Spittin Chiclets - Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 401: Featuring Scott Parker

Episode Date: August 9, 2022

On this week’s episode of Spittin’ Chiclets, the guys are joined by Scott Parker (01:01). Scott joined us live in Denver to discuss his career, his time with the Avs, and some hilarious stories along the way.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 401 of Spittin' Chicklets, presented by Pink Whitney, from our friends at New Amsterdam Vodka, here in the Barstool Sports Podcast family. What's up gang, just a friendly reminder, it's gone fishing season for the Chicklets boys, so welcome to the first of our summer interview series. We've got a half a dozen beauties lined up for you, some great stuff on tap while we recharge our batteries. And the first one is brought to you by our friends at Pink Whitney.

The birdie juices all the rage of Buffalo at the Chicklets Cup once again, and it has been all summer. So make sure you belly up to your favorite stool for a chilled shot or a mixed drink or however else you like the five times distilled vodka infused with fresh pink lemonade flavor. And right now we're going to send it over to our pal, 2001 Stanley Cup winner, Scott Parker. Well, it's a pleasure to welcome our next guest to the show here in beautiful Colorado. This guy was one of the baddest dudes to lace him up in the early 2000s.

After being drafted 20th overall by the Avalanche in 1996, he spent his first four years here in Denver where he won a Stanley Cup in 2001. After spending a few years in San Jose, he finished up his career back here in Colorado before retiring in 2009. And these days, he's a volunteer firefighter here in addition to running his charity, Parker's Platoon.

Thanks so much for joining us on the Spittin' Chicklets podcast and making the trip down from the mountains, Scott Parker. How's it going, brother? Awesome, guys. Thanks for having me. How about that intro? That was pretty sick. I think that's probably the longest intro I've ever had in my whole life.

And a redraft that ended up going higher. Normally when guys, because you were drafted 63rd overall, originally by the New Jersey Devils, and apparently you guys could not come to a contract negotiation. I don't know if you were acting as your own agent and trying to bully them into more money, but end up going redrafted 20th overall after getting, what, 30-something tucks in the Western League. Yeah, that was a good year. You know, talking over with my agent, I didn't really know any better back in the day, and I don't know if he did, but, you know, it was just circumstance, and, you you know jersey back in the day

they were a powerhouse and they were winning almost every year and looking at that lineup even trying to break that lineup i was like hell am i ever going to play in the nhl even on this team so that's why we kind of thought about just going back and seeing how it worked and you know i know we tossed the dice but fortunately it worked out because like you said most of the guys that go back in they go they go a lot higher rounds. You might have got the contract you were looking for if you were looking for it, but Lou, I don't know if you guys had negotiations with him when you were going through that process.

Lou, yeah, he was different to deal with back in the day. I mean, but it is what it is. They've got to keep their stuff down, and they've got to do their jobs, so we understand that, but we also have to take care of ourselves as well. So were you completely bought into your agent, even though maybe now you understand he didn't know what he was doing. But we were like, hey, whatever you say, I'm better call Saul. Or at one point we were like, maybe I should check in with somebody else. Honestly, at that time, I mean, coming from the hockey world, like my dad was never in hockey.

So I was the first gen so it was like a lot of other families out there that just have one person in the family if you don't know any better then you just go with the flow so it was really just kind of going with it and back then there was no internet no any of that kind of stuff so you know we didn't have anything to refer off of so we just tossed the dice and I went back to the dub and yeah I got 30 genos and tuned up a bunch of guys. And I was like, I'm ready. Yeah, we should probably back it all up.

I'm not exactly sure where you were born, but I know you were raised in Alaska. So you're a wilderness guy. You love it through and through. And I'm sorry we had to drag you downtown Denver because you're not really inclined with the city much. Not really, not anymore. No, I'm definitely more of a mountain man and you know, I like the sticks. I like,

I'm not a tree hugger, but I'd rather talk to a tree than sometimes people, you know, you get more out of the conversation sometimes, but you know, it's just, I don't know. There's something tranquil about it.

And you know, growing up in Alaska and my dad being a federal game warden and just doing all that stuff. It's just from my roots and I like getting back to it. What part of Alaska? Eagle River, right outside of Anchorage. Wow. And your father, what did you say?

He's a federal game warden? He was a federal game warden, yeah. Wow. Can you explain for people who don't know what that is? Like all of us? Yeah. I think it has something to do with wildlife, I'm guessing. Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, so wildlife conservation, stuff like that. He dealt with a lot of the villages up there, you know, going in and just making sure everything was taken responsibly and stuff wasn't being poached and, you know, stuff like that. But he'd be flying along the beaches in Alaska and just seeing walruses washed up on the beach with their tusks cut out of them,

and people want them just for the ivory, just like, you know, the elephants down in Africa. So it's kind of that whole trade thing, but it kind of sucks too. So he was there to protect the animals and to make sure everybody abided by what they were supposed to. Well, he's then kind of manhunting people in terms of the ones who are breaking the law, right? Correct, yeah. That's a pretty badass job. Yeah, it was really cool.

It's awesome. And I think if I wouldn't have played hockey, because he was a military guy and I think I would have went military and probably followed his steps, but hockey kind of took off. And I still remember back when I was playing juniors, he was talking to Bruce Hamilton, the GM of the Colonial Rockets back then. And he was like, yeah, you're suddenly playing the NHL. And my dad was like, really? You know, like, what the fuck? Yeah. You just never know. You just don't think that, you know, that's in, that's in the cards or that could be a pathway. But it was and it happened.

And so did you think at one point you were going to follow in his footsteps and follow up? Like you talked about the walrus situation and the other like crazy stories that you were a part of because your father was doing it? Well, a lot of the stuff like the gallbladders and bears, you know, the Asians like that for certain things. So it's just a lot of animals being taken unresponsibly and not being utilized and just left. I mean, it just kind of sucks that people can do stuff like that, but it still happens, and that's why there's guys like my dad and other guys in the industry that do what they do. Did you at one point want to take over at his footsteps? I think so. I mean, at one point, you know, I was definitely going military.

Like I said, if hockey didn't pan out, I was going military and definitely probably would have tried to get special forces and got on a team and just did work. So that was definitely my mindset. What's youth hockey like up in Alaska? Do you travel down to the U.S., to Canada? Because there can't be a lot of teams to play. A little bit.

I think it's a little better now with everything. But back when I was playing, it was a lot of just to play a little bit I think it's a little better now with with everything but back when I was playing it was you know a lot of just playing in Alaska we went to Buffalo one year I remember seeing Pat LaFontaine's uh I think he was a rookie that year so it was probably 88-89 you know around that time and I was like holy cow this is unbelievable but didn't get out of Alaska much but the cool thing about Alaska is we had high school hockey so we we'd have our our house or our comp teams and then when high school hockey would start all the all the other hockey stopped and you play high school hockey and you go to championship and once that's done

you go back to playing your other hockey so a lot of ice a lot of ice a lot of hockey a lot of I mean but nine months out of the winter or nine months out of the year is winter so you got to do something or you go fucking crazy and and was it pretty good in terms of maybe the cost not being as high as it would be in boston or toronto and things like that where there was so much ice time available it wasn't as bad on your parents i think so then plus we had a lot of outdoor rinks too so every school has two to four ice rinks and you bring your shovel and pucks and you just give her so it was old school hockey you know we actually used to skate on ponds and have them crack and doing all the stuff thinking you're going to fall through,

but it's just what you do. Are you the same age as G. Love, Scotty Gomez? Oh, yeah, me and Gomer. Oh, Jesus. Yeah, we played against each other quite a bit. Never were on the same team. He was from Anchorage. He always played on different teams.

And being from Eagle River, I was on different teams. So, but you know, Gomer's awesome. You know, we know his family really well and he's done really, really good. And being able to take the cup to Alaska, I mean, that's unbelievable. So that was cool. And he took it there first bastard. I can only imagine the stuff you would get into in the summer times there with some of your time off. Like I thought like going to play manhunt with my buddies was badass or maybe some street hockey like what other things were you doing like obviously big fishermen oh yeah that and dodging bears you know that and moose and it's just wild i mean everything's big everything's out there i mean my mom used to kick me out and say go let the stink blow off you and you know come back before the lights you know and it was

light all summer right basically yeah don't come home for three months. Exactly, yeah. Don't come home. Just, yeah, go build a fort and go live in it. But, yeah, it was just, it was really cool living up in Alaska. And really, the thing that kind of helped me out up there was the dividend check, too, which is the oil pipeline revenue that residents get when you're there for a period of time. You get paid to live up there and be a resident so i was

able to use that money to pay for my hockey and buy skates and sticks and do all the stuff and because you know the stuff ain't cheap so we didn't have canadian tire we didn't get the eight dollar sticks unfortunately but you know whatever whenever we could get the deals we got those and made it work so um all right i was before you hop in here I was just going to ask like as a kid were you always a scrapper because obviously you were a good player to a certain degree where you were able to keep advancing and scoring goals you talked about the Western League when did you starting to cave people's faces in become a reality yeah I was such a pussy when I was a kid I mean I remember even times my friends punching me in the face and

I would just do nothing about it. I was never confrontational. I was never, like, angry. I had an unbelievable home life. My parents were awesome. I mean, I was never beat. You know, there was times I probably should have gotten beat, but, you know. At least a belt. Yeah, exactly.

I mean, you know, a little structure is good, and, you know, I got it from time to time because my dad would be gone from a week to three weeks on, you know, some assignments. And, you know, mom's trying to be both parents and you know wait until your dad gets home and i was like yeah right but then dad got home i was like oh shit you know i was sitting he came back for sure yeah dad came back like i'd rather the bear exactly but you know it's just those things you learn when you're little and but alaska was fucking awesome because just getting to play and like going to the river like you said fishing and we used to jump off the bluffs,

and literally right around the corner, the bear, there was four or five bear just fishing. You know, they were just eating salmon, doing what they did, and we were playing right down from them. So we just live in cohesiveness. What's the scariest interaction you had with a bear? Like, you know, in a pants-shitting situation, like, oh, man, this could be it? I have a tattoo on my left arm here. It's actually of a scene.

There's a mama bear and two cubs. And my dad and I were out in his plane, which is tattooed on my chest as well. I got a couple of tattoos. You got one and two. Yeah. But literally I was fishing at the river, and my dad went back to the plane. And, you know, about 10 minutes goes by, and he's like, Scott, where are you at? Where are you at? I was like, I'm fishing. He's like, bear. I was like, oh, shit, oh, you know, about 10 minutes goes by, and he's like, Scott, where are you at? Where are you at?

I was like, I'm fishing. He's like, bear. I was like, oh, shit, oh, shit. So I'm reeling in. I'm trying to run, and the brush is five, six feet, and I'm only three feet. So he can kind of see brush moving. You know, I break through the brush, and I got a 44 Magnum, you know, facing me, and he's thinking it's the bear, you know, charging him.

So it was kind of a scary scene. But at that point, he had walked out a perimeter around the plane. So whatever did come through, he could advance on or take care of. But then I come bushing through, and he throws me in the plane, and we take off, and he circles back around the area we were. And you can see the mama and the two cubs sitting right, like, probably 20 feet from where the plane was. And you have that tatted on your arm.

Right there, the bear. God damn it, I have a scarecrow. His has a pumpkin that's rotted out. Oh, shit. Yeah, but it's sort of a story when, oh, fuck. No story. You were a state champion in high school, but I understand it was in soccer and you were a goalie.

Yeah, I was actually a goalie, but we also won in hockey as well. But, well but you know i tried soccer i wasn't really as good at that because you can't hit people which kind of sucks i was like what's wrong with this but i guess that's rugby so different sport but you know just trying to do anything you could do in alaska to fill your time and to do something i mean you know it's the great white north so and you did i think you said your dad was chatting with the colowna GM or something. They kind of scouted you and were like, hey, let's go. Come with us. Yeah, they were actually the Tacoma Rockets back in the day,

and they moved to Kelowna my first year when the team, the inaugural year that the Rockets were in Kelowna. So that was kind of the first for everybody to learn all around the town because at least when you come to a town, people kind of know where to go or what to do or what not to do. But you go to k-town nobody knew anything so it was like free reign and you figure it out so beautiful area though right oh it was unbelievable yeah being there in the okanagan and knowing so many of like the stars uh dallas stars and like my buddy eric goddard lives up in vernon i mean there's a lot of guys in that area and we used to go up

almost every summer just to do training camps and stuff anyway but like david roy i think he did some stuff with the philly flyers and stuff like that but trying to do anything we could to advance or try to bring something to you know something different every year so the team wasn't like oh just another bag of shit you know you bring something different they're like holy hell he brought his game so hey uh dj your son was telling me about how you were doing these like uh these courses throughout all your your acreage how you would train you would put like uh what was chains on his chain links on your fist you would punch trees until you chopped them down oh yeah and then you would do like crawling through the mud shoot guns and like tell bring us through this whole training

regimen we literally had an american ninja warrior with a gun range before American Ninja Warrior was around. So it was just cool and something different. And I was just tired of going to the gym and being told I couldn't do this or I couldn't do that. Because certain things I was doing, people would try it after I was gone. And then they would end up into the mirror or fucking themselves up. And then why is that my fault? That's on them. I was able to do it fine yeah exactly like figure the fuck out right but so eventually just stopped going to gyms it's like i'll just make my own and we had tires and we

were hitting hammers and just doing the old school you know muscle beach stuff as well as you know climbing ropes and doing all sorts of crazy shit as well as having the range at the end so you had to control your breathing get get on target, and do work. So it was just something cool and different. And, yeah, that's what we used to do. And the chains punching down trees, that's a fact? Yeah, I used to wrap my hands in chains. And I used to hit trees.

Our neighbors had some Scottish Highland bulls. And they were always kind of on me, always kind of pushing the fence back. So then I'd just start taxing them in the head and seeing if I could knock them out. So it was fun. Oh, geez. This guy called himself a pussy grower. You're going to have PETA coming after you

because of the Spitting Chicklets podcast after giving CTE to some of these highland cattle. Well, when you have horns like them, I think it's a, you know, it's a happy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're good. Plus they got thick skulls they're good imagine a kid back home that used to punch him and not do anything he's like

yeah i used to punch parker all the time yeah highland cattle himself yeah yeah park is like i'd like to see that kid again so so uh you know with the connection between your father so he ended up going over to colonna and that's how you got your start at that point had you started fighting in hockey yet or was it pretty much just told you if you want to be successful in the Western League this is what we have you for I played a year junior B so in the KIJHL I played in Spokane the first year we had moved down from Alaska because I wasn't about to hop the nest you know or leaving Alaska being down lower 48 again and then you know leaving and be like oh this is too much.

So I played a year of Junior B, got in two tilts that year, and actually did pretty good against this one guy. So I was like, oh, this shit ain't too bad. And then getting drafted into the dub, here's a fun story. So Jamie Butter was his nickname. He was actually on the Rockets. And during training camp, as well as every hockey player knows, you get tested.

So it was my time to get tested. And Butter, which was a cagey guy, had been in I don't know how many fights. I had been in two fights in my life. He was the current, say, heavyweight of Kelowna. Yeah, it was like Jamie Button. Then we had Dale Parrington as well. Oh, wow. We had Dale and Butter.

So, yeah, it was good. So it was a good break in. At least they taught me a lot. They took me under their wings. They showed me a lot of stuff that, you know, after Butter broke my nose and I was about to quit hockey, and I'm like, this sucks. And, you know, Bruce is like, you know, quit messing with the kid. Like, you know, we need him.

He's going to be a possibly good player. So let's not, you know, fuck his mind up and you know wash him so it just kind of all worked out and got back to k-town and the boys actually fucked him in there too because they called my billet house and they said this is so and so from the lethbridge hurricanes and we're excited to have you and i was like holy shit i just got fucking traded i don't know what's going on i just got to this city so it an adventure, but it was just what the boys do and the rousing. And it's just that camaraderie that I think is probably the biggest thing I miss being done. Having those stories and being able to sit and chill and relax and just having that time.

I know we don't like the bag skates and all the bullshit, but having the boys telling all the funny stories. So you were loving it. That was your real first experience from being away from home, getting Raz, and, like, being part of a team, especially at a high level in the WHL. Exactly. Yeah, that and, you know, we had some good rivalries. You know, we had Kamloops Blazers.

We had pretty much every team we played was, you know, pretty stacked. I mean, they had Jerome and Ginla. They had, you know, they had a lot of really, really good players. I think Dolan played for them, I think, the one year as well. He played with Kamloops. Yeah. Kamloops Blazers. Now, that's the next thing I was going to ask you.

You played in the WHL during a time, especially coming in as a young guy and having to do those duties, where there were just guys that, like, basically the boogeyman. You know, you couldn't pregame nap. You were probably scared shitless the day of, knowing you were going to have to go inside a barn and fist fight these guys. Exactly. That and, like I said, we were all going to high school at the time as well.

So it's just you're in this brand-new town. You're trying to figure it all out. I mean, you're just a kid in a whole new city trying to figure this shit out, but it all worked out. The anxieties, though, those kind of were early on for you with the fighting? Or was it more like you kind of knew you were pretty good at it and you were okay with it?

Honestly, I think I just, I had a couple fights. I would hit guys one or two times, they'd go down, and I was like, hmm, because you're watching movies. Just do that. Yeah, exactly. I was like, oh, my God, I'm Superman. This is unbelievable. I hit somebody twice and they go down. Like the bad guy in Bloodsport. Yeah, I mean, you're watching movies. Just do that. Yeah, exactly. I was like, oh my God, I'm Superman. This is unbelievable because I hit somebody twice and they go down.

Like the bad guy in Bloodsport. Yeah, I mean, you watch these movies and they're throwing chairs at each other and shit's happening. You're punching someone and they're going down and you're like, holy hell, this is easy. This is way different than I thought. Yeah, this is way different,

but I think it was just my size and really, you know, Butter had to retire with a back injury and then parenting got traded to Lethbridge. So basically we were stuck with nobody, and I was looking around the locker room and watching my guys get hit and certain things happening, and I was like, nope, I'm not good with this. And then I just kind of took it upon myself and started to figure it out.

And the things that Butter and Parenting taught me back in the day, I just started to apply and started to create my own things and just build it from there. And here's a word from our friends at Sport Clips. How long has it been since your last haircut? Well, it might be time to head to Sport Clips. They've just developed a brand new, super relaxing signature scent on their perfectly steamed hot towel. It's been formulated specifically to bring the relaxation of the MVP haircut experience up to another level. It's something that you have to smell to believe.

Make sure when you go in that you ask your stylist for the MVP experience. Not only will you get to try the new scent, but you'll get the seven-point massaging shampoo too. Smell like an MVP. Sport Clips, the pros in men's hair. And numbers-wise in the dub, it must have been cool because the goals went up the second year. The goals went up even more the third year.

The PIMs went up the second year and then went down because I'm guessing you finally feeling the respect and you seeing the fear in people's eyes with you. It must have felt pretty good. Like, holy shit, I'm becoming so good at this that I'm now scoring goals when I want and I'm also not even really having to fight as much. That's when no one's going near you either. Yeah that's the mentality what I dealt with well it is creating

that space and it's creating those opportunities because when you are in front of the net the d-man doesn't want to be hitting on you or anything because I just turn around and knock them out so it was like well shit you know but yeah just I think that second year really really did you know paint that picture. That's what I was trying to do in the next levels going up. I didn't want to have to fight somebody 10, 20 times. I wanted to fight them once or twice and be like, I'm done with you, move on.

But unfortunately, things don't always pan out the way you think. Was that second year the first time you were like, I could play in the NHL, or even not yet? I think so. I think even that second year, because I got the opportunities. opportunities Peter Anhalt my coach back in the day gave me those opportunities he let me sink or swim and that's what was cool about it and you know even in the minor leagues you know we had Mike Foligno and Jay Wells and you know he put me on the power plays he put me out there in certain instances that you know I could either make it or break it and you know it worked out and then I get to the show and then fucking crickets you know you can't play two goddamn

minutes a game and expect anything out of anybody i mean you know give joe sack two minutes a game and see what the fuck he does with it so it's kind of like you know like i proved i kind of could do it like give me give me seven minutes one game exactly yeah or at least give five i mean you don't want to be cold. You don't want to be out of it. I mean, there was time during the game where I had to untie my skates. This is fucking bullshit. Oh, wow.

You were one of those guys too, eh? Oh, God, yeah, bud. I mean. I feel your pain, my friend. Well, you know, I mean, we're not wearing skates that are, you know, two sizes big anyway. So, I mean, everything's crammed, everything's jammed, and, you know, all you want to do is your job. But, you know, the coaches tell you to be proactive, but when you don't have a shift, it's jammed, and all you want to do is your job. But the coaches tell you to be proactive, but when you don't have a shift, it's hard to do it.

We're not very professional around here, so we finally just got you some water if you need some. Oh, thanks, brother. I'm a little parched. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We actually have the heater on in here, so we're trying to make you sweat it out. I want to go back to Kelowna for a second. Absolutely.

One of our former guests, a friend of the program, Todd Fedorek, you guys are buddies and teammates, and you beat him up in the locker room in front of your GM, I understand. Oh, yeah, Toddy. But that's a fun shit, though. I mean, it was actually – it was the playoffs the one year we were in Tri-Cities, and I don't know what I had that morning, but me and Fridge are the only ones on the ice,

and we're kind of playing one-on-one, just around and I'm schooling I'm putting it through his feet I'm dangling him I'm doing all this stuff and he's just steaming I can see it coming out of his ears it's like come down it's okay and he's like fuck you and this fucking bullshit and you know it is what it is but then next practice he did it to me so it is what it is but when we get in the locker room and I still see him steaming so I take off my tape off my off my socks and i toss it over to him and hit him like right above his eyes and he said game on he said if that would have hit me in the eye i would have chopped kiki the head of my skate on it says oh is that a fact so i take off my other other sock tape no word of lie huck it out of him hits him right in the eye i was like like, oh, it's on. So Fridge gets up, runs over to me, and I grab a hold of him.

He grabs a hold of me, and I was just like, no. And I just swung and put his nose on the side of his face, and then Bruce comes running in. What's going on? What's going on? And it's like, we're good. It's just what we're doing. You're putting his nose back in place.

Yeah, yeah. It's all good. Yeah, yeah. It's the team mentality, but that's just what you do. It's like that brotherhood, and you fight and you bicker, but when shit hits the fan, you're in the trenches with your brothers. You kind of mentioned it quickly about your coach being instrumental in giving you ice time and confidence.

Anybody else that you would want to give credit to for your development and the fact that you were able to excel in junior and gain enough confidence to end up getting drafted in the first round of the NHL honestly I mean I think it was you know Peter Anhold gave me those opportunities back in the day and and let me shine and let me get those points because even back then too trying to scout wasn't the easiest because you didn't have internet so it was people getting on planes and getting in arenas and doing what you know old school methods so um you know definitely peter um like i said um david david wall i think it was um yeah and then shit mike felino jay wells uh in the minors i mean that was freaking awesome and hershey too in the old barn like there's some character there and

we had some melees in that barn as well yeah what was the one that you ended up having in the old barn like there's some character there and we had some melees in that barn as well yeah what was the one that you ended up having in the minors okay bring it up merles tml stole my question again no no go ahead that's what i said you weren't in the minors long but you definitely left your mark with the the infamous brawl no it was the whole background what was the name of it no it's just helen hershey helen hershey helen hershey was the nickname for it and basically it was you know, Troy Crowder was on the team. And Troy, he played in the NHL for years, watching him in Jersey and fighting Probert and doing everything he did.

So it was awesome having Troy on the team. And then we were playing Kentucky, and Garrett Brunette, which is unfortunately not with us anymore, he passed away a couple a couple weeks ago um they got in a tussle and go to the go to the ice and crowds is on his back and the ref had had him kind of pinned to the ground and the other guy let go of brunette's arm and then instead of brunette getting off him he swung when he was on the ice balanced troy's head off of off the ground and basically it's on i i could see crowds like he was

out of it I could see he's already concussed he'd already taken it because he was not convulsing but he's trying to get up and he did he was couldn't do anything baby deer yeah and unfortunately at that time his mom was four rows up in the stands and I was like oh hell no so I look back at Mike our coach and he says can I go can i go and he goes no no no and i was like i'm steaming i look back at brunette and he's just getting up and kind of skating across the ice and i was like oh fuck no i said can i go can i go and i don't know if mike said go go or no no i grabbed bruce richardson our teammate right next to me i says you're on the ice first so yeah richie goes on the ice and then i

hop the boards and i'm screaming down i scream right in front of kentucky's bench and let's go yeah i went right after brunette because the the door was right next to the bench and they had just pushed him off the ice and closed it and i looked at brunette through the through the glass and i pointed at him and i gave him the neck you know like the throat slash oh it's on so then from there i just started taking my tie down off and i was like if i ever get in a brawl what would i do i'm taking all my shit off because what are they gonna do give me a penalty fuck off so i strip all my shit off and i'm just skating around and i see billy neiman in the corner with somebody and nemo's he's not getting getting taken but you know i was like am i gonna help him out so i go over and freaking knock that dude out from the side and then that's when gosling comes over and we get

into it and then i'm punching him a couple times and then he goes down then i put my knee on his chest and i start the lawnmower on his head and then yeah then he eventually gets up i thought i was done with him but then he kept coming around. I don't know if we had a bungee cord attached to us or what, but I was like, what the fuck are you doing? Leave me alone. I already knocked you out. But then we fought again, and then eventually we get over to the Zamboni area in the corner, and I think at that time I was throwing lefts,

and then both refs grabbed my left, and I was like, gotcha. So I switched to my right, and I just break, like, two of his ribs. I just remember seeing blood coming out of his mouth, and I was like, gotcha. So I switched to my right, and I just break like two of his ribs. I just remember seeing blood coming out of his mouth, and I was like, oh, sweet. Okay. Got him. Yeah, got him. So that happened, and then everything was kind of mellow,

and then I went and reached for, I think it was Bradley. Seems like it was hell for Hershey. That should be the name of it. Yeah, but it was a lot of fun. I tell you what. I mean, you talk about bringing a team together, and, you know, yeah, after that, I think we went like 10 and oh it was like everything after that was nothing galvanized yeah no mess with that team

yeah you get like the 10 game sussy for leaving the bench or was that not even around honestly i think i got a thousand dollar fine and like a four game suspension i was like oh i can't wait to do this in the show and they're like no no no you put pushed Richardson on the ice. He probably got the 10 game. Yeah, exactly. Thanks, Richie. Appreciate you, bud. See, teamwork right there. Let's go to Colorado, man. You get there, your first training camp.

First off, were there a lot of scraps still at that time? And, well, guys barking up your tree in second, man. You're walking Sackick, Forsberg, Paddy, you probably starstruck as well. Definitely. Well, back then, too, we had McNichols, so Pepsi Center wasn't here, so we had the old barn. How was that place? It was cool.

It looked like it was crazy in some of those old playoff games. Yeah, oh, definitely. It's just that atmosphere. And, like, you know old barns. It just has character, and, like, there's spirits and shit in the rafters. So these new barns, it doesn't, you know, you don't have dead people in there yet. But those old barns, like Hershey barn, like, Holy shit. Don't be there at night.

You're here. Some weird shit. And you're like, Oh yeah. Get taken out by Milton Hershey with a fricking Hershey's bar or something. No, but you know, it was awesome. I mean, I remember even getting up the first time I was called up. I literally just had a chair in the corner and I was so stoked. I was like, Oh right.

I made it. I didn't even have a stall because the McNichols, it wasn't, you know, a huge locker room. It wasn't, you know, fancy like the new places are, but I was like, sweet, I made it. And it was just, I didn't have a lot of fights early in the career because it was really Jeff Rogers and we had Warren Reichel. There wasn't really much fighting that had to be done, you know,

in training camps too the team was so good right exactly yeah it was really just you know it was already kind of set it was really am I gonna even crack this lineup or am I gonna make this roster type of deal but my first year I was called up six times so up and down multiple times and then the 99 year I was in Hershey the whole year which I think probably helped me out pretty good. I saw that, that you were up for like 27 games first year and didn't get any the next year. Exactly, yeah.

I didn't know if you kind of panicked or you were almost like, maybe I'm just building my game down here in Hershey. Honestly, I just went with the flow. I was ready and willing any time I was going to get called up, but it was kind of the circumstances where I don't know who had a lot of input in on it, but I know if Bob Hartley had anything to do with it, I was fucked because that guy did nothing for my career. Yeah, you've been pretty vocal about your animosity towards him now.

Yeah. Where does it stem from? I mean, do you care to share the personal stories? Honestly, I mean, even the one game, I played 10 1⁄ half minutes against Minnesota one night, got three assists. I think I was first or second star. I get called into his office after the game.

He basically sits me down and says, that's not your game. I don't want you ever doing that again. That's such a kick in the dick. That put such a bad taste in my mouth. I was like, hockey's hockey. Did we win? Was everybody safe?

Then fuck off. I did my fucking job my career exactly and he basically yeah just just took me down 10 pegs i was like fine i won't go through the fucking wall for you and really the only saving grace in colorado was brian trottier and trots was awesome for me i mean what a classy guy i would literally go through any wall you put in front of me for that man like trots is the is the man. And doing what he did in the show and the things he did back in the day, I mean, he walked the walk so he can talk the talk. And, you know, he's been there, done that.

What's so amazing to me in, like, the old school way, and I'm pretty sure, I just said to Murr, I think Bob Hartley kind of taught Michelle Terrian, and that was kind of something Terrian would have done. Like, whereas instead of looking at it as, all after your three assist 10 minute game maybe if there's three games in a row when you're trying to make plays that you shouldn't and you've kind of changed your game all right listen that wasn't your game it was a great game but let's get back to scott parker i want he just goes at you right after the game it's like dude can i have one minute of uh enjoy this

yeah can i take it in no no no let's take you right down and i remember like the one year i had i think four or five points in in pre-season and i think the whole season i had three points because during the play or during pre-season i got to play i got to play eight to eleven minutes a game so i had those points and i was able to do and then get into the regular season i'm like what's the difference? I see no difference. Did you say much in the room at that point, or were you more just in shock and absorbing what you were head coaching? Honestly, it was so early in my career. I wasn't trying to make waves.

I wasn't trying to get people on my side. I wasn't trying to do anything like that. It was just like, this sucks because hockey's hockey, and we've been playing it since we were little, so it's not like it's changed. So did you ever confront them about it at any point, or did you kind of just, because of the pecking order, and like you just said, it's just hard, you're just more like, this is fucking bullshit and you're pissed off,

but if that's what he's telling me, I've got to do it. Well, I didn't really have anybody to bounce anything off of. I mean, like I said, I'm not going to go bitch at a superstar because they're going to be like, fuck off, kid, this is your job type of deal. But it just kind of sucked at the point to where it's like that's hockey like and when you get those opportunities and you shine and you excel then you think that oh maybe that's a good thing or maybe i'll get something more out of it instead of going backwards so i don't understand the thought process behind it but he definitely got one less guy that would go through the wall for him yeah so yeah who was

your first goal against the nhl and how'd you score it? Oh, my God. Was that Berkey? I think it was against, yeah, Phoenix. I know you have seven in your career, and that's the same amount as I do. Is it? And we're both skate on tires. See?

Oh, sicko, man. But he's got a cup. And I got, well, I got shitty tattoos. You got good tattoos. Well, I gotta tell everybody, I was just the best practice player in the league. So, you know, I scored all my goals in practice. Exactly. That's where it was.

And warm-ups. And warm-ups, yeah. No, but I think it was against Berkey back in the day. It was in the old barn when it was in Phoenix. And I think it just kind of rimmed around the boards. And I don't know if Dinger. I think even Sackick was on the ice. I was like, what are you doing on our line?

But maybe he was changing. He's like, I'm not out here with these freaking pigeons. But, you know, it just eventually came to me in front of the net, and I just did what I did in practice all the time and just put it high and put it in. We've asked, just thinking of all the legends on that team, we asked who was telling us the funny story about picking up Patrick Waugh's helmet? Oh, was it Hey Duke?

It was Hey Duke, right? Yeah, he didn't fuck with his gear. Or maybe it was somebody who got traded over there. Grinnelli's shaking his head. He's going to hop in here at a certain point once he pulls it out. Either way, I'm kind of curious because as a guy in practice dealing with Patrick Waugh, did you know not to shoot high? Did you ever get yelled at by him?

Was it one of those things you just stayed away from him? No, what was cool about Patty is I warmed him up every practice. No shit, he trusted you. Yes, and I could put the pucks wherever he wanted them. If you want 10 glove, I'm putting 10 glove. I'm not putting 9 glove and one at your head. I'm not doing that. There would be times that guys would come out prior and try to do stuff

and try to shoot, and they'd be shooting them over mine and Patty's head head and they mean me and patty look at each other and we're like pigeon so it was just you know patty was awesome you know patty patty definitely he he wore his heart on his sleeve for sure i mean he definitely was what he was because of what he brought to the game wouldn't he sick you on guys if he didn't like them on the other team? Like, hey, go whack number 18 or so and so forth. Yeah, and there was times really where back then, like the teams or guys, they could help you pay fines off and be like, hey, I do not like number seven.

Go take care of him. You got my fine? Yep. Okay, let's do this. Yeah, yeah, you got to bring a contract in after pregame skate. Yeah, exactly. No, it'd mainly just be a manila envelope. But here you kid it's like oh sweet hey it was craig revay in montreal oh that's right he grabbed his helmet and patrick walk in and he's like put that fucking thing down yes don't don't touch my shit yeah no patty was awesome and you know having him in the back end

literally guys who would go down on breakaways on him and we were like, he's got this. We just go down on a two-on-one the other way. So he was just so good and he was that third defenseman being able to pass and to do the things he did before they did the trapezoid and all the shit behind the nets and everything. But he was definitely ahead of his time. Your wife was wearing Adam Foote son from tampa bay's jersey now i would imagine that you have a close relationship with him what's he like he seems like an absolute character no cal's awesome both both cal and noel are good kids and getting to

see them grow up in the locker room is even cooler and it just makes me feel so fucking old right now oh it's crazy now they're in the show so i mean but you know them you know seeing them skate and seeing them advance and our son was actually their manny back in the day so he helped me that yeah he helped adam and jen out getting them to practices and their games when footy was playing so just helped out and uh it just worked out really well and you know we're still really good friends of the family and you know it's good to see the boys doing what they're doing and Cal's got two rings already yes he's playing a big role this year too yeah he's playing some good hockey you know it's good and they're actually giving him more ice time and more opportunities and we're starting to see it really really help out so you talked about putting uh Fridge's nose on the other side of his

head it looks like you did it to Adam Foote too that guy's got a toucan sam oh footy yeah footy we never messed around. I mean, Foote was... That's why there's no oxygen here. He took it all when he played. Oh, bloody, eh? Not even the high altitude. I always wanted them to put trees in the Pepsi Center.

It's like, put a goddamn tree in this place. Like, there's no goddamn oxygen in this place. Giant evergreen in the Concord. Exactly, yeah. It's just, let me breathe. And now we have a word from our friends at Shopify. Shopify is the all-in-one commerce platform to start, run, and grow your business. Shopify gives entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business.

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to Shopify's entire suite of features. Grow your business with Shopify today. Go to Shopify.com slash chicklets right now. Speaking of busted faces, you squared off with your idol Bob Probert and I guess you apologized to him after the fight transpired.

Really? Well, you found out after the fact that he was actually nervous the night before, worried about fighting you when you were a youngster. Yeah, it's crazy the stories you hear after the fact. And, you know, if I knew now what I knew then, it would be a lot different. But it doesn't work out that way. But literally, Proby was an idol. I mean, I think anybody that throws knuckles knows Proby and knows what he's done. And, yeah, I asked him earlier in the game, and he did that cagey thing,

not now, kid, and I was like, yes, sir, okay. And, you know, I wasn't going to be a dick and slashing him and trying to, you know, antagonize him or anything because I didn't want him ripping my head off even more because, you know, he is Bob Probert. And I think we were winning 4-1 later in the game, and I'm skating up the ice, and I feel this tap-tap on the back of my leg. I go, let's go, kid.

And I was like, okay. Let's go. We going to Disneyland? Okay, let's go. It's like, yeah. So I grabbed ahold of the Probie, and I was doing pretty good there for a little bit. Then I went to go re-grab, and then he lifted his arm at the same time. I grabbed under his armpit, and then he just teed off on me.

And it was a learning lesson. And I always find it funny that people that have comments about it now fuck off with your comments and your bullshit you try standing toe to toe on twitter or come see me in grand lake i'll fucking tune you up either way you think it's so fucking easy it's fucking not exactly but you know everybody thinks that i was you know being a to him, but he literally knocked me out. I'm out on my feet. I just have a death grip on him, and that was always kind of my – one of my things was my grip.

If I got a hold of you, you ain't getting away. Yeah. So I had a death grip on him and, you know, eventually came to once Odgers and Deadmarsh came over and tapped me and brought me back into my body. I was like, hey, what's up, boys? And they were like, Parksy, look. I was like, oh, shit, Proby. Oh, sorry about that, and let go of them and it's like locked on a dog exactly yeah but i was literally just i remember the refs trying to yank my yank my fingers and my hitting

my hands and i was like no i'm not gonna happen and i was just i was literally it was an out-of-body experience i literally was out of my body going, that stupid kid. Look at what he's doing. And that was me. But it was a learning lesson. And, you know, the next time Proby and I played, I was just like, I really apologize about what I did. And he's like, that's all right, kid.

You're going to have a long career. And, you know, I've done worse than you. So I was like, okay. Yeah. And then come to find out, we do the Bob Probert ride. Unfortunately, after Probert's already passed. And Danny tells this story that, you know, Probie was up the one night before they come to Colorado. And he's like, Danny, this kid, you know, he's tough.

And I don't know. And he was worried. And, you know, I think even my whole career, I think you always have the butterflies and you always have the thought. Because you don't want to think, oh, I'm the best, I'm the greatest. Or you get tuned up and you always have the the thought because you don't want to think i'm the best i'm the greatest or you get tuned up and you're done so you always have to have you know you know a little bit of all of it for it to work out but yeah the fear might almost help you in that aspect right where it's like it's almost like a player too if he's a skill player gets too comfortable somebody's coming for your job in either fighting or doing whatever you're doing in life. Exactly.

Yep. I remember playing with guys that did a lot of fighting, and there were certain styles, like some guys you could always beat, and there was other guys you could never beat. Did you have any guys either way like that? Certain guys, like Brashear, he always fought different because he would always kind of pull you in, do the weird, instead of when me and Georgie would fight, know we just hang each other out and see how

you hit harder basically it was kind of the mentality but you know brash had some different you know techniques and i kind of remember fighting louis dobrosco in time in in phoenix and holy farm boy strong like damn like louis holy shit like i thought i was strong and i thought i was tough and louis holy shit balls like that man was put together something fierce and and you don't really know it until you grab a hold of someone sometimes that what what they're made of because sometimes you can grab someone and they just feel like a like gumby like a wet noodle and some guys grab and you're like holy shit you're a boulder and this is going to be So, yeah, it was just sometimes you didn't know until you were in it. Going back to that Proby ride, I know you do a ton of charity work.

What exactly is it? Where is it? I know that Danny ended up coming to Muskoka and talking about it, but just for the people listening, what do you do every year? Yeah, it's basically the Bob Probert ride. They do it up in Windsor. It's really cool what they do. They've been doing

it for, oh my God, 10 plus years now. I think with COVID, I think a couple of years have passed, but they just raised money for the medical, the hospitals up there that unfortunately didn't have the machine that they needed to keep, you know, probably alive when he had the episode up in Canada there. So hopefully it will help out that next family that could possibly have that issue and hopefully be able to save their loved one. So that's what they're all about. That's awesome.

I'm going to circle back to Patty. Wow, obviously you won the Cots. Might hit you guys on the cup. We've been talking about it so much, we didn't even get to your Stanley Cup yet. You guys were down 3-2 going back to Jersey for that pivotal game six. Did anyone on the team speak up before the game,

or did everybody know the mission at hand in a situation like that? Honestly, it was all about double sevens that year. I mean, Borky, I mean, that literally was our drive, was Bork. He scored that game six in New Jersey, too, I remember, off the faceoff. You know, that and being able to bring it back and being able to win it at home was, I think, the best. But, you know, I think, yeah, I think everybody in the room really knew what needed to be done. You know, certain guys would talk, you know, Footy was pretty vocal and Patty would be vocal.

But, you know, really, it was all about double sevens and do whatever you have to to get the job done. So that was the was the mindset you do anything unusual or different for your cup celebration oh yeah yeah oh yeah back to the motorcycle oh boy d-mac yeah you you take number two on this one because i was the first one that put the heart or put the stanley cup on a harley and luckily the cup carrier mike you know had a really good chat with him i didn't drink the whole day i even told him i said you know, had a really good chat with him. I didn't drink the whole day. I even told him, I said, you know, when we build this bracket and we do everything, we're going to get it to the bar, and then after that, it's all yours,

and then I'm going to get schnockered. But, you know, it was basically the first time that the Stanley Cup was ever on the Harley, so got to rip it down the road, and we literally had, oh, my God, probably 20 or 30 bikes in the convoy and probably 20 cars behind that. And this is before drones or anything cool, so we couldn't catch everything aerial. But it was just really cool to be able to bring it to my folks at the time just moved to Montana. So we used to live in Washington State, and that's where I basically took the cutback to was our little town of maybe 2,000 people. And this little town of 2,000 people turned into almost 10,000 people. So it was just really cool to see and to be a part of.

You mentioned Darren McCarty there. So he claims, and here going back to the Colorado-Detroit rivalry, this might have to be settled at a ball hockey tournament somewhere. He claims he was the first one to ever put the Stanley Cup on a Harley and go for a ride. You claim that you're the first. Is there photo evidence? I have it from 01.

I thought he did it in – what did they win it in, 07? Like four times. Yeah, yeah, like ten times after that. It was like after we won it. Yeah. But honestly, I thought it was after, but I don't know. Me and DMACC are really close, and we get along, and we're actually trying to petition Stevie Y,

and we're going to take over the coaching staff in Detroit. Okay, okay, wow. A little Colorado butt trade there. Bring it back. I know you guys, you just got to make a large shipment from Colorado State over to Detroit, and I bet you guys will have yourself a job. There's some guys in the Quebec Senior League

just licking their lips now. He takes over. Perfect. I'm going to be on the Red Wings next year. Yeah? Yep. Looking for toughness and goal scores. Have you ever spoken with Stevie Y personally?

No, no. We're just kind of throwing the idea around and really just seeing other guys that played in my era now coaching. It's like, you know, it's maybe a good transition. I think I still have some stuff. I mean, if Marty's saying we could do it, we could do it, right? Yeah, come on. I mean, I see Steve Ott on the bench.

I'm like, come on, Otter, come on. He's a sharp guy. Very, no. He found a way to piss everybody off on the ice while burying 20 a year and cashing in no state tax in Texas. Pox, didn't you one time bury somebody inadvertently and you turned around and it was 99 Wayne Gretzky and a little scrimmage ensued?

Hey, that's my TNT party. I'm not doing anything. Sorry, Wayne. Gretzky's not doing anything. Wayne, you're on the road to this one. Yeah. Oh, that was McNichols too, but I had fought Darren Landon like the first shift of the game. So I kind of already got that out of the

way. And then i can't remember what the score was or what i was doing on the ice with gretzky but uh you know the puck gets rimmed around the boards and i just do which hockey players do i was like oh body hit him so his wheel up and boom boom and he's almost like the squeals going down the the glass and i was like oh my god that's freaking the great one i was like oh shit so i just look around i'm waiting for someone to jump me or melee to happen nothing happened i was like oh oh my God, that's freaking the great one. I was like, oh shit. So I just look around, I'm waiting for someone to jump me or melee to happen, nothing happened. I was like, oh, skated one there. But I remember their coach coming out on the ice

after our coach after the game. I was like, sweet. League ban. Yeah. Coming right at you. Yeah, but I was like, yeah, I didn't intentionally. I know that he's definitely one of the ones you don't touch, but I don't think I hit him very hard.

Let's just say that. And now here's a word from our friends at Sling TV. Sling TV has something for everyone. All your favorite shows on your favorite channels, all right at your fingertips. What you watch is up to you. It really just depends on what kind of mood you're in. So if you're looking for sports,

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Sling, the TV you love for a price you'll love. Try us today. I've got to mention the sussy for the Brenda Wood incident in Nashville. You basically tried to scale the glass like King Kong there. You almost got over it if the ref didn't, the linesman didn't grab you. Did he say something in particular, or had you already snapped by that point like usually you don't see guys trying to scale the glass like that yeah i was already kind of gone by then and actually what's funny too is witter and i know each other after the fact too i didn't know him at the time but literally it was it was

tutu that started it the little shit you know he's whacking me on my legs going up the ice and i was like leave me alone kid leave me alone and he just kept doing it so I just reached back and elbowed him and sent him into the corner and then I went over and tried to fight oh god what was the goalie was it Weber I basically tried to fight their goalie I was like you want to go and he's like what are you talking about stay away from me he's like go where go to Taco Bell or McDonald's okay but you know tried to do that and then got into the penalty box and then I was cleaning my stick off uh to the ref and then he kicked me out of the game but uh by the time I got halfway across the ice I'd already flipped the switch and you were seeing red it was on yeah and then basically it was Hordachuk I think it was on the bench and Witter was on the bench and

something happened I got halfway down the tunnel I I was like, fuck this. And I turned around and I just tried to scale it. So I don't know. The wires crossed. It happens. Yeah, it was definitely a wire cross situation. And yeah, shit happens. Did the wires cross during the lockout when you ended up becoming a tow truck driver or what?

Yeah, that was fun too. I just don't like sitting in the back. How the hell did that happen? Honestly, just living where we did. Had a buddy that owned a tow truck company, and we would hang out at his shop quite a bit. And I just, I don't know, there's something about, I like big trucks, I like hydraulics,

and I like shit that can pick stuff up and how you can flip cars over. I was like, this is badass. So I drove it for probably about three weeks, and then I get a call from the Avs to come down to the Pepsi Center. So I drove to for probably about three weeks and then I get a call from the abs to come down to the pepsi center so I drove to the tow truck down to the pepsi center in my overalls you know wheel into Pierre's office I was like hey I'm here what do you guys need they're like we'll have a contract for you and I was like oh sweet but I didn't have a job until then so I was like well I guess I get

to change this out for an abs jersey again so it's amazing how things happen but I don't like sitting stagnant. I like trying shit and being a part of, and I'd rather do it than watch them do it. Did you have a follow-up about the wit situation? Actually, I was going to say, I think you only got two games for that. You probably would get, what, 20 today?

Half a season if you try to do that today. Who knows? Who's even the... Or a star in a blockbuster film. Godzilla trying to clear the glass. I'm game. Hey, I'm available. I don't try anything.

The new Marvel. I really can't speak worth shit, though, so you got to give me, like, you know, murmur. I can be, like, an old-school guy that talks, but... Well, he can't speak either, R.A., but he's a movie star now. You get a Hulu contract before you know it. Oh, shit.

It's funny. We barely even scratched... We haven't even scratched the surface with San Jose. You played with Joe Thornton there. I got to ask, as a Bruins fan, when you guys found out you're getting Joe Thornton, you're obviously psyched. When the team found out what San Jose had to give up for him, was the whole locker room laughing at the Bruins?

Honestly, it was unbelievable on our end because we did get an unbelievable player. And what they got, yeah, it is what it is. But that's what trades are all about. You never know. But then, unfortunately, Joe gets traded, and then, you know, the Bruins win, what, an 08 or something or a 9? Yeah, a few years, about five years later. Yeah, five years later.

But, you know, it just kind of sucks because talking to those boys, the biggest pinnacle, and you can win every trophy and every award ever, but when you don't get to hoist the cup, that's kind of the pinnacle. That's it. So you get the F-fly. Yeah, exactly. And, you know, I know it definitely hurts them that, you know, they were never able to do that.

And, you know, Joe may have one more year in them. You never know. The old jumbo. You just got to get him a walker at this point. I think that's where I was at the end of my career and how slow I was moving out there. But he might have had a better brain. He just brings me back and I'll protect him., but he might've had a better brain.

He just brings me back and I'll protect him. Yeah. It ain't going to be cheap. Ron Wilson. Yeah. Ron Wilson. And another guy, you weren't a big fan of this,

but you have a scrimmage with a pencil with him or something. Yeah. It was actually funny. Yeah. I was trying to talk to him on the road. The one time he just kept ignoring me and kept doing the big dick thing. And like, I'm the coach and you'll fucking bow to me kind of mentality and basically just eventually got to get into his room and he starts fucking talking and i literally don't know what he was saying i

saw a pencil on his desk and i literally just thought to myself i was like what would it feel like and look like if i just took this and jammed it in your fucking eye socket? And that's literally the whole time. He was Charlie Brown's teacher. Womp, womp, womp, womp, womp, womp, womp. And I was looking at this pencil going, hmm. So he doesn't know how close to death he came that day. And fuck you, Ron. Hey, Ron, why so serious?

Yeah, why so serious? Did he give you the same speech that Bob Hartley was trying to give you? I honestly, like I said, it was Charlie Brown's teacher, and all I wanted to do was jam that pencil in his eye. So those two guys, worst coaches you ever had? I would think so, yeah. Just, yeah, not really worth much. How fired up were you to go back to Colorado?

I mean, that's your spot where you first came up, and I'm guessing never really felt as comfortable in San Jose as you did here I would think so just because our home base was here yeah you know my wife was still working at the time and it was just you know being disconnected and being in San Jose I'd taken the puck in the eye socket in 05 and I was going through some pretty bad stuff there you know the team was trying to do whatever they could for me, but, you know, I just felt so disconnected there that I just didn't feel a part of. And, you know, I know it wasn't any lack on their end

because they were trying certain things, but it was just tough. You know, when you're trying to drive up to Oakland and you're having super migraines, and back then I was having some seizures and a few things going on, and medically that, you know, all I wanted to do was my job. I didn't want to lose it, so I would do everything I could to keep it. So it's snowballing, right? Because you shouldn't be trying to play.

You're trying to play through things. Yeah, or even trying to drive, like trying to be on those roads or trying to navigate or trying to do any of that kind of stuff. I mean, there would be times I'd leave the games, and I'd be heading up Oakland, heading up, you know, 880. And they're like, I was like, holy shit, this isn't where I live. And I'd be an hour away from home. So I would just be so discombobulated that I'd just pull over and reset

or I'd have to call my wife. And then she would basically talk me through the navigational and I'd set everything up. And it was like I had to relearn certain things on the fly and and no doubt that's from you think a result of all the head trauma from fighting all those I think the fighting for sure as well as that puck I took it just hit me directly in the eye socket and broke my you know broke my nose in like two or three spots broke my orbital bone basically bruised my brain stem at the same time. Was it a deflection? Yeah, it was basically one of the boys. It was practice.

It was like four games before season starts, and one of the boys does a button hook in the corner and passes it out to me. I go to one-time it. It hit a divot on the ice, hit my shaft, and shot straight up and hit me right in the eye socket. What a brutal bounce. It was just a freaky thing, and I'd been hit in the head. I don't know how many times with pucks, and then you come back from it,

but that one literally was a deal breaker. Everything after that was just compiled hard. Every fight, every hit, everything I would do. Oh, you just feel it more. Yeah, it would take me so much longer to rebound or heal or to get back to somewhat normal. I mean, there was one time I went to go run someone, and I was basically out of my feet again.

And then the team's yelling at me to change and I'm just looking at the birds flying around my head. I'm like, oh, pretty birds. From the tree in the Pepsi sauna that you were in. Yeah, fucking that one tree. Yeah, yeah. Freaking that avatar tree. You know, it's there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys never seen that avatar tree? It's awesome. It's the coolest tree ever. Well, Pox, you've been super generous with your time today. We've got to wrap up here. We've got to head to the pot. Any of you guys have anything else before?

No. Merle, did you have anything else written? I'm going to – I had one other thing about the Bertuzzi brawl and all of that. You were involved with some of that. What was that all like, all that? I wasn't on the team at the time. I was in San Jose, but I totally 100% get Todd Bertuzzi's back all day long

because, you know, unfortunately, I did play with Steve Moore, and I know what he's about. And some guys you like, some guys you don't. And some guys you respect, some guys you punch in the head. Well, what's funny, too, is like I told, even like I told Georgie Peros, you know, he went to Princeton. I was like, I'm going to knock the smarts right out of you. I'll hit you so hard your IQ will be the same as mine so exactly but it's just that mentality but that's what hockey's all about it's bickering it's

bantering it's taking one it's giving one and some guys can do it some guys can't some guys get washed and some guys should just leave the fucking sport and the whole reason we're here is for the avalanche game do you watch a lot of them this year? Oh, yeah. And do you think they can win the cup? I think the boys have a good chance. They just got to stay healthy. And what's up with the third-string goalies? I don't know.

It's crazy. I'm coming back as a tender, boys. I'm the fourth string. I'm coming back. Let's get back. I'm a soccer goalie. There you go. Let's get back to that military training.

I'll come with you. I'll come back as a goalie, too. Yeah, yeah. Hitting bulls and, yeah, climbing rope. Maybe let's start with Chicklets Cup. You could as a goalie too. Yeah, yeah, hitting bulls and climbing rope. Maybe let's start with Chicklets Cup. You could be my e-bug. You're signed. I'm glad you said that.

Parker's Platoon is your organization. Parker'sPlatoon.org, no apostrophe in there. And give a quick explanation of what the organization does. Yeah, we just help veterans transition when they come home. We actually had a team that's active that was here this winter. We took snowmobiling. So we just do whatever we can to show them what they fight so hard for so they can come back and enjoy it with us and with their families and everyone else

and just do the best job they can do and come home and enjoy it. Excellent. Again, it's parkersplatoon.org if you'd like to help out, make a contribution. So anything else, boys? No. Okay, that was excellent. And on top of that i know that you do help a lot of former players who are you know suffering from mental mental health issues whether

it's from concussion or personal life stuff you do a lot of amazing things we are so happy to get you on i wanted to wait till we got you in person we're gonna get you on again but thank you so much for your time and uh congrats on amazing career you're a boss thanks boys thanks for having me next time we're doing it in the winter, we're going to go on sleds and we're going to have some fun. We're going to wrestle some bears. There we go. Some polar bears. The other ones will be hibernating.

And then I'll get a real tattoo. Okay, nice. Yogi beer. Big thanks to Pox and his fam for making the trip all the way down to Denver for an awesome chat. Great time with those folks. Good stuff. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Want to let you know his interview was also brought to you by Roman. Hey guys, testosterone affects a lot of aspects of men's fitness and health.

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go to get roman.com slash chicklets to get 15 off your first order of roman tea support that's get roman.com slash chicklets one more time for the folks in the back get roman.com slash chicklets all right gang thanks for tuning in once again do not forget to check out our youtube for classic clips and interviews, not to mention the Chicklets Cup stuff that we just dropped last week. Terrific job by Corey and his staff once again. It's like a mini movie. I told you he did a terrific job.

Hopefully everybody settled down after a little hostilities in the locker room, but I think it's all laughs and we had some fun. So listen, have a great week and we'll catch up. All right. One more thing. Also make sure to follow Big Deal Brewing on both Twitter and Instagram. We're trying to grow those accounts, trying to get it going. So follow those accounts, and that's probably where we'll be dropping

all the information regarding Big Deal Brewing. Yes, I can't wait. I wish we had some up on my summer cottage here in Vermont, but alas, we'll be having it for hockey season, so that's all that matters. All right, but everybody have a great week.