Spittin Chiclets - Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 521

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, Spittin' Chicklets listeners, you can find every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. What's up, everyone? Myself and Biz are here. Just an absolute tragedy that happened this past week. And we recorded an episode last week. It was Wednesday. We're going to take just a little time off before the season previews and this news crushed us all um and we totally understood

Starting point is 00:00:33 of of having to come back on and and and talk about johnny and and matthew and and what actually went down and there's really no words um this is one of the hardest things we've ever had to do and i i don't really even know know what to say as as i think is the main sentiment with with the news of their passing is that it's just unspeakable it's it's an unimaginable tragedy um to lose two amazing people forget hockey just amazing people fathers soon to be father and Matthew and in the prime of their life in an absolutely you know just disgusting disgusting move by this drunk driver it's just I it's really hard to sit here and make sense of it all. I don't think it's really possible. Um, I got a text Thursday night. It was about 10 50, uh, from somebody I'm close with who said, listen, I'm hearing like something awful happened with

Starting point is 00:01:41 the Goudreau brothers. And I was like, what do you mean? And the guy said, I think they got hit by a drunk driver. They're on their bike, their bicycles. I'm like, what? And I wrote like, are they alive? And he said, no. And right away I called biz. And it wasn't even like verified. Like this guy knew um but just it was the shock

Starting point is 00:02:09 and the and the kind of horror of it you're just like what what and and then you know at that point i had no idea it's his sister's wedding the circumstances that go into this, it is one of the most awful, tragic stories I've ever heard in my life. And it doesn't even matter that Johnny was this NHL superstar. It's just two family members celebrating what was probably one of the best nights of their lives, right? Their sister's getting ready to get married the next day. All their family, all their friends, they're in town. It's the end of summer. Season's starting soon. They do probably the right thing by hopping on two bikes, right?

Starting point is 00:02:54 Maybe they had a couple of drinks and nothing wrong. And they're dead. And it's something where you're just like, you sit around. I woke my wife up who didn't know John and I won't pretend at all to be, we weren't very close friends, but in the time I got to spend with him, just an unreal guy, like so humble, like no ego, so funny to be around, like didn't care at all. a he was an nhl superstar like probably didn't even know it honestly like in talking to kevin hayes who god my heart breaks for him as well um it was

Starting point is 00:03:33 just such a normal he was such a normal guy and then you hear stories of matthew and i saw a post of somebody who was um trying out for i think the omahaters USHL team and said how good of a guy he was. He knew that this apparent kid wasn't going to make the team and still included him in everything. It's just so gross that this happened. It just makes no sense. And, Biz, when I called you right away, you were just obviously as crushed as anyone.

Starting point is 00:04:01 And I'm just kind of rambling, but what else do you do in something like this? Yeah, it's like, this is just like, this is smoke the hockey community. All I've been able to, like all weekend, just every hour on the hour, you're just thinking about his family and what they're going through right now

Starting point is 00:04:18 and how they've been shattered at this stupid act. And yeah, I just, it just, you just resort back to friends and family and how gutted you are for what they're going through and i mean like you said you didn't really know johnny that well personally and neither did i but obviously we're close with kevin hayes and yans and you know it's like hockey guys like you know what's he like and then they both look at you they both give you that look and they'd be like he's the best he's the best and when they say that you just know and then getting the chance to meet him a few times and just reading all the messages about him is exactly how you describe like these these kids weren't her to fly they were the the best of friends with everyone and um given all this

Starting point is 00:04:59 superstardom with johnny like you said you you would just never know, just so humble, no ego and, and just so beloved anywhere he went, anyone he touched. And, uh, this is just, um, this is brutal. I, I, this is, this is a tragedy guys. And, and I'll, I'll keep reiterating. I just, my condolences and my heart goes out to the family and friends that are, are going to be dealing with this for a while. This is something that just, the family and friends that are are going to be dealing with this for a while this is something that just this is this this is rock the hockey community yeah it just isn't like it's just like i said before it just makes no sense you're just like like it all these people are there to celebrate a loved one friend's wedding and and then they're all staying around for like services like what the fuck and i i i i talked to kevin quick that night i just i just kept saying i'm so sorry it was like all i could say it's like close to three years to the day of losing his brother jimmy who

Starting point is 00:06:00 was 31 years old at the time it's like like, holy shit. And in thinking of Johnny Gaudreau, this kid came to BC. This kid was told he was too small his entire life. He comes to BC. They're like, oh, what's this kid going to do? He lit up the USHL. Remember, Monty was telling us about him, Jim Montgomery,

Starting point is 00:06:21 trying to make himself a little heavier in the combine stuff and comes to BC. Oh yeah, he lit up the USHL, but he's tiny. Well, he comes into BC and just dominates his freshman year. Scored one of the most beautiful goals

Starting point is 00:06:37 you could ever see to seal the national championship game. Gee, I think it was like Ferris State they were playing maybe yeah it was incredible when he went to the back and top shelf it was one of the most beautiful goals you've ever seen and uh john buchigras had some like beautiful words with a tweet about you know with that goal in it and just kind of talking about him and and then sophomore year he comes back he lights it up even more than junior year you're like whoa i think he had 80, he lights it up even more. Then junior year, you're like, whoa, I think he had 80 points. He wins the Hobie Baker. And still, what you heard around hockey circles was like,

Starting point is 00:07:10 ah, this kid can't do it in the NHL. He's just too small. And that didn't slow him down one bit. Right after the season ended at BC, he went to Calgary, scored a goal in his first game. The next year, he lights it up. He continued to get better and better. And like all of a sudden, nobody was talking about his size. It was like almost like a strength for him because he was so, you couldn't catch him, you couldn't hit him. And then as with all the greatest players, but especially these smaller guys, like his hockey IQ, like the plays he would make. the hockey iq part of it goes back to when the kid was probably seven years old there was a clip that's gone around viral for

Starting point is 00:07:50 years now of him at the brick tournament and he's spinning around behind the net the goalies on the other side like he was truly a prodigy i think you could say because he was always so undersized and he was always the best player uh jordan schmaltz had a post about playing against him they were the same birth year and like every time he was like four or five points gadreau like is this he can't do it at the next level and he always did it at the next level and then he somehow um you know ends up leaving calgary where people were so shocked and what was it about it was about being close to his family and you read articles um there was an old i think players tribune article or athletic i'm not exactly sure where it talked about the bond between him him and his brother that's like the hardest thing

Starting point is 00:08:36 i think uh parents out there and you know maybe you think of two brothers two sisters it doesn't even matter but like how close they were. And this article talked that even though, and it was John and Maddie, which I got a kick out of. It was Johnny Hockey to the hockey world, but in their family, it was John and Maddie. And Maddie was two years younger, but he kind of seemed almost like a big brother to Johnny. This article talks about Johnny didn't know where to go to school. And he's like, Matt, you pick. You decide. And Kevin gave an amazing Instagram post talking about the day at BC

Starting point is 00:09:12 when he was asked to take Johnny and Matt around school. And little did he know the friendships he would gain. And Kevin said the other day, he's like, I just cannot believe I can't call him again. I can't believe it. And that's like, it just hits you. Like this thing has been said,

Starting point is 00:09:30 it's just all since Thursday night, it's just like random times during the day. I'm just like, just got it. Like just crushed with like, you know, grief and, and,

Starting point is 00:09:41 and just your heart breaks for this family. And it's like, nobody deserves this. But I think that the amazing thing is that Johnny Goudreau will live on forever with people. I mean, this is a guy who just, he proved everyone wrong. I think Cole Caulfield posted something on My Hero with the broken heart emoji as an undersized guy. There are undersized kids to this day

Starting point is 00:10:11 that have just dreamed of being Johnny Gaudreau and watched how he played and carried himself. It's an unspeakable tragedy that the whole entire hockey world has been just rocked to the core, as you said, Biz. And I don't really know where you go from here. You just pray. I just pray that his family is able to get over it someday.

Starting point is 00:10:39 And then there's a side of you like, can you ever get over that? That's the saddest thing. That's the hardest part is you know you thinking of somebody losing a son or a daughter and you lose your two sons at one time it's like oh my god it could be 20 years from now i'll think of this and you'll just be emotional just feeling just sick for the goudreau family so it's's a horrible, horrible day that'll kind of live on forever in hockey. I can't believe that Johnny Goudreau's dead. You just can't. You can't even believe it. He was a larger than life figure. It was Johnny Hockey. It was just so shocking. And I know I'm rambling,

Starting point is 00:11:25 It was just so shocking, and I know I'm rambling, but I don't know. We have this episode, like we mentioned, we did Wednesday. We're going to put it on after this. You can understand if people don't want to listen. You can understand if you're looking to just take your mind off things and want to listen. If you do, if you don't, no problem whatsoever. But my last thing, I guess, would be this kind of teaches you, and we've said this before,

Starting point is 00:11:50 it's like you don't have a clue what's coming around the corner in life. Nobody has a clue. And because of that, you kind of just don't ever pass up an opportunity to tell a loved one you love them, to give them a hug. Because nobody has an idea what's coming tomorrow or later today. It's just that's how fucked up this life is. So, um, rest in peace, John Goudreau,

Starting point is 00:12:25 um, Matthew Goudreau, and, um, so sorry for the Goudreau family. May, may they find peace. So,

Starting point is 00:12:35 hug your loved ones, and, um, we'll see you guys, uh, a week from today. Uh, we'll get some season previews going,

Starting point is 00:12:42 but I love both you guys. Um, I love you guys. R.A.,. R.A. Thinking R.A. as well. And we'll see you next week. What up, what up, folks? It's the Wit Dog here. I'm with Paul, Miss Nasty, Bissonnette, Mikey Grinelli in the house. We are welcoming you to episode 521 of the Spittin' Chicklets podcast.

Starting point is 00:13:24 are welcoming you to episode 521 of the Spittin' Chicklets podcast. Biz, I got to tell you right now, the feedback and the love for our boy Keith Yandel was phenomenal. And because of that, well, not just because of that, we are going to be having a bunch of Keith Yandel coming at you guys this year. Yeah, no song. No song. No song. I mean, the fact that that like he is the

Starting point is 00:13:47 song master and that the song originated from him and him doing it in nhl games like it feels like song came into the picture for us as a show i mean what five years ago keith's been song in me for 20 years now so to me i was loving the training stories like i couldn't imagine you two together driving so fun and we had chris bork we had chris bork with us it was so funny the kid reggie roach i always talk about um and then we had kyle palmeri and chris wagner for a while it was just an unreal crew and it was just a blast but we were working our dicks off so i was glad keith brought that up he pumped our tires a little bit but i just love the fact that he vibes with us in a way where it's like he's great at chirping he's got that dry sense of humor he's just classic and so i'm glad everyone enjoyed him because

Starting point is 00:14:35 you're going to be hearing more from him and a few subtle chirps at me below his breath that when i re-listen to the podcast i don't usually a ton but when a guy like Yanz is on, I go back and just fire it off. Hey, it's the chemistry we're going to gain. If we get them on more and more, it's going to be back in the coyotes locker room where he's just put me in a body bag left and right. We got, we'd have to get donor to come on one episode to be, give it that real coyote authenticity too. So, um, what was the, the one thing that he uh he mentioned oh the drip trip i wish i wish i would

Starting point is 00:15:07 have gone more into the drip trip that he talked about with those guys wearing the gucci velour track suits that was uh jvr now uh did you ever do any silly travel trips like that did you guys ever have to like dress like a no i feel like that's a little bit of a more newer thing that's maybe happening. I know that the style has become way more laissez-faire a little bit in the NHL where you can get away with not wearing an old-school suit and tie as we always had to wear for every game. Now you see guys coming in with the turtlenecks. You see William Nylander.

Starting point is 00:15:42 He's got the G-string on with the velour track suit or the blouse the open button blouse all I remember about suits is the guy in Montreal who just crushed everyone in the league and he got do you remember that guy maybe you were because you were in in Phoenix like this guy in Montreal would get suits but I mean they were not very nice suits at the time but it's like they were like the Kevin Garnett suits at the draft or the Penny Hardaway when they were basically eight sizes too big. And they were in style at that moment. But looking back now, it's like, oh, my God, I was wearing like a windbreaker, like a giant like fat suit. You know, those fat suits you wear to lose weight when you're on the bike.

Starting point is 00:16:23 Yeah. Like the boxers wear. That's what I was wearing. And then the other one was that I randomly had a navy blue suit, and it was the slightest, slightest orange pinstripe. And that sounds so bad, but it was so slight that you couldn't even, like from far away, it didn't even look like a pinstripe suit. You had to be up very close. Then I traded to the oilers and i'll never forget

Starting point is 00:16:48 horkoff just tortured me he's like did you get that suit when you got traded because you know it was oilers colors and the whole plane's laughing at me and i didn't know anyone we were in last place so that was a tough that's a tough start for your boy do you have any of the those old suits you bought where the plates and the pants no no you had some pretty horrendous ones oh you look like fucking bernie mack coming in because because like you got those skinny ass legs and they used to have the wide bottoms like you were that's why i wore cover up my legs you were the white king of comedy just Just the other day, there's a gas station nearby that I bring. I basically do, if I have a piece of clothing that I haven't worn in a year,

Starting point is 00:17:33 and I notice I haven't worn that in a year, it just goes down. There's two different box, two different giant bins. I think one's like, they're Goodwill, but they're different companies almost that give out the clothes. So I'm bringing over this huge trash bag and i always split it up even steven both brands get some of witty's old gear the five dollar bin the ten dollar bin you bring to the flea market every saturday it's no this is me giving away i'm not selling it out of the back of my car like you were with your abercrombie and fitch stuff in 2007. But the gas station worker...

Starting point is 00:18:06 I'd open the trunk and just hose down the fierce cologne just around the back. Hey, two for five here. Hey, three for ten. Let's go. Two for five. There's a ketchup stain on this one. You're like, okay, $2.50 for that one, but I'm not giving it to you for free.

Starting point is 00:18:22 But the gas station worker guy, he came flying over and he's like, hold on, let me look. I was like, bud, this is for homeless people and stuff. He's like, no, no, no. And he went through and you know what? The one thing that he took that he was like, oh my God, can I take this?

Starting point is 00:18:37 It was a bussin' with the boys jacket and the only reason I was giving it away is because it shrunk when I washed it so it doesn't fit me anymore. It's sick. It's like a button up. It's like a button up. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:18:49 Well, it was free. It was a button up, busting with the boys. It's unreal. So I'm like, ah, fuck, it shrunk. So I'm putting it in the Goodwill. And he grabbed it and he put it on immediately. And the next morning he was pumping gas as I drove by him in the busting with the boys jacket. Just a local Sunoco.

Starting point is 00:19:05 East Milton Square. So that got me going. But he also said, do you have shoes? I need shoes. What size are you? I said, I'm a 12. He said, I'm an 11, but that's fine. It'll work.

Starting point is 00:19:14 I'm an 11. I'm an 11. I could donate some shoes to him. I'm an 11. Oh, yeah. He doesn't have the money to pay for your shoes. We know you're not donating them. So I'm going to bring them.

Starting point is 00:19:24 I'm going to bring them golf shoes So I'm going to bring them golf shoes. I'm going to bring them a pair of Jordans I don't wear. Tell them I do IOUs. Yeah. No, you'll be like, can you fill up my car for free, please? Throw some diesel in there. He's like, this doesn't take diesel. Give me the expensive gas.

Starting point is 00:19:39 Give me the expensive gas. Then he's on the corner by the highways. They got fired for giving you free gas, biz. Too bad, buddy. Peel off. gas then he's on the corner by the highways they got fired for giving you free gas biz ah too bad buddy peel off well i would say to him i go do i get like one free philip now and he's like i don't own the place man i said i respect that i respect that um but i stole you the snickers bar there you go all right thanks buddy and here's a here's a honk of my dab pen um how did we get there the fuck were we talking about i don't even know but i also am obsessed you bring up snickers these snickers ice cream bars for somebody looking to get in better shape have you had one of these things i'm pretty sure over time i have i don't really remember i love how i'm talking about it

Starting point is 00:20:23 like it's like a new brand new food like snickers ice cream bars are just like not my first go-to i think that there's probably like 10 other i would rather do like a talenti gelato before i got like that like if i were gonna get that poll up there who would rather uh whatever gelato or a snickers i'm gonna truck you on that poll oh i don't know. They got the coffee ice cream. They got the chocolate chip. They have so many different flavors. I think Talenti gelato might go down as the best gelato going, that you could just go to Whole Foods and get.

Starting point is 00:20:54 You can go to really any supermarket. I'm talking about ice cream truck pulls up. There's Choco Taco. There's SpongeBob SquarePants. What are those? Popsicle. And there's SpongeBob SquarePants. What are those? Popsicle. And there's Snickers ice cream bars. I'm not talking about your Whole Foods after a hike like gelato run.

Starting point is 00:21:13 Okay. Fair enough. All right. My apologies. Okay. Fair enough. All right, guys. Just trying to save you a few calories.

Starting point is 00:21:21 Yeah, that ain't happening. Little different episode this week. We are actually going to bring you kind of the best of moments from the interviews this summer. So I think we have about seven to ten-ish moments from different interviews that we thought were the best parts. And, you know, there's a moment of Messier, the guaranteeing Game 6 victory in the 94 Eastern Conference Finals. We got Gary Roberts' stories about Sid. We'll get into that in a little bit. But it's not necessarily a normal episode

Starting point is 00:21:48 because we don't have one interview coming. We have the best of moments, and it's a way for us to kind of chill right before the breakdowns begin next week. Yeah, it's about us getting a little break. So we're actually recording this on Wednesday. We just dropped a pod yesterday. So we just, or what is it, Thursday?

Starting point is 00:22:04 Is it Thursday? No, it is Wednesday. And we wanted a little break. So we figured bring you a best of, so there might be news that breaks this weekend on Labor Day weekend. I bet you somebody gets another offer sheet because Doug Armstrong got the party started, but you know, we're just going to drop this. We do have a few things to talk about as Whit mentioned, and we're going to kind of segue the interviews. And I think maybe some people even took some time away from hockey and maybe our podcast. So you're coming back after Labor Day right now. And you're getting some of these amazing stories from these amazing guests that we have had on since our, really our finale after the Aposo.

Starting point is 00:22:37 And who was it? Celebrini? Yeah, I think it was Macklin Celebrini. And that was kind of our last one for the send-off. And then we got into all the Olympic craziness. But I think you guys are going to love a lot of these little snippets. And if you haven't had the chance to listen to these interview views, go back and watch them on YouTube or listen to them on audio,

Starting point is 00:22:55 whether it's on Spotify or iTunes, and listen to these awesome interviews. So I've been long-winded. Send it back over to you, Whit. We did have also another celebration in the Chicklets community. We had Yans on, but also another fan favorite, Teddy Purcell. He just had his wedding overseas. And I don't know if you saw the lineup to this wedding.

Starting point is 00:23:16 Dude, what a crew this looked like. The Motley crew. I saw a picture of Stamkos, Hedman, Nate Thompson, Teddy, Bugsy Malone, Ryan Clow, Danny Heatley. I mean, it must have been the most fun wedding you could ever imagine of just a pack of beauties celebrating maybe one of the greatest people I've ever met in my life. And if you haven't been with us for a long time as a fan of spit and chiclets, Teddy Purcell was there to really help us take off. Like there's been certain things that have happened along the way.

Starting point is 00:23:52 And the West Coast Wagon Tour for the San Jose All-Star Game that year, Teddy joined us and Bugsy did too. And that's when we got to talk to McDavid. We talked to somebody else. It was all because of Teddy. Him and Dry Cidal worked together. Yes.

Starting point is 00:24:06 Yes. Oh, we had Lundquist in there. Claude Giroux. Stammer came by who played with him in Tampa. So he was, I mean, even before we got to San Jose, we stopped off in LA and interviewed him and a few of the other bit of the whack back. But that was such a fun trip to get to hang out

Starting point is 00:24:22 with him and Bugsy. Remember they were scooping ice out of our drink. That was like the new thing that Bugsy had created, where if you scooped your ice, you had to chug the rest of your drink. And he did it 50 times to us. And we were drunk the entire trip. For,

Starting point is 00:24:34 for, for barstool, for spit and chiclets fans who are also barstool fans. I mean, that was the creation of Dana beers. Everyone knows Dana beers, Bugsy created them. Bugsy literally built him in a lab

Starting point is 00:24:45 on the West Coast Wagon Tour where Dana was there filming for us. He was like, okay, you're going to be Dana Beers and I'm going to teach you how to drink

Starting point is 00:24:54 and I think Bugsy made him pee himself. I think he peed himself that trip because he tried hanging with Big Bad Bugsy and yeah, you can't hang with him.

Starting point is 00:25:01 I know Bugsy's in a little different stage in his life right now, probably not ripping it up like he used to. He's the healthiest guy I know. Sorry, Biz. Don't take offense to that. But Teddy also, it needs to be mentioned.

Starting point is 00:25:13 He probably doesn't have low T. He's probably got high T. No. Yeah. There's no problem with T there. But Teddy, it should be mentioned, is probably, while being an NHL stud, sick hands, smooth as hell, probably not the best athlete in that marriage because he married Alex Kleinman, who was the gold medalist in beach volleyball in the 2020 Summer Olympics. I think it was Tokyo. And she's six foot five.

Starting point is 00:25:39 Teddy's about six, two, maybe six, three. They are going to breed some absolute stallions. Okay. I believe they already have a son. son yeah i think he's got a son yeah he turned one not too long ago i sent him a text i'm like jesus christ boy i'm like this time flies i thought you just had the thing so he's growing up before our eyes and he has to give uh birth or excuse me she has to give birth to a few breeders because unfortunately with the happiness of the wedding the sadness is is that it was an open bar and he had to file for bankruptcy with that crew that went so he's got no money left so now they got to pray that their kids are first rounders i saw the setup though like the wedding behind it was i'm guessing lake como considering it was on a lake and they were in lake como but just the seat set up with the trees and the grass and then

Starting point is 00:26:24 behind you the cliffs in the lake. I've never been to Lake Como. I don't know. Apparently, it's top notch. It's world class. I don't know if I'll ever go. I really did enjoy Rome when I went there for the Ryder Cup, but I need golf, and I don't know if there's that much golf. I'm sure if my wife heard this, she'd throw up because she's mentioned to me several times she'd love to go to Lake Como.

Starting point is 00:26:44 I'm like, yeah, yeah, we'll do that one next year shout out keith so i don't know what's gonna happen any uh best westerns there any cheap hotels no but they do they do have a uh there's an open license to sell clothes on the street so no you could break yeah so you won't need like a uh uh you know i'll just know. Nah, I'll just stay in a hostel. I'll just stay in a hostel. No, you'll be like sending out tweets like, anyone got an Airbnb that I'll bring you a chick with a winter hat? Hey, Clooney. Have you heard of a birdie bucket before?

Starting point is 00:27:16 Because I could ship one over. I wonder how pink what you were doing. Hey, squatter law. Clooney comes back. I'm like, hey, too bad, sucker. Caught you sleeping. Those squatting laws. Caught you lacking.

Starting point is 00:27:28 Those squatting laws. Imagine owning a place and coming back, and there's three scrubs that have moved into your house, and legally you cannot get them out. That is a time, and I'm not going to say murder is acceptable, but it could be a murder acceptable. How about that? The the guys in your house? You're paying a mortgage, and these people are like, sorry, bud.

Starting point is 00:27:49 It's ours now. This could have been fake. I'm pretty sure it was real because I saw it on Twitter. There was a video where because of a state law, this woman had Airbnb'd a room in her house. So the girl moved in for whatever the designated amount of time, the four days. So the girl moved in for like whatever The designated amount of time The four days And because of the state law

Starting point is 00:28:06 The person who rented it for the four days She just kept living there She'd been there for months And the girl was filming her as she was going by And the chick who fleeced her And was staying there as a squatter She was just yapping away You ain't gonna do nothing bitch

Starting point is 00:28:20 You can't kick me out motherfucker Lawyer up In the person's face as she's recording this you're stuck with this person oh for four dollars of rent or four days of rent excuse me that i mean i'm sure some i'm sure somebody's gonna be able to pull up that video and and see exactly what i'm talking about but that is one of the worst laws going and i don't think that murder is acceptable in any way but that would deserve at least a chokehold okay maybe maybe like if they're in the house and you can't get them out you don't murder them but if they're in my house and then

Starting point is 00:28:54 the last snickers ice cream bar is eight okay it's it's guns a blaze it's like go down the road and find a weapon and this is gonna end i'm to jail, but you're not living in my house anymore because you're living six feet underground. You squatted your way to hell. So I hope that that never happens to me. I guess that's a little aggressive to say, but it's a Snickers ice cream bar. I know you're passionate about them. Exactly.

Starting point is 00:29:18 Speaking of, I want to know this. I want to know this quickly. I'm hearing from Frank Saravelli. If the Edmonton Oilers want to keep Leon Dreis I'm hearing from Frank Saravelli. If the Edmonton Oilers want to keep Leon Dreisaitl, the number starts with a 1-4. Yeah, so you probably hoped it would start with a 1-3. I would say that even like 12.5 little bargoon action.

Starting point is 00:29:41 Buddy, fuck off. Was it? If you ever thought it was going to with a 12 you're crazy you're crazier than i than i thought you were and that's like certifiable so i would i would have loved like a 13 5 13 8 but the cap's gonna keep going up dude this league is in a phenomenal place we're gonna get into jeremy swain in a bit. Oh, yeah. If it's 14-1. Educate yourself. Okay, if it's 14-2 and then McDavid's 15-5, yeah, it's a lot. But here's the thing.

Starting point is 00:30:15 And I know I've spoken often about, like, you need to spread it out to win a Stanley Cup. It's very hard when you've got two of the highest-paid guys in the league. And they're so good, and of the highest paid guys in the league. And they're so good. And they've been so good in the playoffs that you can't like, what are you going to do? Like, put it this way, biz.

Starting point is 00:30:38 Would an Oilers fan out there rather have neither one of them on the team or them making 30 million combined in a season? If I'm Stan, I'm sliding over eight times 12 take it or leave it imagine leon's agent he's like hold on he's like hold on hold on he's like take anything out of your mouth are you drinking or you eat stuff i want you to choke here's the offer eight times 12 the guy the guy gets he's got like 1.6 points per game in his career in the playoffs and they're offering of 12 million so and every time you counter it goes down 100 grand you keep standing you're looking at what 14 14.2 with like the most insane signing bonus structure you've seen in your life it has to be yeah look what matthews just got yeah i i i wonder i i wonder if they get him i just wonder the term because you hope if it's

Starting point is 00:31:33 if it's four if it's 14 to 14 five you gotta hope it's eight years like yeah because he could be like no i want five years and i want to try to get another one of these. That would be. And they have the control and they have the power. This number is going to be monstrous. And it's probably going to be not upsetting to Oilers fans in a sense of like, oh, my God, why are we paying that guy this much? Upsetting in a way of like, oh, I wish it was a little less to get a couple more guys mixed in. And, you know, you could get a nice $2 million player if you save a little bit. But when you're this good and you're this dominant,

Starting point is 00:32:09 especially when the games mean the most, it is what it is, bud. It is what it is. You got second rounders at the draft tables telling the fucking GM, where's my contract? College kids. I can only imagine the leverage like that is something that we'll never understand in our lives. Oh, God, no.

Starting point is 00:32:27 I mean, I don't even have leverage with my kids. Imagine Stan's like with your like you come every time you come back to me, it drops. And then at the end, Dreisaitl signs like the same contract that Owen Power signed. Fuck, I really overplayed my hand. Stan got me. Eight times eight. Yeah. Yeah, that agent was shot into the moon.

Starting point is 00:32:52 Well, that's enough about the Oilers. That's just a rumor, too. I don't know if that's the case. I think, like you said, at 13-5, you'd be over the moon, correct? Oh, my God. Okay. That would be a nice little bargoon for oilers fans uh you already touched on it uh probably the hottest topic uh coming out of boston right now and we are

Starting point is 00:33:12 a boston-based podcast but swayman and the comments that he had on i don't know what the podcast was called i hope you have the name of it they actually he was on twitter uh firing some stuff off basically saying like oh i was happy to get uh you know I wasn't trying to pin this guy in a corner. I was just trying to get an authentic answer about the situation that he's going through. And I hope that we can actually roll the clip of what he said because it's pretty interesting. So it's from the Shut Up Mark podcast. And this was Swayman just the other day. So let's roll that, G.

Starting point is 00:33:42 The next part of this is obviously right. You're in a big point in your career with a big contract negotiation going on right now. And the thing I want you to describe, because this is an experience very unique to you. No one else really knows what this is like. Just like the contract

Starting point is 00:34:00 negotiation process. As a professional athlete, what that's like at the age you're at, your first presumably longer contract, right? What is that like from an athlete's perspective in all of this? I love that question. I think if you were to ask me that same question a year ago, I would answer it truthfully and I would say it's scary. It's a lot of resentment towards people that want you to succeed. And when you're not getting compensated for your endless efforts and doing what you do best, it's a nerve wracking feeling because it's a nerve-wracking feeling because it's your family you're fighting for.

Starting point is 00:34:50 And the answer I'm going to give you this year is that I've educated myself and that I understand the business side of it all. And it's given me a complete new mindset of understanding the business and how to react to it. I understand the cap is going up and where it will be in years. act to it. I understand the cap is going up and where it will be in years. I understand my comparables and how I can't ruin the goalie market for other guys that are going to be in my shoes down the line. He sounds so educated and confident in what he knows compared to what he knew before. And I really, as a former player, respect the, I don't want to fuck over other goalies. And Bruins fans, they don't care about other goalies. They care about getting their guy

Starting point is 00:35:30 signed. But that's having respect for the league and for the players association. Yes, you're trying to make as much as you can, 100%. You got to be selfish in this game. The same way GMs will get rid of you, the minute you start struggling or the minute your game goes south is the same way gms will get rid of you the minute you start struggling or the minute your game goes south is the same reason you have to take care of yourself i just i just wonder when this is going to get done so i have a pretty reliable source that told me oh you're going to talk about this so i sent it over to you well i know i just didn't know if you could say it on the podcast this is going to be all i don't really i don't maybe i shouldn't but i'm saying it current swayman offer from the bruins four times 6.2 they're gonna leave it their their ask is the mcavoy contract so that is not even Not even on the same planet. That is so far away.

Starting point is 00:36:27 And apparently, apparently the Bruins have not contacted or returned Swayman's calls in three weeks. Oh my God. Here we go. I didn't know that. The Bruins haven't gone back to Swayman's camp for three weeks. No. I'm running with a source here. You can say I'm ridiculous.

Starting point is 00:36:48 You can say I'm making things up. I am not. I am running with the source. And if their offer is four years times 6.2, after you traded your other stud goalie, that's one of the funniest things I've ever heard. That's insane. That's crazy.

Starting point is 00:37:04 That is not even close. Okay, so obviously starting at the McAvoy contract, not expecting to actually get that. If he stays at the McAvoy contract and is stubborn about it and they're saying no, I'm completely on the Bruins side because apples to oranges here. I would say that eight times eight could easily get this done would you tell me that swayman would turn down eight times eight after basically being

Starting point is 00:37:32 proven two years in the national hockey league like we're talking about the goalie position where he's only had to play uh last year he played a little bit over 50 because he ended up taking that starting job but go back to the year prior where he had, you know, he was the one B so to speak where all Mark won the Vesna and he had control of the net. Listen, his playoff performance this year, they ain't, they don't get past the Leafs without Swayman. Heck they, they might fucking, they might not even be in that. And they might be a wild card if they didn't have Swayman last year. No? Is that crazy talk? Is that crazy talk?

Starting point is 00:38:08 I just think he's only going to get better. That's like his. I think that based on his quote there too, like I think he's so confident knowing like I'm just kind of scratching the surface. Like I think he could be starting for Team USA at the Four Nations faceoff. That's fine, buddy. But when it comes to the goaltending position, it's very fickle.

Starting point is 00:38:30 When you have a guy who's restricted, you have to say there is some leverage for the team here. And I don't want to see it become a situation where he's sitting at home. Maybe the Bruins are trying to see if he box first. He mentioned in the comment resentment towards people that are rooting for you. I would imagine that if by training camp, if everything that you're saying is true and they still haven't called him and that's still where they're at four years at six times two, that resentment is going to get to a fucking astronomical level. And we talk about sometimes the leverage going in the player's hand.

Starting point is 00:39:04 Hey, piss him off enough maybe nothing gets done and he's fucking he's like askarov he goes and gets the fucking neck tattoo and he says ship me out of town bitch ship me out of town motherfucker i don't give a fuck sea bass kiss my ass um biz i so if mcavoy's eight times 9.5 you'd like you said like the at you always ask for more knowing it'd come down i'm with you i i would think that like eight times eight or eight and a half would would they they'd be crazy anywhere in there they'd be crazy to say no to that i agree now what's funny about this is it's wednesday night just to say one quick thing i think you have to also show your loyalty back to an organization

Starting point is 00:39:48 that put you in a situation where you're able to share the net with another world-class goalie, get to have that relationship based on a smart move that they made getting him over for Buffalo, where it's like, I need to show you some hometown love too. Marchie's taking the deals. He's El Capitan. Look how much sweat equity he's el capitan let's tell him look how much sweat equity he's put into that team and he's basically still on a bargoon at this point it's like come

Starting point is 00:40:11 on like there's there's a there's a sweet spot in there so i don't know but everything changed with mcavoy and pasta it it was different it was different there yeah buddy but pasta it had also he'd also done it for way longer yeah he'd way more proven so i i really hope this gets done before training camp and it doesn't get messy and drama yes the the well i mean bruins fans if you are worried right now, just know this. It's Wednesday at 9.17 p.m. Eastern right now. This podcast drops in five days, six days. So, I mean, if there was anything that was going to get this done, it's us talking about it and then knowing that this deal could get signed before the podcast drops. 20 minutes of somebody's life or a lot of people.

Starting point is 00:41:02 And as G just mentioned in the chat here, he has been pretty vocally pissed off about the arbitration hearing. So sometimes people don't forget things. Small cock, bad breath. Can't last long in bed. Sell your clothes out of the back of your van in the parking lot of a

Starting point is 00:41:17 Sam's Variety store. I can't wait to see where it goes. I would think that he's in net opening night. They play the Panthers. The Panthers are raising their banner in the Bruins' face opening night of the season, I believe. So hopefully Swayman's in net.

Starting point is 00:41:35 Swayman's lifting the banner because the deal's not done. Bobrovsky's on the Bs. Yeah. Not the only goalie news in the national hockey league a little drama coming out of vancouver i know what's going on out there biz uh buddy he had a knee injury last year and uh i think it was the other knee and then from my understanding the rumor is or maybe it's public knowledge now is that his another his other knee was injured first game of playoffs, and that's what was wrong with him. So don't know.

Starting point is 00:42:08 There was a procedure done. I don't know if he's healing properly. Then all of a sudden I heard that they changed the goalie coach in Vancouver as well, and now it's to the extent where they definitely know he's going to be away for a little bit of time to start the season because Team Latvia is without their starting goaltender now but apparently it sounds like the the canucks might have had some say in that where she loves

Starting point is 00:42:32 maybe just wasn't that they didn't feel like this was necessary at the time what's interesting about like this this pre-qualification tournament for the 2026 winter o in Italy is there's 12 teams fighting for three spots and they're in three different cities. So in Bratislava, Slovakia, it's Austria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Slovakia. In Riga, Latvia, it's France, Latvia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. It's France, Latvia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. And in Denmark, all Borg Denmark, it's Denmark, Great Britain, Japan, and Norway. So the winners of those three groups will be in the 2026 Olympics. You'd have to think Slovakia comes out of the group in Slovakia.

Starting point is 00:43:25 And in Riga, Latvia, France, Latvia, Slovenia, Ukraine, you'd think Latvia would get that one done. And in Denmark, Denmark, Great Britain, Japan, Norway. Denmark and Norway will probably battle that one out, right? Don't sleep on Great Britain. Oh, yeah. I just said that because I played in Cardiff. Yeah, because you were the Crosby of Cardiff because you were able to score some goals finally in your life. But those guys were great. They play with empty nets. I never

Starting point is 00:43:48 disclosed that. They actually don't have goalies over there. They have shooter tutors. If you snipe one, they give you a beer on the bench. You said you think that the Canucks might have something to do with it? You don't think Rick Talkett called Ted Lasso

Starting point is 00:44:04 Latvia's coach being like, hey, fuck face. We got a gold pending issue. We got 82 games to worry about here. We got a lot to live up to from last year. So you're without your starter. Sorry, brother. We got him at 900 this year.

Starting point is 00:44:20 We got him on slave duty at this point. Put the shackle on him. We got him. Put him on slave duty at this point. Put the shackle on him. We got him. Put him back on the flight over here. That's what happened. Latvia's head coach said he is ready to start the tournament. Then he said he is overworked.

Starting point is 00:44:40 Medical staff determined that the danger limit of turning this situation into a chronic injury is high. We decided to protect him a little. Let's see. That doesn't really make much sense. Now, granted, that's a translation. So who knows what's going on there? That's about as believable as that yacht going down, which people are calling me a tinfoil hat wearer

Starting point is 00:44:58 for saying that. Well, I was called a dangerous conspiracy theorist when I said COVID was created in a lab in China. And I'm pretty sure that ended up being true. So here we go. Stick to your guns, Biz. Stick to your guns. Here come the Rogan haters.

Starting point is 00:45:16 Oh, actually, I meant to say, we have Fauci on in the best of coming up soon. It's no interviews with someone. I sat down with Tony Fauci one-on-one. It's a great interview. Tune in. Tune in. Robert Kelly Jr. is going to be on after that. He drops a few gems.

Starting point is 00:45:33 Got Huberman Lab up last. He's playing anchor. I think Huberman Lab almost got canceled for some things with girlfriends. I don't know. He ain't low on the tea. He ain't low on the tea he ain't low on the morning sunlight he's the guy he lives in a cold tub well that's that's maybe what i need

Starting point is 00:45:50 i've been getting away from the cold tubs now since we just brought up uh huberman and i've been talking about all this low t nonsense i got a call or a text to begin with and then a call with a former trainer of mine who might who said it might have to do with sleep apnea i'm not a great sleeper i've went to get a sleep study now do you sleep well like when you close your lights are you out for your you know six seven hours maybe five now that you have three kids and are you getting the proper oxygen to your brain because from my understanding there's like two types why are you laughing That has everything. When you look all intense and say proper oxygen to your brain, I'm going to laugh till the end of time. I'm sorry.

Starting point is 00:46:31 I talk about sleep. I shut my eyes. I go to bed. Proper oxygen to your brain. I'm glad that it's so easy for you. It's not easy. It's weird, though. In the summers, dude, I pass out.

Starting point is 00:46:46 You're doing stuff all day. Sometimes in the winters, though, you're just not out and about all day, and you can get into little funks if it's having a hard time to sleep. I haven't really taken any Ambien lately. Now I only maybe take it if I can't sleep in a hotel room. But my bed, our bed, is a straight up cloud it's a it's oh really oh i need a recommendation i need a new bed i'm moving into my place you couldn't afford it you couldn't afford it no i have no idea the bed is not buy or use one get a new one i have a neck pillow that is like i gotta

Starting point is 00:47:18 bring it to barstool survivor and i'm gonna be getting chirped i think you sleep you sleep with a neck pillow well the pillow it it fills in where your shoulders, where your neck is, so you're not kind of like this. It helps you get proper oxygen to your brain. Maybe I need a pillow. Well, why don't you try the mouth tape? The mouth tape is a new fad. So that's what I was getting to,

Starting point is 00:47:41 is there's two types of sleep apnea. Now, I have a deviated septum on the one side. Like, listen, I got, I got 5% oxygen coming into my brain in that one nostril. Now listen to this one. Let's just put it this way one works and one doesn't so that might be a reason why my it's brutal so why don't you just get your nose fixed well then i'm gonna get accused of getting a nose job and i gotta deal with the same people saying i'm getting hair plugs on tv or i get the i got my hair dyed and i'm out for two weeks though when that happens like you're out i

Starting point is 00:48:23 i probably should have gotten it now this is something that just came up. The fact that I got low T, so I'm working on it. I'm doing the research. I'm getting phone calls from old trainers. The other type of sleep apnea though, is something in your brain, but basically won't allow you to breathe at the pace that you need to while you're sleeping. So you're continually waking up and you're not doing that properly to where you're not getting the proper rest. You're not recovering. And that's why your testosterone is low.

Starting point is 00:48:50 So if that is the case, then you got to get one of those CPAP machines that's basically blowing oxygen up into your brain. They're horrible. I need to, but here's the problem is I try to get ahead of this before, but insurance set it up. Of course, insurance.

Starting point is 00:49:06 They send me to this place in Arizona, and I go there to sleep overnight. You do the one that you bring home, which most of the time it falls off of your finger, and it's inconclusive. I go to the fucking place with. They might as well had me sleeping on a wood picnic table. That's how comfortable the buddy. They're blaring the the ac in there i'm hooked up to a million different gadgets the ac but they give you a fucking paper mache blanket so i'm freezing my dick off so i'm calling you know what they you know what they gave me the result of the test you didn't get enough sleep to determine what the result was.

Starting point is 00:49:47 Yeah, buddy. You had me sleeping on a prison cell. Exactly. I would have rather been sleeping at Shawshank fucking Redemption than sleeping at where they had me during this test. So I get no sleep. I freeze my dick off. I got a worse sleep than if it would have been me going. sleep i freeze my dick off i got a worse sleep than if it would have been me going so i waste all you that was the night we that was the night before we interviewed brendamore

Starting point is 00:50:13 basically is how you yeah exactly and i gotta come two thousand dollars out of pocket to sleep on a picnic table to not get a fucking c-pad machine because i can't get any goddamn oxygen to my fucking brain so he so I digress I digress help biz my buddy has a CPAP machine actually my brother-in-law moose has one I I don't think he always wears it maybe he does but my buddy has one and we we went over to Ireland on that golf trip last October coming up on on a year, basically, since that trip. And it was like his carry-on bag. So, you know, and he needs it. He needs it to sleep.

Starting point is 00:50:51 This dude brought this thing to Ireland. He didn't wear it one fucking time. He didn't wear it once. Snoring his dick off. His roommate couldn't sleep. He's like, put on your machine. But it's hard if you're getting after it to like actually i mean you look like bane when the thing's on right so right but yeah or the or

Starting point is 00:51:11 the bad guy from mad max the bit like the big old white these like the white paint on his face yeah that one's a scary looking motherfucker uh i don't uh uh oh yeah we got there from the huberman because he's going to be on later. What else do we got to get back on the hockey talk? I believe there was one or two other things. Yeah, so the Anaheim Ducks made a great decision. I mean, similar to the way that the Phoenix Suns and the NBA did it, all local Ducks TV broadcasts will now be 100% free on all devices.

Starting point is 00:51:46 Victory Plus. It's an all-new sports streaming service that will carry all live broadcasts on a dedicated Ducks channel that will feature exclusive shows and content and interviews. Just amazing news for these Ducks fans. Unreal. And I don't think this is going to happen in every market, especially the original six markets and things like that. But in Anaheim with a team that I think,

Starting point is 00:52:10 I mean, I made a bet that they're going to win a Stanley Cup before the New Jersey Devils. I think that's how good the Ducks are going to be within the next three to five years. To now know that these fans and all fans are going to be able to watch their games for free, that's incredible. And that is so cool for, for a fan base that doesn't really get maybe a,

Starting point is 00:52:28 a, a lot of like love and attention around the league. Even when their team was really good, that Stanley cup winning team, it's out West, no disrespect out West, but the games are on a 10, 10 30 out East.

Starting point is 00:52:40 And, you know, lately they've been bad, so they're not getting any nationally televised games. And they're just a little bit of a smaller market. That's just how it is. And those fans love their team and they're diehard. And now they get to at least get the ability to watch their team no matter what.

Starting point is 00:52:57 They have some passionate, hardcore fans. Remember we did that appearance at that one bar there? They had so many amazing people come out. And a liquor store. There was a huge turnout at the liquor store we were at. Yeah. So, I mean, California hockey is very important to the success of the National Hockey League. So to see the fact that they're going to get all this awesome coverage where maybe it thought was getting lost, that's fucking awesome.

Starting point is 00:53:19 Yeah. So cool story there. Maybe we'll see more of that. That goes into RAs. You know, RA hates the blackouts. And a lot of people reach out to him about how difficult it is to watch NHL games sometimes, which is so crazy in 2024, soon to be 2025, that you're still having these issues. So good news. Good on the Anaheim Ducks.

Starting point is 00:53:39 Really cool story there. What else did we have here? Oh, apparently Tony D'angelo would love to be in edmonton according to frank zaravelli as well forgot to mention that before he has linked up uh justin schultz um kevin shattenkirk and there was another right shot d tyson barry tyson barry so apparently the others are looking why wouldn't they bring him back? League men. They love him there. Bring him in for morale. Just have him hand out pops after the game. He's got that beer that he just dropped,

Starting point is 00:54:11 the chili ones. Just have him hand out some chili ones after the game. Those things are good. I had those at the Gretzky House, the pop-up shop. They're tasty. They're great beer. Lower alcohol percentage.

Starting point is 00:54:21 So yeah, I really enjoyed that. Oh, just quickly, before we go to these interviews, we have a new Wyatt issue. I had to mention this. So last Sunday, I didn't mention on the show with Jens, the Little League World Series Championship was on. We've been watching it for like two weeks.

Starting point is 00:54:38 It's great. It's fun. You know, you got the American bracket, and then you got the international bracket. You always got the kid who's like 17, full beard. Danny Almonte. Danny Almonte was the kid from New York. I think it turned out he was 16 and a half years old, throwing 80 miles an hour.

Starting point is 00:54:53 That's what the Russians do. Yeah, very similar. Ovi could be 45 years old. We don't know. He is. Well, we watched the tournament, and Florida ends up winning it in one of the most incredible Little League games. The best Little League game I've ever seen. And I guess saying that out loud, like me mentioning I'm watching a ton of Little League games is in a great sound.

Starting point is 00:55:17 I mean, it's a little odd. You just have a seat right here, sir. Why don't you have a seat? I'm Chris Hansen. But an amazing game. Well, prior to the game, Ryder's in this age of like, he just roots for whoever is winning or who he thinks will win.

Starting point is 00:55:36 Like if a game's on TV, the Red Sox can be playing. If they're down 3-0, he's like, I'm rooting for the Blue Jays because they're up 3-0. It's like, no, no, no, no, no. Buddy, you've got to have a team. Bandwagon fan.

Starting point is 00:55:46 That's lame. Bandwagon fan. I guess Apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I did quit the Oilers for a couple of weeks. So bandwagon fan. So I'm telling him, I'm like, this Chinese Taipei team that won the international side is a wagon. This is going to be hard for Florida to get this win.

Starting point is 00:56:03 It's going to be hard. That was Saturday after Chinese Taipei beat, I think Venezuela and then Florida beat Texas in another great game. So leading into the game, Ryder's like, I want China. I said, hey,

Starting point is 00:56:18 hey, you can root for any pro sports team. You can root for any state on the fucking USA side. We don't root for China in this house, buddy. And they ain't rooting for you either. This is a no China household. Your shoes may be made there,

Starting point is 00:56:33 but you're not rooting for the fucking baseball team in this game. Okay? And he looked at my face and he knew I was dead serious. He said, we don't root for China in here.

Starting point is 00:56:43 Well, Wyatt was listening. This kid is waking me up. He walked into my room at four in the morning. Dad, dad, dad. I'm like, what the fuck? He kind of scared me. We don't root for China.

Starting point is 00:57:00 He won't stop saying we don't root for China. He's saying we don't root for China. He's saying we don't root for China. Two kids on the playground picking up Ryder today. It was first day of first grade. Hey, we don't root for China. I'm like, oh, fuck. I'm like, there's Chinese kids in the class. You can't say this anymore, Wyatt.

Starting point is 00:57:19 It was a baseball game. So I'm trying to tell him, stop saying it. This is after I finally got him to stop saying, he watched The Sandlot a lot this summer, classic movie. And in The Sandlot, the two kids are going back and forth from the rich baseball team that plays on a diamond versus the Sandlot kids who are just like the grinders. And as they're arguing back and forth,

Starting point is 00:57:43 the kid says to end the argument, you play ball like a girl. And everyone's taking a back. You can't really say that anymore. Well, he was saying that for fucking month. And I got him to stop. And it's turning a wheel route for China. Oh, no. So I'm interested to see where this one goes.

Starting point is 00:58:01 Don't bring him to Copley Place. That is. Wow. That is an all-time trickle story squanto is out of his mind out of his tree he's out of out of his tree actually pretty cool moment today um so there's a there's a at the golf club they do a father-son golf tournament and then a mother-son golf tournament and it's like from the can, it's nine holes and you can play from, I think July 1st to September 10th or something like something around there. Like you basically have like, like 75 days, call it to play. And you just go out and what you do is you both hit drives. So Ryder's five to eight, he's six, he's five to eight.

Starting point is 00:58:43 And they tee off from um on the par fours it was like 185 to 200 yards par five was 250 yards par three was 60 to 70 yards they tee off from there and i played the blues which is like one up from the backs and you take you take the best drive and then you play alternate shot in. Well, he hits it straight. He probably hits his drive like 75 to 85 yards, but it's always pretty straight. So I'm thinking, I'm like, dude, if he's hitting the driver okay, like my drives actually don't even matter because if I hit a good one and we're 150 out, like he can't.

Starting point is 00:59:20 So I'm like, Ryder, if you hit good drives here, like I'm going to be 90 to 110 yards out i should be able to get get it on the green so we did it today we shot 38 we shot two over par we took his shot we took his t-ball eight of the nine holes it was um it was uh one of the par threes they took mine another par three he hit the green so we were three over he hit the green. So we were three over, and on the last hole, he had another great drive. He left me 82 yards, and I hit it to like 12 feet. And I was like, we didn't have a birdie. We didn't have a birdie.

Starting point is 00:59:52 No way. And I was like, hey. And on the eighth hole, I know people hate the golf stories, but this was so fun for me. No, dude, this is fucked. Tell them to fuck off. They hate us talking about the Oilers, too. No, this was so fun for me. So the eighth hole is a par five.

Starting point is 01:00:04 So he hit a drive that left me 160. Because, yeah, he hit the drive like 90 yards. us talking about the oilers too no this was so fun for me so the eighth hole is a par five so he hit a drive that left me um 160 because yeah he hit the drive like 90 yards it's a little downhill and i hit it on to 20 feet downhill but it's for eagle because it's a par five well he hits it like 10 feet past not his fault whatever it's fine i miss it i'm like fuck like we we would have that would have been a birdie that would have been cool but. Yeah, it's your first birdie together. But on his putt, I was like, hey, putt it to here.

Starting point is 01:00:27 And then I was like, putt it fast, but you don't want to go too, like too slow and leave it above the hole. And then he putted it past. He's like, dad,

Starting point is 01:00:33 you're telling me too much. And I was like, oh my God. I was like, I could totally picture like myself and being like, dad,

Starting point is 01:00:41 shut up. So on the ninth hole, it's like 12 feet. I said, knock it in, buddy. We need a birdie. Wow. And he fucking canned it, bro.

Starting point is 01:00:49 Fucking right. He was so happy. He was so excited that it was like the coolest moment I've had in sports as a dad. Because he's like, we made a birdie. We made a birdie. And so it was so fun. Get the birdie buckets down. Let's get fucked up.

Starting point is 01:01:06 So I said to my buddy, Mike, the assistant pro, I'm like, hey, we finished out. We were two over. And he's like, you're in first place right now. I go, how many teams have played? He's like, three. I go, it doesn't matter, baby. So I think there's like another two weeks of the tournament. If there's three people who have played in the first 60 days, there might be nobody else to play. But an

Starting point is 01:01:25 awesome father-son moment that we got. And Bree was playing with him at the same time. So he was playing with her and playing with me. So it was a great afternoon. How do you like the nip? How do you like the Pink Whitney nip? He actually crushed some before the round. So that's why he was swinging it nice

Starting point is 01:01:42 on the tee ball. Yeah, it was like, I said, hey, Biz struggles when he's sober and golf. You want to just have one of these quick? He's like, yeah, sure. Just slugged it right down. so that's why he was swinging it nice on the t-ball yeah it was like i said hey biz struggles when he's sober and golf you want to just have one of these quick he's like yeah sure just slugged it right down i actually mixed it with some vanilla ice cream could be a new drink for kids out there uh just kidding folks just kidding so yeah um before we get to the highlights of the summer interviews there's some housekeeping um we are having a very special hot stove in london ontario thursday night before the chicklets cup kicks off friday september 20th so this is thursday september 19th in london at centennial hall and our boy ken reed who joined us in edmonton great interview

Starting point is 01:02:19 funny guy holy shit the stories he has he's going to be hosting this thing he's going to be the guy that's emceeing this and we're going to have all of us up there and it's really going to be uh kind of hype for the tournament we're going to bring up some of the teams and players from the team be able to talk shit to other teams but this isn't just for the members and the the people playing in chicklets cup we're going to sell a couple hundred tickets i think 15 20 bucks i'm not sure if we decide yeah 20 dollars we're not making money on this we're just paying for the venue and we just want to give back to the amazing fans especially like all all of our fans we love you guys and the ones who come to chicklets cup you know they spend their hard-earned money to come uh spend time with us so we try to go above and beyond every time and make it special in its

Starting point is 01:03:03 own little way first time we're coming back to Canada, we have so many internal rivalries, whether it's nose face killer or like females in the women's division who are going at it and competing every year. So it'll be fun to get some people on stage and create a ruckus and it's cheap entertainment. And we can't wait to celebrate with you guys. So it's awesome. It was a great idea. And we can't thank our sponsors enough too we got body armor pink whitney and kraken who are the main sponsors so we're pumped to go to london

Starting point is 01:03:31 and that was some added twist we wanted to put in and talk about before we send it to the all the interviews wit are you not thrilled for this i can't wait also last few things um the tickets go on sale wednesday september 4th at p.m. on barstoolsports.com slash events. So that's 12 p.m. Eastern tomorrow for you guys listening. 12 p.m. Eastern, barstoolsports.com slash events. And at that live show, we'll also be auctioning off a Merle's Army, I believe G for the roller hockey division to be able to, if you want to play with Murrells, you want to play with G, you want to play with Army, buck up some dough. I think last year

Starting point is 01:04:09 I think G went to G. Did you go for the most last year or did Murrells? No, me and RA got a big chunk of change and we ended up donating it all to a local charity in Buffalo. This year we'll do I think we're going to do something with breast cancer,

Starting point is 01:04:25 something with the NHL alumni. We'll announce that in a little bit. But yeah, we're going to raise some money. It's going to be awesome. That's awesome. I love that. I love that. I can't wait just being in Canada for one of these.

Starting point is 01:04:36 These Chicklets Cups have been so cool. And also, this live show, it's a little different as opposed to the live shows we've done. We did in Toronto this year. We did Boston. We did in, where was it, Toronto this year. We did Boston. We did Pittsburgh. We've had some great ones. But we did one in Dallas for the outdoor game, Dallas, when Perry got kicked out and had that walk of shame at the Cotton Bowl.

Starting point is 01:04:56 It was different because it was before the game and Craig Ludwig, the former shop blocking machine for the Dallas Stars, he was the emcee of it. And he kind of asked us questions where we weren't really hosting it. And it was so nice. I remember saying to Biz, like, I like that a lot because he'd ask a question and I'd talk about something that kind of led Biz into an idea. And then all of a sudden, 10 minutes later, get back to Craig Ludwig. He had another question. So that's how Ken Reed's going to do it. And I had the most fun doing it that way.

Starting point is 01:05:25 So I can't wait to be in London. Beautiful weather. My favorite time of year is fall. Maybe it'll be a little cooler. Late September, mid-September in London. Play some golf and I can't wait. I had an idea going to London. I don't know if we're going to execute it. But Brendan Prust, who

Starting point is 01:05:41 apparently at this point we're probably playing in a sandbag. I think he's the lined up guest, him and Rob Schrempf. So I don't know if we want to bleep out the names because we don't want to get people too excited. But Brendan Prust just opened up a gym there. I think it's Brandon. Oh, is it Brandon? Brendan, Brandon?

Starting point is 01:06:00 Is it the same thing? I think you're saying it with an E, and I think it's an A. Oh, Brendan Prust. It's hard. I get those mixed up all the time. Well, your first language is French. That's true. So he opened up a gym there, and I thought,

Starting point is 01:06:13 why not maybe, if we have time, do a little Chicklets Combine? We got all these NHL teams going to training camps. They're going to be doing the test. We just talked about it last week, about Yans being the most fit coyote. I think five years in a row while I was there. Why not see who the fittest member of the podcast is and get to have some laughs in the meantime, watching you run the a hundred meter dash.

Starting point is 01:06:35 Grinnelli, this is unbelievable. This is like Rory McIlroy going to an old folks home and saying like, want to do a long drive competition? Like all this guy does is fucking workout twice a day. And he's got a trainer. Let's see who will win the combine army. Our army's got a trainer.

Starting point is 01:06:53 I think Merle's is running a couple miles every day. I'm down. I'm down. But you, but, but you, this is sandbagging at its finest. So I know you're going to win, but I'm down, and I'm going to give it my all. I would love, what is the, is it the VO2? The VO2 and the Wingate. Oh, those are horrible, though.

Starting point is 01:07:16 The Wingate's the worst. Oh, by the way, I was told by a couple people that your eight-minute mile average is pretty solid. I was kind of chirping that a little bit. But I just do want to remind you that freshman year of college, I ran five miles in 29 minutes and 45 seconds. So I could run. So I was thinking like peak wit running six minute under six minute miles for five miles. I was thinking that I was impressed and should have given you more credit for a current eight minute mile.

Starting point is 01:07:51 I just want to say that. I appreciate that. I appreciate that. First clip of our favorite moments of this summer's interviews is going to be Mark Messier sitting down with him in Edmonton. What a treat that was. Amazing guy. Love that he had the tequila's going.

Starting point is 01:08:04 And it's him talking about his guarantee versus the New Jersey Devils in Game 6. Is it true though that you didn't mean to guarantee the Game 6 win against the Devils? What was that story? We can, we'll win. That was the quote. The whole

Starting point is 01:08:19 inspiration behind that, and I've said this many times over the years, is that if you don't believe you can win, it's not going to happen. We had to figure out a way to play better. We had the team that was capable, because of the experience that I had had leading up to coming to New York and understanding the progression of how you go through the playoffs, and then you're looking at the other conferences you're winning, and you're seeing who's playing over there

Starting point is 01:08:42 and you're watching their games. I felt, at least I felt, that we had a good enough team to win that year we had proven overall you know first president's trophy and all that and then i knew vancouver was going to perhaps come out of that side and if you look at us in vancouver on paper we should beat them we should we should technically beat them now whether we got to go do it but so i'm thinking now we got to figure out a way to get through new jersey and And at that point in my career, now I'm 33, 34, how many more chances am I going to have? So I didn't care the repercussions of anything at that point.

Starting point is 01:09:15 I'm trying to figure out how I can get us back on track and playing the kind of confident game that we'd played all year. And the first thing you do, you talk about confidence and belief that we can win. And so if they believe and I say that we can believe that we're going all year. And the first thing you do, you talk about confidence and belief that we can win. And so if they believe, and I say that we can believe that we're going to go and win that game, the subliminal messaging that you start to think about and talk about and feel and on the bus ride over

Starting point is 01:09:36 and reading the papers. And so this starts this whole kind of idea that, you know, this groundswell of, you know, motivating, inspiring, believing. And that's what you have. That's what has to happen at certain times for a team in order to get over some hard obstacles that are in your way to on the way to a Stanley Cup. Then you got to hatch it. Were you aware that it was going to catch on like it did?

Starting point is 01:10:00 Were you using the media as a tool to reinforce that? Yes, yes, yes, yes yes and no yes because i know when we played new jersey we would all get on the bus as a team and everybody have the back then as there wasn't phones as papers and everybody to read the papers on the way from the practice rank over there so i knew everybody's gonna open up the paper and say that you know and read that i believe that we could go in there and win the game. But, you know, it's very short-sighted that, you know, 10 million other New Yorkers and everybody around the country and the New Jersey Devils are going, oh, yeah.

Starting point is 01:10:32 What the fuck? Is that right? That's like they're going to come in here and win this game? Is that the all-time, like, Bolton board? Very Reg Dunlop of you. Is that the all-time Bolton board material quote right there? Is that going to go down as the number one? But you know what's funny?

Starting point is 01:10:49 Someone said to me years after, I go, well, well they needed that for inspiration and motivation at that time of year that i would have felt i would have used that to our advantage saying they need this to be motivated they're not motivated enough at what the chance that they have to go to the stanley cup finals to win one game so i would have just turned chess chess not checkers and then in the finals you guys are up 3-1 right yeah and then they forced that game seven did you say anything to the team before game seven or is that not really your thing game seven was uh 3-1 you know the parade the tickets the demands the focus the distractions i mean it's all part of why that when you talk you guys know the the people from out of town,

Starting point is 01:11:27 you know, family, you're making sure everybody's in a hotel. I mean, you take your eye off the ball one little iota, and it's like 1%, that's magnified by 1,000 that time of year. And it's something that's phenomenal in sports that is hard to explain. And you think you're prepared. You think you're ready to go. And it just – it just dissolved on us. And then, of course, game six was a wipeout.

Starting point is 01:11:55 Game seven, we had two days to recover, which was really beneficial. And Keenan was asking us whether we should go to Lake Placid and should we, you know we go and stay quiet. And we're all going, Mike, we're the best team in hockey. We want to be in our own beds. We want to be with our families. I mean, this is what we've done all year. Why would we change at this point right now?

Starting point is 01:12:15 And he goes, great. That's what you guys want to do. Let's do that. So we went home and we just absorbed that energy for two days. And it actually rejuvenated us because the whole city was so freaking on fire and you couldn't help it but uh be be caught up in it and the enormity of it and we had a good practice and we got ready to play and boy that building was electric oh my god i remember when zubov went to leach that was like my i was 11. That was my true, like, falling in love with hockey, watching the Rangers in the 94 summer.

Starting point is 01:12:47 But I remember Zubov to Leach, D-to-D, like, in the offensive zone. He buries it. Forever. He hung onto it forever. Yeah, yeah. And you see in the replay, and Leach is there. Then he kind of gets back, and he finds the seam. Yep.

Starting point is 01:12:58 What two amazing hockey players. Like, crazy, crazy, crazy hockey players. Keaton benched him, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. I feel benched him, though. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I feel like in this era of dynamic offensive defense, too, Leach's name just doesn't get brought up enough. I mean, of course, we hear about, obviously, Bork and Orr and those dynamic players,

Starting point is 01:13:14 but I just think Leach doesn't get – I think he gets lost in the shuffle a little bit, Mark. Well, I agree with that. You don't have to convince me of that. I played with a lot of great players in my time, but he's right up there in the top five. Absolutely. Tough as nails, warrior.

Starting point is 01:13:31 Never once at 5'11", 185 pounds did he ever, ever, ever take a backward step when he went back and got the puck. Didn't matter with Lindros coming down on him and the biggest forwards and all that. He never threw snow. You talk about a guy that played through pain. You've got to talk about a guy. There's probably maybe three guys that I've ever played with,

Starting point is 01:13:52 maybe four, maybe five guys. You have six cups. I'm sure there's a lot more. Maybe five guys that I would never worry about giving a long-term contract to. He's one of them. You know you're going to get his best on any given night. What a warrior. What a player.

Starting point is 01:14:08 What a friend. What a champion. Unbelievable. It's so hard to, like, you just have so many different things. We've taken up so much of your time. I just was kind of. That's where we got to come back. I'm going to hit the play button.

Starting point is 01:14:18 Are we recording? Oh, no, we're not recording. We're going to start over. Oh, no, we're not recording. We've got to start over. I guess my last question for you would be the career you had and what you meant to these different cities. And we talk about post-retirement for guys being difficult. For you, at the beginning of being out of the game, was that hard?

Starting point is 01:14:38 It wasn't, actually. You had enough. Christ, I played for 100 years. Can't do this anymore. I was walking out of there like. The mess actually hated hockey. But it was interesting. But that's, well, I was 44 when I basically retired,

Starting point is 01:14:56 40, whatever it was. What do I do now? 20, 26 years. But so I recognized my last few years, it was diminishing returns. I needed more rest to work that you need. So I couldn't keep up. And more importantly, if it's not, it's just a hard thing when it comes to them. But anyways, when I did retire, you know, I retired to, you know,

Starting point is 01:15:29 my son Douglas and my son Lion, and then had another baby after that. So, you know, that fills you up immediately, right? But I never once, once I retired, felt that, geez, I wish I felt about or thought about going back in time. That's a good thing, though. Yeah. Like you were a good thing, though. Yeah. Like you were complete. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 01:15:46 No, I had done everything that I – more than I had ever accomplished in the game. And for me, it was like I loved every minute of it. Like even to the end when I was laying – like in between games, I was laying down for – the minute practice was over and all the treatment and all that, I'd go home and lay know you know it's the minute practice is over and all the treatment and all that I go home and lay horizontal and then but I'd love the game like you know I just loved it and even though we didn't play well and the teams weren't good at the end I just I just loved trying to figure out a way to kind of pull it all together and all the thought that

Starting point is 01:16:18 you know we can make this work I can figure out this and that and try to make it work but unfortunately we weren't able to at the end. But I was lucky. What do you consider your purpose now? I mean, obviously, you had 26 years pro. Like, since you've retired, what's become your main focus? But when you wake up, what makes you tick? Kids, obviously. You know, kids for me is family.

Starting point is 01:16:40 You know, I started my foundation that's really geared towards giving access and opportunity to kids underprivileged kids in new york city especially in the bronx so trying to put that kingsbridge ice center together that didn't happen but we put over 5 000 kids through a learn to skate program and onblades, all anticipation of that happening. That never happened, but these kids are amazing. But just paying it forward, you know, and really kind of hoping that one day I can help anybody that's in need in the game itself, lend any experiences I had that might be helpful.

Starting point is 01:17:22 And then, of course course the entrepreneur stuff which is fun and yeah you ever skate anymore uh i did skate a lot before covid really yeah i was skating a lot actually because i got a spot on my ball hockey team if you want ball hockey yeah you can't get a title this is the guy you need oh my god big deal brew yeah yeah big deal selects need mess yeah no i love i still like i used to skate just for cardio and all that uh and then i was playing Oh, my God. Big deal, bro. Yeah. Big deal, selects, need mass. Yeah. No, I love skating. I used to skate just for cardio and all that. And then I was playing the odd charity game and all that kind of stuff, so I at least wanted to not embarrass myself and all that.

Starting point is 01:17:53 Yeah. Mike, I'm going to go, like, game seven, we're talking about the 94 range. It's just an epic final. And it goes down to the last minute, the last faceoff, the last draw. Take us through those last two minutes, the anxiety of it, how you lead the team through that moment. Well, that's funny. There was my partner, Isaac Chura.

Starting point is 01:18:09 We bought all the rights to Game 7, so we're building a whole brand around Game 7. Yeah, I saw you wearing those shirts. Yeah, so we're coming out with a docuseries, and we're going to create a whole brand around Game 7. But Game 7 in New York, the dying second. I'm not sure in my – I know for sure in my career that I'd never felt anything that palpable that day going to New York City.

Starting point is 01:18:37 We had – I'd pick up – the routine was I'd pick up Brian Leach. I had a limo driver. I'd pick him up at his apartment, which was a few blocks away. We'd go down Broadway right to the rink, and it was absolutely electric. And we'd go there at 4 o'clock, and we finally got to the garden. Back then, we'd come into the garden, we'd go up the ramp, and they would drive us right up to the ramp. So your back and legs were blown out?

Starting point is 01:19:01 Well, then later in my career, I didn't mind walking up. It was like a flush. I hated that, too. it was like a flush it was that you would i couldn't yeah but i hated that too that was like a setup so we came up we're coming up with a docuseries uh with the amazon bought about that game seven game and it is unbelievable and the guys that did the connor shell that did the last dance he did it for us and okay yeah you're gonna have more emm than Cups by the time it's on. It's coming out in October. And we got the Oilers 87 and we got the, yeah, it's amazing.

Starting point is 01:19:35 Do you ever experience anything like the Canadian Heroes before? Come down that, I don't know. Well, you know what's funny? Mike Keenan, so we go to training camp. They hire Mike Keenan, right? We go to training camp and the first thing Mike Keenan, so we go to training camp. They hire Mike Keenan, right? We go to training camp, and the first thing Mike Keenan does, before he says a word, he goes, run it, run it. You know, he's standing up there, run it.

Starting point is 01:19:54 And so they turned this video on there, and of course the video comes on with some music, and there's a 1986 Mets ticker tape parade. And we're watching that going, wow, that's really. And you know why he said he showed that? Because there wasn't a ticker tape parade video of the watching that going wow that's that's really and you know why he said he showed that because there wasn't a ticker tape parade video of the new york rangers winning the stanley cup but the idea that the first day of training camp he started to plant the seed and that's why we're here we're not here we're not here to play in the national hockey league we're not here to collect the check we're not here to you know win the president's trophy

Starting point is 01:20:22 win the president's trophy we're here we're here to go down that and get the people out to Canyon of Heroes to celebrate a Stanley Cup. That's what we're here for. And anything less than that is not going to be. And if you're not on board, let me know now, and I'll find a place for you to play. Because you all can play in the league, but not everybody can play on a Stanley Cup winning team.

Starting point is 01:20:40 Let me know who's in. Raise your hand if you're in. Ah, huge thanks to mark messier that's a white whale for us and i think afterward he did mention that's a little bit more than he planned on opening up but sometimes the pink whitney gets flying and uh all of a sudden you get the you unleash the beast so to speak so uh go back and check out that full pot i think we had him for over an hour and in just an incredible sit down and i can't wait to get him on again one day so thank you uh and and now we're off to strudwick a former team of the year's wit who uh you know funny guy came and put you in a body bag and uh that was kind of nice and

Starting point is 01:21:14 refreshing for once and also a guy who who obviously just like a deep thinker a guy who always paying attention always always the slinging jokes. He was constantly, constantly chirping me. I think I knew him. This guy, you know when you know you've not met your match but really have no chance? You're like, this guy's going to bury me every day. And the leisure suits, he just always, I wore sweatpants every day. He's like, how every day do you not have the pride to throw on some jeans

Starting point is 01:21:45 so but him and his wife showing amazing people as i mentioned on the show we uh we got i got to live at his house that that year that he was gone and he's just a great guy so throw it over to him right now and talking about his first fight uh and all the different things that he got to experience in his career so jason strudwick when you you were in Kamloops, was that like 20 fights a year? Was it that often? Yeah. So I, I, you know, at that time.

Starting point is 01:22:11 It was no third round. I mean, that's pretty. Yeah. So I think my first year in junior, I had maybe eight fights, but to give you a sense, like our, our sick boy had about 10. He was really tough. He was a tough kid.

Starting point is 01:22:21 Evan, really tough. And so like, I wasn't a fighter. Like I grew up here in Edmonton and I, um, like I never gone to fight a recess. Uh, my parents, I'm like a lover. I am. I am. And I, I am very friendly guy. And I, I, I used to, I live right when here at West Edmonton mall, the

Starting point is 01:22:36 big mall in Edmonton. I would carry my, I played trombone in, in high school. I doesn't get a lot of the ladies, right? Before that I played, uh, Oregon right? Before that, I played organ. So I'd carry my trombone and these kids from this school called Rosh Shabbat would always chirp. And they're like, where the fuck can I beat

Starting point is 01:22:51 the shit out of you? Buddy, I'm just carrying my trombone. Play my instrument. I'm not trying to make a statement. My mom's making me play. I'm not making a statement here. So one day they finally jumped me. And I remember I'm like, I'm fighting these

Starting point is 01:23:02 guys off, trying to hold on to my trombone. And I remember thinking, I'm fighting these guys over a trying to hold on to my trombone. And I remember thinking, I'm fighting these guys over a trombone. Like, what am I doing, right? So I wasn't a fighter. I'd never gotten to fight, except there was a time I was like, let it go, let it go.

Starting point is 01:23:16 What am I doing? That's my trombone. I got my bus pass like, hold on. And you can't do anything to these guys. It was embarrassing. Embarrassing. So anyway, so, and then I go to junior and I'm going to be there. And you can't do anything to these guys. It was embarrassing. Embarrassing. So anyway, so, um, and then I go to junior and I'm not really a fighter.

Starting point is 01:23:28 And my first fight ever was against a guy named Rocky Thompson. Oh my God. Oh, geez. What? Yeah. Yeah. And I honestly, like he, I, I knew like guys

Starting point is 01:23:37 before the game, like, Hey, just so you know, this guy's pretty tough. And Tyson Nash gets into, he was the most annoying guy. Tyson Nash is very annoying. And he, he knows Rocky. So I jump in there and Rocky's like, I swear to God, I thought the most annoying guy. Tyson Nash is very annoying. And he, you know, he's Rocky. So I jump in there and Rocky's like, I swear to God, I thought the linesman was punching me.

Starting point is 01:23:49 I'm like, Hey, I'll deal with you in a second. I'm getting beat up by these, this guy right here. And I'm like, what the hell? So I, I, I did not know how to fight. I didn't know how to fight. Right. And it really wasn't until pros where I started to learn how to fight.

Starting point is 01:24:01 Cause you're not, now you're not fighting, you're 18 or fighting a 17 year old. You're 20 fighting a 30-year-old. Was there anyone you played with that helped you? Or was it more on your own learning it? Yeah, you know, my first year junior, or first year pro, I walk into our dressing room in Worcester,

Starting point is 01:24:15 the Ice Cats, and our coach was a guy named Jimmy Roberts. And unfortunately, he's passed away, a great guy. And he was a character I had on a slap shot. And he's like, you want to play in the NHL? I'm like, yeah, I do. He's like, what are you going to do? I'm like, I'm going to work hard.

Starting point is 01:24:28 You know, you give all the same. He's like, don't give me that shit. You got to like, you're going to learn how to fight. I'm like, what'd you say? And so he sent me to a guy, a boxing guy. The guy had like one eye. It was like a patch. And like me and this other guy, Jed Feeblecorn,

Starting point is 01:24:40 are learning how to like jab. And I'm like, oh my God. What am I doing? Yeah, this is crazy. Give me a trombone again. It was, it was. Yeah, yeah. If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge anything.

Starting point is 01:24:48 So I'm like, I'm fighting. So I fought 22 times that year and I probably had like one tie, all losses, right? And I learned, but you learn like the only way, I don't know, Biz, if you feel the only way is to fight, you have to do it. And they'd say like, we have to look to learn to look through a punch.

Starting point is 01:25:04 Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You're on the it. And they'd say like, we have to look to learn to look through a punch. Yeah. That's easy for you to say. You're on the bench, like just having a dart, you know, like nothing. And I'm in there scrapping for my life. So yeah, I mean, it was, it was hard learning how to fight was really, really hard. Cause I'm not an angry guy, but I, I like

Starting point is 01:25:18 playing mean, but you know, fighting wasn't really necessarily in my DNA. Yeah. Well, he said Bonvey helped him a lot. So yeah. Certain guys. Yeah. No doubt was fortunate to have guys like that along the way.

Starting point is 01:25:27 Like Dennis Bonvey was probably the OG. Yeah. Especially from the AHL perspective. Yeah. And that's really where I had to start doing it. In the coast, it was a little bit. There's a story about when I was on the five on three fighting Lane, man.

Starting point is 01:25:38 I said, we don't need to get into it. But, well, that's awesome. That's, I mean, I don't know if you had anything, all right, to hop in here. No, I know you, it looks like you burned off the one game for the, get that one, one game with the Islanders, 95's awesome. That's, I mean, I don't know if you had anything already to hop in here. Uh, no, I, I know you, it looks like you burned off the one game for the, get that one, one game with the Islanders, 95, 96. I don't know, seven penalty minutes.

Starting point is 01:25:50 So you must not fight that for us game. So, you know, I wasn't exactly like, um, yeah, I wasn't a silver spooner. So I wasn't sure if I was going to get back. So I get called up, um, from Worcester, my first year, I'm 20. And the guy says, uh, you know, my coach Jimmy Roberts says, you're going to get called up.

Starting point is 01:26:06 So I'm like, okay. So I go there. I'm like, I'm going to get in a fight. Like for sure. So I drive from Worcester to Hartford. I sleep in my, the room, my roommate doesn't wake up. I wake up the next morning.

Starting point is 01:26:14 I'm just like a disaster. I'm so excited to play, but I'm like, I'm nervous. I'm going to fight somebody. So I look over there. I'm like, Kelly Chase, I'm going to fight this guy. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:26:23 So, you know, I hadn't learned how to fight yet. This is the year of the 22 fights where I lost all of them. So like we get into a little scuffle and it's a bit of a fight and I'm like, yes, like I got five minutes, right? I want my parents to see it.

Starting point is 01:26:34 They went to watch it like a Boston pizza. This is before you had it on every TV. So I go in there and get into the, uh, in the box and Kelly Chase like, we're going again. I'm like, why? I did it already. The rest, like two minutes of wrestling. I'm like,

Starting point is 01:26:46 what? Are you kidding me? No. So I'm looking at the clock and it's ticking down. It's like a bomb. I'm like, Oh my God, this isn't going to happen.

Starting point is 01:26:53 Right. Two minutes. And then we have to get out at the same time. We come out and bang right back into it. And we have another fight. And then after he's like, good fight rookie. I'm like,

Starting point is 01:27:01 you're welcome. What are you going to say? I didn't even know. I'm like a virgin. I have no idea what's going on out there. But I wanted to like leave my mark. And then it would be almost two years again until I got into the NHL again.

Starting point is 01:27:12 There's no guarantee. The next year I didn't play at all. I didn't get called up at all. Were you rattled? Was that hard for you? Yeah. I mean, I think I knew I had to improve. You know, what I think that it's important

Starting point is 01:27:22 for young players to kind of get a taste and see where you're at. Then you get pulled back. And I knew that you're, we had a guy named Zidane O'Chara, pretty good player. Of course. Yeah, he was also there. So I was like, well, it doesn't look good for old Uncle Strutty. But, you know, then you kind of just work on your game and you try to get better.

Starting point is 01:27:40 But, you know, I knew I had to learn how to fight and learning how to fight is difficult. It's not easy. Not that I'm an angry guy, but, you know, you want to have that in your skill or your toolbox so you can still make plays. But then when trouble comes, you can fight it still the same time. Were you going out with all these guys for pops like early in was very, he was the guy though that'd be in early. Like you, you worked out a lot after you were in early. Like I think if you went out and had your fun, you were always like the Chelios model. Yeah. I mean, to me, yeah. I don't think I ever were, missed a workout when I was playing.

Starting point is 01:28:17 Like I felt it was important, but I mean, you know, when you're, when you're 20, it's a lot different than 30. I think when I played with you, Wits, I was probably close to 30. Yeah. And I was married, you know, like, you know, and I love my wife, but you know, it's a lot different than 30. I think when I played with you, Wits, I was probably close to 30. Yeah, and I was married, you know, like, you know, and I love my wife, but you know, it's not quite the same as being 22 wheeling and dealing.

Starting point is 01:28:31 What up, Sean? Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, I mean, I loved it. I loved going out with the guys and like, you know, you play for a long time and you have to have some memories to take home with you, right? And then just good times, like most of my best times are post game and then hanging out with the guys.

Starting point is 01:28:48 It's not like, you know, being out with a bunch of ladies or, or anything crazy is just being with the guys. Right. And maybe after a big win, like you just remember those feelings and that's, that's what I, I guess I missed. And, and the, who were the grizzled vets,

Starting point is 01:29:01 vets who were going out for, for the pops and like who you were just like in awe of maybe talking about old time hockey and like when you stepped in the older guys. Yeah. So when I, when I arrived to Vancouver, I got traded for my others to Vancouver and Mark Messier was there.

Starting point is 01:29:13 Oh. My idol. Like my, you know, you, you see him all the time, this, you know. How about the suit story? Yeah. So yeah, he, so yeah. So the suit story.

Starting point is 01:29:20 So I, I get, I arrived there and I guess I didn't have a very good suit game. So Messier's like, we're going to, you know, my buddy's coming to make suits. He's from wherever. So I'm like I arrived there and I guess I didn't have a very good suit game. So Mess is like, we're going to, you know, my buddy's coming to make suits. He's from wherever. So I'm like, all right. So I walk in and I have no idea. Like I'm not a good dresser, obviously.

Starting point is 01:29:32 And Kevin Weeks is with me. He's like, you know, you should get a green suit. I'm like, that sounds great. It was all of green. I didn't have a blue suit, a black suit, but I had a all of green suit. And I called it a road warrior. That thing I could take with me anywhere

Starting point is 01:29:44 and it'd be like, it would last forever right but mess um you know I loved mess he was he was my favorite player growing up because he would take care of his own business so you know we get to Vancouver and you know Saturday at the Rocks he's a pretty popular place so you know after a Saturday game I'd feel good about myself maybe played well and I'd be kind of kind of dressed also it'd be a little a head over my shoulders like, Hey, what are you doing tonight? I'm like, whatever you want. That guy was like, where are you?

Starting point is 01:30:08 You tell me. Yeah. Yeah. I don't care. I'll go. He's like, I'll meet you later at the Rock Center. I'm going over there.

Starting point is 01:30:13 I'm like, I'll be. So I just like beeline to Rock Center. Okay. We got to get five seats. Mesa's coming. This is Mesa's seat. Yeah. I'd be waiting for everyone.

Starting point is 01:30:19 I'd just be waiting like, and then he'd come in like, oh, here Mesa. You know what I mean? And he'd come in and like we hang out and like he was such, you know how good, he's the best guy. And he was my idol. And then you get to play with him. And there didn't be times on the ice where I remember one time

Starting point is 01:30:33 that this guy Jason Marshall was running at Todd Bertuzzi and he was on a line with Messi. And so there's an offensive zone face-off and Messi skates back and he's like, hey, if Marshall even looks at Bertuzzi, jump him. I'm like, I got it. And sure enough, like right off the faceoff, I jump in and I'm just like going crazy. And Mike Keenan's like, hey man, you can't do that.

Starting point is 01:30:52 Mess is like, I got him. He's like, okay, we're good. And that was it. I heard Mess ran his show. Oh, he, well, he, he, Mess was the best. Like, so we were playing San Jose right after Christmas. You know how hard those games are after Christmas, right?

Starting point is 01:31:03 You feel like a thousand pounds. So we were playing San Jose back to back. You know how hard those games are after Christmas, right? You feel like a thousand pounds. So we were playing San Jose back to back. Ola Nolan's the captain of San Jose. So we fly all the way down there and like, I want to say the 26th, play San Jose. Opening face off, Ola Nolan cross checks, mess. Like a hard guy. And so myself and this guy, Chris McAllister, are chasing him around, but he won't fight us. Like he's scoring 50 goals and, you know, we get destroyed five, one.

Starting point is 01:31:26 So afterwards, Mark, uh, Keenan walks in. He's just like, you fucking guys, he'd never let your captain get hit like that. And, and, and mess like, I got it. It's like, no, you got to do is like, I got it. So now we're playing them two days later. We fly home to Vancouver. We play in the next day or the, you know, two days later and mess off the face off. Just crunches that guy.

Starting point is 01:31:43 And we just destroyed him. Right. Like that's our guy. Like we were so excited. Messier. He legit in the locker room as Keenan saying this, puts his hand up and said, Mike, I got it. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:31:52 He's like, that's an, I've got it. And you're just. I don't need someone to fight my battles. No, no. And he's like, I got it. You're just like, uh, yeah, he's got it. Six cups. But you would have done anything like, like

Starting point is 01:32:01 for Mark Messier playing with him. I mean, I can't imagine playing with him in the 94 run when they won the Stanley cup like you know i arrived in New York later and talked a bit like leech and richter and those guys and what he did that i mean that that is legendary status the cap that i think the cap here 90 was impressive but to me the cap the cup of 94 with the rangers is like elite elite level right's incredible. Yeah. He got four and then his next two were like almost even more impressive. No Gretzky.

Starting point is 01:32:28 That's right. Yeah. And no disrespect to Wayne. I mean, Wayne's an amazing player, but to win it without him. Yeah. On a team that people didn't think could win and then going to New York where it's like been

Starting point is 01:32:36 how many years? It was like a thousand years. But you didn't even mention with the green suit, he ended up buying it, right? Yeah. No, no. I paid for it. Oh, I thought you bought it for me.

Starting point is 01:32:44 Yeah, I know. Don't. He probably was. Tell him it was only 500 bucks. 500 Canadian. I have heard stories of him buying rookie suits, though. Might have been somewhere else. Maybe in New York when he first got there.

Starting point is 01:32:53 He's like, sorry to be around that long. I don't really buy this. No, no. This is the achievement. But he like, I can't tell you, Mark Messi was, he was so important in my career, like learning how to be a leader. You know, he'd make a bad play and he'd skid off the ice. Like he just made be a leader. You know, he'd make a bad play

Starting point is 01:33:05 and he'd skate off the ice, like he just made the best play. You know, you see guys and they just slam their stick on ice and he skates off, no problem, right? Oh, he didn't show his emotions like in a bad way. Never.

Starting point is 01:33:13 Well, yesterday we interviewed him and he actually talked about that. He would watch the other team and see how guys' body language would. So it makes sense that he's not going to show you anything. No, and he never did. And so I tried,

Starting point is 01:33:25 like I always felt when mess was on the bench, things are going to be okay. Right. You always felt it was going to be okay. And then I go to, I mean, I wasn't even close to the level of player he is, but I wanted things to be calm when I was on the bench. Like, Hey guys, we got this.

Starting point is 01:33:36 Like, just calm down. Cause sometimes the coach would be losing their mind and he never, he was such a good influence on me and so many other young players, right? The way he behaved and led by example and included everyone. We'd go to, you know, after, let's say we had a couple of days off, like, hey, everyone's invited to my house on whatever Friday,

Starting point is 01:33:53 or I guess it'd be a Sunday night, usually on a Friday night. And we're like, okay. So I remember calling my parents and like, what should I bring to Mark Bessie's house? You know what I mean? Like, get a bottle of wine. So I had no idea about wine. I'm 22.

Starting point is 01:34:04 I'm like, I need a hundred dollar bottle of wine. I I had no idea about wine. I'm 22. I'm like, I need a hundred dollar bottle of wine. I just grab it off the shelf and just go by price. Right. But he would invite all of us to his home and like, and,

Starting point is 01:34:11 and he was so inclusive. And I think, you know, that was one of the greatness of the, of the Rangers and Oilers teams. I think teams that are close, they,

Starting point is 01:34:18 they do better than, than you should. Thanks to Struts. That Edmonton trip was so legendary. I'll never forget it and and those two guys sitting down with us there messier and strudwick were just classic um right from edmonton we ended up hitting up uh vegas actually was at the end of the stanley cup final from florida but that series went to vegas and that's where we finally got to chat with mac and celebrini and

Starting point is 01:34:44 i remember going into bu and i know I brought this up on the show, had heard so much about them. And then right away, you're just, wow. It's the feeling of you're seeing something different. And it's the compete level. And it's the way that some guys look to get points and some guys care about stats. And this kid, from the first time I saw him on the ice,

Starting point is 01:35:03 you could tell it was a full 200-foot player and somebody that did not cheat the game. And we're going to get to hear from him again right now on why he plays the way he does. What an honor this is. Long time, long time. I told him, I go, after the season, buddy, you're coming on. He's like, oh, come on, I'll come on.

Starting point is 01:35:21 And I was like, you're staying to be you one more year. No, no, we appreciate this, dude. It was incredible seeing you play this year. I'd heard so much I'll come on. And I was like, you're staying at BU one more year. No, no, we appreciate this, dude. It was incredible seeing you play this year. I'd heard so much about you coming in and then just you exceeded expectations, which is wild considering what they were coming in. So I was more interested in kind of how you picked BU and how you went about deciding to go play for the Terriers

Starting point is 01:35:39 and for Pando and how that whole recruitment process went. Yeah, obviously growing up, like Biz knows, and how that whole recruitment process went? Yeah. Obviously, growing up, like Biz knows, being from Canada, you don't really think about college. It's pretty much major juniors. No. Growing up when I was a lot younger, it was pretty much WHL.

Starting point is 01:35:58 I just wanted to go to WHL. That's kind of the path that all my friends were taking. I never really even thought about it. Then when I moved down to San Jose, heard about Shad I kind of one thing led to another this season like it just kind of became more clear and um once I got kind of presented with this opportunity to go in a year early um I really liked that like that idea of playing up against like the college players a year early um just getting that exposure in my draft year. So you believed it was like a higher level of competition?

Starting point is 01:36:30 Yeah, I mean, you can argue it either way, but I feel like the players that I was playing against were like 24, 23, like some guys are 25, like eight years older than me. So I just feel like from that aspect, like a lot of bigger stronger players that i was going up against and i feel like that really helped me well i was gonna say i noticed you you play with the chicago steel yeah yeah and and uh shane don't talked about

Starting point is 01:36:54 it because i think his son went there as well where like the development there is crazy so you were able to obviously make that leap because you were you were maybe more prepared playing at the uchl level with chicago yeah yeah i mean I mean there's stories about Chicago like with a lot of money there too yeah like especially they changed ownerships now but while I was there Larry Robbins was still the uh the owner and I mean he supported us like like no other team in the USHL like anything we needed like he was always there for like he would he would help us and whatever whatever we needed so yeah so you mentioned the move to san jose and i think a lot of that has to do with your father and your father's it's a crazy story i'd love to get like

Starting point is 01:37:36 the in-depth part from you but work for the golden state warriors became very close with steph curry draymond green and that's why you might you moved down there. What had he been doing prior to when he ended up getting that job and you moved to California? He was actually working. So he started off with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS in Vancouver. So he worked with them for a while, seven years. And then three years into his contract with the Whitecaps, he signed with the Canucks.

Starting point is 01:38:03 So he worked with them for four years before he moved down um he also opened this uh like physiotherapist center in burnaby called fortius oh yeah you mentioned that i worked with your uncle there i think oh really i don't think it was your dad you don't you have like an uncle yeah yeah yeah who helped out he helped you repair my bilateral spore ternia oh no no way. What's his name again? Randy? Yeah, Randy, Randy, Randy. Okay, that's really cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 01:38:28 Beautiful facility. Very nice. State-of-the-art underground, or not underground, underwater treadmills. Yeah, yeah. So like basically your best therapy you could get if you tore like an ACL or anything like that.

Starting point is 01:38:38 Yeah, exactly. Like he pretty much helped build that place and oversaw kind of the, the recoveries that were going on there. Um, and then he got presented this opportunity with San Antonio, uh, the Spurs. And, uh, we actually went down there one summer and, uh, we kind of checked out like, or they checked out the facilities and stuff like that. Um, but then right after that, uh, Golden State reached out to him. And so he went over there as well. And pretty much one of the factors that went into making that decision was hockey.

Starting point is 01:39:12 Like, was there going to be hockey for us? For you and Aiden. For me, Aiden, and my younger brother, RJ. Like, would there be hockey there? Would there be a good program where we could, like, keep playing and, like, training? So that was a big thing that went into that so ultimately he chose the Golden State Warriors and then I mean yeah he spent the first year down there by himself we were still in Vancouver and then um we all lived down there for a year so

Starting point is 01:39:36 Aiden's two years older yeah then you then your sister then RJ yeah yeah okay so were you kind of bummed out to be going to California? Cause Vancouver and you'd played a little bit with Bedard. We'll get into that. And you knew him and all of a sudden you're leaving Canada and going to not a crazy youth hockey market in San Jose. Like, I don't know what, I don't know how old you were, but was it a little like, I don't want to leave. Like I got my buddies and my team here. Yeah. I mean, it was definitely a huge transition. Vancouver's there's so much hockey there like there's five rinks within 10 minutes of my house so like there's there's all that opportunity for

Starting point is 01:40:11 ice and I mean that's kind of the culture I grew up into like no matter what like you just go play like working out was less like on the on the scale of the corn so So you just go out, play with your buddies, have fun. And moving down to San Jose, where we lived, there's the Sharks Ice, the Sharks practice facility. And then the next rink was probably 45, 50 minutes away from our house. So it was just a huge transition for us. I mean, I was excited. How old were you then? I was 14.

Starting point is 01:40:44 So that's a big time. Yeah, that's hard, dude. Like, you know, you're dominating at your age group, but all of a sudden you're gone. That must have been a little difficult. Yeah, it was difficult. Like, moving down there, I mean, I played a year up when I went to the Junior Sharks program, which helped,

Starting point is 01:40:58 but it was like we didn't really have time to set up with school. Like, we homeschooled the first year we got there so um yeah I mean overall it was just it was a huge transition and I mean I loved it but it was just it was it was a lot I oh I noticed Bedard's a lot into uh roller hockey given the lack of ice in California at the time did you maybe do more roller hockey ball hockey like were you doing more of that stuff yeah I did I tried that um actually we we joined a league for a little bit down in California I mean in Vancouver and I never played roller hockey because there was always ice but um moving down there I started to play a little bit and then it kind of fizzled out like just because you were able to get access to more was that because of like like like were you like traveling a lot to get the ice like where were

Starting point is 01:41:50 you going most of the time um i mean for the year that i was there it was a lot like so in san jose there's this thing called gretzky hour it's pretty much like open hockey it's like an hour and half of ice you gotta pay the hour it's called gretzky hour yeah yeah okay pretty much like open hockey. It's like an hour and half of ice. It's called Gretzky hour. Yeah. It's like, uh, it's an hour and a half of ice. It's, you got to pay like 14 bucks or whatever. You can get like a pass or whatever, but it's pretty much just open hockey. So like throughout the day, like we try to go during the day when it was less busy and you just like skate on one or two Gretzky hours and then practice. Cause we only practice like four times a week, which was also like a little bit of a an adjustment and then everywhere we went to play games we travel like we go yeah we travel like pittsburgh and um we go

Starting point is 01:42:36 down to la and like very rarely were teams coming to us just because like we were lower on the spectrum and yeah they when they travel they want to go where they could play a bunch of teams but that it would have only been you and san jose so your dad like he was so busy with golden state and stuff like i imagine your mom had a ton to do with your travel and like could he make everything or was he not able to be at a lot of your travel and your games um yeah it was definitely tougher for him to travel, especially at that point. He was still new with the Warriors, so he didn't really have that flexibility to leave. So for the most part, I would travel with some teammates. Yeah, I mean, I guess it was mostly traveling with teammates. I would just kind of be there with some of my teammates.

Starting point is 01:43:22 Yeah, I mean, my mom with my three other siblings and my dad being so busy at work, it was tough for one of them to come with. What was your dad's past in playing sports growing up? Did he ever play hockey or was it different sports? And like, how did he get into what he ended up doing and becoming so good at? He, growing up, he played hockey until Bantam, I think.

Starting point is 01:43:43 And then he played professional soccer. He played for the Canadian national team playing soccer. And then he also played for, I think it was the Vancouver 86ers before they went to the Whitecaps. So he played pretty high-level soccer. But what caused him to go into what he does now is he had two ACL had really bad, like he had two ACL tears, I think.

Starting point is 01:44:09 He, he like shattered his foot. He had stress fractures in his foot and like his foot, like he broke his foot, broken ankle. Like he had a lot of injuries that were mishandled. And he was like, so like at the end of it, his career was cut short because he couldn't, like he couldn't, he couldn't play on, like he's had like five surgeries on his right knee. So like at that point he you can do prior to ever being injured to like basically make and make sure an injury doesn't happen so for you and Aiden and your sister and brother like even at a young age were you always doing certain exercises or prehab type things like before practices or games like even being younger it wasn't so much of like before we skate it was just more like the workouts we did.

Starting point is 01:45:05 And the, uh, like even before we started lifting weights, we'd always like, we always do workouts. It was, but it was all like movement type stuff, like stuff with movement core,

Starting point is 01:45:15 like bands. Yeah. Band. Yeah. It's just pretty much just like, he calls it like an athletic neutral position where like you're moving in a safe way. Like you're not compromising anything. I mean, I don't really know much about it.

Starting point is 01:45:33 I used to do that with your uncle. And every time I moved, he'd be like, oh, my God. He's like, dude, you don't move good. Let's just get on the underwater treadmill. Fill the hour and get the sky out of my fucking face. He's hungover again. I want to go back to the gretzky hour like yeah one thing about today's game is the skill set like you look at guys like connor mcdavid obviously your skills are a different level during those gretzky hours or sometimes where there was there no one out there so you're able to do those things on the

Starting point is 01:46:00 ice where you're like going around the pylons or or the fake dummies a certain way to develop those skills. Cause I feel like that's like, you have to do that nowadays in order to get to that level. Yeah. I feel like for me, like, I mean, we went to so many, but a lot, I went with my older brother. So we play a bunch of one-on-one and we compete and battle, but a lot of it. Yeah. Like usually when it was more busy, we'd do that. Like when we, we'd have, we'd have less ice. We'd like that. Like we'd work on like when we we'd have we'd have less ice we'd like

Starting point is 01:46:26 that like we'd work on like different kind of things like um whatever like for me I would just kind of base it off like my last game so like my last tournament like I'd figure like I had this opportunity or I was feeling like weak in like this situation like that's where I would kind of go to the ice and like I would work on that like that's kind of like because it's tough to like really like set a plan for yourself when like you're just by yourself on the ice and you're young yeah exactly but that's kind of like how I looked at it like whatever I felt in the game that I needed to improve I'd kind of go to the ice and I would just try to work on it just to kind of improve it that's awesome in talking to

Starting point is 01:47:04 Joey Pereira the assistant coach of BU and Pandolf before the season and they would just try to work on it just to kind of improve it. That's awesome. In talking to Joey Pereira, the assistant coach of BU and Pandolf before the season, and they were just telling me about you, like, wait, do you see this kid? And they talked a lot about your 200 foot game. And I think that you get these supremely talented offensively players like yourself and they're 17, 18 years old and they want points and they want goals. But as they said, right before, you know, your season, it was like all defense. It was, you never cheated the game. And I kind of wondered if, if your dad was a part of that, if it was maybe watching certain players growing up, but you ended up getting so many points, but it was never like sacrificing the defensive side of the puck. And I didn't know where that came from. That's just, that's, I mean, it's kind of how I grew up.

Starting point is 01:47:48 Like my coaches growing up, they'd always preach on playing the right way. And like, there's a right way to play and a wrong way to play. And they'd always like John Calvano, who coached me since I was six, playing spring hockey, coach Connor as well. I mean, he would, would like when we went to

Starting point is 01:48:07 the brick invitational tournament he uh he came into our locker room and he's like one prime example is like he walked in he's like he's like if you want to win the scoring record that's fine we won't win the tournament though like you can't that you can't play that way play selfish um play the wrong way and what a great coach yeah so like that was something that stuck with me i was like so like if i if i wanna like if that's the way you need to play to win then that's like something that i learned kind of early and then throughout the like years that like i started like playing like that it kind of just got more like you find yourself in better positions

Starting point is 01:48:45 when you're below the puck or when you're playing the game the right way. You're always under the puck and you're always coming. It just seems to find you a little bit more than if you're trying to chase those points or chase kind of the goals. It feels like sometimes it can bite you.

Starting point is 01:49:04 A big thank you to Macklin Celebrini the biggest takeaway for me Whit is just this kid is so beyond his years I mean him describing why he plays the way he does and and also in that interview diving into to growing up in California as well and how he used to go out in the open skate called the Gretzky hour and develop more of his skills and just putting that time energy and, and effort in nonstop. There's no surprise he's the first overall pick. Then it was off, actually, the next interview another guy, speaking of the Gretzky Hour,

Starting point is 01:49:32 a guy who played with Gretzky and who practiced hungover with him. That was a fun experience for Sean Pronger who's Chris Pronger's brother. Kind of a guy who had a career like me, just very happy and grateful to make it to the NHL. We'll send it to that right now and enjoy. Next year, trades to the Rangers.

Starting point is 01:49:52 You had some big names in that trade. You and Pete and Edvid, Chris Tamer, Fokovalev, Harry, Harry York, a couple of big names. 15 million. Yeah, so the way we- Oh, Pete needed money then. Yeah, yeah. So it was Nedved for Kovalev, Tamer for York, Pronger for 15 mil.

Starting point is 01:50:11 That's how I tell my kids. Yeah, that was it. So I got called into the coach's office in Pittsburgh. It just got called up from Houston. Second game, back up, and I get called in. I'm like, oh, fuck, I guess I'm going back to Houston. He's like, Sean, we just traded in New York. I'm like, oh, okay. The Raiders, I'm like, really?

Starting point is 01:50:31 I perked up, and he's like, he looked at me like, well, you seem happy. Why are you so excited? Why are you happy? And I'm like, dude, the fucking Madison Square Garden, this would be great. One of my best friends growing up lives in the city. I'm like, this is going to be fantastic.

Starting point is 01:50:44 I'm going to commit to this. But yeah, so played in New York briefly. Did you play with Gretzky? I did. For a bit, right? Yeah, I did. I played with Gretzky. Funny story about that.

Starting point is 01:50:57 So I was playing there and nothing was going. Like I was scratched like every other game. Like when I got there, I was a healthy scratch. And then I'm like, so I had- Who was the coach then? So it was John Muck I was scratched like every other game. Like when I got there, I was a healthy scratch. And then I'm like, so I had. Who was the coach then? So it was John Muckler was the coach, like who I grew up watching with the Oilers.

Starting point is 01:51:10 Like. Yeah. Couldn't, yeah. So. All the fame, right? Right.

Starting point is 01:51:13 And then Craig McTavish, who I grew up watching, he's now the assistant coach, Charlie Huddy, assistant coach, Keith Acton, assistant coach, guys are all,

Starting point is 01:51:20 all grew up. Plus all the guys on the team, you had Gretzky, Graves, Richter, Leach, Samuelson, Bukabum, John McClain. Like these are all grew up. Plus all the guys on the team, you had Gretzky, Graves, Richter, Leach, Samuelson, Bukaboom, John McClain.

Starting point is 01:51:28 These are all guys I just grew up watching. I'm like, this is awesome. I'm going to do whatever I can do to stay here somehow. And hey, Prongs, welcome to the Rangers. You're not going tonight. I'm like, fuck. Here we go. I'm going out.

Starting point is 01:51:41 Yeah. So I kept it on the rails as much as I could. I'm like, all right. So I had the strength guy build me some sort of bike program, like, keep me in shape, like, I'm going to do everything right. So I finally get into a game, play good, scratch for two. Get into a game, play pretty good, scratch for two. Get into a game.

Starting point is 01:52:00 Me, Manny Malhotra, and Darren Langdon were the fourth line. Zero minutes. Malhotra, zero minutes. Langdon went and took a face off and came out he had like one second they played nine four nine fours the entire game that's when you're like i don't know right so i'm like just like fuck what do i gotta do and so i think the final straw was we run a road trip and um we're playing carolina and it was like a big game like I think it was a five game losing streak and like people were starting getting traded. So the whole players only meeting

Starting point is 01:52:32 and Todd Harvey was on the team. He's actually playing. He played great in New York and he was banged up his hand. So we go it's like pregame or sorry the morning skate coming off it's like yougame or sorry, the morning skate coming off. It's like,

Starting point is 01:52:47 uh, you know, I stay on, they get bag skated and, uh, McTavish comes over. He's like, Hey prongs,

Starting point is 01:52:51 uh, Harvey might not be able to go. So if you don't want to skate, you don't have to like with the black aces. And I know what it's like to have an extra body out there. Like, I'm like, I'm not going to leave these guys behind.

Starting point is 01:53:02 Yeah. I'm going to go out there, get bag skated. So then of course stay out, stay there long enough to get get back there's no food in the hotel when you get back so don't bother eating i order like room service like four scoops of chocolate ice cream me and tamer watch a movie go to the rink don't even tape my stick don't do anything get out there dick around and warm up. Come off. Prongs, you're going. I'm like, oh, no.

Starting point is 01:53:27 What? You're going. I'm like, where's the power bars? Somebody get me a power bar. I need tape. I need laces. I need a lot of shit here. Let's go.

Starting point is 01:53:35 So I go out. I have two helpers. We win 6-2. I'm like, maybe I've been doing this wrong the whole time. Maybe less is more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the nextby and I get scratched for five straight after that. Like we went in the biggest game of our like season.

Starting point is 01:53:47 I played on the third line with Savard and Graves, two helpers played like 15 minutes. I'm like, this is great. I'm back. How do you get scratched? Like it was, we went to the time where like the coach,

Starting point is 01:54:02 they wouldn't even like say a word to you though. Right. Like you had no feedback. It's just like, you're not playing. say a word to you, though, right? No. You had no feedback. It's just like, you're not playing. Yeah, it's like, yeah, you're not going. I feel like now they tell the guys why. Well, you have to now. Right, yeah.

Starting point is 01:54:12 You have to now. Yeah, it's true. Right? Otherwise, it's going to be a whole thing. The parents will be calling you. The HR is going to call you. Yeah, parents will be on the phone. So the one thing I'll get off this.

Starting point is 01:54:21 That's Lane Kiffin, the coach. Yeah, I'll get off this. I remember, so Asa Tikun was on the team as well. You've got to have this. Oh, I'd love off this. I remember me. So Asa Tikkanen was on the team as well. Who was a, you got to have this. Oh, I'd love to get him. You got to have this man. Him and I are walking up the stands in Denver. Like we're both scratches.

Starting point is 01:54:35 And they start chanting, healthy scratch, healthy scratch. I'm just like, they'll finally get back to New York. I'm like, fuck this. Call my buddy. Let's go out. We go out and we tear it up. Two small town kids in the big city. To the point where we get to the bar at like 2 a.m.

Starting point is 01:54:51 2 a.m. bar at 2 in the morning. And I go, what? We got any after hours bars around here? And she goes, you mean after we close at 4.30? I go, never mind. So 4.30, well, I get home at 5 a.m. Practice. I get up at 7, get to Rye for practice. But I'm like, I don't give a shit. Like literally the day before, I get home at 5 a.m. Practice, I get up at 7, get to Rye for practice,

Starting point is 01:55:06 but I'm like, I don't give a shit. Like literally the day before, I was the eighth defenseman. Yeah, you fucked this. I had like a yellow jersey. I'm like, does this even color match for you guys? Like I have my own jersey, so I don't care. So I get there, grab my chocolate chip muffin and coffee, and I'm hanging out in the locker room.

Starting point is 01:55:22 I'm like, colors, it's like somebody rearranged the furniture. I'm like, where's my fucking stuff? So I'm like looking. I'm like, normally I sit there. It's got a red jersey there. That's not me. Yellow. So I start walking around and I go,

Starting point is 01:55:36 and I go back to my, I go, oh, that is me. Grabbed the red jersey, which is Gretzky's line. I go to, I think Mike Fogelin was the trainer. I go to, folks, you gave me the wrong the trainer I go I go to folks give me the wrong jersey he's like prongs no I didn't I go what he goes yeah Kevin Stevens is sick you're practicing with Gretzky I'm like you gotta be fucking kidding me hung to the balls I'm like I go in the shower stink like shit oh my god crank the cold. And I'm just like, what am I doing? I got to get my shit together. Like, this isn't right. And I'm like, had to be today. Of course it had to be today.

Starting point is 01:56:11 So then I'm like, do I tell Gretzky that I'm hungover? Do I, I go, yeah, he's a, he's a guy. He'll fucking, he'll get it. So I like, Hey Gretz, uh, you know, nice to be on the team for a couple of months. I'm like, Hey, Gretz, Sean Prager. And I go, Hey, I'm practicing with you today. Um, had a bit of a late night last night. So if you,

Starting point is 01:56:29 you know, don't mind, just don't pass me the puck. Pass the puck to Graves. He's like, no problem. I've been there myself. I'm like,

Starting point is 01:56:35 Oh, so now I'm thinking, all right, Gretz is on board. So then I'm like, all right. So I started thinking, and I remember an interview he had about him and Yari Curry.

Starting point is 01:56:44 And, uh, and saying like, you know, Yari and I just had a way, we just. So I started thinking, and I remember an interview he had about him and Yari Curry. And him saying like, you know, Yari and I just had a way, we just communicated without, you know, we would have found each other if we were on a pond, right? And I'm like, what if? Like, what if something magical happens? This is back to the draft.

Starting point is 01:56:56 Exactly, exactly. Like, what if? I'm such a dreamer. I'm like, what if? Like, and we were doing so shitty that if we had any chemistry, like, Muckler had to, had to like keep it together. And so I'm out there skating around, like I'm like, what if like, and we were doing so shitty that if we had any chemistry, like Muckler had to, had to like keep it together. And so I'm out there skating around, like I'm skating around like high step in the corners

Starting point is 01:57:10 at practice. Like it's the all-star game. I'm just like, yeah, I'm with Gretzky guys. I'm looking like, is anybody taking this picture? So then, um, first drill is like a three on two, like regroup just to warm up. I'm playing the off wing. Gretzky fires over a pass, like wounded duck off the backhand,

Starting point is 01:57:29 over the glass. Let's go again. Same shit. We went like four times. Oh no. Oh no. I'm like, I might have,

Starting point is 01:57:37 I might go right off the ice onto the Greyhound box. The anxiety peak. Oh my God. It's indescribable. So I'm not Yari Curry. Apparently all my dreams are shattered now. And I go at the end of practice,

Starting point is 01:57:49 we finally get over with the practice. Yeah, you're telling yourself the whole time you're never drinking again. Exactly. That's it, you quit. Exactly. So I'm going to create a whiskey. So at the end of practice, I go,

Starting point is 01:58:02 sorry about that. He goes, you know, don't worry about it, kid. And he winked at me. And I'm like, you motherfucker. Fucking love it. He literally got me sent down. I think don't worry. We won't be together again.

Starting point is 01:58:15 Yeah, yeah. It's okay. Thank you so much to Sean Pronger. I thought the story that might get in there is is the is the the fight when he just called out his entire team over in europe and then like the trainers like i'll go you buddy he's like oh fuck so oh no that guy that guy was probably wondering like when is my podcast gonna get dropped because we had interviewed him so long ago when we were in anaheim for uh that meet and greet we were talking about earlier this show so he was a great guy but it was long ago when we were in Anaheim for that meet and greet we were talking about earlier this show.

Starting point is 01:58:45 So he was a great guy, but it was so evergreen. We were able to wait. So we want to thank. We've had both prongers on now. Next is going to be Clint Malarchuk. And this was an emotional, amazing interview. This was one that there are certain interviews that it's hard and you feel so bad doing it because of what people have been through and this guy's had so many times in his life where he's had to really like battle and fight to get to get through times

Starting point is 01:59:11 and and nothing nothing more than than his injury the reason a lot of people know his name is is that when his neck was cut so we're going to go right now to the story of clint telling that and how emotional it was for him um i mean obviously we wanted to get to Buffalo and your time there. And I guess we can go right to the, to the incident. And I guess we'll just hand it over to you to walk us through it and what was going through your mind at the time. And I know afterward you really suffered from a lot of PTSD based on the injury and the fact that it almost took your life.

Starting point is 01:59:42 Yeah. I thought it was STD. Oh, for Christ's sake. injury and the fact that it almost took your life yeah i thought it was std oh for christ and then they said no no clint it's pts oh okay i hope i can beat that yeah well i didn't take more than a z-pack though no no you know i you know i i i i never thought I was very good as a player. I had a decent career, but I came back so quick because of what we just talked about. Everybody thinks, oh, wow. No, I had to come back quick. Okay, I'll get back to your question.

Starting point is 02:00:24 Yeah, okay, the skate cut me i hate talking about this well yeah because like there's some people who might be listening from a younger audience who don't understand don't know the situation right you could walk us through it from start to finish if that's okay with you if it brings up too many bad memories no no no i do it all the time i will get emotional i hope i't, but I usually do. And you know what? I'm a tough fucking prick. If anybody wants to call me a pussy because I cry, come here. Yeah, let's go.

Starting point is 02:00:56 I'll feed your fucking face while I cry. Right. Okay? Right. You know, I'm not the biggest guy, but boy, you know what? Anyways. okay right you know i'm not the biggest guy but boy you don't want to you like anyways so yeah uh first period uh we're playing st louis in buffalo and uh i get a skate and uh it's not how it's not important how it happened or anything but what's important is the blood squirted probably six feet and i knew right from your neck yep cut the jugular

Starting point is 02:01:31 and i knew i'm this is this is bad i've got maybe two or three minutes here and um i i really was like holy shit i'm dying I am dying right now. So mentally, I prepared for death. And this is where the PTSD comes in. And this is kind of an important story going forward on the journey that we can talk about with me. So I'm preparing for death. Like Terry Gregson was a referee. His eyes are big.

Starting point is 02:02:10 Players are looking at me. Everybody's looking at me, and I'm going, I'm fucked. So when you prepare for death, certain things go through your mind. You pray, or I prayed, and I thought, man, I've got two minutes to repent. That's not long enough. I need a couple hours here.

Starting point is 02:02:39 And so the game was on TV. Back then, you know, satellite and that. And I knew my mom was watching the game and I thought, oh shit, I got to get off the ice. I do not want her to see your son die on TV. How fucked would that be? So I got up,

Starting point is 02:02:58 I got up, Jim Pizzatelli, our medical trainer came to me. I'm sure you guys seen the video. He was awesome. A lot of people don't know that he was a vietnam medic no way okay you think about this for a second how many people are trained for that not many he'd seen it before so there was a lot of god shots in here had i been at the other end of the ice and not by the end where the exit in our dressing room is, I probably wouldn't have made it.

Starting point is 02:03:26 Jim Pizzatelli being a medic probably wouldn't have made it with another guy. He's got to save my life in front of 18,000 people in a TV audience. Calm. So I get in the medical room. I told Rip Simonik. I'd only been traded there like three weeks before, so I didn't know. But goalies always get close with equipment guys i don't know why rip rip simone is just a freaking great guy

Starting point is 02:03:50 and i said rip come here hold my hand i'm dying and uh and i told uh another trainer i said call my mom tell her i love her because we talked about our my my mom and the closest in the bond. So I'm totally preparing for death is my point. Well, long story short, you know, I, I go to the, uh, hospital. They saved my life. Um, next day I did a press conference because there was people calling. People are sick. People are calling saying, Oh, oh I'm his sister I'm his aunt I'm it's media trying to get in into the hospital yeah yeah the people

Starting point is 02:04:32 were trying to get in there so hospital administrator came to me and said hey Clint you know maybe we should just do a press conference and get this done i said whatever it takes because i'm tired of this shit and so early for that well i did the one day one day i did a press conference and i was pretty emotional because you know what i've been through and then i was so i i wanted to go see the cancer kids yeah i lived yeah i survived but i want to see the cancer kids because they don't know right they're you know maybe if you can lift their spirits a little bit you're saying yeah because in buffalo buffalo the Sabres are freaking gods. Yeah. Oh, you got the goalie of the Sabres.

Starting point is 02:05:28 And I thought, yeah. And I just, I don't know. I don't even know why I thought I was very emotional and so grateful that I was alive. And then I thought about those kids, and they don't know yet. You know, they're fighting. So I went and saw them.

Starting point is 02:05:44 And then the administrator said uh can we do a second press conference and i said all right so all this trauma is so fresh and we don't know ptsd back then we don't know nothing and and one of the like people asked me, do you regret coming back as quick as you did, like in 10 days? And I said, no. That's how it's brought up. You get bucked off a horse, you get goddamn back on it, face your fear, right?

Starting point is 02:06:14 Get over it. And teach that horse too. But I wish counseling was offered, and I never thought of it either. and when Richard Zednick cut his jugular vein in 2008 I heard and I was so grateful that everybody was offered counseling teammates coaches anybody that was directly involved was offered counseling now I did it all on my own and that's the way it was um but that second press conference I I lost it I bawled my eyes out I just I just fucking drained emotionally. Your body was probably ready to come back and play,

Starting point is 02:06:50 but it's your mind where, like, okay, I could go back and play goalie right now, but even if I don't realize what I've gone through, my mind isn't ready to be back playing hockey yet. You're not over what had happened, and no one else would have been either. So it is weird that even then somebody wouldn't have been just take another week take another three weeks oh no wits the doctors were

Starting point is 02:07:12 telling me oh do not do this you you can't come back number one you need you've lost a third of your uh body's blood you're weak it takes time to regenerate yeah you gotta yeah you know what it's like to be a pro athlete you know and and and another doctor said you know maybe you know what was i think i was 27 or something maybe you should retire and i'm like fuck that maybe fucking retire i still got some years but they. I was totally told to not, not come back for that season. It was March 22nd. Back then we didn't play till fucking August, you know, you know, but, um, we were in playoffs two weeks later, I think, and I wanted to get back for playoffs.

Starting point is 02:07:59 Um, you know, and, uh, you know, I had to prove a lot to the media, to the coaches, to management, because all this shit was being written. Oh, he'll never be the same. He'll never be the same goal. He's done. He's done. So that was probably the most insulting thing about it all is the fact that you, you, you're willing to come back so quick and put your body on the line and you wanted to be back. And all of a sudden, all these people are writing you off. Now, did the impact of that injury and everything that went with it, did it amplify everything that was going on before, or did it maybe give you a new perspective on everything?

Starting point is 02:08:37 Biz, great question. So I had so much – I became a hero in Buffalo. I mean, that's a hero in Buffalo. I mean, that's a blue collar sports. Right. They love guys that are hardworking, gritty, courageous, no talent. I fit it all. I fit it all. And I really became like, I'm serious, a hero.

Starting point is 02:09:01 Like when they, I think it was a couple of days after I got out of the hospital, the PR guy comes, says, Clint uh can you just wave to the fans you know we're getting all this you know stuff from the fans how's clint and so uh middle of the game i'm in a suit uh i got a big old freaking bandage on my neck and they whistle. They opened the Zamboni doors and I had to stand and wave to the crowd. They stood and cheered. I almost collapsed. I was shaking so bad.

Starting point is 02:09:38 And now I'm pretty weak from loss of blood. And I'm like, holy. Looks like RA after a road trip. He doesn't look so good even now. Never the end of one okay well i don't even want to see that this is the end of the road trip but yeah and so if i got through that season just i you know it's funny because i did a book signing in Buffalo, I don't know, seven years ago, five years ago. And I was asked, my wife asked me, she was with me, this is number eight. And she's never been to Buffalo.

Starting point is 02:10:16 She goes, what's Buffalo like? I said, you know, big, another American city, you know, but the people are fricking awesome. They're fricking awesome. Good. Do never say New York as New York because they, they are the very humble kind. Anyways. And she wasn't there two hours ago.

Starting point is 02:10:35 Oh my God, these people are so fantastic. But I have, uh, like I'm still a fricking hero there. uh like i'm still a freaking hero there 35 years after this and um there's a band in in buffalo new york called malarchuk and they're fucking horseshit no seriously there's a band called malarchuk so did the reciprocation of all that love like that was probably the first time at your pro career where you felt like you were kind of yeah because i was insecure. I was like, you guys, we worked for every little bit of ice time and, and that, you know, yeah, that's like, I went, whoa, this is kind of cool. But I play, I was playing the best hockey in my life.

Starting point is 02:11:17 I got traded from Washington to Buffalo and I was on fire. I mean, I, I feel like things were hitting me that I normally like, shit, I can't stop that fuck, you know. That one was going in. Yeah. No kidding. Especially on me, you know, like five hole. Holy crap.

Starting point is 02:11:31 I closed my five hole. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, and, uh, yeah. And then that happened. And so like they were not going to make the playoffs. Everything was just like, it's weird to describe.

Starting point is 02:11:43 Like I saved, I got the, I got them in the playoffs and then just like it's weird to describe like i saved i got the i got them in the playoffs and then that happened and now i'm a hero and i got through the season like with this adrenaline and and it was the next season that my life changed changed 100 even going into training camp and i came back to prove everybody wrong there are still the questions in the media will he be the you know meet you you're fucking media now you asshole yeah and uh and i'm like fuck i thought i already did that i proved but they were right that season i i started to have panic attacks, nightmares. I'd wake straight up in bed, grabbing my neck, sweating, and grabbing my neck.

Starting point is 02:12:31 I was like, you know in the movies when you see that? That shit doesn't happen. I was like Brad Pitt, except way better looking. Grabbing my neck and going. What do you think you're in the moment again? They were so vivid vivid i'm seeing the blood and the skate and and uh so i'm i'm like i can't uh you know sleep i just won't sleep you know good solution so i sit in a chair instead of going to bed and i know, do the airplane thing, kind of nod off, but I wouldn't go into REM sleep.

Starting point is 02:13:05 So I was 10, 12 days with that type of no sleep. Jesus. Um, my OCD, I could hardly leave the house to go to practice. Like you, you, you, you kind of touched on it. So with trauma, yes, you're predisposed, which I to everything when trauma happens that's what happened to me everything will explode and magnify so now that's what's happening to me and um i i remember uh panic attacks nightmares the ocd and not sleeping and we had a Super Bowl party at Dale or at Pat LaFontaine's house our captain and I'm a mess and no one knows I'm doing this all by myself yeah you're just I'm doing it all the way down are you drinking no that's good but I will bad. Yeah. So we go there.

Starting point is 02:14:07 No one knows. I freaking slipped out after about 30 minutes. And I went home. I don't know what's going on. I think I'm going crazy, right? And sleep deprivation will really fuck you up. So I go home and I was playing with a broken thumb. We did shit like that back then.

Starting point is 02:14:27 In fact, there's a picture of me bleeding out, and I got a cast on my arm. And you guys aren't, you know, I'm a different era, but you two pricks are pretty tough. Not like that. Oh, yeah, yeah. I don't even know how to go there right now. Really?

Starting point is 02:14:41 Maybe biz. Not like that. Anyway. Anyway, so I get home. I don't want to go there right now. Really? Maybe biz. Not like that. Anyway. Anyway, so I get home. I got these painkillers, which I wasn't taking. Do not drink with alcohol. We'll make you drowsy.

Starting point is 02:14:56 Fucking A. So I took about five or six and drained a bottle of scotch. Now I'm drinking. Back to your question. Now I'm drinking. You're taking pills. So I wake up in Buffalo General. No, it wasn't Buffalo. At a hospital in Buffalo.

Starting point is 02:15:08 Oh, shit. And my heart had stopped. And they had to revive me and everything, and they thought possible suicide. And I told them, no, that comes later. Who had called the paramedics? Like, if you were just alone in your apartment, did you end up?

Starting point is 02:15:23 No, I had a girlfriend. Okay. And she actually revived me wow yeah and uh so i'm talking to the hospital shrink and he goes well you know questions and so i told him everything and i've never told anybody all this stuff even from a kid you know like i'm and so i get diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder panic attacks uh basically mental illness um no ptsd was brought up because back then that wasn't a set of words and uh so uh i'm like in one way like relieved because i'm not going crazy but the other way you know i'm like oh shit now what and because I'm not going crazy. But the other way, you know, I'm like, oh shit, now what? And it went public.

Starting point is 02:16:08 Yeah, what if the team finds out? Well, the team did find out, of course. They had to tell the players and everything. And so then it was a journey of doctors, therapists, medications, and nothing fucking worked. Now we're talking years ago. Thank God we've come a long ways with this nothing worked and um made you want to quit right made you want to you know it was hockey's my love my passion not even hockey just like trying to get better you're like nothing's working like this is yeah i i... Yeah, I went through that.

Starting point is 02:16:48 So they put me on a drug called Haldol, which is a highly sedative drug for schizophrenia. Highly sedative. And I'm playing in the NHL as a goalie. Fuck, I was horrible. Horrible. All right, check. My freaking reflexes are freaking slowed down,

Starting point is 02:17:11 which as a goalie, you need that shit, right? Like more than anything. And so I get sent to the minors. And again, I'm devastated, yet don't give a shit because I'm so mentally ill, yet hockey was my life and my love so I get to the minors first first game in the minors I let in four goals on six shots and biz you could have fucking scored on me then and I get pulled off the first period and I put a towel over my head and I'm just crying the whole game I went to our coach after the game, Rick Dudley. Great guy, great friend.

Starting point is 02:17:47 Real top-notch guy. So glad he got a ring finally. And I said, Rick, I'm done. He goes, what? It's one game. You'll be back in the NHL. There's a conditioning stint. And I'm like, no.

Starting point is 02:18:03 I told him everything. And he got me into this world-renowned specialist. And this is maybe how God works. I get sent to the fricking minors and I get the guru of mental illness on OCD. And he got me on some meds that I've been trying different ones for two and a half years.

Starting point is 02:18:23 Boom, six weeks. I was back. In fact, after six weeks and nine weeks, my obsessive compulsive disorder left. And I was like, is it? What city was this in? San Diego. Oh, wow. And I was like, is this what it feels like to be normal?

Starting point is 02:18:39 I said that. Is this what it feels like to be normal? Because I had no gauge of what normal was. Because I'd struggled as a kid even what what were the exercises in which was helping you get over this like from a natural perspective obviously there was dialogue involved but nothing do you just felt just a pure relief that you it was all medication all medication a massive thank you to clint miller chuck and i think that the word um when preparing for this podcast i wanted to use wit was vulnerability just him coming on and opening up you know like a hard-nosed uh rugged uh you know cowboy and coming on and opening up the way he did

Starting point is 02:19:19 so that's going to help a lot of people and he still is i mean he opened up that ranch where people can go and they can rehabilitate so a massive thank you to clint millar chuck for coming out and he owned g too he was fucking giving it to granelli he was running around the hotel granelli was so rattled whoa whoa whoa to g's defense that was the the allison wonderland hotel that was crazy 50 different elevators you had to take to get to your fucking hotel room yeah it was crazy very true very true when he walked in and just took one look at me and was like if you you're the guy i've been on the phone with i was like yeah he's like fuck you and i was like oh okay i'm gonna sit down sorry sir well unfortunately

Starting point is 02:19:58 we don't tell that story in his full podcast but you can go back and listen to that whole thing and there's a lot of funny ones in there too. The one with Dale Hunter when they were, you know, I think it was in Palm Springs when they were on the horses jousting with the, what is it, the pins. But actually, we're going to follow it up with Mark McMorris. And speaking of injuries, he has one of the craziest injury stories you'll ever hear. He's an extreme snowboarder

Starting point is 02:20:26 uh you know canadian legend x games legend olympic legend an innovator in the the sport of snowboarding and from my understanding he will be at the 2026 olympics so i'll be rooting for him and hopefully after that and he maybe he'll bring home gold and we can get him on again and he sat down with tyler ennis we kind of did like a you know an interview with two guys in a sit down and he was awesome and we're going to throw it over that crazy story right now nice segue over to mark would be maybe some set yeah let's talk oh no just like just snapping around you talk about that being a set back i'm sure you've had plenty in your career injuries is probably the number one thing for snowboarding like how many injuries or surgeries have you had yeah injuries and then also just wait you were talking

Starting point is 02:21:09 about documentaries about snowboarders you got a you got a documentary about mark really what no but it's a one in 2014 that was made i think it was made with cBC, which is called Making Your Mark. And then one in conjunction with Red Bull and CBC for the 2018 games called Unbroken. Because in 2017, I just absolutely whacked a tree. No way, no. Holy shit. Almost lost my life, for sure. Bunch of days in VGH, ICU. A bunch of days in VGH ICU.

Starting point is 02:21:48 Really lucky that I was able to actually recover from that and not have hella permanent damage. What was the actual, like, what trick were you trying? Where was this? I just kind of zigged when I should have zagged, and my edge dug in too deep on this backcountry jump, and I just hit a tree out of midair. 17 bums at one. Spleen, collapsed lung.

Starting point is 02:22:09 Not good. Wouldn't recommend it. A medevac? A helicopter tour? Craig McMorris actually saved my life. He had a sat phone with us and got the heli in there and you have 90 minutes when you rupture your spleen. And they got to me like that i i heard

Starting point is 02:22:26 it was the 82nd minute but do you remember anything are you knocked out well i just remember fighting fighting fighting fighting like trying to stay alive and as soon as i heard the blades yeah they're here yeah oh my god dude that's but yeah was it hot was it hard as an age i just to kind of circle back to what tyler said that like i live in a young man's sport and it's crazy what like people think and say and you you have to beat the odds you know like you've been hurt too much. And even leading into the 2022 Olympics and all the events leading up to that, people are like, you should just stay in the backcountry and just film. And if you actually have your mindset on something, you just got to go do it. Yeah, you're not stopping.

Starting point is 02:23:19 And you wanted to play in the NHL more. And I wanted to go more to Olympics. And that's what I'm doing. And even since I've been in Edmonton, I've been at like game one in van, game seven in van, been at pretty much every game at home for the stars here now.

Starting point is 02:23:35 We're doing this thing for NHL. Craig and I are mic'd up on the glass tomorrow. I agree. We love the game. It's summertime. I'm not going snowboarding until I go to Chile in a month. It's like every single person in Edmonton are like,

Starting point is 02:23:51 you going to go to another one? You're hanging it up, right? Even Connor saw him in the friends and family lounge the other night. He's like, aren't you done? Haven't you made enough money? I'm like, coming from you, bud. Yeah. How long after that accident were you off your snowboard?

Starting point is 02:24:09 And was it hard after? Like, there's got to be something in your mind after. Yeah, okay. Yeah, how do you get the balls to get back in the saddle? I've asked this question a couple times. When you heal physically, you heal mentally. Of course, when I got hurt, I'm like, fuck this. I don't want to do this anymore.

Starting point is 02:24:29 But that's just you talking to yourself because you're literally on your deathbed. And then you get back in physio five days a week, six days a week, and you start to heal physically. And then your mind starts to heal. And then you start missing what you used to do. And then you're like, damn, I want some more of that. Let me ask you, NHL, you're injured. You have your PA insurance.

Starting point is 02:24:53 They're covered. And you've made a lot of money. But are you paying for all that? That's why we give kudos to them. To Red Bull. Fucking shout out to a couple of Red Bull boys. Yeah, a couple of clicks. There we go.

Starting point is 02:25:04 They're insane. They treat us like we play in the, not even the NHL, the NBA European Soccer League. But they're German. Cristiano Ronaldo. Yeah, to Dietrich. Let's see your six pack. Dietrich was super good to me.

Starting point is 02:25:21 He owned Red Bull. He signed off on every contract I've ever had. And when I would get hurt, he put me up in a beautiful apartment in Vancouver. And I'd go to the state-of-the-art rehab facility called Fortias, which was where I'd see Nuge every day. Nuge's brother would help. I worked out there. Damien Maroney. I saw you there, too.

Starting point is 02:25:44 Yeah, Raptors were there like everyone was there golfers everything underwater treadies celebrini right the way he would draw what was going on the body on my body you're fucking speaking is this celebrini's dad uh uh rick uh i think that there's brothers aren't they rick celebrini a? Well, Macklin Celebrini is going to be the first overall pick, and his dad has worked in like body. He worked for the Golden State Warriors as like a physical. But they're from Van. Anyways, all the best.

Starting point is 02:26:14 Like they had a line of, it was like surgeons, physiotherapy, massage therapy, personal trainers. And you could see everyone in the same day. And they brought me back from my femur when i hit the tree from pretty well every injury they opened in like 2013 and they closed down in 19 so like my two massive injuries i was at fortius every day and red bull would just make it so that's awesome and that's awesome they're just, they have made action sports like this. Yeah.

Starting point is 02:26:47 And they treat it, if you're on Red Bull, I don't think Monster, Rockstars, they're like, hopefully you'll be back at the after party. And now like where Red Bull is. Oh no, I hope we don't have Rockstar as a sponsor coming up. You should have got him on Munich Red bull instead of going to manhattan that's what i was going to say red bull they yeah um when zotto was there and said they treated you austria or in austria at red bull hq and their rink and facility for like a pretty it's like that's the austrian hockey league if you go there and play for red bull

Starting point is 02:27:24 you're living the dream oh yeah i think we're gonna go there for a big deal slacks training camp tyler so i hope you're free go train at the high altitude but but also like but the mind frame though like you have to be tapped to be doing these fucking somersaults in the middle of the air and then landing so to get your mind back there after experience like a traumatic accident like that how long does that take or do you not lose no no no i think yes of course i'm tapped in the brain yeah but um what do you oh yeah we don't the whole world knows that's been listening yeah we don't so no as like i said as you heal physically you hear mentally um but that's what i love to do it's not

Starting point is 02:28:09 it's like you guys going out for a shift i'd be terrified to go out for a shift and get absolutely bodied by biz you know that's scary i'd probably break every bone in my body if that happened but i i have the most like all of us pro snow us personal have crazy air awareness any action sports athlete you think about the skateboarder kickflip backflip down at 16 stair handrail how the hell did you do that but that's what you just grow up doing how the hell do you play a shift in the NHL that's what you guys

Starting point is 02:28:36 grew up doing you know and and you just become comfortable in those situations and it sounds crazy that I jump what I jump but like to you it's not that a lot in your life and that's what i've done you get comfortable maybe the stupidest question but but um do you when you're a rigid thank you when you're originally you should so you if you listen to the show there are some dumb dumb ones. I'm hanging out with a bunch of hockey players. I don't expect you guys to know.

Starting point is 02:29:05 Okay, well, let me ask you. You've got a great time. The crazy flips and the tricks. When you're trying a new one, are you ever trying them and landing in a pool? Are you ever trying them early where whatever happens in it, you won't get injured? Is that dumb? There was a time when I was a little kid. I was on O'Neill before I got on Burton in 2011.

Starting point is 02:29:27 I've been on Burton for 15, Red Bull 15, Oakley 15. But before that, I was on O'Neill. And their HQ is in Quebec. So I would hang out in Quebec a lot, and we'd go to Cirque du Soleil, their training facility, and we were doing a lot of that. And that really helped me gain a ton of air awareness and then when and then i kind of did it on my own i had a really good idea of how to figure out tricks and do this do that i was a lot of snow to snow

Starting point is 02:29:57 but now they have these like turf things that you can edge like skis and snowboards really well so the technologies the airbags They're all over the world. But I used to kind of hate on that. But now I'm like, I can't beat them. I got to do it. And I want to go to one more game. So I got to get on the bag. So you could test things where you would have been like, wow.

Starting point is 02:30:18 With no consequence. Essentially, there's a little bit. You can land on your head and it's probably going to hurt. Where those people used to be a little soft to you. you yeah and they couldn't learn the tricks i could it's like because they didn't have the kahunas or the mind power to figure it out and know that when you try that for the first time you're gonna fucking land it you want a good analogy it's the the bull riders who put the helmets with the cages on yeah don't they have to wait you go back old school i'm saying is don't imagine the imagine like like 50 years ago a bull rider imagining a guy wearing a hockey helmet you

Starting point is 02:30:49 would laugh well imagine imagine a hockey helmet don't do any magic craig mctavish it just pushes the metal cage into your face more why don't you use a moto helmet so uh last uh snowboarding question specific to the tricks like what's the craziest thing you've been able to accomplish did you ever like invent a move or something where like you became like that's the mark mcmorris move yes i have invented a trick that became like a staple in my sport if you wanting to do well in the events that i do and it's funny how like, I like did it in 2011. And then every single person had to know how to do that trick. It's like the Michigan in hockey now. Yeah.

Starting point is 02:31:33 Yeah. That guy learned how to pick the puck. You were the guy. What was the move? It was a backside triple court in 1440. First person in the world to land. Holy shit. Can you describe, try to describe it to a hockey fan you're going are you regular foot or goofy oh i don't even know what he's just goofy

Starting point is 02:31:52 left foot in front of you don't tell me you've never stepped on it i i don't trust the skateboard imagine imagine right now how you'd get on it i would say it would be awkward as on both sides. I think I would put my left on and use my right to pedal. Okay. Yeah, so you're normal. So normal. Or to whatever, to fucking do the skating.

Starting point is 02:32:13 Okay, so you stand regular. So say you're going off the jump and you're standing left foot forward. And then you would turn your back so you'd spin backside. So to your right. Triple. Going off the jump this way. Look at this. Yeah.

Starting point is 02:32:26 And then you're leading with your press. Yeah. No way. Three of them? Three fucking times. No, four rotations and three flips. But now it's like getting to almost the point where it's like acrobatics. And these people that spend their whole summer in China asia uh or japan or australia

Starting point is 02:32:48 and just do that all summer and don't come to nhl games and have fun there it's they don't even know how to edge if you drop them off in a helicopter they're never going to get down they like specialize but their acrobatics are here so that's what our sport has sort of like. It's kind of like McDavid in a sense for hockey. Yeah, but no, McDavid's a real hockey player. He's saying that they can do it. They're aerialists that China's like, hey, you're really good at gymnastics. You should learn how to just get down this in run and get off this jump and you will do the best trick you can but

Starting point is 02:33:25 there's more that goes into it yeah snowboarding is much more yeah i know what you're saying thank you i know exactly what he's saying like like it's somebody who can master it he thinks i was peaking mandarin no no no i get what you're saying i can listen to you well no but you the mcdavid comparison was brutal i meant more like yeah yeah, they're doing all those tricks. You're talking about an Instagram skill guy. But he implements it in a game where you're saying... Both their names start with Mick, too.

Starting point is 02:33:53 Good job there, Fizz. I don't want to put that on McTitties. McJesus. I don't think he likes that. He ain't dusty. I meant like he's dusting by guys. Well, you said... I don't think he likes that. He ain't dusty. No, not at all. Well, I meant like he's dusting by guys.

Starting point is 02:34:08 Like... Oh, yeah. He is dusting by. That was unreal with Mark McMorris. Just so cool to hear from different athletes. I know a lot of our fans want to hear from all hockey all the time, but I think there's a good amount of you that like hearing from other athletes in different walks of life and how they got there and what their parents have meant to them and McMorris is like travel schedule to me was the most interesting thing just where he goes and I

Starting point is 02:34:33 think he was headed off to Chile and it's just so cool to hear from somebody that is doing something that's that dangerous and going through that injury was nuts and now we're going to actually shoot over to a guy that helps you rehabilitate from injuries and who had a horrible injury of his own in his career. And that's the reason he changed his life up and his training. And it's probably the entire reason he does what he does now. And that's Gary Roberts. He talks a lot in this about current players and the need for him to stay on his balls of his feet in terms of training and what's new and what works and what doesn't and what training Sid's like and when

Starting point is 02:35:08 he was playing with Sid and how intense he was. So Gary Roberts sat down with us at the Gretzky pop-up shop and we're going to go over to him right now with some classic stories. Any good Sid stories? I just like hearing them. He trained with you. He came up a couple times and I actually

Starting point is 02:35:23 gave him, I gave Sid somethingiv some healthy cereal bowl at night, living with me, and came to Oxbridge and visited a couple of days. And he woke up the next morning. I said, hey, bud, how'd you sleep? And he's like, God, I had diarrhea. I said, what? He said, I don't know what you gave me last night, but it went right through me.

Starting point is 02:35:43 So here he comes to spend the night at my place, and I gave him too much fiber. I gave him too much fiber. So he never came back after that trip. Get a hand on the Rob's diet. But I thoroughly, like, I so much enjoyed playing with Sid. He made me, like, I would literally go to the rink going, holy fuck, legs be going tonight.

Starting point is 02:36:02 Because if you're not going, he's a zone ahead of you. Even in practice ahead of you even in practice so wrong morning skates i didn't like skating with him because i would be bagged at morning skate because he'd want to go on you know sit he was superstitious he'd want to go on a two-on-one and if he did it with you the game before you won yeah you had to do it you think and i'm like i'm looking at him going sit i can't go today but i i need to rest these babies for tonight. But he was. Who do we have on, the Italian kid from St. Louis? Vitale? Joe Vitale.

Starting point is 02:36:30 He told a story about when he was playing that Dog Days Are Over, and Sid came up and told him the story about the summertime. And they ended up going on an 11-game win streak, and Sid kept coming up to him, telling him the exact same fucking story before the game. And he was the DJ when he was playing that exact same song and this poor kid Vitaly was like a rookie in the NHL so we'd have to listen to him and act interested the entire time he was retelling it well yeah you guys know like Sid there's no secret he was very superstitious

Starting point is 02:36:58 early in career I don't have no idea like I have no idea if he's still the same he plays soccer and stuff now which is yeah so I know I'm assuming he's changed but he's still the same. He plays soccer and stuff now, which is great. Yeah, I know. I'm assuming he's changed, but he still looks the same on the ice. He's still, yeah, it's incredible. Good on him. He's a superstar, has been for a long, long time, and couldn't be happier for those guys that they've played their whole career. I mean, we love Pittsburgh. It was an amazing place to play hockey.

Starting point is 02:37:20 It really was. And I guess Sid comes to mind in terms of you're talking about not having the upper body that big like his legs are tree trunks but his upper body's never been huge what is that all about because you still want that upper body power in the corner and stuff but is that just the bulk they want you need the strength you need to be light the key is to get the strength you need to be light and fast and agile and get pucks in positions that are hard you know you're going this way and all of a sudden you got to get your body over here you get too big and too many muscles and you become i mean rigidity

Starting point is 02:37:50 is not good right and i think guys just like being slight in upper bodies but there is a fine line i'll say hey like you know connor's not big up front i know he's skinny than you think and his legs are skinny too like he's yeah but he's he's so powerful from the waist from the waist down he's so powerful like incredible like when we see him run and to see him do anything heavy is it his alignment like what makes that genetics it's obviously it's genetics yeah i didn't give him that i didn't give him all that i was gonna sign up for your class since he was 58 and you're fighting the program if i could could clone that guy, I'd be good. But no, like he just, his work ethic, obviously,

Starting point is 02:38:32 I mean, obviously his genetics, but his work ethic is elite, like elite of elite, which obviously drives those genetics. And like he hates being tired on the ice. Like he works so hard in the summer so he can skate a hundred miles an hour for 90 seconds. And he doesn't want to, doesn't want to feel tired on the ice. So he works to do that.

Starting point is 02:38:57 Yes, sometimes you'd say he overworks, but his commitment to being the best every day and talk about Sid, you know, those guys are, they're, they're next level. They're the next level for a reason, guys.

Starting point is 02:39:08 They sacrifice more than others and they, and they work harder than others, than most others. I'm not saying guys, then I always like hate comparing it because I have so many players in my program that I love that work every day. Right. And I don't like always to remember,

Starting point is 02:39:27 but that's what those guys see. And if you want to play against Conor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, and you want to compete against those guys, then you better want to do what they're doing or close to what they're doing to ever think you're going to compete with those guys. Wow.

Starting point is 02:39:42 Yeah, those guys are, they're prodigies right they're born with something that that so many others aren't but what most fans think is oh you're just born with that like touched by god but they and i don't know connor but sid like he was so obsessed with it too it's it's not just being born with it it's they don't care about anything else yeah they don't care about anything i actually just saw an interview with derrick jeter and he's talking about i i never could have had kids while i played baseball like it's like these guys it's a singular focus and as much as you try to be like that there's some guys that you'll just never have that drive it's it's amazing to see they're what you think you guys saw it i was in pittsburgh i started i was at the rink early but one of the

Starting point is 02:40:24 first ever in the gym gym, doing whatever. Orps would come in there and I'd say, does anybody else fucking work out on this team? It would be me and Brooks Orpik in there, right? But you would hear someone on the ice. And it was early, early, before anybody got there. Who the hell's on the ice? And I walk out to the ice and Sid's out there passing pucks.

Starting point is 02:40:46 Nick Hanlon. Nick Hanlon passing pucks before anybody got to the rink. And we'd played the night before. I remember saying, like, what are you doing? Well, they had to kick us off the ice all the time. And he said, I didn't like my hands last night. And I looked at him and I said, how do you think the rest of us feel?

Starting point is 02:41:03 Yeah, yeah. The whole team should be out here then but that's my point is like the commitment the sacrifice that he made yeah and continues to make I'm sure to be as great as he is that's that's why he's so working on your craft working on your craft that's what I said every guys every day work on your craft like whatever you're good at be really flipping good at it. You got to find your niche. Sid used to get pissed at me in a way. Cause I, like, I would say that to like, oh, you're, you're born like the,

Starting point is 02:41:32 like you're just born with this, you know? Like, and people leave out the fact that, that, that part of them is there. Like, yes, they're born with a gift, but they, they have that. But the other thing is there. And that's the work ethic that gets overlooked just because they're so good and it's like oh they must just been touched yeah god and like oh but he he'd get pissed he said i work hard told he told me that once he's like what do you mean it's lucky or i fucking work yeah i'm like oh yeah i guess sorry sorry

Starting point is 02:42:00 don't have me traded oh shit i'm going to atl Yeah, you didn't have me traded. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. As the league gets younger and now you're seeing kids come in real early, is training beginning younger? I didn't train until I was like 13. In your opinion, when should you start? I guess weight training shouldn't be while you're still going through puberty, right? Can there be why when you're going?

Starting point is 02:42:23 Peptides? As soon as you start going through puberty, as soon as you start getting some hair in your body, that's when you start to load a little bit. And I'm not saying back squat 300 pounds, but you need to start loading the body. And everybody's different, but I have a 14-year-old, and he lifts weights four days a week.

Starting point is 02:42:43 Would you do body weight stuff with him when he was even younger? Body weight stuff, footwork, soccer. Hills. Hills. Like body weight. Ride the bike. Yeah.

Starting point is 02:42:52 You know, just try and force your kid to be a better athlete. And that's what I would say to everybody. Be an athlete. Be an athlete. You see the guys. If you can't move, you can't play. So be the best athlete you can be.

Starting point is 02:43:03 And whatever you have to do to that, whether it's tennis, whether it whether it's basketball whether it's squash something in the summer that isn't hockey go do it pickleball would it pick yeah well for us seniors yeah exactly but but i uh but no doubt about it that the the age of the players like my program at st andrews college this summer will we'll all have 09s there, right? So they're going into their OHL. They're going into 15. Their OHL draft years. Oh, they're a year older than my kid.

Starting point is 02:43:30 They're 14. They're 14. 14, you're going to be 15. We're going to be 15. So they're going into their OHL draft years. Okay. Right? So we were just in a tournament in Edmonton with my 09.

Starting point is 02:43:40 And those boys out there, I can't believe it, are draft eligible in the WHL this year. They're a year younger, right? And they're a year younger. And I'm seeing boys out there, I can't believe it, are draft eligible in the WHL this year. They're a year younger, right? They're a year younger. And I'm seeing boys out there that are 110 pounds. I said to a scout, and I was sitting there talking, looking at all the scouts, and I'm like, this has got to be hard for you guys.

Starting point is 02:43:54 He said, incredibly hard, because these kids could change eight inches and 30 pounds in a year. And they're drafting at 14 years old out there in the WHL, where the OHL is a year later. But those are the years I start to introduce kids to our program. So they start to see what other boys are doing. They're there five days a week, three hours a day at 14. So it's an eight-week program that they sign up for.

Starting point is 02:44:16 They come and do pre-training before. And I only take, you know, I take, the kids are invited. Like I go watch players play, and then I invite kids. Well, you meet the parents, and then you get the crazy ones. You weed them right out of there, the crazy parents. And then a lot of it comes from representatives for the players. The representative will reach out and say, I have this boy who'd like to come and spend the time with you.

Starting point is 02:44:39 And then they get, what I love about what we do is those own eyes get the same experience as the NHL guys. They get the same coaching. They get to see it, start dreaming it. They get to see it, and they get to feel it. This is what it's like. Yeah. And try to manage.

Starting point is 02:44:53 Oh, shit. Yeah, well, like last year, I'll just say, like, my 08 program was there last year, and that was their first year there, and their training time was between 1.30 and 3 o'clock. And Conor Bedard would come to me and say, hey, we got free ice now? And I'm like, yeah. Meanwhile, he's been at the facility since 7 a.m. Oh, yeah, he's a rat.

Starting point is 02:45:10 Can I go shoot some pucks? And I'm like, yeah, yeah, you can go. So he'd go out at 2 o'clock. So it happened once, happened a couple of times. And all of a sudden, my 08 group that's training on the platform upstairs, they're not training anymore. They're watching him. And I'm coming out onto the balcony going,

Starting point is 02:45:22 hey, you guys, get your flipping workout in. I know you want to watch him, but you guys, you only got like a half hour left. And they were watching Conor Bedard shoot pucks. So just that experience for those 08s, to see Conor Bedard out there. Yeah, he had his shorts and a ball cap on and his gloves and skates shooting pucks.

Starting point is 02:45:39 But he's been at the gym since 7 o'clock in the morning. Yes, he's done two workouts, had a little rest in the Normatec chairs put his boots on had two meals had some treatment it's like day camp he's there for 6, 7, 8 hours that's his job

Starting point is 02:45:57 and they're fucking tireless and that's what the treatment does and this is what I say the treatment saves all that. If you over-train, you need more treatment. And you know, like all the chiros that you've been in contact with. Yeah, yeah. He's got a new one.

Starting point is 02:46:14 They're amazing. They're amazing people. And they keep players healthy. And I don't think you can play and train the way they do today without proper treatment. Do you guys implement Thai there when they walk this is really big into the time massage right now but well they walk on they work your whole posterior chain you know what that is i'm aware of that i'm aware of that a massive thank you to gary roberts

Starting point is 02:46:37 actually the second time we've had him on the pod the first time was a little bit more career oriented which was probably like maybe three years ago and this one obviously a lot about uh how how much he's uh he's innovated the sport i mean him matt nickel there's there's some high-end trainers that have helped bring the nhl and its players to the next level with what they're doing with their bodies in the offseason they actually just um it used to be the bio steel camp but now it's named something. I'm drawing a blank as to what that is, but it was always Matty Nichols guys and Gary Roberts guys, and they get on this time of year. I think I saw the list of guys like McDavid, Dreisaitl, the Tana brothers are there, Bedard's there.

Starting point is 02:47:17 The list goes on with these high-end guys that are there training, getting ready for the season. These are the guys who have brought the game to the next level, and a big thank you to Gary Roberts for helping do that. And moving on to that, speaking of a fun training story, we got Wi-Fi who was going from working at Costco, probably, I would say probably the most popular viral interview we did all summer long. People were craving this guy. We don't often get a lot of Canadians on when we do like suzuki he's soft-spoken right but wi-fi really opened up and let us know about his path and his crazy journey from like i said

Starting point is 02:47:51 going to work in a costco and going to the ice sessions and doing all this crazy stuff so we're going to send it over to arbor jack guy right now and uh enjoy so you have to deal with like undrafted. You're at all these different camps. You're finally with Ketcher, and boom, COVID hits. And it was a disaster for so many guys. We've talked about Wyatt Johnson and barely playing his draft year, and you dealt with it directly.

Starting point is 02:48:17 How did it come about where you realized, I'm kind of fucked. Next year, I don't know where I'm going to play. I don't know what's going on. Take us through that whole scenario. that was pretty wild so my ohl career kind of was my first year i played 50 something games i think i had three points i played like 20 30 games on forward fourth line couple shifts a period like it was it was tough and then my second year is when i started to get better and better and then and then after after that second year is like kind of when i

Starting point is 02:48:52 started taking off covet hit right away and i think i honestly think if i would have got a playoffs that that year i think i probably would have got picked up by a team but since i didn't they were kind of like they i was still unknown because i did talk to a lot of teams after that after that season and that was like not my draft year but my the year after so it was my 18 year old year and then yeah covid hits i was like what am i gonna do now my buddies are all going to play in slovakia everyone's everyone's getting out of town like going to play somewhere i'm like I try to go out there and then they wanted me to pay like a couple thousand a month I was like I I don't got no couple thousand a month for you guys so so yeah off to Albania yeah yeah exactly but no I was I didn't know what to do and And, and that year, I think it was a big year for me, kind of where I separated myself from

Starting point is 02:49:47 everyone. It's because everyone kind of took it easy and, and, uh, laid back a little bit and we're like, ah, it's just COVID. Like it's going to last a long time. And for me, I was, I was grinding. Like I, I was probably in the best shape of my life during COVID. Like I stayed at home, like my mom's feed me like, like a machine. I'm, I'm working out every day

Starting point is 02:50:06 like i was going to work i had such a steady schedule and it was oh it was it was a good year i mean me and my brother we stayed on the rollerblades and found a couple rinks that were were open and we could skate on so i was i was pretty wild that's what zeeb bouillon said when we had him on he said he took that time during COVID to do the exact same thing. Now, were you just chucking weights in the garage with your brother? Yeah. My trainer, he moved his gym to his house, so he kind of moved everything to the backyard.

Starting point is 02:50:34 So we would go in his backyard and we'd work out. And it was a wild year. Some things would open up for a bit and then they close right down. I had no idea what I was gonna do because i'm like how am i supposed to show anyone that i've gotten better you know like i'm just on the ice with four guys maybe and yeah it was wild it seems like that comes natural for you where you have that self-motivation but what do you think propelled you at that time to just like take that stance? Like, was it motivation from your, from your family, from your brother pushing you? Or was it just this internal thing where it's like, I have to get to the next level and I'm going to put all of my resources into it. And not only that,

Starting point is 02:51:15 the reason that I found out of you, but found out about you to begin with was during that time you were training and staying at home, you also ended up getting a job at costco so it kind of you're you're living like basically like a grown-up life yeah yeah i was i was like a normal kid i wasn't a wichita player anymore i was nothing i was just a normal guy like working and training after training before work so i was i would wake up i would i would wake up go to the gym and i go on the ice right after and then i go'd go to work 5 to 10 at Costco. And that's kind of when I set my schedule in. At first, I was just working, like working and working out when the ranks were closed. But no, it was pretty crazy.

Starting point is 02:51:54 I was like, I got no money. Like, I got to get a job. I can't be sitting around all year. So I ended up working there for nine months, then i got i got fired and they they closed uh they closed a bunch of the departments and only had the food open and i was kind of the lowest ranked guy there and they're like yeah you're you're gone i heard you kept showing up late because you were so busy training and then on the ice and then you'd show up late and the lady's like hey you need to quit out this hockey stuff and start taking your job at costco a little bit more seriously you could be employee

Starting point is 02:52:27 of the month if you really put your mind to this that was wild i i was driving i was driving from hockey straight home shower grab my food eat in the car drive straight to work like i'm showing up five ten minutes late but i told them like i'm like guys i'm chasing a dream here and i got pulled in by one of the managers one time she's like you know what like everyone who comes to costco they say this is not their end all be all and like i said that too about myself and look at me now like it's a great place to like build your way up and and like i know my kids play like high level, and I know what you mean, but, like, you just got to come to reality at some point and, like, pick whether it's Costco or hockey because we can't have you, like, not committed to Costco. I was just, like, I was, like, stunned when I walked out of there. I was, like, what is happening?

Starting point is 02:53:20 Like, I got bitched around so hard in there. I was, like, I can't even believe what's happening right now. I don't think you can make a million bucks a year putting flat screen TVs into people's back seats, buddy. I don't think so. I don't think you're that good at that. I had a dream too, Arbor. It was to be the number one server of pigs in a blanket around ILA. Focus your mind towards Costco.

Starting point is 02:53:44 Were you doing the sampling? the sampling no no we didn't have those because uh okay yeah but i was doing everything like yeah try the new covid cookies i would stand up front with a clicker and count how many people are walking in the store for eight and a half hours i would i was pushing but i had to get off the buggies because my back was so mangled like i'm like i can't even ski like my back is completely twisted up here because uh i'm pushing 30 buggies at a time trying to hurry up trying to get over there but in all seriousness like you are chasing a dream at that time where everyone was i mean everything's canceled everything's closed that had to be the furthest you felt from the NHL. Like, I don't know, what's up next year?

Starting point is 02:54:30 I'm not drafted. Were you able to kind of grind through that? I mean, obviously you were able to, but there must have been moments of wondering, like, what am I chasing actually? Exactly, man. That year mentally was tough because I think what helped is they kept saying,

Starting point is 02:54:44 like, the OHL is going to, they're going to open up in a month. So then everyone's grinding to get there. was that year mentally was tough because i think what helped is they kept saying like the ohjall is gonna they're gonna open up in a month so then everyone's grinding to get there like then they closed down they're like okay we're gonna open up in december and then they didn't do that they're like okay we're pushing it to january they kept pushing it so we had something to kind of look forward to and then when they completely said like we're not playing that was like i was like oh my god like what am i gonna do like i don't know i'm i only have an overage year like i don't i have no idea what i'm gonna do so that was kind of tough i just i just stuck with it and and ended up working out pretty well but it was it was definitely dark dark at times for sure where where do you get that

Starting point is 02:55:23 internal drive i sometimes get long-winded with my questions and i asked you about five minutes ago like where does that personal drive come from uh it comes from my parents for sure i think i mean they came here with literally nothing like my dad had zero dollars in his pocket same with my mom like i don't even think they had a suitcase like they started a whole life, and we see it day in and day out how hard they work. To put two boys through hockey, we're not millionaires here. We don't have that much money.

Starting point is 02:55:52 We're getting by day to day, taking out bank loans and all this stuff just to get the boys through. I think that's a big motivator for me and my brother. Before you end up going off to Montreal in that last year of junior, Jay McKee, who was your coach in Kitchener, had moved on to Hamilton, and you end up getting picked up, getting to go play in your hometown, and then you guys end up winning the OHL championship. That must have just been a complete whirlwind

Starting point is 02:56:20 and probably put your name on the map in order to make that next step. Yeah, I couldn't have wrote a better story than that. So after COVID, I got a few calls from teams saying to come to their camps, and we ended up going with Montreal because we kind of saw the D that they were into. We saw the Edmondson, the Sherrod, Weber, Petrie, like big, strong guys. That's kind of who i who i was modeling my game after and so i ended up going to their camp signing out of their camp and then going back to kitchener again traded to hamilton my hometown we ended up winning it so it was like i couldn't

Starting point is 02:56:56 have wrote a better story than that it was it was unbelievable do you think in that playoff run because it's four rounds in the oh and then you're in the Memorial cup, you played well enough. Cause your numbers were phenomenal in that playoff season. Do you think that's when like, all right, I've already been to a Montreal camp. Like now I'm really showing up where more teams calling. No,

Starting point is 02:57:17 I was already signed. Oh, you already signed that. Oh shit. Okay. Nice. I didn't know that. No,

Starting point is 02:57:22 this is, this, this is a good story. I can tell you guys so i love it yeah so i went from covid so then the draft happened the covid draft i get a few calls before and they're like okay we're interested like you know those draft meetings or interviews i had a bunch of those before that draft so teams were still taking notice from my second year where I started taking off. Then after the draft, didn't get picked again.

Starting point is 02:57:52 I think Toronto called me, Florida called me, and then that was it. Me and my agent were talking, and we were checking the prospect pool. We were like, okay, let's go to florida let's go to florida and then um after that i was like wait just give it a second like wait a few days he's like no like we can't keep the the nhl teams waiting like and i was like just give it a second like something's coming because i i knew montreal was super interested and that like that's my favorite team that's where i wanted to go so i was like wait a bit wait a bit and then they end up they ended up uh calling me and saying like trust me come to our camp come to our camp like you do well like good things are gonna happen

Starting point is 02:58:35 come to our camp so I went straight from COVID and my first my first game was against the Ottawa prospect team like whatever, rookie tournament. I went straight from almost two years of no hockey, and then that was my first game, and I was lost out there. So wearing an NHL jersey too in that game. I was so nervous the whole time. I got out there. I just worked at Costco like three months ago,

Starting point is 02:59:03 and I'm putting on a Montreal jersey flying around I got absolutely rocked twice Like I had no awareness Of where I was on the ice Like man I haven't played a game in two years Like whatever So I played that first game Didn't play well

Starting point is 02:59:18 This is going to be a little bit of a long story But I want to tell you guys So I get rocked twice by the same guy i think it was uh honestly i think it was casalik on on the sentence yeah so he he hammers me twice in one game and another guy was like pushing me around i didn't do anything so after that game there was a few like montreal scouts and they came down and were like what do you feel like like hey we heard we heard you were this big tough guy from the OHL We saw you get rocked twice

Starting point is 02:59:50 And we also There was 30 guys upstairs who saw you do nothing about it Right? So I was like oh my god I was like oh my god I gotta do something So I get in the car Call my agent and I was like I gotta fight someone tomorrow I gotta do something

Starting point is 03:00:04 So then the next game A guy was coming down get in the car, call my agent. I was like, I got to fight someone tomorrow. I got to do something. So then the next game, a guy was coming down on me, and I hit him, and it was like an awkward hit. I blew the guy up, and he was down on the ground screaming. Next thing you know, Caslick turns around. We get the mitts off. I haven't fought or whatever in two years, too. I'm like, here we go. He's like a big boy at the time.

Starting point is 03:00:26 I think he was bigger than me at that time. Everyone was kind of scared of him in those games and whatever. We have a good fight. Then the guys kind of walked by me and gave me the props. Didn't say anything. Just gave me the knuckles. Then I played well in that game. I played well in the next game.

Starting point is 03:00:46 They invited me to main camp I play So then they put me in the game Against Toronto Maple Leafs So I literally go from Once again working at Costco Two years of no hockey And then I'm in I'm in the Rogers Centre

Starting point is 03:01:01 Putting on a Habs jersey about to go play the Leafs So I'm just in I'm lost the Rogers Center putting on a putting on a Habs jersey about to go play the Leafs so I'm just in like I'm lost we get out there like I can't even feel the puck on my stick like I was so nervous and I didn't play too well that game I think Jonathan Tavares is out front of the net with me

Starting point is 03:01:18 and I didn't even want to give him like a cross check to box him out he tipped once scored I went in that game like dashed two and then oh whatever on the or no like a funny story too was uh so i get on the plane and i think me and ghouli are like the only two young guys there that like they kept for the games and everyone sits down i'm like we're talking to each other like okay we're gonna let everyone sit down and then we're gonna find a seat on the plane because i'm like i'm recording like the the pj on snapchat i'm like let's go i made it down from deviled eggs to pjs fuck you carol from costco look at this yeah i was like

Starting point is 03:01:57 carol look at this i'm wearing a tux i'm going on pj right now like so yeah so i was like let's let everyone sit down and then we'll grab a seat so everyone sits down and what do you know the only seat available is a card seat beside to foley i was like no way i gotta sit there super no way yeah and it was the seat facing everyone too so i there was no seat so i walk up to Foley. I'm like, hey, man, like, is anyone sitting here? He's like, nope, all you. I pop a seat. I'm facing every guy.

Starting point is 03:02:30 They're all looking at me, shaking their head. Like, what is this guy doing? Gooley's like, what are you doing, bro? I'm front row. Gooley was loving it. He's like, I don't know. I just lost my per diem pack, though. Gooley was loving it in the back.

Starting point is 03:02:41 He thought it was hilarious. I thought this was go fish. Yeah. So I'm at the card table or whatever. And then, yeah, so I didn't play that good. I was pretty nervous. And then after that game, we went back and we played an inter-squad game. And I played pretty well.

Starting point is 03:02:57 But I knew I was getting sent home because I saw my stick bag. My sticks were all taped up in the room. I saw all my spare sticks taped up so I was like with the other guys and I was like, oh, I'm going to get sent home here. So we had a practice and there was only one more game being played against Ottawa and we had a practice and in that practice

Starting point is 03:03:18 I was like, I got nothing to lose. So I went right up to Richardson who was the D coach at the time and I was like hey man like I need another game like I I don't care what it takes I need another game like I was like that was not my that was not me like like I was nervous I was starstruck like I haven't played hockey in two years like I'm not making excuses for myself but just give me one more game like please whatever it takes and then I guess he went in the coach's office

Starting point is 03:03:47 And told them This kid wants one bad So they end up putting me in against Ottawa And even after I signed I talked to the trainers on Montreal And they said yeah, you were going home After the Ander squad game You were done

Starting point is 03:04:01 And I was like I knew it because I saw my sticks taped So I asked him for another game Nothing to lose If he sends me home he sends me home whatever At least I tried So I play against Ottawa and I play like A great game Like I played good in the inner squad game

Starting point is 03:04:17 And now I played another good game And right after that they call me in the office and sign me No fucking shit Wow Like you were done dude have you talked to them did they have that plan or did did you taking that initiative and asking for that kind of just sparked them to be like this is the type of attitude we want that's what we want i have no idea but i did talk to the trainers and they said yeah we had your we had your sticks all taped up like you were you were heading home so i played like the red and white game i played really

Starting point is 03:04:50 well in that game but even after that i think i was i was still done and then i already crossed your name off that's what you know what i mean like going into camp like yeah i tried that one time and you know where they sent me the fucking coast i didn't even get to go to the A. Oh, boy. I was just in the wrong organization. Give me one more. Yeah, so basically it was like, give me one more story. And I think Rich loved that. Like, he's a guy who loves that stuff.

Starting point is 03:05:16 And he already liked the way I played. So I ended up playing really well against Ottawa. Like, I played a great game. And then after that, they're like, okay, like Burge wants to see you. They call me in the office and he has

Starting point is 03:05:28 his mask on. He's like, we're going to sign you to a three. We're going to sign you to actually contract. And I was like,

Starting point is 03:05:33 what? My heart sank. And I was like, can you repeat that? Like, I was like, where's like the parade? Like, no, this is

Starting point is 03:05:42 awesome. Like he said it so quiet. It was like pain. And I was like, where's the parade? This is awesome. He said it so quiet. It was like pain. I was like, did this guy just say they're going to sign me? What is happening? That is such a great story. I got to go back to the hotel and my parents were there

Starting point is 03:05:58 because they came to watch the Ottawa game. I literally opened the door to the hotel and I looked at my parents and I was like guys like we did it we did it oh and then my mom like breaks down my dad they both start crying and like oh buddy that's incredible what a story that is that was probably my favorite moment of like i have like my favorite nhl moment that is there like when i just got to walk in and say guys like we did it i'm like my mom's like what are you talking about we did it we did one i was like i i'm signing like i'm a mucho canadian yeah

Starting point is 03:06:30 fuck i didn't expect to cry on this pod jesus christ wi-fi you're bringing it all man oh that's an emotional story i haven't told i haven't told that story to too many people but no it's that was a special moment for sure. It was crazy. Thank you so much to Arbor Jack, a guy who could easily be captain. They got a young stud as a captain in Montreal, but I would not be surprised to see him wearing a letter at some point for that team. So open and honest and easy to talk to

Starting point is 03:06:58 for a young guy in the NHL. And just the fact that the story broke of him and his brother Florian buying their dad the dream car the day we interviewed him that was or the day we dropped the interview was so cool and not to mention like Kent Hughes what a deal they got Jack I for two years at 1.3 a year I mean I know we spent some time in the minors but that is a bargoon and you're gonna see a big impact not only physically but I think he's got more than

Starting point is 03:07:25 people think offensively too from the back end and i just love the guy after talking to him and i'm always going to root for him and his brother after hearing the story of of how they were raised and how they were got into the game so um speak saying along the lines of parents and what they mean to guys ziv buyam is going to be. And the amount of travel that this kid's mother did, driving him and his brother back and forth, two hours each way to practice, he goes into what that meant for him and what his parents mean to him, similar to Arbor Jack guy. And because of that, we're going to throw it to Ziv Bouyam right now, who's going to be a future star in the NHL. Well well one of my favorite parts about

Starting point is 03:08:05 interviewing guys and a lot of the fans do that listen is is hearing the upbringing and how you became who you are as a person and a player and i think yours is probably one of the most excited i've been to hear about because everyone you know from canada or boston michigan you know they start playing hockey their dad played hockey but your parents immigrants from israel they had no clue anything about hockey your older brother wanted to play it led into two hours of driving back and forth each way like take me into the beginning and i guess it was probably a little easier for you seeing your older brothers do it but how do your parents recall when your oldest brother wanted to play in the beginning of the madness of like hockey life it was uh it's insane i think actually so obviously we're our cousin galad um who's at the draft you might have met him or not but um

Starting point is 03:08:52 yeah so he he just played san jose arena uh you know ring finance down the road we'd have barbecues in the backyard on friday nights like there was no triple a wasn't a travel like club team or anything it was very much just to have fun and learn to love the game. And us being kids and not knowing anything about hockey or parents not knowing anything, it was solely just to have fun with it. So, you know, shy. I'd love to go watch him play. And a couple months later, begging my parents to let him play,

Starting point is 03:09:21 I think my mom's words were like, over my dead body. She's like, you're too clumsy. It's's too expensive we don't know what this sport is like just go play basketball go play football go do anything else and uh and shot was like a big kid like he was like six feet at like 12 like so um he was clumsy and break helmets or whatever so they didn't want him to play and obviously eventually let him play and um ben my oldest brother um eventually got into it and then being a little brother you tag along so i would go to the rank i would roll around with roller blades i wasn't on the ice like the first couple months i would just kind of roll around in blades and then um i think a

Starting point is 03:10:01 couple months later i loved it and just uh just try to hop on the ice and fell in love with it. Was there a story that your parents were unaware that you had to get your skate sharpened? So you guys hadn't sharpened your skates for months and months and months when you guys first started out? Yeah, I don't even know. I don't even think they knew what gear was or anything. I remember being on the ice. This was when I was a little bit older. We'd be falling over.

Starting point is 03:10:23 remember like we get on the ice and i think this is like when i was a little bit older like we'd be falling over like the first time i think they really knew what like a sharpening was was probably like at the kings when we moved to the junior gangs come on and like like i swear like we literally didn't like yeah i don't even know it was like it's actually like our coaches used to tape our sticks like um brad ballon like he was like the quickest tape job ever like now looking at it was probably terrible but he just spin the tape like as fast as he could no tone nothing here take we used to use like these hundred flex combats of like this big maybe he doesn't know what the combat stick is but like just anything that we could we could have or use um we take to go play with so it was i mean it was different but um you know i'm so happy that

Starting point is 03:11:06 that's kind of how we grew up where we weren't forced to go play or do anything it was all up to us we wanted to go um you know skate and and whatever like our parents weren't going to be like you have practice for this and like if you want to go you can go but we're not gonna to force you to go so it was all up to to my brothers and I to kind of, you know, decide if this is what we want to do. And, you know, for them, it was just, they were just there to support us. So your dad, I imagine you get a lot of, you know, your confidence and how hard you work from him.

Starting point is 03:11:38 He comes over and I believe he started an HVAC company, knew no English when he moved to the United States. So like you've seen what he's been through and what he's done to become a success. And that's probably helped you with, with becoming the player you became now. A big time. Yeah. I mean, I think, um, the both of them work so hard. I mean, my mom, when they first moved over, it was obviously working, making small money just to try to help them, um, you know, survive and to keep the mother feed. And, um, after my dad's business kind of took off a little bit, obviously they had the three of us and, um, you know, survive and to keep the mother feed. And after my dad's business kind of took off a

Starting point is 03:12:05 little bit, obviously they had the three of us and, you know, seeing him wake up every morning at six in the morning, come back late nights. You know, when we moved from San Diego to Laguna, which was like the midway point between San Diego and LA, you know, he would drive an hour to work. My mom would drive an hour and a half to practice and and we'd meet up you know 10 p.m at night 11 p.m and um you know do it all again the next day so it was long days long nights um and they just put in so much so much work and sacrifice for us even you know not knowing what the path was going to be not knowing what the journey was going to be it was just solely because they knew that we loved to play and um that they were going to kind of do anything to let us play. So my mom's, everyone says my mom's a rock star,

Starting point is 03:12:48 but we love to say our mom is a true rock star just because everything she's done. And I don't think my dad also gets enough credit for all the work he's put in to provide for our family and let us live out our dreams. I think so many parents now get into it with the idea of like oh he could get a d1 scholarship he could get in the nhl like they were doing it because you loved it but when you had these rides which i think the article i read four days a week two

Starting point is 03:13:15 hours there two hours home did you love hockey enough where you didn't even care like were you so young you're like i don't mind like not knowing how crazy it was to be in the car that long he was doing homework in the car for two hours yeah right he didn't do homework yeah he was right yeah yeah so yeah but uh like i mean yeah i didn't know like i didn't understand how crazy um you know the drive was i didn't understand you know, my mom is driving us two and a half hours in the middle of, you know, rush hour in LA to get us to practice. Like I didn't get it. Like I would just like, we had this huge, you know, SUV and I'd put the seat down and do homework or take a nap, you know, just, just kind of hang out, watch some TV on my phone. Like literally just do anything. It just felt like it was normal.

Starting point is 03:14:03 I should have, you know, meals packed for us from home and, um, our gear pack, like she would do anything it just felt like it was normal like she'd have you know meals packed for us from home and uh our gear packed like she would do everything for us so it was like we never had to stress out about having our gear or doing this or doing that like everything was always packed ready to go like um so it was i mean the way she she did it and kind of handled us was uh this was super crazy so uh crazy. So, uh, you know, like I said, like it was, it was drives that just felt normal. Didn't feel like, uh, you know, it was out of the ordinary and, you know, the older we got and then we started going, you know, went to Shattuck and the rink is 30 seconds down the road and kids, you know, some guys are, are lazy to go down the road 30 seconds. We're like, Oh my God, 30 seconds. Like this is,

Starting point is 03:14:46 are lazy to go down the road 30 seconds like oh my god 30 seconds like this is this is unbelievable so um when we kind of got back from from that and shine i probably i think we drove from lax to to san diego and we're like holy shit how the hell did mom do this for this many years so um yeah i mean we can't thank her enough and uh uh, we don't, we definitely, uh, don't take it for granted. We've had Wayne on a couple of times and he obviously talked about the growth of hockey in Southern United States, uh, obviously California with him going to the Kings. How much of hockey around that area had an impact on you when you were younger? Cause you know, Anaheim won their cup with, with Corey Perry and Getzlob there early on.

Starting point is 03:15:22 I mean, San Jose had a lot of years where they were in the mix and then obviously the la kings with those two cups in uh in three years like you go on to the junior king so that development there were you were you completely dialed in because of how hockey was growing in southern california yeah i mean i i didn't even know like hockey was like weird i guess in california i didn't know it was something that wasn't normal like for for us like it just kind of felt like um you know it's a sport where it's it's supposed to be here it's supposed to be in california it just felt that way for us i think um you know that's kind of how every every kid honestly felt so like you said i mean you had a lot of guys to kind of look up to a lot of teams, um,

Starting point is 03:16:05 in a sense where the doctors are doing really good, the Kings were doing really good. Um, you know, so it's like the hockey is good in California. And, um, you know,

Starting point is 03:16:13 also, you know, practicing at title sports centers where, um, you know, the Kings also used to practice. So you would see them around the rink all the time and they would stop and have conversations with you. And it's like, uh, you know the kings also used to practice so you would see them around the rink all the time and they would stop and have conversations with you and it's like uh you know just kind of gets you more excited and uh you know you get a taste of what it's like so i think you know for me it was

Starting point is 03:16:35 nothing didn't feel weird didn't feel like it wasn't you know a sport that was supposed to be here so it just all kind of felt like it was it was normal who were you uh looking up to dowdy yeah i love dowdy dowdy's i mean like when i was younger i was a little like grip ball like i would love like messing with guys and like because i know like how he played he was just like chippy and aggressive but also like offensive and that's how i loved it like you could ask guys like stories about me like i would like like if someone cut me in line i'd like slash him in the back of the leg and like just be like a little rat so and i was small it was a small little rat so yeah i read that um you went

Starting point is 03:17:11 on your brother's du visit right so obviously you weren't eligible to sign or maybe you were but you were very young and you went through a big growth spurt you were five one at one point when you went on that trip and your brother was like hey i'm gonna need a few weeks to decide and you were like the hell are you talking about that you better be coming here is the best university going yeah it was sick i think it was i mean it was like exactly like shattuck um in a way it was just like a bigger shattuck and i love shattuck so i was like this is this is perfect i don't know what you're doing or what you're thinking about like it's not i'm not gonna bash on him like i'm not bashing him shy you're doing or what you're thinking about. Like it's not, I'm not going to bash on him.

Starting point is 03:17:45 Like I'm not bashing him. You're going to watch this, but like he didn't have like many offers. It's not like he had so many other places to go. I was like, dude, like this place is sick. Like, you know, like, what are you doing? So, uh, for me, it was, it was fun. I mean, like you said, I went to that visit with them. I was not allowed to know but i

Starting point is 03:18:05 was a late bloomer i was five two hundred you know 20 pounds or whatnot when i went to shattuck like it was you know 13 and really underdeveloped so um you know that covid covid was kind of like what would kind of change me as a player where that six month spam where we didn't see anybody we didn't um you know do anything like my, like brother and I shy Ben, like all we, we, we built like a gym,

Starting point is 03:18:29 um, in our garage at home. And for six months, just kind of isolated ourselves. And, um, I grew maybe five or six inches, put on some weight.

Starting point is 03:18:38 And that was kind of the, the year that set me up to, to get invited to 40 camps. So, um, I mean, what were you doing, the inversion table? Is that what you were doing to get the inches? Shot, pull, pull hard. That's what I was doing.

Starting point is 03:18:59 I don't know. I was sleeping a lot. I was eating a lot. I don't even know. I was, I was sleeping a lot and was eating a lot. Um, I don't even know. I was, I was probably doing anything I could, but, um, yeah, it was, it was a good six months for me. Like, I think that's like COVID honestly helped me. Like I always liked it. Like it's crazy to say, but like COVID was like, like probably the reason, uh, my career kind of took a different, a different path. Uh, how did you guys find out about Shattuck? Right. Like,

Starting point is 03:19:24 were you kind of recruited there or your brother or like because it's i mean obviously it's a well-known kind of hockey institution crosby taves all these legends but for you when you heard about you like i'm moving to minnesota were you excited or more like what's going on yeah i mean it was a lot of things i think so bad my oldest brother um was one who actually got recruited to play at shattuck um and like he was really good and uh ben humefer was like the head there's like the head guy at shattuck there and uh you know he recruited recruited bad and my mom and dad again were like we don't know about this like sending our kids away from home at you know like 15 like what that sounds crazy so um they were they were weren't sure about

Starting point is 03:20:07 it and shy was like the hockey nerd like kind of knew everything about um you know shaq he's like this is where we need to go like if we want to make it if we want to the next level like this is the place to go like it's the best boarding school you know for hockey in the world like we have to go here and so my parents like okay like and we're like you know shy at this time wasn't even going there so we're like okay like whatever and um eventually like that same summer ben who married for edlin call my mom like you know bring shy to shy can come so um shy ended up going with ben to shattuck ben left i think maybe you know two months in wasn't really for him it's kind of like we like to call like the guinea pig we're just you know kind of toss him in there let him

Starting point is 03:20:49 show up the waters and we'll go out after it but um yeah I mean he wasn't brand which is fine but um you know shy obviously stayed and and loved it and I ended up going uh you know when I was 13 so it was, yeah. Was your mother an Olympian or like a swimmer? Yeah. People get this wrong all the time. They're like, oh, she's an Olympic battle. She just played professional.

Starting point is 03:21:14 Yeah. She just played professional. Where you used to do your homework. Where Vince learns about the most photographed mountain range in the world. Oh, fuck off. It's Switzerland. i thought it was the grand tetons have you ever heard of the grand tetons oh for fuck's sake never mind you can keep going so what do they get wrong about your sporting history it's like what other facts do we not have choose a professional women's basketball player in israel just like on one of like the teams like top league i mean that's probably where you get a lot of a lot of your athleticism from

Starting point is 03:21:50 too did she always want you guys playing sports was that like was that a key and then like when it came to it you guys picked hockey she was like i didn't mean that one yeah like yeah basically i mean i don't think she like really forced sports on us, but we kind of just grew up playing them, got into them right away, and we loved it. So like I said, they never really forced us to do anything, but we just loved it right away, just being outside, playing whatever it is, basketball, soccer, football, ping pong. We would just do anything together as brothers.

Starting point is 03:22:25 So anything we could kind of pick up and do, we would. I think it's funny because you talk to most kids, I guess their dad or their mom might have played hockey and they talk to you about the games and you hear about the long ride homes if you played bad, but your dad must have been like, great game. You're like, I was minus four and got benched in the third, dad. I'm guessing he knew nothing about the sport on like what you could do better right actually nothing this that's actually like this is the best story ever so shy had a game um at shattuck his 16th year uh and my dad like you know he doesn't watch much doesn't like

Starting point is 03:23:02 really care like he just wants us to have fun like he doesn't know if you score a goal you don't score a goal like whatever it was one of shy's like first games of the year my like shy's a lefty uh and you know shy you don't have any like last names or anything but like you know when you're watching somebody you should definitely know if it's your kid or not so he throws on the game and he's like oh my god like shy's playing so well like texting my mom like he's playing unbelievable my mom's at the game and he's like, oh my God, like Shai's playing so well. Like texting my mom, like he's playing unbelievable. My mom's at the game and she texts my dad, like he played like shit. Like he played so bad.

Starting point is 03:23:33 And my, and my mom's like, or my dad's like, what are you, what are you talking about? He scored two goals. And my mom's like, what game are you watching? Like, what do you mean you scored? And so he texts, he texts, like you text Shai's like, hey, great's like hey great game and shy texts him back like i don't think mom thinks that like i don't think i played very well and then he's like what do you mean you scored two goals he's like dad what game are you watching so he's watching the younger team oh for christ's he's not even watching that he wasn't even on the ice he watched he watched he watched the

Starting point is 03:24:03 wrong game and he saw a kid wear number eight who was also a righty and shies a lefty. Oh, God. He said, oh, that's my son, and watched the entire game. That was me my whole NHL career, not knowing what hand my line made shot. That's why I couldn't ever put it on their stick. Jesus, that's a tough look. He said, I was putting air conditioners into a fucking mansion.

Starting point is 03:24:22 Leave me alone. I'm trying to pay for your skeet sharpenings, you asshole. Shut up. Yeah, it was different. That was crazy. I've never heard anything like that before. Thank you so much to Zee Boo-yum. I was actually talking to Will Smith, San Jose Shark Will Smith out of Boston.

Starting point is 03:24:43 What? I said tampering. Isn't he a BC guy? Yeah, but we played golf together. Great kid. I can't help but love him. Transfer portal. Transfer portal right over. Yeah, well, he turned pro-biz,

Starting point is 03:24:55 so he's going to be in the NHL this year. But yeah, probably would have been tampering earlier on if he was still playing at BC. But he was mentioning that they'd go over and they'd hang out at the Boo Yums because I believe his parents were living in Ann Arbor or his mom was living in Ann Arbor when they were on the National Development Program.

Starting point is 03:25:12 And he said they're like best friends, great people, and had so many good things to say about him. So not surprised at all to see Booyam have the success he's going to have and has had so far in his career. And kind of flipping the script, next we're going to go over to Kyle Ocposo who talked about the preparation for game seven i believe he sat out game six and he was going back in for game seven stanley cup final and and the celebration after and basically the the the way he looked at um the chance to win a stanley cup the night before

Starting point is 03:25:41 game seven and playing mini sticks with his kids so So we go from from parents who've made NHLers and and made these kids be able to realize and live their dreams out onto Alposo, who has young kids and he's finishing up his career and he's looking at his own kids and realizing how lucky he is not only to be in the NHL, but to be a parent. And it puts things in in perspective going into the biggest game of his life. And I thought this interview was great. We appreciate that. So right now, Kyle Okposo, Stanley Cup champ. Going back in for game seven,

Starting point is 03:26:14 that had to be the best feeling in the world because watching the team, right? It's harder to watch them than when you're a part of it. And for you to get back in that game and play that well too. Merles was talking about you right off the opening puck drop how take me through your feelings through that whole kind of two days well it's horrible watching I mean you're you know you're not going to play game six and I knew that there was a good chance that if it went seven that I was going to play based on the

Starting point is 03:26:42 conversation I had with Mo but you know you're going into game six and you're thinking, all right, this is elimination game. You know, you just put so much into the last three months with this team and you just start to get exhausted mentally. You check out a little bit. But, you know, so I was watching that game from up top and obviously wasn't going very well for us. And right when they scored that third goal, I just I went downstairs and hopped on the bike and had to switch back on mentally. And because I knew I was going to have to get ready to play the biggest game of my life in a few days. So I couldn't have been happier, you know, going back in, obviously. So I couldn't have been happier, you know, going back in, obviously. But, you know, I talk about the guys in the fourth line,

Starting point is 03:27:30 and we had so many guys that could play. And throughout the entire run, like Nick Cousins, Ryan Lomberg, myself, and Steve Lorenz specifically, obviously Stenny was the glue that held us all together. But those guys were so phenomenal, and we wanted each other to do well we really did and and the support that kind of we gave each other was um was one of the best parts for me so just to circle back because that was such a a pivotal time and we'll get into the the whole team and the feelings but you're saying in edmonton after that third goal you legit just

Starting point is 03:27:59 went down to where the room is and you got on the bike and got back in your head that you were going to be in the lineup were you told that you were going to be in the lineup if it went to game seven or how did you just have a feeling that you would you guys were going to rotate uh mo had kind of mentioned it to me that uh i had to stay mentally in it because if it's going seven there's a good chance that i'd be in so um i had a pretty good inkling and you know i thought i thought cuz he played really well in that game but so uh i had a good feeling and i had to switch it on and so i just hopped on the bike for for 20 minutes to to get physically ready to go and during those 20 minutes kind of watching the third period um that's when i got mentally ready to go too and since we're already on the topic like obviously

Starting point is 03:28:46 you guys up three and then you guys lose three I know that after the game you talked about how you were playing mini sticks the night before and I kind of gave you a little bit perspective on this crazy run and where your your life's at but what was the feeling with all you guys and the fact that you did have the there was a chance that this would be an epic collapse did that seep into your guys minds at all did the two-day layover really help and get you guys the reset because i know they let bob stay away from the rink so there must have been just so much going in your guys minds like what was the conversation like on the plane back from edmonton yeah it was after that game it was uh it was pretty down You know, like, just the initial reaction was we just had three chances to win the cup, and we didn't do it.

Starting point is 03:29:32 So now we're like, holy shit. Like, we might lose. We might lose after being up 3-0. But the reset after the flight, the flight was okay. You know, we kind of got back to kind of shooting her and just playing poker. Everybody's kind of starting to relax a little bit. And then the day before game seven, Mo, we had a great meeting and we had a great practice. And then everybody's nerves kind of dissipated because it was like, all right, this is ending no matter what the following day, like our season is going to be over and we know who

Starting point is 03:30:10 we are and how we can play. And we haven't done that for three games because you get up three, nothing. Then all of a sudden you start thinking about the results instead of the process, which is what are we, what we've been doing this whole time is we just focusing on how we play. And so we knew that we were going to go into game seven and we were going to be right. And that's all we were focusing on. So honestly, it was the least nervous that we've been

Starting point is 03:30:30 for game seven versus four, five, and six. Yeah, that feeling of knowing, like, no matter what, guys, like, this is it. I feel like that really must have resonated with everyone. I was curious because Bob has just been, he had been so incredible, two playoff runs now. And then all of a sudden you see a couple questionable ones go in. It just didn't seem like the Bob we'd come to see the first three rounds.

Starting point is 03:30:55 And then that two days off, he didn't practice. And that breaks and obviously Twitter and all that. Bob's not on the ice. Somebody wrote, that's unusual. Did he just end up staying away? Was he at the rank? Was he talking to guys? He must've had some crazy focus to get ready for that game. And he performed amazing. I mean, this guy's so dialed in all the time. It's mind boggling. So just give him an extra day to reset. And that was kind of the talk between

Starting point is 03:31:21 Tally and Mo from my understanding. And's all he needed was to just just recharge his body you know he's not he's not a spring chicken anymore you know I think he's 35 turning 36 my age and so just that that that mental reset gave him kind of the confidence and honestly when we scored the first goal I thought it was over. Like I, I was that confident in how he was going to come out and play. And obviously they scored the next one quick. So that flips. And then when we got the second one,

Starting point is 03:31:53 you're just holding your breath the whole time, but just the way that this guy goes on the ice and he prepares, it is unlike anything that I've ever seen, how he is on his edges. He is so detail oriented and Stevie Stevie Lorenz got a lot of play because he was shooting on him he was like his shooter and I would go on you know once out of every six or seven times and we would do some passing drills and he's always working on the things like if he gives up a goal he then the next day wants to work on 20 different shots that are similar to

Starting point is 03:32:27 the situation and the goal that he gave up like this guy is just he doesn't shut it off so i think giving him that extra day really helped him just reset and realize that he's a main reason why we got to this point i thought you were going to say that you you you started as a shooter and then rung one off his neck and you weren't allowed back anymore. No, he wants me to hammer him off his head as hard as I can. He loves it. He screams at guys all practice, too. Like, they'll rip one high and he'll go, ooh. It's unbelievable.

Starting point is 03:32:55 Just taunting him. That's awesome. It's got to be crazy to be a goalie. So at the celebration, that's what everyone wants to know about, right? Like, who was getting after it the most? What did you think of the parade? It ends up going down, I believe, to know about, right? Like who was kind of, who was getting after it the most? What did you think of the parade ends up going down? I believe A1A, right? Was it Los Olos and A1A?

Starting point is 03:33:10 And you saw the elbow room was bumping. Was it exactly what you thought it'd be or just a little bit different in Florida? It was nuts. I mean, I don't really know how it was anyplace else, but the celebration, the locker room was probably one of the best parts i mean just did you have the honor of seeing ra get dragged out of there i actually heard about it but i

Starting point is 03:33:34 didn't see you on the ice ra i don't think i saw you if i did no i i know i want to come up and i shake in the air congratulate you i did not see you out there. So congratulations. I missed the whole, the whole antics, but, um, you know, it's, it's funny.

Starting point is 03:33:49 Now we can laugh about it. Obviously you guys have, have done so much for, for the game. And, you know, it's, I feel like in that situation,

Starting point is 03:33:57 it's just kind of like, it goes both ways. You know, we can be a little pissed off at you, but we're not pissed off at you. You know what I mean? So, uh,

Starting point is 03:34:04 I think it's pretty funny now, but the locker room was pasha was in there i i looked over i actually screamed at him like oh you're the new ra uh we're in the corner but uh yeah just being in the locker room with the guys and i literally sat in my stall when i first got to florida mo kind of came up to me he's like i know we put you in the corner and When I first got to Florida, Mo kind of came up to me. He's like, I know we put you in the corner and I know you got a thousand games and you're like, you're obviously very well respected and a good leader, but we're just going to put you in the corner. We don't want to mess up any chemistry. I'm like, oh, that's fine. And then it ended up being the best thing ever for me because I literally sat there. I stood in my stall and watched all these guys lift the cup and shower

Starting point is 03:34:41 each other with champagne and everybody hugging and i sat there for probably an hour and a half it was unbelievable with a bottle of champagne and i went to i went to go get more when i needed it but it was just phenomenal um that's a moment that that i will never forget and to to jump to jump into the parade so it's worth we're all kind of standing there and i got my four kids and i got my mother-in-law and my mother-in-law sister helping out but the kids are getting kind of antsy it's super hot right so we all get on these double-decker buses and we're standing there we're kind of waiting around but we couldn't go yet because we hear it's pouring down at Las Olas, down at like A1A. So we're standing, we're sitting in the parking lot of War Memorial, which is our practice facility. And it starts absolutely coming down, like pounding us with rain. So, so then we,

Starting point is 03:35:39 we just go and we're on top of this double-decker bus and like there's branches and guys are ducking under these branches. So it did not get off to a good start. And then the whole trip down there, it is pounding us with rain sideways. My two younger ones had to go down below, and we're just trying to wave at everybody, but we can't see. And there's not very many people like on, on the initial route. Cause it's just pouring. But once we got, once we got down to a one, a, it was banana land. Like just people lined up side to side. And by this time we had been on the buses so long that guys had to piss. Right. And so guys are running off and piss and high five with the fans, whatever my wife. So I don't drink beer either. So I got got everyone's like chucking beer cans at me i'm allergic to beer that's why i don't drink beer but guys are like chucking beer cans

Starting point is 03:36:30 at me i'm catching them i'm like i can't drink this whatever blah so then somebody else is throwing a white claw i'm trying to chug that my wife ran into cbs to go get us bottles of wine because that's basically what i drink is red wine so i was i was crushing red wine on the parade and my my son had the stanley cup and like his mini stanley cup and he's he's drinking coke and sprite out of it and thinking it's he's the oldest person in the world and so i yeah i mean it was just bananas all the speeches were were phenomenal i mean there's so much we could go into i mean the funniest one was probably ekblad giving the fuck you to Brooks Koepka, getting him back with the pylon.

Starting point is 03:37:08 I mean, it was obviously lighthearted because I think they've patched things up since then. But what was, other than Paul Maurice getting up there because he hits it out of the park 10 out of 10, what was the one speech that stood out where maybe he was unexpected from a guy who doesn't say much? I mean, it was Eckie for sure. And, you know, Barkie is, Barkie usually doesn't, he doesn't say too much, but when he does, he carries a big weight. And I thought what he got up there was phenomenal. He starts chanting Sergei. It's just incredible. But I mean, when Eckie got up there, he had the cone and i was like oh it's coming like brooks is a huge panthers fan right so i mean he he hangs out with a couple of guys and and whatever so i think it's all good but

Starting point is 03:37:53 just just the fact that he did that was was phenomenal i thought one of the most impressive things was uh lombardini at the 11 strip club i think that if he didn't get a a contract anywhere he'd probably be able to make more work in there the way he was working the pole oh lambo is uh he's one of a kind i i look back uh at one point in the parade and i mean he was tarp off with uh with the running back from the dolphins at mozart and they were they were in the fire truck and bringing those guys beers and just i mean he was having an absolute time he's what a guy i also like to shift to kachuk because i feel like not only does he do so much on the ice but he's he's able to work the media like i look at him like a w wwe superstar he's carrying around that belt and just the way he's able to you know to articulate especially even doing interviews before games and stuff like that so what was it like hanging around a guy like that who'd obviously

Starting point is 03:38:49 been passed down from hockey lineage like his old man like he he was he was a rock star this whole run yeah he's i i can't say enough good things about him um you know the the best part about it for me, we became like fast friends, right? Like like when I went like this, like we golfed at his place a couple of times down in Florida. Nice track. And so like we obviously share that passion with golf. So we we connected right away. But the the best part for me about Chucky is how he treated my son. And, you know, it's like Rhino and his wife, Jess, you know, they used to come over to our house all the time. We were in Buffalo and just love being with our kids. And, you know, they just wanted to be around and be with them and feel that family

Starting point is 03:39:45 atmosphere. And Chucky, I think, saw a lot of himself in my oldest son. And he was, so he took such extra time to just talk with him and sit there. And I, we were at his house the day after we won and we we had the cup. And I don't remember what I was doing. I was sitting somewhere, and I walk over, and Chucky's just sitting there on the couch talking. And they probably talked for an hour. And he just loved being with my kids because he saw so much of himself in my son. And the way that he treated them was just phenomenal.

Starting point is 03:40:26 And that's something that I'll never forget second time we've had a pozo on and first time was kind of about the ups and downs of you know he's dominating in coming up to the NHL ranks then dominating the NHL ranks and then went through all that concussion stuff so this one was nice to have him on for a an unbelievable well-liked guy captain in Buffalo who moved on to go live out his dream and win a Stanley Cup. And I can't think of a more deserving guy. And then after that, last but not least, we have Timu Solani. This guy lives the best life.

Starting point is 03:40:58 You were a former teammate. No bad days for Timu Solani. Although the day that the old GM of the winnipeg jets approached his wife in a parking garage telling him that they were going to be sent down to monkton unless he rattled off what six more goals at home in two games so he could break the rookie record this is one of the craziest stories that we could send it over right now to that because it'll blow your fucking mind you talked about it during the sandbagger though the iconic photo of you shooting the duck is that is that is that what you call that celebration of you breaking the goal

Starting point is 03:41:32 record or at least tying it by a rookie and you explain that that that really is not in your nature but the emotions in that situation took over and it ended up making that iconic moment which is cool for all hockey fans obviously yeah you know what like when i was young boy uh one finnish player uh did that in finland and i said you know one day i want to do that and but i did that when i scored the game winner in the in the last game in the finnish national title game i did that, but not the same way. And I was not planning to do that that way, but I was so pumped that I broke the record.

Starting point is 03:42:14 And it was a funny story because, okay, so I had 47 goals, and there's two games I didn't score. And Mike Smith called me in his office, and he said, what are you doing? And I said, what do you mean? You haven't scored two games. I said, yeah, I'd have some chance, but you know, you got to start scoring. And otherwise, I have to send you the Moncton in the farm team. I'm like, I have 47 goals.

Starting point is 03:42:42 I didn't say that, but I said, I'm like, what a jerk. What are you talking about? Yeah, so then I go home and later my girlfriend at the time, wife now, but she came home and said, you have no idea what happened. I'm in the Polo Park in the mall, and your GM, Mike, came there, and he didn't even say anything. He just came to me and asked, do you know where's Moncton? Holy shit.

Starting point is 03:43:13 And I'm like, what an asshole. So, so 47 goals. I was like, Jesus, I can't believe this. So I said, then we have two games left before we went to like five or six on the road. And all the fans and media said, you know, I'm going to probably break Mike Bosh's record on the road. So then we played Minnesota. I scored four goals.

Starting point is 03:43:38 So now I have 51 goals. One more game. The fans were like, I don't think it's still in his hat-trick to break the record. So then, I broke the record at home. I got three goals in the next game. So then, Mike Smith

Starting point is 03:43:55 probably thinks that it was because of him. Yup. But maybe, I don't know. But at the time when that happened, I was so pumped and so happy to do that at home. And I was able to share that historic moment with our fans, you know, and the city, you know, it was just like crazy, you know.

Starting point is 03:44:20 So, and they stopped the game in 15 minutes and our owner gave me golden stick and stuff it was just like a shit show there but I can only imagine it was against Quebec, Nordique and I only I felt embarrassed that there was 15 minutes

Starting point is 03:44:38 break in the game I can only imagine how those guys were thinking a lot but obviously I was not planning to do that celebration, but I was just so pumped that it happened naturally. And now when I look back, I said, what the hell I was doing? But it's still a pretty good celebration. Timo, who is the guy that you emulated doing it,

Starting point is 03:45:04 like the Finnish player who'd done it his name is Mauri Eivola he was very skilled pretty good player too but nobody has ever done that so when I saw this I said that was unbelievable so one but I decided right away

Starting point is 03:45:20 that it has to be big big goal it has to be it can't be normal goal so it has to be big big goal it has to be it can't be normal goal so it has to be it has to mean something so luckily I did it but still it was kind of like now when I look back you know I'm the strong

Starting point is 03:45:34 we got one more T. Mussolini story too this was probably the hardest I've ever laughed we heard it for the first time during our sandbagger when we got our shit pushed in by Roenick and Timu out in San Diego, but it's his prank on Bruce Boudreaux. And Bruce Boudreaux just kind of ate this one.

Starting point is 03:45:54 I guess he had to. And even Timu said he felt bad, but an all-time prank right here from Timu on his former coach. Later in your Ducks years, Bruce Boudreaux took over, and this is another one you told him. And he was a very lighthearted coach, and you could mess around with him a little bit. And there was one prank that you had on him

Starting point is 03:46:15 that we thought was pretty funny, and we were hoping that you could retell that story for our listeners who didn't catch the sandbagger. Oh, the Gretzky one. The Gretzky one. This is an all-timer. Oh, God. So right when Bruce came, we were out of the playoffs.

Starting point is 03:46:29 We had a Vancouver. And after one night, next morning, we have a game day. And in the morning, Bruce telling how unbelievable night it was. I met Wayne Kretzky

Starting point is 03:46:46 and I had a couple of beers with him and he just kept telling the story how great it was. He was like a little kid. Then on the way to the hotel, I said, you know what? I have Bruce's number,

Starting point is 03:47:01 so I'm going to text him. He doesn't know it's me, but I was texting to Big Wayne and I said, Hi, Bruce. What a great night. I have so much fun with you and I admire your coaching style and everything.

Starting point is 03:47:18 And hopefully we can do this again. I'll be watching like he started texting right away back and he's at the front of the box just and i told him what i'm doing and then he said oh it was one of my greatest nights ever you know i've always you have been my hero and blah blah and then i said what do you guys do are you guys staying in the city like maybe we gotta go be here again yes no you just name name the place I'll be there.

Starting point is 03:47:45 No problem. Do you need tickets for the game? No, I got tickets. I'm okay, but I can watch. But have a good game, and I'll text you after. Let's go have a couple of beers. So then we go to the pregame meal, and I still text him, which kind of place do you like to go tonight?

Starting point is 03:48:01 And he said, it doesn't matter to me. So then I go there and take a nap. And I said, how can I break this? I have to tell him that it's not true. So then we go to the game and then I said, so Bruce, you really want to meet tonight? He said, yes. Okay. Come back in the bus. So you should see his face, how disappointed he was. He reads the text and he looks back and all you guys just start busting out laughing.

Starting point is 03:48:38 Yeah, it was, I felt so bad, but you know, he took that really well. And you know, it was, it was pretty funny but uh i felt

Starting point is 03:48:46 sorry because he was so proud of that moment he had a couple beers with gretzky and uh and uh so yeah but bruce was great i i i have a lot of respect that even he didn't believe that uh uh that i should play that much, but he was, he was, I have a lot of respect for him. Yeah, you guys had, there was a little bit of a falling out because he started limiting your ice time and I remember that it got a little bit shaky there.

Starting point is 03:49:14 I mean, even we were hearing rumblings that there was something going on, but it's water under the bridge now. You guys kind of hashed it out and that's the end of it. Oh yeah. The thing is, you know, like I tried to ask him, like,

Starting point is 03:49:27 why I'm not playing and stuff. And he had no answers. And I started wondering, like, this doesn't make any sense, you know. And then a couple of years after when I retired, he finally told me that it was not his decision. It was GM's decision. I said, why didn't you tell me?

Starting point is 03:49:47 I was busting your balls and I was being very vocal, even in the media that, you know, like, so, and he never told me that it was not your decision. And he said, you know what, if I, if I would tell you, you would go to GM and I would get fired. And well, anyway. You're probably right. Yeah. what if i if i would tell you you would go to gm and i would get fired and well anyway you're probably right yeah i'm happy that uh he said that so i at least i know that it was not the hit because it was a weird situation because there's there's one time but i won't i only

Starting point is 03:50:19 played uh well first of all like last year i i love my year, I played the first 12, 13 games. I played normal 17 minutes a game. I was leading scoring in my team. And all of a sudden, I went to second line, third line. First power play to second power play. And I'm like, what's going on? It doesn't make any sense. But we had a great team.

Starting point is 03:50:45 I didn't want to, I didn't want to, uh, make a mega any number of that. And then the finally, I, I, two months later,

Starting point is 03:50:54 I went to the Bruce and I said, Bruce, give me a chance. If you don't believe I can play, give me a chance. And they were, they were hard time to find the left winger for Getsi and Perry. So I said,

Starting point is 03:51:03 put me with Getsi and Perry. Give me three games. If I don't play well, I retire. But just give me a chance. So he said, well, I give you, I tell you after the pregame meal. I said, okay, awesome.

Starting point is 03:51:20 Thank you. So obviously he had to talk with GM who made a final decision. And he said, okay, you can have thank you so obviously he had to talk with GM who made a final decision and he said okay you can you can have three games

Starting point is 03:51:30 we're in Colorado I'm the first star in the game we go to San Jose I'm the first star in the game third game first

Starting point is 03:51:39 of the first period I'm in the third line and I'm like I I I asked three games. I played just two games. I had five points. And now I'm in the third line. So I knew there's something weird.

Starting point is 03:52:00 But I have never been the guy who would go and make a number of that. I just, you know, swell all those things. But then the playoffs, we got really heated up when they benched me one game. And again, it was not his decision, but he didn't tell me that it was not his decision. So I wish he could tell me at the time, but luckily, at least he told me afterwards. And it's all good now, you know. Before we continue, I'm here to talk to you about DraftKings. NFL week is finally here.

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Starting point is 03:54:22 Well, Whit, I guess after that one, I know why Bruce at the end of Timo's career was like healthy scratching him and only playing him 10 minutes a game. The answer's right there. It makes more sense now. You think? You think?

Starting point is 03:54:35 Boudreaux thought he was having a glass of wine in a New York strip with the great one. He's got 10 guys on his team laughing at him in the back of the bus. Oh, no. Oh, no. no amazing so that wraps it up that was uh all the amazing summer summer interviews we dropped some like you said we're we're i mean we sat down four or five months ago with sean pronger i think it was and uh it was it was good to finally roll these out for you guys to hear them and if you haven't go back and listen and uh it's been quite the off season for us. I've loved snapping it around with you.

Starting point is 03:55:07 It's been a great time. But definitely a week we deserve off. The best of week. Yeah. Best of week. Just get this one week off. We're coming back to you next week. With the first division preview.

Starting point is 03:55:19 We're not exactly sure how we're going to roll out the four divisions. But you'll know a week from now. When the first one drops. And I want to say, and I know Biz wants to say, thank you so much to the fans once again. And we may say this a lot, but we can't say it enough, if that makes any sense. You guys are so amazing, and we kind of knew we fucked up a little bit.

Starting point is 03:55:43 Things got off the rails as a group and we just kind of figured we got to get this thing going again. We got to get together all summer. Usually we're taking it off and I've been pleasantly, not surprised, but just had so much fun doing this business.

Starting point is 03:56:00 We've been able to, I kind of really enjoy when there's not that much hockey news because we could talk about anything. It's, it's kind of like if you and I were to go to dinner back in the days before chicklets and whatever came up, came up and we had our opinions and chatted.

Starting point is 03:56:13 And that's why we became such good friends getting to do this with you and G and RA. It's, it's amazing. I love that Yance is going to be more involved than, but more than anything, fans, thanks for sticking by with us.

Starting point is 03:56:24 Obviously every relationship has its ups and downs, be more involved. But more than anything, fans, thanks for sticking by with us. Obviously, every relationship has its ups and downs. And hopefully, we were able to build back a little more trust with you guys. And hopefully, you enjoyed these summer episodes where we all caught up on all these different things going on around the world. And we still have some amazing interviews, really good ones that we haven't dropped yet from the summer. We got Louis DeBrusque from our time in Edmonton. We got Kevin Lowe from our time in Edmonton. We got Rob Brown. He was hilarious from our time in Edmonton. And then over Zoom, we've done Bobby Holeek, and we've done Pat Verbeek. They were all awesome. We got five more bangers coming to you. We're not sure exactly when and who will drop it in what order, but just want to give a giant thanks to all you guys, and we appreciate your support more than ever.

Starting point is 03:57:08 We always will, and so thank you. Very well said, Witt, and agreed on all fronts. Another thank you as well to our production team, the people behind the scenes that helped the machine run. You talked about us getting a little bit of time off last summer. These guys barely ever get time off it goes down to to g pasha uh fish dale morningstar aka memes uh who else am i forgetting am i forgetting anyone i can't believe his name's dale morningstar and he's got a rocket system and when and when we get back we would have fully added another member i'm

Starting point is 03:57:41 gonna we're gonna wait to talk about that and announce that. We're going to be hiring another member to our staff. And once again, we can't thank those guys enough because they're what makes the machine run and gets you guys your content on time. They get your clips of our shitty hot takes, like the Leafs are going to win the Stanley Cup again, which is not necessarily a shitty hot take because it's going to happen this year.

Starting point is 03:58:01 But you're going to have to wait to hear that in our season previews. And as Witt said, thank you to you amazing fans. It's been an up and down roller coaster ride, but hey, we still got a lot of runway left here. We're going to have a lot more awesome things coming your way. So I think there's only

Starting point is 03:58:18 one last thing to address, Witt. Yeah, that's right, Biz. And that's about our guy, R.A. R.A. is just kind of going through a tough time right now. And we're a family here. And we have R.A.'s back. We're by his side. But right now, R.A. is just, he's not really ready to come back.

Starting point is 03:58:37 He has said that. And for the foreseeable future, he's probably not going to be around. And we want R.A. to get healthy. We want him to be happy and figure out what's going on in his life. And I think with that, it kind of goes, it's hard for us to constantly be questioned. When's R.A. going to be back? When's R.A. going to be back? We're not sure.

Starting point is 03:58:56 And it's hard to kind of get those questions a lot when we're not exactly sure. We don't have the answers. But we are thinking of our guy. We've talked to him. We've been very open and honest and he has been with us and in terms of how he's feeling and how he's doing but we need him to get healthy and to get right and we'll be able to carry the ship uh as long as he's not around but uh biz i don't know if you had anything to say you know ra and i started this thing a long time ago and i i've told him many times that he means a lot to me and

Starting point is 03:59:25 there's uh this thing doesn't happen without ra so you see with uh families and friends people go through tough times and you want to support them and you want to be there to help them and do whatever they need and and we've told ra that that we're here for him and we don't want him coming back and he said the same thing i don't want to to come back before I'm ready and try to fake it. And then all of a sudden you're just not into it. You got to be able to know that I feel better. I'm in a better spot. I'm in a better place in my life.

Starting point is 03:59:56 I'm ready to do this again. I'm ready to contribute and be a part of the show. So I'll be kind of hosting a little bit. Work in progress there. I'll be trying to improve at that. But right now, we can't say when R.A. will be back. It probably won't be anytime soon, though. And a couple things you touched on.

Starting point is 04:00:13 Like, you know, we want to – like, this is like a family matter, and it's personal, and it's affecting us a lot. We don't want to continue to talk about it. And as much as you fans might want to come up and ask us about it or tweet us about it, like, we want to give him his privacy. We love and enjoy waking up every do and do every day, excuse me, and doing what we do. Like this is, this is the majority of my life and majority of what I care about. But as things as perspective happens, you realize that it's, it's just a hockey podcast compared to real life, and that's what actually matters. So we want our family member to go and figure things out and come back as a healthy person and individual, and that's what's going to happen. And we wish him nothing but the best. We will continue to support him.

Starting point is 04:01:09 support him. And, uh, and we understand that this podcast is the best that it can be when RA is at his best and when he can bring that and that will eventually happen one day and that time will come. But in the meantime, he's going to go away and he's going to create that best version of himself. And, and I, and I, and I just, I know I can't wait for the day that he comes back. And I know a lot of you listening can't wait for the day that he comes back as that person. So we love him. He's the godfather. He's the warthog. And yeah, that's all I got.

Starting point is 04:01:34 Yep. So we'll be back next week. Start the season previews. Can't wait for this season. Can't wait to get going again. And it's been a hell of a summer. So we appreciate all of you so much. And we will see you next week.

Starting point is 04:01:46 Have a great one.

Spittin Chiclets - Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 521

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