The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Mike Grinnell

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

Mike Grinnell joined Jeff Marek on The Sheet to discuss buying an ECHL team, the journey of Spittin' Chiclets, the Boston Bruins, and much more...Shout out to our sponsors!👍🏼Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/Stream the full conversation with Adam Copeland on Up Close with Stephen Brunt belowApple Podcast: https://apple.co/41DCXleSpotify:https://spoti.fi/3DrZs2cWatch: https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401Reach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anyhow, speaking of spitting chiclets, that was so five minutes ago for Mike Grinnell because now not only is he spitting chiclets, but now he is an owner. He's gone to the dark side, the ECHL's Greensboro gargoyles, which by the way, I got to say, Mike, was a very very very well kept secret like you guys sealed that one I don't know how you did it I don't know whether I should be envious or not as a media member that you're able to lock that seal so tightly considering all the production that went into it but first of all Bravo congratulations what does it feel like to be an owner and now have the right to

complain about stick budgets? Well, first off I was just as shocked as you were that we kept this a secret. I think anytime we We throw anything in the chicklets chat that we have There's a 50-50 chance is either immediately tweets it out or he says it on air while we're on air so you really never know but tweets it out or he says it on air while we're on air. So you really never know. But yeah, we're so excited. We're so excited.

This is something I, I don't want to say I never really thought was possible, but it's just really something I never envisioned. And then when it's something that Biz and Biz's business manager, Jeff Jacobson, we have to give him a lot of credit. It's something they've been talking about for a long time. Obviously Biz, two time ECHL All-Star, he has the ECHL, he has a lot of ties to league. It's a lot more sentimental to him.

So he's always said this is something we need to get involved in. A couple years ago, we started the ECHL Player Relief Fund when COVID happened. And that was really, I don't want to say eye-opening. It was eye-opening to see how much Biz cared about it. And when we saw how much he cared about it, it was like, wow, there must be something here.

So then we went and filmed the documentaries a couple of years ago where we went to Wheeling, we went to Orlando, we followed Derek Nesbitt around, the ECHL's Ironman. So it was awesome. It was cool and yeah, we're just very excited for what the future holds. The logo is incredible. I know you know Zoyar Sports, so we're very, very excited to work with Zoyer, Andy Kaufman. It's just, it's been a whirlwind of emotions. Again, something I never thought would happen, but I'm very excited. So snooping around about this this morning and making calls, you mentioned, you mentioned Andy. So I was told that he approached you guys about this one, that it wasn't the other way around.

It wasn't as you had your shingle out and hey, available to, you know, we're looking to buy an expansion team or partner on an expansion team with someone. I was told that he sought you guys out. Is that true? Uh, yes, but there, there's also like Biz, we, we did a show a couple of, I'd say a year or two ago where Biz talked about our, um, our pursuit for an ECHL team and how it was something that we wanted to go after. Biz talked about it in the past. We were talking to Colorado Springs a year or two ago and that kind of fell through. Then when this opportunity presented itself, it was something that you couldn't pass up.

Yeah, Andy's team is just unbelievable, just an unbelievable guy. Like the first time I jumped on a call with him, I texted the boys right after and was just like, I love this guy. Like the energy he brings. And obviously I'm a very, very minor minority partner in this, but Andy makes me feel like I have more ownership than anyone. He's just, and that's awesome. Like, I think it's really awesome just to feel a part of it. You know what I mean? Even though I'm involved in such a minor level,

he makes me feel like I'm just as important as everyone else. You know, it's interesting you mentioned Colorado Springs because one of my conversations this morning, someone was saying like, yeah, I think it was like two or three years ago, the Chickalus guys were involved and it was going down the road. I think there was a building issue or something like that. And that sort of skirted the whole thing, but you guys still existed sort of in that orbit of,

to your point, in that orbit of, one day this could come together and when it presents itself, we're amenable. I'll tell you what, Mike, like one of the things that I really respect about how you guys have evolved is, and I was having this conversation with Johnny Lazarus this morning.

Like I don't set goals. I'm not a goal setter. I don't say like, all right, this time I have to have this happen in my life and this time I have to have this happen in my life, et cetera, like I don't. I almost feel like I'm setting up a terminal point when I do that. I just like to get up, work as hard as I can, do

my job and sort of see where life takes me. And then every now and then every five years you kind of go like well I never expected to do this. I never expected to be part of that. And I'm sure like I know I can tell by the smile on your face you're saying to yourself I never expected to own a hockey team but here you are. Like, this is almost like a talking head song. Like, do you ever get a chance to pause and kind of go like, how did I get here?

Oh, that's, it's perfect you asked this right now because we did, so you've been a part of our live shows before and they're spectacular. And we just did one in Chicago. And so in the past, I would say, I get really nervous before these live shows. We've had issues in the past, you know, whether it's audio, whether it's the venue. There's just, there's a lot on my plate before these live shows. So I would drink a little bit. I'd have a few drinks, get a little loose before.

And before this last one we did, I knew that Wayne Gretzky was going to surprise Biz on stage. So before we went in there, I said, you know what? I want to be able to remember this with every ounce of my brain. So I'm not going to have any drinks beforehand. I'm really going to try to embrace it all. So at one point on stage during our last live show, it was me, Ryan Whitney, Wayne Gretzky, Paul Bissonette, Keith Yandel, and Chris Cellios. And I kind of, I looked down the line, I took a deep breath and this is going to sound crazy. I got a little emotional. If you go back and review the game tapes, you can probably see like my eyes water up a little bit because I look out into the crowd. I look down the line. I'm like, what am I doing here? I'm not supposed to be

sitting up here. Like, how did I get up here? How did this happen? Like this, it's the undreamable dream, right? It's something I'd like to say. On the bench guys told me that a couple years ago. It's the undreamable dream. It's not something when you're a little kid that you're going to be like, I'm going to be a podcast producer and I'm going to be a partner and an ECHL team and a pink vodka. Like that's not what I envisioned my life to be, but I couldn't be happier that this is the way it turned and I didn't just fall into this one day. I grinded. I did AM radio in New Hampshire when I was getting 10 listeners getting paid 10 bucks an hour. You know, I've worked at bars and I worked for free

and weekend radio and I've done all that. So it's, when you've done, when you've been on that side of it, it makes you appreciate this side of it a lot more and it makes you work harder. It makes you never this side of it a lot more, and it makes you work harder. It makes you never wanna give this up and go back to what it was before. I am curious too, given that like,

overnight sensations, you know, it's a 10,000 hour rule. No one's an overnight sensation. Like there's so much that happens before you become an overnight sensation. And now as an owner of an ECHL team, like I know you always had respect for that league and the guys that have gone down there. You know, I was telling the story, Mike, the other day on the program here about Rory Karens with the Calgary Flames and here's a guy who was in the C group at training camp and two years in a row this guy doesn't get a single exhibition game and then the Flames send him to the ECHL. For a lot of guys that's the indication that it's time. It's time for me to grow up and I know the hockey was fun but now it's a

time to go and this guy never quit. This guy never got exhibition game and training camp. See like all of it like he didn't do and down to the ECHL a lot of guys would be like that's it's a cheese toast now man I'm done I'm done I'm finished I'm never going up there and it has to take like this incredible amount of mental strength. Say what you want about the skills and the physicality of hockey and all that, but just the mental strength to endure that and then make it back up and get your shot

and two assists in the game against Chicago two nights ago. I know we've seen a lot in hockey lately. I just, like just, I love the Alex Burroughs story. You know, the guy that when, you know, he's the first sort of, and then Alex Burroughs goes from the ECHL to riding shotgun with the Sedines as probably their best complimentary winger they ever had. You know, like have you always had an affinity

for the ECHL guys or is it like now since I've been in it and met Paul and worked on the show, do you have more of an appreciation for- Oh, much more. Just how hard that is. Yeah, I think when we went down, I mean, just talking to Biz over the year, I've learned so much more because you hear,

especially when Biz was playing in the ECHL, that was the real time of the soggy subs, long bus rides, all that type of stuff. So yeah, you're just learning, learning that. And I'd say Derek Nesbitt, when we got to meet Derek Nesbitt, who played, you know, 20 years or 15 years in the ECHL, when we got to go down and follow him around and you saw like, he told us he's not making any money, right? He's barely making any money, but he does it because he loves the game so much and he

wants to give back to the game. And then you go see like, you go meet all the players in the room and how much they care about it as well. And it's just, there's something about guys that like, they're doing it for the love of the game at that point. It's not about the money. You know what I mean? They just love to play hockey.

And it, I don't wanna, I hate to use this comparison, but it's almost like club hockey in a sense. Like I love club hockey. ACHA club hockey, the kids who are going to these schools like Georgia and in these big SEC schools that they're not going to play college, but they're still playing at a very, very high level because they love the game so much.

And they're paying a lot of their own money to do that. And I kind of look at that as the ECHL. I mean, it's just all about the love of the game, which I think is just so enamoring. Okay. So let me ask you about this. First of all, I'm glad you brought up the point about doing it for no money. I hope that Riley Armstrong won't mind that I tell this story. But whenever Riley would come by and I was working at SportsCity, he'd always come by and we'd hang out. And I would always, I'm such a loser, Mike.

I'm such a liar. I have, I have, Riles is awesome. And I was in the Philadelphia Flyers organization and doing great. And he's going to be an awesome, awesome NHL coach one day. But whenever he would, would roll in, like I collect like tri-fit athletic shirts. Like I just like working out in team shirts. Like that's, I don't know. It's always been, I just love it.

And so he would always bring me like main Mariners dry fits and I'd give him ties. I just be like, dude, take any tie you want. Like anything you want off the rack. He's like, oh dude. And he would like leave with a handful of tie. Like you're right. Like these guys, in order to continue to live that passion,

they sacrifice a ton. And, and the other thing is too, the family sacrifice a ton. Anyhow. Yes. But, but, but even like, even like we got to go down, like we went down, I think one of the first ECHL games I went to was in Orlando and they had like a hot tub by the rink, like right by the glass. And like me and Biz are sitting in the, in the hot tub pouring pink Whitney in people's throat. It was like an all out

party and I was like I love this. This is this is a blast like I'll go to an ECHL game every night if it's like this. Yeah it's it's cool now speaking of which anything you already have planned for the gargoyles that you can share? Um, I nothing yet. I would say nothing yet. It's and like, to be honest with you, Jeff, like. Biz is the mastermind behind this, you know, Biz, Biz and Jeff Jacobson were the two guys who I'm so lucky that they included me in this. Um, but yeah, Biz, Biz is really kind of the mastermind behind setting all this up.

And like I said, Andy's been great in making me feel as involved as everyone else is. But no, as of right now, nothing planned. I'm just super excited to see the jerseys. We haven't seen the jerseys yet, but like we got the logo we got the logo about a week and a half ago And it was oh man. It was he's like, please do not send this to anyone So like I have my mom texting my dad texting my boys from home texting me. I wouldn't even show my fiance I'm like no leaks. I'm not being the guy Yeah, it's it, it's been awesome.

Andy's great to work with, but not much planned right now. Just kind of, I'm just enjoying the ride of being an ECHL owner, baby. All right, complaining about the price of skates. Holy smokes, I wanna see this budget. What are we spending on skates? This is ridiculous. We're gonna sell the team bus,

we're gonna sell the skate sharpener. Okay, listen, okay, before, I'll look at that. We're just showing the Gargoyles logo right now. That is pretty sweet. Do you know who designed that? Do you know who designed that? Can you give them a plug if you know it? Because that's a great logo.

I don't know the, I think it's, I don't wanna get it wrong. Is it someone from Zoyer? They used a company, I believe. I'm not too sure. I just know, let's credit Zoyer for now. And we'll say, yeah, Andy Kaufman. We'll credit him.

That's your guy. Okay, real quick. Off the ECHL page and congratulations again. That was a really, that was a really cool news cycle yesterday, man. That was, I was really happy for all you guys. That was, that was a nice, that was a nice victory. I still can't believe it, Jeff, to be honest with you. Like, it's one of those things,- Yeah. I still can't believe it, Jeff, to be honest with you.

Like it's one of those things I don't think I'll ever believe it. Dude, it's a victory lap for your crew, man. Like take it, like enjoy it. You earned it, you got there. And it was like, it was a shock. Like it's so hard to surprise people these days. I think Evan's so jaded and cynical.

Like it was, it's really hard to surprise people. That surprised people. So well done. Like you did something that's really hard to do these days. Let me ask you quickly about a couple of NHL issues. Then we had someone in the chat a couple of seconds ago, Big Willie Stiles saying, Mike for GM of Boston. How do you see the Brule's right now?

By the way, first of all, I don't, listen, Marshan and Pasternak and the radio story and all of that. I kind of look at the whole thing and say, we all heard of Marshaan go after Rich Quick, right away go after him. I look at a situation like that and say, that's a gift. It's a gift to the Boston Bruins, because as you well know, when you give players an issue to rally around,

look what Patrick Laine said about Columbus and then what happened in the Columbus Blue Jackets. They're beating everybody. If you give hockey players an issue to rally around, just put a ribbon around it. That's a gift. Like I know it's uncomfortable. And Martian and Posternak have looked incredible.

They've been fantastic. I don't think that he intended that to that's why he put it out there, but it's a gift, no? there, but it's a gift. No No, it's it's absolutely a gift and they've looked incredible both Marcian and Posternak have looked Have looked awesome. And I yeah, I just uh There's nothing like some midseason bulletin board Material like this is just what the Bruins needed They needed a little kick in the ass and shut out to rich keith for giving it to him because uh

Yeah, this Bruins team needs something. It definitely needs something and a kick in the ass right now is probably exactly what they needed. But I still don't, I still think this team is a little off. You know, they still have to make a move or two, but yeah. You know, I used to say that Jordan Bennington was the guy who was just the one goalie out there who was just itching for one and he had to have one.

He almost had it with Marc-Andre Fleury. We're just waiting for him to have it. I think we should add Jeremy Swain. I was talking to Pete Blackwell on the show a couple of days ago. He had the glove last night. It was so cool. He's always wanted one too.

It's like, I miss that. Like the late Ray Emery, as I always make this point, like he loved it and Ray Emery would like fight players. Like here he is with Mikey Asaman here a couple of seconds ago. And there's a left from 23. I love it. You can see the smile behind Swainman's basket.

I'm just saying like the Braden point is scratched in that one and I understand why Cooper did it. And it's a rough game and they're fighting for playoff spots and people say like look at Boston loses that game when Columbus wins they jump over them in the standings and Kalama Ottawa Ottawa wins and they would jump over them in standings and they're in that spot and Columbus keeps on winning Like there was like we're getting to the point now where every now and then we're getting those games that have like a certain Playoff intensity and I'm watching this thing last night and I'm like, oh yeah, you know what? The Atlantic is awesome. The Atlantic is fantastic.

You know what's great about that, Jeff, is Jeremy Swainman loves those type of games. We saw like, he loves that play, like the bigger the game it seems, that's when Jeremy Swainman comes to play. And I think everyone can agree, Jeremy Swainman hasn't had the best first half of the season, but these past two games, he's looked like a different goalie. He's stealing games. That's what the Bruins need going forward. If they can get the Jeremy Swainman that they had in the playoffs last year,

oh my God, be worried. Be worried out there, Big Willie Stiles. You gotta be worried, because the B's are coming. The B's are coming. I'm telling you that right now. If Jeremy Swainman is playing how Jeremy Swainman shared like the $8 million goalie that he is, that he's looked like the past two times he stepped in that, I'm worried. No one wants to see the Bruins in the playoffs right now, Jeff.

Nobody. No. The boys of Small Town Strip Club who are in the chat are saying, Binner vs. Swamen center ice. Who do you like in that fight? Are you kidding me? I'm taking, I'm taking the American, the Boston Bruin. I'm not taking the guy who beat us in the final couple years ago.

I'm taking my guy from Richmond Hill. Damn it. Yeah, you're kidding me. That's who I'm taking. The American, baby. I'm going, I'm going the guy from Richmond Hill. Damn it. That's why I'm taking. The American baby. I'm going. I'm going the American every so time. OK, Nick Davis will close on this one.

I know you're busy. Nick Davis says a four nations goalie fight or we riot. Give me that one on that Saturday night in Montreal, USA versus Canada, Swamen versus Bennington. Do it. You cowards. Put them in that, you cowards. I'm not sure I've been as excited for something as I have for this in a long, long time.

Yeah. El Centor, Montreal, USA versus Canada, best on best for the first time in almost 10 years. I hope you're there, Americas. I can't wait. I think it's hockey porn in the highest degree, at the highest level. I'm just so, so excited. It should be fantastic. Look, congrats again. I know you're super busy. Thanks so much for parking like a half an hour with us today. I could go all day with you. I'm never too busy for you. You're the king. You've done

so much for us. You've always looked out for you. You're the king. You've done so much for us You've always looked out for me. I appreciate everything you do. The sheet is an incredible show. I love tuning in every day So keep crushing it. I'm happy to join whenever you want and I love you, buddy You read that just like I wrote it. Thank you so much for reading that just as I wrote it Mike Grinnell Congratulations ECHL owner Grinnellnelly, out of the way. Thanks pal. Let's go gargoyles baby. I can't wait to see the edge.

Thanks pal, you be good. We'll talk soon. I slept 16 hours last night, every day this week, every day this month. I can't get out my head Lost all ambitions day to day Guess I can call it a ride I went to the dark man He tried to give me a little medicine I'm like, no, man, that's fine I'm not against those methods but it's new

It's me, myself and how this gon' be fixing my mind Thanks for watching! I'm losing Helping on the days that went wrong