game, you'd think we'd been around for 25 years just with the way the fans wore the jerseys and how they embraced it and cheered at the games. It was probably one of the loudest buildings in the NHL last year. Did anything catch you by surprise? I know it's always difficult moving. And also as quickly as you guys did from Arizona to Utah, was there anything that maybe you didn't expect it did happen or caught you by surprise with moving and then playing in Utah that first season? I think just how quickly, you know, Ryan Smith and his group, the SEG there, his company, got things done.

From the dressing room to creating a temporary practice facility to now completely renovating the bowl in the Delta Center. And also September 1st, we move into our new practice facility that they've created. So they get things done there. Like, it's been impressive. You know, we had a hard time, you know, in Arizona, trying to get rinks and set ups properly. And, you know, within a year, these guys have come in and just crushed it. And I was amazed at how Utah embraced the NHL. It's a bit of a sensitive issue, the practice facility here in Vancouver,

because the Kineks don't have one. I don't even know if you, I'm sure you know about this. But it seems like everyone comes on. from out of market is like, you should see this new practice facility we've got but what is it going to be like your new facility and how important

is that to the team? Well, listen, a couple things. It's going to, the greatest thing it's going to do, it's added two ranks to the state of Utah, the city of Salt Lake. It's going to help grow hockey in Utah

right away. That's the first thing. For us as an organization, we've never really had good practice rinks, so we really value it. It's state-of-the-art, Ryan Smith and his group brought an entire mall. They took the one end of the mall, which was a Macy's, and they gutted it, and they stacked up two rinks beside it. It's a massive space. It's over 100,000 square feet for the hockey side, and that contains all hockey ops,

and then below is the dressing rooms, the weight rooms, the pool. There's a pool in there. It's the size of what YMCA has in there. It's incredible. I'm sure when the pictures come out in a couple weeks, you guys are going to be, oh, my God, I do believe it's the nicest facility in the National Hockey League. And it's just a great spot because the players all kind of live around that area. So for just quality of life, it's 10 minutes out, 10 minutes back to their houses.

So we're going to operate out of there. And I do believe in the NHO with the speed of the players, the size of the players. When you practice, your ice is only good for about 10 to 15 minutes because you don't have people shoveling it. So if you want to be at a high level during practice, you've got to change ice surfaces and you need two to do that and I'm a big believer

in that you go back and forth between the two ice sheets and that way you can keep your practices at an elite level and there's no excuses about the snow on the ice. Can't make the rookie shovel? You could. You could. I like that idea. I'm going to put that in the improvement box.

How much does the team feel a responsibility to get kids in Utah playing hockey? It is a big priority of the organization. They've actually hired Rick Bonas' daughter, Kristen Bonas, to come in there, and she's just crushed it in getting the mammoth name, you know, out there to the kids and getting everybody flying hockey and she's been a big part of the youth hockey in Utah and growing it. So that is a huge thing for not only us, you know, as an organization, but the coaching staff and myself, I'm a big believer in the promotion of hockey. And I think we have a huge obligation to this community to grow hockey.

And hopefully one day you'll see BYU and the U, you know, the two universities that battle it out in football, which is a really cool thing. They call it the Holy War when they play. It's a huge thing in Utah. I'm hoping one day that that's a hockey game too. So we have a huge responsibility to the community to grow hockey. Okay, tell us about your off season because you were actually able to add some talent

as opposed to a bunch of GMs who tried and failed to do that. You can brag about that now. You know, we've had, you know, just to go back a little bit, we get at our team. it probably started when we traded OEL and kind of drafted Dylan Gunther and what we tried to do is accumulate as many picks as we could and then try to draft. But the problem with that is that

then you have so many young kids coming in at the same time and what we've tried to do is make some trades to kind of put us a little bit farther ahead and a little bit more competitive as we kind of moved through the bills here. So we were able to last year get surrogift done and that kind of inspired us this year to kind of go out there and add Batyrka.

And we had the right pieces with Josh Stone and Kesselring to go out there and acquire him. So that helps us out. You know, now we've got really good top two lines on our team. And there's a lot of youth there. I mean, you've got Buterca at 23, Cooley at 21 and Gunther at 22, and they're all 60 points and above.

You know, so there's some good young talent in there. I think Butterker can put the puck in the net and so that's going to help us. And we were able to sign two of our guys from Russia that played in the KHL, that won the KHL championship, Dimoshev and Boots. So they're big men,

and they're coming in to make our team. So it's going to be a very competitive camp for us. What's the focus for this season? Ours this season to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, in our conference and division, everybody else is trying to do that, too. Yeah, that's the thing about pro-sport. other teams try, too.

We're all trying. Yeah, the other teams are trying, too. So, I mean, it's a battle. I mean, there's, there's, it's really, for this team, we got to take a step. We got to take, you know, we got to push the boundaries and try and get in. You know, this is the, you know, the fifth year of kind of the build that we're going through. And, you know, we're coming out of it. Now it's time to make a little bit of hay and get, and get competitive and,

and push the envelope to get into the playoffs. And there's an incredible teams. around us from the Vancouver's, Calgary, the St. Louis and Minnesota's that are all pushing into those wildcard spots and trying to play with the big boys and the Colorado's and the Dallas is too. So it's a battle. It's a battle every night. But that's a good thing. That's going to make us a better organization, a tougher organization, and we've got to find a way in. In terms of style and identity and attitude, how would you describe the way you want your team to play to make the postseason?

Yeah, it's a great question because we're not a finished product. We're not a perfect team. One of the things you have to remember about our team is that we have six first rounders that haven't entered our organization. And so there's a lot of talent from the Aginle's and the boots

and the Sima Shev's and the Lameros and, you know, Caleb Dinoje, who we drafted this year. We got a lot of talent coming through the door. And so we're not a finished product. We're going to be a lot bigger team than we are today. What we are today is a fast team, a scrappy team and with really good skill on the top two lines

and a little bit of bang on a third or fourth lines. So we're pretty good in that department. We're going to beat you by playing at a faster pace for 60 minutes. You know, Logan Cool is a fast kid. You know, Petrca is a fast kid. Michael Carcone is fast. So we've got definitely some speed. I think for us to have success and push into the playoffs,

we've obviously got to score a few more goals and eliminate a lot more goals. We can trim up those two areas for us. We're going to have a chance to get in. It seemed like there was a real trend towards undersized fast players for a while, and it was great that a lot of those guys got the opportunity and a lot of them continue to thrive. I mean, we got one of them here in Vancouver and Quinn Hughes, who was one of the best players in the league.

But you also do need size and strength and nastiness, as we've seen from the Florida Panthers. So how do you balance those needs? A great question. You know, in St. Louis, when I was a part of that organization drafting, we had a big D. And we were nasty to play against, you know. And I think that's important.

I think he got to have big defensemen, you know, that can, and put a world to hurt, you know, on the other team's forwards and making an uncomfortable game. Size does count. I mean, they're not making the ranks any bigger. And nowadays, you know, the D can move. So I'm a big believer in having some size in the backside.

That can cover some ground. And at the same time, you get a filter and some guys to move the clock because that's important too. So there's a fine line between, you know, having all guys that are 6-5-6-6. and you've got to have a few guys in the mix that can move the puck but also up front

you've got to have a little bit of bang off your forecheck and that's your third and fourth lines that are bringing it and if you can have a couple big guys up front that are skilled the Jamie Ben's of the world that can bring the skill on at the same time you know play with the top two lines you got a chance to win after that

and the last thing is you got to have a goalie that can stop the puck how are you feeling about your goaltending going into this season? I know you've had some challenge, off-ice challenges. Yeah,

I like our goaltender. Vege Malco's taking a step for us. He had a great year last year. He's just

gotten better every single year. And he really kind of solidified, you know, is our

number one coming through the door. And we got Van decheck out of Florida that won a cup

last year, and he's going to add into the mix. He had a monster season a couple of years

ago. We're hoping to get him back. And then Ingram's coming back, obviously,

he was in the program. So we got goaltenders in there. It'll be a fight to see who comes out and you know, takes the net but I think we've got some depth and we've got Michael Rabel.

We drafted a few years. He's had some great college seasons at UMass and he's crushed it. So we've got some depth in the organization. Obviously, you never know with goaltending, you know, the injuries and all the other stuff that can occur during the course of the year. And they really control your team for the most

part. So I like the fact that we've got depth going into the year. What is the hardest thing to find in the NHL these days? Is it a center or a defenseman? If you want like a top six center or a top four defenseman? I mean, I think centers are the hardest thing right now. I think the NHL doesn't have a lot of them. They're very valuable.

I've always felt like you win down the middle. When you put good centermen in their proper rule, it makes everybody better around you. And, you know, you look at the parkoffs in the world. Those guys are impossible to get. You know, they're just, you draft them. They're going to be in your organization for a long time and hopefully help you win a cup.

But I think centermen right now are the hardest thing to find. I think there's just not a lot of, you know, high, high end number one centers in the National Hockey League. So if you get your hands on them, I think you've got to hold on to them and pay them accordingly. why do you think that is like with with defensemen I think we ask so much of defensemen now I mean you you kind of touched on it you're like you got to be able to move the puck but also break up the cycle and be big and nasty you know and there are very few guys that fit the bill that can

do both of those things so you just have to find the right mix and find the right pairings but why is there maybe there always has been why is there a dearth of centers centers just make the world go around they're going to be out out there and they're going to take the draw for the last minute of the game whether you're up or down and kind of run your half wall pee pee they're just

hard to develop nobody has the patience at times we always move them to the wing and sometimes they end up staying there it's just easier to go with the older guy in the middle because he has the experience you know they don't get good at taking draws so they're almost in their fourth or fifth year and so there's a patient game when you're going through it with your centerment.

It takes a while for them to be good. We're fortunate we were able to draft Logan Cooley and, you know, Cool's is very competitive. He's an elite skater, but he works on both sides of the park. But when you're going through the rebuild as we were going through, we had a little bit of patience because we weren't trying to push to get into the playoffs at that particular time. We were looking to accumulate assets and trying to. to improve as a club.

Now we're trying to push to get in. So you lose your patience at times to develop the centermen. That's a hard thing, and that's probably why there's not as many. Most teams just end up moving them to the wing, and sometimes they stay there. We're speaking to Utah Mammoth, General Manager Bill Armstrong, here on the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Bill, I did want to ask you about your head coach, Andre Turneyi, and it's funny that, although he hasn't been on the job that long,

I believe he's in the top half of longest tenured head coaches. Oh, usually. Usually. He's right next to Coop right now. Two years he's on the job. You're like, it's me and Coop. That's it. We're the longest tenure coaches.

Yeah. You know, he's been tasked with a lot. It's a young group. You know, you moved midway through his tenure and there's all the things that go into that. Can you speak about the job that he's done? And then I guess the job that he's got to do now, taking this young group, giving him the identity, then trying to get them over that hump

and getting him into the postseason. Yeah, he's done a lot of things in the organization in the sense that it's changed around him. You know, he came in, you know, and the team was pretty much gutted with not a very good roster. You know, and he was kind of put in charge

to kind of develop some of the prospects coming through the door at the time, the Gunther's, and the coolies and the Mosers and trying to get them to be players. And, you know, what I liked about when we hired Andre was the fact that I felt like he had patience to do that. He had patience to come in and help build our culture,

but at the same time that he could come out of that with the group. And I felt like there were some coaches that were close in the running when we were trying to hire coach. And I felt like he was the guy that could make it through the rebuild and kind of get into that next portion of it where now it's the build and you're finishing it off to trying to get into the playoffs. And I think he's master.

He mastered his craft in a lot of areas and the simple fact of his communication. He knows what he wants. He learned a lot of his lessons when he was coaching junior hockey, and he did a great job working with young players and getting them into the junior level and getting them to succeed rather quickly. And he's done that with our group here, and now he's got to help that group take the next step and push the group. But I love the fact of what he's done with our players,

the development that we've had in them, And at the same time, you know, getting our culture to be a work, a worker's culture, a culture that is pushing the pace, persistence. So he's done a nice job. Bill, thank you very much for taking the time to do this today. We genuinely appreciate it. I want to wish you the best of luck in the upcoming season, except when you play the Vancouver Canucks. But every other game, feel free to go and win it.

That's fine. But thanks a lot for doing this day. We do really appreciate it. Mike and Jason, thanks for having me on. I'm going to send you full mammoth gear to wear. You know, so and wear as much as you want in Vancouver. They're going to love that, all right? Can I ask you one more question?

Tell us a bit about what do you know about the mammoth? Like what the mammoth as a species? Because we had a little bit of a fun with our producer about a month ago, a month or two ago, I don't even remember. And he called it, he couldn't find the right word, so he called it a retired elephant. He was looking for extinct. He opted for retired.

He called it a retired elephant. Let the games begin, hey? Let the games begin. All right. The mammoth is a big fella, and he moves quick. He's got some speed. He's not, he's an elephant on steroids. All right?

That's what he is. Just so you can, you know, relate to tell your boss that it's more of an elephant on steroids. It was a little bit meaner, competitive nation. I like it. He can move the puck and break up the cycle for sure the mammoth can. Yes, yes, yes.

All right. He's basically an elite big man defenseman in the national hockey. Beautiful, Bill. That was great. Thanks for doing this. We appreciate it.

Thanks, gentlemen. Take care. Have a great day. Bill Armstrong, General Manager of the Utah Mammoth. So no longer a retired elephant, now an elephant on steroids.

It's the official designation for the mammoth moving forward. Got that... That was a good interview. Got that practice facility in there pretty quick. Yeah, I think he's my new favorite GM. He was very funny. He was very funny.

Yeah. He got that practice facility talking. Really excited to be moving in our new practice facility. Did I mention that? So, okay. Do you think they all know? Do you think they all know that Vancouver's... I'm sure.

Yeah, it was like the first thing he said. We had a temporary one. That one came together. We just moved in. We got to check out this new and we got it a long. It's 100,000 square feet. Took out the Macy's. Now we got two rings.

Got a pool in there? I did fine. Didn't we just have a mall that... Yeah, just sit in there now. The Hudson Bay is gone. Yeah, got it that. Put it in there. How expensive can that be?

$10. Hard of downtown practice facility? Put three rings. The way Bill said practice facility, he knew. Oh, yeah. Like, let me play the clip again. Like, he knew what he was touching on here. September 1st, we move into our new practice facility.

Just the way he says it. And it's like, you know, I respect that. Phil knows. You know what? Actually, the, I thought, and I had never thought about this before, but what he was talking about with rotating on the sheets of ice? I'd never heard that. I never thought of that in a million years. I mean, it makes total sense, right?

Like, yeah, you don't have, like, a crew of ice girls coming out to scoop up the ice. You don't have a zamboni at the ready, and you're not sweeping. Right. You're practicing. Yeah. So you just jump off. You go to the other sheet and then let them clean that one. I mean, go back and forth.

These guys tear the ice up, too. I've been on the ice for camps for NHL goalies, and they literally get to the concrete slab underneath the ice. They're that heavy. They're carving up the ice that much. It's a huge deal. That's why we do the interviews. That's why we get two, not one, but two great questions in that one.

Now, both of them were written by Brough. I stole one of his off the notes, but I got credit for it, which is great. But no, that's a really interesting thing. I would have never thought of it in a million years, but lo and behold, here we are. Okay, let's do some housekeeping here. We've got a half hour left in the program. Normally, normally.

Can I do what we learned? Right. So normally we would do what we learned, but we're not doing what we learns, right? Because Tyson Barry's joining us next. Right. Can I do one though?

You can do one fast. You have to do it fast. This is actually breaking news. Oh my. Keegan Bradley did not pick himself. For the rider cup. For the rider cop. Because that sentence could have been taken

in a lot of different ways that Keegan Bradley did not pick himself. Yeah. No one knew what was going on. But Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, Ben Griffin, Colin Moracawa, and Justin Thomas were the picks. Okay. I know three of those guys, I think. Come on.

I know Colin Morikawa. Yeah. I know Justin Thomas. Right. I don't know. Is Sam Burns? Yeah. Is he related to David Byrne of the talking heads?

Nope. Okay. Not at all. Okay. And then the other guys. I don't know. Patrick Cantlay is the real slow player, right? Yeah, I was going to make a joke. He's insufferable, man.

Yeah. They were really getting on his case this past weekend at the tournament that Fleetwood won. I noticed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is that because he was also contending for the lead, Can't Lay? No, he was so slow. He's so slow. Why?

And he never made himself look like super likable either. Like, he was the guy that kind of wanted to get money. He's got a face. He's got a face. And he would wear, like, the Goldman Sachs hat. You know, you're like. Super relatable. Oh, yeah.

Sponsored by Goldman. All right. My kind of guy. All right. So we won't mucow that, but we will muckew our way into the break. Tyson Berry, recently retired NHL defensemen. We'll join us next on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. The mammoth is a big show up.

Gates back under King's territory, dry-slamble, saucer pass. Barry shoots, he scores! The go-ahead goal off the stick of Tyson Barry. 831 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody, Halford, Brough of Sportsnet, 650. Halford and Brough of the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates. Learn how a consumer proposal reduces your debt by up to 80%. With no more interest, visit them online at Sands-Trustee.com.

We are in hour three of the program. Normally this time would be what we learn time, but recently retired veteran NHL defenseman and Victorian native Tyson Barry is going to join us in just a moment here to finish off our three. Our three of this program is brought to by Campbell & Pound Real Estate Appraiser's trust the expertise of Campbell and Pound. Visit them on the internet at Campbell-Dashpound.com today.

Let's go now to the Power West Industries hotline. As mentioned, our next guest called it a career on Monday. Victoria's very own Tyson Barry. here on the Halford and Brough Show on SportsNet 650. Morning, Tyson. How are you? I'm good, man. How are you doing? Thanks for having me. Yeah, thanks for coming on. We appreciate it. Congrats on a terrific career.

14 years in the NHL, over 800 games played. I don't necessarily want to ask you why you decided to call it a career now, but more, given the, it's been 48 hours since you made the announcement on social media. How are you feeling? How does it feel to be officially retired now, Tyson? It feels good. Yeah, I think it's a decision that I was, you know, fighting with a little bit the last few months and, you know, kind of came to the decision not too long ago, but, yeah, it's, you know, I feel so grateful for the career I've had and the kind of life I've got to lead because of the game.

So I'm really, really grateful for the amount of time I got to spend in the National Hockey League. And, yeah, it's a bit emotional, though, when I was at terms with it, and then you announce it, and then you get everyone reaching out and you kind of go through some emotions that I didn't really see coming, so it just means it was worth it was worth it. What were some of those emotions? Well, I just got sad.

I don't know if it was sad, I got sad. I got, you know, I was proud. I was, it was interesting, you know, trying to talk to my parents and kind of thank them for all the opportunity and all the support over the years. You know, you get emotional and then, you know, just talking to some teammates and some of your good buddies

and, you know, they're still playing and not, you know, probably just, you know, realizing, you know, you're not going to be meeting them for dinner on the road night before a game or seeing guys come through town and that sort of thing. So, yeah, it's just a lot of emotions that come with it, and it's such a great way to make a career and such a great league and I've met so many good people. So just lots of different emotions. Are those some of your fondest memories, just the time you had together with your teammates?

Oh, absolutely. I think the on-ice stuff is awesome and, you know, it's a lot of fun. There's some goosebumps moments for sure out on the ice, but, you know, the thing that I'll remember most is the friendships and the people and the camaraderie that comes with playing in a high-level sport. I mean, you spend so much time every day with these guys

and there's a lot of downtime on the road, a lot of time for beers, a lot of time for laughs, and good food. So that's definitely the stuff that I think care. I'll be missing the most. Is there any anxiety about how you replace that? No, not really. I think I've had enough, you know, teammates and friends who have passed through.

I'm a pretty social guy. I'm a pretty busy guy. I actually started a beer company with about 20 old teammates. So, you know, we're in contact a lot. And my wife is probably happy. I'll maybe slow down a little bit. So I've never had an issue making dinners or getting out with friends.

Can we jump into that right? I had that on the list of things I wanted to ask you about. So chilly ones, the beer company. How many people are involved with us and tell us a little bit more about it? Yeah, I think there's 18 NHL guys, former end playing. And it just kind of, you know,

was something that was pretty whimsical. I put it in my notes and my phone about three years ago. I just put, do a beer called chilly ones, because that's what we called beers instead of cold ones. We'd laugh and be yelling at each other. Oh, grab a couple of chili ones, throw me a chili one, that sort of thing. So I just put in my notes and then I had a guy reach out and about a year later randomly and ask if me and my hockey buddies would want to do something.

And I was like, yeah, I actually would want to do a beer. And that was the beginning of it. I called like five of my hockey pals, Mike Smith, Ryan O'Reilly, Braden, Shenz, Tyler Ennis. And I was like, guys, am I not for, should I start a beer called Chili Ones? And they're like, you absolutely should, what do you need? And that was kind of the origins of it, and it's taken on a life of its own, and it's a lot of fun. And, yeah, it's fun, you know, it's our own business, and we kind of get to do what we want with it.

And a lot of camaraderie coming through that. Mike Smith seems like the type of guy who'd be up for anything. Oh, he's all time. And he literally is up for anything. He's, uh, his retirement's going to look a little different than mine. He's been crawling around mountains, hunting, shooting things, and I'm going to be a little more laid back, I think. Um, does it strike you how many first ballot Hall of Famers that you've been able to play with, like truly some of the greats of the game? Yeah.

Yeah, no, it's been, um, just honestly by happenstance, right? I haven't been able to pick where I get traded and that sort of thing, but I've been super lucky to be surrounded by incredible players and incredible people. And, you know, you look at, you know, the way I finish my career with those 822 games and 500-something points, I'd be a lot less points if I didn't get to play with a lot of these guys. So I'm super grateful for the opportunity, and they've all extended my career, I think, by years. So really, really grateful for that. Are those guys, are there a lot of similarities between those guys?

I mean, I'm thinking, you know, like Nathan McKinnon in Colorado, Austin Matthews in Toronto, McDavid and Drysitell in Edmonton. Are they similar in their personalities, or are they all quite different? Yeah, their personalities are all quite different. But the one thing I will say is the thing that kind of, you know, unites them all is just their drive. to be as good as they can. Those are guys that they're doing everything in their power on, obviously on the ice, but off the ice in the summer. They're training, they're eating, their lifestyle, everything.

They're doing everything they can to give themselves the chance to be the best player in the world on an abe of a night. So the personalities are all different. They're all really unique individuals, but the work ethic and the commitment is what I think is similar about them all. We're speaking to former NHL, our recently retired defenseman Tyson-Berry, 14-year NHL vet here on the Halford & Brough Show

on SportsNet 650. Tyson, when we set off the top of the show that we were going to have you on in the final segment here, more than a few people texted in and wanted to know how close were you ever to joining the Vancouver Canucks? I know around 2019, there were a lot of trade rumors. I know it had been mentioned

that you were possibly going to join the team in free agency. Now that you're retired, all the cats can be let out of every bag. How close were you to ever joining the Vancouver Canucks? It felt like it was really close. Before I got traded to Toronto, I was actually in New York on a bachelor party at a Yankees game, and I got a call from my agent and said, hey, I don't want to bother you, but it's close. You might be going to the Canucks. It was the draft, and they're like, we're going to find out, I think, with the pick.

So I was, I think, you know, on the edge of my seat, like literally on the edge of my seat at the Yankees game, waiting for the draft, and it didn't end up happening. And I guess Joe said it was never that close. But, yeah, that was probably the closest I've been to becoming a Canuck. And I'm not going to lie, it was exciting. I kind of knew the writing was on the wall. I was going to be sent out of Colorado. So it would have been cool to land in Vancouver.

But obviously there was other things at play. And I landed in Toronto on the last year of my deal. And that went a little sideways. But, yeah, that was probably the closest to everyone, the Canucks. You mentioned some goose bump moments in your career. I don't know if they all kind of mesh together in your head, but are there any specific ones that stand out? Yeah, there's a few.

I think early on with the aves, we were just kind of finding our footing. We played St. Louis in game 82, and the winner of that game got into the playoffs. so it was a unique and then uh yeah i just remember i scored a goal on that one and the and the place went crazy and that was uh you know i think it was like to make it three one with not a ton of time left so um that was that was a cool one and then obviously i think the intro you guys played when i scored against uh la to you know take the lead late in the game to force a game seven um yeah i mean we yeah there's so many uh there's so many great moments and

you know, my first NHL goal and just coming out with the Oilers in playoffs and the conference finals in that arena just going insane was, you know, those are feelings you don't forget. So, yeah, I've had some really cool moments and super grateful for a lot of the success and a lot of the moments I've got to have. So this is an opportunity where you get to brag about yourself a little bit, but what made you such a popular teammate? Because that's something that we hear about a lot, and it sounds like you're a pretty social guy.

I mean, you're at a bachelor party at Yankee Stadium. Like, what made you so popular? Well, I think first and foremost, I'm hilarious. So that's, uh, that usually goes a long way with guys. That's good. Humble, too. Humble. Yeah.

Yeah, exactly. No, I think, uh, I just never taken myself too seriously. I've never really taken anything too seriously. So I think in a realm where, you know, it can be pretty intense and, um, you know, there's a lot of pressures externally, internally from yourself, from your coaches and everything. I was always kind of a guy. rely on to make light of the situation and have a laugh about it and, you know, also didn't

mind a beer along the way. So, yeah, I think that's probably, I think that's probably the crux of it. And then, you know, I'm also, you know, I'm a emotional guy. So I don't mind getting a little deeper with teammates and helping guys through things if they need it. So I think just a mix of all that. What are some of the biggest challenges that the players face today that maybe you've had to help guys get through. Oh, I don't know, but I think it's probably nothing different today. I mean, the only thing different today is probably all the social media stuff, but that's, that is what it is.

I think, you know, just human beings in general are always going to be going through stuff. And when you're an athlete, you know, you've got family stuff, money stuff, all that sort of thing. And it's not like there's a handbook for it. So you just try to help each other through whatever you're going through. think it's, you know, it's no different than, you know, people who are an athlete, to everyone's going through stuff. So I don't know if there's anything in particular that's like, you know, guys are going through that's like an epidemic or anything. I think it's just normal human stuff.

Comraderies change, though, in the league. Like, it's funny that, you know, you got a beer company. You mentioned, like, going out for chilly ones with the boys. Yeah, what's with these young people not drinking anymore. Yeah. Why aren't they like us? That dynamics change for sure. Like that, and I think that's maybe a big difference. And I mean, guys still hang out, but it's just a, I guess, maybe a different sort of hang out? Yeah, I think there's a lot of phones. I think there's a lot of awareness around drinking. And, you know, it's not to say that it's for the worst.

I'll always enjoy a beer. But, you know, at the end of the day, it's probably as healthier not to. So I don't have any judgment on that. But, yeah, there certainly is a bit of a different way to hang. But, I mean, there's still good young guys in the league who are, who like going out with the older guys and kind of showing on the ropes and seeing what it's all about. So I think you're definitely right.

It's not as much, but, you know, there's still some good young lads out there. So you do have your entrepreneurial ventures, but do you want to stay connected to the game? Yeah, yeah, I think so. I don't know what that looks like at this point, but I think, you know, I've got a lot of time on my hands. I've got two kids and not much else going on. So I'll be fully into chili ones,

and I'll be doing, you know, probably some stuff within the game. And I don't know what that looks like exactly yet, but I've been talking to some folks and we'll kind of see where it lands. Well, Tyson, a couple things here. One, we want to thank you for taking the time to do this today. We really appreciate it. Two, offer congrats again on an outstanding career. And three, wish you best of luck for everything moving forward.

Hey, thank you guys so much for having me. I appreciate it. And look forward to chatting again soon. Yeah, let's do it. Sounds great. That's Tyson-Berry. recently retired NHL or 14-year NHL career, Victoria's very own,

here on the Halford & Breath Show on Sportsnet, 650. It sounds like he has ideas like we have ideas, you know, how we want to start a, what are some of our ideas? Well, griddle me this. The mask restaurant. That's the big one.

We should have brought it up to Tyson. He seems like a kind of guy that would get down with it. And I bet he has the capital, yeah. What was our bar called? Drinks? Drinks. Just drinks.

Where are you going to go? A couple chilly ones at drinks? A couple chilly ones at drinks. We just don't have the capital. No, but you know who does. Tyson Barry. He's like, you know, it would be funny, chilly ones, and then he just does it. I know that.

Mike Smith is up for this. You mentioned that he's like, he's got a ton of friends. I know, like, I actually, we've got a mutual friend in common. I didn't mother bringing it up on the air. But he told me that, like, guys love Tyson Bear. Yeah. There's a reason that he played in like six different markets and was, you know, even though he didn't necessarily play a ton, he was still like always kind of front and center when the guys

would talk or like, you know, you talk about guys on the team. Well, his wedding is the stuff of legend. I saw a post on it on Twitter yesterday, and I was just like a big threat of like every single person at his wedding. And it was just like stars. It was like the Oscars of NHO players. Well, that's why I brought up Mike Smith. You look like a lunatic there, shirt off.

This guy let in. Chili ones. We do have 10 minutes left in the show so we can dive back into some what we learned is that we didn't answer from earlier in the show. Maybe we can even do some of our own. We're going to reset the whole thing just because we're slug. slaves to ritual and routine here. So, you know what?

Fire up the Dodd Matrix. Let's do it. Why the heck not? Second time today. Second Dodd Matrix in a day. Always new things. It's overheating a little bit. We got to cool it with the Daub Matrix.

Yeah, pour some beer on it. Pour a couple chilly ones on it. AJ's Pizza is the presenting sponsor of what we learned. For the second time today, AJ, you owe me pizza and or beer. Okay, let's dive in here. What we learns. We got one here from Justin. Sorry, what we learned.

Canada advanced to the knockout phase. Oh, yeah, this is going on right now. Did you know that? There's a basketball tournament going on right now? I knew, but I haven't really. No, no, the top guys are there, right? The European one, there are some of the top guys playing, but the FIBA America's Cup.

Canada finished 3 and O in the group, advanced the second. I'm surprised this isn't a basketball fill one. But the FBA Euro Cup is going on at the same time, and this is all that really confused, contrived way to qualify for both the Feeba World Cup and the Olympics. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything ties into the next.

Yeah. But don't worry. There's a back door, you know, like, well, that has a... It feels like there's always a qualifying tournament going on. And, like, sometimes you have to go to your B squad and you have to go to your C squad. Yeah. And the NBA season is not that far away.

So, yeah, it's, uh, there's one from Justin and Nice fan. Uh, did you actually read it? Yeah. Okay. And I advance in the knockout phase of the 2025. Fibba America's Cup with a perfect three and O group record. Tatiana in Langley, what we learned. Michael Backlund spoke to Michael Russo.

at the European media tour about Rasmus Anderson and said, yeah, he's getting traded. It's obvious. Now, that's important because Backland is on the same team as Anderson. They both play for the Calgary Flames for now. Right. Vegas? Is that, that's always been the rumor?

Sorry, we've been on vacation for a while. No, I got this. I got this. It was Vegas, wasn't it? Because Anderson wants to go to Vegas. And Petrangelo's gone. Yeah. So the issue is that Craig Conroy could slow play this and could say, well, let's see if the more robust market starts up midway to the season.

Maybe we'll wait until the deadline. The issue with that, though, as numerous insiders, including Frank Sarvali, have pointed out, is what happens if you hold on to Anderson and then you do what you did last year in Calgary and that stay right in the thick of the playoff chase until the bitter end? Do you then decide to go for it? Yeah. Do you waste that possibility to sell off that asset? I don't know. It's a tough one. Because, I mean, look, Calgary was right there till game 82 last year, being in the playoff.

It wasn't like one of those things where it was like, but I don't think they're in a position where they can hold on to assets as important as Rasmus Anderson and not, and see that walk away for nothing. I know. I don't think they're in that position. I know. But then you thought you meant. I mean, if they were in the Canucks, I'd be like, yeah, they're probably in that position. Well, if you asked back, Lundee, they're going to move them for sure. So, yeah.

It looks like that one could be done. Tyler with the what we learned, old football guys are grumbling about Swift Mania after the engagement. Yeah, I'm just kind of used to that, right? Am I like, that's what? I've never understood the backlash. I've never understood what's so inherently annoying about it. I think it's just all the attention that it, like, you know, there are there some people

who are just like, I just want to watch the game. No, that's fair. You know? And so when the camera is constantly panning over to Taylor Swift and Kelsey's mom or whoever's in the suite, I think they just get frustrated with it, like old guys like me do. Like it's like, you know, someone brings up Pokemon or something like that. And it's just get frustrated because I don't understand it. I don't understand it.

And I fear it. By the way, a couple NFL notes to pass along. Adam Thielen, longtime Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, is on his way. way back to Minnesota. He got traded from Carolina to Minnesota today. He's pretty much at the end of his rope, although he did have some good years there in Minnesota. I should mention to quarterbacking news, Sheter Sanders officially made the Cleveland Browns roster. He's officially QB3. He's on the 53-man roster. And yesterday, I guess what was the final starting job in the NFL at quarterback was decided, as the New Orleans Saints, decided to go with

Spencer Rattler, is their quarterback? instead of Tyler Shook. Is there a starter? Yep. It's going to be a grim year in New Orleans. I thought right away that Tennessee would be the worst team in the NFL this year, but New Orleans, I think, might give him a run for their money. New Orleans is going to be real bad.

Well, Tennessee actually has pedigree there. Well, Cam Ward? Yeah. I mean, is he going to start? Yes. Okay. Yeah, yeah. That was made official when Will Levis went underwent surgery with this.

But I think he was going to be the starter anyway. There's going to be some bad team. Shedars anders team is going to be one of them there's going to be some truly bad teams in the NFL this year. Can I read the full quote from Backland on Anderson? Yeah, he's getting traded it's obvious but the team wants

value he wants a big contract so he wants to play well the team needs him to play well so just go out and play I talk to him too and he doesn't want it to be a distraction good luck so it's all good it's too bad it's come to this I don't think that they're close to getting an agreement or anything

but you never know things could change we'll see. Someone has astutely pointed out by way of the what we learned that Tyson Barry's chili one's beer is a true American ale or a logger because it comes in at a light 3%. You know what? During the summer vacay, it's been ridiculously hot in August. I think we can all not like ridiculous.

Not complaining about it. Not complaining about it. It has been really hot, right? So as often... Don't forget, in a couple of months, we'll be pining for this weather. complaining just pointing out that it's been hot and while you're on vacation you tend to tip a few back um i have found myself going lighter and lighter and less you've been on a corona binge i was on a big corona binge yep um i don't want to say binge yeah what's the other word for that

problematic no um i find myself constantly seeking out a new light beer i'm thinking i'm like kind of over the Coors lights I don't I don't like like the taste is very it's very basic to use a modern it's a basic bitch beer like it is yeah no it is

let's be honest it's fine for what it does it gets the job done but it keeps you at a good level it does but it doesn't have like he's got like no and I've had a million of them I dare you to say that to somebody

drinking one of those oh I have one of those eh no but I like I've indulged to the point around it's pretty much water and then I kind of hit the same point with the corona I love a corona don't get me wrong right

on the dock and the sun. Yeah, it's great. Corona tastes like summer or a vacation. Yeah. That's a good way of putting it. That's what Corona. The Corona is the country music of beers. Yes.

Even though it's explicitly Mexican. Corona is so watered. Corona, Corona is Kenny Chesky. There's so many better Corona style beers made locally. Thank you. You're getting to my point. Like there are so many good like, like the field house salted lime logger and let Las Cesaria and North Van.

It's a great Mexican. You know what else? Corona. No, there's so many better versions of that beer made locally than Corona. So many. So this is way. Share tomorrow on the show and, of course, now. No one else texts into the station.

So do it now. What the hell? Throw some recommendations our way. I don't know. Chili ones coming in at three. I'm all out. Three's light, but I'm interested. So send your recommendations.

Dunbar Lumber Text Line is 650, 650. We get the whole rest of the week to talk about this kind of stuff. because there's not a whole hell of a lot of else going on. Adog can beer snob his way for the rest of the week. I'm not wrong. All right. As for this show, the music says that it's over. We've got to get out of here for today. It's been a fun show.

Thank you all for listening. Thank you all for contributing. And thanks to all of our guests. Great day for guests. Signing off for now. I have him, Mike Alford. He's been Jason Brough. He's been Adog.

He's been Laddie. This has been the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet, 650.