Maybe. Hello, everybody, welcome to Episode three hundred and seven of Spin Check presented by Pink Whitney from our friends at New Amsterdam Vodka here in the barstool sports podcast, Family. What is up gang? Hopefully everyone's doing well out there.

Thank you so much for the great feedback on last week's episode. Everybody really enjoyed Yablonsky and Playfair. We got an old school fighter and a guy in a very popular show in Canada, so everybody really appreciated that. For week three of our November interview series, we have three times Stanley Cup winner Justin Williams, as well as Canada's Mr. D himself comedian and actor Jerry D. Some good stuff coming. Before we get to the interviews, our friends at Nizza want to remind everybody to click it or ticket from November 16th through the twenty ninth of this year, state and local law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are stepping up their enforcement efforts for motorists who are not wearing their seatbelts.

I'm not going far. I'm going to rush. Listen, don't kid yourself with those excuses. There's no excuse for not buckling up. If you've used them before, you're putting yourself at risk of injury or death no matter where you sit or how fast you're going in. Twenty, eighteen, nearly ten thousand people were unbuckled when they were killed in crashes. That's forty three percent of people killed in motor vehicle crashes that were not wearing seatbelts. I'm actually baffled when people don't use them, considering how good they are, how much they work.

They take two seconds to put on a legit. I had two friends who had their lives saved last year simply because they were wearing seatbelts. Also, cops are going to be on the lookout and write and tickets. So why take the risk? Seat belts, save lives, so do the smart thing and buckle up every trip, day or night, whether you drive in or in the back seat of a hired car, click it or ticket isn't about citations.

It's about saving lives. In twenty eighteen, there were nine thousand seven hundred and seventy eight unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States to help prevent crash fatalities. We need to step up seatbelt enforcement day and night. So click it or ticket say it's such a common sense thing. And I'll tell you, I didn't always wear when growing up and then started in college, I realized how much of a common sense thing it is.

So people click it or ticket. All right.

Now we're going to one place up a little time for the one and only Justin Williams.

Well, we're very excited to bring I bring you our next guest, one of the most clutch plays of the last 20 years, this guy played 19 NHL seasons, total over fourteen hundred games, regular season and playoffs. You won the Stanley Cup once with Carolina and twice with the Kings. And he was the consummate winner in twenty fourteen and of course, in nine games. Seventy one eight of them all put up 15 points. It's an honor and a pleasure to welcome to the podcast, the legend himself, Justin Williams.

I just took an intro, Willie. Hey, IRA, you left out the part they never spent a minute and the Always Hungry League, just straight National League right from the right from the end of Junior had that in questions.

But yeah, sorry, I took more of this question. It's only one R.A. had written down.

Yeah, I'm going to go with that. Don't you?

Let's you start off. All right. You probably got a bunch there.

Yeah, I was going to say. So what you just come for my coaching is that the kids team are a different team now, coaching my kids team. So I just I found myself just kind of dabbling a little bit in the past couple of years. And then when, you know, you see your kid out there and he's getting coached by some random dad and he's trying to tell him something like, I got to get involved here, I got to get in, I got to get on the ice.

And Dad wants it as bad as anyone. He's like, come on, I need a little help here. But yeah. So I just said, you know what? I might as well get into this. And I really, really, really come to enjoy it.

I coach my son's team and then I unfortune my daughter's taking a little bit of a back seat, but she plays hockey as well and I try and coach there as much as possible. You're looking a little Jack, too.

You're on the road, Brenda. More coaching regime. Take it.

Fucking needles in your ass to you know, he makes all those coaches work out for practice. Ozzy Osbourne. Well, I don't know if he makes them, but I think he kind of guilt them into it. So they got to they're in there. If you get there early enough, they're all on the bike and working on out stuff.

You'll see no chubby men running the pick with Rod the board.

Bernama No. All kidding aside, Rod the bottom and you understand the couple of them. Legendary picture, the way he raised the cup, the screamy gave and then you played for him. So what was it like?

I mean, coming back, it must be a little different, haven't shared such a special experience and then being coached by a guy.

Yeah, I think it's kind of like if you're lucky enough to have that evolution of a hockey player like you, break into the league and then you get a little bit older and then you still plan.

And then all of a sudden your friends that you played with the become scouts and then they become jams and you're just like, oh my gosh, like what is happening here? So a lot of the guys I know, our coaches in the league now and obviously Rod is one of them. And I thought maybe initially it might be a little awkward. I don't know why I thought that, but but it was far from it, you know, just picked up right where we left off.

I can go in the room and talk about anything I want. The guys are like, hey, go get a day off. I'm like, I'll go see. I'll try.

So it's just a lot easier to have that relationship. And obviously we share the same, I think, attitude and expectations that we want.

And it was pretty easy, to be honest, weren't where you guys always trying to one up each other when you were on the same team, did you have a little healthy competition going to Roddy and I?

Yeah, not really. No, not really. I mean, he I mean, he was my son. I mean, I think I played I was sheltered a little bit. Right. I mean, that guy was so good offensively and defensively. I played like 98 percent of my shifts that it didn't matter to five on five. You know, when I played in Carolina, he was with me all the time and made me look good.

I think I want to know what your record is going in and asking for days off. Did you already? Ten for ten to. Do you ever get him a new ball? I was nine.

When the door opens, turn around. Yeah. Fuck off. Let's do a push up here before you leave the office.

Do you can you can kind of get a feel or you get out the door whether or not you think you should probably ask for one or not or you just check it out and just leave the room. So, you know, it's it's it was just so easy. It was honestly so easy being the you know, being a player when he was a coach was a piece of cake. It's funny you mention the whole thought and experience of, like playing with guys and then all of a sudden, like, you keep going in there could be coming the scouts and becoming the coaches and it hits you like I've been doing this a long time, but it probably makes it easier.

You have so many connections in the hockey world. Have you even thought at all about what you want to do next, or is it just wait and see? You just kind of enjoy retirement for now?

Yeah. I mean, I don't know how, you know, you did it, but I don't.

I met R.A. in a dark alley and smoked crack with him and then we started checklists. So anyway, mind, I don't think it's going to be like that real love story.

But I mean, listen, I think I've got some time here to kind of just do my own thing and kind of figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Right now, I'm just enjoying being all enjoying coaching. The kids are 12 and nine. It's a great age. You know, I don't have to answer to anybody. If I just if I want to go golf, I'm like four or five days of the week. I don't have to answer to anybody.

And I love that I want to be anywhere right now. And I'm just I'm enjoying living life right now. And I'm sure maybe at one point I'll get sick of it and move on to whatever heck I want to do, but. As of right now, I'm just happy just being here, so your son's 12, you say so that I mean, that means he get the dream where he has a lot of years, where he remembers being like, you know, son of an NHL and he's going into the room.

I think it was so cool. The guys I play with who had kids old enough to understand, like what their dad was doing, he I mean, he must have loved over you. Has he been around ever since he was kind of old enough and gotten into the game? Yeah, he was.

And ever since I mean, he was born in Carolina and then a couple of months later, I got traded to L.A. So he spent the first seven, seven 1/2 years in L.A. and moved over to Washington. And I mean, the son of an NHL or they you know, if they're involved in hockey and they want to be in hockey, that's great. But it just gives them that opportunity that not many kids have. And I think he's he's very appreciative of what he's been able to do.

And I think as you. As you go along, there's a hockey player and you have kids, you want them to be able to see what dad does. You have this this this big house and these these these things. And a lot of these kids, they grow up like, how did we get this? But my son and my daughter, they actually know daddy worked. He was a good hockey player. And that's how we got what we have.

And it was it was it was great to have him around. Fortunately, all the teams I went on loved having kids in the dressing room, and he was he was prowling around. And I mean, what an experience for a kid, I tell you. Both teams you've done. We always like to go back to the beginning of guys careers, you played a couple of years. Now, I heard you're a big crossword puzzle guy, which I just said to busy.

That pretty much makes you a savant of the NHL, obviously a smart guy. How close were you to going to college instead of Junior's?

Well, it was it was different for me in the fact that, like, I wasn't like I was drafted in the first round, but like I had. The chance of being drafted to the first round were very slim the year before because it was a quick rise. Two years you were playing in the North American League games, weren't you?

I was. So my first year I got drafted by the Plymouth Whalers, which are they're not even there anymore. I think they're called like Flint. So I got drafted in the sixth round in the NHL, which, you know, it's not great. They don't expect much of you as a six rounder. And actually Peter de Boer or is my coach.

And that first year I was just you know, I was I was a late bloomer. And obviously had a lot to learn as well, and he was my coach and it was hard on me, but but I think he gave me kind of exactly what I needed. And halfway through the year, they're like, this isn't working out. So they sent me down to the NHL where I played for the cop. You are ambassadors for like a month or so that kind of got called back up.

And it was it was it was interesting. And, you know, the next year I had a great year and I was drafted in the first round.

So it was it happened quick for me. So now it's so different. I mean, because social media, we always bring this up, but kids would be so upset if they're OK and they get sent down the first year.

Did you even look were you rattled by that?

Did you realize that something's got to change here where you're just like, right, I'm going to go play good down there? Like, what was the approach being that young and seeing guys that also are 16 playing in the older 17 and you're kind of not there the whole time? Yeah, I think a lot of.

The way kids are now, you know, some of them expect a lot before they've earned it and, you know, I got sent down there and I was like, OK, I was still confident in myself. I still felt I shouldn't have been sent down if I felt I needed to get more opportunity. But, you know, I went down there and played very well. And I was always the guy that was like, I'm going to show you type dude.

You're not like, Mom, dad, look at this guy. It's been so unfair, right? It was always, always like, no, I'm going to show this guy and I'm going to prove them wrong. And that was that's kind of been my attitude since I was a kid and a little spunky, confident myself. But I went down there and then I got called back up and got an opportunity later to play. Roll with it, does that attitude and kind of approach to life and hockey come from like your father?

Like what would you be getting into the game? Was he a player? He got you. And I know you had the great uncles I was reading that played the NHL.

Is that true? I don't know if you ever met them, but they might might think I had I had a great uncle Jerry Tommasini, who played for the Bruins in the 50s. He might just be a little bit of research on it. But yeah, I wrote the guy a letter when he was 30.

I had another uncle, another great uncle, the brother Zalian supposedly played for the Providence Reds. And I think he was named the player of the century, if I'm not mistaken. So, I mean, he's you know, we've got some some some some bloodline in there. But yeah. Ancestry.com, that's how you found out.

Yeah. So I just you know, I just loved hockey. I was a kid from just outside Toronto, an hour outside Toronto from Koberg. And I just I love the game and I don't know where it would take me. I just know I wanted to play it. So you finally do break in the NHL, the twenty two thousand one fly is when you get in the locker room. Thirty six year old Rick talk, as is his mere presence, to scare the shit out of you.

Yeah, I mean I mean that guy especially. I mean, he. I was a little intimidated, right? You're 18 years old, you come to the room, you've got you've got Mark Recchi, John LeClaire over here. You got you know, I'm sandwiched between I know you guys had Kevin Stevens on the podcast lately. He was right next to me in the stall and talk. It's right next to me. And Keith Jones is there and Chris Terry is chirping from the other way.

It was like overload for me. And it sounds like an 80s movie.

And you're in the league, Youngblood.

And, you know, already, right the way he talks, like you can hear him from six rooms away, he's so loud that, you know, he's like, rah rah rah rah rah rah rah.

I don't know. I don't know what he's saying, but it's funny because the way he talks. Right. But I mean, Rick talking. I mean, that guy took me everywhere. He's like, hey, let's go to dinner. He's like, OK, I'm like, OK, hey, let's come over. We're going to go train in L.A. for three for three months. Let's go. And I'm like, OK, let's go to the bar.

OK, I'm only twenty but that's fine. We'll get you. You know, it was just he took me everywhere and I have so much respect for what he did for me bringing me in and the other countless other guys on that team as well that have gone up with him, especially to just have a little sore spot.

Wasn't Keith Premo your first roommate?

He was, yeah. This was before, right. I mean, I don't know if you guys are old enough to remember, but like. I some of you are, but when you got your own room in the NHL, it was a huge accomplishment, 600 games it took you when I got in the league.

Yeah, it was six hundred games at first. They've moved it now to out of your entry level contract. Six hundred games yet to play.

I think everyone gets one now. No, not entry level contracts. Oh wow. Yeah.

Well eight out of six hundred. I remember a flurry was with I think Mark Bergman say take my bags upstairs.

Get first off I had a roommate. So how are you with Keith Premo. Had he not played six hundred games yet though.

He had not played six hundred games. Oh my God. He's got four kids like is thirty years old or twenty nine years old.

I'm breaking into the league. I'm really with Keith Premo and I'm like kind of like, kind of like one of those kids kind of right. You know, just I was just a pain in the ass roommate like we would we would sometimes I'd be like that little kid, you know, we get those double beds next to each other and I just be kind of like throwing stuff at them.

It's like throw a pillow at them or something and then throw one of my, you know, French fries I just ordered from room service. I'd be throwing it over. You go throw one more. I'm coming over there. And, of course, through another one and off becomes if we start wrestling in the room, he the ME in about four seconds, but I don't know, we had a few of those and it was just it was just fun.

I was just just being me and being annoying. He said he's actually sick that year to your first year. That was one of his best years in the league and I think you must have seen this guy when he was going there was fuckin he was a beast.

Yeah. I mean, him and Mark Recchi that year, we're on the same line. And those guys I know, you know, Rex, I mean, that guy just nonstop is his wheels are like his feet are like the road runner. Right. They never stop.

And when he gets like he'll dump it in, if he's frustrated, go like hammer some on the bench just gets fired up. The year that you guys won the cup in Carolina, he had been in Pittsburgh.

And you could just tell he was just disgusted with losing. He just won his whole career pretty much and finally got out of there and made such a difference with that team.

I thought I mean, I'm sure everyone thinks that that watched them play with, you know, obviously you guys play together. He was just such a fucking legend. And I told I told this story. I was called up and I was in the locker room. I was the loud guy in the minors. I get to the NHL, Mario and Ricky, Lyle Odali, and I'm like, come on, racketball, let's go.

Or Picklock. Always a good shot up on the wrecking ball, but did the older guys love it?

They probably they kind of love that. They were kind of like shot. I was different than, you know what I mean. Like, maybe deep down they love it, but they wouldn't let me know that they did.

It probably matter on your play if you're a it to inflate the tape, they're fine.

If you're not, then they're like, shut the fuck up, kid, or get sent down really the last two seasons and that you weren't Phil, you had Ken Hitchcock. We've heard a ton of stories about him on on the show over the years. You have to have a good if you match with him.

I didn't have the balls to do that. I mean, guys would do it on the bench, like J.R. would just turn around and tell them to f off.

I was, you know, like my just like this like what's going to happen, you know, and no, nothing happened. And I think he kind of like hits was kind of. I feel like you kind of liked the fact that. The guys were in it together, like if everyone all hated them, then he's fine with that. As long as the whole team, whole team is in unison with it, everyone's together, then that's fine.

Hate the coach. That's fine. You know, he press buttons, and I didn't think you liked me, obviously, earlier on in my career.

I mean, I think I was you know, I listened. I was a little arrogant, I think, in my younger age. And I think a lot of players maybe in that room would probably say it, too. But, you know, it wasn't disrespectful of any court. I was just kind of just I didn't even know it. I didn't know any better. Right. So I'd be. And it's got you it's what got you there.

I'd be sitting in the room with my feet up or something and they'd be like, can I get you anything really? I'm like, no, no, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good, thanks.

But I can't see you later, you know, just roll their eyes at me. I was I was just I didn't know. Right. And now I know. And I certainly learned learned quickly there.

So they end up treating you.

Carolina, what was your attitude? A reason you got treated like this behavior was other stuff?

No, I don't think so. I mean, I think, you know, I was in, I think my fourth my fourth year there, four and a half years.

And I was at the trade deadline. And I think they just needed a defense. And they got Danny Markoff for a playoff run. And they're like, that is the way it was back then. I was a little bit different, right? I mean, you guys were traded at the deadline. They didn't really think about the future, right? They didn't really do that back then. It's like we need to win now. We need to do this.

And, you know, they traded me.

And usually when you get traded, it's a wake up call saying, oh, careful, one team gave up on you. It's it's time to it's time to really buckle down here and and earn your keep or you're going to be out of the league. So, you know, that first rate, I think for a lot of guys, the wake up call and fortunately for me, going to a team that really wanted me and really put me in a great situation to succeed was was obviously what I needed.

Yeah. Obviously a twenty six, I'd say to win. I've said on the show before, I think it's maybe the most underrated cup final of the expansion era. I think because it came off the lockout had Edmonton in Carolina, wasn't New York, L.A., it wasn't as flashy. But I wanted to go to Game seven.

You guys had a three one series lead. Edmonton comes back, forces a game seven, you know, a very veteran heavy team who who says what before that game seven. And what do they say? So it was it was it was interesting because. You know, usually before the game. The coach comes in not before the game started, pre game skate or not. Sorry, this is before the game. Sorry, my mind's a long time ago before the game.

Coach usually comes in like an hour and three cups ago.

So he comes in like an hour and a half before and they say, you know, they get to go to get you riled up a little bit, give you a couple of tidbits and what the what to do. And that's that. And, you know, Roddey had put up his meeting five minutes before. Coaches meeting, so coach saw that and then just scraped off his meeting being like, you don't have to hear from me anymore, Brady's going to say that's that's going to be it.

So Roddy just stepped up and said, Boys, we've been waiting our whole lives for this and obviously said some other things. But he didn't talk much when when when he was a player. So him doing that and just kind of, you know, putting things into perspective for us that that that here it is. You waited your whole life for this. And with so many guys who are older who never want on that team, you look back and just see it.

And I think you can tell by the emotion on the ice after that game that what that game meant, obviously, to me, but even more so the older guys who are mid 30s and it never won. And it was it was pretty emotional. And you could tell by Rodney's emotion after he left the cup.

One of the biggest Ray Whitney on that team. And he told me the story about when he had all the casseroles was are the that was at the casseroles before the game and that was during the anthem. And then, sure enough, he thought it was a fart right before right before Puck dropped with this guy of the. No, I think it might have been a playoff game, but he ends up shitting his pants and he had to line up and take that first shift because you can't change your names already on the scoresheet.

But you were on the team at that time, were you not?

I was the guys you just added character in any team he was on, right?

I mean, he was he was so funny, that guy. But I do remember that story and he says it, you know, sometimes you can listen to stories, but this guy was a storyteller and you could just he told it and you would just start laughing halfway through and not stop Ben on golf trips with him.

I was going to just totally agree with that. Like, he's an amazing storyteller. He drags you in your depression the way he tells it, he changes his voices and he's awesome. But that series, I know obviously there's a speech before Game seven, Brinda Moore talks, but it was kind of crazy. I mean, you guys could close out. You could win the cup at home. You lose you go back to Edmonton, you kind of get spanked.

That flight home, was it quiet? Was it awkward? I remember Andre was in Tampa, told me same thing. They're flying home back to Tampa when they lost the Calgary. And he I think he, like, pulled a prank just to try to loosen the boys up. I don't know if it was too different for you.

It was pretty quiet, I think it was pretty quiet and the fact that we got absolutely shit kicked. I mean, it was four a.m. and we didn't stand a chance. I mean, I felt like that like seven players on the ice. That game we're just getting run over. And it was like, whoa, what just happened here is totally different from from the first six games. So, you know, we had to regroup. Obviously, it was a pretty quiet flight back.

I mean, it's always going to be quiet when you lose. But but especially going back with an opportunity to win. You have your families all coming in and flying in for this. You got all this hoopla and then you kind of get shoved right in your face. And it's it's tough to get back.

But the boys that I wonder about, Campbell, actually I mean, you mentioned all the veterans on the team. I mean, you got you said did you get Doug Wead, Rod Rickey Wesley, all these old guys, you get a twenty one year old kid, a net who's probably shitting his pants a little bit in that flight home. But I want to mention, you get the empty netta in game seven. I mean, you put a bow on that series like you could see the exuberance in your face, but take us through that as it happened.

Yeah, I mean, to this day, with all the players that are on the bench, I was like, what was I doing out there? What what he putting me out there? But puppeteer Peter Lobular, he put me out, you know, it was the first pick it was out there on.

I was given every opportunity to succeed there and really helped me with my confidence, you know, being on every day and being an impact NHL player.

So I was on the ice there and thought still was out there and Rob Brennaman was out there. You know, you don't really think about scoring. Did you want to get the puck out of your zone? Right. Just don't get in the zone. Get it out of here. And fortunately for us, you know, broken play and then all of a sudden all I had was open ice ahead of me. And I think Stolle gave me the puck and I just skated as fast as I could because I saw Pronger trying to catch me.

And that guy's got a long stick. So I just did the best I could to get down there as close as I could to the net and then put it in. You want to make a move at that point?

In fairness, I do want to say I think there's many guys, at least in the regular season, that want to score when they get it on their stick with the embassy, that everyone wants those cookies, those ones.

But our boy was on that team, just comedy. I've known him forever and I can't imagine playing with him how much fun that was.

And he made a huge difference for you guys.

Yeah. I mean, I still use some of his lingo, even just talking to guys, you know, just do this thing with anything.

Doesn't go right. He's just like take a pound. Right. He's like all messed up, but take a pound.

You know, it's just a he is a hell of a character. And a guy I talked to a lot was, you know, sorry, guy, I don't talk to you very much, but we keep in touch, you know, just there's certain guys you just always have that special place. You just want to keep talking to them, keep the communication lines open. You got to get on the course of them again.

Has that a whole team ever been together again? And probably not. Right.

They had a ten year anniversary of them winning the cup, obviously four years ago. My math is right. Right.

Donelli doesn't correct.

Can you drop out of high school this podcast so all the guys are back there, but there are only a few of us still playing.

I think myself can. And I think, Andrew, lot of young ones still playing. So everyone else got together and had a hell of a party, but the rest of us were still playing.

I was going to ask a Debbie Downer question about that. You guys have created that culture there. All of a sudden the building was packed and then it dwindled off. And I mean to the point where I mean, there was there was talks of potentially a team moving and it got to pretty much the basement. Were you following after that? Were you disappointed to see it? It kind of dwindled to what it did.

Yeah.

I mean, Caroline is kind of always had like a little ever since then, really, and never since then given me an opportunity. They always got like a special little place. Right. So you always look to see how it's like having like an ex-girlfriend, like I should do a not too good, though.

I like nothing better looking than me. You know, you keep tabs on her.

I will, but I don't know, it was too bad, you know, for a long time there. But I think we're on the right track now.

Is that the only time in NHL history? Am I wrong here that. Morris got fired for LaViolette and then LaViolette got fired from Morris, is that was that what happened there? I believe that's correct, yes, that's probably never happen again. All right, you may know that one like where a coach that was fired by one guy then is hired to win. The other guy's fired. The only guy I can think of was Billy Martin in baseball.

That might have happened to but not not so much in hockey. But you just had you didn't have what's Morison's all the way out, right? You had LaViolette from the get go, right?

Yeah, I had had lavae from the get go and then he got fired and then Maury's came and it was like it was honestly it was so weird. It was like a like a revolving door. It's like LaViolette said bye. And then like three seconds later, they're like past each other and out comes the new coach. Hey, guys, I'm your new coach. It was it was kind of awkward, but that's the NHL and it's kind of weird.

Did you know that was coming, that trade when you went when you went over to L.A., you figured you were probably getting moved? I didn't know because usually it usually injured players don't get don't get traded.

Yeah, that's true. I had I had a broken wrist at the time. I had a really tough stretch of injuries, like really tough that were just kind of weighing on me and.

You know, I was actually watching Trade Center. It's kind of like one trade center just started and then all of a sudden, a couple of years later, like all the insiders know the trades before the players know. All right. I mean, the way it is now and I was watching TV and they're like, all right, we have a trade.

It looks like Justin Williams is going somewhere. The three way trade with Edmonton and L.A. We'll fill you in when we get back from commercial break.

I was like, oh, no, you're like fucking Edmonton. Oh, my God. You're like, wait a minute. No, no.

OK, so they came back and that's how I found out. They said are three way straight. I'm going to go Selwyn's go on. I think Eric calls coming back to Carolina.

And that was that. I think what you talk about your injuries and stretch of bad luck, I mean, you played so many games and have battled like a true torn ACL. I mean, a broken hand.

I just read a bunch of different things and that the only reason I really bring this up is because one injury, unfortunately, had happened to you, but it kind of changed the way hockey testing has their pre-season workouts.

Utah, your what was it, your Achilles in a in a testing exercise.

And I ever ever since then, I think teams have certainly gone a little less less crazy on testing, guys.

Yeah, I mean, you're right, I mean, the day before camp, you know. Veterans can usually do their some of their testing before. The regular people come in here, just so we were you in training camp numbers?

Yeah, so we were doing our testing and it was the beep test they do in basketball. So I kind of suicides like in basketball.

So you go to one end and you hear a beep and then you go to the other end and you hear a beep. And the moment you can't keep up with the beep anymore, you got to bow out and you know, the rest of the guys are running, so. I don't know why I was still running, but there was only two guys left, myself and Ray Whitney, and we're we're running level 13. I'm like, what am I doing?

But that's crazy.

And I just planted turned and it was just a pop.

And I didn't I didn't I didn't really know what it was, you know, I thought it was an air bubble in my shoe. I think a lot of guys I've talked to have said the same thing, like they didn't quite know. And then I just couldn't walk. And a couple of days later, having the surgery. So is. That's what you get trying to keep and keep up with Ray. I know those guys, those short little stubby legs.

I can't believe you still running. But then you get to L.A., I mean, I'm sure you get over the trade pretty quick once you get settled in. All right. Yeah, I mean, it was it was it was different, I mean, wow, I'm going there and going to Manhattan Beach.

And I remember when I got traded, I had to call my wife because she was teaching. And I said, hon, we got we got traded to L.A. and she had just we just been there a few years, bought a new house, that whole thing. Right. And I was like, don't worry, I'm going to find us a great house and it's going to be awesome.

So I went down there and I sure you guys have been down there, as I'm sure you've been down to Manhattan Beach and you go look.

And I'm like, oh, I never heard of it. I'm going I'm going to go find a cool house. So I'm walking the Strand there. And I had no idea. I'm walking the Strand and I'm picking out little pamphlets they have for, like open houses and stuff like that. And I'm like, oh, this is nice. So they don't have the prices on there. And then I realized why they don't have the prices on there, because I called and asked about this house and they're like, oh yes, eight point five million.

I was like. I had we might not be living on the beach yet, I got us this unreal one bedroom in El Segundo, though. You're going to love it. You're absolutely love it. I'm going to take a town car every day to the rink and we're going to love here and we're going to be nice.

Kobe was living in Beverly Hills.

I think, though, that I mean, those are the first few years in L.A.. I mean, it's certainly not like the team that ended up like. You know, winning a Stanley Cup, you got to experience those two years prior the build up and like these studs coming in when Kopitar and Daoudi just came in and just dominated right away, like, how did it feel? Kind of get into that team becoming a guy who's everyone. Everyone's looking up to your Stanley Cup champ.

You're getting older. I mean, what was it like there at least the beginning? Yeah, it was it was awkward, it was it was an awkward game, was just a really awkward make up of of of guys. And obviously they were rebuilding. And Dean Lombardi was like his first or second year there. So he's slowly trying to build what his vision was. And I think as a GM. Right. It doesn't it doesn't happen quickly.

Right. You have a vision that's it's like a couple of years out. You need some work to get to there. And, you know, eventually he got his team and he got his guys there that that that he trusted and guys that he wanted to roll with. And we slowly just crept up, lost in the first round loss in the second round and then just kind of just got better and better every year. When Daryl came in, is out where you guys need it.

I know Terry Murray was a coach before that, I believe. And I mean, you probably have a million sadder stories, I would imagine. And he was just kind of a hard ass. And I know that you guys at some point locked him out of the room or a team meeting anyway. So let's let's get into that a little bit. Yeah.

I mean, I think everyone who's played this played with and probably for Terrell has had some stories. I think maybe every Sutter brother. I don't know all of them, but I mean, Darryl is Darryl is was in your face. But he was kind of like a little condescending in the fact that he's like, what are you want to play tonight?

Because is that what's going on? You don't want to play? All right. That's fine. And, you know, it's like, no, I do want to play, like, put me out there, you know, he's like, not forget about it, you know? So I remember this one time when he was in and we were in. We're in Minnesota. We're in Minnesota and we're playing a game and whatever, February or something, maybe March and, you know, kind of getting close to playoff time.

And after the first year we came in, I think we're tied or maybe even winning. And I heard him coming and he was like mumbling behind me. And I was like, oh, boy, something's going on here.

So if you know the Minnesota room, the coach's office is right next to the to the dressing room and you can't see them. But, you know, they're right there. They can hear everything we're saying. Right. So everything's all quiet.

We didn't have a great period. We were terrible. We were great.

And all of a sudden, you know, all of those those aluminum folding chairs, one of them comes flying right out of the room and hammers the bathroom stall.

And we're like, whoa, what the hell was that? And all of a sudden the coaches start flying out of there. All the assistant coaches and everybody, they start running out of there in another chair comes flying out and he's just losing his mind. And the coaches don't know where to go. Right, because they're like, where do we go? Right. So they were just hanging of the dressing room with us while he was losing his marbles.

And, you know, we're looking at and we can't see him. Right. So we're kind of giggling like this, like, what's he doing in there? And, you know, eventually it calmed down. He left the room and then he came back and he kept everybody on their toes. I tell you, it was it didn't matter if you were an assistant coach or a player scout. I mean, this guy was was when it was game day.

It is game day. And, you know, I remember when Billy Rafferty come in for his team meetings and Billy to have his hands in his pocket. And Sutter, we just go, Billy, what the hell are your hands in your pockets doing?

Get ready. It's game day.

And Billy would be like. I don't know what to do with my hands now, right? I mean, what movies that answer, you know, Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights Nights. Yeah. So every time in the meeting that he'd have his hands, like, kind of like he or whatever, just not in his pocket. He was a constant fists ready to fucking go.

Awesome coach. Exactly what we needed. We want to ask about 19 year old Drew Doughty.

What was he like in the room? We heard some stories about him. Yeah, I mean, he was yeah. Has he been on the podcast we haven't had on yet? I think I've texted him a few times. No answer back.

Rachel told us, though, that he slept through the gold medal game in Vancouver. So we knew he was an animal. He'd be an absolute he's been an absolute treat to have on because he says whatever. Right. And that's just do you that's kind of like kind of like whatever baseball Manny being Manny, it's just like, do we Banducci, right? It's just it's it's just kind of what he is. And her story, like we went to a golf tournament once and he was you know that you know that golfer Kevin Na.

Yeah. Walks in every putt. Yeah.

So they had the board there and they'd be walking around and he'd look and he goes, why is that guy's name not available.

And we were like doing this his last name. And he's talking about can he play hockey though.

I tell you that. And that guy Korina. So now that first cup in twenty second for you.

But first in L.A., Jonathan, quick, absolutely incredible that that performance he put on that year, was that the best goalie performance you've ever seen either as a teammate or even an opponent.

Best performance I've ever, ever seen. I mean, like when they I mean, they didn't even have to announce the consummate winner. It was just like, I just just give it just give it to them. Like there was nobody else that could have gone to it.

He was so good and he was so dialed. Not one game that you're a little bit suspect of them, like, oh, he doesn't have it tonight. He was just on. And the things that he could do, he has his own style. Right. And it's just what he does is competitiveness.

And he was it was a great friend and what an unbelievable run he's had. And I still think he has more left in the tank. But I mean, what a year, what a what a playoff you had there that that was one of the most dominating run through the Stanley Cup playoffs.

I mean, you guys lost, what, four games, one to two to before the finals and then two in the finals.

And they went on three benders while doing it. Of course they did.

The Los Angeles Kings running through the whole league.

Every series, we were up three nothing. And every single series was the only kind of pressure we had. Well, listen, playoffs, we had pressure up pressure every game. But like, the only time it was like, oh, let's go. Here was when we were up three, nothing in the finals. And New Jersey won the next two games in New Jersey.

You're like, let's let's buckle up here and finish this off. So there was it was it was an interesting run, totally different from the twenty four to who.

I was just going to ask you about that. When you guys go down three, nothing in the first round of the sharks. Like what. Like our guys booker flights to Kabul. Let's be honest here.

I don't know, I certainly wasn't, but. I mean, it was. It was it was interesting, I can't say anything more than that they had knocked us out of the playoffs, I think the year before that, maybe even the year before that as well. I can't remember. But they kind of had our number a little bit. And we just I don't know, it was just we won one game at a time and it was such a cliche thing, but we won one game and then after you won one game, you're like, let's win another one, and then the pressure's back on them.

Right. And I felt after we won. The fifth game, we're down three, two, we won the fifth game back in San Jose, like for nothing or something, and then it was like we kind of felt the thoughts that they had and we kind of felt that we this was possible and it certainly was. And the kind of spring boarded us to to some serious wounds. Yeah, you guys outscored 18 to five in that comeback. I mean, it wasn't like any of those games were particularly close.

Now, obviously twenty fourteen. That's when you won the contest. Might would obviously be a worthy recipient for you. A little bit surprised you won because usually they'll get the most points, get to the guy at the most goals. I mean, you did lead the league in assists that playoffs, but were you surprised they didn't call one of your teammates?

I was actually very shocked. I mean, listen, Justin Williams is not surprised if I said a nice thing to have under your name.

They'll call not a sexy name. It's not a Jonathan Quick. It's not a Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik, Kopitar, Drew Doughty. Like those guys are, you know, like another league. You know, I'm just Justin Williams. It's not a sexy name. So, yeah, I was I shocked. Yeah, absolutely. I was shocked. And I think that's kind of what kind of hit me at the time. If you see, like the camera, I was like, my eyes are welling up like, oh my God, for real.

And, you know, just the response you got from your teammates and then coming over to give you a hug and congratulate, I was just the emotions that playoff run were the most up and down I've ever felt. And what an ending to it. Well, you made the name sexy, now I'd say no. All right, thinks it's sexy, I guess. Oh, really? I didn't even get the fucking joke.

I'm still trying to register at my birth wasn't even a joke.

I was just like, you know, by now, his name is fucking pretty sexy. In the world of hockey. I'm assuming that's what the joke was. I got it.

I got it changed to Mr. Game seven, though, that you don't like that I had I avoided that in the end of that start with the empty letter. Is that where it all began? Was that the kind of luck you needed to get the ball rolling?

I don't I don't think it was that run. It was two thousand forty. Is that run. We just want a bunch of game sevens.

We won three of them that year and Fortunate did well in those games. And that's that's when it kind of started.

And, you know, that name kind of came. I don't know who came up with this. It make you cringe?

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I just I don't I don't like talking about myself. I don't like I don't like seeing myself on TV. I don't like hear interviews with my I just I don't like seeing myself and I don't know, I don't like it. It makes me uncomfortable.

All right. Let's talk about the side of it. So every Game seven that you went into, did you try to do it like the last one as far as Superstitions concert, or were you just, like, not going into it, playing with the House's money at this point? And then it just they kept coming. Yeah, I mean, I you know, you just got to get into, like a mode, right, just to just, you know, just somewhere in your brain where you feel comfortable in the fact that you won't be denied.

And I want to be the guy and you keep telling yourself, I want to be the guy. I want to be the guy. Not all. I don't want to make a mistake here. I don't want to turn this. I don't want to throw a pizza in the middle. Like, not that you can't you can't get those those those feelings in your head. You just got to be know I'm going to be a difference maker. I'm going to do this.

I'm not waiting for anybody else. And that's kind of the attitude I had.

And, you know, I think that kind of helped me. Then you scored a huge goal, game one, I mean, I know you guys won the series four to one, but did it almost feel like not the one the series them, but that seemed like such a close match up that whoever won Game one could have easily won that series because the Rangers threw some punches. That series.

Yeah, there there there were there were a great team and it was done in five games, but sometimes it didn't feel like it.

Now, if that makes sense now at all costs, doesn't tell the whole story. Absolutely. I think you can look at sometimes maybe when teams get swept you like they got swept. What happened there? Like it.

Sometimes it doesn't happen. And you won three games in overtime. So game one, game two in game five. So we won all those games in overtime. So obviously that could have gone either way. But I mean, it was yeah. I mean, the whole Cinderella thing was just capped off with that series win. So I have to let you go to Washington for two years, what was the key factor when you decided to go there the day the best, best shot at a cop money?

What were the factors that that went into that?

Yeah, I mean, it was kind of I mean, I wanted to stay in L.A. I really did, I think.

I think sometimes. Players and agents and general managers, sometimes sometimes the communication just just isn't there, right.

And it's good sometimes to. So I guess just say, hey, my agents deals that, you know, I'll be OK. And sometimes you've got to step in and be like, no, no, no, I want to stay here. Let's let's make this work and. At some point, we just we just moved on from L.A. and I was like, all right, let me try it and let me try and find the best bit. And Washington was one of the teams that was like really into it early.

They weren't offering the most amount of money. But at that point, you just like.

I want to I want to come back. I can't go back to a crappy team. That's that's not fun. And Washington just game and the ability to play with, you know, a Kuznets off or a Backstrom, you're like, OK, sign me up, get off.

The do is put my stick on the ice. So that's that's how I kind of got there. When you when you get to when you get to Washington, you must have started seeing you, you see right away how special a group of guys that is and how much talent there is and why they're winning presidents trophies.

But then the success isn't there in the playoffs.

You've now have three Stanley Cups. You know exactly what it takes to win at the highest level. Were you able to see things right away that that team had, that they really weren't going to be able to get it done if that stuff didn't change?

I think so, I think sometimes it takes you it takes guys different at different points in their careers, they realize what they have to do to win.

Some of them come in and just think it's going to be easy and some of them get come in and get a Stanley Cup their first couple of years and don't ever get back. But some guys like the guys in Washington, like like like Auvi-Q, like I mean, this guy is not even close, like the best goalscorer I've ever seen in my life.

But he he he just he turned to to another level and he was an all around player when they won that Stanley Cup. He did he did everything like he was blocking shots. He was back Czech, like he did everything that a leader should do and obviously scoring goals.

He does that, too. But I think he just took it to another level there. Obviously, a lot of guys in that team did. But when he's when he did that, I was I was really proud of them. Unfortunately, I lost them by by a year. I had already moved to Carolina. And I was obviously I'm jealous, but I was just super, super proud of them. And it was pretty much the only time I was openly rooting for for another team to win the Stanley Cup.

I usually just turn it off and be like, why do they have to give it out this year, you know? Yeah.

Oh, my God, I was watching. Yeah, go ahead.

But was it a case of like at the time that you play with them, he necessarily wasn't willing to do all those other things.

I don't know if that's exactly what it is, but there were instances where you were like, well, maybe maybe he didn't give it all.

He had little flamingo and the guys in the bus are like, did you see all of it? And I am not his best. But I mean, when when you're that good and have the abilities that that he does and being such a great guy to be such a fun guy, to be around just to see him like just like get it. Like you just you just got it. And and then winning was obviously remember he's never going to forget.

You probably pissed off all those parties that were having all over D.C., over the Internet. That was like one of the maybe the first the second teams that became a thing, sort of a virtual celebration with the fans. But I want to ask Barry Trotz, who's your coach there for two years? What was it like having him for you, Coach?

Yeah, he was great. I mean, Barry and I still have a real good relationship. We're in the bubble there in Toronto. They're running into each other almost all the time.

And he's just he's just he's just a great guy. Like there's no other way around. And obviously, he expects a lot and he should and he demands a lot. But he just has a different way of of of doing it. And he's got a great coaching staff that that that surrounds them. And I'm just I'm just not shocked by by by the by how successful his teams are and how how good they are. Now, he's able to get a lot of the guys and and I think most importantly, like from him to his family, like they're all just great, great people.

And I was another guy. I was just super happy for our guy in the league, a long time coach, a lot of games. And for him to get that, I mean, that's all they wanted there. When I first got traded there, that's all they talked about.

And, you know, for them to get it, that's I don't know. It's just it's it's so rewarding. You when you go back to Carolina and I'm hopping over here, the storm surge, you're an old school guy, you come in the league, you're in the room with Rick Tocchet, and all of a sudden, like, they want you to do some fucking celebration on the ice after winds wear you down with that right away.

Whose idea was it? Yes, so it was. Their breath, the breath before the explosion, not easy to answer the question, no, no, no, they were we were talking over the summer about.

Carolina, we needed to do something right to get ourselves talked about, like Carolina, you're always going to be the little brother. I get it like it's Caroline, like nobody's talking about Caroline. So for us to become relevant and bring these fans back who had not playoff hockey in like nine years, I mean, it was getting kind of dull.

And, you know, I yes, I am an old school guy, but they were like, let's try something else. Let's do a little something after the game. And that was kind of it. They were like, you got it. I was like, all right, let's let's come up with something. And we did something the first day we ran to the boards and then. You know, we did it again, then we kind of got bored with that, it was like, I don't want to run against the board.

So we we said, ah, let's do something else. And we just kept coming up with new ideas. And we kind of got into it like, oh, this is actually kind of fun now and we just kind of roll with it. We didn't want to do the same thing over and over because we kind of got bored with it. But now it was just something that that kind of grew and grew and grew. And I'm sure it's something like your podcast, right?

You just don't know how it's going to how it's going to end. You just kind of do it.

And then you're like, wow, people seem to really enjoy it or people seem to really hate it. But either way, we're doing what we do. And then this mutant shows up out of nowhere.

Right. And then Evander Holyfield, Katyal's Jordan Martinville. If you're like, what the heck just happened?

What ones were your ideas?

We had like eventually after the first little while, like we had like a crew, we'd sit there and, like, eat lunch, like pregame meal, the other vic. All right, what do we got going on tonight? And we just come up with ideas and then we'd have fans start to come in and Twitter and give us ideas. But I don't know, we just we just we just came up with them. Hey, it's March Madness tonight.

Let's bring out a basketball hoop or hey, it's Super Bowl night. Let's throw the football around, you know, and to be able to have the freedom to do whatever the heck we wanted, it's it's it's kind of cool.

And it made the fans love it. Who the first person in the media to shit on you guys like Don Cherry.

I don't think anyone any old school guy, I think I might have to be whatever. Right.

I mean, the thing is, we don't hear much media in Carolina. So people were like, oh, well, we didn't hear about it. So we just we go to the rink, we leave and that's it. We have three media members in the room and they don't ask us about it. And we're just like, that's it. See you later. So this is great.

Caroline was also the first time you want to see correcto. New Jersey captain, did you did that change anything? What you really like? Did you or did you keep doing what you're doing?

You already established veteran at that point.

It was a weird situation like the year before. Like, I think I don't know if they've ever had co captains before. Like in my I can't remember you guys. I remember having their co captains before I do.

Oh, you do? I remember you remember like another team that ever had it, like not co captains. Fuck.

There was another team that I showed it like alternating captains for years really to somebody else. I'm not thinking of doing it then.

So it's weird. They gave Justin Falconer Jordan. So they're like, you're going to be the home captain, you're going to be the way captain.

And it was kind of like it was like an endorsement of nobody, right? It was like, all right, we don't really think you're the guy, but we're not really sure you're the guy. But let's just give it to both of you.

And, you know, and it was just an awkward, awkward thing.

And you those guys are both great leaders. And either one of them would have been would have been a great pick. But the pick nobody instead of somebody. It was just it was just it was weird. So the next year, Roddy came in and he gave me the captaincy and it was a little, you know, the talk set in stone, Justin and Jordan, and be like like, you know, we do this together. You know, this isn't anything to do with anything else.

And I mean, Jordan now is is this become such a great leader on that team? It's it's it's it's unbelievable. And he wears that's the awesome. And I'm proud of the way he's he's certainly this year, the way he's done it.

Did they get A's when you took the C from them? Yes.

So you're not you're not getting dropped completely off the off the legit line, you're getting a letter on your shoulder in retirement.

There's so many things you can do. We chatted earlier about like, what do you want to do?

But I know one thing. You're a golf nut. And people at home, how do you know this guy is a golf? Not well, I heard he played golf. I heard he loves golf.

Well, he's actually doing this interview with his what looks like first class trackman simulator in his basement with the 18th hole of Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach lit up.

So give us your insight and your golf game, how much you like to play. Will that be a big part of retirement and looking to continue to get better? Or are you more just a golf when you can fuck around Guy?

No, I mean, I think any guy has like a simulator like this in the room, they got a problem. Right. And I have a problem like I've got a tripod set up that I'm doing on this video that I take. And I look at my swing and I dissect that. I mean, I'm just I got a problem.

I don't know what it is all down a YouTube rabbit hole, just trying to change shit. Fuck it up in the morning. I'm the bad fuck off working on the backswing.

Yeah. I mean, I just I like I put other players next to me and be like, why can't I look like that? And it's just you got to swing your swing. But I love golf and I'm going to be doing it for a long time. It's the best, it's so I mean, maybe it didn't come off as a competitive person when I played hockey, but I am super competitive and so golf, it's keeps me it gives me ability with my shit body, with my horrible ankles and feet to still be competitive like one thing in life.

So I just love it.

I said to these guys before you came on or when you were figuring out your audio, but look at the simulator.

This thing in a like you got to get one of those where I said I really don't though, because like you said, I have a problem. I have a legit problem. I have a disease. It's called being obsessed with the game of golf. And if I have a set up at home where I can have this world class simulator, I would just not sleep. I would be in it for me. I think it would be too much.

It would push me over the edge.

I'd od there's numbers up here on the screen. I've found out I've had to find out every single one of these numbers means and what's expected of these numbers.

I just I don't know. I don't know. At some point maybe I'll get sick of it, but I don't know. I can always dislike about it.

Is that, is that like you mentioned, the name of the company where like is at the top of the line one track.

That's the best. I think. I think they're like twenty five Keish right around there. But then you get a set like the screen he's got. I mean it's pretty, they're pretty big money. I mean all the pro golfers, they, they bring them out to the range and they practice and they see their numbers and they see what they want their numbers to be. And like it's very turned into a very, I guess, analytical thing. But with golf, it's like if you can get the same results from figuring out the numbers and the impact and the swing playing, you could really use it to benefit yourself.

And I don't know if you agree with that description of TrackMan.

Well, that's that's I don't know if we're just the only ones who are, like, feeding off of each other right now in this conversation.

But we all of a sudden we started looking in each other's eyes.

There's a connection. And the entire time you're talking, I was wondering how the fuck do you putt? Is there like a little is there like a little green off to the side that putting does not. There's nothing for trackman for putting I don't think. But putting is like a different galaxy, not even different planet.

That's its own galaxy where the toys they have for a metronome like for your putting speed and pace and should have a beep on the backswing in the fourth swing. And Tudeh. Yeah, it's fucking science.

I want to say I just got like this new top of the line one where you can actually put any green of these top top courses they play were the whole it'll shift is am I right here.

I would believe it. I would believe it. I have I want to say I saw on Instagram, but yeah, it's crazy what they're doing for the world of golf because I want to go back to D.C. for a for a minute.

That picture you guys had, you come out with this like basically Afro hair all over the place. Did did that rub anybody the wrong way of ruffling feathers? I don't know.

I was just kind of my my my start of like I don't care what anybody else thinks, like I'm going to have fun with this.

I mean, I hate to see these pictures that are put up on the wall every every, like, dressing room. And they all look the same. And you just can't like, who cares.

Yeah. Picture everybody wants one picture at the end and it's a Stanley Cup picture, and that's the only one anyone cares about. I never seen anybody put up a picture of a team picture team.

I know. I don't I don't know. So I was like, you know, I'm I'm going to just put my hair up and I just I put it right up there and it stays frizzy. And I don't know, I just went out there and the guy started laughing and that management didn't seem to have a problem with us. So they got on a roll on it.

Yeah, it's it's liberating. When you get to that point, you realize you don't have to give a shit what other people think. I mentioned the crossword puzzles earlier. I was dead serious. Like late in your career, when you're doing them a locker room to any of the younger kids, actually come up and ask, what are you doing? Like having no clue because they're so not as common as it used to be.

Yeah, I mean, we have there's there's some people just gravitate over to it slowly and be like, oh, what are you doing there?

And then the next day the guy let me try and get one and then they just kind of just slowly inched their way in.

And then eventually they get to go there. Like I'm like, hey, get your own crossword now. Okay.

But I just I love doing them. When I was younger, you know, er Coles used to do them all the time with me and not call did them a lot and I kind of just got it off that and keeps the mind sharp.

I did one one time because Scuderi did them every morning and bunch of other players did and they had their coffee and they'd fold it up.

USA Today, something to do, you know this before the online bullshit.

And I said I'm going to do on and off of this this shit.

And I grabbed a USA Today one and I looked at it and I looked at it for ten minutes and I couldn't get one. Right. Not one.

Not even USA Today. Not even one. But it was Friday. I remember it was it was a Friday and. In which I found out later is the hardest one where it goes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Friday is the hardest.

So I just grab on Friday, got the pen, got my coffee filled with sugar and like whole milk for my pregame drink.

And then I tried doing it and I didn't get one word.

And I've never looked at a crossword puzzle since.

Let me ask you this. Sudoku better. Are you way better with with the numbers now?

I'm not a numbers guy. I'm not good at them.

Yeah, well, what's the math guy? I invented that that guy on this stack.

I don't know. Man would have been sharing that has been stealing some of mine.

Hey, do you listen to the pod frequently. Yeah, I do. I'm probably the last six months or so. My audience, I've kind of gotten to like my sons, like really, really pumped them on this. Like he's upstairs right now. I can't believe that I'm doing the podcast if you go to create a penguin and all that.

And he's so looking forward to it. But I got to tell him, like, you know, this is like locker room talk a little bit. You know, you have to have the talk with him when he gets into the locker room, too. Like you don't repeat any of this, especially to your mother. I mean, like he's kind of that it's guy started. Yeah. Yeah.

It's just guys, we're just messing around normal. You got to talk like this. You got to tell them. You got to tell them.

I'm going to you're going to video one of his swings into the 18th hole of Pebble Beach behind you into the simulator and say we'll send it in to check us to get it on their Instagram. Eight hundred thousand followers. We'll see how his swing is under pressure.

We should do a par three. Let's see how close he can get it to the pen.

Can you go set that up right now? I mean, let's go.

Let's we're challenging you. But the last thing I was going to ask you, consider you listen to the podcast. You must have heard one of your former teammates taught for. Come on, I know you guys had a great bond. And I'm sure he is. He is. He is a treat. He is the guy I compare him to is is like Chris Farley. I mean, he is the funniest guy. He's got that chubby face and he's just like he's the life of the party.

Right. And he did the best, like Hitchcock and press person I've ever seen in my life. The guys would like the guys would like to set the stage for him, would be like, Frige, do it, do it. And he'd come in and do it.

And he was just so funny. Like he'd like we have so much respect for what he's gone through and the whole addiction thing. I just I just I love hearing stories of success like that. Guys who have battled through those types of things and kind of just meet it head on and and say, I'm going to deal with this. And, you know, when I came like he was I had never seen him when he was off the rails a little bit when I came in.

He was twenty one years old and sober as heck. But he's still like to go out and to the bars and he still wanted to come out all the time. And I remember this one time, like he lived down the street from the.

And I was actually sitting on the couch with a girl who's actually now my wife, Kelly, and he had texted me earlier, like, hey, we're going out tonight. And I was like, I'm not really feeling it, you know, maybe tomorrow.

And so the night went on and he texted me is like, I'm coming over and I didn't respond. And then he said, I'm sitting watching a movie and the doorbell rings. I'm like, oh, no. I'm like, no, don't answer it. Don't answer when I answer the door. So he brings it for a little bit. You kind of hear him outside. Will, I know you're in there. So I still don't answer the door and so a couple of minutes goes by and I'm like, Arties Don.

And I go, we're watching the movie in my back door. I can see it's a big like, you know, the door that opens up and you can see through it. And I see this big shadow come right, right next to where the TV is, where I'm watching the movie.

And he's really open the door. And I'm like, oh, my God. So I open the door and ended up getting the out. But I, I have so much time for that guys.

Is he was he was great with me and still one of my great friends are good stall.

Let's hear let's see the shot now. Let's see how you how close to you put it to the pen. Who may be your son.

Oh, I thought it was asking for you to hit it, where do you want to sit? Oh, I know the only reason I thought his son, it was all nervous that he was on there. And I was going to say, go grab and fuck and have him t want to see how he does under pressure.

OK. All right. We cut. What are you doing?

Are you kids or are you going to do it and send us the video and we'll post it.

All right. All right. I'll do what I do. Hey, this is a this is an awesome interview. I've really enjoyed. Chat it up.

I don't think we've ever really actually met sides playing against each other golf wise. You've got a bunch of trips you got planned. I know covid fucking kind of screws everything over, but where are you going to be playing out mostly?

Yeah, I'm here and in Raleigh and I'm playing quite a bit right now.

We're joined.

I'm at this place called Old Chatham. I heard that sick.

It's nice. It's it's it's beautiful.

It's like, you know, it's an hour from Pinehurst and I can head down and play the Pinehurst courses, but I don't really go stray too far from there.

I love what we do, but I don't play or that often. Old Chatham's just kind of where I go. But I really golf trips planned.

Either I want to go to Bandon thought why not do it. I'd love to do it.

We should get, we should get a group of eight together, go to band and dunes man.

I love us but a such a hike for the West East Coasters. I know it is.

It is.

But you just fly into L.A. then you get jet up to Van and play golf with other people that well we appreciate it so much.

Unbelievable career. You did it all and you did it all with class and passion and it was pretty cool to watch.

Thanks for joining us on the show and we really appreciate it. And we want a video of your son's big swing. It's going to go on the chick lit Instagram. I want all of you.

I'm going to post their part, the part three on Pebble. No, no. What is it? Six? Yeah, the one down below.

They're like one hundred four. Let's see. Let's see how he does on that one. All right. All right.

All right, man. Huge next adjustable arms for joining us. He definitely raised the collective IQ of the show when he comes on, he's a smart guy, been around the league a bunch. And hopefully the next topic will be the Hall of Fame. I think he'd be a great broadcast. The trophy so inclined. But either way, just enjoy retirement. You certainly earned it.

OK, moving right along.

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All right, gang.

Next up on the show is the host of Family Feud Canada. The very funny Jerry D. Just want to let you know there were some cell phone issues when we did the interview show. We did had to cut some of it. If it I think we might be missing a thing or two. So without further ado, enjoy Jerry D..

Well, our next guest is a guy who has had Canada in stitches for the last two decades, a teacher turned actor, comedian. He's the creator, writer and star of Mr. D, which ran for eight seasons on CBC. He's performed at the world renowned Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal and appeared on Last Comic Standing here in the States a couple of times. You've also seen his sports reporter segments on the score.

He's currently the host of Canada's version of one of the most famous game shows ever. Family Feud. It's an absolute pleasure to welcome to the show, Jerry D. Oh, that was really nice. Thank you. Oh, thank you.

Thank you for joining us. Tomorrow is the most professional at giving instructions. It makes you sound like a true legend.

Yeah, I love it. Thank you. How are you liking the feud? Man, you just started that recently, right?

Yeah, it's yeah. It's a lot. It's you know, I was a little nervous. Right. It's like you said, it's been around for 40 years. Steve Harvey's like a legend now on that show. So I knew I'd get compared right away. And, you know, that's part of it. But I found my I found my my footing, I guess maybe three quarters of the way through and started to get more comfortable. But it's a lot of fun.

It's it's something I didn't ever see me doing. So it kind of it kind of turned into something real nice.

Which version of the feud did you grow up watching? Have been half a dozen of them. Yeah, well, I started with Richard Dawson and then I went to Ray Coombs and then I left it for a bit. I remember Louie Anderson did it a couple of times.

I got a question about that game because we just recently took part in a bar stool sports version of the game. It was just another podcast that some football guys have Boston with the boys.

And we didn't really get a chance because the other team, boom, boom, boom, if they get them all like you can even you can go to the show and not even really have a chance to to even give an answer.

Yeah, yeah, you get that, I get I get families if you're in that fifth spot, which is the weak spot, like if you're told when your family's on, you're in the fifth year, like they're telling you, you do not good. And then you don't even meet that person. Sometimes this guy or girl just stands the whole show and the team wins so fast. See you later, buddy.

Like that's it for the interviewing for these questions. Who's answering them? Do you know the answer to that?

It's yeah, it's it's like a service that I don't know how they do it in the States, but in Canada I guess it's a company or service that they're legit surveys. They go across the country. And those numbers, those numbers you come up with, I mean, I look, I'm not I'm not part of that. So but yeah, it's all one thing I know is it's a real strict game. Like if I make one mistake or fumble the question, they chuck it and we do it again because it might not have been fair.

And there's a lot of rules. So they're pretty strict about everything. Corporate bullshit.

You could call it what it is told the fuck off Jerry D..

It's kind of by the rules, man. You got to. Otherwise, everybody's all over the place. So it's it's a strong format. It's been around for a while and they they know what they're doing. I just do as I'm told.

Did Terry Ryan one time open for you? Yeah. So well, he carries a funny guy as we know.

But what happened was. I got a tweet and someone said, get Terry Ryan on the show, and I don't I don't even know who he is at the time, right. I'm like, is is if that's how it works. Right. You just tweet me and I'm like, OK, sure, come on the show.

But then a guy I knew, a hockey player texted me and he's like, you should get Terry Ryan on the show. So I'm like, who is he? I got the story. So I phoned up Terry. The show was kind of done at that point. And we started talking and I read his book and I had this idea to come open for me because I was doing these like arenas in Canada for the first time. And then I had to stop doing them because I couldn't I couldn't fill half of them.

So it was but I did. This is like my biggest show ever. I said, listen, do you want to open for me and tell those stories? It's we were the Austra generals play and I'm like, it's a perfect fit, right? You play in the NHL, you got this this story. And he did a great job. I mean, it's like it still was his first time. But, man, that's hard to do.

Go up. It was thirty five hundred people. And he told is his story about, you know, like, you know, typical when you're a fourth liner and then you got tapped on the shoulder. But it's skates run down because he's getting skate by and he had to tie him up and then he fell and you know, but he just told stories and people love those stories. So real HOCKEYTOWN And then he did a couple more for me.

I went to St. John's and I went out with him after and his buddies from New I just a good guy, like a good, you know, guy. And we had yeah, he did a great job. It was interesting, though, but he had the balls to do it, you know, Terry. Like he'll do anything. Right. So I give him credit.

That's what we talked about recently on one of the podcast. Just even having the jam to go up there with no experience. Terry just gets on up. He's a trooper.

Yeah, many ways Canadians may know you.

I first saw you when you were doing with the interviews with the NHL and you were just fucking with guys now, like content and all this Internet stuff, it wasn't around.

So if you weren't seeing it really on television, you know. Yeah, I'd at all so did some guys you were fucking around with. They not know the shtick. And were they getting pissed off.

Yeah, I was probably so you know, well there's a couple like so that was like my very first one was my stage so and I wasn't known. Right. So I went in. I'm dressed like a reporter. I got the mic for the score, which is a known sports station, and I told them, hey man, you know Jared from the score. And, you know, you, you know, you just feel like, yeah, whatever.

Yeah, I'm happy to do this. You stand by your style. And I said, look, I, you know, put the I put the front the wrong lens. So we got to stand kind of close. But it's going to look normal on TV. So by the twenty seconds of the interview, I'm cheek to cheek to him. He's not comfortable. Right. But he's I got to know Matt after this and he's really uncomfortable. And then I went across the room and I, I can't remember this guy's name, but a really long name.

And I had to I said and I kept looking up at his stall to see who he was.

So Thornycroft look up, know it was a guy from Chicago. He has a brother that played like we watch news on and Reames, like know which new ski was a guy in which new ski or something know.

Ironically enough, I had a good guess. Ironically enough, we're actually interviewing him tonight after you.

So no fucking way. No, you're not. Yes, I swear to God, too.

I know which Williams was Lewski on the Chicago Blackhawks, you're saying, right?

Yeah, I think it's. Yeah, but I think it's his brother that I had. Yeah.

Oh, and there was a guy in Andy Wasniewski or whatever. We're just dropping names right now. I interrupted your story. I apologize.

You can go. No, no, it's OK. So I wouldn't know. But it was basically I, I heard these guys and I would miss them. But that one summer work that I had to bail because you have to commit to the character. But once I got to the American players, once I known in Canada because it was on in Canada, but the American players never knew me. So I went up to Chelios and he was forty six.

I'm like, why are you in the Middle East in the minors at forty six. Chris Chelios. So I went up to him, I said, Hey Chris Geraghty from the scoring. I mean I listen man, it's got to be excited to you. Forty six years old. Finally, you finally get the chance.

You know, I've kind of been waiting a long time and he's like, OK, you're talking about OK, well, you know, you played in Atlanta a couple of days ago.

Here you are up going a farm team. Here you are. You're playing for Atlanta tonight. And he's like, dude, are you serious? So he got it. So I just totally bailed out of it because of my. He's not he's not getting the joke here. Does he's going to end up and bail out of like.

Were you ever able to get somebody maybe outside the hockey world or someone who was like, oh yeah, yeah, I did.

Like I got. Oh gosh. Yeah, I'm drawing a blank here on this actor, but I got one of the Entourage guys like Kevin Costner, Kevin Costner was he was in it was a golf tournament and he was to me a little bit. No. Yeah. From Tin Cup. He was trying to be a little bit. And I mean, I'm pretty good at that. I do it on state, you know, it's my life. Right.

So we had a good I just kind of chirped them back. And what is good about it? Like it was fine. Yeah, there's been I did like a couple hundred of those. There was I remember I had Matt Damon Allen's brother Marcus out who's like Hall of Fame football player. Oh yeah. I just Damon now is a Canadian football star and I just pretend he was David Allen's brother. Like, this is so cool. I'm like, did you play sports to your brother?

He's like, well, I'm like, did you play any sports growing up? And Charles Barkley was the best one, I think, because, you know, he didn't know me, but he was so, so good in the interview. And and we were betting on things. And then he wanted to bet on something else. I'm like, you got a gambling problem and it's with you. It's kind of timely at the time. It's like it's not a problem if you have the money, lose it.

But I didn't know.

But he was used by the most the most prominent one that I had was Barkley. That that got the most attention. But you're right, Paul. They weren't on the Internet. You didn't you didn't really see him unless you watched it. So, Jerry, you were a teacher before you became a comedian. How do you make that transition? How does that come about? Yeah, it was the slow transition, it was started just, you know, I was like I was kind of funny with my buddies kind of, but not thinking I'll be a stand up.

And then I was funny as a teacher, and it was actually a student in my grade 12 class that kind of had said at one point, you ever thought of stand up and then everybody else always with an eye.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, just kind of it just kind of kept coming at me. Guy was working at a restaurant, was comic, and then I just said, yeah, I should try it man, because I was I knew there was something there. But it's hard to admit you're funny, right. No one wants to go. Yeah, I'm funny. Like usually those people aren't funny. Yeah. Who does that?

Great point. That's a great point. Yeah, right.

So I just totally drifted into it. And then I, I finally left teaching five years into it.

I can't believe a student actually said that to you because I was thinking if you can make a high school class laugh, that's when you know you're funny because they're not laughing at anything in adults and they're sick and tired of you.

So that's pretty funny that you you got into it that way.

What about what about, like, nerves? We've asked a bunch of different people and some people say they get really nervous each time and some people say they don't. Are you somebody that beforehand you're kind of like panicking or is it just there we go?

No. And you're right. Even even I've opened four guys way bigger than me and they're nervous. And I'm like, how are you nervous? You're freaking star. But I you know, when I started. Yeah, I was like my first time on stage. There's nothing harder I've ever done. Like, it was terrifying. And I bombed. And people are like, get us time. And it's yeah, it's a lot of times. And like the first first five years are really I can you take any gig you can get.

Right. Like twenty, you know, fifty bucks. You're like stage time. Perfect. And I did this gig and it was out and you know a smaller town. It was, it was a guy's night out. I didn't know they'd done it for years. It was two hundred, 250 guys. They had a big meal and they're like, we have a comic and I'm not a real dirty. So I'm like, I don't care. I'm getting paid.

I get to take time. Anyway, I didn't know that they had strippers on after me, so I find out when I get there they came in.

So once you're done with this, come on. I'm like strippers. So like, you know, five minutes in, I got to do forty five minutes. All I'm hearing is bring on a stripper for forty five minutes so then I don't know where to go.

I'm still new.

I start ripping the strippers like I started the strippers. Oh my God. I'm all alone up there without mom and dad and the strippers are happy.

So it was, the morale was very low. Oh yeah. I ruined this whole thing. Oh my God. I suck in the energy.

You put your booze, this Jared guy fuck strippers on after the first but left. I let you get kicked like that though. Horrible gigs.

I had a gig at my best gig after last comic I get a new agent. He calls me up because I got a gig in the Bahamas. It pays me like fifty times what I've ever paid.

I like, I'm like, oh my God, this is what last comic did. Right? So I go to this gig. I'm on this island in the Bahamas and I'm with it's a Marlin Cantrip and I'm looking out in the ocean is like fifty, thirty million dollar yachts. And then they fish all day. Then they come in out the comedian and the guy's like now they all have their nieces. I'm like their nieces.

Well the nieces, nieces, prostitutes.

So it's the seven year old man with hookers and me trying to do well.

I was a teacher and they're like truncates out and they slowly just start leaving this room. So it's just dwindling down just me and five layers by the end of it because they're all going home. But the is right now I'm stuck on the island, so I can't I can't lose these people for the whole day. And they're like, oh, I bombed. It was terrible. But I, I know I got to do the forty five minutes. Right.

I won't get paid. So I'm just sweating up there like this is what last time it got me. This isn't fun. This is the first time I've heard that term. Oh.

Like I was I was going to ask you about you as a hockey coach but I kind of want to know some more bombing or weird comedians stories. Yeah. Do you have any more on that vault or.

No. Oh, my God. There's there's a lot of bombing.

Was it was the weirdest scenario you ever find yourself in the world within.

The first one was that was the worst and that was the most. I was justice for I most I you know, it's tough. Last comic. You think you're a rock star and then go to this and I'm bombing. I'm like, what am I getting out of this? But I did one in a tenth of the CEOs know, not in DC. I went, this is awful. Like, I just I couldn't even there was like hundreds of mosquitoes and there's like 60 people.

So there's more Quito's. People and I got to get out before I did. Nothing is hard enough as it is. You get bitten and you get to by your ziming, by your ear, and they're just used to it, right? That was bad. I'd have to think.

But there's been a lot of how much of that 45 minutes, how much of that 45 minutes were you spending, like swatting away flies? And did you eventually make it into your material just talking about these fucking flies?

Well, you can't really you can't really. It's hard to flow right when you're getting bitten and there's one in your ear and you're like, oh, my God, how do you guys do it? Like, it's not going to be a good set, right?

You just your bomb and the whole time because you can't get you forget where you were like, sorry, man, it's got it's got one of my ass. I think you can't really you can't really focus you can't lose your train of thought when you're a comedian. But there's there's a lot of stories I just had when I was going to tell you that I just lost my mind. But, yeah, there's there's a lot of those that you get New Year's Eve and you get I'm going to need you to find that story for us.

Well, I. It's going to haunt you down for that story. I'm going to need that one.

But there's a great story I had where it was actually that Rolnick event where Walter Gretzky. This is my best line. I think Walter Gretzky gets up and he's about is about 10 years ago. So I get picked up at the airport and it's me and Walter. Right. And I've never met him. And so he's telling me jokes all the way. Forty five minutes from Halifax Airport. So he's telling me jokes. Oh, like, this is tough because this is what I do for a living, I think I do.

Yeah. So you know, the dad jokes, I it's Walter Gretzky. So you get to the gate and Walter is a thousand people there at the thousand dollar a plate, black tie dinner, big fundraiser. And there's a Micky Ward was on the stage. I sat next to Micky Ward. Roberto Alomar was there. It was like a real list of celebrities. And I was the comic. Right. I wasn't really known or anything. So Walter gets up first, talks about.

You know, I put water on the ground. I remember him saying I just put water on the grass in the winter and it would freeze and we would go out there and I'd go in and have some beers and we get a standing ovation, like he tells the story, but he gets a standing ovation. And the next guy going up is Anthony Calvillo, who just won the Grey Cup with cancer, with cancer. He has cancer. And he tells it at the end of the game, he wins a great cup and no standing ovation.

So, of course, I call it right. I'm like, what's going on here? This guy sprinkle water on grass to the sun's streakers and watch hockey and guys beat cancer and, you know, to chirp Walter Gretzky was he just didn't do that. Right. But I don't know if you know what's going on at this time because he was just kind of back there, you know, pretty privacy. She was a good sport. I don't I don't know how he took it.

The best one I ever had was Gordon Lightfoot, where I did a gig with him. And, you know, he comes in and he's a legend. Right. And I'm like, wow, like, you look great. I'm not going to lie. Like, I think he's you know, he's had some fun. So this is about six years ago. And he comes in and he does not sound great. And I'm like, you know, Miss Gordon Lightfoot, right?

He's in a room. It's not the best sound, but it's still it's Gordon Lightfoot, a legend. But then he says he's doing a forty two city tour. At the end, he goes, Thanks, everybody. You know, just about to go on a forty two city tour. So if you want to grab some tickets, so I get it right after I said, listen, if you got tickets for the forty second tour date, you may not be going.

I would be, I'd be checking to see if that show is still on because he did not look good. And you know, I don't even know what he said. I you can't wait. He's a comedian worried. Am I going to am I going to offend anyone? You know, let's kind of just humor. But, yeah, that was that was a little riskier.

Did you glance over what you said about Walter? Did I? What did you glance over? Chirp, chirp, the fact that he got a standing on the guy who had cancer won the Grey Cup, I think maybe won.

Well, no, I was I was wondering if there was more than that. No, I was just about the standing ovation was water going like I was just kind of chirping the fact that we're like, he's not walking. I'm telling the crowd that's not waiting.

You know that, right?

That's the dad kissing. So there was more. So there wasn't that long ago.

Yeah, you did. You got to. Can you can you kind of tell it to shut the fuck up? Because I knew there was more. And I asked about it. Oh you didn't think.

You thought he glazed over some stuff.

I thought he'd look like to know what I wanted to know what the jokes were. But I think I want to know what the joke.

Yeah. I just I guess I didn't flush it out. Yeah, you're right.

As I can you up there just constantly saying that over and over and not are often onstage.

But I remember Micky Ward say to me after all that I was scared shit. We were going to say about me. I'm like, hey, I don't mess around with you, buddy. Yeah, well, lot people are different. It's sick.

His crazy brother on you instead of doing it himself. Hey, Jerry, there's such a rich comedy tradition in Canada, like which performers had an influence on your comedy in the way you know what shaped you as a comedian?

Yeah, like my biggest idol growing up was John Kennedy. But I never planned on being a comedian. Right. Like I was a teacher for ten years. This wasn't I have this happen at 30. You don't start standup 30. That's like saying I'm going to be an NHL hockey player and you start skate at fourteen and I'm going to get a job like I guess I guess it could have, but I don't know. I mean, it might not be an analogy, but John Candy, I loved Michael J.

Fox. I love that show. I grew up with John Travolta, not John Travolta. John Ritter. That was just guys. I watched and looked at and laughed. And my dad was really funny. My parents are from Scotland. My dad had this really funny Scottish humor. And I don't know, I just kind of fell into it. I mean, I, I, I'm glad I did it. I never thought I would do it.

It was never a plan. A little similar to Michael Myers then grown up on and around the Toronto area. Scott, Scottish, Scottish, did you ever meet him?

Yeah, Mike, my dad was actually English. That's right. I'm sorry. That's right. Where he gets. No, no, but I don't. But he does a good Scottish and, you know, he gets that bastard stuff he did. Was that that's real. Real. So he he has someone Scottish, but I think it's part of his business. But he's yeah. He was another guy. I was a bit older when he came on the scene.

But there is another guy that I looked up to, a legend in Canada. You know, there's there's a there's a bunch of guys like that, but I never followed stand up. I, I didn't know who the standouts were. I you know, I Richard Pryor to me was an actor and here I am. He just didn't know who Lenny Bruce was. I didn't know who they were. Right. I just I didn't you know, I didn't follow standup.

I wasn't a guy to follow in her stuff. It. So are you one of those diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fans that sits out in the square and watches the game on TV like in the playoffs?

Is that your team? That is that that's my team. Yeah, that's my club. What's your club? What Boston? My club, I don't really have one, actually, I just root for the guys I played with that made me made me money. And then my friends, I was a Bruins fan growing up, but I loved Eisenmann, so I was just all over the map. But I didn't know. The Toronto Maple Leafs fans are passionate.

They don't like anyone else, usually the ones I've come across.

Yeah, well, yeah, they're usually not the ones in the building because it's a real you know, you ask the players, maybe not these, but it's not a fun building to play in. Like it's kind of quiet. But I am a fan. I've grown up, you know, I live in Toronto my whole life, but I'm not sitting outside, you know, watching it on the big screen. I don't get as many games as I'd like to, but yeah, I'm a leaf.

And I'm also because I got to know more guys, you know, like that used to hate the Habs, but I've met a couple of guys on that. So I'm not you know, I don't it's different now, right. Because I'm not going to rip the Habs know or a team that I so I just kind of keep quiet and, you know, I Bruins fan, I did a show with Denis Leary a couple of months ago. And this is, you know, you know how much he loves hockey like this guy is.

This guy's a diehard Bruins fan, like he knows everything about them. I don't I'm not like that with the Leafs. Right. That's I don't know everything about them.

Before I ask you about coaching Max Domi and Stamkos and those guys, you're going back to your TV show. You had Nathan McKinnon on and one other guy.

One other hockey player. Yeah, Cammalleri did the Cammalleri I knew from golf and he yeah, he did me a favor, like he was playing in Montreal all the time. And then he got traded in Calgary. He got traded some kid to read it, the whole thing, because in the show we say, wow, you Mike Cammalleri from the truck. So but he was great. You know what I noticed about any of those guys? They just no matter what they're doing, they want to be the best at it.

They don't want to mess up. They take it real seriously, like you could see why they're the best in the world. That was, you know, all of you guys to play, why you're the best in the world and what you do. But McEnroe was sixteen, so it was a little different for three years.

Not even that he was just I got him. I wouldn't get McKinnon in his draft year if I you know, I just a guy a guy tweeted, same thing. You should get McKinnon because he lived in Halifax where we film. And I'm like, yeah, that'd be great. And then a guy named Cameron Critchlow who played with McKinnon in Halifax, he said, I'll get Nate and I'll do it. I said, done. And then they and they and he arranged it.

So they did it. And I said, Do you guys want to come back? They did it a second time to want to come back. And the third time he had been drafted first overall, and he came back and that was it. I didn't even bother asking him for time because it would have been overkill. But great guy like both of them just did a great job. It's not you know, some guys can't do it. Cammalleri and Nate and Cameron were good at it.

They did a good job. It's not an easy transition.

Now to the name of the show, for our listeners unaware of it in America, it's called Mr. D. It ran for eight seasons up in Canada. So now you went from a teacher to a comedian slash actor. Now now you were basically the showrunner. How exhausting and busy was it being a show runner for the for Mr. D?

Yeah, it was. I didn't know any better. Like I was I felt like I won a contest, like a slam dunk. And then I'm now I'm a show runner. I didn't know the term was, but I had a lot of people around me helping, you know. Yes. But there were others there that kind of were that like we had just the show running. There was a group, you know, my partner who is a trailer Park Boys.

You played all that? Oh, yeah. He was a big part of it. My my writers were big. And so it was more of a group effort than me just running around doing everything because. Yeah. Acting in it. And so running it or whatever you want. A lot of work, I didn't mind it, I was just happy to be there and I was like a kid in a candy store. Like, I can't believe this.

I'm like I mean, I'm in a sitcom. And then I'm like, not only am I in it, it's what I think. It was pretty cool. How much of the television show was your real life when you were actually a teacher and your interaction with the students, was it like 90 percent?

That's a great question, Paul. It was there was a lot the first three years, first three years was a lot of my stories and then, you know, an exaggeration, right? Like, you know, where the scene, you know, it's because we didn't take off in the States, but we had a scene that it was about little kids sit around talking about prostitutes and crackers.

And and if you watch that scene, you'll know it because it'll come across your Facebook or the point. But you know that that was not based on my life. But a friend of mine, you know, you get teachers in the later seasons that tell you that, you know, tell you stories about Zachary. We flush it out, make it, you know, like this story was about teaching little kids words and its own kids says prostitution. I'm like, oh, my God, what's prostitution?

I'll say, prostitution. I give this you know, this happens in teaching. And then I'm like, you know what? Let's do that in an hour. But let me think for a second. And I'm like, OK, this is safe. And the kid goes, Krakower. And that's the same.

But that stuff is all real. That stuff goes on. Right. And a lot of it happens to be in the early stages. But, you know, stories that we you know, we had a boxing match. I thought a teacher, we had a real boxing match. So that was a real story. And it was it was it was awful. I was killed like it was the most how you guys fight like it. It was not.

I was so exhausted. Why didn't six months.

Is that right? It's a lot of it is is based on real the early seasons. And then we got more teachers to give us stories and built around way. Now, I said you did it for eight seasons, how do you come to the decision? We're going to cut it off. What was it like? We're we're to kind of while we're on top before we kind of start figuring out how that process goes.

Well, it's individual for everyone. For me, I'm like, okay, I don't know where they're going to give us a ninth. I don't know. It was getting to that point where they may not have, but I thought I'd rather go out on my terms. And creatively, you don't want to drive it into the ground. Right. So I thought, you know, I think it's a good time to go out. And I had a couple other projects pending.

They never they never became anything. So it's just right. But, yeah, everybody's different. I mean, usually you get canceled. Right, right now. Works most times, especially in comedy. You're canceled. So it's always nice to say we will never cancel. And I kind of knew that could be coming, too. I think so. I just thought plus, you know, we we to live in Halifax now. And so I thought my kids were missing a bit of their like, you know, growing up in there with their friends in Toronto.

And so it was a bit of everything, really.

So I'm curious because you talked about the times that so many failures on stage and then you talk about how shows get canceled. That's what happens with comedians.

Did was it was was that hard on you or did you were you able to get over that easily enough?

I mean, I would say now looking looking at somebody like you, you can handle you can handle anything because of how many failures you've had. I mean, whether they're small or large. Right. I mean, you must feel like you're invincible at this point.

No, I mean, it's a fair point because I tell people, like most of my life in this business is no. And that's normal for anybody in this business. It's mostly no. Yeah, but I'm not wanting to burn bridges. And I'm like, it's no like and I think playing sports, growing up where you get cut and you just you just deal with it like it's like I got cut. You know, I played that one year university hockey and then I got cut.

Rightly so. But, you know, what are you going to do? Right. So you learn you learn that that's part of life. I played a lot of golf as a junior. I was a competitive golfer. We discussed by one stroke, if you drive home, you think of where you could have made up one stroke to go to what you thought was, you know, big event. And so I think sports helped me just kind of be a bit thick skinned and realize, like, what am I going to do?

Like, they don't want my show since Mr. Dave pitched it, like one just shows that have all been care that you think the guy had eight seasons. It doesn't work that way in Canada. You know, if I'm in America, it's probably a little different. But here we just don't have the you know, there's a lot of talent here, too, but there's not as many places to put stuff on. And so I'm back to the drawing board like anybody else here.

Oh, all the time. And you can't. You can't because you've got to swallow your pride with it, right? If you're a big baby, it won't carry it much further. I think that's coming through just sports. Like, where are you going to do you got caught.

You got to take your look, man. You've got to fuckin lanta your face. You got to get up. You got to brush it off.

I love that fucking analogy, but not my own like yours. So I was. And pump my own tires or.

No, but you're good. You guys would have gone through that playing, right. You know, and even stronger now, like, you know, we were standing in there in the media, too, so you got you got to take some Lykins once in a while.

But, hey, we got to get to the hockey talk here because, you know, all the hockey boys and you have a story about every one of them since we were talking about beliefs, since we were talking about the Leafs earlier. Why don't we start with title me? Did you have, like, squash against them or something?

Yeah, there was, yeah. So I knew Ty a little bit. So I used to run this hockey school in Toronto and I was focusing on my coaching and that's where I met Max and P.K. and Steve Stamkos and they were little kids. They were phenomenal and I had nothing to do with it. But they'd come to this camp. So I do Ty then and Ty was playing for the league. So I get to this. There's this charity squash event and I'm pretty good squash player.

Right? So I'm like, yeah. So PKC, Ben's dad is running and I knew him from one of the camps and he was a principal. So, you know, an educator, a great guy. And he's like, would you come do this? We're doing this urban squash thing. We're trying to develop this, of course. So I went and it was singers and everything. So I just they play the celebrities play each other and I draw Ty and I'm like, like, I'm going to kill you.

I like how you play squash, like, you know. So we're just joking. Right. And he's, you know, he's Ty, right. So he's pretty tight, like, so I get out there and I just grill him with the ball by mistake. And it's like, if you ever been hit by a squash ball, it hurts. And I, I just rip it and I hit him and I just freaked because I don't know, like, I don't know him that well and he's like and he's just so mad and he lifts up and there's this massive welt and I'm like, I don't know what he's going to do.

And he just kind of just, just didn't do anything really. And we kept playing, but for about five seconds. I just think it's going to come at me and I don't know what I'm going to do here. I got a racket that's not going to do anything outside of me. Door shut off. But I get to the door quick and it was five seconds. He just looked at me with his teeth, like, I think he was trying to figure out if I did it on purpose.

And then he just kind of I don't know if I forget. I was so scared. I was like, oh, thank God. After that, I was like this. They shot my shop. I was being followed.

Chased you around. I want to ask you, you are crazy scrap of back in the 80s. I dunno if you remember a guy named Paul Higgins.

Does that ring a bell? Oh, yeah. I coached with Paul. Oh, you didn't know that? No, I didn't even know that you was you.

Yeah. Yeah. So my first coaching job. So I graduate from university. I get my teaching degree. I start running a hockey program at the high school and a guy comes to me and says to coach triple-A with the coach, who's the coach? And my brother played for the same junior. My brother played for Henry. Karpal, did you let me play for a while and I don't know if they were around, but they had a pretty strong program.

So Paul Higgins played for Hendrika, so my brother knew him. So Higgins gets me on the bench. So I'm Paul Higgins, assistant coach of Nats, Minor Hockey and God, he's a great guy, but it was like he just just he just he was just I don't know how much he knew about coaching the time, but, you know, I and I gave him a lot of the guys played in the show and did what he did.

But he was another level. Right. Like he was I don't know if he was he was a different level was tough because I think he would just do about anything. But I don't remember his playing career as much as I remember Dom.

He's obviously we just had Brian Burke on recently. And you you had an encounter with him. Tangelo words.

Well, when I did the NHL Awards, I did the warmup like I've always wanted to host it. Right. And they never they don't even give me a sniff because it's usually in American. And so anyway, I, I get they get me one year to open to warm up the crowd, which is like the kiss of death. Right. Like no one.

People are coming in America, you know, and it's like no one's listening. But I, I, I know I was talking about Sean Avery, I was talking about Ovechkin when he scored, when he did the hot stick and I was Chippenham for the hockey stick and I was terpene. Avery, when you think he stood in front of. I think it was that time I forget anyway I did a bunch of stuff and Burke came up to me afterwards, Hey, man, you're really funny.

And it's probably only guy in the whole building that would have thought that because no one was even listening. So we kind of became friends to that. And then he he was coming out to Halifax and we're filming Go Day well for dinner. I got a text from Berkeley, right? It's just like, hey, how are you? It's like six, six months apart. How's it going? Nowhere, right. So that all started from that and went out for dinner.

And I'm like, I didn't realize it was the jam at the time. And I was like, this guy is really smart. Like he we just had dinner and, you know, he was a dude out there duck hunting. I'm like, Are you serious? Because I love it. Love it. Big duck hunter. Like, yeah, that doesn't interest me to say something like that. Right.

But you know, you know Burki, right. He wears his heart on his sleeve, just does a lot of great things. So I've gotten to know him over the last ten years. He comes to my shows once in a while. He's a straight shooter. He'll tell you that was your best set. That wasn't great. Like, yeah, right. So good guy. And that's how we met at each other where he came up to me.

Yeah. We just dropped our interview with him today. He's he's a great interview.

I said I want to bring up how you were in a docu series about the 72 Summit series on CBC. Yeah, yeah. You played Wayne Cashman, who was, well, great plays on it of that era, an absolute maniac. Did you get to meet him beforehand? That kind of helped prepare for the role was a little about that.

Yeah, no, I forgot about that. And that was my first acting role and I only got it because I played a bit of hockey. So, you know, I didn't look like Cashman. I wasn't the size of Cashman. I didn't know who he was. So when I got there, you know, I found a way to reach out to talk to him. And just so I never met him, he was down in Tampa, but we talked two or three times.

Great guy, really helpful. And he would say, that's bullshit. I never did that. Like, because, you know, you're portraying it. You know, you hear these stories that they were all these things going on. But he was great. I never got to meet him. We did. You know what? Sorry, I did meet him because we did a golf tournament after and he he was there. So it was there's about twenty six of the guys at the golf term because some will go right.

Like Bobby Clark has nothing to do with Ken Dryden, nothing to do with it. Like they're very some of them are just not a part of it and some of them are right. And so at the golf tournament there was maybe twenty six of the guys or twenty eighteen of the guys I forget. And there Hatfield was there. I sat next to Jared, tell a golf that he passed away. His on was on Minnesota Opera's crazy. I thought he was.

Yeah he was. Who. I thought you know, we talked about his son and he was at Shaddick St Mary's when Crosby was there. So we were talking a bit about that. But it was great. You know, it was such a surreal thing for me to play in that series because, you know, for for four months I started believing I was in it. Like, you start to believe your Cashman is getting a little carried away, right?

Guys that swing and people that.

Yeah, lots of cash like I got called. And the funny story there was the guy that played Esposito looked like Esposito. But couldn't skate like you don't hear that a lot in Canada, like Cyro ability, so he would go to these skating lessons. I'm like, guys, you can't teach a guy skate in six weeks. Can you just look at thirty five? You just not. He was he was a real confident guy, good actor. Looked like Esposito, but hated the fact that, you know, couldn't skate.

And he was, you know, he was the number one or two on the call sheet, which means he's up there. So The Globe Mail, which is our national newspaper, does a story on on this on the series coming out. And this guy was all about like getting noticed in the media. And, you know, I'm like I was talking about winning awards. I'm flying out with them. Right. I never met them anyway, on the cover of our national newspaper.

Like picture like your biggest new USA Today on the cover is Esposito Hands in the Air. But it's the stunt double.

So this guy is fucking furious, so furious.

It's like out loud. You have double the lead and you've got the stunt double cover.

But it's like, yeah, you couldn't straight man like you say stuff and I'm like six, not the right way. Like it was pretty well it was pretty fun. Like look at Miracle on Ice.

They went with hockey players, right. Yeah. And they thought let's get guys that are hockey players and then we'll get the acting down. And you know, these guys that I became friends with a you know, we all resources in the States, but we had to get some guys that could act really well and look like part iconic series. You had to kind of look like the player.

And, you know, all the background guys, they were all like HL guys filmed in the summer, you know? So I got to meet a lot of those guys. Those guys, one guy was like a heavyweight fighter in the NHL at the time. Cameron was saying, you know, you guys are known. But anyway, he was I sat on the bench and talked to him every take like it is, had so many great stories. So it was a real cool project and yeah, big a big you know, it didn't take off here like I guess it could have, but they did a great job top they did a good job of depicting how it went.

There was a few more stories I was supposed to ask you about. I guess to wrap it up, I'll let you pick one. The Yarrie Curry, one of the my gardener one. Oh, my God. No one was funny for me because I get invited to this celebrity golf and then I'm like just just headlining comedy clubs, not even close to being called a celebrity. And this guy did. I do know Jackson Jackson. Did you know him?

He does a lot of NHL guys. He calls me that. We joke about it now because we do this event. And I get invited, so these people are playing a big money to get a celebrity. So Michael Burgess, who passed away, was the Phantom of the Opera. So he doesn't come. So they call me either spritzes a day out, you come in a celebrity gossip or someone gave him my name. I'm like, OK, I'm a comedian.

I'm nobody. So I get there. My cart clubs go on a bag, I go to a party green, I come back and the clubs are gone. So these people pay. They're like, who is this guy? We don't want this guy somehow. And the guy says, Now you got moved over to this group. So then I go to my bag again and then the next group, who is this guy? So they kicked me off.

So now I'm finally in my Gardiner's group. But I know I'm supposed to be the celebrity, but I know he is right. But I know I'm getting paid as I was getting paid a thousand bucks. And I'm like, OK, this is awkward because Mike's the celebrity. And then there's two other guys that pay to be with celebrities. So they just think I'm a lone guy that showed up on myself. So I get close to the pin on a hole and I'm like, I put your name down, but I know I can't talk about it.

I put it put your name down. I know I can't because celebrities can't put their name on that stuff. Right.

So we get to like the 16th hole. And and then these two guys recognize me from Yuk Yuks. And they were like, oh my God, Jerry D oh my God. They jump out of the car, they're taking pictures and gardener and these other two guys have no idea what's going on right now.

What I had to explain in Gaza was I was also supposed to be the celebrity, but it was it was embarrassing through the whole round, right. To keep getting my clubs moved and everything. And it's like there's nothing more humiliating.

Hey, but those are the things you need to take early on to get you to the top then.

Yeah. And then the guy wouldn't pay me. And that's the best part of the story. The guy wouldn't pay me. He's like, look man, I go look, you know, can I get that money? I need it. I was like just starting out. I was like, look, man. And he's like, Look, let's be honest, man, you're not a celebrity. This is the guy. Organize it. Right? I go, look, I'm not on the phone.

This is two weeks after I got on the phone to debate whether I'm a celebrity. You hired me as a celebrity or your associate did. Now you pay me as a celebrity, but I'll never forget him saying, look, you're not a celebrity.

And I and then I had an event, the consummate dinner, a big event in Toronto. He was in the crowd and I told that story because I was the headliner.

I was delivering room to me.

Yeah. He came up to me. He said, you know what, I deserve that.

Because he went about did you point him out in the crowd?

I just I just said his name Andrew Jackson, Syria. And, you know, we give him credit. He came up to me and he's like, look, I deserve that, because he said to me, you look bad. You're not a celebrity. And now, yeah, now it's a different story, but, you know, who's the singer, R.A., the I feel it the and oh, Phil Collins.

That's Phil Collins, is it not that's not that's not that story, though. Yeah. That's all the people. Yeah. But Jerry, I'm the most gullible guy in the world. I'll believe anything you tell me. OK, I always think that everyone's telling me all the truth and I'm like, oh awesome man. I think I'm the most gullible person.

So that was that was an interesting conversation, but I didn't cry. He said, I deserve that. You're right. I said that. And we moved on from my rights, but I get 700 calls.

You'll be on the same level as I am, that's all. Yeah.

The character was in Dubai. I did a gig in Dubai and I was on the cruise line and I never saw the fact it was him, his buddy from Finland. It was just funny because I just gave up down for three periods at the hockey game. I did not get the puck. It was just Yarrie going back forth with it. But it was not a great story. But he was good. He was just nice.

Well, hey, Jerry, we want to thank you so much for joining us. It's been an absolute pleasure to chat with you and about your career. It's it's been a joy. And I'm going to have to I'm going to have a wire on Canadian TV so I can catch you on the feud now. I love that.

Don't you go up. I didn't I didn't hurt you once. We were cliffs. We were Blake Muskoka for the pond hockey tournament a couple of months ago. That might have been that.

Did you ever go to the cliffs in Cape Breton, the golf course?

No, I've never been there. No, I'm not a golf. I'm not a golfer.

It's worth checking out. But having me guys, I appreciate it was a fun hobby like.

Thanks so much, Jerry, for joining us and keeping Canada laughing during these trying times. And speaking of Canada, the Budweiser ultimate spot sweeps is now available across the Great White North and specially marked cases of Budweiser is your chance to win tickets to both the Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup final. Plus, other epic sports prizes. You'll also be able to redeem a coupon for a free bag of Ruffels chips in each one of these specially marked cases. Game time is our time.

Visit Ultimate Sports Sweeps Dotcom.

For more info, no purchase necessary must be of legal drinking age of drinking age. Thanksgiving is around the corner. G- going to be having a couple of glasses of vino, I'm sure. And that's a good time to remind people that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming soon with a bunch of new swag. What we got, Mikie.

Tons and tons of new stuff, new golf stuff. We got some shower kits. I'm not going to I'm not going to tell everything that's coming out. But but we've gone off the map.

It's not just sweatshirts. It's not just t shirts. We've got some crazy stuff coming. So very excited. So get to it, baby. Absolutely.

I'm sure they're following us on Twitter. They'll be hearing all about it. And now we're going to finish the show off with some final words from Ryan Whitney.

Thank you very much. Our guys wait here. Mikey, how are you?

And I know people think, oh, masters end. He wants to talk. And I do. I do.

But if you really want to know why, I'm truly buzzing as buzzing as I've ever been in my life, it's because Monday at seven forty four a.m., my wife gave birth to our second son, Wyatt Tyler Whitney. Oh, I have the chills right now.

My wife was an absolute legend champion. It was a home birth. Incredible. We'll get into that in a second. But he is so awesome.

He came out seven pounds, eleven ounces, twenty one and a half inches long and yeah it was not so was just amazing.

And let me tell you.

So it was at home because my my wife wanted to do this with when she was pregnant.

Right. I was like, no, no, we're going to the hospital, you know, because I didn't know it was educated then the more and more taco like I really want to do when we have another kid. I said, OK, all right. She explained to me. And then I started thinking, like the people giving Mikey, people have been giving birth, you know, they were giving birth and caves.

What it mean that millions of years ago people were on the earth or maybe not? Yeah, I'd say so. Well, you know, whatever.

I really was I was down with it, but when the day came, Mikey, oh, my God, I thought they'd be there and everything would go slow. Now, granted, my buddy John Connor, I was with him a couple of days prior. He said he has three kids, three daughters. He said the second one becomes way easier, comes faster. Everything goes a little quicker as long labor with Ryder.

Well, 6:00 a.m. she starts feeling like ill early labor school. And the next thing you know, she is moaning, screaming in the shower. The midwives aren't there yet. I'm pacing. She saw me in the mirror. They told me I thought I was delivering this baby. I'm like, this is not I was getting ready. I was going to catch the baby.

I legitimately was getting ready to give to to birth my own son. We didn't know at the time it was a boy. Well, she comes in bombing and she's in the shower with her winter jacket on. Still, we had to get bread to bed.

Where the where she then at seven forty four, like I said, an hour and a half after she first felt anything, maybe two and a half hours. So everything. So it my, my, my brain's fried fathers, you know what I mean. Right now. The first two days after you're on a different planet, Mickey. And yeah. Everything went well.

I didn't, I never brought it up just because I don't know. I was I was just keeping our privacy, I think.

And I think it was also we didn't tell anyone it was going to be a home birth because she didn't really want people to know that.

I don't know why, but. It was thank God, all I said the whole time, people said, you want a boy or a girl, I just want a healthy baby like everyone knows everyone has had has kids, understand? And thank God he's doing great. So it's been just an amazing couple days, just this ultimate feeling of like, you can't love you.

It's impossible to love someone this much. And like you, you almost forget it.

Writers turn at three in a month and a week. Excuse me. It's already getting forgotten about, but I wanted to share that.

So that was that was unreal. Unreal. Like, I appreciated you reached out, Mikey.

That was great. And so thank you. Thank you for listening to me. Explain about me now being the dad of two boys. I always or handling it all.

He was furious he wouldn't even look at me the first day he started realizing this kid's not going anywhere. Now, the next day, like today, he's been good. He's been nice all the baby, the baby, baby Wyatt, baby Wyatt, Wyatt, Wyatt, Whitney. And so he's she gave him a kiss. And now that things are good on that front.

But, God, it's still he has he's still like, I don't understand. He hasn't left yet, guys. When is he leaving Mom? So we'll see how it goes. But what a cool thing to get to grow up with a brother. I have two brothers, myself, Colin and Sean. I'm the oldest. So nothing is better than having having a brother. So I'm so fired up and really, really thankful and blessed.

It's crazy because the the show when this show started, writer wasn't even born. So it's been so much has happened and.

Oh, I'm so thankful for all the all that's happened since I was done playing. I'm so lucky. And I think after your wife gives birth, you're so amazed at what she did and you're also just thankful for what you have.

So I wanted to share that. Now we can talk about the Masters. I got a couple of things quickly. I'll I'll just just quickly go through Dustin Johnson. I think we have old clips, Mikie, of me talking.

This is just the ultimate alpha. There's Alpha.

And then there's D.J., the swag, the swing, the the the genius on a golf course, people say dumb. Now, granted, he gives some interviews with either sounds like he doesn't give a fuck or B is really, really stupid.

Maybe it's both, but this guy's a genius on the golf course. He's one of the greatest, greatest swings I've ever seen is so athletic, just beating it. And his brother at the end, he was getting emotional. He actually had to tell his brother, I read a little quote saying, hey, you gotta stop crying. I'm not going. You're going to you're making me emotional. I've got to finish this tournament looking like D.J., stroking it in with a swagger walk that just looks look, Euabalong Hall of Fame, any sport you decided to play.

So I was so fired up to see that guy win. How about that picture to Tiger putting the jacket on you?

That'll do. Yeah. The defending champ was Tiger Woods and then I won. So two time major champion. Now, another couple of things about that tournament, Bryson.

Talk about an all time backfire is to go into one of the most. Legendary hallowed grounds of Augusta National to go in there and say that the par 67. Mike, I don't know if you know that that means if he shot 20 under, he would have shot even par in his mind for the tournament. So I think 20 under was the winning score, but Bryson just made a fool of himself. I've said I've said of many times, I'm so impressed with this guy and his ability to to change his body and actually won the U.S. Open.

I mean, this this still is probably going to work, but he can't get out of his own way in terms of, like, public perception. I'm not that he cares. Not that he cares. But we're talking heads, Mike. That's what we're supposed to do. It cannot get out of his own way. You can't come in and chirp, of course, like it, golf, the golf gods out there, those guys have ears everywhere.

You know, about my hole in one and I'll never get one. Another story. Go back in time for that one. But Cam Smith, the Australian. This kid was straight money, I mean, he's just a gamer, I think he dusted Justin Thomas in a President's Cup match that could be off. He played he's been there before.

He's been at that highest level. But he didn't slow down once at Augusta. He was hitting his driver bedsore down seven. And on nine, he's ripping it right.

Just clubs late and he's hitting these cuts out of the pine straw to three feet tapping and birdies to stay stay in this tournament, stay with the opportunity to win a green jacket. You've got to think that it might have been his best chance ever to win. That's the crazy thing about golf. All the studs, all these guys who just pounded, the guys who hit it, like DJ Rory.

I mean, Rory is another story.

So it's the first day he could have won. But Kam Smith, he's not exactly a high level athlete, ball striker.

I don't think almost one. Show me the stats. Maybe I'm wrong. But these guys who are pounding the ball, I think, you know, guys like Kim Smith, I don't know if I'll ever be able to play that well at Augusta again. He was the first actually no chance. You know, he's the first guy to ever first and only guy Mikey to shoot in the 60s, all four rounds at the Masters.

He didn't win. So that's how hard it is.

But the Masters is still great. I thought it was kind of cool without the fan. I missed the roars and one of the roars Sunday. I was sick of it by Saturday, but the first two days I really enjoyed you get to see the whole course.

I went down the year I retired.

Oh my God. Was it crazy down there? Just the slopes. You have no idea the undulation, how up and downhill everything is. But it's the craziest experience.

No phone to dog because everybody I talked about it, but beautiful foliage too. Oh yeah.

They stayed put it. They probably had some orange and reddish trees planted in there. They buy when they need to lengthen holes. They buy like they'll buy like a school and knock it down. No, I'm just kidding. But they'll seriously do whatever they can to just get what they need.

Did you see the the bucket of balls getting sucked in under.

Oh, that was that was mesmerizing. I never seen that where they have a couple of little guys down there, they're shorter and they just have them running back and forth with Titlist, TaylorMade, Shrek's on whatever.

What else was I going to say about the master?

Oh, but the first few days of knots of not having the fans, you saw so many different parts on TV that you'd never really seen before.

You saw how the course plays a little bit different in a lot of guys got screwed breaks and lost that ball where he's like, so if we don't find it is a lost ball. He was actually close to getting a drop there. I know that if there was water as he walked Mickey that came up, he would have got a drop. He would have been able to stay all would have been able to agree that it went in there. But still, I was just.

I was on edge because I also thought she was going to go and give you go into labor during the Masters. Not on them.

You know, I said I said if this if if this kid starts his journey out Sunday at the Masters during the back nine. It's a tough start. You know, me and him are not getting off to a good start or her or he's destined to be a golfer, though. No, no. I think he knew his dad wanted to watch and instead he came the next morning, like I said, 744, the greatest gift I could ever receive.

So shout out to everyone.

I missed chatting. And God, it's nice to just talk about things. The first the first episode when we're all really catching up again, I'll be good. But this breaks open. Awesome. I think business has been on a hike, Mike. Yeah, he's hiking around Utah. Oh, I didn't see any pictures now.

I'm just kidding. Those pictures were sick. I actually want to see the video I saw.

He's also hanging out with Scotty Gomez right now, who we interviewed and probably could interview 19 more times because I think we just got through about his rookie year and it was an hour and a half. So busy getting it done for sure, as always.

And hours, probably smoking a lot of drugs.

But, Mike, we appreciate what you do and obviously I appreciate what all you guys do. So, listeners, thank you so much. And we'll see you in a couple of weeks. Yes, sir.

First week of December. All right.

As always, we'd like to thank our awesome sponsors here on and triplets big thanks to our long time friends at New Amsterdam, Bodger and Pink Whitney. Big thanks to our friends over at Netzer. Keeping us safe on the roads.

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