Halford & Brough in the Morning - Vancouver Goldeneye & Olympian Sarah Nurse

Episode Date: January 21, 2026

In hour three, Mike & Jason preview today's Canucks matchup versus the Capitals with analyst Randip Janda (3:00), plus they chat with Goldeneyes forward and Team Canada's Sarah Nurse (25:13) ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. 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.

It's Randipe. Randipe Janda time. It's Randipe Janda. It is Randipe, Randi Janda. Talking hockey now. Oh. 8.3 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody.

Halford, Brough, Sportsnet, 650. Halford and Brub of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Do you have CRA debt? So Sands and Associates could cut your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at sands dash trustee.com. We are now in our three of the program. Our three is brought to by Campbell & Pound, real estate appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell and Pound.

Visit them on the internet at Campbell dash pound.com today. We are coming to you live from the Kintech studio, make 2026 your year to move better and step stronger with Kintech custom orthotics. Hey, I just threw this out on social media. You did? If Leo Carlson can't play for Sweden at the Olympics, who is their number one center? Lee's Pedersen. You think it is? Yeah.

Joel Ericksonek. He's an option. He's more of a 3C guy. You watch Pedersen? By trade. Like, this is the Olympics. Could they put Nylander there? Yeah.

Mika Zabandajad. Mika Zabaz. Mika Zabaz. No. The first one that jumped to mind? Yeah. Do you remember they had, do you remember the Sochi Olympics? Sweden made it all the way to the gold medal game,

but they had a bunch of injuries down the middle, Henrik, and Rick Sidene, and then Backstrom. He took allergy medicine. Took like an Edville, Colden Sinus. You're out! He was out of the game. They had no chance in the final, really, with that center depth. Yeah, they didn't have much of a chance going in.

Canada was steamrolling that tournament anyway, but I do remember that being a fairly significant blow when Nicholas Baxter was deemed ineligible to play. It was a prescription. allergy medicine, I want to say. Was it? Yeah. I know the team doctor came under fire.

Yeah, he, but he, like, it wasn't just like taking a claritin or something. Like, I think he, I think it was a prescription medicine. But it was something in, it was something like you would take to clear your sinus. Sure. Yeah. Bad allergies. Yeah. The sea, the few, the seasonal, the affected.

Um, yeah, I, I know that it was an issue, but to move back to your original point. Mm-hmm. Sam Halam, the Sweden's head coach, has addressed. both the injuries to Carlson and Jonas Brodeen. And it seems very unclear to Sam Halam if they're going to be available for the Olympics. Shamillam? He was very guarded in his remarks. Oh, Black Betty.

They're in trouble. Shamillam. Shamillam. Samalam. It's amazing we have that at the ready for the few times. Oh, you got that at the ready. To the phone lines we go, Randy Janna joins us now on the Halford & Brough show on Sports 9650. Good morning, Randy.

How are you? Good morning, guys. I don't know how I can follow up Sam Palam. It's a losing cause for me already, boys. Is PD the 1C for Sweden if Leo Carlson can't play? Yeah, I think so. If you start looking at a lot of these mock lineups that they have, he's supposed to be up there in that top six.

You can bump up Joel Erickson, but he's more of a checking center. Elias Lindholm would probably be their fourth-line center right now. You know, you've talked about Zabandig. He's a winger right now. a Willie Nealander playing winger. So unless you make a move to bump one of those guys inside, I think PD would be number one center if Leo Carlson can't play. I mean, you say Joel Erick is more of a checking center.

What is PD right now? Well, yeah, you know what? You know, maybe it's time to update my profile of players with Elias Pedersen. But I think one area that he can play is still facilitator, right? And based on his, I guess the start of the first. the Four Nations, he was playing with scores. I wonder if they go back with that with Philip Forbesberg, because I remember talking to Philip Foresburg before the Four Nations, and he said he wanted to play with Elias Pedersen and his past first mentality would be a good combination with

them. Obviously, we didn't see that play out to the Four Nations, but you're right. Lelius Pedersen is more of a checker these days, but I still think he's got that rep of being a past first center that would probably elevate him. Yeah, you're right. I mean, I do wonder if his numbers would be significantly better offensively if he had better wingers to play with. Because I do think he's playing better this season. Last season I wasn't having any of that. Yeah. But this season, I really do wonder.

What did you think of Adam Foote's comments after the Islander's game about the veterans? Yeah, it was something that we haven't heard from Adam Foote. And even it felt like in certain games where maybe you could question the effort, you know, the coach had taken, I guess, the high road or didn't really necessarily want to talk about that in media. What he's saying behind the scenes, we don't know, right? And this is, I think, a key factor is that this is the first time that Adam Foote has chosen to say this in front of media.

What the conversation behind the scenes, like for all we know, this has been a conversation behind the scenes all season long. But I thought it was something that came at the right time for a lot of Kinnock's fans because this is something coming off that 6-0 game, maybe you don't want to pile on, but if this is something that's popping up with the veterans and it's been there for the last couple years and it's starting to rear its ugly head again,

you need to find out who is in this. And I mean that in terms of who is going to be, you know, taking leadership roles and bringing efforts, the right type of demeanor, focusing on the details, if you're going through a rebuild, which the Vancouver Connects obviously are. So, you know, I thought his comments were, you know, was I expecting them?

No, you know, driving home from the rink that night, listening to the audio with the postgame show with the guys, it was pretty telling from the coach. But, you know, I think that's also a, okay, I've seen enough of this. You know, there's been moments in the game where he's kind of hinted at it in the past, Jason, where the inability to grab games or kill momentum or make plays that will help their team get back into it. Like, he's talking about we need our veterans to make those types of plays. and I think it just kind of got to a point where he's saying, all right,

if we know where this season is going, I got to find out who's in this for the long term and who's a part of this team moving forward. We're speaking to Randy, Jan, and connects color analyst here on the Alford & Brough show

on SportsNet 650. Were you surprised that it took all the way until game 49 for Adam Foote to say these things? Yeah, I think a little bit in the sense that I think,

you know, some of the ways that these games have gone down, you'd maybe expect it earlier on, right? I looked even a couple of weeks ago or a week ago where they give up two goals in 38 seconds against Montreal, two goals and 15 seconds against Ottawa

naturally the Edmonton game because it felt like every goal, every shot was going in in the second period. Six in 13 minutes. But, you know, when we talk about the beginning of the season, and I honestly think that the coach with all the injuries

was looking at the young guys and saying, hey, you know what? I don't want to probably talk too much about this team or put it out in the media too early because there were a number of young players in this lineup, right? Maybe you're just trying to say, okay, let's see, let's see we can get out of this team, let's see if we can keep the vibes good enough and maybe we can make something out of it. Now those trades have been made, right? Queen Hughes has been traded. We saw the key for Sherwood trade. I feel like this was Adam Foote essentially saying, all right, I've given you a long enough leash year, excuse me, that, you know, you've, you've

got, just, but this is a problem that continues. And whether it's demeanor, whether it's not focusing on the details, whether it, you know, just overall, I think zooming out and trying to see which veterans are really made for, you know, nobody wants to be in a rebuild. But if you are in the situation that you are, you got to, you know, you got to just basically, you got to step up in those spots and you have to lead by example because everybody can say it in media. Hey, I'm a leader. I have to set an example for the young guys. But you're actually. can speak louder than the words that you say. And I think with this coach, yes,

and maybe it took a little long for a lot of the fan base here and a lot of folks like us in the media. But I think he had to be fair to the young guys and he had to actually pick his spot kind of importantly. Or once you go to the media with comments like that, guys, you know it's going to open up a can of worms. I'm sure a couple of players will have to address it today at morning skate. And, you know, so you have to be very careful when you make that move.

So I am a little surprised that he held on this long, given how the season's gone, but I also understand when you're trying to get these young guys going, the last thing you want is, you know, this kind of grenade thrown. Did it look to you like Evander Kane was trying to up his trade value or his ability to be traded in that game against the Islanders? Yeah, he was playing like it was the playoffs, right? That was a game where he was throwing hits. He was making Matthew Schaefer's life miserable for the most part,

but Schaefer still had a pretty good game. but you know bone crunching hits getting to the middle of the ice that is what evander cane when he is playing well when he is a playoff player when he is engaged and then that was the word that I would use for not only him I think most of the team at least halfway through that game that engagement level was high and that's why he could be right like this this is a player that you know just looking at that first

period specifically where he had opportunities to score he eventually does score on that deflection from the DPD shot. Yeah, that felt like Avander saying, all right, you know what? This is my best game of the season, and it isn't particularly close, but I can be a physical presence as well. And you saw later on in that game after the second hit on Matthew Schaefer, Mayfield stepped up to him and was trying to, you know, that's what Evander can do when he's playing well.

Now, the question is, at his age, how much can he do that over 82? But you still want to see more of that. I know we talked to Yannick Hansen a few years ago and he's like, hey, you know, everybody wants that style of play over 82 games. Everybody wants that, you know, physical brand of hockey, fast brand of hockey. It's impossible for guys in the NHL to play every single game like that. Well, more often than not, then you have to show spurts of that. And I think finally we saw what Evander can do.

Now, the question is who's watching, right? We know he's a UFA. how long until a team says, oh, yes, he can do that for us. Or does he still need to set more of a, you know, more in the showcase window, so to speak, because it's been a pretty underwhelming season for Avander Cain, and he's going to have to show more of that

if the Canucks want to, I think, get something back in the trade. To me, I think he's got to show a little bit more. What did you think of Matthew Schaefer? My point has been that he should be on Team Canada. Yeah, so when I did my mock lineup for the Olympic team, Matthew Schaefer wasn't on for me. I went for the older players and the experience,

but I will tell you one thing. I'm kind of doubting that right now. I'm kind of re-assending that as we get closer to the Olympics. I've watched him before, and it was, you know, the Vancouver game was great, and I thought he'd had a, the first time they played, he didn't have the greatest of games.

That was the one where he for sure would, excuse me, stripped him of the pocket, ended up scoring. I called a Toronto New York Islanders game in studio for Hockey Night in Canada and Jambi a couple weeks ago and he absolutely took that game over

and this is a player that it feels like once the moment gets bigger he can match it and that's the question I had for him early on in the season of when is he going to hit the rookie wall and credit to Patrick Watt Watt doesn't scale back those minutes

like he's playing 25 a game he's saying I'm going to let him play I'm going to let him go as much as he can until he hits a wall. And this kid doesn't. So Jason, to your question, you know, I love the way he plays. His burst, his ability to, you know, lead the rush. He's a one-man counterattack when he wants to beat. And he's not afraid of making a move to the net.

You know, you see a lot of defensemen kind of peel off. They'll curl back, reset at the point. No, this kid will go for it. He'll go to the middle of the ice and make a move. And even on that goal that was disallowed, like, that's what Matthew Schaefer does. So I think, you know, big game Matthew Schaefer, the question I had maybe early on in this year, I think, you know, I'm reassessing that,

and I would love to see him on the Olympic team now. Matthew Schaefer was the first overall pick for the Islanders who somehow won that draft lottery. If the Canucks get the first overall pick, who are you taking? Yeah, this is, you know, obviously don't get the same minutes as a lot of these prospect guys do. with the prospect. But if I wanted to pick somebody right now,

I'm sure this might change over time. I'm leaning Ivers Denberg. I know he's, you know, it might be a couple of things there in terms of the bump that he got from the world juniors and Gavin McKenna didn't. But, you know, you look at a player that's point for game in the Swedish hockey league.

You know, he's got still some room to grow. He's not the tallest of players. He's not the biggest of players right now. but he, you know, high skill. He's a point per game in the Swedish hockey league. But, you know, when I look at what Vancouver need, they need dynamic players, right? So whether that's Gavin McKenna or Ivers Stenberg,

this team needs an influx of skill. So I would lean Stenberg right now just based on, you know, what his season has looked like and, you know, what you hear all the prospect guys say in terms of just being a dynamic winger, which is what this team needs. they need game breakers. And, you know, that's where I'd lean, but I'm sure, you know, you got to look at the larger sample size too, right?

Like sometimes what we do is we get caught in the World Junior cycle. So we got to be careful with that. But, you know, I've heard the conversations about, oh, you know, the conucks, the stress of the first position, you can mess it up if you, no, I don't believe in that. I'll be honest with you. I think that's a bit of a coward's take when you're essentially saying you don't want the first because you'll mess it up.

that to me is not it. So you want the first pick every single time and you take the best player on your draft board. And for me right now, that would probably be Ivers Denver. So for the people that don't know, even if the Canucks finish last overall and it's looking like they almost got that wrapped up, the most likely pick for them is still number three.

You can only fall two spots, but they've got a 25% chance of picking first overall. 19% chance of picking second overall and then around 56% chance of picking third overall. So let's say that happens. And Stenberg and McKenna go off the board. Maybe the better question we should be asking is who would you pick third overall?

Yeah. And you know, that's interesting because obviously the first name that would come to mind for a lot of people is Keaton Verhof, right? Like you've got, I think the Canucks are in a situation right now where you have to take the best player possible. And we can look at the defense right now for Vancouver and say, hey, they've got right shot D. They've got a decent pipeline. If a kid is special enough and Verhoff may not be in the conversation for some with Ivers Denberg and Gavin McKenna, but for some he is, right? But if he isn't on, you know, if he's clearly a three on your list,

this is still a player that's a big right shot, the 6 foot 4, 215 pounds, and he's going to supplant somebody on that right-hand side. Like, he's not going to be a bubble guy in the NHL. So to me, Jason, is if you do get the number three pick, I think you have to make sure that you take the best player available there. And if that's Keaton-Verhoff, that's fine. You can deal defensemen if you have a surplus of that.

We've seen that in the NHL. the value for a defenseman is that more than a winger, right? And we saw that go back to the Adam Larson for Taylor Hall deal and other ones that we've seen over the years. You're okay where you're okay to deal a defenseman off your roster. So I have to say you go with the best player, excuse me, possible. And if that third pick, unfortunately for Vancouver, there'd be disappointment if they were to get third pick.

But you're right, the stats say what the, you know, what the likelihood is, you go with the best player on your board, and to me that would be Keaton Verhoff. I don't care if there's a surplus there, because you can always deal with the surplus. You need difference makers on this roster, and that's what Vancouver needs.

If you're in it for a long haul, you've got to make sure that you load up on this team long term, and four or five years from now, or two or three years from now, depending on their timeline, you know, somebody's looking at the Vancouver conducts a roster and saying, they got some young players here. They got, like, they got, you know,

a crew of very good, young players and that third pick would certainly help with that. Some housekeeping here news from earlier in the week. And speaking of young players in the organization, when do you think we're going to see, or if we're going to see Jonathan Lekromacky back at the NHL level? Well, yeah. And I think, you know, Patrick Alveen's comments on that were quite telling in the sense

that it didn't seem like it was going to be anytime soon in the next little bit here. I know Lekromackie scored yesterday as well for the Abbotsford, Tenux. but this is a player that obviously has had some health trouble this year. He was sick a little bit as well. But he's putting up points, right? He's a point per game player in the Abbott's herd. And I think there's also a little bit of a dynamic of, are you in a rush to bring him up in the sense that you've still got probably one extra forward

that you're going to need to get off the roster before, you know, as Teddy Bluger or Philip Heath will come back as well? So you're going to have to probably make a move or send somebody off on waivers. Like the easier route here would be sending Archby fans down and then you make room. But after that happens, you probably need to make another move as well, you know, as you get a little bit healthier. So the question is you've got a glut at the NHL level right now. Can you free that up? And from a team perspective, if you're looking at, you know, making room, I think trades, you know, from Patrick Alvin,

they may not be done yet in the short term. I'm not necessarily talking about February 4th in the roster freeze. Can you trade another forward? Maybe it's somebody that's not as high up in the lineup, but even a player to make a little bit of room. And I think with Lechromacki, I'd like to

see him in the NHL, but I do feel like you have to free up some of those spots. So whether it's an Evander Kane, you know, whether it's another, you know, whether it's Blugher, but I would assume Blugher has to show his health a little bit here and play some games. I think Lechermacki, maybe when we're talking about post-Olympics, is going to be pretty much guaranteed.

I just have a hard time seeing up here right now with all the players that are currently here. You've got to eliminate one or two of them from the roster to make room for Lechromackie, I would say. Randy, before we let you go, tell us about your good friends, bells and whistles. Well, yesterday we had interim Milan versus Arsenal, a great matchup for the Arsenal fans anyway,

but there's more action today. Obviously there's going to be, I think Chelsea's playing, you got Byron Munich, you got YuVe, you got Athletico, so swing by bells and whistles. It's the place to watch live sports in this city, watch hockey, football, soccer, and more with the sound on. 3296 Fraser Street right in the Fraser Hood. You know, when you do these,

you're going to have to start teasing the Bodo glimped games pretty soon. I know. Early Holland was choked yesterday. He was, I think he was questioning his bets on his team. Randy, thanks for doing this better. We appreciate it. Cheers, boys. Randy Jand on Sports 10650, a presentation of bells and whistles.

Your new favorite place to catch all the action. Hockey, football, soccer, and more on Fraser Road, on socials at Bells and Whistles, Dow YVR. That was a reference to yesterday's Champions League action in which the tiny Norwegian club known as Bodo glimped. and they actually have a forward slash in their name. It's very cool. It's Boto slash glimt.

Is Boto a town? Boto is a town? Is Glimbd a town? I don't know what Glimt is. It's a small northern, it's a northern fishing town, northern Norway. It's very small, known for its halibut fishing, as a matter of fact. And they have turned into this really incredible footballing story because it's not a big club from a not big country, let alone that's town.

within the country, but they have done amazing things in the Norwegian, I want to say it's the Extra League it's called there. And then of course in Europe and yesterday they defeated Man City who of course have the most famous Norwegian footballer in Erling Holland in their employ. Tough couple games

for City. Lose to United and then lose to Bodo Glimb. One of my favorites. Their stadium is like an 8,000 seater. It's like Swangard basically. There's a really cool, it's not quite like a full length document. It's one of the short sort of vignettes, but they go through the history and everything.

It's a very unique, very unique supporters club, town. Glyptites hate it when they say it from Bodo. Are you a Glimtite? Boto is actually north of the Arctic Circle. Yeah, it's super remote. Yeah. It's very remote. And it's funny, the supporters carry these big yellow, comically oversized toothbrushes.

Okay. With them. And I couldn't even understand the story. behind it. A supporter in the 70s was once given one as either a gag or an impromptu like fill in for something else they were asking for. Okay. And then everyone just started carrying toothbrushes to matches. They also have this supporter. I don't...

What do you want me to say? If you go look at the supporters, there's guys carrying gigantic yellow toothbrushes to match. So where's glimpton all this? I can't tell you it off the top of my head. I only know about Bodo. Are they like sister cities? Again, I can't tell. tell you, you're asking me all these questions that I cannot answer on the air. I know about their supporter culture, though. I know that they

also have very elaborate they don't sell like club gear. Like people make their own scarves and sweaters and jerseys. And they have this really elaborate design company that's like kind of ingrained in the club culture. It's a very interesting thing. Go check it out if you got the time. We don't.

We're up against it for time. We got a lot more to get into on the program. Coming up on the other side, Sarah Nurse is going to join us. She, of course, of the Vancouver Golden Eyes and the Canadian men or women's national ice hockey team that's going to be playing at the Olympics coming up in February. So we're going to talk to her about what's going on with the Golden Eyes. They play her former team, Toronto, tomorrow 7 o'clock at Pacific Coliseum.

And then, of course, she will be representing Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics in Italy. Lots to get into on the other side with Sarah Nurse. She joins us next on the Halford-Imbrough show on SportsNet 650. It's Canucks Central on SportsNet 650. from exclusive interviews to insider scoops and post-game breakdowns, we've got it all. Tune in weekdays 4 to 6 p.m. on radio and on demand through your favorite podcast app. Wednesday, everybody, Halford Brough, Sports Night 650.

Halperdhbub 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 that debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at Sands-Trustee.com for more. Hour 3 of the program, back half of our 3. Normally what we learn time, but Sarah Nurse from the Vancouver Golden Eyes is going to join us in just a moment here. Hour three of this program is brought to by Campbell & Pound, Real Estate Appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell and Pound.

Visit them on the internet at Campbell-dash pound.com today. Tomorrow at the Pacific Coliseum 7 o'clock puck drop, it's the Golden Eyes against Toronto. The rematch from Saturday joining us now. Forward for your Vancouver Golden Ice. Sarah Nirst joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Sarah. How are you? Good morning. I'm good. How are you? We're good. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

this. We appreciate it. So there's a lot going on with your hockey club here. It's the second of the back-to-backs against your former team. Toronto, you returned from injury on the weekend. Scored a goal, an eventual loss to your former team. But let's start with the return. How good was it to get back in the lineup and resume playing?

Obviously, it felt so good. It was a long time coming, so being out for about eight weeks, I definitely was kind of itching to get back out with the girls, and so it felt great to be back on the ice. And there was an incredible crowd in Saturday in Toronto. And so what better place to come back.

I had a ton of friends and family in the crowd, so it was pretty awesome. Sarah, what have you been able to see from watching your teammates while you've been out injured? Why do you think it's been such a challenge to score goals? I think that finding that chemistry has been a little bit trickier, and I think we've been relying a lot on our D to produce offense, and so I definitely think that we need to get better at forechecking, getting to the areas that goals are scored. You know, it's not always going to be those outside really pretty shots,

but it's going to be that net front presence, being able to grind it out and really finding the puck in the crease and putting in the back of the net. Is finding chemistry just a matter of trial and error, or is there an art or a science to it? I think it's a little bit of both. I think we've all come from different places, so many of us have not played together before,

and so we're trying to find our groove, our identity as a group, but also trying to find who complements each other the best. And I know that with myself and also there were a few other girls who had injuries coming back from LTIR as well. So having everybody back now, I think it's going to be great that we can find our groove and continue going with the season. What did you think of the big trade? And I mean, you already had a bunch of new teammates. Now you've got three more. Was that a bit of a wake-up call for the team or was that to address some issues, do you think?

Yeah, I think that it was an interesting one. Obviously, we have so much respect and so much love for our three girls who've gone over. over to the charge. And then we're excited for the new ones who come in. I think that they're going to add a lot of depth to our lineup, a lot of energy, a lot of speed. Ottawa plays a pretty good rush offense. And we had the three girls in practice yesterday, and we definitely saw that. They are really threatening as they cross the blue line in transition. And so we're really excited for what they're going to bring. They brought a lot of joy to the locker yesterday, too, which was pretty awesome. So I think they're going to be great fits for our team.

Sarah, why has the popularity of women's sports taken off in the last few years. There are millions and millions of dollars being invested in it. I mean, just following the NBA last season, I couldn't believe how popular it was. Now you've got a guy like Mark Walter, who is one of the biggest investors in pro sports. He owns the PWHL. Why is now the right moment for it? I think that, you know, women and girls have always wanted to be a part of sport and play sport, but also work in sport. And so I think that, you know, but it's finally being able to recognize that. So many of us, there's a pathway in the,

we're encouraged to be in sport up until we're about like 14 years old. And then there's nothing kind of after that unless you go the university route. But I think that having professional sports leagues is going to continue to make the pipelines and encourage women and girls to play sports at a younger age and stick with it because there's so many obvious great benefits to being a part of sport and team sports. and we've seen it with the boys and men. And so I think that now it's the time that women get the opportunity to show what we can do and also give the opportunity for the next generation.

Did you play with the boys when you were growing up or do you have a girls team to play with? I did both growing up. So when I was little until I was about 10 or 11, I played with boys just because there wasn't, my family wasn't very familiar with the hockey landscape in Ontario. And so I played with boys' students with my local. just at my local rink, and then we were able to find girls' teams pretty close to me,

and so I actually did both for a while, and both were super beneficial, I think, to my development. What was it like playing with the boys, a bunch of idiots at 10, 11 years old? Because the girls, in my experience coaching, they're always, like, three or four years more mature than the boys. And then... Even today. Yeah, even today. Yeah. What was that experience like?

And what do you tell girls that, I want to say, have to play with the boys because maybe there's not a girls team in their area. Yeah, I think it's interesting. Like the boys were always so great to me. Like they became my brothers. Like they would go to bat for me when they were funny boys on the other team trying to go after me on the ice. But they had my back 100%.

So I honestly had such positive experiences playing for both. And I understand that some people don't have positive experiences playing with the boys as women. And so definitely just like stick with it if this is the opportunity and understand that as you grow up and you get older, more opportunities will come to you. And everything is going to be a part of your journey and your development. So when you look back, it's going to be all worth it. We're speaking to Sarah Nurse from the Vancouver Golden Eyes

and the Canadian women's Olympic team here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Speaking of the Olympics, Sarah, how different is it now in terms of preparation for the Olympics? with the PWHL up and fully running, as opposed to previous iterations where there wasn't a women's professional hockey league. Yeah, I mean, previously we would get together as a national team together and play together for probably six months before the Olympic Games.

And so that would be our sole focus is obviously peaking for the Olympics. But with the PWHL, we have a full season to play. So the Olympics feels like kind of snuck up on us. Obviously, we've been preparing as much as we can as a group when we can get together kind of in the summer. time in the early fall. But since then we've been playing with our club teams in the league. And so I actually head out for like a seven-day road trip on Friday morning after we play Toronto Thursday night. And then I'm gone after we come back from Milan. And so that

didn't necessarily happen previously. So I have about three games still to do before we get to Milan. So the preparation definitely looks different. Since you already, sorry to jump in, since you already talked about chemistry and team building and developing that camaraderie, has that been a point of emphasis for Canada going into these games is that we're not going to have the sort of traditional model that we've had. So we're really going to have to emphasize getting that chemistry sorted out ASAP because the games are like you said a couple weeks away and it's busy times leading up to those games. For sure. We've done a lot in this last year. We've gotten together for, we've held them training blocks. We got together for two, three weeks of time from August to November, I believe it was. And so we didn't get to play, like we played the U.S. four times this year. But other than that, we scrimmaged.

a ton. We worked online stuff in practice, which is super helpful on the ice, obviously, trying to hone in all of that. But then off the ice, it's making sure we have those connection points and being connected throughout the season, chatting with each other. We have like Zoom calls with each other. So just keeping that connection really constant, I think that we have a great core that has gone through the last few Olympic cycles together. And everybody that we've integrated in over the last few years has been absolutely amazing and then fit right in with the group. So we're super confident with our group. Should we be worried that Canada struggled pretty badly against the Americans in the rivalry series?

I don't think that that necessarily is a huge cause for concern. I think that the rivalry series in the past has been great preparation as we've headed into world championships, into Olympics, but the results of the rivalry series definitely don't determine or dictate who wins those games. And so I think we take a lot of learnings from those games. I know the U.S. has as well. And it's all about preparation as we go into the Olympics. What do you think about the growth and development of other countries in women's hockey besides the Americans and the Canadians?

Is it growing enough or what does it need to grow more? I definitely think it is growing. I look at every world championship, it seems that the checks and the fins get closer. And I think that it's also hard to gauge because as the other countries are developing and they're doing much better than they have in the past, like, so are we. You know, just because every other country is developing doesn't mean that we're not either. And so I think it skews a little bit about how well the other countries are doing just because we're also, like, we have an obligation, we have a duty and we want to get better as Canadians and Americans as well. And so it's an interesting balance for sure. but I love seeing the under 18 world championship that was last weekend.

I think those girls are so incredibly talented. I just think that the growth in development is in a really good place globally. And I obviously hope to see it continue even more. But yeah, those under 18 girls are something's best to watch. Well, that's good to hear. Sarah, one thing that a lot of people have noted about the PWHL is how physical the games are. You know, you're talking about the evolution of, the American and the Canadian players

in prepping for this interview, I went back and I tried to find some video of the 1990 World Championships, which was the first World Championships, I think, for women, and it was held in Ottawa, and body checking was allowed, and I think that lasted about a year because it was pretty brutal out there.

But I also noted how much better the players are now compared to 1990. But how much check Do you think should be allowed in the women's game? I think we're trying to strike a balance because, I mean, I grew up playing with the boys, so I remember being eight years old and going to hitting clinics at the beginning of every year. You know, like figuring out how to give a hit, how to receive a hit, where the dangerous areas are on the ice. And so that's how, you know, I learned at eight years old, I learned how to hit and receive a hit.

And now in women talking, like, we don't have hitting in youth and minor hockey. So I think it's trying to find a balance where we have these women now who are being told like, yes, we get hit. But as you come into the league, you don't necessarily know how to do that. So I think the pipeline probably needs to be a little bit better. But I do love the physicality. I think it adds a huge piece to the game. And I think it's just going to force our level of play to be even better because you have to be more creative. If there's somebody coming at you and they're using the body.

And so I definitely think the pipeline from like minor hockey, U sports NCAA could be a little bit better when it comes to body contact. I know like an international in the AAHF, like we can't do body checking. So in the Olympics, there's going to be some physicality, but there's not going to be like PWH level physicality. So I think also kind of aligning there would be a nice step forward as well. So all the rules are pretty different. Why did the PWHL decide to go the way that it did with the rules?

on contact. I think, you know, initially, they kind of looked how we played. Like, I think they kind of looked how we played Team Canada and Team USA. And it was pretty physical. There was no body checking allowed, but the physicality was there. And I think, you know, the investment, whoever was in charge, kind of looked at that and said, I think we have something here. And I think that we can do something to enhance level of play even more and make it

more interesting. And I think that it's been a great addition. I mean, like, we're all still trying to figure out. you know, the rules and how exactly they go together. But I think we're working towards it. And I really do think it's added to the game. I think the fans love it as well. And it makes the game more fun to play.

How much of a talking point is it going to be going into the Olympics? Because we've noted on the NHL front that, you know, a lot of the players that may or may not have been selected for particular rosters, will their style of play work in an international competition. I mean, I should mention this week that in addition to the, blockbuster trade that Vancouver pulled off, which was a record trade in the PWHL. The PWHL also set a record this week for a four-game suspension, the longest suspension in league history for Taylor Gerard after she left the bench to join an altercation.

It's kind of kind of a goon show out there. Yeah, right? Underscoring the physicality. And then all of a sudden, this happens like weeks before you're going to go to the Olympics. So just among the Team Canada team members, how much of a talk is there maybe even something like we have to make sure that we. tone it down when we go to an international competition because this is going to be far less

physical than what we're used to playing in the PWHL. Yeah, I think because the PWHL in the last few years we've been able to have conversations about it. So going into world championships in the past, it's obviously been a topic of discussion because you can't do it. So it's being able to kind of

rein it in. We have to be more disruptive with our sticks, whether that's disrupting passes, disrupting the other team sticks, taking better angles so that we can kind of rub people out on the boards. And obviously you're going to take the body, but it's going to be less impactful, I would say.

And so we found other ways to kind of make sure that we're disruptive on the ice and descend. Golden Eyes are in action. Tomorrow night, it is a 7 o'clock puck drop against Toronto, the second of a back-to-back. Reminder, go to the PWHL.com forward slash Vancouver GoldenEyes. If you want to get tickets, 7 o'clock Pacific Coliseum, Sarah, thank you very much for doing this today.

We really appreciate it. the luck tomorrow night and best of luck at the Olympics. Thank you. Sarah Nurse from the Vancouver Goldknice here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Okay, we have a handful of minutes left to do what we learned. We didn't ask for any submissions today. I don't know if anyone texted into the Dunbar Lumber text message in basket at 650. There's a couple.

There's a couple. What are we going to? We're just going to fire the dot matrix straight away, I think. Let's do that. Humanite submissions for what we learned, brought to you as always by A.J. Pizza on East Broadway. Two locations now to serve you better. 325 and 327 East Broadway.

And a reminder, if you don't have Super Bowl plans yet, and you want to go watch the big game, there's a bunch of places to do it. You can do it at AJ's Pizza. Get them online at AJ's.com. Steve from Burnaby, what we learned. With the Sabres now displaying minor success, Terry Pugula decided to turn the bills into a circus show.

Yeah, I want to catch up on this press conference that the owner of the Buffalo Bills, Terry Pugula, who also owns, the Sabres had with his general manager in the wake of the bills losing another painful postseason game, but also firing their head coach. So remember yesterday we were supposed to have a Buffalo Bill's guest on the show. We bumped them because Adam Foote decided to rip all the veteran players in Vancouver. Got to talk about this.

We may need to rebook. So since the weekend, the Buffalo Bills were eliminated from the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion. They fired their head coach, Sean McDermott, and the owner kind of had an unhinged press conference all in the span of like 72 hours. I feel like we need to follow up on this. Love a good unhinged press conference. Sid in the Ridge, what we learned, the most worrying part of this whole thing with the Canucks is the disconnect between ownership slash management and the coaching staff. If Tockeet and Foot identified this years ago, why would they sign these guys to long-term extensions with no

move clauses? Good question, Sid. Dare I say? Great questions. That is a great question. And I have the same question. I also have questions about the revisionist history that many of the executives involved with this team seem to want to spin when it comes to past player contracts and this veteran group. What they thought of this group, what they thought of this season. I mean, you go back to the Brock Besser contract. Did they really want to sign them? Or they were just like, yeah, struck out.

No one really wants to come to Vancouver. We need players. Brock will come crawling Brack. You know, like it's... But remember when they signed Brock Besser, speaking of revisionist history, they were already in a rebuild. Oh, right. You'll forget that the last couple years,

they've been in a rebuild. So that Brock Besser, the other bit of spin. Although that Brock Besser contract at the time sure seemed like a win now move, it was also a move designed to facilitate the rebuild that they were under. Also when they signed Thatcher Demko, also when they signed Connor Garland, also when they traded for Evander Kane. All moves made within the rebuild that's been going on for the last couple of years.

You might not have known it, but it was happening. So they gave up a fourth to get a Vander? That's correct. Watch them get a third at the trade deadline and be like, Like, see? You know where this is going. We upgraded our picks. You know where this is going, don't you?

Mike and Nanaimo, what we learned, I learned of the Canucks go winless for the rest of this month. They would likely set the NHL record for losses in a row at 18 because February 2nd is at Utah. And then Vegas would be next up to break Buffalo's 18 straight defeats. The records are so confusing. I know. I will say. you know, like, you know, there's losses in a row, but then you don't actually count like a shootout loss.

That's a tie. That's a tie for the record books. And I understand why they do that, but it's winless streaks versus losing streaks. And I still feel like the Kinex have lost all these games in a row. Yep. This is not, for me, this isn't a winless streak that they're on. They're on a losing streak.

Yeah. They're on a losing streak. Did you see that it coincided with the medicine hat tiger's winning streak? They hadn't lost since mid-November. Really? 19 in a row. Did not know that. Polar opposites.

I will say this. I have quite the first time we're going to throw it out there for the listeners. I have wondered what it would take in terms of length of losing streak to do something drastic. And by that, I mean, probably like, fire the coach. Because there's a certain point where it goes beyond, well, this is what a rebuild looks like, and this is a tank, we've seen coaches fired across all major sports where the losing streak

or the loss, it just gets too much. That would be a colossal mistake if they did that. I get that, but you understand what I'm saying. I hope they realize that. Poor David Quinn. I hope they realize that. Do you think they want to do something in the level? Do you think they're going to use the Olympic break as, like,

will it be a factor in their decision making? If they want to make a big trade, do they want to get that done before the Olympic break so that the market can kind of have some time to come to grips with it. If they're going to make a coaching change, I would think they would do that before the Olympic break. I don't think they will, but I don't think they will, but I just wonder if the Olympic break is going to be something that they can use, because even though they want to finish last overall and have the best chances, I do think that they'll want to,

finish off the season with something positive to sell. Eight games left until the Olympic break, including tonight against the Washington Capitals. We got to go for now, but we will be back tomorrow to talk about it and a whole bunch of other things. Enjoy the game tonight. Enjoy Alex Ovechkin in Vancouver.

We got to say goodbye for now. Signing off, I have been Mike Alford. He's been Jason Brough. He's been A-Dog and he's been Lattie. This has been the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet, 650.