Episode 498 The Lawson Lunatics

Game on! Welcome to another episode of Two Oils and Hockey Tales with Bolly. And today I am so excited to have on just a 19 and 21 year olds from Ann Arbor, Michigan and Colona, Illinois, USA. And at such young ages, they are already proven leaders, being named the President and Vice President of the world famous Lawson Lunatics. The Lunatics have been helping the Broncos win games from way back when my fat ass played. But just last season, in the crowd, the Lunatics, and the Broncos on the ice marched right to their first ever national championship, and they are set to make another run at it. And they are currently ranked number three in the country, but the Lunatics will always be ranked number one. Welcome on Aiden Moran and McKenna here. They get that right. Boom. Nice to meet you guys. Nice to meet you. So Aiden, I like your shirt. National Champions. You know what? Champions, yeah. I think I know it's when it came out. You know what? I don't know why I don't have one of those shirts. It was really, I haven't been back to see an actual game since I played. I made it back to the hockey golf tournament one summer, and it was the start of the season that they won it all. Last year I went to the golf tournament and reconnected with the whole Bronco hockey family. And then I watched them go win the national championship, and it just made my heart want to pop. You know? Yeah. Yeah. So you guys were there. You guys were in St. Louis when they did it? Of course. Gotta go out there. That's five hour drive. Hmm. So yeah, I'm five and a half hours to Kalamazoo, and then, yeah, it was far if I was going to go. Yeah. We also went to a St. Paul, which was eight hours from here, which that was, that was long, but it was, it was very fun. It was worth it. I'm sure. So, well, it costs money to travel and follow hockey teams. Do you guys make most of the road trips or just the big ones that like those? Most of the big ones, like last year we did, well, we went to Ferris last year, because that's a quick, easy one at the start of the year, same day trip. We went. I know a good number of us went to Michigan last year, at least, you know, same sort of scenario as Ferris, you know, quick day trip. And, you know, it's a historic arena and school. Yeah. Definitely. Beating them is the best. It is. That's part. Then we went to St. Paul, as I mentioned. We didn't go to the regional round because that was in, that was another week turn around after, after we found out, and that was in North Dakota, which that was 12 hour drive. 12 hour drive. So, we didn't, we didn't end up making it there, but there were, there were a few that like have like officially joined now that did, they did make that trip. I know a guy, he had like a student teaching lesson and then he got on a flight and then made it to the second period in Fargo. Um, well, that's dedication and what was neat for me was I've known about the lunatics forever. And when I went there for my recruiting trip and saw them play University of Michigan, and then I saw the loss in lunatics, I'm like, well, I don't need to look at any other school. This is where I have to go. Um, you guys like got famous last season, spit and chicklets was all on our side. And they did like a thing on you guys, right? Yeah. Yeah, they did. They kind of distanced us though. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They call us ants. Ants? Yeah. And they ain't no ants. The hockey team, the, they backed us up and they said, these aren't ants. And then now it's like part of the intro before the second period. The whole thing is just featured the lost lunatics were featured of our clip of winning in O.T. on ESPN against Denver. I was watching the games against Denver. I had my own personal rivalry too. I played for the Cardiff Devils in the UK at the end of my career. And we had the best owners and hockey and one of the main owner, Steve King, his son was the captain last season. And I was watching the game and I'm watching a sun play who came and skated with us one time at Cardiff. And then they showed the crowd and there is Steve, my old owner. And we started texting back and forth when we were losing three nothing. And he said it was like taken candy from a baby or something. And then we turn it around and win an overtime and he didn't say nothing to me. Honestly, it was tricky to believe that we even came back in that game. We honestly seemed so out of it the entire game. But then we got a couple lucky bounces and then we were right back in it was that's hockey. Yeah. Yeah. I remember the goal he led in a tough one from like outside the blue and I'm raster. Right. Yeah. Tim was he went off the when off the glove and went in and it was and he just saw he just scored his first NHL goal because what I think so cool about them winning now was the big years I had playing for the Broncos. We weren't getting that much attention from NHL teams. Now that they win, like I looked at the roster and like half the teams drafted to the NHL now. Yeah. It's super cool. I like especially with like the transfer portal getting those big names and they want to be they all want to be Broncos now. Yeah. Uh huh. They want to get developed by the best coach in the Nash in the NCAA. Well, I like the way he hockey's I had never met him and I went to that golf tournament. And we got chatting to two of us and I'm like, yeah, like nobody from my generation comes back. This is my first time back and he was like, we need everybody back. We need all the brothers back. We need all your generation back and it's up to us to bring them back because I had such a great weekend seeing like Dion, the equipment manager, Brian Bauer, the physiotherapist guy, but then all the people surrounding the team were all the same people. And then you get all the different years of Broncos and the guys I've met through the podcast or guys I played with and we're all like brothers and um first wants everybody involved when I had them on the podcast started this last season before he won it all. And uh afterwards he told me it's like if you bring your son down for a game, he can be right in the room for pregame speech. He can be right in the room doing it all and that's the type of hockey guy I want, you know. We'd love to have your son in the student section. Man he'd learn from your finger to a uh we're trying to keep as clean as possible. Do you though? Because when I played if the other team got more than one guy in the penalty box, the whole lunatic section would start chanting circle jerk does that still happen? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Okay. So the other teams are still circled you're most definitely. So so if you guys are the president vice president, what what do you guys got to do? Like do you guys come up with new chance or how do you get the chance out that everybody knows what to do? Um, it's a bit of that, but it's a lot of behind the scenes stuff. So all the game day themes, you know, we do, we did, we always do a short giveaway every year. Um, so those type of things, you know, um, making posters, like, so who's fronting the money then to give out the shirts? We, we work with WSA, which is like just an organization that um, gives our assos, which is registered student organizations money. Okay. And then with the spirit shop, which is a store in Kalamazoo that like print things and like print t shirts, towels, they make all the Bronco stuff. They were there way back when I was there. Yeah. We work with them. Um, and then, you know, we, we work with a couple of like local Kalamazoo businesses that help, you know, give us money to fund t shirts or so you guys are pretty grown up university kids. Yeah. Yeah. This is definitely more of a business side, side of things instead of just, you know, just go into the game and we'll put it up and then like from my perspective, like vice president, obviously, I work with Adon very closely, um, but we also do all of like the in game posts that you see on our story coming up, like making the theme graphics, making the game day graphics, doing all the stuff on social media that all comes down from, I guess basically me and I, that came down from me a lot last year too. Well, that's really neat, you guys are a part of that and it seems like it's getting you ready for the real world if you're taking on all that and you're going to school. So what do you guys take in school? Um, I'm engineering management technology. Okay. And I'm exercise science on the clinical pre professional track for PT school and I just got accepted about a month ago. Oh, congratulations. Thank you. Yeah. That's exciting. Um, it seems like forever ago I was doing that stuff. I was a business management major, you know? Yeah. So I've done a podcast and made like 500 episodes of made no money, but it's really fun meeting good hockey people around the world and well, Broncos are all beauties, you know? So what I want to get into that is after they win, Kalamazoo must have been flipped upside down. I saw the video of this huge party or a huge fire, an outdoor party and they're like Kalamazoo knows how to celebrate. And I was like, Oh my God, I wish this happened when I played there and I can't even imagine what that city was like. Yeah, so the really interesting thing part, interesting thing was it was, um, I don't know if this was a thing while you were here, it was our house crawl. So a huge like party basically all day on the same day as a national championship. Right. Oh my God. Really? But he was already outside partying, you know, all day. I don't know if that was a day when I was there, but like I know St. Paddy's everybody knew how to get to. Exactly like St. Paddy's, but it's like just another day. Yeah. So you added another fun day in the next, yeah. And that falls on the national championship game of national championship game. Oh, bad. So we're, I, one of your, I get into the poster picks, which is a really nice guy that was a fan when I was back in Cardiff and made some of the posters and stuff. And now he's made like 500 posters for me nearly, um, believe Freeman. So I get into some of your poster picks, where you guys out the party with the big fire that I saw on social media after they won because you're standing there with one of the players and he's in as Jersey. Um, so that picture, um, that's with one of the finished players, Erohaka Reinen. Okay. Um, for the empty netter and the national championship game, um, no big deal. No big deal. Just scored in the national champions. Yeah. As a freshman, um, but they, like that was from like when they came back as like that Sunday, I think like the day after they won, yeah, they had a little get together with a bonfire and everything. And then a bunch of people showed up, we, we had gotten ready because we've gotten closer with the players, um, but a few guys, they brought like this couch and then they lit it on fire. Right, and I've, I've been to parties at Western Michigan and I mean, yeah, coaches can burn, you know, but it wasn't getting the national recognition you guys are getting because I was seeing that here in Canada. Um, but yeah, um, where it was right before I went to Western Michigan and did you ever hear of the riots? Oh, I think I've heard about them. Yeah. Right before I got to school, so man, they tried to stop people from having fun that first couple of weeks. Man, that hard time. So is the first week of school still really, really fun? Honestly, yeah, not much to know. Yeah. It's all down sounds of things, but it's something, okay, because yeah, like for me, it would be like, you know, you have so much fun at Western Michigan and you go home for the summer. And then when you get back and you see all your teammates and everybody's just showing up and seeing each other again, it's pretty good first weeks. Definitely, especially, especially with not having all of them serious classes really started up. Yeah, it's definitely, definitely adds to it a bit. Yeah. So how did you guys get into the loss and lunatics and then actually become president, vice president? So, obviously, I'm a sophomore, last year, I kind of got closer with some of, well, with last year's president, I was, we became really close friends over just last season. I grew up playing hockey, basically, all my life, so I kind of understand hockey to a different level than somebody who's just come to Western as just a student and wants to get more involved in. Yeah, so I kind of took the step, the first semester this last year from just a normal member in the club to being vice president. And then our president graduated in December, so then we held an election and I got voted in as president, which is very exciting. So I'm quite new, but. Well, that is exciting, man. The president of the Lawson lunatics are like, you guys are famous. Definitely. But I definitely learned a lot from our former president, he's taught me a lot and the good thing is since he graduated in December, he's still around, so I will be able to pick his brain and many different things if he decides to show up still. Yeah. Well, I was looking at the poster picks and like the one of the group picture of you guys, like before the student's actions completely full. It looked like the Lawson lunatics, like the group that makes it all happen. And that must be like, I always talk about my hockey family and that's how I can do this is all the people I played with around the world. But like that picture looked like that's your hockey family. Definitely. He doesn't know the picture, but it's the one we took at Jackson's last year. Yeah, I figured. Yeah, it's definitely, definitely, our quote unquote hockey family. I mean, we do so many things together, like, today is Tuesday. A good chunk of us go to University Roadhouse, have a like daily special called Tendi Tuesday where they do $3 baskets and a big group of us all go to that and just spend time together because it's something cheap and you know, easy and fun to do. Yeah. I get it. I remember the cheap nights. I wonder if the bowling alley still hit. It was the off season for us as hockey players. So come the spring semester Wednesdays and Thursdays had great deals at the bowling alley there by the hotel. I think it was $5 all you can bowl in 50 cent beers or $1 games, $1 beers. You can have a great time for like 10 bucks. Okay. Well, McKenna, what is your favorite hockey memory so far being part of the lunatics? I guess probably winning it all, I guess, it's easy. Well, besides that, I think it's like getting closer as like a group going on, like the long road trips because we, it just be like 12 of us. We make the long trek there. We'd all go to lunch, go to dinner. We'd go to the games and like we all stayed in the same hotel rooms would be up until like 3 a.m. Just talking in a hotel room and then we really get to know people. Yeah. That was definitely like how like there is one picture of four of us in front of Snoopy. That's like the core group. We all went in my car every time. I know everybody knew not to separate us. And so like we all grew really close and now like I'd say there's some of my best friends and like I don't think I heard your answer is how did you get into this? So I came in, I'm an odd story, I'm coming to Western. I'm actually a transfer student so I transferred my like the start of my junior year. Are you the one that was from Illinois then? Yeah. Got you. I started at a school in Wisconsin, transferred back home. I done band like all through high school my band director graduated from here. He's actually started like the core hockey pet band for the games and he's like you need to go here. Yada yada yada. I refused to listen to him and I went back home and I was like okay maybe I'll give it a shot. And I was like okay I'm going to join the lunatics as soon as I get there. I had to test the very first day like the day of the first meeting. So I couldn't go. So I went to the second one and then I've kind of stuck it out but I've been around hockey my entire life. I have a pro team like 15 minutes from my house. What team is that? It's actually changed quite a few times so we had the Quad City Mallards and then the Quad City flames the AHL team then we went back to the Mallards and now we have the Quad City Storm with the SPHL. So there's always been something there. Yeah. It's been one year since I moved like to my hometown that I haven't had hockey there. My brother played hockey. So like I don't know a life without hockey. Well I find it weird towns that are hockey towns and then there's towns that just they don't have hockey and that there was a pro team in that town is it's a nice thing to have. I mean even in like you go to the Denmark or the UK there's some towns that are like straight hockey towns and then you go to this nice other city on a day trip and there's not a Nareena in the town. There's no hockey team and it's like you get your missing out. Yeah. It's definitely crazy. So my parents are from England. Okay. Cool. So growing up they didn't know what they were doing but they're from do you know where Exeter is? It's been a year. Yeah, I've heard of it and what I always find funny is once you actually travel over to the UK and you see what all the towns names are and then you come back to Ontario where you've been living your whole life and you're like oh so we have all the exact same town names as them just like Exeter just like Windsor just like London. There's a Concard in Scotland. I'm in Concard in Ontario. It's bizarre that everybody got on these boats and came over here and nobody came up with any new names. It's definitely crazy like there's a town in Michigan called Plymouth and there's like four different Plymouths in the U.S. but there's only one Plymouth in England. Right. Where do you think they got it from? Yeah. I thought people could have been a little bit more creative when they got over here. It starts all making sense to me though because like here we have all these Scottish festivals and all these things throughout the summer and then doing this podcast made the world way smaller and because I was playing the UK I had like Scottish people arrayed to me like have you ever seen Concard in Scotland and they started sending me photos and I was like huh now it all makes sense. But SK who's your favorite player this season? This season? I don't know. For question A they must all be good. It's difficult because we've had quite a few injuries this year. Didn't that finish guy your time out then he's only played like seven games. Yeah and Jonas missed a couple games for sure. Yeah. Iroh is one of my favorites. Who? Irohaka Rainen. Okay. He's one of the most nice people I've met like at Western just in general. So he's always up there. I really enjoyed watching Zachariah Wisdom. He's added a huge game like his game has just added so much to Western just in general. We were kind of missing someone that someone that had like depth scoring and every time he goes on the ice he's one of the quickest players out there. He's always he's got like I'd say an above average shot. So whenever he's out there there's just always a chance he could score. Okay. And what about you? Who's your favorite? Um, Iroh like is it weird though like when you guys are saying he's such a nice guy and like you got to know him and chat with him and I'm guessing the picture for your poster picks where you're holding the finished flag on a game. I'm guessing that's with him and you're showing you support him. It isn't a weird how it's not always about being the best player on the team. It's about getting to know the fans that are watching you that make you their favorite player. Um, but I would say besides Iroh, um, Zach Bookman, he's definitely grown on me this season. I didn't think much of him like coming in because he was a Maramax transfer. I didn't really think like he went from, uh, I think the third line to the first line and I really like the D pairing with Sam Schollen and him. It worked really well together and they've definitely like after because I went to the quick trip face off where we beat Wisconsin and that was like the game changer for me. He did a lot at that blue line that stopped Wisconsin from getting a lot of breakaways. Okay. Um, yeah, like I don't know all the players. I find this transfer thing really weird because when I went, you were coming for four years and you were staying, whether the coach like you or not and whether you were having fun or not, like some of my teammates, you know, the relationship was what it was with the coach and they go into their senior years. They kind of knew they're not playing and you could work out as much as you want all summer long, but this is where we have you in the depths where now you can transfer and get a fresh start. But I, I don't know because I'm, you know, the Bronco brothers where it's such a tight group and we knew we were there for four years together. Now it's like a whole different crew every year, eh? Yeah. Most definitely. Yeah. It's definitely something that needs to be tweaked a bit. I feel like, um, because I have a buddy who plays in, in the Null, um, and he's having a lot of trouble like finding somewhere to go. Like he's, I would say he's definitely a division one talent, but with transfers, you're going to pick a guy who's, you know, he's shown he's done it. He's done it in and then CWA over a freshman who could be very good, but you see. Right. Well, and then you add in that they're allowed to take O H L players, W H L players and the kids from Canada that now we're showing that's where they want to go, which makes total sense. Once I saw an NCAA game, I had no interest in going to the O H L. I knew what I wanted to do. Now they can go to the NCAA, do what I got to do, play him from the lunatics and they can make money. It's crazy. Yeah, that would be liven, you know, like I had a great time playing for the Broncos making nothing. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, uh, so you guys had fun. You went to St. Louis, what I thought was cool when they wanted all in St. Louis was that a lot of my old teammates were there. And like first, and I talked about it at the start of that season, we got to bring all the boys back around. We got to get them back and, uh, winning brings people together. And when we were going on, when the Broncos were going on that one run, I say we, but I wasn't about Bronco. I am a Bronco. But when we're watching this, all my group chats fired up like never before in 18 years. I had group chats with my freshman when I was a senior, my class, the guys above me. And everybody was talking, are we going to St. Louis? And some people were saying, yes, let's meet here, let's meet there. And then they started sending me videos of what was going on and they're doing like all the fans are doing the Bronco fight song in the bar. And it was like the Broncos took over St. Louis. And it was it brought back all my, like it got the brotherhood back talking because, you know, if nothing's really going on, the group chats slow down. And then that team man fired it all back up and then some of my roommates that said they weren't going back. We're at the golf tournament this year, you know, that's, yeah, it's winning definitely brings people together. I mean, we were obviously, we were at this like in St. Louis, but you looked around and you're like, everyone's a Bronco, like, the arena was maybe two thirds full of just Western Michigan fans. I would say Denver, Denver had a section, you know, Penn State had a section maybe. And then, you know, it, be you had a decent amount of fans and then it was all Broncos. And it was such a big deal for us and like, everybody loves an underdog story. Like we were going into last season, nobody saw that coming. But now, like I, like I've seen in Pro Hockey when I've won places is once you set the bar and you're a winning team and you've done it, it continues on for years. And guys know what it takes. And then they bring it down to the next crew that comes in and shows them what it takes. And then it just keeps going. Definitely, I think, I think last year, even just, even if we didn't win it, just being at the Frozen 4 would have had up us into a new level, no matter, no matter what happens. If we got blown out by Denver, if we beat Denver and then got blown out by BU, that still would have been a tremendous amount of experience for everyone involved that this year. But winning is the opposite of losing still, you know, people would have been, everybody would have been proud, but still want to stun. As Aiden saying, I think it really would have helped like the freshman group and like the juniors. Yeah. Well, the sophomores and the freshman, it would have allowed them to like lead the team this year. Oh yeah. Yeah. 100% agree. And you need the right people teaching you how to hockey to do it right. But the guys I saw that I think they were both on this team last year is the goalie in the top score. Their brothers. Yeah. Yeah. Grant and Hampton. So, Kinski. Like, so their brothers and ones right now, the top score of the Broncos and the other ones, the goalie that plays all the games and stops all the pucks and is drafted to the NHL. So. I guess jeans are a thing I'm guessing the old man or the mom or some kind of athlete. So, because of having like a hockey team, like where I'm from, one of the players is really close with my mom and turns out, um, their mom knows that player really well because they're from the same hometown. Yeah. And so I've grown and known that family pretty well, at least their parents. And they, um, they have a, like, nice, like, a big ODR in Warrode. It's huge. They host, like, little camps, like, when the boys are still here, their dad hosts camps and like, skills, like, training, training all the kids. Yeah. To grow up to be just like them. Right. Um, yeah, I, yeah, I was guessing it was a hockey family because those two seem like they're doing very well. Um, okay, here's one, a bone I got to pick because I still don't get it when I was a Bronco. One time they made us go on the ice with the figure skating team and do, like, this show, like, we had to, like, dude, the, the Ferris wheel with them and, like, we did, like, a figure skating show. Um, I think girls hockey is probably the fastest growing sport in the world. I see it here in Canada. It's crazy how many girls are playing hockey now from when I was a kid till now. Do the Broncos still not have a girls hockey team? No, we don't even have a club team. It's not in the talks at all. Like do I need to come down there to Kalamazoo and start flipping tables and kicking garbage cans and being like, if you want to be a national championship team in men's hockey, you need a girls hockey team too and do the same thing there. Um, I know. So I am, like, an avid supporter of all girls sports, um, we started. We have actually two girls hockey teams where I'm from now. In the last, like, five years, that's been a new thing. Um, Michigan is in the process of getting their club hockey team to division one with Ohio state and Minnesota and all like, oh, it's coming. It's coming. And the Broncos shouldn't be lost. So figure it out and get a team going, you know? I'm coaching under 11 girls this season, my daughter's team. And like we got players and they watch this PWHL, which has given them something to look up to, something to aspire to. But they don't get what the NCAA is and what they could get there. And that would be the stepping stone to the PWHL and why aren't my Broncos doing this, you know? Definitely. Yeah. So that's all I got to say about that, but if they were going to play and there was a girls team and a men's team, I'm guessing they would both play in this big fancy new arena, which I get it. He players won all the nice things and all the bells and whistles. That's not the type of guy I am. I don't need the big fancy truck or the nice car. Um, I just need the basics, which I think is what the Broncos are. And um, it's going to be very strange that they're going into this big fancy arena. That's like $500 million when the loss and lunatics have been at loss and ice arena for all this time. And it ain't that fancy. But boy, do we muck it up in there, right? Well, I think the good thing is the AD at Western has already told us basically everything will stay the same with the loss and lunatics. We will still have our nice big old section from goal line to goal line. So we will, we will be the same, we'll just not be in the same arena. I understand, but it's also not on campus and you can't just re-game the dorms and walk over. So there's a busing system that's going to take the students from point A to point B and we can get in at whatever time, there's a nice little bar area for people who are obviously 21. Right. Yeah. The thing in the US. Yeah. That's old man. I got in trouble when I went to Western Michigan because of that. I'd be able to drink all summer long in Canada and then I go back to and they may be staying at the dorms. So then I'm going to have it a beard, whoever the boss of the hallway is, opens up the door and I'm holding the beer and then I like got in trouble and like tell my coach and all the stuff. And it was like, I was allowed to do this a week ago. I don't know. Yeah. Definitely. But then. Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead. An hour before just how it is now, the gates will open, we'll be able to scan our tickets. It's going to be the same chaos to get to your seats as it is now where you got to run to those seats. Do the president and the vice president have to run to their seats? You don't have your own spots. Definitely. We are there. Good. Good three hours before the game. Banner night. I think. I like. It's attitude. Yeah. Sorry. All I was going to say is I like that you guys are the president, the vice president, but you're not asking for any special favors. You're going in there and mucking it up with the rest of them and you're being there three hours early and you're running to your spots. Banner night. I think we were there. Door's opened at. Six. And I think we were there at 12 30. Yeah. Well, we were there. Oh, is it not cold out right now? Right now it is, but I told her it was not. Yeah, October. It was nice. Good. 70 degrees outside. It was great. Yeah. Everybody tailgating or what? Basically. Basically. That's the news. The school sponsored a tailgate for it too. That's the funny thing. It is funny. Like. Yeah. Like, I remember showing up to games and when we'd have the big ones or if we were winning. We'd show up and there are people wrapped all the way around the building, waiting to get in. And then I remember get warmed up before you go down to the room and actually get dressed. And I'd be doing my warm up and whatever and then you'd just, you'd see them open the door. It was just like everybody's it still just like that. Well, I'm interested to see the new arena, but not as much as I need to get my kids. I need to go back to loss and before it's over and see a game. And my main thing I would want is my son to see a game because he can play and I'd want him to see what he's wanting to do. Yeah. Because if he saw that, there's no way he wants to do anything else just like I was. Yeah. The little fuck is walking around with like a Michigan state hat and a Michigan sweater on. What are you doing? You're in my house. Take that shit off. Right. That's contradicting. Yeah. You can't choose Michigan and Michigan state. Exactly. He has no idea right? He's a Canadian kid that doesn't get it. And I see all his buddies too, like if a store around here sells college clothes, it's Michigan state or Michigan. And I'm like, do you even know who the national champions are? Yeah. It makes no sense. Yeah. Okay. Anywho. So, do you have anything else to say about the new arena? Are you excited about it? Very excited. I think it'll be something very new that I don't think college hockey is seen in a good minute, which is very cool for it. Well, I have it. I do know as being a former hockey guys, there is a lot of hockey players in the world that like the locker room matters to them, like how nice the locker room is. And like I get that it's cool to have, but if I also know going to a team that doesn't have that, well, then this is what we have and we'll deal with it, which is I guess is what the Broncos. The Broncos set up now ain't bad. I've seen what the renovations they did from what I played and it's a nice set up already. Yeah, it's definitely a nice room, but I think they'll enjoy the upgrade for sure. I think the only thing that could be comparable to what the new arena is going to be like for the locker rooms and everything is the Ralph at UND as much as I don't like to say that. They do have like really good locker rooms, a really nice arena and everything. But I think ours, it's going to be 5,000 times better, ours is more expensive, not saying money is a thing, but the more money you have, the better it can be, and they don't have it. It's usually how it works. Yeah. Yeah. They didn't have that much money to put into that new locker room and everything. There's was not even six figures, like of millions. Right. And isn't it like 500 million, they're putting it in this place? Yeah. Yeah. That's good. That's going to stick out in Kalamazoo. Oh, yeah. Oh, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. The other cool thing is it's not just hockey, which I feel like a lot of people are only focusing on it being hockey this, hockey that, but men's and women's basketball teams are going in there. And they'll be able to have, they'll be able, like the K-Wings current arena, they're basically just going to be for youth hockey. So those concerts that they have there aren't going to happen there anymore, they're going to be held downtown at the event center. So there's so many other things just besides hockey that can happen there now, which I think will be the nicest thing for Kalamazoo in general. I would agree with you is, well, it would be nice when you're at Western Michigan for your four years or have long year there is that there would be like legit concerts downtown where you could go for a night, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, the K-Wings arena, it was funny when I played for the Broncos, our assistant coach, I guess, hadn't scratched his full itch, Chris Brooks. He was coaching us as an assistant coach and came back and played for the K-Wings at the same time. So we wouldn't watch our coach play throw hockey for the K-Wings. And that was the main time I saw that arena. It's old school, nice old barn, but if you're trying to get better and be better than men, I don't know how much are they paying these teams paying to get the ice time to get the building space? Like, I'm guessing the K-Wings as an East Coast team probably don't have that much money. What university does? No. I guess we don't need to get into all that, do we? No, I know. I know about the few contracts, things and the whole strike thing all too well. I don't want to talk about that. Yeah, the East Coast players were about to strike, but now haven't made a deal. Well, as a former East Coast player, I don't know what's going on nowadays, but I couldn't believe when I was an HL player. So when I left Western Michigan, I signed an HL deal a one way. But then they sent me down to East Coast. So in East Coast, they give you an apartment, which was a shithole. So I didn't have pay for that, which I would have in the HL. But I couldn't believe how little money the East Coast players were making. And like, I was on my HL deal and they'd call it "show-dow." But like, there were guys that I'm like, "How can you, how can you keep playing if this is what you make like your pension pennies to then go home and work all summer just to get to do this again?" And what we were doing in the East Coast was as taxing on anybody as it was in the HL. The bus trips were further. You played just as many games. There was just as many body checks and fights, but nobody was making like anybody. I can get it. I can get why they were trying to change things because if nobody changes it, it just keeps going, you know? Okay, you guys both aren't 21, but I'm still going to ask this. Favorite bar or party you've ever been at at Western Michigan? Favorite night. I'd say for me, it would be, I think it was a week after we won the NADI hockey house. They threw a big ol' party again. A bunch of people like could go open. I think that was a nice night because we were able to go inside and get away from the people, but it was still just as fun inside as it was outside. It would be basically like a frat party, but it was the hockey player's throwing it. It made it. That was more fun because they know how a party. I know all about those parties. I had just never won the national championship. We knew how to throw down. We just didn't know how to win on the ice. That had to be like the best party that I've gone to. That sounds like it makes perfect sense. I can totally picture it. It would have been warmed by then. It's not a winter party. People are outdoors. They're indoors and, yeah, I can just picture it. So Aiden, what about you? Yeah, I don't know. That one was pretty good because actually there was an even better one after the national championship in my opinion. We went to the bar on a Monday. That one was good. Since it was a Monday, they were letting in under like under 21s. At that point, I wasn't 21. So I was a whole bunch of people that were under 21 were able to get in for free. Wasn't necessarily drinking, but being a part of it. But all the hockey players were there. They were having a great time and then we all pushed and rallied towards the hockey house afterwards and then that's where the bonfire photo is from. That's from that night. Yeah, that was a good night because again, it was pretty warm out. You didn't have to put too many layers on and the party just kept on going from the bar back to the house. Yeah, I can't imagine how much fun everybody had after winning, but I say it takes everybody to win, but when you do win, everybody wins. I try to keep it as simple as possible when I'm coaching kids, but it takes the parents, it takes the kids. It takes the coaches, but then when you do win and like, so for the last two seasons, my under 13 boys have won all Ontario and beat everybody and won our last game of the season, which is incredible. But then when you see what it means to the kid, when you go on the ice and he's in tears a joy, but then you see the parents so proud of little Johnny and they're nearly in tears. And then you're like, whoa, I can't handle this. But everybody wins when the team wins. Definitely. I remember winning in Germany and beating Hyme and I didn't know there was a parade and I was in the Bronco, so I, you know, but haven't thought. And we won and then there's this parade and I didn't know it was happening and I'd been downtown with the boys all day. And like the whole town came out, I never would have guessed in this tiny little town in Germany that it was such a big deal to win. And there were thousands and thousands of people at our parade. And it was so neat seeing the Broncos finally do it. Man, it brings the whole school together, but even outside of that, like the whole community, right? Yeah. Mm. So what do you guys change in this season, anything? Or you just stay in with the normal lunatic stuff, circle jerk, ugly, golly. Right? Oh, yeah. Yeah. So the folks that don't know if the other team's goalie takes their helmet off. You guys all chant ugly goalie, right? Yes. Of course. Yeah. What if he's a man, what if he's a man rocket? Do you still, like if he's a hot, oh, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Yeah. So they don't have to take it personal. You guys are just doing your thing, right? Um, we do, um, like if the other team has a power play, we do like the like best one that comes to mind is C, C sucks on the P P. So we just do that. Yeah. Yeah. C C sucks on the P P. Yeah. Color out of college sucks on the power play or yeah, C C that was trying to figure out what the CC was. But yeah, color out of college. Got you. And when Notre Dame played here at the beginning of January, we did Notre Dame sucks on the P P, which they kind of did. So you still think my kid should be in the student section when he comes. Uh, yeah, I think he's so kind. Yeah, I think he'll be old enough like 1415. They've heard. That's old enough. Oh, yeah. No, I know. I agree. Um, so what else do you guys have any questions for me while I'm thinking right now? You guys should come up with something. It's been my job the whole time. Come on. Come on. How did hour and half drive to think of someone I just just focus on the road? I got, I got one, then I then I came up with something one of your poster picks. The NCHC trophy was one of your poster picks that looked like it was at Lawson, where I would have, uh, when we would run the hockey school in the summer and all the kids would come in and we would feed them lunch and take care of them and do all the stuff with them. That looked like the same spot. So that was a, uh, when that was a very first game of the last like true home series, like regular season series, that's the pen rose cup. It's not called the, it's still a pen rose cup, um, but we were playing North Dakota, uh, biggest rival, probably in the NCHC, honestly, because, you know, while we learned that their fans are pretty rude to, um, uh, that can, I was going to say, why are they the biggest rivals? It sure seems like Denver is because they're the other top team. Yeah. It's, it's between them. But people being rude can make, bring it out in you, right? Yeah. And it, it, it was really contradicting because some of the notac fans were some of the nicest people we've met. Yeah. And then the other end of the spectrum was some of the worst people I've probably ever met in just talking in general. Yeah. So then you really want to beat them and also, also, if you want to come down to their level and say the same stuff, but then it's like, yeah, yeah, you have to be better than them, especially when hockey's the only thing that they got. But that weekend, it was either if we won that game, we were going to win it. Or if we want, like, we lost that game, and we won Saturday, we would have won it. So it was really cool to win it on Friday. But then we did lose the next game, but you still won the trophy. Yeah. But we still won the big, big trophy that North Dakota, like, holds loud and proud. It was nice to, like, have it come somewhere else, especially Kalamazoo, right? And while that's not winning the league or the national championship, but it takes winning something like that, I think, to start getting the confidence and getting the Mojo go and that we know we can do this because, like, I see it with my under 13 kids that I coach, and my under 11 girls this year when they're first two tournaments of the year. And then the only tournament we didn't win was 0-0, three on three over time for five minutes, then an eight round shootout, it's still 0-0. And then we lost a heartbreaker under 11 girls can break your heart. But other than that, we've won both of our tournaments. And you see when they get what it takes, when you know how hard you have to try to actually win, and everybody needs to play good to win. If anybody's having off nights, you usually don't win. And it takes winning a trophy to get the ball rolling, you know? >> Yeah, I think that was our only saving grace on being able to beat Denver and the Double O T in St. Paul. >> Mm-hm. >> I think that having the knowledge that we won the Penrose at home and that there was quite a big group of lunatics there to push them through. And they knew that we were there, that they were able to finish the Double O T, especially the second O T, which was not very long, probably five minutes in. >> Yeah, no, I believe in, right? When you're actually in those games and actually believing you can win. I felt like when I played there, we were going to Michigan State, Michigan. We thought it would be really cool to win. We didn't actually believe we were going to, but we wanted to. >> Yeah. >> But actually believing you're going to win is a whole different mindset going into a game then. Man, it'd be really cool if we beat Michigan at home and then have a wicked party. But when you guys are talking about your favorite nights and it both came around winning, is I've talked to some of my freshmen from when I was a senior, and that was when we were having a tough go. I was doing good personally, which was weird because the team wasn't, and it was very hard on me. I didn't know how to deal with it because I wasn't happy because we're losing. But I'm putting up goals and assists, which mean fuck all in my opinion. But when I talk to my freshmen, their favorite night as a Bronco for quite a few of them, was the Halloween party me and my roommates, and I'm like, well, that's an October party. We swept the weekend, and it's Halloween, and you have a great college party. But it wasn't about hockey, like favorite nights weren't about winning, and that's what are the best nights, you know? So. >> You're sure. >> Okay. Let's see. Do I have anything else? I do. I played in the CCHA. Now in the NCHC, and instead of playing Ferris, Michigan State, Ohio State, and the teams I used to always play against, now, University of North Dakota and Denver, or like the biggest rivals, they're nowhere near Western Michigan. >> Wow. >> Yeah. And that different than like going to Ferris State, and like, you know you play them, you're in the same league, and then same with Michigan, Michigan State. It's just a lot further travel, I would think. >> It's definitely a lot harder to get to those places. The closest team in the NCHC currently is Miami, Ohio, and that's still five hours. So that's like us driving to St. Louis all over again, and like we'd have to stay obviously because once the game's done, you don't want to drive back at like 10 a.m. and then turn around and drive back. >> No, it's here in the state there. >> That'd be a whole nother road trip that we'd have to plan out just to go wash the Broncos. So like playing the quote unquote in-state rivals at the beginning, like towards the middle before the brakes, it's kind of nice to get like a feel of like being able to do those road trips with the lunatics and get a feel of like the rivalry that was there before we like all parted ways besides Ferris State because they're still in the CCHA. >> They're still CCHA? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, with Bemidji State and Bulling Green and Minnesota State Mankato Tech. >> I think Michigan Tech's there to Northern Michigan, you know. >> Okay. Yeah, Northern Michigan, that was a hike to get up there to play them, and then they had that big eye surface. But I did a little bit of text and how much you guys enjoy it and want to be at the games, it would be nice if the closest teams played each other. But I get that there's a lot more to it than that. But I found it weird when Western Michigan switched to not playing those teams anymore. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, that's all. >> Okay. Have you seen any loss in the lunatics completely buckled at the games and throw up in the crowd? Because I would remember playing a game and you're focused and you're into it. And then all of a sudden you'd see like a whole section clear out and it was because somebody just threw up on everybody. I had it happen about four rows behind me, I was on the glass, four rows behind me. Thankfully I didn't hear it or anything otherwise, I would have had to leave. >> Yeah. >> But next thing I know I turn around and that whole row is gone and they're bringing a mop and all that stuff to clean it up, I was like, that's great. Yeah, no, I get it, I recall it and I think, man, that must be really gross. Someone did that with all those people around. So when you guys get there, I'm guessing you guys are leading by example and one of the first people out the arena. When the doors do open and you're running around the arena to get your seats, where are they? They might be changing with the president from last semester graduating. But the last semester and then the year prior when we won everything, we were right on the glass right next to the visiting team's penalty box. >> Yeah. >> And so that was a great time when they got the agency. >> Right, you were right in her ear. >> Oh yeah. >> Of course. >> I remember that stuff. My most embarrassing moment as a Bronco with the lunatics was we were on the penalty kill and went out on one knee to block a slap shot. And it hit me right in the penis and I was wearing a chalk. But the way it hit, just the tip just for a second, I had to like right in front of the lunatics and front of all them. I had to lay there and put my hand down into my pants and just like hold it, like squeeze it because I was like, oh my god, it's throbbing and I need to do something and I was rolling around the ice and I'm like, holy fuck, this whole arena is watching this. Yeah, this is a tough night in front of lunatics that night, you know? But the other night I really remember was when our goalie scored a goal and it was against Ferris State. They had like Chris Kunits and Derek Nesbitt and Jeff Legui, these guys were really good and they were ranked high in the nation. And then we won at home and our goalie scored, it was 3-1, they shot it down and he iced it into the net and scored. I've never seen an arena go so wild. And then when you win, everybody wins. It was like one of the best college parties ever after that game, you know? Yeah. Yeah. That's how it works, eh? Yeah. Yeah. And then if you lose, the coach says, nobody's going out tonight. If I hear of anybody going out tonight, blah, blah, blah. And we're like, we just worked all week, just battled each other, played these games and now we're not even allowed to go out and have fun on the one night, we're allowed to go out and have fun as a college student, you know? Yeah. It must be so different when I say that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So the only other, I would say, they're legends now. When you win and some of your big dogs do it, that washy and bump, they're legends, eh? I saw that bump, I saw this picture of him holding the trophy outside loss and in front of the sea of students and I'm like, my word, that guy is livin. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. You definitely had fun that week after, for sure. And Tilly signed, he was having a great time, eh? Then as soon as you signed that contract, it was a go time? Yeah. Definitely. That sounds like a Bronco. Same thing happened with Watchy too. He got his few nights and then he signed. And then he was in the NHL, like, I watched his debut in the NHL. I was curious. After watching the Broncos go and see it, then he goes to Anaheim right away and I was like, well, I'd like to see a Bronco play in the NHL, just watch and play for the Broncos, you know? But if you win the national championship, you are allowed to have fun. And I'm pretty sure the NHL team knew he was having fun too. Yeah. I think he signed the contract on Monday. So he got the, he had his two days of fun and then he signed and then we had the, like, whole, like, school celebration and everything where they all talked. And he was nowhere to be found and then next thing, you know, we're getting the notifications that he's making his debut. So. Isn't it weird how fast it can happen? Like I still remember being in that author and what's, I don't know, the business school. And then, like, I was sitting in class and I got a sophomore and I was doing all right. But then I'm looking at my old phone, not a smart phone. And it's like the mighty ducks of Anaheim. And I was like, uh, teacher, I got to go and then I went outside and like, talk to the mighty ducks, like outside class. And then like, I was like, what the hell is happening? And then like when it was just happening for me as a senior and I was talking to these teams, um, it was, it was really weird because of my Bronco brothers and knowing it was coming to an end and not getting to end it the way I wanted to. I left to go play hockey when I knew what they were up to and they were ending it together and right, I'm guessing Washi would have been stoked to go to the NHL straight away, but he also would have been missing his boys. Oh, it was definitely weird because we had all known that Washi had basically signed by the time he had signed because he was gone, like he was not born, but we were very curious because Bunk was still there. So we were wondering if he was going to stick around for an extra year because he was only a sophomore when he left. Yeah. So he had his junior and senior year left to go, but yeah, well, those are the decisions. Like I went through it. Well, I was close to going through it. I had offers and stuff happening and then it was a lockout after my junior year. So I had like a 50 point year and then I was getting the stuff going and then my, I finally get an age and he's like, yeah, it's a lockout, nothing's happened now. And I'm like, okay, so I'm going back. Mate, thinking about those things and going through it when, you know, those are your best friends. This is what you're doing. It's got to be very difficult deciding what to do because I know it was for me. But then when I saw the picture of when he was signing the contract, he was in the locker room with the entire hockey team there supporting him. I'm like, that makes it easier to go. Definitely. Yeah. Okay. Do you have anything else for me before we shut it down? It was really nice getting to know you guys and Broncos haven't changed. The other summer there, I was helping Ryan O'Reilly on the ice and moving pucks around for him and stuff in the summer when he has nobody around to help. And he had a bunch of his buddies, like five or six of them, the all pro hockey guys there, the one day and I'm helping them out. And we get in the room and every so he's talking hockey after and the one guy like asked me and I'm like, well, I played at Western Michigan and he was like, oh, you played, you're a Bronco. He's like, man, I know Broncos. They know how to do it. They know how to hockey and I was like, oh, my God. That means the world, man, you know, we have a reputation and it was, we know how to mock it up and have fun. But now it's also that we win, you know, it's a great reputation to have. And the lunatics are a huge part of it. I know it from when I played, we'd basically win the home games and lose the road games because everybody wanted to win for you guys. And what you guys are doing and the effort you put in, it does matter and it does help the team win just so you guys know. So keep it up, eh? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, then this has been another episode of two L's and hockey tales with the reigning national champion loss and lunatics with Aiden McKenna and Wally.