Spittin Chiclets - Spittin' Chiclets Episode 231: Featuring Scott Gomez
Episode Date: December 30, 2019On Monday's episode, the guys are back after the holiday break and are joined by Scott Gomez. Scott joins (42:55) to talk about his career, mainly just the beginning because of how many stories were t...old. Winning the cup, playing with Claude Lemieux and a ton more good stories on tap. The guys also touch on the recent JR situation, along with some recent NHL news, a gambling corner, and a bunch 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
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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 231 of Spit and Chicklets, presented by Pink Whitney,
the pink lemonade-flavored vodka from our friends at New Amsterdam Vodka.
I probably should have given a Texas-sized hello,
seeing as we're down here in Big D for the next few days.
The Winter Classic is on, what, Tuesday or Wednesday?
I can't keep track of the days.
Nashville and Dallas, we're down here getting some interviews. Let's say hi to the boys first. Wits, what's going on, brother? What's going on, what, Tuesday or Wednesday? I can't keep track of the days. Nashville and Dallas. We're down here getting some interviews.
Let's say hi to the boys first.
Wits, what's going on, brother?
What's going on, guys?
Pleasure to see you.
It's been quite a little break we had just because we got to play the Best Of episode.
Absolutely.
So it seems like we haven't recorded or talked in quite a while.
Has there been any news that we need to talk about?
I'm not sure.
We'll give it a little look-see in a second.
Let's finish saying hi to the boys first.
Biz, what's going on, buddy?
Boys had a great little vacation in Cabo.
You unplugged it all?
I shut my social media off for two days.
My buddy, Jeff Jacobson, who's my business manager,
he was sending some posts out that I had to,
based on requirements, one of which,
the feature I did on Sportsnet with Serge Ibaka,
Penny Oleksiak, Bianca Andreescu, and Beau Bichette,
this young stud for the Blue Jays.
And I had a blast.
Obviously, one thing was not like the others in that room,
all top-tier athletes, and then Biz got thrown in the mix.
But somebody backed
out last minute and they called me and i got to go to toronto and and hang out with those superstars
and it was a great time and let's not forget biz you didn't know the words to rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer and then he's like it was like when um tommy boy was like did i catch a niner in there
he's like rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
And he just had no clue.
I'm like, how do you not know the words to Rudolph?
Well, when the cameras are on and there's that many celebrities in a room. So you were feeling a little nervous.
I get nervous before recording podcasts.
I care about my performance.
And I think that before every game, exhibition games in the ECHL, I would get nervous.
So that's just any time I'm going to be on, I'm usually, unless I'm so fucked up on mushrooms or weed that I just don't give a shit.
But I figured since I was showing up for Sportsnet, I'd lay off the drugs that day.
He's either super nervous or has no clue what's going on.
There's no happy medium there.
No, in between.
He shut down social media for three days and then made up for it all this morning.
What are we on Sunday with the dude who
didn't understand how prices at liquor stores
worked up in Canada. Oh God, I only shot out a few
today, but folks,
whatever, liquor stores
in Canada trying to charge $70
for a bottle of Pink Whitney, we have
nothing to do with that. That's a privately owned
liquor store that's trying to gouge you.
Don't buy a bottle there. We don't want you buying bottles there i think the highest or the
lowest to highest it goes is usually the what 25 to 31 dollar range in canada depending on the
province it's that high because of health care let's not even get considered getting starting
on the health care subject we won't do that but uh listen if you come down to the states and buy
it it's fucking 10 bucks.
Yeah, we obviously
have nothing to do with that.
I thought it was like an Indian
that was like rupees
or something.
That price was so fucking high.
I was like,
Jesus Christ, dude.
Go somewhere else.
That actually comes
with a little bit
of wit's urine in it.
It's like a special edition bottle.
Don't use it for a drug test.
And the last but not least,
our producer,
Mikey Grinelli,
the guy who makes it all happen
behind the scenes here. What's up, buddy? Like I said before the show, last show of a decade.. And last but not least, our producer, Mikey Grinelli, the guy who makes it all happen behind the scenes here.
What's up, buddy?
Like I said before the show, last show of a decade.
Let's have a good one, boys.
Yeah, absolutely.
And our buddy Rudy's here as well.
I know he's not on the microphone.
Great addition to the trip.
Great addition.
And don't worry, that does not mean there's a hinge ad coming.
It's just Rudy here to help out, give a helping hand.
Whit actually introduced me and Rudy last uh to a bam bam party for the
first time oh god should we get right into that yeah these these two these two guys had never um
had an ambient to help go to sleep and i've mentioned many times before that you get in the
room with teammates and this is back when i played hockey and now you know rudy mikey they are my
teammates so you get in the room with the teammates you You guys have an Ambien. We had a beer or two, and we just started talking shop.
We started just shooting the shit.
I'm asking these guys questions.
I'm asking Rudy about college.
Rudy's an interesting guy.
Rudy's a very interesting cat.
It's just a fun conversation.
Well, next thing you know, I don't exactly remember what I was upset about,
but I had my golf club, and I was working on my swing
while we were having the conversation, and I started hammering the club off.
You were mad at young NHL players
in how they act nowadays.
Yeah, probably a little overdramatic.
Maybe the ambient was talking
if I'm actually banging my golf club off the bed.
But next thing you know, knock, knock, knock.
The security came.
They're like, you guys are too loud.
It was 9.30.
I was like, it's 9.30.
Can you even get one of these?
It doesn't matter.
This guy's trying to sleep.
It's all right,
boys,
we got to keep it.
He could have used one of your ambience.
So we had a,
yeah,
we had a great discussion.
I said,
what did you guys think?
They're like,
that was amazing.
Actually,
last night I go,
have you guys,
do you guys feel anything?
And they're like,
we feel weightless.
I like that.
I like that.
I think you'll be like hazy on the memories of what,
what we talked about last night,
but they,
they crushed their first,
uh, bam Bam Bam party.
Not to be confused with Kevin or Jim.
Jim?
Who?
Hayes.
Jimmy Hayes?
What did I say?
You said a little hazy.
Oh, okay.
And I said not to be confused.
Now, more importantly, I asked, well, how was your sleep?
And Rudy said he was basically in an inception
because he had a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream. So
Bam Bam worked and
I would take a half of one
and I would basically be out in
30 minutes. We mentioned the story about me getting wrapped
in the cocoon in Detroit. So I'm
glad I didn't stop by last night.
But R.A., how was your break, R.A.?
It was nice and relaxing. It was good to get away
for a couple days. Not from you guys. I love you guys.
But just, you know, there's no games. You can just unplug, spend some time with the family and, you know, not have good to get away for a couple days. Not from you guys. I love you guys. But just, you know, there's no games.
You can just unplug, spend some time with the family,
and, you know, not have to worry about anything for a few days.
When I played, I love the fact that you get the days off.
You get the three days off, 24, 23.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
Four, five, and six.
Four, five, and six.
Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey.
The show started 10 minutes ago.
When I played, I love the break I
Loved it as a fan
Now I hate it it's three nights
I can do two nights I'm like I need games
On the 26 I'm like oh shit it's the
Three days so hopefully the
Players had some nice relaxing refreshing
Breaks that get the batteries recharged with us
As fans it's hard three nights without hockey
You're itching for it
That's why Christmas night I was betting Kawhi's fucking point total over 25 and a half.
I hit that.
Yeah.
I hit that.
Easy money.
No, no, no, no.
I hit Russell Westbrook was 24 and a half in one of those games.
Now, one set of hockey that does get started on the 26th, though, is the World Juniors.
We're going to get to that later, but we got some stuff to talk about.
First off, the Ambien Party. That's actually one uh well i guess drug narcotic i've never actually
i tried one of the few i've never sampled once well you make it sound like a legit drug i mean
it helps me sleep when i'm in an uncomfortable bed on the road i get used to my bed at home i
need it to sleep it's not a drug like it's like you need a script for it don't you yeah fair enough
fair enough it's a drug.
If you're talking about the drugs that you try and then you're comparing that to Ambien,
you're clueless. That's all I'm saying.
Oh, shit.
Well, in certain states, you need a subscription for weed.
Subscription to you.
Subscription.
I'll take the six months.
What do you call it?
Oh, a prescription.
Yeah, you subscribe to Sports Illustrated.
You get a couple pre-rolls.
But like you said, Biz, you did allude to something we need to talk about.
And one of our last guests, Jeremy Roenick, he was on.
He was a great guest.
Nobody complained on Twitter, on social media.
I certainly didn't see complaints about him.
I didn't hear of any complaints.
And then seemingly out of the blue, NBC suspended him for comments he did make about his co-worker uh where
he basically broke nbc's corporate rules uh whatever the in-house whatever the in-house
rules are he violated some of them while he was on the show here um there was a you know basically
a big kerfuffle about it let's go to you with first We'll get your take on the situation And your thoughts on it
Because people have been waiting
Okay
So
As JR was talking
JR loves just letting it fly
He's a great interview
He's a great guy
And he was telling very funny stories
One of them to him
Is a close personal friend
And I'm sure on the vacation he was making
the same type jokes and my guess is uh katherine tappan was was probably like shut up jr you know
that's kind of my sense of the whole thing now when he was saying it i will say in my head i was
like ah i was like like i'm not saying it was bad but i was like oh i don't know if i'd say that
kind of thing but but whatever just kind of like my thoughts as he's talking
and then you said to
him at one point oh co-worker
I think it was a careful co-worker
knowing the climate
what the issue was
he's talking about someone that is
such a good friend of his and
is like family to him
so jokes that some people
find funny and there's just so many people now that,
that don't find it funny.
And,
and something about that,
it's a hot topic,
like a hot button issue.
And what happened was right away,
everyone just goes all out on NBC.
What a fucking joke.
This is ridiculous.
What are they doing?
Well,
until you hear from Catherine Tappan,
you can't really say like what a joke it is.
And she came out with a statement that said,
even though we're best friends,
and I'm paraphrasing here,
we're good friends,
what JR said, it wasn't acceptable,
I didn't appreciate it,
whatever that was.
So you understand that even if she didn't care,
the climate we're in now,
it doesn't work anymore. You can't say things like that anymore i mean that's just how it is i don't i think it's ridiculous i don't agree
with it all the time i felt really bad for katherine tappan because she was put in a bad spot right
even if it's a joke to her well there's so many women young girls that look up to her
and even though it is a joke like talking about like banging a co-worker, it's just like not kosher anymore.
I mean, that's kind of what it is.
I love JR.
I think everyone loves JR.
Do I think the punishment was maybe a little severe?
Yeah.
But in the end, I kind of understood what went down because of the times we're in.
Does that make sense yeah
no and and i i guess my biggest regret is is is in times before you know we've caught things where
we've taken things out of interview to protect guys where they might not even know that we've
done so and there's been a few times we've said uh you know like you know you guys you know this
was kind of a different interview or and we make comments where, I mean, I've talked to Grinnell after.
We had to take, what, at one interview, we took over 10 minutes out of it.
And that was because we were concerned about, you know, a joke maybe being, you know, being blown overboard where somebody would get in trouble.
where somebody would get in trouble.
So ultimately our podcast is trying to bring the best out of our game and bring humor to it and make everyone who comes on look awesome
because these people are awesome.
And that's why we want them on the podcast,
because we want to hear their stories.
And the fact that at this one time,
maybe I didn't catch it and text Grinnell and say,
hey, I think we should remove that.
Like, you know, I didn't catch it and text Grinnell and say hey I think we should remove that like you know I felt shitty about it because JR has been nothing but supportive to us as a group he's been nothing but supportive to me as an individual and to think that you know something
that he may really enjoy and that he gets separation from outside of his like personal
life and going to work you know that's been taken
away from him because of our platform and just any you know teams or anyone listening is like
we we give everyone full editing rights like we don't want anyone getting in these types of
situations on our platform now i'm not apologizing for for jr or for what he said, because I have a sense of humor where I get where people would be offended by
some of the things that I say.
And,
you know,
I'm,
I'm trying to learn as you go.
And even sometimes I catch myself where,
you know what?
I would say this with my friends,
but I wouldn't want it on the podcast because I don't even want to fucking
deal with it.
Okay.
So,
but in the same breath,
I don't want any of that taking away from the
thing that you said about katherine tappan and and and women in a in a you know male
and in a male dominated industry where i i get it i i and i get it and and it sucks and i feel
terrible about it and i and i messaged jr i couldn't i was having a hard time enjoying my
holiday because that that had happened to a good friend who's been supportive of us.
And it happened on our platform.
So I apologize to everyone who was offended by it on the podcast behalf.
And JR, we love you, man.
And I hope you can get back to doing what you love soon.
Here's what I'll say.
And maybe I'm wrong.
I would be shocked if Catherine
Tappan went to them first so I
do think NBC and RA you
mentioned quickly there was
no comments about
that interview anywhere negative
usually stuff happens nowadays
based on response online
especially there was none and all of a sudden
boom he was suspended I'm pretty on top
of all that shit too I would have let you guys know in a second if that happened the other aspect of this
of our entire show is um it's a really fine line we we're trying to to walk so it's entertaining
and and we enjoy telling all these stories and we really hope people come on and enjoy telling
stories because this is this was our life this is it's it's it's how we it's how we like went through our entire lives is with the boys and telling great stories and yeah some
of them probably are a little risque that that but listen we also we also like try to have a pretty
good line of what we can and cannot say this one was just they were they're such good friends that
for me it just you know i was just like oh like that's how they joke around so i know i'm kind of playing both sides of the fence but the other
thing about it is we've had the coaching issues the the the player stuff the now we had this dude
we all right we started this thing we're on the couch like shooting the shit about hockey then
we start interviewing some buddies like we're morons and all all of a sudden people are like you know they're asking like our opinions on these things like dude i played hockey
uh i talk like i make jokes with my buddies about back in the old days when we were playing and we
talked to current players like all of a sudden people like what's your opinion you're not gonna
say anything about ronald green's experience like buddy i'm sitting on my couch like gambling on
seven games why are you looking for me for my opinion on this?
I'm a joke.
So it's a little different when our show, it's great.
It's become big.
It's overwhelming.
I don't want that type of responsibility.
Yeah, I'm like, buddy, lay off me.
I'm sitting there interviewing guys.
They're saying whatever they want.
And at the end, we're saying, hey, guys, you can take out anything you want.
What do we do?
Right.
And as far as, like, a guy like Roenick, J.I., he's been on TV for a long time.
He's, you know, he's 50 years old.
He knows what he can and cannot say, and it's really not, like, not that he's going to keep
him from getting in trouble, but we can't tell him, oh, you can't say that.
He sort of knows what his limits are, and when he was, I think he was intent on telling
that story because, you know, you had said something, too, careful, J.I., it's a kid's show, jokingly.
And I think he just kind of wanted to get that story out.
But, I mean, we can't say, hey, don't fucking – you can't say that.
And, again, if he wanted to take it out, we gladly would have.
People also reference, like, future guests.
Now, we've already had at least one interview since then.
We had no such issues for it.
I don't think we're going to have issues going forward.
I mean, basically, it's pretty simple.
Like, you know, don't go where you're not supposed to.
Like I said, JR has another job at NBC, our job at NBC.
They have their set of rules.
He violated one of those rules, apparently.
But as far as people coming on and telling their stories,
I don't really think it's going to be an issue going forward.
I mean, people know what we're about at this stage.
You can come on and say whatever you want. If you don't want to come on i take no offense to
any of it it's if if people don't want to come on anymore because jr told the joke that didn't go
over well all right i mean what are you what are you what are you gonna do i said this i said this
to a few people it's like we are who we are and if we're if we're goons if we were to get blackballed because of something that was said by someone else on our podcast hey man we fucking
hang it up i go fucking focus my attention on something else and and life goes on so hiring
now now the last thing i want to say though is is i don't think a lot of people that listen to
our podcast necessarily had a problem with it.
I think that, and that's probably why we didn't see anything on Twitter.
I hope that none of this takes anything away from what JR has accomplished,
not only as a player, but his transition to out of hockey
and how big of an ambassador he's been to our game.
And that's why we want that fucking guy on our podcast,
because he does tell incredible stories.
And he is the life of the party. And he's why we want that fucking guy on our podcast, because he does tell incredible stories. And he is the life of the party.
And he's the fucking man.
And it's just very, very unfortunate.
I haven't talked to Catherine Tappan.
I mean, I haven't reached out.
I'll admit that.
So I hope she still wants to come on if she's mad at us.
I get it, I guess.
But I think she does an incredible job.
So you want to mention that.
And hopefully at some point we'll get to talk to her don't talk about this but i don't it is it kind
of was shitty for her as well right i have to be and one thing that got overshadowed was the fact
that jr was coming on to promote charity that was going to financially benefit children's charity
challenge jazz charity challenge correct which people can still take pot in and just to go back
to nbc for a minute too you know this is a company that had already dropped the ball on Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein.
They buried a story on that.
They had Matt Lauer fucking running amok for years with a lock on his door,
plus whatever else we don't know about.
So when this comes up in this kind of post-MeToo era,
the last thing they want to do is look like they're coming, being soft on this issue,
even though there's really no issue.
Because, again, like you said, with a guy telling a story involving involving his best friend it wasn't really our job to police that story so
and that's not us taking a shot at nbc that's just us saying maybe there was some overcompensation
there on the jr issue because of things that they have done in the past i'm gonna take a shot at nbc
i'll tell you right now nbc you think that fucking they're going to get Scott free here? Did you see their all decade team?
Patrick Kane wasn't on NHL on NBC. I would have had him top five.
Patrick Kane won three Stanley Cups.
One of them, I'm pretty sure he won the Conn Smythe.
Yes.
He's the leading scorer in the decade.
He wasn't on their top ten.
So, yeah, R.A. said right away when I brought this up to him,
I don't care about those lists.
They never bother me.
I took exceptions to not having Patrick Kane in your top 10 for the 2000 to 2010 season.
I mean, let's be honest.
So NBC, you can suck on that one, idiots.
Do you think Patrick Kane gives one fiddler's fuck that he wasn't on that list?
He probably doesn't even know.
He's like, what?
Oh, shit, it's the end of the decade?
He's still busy doing his fucking thing.
I'll read his passage.
And by the way, I'll do a quick top ten real quick here.
Sidney Crosby, Ovechkin, Eric Carlson, number three, Patrice Bergeron,
Connor McDavid, Evgeny Malkin, Henrik Lundqvist, Anze Kopitar,
Stephen Stamkos, Zidane O'Chara.
Now, without counting, there's a few guys on that list who didn't even win a cup.
Kane won three of them, and this was the small paragraph after Kane's name.
One of the best offensive players this decade.
His problems off the ice will always detract from that and be a part of his story.
What?
That had to be like a kiddie, like, toe-dragged nine times one season in Buffalo.
Kind of wild to, like I said, not have the guy who won three cups
and an additional con smite on there.
But, like we said, that's why these lists are made, to get us fucking griping.
Another big story, Biz
mentioned a few minutes ago, the World Junior,
that tournament started the day after Christmas
over in Czech Republic. We had a little
controversy after Canada suffered
their worst ever loss in the tournament,
a 6-0 shellacking at the hands
of the Russians. Canada's captain
Barrett Hayden didn't remove his helmet
before Russia's anthem was played.
Really pissed off the Russian captain, Grigory Denisenko,
to the point where he didn't shake Hayden's hand in the handshake line
that a couple other Russians didn't as well.
He actually pointed to his head when he walked by him.
Hayden, to his credit, did apologize after the game in the press scrum,
and Hockey Canada released a statement as well. I'll give that a quick
read. The statement from Barrett Hayden,
I'm sorry for leaving my helmet on
for the Russian anthem following today's game,
and I apologize to the Russian team and its fans.
As a leader on this team, I was trying to
process the game and evaluate how we can
regroup. I was lost in the moment.
The Russians played a great game tonight, and my actions
were not intended to be disrespectful.
My mistakes should not detract from their win.
I owe it to my team and all Canadians to be better.
Hockey statement from Hockey Canada was essentially the same thing.
They basically apologized for it.
He's lucky Nikolai Volkov wasn't in the building.
There could have been some issues.
Old school WWF reference for you there, Biz.
You guys play in these type of tournaments.
What's the situation there?
Is it easy to get, quote-unquote, lost in the sauce,
or do you know to snap two right away and get that home?
Before we toss it over to Witt, so essentially what he was saying is
he was processing the game and thinking about the game,
so it was a complete accident.
Yes, that's what I took from it.
All right.
I didn't hear that until the song.
They're kids.
Well, wait.
Now that's why I want to toss it over to Witt,
because he's probably got a different opinion.
I'll say this.
I speak for all fifth overall, first round fifth overall picks,
saying we don't appreciate that behavior by Barrett Hayden.
That's not a fifth overall pick thing to do.
You win with class, you lose with class.
You know who I blame?
I blame the NHL club who drafted him.
That team probably hasn't taught him what it's like
to really be a true competitor.
And what do you know? It's the Arizona Coyotes.
When you got an absolute dirtbag like Biz
as your radio guy, how do you expect your
fifth overall pick to know to be a classy,
classy captain in an international
ice hockey tournament? So it was upsetting
to me, and i didn't
buy the the the reason i mean that is wild that line at the end i was thinking about the game and
how we what i was gonna say remember the handshake line at the end yeah yeah oh i don't blame those
ruskies for not shaking his hand and i respect the hell out of that russian captain for banging
a stick saying the ref dude tell that guy to take his bucket off.
It's our country's national anthem.
Everyone takes, you got to take your hat off, your lid off for the anthem.
It doesn't matter what anthem's playing.
And then, you know, just the reason he said that he was processing the game.
Dude, the game's over.
Every single guy on the line with you, right to your right and left,
don't have a helmet on.
I mean, unless he's like severely, has severe add i don't know like i feel like that would be just like you're so out
to lunch maybe it wasn't on purpose but um i think that the russians had a right to be pissed off and
we'll see how the canadians respond i mean right now they're one-on-one coming off a
shit kicking from russia we'll see what happens love to see them play each other further down the line.
Is that possible?
I know what the scenario is.
I think they would have to cross brackets first because they're in the same division.
But, you know, unfortunate because he's such a great kid.
And it's like a brain fart like this.
By the way, in the end, this doesn't matter.
No, it does.
It doesn't.
And people are obviously clinging on to it.
And even if he did do it intentionally, such a brain fart,
he's going to have to answer the noise.
And it's a shame that he'll probably be remembered for it in the near future.
So anytime his name pops up when he's scoring hat trick for the Arizona Coyotes,
who are the biggest fucking wagon in the Western Conference,
now they got Taylor Hall, he's going to have to answer questions about it.
So very unfortunate.
I hope that we can all move on.
And the argument now is like, oh, if another country did it to fucking Canada,
Canadians would lose it.
Yeah, you're fucking right.
There's a lot of shitty fucking Canadian people online who just fuck,
like World Junior Time, they really come out of the fucking woodworks.
And any time a Canadian guy costs of the fucking woodworks and anytime a
canadian guy costs his team a goal that might be a big one they want the whole family kidnapped
and fucking the kid to be fucking hung at the cross yeah it's like you know it's fucking nuts
these kids and and there's an argument right now going on it's like you know are these kids yeah
man oh i made plenty of really stupid decisions in my fucking 20s,
let alone my teens.
I mean, this is the time when you make dumb decisions.
We live and learn.
The only difference is being I was a plug
and I wasn't doing it on the national stage.
So anyway, shitty situation.
But we have to give thanks to Barrett Hayton
because now all of a sudden all these Russian spies have been,
their course has been changed.
The red dots aren't hitting me in the forehead anymore.
I've been sleeping a little lighter since this has happened.
So to Barrett Hayton on behalf of the Chicklets crew.
The Billy Madison cross off the Whitney Bissonette name.
That's what I'm saying.
Go to Hayton.
I wonder what Igor is thinking about this.
Oh, yeah.
I'm going to have to check in with him.
Yeah, I like what you said though, Biz.
Brain fart. Hopefully he moves on what you said, though, Biz.
Brain fart.
Hopefully he moves on.
He apologized, but the apology was hilarious. One other note from the juniors.
Alexis Lafreniere, the expected number one pick in the 2020 draft.
He was injured when he crashed into the Russian net.
Though it looked pretty bad initially, he still might return to the tournament per Frank
Cerevelli.
I think he's with TSN, right?
Yeah.
I also saw, I think it was James Duthie mentioned that his first game,
I think a goal with three assists, he said one of the...
He was phenomenal.
He said one of the best performances by a Canadian World Junior player in a long time.
So you could totally see.
It looked scary.
It looked like his knee kind of buckled and it might have been bad.
But if they're saying it's not bad, that's great news because that kid, impressive.
Can I just say the Grinnelli curse is alive and well at the World Junior?
It never left.
Let me just say, so the four players I said to watch, Askarov, the goalie from Russia, yanked in game one.
First period.
First period.
Cole Caulfield, I don't think he scored a goal yet.
He had a very difficult first game, but, I mean, they got a fairly okay team, so I guess he's flying under the radar a little bit.
Big win against Russia.
And then I said Lafreniere, and now he got hurt.
So my apologies to everyone out there.
Now, to be fair, somebody said that Lafreniere was injured
coming into the tournament.
He wasn't 100%.
Now, I don't know if it was his knee that was bugging him.
When you watch him go down,
there's no way he didn't get hurt on that play right there.
It could have hurt an injury more than it already was,
but it was pretty bad.
Another crazy thing about the World Juniors,
and it's a great time of year because now there's so much hockey going on.
NHL's rebooted after the 26 there.
Team Sweden.
A couple things.
Henrik Lundqvist had a very funny head and shoulders
commercial uh where he he had a very serious speech and at the end he he dropped the punch
line how about all the kids hair in that commercial too oh they all look phenomenal
they all had blowouts beforehand but they haven't lost a game in the round robin since 2006 they've
won 50 straight round robin games wow that's i mean it's got to be
a record though i mean i i think it's a record now wits look at me like i have three heads i mean
unless someone's messing with me on social media i'm pretty sure i read that today so congratulations
to team sweden sweden on that crazy run and uh and they're looking pretty good again absolutely
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Hopefully, Biz, you won't need that anytime soon.
But if you do, it's okay.
It's a natural thing to happen to us guys every once in a while.
Or so I read.
All right, enough of that.
No, no, all right.
I was processing that whole ad read,
and I thought you did a great job of insulting me about my fuck-up earlier.
It's a prescription, not a subscription.
That's good.
We're good to go.
I think it's a prescription.
Yeah, prescription.
That's what I meant.
Don't want to make it any tougher than the Chiefs than it already is.
All right, let's start turning our focus to the current NHL.
They have been back for a couple days,
and you guys' old team is kicking ass and taking names right now.
One- nine of their
last 11 without the fucking one of the best players on the planet sydney crosby what dog
what do you got for us buddy oh what a team this what a team the penguins have and you got to talk
about brian ross who on and he is on an 82 game pace for over 50 goals and over 100 points 82
game did i say 52 i don't Whatever. I might have just messed up.
But he's on a crazy pace.
What he's done this year has been wild.
Gensel, we've talked about that.
But to win 9 of 11 and the biggest thing being Tristan Jari and this guy.
I mean, all of a sudden you look and Matt Murray had a good win Saturday night against Nashville.
They won a home and a home against Nashville.
But they were up 3-0.
And all of a sudden it was 4-4.
So you start thinking, like, if Jari stays playing this good,
like, he could take a guy's job.
I mean, you've seen it happen before in that city.
Murray Cuck Flurry, yeah.
And so the way that this Jari's continued to improve
and the hockey he's played without Crosby, you mentioned,
and Malkin's been great.
But the funny thing was that Crosby, I think, came out and said,
what was the joke, Biz?
You told me what he said.
Well, and he's right.
He's going to have to work hard to get back in that lineup.
You better make some plays in practice, Sid.
That's what I'm saying.
It all starts in practice, Sid.
If you show the coach that you're deserving to get back in that lineup,
maybe if one guy's not playing good after a few in a row,
maybe you'll start off in the fourth line and build your produce maybe you bump up to the third line we'll see
playoffs you can be back on the first line now he has reached out to me for uh for some advice on
how to be a healthy scratch and you know how he should be in the locker room before games
which songs you can play of course i said that it should be the same song that Joe Vitale was playing over and over and over for him.
So, Sid, best of luck getting back in that lineup.
And, hey, those bag skates aren't fun, my friend.
And, Gary, his last 12 stats, 10 wins in his last 12, his save percentage has been unreal.
This kid has been fucking a phenom.
And it's going to be curious to see in the playoffs roll around if Pittsburgh is indeed in the playoffs, who the starter might be.
And Jim Rutherford, that guy,
he just keeps fucking reloading and reloading and reloading, right?
That Brandon Tanev deal, everyone looked like, wow, six years,
and it was kind of odd for a player like him to sign that long.
He's been awesome, and He's not making crazy money.
The way he plays, he's deserving. I think it's
$3 million. It's just
a well put together team.
Maybe it ends up helping that
Crosby and Malkin have both battled injuries
when playoffs come. They don't play the 82.
We'll see what happens, but it's certainly
a fun team to watch right now.
It goes to show that developing
players from your own organization that you draft
is the key to success in today's NHL.
And Pittsburgh does it just as good as anyone else.
They have a great minor league system.
They treat it like it's the NHL.
Those players get treated well.
They have great resources.
I haven't been to it yet, but that new practice facility in Wilkes-Barre is state-of-the-art.
So we can no longer keep stroking off this organization because my wrists are sore.
Well, I can give one more quick one.
Jerry, his numbers, to go back to them for a second.
How they just do it.
His goals against 187 on the cover card.
Remember that old song?
No.
Snoop and Dre.
I know that song.
I know that song.
Deep cover. Save percentage, 9-3- that song. I know that song. Deep cover.
Save percentage, 9-3-9.
He's got three shutouts as well.
So, like I said, when playoffs roll around,
it could be quite the decision for the organization
to see where they're going to roll with it.
All right, get that cock out of my mouth.
We're done with that.
Hey, now, another team on fire.
The Blues, eight in a row.
No signs of a Stanley Cup hangover from this squad, eh, Biz?
Probably still the drunkest team in the league. These guys are still on a heater from a Stanley Cup hangover from this squad, eh, Biz? Probably still the drunkest team in the league.
These guys are still on a heater from that Stanley Cup, and it is fucked.
They're like, why slow down?
Why?
And one guy I have to mention who has been incredible,
and talk about a journeyman, and he found his way back there, Perron.
The season he's having, he set a franchise record for overtime goals he's
got four this year um so far and that's the franchise record for st louis so um just everybody
pulling the rope there i feel like no tarasenko to be doing yeah no tarasenko and it's one of
those situations where they got the monkey off the back and these guys are like well we're playing
with the house's money we We won it last year.
We could win zero games this year.
The city would still fucking love us, and they're just getting it done.
Was I correct in saying that about Perron?
Yeah, he's got four overtime goals this year, and he leads the team in scoring.
He has 16 goals, 24 assists.
I mean, that's a pretty stacked roster to be leading in scoring,
and he's no spring chicken either.
Funny thing about him, I've probably said on said this on the podcast before but he's he started with st louis he went
to edmonton he went to pittsburgh he went to anaheim he went back to st louis he went to vegas
he went back to st louis so he's three different stops in st louis but he's played for four other
teams he's only ever signed the contract with the blues which which kind of cracks me wow so of all those teams all the deals were signed with the blues and and he fits in he
fits in perfectly he was awesome in the playoffs and he plays with sandpaper we talked about i
think him recently and kind of he has that rat tendency but 40 i mean point per game guy that
that's no joke so what go ahead well i was gonna say we won't dive into it too much but i'd be
interested to see the returns that they got for him
and considering he ended up back there.
And what they, I mean, because they kept signing him, right?
So they were giving him away and getting back assets in return,
is my assumption.
I don't know who the guys were.
So we'll dig into that.
I'm sure some people will send some messages to us,
but Doug Armstrong just buzzing.
And they're another team with a two-headed monster in net.
Obviously, Jordan Bennington came out last year, unreal first season.
But Jake Allen, he's been getting some run this year, 7-2.
He's got two 1-9 goals against with a 9-3-1 fucking save percentage.
So, you know, that's a great situation.
We say it all the time for Chief Coach Berube to go in and say,
hey, man, I got two number ones here, basically.
Oh, yeah, and Bennington, he commented on that goal that Justin Bieber put out online.
It was a horrible goal.
I mean, like, wraps around on the ice in front of the goal.
He does a spinorama, goes in.
And Bennington said, hey, I'll give you 10 breakaways.
If you score once, I'll dye my hair whatever, blonde or white, however Bieber.
He said it to Biebs?
He wrote it on his Instagram.
So he still got that cockiness we talked about last year.
It's been nasty.
We also have to mention that Biebs was skating over the holidays with Tyson Berry, Mitch Marner, and Austin Matthews,
who hopefully we can get soon because this guy's on a tear right now.
I don't want to get too far away from St. Louis if you had any more notes there, all right?
Did you?
Go ahead.
Go ahead.
No, I was going to bring up uh
a game that i noticed right out of the break calgary put a beat down on edmonton in edmonton
uh calgary's now ahead of them in the standings it's been a complete reversal of the first
half of the first quarter of the year uh for both those teams so a little scary time as an
oilers fan as this is last when last year they started to dive and never got above and back into the playoffs.
So kind of an odd time for that team and on the other end, Calgary, since the coaching change.
I mean, it's pretty obvious they couldn't stand Bill Peters.
Let's look at the team now.
Yeah, it's crazy.
Happy for Ward.
And I think we knew it was just a matter of time before they turned things around,
whether they had Bill Peters or not.
I mean, the shooting percentage for Lindholm, Goudreau, and Monaghan
was just way under their career averages.
So they're getting going.
Even though they had that couple-game injury to Kachuk,
he's just been carrying the boys.
How about that Central Division?
The top three teams, St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas,
and then you think of the teams that aren't in right now.
I mean, Nashville, what's going on there?
And Winnipeg's on the first wild card.
They've been awesome.
But that and the Metro is just powerhouses for sure.
And going back to Edmonton, man, you've got to wonder,
I know he doesn't listen to the show of follow, spit, and chicklets,
but is Kenny Holland going to make a move for a goaltender?
Because right now they're not getting the kind of goaltender that,
A, might not get you into the playoffs, and, B, if it does,
are you going to be too confident in the playoffs?
Should we start a rumor?
Matt Murray to Edmonton?
I'll write the blog.
Okay, thanks.
Yeah, just start the rumor.
Matt Murray to the Oilers.
Yeah.
Penguins win two more cups in a row.
Oh, Penguins fans are probably already starting it themselves.
Yeah, it doesn't take much.
But, yeah, it's something to certainly keep an eye on.
I mean, Mikko Koskinen, 276, 914.
And Mike Smith, he's been struggling.
3-1, two goals against, 8-9-3.
And that worked great 25 years ago.
But in today's NHL, not so great.
So we'll keep an eye on that like we do all things.
What's up, Whit?
Another guy, because just thinking about after the break,
people deserve to be showed out current league wise and check out the new york
rangers and panarin is he's exceeding the expectations and you signed for 10 million
you wonder how's that possible every shift he's out there it's a blast but the guy that's more
impressive almost is a benedict oh yeah and you heard when Broussard, when that deal went down, people loved Broussard.
What's going on?
Dude, you got a true stud in Zibanejad.
So the Rangers have been surprising people.
They battled to win a great game in Toronto, 5-4.
They actually beat Carolina in Toronto back-to-back nights after the break.
And granted, they're not in the playoffs right now,
but they're going to be a pain in the ass the entire year.
They've proven that.
And then Tony D'Angelo. We've heard about like some I don't know attitude issues but straight
domination this year he's going to sign a ticket and he's been a huge reason that the Rangers are
really good offensively yeah that's a guy that the Coyotes let go unfortunately a stud on the
back end he's a better guy he was on the Coyotes? He was on the Coyotes. They got rid of him. And listen, I heard things about the quote-unquote
attitude issues, but I don't know him personally.
Every person that I've talked to seemed to really like him
as far as the guys are concerned.
So I don't know.
Maybe he just doesn't like authority.
But hey, if you had that much talent wrapped up
and you felt like it wouldn't be in use,
I might have some attitude issues as well.
You were talking about Zibanejad. five of his last seven games multi points in them
he is he's a very special player and a guy that hopefully we can get on this podcast at some point
because he's got a great personality as well we mentioned his djing skills but the rangers do not
let him play late night sets in nyc, so he's keeping things under wraps.
Yeah, 15 goals, 15 assists in 25 games.
He's been getting it done and also getting it done in the net.
Not so much Henrik Lundqvist, but his backup, Alexander Gorgiev.
I think that's how you say it.
Gorgiev.
I heard his G silent and not silent.
He's got 10-7-1, sorry, 2-9-9 with a 9-1-5.
You know, not the best numbers, but they're getting it done.
I mean, they're only five points out of the playoffs.
This is a team that probably a lot of people had pegged for the lottery,
and, you know, they're probably looking at the playoffs
as being within fucking striking distance right now.
I am so happy.
I didn't forget to mention this guy, Ryan Strom.
He is fucking playing awesome.
I am so happy for him.
I feel like when he went through that period in Edmonton
and then he got put on a poster by Sid in overtime,
I feel like maybe his confidence was really shot.
And then right after that move,
I think he had a good end to the season last year in New York after the move.
And then this year, I think he's just under a point a game, isn't he?
I think he's got like 28 to 30 points right now.
And I couldn't be happier for the guy because you know playing in Canada. under a point a game isn't he i think he's got like 28 to 30 points right now and and and and
i couldn't be happier for the guy because you know playing in canada and he's got 35 points
at 38 games there you go he's almost at a point a game and when you're the butt of the joke in a
canadian market it's difficult on the psyche so uh shout out to our boy uh ryan strome do you think
the rangers would try and trade lungquist and think Lundqvist would accept a trade at the deadline to a playoff team?
I got a sense that he doesn't want to go anywhere.
That's just like, I don't know.
I feel like he's New York.
And yeah, he's probably not going to win a Stanley Cup.
But I don't know.
I could be way off.
Actually, I heard he wants to go to Edmonton.
So that's actually, they could maybe solve their goal-turning issue.
I don't know.
It would make sense if Georgie had even better next year
that next year at the deadline you're like, hey, do you want a shot?
Yeah, go for a little run.
But he may say, I'm all set.
And he does have a full no-move clause,
so he doesn't go anywhere unless he absolutely wants to.
And like you said, talking to him last year at the All-Star game,
I got the impression as well this guy doesn't want to go.
I think he wants to be a Ranger for life,
and that might matter the most to him than anything else.
And let's not forget, I think maybe next year at the soonest,
maybe the year after that, they're going to have a solid team.
Once some of these younger kids get a little bit better
and they add a few more pieces, I think this is a good team.
I remember in preseason on my breakdown, I said there's no way playoffs,
and then a few Rangers fans talked me off the ledge,
and I was like, you know what, they do have some weapons.
Maybe they could sneak in this year, but maybe another reason he's looking at it
like, hey, I don't think this team's going to be half bad moving forward,
and I think maybe in New York I could get a chance at one more run.
I think the biggest scoop we got from Hank Lundquist was that
he gets that luscious haircut at a barbershop.
For $15, right?
$22.
And he won't tell anyone where it is, though, which is even better.
And he doesn't tip.
That's another rumor for everyone.
Speaking of Rangers, well, of course, this guy was a devil as well.
Scotty Gomez, we forgot to mention from the top.
We were so excited being down here in Dallas.
He's our guest this week.
He's a guy that a lot of people have been telling us to get on for a long time.
We finally did, and holy boy, was he worth the wait.
Well, yeah, before we go to him, sometimes when you're interviewing people,
you're just grinding to get stuff out of them.
So you could tell this is one of those times.
We did our best, but I hope you guys enjoy.
Wow, what a pleasure what a pleasure to be joined now by a very special guest i guess that i got to play with at the end of my career it was an absolute pleasure this guy is a two-time
stanley cup champion he won rookie of the year in the nhl he dominated junior he played in two
all-star games if the list goes on and on. He made
lots of money. Good for him.
The best player ever from Alaska,
Scotty Gomez. Thanks for joining the podcast.
Thanks for having me, guys. Best player from Alaska.
What an ending. He put hockey on Alaska
on the map. First native Alaskan ever
in the NHL. First native. First native Alaskan.
Yeah, there's a bunch.
You're quite the pioneer, man.
If I can say the reason why made it was the guy that gets the most credit is Trajan Langdon.
He went to Duke, played in the NBA.
But growing up in Alaska, back then, without the social media and all that, you're kind of concerned you're not going to be found.
And Trajan, next you know, coach K Bobby Niter at the at the
court in Alaska and he just kind of made us all then realize that uh you can get out of here and
and do something so they came to see him it wasn't even at a tournament in the city no it was games
I mean that's back when uh you know I was pretty big in the basketball back then because that's
kind of the year uh Iverson oh yeah Lopezopez well what was the guy from boston uh herring uh chris harris
all those guys so that was pretty neat growing up with uh but yeah he was like for rock rock star
besides we'll get into the other guys uh trajan definitely was uh was the man so i owe him uh
all the credit that's that's awesome um so we talked to who we had on nate thompson right
and it's funny because you are
the godfather all these guys now naturally you're the first nhler to come from alaska but it was
more the big brother the guy they looked up to so how cool has it been with all these other guys
matt carl there's so many names that they all really look up to you they do though i know you're
modest but it was just the way it was. I'm proud to be from there.
At one point, there were six of us that were in the NHL.
Got a pretty good photo of that.
A bunch of us happened to be there.
Was Tim Wallace one of them?
Wallace was there.
Can you name them off just so people know?
Joey Crabb, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Wallace, Nate Thompson, Matt Carl.
I hope I'm not missing anyone.
There's a couple other younger guys that are pretty awesome.
Yeah, it was good.
But it's like, you know, I think that was just part of our culture that,
hey, we're not going to get into the, you know, because people talk,
oh, this guy's jealous of him.
No, right away, you know, for the young guys,
that's not going to happen with us.
We're proud of our state.
We're here.
And this is, you know, even on the ice, it was just fun.
And as they got older and started establishing themselves,
we all worked out in the summers together,
and it was just a good thing for all of us.
At what age were you like, all right,
I think that I'm one of those guys that's going to get out of here, and I might even fucking make it to the NHL?
Well, I told my mom I was buying her house at seven.
I remember saying that.
But you're going to help her buy her house?
No, I was going to get her a house.
They were my parents.
But the thing was is growing up there and, you know,
probably the same for Whit.
I don't know, maybe different.
But the only goal was to get a college scholarship.
That was the only – I mean, if you got a college –
That was making it.
Yeah, I was making it.
That was the only thing we said.
Obviously, things went different.
But we didn't know about the WHL.
We didn't know about those leagues and stuff.
But I think what happened was if we're all growing up in Alaska
and we play against each other and the competition is unreal.
There's two organizations.
Actually, there's a third.
Oh, Ty Jones, he was another one.
Competition's unreal.
There's two organizations.
Actually, there's a third.
Oh, Ty Jones, he was another one.
He won a marriage.
And what had happened, I think when I was 11, second year in Pee Wee,
they put the best kids on one team.
Because it took away maybe the competition games,
but whenever we went outside, teams would blow us away just because it was just what it was.
But then when we had the squad, the group, yeah, we could compete with anyone.
We lost two national championships in our last year we won.
But that was really key.
And a lot of parents today, they don't get that, that the practices were unreal.
I mean, we're going against the best every day.
And now I don't even know how many organizations are in Alaska
because a kid doesn't make it.
Well, we'll just start a new one.
And it just kind of got watered down, I think.
Were you playing up a couple ages at some point?
Yeah, I was playing up the fact that I was young.
I started school early.
I started school at 4 because the neighbor down the street.
You were late 79.
Yeah, he was five.
And my dad was pissed because, you know, I'm going to be stuck at home.
And my dad was just like, you're just as dumb as this kid.
There's no way he should be starting school.
So I remember I had to go take some tests.
And I started.
And then the asshole in third grade, because, you know, I was a solid C student.
And I was struggling, you know.
And they thought some genius idea that he'd hold me back. in third grade because you know i was a solid c student i was struggling you know it was and they
thought some genius idea that uh that he'd hold me back so i was held back in third grade and
people don't realize is that the fourth graders go out to recess while the third graders are coming
in so all my buddies and everyone and i'm just standing there i mean you're dominating all the
third yeah but thank god my mom uh you know i'm kind of a mama's boy, too. And, you know, she must have, I was just miserable for weeks on end.
And she probably cut the old man off or something because next thing you know,
I had a big speech that I just, you know, you got to be better in school, whatever.
So they moved me back up.
I was back with my friends.
But, you know, I set the bar.
I was a solid C student.
But, you know, I still consider myself probably one of the greatest gym students ever.
Oh, yeah, every sports guy.
I mean, it was Alaska, too.
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.
So much for that college scholarship, then, huh?
Well, you went to the VCHL first.
When you're that good already, you're fucking going to college.
Somebody else is doing your homework for you. No, I mean, I was a master at cheating on everything in school and this and that.
But I loved it.
I mean, it was a social aspect.
I mean, where else are you going to go see girls every day?
Yeah, I mean, it just – but no, I was supposed to go to the SHL.
Things probably would have worked different.
But they got messed up where I was going.
Oh, really?
That's what happened.
When I was 14, a coach came to Alaska,
and he said when Scott turns 15, 16, we're going to have his rights.
And my dream was always, growing up in Alaska,
was to go to the Omaha Lancers because I forgot to mention this guy.
He's the ultimate.
One of my favorite hockey players,
one of the best hockey players I ever saw was Brian Swanson.
Oh, Colorado College.
Yeah, so that's the only reason.
So, Swanee, all those guys went to Omaha.
Like, there was a group of guys, and that was my dream to go to Omaha.
And the coach sat in my house, and he said,
I remember he shook my dad's hand.
He goes, hey, if Scott's, when Scott turns 16 and he still wants to go there,
I'll trade his rights.
And he shook on it, and I'm just like, oh.
My mind was already made up two years later.
They whined and dined me, I'm not going to lie.
It was great.
I went there once, but I wanted to go to Omaha, and then it just,
it wouldn't happen, the rights.
And actually, Lincoln was in an expansion
team that year oh that'd be awesome and then I didn't know anything about that and it and we've
all gone through it we're you know recruiting people don't realize it's you know this is back
when you got one phone and I mean yeah the phone calls non-stop this and that all my buddies they're
getting ready to go to their junior their junior teams and i was still sitting around and finally
you know we heard of the bc league because of paul crea and this and uh and the only reason i ended
up in surrey because you know my dad sioux city just wouldn't give up the rights i could have
gone to lincoln and my dad gave me the old you know one of the famous gomez speeches that hey uh
you know this guy lied in our house we can give in or i was going to make the ultimate decision because my parents weren't going to let me go somewhere where or make
me go somewhere i was going to be miserable and it'd be on them but i went to the bc league and
and it's funny because when i got home for christmas uh you know we lived in a small
ranch style house when i get home and fuck there's big screen TV, stereo system. I think the old man got greased because –
You're like, wait, dad.
You hit the lottery?
Yeah, you.
It literally was like that and he just had a big smile on his face.
But it was unbelievable.
It's referenced with the Mexican thing, but I crossed the border every day
to go to school in the States so I could keep my –
Graduation.
Yeah.
And what happened was basically my billets, John Short and Carol,
but mostly Shorty and Rick Lance, my head coach, and Mark Hollick,
they basically sabotaged college.
They were like.
You're going junior.
Well, they, you know, they worked my old man and they, you know,
brought my, when my parents came down to visit or they took him to a
WHL game and literally were like,
see that kid right there?
That kid right there is going to make a million dollars next year.
No.
It was a fast track.
It was a fast track.
And everyone assumed that.
And the big rumor was back then that like, you know, I think it's different in the O or whatever,
but back then, you know, you got money under the table.
And I guess Paul Crea got offered, the rumor was, you know, $250,000.
So Spokane had my rights.
Ty Jones, one of my best friends, he's playing, you know, first rounder.
He's playing for the Chiefs.
And the Chiefs, they were hosting the Memorial Cup that year.
Just proves we had no idea.
I still wanted to go to college.
I still, you know, I ended up signing a letter of intent for Colorado College.
Koswani and those guys were there.
They were a powerhouse.
And literally, Spokane dropped my rights.
The owner was a good friend.
Ron Toygo was good friends with my billet.
And they were like, hey, we can get this kid to go.
And I ended up going to Tri-Cities.
And funny thing was.
How much?
Well, there was none.
I mean, everyone assumed.
I'd made more in the BC League.
That was a cut.
Highest paid guy out west.
You're like, what WHA team?
Nah, BCHL.
But the problem was is that the problem was is, you know, I could have gone.
It's my draft year.
I'm rated in top five, whatever, this and that.
And I go to Tri-Cities, and I have no clue.
And, I mean, I think we won like 17 games
i was gonna say that yeah that year that year i know i was you know during the summer uh mr
jolly runs a moving company got me a job because you know wanted some money and i didn't move
anything i just shot hoops all there was a basket they wouldn't let me move but so i langdon yeah
well it actually was jordan because I think it was 96,
and that's when they were in the finals.
But I remember sitting with a bunch of guys at my first lunch,
and I was just pumped I have a job.
And one guy's telling me, he's like,
if I could go back and get a college scholarship and do this and that,
and don't do this.
And I just remember I just gave it up, and I'm like, oh, shit.
That's all I need to hear i think my fifth game into the into my whl career i i um broke my
collarbone it was my draft year i totally went down and it worked out games i mean i only played
like 40 45 yeah 49 game or something like that 40 games and you know i mean it was an experience it
was uh it's kind of a panic right like i'm a first rounder it's just you just you know, I mean, it was an experience. It's kind of a panic, right?
Like, I'm a first-rounder.
We're all caught up in it then.
We're all caught up in it.
You're looking at those reports.
What was that, the Red Line report?
Oh, yeah.
And you're constantly moving down.
Yeah, yeah.
You're constantly moving down, but, you know,
in the grand scheme of things, it...
It felt pretty good.
Well, for me, falling down in the draft,
I mean, I ended up going, you know, the draft, I mean, I ended up going,
you know, instead of going that high, I ended up going to a team
that, man, you had to, you know.
The stars aligned. So the next year,
you lit it up. Well, he lights
it up, and was the team way better?
The team was way better.
We had to let go of our coach. Rick Lance
came to coach. It was just a bad situation.
It was a lot of leftover guys.
It was what it was. And Don Hay came in came in and hazers and that's a scary human being when
you're uh when you're a kid we were older we knew we were just so young we knew we were going to be
better but i was still pissed off that i had to go back because i thought i literally was the last
cut um for making it with the devils. Oh, your first training camp.
You were sick.
And it wasn't that.
It was more like the game was easier up there because you're playing with the better guys.
And, hey, I like to dish the puck.
You're a thinker, dude.
Yeah, and so it was just – I thought it was going to stay.
I don't know if they still got that rule where if they keep me and you play 10 games.
Burn the year.
Yeah, and so uh yeah i remember
for the devil's team considering then with that because i think me and niedermeyer at that point
were uh the only two that didn't didn't go to albany like you were set you had to go to albany
so that year i go back to juniors and i'm just no i'm horrible because I'm so mad I'm playing with bad guys
and give the devil's credit
no offense
I think Lou
no no no
I mean
but Lou
Lou flew up
and to see me
because they
I think they told him
I was struggling
because I was pissed
I didn't make it
and he kind of gave me
a little rally cry
and it was awesome
we had a great group
we made it to the
like what did he say
I mean I'm not
wake the fuck up Homer
he said
I mean
and you know
You kind of, when you do Lou
You got to do his voice
It's just the way it is
Let's go, let's go
And I was just like, you know
Scotty, listen here
Yeah, I know you're upset
You didn't make it, but
Now we got to see really what you got
There's some lines like that
I don't know
But basically we got to see you help out
But it just showed you The kind of different organization that, you know,
like there was other guys struggling and not once did their GM come fly down.
It said a lot.
And so, yeah, that's kind of that.
I mean, fuck, I don't know if I want to go there just yet
in your relationship with him.
Do you guys want to talk a little bit more, Junior?
Because sometimes I get selfish.
Well, I can tell. I mean mean i can tell what happened next year was such an iconic figure in hockey and and although i i maybe disagree with some of his old school mentalities
and how much control he wants to have is you have to commend the fact that he's he's been there he's
done that and now he's fucking doing it again in long island yeah it was uh here's the here's the
power that you realize what you're getting into
or you don't you don't um at the draft i'm sitting with my agents and i just wanted to go in the
first round and i'll give a funny sounds cool right it sounds cool but we all go on stage we
all grow up going on stage the arms get wrapped around and it's it's the dream so big dog so
i thought for sure dallas was going to take me and this is the year that the NHL, I don't know who came up with this dumb idea,
but the teams were allowed a timeout.
Oh, yeah.
So if you weren't, you know, you get how many minutes.
If you weren't key, you got like 10 more minutes.
So the first round dragged on forever.
I thought Dallas was going to take me.
The doctor turns around from Dallas and he's kind of looking. So now it's the last pick in the first round and on forever. I thought Dallas was going to take me. The doctor turns around from Dallas, and he's kind of looking.
So now it's the last pick in the first round,
and the Devils trade for the pick.
And I'm sitting there going, oh, shit.
And I didn't really talk to him that much.
But finally, New Jersey Devils select Scott Gomez.
Parents, everyone jumps up.
I think my agent was right there, and he's like, fuck.
Yeah, and you kind of look at him
Contract negotiations for the next many years
My job just became so hard
So I go up on stage
I got the curls
It's all slicked back
So afterwards
Four cell phones and all that
All my friends and stuff were back watching
And I called them and I'm like
Hey where did you go
And I'm like what the fuck and they're like where did you go and I'm like
what the fuck you mean where did I go
and they're like after the 27th pick
ESPN cut it off and put Buck Hunting
that Buck Hunting show on
such an ESPN move
are you fucking kidding me
my dream of
getting on Stia so that was maybe
things to come but then that next
year
Gab Great Jr. World Junior of getting on Stiaz, so that was maybe things to come, but then that next year,
you have great juniors,
world junior, all that stuff was great, and
for
playoffs, we all dyed our hair blonde.
We do stupid stuff.
We lose to Kamloops. I didn't play.
A rookie
knocked me out with a puck.
Whatever. Your own team the puck whatever your own team
yeah our own team
we were doing power play
and he turned around
fired it out
so I was out
for the last game
wouldn't have helped
they beat us
I think 4-1
but
they
I remember
I was at
Darryl Hayes
Billet's house
I forgot where the party was
I'm passed out
and the billet comes
and she's like
Scott
your billet's looking for you
and I'm like
oh okay
season's over I'm like my billets were great they were you know
i leave my cigarettes yeah we got more beers for you yeah and uh and they um what happened was is
uh my flight was at three o'clock to go to new jersey and my hair appointment was at 11 to dye
my hair back to being black.
That's the power of Lou Lamarillo. And then talk about the worst experience.
So I fly to Jersey and I'm thinking I'm going to Albany for playoffs.
So I'm like, this is going to be great.
And I fly to Jersey and I'm sure we'll get into it later.
The famous Turtleback Hotel that's across the rink from the South Mountain.
And I go there and basically don't do anything.
No one tells you anything.
They're getting ready for playoffs.
They're the number one team.
They're playing against Pittsburgh, the A seed.
And so finally I'm just sitting around for two days.
And I finally get a call from the strength guy, and he's like, yeah, hey,
you got to come out.
You're going to go on the ice.
I'm like, with the big guys?
All right. So I come over with my my gear and we've all been there especially in
those days i mean you just it's it's not what friend is this it's not yeah it's not what people
think man it's it's almost you're just scared you don't there's an aura yeah being around those
fucking guys and it's it's an aura and now you look back it's it's fucking playoffs i mean this
is they've already lost last year in the first round. They were the top seed.
So this is serious business.
And here's some pigeon-toed Mexican kid.
No one even knows that he's a first-rounder.
I walk in, and I'm going to go on an optional skate with these guys.
And this is where, as we all know, gets older,
Hall of Famer Dave Anderchuk,
it was his first time being healthy scratched in playoffs.
So I look back and I'm like, what the fuck?
What the fuck is this guy thinking?
I'm on the ice with him.
And it was just a horror.
A black ace with Anderchuk.
Yeah, it was just.
How was he?
Was he fucking mad or was he expecting it?
You know, back then you look in perspective.
He was probably beyond pissed.
I mean, he's already a Hall of Famer.
He's already got the numbers. And it all happens we've all seen I didn't know what the
agreement was going into that that that season if he was on the way out yeah no because no because
he played uh he played more I mean he played it just so it was we've all seen it happen like maybe
you know the coach just whatever but here I'm on the ice with these guys and this guy's you know
not that they treated me bad or anything but I look back I'm like what the hell am I doing here
so they were two weeks into it I had a couple buddies you know, not that they treated me bad or anything, but I look back and I'm like, what the hell am I doing here? So they were two weeks into it.
I had a couple of buddies, you know, playoffs.
It goes game seven.
And now I really don't I don't go back to the rink.
I don't know what I'm doing there.
And I have a couple of buddies that went to school in Iona from Alaska that played that played playing hockey there.
And I remember calling them and I'm like, hey, you guys got time off.
I think they were done.
And so they come down and we went to,
I called the devil's office
because I thought you could do it for,
the Nets were playing.
And they were like, well, Scott, there's a game tonight.
Like, aren't you going to watch the game?
And I was like, oh shit, am I supposed to?
Like, I'm like, I'm not a part of that.
And I just remember saying like, you know,
I just get so nervous watching it, you nervous watching the playoffs, this and that.
So we ended up going to a basketball game.
Great excuse.
Yeah, I mean, was I supposed to watch them?
Like, I'm not even part of this yet.
Like, when I'm on the team, then I'll watch.
How did they end up doing that year?
I don't even remember.
They lost to Pittsburgh for the first rounds, too.
So it was two years in a row.
Oh, geez.
Sure, but the coolest thing I do remember,
and my favorite hockey player, my idol was uh there's other stories you want but um i walk into the rink and doug gilmore
oh in the gym and this is doug gilmore and i'll never forget he was your my idol this is this
why the jersey tuck was this way i tuck my jersey because this way like i'd you know i'd hate i'd
put baby powder on my stick.
Yeah.
Just because anything he did, I would do.
And I remember one time I was taking a face off and I think it was Danny Heatley.
And then when they're like, easy grats.
And I'm like, shit, someone saw that?
It usually didn't come off right away, but it did keep the tape on.
And Doug Gilmore completely stops what he's doing.
And you had to walk around where the old gym was at South Mountain and introduces himself.
Hi, I'm Doug Gilmore.
Welcome, Scott.
And I was just blown away by that.
I was like, man, here's...
Best feeling.
Oh, man.
Especially as you're out here.
It was just...
You always want it to be what you dreamed it to be.
Because sometimes, even if they're not in a good mood or whatever it is...
It's like anything.
And sometimes people got to realize that.
They hear that like, oh, this guy was an asshole.
Well, maybe he just found out his old lady's cheating on him.
Yeah, yeah.
You never know.
Real life gets in the way and people don't think of that.
But when you're with someone, like you're at a sit down or a table or wherever
and you're with one of your idols, this and that,
and the guy's more pissed off that he's stuck with a young rookie.
Then you're like, what a dick.
One thing about it, those guys, it's like another one of my idols was Randy McKay.
Yeah, legend, right?
And this guy was, during training camp, I sat next to him.
Doesn't say a fucking word at all.
Doesn't say a word, first camp.
I make the team
and I come in the room
and he's doing
he's doing karate kicks
and this and that
the timing's off
because
that year I did make it
the next time I was
gonna make it
every day
I was in the bar
with Randy
and Lyle Odelein
because
I make it by curfew
and I remember
calling my parents
and I'd be half in the bag
every night being like me too with O, and I'd be half in the bag every night being like...
Me too with Odie.
And I'd literally be like, Mom, Dad, but I was having a great camp.
They're like, hey, keep doing what you're doing.
Doesn't matter, kid.
But my thing was that the more these guys get to know me off the ice,
the better they're going to help me on the ice.
And so it's like anything.
A guy would stand up and go, hey, who's coming?
Kid, you want to go? Yep. I'll go. You don't say anything. I'm in a bar. These so it's like anything. A guy would stand up and go, hey, who's coming? Kid, you want to go?
Yep.
I'll go.
You don't say anything.
I'm in a bar.
These guys are playing golden tea.
I'm like, this is, you know,
but I'm sitting here.
I'm in the NHL.
And then the excuse was,
you know, this is a training camp.
And then the excuse was wine.
You know, hey,
we got to take this young kid out for dinner.
You know, they're telling their wife.
So now the wine comes out.
But it was literally.
They were using you as a scapegoat.
Yeah, exactly.
But then they realized, this guy's fun to hang out with.
So then Randy, Randy.
And even then, you're still being quiet.
But Randy, I remember I make it.
I come in the room, and Mackie's doing karate kicks.
He always had a big Copenhagen, and I'm just like, what the fuck?
And anyway, we start talking, and I said, hey, man, you're a cool guy.
Dude, you're pretty cool.
Why are you such a dick?
And he goes, I'm bad with names.
And I'm like, what does that mean?
He goes, man, there's so many of you young fuckers here.
I don't know your names.
He's like, make the team, and then I'll know you.
And I just was like, all right, that's pretty cool.
I respect that.
I mean, this guy, characters like that.
I love how you're a young guy asking him why he's being so mean to you.
So for everyone listening, I remember when I was with Florida,
and you'll see where I'm going with this.
When I was with Florida, I was there for like seven games.
I was terrible.
Gomez is on the team, and one night in Upshaw's room,
he goes, Gomez is coming down, the best hot stove ever.
And I actually thought when this podcast began, I was like,
God, if I just talk to guys like Gomer, it'll be the best.
And as everyone can hear who's listening, this guy's one of the best storytellers going.
What I want to get into is that first year, okay?
You win Rookie of the Year, going into camp, and you're talking about that training camp now.
Did you have any idea you'd play that big of a role?
Yeah.
Because they are – that team is loaded.
Well, the confidence gave me was – it gave me uh the year before i knew i could do it
like i you know now and what happened was and it's probably the only reason why was uh that summer
it's probably illegal but i had to move down to jersey uh july 1st and that's when i got to meet
the guy that probably shaped my career probably one of the most, was I had to work out with Vladimir Bure.
Only guy? You're the only guy?
No, there was eight of us that started with him.
Five of us ended because the other guys were working out with him.
All the minor league guys were there.
So this is the schedule, and this is no word of a lie.
You get up at 6 in the morning.
We'd go over to the rink. Me, Colin White.
We'll get into him later.
Whitey, Sheldon Surrey, Dennis Peterson, Sergey Breeland, and a couple other Russians.
Pierre Dagenais.
So we'd get up in the morning, and only five of us.
Shelly didn't last too long.
They were already there.
So here's the schedule.
We'd go down to West Orange High School
and we'd be in the field and we'd run.
And there was laps, sprints for a good two hours.
Then we'd play tennis.
We'd play tennis for another hour.
Then after that, we would go have lunch together.
We'd nap and then we'd have to be back at the rink at around 3 or 4,
and then that was weights.
That was Monday through Saturday.
Wednesday was just one a day, and then at night, you know,
the Russians, the sauna.
We had to do the sauna thing, and then Saturday was just in the morning.
And later on, I'll give one of the best stories of Whitey
and Bruce Springsteen
comes involved with that
but
but
this is
I mean
in the things we are doing
it's not allowed now
it's not even allowed
it shouldn't be allowed
but we're doing what
I mean
what these guys did
I mean there's
you did Russian training
we're doing Russian training camp
and
and Vladdy had all of like
Pavel
and Valerie's things.
And I mean, it's just amazing how like...
But this was, I mean, the fights that happened, the FU matches, this was every day.
Just because it was so hardcore.
It was so hard.
Everyone was on edge.
Getting sick of each other.
Sick of each other.
And we're just together.
And we're not on the ice.
These guys are already on edge.
And we're just doing this, and this is all like...
And granted, I'm from out west, where you guys...
I've never felt fucking heat like this before.
The humidity.
And it just, I mean...
And the guys that did it, they were still proud of it.
I mean, it was just something that...
But we...
And then we got on the ice, and it was just laps, laps, laps,
and everything was timing.
By the time training camp came, I mean, you took a week to, it was, and back then
they had rookie camp. That wasn't
even considered rookie camp. Yeah, they had like a week
and that's the only bad thing now,
because, you know, I don't know if you guys
were in yet, but the first
couple training camps were so fun because
there were so many guys and it lasted like two weeks.
Pittsburgh training camp was the easiest thing
I've ever done in my life in 2005. And you got
to know guys more. Now it's like, bang, and as a young guy, that was the easiest thing I've ever done in my life in 2005. And you got to know guys more. Now it's like,
bang, you get in as a young guy. That was the coolest
thing. You get to hang around these NHL guys
forever. But now, I mean, I remember, I think it was
my third year maybe. It was like a week, bang.
Everyone's left. The team's, here we go.
But Vladdy was definitely the reason.
And people forget.
Were you not burnt out going to that?
No, because right before he was a genius,
we thought we were right before you get basically a week off of nothing.
Don't do a thing.
You're not doing a thing.
You probably feel great after.
Oh, God, by the time you get in there.
And like I said, you look back at the pictures, I'm pretty chubby.
So for me to have abs for one time,
I mean, it was like the first summer I could walk without a shirt on
and this and that.
That would be nice.
But Patrick Elias and Brendan Morrison were holding out.
So it basically came down to two –
John Madden was next in line because the way the Devils worked was you –
Start in the fourth line and move on.
Well, you start in Albany, and then that's what happens.
So that really helped.
And I remember because the first – I had a great training camp.
And I could tell a story that's still to this day I can't believe happened.
Let's hear it.
Okay, so it boils down to there's two guys.
So Madden's already got the spot.
Now there's one more spot open.
It's down to me and Eric Bertrand, French guy, beauty, great guy.
We play a game, and we have a back-to-back.
It's the last game.
It's going to come down to me and him, I guess.
And they don't tell us who's playing.
Something happened, and I saw Bertrand when I was at the Canadiens in Quebec.
We were in Quebec, and I saw him, and we just both laugh at the story still.
For some odd reason
He had
He knew someone in the city
And was like
Let's go to dinner in the city
Or this club
And I was like
We don't know who's playing
The next day
50-50 here bud
So
And it's not even that
Hey we'll go
You know it all starts
Like hey we'll just go
Yeah
Let's go for dinner
Next thing you notice
You know
Probably meet some people
Hey they're gonna go to this place
Yeah let's go to this place
And this is You know It got To the point It was Next thing you notice, you know, probably meet some people. Hey, they're going to go to this place. Yeah, let's go to this place.
And this is, you know, it got to the point it was,
who knows what time it is.
And back then you're invincible.
I mean, hey, you don't, you know, I'm going to the NHL.
No one's stopping me.
And, you know, there's no GPS.
There's no phones.
We have no fucking clue how to get back home.
But we know Route 3 is right there, there and the metal lands is right there so me and this asshole we we basically stayed in we
slept in the car and this is the new jersey devils we slept in the car and i forgot because it was
game day i think we had so we didn't we weren't wearing suits like we had changed our clothes
whatever and basically walked in and like you know 7 30 in.30 in the morning and just like scared.
I don't think there's cameras in there.
It's not in the parking lot.
I shouldn't even say slept.
It was only like a couple hours.
Instead of risking it to go,
we stayed in the parking lot.
The fact we did not get caught,
I have no clue to this day.
But we both were in the lineup.
Actually, Birdie got hurt that that day so he gets uh so i guess he i guess i'm gonna make it
next day i walk in the locker room and number 23 is on my stall and i was wearing always where i
was wearing 48 in camp and i just thought they'd give me that and you think that a kid would be
like that must have meant I probably made it.
They changed the number, this and that.
And I just looked at the jersey and I'm like, fuck.
I'm pissed.
And Larry Robinson sees me and he's like, hey, kid.
I was like, did I make it?
And he's like, congratulations, you're here.
He goes, look at the number.
And I go, what the fuck I got to wear that for?
Like, I wanted number 11.
And Larry's like, really?
And he's in shock that I'm mad about the number.
You're not, like, going ecstatic.
Yeah, I'm like, God.
I'm like, who's 23 besides Jordan?
Jordan's got that taken care of.
And he's like, well, you know, there's a guy, Bob Ganey.
And I'm like, yeah, but he was more defense, man.
I'm offense.
I'm flow, man.
What a young punk.
Wow.
Yeah, and I'm just, but it's, you know, I think back now.
And anyway, Larry goes, okay.
And this is kind of, he goes, okay. And this is the kind of thing.
He goes, no problem.
We'll solve that.
And he says, he goes, the trainer's standing by the door.
And he's like, hey, Dana.
He goes, is number 11 available in Albany?
Looks at the sheet and goes, yeah, it is.
He looks over and goes, you still want number 11?
I was like, I fucking love 23.
Well, I'm glad you brought up Larry Robinson because that season, people who don't know,
Robbie Fitora coached 74 games and he got fired.
And with eight games to go, Larry Robinson comes in.
The team withers in four and four.
They win the Stanley Cup.
What is the thought process when the head coach
gets fired that soon before playoffs?
First of all, you know, it's such a whirlwind.
You don't know what's going on.
And you're young, so you don't care.
Like, I remember to get to that, and we've all gone through it,
I was becoming really close with Brian Ralston.
Roley's one of the best.
Very underrated guy.
Yeah.
And so Roley, and growing up as a U.S. kid,
he was a college legend, likes to play in the stadiums.
So I'm becoming close with Roley.
After warm-ups, we're playing Colorado,
and I'm watching Sackick, Forsberg. i can't believe i'm on the same line you know and i come in the locker room and
something's different like something's something's different like there's you know there's uh the
feng shui's off you know there's something like what's going on to the four someone die here like
what's going on here and guys are in and out of the room and anyway Brian Ralston just
got traded for Claude Lemieux and he's in the weight room and guys are going in and out to say
bye I'm going I'm like what the this hat like this hat like this and you know and you start
realizing man this is a business so that was kind of and with the Robbie thing you know we were yeah
we were kind of struggling but we're still you know powers and you know, we were, yeah, we were kind of struggling, but we're still, you know, powerless.
And, you know, one thing about.
41 and 25 and eight.
But one thing about Lou, I mean, he felt the team, he felt, you know, wasn't right.
But I just remember we were going to, I think we were busing to Long Island and initially
Larry didn't want it.
And they were, we were all on the bus waiting and Larry, Larry and Lou were in the car and
then the announcement was made, and it was just –
and people forget it wasn't like we just turned it on.
We were still 500 towards the end.
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, and then here we go.
That's such a ballsy move by Lou.
Like, that's why he's a legend, right?
Well, I mean –
To make that call just to feel the team out where –
Another thing, I mean, I think you might have to look it up,
but, like, when, you know, Claude Julien got fired with, I think, a game.
We were in first place.
And this is when you knew the balls this guy's got on him
is the fact that he went behind the bench.
He went behind the bench, and it was literally like,
and we just never forget that day was the fact that
all the old guys are calling, because is Lou going to skate with us?
Like, the guy's always in a suit.
We've never seen him on wheels.
Everyone is on the ice early.
Everyone's on the ice early, and it's like,
and here he comes, you know, he's got the stick.
He's holding it like this.
He's got the gloves that are up to here.
He's got the clear toques, blades, whatever,
and it was like, holy shit, this is going to happen.
But, yeah, it was pretty funny.
So you brought Lemieux in.
Like, we had Shelly Osan. He said But, yeah, it was pretty funny. So you brought Lemieux in. We had Chellios on.
He said everybody, even his teammates, couldn't stand him.
But he was obviously older by the time he got the jersey.
Well, for the second time.
What was it like having him in the room?
The whole atmosphere.
A popular guy leaves.
Lemieux comes in.
All right.
Nice.
Crack a beer.
Yeah, this could be a while.
But if, and I'll say, and these stories that i'll tell because hey
you know if claude lemieux were right here it'd even be better because you'd hear his side of it
yeah it's so and so so literally so we've been together at dinners and stuff and it just goes
better so it's not just one side and i signed him a jersey for the 95 reunion and all the sayings
he told me so now claude Lemieux comes on the team.
And remember, he won a cup with these guys.
All these guys know him.
And, I mean, it is just like, you know, something's different.
Something different's going to happen.
And I'm like, who's this guy?
And Randy McKay, remember, telling me, like,
oh, wait till you get a load of this guy.
He walks in, and you don't realize how big he is first of all he's a huge man and you're
like geez you know so at the all-star game joe sackett comes up to me and he says hey well how's
the pep and i'm like oh man you know it is you know i don't know him that well yet and joe sackett
goes hey just realize he's always open
He's always open
So I'm like
Okay
So now me
Brendan Morrison
Play with Claude Lemieux
And
This fucking guy
Is literally
I mean
On us
On us
It's everything
Never
Nothing's ever good enough
Ever this and that
Blah blah blah
You get to the bench
And he's saying
He's just like
Hey you know We could do that Hey kiddo I was open there This and he's saying something. He's just like, hey, you know, we could do that.
Hey, kiddo, I was open there.
This and that.
And you're just like, and it's called a meal.
So now me, Brandon Morrison, and Claude, we get into a rhythm.
But it's all happened.
Is Mo playing center or you?
I think me and Mo are kind of – I'm on wing.
I'm playing wing.
I'm playing wing.
So me and Mo and Pep, and we have like a five game.
Mo's on like a seven-point streak.
I'm on a five, and for people who don't know, we all look at the sheets.
And once you get a five-point streak, you're on the list.
You're on the name, whatever it's not.
And Claude's the guy on the line basically doing all the work,
but not getting rewarded.
He's on a two, so this and that. So anyway, me and Mo, we go to Carolina.
And there was that snowstorm because there was like three teams caught there.
Me and Mo were like, hey, let's go to Chapel Hill.
And well, Carolina's playing Maryland in basketball.
So we don't have tickets, but I go up to the ticket counter,
and I'm like, hey, we're with the New Jersey Devils.
So-and-so called.
We're supposed to have a couple tickets.
And the guy's like, and he's looking, and he's looking.
And I'm looking at Moe, and I'm like, don't worry.
Hey, got this.
He met Scott.
I'll get his send.
Don't worry.
And we're waiting, and we're waiting, and we're waiting.
And finally the guy's like, hey, the game's free if you just want to go in today.
Because it was a snowstorm and I'm like, and Mo's looking at me and I'm like, oh, God.
So go in the game.
Afterwards, like I said, I didn't go to college.
So afterwards, there's just an ant trail.
And it's still early.
We're like, hey, let's go have one.
And so we have a couple.
Make it, find out.
We were staying in Raleigh, and that snowstorm.
We've had a couple.
And anyway, we're not going to make it back because we can't get a car.
And I should say I probably had more than a couple.
I'm back with my age group, kind of thing.
And so we can't get a car
we met these guys
that were grad students
that were from Canada
so they knew who we were
great people
they had a clothing line
I wish I still knew
the name of this
but we hung out with them
all night
we had to call them
I don't even know
what time of morning it was
and be like
hey well
can you give us a ride home
like we'll leave you tickets
blah blah blah
this and that
guys were great
they take us back.
We didn't think we had a pregame skate.
My roommate, Jay Pandolfo,
I come in and I'm just whacked out of my,
ah!
You know, like,
and so anyway,
we get down on the ice.
We have pregame skate.
Ken Danico takes a shot
and we're like the three,
warming up the goalies,
three lines,
and I don't know what the hell
Moe was doing in front of the net,
but Moe takes one off the foot.
So now his foot, they think, is broken.
I have a piece of lettuce.
I'll never forget that.
And we get to the bus early, and back then, I'm hurting.
That was your pregame meal, by the way.
I'm hurting, yes.
And I'm hurting.
I'm hurting.
Like, I'm like, oh, my God.
And I got to get out of here.
I got to get just up to my room.
And, like, I probably reeked this night.
And back then, it was really strict. Like, like, I probably reeked this and that. And back then it was really strict.
Like, you don't eat until all the vets eat.
And I think one of the guys knew.
I was like, can I?
It was just, like, three of us.
I don't know what happened.
He was like, yeah, you can eat.
I literally grab a piece of lettuce, put it in my mouth, and I just walk off.
So the game starts.
Or the game.
We're in the game.
And, you know, we've all been there.
I think.
I don't know if the kids today.
But, I mean, I don't even know if I can play in guilt.
I'm hurting so bad.
You're hung, Katie.
But, you know, hey, things are going good.
Hey, we're going to Nashville after this.
You know, whatever.
Claude Lemieux comes over and grabs me and Brendan Morrison, and he goes, hey, come here.
And he takes us over to the corner, and he sits us down.
And no one's around, and he looks, and he goes, I know what you did last night, you motherfuckers.
He goes, you don't fucking play good tonight.
He goes, I go to Lou Lamarillo.
You go to Albany tomorrow, mother.
So we are like, holy shit.
So me and Mo are like, and guys, we all know my game.
I was fucking hitting everything.
I was skating.
I'm scared.
I'm blocking shots.
I'm just trying this and that.
And what happens is third period, it's one-to-one.
Puck comes around.
It hits me off the back by the blue line.
Moe just shoots it on net.
And Columew gets the rebound and scores the game winner.
So after the game, I mean, when they say you put it all on the line,
I gave everything I had.
I mean, I'm only 19.
I had nothing.
Me and Mo were just sitting there on the thing.
And Claude Lemieux comes over and was like,
that way, kiddos, I knew you would be this and that.
Because he got his cookie.
He got his cookie, but he deserved a show.
So same thing happens.
Same thing happens.
We go down.
Same thing happens. Mo's getting his We go down. Same thing happens.
Mo's getting his points.
I'm getting my points.
And Pep's the guy not happening.
So we're in Pittsburgh.
A pregame optional skate.
And me and Mo are getting a little cockier.
You know, kind of like.
We're having a big year.
Yeah.
And so Pep wants a line.
Colami wants a line meeting.
Right at the igloo.
Right on the side of the ice.
So he decides, you know, we need to do this.
We need to do that, blah, blah, blah.
And Mo goes, you know, Pep, we need you to be a little more positive
because it makes us go better.
Like if we know you're always down, it just doesn't.
We grip it tight.
I start chiming in.
I'm like, yeah, you know, when you're positive, Pep, it's just so much easier.
And the look on his face was just like something serious happened.
And we're like, you kind of just, okay, meeting's over.
Me and Mo are skating down like, suck on that.
Like, fuck off.
Like, we're just laughing.
Like, you know, we get down to the other end.
We're so proud of ourselves.
Like, we stood up to him finally.
And all of a sudden you hear this, hey, get over here.
We skate down.
Gets us in the corner.
And he says, I tell you this, and I tell you this once.
I play in the league 16 fucking years.
I don't get you going.
You get me going.
Get the fuck out of here.
Me and Mo were just like, that didn't work.
We thought we got him.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, my God.
This guy is fucking something else.
The worst day of my life was Brendan Morrison gets traded.
And Alex Mogilny, it was great for us, but Mo gets traded.
Now I'm stuck with Pep.
You got no line mate now.
So me, him, and now.
Did Mogilny take his spot?
Now I can play with Alex Mogilny.
And this guy doesn't.
I mean, this guy's as cool as they come out.
And so Pep, he's on me in the room.
We're in the room in between, period.
I'm losing it, guys. I'm losing it. Like, I just can't. Because he's not going to the room. We're in the room in between the period. I'm losing it, guys.
I'm losing it.
Like, I just can't.
Because he's not going to give it to McGill.
No, no.
So now I get a double thing.
And so Pep's on me, this and that.
And I'm like, fuck him.
I'm going to show him up.
So we're in the room in between the period.
And he's on me.
He's on me.
And I go, I say to him, I don't know where it came from,
but it's like your dad's on you enough,
and you just got to get to mom to let her know that this guy's on you.
So Pep's on me, he's on me, and I go, and I just start acting like I'm crying,
like I finally broke down, and I storm out of the room.
And I'm like, and now if Pep were here, he'd say his side of it,
like now everyone's looking at Claude like, you broke this kid.
Like, you dick, this kid's like a nice, you know, god damn. And like, so I'm out of the room, he's looking at claude like you broke this like you dick this kid's like a nice you know god damn like so i'm out in the room he's got to do something i'm in the bathroom
stall and i'm just like you know yeah like you know fuck you this and that and he comes to the
thing the plastic door and he says kiddo kiddo you okay kiddo i'm like yeah pep yeah yeah peppy
goes kiddo you okay and he said yeah next you know is boom
fucking door he kicks the door open gets right in my face and goes you fucking show me up you
show me up just get your fucking ass back in there you show me up I'll fucking then and I'm just like
I go and I remember saying to him and I'm like no I think I broke my arm I think I think I broke
my arm that's why I'm crying like dude I had to walk back in the room and I was like, no, I think I broke my arm. I think I broke my arm. That's why I'm crying.
Dude, I had to walk back in the room and I was like, I had to walk back in the room
and everyone's just, I was like, yeah, that didn't work.
I'm just sitting there like, yeah, whatever.
And it wouldn't do it justice without this.
So Pep's in back of the bus
and he's, and this is, you know,
so I'd sit back in the bus,
I'd sit back in the bus with Ken Danico.
And Dano would fucking complain, you know,
God damn, I play a thousand games.
I got to shit in it.
But he's got worse ADD than I do.
So he'd forget about me in like two seconds when his phone went off.
So I'm sitting there back there.
You know, I just want to be with the guys.
And he goes, call him.
He's in the back of the phone, and he's talking dirty.
He's like, oh, I do this and that, you know.
And I turn around, and I look,
and he's like, fucking turn around, stupid rookie.
And I'm like, don't listen to me.
And so he goes again, and he's going on,
and I'm just like, what the fuck?
So afterwards, he hangs up his phone.
He goes, come here.
And he sat in the back, you know, the three-seater.
He goes, sit down.
I was like, who are you talking to?
He goes, I was talking to my wife. He goes, you always talk dirty to them. And he sat in the back. You know, the three-seater. He goes, sit down. I was like, who are you talking to? He goes, I was talking to my wife.
He goes, you always talk dirty to them.
We are going on the road.
You talk dirty to them.
You let them know that this and that, blah, blah, blah.
And I'm like, listen.
He goes, because all these other stupid idiots.
He goes, they fucking, they don't think when they leave, that's when the wife, she grabbed
the peanut butter.
She spread it all over.
The dog and the cat come over.
Lick, lick, lick, lick.
I'm like, what the fuck?
He's like, now get out of here.
So Pep's telling me this.
And I'm like, what?
What is wrong with this guy?
No, no.
But he was just the best.
He was just, I don't know.
He was just great.
He was just like that.
But another time, we were in Nashville.
You think this guy would come on?
He's the best.
Yeah, he's the best.
He's one of the best interviews.
But another time, he's new to the team, so we're still kind of scared of him.
Not to everyone, though, right?
I mean, no, no, no, but he's just, you know, he's Pep, man.
He's Pep.
We're in Nashville, and the guys, you know, my roommate,
they're all single, you know, at the time.
And anyway, Pandolfo was talking to this beautiful girl.
It's not a lie, because it was like a Swedish model convention was in Nashville or some shit.
So Jay's got her.
But someone, Jay went to the bathroom, you know, and someone told the girl, joking around, that, oh, yeah, you know, he's engaged.
And he wasn't. I mean, this is my rookie year. Yeah. So the girl joking around that, oh, yeah, you know he's engaged. And he wasn't.
I mean, this is my rookie year.
So the girl got pissed.
She's out and Jay doesn't know.
He's trying to explain this and that.
So anyway, she takes off.
Jay is livid.
Pando is livid.
Who shriveled me?
So he hears it's this one guy.
I forgot who it is.
So one of the young guys.
And so Jay's going to go.
It's late.
We don't have a game tomorrow.
We've all been out.
We're pretty in the bag.
And Jay is going to go find this guy.
And we think he found his room.
So he goes to the room.
And he starts kicking the door.
And he's like, get the fuck.
It's Jay.
And before you know it, I'm right behind him because I'm dying.
I want to see.
And before you know it, the door opens.
And I don't wear glasses, but, you know, people that wear glasses.
This guy is going like this.
And he's trying to find his glasses.
It's fucking Claude Lemieux in his boxer.
He's ripped as hell sitting there.
And Jay just stood there like.
And Claude Lemieux's like, what the fuck?
And Jay's just like, wrong room.
Wrong room.
Claude Lemieux's like, no shit, it's the wrong room. room Claude and he was like
no shit it's the wrong room
get out of here
like
oh man
so
and here's one of the last ones
this is Claude
we went
and
we win
we win
the Eastern Conference
and we bust back to Philly
from Philly
we're going back
and Ken Danico
owned a restaurant
and oh man
that was home base
and
some of the first two years
were so fun at that
restaurant so we're uh we're in the i mean i don't know you know drinking beers every sat and back
then when we went around you and you had days off you'd have a break whatever you'd have a you'd
have a team party you'd have everyone get together man you've accomplished something like hey we're
you it's got to be fun i mean it to the finals or whatever. Something like that.
So the party's set at Dano's.
Everyone in Jersey is like, it's going to be packed.
And Vladdy had my car because he was living with me during playoffs.
Vladdy had my truck.
And I had this, like, I don't even like this Toyota, like, kind of like a mini Subaru kind of thing.
It was something you'd see
like a Barbie Tonka Tour.
Something like, yeah, and I'm driving this.
And I'm carpooling
because I lived at the end of Montclair
and Scott Niedermeyer and
Claude lived in Montclair.
So I'm dropping them off before we all go to Dano's.
And it's terrible. I shouldn't have been driving. I don't know why I'm driving. Needs doesn't drink, but I'm in them off before we all go to Dano's. And, you know, it's terrible.
I shouldn't have been driving.
I don't know why I'm driving.
Needs doesn't drink, but I'm in the car driving.
Claude Lemieux is a singer, likes to sing.
So he's got the tunes up.
I think me and him are probably hacking darts.
And we're sitting there, and Needs is just in the back,
and it's in Upper Montclair, and this road, it's completely dark.
And it was either a raccoon, or I don't even know if they have possums inums in jersey i think it was but the thing comes out on the road and i i swerve
and both both guys go like this and fucking what what what the hell happened what are you what are
you doing and i was like i think a possum just i didn't want to hit the possum he's like you
fucking stupid rookie you go through the possum you go through the possum and needs is in the back
he's like yeah you go through the possum and i go through the possum. And needs is in the back. He's like, yeah, you go through the possum.
And I'm like, meanwhile, I don't even know why I'm driving.
I know why Claude's pissed because a piece of ash got on his suit.
And he's like, yeah.
But I will say, man, if you're going to go win a Stanley Cup
and you've got to pick a guy that is –
and we all heard the myths.
And you look at the guy's record
in the consummates and all that,
but to see it live,
to see a man that, you know,
jump on, jump on.
He's possessed.
He raised his level like no one.
And he taught me stuff on the ice
that were just,
it wasn't all bad.
Like I said, he's a true great friend.
He was great to me.
He was unbelievable to me. He was unbelievable to me.
They were unbelievable people.
But he just like falling back on the ice.
If I'm with Biz right here and Biz pushes me over, well, you just push me over.
But instead of pushing over, Claude Lemieux was like, you're stick.
Act like your hands are out of control.
Now I'm just trying to smoke you in the face.
Like, this guy would do stuff like that on the ice.
Like, just, oh, he's nasty.
Anything to win.
And, like, he was just, but, yeah, you saw it.
I mean, when the chips were on the line,
this guy was great.
And he also, like, we win the cup,
and we're in the China Club.
And I'm on the dance floor,
and I'm dancing with this girl,
and she's like, what are you doing? How do you know all these guys? And I'm like, well, you know, I'm on the dance floor, and I'm dancing with this girl,
and she's like, what are you doing?
How do you know all these guys?
And I'm like, well, you know, I'm on the team.
Cup champ.
And she's like, you are?
And I'm like, come on.
I'll take you to the VIP section.
And it's so packed there.
So I go up, and the dude at the roped-off area,
and, like, everyone, you know, we've all been in the suit. And, like, everyone there, he's like, beat it, kid. Like, beat it. And I'm like, no, I'm on the team. Like, I'm on the there. He's like, like, beat it, kid.
Like, beat it.
And I'm like, no, I'm on the team.
Like, I'm on the team.
He's like, yeah, right.
Get out of here.
And the girl looks at me like, yeah, well, you loser.
So not only that, I can't get in.
I can't get back in.
So I'm like, Pandal's right there.
And I'm like, Jay, you know, I'm talking to him right there.
I'm like, hey, come get me.
And he's like, he kind of looks and he's like, no, like, he's not going to get his spot back. And I'm like, I'm going to like right there. I'm like, hey, come get me. And he's like, he kind of looks and he's like, no.
He's not going to get his spot back.
And I'm like, I'm going to like three guys on the team.
Hey, someone's got to get me.
So I go to the end and there's Pep and he's got his own tail.
And I'm like, Pep, come get me.
He's like, get in here.
And I'm like, they won't let me in.
And Pep fucking jumps up, makes his way to the door,
just goes right to the door guy.
He's like, you don't let him in?
And the guy's like, is he on the team?
He's like, yeah, I'm fucking all right.
He's on the team.
Get in here, you stupid rookie.
And I was just like, yeah.
So he always had my back.
He was always like.
Finally gave in.
No, I mean, he's got Claude Lemieux right there.
But like four of my teammates.
No, I'm saying Claude ripped on you all year.
And then you win the cup.
And he's like, come on in.
Oh, no, no.
He was not in that.
He was great.
You know, those are just some of the stories.
Who won MVP that year?
Scotty.
Scotty Stevens. And that's? Scotty. Scotty Stevens.
And that's a different beast.
But Pip.
We got it.
I told you.
I feel like that's a whole other show.
I told you.
We got to have him on 10 times.
There's too many stories.
He remembers every story.
That's the thing, too.
The guys like me going, because I read a lot, and I read a chapter, and I'm like, what the
hell did I just read?
But when it came to the hockey stories, it was just something that, you know.
You mentioned a story of Bruce Springsteen.
What happened there?
I got to bring that back.
Well, Whitey, you need a couple of those.
Yeah, Whitey.
So, like I told you about the workout.
All summer long.
All summer long.
So, getting towards the end.
And Whitey was one of those guys, he's next in line.
Is this Colin White?
Colin White.
Yeah, sorry, sorry. Colin White. Colin White's next in line I was just calling White calling White calling White
calling White's next in line
he's next
he's the next guy
that's gonna make the Devils
and you know
he's a legend in Albany
he's this and that
and so Whitey
me and Whitey
got in a night show
we were working out
and all the guys
on the weekend
would drive back up to Albany
because they only had to work
work out till Friday
so all those guys would leave.
So it would basically always just be me.
And for some odd reason, Whitey stayed
because his wife at the time was in Albany.
So it's me and him.
I found a bar that I could go into.
That, you know, I guess...
You would never go back to those.
Well, and they didn't ID.
I mean, I'm only 19 years old.
So I found a bar.
So me and Whitey, we finished our workout.
We have a case of Coors Light, and we're already starting.
And it's like, that was a hard week.
And we're going to go to this bar.
Just then the phone rings in my room.
And usually when you got a call from Lou's secretary, Marie the best,
it's literally like, hi, Scotty, Lou wants to talk to you.
Bang.
He's right on the phone.
Because he doesn't want time for you to prepare.
Not even that.
So it's like probably.
So he's like, Scotty, what are you doing tonight?
And I said, oh, me and Colin Whitey, we got tickets to this movie premiere.
There was a new movie out.
So I was like, we got these tickets that were really hard to get,
and we're going to go to that tonight.
And he's like, change of plans. He goes, you're gonna go to the bruce springsteen concert tonight and i'm like
granted you know bruce springsteen what the fuck i don't want to go see bruce springsteen like
just like what like you know i'm like love yeah and i'm like and basically there's no we're going
to a bruce springsteen concert and he's like and i want going to a Bruce Springsteen concert.
And he's like, and I want you to get there early.
So me and Whitey, you know, okay.
And he goes, and I want you to watch one thing.
I want you to watch his work ethic.
So we're like, so me and Whitey are like, so why get off the phone?
And Whitey's like, what was that?
And I'm like, dude, we're going to Bruce Springsteen.
I don't know if Whitey was a fan.
So I remember calling my parents.
I'm like, yeah, I got to go to this Bruce Springsteen concert.
This is in 99 where the E Street band hadn't played together.
So this is a reunion.
So we get to the Meadowlands early.
It's packed.
It's packed.
I can't even explain how packed this is.
And there's just a vibe.
It's like, what the hell's going on here? Oh, a lot of energy.
Yeah, yeah.
The energy in a place like that.
And new to Jersey.
So I don't know anything, the history of Jersey, this and that.
So we get in the stadium, and we're there,
and I see my old world junior coach, Bob Mancini, from USA Hockey,
and I see him, and I walk down, and I say hey hey coach what's up and
he's like looks at me he's like you know hey uh you're going to you know he's like he's just
pumped the whole place is jacked and I'm like yeah I'm trying to play it cool I'm like yeah
you know I gotta come he's like you never seen a Bruce Springsteen concert and I'm like well no
I didn't even know they were together you know he's like he's like Gomer kid he's like this is
gonna change your life this this is and and I'm like, yeah, okay.
All right, whatever.
You know, I'm still going to raves, I think, at that time.
I'm like, yeah, okay.
For the next three hours, me and Whitey were literally just on our, I mean, we could not
believe what was going on.
I mean, it was unreal.
Unreal.
The work ethic was still good.
We went to, we asked again, you know, can we just go see his work?
I think we went to like three shows that were here.
That year, we actually, Bobby Higgins became friends with Max Weinberg,
and they were great.
Yeah, became a huge part of the boss.
And you learn early in Jersey, man.
It's like when you're in a bar and it's Bruce or Barn Jovi just comes on.
I mean, it's a loyalty.
It's amazing how his words Like they just like They just resonate
With the crowd
And how powerful it is
I mean
It's like a church
Going to a spring scene
I've been to one
Like I said
It's wild
I don't know how many shows
I've been to
I mean I've never been
To a spring scene
But like I went
And saw Eddie Vedder
A few times
I mean Pearl Jam
I think they do
A pretty good job
Where did this lead
With Whitey
Oh
Okay so Whitey
So
What's his line
Sorry before
Isn't it like grade seven
education fucking make a hundred oh this guy so so whitey uh i'm with whitey one night one day
we're at the hotel and he drove a you know he drove a truck that of course it's like i need a
ladder to get up he's you know tires this and that he's driving a truck and he uh and we're
leaving this bar whatever and whitey's banged up and he uh and we're leaving this bar whatever and
whitey's banged up and he's scary he's scared i don't know him that well at this point and he's
scary and he's like you're taking me to albany you're driving to albany and i'm like and it's
one of those stories we always tell that if you if you were there it just doesn't justice so i'll
try but it's literally that so i'm like scared out of my head like do i
really got to take this guy to albany like that's a three-hour drive i don't you know he's yelling
at me to do it and i'm like hey whitey and so we're making our way back to the hotel and whitey's like
god damn i i thought i told you we're going and i'm like yeah i got to get something from my room
i'm like i just got to get the hotel i'm leaving in his truck so now this lady is parked the only
parking spot in there,
there's this lady and she's got a bag,
or she's got all these groceries and stuff.
And I said, I go, Whitey, stay in the car.
Let me come around and get you.
You know, come in the car.
I get out of the car and I walk around
and I forgot something happened.
Someone was in the hotel and they're like,
Gomer, we're, I was like, hey, I need help with Whitey.
Like, I don't think he can walk.
And I was like, get out out whitey's stumbling around and this lady really doesn't notice him yet and he's just stumbling around and i look and i turn
at him and he just smokes her car why this poor lady's with her kids taking groceries i think she
drops all the bags and whitey's whitey's just laying whitey's just laying there and he's just
and he's got this laugh that's like And he's doing this laugh
This poor lady's just like
And I'm like oh my god my friend's got food poisoning
Like this hand
I get him into the hotel
I get him into the hotel
And he
We get in the hotel
Say it one more time
I'm just remembering
This guy I gotta get his room key and i'm like whitey stay right here
don't move you know and there's steps to go up whitey makes it like five seven steps and this
just you see this guy tumbling down and and don't forget everyone at the hotel probably works for
lou they're gonna know and i'm like he's full he's got food poisoning i just kept going with that
but whitey was just uh like the reason why I didn't play in Albany either was
calling White we had like a day off and Whitey uh asked me if I want to go to Albany with them
all the guys and I'm like sick of being at the hotel by myself I'm like yeah I'll go
so I drive up to Albany we go to this one bar and so I get loaded we go to this other bar
and now I think we all you know got some money in our pocket and I'm at this bar and I'm talking We go to this one bar, get loaded. We go to this other bar.
And now I think we all got some money in our pocket.
And I'm at this bar, and I'm talking to the bartender.
And me and Chris Thompson, who's a WHL guy, me and him,
we're sitting at the bar just having a blast, doing shots.
And I think I tipped, I think I gave the girl like $100.
And I'm like, hey.
And we were joking around the whole time.
And I joked, I'm like, Hey, I just gave you a hundred dollars.
We shouldn't have to wait.
Whatever.
I didn't,
I guess her boyfriend was the bouncer and I didn't,
I probably thought I was, you know,
we almost go,
whatever,
whatever.
All I remember is a guy grabs me by the,
by the throat,
picks me up.
Next thing you notice,
I'm carried out by like three bouncers.
They get me in the middle of the dance floor.
They dropped me.
So I'm,
I'm face down. I'm just trying to get my wallet and i literally get thrown out of the bar and all i know
now i'm thrown out there's a line people are just watching me and i'm already thinking like this is
gonna get back this is gonna get back this time and next thing i was calling white comes running
out and he just starts losing it who threw him out who and the bouncers are like oh colin he's
with him or he's with you whitey and he's like yeah they're
like oh Whitey Whitey so sorry and I'm like they're apologizing to Whitey meanwhile I'm on
the ground I'm like so Whitey takes me to another place I pass out and you know a lot of people
don't realize that I had kind of a fro and it was and Whitey and I don't know who else but they
they got a picture somewhere they proceeded to put I think they got up to count like 200 and
somewhere they proceeded to put i think they got up to count like 200 and 210 red straws in my hair and i just and i just i remember waking up at his house and it was just yeah that was that was my
last time in albany so that was motivation right there i'm not going back there dude i think we
have to like how long have we gone right now oh my god dude We haven't even left this rookie year yet. How long? We've been an hour.
Should we talk about, I think Marty Brodeur has to be talked about in the first one, no?
Yeah, I mean, there's so many guys.
I mean, what's interesting is your relationships with these guys
and how you have stories and great ones about all of them.
Because you were such a likable guy where I feel like there was not much conflict going on between you and teammates.
No, it was sad.
But I went in a situation where, believe it or not, you're quiet, you're just not.
But the thing about the Devils and the thing about the guys, there were so many different personalities in there.
And the thing about the Bobby Huliks, the one thing about it, they let you be.
This is different.
I mean, everyone, we all prepare different.
There's no other profession.
I mean, this is as tough as it goes.
And so you see some of these teams or whatever,
and no, we don't have to do all the things the same way.
I get prepared different than you.
And the Devils were great about that.
Like, if you were going to go out all night, that's fine.
But in practice, you're going to work.
And it was easy because Scotty Stevens at that time is 36 years old,
and this guy is the hardest working guy in practice.
So it pretty much falls down right away.
But they let you be.
And everyone thought it was so stiff and this and that.
Yeah, the rules were different, but we still had a blast.
But we just took care of business on the ice.
But your personalities were allowed. So, like, I think my buddies asked randy mckay he was over
at the house one time my buddies asked her like what was you know what was gomer like as a rookie
like what the fuck like you know my personality's never changing he goes you know what he was he's
probably the cockiest little shit we've ever seen but he was the most respectful rookie like meaning
backing up on the ice it was a vet it was i mean these guys were my idol i mean i was doing a job that like you know they they took care of me and i mean yeah it was
but you had fun i mean it was it was like my second game in the league uh we're at home for
the first time and everyone you know certain guys dan was just rocking scott everyone's in the room
and i'm like man i can't be in the room i i gotta go out hides i i think about hockey when i stepped
on the ice and i remember walking out and, and we had a little lounge there,
and Jennifer Hanniston was on the cover of People magazine,
and that was my future wife, I thought.
And I remember just grabbing the magazine,
and next thing you know, I'm sprawled out, laid out.
And it was about 10 minutes to go before warm-ups,
and I remember Scotty Stevens coming behind me,
and you can see the glance, and I'm like, oh, shit.
I'm just reading this magazine.
I'm like, ooh, is this allowed?
You don't know the rules.
And he's just like, and the next thing you know,
it's just like four guys just watching me.
They couldn't believe that.
Dude, we're about to go play in Antony.
They had to get all intense.
Because they're rookies.
Yeah.
It's like, I know, Todd, but we're in Toronto.
Remember the first time any of us went to the big rinks? It was like, so we're in Toronto remember the first time any of us went to the big rinks it was like
and I get like uh and I'll never forget this because there was this smoke show this beautiful
woman was right up behind the bench like 10 rows up whatever and I'm like wow this is Toronto wow
this is the league and I think I I take like I can't remember who was in the box first but I
think I take like a penalty where you know you who was in the box first, but I think I take, like, a penalty where, you know,
you stepped on my blade, and right the next shift,
Randy McKay fights Ty Domi.
And maybe it was opposite.
I came in, so, you know, Domi's the king at that time.
But, you know, Randy held his own, whatever, this and that.
But it was a pretty good fight.
Randy comes into the box, and he's just all disheveled, you know know this and i just fought you know and i'm sitting there for my tripping penalty
and like what do you say to this guy i'm still new i'm still don't know him that well it's like
fifth game or six games here and he's like i'm like hey man i was like hey smacky uh you know
good job man good fight like you did great and he's like jesus christ kid he's like did you see that
broad right up there fuck if i would have known she was looking i would have done a little bit
better and i'm just like yeah this is the nhl i was like all right cool i was like all right you
can have fun you care about the fight that's unbelievable um any other quick glue stories
and i we won't even get to broder and and what's good is let's save the Montreal shit for the next time you're on.
There's so much more.
There's so much more positive.
And that was awesome.
One of the ones that doesn't do it is Pat Burns.
I think the reason why maybe.
He told me some great things about him.
Later on in life where you get these coaches and you get people that try to act tough and scary.
And until you've seen scary, it's Pat Burns.
So he comes in and I held out.
And I held out for like a day.
But I still held out against the Devils.
Good job.
I was pumped.
And anyway, I'm not really hitting it off with Bernsie,
I could tell.
He doesn't really like kind of my personality, let's say, in the beginning.
And so, anyway, we're in Carolina.
And after the game, we're going on a team retreat.
And so, Bernsie's kind of on me.
I kind of feel like – and Jimmy Mack, McKenzie got the story wrong,
but I think we're like 4-0, 5-0, whatever, this and that, and that start the season i have to look it up we get a power play we're down by a
goal and i go out there and and i'm just i'm nervous for burnsie like things i'm not getting
a good start whatever and i take a tripping penalty to get us off the power play and rob
schick schicker was the ref and he was at my golf event one year and I told we could tell
the story but no so I'm I'm pleading to Schick like I'm pleading to Schick that that you know
you can't do this you can't do this and I'm yelling and I was living with Jay Pandolfo and
another guy from Boston and his cousin so I'm living with four mass holes in the room and I
heard the greatest line ever because it was during a Sunday football,
and the guy says it to one of the buddies,
and I was like, oh, man.
So I say it to the ref.
I say it to Schicker, and I'm like,
you know, why don't you go down and finger yourself?
I use the C word.
I go, why don't you go down and do that
and smell your fingers after
because that's how you just ref this game,
and before you know it, Schicker just, bang, I get an extra two.
I get an extra, I get kicked out of the game.
And I'm like, oh, this ain't good.
This ain't good.
So Jim McKenzie, I'm in the room.
I don't know what to take my stuff off.
I don't know what to do.
Jim McKenzie and Turner get in a fight.
They come in the room.
They're fighting, and I'm like, this and that.
And I'm like, oh, shit, this is not good this is not good so pat burns walks in and he goes he walks in he sits down and he
goes everyone's sitting down and he goes now i know now i know now i know why the fuckers have
got the last guy fired now i know that you bunch of prima donnas blah blah blah and the conversation
is basically going to me and now he starts going he stands in front of the room and the guys ever in the room will
never forget this day he dies and he starts going wow wow wow wow he does that for if he doesn't do
that for a minute it's 30 seconds that's a long time this guy doing that and it's like oh he's
basically staring at me.
And everyone just kind of set the tone, whatever.
Next day, we go to the, we're at this vacation spot.
You got to pick whether you wanted to golf or go fishing.
I was going to go fishing.
I didn't golf back then.
The boat's right there.
The boat's right there.
And there's Burnsy and the coaching staff off to the side.
And he's got a big cigar
that you'd pitch your pat burn smoking and i'm like motherfucker i gotta like i have to walk by
him there's no way i can get around it i'm like oh man he picked fishing too yeah so yeah so i get
on the boat and you know and he's one of those guys and you hear about parcells like you don't
know to say hi to him in the morning he might get offended by that like it's just and if you don't
and it's just burns he's just don't, and it just burns you.
He's just the best.
So I get on the boat
and I'm with the equipment guys
and masseuse guy
and I think Pano's with me
and one of the equipment guys
is from Newark,
New Jersey.
So the guy's never been
on a lake before in his life.
So we're going about,
we go,
I don't know how far we go out,
not that far
and the train,
one of the stick guys goes,
what the hell was that last night
And I was like
What do you mean
He goes
All I hear from the outside
Was wah
Wah
Wah
And I'm like
Freaking out
I'm like hey don't do that
Don't do that
Like shit floats off the wall
Like
Like Burns
He probably heard that
And he's like
Ah you don't hear shit
Two seconds later
My phone rings
I don't know the number
I look down
I answer it
Because it's a Jersey number.
I answer it.
You're the last fucking guy ever.
Wow.
You're the last.
You're the last guy to ever fucking be wowing anyone.
You piece of shit.
Or something like that.
Click.
I'm like, you know, I literally like, literally like, who was that?
I'm like, oh, so it just said him.
Oh, man.
He was, he was the man.
Did you ever go up and tell him that it wasn't you?
No, no.
So we had it.
We had a security meeting. So now Bernsie, me, Patrick Elias took it the man. Did you ever go up and tell him that it wasn't you? No, no. We had a security meeting.
So now Bernsie, me, Patrick Elias took it the most.
And now after the trade deadline, it's literally like, fuck off.
I'm doing my thing.
So we have a meeting.
We have a security meeting or one of those like they're teaching you,
you know, whatever.
And I finally had enough, and I'm like, I'm going in there to his office,
and here it is.
And the guys are all waiting for the meeting to start.
I go into Bernsie's office, and I've been doing everything he said.
And still, I'm not playing.
I'm not this and that.
So finally, it's like the big, you know.
And I'm like, you know, fuck you.
We're throwing F-bombs back, this and that.
He's getting up on the board showing me.
I'm like, fuck off.
You just don't like me.
This is a joke.
You know, I'm, you know, I'm.
And he's just sitting there.
And he goes, you want out of here? He goes, you walk upstairs. You, you know, I'm, he's just sitting there, you know, and he goes, you
don't, you want out of here?
He goes, you walk upstairs, you walk up to the big man, you tell him you want out of
here.
And I don't know where it came from.
I go, no, no, no.
You're the one that wants me fucking out of here.
You walk upstairs and you tell him.
So anyway, we're going at it and now we're really going at it.
And I'm going, I'm yelling at him, yelling at him.
And finally he says, shut, he goes, shut the fuck up.
And I'm like, fuck you. I'm not. And he goes, shut the fuck up and i'm like fuck you i'm not and he goes shut the fuck up and i'm like i'm not gonna show and
this guy stands up and goes one more fucking word say it say it and for me to shut up i was like you
could tell oh dude i'm like there was a string so i'm literally like and i'm in tears now like
i'm so like i'm in tears blah blah blah and like everyone's waiting for me in the meeting but i'm
kind of happy that they all heard me
you know everyone had hair
and I'm like hey man
I'll stick over here
but anyway
so I leave the meeting
and I'm like
fuck him
I'm going to show this guy up
I'm just going to
I'm going
I'm not going to stay
at this meeting
so I start walking
like but I got tears
in my eyes
I'm crying
I got tears in my eyes
and I'm walking
and you guys have all
seen the way I walk
so it's probably
I'm trying to act like I'm,
yeah, yeah,
I'm trying to act like I'm like storming out of here.
Bernsie comes up
and it's a long walk to the door
where our cars were
and Bernsie like sees me
and he's like,
oh no,
oh no,
where the fuck do you think you're going?
And I turn around
and I'm like crying
and he caught me.
I'm like,
I gotta get something from my car.
That's the only thing I could think of. So he's like's like he's like it's like your daddy and he's like you get
your fucking ass back out here i'm like i gotta get something from my car he's like you'll be
back here and i'm like yeah i know i gotta get so i sat in my car for like a minute crying i'm like
i gotta go back in this meeting everyone's looking at me and i'm crying like the tears but yeah i
mean he was the best man that guy was that guy was the best. He called me two days, three days before he died, passed away.
He could barely talk.
He was in Montreal.
He'd always chuckle at me when that year was terrible in Montreal.
So, Burnsy, you know.
Burnsy, his voice is barely there.
He's like, hey, I just want to say, Gomer, I just want to say sorry, kid.
And I'm like, Burnsy, suck my dick, man.
I'm like, you, hey.
You're not changing.
I go, you made me who I am, man.
I go, Burnsy, I fucking love you, man.
That's unreal.
He was just like, we started Latin.
And I'm like, hell no, I won't accept that for you, man, because you were the best to me.
Oh, man.
You made me.
Stanley Cup champions.
You made me.
I didn't realize it now but i'm like
no way you were you were so special in my heart at the end like you were you were the best i mean
but this guy like i know we got to go but just no this is an incredible way to end up so we have a
curfew at ottawa saturday burns burnsy has a curfew on a saturday night and we're staying
downtown we're not staying at the brook street so we don't play till like a couple of days and
i think something happened with other parts of the organization.
Yeah, somebody was fucking somebody in downtown Ottawa.
I don't know what happened.
Lou must have had.
No, I'm just kidding.
Side piece.
But we had a curfew.
And I was like, you know, kind of rebelling.
And I'm like, and I remember one of the trainers, whatever.
I'm like, dude, me and Jay, I'm like, dude, let's go.
We're not going to college. Let's go. Like, whatever. I'm like, dude, me and Jay. I'm like, dude, let's go. We go, let's go.
Like whatever,
like we're winning by a lot.
And so panels,
like we were going to go up to the trainer's room to find out what's going on,
but we're in our clothes.
It's not Jay goes to the door,
opens the door and just bolts back in the room,
bolts back in the room,
like past me.
And I'm like,
what the hell?
His clothes are already halfway off and he's in bed and he's like,
he's down there. And I'm like, who? And he's like, Burnsy. And I'm like what the hell his clothes are already halfway off and he's in bed and he's like he's down there
and I'm like who and he's like Bernsie and I'm like
fuck if he is I open the door
and Bernsie's walking
no he's coming to our room
he's at the end of the hallway he's come
we had like the last room in the hall he's coming to our room
and he goes
and now he's at now I'm even quicker
I'm in the room I'm in bed
and you know
and I hear the knock and I'm the younger guy so I always had to like go'm in the room. I'm in bed. And, you know, I hear the knock.
And I'm the younger guy, so I always had to, like, go get into the room.
And Jay's like, get the door.
And I'm like, no.
I'm like, no.
And Pandal's like, get the door.
And then we're hearing the knock.
And I'm like, no.
I'm like, Jay, I'm not getting the door.
Like, no.
So Jay gets up and gets the door.
Like, Bernsie just, like, pushes the door past Jay or whatever.
He's like, is that little prick in here?
And just walks. And I'm acting like I'm seeing, like, fast J, whatever. He's like, is that little prick in here? He just walks,
and I'm acting like I'm seeing,
he's like, yep.
Just check, he just walks out.
It went from being the cockiest,
fuck, no, no,
to I'm in bed like this.
Oh, yeah.
He just, oh, man.
He was, yeah, those guys, I mean.
How big was he?
He's a big guy.
And it just, he had a presence,
and he, there's some of the greatest.
He was a cop.
Yeah, he was a cop, and the story's tough. He had an aura about him. Yeah, he had a presence, and he, like, there's some of the greatest. He was a cop. Yeah, he was a cop, and the story was tough.
He had an aura about him.
Yeah, he just an aura, and he knew how to run a bench.
Like, he, and he didn't give a, he didn't care if you were the top,
if you were going that night.
You were going.
Bernsie knew how to, you know, it took a while to understand it,
but I'll give you the loose story with Bernsie, and this is,
so I'm benched again with Bernsie, and we're in Long Island,
and it's 3-0
and whatever
I'm just like
this is
this sucks
and
just then
the kiss cam comes on
and it's going around
the rink
you know
and that stupid song
or that Faith Hill song
kiss me
whatever
so it's going around
the rink
I'm sitting next to
Jamie Langenberger
and I'm in the middle.
I'm dabbing the middle because I've been benched for the last two periods.
We're up 3-0, and I think Jim McKenzie's on my right,
and I turn to lipper Jamie Langenbrenner, and I said,
if this thing goes on me, I'm going to kiss you.
And he goes, do it, do it.
What are the odds?
What are the chances?
We've been in every game.
We've never seen the bench go on.
The son of a bitch goes on me.
And I look at it, the camera, you know, the crowd's laughing.
I look and I look over at Jamie and I just kiss him on the cheek.
So the crowd is just going nuts, this and that.
Just then the Islanders, a couple shifts later, they score.
So now it's starting to dawn on me, like, should I have done that?
I don't know.
So now we better win this game next you know it's two minutes later it's three to two i went from sulking on the bench because i've been benched to like the biggest cheerleader
like come on guys please so right after the game we win the game and you know everyone takes their
time and everyone ices up and does this guys Guys couldn't get their shit off quick enough because rumor has already come down
that the old man, Lou,
has lost his mind over the Kiss Camp thing.
So guys are running,
like basically running to the bus.
Burnsy is like,
oh, this is going to be a good one.
This is going to be a good one.
What did you do this time, Wilbur?
Vladimir Burry is,
and he's like,
Vladdy's,
I see him in the hall and I'm like
Vladdy
is
is he that mad
Vladimir Bury
is crying
laughing
he's
can't even get it out
he's like
oh
like oh my god
oh my god
oh like he's dying
and I'm like
oh this is not good
so I go to the bus
and there he is
he's waiting for me
and not only that
he fucking he starts giving it to, he starts giving it to me.
He's giving it to me.
But all the guys, he's facing me.
I'm facing the bus.
All the guys are against the wall, the glass.
Guys are making faces.
Guys are doing this.
He's putting his tits on the wall.
Bernsie's right there.
It's a show and I'm just getting yelled at.
He has no idea everyone's watching.
And I'm just like... It's like when your old man's mad at, and I'm just getting yelled at. He has no idea everyone's watching. And I'm just like, and it's like when your old man's mad.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, mother.
And all you see from the bench is guys are just trying to get me to break,
trying to this and that.
Yeah, that was one, the old kiss cam.
If you're on the Devils and you can't use clear tape on your socks,
you certainly can't kiss your devil.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like, if you're on the Devils and you can't use clear tape on your socks,
you certainly can't kiss your dad. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Boys, that was incredible.
I mean, people don't understand the –
I think they don't understand the career you had.
Over 1,000 games, a two-time Stanley Cup champ, like I mentioned.
So we'll get into so much more next time.
Yeah, I mean, even the pioneer aspect of your career.
You'll lose to the Mexican factor.
First Mexican-American to play in the league.
First Latino to take in the first round.
I mean, that's something you must be proud of as well. Yeah, I mean, you know, the Mexican--American to play in the league, first Latino to take in the first round. I mean, that's something
you must be proud of as well.
Yeah, I mean,
the Mexican-Colombian thing
from Alaska,
like...
Such a unique background.
But where I grew up,
you know,
race was never a thing.
It was a melting pot.
It was this and that.
But the thing is
is that people...
I can't take credit
being the first Latin
because Billy Guerin
always gave me shit
that his mom's Nicaraguan.
But anyway,
but the way... Well, Billy would always gave me shit that his mom's Nicaraguan. But anyway, the way they made it sound was like I played hockey and I supported my parents and this and that.
So I think one of my first interviews was they were just making it into like this is some magic.
And I was like, yeah.
I just crossed Tijuana, the border, with a couple bottles of tequila.
And someone handed me skates.
And that's how I learned how to play hockey.
And every reporter is just like, is that true or not?
I'm just like, yeah.
So it was great.
I mean, yeah.
Well, we'll get into more next time.
You're an animal.
Scotty Gomez, thank you very much.
Unreal. Unreal.
A huge thanks once again to our buddy, Scott Gomez. Safe to say much. Unreal. Huge.
Thanks.
Once again,
to our buddy,
Scott Gomez,
uh,
safe to say,
go me,
we'll be back again.
Uh,
this is probably the easiest interview we ever done boys.
He was like a windup toy.
Just fucking one question.
He was off and running,
man.
Hit the play button.
One question,
two hours goes by and you're like,
holy shit.
We'll get to the second year of his career.
Lou Lamorello,
social security number, by the end of that fucking interview. Speaking of getting geared up and you're like, holy shit, dude. We'll get to the second year of his career. I knew Lou Lamorello's social security number by the end of that fucking interview.
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Well, yeah, we have a contest coming soon,
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to the lecture at hand.
NHL, Tom Wilson, another big
hit that had people talking.
This time it was Columbus Blue Jacket Jacob Lillia
who was on the receiving end.
I mean, it was a clean hit.
The guy was handling the puck.
He came down.
He was about to go around the net,
and I know he probably didn't see Wilson.
Wilson wasn't hiding behind the guy.
He popped out behind the guy, buried him,
and he landed very awkwardly.
It was a tough-looking fucking hit.
But player safety, I don't even think they had to chime in on anything here.
Biz, your take on it?
Anytime Tom Wilson hits anyone, you know there's going to be stuff popping up about it.
But, yep, clean, move on, let's go.
Yeah.
The guy's just bigger and stronger than mostly everyone in the league.
I mean, the guy just ran into a truck.
Yeah. And the scary part was of how he went in. It just looked so bad, mean, the guy just ran into a truck.
And the scary part was of how he went in.
It just looked so bad, the way the guy went in with his neck.
So I understand no suspension or anything.
It shouldn't have been, but it was scary looking.
Yeah, someone tweeted.
At least he got the guy on the opposite team, Revo.
Oh, shit.
Who did Revo bury?
What was his name?
It was Thomas Noshik.
His own line made him bury. Noshik gets crushed by Revo, the last guy in the league,
besides Wilson, that you'd want to get hit by,
and he's your teammate, and you get lights out.
Yeah, he went to hit Andre Kasha of Anaheim,
and he fucking squirmed out of the way at the last second.
He buried his own line mate, but fortunately Noshik was all right.
He did play the next game, but that's a tough one to take, man.
That's a lot of beef.
I played against that Kasha in the American League,
and he is just a water bug out there.
So no way Revo was going to be able to line that guy up.
Yeah.
He thought he had him in the train tracks.
Did I ever tell you about the exhibition game I played with the Pittsburgh Penguins
when I was on defense, and we traveled to Wheeling to play against the New York Islanders,
and I had Steve Correa lined up dead to rights.
Waterbug.
And I might have been one inch in front of him,
ready to clobber him,
and I don't know how the fuck he did it,
but he ended up getting around me,
and I looked like a clown.
This guy had the quickest lateral movement I've ever seen on ice.
Steve Correa embarrassed me.
He was even smaller than Paul, I think, too.
Oh, my God.
I played against him in college.
You couldn't touch him.
No, I didn't even try to hit anyone, but I especially wouldn't try to hit him.
Actually, I'd probably be more likely to try to hit him because I know I couldn't get put on my ass if I was a bigger guy.
But what was the other thing we wanted to chat about?
Not those two hits.
What was the next one you were going to bring up?
The surgery?
The injuries.
Oh, yeah. The injuries. Oh, yeah.
The injuries.
Do a little injury roundup.
I had no idea.
Biz has some info on the Mikhailov.
How do you say his name?
Ilya Mikhailov.
Mikhailov.
I guess Mikhailov.
Mikhailov.
Yeah, whatever.
He played a great role for the Leafs this year.
Sorry, I kind of interrupted you, but what happened?
He cut his hand on a skate versus the Devils the other night.
Very, very, very deep cut, as Maurice would say in Slapshot.
But, Biz, you had a very similar injury as well, you said.
Well, he cut a tendon in an artery or a couple tendons in some artery.
That's what I did in my hand over the summer.
You didn't get stepped on by a skate.
Yeah, come on.
You cut your hand because you were an idiot.
I cut an artery and lacerated a tendon.
So, guys, I'll say this.
After that happened to me, I was never the same.
My bottom hand, I can't feel my thumb.
I got about 10% feeling.
Oh, you feel that?
No, I barely feel it.
And it was a long recovery.
It was about six months because they had to reattach the tendons.
And I couldn't feel the puck as well not
to say whoa hey guys pump the fucking brakes everybody i'm well aware i didn't feel it like
like certain guys did i wasn't snapping around like wit but fucking i i was an okay player at
one point and it definitely affected my bottom hand luckily i was able to transform into a fighter
but um i wish this guy hopefully a speedy
recovery and and i hope that he didn't lose any feeling um in his hand because of it because that
is definitely a scary injury and as far as the artery is concerned i told the story on the podcast
before there was a doctor who'd been to um one of the wars i always forget the fucking war uh would
it be um the the vietnam korea world fucking war. Would it be the Vietnam?
It might have been the Vietnam War.
And luckily he's been...
Why the fuck is everyone laughing at me?
I know I'm not very smart.
Hey, what war did that doctor go to?
And that's not even the speak of the last 30.
Well, I think that the war of
1876 didn't have any
doctors, so it must have been the one right after that.
So he'd seen some crazy shit,
so he was able to get to the locker room right away and close the arteries.
And the Devils, the Maple Leafs came out and said,
we want to give a special thanks to the Devils for handling it the way they did.
Because as you mentioned, it's that first five minutes that matters most.
Absolutely.
And Dubas also stayed back in New Jersey to wait for the surgery to happen,
stay with him overnight.
So Dubas is just a stand-up guy, loves his players,
and a nice gesture by the general manager.
Yeah, he's going to be out at least three months.
I mean, that's seven arteries, seven tendons.
And if you saw the clip, it's just such an innocuous look. look oh it never looks bad no because it's just this slight slice it's
it's so weird how you think you can't even tell sometimes exactly i was new jersey devil yeah
yes but brat he's like kind of like fell slash dove and it didn't even look like there was
contact but it was enough to fucking not only cut him but cut him this fucking deep so and we
mentioned it when talking about the carson thing with his Achilles.
And they make those Kevlar wrist guards now, too, as well.
So you're going to start seeing more and more guys wearing them because that's skate blade.
But although there were some parents online that had some solutions to saying, let's just stop sharpening the skates.
So I think it's all going to be solid, and we're going to be all good.
Yeah, that should work.
I should mention he was having a nice rookie season,
eight goals, 15 assists in 39 games.
But his health is the most important, so obviously going to wish him well.
A couple other injuries we want to update folks on.
Speaking of the Leafs, defenseman Jake Muzzin,
he broke his foot blocking a shot.
He's going to be weak to weak.
Not too many other sports where you break your foot and you're fucking week to week.
And the Blackhawks shelved Brent Seabrook and Calvin DeHaan for the season
as both players had surgery.
They both had their right shoulders worked on,
and Seabrook will also have both of his hips done later in the winter.
So both were placed on long-term injury reserve.
Brandon Satt also going to miss three weeks with a right ankle injury.
So Blackhawks season, it's been a little tough so far. Just got a little bit tougher. long-term injury reserve uh brandon sod also going to miss three weeks with the right ankle injury so
blackhawk season that's been a little tough so far just got a little bit tougher uh some other
news here alexander ovechkin passed timu solani for third and power play goals at all-time nhl
history uh ovies now is 256 the record is dave andrew chuck with 274 that's going down brett
hull's got 265 for number two.
Like you said, Whit, he's got a pretty good shot at breaking it, huh, you think?
Well, first, you said he passed Timo Solani.
Timo Solani is skiing somewhere that's the most beautiful place in the world right now.
I don't know if you've been checking his Instagram.
It might just be stories.
Hopefully, he posted something.
I mean, I'm talking like the sunrise with the mountains and the perfect powdery snow.
He had a picture last night of the Aurora Borealis.
And yeah, I know Aurora Borealis the same way I know crepuscular rays.
I can't remember what I ate for dinner last night, but I'm able to describe meteorologic terms on a whim.
But still, check out Timu's Instagram.
That goes way, way away from the power play goal record or that Ovechkin just passed.
Not record, but third.
But still, it's no shocker, and I think you said it was a 25 more right around then.
He's got that.
No problem.
Yeah, just shy of that.
Speaking of Ovi, he also said he's going to take a pass on the All-Star game
once again this year.
He was elected one of the captains, but he'd prefer to rest up.
We can't really blame him.
And by rule, Ovechkin will have to miss one regular season game for skipping the All-Star
game. It'll either be the final game
before the break or the game immediately
after the break. Biz, did you have anything on that?
Yeah, I mean, it's probably good that he misses
another game as well for maintenance. I mean,
they have bigger fish to fry
as they're going to try to make another run for the Cup
and try to take
advantage of this window they're in
right now because their superstar players are not getting any younger.
Most points in the league right now.
Somebody brought up a good point, too,
to maybe turn the All-Star game into more of a Young Stars game
because I think the younger guys who haven't been there want to go
and they do appreciate it.
Do you want to see guys like Alex Ovechkin who are like,
fuck, do I have to be here?
No, you want to see these young guys who are taking it all in
after Ovechkin's already paid his dues and went and made it fun
for how many years he has.
So it's such a tough situation because there's so many guys
that want to take that time off to rest.
Yeah, I mean, it's kind of tough for what he's done for the game
that he has to sit out a game, But you say it best at this point.
Like, whatever.
It's not the end of the world.
He can use a night off.
Even though he's such a beast, he doesn't need it.
The All-Star game is not the most exciting thing.
I think the NHL is probably looking at changing something up.
You've heard about it maybe go back to international,
North America versus the world.
I don't really know, but it would be cool if they could change something
to where I think people are a little more into it.
I've seen ideas thrown around by a bunch of different people
about possibly turning that into a time when you can have
a yearly best-on-best countries tournament.
You know what I mean?
Like something, if they're not going to be in the Olympics.
How about this?
How about all the all-stars Go to a warm weather place
All expenses paid
With maybe even
They could bring their partner
Or maybe even
A few more people
And they play drinking games
And they televise it
On ESPN
The Ocho
And we get to go
And yeah
We get to go do interviews
And
So Ovi
Ovi will be missing out
But yeah
He wasn't probably
Going to be bringing
Much intensity
Had he been in St. Louis.
Yeah, not too many guys do because there's no fucking hitting.
Another couple notes here.
Yaroslav Vlach, going to stroke off my bees a little bit here.
He had another shutout for the Bruins Thursday in Buffalo.
He has 53 starts so far at the Bruins, well, a season plus.
He has eight shutouts and 53 starts at Boston.
That's fucking pretty obscene.
And then I went and looked.
He's got 50 and 487 games as a starter.
That's like one every 10 games.
It's not too shabby, huh?
I don't know what would be considered a good average for that,
but it seems to be that that's very impressive.
It's deserving of a stroke off, all right?
Yeah.
And they had Hudobin, who's a great backup before, so it helps.
You see why Boston's one of the top teams.
They got a goalie every night who can get you a win.
Absolutely.
And my buddy, Patrice Bergeron, became the first Bruin in 30 years to score multiple goals in at least three straight games.
You know who the last guy to do it was, right?
Cam Neely.
Yeah, absolutely.
But Bergeron, a guy we love him here on this show.
Hopefully we'll get him on someday.
Not really counting on it because he's a pretty quiet guy.
Well, you guys are buddies, you just said.
Yeah.
I don't know where that came from.
Maybe we're running out of steam here.
Also, another cool – I thought this was a pretty cool story.
Washington's Kyle Hagelin, he played street hockey with the neighborhood kids
on Christmas Eve.
He had been slumping a little bit.
His first game back, boom, gets a goal.
I wonder if we're going to see a little more of this game on Wayne and God style stuff with players.
It's a better slump up.
Get the neighbors yelling at you.
Shoot the puck.
Shoot it.
Better slump up than we've heard about in years past, though.
That's for sure.
Yeah, that's true.
Also, to social media, we got a couple of funny stories here.
Robin Lehner, he gave a little chirp to his former teammates.
He said, Merry Christmas, everyone.
Best Christmas gift is going to be the two points against the Islanders on Friday.
And he chirped a couple of his former teammates on the Islanders.
Obviously, in good spirit, not like shit talking.
And then Anders Lee replied back, Merry Christmas, big man.
See you in the crease with the Thanos fucking gift.
And then Lehner texted back with the Thanos getting,
when he gets snapped and he disappears.
I wish we saw more of this stuff.
It's funny.
It gets the fans involved a little bit.
But I don't know.
Are we going to see more of this as like these younger players
start showing a little more of their personality or what?
Well, yeah, especially because most of them are on social media.
So we got the Jerry, Jerry.
Get a little, I i mean the most we've
seen of it is guys going at their own teammates tory krug and brad marshall dude if from the
outside looking in you'd think these guys hated each other but uh tory krug i tell you i don't
know who's editing this guy's videos grinnelli uh but they had what was the one recently with
the grinch where they superimposed Brad Marchand's
head on the on the little guy in the car and and Torrey Krug just picked him up with his with his
two fingers out of the seats and stole his vehicle so Marci just taking some abuse on on Twitter
and I knew speaking of the island there's New York Island the Anthony Beauvillier taking a page
out of Michael Scott slash Wayne Gretzky's playbook. He decided to shoot his shot with the New England native Anna Kendrick
on Twitter with a simple hi.
And this led to a shitload of people replying, like enhancing this guy's resume,
saying he saved people in a fire and he could cook and clean and do all this shit.
Finally, she replied, these replies have been my entertainment for the last two days.
Thank you all for regaling me with the true
tales of this man's heroism uh it wasn't a yes or anything but it's certainly better than no reply
right biz i tell you what he's a handsome devil too he buzzes out he's a good player he's a
handsome guy who knows maybe he's gonna have some a-lister on his side maybe she slid in dms right
after he you know she got all those responses maybe she she gave the public, oh, this has been funny.
But then actually she's like, hey, what's up?
Could you imagine the damage that him and Barzell are doing together in Long Island?
Or why, I guess.
By damage.
And if you listen, by damage, he means scoring damage.
Correct.
Correct.
On the ice.
Yes.
What damage?
That comment was brought to you by Roman.
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off the rack price you can't beat that you want to get on that i had another note that kind of
jumped at me boys jumped out at me jeff cotter extended his franchise lead with his 11th overtime
goal for the kings but more curiously this is the 29th different team to stage a multi-goal comeback when
in this season 2019 2020 uh whit as a gambler that's something you like to see man because
that tells me you're never out of it when you're better team i love that i love knowing them now
you say that as in multi-goal at any point in the game? Yeah.
Yeah.
So, I mean, yeah, it could have been the first period. So, is that uncommon for like last season?
What was it, like 15 teams did it?
Honestly, I don't know how many did it last year,
but I think the fact it's not even New Year's yet
and 29 teams have already come back from a multi-goal deficit.
That seems like it would be a lot.
Well, I'll say this.
Coyotes have done it two or three times, so suck it, everybody.
Yeah, and they can't teach a guy to not take his helmet off
or take his helmet off for the national anthem of an opposing country.
What else did you have? Sorry.
No, that's all right.
We got just one more thing left here, the old gambling corner.
I feel like my last pick was 100 years ago.
I'm not even sure how I did.
Actually, it was the Blues I think
The puck line which was a win by the way
So let's see I was taking a look
I'm looking ahead and I know the Flyers do play
In the meantime but
Tuesday night the Flyers are in LA
If I'm not mistaken yeah they're in LA
I'm not sure who's going to be starting
Carter Hart or Brian Elliott but either way
I'm not sure it's going to matter because I'm going to jump on the Flyers.
I know the Kings have been playing a little
bit better lately, but I'm going to
take the Flyers on the money line
and we'll see what the line is on the puck.
We'll just say, call it a unit
on Philly for the money line and throw a half
unit on the puck line. A unit is whatever you
want it to be because my games
and bets change. They fluctuate
every day. And fuck, we're here
for the winter classic. So I'd be remiss if I didn't put in a winter classic pick. It's Nashville
at Dallas at the old Cotton Bowl right down the street from where we are right now. Obviously,
we don't have a line on that yet. I'm probably not going to bet Nashville, A, because they're
the visiting team. And B, they haven't been playing all that well lately. So fuck it. I'm
going to throw something on Dallas for the puck line.
No idea what the line is yet.
Follow me on Twitter.
Also, I'll be posting a blog as well, most likely.
So Dallas puck line on the Winter Classic.
What do you got, G, for us?
Well, speaking of the Winter Classic, guys,
we are going to be doing a live show on the 31st at the Rustic.
It starts at 4 p.m.
We're going to be giving tickets away to the game as well.
So come by, try and get some tickets, get there early,
and maybe you'll get in and see the boys.
Absolutely.
We'll be giving tickets to the game away
and in addition interacting with some of our listeners,
which we always love doing.
Boys.
Tons of Pink Whitney there too as well.
Oh, yeah.
Can't forget the PW.
Boys, any other notes you want to add before we conclude episode 231 here in Dallas?
No, we're excited.
Is there another story I wanted to tell?
We're going to bank some interviews.
We've gotten a few guys already.
We got Marty Turco.
We had Mike Scroy come on.
We're excited to drop that one.
A crazy personality that Witt played with
and played for 25 minor league hockey teams.
His hockey PDB rivals Nelo Ferraro's,
considering Nelo was his own agent.
But no, it's going to be a good time.
We're going to do some other interviews as well
and bank as much, I'm not going to say
the word, for you guys as possible.
Sandbagger too. We have a sandbagger
coming. Oh yeah, we'll get into that.
We'll get into that. We're going to interview
the two guys we're playing with. We won't tell you yet.
Alright, sounds good boys. We'll check in with you later in the week after the game is played and
now the bad boys are podcasting we'll be back later as always we'd like to say thanks to our
wonderful sponsors and hopefully our awesome listeners are taking advantage of these sweet
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Thanks again, everyone. Have a great week.