Spittin Chiclets - Spittin' Chiclets Episode 186: Featuring Ryan Reaves + St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong

Episode Date: June 20, 2019

On Thursday's episode of Spittin' Chiclets the guys are joined by Blues GM Doug Armstrong and Ryan Reaves who showed up to Biz's hotel room mid recording. The guys discuss the Blues Cup win with Armstrong. They also touch on his career, Cup celebration plans, and who he would pick between Whit or Biz going back to their PTO with the Blues. Ryan Reaves then stops in and joins the podcast to discuss some NHL contracts, the salary cap, his new beer and more.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/schiclets

Hey, Spittin' Chicklets listeners, you can find every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Hello everybody, welcome to episode 186 of Spittin' Chicklets presented by New Amsterdam Vodka. Had some awards festivities on Wednesday night. Our boy Biz Nasty had some boots on the ground. We'll be introing him in a second. Let's say hello to our producer first, Mikey Grinelli. What is going on, pal? What's up, guys? Like you just said, R.A., the NHL awards were tonight. I wish I could have got you guys up on stage to present an award. I've been trying for that for a couple months now. So hopefully we'll go for next year, boys. See what happens.

See what happens. Who the fuck have you been reaching out to in order to get us on stage? And why the fuck do you think I'd do that? Corporate sponsors. Talking to them. You're not on a private jet anymore just trying to wheel some girl, Mikey.

Don't be giving us that same bullshit. New Amsterdam. New Amsterdam said they could help. Wait, time out, though. What do you mean you wouldn't go, though, Whit? I don't want to. No, I'd go. I don't want to present an award on stage, dude.

As in, like, you don't feel worthy of that? Behind the scenes. Like, don't put me on camera. I'd have pit stains through my suit like Austin Matthews tonight. I'd pit out every one of my suits. Oh, yeah. I'm a savage, dude. In those

situations, you know how nervous those guys are? I don't pit out. I get fucking Niagara Falls in my forehead. It's the worst. Anyways, those are my other co-hosts here. Ryan Whitney, what's going on? What's going on, guys? How are you? Doing all right. Doing all right.

And like I just said, our buddy Biz Nasty, I can see the desert behind you, those glorious hotel rooms out in Vegas with a nice view. You do have a great room there, huh, Biz? Yeah, Encore hooked it up. Oh, nice. One of those is just opening in Boston this weekend, soft opening, I guess. Yeah, yeah, that's pretty fucking crazy. I still can't believe there's a Vegas-style casino in Everett, Massachusetts.

I love it. Some people give the NHL Awards a hard time. I had a great time there. I thought it was very entertaining. I forget the gentleman who was presenting. He was in the movie The Mighty Ducks. Keenan Thompson. From Good Burger? Yeah, from Good Burger.

They did a little Good Burger skit. They were handing the burgers out. It was like, I don't want a burger. I was hoping they were going to keep coming down the aisle. I was going to grab one. You would have crushed one? 100%. Are you off the piss out there still?

I'm off the piss. Still clean. Still sober. You're nuts. I know. And they gave me great seats to the NHL. So thank you to them. Woj, my buddy, he works in the league.

And I was actually sitting a section ahead of Patrice Bergeron. Oh, wow. So I felt kind of special, but he looked so handsome. I think, is he married? Oh, yeah. Is that his wife? Oh, my God. Yes.

Twelve out of six. Yes. Every one of those guys has gorgeous wives. I was drooling, and had my my buddy pasha beside me so like i pretty much summed up just like videoing everything but some great speeches and and some very um some awards given out i think we should jump right into that all right yeah i thought keenan thompson i mean there's been some tough hosts in the past i thought keenan acquitted himself pretty well i thought his his one joke was really funny. No, I am not one of the Sioux bands.

I thought that was a pretty funny line. PK got a chuckle out of it. And shout out to our buddy Sully, who looked like he was PK's date once again. So I saw him sitting next to him. And he also said, I love how supportive Vegas is of other teams as they pan to the Sharks, you know, alluding to the goal call there, the penalty call. So it was pretty funny.

I thought he did a good job at hosting. Well, why don't we kick off with this? I mean, you penalty call. So it was pretty funny. I thought he did a good job at hosting. Well, why don't we kick off with this? I mean, you mentioned PK. The reason he was there was because he was passing the torch on to Austin Matthews, who was presented as the new poster child for the NHL 2020 video game. And sure

shit, I'm listening to this video go on, and then I hear RA's voice, and I'm like, no way. It's just some other fucking degenerate Boston guy who, for whatever reason, they put him in the trailer. And I had a bunch of people message me, and then I looked at the Spittin' Chicklets account, and sure shit.

How did you know this was going down, R.A.? Someone at headquarters reached out to me about a week or so ago and said that we were going to have some sort of affiliation with EA Sports and Chicklets, and they said they wanted to use a clip of mine and they played it I couldn't make it out that good I thought that's what they said but I had no idea when it was going to drop I had no clue it was going to be tonight and actually one of my buddies was a couple of minutes ahead of me I had paused on the DVR he's like hey dude I just heard you on the EA Sports thing I was like what so then I knew to watch for it and I yeah my wife was sitting

she just turned her head and looked at me. She's like, only fucking you. She's like, did you know that was coming? I says, not until five minutes ago. So yeah, it's pretty cool. A little chick that's bumping. I think there's going to be more where that came from. What's up, man?

What were you talking about in that clip? I was saying that there's a lot of these kids have an anti-establishment streak in them. You know, we were talking about Matthews, I'm not sure which episode it was. I think it was the episode when we're going back and forth with him and Kane celebrating. It was early in the year when Matthews kind of tried to show him up in his own building and then Kane ended up scoring again and then gave it the showtime. So we love that kind of stuff. We think it helps grow the game.

And I believe that was the episode you were talking about then. But to me, no better guy to represent the game. He's a young stud. He's not afraid to come out of his shell. I actually talked to him a little bit about his experience. Thanks, because I really appreciate that. Oh, you mean Matthews. Oh, I'm sorry.

Oh, you motherfucker. But I thought it was great to pick him. And he talked about his GQ shoot. And we were joshing in the limo ride back when we were hanging out this past week, and how the photographer, he was just taking normal shots, and he was like, hey, why don't you put your hand over your face, and then slowly got him into these artistic poses. And he's like, oh, whatever. He's like, they're not even going to use those ones

because I didn't feel comfortable taking them like that. And sure enough, every picture they used was when the photographer got them to do this like awkward artistic pose. And I told him, I said, man, you're like the photographer that gets the girls in the lingerie. And he's like, you know what? Why don't we just try like getting a little strap

down on the shoulder? And then next thing you know, she's shoving a cucumber up her pussy and he's just snapping away so i said the photographer took advantage of you just as if he does these instagram models and we had a good chuckle about it but congratulations to him and his agent and his team uh on getting that that's a that's a big deal guys yeah absolutely definitely definitely a feather in his cap and uh yeah i said i was pretty stumped mikey should we play the little clip there for the audience who might have missed it? It's different now.

It's not just about getting it done. It's the style that comes with it. There's definitely an anti-establishment streak in some of these kids. Young guys aren't afraid of the old guys anymore. They're rewriting what it means to be a hockey player. And yeah, they're putting on a show. Yeah, it's pretty good stuff, man. And I actually can't wait to see how they use us next.

I'm assuming they're probably going to incorporate the logo somehow. So I'm excited. I might have to get back into video games. They should have like audio, Biz and I doing post-game interviews with guys. And then you can just get us asking like a million different questions. So it actually wouldn't be that repeated. Yeah, Biz will be like, so you only got one goal tonight.

What do you got lined up, a six or a seven? Yeah, Biz is like, so you guys staying overnight? You need a hookup? I can call this guy. I know, sick deals there, too. There'll be rockets, I promise. Well, Coach, you guys spanked the team on the road here. I mean, that's a green light if I ever saw one.

Where are the boys going tonight? Hey, did you happen to notice when McDavid, he was doing that bit with that fake announcer that was played by the guy from Silicon Valley, and he had a skate lace for a belt? Was that part of the bit, or did he wear that the whole night? Okay, so I saw McDavid beforehand, and this company makes him suits,

and that's kind of like the new style. I'm not going to chirp it because I'm a bit of a dinosaur and old school in that sense, and it's Conor McDavid. He could fucking wear a potato sack around him. I wouldn't give a shit. Actually, he was there with his, his beautiful girlfriend and I want to congratulate her.

She, um, he posted about it recently. She just graduated, uh, and she became an interior decorator. I believe that's what it is. And,

uh, so shout out to him and her. Um, he looked great. Um, so hopefully he can bounce back, uh back after that end of the season injury and have a good start to the year. But, yeah, I was down with the style.

So I thought he looked pretty good, R.A. I mean, you're one guy who can't chirp anyone's style. You wear bad shorts. We saw his suit appearance for his big Bruins TV, right? Yeah, yeah, I decked out when I needed to. Notice I didn't chirp him because I know I'm not one to be chirped. You're over limo there. I just noticed it, so I had to ask.

Anyways, let's jump into the awards, shall we? Let's start off with the Call the Trophy. The nominees were Elias Patterson of Vancouver, Jordan Binnington of St. Louis, and just a note for people who do forget, votes were tabulated before the playoffs, so the playoffs do not count to these awards.

And Rasmus Dahlien of Buffalo, they were the three nominees. Pedersen, not a huge surprise. He was the first Swede to win the award since Gabriel Landeskog and the first Connect to do it since Pavel Baret back in 92. I thought he made an incredibly classy gesture to mention Jason Botchford, the fine Connect writer who tragically passed away. He had much too young, 48 years old from heart failure. So I thought that was an unbelievable gesture he made.

Biz, what was your take on this one? Yeah, I thought it was a no-brainer. I know people were upset about the Bennington snub, but I don't think he played long enough this season. He got called up halfway through in an unbelievable run, but I thought that was the pick. I was not surprised, and that was pretty much the one tap in I would have called. I agree with that.

I mean, there was a little talk about putting him, but you're right. It wasn't long enough. And Pedersen or Peterson, God, I still can't even get it. You guys remember, I brought him up. That was a September podcast where I had heard some rumblings, and this kid just went on to dominate. It was so easy for him. And then you'll also, like, the fact that it was the first, you know,

like Pavel Bury was the original guy in Vancouver you'd think about just, like, changed everything there. He was so dynamic. And I think this year fans had similar type feelings watching this kid play. I mean, he was changing games. And he battled some injuries, which I think some people, if you're going to look for one thing, would worry that he's frail. Right. And I don't necessarily think, you know, that's, that's a huge issue nowadays, but still, I mean, he's bound to get targeted. He's bound to get hit

just so he's going to have to figure out a way to stay healthy. I know sometimes that's out of your control, but dominating games and, you know, Ross was Darlene was a great, great option. So it was Heskin in Dallas. He didn't get the top three, but there were some awesome picks. But Pettersson was the one that I think right away you knew, this one's kind of a layup. You could tell his family was very excited for him to close-knit group. He looks like – it's funny. He looks like a kid from Connecticut who just got an internship at Goldman Sachs.

He's just like, look at this little nerd. And then you could meet him in a bar and then be like, wait, what? Well, I will say this about him. He's got a very confident flair to him. I know when he was up there, it's very difficult in talking in front of those many people. I would be just as nervous, as we mentioned, the pitters and the armpits as well. But I thought he did a good job. And when I saw him beforehand, he looked very confident.

And I like the swagger that he brings. Swedes are confident people. And why wouldn't you be too usually you know more than half of them look phenomenal so you're just standing up there and you're confident you know that everyone's looking at you and smiling and they just never get nervous that's what it seems like all those guys are like i think it's because they're happy that everywhere and basically in that neck of the woods they always say those are the happiest people in the world, like Norway, Sweden, Finland. So there's probably some time with that as well, but either way, just a few more young studs for the league to have. I mean,

Bennington incredible. Yeah. I basically brought this team all the way to the Stanley cup. I know we couldn't get voted on for that, but just an incredible season he had, but Pedersen young startup friend, and we got one on each thing. Defense goalie forward. The league is bright for this fucking, I'm sorry. The future is bright for this league. I get a little excited with all these young, great players. The Lady Bing boys, not normally

the biggest award we talk about a bunch, but what's his face? We had Barkoff, O'Reilly, and Monaghan. They were the three who were up for it. Barkoff won, and then he delivered probably the most savage lineup that a Lady Bing trophy winner has ever given. So we have more fans from Finland than Florida here,

which is about the most savage thing you could say. Right, because I was in the building, and a couple of Finnish people stood up and said something in Finnish, and then he kind of got surprised, and that was some quick wit by him, no pun intended wit. But I thought very deserving, and for a guy like that to not have a league award yet, that was the perfect time to give him one. I mean, the other guys were very deserving and for a guy like that to not have a league award yet that was the perfect time to give him one and uh i mean the other guys were very deserving but crazy that he can lug that

much ice time and only have eight penalty minutes in an in here and we're not talking about a guy who plays soft in his own end either we're talking about a guy who plays a very good 200 foot game always on the right side of the puck just uses body his body very intelligently. Wow, that's a big word for me. And a well-deserving recipient. I don't think he was chirping Florida. I think it was innocent enough where he was just saying

What are they going to do? They're a stunt player. Are we going to shut them away? Or are they going to go back to losing? Someone calls him like, hey, you can't be saying that about the fans. He's like, why? What are you going to do? I mean, I don't. All right, go back to losing. Someone calls him like, hey, you can't be saying that about the fans. He's like, why? What are you going to do? I mean, I don't think it matters, but it did come off as sounding differently than I think he meant it.

But, yeah, he's sick. I mean, we talked about it. He's no longer underrated. We've made that clear. Can't say that anymore. You know, it's funny O'Reilly was up for it. You knew that O'Reilly was getting one of either this or the Selkie, but a bunch of great options.

Monaghan with a sick season. But it's true because if you're playing over 20 minutes a game against the best players on the other team, how do you not get like six hooking or tripping penalties? You know, like he had four penalties. It's absurd. I mean, it's just to be that good positionally is just crazy. And we won't even get into it, but the contract that good positionally is just crazy.

And we won't even get into it, but the contract that they got him on, too. Ridiculous. I think Florida is going to make some moves, and I think they're going to be a very good team moving forward for that reason. Yeah, hopefully they'll get themselves a nice goalie, too, because we'd like to see them contend. And yeah, you're right. It was probably more of a pro-Finland statement than an anti-Florida, but probably just an unintended consequence that he kind of goofed on the fans. But either way, let's move on to GM of the year. The three finalists

were Don Waddell from Carolina, Doug Armstrong, who was going to be joining us in just a little bit here on Spitting Chicklets, a Stanley Cup winner, general manager, happy to have him, and also Don Sweeney from Boston. And Don Sweeney from Boston won. He was the first Bruins winner since the award debuted in 2010. I thought he also gave a really nice speech where he mentioned his two sons who were born prematurely. They were a pound and a half when they were born, and he said they're his inspiration to see the way they fought in life, and he's kind of followed his kids, and he also gave a nice shout-out to his wife.

She was pretty emotional in the audience. It was just a real nice kind of tender moment that we got to see on TV. I don't know if you were able to see it or not, Biz. Yeah, as soon as he got up and hugged his wife, I could sense like there was like it was something bigger than the award because she was very emotional about it right away. Gorgeous woman as well. He walked up and then when he said that, you know, man, there was a lot of emotional moments there. And you know, you guys know me. I get a little sensitive and I was crying a lot tonight trying to keep her keep her in there but um all

all every every guy every sorry every finalist very deserving to win that um I I think considering his team did the best in regular season he had some work to do uh they've used 37 players during the course of that season and which is very interesting so that shows that they have a lot of depth as well in the developments there as well as in Providence. So I thought very, very deserving. Doug Armstrong, who didn't end up getting the nod, I thought made some very stellar moves this offseason. I think maybe the start to the season is what probably didn't win him the award,

but I don't really think he cares considering he's won hockey's ultimate prize. Yeah, and it's crazy. The other guy that was up for this award don waddell i mean the whole summer the question was who's going to take over in carolina and there was a lot of people offered the job a lot of people turned it down people took their names out of the mix it was kind of a gong show because the rumors flying around about the new owner and what he expected and wanted and what things were going to be like but man this guy came in or he had already been there, right? And he took over and just did a great job.

That team, there was a lot there, but the run they went on, it's just kind of the beginning. I mean, they got a lot of young studs there. Ajo was so good, a lot of great players. So those guys, it's funny. These GMs do – they'll be up for awards like this. When their team has a great year, they have a couple great signings or trades, and then two years later, you look, and their job's in question.

It's crazy how this goes. It's very similar to Coach of the Year. But for this season, these guys did a hell of a job. And like we just mentioned, Doug Armstrong, he's joining us, and he got the ultimate prize. So it's been a pretty great year for all these guys. Still, having said that, Biz, when you mentioned how it's emotional, I think that all these guys um still having said that biz when you mentioned how it's emotional i think that even though the whole show is like corny and there's

there's factors in it where they're trying to make you laugh and it can kind of get awkward it's still people you know having their dreams come true like right right on you know the the fact that you know you can win an mvp award or a norris trophy it's something you've always dreamed of i could totally understand a lot of emotion that night. Yeah, and we'll talk more about other awards and how life-changing they are to some of these guys. Going back to Doug Armstrong, you mentioned he is coming on for an interview. There was a slight issue with the audio, so please bear with us.

I don't know if it was just the reception or whatever. Grinelli did his best he could in order to fix it up. I think it's going to sound better than it did in the course of the interview. I think he was doing this one. This is what I think he was doing, if you can look at me. I think he was talking to us, and then he just looked like this. He's probably sitting around, and he probably was looking like this and just leaving his phone over there,

and then that's when we would kind of lose it a little bit. But ultimately, he's up for GM of the Year, just won a Stanley Cup, so fuck us, and he could get a bump on the year. Just won a Stanley Cup, so fuck us. You can tell it's a suck. He could get a dump on my chest. I don't even care. I saw him before the awards. Him and Berube would be willing to come on as well. Very nice guys.

And he even asked. He's like, how was I? And he was excited to be on. So that was pretty cool. And thank you to Caruso, our boy from the Blues. He's been giving us all these guys. And there's even some other guys, I'll talk about it later, that want to come on, our boy from the Blues. He's been giving us all these guys, and there's even some other guys, I'll talk about it later, that want to come on that are big names as well.

Yeah, Biz, we can never get too many all-stars on this show, that's for sure. Moving on, let's go to, actually, we've got a double bubble here for, well, we won't give the winner away yet, the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsey Trophy. Kucherov, McDavid, and Kane were up for the Lindsey. Kucherov, McDavid, and Crosby were up for the hot, but it didn't matter. Nikita Kucherov won both of them. He also won the Art Ross for scoring. He really ran away with the scoring trophy late in the year.

No real surprise. He won pretty big on the vote in both of these. Biz, what's your take on this award, brother? Well, first of all, that was one of the guys I was referring to that I met. What do you call that room you go into before you actually go out? Green room. room i actually snuck in there didn't even have a suit on i look like a absolute bum um but i've never met kucherov and i went up and shook his hand he had a big grin on his face he's like love the podcast you guys crack me up all the time i said buddy we'd love to have you on and uh vasilevsky was to his left and he was fucking with me he kind of gave me the stone face and like shook my hand gave me the dead fish and i, and he was fucking with me. He kind of gave me the stone face and shook my hand, gave me the dead fish.

And I'm like, he's fucking with me, right? And then he kept a straight face and dragged it out for a little bit. And then he was like, nah, just kidding. So I was a little nervous there. And I'm like, what did I say to piss this guy off when maybe the playoff situation happened? But I think both guys would be willing to come on. And I think they had a member of the KGB with them. So I wasn't going to talk to them too long.

But congratulations to him. What an incredible regular season. I don't think there was any doubt that he deserved everything he got. Very, very dedicated to his craft. Very competitive. One of the comments he did make to the other finalists is he said, I love competing against you guys. And that's truly how

that guy is and how much time and effort he puts into his game and being one of the best players if not the best player right now on the planet uh and he takes it seriously what he takes it so serious and and i i just love watching him play because there's so much passion you saw this year i mean it was really cool too that in this run and in this season of 128 fucking points, he broke Alexander Mogilny's single season NHL record for points by a Russian-born player and that was 127. So he just

got over that. He's the second player in Tampa history to win the Hart Trophy after Martin St. Louis, that legend. So it was just an incredible year. And I mean, you saw the entire team dominate. It was perfectly said, Biz, how you put it all. And I think that if you see that there was no questions asked at all about who was going to win this award. And the most amazing thing is Connor McDavid and Crosby, the seasons they had, it's like any other

year. They're right there. McDavid, this one kind of blew me away. Stats, thank you. He ranked second overall in scoring. He never went consecutive games without a point. He was the eighth player in league history to achieve this feat within a single season with a minimum of 50 games played. The other players. How's this list? Wayne Gretzky did it seven fucking times. Thank you.

Lemieux did it three times. Paul Correa, Yari Curry, Elmer Locke. I don't even know if I'm saying his name right. That was the only name that surprised me. Daryl Sittler and Steve Iserman. So it was just an incredible run by all three of these guys, but in the end, Kucherov was the deserving winner

and it was a season that not many people will ever forget for Tampa and himself. Unfortunately, it'll always be reminded as they didn't win a playoff game, but the regular season didn't matter when all those votes went in and it was insane to see all year. Can you say the stat again? You said they didn't win a playoff game, but the regular season, it didn't matter when all those votes went in, and it was insane to see all year. Can you say the stat again?

You said he didn't go consecutive games with what? He didn't go consecutive games without a point. Never went consecutive games without a point, yes. Holy shit. I know. I know. It really is because that's just the consistency that these superstars are able to have.

Could you imagine how he felt in the games where he didn't get one? Just fuck you and everybody. What the hell just happened? Guys are like, hey, Connor, hop in the shower. The boss is leaving. He's like, no, no, no. What the hell just happened? I didn't get him.

He's in a stall like they just lost like Stanley Cup. They're like, dude, you hit four posts, and I missed three wide open nets. Like, you could have had eight. He's like, but I didn't have one. Everyone's fired. Yeah, right. I'm taking my own bus. All right, so once that goalie is signed on a 10-year deal for the Oilers,

whoever shut him down. All right, next up, the Norris Trophy for the league's best defenseman. The three finalists were Mark Giordano, Brent Burns, and Victor Hedman. And this was a fucking landslide, man. Giordano had 165 first-place votes to Brent Burns' two. Victor Hedman had one first-place vote. Carlson actually had three first-place votes. Absolutely ran away with it.

He had a monster year, Giordano. I knew we were talking the other day, Biz. He must be pretty excited, eh? You could tell how much it meant to him. This guy's He had a monster. He had Giordano. I knew we were talking the other day because he must be pretty excited. You could tell how much it meant to him. This guy's been through a lot. He was offered a three-way contract earlier in his career with the Calgary Flames. Went over to Russia. Came back. He

mentioned his trainer and how important he's been in his off-ice habits. Of course, he thanked his wife and kids. He said something really cool. He said, even though we had some tough nights at the rink and he would always come home and his wife and kids would always put a smile on his face, he had a big posse with him. There was a lot of happy people for him.

You mentioned the first place votes. I think the Norris Trophy is one of those trophies where the voters tend to go towards the guys who have put the time in. And if there's one guy who's done it, it was Giordano. And I believe he's the only the second defenseman ever to, to win the award over the age of 35. Nick Lindstrom is the other guy in that category. So he joins a very,

a very classified list there with one, I would have one, if not the greatest defenseman of all time. But very, very happy for him. Here, let me read this out. Ryan Kelly, I liked the tweet earlier. I got to go back to it. He wrote, undrafted, went to Russia, offered a three-way contract,

35 years old, Norris Trophy winner. And it was a very special day for him. What exactly is a three-way contract? Because I heard of a two-way. What's a three-way? In the East Coast. So when you get sent down to the East Coast, you're making East Coast League money.

Oh, I never heard of that. Bit of a slap in the face. This guy had a very good junior career, played for the Owen Sound Attack, and he was a one-man breakout there. And I was shocked when I heard that. And a guy who got snubbed early on in his career, and he went and found his way.

And look at that. It took all these years for him to win the ultimate prize, the defenseman. Yeah, and what's really cool is the fact that to put up career highs and have your most prolific season in your life at 35 years old just shows that the passion and the commitment in the summer from this guy is probably off the charts. And every single teammate of his tells me that too. They said he's just a warrior. He's in the summer from this guy, he's probably off the charts. Every single teammate of his tells me that too. They said he's just a warrior. He's in the

gym. He's the guy on the ice that's just a pain in the ass to practice against. It's all just leadership. It's so deserving. Biz, you said it perfect. It goes off to Russia. He deals with that bullshit. Dude, he had four shorthanded goals this season. Four shorthanded

goals? Biz, that's more goals than you ever had in a year, right? I had three one year, correct. Okay, so that was kind of a shot by me, but it was just more to say, like this guy had four shorties. He was the first defenseman since 1999 with that many. Nick Lindstrom. But he didn't chase Niemi. I think you said Lindstrom.

Also, what was surprising to me was the first ever Calgary Flamed to ever win the Norris Trophy. I would have thought Al McGuinness won one. Phaneuf was close and Al McGuinness was second twice. But yeah, just a great honor for the captain there that was deserving. And I guess Drew Doughty got his wish, if you guys remember.

He made it clear I would vote for Giordano. And why the fuck would you vote for Brent Burns? He went off on that little tangent I think around the end of the season. So it was deservingly and i was happy to see that and and both those other guys already have one correct has burns ever won one yes burns and had men of both one yeah so i mean i like to spread the wealth around and those guys are very deserving as well great years from them. And everyone's happy. Yeah, that's all.

Next up, we have the Masters and Trophy. Rather than name all the nominees, we're not going to do that because every team does nominate a guy. It's awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. And this year, I think it's safe to say, guys, this is the ultimate no-brainer. Robin Lane, a goaltender for the Islanders, won it.

Gave a very powerful speech as well. He had a lot of mental health issues he finally faced head on. He dealt with some substance abuse issues, which we often hear the media referring to as people getting over them or getting past them. But the reality is when you have those issues, you deal with them all the time. You're never completely done with them. So kudos to him for coming out and bringing all this stuff to to the forefront and he said this quote was i end the stigma i'm not ashamed to say i'm mentally ill but that does that does not mean i'm mentally weak and i think

that's powerful stuff to have a guy in that forum to get up and say that because you know there are a lot of people who do struggle with this stuff and if we can get guys out there and bring it to the forefront a little more if that helps people we, we're all for that. Well, I mentioned, you know, that awards and the NHL awards changing people's lives. I believe Robert Leonard was one of those guys where this guy was, you know, pretty much not out of the league, but just in the dumps and had a turnaround season the way he did. Another thing that he said in that speech, which I know the NHL gets ragged on for the way they handle certain things, and he mentioned a few that the NHL gets ragged on for the way they handle certain things.

And he mentioned a few of the NHL doctors, Dr. Shaw, and I forgot the other one's name. Dr. Shaw actually helped me out personally when I was going through a bout with depression and I didn't want to turn to any type of medication. So it's nice that he recognized them and the fact that the league is taking a stance and helping guys out. And, you know, I made a phone call. They gave me natural ways in order to help me deal with my stuff. And I'm sure that they did the same with him. And for him to have that type of turnaround season, thank his teammates and his family and the coaching staff.

And even he mentioned Lou and he said, you know, I appreciate him looking after the person, not just necessarily the player. And that was a pretty big, bold statement, a way to use your platform, you know, I appreciate him looking after the person, not just necessarily the player. And that was a pretty big, bold statement, a way to use your platform, Robert Leonard, in order to help a big issue that is going on in our world today. And congratulations on winning the Masters then. Masterton? Masterton?

Great job, Biz. Actually, I don't know that one either. It's Masterton. Masterton. Okay, well, you know what? It's also cool to see not only does he get a chance, and I think that's why he's so appreciative is that he got a chance to come back from what he was dealing with.

Well, what does he do? He just runs with it. I mean, that was a one-year deal for one and a half. He played fabulous. Who knows what he's going to cash in for this summer, but good for him because that was a great story. As always, Whit Dogg chiming in on the dollar end of things. Yeah, fuck that. Kevin Hayes, we'll get to that. Thank you. Oh, sure. After the interview, no doubt. that was a great story as always wit dog chiming on the dollar end of things yeah okay kevin hayes

we'll get to that thank you oh sure after the interview no doubt hey real quick before we go any further just want to talk to you gang about roman swipes for a second most guys have tried different ways to last longer but thinking about baseball or wayne gretzky stats or one year ray bork one rookie of the year it doesn't always work the folks at roman an online men's health company are changing the game with Roman Swipes, the secret to longer lasting sex. I know everybody's got their little routines. Might be saying the Pledge of Allegiance

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and Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights. This is the closest voting of all the awards. I was going to say. Yep, all the awards voted on by the PHWA. This is closest. And Ryan O'Reilly, he beat Stone by 120 points, 48 to 32 in the first place voting. No surprise. Again, O'Reilly, we've been slurping for about three months now on the podcast

for all the playoffs. Phenomenal year. I think we said a couple episodes ago, even when they were shit-tanking in October and November, he was still grinding both ends of the ice playing a 200-foot game. Apparently, people noticed. Oh, my God. Did they? It was just...

Any one of these guys, all of them had incredible seasons, but O'Reilly... I think it means a lot for him. I'm sure in the end he doesn't nearly care as much he they won the Stanley Cup that's all that matters but looking back it wasn't just the run in the cup either you know where he gets the cons might this was all voted on after the regular season so you know that that I was this good during the regular season and also in

a year when we when we were horrible I mean they weren't just like okay they were terrible they were the worst they were the worst. They were the worst until January. And without him, who knows? I mean, maybe they fall way too out of the race to even get back into it, but deserving. The Bergeron being there, we've always talked about him. He's still looking to break the all-time record he has tied with Bob Ganey,

who both have four Selkies. But Bergeron's eighth straight year being a finalist, which is incredible. And so I don't know who ended up getting second place. Did they even say? It was Stone. Okay, so Stone right there. I mean, I think business started mentioning how he's becoming the new best defensive forward in the league, like Marion Hossa,

and he's also able to score at an incredible level. So he went over to Vegas, signed the huge deal, and right away fit in incredibly well. So I can only see him getting better and better and being up for this award many more times. I don't exactly know who the last winger to win the award was. Going into this one, I wouldn't be able to pick if I didn't know what the votes were.

I thought Ryan O'Reilly was very deserving. I wouldn't have been shocked to Bruce Bergeron would have won his fifth and breaking that tie you said with Bob Ganey. Oh yeah. That would be a big deal. I'd imagine he's going to be in the running again next year. Based on points,

Bergeron did have 77 points in 65 games this year. Maybe it's the fact that he didn't get as many games as the other guys. That could be the deciding factor. But it wouldn't have been a bad pick in anyone's books. Mark Stone, I talked to him beforehand. Very happy to be in Vegas under that long contract as well.

So congratulations to all those nominees. And I'm not upset with the pick at all. And for the first time in five years, it's not Bergeron or Kopitar taking the award. So a new winner, a new Stanley Cup winner makes sense that they go together. Yeah, absolutely. No doubt about that, because you could have voted for really any guy, but definitely the most deserving fellow got it. Next up, the Jack Adams Trophy for Coach of the Year. And the three finalists were Craig Berube, John Cooper and Barry Trotz.

And just a reminder, again, this was before playoffs. Playoffs don't apply to this. And Barry Trotz won this after an amazing turnaround with the Islanders. Very low expectations for the team. He came in and they turned in an unreal defensive effort to get back into the playoffs, even won a playoff round. So what do you got on this one, Biz? I mean, this is a tough one for me, too.

I mean, a lot of people didn't want Cooper winning it, but, I mean, he coached a very good team who we knew were going to make playoffs to the best regular season or tied for the best regular season in the history of the NHL. So, I mean, I could have seen him winning it. I wouldn't have an issue with Berube winning it either.

Maybe it was because, once again, he wasn't there as long as Trotz was throughout the whole season. They did have a good lineup. They just got off to a shit start. But when he took over, they were last in the league. I mean, so that was a tough hill to climb. But, once again, very okay with Trotz winning it. Nobody expected anything out of the Islanders this year.

He went in there, whipped a team who gave up the most goals the previous season in the NHL to giving up the least amount and teach that team how to play defensive hockey, structured hockey. And I know some people may criticize it for being a tad bit boring, but hey, that's how you win hockey games, a five-man unit, including good goaltending. And congratulations to him. Gave a great speech as well.

And a little bit of a weird presentation with the burgers being up there at the time. So weird. They're like shoving a burger in his face. He's like, dude, can I just have my trophy? Well, and he did kind of crack a joke that got a lot of laughs. He's saying it's a little distracting having a burger in my hand. You know, he's a little hefty, but hey. Well, he also, we talk a lot about, like,

the mental aspect and the mental grind the game has, not just physically for players, but I think coaches have a huge mental grind as well. I mean, it's a long year. They're trying to keep guys happy. They're trying to, you know, get wins. It's just, it's a clusterfuck for them. And I can't imagine how much more it would

have been for barry trotz at the beginning of the year to win the stanley cup with washington and then go to a new organization that has really low expectations and to try to mentally switch from having this wagon of a roster to this team that isn't expecting much and having having to figure out how am i going to win how am i I going to coach this team different? And Biz, like you said, that's that of most goals in the league to the next year, allowing the least goals in the league. That hadn't been done in over 100 years. I mean, it's just wild what he was able to pull off. It shows how much coaching can matter. And yeah, I mean, he is boring. I don't think that offensive players love playing for him at times, but I do know that they love winning. and he's going to give you a chance

every time because he figures out ways that his team can play and compete. He uses their strengths and he doesn't, you know, try to, he does his best job to make sure he hides their weaknesses, right? He does. He wants to, you know, give you that, that whatever that team needs to do to win a game, he's going to figure out what it is, whether it's great offense, great defense, good goaltending.

So he's done a great job everywhere, and I think he finished the year fourth on the all-time wins list. Yeah, and fourth in the NHL's all-time coaching wins list right now at 8-10. So good for him. Congratulations. It's unfortunate that the great Bob Hoskins, who was a great actor, is no longer with us because he would absolutely 100% play Barry Trotz if there was ever a movie about him.

He's like an absolute deadpan. Remember who framed Roger Rabbit, Biz? Oh, yeah, that guy does look like him. Jessica Rabbit, Biz, 100% threw one across the room to her. Oh, right in my belly button. The cartoon girl? Oh, absolutely, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

I did it to the cartoon, too. The cartoon was the biggest smoke going. All those tits on her. Jessica Rabbit. I don't want to sound like a chauvinistic pig, but I just might have got my chin with one. Was that a quote in the movie?

No, I'm saying you got yourself in the chin? Yeah. Self facials. Yeah. We were all talking at the same time there. I donfacials. Yeah, I've been there. We were all talking at the same time there. I don't know if people heard what I said, but I'm asking. This is a question.

Have you guys ever stroked one off, and you're feeling nice, and you're like, oh, it's going to be a heavy batch, and then boom, right in the chin? While you're lying in bed. It's a frozen rope. Over my head. I've pulled one over my head before. This is disgusting. Sniper rifle.

Got the red dot on my forehead uh oh actually after they did the jack adams well we got a tremendous moment between carrie price and the young boy uh anderson whitehead who lost his mom earlier this season and they had already had a moment that went viral when when price met up with him after practice and gave him some of his equipment just a unbelievable unbelievably emotional scene well tonight they brought him out and first he thought price was talking from via satellite, and then he came out to greet him. And the boy was just awestruck, I guess.

It was just such an unreal, such a genuine moment. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house, because you must have been sobbing in there, eh? I started crying, yeah. No denial there. Very special moment. The kid was just in shock, and he just started bawling, and everybody started crying. but what a special moment.

And then Carey Price invited him to the All-Star game. So I hope now Carey Price gets voted in no matter what, and he gets to go on the ice because, you know, a Bernsies kid ends up going on the ice and stuff, and they have a fun time. Yeah, he was flipping out when we were there. Yeah, he was listening. Yeah, he was just going.

He was, like, taking the puck and going off, doing his own little drills. But I hope he gets to maybe even go on the ice or even the bench. That actually would be just incredible. That moment was – I think we talked a lot about that when it happened originally when he just gave the kid the hug, right? Yeah, after practice. Yeah, so to see them meet up again, I mean, Biz, that's pretty cool.

You were there for all this. Did you have a couple Kleenex on you, some tissue paper? No, I held it pretty good. Everybody gave it a standing ovation, and, yeah, everybody was emotional. I told you guys, I'm a sap. Yeah, you didn't even have to be a sap to get emotional for that. It was a beautiful scene. Next up, the Vesna Trophy for the best goalie in the league,

finalist for Ben Bishop, Andre Vasilevsky, and aforementioned Robin Lehner. And it's no surprise here, Vasilevsky skated off with it. He had a tremendous year. Although Ben Bishop, you know, himself had a pretty nice year, but Vasilevsky got it this year. Wits, were you surprised on this one at all? No, not really.

He was incredible. I mean, it's funny because I think that the team being so good really did hurt, you know, John Cooper and the way Biz was talking about how people, you know, weren't giving him enough credit. But it couldn't happen with their goaltending, even though the offense was great. I mean, you know what's funny is their first round kind of proved how important Vasilevsky is.

And if you're trying to say, like, listen, you listen, this team could win just because they score so many goals. Well, no, that team gave up a lot of chances. And they gave him up during the year, too. And they were able to score with anyone. But at the times they did give him up, he was right there. He was solid. He's really gotten better and better every year he's played. You saw him get real tired the year before.

I think he brought that stuff up. But this year, it was just, until that first round, it was fabulous hockey, well-deserved. I think without him, they're not nearly approaching that all-time points record that they were going after and having that incredible season running

towards. I think it would be criminal if he never went as Jaws from 007. I know. With that grill. What did he have, a silver grill in the movie? I think he'd be criminal if he never went as him to Halloween. Am I wrong here?

Good call. Richard Keel. One of the great Bond villains of all time, no doubt. Right. I think he looks like Jaws a little bit. That's not an insult. Everybody looks like someone. I look like Robert De Niro or some people tell me Leonardo DiCaprio or any other sexy actors. Jamie Foxx. I look like Robert De Niro or some people tell me Leonardo DiCaprio or, or, um, who, anyone, any other sexy actors,

Jamie Foxx. Yeah. Yeah. You definitely look like Jamie Foxx. All right. A couple more awards to clean up the evening here. The Mark Marcia award for leadership. The three nominees are Wayne Simmons,

Mark Giordano, and Justin Williams. Uh, and Wayne Simmons was the winner of this one. I'm always curious about this one because leadership is something that's hard to quantify. There's no formula or math you can do to figure it out. So when people vote on it, I'm always curious how they know who the best leader is. What's your take on that and how people might vote on it?

Well, yeah. I mean, all those guys have done amazing jobs in their community. I mean, Wayne Simmons ended up winning it. He's been in Philly a long time. And for these guys with the schedule they have to take the time to help out members of their community like they do is insane to me. And kudos to all the guys that do do it. The King Clancy Award is another award where guys do a lot of stuff as well.

And we'll get to that a little bit later. But Justin Williams has done a great job as well. You'd really have to watch the videos and how they presented it to see what these guys actually do, and it's really commendable. Yeah, and I think it's cool too because on the ice, he's done everything a leader would ever do. I mean, he'd fight anyone. He plays hard.

He's tough to play against. He just – he's been a great player, and I think that off the ice, once you do start realizing what these guys do, and it's funny, like, it seems so simple. You go to practice, right? I mean, the day can't be that hard. I'm not saying it is, but when the season gets long and you have practice, I mean, sometimes doing stuff after can be a real pain in the ass. I know it doesn't sound like real world stuff, but I don't know. It's just, you're, you're exhausted. You end up going home, but a lot of these guys will go and spend a lot of time doing community service,

visiting kids, things that they don't even ever need brought up or want brought up in the media. But to take the time and do all that. Oh, look at Revo. What's up, buddy? We're going to have to put this on night. Revo. Why wouldn't you guys put one in the right ear and one

in the left ear so you don't spread it out? Surprise it fits. Revo bought me a little care package. What is this? Oh, 7-5 Brewery. Oh, shit. Crack one of those open bins. Are you off the booze?

I'm off the piss. I'm not drinking this, but you guys can. Look at that. No free ads. Nice. 7-5. What's going on, Revo guys can. Look at that. No free ads. Nice. Looking good. What's going on, Revo? How we doing?

Good. How you doing? How's Vegas treating you? Oh, Vegas is nice. Are you ever back up? Are you back up Winnipeg or no? I'm going back for three weeks in July. I'm pushing the beer right now.

Hey, considering we have him here, should we talk about the call in San Jose? Fuck. Wow, you really want to scratch that itch. You're having a nice night in Vegas and you're just trying to bury him. Well, I might drink more now. There's an excuse.

What were we in the midst of talking about before we got interrupted by Ryan Reams? No, we were just finishing up the awards. Honestly, I was describing, honestly, I was describing that leadership award's pretty sick. Simmons has done a lot of shit for this league on and off the ice, so he's deserving. And he also

has never gotten as much money as he should have made. He never had the good timing. Yeah, it was tough timing for Simmer. Can I put my two cents in the awards, though? Yeah, yeah, yeah. They gotta stop voting on this stuff before the playoffs because for Berube not to get coach of the year is fucking mind-blowing. You can't take the last place team to the Stanley Cup finals and win

and not get coach of the year. Wow. Okay, interesting. I don't even know the guy, but that's ridiculous. And he's got a nickname, Chief. You know that's positive. He'd be winning just because of that right there. I guess it's like a valuable argument where you're going to say,

well, the people that would argue it would say, well, what if the guy's team doesn't make the playoffs? Well, then you could say, well, I think that that means something. Maybe the award shouldn't go to somebody who misses the playoffs. Well, I mean, I voted for Rick Talkett for Coach of the Year. You had a vote? I get to vote. Shut up.

Yes, I get to vote on that. I didn't know you had votes. Yeah, I get to vote on that. No, just that's the only award I get to vote on. I thought that based on the fact that they had the second most man games lost all season long, they had one of the lowest caps, one of the lowest salary caps of the entire NHL. And he took that team to pretty much right to the end of the season and pretty close to making playoffs.

But Berube taking him from last to even the playoffs should have got him there. Yeah. They were dead last in the league in January. They definitely say, oh, you're not there all year, so you kind of get punished. But who cares if you end up doing what you did? He wasn't the head coach all year. That's the problem.

You can't say that. He was starting behind the eight balls, what you're saying. Exactly, yeah. He's coming in fresh. He's never been the head guy behind the bench. Well, I think like the Selke Award, we said that either him, John Cooper, or Trotz, the one who ended up winning it, were very deserving. I thought all three were,

and I don't think we could have picked beforehand who we thought, who we knew was going to win. Actually, we got some news that broke while we started recording. Maybe we can get Revo's reaction. The NHL first and second all-star teams were named since we've been jibber-jabbering here for the last time. I gotta be on that first one, no?

Let's see. I don't see you on any of these. Oh, you're – Unfortunately, Revo, but – I'm on the 0-7-5. I was on that beer can in front of him. Did any – Yeah, here, hold on.

Did any of his teammates – Hold on. Nope. I'll shoot him off right now. 2018-19 NHL first all-star team. The goalie was Andre Vasilevsky. The defensemen were Mark Giordano and Brent Burns. Carter McDavid was the center.

Nikita Kucherov was the right winger. Ovechkin was the left winger. In the NHL second all-star team, Ben Bishop was the goalie. Carlson and Hedman were the defensemen. Crosby was the center. Patrick Kane was the right wing. And Brad Marchand was the left wing on the second all-star team. No stoner, hey?

No, no stoner. No stoner host. You think I play with stoner? No, I mean, like, I'm saying is every night. Way above my pay grade. Right. Fuck you, Lebo. I mean, like, watching a guy like that play both ends of the ice every night

from your center of the bench position, like where I was, it's a lot different than when you're watching him on tv and only see him a little bit when when he got traded here i was asking guys who played out east what kind of guy he was how he plays and every single guy said he just plays the right way and the day he came here he's laying guys and he's laying top guys he laid wheeler oh he fought wheeler that that first game we played Winnipeg when he was here. He just plays hard in every zone, and that's what makes him so good. He plays the right way. And what's crazy about that is he's able to put up points as well,

which, I mean, we play hard at both ends of the ice, or I did anyway. But I can't put up points. Both ends of the bench? It doesn't count. Oh, who's following? I'm going to play a bite. Oh, Whose phone is it? I got a text. Oh, shit. Revo's just got it.

Oh, no, that's my back page's alert. Never mind. She's coming up to the room. Other than training Revo, what else are you going to be doing all summer? I'm pushing the beer all summer. That's why I'm here. We're everywhere right now. We've got 120 taps.

We're in cans. We're launching our next two in the next month and a half. Wow, dude, this is going quick, huh? We're buzzing. Oh, yeah, we're buzzing. Can you get it online? Can you buy it online yet? Is that like a tough hurdle to get it?

To be able to order it online? That's different licensing. Be able to ship it cross state lines. Yeah, we're working on that, though. Are you going to put any cannabis in it? We've talked about it, actually. Me, personally, I won't be testing that product, obviously. NHL player.

Yeah, sound. Yeah, but we have talked about that, though. I mean, that's further down the line. We've got to get these other beers out first. So 7-5 Brewing is it, right? Everyone, get on that sheet. There it is, baby. I love that.

Hey, Revo, you know what's funny? You're on too because this episode, we interviewed Army. What a guy he is. I just ran into Army. Got to congratulate him. I actually gave him a beer. I brought eight for biz, but it's one short right now because I gave Army one. Hey, great guy, right?

I mean, how happy were you for him? Just a straight shooter, everyone told us. Yeah. Yeah, no, real happy for him, obviously. The city of him? Just a straight shooter, everyone told us. Yeah, yeah, no, I'm real happy for him, obviously. The city of St. Louis has been waiting, what, 59 years? 50? We're in the 50s, I read that, but

yeah, the city's been waiting, obviously Army put a good team together there, so, yeah, no, I'm happy for him. I can sense a little bit of, like, fuck, I wish I was there, and I'm a little pissed at the truth. No, no, no. I'm not going to say I wish I was there. I'm going to say that it's bullshit that the second they trade me,

they go win the fucking cup. Yeah, that's a little bit of bullshit. Hey, try having it happen that year, bud. Yeah, that WIC got traded out of Pittsburgh, dead weight, gone. Yeah, that's different, though. You're a complete dead weight. I wasn't dead weight. Just didn't have the team yet.

As far as Doug Armstrong is concerned, is he the one that ended up sending you all the way to the coast when you fell asleep on the on the hot no he wasn't there that was larry plow okay yeah that was his like idol that was the guy he was working under when he got there he probably was a part of that decision i shipped my truck all the way to alaska so i'm never gonna see an nhl locker room again i might as well bring my truck with me. And then three weeks later, you got sent to Peoria to either drive or ship his truck again. Yeah, I had to ship it. I actually got the president of the team to ship my car back,

and then he ended up leaving the team. I never paid him back. Oh, yoink. Yeah. Yoink. So if you're out there. 7-5, Blooming's going to have this guy. Since we have Revo, should we ask him about some of these

contracts that have been signed before or maybe we should throw it over to army first bingo what let's let revo do it we're gonna send it over to army for the interview say say what should he say all right um this is the guy who i almost played for but i fell asleep in a hot tub and i got my ass shipped across no no no no i played for him i played for almost but I fell asleep in a hot tub and I got my ass shipped across the No, no, no. I played for him. I played for him. He just realized I was the one holding everybody back and got rid of me and then won a cup. There we go. All right. Without further ado,

knock yourself out. Go ahead, Revo. You didn't tell me what I'm doing. You're saying now we're going to go to the interview with Doug Armstrong. All right. Chicklets fans, everybody listen to Chicklets. We're heading over to Doug Armstrong for a little interview with him. And before we kick it to the interview,

I almost forgot to mention Braden Shen and his brother Luke was in the building as well tonight. Congratulations to them and their family. And I hope you're partying in Saskatchewan and enjoy this interview. Our next guest just won his second career Stanley Cup with the St.

Louis Blues 20 years after winning his first one as an assistant GM with the Dallas Stars. He won GM of the year in 2013, and he's a finalist again for the award this year. He was also part of the management team for two of Canada's, Canada's Olympic gold medal winning teams. I'd like to welcome to spit and chicklets, the GM of the St.

Louis Blues, Doug Armstrong. Doug, thanks for joining us and congratulations on the Stanley Cup. Well, thank you, and thanks for having me on the show. Absolutely. Our pleasure. We've been following the Cup all week. We've been following the exploits.

It's kind of a new thing everybody does, watch the Cup and the party online. Has it been even crazier than you expected after the 52-year wait? Yeah, it was. You know, guys like Kelly Chase had told me that when the Blues win their first Cup, the city's going to go crazy, and you're not really sure what to expect. But that parade was more than anyone could imagine. It was potentially 400,000 people there. And just from start to finish, it was just a fabulous day.

And the guys were really a St. Louis-type atmosphere. The guys got out of their vehicles and they probably walked most of the parade, you know, connecting with the fan base. And I think that's what made it really special. Doug, plenty of fun things to talk about relating to that cup win. I kind of want to back it up to you when you originally started with the Blues. You know, there were some dark days in there and things didn't always go as planned. And I mean, when you ended up getting the job, you know, what was the first order of business in order to get this to a championship winning team? Well, when I first came on biz i i started two years as player personnel and got a

chance to know the organization and uh then i took over as manager and uh it was funny my first year we were excited we thought we had a good young team and uh you know they put the the lights down for opening night and you fireworks go off and we put the lights on there was about 6 000 people in there and you're like oh we got some work ahead of us here but uh over the time you know we we drafted well developed well and uh you know we've had a lot of really good players uh go through there and it's it's funny that some of the years you think you're you're poised to win and and you get knocked out and this is a year where we had lots of trials and tribulations going in and we found a way to get through.

So I think the moral of today's NHL is just get to that Stanley cup tournament. You have a chance to win. Well, it's interesting. I listened to a random radio show today that was talking about Bob Ganey. And then I went back and I'm asking people about you and he ended up, I mean, I'm reading, he was kind of your mentor, right? So when, when you originally got into all this game and we're learning the way of a former great player and then a great gm how was that and how important

has that been in your rise to becoming a you know a top general manager in the league oh it's very important i really credit three three people um you know involved in hockey my father who's in the hall of fame as an official uh bob clark and bob gainey were in minnesota in 1990-91 and gave me an opportunity so Les Jackson who works for Dallas said it best he said I had the opportunity to go to the Harvard of hockey learning from learning from Bob and Bob and Bob Clark was there for a couple of years and then went on I think back to Philly then to Florida so Bob Ganey took that dual role of coach and manager so it was a you know the opportunity was there to learn more and get

more involved in the day-to-day operations of running a hockey team because bob was doing both tasks and uh i learned a lot about putting a team together the competitiveness uh uh you know when you're when you're dealing with bob gainey for for you know 15 16 years i got a chance to to see the fabric that made those canadian teams great what made him a great leader, and just tried to pick his brain as much as possible. And for sure, you know, as I said, those three gentlemen, my dad, Bob Clark, and Bob Ganey are near and dear to my heart and have really put me in a position to have success just following their polls. You had some pretty big shoes to fill replacing Larry Ploh. Was that a pretty intimidating thing for you, Doug, or did you feel you had a pretty good grasp at that point of the job?

Well, Larry had a very good track record, but it was, you know, nothing against Larry, but it was way harder. We had won the championship in 99, gone back to the finals in 2000, and a year and a half later, he had decided to step down. And well, that next year, we went to the second round of loss, later he had decided to step down and well that next year we went to the second round of loss and then he decided to step down so those those were tougher shoes to fill but coming into to St. Louis was was interesting it was a team that was the year before I got there they picked first overall and then the year I got there I got there in June and that draft we picked fourth overall so we were in a much different position in a rebuilding phase.

But that franchise had been in the playoffs so many years in a row up until that, I think 25 maybe. So it was something that our fan base wasn't used to not being in the playoffs. And it took us a couple of years to get back in. And then we were pretty steady in there for seven years. We missed the year ago and then got back in and obviously had the ultimate success this year. But St. Louis is such a great sports town and they really love their blues

and they're accustomed to playoff hockey and winning hockey. You guys ended up getting Petrangelo fourth overall that year you talked about. Did pronouncing his last name maybe entice you to not draft him because of how hard it is? I say it about 16 different ways. Darren Payne always gives me a hard time about that.

What a pickup. I believe Bogosian ended up going third overall that year. Were you guys very surprised that he dropped to fourth? Or was that really a surprise to everyone that he jumped up to fourth like what's the deal there no that year he was it was uh there was bagosian shen and petrol um luke shen they were all very good very good players very good defensemen all coming from different areas uh petra was probably the furthest away you know

a tall lanky guy he needed more maturity that our scouts are well kekalina was probably the furthest away, you know, a tall, lanky guy. He needed more maturity. Our scouts, Jermo Kekalainen, was the leader of the group then, and I was just coming in, and I listened to him describe him as a player that would probably need a year, maybe two more in junior hockey, which he did need and got, but his upside was going to be very high. And when we took Petrow at four, Yarmul really told the organization that you have to practice patience here. And I thought sending him back for two years of junior, going to the world junior and playing fantastic

and representing Canada was another stepping stone for him. But he was a player with immense talent, but just needed really to grow and mature into his body. Another defenseman that was key to this year's run was Colton Pareko. He was a little bit more of a diamond in the rough. How was it that you tracked him down? I think he won the third round, not as easy as a pick as Petrangelo. What was the story behind Pareko's pick?

Well, we were with one of those friends. We knew somebody. I had a relationship with some guys at Hockey Canada through the World Championships. Scotty Salmon told us about a guy uh playing up in alberta that was playing up up north alberta and and marshall davidson jd's brother really got in and hounded on him and and watched him and uh uh we we know we only watched him up there there was no one really traveling around with him and he's a player that went through drafts and had a huge growth spurt. And then he went off to Alaska to play.

And, you know, you could tell that he was growing into a man's body. And he's just a specimen, just cut and chiseled. You know, just really a real specimen in the skating and just a dynamic player. That when he's figuring out now, I think this is might be his coming out party that how dynamic he can be at both ends of the rink. And just, I just think he has a chance to be a special player, but when you get someone like that in the third round,

or you get someone like Vince Dunn in the second round, you know, it really, it really speeds up the process. So Doug, for people who don't know your father is in the hockey hall ofockey Hall of Fame as a linesman, I believe, right? Neil Armstrong. And I'm wondering how important was he to you growing up

and being a part of the game? And what was it like? Did you ever get to travel with him on the road back in the days? Yeah. You know, he was an official, I think, for 25 years. He had the Ironman streak. I think he did a little over 1,700 games without missing an assignment, 20-plus years scouting for the Montreal Canadiens.

So I've only known hockey really in my life, and I was fortunate enough, you know, now we're going back into the late 60s, early 70s. A lot of his – we grew up in Sarnon, Ontario, and he still lives there. So the closest NHL team was Detroit, and all his trips would either start or end at the old olympia so we would go down there as a family and then take him to the airport after and or pick him up and take him to a game and then bring him home after so i spent a lot of my youth uh watching the red wings i remember jimmy rutherford was the goalie there and uh and then obviously going into toronto too at the old Maple Leaf Garden was very special when I was younger. And then just watching him and the work that he put in as a scout,

I think, you know, I didn't really understand it, but just watching him do that work, I think, made me understand the importance of that area of our organization. I really respect our scouting staff because I know the hours that they put on the road at the non-sexy hotels and the bad rinks with the bad coffee. But we talked about Colton Prinkle. When you do all that and you know you're responsible for Colton Prinkle like Marshall was and our

scouts, it makes you feel great. Do you remember a time like, you know, the officials aren't being hit, I guess, on purpose in games, but still to have an Ironman streak, do you remember your dad being injured and actually like reffing through injuries and being at home trying to deal with stuff? Or, I mean, it couldn't have been easy then. Yeah. Well, he went through the, he went through the tough stage of the NHL in the seventies.

He was involved in a lot of those brawls. I think he did the finals, I would say 16, 17 times. So, you know, he was, he was still, and he came home with the odd broken, broken hand and things like that, but nothing that kept him out. And you guys might be a little young to remember, but the glass was four feet on the side. That's when Elijah would used to climb up the glass to get out of the way. We have some great family photos of him climbing the glass to get out of the way

and just talking to the Bob Clarks and the Bob Beaneys and Larry Robbins. Now, you know, they talk so fondly of the job and uh just talking to the the bob clarks and the bob beanies and uh larry robinson now you know they talk so fondly of the job my my dad did it just brings a lot of pride and and having to to to be aligned through that era uh it uh he's got some great stories yeah he'd be way better to have on the show than i am it's like being a professional third man in back then did did you ever try to follow his footsteps and become an official? No, no, that never really. When I went to the Olympia and I went to the gardens, they were the only guys getting food,

so I didn't really think that was the most enjoyable way to make a living. Yeah, you're like, ironically enough, I'm now in the box some nights, really motherfucking refs down on the ice. I still love my dad, but that's just how it is. That's the way it goes. Throughout your tenure with the St. Louis Blues as GM, I mean, you guys had some good teams. We talked about it earlier. If you could pick and narrow down some of the toughest trades

you've had to make in that time, because, you know, when things don't go well and you can't get over that hump in playoffs, changes need to be made. Are there some guys you let go that you maybe regret or was more difficult than others? Well, quite honestly, at that time, we were mostly heading. We went through, you know, we brought in Ryan Miller one year. We lost to Boston, or I'm sorry, Chicago, that went on to win.

I would say the hardest year was the year where we lost to San Jose in the semifinals, and there was, in my mind, in our hockey operations, that was the ending of an era. We had veteran players that we had gone to the mat with, and we really need to turn the team over. And that was a difficult part because these players like David Backus and Troy Brower was there for a year, but Brian Elliott, a lot of guys that poured a lot in for five or six years and and just i wish we could have found a way to get that group to the finish line because they were

in my belief always one of the top four or five teams in the league but we could never get a you know we would always run into chicago they would go on to win the cup we ran into la twice they went on to win the cup so we were losing to eventual Cup champions, but at the end of the day, it doesn't make you feel any better when you're still watching at home. But I would say those were the tougher times, knowing that you had a lot of belief and trust and faith and making David captain.

When I got there as a manager, we brought him in and made him the captain. And you really want to see a guy like David Backus have success. And it was ironic, and I'm certainly happy for us in the Blues, but that was the bittersweetness of Bill beating Boston because of not keeping David from winning something that's so important to him. But ultimately, if someone had the know he he wishes it was us and and we're okay with it being him speaking of the tea of the blues from this year you made significant

roster changes last summer uh but you weren't really getting the desired results in the first half of the season how challenging was it for you to just be patient with that group and and not like make a a rash move of saying like october nove November and just hope for things to turn around? Yeah, it was difficult because you think you're doing the right thing. You think you're, you know, you're working with your hockey operations staff and you're getting outside accolades of bringing in O'Reilly and Perron and Bozak and Maroon. And, you know, people are projecting us to get back to, we were a non-playoff team the year before

by a point but people said this team has a chance to be competitive uh you know um you know nick kiprios picked us to win the cup and then all of a sudden you're you're in november and december and you're you know you're at the bottom part of the league and you're coming in every day and you're looking up and you really question your you makes a question do you do you have a pulse of today's game? You know, when you've been in the game for a while, you think, you know, what's going on. You think you're, uh, adapting to the trends, uh, and you build a team and all of a sudden you're in, you're in 31st place.

So, uh, I don't think I never lost belief in the players. I started to question if I was assembling teams correctly for today's NHL. Uh, but then when they started to to play the way that we envisioned them to play, it just solidified that Dave Taylor and Rob DeMaio and Kevin McDonald, people in our Al McGinnis and our hockey operations, when we put that plan into place, it was the correct plan. Well, you had Mike Yeo, and I imagine that you guys have a pretty good relationship.

I played for him a little bit when I was in Wilkes-Barre. Awesome guy. And you're probably waiting. Things aren't changing. Things aren't changing. I mean, what was the final factor in just deciding, you know what, we're still going to try to make a run for this thing. We've got to let this guy go?

Yeah, that was probably one of the, you know, anytime you have to make a decision like that, it's very difficult. I got to work with mike for a few years and and got to know his family and it's a personal part of it that's very hard and uh but we we lost to los angeles a team that was struggling we were struggling they came and they beat us at home and i think it was one nothing and we really didn't have a lot of pushback uh and it had been like that for a few games and you know like in all pro sports it's easier to change out one person than seven or eight uh and uh we there was a

belief in the in the group that was in there but we just weren't we weren't finding our footing and you know part of you said part of your thought is like let's just give it more time give it more time but then it also so we couldn't we didn't want to wait too long and hope. So we thought we would rattle the cage by making a major change. And we didn't have, quite honestly, a lot of different results for the first four or five games. But then you could see a belief system starting with our players and our game started to change. And then, you know, when Chief really hit his stride, when Bennington came in in Philadelphia in early January,

they haven't looked back. Well, Ari mentioned the enormous changes this summer and the biggest one being Ryan O'Reilly. And you look at, not often do you see things go like a storybook ending, but for the rest of your life, no, you traded for a guy that went on to win the consmith and you guys won the Stanley Cup. It's incredible.

So that's amazing. But when you did decide to make the move for him, one, you know, when did you originally find out? I mean, I'm wondering how that all went down. And then, two, were there any second thoughts at any point? Did you know he was your guy? Well, so I'll go back to how it transpired. You know, the information came out that he was unhappy with the way things were going in Buffalo.

Buffalo was unhappy. They had higher expectations. So his name was being circulated that he's potentially going to be available. And we created a hole by trading Paul Stassi at the previous deadline, knowing that we had to either get in the John Tavares sweepstakes, which we weren't in. At the end of the day, he had to narrow his team down, and we weren't. But we wanted to try and improve our center ice.

We tried it the year before, bringing in Shen, which helped us. So then I fast-forward to the draft, and Jason Bauer and I were working very forward to the draft and jason bauder and i were working very diligently at the draft to make that trade happen um neither side got as comfortable as necessary so uh it didn't happen that we went to work on uh on our free agencies we brought in perron and bozak uh and then when that was done uh there was a signing bonus that was owed uh old ryan o'reilly i think it was seven and a half million dollars by midnight on july 1st and That was done, there was a signing bonus that was owed Ryan O'Reilly, I think it was $7.5 million by midnight on July 1st.

And any business, you can't recoup that once it's paid. You can't, you know, you couldn't trade us on the 2nd and we sent Buffalo a check. So if that trade was going to happen, it had to happen before midnight. Jason and I rekindled our conversations and, you know, we both bent a little bit more and both were very comfortably uncomfortable when we made the decision. And, you know, Paige Thompson's a young player

who's got a great release, has a chance to be a good player. You know, that Buffalo has another strong pick this year and a second pick in a couple of years. So, you know, it's been a very good trade for St. Louis, obviously, with what Raleigh's done. But I wouldn't pour too much water on that fire for Buffalo yet. They can, you know, there's been a lot of great players come from that part of the draft, and they have a couple of kicks added.

And I think Tate has a chance to be a really good pro. Back to Chief for a second. Now, Craig Berube, he hadn't coached an NHL team in four years, but you chose to replace Mike Yeo with him. What was it about Chief that made you think, incorrectly, by the way, that he was the right guy to lead this group out of their funk? Well, I got a chance to meet and work with Craig. The year that he got let go in Philly, I was doing managing

or going to manage the World Cup team, and Paul Holmgren actually called me. Paul and I had been friends for a number of years. And he said, listen, if you're looking for someone to do some work for in the East Coast, Craig Berube would like to do it. So I called Craig. I didn't know him up until that point. And so he was out helping Hockey Canada and helping me evaluate players for the World Cup. And I got to know him.

And then our American Hockey League job came open. And Kevin McDonald, who was running our American League affiliate heads for a number of years, spoke only of Craig's reputation in the American Hockey League. You know what he did in Philly. He had the one good year. The next year, they missed the playoffs, and that was the end of that. So we felt very comfortable getting him back into the American Hockey League. He just did an unreal job with their young players down there, getting them better.

So fast forward to that summer, Mike Yeo was taking over as the head coach full-time, and there was some openings, so we brought Craig as an associate coach. And then he was just a natural fit when you're going through a year like we are and you're making a change. You want to, or at least my vision was to bring somebody onto the bench that had been there before that wasn't going to be overwhelmed by having to run a practice or deal with the media. And then he came in and he was, it took a while for, I think,

both of us to find our rhythms. Like playing a player with a coach, every relationship is a little bit different, and it takes a little bit of time to find the right rhythm. And when I could understand what Craig was trying to accomplish and what I was trying to accomplish, the proper times for me to push him or him to push me or for me just to back off, once we found that that good working relationship it's been it's been really downhill ever since in the sense that it's been easy skiing and uh

but his demeanor with the players i think i think you guys would really appreciate playing for a guy like that in the sense that he's firm uh he's honest and he's fair and there's no bullshit to him so he tells you what he expects. If you follow through with your end of the bargain, you keep playing. If you don't follow through with your end of the bargain, he takes you out. He tells you why, then he puts you back in. And then at some point, patient runs out, he stops putting you back in. But he doesn't play any, you know, the way I tried to describe it to someone was,

you know, in this era, we're trying to, you trying to Gen Z, Gen X, Gen this, Gen that. At the end, Craig coaches hockey players. They just want to be coached. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel. And I think that's what he's done a great job of, just simplifying the information, treating men like men, holding accountable to that. And also, I think, with his experience as over 1,000 games, and the ice time minutes might not be up there, but the punishment and the way that he played and the style

and his job responsibility, I think, had the respect from everybody. I always said to some of the younger guys, like, I'd be careful barking too hard on YouTube before I said too much. She's got a pretty good reputation there. And I think our guys just love playing for him because he's honest, fair, but firm. So, you know, every hockey fan out there got their dream this year,

which is the cup final going to a game seven. And it's nothing like it. The lead up the night before the morning and everyone just has nerves. And I can't imagine that day for you. I'm guessing after pregame skate, I'd love to know what you did. And I'm guessing there's no chance you took a nap. No, I tried to shut it down for a few minutes, but it didn't really work.

You toss and you turn. The good thing about having two days off in travel days in the finals now is we blew a golden opportunity in game six. You're coming home. The city's jacked up, your franchise has never won, and you get thumped. So we had a day to sort of let that go, and then we traveled the next day into Boston, spent the night there, had a good practice at the arena, and then I could really sense from the coaching standpoint

that everything was fine. We've been a good road team the arena, and then I could really sense from the coaching standpoint that everything was fine. We've been a good road team since January 1st. Our group has found, given the easy way, we would stop and try and find a harder exit than we did again this year in losing Game 6 and going to Game 7, but I thought that it was going to be a hell of a game. It sort of transpired the way you would think a road game would, where your goaltender plays fantastic in the first period

to maybe take the crowd out of it a bit, also to give your team some solid footing. You get two late goals in the first period, and I thought we played just a fantastic road game, biased obviously, but the second and third, I thought our guys did a great job of taking away the middle of the ice, you know, frustrating them. And then when better was needed, he made big saves.

And then you get like that third and that fourth goal, and you get that sense that this is actually going to happen. And that's when your mind really starts to open. Army, there was a story that came out. You think that the Boston Ice crew was trying to mess with you guys a little bit and stall tactic for the players to get on and then maybe miss a little bit of their pre-game nap yeah you know what I don't think it was really but it was the the black aces were were on the ice and usually like at 11 or 1 30 practice which we had they usually get off the ice at 1 15

uh you want the ice to be done and you want to settle. It was room 20, room 21. So the guys were sitting on the bench and, you know, I don't think it was a malicious thing, but, but I just wanted to make sure that they understood that, you know, we had the thoroughbreds in the gate. They want to get out and skate. So we had to get that ice ready. Probably used a little more colorful language than necessary, but I just let the guys know our guys are ready to practice.

Doug, after such an unlikely run, given where you guys were in the middle of the winter, what do you say to the team in the locker room after a win like that, after game seven? Well, we had a little bit of time after things died down and, you know, just said the reality of our business, we're all not going to be together again. But what you guys did this year is special probably if you if you said listen we're going to make a movie about this team and how it's going to how it's going to work out we're going to we're you know a non-traditional hockey

market's going to have a player and he's going to come in and score in double overtime in one of the series in game seven to win and then we're going to get a goalie that's the four string guy starting the year he's going to come in and and nuts and crazy and steal Game 7 and play great and Game 7 not steal but play great and win the championship and trade. It was just sort of one of those years where everything came together and I just wanted to let the guys know how fortunate I felt just to be a part of it, just to watch it, just to watch them grow as a team and come together. And probably every championship team says the same thing,

but there's a different feeling when you're around guys that get along and commit to each other. And I don't think you can win without having that. And I think this year our team really, really showed that they care more about each other than they did themselves and that really showed like with the ice time you know one of the things that we did at the start of the year was bring in new players and everybody wants better players but you don't want to give up your first power play unit or you don't want to give up your first

penalty killing unit and so it took a little bit of time for water to find this level that if we were going to be good as a team guys had to sacrifice and then when they bought into the sacrifice and i give craig a ton of credit but i also give uh steener uh bo meester petroangelo tarasenko that group of guys that have been here that that are that said you know enough's enough like we got we got to sacrifice if we want to move ahead and you like you know a perfect example is a guy like Alex Dean, who's played a long time. He's a 60-point player. He's asked to go on to a role where it's deemed a fourth line,

probably more like a third, three and a half. But they start every game. They come out after every goal against. They come out and kill major penalties. So his ice time is down. His prime ice time, his fun ice time in the power play is eliminated. But he probably played his best hockey as a blue in a different role. So when you have guys like Steen committing to something bigger than themselves,

I think it just rubs off on everybody. That's a great fucking answer. And we talked about Steen quite a bit in that run and adjusting to that third or fourth line role, like you said. Now, I want to go back to the year that you brought me and Witt in a PTO. Now, what exactly – You fucked up. You fucked up, Army.

What were you – You would have had the clap three years ago. That damn cap got in the way. You guys were getting silly. We just couldn't squeeze you in. Hey, can you talk a little bit more into your mic, though? We're having a little bit of issue hearing you at some point, so don't fuck our interview up,

because it's a big deal for us. But what was your thought process in bringing us in, and what did you heard about each individual leading up to actually asking us to come to camp? Well, Miz, we saw your act in Phoenix there, and quite honestly, asking us to come to the camp. Well, Miz, you know, we saw your act in Phoenix there. It's quite an act. That's a style of player that our city likes and that I like. You know, someone that's going to be able to compete

and someone that's going to be able to hold guys accountable on our team and on the other team. And, you know, the game was changing, but maybe we didn't want to see it change as quick as much. And, you know, Witt was a top pick and had been around a big body. Thought we'd give it a shot too. So there was certain elements of both you guys that we wanted to get into our group, and that's why you were there.

Well, Armie, don't forget, I remember a one-on-one meeting. You also told me I love how you can snap a tape to tape. So you didn't mention that right there in my description, but I did want to remind you that. Now, going back, if someone held a gun to your head, let's say, and said you had to keep one of these clowns on your team, who would you have picked, me or Whit, that year to stick around? Oh, that's a tough one.

That's a tough one. This is me all day yeah i probably would have kept biz early and then gassed him and then brought wood in to close it out because we would have had a terrible start like you did this year you would have been suspended you would have been suspended so we wouldn't be missing much hey uh we were playing an exhibition game at home in st louis um then who's it against i think it was against minnesota and uh they had a few tough guys in lock uh in the lineup joel reckless was one of them they had uh bickle and i remember one of your guys got hit and and and hitch looked at me and said hey we've we ain't giving you per diem for nothing like i ended up fighting once and then it happened again he kind

of looked down the bench again i'm like jesus christ i don't think they're paying me that much per diem i got two tilts in that game oh well hitch didn't mind that that's that's one of the things that hitch hitch had no problem doing asking asking guys to go and fight yeah he didn't care it's kind of like an old school thing where like nowadays you can get a little bit of trouble for it because remember tip always used to be like hey like don't signal me like as if i'm giving you the okay because i did it at a fight against jay rose rosehill one time when he ran shane doan and i was just licking my chops and i got on the ice and we were up too and i'm like i'm fucking going this guy and then tip was like all right don't get me fine you fucking asshole

kind of like a new rule that they got it was a different organization but I know that we would find a way to get you a tip to work at hockey school to get you that money back so Army I've been told Saturday that's the big day in your household where you'll be having a cup party

what's going to be on deal for that yeah we're going to have going to break it up into three different smaller events we're going to have going to break it up into three different smaller events. We're going to have some people over that my wife in the morning and take it over to a golf club I play at a little bit in the afternoon and

a little bit more of the crazier group come over at night and that's the part where we'll send the photographer home. What course are you at in St. Louis? Al McGinnis got me into Belle Reef. Oh, how are you? Sort of a freaking big deal, if you don't know.

You're supposed to say not a big deal. I know. What's the handicap at? How's the game? I mean, I'm guessing you haven't been out there much. I haven't played yet this year. Unfortunately, they had the PGA there last year, but they had some issues with their green.

They just actually tore up the front nine starting Monday, and they're tearing up the back nine. I can't play there for a year, but it's a great course. It's a fabulous layout. Watching the PGA there last year was just fantastic. It's a great track. I don't know. I'm probably a 7 or 8 depending on how I'm playing and how bad you got to play.

You can take some of your stars away. You can play more golf. Yeah, well, you know, we can't thank you enough for coming on. This is really great for us. Congrats to you guys. It's been a long time coming, and the city went nuts, so it was a great thing to see. So we appreciate it, and congratulations again.

Well, guys, I want to thank you for having me on. Also, it's awesome when guys like you guys keep giving back to the game. You know, you played with a lot of passion, a lot of love for the game, and now to continue to do it, it's great. I know my son is a big fan of the podcast and keep up the great work. You're making people laugh and make people love the game. Army, we've stayed

in the locker room. We've just created our own little locker room that people can come in. We couldn't leave that for life. Keep it up, boys. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it. No pressure and you got your cup. Maybe you can invite us back on that PTO, and we can kind of do that like they do with the football teams

where we come in and film training camp. That sounds good by me. All right. Let's do it. You guys talk to Cruz all the time. You set it up. All right. Perfect. That interview was also brought to you by SeatGeek. Buying tickets can be complicated and confusing,

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Just download the SeatGeek app and enter the promo code Hockey today. That's promo code Hockey for $10 off your first SeatGeek purchase. SeatGeek, right seat, right now, right from your phone. And big thanks once again to Doug Armstrong for joining us, and congrats to him on the Stanley Cup again. It's great to get a guy fresh off a cup. Always nice to get his perspective. We did one award.

We got distracted by our buddy Revo here. We got so overwhelmed, we forgot to mention one award. Of course, that was the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. He's awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. The three finalists this year were Jason Zucker, Hank Lundquist, and Oliver Ekman-Larsen.

Yo, yo, shout-out Coyotes, baby. Shout-out Coyotes. Jason Zucker won it this year were Jason Zucker, Hank Lundquist, and Oliver Ekman-Larsen. Yo, yo, shout-out Coyotes, baby. Shout-out Coyotes. Jason Zucker won it this year. Biz, we had him on the show before, this guy and his wife. They do so much in Minnesota, tremendous charitable works they do. Obviously, you can check the clip out on TV. We could sit here and probably name it for 10 minutes, but what was your take on this one, Biz?

I mean, all three guys doing amazing things in their communities. I'm going to talk about Oliver of Wreckman Larson first. He's been linked up with the Boys and Girls Club not too long after he first got to Arizona. He does work with them every year. After he signs his eight-year extension last year at the beginning of the year, then he gets to see on his chest – or sorry, on his – do you say see on his chest?

Yeah. Is that stupid? No, that was you on your own chest when you throw ropes oh yeah yeah that's right sorry so right whatever he got the fucking c all right uh donated 125 000 of his own money to the boys and girls club in arizona and he spends time with him away from the rink as well. It brings them horseback riding. So a great example in the community of leadership on and off the ice, of course. We've had Zucker

on before. He does a great job there. And Henrik Lundqvist, of course, as well. So congratulations to Zucker on winning it. They donated, I think, $40,000 to his cause, and then $5,000 to each Henrik Lundqvist and Oliver Ackman-Larsen's as well. The NHL did.

So just a good night overall. And what do you guys think? I was just saying to Whit when we took a quick break, I thought the awards were good this year. The telecast, people usually complain about it. They have had some shit viewings over the years. But tonight I thought it was good. Kenan Thompson was funny.

I thought it was better than years past. I enjoyed it. At least they didn't have Smash Mouth play at a concert. Hey, now, you're an all-star. They were there one year at the all-star game or something. Who did they have this year? They were there this year? No, no.

He was out. Who was there this year? Oh, I have no idea, but at least it wasn't them. So, anyways, let's jump into the news, our favorite segment of the show. And it looks like that fifth rounder was well worth it for the Flyers as they got their man. Kevin Hayes signed a seven-year, $50 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Comes out to a little over $7.1 million per year, a raise of about $2 million over his last deal. Hayes had 19 goals, 36 assists assists for 55 points in 71 games with the ranges and jets last year career high in goals was 25 set two seasons ago uh he just turned 27 so these are his peak years and he more than quadrupled his career earnings with this deal what you broke the the terms of this deal for the uh for the world what's your take on this your buddy hazy i'm so happy for him to see someone become that rich right in front of your eyes. It's just

crazy. I mean, seriously, I saw him on the golf course and he's like, my heart's just racing. I said, oh man, I can't imagine mine was bumping through my chest and it was half of yours. Half of your fucking, it wasn't even half. So the guy, timing is everything in life. That's all that matters in free agency is

who else is out there. And the Flyers looked at what they needed, what they think they need to compete for a cup. They got the young goalie. They got some defenders who can play. They got some great forwards. They give some depth. And you look at the other options out there,

there aren't a lot of centermen. He had a great year. I know in Winnipeg, he got to Winnipeg. We talked. He wasn't even really used that much there. So New York, he was fabulous, but it's crazy because I wonder if the Rangers had offered him a contract when he was there

of six or seven years per $5 million a year, five and a half a year, would he have taken it? Probably, but now he's got $50 million and he's playing in Philly, so it's great to see. I don't like to use the Winnipeg example as one as far as how he's getting paid now because he went there and it just didn't seem like a good fit.

He was playing third-line center, wasn't really playing much special teams. I think he's going to fit well in Philly. Is he a little bit overpaid for maybe what he's done in the past? Sure. But other than Matt Duchesne, who is the best center free agent coming up this offseason? I think he was. And you said it, Whit, timing is everything. I'm happy our boy got paid,

and I hope he ends up producing to what his contract is. I think in today's NHL, I think that if he can muster up 25 to 30 goals and finish with 60 points, I think that's a fair number for him. Would you agree? Yes. Even if that team goes on, I mean, you got to think, Giroux, right, Couturier, he's sick. That Konechny is going to be better and better.

If Hayes were to go on and get 50 to 60 points, be a plus player, play a bunch of PK minutes with 20 to 25 goals, you're never complaining about that contract. Yeah, it's a lot of money, but, dude, who gives a fuck? They can afford it. It's a question if you can produce at that level, we always talk about those line matchups, too. Now he's going to be playing against not as great center men, and I think that he should be able to take advantage of that.

I think that Philadelphia is trying to take a page out of Pittsburgh's book and create depth at the center ice position, which I think other than having depth at defense, I mean, goaltending is the obvious. But when you can control the middle of the ice, you have a very good opportunity to win, and that's what they're going to have with those three guys up the middle. Revo, you were in the same division with him for a little bit.

What's your take on Hazy as a player? I mean, I played one game against him maybe. Okay. Yeah. I met him out in vegas that's about it great guy give him more yeah seven and a half way underpaid for what he does off that was worth it just for that wait revo revo brought up a good point before we keep going with contracts unless you had something else to say about Hazy, R.A.?

No, I was done with Hazy. Revo, bring up the point you said when we were off. They haven't figured out the salary cap yet. Yeah, that's weird. You've got the draft coming up. Teams are trying to make moves, but if you have the salary cap that's a million,

two million, and it's going to drop all of a sudden, how are you supposed to make moves? And they're not – like, is it within a million? Like, I saw Elliott Friedman's tweet. It's going to be 81.5 or 82.5. But that's still – But they started at 83.5. Oh, really? Wow, that's what I heard.

I thought I saw 83.5. Then all of a sudden they were saying south of 82. Well, fuck. Vegas is over the cap already. I think we'd like to know. Good knowing you. Too overpaid. But the thing is, I'm too overpaid.

They can't trade that contract. That's the beauty of it. Oh, yeah. You think you're going to escape the buyout? They just hit his bottom. I saw that. I know. I started sweating when I saw that, too.

Fuck. Oh, speaking of the worm buyout, man, like, he's a proud guy. Just played a year with him. But what a career he's had. I know he's going to – that knee was bothering him. It was bad, right? So he misses the whole year. He's going to come back.

I bet you he trains like a bastard this year, and maybe he can't skate at the level high enough anymore, but whoever signs him, I would be not surprised in the least if he had a great year because he's a gamer, dude. Think of the games that guy's played. He's won Stanley Cup. He's fucking won gold medals, MVP. I mean, I don't think he's going to be one of those guys that quietly drifts away. I really don't.

No, he's going to turn into a depth player for sure. Exactly. And, like, someone's going to pick him up. What? People are saying Edmonton. Really? Yeah, I think that would be a good pickup. I think –

Yeah, they need a lot of slow guys. That's what they need. Well, they need a guy who can put the puck in the net and who's got good net front presence, which Corey Perry does have. I know he's not the fastest guy. Listen, Revo, come on. Take it easy on me. I'm telling you what I'm hearing.

I'm not the insider guy. That's R.A. and our boy Whitney who's breaking the Hayes news. Can have McDavid send a Perry and Luchich, right, Biz? McDavid could make you get 30, Revo. Oh, easy, easy. Even with the cross-checking guys in the back. Hey, Revo, how about this? Before you got –

No call. Hands in the air. The only hands in the air were me selling, and that's it. Revo had a Stanley Cup goal. That's fucking sick. Stanley Cup final goal. Yeah, and it was a snipe too. Hey, Revo, how about before you came up to the room,

we were talking about the MVPs. McDavid didn't go consecutive games this year without getting a point. Can you imagine how that feels? No. He's never gone consecutive. I can't talk. We got Rero speaking. I don't know if I've gone consecutive months with a point.

What else do we got on deck here? I mean, we just mentioned Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks did buy out the last two years of his eight years. $69 million daily signed back in 2013. Nice. GM Bob Murray said he tried to trade the fiery forward, but he couldn't get any takers. Obviously, that's a lot of dough. And I know we tend to read these buyouts like sort of matter of factly, but sometimes there's no underestimating what a guy meant to a team.

And Corey Perry meant so much to Anaheim. It's a big deal for the team to buy him out he was there for 14 seasons he's gonna have his number retired someday he's played the most games in duck his ducks history has the most penalty minutes he's second all-time in uh goals and game winners third and assistant points uh the guys meant so much to the team so it's not just your routine buyout a we overpaid you this guy was kind of the heart and soul for the team so this is a big deal Bob Murray said it was the hottest one of the team. So it's not just your routine buyout. Hey, we overpaid you. This guy was kind of the heart and soul for the team. So this is a big deal. Bob Murray said it was the hottest, one of the hottest decisions he's had to make in his lifetime of making decisions as a hockey front office guy.

How many times do you hear people say that, by the way? Everyone has 43 hardest decisions of their lives. Seriously. Yeah. I'm guessing it was, man. I mean, you played. Did you play more than one game against him, Revo? I don't want to butcher another question in there.

Who, Perry? Yeah. I played a couple against him. I always chirp him for his peanut head, but I got a peanut head too. Yeah, you do have a little head. Oh, I got tiny little heads. Ridiculous. Beetle juice.

Laco year, we stopped skating, and I was – I was just sitting in the gym for like two and a half hours. I was so bored. I was up to 240 pounds. I'll show you this picture later. I looked like you ever seen Men in Black when he shot the guy with his head blew up and then it slowly started. I was like halfway before it grew fully back. I look ridiculous. Hey, is Beetlejuice the guy from Howard Stern? Yeah, yeah. I have better teeth than that.

Come on now. What size 5950 do you have? Huh? Six and a quarter. Oh, my God. He's got a seven. That is a tiny head. That's not that small.

Dude, I got a seven and a half. No, I can squeeze into the one right under that. I used to wear a seven and a quarter when I had my Afro. Like Fletch? Is that ever coming back? You know what? I've thought about it. It's just there's that awkward phase where just there's nothing going on.

I'm kind of past it now. I'm actually looking pretty good right now. I got a fresh one. Yeah, that's fresh. Oh, speaking of fades, how about when this fucker chirped me online about my face? It looks like you have one right now, though, Biz. No, I do. But sometimes it's your hairline... It looks like you have one right now, though, Buzz. No, I do, but...

It's your hairline. It looks like it comes like this. One side's higher. I'd like to explain myself. Sometimes I keep the length on top a little bit longer, and that's just the hair coming over a little bit. It's not my natural hairline. If I shave this

down to a buzz cut, it would be perfectly straight. I don't know. I think it's out. Now, speaking of fades, congratulations to Anthony Duclair. He signed a one-year, $1.65 million contract with the Senators. The 23-year-old could

have became a restricted free agent July 1st. I just figured I'd... How did that have to do with speaking of fades? Yeah, wow, Jesus. I mean... Anthony Duclair. He's black.

He has fades. I think that's where you were going with that. Yes. I mean, come on. There you go. Revo, these guys... Okay, just making sure. This is...

Yeah. I'm 1-8 black. Revo, what are you? Half. You're half. Or no, sorry, I'm 1-4. I'm a quarter. I'm a quarterback.

I was going to say, you lost some blackness. I thought you were one-fourth. Yeah, I wasn't giving myself benefit at all. I think they took a quarter out. He's only an eighth and a half. Wait, now, this is a question for Revo. At what point can you drop an N-bomb? I'd say 50%.

Yeah, I think anything under that, you – I think you've got to look at the curls because if you don't have curly hair, you've got the straight, wavy hair, nobody's considering you black. You say that to a black man. Yeah, I'm in trouble. You get banged out real quick. Because they're going to look like this guy looks like he's mech.

No, no, no, no, wait. I'm a quarter black. Extra start. I'm calling my mom. I'm calling my mom for her to vouch for me. Tell this man I'm black. Please tell him I'm black. Biz is vacuuming out his car.

Anaheim wasn't done making moves. They actually made another huge move. They finally hired themselves a new coach, and it's Dallas Eakins, who they signed to a three-year deal. He coached their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, for the last four years, so he's very familiar with the young guys and their prospects. He was last seen behind an NHL bench back in 2014 when he was coaching the Oilers. He was sort of supposed to be the next great thing,

but it didn't pan out in Edmonton for many reasons, mostly because it was Edmonton. He kind of had to make his bones again back in the AHL, but he's ready to step up again and hope he has better success the second time. Are you familiar with Don Dallas Eakins at all? No, I don't know him personally, but I know when he came on the scene, he was a hero, right? He was a hard hard-o he was taking away the media's donuts he was just you know all health he rides bikes he does that and it didn't go over well the team wasn't good i think he tried maybe a

little bit too hard to be somebody he wasn't actually i'm not gonna say wasn't but he was just he was kind of all over the map but what this reminds me of is it could be similar to Cassidy in that you get your first shot, and you just don't really know what's going on. You weren't ready. You learn from your mistakes, and then you go back, and you learn, and you continue to grow in the AHL. And then you get your second shot, and that's when things go better. So I wouldn't be surprised.

You heard he was a really smart guy, smart hockey mind, and he's really into being in shape and fitness and all that. But I think the fuck up the first time maybe makes it a little easier the second time. And the fact that you mentioned he knows all these young players, these guys who are coming up in the organization, will only make it easier. Diz, are you familiar with Dallas Eakins at all? Yeah. Well, I coached against them, Jesus Christ.

Maybe the fumes of that awful ball was getting in the way. I would love to see you coach. I would love to see you coach. You're like, if you score two tonight, we're getting bought off. Dump it in. Dump that fucking thing in. Not the puck. He was the head coach for the Gulls in San Diego.

I was playing for the Ontario Reign. One of the best American League coaches. He got a crack at it when he was in Edmonton. I think his approach when he went into Edmonton was maybe a little too aggressive, and he did need a culture change where he tried to go in there and create it almost like an army camp.

They would ride the bike for 20, 25 minutes a day, and I think they had testing three times over the course of the season um you know took out all the sweets and on the plane which you know sometimes guys like to get into a couple chocolate bars after the game and treat themselves he even took away the donuts out of the the media lounge i said all this so the meat oh did you well sorry revo we're fucking over here you know put the camera below man what Revo were fucking over here. Put the camera below, man. What are you guys doing over there? You look a little fishy.

I'm getting a tug. I told you the Backpages girl showed up. Revo's Robert Kraft's tug girl. Holy fuck. Jesus. I took the thing away from him. Anyway, but I hope he gets a fair crack at this. I mean, they're going to have to make some roster adjustments.

Boys, I don't even know what the fuck I'm saying right now. That's all right. mean, they're going to have to make some roster adjustments. Boys, I don't even know what the fuck I'm saying right now. That's all right. That's all right. We've been having some fun. Let's move it along. We had another huge signing. Eric Carlson finally signed that monster deal with San Jose.

Ended up being an eight-year, $92 million deal. It comes out to $11.5 million per year. It runs through 2027. The 29-year-old Swede and his fellow defenseman Brent Burns will take up a combined $19.5 million of the $83 million that should be available to spend. He had three goals, 42 assists, and 43 games played with the Sharks last year. He did battle a lot of injuries in the regular season and playoffs. We probably didn't get the best version of him last year,

but when he's healthy, he's a game-changer as a puck mover out there. Revo, why don't you give us your take on that, old Mr. Carlson? You know what? Like halfway through the season, I would have said I wouldn't have taken that guy on my team any day. He was hurt. He wasn't defending. And then he came back from that groin injury the second time,

and it's like he lit that team up. It was, you know, the power play on that team runs through him. He's so good at bringing it up. He stops at the blue line and he just finds anybody. He's got his head up all the time. He finds everybody in front of the net just off to the side. He shoots for sticks. I mean, that's a lot of money for two defensemen,

but, you know, those are two of the best in the world. So, we'll see. I mean, it feels a little bit like Chicago, the way they have those guys paid that much with just two guys. But I mean, we'll see. We'll see how they can handle that cap. I think they're factoring that their window

is probably the next four or five years, maybe even a little bit shorter than that. They were saying that their window was last year. Well, I know, but they had a pretty good run. I don't know what they're going to do concerning the salary cap, if they are but they had a pretty good run. I don't know what they're going to do considering the salary cap if they are going to get Pavelski back. But I'm going to give him a pass based on the injuries

because when he did come back and they started playing well again, it was – I mean, that was – they were an elite team, and they showed it. They went to the conference finals. So I said that they wouldn't resign him. I didn't think they were going to. But what the fuck do I know? I was wrong again, just like I am usually on this podcast. That's usually Witt's job, no?

Yeah, I'm the wrong guy. Yeah, he's the wrong guy. But, hey, I think that's a decent signing. Do I think he's maybe a little bit overpaid? But in order to get him locked in, they had to do it, and it had to be a long-term deal. And they got their man. They got their man.

When he's playing and healthy, I mean, dude, he glides. It's a joke. The game looks like a complete ease to him. It's hilarious to watch, and it's also incredible to watch at the same time. But the only thing you start mentioning is it's a long contract. For a guy who played 82 games, 82 games, 82 games, 77 games two years ago, 71 games last year, 53 games this year. So you start seeing a little bit of that decline in game play.

He gets a little bit older. He isn't overly physical, and he's great at getting out of the way, but you still see some fluke injuries. You saw the Achilles. And he's in the West now, too. You've got to remember that. And you're in the West. And you're in the West. And you're in the West.

You got fucking Revo running after you trying to kill you. In that division, too. Same division. But when he's on, man, it just shows, though, that their window, yeah, when is it closed? Whenever it does, that's when you might start saying this contract's a doozy, like good luck on this. But right now, I mean, they wanted to keep this guy.

They figured they can win a cup with him. So they got this three, four years where they don't even really care about the four after that. That's how it is now. Yeah, definitely across that bridge when you get to a problem, you want to win now. And then if you've got to buy people out or do whatever, fuck it, do it then.

But right now it's all about winning. In that vein, the Rangers are trying to get their organization back on the winning track, and that's why they traded for Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba. They gave up defenseman Neil Pionk in a first rounder, which was Winnipeg's own pick that they had sent over in the Kevin Hayes trade. The 25-year-old Trouba, he's wanted out of Winnipeg pretty much since he got there. Everybody knew that, and he finally gets his wish. He's a restricted free agent who made $5.5 million last season. I don't anticipate any issues with the Rangers getting him signed.

They know what pretty much he's going to be looking for. He had eight goals, 42 assists last year in 82 games. And the 24-year-old Pionk, he's coming off his entry-level deal. He's also RFA, had six goals, 20 assists in 73 games last year. But you've got to think Winnipeg's hands were tied a little bit, given that everyone knew what Trouba A, wanted out, and and B wouldn't be re-upping in Manitoba so everyone's given this trade grade to the Rangers. Biz what's your take on it buddy? Well interesting comments from him afterwards I know their hands were tied a little bit in his

fact that he wanted to go to New York. This is what he said about it it's not something that is really talked about everyone sees most athletes as just athletes, but there are other goals in life. I want to be a husband and a father and all that stuff. Her career, as in his wife, another reason, I think she's becoming a doctor. Her career is important. She's worked extremely hard to get to where she is,

and I want to see the best for her as much as she wants to see the best in me. We wanted to find a way that we could both be successful in our careers while living together and achieving other goals. We have life outside of our careers. There are places she can do it other places. New York obviously is a great place for her, a great place for a lot of things. That was definitely important to me, to both of us. So it's so much bigger than just the game sometimes and i'm gonna have to give this guy a pass in a sense of you know wanting out um i i was maybe a little critical on the number that i think they're asking for which is seven and a half some people have made

comments on twitter that he was 13th the defense scoring last year maybe we haven't seen his true potential considering he has been kind of not overshadowed, but played under some big boys like Bufflin's there. They got Tyler Myers and some other big name defensemen. So now that he's going to be kind of the man, him and Kevin Kishat and Kirk would be another name. If he does end up signing in New York where he can go and flourish and maybe

even put up, you know, slightly better numbers. And he's a pretty good two-way defenseman. And there is a bit of risk to reward to his game. He does turn the puck over a little bit. But anyone who's going to put up high-end numbers like he has is going to turn the puck over.

Another name that comes to mind, Keith Yandel, our boy. Yeah, he's going to throw a few pizzas now and then. But he's also going to be 20th in defenseman scoring every year. So, I mean, the move is going to be a big one for the Rangers if they end up getting them locked in. If they can get them at that 7 million number, I think that would be perfect. I think 7.5, 8 in that range is just a little tad bit high.

It's too high. It's a little too high. I actually thought he was kind of, after watching his first few years, a guy who was going to be 25 to 30 point d-man like i didn't know if it was off his offensive skill could get to the 40 50 point this year i mean he did it right but you got the offense in winnipeg sick it's pretty easy as a defender there to snap it up to a couple of those top six forwards and get 50 points that's what i did thank you that's why i'm sitting around here. So I've seen it.

I don't know if New York has the talent necessary where he'll be a 50-point guy, but if he's playing great defensively and he's getting 35 points, I mean, he's a huge addition for the Rangers who are trying to get better. Absolutely. No doubt about that. And by the way, that Pion kid was a great signing.

That fucking kid can play. I'm wondering what he'll end up doing in Winnipeg, but I don't think that, you know, that's like a guy who right away you're like, oh, it was a great signing. That fucking kid can play. I'm wondering what he'll end up doing in Winnipeg, but I don't think that, you know, that's like a guy who right away, you're like, oh, it's a great deal to win for the Rangers. He could be good. Yeah, seems like a lot of people have been kind of dismissive of him. I'm not extremely familiar with this game, but if you scored all the trades together going back to hazy, the Rangers essentially got Truber and Brendan Lemieux for Neil Pionk

in 26 games of haze. So that is some good work by the GM of the Rangers, Jeff Gordon, no doubt about that. A couple of other deals. We're going to wrap up here a little bit. Philly also added another defenseman. They picked up Justin Braun from San Jose. They got him for a second round of this year and a third rounder in 2020.

The 32 year old D man, he will be UFA after this season and joining a Philly D that just added Matt Niskanen. So he'll have a little bit more veteran presence on the back end last year, which will certainly help him clean things up. He had two goals, 14 assists in 78 games last year. He's going to be making $3.8 million this year. But like we said last show, Philly can more than afford it.

They've still got a long ways to go just to get to the salary cap floor, let alone the ceiling. Veteran defenseman Braden Colburn also signed a two-year, $3.4 million deal with Tampa to stay with the Lightning. He could have gone UFA as well in a couple weeks, but he doesn't want to go anywhere. His quote was, this is home for us. We love Tampa.

And he also referenced some unfinished business that he wanted to be a part of. So he also sent out a nice little video with his kids on Tampa Bay's Twitter. This will be his 15th NHL season. And Joe Thornton isn't signed yet, but we know that's going to happen. He's looking forward to a 21st season. When he was asked, he said, yeah, Ian Wonga, kind of alluding to maybe even playing a couple more years. So he's coming off a 51-point season.

He said he feels healthy this year. He didn't have any major surgery. So looking forward to get Jumbo Joe back for another season. What's up, Biz? Just going back to the Braun trade. They gave up a second and a third rounder, correct? Yep. Philly sent the Sharks a second rounder this year and a third rounder in 2020.

Yeah. I mean, I think Braun's a great six guy. Maybe he could even, with injuries, help complement a second pair guy, like a good offensive guy. But, I mean, I don't know. Is that a little bit of an overpayment? And maybe Philly doesn't care because they're going for it all, obviously. Yeah, they just want to be deep on defense.

But they're thinking draft picks at this point don't matter. We have to figure out some way to make this team better. But, yeah, that is a lot. I mean, I've seen them play good hockey, but that's still – you start thinking of guys you can get in the second and third round and you're wondering what's going on. Yeah, it's probably a bigger price than most people thought, but that's really all it for the big major stories.

Actually, Phil Kessel vetoed a trade. Pittsburgh was trying to shop around. They didn't say where he was going to go. They said it was not Minnesota. So Pittsburgh's still trying to shop old Kessel around, but nothing doing on that. And, boys, the draft is this Friday. Round one, Friday night, 8 o'clock on NBCSN or SN Up North.

Rounds two through seven will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. on the NHL Network. It's basically a Jack Hughes or Capo Caco time. I know as good as Caco was at the juniors, his stock went up quite a bit. But from everything I've read, Hughes is still the front runner based on basically Uncle Bob. He's kind of the gospel with this stuff. And the Rangers, man, they went from 6-2 in the draft lottery. quite a bit, but from everything I've read, Hughes is still the front runner based on basically Uncle Bob. He's kind of the gospel with this stuff. And the Rangers, man, they went from 6-2 in the draft lottery, now in the same shape, similar to the Bruins in 2010,

where they really don't have to worry about who they pick. They just take the other guy. You know, Edmonton took Dale Hall. Bruins was the no-brainer. Take Sagan. That's the same position the Rangers are in this time. They just take whoever the Devils don't. So what do you got on this one, Whit?

Anything on the draft? No. Congrats to all you guys. I'll never forget you step on the stage. Yeah, I'm the first-round pick of the podcast. All five of you guys can listen to me for a second. You step onto the stage, and Gary Bettman says, Welcome to the NHL. I say, Thank you so much.

You say, Nice sketch of shoes. Thank you so much. Thank you, Gene. Nice sketch of black runners. Nice armor belt you're wearing on your suit.ers shoes. Thank you so much. Thank you, Gene. Nice Skechers black runners. Nice armor belt you're wearing on your suit. Looks phenomenal. Thank you. Let me see my jersey.

Where's Lemieux? I want to shake his hand. And then you go on to just making a bunch of money with that team. So congrats to all the draft picks. And I do remember that after we won, we went to a strip club, me and my buddies, the Brass Rail in Toronto. No clue what was going on. Like, you know, the old, like, it was a 45-song lap dance,

and then at the end, she's like, that'll be $4,000. I was like, I have $100. I go to BU. So I'll remember my draft forever, but I think everyone there will. And even if you don't get drafted, that's the other thing. Fuck it. Doesn't even matter. You see all the guys now.

It doesn't even matter at all. You can get there no matter what. But it's great for the kids. Or you could go there assuming you're going to get drafted in the second round and then not go in the first day and then going back to the hotel, changing, going out to the bar with Patrick O'Sullivan, taking down his, I think his girlfriend's at the time, sister, and then playing a road game that night

and then going back to your room who you were splitting with Danny Fritchie because you were at the same agency. And next thing you know, your $500 suit that your grandpa who you were splitting with Danny Fritchie because you were at the same agency, and next thing you know, your $500 suit that your grandpa bought you for the draft is gone. And thank God your mom told you to pack the Who Shot the Couch backup suit, and you get to wear that and then have an afro, and then you have one of the most iconic draft photos of all time when you go in the first round or the second day, which was the fourth round,

121st overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mario had left by then, and Gary Bettman as well. So I didn't get to insult his Skechers shoes. How about you, Revo? Well, first of all, if you had the Afro, I think you'd have the N-bomb pass. It was more of a juke throw, and it's, hey, I can file your income tax. That's about it. Yeah, I was on my way to the cottage for drafting.

I didn't think I was getting drafted. Everybody told me I wasn't getting drafted. So I was on the way to the cottage. My buddy called me. Actually, my business partner in the beer company goes, St. Louis, hey? He's like, what are you talking about? He's like, yeah, you just got drafted.

I'm like, fuck. Slam the brakes. I pull over in the middle of the highway. No way. Oh, yeah. No, I was like a minute away from no cell service. Would have gone real well with the falling asleep on the water bed story. Yeah, just a nice little

icing on the cake there. Welcome to the league, kid. What round were you, Rebo? Oh, that's not bad. One behind me. Keep the change. What about you, R.A.? You got any draft stories? He's like, yeah, snuck into the draft. 99 Boston. Saw the Sedins get picked. They were fucking crazy.

They were talking Swedish to each other, giving each other sign language. Patrick Stephon, he sucked. But I got a couple things signed. No, I'd never actually been to a draft. I never really had much of a desire to go to one. I don't know. It's boring as shit unless you're – They sold drugs to a few of the kids.

They must have already gotten their sign. I had a quick note, too. Last week when I was talking about being on the ice, interviewing Blues after the game, I did make a note. I saw Andy Cohen on the ice, and I said that I could tell that he didn't want anything to do with me. Somebody ran to him and told him that he wasn't

nice to me, which is not at all what I said. He mentioned it on his podcast. Andy Cohen. He actually mentioned it on his podcast the other morning, or his show the other morning. He goes, oh, a guy from Boston will come up and said I wasn't nice to him. So whoever was listening and snitched to Andy Cohen last time, please say I didn't say he wasn't nice to me. I just said I could tell that he didn't want anything to do with me.

He was preoccupied with his friends, and that's fine. It wasn't a complaint. I just never said he wasn't nice because he wasn't not nice. I could tell. Should we get him on the pod? Is that the guy from Bravo? Yeah, we can get him on. Avery's bike. That's Avery's boy. Yeah, I'm a big fan of his. What's Avery been doing? Like, what's

he doing with all this bike shit? Let's hear it. Let's hear it, Reeve. What do you mean? He's waiting to dummy sell it. Have you seen all these videos? Oh, they're absolutely outrageous. It's out of control. He's driving down bike lanes strictly just to call people out for being in the

bike lane. It's fucking hilarious. What's he doing? Well, he's a little pitbull and I think he hopes somebody goes at him so he can have the reason to just pump someone's eyes shut on the streets a man at. I mean, that's got to be the next thing that's going to happen. He's like, hey, get the fuck out of the bike lane. He's going to just pump somebody. He's going to be laying dead

on the fucking street. That's the thing though. He's going to be laying dead on the fucking street. That's the thing, though. He's going to back up the wrong tree. I mean, you're not in East Podunk fucking Idaho. You're in Manhattan. You never know what crazy person is behind a wheel or whatever. So you're going to trip at the wrong guy, man. He's got to be careful someone doesn't pull a fucking 38 on him.

I'm excited to see what happens next. Revo, we were just talking about growing out business after whatever. How long would it take for you to grow like a Dr. J style fro like if you want to go wicked old school Dr. J probably probably two years I mean mine really it would take that my mind was a year and like I got mine looks like dreadlock so it was it was big like if I picked it out probably I go to here I could pull it down from here all the way down to my Adam's apple when it was at its peak. You got to Google it. I don't know if you can find it, but my first picture when I was with Peoria. Oh, you showed it to me.

Oh, man. I don't know why. I don't know if I was hungover or what, but, man, I look like I just smoked 10 pounds of weed. I just came off the boat from Jamaica. It was out of control. I look at it. I was like,

I can't believe they didn't ask me to redo that picture. It was wild. Like there's some photographer. Like, yeah. Like, come on. Like Julian training camp.

Like, like give me a heads up. Like let me just splash some water on my face. Something. Oh, you got some pretty good Google images. Yeah. It's not on there,

but I think you showed it to me. I know. You got it. You got to go way back. Revo, great talking to you. Thanks for hopping on to help us. And I would love to get some of that beer if we can figure that out. Well, I thought you were going to be here.

I brought two cases. All right. Thanks, baby. Let's go. Viva Las Vegas. Viva Las Vegas. How I wish that there were more Than 24 hours in the day

Even if there were 40 more I wouldn't sleep a minute away