Spittin Chiclets - Spittin' Chiclets Episode 325: Featuring Nazem Kadri + Ed Jovanovski

Episode Date: March 23, 2021

On Episode 325 of Spittin’ Chiclets, the guys are joined by Nazem Kadri and Ed Jovanovski. Nazem joined (44:50) to discuss his career, playing in Toronto, the big trade, and tons more. The guys open up the podcast talking Barstool Bracket Blockers, Whit’s Disney trip, and the North Division. Jovo then joined (02:01:03) to discuss getting drafted first overall, playing with Biz, the Olympics and more. The guys wrap up talking some documentaries, The Dallas Stars white jerseys, the NCAA hockey tournament and more.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/schiclets

Hey, Spittin' Chicklets listeners, you can find every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Hello, everybody. Welcome to episode 325 of Spittin' Chicklets, presented by Pink Whitney, from our friends at New Amsterdam Vodka and the old Barstool Sports Podcast family. What's going on, everybody? A little over halfway through the season. We got a fire in this week. We got a goalie controversy up north, but our attention is actually on the NCAA tournament right now. We are in the running for Bitcoin. I still really don't know what it is, but we're in the hashtag Barstool bracket busters. We won our first round game at UCLA the other night. Gee,

let's go to you first. How you doing, buddy? First off, maybe you can explain a little bit more about this. Well, I'm doing fantastic because we dropped some new hats in the Barstool Sports Store today. You're wearing an RAI. Myself, I'm wearing it. Ryan now has it on as well. Shout out to you, Biz. That's legit. My salad's too nice right now. I can't be throwing that lid on.

We are in the Barstool bracket blockers tournament, though. We have UCLA. We picked them. I picked them for the playing game. It was either UCLA or Michigan State. They advanced, so we could win a Bitcoin. I'm super excited. Is it winning a Bitcoin Bitcoin or are we splitting?

How's this work? Is it one Bitcoin for every person at Barstool who wins? Or is it one for each group? I think we're splitting a Bitcoin between 10 people. So 12 people, we're going to get a grand each? Good joke, R.A. A grand to you. It might not be a grand to good joke good joke all right a grand to you it might not be a grand to me a grand is still a lot of money no i mean if even if we're splitting it like eight different ways it's still a lot of money i think it's at like 60 grand right now

we tried to get into bitcoin when we had um oh that's 60 grand okay we had caleb presley on he was trying to describe bitcoin we don't have the slightest clue as to what's going on with it so yeah not to not to ruin the interview but i'm pretty sure every single dollar he has is in bitcoin is that what he said so he's either just a step ahead of the game or he's just gonna be dirt poor we were talking about it we can't even smell spell the thing properly smell it jesus spell spell um why what do you mean b-i-t-c-o-i-n yeah i think i think online you're spelling it separately i think it's one word like oh is it yeah right all right yeah yeah oh since it's a bitcoin not a bit like of a coin like bit of honey. My grammar.

Listen, if you're going to come at me like a grammar police. And I don't know much. KFC's like, oh, the millionaire is a chick. That's something like I mean, Grinnell didn't get the memo about being making his spitting chicklets. So I'm not sure what he's talking about. You probably got a million cash underneath your mattress in your fucking bedroom.

Back in the old days, maybe. But anyways, that's how of course a wit and biz what looks like you're back on homeland uh yes i'm back back in massachusetts disney world guys it was great rider had a hell of a time first day we got up monday we got up my alarm was set at 6 30 i slept in the living room because the baby hasn't been sleeping, and then the bed was too soft in the main room, so I'm sleeping in the living room couch. My alarm goes off at 6.30.

It's pitch black, Biz. There is not one bit of sunshine outside. I was like, oh, my God, I'm doing this to go to Disney World. It's like not getting up to play a sick track. It's not getting up for a big hockey tournament. Not for yourself. It's for the kids. It's for Disney.

So we got over there real early. There's already like 15,000 people in there when the park opens, 745, 8, whenever that was. We go right to the one ride. We went to first day, we went to Magic Kingdom. And then the other day we went, we went to Animal Kingdom. First day went from like 730 to two. And the Wednesday we went from about 730 to like four. Ryder was buckled at the end of these days. Just to 2. And the Wednesday we went from about 7.30 to like 4.

Ryder was buckled at the end of these days. Just absolutely exhausted. I'm waking this kid up after a two and a half hour shutdown in the afternoon. Like, dude, let's go down to the Lazy River. He loved the Lazy River. So it was an awesome trip. It really was. I played golf, played nice, won a bunch of money.

Thank you. And I would more than anything like to say I am very happy to be home because you miss your friends. You miss your – I had to get back in my life, you know. I had so much mail, so many bills to pay. They all stacked up quick when you're gone seven weeks. Who would have guessed it? Maybe it's time to turn auto pay on.

But I'm rambling. I'm excited to see you guys, excited to talk. And hopefully we can get an eighth of a Bitcoin. I'm watching the game right now so if reactions abigail christian if we can't beat abigail friggin christian we have no business having a 12th of a bitcoin abigail that's great biz let's know what you buddy uh wet you didn't have time to stop in south beach given all the festivities that are going on down there right now what do you mean oh my all right you had to have seen this stuff going on down there right now. What do you mean? Oh, my. All right.

You had to have seen this stuff going on down there. I think they had to shut down South Beach during South Break because it's been such mayhem. Why? Spring Break? It's just going. Oh, I haven't seen any of that. Did I call it South Break? South Break.

That's right. I called it the weather time. I collabed. That's what it should be called now after what's been going on down there. South Broke. I mean, we all know that in Florida, COVID didn't't even exist but basically like it turned into 11 strip well everyone's been locked inside for a year what do you think's happening right now is life's coming back a little bit people are losing it when when it is like bars are completely opening and like massachusetts

still can't do anything but when the whole country is pretty much open again it is going to be a party unlike anyone on earth has ever seen. Maybe one was prohibition. Oh, shit. What was that? When did that? In the 30s? All right.

You weren't alive during prohibition. The roaring 20s, baby. Yeah. Was it? Yeah. I forget. So we can't talk to any late teens, guys and gals that really enjoyed themselves with each other post when booze was allowed again.

Now, speaking of speaking of big news, though, I'm hearing at least on Twitter. So it has to be true that Britney Spears is going to be interviewed by Oprah soon. Now, I will be clearing my schedule. If it's a podcast day, we're gonna have to bump it back because probably would you consider the best interviewer of our generation, R.A.? I don't know, man. She never asked. She never asked how somebody gained weight the way Larry King did to DJ Khaled.

That was true. He got right to the point. Yeah, he did get right. Oprah is an animal, though. She is like every time you're almost you're almost more interested in what she's going to ask yeah at least when i was watching the prince and the and the megan markle clown show in recent interviews she had oprah's at oprah's top notch i haven't watched that did you end up watching that that whole ordeal um i saw i didn't see all of it oh were you asking all right

let's play in the role of our because i i saw already you tweeted something about it so i figured that you'd watched it um oh yeah like everyone was so shocked like you know mega michael said that they you know treated her in a racist manner it's like yeah you mean the monarchy that's been that's enslaved millions of people over the last 2 000 years and invaded 150 planets really those people aren't that nice you're shitting me uh countries i'm sorry yeah you might have them those british are pretty south breaking aliens going to other planets yeah we're all over the fucking map you guys are nuts but then them prince willie and his wife tweet out like happy saint patrick's day to our friends in ireland it's like motherfucker you fucking you haven't fucked with anyone more than you fuck with the iris and you're gonna like rub it in and wish them happy saint

patty's day i was all over the green die we're cool now right yeah it's like go fuck yourself youtube but as far as oprah yeah she may be the best uh interview of her generation obviously 60 minutes has quite a lineup quite a crew i know she's a little bit more of the celebrity type but she's damn good at what she does and yeah the ratings for that um the interview on the prince and princess day whatever it's absolutely through the roof i mean there's such an appeal to that in this country for whatever reason i think it's just the whole prince princess thing just still appeals to people in a lot of ways but her and britney do that would be a huge get man because no one's really sat down and talked or you know you see how she got treated in interviews 20 years ago and i think we'd see a different can of worms

this time free britney free britney is right is how how was it there was actually intimidated would you be if you were going to sit down with oprah for an interview because you know there's kind of a hard-hitting question coming like i would be i would be very very freaked out before i sat down with oprah ryan can i get a list but you want to smoke why can't you hit a putt in the sandbaggers? And there's somehow they have music pumping in from like the garden that I'm doing the interview in. There was another wild story out there that some guy, I want to say it was in Connecticut, went to a yard sale, ends up getting this like old white bowl.

And it was a 14th century or from the 1400s at least it was like hundreds and south break what what do you mean is that how you say it the 1400s well 1400 shut up anyway it was from the 1400s and it i think he bought it at the the yard sale for 35 35 and went and bought it brought it to an appraiser and ended up selling at an appraisal for i think 725 000 no yeah yeah it's a story in 35 bucks like a kitchen bowl like it was it was like a there was only seven ever made and and somehow it ended up at this yard sale in connecticut and and it ended up selling there There's a, there's a big article on it. And you ever watch those shows where they appraise things and sometimes they land flat and it's just like, Oh, I don't know. Like my, my, you know,

my mother's mother bought these earrings and here they are. And then it's like, Oh, these were actually, you know, some princes or princesses and blah, blah, blah. And then all of a sudden it's just like this crazy valuation. They sold it at auction. It went for just over seven hundred thousand dollars and this storage wars is story yes i love that show yep great yeah you wonder how much other shit is just out there randomly in basements and attics and you know fucking those storage facilities or whatever i don't know i throw all my shit out so i don't have did you see that scumbag geek revel what he tweeted what he tweeted to the person, Darren Ravel? Like, somebody tweeted, like, oh, my dad passed away,

and we found his old cards in the basement, and the girl takes a picture of, like, all the old cars her now-deceased father had, and Ravel tweets at the guy, all those are junk. They're not worth anything. He's such a dork. He is literally one of the biggest losers, and one of the biggest losers I've never met.

Let's put it that way. I would love to meet him just for the intrigue of having an actual conversation. So I'm going to read you this quick headline here. It says it was actually the 15th century, which might mean the 1400s, right? Yeah, that 15th century is the 1400s. Go a year behind the century to the 1400s.

15th century bowl bought for 35 dollars at yard sale resells for 722 000 the small white bowl adorned with cobat blue paintings of flowers and other designs is one of only seven such bowls known to exist in the world it was in hartford connecticut i just found that imagine going to buy something for 35 bucks and how mad would you be? Yeah. Sold it. Sold it. Yeah. I would. Yeah. I would be pissed. That would be like the guy who sold the lingerie Victoria's secret. And next thing you know, it was a billion dollar company.

I think he ended up committing suicide. And I learned that in the movie, the social network. Jesus packed that ball. All right. We should mention, I guess last episode, we were a little late on that. We're going to get to him a little bit later, but we have Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri. Had a great chat with him. And we also have Florida Panthers legend, number one overall pick, Ed Jovanovsky, the old Jovo cop. Quite the character. It was a great chat with him, but we'll get to that stuff later. First off, now that the nice weather is back, you're going to have to find your shot.

And what better way to do that than with Pink Whitney from January 1st through March 26th, right that the nice weather is back, you're going to have to find your shot. And what better way to do that than with Pink Whitney? From January 1st through March 26th, right around the corner now, we're giving Chicklets fans a chance to win a custom Pink Whitney shot machine. All you have to do is post a picture of you in your Pink Whitney. And if you're in the United States, use the hashtags. Hashtag Pink Whitney. Hashtag take your shot. Hashtag sweepstakes.

If you're in Canada, use hashtag Pink Whitney. Hashtag Take Your Shot. Hashtag Sweepstakes. If you're in Canada, use hashtag Pink Whitney, hashtag Take Your Shot, and hashtag contest. We'll be picking winners from the U.S. and Canada every other week, so make sure you get creative with your submissions, and, of course, enjoy responsibly. Most importantly. We got the new Mickeys and the mini Mickeys coming out. Those will eventually make their way to Canada.

Obviously, there's a little bit of a longer process so tons of new product innovation of course the people who are the hardcore submitting stuff are going to be able to win i've been getting tons of texts about getting these shop machines we're going to ask gallo in new amsterdam if they can make more so we can give them away to bars and and other people but as of right now they're only for contest winners so keep submitting your awesome posts. And we'll keep clicking away here. There you go. I mentioned Canada, Biz.

The North Division, that's where all the action is for some reason. Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, the top four right now. You got Vancouver just two points back. Calgary just four points back. But Toronto is always the big news. Right now, they had a little bit of a stumble. Lost six out of seven, but then Jack Campbell came in, shot the Flames out Saturday.

I think we got a goalie controversy is what they call it. Freddie Anderson's been stumbling quite a bit. He's been feeling the heat. His goals against his last five starts. Three, five, three, four, four. Not going to win a lot of NHL hockey games with that. 13-8-2 in the year with an 8-9-7 save percentage. 2-9-1 goals against. not going to win a lot of NHL hockey games with that 13, eight and two in the year with an eight, nine, seven safe percentage,

two, nine, one goals against is the Leafs make a goaltender move or what? Listen, we're not doing this Leafs nation. We're not doing this halfway through. Okay. It's not always going to be smooth sailing.

Hey. And for those of you, Oh, you work for the coyotes. You don't bleed blue. I don't bleed blue. When I was a kid i'll never forget my parents got me that leather toronto maple leafs hat i got it my

stocking stuffer i went to the penn center in saint catherine's to get doug gilmore killer's autograph i waited in line for hours i bled blue as a kid that's where i come from folks well in ontario club like when you were nine years old watching the Leafs it was your literal dream to maybe play for him 100% either them Buffalo or Montreal because I got family there too but whatever regardless anyone who can be a paycheck actually but listen when I saw Gilmore get stuck by Gretzky and Fraser didn't call it it hurt me just as much as hurt it hurt you people listening that bleed blue also. Leave Dubas alone. He's going to figure things out.

There's no goalie controversy. The reason they got Jack Campbell was just in case there was a little bit of a hiccup halfway through the year. And I don't think Anderson's 100% fully healthy right now. And, yes, is he not where he needs to be? But you can't – we would agree, you can't be peaking halfway through the year. You want to peak right before playoff time correct yeah islanders fans are worrying about that that's what i'm being told they're worried and and when you look at toronto biz actually go ahead finish

your thoughts because i do want to address some things you're saying well listen they got the goal support they got secondary scoring right now we got spezza and thornton butt chugging from the fountain of youth who are playing unbelievable i believe spezza's in the top five right now in the entire league as far as points per 60 minutes okay they got the back end they addressed the defensive issues brody what is it tj brody or jt brody either one flip them around uh they got muzzin who's been playing great riley's been playing like a stud this year he's putting up a lot of points per game. He's basically the quarterback back there. Why are you giggling right now, Grinnelli? Does anything in the world screw you up more than JT and TJ?

I don't think you'll ever get someone's name right if it's TJ or JT. It doesn't matter how it's coming out. Everybody knows what I'm saying. He was buzzing. Don't get in front of a runaway train. Keep going, Biz. But like I said, I think right now the one thing that they are missing is another piece i know they got galchenyuk in the lineup who might have had a

rough first game but he did have an apple when they won two nothing against calgary and jack campbell had his back-to-back shutout he is going to hold the fort for now i would believe on thursday jack campbell gets to start so for those of you saying there is a goalie controversy i think that that he's going to probably take over for a little bit here till anderson finds his game back but if you go back to last year in playoffs anderson was not the issue if you go back two years anderson wasn't the issue three years ago a little bit of a different story he had i think he had a little bit of a meltdown especially was it in game seven against the bruins they had some issues against the bruins yeah he had but little bit of a meltdown, especially was it in game seven against the Bruins? They had some issues against the Bruins.

Yeah, but the last two years, he has not been the problem. They're going to be fine. I truly believe that they're going to make a big splash. Kyle Dubas said that any prospects basically on the table right now to make this move, getting out of the North is going to be as easy of a playoff situation as they're going to find moving forward i think actually think that they might make a move for taylor hall i think i think i think that they might get taylor hall i don't i can't see them adding

another defenseman i don't think there's only if he was a righty what's that i think only if he was a righty who i think if they got a defenseman it would be a righty which we know those don't even exist in the nhl anymore there's no right-handed defenseman wit and and if you look down the list right now you got i've been hearing um at combs name a lot now he's not an unrestricted free agent he's got one more year at a nice deal they want a ton back for him well like what like what muzzin got back well what they got for muzzin same type thing fair but if you're gonna make a big significant move and you're gonna give up a lot you might as well get a guy who you at least have for another year who's a who's a competent

guy on the back end wouldn't even know which what what way at home shoots the only other names that that can pop up that are that are competent defensemen that I think would be worth trading for is I think is Edler or did he end up resigning in, in Vancouver? I believe that he's up Dougie Hamilton's up, but I don't think that Carolina's moving him. I mentioned goose and John Wilson who are with the coyotes. I don't know. I think John Wilson's got that championship pedigree. He's a good shut shutdown defenseman. Do I think it's what Toronto needs?

No, I think that I think like once again, going back to it, I think Taylor Hall might be their answer. Okay. Lots to unpack there. I mean, I'm not going to say there's a goalie controversy, but in a sense, like they're just going to play whoever's better. If Campbell's, Campbell's playing well, if he goes on a run, dude, he'll be their goalie.

I don't think it's like nowadays, man, like whoever's hot going into the playoffs, look at Matt Murray and Fleury. It's like I'm not at all comparing the situation for those types of goaltenders, but it's more like the Leafs don't care who gets the job done at this point. They just need goaltending. And Anderson has been bad. I really buried my team. We all know I'm a Leafs guy with biz.

But I said they were the class of Canada. They've gotten shit pumped like six of the next seven games. Same way I dummied the Blackhawks. They stink now after I said they were decent. So I've just completely mushed my Toronto, my blue nation. But I don't know about Halsey. I mean, I think they'll definitely make a move. You say Dubas is all in, no doubt.

But you got to think about what they actually need. Where would Halsey play in the lineup? It's a team that I think is still the best team in Canada. But the way Edmonton's looked, it's not at all. Edmonton has switched their entire season around since they got embarrassed by Toronto. And Dreitzel had that quote, like, yeah, we love not getting a point in three straight games. And since then, it's completely switched.

But I don't even remember what I was saying. I had something else about Toronto. My brain all over the place. Still on the teacups. Probably was for me ranting on about the Leafs and bleeding blue and kind of the goaltending controversy. I wouldn't say it's a controversy yet. I think that Jack Campbell for sure gets the net back on Thursday.

And, and if, you know, if he keeps running away with it until Anderson's able to get the net back and find his game that yeah, it's, it's, it ain't going to flip back over. And that's what it was. It was totally agreeing with you about the this year they got two rounds till they're gonna have to play like tampa boston you know what i'm saying like they they're going right back to the old division with those two teams next year so it's like right now this is their time so in terms of like going all in yes they are that's exactly that's exactly what i'm saying is this is going

to be their easiest way to get to at least pass the first round. Hasn't happened in, what, 15 or 16 years? So a big splash is about to happen, and I believe in Kyle. Come on, Leafs. And that's why they brought in Campbell, because we knew he was a competent backup, but now is he ready to take it on as a starter? I don't know.

And also, you can't mention the Leafs without mentioning Leafs Junior, Out West, and Van, who are just grabbing guys off waivers from the Leafs. VC and Boyd. Yeah. Actually, I just want to mention, Biz, you did mention Anderson. He has been suffering a little bit with a lower body injury. He's been lingering. He didn't practice Monday.

He's not expected Tuesday. So we do got to throw it in there. We don't know how hurt he is. He might be playing hurt. And that's probably affecting his play as well. I just don't want to throw the guy under the bus. I think that's all of us getting caught up in Leaf drama, where it's like such a small sample size.

And we're ready to, you know, oh, my God, goalie controversy. If it isn't one thing, it's another in Leaf Nation. But we're hook, line, and sinker on this podcast. And we did mention Vancouver picked out Jimmy Veazey and Travis Boyd, who Toronto waived both of those guys. And Vancouver, they've gone on a nice little bend of themselves here. Eight, two, and one to crawl right back into the race. Like I said, they're two points behind Montreal,

although Montreal has a few games in hand. Thatcher Demko, absolutely on fire. His last 10 games, he's only given up more than two goals once. They have lost Elias Pettersson. He's gone to the long-term injury reserve with an upper body injury. He won't be back until the end of the month. But, Whit, what have you seen out of Vancouver that you like? The fact that they've done this without Pettersson is nuts

because he was really starting to get going, as the whole team was. But you've got to bring up B. up BC Thatcher Demko, Boston college. And the way he's played has been outstanding. So they're right back into the race. And then the guy that really like, Bo Horvath is such a leader, like the way he plays the game, you know, it's like the, the old school style hockey, where he's so willing to do anything it takes to win, but he's also so good offensively. And like, I think he can get a little bit streaky um i don't see them play enough but

i know like lately he's been awesome and then biz is jt tj miller that goal he scored that dude that game in montreal he trucked gallagher on a peter forrestberg reverse hit like crushed him he then scored one of the best OT game winners we've had this year with an unreal toe drag. It was actually Suzuki who's like totally watching the puck. And I know it's so different now where guys don't get lit up coming across the middle, kind of with their head down a little bit. But he reaches for the puck and he gets made look foolish.

And they own Montreal. I think, are they 3-0 and 3 against the Habs this year? If it's not that, it's close to that, where they've just done such a good job getting into the race, and you really got to wonder, like, they lost Markstrom, and the season got off to such a weird start, and then boom, like any other team, you get some goaltending, and you go. So I like watching them play.

I hate their fans, but i love watching the team play yeah yeah tj miller's been buzzing and as far as uh as far as offense is concerned i mean it's they don't have a ton of guys at the top of the lineup but you know brock besters had a great season it they also lost tanner pearson recently he's he's out right now i don't know how long he's going to be out i don't see them as a playoff team, but the fact that they're working their bag off and playing as hard as they have for Travis green, try to claw back into it. I just, they, they play. I think they've played a lot of games. They have a lot of game.

They've played more games than I believe Calgary about four or five. So it's a, it's going to be tough to get it done. And I don't imagine Demco is able to sustain this. What has he got a nine 50 save percentage in March right now? Yeah, that's unsustainable, I think, for anybody, but he's doing it at the right time either way. Yeah, exactly. And then I believe Elias Pettersson's set to come back

at the end of March, you said? Yes, yep. He's not eligible to return until March 31st. Yeah, that's a massive loss. So let's hope they can keep climbing, though. It's been a fun, entertaining team to watch as of late. In Toronto, they are split in first place right now.

Edmonton Oilers, they've been on a tear as well lately. They've won three in a row, seven of their last ten. I mean, Connor and Leon, what more can you say about them? The two of them remain on fire. McDavid's got 21 goals. He's tied with Austin for the league lead. Leads the league in points as well. 60 points.

I'm sorry, 21 goals, 39 assists. But Mike Smith, the net, wow, biz. Unbelievable. 11-3. Dialing back the clock here. 2-3-4 goals against. 9-2-2 save percentage. Two shutouts. Don Hellneris, 10 goals as a defenseman. Barry's got 30 points. I mean, they're just getting

contributions from all over. I know that depth might still be an issue, Biz, but Winnipeg on fire. I'm sorry, Edmonton, on fire. Edmonton, yeah. What a perfect fit for Barry. They just needed an offensive defenseman to be able to get those guys the puck and make plays at the level that they do.

I think he's the perfect complement. As far as Darnell Nurse, I don't know how many Oilers games you've watched, but I would say right now he's easily in the top five, if not top three for Norris candidates. He leads the league in five on five points by defenseman. He will beat the shit out of anyone or at least go anyone. He's tough as nails.

He skates like the wind. He is an awesome player, a guy that they've really needed to kind of take that next step, and he has. And I got to shout out Dreitzadl and Connor and McDavid again because they are the first two teammates to get to 50 points, first and second quickest in the league, the first two teammates to do it two years in a row

since Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito in the mid-70s so two years in a row to have two guys be the first to 50 points in the entire league it just shows that this is next level hall of fame super super talent that needs to win a Stanley Cup right these guys I I truly believe both of them will I will. I don't know if it's this year. Maybe it is, dude, if they get hot. My buddy said to me, he's not even the biggest hockey fan the other day. He's like, man, just from gambling and watching them, they can score with anyone. I said, yeah, with those two guys, you can just get so hot any night. Darnell Nurse is great. Now you talk about Tyson Barry. From what I read, it's like now Oilers fans are so Oilers fans

wanted a puck mover. They needed a puck mover. He's probably their best puck mover since Pronger in terms of like I had one season. I know where this is. No, no. Where is it? Oh, maybe maybe tell me if this is where I'm you think I'm going. Holy shit is you messed me up there. I'm a mush brain.

My point is they always wanted this puck mover. They needed this puck mover. Well, now they got him and now it's being talked about him resigning and what he's gonna get and they're like whoa whoa whoa exactly yeah well i've also been hearing people say trade him because he's valuable right now and i'm like it's like oh you you got the guy to run the power play with these two he's lighting it up and yes like everyone the haters like all his points are on the power play it's a whitney point pass it to crosby who passes it to malcolm goal but i don't know man like he's getting the job done getting the job done and i don't see how you don't want to re-sign them i mean obviously if the number is completely ridiculous you don't but fuck you got to pay for a guy who produces hey and i hate the shit on edmonton because i

mean we do it a little bit as far as the free agent pool is concerned how many free agents who are competent are willing to go to edmonton and play and snap it around with those guys i mean now that the fact that they have dry sidle and mcdavid yeah probably a little bit more interest especially guys wanting to have a comeback season but in my opinion if it ain't broke don't fix it is that the saying yeah i get it i got one right oh hey old tire pump wit you want to compliment me after you you ditched on me there and great job great thank you thank you but i'm hey i'm happy for the oilers and i've seen smitty going to run like this and there was even a highlight the other night when you know when in calgary when things were necessarily weren't going that great and you know he likes, he likes playing the puck, and he would turn it over,

and it ended up in the back of his net. Well, he threw a pizza the other night, set up his own highlight, ends up making a big save. And when things are going well for him, things are going well. So look out for the Edmonton Oilers right now. And I think there was a stat, too. Connor McDavid tied with Sergei Fedorov the quickest to 60 points in the fewest amount of games since like 93 or something like that.

So he is just on this incredible pace. And if there's one guy who was going to break the 100-point mark in a shortened season in 56 games, it was going to be that kid. Yeah, it's been a treat to watch. It's great to be able to watch him too. Monday night, we're recording on Monday, but Monday night, Winnipeg Jet Paul Stastny is scheduled to play in his 977th game which would match his hall hockey hall of fame father peter uh they'd be the third father and son duo behind gordy and mark how and bobby and bret holland games played

end points so hats off to paul obviously 1000s down the road a little bit but that's a cool little thing but this was from elliot friedman with uh the other night after the jets lost i guess blake willard took the puck and throw it in the stands after the game. And they gave him a game misconduct. Have you ever heard of that? A guy chucking a puck like that and getting penalized? No, it was hilarious. I'd never heard of it.

But quickly on stats, and he just wanted to say congrats to him. I mean, he goes back to Winnipeg this summer and it's like he's been sick there this season. And that's a guy who, even when he came into the league, wasn't the fastest player. But it's like he's been sick there this season and that's a guy who even when he came into the league wasn't the fastest player but it's like hockey iq it's having a father who was a legendary player himself and an entire family right uncles and his brother was really good but he's an awesome guy he actually reached out and was looking for uh keith's number so i assume it was just to send him a congrats for a thousand games which is no surprise but congrats to stastny because that's an amazing accomplishment.

The two families are behind. It's like good for them. Yeah. And, and, and, and Winnipeg's a team that I don't get to, I don't get to see him play much, but they're definitely overachieving this year. They have some guys on the back end who have really stepped up their game. I played with that Derek Forbert and they really seem to be loving him. He's a very steady defenseman, a good top four. I would imagine that they probably look to resignbert and they really seem to be loving him he's a very steady defenseman a good

top four I would imagine that they probably look to re-sign him and they're just getting contributions from what I think are probably one of the more underrated forward groups in the league no as far as Wheeler yeah so good he actually I don't think he's a point in three straight tonight would be four straight so he's gone somewhat cold but what a season he's had and Wheeler yeah he's getting older and still flies yeah Connor and Neil is too man I think people sleep on Winnipeg man yeah they do but Hellebuck Hellebuck though he's had a rough stretch these last 10 games his numbers aren't great um so I think that there's like not something to worry there but it is is interesting to see that guy's top goalie in the league, at least one of them.

And for him to completely be off his game for a 10-game stretch is a little surprising. I don't think we mentioned Kyle Conner either. He's a fun player to watch. He's able to generate quite a lot. Why are you guys laughing? Because you mentioned him? Yeah.

Yeah, that's all right, buddy. Well, he briefly said it. I said it briefly. That's all right. buddy. Well, he briefly, he briefly, I said it briefly. That's all right. You just said his name briefly. I know we're all thinking and doing things on the fly here. Yeah, and the Hellebuck number I saw was, he's allowed three plus goals in eight consecutive starts. So that's a little shocking for him.

Uncharacteristic is the word you're looking for. You're welcome. Yeah. Great word. Buzzing. I know it's been a tough year for Ottawa. We actually had a little bit of a feel-good story coming out of there, and it's kind of turned the other way.

Joey Decord, he became, like I said, a good feel-good story. He ended up getting into the Sens net. Murray got hurt. Matt Murray got hurt in warm-ups. Joey Decord comes in, gets his first NHL win. He's the seventh-round pick. He gave a great real tender. Like, you know, what's the word I'm thinking of, Biz?

Authentic. Yeah, heartfelt. Yeah, heartfelt. There you go, G. There you go. A great heartfelt post-game interview that kind of went viral a little bit. He played at Arizona State, but unfortunately, he suffered a lower body injury last Wednesday versus Vancouver,

and he's likely to miss the remainder of the season. It's just a tough break, man. Like I said, the kid's a seventh-rounder. He gets a start because the guy gets hurt in warm-ups. Looks like he might take that net over for Ottawa, and then this happens. So we're wishing the best for Joey. I know you've been calling.

I saw the injury happen. I was like, oh, no, it looked like he tore his ACL or something, but it ended up being a high ankle sprain, you said, right, Grinelli? Yeah, they said high ankle sprain, probably done for the year. And, boy, sometimes those things can linger. I had a bit of it one time, and it lasted about a month. I've heard of guys doing it bad. I think Cal Clutterbuck did it bad one year,

and he missed some significant time. And even when you come back and try to play through it, they say high ankle sprains are sometimes worse than a break. Dude, the worst. That's what started everything for me. Oh, really? Playing hand's what started everything for me. Oh, really? Playing handball in the fall at BU.

One day a week, you'd get up at like 6 a.m. No, two days a week before the season started, you'd get up at 6 a.m. One morning, you'd just play handball, like 45 minutes, you're running around the field, like acting. The other one would be a lift. And I jumped up.

This is after I got drafted that summer. It was all pumped for softball. I jumped up in the air because I was being an athlete, going up for the handball, and I landed on the third-string goalie. No offense, G. I landed on his ankle, and I rolled it, and that was it. And this thing was so banged up, dude. I came back. I'm like, oh, it feels good.

Ten minutes into, like, the first skate, tweak, it feels good. 10 minutes into like the first skate tweak. Boom, done. Like you have to get off the ice. And then basically you're told, yeah, dude, as you come back from this, like you're just going to have to deal with the tweaks. Like they, until you have a legit off season, this will bother you. So that sucks because I'm just like, I'm like twitching right now. Thinking back to the original ankle sprain,

how things would be different. Kunitz wouldn't have three more. I'd have like five. Fucking A. Blame in the third string. Blame in the third string. I don't know what she was doing, but I landed on him. So maybe it was me, but stay away from the fifth overall pick

when he's up in the air after the draft going into sophomore year oh i love that i love even uh i i stopped playing sewer ball because i heard about a couple bad injuries which uh i never played but yeah guys were getting like knocked out and shit before nhl games playing sewer balls that soccer game that you always see them playing uh you know if you're watching hockey night in canada they're showing the guys in the hallway warming up before games i um i play with a guy curtis mclean in wheeling and he battled all the way up he played division two college ended up going playing in the coast i think he was at a point per game might even made the all-star team i made two not a big deal uh he got called up to the ahl lit it up there made the islanders and when he was playing

with the islanders he ended up uh snapping his Achilles playing that's how that happened to him next thing you know he's you know he ended up recovering and playing in Europe a little bit but it was it was you know I felt so bad for the guy that the fact that he grinded his way all the way up to the top and then to sustain an injury like that that that probably set him back big time so um aside from that RA one team I think we had to cover was Calgary for sure because I don't know how much we've talked about them since Sutter's taken over. Yeah, I think they got a pretty good defensive bump when he come in.

He obviously cleaned things up. He had them skating their asses off the first day. They're 4-2 in their last six, but they're also the sixth team in what's basically a six-team race right now. I think we can probably count Ottawa out. They do get a couple games in their last six, but they're also the sixth team in which basically a six-team race right now. I think we can probably count Ottawa out. They do get a couple games in hand on Vancouver, but they just seem to need to get some consistent play. I mean,

you take a look at their two goaltenders. Their numbers aren't spectacular, either Riddick or Markstrom. Markstrom had a nice little stretch earlier. He was hot as hell, but he's cooled off lately. I mean, I want to ask you, Biz, what does Calgary have to do to guarantee they get in the playoffs? Okay, so this is not coming off as critical, by the way, because I'll get to my point.

I believe Monaghan's got two points since Sutter's taken over, and Johnny Goudreau might have one. Johnny Goudreau and Monaghan, they've had five different coaches in their eight years with the Calgary Flames. Personally, I've never had a coaching change other than when Dan Bilesma went up to Pittsburgh, but Todd Reardon took over. Same exact philosophies.

Nothing really changed. There wasn't anything drastic that happened. I don't know how many times in your career that you dealt with a changing of a head coach, especially now for them, twice in the middle of the season, back-to-back seasons like this is like it's a it's a whole different philosophy and type of system and

mindset and that's got to be hard on these young guys especially the top guys who have to produce offense while staying in the structured system i think it's totally different too though because when you get a new coach in if he is on the more hard ass side guys assholes are puckering right up you know what i'm saying it's different because when you get a guy coming in and i'm not saying when word came in it's like oh this guy isn't like we don't have to play hard for him there's not a lot expected but it's just different when the when the reputation comes in along with daryl, it's like, I just think that guys are going to be more on their toes just because of what you know he's done in the past or willing to do.

I think that the team, it's almost like they're not too far behind now to get in, but man, these teams are playing consistently so much better than they have. And yeah, six games, four and two is great. The good thing is they have two in a row against Ottawa like all right where you're at with this many games left I know it's the season's buzzing by you got to beat Ottawa both games right they're in sixth right now yeah are they fifth or sixth so no they're six with yeah I mean like you don't have you don't have a lot of time here so that's why the coaching change can be can be difficult

but I think when it's a guy who makes you a little bit more nervous it's even tougher and um speaking of coaching changes uh i got a question for you because i got a text from frank bonomo and he was telling me that when when they fired terrian that that morning apparently he called you into his office and just laid into you and then frank bonomo came said, hey, don't worry about that. They're actually getting rid of him later this afternoon. Did you remember that? I don't know. That whole scenario and that moment in time in my life

and what all happened is the craziest thing when I look back. And I'll briefly tell you. I'll make a long story long. So we're in Long Island. I've been playing not not very good right you know i'm struggling my ankle's messed up i don't feel good fucking and and yeah and so like i'm like oh my god like this guy hates me i'm feeling the heat from the fans i think that was the year that my buddies were at a game and in the intermissions you could go and like paint their own like face mask and they all like were like get Whitney out of town or like a whole

section was just all over me it's just tough so he gets gassed and I'm like oh my god this is amazing Bilesma comes up we had I it might have been an afternoon game we had but Bilesma comes up. We had, it might have been an afternoon game we had, but Bilesma comes up and he's so different. He's positive. He brings me and he's like, I'm going to get you going. I'm going to get you going. Like, you're a better player than you've been playing. I know you got a ton in there.

Just the exact opposite of like Terry and just, he'd had enough of me. Blowing smoke in your face. And he probably had an idea. Maybe he was going to get fired. I don't think so. But he was just probably like, fuck this Whitney kid. I'm not going to be nice to him at all. If he keeps playing like this, I'm going to be meaner and meaner and meaner.

So Bosman's the opposite. So he comes in. I'm like, yes, we go out there. We actually lost. And I played pretty well, I think. I mean, definitely I wasn't amazing, but I felt better. I felt better about myself and my game. Well, my mom at the time was dealing with a brain tumor, right? So she was going on the knife. They were removing it. And I was going home. I was going home to see her, right? Right after. And so I went back and I was there three, four days. And while I'm there, I'm sitting in her hospital room, I think a day or two after her surgery, maybe the next day. And Ray Sherrill calls me, traded.

her surgery, maybe the next day. And Ray Sherrill calls me traded. I was like, Oh my God. Cause it wasn't just like my mom and like my life beyond hockey, which is so much more important, like sitting there with your mother. It was just like, wait, but I was with no bios was now gone. Tarion's gone. I'm it. Like it was just the most shocking. So when I look back, it's just, you remind me of that. It's, it's the craziest thing because it was like such a high, such a low. My mom, she's doing great now. Then such a low, I'm getting traded to Anaheim of all places. I don't know anyone. It was just, and by the way, the end of the story,

Anaheim's in Boston where I am that night to play the Bruins randomly. I hadn't skated in four days. They made me play. I was like, I can't play. And Randy Carl is like, you have to play the Bruins randomly. I hadn't skated in four days. They made me play. I was like, I can't play. And Randy Carl was like, you have to play. So I go in like jeans and a t-shirt because I didn't have anything because I was at home. Don't know a guy on the Ducks.

We lose eight Cobb. I'm even though. I was even. And I fly to Dallas and I'm on the Ducks and pro hockey, dude. Done. See ya. That's it. That's it. So it's, it was a nuts week or whatever it was.

Randy was like, you want an RS? No, get out there. Oh my God. He finds you for having jeans and a tee on too. Speaking of that, and I know I'm wearing like true religions. Hey, we're going to get to it later. But that nine nothing performance from from New York on Philly, two guys on the Flyers dash six. Off slash six. Even people who say plus mine.

So going back to Calgary, i think if they can get more consistency from those top guys and they're able to get comfortable with daryl i think they're going to be all right i think they have a possibility to to sneak into playoffs but as you mentioned whit they got to take advantage of these games in hands and they got a this next 10 game stretch is going to be very very important and it starts with going to an all against ottawa i also that afternoon of the game because i was told i wasn't playing so i was playing video games at my place with my buddies foley was over so i ordered a large steak and cheese and a small cheese pizza and dummied it

and didn't sleep and then was called and said you have to play tonight the bruins were a wagon too that reminds me of when i was up i was uh bantam major and the junior b team needed someone and i crushed kfc i think i was watching like uh what was this what was the show with uh corky from was it life goes on goes on yeah yeah i was watching life goes on with corky and it and mucking kfc and next thing you know i'm'm playing in a Junior B game. I think I made it out alive even there too, Whit. That a boy. Shout out KFC. All right, my guy.

All right, moving right along, we've got to head on over to the West Division right now. And, dude, the Avs have been on an absolute tear. They've won six in a row. And honestly, this is probably the good time to bring in Nazem Khadri right about now. I think we should have him on. But first, if you have 30 free minutes,

you never have to worry about a break-in at home ever again. That is how quick and easy it is to set up a security system from SimpliSafe. It's the kind of thing that's so easy you can do it during a Netflix binge, watching the game, or even listening to a certain podcast. That's what I love about SimpliSafe, just how easy it is to set up because that's not my thing. And now SimpliSafe is incredibly easy to customize for your home. Just go to simplisafe.com slash chiclets and you can easily choose the exact senses you need or get help from one of their experts. They'll get to your house in about a week, which means by this time next week, you and your whole family can go to bed knowing your home is being guarded. It's easy to assume everyone in your house already feels safe, but they might not. It's worthwhile to talk about, and SimpliSafe is a small, easy step to make sure everyone feels safe at home. So go to simplisafe.com slash chicklets today to customize your system and

get a free security camera. You also get a 60-day risk-free trial, so there's nothing to lose. also get a 60-day risk-free trial so there's nothing to lose once again that's simplisafe.com slash chicklets by all means check them out and now we're going to send it over to Nazem Kadri I'd like to welcome our next guest to the show he's currently in his second season with the Colorado Avalanche where he had a monster playoffs in the bubble with nine goals and nine assists in 15 games before that he had a somewhat eventful 10 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. They took him seventh overall in the 0-9 draft. Thanks a bunch for joining us on the Spittin' Chicklets podcast. Nazim Khadri, how's it going, my man?

Good. How are you guys doing? Doing good. I see you're in a hotel room as well as we are. Where are you right now? We're in San Jose at the moment, yep. You just got done beating the wheels off my fucking coyotes what's your problem bro what's your problem dude it was just nice to see some fans in the building man for once you know you guys had quite a few fans there actually you got your fans are loud and proud and traveling all over the place we did actually it was uh it was

nice to you know not see cardboard cutouts and some real people. So it was cool. I bet. I mean, you guys have been pretty busy. I mean, you guys traveled to Lake Tahoe for the outdoor game. Probably haven't played as many games as some teams, given the fact I think some of you guys went through COVID protocol. But overall, how's the season been going for you guys? I think pretty well. I mean, it's been a little scattered. You know, it's a unique year, that's for sure.

But, you know, health has kind of been an issue. It would be nice to get all the boys in the lineup for a few games in a row here. But, you know, we're handling it well, and everyone's got to go through the same thing. So you just got to deal with it. We've heard a lot of you guys and, you know, players from Vegas kind of talk about what it was like going through that. But in the delay in Tahoe, I'm talking about what, how bad was that ice? Had you ever seen anything like that in the first period? I mean, the clip of the ref and other players falling was a circus.

Man, it was terrible. It was terrible. I can't even believe we played a period on that ice now that I think about it. In warm-ups and even the beginning of the period, was everyone like, uh, I don't know about this? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. As soon as you stepped on the sheet you could just you could just feel yourself sink right into it and everyone's like checking their skate blades thinking it's their skates or the sharpening or something but just ended up being the ice it was literally collapsing from underneath us because

of the sun so uh i mean the logo uh in the neutral zone was like the size of the entire zone, and you couldn't skate through it. So it was pretty nuts. I mean, just from watching you guys play, you guys got a pretty big, heavy lineup. Like even your skill guys, like they like to get in the mix and throw the weight around. I mean, I even noticed that Bo Byram.

I wasn't expecting him to be as physical as he is. He plays with an edge as well. I love it. I mean, he stands up for himself, and that's something I respect. So, you know, for a young guy, he's, you know, physically, I think he's built pretty good and, you know, got a thickness to him, and he can hold his own. So that's what he's been doing.

Were you surprised when he came up? I mean, we all got a chance to witness him at World Juniors, but how good he is with the puck, how slick he is, and how easy the game seems to come at that young? Or did you kind of expect that skating with him last year in the bubble? Yeah, I've seen him a few times before the World Juniors, but it's like any other young guys. It's a maturation process.

You gain that experience. You gain the confidence. But he's got all the tools. know he's uh been putting some tricky situations uh in the lineup because of injuries and yeah you know i felt like he's he's dealt with them pretty well so you know silky smooth skater he's got good hockey iq so uh looking forward to seeing what he could do that's like every guy in your fucking d squad including kale mccarr why he's just posterizing breaking ankles like an nba or it's a joke this kale mccarr he's like a treat to watch and i was actually talking to one of the scouts up in the press box i didn't know that he'd got

invited to uh the olympics uh when obviously when the nhlers couldn't yeah i think he stayed at umass yeah and then he and then he ended up uh he ended up i think turning it down probably just like maybe for like didn't want to be, like, overexposed. Like, he probably didn't know what to experience. But, like, this guy's a generational defenseman, and all of a sudden he just comes in and he's, like, one of the best players, one of the best defensemen in the league. Like, what kind of impact is that to the lineup?

I mean, you said it right there. You know, he's an important piece for us. And, man, the way that guy skates and, like, his explosive power in his first couple strides is, like, you know, nothing I've ever seen before. And, you know, the guy's got quads like I've never seen. Oh, is he a monster? He's a monster.

Oh, yeah, he's built pretty powerfully. So, you know, he can hold his own. His skating is just just it's insane how he'll take one or two strides and you know just be flying up the ice and gaining so much space so he's got a great shot too he's a smart player and what i love most about him is is uh you know he's he's not soft he's not soft he'll lay the body he'll you know he'll cross check he'll play gritty and uh you know that's something check he'll play gritty and uh you know that's something i love the most about him i'm wondering like we saw him just i think

it was ryan hartman he just embarrassed him is he doing that in practice like pp like when those head fakes has he made anyone look foolish out there when you guys are just twirling around before games oh yeah oh yeah he's gonna give me a couple pointers because you know that's happened to me a couple times going out to d-man and i'm walking around yeah faking the shot so he's trying to give me some tips on how to approach that situation but i'm not sure i'm not sure there's any really recipe uh for that you know it's you know if a guy's just too quick he's too quick and you're gonna get beat and then he's got uh an absolute bomb of a wrist there too so um you know he's got the tools man yes i want to go back to tahoe for a second i'm

curious about how that whole process plays out where there's a situation it's a workplace hazard essentially like to the players mentioned to the refs and it's also a hazard for the refs like how did that all come about you guys have an eight hour break between periods like what goes on in that whole thing i mean for us like we're we were committed you know at that point we just you know we wanted to just play and kind of get it over with but uh you know we understood that it was a bit of a hazard you know you don't want someone catching you know a rut and you know messing up their knees or their ankles or something like that so i mean it got pretty serious and after the first period we were kind of just sitting there waiting and uh for the final word and the sun just kept getting hotter i guess

and uh the ice was literally just disintegrating so i don't think uh i don't think we you know it was possible for us to continue to play and you know it was it was terrible having to undress yeah come back come back for two periods, start on the power play. I think we started with like a 15-second five-on-three or something. And so we're out there starting the game on a five-on-three. It was different. Did you guys go back?

Was there like another pregame nap? Was it one of those? Or what did everyone do in that time and during the delay? Oh, yeah? You had to go back to the hotel and just pretend like you're coming to another hockey game. I've never seen a hockey game

with two warm-ups in the same game. We came out for warmies, chucked the biscuit around a little bit, and then just got ready to go. Really sucked for the health bombs that day, huh? They get bagged again. Well, we like, you know, usually with guys, we go back to the beginning and just a super prospect.

I mean, a really high pick. But even before that, how did you get into the game? Was it your father? Like, what really kind of helped you grow your love of hockey? Yeah, my old man, for sure. He, you know, He loved the Habs. He watched the Saturday night games every single weekend. We were big Team Canada guys.

So I actually, my family, he doesn't really have any hockey background. No one's played besides me. So he just loved the game and you know put me in and out at an early age and i just loved the camaraderie and you know the the team value and just fell in love with the sport decided to keep playing with him with him not with your father not playing or nobody else in your family like was he still kind of trying to give you pointers or was he open and saying i don't know much about the game, but as long as you love it, keep going, you know what I mean? Yeah, 100%. That's the thing, man.

My dad, he's never played, but he knows a lot about the game. He's watched a lot of hockey, and he's essentially been my coach from day one. Everything I've learned, for the most part, has come from his mouth. So he's really good at analyzing the game and breaking it down, even though he's never played. He just didn't have the opportunity. Not that, you know, he wasn't capable.

He just didn't have the opportunity. And, you know, he's taught me everything I know. So that's all him. You're the fourth NHLer of Lebanese descent, correct? Fourth ever? I think so, yeah. Yeah. So you grew up in London, Ontario, was watching the Knights like one of the things that got you even more involved and

more excited about hockey? You know, played my minor hockey, youth hockey down there in the AAA program and then went to Kitchener and played two years in junior and then went to the Knights and played my final two years with my hometown team. So that was a pretty special for me. When you were younger, I mean, coming into OHL draft year, were you kind of hoping like you could go to London or were you not even that big of a fan of that team necessarily, even though you'd grown up there? No, I mean, I was, you know, I was, I kind of wanted to start. I wanted to stay close to home. I knew that. And, you know, there was a few wanted to to start i wanted to stay close to home i knew that and uh you know there was a few teams that were trying to i think scoop me up a little earlier

than um a little earlier in the first round for my ohl draft and i just you know gave them the i'm going to college or wasting i will not be going there i i've played that card i think you know i think the plymouth Whalers tried to scoop me. Oh, brutal. What a brutal place to play. No offense. Yeah, I was like, yeah, I think I'm going to go to the NCAA. Sure enough, I mean, Pete DeBoer was the coach at the time,

Steve Spott. I had a great conversation with them, and I was set on going to Kitchener. So I just tried to hold off as long as possible. And sure enough, the Rangers grabbed me and that's it. Now, your dad had you skating at three years old. You were playing house league at four. I mean, you must've just been a natural to be that good at that young of age. Oh yeah. I mean, I guess I just, when I was younger, I just loved,

loved the game. I loved being on outdoor rinks. You know, you'd have to fight me to come inside, my mother would always say. I was playing competitive hockey when I was six, but I was playing with the seven-year-olds, like Drew Dowdy and Logan Couture, that class. I was playing up an age group, and I feel like that kind of helped morph me into the player I am. Even though I was so young, I got an early taste of it.

I was just going to ask, was there any particular reason you ended up getting traded from Kitchener to London? Was it just a matter of fact of like at that point you'd establish yourself and you're like, hey, I want to go back home and play? Or it just so happened that a spot opened up where there was a move possible? Well, I always wanted to play in London, my hometown, Junior City. So we hosted the Mem Cup, the Rangers, in my second year. And we made a big trade for Steve Mason at the time to solidify our goaltending spot.

And the trade happened the year of the mem cup midway through the season and i was actually involved in that trade but i was the future consideration so uh they had told me you know pete brought me the office uh and he was he was leaving that year spotter was leaving all their veteran guys were leaving so our team was you know wasn't going to be good the next year so uh we had a conversation and it was basically like you're going to be good the next year. So we had a conversation, and it was basically like, you're going to play out the rest of the season here, play the Mem Cup, and then in the summertime, you're going to go over to Huntsy and play for the Knights.

That's a Q ship. I honestly think to this day, they changed that rule because of that trade. Yeah, that sounds illegal as shit now. In the Q, they used in the queue so now there's no future considerations left so i knew i was traded in that involved in that trade when the trade happened which was mid-season but i was able to finish out the rest of the year play the mem cup the playoffs mem cup and then go to london in the summer and secure the bag um i was sick i was i was hopping in there in the queue i still even think it flies

they would legit move like every superstar over to one team and the next year that team who gave up their superstars would then get all the superstars it became a bit of a fucking gong show in the queue i'm surprised london was able to finagle that too they never get away with anything yeah i'm sure i'm really sure actually hold on quickly i got a question about that that memorial cup though and for people maybe americans who don't know if you host the memorial cup you're automatically in so what happens is like even if you lose first round ohl playoffs you gotta wait around for mem cup how did you guys do that year in the ohl playoffs were you able to at least kind of get to the finals or yeah yeah we uh we won oh you won it all all right nice i didn't know

that we won it all we had a stacked team um you know it was sick yeah we won the ohl championship that year and uh advanced the mom cups going pretty good and you know probably should have won that one who took it um spokane oh spokane chiefs took it I think we outshot him like 60 to 25 in the final game who's their goalie just uh I think it was Takarski yeah yeah he just stood on his head we threw everything at him and hey it is what it is um and then you end up going over to London I mean you you get drafted by Toronto and I feel like if you're playing in London it's like the mecca of hockey it's better than the AHL it's you're going downhill going to the AHL. Seriously.

Fans and everything. It's true. Yeah. And, I mean, you get used to essentially performing and being the star of the town. Like, what was that like? And did it essentially prepare you from getting drafted to Toronto and playing there? Absolutely, man. Absolutely.

You know, London's one of the best junior hockey cities, I think, on the entire planet. We got sellouts every night, diehard fans, the whole city loves the team, big time support. You kind of get a lot of the spotlight. It's like a big market junior team. team so it definitely prepared me in a sense and you know just being under the hunter hunter brothers with uh dale and mark you know i feel like you know they uh they prepared me as well so um you know it's uh it's kind of nice how it worked out that way looking at your draft i mean the top set you were the seventh pick the guys that went before you just seven studs right there and i i'm wondering like going in did you have an idea about toronto you know brian burke's there what what went on your draft day and leading up to that how did the combine go for you um yeah i mean it was it was it was a cool experience combine was good yeah i felt like i did pretty well i mean at that time i was you know buck 60 pretty pretty skinny and could barely even you know how they got the uh what's the the beep thing they do with the beep test is with like the bench press oh it's a night oh v you got the vo2 oh the

metronome yeah and it gets going quick too you didn't even know what a metronome was till you got there i could barely lift that thing off the rack man it was a struggle but uh no it was it was cool it was cool had the meetings with all the teams i felt like i was going to go somewhere in that range and i felt like la was really interested at five and i figured it was going to be you know them or toronto and then you know berkey made that play on the floor uh and told murray he was taking me or whatever and um you know that was it now i want to go back to dill hunter for a minute he's And, you know, that was it. Now, I want to go back to Dale Hunter for a minute.

He's a guy, you know, he's had a taste of the NHL life. Apparently, he likes to be a teacher. Like, what did he teach you as far as being a pro? What did he do for your game that got you to the level you're at now? Well, I feel like he, you know, when you're in junior hockey, he treats you more like a pro than a kid. And I think that's what prepares you for the next level. He kind of lets you do your thing and holds you accountable at the same time and marks the same way.

So they just treat you like men and, you know, they expect a lot from you. And, you know, I feel like that that grooms you well for the next level. Do you like the – I don't want to say old school because he is kind of a players coach in the sense of he communicates well but do you do you like when when coaches are a little bit more stern with the group and a little bit more more old school I guess yeah I don't mind that I mean I have a type of personality that that can handle that I mean I don't I don't know if it's necessarily for for all guys you know? So for me personally, I don't mind. I feel like, you know, I'm pretty hard on myself to begin with.

So, you know, it doesn't matter for me. Naz, I know your first couple of camps in Toronto, they were a huge story. First year, you get sent back to London. You did get the one-game emergency call-up. The next year, you start in the AHL. Looking back, do you think you were NHL-ready back then and they made a mistake not having you up,

or did they make the right move looking back? It's a tough one. I feel like I personally could have played. I think my first preseason I led the team in scoring and had a lights-out preseason, lights-out camp. I mean, the team at that time wasn't great. So, I mean, I could see what they were thinking, sending me back down to junior and trying to let me develop.

It was kind of that transition phase where that was still part of the mentality where as opposed to now you want your young guys playing as quick as possible. So it was a bit of that transition period, and they wanted me to gain some more experience playing with men, and that's how it ended up going i just remember i mean you know i didn't i knew who you were coming into the league you know big name big prospect but i remember don cherry just yelling every coach's corner bring up cadre get cadre up here it's like you had to at least love that that was going on even if you were probably frustrated, I mean, that third year pro,

you're still playing in the AHL, lighten it up. It's like, come on, guys, let's go, right? Yeah, I mean, that's exactly what happened. The lockout training camp, they finally – well, I mean, I appreciated that, obviously. I think Graves put a little bit of pressure on the organization to get me up there. Bring up God, Drake. Oh, man, I was loving every second of it. So, uh, yeah, I was, I felt like I was prepared. I mean, when I came up, I had, you know,

struggled a little bit, but, um, no, there's all different factors that came into that, but, um, you know, I was, I was ready to go and it was just a matter of time. I think. Was, uh, I mean, you ended up making world juniors. You talked earlier about how you were a big team Canada fans, and that's really what what's what sucked you into becoming such a big hockey fan um i mean playing world juniors i know you guys ended up falling short winning the silver that year was that at that point that to have been the the pinnacle of your hockey career and and probably one of the biggest moments of your life oh man that tournament was sick it was it was great you know being on home ice in canada it

was in saskatoon and it was like minus 55 that was that was a little too much but uh besides that um you know it was it was an unbelievable atmosphere that gold medal game now i still remember it like it was yesterday the chills and obviously playing the u.s you know it doesn't really get much bigger and better than that so uh and it was an unbelievable game to uh to boot so um definitely saw my chair for the rest of my life is that one of the moments where you cut you you knew you kind of became a household name and maybe when you go in toronto or wherever you were and people would definitely more recognize you more for sure i mean that's, that's what the tournament does. It brings attention, you know, everyone wants to have a big tournament kind of get their name out there.

And, and you know, that's, that, that could be your breakthrough moment on you know, eventually getting to the NHL. So it's a big tournament in terms of you know, attention, media attention, and just kind of putting yourself on the map. Now, as I mentioned, that one game you got called up for, an emergency call, did that not burn off a year of your contract like it does nowadays? Because I looked at Cap Friendly after.

It didn't look like it did. No, I don't think it did. I'm not sure if the rules were different or what was happening there, but that was probably one of the coolest parts of my my entire career also i was playing in junior and then uh i was always called up on emergency call a basis hopped in a car and sent me a car rolled to the acc strapped them on for my first nhl game and then after it was done i went back to play junior hockey just thought i was the man it was it was sick that might have been the other scene that put you on the map yeah it was cool how it all uh it all worked out but um just to get a little taste and you know

who we're playing against at the time it was you know i think i started the game and on the other side there was like four or five hall of famers you know lining up on the other side, there was like four or five Hall of Famers, you know, lining up on the other side of me. So it was, you know, I had to pinch myself for sure. That kind of just makes me think of another question. Who was your idol growing up? I mean, was there a guy you really looked up to? Oh, yeah. I was a big Paul Correa fan.

I had his jersey in my room. And, you know, I just loved the way he played because I was a bit of a smaller player growing up too, and, you know, he was – I just felt like he was a great leader, and, you know, he was just a warrior too, just the guy who was an animal and the ultimate pro, and, you know, he was small, but he was tough and gritty, so I respected that. Do you, like, geek out on him in a sense?

Like, you, like, would listen and find out his routines and and also there was a feature on TSN that came out he ended up talking finally after forever like did you did you consume all that yeah yeah I watched it all I mean I uh I followed his career uh pretty thoroughly growing up and uh you know just always had respect for the guy. I mean, even after, obviously, everyone knows about that notorious hit he took from Scott Stevens in the playoffs, comes back and buries. Remember the breath, too? Remember he took that breath? You're like, oh, my God, he's awake.

Yeah, you can't make that shit up. That's respect in my eyes, and I loved it. So I just got off a little track there because we were talking Toronto but you know you played for Ron Wilson I experienced playing for him in the Olympics I was just the clown on the team so he didn't even deal with me but then you had Randy Carl I don't know Ron that well but Randy he despised me um I mean guys couldn't stand him it was just like oh my god Randy here we go again what was your relationship like with him uh I think it was fine yeah i mean uh like i said i mean to be honest i just you know kind of minded my own business and you know

i was a young guy i just you know worked every day and you know i don't it doesn't really bother me if someone's you know hard on me or yeah or uh you know gives me a kick in the ass every once in a while so um for the most part i mean he's the kind of guy that, you know, really gave me, you know, a top six opportunity and, you know, really solidifying myself. So that's something I could appreciate. But, you know, he was definitely, you know, hard on some guys. But, you know, I guess that's just – it is what it is.

In Anaheim, like, Getzey would give it back to him a little bit. Like, was there any, like, Dion giving it to him? The toaster. Wasn't it the toaster giving it back to him 24-7? Randy. Of course, man. Of course. He got a – I mean –

He didn't mind it either, I think. He was a little bit like Hitchcock where a guy had to give it back, and I think he liked it if you were good enough. Yeah, exactly. And, like, you know, Babs was kind of the same way. And all those like traditional coaches, you know, they like a little piss and vinegar, you know. So I think the pushback is good.

And I mean, to a certain extent, right? You still have some respect, but, you know, you're going to end up butting heads every once in a while. And I think it's just important to stand up for yourself. And you had three hot-ass coaches in Toronto. You went from Wilson to Kyle Isle to Babcock. Which guy worked best for you? Yeah, I mean.

You kind of played the same role with all of them. Sorry to interrupt. I feel like you were always top six. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think I was. I mean, to be honest with you, I think Babs was good. You know, Babs was good for me. He taught me a lot about the game.

He was a good coach. I think he made me a better player. That's for sure. Just getting me dialed in with the details and stuff like that. I mean, did I question his methods sometimes and how we approach certain things? Yeah. like that i mean did i you know question his methods sometimes and how we approach certain things uh yeah but uh you know like like we were talking about you just you know you got to give a little push back if you don't if you don't agree agree with something you uh you know you stand up and say it and you know i think that's one thing that you know babs really appreciated you know is uh is someone standing up for themselves yeah calm he's a big fan of him too mike commodore um i'm i'm curious like so you get to toronto you're a big prospect big name

and the team you know you made the playoffs the one year early and then it's a struggle three straight years without and i'm sure you probably felt pressure from media from fans in terms of like i'm one of the top guys i'm now catching heat was it tough then and and were you able to kind of deal with like all of a sudden i'm going from the prospect to the guy that's like, well, what the fuck, we're not in the playoffs and Kadri's at fault because of this and that. Did you feel that? Yeah, of course. I mean, it's hard not to.

Like, you guys know what comes with that, especially in a big market. You know, being a top six forward, I think, you know, they can be a little bit hard on you for sure. But at the end of the day, I think, you know, you just got to handle it and deal with it the best you can and just come ready to play. I mean, at the end of the day, that's what they want. They want, you know, to see you work and to see you try and to give effort.

And, you know, usually with skilled players, if you're, you know, competitive enough players if you're you know competitive enough and you work good things are going to happen and that after the third straight year no playoffs that next regular season you hop you know hop on 32 goals right i mean like did anything change that off season did your game change did you just feel stronger and just better overall what happened there because it was two straight years at 32. Just, you know, a good opportunity. I think, you know, like I said, with young players, once you start to, you know, figure out what the league's like

and gain some experience, you start to understand, you know, what you're capable of and what you can do on a consistent basis. So, you know, for me, it was just, you know, we had a sick power play at the time. You know, some good players around us. Everything kind of just worked out. And, you know, you just a sick power play at the time. You know, some good players around us. Everything kind of just worked out. And, you know, you just find ways to score. Now, as those first couple teams you're on with Toronto,

I noticed looking at the Russes, there weren't a lot of, like, what you call grizzled vets on those teams. Was that, like, an issue in the locker room where you had maybe too many young guys where there wasn't someone to kind of take hold of that locker room? I mean, I don't know if that was the issue, but, you know, we had some guys, just a lot of guys. It was like a bit of a revolving door the first couple of years, you know, just guys coming in and out and, you know, just constant new faces.

So I think that, you know, takes a bit of an impact on the team. And when, you know, when you can't play with the same line mates, you don't see the same guys in the room consistently, I think that might wear on a team. What about when, I'm not going to pick on guys, but when the front office is talking to the media as much as they are, does that make your job more difficult? It's like, you already know what your job is.

You're a local kid playing for the Maple Leafs. Now you get your GM or your coach kind of like tripping to the media. Does that make your job tougher? Yeah, I mean, I suppose, yeah, because it brings more attention to the things you're doing or not doing. But, you know, at the end of the day, you know, when you're playing in a market like Toronto, you just got to understand that, you know,

just some crazy stuff is going to happen. The amount of times I've been posted on front pages of the Toronto Suns with the shittiest headlines. It's something that you can't let bother you and you just got to keep moving forward. You're definitely going to have a mental toughness for sure. Not to dig too deep on it, but like the Babcock stuff, like now that it's all coming out and it's a little bit more to the surface, while you were playing there, like did you notice anything that really crossed the line? I know you said you questioned some of his methods.

Like anything that you thought was like really over the top to where he's continuing to deserve this barrage that he's getting? I mean, I don't know. That one's a bit of a delicate one because, you know, for me, you know, I think I actually had a decent relationship with Baz because, you know, I didn't really let him, you know, push me around. You just got to stand up for yourself and have your own voice. But, you know, he's to stand up for yourself and and have your own voice but you know he's a detail-oriented coach like babs is you know he prepares and his detail of the game is like

you know the best i've ever seen and uh in terms of preparing for a game plan um you know the way he approaches some some situations is uh or says some certain things maybe that uh that crosses the line but you know I understand from a coaching perspective how you know you want to get the most out of your players you want to push some buttons but you got to know who that works for and who doesn't and uh you know that's that's it at the end of the day so basically like I mean you as a leader at that point there you never saw it to where it was affecting a guy where you felt like you needed to step in or or it never even got to that point no i don't think it got to that point i mean he was you know babs he he loved his like one-on-one meetings too and you know a lot of times he wouldn't you know

necessarily say it in front of the whole team so if something was going on you maybe with another player you maybe wouldn't know about it as much as uh uh you would have if it was in front of the whole team so you know he kind of kept that uh between you know certain individuals but um yeah man he uh he definitely tries to push you for sure the one-on-one meetings you ever have any uh fuck you matches with him you just go in there to say fuck you back and forth all the time all right good and uh you know but that that was the thing that was the thing we had a a relationship that you know we if you hash it out like men you know you might get into one of

those battles but at the end of the day you know you flush it and you know you you want to be better for your team so uh like i said you just gotta you know you just gotta stand up for yourself so you never took a shit on his desk no i didn't go that far not gonna clap to that well i mean with all the success you had in toronto as a player and you grew into not just a top six like offensive player you're a pain in the ass to play against. There was, you know, two moments that was tough. April 12th, I think, is probably a tough day for you. You're suspended in 2018 in the first round against the Bruins, and then the next year again, which ended up being at, you know,

the end of your Maple Leafs career. When you look back on that suspension with the brusque, the cross check, like, do you really regret it? Do you look at it just happened so quick? It's just kind of how you play on the edge. Like, what are your thoughts on kind of the end of your career as a Maple Leaf even though it was probably tough to deal with at the time yeah I mean a little bittersweet you know I think uh I think uh that's just the type of guy I am and I always will be I'm gonna stand up for my teammates and you hit Marleau, right?

Yeah, he pasted Marleau into the dasher there. I didn't like it. Am I trying to go over there and cross-check him in the face? Definitely not. It just kind of came up a little high. I served my time. I took accountability. Obviously, I wasn't a huge fan.

I wanted to play in the playoffs. At that time time, I was, you know, I was playing. You were playing nice. Yep. Yeah, I was playing nice. So it was, you know, it was a bit of a shitty thing for me to go through. But, you know, you can't think I was going to do that again for a third time, could you? Did you have a feeling of that you were going to get traded? Like when you heard the news, how did that all go down? Yeah, I mean, I kind of had an idea that maybe something might be in the works. I think it was maybe a 50%, 60% chance I might be returning. But for me, I'm always trying to be optimistic and positive

and you know my thoughts are I'm coming back I'm gonna be ready to play you know I'm gonna um you know prove these people wrong or whatever a little chip on your shoulder but uh yeah I heard there was some talks in the deal obviously that Calgary situation I I nixed, hoping to stay in Toronto. But, you know, clearly they were they were shopping me. So I'm just luckily I, you know, I ended up in a great place like Denver playing with some great players. Now, you know, I'm thinking taking my career to the next level. Yeah, I mean, considering you went to Colorado, probably easier to get over. But like this part of you feel like kind of like, you know, like, didn't think I was one of the like the pieces to to answer your problems like do you have you know I think that's probably a normal emotion to have given what you gave to

the organization throughout your time there oh yeah no doubt no doubt I mean I uh I'm a competitive guy and you know I'm always I'm always looking to prove people wrong and just come back even stronger. So for me, I was a little bit bitter at the time, but now that I've just settled in and able to just take a step back and look at the situation I've been put in, the opportunity that I have, living in a great city, playing with some great players on a great team. You know, I can't be upset.

Naz, I want to ask you about that. Now, you had a modified no trade clause. So at some point, you must have been clued in that they were looking to trade you. How did that play out? Did they reach out to you a month before? Is it a list you give prior to? How does that situation play itself out? Yeah, so, I mean, you, you obviously negotiate that, uh,

had a limited no trade and, uh, you submit like 12 teams or whatever it is on July 1st. Okay. Yeah. Buffalo Columbus. Come on. Give us the goods. Yeah, it was, uh, I mean, you,, I mean, you banged them all out right there. No offense to those. We love those franchises.

That's all Kadri saying that, folks, not us. I mean, like I said, I was just hoping to stay in Toronto, and I really wanted to be there, you know, because I knew I was just going to get better, and, you know, I wanted to provide more for the team, but they decided to go in a different direction, and I'm okay with that. And I think they probably were looking at, like, let's get him out west. We don't really want to deal with him in this conference.

If this one's going to bend us over and shove it right up our ass. This guy's going to come back and cross-check four of our players. Thanks a lot, Toronto, you fucks. Now I'm going to watch this guy get one and two against my oats for crying out loud. Fuck you, Dubas. In all seriousness, I mean, you go from Toronto where 45 reporters a day in the room, and now it's Colorado where it's pretty chill. I mean, their fan base is incredible.

It's just not the same. That must be nice. And now, granted, it's totally different. You don't have media in the room. Everything's done via Zoom. But the pressure doesn't probably feel the same, which can really help players out. Would you agree? I would agree.

Definitely. You know, I didn't mind the pressure so much, really. But, you know, it is nice not having to having to do a you know 30 person scrum after every single game you know sometimes in Colorado I'd just get undressed and I wouldn't talk to anybody and it's just like something I wasn't used to and I was like oh this is great you know I don't gotta sit here and answer the same questions over and over again um so that that part was a little bit uh relieving for sure and just you know you're able just to do your own thing and the privacy aspect too in denver like nobody's bugging you no you

know so you can kind of kind of do what you want and uh go about your own business which which is great any any media members in toronto that um you'll forever despise or are you kind of pleading the fifth on that one oh i'm pleading the fifth on that one? I'm pleading the fifth. We'll have a beer sometime. I'll get the real answer. I'll see Steve Simmons play it. Alright, fair enough. You said you're going to continue to get better.

What is it at this point that you can keep improving on in order to keep sustaining what you're doing? Is it more skill work? Is it more video work? is it a sense of like you're just you just been around so long enough where you know you have to be in in each position yeah i mean exactly you just gain that experience and you know i know what my job and my responsibility is every single night obviously uh you know you want to provide as much as you can offensively without being a liability defensively. So just trying to play a complete game.

I think, you know, I've been working on my face-offs too, just trying to, you know, snap some draws back to have more possession and spend more time with the pucks. So I think you just constantly evolve. And, you know, I think the older you get, maybe you get a little stronger. And, you know, you can do what you do. You said face-offs. Have you been going against McKinnon?

Because I think coming into the season, he came on here and said that's the number one thing he needs to improve on is face-offs. Oh, yeah. I've been on him about that for sure. So he's the type of guy that didn't really um i mean didn't really worry about draws too much i mean the guy's got so many other things going on but uh you know he uh you know he understands that now if you you want to face off or two you're gonna have the puck a little more. That could potentially mean more offense.

So, you know, when I told him that, his eyes just lit up. You dumbed it down for him, eh? He's like, I don't care. Give it to him. I'll give him a chance for once, you know? Now he's bearing down. You know, I've been really impressed to watch him, you know, evolve in that category.

So Landis Skog, where's the C there? Is he the guy in the room that's loudest pregame, or is there somebody else who's kind of the voice of the room getting guys going? Is that you? Who's coming in with the man giant? I get the boys laughing. Yeah, yeah, man. I'm always joking around, keeping it loose.

You know, I don't – yeah, I mean, all players are different, you know, leading up to game time. But, you know, for me't, yeah, I mean, it's all, all the, all players are different, you know, leading up to game time. But, you know, for me, I like to keep things light and, you know, obviously you understand what you got to go out there and do, but, you know, I'm joking around till the last possible second. So, uh, you know, I like to keep it loose and, you know, we have a fun dressing room guys get along and, uh, you know, it's pretty entertaining. Yeah.

Nate said you're pretty much like a swag god. Like you just – you got a lot of swag, I guess. You got the drip. You're wearing the drip to the ring. You got a sick new mask you're wearing to the game, a designer mask over the snout and the mouth. I mean, I'm not overly flashy. But, I mean, I think you got to have your confidence.

You know, you got to believe in what you can do. And, you know, that's where, you know, a lot of players vary. You know, they can be such a great player when they have confidence. But, you know, that same player, if they lose their confidence, they end up not being as good of a player. So I think you just got to believe in yourself. And, you know, if I can bring that positivity and that confidence to the team, I think it helps us.

I just want to ask you about Mac. Like, what's it like going to the rink every day? You're playing with one of the top players on the planet. Just, like, that competitive drive and that, like, it's a little bit fucking crazy, isn't it? Yeah, he's an intense dude, man. He's intense, but he's a competitor. He's one of the most competitive guys I've ever seen.

Man, this guy works, too. He backs up everything he does. He's out there ripping pucks from the start. First one on, last one off, that type of thing. He holds himself accountable. He's definitely an intense guy, but I'd have it no other way. You've got a great story. I think your grandfather emigrated from Lebanon to Canada.

You know, obviously, like Biz mentioned, there's only been four NHLs of Lebanese descent. So when your games are on, are they a big deal back on, like, Lebanon? Like, is a lot of the country watching when you play? Yeah, yeah. I mean, people watch. I got a lot of country watching when you play. Yeah, yeah. I mean, people watch. I got a lot of relatives back there too. Yeah, I mean, I don't think there's been a player that's – between those Lebanese players that's been playing as long as I have

and, like, been as established. So, yeah, people pay attention now, and they're starting to play hockey a little bit over there, building a couple of rinks. You know, so that's good to, just the game of hockey growing. All right, buddy. We appreciate you coming on. Let McKinnon know, he still can't hit a wedge.

We owned him in the first sandbag. I don't know if you ever saw that. Man, it's been a treat to watch you for Colorado. It's a team that could definitely win the Stanley Cup, so we wish you all the luck the rest of the year. Thank you for joining us. I appreciate that, guys. Tell Mac I bet you I the luck the rest of the year. Thank you for joining us. All right. Appreciate that, guys.

And tell Mac I bet you I could beat him best of five in a face-off. Content piece. I will fucking dummy him. Biz has a torn ACL. I took four in my NHL career. I won three of them. And one of them, I think, was against Jeff Carter. Two Stanley Cups, not a big deal.

He was hungover, though. Can you pat my back, please? Thank you. Tell him it's a challenge. I'll let him know. All right, Nas. Thanks a lot pal take care big thanks to nazem cadre for joining us enjoyed the chat hopefully we'll get them back again i do want to mention if you are a business owner who's hiring you probably face a lot of challenges when it comes to finding the right person for your role lack of qualified candidates tons of resumes to go through, where to post a job.

Well, that's why hiring can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job on some job board. Then all you can do is hope the right person comes along, which is why you should try ZipRecruiter for free at ziprecruiter.com slash checklists. When you post a job on ZipRecruiter, it gets sent out to over 100 top job sites with one click.

Then ZipRecruiter's matching technology finds people with the right skills and experience for your job and actively invites them to apply. In fact, ZipRecruiter is so effective that four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. It's no wonder over 2.3 million businesses have come to ZipRecruiter for their hiring needs. So while other companies overwhelm you with too many options, ZipRecruiter finds you what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. And right now, you can try ZipRecruiter for free at this web address, ZipRecruiter.com slash chicklets. Once again, remember to go to this unique place, ZipRecruiter.com slash chicklets. That's C-H-I-C-L-E-T-S, ZipRecruiter.

The smartest way to hire. We do want to mention, too, we did talk to Nazem. It was right after the Lake Tahoe games a few weeks back, so just to give you that perspective. They hadn't been on this leader. Welcome to the chicklets bump, Colorado. There you go, Biznet. How many have they won in a they've been and they were doing it all with kale mccarr or without excuse me and then he just came into the lineup um last game i believe and coyotes got

them back to back holy shit they actually just made a move to uh they acquired uh yonas johansson from buffalo he's a goaltender uh for a-round pick in this year's draft. You know, basically, Grubow has been playing his ass off. He started basically the first Colorado goalie since they had Valamov back eight years ago to start 20 of the team's first 25 games. He's got five shutouts. Pavel Frantzouz, who was the backup, he's got a lower body injury. So they had to go through their depth shot. So basically, they picked up this guy, Jonas Johansson from Buffalo,

to short things up. I think they're going to keep rolling either way. He sprinted to the airport. They're like, no, I got my own flight. Can I get the Uber super speed, please? Wednesday night, our buddy Revo, he got his first of the year and he got the second star. And he also had one of the best quotes I've heard all year. He said after the game, quote, anytime you do anything against the second star, and he also had one of the best quotes I've heard all year. He said after the game,

quote, anytime you do anything against the Sharks, it's fun. It's no secret I hate every one of them over there. Anytime I can do anything like that, it's a good time, end quote. Like, that rivalry is something special that he has with that. He was on Men in Blazers, too, which is a show on, I think it's NBC Sports, maybe? I saw it on NHL.com. It was good.

And the same game, too. Mark Stone and Thomas Hurdle fought, and then Marcheseau and Couture. Probably four unlikely fight partners if you were going to draw names at the beginning of the night. You know, Revo was saying, basically, I don't want those guys doing that. You know, like, that's my job. Also, too, there was a controversial call Saturday night, third period, San Jose-St. Louis tie game.

And Patrick Marleau, the guy's played more games than anyone in the league right now. He got a penalty for a face-off violation. I mean, you never, ever see this penalty called. I should say very seldom, let alone a guy who's been around the league that much. You'd think he might have got a warning. I know they had already waved the other guy out. I guess he didn't touch his stick to the ice. I mean, is that chintzy as all hell or what?

Yeah, more than anything, it's who they called it on. Yeah. It's like, oh, my God, this fake rule that I've never – I've never actually seen it called watching a game. I've only seen a tweet or a replay. To call it on Marleau, that was the most bizarre – I think both teams would be like, dude, we defer liney stay in your lane stay in your lane bud patrick marlo you're giving him a face-off penalty yeah it was the umpire who actually uh

ruined that guy's perfect game he switched over leagues oh at least that guy felt bad though i think that guy was like so depressed about ruining that guy's perfect game was that against the detroit tigers it was the tigers it was the Tigers pitcher. And he was out. He had the guy out by four feet. Yeah. And then Jim Leland had the player go give the lineup card the next day. Do you remember that part? And the guy was crying or something, wasn't he?

Yeah, he was. The guy felt horrible. He felt horrible. Well, that's like, I know that you guys weren't even alive. The 85 World Series, that was the Kansas City won it, but St. Louis should have won it in six, but the umpire made an awful call. No.

Kansas City ended up rallying, wins game six, wins game seven. They had saving eggs going. When you say they should have won it, like bottom of the ninth? They were leading, yeah, they were leading going into the bottom of the ninth. Todd Worrell, who was one of the best closes in the game, was on the mound. They had, yeah, I think,

I don't know if there was one out when he made the call. There would have been no outs. But basically, St. Louis had a lead with one of the league's best closes. And Don Dankenshire, he just totally muffed it. And what he did... First base, a play at first? He played a first base. The guy, if he was out by a step or two, I mean... And then he's on base. He's looking to tie it up. Boom.

Yeah. And they ended up rallying a couple hits, winning the game, forced a game seven in which they had the ace going. But this umpire, Don Denkenshire, he actually got either a picture or a painting of this mistake in his office, just to always remind him, like, hey, we're all human, we all fuck up,

we all make mistakes. But, I mean, I personally, I wouldn't want a daily reminder of my biggest fucking fuck up. Although I just go on Instagram and get them every day anyways. There's like, yeah, if you mess up a call like that in soccer and like south america you're dead yeah they'll murder you andres escobar got killed not chelsea fans but yeah other fans would yeah we're class cup arsenal fans they wit fucking arsenal they stink real bad man uh

minnesota defenseman carson susi got a one game suspension for charging Connor Gallant. I mean, it was more of a hit to the head than anything. It's called charge. And he kind of jumped up and yeah, I left his feet. Just a dirty hit. I mean, I'm honestly surprised just given it was the head busy. You only got one game because you hear the league saying we want to crack

these hits down and then you got one there and they only give the guy a game. I thought, you know, yeah, direct hit to the head. listen i you know you know i won't be bitching on here seeming all biased and stuff but yeah whatever i mean i think probably his first time being being suspended what was surprising is he got to stay in the game but uh what's his name uh lawson kraus ended up uh get tuning him up right yeah i cleaned him up pretty good but then Lawson Kraus got tossed because when he got him on the ground he kept wailing away which I mean

you got the boot for that? I think he got the aggressor he must have thrown three or four shots when the guy was on the ground but sending a message because it's been a lot of times this year Connor Garland's been taking some abuse that's their best player no retaliation

it's been tough sledding i mean they had a tough ride against minnesota there but they ended up going off to anaheim and if we're sticking to the to the theme of the west i got to see zegras's first game when they played them earlier in the season and then this drysdale who looked really good really comfortable on the back end great skater ended up getting a goal and an apple in his first game um they ended up coming from behind from two nothing so uh troy terry looked pretty good so the young guys for for anaheim really getting it done and and they got uh you know they got a bright future

ahead of them but definitely some tough sledding this year miller miller was he was struggling in between the pipes that's for sure i think he got the yank in game two dried still dried still his money he was walking the line head up like he's gonna he's gonna be i think you got the yank in game two dried still dried still his money he was walking the line head up like he's gonna he's gonna be special you saw in the world junior so him and ziegers together some bright things in anaheim maybe in the future been a long time and since they've had a drysdale to roof on southern california even pissed you just i went does that ring a bell don drysdale yeah i mean he predates well even me for christ's sake but i remember him from being on the brady bunch back in the day that's a bell? Don Drysdale, yeah. I mean, he predates, well, even me for Christ's sake, but I remember him from being on the Brady Bunch back in the day.

That's why I remember Don Drysdale. What else we got? I actually thought Don Drysdale was a player on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yeah, he was. Oh, and he was on the Brady Bunch? He was on the Brady Bunch. He ended up being an actor? Well, he was on the Brady Bunch.

I don't know if he – there were a lot of athletes who popped up on the Brady Bunch. Oh, it was just a one-timer? Yeah. Okay, I'm sorry. My bad. No, no, no, no. I think more people would have understood you as opposed to how I took it. I feel like there's a few guys this year who have been put on waivers

who ended up not getting sent down and stuck with the team. Adam Henrich. Is that how you say it? Henrich. Henrich. Henrich. He's one of them. He's got eight goals in the season now.

He's really elevated his play after getting put on waivers. I think Spezza was another guy at the beginning of the season who got put on waivers who's been lighting it up since. I don't know if that's the spark you've got to give guys now. You just put them on the waiver wire and then all of a sudden they go on a heater. He looked pretty impressive too. He had the OT winner in that first game against the oats yeah i think teams do it just

because why not if someone fucking takes a flyer on a guy and takes that contract off your hands you know i mean obviously yeah fair enough so uh st louis ford oscar sunquist is going to miss the rest of the season uh he tore the acl in his left knee after he collided with uh teammate kyle clifford uh sucks to hear that he's obviously a big part of that squad. They've been scuffling a bit offensively. The LA Kings signed pending restricted free agent defenseman Matt Roy to a three-year, $9.45 million extension. That kicks in after this season.

He's third on the team in ice time with 1932 a game. Played at Michigan Tech, seventh-round pick in the 15 draft. What can you boys tell us about him? I play with him for a game played at Michigan tech seventh round pick on the 15 draft. What can you boys tell us about us? I play with him for a little bit. He came in at the end of the season, my last year when I was hobbling around on no ACLs, but just steady, Eddie, just a very, you know, one of those guys where you play. I think he's got a little bit more offense too.

He can make, make plays. Scuds was kind of an off the glass and out kind of guy good on the penalty kill but yeah but scuds was making more than that yeah he was making four million a year i think yeah oh yeah just yeah so this guy's three nine like yeah so he he's coming off of his uh i believe his entry level signing that deal so a pretty a pretty nice deal for him i you know i haven't had a chance to watch him play a ton but i know when he did come in in the american league like you were just like oh this guy just handles himself as a professional and uh and man la and their scouting staff they end up finding so many gems in the later rounds and their ability to draft and develop is is very impressive and to stick

with the la theme they had a really cool thing happen in Ontario where I used to play for two years already, and I'll tee you up for that. Yeah, from TSN Instagram feed, the Ontario Reign had the first all-black line in pro hockey since 1941 when they put Devante Smith, Pelly, Quinton Byfield, and Akeel Thomas all together. Those last two are obviously a couple of the prospects you mentioned, Biz. Way back in 41, the great Herb Carnegie, who was said to be the best hockey player not in the NHL back then. His brother, Arcee, and Manny McIntyre,

they formed the line for the Buffalo Anchorite Bisons. That was nicknamed the Black Aces. Like I said, Carnegie, he was a terrific player. Jean Beliveau basically copied what he did. Everyone said he should have been in the league, but of course, you know, you had racist owners who wouldn't allow him to break the barrier, but he should have probably been the first guy

in the league way back then. They got another black player on their team, Boko Imama. This guy is a nail gun. He's gotten a scrap the other night. You got to see the way he ragdolled someone, and he has a short wick on him too. Absolute killer.

I hope he ends up breaking into the league too because he is just a ball of energy out there. Where's he from? Montreal. I'll send you this clip of this fight, folks. If you get an opportunity to go. It was funny because the defenseman kind of was like, he shimmy shook him and got away from the official.

And then the minute he saw Boko's reaction, he was like, Oh shit. Oh shit. And he just went over. It's like army seeing Gavin Morgan tape up the. Yeah. I don't know how many new listeners we have, but there was a funny moment in the AHL when, when Colby Armstrong, he was feeling a bit better pressure from, from Terry. And wasn't it to play a little bit tougher.

You've been called out in the locker room. This was down in the minors. This was like before I was even pro. Terian wasn't his coach. Oh, wasn't Terian? Yeah, it wasn't Terian, but they were in Hamilton. I think it was. And yeah, I mean, people must know this story, but people who don't.

Army's like, I got to get in a fight. I got to get in a fight. And he goes out and sees this Gavin Morgan guy who's who's a little maybe undersized shorter but jacked and he's like let's go or whatever happened they ran into each other in front of the net he's like we're going army's like we're going so he's like all right i'm fighting next shift i'm gonna fight this guy he's on the bench and he looks down the bench and gavin morgan is looking at him and up his his uh wrists looking at him nodding nodding, looking at him, nodding, nodding. And he gives it and he gives it and he gives the helmet.

He gave the helmet to the trainer behind him who's taken the visor off. So Army said, oh, my God. That is such a boss move. And he beat and Gavin Morgan beat the absolute wheels off Army. That's the famous line when Army's ice in his face as the team comes in. And Alexander DeDagle goes, holy fuck, Army, check the game notes, bud. Because Gavin Morgan had about 150 pims or whatever it was at the time. Yeah, not usually a good thing when you're looking for your first one

and you look down. He did a couple of guys on the bench go, geez, I don't know, Army, that guy's pretty tough. And that's when he looked. It was like, who's the dead man who hit me with the salt shaker? That story's in the book of Genesis from the Chiclets. That's an early one. But back then, you didn't have to wear a visor in the American League.

That's like all these guys are wearing visors in the NHL now because they grandfathered that rule. But he obviously was wearing one to protect his eyes but you know when it's time to go go time hand it over to the trainer take the visor off do it like the men so true before your first one biz and then you're you have the like adrenaline of waiting till the shift happens and then you look and he's doing that it's like oh even if you're faking that if you're gavin morgan i think're Gavin Morgan, you're ahead. I think I got a cramp. I got a cramp.

Trainer, go down the tunnel. Abort. Abort. Oh, I love it. I don't know how we got there. It's checklists. That's what we do. We fucking ramble all over the place.

Now we're going to ramble over to the east. Lots to talk about in the east this week, Biz. The big news, Buffalo Sabres once again, but they actually did go and fire Ralph Kruger after the team lost their 12th straight game. He went 36-50-12 during his tenure in Buffalo. Don Granato was named the interim coach with assistants Matt Ellis and Dan Girardi.

The team lost their first game with the new coach and staff, so they're 0-11-2 in the last three and a half weeks, just two points in that time. Sabres are the first team since the 0-5 lockout to have multiple winless streaks of 13 or more games. They all set a 14-game winless streak back in the 14-15 season. I mean, we've been beating this dead horse, so obviously it's news.

We've got to talk about it. But have either of you guys ever been on a team this bad or even close to this? I don't even think I'd let him in the fucking Chicklets Pond Hockey Tournament at this point. Right? I mean, Ralph Kruger must have had a little bit of relief, right? He's making, I think, 3.75.

So at a time next year, too. And at a time when everyone's just making zero money these teams are making they're just what is the word siphoning money ra is that the word um oh i'd say we're gonna take it from somewhere hemorrhaging boom plus two love it this is dictionary cranking it and and and chucking out words i needed a bounce back performance after last pod yeah you had you've had it big time you were humming um what was i saying hemorrhaging oh yeah so so so you you know like you don't want to fire a guy then you're going to be paying him next year you're already losing all this money i mean obviously 3.75 is nothing to the bagulas but still if you're a kruger it's like oh my god

thank god thank god i can't keep answering these questions this is this is a this is a hopeless situation i don't know what they do there besides start over we can't keep saying it i feel bad i think there's a there's a step. Go ahead, Vince. Kruger treated himself to a timeshare in Hawaii as a celebration to get the fuck out of there. Guys, this is as ugly as I've ever seen it. Ever seen it.

At the National Hockey League level, and especially coming off a lot of disappointing seasons in a row, I don't even – it's hard because, like, I'm sure a lot of them are looking from the inside like guy like where what do we do what do we do and and i and i don't really see it changing for this year they're gonna have to be able to address things in the off season but i i don't know it's what it's monday and the game hasn't been played yet. If they lose this game, if you look right now and it's early in the morning, you just started listening, driving to work, check the score app.

If the Buffalo Sabres lost, that's 14 in a row, which ties the longest losing streak in the shootout ever since 2005. And I don't know who they got after the Rangers last night. I don't know their next tilt, but when will they win a game? And I just feel for the guys on the team. I mean, having been through a tough situation, it is – and I was in a tough situation when on the road you could go out and still have a blast at least.

Let's blow some steam off, guys. We're in Chicago for an extra night. We can't get a win. Now you're stuck in the hotel covid so if it if it's a bad year to be a bad team this is times 10 i'd be getting the hookers and blowing in the fucking hotel room if i was the buffalo sabers at this point now this it's gotten so bad grinnelly wants to chime in well i was just gonna say do you think if the sabers get the first overall pick owen power he's gonna be a stud defenseman in the nhl do you think

they get do you think that's more likely that Jack Eichel stays? I mean, there's a lot you can do with the first overall pick. Before I answer that. I don't know. Grinelli wanted to hop in, Biz. Let's maybe go back to the beginning of this. When Grinelli made the t-shirts. Oh my goodness.

It is his fault. Oh my. We got to sacrifice him. You pretty much ruined the Sabres. In order to reverse the curse, we gotta we gotta sacrifice you pretty much ruin the sabers in order to reverse the curse we're gonna have to give you to the pagulas we're gonna sell you to the pagulas you're a sex slave for the pagula family i'm sorry buffalo i'm sorry i don't think a big d-man who is you know not a. He's a great player. He's going to have Jack Eichel be like, I got to stay now. Maybe if it was like a Connor McDavid type kid.

Yeah, I don't know. I wrote last week, I wrote a blog. Basically, I think they should have like a life, a hockey life come in who knows how to run a team. I mean, Kevin Adams, all due respect, he's a first time GM. I don't know what his experience is, but I think they should have a guy like, you know, like a Jim Rutherford, if not specifically him him who can just come on and just kind of rebuild

everything and so you know yeah I mean Jim Rutherford would be a great example RA but like so here's what's hard is like when when something gets so bad a lot of times the people who are that good usually wait out for a better situation especially in the coaching department yeah there's a lot of good coaches that would probably say i'm not going anywhere near that yeah because if i get gassed again then i could be done so so daryl sutter made comments about it recently he's like no he's like the he goes i there's people who want to coach like you know become lifetime coaches like he's like no i want to coach teams that i think can win the Stanley cup. And you can go back and read it. So where I agree with you,

RA is in order to people, people have also been thrown around the Babcock that he, Hey, Hey, I mean, mine as well, mine as well. Right. At this point. Yeah. It's going to be interesting. I mean, if what they're going to do, I don't know if they're going to keep Granado. I don't know if he can even win this job. I was hoping they should have just put the GM behind the bench instead of fucking, I don't know. Hey, get the season ticket, run a contest.

Yeah, they're pretty much turning into the major league Cleveland Indians, like the guys in the stands that are banging the drum when there's 1,200 people and a 50,000. Like they should start allowing fans to really get involved in picking the roster. The rest of the season, they should do auctions for like you can pick tonight's lineup. The key right now will be seeing what they can gain in assets for guys that they have. Somebody's been throwing out Reinhardt's name as far as trade value he's he's another really good player who's been having a you know one of the bright spots in that lineup

so far this year so guys we don't know I know we've been ripping on the Sabres like on a serious note it sucks we never want to see organizations struggle like this because we know the fans are the ones who probably feel it the most, including the guys in the locker room who are probably not having a good time. That's a great hockey town. Sorry, I didn't mean to. No, no, you're fine, buddy. You're right, especially with this team because, I mean, they love hockey. They love the Sabres, and even if the Sabres aren't in it,

it's always a market that's watching games. They deserve a good team. They deserve better than this. I know what – you had a little tweet storm the other night about a particular hit. Brandon Tanev on Jared Tenorti. Oh my god. I mean, he got five for board and game misconduct.

You weren't happy with the call. Burke, he wasn't happy with the call. I didn't think it was a penalty when I watched it. I know there was a replay later that showed he did come from across the ice that if anything, it was charging. Did you think it was even charging with if you saw that replay? If you're going to call anything okay call a charge but you can't tell me if you're a fan of the game of hockey for a long time that you think that that hit is should be

having getting a guy kicked out of the game i had i had people reaching out that's boarding that's the definition of boarding he wasn't even the boards. Like he hit him so hard that he ended up hitting the boards. But if you're going to, if you have a freight train coming, which is the game, dude, that Tanev, did you see how much ground that kid covered? He is a animal. He skates as well. I'm not going to say as well as anyone,

but he's explosive and he's heavy. And he ran over Tenorti, who had his head down, who was skating up the ice. Like, dude, you're carrying the puck up basically the middle of the ice, inside the dots, and you have your head down, and you got crushed. That is not a dangerous – boarding is when the guys – give Wilson boarding, right, when he got suspended for that hit on Carlo. That call, man, that is a guy who is bigger, faster,

and stronger than a defenseman who unfortunately was injured. That was the shitty part, and nobody wants to see that. Nobody, no hockey fan is looking to see injuries, but they're looking to see intense physicality. And they got that, and unfortunately an injury happened. There's no part of that hit to me that is like bad. Call it two minutes charging if you want to give it a penalty but kicking a guy out of the game is bullshit um i agree on that second angle the the most fair i can be on it is give him two minutes and then we're off and running but uh to norty it seemed like he thought he had that clear lane because at the point where he got the

puck he was only a couple strides from the red line in order to get it and then get the dump in, right? The amount of ground that Tann have covered, no way Tann already thought that he was going to be able to get there. Exactly. And that's probably why it seemed as if, though, he didn't expect it. And he was nowhere near the boards. It was just an unfortunate fall and at the angle that he got him at. And on top of

that he couldn't hit him any more clean his elbows were down by his side he i think he got him more like in the midsection than even in the shoulder even so i think that's probably what why the trajectory went the way it did and like you said a very shitty result but the fact that they were able to review it and they still called it a five is what made my mind explode. Imagine that as a playoff game. And if you look at somebody could say to me, defenseless player, it's like,

buddy, he's got the puck in the middle of the ice. He's looking up at everything in front of him. And if you've seen Duncan Keith or Keith does it, Keith Yandel does it a decent amount where you get to the red line biz and you stop on a dime and you dodge that hit. You know the guy's coming and you literally stop as you get it over the line and into the zone.

It's just very, very shocking to see a guy kicked out of the game for that hit. Well, you just talked about it before, about the Suzuki play in overtime with TJ Miller. Yes, I know it's JT Miller. When he told him, because guys go after the puck now. Well, guess what? If a depth player like Tanev, although he may be playing second line there because of how good he's been since he signed that nice contract,

if he goes for that puck and he toe-drags him and then they go down and score a goal, well, then he's sitting in the middle of the bench or he's got to feel all poopy pants because it was his fault. No, play the game the right way. Separate the man from the puck. He sitting in the middle of the bench or he's got to feel all poopy pants because it was his fault. No, play the game the right way. Separate the man from the puck. He's in the middle of the ice. He worked hard to put himself in that position where he could make that hit.

No penalty. Fuck off, new generation hockey fan. That's all I've got to say about that. That's too aggressive. Forrest Gump. No, not aggressive at all. Speaking of the Pittsburgh Penguins as well, Evgeny Malkin, he was on a massive tier, 12 points in an eight-game point streak.

He's going to be week to week with a lower body injury after the hit he took from Tornotti, which was the hit, the reason why Tanniv hit him in the first place. Penguins 13-5 in Osen's bringing the burke hexdall uh front office change which is interesting a team like that really got the team's attention without having to move anyone from the room uh but washington they're probably the story for the last uh week or so seven and oh they went without tom wilson who was suspended caps have been absolutely red hot but we got to give props to ovechkin uh he passed phyllis Pizzito for sole possession of sixth place on the all-time goal list

when he scored his 718th. He's just the second active player with 1,300 points and the 35th overall. Joe Thornton's the other active player. He currently has 720 right now. We've got two more since then. Marcel Dion is up next with 731, and then Brett Hull's

741. And there's 147 multi-goal games tied with Gordie Howe for fourth overall. And then this tweet was from Friday in his, I think it was from Dimitri Filipovich his last 10 games. He had eight calls, 47 shots on goal, 94 shots again. I'm sorry, 47 shots on goal, 94 shots attempted goals in five straight games. But this caps team is just rolling biz.

They're unbelievable um i watched that game against new york where they ended up coming back in the third period it looked like it was a replay of the first goal he ended up getting to that game and you mentioned his 147th multi-goal game of his career which is absolute banana lands and he he finds a way to score them in different areas both those ones were right in front of the net going to the blue paint now there was another uh video that pavel barber ended up tweeting out that was pretty funny it's like it's like the the example of when the remote control gets unplugged in video game where he's just standing off to the side and he's completely straight-legged as if he's not even interested in the shift uh in his little territory there when he's waiting for the one

timer how fun would hockey be with if you were able to act like that on the ice and there was Not even interested in the shift in his little territory there when he's waiting for the one-timer. How fun would hockey be if you were able to act like that on the ice and there was no punishment for it? You just want to stand there like a statue for a minute. Because you know if the puck does come to you, you're probably still going to get your job done. That's when you know you have life made. Actually, there was another picture earlier in the season when there was like four on four in the corner. And Ovi was still standing in that spot all alone. And I think it was Dmitry Filipovich who tweeted that one too.

He's like, well, you don't do anything on the group project, but still get an A. And he was off to the side. So this guy is just a freak of nature, continuing to get it done and scoring goals from anywhere on the ice. He is a Russian. Russian machine. What a machine. As you mentioned the whitewashing earlier that the Rangers put on Philly, 9-0.

What's interesting is they did that with no coaches on the bench. It was the largest victory since 1986. The Rangers, two of the Flyers ended up a minus six on the night. Elaine Vigneault, coach, said couldn't defend and couldn't make a play i'm truly embarrassed all right i don't mean to yeah because people some people might not know there was coaches on the bench there was none of their coaches you're right so they had the ahl coach and then chris drury who just hopped on the bench what can't chris drury do little league world series rookie of the year stanley cup now he he's a coach. So I was surprised to see that because Philly, man, Philly. Philly.

I don't mean go ahead about the Rangers. Philly is Carter Hart. My pick, Philly was one of my picks this year. I think I picked him to win this division. Yeah, you picked Wastamish playoffs, and they've gone seven in a row. And then I believe you picked Chicago to make playoffs. No, since no no no no no no no no i picked chicago to not make the playoffs said they were brutal and then said there's a chance i only admitted there's a chance and then they shit the bed okay well since you said that there's a chance they're one in five and they've been a

rubbish and i said toronto was great and they're6. So basically, now that I'm all over Colorado, they're fucked. Putting the whammy down. Let's see. What else? Oh, New York Islanders. This is bad news for them. They lost Captain Anders Lee for the year. He tore his ACL in his right knee.

He had 12 goals on the year, put him on long-term injury reserve. They can't use that money, $7 million in cap space. Lou Lamoureux said, we're always trying to find a scoring winger whether it's because of on this situation or not everybody is that's not something easy to do if we can we will uh the team has won two out of three without on his league he's expected to be ready for camp next season uh obviously a huge loss but there was a nice story uh to I guess balance that out Tommy Hickey played his first game in almost two years Saturday night. He had two assists in his first game since May 3rd of 2019. He had a bunch of injuries in the interim, including a concussion. He recently lost his brother Dan to cancer at just 33 years old. So that was a nice little feel-good story to see Tommy Hickey get back out there.

It was great. He was a high pick years ago, and I talked to Eberle quickly, who just said he's like one of the best guys going. Like they were so happy for him and the road he had with the injuries and his brother is just so brutal. And then you see somebody, you know, I just come back. He gets the two apples. And I think what what had happened was I think while he was out, that's when Devon Taves really came on the scene. And, you know, at some point you kind of lose your job a little bit, right? I mean, a guy comes in, plays well, and, you know, he moved on to the Avs.

But this was a story that's like for a guy who's played as long as he has and gone through what he did, losing his brother, so happy for him. That was great news. Islanders are a wagon. Jesus, that team's good. They lost the one game to Philly and then pounded them the next night, like you said, R.A. And it's a great story, and it's a year when you're looking for more of those.

Yeah, he had a heartfelt Q&A after the game and just really opened up about the last couple of years. Going back to the beginning of the podcast when I said that I think that Toronto might make a stab at Taylor Hall, obviously this injury and knowing that Anders Lee is going to be out the rest of the season, this makes the Taylor Hall move make even more sense. I know you mentioned it at last podcast.

Are you very confident you think that they make a stab at Taylor Hall? Because right now, he's probably... No, no, I'm not very confident. I just think that Lamarillo and his history looks into every single possible person that he could trade for he just seems like a guy who would make calls on everyone to see who was available who could I make a run at all right all right boys uh I think we should send it over to Ed Jovanovsky shortly uh first I do want to talk to you about whoop you've heard us talk about whoop quite a bit

it truly is our favorite fitness wearable it's the fitness tracker that provides 24 seven personalized sleep training and recovery insights to help you unlock your potential each day. It measures how well you slept, how recovered you are and how much stress you put in your body from both your workouts and going about your everyday life. Dude, guess how many miles I walked the other day. I had the whoop on.

I tracked it on Sunday. I had the whoop on. I tracked it on. Sunday I went out. Then I stopped at Fat Baby for a little sushi and a couple cocktails after. I'm going to say 12 miles. Oh, God, no. No, six. Six miles. Okay, fuck, that's a lot. Yeah, I had to get out.

It was a nice day. I had to get a little exercise in. And a little Fat Baby as well. Congratulations, though, all right? Fucking right, you're buzzing. Yeah, thanks, guy. Trying to get a little bit more in now the nice weather's here. But either way, Whoop is won by some of your favorite athletes in the NHL

and on the PGA Tour. But it's not meant for just the professional athletes. Whoop can help anyone improve their performance by providing personalized, actionable data to help you make smarter decisions. The Chicklets boys have been wearing our Whoop for a while now, and we've had a little competition going between sleep and recovery. Of course, I'm one of the sleep category. Once you're on Whoop yourself, you can create a team with your buddies and make sure to chirp whoever's sitting around and falling behind. Whoop has helped me get smarter about the way I train and has made me

much more aware of my body's sleep and recovery. Right now, Whoop is offering 15% off when you use the code CHICKLETS at checkout. So go to whoop.com, that's W-H-O-O-P .com to join now. Sleep better, recover faster, and train smarter this year and beyond with Whoop. Once again, that's whoop.com the code CHICKLETS for 15%

off. Alright boys, on that note, what do you say we send it over to one of the best nicknames ever, the Jovo Cop. Let's go. It's a pleasure to welcome this guy to the show after all these years. He was the number one overall pick by the Florida Panthers in the 1994 NHL

draft. Went on to play for 18 seasons, including playoffs. He played over 1,200 games, tallied 530 points for the Panthers, Canucks and Coyotes. He also made the all-rookie team. Played in five NHL All-Star games and won gold at the World Junior, the Olympics, and the World Cup. These days, you can catch him on Fox Sports Florida doing game analysis for the Panthers.

Thanks so much for joining us on the Spittin' Chicklets podcast. Ed Jovanovsky. Yeah, thanks for having me. Joe Volkop is one of the all-time great nicknames. Decent career. When did that one come around? Junior or NHL? That was my... 14 years old?

Chris Moore, actually. He was our radio guy in Florida my rookie year. I get on the bus. He's like, Jovo. I'm like, what's up? He's like, I got your name for you. I called you Jovo Cop on air tonight. And it stuck.

Thank you so much. Yeah, thanks. You were obviously wearing 55 at the time. I was. Was that part of it? Like you monitored the speed limit or somebody said? Was that it or no? Or am I just being a clown here?

No, all those kind of came, you know, in the future. I think for, you know, for me, it was just, you know, something that he threw out there and I made a couple bucks from it yeah you know some t-shirts okay a couple trademarks yeah exactly well now I mean already just mentioned Fox Sports how are you enjoying the TV intermission stuff are you are you into that I mean Florida's having a nice season makes it easier it does and which I think for me being out of the game for a few years uh it was just getting tiresome yeah i wanted to kind of get back into into hockey and you know for me this

opportunity came up sean thornton reached out to me asked me if i had any interest doing it um yeah it's fun it's not as easy i thought it was you you go on live TV, there's a lot of moving parts. So once, you know, you got so many thoughts and you got great, valid points. Once the lights go on, it's like, shit, I didn't use any of the stuff that I was thinking of. Yeah, and you're staring into the lens. You know, your partner's talking, you don't want to look at him. You look, hey, camera nine, Jovo, you got buzzing in your ear. Oh, that's the panic.

But I'm enjoying it, and you're right. Team's playing well this year, so it's fun going to the rink, seeing them succeed, and hopefully they can keep it going. He's got a big old notepad, and then the camera goes, and he's just like, Jovo. I've done it with Todd Walsh on TV where he's, like, throwing it to me, and I had the best idea coming to the rink about what I was going to say, and then I'm like, Walsh, I completely forgot what I was going to say.

On live TV, Jovo. Right. Have you ever had one of those? You know what? The guy I work with, Craig Minervini, is pretty good, and he sees when I'm going to fumble fuck, he jumps right in there and saves me. But it's amazing how good these guys are,

because there is a lot of things that they're throwing out there, and they make it's amazing how good these guys are because there there is a lot of you know things that they're they're throwing out there and uh they make it easy for me and yeah i guess in our position playing the game we just want to be you know insightful and let the fans know because florida's you know a different market right so you're still kind of teaching you know the game and and you just the question i I was told is explain it as why. Why is this going on? So where a lot of markets, you don't really got to do that. But it's been fun.

I'm enjoying it. I just remember like NHL Network, the only thing for me that drove me nuts was almost the opposite where I'd be talking and then in my head it's like you've been talking way too long. And you just have this like self-consciousness of like shut up. And then you can end it like awkwardly because you were buzzing along and it just comes to a complete halt. So I feel your pain. It's like anything, right? I think, you know, as you move along and you get more experience, what you find is the same in hockey. Less is more.

Yeah. what you find is the same in hockey less is more yeah i think once you get to the point say what you need to say and then stop because once you start rambling on you're just kind of that's when the media just kind of yeah then you guys start making fun of the hamster wheel gets going um let's i mean let's dive into your career born in windsor ontario what was crazy to hear when i was playing with you is i didn't realize that you started playing hockey at such a late, late age. Didn't you start playing hockey at 11 years old? I did. Never skated before that? Well, I skated.

I skated, but I never played organized hockey. So seven years after your first game, you were picked first overall. Yeah. Holy shit. Why was it not like a part of your life at 8, 9, and 10? My dad played professional soccer in Europe. So when they came over to Canada, I was just playing soccer. So I played street hockey and skated on the ponds and public skated, did all that.

But as far as playing hockey, it was really something I didn't really – I wasn't craving at the time until my brother started. And that's how the whole thing. Watching him? Yeah. He went, you know, he was playing and I was kind of working the door, his doorman. And then I said to my dad, I said, listen, dad, I want to start playing. He's like, sure.

So sure enough, he signs me up and, you know, start playing for this club. I think it was Shoppers Drug Mart at the time. And yeah, it was crazy how it happened. I would go to my first practice for this house league team, and a guy comes to my dad, and he said, hey, is that your boy there, the tall one? And I was like, yeah. He's like, does he want to try out for the travel team tomorrow?

My dad's like, he's never played. This is his first time actually playing organized hockey. So my dad tells me I'm happy. I'm excited. I'm like, yeah, I'll try out. So sure enough, I make the team. That's double A team. And as we move forward, then the following year,

I make the triple A. So it was so quick. It was so quick. Were you really good off the hop, or were you actually like, oh, man, I don't know about this? I don't know really good. I mean, I think I skated decent. I think my size was in my favor.

I was a big kid. But, no, I mean, as far as, like, knowing the game, I just had fun. I mean, I think I worked harder than the guy next to me yeah and I knew that you know I love playing if I'm gonna play this you know my parents are gonna sacrifice a lot because they didn't have much you know they did everything for you know us to play hockey and and I wanted to make the most of it and then all of a sudden you know things started rolling you know started really seeing signs of improvement. And, yeah, before you know it, I'm playing junior B.

Then I'm drafted by Windsor. And then it's just like, holy shit. Yeah, this has been a minute. I have an agent now? What the hell is going on? Agent? What do you mean agent? I went from having a Timbits jersey, a Shoppers Drug Mart jersey,

to now I'm getting on stage at the NHL draft. When you were playing soccer before hockey, were you like dummying guys out in the pitch? I mean, similar to your hockey style? Not really. I mean, it was, you know, playing, I think it was a center forward at the time. So just like any kid, you like scoring goals. But, yeah, I was still, even in soccer, being the tallest kid, you know, out there.

But it wasn't something that I knew at that age of taking guys down and being aggressive. Were you D right away in hockey? I played both. I played forward when I came out, and then I had a coach that said, here, you got some size, let's try you on the back end. Yeah, what a move by that guy. Right. So were you drafted by Windsor?

I was drafted by Windsor, so it worked out pretty good. Kingston was actually picking number one that year, and I'm like, oh, shit, going to Kingston. No, sorry, Ottawa was picking number one. Alan McCauley went to the 67s, and then Windsor was picking two, so I got to stay in my hometown. Oh, that's so nice. I mean, it just makes such a difference

right I'm guessing did your brother play in the O2 you said your older brother was uh no okay no he uh he just he played you know rec hockey so um you get uh end up getting drafted by your you had Shane Parker as a coach your first year and then you had Mike Kelly who I played for in North Bay so you played two years in the O and then you were gone. As far as your development there, what were the teams like? Right away, did you feel comfortable playing at that level? How did that all go down? It was adjustment. I mean, going from junior B, I think you're a 15-, 16-year-old.

You're playing in junior B. You're playing with 18- to 22-year-olds. So I think as far as the physical part of the game, I handled myself. Definitely the pace was, was something that was, you know, a lot, a lot faster, something that you need to adjust to. But I don't know. I think it was just ready. I think once I, you know, came into, into Windsor for the Spitfires, I think it was one kind of right from the start.

You know, we had a veteran team that really helped us young guys along and it was just clicking. I mean, it wasn't a huge point guy, but just played hard, you know, got in a few fights. Yeah, you were fighting a little bit then. Yeah, it was so... I think I had like

close to probably a couple hundred penalty minutes my rookie year in Windsor. I think I had like to probably a couple hundred penalty minutes my rookie year in Windsor. I think I had like 45, 50 points. That's big time. Yeah, and I wasn't an underage pick. So I went to my draft as an underager, and I sat through those three rounds in misery. Oh, you actually went? I actually went because there was rumor that you know i was

going to be taken at some point not first round possibly second maybe third and i sat through that and it was tough it was tough so um you know what does that make you do it makes you go back work harder and see where you uh you fall but it all it all worked out for me especially staying in windsor getting to stay home with mom and dad standard yeah there's not a lot of changes so it worked out well and I'm imagining the OHL then I mean that's what 93 94 or no earlier yeah 92 93 93 94 so old school hockey you're talking like there's a lot of fighting going on it's way different than current current so that was just something that maybe came naturally to you but you also were like this is what you do you're i'm a hard-nosed physical defenseman i'm fighting right and and windsor had the small arena right so they did

the corners were almost square so you take two strides from the blue paint and you're just you're just hammering guys in the in the corner um but yeah i was you know i think it's tough league yeah the guys were you know i think there was definitely a lot more fighting than there is now obviously but um i remember one uh we were fighting i don't know it was a playoff series the guy ended up taking my helmet off and started pounding me over the head with my own helmet. And I'm trying to think of his name, but it'll come to me. So I'm assuming he connected a few times, if you can't remember his name. Yeah, I know. That's a scary part.

I got him back. I don't remember where he's from. We had DJ Smith. I play with DJ. We had this guy, Adam Young, and myself. I remember we were all in the penalty box versus Sue in Windsor somehow or another we ended up you know in a big fight in the penalty box so three on three in the penalty box you know kind of hence why they got the glass there now

you know but it was crazy times and I mean something like that nowadays you're getting 15 20 games for it's crazy so you're getting, something like that nowadays, you're getting 15, 20 games for. It's crazy. You're getting arrested. Right, exactly. You won't see your $50 a week checks if you got something out. Ours were $40. You got $50?

Well, they took $10 away to put away for the end of the year. They tried to make us smart with our money. That's how it went. So we would see $80 every two years. That was your 401K in the O? $180. I lived at home, so I actually collected a little bit more. I got the $200 billet check.

Yeah, oh, that's nice. So how early on in that second season were you like, there's a possibility that I go first overall? Or are you just trying to be as hyper-focused about the hockey side of it? You know that's a possibility, I'm guessing, though. You start hearing the rumors. Well, you know what? I was actually drafted

after my first year. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, because you weren't picked at first. That's right. I was drafted at some point. Obviously when these central scouting rankings come out, I'm like shit, man. Why are my names in the top five?

This is unbelievable. What's going on? I just started playing hockey last week you know it's like and um yes you know then then you're like you really like shit man this thing you know i'm gonna be drafted it's a foot in the door um i got a shot but by no means and i say this honestly and sincerely that I had no idea that I was going to go number one. I mean, it never crossed my mind that, listen, I got an opportunity or a chance here to go number one. I wanted to work as hard as I could to put me in the best position to be drafted. Just wanted to play in the NHL. And as we got closer towards the end of the season, now the rankings are getting a little bit more firm on kind of where they rank guys and kind of throughout the year even the second third and

fourth rankings that came out i i was always in that top three group yeah and um it's just such a good feeling seeing that you're just like all right well i at least have an idea where i'm going and i guess throughout the year if you say you don't know, come draft time and your memory of the draft, the night before, had you already figured out that Florida was going to take you? No, and I don't think, you know, now it's clear cut, right? You guys are in, and you can almost bet your house on it, on who's going to go number one. I think for me with Ottawa, with Florida, Anaheim, and Ottawa

picking one, two, and three, those are the only three meetings that I had, you know, the night before you go through your draft meeting. But heading to the draft, you know, until my name was called, no idea. That's crazy. No idea. So you kind of see that when my son keeps pulling up that draft video when I got the double-breasted suit, gray bag. Pop it up on the NBA draft suit.

But it was like the sigh because it was just like you're so – it's like, oh, my God, shit, man. I just got picked number one overall by Florida, and I think it's something you can't take away from anybody, right? And now it's so different. First overall picks, they're in the NHL pretty much no matter what, and you went back to junior. Was that the case right away, or did you think for maybe a little bit

I might play this next season? Well, I had a great camp, and I feel that I was physically ready to play. The lockout happened, so that kind of sent me back. Oh, no shit. It was that year. Right. So I went back to junior. I played in the World Junior Championships.

We had a stellar team. We had Digg. We had all these guys, Todd Harvey, all these guys that came back during the lockout. So I had fun doing that. But, yeah, I mean, you want to be drafted. You want to play right away. But, you know, for me going back, I think it's – Probably in the –

Right. And you see a lot of guys in today's game that aren't just ready. They're a high pick. And you almost can feel like that they need a little seasoning. Yeah. And maybe we see that a little bit with Lafreniere this year. Well, and Hughes too. And Hughes too.

And Hughes looked a lot better. But it's like – This year he's been better. And Hughes looked a lot better. This year has been better. But now that's what it's almost good. You just went back and you're saying it helped because now it's like, oh, I have to be in the NHL and doing what these guys did. It just adds this pressure that makes it way more difficult. Right. I think you're playing with men.

I mean, it's just a crazy – I mean, for being a teenager, you're playing against guys. I mean, you guys know. You're playing against men. It's so different. I mean, it's just a different – I mean, for being a teenager playing against guys. I mean, you guys know, playing against men. Yeah. It's so different. I mean, it's just a different, it's got that old man strength there, just kind of tossing you around. And for me, that extra year I felt helped.

Your second year at Windsor, you averaged more than 40 minutes a game playing. What? I read two articles that said you were playing 40 minutes a game. Maybe a few nights, but I don't think I was averaging that either. There had to be a lot of power plays if you were doing 40 a night. I read it in two different articles. That's why I wanted to ask you about it.

Can you lie about it and tell our fans that you did? It was 43-01 was the final tally. That's a little high. For sure, humble guy. You were a horse back there. Yeah, it was close to 30.

It was not unheard of. Were you using that short, really stiff stick back in junior? This guy's twig. Let's talk about it. If I had a dollar for every time he'd look at me going up ice and doing the wrist curls in practice, because we'd be about 15 feet apart, and you would zip him. NHL passes.

Him and Prongo are the snappiest passers in the league in practice, and they just look at you. NHL pass, bud. It was a mini stick, and it was about a 120 flex. You know what? Finally, my last year, I went to a one-piece. I think it was like 110s or 150 and whatever they make them. But I was always taught to pass hard. And a lot of people ask me this question, you know, in practice,

why did you pass hard? I said, well, I always pass hard because I wanted the puck to get to the guy quick. And usually when I pass it hard, I never missed. You know, when you kind of lollygag that we're trying to make a nice sauce to someone, you know, it's either going to go ahead of him or the guy's not going to catch it or whatever, throw it in his skates. Until in Phoenix one time, I passed the puck hard and Gretz blew the whistle. He's like, come over here.

He's like, check the highlights. See if I ever pass the puck as hard as you. You don't need to pass the puck 100 miles an hour, Jovo. You can make a soft little finesse pass to someone. So actually, Gretz is the first guy to ever tell me, listen, you don't have to pass the puck that hard. Well, not many people could have said it. Gretz is like, I could say this to fucking anyone I want. you know but you know as kids we grow up you know you do everything kind

of hard and you know it's just something that stuck with me throughout my career i didn't mean to break your stick or make for my confidence or yeah hey listen if you can't take a pass on your back end it's my fault joe all right buddy you got to be i went and then i went to the weight room and i did wrist curls the rest of my career. And that helped me with the fighting. That's why you fought, because Jovo passed it too hard that you realized you couldn't deal with the puck. All right, so Florida, you come in, rookie year, just this insane run, the year of the rat. And you guys go to the cup finals.

You had a great regular season and a pretty sick playoff, too. You had to imagine this is just the beginning. And everyone says like you go at a young age to the finals and you take it, take it for granted. Was that kind of you? I'm like, you were probably thinking I'll be back. Right. Yeah.

Everything kind of came, you know, you know, our team was, was made up of a lot of guys that were, you know, left unprotected. So it wasn't really a star studded team. We had Van Biesburg in that who was obviously a big difference. Mellonby, right? Mellonby and Stu Barnes and Brian Scrooge was their captain. And it was a meat and potatoes team.

And we found ways to gel at the right time. I think heading into the playoffs, we had a nice little run and knocking off Boston, Philly, and Pitt in game seven. And Pitt. I was like, what just happened? You know, Tommy Fitzgerald with the shorty. Yeah, and then getting the finals and really get taken to us by Colorado. That team was great.

Great Colorado team. But, yeah, I mean, you're a teenager still, right? And you're like, shit, I'm going to be back. I'm going to have this opportunity to do it again. And we had great teams in Vancouver. Oh, yeah. You know, that felt that we let, you know, a couple years slip by. But, yeah, you never know when it's, you know, you go to kind of guys have great careers

and never get a chance to kind of play in the finals and or have a chance for the Cup. So, yeah yeah it was pretty sick where was that sorry where was the arena then it was in miami what that must have been awesome right well it was awesome we didn't know any different i mean shit if the rink was there now what we know i mean i'm sure guys will be living in south beach or or probably actually a good thing right i mean i mean, I remember after games, and our parking lot wasn't attached to the arena, so we had to walk through, you know,

the Seekers right to our parking lot. But it was kind of right on 95, head back north and 45-minute drive back home. So everyone lived... Yeah, everyone lived north. I don't think one time in three years that I actually went down for a bite to eat in Miami after. Just didn't know any different. That first Panthers team, like you said, very much a gritty veteran team.

How did you blend in? Did you just kind of get there and keep your mouth shut for a while as a young guy? Pretty much. I think you go on there, you want to learn, take everything you can in from these guys. Who was loud in that room? Oh, man. Tommy Fitzgerald? Was he talking a lot?

He wasn't talking. Screwy was always the guy. He'd come in, hey, Joe, what did you do last night? All the same stuff. He didn't want stories. The old guys love him. The old guys love him. stories, you know, the only guys love them, you know, um, but we had Rhett Warner who, uh, good buddy of mine and Radik Dvorak was another, uh, rookie. So, you know, we'd hang out together, but as far as, yeah, I mean, it was different. I mean, we, it's almost like you hear the pregame

meal stories. It w it was like that. It was kind of like let everybody go, and then we went. And we didn't say much as rookies. We spoke when we were spoken to, and we just went out there and played hard and tried to give that group as much enthusiasm and jump as we could. Your first year, didn't you have to go to the store where you legit would buy the whole room to furnish your place? Remember? I think. No.

I went to Rooms to Go. Rooms to Go. And I had this 2,300 square foot townhome that I bought. It was my first home. Bought it. Yeah. I went to Rooms to Go. And I furnished the whole house in an hour.

Give me that. 50 grand, I furnished the whole house. I furnished the whole house in an hour. Hey, the person who helped him at the store is like, this is the jackpot. This is the golden goose. I met him. Right. Right.

Yeah, so it wasn't like nowadays, okay, let's concentrate on this room. And then, you know, let's see how this room really kind of fits our needs. It was just like, no, I like that, that, that, that, that. And three bedroom sets and it's over. Yeah. Guns out. Furniture is TV. And I want to hop in about the year of the rat.

So during the course of playoffs, at one point they made up a rule where if the fans threw it, they were going to give you guys a delay of game penalty, correct? Right. I think it was at least one. It could have been two years post that playoff series because it was a joke. It was like 10 minutes. Like it was a joke. I mean, you see that.

And then they go get the rats back for the next goal. The rat patrol. You, the rat patrol. You get the rat patrol out there scooping up the... Resell them. Yeah. Weren't they throwing them at Patrick Waugh, too? Yeah, there's that one great picture of him kind of, you know, tucked in under the net,

and the rats are flying, but... You know, it was something that, you know, obviously you know the story of Mellonby, you know, hitting that, so it really is something that took off that the fans had. Well, tell the back story behind the rat thing because a lot of our listeners are young and they have no clue what the fuck we're even talking about. Before the game, Miami Arena was old.

The bowels of the – it was a dump. Were the Heat playing there? The Heat were playing there too. So we're sitting in the locker room and all of a sudden you see this rat, you know, a good-sized rat. Probably took a flight from NYC, came here for the winter. Right. And then Scott Mellenby, who was closest to this rat, kind of one-teed it

and then just quite make it. That night he had two goals. So the story came out, they got a rat trick. And, yes, obviously the fans picked up on it and then and then the next game you know we score and all of a sudden there's like what the hell's going on raining rats and it was just something that you know continued and kind of went away and then when i came back in 11 started doing it again you know i was like oh boy but they're they've gotten better at cleaning up you know the mess it's nearly not as not you know as many as it was before as it scaled up by like the end of it how many rats were being thrown in the

ice after after the first goal just think i mean you got that rink was 14 703 was a sellout because i just every game it'd be a sellout in that rank. It was great. Regular season too? Regular season. My three and a half years there, it was sold out every game. So just think, every person, a rat at least, someone's throwing a rat. It's got to be like any real ones.

A thousand. It's a teddy bear. A thousand real ones. A couple sick puppies up in the crowd. Who knows? So you actually saw Monby kill the rat. Right. Oh, that must have been pretty wild. Just fucking one time and a rat across the rock and roll.

Yeah, and then you didn't know that it was going to turn into a phenomenon of throwing plastic ones. I want to ask, when you broke in the league, you still had to make your bones back then and fight guys. Who was your first scrap in the NHL? Brendan Shannon.annon you got hurt and you hurt your hand i broke my hand fuck you picked you picked a big dog to go first one with right um yeah and i remember i remember it was behind the net it was obvious with hartford at the time and um you know we had was a long too. But I remember when the fight ended, I just got this sickness in my stomach. And I looked down at my hand and my knuckles weren't in the right spot.

So I missed the first 11 games. I had surgery. I missed the first 11 games of my career, you know, with that fight with Shanahan. And then that year came back and still fought plenty, right? You weren't worried that the hand was solid after the surgery and everything? Yeah, I wore the protective covering, you know, over it. And then, you know, you're not allowed to fight when you got tape on your hand. So I said to the trainer, I said, listen, man, I'm being challenged out there.

And I got to answer the bell at some point you know so um yeah it was healed up you know enough to uh you know to fight but you had the big dong on it like the football players clubbing guys you know the glove had the you know and i had i think i wore the um the louisville gloves that were like they were probably like seven eight pounds a glove. Oh, they were long, too. Long, leather, heavy gloves. And then, you know, with the added plastic on top of that.

And then, you know, the plastic and the tape on your hand. It just got to be enough. You know the time is right when you can take it off. But you were ready to go. I was ready to go. So I guess the next big thing in Florida was the trade. You were only there three and a half years. Did it feel like they were kind of quitting on you a little bit?

I know it was a huge blockbuster. They were getting Pavel Bure, but were you a little disappointed that they were cutting ties so soon? I was. You know, I think for me, my daughter was six months old, and I'm like, shit, man, I'm getting traded. And you couldn't trade me as far as you can go. So I was actually having dinner, and, I'm getting traded. And you couldn't trade me as far as you can go.

So I was actually having dinner, and 6 o'clock, Brian Murray calls. He's like, hey, Joe, we traded you to Vancouver. Was it summertime? No, it was January. It was the middle of the season then. Yeah. And I'm like, oh, great. So he's like, yes, you'll get contacted by someone for your flight information, this and that.

So someone in Vancouver calls me and said, yeah, you got a 6 a.m. flight in the morning. So from 6 o'clock dinnertime, I'm on a flight 6 in the morning. I fly to Dallas. Iron Mike's the coach. I play 29 minutes back-to-back with Nashville. So we got Dallas, Nashville, all-star break.

So I played 29 in like 30 minutes. I'm like, oh, here we go. Iron's going to play me like crazy. I'm going to be his protege. I'm going to be his guy. He's either going to make it or break it. Unfortunately, he didn't like it. It was the two games with him, and then he was let go,

and then Mark Crawford came in. Yeah, another tough one. I mean, I would imagine that you ended up getting along pretty good with him. But, like, yeah, so all of a sudden, like, just a whirlwind. You get dealt. You get the fucking 29 minutes. You have all-star break. Coming back after that, like, did you, you know,

how long did it take for you to gel with that group? Well, I mean, you guys have all been to Vancouver. So I got traded there. I think the first 19 days, it rained. And I'm driving over the Lionsgate Bridge a lot. And at some point, you're just thinking about stopping right in the middle of that bridge. You know? But, yeah, listen.

I mean, going into any locker room, and you guys know, guys are great. You know, I can rarely say that I played with kind of a dink of a teammate. I mean, all the guys I played with, mostly good guys. So when you come into a new situation, they go above and beyond to make sure you feel comfortable. And that's what I did. I mean, Burt was there. You know, Marcus Naslund. I mean, there was a lot of changeover.

Brian McCabe was still there. Did he get dealt that year or the next year? Or is it even longer? I don't even know. I don't even know when he. There are a lot of young good players was there you know so we had a pretty good veteran trent clatt you know these guys so um it was it was a transition it was it was different coming you know from from florida

now going to a market where you know hockey's everything but at that point you know, hockey's everything. But at that point, you know, Vancouver sucked. You know, they weren't selling out. It was, you know, kind of a rebuild time for them. And then started seeing improvements as the years went along. Yeah, they brought in Messier. It was a huge deal. He was named the captain. But that just didn't work out for whatever reason.

How come it didn't? You know, Messier is a great leader, new team. I played with Messier, I think, the one year. I think he was already there, you know, Messier is a great leader, new team. I played with Mess, I think, the one year. I think he was already there, you know, at the time. I don't know. I think sometimes, you know, things work out. I think when you think of Mess, it's almost like, you know, the Oiler and then, you know, with the Rangers. I think this situation.

20 years of doing it. Right. Had you ever seen a guy come in and and just kind of essentially run the show because i you know it's it's like practices like if the basey crawford's looking him oh yeah optional kind of thing right well i don't i don't think he was uh he's with keenan right oh was he he's with keenan he he might overlapped with crow i think a little bit but you know what you hear the story i don't know maybe it was just oblivious to it maybe i don't know i i didn't really see it what i did see with with uh

with mess was with his equipment him and alex mcgillney were like crazy guys with their with their equipment with uh you know mess kind of moving the tuck part you know drawing a line on on the boot and having the trainer move it over you know a little bit wearing two different skates in practice i mean just crazy just crazy just always wanted to kind of you know feel better and and this is the first with alex mcgillney i saw it was this in the stick room and he was always in the stick room screwing around with the sticks like he didn't score enough um he took he took a a wooden stick cut it shaved it down and put it into his uh into his uh aluminum stick so it wasn't an attachment it was just it was it was one player's wood stick he cut it and and shaved it enough where

you can shove it into the hosel. That's when you're trying everything. Right. And back then, you're torching everything. You can smell it all around. And guys were just so crazy with their equipment. I think, too, the longer you play, the crazier you get. Yeah. Because it's like you've just been doing it for so long.

And then if things start to feel a little bit off, like the story we brought up on Checkers 4 is Wes Walt waltz like he literally retired i think because he couldn't get his skates to feel right anymore right yeah i heard the stories with him but never played with him yeah you had a skirmish with shane corson uh you guys get sent to the locker rooms he actually comes in the vancouver locker room what were you thinking you look up and you see a guy who just fight with on the ice in the friggin locker room, he ended up getting suspended for it too. Well, you know, sometimes on the ice, you know, shit is said, you know, both ways. And, you know, I don't like what he said.

And he obviously didn't like what I said back to him. And then before you know it, yeah, we're both kind of kicked out. And he's in my locker room and we're going toe toe-to-toe in the locker room are the trainers in there it's just like it was like i don't know it was you know you have the you know the the hall police you know and there are guys that you know security guards that you know yeah aren't gonna aren't gonna do much but yeah it was a crazy situation that i believe he got a few game suspension for it. But a good guy. Same thing. I mean, just at the time you're kind of competing and things are said that, you know, he didn't like.

And it escalated. Yeah, I guess so. Do you want to get into the Olympics? Yeah, go where you want. I got other questions about Van, but go right ahead. No, I just, like, I think that one of the most underrated, like, underappreciated players of all time is Marcus Naslund. Like, I just remember, like, some of the seasons he had. I know he had a 100-point season, but right when you went there,

it was pretty evident, like, this guy was a way better player than maybe even you thought being, like, in Florida so far away from the Canucks. Yeah, I mean. Just, like, an all-timer. Yeah, and a good guy, you know, just. Sweet. I don't know if he's sweet. Sweet or a fin, they never met a bad one. They're all great guys.

They all like to have fun. But Marcus was one of those guys, yeah, you can see the potential there. And, you know, he had the, he didn't even have a snapshot. He had the wrist shot. Yeah, he did. You know, and I remember on the power play, you know he had he had the he didn't even have a snapshot he had the wrist shot yeah he did you know and i remember on the power play you know get the win the draw drag it to the middle he'd loop you know marcus loop up and boom short side all the time and you know but yeah he was he wasn't underrated after a while where a guy you know guys just recognize him and i think that and we all and he also produced in the time where the checking was a lot tighter.

I mean, he was always – these guys with Burt, Moe, and Ozzie were just always seeing the top lines. And when these guys were rolling, they were tough to stop. And he, like, finished – I think his last year in the NHL, he might have had 25 goals and he went back to Sweden. He probably still could have kept doing it. I don't know. I mean, you were still in touch with him then.

Yeah, I think so. I mean, he was always a guy that kept up with his fitness. And I think, you know, some guys just kind of have enough. And I think Marcus, like you said, he finished with 20-plus goals his last year. And I think for him, just kind of wanting to stop at the right time. He was a real big family guy, and I think he wanted his group to go back to Sweden, raise his kids there. But he was a great teammate.

First and foremost, he was a great teammate, good guy to be around. And we had some fun. You got to see the Sedins up close and what they're sorcering, what they do. What's something about those guys maybe a lot of people don't know because they seem like pretty low-key quiet guys were they kind of like you know low-key funny in the locker room or something yeah they're they're always they're always low-key they didn't they weren't loud guys um you know i still for three years you know playing with them i still couldn't fucking tell them apart i swear to god it was just like and i have twins

obviously boy and girl twins you know it's but these guys these guys are identical identical twins and um but yeah quiet guys you know again guys from sweden uh really quiet shy um at the beginning though they weren't like light it up right could you know i was like oh boy it's like you know who's gonna get crucified for this you know moving berkey you know but um you can see it in practice like some of the things you know in a game are different right but you can see it in practice these guys were going to be hell of a player all right so to the guys on the team it was evidence like it's a matter of time yeah yeah it was it was a matter of time for the anyway because you can see it and and it doesn't always translate into games i mean something i think a maturity level too for these guys and

and you know i don't know what it was what year it was just the switch you know these guys just turned it on and and end up you watch them in the corners, cycling guys to death and the Sadin playing these. I'm like, holy shit. But they worked at it. I mean, it wasn't something that they knew that they had to make those changes. But you know they're going to be tightly checked. And they were so good at the give and go play. I mean, they're just that, I guess that twins kind of.

They share a brain. Right. You kind of know where they're at. Like in that twins kind of They share a brain Right You kind of know where they're at Like in some of these plays The no look plays And you're like You might want to throw it to your other teammate They're like

No I know where my brother is Well I went from like 2001 People were like Are these kids ever going to make it? And then 12 years later One of them's taking off from the defensive zone The other one's taking a slap shot for icing But he's getting to it first

It was just They were pulling stuff off that was just so fun to watch playing billiards out there right and good guys yeah you know good guys and uh they were great in the community and they you know it's good to see them have the careers that they did i was going to ask about the olympic year we talked about your draft you're kind of you know not knowing and trying not to focus on it too much were you well aware that you were going to be on that squad, or did you have to go into that season knowing that you were going to have to fucking be at the top of your game to get a sniff? Well, I was on the list.

You know, summertime you go, I don't know where we – I think we went to Calgary, and we did some sort of kind of walk-through camp. So it was on the radar for the group. Yeah, I just, I started, it's something that I really wanted to be a part of. You know, I think with Gretzky running, you know, a thing to have you picked by Wayne to represent your country in the Olympics, you know, was something that, you know, I wanted. And, yeah, it's had a good start to the year.

Getting that call must have been so good. Yeah, Steve Tambolini, actually, who was our assistant GM at the time, was part of that front office group for the Olympic team. So he called me, you know, and told me that I'd be picked for the team. And I was like, man, I was just so excited to be you know part of that group because if you look at that team you're like holy shit oh my god you know it was unbelievable you know eiserman and all these guys and so it was what was the deal it was you pronger niedemeyer adam foot uh brew brewer and um blake rob like oh my god good luck who'd you play with Uh, Brew, Brewer, and, um, Blake. Oh, Blake.

Oh, my God. Good luck. Who'd you play with mostly? I played with, uh, Blakey when I, so I, I missed the first game, right? So I was a healthy scratched in the Olympics. I remember Brian Burke calling me and said, listen, Joe, say the right thing. You know, you'll fold towels. If you need to fold towels, you'll get your opportunity.

So sure enough, they got waxed the first game versus Sweden. Country's panicking. Country's panicking. Dreds gets on the platform and is like, this is everybody's settled down. He got under control. It was his Esposito moment. Right.

72. Right. And, you know, I got back in the lineup and just wanted to make the most of it. I didn't play, you know, crazy minutes to start, you know, but as the tournament went on, I started playing a lot more and most of the time was with Blakey. I mean, I don't know if you were on, I'm guessing you weren't on the ice because Pronger made the pass, but when Lemieux lets that puck go through his legs, and was it Sakic or Correa?

Correa. It's like, that's one of the most memorable hockey plays I can think of I mean at the time you realize how crazy that was at the time no yeah it's the game things happen so quick but you know something you know have the wherewithal to I guess these guys thought at a different level too as well right so I mean to see that play kind of just – I mean, he definitely faked out a bunch of guys on the ice, obviously. Probably his own teammates too, but pre-awaiting, you know, they're on the other side of it. But just seeing these guys. I remember walking in the room and Stevie Y would always be, like,

doing crossword puzzles, you know? It's just like – like us, we came in. Hi, this. Right? I'd be telling stories from the night before, and this guy would be exercising. Right, I mean, exactly. So, I mean, same here.

I mean, you go in there, you shoot the shit with the trainers, you know, you do your thing. But, you know, just seeing this kind of for the first time, because I never played with anyone that I walk in and started doing crossword puzzles. Stevie Wise, the first guy that I saw do that. But it was a great locker room. Yeah, because there's so many strong personalities

and guys who are first ballot Hall of Famers. To try to even understand the dynamic of who's the one talking and who's the one being the – Yeah, who's the alpha because they're all alphas. Right. And I think you get into that scenario. I think everybody's – it wasn't like a rah-rah room, and it wasn't one guy kind of stepping up and kind of taking charge.

I think when you look at that team, a lot of the damage was done guys performing and at the right time finding ways to help your team win. Was there one moment to where you were like, holy shit, when maybe somebody spoke up in that locker room at any point in time? Is there anything that could stand out to you from that experience in the locker room?

Not really. You got panicked then. Yeah. I mean, that's the thing. I mean, you're just, there wasn't any panic. You know, there might have been panic from the country itself. Wayne put that to bed pretty quickly. Yeah.

Was Produra in the net for the gold medal game, right? I don't remember, actually. Did they switch goalies, or am I thinking of when Luongo... Was it Cujo? Yeah, it was Brodeur. I was thinking of 10 when

Brodeur and Luongo came in. Shit, man. It's okay. I'm putting you on the spot there, Jovo. This is like what Stevie Wise do in the Crossword. He's like, Jovo, what's a three-letter word for citizen on patrol? I don't know. He's like...

I remember trying to do Crossword puzzles because so many people were doing them and I got one and Monday's was the easiest. Couldn't get one and I was like, what is going on here? I thought these things would be a breeze. Right. You're looking at the Crossword puzzle and then at the bottom they got the answers. Couldn't get one. And I was like, what is going on here? I thought these things would be a breeze. Right. You're looking at the crossword puzzle and then at the bottom they got the answers. You're like,

I was more of a Sudoku kind of guy. I'm sure you crushed Sudoku. Not to glance over Vancouver, but do you think that going to Arizona had a big part to do with the fact

that you'd proven yourself and Wayne had been a part of Team Canada and seen that? Well, you test free agency, right? So I think, you know, for me, it was always, you know, the rules were different now, right, where guys. You weren't as young then, right? Right, I was 31, you know, so I think for me, for me, heading into free agency was something that I always wanted to experience. And there was many teams.

I just, you know, Arizona had a decent team. You look at the team when I signed there with the veteran group, it just obviously didn't work out. It fizzled pretty quickly there. But it was somewhere there I thought I had an opportunity to win. It just obviously didn't work out. It fizzled pretty quickly there. But it was somewhere there I thought I got an opportunity to win. What was it like having Wayne as a coach? I mean, you even said they had some veteran groups,

and they always seemed to finish just outside of playoffs and maybe didn't gain that success. And I feel like... They never got a high pick, really. Yeah, they never got a high pick. I feel like he kind of got ragged on as a coach. How was it being coached by him? Well, I thought it was great. I mean, his passion for the game was there.

He really loved his players. He would go to bat for them. Sometimes when you, for Wayne, it had to be so tough for him to watch behind the bench being like, what the fuck are these guys doing? How does he not see that guy? Holy shit. But we had Bodker, Turi, young guys where Wayne was a young guy and played. So then again, you look back and we talked about guys being ready to play.

I mean, Kyle Turris and Mik we talked about guys being ready to play. I mean, Kyle Turris and Mikhail Botker weren't ready to play. You know, I think just situation, these guys were high draft picks. They were thrown in the fire. And I think they probably regressed the first couple years until, you know, maturity took over and they were better players. But, yeah, I mean, Wayne, we just, listen, you know, at the start, we just started bad and just continued bad.

And when you get into that, it's just tough to get good luck getting out of it. Right? You're done. You're out of the playoffs by Thanksgiving. Yeah, I heard that at one point he came in the room and he was just like, guys, it's five on three. Like, how do you just not put the puck in the net? But that actually makes a lot of sense.

You have two more guys, boys. Well, I watch hockey today, and when there's a five-on-three, I'm expecting 99.9% of goal. If you don't score, you shouldn't win the game. Right. You know, so Wayne just, you know, did so many great things, and I think he sees the game. Obviously, he did see the game in a lot different way than, you know, he did so many great things, and I think he sees the game. Obviously, he did see the game in a lot different way than most players do.

It just didn't work out, I think, for the coaching there. I mean, you played so long, so you can ask you about different generations, but you saw the game completely switch after the the full canceled season whatever 2004-5 for you to come in you can't hook you can't hold you can't pick for your partner like because you were you were going along for 10-15 years where it seemed like you could just straight up take a guy out of the play who was four checking can opener right and and skating was always kind of strength of yours at least strength of mine so it was always like okay i got i gotta make sure i'm in the right position where I don't do this. But yeah, there's been many a times where you're like, how the fuck, how are they going to call this?

Like a love tap or whatever the case may be. But the rules change and it killed a lot of players. Oh, there were some older guys that just were done. Right away. And if you didn't adapt and make changes or work on whatever you need to work on, I mean, this was an area where the league wanted to get more

pace in the game, more offense. So, I mean, what do I like better? I mean, we all like the pace of the game the way it is today, but some of the plays where you looking at some of the questionable calls, you just hope that they even up at the end of the night.

And a guy like, I always think like Darian Hatcher, awesome career. He had 12 years and then that new league came and I was like, see ya. He still had the physicality, but it's like you had to be able to keep up. That's when a guy who could skate like you, it's like, all right, it's not as big of a deal. It's still different, though. I started really towards the latter part of my career when all my hips were going. Yeah, you were having it going.

Do you have two fake hips? I have one, yeah. And I played with one. I actually came back and I played 40 games with it. But I remember I was backpedaling and nathan mckinnon was coming down he was he was at he was at the blue line i was at the top of the circles i'm like gap up gap yeah there's no chance and i knew at that that point i mean you know your passion for the game was there you know

your excitement was there but you know the legs weren't there anymore and and also the grind of having to get ready for games too i remember used to be cruising around heat packs all over you like the fucking at noon yeah yeah yeah you know what i always was a guy that loved coming to the rink early but you know what the last couple years of my career it was literally table the table i'm like what am i doing it was like okay i'm gonna get it i'm gonna get my you know initial kind of rub down i'm gonna go to that table and i'm gonna get you know stretched and then i'm gonna go get ready and right before i go on the ice throw some red hot on me you You know, bend over. What's part of your back?

Everywhere. Low back. You know, I'm here growing, and then halfway during the game, I mean, it's kind of sliding. Now your nuts are on fire. You're coming in. I mean, it's crazy the shit that we'd go through, you know, to get through a game.

But, yeah, towards the end, my body was just kind of had enough. How's the body now? Like, are you dealing with stuff or is it actually pretty good? I mean, well, you got another hip surgery coming, don't you? I was supposed to get my, my right hip replaced on, you know, early December. And then with, with COVID and everything, I'd have to be there, you know, extended period of time. And I just wasn't ready for that. So, but that's hurting right now?

It's hurting now. Yeah, I can't tie my shoes or bend down. Yeah, it's one of those things that we kind of go through and pound up. And I always remember, you know, as a player, you know, when you were a little bit sore and you had it checked out, it probably needed to be fixed, but I was always told you're good. I know. You're good to go.

Tape an Advil to it. Throw a heat pack on it, throw an Advil on it. I'll crush a Volterra up in your smoothie post-game. Right. Yeah, what it is, what it is. You know what? The league's been great to all of us. Yes.

You know, it's something that we sign up for. No, go right ahead. You actually went to Germany for plasma therapy. Did that work at all? Did it help at all? Well, when I went there, his name was Peter Whaling, and I researched him through. He worked on Kobe and Ray Lewis

and almost this regenerative stuff um so I I went to him I spent a week in Dusseldorf so he would come in he did the uh inject you twice a day for five days so I went there had that done came back was feeling great someone went inside outside me, and I ended up in the corner, and I knew I had to get my surgically fixed. But he told me my hip was like a 65, 7-year-old. No shit. When I went there, he gave me like a 20% chance, but at that time you'll take 5% take five percent if he can yeah avoid surgery so

i wonder maybe you know but i'm guessing not like how many players played in the nhl with a fake hip i mean for you to do that it's like that's pretty crazy i mean it's such a high like level speed sport it's one thing to do in golf to play in the national league well i when i went when i went to new york i bounced around to a bunch of doctor i went to veil saw philip on i saw dr bird in nashville i went to dr kelly and uh in new york and he's a hip prevention guy so he's your labor he's gonna fix your labrum to prevent to what i have today he's like go around the corner buddy you can see my partner your playing days are over and I'm like oh shit you know I played you know over a thousand games at the time and you know

it was it was a long career so I wasn't like I wasn't floored but I knew that I you know hockey was everything to me and I wanted to play so so tough you know, long story short, I, you know, I go see Dr. Sue, um, and he kind of threw this hip resurfacing at me. So it's not quite a hip replacement. They actually shaved down, they dislocate your hip. They shaved down the femoral head to probably the top of that spitting chiclets bottle or the pink Whitney bottle. And then they, they clean out your acetabulum, is your socket and they put a new the new ball on on the you know the head and they put a new

socket in so you have a you have your underlining bone but you have a metal hip and socket like some crowns kind of what is give you a right there get the same thing he had the same he had the same and I had talks with with Kessel. He called me about the procedure.

So sure enough, I have the surgery and I feel great. I go to tedious rehab. You know the hip. You got to get the glute firing, your quads. And you got no ass. Yeah, pizza box, pizza box ass. So I started feeling good. And i asked the doctor right before i started skating i said what were the risks he's like really no risk i mean you you snap your

femoral neck and then you get a total hip so i said what's the pain threshold of the snapping of that snapping the femoral neck, you know? So he's like, listen, at the socket, we, you know, we put in, it's a big one. Your joint is big. You're got grain bone density, this and that. So I went home and played. I felt good. Now I was scared.

Um, I was scared getting hit. Right. I'm like, fuck, is this thing going to blow up on me? But I felt, I'm like, holy shit, man blow up on me but i felt i'm like holy shit man i can actually bend i felt great i'm like this is how you're supposed to feel anyway i played 40 games 45 games um and the next year just you know i got the call about the buyout i'm like i just came back with a fake hip you can let me play on my last year. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, it all worked out.

Everything worked out. But it was, yeah, it was, you know, it was tough. Pretty satisfying, I'm guessing, though, to come back from that and play again. Yeah, I just, you know, I missed it so much. I missed the guys. I missed the locker room. I didn't know anything different.

You know, you're kind of sitting around home and you're like, oh, my God, you're pulling your hair out. I missed the guys. I missed the locker room. I didn't know anything different. You're sitting around home and you're like, oh, my God, you're pulling your hair out. Your kids are just driving you crazy. It's not even noon yet. It's not even noon yet. I'm like, God. You know the drill, right? You go to the rink, drop the kids off at school. You're at the rink three and a half hours before practice.

Then you kind of sit around after and so you're kind of day your whole routine and now it's gone right and it's they say it's like it's like ptsd and i never looked at it like that until like your your your whole life has been something and then you now it's been stripped of you so you're just you're like right and and we played a game where the excitement like like the natural high. Right. You're not going to find something that, you know, was so euphoric on scoring a goal or watching your teammate, you know, do something special or win a game. There's just nothing you can duplicate that other than making a big birdie putt

for the club championship. Yeah, with Theodore and it's just you two. You know, but, yeah, it was – I had this thing in mind that I wanted to play until I was 40, you know, and it didn't quite work out that a couple years shy, but it was a nice run. What a run. It was a nice run. What do you remember of this clown right here on point?

We had a great time together because I think that the expectations were so low in Arizona the year. This is the first year that Tip got there, too. Like everything with Wano. I don't know why the breakup happened. I don't know. Did he get fired, Wayne? I think so.

Yeah, or whatever it was. But then it was this group of misfits that, you know, I think we were ranked 15 going in that season in the Western Conference. And we just had a galvanized group of misfits and we ended up fucking pulling it off and you were there for like two or three years when i was there right and when tip came when tip came in i mean you can see you know the structure kind of back from a coach that's that's been around for a while you know and and kind of reflected the way he played too he was a third line checker right you had more of a game plan 100 yeah i mean it was like i remember tip it was one of those guys too the the accountability was posted on the board every five games you know so i mean playing in arizona i mean there's two guys

covering it one guy never put a pair of skates on in his life probably um you know so you remember tip he would put these yeah five games five game segments this is how shit you were it was analytics and the numbers were every guy every guy so you can't team's record and stacked over five was each guy each guy so you can't fool your teammates yeah you couldn't fool anyone and the accountability had to come with it from within the locker room and um know, so that's how Tip kind of got his message over to the guys. But, listen, I was, you know, being an older guy with these guys. I mean, I was in that, you know, where, like, screw he was to us. I'd be asking them for stories.

Yeah, what's up, boys? You know, what's going on. Biz is like, how long you got? We had a good group. You know, we had a fun group. You had a Jans who was starting to pop off and really come into his own. Right. And see what he's done over since.

I remember coming into Phoenix or Arizona and seeing Yans, and I'm like, this guy's a special talent. He made some minor adjustments to his his lifestyle his lifestyle he found a beautiful wife um you know and and he grew up a lot in a quick amount of time right and i think a lot of guys nowadays i see you know how big the reward is you know for the there's there's just so much you know out there for these guys to have and that's one message that you know I was told as a young player you know keep up you know with everything your nutrition you're working out this and that and play as long as you can

because man it ends and it's like oh boy where do we go now yeah i told before you know jeff o'neill i was talking to him on twitter this is while i was still playing maybe not in the nhl but kind of asking him he was already into the media and he's like dude play as long as you can he's like you can only golf so much i remember being like fuck i was like i might try to break that mold i think i could play a little more golf than he imagines but i still remember being told that from a guy who was done and just being like wow it does hit home keep it going or you play a guy like gomer or you know the old gome uh i played with gomer were you in florida yes yes so for a minute i i told him i actually said that gomer i said were

you serious when you told me this story? He told me this. So we're lined up in Montreal. And this is when he just, like, he would, the fans. He had me score a goal in 100 games. Every time he, not even touch the puck, just step on the ice, they're booing him. Yeah, it was. So we're lined up next to him. I think we were shorthanded because I was lined up on the wing.

we were shorthanded because I was lined up on the wing and he's like, Joel, when the puck drops, I'm going to expose my wrist, break my wrist. He goes, I had enough. I had enough. He goes,

I'll pay your fine. I'll pay your fine. This is the shit you miss, right? There must have been so much more of that going on in your earlier days, too. What were some of the crazy fucking antics? Vancouver and your first trip in Florida must have been nuts. My first trip back here? Well, just earlier on, I feel like these types of antics happened so much more in the earlier days

where guys are so much more buttoned up. Yeah, for sure, because there's so much more to get you in trouble. And I think back then, you get to the hotel room, first thing that happens is the phone comes off the ringer. But I don't know. I think, listen, I think the whole social media thing, it's a great thing for guys to, you know, get themselves out there. I wish I would have jumped on social media right when it kind of came out.

I'm kind of old school that way. I kind of lived through my kids in that. But like you guys, you guys do a phenomenal job. Well, Jovo, we appreciate it. I finally grew up, Jovo. Hey, not too bad, eh? Not the young buck with pimples all over my back telling stories from the night before in Scottsdale.

Right. Yeah, those were a good five years in Scottsdale. We had fun, and it's different, right? I mean, the weather there in the wintertime. I mean, you're playing in Arizona. Too bad the rink was, you know, an hour away. Yeah, you had Florida and Arizona. Both spots are just middle of nowhere.

You know, the best place was Vancouver, though. Oh, yeah. You know, for me, I had great years in Vancouver. Team was good. Yeah, it was a tough – it was an impossible ticket to get, you know, after my first year and a half there um and and the accountability I think you you were scared to be bad yep you know or you get crucified you know the media and it always kind of stuck with me that

whole thing in Vancouver but we had great years there. And just playing in a hockey market, it's fun. I was on a horrible team in a hockey market in Edmonton. I mean, Pittsburgh was as well, but it's still pretty sick. Because even if you win a game, you lose four in a row in Edmonton, you get the one win, everyone's happy, and it's the good news. This is so sick. If only we could be successful. What did I want to ask?

The 05 lockout, you didn't play at all that year. Would you just take the year off? Were you hurt? What was the story there? Yeah, I didn't play. I got a call from Steve Tambolini, who was running the World Junior team, and I remember clearly I was sitting on the beach in Wailea. I was actually, it's funny because I was having a drink couple mai tais i was having a drink and this is

where you know the people would come around the pool deck so i had someone giving me a neck massage and someone was someone rubbing my feet already talking to talking to uh tammy on the phone and i'm like you know but i haven't skated in a while. And it was just like, I'm going to go there and get hurt. Sure enough, what happened after that is kind of when all the injuries started happening. You know, you miss a year, you're kind of, your body gets out of that routine. And yeah, but other than that, I just enjoyed my kids, you know, at that time. One last one. Do you stay down here year round

because it's hudders balls down here it's only much right like the humidity hey drovo no i don't i i don't i mean it's just you know what i have the kids that are kind of in this area here and and i need to uh enjoy enjoy them because they're you know they're at their friends and they want to be around and they're still you know, and they want to be around, and they're still young enough where you just kind of can't pull them away for a while. But as they get older, I think it's definitely something I look at to get out of here in the summertime.

Sure enough, yeah, you've got to play golf at like 7.30 in the morning and be done by 11 o'clock just to not lose 20 pounds. You should take up golfing. Well, Jovo, we can't thank you enough, buddy. Best of luck with the TV gig. Any plans to maybe move on to coaching or maybe management at some

point, or are you happy with just the TV and that side of it? I'm happy with what i'm doing right now um i listen i love the game i'm i'm watching a lot of hockey i mean down the road is there something that you know stay in hockey i i like to i think it's a good start where you're at now you're just back in you know right you're kind of seeing all the games, and for me, it's just kind of staying in touch with what I've known my whole life. Because I dabbled in a few things, and nothing kind of gets me going more than seeing hockey games and talking about it

and seeing what a great game it is today. Because every year it seems to be getting better and better, and the pace is getting, and young players coming coming in and that generation of stars that we have today you know mckinnon mcdavid you know taking over from you know crosby and ovi so it's it's good to see games in a good place well thanks again jovo you're the man we appreciate it what a career thanks guys thanks for all those free dinners during my cowardice years. My pleasure. Huge thanks to Eddie Jovanovsky who's joining us.

What a character, man. Seemed like a well-liked guy when he played. He's definitely a character hanging out with interviewing. So a big thanks to the Joe Volkov once again. Hey, gang, summer's just around the corner, and you know what that means, guys. Your junk gets a little stickier, but not when you're wearing Saks. You guys know we love Saks.

They make the world's best underwear thanks to their patented ballpark pouch, which is basically a built-in hammock that keeps your balls in place. No sticking or chafing or irritation. Well, now you can get the same amazing comfort in your swim shorts because Saks just launched a swim collection that was designed from the inside out. It's equipped with an integrated ballpark pouch liner, so you're supported and free to move. Plus, the material is super light and quick-drying to reduce chafing

and discomfort. I got to try a pair out down in Florida, and they were unreal. Didn't have the usual chafing that you get when you're walking from the beach back to the hotel room or the pool, and you got nothing to that's the best part because sax off is a 45 day comfort guarantee if you try them and you don't love them you can return them no strings attached your boys deserve better than having a fishing net in your trunk so grab yourself a pair of sax swim shorts use the code chicklets c-h-i-c-E-T-S, for 10% off your first order plus free shipping. Go to Saks.com.

That's S-A-X-X.com. And remember, for 10% off and free shipping, use the code CHICKLETS. Go to Saks.com, S-A-X-X-X.com. These things are great, man. I got a few pairs of the underwear, and they definitely keep things nice and snug, which you need when you're an old man like myself. Just coddling your nutsack, all right? great, man. I got a few pairs of the underwear, and they definitely keep things nice and snug, which you need when you're an old man like myself. Just coddling your nutsack, all right? Absolutely, yeah.

A little cradle on the man there. The Central Division. We got to talk about the Detroit Red Wings, or more specifically their broadcast. They were giving some love to the Whitdog. The Whitdog, I didn't know you had the record, Whit, for being a team point leader the latest into the season without having scored a goal uh you had 31 games you had totaled 24 assists well philippe

ronick was about to tie it uh they talked about it before the game and lo and behold he scores a 190 foot empty net goal that means whitney keeps the record what, let's go to you for reaction. I think it's like the perfect kind of description of maybe my career in that there was a lot of promise. It was good for a split second in that I had a couple big years, and then this stat, I was leading the team in scoring. So when you hear that, that's good, right? That's good. 31 games into a season, yeah. Yeah, 31 games per season, you're leading the team in scoring so when you hear that that's good right that's good 31s in 31 games into a season yeah yeah 31 games per season you're leading the team in scoring so

that's the good but then it finishes off it finishes off with without scoring a goal like it's like yeah dude you're leading the team in scoring but you're such a pigeon you don't have a goal so it was a little i mean not embarrassing because it was definitely a good thing but it was like a dude you don't have one goal and you play on every power play and you got hall eberly and you're nugent hopkins like come on dude so i remember getting the goal i got the first goal of the season was in san jose and it was late in the game i think we were down i think i it was one of the it was a typical goal by me, right? Like we lost three, one instead of three, nothing. But I was like, Oh man,

now I'm on the score sheet. And then I got another one like real quick. And at that point I was definitely having the best year of my life and I was playing and our team was really struggling, but I was, you know, it was, it was, it was a situation where I was probably like that year, maybe a number four on a good team, but I on edmonton so i was the number one but i was playing awesome and and boom that was the end right there that's when i stepped in the rut in front of the net nobody near me and and look and took the skate off and the tendon was on the wrong side of the ankle bone oh that was the year that was the year and that was it and i never could

come back from that one so i i did get healthy from the pittsburgh ones and i felt great and i wonder what would have happened if i didn't get hurt that game but that year was i was flying so all of a sudden to see that kid like approaching like my record in quotations because it's not really a record i was like oh my god i kind of want to hold on to that one and boom he gets the late empty netter after people tweeted me like hey they're bringing you up on the broadcast didn't we have mickey redmond on here no we had ken daniels oh we can daniels excuse me ken yeah so it was funny funny funny times to see finally get a goal in san jose and we lost and then i got hurt suck it it's just like a trip down memory lane tonight yeah it is uh this division though it's competitive as hell man tampa florida

carolina still have the top three spots columbus man they woke up they're nipping at the hill chicago i mean even nashville they've uh they had their longest trip in team history they went four three and one they're not dead yet they've won three out of their last four uh dallas nipping at the hill i think it's a two horse race two horse Two-horse race, I think, between Columbus and Dallas. Dallas, obviously, with games in hand. Surprising that Columbus has been able to do this without getting any protection from Laine. Patrick Laine, one goal in his last 12 games. Now, I haven't been able to watch a lot.

Now, I ask you Columbus fans, are you still as excited about having this guy as you were before you got him? And now you've kind of seen exactly what you get. We talked about it, and I know Winnipeg fans saw it firsthand. This guy could be the best player in the world for two, three weeks, and then you might not see him for another three. It's just the way it goes with this guy.

So maybe that's a result of the kind of feud or maybe the lack of trust that Torts has in him and his playing ability and not putting him in the situations that he should be placed in because there isn't any trust in him, I don't know. But nonetheless, they're getting the job done. And as far as Dallas is concerned, they got a lot of games and a condensed schedule in order to make some ground up

to get that last four spot. But as far as those top three teams, man, getting that first place is going to be so key because that matchup between two and three that's that's probably going to be the best probably the best two and three matchup in the league going in going into uh going into playoffs it's crazy to think that florida looks like is just they're they're going to be in you know it's it's Tampa Florida Carolina right and then the battle is between those two and and and to think like before the season nobody saw that well we saw Carolina Tampa but Florida has been awesome I just I'm so

shocked by Dallas I know they're making a little bit of a push but I think Dallas is one of the most disappointing teams in the league so far injuries injuries and the COVID and the COVID issue and the and the goaltending but it's like oh there was such high expectations going after last year's run i would hey i'll tell you what though that would if they find their stride and they sneak in and they got second healthy and bishop's back healthy that would be i mean their their back end is so strong you saw that play that klingberg made the other night. He is continuing to play absolutely filthy. That could be the worst possible matchup for winning that first seed.

So I guess in any case in that division, there's going to be no easy game. Well, no, it could be Tampa-Dallas first round. Yeah. The only time in history, or I'm guessing the only time in history that two teams met in the stanley cup final then met in the first round the fall over sure somebody looked that up for us blackhawks one in five since your comment with any comment yeah i'm a mush we went over this this episode i'm a guy who says something and the opposite thing happens so it's tough living that way i believe me i know i'm a mush. I know. So when you let

me have it online, it hurts my feelings. Yeah. The Hawks, yeah, they stumbled a bit, but they're still right in the thick of it. Tampa rolling right along. Vassie tied the team record with his 11th Street winners and goaltender. I want to ask you guys, Biz, Dallas is pretty much all white ensemble

that they trotted out a few games back. What was your take on them? The Storm Troopers. I love it. It's different. It's team and strange brew, too. It's a little bit more aggressive than the Vegas Golden Knights because they're so much more white.

I was talking about this on the Terry Ryan podcast. I think it's such an advantage wearing white, especially all white, because you blend in with the ice and boards. And given how fast hockey is and how peripheral it is, I find that to be such more of an advantage. Do you think that that's a silly argument? Like I'd much rather be wearing white jerseys than dark jerseys. Because when you're defending all white jerseys,

if you get lost for that split second. I know, but I look at it the other way where it's like, I don't know if I'd be able to see a guy on my team quick. It might be a little difficult with the white ice if you just get your head up and you're just like, oh, he's blending in with the boards and the ice. This could be such a mute point. Is it moot or mute?

The question is moot. Fuck me, man man you've been talking like me you know what i gotta do we have a brain transplant what i gotta do i gotta go back to college i promised my parents i'd get my degree and i gotta go back to college and maybe i'll learn some more words and i gotta get that degree i think i have a better chance of completing the tour de france than you do getting your degree what was your major communications sociology yeah i was in the college of arts and sciences at boston university uh all right hey the tournament big big time let's go be you we got a little word from our friends over at nizza uh it can be a little frustrating especially

if you're in a hurry or running late to find yourself at a railway crossing waiting for a train and if the signals are going and the train's not even there yet, you might feel a little tempted to try to sneak around across the tracks. Well, don't. Ever. To the naked eye, trains often appear to be further away and moving slower than they are. And they can't stop quickly. Even if the engineer hits the emergency brake right away,

it can take a train over one mile to stop. By that time, it's too late and the result is a potentially deadly crash. The point is, you can't know how quickly the train will arrive. The train can't stop quickly. Even if it sees you, it ends in disaster. Pretty simple, folks. If the signals are on, the train is on its way and you just need to remember one thing stop trains can't because i can be serious when they need to huh with those ads oh my goodness last week we talked about fighting uh the actual number well this was going back a couple days up 42 percent over last season uh tsn had a panel the other night with Dave pool and a Mike Johnson, you know,

talking about that they need to have a conversation and stiff and penalties. It's like, I feel like this, that's the same shit people have been saying for 20 years. Like if the players wanted it's there, it's just hired take. It's so old, man. It's like, and even pool, it's like, I was a captain of the flies. I know it's funny coming from me. It's like, dude, it's no, no one's,

no one is fucking asking to get rid of fighting except for a few randos on twitter who fucking don't like it in the game i don't know i just want to bring that number up 40 that was like the hot topic like for like a couple years and yeah and it kind of went away and i guess it's probably going to come back it's just something else to bitch about and it's like listen it's not going anywhere if the players don't want it to go anywhere it's it's it's in division right now it's probably elevated for that reason i will say i i do think that that i think that teams were teams might have been moving away from it because of this media pressure where i think that moving forward that teams will get back into it they will see the need for it i would really hope that guys wouldn't be making moves based on media

pressure, but maybe you're right. Yeah. I don't, I don't, I don't even know if there's even pressure there. I know everybody has topics they got to talk about, but well, what they, they, the reason they brought up was because when Richie knocked out, what's his name? Kyra there on Edmonton, he, you know, he held them as he knocked them down. They brought up that as an injury and then Ben Chirot hurt his hand in a fight. But, you know, I mean, we then Ben Chirot hurt his hand in a fight.

But, you know, I mean, we know that most concussions don't come from fighting. That's like I said. I hate talking about it, but I did want to mention fighting is up. We're happy with it. We condone it. We do get some terrible news that came out of Russia in the last week. 19-year-old player, Timur Faizutinov, He died after being hit in the head with a puck during a game. He's a defenseman on Dynamo St. Petersburg's

junior team. And it was just like sort of a neutral zone dump. It wasn't like a hard slap shot, but it caught him in a vulnerable area. He collapsed to the ice immediately. He was treated on the ice, and then he went to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries a few days later.

Just, I mean, awful, awful news. I mean, you don't even know what more to add when something like this happens. It's such a fluke thing, but we obviously want to send out acknowledges. It was just so sad to see the video, and you could see how much pain the kid was in. It was just a horrific story. Rest in peace. That's the scariest thing you ever see, you know? Yeah.

You said it in that video, you could just see how much he panicked and he was, grabbed his head so hard and you're like, Oh no. Like what was the pain like as soon as he felt it? And to hear that, like, yeah, like, because I remember it ended up going out on social media that he'd went to the hospital and then obviously he was, was, was he in a coma at one point? They'd said, I mean, they didn't say whether he's in a coma or not. Plus with Russian media, you're not sure what, what source to go by.

Basically it said he was being treated in the hospital. So whatever, whatever that entailed, it's just a horrible story. And, you know, we hate to see it. And again, our condol condolences to any, you know, family or friends who may or may not be listening and, you know, can convey the word. We're terribly sorry to hear about it. So, obviously, it's not easy to segue from out of that into anything else. I know Grinnelli, the NCAA bracket came out Sunday night. As far as gambling on it, there's not a lot of hockey gambling going on.

We did check to see if there are going to be any odds posted in the Barstool Sportsbook from a gambling perspective. They're not going to have any pre-tournament odds. They're going to check about game-to-game odds. Basically, there's really no licensed operators who offer college individual games. You can get odds at the beginning of the season. But, gee, who's your favorite anyways?

It's tough to root against North Dakota. Me and Rudy watched them play Denver the other night in the NCHC playoff, and they had an unbelievable comeback win. Shane Pinto, absolute pleasure to watch this season. They have Jake Ryan, Whitney Sanderson as well, who's been awesome. But I like, I like our guy, Cole Caulfield, American hero, and number four, Wisconsin. They also have John Holloway. Women and men.

You think the women and the men. Double dipping. Yes, I do. What a crazy ending it was in the women's national championship. Holy shit, that was unreal. Northeastern took the L. It was OT, right? Yeah.

Yeah. From behind the net, she bounced it off the girls' tuchus. Yeah. I haven't heard that one in a long time. I love Wisconsin, boys. I love Wisconsin. Okay. Yeah, I watched that game.

That was a tough break for Northeastern. I was pulling for them. My old classmate was the head coach, and actually a girl from my hometown was playing for the national championship, too, but it wasn't meant to be. Tough loss for the Northeastern ladies. So, hell of an effort. Hell of a season though. One other team, Witt, I know you're not going to want to hear this,

is BC. BC is a fucking wagon. They could face BU to go to the Final Four. They could. We'll see. Spencer Knight. He is unbelievable. Alex Newhook, Matt Boldy, they are a wagon. Shut your mouth. Newhook played for Team Canada at the World Junior, no?

Yep. Isn't he a Colorado Avalanche draft pick? Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. I know. Fucking sack. Team is loaded. We had, you guys, I'm sure I saw the video, an all-time goalie goal celebration.

Todd Scott of the Tri-City Storm. Just, I mean, obviously goalies are always going to go nuts. I don't think I've ever seen a goalie go this apeshit over scoring a goal before. It looked like he might have won a bet with scoring that goal, which I would be going just as nuts. To score a goal as a goalie, like that is like so uncommon, and you have to be so quick and strong to pull it off. Like you never have, I guess there's certain times you could have a ton of time,

but for the most part, you're decently rushed, right right unless it's a full-blown dumping but then you still got to get it over everyone so i i would be just as fired up but he looked like he just made some money yeah he was that was one of the best natural celebrations i've ever seen like he kept going fist pump to the crowd body checking the glass, over the bench, through the head and ankle line. He's like, I'm living it up. Hey, Biz, have you seen this Hotel Cecil documentary series on Netflix people have been

talking about for the last couple weeks, tweeting about whatever? No. It's about the girl in the elevator? Yeah. My wife said it was horrible. It was terrible, dude dude it could have been an hour like yeah they waste so much time they talk to these like internet sleuths but all they do is like let them talk and say this stupid shit like only like to like shoot it down later like

the thing could have been in an hour obviously that they wanted to suck you when basically this girl went missing um this girl she was a student from vancouver biz she was staying at this hotel cecil which has a sordid past that's located near skid row you know they tell you about all the you know people were getting killed there and serial killers staying there and this girl goes missing and they can't you know kind of imply that like something nefarious happened well you know you watch the four episodes and i mean i don't if you're gonna watch them or if it's a spoiler you can tell me the ending yeah you want to ruin it for everybody. Yeah, well, I'm going to give it away now.

Basically, the girl went missing, and everyone thought something bad happened to her. Obviously, she died, so that was bad, but no one else did it. What happened was she was a bipolar, and she hadn't taken her medication, and she had a psychotic episode or went into psychosis or manic, whatever the proper clinical terms are. And she was found inside one of the water tanks above the hotel, Paul. Like, that's why they thought, like, someone killed her and put her in, like, you know, the big water towers on the top of buildings?

Yeah. They found her there, like, two weeks later. And everyone thought, like, someone killed her. But, like, they went through all the video cameras. They went through everything. And they basically, no, she hadn't been taking her her medication because there's a video of her in the elevator and all the online idiots like, oh, there's something going on there. It's like, no, it's just a video of her to try to show you what she looked like. And everyone thought like she was conjuring spirits or some crazy shit. But no, she had a manic episode.

manic episode and basically like they think they one of the doc i don't know if it was a doctor they theorized that like when you're in that a person's in that state they're just trying to hide from something that something's chasing them they think that she just fucking kept going and they're like she climbed into this fucking water tower which is like crazy because i mean nobody could have possibly killed her and carry her up there and put her in the thing so they had to rule all this stuff out and basically yeah for four hours you sit there you think the hotel that's something to do with it and it's like no the poor girl just had a had a medical episode and ended up fucking inadvertently killing herself yeah i find that's a pretty big theme nowadays with these like documentaries is they drag them out exactly i don't there's not obviously a purpose fight financially for it oh of course they exactly they they drag them out

and like i said they have these people like giving these dipshit theories it's like dude you're sitting on your couch like you know watching a video and you think you're like a detective and then they would just shoot the theory down later but um i had something written down spencer lee wins his third consecutive ncaa wrestling championship with two torn acls? Yeah, it was his third consecutive. And I guess he, I think he'd already had one torn and then he tore one nine days prior to his third. Did you ever written down R.A.?

Yeah, I did. Yep, had that on him. So you got beat up by Stortini and he won the NCAA title. Yeah, that's pretty much where I was going with it all. Animal. Now I feel shame. Yeah. Where does he wrestle at? All right, you know what school he's at?

No, Bits had found the story originally. I'm not sure what school he's at. I don't even know either. I just saw the clip online. He said, F excuses. And I said, okay. Wish I could have had that mental toughness going in against Tortini. But I ate my lunch, and that was it.

The Oscar nominations came out since we last met. i don't know if you guys care pay attention yeah no i was pretty fired up um i'm no major surprises i suppose but let me ask you this how many for once upon a time in hollywood oh no that was last year oh fuck yeah yeah that's all right all right they did change the rules what's up how many for braveheart for braveheart trying to get me on that one that was how many was gone hey gone tripping biz all right you're tripping me that's all gone with the wind how many actually dude the documentary? That's the list I was looking for. There's a documentary biz.

You've got to watch this. It's called My Octopus Teacher. Right. I saw the title. I was like, what? I watched it, dude. It's incredible. It got nominated for Best Documentary.

It's about a guy who he's going through some, you know, personal struggles, whatever. And he he lives in south africa and he goes not scuba diving snorkeling like he can hold his breath for like five minutes in the same kelp forest every day in south africa and he fucking for lack of a better phrase becomes friends with like an octopus like they kind of have a bond but he's actually very like he's a smart dude and he explains everything while as it's going on so it makes sense me telling you here guys friends an octopus he sounds like a waggadoodle but when him telling you and when you watch the

doc it's and it's unreal to look at two bits like it's definitely one spark so there's video evidence of him interacting with oh it's all it's the whole documentary is 90% of it was he romantically involved with no this isn't like a Troy fucking the octopus this isn't like a Troy just laying into this octopus every day.

His wife's like, where are you going? He's like, snorkeling again, honey. He's got ink dick. No, no, it's crazy, dude. Why's your dick have ink on it? Tell me the truth. Are you fucking the octopus? This octopus does things you would never even think of doing to me, sweetie.

No, my dick robbed a bank and stole a money bag. I'm not fucking the octopus. Well, my octopus teacher, dude, check it bank and stole a money bag. I'm not fucking the octopus. Well, my octopus teach you, dude. Check it out. It's good stuff. I mean, even just like on a visual thing, the scenery is unbelievable, the cinematography, because it's all underwater.

Oh, late break, a new story. UCLA has officially won their NCAA game. We're Bitcoin owners. We are officially Bitcoin owners. Move over, Elon Musk. I've been shit-talking him for five months, now I own it. He owns a Bitcoin. Oh, shit.

That's awesome. I'm pretty pumped, man. I was, you know, it sucked that I missed the boat, but I'm back on, baby. Yeah. Fuck your octopus. Oh, Biz, I got one other one for you. I just started this show. I'm only a couple episodes in.

A couple of my followers tweeted it at me. It's called Zero Zero Zero. It's on Amazon Prime, and it's about basically about Coke dealers. Hey, I've mentioned this on our pod. Okay. I talked about it. There's an Italian cartel and the Mexican cartel, and it intertwines. It is great.

That guy who's living in that cave, oh, great actor. Yeah. Forgive me. I forgot you mentioned it before because I hadn't seen it. That's why it didn't ring a bell. It's called Zero, Zero, Zero, and it's about the mafia in Italy, the cartels in Mexico, an American ship, how they're all involved in the shipment of like producing.

It's a fake movie or a true story? It's a series that's, I don't know. I would assume it's based on a true story at some degree. That's a good question. I believe there was an Italian mob and I believe that there's a Mexican cartel. No, there's definitely a Mexican cartel. I believe shipping exists. So this has to be true.

And I read it on Twitter, so it must be. It is based on the book of the same name. Sorry, Biz. No, you're good. Speaking of Twitter, I bumped that in there. 15-year anniversary this week of Twitter. Twitter.com. Which is basically how this podcast started.

2010. Wow. It was around four years before i was on it damn yeah imagine what people were tweeting in those few years it started i think as some some people tweeting like where they were going for lunch and shit just to update people that's how that's kind of thing yeah i think it started yeah you're right that's how i originally heard about it i was like that's stupid why would people be tweeting where they're going and it's just like it sounds dumb and then even charles barkley was ripping it on um on television so i was very anti-twitter until uh until scotty epshaw told me to hop on it yeah i i had to be talked into it too but i'm glad i did well i have days i fucking wish i

didn't but it's been good good it's been good in the in the whole long very good to us um all right boys i think that should wrap up we got a nice fat overstuffed episode this week episode 325 uh i'm fresh out of stuff unless you have anything else oh last thing i wanted to mention all right you actually had it written down but shout out to dick hoyt, who passed away. And R.A., I'm sure knows knows a lot, lot more about him than I do. But just in reading the things and for people who don't know, this is a Boston native and his son. All right. What was the disease his son was born with? Cerebral palsy. OK, so cerebral palsy.

And when he was 15, he asked his father if he could help him run. I think it was a marathon or a half marathon to help somebody that was paralyzed at his high school. And his dad did it with him and his dad pushed him in the wheelchair. And he wrote that he trained by pushing a wheelchair with like a cement block in it to get ready for pushing his son. And like he ended up running 32 or 33 Boston marathons, pushing his son and like he ended up running 32 or 33 boston marathons biz pushing his son rick and and dude he ran one of them in two hours and 40 minutes he did he did uh six different iron man triathlons with his son uh my boy kirk minahan had a tweet when he passed away for the swim portion he used a a rope attached to his body to pull Rick in a boat for two miles and

then 150 miles on a bike and the 26.2 mile run pushing his son. And like you can, you can Google, you can Google Dick Hoyt and you can read about him and just the most love you could see for, for a son who was just born with, you know, shitty deck. Right. And I was like amazed reading all the stories about him and to see what he did. And what he said was there was one quote that his son said, like, he felt like so alive after they did one of the first races. And, dude, this guy guy he did it for his son the whole time and he passed away and what an unbelievable person i never knew him but but

read about him and these are things that happen in different areas all over the world where there's like local legendary stories people who are like so kind-hearted and so impressive and like people that you just you can't help but root for and be awed by. And this was a guy in the Boston area. So the Boston marathon was moved to the fall, but there should be a special presentation for him. I think before this year's race. Well, I appreciate you bringing up that story, right? That's awesome. Well, I already had it written down. I was like, Oh,

that's great to talk about him. That was good. Yeah. Yeah. They already, they already have a bronze statue for the father and son at the beginning of the marathon. Yeah. It's nice that they already had a bronze statue for the father and son at the beginning of the marathon. Oh, do they? Yeah, it's nice that they already had done that while Dick was still alive. And it's, you know, like I wrote a blog. We'll have Grinnelly tweet it out from the account tomorrow when the show drops. But I said in the blog, basically, like, this is one of those stories with that.

Right when it comes, you know, before the father passed, you just get teary-eyed because it was such a story about love. And this is the first time they finished and this is the first time i got i cried about a hoyt story because it because it was sad because it was always such a joyful thing yeah you know they were literally tears of joy and then this is the first time they were kind of tears of sadness writing about him and you know it was emotional to write it but uh yeah just an absolute uh beacon of humanity just a role model for every father out there and uh dick Dick will certainly be remembered around these parts forever. Solid ending. And thank you guys for tuning in per usual.

I know this is a long one, but we miss chat with each other. So the once a week we just get gabbing. And I appreciate all the listeners as we all do. And check out the new lids, too. Absolutely. New Pat Chats. And have a great rest of the week. We'll talk to you soon. Peace. all do and check out the new lids too absolutely you're all gonna think what that chats and uh have a great rest of the week we'll talk to you soon

we always like to thank our awesome sponsors here on spit and chiclets. So big thanks to our friends over at new Amsterdam, vodka and pink Whitney. Huge. Thanks to our friends over at simply safe for keeping everybody safe during these days. Huge. Thanks to our friends at zip recruiter.

If you're looking to hire and by all means, check them out. Huge. Thanks to our friends over at whoop for keeping us in shape. Big thanks to our buddies over at Saks for making sure everything's good for the boys down below. And a huge thanks to our friends over at NHTSA for keeping us safe on the roads. Have a great week, everybody.