Hello to everybody, welcome to Episode 324 Spin Checketts, presented by Pink Whitney from our friends at New Amsterdam Vodka here on the barstool sports podcast, Family Boys, it's great to be home again.

We hit Jupiter, Florida. We hit Manhattan. We hit North Jersey. I know the what thugs did on the road, but first time in three weeks with no one the show at home. Mike ITG. Nice, nice to be in your apartment last week. Better to be home. How's it going buddy.

Great to be in New York City this weekend. The weather was fantastic. Broke out the rollerblades for the first time this season. Boys, lot of big plans for the Blade game this summer. Huge plans come in. So I'll leave it there. Face plants.

Basically, I this nasty what's up, buddy? You must be feeling like right now, great to be back in the big chair.

I've been on the road, haven't fucking slept since Mr. Nikonov and his apartment are going to be honest. I haven't had a wink of goddamn sleep since that happened.

I will redeem myself and I will. Word is he could be going back to Russia because of it. Ari is responsible for a one way ticket deportation. He kidnaped his brother and brought home because it was it was a great relaxing weekend.

I mean, I celebrated my birthday on March 11. Thank you to all the wonderful people reached out to wish me a happy birthday. I'm sorry I couldn't get back to all you, but it was a good one. I got to hang out and I did a hike this weekend with Mr. Feen again, and I love you. And it was it was relaxing voice. I'm I got all the partying and craziness out of the way at the beginning of my life.

Now I'm just now I'm just an old man. Yeah.

I still bust out every once in a while, though. I don't know if he can.

I don't know if he can. He might be a changed man.

I'm a changed man. That's the voice of Orion. Whitney, the whiteboard. You are still in Florida. You are coming home soon.

And you were at Disney World earlier today, which is Sunday where you recorded. I was in. All right. You're you're misinformed.

What the plan is, is for myself to be about as anyone as humanly possible tomorrow. And that's a day at Disney World.

So I always said I actually I want to bring up what we're bringing on Keith Yandle. You know, I don't know. Did you just say that? I did not.

You did. OK, all right. I'm glad. I'm glad I remembered.

And he's involved in this one. I'm going to tell you the story, but we brought him on. So you're going to hear about him talk about getting his thousand game ceremony. It was a great interview, but. When he first went to Disney World with his kids, when he got home, I said, how was it his idea? It was unbelievable. There's like these VIP passes or like something like this. There's like fast passes and there's even big dog.

There's an even bigger dog that just walks around.

So you have to wait in any lines. Some of these lines six hours long. It's just the teacups.

I don't know about the teacups. Probably like the Harry Potter ride. I'm guessing the teacups are busting out the big lines anymore. But he was like, dude, this is unbelievable. Whenever you go somewhere you have kids this way, you got to do so at the in the middle of the trip, you know, we're in Jupiter.

I said, oh, well, we're so close. Why don't we just drive up to Disney World for Ryder?

He'll love it. It'll be unbelievable.

And I was like, what a great idea. Now, I didn't think right away that you got to wear masks the whole time. It's like 90 degrees. So that was the first one. I was like, oh, man. Like, even when you're outside, you go to heaven on whatever, I'll survive.

Well, then, like a hammer to the back of the head, I looked in to everything and saw there's no VIP passes, there's no fast passes. covid has those things dead to rights right now.

They're gone apparently fast passes like possible to get. I've looked into it. I don't think it is.

So I am going tomorrow with my son, who's going to be absolutely sensory overload in love with the place.

But he's three years old and three.

You don't exactly understand like what the line is. So Omine one people say on one, I say in one.

I can't wait to report back to you, but tomorrow's day one and wish me luck.

Now the confusion. Aaargh! Because you thought that he'd already been. I saw you post the picture in front of a T. Rex ride or something. What was that?

So today we went over to Disney Springs, which is like all these like restaurants and shops and all.

When you see Disney people, Disney people stick out, it's unreal. Like, you know, like there's couples like where are the kids? Nope. They're just in their Disney, Mickey and mini shirt. And they're both 43 years old from Iowa. And they're walking down the street and just in they're Disney people like Disney people are a real life thing.

So we went over there because he loves dinosaurs and is like this dinosaur like lunch place. And you build a dinosaur like it's build a teddy bear type thing and you know your name. It's just one of those days where it was like the warm up. It was basically pre game skate before big game.

OK, little dynamic stretch. Get ready, get your hips ready for my hips and you know, my feet. And I got the hernia. Yeah. But I made, I made a I had to make a promise. I cannot and will not complain one time tomorrow or it could be.

It could be. It could be curtains for your boy. Ryan did did he make you promise that she looked me in the eye and said, hey, I need to talk to you about something?

I said, what happened? She said, you have to promise me that you will not complain one time.

Where is the world? Can you just look?

I said, can I play golf two times over there? And she said, yes, when we get inside Saturday, he can play and then go play. Tuesday were Monday, Wednesday at the park.

You are smiling, Ryan, and you are not complaining and you bottle up. I promised her and that that'll be the case. So I don't know what I'm going to do. Sorry. Can I borrow up what I was going to say.

Can you bottle up the complaints and save them for next podcast as I write them down on my phone. Oh no. My notes.

I put them all in the fucking memo.

But it's all about seeing you, seeing your son. Have you have a great time. He's already, he's got he's just like he's buzzing. He's like moving his feet during the national anthem, like, you know, when you're just trying to get that nervous energy out. So I'll report back to you next week.

Have you been to Disneyland or Disney World or Disneyland or lands in L.A.? It's trash. Yeah. Disney World is Florida. Disneyland is California. But you are the complex itself, though, right? Disney World. Like you're staying on campus basically for.

No, I'm not. You're all that's not on campus. OK, well, either way, yeah, the whole you can stay in the complex because I went as a kid and it's great when you're a kid to see it because it's such a fabled place. But my cousin got married there a few years ago and then me and my wife like, oh, we went back to check it out. And then like as an adult, that's like, OK, I'll probably never go back again.

I mean, that's kind of been there, done that. But I will say the Tower of Terror, I think they did it. That's a fucking probably the best ride. That monorail ride or the Aerosmith roller coaster is legit.

So I heard that check. Here's the thing. Show biz. Oh, go ahead. The Tower of Terror. Is that at Universal Studios or is that at Disney World?

Well, at Universal Studios, which is one of the parks with the entire complex.

OK, OK. Because because I went in as a kid to that's when Indiana Jones was popular. So I got to watch the India I'll never forget. I spent my entire allowance, day one on an Indiana Jones hat. Really? Oh yeah. Oh I thought I was jacket that you were too.

What do you mean. Like if you still, if it could still fit you could rock a hat like that with that jacket. You wear it. Be a sec. Oh yeah.

Yeah I got it. I mean I think it's long gone now. What. All Ninja Turtles were a big back then. So let me repeat and then you go to the area where you could get the note pad and get all of their autographs. Yeah.

Yeah. Walt Disney World is the whole it's that whole the pocket self. But there's another name for the whole complex. But when I was there biz last time, we are at Space Mountain and the whole lurve space mountain is it's in the dock.

It's a roller coaster in the docks. You don't want to wear what. Don't know where you're going. When me and my wife or line some there was some sort of malfunction. They had to turn the lights on inside Space Mountain. It was like fucking seeing the biggest secret ever because it was a malfunction. You could see all the layout of all the tracks like the cars and stuff. It was like, finally this crazy, crazy secret.

I took pictures and shit, hey, you see leaks with like buckets collects in the water like Xed out. Seems like signs on the wall. You're just like, oh, space mountain sick.

Yeah. They get their own fire department stuff down that it's. What's the other one where you go in the business world, after all? It's a tough one. I'll probably be doing that one tomorrow. Sorry for the long Disney talk, folks, but we just got these guys talking about I just told them what was going on in my life.

But is six hours, six hours, people wait in line for a five minute ride like is are you like one of my one of my dates back in the day?

That's really all that I've said. All that for nothing. She's like a.. Pick up the bill. Jesus.

Shit. All right.

Well, moving right along, I mentioned we were on the road with the last gig we had was still in Florida, me, Baez, and we stopped by. We can't really get into it too much. But it was online. It was the pink Whitney Cup. Erica was huge putting us together. It was an awesome day. There's going to be a video, actually, I believe it's a video series that's going to drop. I can't wait for the footage.

They had drones there. They had Besant Jake don't play by play.

So there were some people that were confused as to the fact that there was no prior warning of what we were doing in New Jersey. But the whole premise of this is it was a content piece brought to you by Pink Whitney that we're going to listen. Guys, when the world opens back up, we're going to be doing the live porn Haughey's and these live events. We couldn't do it, so we figured we go a different route and a great job by Erika and everybody.

A barstool organizing this. Some amazing female hockey players joined us as well. We're going to keep everything a secret until it's released. But thank you for everyone at Bar Stool and all the outside people for joining us during that that filming of it.

Yeah, we had four four battle personalities. They had a draft. And like you said, they had a lot of the best players. There were all the young woman that would that mean we Olympians, they had one players and it was just everybody had a fun day. I hopefully that will be conveyed through the video. What was your role? I basically played the what the McGuire role, what we say.

I was the roving reporter.

One interview ahead and one of the baldhead there, like trying to say I'm there. Yeah, I wasn't exactly gussied up like I was because I didn't know what I was doing until I got there that morning.

But it was fun. It was actually it was almost kind of like doing improv in a way because like I was playing it kind of like the serious role, but obviously joking. So I had as much fun as anybody. I mean, I didn't play, but I had a blast, you know, that was like so we don't talk about too much. But it was everybody afterwards was talking about how much fun they had. A lot of people didn't know each other and they were like like pals afterwards.

It was a good day. So we can't wait to drop that.

And speaking of pink, Whitney, now that hockey is back, you're going to have to find your shot. And what better way to do that than with our friends at Pink Whitney? From January 1st through March 26th, we are given fans a chance to win a custom pink Whitney shot machine. All you have to do is post a picture of you in your pink Whitney and use the hashtags hashtag pink Whitney hashtag take your shot hashtag sweepstakes. We'll be picking winners from the U.S. and Canada every other week, so make sure you get creative with your submissions.

Those things look pretty fun. A little bit of PR around that biz. You appeared on PMG this week. Check check that with the boys while you're in New York.

Great chat with the boys. Great seeing everyone and being live in studio. I haven't been there, I think almost a year. So, yeah, if you guys I listen, I thought it was great.

And I think that if we do have some new fans in the past, I don't know, year or whatever, the last time you talked about it was your last game. That story's awesome. The first time you told it on here, I remember you got emotional and it was just like hearing it again, just a little more much more brief on part of my take. It's for anyone who has never heard that. Go check it out.

You made an appearance as well. I mean, you've been a soccer fan for five minutes and already making appearances on soccer shows.

Yes, I was fired up our I got invited to go and Chelsea miked up podcast.

So I talk about how much I hate anyone who writes me. Don't talk about soccer. And I've talked about here.

I can't I ever met you and you said that I just get away. You're such a loser.

But I got the chance to do it on that part and maybe I can get back on or maybe I can get into something. Or maybe I just like, don't let these people fuck me. And I continue to talk.

But Chelsea is on a roll. And we went on to talk about the new manager, a couple of the signings. I had a bunch of questions for these guys as I'm still learning my way around the game. But I will say and I don't know if I said it on Chilcote's, I think I've learned more about soccer in whatever it's been three or four months than any human has in the history of learning about soccer for three or four months.

I got one quick soccer question now. They weren't doing great. They fired their manager. Is there a possibility that they can still win the overall they can't win the league this year?

Man City is just running away with it. Yeah, Mansmann said he's so good.

They're the best team, but it's all about well, it's all about winning the Premier League. But you got to finish top four. You get Champions League and they're still alive in Champions League this year and they're up one oh on Madrid, Atletico Madrid in the round of 16. So they have the home game, too.

They won on the road. It was a neutral site, but yeah, I love it. I'm all in. I finally have a team.

I now understand, by the way, I won't chirpy. Anymore for saying we, because I say we this is the first time I've ever said really weak about a team.

Champions League, if you win that, more important than winning the British Premier League, that would be a great question that I'm I'm guessing it is bigger because you're winning the entire title in Europe.

Or maybe I mean, is it those teams in Russia, those teams from Russia?

Yeah, I think I think Champions League is a bigger W but butt. Tweet me your opinion and then I won't respond if you're mean and tell me not to talk about soccer mambas.

Got to meet troops at the aforementioned Pinguin Cup and he is an electric factory. Oh, I'm got to meet that guy.

He was not screaming at somebody in a restaurant last night. I saw that it was they were they just talking soccer?

I think it was an Arsenal watch party. So like the bar was pumpin with Arsenal fans. He's just going at it with some guy.

North London Derby.

Yeah, I want to I want to go to battle with him. Absolutely. All right.

Moving back over to the news. We talked about this before. It's official. ESPN and ABC are back in bed with the NHL. The league will partner with Disney through the twenty eight season ads for the deal, according to the athletic, is worth four hundred dollars million per year. Again, this is just the deal with ABC, ESPN. ABC is going to have four complete Stanley Cup finals they're going to have for the next seven or eight, which is fantastic to have on one of the three major networks, all four major networks like that, the bringing the theme song back, which is awesome.

Gary Thorn, he he wants back in. I know he's 72 years old, but he's he's open. He's not working for the Orioles anymore. Stephen A. Smith, he dropped that what for the video of top five reasons, like he site for hockey. Do you guys get a chance to see that in all? Kind of went pretty viral?

I did. I'm a huge TV guy, so, I mean, like I said, we talked about before, but it's official. And I know, you know, I'm a hockey fan. I've shit on ESPN as much as anybody.

But like I tweeted that picture of Don Corleone and what's his name, I Tattaglia Huggin at the meeting, the guy I like just let bygones be bygones, forgive everybody. And, you know, the league will be better on ESPN. They'll they'll they know. Everybody knows they pimped their own products. If you're in bed with them, then they're going to you know, we're going to see a lot more economic data and ask the Matthews on that.

So from my understanding, I think that, you know, given the pandemic and everything, they were maybe I honestly say disappointed with the number that they got. They I think Bettman was hoping for more. But the good news about this, though, is there's still more TV rights to be sold, correct? Yeah. Yeah.

People are saying NBC will probably still stay involved and that could be for two hundred million a year. So then you're looking at six hundred million a year and their whole deal was two hundred.

Go ahead boss.

You can give you. No, no, no. I was just I was just more of asking a question, but I think at the end of the day this is just great for the league, you know, more exposure. And as you mentioned on ESPN, the biggest sports network in the United States, like having that type of exposure where games are especially important, ones like playoffs and Stanley Cup games are on at bars. It's just going to eventually elevate the play.

And, you know, I. I think that, yeah, hockey's definitely on the rise. And this was a big move by the league to get to get more eyes involved. I love it.

I that's very well said. And there's a lot of people who are like chirping like who cares about the song? Look, I mean, nobody cares about the song, but it's an absolute banger. It's a classic. It's like this.

It's almost as good as the song before the sandbaggers for that two minutes countdown. And I just think back to like ESPN was where I was watching hockey playoff hockey when I really fell in love with the game. Ninety four in New York, New York Rangers. It was like just I just think of hearing that music and think back to all the big games and Lemieux on the penguins and yeah, it was so long ago.

But where ESPN is and how many teeth, like they're they're on there in every sports bar, every bar has ESPN on.

So there you go. It's just more eyes on hockey. I think it's great. And yeah, I would definitely agree that they probably were hoping for more money and look at it as a little bit of a disappointment. But that was all prior to covid. So any anyone with a brain understands you can't try to even compare it now to what are they bringing back, Barry Melrose or Melrose is still there.

Photographs? Very happy for my boy, John Bootlegger's. He's a great guy and he's been drumming hockey as hard as he can for as long as he's been at ESPN since they got rid of it.

But he used to host the NHL tonight with Barry Melrose. And then, you know, Ray Ferraro, I think maybe was on there at times.

But that's a guy who was so fired up, right? I mean, who knows? He's done he's done the play by play for the NCAA national title game for a long while now on ESPN.

So we'll see where he ends up. And it's an exciting time because I think it's just to remember when it was on OEL and the Outdoor Life Network.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. That was my rookie year. I played on the Auslin. Now we're on ESPN. Yeah, I love it.

That's a good point, because that's the one channel that's on every bar restaurant. You sit in the barbershop, it's always ESPN and it's always, you know, the highlights of the teams. They're in business. What's so the NHL is in business with them now.

So we'll see them a lot while also true, I don't if you're aware, if you have Hulu, you can watch ESPN Plus on Yahoo! Now, which they've actually been games on ESPN Plus this whole season, actually the last two seasons. I don't know if people know that. If you go on Hulu, you can actually watch NHL games on Yahoo two these days. So worth worth noting also to Biz Fox is still in the running. I know everybody thinks NBC is going to be the other partner right now.

I guess they're somewhat apart on money. But Richard, who covers TV, I'm sorry, sports media for the athletic, he said Fox is a dark horse, so they're not completely out.

It is crazy, though. Fox doesn't have after the Super Bowl. Fox has nothing they have. NASCAR, they do all right. Don't they do the work but saying but I'm saying but from February whatever 5th on, they have college basketball and NASCAR, they have nothing.

So until yeah, until springtime when baseball comes.

So, yeah, you'd think they'd get involved. That is kind of weird.

But yeah, it was great news to see and it seemed like that that was going to be the case. You kind of heard the rumblings for a little while now. Yeah.

And obviously that production is what it is. They do a great job with NFL and NBA. And like I said, we're happy to be back, but let bygones be bygones and everybody move forward and grow the game ripest.

Let's fucking go over and fucking go. All right, buddy. Keith Yandle obviously played in a thousand games we mentioned. Well, he had his first game back in Florida. They were able to celebrate it. His team gave him a few gifts and we got a little face time. But I'm. So what do you say, boy? Little over quite right now, Senator.

Over. Yup. All right. As our boy, Keith Yandle.

Welcome now to a special guest, one of our faves, Keith Yandle is joining us and 4000 games played.

He had a celebration Saturday night, March 13th, where I and Paul Bissonette, among many others, spoke to say what a great guy and what an amazing career you've had now joins. Let's talk about it, buddy. How are you doing? How happy are you right now?

Yeah, well, first off, thanks for the kind words from both you guys. IRA, appreciate you doing nothing.

But nobody knows I got kicked out of the alumni.

Yeah. Hey, hey. On a serious note, though, I think that three quarters of mine got cut off. I was ranting on and on my guy. I probably should have tightened it up and been less of a clown because. Because it was going out to the masses.

No, it was great. I mean, it was you your voice squeak and you made it. You liked my place.

Just squeak. I'll send you the whole video afterward. I whip my talk on the best was Radar Ray Bourque.

He just like, you know this face. Geetha Oh yeah.

It is cool. Like right by his cool. Just Oh yeah. Barbecuing just.

Yeah. Yeah that that was, I was special too obviously having the legend Bubba Borke himself. But yeah. You got, you guys killed it as always.

So you got to be honest. Sorry. You had, you had no idea about the song Shatzer you had heard something.

I had no clue, no clue where I got there. And how metallic is that. Silver up in the song. Juice.

It's juice. It really is. Yeah.

We tracked your credit card for those. Just a heads up now. Yeah. You get them off the barstool. Sports store. That's all right. I saw the charge. I did read.

I did read it with the pitcher. I at least did that anyways.

I appreciate you. Yeah, no, I came into the locker room and I saw those hanging and I saw one of the guys had it on and I literally had to walk out of the locker room because I was I was going to cry. Oh really. Oh yeah.

I saw you, I saw you quote after and like it was just so cool to see, you know, how how long we've known each other.

And it was just like seeing the video of that many teammates that you've just, you know, made a difference in their lives. It was awesome. And all the guys back home are Stormers, our crew. We were just, like, so proud of you. So I'm I'm glad you felt that way. But you got to also kind of fill us in on this golf cart situation. Will this thing be allowed at, like, your home course?

One of them, I think, is one of them, I think it's a at which I've seen people drive their own golf carts because a lot of people in Florida just drive them around. And you can you can I don't know if it has to hook up for the bag.

I won't even bring I think you can put the you can put the license plate on and be like driving it on Lospalos, though.

You won't see me driving a car. Yeah, I will be strictly I'll be the guy you ever see in Lassalle. They shuttle people back and forth to the hotel. That'll be me.

It's like 350. But you got you got a tip on 399.

When you retire, you could be like the people in Scottsdale who drive the people around to bars, or is that kind of what you were talking about?

Yeah, kind of the exact same thing I just said. Try to drive up to the villages, go looking for gifts, whatever I could think of what's left.

Solus, that's a street. It's like on Main Street. Oh, OK. How old is this town. It's insane.

It's got like a it's got a backup camera. It's got like a little it's got like basically a little iPad in the front.

It hums, it goes like 30 miles an hour. I took we took it we took it for a ride around the rink last night.

It was I like eight guys on it after the song shirts.

It was great music. It has like you can watch movies on it, cooler in the back. The thing is insane.

So nice actually to get a double in that game because before the before it was it was kind of a long ceremony.

I was like, he must be like, oh my gosh, are we to get this game started in my leg. You have a jelly.

Yeah it was it's one of those things you especially like when the spotlight's on you, you're like, oh God. And you just kind of want it to and you know what I mean. But but yeah, exactly. But I would bismack like we had a lot of thousand games and Phenix and like being a part of them, I think it's so cool. And like I remember being so excited for guys and guys were like that with me. And it was I mean, it meant the world to me how much the guys loved it.

I would say besides being upset about the money he's losing, like you are so genuinely happy for guys, because I think once you play, I don't know, like, what, 30, 40 games in the league, maybe in one season you realize how many games a thousand is like this, would you not?

I remember.

I remember I don't know, in my fourth year being like, holy shit, I'm at like 220. This guy's got a thousand.

So I think that's what's so special is that you do feel bad that it takes a long.

But you had to know everyone was just about to retire because that's just too many loads in my bellybutton for pregame. Hey, hey, but on a serious note, though, the reason we had you on is we want you to count to a thousand like Patrick Kane did. So just so you can start now, he can't get past Satie's.

He's more educated than I am. I would imagine I would be here for a while.

They should have put you. What is it, cap friendly fucking career earnings off for the license plate, 17 numbers on the bottom.

Yeah, look like a license plate in England. They give you a Rolex, too, didn't they?

Yeah, the team team got me right. Semenza bought me a Rolex.

Jacobi's with a classy is too fucking Rolex isn't a vehicle. He's already sold one of them. I'm making a comeback fight this shit.

So he's he's he sent it to Christan and gave it to me on that on the game on the day of the game. And obviously I was showing it off to all the guys and like so I'm like, dude, easy to watch. It's unbelievable. It's like the nicest thing one individual has ever done for me. And just like he was I was reading the text and Chris, I was like, I couldn't even get through the text, like.

And so I was showing the guy's obviously on the Internet before the game. I'm like, yeah, he and they were all like they were waiting to give me my Rolex yesterday. And they're like, oh man. Like this guy thinks we didn't get him anything. But I was like, I didn't even think that they were like, you must have thought we were a joke. I'm like, I actually didn't even think twice about it. I didn't think I was getting anything.

I mean, yeah, I got to watch as I made out like a bandit. Yeah.

We started shaking there for a second when you said they didn't buy anything, you know, I've seen it already.

Got it off the truck, Frazey. That's how we how it came with the Alpine that we put in the golf cart for them. Yeah.

And also you sunk the cameraman, Otto. I mean, first game back at home after a thousand, you sunk the cameraman. How appropriate. What was that? Have you seen this? I haven't seen it, you kind of song, you had like two songs, one to a player, one to a cameraman.

You you fake past it from behind the head up the right side, the camera a bit like an absolute like Muppet, like the camera just rips left and it goes back to you and you realize you didn't move the pork and you carrying it up ice and you kind of song to drop pass to somebody.

And all of a sudden there's a video of some little kid watching with his dad. And the kid is like 70s.

I saw no, I thought there was an earthquake.

It was it was that was the worst seven year old voice a human being's ever done. But yeah, that's the video. I'll send it to you. Yeah.

I said yeah, it goes on my Twitter or anything. I didn't see it. That's awesome. I got to see it. As far as the game went, I ended up watching most of the fucking Barkov, the whole is a joke. These guys, it's fucking nuts. He he played five minutes on the penalty, kill 240 on the PPY. He's relied upon in every single situation.

Yeah. Yeah. He was going to play goalie next game. Oh. Is he OK? Yeah, he's going to get the start.

The guy, he's, he is one of the most insane hockey players I've ever seen. Like just all aspects of the game defensively has. He gets like ten takeaways a game. And then get never takes penalties, just like he's an absolute horse, wins, draws, it's insane.

He's he's in he's the best guy in the world, too, and obviously a big reason for the team's overall success.

You guys are playing some great hockey. I mean, I know it's a pretty tough division at the top with with Carolina and Tampa Bay, but like just overall, how has this season been going? And, like, you know, what's what's the room like? And I guess just kind of fill us all in.

Yeah, it's been great. Obviously, it's a good start for us. I think we're halfway through right now. And, you know, obviously we're in a position that we're that we want to be in being and, you know, in the playoff picture right now. But with a tough division. I mean, you're playing the same teams. It's tough. You've got to play the good teams basically every night. So there's no there's no off nights.

But it's you know, it's been fun. It's, you know, like I think I was telling you, an attack. You just playing every game, like every day you feel like you're playing. So it's just like it's fun. You just going to go to the rink and playing games. Keith, this is like the first time that you and Tampa have actually had a real rivalry. I mean, they've both been in Florida almost 30 years now, but there's never been a real rivalry, it seems like so this year with this division set up.

Yeah, probably. I mean, I think when we play, we play them always in the beginning of the season. And it seems like it's always heated because we played them like three or four times in training camp and then we usually start the season with them twice. So it's usually pretty heated the first couple of games. And then, you know, you can go a while without seeing them, but with the way it is now, you're seeing them a lot.

And yeah, it's definitely a good in-state rival for sure.

This kid, Carter Vahedi, I think was talking to String back home. Billy Ryan, it's a good swaggy.

Swaggy. Is that really what it is? Yeah. Versus Swaggy is swagga.

I think that actually needs to forever be his name. Now, for an announcer doesn't call him the swaggy. Jack Edwards will still fuck it up somehow, but.

He kind of reminds us of like Jonathan Marshall, who, you know, went to Florida and didn't have to go on and had battled his way up like this kid played in the East Coast Hockey League. He looks awesome. Is that just I mean, I'm not saying it's just playing with Barkov, but he must have sides of him. And we're like, wow, I can't believe this kid wasn't making a bigger impact in the NHL. Yeah, it's I mean, he is very, very talented, he flies.

I don't know if you can tell on TV, but he is very, very fast. He's really good with the obviously it shows a lot about how deep Tampa is. You know, kind of he wasn't playing a regular role every single night. And it also shows, you know, the hard work he's put in. The guy's grinded and he played in the coast, the minors, and worked his way up. The first line getting to play with Barkov.

And he he's in the offensive zone. He's always around the park. He's really good at coming to the little things that he does during a game that you like. This guy is special and he's he's rigt is his shot. Last night was a cannon and he's got a really hard shot. So, yeah, he's he's he's a he's a hell of a player for sure.

What's different from last year? You guys are kind of firing on all cylinders right now in a season, like you said, only half full. But you never really got to that point last year.

What's the big difference? I don't know, it's it's tough to really say. I mean, we're. I feel like we've got a really new group, too, so it's not a we got to feel like we've got like 10, 12 new guys. So it's kind of something where, you know, you come in and it's new faces and no real, you know, once played together. It's kind of a weird training camp where and you're not around everyone, too.

So it's it's been one of those things that we've just kind of bonded on the ice and been playing and enjoying ourselves on the ice. But, yeah, I couldn't I couldn't tell you the difference, which I think. I think we're a lot faster than we were last year, we brought in guys that are that are faster and we, you know, we the way that the league is to now, you've got to be fast to win. And, you know, I think they did a good job of that.

While pride of Springfield veterano him straight, straight away, speed is like he's like running back.

Yeah. Yeah. He's like going on the ice. Remember that game, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Like, you go up the thing like the hedgehog. OK, I love it. Yeah, the haircut is fucking wonderful.

All right. So talk about the road.

I mean, you notoriously had never gotten room service before and then this year, what are you doing?

Obreht writes now on the curb, just because he refuses to get rooms.

I mean, they have meals for us, too. So in the meal room. So, I mean, I'm counting that as not room. So I haven't eaten a dinner in my room.

Let's say that I was I mentioned yesterday online about underappreciated players and obviously I mentioned Barkov. But Huberta is another guy. I mean, he flies under the radar and this is probably one of the best starts he's ever had as far as the team's concerned, just like talk about his impact and, you know, maybe the step that he's taken this year as far as his overall overall play.

Yeah, and he was a guy, too, I think, for the majority of his career. I mean, I think he was here before Baqi, but he's played a lot of his career with Barkov and obviously put up monster numbers. And but this year, he hasn't played with them that much and he's still doing what he can do. I think he's one of the best passes I've ever played with. He can thread a pass through the seam, the power play.

He's he's the guy we want, you know, with the puck on his stick is insane. But I think he's proven that, you know, he doesn't just have to play with PARCA. He's making other guys better. He's playing with Horn Chris, who I think has eleven goals or something like the best man in the league right now. Yeah. Does he have a tanning bed or is he just hanging out outside? All they know he's he's got the spray tan, you know, the one that doesn't wash off.

Yeah, yeah. You got the you got the good one that went didn't get this guy's ball.

He follows the rules. After you have won, you wouldn't you would have acted like you wouldn't have a shirt on if you were built like him. Just absolutely shredded this guy so you wouldn't have a shirt on. So he you know, he works on the tan and it's nice.

Is it is it true? Hold on. Business. Is it true? He said, I got it. I got to get better at golf. And somebody asked him why. He's like, I bought the course back home.

I don't know. I've never heard that. But they can be bought the course to be. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's yeah. Yeah that's true. Yes, yes.

That is one hundred dollars. I should have said.

I thought, oh well you should have what specific specific site actually said as I said it, what we are playing a blame transparent.

What is that.

What is the actual word. Specified. Specified like you weren't even fucking close. This is English Grenelle.

He looks like he's in a gym room closet like a yeah. He's got a deal all the time. Yeah. Oh. In the locker room during covid he got a deal on it.

He'd been telling everybody about it. Who are the absolute clowns on this team. Who are the young guys who came in that you guys just like torture because they're silly characters.

Marchmont. And why Mason Marshman, his name is Mush, I think is his, so he's got he's him and his dad a third all time for most penalty minutes as a father son combination. He has two penalty minutes is dad has like 7000 is a thing that bothered Bryan management. No brains.

Is that savage killer. Yeah. Now this kid, he's great. He's just like. The one you like? Yeah, you know, you talk to young guys, he was getting a massage after the game, he's played like, I don't know, I think it says four. Yeah, no, no. He's playing first. I'm playing great.

But Chicken Barkov off the table. Yeah. You know, so I brought archean with him. I'm like, Baqi, how many massages have you got in your career?

And he's like, one. And then Marjie, I'm like Marji. That's the best player in the world. He's got one massage and then Marg's like on.

So we put the massage table in his in his stall the next day, just like little stuff like that. But he's he's great.

Oh that's the shit I miss man. That's the best. As far as the videos are concerned, who was the most surprising that you ended up seeing? Who ended up giving giving you congratulations? The. Most surprised, I don't know what do off the bat. I was surprised by that for some reason. Yeah, makes total sense. I don't know. I just thought of players, I guess, because I thought and asked me in bed, so I didn't think of them.

I knew Patty was like just looking for a cocktail after this. Yeah.

Patty party exactly. The most.

I don't know. I sold the whole thing. They didn't show last night, but someone sent me a video. It's like a seven minute video of all of them. And Rick Mashers his was really funny. We have like an inside joke about key lime pie. He mentioned that. So is his is is good. Yeah, I saw that.

I felt so left out that I didn't get it. Yeah, no, so this guy likes key lime pie or dessert only, you might as well have egg salad for lunch, a key lime pie for dessert. He eats that. He's not on the plane now.

I swear on our friendship.

So if you shout in my face, who do I have to be 20 feet away from you minimum?

So we've got the first time I ever went to dinner. I think we might have been in Key West like all of the key lime pie.

I'm like, no, he won't let he's not have that at this table.

I call it burnt sour taste like burnt sour. Like if you ever try it, it's disgusting in this guy. I don't know if he did it just to piss me off, but he would get it every time we went to dinner and wouldn't even eat it or the tables or anything he like.

Yeah, I went to Ocean forty four in Scottsdale with a couple of buddies and one guy got it. And I haven't talked to him since I blocked his.

No, no I'm serious. Yeah.

I'm like not to go too serious here but like obviously early on, like you, you know, you got to Arizona, you're probably having a good time off the ice. But like you ended up button it up and obviously, like donor and a guy like Derrick Morris and some other hands helped you like, you know, I guess, like kind of carve you out to be more of a professional, like, you know, kind of kind of touch on that.

Yeah, no, those guys are if. Yeah, I was so lucky to obviously be drafted anyways, but to be drafted by Phenix and to be put in a situation where I got to look up to guys and guys wanted to take care of young guys and. Yeah, I went in there obviously are 18, 19, 20 years old, and, you know, you live in areas you and you kind of you can you can have your fun there.

And I think, you know, seeing Donor and Derek Mars, Ray Whitney, you know, guys that just had been around for a while that knew how to take care of themselves, I was able to go out there and train. You know, Phenix made me go out there to get away from, you know, the crew back home a couple summers ago, which was, you know, probably sucked at the time.

But we all arrived once he left town at that point because.

Yeah, yeah, I missed out on some Feghali and stuff like that. But yeah, obviously it worked out and was one of those things where I needed to, you know. Figure out how to be a pro and how to handle myself off the ice, and I definitely thank those guys for showing me the right way. And I was, you know, I saved my career and saved my life.

Everyone just has been so complimentary of you and your career and all the good games you've played. But is there anything like one game in the thousand and three now where you're like, Oh, man, I didn't have it that night.

Yeah, is there any. Yeah, like is there one that sticks out that you were horseshit?

Oh, yeah, one night. I mean, there's got to be about I mean, nine hundred and ninety eight like one where you just like trying to think I remember one game we played in. I forget it was Paul Korea thought it was here in Anaheim, Colorado, and now he's in Nashville. It might have been. Yeah, I was in Nashville and there was a game that I was out there against him. And he was I just remember him just and I'm like, they got to stop putting me on the ice when this guy is out here.

And just one time I had the puck behind the net and I came out. I didn't see him in front of the goalie. He just grabbed the park and put it in. I'm like, oh, boy, what are we doing here? But think thinking you. Yeah, you was just completely in my kitchen. We are one game where I know I was out the night before and he broke and had no clue even realize that you were out there against him ever eaten alive?

Yeah, I was blaming Joe Vogelzang. It wasn't even me. Yeah.

Who was it? One time we were playing San Jose and I tried to make a sauce pass through the middle and jumbo Joe picked it off, came down, probably got an assist because he's all he does is pass in Gretzky calls me into the office. He's like, not only should you not be on the ice against Joe Thorton, you shouldn't try to pass it through him. I'm like, OK, I thought I was going to the minors, but yeah, yeah, there was some there's obviously a lot of tough game actually going way back.

Wasn't enough. Wasn't the first time you got called up. They just called you up and bagged you and then set you back down.

You didn't play. Am I missing? I had a lot of back. I had a lot of bags, gates with my son, right? Yeah, he was a killer, was he?

Thirty one of those 30 minute guys. It was like, yeah, we used to have no pork practices here. I remember having one of those with Tarion that's hell on Earth for a guy.

Oh man, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely.

Like, I have to have contact with people today. Oh, no.

He called it the sorority. She spent too much time at LSU. Oh yeah. You want to fucking hang out on campus. OK. All right. Line up buddy. Yeah. Get on the line. Yeah.

Well, dude, I swear, as a good buddy of yours, I think the press conference after I was like most impressed with you said you think like you're so thankful every day that you're in the NHL, like you not only did you make it, but you've made at times ten.

It's just been this just dream career so far. So, so happy for you. And we appreciate you coming on. We're going to keep you for too long. What's I Ray?

Ray Whitney said, you know, the little NHL symbol on your jersey. Yeah. Yeah. He was like, any time you have that on, it's a good day, you know.

That's true. But the fact that I love it. Yeah, everybody will keep it going.

And the cats, the pesky cats on the on the prowl in South Florida.

We'll talk to you soon. All right, guys. Awesome. No song. Congrats on twin brother. Thank you, guys.

Thanks for everything. Big tax property, Keith, to jump in on with us, congrats again, thousand games he's going to keep on chugging. What how many years you think you got left him and you still got fucking good legs?

Three, four inches like TRB 12. It just keeps going and going.

I also will say, like, so right now he's third in all times. Games played in a row behind Gary Unger and Doug Jarvis. Check out Gary Unger's numbers.

I mean, I know it's a different era, but what a career that guy had. I didn't know really anything about him until I looked into it once, seen the ceremony and doing a little research for the show. Guys, you know, I'm a professional, so congrats to Keith. It's awesome. And we appreciate him coming on. What else you got for us, Rear Admiral?

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The youngest to do it. We've talked about it before is another guy who just keep getting it done. What I mean is, is he already the best American player? I know you said he has. Is anything ever going to change your mind?

I doubt it will. Maybe osmanthus, but I think that. Cain is just like such a joy to watch. It's very hard to repeat yourself over and over with him because it's just superlative after superlative and you just can't say enough.

But the game, the guy's game is just at another level mentally more than anything. He just think he just out thinks everyone.

And I know it's the skill and like that's what jumps off the page and it's like the wow factor of his hands and tight. The shootout moves the big time goalscoring, like the clutch goal scoring the hat trick you had against L.A., all these memories. But it all stems back to his brain and how he thinks the game because he knows where all the spaces he knows how to create time for himself and he's just mastered the ability of not getting hit.

It's just that's not like something that's a that's a true skill with your mind and your brain to be able to just think the game at a another level.

So congrats. His hunger and skill level and the way he plays like no surprise if he gets the fifteen hundred and shatters some records, at least he.

Yeah. I mean I think he's also a guy and we just talked about Keith and he said, you know, seeing some veterans and realizing what it takes. I mean, can you know, there was public kind of certain issues off the ice where he was definitely partying a little bit.

And no doubt about it, in the last whatever it's been 10, 12 years, he has changed his life to be dedicated solely towards the game of hockey. And he cares so much. And that when you say the drive and the hunger, it is true because he changed his entire life around realizing like what he had and how much he loved it.

Well said, buddy, well said Tampa Bay, as expected, Nikita Kuchera is on track to return for the playoffs. That news popped out this week, but I sent you guys articles in the athletic about John Cooper and how his career started. We had mentioned it before, but this article got into that first year. He coached kids in high school, didn't really get in a much out. And just a great story, man, how he basically took the job almost as a favor.

And it ended up being his career where he reached the pinnacle like 10 years later. Just an absolutely incredible read.

Yes. Sometimes the best things in life start organically. And it's obvious that it's sparked his passion for the game. And he's been on this incredible wild ride and found himself inside a situation where this is probably going to be a dynasty. Yeah, I mean, Tim has been doing it for quite a while now, but the real story out of this division this week, Carolina Hurricanes, they've won eight games in a row. Forty one points good. The second in the league.

I mean, fucking asshole has been getting that done. But Vinny, trochaic man, after the trade last year, he struggled to adapt a little bit. South Carolina, he's been an absolute stud for them this year so far, 13 goals, eleven assist and twenty four games at a point per game. Pace Jordan stall's having a monster year. I'll tell you, James Reimer, I mean, he held that fourth out, beat him. Razek was out herf while Rimal won some big games for them.

We got to give them their props right now.

It's yeah they're nasty and. Maybe I was a little off in some pre-season predictions, but this was the one team I said they could surprise win this division because they are nasty and bring them on such a good coach.

And it's funny, you bring up Jordan Stal getting the chance to see him up close. You know, I played in what we're doing is 18, 19.

You could tell he would play for this long, like his body in the way he played the game is just a man at such a young age. And just to see him grow into himself as a player where, you know, he was a very high pick and he's not he's not an eighteen point guy, but he's very like well aware. And what he does well, and that is like basically what Rod Brenda Moore did well, like, do they not kind of remind you of each other?

Maybe it's crazy. And Brenda, I don't I'm not saying exactly playing styles, but I'm saying like they make a difference on the game, not always on the score sheet.

Right. And I think Jordan stall's the perfect example. And I saw roomers reading stuff online about possible trades like maybe Eric Staal back to Carolina to play with his brother there. So I think this team is who knows if that could even happen, but. This team is fun to watch and check when I was in San Antonio, I've said it a bunch of times, he was down there. He had no business in the minors like this kid.

Right off the bat, I was like, what is this kid doing with Florida? That's when, you know, I couldn't make the team and the team stunk. So I think that, like, he finally was given a chance dominated and then that injury he had was bad man.

It was like I remember actually I remember actually seeing Keith like visually like rattled and upset after after the way he went down in the paint. He wasn't getting off the ice on a stretcher with his ankles just mangled. So he's feeling good.

And it's just a fun it's a hard team to play against and a fun team to watch. And I actually love when they rock the Wailers units, like people chirp for that. Those whaler's units are sick.

Who cares if they're not in Hartford? I will say they have made some some tremendous trades. I mean, the trochaic one was a bit of a head scratcher for me as far as Florida, maybe giving up on them a little bit early. But you you mentioned that injury. And, you know, when he came back, he definitely wasn't himself. He seemed like he lost the step. But clearly to me gave up on him a little bit early.

But he went there and had a, you know, a great a great campaign so far with the Carolina Hurricanes. But I just feel like that whole their whole team dynamic, they just all played together. They all pulled the rope in the same way. And it stems from that great leadership. And Rob Brinda, more in the way their coach another another great trade that I was surprised when they got Doug Hamilton. I mean, just like another guy in the back end who consistently puts up great offensive numbers, great shot, you know, very underrated, but just a lot of guys who have went there and really established their careers.

I think that he's unrestricted after this year, too, if I'm not mistaken, I could double check that in a second. He is I think he's the one defenseman that's available. I was looking at unrestricted free agents this offseason. There are not many there are not many good unrestricted free agents coming up.

So I would imagine he signs a pretty not very good for some people, you know, because it's not about how good you are to about who else is available when it comes to UFA. Remember that Yangon's when you go coming up on your UFA. Yea yea. Need a dance partner.

Another week in the Central Division Bui's another week of what's in line. A drama mean. This is kind of getting a little bit over it.

It's, it's getting old. It's getting old. Just play the quotes, play well. It's plays to get the listeners up to speed for us. The team blew a full one third period lead to Florida the other night wining and Rostropovich on the bench for the last six fifty three. The game roster, which did get no te Lanae didn't hesitate to say about it.

Yeah. You know, you guys, you guys call it a benching and and, and all that. I, my job is to throw our hockey games, make decisions on who's going, who isn't situational, play momentums of games with the other teams putting out there. There's a lot of things come into play, especially when we're we're reeling a little bit there. So, yeah, I make decisions on on players ice times and where I put them all the time.

And is it a benching? No, I didn't bench anybody last night. I just decided to play some other people in situations late in the third period that I felt more comfortable with at that time. And those are the calls I have to make as far as running the bench. So I know all the drama starts with the bench and this and that. I don't get it. It's just it's just my decisions as far as who I think is going to give us the best chance.

And those minutes you guys think I want don't want to play Patty, I want to play them, but I still have to make calls as far as how the players are playing at that particular time. I'll go a little deeper for you just to try to explain it so you understand it. I thought Patty probably played one of his best periods in the first period. He he played really well.

But I also have to make calls as the rest of his game is going on where he is at that particular time, especially late in the third period, and us reeling a little bit. And yeah.

So I'm not I'd love to be able to put all my top guns out there, but they they I also have to look at how they're playing at that particular time too. And so I hope that explains it for you. There's there's no free passes because you're you're notably the top gun. I don't look at it that way. I look at what's happening right now as far as in those minutes of the hockey game and and go that way. And if I make mistakes, absolutely.

But I'm certainly going to go up my stomach as far as what I feel is best at that particular time for the hockey club.

So sorry to interrupt or hop in there. All right. But like this guy. Is he like messing with everyone? Is he, like trying to fuck with everyone? What do you mean you didn't bench him? You didn't play him?

What is what is I understand that you're saying he doesn't give you the best chance to win, but how can you not consider that benching it?

I, I think he was messing with everyone to try to think, like, what will they say? Because I'm saying I'm completely contradicting myself or am I wrong here? Because I don't know.

You look like so confused and like you listening to me, it's like I don't want to be too critical because, like, I'm you know, I'm not I don't know the guy, but I just I'm just kind of like if I had a coach who was always the center of attention, it would drive me absolutely fucking mad. It would drive me mad and I feel like that that's how it is there and maybe blame it on the media as far as like he'd say, he's not doing anything, I guess.

Yeah, I just answer and they're TNM up and maybe maybe he's frustrated. I don't know. I just feel like it's like every week there's something going on between thoughts and one of his fucking players took every fucking week.

No Nightline. He's a guy. And he goes, I thought I was playing good. I guess not.

I think the problem was is one that said it was the best first period he's ever had. He was the first. He was the best parent I've ever seen him play.

And then and then I think he was he made a mistake on the like the second goal that kind of snowballed there, there come back for two of them.

But it's like, holy fuck. I mean, if the guy plays 20 minutes a night, I mean, mistakes are going to happen. Right? So I don't know. It's it's a it's a fucking Gong Show. It's never ending this disappointing season.

Yeah. A lot of expectations there. I mean, I shouldn't you shouldn't say a lot. Shouldn't say a lot that I misspoke. But definitely on what they've done, even after losing key guys and bouncing back, it was more that more was expected than we've seen and been given.

I did watch them play against Dallas the other game where it ended up going to overtime. And I can't remember who exactly who got the overtime win. Or maybe it was Varinsky four for the bluejackets, but great solid game. I thought both teams are good. And Dallas is another team that I was tweeting about. I thought that they got kind of hosed a little bit early, as did a few other teams because of the lockdown and how they weren't able to play many games and get in a rhythm.

And all of a sudden now they're going to be log jam in the back part and they've dealt with some injuries. Second hasn't been the lineup. I think group hence has been out and and they haven't been able to find their rhythm. But those are two teams who I mean, they're on the outside looking in. And I know that Dallas does have some games in hand, but I picked Columbus and Dallas to make playoffs and it's not looking good.

Dallas is shocking. Dallas is like, oh, my God, what is going on there?

I thought they can be nice. It's unfortunate because Bishop can't stay healthy when he's healthy. His numbers are incredible. He's been of the finalist four, three times. I mean, they're goaltending, I think.

Help me out here with his name, Oranger Orangery. I said, yeah, not who daubing to Dobens right now.

To Dobens, number one. A lot of backing him up.

Yeah. You former Buttar, their numbers have kind of leveled off. And I mean, they seem to be always in every game, but they just haven't been able to find the wins. And although they did get one one today on Sunday. So hopefully they can get things going and figure things out, because the last time I believe a team went to the finals and didn't make playoffs was after the L.A. Kings won the Cup in 2014. And then the next year they didn't make playoffs.

Huh? Because that was the last time that guy that guy, the No.

One other note from the division Nationals, Dante Fabro, was given a two game suspension for Elbow and Carolina's Brockmann earlier in the week.

Keep your elbows down. Don't come on, Dante. We didn't even mention our second guess. We're not going to win quite yet. But Brant Sadler won a Stanley Cup of the early 80s. Islanders played the league for a bunch of second twenty one, too.

He won two cups. He won two cops. Yep, he followed. Then he coached in the league for five years. Then he returned to red there to take on the local junior squad. We're going to get to him shortly. But first, his brother Darrel just took over the Calgary Flames and he busted out the big skate right away. No surprise there. I think, Jeff, what might have been a little too much of a play, his coach, Robert Darrel, Darrel Sato, what should we expect out of Carolina bid's going forward?

Calgary likes to strike out that staying in Calgary Calgary is a. since he took over behind the bench and because I know that you've talked a lot before about what L.A. guys said about him and we discussed what his hiring last episode.

But in reading and seeing what's going on, there definitely seems to be a different vibe around the team. Like 10 have said they had the best practice they'd had all season, the first practice that he was on the ice and people said he bagged skated and they everyone did three up and back, I think it was, or up back. And then there again, like it was not a perfect skaters for three minutes. And guys said they loved it.

40 minutes. Darryl Sutter is going to make that team more accountable. That's just no doubt like he will. He will I'm not going to say scare guys, but he'll make you make you aware that you just won't play and that it's not acceptable. I'm not saying that the the guy that was there before excuse me, I can't remember Jeff Ward. Right. Not saying that he wasn't doing that, but it's just a different vibe coming from a guy who's been around this league and watching his brother's interview.

Guys, it's one of the funnest. I don't know if that's a word most fun interviews we've ever done, stories galore.

But you can tell growing up a Sutter is like is there's no bullshit. Right. And so I think that Calgary in beating Montreal two in a row, that's that's hope for them. They're battling for five right now with Montreal. You'd have to think that will be the five teams battling for the four spots. Right. If Toronto and Winnipeg are in. And then you see.

Edmonton looking real good, and then also you have to imagine Vancouver is not that far out right now, which has been surprising because they started off so poorly.

But Calgary is now alive. And I think that you're going to see a different team moving forward in these next couple of weeks.

Yeah, just from what I've been reading, it's they're playing with a little bit more pace and speed and they're supporting the puck better. That's that's I mean, I'm trying to say as much information online. I think people were a little bit hyperbolic about the fact that they started a practice with nice word. That's my that's my go to a out to Luksik and Josh.

I understand it was kind of Anderson who stepped to him and now it's OK in my mind, that was like a little out of his weight class, but that's shows a lot of balls. I was a good fight.

I was a neat, great scrap, great scrap and still has it obviously.

But yeah, I mean, trying to get mojo going. That was that was a good one to watch.

So I had this written down on my notes. I think I know because of the division situation, I think fighting's making a comeback. I think that, I think that the that the that the concussion talk and the consequences and yada, yada, yada. I think that that kind of deterred a little bit. I think teams are starting to see that there's value in adding more and more toughness.

Know the numbers. Yeah. Yeah, I don't I'm right in front of me, but I know they they're definitely up this this season is way more fights. Now, there was one night the other night they do a four separate fights in different games. And yeah, it's good to have that passion. The passion fights.

Exactly. All right. Well, and where the passion fights, I'm kind of hopping over divisions here. But San Jose adding this. Curtis Gabriel. I mean, he's not he's not he's not playing any time he sticks, he's gaining a lot of enemies. Quick, right off the hop fighting revo then I don't know if you guys saw this. Him and him and Kyle Clifford were chirping at each other and warm up one game. I'd be interested to hear what that conversation was like because you don't oftentimes see Clifford going out of his way and warm up.

And it was for like fifteen minutes. They were all warm up and then sure that that was another great scrap. And I believe the next game against Anaheim, he ended up going to Florida. So he's he's out to make a name for himself. And you could definitely see that the fighting is on the rise. And I'm curious to know if they're going to be able to sustain it once the divisions are back to being realigned and and people are playing out of division if it continues.

A source told me they would talk about the Takashi's six nine documentary this before the game.

Listen, I've I've made it very clear that I'm invested into the rap game. I'm not I'm not a supporter of Takatoshi six nine. But folks, go check out this documentary on this kid on Hulu. Why are you guys are laughing?

No, I just think it's hilarious that Biz has like the thing for Takasugi.

I don't know, like we talk about a bunch and I did I watch the dog and Britney, he says like, tweet Adam free Britney.

Well, the Britney thing I kind of get because you see the circumstances, but I watch that Takashi's six nine DR1.

Yeah, I don't know.

I just I only hear about his music, but it just seems like he's more of like a troll than anything than an actual musician. And and people take the bait. And even at the end of the day, I'm not a spoiler, but the director's like that. I just take his bait and it's like, yeah, you just fucking gave it to our movie. That's why.

So, like, amazed by this guy, because I just think that the come up is amazing in the fact that there became this whole SoundCloud rap game where these kids didn't really necessarily need they didn't need as much of the industry in order to make them famous to where they kind of found their own outlet. And there was all this. Listen to the music, most of the SoundCloud music coming out so bad. It's terrible. It's terrible. But I just found it fascinating.

I think that to Takeshi's six nine, I'll even tell you, like, I don't make good music, but I make wild videos and and his come up just took on a mind of its own. And the fact that he got invested with these gangs and he kind of like used it as his come up. And it's just a fascinating documentary. And this kid is just he wanted to be famous and he found a way to get famous. And if you have any interest in it, like chaotic energy, I would recommend you guys check it out.

I'd rather go to Disney Springs, build a T-Rex lunch 365 days a year than listen to Choshi six six one seven.

Fair enough. I would never like I heard one of the songs once. I almost threw up.

So, Ari, back in your era, not to, like, throw a job that you're a little bit older, but can you can you think of anyone similar in the music industry that kind of used that, not just the trolling, but the shock value in order to gain steam and eventually propelled their career to a high level?

Well, not really, because the Internet is such a huge factor here. Like before you had to have somebody cover you. Now with the Internet, you can just put something out there and people discover it. So, no, this is kind of all know to have somebody, you know, get their name out there by. Basically fucking around the Internet, I mean, I would say going back since music started somewhere, people have always done kind of PR stunts, but nothing along these lines that I can recall.

I mean, maybe in other genres of music, I haven't really paid attention to not liking the music at all.

Did you did you find it fascinating, Howard, Howard? I mean, how it all came to be?

Yeah.

From a neutral perspective, like this guy's fascinating life, rollercoaster, whatever you want to call it. Yeah, it was definitely interesting from that perspective. You know, I wouldn't like to say it was like the best documentary I saw. He just he basically just does all this weird shit and trolls everyone and takes the bait.

I'm just surprised you're basically telling you're basically telling Biz that it's to be somebody telling you they hated Ted. So it's kind of fucked up.

No, I listen, I could get why somebody would hate that documentary. I just found it very, very fascinating.

No, I didn't hate it. I just, you know, like I said, I'm not as enamored with the guy as his other people. And yeah, I mean, he's definitely a character of some sort. I'm just surprised he's still alive to testify against fucking gang members like that point fingers and be a snitch and they ain't got him yet and he's still fucking public.

So I don't know if he's always picking fights with Meek Mill.

Yeah, that concludes the rap portion of the set about the SoundCloud rappers.

Now that now let's go to Brant Sadler. He's probably like leading to listen to this intro. What the fuck?

All right. Actually, before we get to Brant Sadler, hey, guys, we want to get serious for one second. The last time the last year has been pretty hard on a lot of people. And that's why we're doing something new and we're partnering with our new sponsor. Better Help Online Therapy. A lot of us take care of our bodies. But with this tough of the years it's been on a lot of people, we might also want to think more about taking care of our minds.

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Well said. What? And now we're going to send it over to Brant Sadler.

You're going to love this one. I'd like to welcome our next guest to the show, he played over 18 NHL seasons with the islanders and Blackhawks won in two Stanley Cups on Long Island back in the 80s. He's won two world junior gold medals, coach and Team Canada and a Memorial Cup. He also spent five years coaching the devils in flames before returning to Alberta, where he currently serves as president, general manager and head coach of the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.

Thanks so much for joining us on this broadcast, Brant Sutta. How you doing, my friend?

Hey, doing awesome.

What an insult. Jesus, what are you what does this guy knocked on? He drives the bus. You drive the bus, you make the lunches for the team.

Yeah, I change the oil ministry bombshell. Make it look. I mean, unbelievable. How so? How's the arena life treating the team.

You are you sleep it up the arena as well like everybody else. No, God, no, no, no. He's the president. What we do, though, is we do have two suites for staff. So there's two staff that rotate in and out, stay with the kids in the suites. So we always make sure somebody always hear the guy that people like someone like myself. I fall under the protocols, the same protocols just some other teams are doing where they just kids would just be at their billets.

So I'm allowed to be drink and and basically back at the farm, they can't go anywhere else.

How the play has been adapted to it. Some they got quickly used to.

You know what? The players have been awesome. It was written the day this was this was really their choice. We gave them three options. Stay at the billets, stay in a hotel or be here and with the protocols that are in place. We had a few at the bullets, if you only beat the rank or the bill's house or so was the hotel, you'd be here at the hotel where kids can't see each other once they leave the rink.

No, this was I just thought from an organizational standpoint, my son Eric and my who's my senior VP and my nephew shot is my assistant, GM. We just all thought the right thing to do would be for the players to be here, but let's let them have that choice. So we talked to him and it was pretty unanimous across the board. They all want to be at the rink so they could be hanging out with each other and doing things when we're we're not proxy working out.

So there's a lot we got a lot to do here. There's they got basketball hoops, ping ping pong. Things became the real key thing here. They got tournaments going and stuff like that going on. And we got this all set up on the concourse and basketball hoops. And we basically moved the bikes and everything in the weight room upstairs on the concourse just because of social distancing. And they got card games going on. Of course, they got their all their video stuff going and stuff that they do they do on their phones, but they have kids everywhere.

There's this the living room set up in different areas of the rink where there's coaches and. The meals are unbelievable. We got catering service here right at the rink that's been service. They've been serving the kids all their meals. They've been treated extremely good. So I wouldn't want it any other way.

Well, you've certainly turned Red Deer, and it's just such a powerhouse program in the WHL. And it's pretty cool that, you know, you got to play in Red Deer and now you're coaching. And I kind of want to go back to your whole family, though, and that's hockey royalty. And for people who don't know, six other brothers played in the NHL, six Stanley Cups, over 5000 games played. There was actually a seventh brother, Gary, who I'm reading all you guys say was the best player, but he didn't play.

Was there was there stories to go along with him staying back on the farm with what I'm reading and kind of taking over business there while Gary was Gary can play any position except.

I mean, he could play forward defense. Gary was a very intense, high strung player. He yeah, he he gets suspended off and on for spearing guys and doing stuff like that back in the day.

And he was he was a tough, tough player when he played. And yet when he was 16 years of age, he and brother Brian had an opportunity to go to Red Deer and play Junior with the wrestlers. And Gary chose not to. He had a girlfriend back home that he decided and she came from a tough family. And Gary stayed home to do it, to help her through that and chose not to pursue it at that time. And Brian went and and that's really it in a nutshell.

And Gary stayed home and that's what he stayed back because he got married. And unfortunately, a year, year and a half later after he married her, they went through a divorce.

So, yeah, I was going to ask, was there like growing up, did your father play? Like what? You know, I mean, being from Viking, of course, that's one of the only things to do, playing out in the ponds because it's so cold. But, you know, did you feel like there was like a pressure or anything? No, not at all.

That didn't play at all that Dad played. He played on his work boots on in the slews, and he had to play golf all the time because if we ever went near him, he had spirits. And so he never got to play at the park the whole time. And when we played on the slews, if he played with us so no, dad never played, there was never any pressure from Dad at all. It was just something, you know, what a small town.

Everybody all the kids played hockey. There's seven boys. You know, we had this slews on the farm that we'd go scrape off and play. We play until it was a full moon. You play all night long. And India in the summer we withdraw all the bails out of the hayloft and we play up in the hayloft in the barn. So we had a big barn and then we just kept going. Neighbor kids or friends would come over and we'd have tournaments, we'd do whatever.

So yeah, I was that cocky was not just a six month game for us. We played, we played year round. Just did it in different ways.

You guys must have beaten the fucking wheels off each other in this fucking barn. I can only imagine that the scraps that were going on.

Well, you know what? It would get pretty, pretty intense sometimes.

And then you just hear the steps coming up, the boots coming up, the steps. Dad, walk it up, the steps. You could hear his footsteps coming up. And it was like, OK, we all better stop right now. And because Daddy come out and beat the shit and all that, that's just the way it was.

Isn't isn't there a story when you guys ended up getting to Junior, where he was heading into a game and then there was cops there, something like that? Somebody teased me up for one. OK, yeah.

I was the year that actually our team won Canada that year we were playing in St. Albert and it was a pretty intense rivalry between St. Albert and Red Deer. And we had a really good team that we we built our team to win Canada. And I mean, our our smallest defenseman at that time was five foot ten, two hundred and ten pounds.

So brother Rodney Rich, Richie and I were scrubs on that team, even though, like, we were pretty good players and I got drafted that that was a team I got drafted from in the first round that year was by the islanders was from right there with that played on that team. But what happened was we went in to Saint Albert and it's always was an intense rivalry between the two teams and was always brawls and brawls back in the day wasn't too fights or it was a full bench clearing brawl right in the benches emptied.

Well, it didn't even get a chance for that to even happen.

We we we went to the rink, got dressed.

Leather gloves. In the dressing room, and they did the same thing. We just went out and teed off and saw it. And of course, the reason many fans and ability and time was during warm up and no one brought their sticks or whatever, just went out. We started fighting and it was crazy and it ended up in the penalty box up in the stands. There is there is the general managers end up fighting in the in the in the in the foyer.

Our coach, John Chapman, at the time, he got suspended 12 games from the game before because he chased the referee on the ice insured park after the game. So he ended up not coming there with a sword. General Manager Graham Parsons.

He he hid underneath the bench. He went out there and of course, Mark message that Doug is a tough cookie and Doug is their coach. And this was a real it was a shit show. It was it would end up in the concourse. They eventually turned the lights off and police came.

They shut the lights off. And, of course, mom and dad are driving up the game. And it's you know, it's an hour and just over an hour, an hour and a half drive to get up to St. Albert from biking. And and they pull in the parking lot. Well, when we walked off the ice, the police just basically told us, grab your stuff, your skates, grab your stuff and get on the bus and get out of town.

So we're walking on the bus and mom and dad pull up in the into the park without all the equipment.

And, you know, you get your sticks and bags and you draw them underneath the bus and walk around the bus and we're still dressed up and dad just walks up and goes, you know, and you're not allowed to chip in for gas money for mom and dad.

And, you know, the next morning, Brother Daryl was playing in the American hockey.

He just came back from Japan, a play in Japan that that year. And he came back and he was playing for the monkeypox. And I was a Blackhawks farm team. And we played there on a on a Wednesday night. I had gotten a phone call the next morning by Darryl at six o'clock in the morning, which was nine thirty whatever, 9:00 a.m. in the morning. And he's like, holy shit, what the hell happened?

This had already spread across Canada before the Internet. Yeah, well, you know, there was no Internet there. It just all over the frigging and it was just all over the media like the news. Everybody had it and they called that Black Wednesday that night. Was that at that game to this day, still called the Black Wednesday from that brawl. So it was it was it was unbelievable. It's crazy.

So it go into that game. You guys probably know this is going to happen. What would you guys get nervous about this thing or were you just like, yeah, can't wait to get there and throw down because he's like, I'm from Viking, Alberta.

Here we go.

Well, it goes back from two years before that. Actually, Brother Dwayne and I were on the team then on the same team and I was only fifteen and we played Saint Albert had a hell of a team that year to Mark was on that team, SCA, and and they had an older team work with the younger player on that team. I played Marquis well, Mark would have been sixteen year old and I was so he would have been a sixty year old.

I was a fifteen year old, but they had a lot of twenty year olds come back from major junior hockey. Like big guys. Like big big men. Right. Like big guys I thought was fifteen and and we played them in the first draw the playoffs and and Mark's dad dad was coach and he was an awesome coach. And Doug's a great man too. But he was a really good coach. And he had he was tough. Right.

And our and our coach, John Chapman, was was a tough coach to a great. And they and anyway, we we got in and it was kind of rival when all season long there was a couple of brawls to the regular season and then in playoffs we played them. And out of the first seven games we brawl four times and warmup and then game seven.

They beat us for three in game seven, and that was a full fledged brawl before the game. I was crazy. Seven, crawl well back and be, you know, even warm up. You skate around everyone. Both teams skated on the floor during the ice. All right.

And that's what and that's what happened. Brother Dwayne two handed. One of their players skated around and it started the whole thing in game seven. Well, then we get beat for three.

So we think we're done right. So we get on the bus, we come back home, and we had a 20 year old on our team that was married and had we had just built the house here and his name was Marty Scott. And so we all went to his place or we partied there for two straight days. No one even went to school. We just party for two straight days. On the second day at noon, we get a call from Chapei coach saying, we won the protest, we're going to a game.

We're like white. And we said, you protest the game. He said, Yeah, because we only had 20 guys out or 19 guys go back. And that was the rosters they had. Nineteen plus three more came out of the dressing room. So they had twenty two guys and we had nineteen. And so we won the protest from the league. So we had to go back the next night and play game eight. Was there a brawl that game to know that made us warm up.

Stephanie, I'm upset because we got beaten in overtime like we had.

We had 19 guys playing so hungover and and going in there and it was scoreless for two. And I scored late in the game four score was three, three, two. And I scored late in the game to tie up three three. And I don't know if my teammates were pissed at me, not because I scored, because then we had to go in overtime anyway.

We got our time and they beat us for three and overtime and that and so that carried on. And so the next year I'm a sixteen year old and we have a completely different coach. Manager comes in and he doesn't even recognize what this robbery's like. So we go into Everton are going to St Albert to play an exhibition game and this other fifteen year old at play and it's played on the team the same year I did Darren McKay. He comes just before that day and says, you guys aren't going to dress tonight because he brought all these skilled guys in like small, little skilled guys in terms of Scotchgard and guys that he had because he was from Sasquatch stuff, had no idea what the driver is like.

A Darren or I were like, yes, we don't have to play this, but we know what's going to happen. So we go and sit in the stands and we're like, OK, we look at our watches. I'm like, OK, we're warming up. Like being all these skilled little guys coming out saying, Albert comes out, come out nice. They shoot the pucks ball in our net and our net from their end and then come down there and get the pucks.

Well, of course, what's going to happen, right. Well, our players were like, holy shit, because Dara and I were the only two players that came back from the year before. And these guys are like and they just started teeing off on everybody. And it was a full fledged brawl there. And I just sat in the stands and watched it because we couldn't do anything about it. Right. And so then it carried on. Right.

And then the next year, they had a big older team. We had an older team with. They brought Chappy back. Brother Brian was actually partners of buying the team. They bought the team that that summer. And they went out and recruited, hired and built ourselves a phenomenal team and big team. And yeah, then this this all this stuff happened that year. It led into that big brawl and which they call Black Wednesday. You know what's scary about that?

Doug's dad, Mark, or my dad, Doug? He got suspended for life from nothing. No way. Why, what did they blame him for most of it then? Well, it was just, I guess, chasing your coach out of the bench while GM was dug, dug in.

And our trainer, Jerry Sexsmith, went toe to toe with Senator Kerry, who was our trainer. His name. His nickname was who? Well, Kerry played in the East Coast League in the Central Hockey League and got suspended for life down there, kicking a guy in the head. And he was our trainer.

So he was a very good say. If we had to get her skates sharpened between periods, you had almost go out and try to find a way, like to sharpen yourself because you are not trying to sharpen your skate for you. You take your skate, turn around, just throwing it. So no one got your skate shirt, right? That was that was the makeup of our team.

And there is some heavy suspensions like our our general manager got suspended for a year or something like that. But Mark's dad got that. And I kind of I felt bad for Doug because that was a really good coach. And he was like all coaches back and they were very intense. And he he built tough teams. I respected that all the time. But he was an awesome coach. And it was unfortunate what happened through all that, because it did it did hurt a guy like Doug from continuing to coach in Canada, because imagine asking that trainer like your elbow pad breaks a leg.

I know. And he just said no bends would have been OK because that would have been Hooke's favorite player. Right. Because he could really love the way Busi played. Right. Like, that's what they hated me. Well, you would have been in trouble. Yeah.

I never I've never heard of a hockey player putting a slip up to somebody like that. That's crazy.

But during the same I know you just mentioned you played at one of your brothers, but were there times you are on the opposite side of one of your brothers in a situation like that popped up during these games in a fight that occurred on their own?

No, not in a brawl at all. With us being on opposite teams like that. We never played against each other in Junior. We always like we all played in Redbeard and we all moved from here on the left bridge. And then we all went from there to the NHL. So we never played against each other in Junior. But obviously we got the NHL brother Dwayne and I were in the hours brother Rodney Richie were playing in Philadelphia. So there's four of us.

And the first game we played, of course, and make it a big, big, big, big thing with PB and everything. I have four brothers on the ice, two in each team, and we got into a scrum and and then all the teammates, both teams, we just come in and break it up like you guys, your brothers, like, what are you doing?

Like, so nothing ever nothing ever happened that way where we actually got into a situation where you dropped your gloves and fought each other.

No, Brant, I'm curious. You mentioned your first round pick of the islanders the year after getting drafted. You played in the WHL with with Lethbridge. And then just two years later, you played half the year in the Dubh and then half the year with the islanders lit it up. And you go on to win the Stanley Cup. Were you called up from the WHL halfway through that season? How did that work out?

Well, the year before I got called up back and the rules were different then. The owners had the honors had gotten a bunch of injuries, and they came out on the Western road trip. And I was an 18 year old playing that year. And let's pretend half our team from Red here went on the bridge along along with their coach. So we had ten players off the Cup team. Plus our coach went on the Lutwyche well, and we had we had a pretty good team still.

And in a way, I had I was having a good year and and I got the call that they want me to play three games. There was a game in Calgary then the next night in Vancouver, then two nights later in L.A. because Trausti was out. Steve Tambellini wasn't playing anyway. They had some sentiment, another line up and their brother, Rodney Richie and I drove up to the game courts on route. And what's crazy about this is that we play that game.

And of course, the Calgary Flames are the old Atlanta Flames team. And anybody remembers those teams, they were massive. I mean, they had so many guys that were, you know, a big karpeles was they had like ten guys that line up that big like they were big team and. The Calgary corral, where the game that's they didn't have to sound all the time, which we know what the crowd's like right across the street and. And we go in there.

And. The one line was Wayne Merick Bobby Nystrom and John Canelli, and in the dressing room, it's a long, narrow dressing room. We had to get dressed and I'm sitting at the back of the dressing room with these three guys. Well, we get beat that night 11 for. Al Arber is is like six foot one guy, but his shoulders are like eight feet wide, right? And he comes and you've got to walk, opens up the door and you've got to walk down two steps around the corner.

Now you got to dress while we're all sitting in the back room or Al comes in, walks right down to the end of it, and you stare at us in this corner while Bobby Nystrom, John Wayne, American minus seven, minus seven on Saturday night.

That's a that's a tough battle. That's a lot of comfort to me.

If he just walks down and he looks at me and I'm like, oh, shit. He looks at the other three guys and he says, he just looks at me, goes, you three assholes internals. What that law says, yes. So the next day we played in Vancouver and we end up winning five two. And I had a goal and it's just me. And then the next two nights later we went to L.A. and we won two one and I got the system, the first goal and scored the game winner with three.

Oh, man. So anyway, I leave there and they sent me home. After Al comes in, the dressing room, tells the players, I already knew that I was going home. And Al comes and says, guys like, awesome, great game is some bad news thing that we have to send Brant back to Junior. So I went back and no problem. Then I got called up. For their Stanley Cup run against Minnesota. When we got beat in the playoffs, I called up and so I actually called Rudy and myself were black faces on that team, Marty Triqui.

So. Western Canada boys, right? So we we go up there. Of course, we're having a hell of a good time. All black aces is a life. But my whole career where I playing three and three game days, going to the bar.

So but anyway, go for cocktails after that, after practice and stuff. That's what we were having fun. And anyway, they beat Minnesota so it's a great experience to learn through. All that was amazing. Just to be around the guys practice with just seeing what it was like. And then the next year I went back to training camp and led the team in scoring in training camp. And then Bill called me and Bill Terry, the general manager, called me and him and Al and just mentioned, hey, Brett, you had a great camp.

We want to send you back, though. Let's see how the season started. The season goes. I want to be loyal to the guys that won Stanley Cup. And, you know, you understood that, but you were disappointed. Yeah. So I went back and. I had, like, I don't know, like 80 some points in 30 games yet, forty six goals in 34 games. So time to move on. And I don't know and I have like two hundred and some feeling I was crazy like that.

We had a hell of a team. But in a way I had got named to the world junior team and I got the call and they mentioned to me that they one named me to the team and that they want me to be the team captain. So. I thought that's what I was doing, well, then Bill called me a couple of days later and said this was like now round that December 10th or so, he said, we don't want you going to the world.

Junior said we were going to bring you up for a couple of games before Christmas. And then we're going to then we're going to send you back home and let you spend Christmas, your last Christmas at home with your mom and dad. And and then you'll stay for another week and we'll call you up on January 4th. So I already had already knew the plan. So I played and then I got went up on December, December twenty. First I played Detroit December.

Twenty second I played at home and on the island against Winnipeg. And then I went. Then he sent me home. I got to spend Christmas. All my mom and dad and brother Ronnie Ritchie, the other the other boys were already playing in the NHL. So and I, I went back and played a week there and they called me up on January 4th. And I was that I that was it. I rest is history.

So who who was your line in the run to that cup. And that would have been the third straight, right?

Well, you know, it's funny. I was playing with his playing with brother Duane and and Bobby born that year to start with.

And it crazy, just bizarre how the year where the playoff security go in there, you mean. I don't know what it was. Forty one points and forty one games or something like that. And then Shell had twenty some goals and. Led the team in pilly minutes, then get in the playoffs and we're playing game one against New York Rangers and as we all know, grow up, you were never taught to be the last man come out of your zone trying to carry the puck up the ass.

And of course, I did that. I was just inside the blue line and Rob McClanahan, who is a US Olympian player. Strip the puck off my stick and went in and scored the game winner for the Rangers, of course, Dallas Rangers. So we lost the game five for nothing said to me after the game. Of course, you feel like an idiot and.

I never seen another regular shift. I got two or three shifts a game after that, I played on the fourth line while you're playing against the other teams, tough guys. I never played hardly at all. And the guys kept coming to me like, you know, what's going on where they said lots of guys, like I just got to do my job this way and told to do. I can't I don't have answers for you. Right. So I'm just going to keep playing the way I do.

And I won't get in three shifts and I only get three shifts tonight. It's not about me. It's about winning a Stanley Cup. Right. So so whatever. So we get into game two of the Stanley Cup finals against the Vancouver Canucks. We win game one, game two, we're up like five one or something in the second period. And we had a power play. And a face off was in the offensive zone in Vancouver zone, and of course, we got Proaction Boss and Dennis in that powerfulness.

Well, Al comes at taps me on the shoulder and says, go take Rockoff. I pardon the Catholic story and he goes, get out there. So I went and I tapped rocks and of course his crotch is an awesome team guy and he gave me a tap on the shin pads and took the face off. And we scored on the power play and and I didn't get off the ice. The rest of that game I was going to every second shift played with everybody.

And and then we get into Vancouver. He starts me in the opening night lineup on the Stanley Cup finals, game three. So the way we go play the game, we take a regular shift and get his first start of the game or whatever, and then get into game four and same thing, play it time and we win the Stanley Cup. Right. You win and everyone's partying in the dressing room after the game. And Jim Pickard, our manager, comes in and taps me on the shoulder and says El Al's nickname was Radar.

He said the radar wants to see outside the dressing room like we want to start a company in team meetings.

I didn't like your third, third period, Brett. So celebrating with the boys.

And he comes I walk to the dressing room and and he sat down in there. And again, he's a broad shouldered man and just an awesome guy. And he walks up to me, grabs me in my throat and squeezes me like this. And he's got his hand on my chin and the. He says, where did you learn from this? And I'm like, pardon, because what did you learn from this? I'm like, I'm not really sure where you're headed with this one, but I don't know, like when I'm like, what?

What what do you suppose? That's right. And he goes, I just made you the toughest son of a bitch in this league. And you're going to have a long career. So enjoy the Stanley Cup. No shit.

And I played 18 years and I was and I was able to weather through a lot of stuff mentally. And you just hear he really. Yeah, it's hard, as was he made me be a great pro and understand the mental toughness part of the game at a really young age. And yeah. So now was my coach for ten years. Is like a second. I was like a second son. He just or he was like a second father to me I guess I should say.

He was, he was unbelievable the way, the way he was. And you know, we had great communication there on had a lot of a lot of respect for, you know, one of the best to ever do it all over.

Everyone knows that. But it was so different back then, like coaching and things have changed so much. And I know he was probably pretty quiet when the guys asked you if he said anything. You're like, no, but occasionally would he tell guys, good job? Was there pats on the back or really none of that? You know what?

El Al is a great players coach. The guys. A lot of the guys in the dressing room had played for El since he came in the league, since or since he started coaching and I believe has been seventy five or whatever year it was seventy four. So they'd already he'd already been a coach for five or six years. Right. So El Al was a very intense coach, but he was also he had a great knowledge of the game and he back in the day guys like there is no video like you know, you didn't have assistant coaches.

He was the head coach and there is no other coaches on the on the bench. So he ran the whole bench. He was you know, he used to come in with a hockey stick. And if he didn't like the way you're playing it, come and drill as hard as you can. It's hard to get machine. And then you just look in his eyes through his glasses and his glasses would hang down halfway down his nose and push his glasses up.

And all you do is look at you and you're like, oh, shit. So everybody knew. But everyone had such a huge amount of respect for all. They loved him as a coach. He was he was in all hours, Al was a great, great coach, you know, he just well, I mean, his record speaks for itself, right? Four years. He was the second one. Yes. Coach Noshaq next discarded, discardable.

And then when Bill passed out, so, you know, was it was it was years that you look back and he actually thought at times you like to have do overs, I guess.

And Radar was a MASH nickname, right? Well, you know, he got his name from his glasses, you ordered plate and he played a defenseman for the oh no shows defenseman for the St. Louis Blues. And he wore glasses and he had the white stripper on the middle class. Is those glasses one break and he wore he wore a strap, keep his glasses on and he played defense. And now you look back on and I don't know, you obviously don't, but you look back on it and you see games back in the 60s and stuff like that.

Ali was a phenomenal shot blocker, like he'd throw his face down in front of anything, like when I was a great defensive defenseman and he was a big man. Like you look at some of his highlights, stuff that is pretty cool to watch.

I know we probably weren't thinking coach in back forty years ago, but how much of his coaching style did you incorporate into yours years later?

Well, you know what? I think you learn a lot from from all players are all coaches you played for. I think we all do, you know, and. But how is it, you know, John Chapman, my coaching junior, was a great coach. He taught me how to be a pro. He taught me how to play both ends of the ice. He had played in the minors for years and coach lining McDonald in Lethbridge when they were playing in January before he went on to the Nets that tigers and they were called the Sugar Kings.

But JP taught me how to, you know, the the fundamentals, how to play the game the right way. And I went on and was just like it was. I don't want to use the word easy because it was never easy to get to the NHL, but you had such a good understanding of the game coming at a jury you knew. And and I really appreciated that. That's why he put me in low key situations, because I was like a young player had to be taught those things I already knew coming in.

And so I you know, I learned a lot, Junior, but l l just l taught you how to be a great professional and and how to handle situations. I had a lot of respect for and I think even to this day, you know, there's certain things that I look back on and watch your practice and your things. You're going through your head and you're sitting there going, OK, well, in this situation, what what how how would Al.

Do come up and react to this player for doing this or this, this, and it always was always it's been always kind of a calming influence. So I I think every coach I mean, I played for Brother Darrel, I played for my team, and I play for Glancey there in Canada Cups. I had another great assistant coaches through the process. And you learn from all of them. Craig Hardenberg, I played for Hotsy, you learn from all your coaches and I think they all have helped me in my coaching in different ways.

But it's funny, I still use things.

That gal used to come and shut the lights off on us and address to and you know, it's crazy. But it was really it was a really interesting thing how he used to do it. He would come in and tell us to lie down and put our feet up on on our stalls. And this would be between periods. And so we lie down to put our feet up in the stalls and he shut the lights off and he said, OK, clear your minds and think about something.

Close your eyes. And think about something this in this period that you can do great. And so it's unbelievable how it works, like I've done that with players here and there, like Jesus, just like it totally resets you. And so it's the stuff like that. It's still things you can use in the game, even though the game has changed and but it's still above focus and mental side of it.

Well, I was going to ask about a few things. I mean, you are going to have your own little twist on it now. Did you learn, given the guys would twigs or starting five Vivan off off to the start the game from him, or was this your own little thing?

Well, no, that was my thing on the fly. You know, the hockey stick thing we did was year we won the World Cup, actually, and we had we weren't playing very well and and we only lost I don't know how many games that year, 10 or 12, whatever it was. But we had we weren't playing well. And of course, you know, the type of team you have and you know, you have a chance to to be successful, maybe win in the World Cup.

So we we were going into Brandon, and so I went to Radar, my equipment manager, and I said, radar go down to to a sports store or to McCloud's whatever and just buy twenty four wooden sticks. And he's like, what? And this is great when all these wooden sticks are starting to synergy's and all this junk there is still. Yeah. And there are still you can still use wood blades on these aluminum chopsticks but the full wooden stick was there.

Right. And so everyone never even like these kids were like we're not used to it. So anyway, I don't go down, do it. So we're playing in granite and we're down three. Nothing in the first. So I walked in the dressing room. I didn't say anything, but I went around, picked up everybody sticks and walked to the dressing room. What could I have pulled? 20 sticks. And I went and put them in a bag and I kicked up the other twenty six wooden sticks.

How often do you put a wooden statements on every play that tape your stick. And I want everyone with white, black or white tape on your blades. And I want you to write work on both sides, on both sides of late. So we came out the second period with these wooden six and had that tape on our white paper blades and with work on both sides. And we end up winning the game seven three.

And then, you know, and I was crazy about that.

Is that. I told them they only get one stick, so we have to practice and play. No one took a slap shot and practice. No one is breaking a shots yet because they are afraid to break because they didn't take another step. They didn't know I had another another wooden stick, but they broke it. But I. So we didn't lose a game for a month with weapons.

Come on, you guys. I want one wooden stick. We didn't lose a game. And, you know, I was crazy about that was. These guys became all you know, and you got those other six guys are hitting glass, every shot was high in practice. It was just like crazy, right? And they use these wooden sticks and no one misconnect. Everybody was dialed in to shoot the pope the right way, and in games we are our percentage of shots.

The network had increased phenomenal on shots on that because this is what we used. And they it wasn't about how hard the shot was. It was strictly about placement. And the guys, they went to each other sticks and practice and break them. They rollerskate lose the stick. And so that's what we did. But the cool part about all that is we started taping little mini sticks in the store with work on it. We had companies sending us many sticks done up like that.

It was the biggest selling item that year in our store where many sticks with white tape and work written on every kid in our community had a mini stick with work on it with white paper. It was just bizarre how it worked out and it became just a real big thing and that the rest is history.

I got to ask at what point and why did they get to go back to the sticks if they're working so well?

Well, I didn't think they could make it into playoffs one six. So I went in two days to get to two games before playoffs started and I gave them back their sticks. And we didn't miss a beat. We just kept going.

So I called, you know, one of my favorite X teammates called the Armstrong who you had the pleasure, I'm sure, of coaching. And there and he told me a hilarious stories like, oh, ask him about the time I threw my helmet at him and the in the WHL finals while we are playing Portland in the finals.

And we were in game two and we won game one here in our building. Game two, we were up like five one or something early in the third. And Kobe took like three minor penalties. He was he was one of those guys that when you went to go check them, that hit, we hit him back reverse. That's all.

He did it, but he did it with his elbow. Yeah. So he got these elbow penalties all the time. And so I was like, and we end up winning the game. We scored an empty net goal one like six four. It shouldn't have been that way, but we did. And they've gotten two or three powerplay goals on us with Kobe in the penalty box in the third period. And so we go into Portland. And it's game three and and Kobe took two minor appealing to the same Jesus army in the first period, so I was pissed.

So I go in the dressing room and I said to my assistant coach before I went in and I said, watch that. I said, I'm going to get covid, get them rattled, but he's going to go out and he's going to play like a stud the rest of the night. So I went in and I said, Kobe like. Are you scared, like are you pussy like this? Is this what you're like? Are you scared to get hit and make a play?

Like what? And he stands up and he looks at me and I'm not standing. And now imagine it's a rectangle dressing room and you got stalls at the end of the dress on the side. And where I'm up, where I'm standing, there's a white board, big white board. He stands up and he goes, I'm not fucking scared and I'm no pussy.

And he took me through his helmet right at me, went right by my head, hit the white board. I looked at him. I locked the dressing room and I looked at that Dallas. And I said, You watch, he's going to be unbelievable. He was star of the game late. So, you know, it was awesome from that point on. Oh, shit. And that's the story of the guy. Again, it's just you got him fired up, happened.

Oh, I love Kobe to death. He's a good man and he was a great player. And he played a I don't know, I just we had a really good team then and I was really close to the guys. And even to this day, you still connect with a lot of Kobe's on TV. I'll text him every now and then say, like you taught I came here. You're saying you just you know, you're just stumbling through your words.

You make it so. And then I ask them, because last year you're in the pub. Do you guys remember when they interviewed Kobe? He had two jerseys hanging behind them, a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey and his red, your red, your rubble's jersey. Well, this year he doesn't have the red, your jersey, no shirt. So I kind of give him a shit about that. Like, you forget where you came from.

But I got to go back just quickly because we kind of jumped away from the islanders and you won that fourth straight cup, the said against the Oilers. And I've talked before on the podcast about Gretzky mentioning like they left that that night and they saw all you guys ice in ice and down and kind of realized like what it took to win. And you come back and you're going for your fifth straight. And the Oilers took it down and they got their first.

And did you notice when that series started? It was a way different Oilers team than the year prior. I know the guys were a year older, but did you kind of realize we were in one here going for that fifth or for sure?

I mean, look at the year before when the Edmonton was that time, like had all these great young players. Right. Drats Mouskouri, Kevin Lo, Paul Coffey, great fear.

Glenormiston pondered on in a pear tree. Only, only all superstars. Right. And and of course, we had a great team, too. And we were playing Boston in the semifinals and it was Game six in Boston. And the owners had already won their series. And I believe they they swept somebody. I'm not sure who it was. And the media in the pregame after the pregame skate, the media were like, well, there's no team here.

Like in its divisions ever in this conference is going to be toilers. Like, it doesn't matter whether you guys, whether it's going to be down to that just fire or separate. You thought you felt the Stanley Cup champions, right? Yeah, we went out and beat Boston that night and we were wired for that series to come. And we end up beaten orders for St. And and Gretz brought that up. We all heard that. And I truly believe that.

I think they learned a lot from that series and how to, you know, how to be a champion, you know, to play like Stanley Cup winners. And we had to play them next year. And we lost the first game one nuts in our building when the second game. And that was the only time at that point in time they did it the next year, I believe, with Philly now. But in the next year to where is it?

Two, three, two, series replay two at home, went into this building, played three in and two back home, NBA style. I think they they beat if they like. We weren't even close in the end. Game three, four and five with them. The scores were like six one seven to whatever it was like. They were just yeah. They were, they were on a roll. But, you know, in fairness to ourselves, the team had gotten older.

You know, we were we were banged up pretty good. It was a lot of hockey to play back then, right? Oh, my God. Forced down a couple of playoff games. You're playing and we're our opponent was lights out, of course, and all those stars. And it kicked them off, obviously, for them to do what they did after that. But, you know, they deserved to win that Stanley Cup. They were a phenomenal team, great players.

You know, it's crazy off that group. I played with a lot of them in the in the can in eighty four. And after they won the cup and and Slot's was the coach. And so you've got to know the guys really pretty well. Pretty well there is Drats. Mess cough and myself are for the players that. Played in all three candy cups in eighty four, eighty seven, ninety one. So you've got to know them pretty well from being teammates of theirs.

And and just the way they looked at the game, I learned a lot from them to just into through the candy cup situations. But they were definitely an unbelievable team.

And then they were four years after that point when they beat you, did you know basically that the torch for dynasties had been passed essentially then? Do you guys think I can get them again next year?

Well, you always want to believe you're going to come back. But then, you know, I think some of the business parts start kicking into we started having some contract issues with some players and. You know, and guys started leaving the team then and then you've got to remember something to the islanders through those four years we're drafting every year in the bottom part of the draft. Yeah. And eventually, you know, your talent changes and and that's kind of where it all started.

Cupps eventually, over time, caught up with the owners. And, you know, eventually you're your level of skill and your team drops off. You know, I was there for 10 years and when I got traded, I was the last for two years on the team. I was the last player that ever played in that Stanley Cup the last two years of my career in the Olympics. So it was just and myself and Bill were the only three three people our trainers had left.

We were only three people still left from the from the Stanley Cup years.

And in your career, I mean, I think 10 or 11 seasons, you know, over 50 points, but 50 and 60 points. And then the one year, 80, 84, 85, you get one hundred and two points. I mean, was it who you were playing with that season? What changed that one season? Just really light it up.

Well, certainly with who you're playing with. Yeah, definitely helps. And we we came out of the kind of Keep in Canada Cup. You know, there was such a I don't know how to explain it to you guys, but we of course, you got the honors. Johnson, Bobby Vaughn. Myself. It was Potvin there, it was part of it, and I don't think that's what I don't think Dennis came to that end either. No, he didn't.

So and then he had a hole you had to like there was seven or eight oil or so.

And there is a lot I don't just we just weren't the team that we needed to be, we just weren't as close as we needed to be. And we had a tough go through the Canada Cup that year through the tournament itself to the regular regular games that we're playing through the round robin side of it. And what turned it around actually was in Vancouver. We kind of got into well, what happened was the day before we held a meeting and we were you guys all know what to be sure, the West and everyone stay in there.

And we got this big room and we're all set chairs up around outside the room and. We had a meeting and players expressed their feelings about everything and maybe about some teammates because the Stanley Cup came, you know, and with the with the Oilers and then beat Dallas and and Bobby was Bobby Bowden was very vocal about some things and jauntily brought up a couple of things. And other players brought a couple of things. And but it was great because it sorted it out and we all got kind of on the same page.

And we have had a big scrum against Sweden between the benches. And of course, you got the orders that our players, you know, now seven battling with each other. And and it changed changed the whole dynamics. And we end up winning overtime against Russia at the Saddledome in Calgary, three, two. And in Honduras, myself and Johnny and Bos and Paul Coffey was the one that started that whole play after breaking up a two on one against us.

And they went down the other way. And we end up scoring and then Slot's put the three of us together. And then we went back to Long Island. And you guys know, like back in the day you went to camp to get in shape.

Yeah, right. And but U3 wasn't ready.

We were all like in midseason form. Yeah. So by Christmas time, us and our smart aleck kept us together like he like Boston to twosome that played together for all those years. But then when we came back to the Canada Cup, he put the three of us together and kept the three of us together. And there is like by Christmas time, we all had 60 some point, Jesus, there is a game. We played the L.A. Kings and I remember the L.A. Kings that only won 10 games that year.

Whatever it was, your 15 games, they weren't very good. And there was a game there where we won eight two and John Fanelli boss myself scored all equal. And we all had like six, seven, eight points each for one line. Right. And at those points we do that in a game they add up. Right. And then I missed the last ten games this season. I separated my shoulder and missed the last ten games. And I came back for the last game.

I missed him and they came back the last game. And and JT got his 100th point that night. So Boss ended up with one hundred and twenty some points. I end up with one hundred whatever it was and and end up with the one hundred. Right on. So amazing. Yeah it was, it was really again it was, I think it had a lot to do with just being in shape when you go out there like we were in game shape already because we already were playing these high level defense teams like Stanley Cup playoff games.

And so we were we were further ahead. And, you know, I was very fortunate to play that Canada Cup team because that year they named thirty players to the camp. And brother Brian and got named and I was trained with Brian and Brian's garage in Silverlake and working out with them to get him in top shape to go there. And so we were pushing each other for quite some time training stuff, because he was obviously very excited to go.

Well, they got there. And that was the year that traunch decided not to go to Team Canada. He used he used his treaty card to. Join the US team instead of Team Canada. So Bill Torrey was the GM and Slot's and I got a call from Alan Eagleson. This was they reported on Friday and this was Monday. And I got a call from Alan Eagleson, called me and said, Hey, Brant, Alan Eagleson here. You know, we want you to come in and join our team in Montreal.

And I was like, if you and I hung the phone, I thought I was somewhat messing with a guy like that or I named it like I was expect. I, I that's exactly what I said to me. Get off the phone. I got double digit growth and then about two minutes later, the phone rings again. It's Bill Authority, says Brett. That was illegal. Someone invite enter into aacap here. And I was I was lucky because I had been training with Brian, so I was in pretty good shape.

So I went in there and I end up making the team. And that was the year that. Peter Dashty had naturalized to become a Canadian citizen as he was planning to go back, and so he got named to the team that year, too. So was was definitely unique how it'll happen.

You mentioned the situation with the are not the islanders against the Rangers, and you guys ended up going on to win the cup. Was that the same year you ended up having the office issue with an Islanders fan or a Rangers fan?

Excuse me, are you talking about after one cup, after you won the cup?

I don't know if you guys went to a basketball game or a baseball game.

Yeah, well, I was about four days after and rather, Dwayne and I took our wives to to the New York Mets game at Shea Stadium. And then we're having some drinks and we're sitting in the stands, drink beer and eat hot dogs and whatever and that we all do. We go to a baseball game and. Both of us have to go to the so we get up and walk to the bathroom and we're standing there at the entrance, which men do right, and there's the waist down and there's a year in between us and there's me.

Well, the next person comes in between us, between us. And of course, you kind of look over that, get attention. Well, then all of a sudden I hear. Yes, it was pretty funny. This guy turns instead of pissing in the air and he turns and he is all down doing legen into his shoe. We had besoin had the right to he had these brand new white shoes that he bought, like back then. And of course, and that's when the designer jeans started coming out and stuff instead of wearing wranglers and Levi's stuff that.

Well, in New York, everyone's wearing these, these jeans and they always wear these cool shoes with them all. Dwayne bought these brand new pair. They were like widescreen shoes, leather shoes for this guy, filled his shoes right up and then he turned around and ran out while Duane isn't even done. He turned to chase this guy. Well, I walk out and this guy is darting down the concourse at doyennes down there with piss all over his leg and in his shoes and stuff.

And this guy turns out he's got a New York Rangers jacket on and a hat and turns around. Give Duane the thing and it goes f you stutter. I hate you, Cathrine. So we go back to the stands in the way now like he's mad, upset, obviously, and he's wrecked the shoes. He's got piss all over him and he's sitting there and he's thinking, right. So we get in the car and we drive to the Midtown Tunnel in New York.

And the car just reeks with with this guy urinating on dog and he's got his shoes on. And I said, dog, get those shoes off and throw them out because it's dog, stop the car.

Took his shoes out of the window on Long Island Expressway.

And I want to piss and run.

But I told my brother Duane's name is Dog. I said, you know, dog, it just goes hand in hand. Your nickname is Dog for a reason. You piss on your own hydrant stuff. This guy pissed on you. You just got even with your dog.

Sorry for butchering this, butchering the start of that one. But speaking of names, did people still call you Pookie?

Yeah, right.

I know that sounds awful, but it's been my nickname since I was five years old. I had back home at Viking. We had we are in the farm. We we had the long bus rides that we get picked up in the seven in the morning and get up dropped off at school at quarter nine and back in the day. The roads have all changed. Now, back then I was curbs you take the roads are built around the slews. Now they're built through the slews.

Right. So we had an area where we had to go on the bus and it was bad. Hili, when you rode in, it was about a 20 minute and you had to go pick up two or three different homes for kids and then come back and go back in town that way. And I always got sick on the bus and grade one right then. I could not go through that one area of the bus on that trip, our school route, and I got sick on the bus every day for like three or four straight months.

And then so this is why I was stupid about it. So that was my name and that's how I got the name Pookie, so but what really pissed my brothers off, Gary, Bryan and Darryl, is that it didn't matter how cold it was or how warm it was. The bus driver stopped that corner, dropped me off, and one of them had to get off with stand with me and stand there for 20 minutes while the bus made the trip to come back so I wouldn't get sick on the back off of the school.

So then what? There was minus 40 out of minus 30 or plus 30. It didn't matter. They had to stay. One of them had to stand with me because I was the younger brother and I was only in grade one. So that's how I got the name Buki in this day. Everyone at home, that's all they know about me. And I. I mean, OK, I'm just used to it. It doesn't really matter until they start calling me Pop because brother Dane Duane's name was Dog.

So they started to call me pops up in the hockey circles. I was known as Pop, but in real life a nickname is what it is.

Brant, I want to bring up one of your teammates. You mentioned already goalie Billy Smith.

If there was a prototype for the crazy goalie, it was probably Billy Smith. I think he had two seasons where he only had single digit Paldi minutes. What was what was it like working with him? Playing with him for basically a decade?

Spinning was awesome. You know, Smitty was Smitty was a goalie, but great guy, great teammate that he they always said he was the money goalie. And you know what? The bigger the game, the better this man played.

And but in practice, if you shot the puck over his weight, oh, boy, he would come with his stick and just drill it with a stick.

So you had to shoot the pot from the waist down or he'd be pissed off. So everyone knew that you knew you couldn't shoot high in practice or eat. He would freak and lose his mind. But then as we got close to playoffs. He completely changed his attitude. He'd be pissed at us for not trying to score no shit and and he was a battler like that's why I called Billy Bowdler Smith. And he would just be. Yeah. And he played like that, like he he was a gamer.

And, you know, it's crazy how his routine was when you played like I sat next to Billy in the dressing room on Long Island for years and there was always one stall between him and I. And I knew not to mess with that stall between us, like as you know, as a player the way goalies are. And he'd come in is he put his underwear on, set his Gopadze down on the floor. And back then you guys you guys know what the lockers were like, right?

They're not like today where they're open on the sides back then. They're boxed in lockers like they had to sides on them. You can see the guy sitting next to you if you sat back in locker or Billy would sit back in his locker and I would make sure when guys came because I was right beside the door that walked out, that no one touched his pads, like, do not even touch his cards or else you'll come up swinging. Right.

So I'd always be like guys, like, you know, I was like he was crazy. But anyway, he he he he read Louis L'Amour, those Western books. So he'd sit back in a stall, grab the book and lean back in a stall, she couldn't see him and he read the book. He never even listened to one meeting. He read the books through the meetings. He never just ignored them. And he just sat there and read his book while the meetings going on.

He didn't even listen to any meeting or nothing. He just read his book and that's how he prepared to play a very charming guy in the dressing room. Didn't say much, but awesome guy like awesome off the ice. We had a lot of fun together. Good man. I have I have a lot of respect for me because he was he was a gamer and he you know, he had his ways of where he practiced and stuff. But there was one time that he just took off off the ice because someone shot the puck.

It hit him in the chest instead of keep the puck. And he just went right to dawn, skate off the ice. I'm not practicing these guys. And he played the next night go shuto. So has been just the way the game was back. And now player gets sent down to the minors or you get suspended or fined or whatever. But back then, that wasn't the case.

Brian, we could talk to you for five hours. This is great. But when when you retired, I think it was a year off and you got ready to coach in Red Deer and all of a sudden after a few years and a memorial cup and a WHL championship, you're tagged to coach the Canadian World Junior team. And sure as shit, you coach the greatest team to ever probably play with Bergeron. Perry Weber gets off. It was just that list and then you win it again in 06.

First coached everyone back to back gold medals for Team Canada. Why did you choose not to go for the third straight? I read it was your decision to not to not go back and go for the third.

Well, it was you know, it was just a long time to be away from your team. Yeah, right. Great. Like you're leaving on and back then it's different is now. When I got the position in 05, I met with Bob. Bob came and met with Bob Nicholson and just said, would you would you want to run our program and coach his team for this coming season? And I just asked him, I said, well, what's it entitled like for you when you talk to me about this, that you want me to coach your what you're doing.

So I want you to change the culture. They had won they had won gold medals seven years. And he says, we want you to run it just like you do right here. So. And when I when I when I bought the team with the rebels, everyone said, well, jeez, you name yourself coach, general manager, whatever, whatever bus driver, but I paid the most money for a junior franchise that was ever sold to that point.

And I could not afford I had put my whole life. We didn't have the money. Obviously, you guys know that these NHL players make now, like I had my whole life savings, I put my farm everything up for collateral.

So palsied. That's crazy. I could I could have lost it. All right. And and I had a bank that backed me. We did a ten year loan agreement. And and as I paid it off, they would take my land or my house or whatever off as collateral. So I kept doing it and I couldn't afford to pay for a coach or general manager. I didn't have a choice. And in a way, just how it all worked out in our press conference, I had to be quite honest.

I can't believe I even said it, but it did. I said we're going to win the World Cup within three years and we won at the second year. And I didn't know the players. I just we had two players I helped. Terry Simpson was a coach then and Wayne Simpson was a GM and they were partners with the team at all in the team. And they're the ones that sold me the team. And I helped them a little bit through the year that year, just proxies and stuff.

And but I really like some of the players, like the young kids who are good players. But I knew they had their list was really good. And I went around, watch some of their players and seeing that the list was really good. And the next year when we won the World Cup, two years later, we had two players in the team that when I the first year I coached them in nineteen ninety nine two thousand season with only two players in one season back.

So the whole culture had to change some and and we worked at it. So when I got named five, I got named the coach there and we had to change that. It was scary. I went the first day I went down the dressing room, I was like, you got to be joking. I mean, there was there was more people hanging around the players in the dressing room. There was actually players, really. It was just terrible.

And and, you know, you got all this all equipment companies and stuff like that. They're all there right in the dressing room. And I just I shut everything down. I just came in and said, no, you nothing, stop inside his dressing room. Only people out in this dress or other players, coaches and trainers. That's it. If you want to do media, it's outside. You want to do whatever it's outside. These kids got to learn and understand the focus point of how this has to be done.

And and it was definitely a change. And we had a great team. Right. Like, do you think about that old five team? We had thirteen players coming back from the 04 team when they lost in the gold medal game. And it was just you know, I just met with the thirteen players. And the first day I did my first position at it, Bob and I talked about after the we made a decision that I would move forward with this was, I repeat, the board and it became my co coach.

And and then we hired Jimmy Hulton and as their assistant coach. And and Pete was the very same mindset as myself and the way things had to be changed and done. We worked closely on it all. And, you know, when we met with the thirteen players that we return and we just say, guys, this is the way it's got to be. This is what we want to see happen. And you guys can be part of it or not.

But when they when they when they joined in to be partners in on it and that's what I say was it was a partnership right there. They joined in and said, OK. We'll do it this way, and so we knew that we just had to pick seven players or I guess it would have been nine players that would mix with these 13 guys and make our best team. And it's crazy how it worked out because we went into our last exhibition game.

We're playing in Winnipeg against the University of Manitoba and. Corey Perry, it was a do or die game for Corey because he had really struggled through camp stuff, but everyone knew that he was a good player and he was just having a tough go with it. But we had other players that we had two players, actually, a fair and rhinestone. Those the rhinestone I forget his first name. He played they played Brown there, won two in scoring in the West.

And it was coming down to one of those three guys to make the team. And Corey had three goals and three assists and we won six one. And so it's an easy decision right at that point.

But when you think about that team and then that was the lockout here. So we had all these stud junior players on our team that there would have been a jayhawkers probably seven or eight that we never played in that would have played like you look at our defense, like Deon from Shea Weber, Braden Colburn, Brett Seebruck, Jesus. You know, and you look up front, Bourgie got sent to us from the American hockey because the year before he plays Nick for Boston and then there is a lockout.

So he could play in the American League while they sent them back to us to play in the world juniors. So then our our one line was. Patrice is generous with Sydney, and that's pretty cool, right, even to this day, every international event they play on, they play together. But it all started in that world juniors. Right. And I kept them where we put them on the line together. And then we had Corey Perry playing with them.

And then we had Ryan, Vaslav Jeff Carter. And Andrew Ladd on the next line. And then we had Mike Richards and Tony Stewart, Nigel George as their third line. And then we had Carte McArthur. Colin Fraser. And I'm trying to take it in because it's Steve Dickson, Steve Dickson, he was on that. He made that team. You're talking about getting the right, the right, and that he knew from from growing up. And he was such a good team guy.

Great guy to have around. Good penalty killer, too.

He was awesome. So that was our energy line. And and in the 13th player that can play forward, they couldn't play. They got hurt was Jeremy. Jeremy Kyle. Did Jeremy hurt, hurt his knee and he he wasn't able to play, but we named him on the team in a way, then on our back end, it was like we had, like I mentioned, those guys and then we had to. Barker was the only 18 year old player on the team.

Everybody else was 19. And we had Sean Bell. Yeah, he could skate so well, that guy.

And then Danny separate. And that was our defensive end goal. We took two goalies. We weren't these two goalies. We didn't they weren't even they didn't get invited to our August camp. We at that time, we thought, OK, let's take the two best goalies in our country that. Know that they might only have to stop 15 or 20 parks and games, so they got to be mentally strong and they got to come from good defensive teams.

And we took the Golia advice from from Cutin and the Bowsman Boy from Prince Albert. They're the best defensive teams in the league. And those teams were only given up 15, 20 shots a game. And we didn't give up the game. More than 15 shots for Gainer's like we were. So we need a guy who gets to keep themselves in the game and be mentally good. And yeah, the kids were fired up like we went into we went into North Dakota, we drove down from Winnipeg.

And that team was wired like we they wanted to prove the year before was not what they were expecting wanted and they were gone. And of course, you look at that team, I don't think anybody can argue with saying that they're not, you know, oh, my God, you look at those guys like those guys, all the National Hockey League, we're all stars. Some of them are or have been captains on their teams for a long, long time.

It was just a phenomenal group of young men that were great players that became a real close bond. We kept things tight just among the team as far as outside distractions and full marks to everybody for doing that like it was it was a huge commitment by everybody but those kids, Delvina, into, you know, to this day. You know, that that group of players was very unique and was a phenomenal group, and that was you're saying you got like Sydney, Sydney with 17 that year.

But Hammond Petraeus set the tone on how Praksis had to be like those guys. They treated every practice like it was a game, like it was unbelievable. Sydney of course, those guys being such, you know, phenomenal players at that age, it really pushed everybody else to a different level to. Right. So as a coach, it wasn't a hard team to coach in that sense. It was just it was just getting everyone to check their egos at the door.

And let's just become this type of team. And I think we only gave up six goals or whatever it was. All tournament scored 40 some. And then next year we only had one guy. Kemba Walker came back in 06.

We had to start with a whole new group and we won again for Brett. I mean, listen, we said we could do this for a while. We've kept you long enough. We'd love to do round two Army said you have a beautiful place on Lake Sullivan. Maybe maybe we'll just invite ourselves over sometime when we go to the.

I'd love to have you guys be awesome. I listen to you guys often and I really, really enjoy it. So this was a blast for us is a pleasure.

If you sold enough many sticks, you get a place in the lake.

Yeah, yeah.

They're hanging up and they're hanging up in my man. Cave them. We thank you once again.

And that was one of one of our top end of your song. We'll have a great one.

Good luck the rest of the year. Thanks a million guys. Appreciate it. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Take care, guys. Take care. Huge thanks to Brant Sadler for coming on with us. Man, we really didn't know what to expect. Sometimes you got a guy his age unknown. We really don't know what we're going to get. We're going to get mad because that was all time to do it.

Just incredible stories you just don't hear anymore these days. Nice to get a little Islander's talk to you.

Yeah. I wonder if he knows we just despise them. Shout out Islander's. You know, I'm a man. I'm a man of honor. You guys are rolling right now. You don't always want to be Peacon this time of year, but you're rolling.

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Check them out man. In an environment, a lot of people don't have trouble sleeping. I saw it on CBS Sunday morning. Like just people sleeping aids away off. You watch that with CBS Sunday Morning on that new show.

I know I don't, but my mom does not miss an episode. Yeah, definitely. Times the times that I have watched it, there's always some interesting discussions.

Yeah, it's a good show, it's definitely like guys like my father's agency and watch it, but it's it's a wicked mellow show to ease the ease into Sunday morning or like a nice cup of coffee with what you call one of these days deathwish.

A couple of the notes from the North Division. We want to congratulate Montreal's head equipment manager, where he worked his 3000 game on Saturday night. He's been with the team since 87. That's thirty one seasons, man. That's these guys. We said it before on the show. These guys are the kind of grease in the gears that run the league bizim without them, you know, the luggage doesn't move the jerseys don't go anywhere that there's such an essential part to running an NHL squad.

Lots of travel, lots of late nights being away from your family. Those guys are those guys like when you get off the road there at the rink till 4:00 a.m. and then they're there at fucking seven a.m. to start off, most nights are probably even sleeping there. I don't know how these guys do it. They're the unsung heroes, that's for sure. No doubt.

Congrats to Connor McDavid. Fifty point you got to in his twenty night game, only two guys in Oilers history have gotten that quick. A couple of fellows by the name of Yarrie, Kyrie and Wayne Gretzky.

So kind of still chugging along. We're going to talk about the call, the trophy. We're going to jump in on this. LeBron, he tweeted about a week or so ago, love watching Caprese off play. He's so special, happy for while fans. But when it comes to the call, the do we need to reconsider the criteria he played half a decade in the cage? Well, he's the season. Twenty three year old. Is he really a rookie?

He is, according to the call, the criteria. It's got a little bit of buzz online.

I've I think I've been hearing this a lot from Canada about how much he played in the KHL. What what do you make of this call? The criteria change of stay as it is. Oh, man, I'm not necessarily ready to make my decision on that, but for right now, I couldn't disagree more with people, dog, and I'm like, he can't.

I mean, he counts. He's not he's not.

Twenty five, whatever it is, I don't know what the cutoff is. Maybe it's twenty six. He's twenty three.

And yes, he's played in the KHL for a long time, but he's young enough for him in the KHL.

It's good league. It's not that good. You're still in the NHL, it's first year in the show and you're dominating and he's like running away with that trophy. He's so sick to watch that kid. My buddy from Minnesota, Mizer, Justin Mizer, my dog. This guy has to come on the show. Everyone pressure him. This guy was I was at the national program with him in Ann Arbor.

And then we went to be you together. And then he went to the WHL. He left us.

But he's coming on as many stories, many stories about about us growing up together. But the reason I just went into that is he text because he's like Sergei Federoff. I love watching them.

And the other night I watch the goals. I didn't see them all alive. But the next morning, like, he scored that hatrick. Third goal is like on one knee, right, as he just rips at shelf, Zucchero gave him the pass. They have sick chemistry together.

So I know I'm getting away from the Rookie of the Year discussion, but. In terms of like if you're going to switch up the rules, I don't really know where you'd start, like if you're going to already have an age on it, like, how do you like if you're in another professional league?

Like if a guy plays in Switzerland for five years and Cummock comes over, like, that's not that's not as impressive.

I don't know.

I'm not ready to say, but I can't right now at all chirp the the the probability that he will run away with that trophy.

I was OK with the criteria at one point and then and then Friday happened and he put a fucking three piece up my hoop from the coyotes game. And now I think they should change it and I think they should change it right now midseason. So and we give it to our boy, Jimmy Stewart and not Karyl. The thrill. I tell you what, he fucking is unbelievable in the offensive zone using behind the net. He's always going behind the net to make a play like either come out and fire it or find guys.

So it's it's been impressive to watch.

And as you said, with this kid's running away with the Calder Trophy right now and Ginelli, when you put up the pole or somebody put up the pole on and sickouts, Twitter, how they're wearing the old North stars, unis.

Right. And like, should they go back to this was the resounding answer.

Yes, absolutely. Oh, my God. The wild.

I think if the wild went to those unis along with this kid this year, it's like, whoa, I think we have a we have an Anaheim Ducks going from the Mighty Ducks to the ducks, from the purple in the maroon to the to the or the green to the black and orange.

And then they win a cup. Minnesota, you got to get rid of those units.

I think they would have to make a deal with Dallas stars because technically, Dallas Dallas still owns the rights because and because I know this because when I went to a game in Dallas, I actually bought a Minnesota North Stars hat out of Dallas Stars game. So they still on the rights to all that stuff.

So, yeah, they would have to by showing me the money, showed me the stat in my face with that area. I love that.

And just to go back to eligibility for the call, the trophy to be eligible, a player cannot have played more than twenty five games of any single preceding season, nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in any major professional league beginning in nineteen ninety one to play a must not have attained his twenty sixth birthday by September 15th of the season, which he was eligible. That was a rule because all the Russians started coming over.

They were twenty eight, thirty years old and that's when they instituted this just popped up in my head.

I want to say the last time this kind of became a bit of an issue, but he didn't end up winning. It was was panarin, wasn't it, when he was with Chicago? Like he said, he had an unbelievable. Yeah, it was a similar type transition over where he played for a little while there.

Yeah. Where some people thought that he should have won it. But at that point, it was such a close race that people felt that the fact that he played in the cage for as long as he did and how old he was when he came into the league, although still under the criteria of the age of 26, I think that that people people assumed in the voting situation that it was being held against him in this situation. You know, Panarin won it.

Yeah. Oh, fuck. We'll have Shubat on my hope.

I think we've all owned each other once this episode. Yeah, there you go.

Sounds about right. Yeah. And you had Capri's off. He has been unreal, man. What's he got going into tonight.

I thought I didn't think that he wanted that you're who did he beat out as far as Rookie of the year that year.

I was twenty sixteen. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head. I really couldn't right now.

I could pull up the voting in a second. But either way, I don't think.

Yeah, I don't I mean, it's not like you said what he's thinking. David Hughes McDavid, wasn't it. Yes, it was McDavid right here. McDavid and Shane Gosta Spare were the other finalists, the coast.

So Panarin won Rookie of the Year over McDavid. Yeah. He got hurt. He was hurt.

And his shoulder up manning. Yeah. Maybe that maybe that's why we talk about the ending here. All right.

Well, yeah, like I said, well, he's coming to stay up as well.

Isn't isn't the NHL and he's coming over and he's getting it done. So I don't see why he should be penalized for it. I mean, I don't know if you vote and then you don't have to vote for on that could be a reason not to vote for him. But anyways, yeah, I hope they hope they don't change anything.

Moving over to the West, L.A. Kings, how about this? The goaltender, Troy Krasniqi won his NHL debut back in November 16th. Twenty four, he won twenty three hundred and six days before he won a second NHL game he wanted on March 10th. That's absolutely insane. He got kind of a spot Scott Peterson couldn't go, so they throw him in there. I know the Kings lost today, but they're another team. That's been a bit of a surprise.

Also, we got the Eric Carlson comments from that division. I know we mentioned the shocks earlier. He had said the other day it quote, Obviously, I did not sign here to go to a rebuild or go to what I did for ten years in Ottawa. But it is what it is. I think we need to find a way to build with the core group that we have here and figure out a way to how to be competitive in the upcoming years.

And quote Doug Wilson had mentioned, he called it a reset, which I don't know, it's just another term for a rebuild.

But this year, I think this marriage bill long guys. But who's going to take on that contract going forward?

You know, I think that sometimes it's hard and you're getting asked these questions. And I know he speaks pretty fluent English, English, but I don't. But sometimes you say things and they get taken out of context. I would just say some because some Ottawa fans were pissed. They're like ten year rebuild. Like we went we were one game away from going to the Stanley Cup finals kind of thing. So I don't know. It's just there's there's probably a lot of pressure on these guys right now, given the fact that things have not worked out, that the way they expected.

I'll probably just chalk it up to to maybe just misspeaking. What is that fair to say? Now, I don't necessarily agree with you just because. For the most part, they sucked. I mean, they had a couple good years, but he's he's looking at it like when he says all he means is that when he signed with San Jose and now his game is definitely an issue. Right. But what I'm just saying, his opinion or my guess on what he meant was when I saw him in San Jose, I thought we'd be like a top team in the West.

Yeah. And we'd be competing for cups.

Whereas in Ottawa. Yeah. One time we made a big run.

But other than that, we were like kind of shit for fuck and I just sunk in yet.

So now I'm just taken ill after all this part.

Vegas is going to be without defenseman Alex Pietrangelo for the foreseeable future with an upper body injury after blocked a shot look like you might have fucked up his left hand. So he's going to be out for a stretch. Buddy Jordan benitz and out in St. Louis. He signed a nice little six year. Thirty six million dollar extension that kicks in next season will take him to the twenty seventh season. So get a no trade clause for the first three and he modified no trade clause for the last three.

So congrats to Jordan. Gets that security he's looking for. I mean you can't be out chasing fucking extra dough these days guys. But what the flat cap. I mean, you know, bird in the hand is worth two in the bush or in this case, thirty six in the hand is worth two in the bush, I suppose. Yeah.

He bet on himself. He took that. It's hard to call it a bridge deal. Right. The one the last one he took, although he might have been restricted at the time. But what he signed two years at four million a year ends up. Yeah, he ends up getting his payday man and I'm happy for him. He's earned it. And he had a really good start to this year. And I think that's a very fair contract and they're going to be happy with it moving forward.

I think he's got a lot of game left and this is a good deal.

Yeah, I'm very happy for him just after interviewing him. Right.

And like, he he had to really put his balls on the line and, like, stand up for himself at a time when he thought he could just be lost in the in the world of professional hockey, where there's plenty of goaltenders who have probably like maybe had not as many chances as somebody else and could have ended up making it.

So he's ended up making it. And that's a well-deserved raise of sets him up for life and happy for him.

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Speaking of the islanders, plus nine in a row, Frankie Bro is going to be on in Houston with nine in a row with a little bit of tough news.

Honestly, he's out and definitely lower body injury. He had a collision with Paval Zarka the other night. Kind of a tough looking one, but this seems like a team that can suffer a loss like that. Keep on Jörgen. We've said before they just kind of roll those lines out. They get an absolutely stellar goaltending from Valla, Varlamov, Terrapins kind of settle down a little bit. I mean, when you won nine in a row, you're going to get Strogoff off once.

But Jeff was busy.

Yeah, they are fucking wagan right now. And that's really all we could say. Just get everybody's pulling the rope. I saw a couple of games ago. They were out high danger, scoring chance, someone 19 to go in the game or at least in the first couple periods at was to what, nineteen? Oh, oh, OK.

I guess I cannot tell you how much it pains me to say how good they are. You know, I don't like pumping their tires, but they're good. They're very good.

Now like the crazy thing is, is that it's these fans, they're so self-conscious and crazy. Frankie is the perfect fan of the New York Islanders.

He's just so nuts and always thinking everyone's out to get him that, like, is basically who they are.

And I swear, I know that they're good.

But when you try, like, showing that amazing bar, Zougam and like, boring, that's a bar. I'll fucking stab you if I ever see you any.

Overall, nobody has a point per game. It's it's a do it like four lines deep like weather map. Martin's making making the plays one night or Iblis making the plays the other night. It really doesn't matter. That's why they're so good.

But I do get weary and scared if you're peaking right around now. I believe they did this at another point or no, you know what, they were actually tanking before covid hit last year.

They lost like 10 in a row or something like that. But Bazzel, something else, Anders Lee is a scary injury because he's like the guy in front of the net.

He's a leader. Right? He's like. Really understands that room more than anyone else is, from what I can tell, like he really is the guy everyone looks to and in front of the net on the power plane, just like everything he he adds intangibles. That's going to be a little scary to see when he comes back. But then I also was reading I think it might have been Larry book, Larry Brooks's column, you know, up towards this by proxy.

Fuck you. He was saying like maybe Taylor Hall.

Do they try to trade for Taylor Hall? I don't know. Is that a guy that the Islanders Lulus shown to be nuts? You know, he he'll make a move. He's the guy who went out and got Ilya Kovalchuk in New Jersey and nobody ever even mentioned them as a possible team.

So we'll see where they go on that. They're not winning the cup, I'll tell you that. But there are good hockey team.

I don't think they've lost a game at home and regulation so far. And I think Lou Lamoriello became the first ever GM to win one hundred games for three separate organizations. So that's a I mean, he's one guy who I mean, he's you guys think they can win the cup?

Like if they won the cup, would would either one of you say you're surprised or would you be like, no, I could see that I wouldn't be surprised at all.

You wouldn't be surprised at all if they win at all? No.

I mean, Trott's is coaching is what it is. I mean, the way they play for him and also Semyon Varlamov.

I mean, this guy is a forty five to one shot for the visitor at the beginning of the year. I don't mock Andre Flurry's the the shock right now, but Varlamov is at that level of probably a finalist. Yeah. Wouldn't shock me at all if they ended up winning the cup.

If they win the cup, I could have to quit. My only my old job is, is sometimes their offense can really dry up and that would be my only my only in them.

But I, I think someone at the deadline would be, I don't know, I don't know if Lou would ever go like go get a guy like, like Hawk is. What would you be giving up as far as an asset. What do you think Hall's value is right now with the season?

I would have no idea. Honestly, I just read that in that column. And I was just we were just chatting about the islanders. But no, I didn't I didn't put too much, like, thought into it. It was just more something to bring up on the board.

I would think Buffalo is just going to take pics. I mean, you got to imagine that. Yeah. I mean, he's going to be UFA. They have to fucking trade and be stupid. Not they've just got to start stock on what they call it, the cupboard for the future.

Don't put it past them.

Yeah, it's true that and speaking of Buffalo Jack ickle, he's going to be out for the foreseeable future as well as injury is not considered season and any star specialist. But now he has to go into quarantine for seven days. He's going to miss another four games. So when it rains, it pours and snow 17 feet in fucking Buffalo lately.

Why? Apparently, he's had it since the beginning of the year. And then you saw him re aggravated. I forget what game it was. And then the trainer was trying to massage his neck. And the minute he touched it, you could see how much pain he was in. And guys like, you know, neck and vertebrae, that's something you can't fuck around with. Yeah, I just you know, that's a it's a valuable, valuable asset.

You don't want to be messing with with that type of shit right now.

And if you take a look at the top of the standings as of this minute, Islander's Carolina, Tampa, Florida, I don't think too many people would have predicted that earlier in the season.

Washington, they've won four straight, nine of eleven. They might get Hank Lundquist on his back. That's a possibility. They haven't guaranteed anything, but it's certainly something different that's changed in that regard.

So I advise you, I think, did you tweet who's the most underrated player in the NHL or undervalued, would you say? Oh, I got to go back to that little Emeril's that he actually became the fourth general manager in NHL history to earn 100 regular season wins with three franchises. So Brian Burke, Amiel Francis and Brian Murray were the other three guys. I thought I'd read that he was the only guy to do it. So stay or keep staying hot biz.

And what was your question, wit? Your tweet was it, who's the most underrated player in the world? Yeah, I know that Berkoff always comes up every year, but like, I watched the game the other night, like I was seeing the ads in my head. Twenty five minutes he played. He's the first guy that they count on as far as power play is always out there killing penalties. He wins face offs. You can't give him a bad pass if you put it in his bubble.

He's taking it. He's Yance talked about the amount of takeaways. I just feel that this guy is probably and and given with the contract that he's on, I think that he's probably top, what, top seven or eight centers in the league. And you never hear about the guy unless it's like someone saying like, hey, remember this guy down in Florida?

OK, well, you wonder who else might be going to the top seven senators in the league who you also really don't hear about and it's been going on forever is the Washington Capitals Nicholas Backstrom, who leads them in scoring. That's why I kind of brought it up like.

Kind of an ageless wonder, I mean, how his batsmen in the league, what, four? I don't know, for 14 years now. Yeah, like whole and he's still 30 points this year. It's like the sky doesn't slow down and Vrana keeps getting better. So when you talk about Washington winning that many games in a row and being on this heater, I don't really see them slowing down the fact that I didn't pick them to get into the playoffs or did I?

Yeah, I don't think I did.

What an idiot. He did 14 years he's been in the Navy 14 years. Nicholas Sparks has been doing this enough is enough baccy any psychic golf?

I think Louis Eriksson's the most underrated because he was the guy for like four years that everybody ravagers people set him up.

You got to stop fucking saying it. I was just saying, oh, Ovechkin can get a seven hundred and sixteenth goal. He's one behind Phil Esposito for sixth all time.

Just want to make a note of that, because that's obviously been he has never physically assaulted Bob McKenzie that we're aware of.

I Temmy Panarin return to the Rangers' Saturday and the victory of the Bruins. Nice to see him back out there. Hopefully fucking Putin will leave him alone in his family threading the needle too.

I think you contributed that sick assist back door.

Just Bozsum and Tumorous does hurt a little bit, so he's not that serious, but he'll actually get a lot of the play there lately.

There was another quote because I know you want to talk about Gary Bettman had his annual presser the other day. He stated, I don't believe this tanking in the game. I think our players and our organizations, our coaches are too professional. I don't I don't think anyone is actually tanking. But what do you call when a when a general manager is manipulating the roster? So it's not the best team mechanics because it doesn't benefit them to be in the middle of the league?

I mean, this one seemed to piss a lot of people off. People were like, oh, what do you no tanking going on? And like I mean, I guess that the draft situation has it's kind of a contradictory, contradictory in the way that they set it up to try to prevent teams from doing it to where it doesn't ensure that they end up getting the first overall pick. So I don't know. I mean, I would say that there's there's less of it going on now that that rules in place.

So what did you what did you feel about the quote? I mean, it just seemed like he can't come out and flat out say that, yeah, teams in the league are fucking pankin. Yeah, I mean, I know before the year there's thirty one team soon to be thirty two. There's there's a number of teams every single season who know, like we don't have much this year. You then try to field the best possible team you can and you try to grow younger players that are you plan on being a part of your team when it's good.

And then for the most part, you take beatings and you take your lumps. And it's like the senators at times who can look really good, but for the most part struggle.

And is that tanking? I mean, I don't know. I don't I think teams like throughout the year, right. When you realize you have nothing going, you start selling assets and then you know, you're going to struggle and you're more worried about getting people games.

And it's time that you think could be a part of your future and you're not as worried about winning and losing because the games don't matter anymore. You're out of the playoffs. So if that's tanking, there's tanking.

But I don't know teams. Let's use Detroit as an example. Right? Detroit's playing hard. You know what I'm saying is that they're not tanking.

Right. So they go out in the off season, they say. And a guy like Bobby Ryan, I think they got Sam Garner and they add these pieces to probably help with the locker room, too. And so these young guys, how to be professional and you need some competent actual players to help, you know, win some games and make your team not laughable. But at the end of the day, it's like, what type of assets can you trade certain players for?

Once you're at a certain level. It's like you really can't you really can't do much else. Right? You could trade trade those got what are you going to get for a Bobby Ryan or Sam Garnett? Who does Detroit have where they can gain assets for and in order to tank and try to try to be that dogshit, any, any upending UEFA basically?

I mean, you know, you got to think any team would probably take a Bobby Ryan for a cheap price going into the playoffs, even just to have him on the bench. Even if your roster was fine, I would think teams would be beaten down doors to get a guy like even like Mark Stolle. Like I mean, if you're looking for defense of depth in the playoffs, wouldn't you want to add a guy like Mark Stall?

I don't know why you don't know. I mean, yeah, look at the roster. We got Lou Clendenning, Darren Helm. I mean, you know, I don't know if he wants to leave. I know we had an option to leave last year. He didn't want to. Bobby Ryan Mack, I just mentioned Patrick Namath. I mean, you know, have you if you had Detroit in your building for the future and these guys are going to be glad the end of the year, why would you take even a fifth, the fifth round to just get whatever you can and just build assets?

It's kind of a no brainer, I think. You know what else is a no brainer using Earnest right now? Times are tough and worrying about your student loan payments. They don't make things any easier.

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Terms and conditions apply just to go back to the draft stuff one second. The NHL did propose to the Board of Governors recently. Some changes reported alterations include limiting teams to no more than two lottery wins in a five year period, allowing clubs to jump up only ten spots and reducing picks in the lottery from three to two. The next draft will likely stay in July. And there was talk of delay. It doesn't look like that's going to happen.

And another little note, the NHL last placed team is picked first overall just twice in the past nine years. So I don't know if you really need to change it. If that's the case, I think not.

All right. Again, that wraps up all the hockey stuff. Let's get to the fun shit. All the goofy should, of course, be talking about Disney World for the first twenty minutes. So I guess you could say we did it at the beginning. But boys, we got home I was waiting to see coming to America. That's the name of it coming to America. The number two. It was the sequel to the Eddie Murphy movie from back in 1988.

Now I had zero expectations. Any time you make a sequel these days tends not to be good, let alone when it's fucking thirty, thirty one years later. Whatever it is, I put it on ten minutes. Then I was out cold. It was trouble because I just got home that night. I watched it the next day. It just was not good. Man, I'm a huge Eddie Murphy guy. It's a classic one of his classic movies.

But it was bad man. Gee, I know you throw it on. So you didn't last long.

It was horrible. Like it was not a good movie at all. And I'm not critical about movies. I'll watch anything. And this was brutal to watch. Yeah, it was disappointing. Them Dumb and dumber. No, no, it wasn't last.

The whole movie. Orio, don't you not stop watching a movie to like respect the craft. Yeah.

I mean I if I want to give an opinion a movie I get to watch the whole thing. I did sit through it and you know, they try to do the nostalgia thing a couple of times because people get roped in with that. But it was just the story stunk. It was just it was just a mess. Man. Again, I didn't have fucking high expectations. And I watched the bill and Ted Ziegel, actually, when we were flying either down to Florida or back one of the planes I was on the last couple weeks and same thing.

I mean, you're making a sequel to a movie that was popular thirty years ago. So you got to, like, touch that nostalgia nerve to get the all the folks involved. But younger people don't know it, man. They just don't care. And if the movie sucks, then that doesn't help either.

So it seemed like they were forcing it to our. Did they ruin all these fucking original movies? Man, it's brutal. Yeah. I mean, it's it's money. I mean, money. I'm sure it made Amazon a lot of money. I mean, they paid whatever they paid for it. But I don't know if obviously they're not getting to the theater, but they're trying to get it through subscriptions nowadays. Everything's changed so that they're not making money at the theaters like they used to be for.

Although that should be fucking changed soon, hopefully. I know we mentioned earlier that, Carol, that's for sure, they are available on the website.

If you want to explain the process, I will put up a hattrick.

Last night, we looked up the most commonly used Karyl phrase on the Internet. It happened to be Kirilov throw. We threw it on a shirt and they're selling off the hook. So Minnesota people, your savior has arrived. You can buy it at a barstool, sports, dotcom, slasher, clits in jail.

We can have a behind the scenes video from Jupiter, too. I know. I know. We did a lot of recording down there.

Yes, sir. We have a behind the scenes video dropping, I believe. And don't hold me to these exact dates, but I believe we have a behind the scenes video dropping this Wednesday. Next Wednesday, we have the pink Whitney putt putt challenge video dropping as well. And then the weekend at or the week after that, we have a sandbagger. So lots of content coming on the YouTube page. Please subscribe like Bastet. A couple of weeks ago, a lot of our trips are based off the success of the YouTube page.

So if you guys subscribe, that means we are having more success. We can do more things. So again, please subscribe.

Yeah, I've been killing it with that stuff. Good job. My thank you.

Of course.

Boy, Michael are wrapping up, but we got one last story here. This is a big story here in Boston or the New England area. Former middleweight champ my marvelous Marvin Hagler passed away on Saturday.

He was only sixty six years old. I know. Obviously, the old guy, the crew here, he was a little before your time, but back in the Brockton, Mass. Right. Brought the match originally from Newark.

And then he he fought out of Brockton when he moved there later. But, you know, back in the eighties, man, I know we had Larry Bird reporter Jim Rice. Roger Clemens. Well, Marvin Hagel is up there with all these guys in the 80s. You know, those are obviously team sports. He held the middleweight title for almost seven years. He had twelve successful defenses. Eleven of those defenses. He knocked the guy out, just one of the all time greatest boxers ever.

Probably the best middleweight ever. I know Sugar Ray Robinson fought in the forties or whatever, but back in the 80s, when it was the great middleweight area of boxing, there was nothing better than marvelous Marvin Hagaman.

It was generally sad to read that he passed away because Yevgeniy and Young iRace, I didn't know he was only sixty six. They say what he passed away from it. Was it not made public? It hasn't been made public yet.

I know I'm not going to get in on the speculation, but for sure.

For sure. He was sixty six. He was living in New Hampshire and his wife posted online that he passed away suddenly.

Well, Hampshire, he if you get the chance, go right now. And I think a lot of it had been going viral the first round. First Tommy Hearns.

Is that what it it was all right, R.A.. Yep. Oh, my God.

It might be the greatest round of boxing I've ever seen. I know. War. God, he had some crazy rounds. This is the first round of the fight. Go check it out right now. I don't know. Do you know the year off the top of your head? All right.

That was eighty. I want to say those eighty five off the top, my head. But yeah, it's on the I wrote a blog about it Saturday night so you can check the blog at all.

I to debate that first round in the hole. Should we ended up winning that fight.

Oh Haggler beat them and there was the fifth round but it was just the two of them were just going toe to toe for that first round and if you watch the first round not to give it away.

I mean it doesn't know exactly a spoiler alert when you're talking about this many years later.

But Hearns comes out so hard and both of them do. And I think like there's so many moments in that first round where it looks like he could knock them out. And I maybe maybe I didn't. I've never seen the entire fight. But maybe after that he was like, oh, my God, if I didn't get him, I was like rough and rowdy.

Like, he probably thought it was only three rounds just just going to town first round. And he's gassed.

But, yeah, he had an absolute steel jaw. I mean, he was only knocked down. I mean, he was never knocked out. He was knocked down once. And even that was disputed from from what I've read.

So just a tough as nails competitor. I mean, like I said, my generation is familiar with Marvin Hagop. But just sad news in the area this week, an icon of boxing, a New England icon, icon at sixty six. All so tough. No, but it is it has been nice to see the tributes borrow from everybody that happens in this day and age. Everybody has an outlet, so it sucks. What else you got you boys got this week on.

I have one thing, guys, a great article in the Hustler magazine about Pink Whitney this week. I feel like we've got to give a shout out.

Yes, strong fan. We did an interview with him. I know Erica chatted with him and Biz and I were on the phone and he wrote an article about about Pink Whitney and what's been going on there. And really, guys with all the chirping we do on the show and like. We could never have imagined what would happen with equity and the success we've had, and it's all because of you and the listeners and then people who, you know, like Grenelle did work for the cover of the, you know, what the bottle looks like about the people who don't even know about the pod.

They like the label.

It's just we're so thankful and grateful for fans going out and like even even trying it when I said how good pink lemonade and vodka was together. So the article is awesome to kind of read and and see like where it's where it's gone is wild. So we want to thank you guys so much.

Got excited. At first I thought it was in Hustler magazine about Pink Whitney.

I was like, oh, you were too hot. You would have had it in your mailbox already. Like, where's the tequila on the page are stuck together. A one final thing, guys.

Did you guys see that Justin Bieber music video just pumping the leifs absolute leifs pointis, I'm sure you were playing with correctly button to it.

Why on the fucking parade? I've been bullish on the Leafs, although since that fucking video has came out, they don't look very good. They don't. I think they got beat by Ottawa tonight on Sunday. So I don't know. I don't know.

Justin Bieber curse that he did he curse them? We'll find out. Stay tuned for the rest of the season, you can get Bieber on the show. Absolutely not. No, he doesn't give a Fiedler's fuck what's going on in Checkout's. He's too busy. What was that last video we came out with?

Think Bieber's heard of spitting. Do you think if someone is like, you know, it's spit and Checketts is Bieber would say yes or no, not a chicken dextran?

I would say he absolutely has. He is a hockey fanatic.

I guarantee you he is shocked to hear of it and guarantee it. Just I don't know.

He's got the invite any time. Don't be shy. We'll get him.

We'll get him eventually.

All right, gang. Well, yeah, that about wraps it up, right, IRA? So, yeah, we want to go to good to good to go.

Oh, we go. All right, everybody, have a fantastic week. Enjoy the interviews.

And now we'll check back next week and think that's what I was thinking, is I got Kearse with the leaves because I've been so bullish on them all season. Or maybe maybe the fuckin Mr. Harkov. Oh, I've put a hacksaw.

You might never be able to podcast again. You can tell I have to do it again. Yeah, we the minute we hit record today, my brain just took a massive I was so amped up to do this part two. I was like I was I was texting you guys yesterday about it.

So my apologies for being brutal about album bounce back better than ever next part.

But at least we got some great interviews and Wittner carried the show.

But you know what? Accountability is a huge word. You know what I mean? And I think that I think that when you kind of come out and say you struggled people, it resonates with people who maybe that did their job, didn't return emails correctly and didn't do a good job at their desk.

And I think that takes a lot of honor to say what you just said.

But you're still a guy like Panarin went from not winning the Caulder to winning it. Lou was the only GM to fucking win 100 games with three different franchises when he was actually the fourth to do it like Brown.

Also call said Carlson can speak English. Carl, there is no language barrier there. He's probably more fluent than I am in English. Like, let's go through let's go through the whole fucking list, folks. What what else did I fuck up on?

At least he didn't say honestly was spoke a foreign language. We could look at the past.

He's oh he's another Zander's. Yeah. Oh. I didn't even know he was North American. Although when you said he had a lower body injury, I'm like, how have you seen the fucking tree trunks on that guy?

Yeah, I think I think he was like a world class isn't the right word. I think he was a sick football player.

I've heard it like growing up in Minnesota. I could have played D1 football.

Really, if I'm making that up, I know Paul Martin was the same way, legendary defense, Paul Martin, one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, SKELSEY.

I think I think Anders Lee was a very good football player as well. Skills he played, skills. He was a QB. I was terrible at football.

Jesus Christ. I couldn't even I had one practice. I hit my hand on the helmet. You never seen somebody hate a sport more than me.

I went to one football practice at Notre Dame High School and Michael Petrol. My good buddy broke his ankle and I said, nope, no one ever showed back up. He was it was a bad one to so ankles sideways.

You're like, oh yeah. What was the one that what was the football player who. The quarterback back in the day.

Offseasons always Joe Theismann who got his career ended. Yeah.

That was like The Blind Side made me mistruth. All right. With that guys. Wish me luck. Think of me right. Tomorrow's today, but you'll be listening to the day after because this is Sunday for us. Love you guys.

Peace guys. As always, we'd like to thank our fantastic sponsors here and spend Checketts huge thanks to our friends over at New Amsterdam, vodka and Pink Whitney big thanks to our friends over at Whooper, taking care of our training and our sleep. Huge thanks to our new friends. That better help if you're struggling these days. By all means, check them out. Big thanks to our friends at CBD AMD for helping us get a good night's sleep. Thanks to everybody over at Bruce for keeping our chocolates nice and clean and a huge thanks to everybody at Earnest.

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Have a great week, everyone.