The Athletic Hockey Show - Mark Giordano of the Seattle Kraken joins the show, 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship kick off, NHL and NHLPA vaccination plans, Multiple Choice Madness, and more

Episode Date: August 16, 2021

First, Ian and Hailey discuss the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship set to begin in Calgary this week, featuring the return of Marie-Philip Poulin after an almost two-year layoff from competitive hockey, the NHL’s 2022 Olympic involvement still in doubt, the NHL and NHLPA strongly advising players to get vaccinated or potentially face fines for missing games, Jumbo Joe Thornton signing with the Florida Panthers, and more.Then, Seattle Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano joins the show to talk about the hectic days leading up to his selection in the expansion draft, mixed emotions about leaving Calgary as the captain of the Flames, expectations for the inaugural season in Seattle considering the success the Vegas Golden Knights had in their first year, and much more.Plus, to close things out in Multiple Choice Madness, Ian and Hailey answer which country could spoil a Canada vs. USA gold medal game showdown at Women’s Worlds, who would be the first overall pick in a redraft of the 2018 NHL Draft, if Vancouver Canucks fans should be freaking out about Elias Pettersson’s comments in a Swedish newspaper last week or not, and what food or drink they’d like to have out of the Stanley Cup.And, don’t forget, you can sign up for an annual subscription to The Athletic for just $3.99 a month when you visit http://theathletic.com/hockeyshow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back, everybody. It's another summer edition of the Athletic Hockey Show here in the middle of August. It's Ian Mendezon, Haley, Salvin, with you, as always, to kick off your week ahead on this episode of the podcast, Mark Giordano, the Seattle Cracken Drops by to chat about joining the NHL's newest team. We'll find out what he'll miss the most about Calgary and have a fun conversation with a guy who may end up wearing the sea in Seattle. The NHL and its players association could have a sticky situation on its hands when it comes to players being vaccinated. we'll talk about the article written by Katie Strang and Michael Russo over the weekend. Plus we'll tee up the women's world championships taking place in Calgary this week.

And a little multiple choice madness where we figure out if we would rather eat something or drink something. Out of the Stanley Cup after Matthew Joseph of the Tampa Bay Lightning had some putteen out of the Stanley Cup. But Haley, to kick off this show, I feel like the need, you know, people are always like, oh, I wonder if they're doing this. Is this a live kind of dated? like is this pre-recorded? We're going to tell people, listen, UC Soros signed today, four year, 20 million.

This is the equivalent of us holding up like today's newspaper to prove. It is indeed Monday. It is Monday. And UC Sorrows is, how, first of all, how are you, are you feeling the, do you have a case of the Mondays here today, Haley? Kind of, I mean, I'm always, I'm a morning person.

Like, I'm always up early, but I'm never super happy about it. So I'm like a morning person, but I'm a cranky morning person typically. And it's just a little bit strange, this like period in the hockey calendar that we're in. Like, I feel busier than I probably should be for August, which probably makes me a little bit cranky. I am glad that some of the busy parts of it is for the women's world championships, because I'm really excited that that is. finally almost here after over two years of these women not having an international tournament to play in. And selfishly, I'm really happy that it's in Calgary. But I don't know. I think it's a weather thing. I think it's an air thing. I don't know if you've, you can't see behind me,

Ian, but when I woke up this morning, it's like an orange haze coming into my window from, you know, the smoky, hazy sky wildfire. Like, it's just really, really. It's just really, weird and it's really hot. So I think that just is bringing me down a little bit. Okay. Well, listen, we're going to, we're going to get you back. We're going to pump you up here. Did I look cranky or something? Is that why you asked me that? No, no, no. It's a Monday. It's, it's meant to be. Listen, you alluded to this. I think this is a great place to kick off. Women's World Championships taking place in Calgary. And again, just a little refresher for people. This was the tournament that was supposed to happen in Halifax back in the spring. COVID obviously played

a role in kind of pushing that. It was canceled. And then there was, you know, there's a lot of backlash wondering how can we fit this in. So they settle on Calgary and like set this up first, Haley. Like I think for a lot of people, they look at this and they see, if I'm not mistaken, what team EOSA has won five consecutive gold medals at this, at this event. I think a lot of people look at this and say,

okay, it's going to be Team USA and Team Canada. I mean, we haven't seen best on best hockey in the women's game in basically two years. what do we expect? Like what should we realistically expect out of this tournament? Well, I think that and yeah, you're right, the U.S., like it is no secret that when it matters most, Canada has struggled against Team USA. And even in the 2019 World Championships, Canada lost to Finland in the semifinals. And Finland nearly beat the U.S. in the final that year. If people remember, I mean, it was over two years ago now, but you kind of have these three powers.

obviously the U.S. and Canada are at the top of that list, but I think Finland's obviously really up there based on how they almost finished and how they did finish the last time we saw all these teams. And I just think when the puck drops on Friday for the first game of the tournament, for the first games, there'll be a few on Friday. It'll be 859 days since the last best-on-best competition in women's hockey. Like it's such a significant period of time that these women have not had this stage to be on. And of course, some of it is, a lot of it is due to COVID. But, you know, the 2019, it's just been a crazy year, crazy two years for women's hockey. They had on the eve of the 2019 World Championships is when the Canadian Women's Hockey League folded. Then they had that tournament.

And then at the end of it, that's when the boycott started, which kind of turned into the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association. And since then, they have not had an international tournament and they have not had the viable professional league that they are fighting for. So the PWHPA players have essentially been doing showcases for the last two years. There is the National Women's Hockey League, which is the U.S.-based professional league, but the PWHPA does not believe that that has the sustainable future that they're looking for. So there's just been a lot.

It's been not a lot of, again, that best on best international competition for these women. And some of the players that I have spoken to, you know, they're not worried at all about the product. They're not worried about this long layoff impacting what everyone's going to see. Everyone's really excited to finally get out there, get on the ice. I'm personally working on some team previews for Team Canada. and we have some great freelancers and contributors who have signed on to do. We actually have some Team USA stuff coming. We have some kind of exciting, more data analysis coming.

So it's going to be a big week, big couple weeks for women's hockey. But, you know, with Team Canada specifically, this is going to be a really young roster. It's not going to be the same group we saw in 2019. They have a ton of really young players. that have signed on. And again, some of the players I've talked to, they're like, these rookies don't play like rookies. Like they're fast, they're really skilled.

And obviously, Mary Philippe Poulin's back. Last time we saw her two years ago, she was injured. So we haven't seen, you know, elite Mary Philippe Poulin in a while. And it's obviously hard to predict what everyone's going to look like when you haven't seen them in so long. Because, you know, I can't just go to the rink and watch them practice. So it's hard to know, but I still believe that, you know, she's one of the

most dominant players in the world, and she'll go down as one of the greatest of all time in the women's game. So I'm just, you know, again, selfishly really excited that this is going to be here in Calgary. And I hope that everyone can watch and enjoy the content that we're going to put out with the athletic because this is, you know, a really huge moment for the women's game. And the Olympics are coming up within even just six months. So this is a really huge moment for really top end women's hockey here. They really have a huge platform, which they haven't had in a long time. Yeah.

And like you said, Mary Fu-Puland, I mean, basically had a knee injury that took her out of the last time. So like you said, we haven't seen her in years. And I had to do a double take when I read this earlier saying that, you know, Team Canada hasn't won a gold medal at this event since 2012, right? Like, that's a long stretch for, you know, hockey Canada to go. And, you know, it's, look, there's going to be a ton of great storylines. And I just feel like coming off of a moment where it felt like the country was really galvanized, I'm talking about Canada here, was really galvanized watching women's soccer.

You really hope that it kind of, it's a natural segue into, hey, we got this great best on best, women's tournament. We just watched some great best on best women soccer and we saw the numbers come in. We saw the excitement. We saw, I mean, that was one of those moments where you're, if you were in Canada, your text messages probably blew up, right? When that was going into a penalty shootout with Sweden and Canada and the women's soccer. And now you've got this great opportunity on the hockey side that, look, we know that people tune in and people care about women's sports. And so you're right. It feels like we've turned a little bit of a corner, but Haley, this is such an important event because of, like you said, last two years have been bogged down

with off-ice politics, COVID, all of it. It feels like this is going to be the launch for hopefully what is an exciting three to five-year period for the women's game, right? Well, I think just like put yourself as a hockey fan, you know, remember in 2018, the Pyong-Chang final that went into a shootout with Canada and the USA and you have the Lamaroo twins with like disgusting hands like incredible incredible displays of talent I periodically um just tweet melody Dao's shootout goal from that Olympics as well you know these women are really really skilled they're very very talented and millions of people stayed up very late to watch that game. So there is proof. Like there is facts that show the amount of people who will

watch women's hockey when it is this best on best format because the product is there. The product has never been in question. It's good hockey. It truly is. And we've seen the way that the eyeballs follow it in that format. So I think having that best on best here in Calgary and then they're going to be centralized and then the Olympics are coming. I mean, can you just imagine how much attention is going to be on the game for those two tournaments. And then capitalizing on that attention is going to be truly like the even more important piece. Like the players believe in the product. They tell me that all the time.

They know that it's there. They know that it's good. It's just about taking that product, putting it on that global platform that they don't always get. Usually they only get it once every four years. And it's about trying to keep that attention every single year, not just every Olympics. So that's going to be the important piece for them is, you know, do what they know that they can at the world championships at the Olympics. And then translate that into, you know, from the PWHPA side, what they believe is a pro league. And then again, and then you have the NWHL as well.

I mean, I think it just shows that there's enough depth of talent that you can have to women's professional leagues. there's that many women's hockey players who are good who can play professionally and make some money playing the game. So regardless of what side you're on, if you believe in the PWHPA, if you believe in the NWHL, this is still just like a really huge, it's going to be a huge season for women's hockey because not only do you have the international competition, but the NWHL will have their season seven and the PWHPA will be showcasing too. So there's going to be a lot going on in the women's game. All right. Hey, listen, you've made. the Pyong Chang Olympics in 2018, and, you know, that was, that was a fantastic theater watching Canada, the U.S. in that shootout.

But there was no NHLers at the Olympic Games in Pyong Chang in 2018. The hope is that there will be NHL players, Haley, in 2022. But once again, look, the NHL put its schedule out. They're leaving a hole in there, but they're very, being very adamant that if they're, if they don't get to an agreement at some point, I would say by the end of August, that maybe just maybe, we could be looking at, an NHL season that doesn't have the Olympic pause and they play right through it. And I wonder now, how much of a factor do you think the COVID-19 virus will have on NHL players wanting to go over? We just saw it in the Summer Olympics.

It wasn't the same experience. It wasn't the same packed houses, thousands of fans. And I would imagine we might be careening towards a similar Olympic Games coming up in Beijing. what's your, like if, if you were like kind of to put a percentage on it right now of the prediction you would make of NHL players will be at the Olympic Games. What's your, what's your number right now? Oh, geez. I mean, I'll probably be lame and just say 50, 50.

I know that the players, we've, we've heard that players really want to be there. Like it's an important, it was an important piece of the collective bargaining agreement. But I guess especially this year, it's a lot more difficult than just saying, yeah, we'll cut out a piece of the schedule and you can go and do this because we don't know what is going to happen with COVID in North America and Beijing. Like we can't predict that. With the Tokyo games that just happened here, we saw how quickly it went from everything's okay to, oh, nope, now they're in lockdown. So it's really difficult to try to predict what's going to happen here for them. And I can imagine the schedule being as tight as it is in the NHL this year. There is really no room for any COVID-related breaks due to the Olympics.

So that might end up having an impact. I mean, the NHL can't bump games back an extra two weeks because everyone has to quarantine after coming back or players test positive or whatever it may be. So I think it adds an extra wrinkle to it. Unfortunately, I really don't know how this is going to play out because it's, what, it's August 15th, 16th, and we still don't have any confirmation of what's going to happen there. And again, we don't set the schedule or the rules this pandemic does.

And it's really ever-changing. and I think we've certainly seen that over the last year and a half. So I'm going to be lame and say 50-50. Yeah, I don't think it's a bad, bad guess, 50-50. It certainly isn't a slam dunk where it felt like it was a slam dunk a few months ago. It doesn't feel that way now. And Katie Strang and Mike Russo did a, I thought a really interesting piece on kind of looking at the COVID vaccine protocols.

And basically, look, the NHLPA, the Players Association, is encouraging its players to get vaccinated. Okay. And NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley did tell the athletic, Katie Strang and Mike Russo, that it's his belief that 85% of NHL players are vaccinated. Okay? That's a pretty good number. You would think 85%. It's a pretty good number. The NFL, according to the reporting that was done in the Washington Post, they're at 90%. But if you think about the NFL, the first thing you think of is some outspoken players, Kirk Cousins, Cole Beasley, who are very reluctant to get the very valiant. vaccine. And I would assume, Haley, you're going to get some NHL players who fall into the same boat.

And now what the NHLPA is saying is if you don't get vaccinated, like, be prepared that maybe, if you can't travel to games, like come to Canada and play games, you're not going to get paid. And I think that's interesting. I also think, Haley, that I don't think the plan is to have taxi squads this season. That, I don't know. if that, like, that's my understanding is that they're, they're, they're planning for this without taxi squads, meaning we're going back to the way it used to be. So you better make sure that you're, I guess, vaccinated or this, to me, this is going to be a really interesting situation, because at some point in the next four to six weeks, we're going to get the NHL's version of Kirk Cousins

or Cole Beasley who says, I ain't getting vaccinated. And we're going to see if that player can come to Canada or if he lives in Canada or if he can play with his teammates and there's going to be a little bit of a hot potato on the league's hands. Yeah, well, I think what the league is done is they've kind of put players wallets into the decision now, right, by saying if you are unvaccinated and you miss games either because you can't travel or because you test positive for COVID-19, well, then you could potentially be losing money. So I think that's kind of the, it's putting your money where you're mouth.

is I guess, right? It's like, okay, you really don't want to get vaccinated. Well, then you need to come to the realization that you're going to have some money left on the table here because, I mean, right now, Canada, if the border did just open on, I think it was this Monday or last Monday, it was August 9th at the border opened to Americans, but you have to be fully vaccinated and you have to provide proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours. an unvaccinated player from the St. Louis Blues. I'm just throwing one name out there. Coyotes, whatever it may be.

They're not coming into Canada to play a hockey game two days later if they're unvaccinated because you need the 14-day quarantine. You need the negative COVID test. So, I mean, that's just the facts of what the regulations are. So if you don't get vaccinated, you're going to be at home while your team goes on a road trip. And the league is now saying, well, you're not going to get paid for that because you're at home because you cannot go into the country. And I know that, you know, Katie and Rousseau brought up that there was, you know, could they get some kind of, I think it was a national

interest exemption. And I don't think that was something that seems all that possible. even Canada, I think everyone going on commercial flights and trains and such need to be fully vaccinated now. So, I mean, when it comes to Americans playing in this country, it's going to be very strictly regulated for the start of the season, at least the way it is right now. So if the players don't want to get the vaccine, like, they're just going to be leaving money on the table. Like, there's no real way around it. I mean, and I don't think. It's controversial to say that because it's just what the rules are right now. Well, I think the way they could get around it, again,

the special exemption that Major League Baseball got for the Blue Jays to play games was essentially if you're an unvaccinated Major League Baseball player or traveling party, you can come here. You cannot leave your hotel. Literally you are hotel, ballpark, back to hotel. That's it. So I guess there is a little bit of a work around there. But this situation, it's a lot different in the NHH.

We've got seven Canadian teams, right? So it's going to be absolutely unequivocally. It's going to become an issue. And we're going to see, like I said, we're not, I don't believe that their plan is to have taxi squad players this year. So last year they kind of built in a buffer that we're going to be able to have five guys that are kind of riding shotgun waiting to be called in if someone tests positive. That's not going to be the case this year.

So if you test positive and you, you know, you don't meet some of these protocols, I think they're trying to put a little bit more. pressure like, hey man, you let your teammates down or you let your guys down. So anyway, this is, like I said, this is going to be something to monitor. But I think everyone's got a little bit of, not a little bit, a lot of bit of COVID fatigue. So why don't we move on to Haley, Joe Thornton to Florida. So you and I have been on this train for a while. Florida Panthers are a fun team. They're lovable, they're likable. Now they add Joe Thornton. Does this, does this help our theory that the Florida Panthers, if you don't have a horse in the race, the Florida Panthers should be the team you're

pulling for to win the Stanley Cup and have some success. I mean, it doesn't hurt it. Like, having Jumbo Joe does not hurt the likability of your team. And I think it adds a nice storyline for the Florida Panthers. I mean, even the San Jose sharks right now, the sharks will be in Florida, January 29th. And then the Panthers are in San Jose, March 15th. And because of the divisional realignment, Joe Thornton did not get to play against the San Jose Sharks yet since he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs. So this will be the kind of Joe Thornton return game this season too.

So I think that adds a nice little element to it that he'll get to play against the sharks and then get to play against them in San Jose. Yeah, I don't think it hurts at all. I think it just makes them, it gives you another thing to cheer for, cheering for Joe Thornton. Charing for, you know, again, what we still think is a fun team in Florida. I mean, I like it. I think it's great. You know, I saw our colleague Kevin Kurz tweeted, you know, hockey is a better place with Joe Thornton in it. Good player, fun dude.

I mean, I saw clip. Somebody asked, like, is your beard going to make it to Florida? Is it going to be okay in the heat? And he's like, I don't know, might have to shave it. So we'll be on Joe Thornton Beardwatch also. But no, I think it's super fun. I saw a lot of the, even last year with the Leafs just following some of the stuff. I don't know what it is that just makes this guy so funny.

I don't, maybe it's the beard. Maybe it's how large he is with the beard. I don't know. But the picture of him with Justin Bieber on Kendall Jenner's Instagram story just killed me. It was just like, there's Joe Thornton. with this huge beard with Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber and like Haley Bieber. And I'll think he's hanging out with, you know, supermodels. And it's just, okay, there's Joe Thornton hanging out over there.

And what was he wearing? When they were all rollerblading and he's wearing like the short shorts and the fanny pack, I don't know what it was, but I was like, okay. Yeah, it was a fanny pack. This guy's fun. Yeah. It's the fanny pack. Are we going to see more fanny pack jumbo in Florida?

It feels like it. 100%. It'll mix right in. It's fun. Yeah. blend right in. Heck yeah. We're still on the bandwagon for sure. Okay, but the one thing we do need to point out, and every time we do this,

we talk about how likable and lovable Joe Thornton is, St. Louis Blues fans are yelling at their phones or, you know, laptops, wherever you're listening to us on this podcast. They hate Joe Thornt because it stems from that hit on Dave Perron years ago that they felt like was one of the cheapest, dirtiest hit. So anyway, blues fans, we get it, we hear you, but we still think that Joe Thornton's a pretty likable guy. All right, Haley. Time to bring in our guests here on the athletic hockey show.

You know what I love about this as we had our guest in the, we'll call it the green room. You actually had to do like an actual introduction to a member of the Calgary Flames. And that just speaks to the pandemic world that we've lived in, Haley. Because you didn't really, I guess Haley, you never really had a chance to speak one on one or in person with Mark Giordano this entire season, right? No, we just had everything on Zoom. And for the longest time, I didn't know if anyone could actually see me. I didn't know what the players were looking at. And I think the moment where I knew that they could indeed see me was my camera froze.

And it was with Mark. And he goes, I think she's frozen. I was like, oh, no. What did my camera freeze? Like, what, it's, you know, when you pause a movie or your camera freezes and you have that horrific face. So that was the moment I knew that they could indeed see me on the other side. And that was my, I guess, informal introduction to our guest today. Well, there we go.

Let's bring them in. Mark Giordano, nice enough to join. this year on the athletic hockey show and hopefully Haley's face doesn't freeze for you during this interview. Mark, thanks so much for taking the time with us. Yeah, no, thanks for having me. And yeah, Haley, we could see you for sure every time during the year you asked a question.

Your screen popped up as a big one right in the middle of the Zoom chat. So just to give you heads up for next year, if they continue that, he'll know that. I don't think, I think my background's okay, so we're good. I don't know. I have a dog and he's and he's always walking around. So I don't know if anyone got to meet Bono this year,

but maybe next time. All right. Yeah, well, I'll tell you what more. I think from our perspective, it was really frustrating to be on Zoom calls. And we felt like we couldn't connect with the athletes and the players and the coaches that we were, you know, in the way that we're used to doing.

From your vantage point, I would imagine there were probably some advantages. Like, you know, you didn't have to have us all over you. But all in all, how was the Zoom experience from a player's perspective after a whole season? Yeah, I think honestly, from like you said, it wasn't bad at all. I mean, sometimes you miss that sort of, you know, the scrum, the human interaction for sure. I mean, and then there's other times where you don't miss it for sure the other way.

I mean, but no. But no, to get on the Zoom, I think once we got used to it, it became pretty normal and it was fine. I mean, it was, you know, doing interviews through Zoom now is the new normal. but I do sort of think we should get back to a little bit of the old school scrum and the human interaction. I think that's important too. Well, that's great to hear. I mean, I know Ian and I kind of like having that human interaction too and telling the more human side of things that can sometimes be lost in a scrum or Zoom setting. So we look forward to that coming back as well.

Just moving on, I mean, Mark, it's been about three weeks since you were selected by the Seattle Crabb. in and it's even been longer than that since, you know, the pre-expansion draft stuff started. So what has this last month, two months been like for you? Yeah, I mean, it's been crazy, to be honest, I think, leading up to the draft, I think it was out there obviously that there's a pretty good chance I wasn't going to get protected with, you know, us having three young defensemen, really good defensemen on longer-term deals than I was. So it was always in the back of my mind.

I think talking with Tree a lot, we were, you know, he was trying to get something done as far as maybe trying to not protect me, but keep me in Calgary. And at the end of the day, I got selected. So it was a pretty emotional couple of days thinking of all the different scenarios. A lot of different things run through your head. But I got my head wrapped around that and just been looking forward to, you know, a whole different experience. I've never switched teams in my career.

So it's going to be weird at first, I'm sure, but I'm looking forward to a whole new chapter in my life and living in a different city, all the things that come with it. So I've turned the page and I'm pretty excited now. How did you find out about the actual, were you like us, were you found out via Frank Sarajevoly on Twitter? Or did you?

How did you find out that Seattle had taken you in the expansion drive? No, what happened was the next. night before I got a call from a tree and he said he thinks they're going to select me. And then I got a call from Ron Francis shortly after and he said they were going to select me. So I knew the night before and that's how we arranged. I got on a plane actually the next morning and went to the actual draft in Seattle, which was, I'm happy I did that to check out the city, check out the atmosphere there. It's great.

I mean, the new building's going to be great. There's a ton of positive. So really looking forward to settling in there and getting my family all settled now in the next couple of weeks here and then getting ready to go. I mean, just how hectic was that couple of hours between finding out to, I guess, finding a flight that worked, getting on the plane? I mean, did your family go with you? Just how crazy was that couple of days? Yeah, it was nuts because the night I found out, Ron asked if, you know, a few of us could go down there. to Seattle from Toronto.

And there's me, Brandon Tanev and Alexiak were on the plane together going down. But what we had to do, it was about, I would say 6 p.m. when I found out, 5 or 6 p.m. Toronto time.

And we had to get a corona test before you can cross the borders. So I was running around downtown Toronto from shoppers drug mart to shoppers drug mart trying to get a corona test, one of those rapid tests so that I could cross the border and then get all the flight info from the guys in Seattle. and they helped us out obviously a huge amount, but it was pretty hectic. And the next day, we flew to Seattle and we were there just before the draft.

And it was pretty crazy 24 hours for sure. I watched that whole draft spectacle. And I saw the interview with you, and you had said you had never in your life had you been to Seattle before this whole thing. Which I was actually quite surprised by it because it's a major city. I mean, was it ever on your... your list of things that, you know what, at some point, I'd like to get to Seattle? Or was it just not on your radar to visit that city? Yeah, it was not on my radar. I mean, I knew Seattle

just because of growing up, one of my favorite bands was Nirvana and they were from Seattle, Kirk Cobain and the band, I think we're from Seattle. So, you know what, being from out east, it's a far western city. I mean, when we think of going on vacation or going to different cities. I mean, I'd always think New York, Boston, cities like that, right? Cities that are closer and easier to get to. But definitely an eye-opener for me to go to Seattle. And a lot of people had the same reaction you did. They were like, wow, I would have assumed you playing in Calgary all these years. You took a trip down to Seattle. But no, never, never did. And what a city. I mean, what a great place. And I feel like it's going to be a great place to live. Just being there

for a couple of days, it was beautiful. And just, I mean, sticking with, you know, this whole month that you've, this crazy month that you've had, has the Cracken been kind of helping you and other players kind of acclimate to the situation? Because, I mean, expansion drafts aren't a totally new thing, but there is no real playbook for being selected, having to find a home, adjust to a new city. How Have they been helping with that? Yeah, I mean, they've been unbelievable as far as from every, every aspect. I mean, you know, we have people with the team who are helping us as far as real estate goes and purchasing our homes or renting our homes, obviously getting our visas taking care of

just every little thing you can think of traveling there, shipping our cars, moving our, you know, personal belongings. and then they put together like a huge booklet that they sent out to every family that just outlines all the different things to do in the city, all the different areas that, you know, you can visit in the city, the different attractions where, you know, the best places to live. So, I mean, they've done a great job in that. And I can imagine the amount of work that went into that because they've covered literally everything. And then, you know, on top of that, the organization has a new rank going up and a new practice facility. So there's a lot going on for sure in Seattle right now. And you talked about, you know, now you've got to find a new house.

And so as you're looking for a new house, what's the one, like, is there one thing for you? Like, a kitchen has to have a certain thing or a home theater. Like, what's the one room that it's got to be in a certain way for you? You got to have a great bed. And obviously during this season, especially having kids, you have to have a great setup as far as pregame naps and having a nice TV in my room and having it real dark and all that stuff. That's important. But other than that, you can adapt to anything. But for me, being away from your family, I just look for, you know, safety, safety first.

and a nice area where, you know, it's family-orientated and go from there. But safety's number one for sure with us being on the road so much and away from our families. Are you the type of player that needs, like, the semi-soundproof basement for your nap when the kids are, like, running around and stuff upstairs? I'll put my sound machine on from time to time to train out, you know, a little. a white noise and that usually does it for me. But yeah, I'm the type of guy pregame nap. I like to turn on the TV a little bit and have it real dark. And then it usually makes me tired enough to fall asleep.

Now, how old are your kids right now? I have an eight-year-old son, Jack, and a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Reese. Okay, so your eight-year-old is certainly old enough to kind of understand. So when you found out, when you got the call from Ron Francis, did you sit down with and explain it or did you kind of plant some seeds that, you know what, dad might have to move with the job? And how did that conversation go with an eight-year-old? Yeah, I planted the seed a few weeks earlier, just through a couple hints on.

I'm like, you know, we might not be going back to Calgary 100%. And he, yeah, he understood right from the start. He's old enough. He understands. I tried to let him know about the whole business of hockey and trades and all that. And his main concern was that how can he's like, but you're the captain of the flames. Aren't you supposed to be there?

But I tried to explain to him how it works. And he understands it's going to be a big change for him too. But looking forward to it. I mean, I think it's, you know, for kids, it's good sometimes too to have a little bit of change in their lives and a little bit of adversity. and he's looking forward to going down there now too. So it's pretty cool.

Mark, what excites you the most about starting a new team and what we assume will be a leadership position for you, whether or not you are the first captain of Seattle Cracken, but you are the oldest player on that roster, and you certainly have the experience as a leader in Calgary. What's the most exciting part for you coming into this situation? Yeah, I just think being a part of something, it's like being a part of history, it feels like, right?

Like an organization just starting up, you know, being one of the first guys to put on that jersey and playing that first game in that building. I mean, all those things come to mind. And then like you said, I think, you know, being the oldest guy in the team, I think I have a lot to offer when it comes to helping out the younger guys. And yeah, there's going to be, what, 25 of us or so,

all in the exact same position, guys who never, been through this, never played on the same team. So it's going to be different, but it's going to be a cool experience, I'm sure. Did Vegas having so much success right off the hop, including getting to the cup final in their first year, does that excite you or does that set the bar too high? Because it's ridiculous to think that a first year team can get to this down the cup final again, but I mean, they've been successful right away. Does at least give you some hope that maybe you guys don't have to go through what some expansion teams did,

like in the 90s and the early 2000s? Yeah, of course. I just think, yeah, going back to Vegas, I just think the way the rules are set up now, it's a different set of rules, obviously, with expansion. And, I mean, you look even at our roster that we select, you just get some really good players from across the league. And I don't know exactly what the rules were in the 90s,

but I'm sure they were anywhere as close. close to what they are now. And Vegas, you know, when I remember, I remember when Vegas selected their team, people were still unsure, but looking at them, we were all like, no,

they got a pretty good roster there and they selected a really good roster. And, you know, they've been a contending team ever since. So I like our team. I like, I like, you know,

what Ron and the staff, obviously in Seattle has done. And, you know, at the end of the day, until you hit that ice, you're never going to know. So looking forward to hitting the ice in September and then going from there. Have you reached out or spoken to anyone from Vegas for any kind of guidance on, you know, being on an expansion team?

Has there been anyone that you know that you've talked to about this? Yeah, the only guy I talked to about it was because I play with Neeler and Calgary, James Neal. And he absolutely loved the experience. He said he had a great time in Vegas and everything about his experience there was all positive. So talked to him a bit about it and he just wished me the best and said that you're going to love it. So everything's been positive on that end of things. And like I said, after the first couple days of shock and a little bit of mixed feelings, I'm really excited and starting to look forward to it. And, you know, Mark, you talk about mixed feelings.

it's hard not to think that when you go back to Calgary for the first time in December, that emotions might boil over. And it's going to be hard. And I think you've probably seen it. You probably watched when Jerome McGinnla comes back for that first game at the Saddle Dome and they put on the TV time out and there's the video montage. Have you even started to think about what that night might be like for you back at the Saddle Dome for the first time? Yeah, I mean, it's going to be obviously a weird feeling coming in.

and coming in from the other bench and the other side and in the dome for sure, it's going to be, I think it's going to be a special night for me. But yeah, there's a lot that goes into just thinking of a lot of different things. I mean, we're in the same division. It's probably going to be a pretty important game. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. It's going to be pretty cool to come back to the city.

And, you know, I've made a lot of relationships, a lot of people that, are lifelong friends over the years in Calgary. So it will be cool to play in front of them again, and hopefully it's a good night for me. And you've mentioned the relationships, but what are you going to miss the most about being in Calgary? And you spent so much time there your entire career. What are some of the things that come top of mind?

Just the city in general, just going out and the people and seeing people in the restaurants that I know, and obviously the number one thing is going to be the guys, I mean, starting with like obviously the players and some of my best friends that I've made over the years. But then, you know, I think of the staff too and the trainers and the equipment guys, the medical guys that I've been, been with for, you know, a large chunk of my career. So, you know, those are those are friendships that are going to last a lifetime, but it's going to be different not going to the rink every day and seeing those guys. but I'm sure I'll create some great bonds here in Seattle too. You know, I got to ask you about a place in Calgary because Haley tweeted out about this,

and I've been to Calgary a few times, and I've hit Peters Drive-in, you know, for the burgers and the shakes. And I need to know, was Mark Giordano a big Peters drive-in guy? I wasn't a big Peters driving guy, but it is great. I'm a big restaurant night before game Mercado or Bill. Alla friends guy. I'll mention those two, those two Italian spots. But yeah, I tried to stay away from the burgers and the shakes as much as I found during this season to stay late. But they are good. They are tasting. That's for sure. I went for the first time over the weekend and it was just too overwhelmed with all the flavors and all the options. So I sent out a tweet and asked for recommendations

and it was just too much. Too many options. I don't even like milkshakes, but everyone just kept telling me, like you have to try this place and I went and I panicked. It was just, I don't do well with that. So I'm going to take your recommendations and try them out because I've not done anything since I moved here. So I'm always open to food recommendations. It seems like a good food spot. I'm a fan already. Ian, I think I think Ian's a big football guy and I think he has a very specific football question for you.

I do. I do have a specific football question because now you're moving to an NFL city, right? Obviously in Calgary, get the CFL, get the stampede, but now we need to know, are you going to be pulling for the Seahawks? Or do you have a favorite NFL team already? Yeah, man, like my favorite NFL team is Green Bay. And it has been for a long time since the Brett Farrf days. So I will still pull for Green Bay, but Seattle, I'll definitely head out to some Seattle games and root for them when they're not playing Green Bay. but I hate to say it, but if it came down to it,

I would think I would have to stick with my team. I mean, I've been a lifelong Packers fan and Big Rogers fan right now. Hopefully they keep them around after this season. Must have been a stressful summer for you then. It has been. I didn't think he was going to show up there for a little bit, but it looks like they worked it all out

and hopefully they have a good year again. I'm going to ask the question. Are you going to go to the first? Starbucks because that's like I want to go to Seattle specifically for the Starbucks and people can make fun of me for that but it seems really cool 100% I'm a big Starbucks guy so I'm perfect I you know what the two days that I was there it was mentioned to me but we just like we literally had no time to make it out so but at 100% I will check it out and looking forward to it because I'm a big Starbucks fan for sure so so the two of you will appreciate this story because I have only had

one cup of hot coffee in my entire life. And it was at the original Starbucks at Pike Place in Seattle. My parents live in Seattle. My parents live in West Seattle. So I've only had one cup of coffee in my life, a hot coffee, and it's from the original Starbucks. And I feel like that's going to be it for me. No more hot coffees.

That's really weird. I know. It's weird. I don't understand non-coffee people. You don't know what you're missing. Your energy levels will skyrocket if you have a couple more. comes the day. Exactly.

Listen, Mark, we appreciate this time. Final, I guess final question for you, is there a part of you that might actually appreciate the anonymity? I know what it's like for a lot. I've talked to a lot of guys over the years, especially when you're a captain of a Canadian team. You go down, you go out for dinner.

I was going to say you go to Pete's drive-in for a burger, but we know that's not the case. But you go out and you're always recognized. Doesn't matter who you are, especially if you're the captain. Is there a part of you that's really going to embrace the fact that you can probably roll out for dinner, you could probably go to the movies,

you could do all sorts of things with your family and people aren't going to be tugging at you looking for a picture or an autograph. Yeah, for sure. I think, you know what? Yeah, I will say that that's going to be a little bit different, obviously, playing in Seattle. But man, when we went down to the fans, it was pretty wild when we had that draft. So we know the support's going to be there.

But yeah, it'll be nice just to get out of the light a bit and lay low and just, you know, play hockey. But I was saying in Calgary, people are great. Like, obviously, a lot of people recognize in restaurants and stuff, but very respectful and, you know, let you do your thing with your family all the time. So it wasn't anything that was a burden by any means. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to just go down there. And like you said, play hockey, have some success, hopefully, and go from there.

Well, Mark, we really appreciate the time. I know Haley's looking forward to, I know it's going to be a big story. and you do make your return to Calgary. So listen, thanks for taking the time. Best of luck with the move and with the family here in the weeks ahead, and we look forward to connecting with you again down the road. All right, guys. Thanks for having me.

All right, Haley, that was a real fun conversation with Mark Giordano. And, yeah, I didn't know. I figured, look, if you're an athlete, you're probably not going to go to Pete's drive in there in Calgary all the time. But I know that you, like I said, that guy brought up in that interview there with him, that I know that you went there. and it's like, it's like one of those landmark spots.

Like if you're ever going to Calgary for a Flames game and you've got a couple days, you've got to drop by and have the milkshake at this place. I've done it. It's a great place. And it's good to know that, you know, Mark Giordano's leaving Calgary. And it's hard to do this. It's hard to leave on good terms, right? Like, especially if you've played in a Canadian market for a long time,

it's really hard to have like this amicable breakup. But it sure felt like listening to Mark Giordano there and listening to Flames fans. like everyone's pulling for the guy. No one blames him. It's one of the rare, you know, breakups that feels like everyone is leaving without any, you know, bitterness. Yeah, I think so. And I think he touched on it a little bit,

but leading into, I mean, the month, I mean, even right at the end of the season and exit meetings, Giordano was asked about the potential being selected by the Cracken. And I think for a long time, he knew that it was a possibility. And general manager, Braddon, Tree Living was really open with those discussions with him. And I think, you know, Gio is 37. He's going to be 38 this year. He gets it. It is a business. And with that comes difficult decisions,

even when it comes to the long-term future or the future, excuse me, of your long-term captain of the franchise. And I think that's just the reality of the situation. He touched on it again. Like they had three younger, more locked in defenders. So are you going to expose a 24-year-old Rasmus Anderson to protect a 37-year-old Mark Giordana with one year left on his contract? Probably not. So, you know, it's a good problem to have if you're the Calgary Flames, having too many good defensemen that you want to protect. Obviously, it's not great that you lose geo. But I know that a lot of fans, I think a lot of fans agreed that they needed to expose him and let the chips fall where they may because nobody wanted to pay that protection price,

the first and a third. And I think leading up to the draft, a lot of fans were on that boat. And then when they saw him in the crack in jersey is when it like really hit them like, oh man, like he is gone. Oh, God, he's wearing a different jersey. We know it's a business. We know this was right. but it hurts like how a lot of fans were really upset to see that.

And, you know, I would love to see, I think most people would love to see a bit of a Daniel Alfredson type. And I mean, it's a completely different situation, obviously. But, you know, maybe he'll come back. Geo will sign another deal at the, retire as a flame after his one or however many years in Seattle, kind of like Alfredson came back from Detroit, back to Ottawa. maybe that's the nice little end to Gio's career, but it was a great interview. I'm glad that he and I both judged you for your weird coffee take.

Wasn't weird. I don't understand non-coffee people. And I knew you didn't like coffee, but I guess I just blocked it out of my memory because whenever we go for coffee, you get hot chocolate. I know. I know. You like hot chocolate, but not hot coffee. No, I don't even like hot chocolate. I would rather have.

Why do we go for coffee? Because that's, going for coffee is just like a thing you say, like, hey, let's grab a coffee. It doesn't actually mean you have to have a coffee. You know, it could be just let's go for drinks. Okay? That's what it means. All right. Hey, listen, let us wrap up this show.

This has been a really fun show here on this Monday with a little multiple choice madness, as always. So you got four questions on this Monday. Let's start with this one, Haley, because we talked about this off the top of the podcast, that you are kicking off and you're going to be kind of leading our coverage with the athletic, the women's world hockey championships. And I think for a lot of people, they look at this and they're like, oh, yeah, it's going to be, why do they bother playing? It's going to be Canada and the USA.

But we do know that there are a couple of other countries that have certainly moved up the rankings here, and they could potentially spoil a USA Canada gold medal showdown. So, HALY, if you're picking one country that could get in there and ruin a Canada-USA gold medal showdown at the double IHF women's worlds, who would it be? A, Finland, B, Russia, see Switzerland or the somebody else. Who's going to potentially get in there and disrupt the Canada-USA gold medal showdown?

Finland, for sure. I think they already did that in the last women's world championships in 2019. They beat Canada in the semifinals. And I think there's a lot of people in the women's game who still believe that they should have won gold that year. It was quite a controversial call

that ended swinging the tournament in the U.S.'s favor, but I think there's a lot of people who still think that Finland would or should have been the winners of that 2019 final. So I'm going to stick with them. And I know Team Canada is really excited their first game back after two years, like we said, and after the heartbreak against Finland, it's their worst ever, Women's World Championship final, by the way, Canada has only ever finished first or second, except for in 2019 at the hands of the Finns.

So their first game back after an over two-year hiatus is against Finland on Friday. So that's going to be really big, not just because it's the first game, but it's kind of a revenge game against the team that handed them a loss in the semifinals. So I'm going to stick with Finland keeping it interesting this year. Yeah. You know, I'll agree with you too. And look, 2019, Canada didn't have Mary Philippe Poulin. They didn't, right?

But I think it was one of the best things for the game was somebody other than Canada and the U.S. was in the final. Like we've been saying this. And the Finns, they got great goaltending, right? And that's all you need. And these one game kind of elimination once you get to the quarters in the semis. So I'm with you. And I don't think it would be a bad thing.

I think obviously you want, because it's being playing in Canada, you want to see Canada get there. But again, it's not the worst thing in the world. Like this is how I think we grow the game as we get more countries pushing the United States and Canada. on the question number two, Haley. If we did a redraft, and we always talk about this, like everyone debates like the most recent draft, but we don't do enough of, hey, let's go back three years and actually redraft.

So random question here, if you redrafted the 2018 NHL draft from three years ago, who's your first overall pick? Is it A, Rasmus Dahlene, B, Andres Svetnikov, C, Brady Kach, B, Quinn Hughes, or E. Esperi, Kukeneemi. I will go first on this one. give me the defenseman,

give me Quinn Hughes. And I know that that might not be popular because people say like, that guy can't play in his own hand. I don't care. I'm a firm believer in, at some point you can, you can teach defense and you can teach a little bit of that.

You can't teach what Quinn Hughes brings to the table offensively, the mobility, the vision, the passing, all that stuff. So if I were to look at this group of players, I think him and Svetnikov are the most talented, but because Svetnikov doesn't play the center ice position, I kind of, maybe that's why I'm doing this.

I'm drafting by need. Give me a defenseman. I love impact defensemen. I think Quinn Hughes is going to grow into a better defender two or three years or not. I love what he brings to the table. Haley, I would take Quinn Hughes first overall. What about you? I'm going Brady Kachuk.

I feel like people might either love that or hate that. There really is no in between when it comes to the Kachuk brothers. But, you know, when I was on the Sends beat, I reported out a story about, you know, do the Sends already have, you know, a cornerstone piece that they can build around? And every coach, everyone who's coached Brady, who's played with Brady, they all said, if you want to build your team around somebody, you know, he might not end up being, he's not going to be the Connick David. He's not going to score that many points. He's not going to have that same finesse. but if you want a cornerstone player that you can build around, you have one in Brady because of the way that he plays. He's going to be one of the, I mean, he already is one of the top power forwards in the game right now. He has the leadership.

He has the marketability as the personality. And I know you don't draft for personality. But I think there was a lot of people in that draft year who said, you know, you can take a Brady could chuck it first overall and you're going to be happy with it. So I think a little bit of bias because I did report. port that out previously, but, you know, I'm going to stick with what I said in that story, and I'm sticking with Brady.

Okay. On the question number three, and I said I would take Quinn Hughes first overall. And, of course, he needs a new contract, but so too does his Vancouver Connects teammate, Elias Pedersen. And Pedersen made some waves last week. In an interview with a Swedish publication, Elias Peterson quoted his saying, quote, it, quote, I want to stay in Vancouver now, but I also want to play for a team that's winning and has a chance to go far in the playoffs every year. I feel like we've got a chance to do that next year.

If we have that chance when my next deal expires, I don't know. I just want to play where there's a chance of winning. Haley, Kinex fan, should they be freaking out over Elias Petterson's comments and multiple choice madness? I ask you, your options are simply this. A, yes, it sure felt like when you read that. quote, he's looking for a change of scenery down the road or B, settle down. This is much ado about nothing. I know it's just a yes or no question, but I think when you initially read it, I'm sure it was

very jarring for Canucks fans who have been through a lot, especially this last year. You know, everything that happened in Vancouver, I think that we can give Canucks fans a pass for reading something like that and being like, oh my gosh, what? But, you know, I did see that Thomas Drance posted something like, you know, if his frank and honest commentary was surprising to you, like you haven't been reading that many Elias Pedersen quotes or reading, you know, watching many of his interviews because he's just like that. So I think initially you think, yeah, oh, that's tough. Like he wants to win somewhere else.

But, you know, if this is indeed the way that Pedersen is. And it just shows somebody with a high compete level. He wants to win. I think that's a good thing. And I think Kinex fans should look at that and say, okay, he's going to win here. Don't freak out. But I totally understand why some fans would.

You know what? I think I agree with you. Like he said, it's a yes or no question. It's tough. I think the word that really was jarring to Kinnucks fans was now. When he said, I want to stay in Vancouver now. And people are like, okay, you want to stay now, but what does that mean for down the road?

And is there a better pastime for hockey fans than trying to parse through some article that was written by, you know, somebody in Russia or Sweden or Finland? And it lands and people are like, oh, my gosh, what does he mean? Like, this is one of the things we do as hockey fans. We analyze translated articles in the summertime. But listen, Kenucks fans, I say relax. I don't, like, I know there's some fear that Elias Pedersen was going to be the offer of a, a target of an offer sheet. I think that window is passed.

No? Like, don't you feel like if somebody was going to submit an offer sheet to Elias Patterson or Quinn Hughes or Brady Kachuk or whoever the RFA you want to mention, don't you think that would have kind of been done by now? I mean, it's a good question,

but I think that there's just so much that still hasn't happened this off season. Like, there's so many unsigned RFAs. There's, we've been waiting for the Jack Eichel. news to come for months now. So I wonder if a lot of teams are still just kind of in a holding pattern. I mean, a lot of teams are probably just on vacation right now. So I feel like things like that could probably pick back up as we get even closer to the season starting. Season doesn't start until October 14th, 15, 16, one of those days is season opener, training camp end of September.

So, I mean, it's the dog days. So I think if. there's an offer sheet. It would have been, yeah, like a little bit, a little while ago or like three weeks from now, but probably not in this dead time where everyone's just gone, except for us. Yeah, except for us. All right. Final question in Mobile Choice Madness here on this Monday. On the weekend, Haley, Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Matthew Joseph. His video went viral of him back home with the Stanley Cup eating putteen out of it. And for our, you know, listeners, maybe south of the border in the United States who aren't quite familiar with butteen. It is essentially a delicacy in which French fries are drenched in gravy and cheese curds.

And let me tell you, Matthew Joseph, he drenched his fries in gravy inside the Stanley Cup. So I'm asking you, if you had the choice to either drink something out of the Stanley Cup or eat something out of the Stanley Cup, what are you doing? Haley, eat something or drink something. You know what I think? I think I'm going to eat something out of the cup. I just feel like it would be awkward. I feel like I'm spilling 20, 30%.

Oh, everywhere. Yeah. Everywhere. The fresca is going all over the place with me. And you know, I'm not going to have hot coffee out of the cup, too. So, you know what? I think I would eat something. I might go and you're going to laugh because you're just, I'm waiting for this.

It's a Monday. And I'm going to allow you to unleash your cynical side when I tell you, Haley. Are you having cereal? I'm having cinnamon toast crunch. Oh, I knew. You'd be a cereal guy. God, you're such a loser. You eat cereal.

So, yes. How old are you, man? I would go with cinnamon toast crunch right out of it. And then I would drink the cinnamony milk. You know that residual milk? You'd have such an upset stomach. That's a huge bowl. Oh, that's what I'm doing.

I get the best of both worlds because I get to eat and then I, the best part of cinnamon toast crunch is the residual milk. And I will hear no other arguments on that. So I feel like the best of both worlds. What about you? Are you eating or drinking out of the cup? Well, I'm eating for sure because, yeah, like I've seen the videos of people drinking out of the cup and it's just like, goodbye to your shirt. Oh, cute outfit.

Bye. It's gone. It's drenched. There's a stain. It's just messy. Unless you use a straw, but that kind of takes the, like just like a little straw. But that's, then you're, it's not the same. So I would definitely eat out of the Stanley Cup.

I will say after seeing the gigantic putteen last night, I haven't stopped wanting a putteen. So if anyone listening to this has a poutine recommendation in the city of Calgary, please send me a note. We should have asked Gio with that interview. He could have, on his way out, he would have given you a great recommendation. He probably doesn't eat poutine. Yeah, actually based on what he said, no.

Yeah, no. But I don't know what I would eat. Pasta? No, that would, that's, too many carbs, Ian. Just kidding. I'm celiac. I'm gluten intolerant.

I'm an Italian who can't eat pasta. Sorry, Nate McKinnon. I meant to say chickpea pasta. Me and Nathan McKinnon will be eating chickpea pasta out of the Stanley Cup market. Just kidding. That's weird. I wouldn't be there. I don't even know how I'd acquire the Stanley Cup to eat pasta out of it.

But it'll happen one day. Chiquet pasta specifically. You haven't said what you're eating. I don't know. You can't mock me for. eating cereal and then when it's your turn at the plate, you literally have no answer. You can't put a food decision on me like this. You don't know how long it takes me to decide what I want to eat every day. Oh, you're one of those people. Oh, yeah. What do you want to eat?

Oh, I don't know. Oh, what about this? No. And then do you get food envy at the table when somebody else orders something? No, usually it takes me a while, but usually I make the right decision. I don't know. Would you eat a soup out of the Stanley Cup? Like a chowder? Unless you have a really big, no, a chowder? No, you would need a really big spoon. Like a ladle.

Yeah. This is tough. I don't know. I'm curious to know what other people would eat out of Stanley Cup, let us know. Would you eat pad tie out of the Stanley Cup? Oh, yeah. We're getting closer. There we go.

Maybe that's it. A little pad tie. The chicken pad tie from pie in Toronto, put it in the Stanley Cup. There we go. Settled. Delicious. Just cut it. Yeah, just I got to stop because if I keep trying to think about it, this podcast is going to be the longest one we've ever recorded. And it's just me mulling over food decisions.

Yeah. It's not good content. I apologize. But I told you, I promised by the end of the show, you had a case of the Mondays and now I see a big smile on your face. thinking about pad tie. Thinking about pad tie. Listen, we'll leave it there. I want to thank everybody for listening

to this latest edition of the athletic hockey. So listen, Haley, we're looking forward to all your coverage coming up. I know it's a really busy time for you on the print side of things is the women's world hockey championships come right into your backyard in Calgary.

So listen, we're really looking forward to all your coverage here on the site in the next couple of weeks. Yeah, thank you. And, you know, we do some live blogs and stuff and I've already sprinkled the idea that we have the Canadians from the athletic hockey show versus the Americans from the athletic hockey show. Maybe battling it out a little bit. So we'll see if we can get something interesting going against my bitter rival, Sean John Tilly.

I like Craig. Craig's fine. We won't battle with Craig. Yeah, he's kind of our boss too, so we can't really battle him too much. I can battle Mertl, but I won't battle Craig. Awesome stuff. Like I said, looking forward to your coverage. And again, thanks everybody for listening to this athletic hockey show.

Follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Leave us a rating and a review. You know, we certainly appreciate that. Also want to plug the fact. We talked a little bit about the Vancouver Connects there in Moulable Choice Madness, talking to little Quinn Hughes and Elias Pedersen. Connux legend, Henrik Sidene, senior advisor to GM Jim Benning is going to join Thomas Drance on a new van cast this week.

So check it out. Hank joining Thomas Drance on the VanCast this week. and want to remind you on the print side of things, annual subscriptions to the Athletic, they're available to you for just $3.99 a month when you visit theathletic.com slash hockey shop.