Spittin' Chiclets Episode 614: Featuring Rob Blake

Hey, spit and chick, let's list this. You could find every episode on Apple Podcasts in Spotify. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Hey, guys, it's Reyn Friend. If you're looking for a cola that delivers, Pepsi Prebiotic Cola is it, because nothing beats that great Pepsi taste. It's delicious. It has three grams of prebiotic fiber, five grams of sugar, just 30 calories, and no artificial sweeteners. It honestly tastes like Pepsi with so much more to love. Try it, loved it. Pepsi Prebiotic Cola. You should pick some up if you haven't already. It's the perfect drink when you are ready to just relax, set on the couch, watch a movie, and enjoy a delicious Pepsi Prebiotic Cola. In sports, winning takes more than talent. It takes strength, reliability, and the drive to go to the distance. Sound familiar? That's the same DNA you'll find in the Chevy Silverado. As capable and dependable as winning team, Chevy Silverado shows up against the job done. It won't flinch when the pressure's on. It doesn't take place off. When it comes to trucks, Chevy Silverado's football guy approved. To learn more about Silverado, visit Chevy.com. Me and Ryan have been officially welcomed to the jungle that is basketball sports. I brought it toward the coyotes, and I asked him if it was okay if I joined a spit check with podcast full time. No, little bit. Ryan Whitney's got a pink Whitney out there now. He's a man-bagger. Get that on camera. He can handle the song. K. It's a full-time member. Marley just got this from Chris Beat. Whoa, where's it right now? Skunk. What is up folks? Welcome to Spit and Chick-lits episode 614. We got Rob Blake joining the show. Did the interview a while back in LA so show it on a legendary defenseman will be getting to him later on. In sports, winning takes more than talent. It takes strength, reliability, and the drive to go to the distance. Sound familiar? That's the same DNA you'll find in the Chevy Silverado. As capable and dependable as winning team, Chevy Silverado shows up against the job done. It won't flinch when the pressure's on. It doesn't take place off when it comes to trucks. Chevy Silverado's football guy approved. To learn more about Silverado, visit Chevy.com. What's up guys? It's a pleasure to be in person with you guys again. We haven't done this. Since LA, since the rub broke. Since LA, you're right. Since LA, it busy telling you that's what you do. If you get your phone right here in your mouth, he gets suck up five these things on like because you didn't last time. I know. You didn't have the P protector? No. No, I lost it. I lost it on the road. Yeah, I'm in my peace pop too, but I wish I had more non-hockey stuff to talk about, but I've been so into the hockey right now. The triple header with the broadcast, but the good news is I'm locked and loaded. Any team player you want to ask me about? I'll fucking fire away. It's kind of. I'm an expert. Hey, no, hey, when you are in studio, and I remember from my years ago at NHL network, that is one tenth of TNT in the size and everything, but I'd be like, wow, I think I know everything about every team. So for you, just to do six games in three days and still know the rest of the league, that shows maybe you're not as dumb as you look. Well, and I'm not smoking as much weed and taking it as edible because I'm on the broad, as much, because I'm on the broad, lowering my doses. So I'm able to retain a little bit more knowledge. So if you want to talk about Bussie, you want to talk about Duclair, you want to talk about team snap and losing streaks, like the Vancouver Connuck's, you want to talk about teams who are on fire who are maybe struggling a little bit, like the Colorado Avalanche. I can go that way. Any way you want to go, I can go, give it to me, put me in coach. It wants it. And you didn't mention maybe talking about the Leaf's injury bug that fights against our Shucks. We'll wait for that. I wish I had known as a team Zeus. Oh, really? Yeah, you can work those guys off. Well, I just, I mean, fuck man, they got one of the worst schedules in the league. Just grind everyone's schedules. Thanks. You might as well put them in the Western conference. That's how much they've been traveling, getting their fucking shit pushed in. But that means they'll have an easy schedule. Maybe after the break. That's true. Do you know Florida who's not in the playoffs right now? They're, their schedule is a disaster the rest of the year. I think they have 15 home games left. So if you're not even in the playoffs right now, I don't think barcow will be back before playoffs. Maybe he comes back a couple games to go, but they're going to be on the road a lot. And that is the worst travel in the east when you're on Florida. Yeah. Florida and I mean, that's right. What like if you're a Bel Zito, what could you do if they miss playoffs? Would you, but you can't be angry? No, I would totally be, I'd be saying, all right, like we're back next year. Every single guy signed this was just, it was three cups in a row, three finals in a row. This was bound to happen. Like I'm not worried. I'm not changing a thing. We'll be back next year. That's honestly how I would look. Sometimes the leagues cutthroat. So you never know, right? Like he could be fucking snapping. But I would imagine that if they miss, he'll have him sleeping in the hyperbaric chambers, recovering and getting ready to hit the ground running. I saw a clip of Bel Zito on a podcast talking about. He used to be like the outfield ball boy for the Milwaukee brewers or something like that. And he had a, he played catch with Reggie Jackson. He said he was firing it over Reggie Jackson's head. And then he's on the podcast. He's doing his throw. I was like, this guy's like the best GM in the NHL. And he looks bizarre right now, imitating his throw over Reggie. He's calling the diss on the podcast. You're saying Netflix and watching. I'm saying that Bel Zito, two times down the cup champion throws like a girl. No, I think he has an absolute hose of an arm. Oh, basically he was saying I was throwing it too far. I was throwing it over Reggie. He said Reggie Jackson had a cereal at the time. He was top of his game and his fame. Reggie Jackson style. And he's got a candy bar. Maybe that's what he said, not cereal a candy bar. That's might have been what it was. So I don't think panic for the Panthers. Now, and the worst part is if they do so, you can go ahead and watch again. What would you say having a candy bar is way more big time than having your own cereal? Well, I think weedies, if you get on the cover of weedies, but that's not your own cereal. Right. Yeah. But I think if you did your own cereal, it would be dog shit. But if you get on the cover of weedies, I think that's like the top echelon, like usually like the gold medal teams get on that stuff like that. So Wayne had a cereal, right? I think, I think what honestly I think I don't know what they call it. What would they call it? What would they call it? Look him up. Wayne had a cereal. Pro stars. Really? He also had the shoe members. Pro stars. Pro stars. I'll tell you the best, the coolest thing, the thing that if you have shows how big time you are is vodka. Yeah. So, you know, I'm not saying that talking about anyone in particular. No, how many guys have that you enjoy it than Grey Goose? You, eh, you have the on the edge of my seat waiting for that. Oh, you didn't know that was coming? I was the Ricky Casamigos. Oh, that's a tequila. Whoops. And shout out actually anyone who is watching. We are now, let me see here. We are available in Canada in Netflix now. Oh, there are some Canadians confused. And then they went back because I believe on YouTube Canada, the Brady interview was still on there. It was taken off. But we're in Netflix and Canada and Europe, UK, we're working on that. We better get UK because you're a UK guy. Yeah, but I got a ton of huge support. You're out of Boston bar. Boston bar, yeah. And I believe on it, I believe that UK also means Australia as well. We have a lot of Australian listeners, but a listen, Netflix thought it was going to maybe take about a month. I can't be. That can't be correct. That can't be correct. I think that Australia is part of like the same, like same with Canada and UK are part of like something. Is that how fucking Jesus? Is Australia part of the United Kingdom? It just says no. No, you computer shut off. Like he can't be this dumb. Siri fucking comes out of the phone and punches me in the face. We got a domestic. I'm just battling out with somebody's knock like, no, timeout. Somebody has a door on the hotel room. Can you look up? It's part of ice. There's a different word for it. Canada, UK, and I believe Australia are all part of something. The world. Yeah, that's true. Okay, you got it. That's it. I know they're all part of NATO, but I can't find anything. I hope that I hope we're in Australia and the UK and Europe. Right. Like I hope that they all are together in the Netflix, spit and chicle twirl. Yeah, let's go with that. Yeah, since I completely hit the e-break on this conversation with my stupidity, I'll just say that dealing with Netflix and how quickly they got it into Canada. And also like, whoever thought that fucking Netflix. Wait, business right. Both the UK and Australia are part of the Commonwealth Realms. Okay. And they both share the British monarchs at their state. Commonwealth Realms. Commonwealth Realms. And they both share. That's a game of thrones. Like, realm when you're talking realms. It's like how in Canada, they have like the pictures of the Queen. I'm sorry for calling you open. I have pictures of the Queen in the ranks and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Could you put up the meme of, was it, what's the savage, Randy Savage, or what was his name? Macho man. Macho man, Randy Savage when he's like, oh yeah. Oh yeah. Brother. Um, but yeah, no, uh, shadow to Netflix. It's been awesome. Thank you for everybody. I mean, Christ, we dropped three on Netflix. We've had federal and then Tom Brady. And then, and then, and then Tim, uh, Tim Jackman. Tim Rick, uh, I mean, Barrett Jackman. I just guess every time there's, there's three options. I just guess, but we should actually have Tim Jackman on. Maybe he could go over ripping my head off and the years he wanted to kill me. And that's just another Jackman that you, you know, you could call him Barrett for a week. Here when he comes on, oh yeah, Tim Jackman would be a good guy to catch up with. Episode 57. We did have Tim Jackman. Okay. We're going to take that out. But I wasn't on board yet. That was right before I hopped up his joined episode 70. Honestly, God, like I feel horrible. Like what when was that? Uh, December 14th, 2017. Hold. Okay. That's nine years ago just about, um, you shouldn't be remembering stuff nine years. And obviously I, I, I think that I've blacked it out knowing what he did to me. Uh, the lifelong meme he created of me with no head. And the pounding he gave me at the end of my career when I really didn't deserve a need of pounding based on how things were going for my play and myself personally. Would you say that that's the, to the picture you get tweeted at you the most? Yeah, but you know what's another thing that I don't get tweeted at me as much. And maybe I will come February this year is I was trying to describe to writer, um, and why it, like how special playing in the Olympics was because writer went into school and had like three things that are cool from his house. So I was like, Oh, bring in the silver medal and, and then he's like, kind of like asking all these questions about it and so I'll show you the game. In that game, dude, I, I didn't play a shift after it. I think gets off throws it to the middle. It hits my stick and goes right to Perry. He buries it. It's too nothing Canada. I'm looking at it again. Like I should have, I just wasn't hard enough on the puck. Like as the puck's coming, I got to just like jam that thing to the boards on my backhand, but I was like, Laksa Dez is going to just hits the heel of my backhand pops right to Perry. I get that one quite a bit, not as much as you think, but like I said in the next month or two, that could be headed my way a lot. Just sit Perry as you're as teeming at the time. Yeah. I think he was talking shit to me too, but that was straight up like warfare that what it was. Torts have to say when you got back to the bench. It gave me a suit. Just sit right here, root on the boys. And I did root on the board. I did it. I was fucking torn. That's when me and Bobby Ryan, me and Bobby Ryan, I think we had a big part as Zach Parisi scoring that tie and goal the way we were pumping everyone out. Okay. I also forgot Kessler had scored and tipped in that goal to make it to one. I forgot a lot about the game. My memory is just such a joke. But yeah, the headless wit and the direct tip right to Perry to make it to nothing. The gold medal game, those are the two things I hear about most. So you know, you think you talk about my 44 second area assists on the penguins in seven, but I guess we're not going to do that. But we will go to the NHL currently this day. But thanks for taking us to trip down memory lane with the Olympic. Yeah, I've really cool memories. I'm back and watching any of your games. I just sometimes get like mostly it's just me getting hockey fights, posting me getting my shit pushed in. But like the last one they posted that people were laughing at was the islanders with Trevor Gillies. Cool. And he was a scared member him and warm up. Yeah. He had the, he had one of the guys with the jersey up to the elbow pads, didn't he? Yeah, he wasn't worried about getting his wrist slash. No, no, no, I'm going to slash. I don't even give you my wrist as an option. But I know you won't do anything slash me so I can fight you. But yeah, as you just brought it up, one of the most insane pregame rituals as far as was like he was snarling on the other side of the red line skating it. Yeah, I don't. I didn't like, I didn't see him. If I ever skated by him, I was like, I don't think I've seen somebody sweat so much to get ready for a game and warm up, but not touch a puck. Right. I actually was tweeted a picture. There's you and I were tweeted a picture yesterday. It was seven years ago today. I took this picture of Keith Yandell and warm ups against the wild. And he said you were in a trance. You were doing some weird things. It was pictures, but you could tell you were, you were just turning your head and you were just like, and then you turn your head the other way and you were like, what was that? Get the eyes going. Oh, like hella buck sound. I was pretty, I was in my own world there and warm up. Okay. I always hated the guys that would, you know, you had to pass the mopock or whatever. Like I just did my own thing. I wasn't patrolling the red line like you were in the corner. I was in the corner. That was the only time you went in the corner. You do warm ups. I wasn't getting hit. So you kind of like the goalies, it would help you with your peripheral and making sure you were extending. If you wanted to do shoulder checks, you could turn your head like the farthest you could and your eyes were, you know, you're getting your eyes going everywhere. Running backs do that too. Do that. Yeah. I just always, always have my eyes moving and warm up, trying to get them going like, you know, the different, every arena is different lighting and all that stuff. And I would just, you know, ice comes off a little differently. So I would always just try to get my, my bearings early. Anybody tell you to do that? No, it was probably from, actually, I remember with one time you were like, I watched Nick Lidstrom's whole warm up one time and just kind of tried to mimic what he did. And then from that on, I might have taken a few things from different guys, but it was kind of one of those things just over the years. You know, you get more and more and kind of just, when they say copy, it's a copycat league. Usually they're talking about plays during the games. My copycat league was just stealing guys like warm up routines. I remember Lidstroms was, he would fly out whatever after a couple of laps. He would do a one foot stop right in front of the red line in the middle of the ice. And then he would take a stick and he would softly just like bad away the ice that had come from the one foot stop. And then he was ready to go. And I was like, that is so cool. How do you look that cool and like your gear wear is that sick? And then you have to assist play 27 minutes and be plus three. So that was the difference. My warm up could maybe relate and transfer to Nick Lidstroms one of the games started. It was a different ballgame. Yeah, you can try to do. Do you think guys are getting a little too performative with it though? You're seeing like 13 year olds like doing X cuts at the center of the ice. Like I'm seeing videos on social media where you're like, I don't know. I think this is just a little bit. X cuts, X cuts could be, you know, you're feeling your edges. I don't, I don't really hate that. Like almost similar to like on a race car driver who's getting those hard turns as he gets the car going. I think that's just pure superstition. Yeah. Kind of like Sid doing the arches. But it was also in the beat like in the beginning of our careers, there wasn't footage. Like there is now warm up. Exactly. Kind of just did what you were doing. I, the stuff I don't love now is the guys hitting each other in the corners and all that stuff because I'm like, dude, someone gets clipped in the chin or whatever. So that stuff kind of annoys me a little bit, but getting your feet going, getting your hands going, your eyes, whatever you need to do to get ready for a game I'm all for. What do you make of the guys who got the baby bottle in their hand that are the photograph hole and like, no, don't wait, wait, to their kids. Well, they got the kids. It's like, they got the kids there. Yeah. Um, the, so the one thing, I mean, we, we talked about heated rivalry a little bit this morning. They're calling it what the fish bowl or something where they, they, like all of them go watch the guys warm up. They call it like the aquarium. And I guess like a lot of the guys, they feel like they're doing more of like the splits. And then they kind of warm up their groins and they're doing that motion. And I guess it just makes the heated rivalry fans all over TikTok. Like, yeah, every TikTok you see now is girls going down to the glass filming guys stretch and, and just like making it so sexy. Well, there's us to do midnight madness at BU. First practice of the year would be at midnight and a ton of fans would come. I don't know if they still do it. And right when we got down and did that stretch, they mean, and then like I like pulled my groin doing it one year. I mean, I didn't go over like I thought, but that's always been a thing I would say. Women may be found attractive in hockey players is maybe stretching out the groin. I didn't know you were sitting there humping air while doing that. Well, I think that it's evolved. And that's why we talked about like maybe guys overdoing it a little bit. I think that they've caught on that that a lot of these women like going to watch the warmups now and everybody was doing that groin stretch, right? Where you would split open. Now the guys are kind of like putting their knees in a circular motion and a base. He looks like they're shoving their cock into the ice. Okay, that pants. That's how horny I was in warmups. I actually started that. They took a stack and just started going like this with it. It's like, dude, you're what? What? I'm not playing tonight. Don't worry. Yeah. Well, we can get back to the NHL. There's a lot going on, boys. Some teams moving positions, some big contracts being signed. I'm so fired up to talk. Occasionally. Yeah, there is. And the funniest thing or the most entertaining thing so far this week for me was Nadellkovich Bob. That was first off. Nadellkovich was itching for it. Once so I was watching with my wife and I said, like, oh, look, here we go. Golly fired. I paused it. She's in the kitchen. She's like, why is this hat? Like why why did the other goalie come down? I said, well, once Nadellkovich goes in the corner, I feel like that's the rule. If a goalie leaves his crease to a scrum in the corner or behind the net and starts throwing any sort of contact at a player, that's the sign for the other goalie. If he wants it, get down here. And Bob, who was I think it already given up three at that time, it was three nothing San Jose. He shot down and that was a great fight. Nadellkovich looked like he kind of knew what he was doing. And they squared off and I think Nadellkovich's helmet came off. Bob still had his on. I was like, uh-oh, but did he take it off on his own? Oh, did he get it ripped off? I don't know. I would say as far as like the emotion, how good the scrap was and the fact that none of them got Yeah, that's the dream. That's the dream. To the point where I don't think that the NHL typically, uh, posts fights to social media, it's not a very common thing. And then they posted this one because of all the traction it was getting. So I felt that to be interesting. But um, listen, I think we're, so I didn't watch what had happened up until that point. Clearly Nadellkovich from a goalie perspective, he was getting handsy. Like he was in that pile, throwing punches. He was clearly sick of what had been going on up until that point. I would assume with Florida being down and trying to get things going, they were probably poking at him a little too much and he'd have probably seen enough. But full respect to Bob for skating down and taking care of his boys. It was Kachuk's first game back. So even though we're already going at it, and we're playing swords halfway through the game, man. It was, it was nuts. You could see Kachuk jump squatting on the bench pregame. So just a lot of emotion coming into that one. And I think that considering how they've been going, Bob is probably like, you know what? This is probably the spark we need right now and went down and handled business. And good for Bob too, because usually the goalies kind of stop at center rice. Wait for the other guy to see him. He went full blown as fast as he could down there. I didn't understand why neither one of them took off their masks. But I guess why would you, if you're in a fight, have an advantage? That Bob got his off through a couple wild ones. If he caught them there, I think it could have been a whole way. That's what I was like as I was watching. I'm like, oh, once Nadellkovich was off and Bob still had his on. I'm like, this is game over. Yeah. And then you know the San Jose, but the San Jose bench. That was, I think there was a tweet like, look at the daycare going crazy. Like it was fucking celebrities going nuts. Everyone's just, I was like, that shows how cool it is to see two goalies fight. Like you said, Biz, no injuries. I also don't know why I thought goalies got kicked out for that. Sam, but then they came as they came back and Bob came back on the ice. The whole panther's team lined up and I think they were giving them like the king walking out of the castle. I thought he was getting a silver stick. I'm like, what's going on here? There's a ceremony going on. The fans are going bananas. But I kind of love that though. If there ever is a goalie fight, send them to the locker room for a few minutes. And the next TV time out, make sure the camera's on the tunnel and get them both coming out and hear the fans go bananas. So that couldn't have played out any better. It was all over social media and it definitely created the buzz. I would almost rather see that than a goalie goal. Oh, 100%. Yeah, I can get one of those a year. We are golden. Okay. So are you telling me that like was there a goalie fight last year? Yes, saying there was. I feel like the reps tried to break them up, but because Bob went full blown and he didn't even get the reps an opportunity to grab them. Because usually because remember, Flurry tried going, I think Bennington, a couple of years. Flurry tried it like a lot. Yeah, Flurry tried it. But usually the rest will stop them because I think they're probably kind of told a little bit like, hey, if the goalie you're getting into it, these are our Lord and Savior's the goalies. But if the leagues posting the clip as Biz said, maybe now the reps would all let the goalies go. No, I think that the leagues figured it out. I think that they have started embracing the fighting element. I think that they were getting a little scared in that five to 10 year goal period where every other 20, 20 ish campaign. The EJ dobs want to know fighting and hockey every single hit. They want to play your safety given a guy five to 10 games. Those days are gone. Bring back that by one day, the ebub should be guys like gillies. Like just have just have nail guns on the walkroom waiting and like, take Abbott versus Butterbeam like, hey, games get not a control a little bit. We're putting in the ebub and then just two absolute savages. You should work for the league. I know, I do. Oh, yeah, that's actually true. I like that idea. It's the pink Whitney in the coffee. Biz, another goalie I want to bring up, this Brandon Bussey, we had him on before. It's been just outrageous what he's done. He signed by Florida. He goes on waivers. Carolina grabs him. What is it here? He has he's won 18 of his first 22 games in his national. I like the most that's the most wins for a goalie and league history in that span to begin a career when we had him on what was cool. He was he was he was talking about how he was a late bloomer, kind of always stuck with it. Really nice guy. And then he mentioned I think Lunkus was his hero. You told him at the time, all we'll have to interview you at TNT when I'm with Hank and it happened. It happened. That was sick. That wasn't me setting it up. I even I don't even remember saying that, but I think it was Liam. Tommy's Liam and Sean figure in that out, but that was a great moment, man. And he was unbelievable in that game. Did you watch the it was against Buffalo? I believe it was a two one finale. Jarvis got the winner early in the third. Yeah, a lot of set faceoff plays for goals right now. But he was kicking. He made about four or five 10 dollars. None better than that two on one where it was the Tic Tac Toe back to Tage Thompson, where I think that Alex Faust who was calling the game was like, that was a goal. And then they showed the replay and his glove just comes back and completely robs him where Hank was complimenting about him was his skating ability where sometimes when that that cross crease pass goes the other way, the goalie kind of slides over in desperation where when he slid over, he was cocked and ready to go on that left leg where if he went back, boom, stopped and then push back with a ton of force. And that's how he's able to get back. And I guess for a big goalie of his size, like his skating is like elite elite and his father always stress that growing up and it's paying dividend. So you talked about it with this guy goes from signing with Florida being put on waivers. He's driving to Charlotte where their farm team is. The Florida pad there's and then just so happens he gets claimed by Carolina where he was already headed to that state. So so happy for him. He's such a humble guy. His numbers are bonkers right now. I think that I mean, who's who's right now the leader for the Vezna? You probably have to say the rogan. So rogan's a rogan. Okay. Yeah. He's doing a lot more heavy lift than two. But I also believe that the bussy played at a certain level with Paige Thompson and he might have robbed him three or four times in that game. So kind of a full circle moment for him and and another great game by Carolina at home. You think if he like he probably wasn't even on the list going into the season in this probably for the USA team like you think Dave and brought his name up or it's like we got our three guys already. Yeah, they kind of had the three all set. Those three guys have been pretty well. Hello. Hello book was injured. Yeah, that would have been that would have been crazy. Just not enough past like and we'll get in. We'll get into the USA hockey, right? The Seth Jones news. I guess we can just talk about it right now. Sure. If for adults, not their injury for Florida. Yeah. Now this came out of nowhere, right? Like had Seth when did Seth Jones get injured? Outdoor game, I believe. Okay. So they hadn't really announced like how long term it would be or anything and then it breaks the other day that he's out of the Olympics and Jackson, Lakom is replacing him. So right away, I knew this would be the case. The Montreal, Canadians fans out there went bananas and the lack of lean Hudson. What lean Hudson's doing this year is ridiculous. I mean, you watch the game against the wild, which was crazy because it's in front of Billy Garrett. It's in front of the wild and and their GM and the USA GM. Caught fields. Course the winner in the last minute. Lane Hudson had moments of domination. I think maybe the worst penalty I've ever seen call was in that game. But I got to say like I wasn't surprised. I was not surprised based on the fact that we've talked a million times about Quinn Hughes and Zach Warencky. One's undersized more in Quinn. They are the offensive guys. They are the power play guys. If one of those guys goes out, Lane Hudson's getting named. When Seth Jones went out, they're replacing a similar type player, probably better offensively than Seth Jones, Jackson, the home, probably a better skater than Seth Jones, Jackson, the home and plays in all situations. He will be there as a PK guy. He can eat minutes. He can play against top lines. I don't even know if he will. But I wasn't surprised to see it. Like I get the anger from the Canadians fans, but they're not going to replace, you know, they're not going to replace a defensive guy on their roster with Lane Hudson. Yeah, it's the size too. We've talked about it. You're realistically preparing for Canada. You want to go out there. You want to set your team up to face Canada. You need big D. You need guys that can move the puck. I think it's a no brainer bringing him. I think Lane Hudson deserves to be on that team as well too. But it's like, man, when you got this many good D, it's tough to have them also. He's put himself in a position where he should be on the team. He's done amazing things this year and his first couple of years in the NHL. But like you said, if one of those skill guys goes out, Quinn or Zach Morinsky knock on wood, hopefully none of them do. But I think he would be your guy, but you're bringing him in just to strictly take up more room on the ice, make good breakouts, kill some penalties and be a pain in the ass to play against. At the end of the day, I mean, as annoying as it might be sometimes at the fact, it's like, hey, listen, this just look home kids of great player too. Because that's a lot of talents that maybe Lane doesn't have where the reverse too. You guys talked about the offensive abilities. But then pumping up their guys and going to Twitter and going to social media with their distaste of it. I love that. I respect that. I mean, even admin for the Montreal Canadians tagged USA hockey after that was that was a pretty ruthless with that stuff. Oh, yeah. Yeah. They don't fuck around. But both those guys have had unbelievable years and they earn a playoff spot. And there's a lot to also be happy about. And another thing too, like of that full Montreal Canadians roster. I know Suzuki's going. How many guys would they have going the Olympics? They're trying to make a playoff push and they're trying to have success in playing off. Getting those guys a little bit of rest ain't the worst thing either. Yeah, the thing is I don't think Hudson and Demet, they won't, those guys just skate. They'll be on the U.S. They are. They skate every day. They said that Lane Hudson reporters showed up for an optional pregame. And he wasn't on the ice. They were like, oh no, no, he's injured. He's injured. And they were told like the team forced him like grab this year, locked in in a closet. And you're not skating today. So that's the kind of like he's on the ice 30 minutes for practice starts every day. So I don't know if during Olympic break, he's going to be down in Mexico, chilling. He might find a ring somewhere in Mexico. Is there any? I'm going to go to some area. Skate on the ODR is like Ganssen stays in the same place. Rocky did and Rocky for is just you're like, uh, has only have three guys going to the Olympics. Though it's Suzuki, Sloughkowski and tech, uh, tech CA for France. And then Captain also just got named for Finland. But okay, okay. So, um, decent representation. Shout out Montreal fans for having their guys back though, even though it's for a different country. And I'll say it wasn't just coffee. I'll just score a big goal, um, to have certain USA hockey fans and Canadians fans saying like, why is this guy in the team? Robertson had one of the sickest snipes of the year against the Bruins. So if the US goes on to lose, um, in the gold medal game and they can't score in that game, it is going to be ridiculous. The second guessing. It's already started. Um, I think being, being right, having the lead in that game of finals of four nations and losing an overtime, like I trust the staff. I trust Billy G. I'd like to think that they can go get a win. But if they have trouble scoring, no coffee, no Robertson is going to be a thing that'll be talked about forever. Yeah. So, we had Robertson on the broadcast. Uh, I would say that his interview skills have, like, their leaps and bounds better where they were when he started. Like he gave a great interview. I believe it was Catherine tap and after the game scored two goals. I want to say he's got 29 on the season now. Uh, I guess just hearing that there wasn't much of a conversation when he was asked about like, what, you know, what was the conversation like when they told you you didn't make it. And he was like, well, there wasn't really much of one. I guess I was more surprised at that that there wasn't more of an in-depth conversation of saying, like, hey, man, we loved you. You've had a great star like, and you guys might be saying like, well, what else is there to say? But when you're, when you're visibly having, I think he's got the most points of any American forward right now. If I'm he's third in the league and goals behind McKinnon and McDavid. So there you go. But, hey, there's a lot of other things that that fan base and he can be happy about. He's in a contract year and I know he's restricted. So he is going to get every cent that he would have imagined that he would have gotten coming into this season. Um, you got to think that he's looking at a number easily like Adrian Kempay. Um, I would imagine that if he signs back in Dallas, I think a hometown discount would be that eight times 10 number. I've seen people pencil it in at 12 and a half. I would say if he hits the market, he's getting that absolutely, like, probably five teams would offer him that. If not more, um, on the desperation of there's never really any high, high end free agents. Um, I would be a little reluctant, reluctant to pay him that much money just because he is having that breakout career here. Uh, but let's see what he's able to do the rest of the season and playoffs. But, uh, once again, there's a lot of other things to be happy about. And if there is an injury, I would imagine he's getting that next call. I, so the three guys that would probably be up for it would be to bring it, call Coffield and then Jason Robertson. I just assumed because of the size and I think I think paste though, I think it would be coffee old. Okay. Based on, I just remember being at those games in Montreal and Boston, those were the fastest hockey games, maybe ever played. It's that, that may sound like an exaggeration. I, there was zero times, zero space. And the worry about Robertson is, is, is paste like paste to his game. And like, I don't know if that staff at USA believes he has the ability to keep up with that pace. Coffield does. Now he's small or no doubt you're talking about size, but I don't, I, I think that's what they're thinking because has he even been told he's in the running with injuries or did you mention in the interview? He said nothing. I, I, I would just assume at the time when they, when they told him it wasn't much of a conversation where maybe I agree with you where he would have been lower on the list, but even since then he has not stopped scoring. I know. 30 fucking goals. He's third in the league and goals. So maybe that makes them rethink their decision. Yep. I don't, the one thing about Billy G and staff, I don't think any outside noise is going to vary their opinion. Not like before, but it obviously at this point now it's getting a little bit louder and louder with teams fucking tweeting at them like that. It's gotten to that point. So I just wonder if maybe that influence would, would change things. I think when you're a guy like Billy G, who's been there, done that. He's done everything in the NHL that has needed to be done. I don't think he's worrying about any outside noise. In North shit. No, and like we've said before, he's built it a fucking workbench. Yeah. He's building the pedal. He's actually building the, where they go on for the metal ceremony right now. Yeah. Where do they call the podium podium? Wouldn't podium. But like we said before, you can't, you can't judge the construction of these, you know, rosters till the fucking games are over. No doubt. I agree. And then the second guessing kind of kind of goes from there. We, since we talked about Dallas, they played Boston in that game. Boston looked like they'd been out for three nights straight on that siblings trip just getting wrecked. Yeah. Pasta looked like he came out of a dumpster before warm up. Did you see it with the black guy, the hair, and then the interview? Yeah, the interview with Tuka. What was he, what were they chirping each other for? For the Z's ceremony game. Because they were all banged up at that game. And I think that's what he was chirping about, right? Yeah, because he's, because like there was still a lot of guy. There was some guy still on the team that had obviously played with Z and then all the guys who came into town. So they tied one on like they hadn't before. So it was, it was a great ceremony and they had a lot of laughs. I like seeing Tuka on TNT. Great guy. And, and Bizz, I'll say this like, I was all over you. This is in my mind. I mean, this fucking dickhead. So you did your guys panel did the, um, the Mount Rushmore of American hockey players. You didn't go with him there. You were talking about Patrick Cain. He's about to pass Mike Manano and those two for everyone were on there. For sure. And then the differences kind of came in where I think everyone might have had Brian Leach, except for Chellios. Yo, everyone had maybe Chellios of a Brian Leach, Chellios had Brian Leach, excuse me. And then the fourth was like Kachak, a Ronic. You wouldn't pick a fourth, eh? No, I went, but then I could, I was with you. I'm like, I can't pick Ronic or Kachak either. I just felt like they were so similar. And, you know, how they treated the media and how funny they were in front of the camera, the charisma. So I just felt like they would be so silly enough to be okay being a two-headed monster on the Mount Rushmore. Okay. And both of them hit 500 goals. Yep. So both of them did so much for the game and, and to move the needle from like an excitement off the ice perspective that I was just trying to pay homage with that time that I had to talk. So, uh, great job by me. And then obviously I jump by me, not answering the question. I'm a professional at that. That's true. I'm a flip-flip. Usually, Ace is the one who gets an ice pick. Yeah, that's why I say I took a page of the Ace's book. And then obviously with Chellio there, I wasn't not going to say Chellio, but some other notable guys, Pat LaFontaine had a lot of points per game. Like you get a junior number. Look up his junior numbers when you get a minute. He was a sick puppy, uh, Phil Howesley, I believe is the highest scoring American defenseman. Uh, Chellio, Chellio was a turbid. He was just saying, ah, he was way more of a riverboat gambler. I never got to watch Howesley in his prime. So I didn't see what he was doing. Like if he was just like jumping in the rush every, every single play. LaFontaine without the concussions. He probably 1500 points. Yeah, he had, well, he had a thousand 13 points in 865 games. He had 62 points in 69 playoff games. And he just those concussions. They ended up just kind of completely derailing his career. But if he'd stayed healthy, I mean, two time 50 goals score. He got 41, two, three, four, five, six times. Like he was, I had 148 points and an undersized guy back then. But read his junior stats for biz. So, uh, Verdun, Jr's in the Quebec major, Jr. You played 70 games. He had 104 goals, 130 assists for 234 points in the playoff. He had 15 league in the C. H. 15 games, 35 points in the playoffs. Yeah, that's that's 104 goals in 70 games. What the fuck is that? Who is his winger? Dude, the next there was another guy with 149 points on the team. He had 85 more points than the second guy on the team. That's not. He's going full celebrini. Full celebrini. Um, I was talking about that too. I would assume that you guys would have celebrini as third in line for the heart. Just how sick puppy, uh, McDavid and McKinnon have gone. Um, I think right now he's 40 points ahead of the next guy in his team. Uh, the last guy I could think of who won it in a similar fashion if San Jose gets in as Halsey and Halsey had 93 points that year and roughly, you know, 35 to 40 points ahead of that next guy. He dragged the devils into the playoffs. So it's a, it's a hard, it's a hard thing to, to decipher. Like if you got, you know, McKinnon and McDavid, who are in the 130, 140 point range, and if they're 40 points ahead of celebrini, do you care? Does, does that big of a, uh, a difference matter to you? Are you more about like, no, if there's no celebrini, there's no playoffs, he's the heart. If celebrini hits 100 points and they get in, I think he's the MVP. Yeah. And he might get that what's the, the Ted Lindsey with a players vote. Yeah. Maybe I think guys around the league could see that. And from what I've heard is guys, you know, appreciate that award just as much as a heart or anything like that. So I think he's going home with some hardware. This year, if he continues the way he's going and drags that team into the playoffs, because you look at his roster compared to either a Tampa Edmonton or Colorado. It's like, okay, this guy's doing it on a different level, basically by himself. Yeah. Kooches, kooches, a freak again. We're going to talk Tampa in a minute. What bays your favorite player in the NHL or talk at San Jose, talking help for celebrini. Key for Sherwood is now a San Jose shark. I thought I was a heck of a deal. And they should sign him too. Like that's a guy as you're building and getting this thing going. Like runs around. Now, what do you have? I think he had 18 goals last year and he's already at 17 or I don't like is he a 25 30 goal guy? I think so sometimes it's hard because when you're on a team like Vancouver, mind you, he had a great year last year. I want to say he finished with 19 goals last year. So I think you're in year out. He's a he's a 20 goal guy. Yeah. And if I see him on a successful team being a middle six guy, a guy who can probably play second line. If you're very deep, he could be a third liner. But the thing about him is he plays physical. He'll score your goals, but he also finished the night with two three big hits. He gets in on the four check. He's a water bug out there. So I was actually shocked that no other teams who really wanted to push their chips in like teams that are way ahead of San Jose wanted to give up a late first round reform. Because I don't know how you're going to go get a 25 goal guy who's only making a million and a half dollars. So I don't know where that was. They ended up giving up the two second rounders. But he's he's the type of piece that and and Greer and staff they're probably like, hey, these guys in the locker room have played their their cocks off all season. We're inside of a playoff spot right now. They deserve a little bit of boost. Yeah. Before we go into this break knowing, hey, we're going to do whatever we can to give them a little bit of help, but also not make a move where he's not going to be around and I agree with you. I think they should try to offer him like a six times six type deal. Maybe maybe I can that's all. Yeah. You know what? Garland got paid what five times five and a half. I see the Garland's I mean, Garland's numbers are different than his over the last few years. I sure would you can't say he's one dimensional in just scores because of what you said. He fucking. Oh, he's got every game. He's only gets more more siss more points, but I see yeah, goal wise is not different. If you can get me 20 goals, 20 assists and you're forechecking and hitting guys night and night out and you're a good utility middle six guy. I'll give you I'll give you a five five and a half till I'm blue in the face. And this is a guy who has not made a lot of money and hasn't had much security. So I'm sure that he's looking at it like wow, this team's on the come up. They have a ton of money to spend come free agency. I'm going to get a great opportunity here and I get to live in California and play with Macklence, Celebrini and Will Smith. Uh, I would hope that they get something done based on what they gave up for him. Yeah, he could be the next uh, Cheechu there. Okay. Just score some goals. Yeah. That's another thing too. Like he might be the type of guy where they're like we want him playing on a top line with Macklence. Just get his chance. He's like, hot count. And hey man, if you're like Hyman where you're an unreal forechecker and you get it turned over and you're relentless and you can go to the back door and tap it in. Fucking. Hey man. I mean, look at look at what Hyman's done since coming back. Not that he hasn't done it before. Hyman has 17 goals and 20 games and 25 points in 28 like it's and I mean, you've seen McDavid just go nuclear and pop off since he came back. So yeah, I kind of like that. That's a decent little comparison. Um, also the sharks. It was very nice for them to get Will Smith back. He didn't just come back. He came back with those new white skates, the past the skates. And I think he scored in his first two games back. He looked at the NHL. I think they understand how good looking Will Smith is because they post him walking into every game. They should. They've decided, okay, well, this is a guy that everyone's clicking on. We're going to post him walking into every game in his outfit. I would also say heated rivalry effect that if all the missile launchers and the league just keep keep hammering those walkins and the outfits they're wearing now. I know I was anti it. I said put the black suits on when some fucking games leaves. But you know, you were only saying that when they weren't doing well. You're all for it with the line. Well, right? Yeah. Look good. Feel good. Play good. Oh, yeah. Now if the Leafs win, there's a lot of them coming in at a hammock, fucking bikini bottom. He doesn't give a shit. Banana. The bull rap, the bull rap bikini up over the shoulders. We'll actually get in. We do have something to talk about in terms of gear and what you're wearing walking into games in a couple minutes. But the lightning guys still they're still going. Dude, I and I think we're not people that like to kind of pat ourselves on the back. That's not our crew. No, that's not what we're like. No, we're very modest. I might have to switch it around and say like this is thanks to us. Cooper owes us. Because I believe they were two and seven or two and five when we had to get fired. Yeah. Coop thought he was done. Although he just resigned. So I don't know. But since then, G, I think you have it here. 39 and two. Say it again. 39 and two since October 24th, 2025. I don't think they're 39 and two. That's a 39. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. Hey, 39 and two. We talked to Cooper. That is good for us. And if you told me we get part of the Jack Adams bonus, yeah, I don't want it. I don't because that means we might get fired from this bog after that. That's right. Jack Adams doesn't mean shit. But I will say that like if you look at coop coming on, they were down on the dumps. Things weren't going great. And if we had a crystal ball and say, Cooper, listen, uh, you're going to lose McDonough. You're going to lose headman. And you're going to lose Sirnac. He might have just hung up on us immediately. And that happened. And this has still gone on. And then you didn't even have point playing very well. So radish has been a complete freak. He's got a point for game. So I don't, I don't know if he'll be resigning there. He's a UFA with what you've done. I'm so happy for a guy like that. Like he's going to get an enormous payday. I heard it was they weren't going to have a contract discussions till after the season, which usually for the player isn't the best thing. But yeah, that means like, or it's like, Hey, you got to prove it the rest of the year. But the way he's clipping a few things at a point of game. Like it's cash money records for him. Oh, yeah, I would probably say he's looking. I mean, what's he making now? He's probably going to be looking at at least, I would say eight times eight. I don't think that people will go, I don't think he's looking at the 10 number. You saw a guy like Harley get what he got in Dallas, but remarkable what they've done. And to think, imagine like he goes from being down to dumps, basically on the verge of getting fired by Tampa to coming on our podcast to winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Well, another Stanley Cup Jack Adams. I think then at that point, he should just retire and join the podcast. He should give us his house at cause or at least at least for the weekend. Yeah, a couple of summers. We do have to get up there. God. This is from the athletic couple different things. So there's four defensemen at a point per game. It's kale Makar, Zach Kurenski Lane Hudson and Darren Raddish. I don't know who saw that one coming. So he's also played over 24 minutes per game. So it's not just like he's a power play specialist. You remember Mark Andre Bergeron with the cannon. Yeah. Kind of just like third pair power play guy. It's not been the case for him playing with JJ Moser. And then this one was interesting. So he's recorded 48 shot attempts that have cleared at least 90 miles an hour, which ranks in the 99th percentile of NFL defenseman. So like it's just a cannon. And then it says 18 of his 37 points have originated with one of his shots, whether it's a rebound getting banged home, a tip or a goal. So it's like if you have a cannon like that, it's a yeah, Bouchard, a bush, but wherever bomb, forgot about that. But no one wants to go out and block it when you've when you're hitting it at over 90 every single time guys are a little hesitant to go out. So that means he's going to get it by the first guy cause some shit at the net. And they got some hounds around the net that you're going to get some secondary assist or even first assist. So good for him. He's ripping the puck in, but also too, like he's playing. Would you say 24 minutes? Yeah. When those other guys come back, you know, maybe his numbers dip a little bit. Why would you switch though? Like I know you. So so headman, you can just have him still playing 25 minutes, second power. Like I don't know. Like they're the way they're going. Headman, what what does he care? Now that may be ridiculous because you know, the cat, the leader and the guy he's already got his money. Yeah. And focus more on on playing the defensive side of the clock. Like to hand the reins. And then if it does go south while you're back are he's back on top of the first unit. And headman's done that. Like they had surgachev in the first unit, a power play before he got traded. And he never bitched about it. He just, you know, took his other minutes that he needed because he's a guy he doesn't need a power play to get going. He doesn't need, you know, 25 minutes. He's going to be a stud whether he's playing 15 or 25. And then Macdonough and Shernaq, right. Like they're not really PP guys. Macdonough has been. But so maybe his ice time takes a hit. Yeah. For sure. But also like with coach on his off wing, then it's a one timer. Right. Where headman isn't. So where where did radish come from or was he drafted there? He wasn't even drafted. Was was he in a different organization before? Yeah, you know, I'm really a UK. You know who had him and what he, uh, because you have Toronto. And he played with the rock for ice hogs. That's Chicago. And then he was with Hartford. So the Rangers had him there. How old is he? The Ranger. He's 20. He's 29, dude. He played one, two, three, four, four full years in the AHL without even getting a sniff. Undrafted. Or as you have to, like, good for him. Group. We just gave him the biggest glaze of all time and well deserved. He's the best. Breezbois and management, though, man, like they they they had to get money off the books and and put it other areas in order to get the Gensal and all that stuff done. So they get JJ Moser in return for moving off of CERGACHEV where a lot of people would say they're basically the same. You want to give this slight edge to CERGACHEV? Sure. But still an unreal serviceable defenseman. You just mentioned radish. They give up on McDonough because they couldn't make the money work. They ship them off to Nashville. They go get them back. Heggle. They bring in Gensal. Like what they're able to do in retool. It's fucking unbelievable that you cannot glaze that staff. Johnny Gordman. They got you on board. Johnny Gord comes back culture guy from when they won the show. That was making me think about like Blake Coleman is still pretty legit player. You remember would get him. Dude, if they went back and got Johnny Gord would Coupe not be like get me Blake Coleman against making a lot though. I know. But if Calgary eats a bunch, what you should look up. Coleman's how many he might have three years left or two after this year. But if Calgary, who's in the position, they can eat salary life. I thought I think Cooper would be like bring me back who we won. But I would have Coleman's in year five of sex of his country. Dude. Okay. Wow. But I would have put my family on the line. I would have gambled my family thinking that they were going to lose calls. No, I would. He's fucking idiot. I thought for sure they were going to get key for Sherwood. That yeah. That that rigged of a cause. I think I said Garland. You were like, no, no, no, no, no, that's surely that Sherwood. Yeah. I don't know what they didn't see in them. But like for that cheap price and like they only give up a few second rounders. I know they probably don't have any first left, but my goodness. But yeah, an unreal job by Tampa and we have to glaze them because of how good they have to have to have to. So yeah, it's been incredible to see what they're doing. Another team that boys, this is shocking is the Pittsburgh penguins. Now I could say why is it shocking? Wait, you cross me made your whole life. Cross me is one of the best players in the history of hockey. Why reason you met your wife? But yeah, exactly. But based on the past couple of years, I was like, I don't even think he could save this. But dude, he's fifth in the league in goals. Like he is still doing it. And if Gennie Malcolm boys has turned back the clock. And the news right now out of Pittsburgh is bizarre to me. And it's, Malcolm has told them he makes six one this year, six point one. He said he'll take a pay cut and sign a one year deal. He doesn't want to play anywhere else. And they're still saying we got to think about it. Apparently his reps and dubious are going to talk during the Olympic break. I get the side of like we got we got to kind of move on here like our stars of Malcolm and saying a pay cut. He's on what he's making now. Yes, six million. Like I'll take a hundred thousand though. I think dude, who knows? Maybe give me four and a half. Give me five. Like you got him. And based on here's to one issue. I if he doesn't allow of Gennie Malcolm to come back on a discount, it will plummet. Do bestockel plummet. Yeah. Because he's one of those guys. There's very select few that have ever played. They deserve to have a same. Whatever they want to do. You want to you want to bang my wife? Bang my wife. I don't care. You're not married. Well, I know what I'm saying. I was and he I was the GM. I'd say whatever you want. Yeah, carte blanche. Yeah. But he's like what said turn back the times. And when he gets going like this, man, he is a streaky player. And he can put the team on the back like they've done him and said for the last 20 years. And they've had they've had Carl Sinovich. I think he'll be back soon. It's just I don't know. It's incredible. I think army has kindle on the slump busters who's been awesome. He's just drafted this past year and apparently like got to get him going again. But the the core. I mean, the stars are old, right? Like that's the worry. And Dubas in this article I read talking about like we love where we're at with our middle six. We love where we're at with our prospects. But we need to get like a star. And that's why Robertson's name has been brought up a ton by penguins fans. Like if they're willing to move him, that would be a guy like go get Robertson. Do what it to what it takes to take is a younger guy. He can score. And I could see that being a really good fit. I don't know if Dallas is willing to move them. But Pittsburgh army sent me some text. So army said he's when you say move him. You mean like not not before the seasons on. No, like this season. So you think if Dallas is in the position that they're in now, they would give up on him and not even try to have him for playoffs. Do you want to well, because he's our day. I know, I know. You're going to get something more I'm at the end of the year. All right. So you want me to just read army's text off style. He said he's the Bob stopper of Pittsburgh. Wow. Yeah. I know. Whoa. Not as good. I didn't say it stop. He's not as good looking, but all right. So here we go. So this is we've gone over some of this stuff. Geno said playing on real 38 39 years old. You kidding me. Carlson best years of penguin and let tanks playing hard minutes. Only team in the NHL. I believe with PP and PK both top five in the league. New coaches have them going with vibes and energy. It's so different. And what's crazy is you have the New York Rangers sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference. They got the penguins coach from last year and the penguins have a guy that was on the Rangers bench last year. So that's going to be disgusting. That's going to be just disgusting for Ranger fans, but show no damn use. I thought I thought you were leaning towards that. Maybe they make a move for a ranger there and bring chocha home. Okay. So that is one that has been that is one that has been brought up. No, you just created that room. I might think that just. Oh, hey, he talks about our boy Ryan Shay, right? The sky paid his dues. We talked about radish. He was a did he come in as an unsigned or training camp? No, so he was with Dallas for a long time, lot of years in the miners, like four or five years, like radish. Yeah, and he's not like point per game. But I think he's a I think he's a point every other game playing 20 minutes a night. Keith and I are very close with his family and him. He's an awesome guy. I'm just super happy for him, but even armies like dude, this guy's playing legit hockey and he's UFA. So I'm hoping he gets a big payday. He's never had one. He's going full choice that you're right now. He's he I don't know if he's got the style and the coats and like the the gear. No, I just meant as in like coming in. We didn't expect much. And all the sudden you're like, I love this guy. Well, I think last year, like he would, you know, he was playing, but like, obviously, Muse came in and camps like I like this guy. Like and I'm playing him away more than Mike Sullivan did. That's that's why I haven't fresh blood in a new coach in a new vision. Sometimes help because you actually figure out, you know, you you have some some diamonds in the rough, even in your organization. Yeah. Like to give a guy like I sometimes it's weird man. Sometimes like certain coaches, they just won't see the potential in certain guys where you and then you end up moving on from and he goes somewhere and has so much success where hey, that that's huge that they didn't get rid of him and he's getting the opportunity. The three of the four goals in Calgary, he had a big outcome in the first one, great shot, Malkin tip, just a great C and I shot. The second one, he made an unbelievable play in the New Jersey on under his deep partner kind of gave it to him in a weird spot at the red line where a lot of guys would have just rendered in. He made it unreal, little pass to Gino. They went in and scored. I don't think you got an assist on it. And then the third one was like a two on one, cadre coming down on him. He made a good play. They end up getting a shot and going the other way and he joined the rush and just kind of made that defense. And then what's his name, Novak, that was dangled the goal. He had a huge outcome in three of the four goals that they had. And this, this being the toughest part of me for Pittsburgh. I'm very happy for the guy. I think I spoke highly of him when the trade went down, but Stuart Skinner has turned into dominant cash in. So he got out of Edmonton and since Christmas, the penguins are nine, two and two. They've allowed the fewest goals against per game at 2.08 with Skinner and C-lofts playing, but Skinner, he's six and one with a 158 and a 933 save percentage. So the, what? Tyroskates a little tighter. Imagine if that that's what it is. Only when Velcro imagine if like he comes out, he's like, yes, Sid saw. And Sid said, you better lay those fuckers up. Yeah. No, he's tying them for him. Oh, yeah. That's one of his new vitalis. Yeah. But he, that's his new dog days were over routine. Ty and Skinner skates. But I mean, you talk about it all the time. Sometimes a new a fresh start, a new place going into somewhere fresh, like the media's tougher and in Canada, he's kind of just floating under the radar a little bit there. And I'm happy for him. I'm sure deep down with you are too. And big time, but like big time good for him. And you see it. You see him back. They're back in Edmonton. You saw him on the bench. I saw some clips today. You know, the guys obviously messed them, giving them his hugs and stuff like that. So still a beloved guy there. He's not playing tonight because he played in Calgary. But the other two things army sent us from Bob Rove on Twitter. Most balanced distribution of ice time this season for the pens. No one played less than 1328. First time that's happened under Dan Muse. And then over their last five row games, they've allowed an average of 19 shots against. So like that's not like the penguins of old, right? Like they've just really and that's a tragedy about the big time. Oh yeah. The ice time thing so important because obviously there's games and power plays really change all this where guys are playing six, seven minutes. But if the whole team is just if the whole team is getting ice time, it's just like so much more alive on the bench and biz. I'm sure you know it. The games you got to play like eight, nine, ten minutes. It's like, dude, I think the one gaming play 11 11. Yeah, one of one. He tried getting a fucking IV after I did. I did. I had a full body cast the next day. But it took his option. The thing. Yeah, he did. The thing that like good coaches see, if the power plays are kind of taken over or the PKs, you got to get the guys who aren't PK out there. That next shift. Yeah, you got to get guys going into it. Like you said, it's a huge boost because I wasn't a guy who PK'd. If there was a ton of PKs, you'd be marinating for, you know, it seemed like 30 minutes regular time and be sitting there like, oh my god, not getting a shift. And then they go back to it and other rotations. So getting guys out there. That's just a good heads up play. And I would assume that they're a well disciplined team. I wouldn't wouldn't know. But like as far as the petalized, I mean, where do they land on the list? But the only bad reason I say that is because we watched Boston the other night in Dallas. Boston takes so many stupid penalties. So Dorov's the most penalized guy over the last five years. Just the way he loves to the penalty box. But no Pittsburgh's got a gone right now. Man, the coaching staff is hitting all the right buttons. Like you said, it feels like everybody's pulling the rope and the jujoo is very high. And yeah, I couldn't be happier for Skinner, man, having to deal with that media circus for two, three years. I know Toronto gets a lot of a lot of heat. But my god Edmonton and right now, this is Thursday, January 22nd. The Pittsburgh penguins are, uh, there's seven points behind Carolina, right? They have a game in hand, but they're in second in the Metro. They're one in seven in shootouts. So like even if, you know, I mean, even if they're, you know, four and three or something, that's three more points and they're a little closer. It's just right now. If you told me January 22nd, the penguins would have a home game, first game of the playoffs, let alone be in the playoffs. I want to told you you're smoking crack with R.A. But somehow, somehow they're doing this. So good for Pittsburgh and, uh, Crosby just continues to do his thing. Did R.A. get his Twitter account back? No, no. Has any had, did he ever call you back? He texted me back. His back's bugging. Am I feel bad for him? He's got the sciatic. I called you back. I told him. I said, we're going to do a trip to go to Greensboro. I was going to me and him. We're going to just go there for another game. I mean, you guys are more than welcome to join us, but he's, he's 50, 50 right now on up his back, getting better. And then I mentioned the, the Twitter thing. He didn't seem like too rattled by it, but you have to imagine it's eating them alive that he can't be on Twitter. But if he can still scroll, he's fine. I think he just needs to be on it constantly. Maybe not just be posting doesn't bother him that much. You know, we were, we were going to call him about something, weren't we? No, we're going to call Pasha, which is actually right now we could talk. And I want to call Pasha because this sucks, man. Luke Hughes is on LTIR. His shoulders mangled. This one was bizarre because nobody was even, there was a guy near him, but it was just a quick movement he made. I think he was trying to move the puck over in the neutral zone and you could tell right away his right shoulder. He went to see this doctor that he's seen before, but it's bizarre that the Hughes brothers, they just, they're shoulders and something is wrong. And I just feel so bad for this. Sam, because you know, they love the game. Like there, you mentioned Lane Huts and been out there 30 minutes on the ice before practice. Like that's how these guys are. Yeah. They don't, they don't necessarily care to be too much in the gym. They just want to be on the ice playing the game that they love. I was talking to another guy who, who played in the league, who's retired now and keep in mind, like, I don't sniff around for this type of stuff. You know, it's not my own opinion, but I guess he was saying that going in even before this happening to this season, he was personally concerned after talking to people about the, like, the laundry list of injuries and what Luke in particular has dealt with and question, like, how long of a career can this guy have if this continues? Because we're not talking like, oh, hey, I got a spring ankle. I'm going to be out for a few weeks. That's triggering to me. But yeah, yeah. Well, sometimes hot high ankle springs can linger. I was just using that as an example, but bumps and bruises. Like, they've had some pretty serious stuff go on that could be stuff that is like, is just like, it adds to the chain, especially when it's like things like, didn't you have a knee issue last year or the year before? Yeah, there was a knee thing at some point, but there was another shoulder thing with him. Another shoulder thing. And these are things that can definitely cut a career short. So he was just kind of like, ah, and this is even before that this one went down. So I don't know how much getting in the gym and putting on some weight and some muscle mass would help for this injury prevention. But you have to imagine that it would based on what we've seen so far. But sometimes there is, like, you're just like born with, you know what I mean? Like, there's certain things that are always an issue for some guys. And like, I don't know if there's something there that just can it be fixed? I hope so. But he's got to miss at least another nine games. And then that is if, and then you know, it's similar to Tanev, which it came out. He's, he hasn't had surgery yet because he wants to try to play. But if he comes back, like, he's going to be battling something, same with Luke, say Luke, he's decides to play the actually the rest of the year. And then, and then get surgery after he's going to be in a sling, you're guessing. And then all of a sudden, it's like, fuck, I can't even play my game right now. I'm wearing this thing. Murls had that. Murls could have got surgery right away. He wanted to play, play in this sling, couldn't do anything. He's like, I should have just gotten the surgery. I played through injuries coming up. Like, I did in the in the, in the coast for a little bit. You also then tend to like overcompensate. And it does throw your body off in the way that you play in your muscle memory, which could end up fucking you long term. But like you just said, like, let's say he puts a sling on, then he's got to get surgery on it. It's like, then you spend another off season instead of going and building. And then you're just recovering from this injury. And then another thing too is, is Jack Hughes, the other night, like against Edmonton, like, I didn't notice him that much. She was not very noticeable. And they're saying that on his top hand, he's just basically controlling his stick with three fingers, where I don't know what happened at Chicago Cut or how that injury, like went down or what it's affecting. But he's clearly not himself either, right? Yeah. So fuck, man, they're just, let's call Pasha because they've actually started winning a little bit. Well, thanks to Cody Glass. He's got 11 goals. He was unreal the other night. Well, he think this guy's doing it. I was probably sitting in his Porsche rubbing himself because the devil's of one of you. What's up, Pasha? How you doing? We're talking devils right now. You're alive to tape on the spit and shickles podcast episode 614. What's going on with the Hughes brother's shoulders? Well, first of all, I just want to say it's really nice to see that you found your phone, or you fixed your phone. I was starting to worry. It was broken. What do you mean? It was radio silent. What do you know, usually you're, you know, you're tweeting during others games every little detail. And during the others game the other night, it was radio silence. I hurt my shoulder and I couldn't hold my phone that night. I actually, yeah, I was carrying Cal. I was carrying Cal and my my shoulder kind of got messed up. I couldn't tweet, man. You know about that shit, though, right? What? Seriously, Pasha, like, what's going on? With what? I don't know with with Luke Hughes. Like, let me ask you this. Would you rather him? And I respect the hell out of me. He wants to keep playing, right? Like, he's got to miss nine more at least than he comes back. So he's in his sling. Get surgery at the end of the year. Would you rather that? Would you rather have him just do it now? And then as business saying, like, be able to train this summer and try to build up some muscle where there's obviously like a weakness in his shoulder. Yeah, I mean, I don't disagree. I think it's a risky play for sure. Cause yeah, like if he, if he goes to this rehab room, comes back, you know, the doubles, whatever, miss playoffs or fiddle out with around one. And then he has to get a surgery, like that's a fucking disaster. And it seems like that's, you know, very much within the realm of possibility. So, you know, I'm not a doctor. I don't know. I don't know. We know if it's his call or the team kind of agrees on whatever the course of action is. But yeah, I mean, it's risky for sure. And it's unfortunate how it happened. I mean, I don't know if you saw the replay that it seemed like there's just happened nothing. Yeah, we're saying that. Very concerning. Very concerning, Ryan. Ask him. Pasha's business here. How much how much how much blame do you put on Tate McRae? Dude, we want guys. He has an Instagram page up right now. We call them. I put in over here. There's lots of blame to go around as you guys have heard me. Got to dish the blame, but Tate is free of blame. Okay. All right. Well, you know what? Pasha, it was a good win. It was on a back-to-back. They beat Edmonton. Yeah, tough loss. If I hadn't hurt my shoulder, I would have been throwing out the props that the devils deserve coming into Edmonton and getting a W. But, yeah, it's scary. I feel really, we just said we feel really bad for the kid. It sucks. And hopefully you can figure it out. So, um, it does suck. And, you know what? It's, uh, so he has shoulder surgery on the other shoulder last summer. So, I mean, I guess in a way, it's good that it's not that same shoulder acting up. So, if he doesn't eventually get surgery on this one, he'll be kind of in the same boat as Jack where he has two bionic shoulders. So, um, you know, obviously not good to see his shoulder get hurt, but at least it wasn't the one he just had surgery on. So, um, yeah, really unfortunate. But, you know what? I think the devils will use that cop space to address some other areas of need. I think now Dougie is not going to get dealt. Oh, no, he's just going to say, I didn't say that. I didn't say that. I just said I don't think he's going to get dealt now because of the circumstances. I like him, but he is playing better. So, at least he's kind of coming close to playing my half of this fucking carpet. Yeah, he had to throw me ahead of something. This, this is a quote that I got. I talked about it before we called you, Pasha, about the guy who texted me just about, I guess it's just about the concern for Luke and some of these injuries. Um, he wrote, I'm not going to read you all the text. He's injured. And unless he changes his off season habits, he's in trouble. He's a warrior. So, he's complimenting him. But I believe teams have allowed him to play through the wrong injuries. And, and I, and, and then, Basie, he said that he thinks that Quinn is dialed as far as like where he needs to be physically. But he kind of questioning where Jack and Luke are from like a, like a physical standpoint and being able to withhold these 82 game seasons. Like, how many times has Jack and or Luke played a full season? Yeah, no, listen, I hear you. It's just, it's very frustrating, right? Because it's like, okay, like now the summer they're going to both come and then boom, shoulder injuries. So they spend the whole summer rehabbing it. They're on the chance to kind of put on the muscle. And then boom, next summer's the other shoulder. So it's like they haven't even had a chance to kind of bulk up because of these injuries. So it's, yeah, it's very frustrating. But I imagine that I imagine that they're all training together. Right. So, like, I don't think like they're doing different workouts. It's just that you're saying maybe that every summer, those two are battling injuries. I'm a moron. This is just a text I got. True. Up until like three summers ago, but like for the last two summers now, Jack has been rehabbing. The last summer, Luke is rehabbing, you know what I mean? So it's like, you can't really be putting on the muscle if you're studying a whole summer kind of rehabbing. All right, buddy. Well, we apologize for interrupting you, massage and your girlfriend doing all the nice things that you do for her. So have a good day, bud. And it's like you said, they're hockey junkies and Luke use. How do you tell a guy if he doesn't have to get surgery? Or how do you tell him that, hey, we're going to have you go under the knife here and get you ready for next season? I know. I get the fact you want to play and you want to try to get in the playoffs. But if I'm as as young as him and I've already had one and he makes a good point, I wasn't sure which one he had surgery on. Good thing this is the other. I'd be like, fuck, I think I just want to like get right for next year and the next hopefully 15 years of my career. So Luke did play all 82 games his second year or okay. And that, but what about Jack? Jack he's 61 56 49 78 62 62 and then 78. I mean, that's a good. That was 99 point. Yeah. If you miss four games, that's a good year. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Um, but yeah, we need those guys playing and at their best man because like, fuck, they're like a sick hockey family. They're good for ratings and they're incredible when they're at the top of their game. So keep in mind, like, I don't I don't dig for that type of stuff. That was just information that I was I was given and and that's why I read it. Well, I'm starving. I think now it's time to throw it to a legendary defenseman. Um, who played who played 1,270 regular season games and 146 playoff games in the hockey hall of fame family cup with Colorado. Colorado. The year he was traded from LA in 2001, they brought him over. They got it done with Ray Bork on the back line with him. Adam foot incredible team. We talk about that. Sanders, Ozulence was he there? Sanders, Ozulence. Yeah, he was there. Who was their decore? Sanders, Ozulence was not on that team. Their decore was Ray Bork. Martin school. I remember him. He was nice player. Greg devised the breeze. John Clem, Adam foot. Aaron Miller was there for a little bit. Rob Blake. They had Rick Berry play some games. They know and Pratt play 46 games that year. And Alexei Gusserov played nine games that year. So an incredible career. Let's right now throw it over to Rob Blake. Let's talk about a beauty must have. Batiste dry shampoo. It's the award winning number one dry shampoo in the US and worldwide. And honestly, it earns the hype. Batiste incidentally refreshes your hair by absorbing oil and grease, leaving it cleaner looking with added volume and texture. You get that fresh blowout look without the blowout price. In fact, Batiste works better than the leading competitor even compared to brands that cost up to twice as much. A cold classic for a reason and perfect for all hair types. Grab Batiste dry shampoo online or install it your nearest retailer today. It's a pleasure now to be joined by another Hall of Fame run on our trip to LA. And this guy, one of my idols growing up, Rob Blake Stanley Cup champ Hall of Fame. It's been an incredible one. It wasn't incredible run for you. So thanks for joining the show. Oh, it's been great. I know I've been dodging business the last few years when I was working. Can't use that excuse anymore. Yeah. No, I thought you were still mad about me, but negotiating that extra 5K on my salary when I was playing for the entire year. We had a 15,000 on the budget. We only give you five. What you say, he'll ask for back pay. I'm on the payroll with the Kings. Now, yeah. No, but this is we're grateful to have you. And how we normally do it is we like to start at the start the beginning of your career, like how you got on skates, like who introduced you to the game of hockey. So going back to your days in Ontario, you're a simco boy, right? I am not far. Yeah. So yeah, grew up there, grew up on a farm and we had a pond on the farm. And I mean, that's how it was back then. That's where he started and didn't get in the organized how about five or six years old had an older brother who played. So that was just natural growing on the pond. Doos was cold, froze over and that's where we started. And your brother, like he was kind of like, you were battling with him or you were looking up to him. And he was a few years old. He was looking up and then that had a year younger brother too. So that's where the battle's more. We did. Yeah. Did you start like with the local team and then like with that same team till, till I mean, you want to call it, which is something we get into. But yeah, was it like coach, great coaching you had? Were you a late bloomer? Were you really good at the beginning? Yeah, I would say late bloomer, but yeah, played a minor hockey and simco, which is, you know, small town, 10,000 people. So, you know, out here we've got triple in all that that we weren't even close to that level. Just played that all the way up. And then I think it was 15 or 16, the local junior B team, Bramford at that time had junior B they made your A now, but they called it said, would you try out for a junior B team and my dad draw, yeah, it was 15 because my dad had drive me. I drove there. Try to made that team that year, played a year there. And then the whole team got suspended for a year because of too many fights. But there's two of us that were young myself and Brad Gratt and Brad was a first overall in the OHL. We were young enough that they allowed us to play the next year. So I went to Stratford and then from Stratford to Bowling Green. How many fight? Yeah, our coach was Kenny Gradin. It was a, I think was, Brad's uncle Brad Gratton's uncle Chris Gratton in the, you know, that whole family from there. And Kenny had a pretty tough team and we had some guys come back from NHL camps that played with us. And I mean, it introduced me to a whole different side of the game, which was terrific. They were so good to me, protected me all year. But I learned a lot that year about different stuff on the ice. Was your dad, somebody you like confiding a lot? Was he teaching you the game after games on the rides home or was it, he stayed out of it? Not really. I mean, like I said, we were farmers growing up in, yeah, it was enough for him to have to, I had a drive me. It was about 45 minutes and hour away from our home. So he would drive me there for practice every night. I'd come out, wake him up in the car and get a ride home. Tell about December. I finally turned 16 and then and drove myself. But you know, they're, they're more just support, not helping understand the game and everything, just obviously a lot of support. And return. Would he have you working on the farm all summer long? That's what you were doing your off season training. So I had to go train camp there. This is what they call they said he come to camp. I was working in tobacco at the time, primate tobacco. And I was going to miss three or four days for camp. So my dad filled in for me, went and primed on a crew. You know, we're sitting on the machine and all that. So I could have three or four days to go to Bramford to try out for this junior B team and then that point. What about when you were seven and eight on the farm? Like you're, you're out, but I was terrible. This, I go back. I went, you know, I had this, this time off my, my younger brother runs our family farm and has added a couple more farms. And I went back about three, four weeks ago. He was doing weak and everything. And he had me in the machines. These tractors are so nice now. All remote controls, like a joystick in a video game. But yeah, on the farm growing up, my two brothers did so much for me. I was really, I was terrible. I was always amazed because, you know, we grew up that city life. And you're like the way playing with guys that grew up on farms. Like you have a sense of discipline, hard work, you know, you're essentially providing for your family, like your whole life. So like, there's going to be a lot of pride when you're on the farm growing up. Yeah, but I didn't, I didn't understand that when I was young. I didn't appreciate it until I probably later in my career plan, but way more when I was a GM. There was a thing I found online, do it the farmers way. And it was like seven points. And I, I refer to that so much during my time as a general manager, because it was very basic and very simple and get rid of all the stuff around it. And you get to the basics. But that was my, my, you know, I was fortunate in that background growing up to see that on a daily basis and have carried that right on through. Were you directing way more of your time and attention to like the hockey aspect of it? You mentioned like being on the panel a time where you more dialed in and interested in the hockey side than your older brothers. Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah. They were both both my brother, my older and my younger continued to farm after I left in everything. So I was more on the athletic side, but I just, I think I learned early. I wasn't going to be a good farm. I might have enjoyed it, but definitely wasn't going to be a good one. You think that's why maybe they they held up your end of the bargain is because they're like, I think he's got something here and he's going to keep going in the hockey department. Was that they see it in you? I think a little bit later probably when I got to bowling green and they made their trips down on the weekends and the winter and different things. But like I said, lots of support from that point, but they I know they learned early. I was not the the guy going to take that farm over. Well, your Leafs fan like Saturday, Hawking Night in Canada. Yeah, there's always Leafs and Montreal. That was that was that was what was on all the time on Saturday night. You know, Montreal, my dad was a big Montreal fan and that's where Larry Robinson came in and then you know, I was fortunate in my first game playing the NHL. He was in our dressing room in a partner. So was that one of your idols growing up? Yeah, yeah. War 19 as much as I could until I got to bowling green. I just took the number that was you know, they gave me that, but in minor hockey, war 19 as much as I could. That'll lead us into your college career. Bowling green, not a I guess a traditional university maybe at the time, but why not Canadian junior like what happened with all that? Yeah, I that's what I wanted to do is we grew up in Ontario. That's all we did. And so I was drafted by Sue St. Marie, a later pick. I played that year in junior B drafted in that that time, you can go for 48 hours without giving up your college eligibility. So I went to a camp, you know, and hadn't been up to the sue. It's pretty far too when I got up. Yeah, I did 48 hours. Got back home and they're like, well, you're not quite ready yet. Go back to junior B for another year and maybe after that. So my whole plan was to play junior B and then go to Sue St. Marie and play for the Greyhounds. That second year I was in Stratford, junior B. Their coach Terry Flanagan his dad was at Bowling green. So they had a connection of bringing players and the one right before me was Nelson Armerson. He had played and dropped and went to Bowling green, but we were from the same hometown. So I had no one Nelson real well. And I kind of got on that path about Christmas time. Like, hey, I think I'm going to go to Bowling green. I'm not sure about the, you know, whether it can make Sue St. Marie or not. And Bowling green had a, you know, I had offered a scholarship to come down there. And he's probably telling you, hey, it's fun. Yeah, he said, this is great. Better than the bus ride. The OHL. Yeah. And he's still like, he was still with you with the King's. I mean, he was around us part of the development team. So obviously he's had a major impact on your career for a very long time and one of your closest buddies now. Yeah, we grew up, like I said, same hometown and then we played together at Bowling green. He got traded L.A. as I was playing here when Annie Murray was coaching. Then he was our started as a video coach when I was still playing here with Mark Crawford. Nelson was a video coach, graduated. Then he got into management. And then when I came on board, he was still here in management and today's assistant jam. No way. Yeah. One of your bodies was the video coach. You better not get any clips and be bad off that. No, but I would hear the stories of Mark Crawford. Yeah. Yeah. The right behind the seat. The right from the source. They're pretty good. Yeah. Me and wet being Boston guys, like we grew up, you know, a lot of our friends played for Jerry York, but that was when he was older. Like what was he like when he was younger? Terrific. Yeah. He was so good. And like I said, so coming from a farming community, my parents didn't understand junior college and all that. So when Bowling green was recruiting when I was in Stratford, coach York drove to my hometown and had dinner with my mom and dad. And from that point on, they were like, Hey, if that's where you're going to go, we're 100%. You know how it would be with coach. Oh, yeah. And you sit down. So no, he was terrific. I remember it was my sophomore, you're a bowling green. And like I said, I was kind of late bloomer, but the second year I started to take off a little bit had been drafted by LA and Rogi Vashan was a GM at the time. So he called right after the second myself, my year, he's like, Hey, we're thinking of turning, you know, often your contract have you to turn pro, but I wasn't really sure. And I went and met with coach York and he had had so many guys go through the same situation when he was at Clarks and he had Dave Taylor, who was here and obviously a bowling green, Brian McCullough and George McFee and these guys and he said, Listen, he goes, you're on your way. You're not ready yet. You need to come back for one more year, focus on on your whole intentions and that year, turning pro after. And that was a decision I met went, it made went back for a year and turn pro after my junior and dominate. Holy shit. And some people, some people may think like, Oh, he just wants you back. Yeah, but he would have told you them. I think, right? If you were that ready, he's like, it's time. Yeah. And that, but that's a kind of trust. I think players had with coach York, I read on through his whole career. I mean, he was just genuinely a really nice person and, yeah, you know, that's the trust. I put him, Hey, is this rate decision? He said, just hold for a year. Tell me how to go to school or was that just just what could have been that next year? You would have been playing in the minors, right? And then trying to figure it out and then you never know what happened. Then that year, you step in. Yeah. No, got real fortunate that way to be able to come into that group that we had here. Was he more famous for his time at BC as a head coach? Yeah, he was there longer and one, you know, national titles. But like I remember finding out, oh, he coached at Boeing green before, like I didn't know because he was just known as like Boston College. But when you mentioned you were drafted by L.A., like, you're big, you could skate and it was still the fourth round. Like, was it, what do you think you didn't go higher? Sometimes, like, I've been able to watch a little bit. You know, we're doing all our video and perhaps when I was a GM and this guy had access to video of us in college. And you know, like I said, I was sitting with Nelson one day, I said, let's watch a game of ours. Now Nelson was a heck of a goal score. I'm watching him. I'm like, okay, I can see why you get drafted. Say, look, I was so clumsy and really I'm watching video. And I'm like, there's no way I would draft that. Ron, Ron, it just, you know, I took took steps, obviously, sophomore and junior and unfortunate to come into this organization. Did you, you didn't win the Holy Baker that year? Were you at 23 goals, 36, 59 points for a D-man in college? That's crazy. Especially in that time, right? Well, like I said, in Nelson, Nelson was a four year hobby finalist each time, like nominated for the whole be four years and royally. Wow. One of the highest scoring players at Bowling Green, but that was a partner on the power play. So it was pretty simple feed across. I just had to learn how to. Wasn't Ken Clee passing me. Yeah. Yeah. I wasn't kidding. Did you guys make a run in the NCAA tournament at all in you those years? We lost to Maine. I know Maine a couple of years in BC. We had to go into BC. Not too far. We won the, I guess it would have been CCH Champions. I think we beat Michigan and then double, maybe double over time at their building, which was a big win for that team, that, you know, that club. And then, you know, growing up on a farm Bowling Green kind of middle of nowhere, a little bit, you come here. It's like, what the hell? I think you must have been just shocked. Wayne L.A. is on the thing. And Wayne can do a little robot time. That's a whirlwind. I mean, I got draft. I was drafted. And the draft was in Montreal. And you're right. We didn't do visits back then. We didn't have phone calls with these teams in that. You know, the, the agent I was using at the time was like, well, you should drive down to the draft. At least Montreal was close enough to where I grew up and be part of that. And, but hadn't talked to L.A. or anything. And the furthest possible away from my hometown was L.A. And that was, you know, that was a draft that time. So, and they were still the old color at that time. Then I went back to school. They traded for, for Wayne, obviously, the next year, the colors changed. Bruce McNull, Mr. McNull took over the team. And, you know, from that point on was, it was pretty fun time here. Didn't you get in a little dust up on the drive to the draft? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you're talking to another guy who had one before his draft. Yeah. Mine wasn't going to the draft. Okay. Well, yeah. So the whole, okay, farming families, the whole family is going to come to the draft. Right? Like, this is, you know, we had a old, I think it was a Ford L.T.D. You know, those big cars. So the kids, four, four kids in the back, my mom and dad in the front. And, you know, we're, we're head in there. They're like, well, you got to drive. You know, it's a long drive, eight or nine hours or whatever. So I'm on the 401, but I think it was a 401 head. And I went, but the traffic's real bad, right? So it's like stop and go stop and go stop and go. And I guess I wasn't a good enough driver. But I remember with, you know, the car had to be stopped finally. And I looked, the guys at my window, I roll, it opens the door of my car and he starts yelling at me, a little French guy. It's like you're driving whatever is too slow to slow. And then he just walks back to the car and I'm like, my dad's like, what are you doing? I said, I don't know. I'm just normally driving. So we continue traffic is going, traffic is going. And again, I go to stop and just as I stop, I can hear our car doors are open in everything. My whole family's filed out and they're fighting the guy behind us in the car because he's coming back after me. So I told this story, is that that's probably where I learned that I got teammates that are going to protect me. My family's doing that out of the way to the drop. They're rolling around the highway with this. The moms say get out now. That's fighting. That fucking yeah. My brother had one of their guys over the guard room. My dad had another guy and my mom's in the back. He's going out the rest of the car and I'm going on the last one getting out of the car. I'm like, oh boy. I'm just trying to go to the draft. Trying to better myself here guys. That is unreal draft story. You went on in the first round had everyone on that story. I know. Oh my god. Actually that draft was link gates was the first round. He showed up with a black guy. I think he had a fight that made before. Really? Right? I mean, Minnesota had Mike Madonna. I think it took great after that. Oh, his draft photo doesn't have the big guy. But the story was that he had a fight the night before. It's amazing. Like, at least I didn't get my family to do. Was he a first rounder? He was late for I think. I have Madonna one early and Mike went first that year and then yeah. I got to get this picture now. It's amazing. When you got to LA who like who kind of took you under their wing like as their defenseman. You played with the same guy all year. Yeah. You kind of looking around like I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing here. Wing Betsy's in this room. No, it was amazing room to walk into. You know, Larry I played with quite a bit there. The one guy that was close to where I grew up was Marty McStoreley grew up in QGAS. So once he knew I was from Simko and Wayne was from Branford. We're all pretty close and you know, Marty was single and he was always good to the young guys and that's how I kind of ended up in Manhattan Beach. So as soon as I got here, he's like, hey, you got to you got to look down by the beach. Our practice drink was a little bit away. But he said you want to you want to live down by the beach and it's been that way forever. So he was a he was a real important figure early on just in helping me understand what the NHL was all about. Yeah. That's what you need to. I mean, Manhattan Beach from where it is now to when you got there. It's got to be so different now all the guys. But you hold the trigger on a house there. A couple of years. Kelly. Right. There was a double lot and it's probably worth Oh my god. Well, did you buy a double lottery? I got lucky there. I yeah, I was living on the strand. I was in a smaller, you know, single little at the time was just beach Tom. You know, it was little beach homes and everything. You know, this was three years ago now. And yeah, I got fortunate. I got one beside me and yeah, good thing I got in there because I wouldn't be getting in now. Yeah, good for you. You deserve it. When you came in or even in college, were you always like, because you were known for your hits. It wasn't just the offense. Like, was that always a part of your game? No, not really. I think I told you so one day. So in college, I had shoulder surgery, one shoulder surgery. My second or third year pro in the NHL had another one. So I had back and I had back to back surgeries. Same shoulder. Two on one, one on the other. So within a four year stretch, I had three surgeries on my shoulders. So I couldn't really hit with my shoulders. That's kind of how I started turning around. And you know, whatever from that, that was kind of the evolution of that whole process. But like, like the hip check. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it was all due to shoulder surgeries. And they were dislocated shoulders. So what what they would do in the old days, they put you in that little harness or whatever you finish the season, but it would come in and out and everything. So just, you know, I got used to it, but I, but it wasn't a effective way to hit anymore. Had you seen anybody do the hip checks? And when you were doing it, were guys thinking it was that kind of dirty because it wasn't really seen that much? Yeah, it wasn't, but it wasn't low hip checks. It was, but somehow I would just the form. I'd get almost turned around backwards. But I went to think it did as it surprised forwards to I don't think they were, you know, they see somebody coming kind of backwards. They're like, oh, that's not going to get the hit. But yeah, Cronwell took it to a whole extra after that. I mean, he used to catch these guys coming. It was all the timing, right? Where they're looking back for the past and he'd, he'd already be skating backwards at him. And I think that era too. So we had a lot of hooking and holding before the, the rules came in and changed that the neutral zone was much slower. So you could catch guys. You could catch them off guard. You know, the other, your teammate be holding them up a little bit and you can come from the other side. Did you find that you had to start fighting more because you were delivering these big hits? Yeah, I learned early. I stupid in college too, right? We don't have it. And I had none of that, you know, I signed with L.A. came in, played two regular season games and played a couple rounds of the playoffs and then went home and came back and our training camp was in Quebec then. And they used to have rookie games the day of the NHL games. So that was training camp. So the rookies would play at two o'clock and they had to play both. Yeah, no, no, but the rookies would play it too. So the teams would have all their players there. And we were in Quebec. rookies would play like two and the NHL guys would play at seven. I was fortunate that I played the year before. So I didn't have to play in a rookie game, but you go watch a rookie game every time of any any stop a journey contact. There was a fight right trying to make a name for themselves, right? So I'm playing my first game and I'm like, I hadn't fought the, you know, the whatever the two rounds that I was up there for the playoffs and that. And we're a member was playing Quebec and near the end of the game. This guy hits me behind the net and kind of gives me a push. I turn around and I fight him and ended up being Darren Kimball who I had no idea because I didn't know the Western hockey league or anything like that. So I learned pretty quick. Like you you better understand your role out here and understand who you're playing. It's the game knows. Yeah, it wasn't, but funny story of that, but that happened with about two or three minutes left and he got me good and I had stichesized in there and I was on the medical table and not even two or three minutes later, another player comes in and is J Miller. So he's the older vet on our team and a tough guy. He saw their their guy take a run at me. So very next face off. He went out and did the same thing, but you just learn that your teammates will be there for you. Like through their whole career, that's what these guys are for. Yeah. Well, so you kind of, yeah, I mean, you saw your parents do it on the way around. Yeah. So you kind of got fortunate where you saw these small examples throughout that, you know, what a team and having support is like, that's awesome. And then the projection of the team when you first got there to like, like five, six years in, was it every year you guys were kind of getting better and clawing away and then I don't know what year it was. You guys finally made it to the conference finals. Yeah. The finals, excuse me. Yeah. 93. Yeah. It was good. But so that whole area, like I said, Mr. McNall Bruce McNall took over the team and, you know, the first time I got there at the end of the year, he had already purchased the jet for the team. So they're they're flying private. Like I'm one year old and I'm jumping on a plane and they've got Opus 1 wine and they've got shrimp cocktail at every seat. I thought this was what the end it everybody in the HL was doing, right? You the only team with a private we're we're the only one. I think us and then Detroit might have got it right after. But yeah, Mr. McNall had a guy's love McNall that he was terrific. He as far I understand the troubles and all that thing. But the way he treated the players was above and beyond. But that's when the celebrities were coming in the dressing room at winter lose. You know, President Reagan, uh, it's lies alone. Who was they were coming around the dressing room and I'm just like this is this is so I'm talking to my friends that are, you know, Nelson and some of these guys playing other time like this is what we do in LA. It's pretty nice. Who were you star struck by? Who did you meet when you're like, Oh my god. Well, Goldie Han Kurt Russell were there all the time and but but they're in the dressing room. Not even five minutes after the game. You know, and it's always it's always right in front of Gretz's stall and so when you watch him and you see how he could do this and how he could welcome that and and a lot was teammates to share was it was pretty special time in LA early on. Mike, were you guys partying after the the club that he had at the forum? Yeah, go right up the stairs from the visiting room. They they had a little section in the back. That was a great setup for us. That would be ridiculous. You don't even have to go to like another place. You just you would have had an apartment and it wouldn't shower. Would have slept in the kitchen. Well, they would go right from there to the Harriots and Manhattan Beach. That was the bar too. So and we got to know the bus driver for the visiting teams and that's all he would do is pull the visiting teams bus right over to Harriots and they come in the back to our both teams that have been having fun. No way you guys should muck it. Yeah, because they'd have to stay the other teams would have to stay right. Yeah, no private fly commercial. Anytime like there would be like Josh and going on from from the get know the guys are all pretty good and you know the it made it made it difficult for our home games because those teams they want that night out. So yeah, that's a little carrot for them. They go up the forum club and out after they're going to play a little harder. Oh, fucking right. What you you became so offensive like when you came into the league where you already given a chance in that role or was it like I got a weight and kind of earned it a little bit. No, it was fortunate right right into it. Nice. You know, I watch it now and I see these young codes come in and you know, we're very careful when we're in management. Put them in. They were playing. I was throwing out in different situations. I mean, playing the point on the power playing Wayne Gretzky's on the half full. Like just you must have been nervous, though. I got to give it to him every time. Yeah, or but he would always tell me to shoot, but when he's going to get mad at me as if I miss a net. It was like adamant. You got to hit the net. You got to hit if I'm going to give you the puck. You got to hit the net and you'll learn early on if you if you want to get it from the best player in the world, make sure you're hitting the net. Yeah, you missed the net. It goes out of the zone and he's looking at you like this. You ain't getting it next time. Oh, I mean, moving along, right? Like you had a good run in L.A. And and some really good teams, but when you went to Colorado, like, did you know that was coming? I remember it was in the news like Rob Blake's possibly available in a trade. Was it hard for you? Like, how does that how did that happen? Yeah, you know, I kind of felt it during your there was contract stuff going on and there we weren't able to get anything done at, you know, early on in the season. And then there's lots of talk in that. And I remember the the also it was was after the All Star game that I got traded, but the All Star game was a little bit earlier. And you know, I was fortunate to play in that All Star game. And Ray Bork was in the All Star game. He was with Colorado at that time. And I didn't know Ray real well in that. You know, talked to him a little bit near the end of the game. He's like, Hey, let's switch jerseys. You know, trade jerseys at the end. Like, it's great. I can get Ray Bork's jersey in that. So, sure enough, the All Star games over, you know, exchange jerseys and we're kind of by ourselves, shakes my hand. He goes, I'll see you in a month. I'm like, what do you tell them? And he goes, we're going to get you. He goes, I, you know, and he knew Pierre Laquois real well, right? And he had come the year before and Pierre was pretty good at making some of these deals that really helped the the have at different times in that. So that's when it kind of hit home that, okay, maybe it is going to happen here. He already knew. Yeah. And, you know, as it worked out a few weeks later, I was on my way to Colorado and they were poised too. That was a terrific room to walk. And it's crazy because I think most people think that when Bork went there that year, they want it. But they didn't. It was the year you went there. And so they were so hungry from the year before failing and getting Ray his cup. Like that run must have been not. Wow. I even assumed that it was early season move and they won at the end of that year. He spent a year and a half there. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. They lost, I think, the Dallas member Dallas. They had those wars with Dallas Forrestburg going with the Hatcher and Ludwig goes big D. It's Dallas one in two thousand. That was all the bread hole. Yeah. Yeah. So you were a move they needed to make to get over. Yeah. And it just, but, but it could just coming in to you knew how much they had to. That's all it was about. I mean, you start with Patrick Wann. Now watch, I might just tell him the other night here. You see, he's got the same fire on the match. This guy was all about winning on Ranton in the other night. Yeah. I've seen him do that to guys too. You don't want that wrath. Right. So, but, uh, yeah. But you start with him and Nat and then you had Sackic and, you know, Forrestburg and Chris Jury scoring huge goals. Tangay is a young guy, but Bork and foot and, you know, that team was, was destined to win. It was, it was a fortunate that I got into that type of atmosphere. It's a shame that that Forrestburg's career was cut so short, but for like young people listening, like, how would you describe his game and how dominant he was? And he wasn't even the biggest guy. He was either an era where defensemen could be so vicious and brutal. Yeah. He wasn't that big, but he must have had just unbelievable edges, strength wise. Like, I laugh because we, you know, we were sitting in the last couple of years and we're going over power plays and we're like, okay, the new drop, you know, drop pass on a power play. That's the entry and everything. And it always goes back, well, what'd you guys do in Colorado? Because it's a pretty good team. I'm like, I don't know. I think it was pretty simple. Just give it a Peter. Right. It was basically there. That was it. Bob Hartley was a coach. He's like, get the puck to Peter Forrestburg and he'll get the puck in his own. But no, he was the reverse hits. Like was he, who was doing that before him? No, but you do that reverse. And he'd come around the net and he'd need, he'd like to just take it short side and always come back. But they'd go the other way. You come around us for him and then roofed on his backhand. Yeah. Yeah. But he was just there was a one year, you know, a year later, he had all his injuries, had really bad feet. You know, I, you know, I, no one really understood the pain that he's probably going through in his skates. He didn't play it all for us in the regular season. Then he practiced the last day of the regular season, the two days leading in the playoffs and then he came into the playoffs. This was the second year of year after we won the cup. Then he went and he played all the playoffs with us. We lost Detroit in seven. We went three, three rounds in a row, seven games lost to Detroit. They beat Carolina that year. Peter, I think might have led the playoffs. Yeah, he did. He did. He did. Just three rounds in a round. But didn't play one regular season game practice three times with us. That is, it's just how good he was. You know, what was a sackic like like it sounds to us at least similar to Iserman a little bit. Just kind of, and you play, you know, you had the Olympics, but just quiet and just every single night he brought it. Yeah, I tell Copa, Copa, Tart are the same thing. It reminds me a lot of Joe Sackett. Their personalities and Steve Iserman, but it was interesting on that team because you had, you had Patrick who was really emotional. Let's go. Adam foot was very similar in that role. And Joe was more of the quiet, just always doing the right thing, always doing the right job. He was a captain. He was a leader. He had the emotional guys around him to keep that room steady. But yeah, you could count on Joe at any time and any, and that's the same way. He was a GM and now president of Colorado. You just watch him and his appearances. There's something, yeah, there's something about these guys are just ahead ahead of ahead of the other guy. Were you ever in like a dust up with Patrick Wall, right? Because he'd get mad at his deal a little bit. No, not, I was, not, not directly. My partner was a young kid at Martin school at the time. Yeah, school, you know, school. He had the punching bag. He had his moments. Do you remember though, we were, we were in a starting to play off series. We had a four or five day break and Marty came in and he had the sunburn from ski golf. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, you know, so the off day in Colorado, whether it was a Breckenridge or something like that, I could just see Patrick like, oh, you do. Like, this is not why we're here. But, no, Patrick was the first goalie that I really played in front of that was very technical on the power, especially on a PK. You know, I went the top to a one timer. He's like, that's your lane. If that goes short side, that's your, you have to get in front of that. Give me the far side, right? And it was, he would draw it up and you'd have all our D in it. So as soon as it rotated around, you wanted to get in the shooting lane, but you just, you took the short side and gave him the other side. And it was just the way he wanted it red. Interesting. Why you didn't block it. No, he, but it was the right side. He didn't care. Yeah, but if it went in the short side and it was because you weren't in the lane, now you're going to hear which is weird because I feel like most might have been, it might have been far side. Take the way it was rotating. If I'm thinking now, I want to get over, but he had it, he had it so specific. Like, this is, it goes this direction. You're in this lane and that's yours. And I'm going to cover the other spot. Another guy who is there, Adam, what a lucky warrior, right? What a mutant. Man, some of the stuff he would do on the ice, where he played. Vicious. Just switch between your legs. El will come in a cross and nonstop talking, but great. Like just, oh, you be yapping at her guys out there. Oh, nonstop. Really? This is good as you, business. I couldn't, I couldn't back it up. Most guys have been like, buddy, shut the fuck up and get up. It's the third period. Yeah, it's not going to be out. Your skates aren't even tied, buddy. What the fuck are you going to do? Are you surprised he's coaching now? No, that's, that's all I know. Yeah, that's how he played. He was, he was, he was, he was coaching all the time as he was playing. Okay. You know, his presence, I could just imagine him walking into a room in the van cover, just that the presence he, he, that comes off of him, you know, he's a special guy in that. You got to earn that, right? Those are years of, yeah, just being a absolute warrior. You know, it's kind of like, well, I mean, imagine having him and talk on the same bench. We're just the, the amount of respect that they command. And that's why those guys are so valuable. They do. They, they walk in. They don't have to say anything. You know, right away if you didn't play well, you, you know, just a little look. They probably give you a man. Well, you won the 98 team in, in, in Nagano? Yes. Yeah. Okay. So, so that old two for you, yeah. You were part of that crew. Like we are, we are getting this gold medal. Yeah. The failure must, I mean, I say failure, but not winning it for Canada 98, the big deal. Gratitude didn't go in the shootout. Like what do you remember about that? We won the bench like, why isn't he? That's playing a world regardless of what you think he does on the show. You put them in that situation. Yeah. That was the first year we were all NHL players were going to Olympics. And, and I think we love, we lost the shootout to the Czechs, right? To, to Dominic, but the whole tournament, we were by far the best team. I mean, we, we wasn't close. Like we had some great players and everything. And then we ended up losing that in a shootout. And then I think that what happened was you come back, we had to play the Finns for the bronze medal game, but it did, in our room, it didn't mean anything. Yeah. No, it was like okay. We were here for gold. Yeah. And then you take the next four years and you're like, oh, this is special. Even the bronze would have been a special. So, you know, they just added the height and then you go in the salt lake and you're playing the U.S. in the gold medal game. So, you know, yeah, what a setup that was and really sheltered in the Olympic Village, which was the good thing. All the guys are together all the time. We got beat real bad by the Swedes in game one. They had the torpedo. Remember, yes, new whole game plan. I think it was five, one, six, one. It wasn't even close. They beat us in. Wayne was, it was a GM, the president of that team. And I remember he took a lot of the heat outside the public. And I think what he's doing was sheltering us. We were in the village. A footy was my roommate there. So we were, it was kind of funny because we're all in this in the village and they're not the big five star hotels you stay out of the road and everything. But the best thing we did in Nagano was staying in the village. There was talk about going outside and getting a nice hotel, your pros and your, you get the whole field of the Olympics being in the village. You watch the other athletes and everything. So, you know, fast forward to salt lake, we're in it and there's, I think there's eight of us in there and Adam and I are in one room. But everybody would meet at night and then one guy would get elected to go down the food hall. They had a McDonald's there and come back with a bag of, you know, these burgers, the fries and if people saw that, you know, like we're in the Olympics and each of the food. Yeah, McDonald's was the best thing we could have. Well, him and Bernie Nichols and Wayne were doing McDonald's all the time when he was playing. That was like their pregame meal. Yeah, they were, they were probably there if you don't really 100 times a year going there after practice all the time. That was what he wanted to do. Yeah, yeah, no, they were just, yeah. He won the monopoly game. That's how Wayne made all the money. Yeah. Remember that goal though in that gold medal game when the Mu let it go through his legs. I think pronger past it. Oh, you guys must have just been in awe. Why isn't that? Just a different level hockey IQ. Did you ever get nervous, like depending on the stakes of the game? Not really. Like I said, we were really sheltered in the village. I don't think we understood the pressure Canada and US that we were playing and put on themselves. Like you're kind of, and the social media wasn't nearly what it was, right? So we didn't have a lot of that. So it was just, you know, show up the guys in the room, same thing. Go back and village together, hang out, show up and play the game. You knew it was important to win. I did not understand the importance of a gold medal for Canada at that time. Wow. And that okay. So then what about when you understand the cup, like winning it for Ray Bork, like did you feel pressure in that situation? Three two in the finals. Yeah. Yeah. Three two to Jersey. Yeah. You're right. You had to come back to that one. I thought, but pressure, pressure win because I think at the stage of my career, I might have been, I don't know, close 30 or something at that time. I had been to the finals early in 93, but you know, hadn't been in the playoffs for a few years too. So that type of pressure, dude, too, if you're going to get back there, you got to get this finished. You got to get the W. Wow. Yeah. That's it. Do you for a guy who threw big hits? Is there a hit you think back? Like you got crushed? Yeah. Bates, but tagly. I got me one really. Yeah. Behind the line. No, I was a, it was dumb. I was a D to D. But I was kind of in the middle. I just, I, I didn't take a look to where I was going. I just thought I could widen out no problem. And I remember he caught me my helmet. It was off and everything. Yeah. Guys who threw hits, they, they might remember some, but you remember getting crushed. Yeah. No, no, for sure. Yeah. That was a bonus. Hard as I'd been hit. I remember you hit donor in San Jose and it was both you just like collided in the noise or just like to mute running into it. He was so. I remember that one, we used to do this. They would keep score. If you get like a shot, a hit, you'd get a point, right? And he tip, like kind of called them out a little bit. We had that game in LA. He must, I think he had two goals and an assist. He might have 13 hits that game chase Brian Boyle down the hallway after the game. Remember? No. Yeah. He tried to kill him and he got like throwing out of the both. It was like in between periods or after the game. Yeah. He flipped out and you know how the lock rooms are close. He went down to try to get him and I knew Boyle. Oh god. It's like that worked. Yeah. Yeah. He wasn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't do that ever. No, never, but tip probably just got so in his head. Oh, yeah. That's professional. Ask him about it. I mean, it's hard to compare Olympic gold medal Stanley Cup. What do you remember of the celebration and just that time after one? Yeah. Well, the gold medal, it's interesting because it happens so quick, right? You're on a flight the next day back home. I remember we chartered. It was Joe and I Adam and again, and we were playing Calgary and the two nights later in Colorado. So he was on the plane. Well, that's fine. But all of a sudden, you're done, right? Stanley Cup. You've got a couple of weeks with the team and then you've got the summer where the cup does its tour and then you got the banner raising and all that stuff the next year. So it's really spread out celebration where the Olympics is is very quick. It was like a, you know, a party right after the next day, you're on a plane back home and you're back playing in the NHL. Did you know early on here that you you'd be here for life? Like, you know, you've worked at the team. You're never going anywhere. You got a lot of business talking about. Was it that nice to live here? You're like, I could see myself never leaving. Yeah. No, early on, I think like most young guys, when I see them come here, the day the season's over, you have your meetings, you're on your back home, your hometown. It's, you know, it wasn't a small hometown in Canada, they're hockey crazy. So it's kind of fun to go back. Right. And but as time went on, I, you know, married a girl from here from California, started having kids out here and then coming back here and working for a number of years, just made this home after that. And we saw you on the ice yesterday. We arrived at these kids. No, how good they got to. That's what I'm wondering. You're out there. They're doing power play work. I'm like, Rob Blake's teaching these guys. How long have you done that? And it is your son 14 somebody's got this plan? Yeah, that 13. Yeah. He's 13. So first year of ban, that's my youngest, my older son's at bowling green. He's a senior there. Oh, no way. And my daughter's a senior at bowling green too. So the two of them are there and they're done this year. But yeah. So since, since I stopped working, I jump back and started helping. So we do clinics here. Luke's really good about ice time and helping out here. So I bring some of the kids, but I don't know if you guys were watching. That's probably when they weren't listening. Man, I had to line them up. Yeah, he's kids don't want to listen. Yeah. Yeah, it's a little different era now. Because your youngest one have an opportunity to maybe go play college and maybe beyond that. He would like to. Yeah. That's what he's kind of focused on. So there's a triple A program here, but it's a lot of travel. I think we have three tournaments in Detroit, two in Chicago, one in New Jersey, just a season. So these kids are on Thursday. They're flying cross country, playing five games or whatever in the three days, flying home on Sunday. But I think he'd like to follow. Like I said, my older son's up bowling green. He played there and he's a senior and, you know, the little guy is probably heading that hopefully in that option too. It's cool. And you see him. It happened here. It's paid for. I don't know. They're getting paid for. But the junior Kings, I mean, it wasn't around when you came here. Now they're producing players. They got good teams. It's pretty sweet to see what's happened in L.A. with hockey. Yeah. And I think once that move of Wayne coming out here, not only the youth hockey, I think there was so much roller hockey early on and some of those kids actually ended up. Then I saw the switch to the youth hockey with Anaheim San Jose, Arizona at that time. And now Vegas and all all these teams out here. And, you know, I think the other important thing is with Luke running the team here. He's put a lot into the junior Kings. So they travel. They got their purple and gold. They look great when they're on the roll. You know, so, but you can see the payoff of the Kings, the two Stanley cups they had. And just the excitement is brought through the youth hockey. What was it like for you getting on the management side of things? And like, what did you, what did you learn from it? Like, was it way harder than you expected early on? Yeah. It was great experience. It was funny. I mean, even near the end of my career, remember the guys that after practice, you'd go in the steamer and you'd kind of play GM and be like, God, if we were running this team, we'd do this. We do this. You know, then before five years, I'm all Sunday. I'm doing that. I'm not sure I know exactly what I should be doing here. I thought this would be like my fantasy football. But the good thing was it was some real good people around here. It spoke a Luke played with Luke, right? So real good trust in the president, Nelson Amerson Glen Murray. We brought Mark Vergevin in halfway through. So really good guys that he could bounce ideas and you know, the best thing in the world is every day you come in and you know how it is. You go through the grind, you lose games and everybody's pissing that, but you come in and you go in the back room and when you're just talking about hockey and time, it's such a great time. That's the best. It's the best in the world. And you've got the right guys around that you can really trust in. It doesn't always work out the way you want it to, but those are the times I'm going to miss the most is just being around talking about the game kind of like we are here. This is fun. It's a great game in the world. Yeah, I was pretty blessed where I was involved in great organizations, Pittsburgh and then Arizona. And then I came to you guys and like you guys, the drafting and developing and what you would do with the players and how you guys, even at the time when you got we were in Manchester, the HL, they would all fly across the country and they would get on the ice and it would be this like hand on experience and kind of teaching them little nuances of the game. So I always felt like here, like it was above and beyond like the group of guys you had help and try to develop it. I think that started with Dean Lombardi. When I came on board, it was all development. And from what I had heard, he studied baseball. So before I think he was GM and San Jose and then and then he came here and he studied the baseball model on the development, right? So that's kind of when I first met you, you know, we were in Manchester at that time and Mike Stouters was a coach with great coach and you could leave the that team for three or four weeks and not worry. Mike headed on and then we'd come down and I remember coming in one of the first few times in Manchester, kind of, you know, older building, older rink and coach's office and you'd walk down the hall and the players and you guys would be getting dressed there. And I remember we came off from practice and sat around with coach Stouters and talking to him and I'm leaving and the doors are closed to the dressing room and all the guys are still in there. I'm like Stouters, they said what they got team meeting or something and he goes, no, business holding all the cattle in there telling stories about the NHL. But I made me realize, yeah, but but I even feel like in this. But I made me realize it, Lauren. These kids need it, right? These young kids have these examples and they want to know what the NHL's like and, you know, Biz, you provided that. We felt was so important to have a good veteran. You know, once Biz was left, the Brett Sutter came in and he ran it here for six or seven years and you know, and Jacob Dodie's doing it now. These guys have been around, but it's so important for the kids to understand and see how special the NHL is. And if that's stories or whatever it is on the road, you know, but like you said on the development, we continued that here. Our development staff. It was Sean O'Donnell, Matt Green, Jared Stoll, Mike Donnelly, and they had a little slogan above says, I wish I knew that when I played. And that's how they were it. Every day they came in and said, God, if I knew that when I played, you tell these kids that, right? And you help them and you help them because you only get so many of them and you work so hard and you want them to do it, but the development is so important. Yeah, I mean, it was a few two brought me in and obviously me, him and Stollers were together in Owen Sound. And I mean, Sean Backman was there Vinny Laverde and just the people that you guys brought in, especially on that level, it was incredible. That was a very special year for me. I went from fucking not having a job sitting on my arse at home to winning a call their cops. So I'm forever grateful to this organization and getting to see you guys run out the way that you were doing it. It was it was mind blowing. But did you understand the impact you had on the kids? Like, like, do the good veterans. I know that. They did it on maybe. I feel that Stollers and feuds and that and obviously all you guys, like you kind of like you talked about, like, great coaches, they made you feel like you had a role on the team and they made you feel special. It was kind of like going back to Dave Tippett, like, even nights where I wasn't the lineup and I'd be a healthy scratch for the eighth game. He would call me a side to, hey, you know, we were thinking about it. You know, we, we ended up going with this guy. So even though you know, they weren't thinking about it. They were probably having beers right before being like, I'm like, I'm what we tell bitch. Yeah. Yeah. Let's fuck with them tomorrow and tell them we were this close. And then he was actually going to pay some penalty kill. But no. And yeah, I mean, I felt I felt it in return. And it was just a very special year. So and we had like Josh gratten was there. Oh, yeah. Yeah. We had we had other good veterans and it was just a very special fun group. So if you didn't feel it when you played, I was at the 10 year anniversary that you guys did. I came with him for that. And you could tell all the guys how much they appreciate. Oh, we had such a good squat. It was cool to see even I remember posting a social media after like I don't think that those guys realized how big of a hole that they brought me out. So anything that I provided that group, it's just like it was in reciprocation up to how they made me feel. So very, very fun special year and just going back. So obviously you're not with you, you're not with the organization anymore. You're probably enjoying a little time. I mean, you went from playing to all this jumping and management. Yeah. It's been a little different that that way. I still follow these guys and talk to these guys every day and understand it. But yeah, like I said, involve a little bit with the youth hockey and doing that. It's kind of keeping my time. But hopefully as we go on jumping back into some house, you would like to get back involved. I just I enjoy the game too much. That's your life. That's what we do. Yeah. You know it. And we're going to be around it in some form or some fashion. We've talked a lot about the game being so unreal right now. Like it's the speed, the skill. But for you, is there anything that the game is missing that maybe had a little bit more of it? You played that you wish still wasn't around. Yeah. I mean, maybe a little bit on the rivalry side. Like I caught the end. The last couple years of Colorado Detroit. I mean, that might have been the height of it there for a while. You know, and you don't maybe I haven't seen it as much in that aspect. I mean, the Tampa floor just seems to be headed in that direction whenever they're playing each other and different things. I think you have to meet these teams perpetually to playoffs. Unfortunately, we did with them. We got beat each time. So I don't know if there's much of a rivalry there. But the game, I'm wondering what you feel about like how and it makes sense. These young guys, they come in. They have two good years. They get eight year deals. So like a guy like you, you're giving them out, but you're also like, this is so bizarre how it's changed this much. Very much. You used to have to put your time in and I think for agency might have been in the 30s early on there. And that that's when guys got paid. They got paid for the later in the career. No, you're done as a team. So got a little smarter. You're going to make, you know, take the eight or 10 years of a guy's career, get it through his prime through 23 to 32 or 33, whatever, right? But I was watching the game last night watching Celebrity Holy smoke. Yeah, it's crazy. Like the way he attacks a millie ice and that. And then you look at the, you know, the leaders with him and bedard up there with McKinnen and and McDavid. I mean, these young kids are and they train. They do a lot of things like a pro does early on. We had to learn it, right? You had to learn from the guys ahead of you or the development staffs and that they're coming in. They're ready to take over and they're not afraid to and they probably realize they have a good start two, three good years and you're going to set up your the rest of your life. Like seller, Braini's probably looking at 12 and a half, $13 million. Now I can't even imagine. I think it's great. The guys getting rewarded now. Yeah. I mean, look at these other sports. These are the best players in the world. You know, and as a GM, you're always like, okay, what what levels in that? These ones five grand day. If you if you if you're paying these guys the high high end, that means you got some real good players on your team. Yeah. And they deserve it. You were lucky. You got in. I mean, you had that was kind of right when early 2000s, 10 million a year, you're in your during the prime of your career. So it is made 10 sheets a year, a few years. I was no, I was there close to our sackic and and horseburg were like pronger was, but like you were, you know, they were that's when the sellers really started to explode. We had we had 75 almost $8 million dollar payroll in Colorado back then. Yeah, that's right. And then it took a dip. It just got back there a few years ago. Yeah, like, yeah, we were these are what these guys are making. 38 million. They got caught half. Yeah. That's what you guys were. Um, you know, grew up loving the game as much as you did, put as much as you did into it. And then the day you get the call for the Hall of Fame, would you put that at the top? Yeah, it was, but it's not never anything you're really, I don't think you think about it going in. Like you think about the Stanley Cup as a kid, right? You watch it and you're like, you do the outdoor games, road hockey or whatever stand. You don't think about Hall of Fame, right? You know, Olympic golds now that they're playing, and the guys are thinking about that. So it kind of creeps up on you, but it is a good remembrance of what you had to do and what you went through. So and they do such a special job. I've been trying. I was just in last, the last one here a couple of weeks ago with a jumble. Honestly, yeah. Oh, Joe, Joe, hopefully with a bit of it, it settles A for a couple of years and Glen Murray, who, you know, a good friend of mine here with the Kings. He was a him and Joe or real good, real good friend. He was a treat, wasn't he? Oh, just a joy to come to rink every day. How happy he made him. No bad days for Joe. He just loved the and that's why that kind of rubs off on all the guys. He just he loved to be at the rink. He's going to have to be at the rink the rest of his life. Yeah, that's what everyone says. He has to be. Yeah. And he's going to enjoy every day no matter what. Yeah. And other guys, you lose three or four in a row. You're kind of walking around. Joe, actually, it was Jason Demers who just told the story on his podcast. He does it with Adnan. That I think they went on a bit of a losing skid and he didn't feel like the the tea was vibing enough. So he went in, got the the driller and he drilled off the doors on the shitter. So in the shower, the showers were there, the pistols were there and then so on guys, no hiding. You would be there out in the open taking a shitter. Guys, we're going, let's go, bye. We're all team here. Let's get the mojo going. I was there when he did that. I was 40 Blakey was shitting. I'm worried. I'm worried. Hey, hey, hey, that's how it's that's exactly true. I did hear Jason say that. I was hoping somebody got it. I don't want to bring it out, but yeah, I was 40 years old. And San Jose near the end there, right? It coming in and it was at the bigger rank that he had. I remember coming in and I got there early to have a coffee and I go in. There's no stall doors. No, Dougie Murray, why? I'm like, Frank Shaft was his nickname. I'm like, cranky. What, what are they doing? And he's like, I don't know what happened. And then Joe comes in. Yeah, boys, we got to, you know, we got to get closer together. And so they put this, you know, the maintenance after our practice, put them back up and I come back in the next game and they're down again. And Joe had the drill. And he would take it out and it was a week straight. We didn't have anything in there. But I'm 40 and then I got like Tory Mitchell and guys are 20 years old. I'm like, hey, guys, you got to stab sheet. Yeah, but that that stuff Joe did and you just, you just laugh. Yeah, it would bring the group together, right? You guys have chuckles about, oh, that is, who gave you the Hall of Fame call? Do you remember? I think it was Lanny. Lanny at that time. Yep. And you're pretty special. Yeah. Yeah. And like I said, they do such a wonderful job. Like there's so many things, but it's kind of nice to do because you do bring a lot of the teammates and a lot of guys that you went through things with back and you have a pretty good weekend. It's not, I can't say it's relaxing because you got to prepare and you got to be ready. Oh, how nervous for you to give a speech. Yeah, because you're right for me. Yeah, you're trying to, you're trying to thank everybody, trying to get everything appropriate in there in a short time. But yeah, no, but then you're you doing joy. Have the the the abs that wanted. If you guys ever all been together again, the next season, there's always somebody gone like they've ever. Yeah, we did whether it was a 10 or 20 year anniversary. And then they had an outdoor game and Colorado against Detroit and they had alumni game prior to it. So a lot of us came back because it was, this was years ago. So most of us had, we're still capable of going out and playing in. We had alumni games. So got to see some of those guys. We got so many Wayne stories from from Luke. Do you have like a favorite one? Just his just his presence is amazing. Like in between games, signing autographs for for the other team, you come in and the, you know, back then there was a table in the middle of the Gatorade and everything. It wasn't his elaborate setups and, you know, the other team would have sticks and hats and jerseys and he'd be signing away. Coach be coming in getting ready for the speech and it's just, you know, but it's a different level. Like he walks in the room and I mean, there was Larry Luke and Dave Taylor's a lot of it. But when Wayne walked in, you just everyone just stare. They just watch him. He knows it too. But he handles himself so well. So so good for all of us young guys at that time to learn from. In sports, winning takes more than talent. It takes strength, reliability, and the drive to go to the distance. Sound familiar? That's the same DNA you'll find in the Chevy Silverado. As capable and dependable as winning team Chevy Silverado shows up at gets the job done. It won't flinch when the pressure's on. It doesn't take place off when it comes to trucks. Chevy Silverado's football guy approved to learn more about Silverado. Visit Chevy.com. Yeah, so how much hockey are you watching now? I guess you still love the game. You want to get back into it at some point every night games on. Yeah, yeah, same. But we're fortunate out here right four o'clock start, you know, with a seven back. That's the best part about us being out here. It's awesome. That's great. I remember when I worked at the NHL, I told them that you could have an office at West. We were doing supplemental discipline with Brendan Shanahan there in New York. That's a tough gig for an x player, right? Yeah, that's a little different. Yeah, it wasn't the it was nice to be around and understand it all through the NHL. But the Saturdays of games would start them, you know, the one o'clock games and then you'd have 10 30 LA insurance off to be going overtime. Do this out West. You know, we're done by lambda clock. That's not a suspension. I took his hat off. I give him a five K fine. Well, Rob, thank you so much. Congrats on everything and we really appreciate it. Oh, thank you, guys. Thank you. Tasty trade has a suite of probability tools so you can make smarter picks for your portfolio, though it can't help you fill out your NCAA bracket. You can trade stocks, options, futures, and more all in one platform. Tasty trade offers low commissions, including zero commission on stocks so you can keep more of what you earn. The platform is packed with trading features like back testing, which lets you simulate your trading strategies using 10 plus years of data so you can test your ideas about potential Cinderella stocks. Active traders can use features like ladder trading mode, one click trading and smart order tracking to manage their positions during crunch time. If you want to learn to trade or discover new strategies, Tasty trade has dozens of educational courses you can access for free with your account. Get live stellar support from Tasty trade's deep bench of experienced trade desk reps during trading hours. Visit TastyTrade.com for slash barstool today. Tasty trade ink is a registered broker dealer and a member of FINRA NFA and SIPC. Thank you so much to Rob Blake. That wraps up all the LA interviews we did. Fun trip out there. I saw the Duke was on with four play. Oh, yeah, that's a PGA show I think in Orlando. The Duke. The Duke are also just I don't have set up a four, but Rob Blake and the rest of the LA kings. I was in a tough spot. My my third last year playing and they took me on board boys. I wanted to crazy run with that Manchester monarchs team completely flipped my my year and really my life upside down in a positive way. So I'm forever indebted and grateful to Rob Blake, Mike Fuida, Stother Mike Stothers, Dean Lombardi was there at the time Luke Robatai. So everybody from a Kings organization, the harmonica ladies, obviously were huge. I think Dean Lombardi is like known for giving guys second chances, right? And be a nice guy. So good on him. Just get off your Twitter list. That was the only thing they requested. Feud's called them. He says, yeah, we can sign them just tell them to stay the fuck off Twitter. And it was fun for me to take a two two and a half year hiatus. Yeah. And and refocus and go win myself a call to cut. Not a big. You guys won it. We won the call to cut out. I never heard of that. That's when we used to go to dinner biz, remember in Boston would go to get some sushi and would go shopping together and stuff. That was that was when you were penny pension too. Yeah. Yeah. That was before you hit a fag dude. You were in a bonk. He was bringing coupons to dinner. I'm like, how did you get that? He's like, all right, cut it out of a magazine and manchester. Can you drive up to Manchester and eat its cheaper up here than if we eat Boston. I'll pay for it. Just get down here. I'm siphoning gas to get to him. He's like, why are we running? I said, we didn't pay. Just keep going. Don't look back. I've been washing dishes and manchests. Why was he wearing a can't get caught here? Smarty wearing a dollar clavit dinner. So they can't see my face. We're leaving right after we Oh, dude, are those jeans are cool. They got a rip in them. They said the new style. No, I just can't get new ones. I got no money. I was jumping over a fence. I didn't pay the bill. Rip these ones. Hey, good thing about New Hampshire, though, where I was living. No state tax. Yep. So you mentioned you were going through a tough time when you were signed by L.A. and won the call to come. Another guy going through a lot right now, Linus Allmark sat down with Claire Hannah and did an interview, published this past week. I feel bad for the guy. Obviously he's struggling. We talked about the rumors and how crazy that was. He said he kind of just started getting messages like are you all right? He didn't even know what was going on. It was interesting. He said it stems back his mental health stuff to when he was traded. He then signed a big deal with Ottawa, correct? Yeah. So yeah, I mean, who are we to judge or say, we don't know what's going on with him? How he's feeling? You just kind of hope it for him. He feels better at some point. And I'm sure with the news that broke in those ridiculous rumors, it's kind of like holy shit. I can't even really. I'm not even with the team right now. He said he was very worried about what the team was saying or thinking about him. So I don't know, Bizz, if you had anything or Keith, it drives me fucking bananas. The people online who are basically like, oh, he's he makes this much money kind of get over it type thing. Like those people are fucking morons. Shoot him to the moon. The fact that he had to take the break and then on the break had to deal with that is insane. So essentially, you're not really getting a break. In fact, you're getting more put on your plate to where you can't go address whatever it was that was affecting him mentally. You mentioned that he did mention it happened when he got traded. He had such a good situation there in Boston. Look splitting the net. He's not getting overworked. They had great defenses in front of them. They were putting up what below two goals against averages with 920 925 safe percentages. He ended up winning the Vezna. So being having that much success, loving your environment. I believe that was the year where they set the regular season record. So you get taken out of that where you've grown this amazing life and then boom, now all of a sudden you're in Canada with the team that's trying to figure out its way. And I mean, what are you going to do? Not sign that unreal contract they're offering you. So and you're probably thinking if he is going through that mental anguish even when he was in Ottawa at the start, you're thinking, okay, I'm going to get this new deal. Things will get turned around. We're going to start winning and the rest of it will figure itself out where obviously he hasn't had the best year statistically. But that is so far on the bottom of the totem pole at this point. You just got to go get your mind right. So the fact that he had to deal with this on his time away, it's fucking brutal. It kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier in the pile with with Skinner and how much happier you're for him that he he doesn't have to play in Canada more and he can just go worry about stopping the puck and not be in this chaotic media environment. So I hope he gets his mind right and back to where he was when he was in Boston. And obviously these rumors stop and we can kind of just move on. It's brutal. Especially as a goalie too, if your head's not there, like it's such a tough position anyways, but if you're if you're playing forwarded defense, you can kind of get lost in the game, right? But if you're a goalie, it's it's all on you. All eyes on you all the time. They it seems to me that goalies take home a little bit more to if after a loss and stuff like that. So I feel horrible for him, especially with all the shit that going on. You like you said, you just hope that everything with him mentally is is okay and he can come back because we've all seen what he can do in this league. He's an unbelievable goalie and you know, he can help your team win games so you just hope he can get back to that. That year in Boston, he was 46 and one with a 938 and a 1.89. So that was just that was about it. And just remember how happy. Remember that like they'd have those big hug celebration. So it's it it goes to show you how much you have to have clarity in your head to be good in this league. Like you can't just go out there and play off a skill. Like you have to have the clarity in your head off the ice to put to be good on the ice. Yeah. If you're I've heard this mentioned in golf a lot. If if you got stuff going going on away from like in that case, the course or the ring, like how the hell guys who can play good hockey. Well, maybe their personal lives are best. That is fucking that's alien mode. Yeah, obviously we know some some stories behind the scenes where you're like, oh, how is he playing well? You're a sick problem. Yeah. If you're doing what you're doing. Yeah. So see a path. Wait, you're telling me that maybe those guys just get to the right time. Oh, finally, I'm away from that madness. But that's what that's why like I was so bad with my phone when I played and I remember text in our group chat, apologizing for not being the best of friend. A friend could be the last 16 years. But way better now. Yeah, I knew what it had for me to take to playing the NHL to be an everyday guy. I had to just be focused on the game and to have the outside noise I could not. Well, okay, so that's what I mean, even fucking me like we would be home like in Arizona. And I would call Yans and I I could never get through to him. You couldn't get in touch with the time I could talk to him. Good for you. So you would you purposely would just block it all out to stay in the moment. And you know, in obviously you're not getting as much family time during the season because you're on the road trips. You're at the ring the whole day. It said that you would just focus on being present and at home when you got home. 100% yeah, you just try to be in that moment. Just kids are only young for so long, right? Like you're your different stage now because you get to enjoy all that stuff. But when you're playing, you miss everything basically, right? And I was one of those I wasn't helping out a ton at home. Like, Kristen was doing the majority of it. Like if it was game day, I wasn't doing anything. So it's kind of one of those things for me was just I need to focus on the game when I'm at the rink and I need to focus at home when I'm at home. Um, living in the moment stuff. Yeah. No, that's it. Did you just learn that yourself or did you kind of have to like talk to the older guys when you were taking that next step? No, I remember witnessing it. Like you'd go over to guys like donor Derek Morris, Adrian, a coin can clean like all these older guys and you just saw how they interacted with their families when they were there. They weren't on their phones. They weren't, you know, having guys coming over all the time. It was kind of family time was family time. I remember the five years I played with you, there was only one period in stretch of time where you were struggling. I think it was the Olympic year. You weren't named to be Olympics. And I remember you were you were just struggling. You remember that period? Oh, oh, he's okay. Well, shit man. I would imagine. Okay, Jake Sanders said, but it wasn't good. But were you good at leaving it at the rink? Oh, you don't bring it at 100%. You would never be in a different mood in the home because of the hockey. No, good for you. Good for you. Thank you. You were. I remember I was good before the I was going to tips office. I was a if you need me on the back end, like healthy. Yeah, hand hand of the park right now. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I, I think I could turn it over less than the back guys doing right now, tips. Just try me one game. You'll never look back. Give me my moment. I'm like Tom Brady. I'm not coming out. I came into this league as a D tip. I could still do it. Uh, no, but it's like three minutes and just put on the right. I'm Dave King and tips office down the street. And Jake Sanders did actually come out and any kind of apologized. And I know he said he went and talked to Levi and mentioned like I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I think his quote. Yeah, Levy is a great guy. And I think that's not what good teammates do. You don't tear each other down. You build each other up, especially after a game like that. I also didn't know that earlier in that week, he'd won back-to-back starts. And then that was his tenth start in a row. Just something that that he kind of brought up. It was just right after the game. Didn't have the time to kind of think it put my thoughts together and regret it. Regretted it. So, you said it. You like right after the game, Mike and your face, young guy, you're frustrated because the team's not doing as good. He had four points. And I think he had one, three, played 24 minutes. So it's just fucking tough timing for a young player to have a mic put in his face. And it's a great learning lesson. And I'm sure he meant nothing by it. No. Um, you mentioned all guys with all that said, this guy's got to stop the phone. Whenever you hear like the butt, like he's a good guy, but you're like, oh, fuck with all that said, we're going to be good. You had a great career. But that 2014 season, holy shit. Um, and shout out Josh Stone. You mentioned Shane. Dude, I kind of, first thing I thought was very happy for him. I believe it's right around 48 million box he made, life changing money set for life now. I was like, I think he left a lot of the table here. It fits. You're a big guy and like, hey, he loves it there. He's given a chance. It's still life changing money. But did you not think that it was a hell of a deal for the sabers? honest, I haven't given him much thought. I just texted him for a loan. That was the only thing that I thought of. I didn't know what he said about. He had didn't reply. So then I texted Shane and he said, I'm sure he'll get back to you. Uh, I just, first thing I thought of is like, holy fuck, he's going to make more money than his old man by the time he's done plan, which is crazy to think about, right? Because the money was just a lot different. Uh, did, I don't know, man, I think that you go from a situation of where like you don't know even where you're going to be in the lineup that you talk, maybe for whatever reason, they have you in the minors to start the year. And that trade goes through and he gets there and all of a sudden they, you know, he's playing well and he's getting in this opportunity and he's in the flow state right now. He's fucking playing unbelievable two way hockey. We've been pumping his tires on this podcast for the last like what six weeks now. Uh, and he's off to a career year start. Um, I bet you he's just like, no, I love it here. I feel welcome here. And I just want to get this done. And I think that when you leave that probably I based on what he could have stretched them for, he probably left a million per year on the table, but you just you come off as a as a god now. The fan base loves you every every every comment underneath the post was like, oh, I fuck I got a I got a donor like joking. I got a boner. Like what's your fucking fun? That's my type. I wrote it. Yeah, I'm goes right. Uh, so I'm just I'm just more happy for him and happy that he left money on the and it's also like, how are you going to make more money than Tage Thompson? So he they they have set the precedent with some of their guys where they're not making much. So he falls right underneath that and it's still a boatload of money. And if he does regress a little bit offensively, he's not the topic of conversation. Yeah. I just think I would have maybe tried like for five years. He turns 24 in a week. So then like maybe you're 29 when it ends is supposed to 31, right? Like could that affect his next one, but the way guys are shaped, right? Like I think the way he plays. Hopefully that that he ages well in the game and can sign another big ticket. I would I would assume that he's take a little less per year sign the five year, but maybe Buffalo is like, I don't want that. Well, let's hear mine. If you make that and Buffalo, you're a billionaire. Right. Um, he bought the bills. He did. Yeah. Holy f**k. Speaking of the bills, the fact that like no joke six weeks ago, the bills are like, all right, here we go. I'm going to get to the Super Bowl. No borough this year, no ma homes. And the sabers are a disaster. Now the sabers are buzzing and the bills had the biggest clown show press conference. I've ever it's completely switched. Yeah. Pagula is like, can I get both of these fucking teams going at the same time? Well, that's why they fired McDermott to give the money to Josh. True. True. True. You're right. I forgot about that. I got a donor now. But uh, but as I interrupted, I interrupted him. You said, one year a billionaire in Buffalo with that doe, anything else? Or did I ruin your train of thought? No, no. Uh, no. I happy for him. I'm happy. I'm happy. I'm happy. Oh, in the last thing I was to say is a donor is the most conservative guy. Josh will be driving a pickup truck that's probably given into him by a local dealership. And he might spend 150K of that money per year when he's living in Buffalo. Yeah. Just as simple and as down to earth as they come in. And he's also I'd never remembered donor having like arguments about contract, negotiates and doing anything. So I could I could honestly see where Buffalo came to him with that offer. And he was like, yeah, absolutely. This is what you think of me. Obviously, I have no clue. But I mean, they're they're guys that they're they're good soldiers. They're team guys and, you know, like business said, you've said I'll put it this way. If I had a daughter, I'd want Josh Donemarrier. If I the opposite is to phone digs the scene that clip. Is that I don't know if you want that. Oh, okay. The one thing is is yeah, they got they got ropes on them. So I know that there's going to be a little pain involved. But hey, here's your wedding gift. Some I'd be profanier. Good to go. So twisted. A couple ice bags and I'd be profanier. You should be all right. Sweetie. Here you go. You get you give them that. What are the guys put in their legs? Formatized. Yes. I got no. I'm attacked. Here's an all-inclusive trip to minceys room in my house. You guys could stay there for a week and then I'd be profanier. It's a ice bags. When you talk about good soldiers, right? I said to you, I think an hour after he recorded on Monday, I said, oh my god. I fucked up. I fucked up big time. And I heard about it. And what did I tell you? I said I'd hear about it. I saw in the city Edmonton. They came at me the way they should have. I'm looking at you Edmonton. I'm looking at you. The fact of the matter is I didn't bring up and I forgot. And it was in my notes, but I forgot to talk about the nouges. Ryan Nougen Hopkins, the only man remaining on the Edmonton Oilers that I played with, reaching a thousand games. I didn't bring it up when I should have and I apologize to you Edmonton. It won't be the last time I apologize to you. And it certainly isn't the first. I owe you millions of apologies to turnovers, the mistakes, the falling down, the injuries, but not bringing up nouges thousandth game. That's on me. So when I tell you that this guy came into the league, first overall pick right away. His skating was what stood out. He moves around so gracefully. He's so smart with the puck. Like you talk hockey IQ. Like this guy just never made mistakes and his skating ability because he is not big. He is like he looks like a 16 year olds, especially then. Like yeah, and now we're talking, but the crazy thing is of all the years and I looked it up here. Well, you did say, didn't you say that he looked like Rachel McAdams? Then you make a joke. I saw a clip surfacing online. Yeah, I think, yeah, oh, G sent me that. I forgot about after hours, something like that. Yeah, he's just like a little kid, but then he'd get on the ice as edges and he was so good right away. But I looked up because I was like of all the changes that have gone on, specifically like a few years back, not, you know, lately really. His name was popping up. Yeah. So Steve Tambolini drafted him. Then Craig, this is GM. Then Craig McTavish came in. Then Sherelle came in. Then Keith Kretsky was the interim GM. Then Ken Holland came in. Then Jeff Jackson was the interim GM. Now it's Stan Bowman. All the trades, Halsey, Eberley, all the stuff that went down in the decade of darkness, the new chest remained. The new chest and it's a cockroach. And I know. Yeah. And I remember hearing his name, but you never heard like for sure, definite, they were looking to move them. And all those different GM's looked at it and all the coachings that they've had to like, no, this is not a guy you get rid of. He's never made a ton of money either. His deals have always been super team friendly. And he's just done it as like a true pro. Like never complaining, just shows up. I actually know that part of one of the reasons that I kind of knew my time was done in the NHL was because of Nougat. And I got to look at the year. So his first, his first year, he was buzzing. He won the call to that year. No, no, did he not win? I think Landiscaugd did look that up. Gee, he might have lost it, but he got hurt his rookie year because we'd had a big night out in Chicago rookie party and lost to landiscaugge. Landiscaugge. Yeah. And he, uh, we're in Chicago and we're, he's skating around and he just literally toe picks and goes flying in the boards. Thumb me to his shoulder. It was like a straight up rookie party injury. Like you had to still be hurting any, any dummy themselves. And in that time, I was out injured, of course. So as he started skating and I was skating, we were with the skills coach on the oilers. And I was like, I can't keep up with this guy. Like his, he, and obviously, skating wasn't affected with the shoulder injury, but it was so embarrassing to me. And it was so evident and obvious. Like this guy skates at such a different level than I can move now. I think my times running out, I think that this is going to be it based on his way to like move around the ice. And we would do these certain like, Cone drill races and I was losing by 10 seconds. That's like 10 minutes, basically, and hot or sprinting. So I just remember his, his IQ though. That's what I think of his like his ability. And he's great defensively. He's had huge playoffs in these four years where they've had such good teams every spring. And it's just awesome to see that he's done it and he's the first ever oiler player to get his 1000th game with the oilers, all with the oilers. Kevin Lo did it, but he was around nine, six year old ever when he went to the Rangers hit his 1000th game with the Rangers went back to Edmonton and ended up playing a thousand in an oilers uniform. But new just the only guy. And he's gonna, he's gonna end up being the guy who's played the most games in the Edmonton oilers. You, you, you think he gets his number retired? Fuck if they get a cup, no doubt, right? If they get a cup, no, no, I'm playing 12, 1200 games most with that organization. I know, but that talkables numbers retired are only cup winners. Did you ever hear him yell once? Oh, no, he's a quiet guy. He's very quiet. I trained him as a summers in Vancouver with his brother and just the best, both of them. They're just an unreal family like like salted the earth guy. And where I think a new I think of how the fuck can you make a flavor saver look that cool? I know. How? Yeah. How can you? He's got like the V for vendetta look. Yeah, it works on him. Yeah. That's why I call him. Number one, I grew one when we were at the coyotes and everyone's like, Biz, get that fucking thing off your face. Yep. He just had it's so like it's so faint. I don't think he can like grow a beard though. I don't know if anything's coming in on the side of the flavor. Yeah, it might just be the flavor saver. His wife could love that. Who knows? Oh, for sure. You must eat the best box and leave. But, but yeah, we're yeah. So dude, he had he had 104 points season. He's got 40 points of 42 games this year. I mean, the last few playoffs last year, 22 games, 20 points, the year before cup final loss, 25 games, 22 points, the year before that, 12 games, 10 points. Hall of them. Yeah, he that's a biz hall of fame, but it's just been incredible to watch. He's an awesome guy and I mean, he's I was on the oilers when New Jersey on the other stick about that. That was a long fucking time ago. So, no, do you know, do you not apologize again, Edmond? It really is impressive to because those dog days that they got rid of pretty much everybody else, but him or they did get rid of everybody else, but him it just goes to show you what a pro he is, goes about his business, does his work. Like he's even got dropped down lines. He doesn't complain just the guy that, you know, nowadays when you think Edmond's an oilers, you think Nougat, the reception that he got from, I mean, it was outdone by Jonathan Taves, but the reception that he got from the oilers faithful was amazing and he deserved every second. Oh, the drum guy was going crazy. I also don't know. I remember something like this. So I don't I could easily be told you're bullshit, you're wrong, wet. I don't think like he had like they had a ton of money growing up and I know, or I don't know, I shouldn't say that, but I'm pretty sure at one point, like when he was like 10 years old, 11 years old, he didn't play hockey for the entire year. Like he, I don't know if it was financials. I just remember like something being told about that because we were bringing up like seven, eight years later, he's the first overall pick. And you do not see people in the NHL that didn't play hockey for a full year in their 10 years old. That just that the sport doesn't work that way. So I could be way off on that, but I remember like a discussion about that and just happy for the guy. And once again, I apologize Edmonton. Jonathan Taves guys returned to Chicago. Holy shit. Who's pumps? That was Merle's had it as as is better the night. He'd score a goal. He just figured like this is the type of guy that goes back and gets one. They got shut out. But what do you think? The Merle's much. Yeah, he know. He's been caught on the parles though somehow. Yeah, I just, I mean, buddy, that was like the like the pinnacle of my hockey career. And we got to play against them one year in playoffs. But what they were able to do and just like watching that dynasty and him being the leader of it and his two way game and everything he brought his intensity captain serious, of course, incredible and incredible run and, you know, obviously he dealt with he dealt with over the last couple of years before he came back. So I'm sure like going back there and and being able to feel the love from that city, considering it maybe didn't end the way that he expected it. Just remarkable. And what a crowd to to Saturday and for as long as they did all class from the Chicago Blackhawks. And I think everybody knows like tasers the man he's the best. And that's the type of guy that deserves an ovation like that. So the only thing that sucks is as as a cane wasn't be able to be a part of it and be there for it. Yeah. And you know, you think of Jonathan tas with those teams and being the captain of that team like they had older guy like the horses, the sharps, the Brian Campbell's like they had older guys like it had to have been tough to be a younger captain like that. The West back then was a gauntlet too like the teams that you were playing hard games. You know, you had your Detroit's the LAs. We were good for a couple of years. Like there was some, you know, that was a tough division of being over then. Vancouver was an incredible Calgary when Iggy was there like, you know, it was tough out West and the way that he just showed up every game, he played hard. Him and Kane had they were just completely different what it led on media that completely different people in the locker room but having the older guys buy in, having the younger guys buy in, he's got to go down as one of the best captains of all time. Yeah. And that night whenever they do retire his jersey will be probably even cooler. Yeah. Because the whole team, you know, all those guys will be back and yeah, the captain of a captain of a captain of a dynasty of an on an original six franchise at a young age that was just the bigger the game, the better he played really happy for him and that you say that that was that's the the pinnacle of the black hawks franchise. Oh yeah. Yeah. And and once again, I think I brought this up earlier this year. There's an Instagram reel of like, uh, is it linger? It's the cranberry song linger, okay? And it's a different man because it's like acoustic version and it's of Kane and Taves and and I like was army said this on Wednesday on Gano. He was like crying, watching it. I was watching it. I was just like, if I was one of those two guys, I would just watch this every day like because I was in the league that right. I was in the league for most of that. And they were so fucking good. And it was such it's Chicago's a sick city and they were packing that place. The Mad House on Madison. It was just like, yeah, that's stuff that when I'm 65, seven years all I'll be like, remember those fucking hawks teams or Dave's leading them. Rebeat them. I know, that's crazy. Crazy. That's crazy. Well, the coyotes did. Yeah, I was going to. Yeah, but hey, you got one. You showered after the game with the team. I did. He got one second. I played one second. But he also, like he scored on his first shot in the NHL, I believe. He also had that shoot out in the world. Juniors scored every fucking time. What a career. Yeah, what a career is right. What a career is right. One of those legendary, uh, Shadok St. Mary's players, right? Yeah, he'd be that. I beat him when he was that shadok. Shodok. Yeah, we beat our junior brother. I don't know you. Yeah. Shodok flash boys. I felt for garnered half the way and I'll say this. I mean, that's one of the, that's a blooper. Oh, it's not Patrick's to fond missing a wide open net and then have a big deal. Select heaven stole Patrick's to fond. Mr. wide open net stole fires it up to Ryan Smith who gives it over to Hemsky. That's the ultimate missed empty net blooper. This one was he was in quick sand in the news and and listen, he, he, he, he maybe didn't feel the pressure behind him, but of course Clayton Keller ties it up. Then Clayton Keller wins it in OT and the fires lose and fires fans at this and I'll give fires fans this one. I've been on the Michkoff talk and maybe not deserving the ice time you think last night in that game, Michkoff played less than garn half the way. I'll give you guys that one. Yeah, I'll give you guys that one. Garnet has to wait. Started 17 filled off your flight or burner account. It's the end of that game. But garnet half the way. Men has had a fucking legit career as a like of, you know, four, maybe third line guys, tough. He'll hit it. It's just kind of, it ends at some point. I think this year he's got one goal. No, it's just 42 games. I feel for him. He's had an unreal career, but at this point, to see that and I guess after he's in the locker room with all his gear on everybody else was changed out of their gear. It's out of the shower and he was just sitting there and and and they'd been, they'd been struggling, right? So that went all of a sudden the Mojo's back, but you got the thing locked up. It's on ice. Your boat shoot it, although your feeder and quicksand and shout out to Schmaltzie for not giving up on that play. He makes that play and unreal move by Clayton. He did give up and he still caught. Oh, man. I've been there. I've been when you knew you kind of, yeah, and this is tough to laugh. If you can't laugh at yourself, it's something like that. You got to laugh at that. Later on, he's going to laugh at that. I mean, he was just the next right there. It's like shoot it. Oh, fuck. It's like those dreams that you have when you can't get your skin on like that was it. Of course, you get stripped and you lose it and you're like, oh, my God, I could have just sealed the game and then it gets tied up. Then you know you're losing after the blind overtime. He was still faster than Buccoff. That may be. They're like, they're with that and send it to every god damn fill it off your flyers. I owe you. I tweet about BeachCop and I got you a hookline and sinker. You mother fuckers writing my mansion. Racial me. I don't give a fuck. I'm all here for the clicks. Motherfucker. I don't know what is the relationship. But I don't like to ask I'm BeachCop's agent. I like I was uncomfortable like seeing that when you I was like, oh, I felt bad for the guy, but I mean, I was dying laughing every time you rewatch it. You're like, okay, he's going to shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Shoot it. Oh, no. Yeah. And then I'll score a sick call. And then the sandhimes then furious at half the way because he gets walked and then the fires fans are all over sandhimes who never would have got walked. Had it been five three. They took them off the other. The last. Sandhimes should have came in after them. Yeah, but did you see half the way? Final things. Oh, shout out. We talked about Nougat Charlie coil thousand games. Alex colore and thousand games. Colorens got all those cups. What a guy. That great guy. God, dude, at some point he's going to be done. And that's a good graduate from Harvard to I didn't know he ever graduated. You know, some guys get it all. And then, you know, probably called dude, fuck man, he has been on some good teams. I know that Bruins team that broke the record. They lost first round. He's handsome too. Yeah, he was drafted by San Jose. Yeah, he's just yeah, and he left BU halfway through his freshman year to go to Quebec. Yeah, Saint John. Colore dig graduate from Harvard. Wow, he did. Yeah, coloren played four years at Harvard. Wow. And do 14 points as freshman year got up to 46th senior year. Third round pick. What a fucking career for both those guys. So shout out those two getting their silver sticks. Child deserved it. Charlie coil guy worked out with later on in my career. He took it serious. And you know, hence why he's still playing and playing good hockey and unbelievable guy. Like you said, about Josh Dome too, a guy that you would want. Marry your daughter. He's that type of guy. We interviewed a coil great family. His sister worked at the gym too. Like just a really good salt to the earth family. So shut out the coil family. I hope you all enjoy that game tonight. Yep. And killer. He's been on. He's been a great guest. We did him in person. I think an anine. I'm last year. Jetsky bull. Great. Yeah, still dodging us on a sandbagger, but who isn't, right? I don't want that smoke. This was an awesome pod, guys. I love Yeah, guys. Great, great, great being in person with you guys. Shout out us in Canada on Netflix now. Hopefully in Australia and the UK were there in a couple of weeks, but we will be back to you. And because we're in person, no, R.A.s world. He's going to be on Monday show. So R.A. will be back next episode. Well, we record Monday. We drop Tuesday. So Tuesday, R.A.s world will be back in Friday. We'll be at Penn State. We'll be at Chance at four o'clock. Best call to be back together. Next week. Yeah, we got back to back weeks for recording live because we're going to go. All right, I'm flying into Pittsburgh Thursday morning and then we get to state college. Record the pod. Big interview. Oh, you know, gender. Maybe a couple will do a couple Zoom ones and then we're going to do one sit down live. We're not going to spoil who it is. You guys have to fly into Pittsburgh. Um, where you are taking a private jet. Frank's taking me. I might fly down to Florida. Frank, can you just pick us up and boss pick me up and boss? I'm going to be in Atlanta. I might just fly to see you on Thursday. Can I please just like get picked? Ask him. Please. I'll do anything. Just shoot up to Boston and then we take a left over state college and please, I take you to an Euler's game one day. I don't really have my show off for you. Other than a room, in C's room to stay in. Oh, and last final thing for me, a friendly reminder to the people who are still bitching that we've went to Netflix and are complaining. What can they do with? You can listen to the pod. Yeah. No, they can look like my car. Oh, oh, okay. But they can also listen. Okay. All right, well, everyone have an awesome weekend. We'll be back to Tuesday on Netflix. Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter? Right. And the best part? They accept Discover. Accept Discover? In a little place like this? I don't think so, Jennifer. Oh yeah, huh. Discover's accepted where I like to shop. Come on, baby. Get with the times. Right. So we shouldn't get the parachute pants? These are making a comeback. I think. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nilsen report. The ticket, Lady Jennifer of Cooons. Well, many thanks. Good, sir. Here is my Discover card. They accept Discover at Renaissance Fairs? Yeah, they do here. Discover's accepted at the places that I love to shop. Get it with the times. With the times. You're playing the loot. Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right? Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nilsen report.