Spittin Chiclets - Spittin' Chiclets Episode 458: Featuring Owen Power, Matt Beniers and Tyler Toffoli

Episode Date: August 22, 2023

On episode 458 of Spittin’ Chiclets, the guys are joined by Owen Power, Matt Beniers and Tyler Toffoli. Power and Beniers joined (00:17:43) live in Nashville to discuss playing together at Michigan, their rookie seasons, what they are working on the offseason and tons more. But first, the guys open the show discussing how RA got backstage at Morgan Wallen. The guys are also joined by Tyler Toffoli (01:06:33), who joined the show before his trade to the Devils, to discuss his offseason, his time in LA/Calgary and tons 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 458 of Spittin' Chip. Let's present the by Pink Whitney from our friends at New Amsterdam Vodka here in the Barstool Sports Podcast family. That sounds like the voice of someone who was backstage at a Morgan Wallen concert last night. Oh, Jesus. We got to get to that a little bit later, but on the old Boston Sports Podcast family, hope you are enjoying all these interviews. We've got two coming up later.

One with Tyler Toffoli, new New Jersey Devil, and the other one with a pair of young studs, Matty Benares and Owen Powell, a couple of Michigan guys, so don't miss that. What about semi-guests is back, casual guest, the man Merles. Dude, a lot of people wondering what you were eating this weekend, buddy. Yeah, it was a Croft Skiva.

Croft Skiva. I hope I'm saying that correctly. It's an annual crayfish party here in Sweden. Always a big deal. Anytime in August, you get the crayfish out. It was my first time being a part of it. So I may have dabbled into the Pink Whitney and and uh the beer a little too much and i'm paying the price for it um but yeah it was a really cool thing everybody in our neighborhood met out there

everybody brings a little dish a separate dish and then you all bring in the crayfish explain the crayfish though because i saw that you were kind of struggling to eat it like what do you just dip it in butter like how is it eaten how do you prepare it yeah so different than louisiana where you see those big boils and everything's thrown in and then they just throw it on the table ours we were eating them cold and it was really difficult you know it's it's a miniature shrimp and or a miniature lobster and so you work the claw first and then you rip the body off and if you rip it off the right way there's like a little butter in there that you can scoop out with your finger. And, you know, it's a lot of work for the little bit of meat that you get and stuff.

But it's more just the tradition. We're singing songs. You're taking a shot of the schnapps afterwards. So it's just a really fun time. We had a music quiz going. It was a big night. But enough about me. That was not the important stuff for

the weekend. I saw you guys handing out $100,000 to some people. What was that all about? Oh, spoiler alert. Yeah, me and Grinelli, our photographers, Queda and Apuzzo went down to Brooklyn last week, Williamsburg. All the money we raised from the hockey game back in April, all the gear we sold, people made donations. We were able to give the fire department and the police department $50,000 each, over $100,000. So first off, thank you to all the stoolies, all the Chicklets fans, anybody else who bought the shirts, the hats, donated. We can't thank you enough. Those guys were so appreciative of it. It was crazy. I didn't realize we raised that much money, G. And then to have the guys invite us over, they had pizzas waiting for us and soft drinks and gave us a tour of the house.

And, you know, I was a little sparky as a kid, always chasing the fire engines around the neighborhood, hanging out at my dad's houses over the years. So, you know, it was extra special to me to go over there and not just do that, but see the looks on the guys' faces and see how much they appreciated what we did. And, you know, it's not us. It's, again, the people who donated all the money. It was just, like I said, a G in honor to go over there, hang out, get the vibe. It was pretty cool. I mean, not cool that they had to go out in the truck, but it ended up being nothing, but just being in the house, G, remember that? We got to see them all go to work in real time and make a little video of it. Yeah. It was just awesome.

I love going to the firehouses. Every time I go in, I just get so wowed by the hangout rooms, how they have this cool little guy's lounge, basically. It's awesome. But in terms of the donations, it was awesome, man. Because hanging with these guys, being around these guys, knowing these guys for almost two years now, we know how charity-driven they are. From the PBA Children's and Widows Fund to the Ray Pfeiffer Foundation, there's just so many organizations that these guys help, that they support. So this money we know is going to a good cause. And we couldn't be happier

with the relationship we have with the NYPD and FDNY because who knows what's going to happen in the future now. Absolutely. I got to try the bunker gear on. That's the first time I ever put it on head to toe. It weighs 60 pounds, Merle. It's got all that equipment. And that's before you put the air tech on your back.

And we actually have a vlog of the whole thing coming out. The vlog drops. Well, actually, it will be live when the time this podcast drops. It releases on Sunday night. So, yeah, super, super excited to see that. You can see RA dress up in the fire gear. You can kind of see how the whole day went down. And you can find that on Tricklet's YouTube channel.

I was giving the Blue Steel one of those pictures, G. Definitely going for Mr. January in the calendar next year, but... Folks, before we continue, it's the Wit Dog here and you know it's time to talk

some Pink Whitney. Thank you very much for listening and thank you very much for drinking, more importantly, because this drink, it's taking the world by storm. How about those sound effects?

As I've started to do these ad reads and get involved with really diving in deep to Pink Whitney and what it means to so many people out there, I told you I've been receiving DMs of special maybe occasions Pink Whitney's at weddings, bachelor parties, bachelorettes. All I do know is that summer 2023, the Pink Whitney summer is rolling on, rolling on, rolling on. It's like a boulder going down a hill. How about my sound effects? It's gaining speed, it's gaining momentum, and it's all because of you. You listeners, you guys getting involved in this, you guys drinking it with a little soda water, you guys drinking it with an energy drink, which everyone knows is my favorite, or you guys just ripping shots at a carnival. So continue to

support the brand. I thank you so much. Lake people, golf people, beach people, stay away from the sharks. Stay close to the Pink Whitney and enjoy yourselves. Thank you very much. Witty out. You mentioned it earlier, G, Morgan Wallen uh i honestly full confession i was not familiar with his music i heard his name you know on twitter whatever he is i'm not anti-country music at all like i said a million times mod music i just don't really jam it at all that much but uh the manager of earnest who's one of the opening acts his manager matt was kind enough to reach out through the one and only glenny balls uh to the boys to the show, whoever wanted to go. I was like, man, it's Friday night.

I've been to a concert in two years. It's Fenway. Not to mention the scenery won't be too bad over there. So I said, yeah, man. And plus, it's a great offer, great invitation. So I met him at Fenway. Dynamite kid. He was a huge hockey fan.

Had his Panthers jersey on. And we had the Wayne and Goff pass. He's just like, hold on to everybody. Walk by everybody. Sat in the green room before the show. Hung out. Had a couple drinks. And then he's like, oh, Ernest is going on.

Come with me. And walked from the green room right out to the stage. I was like, you never feel more like a rock star in that situation. And like, oh, I'm like, we're staying here? He's like, yeah. Like, the video I took, that was literally side stage. And I'm looking out at everybody. I was dying.

I was hoping I'd see one of my friends up there. But I couldn't spy any from that angle. But just an awesome experience, you know, to have people be that generous. And, you know, you got to see a little bit behind the scenes, being in the green room. Like, how many people are, you know, the machine to that thing? 150 people on a toilet.

You know, they got to go to another stop, put the whole stage up again, take it down. It's a lot of work. It's a grind. Everybody I met was great, great people. And the show itself, like I said, I'm not familiar with this catalog at all, because I'm an old fogey, but a hell of an entertainment show, man. Like the fireworks, the fucking explosions.

It reminded me of a Kiss concert in a lot of ways. Not musically, but just like the effects. Country shows are the best, all right, because they do do a lot of rock music. They do a lot of rock covers. That's why I just think, I mean, the women, the beer, the music, it's just an unbelievable time from start to finish. But Merle, I got to ask you, were you surprised at all? So just to give our listeners some preference, RA, 6 o'clock Friday night, we just get a text message. Don't hear anything from him beforehand. And we just get a simple text message of a video

of RA at Fenway Park on the stage with the crowd behind him. And then he just pans the camera to himself and just winks at the camera. I'm like, God damn it. Of course, typical RA. And the worst part was, I think it was Wednesday, RA mentioned to me when he was in New York that he was going to do this and that the guy was a Chicklets fan. I was like, you know, maybe I'll come down for it. Obviously, I'm like, you know, I don't know. He didn't say they have backstage passes or anything. I don't know. I'm just going to stay home for this one.

Of course, I see this video. I'm standing on a Friday night. I'm just shooting myself right now. The only thing I'm surprised about is that he actually had a pass. When I saw the video, I assumed he just snuck in there like he does to the Stanley Cup parties. So happy you did it the legit way this time, Rear. Yeah, it happens once in a while.

You can probably see it in my leg in that picture. I had to get remonst. I was like, holy shit, I was so wrapped up in the concert. I'm like, oh, yeah, the remonst is right here. So I got to pitch a point to the Boston sign. My kicks, listen, big rule. You get your gambling rules, Merle's concert rules. Never wear nice kicks to a concert, especially if you're down on the floor, dude.

Like, you're just going to ruin them. So the ones Biz bought me a couple years ago, they're a little beat up. So that's why my sneakers were grubby. But, yeah, it was, like I said, just a great experience. The show was great. I didn't stay. I went back after just for one quick one. But they were wrapping up.

They had a screw. But they said Glennie Balls was there the night before. He was like, oh, Glennie Balls was in here at 1 o'clock in the morning last night. So he came in, like, before the show. It was like Norm walking into Cheers. They was like, oh, Glenny Balls was in here at one o'clock in the morning last night. So he came in before the show. It was like Norm walking into Cheers. They're like,

hey, Glenny. Every fucking guy in the room was like, he's a rock star. He is absolutely hilarious. But alright, speaking of events

that you won't have to sneak into, we have the 20th Barstool Awards this week in Boston. Very excited to get up to Boston to go to these. It's hosted by Dave. It's at the House of Blues. Very excited to get up to Boston to go to these.

It's hosted by Dave. It's at the House of Blues. I wanted to ask you guys, especially you, RA, you've been at this company longer than anyone. What is your favorite Barstool sports memory since the dawn of Barstool? It's going to probably be a selfish answer, but June 15th, 2011. Brian McGonigal, Barstool. It's going to probably be a selfish answer, but June 15th, 2011.

Brian McGonigal, Barstool Sports. Yeah. And Dave, when he gives you credit, you feel good because he doesn't do it all that often. It's like, if Dave doesn't call, he usually doing a good job. So he wrote that blog, and he had the audio from SportsCenter. And I was like, holy shit, man. He's got me front and center.

And I didn't know it was blowing up back home. And then it did. But the whole night, though, in the Stanley Cup party, your favorite team after they won the Cup, just fucking that. The whole afterglow of that. That's definitely number one. The Brady four, that was just outright hilarious because Dave got his message about that dickhead commissioner,

Goodell, out. And it was just hilarious. Like, the idea that they handcuffed themselves to each other, not a pole or, like, something where they had, like, a chainsaw like the idea that they handcuffed themselves to each other not a pole or like something where they had to get a chainsaw or a fucking they could change themselves to each other which is even more hilarious typical basketball that was just hilarious ballsy uh and it got some great press for the site and uh let's see i'd say uh another presser level for me when i interviewed paul rudd and uh jason siegel shit that was probably 15 years ago when i Love You Man came out.

Back when I was trying to do movie reviews as well, but Dave wasn't having it. So I went to one of the press junkets and got to interview those two. And I'm pretty sure it's like the first celebrity, actor interviews Barstool's ever done. So kind of selfish. What about you?

I would say my number one is the Brady Four, just because the way they took complete... And Barstool and dave like they take over the internet on a daily basis at this point but at the time it was just like they fully tech took over the internet where news news site news outlets are reporting on them espn like everyone is reporting on and when you think about it it's so, it's so fucking ridiculous that they chained themselves to the lobby of the NFL headquarters. They were doing what every Patriots fan wanted to do, and they actually did it. So it was so, so cool. And that was one of the things that was like,

I want to work at this company. That was one of the moments where you're like, wait, people are getting paid to do this? They just got paid to go drive down to New York and get arrested. So that was really awesome. And then I'd say personally, I think the Bruins Islander streams that we did a bunch of years back, like the Borelli versus Grinnelli stuff

when we were down at Borelli versus Grinnelli stuff when we were down at Borelli's down in the Islanders. Just personally, that was just such a fun experience. It didn't end the way we planned. But then coming up to Boston, being at Hurricane O'Reilly's, Frankie going toe-to-toe with all the Boston fans. We had the whole crowd behind us. It was so much. And then R.A. with the chair, was lifting the chair, everyone's chanting, R.A., R.A. That was one of the best moments of my life. Obviously, the Boston Live show too is just a truly amazing moment. But in terms of Barstool, yeah, just the Brady Four is something that will always sit with me as my favorite moment. What about you, Merle?

Yeah. When I think about barstool i always remember like the the goalie challenges dave would have in the office with the nhl players because that's the kind of stuff i was watching and then one of my favorite videos i'll still watch it here and there it always gives me a chuckle when uh big cat was dressed up in full blackhawks gear dave was in the bruins full gear and they were going against each other and they're going in the store and then it started raining on them right and it was just that was so funny to me and when I think back of Barstool I always think of that video and you know personally since I've been on board my biggest moment is the one probably we just talked about with the coolest moment was that

NYPD NYFD game like just doing the whole broadcast, seeing everything that goes into it and just being a part of the interviews and then intermission reports and just being a part of a game that big and broadcasting. It was really cool. I think one thing that, it's crazy to say this, but I think one moment at Barstool where I was like, I took a step back and was like, this is such a fun company to work at was a Nate at Night. Nate at Night hosted OAR in HQ2, where OAR came into the office and they played a concert. They just played a concert for the whole Barstool staff. Nate was up there playing the tambourine. But I remember just standing there because I love OAR. Marco Robert is unbelievable. But I just remember sitting there being like, this is so cool.

It's so cool that we work at a company where they just bring in OAR on a Wednesday to play at 4 o'clock in the office. And there were so many memories from HQ2 that just will carry on forever. And I love that place. But yeah, what a run this has been, huh? Oh, unreal. I can't believe, I mean, 20 years. I think my first blog was 06, 07 season, if I'm not mistaken. Unfortunately, the DevNest killed all our old blogs

so we can't find out. But to think it's been 17 years, I've been with Dave and Bastl. It's fucking incredible how much it's flown by. And it's so funny, RA, because I've told this story a few times and I was such a big fan of you growing up. Not growing up, but reading your blogs and stuff while I was in college, at the end of

high school. And it was so funny because I saw your name and I always thought you were a military guy. So on the first day I showed up, episode two of Spitting Chicklets, I showed up one minute late. And I remember driving there, sitting in traffic, pulling my hair out, being like, No, this guy definitely runs on military time. He's going to be like, one minute late. You are fired, you son of a bitch. I remember being so nervous.

And then I walked in and met you for the first time. And I was like, this is definitely not a military guy. Disorderly discharge, maybe. What other things do you remember? I might have told you not to do. I know I didn't tell you. Don't be one minute late. What else could you remember?

There were like two things I think I said. Don't spell things wrong. You hated, you hated, hated, hated. I think it was episode five or six. One of our first episodes, I put Wayne Simmons with a D at the end. And I spelled his last name wrong in the title. And I fucked it up somehow. And yeah, you were pretty pissed at me that day.

You were just like, don't spell shit wrong. It makes us look bad. Especially in a fucking headline. But I making crack about that a while ago but yeah a couple other rules i can't remember but you've been fucking doing all right since g i'll give you that come along thanks but i think we both have so all right enough of us we got a couple young studs like i mentioned earlier coming on right now owen power and maddie bene Enjoy. This interview was brought to you by Chevy. Chevy is working to make charging simple. Over 110,000

charging stations across the US and Canada and still growing. Us guys on Chicklets got an opportunity to check these vehicles out in person when we filmed that commercial in Arizona and the other podcast. These things are gorgeous. The interior is nothing like I've ever seen before. Gonna have to pick one of these up soon. Gonna save a few more of my chicklets bucks here. But it's an unreal vehicle, especially the MyChevy app, man.

Your smartphone becomes your co-pilot when you're using the MyChevrolet app with the Energy Assist. The app allows you to access vehicle information like your battery status, charging settings from anywhere, man. It's so clutch when you're driving an EV. And the Energy Assist feature intelligently plans your routes, tells you where and how long to charge up, and gives you real-time data about charging station availability, which is great for somebody like me who doesn't remember what he had for breakfast today, so sometimes I need a little cue in. And the Energy Assist feature is awesome for that. As far as home charging, three different levels are available, and Chevy electric vehicles offer great options for charging.

All of them as simple as plugging in your smartphone. Learn more at Chevy.com slash electric. All right, well, we got two for the price of one today. We're happy to be joined by a pair of Call the Trophy finalists who also played together at Michigan for a couple years. One Canadian and one American in only 17 days of podcast. Didn't know that, did you? It's a pleasure to welcome to the Spittin' Chicklets podcast Buffalo Sabre, Owen Powers,

and Seattle Kraken and fellow mass hole, Matty Beniz. How's Nashville, boys? It's going well. Thanks for having us. Matty's licking his wounds a little bit. He was hanging out with R.A. last night who still has his VIP bracelet on,

so God knows what they got into. He's got the glow-in-the-dark stamp on the inside of his wrist. He hit up every squat last night. It's good all week. What are you talking about? You guys got speeches prepared or what? Not really.

Oh, you're going to wing it. That should go well. No, I think we were told to try to set one up. Okay. Kind of in case. So that's on the docket for today, along with a bunch of other stuff. Was there any action going into this season between you guys in terms of if one of us win it, maybe we got a little bet going?

No, we never put anything on. No, we didn't think about that. You just wanted to make the club. Yeah, we didn't think about that at all, honestly. So you guys are attached at the hip. He mentioned you guys 17 days apart. You guys played World Junior together? No, they're from different countries.

Against each other. Against each other, and then Olympics against each other as well? Yeah. Okay, so there you go. Yeah. They were in the same country, eh? Yeah, yeah. One's U.S., one's Canadian.

I asked the dumb questions around here. These guys asked the dumb questions. World Juniors was the one that got canceled. Yeah, the World Juniors got canceled, and then World Championships we played against each other while we were at Michigan still, right? Yeah. Tough to turn the hate on against each other

or just automatic as hockey plays? No, it was fine. It's fun playing against him. When we were playing Canada versus U.S., that was fun. You're not friends when you're playing Canada versus US, though. Well, I want to start with Seattle. Pretty unexpected season for you guys, and obviously played way better than expectations.

How was it with your first year playing with all those guys? You guys gelled really well, and I'm sure a very fun season. Yeah, it was great. I thought we were good you know people didn't really give us that I would say respect um but we we were scrappy and we played hard you know we played we played a playoff game I thought and um so it was fun and you know as the year went on we we really gelled as a team in the locker room and uh we just had a bunch of great guys bunch of older guys that have been around for a while that won cups.

So especially when we got to playoffs, we had some, you know, swagger going in. So it was fun. At what point, like in this season, like was it training camp? Was it 10 games in where you guys were like, wow, we're really feeling this. I think we got something here. I think it was probably like 15 to 20 games in. We started to win some games and, you know, our like coaches and captains were like, you we gotta we're like a good team you know we gotta we gotta act like we're a good team like so that was kind of uh that was kind of like a flip there and and once we did once we started

you know like kind of believing ourselves we were we started to roll the coaching staff's like why are you guys so surprised after every win you could be like comfortable with winning but you were there the year prior for what like 10 games or so when you left school what was the difference you saw from now granted it's the end of the year everything's different from that team to the this year's team i mean bjorkstrand came in right that was yeah we got some new really good ads in bjorkstrand uh burkoski um you know jonesy came in schultzy jonesy was you know jonesy came in and won 20 something games for us so he was great um but i don't know i think it's tough to tough to see it

at the end of the year because everyone's kind of they were out of it and they were kind of like get me home for summer so but new year and we had a couple new guys and yeah i don't know i think we just gelled probably better than than they did the year before that so any moments this year for you where i mean even for both you guys um oh and you can go into it as well where it's like your first full season college is 38 40 games where you hit a wall and you kind of notice like holy shit like this is getting harder it's just such a grind where maybe coaches sat you down. Did you have like instances of maybe 10 game stretches where you just didn't feel like yourself?

I felt like there wasn't too many. I mean, obviously it was a big change, but I think I kind of had to learn to almost do less a lot of times and just kind of take your rest when you get it. So I wouldn't really say I had any until like the last probably five game stretch. We were playing a ton and the last game I was dead. So yeah. But other than that.

Is that based on college because you play on the weekends and then during the week you guys are going on the ice for two hours. You're lifting weights an hour and a half. Studying. Studying. Yes. Kind of. You're almost programming yourself like that to get ready for the NHL. And then you get there and you're playing every other night. So then you just wear off.

Yeah. I mean, it's a big change from going two games a week until four, three, four. And the travel. Yeah, the travel too. Like you fly, play the next night. I think it was two weeks. We played eight games on the road, right? That one trip we had eight games.

Like that's a grind. You're just living at a hotel for, what, two and a half weeks. And then we had that eight-game road trip. We got back, played one game at home. I hammered the lightning against you guys that game. It was my lock of the month, and they dummied you. I remember it. I said, they're coming back from eight games, and Tampa had lost.

They worked you guys over. That next night, I'm pretty sure we played Tampa, and then I'm pretty sure we had a back-to-back against Edmonton in Edmonton the next night. And we were like, what do you want us to do here? It was an eight game. We were gone for two weeks, and now we play back-to-back, Tampa and Edmonton.

Yeah, that's heavy. That's heavy. Did you feel that? I think the East is more comfy. You guys are in two separate places, kind of like blue collar like tumble you guys are like like computer nerds like fucking hipster like hey what's up dude cool hockey what's that so do you do you enjoy the travel i thought when i came became a free agent i was like i'll go anywhere but not the West.

Cause I'm like, cause of that shit. It's a lot of travel. Yeah. I mean, I mean, we get it pretty easy. I feel like a lot of the trips are kind of, you're in and you're out,

you're back home. So even every flight kind of seemed like it was an hour to two hours. So I think our travel for sure is a lot easier than, than everyone in the West. So what was, what was, I was gonna ask, what was the feeling for the Sabres going into camp last year?

Cause I felt like, you know, it's been a rebuild time for a while, but now expectations are starting to climb. So was there a sense of confidence going into last year? Cause I really felt that you guys took that next step. Uh, yeah,

I think like coming in, the team is a lot more confident than I think the year before. I mean, I was in there for the start, but even at the end of the year, I feel like we, we, uh, kind of built some confidence at the end of the year and then went

into the next year and um kind of had a little bit of swagger going in so um I think all of us know how much potential we have as a team and um it's it's exciting time um for us for you as a defenseman where like you know I'm biased as, but it's definitely a harder position for a younger guy than a forward. Suck up in yours. Besides the obvious McDavid-Crosby, was there one guy in your mind you're like, fuck, he was hard to play against? A guy you were like, this is superstar level in the NHL. I don't know.

I mean, there's so many of them. I didn't know if there was one that just roasted you that just sticks in your mind. You guys have a big rivalry against Toronto and stuff and stuff right yeah toronto is good those guys like matthews marner some of those guys yeah they're they're pretty good my first game was actually against them so it's pretty cool to to play against them but i mean those two guys you you go up against them and you don't realize how good they are until you're actually playing against them so it So it's pretty cool. Yeah, I was going to actually say the same thing about you.

It's harder as a goalie, then you look at the fence, and then go up to forward. But all of a sudden, you're throwing that first-line center role. What was that like, those types of line matches in your first full year? I mean, you had to have been going up against some big dogs and having to adjust on the fly. Yeah, I mean, it was definitely a learning curve. Yeah. We, you know, there's some nights where, you know, it goes well and it's a fun playing against, you know, the good top lines, but, and you know,

you get offense from it because they're, they're buzzing around, they're making plays and, and you can kind of turn it back on them. But, yeah, they're cheating a little sometimes. Yeah, a little bit. But there were some nights where I got back to the bench. I was like, holy cow, it's going to be a long night. That was between the benches in Pitt. They were playing Seattle.

And I had to hold the mute button down. Him and Sid were going at it. Really? I wasn't going at Sid. You were taking it. Sorry, sir. Sorry. Sorry, Mr. Crosby.

No. No. We were just competing. Just battling. Would you stick him? Do you have a dirty side to your game that people should know about? No. We were just battling.

I don't think. I don't know. I think he took a penalty. I don't think he liked that. I think I might have fell or something. He took a penalty and he didn't like that penalty. He was letting me know. No, it was nothing.

It's fun playing against him. I was like, oh, this is so cool. He's yelling at me. So, no, it was fun. But, yeah, coming back to playing against those Lions, we had that Edmonton. We played one night, and i think i was dash four in like the first period or second period and it was like i came at the bench i was i don't want

to be on the ice right now so those are those are those are nights you kind of learn from so i was thinking about the fan bases like yours is new right but for you like buffalo like they're just dying like they're they're regional hockey numbers on tv or like through the roof like number one in the league forever even when they've been so brutal so they're dying for you guys to like get going the eichel stuff's out of the way next year can you feel that in town yeah it's a small city really right no for sure i mean like even just this year compared to the games i played last year like the the fans were so much better, so much louder in the building. And even just kind of going around the city,

people will stop and say stuff how excited they are about the team. So it's pretty cool to kind of have them engaged again and kind of have them excited. Just slamming people through tables on their front lawn. Just light themselves on fire, slamming through tables. Oh, we had your captain, Kyle Oposo, on about a year or so ago. What's he like as a captain? He seems like the type of guy you just want to go balls to the wall for.

Just in the interview we had with him, he just seems like an awesome guy. Yeah, no, I mean, he's, I think you could ask anyone on the team and they don't have enough good stuff to say about him. Like, he's one of the best guys ever. I think every guy has so much respect for him he's he's so such a big part of our team and um just kind of keeping us all um together and collected um so i don't really know where we'd be um without having a guy like him so he's he's huge and obviously he just signed with us so it's um it's pretty exciting yeah boys must have been

pumped he re-upped huh yeah no everyone everyone was was super super happy so um like i said he's great so were there any moments maybe him or another like veteran player kind of took you aside this year just to talk about how the year is going for you like looking out for i mean obviously the top prospect one of the top players in the team in their first year uh yeah i mean i wouldn't say there's any time where they like took me aside and had like a long meeting but like he would he would come up to me and if i was struggling a few games he would just kind of give me a little confidence and say something but i think you kind of go around and every guy's like that if they see someone struggling or um kind of not being not themselves in the room they'll come up and make

sure you're doing fine so um i think that just kind of speaks for for the locker room we have and the guys in it i think for both of you i i guess the question i we always hear oh just trying to get better you know just work on my game get better what's one thing after this season that you could look at this summer like what do you what did you see like holy shit you know that was that was a good year but what's something you guys got to get better at or is there something you're targeting in the offseason? I mean, for me, the basing's scoring in my shot. I mean, I had a – Do you have a muffin?

Muffin, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I had four goals this year, so. It's not bad. Yeah, it's not terrible for a rookie. What are you – like, are you a oney guy? You're more of like a Wade Redden-Rister guy? Yeah, I mean, just kind of – Just getting them through?

Yeah, yeah. He's like sneaky silky. Like, he likes to walk in and rip them five holes. Wade Redden-Rister guy? Yeah, I mean, just kind of... Just getting him through? Yeah, yeah. He's like sneaky-silky. Like, he likes to walk in and rip them five-hole. He was going glove, but it goes five-hole. He's silky. Yeah, that's... I mean, that was a big thing for me. I mean, just kind of putting more velocity on

and just kind of being more comfortable in those areas because I think I had a lot of chances, and I think it took me 50 games to score my first one, so that was kind of the biggest thing well you're in Mississauga in the summer yeah yeah I I live there and then kind of Burlington is where I work out and and skate skate in Oakville so I'm always interested in guys that end up choosing college from from Canada like how how was that for you turning down the OHL and things like that like did you always know you wanted to play college hockey? I mean

growing up no but I think as soon as I kind of went for my first visit and saw what it was like it was for me a no brainer I mean especially the late birthday to be able to go play in college for my draft year and kind of

have that extra time to develop it was an easy decision for me the OHL was kind of never that extra time to develop. It was an easy decision for me. The OHL was kind of never even an option. So you accelerated high school to graduate early? No, because in Canada, you just go by birth year. Oh, okay. So I graduated and then on time, and first year of university was...

Yeah, they'll sneak you a few extra credits in Canada too if you're good enough. If you can snap a tape. It's like after the visit, it was like, he got game, Jesus, shuttlesworth so yeah i was i committed so what was it about michigan when you guys went on your visit that you're just like this is the spot for us and and and are they typically okay with knowing that you're going to be a one and done type player like do they is there any pushback on that like going there for one season and then you're on the you're back playing pro

uh i mean i think i think they're good there. I mean, they want their guys to go play in the NHL. Yeah, I don't think they're like – Well, sometimes programs get poopy pants, don't they? No. If you just go one run. I don't think they're like that, especially, you know, the coaches there, like they want the best for you and they're just like, you know,

if it's the right decision for you to go, then go. But, you know, we want you to stay and, you know, develop as much as you can before you do go because they they understand how it is like you know making the jump stuff and you don't want to do it a lot of guys do it too early and then and that's no good so what we talked uh who's the quinnipiac coach um but he was saying like there's different programs right where programs are recruiting guys that they know will be there four years the older guys and then michigan bu they're looking for the top player that that may end up leaving but but you stayed after you got drafted correct yeah both of us did oh you stayed all right so so was there a decision to be made there did the team maybe say hey it's up to you or or personally were you just

like i think i need one more year yeah i wanted to go back i mean we were in covid too our freshman year we played like 30 games maybe not even um i freshman year, we played like 30 games, maybe, not even. I know, I think we played like 24 games. Didn't have any fans. Didn't experience it. Yeah, didn't experience it. I mean, I was small, like little. I mean, littler than I am now.

So it wasn't really a question for me. I wanted to go back, and it was great for me. So developing-wise. I heard you make back, and it was way great for me, so developing-wise. I heard you make some world-famous garlic bread. Is that true? I do. How do you know that? Hey, it's a garlic bread.

Hey, who taught you to cook? I mean, I guess it's not really cooking, but it's pretty simple. Bake? It's simple. I don't know. My family, like my mom and grandma and grandpa, they're all really big cooks and we're really Italian.

So they would always be cooking everything for dinners. And, you know, if we have everyone over, it's like a 10 course meal. You're a Sunday dinner family guy? We were when we grew up. Like we would always have dinners, like family dinners. And then I figured I was like, oh, I'll get something. So I was always the garlic bread guy. I just make garlic bread for everyone.

Yeah, you invite the guys over for dinner. It's just straight up garlic bread. I always make it now, too. That's my... Hacksaw's like, you can eat some of it, dude. Is that your pregame meal part of it? No. Hey, way to go.

You make toast. Oh, yeah. I butter bread. Well, garlic bread sounds more fancy, right? Are you a gravy family or a sauce family? Gravy. Oh, okay. That's a big divide in the Italian community.

I know. I know. My cousins are sauce. Oh, what do you cook? Do you cook anything? You a mac and cheese guy? Crab dinner? No, I mean steak and eggs, basically.

That's about it. He's on the paleo. Steak and legs in Nashville. No, no. I don't cook much, but it's basically steak, and then if my girlfriend's there, she'll make basically anything, so it's good that

she's able to come down quite a bit, so it's nice to have home-cooked meal all the time. So you're not at Chef's every day just parming everything up in Buffalo, eh? No, no. We get meals all the time. We barely ever have to cook. We get breakfast there and lunch after we skate. And then you guys take to go home like they all do

because you guys are cheap. And then we'll cook at night. I mean, I didn't do much cooking this year, but we ate out a good amount. Yeah, we didn't have Froot Loops in the cereal thing. Remember that? Yeah, exactly. Gary Roberts got traded to our team,

and he saw me eating Froot Loops with chocolate milk. He's like, what the fuck? He's like, all of a sudden, we have a new chef and food. Besides these two bling watches, you guys are rocking. You guys buy anything else when you signed? Get a car or anything? No. My first purchase was a new Xbox.

A new toaster oven. That's it? He's like, I got a new uh blender to make chips i didn't buy it i haven't bought anything i barely bought some new clothes and stuff but uh i got like a couch that was probably the biggest purchase couch are expensive these guys had to take a pay cut coming from michigan so they got to be smart with their money right so i I respect that. What about you, Owen? You don't look like the type of guy to waste your money. No, I mean, I haven't really bought anything,

so I'm like Matty. I don't really spend my money. So of all those Michigan guys who are playing in the NH, who's the spender? Who's the spender of the group? Hughes? Brisson. Brisson, of course.

Because his old man's got a bunch he knows he's going to get in the end, right? He's spending Sid's money. He loves to spend it. When I think of your team, I think of Haxtell and how serious he is. And his goatee. Does he ever smile? Does he ever joke around with the guys? Yeah.

He seems so fucking intense all the time. No, he's intense when he needs to be. And then, you know, outside the rink no he's he's intense when he needs to be and then um you know outside the rink he he's just like us you know he's normal guy and uh really really nice and he he jokes around when we're like practice days and and stuff but i you know it was good for us i thought it was you know he was intense when we needed to be intense and and before games and during games but um you know after the games games, he was, he was pretty light. So yeah,

it was good. It was a good mix. The only other thing I think of is that probably the worst mascot in league history and Bowie, like you guys must, have you guys had a meeting about that? And maybe switching things up. I know you got the PR girl on here.

She's probably not happy with me chirping Bowie, but is it like, what is that? What the, what is that fucking thing? Um, it's like, it's, there's a, what is that fucking thing? Um, it's like, it's,

there's a, there's a bridge in Seattle and below the bridge. He's a troll. That's where he, that's legit where he lives. And it's like a Seattle, like, um,

kind of like staple staple, I would say is, is the thing on the, no one on the bridge or whatever it is. Um, uh, so yeah, they, they made that and honestly i get the

kids love it so although like all my trainers said that their kids like absolutely love bowie i think eberly said the opposite i thought eberly said that his kids were scared of it uh yeah probably i don't know i i've done that was from my heard what i heard from my trainers they said the kids their kids loved it. They're being brainwashed by the organization is what I think is happening. Have you ever seen the actual troll under the bridge? Have you checked that out at all? No, I haven't.

No. I think it's a fictional story, Ari. I think it's made up. Yeah. No, I'm pretty sure it's real. Yeah, if you look that up, there's a little troll under the bridge. Okay. Like from the movie The Leprechaun? Like looking a little bit like that? No, it's like there's like a little sculpture or something. It's all under the bridge. Okay. Yeah. Like from the movie The Leprechaun?

Like looking like a little bit like that? No, it's huge. It's like a 30-foot like log structure or something. Yeah. Kind of real like the Loch Ness Monster and the whole basis of the Kraken team. It's going on in Seattle. What do you got, Aaron? I want to ask about like maybe a moment.

Like I remember lining up for face-off with like Yager. You guys just interviewed. That's cool. I was was like that's cool shit that's oh you're welcome to the nhl moment i was like i was like or like i took a run at lidstrom and like chelios is saying he's gonna kill me i'm like holy shit this is real i'm here what the hell did you guys have that i know you guys got a little taste last year or the year before coming into the season but anyone you came up against you're like wow you're kind of stuck looking a little bit i yeah i mean for me it's crosby i think like a lot of guys i mean growing up he was kind of my guy i love watching him so to be able to go out and play against him i it was pretty cool the first time did you want to

be a forward at some point or is that you didn't have a d-man as your guy i i don't know why i just kind of i just love crossfit i was always yeah i actually wanted to be a goalie all growing up so i don't really know how 19 in pittsburgh in 2007 yeah i feel like our era was like like us growing up our age group was like always said an ovi yeah and then the younger kids now like younger than us is probably like they grew up with David and Matthews and we were Sid and Ovi so it was always like for me it was Sid

and then any of the Bruins guys I played against I was like nice I played against Lucic I was like I got hit

I was like I text my dad I was like yo I just got hit by Lucic did either one of you guys get run over this year

did you take a big hit anyone get you good? Yeah, I mean, not like one that really hurt, but I remember in Washington, first game against Ovechkin. He got you. I think it was like the first shift I kind of tried to get a bump on him, and he just ran me right over. It was pretty funny.

Yeah, I don't think it was anything that bad. It was that one game in Dallas in the playoffs, I got hit like 10 times. And I feel like I'm not usually a guy that gets hit a lot, but I was getting crushed in the boards. So that was tough. I forget his – it was the big D. What's the big D on Dallas' name? No, Alex Fax on your team.

You guys have Hawk is it Hawk and Paw yeah it's Hawk and Paw yeah he was he's all over me that night they had a big uh big nasty decor you we always talk about how like playoff time like the the pace elevates the physicality elevates like for you as a younger player did you really notice that in your first experience in playoffs or because you guys had such a good group where you felt that took a little bit of that that spice off of it yeah i mean i thought i it definitely was more intense especially playing against colorado like in that building that was just crazy and then you got you know mckinnon is just flying around everywhere and you're trying to just catch them so they were they were really tough i mean both them and Dallas were tough to play against but

it definitely got was really intense especially like the first three games because everyone's kind of pumped up and then as the game started going on more and more like you just everyone just gets tired like you're getting hit more and everyone yeah you're right it settles in a little bit more and that's when that's when I felt like it started to get a little easier. But those first couple games were especially on the road were tough and so fast paced. What was the most surprising thing about your rookie

as both of you? Something you totally didn't expect that kind of come out of nowhere. Rookie party? And how much that cost you? That was probably your big expense. It probably is my biggest one. What did you have to pay? I think we got off a little easy. I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was Canadian dollars. Oh, my.

35 cent exchange. 18 bucks. We went to Subway. Canadian tire dollars. We interviewed another teammate. His name is Rasmus Darlene. He seems like quite the character. He must be hilarious in the locker room, huh?

Yeah. No, I wouldn't say he's like the loudest guy but he's he's definitely um when he gets going it's funny so um

he's good to have he's sneaky like he's sneaky like rough too like cheap like he'll give you the stick hey oh yeah

like who did he drop this year yeah he he the Hamilton game I think it was him and Matthews going out

yeah they did and then this year I think it was him and Matthews going out one night, wasn't it? Yeah, they did. And then this year, I think against San Jose, someone on their bench was chirping for being soft. The next shift, he went out and just killed one of their guys. Really? So he plays with an edge, and he's always kind of good. I didn't realize how big he was when we interviewed him. He was like 6'4".

Who did he lay? He laid someone out this year. That was at San Jose. I forget who it was, but he... Like killed them. Yeah. At your exit meeting this year, That was a San Jose. I forget who it was, but he... Like, killed them. Yeah. Yeah. At your exit meeting this year,

what did Don Granato say to you just about getting ready this summer and things like that, or was there anything in particular? He was happy with your year, I'm guessing? Yeah, he was happy with my year, but I think it was kind of what I said. I think them two,

my shot was kind of the biggest thing that everyone's kind of saying, but I think for the most part, it was just kind of go back, get stronger, faster, kind of like everyone. Bigger, faster, stronger. Yeah, exactly. Do you have a lot of guys around, like Mississauga or whatever, that are NHL guys you're skating with in the summer?

Is there a good crew? Yeah, I mean, I got a pretty good group where there's probably five or six of us that skates, but I think you could go anywhere and there's gonna be guys yeah skating so i'm i'm lucky we're in in toronto and kind of that area there's there's so many good skates that you get out and go to are you guys both like because it's changed where when we played like playoffs and skates are off till august i don't know 10th maybe maybe a little earlier. Are you skating all summer or are you putting them away for a while? I try to put them away for as long as I can, especially because I try to put on weight,

and that's so tough if I'm working out and skating that early in the summer. So I'll try, I don't know when. It's gotten later every, like as I've gotten older, the amount of time I'm skating in the summer is less and less. I think a lot of guys skate constantly now. You were talking about that with your brother and how a lot of these guys don't work out as much. They just skate every day.

Yeah, they're on the ice for two, three hours. Like you said, it's hard to build strength and really keep it on because you're burning so many calories when you're out there. The first time, I used to be more of a skate-a-lot in the summer. And then the one summer I went to skate a lot in the summer. The one summer I went to World Championships and I had a high ankle sprain. I couldn't skate all summer. I just worked out.

I didn't skate the entire summer. It was the year I was going into my sophomore year at Michigan. Since then, I was able to put on some weight and muscle and after that i pretty much like slowed down how much i skate in the summers uh until like july and aug or late july and august come when you start gotta kind of ramp it up for for uh camp yeah it's nice getting the mental break too yeah just staying away man going to the rink every day could be such a grind yeah oh and for you like with your size you're still such a good skater. Was that always the case or were you kind of slow at one point and it became like a big-time skill for you? Yeah, it definitely wasn't the case when I was younger.

I mean – Was there any person that helped like individually, like one power skating instructor? Yeah, no, I worked with a girl, Dawn Braid, kind of all grown up, and she helped a lot, so she kind of got my technique done. What age did you start doing that? I don't know. I was young. My mom worked at the rink that she sk a lot, so she kind of got my technique done. What age did you start doing that? I don't know. I was young.

My mom worked at the rink that she skated at, so I somehow got in when I was pretty young, and I was lucky enough to do it kind of all the way up. And then I think when I went to junior, I had good kind of technique. It's just my feet were a little slower. As you get stronger. Yeah, I think as I filled into my body in Chicago where I played junior, the skills guys there did a ton of kind of footwork stuff with me that i think really helped me and um kind of brought the chicago steel yeah we who do we just have tilly yeah tilly talked

about you actually like your path yeah leave because like we were talking about families that sell their their other kid yeah so that they can play in the GTA. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But just how much that organization invests into their players where they provide these insane resources. It seems kind of like the Michigan before going to Michigan where you're just in this unreal pipeline of being developed. Yeah, no, it's awesome. I think, I mean, when we got Michigan.

Why are you laughing? Why are you laughing? We're going to have so many fights. Because they both got paid there too, bro. We're going to have so many fights about whether Chicago or NTP was the better route. Yeah, just which one developed players better. Because there's a ton of Chicago guys in. They're trying to argue the Chicago Steel versus the National Development Program?

Yes. I want to hear this debate. I don't even know if it was that. But we had a bunch of guys that came from Chicago and then a bunch of U.S. guys. Oh, who? Matthews and Kane but we debated like this kind of like how they have it set up like yeah yeah it was so yeah it was debating on like he was debating pretty much like that how Chicago develops like all of their

players basically and and saying it's better than what the program does yes from what from a from a like an amount of games you're playing? Thank you. Oh, he didn't give you a good enough reason? No, we would argue this every year. But you're in a league, and they're not in a league, and they just random. What do you do?

No, they play in the same league as them. But then you also get to play college teams, and you play international tournaments. They're playing like the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Friday night. We're not gonna do this right now although chicago yeah fantilia was telling us like the money they spend and now it is for sure like the powerhouse program there so they went to you and were able to bring you in or did you have to get drafted by them because like why wouldn't have another team picked you no so i got i got drafted by them, and then they kind of changed everyone. The owner kind of fired everyone and brought new guys in.

So I think the new guys drafted me, and then they came at me really hard to go. I was originally just going to play at home in the OJ, the Tier 2 league there. And when I got drafted there, they came at me pretty hard to go, and I went down and saw it and loved it. So I ended up going there. So when did you start realizing or understanding, like, I could go first overall? Was it like a year or two prior with some guys, or was it later on?

Like, I don't really remember in terms of, like, when everyone knew you were going to be the first overall pick. When did that get into your mind? And did it affect you at all? I don't think so. I mean, we had so many guys kind of up in that same situation. We had three guys in the top five that year. And Luke.

Luke that came in the next year. So, I mean, I think both of us were lucky. We were all kind of going through the same thing. But I don't think there's really a time where I was like, oh, I could actually go first overall until kind of later in the year. Really? But I think even that summer, it was overall until kind of later in the year. Really? Um, but I think even that summer,

it was kind of, everything was up in the air and, um, kind of anyone couldn't, couldn't go anywhere. I don't know. I mean, I think you probably knew during the year,

you know? Yeah. During, like, I think you kind of hear about it. Yeah. You hear everyone talking. It's like,

right. Bob McKenzie's like, number one. You're like, Oh, sweet. Okay, cool. So, cool.

So, yeah. What about the development team, too? Like, the guys that you played with there, pretty good crop of talent coming out of there. And the coach there and everything. I loved it at the development program. That was kind of where, like, I feel like hockey kind of became more, like. Comes a job a little bit. Yeah, a little bit. A good one, though.

Yeah, I think, like, for me, like, it was always, like, school and hockey when I grew up. Just because, like, my family was like that. became more like comes a job a little bit yeah a little bit good one though yeah i think like for me like it was always like school and hockey when i grew up just because like my family was like that like my parents were cornell and my sister and like i went to mill academy so like nerd fest yeah so so like it was school and hockey and then once i went to the program that's when it changed to like hockey oh like i might be able to like play hockey that was never like a thing to earn a living that was the first time it clicked for you yeah it was always like oh i'm gonna play hockey to get to college and i want to play college hockey like i want to play at bc that was kind of like the angle like you guys my my parents we never were like oh we're he's gonna be playing in

the hl yeah so it was never never like that and then once i got there uh i kind of flipped and like at like apper we we, we had a solid team. We weren't great, but Aper was huge for me at the program. And then the guys there were awesome and practicing and grinding with them every day was good. Caulfield, Zegras. They were the oldest team. My team was not as good as them, but we grinded.

So when did, because you mentioned BC, right? Local code, it's BU or BC. And when did you as you mentioned bc right local could it's bu or bc and when did you decide michigan i guess maybe being out there and then like for you as well like you're getting recruited by everyone how did you guys decide to did you know each other beforehand we were all talking like let's do this together no i mean yeah mine was i was going to harvard oh is it because they canceled the season? I was doing my pre-test for Harvard and writing my essay for what English class I had to get in two weeks before the school started, or three weeks. And then they sent out a note.

They were like, hockey season's canceled. Only freshmen are going to be on campus. Stay on, Ivy League. So then I was kind of like like i don't want to i didn't want to go back to the ushl i wanted to be in college so i started to look back around and i'd never looked outside of boston pretty much and then i went and looked at michigan and i was like this is pretty great i never like i didn't i went and visited with my parents didn't walk in the rink didn't walk in a single building just walked around the campus i was like alone or with the

coach at least just just me my parents and we walked around the campus. I was like. Alone or with the coach at least? Just me and my parents. And we walked around. We were like, this is pretty great. And we knew they had a great class going into. So that helped. Because we came from the program where we were playing with a lot of good guys. And so we knew that would be good too.

So that's kind of why. Suck on that, Harvard. Well, boys, we're getting pinged over here. We got to let you guys go. Yeah, these guys are big dogs. Well, congratulations to both you guys, honestly. It's really good. I ask every Buffalo guy,

who's got the best wings in Buffalo? I don't know. There's a place. Yeah, I've never tried that place. Duff's. Rose doesn't like that. Oh, he's disgusting. But he went to Chickas to Catholic, so he never tried that place. Duff's. Oh, no. Rose doesn't like that. Oh, he's disgusted. But he went to Chickas to Cathalot, so he can't even speak.

I went to Duff's when I was like really young. That's when one of my buddy's dads grew up in Buffalo, and that's where he took us. What's your spot? Barville North. I've never tried that, but a lot of people have said that place is good. So we got to get you maybe trying some wings in Buffalo. But honestly, amazing. All he eats is steak and eggs. He said that. Yeah, and of people have said that place is good. So we've got to get you maybe trying some wings in Buffalo. But honestly, amazing.

All he eats is steak and eggs. He said that. Yeah, and garlic bread when he's with his buddy. But congrats to both you guys. Amazing year. Good luck with the awards, and we appreciate you coming on. Yeah, thanks for having us. Thanks, boys.

Thanks, boys. All right, before we go any further, here's a word from our friends at Body Armor. Spittin' Chicklets is brought to you by Body Armor. From sports drinks to sports water, Body Armor keeps us hydrated all day long. Got some right here. And whether we're talking, watching, or even playing sports, Body Armor is our go-to choice. It's real hydration, real ingredients packed with electrolytes, vitamins, and nothing artificial. Bardiama has great taste and flavors as well. Strawberry banana is my favorite. Also

got blue raspberry, tons of others. Sure, you're going to fancy one of them. And the best athletes in the world hydrate with Bardiama like Ronald Acuna Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Alex Morgan, and the latest athlete to join the team, Joe Burrow, Cincinnati baby. My favorite, like I said, strawberry banana, but there's tons of them, man. You're going to find something you like, and if you're not, take a little bit of the water. Late night recordings, boom, clutch. Comes in on clutch all the time. Hockey games, checklist cup, whatever you're doing, make sure you're hydrating with Bar-Di-Ama,

whether it be the water or one of their lovely flavors. They're available in stores nationwide, or you head on over to the Bar-Di-Yama store on Amazon and get yours today. Big thanks to the Michigan guys for jumping on with us. We did that down in Nashville. We had a lot of fun the night before, so Maddie walked out of the room. We kind of had a little chuckle before the interview, but a pair of great kids, man.

Like we said, with Owen Powell, Buffalo, built for the long haul here. Those fans should be very excited, especially with Devin Levi starting up this year. Hopefully, he'll be in the status crease. But anyways, back to the show. Gee, if you know what a time it is, baby. Grinds my gears. You know, something's always pissing me off. I start keeping notes now because fucking this world's crazy. And it's brought to you by Big Deal Brewing.

Go to bigdealbrewing.com slash finder. Find out how close Big Deal Brew is to you. Should be pretty close. We're in a shitload of provinces, bunch of states, and we keep going and going. So once again, bigdealbrewing.com slash finder. Boy, Milan Lucci's just pitching with a Big Deal Brew over the weekend, if I'm not mistaken. So all right. A while back, Gino, I blogged and vented about fucking Great Danes sitting in coach on airplanes. This is animal related, but it's not that. And obviously, I'm not referring to animals that fall under the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act.

But when did it become the fucking norm for pet owners to just bring their pets fucking wherever they go indoors, man? I don't get it. For 2,000 years or whatever, people just didn't willy-nilly bring it. And I don't know. It annoys me. I don't fucking hate dogs. I like dogs. It's just when I'm in a supermarket, legit,

swear to God, two weeks ago, my wife, I looked over. I seen a fucking furry head a fight it was either a fucking weasel a mongoose or a fucking ferret like it's a borderline road i know a ferret's not a road i was like you like why are you bringing this in the goddamn supermarket i mean especially all this fucking food produce uh vegas we were out there we'll be staying in a pretty nice hotel see a guy with a leash he's dragging the dog because he's looking forward. He doesn't realize he's dragging it. The dog's trying to shit. So he stops, turns around.

Dog drops a heat stick right in the lobby. It's like, bro, what the fuck? Like, I didn't stay to see if he cleaned it up. But it's like, I don't know, man. I just fucking, there's a reason why humans and their animals, I don't think they should be willy nilly brought in. And the thing is, I blame the fucking businesses more than anybody. It's like, they allow it.

Just say, hey, buddy, fucking no pets. It's been a sign on every convenience store for the last fucking 500 years. But now, I don't know, man. Do you notice that, G, like this animals like where you didn't see them maybe 10, 20 years ago? Yeah, I mean, I have a dog. I'm a dog owner. I bring my dog virtually like everywhere. I don't even think twice about bringing it into a store right now.

But I will say, R.A., like a supermarket, I'm not bringing my dog in there just because I don't want my dog sniffing the fruit and stuff that people could eat and put their hands on. I don't want to have my dog be a burden to them. But for example, this morning, I went and got a coffee. I brought my dog into the coffee store. And the coffee store loves it because they have a big thing of treats where they give the dogs treats. You have to play the vibe out, I think. Right. I'm not bringing my dog into a restaurant, supermarket, a bar. But I mean, if I'm just stopping into a convenience store, grabbing some milk, getting a coffee,

I'll bring my dog in there quick. But yeah, I mean, ferrets and people carrying around ferrets and weird fucking animals like that, that's a whole fucking story for a different day because like i lived in my last building and i can run the video here now but i was in the elevator one time and this lady came in and she had two 80 year old parrots on her fucking shoulders and she's like you want to pet them and i'm like sure i'll pet them and she's like well they do bite and i'm like well so am I petting the parrots or am I getting my finger bitten off? Like, what are we doing here? So yeah, weird pets freak me the fuck out. I think that grinds my gears. But in terms of bringing your dog places, I think you just got to kind of play it by ear. But I do hear you with the supermarket. pet friendly and that that's fine like it's not you know people are aware of it it's not even me to be honest it's like well first off the germ factor these animals that you know lick their buttholes and other buttholes i don't want them around my fucking bananas and fucking mangoes

but it's like allergies people are allergic to animals and then some people are just flat out afraid of dogs they got bit as a kid or they're just fucking afraid of them it's i don't know i just think there's better reasons to not have have them inside any animal than fucking outside but it's are you are you not a dog guy? Do you like dogs? I like dogs. I swear to God, I don't run from dogs or kick them when no one's looking. I legit like dogs.

I've had them when I was a little kid. It hasn't been fucking... I haven't had a desire to have one now. I mean, the same reason I don't want kids, just too much maintenance. But I get it. I know the appeal of dogs. They're great animals. I mean, I think it's great.

Actually, Fiona Apple, the singer, she just actually postponed her tour. She was supposed to go to South America, and she wrote this wicked, heartfelt, long post. I don't know if it was on Twitter or the Gram, explaining, like, I've had this dog for 14 years. I mean, it goes into depth of why she had to basically postpone her tour. She was very upfront and honest. If you read the headline, it might sound obnoxious, like, oh, sing a postponed tour for Animal Boy. You read the thing,

you get tears in your eyes. Have you ever seen Scott Van Pelt's one final word on his dog where he pays tribute to his dog at the end of a sports center? It's impossible to watch that without crying. Absolutely, man. I do sound like a Grinch,

but I'm the old guy of the show. It's just something you never saw ever. And now it's like commonplace to like people like, you know, whether they're dogs, cats, whatever, man. It's like, I don't know. That's why we got the fucking doors to keep them out. Also, too, people got to use their fucking little tag on here. Got to use their leashes, man. I was walking through the public park, I don't know, a couple weeks ago, a little late, maybe having a beer in the park.

And one of those like genetically engineered yuppie dogs comes bombing over. And the owner's calling his name out. Not like, Hey, Skippy, come here. It was like, skip,

skip. I was like, what the fuck's he yelling that loud for? And it looked like a cross between like a poodle and a great day. And it was giant, but it was a poodle looking thing. And the fucking thing growled at me when he walked by. I was like,

you know, I was like, holy shit. I was like, and I was like, he nipped at me. I'd punt that fucking a Chelsea man. It's like,

put your dog on a leash. Like I like dogs, but if the motherfucker bites me, there's going to be payback. I'm like, and so I didn't say nothing. I must've been in a good mood or chill, man. It's like, put your dog on a leash. Like, I like dogs, but if the motherfucker bites me, there's going to be payback. And so I didn't say nothing. I must have been in a good mood or chill or whatever. But, you know, keep your fucking dogs on a leash. Last but not least, especially in the city,

clean up after your fucking dogs. That's probably the worst thing about shitty dog owners, no pun intended, is when they drop one on the fucking cement and they leave it there. Actually, another funny story I got to give you. I actually got shit on on the way to Vermont by my brother's dog two weeks ago fucking cement and they leave it there uh actually another funny story i gotta give you i actually got shit on on the way to vermont by my brother's dog two weeks ago when we were going up there legit but and he's loot his name's luch ironically he thinks he's as tough as luch little white i

don't know if it's a sean frise or whatever sitting there and i know he knows me for nine years whatever he was kind of antsy whatever all of a sudden i hear my brother go no luch what the fuck and like i looked down i thought like the sun hit my leg or something because i did feel a He was kind of antsy, whatever. All of a sudden, I hear my brother go, no, Looch, what the fuck? And, like, I looked down. I thought, like, the sun hit my leg or something because I did feel a little warmth there. I looked down, and it wasn't like one of those little dog shits you can clean up. It was fucking, he had a bad stomach. I was like, motherfucking.

I was, like, too shocked to be mad. I was like, Looch, like, fucking all. So the seat's slanted, so it rolls down. So now I got on my leg, my shorts, it catches my box, and my T-shirt. I got fucking sitting there. My brother has to pull over to New Hampshire. We're in the parking lot. I'm like, Paul, don't park there with anybody. I got to get fucking changed.

So I roll down the window, open the door, and I'm like, I got to make sure I don't want to look like a fucking pedo with my box of shorts. I had to take my shorts, my shirt off, go to the trunk, get clothes out, back in the car, and change everything. And I sat in the back seat like my brother had an Uber driving the rest of the way to fucking Vermont. And I was like, holy fuck, he never did it before. It's not a habit. But I literally was shit on by Looch. I still love the little guy, but definitely a first for that man.

Disgusting. Honestly, I said to my wife, that was the most disgusting thing that has ever happened to me. And I went to North Adams for four and a half years. So I feel like your grind my gears is more just like dog owners as opposed to dogs. Dog owners that put their dogs in bad positions. Great call. Yeah.

Yeah. That's probably it. Bad etiquette. Bad etiquette from dog owners. Bad dog etiquette. Yeah. Although Lute Shittnami wasn't really Paul's fault. So I can't pin that one on him.

But either way, I know people are going to bellyache about this because everyone loves dogs. I do too. Just don't want them fucking in my bananas. So once again, bigdealbrewing.com slash finder. Go find yourself some Big Deal Brewing. Everybody's enjoying it where it has been so far. It's still coming, still rolling it out. Bigdealbrewing.com slash finder. Go get some. Not a lot of sports going on unless you're a baseball freak, but the World Cup just finished up. But I don't know. I feel like Messi got more play than the World Cup, the Women's World Cup. What's your take overseas, buddy? Yeah, Sweden got third place. We watched that game. That was exciting. Today's championship or Sunday's championship was not very fun. One-nothing Spain win. But what Messi's doing is unbelievable did you see the ticket prices I saw a thing I

think it was 460 bucks for one ticket for this game and normally they go for 20 bucks it it's like 2,000 percent higher prices I see it all over like my old Facebook and stuff people are trying to go to any of his games like if it's in Philly does anybody got Philly tickets he has just taken over he's the he's the goat and it's uh it's fun to watch he does anybody got Philly tickets? He has just taken over. He's the, he's the goat. And it's a, it's fun to watch. He's too good for the MLS though. He was way too good. He looks like a man playing with boys in these games.

He's just so much better than these guys. Yeah. They flashed his stats. What did he have? Like 14 points or like something crazy. And like the, however, a few games he played. And actually he did a cool gesture when they were giving him the trophy he made sure to get the previous captain he's like

no no you're carrying it with me which I thought that was pretty cool so this would be like like Sidney Crosby going and playing in like the ECHL like he would dominate like that like it is I feel like this is like he is just so much better

than these guys. It's crazy. He is unbelievable, man. Also, two more. I think I put this in 17 days ago. Miami FC. They are into Miami FC, I hope, right? Because I know some cities have the FC.

They're into Miami. Into Miami FC. Because, yeah, when they signed him, I was like, oh, what are the odds? They were 6-1 when I got him. So a couple bucks on that. I haven't had a winner for a while that's nice that'll pay for tomorrow's i've been doing good on the uh premier league i've been putting a few picks out on twitter premier league trying to get warmed up for the euro hockey i can't find lines for the euro hockey pre-season but uh if anybody out there can find them let me know because the overs are i

see a lot of overs it feels like they're all just showing up playing some pond hockey in these exhibition games. You got a new member of EBR. My father asked for a gray t-shirt, but we didn't have any chicklets ones in stock. So I hooked him up with EBR. He's psyched to be on the Merle's train. Yes, let's go. Let's go. Tell him to send me some winners.

Give him my number. I need some extra winners. Absolutely. Well, we're going to go to another guy. Speaking of winning, he won a Stanley Cup with the Kings a couple years back. He bounced around a little bit. Now he's going to start the season with the New Jersey Devils. Great chat with Tyler Toffoli. And R.A., before we go

to the interview, I just do want to say this interview was recorded before he was traded to the Devils. So I just want to clarify that for all the listeners. It was recorded about a month and a half before he was traded to the Devils. Good call, G. Good call. Pointing that out. So without further ado, enjoy Tyler Toffoli. All right, before we go any further, here's a word from our friends at Shady Rays.

Take on the sun with gear built to last. Our friends over at Shady Rays have you covered for the warm weather ahead with premium polarized shades at an affordable price. Shady Rays is an independent sunglasses company that offers a world-class product that's just as good as any expensive pair we've worn. Durable flames and extremely clear optics for all your outdoor adventures are there. I've had many pairs. I've talked about it before. I've got to get another one. Greatest sunglasses I ever had, man. The best bang for your buck. And the best part, you lose them. They get broken. A free replacement.

That's it. Seriously. Shady Rays has the most insane protection in all of eyewear. Every pair of sunglasses is backed by their lost and broken replacement policy. It's great. And it doesn't stop at the quality either. Good stuff. Even on a day, one year, two years, whatever, you break them in two years, they're going

to send you a brand new pair. Who offers that? Nobody. Together with their customers, Shady Rays is providing much needed support to nonprofit partners across the U.S. through Shady Rays Impact. From building play sets for pediatric cancer patients to providing young adults with MS the outdoor adventure of a lifetime, Shady Rays is making an impact in your community and others like it now for years to come. Another great reason to get Shady Rays. If you don't love them, no big deal. Exchange it for a new pair or return them for free within 30 days. There's no risk when you shop with Shady Rays. Their team always has your back. Exclusively for our customers, Shady Rays has given out their

best deal of the season. Go to ShadyRays.com. Use the code CHICKLETS for 50% off two or more pairs of Polaroid sunglasses. I'm telling you, folks, you've seen me wearing it for years. These things are legit. They're the best. Look at that price. And if you lose them or break them, boom, they replace them. Unreal deal. ShadyRays.com.

Chicklets code. Check it out. Save some dough. All right, it's time to bring our guest on. After four years with the OHL's Ottawa 67s, this forward joined the LA Kings, who took him in the second round of the 2010 draft. He spent his first eight seasons in Southern California,

where he won the Stanley Cup in 2014. After a brief pit stop in Vancouver, he signed up Montreal, where he helped lead the Habs on an unlikely cup run a couple years back, and he just finished his second year with the Calgary Flames. Pleasure to welcome to the Spittin' Chicklets podcast, Tyler Toffoli. How's the summer going, man? It's awesome.

Just got back from Worlds and a little vacay. So just kind of getting back to the grind almost. Rubbing out with Bradley Cooper at Rolling Garros or what? What are you doing over there? No, we were in the salons. We just had the ground seats, so we couldn't get into the big buildings there. So we couldn't watch the big matches, but we walked around and grabbed some beers and this cruise.

Any other celebrity sightings besides maybe no Bradley Cooper, but anyone else you see? Mackenzie Weeger. He was out there. Oh, okay. There you go. That's a famous person. Yeah, Weeks was there, and I guess he said he was there the day after me, and he saw Quinn Hughes too.

So I guess all the hockey boys kind of got the hint to go over there and check it out. Does Team Canada pay for that flight over there? I had to pay for my flight to Paris, and then from Paris it was covered. So it was kind of set up real nice. What a great experience it seemed like. I mean, I don't think many people know how unreal Riga Latvia is. I believe it ended up finishing off in Finland.

But how was the whole experience for you? Had you been before? How many worlds was this and i mean how special was it getting the gold so that was my second that was my second world the uh the first time i went was in prague so i i i was a little nervous the good cities oh yeah i was a little nervous to see if it was going to be able to uh to match that but so we started in uh in budapest for a little training camp, which is unbelievable. And then we went to Riga, and Riga was, everybody

was asking, you know, I said it's like a little Prague in a sense. It was lights out, the food was unbelievable, the dinners, the nightlife was good too, and it was just awesome. It was, like you said, a great experience and Team Canada, they do it right.

They treat us really well, and you know, after wins wins we got beers in the locker room pizza in the locker room and um you know we're walking out and it was funny i was i was just with that kopi uh yesterday and uh his brother was working with slovenia and it was just he was laughing because after some of the games i'd be walking out with like two three beers in my hand and he'd be looking at me like what the fuck's this guy doing over here but uh no it's fun they they make sure that um that we have a lot of fun and obviously we're there to win but uh it was it was incredible if you had two or three in your hand how many did luch have oh he was bigger hand so you know he had he had all the pockets stuffed and uh we you know we're we're a bus right away but it was like you know five minutes and him and i are at the back of the bus

we're having like three tall heineken before we even get back to the hotel we're like stumbling into the hotel we're like oh baby here we go oh yeah the young guys on that team got a few cultural experiences they got the different country and then getting to hang around luch and expanding their liver oh you know what it was it was awesome it was it was funny it was like a completely different experience from when i went uh the first time it was uh 2015 when i went so i think i was like 23 uh 24 i was a young guy kind of going out every night and then coming here i was you know luch and i were the old guys and uh we have had like you know fanzilli was there's 18 years old then we had um you know quitter and uh crafty like all these guys that are younger it was just kind of funny you know seeing the flip switch in a way and

uh the kids were great they were a ton of fun and um everybody had a great time you had to see right was that a question first time no it uh it was a question for sure i've i time. You had the C, right? Was that a question? First time. No, it was a question for sure. I've never had the experience. You know, I've been like the assistant, but, you know, in Ottawa when it was like my fourth year and it was almost like there was nobody else to wear the A. They had to give it to you then. Yeah. You know, there was nobody else to wear the A. I had like 57 goals the year before.

They're like, oh, God, we got to give this guy the assistant, you know, one of those. But it was really cool the way they did it. You know, the coaches called myself and who was it, Weegs, Looch, Lawton, and Krauser in and said that I was going to be the captain, and they were pumped for me. And, you know, it was very surreal. That tournament, it's funny because some guys, you know,

they turn it down and you understand after a long year but for anyone who's ever been it is actually that fun and like the talk of the beers after it's just so much different than I guess the Olympics when the NHL guys are there which which that happens but it's it's more laid back but you're also getting to experience international hockey so I feel like that's probably the best part about it is as serious as you're taking it and the games start, no doubt, like you're there to win a gold, but you're having a lot of fun off the ice. So it makes it more enjoyable to be there with like your buddies and you had weeks in

Looch. So it was like a crew that you were real familiar with, I'm sure. Yeah, I know. And, and I think, and to go back to that, another great thing is being able to meet the new guys, you know, like, you know, being in the west most of my career like i was in montreal for a year and a half or whatever it was but um you know being able to meet the guys who play in the east that you don't know who are 21 years old so it's like you know you just you you spread your friendship and um it also makes it easier for you you know say you get traded at some point you you know say i get traded above low or you know somewhere like that i i know three guys on the team now so it just

it makes everything you know the transition easier and um you know for the first half of the tournament you have a roommate too so it's like you know i miss that i mean i think my first year in in when i was in la we had roommates and i was with muz uh with Muzz and it was like you know it was awesome being able to you know fall asleep and you're chatting you know you're just saying stupid shit and then it was kind of the same it was the same here it was like it was me and Krauser in Arizona it was like you know we're coming home from the bar and stuff we're just like laying in bed talking about the most ridiculous thing and then we wake up in the morning we're like what were we thinking like what were we saying sort of thing. And then we wake up in the morning, we're like, what were we thinking? Like, what were we saying?

You got secondhand embarrassment. You're not even talking to each other based on the conversation the night before. Oh, yeah. The anxiety kicks in. You're like, well, what did I say? You're like, here we go. Yeah, yeah.

Oh, that was pretty dumb. I was just kidding last night. I wasn't being serious. Like, yeah, sure, man. You asked the coach for a new roommate. I wanted to ask you, you touched on being a vet and also playing with these younger guys who you've never spent any time with. Who are some of the younger guys there that impressed you the most? And from seeing the NHL evolve over your career, how fascinating it is to see some of these young guys come in with their skill set and how much stronger and more developed they are than maybe

in years past yeah i would say i'd say quitter uh buffalo for sure just because he played in ottawa for the 67 so i kind of knew a little bit about him uh watched him a little bit when he was in junior and then um i think the pat the this was his first kind of full year in buffalo the year before he was in the minors and um i think from the first practice i was talking with lawton and i was like oh shit like this guy is way better than i thought he was because i'd never played against him um so he was he was definitely fun to watch he did some some things on the isl you know feels like not very many guys can can do the you know he's so quick and fast and uh he scored some big goals for us and then obviously fantilly to 18 years old he's playing with you know you know, he's so quick and fast, and he scored some big goals for us, and then obviously Fantelli, too, he's 18 years old,

he's playing with, you know, you know how it is, some of the guys in Europe, you know, on on Latvia, they're 30 years old, you know, 34 years old, just like older men, and he scored one of the nicest goals I've seen, you know, it was his first goal of the tournament, it was huge, and

he's gonna be fun to watch, too. Yeah, we actually, we got to interview him since the tournament ended. And I was kind of blown away. You meet some younger guys, and you're around them a lot more than Biz or I, but they're quieter, more shy. It's just different. But he seems a little more mature. Maybe it's the college aspect.

I don't know. But totally seemed like a kid who's going to be ready to jump into pro hockey, whether it's this year or the year after. I was pretty impressed just by kind of not just his attitude, but his personality. Yeah, and just, you know, he fit right in. The way he looked, too. He's not small.

He's bigger than me. He's as thick as me already. He's 18 years old. But it's funny, the the first practice in budapest where all the boys are getting ready to go on the ice and and we're like where's fans like you know guys are trying to like meet each other sort of thing and shoot the shit he's on he's on the table he's getting the rub down a guy's they don't get it there you go yeah yeah so like i think i don't know what it was it might have been it might have been lot goes in and he goes fancy you good like everything okay do you hurt yourself last night like joking

around and then of course lottie comes to the room he tells me right away he goes fucking fancy's on the table you gotta go get him so i i jump up i'm like i'm so pumped to go in there and say something i'm like hey fans fans you good he goes what top is everybody gonna come in here and say something i'm like absolutely get off the table like jump on the foam roller because because the same thing happened to me when i was younger in uh in la i got on the table and and you guys you guys know matt green oh yeah so i'm on the table a greeter is one of the funniest most sarcastic guys i know and he just ripped into me and i was it took me honestly eight years to get that on the table oh my god he probably pulled his groin at the table from the mute in campus first year he

probably pulled his groin probably pulled his groin being balls deep in one of those latvian girls so that's all we've been talking about is uh all these latvia these young guys must have been walking around with boners the entire time how hot the girls are over there no right they definitely are good looking you know it's funny the way everybody everybody dressed like that too so it's like it was like a monday afternoon and you know we're on the on the bus to the rink and guys are like what is going like what is happening it's it's monday afternoon like people don't work here like what they're where you know they're all decked out they got like like all the men are like suit and tie they're just like cruising around the streets and i'm like this is not like back home this isn't

calgary we're in the cowboy boots exactly the boots and the hat you would not keep it tabs on the playoffs at all you guys even care over? Just kind of wrapped up what you guys are doing. I think I've been paying attention. Obviously, I have brands on all the teams, especially now with Vegas, with Marty and Quickie too. So I think it's been fun to watch. And I mean, I think the first round of the playoffs was some of the best hockey I've seen. And I don't even normally watch the playoffs,

especially if I don't make it. But I was watching the games, and I couldn't turn it off. Yeah, good stuff. We actually talked about Vegas, and I don't know when this will drop, but, you know, everyone talks about Petrangelo and Theodore, and they got a bunch of great team. But I feel like Martinez doesn't necessarily get enough credit. And you've seen firsthand what he does.

Like, can you explain, like, what he's like in the room? I mean, on the ice, he's just so solid, blocking shots. What kind of guy is he? Oh, he's a great dude. He cares about everybody. Everybody gets along with him. He's just one of those guys that you want him to be successful. You want him to do well.

Nice. I think when he scored both those goals in in 14 to beat chicago and then uh he gave me what five or six to beat the rangers it's like it couldn't have happened to like to a nicer guy so it almost it works out really well so um definitely cheer for him and uh obviously quickie has been playing but um cheer for quickie too he's he's the same he's such a good guy his family is awesome so uh we'll see what happens you mean you mean johnny's a pizza he uh he makes some pizzas he's got his uh he's got his uh pizza maker in his backyard here he said he would get he said he would get a 10 out of 10 pizza review from prez if prez went over

there are his are his pizzas that good they're solid i mean i'm sure i'm sure we need a couple guinness to uh to get us all warmed up and exactly and that and that'll be good but um they're actually solid and and uh him his wife is one of the best cooks too like we'd go over for for thanksgiving and it would just be one of the best spreads you've ever seen. So it's a, I believe it. I just want to quickly go back to the, to the world. So like,

were you aware of everything that was going on with Latvia and the fact that it was the first time they ended up meddling in an international competition and how crazy was it there while you guys were there to the buildup to what ended up happening as far as the celebration? I want to say there was over a hundred thousand people in the streets at one point celebrating and even the point where they declared a national holiday yeah so it was kind of funny we played them the first game of the tournament i think we won like six wide or something like that and uh i mean the fans were they were loud but it was like three four nothing after the first period so they weren't like you

know fully into it and um they reeled off like three, four straight wins or whatever it was to get into the four seed or whatever it was. So then who'd they beat, Sweden? I can't remember who it was. Yeah, they upset a big nation, either Finland or Sweden. Yeah, it would have been Sweden because we played Finland.

And when I saw that I was like what is what is going on because Sweden looked unbelievable over there like they have some stud and once once we were playing them in the semis I was like I told the guys in the room I'm like this is not the same team that we played in the you know the first game of the tournament like we got to be ready for the and I think they scored early in the first and, and all their fans traveled to Finland. So it was like, it was louder in Finland than it was in Riga. It felt like at least. And I was the, all the guys would honestly agree.

It was, it felt like that was like the one time that we were like actually nervous. I know we lost to the Swiss and we lost to Norway too, but it was like, it like mattered, but like, not really. This was like the, like the old shit moment like we got to figure this out and that's when uh quitter scored a huge goal and uh fans for the the winner there so it was it was not yeah weren't you down in that game to them at one point we we were down one nothing we tied it up and then they scored like the shift after we tied it up and i was like yes there's no i'm like what the hell's happening we're winning this game yeah and then quitter scored

from like below the goal line like off the goalie's head like banked it in something ridiculous and then uh that was like the early on in the third and then it was tied and then uh fan scored with like maybe 10 minutes left and in the third and we ended up winning. But it was a crazy game. Is part of the reason what brought you there, I mean, of course, representing your country is important, but obviously the season with Calgary probably left a bitter taste in everybody's mouth. You personally had an incredible season.

Did you just want to go there to kind of maybe end the season on a positive note, have some fun, and kind of remember why you enjoy playing the game from the beginning? Yeah, it was because a lot of the calgary guys um so weeks we said yes right away like right when they asked and he said yeah because he wanted to go um but like a lot of the the the head trainer uh kent was going um the pr guy uh kelso i don't know if you guys know kelso he was going so. So he was like in my ear right away too. And it was just like, I was thinking about it. And then army called me

from St. Louis and he was just like, uh, you know, it's going to be a lot of fun and there's no better way to end your season, you know, winning your last game. And that's kind of how I looked at it. And that's what I wanted to do. And, um, obviously, like you said, it helped having like Weegs and Looch and Mizey, these guys like that that I knew. So I was going to feel comfortable anyway going into it. And it was so, honestly, it was so much fun. Awesome. Just talking about Latvia a second ago,

does Germany feel like they've kind of taken that next step at the National League title? Like, you know, they were kind of a middling team, but they seem like they've really improved the last couple of years. Yeah. And I mean, if you think about it, they, you know, they got the silver. They didn't have Leon or Stutzel. So it's like, you know, they have those two guys. And I mean, I know it's different.

I know you can say the same thing with like Canada or, you know, whatever. But at the same time, you know, those two guys weren't there and they were still playing really good hockey. They play the right way. They play like the, you know, two guys weren't there and and they were still playing really good hockey they they played it the right way they play like the you know the the north american style so they don't really give up much and you know going into that game too it was you know we knew that we were gonna have to you know score early or you know get up early and and don't let the fans get involved because i mean the european fans are it's like a soccer game there's like drums going the whole time people are chanting we're on the power play you know people are whistling i have

the puck and i'm like i'm looking around i thought the ref blew the whistle and i was like like what the hell is going on here i had no clue that was with a lot of women looking at you like a piece of meat look at this guy's stick handling skills i'd love love to pop out a few Toffolis. Oh, yeah, exactly, exactly. No, but Germany was, they had some really good players. Who was that Perturka in Buffalo? He scored one of the nicer goals against us. He went down the wing, made a move, and sniped. I was like, you know, this kid's going to be good, too.

I know, it's kind of crazy. Germany's never had a player like Leon, and then they got Stutthof, and then they got Seider. I would imagine in the next 10 years, you're going to see even more of these Germans. I mean, it's pretty cool for the game of hockey, but especially for their country. Good point.

Yeah, no, I didn't even mention that Seider. He's unbelievable. He's a beast. He played at least 30 minutes. And on the big ice, too. It can't be easy. He's just skating around. Nobody's making plays.

He made some of the little things that people don't really notice. The people that don't really know hockey. He's doing everything and just making it all look extremely easy. What about Petrarca's teammate, Devin Levi? I didn't see much of the journey. Did he get a lot of ice over there? And this kid looks like the real deal already. What a positive guy he seems like.

Always upbeat, smile on his face. He's just a joy to be around. Every day, he was just so happy. I think he played one game. He played really well. And just the way that Mati was playing, they could not play it. He was arguably the best goalie in the tournament.

But yeah, every day he came in, he worked. He wanted to get better. He was staying on the ice. We had days off, and he was going on the rink and skating with the goalie coach. He treated it like a little camp for himself almost. And I think he's going to be good. He was definitely making some crazy saves in practice.

And I think he's going to be good too. Buffalo has some good players coming up. We don't need to go into detail, but after you guys won, who was the biggest puddle on the team? Who got the – Lucha sighed, but I think he can handle his beers better than most. So who was the guy who was just waffled where maybe if his personality came out, you were like, oh my God.

It kind of sucked is when after we won, it was, I think it was like an eight o'clock game and everybody, we had to drive to Helsinki at like 2 a.m. So by the time we got out of the rink, you know, obviously we're chugging beers in the room and then, you know, we're trying to get out. Guys got drug tested after the game. so we were like kind of waiting for them and then we had to leave them because they they were they couldn't you know take a leak after the game so it was just like it was kind of ridiculous that they're testing guys after the gold medal half the guys tested positive for viagra but like so we end up with the guy we get back to the hotel like like midnight maybe so we have like two hours of drinking beers and

uh drinking whatever the like the schlevo or whatever it was over there uh and so nobody nobody was really like that in one to be honest no okay which is kind of upsetting that's good that everybody kept it on the rails and did a classy job of parting with the gold medal. I did notice though, looking back at your hockey DB, it's pretty cool. In Ottawa, your first year there was Kilray his last year, right? Yeah. He's a famous coach.

What rubbed off of you from having Kilray as a coach there and what types of things did he teach you earlier in your, in your junior career? It was, he was, he was great. He was great to me too. I, I think it was just good to, to have like the old school mentality, you know, right from the get go. He was hard on guys. He was hard on the young guys for sure. Um, but his practices were the same, it was the same practice, honestly, every single day. And I same it was the same practice honestly every single day and i think it was like maybe 18 minutes long so 40 years dude probably yeah no i honestly i think it was the same practice his entire oh i can't it was 15 years ago you don't have to go around two on one the world's dude he's still buckled and he did the peanut to start. Yeah. He had the puck,

he had the pucks in the middle. I can't remember exactly what we were doing, but basically he would just, he would just like skate and he would like pass to the puck and he was literally just going around in a circle basically.

And just going down and ripping shots on the goalie and I'm just like, we do that for 10 minutes. I was half the practice. I'm like, I was like, what is going on?

Can we blow it down here? He's on the, he's on the bench smoking a cigar, sleeping, taking a little dirt nap. I can't remember what year it was, but they stopped letting him smoke cigars. But I want to say he still had his Molson X on the bus. We stopped a couple times for a pit stop for him.

That's awesome. I got a random question because you mentioned that year when you had 57 goals in the O. I'm just kind of looking over your stats. Did you back were you were you an overager the next year or no no so so that was my third year so i i got drafted and i went to king's camp and i i was i was not in good shape like you know i was one of those guys that you know really skilled you know score do all those things that i showed up to camp and Dean Lombardi just absolutely roasted me. Like it was one of the most, he didn't even let me finish. I don't even know if I made any of the camp. Like he didn't even let me skate with the guys. I was the second router and I was in like the, you know, group C or whatever, like the entire

camp. And I didn't even practice with the big boys basically and i've ever that summer i think i stayed in la and worked out with like you know greener stolle uh carts the all the older guys all the guys that you know take care of themselves and and whatever and i went back and just it was a it was like easy for me. I had 57 and maybe 108 points or 106 points or something like that. And so that was my third year. And then my fourth year, I think I had like 52, maybe 100 points that year. Yeah, yeah, you did. So you couldn't have played in the AHL that year anyway, though.

No, I went and played AHL games after my third year. I think I played, you know how you can go after the season You sign or whatever and I played a couple there But I think we ended up losing to The Binghamton in the playoffs And that's the year that they won they had all those guys Come back from Ottawa And ended up playing games and they

Stoked everybody Were you just not training hard enough in the off season like what was going on like what was your what was your fat test when you when you got there with the cal the scalpers there fat 20 percent popped up is it just says i wouldn't say but it was like it was it was one of those where i want to say they put it like they put everybody's thing on the board i was like for sure towards the bottom like i was just like and when i wasn't fat like and that's i was just i was like skinny fat like no muscle to my body it was just like it wasn't pretty had you not been working that hard with an off-season trainer because from what i read your father's your father's a scout right or at least was at

the time he is he is now i know he so he worked uh like minor hockey for for uh the junior canadians with me but like i mean i worked out but i was just there you know having a good time shooting the shit with all the guys and you just love the game you love the hour yeah like i'd go in like you know twice a week or you know whatever it was like i'd skip days i'd skip days and then i would just like go and skate and you know score goals and i was just like one of those i was fortunate days and then I would just like go and skate and, you know, score goals. And I was just like one of those, I was fortunate, right? And then, you know, once, once I met Dean, that was a, it was a completely different, it was a wake up call. That's the biggest thing about stepping into pro.

It's like as natural as you are. Nah, man, you got to hit the gym because all these guys are just as skilled, just as fast, just as this. So now all of a sudden it's diet, coach that coach the whole kit and caboodle all right everything yeah what's cool what's a cool part of that for me like talking to you though is i mean that's a long time ago but here it is this year you're 31 and you just had the best year of your career so it's like obviously things have changed where you've become kind of an animal training i'm assuming knowing like i want to stay in this league so i'm 35 37 years

old like things got to change and they have right yeah? Yeah. And I mean, I'm talking to my agent too, the past couple of years, he was like, oh, you got to start, you know, doing all like the little things like going for massages and you know, all the, all the, all those like little things that I never, I never did before, even like, like warming up and doing like the workouts before practices and all that stuff and stuff and working out after games. I never really did that until the past couple of years. I think for me, working out after games was so huge for me because I felt strong the entire year.

And it really wasn't – it's not hard. It's like two sets of lunges or trap bar and some core, and then you're, you're done. And it's just like the little things of, uh, keeping everything like even as much as you can through the year, because you guys know it's such a grind. So, um, that, that went a long way for me first. How annoying does it get like that? Like retiring, I was so relieved that I didn't have to spend an hour activating every goddamn muscle in my body just so I could be warm enough to go out there and go. Cause back in the day, most people just jump on the bike for 10, 15 minutes, but now it's all these band works to get your glute right from

your toes up to your, up to your noggin. You got to get it going before you go out there. Yeah. And then, like I said, you guys know how throughout the year and you get like little negative injuries or whatever it is. And I kind of like tweaked my guard a little bit so i was you know i had i was seeing the trainer on it got to the point where i'm like i'm just gonna like tough this thing out if it gets worse and it's gonna get worse but i can't i can't be doing you know all this band stuff for 20 minutes right now like every single morning at 8 30 in the morning when all you want to do is have a coffee and and do a crossword yeah watch watch the what's the highlight and hang out with the guys you know it's funny how that works oh i miss

cock talk for sure oh i miss the room that's why we have this podcast it's our mini room but uh going back to just just you know earlier the 67s days you were a second round pick i mean it was there's some solid players in the first round but i think looking back you'd be a way way higher pick where were you looking maybe to go first round like what were the expectations going into the draft when you're 18 i think i was supposed to go like you know from 15 to 30 and and it was i my my combine sucked so i'm sure everyone was like oh this guy probably doesn't care you know blah blah and it that was that was a wake-up call for me too because you know i saw some of the guys get drafted and like no offense you know there's some of them but like yeah at

the time i'm like i know i know i'm better than yep more than half of these guys and so it was just like all right people don't think I'm good enough, so I got to work and I got to prove them wrong. And if I can't prove them wrong, then obviously they were right and they made the right decision. So it's kind of stuck with me, honestly, my whole career. And it's kind of funny to see how that works. And I want to say that that's kind of why sometimes if you see a lot of the guys

in the second round end up having, you know, crazy careers because, you know, they have that chip on their shoulder and they want to prove people wrong. Did you go that night? Were you there sitting through the whole first round? Oh, I was there and it was, I was sitting there and I was like, I was like, there's no way. I'm like, there's no, it got to like pick 25. I can't remember what it was. And I think Arizona had like two picks right at the end of the first. And I'm like, I had a, I thought I had a good interview with them.

I'm like, I'm for sure getting picked up. One of these guys, like one of these, I think they had like 29 and he 27, something like that. Yeah. I'm like, I'm for sure going to Arizona. Shocker. They screwed it up. And they passed on me. I was like, what the fuck is going on

i had i was i was i was mad i was embarrassed too and it was just it was tough and that was was that when it was only one round and in the first day or did you have to sit through the rest no because yeah no it was one it was one round and then you you go back to the hotel and you're they're like oh yeah like let's let's have dinner and go to sleep. We'll come back tomorrow. I was like, what? I'm like, I don't want to do anything. I don't want to go for dinner and sit with my parents.

We thought we were going to the first round. Honestly, I wish it was all in one day and just got it over with. Well, you got the seventh most points in that draft now, so things have gone pretty good. But a few weeks before LA took you, you actually got drafted by a KHL team like totally out of the blue. You didn't talk to anybody over there. They just picked you willy-nilly, huh?

I think they picked a couple guys too, and the guys that I knew, we talked about it. We're like, what does this really mean? Does this mean we got to go over there and play some game? I can't remember who picked me, but I asked one of the Russians who I ended up playing with, and they were like, oh, that's not a good city. You don't want to go there.

After Dean Lombardi ripped you a new asshole and was blowing cigarette smoke in your face, were you considering going to the Super League or what? Oh, I thought I was going to have to. I was like, there's no way I'm playing for this guy, let alone making the team and then having to play for Darryl. I'm like, there's no shot here. Uh-oh.

Uh-oh. Should we get to the Darryl talk or what? I love Darryl. No, I love Darryl. It's funny. I mean, you guys have heard all the stories. There's stories for days, but it's just the way that he treats guys, he rubs some guys the wrong way. But if you, for me personally, because I had him when I was 20 years old. So I was like,

I was wrapped under his spell from day one. I was like, if you don't play well, then you don't play. If you don't work, then you don't play. If you don't get the puck out on the wall, you don't play. So it's just like, that's, that was like my whole thing. I'm like, I better do everything right. Or I'm going to play three minutes tonight, you know, sort of thing. And I for sure had games where I think I honestly played maybe three shifts in a game. And I wasn't even playing that. Wasn't even playing that.

And I would play three shifts. And so it was just like for me and and going back to play for daryl you know the for the second time i i loved it because i i had heard i had heard all the stuff that he was saying like all the things in the in the you know the the video sessions and all that so i i knew all of it so it was like and obviously i was one of his one of his guys too so that obviously held but he still kind of went after me every once in a while, which kind of got me going. Going back to the beginning, let's say a game you would have three shifts, would there be communication between the two of you, or would

you have to just sit there in your thoughts, and if so, like did you have any of the older guys to lean on as to be like, hey, like what the fuck did I do wrong, and they'd be like, really man, it's nothing, that's just kind of the way she is i shake i mean there's a couple i think one time i was i was actually playing really like pretty well and i show up to the rake and you know you know how like guys they're like the gold line the blue line you know the green line or whatever and i was the only guy wearing like my own color and i was like i was looking was looking around, I'm like, I'm like, what is going on? And like I said, I wasn't playing bad. I was, you know, I had like, you know, four points

in the last ten games, and I was on the fourth line, like, no power play or anything, like, whatever. And Brad Richardson came up to me, and he goes, hey, fella, don't worry about it. You know, you'll be back in the lineup next game, I promise you. I was like, there's no way. Like, I'm clearly on the odd man out. I'm literally wearing my own jersey right now and could you not the next day i'm back on a line with like carts

and someone and i'm like i'm like what is going on and there's like no communication oh there's no communication from daryl but i thought you know looking back at it i think it's hilarious and like being able to tell these stories i think it's awesome so it's like i mean he's he helped my career but i mean everybody everybody's different right i love the millionaire's role when he oh yeah oh that's so the funniest shit i've ever heard the best i can't remember who it was like kopey brownie justin williams cards but then i think like i want to say like gabriel uh dwight king dwight king was yo gabby was on it too but like dwight king was like tucked in the cord of it too it was just like the funniest thing is kinger is like the nicest guy super fly and everything but

daryl would come in and just roast millionaires bro and and me and trevor lewis would be we're on the other side in the other corner we'd be giggling, trying to hide too, because we didn't want to get chirped either. So it was awesome, though. What were the chirps he would be saying under his breath? Would he always have some famous lines that he would always recycle and go back to? A lot of times, he was just mumbling.

Oh, so in Calgary, we don't have a practice rink, right? So we'd have to go to Winsport where Canada has all their stuff. And it was like probably 20, 30 minutes outside the city. And whenever there'd be something going on at the Saddle Dome, we would have to go there. But majority of the time, we just would have like a day off. we just would have like a day off. But if we have like a, we'd have a bad game or like a bad first period. During the game, he'd be like walking back and forth mumbling, I guess we have to go to Winsport tomorrow. You guys want to go practice at Winsport? Guys are,

it's literally first period, it's like 0-0. We have like 15 shots and they have three and he's like just chirping the guys on the bench. Guess we have to go to Winsport tomorrow. The anthem finishes. Oh, guess we got to go to the practiceport tomorrow. The anthem finishes. Oh, guess we gotta go to the practice facility tomorrow. Oh, yeah. Or like, it'd be like

0-0 and he'd come in and he'd tell Vladdy Ladar to get ready to go in and we're like, we're looking at 0-0 and he's like, oh, Marky's not ready to play tonight. We're looking. We're like, Marky, he's like, there's a reason it's 0-0.

He's like, he has 10 saves. We haven't, like, tested the puck this whole period. And it's just, like, little things like that. Like you said, it's all my games. He's just trying to get guys going. You know, I guess it happened in L.A. too. It kind of just, you know, started to wear on guys. And, you know the change change happened the one

time that um you know i don't know daryl i never played for him i was hard on him on our show this year when when that kid played his first game and he was kind of asked about it he didn't know his name or pretended not to know his name and there were kind of rumblings that guys in the room were a little pissed off about that was that true or maybe a little a little uh fictitious i think that was blown out of proportion i don't think guys were like mad i think guys were maybe more upset because they didn't they weren't telling them if he was going to be in the lineup to start so it was like they wanted to get his parents in town like all the all that which i understand but going back to me, I got called up. And I didn't play for two weeks.

When I got called up, I threw my dad out. My dad stayed with me for like a week and a half. And I didn't play. One game? Not one game. At the La Quinta on the coach? And I got sent down. And then I got sent down.

And then I got called back up. And I told my dad, I'm like, I'm not flying out. I don't know if I'm flying or not. And then so he wasn't at my first game yeah but it's just it's funny how just because there was so much shit going on in Calgary too so it just

everything I feel like every little thing was getting blown up but it was funny because the whole time I was kind of laughing I'm like well at least he just got called up and he might be playing it it took me two and a half weeks to play. I've been there, bud. I've been there. That's the old school stuff that he didn't adapt to.

Like he doesn't give a shit that you're playing your first game. He just is worried about the win, the lineup. But to the point where, from my understanding is if you had a kid during the season, he was not happy. is if you had a kid during the season, he was not happy. He wanted guys dumping loads at a perfect time to where this was all happening in the offseason and not being a distraction. And if you did have a kid,

you better not be missing a game. Yeah, no, I think... You'd be in the placenta for pregame fucking getting ready to go. It was the year before me or the COVID year that Backlund had a kid. I guess he was up all night and the baby was born at like 4 AM or something like that. And he called the, our

trainer. I was like, Hey, baby's born. Like, I'll see you guys like tomorrow. I was in like, he was just going to take the day and rest or whatever. And our trainer, he said, he had to call him and be like, Hey, uh, Daryl wants to hear at the rink. Uh, you got to skate. So he said he, he showed up, he slept for like to call him and be like, hey, Darryl wants you here at the rink. You got to skate. So he said he showed up. He slept for like an hour and went to the rink, skated, or whatever it was. It was just like, I mean, it's a little thing to do. He had his own jersey in his stall on his own line, too.

Exactly, exactly. Shit brown. It was shit brown color. It makes me laugh. All that stuff makes me laugh because it's like, you don't see that. So it's like, you don't see that. So it's just, I don't know. It was hilarious to me.

So, no, and some guys take it that way. Other guys don't. Is it true at the point, whether I don't know if it was the first or second cup run in LA, that it was like a full-on team mutiny where you guys would have your own meetings and he was not involved in the meetings? That would have been, I think that was a year after okay when we it was a year after we won and um or yeah i don't know if it was 2015 or 2016 when chicago won this it was a story when justin williams we locked him out of the the locker room in tampa yeah and so like until you guys know that you that there's two ways to get

in and stick but put garbage cans in front of both of them. And I think we won the game and we were like, well, we don't want... Willie was like, we don't want this guy in the locker room. So we started blasting the music and you can see the door shaking trying to get in.

It's just like... Two could play this game, buddy. Yeah, that's when we had an older team too so it was just like with willie and stoli and greener carts copi dewey like all these all these great guys like obviously on the ice but like off the ice even better so we're like blaring the music and you see the door shaking and guys like we're dying laughing we're singing and then we jump on the bus and it's just all quiet. And then you just hear guys in the back of the bus. Like opening the ears.

You can see Daryl fuming at the front of the bus. So he would get angry? Or do you think in some cases he would love the fact that the team was uniting to go against him, but that meant you guys were bonding and that's all he needed to see? And winning. And winning, of course. I think that's all he needed to see and winning and winning of course i think that's i think that's what he i think that's what he wanted he wanted guys to come together like he loved he loved it if like you know like rookie party he loved the guys you know when we have a rookie party and everybody's going everybody's there having a good time and like he expected it he's expecting everybody to show up and be out

we'd skate the next day but you know he's expecting everybody to show up and be out. We'd see the next day, but you know, he's expecting everybody to show up and work and sweat it out. And, uh, and then after that, he, after practice, he'd be like, so how was it? Like, like, what'd you guys, I was dinner, like stuff like that. So he, he definitely wanted to bring everybody together and everybody closer. Is there, is there one story in particular, it's particular about him that you like love telling that's okay to tell where you're not divulging too much information from inside the vault of the locker room like is there anything because i i know that away from the rink he's he's a he's a very lovable enjoyable guy it just seems like when he gets to the rink he's a different person

oh he's yeah he's completely different i mean there's nothing in particular i mean with me uh there was one day at practice he just roast me the entire the entire morning i think he asked me that i was up and down and i was uh they announced that i was uh ahl rook of the year and so i was in la at the time and so guys are like happy for me like cheer for me whatever like like thank you grads and then i and then daryl was like he pulls me aside he goes so do you think you want to be a an NHL player like a good one or uh an AHL all-star your whole career and I was like wow that's not I wasn't expecting that I was expecting like you know congrats maybe and then so he's just like kind of shit on me the whole morning and then you know I leave the rink and I'm out for a walk with my wife. And she sees Daryl or she sees Chris, his son.

And I'm like, oh, God, that means Daryl's around. Like, let's get off the strand here. Like, I don't want to see this guy. And sure enough, he's right behind and he ends up walking right into us. And my cat, she's like, oh, hey, Daryl,l how are you he gives her like a big hug and kiss on the cheek and i'm standing there i'm like what is this this is awkward like i i don't want to be here he's like hey ty how was your morning how was everything i'm like what do you mean four hours ruined my morning you know four hours like i'm walking on the beach right now because

i'm stressed and i don't know what's going on. Jesus Christ. Yeah, you get back the next day, your AHL player of the year trophy's in the garbage next to your stall. You're like, what the fuck is going on with this guy? The mind games, the mind games. Going back to that cup year, I mean, you had been up the year before. You played 10 games, but then your first full season in the NHL, you win the Stanley Cup. Did you have any idea? I know they had already won one two years prior but did you did you understand like how good that team was when you got there did you know we like we can win the cup again no doubt so I think I started the year in the

minors that year because I mean I I showed up and I was like oh yeah I play games I play playoff games I'm like I'm on the team for sure yeah and then I show up and I didn't have the best camp I wasn't i wasn't very good and so i started the year of the miters and i was like well this is this is annoying like you know this is not you know this wasn't in the plans or anything and i ended up having like 15 goals and 18 games or something when i was down there and i was like i gotta get called up here soon and then i ended up getting called up and um i was i think i was like first couple games i was playing with carts and and and mike richard and i was like this is pretty cool now like this

is way better than playing in manchester you know um and we were kind of like we were i think we finished in like sixth place that year but like we played like the king style we were winning games like two one three two like i don't think we ever blew anybody out. It was just, there was always a close game and Quickie always playing like lights out. And then once we got in the playoff, it was just like the whole mood kind of switched and everyone was like, all right,

like this is all business now. We got to, you know, get to work. And we ended up going down 3-0 to San Jose. I'm like, well, this isn't ideal. And we ended up coming coming back and winning and it was almost one of those things where after that happened i felt like there was no way we weren't gonna win yeah it was it was it obviously wasn't easy we we went to game seven against anaheim and and chicago and um and then obviously beating beating new york in the final but it was that team, if you look back now, you'd be like, there's no way that these guys didn't win.

Do you remember after losing Game 3 to San Jose, did the guys have drinks? At that point, it's kind of like, all right, what are we going to do here? Do you remember what the message was or who spoke or kind of what happened leading into Game 4? So the first two games were in San Jose, and they mapped us. there was like six two seven one or something like that and game three was in la we lost in overtime and and i think it was i think it was uh marlo gourd like a weird one it like hit off someone and like bounced over quickie's head and went in we got back to the room we're

like this is this is better like we were, you know, we lost, but we were happy with, like, we should have won, in a sense. And game four, we came out and we won, and it was just, we took it every, you know, game by game, and it was one of those things where once we won, I think, we won game five in San Jose, we're like, all right, now we know we can win in San Jose. So, you know, let's, you know, come back.

And we ended up, you know, taking the game seven. And once we got the game seven, we're like, there's no way we're like this. This series is dark. You guys talk about like the history in the room, like only like at the time, like three teams, I think, had come back. Did you even mention that or did you just kind of focus on the task at hand uh we never really mentioned it i think but i think carson and rick were on on that team yeah yeah that came back right so i want to say they might have they might have talked about a little bit but it wasn't like we weren't comparing ourselves to anybody else

we're like we we know what we have to do. We got to get stuff done. The first three games, we were just awash and we're like, all right, now we got to win four straight. They were down 3-0 in game seven, too, after being down 3-0 in the series. Crazy. Yeah. You got a huge assist, Martinez's double overtime cup winner in game five. Were you looking

for one of business pads to pass off the pads there? Was that your intention? You want you want pop no no i was i was going i was going shelf and i got deflected got deflected i went right right to marty and that was honestly that seeing that go in i think i think super elo came in and it was like a three on two with him back checking and he i shot it he absolutely buried me i shot it from like the top of the circle and i ended up in the corner and i i had like the perfect view of marty putting it in i was just it was one of the craziest experience and just seeing like uh you know a guy like mary gabbert never winning and finally winning robin regier the same like same thing like older guys that had never won and and i'm you know

sitting here it's like my first full year i'm just like this spoiled little kid you know being able to win this daily cup and uh definitely kind of took it for granted in a sense because um i didn't get back until you know for eight years not even close like losing the first round sort of thing so um but yeah no that experience is not were you guys partying after every round because because i i from my understanding during that first cup run they got the eighth seed and they were totally it was totally unexpected that they were going to go on this tear i think they beat vancouver in the first round who won the president's trophy that year yeah and they were just playing with house's money so apparently with the time

off they were really enjoying themselves where they were going like two, three day benders. Did they take that same approach in that run? No. Oh, I, so I heard that they were, they were going out and they were going on like, you're going golfing and just like playing two rounds a day. And I'm just, and I'm like, and I was at the, when we were winning it, we went seven games every, every round and we're on the road for game seven. So we were like, we were packed up and just like going from city to city.

Honestly, it felt like we didn't have a break until after beating Chicago, we had maybe like three days and we were still doing like all the media and stuff. So it wasn't like we even had any time off. Right. So once it was finally over. Those were three game seven wins on the road? On the road. I think it's, I think we're the only team to do that. That's fucking awesome. Oh my goodness. And then you get to win it at home, right? So it's like perfect.

Yeah. I mean, you guys know how the Shark Tank was back in the day. You couldn't hear yourself talk or think or anything. And then Anaheim was really cool because it was really loud, but a lot of Kings fans would make the trip. So it was kind of like the fans almost going back and forth, and they're cheering for both teams. So that was just as loud as Staples Center in the stand.

And then you guys know Chicago. Chicago, the most insane building. Is there a reason that you wear number 73? It's almost like a training camp number you're given. It is. You kept it forever yeah so it i got it it was my training camp number and i never really cared about my number but um i got called up and then we ended up winning and then we the next the next year i didn't like nobody even asked me if i wanted to change my number i'm like that's kind of weird like Like, I got to make the team. Like, I'm on the team.

Like, like, like, like, I'm like, there's no way. And I was, I was thinking the whole time. And then Dean came up to me. It was like, yeah, there's no fucking way to change your number. Like, that's bad luck. You know, you can't change your number. Like, what are you thinking? I'm like, oh, that actually, that's a good point.

And then I just kind of stuck with it because I think it's pretty cool. It's unique. And, you know, there are very it because I think it's pretty cool. It's unique. There are very many guys who wear 73, so it's kind of funny. Well, you ended up having the 70s line, so it ended up working out perfectly, right? So you guys got like a coin name for your line. It was you, Karts, and who, sorry? Pierce.

Oh, Pierce. That was the training camp number two so kind of fun it's funny how how it worked out but that was that was really cool the you know the 70s line and obviously people making a big deal and uh we were just kind of hanging on the carts as coattails there he was he was playing lights out in the playoff i want to ask you but i mean this year was your career high in points correct yeah third third. 34 goals. And, you know, you had a great start with LA and there were a couple of years there where your play dipped. Like what, or at least from a point perspective, like did you lose your game a little bit? What happened? And how were you able to like get back to playing the

way that you're able to play? Like, I think, I mean, you guys know how it is. I guess as the season goes on, it gets harder and get, you it gets more intense and and obviously being like a younger guy too yeah you you do get a little tired so um i think for me i just kind of i would lose confidence a little bit and then um being a younger guy i'd lose i wouldn't play as much so i'd be losing ice time and then i'd be frustrated with that and now i think that's what kind of changed is even if I didn't play as much, I knew that I'd still get my, my one or two grade a scoring chances and I have to score. I have to,

you know, be able to finish or, or create something. And I think that's kind of the biggest thing, even, you know, when I went to Montreal, I had that crazy year at 28 goals and 54 games or whatever it was. And it was just a matter of, you know, when I went to Montreal, I had that crazy year. I had 28 goals and 54 games or whatever it was.

It was just a matter of, you know, being able to capitalize on your chances and not getting frustrated because that's really what it comes down to is what I think. If you lose, as a skill guy, if you lose your confidence, then, you know, that's everything for you. We had the Daryl conversation but with this year i mean i know you guys made some major moves but you guys got a great team on paper are you guys expecting a major turnaround next year was this just a an off year where everything went wrong like what

what are your expectations for this season coming up and what can change in order to make it better yeah i mean like you said everybody had us i think winning the west you know i did you guys made me look like a fucking idiot. Thanks. Well, you know, we had the curse. You can't bet on us. You got my fucking head shaved on national television, Toph. Every time you bet on someone, that team always loses.

They lose. He's a monster. Literally, you're Drake. You're calling me Drake? Every single time. He actually likes that. Sick, sick, sick, sick, and it's not it wasn't a compliment but every time you like every time you bet on something you're like oh these guys are awake

and they lose like 10 straight games yeah i'm like i'm a mushy i'm like this guy this guy is nuts but i think i think we're gonna turn around i mean like you said we we have the guys and i don't know what's gonna happen i don't know obviously we have all these guys that have a year left and um i don't know if they're going to trade some of us or or sign guys whatever whatever's going to happen but um it's going to be interesting but if if i'm there then um i'm expecting us to be a completely different team well based on what you're saying about marky almost getting the hook after making 12 saves in the first period, not giving up a goal, I think that he'll bounce back and have a monster year. I got the chance to play with him in Florida and San Antonio, one of my favorite guys. But I

wanted to ask you, I love the Saddledome. It's 100% time for a new building and it's great news that they're going to get one. But you must have been laughing when Weeks did his postseason press conference, and he's like, yeah, we need a new rink. Oh, well, I mean, I don't want to, like, you know, throw Weeks under the bus, but you know how it is, like doing those interviews in the media. You're still kind of in one from the night before. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I saw Weeks in the morning, and I'm like, oh, you know,

he's got to be hurting a little bit. And then he does that, and I and i think i was like next or or like two after him to do by my media and he came in he goes i can't believe i just fucking said that i'm like oh what'd you say he goes well i told him we need a new fucking ring and i'm like oh baby here we go so when i was walking to do my media um i remember it was kelsey or something they're like yeah we said we need a new ring so you might get like a couple questions on that i'm like all right well if they ask me i'm gonna say yes because i mean it is true i mean you guys you guys have been at dome it's it's time and it's funny just i mean like our locker room you know it's it's not like not nhl standard daryl probably loved it

did daryl love the locker room i mean mean, probably, but the family room for the wives, it's not... It's tough, but I mean, once they get this new rig built, I'm sure I won't be in the league. It'll take 10 years or whatever it takes to build a rink, but it'll be good, and I think the city needs that. I think it would be awesome for

the city. I want to ask, too, when you signed with Montreal, what was the ultimate thing that led you to Montreal? What was the ultimate thing that led you to Montreal? Was it the deciding factor that you ended up there? Well, it was kind of tough. That was the COVID year. It was the worst time ever for a free agent to sign. And I had two, three

teams, like serious, you know, whatever, seriously talking to. We kind of just decided that we wanted to give Montreal a shot. My wife wanted to go there, and it was one of just decided that we wanted to give my trail a shot and uh my wife wanted to go there and i was it was just one of those things where it happened um you know i thought i was going to be there for four years and after that first season there i was like oh you know this is gonna be awesome you know i'm gonna be here we're gonna be good and

uh webby you know got hurt had to shut it down and price her too. And, you know, it was just like the worst things that could have happened. And then I was just one of those guys. I had the trade value and they made the decision to move me. But we enjoyed our time in Montreal. The city is awesome. It was just nice walking around. And like I said, my wife loved it. um it's it was just it was nice walking around and like i said my wife loved it she walked everywhere every day through old old montreal and and griffintown and all that stuff well you got to

play in some pretty good canadian markets i mean you had a cup of coffee in vancouver i think a lot of people were surprised that you didn't end up resigning there like what was what was your experience there and and and you know why why did that not go down yeah it was it was weird i i loved it i talking to the guys you know i was like i'm for sure gonna come back here i was waiting i was trying to sign you know right away with like when when i got traded and they're just like oh we wanted to see how it all worked out and i was like okay like i you know i get it or whatever and then covid hit shut us down and I was still the whole time. I'm like, all right, well, they're going to come back to me at some point.

And I, I don't think unless I can't imagine my agent is going to be lying to me, but I don't think that they called ever. So it was definitely kind of like a frustrating experience because I loved it. And, uh, the city is amazing. We, we had a really good team, uh, and they ended up just going in a different direction. They, I mean,

they didn't, they didn't sign me, Marky or, uh, Tannen or, or Stetch, you know, four guys that were,

you know, were liked in the locker room. And, um, you know, I think, I think it was frustrating for, you know,

some of the guys that are still there or, you know, or whatever, but, and all four, you ended up in Calgary yeah because that's ended up there at the deadline this year holy shit just pick it up there's sloppy seconds eh yeah the calgary cannot oh man hey uh i also read that you're a big adam sandler guy so you just crushing adam sandler movies when you're not at the rink or what i I used to when I was younger and you know how it is in the minors and stuff or the bus rides or

um there's not a there wasn't a whole lot to do in man so we uh I would watch movies with my roommate and watch tv shows and wow you know how it is did you like uncut gems the gambling one i i did that that movie was that movie the ending kind of got me i threw it for a loop but yeah that was intense that whole watch i'm like i felt like i was on adderall i know i was sweating the entire time it was like one of those where you're like sitting down to like kind of you know relax and enjoy your night you're like you're just like you're leaking leaking air. Like I got to get showered. Toph, do you give a fuck about the leaf strout being from Scarborough? I, I do not.

I think it's, I think, I mean, it's, it can't be easy playing that market. It's one of those things where there's so much pressure. It's almost like at the start of every year, it's always a leaf deer. And because of it, when like the first, because says that. You think Dubas is a traitor? I don't know him at all. I thought that that was like a weird press conference at the end of the year. Are you wearing a wire? I didn't really.

I didn't understand it. But, I mean, at the end of the day, you know, he's got to work. He's got to pay the bills now. So, you know, good for him to move on. And now he's going to pay the bills now so you know good for him to move on and now he's going to work with Sid where do you spend the summers? Sounds like something a Calgary Canuck would say I'm in

I'm in Hirosa Beach it's not hard living yeah I know we bought our place when I was still playing here and it was it's nice a few guys still live out here and some of the Kings guys stay out here in the summer too

so I can date with them. Does Greener still live there? Oh, Greener's still out here. Dude, I got to play with him before college. I know you mentioned him. Probably the funniest person I've ever met.

At least one of them. Other than Drew Doughty? Oh, yeah. Dewey's just an idiot. Dewey just pisses me off sometimes. He's just so loud and obnoxious and then you're like, at the same time, you're like, I can't believe this guy's a Hall of

Famer already. He's still going to play for eight more years. It's just ridiculous. But Greener, yeah, Greener is the best. He's one of those guys that can go sit in a bar and by himself and if you look around and you walk in there's like 10 people around him talking to him because he's just telling stories and and meeting people he's

he's that's the way he is that's the best way to describe ty when you were a rookie did you live with uh other young guys with all the teammates how'd that work out early in la i was i was by myself but um we had so pierce it was me pierce and uh linen bay we were kind of getting sent up and down a little bit and so we when we get called up we we would move into a uh like a residence in and you know share the room so it was actually kind of nice because it was easier for us to to make the transition of going to the rink and skate because you know how it was actually kind of nice because it was easier for us to make the transition of going to the rink and skate because you know how it is.

It's hard when you go into a locker room and older guys and you're a young guy, you're taking one of their friend's spots, essentially, and taking the medal of the lineup. I think that made it easier for us to kind of come in and break through and make the team. Boys, I don't got much that made it easier for us to kind of come in and break through and make the team. Boys, I don't got much else.

That was awesome, dude. It's been, go ahead, Bist. I was just going to maybe ask, we didn't talk about your cup parties in particular. I know that the, the, the LA win must've been like chaotic with like celebrities around, maybe Will Ferrell in the mix. Like, what did you do with your day with the cup? Just maybe the overall entire experience. mix like what did you do with your day with the cup just maybe the overall entire experience yeah it was good you know being able to to bring the cup home and and you know basically for me

like show i have my parents you know show it off and and you know bring it to the you know where i grew up in in scarborough you know it's it's not it's not every day that the other stuff i come up in scarborough so uh i thought it was it was really cool i didn't i didn't honestly do anything crazy with it obviously we uh we partied it um you know don't remember how half the half the party but um the but the stuff in la was awesome we had we had the uh cup parade through uh downtown which was which is cool but you know it'd be like the kings we were we're a deal, but we're not like the big deal like the Lakers are. We're not going to

fill the street in downtown, but we had a cup parade throughout the South Bay where we live and it was like the best day I've ever had. I'm on like an army tank with Brownie with the cup. For whatever reason, me and Brownie, I'm with the captain

and Brownie doesn't really drink, so i'm like kind of drinking by myself and like you know we're going through the the beaches pack the people in the houses on a strand are packed and they're like throwing us beers and i'm like i'm sitting i'm sitting there with brownie and i you know like i was like a younger guy too so he's just laughing at me like you're such an idiot off like you know like have fun or whatever so we're let's like people are throwing beers there's there's a photo it's i don't know if you guys have ever been uh to the north end north end bar and yeah um but there's a photo of of one of the bartenders throwing me a case of beer for for me to drive like with with you know throughout the parade it was it's just it's one of the more iconic photos for me it was just like it's so it's just it was so funny and then we end up at one of the

restaurants we're on like a patio and guys were throwing beers into the fans and i'm like like those are full beers like if that hits someone like they're going down like they're they're still at the gig you know but uh it was it was funny because that same night I remember Kofi ripped my shirt and I was like, I was like, fuck, I got like, everybody's here or management. I was literally the only guy with no shirt on. I'm like, this isn't good. So I, I, I Uber home, get a new shirt, come back into the bar. As soon as I walk in, Kofi rips it again. I'm like, are you kidding me? it again i'm like are you kidding me and then finally like i think like at that time half the guy's shirts were already ripped so i wasn't the only one but i was just like i was like two shirts like you know i'm i'm not making the best money anymore like they were like nice shirts too because i want to look good you know like a couple photos harmony exchange v-necks not not not then i i didn't have the body for that those are the 20 body fat days that must have been a great celebration but buddy thank you so

much for hopping on it was great shooting the shit and uh best of luck man i know it's a contract you're free you're coming off a monster season and i hope uh the calgary canucks can turn it around i appreciate it. No, it was awesome. Congrats on the Worlds, man, and good luck next year. So thank you very much. Big thanks to Tyler Toffoli for jumping on with us. Great kid.

He's a winner, man. I remember when he got traded to New Jersey, which the interview, like I said, happened before then. Posh was like, is this a good trader? Like, we had to, like, totally convince him. I'm like, buddy, he's a fucking 30-goal scorer, a cup. He's a fucking good leader. Of course you'd want that freaking trade.

But good shout with him. Like I said, it was before he went to Calgary. I'm sorry, New Jersey from Calgary. That's why we didn't delve into that. But gee, you guys were chatting about something a minute ago. I didn't catch it. What did we just come up with? Yeah, so me and my friends were having this argument earlier this week,

and I kind of posed it to Merle's before you came on. But good hockey question. Not a lot of hockey talk right now. So figured I'd present it to you guys where if an expansion team started tomorrow and you can take one player from the Eastern Conference, but you have to take them at this point in their career to start a franchise with, who would you take? So I was like, like yeah my guy has always been headman so like i want the d man he can play 35 minutes but obviously he's too old now to be that guy and it was it's tough like i feel like you got to take a d or a center right it's you need a guy that is going to be going to be out there the d can be out there 30 minutes you need the center you watch all these stanley cup winning teams they're always strong

they're built down the middle so i was you know i was i really i really thought long and hard about brady kachuk i love i i love his game he's young he's got that leader he's going to be like his brother when he gets in the playoffs. He's great, but he's a winger. So I'm like, I'm a little hesitant to take him. And then I said, hey, Jack Hughes. But then Pasha will be all over me trying to get back on the devil. So I couldn't go with him.

I landed on our guest. And I didn't do this because he's our guest. I landed on Owen Power. I'm going to take a chance on him just because he is the most like Hed he's big he's a d he's gonna be durable he can skate he seemed like a nice kid a good leader so i landed on owen power out everybody so i have two here i have an ra i'll let you i'll let you process this a little longer so my first one it, it came down to Austin Matthews or Jack Hughes. And I'm going to go with Jack Hughes. I think both of them have... And when you're starting a team, there's so many things that play into it. But I think marketability is huge. You need someone

that's going to put fans in the seat. Jack Hughes is putting fans in the seat. Austin Matthews as well is definitely putting fans in the seats. But what I saw out of Jack Hughes, I think this playoffs and this season, the way he handled the media, the way he took such a bigger leadership role on the team, I just think this kid has it all. I really do. From the way he plays his game, his hockey IQ, to he's even a little gritty out there sometimes. So I think I would go with Jack Hughes, but a close second. And I know you guys might think this is crazy, but I think I would pick Igor. I think Igor Shishirkin. I just, when you have a goalie, it's so, it just makes, you can build from without.

So I don't know. I just, Igor is so fucking good. out um so i don't know i just igor is so fucking good um and yeah so it's it's jack hughes igor and then probably austin matthews yeah i didn't think about the goalie yeah that him or uh sorokin either one of those new york goalies are gonna you're gonna and you know kind of like vegas when they got flurry like you know you don't have to think about that position that's your goalie set i like we got 17 of them it's funny i did think goalie first all the time as a former goalie but uh i was like yeah the last couple years goalies haven't had to like carry teams to the stanley cup is this gonna be a trend is this just uh i don't fluky thing so i'm gonna go one step further i'm gonna take one from each each position so in that vein i'll go uh go with building today, Devin Levi, man.

That's a little bit of a roll of dice. He's certainly not a proven NHL vet yet, but I love the pedigree. I like what I saw early. I would start with him. And I'm going to sound like Merle's here, but I would say on D, man, Rasmus Darlene, man, that kid is still getting better. He's basically a Norris Calvert

candidate right now. I mean, they got the same names. They kind of rotate each other. You can only have three finalists, but I don't know, man. That kid is going to be by the time he's 27, Norris caliber candidate right now. I mean, they got the same names. They kind of rotate each other. You can only have three finalists. But I don't know, man. That kid is going to be, by the time he's 27, 28 years old, he's definitely going to be an annual Norris, if not winner, candidate. If you say Tage Thompson here, you are doing some hard Buffalo pandering. That's my team, R.A. I'm the Sabres guy.

But I am going to go with a winger and probably a bit of a homer move here but after what we saw Matty Kachuk do with Florida this season basically carry them to the playoffs in the playoffs until he broke his fucking sternum then still played he's just got that extra something special that it offsets the fact he's not right in the middle

in the pivot position Matty Kachuk man I think he proved the whole hockey world this kid got balls of steel plus he's an unbelievable player. He's another guy who has it all, both on and off the ice. He's a guy that's going to put fans in the seat. He's very marketable.

You can make commercials about him, and he'll do the commercials. He's active on social media. I love that pick, R.A. Nice. What else is shaking, boys? Anything exciting on next week? Oh we got a we got a big week this week gee sorry marils i didn't mean to cut you there yeah no you guys talk about that it's not some exciting news you guys are headed up there heading to boston i won't be making the

trip uh i don't have a passport right now i had to send in my passport i ran out of stamps i are like pages that have stamps in it so i had a i had to send it in to get a new one so i'm in the yeah i'm waiting on that i'm gonna get the thick one this time so i don't have to worry about that boston for us i mean we're we're getting there on monday we're gonna film some college hockey content tuesday we're filming a sandbagger i'm not gonna release the name of the guest he may have just won a stanley cup um wednesday we're doing some big big big time interviews then we have the barstool awards at night and then thursday we're out of there so pretty jam-packed week we're doing some big, big, big time interviews. Then we have the Barstool Awards at night.

And then Thursday, we're out of there. So pretty jam-packed week. We're very excited, though. And I can't wait to get back to Boston. And we're out of here. Me, all the way, three miles back to Czech Town. I'm looking forward to it as well. My second sandbag of Merle's.

I got to replace you. I might be the new beer wench on the tour if you don't get back here soon. Yep. Food and beverage commissioner. I like it. There we go. I always wonder what happens if your passport gets too many stamps so they give you a whole new one or

like like years ago you could just send it in and they would add pages to it so we all had to do that one year when i played in croatia they would you would just send it in they added the pages because in croatia you got stamped every time you left and every time you came in and then every time you went to russia you'd have they would take a full page with their visas. We went to Kazakhstan, a full page for the visa, but now they don't do that. Now you gotta, you gotta get a whole new passport. So I had to do all the information, send it all in, get the two mug shots, just a pain in the butt. But I had to do a time where I'm going to be here for, you know, six weeks while I'm waiting for it. It's, it's tough. But speaking of the sabers

some sad news this week uh legendary play-by-play announcer rick generate passed away so send some condolences to his family and friends he was the goat he was the best um i i grew up watching sabers games and you know when then my buddy connelly played there i was watching all the game he made every game exciting and you, everybody knows about the legendary calls he made. His longtime partner was Jim Lorenz. So if you're familiar with them, he was an NHL player. He played for the Bruins. He won a Stanley Cup for the Bruins.

So his name was Jim Lorenz, right? That's what everybody called him. Funny story is when Rick RJ was announcing in the OHL, that's where he started, Jim Lorenz was playing there, but his name was Lawrence. His name was Jim Lawrence. And Rick Jenneret came down to him and said, hey, I want to say Lorenz. Do you have a problem with me changing it to Lorenz instead of Lawrence? And Big Jim was like, nah, I don't care. Big Jim was like, nah, I don't care. So next thing you know, a guy goes all the way to the NHL, becomes Jim Lorenz, ends up becoming his sidekick, the color guy for years in Buffalo. And I just thought that was a funny story that nobody probably hears about with RJ. You heard all the other stories. He was a great guy.

And condolences to the family and to Sabres Nation. Very well said, Merles. I know that was your neck of the woods, your big Sabres guy, so you heard him more than anyone, so it was only proper that you gave the tribute to him. It's just a hell of an announcer. All right, moving right along. Gee, I don't know if you caught anything on TV movies lately.

One quick recommendation on Netflix. I watched the Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary. It's a three-part docuseries, and obviously he's in it, which means he's probably a producer and condones what's in it. I'll tell you, man, wild story. The guy kicked up in Austria, like came to America. He just had this dream of being what he became, one of the biggest movie stars ever. And, you know, he's had some skulls in his closet.

He faced it straight on, man. A lot of guys, people do these and they, you know, they sugarcoat or kind of, you know, don't address things. And, you know, he owned up to it and he took that on. He just seems like a really funny, charismatic guy and just a hell of a story. The American dream personified. So if you get a chance, check out that Ani Dark. All right. I started that show, Painkiller, last night on Netflix.

I watched one episode. It was pretty good. Ended up falling asleep for episode two because I was so tired because I've been on the golf course all day. I'm coming for you, Witty. But i i loved it i mean i love the first episode i don't know if you've seen that yet i haven't i know uh what was the one with michael keaton that was just on hulu same same topic basically that name's escaping dope sick dope sick yeah i mean i have it my cue which is i don't know like well i guess when you grow up and you know so many people you already kind of know that story when people get fucked up on it so it's like yeah, yeah, you know, I know the nitty gritty is a lot more info, but I'll have the appetite probably to watch it someday.

But right now, it's just I don't know. You just get frustrated. It's so mad at what those fucking scumbags were able to do and the havoc they wreaked on this country. But all right. Merle, skin on a dollar note like that. Crayfish or crawfish? Did you have you got any shit to say in crayfish online? I know both are acceptable.

No, I just always call them crayfish. I think that's only down in the south, crawfish, right? I think over here, everybody translated for me crayfish over here. When I was a kid, I was catching crayfish down in the swamp behind my parents' house. So I'll stick with that. I thought they were two different things. I thought crayfish was like a Swedish type of fish or something. I am an idiot.

We got to get you over here next August. We got to get you over here next August. We got to get you over here for one. Who knows? The NHL is playing over there this season. Have to see what happens there, Merles. Yeah. I'm working on an itinerary over here. I'm planning on you guys coming.

Nice. All right, gang. Hopefully you enjoyed the interviews. We'll be back next week. Catch you later. Have a good one.