Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Mike Richards's Big Announcement: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1659

Episode Date: March 31, 2025

In this 1660th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike Richards makes a big announcement. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Welcome to episode 1660 of Toronto Miked! Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, a fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Recyclemyelectronics.ca Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. Building Toronto Skyline, a podcast and book from Nick Ienies,

sponsored by Fusion Corp Construction Management, Inc. and Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Joining me today, returning to Toronto Mike to make a major announcement. It's Mike Richards. Welcome back, Mike. Yes, that's right. Major announcement part 17.

I'm going to ask you some hard hitting questions. Firstly, it's good to see you. It's always great to see you. That is very good. Obviously. I couldn't sleep last night. I'll be very honest with you. I said a major announcement from Mike Richards live on Toronto Mike. And of course, we're on the live stream live.torontomike.com and there's a great crowd there. I've got to shout them out off

the top here. We're gonna, I have questions for you. Let's see here. Elvis says he's so hot right now. Like Elvis couldn't sleep either last night. He wasn't sleeping with me, but he's very excited that he's a tit for this announcement. Shadow to why wise ed gourd shadow to Hayref. I got a shout out VP of sales in service. I know Dale Coddow is on here. He hasn't Rob Del Mundo is on here. Jeremy Hopkins. Gosh, I'm running out of breath here. Tobias Vaughn, did I say VPSails? Of course I did, Andrew Ward is here, Andy is here, needless to say, Mike Richards, there's a huge crowd that has gathered to greet you this Monday morning and I am the happiest of all of us, so thank you for making the long drive to do this in person. Well hopefully I can have some final and some finality to

the the tap dance that is required in sports media these days which has not been fun. Well let's set the table because there might be somebody tuning into their first, I don't know their first Mike Richards on Toronto Mike experience and I'm gonna be very honest I like you I root for you I have private chats with our mutual friend, Jeff Lumbee about you and your career. Like this is, this is how much we all care about you. And it seems like I can, it used to be a annual occurrence that, and you know, once a year, probably Mike Richards is going to come by and make a major

announcement and then it's sort of like. The best comparison I can make is that Lucy's holding the football for you. You're Charlie Brown. You're going to you're excited to finally you're going to kick that football. And then Lucy pulls it away. Lucy being, you know, mainstream media, cable companies, whatever. So I'm going to ask you very specific questions.

You were last here. It wasn't an annual event. It's not an annual event anymore. I was just here. December. I mean, I think it was last week. I know. I know how it feels. Trust me, folks. I feel the pain. I got to beat you up a little and then I got a drum roll and everything. I'm very excited about this, but December, 2024, it was episode 1595. And I wrote the description. Mike Richards drops by to make a big announcement.

Okay. So before we get to this new announcement, can you please share with us what went wrong? Like, I mean, you told us about how you were going to have a third party in Toronto record a video presentation and it was going to air in Calgary on a city station. We had great details and we had a start date. Why did this never happen Mike? So, the one thing that is the hardest thing to get your head around, although anyone who's in media will understand, but it's worse now, which is this country in all media runs out of Toronto. So, what Toronto wants, Toronto will get. They are God and King. So if you're

in one of those other cities, which of course I spent six and a half years in Calgary, sort of learning a little bit the hard way on just how those cities are perceived and their wants, I got it again in a way that I don't think anyone even in Calgary they've been just absolutely the best people I've probably ever worked with when you talk about the Rogers people in Calgary and so they were told that the time slots that were available were not available so I was one week away, I was seven days away from debuting and so there I was, I had started cutting, you know, people know me for the comedic bits and the impressions and so on.

I have to, at least in my mind, always evolve to not just use radio bits and slap them on TV. I have to have a way of still getting what I think is funny, a sense of humor that is TV friendly, that is made only for television, quite frankly. So I started shooting some of those and had a great time doing it as the phone call came in and said, we don't have any time slots.

What are you talking about? But did they sell you, they sold you this time, no? The time for the company itself. So we're talking about Rogers and they are the ones. They have other issues at the head office. And in this case, it was them being... Their hands were filled full of old OLN. Outdoor Life Network.

Right. That's now defunct. But they had to find, I guess, places to play them. Well, mine was one of the time slots. So City and Rogers, they went to bat for me. It's not often I've ever had people within their own company go to bat for me. Normally it's the other way around. I go out to start my car and it blows up like I'm an English soldier in Belfast. That's what it's like being me. Oh yeah, I'm crossing the street and instead of you know, you know being caught for jaywalking they pull out Uzis. This is my life. It's the eternal joy buzzer of trying to be in this weird turbulent sports media world of which I'll be honest folks, there's not a lot of it.

And so when people say, well how big is this? I know there's one guy who said, oh what a big announcement for Mike Richards, he's gonna be on an hour on City TV in Calgary. Yeah, real huge announcement. Except pal, what you're not taking in your world, and I assume you're not in the business, or you would never have said that there are no new sports shows people aren't sitting there

in different offices and certainly in Toronto going what is a what is a new way to approach doing a sports program that is hosted by a guy who's gonna say whatever he wants well first of all they don't they're afraid you're a risk because you shoot from the hip and we aren't, you know, Rogers isn't sure what Mike Richards is gonna say next. Well, really, like there are companies that they have no interest in doing anything new because it's gonna cost a dollar. Right. So that's what you're up against. In some ways, being with Rogers at this period of time, and I will give another shout out to Kerry Elliott who's the top guy at City TV Rogers who I called the unicorn now his girlfriend is calling

him the unicorn. Whoa. The reason I call him that is simply his enthusiasm and his want to change the way that the current climate in sports media is he is fearless to the point where I'm sure he's a huge pain in the ass for everybody at Rogers because he's like me he just doesn't give up and so finally they turned around to me and said okay but you're not you're not gonna make the announcement until I do the drum roll right yeah so they gave me alternatives is what I'm going to say they gave me alternatives to say if it's currently not available right now

for the time slot that you want, let's come up with something different. Okay, okay, because my question is, again, I'm not in the industry either, but I talk to people who are in the industry like you, and I don't understand why Rogers would not take your money to run your show. Then that's everybody.

That is not just you thinking that, that's me thinking that. That. That is not just you thinking that. That's me thinking that. That is probably those in Calgary thinking that. And also places like Winnipeg. Were you paying them in Monopoly, a Canadian Tire money maybe? It's not, it's, okay, let me give you an even more crazy scenario.

So at some point I said, well, the support I'm going to have in Alberta itself alberta itself especially calgary is going to dwarf anything not all but the numbers my numbers by far by far away bigger in southern ontario than they are in the rest of the world combined it's just not it's not close so some people say well you're a popular calgary your calgary guy and i do feel like a calgary guy I feel like that is basically my hometown.

It just is. But by the numbers, it really isn't, but what it, what it offers and what it has is really what is at an Albertans heart at the, at the matter, which, which is, let's give it a shot. Let's, this is how, if you're in Alberta and you have an idea someone's gonna say what is it in Toronto? I walk through the there go get out get out. We don't want to hear anything new nothing new. Yeah, but what about no No, what abouts right? It's Toronto. We're not doing this. They're afraid Mike. The industry is panicky They they really are unsure of what it is that they think they they they may want to do. So what do they do nothing? Nothing gets done. Right? It's easy to do nothing. It's easy and then so people say well Why would you watch programming that comes up from the states? Like can I ask here's here's a question. Yeah, if

we're elbows up if we're so angry about the attempt of elbows up if we're so angry about the attempt of the pumpkin head south of the border trying to make us a fifty first date throwing tariffs on us so our reaction was well we're gonna fight back we're gonna be canada first it's all about we're gonna produce things in canada for canadians by canadians except for media

extra was the last part what's the last part? I missed the last part. They talking about me? Why am I watching TSN? Why am I watching all Rogers programming, a lot of it where it's like, oh, the craziest Major League Baseball Blenders of the Month.

Nobody wants to see that. Nobody cares. We have phones, we get it. You want to see someone get a tennis ball in the nuts, we can find it. Bob Saget did it years ago. We don't need to see any more of this shit. However, I will see, and as much as some of the shows are great, I like Pat McAfee. I probably watch more American sports than some Americans. So I get what he's talking

about. I love the concept of him and kind of his bros. Look, it's not for everybody. I get it. and he doesn't talk hockey but why why am I not doing that why are why not make it in Canada for Canadians by Canadians where's the elbow up part right because I'm not seeing it and I'm certainly not feeling it when I have the great people in Calgary ready to give me a time slot and I lose out to what something that's not gonna make the money or get them any ratings well here's what I'm up here's my confusion,

because I know you have a major announcement and we're gonna get to it, but my confusion is I thought, and tell me if I'm wrong, I thought you were gonna hand a piece of video to Rogers in Calgary along with a check. Correct. And Rogers in Calgary is gonna cash that check

because you bought this hour, I'm gonna make it up an hour. How long was the show? An hour. An hour, okay. So you've bought this hour. I'm going to make it up an hour. How long was the show? So you've bought this hour block, you know, Frank D'Angelo style. And there, well, I don't know if we want that comparison. So there, do you sing? I don't make movies. I don't make movies on the weekend with people who are two weeks away from dying. Well, those, those aren't checks either. That's cash, man. That's, you can't trace that stuff, but okay.

So you send the money to Rogers, and Rogers drops in this hour you bought. They air your video because it doesn't have nudity and graphic sex and swear words in it. So they just air this thing. That's my guessing. Maybe you do. But okay, so I don't understand why they wouldn't take your money.

Why would they say, we're not taking your money because we're going to air this outdoor life network because I feel like testing this. I'll send them a Toronto Mike episode with some money and see if they air that. No, you're not getting on. You're not getting on. Nobody's getting on because we need to see a show from 1987, two guys named Dan who are catching frogs up in Timmins in a campground. That's what they're airing. But this was in the calendar, because you were, I was, at the time I was still on the app formerly known as Twitter.

And I was watching your posts where you were like, okay, they moved up the date. It was tied to maybe the Superbowl or something. Correct. But you had, you said on this day, Raw Mike Richards, what was the name of that show going to be? Raw Mike Richards. Raw Mike Richards is going to air on this date, on this station, like this was all lined up.

I don't understand how they pulled the rug from under you when this was a done deal and this was you paying them to air that show. Correct. Like how do you get so royally fucked Mike Richards? Well, see, again, this is welcome to my life or anybody who's attempting this. Now I'm being kind when I say anybody, because I don't know anyone else who's doing this. In an industry, in a business where they are lopping off heads and arms and legs and throwing

them off the castle into the river as they float down, these body parts are floating down the river and who's coming the other way? Like on a paddleboard. Hey, I know that guy coming upstream the other way. That's that's what I do. And that's what I am. I wish it wasn't like this. I wish it was the way it was back in the day where you people, you know,

recognize gave you some sort of a sense of respect and dignity where they realize there's probably some revenue and ratings with the guy who's coming through their door, therefore they would give you a paycheck. I would go in, negotiate a salary, and then we get at it, and for me, I work very, very hard at what I do.

These things that are created are, well, I don't know anyone else who does that. Who does them? I mean, I don't. And next thing you know it, I'm taking a leak at the Leaf game and I got to stare at like a six foot composite photo of Mike Richards on the door or in the toilet room,

like in the bathroom. It's like, that's exactly, that's what I need to stare at when I'm trying to take a leak. There's Mike Richards. That's what happens. I think even you guys taking a dump. Now you have to realize.

I've never taken a dump at the Scotiabank Arena. What's it like? I mean, who really would? So, you know, tell me about that experience. The, the, the idea, that was Rob Gray's idea, by the way, who was out in Vancouver. And at first, I thought it was fantastic. Yeah. I mean, it was really kind of brilliant because then, then what you do is you, you have to engage with like 250,000 pictures of guys pulling their pants down and doing obscene things to my face. It was hilarious. Just a typical Saturday night. It was yeah it was like being a legion in

Uxbridge on a Friday night when they run out of rye. So it's just it was a brilliant thing and you know up to that point really of, if I'm drawing a line in the sand, exactly the time that I get diagnosed with cancer, right? Everything was, in fact, the next day that they had put my face on the boards at the then ACC. So Scotiabank, right. Uh, it was for that campaign. And so there's my face on the side of the boards. It's in the arena. It's in all the bathrooms. They give me a cake with that picture of my face on it. I don't know. How do you is that a that's a business faces on cakes

anyway, so they do this and I'm like this this couldn't be better and within 12 hours I'm gonna be diagnosed with with rectal cancer Wow and from that moment on and that's That would been in 2014, because 2015, yeah. So basically 10 years ago, this is what happens for me. And since that time, it has been the paddleboard up the river, trying to navigate between the heads, arms and legs that they're chopping off by the second, coming the other way. It's been uphill. It's been upstream. It was the best of times. It was the blurst of times. Yeah. Fair to say that. Okay. Now, so obviously you couldn't get back into mainstream media

because they're not hiring anybody, let alone people of your profile. They're not going to hire Mike Richards. So it sounds like your only way back in the game from my perspective, a guy who built this thing, this brand, this guy was on CNN. Okay, Mike Richards. Okay. This is all built in my basement by myself. Right. So with, you know, some good, good FOTM is helping me along the way. Of course. But as I would say to your friend, my, uh, Jeff Lumbee, I would say, you don't need mainstream media to broadcast. I said this to humble and Fred back in 2000 and I don't know, 2005, no, 2006 in 2006 I sat with

Humble and Fred and said you don't need mainstream media to broadcast and they're doing it today. So I guess my before we get to your major announcement what is it with you and you your you seem to need a mainstream media partner in an age when mainstream media wants nothing to do with the Mike Richards of the world. Why do you think you need that? It's a good question, except I'm your shrink now, except they would be more than willing to give money for somebody who's going to give them results.

We are sitting now with quote unquote talent that sit in these chairs that people don't listen to. So someone said no one listens to sports radio anymore. I'm like, well, why would you? Why would you watch what we have, what the companies have presented as entertainment slash talent? Why would I pay for that? Why would, why would Labatt or Molson or Subaru or Ford or Rolex or, you know, I'll go down

banks, insurance companies. Why would you seek your money into something that is falling faster than a rock in a water? Well, people say it's because they're, they're, they're, they're, they're, they're, the, the medium is failing. No, to a degree. Yes. But why is it failing? It's because, you know, probably a decade ago, a decade ago, they, they gave up. Those that were in control of the car. Those who had the keys to the car that is sports media,

all of a sudden they weren't those that were aggressive. Those that were creative, those that wanted to do things, those that were looking for a way to entertain people and keep their margins. So when you gave that up, we started hiring people that have no experience. The example would be this. Years ago, when the Zamboni guy had to play goal in an NHL hockey game.

Ares, yeah, David Ares. So there he is, one day he's a Zamboni guy, the next day he's in an NHL hockey game. Well, it was an interesting story. Everyone loved it. Yep. It was like the story of the hour. You know, he became a 15 minute celebrity

and then everyone moved on to, well, I would assume a professional coltender. If it were media and it were sports media they go whoa whoa whoa whoa you mean we can get a we can get a Zamboni guy yeah he has no experience he's he's not a professional in this business yeah but if we can get a whole league of Zamboni guys that's dirt guy we don't have to pay them okay we don't have to pay him okay we'll just go around get Zamboni guys and don't worry no one will notice the difference.

We'll get a Zamboni guy, we'll get a concession guy, we'll get the clean the toilet guy, we'll get all these people and we won't have to pay any money. But see, that wouldn't work because people will go, these guys are shit. These guys aren't professionals. Why would I go to a hockey game? And that's what happened to sports media.

Okay, so now I'm ready for the big announcement. So the last question I have, because we'll do a drum roll and then we'll get the big announcement from you. And this is imminent. I know people are like on the Simpsons, they have that get to the fireworks factory. Okay. So we're going to go to the fire.

I know I draw drag it on a good half an hour here, but I wanted to set the table because you keep making these announcements and more often than not, these things don't actually come to fruition or they're like a bad copy of what you were promised. And then this latest one never happened at all. But you have a new announcement to make. Are you ever worried you're going to lose some integrity with your announcements that you make multiple announcements and they don't happen? Like you're going to make an announcement now and I'm going to be wondering like, OK, I'll believe it when I hear it. Like this is how I'm going to feel. And I hope it happens, but are you ready? I'm gonna play the drum roll.

Are you ready to make the announcement? Sure am. Gosh, I honestly, I'm so excited. Okay, so here we go. Mike Richards, big announcement. Here it is starting April the 13th. So that's master Sunday. I am starting back on the fan

960 on Sunday. I am taking an hour it is sponsored and here you ask the question Well, why the difference between you know doing a show a podcast from where you don't the sponsor is CIBC woodgundy They're just the first through the door There's there's a lot of other but the show is brought to you by CIBC Wood Gundy. It is an hour of what I do best and I figured if I need the support the people in Calgary and those at Rogers, I realize every broadcaster, you have a lot of them that are in here, everyone's got a

certain story and a feeling about the companies they have worked for and the current companies. I will say this about Rogers. There is still a semblance companies they have worked for and the current companies. I will say this about Rogers. There is still a semblance of, well, do you think this could work? Can we go back? Can in some ways, can we go back to go forward? The answer is yes, and I will prove it. I will prove it each and every week with an hour,

with probably a lot of sponsors that a lot of other guys would not get. This is not bragging, by the way, folks, either you can't man. Everyone else is bragging either you can or you can't Mike. I come from, I come from a background of sport, which says I'm fast. I'm fast too. Race. How fast do you run? What do you run the hundred in? Is it sub nine, seven? No. Well then you're not fast. You have to be able to put up those numbers or you're a piece of shit.

You're a liar. The thing that I've always been able to rely on is going back to even the numerous numbers of the time and saying, well, just go to the scoreboard, go to the numbers. If we had just gone by numbers, most of us, including myself, the Bob McCowns of the world, we'd never, we wouldn't have lost our jobs. But we were deemed to be expensive. And by the new guard that has come in and taken over sports media, they don't know

what, what, what would they know? At Rogers, I'm not getting that anymore. I'm getting the, okay, got screwed on this one. You got screwed on that one. What about this? And so when Rogers came to me and said, what about with all the other stuff that potentially that could go on and that other stuff is still sitting there because the two Dan's catching, catching trout in the Gannaraska at some point is going to run out where it gets no ratings and no money. Right.

I'll be there. chance to prove myself starting April the 13th fan 960 and I'm so excited with the team that I have built because they're like four or five people that have joined this team that I put together including a great surprise on whom I imaging producer is okay okay so I'm going to play a promo that you just flip to me when you arrived here at the TMDS studio and I've never heard this obviously I just got the announcement so I'm gonna play this promo but just so I recap and I understand everything one hour a week raw Mike Richards will be on the fan 960

from 10 a.m. Mountain Time so that's noon Eastern from 10 a.m. to 11 and streamed live on the Rogers digital platform, Coast to Coast. I'm gonna play the promo. Is this... so you were trying... the last announcement was you were gonna have the TV show on City TV in Calgary, which is also Rogers-owned. And then that... we just explained why that never came to fruition, but you were gonna cut a check to buy that time. Is this fan 960 show you cutting a check for that hour? Yeah, it's similar. I just want to be transparent. Okay, so now you're doing paid programming on the

radio. This is the station just for the Toronto, because a lot of people listening are Toronto-centric and aren't even sure what 960 is. So this is basically the 590 in Toronto, their version of the 590 in Toronto that's out of Calgary. So talking more flames and stampeters, right? And this is where you were the morning show for several years. Six and a half years. And you were very successful. It was the biggest numbers in Canada for all sports. There were. They were just the biggest numbers. Wait, we're so bigger than this guy?

Because I've been hearing forever, Primetime Sports was the biggest sports program in Canada. Were you bigger than that? Well, I'm talking radio. This is radio. Right? Oh, you're talking about, no, by market. My numbers. Well, yes. I'm just asking the tough questions

because I know he's been, he's been bragging forever that he was the most listened to sports presentation. Oh, he was. Okay. Okay. Let me put it this way. Yeah. The numbers they fight for now in some sports radio and I'm going to use the, the, the, the demo that we

that was constantly used, which was males 25 54. Right. So Bob McCown in the afternoon would be a 14 to an 18 share. And that means 14 to 18% of people in that demo listening to the radio at that time are tuned into 590. Correct. Gotcha. Now I think if you added every show on post stations combined, it wouldn't equal that

number. And also it's interesting we talk about share because share is relative to the size of the pie, but it doesn't take a analyst to tell you that the radio listening universe is shrinking. Yes. So you know, I got this percent. So they, I got, you know, 15% of people listening to the radio right now are listening to me. And it's like, yeah, but there's a hundred people listening to the radio right now. That's 15 people. Okay. But your show is debuting

at noon Eastern time. I'll talk Toronto century because it is trying to make Dale Coteau can do the math and figure it out. But April 16th at noon, you raw Mike Richards are going to have a share. I'm sorry. A show airing on the fans 9 60. Is that show live? To start? No, that's illegal. That's a legal thing. I, uh, we assumed it would be live and so did, when do you record the hour to drop at Thursday? Okay. Okay. This goes back and this is again, what day of the week is it again? Saturday, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Okay, so I will deliver

I don't have any concerns about the fact that sports talk ages like news like it's tough to do a Thursday show that drops on a Sunday No worries there because of your personality put it this way. It's sort of like If you're doing sort of a John Oliver roundup of what has happened during the week, or you know, it doesn't allow me at that point to be live, but that's not to say that it won't be at some point and hopefully sooner than later. And you got some sponsors on board, including CIBC Wood Gundy, which is a huge brand right there. Okay, let's listen to the promo and you can tell me who your imaging person is that you're teasing me with here. Let's listen. and you can tell me who your imaging person is that you're teasing me with here. Let's listen.

Rob, Mike Richards. Oh my God, I'm back. I'm back, baby. Sunday mornings, 10 to 11 a.m. brought to you by Cassock Wealth Management, CIBC, Woodgundy, exclusively on Sportsnet 960, the fan. Okay, so right off the top, it sounds big, right?

That sounds professional. You'll tell us who's doing that in a minute, but I want to say congrats to you, because I know you're excited about this back on the radio. Is it right for me to assume you're thinking that the good people at the fan, Roger's own radio station in Calgary, will see a spike that people are tuning in to hear raw Mike Richards and then that possibly this can be parlayed into a, I don't know, a weekday gig during the prime hours or are you happy to just have good partners like CIBC, Wood Gundy and roll your own that way?

Is the long-term plan that they're gonna be like, Mike, this is great, people are listening, you should be our afternoon drive show Monday to Friday. I'm not looking for a specific radio time slot. No. But are you looking to get hired? So it's like the old days when you had just, Hey, pay me every two weeks or whatever. Well, there's two things. One.

It's great promo, by the way. In order to get as big as you want. So let's say it's Pat McAfee, let's say that's where the goal posts are. So you're live every day, you are taken in certain markets, probably live on the radio as well. Well, it's gotta start somewhere. You have to start somewhere and you have to start with good people.

That's what this is. So this isn't, I'm gonna do an hour for the rest of my days. That's never been me and that's not what this is. This is how do we get things, I can say back on track, but how do we have availability for those that want to be in sports media? Is there a place for them to go right now? If no one does a thing, then I can guarantee you

that sports media as we know it in terms of sports radio will be, is gone, will be, because the thought that goes into a lot of it is almost a zero. But if they don't care, why should we care? Like they don't care. Bell Rogers, I mean, there are exceptions. I, you know, I mentioned Humble and Fred earlier,

but Fred tells me he likes Overdrive, which is a show on TSN with ODog, etc. And so he's enjoying this mainstream media program. He's older than us, but still, he's tuning in, he's listening live. But primarily, it seems to me from this perspective that the cable companies do not really care about if people are listening beyond the live sports that they air, right? So Rogers does want people tuning into Blue Jays games on Sportsnet.

And of course they have a big NHL package and TSN has a regional package and they have the CFL games, blah, blah, blah, blah. But if they don't care, why should we care? Like we'll just go to podcasts to get the real time conversations from the personalities we want. We'll just go listen to Jeff Merrick on his podcast. You didn't know there'd be hard hitting questions, my great friend. It is good that there is availability, especially at Jeff Merrick,

to have people like that who have shows that are on your schedule, you don't have to be in the car. On demand. On demand, on demand, right. Which is great. But the other part that has always made radio radio is the ability for someone to come on with an opinion, to have a take, not a hot take, not the American fake I'm upset about, you know, who's getting so little time on the power play. I don't mean that.

Right. I mean, someone who's going to talk about sports in a way that's actually engaging. Someone who has actually spoke to the guys who play the game, the guys who hire the players that play the game, the guys who own the teams. See, now you have a lot of guys, and people say, oh, so you're putting down the current guys.

So what you're saying is the guys on the radio aren't very good. Right. I think they know a lot about sports. In fact, it's borderline sports nerd heaven Fantasy football fantasy hockey fantasy, whatever they know every detail about every player. They know how much they weighed at birth It's not that I just can't listen to sports nerddom for hours on end With nobody except those connected to the company itself as their quote unquote insiders.

When is the when are you going to when you have a guest if you're going to sit there and make fun of an athlete which sometimes I hear I'm like okay so you got him on you talk to him no because you don't talk to anybody you don't have the kind of engaging conversations quite frankly that I learned from a Bob McCown, who would have the biggest names on and occasionally gonna ask the hard questions. But the reason Bob was able to do, the reason that you're able to ask me absolutely anything you want is that we have respect for each other. You have respect for me. I come in here, I know it's going to be dignified.

Mad respect for your hustle, man. And you can ask anything and I'm going to give you an honest answer. I won't tap dance. And there are some things quite frank. And that's why I keep inviting you over every quarter for major announcement. It is, for instance, when people believe in you, you get the team that I've got. The voice you just heard, you're like, wow, that sounds. Yeah, yeah, I do. Of course. What does that sound familiar?

It does sound big leagues, that promo. It sounds big. His name is Ron Tarrant and he is the voice of Howard Stern. Okay. Now I got to play it again that I have this knowledge because I love my Howard Stern. Let me hear this again. Rob Mike Richards. Oh my God. I'm back. I'm back, baby. Sunday mornings, 10 to 11 AM brought to you by Casseq Wealth Management CIBC Woodgundy exclusively on Sportsnet 960 The Fan. So you hired the guy who does the imaging for the Howard Stern Show? No, I did not hire Ron. Okay. Ron said I heard

that you're starting again. He goes you're on my bucket list. I said yeah but you work for Stern. He goes yeah so that's off the bucket list but I don't have the Mike Richards thing so I'm in. So he did this pro bono. He goes, yeah, so that's off the bucket list, but I don't have the Mike Richards thing So I'm in so he did this pro bono. He's he's he is like everybody else in this project Taking a chance to be a part of something. He believes has a much bigger picture A no ceiling to where we want to take this thing Okay. Now you now you got me all hot and bothered here. So do you want to shout out, because you keep referencing the team, and I keep having flashbacks

to you on 1050 the team, but of course this is the small T team, okay? And people can go into the Toronto Mic'd archives, Mike Richards has been over many times, but I'm pretty sure it's the first visit of Mike Richards where we go into detail on that wonderful happening there. But can you tell me who's part of this team? Yeah. So you just heard the image producer, that's Ron Tarrant. Initially started with some friends of mine at a company downtown called, well now they're called Eggplant Picture and Sound.

And a good friend of mine named Paul Moyer. So Paul hooked me up with a guy, this goes back to our Ryerson days, his name's Wayne Craig. Wayne Craig became a really huge director for massive commercials that you would see during Super Bowl. He's been down in the States and continues to fly down there, does movies, whatever. But he's one of the nicest. You know what? There are certain people who are on Team Good Guy. And meeting him is, again, very rare. And people are like, well, who's who's on team good guy well Toronto Mike is there's a reason why all of us come in with no hesitation or go to palma pasta or or go to whatever listening party or whatever because Brewery June 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. everybody's invited no charge to attend

you'll get your first beer on the house and you'll be fed by Palma Pasta. Be there! And there's a reason we'll all be there. Will you be there? I'll have to think about it. So you find people and it's a rarity. So when you find them in your lives, whether it's just friendship, hang on to it. So Wayne Craig became part of that scenario. Then as we move out West, there's a company called Joe media. So that's an administrative, it is a production house in Calgary, a

really super nice guy named Matt Gillespie and they're, they're busy people. They not only do a lot of ads, they do movies, they do anything, you know, and you know how much it is shot out in, in Alberta a lot. Sure. Matt Gillespie with the beginning of this. And he's like, I'm, if Richard's is you know, and you know how much is shot out in, in Alberta a lot. Sure. Matt Gillespie with the beginning of this and he's like, I'm, if Richard's is coming back, I'm in. Then there's a guy named Chris Duncan, Chris Duncan, who has been in the television business forever was the boss.

Basically when the a channels came on, right? So that was both Calgary and Edmonton. And then they became city TVs. The head boss, the top guy was a guy named Chris Duncan who is a fabulous professional so he's part of that team the one guy that we have now because Alberta's going through some gaming issues and by that I mean the online game gambling guys they have they mess around it that again these are things that I can't control because once it's available they'll jump on this very quickly, guy by the name of Phil Gray

became sort of our gaming consultant who worked for Sports Interaction for all these years and has been in that business for probably 25 years is sort of waiting on what we're going to do when it's going to happen and they will go through him. So every element of what it takes to do this and quite frankly, they were assembled for television. But when the television thing happened, they all said the same thing right we're not going anywhere

because this is going to happen for you so what do we do now and roger said do radio come back to the fan give us an hour of what mike richards does and then we'll figure this thing out as we go on this is coming at a time where I realize And this goes back to the original thing I said about the guy said well, why is this big? Well, because this is the only place that's happening and if I'm going to get some semblance of the industry moving against the stream Going by the arms and legs and the decapitated heads. I Have to at least try. It's why we're so angry with Trump

and the 51st state cracks. So we can do nothing and we've become a big state. And then maybe there are some freaks out there who think that's a good idea. Very, very small number of these freaks. But just let's just say that all of a sudden we decided, well, that's okay. I mean, there's going to be a benefit here. Really?

So at what point did you just capitulate no matter what? Well, I'm not doing that. And I'm certainly not doing it in 30 years of trying to work and working with some great people. And guess what? Almost all of them are all gone. They've either been fired, they've either either some have retired but most lost their jobs the last guy who would be I would consider sort of one of my contemporaries so that means of

The time I was on the air. Let's say in Toronto major market big competition the last guy who? Existed in that capacity Greg Brady existed in that capacity. Greg Brady has now decided he's going to run as a conservative in the Ajax area. So he's going to politics, but he's the last one. Everyone else,

not my contemporaries. Everyone else is gone for various reasons. And of course even a John Deringer gone. Brother Jake Gallagher. I mean, I go down the list. Obviously, Bob McCallan, there's no more Tim and Sid. It's all gone. So I've got this one opportunity.

And not unlike you and a lot of great people that I feel very fortunate to be in this country, or like, Gene Velitas, for instance. They're like, you gotta go, buddy. You're the last man standing. Like, don't give up up like don't and and and you see the bullets fly and I take a lot Of shots I get it But this is different. In fact, I'm getting on a plane. I'm being flown out Thursday I will be in Calgary for 10 days to oversee everything everything the first show will be packed full of people who are

everything, everything. The first show will be packed full of people who are so beloved in that part of the world. They'll be flames. They'll be general managers, but there's going to be people just in general who are going to kick ass because they're supporting me. Nothing more than just supporting a guy who's fighting back. That's it. Mike, I think we're all like happy for you and you seem excited about this. You seem excited about this, but you were also excited in December 2024. So I hope this all unfolds as it should,

because you deserve, he deserved this. But I took a note on a sentence you've said a couple of times now, but you said, this is going to happen to you. So I guess I'm wondering because I produce podcasts and I am of the belief you don't need to buy time on a radio station to broadcast and have, you know, CIBC, Wood, Gundy get great exposure from the Richards heads out there. Like this is me talking, like we're talking real talk here. So my advice, if you privately chat with me, I'd be like save your money and podcast.

This is what I'm gonna say. One of the questions on, so one of the questions on the live stream is, is this also gonna be a podcast? Yes. Okay, so you can listen live on 960 in Calgary, which I'm sure we can stream over the internet from Toronto, of course, at noon on April 16th. That's the first one.

Fifth, uh, 13th. Oh, April 13th. I took the wrong note here. Okay. April 13th. I got to get my notes right here. But it's also going to be a podcast. And I was on CNN.

I know. You know what? If you keep this up, you're going to get the call to be a podcast. And I was on CNN. I know. You know what? If you keep this up, you're going to get the call to be on CNN next. By the way, you said you were doing your example of like, you know, 51st state and what if we decided and you know, I got to say, I got a knot in my stomach when you were even doing that analogy because I'm just looking you in the eye. I know that you're friendly with Calgary and I know what things my wife is from Alberta. I follow what's going on in Alberta very closely. There is the only chance Canada even considers being any part of America is if Donald

J. Trump calls his military the largest military in the world as commander in chief and they obey his orders to invade this country with military might. That is the only way Canada even capitulates. As you said, there is zero percent chance that Canada would ever agree to be any part of the United States of America without that military invasion. Do you agree with me on that? Yes, I do. OK, I do. I also realize that in Trump and we all met guys like this,

just full of shit, just full of shit. They're full of shit. They will say one thing. He's full of shit, but you trust him as far as you can throw him. Yeah, but I don't think. Do you? I don't think, oh no, no, no, no, no.

I think he's one of those guys and we all have kind of friends like this where at least 70% of it isn't true at all. You just have to figure out what does that 30% mean that is honest? Like what is it? Why this talk? Why the talk about Greenland? Why Panama Canal? Why all the Gaza being a holiday destination? I mean you start listening to somebody and it all sounds like crazy but as people who have worked with him are like yeah

but you're the smoke and mirrors the distraction the noise as you call it the firecrackers going like what is it that he really wants what is the point of it but what if we agree even right now you and me just just regular civilians here we agree that he wants canada let's say donald trump i don't think i don't think he wants Canada. I think he wants Canada. I think he wants what we have if he can get it from a he's just a dollars and cents guy. I think he wants Greenland.

I think he wants Canada. I think we should watch very closely. I think he will use military might to annex Greenland. And I think we're next. I'm telling you, I don't believe that there's going to be military

action. I don't. I hope you're right. I hope you're right because I've been reading about the you know the insurgency and when this happened I'm now having thoughts and I was telling my wife about this and she's like wondering if I'm crazy or not but I do not think I'm crazy I hope the listenership lets me know if I sound like I've gone off. Well you've said a lot of crazy things and you've said a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense and I'll be honest one of the things that you just said and you're saying a lot it was April 16th when the date's April 13th so you can't even get the dates right. I'm now having thoughts I'm now having thoughts about okay

I got four kids I got a wife how do I get them somewhere safe so I can stay behind and join the insurgency. Yeah so so you're a bomb shelter guy. That's what you're telling me. I'm not a bomb shelter guy traditionally, like typically I'm not a bomb shelter guy. I now think he wants us and I think he, I know he's the commander in chief of the world's largest military which would easily overwhelm our military. I think if he wants this, I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. I think he is enamored with Putin, who had a country next door that he wanted, and he

called his military in, and they're at war right now, the Ukraine. I don't see why we should laugh this off. Oh, I'm not saying laugh it. I actually, and again, I don't have a crystal ball. I hope more than anything that this goes away, like go get distracted by something else shiny over there. But I am now thinking of preparing myself for the possibility that America will invade based on the orders from their commander in chief

who wants this country. Yeah, I definitely don't. I don't. And here's the other reason. I don't think the average American, I don't think, you know, if you look at that country right now, you look at his, uh, approval ratings, I mean, he's stuck about as low as you can go. Sure. But he's talking about a third term, which violates the constitution.

But again, this is what, this is what crazy town does. This is what crazy does, which is why when I keep coming back with these announcements, I'm like, you know, it's going to be the greatest show and a lot of people are coming. And I got to tell you, I just signed a $10 billion deal, a $10 billion deal for the show. Like, so I realized what it sounds like. I, I, I get it. Right. Like I told you, saying you're crazy. Yeah. Some are saying I'm crazy for letting you make these announcements, but I think you deserve the right to make a big announcement on Toronto Mike because I think you have your you intend for it all to unfold.

And sometimes you get blocked by mainstream media because you seem reliant on having a mainstream media channel in order to be my raw Mike Richard. I think raw Mike Richard would be fucking rad and better and more lucrative for you if you cut MSM out of it. No here's the problem. No here's the problem. If you just want to have a sports podcast. Yes. I had a meeting just after the TSN stuff with Scott Moore. Yep. FOTM Scott Moore. So Scott said he goes you can't have a sports podcast that would make anything unless you have a machine behind it.

He's wrong. And what he did was he cut all the, at the time all the shows are available in podcasts. Well, who cares? So you got three hours of sports nerddom. Nobody cares. No one cared the first time. No one's gonna care the second time.

So what he did was cut them all and then did Fr fridge and the, was it 31? Well, yeah, I mean number of teams grew from 31 to 32. So, so you, you, you have a situation where, and Stern said this a long time. I mean, you better be famous. I mean, you better have Stern's wrong too. I just don't think I'm going to get now. Here's, here's what I will get. Yeah

numbers So I'm gonna be on a main a major platform where I can convert numbers to the other side I don't believe I can do it the other way around if I do will take me forever. I ain't getting see CIBC I'm not getting Subaru. I'm not I'm not getting you know, Alberta premium or any of these Dominion securities or Homebuilders I'm not I'm not getting you know Alberta premium or any of these Dominion securities or home builders I'm not gonna get that To a degree I get some money, but not them Okay, this is that I'm gonna make money at this good money not okay money Not pocket change you're gonna make an adult salary from this I'm going to be a big boy, and I want it to be like a really big boy salary,

but I can only do it if, if at some point those that are spending the dollars actually see the numbers that they trust. So people would say, well, how can you trust like numerous numbers now? How can you, you know, when you're saying such a, but it will be a combination of more than one thing, Mike, it won't be just what I get in Calgary on air, in radio. It's going to be all those other things.

But again, this is, you gotta start somewhere. It's gotta build. See, I don't wanna sound like a negative Nelly, because I think your hustle is impressive. It inspires me that you never give up and you're always going for it again. And this is happening on April 13. I don't know if anyone heard April 16.

That's some some some bullshit right there. April 13 this is happening on the fan 960 okay and it's happening for you buddy and I'm freaking jazzed for you but I'm just looking guys so I'm just going to point out a real life case scenario which is there's two guys you talked about you need a team you know Scott Moore says you need this team behind you to make money in podcasting. Who do you think is the humble and Fred team because they make real money. They're making the money that you want to make. What do you, who do you think is the Humble and Fred team and they have no mainstream media links. They do this completely independently. Who's the team behind Humble and Fred?

You. You're looking at them. Yeah, but here's the other thing too about Humble and Fred. Yeah. First time I ever heard about podcasting was that, was them. To a degree. Got in early you're saying. Yeah, to a degree, but here's the other thing too, substantial audience from the radio. I don't have that kind of audience. I don't believe I have the kind of audience

that Humble and Fred do. Big gap between, but their radio lives ended in 2005 when Fred got fired. So 2005, and they didn't start this regular money making venture like this until 2011. So there is a six year gap. There is, except when you're a fan of somebody, you're a fan of a band, you're a fan of whatever, you tend to not dislike them because you can't. In fact, some would argue you tend to yearn more for the, you know, what you really crave. And so maybe a layoff, but I see,

I think they have substantial audience. If I started a sports podcast, what am I possibly going to do? And look, when I did raw Mike Richards back on King Street back in the day, now I didn't really know what I was doing, but like I hated it. I didn't really know what I was doing, but like I hated it. I didn't enjoy it only because I realized the reach that I wanted to have. I didn't now I'm not saying I did it the right way. In fact, we all know.

I probably didn't. This is the right way. This is the right way. This is the, this is not the end all and be all being on Sundays on the fan. But in order to, for instance, if I had to make a comparison, I would say this very much is how you work out the kinks onto what eventually you want to have. So I have 13 weeks to, to more or less perfect how I want the visual part to be. Now, remember, as you talked about the podcast, to more or less perfect how I want the visual part to be. Now remember, as you talked about the podcast,

the audio part is going to be what you're going to hear in Calgary, is what you're gonna hear on Sportsnet The Fan. But the studio's there. Everything that I build about the television is there. I need to see how I'm going to implement when I talk to Dana White from UFC, when I talk to Doug Flutie or if I talk whoever I'm gonna talk to I have to figure out what I want that to sound like but more importantly what I want it to look like.

Doug Flutie by the way one of my favorite athletes of all time. Doug Flutie a big Donald Trump fan. You belong on CNN. Look, you know what, I'm fired up now because now I've got my, you know, because you said you're a bomb shelter guy and I realized, oh, maybe I'm becoming that because I'm now having serious thoughts

about how do I keep my family safe? Because I don't, I'll be honest, I don't give a fuck about me. Like maybe this is why I've been riding my bike alongside 18 wheelers, we're a little pebble on the road and I'm fuck about me. Like maybe this is why I've been riding my bike alongside 18 wheelers, where a little pebble on the road and I'm under the wheels. Like no fear at all. I don't care about me at all.

If I know my kids are safe, my wife is safe, my family is safe, I'm just literally ready. I'm like, I need to be fit and ready because we're gonna need insurrectionists. We're gonna need the insurgency at the ready. The resistance is real. Am I now becoming one of those wacko bomb shelter guys? No, because the commander in chief of the world's largest army wants us, is threatening us, and won't drop it. So I think he'd be

foolish to think, ah, he's never going to invade Canada. Let's watch what happens in Greenland. Watch it closely, Mike. But it's Greenland. On that? Greenland. Tell me who cares about Greenland. Denmark cares about Greenland. Watch it closely Mike. But it's Greenland. On that? Greenland. Tell me who cares about Greenland. Denmark cares about Greenland. And who cares about Denmark? I love Denmark. Okay.

So let me ask you this though, Mike. Say one word in Danish. I love a good Danish too, by the way. All right, so Charlie Angus was here earlier in the year. Yeah. And I asked him about, this is very early. I think this is, I don't know, was this early February? I I gotta check the date on this it's gonna be discussed on FOTM cast tomorrow with Cam Gordon and Tyler Campbell the VP of sales so we're gonna

cover all this tomorrow but as a teaser I thought I'm gonna play you 40 seconds of Charlie Angus and I talking in this basement about number 99 and then I want to know Mike Richards thoughts on this okay so let's listen well i think back in the day i probably watched every one of uh... wing gritsky's games uh... i hated the boston brooms but boy i cried one bobby or couldn't couldn't play anymore you know but when donald trump announced that he wanted to

run wing gritsky as this puppet candidate yes what putin does yet you know Wayne Gretzky as this puppet candidate, I thought that's what Putin does. You know, Putin creates these puppet candidates that he's running. This isn't what you do in a democracy and Wayne Gretzky should be ashamed of himself. Absolutely ashamed of himself. Don't bother coming back to Canada if you're even willing to consider being a puppet candidate. You should do the decent thing and say, in no way would I ever undermine my country. Wayne, you failed us.

Raw Mike Richards, please. What are your thoughts on the backlash in this country against the player formerly known as the Great One, number 17 Wendell Clark? I've given him the moniker the Great One. What do you have to say about Wayne Gretzky? It is almost inconceivable to me that he could be that unaware of his decisions and its impact on this country. I think that the Four Nations would start it out as a, eh, I didn't care. I didn't even know what it was to be honest. A friend of mine, Steve Randall, I call him the Beaver Man. The Beaver Man calls me and said, hey, why don't you come up and watch the first Four Nations game? four nations, what is that girls hockey?

I'm not watching girls hockey. I don't care. Yeah, that's right. I don't care for that. I don't watch it. I don't pretend to know it. If for those who like it, great. But I just thought it was some made up tournament.

And then he explained what it was. I go, okay. So sort of a foe Olympic. I'm getting excited because our guys are going to beat up on Finland or something. I said, yeah, I don't care. But then the political hammer comes down and the first, now again, I played hockey at a pretty high level and then just because I made a really bad decision, just didn't watch hockey for a long time. Like I just, I just vanished and I was still young when I did that.

However, as a kid, it was just a little painful. So I kind of didn't have the juices for hockey that I used to. Well, the puck drops in that first game and they all start fighting. Well, you should have seen me. I am Irish and the blood does go to the head sometimes. And I started flipping out. My son's never seen me like that. He goes, I can't believe you're,

like I wanted to fight somebody. I really did. I was there too, bud. Yep. And by the time it comes to that final game, I have a knot in my stomach like I haven't had since, well, I think the Calgary, or sorry, the Vancouver Olympic win.

That to me is probably the last time. And then before that, it might have been Paul Henderson. It might have been Paul Henderson in 1972. I just didn't have that feeling and haven't. I'll sit in front of a hockey game and go, oh God, have they added periods? How long is this thing gonna go on for? Is that really awesome, Matt?

Is that his hairline? It's not a good hairline. This is me watching the hockey game. I'm just saying that's a bad mustache. I don't, I don't understand why people are, and then they got to, you got to pay $9 million to go and watch these games and all the games are like, okay, and then what's going to happen to playoffs? I think we really got a chance this year. No, you don't. No,

you don't. So I have had this breakup with hockey for a while. Now people have told me since that time, you know, obviously you talk about hockey, you talk to all the players, you talk to these guys. Yeah, I do, because it's my job. Because it's my living, I understand the game, I understand the players, I understand what the coaches do,

I understand why the GMs pick those players, and generally understand what ownership does. This is what being 30 years and talking to all of them on a regular basis does. But this, this is so big that how could the guy who literally created the aura of what hockey is south of the border in years when I lived there, lived and went to school in the States and they said, so you play ice hockey? That's where it lived. That's where it lived. They didn't even understand what I was talking about. I had a jacket on that said all Ontario champions. So what is that exactly? There was no understanding of hockey

whatsoever until Wayne Gretzky makes it so then down with Bruce McNall and Los Angeles and just his appearances. He shows up on the young and the restless. He's on Saturday night live. All of a sudden the ice part starts to disappear a little bit. And now they're talking about hockey. Now there are places, you know, obviously border States that have always been that way.

But here's a guy who understands his place. Not only in the history of the game itself, NHL related, but in Canada. He knows what he is. He knows what his nickname is. It comes with a weight in which our entire lives he has held with a sense of dignity like nobody else. I mean, if he was able to be knighted, I'm sure we would have knighted him. Right.

Although we never picked up his order of Canada medal. Well, look, when he walked onto the ice, there was nothing that said that he was Canada's team captain or whatever the title was supposed to be. And at that moment, I'm watching it and I'm like, oh, this is going to be bad. This is going to be bad. Now I didn't realize how bad it was going to be, but because of, of what happens

with the Trump era and it's incredible. Now I won't say paranoid because that means I'm calling you paranoid. I am saying with the fear that he has put into this nation, which I, as a 62 year old, I've never felt that. I've never felt like there was any sense of intimidation. I've never felt that there should be an uneasiness about our lives in this country. And yet here comes a guy who is literally one of the most famous Canadians who has ever lived, as far back as you want to go. I mean, do people talk about Sir John A. McDonald? Well, usually in a bad light now. But we're talking about really in history, one of the most famous Canadians in a time

where Canada has never been threatened. And his response was that. Now, I am always someone that says in freedom of speech Whatever you choose to like vote for worship You have the ability in a free world to make those decisions. I can't dislike someone Because they liked Justin Trudeau Now do I do I think Justin Trudeau did a good job? Do I,

again this is a more political conversation, but I've never, I mean I interviewed the guy and thought there's no way this guy can be the leader. There's just no way. But for those that do like him, I don't dislike you for liking that person. But this is different. This is like someone saying, you know, I talked to this guy, Adolf. He's got some pretty good ideas, because it's that bad. And I'll tell you who also, at that time,

and I know people go, oh, you're not bringing up the Hitler thing. That's a little cringey, isn't it? Well, if you talk to Eric Braden, so the man who plays Victor Newman, whose real name is Hans good Gost he is German he had to flee his country during World War two because as he as he would tell you in very clear language people think I swear a lot he said that that insane murderer who ruined almost for all time the nature of what German people are really about

who committed heinous crimes against humanity and yet here we are in 20 and at the time when he was talking about it it was like 2020 probably that with all we know about history and how it can repeat itself, that they're going to put in a man who's doing the exact same things that forced my family to run from the country in the first place in like 1942 or whenever it was the day left. And so when I look at that and I look at Wayne Gretzky and even if he himself doesn't realize it, he has, I don't know how many handlers you'd have, then I would think if I'm his manager, if I'm his confidant, if I'm his friend, and he says, oh geez, you know, I'm gonna go out there

and I'm gonna drop the puck and I'm gonna, because he's talked about how the jersey wasn't necessarily there for him or whatever, and I'd say, hey, Wayner, yeah, put the fucking Jersey on. You better go out there and you better understand where you stand with that country against what they're afraid of in the most contentious time that this country

has ever seen. And you're seriously not gonna have even a fucking maple leaf pin on? Well, this is what we got now. And this is why, like that clip that you just played me, it's very hard for me to see people that I know inherently are good people that have done very good things, do something that is, I don't think it's, I don't think it's reversible. I don't think he comes back from this one. There

are people historically in our lives that I think have achieved greatness But make these horrific decisions and they don't come back for them. I think this is that time I Think we as a country need to accept the probable truth, which is that Wayne Greskey is a okay? With what his friend Donald Trump is doing to his former home country like I think we have to accept this silence which is you know you know, because when did that comment that, in the end, this is a while ago, that clip I played, but when Trump made the comment about, you know, his friend Gretzky would make a great governor of the 51st state or whatever,

that was months ago, and we have had complete silence from Wayne Gretzky. He hasn't made a public comment, a public statement, not even a throwaway support that I love Canada, Canada is a sovereign nation and always will be. Like give us something like that. He said nothing. To go back to that quote, what he has become is what Alex Ovechkin is to Putin. Right. Right. So Ovechkin. except, except, Ovechkin is a proud Russian. Gretzky does not appear to be a proud Canadian. Right. That's a fair point. It is a fair point. I know

it's not, I know that he loves this country as much as anybody else. However make in those moments. I just, it's, it is beyond my sense of, of, you know, incoherent thinking in that moment where the numbers on that hockey game, like I don't know what they were. And I mean mostly south of the border. They were big. But I would gather that they're

They were a hockey game. Some of I would gather that they're hockey game. Some of the biggest numbers that they have ever seen. Sure. Yeah. And he, and that moment didn't understand the gravity of the situation. And that moment now we're taught, what was that? February 20th or something like that was over a month ago. Now he's had ample opportunity to say something.

People have spoken on his behalf. I'm thinking Bobby or his wife, I'm thinking the president the United States of America the fact that this man hasn't said a word about it just leads me to believe that silence is deafening and that Wayne simply doesn't support Canada in the in this war with the United States even if you were wrong even if that statement you just made were wrong. I hope I'm wrong Then what evidence is there to prove the opposite? Because there isn't any silence can speak volumes at a time like this

I look for the Mike Myers for example Mike Myers has been extremely vocal in his you know elbows up support for this country on Saturday Night Live You know, he's been filming filming promos with the Prime Minister Gretzky said nothing. And I'm telling you, Canada is listening to all the Canadian celebs that have moved to the United States. There's many of them, you know, the silence is deafening. I don't want to call out names, but I don't, you know, if you be a Ryan Reynolds or if

you be a Michael J. Fox, you know, there's so many Canadian celebrities living in the United States that I haven't heard boo from. be a Michael J. Fox. You know, there's so many Canadian celebrities living in the United States that I haven't heard Boo from. I do want to give a little love right now because I tuned into the Junos last night because I enjoy watching the Juno Awards. And they got it right, man. They go two hours and they're tapping out for the national at 10 PM. It's my kind of award show. But I will say Michael Buble hosted this thing and he gave an impassioned speech at the beginning, which is really the kind of speech I think all Canadians would love to hear from somebody like Wayne Gretzky right now.

And we heard it from Michael Buble, mad respect for that guy, mad respect for Mike Myers. I got mad respect for Mike Richards. These are funny times, dangerous times, and I'm glad, I'm glad Mike Richards, you'll be back on the radio where you belong. It's the start of something that I hope can gain momentum and at some point, God willing, it will be more than just me. That's the goal. That is the goal to get back to a point where we understand that we have great sports fans in this country.

We have sports fans who also enjoy some entertainment, some opinion, because I fail to understand or, or agree that the only opinion, the only shows that we can watch that have that are all American. Your proud Canadian, Mike Richards. Elbows up, buddy. You part of the insurgency with me?

But there's some great ideas. So we're getting great ones. And let me tell you that Toronto Mike, he's a nasty guy. That's what we call him. Nasty Mike. And that, you know, you're raw Mike Richards. You can be nasty Mike Richards. See if that domain's available. Okay. And that brings us to the end of our 1660th show. I look forward to your visit next quarter when you make another huge announcement. And the announcement will be the numbers.

The next time, here's the prediction. Yeah. The next time I come in here, we'll be about ratings and then we'll see. I wish you nothing but the best, man. I wish you nothing but good luck, good success. Calgary is lucky to have you. My only thought is they should be paying you, not taking your money with that. Well, at this moment, we'll see.

That's coming. Go to torontomike.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. That's where I'll be sharing news on the insurgency that I plan to be a part of. I'm on Blue Sky actively, what are we calling those? Posting, skeeting? I'm actively doing that on Blue Sky. I'm on Blue Sky actively, what do we call those? Posting, skeeting. I'm actively doing that on Blue Sky. I'm at torontomike.com. I noticed you joined Blue Sky. Yeah, I did. I don't know what I'm doing there. No, but you know what? I have no idea what's going on. You're, I hate to quote Mike Willner. Do you like Mike Willner? You dislike him?

I don't, I know who he is, but I don't know him. No. He told me if you like to go to a bar, let's say you like this bar that you would go and drink Great Lakes beer at, and then the bar was sold to a Nazi, a guy you believed to be a Nazi, would you continue to go to that bar to drink? Well, let me answer with this.

Eric Braden, once Elon Musk got in there, was gone. Eric Braden is available on Blue Sky only. Glad to have you on Blue Sky. People should follow Raw Mike Richards on Blue Sky. Much love to all who made this possible. This announcement is brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. You got some fresh craft beer. They do fabulous stuff. Trust me, it's great beer. Palma Pasta. I have a large lasagna in my freezer for you Mike Richards. Beautiful. RecycleMyElectronics.ca. everybody knows that's where you go if you have old cables, old electronics, you go to RecycleMyElectronics.ca. Building Toronto Skyline by Nick Ienies, he's got a new podcast called Building Success.

Can't wait to tell you more about that. And of course, Ridley Funeral Home. See you all tomorrow night for FOTMcast with Cam Gordon and Tyler Campbell! So Music you