Spittin' Chiclets Episode 624: Featuring Zach Werenski, Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Abbey Murphy and T.J. Oshie

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Me and Ryan have been officially welcomed to the jungle that I brought it towards the coyotes and I asked them if it was okay if I joined the spit chicklets podcast full-time. Ryan Whitney's got a pink Whitney out there now. It's a full-time member. Marley just got an assist from Chris Bates. Whoa, we're buzzing right now. What is up, folks? Welcome to episode 624. The spit and chicklets podcast. God, things have changed. Don't cry yet. Don't cry yet. Hey, chicklets fans. We're going to take a quick break for a message from one of our partners. Think DraftKings isn't available where you live? Think again. DraftKings, an official partner of the NBA, is now available in all 50 states. Plus, new customers get three months of NBA League Pass on us, so you can catch more NBA action anytime, anywhere. Download the DraftKings Sports app. And use code BSS on DraftKings. New DraftKings customers can spend five and get 200 in bonuses, plus three months of NBA League Pass on us. That's code BSS. 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That was probably the most difficult, definitely the most difficult loss I've ever faced as a fan. And, uh, but in the same breath, you guys were so classy in, in how you guys were able to win it. And then also explain how Team USA got there. This wasn't something that was just built overnight with, you talked about the development program and everything. So really, uh, over the last three, four days, it's just fucking letting USA enjoy their flowers. And, and I think that it was very, um, you know, I've talked about being a proud Canadian. Like I was very moved at how patriotic the team was and how much they loved their country and how they were able to express that right in the moment. So, uh, that's really how I felt about it. I know that people are saying all the, all the politic nonsense, but like, I just want to talk about the hockey side of it and how happy they were to represent their country as I'm sure the, the Canadian guys were too, as disappointed as they were. So how have you guys felt, uh, in your celebration and, and being able to take it all in? Jans, you were, you were able to see the guys in Florida. Yeah. Yeah. Vinnie, uh, Vinnie Trocek invited me to go meet them. Um, they were having dinner and just went and met, met them, met up with them, talked to a bunch of the guys and you could tell it still hasn't even hit them. Right. Like, uh, maybe it has now that now that they're back and they're getting their standing ovation from their teams, they're getting welcomed home, I'm sure in their neighborhoods and, and all that stuff. But, uh, I really don't think it had hit them yet. It was kind of one of those things. They were still like maybe on cloud nine, uh, everything hasn't really sunk in, but I honestly don't think you could pick a group of guys to represent the United States of America and what, you know, being an American is and being a hockey player in the United States. I don't think they could have picked a better group of guys because they were just so grateful. And you hear all their speeches and, and guys interviews. And, you know, it's like, Hey, we went over there for a job. Like we went over there to get a gold medal, not just for our team, but for our country. And it seemed like every guy said that, that it wasn't a, it wasn't really about them. Right. They knew it's been 46 years and we've all been in locker rooms where, you know, you play with Canadian guys or Swedish guys or whoever it is. And they're like, God, you haven't won anything since 1980, you know, the jokes going around and these guys went over with a mission. They got it done in the, you can just tell like how patriotic they are, how much it means to them to do something for their country. And I, I really appreciate that. And just seeing them at dinner and stuff. You never, once did I see a guy turn down a photo, or an autograph or, uh, you know, even a conversation just to chat with people. They were putting the gold medals around the fans necks to take the pictures. It's amazing. It's amazing. And I think, I think they know what it means even, you know, only, you know, 24 hours, 36 hours after getting the gold medal. I think these guys really, you know, embraced what it meant to not only just the hockey world, but the entire country, right? Like what were the numbers? 20 million people watching. And I think in overtime, the largest sporting event or the most watched sporting event, like for the morning in the history of the United States, um, which is just crazy. And, and I, so I got home Sunday night and I think I said it on the show, like that was not a fun game to watch. And I, I think that every American and Canadian would say, it's like watching it and biz your, your love of the Maple Leafs and my love of the Oilers and Keith with the Panthers. It doesn't even come close to, to like the feeling during that because it's your country and it's, it's your flag and the Jersey that that's representing your nation. So I got home and, um, and I watched it again. And obviously it was so enjoyable, like just knowing the outcome, even watching it the second time. I'm like, you know, you're still sitting at the edge of your seat, but I was able to kind of enjoy it and, and, and, and look forward to the moment. And I mean, I remember when McDavid got the puck going through the neutral zone and OT, it was like, and I don't even think we talked about it. It was Jack Hughes. He was going down on it. And Hughes, Hughes did a great job. You could tell he was probably like, no, no, no, no, no, no. But he kept, he kept him to the outside. I think Wierenski came over a little bit. Hellbuck might've had a poke check. And then all of a sudden they're off. And I mean, McCarr, I think has taken a little bit of heat in terms of like the pinch in there. And I think in a three on three overtime in the NHL, you do that every time it's a two on all with him and McDavid, if he gets that puck, I think after maybe, maybe his back check. I mean, I'm totally, I'm nitpicking at this point. I'm trying to kind of think as a Canadian, would didn't really get those few hard strides off the, off the start that maybe could have caught him up to Jack Hughes, but it happened so quick. And he's also probably thinking, Hey, if McKinnon gets that puck, who I also think might've hesitated that split second, then I'm gone on a breakaway. And it's just, it's happening so fast, but watching it again, it was incredible. And I've watched the overtime a couple of times since. And Keith, I think you said it best, like has the celebration and the what's happened since Ben, and maybe a little overboard. Like, I don't think so. I could see why Canadians do. But dude, that's, that's how Americans celebrate. And that's the beauty of it. And it's 46 years, dude. Like if we won in 2010 or somehow got the gold medal in 14 in Sochi, like it just, it would, it wouldn't have been this. I got a banana hammock up my cornhole celebrating a win against Finland. So I'm the last guy to be fucking pointing the finger at the Americans in the way that they like to do things. That's how they like to do things. And that's what makes them different and special. Right? So I'm going back though to that, that sequence and like whoever's taken the blame, there was a lot of like a lot of things that went on there. Like that play by Wierenski to just like move it to his backhand and one hand it. Cause that was the lane that was kind of give it to him. I actually appreciated the read from a car. Cause it wasn't a hard play that was made, but it was a soft puck there to the middle. It was just soft puck. So he sees when, when you go to one hand, he's like, well, he's not going to have the leverage to get this through to him solid. But you know, Jack then makes that play. And then I think maybe the lack of strides in the back check, like you mentioned with were due to the fact that I think they thought McKinnon was going to get that puck. And for whatever reason, the pressure that was applied by Wierenski who started the whole thing off, you know, it made McKinnon hesitate a little bit and credit him, man. He had the strength to force him off the puck. Then he had some separation and he was able to slide a back door based on the lack of strides taken on the back check. So buddy, that's why like you, like, we talked about the three on three stuff. And then like, you'll always see in the comments, like, oh, you weren't complaining. And when they beat Czechia, it's like, absolutely, there's no excuses to like, like Canada losing and then not, and then trying to take away from the States. I just thought we could all agree that it would have been five on five would have been the way that I would have wanted to see it end. But buddy, they fucking go against the three best players in the world, three on three, and then they get it done the way that they did fucking celebrate, pop your bottles and, and let the celebrations begin, man. And like, I think that they, they did it their own way. They set out to achieve something and, and they're the world fucking champs, baby. We have to almost like mention what's gone on since like never in my life have I been more kind of aware that like social media is like not the real world. And I, I know this is something like RAs mentioned a lot and, and Twitter is one thing, but I, boys, I don't think that, that if you could have asked any of those guys, Hey, you want Trump to make the joke he made? Like they're probably saying no, it's like, I don't care what you could say, whatever you want. Like they were really tight with that woman's team. And I've seen Swayman and McAvoy have come out and said like, yeah, we kind of like didn't really respond in the correct way. But dude, they won the gold medal like eight minutes before that you're, you're, you're taking a phone call from the president. Okay. However divisive he is. He makes this off color joke, like, but I wouldn't have made the joke. Right. But I, what were the players supposed to do? I, I, I understand like they're laughing. It's like, all right, well, everyone is on this high. They've probably all had three or four beers in the eight minutes. He had played a game. It's just, it was such a crazy story that I get you say, Hey, why is the president making that joke? Cause what the women did was very special. What a dominant team they had. I just don't get the hate towards the players. I don't. And I think a lot of the hate that you've seen online. Online is you go and see Jack Hughes, his speech. It was a, it was a crazy ovation for him. And Jack Hughes has lost all these fans. It's like, no, he hasn't. No, he hasn't. And if, if you're somebody out there and it's your right, who hates the U S players now for laughing at that joke. It's like, I don't know what, I don't know what you want. I don't know what you want them to say. I just don't. I think it's, it's such a crazy time. Things are moving a million miles an hour. You're talking to the president, United States. And all of a sudden, like you're, you're enemy. Number one, like with some of these people back home and just, uh, it's just kind of brutal that at least online it turned into that. But that's mainly what I mean is that in the grand scheme of things, dude, like I, I think Americans love this team. I think they love these players. I think they appreciate the amount of, uh, Patriot patriotism. They have how much they love living in the United States and being citizens of the United States. And that just took over as like this storyline that was just unfortunate because it was amazing hockey. It was an incredible. When that they pulled out and the way that it all turned into this madness, it was just kind of unfortunate. Now, when you know, when, when cash will tell us in the locker room and Trump's making a joke, kind of putting aside the women's team, it's that's going to happen. I just didn't, didn't get the hate towards the players. I didn't. Yeah. It's, it's taking away from what they did and, you know, what it meant to, you know, not only the hockey world, the, the, the, the nation, right. The, you know, bringing back a gold and achieving something that's so difficult against teams that are so hard to beat. And I, I just don't like the fact that it, that was taken away from them a little bit. Um, you know, did they do something wrong? No. Was, you know, something that the president said maybe off color. Yeah. But it's, I, I just don't like the fact that it was, uh, you know, that stuff has been, you know, taken away from them a little bit where it's people are, you know, coming at them and coming at their character. Like these guys, like. Who else wins a gold medal and is thanking the troops and thanking the first responders and thanking everybody that helped them get there, their teachers, their coaches. Like these guys know what it means to, to win and put on that uniform. And, um, you know, it's, I think that, you know, anything that's being taken away from these guys is, uh, it's tough to hear right now to, you know, to see them get put through the ringer a little bit. But at the end of the day, they did their job. They went over there. They represented us the right way. And, and, and got that gold medal. And biz, I, I told you, uh, after we recorded, like you guys have been the standard. I mean, and so like to finally kind of slay that dragon, granted people say it's three on three, like it happened and, and it's, it's only good for the game. I think, I think it's great for the game. I think that my major takeaway from the tournament was how incredible best on best is. And the fact we're getting it every two years now is phenomenal. And we don't really know how the NHL is going to throw on their world cup yet. But just knowing that we might get another U S Canada matchup. And I mean, look at the U S Sweden quarterfinal, look at Canada's quarterfinal and semifinal. It's like, it's so good for the game. And it's so amazing to see, you know, I, I, I know you don't agree, but like Canada finally loses one. These guys, how many, they'd won everything. It was 14. It was 10. It was the world cup in 16. It was, there was something else in there. It's just, you couldn't beat them. And Crosby not playing in that game sucked, but it was like, geez, we finally slayed the dragon. And I think that's part of the excitement too, is that like, we just couldn't get you guys. And we, and we finally did. Yeah. And like, like I said, like there's going to be no excuses of anything. It's like, it's a, it's a good opportunity for us as a nation to be like, Hey, we got to look in the mirror and just, you know, keep getting better. I thought we played an unbelievable game. Like, look at how we look at how we, we showed up. I thought in the second and third period, they fucking poured their hearts out and they dominated the game, but eventually didn't get it done. So, um, yeah, I just hope that they, you know, continue to strive to be the best and, and, and fucking, yeah, keep moving the needle. As far as all the political stuff, guys, like obviously you kind of touched on it. Like, I think we would have all agreed that like wrong time to make that joke, like never the right time to make that joke. And it sucks that it got out. Cause I really think it took a lot out of what the Americans deserve as far as their celebration and stuff like that. And the political stuff, man, it like it, like I get like anxious and like weird and it like makes me feel like I'm not going to be able to do it. It makes me feel shitty. I don't know about you guys. Like same. It just like, it was a fucking great hockey game between two great nations. And like, I'm, I'm a Canadian, a proud Canadian, but like, I've also spent 50% of my time living in the United States and this country has been so good to me too. So, um, listen, like fucking, I want to beat the fuck out of you guys next time we play each other, but at hockey, that's it. Leave it at that. Right. So I was going to say about the game of inches. I forgot to mention this is like my car makes that pinch, right? Like we're in ski. I mean, uh, McKinnon might like hesitate that split second. Hughes is sitting in the box, dude, at the end of that game. And buddy, he mentioned it himself. Like I was in the box thinking of like, I'm going to be on barstools. The guy everyone hates, which he meant, but you might as well just said Frank the tank. But buddy, talk about a game of inches in life and in sports. Like they score a goal there. And yeah, he's, he's the, he's the guy that took the penalty to lose the gold medal. And then two minutes later, he scores a goal that changes. His life. It's just so wild how it all worked out. And the fact is, I think that that guy, man, like he took a lot of heat after the four nations, right? Like he wasn't great in those games against Canada. He had seven points in six games and the golden goal and his life's changed forever. And I think his speech was pretty cool. Him grabbing Tej Thompson was amazing. He grabs him off the bench. And I don't remember a time with a guy with a mic addressing the whole crowd, but they loved it. And it was a, it was a really cool moment. His first moment back. So I just, uh, I appreciate the entire tournament. I appreciate, um, how different these teams will look in four years. I just thought the fact that they had two sets of brothers and that dynamic was so cool. And, and how Quinn had Jack's back saying, I don't think a lot of people know like injury wise, what, what it takes to come back. And even though when you're back fully healthy and playing, like it might be, you know, 10, 12 months before you're feeling like yourself again. And, and just to hear his brother. Have his back like that in the press conference and, and speak highly of him. And then obviously the, the Kachuk dynamic in which, you know, you know, maybe not as, um, like in the NHL, maybe not as dynamic compared to some of the other guys on the team. But like you heard his quotes today about like, we knew we weren't seeing the ice three on three. So we turned it on to being the biggest cheerleaders in the world for, for, for our guys. So I just, yeah, it was just so cool. And, you know, you brought up something interesting before the tournament started in Mike. Basically like that with the Canada staying in the hotel rooms. Right. And I personally like, didn't look at it like a big deal because they'd done it in the past, but like what I guess can be made a big deal is how the United States really embodied like the Olympics and what it was about. And I think, uh, when Teddy, their trainer who Yans had in, uh, in Florida, who we had in Wilkes-Barre, he just said they, the team just really embraced the imperfection of it. How, you know, like things weren't going to be perfect. How like, okay, you were going to have maybe a shitty. For your practice facility and you would be shoulder to shoulder and you wouldn't have like a stall to go put your regular clothes away. Like you normally do in the NHL. So I really think that they're like mental approach to, to embracing all that was really cool. And a part of the story, I don't think that the Canadians doing a different should be blown out of proportion and a story. I think just focusing on really how, once again, the States embodied what it was all about and just all these small storylines that. Ultimately led them to being champs. And I mean, we, we've already glazed hella buck, but oh my God, just like, and some people were critical after I said, I think that he should have got MVP and I doubt that McDavid would even want it after what happened. Like people are like, oh, look at what, yes, McDavid had an incredible tournament. Hellebuck had a, look, what were his numbers? I think he had over a 950 save percentage against the best shooters and scorers in the world. So you can't just say like, like, oh, like I'm glazing the Americans. It's like, you got to tip your cap. And when push came to shove, we talked about this leading in. It was goaltending and United States back end. Against the firepower upfront from the Canadians and who came through, who came through and goaltending in the D goaltending in the D and for him not to get MVP. It's crazy. It's, it's actually insane to me, but I think he's fine with the, uh, it doesn't matter. He got the presidential medal of freedom. I think he's the first hockey player ever to get the presidential medal of freedom. He also got like a signed secretary of defense off the air force. I think he's like. Yeah, I'm fine. Not getting the MVP. I got this gold and a medal of freedom. Um, and then the celebration, man, like they, they went to 11 people like that, a strip club. It's like, that's not a strip club. It's a club with strippers, but I'd say it's a little different than like your, your standard run in the mill, like Tampa Bay strip club. But still the celebration, the fact that they got to hang out that much, the fact that they got to go to the white house, people say what you want people and go into the white house forever after wins. And I do, I do. Think that the craziest thing I saw after all this is the Jack Hughes miracle thing. Did you see that clip is one of the final cuts of the 1980 Olympic team was a guy named Jack Hughes who ended up playing 46 games in the NHL. It was 46 years from the last gold medal. It was just like all is just like we're living in a simulation type thing. So we see the one from Harvard, Jack Hughes from, he went to Harvard. You cue the guy. From that, that Philadelphia show where he's got all this stuff on the wall. You're right. Yance. He did. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The guy, Charlie doing always sunny. Just like, but when you talk about the D and buddy, like I, I, I think Wierenski was incredibly at a lot of points. Uh, you know, Quinn Hughes, Slaven, Faber, McAvoy. I know McAvoy had no points. I don't know about Slaven and Faye. We forgot to mention that save he made when we were talking. I know, but that puck was behind hell puck and McAvoy goes down. Like that's another one that just, that was all for the Brady Kachuk turnover. Right. And just like that just shows how much they cared about each other. Like he's diving behind the goal. He doesn't want his boy to get that, you know, to have that turnover, lose his team, the game. Like it's, they were all in from the minute. And I remember listening to the Kachuk's podcast and talking about when the ice surface, remember all that stuff. And they were like, we don't give a shit if it's played in a bathtub. Like these guys are going to be like, oh, these guys just wanted to go over there and play. Right. Like, and you could tell, like from the start to the beginning, they were hanging out together. They were playing as hard as possible for each other. Cause people don't understand like a two week tournament and we've all done it like to, to come together and be that close. Like these guys are battling all year against each other to come together and be that close and care that much about one another. And then all their families seemed like it was, it was the same way you see them hugging in the crowd. It's truly a tip of the cap to the game. The leadership group that they had there and all the guys that Billy G picked, cause he picked the right guys to win that tournament. And I gotta, I gotta own this one too. A couple of clicks for super Mario and Luigi and Geppetto in Italy for getting that ring done on time. I know there was a lot of nerves going. A couple of chicken parms, a couple of bottles of wine and they, they, and that, that atmosphere looked great. We're talking to Eichel, Hannafin and Wierenski today. We'll ask them about that. My final thing, US and Canada played three games in the last year, the Olympics plus the two in the four and eight. The shots have been 95, 84, Canada, seven to five in goals for the U S two to one and wins for the U S two games without Quinn Hughes, one game without Sidney Crosby, two of the games went to overtime. So just incredible, incredible match. We need a fuck. We need a best of seven. Fuck. I know it's theories and, and there'll be no one left. I do want to mention that the quote from McKinnon, the quote from McKinnon, it was, it was clipped to him saying, you watch the game, you know, who the better team was. I want to read the entire class. Thank you. Thank you. It was, it's been close for a while. You know, they're an amazing skilled group of players. Just, yeah. I just felt like it wasn't going to be, you guys can be the judge of who the better team was tonight. That was the quote taken, but they won and we lost. That is not a bad quote at all. They, they clipped it. And, um, you know, I guess the way we did, we, our social media did to spec. We'll get into that in a little bit. Oh my God. Everyone reads mine. James just took that video. Like it was online as it was cut. So like, we'll talk about that when we talk about it later, but we're going to have a guy on right now. Listen, he broke our heart on a sandbagger with like crushed our soul in a sandbagger. He crushed mine at the Olympics, but you know what? He's never going to have a chick. Let's cut a chick. Let's cut. But neither do you. Zach, gold medal winner assisted on the golden goal. What's up, buddy, buddy. How are you feeling? How are you feeling right now? How's the jet lag? How's the body? Uh, I've been better for sure. Um, today on the ice, I was a little slow, but I'm excited to be back. It's, uh, it's been a whirlwind few days and, uh, yeah, I've got to be back with the guys, I guess. And that the picture of you at 11, probably the best picture I've ever seen ever just soaking it all in, in the middle. Um, how fun was that night? Like the boy, it's kind of the last night with all the boys, right? Yeah, it was incredible. Um, I think just the reception from when we landed in Miami, all the fans there, all the the police escort, the helicopters, we got to the hotel and it was jammed with people chanting USA. Um, and then we go on this bus ride around the city and there's people lined up in the streets, you know, chanting for us. He ends, saw you there at dinner. I mean, like you saw like the reaction we were getting. It was, it was incredible. And then you get to 11 and it's, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. And to be a part of it and just enjoy it with everyone. And look at that bag. Um, no, I actually can't, I can't get enough of it. I've just been so excited. I'm scrolling on my phone, looking at content of all the guys. It's, um, you can't make it up. It was, it was insane. Zach, I was talking to you at dinner and, you know, asking you if it had hit you yet. And you were like, honestly, no, like I, it hasn't like, has it hit you yet? Or when do you think it will? Um, honestly, not really. Like I got to Boston, even things like this. I grabbed lunch yesterday by myself and they came out and they're like, lunch is taken care of. Like, congratulations. Um, at dinner yesterday, all these people were coming up saying congrats today. The hotel, it's, um, it really hasn't fully hit me at the extent of it and the magnitude of, of that win. But, um, yeah, I'm going to enjoy it the best I can. It's, uh, it's been incredible. And, um, yeah, we're, we're bonded together as a group of guys for life now, based on that. I want to go through the gold medal golf just quickly. Like McDavid's flying through the neutral zone. It's always a scary site for anyone. Hughes is kind of playing the one-on-one and you're like, oh shit. And then I got to wonder when you threw that, that thing to the middle on one hand, on the back end, there had to be a minute or a second. You're like, oh shit. No. Yeah. No, there's a more than a minute the whole time. Like as I was watching that puck go, I was like, this could end up really bad right now. Um, I actually make that one hand play a decent amount, but it kind of rolled on me. So I didn't get all of it. And I was so committed to joining the rush that it was all or nothing at that point. And obviously Jack makes a great play, getting to buy them. And, um, yeah, I just tried to get on my horse and, and catch up to it and kind of put some pressure on McKinnon. Cause I was aware if he gets to it and hits it the other way, it's a two on O. So I was just trying to make him uncomfortable in that situation. And, uh, yeah, puck bounced back to me and I saw Jack over there and, um, yeah, it's history. So it was pretty incredible. I was on TNT last night and Granado asked me about like strategy going in and I saw Matthew's comments before the game when they interviewed him about how, you know, obviously it was raw, raw in the locker room. But then after that, you guys kind of settled things down. Um, what like was your strategy going in three on three against Canada, like any different than it might've been against Sweden? Like what, what did you guys talk about specifically systems wise and how to handle it? Yeah, we just talked about how we wanted to play it. Um, you know, times where we could pressure times where we had to kind of sit back a little bit, obviously they have, you know, three of the best players on the world on the ice at that moment. So I saw McDavid winding it up on Jath. I know he's not a defenseman, so I kind of just went over there to try and help, but he did a great job. And then. Um, that's three on three, usually one team kind of gets a chance and then another team gets a chance the other way. It's, um, it's kind of a shit show to be honest, but, um, yeah, I mean, we have some of the best players of the world on our team too. So, uh, we were confident we were going to get it done and all it takes is one chance. And, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's incredible. Do you, the people forget that, uh, when, when Canada won, uh, the one that wit was at in Vancouver, the NHL overtime was played four on four and they played four on four overtime over there, they won. Now the NHL is placed three on three overtime. You guys won three on three. Do you, you know, as a guy that played in it, do you wish it was five on five? Obviously it's done with now you won the three on three, but do you wish it was more like playoff style where you play five on five? Uh, that's a good question. I mean, I think for me it is what it is. And every team's it's the same rules for everyone. Right. And yeah, you can make the argument that it's not real hockey. It's three on three. It's not five on five or even four on four, but Um, um it's an even playing field and and everyone's in the same boat so i do think it's a little bit different we're used to three on three in nhl so to me it wasn't a shock or anything like that i don't understand the cup it's five on five till till a goal but um yeah i'm obviously happy about that we won but uh going into it it is what it is both teams are doing it if we would have lost and it would have been three on three um it's all part of it right so we'll uh we'll take it and enjoy it so it's cool um getting to work with uh these guys being american like you learn a lot about like the the the program in ann arbor um which you were a part of and just like you know how this has been a long progress of work in order to get to this point so i guess for you how cool was it to get to experience winning a gold with all these guys you at one point had grown up playing with and i really feel like that camaraderie and chemistry has been being built up over the years and it's just not all of a sudden success right away yeah who was there with you at the program that on this team um so on this team it was me hannifin matthews uh matthew kachuk mcavoy uh wow golden age i think that's it from was larkin your year a year above larkin and eichel were the year above us so we were there with them all of us went up to the 18s and we're in school with them um and then i don't like the year after kel's tage thompson was there i was gone at that point but like it's it's a long process and i feel like when you get to these events in a sense we have an upper upper hand with how close we are right and it's gone back to high school we went to high school together a lot of these guys so from there to the world juniors to the world championships to you know four nations and olympics like you get in the locker room and it doesn't feel like you're meeting guys or you're unsure like you go to dinner or whatever it is and you pick right back up where you left off and um i love those guys we've been playing together for geez 12 years now 13 years now at tournaments and um it's a big reason why we won and i've been having success for for usa hockey right now is that us program and uh it dates back a long time and uh i can i expect the us to continue to get better and better and that's uh it's a scary thing were you one of the lucky few that had professor uh portnoy as a spanish speaker and you know i think that's a scary thing i think he's been telling everybody that that he had he that he was a spanish teacher for uh the us and the tp team really no i didn't have him i i wasn't there with him um i don't know i i don't think i even took spanish in high school looking at looking at your career and like just where you're at in life right now the last four nations and olympics you have 12 points in 10 games right you got 62 points in 52 games this year your wife's expecting congrats on that like you ever kind of pinch yourself especially after this gold medal like where you're at and i know you've put in put in so much work to become the player you are but it has to be crazy to to see where you're at in life and how things are going yeah it's been uh it's been pretty unbelievable i mean these last two years for me have have gone extremely well uh i dealt with some injury history early on i thought i couldn't really get to my full potential until a little bit later in my career and um in a sense it feels like everything's kind of gone right for me uh the last few years you know i've got married had a great year last year finished you know second in the norris voting i'm having a good season this year the olympics gold medal now my wife's expecting it's it's kind of all going right but then i look back on it and like you said i have put a lot of work in and i feel like um this is just a product of that and i put myself in good situations around good people and um you know i just want to continue to help my team win continue to play as good as i can and um just enjoy it that's the main thing i've just been having a ton of fun we have a good group here in columbus um i can't wait uh to meet my son in a few months and experience that chapter and um that's just all good things right now so i've i've really been enjoying life oh great another american defenseman you got to worry about coming up for fuck's sakes suck on that biz um we we got the chance to meet your brother i know you guys are really close it was a blast hanging out and we did that sandbagger was he over there and if he was how buckled was he he must have been a complete mess yeah he was over there he uh he was probably one of the most drunk guys in the at the after party um he was having a great time and they had an early fight the next day and he has a young son so he was grinding in the airport but um no it's i think having the families there means the world to us we wouldn't be there without them and for them to enjoy it for them to party and be a part of it uh that's what it's all about zach uh you know everyone especially in a tournament like that like everyone says check your egos at the door and it really seems that you guys did that like especially for you you're a guy on your team uh you play the full two minutes on the power play uh this tournament you know quinn got a little bit you know started on the first unit but it never seemed like it bothered you you went out there and did whatever you needed to do and not just you your whole team was that something you guys talked about or it's just you guys knew going in that's what it was going to take yeah i think we just knew that's what it was going to take i mean um i think the coaches and billy talked about it early on when we got there about having no egos and it's not going to be perfect for everyone and i think it's going to be perfect for everyone and i think it's going to be you know to be honest i've never been in that position before um that was probably the first time in my hockey career i'm playing 12 minutes a night 13 minutes a night and um it's different it's uh it's different mentally it's harder to stay in games but i just kept telling myself be be ready for whenever my number's called and um when i'm not playing i was you know trying to open the door for guys and and pump guys up and just do whatever i could to stay in the game and help the guys win at the end of the day it's not about me it's about our country it's about our team it's about doing whatever we can to to win the gold medal and we accomplished that you know i look at jack hughes for an example um started on the the fourth line was playing 12 13 minutes he was incredible and he could have been playing 20 21 but you know he stayed ready he scores the big goal um you can go down the lineup of guys you look at larkin where he started to where he finished we had so many guys that just had no ego and that's what it takes to win a um we got it done and it doesn't matter about your minutes now it matters we have a gold medal is there anybody um you went to the tournament where you didn't know them that closely on your team that you ended up leaving being like wow like what a guy like who was like one guy you hadn't really spent much time with uh i think after the night of party and i'd say brock favor he was pretty incredible the picture of him with the glasses was ridiculous he looks like the guy from the sandlot i one point i looked around and we were like oh my god he's like he's like the last two standing and i'm like babe let's go home i think it was like 4 30 or 5 then our arms around each other walking out more videos just keep coming out and i can't get enough of them they're incredible another thing too i just wanted to ask what is is um the village and and like you know you guys staying there uh what were the fun takeaways or interactions that you had when you were there that like ended up like like will be forever lasting memories for you yeah the village is incredible um some nights i'd stay at the hotel with my wife she's seven months pregnant but um most nights i'd stay in the village and um i think just being around all the other athletes like we'd sit in the cafeteria to eat lunch or breakfast or breakfast or dinner and we wouldn't want to leave all these u.s athletes are coming up sitting with us figure skaters speed skaters um athletes from other countries um it's one of the most unique experiences i've had and i'm i'm so grateful for it i got to know a lot of other cool athletes gone to some really cool events um and then just us kind of holding court at tables in there and um just enjoying each other's company i mean i think that's what it's all about usually you go to hockey tournaments and you play for the u.s and it's just a hockey tournament you stay in the hotel you have your set bus times you go to the rink and that's it where this was this was something bigger than hockey and i'm just so grateful for that experience what what events exactly did you go to if you don't mind me asking i saw all the events in milan so i saw speed skating figure skating and then i went to uh the women's u.s canada game not the final the one before that so i got to see all the events and um just some incredible athletes exactly uh the goudreau family being there it was so special and i think i was pretty emotional after the win but when you and larks went and got his kids like that was just i think the entire country like no there's not a dry eye watching that um you know johnny spirit was around the team is it when did you guys know you're gonna able to get his kids for the picture and and was it just you and larks or was it just you and larks or was it just you and larks talk quick we gotta get these kids over here um yeah it happened kind of quick um i remember last year at the road championships i went and grabbed his jersey and um i knew after we won that his jersey would be on the ice with us and um we found the goudreau's in the crowd we wanted to get the whole family down i just think where they were at it was hard for them to get over the gate um so we're like well if we can't get the full family let's just go get the kids because this is something that that john would want this is something john would be at um and for his family to be there for his kids to be on the ice to share that experience with them in that moment um that's you know probably my favorite moment of the whole day was was that moment so that's what sports are about that's what team usa is about and um i think we made john proud there i think the winning the world championship was even a longer drought right so how special was that to go over there and do that this summer and you know a guy like tage thompson basically cemented the world championship and cemented his name on the team by going over there and helping you guys win yeah i think that was 92 years i think it is since the u.s won the world championships which is incredible to think about and And the U.S. has had so many good hockey players and teams for so long. I think it just shows how hard it is to win in international hockey. But yeah, you know, Tej has the golden goal there. I think that really sets him up to make the Olympic team. Kels was the captain of the team. I think going over there and winning that, whenever you can win, it's super special, especially wearing a USA jersey at that level. And I think for us, I remember when Kels made the team, he texted me saying, let's go two for two. And so we're two for two at World Championships and now Olympics together. And that's been an awesome few months. I have a few gold medals that is my collection. And I can't wait for the next time I get to represent the USA. We are going to be pumping your tires for the Norris, buddy, because what you've done this year, it's out of control. 20 goals already. I was going to. And I'll tell you, like Columbus, it's almost like you guys didn't even want the break. Worked out great for you. But since the coaching change, things have been incredible there. Yeah, it's been awesome. Bones is incredible. We have a really good hockey team and I don't think we were living up to it. And that's part of the business. He made coaching changes. And since he's been here, I think we're 11 and one or something like that. So we're on a bit of a heater. Obviously, the break probably comes at an inopportune time for us. But the guys seem ready to go. Skated this morning with them and play the Bruins tonight, play the Islanders in a few days, two teams that are right in front of us. So it's going to be an interesting finish. But yeah, excited to get back out there with the guys and hopefully push for the playoffs there. Last one I had was just how cool is having a guy at the top like Billy G to just calm everything down. It's a guy who's experienced it all. He's been there, done that, and just brings a lot of levity along with professionalism. Yeah, 100%. He's incredible. I think just when he comes in the room, he's making jokes with the guys. He's one of the boys. And it's just he has that infectious personality, a guy you want to be around. You gravitate towards him. He knows what to say at the right time. And he puts together one hell of a hockey team. And he deserves that gold medal as well. So yeah, honored to have been selected and just get to know him over the few years. I have a ton of respect for Billy G. Zach, thank you so much. I know you got a big tilt tonight. But dude, congratulations, man. So proud to watch you guys play. And it was an honor to watch Team USA finally get a gold medal in the Olympics again. So thank you for everything. And thanks for coming on. Yeah, I appreciate it, guys. Thank you. We'll see you next time. Hey, Chicklets fans. Cozy season is upon us. Bombas makes your comfiest fall staples so you can make the most out of one of the best seasons of the year. Bombas' new suede moccasins are perfect for fall with cushy soles, a shirling lining, and water-resistant suede. Plus, for every item you purchase, Bombas donates an essential clothing item to someone facing housing insecurity. Head over to Bombas.com slash audio and use code audio for $20. 20% off your first purchase. That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com slash audio. Code audio at checkout. All right. Now back to the show. Thank you so much to Zach Wierenski. Played an incredible tournament. 12 points in the last 10 best on best games he's played. And like he said, like playing like 12, 13 minutes a night, he's used to playing 25. So that's crazy. Now we're going to throw it over to Jack Eichel and Noah Hannafin. The Vegas Golden Knights together. What a pleasure. What an honor it is to be joined by two gold medalists. Jack Eichel, Noah Hannafin. Boys, how are you guys feeling right now? I feel pretty good, actually. We just got off the ice, so we're still in D.C., but I feel pretty good. Yeah, we're kind of coming back to reality a bit now, so. Okay, that's what we were. We talked to Wierenski, and he said it really hadn't kind of sunk in yet. It hadn't hit him yet. He was on the ice. He felt a little slow, so you guys skated. But as Keith asked, Zach, has it hit you guys? Do you understand what you accomplished yet? Yeah, I think it has over the last, like as things have like kind of calmed down and I think you're able to digest everything that happened in the last whatever, three, four days and, you know, dating back to the game. I think that that's, you know, when you're like by yourself and, you know, there's not a whole lot of stuff going on. You're just, you kind of process everything that just took place. And I think. I think that that's, yeah, I mean, it's tough because everyone just goes their separate ways, right? When it, you know, right, right after basically was a Tuesday, everyone's just, you know, it's back to, it's back to the season and the grind and, you know, excited to be back playing. Like it's, it's unbelievable, but it's crazy how it just like flips like that. Yeah, even like when we got to like the airport, like I feel like, like after we won, like it was obviously awesome. And like we were partying and stuff and having a good time in Italy. But not until we got back to the airport and like seeing the reaction, like in Miami, like seeing all the people that were there, like just in lines of lines of people, just taking photos and like so pumped that we like had landed there and got back. Like it was not something I think any of us had expected to see right away when we got back. And then just like outside the hotel, all the noise and the people there, like you could feel like the support right away. It was unreal. Yeah, especially for you guys, like, you know, me and Whit have, you know, had the pleasure of knowing you guys. I remember exactly the first time I saw Jack, you came and skated with us. And I think it was Canton Rink. You were probably like 13 or 14 years old. You were way better than us already. I was like, what the fuck is this? What is this? Yeah. Keith, the coin's like, hey, I got this little kid who wants to come skate with us. And at the end of the skate, I'm like, where was the little kid? I just remember this insane player. And then Noah, same with you. My dad one time was like, hey, can you come skate? There's this like 14 year old kid who's going to be an absolute stud. And so, but just, but also knowing you guys, knowing your families, how blue collar you are, what, and then just hearing you guys talking about winning and the gratitude you have for the United States and thanking the troops and the first responders and everything like you got, it truly seems like your whole team, you guys knew that it meant more than just winning a hockey game. Yeah, I think it did. I mean, I think everyone, you know, everyone in that locker room just took so much pride in wearing the jersey and what that means and what it means to be an American. And, you know, like it's, I mean, it's, it's such a amazing feeling when you're able to represent your country. It's just so much greater. And it's, I mean, there's, it's really hard to explain the, the magnitude of, of, you know, how many people are affected by winning a hockey game. But you, you know, you come back and you're here on, you know, U.S. soil and people who are. You know, not the, you know, normal hockey fans that, you know, don't probably watch NHL on a nightly basis and, and follow the league as closely are, you know, they were so in tune to what was going on and, and watching our team and following us. And, um, yeah, I mean, when you think about all the people that you're able to, you know, affect by just playing a hockey game. And for us, it was like, we're just so grateful to be here and be representing our country and what it means. And to be wearing the red, white, and blue, you know, on the ice and in the village and around Milan. Like that was such a cool part of it. You know, you know that everywhere you go, you're wearing your country's colors and what that represents and, and, and how much pride we took in it. Jack, I have so much respect for you. And like, obviously you've been through so much. And one of the cool things about the Olympics is when you guys would get off the ice, how the reporters would be there to interview you. And Jackie Redmond had one with you, dude. And I was like, I was getting emotional just seeing you get emotional just about, you know, you, you go from being in Buffalo and going through that whole, you know, surgery with your neck and that to then winning a Stanley cup with, with Vegas and then now an Olympic gold medal. So, I mean, to summarize like everything from like that, what you've been able to accomplish and what you've been through, like, just like, where, where are you at now? Like, how do you feel about everything that you've been able to overcome and now accomplish? Just really grateful. I'm grateful. Like I said, in the interview with Jackie and I was emotional there for, you know, a lot of times, you know, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it again, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it again. And I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it again. I think from all the guys on the team on the ice during the celebration, you know, right after that, I think, you know, I saw my family right before I walked into the mixed, the mixed zone for the media and seeing their faces and how proud they were, you know, having the opportunity to see my parents, my wife, just, you know, the people that have, have really been in my corner when, you know, some things haven't gone so well. And yeah, I mean, that's why, and then like I'm walking to the mixed zone and I get, you know, grabbed by Jackie right away and I really hadn't, you know, let my emotions kind of calm down yet. So that was just, that was just me being, you know, really raw and organic in the moment and, and how much it meant to be, how much it meant to me to be on the team and, and, you know, to be able to win with all these guys. Uh, yeah, I mean, I look back at my journey and, um, you know, sitting here now, I wouldn't, you know, change it for anything. I'm, I'm proud of everything. Um, you know, that I've been able to be a part of and, and all the, you know, amazing people that I've gotten to play with and the people that have helped me on a day-to-day basis to be able to, you know, be on a team like the Olympic team and have the opportunity to play for a gold medal and, and be a side, you know, be next to all these guys in the locker room. Um, you know, it's just, uh, you feel a lot of gratitude and, and, and thanks for all the people that help you. Noah, take, take me through and the listener through like the village and your guys set up like the Kachuk store was always open. That was one thing. Um, What was it like to be in there and to be around all the other athletes? athletes and by the sounds of it it was just everyone would kind of congregate to the kachuk's room and just have a bunch of hot stoves huh yeah there in the dining hall we spent a lot of time in the dining hall brady was uh crushing all the focaccia bread and we're running out of olive oil because you're just ripping through all the food in there lala cakes it was hilarious one of the guys that actually like he was like this italian guy who like ran the kitchen like the second day brady and matthew are like boys with them like becoming best friends and i'm like we were getting like late night like dessert sent out that like it was hilarious and all the other athletes like what are these guys doing they're like they're getting ready for their speed skating competitions and things like that and brady's mucking lava cake but it was uh it was unbelievable just uh like you said like being on the same floor with all the guys it kind of brought brought me back to like you know when we were kids going to like rochester like usa hockey summer camps or you know things like that where it just it just felt like uh we were young again and uh it was such a refreshing feeling to be able to spend all the time with the guys and be able to spend all the time with those guys and meet some of the other other athletes and uh get to know them and um it was just such a special experience so um just really cool and and uh you know pretty uh pretty amazing to see what some of those other athletes are capable of and how they train and their backgrounds um it was awesome fuck you were throwing the body in that tournament i remember a few of these hey wasn't he we were sitting there watching the games you were a fucking madman you look like radco gudas out there hannifin yeah i don't know yeah yeah i mean it's kind of one of those situations where like there's so much talent on the team and everybody has different roles you're playing in a role you know you may not be used to playing in with your respective team and like like jack said when you're representing your country you're just like i'll do whatever i need to do just to help this team whether it's five minutes or ten minutes whatever it doesn't matter you're just trying to contribute and block a shot things like that so i mean that's why our team i think uh we were so good and you know everybody just bought in so well we all cared for each other and it felt special like right from the beginning so it was cool who was running the d noah quinny david quinn okay so quinny was running the d so torts basically we were saying torts was there as like i don't really know like just like was torts just like the man with you guys what are they what do the kids call it he was like uh no i mean honestly there were moments in the tournament like where torts came in between periods just out of the blue and like he delivered some really really like good like like powerful messages like just basically speaking from the heart and shooting it with us and and uh he did it you know he did it uh multiple times where you know when he when he was speaking it was like a great message and um yeah he was awesome he was he was he was great for us it was uh he came in at like we were i don't know if we were down or tied to denmark at one point early in the tournament he came in and and you know he was just so positive saying this this this game's gonna make us better we're dealing with some adversity now like but that was his message through the whole thing and um you know just just uh he was he was phenomenal that was one uh one takeaway too is is is billy g's message was like hey guys like this is not going to be perfect and you have to embrace the imperfectness of it and it seems that you guys really did that was there any situations where you guys were like whoa what the hell's going on here and then obviously the comedy routine of like six or seven guys chirping what the hell's actually going on like what were some things that you guys dealt with that were like not normal i think like i would say like the pre-game meal thing i think pre-game meal in the nhl is like a big it's like a big thing and we're so used to just being spoiled and walking into like a you know a hotel ballroom and everything you could ever imagine is there right and i think everyone takes their nutrition really seriously and wants to be fueled up properly for the game and you know for the first game it was it was a little bit like a little bit all over the place and then usa hockey did an unbelievable job of of finding a way to make sure everyone was taken care of and like even the you know for the gold medal game they had you know food all catered over and brought over to the uh to the village for us because we were playing at two so um you know that was like something early in the tournament but you know it took one game for everyone to iron out the you know the details and after that it was uh it was pretty smooth sailing i mean you know you deal with little things over the course of the tournament but i mean uh i think i'd you know i can't say enough good things like i saw you guys had teddy on the other day like teddy and frosty yeah our athletic trainers like unreal bridge our team services guy like all the people that were behind the scenes they were working so hard the whole time like doing so much legwork for us and you just can't say enough good things about all the stuff they were doing i i don't think i've missed playing as much as when i saw i think it was one of the kachuk say this team's so great and so close because if one guy says something there's eight guys chirping him immediately like that to me i was like oh my god like that is being on a team was there one guy who was getting it more than anyone else punching bag trying to think no i heard no i i i was but it was like milsy milsy was just an easy target believable like it was like we'd sit in the back of the bus and brady would like play music like on the way to games on the way back to games anytime around the bus brady was playing tunes and then like like he said somebody would say something and it was just like it was like crazy it was so fun though it was like so many of us had played together in the past and known each other since we were kids and i think that's what made our team like so unique and special like obviously all the other countries guys know each other and they come play together but you know from the national program and when we were kids like i feel like a lot of the guys on the team are around the same age so we had that bond and it was like when we got back it was like we only had four days to practice but it felt like we'd been together for like a year you know i mean it was just like right back to like your high school buddies it was it was pretty cool we were talking about the ntdp and like what it's meant and this is like the long road and why it was created for you guys i mean based on a couple years it's you too it's matthews larkin mackaboy wierenski it's crazy when did you two realize like holy shit like our country's stacked at this age group was it when you went out there was even prior and like summer tournaments and stuff i don't know i would say like i knew like i knew our team like my specific team the sevens like we we had a great team obviously jack and lark for the year above us so we were there together my first year but just looking around that team like like wierenski matthews chuck mackaboy like there were so many guys that are just studs in the nhl now just from that one team and it was pretty cool like i remember like going to some of the games especially we were getting into like the semis and the final game and like driving and like looking at all the guys and it was like pretty surreal being like i remember when we were like 16 years old you know going to pioneer high school together and like hanging out and like now we're all like just like you know having a good time and like we're driving to the gold medal game and like you can feel the weight of the country behind all of us and it was like a full circle moment it was like pretty cool to like get on that bus and like we're all together again it was it was awesome i think it's such a cool thing because i mean when me and wit were growing up like guys from massachusetts hated guys from minnesota michigan when we would get together for like those saddle whatever it was uh yeah the festivals up in lake placard like you wanted to kill those guys but what they've done with the ndtp oh yeah we hated each other and then when you know what this ndtp has done is brought you guys together and how it's a bigger goal and you know like we've talked about checking your egos and you guys did such a good job at that but what i want to ask you guys was the pk like you guys didn't give up a goal in the four nations or in the olympics like how fucking insane is that yeah and i you know like heinz he was the the pk coach and he was you know he's unbelievable he's unbelievable detailed and like it's very black and white and he gives such a great plan it was actually funny like the first few days we were working on the pk like i mean our power play was you know we were we were pretty good we had some good players in the power play and it felt like we couldn't complete a pass against our own pk you know when you got like guys heckling and shit and you're you're like getting frustrated on the power play like i can't even complete a pass right it seems like they kind of knew what we wanted to do but it was definitely something that i think our whole group uh put a big emphasis on especially the guys that were going out there you know constantly whether it was you know troach and and uh milsy you know nelly uh larks like those guys those guys carried the weight of that pk up front and our defense were so good you know like it was something we knew was going to be a huge you know a huge component to us having success and and heinz he said in the beginning of the tournament he was like we're going to really really need to be good there's going to be a moment that comes in this tournament where we're going to have to kill a huge penalty to win and we got to be ready to do that and and obviously the guys got it done and that was a huge five on three kill and there were plenty more that you could go you know down and think about but uh the penalty kill was unbelievable and and you know the best player on your penalty kill is always the goaltender and helly was our best player so when the penalty kill failed when all else failed helly was there to make some incredible saves for us so um i think the guys took a ton of pride in it i think you look at the oh that jack picture um probably the most iconic of the bunch but the paddle save is what i'm going to remember that was fucking right in the back of the net and he reaches back what are you guys thinking or like saying on the bench no it's pretty cool too we were talking about when we were flying out like we're talking to helly about it because he's getting his jersey signed by the whole team and i was like think of how much this jersey is going to be worth probably like it was his game wearing gold medal jersey and then he said his stick he said when he turned around and made that paddle save he said there's like a puck mark and he said mark like a perfect mark on like the the spot of the stick it's like pretty cool i just like how like lights out he was and such a great guy but you know just being able to have that performance and like the biggest moment there there is like it was incredible to watch so i was actually on the ice i was about to eat a minus but he made an incredible save so thanks heli thanks heli um what's he like as a as a guy in the room like day game like some goalies you don't hear from but like is he is he talkative is he like that or is he quiet he looks like he goes sicko mode no he was just like so calm yeah and like collected and confident like you could just see it and i think i i saw some of his comments after like the day of the gold medal game like he just felt like he was so in the zone and but like there would be times where like we'd be going to a game and he would like doze off on the bus and you'd be thinking yourself like is he like see exhaust whatever he was just so relaxed and like you could just tell he was in the zone of he just knew what he needed to do and um you know he would he would pipe up and say if um you know goalies are you know very cerebral people and i feel like he was just you know in his own that you know we were just in awe of watching him i would assume that uh brady got the aux cord then if he was the one playing tunes on the bus no mills he was on mills he was running an ox yeah yeah mills he was he was good he had some good jams going what was the one that you guys would listen to right before you would go out would you always keep it the same trying to what was this uh we had the we had we had one yeah um he played a lot of like rock music like old 90s like rock music i'm trying to think of what you it's up your alley isn't it jack oh that's a good one we salute you he played like some he would have like creed go in stone temple pilots and then you'd hear like shine down before the game like he was kind of all over the map he played some great tunes and the boys were loving it and i was like oh my god i'm gonna play our tiny little locker room it was awesome any weird like pre-game rituals or routines that you noticed from the other guys on the team where you're like oh my god how does this guy do this every game i don't know i have a lot of weird ones so i'd probably say i'm he's probably people were probably looking at me like what's wrong what are some of the mics i don't know hanny was hanny was like at one point he like had like he has like this eye patch that he wears and i'll put an eye patch and he'll like balance on one leg and throw like tennis balls off the ball and i looked up was walking around with the eye patch on it was fucking unbelievable i was like like it was unreal like there's shit like that guys are just like busting each other's balls he'd like come over to me he's like what are you doing there and i was like kind of explaining it to him and he's like let me see that thing he's like i gotta work on my vestibular system he would be warming up for the game biz and he'd be leaning off the edge of a bench like a bench press and he'd be doing neck curls like he's getting ready to go fight mike tyson like he'd have no sleeves on his shirt he had like up marks all over his shoulder he had his wrist taped up it was so funny i got no sleeves on and he's just doing neck exercises like he's mike tyson off the end of a bench ike's you're going to be performing in vegas when you get back that's why you got the one leg this away yes what's the what's that new dome called what do they call it the sphere oh the sphere yeah the new dome the new dome ike's you see metallica's there yeah that's gonna be that's yeah the task is going next fall it's on a little have you seen the eagles there yet yeah i seen the eagles they were phenomenal unreal yeah that that was the one i went to uh what oh you must be a big um uh not not decent with grateful dad you must be a huge grateful dad guy i'm not a huge dad i'm not like a deadhead like they're like i feel like deadheads are like religious to the grateful that's not hard enough for you uh i mean i like i like the grateful dad don't get me wrong they have some incredible music but made it to a dead concert when they were there we went to the ufc together the two of us when they had the the mexican independence day um fight i think it was two years ago we went to that um but metallica will definitely be on that'll be nuts in there for sure how excited are you guys to get back to vegas like you saw the ovation that jack hughes gets last night and you know you see what it means to your guys's fan base especially playing in uh an american market and especially your fans must be fired up to get back there yeah i mean in our yeah i mean our fans are incredible like we're we're so lucky that they're you know just so supportive of of our team uh you know it is such a great place to play every night for all the guys and um yeah i'm excited to get back there i'm excited to yeah i'm excited to be you know back here in the states obviously we got a little road trip going here now but um yeah it'll be nice to get home it's been a long time and um yeah excited to kind of get back in my in my house it's been like what four weeks almost three three and a half weeks so it'll be good and super excited to get back at t-mobile does air force two have uh gold shit tickets i heard that it has wifi what's gold shit tickets they got a toilet paper i don't think that i don't know there's probably a couple guys that probably use the bathroom in that way so you could probably ask them i'm not sure who's the type of guy who would dump on a flight on that team who is yeah milsy he's a farm animal there's actually a lot of guys i could think of that would do that so milsy like fell asleep right when we got on the plane and like chuck you was like yeah good time to take a nap milsy like we're on air force two for two hours and he snoozes the whole entire time it was so funny hey but probably better food on the plane than there was at the white house they were feeding you guys mickey d's no it wasn't mcdonald's oh no i think yeah that kind of got out there that got out there that it was mcdonald's but it wasn't mcdonald's it was mcdonald's it was wasn't like it was burgers burgers and you know they had a nice spread for us whatever but it was kind of cool the top of the burger bun had a at a white house stamp on it so it wasn't mickey d's it's all in the details right boys just like the penalty kill yeah it's all in the details any more you you drop the eyepatch story like what what were your top three shirt memories where like the whole room was just erupting at guys carving each other or do any more fun moments like that uh there was a lot i mean trying to think yeah yeah i'm trying to think i mean milsy was the brunt of a of a few really really good jokes and and honestly he he like wears it himself like he almost makes a joke about himself and there were times where he just he had us in tears but i mean there were so many characters and personalities on the team that there was never a dull moment biz for a while has been talking about matthew's like 200 foot game and if you watch the leafs a lot you could tell but that that tournament specifically the gold medal game i'm like holy shit this guy like he is not just an offensive player like do you do you appreciate maybe more people realizing that i know the hughes just spoke up right after the gold medal game about him like and jack's the same way you guys don't cheat the game man like for the two best forwards on the team like you guys don't cheat the game it's like you've gotten that credit like people have always said that about you or maybe they haven't with him yeah i mean and i i don't know where any type of criticism comes for a guy like that who he's so dedicated like he works so hard he does all the right things on and off the ice he's an unbelievable teammate he's such a great guy to be around he's like he could if you watch the game you see how unselfish he is it wasn't like hey i'm awesome matthews i gotta score the goals it was like and we know like the guy he has he has over 400 goals and he's like he's like he's like he's already in his career like i mean we're all in awe of what he's what he's what he's done and and the criticism is so it's just so wrong to me and when you when you spend time around him and you see him and you see him in an environment like that like he's so dialed in and and the only thing that mattered to him was winning and you could see it it was uh it was unbelievable he was our leader for a reason and um i mean he was a horse the whole tournament like he was unbelievable night in and night out and uh i'm so happy for him that that he's you know that he accomplished that because i feel like he gets so much he gets so much shit in the media and it's just to me it's so unprovoked because he's an unbelievable teammate and there's not a guy that can say a bad word about him he's you know he loves the game and he loves his teammates and he was awesome for us i feel like because he's such a quiet humble guy they try to provoke him and he just never takes the bait he just kind of goes about his business and uh you know yeah i think that he's he's he's massively underrated still no um as a defenseman who's used to playing 20 minutes like what are you doing to like stay in the game it's hard right when you're getting put out there every third shift or something like that maybe fourth shift like what were you doing to to stay ready because it is a lot harder than people think i find like the hardest thing in situations like when you're not playing as much as normal is like just like when the puck's on your stick like being comfortable with the puck because like you haven't been on the ice in so long feeling it i think the legs and stuff are fine but i think for me it was that but i don't know you just get used to it and like you're you're so dialed in like the intensity of everything that whole time like every game like every practice is like ramped up so much because of like how important it is that i found that like for me mentally like it wasn't just like another game like during the season like you're locked in like you're laser focused that when you get on the ice for like one shift like you you try to stay present and i that's what i try to do at you're also on the ice with four four studs every time you get on the ice and you're just like you know just the little things like read a sample math views like just how good like you know jack and and austin are like coming back helping defensively like winning every every battle like the little things like that that people may not see all the time but when you're playing with them on a daily basis you see it and it's like it's unbelievable so your practices were ramped up it wasn't just like a feel-good practices you guys were going hard every day yeah like even when we were working on like special teams and stuff like it was just like everyone was going a hundred percent like i i thought at least it was competitive yeah the practices were competitive and i thought that was great right from the first day i mean we but we kept it light on the ice like we were joking laughing like there was chirps flying all the way through the you know we we had an optional skate the day before we had an optional skate saturday afternoon and everybody skated except for one guy i won't single him out but like it was very light on the ice i mean we're playing the gold medal game in less than 24 hours and like we were making jokes and it was pretty light but if you want me to single him out i will milsy took the day off so shocker were you were like coaches taking heat from the guys too or where it was any would the coaches off limits no no nobody's off limits in there right no everyone was and that was like the that was one of the best parts is like nobody was off limits everyone got it and um i think that's what made uh made it as cool as it was was that the bet like i mean just to direct it over to canada was that the best team you've ever played like just from what you saw from what they threw at you guys like incredible hockey game yeah i mean for sure like they they brought their a game and a team like that brings your a game that's that's a lot to handle and like i texted you after the game biz and i was like yeah our goalie made a few saves huh you know like i mean he played unbelievable and obviously we're not uh we're not in this situation if it wasn't for him but at the same time i thought the whole group competed you know so hard and um a ton of credit to them i mean they uh they came play and you know in games like that it can really go either way and um for us it was just nice to you know be on the right side of it also charlie mcavoy yans like a guy who breaks his jaw earlier in the year being able to just stay on the goal line and take whatever's coming at him and make that save like i know it's remarkable all the little moments that happened when you guys were like against the wall but you guys stayed strong we were talking about the other day too it's like one of those things where like as the game is going on like you could see like little things happening like some of the saves or when charlie like kept that puff out of the net like it was almost like it was like destined to happen it felt like at one point we were like all right like the fact that we kind of got out of all those situations alive now like i feel like it's just like on our side right now i i don't know i don't know if you guys felt that way watching paddle and then mckinnon yeah you guys killed the five on three i'm watching i'm like dude if they could kill that like it's kind of like the saying like you don't score on a five on three you and i was like if they did that like this might be the day biz asked uh wierenski about billy g like he said it best he's just such a guy's guy and like having him in charge of this team staying in touch with you guys throughout the season what's it like when he comes into the room addresses the team like how much do you appreciate the way he's able to do things yeah i mean he was he was he was awesome i mean throughout the whole summer you know when we were in you know plymouth for a few days it was pretty informal and then you know coming you know into milan like there was a few moments where he came in and addressed the team and basically just trying to instill as much confidence in in our group and he put you know such an awesome group together so so much credit to him but uh that's exactly the way that he is i mean he's such a guy's guy he's gonna tell you exactly how it is and um you know he was in the locker room after games joking with guys and he was one of the guys that was making fun of people people were trying to take shots at him so uh that's exactly how he is he's a guy's guy and it's really cool to have somebody like that who's you know who's been through it who's who's played who's represented the country at the highest levels and um just so much respect for him um you know his his entire career him as a person and and and what he was able to do you know with our group how cool is it after the game you know obviously you guys in the locker room with just the guys but going into the family room after and seeing your parents and seeing your friends that made the trip over there and i know how close both families and friends that that must have been just like the icing on top yeah it was it was unbelievable i mean i had two of my buddies from high school that flew over in like two days notice just to come over and catch it and you know high school buddies and then just seeing like you know my parents my brother sister you know my wife her family like it was it was so special and that was like a moment that i'll never forget like when we scored that goal like the joy i felt like at the last time i felt that i was probably like 10 years old you know like it was like you felt like a little kid and jumping around and you know it was like a moment that i'll never forget like when we and then uh celebrating with the guys but then going upstairs and seeing like my dad and stuff like it was like something like i'll never forget um that's noah was your was your sicko uh fake uncle there billy no billy didn't make it he's down naples golf he doesn't have a passport who's this he's a fake uncle buddy he's got a fake uncle yeah that is an absolute menace yeah yeah yeah he is i think you just tell everybody he's your uncle he's like my dad's like best friend they like grew up together and uh billy pender he's like my uh we play in like that member guests at wollaston where where what is and keith uh used to be at and he's my guest but everyone calls him uncle billy he's uh he's a riot he's a good guy is that the place we golfed at wollaston yeah yeah with the bruins okay yeah i don't know if we're gonna get the invite boys you guys you guys hey you might be gold medalists but biz and i owned you at granite link so you're gonna have to find a third who's in who's in mind here who's in mind who's our third i have to pull a ringer another you might have to get keller well keller i was gonna say another mask guy easy matt boldy oh that's who biz said he's he might be too good he's a stick wit i've seen him play a few times he's legit like he's legit no i played with him once and i almost puked on the first hole he hit it 320 yards hit it to a foot i'm like what the fuck and shot he shot like three under he went up to bgc last summer i saw him like i was playing with uh a few of my buddies and he was up there with somebody else and i was like what the hell is this guy he's a good guy and he shot like a 66 at boston golf last summer like he was like he's gross yeah he can't play no we're not yeah he doesn't get that he's good he's on the no fly was so nasty dude on the bench you guys must have been losing it dude it was crazy it's kind of like a like i don't know i thought it was because it was such a great game and obviously hughes's goal was such an unbelievable goal but like that goal bold score it was like nasty like like it was macar yeah like he said he's another guy like you know when you play with him up to a point he's like oh my god i'm gonna close like that and you see like all the little things he does like he's just a stud like he's so strong on the puck like he's such a good stick um obviously last year we played them in the playoffs and he was he was unreal for minnesota but just uh yeah that was a great goal i asked the same thing to a wrenski who was maybe a guy that you guys didn't know that closely going into this experience where you left being like oh my god this guy's such a beauty and i'm so grateful to be share this memory and be basically lifelong friends after it his answer was bull r um faber oh yeah he's who had that iconic photo he's on favors glasses he's great babes is unbelievable he's uh he's like the epitome of a guy's guy he's he was the best yeah and he's unbelievable player as well but there was a lot of guys that i mean we got really close last year in the four nations and then you know we didn't have we didn't have quinny there right like quinn didn't play so i thought it was really cool to be around him him a part of the group it was uh obviously tough we didn't have him last year he got hurt right before the tournament and then just getting the chance to get to know him and um i mean he's a special player but just uh you know such a great guy as well and um had a ton of fun with him the kachuks i feel like they are i i describe them as like these wwe characters where they're obviously able to go out there and do what they do on the ice but i feel like they're able to shoulder a lot of the media stuff where it probably helps the other guys on the team just kind of focus on the work do you guys feel the same and how would you describe their dynamic and like what they bring to a locker room when they're together i just think they have unbelievable personalities i just think they have such great personalities so when they're in the locker room they do such a great job of bringing the whole team together and you know to be able to do that is is is such a great skill and um you know they obviously were such huge parts parts of our team on the ice but personalities and the way that they brought the group together off the ice from day one like it was uh it was really i mean it was a huge part of of of our success and why our team was so close i did love how matthew's like yeah i knew when we went to ot my night was done so i i became a cheerleader who were you going to be out on the ice with ike's did you get a shift in between the yeah i got one yep i gapped up a few times got over a few guys hell yeah all the day's work pressure wet no your night was done i was done i was sending me troach we were sitting there we were like freaking praying we had our heads down the boards it was like it was almost like nerve wreck like wrecking watching because you're like yeah like you're it's one thing if you're in the moment like playing the game and you're getting into it but when you're sitting there and you're just like watching it you're like this could go either way like we're either gonna do what we did the last few days or it's just over and you like lose so it was pretty crazy to watch or it's just this buddy yeah or it's just this hey that shines bright this is bright buddy yes silver shines Why are you looking at me like that, Yance? Because it doesn't. boys it was it was legendary i know you guys know that but i think 26 million people watching that buddy it's something i'll never forget i know my oldest he won't stop talking about it and you guys will be legends forever because of it so thanks for joining the show thanks for having us on guys thanks for all the support as well hey chicklets fans we're gonna take a quick break for a message from one of our partners stelle blue coffee's new can lattes are here crafted with 100 colombian coffee each can is a good source of protein and comes in two smooth flavors espresso cafe mocha and espresso sweet cream and whether you're braving your morning commute or chasing your pup stelle blue cans are for those always on the go and for those who care stelle blue is more than just great coffee it's about giving back i named the brand after my rescue dog stella who inspired our mission to help more dogs find their forever homes every purchase supports animal rescue organizations so when you drink stelle blue you're not just fueling your day you're saving a dog's life try the new cans today taste the difference and make a difference all new stelle blue coffee canned lattes now available at stellebluecoffee.com or subscribe on amazon for 10 off all right now back to the show thank you so much to jack eichel noah hannifin great people the re the rematch is on boys they're gonna find someone and i don't know if they want this smoke again they might need they might need a true stick to take us down in the sandbagger this summer uh mark specter he despises us um he came at me again last night so a a clip of him interviewing mcdavid um somebody else so biz i guess you had it but somebody else tweeted out a clipped version of his interview to break it down is mark specter asked a long question and he did set up the fact that it was going to be a difficult question and then mcdavid had a quick response saying well that's that was very nice of you essentially to ask that horrendous question after i've just fucking laid it all on the line for my country um and then proceeded to answer it well somebody online posted the video of that and then as soon as he'd said well that's a nice question stop the video a hard question but you know stanley cups found gretzky and crosby and those guys and gold medals and you've been in put yourself in position and it's not finding you did you think it would be this hard that's a nice question thank you um david then had a long reply but at the time memes just saw that part of it right he's not in edmonton you know that's a video that's circulated and it's spec being spec again and so they're trying to basically spin it like we purposely cut this clip without mcdavid's response even though he answered the hard question basically saying that it's like we're we're horrible like for like true journalists and blah blah blah blah listen memes was the one who saw the video and posted it we have nothing to do with that and memes is just doing his fucking job if memes would have saw the clip with the response as well he would have just posted that with the the like spec at it again basically so i don't know him and gregor are obviously not big fans of us like i don't really give a flying fuck and and like came at us for that but like whatever i mean it to me it's a bit of a nothing burger also probably not what i would have asked mcdavid after he just put his heart and soul into trying to win a fucking gold medal for his country and i don't know i don't know i don't yeah it's hard man it's hard for mcdavid he's now been to two stanley cup finals and in a gold medal in the olympics and he's come up shorthanded and it's not it's not because of him just i feel really bad for him i'm ready to fucking send over whatever you guys need from the toronto maple leaves to ensure that this guy lifts the stanley cup because he deserves it i talk about these guys putting every fucking fiber of their being at all times into to trying to be the best and it just so happens because the greatest game in the world is not just a few guys going out there and getting shit done and it takes a team you know he's been left a little bit shorthanded and yeah like i'm not gonna i'm not gonna run away from the fact that yeah his his numbers are obviously not good in those games but i think we can all agree that he was probably the most or one of the most dominant players on the ice for canada in that gold medal game and of course throughout the tournament that's why he won mvp if not for conor hellebuck we're having a completely different conversation right now right so yeah i i just think like there's certain ways to ask that question i actually respect reporters have to ask hard questions and and it sucks that players have to deal with hard questions that's that's part of it like spec asking a hard question buddy that that's your job that's your job now you can't tell me he's not looking to make that as hard as course he is possible he's known for that isn't he oh yeah buddy like he but listen you spec had a point spec wrote to me last year oh no this was two years this was three this was november 11 2023 he said hey wit spec here shit's raining on me because of the dumb fucker who made that tweet on your account you think woody does uh does read us all he's giving me a fresh shot every day he's talking about woodcroft your guy got fooled by a phony and the chicklets account is making hay on my rep i got no idea what you're talking about then today yesterday i see your place is still in my head i'm not gonna lie to you i'm not gonna lie to you i'm not gonna lie to you i'm still misrepresenting my work mcdavid gave a thoughtful intelligent answer to my question but your place clipped it before he spoke making it look like he didn't answer makes me look bad makes me look bad you guys do peddle in the dishonest don't you spec buddy the clip went viral with somebody else's memes who's a complete mutant moron looking at milfs all day online put the tweet out there and then you're coming at me okay yes he did answer your question but that question he asked could have been worded in such a nicer way he he revels in making you as uncomfortable as you can and buddy like the the clip look mcdavid mcdavid gave you a long thoughtful answer because he's a pro he gave you the quick answer that was tweeted out and went viral because it's an asshole way to ask the question that's a fact okay so you want to remind him of the gretzky and the crosby and the lemuse and winning coming easy and winning coming easy to them that's a hell of a way to word a question dude so we apologize once again i i it wasn't even we didn't clip it dude we didn't clip it to make you look foolish fucking spec everyone reads spec uh tristan jari literally could not save the puck last night in anaheim the others were up two nothing they had three different leads they lose in regulation he actually got pulled have you ever seen a goalie get pulled when it's five with like six minutes left in the game i've never seen that but i think at one point novel it's like all right this is ridiculous they end up losing in regulation uh ian moore scored a goal he had two goals and in his career coming into the game short side glove that was the first one seneki scored the fifth goal i think it was on the ice five hole now a lot of the responses to my tweet saying can we get binnington um or look at the d binnington won't help it doesn't matter who you have in there maybe that's true you know i don't know i don't know i don't know i don't know you could see the winning goal cutter gote standing alone on the back post and there's five guys from the others staring at the puck and leo carlson who fires it across for a tap in yeah i don't i don't biz you said it you'll give us help from toronto there are some other things we had to get to here brutal news for the penguins guys um crosby's out he's out about a month i think usually it's around uh six weeks on an mcl say it's been a week he's probably got four to five more weeks pittsburgh's second uh in the metro had this magical season that nobody nobody expected uh see if dubas can do something see if the team can can stay stay afloat until he gets back i think we've all said many times we want to see pittsburgh in the playoffs give another chance at maybe another run you never know um malkin maybe he resigns i think there's been discussions um he's had such a great year bring him back for another year i hope uh but that sucks because the way sid had been playing this year and the records he set and just we want him in the game we want him playing we want pittsburgh to make a little bit of a run that'd be an awesome story um but the penguins weren't done in the news they traded for sam gerrard biz you've been all over this for a while in terms of colorado if they were going to move on from someone it might be him they have makar malinsky's just resigned he's pretty good offensively they got manson uh they they have um brent burns they have a lot of good players they have a lot of good players they have a lot of so they didn't necessarily need gerrard and his offense they go and get brett kulak um and i think the the abs traded gerrard and a second round pick to the penguins for kulak i saw kulak the past years in edmonton i saw last night in the colorado game that they won he played uh about 19 minutes he is steady he's solid he's kind of exactly what colorado needs if they look at gerrard and maybe his times on turning it over and looking at how good he is offensively it's like all right let's just get somebody a little bit more steady and i think kulak is that i don't think he moves the puck as well he can't create offense like gerrard but just looking at their team i think we're able to to lose gerrard and bring this guy in and biz you kind of called this one a while back yeah like well i just i said that i felt like he was probably the easiest to to leave exposed just because they already have that dynamic with makar and then you saw what malinsky's got signed for school it's like ah he comes in what probably close to two million dollars in cheaper than gerrard and he's also like a bigger player where i found that gerrard would maybe get like not Not to say he doesn't compete for an undersized guy. Like, it's just, you know, your frame is your frame, right? So I felt like in some games, I would notice they would get hemmed in a little bit. It's hard for him to really close off a guy. And I think that they would probably value that more, especially getting it done a lot cheaper if they ended up moving on from him and obviously open up some cap space to maybe do something even more drastic as we get towards the deadline here to ensure that they get their second Stanley Cup. And I would imagine after Nate got that teddy bear, he probably ended up fucking being like, we better win a fucking Stanley Cup or somebody's going to die around here. I bet you he fucking keeps it. An all-time clip, by the way. All time. I bet you he keeps that next to his nightstand and he fucking wakes up every morning at 6 a.m. being like, I'm going to fucking rip this thing's fucking head off. And uses it as motivation. But it sucks, though. And you could see through Eric Johnson's tweet about Sam Gerrard and just, the way that his teammates and I'm sure the management even, how they feel about him. He's a winner and he's an incredible player. I love how he's able to buzz around out there. He's a water bug, right? And he's able to create offense on his own, open up his own lane. So he's a very good player to watch and a great pickup for the Pittsburgh Penguins, especially as they maybe lack a little bit of that offense with Crosby at a lineup for the next four weeks. So wish him well. This sucks, man. This is the nature of the beast, right? The nature. This is the nature of the game. And I can only imagine he's like, fuck, he feels gutted that he was about to go on his second Stanley Cup run with this Colorado team and all of a sudden he's getting this type of news after the All-Star break or, excuse me, the Olympic break. But yeah. Yeah, it's tough. That's a tough one, boys. I mean, you, fuck you. You were that guy. Yeah, he won one at least. Right, but you were that offensive defenseman where they're like, ah, we need to address this area and it's hard cap and that's just the way the money works. And they had, they had Gonshar, they had Letang and Goligosky was coming. And it was quite evident, like we can move on from this guy, this guy being me. And it sucks. But at least, at least Gerrard did get one there. And I want to read Eric Johnson's tweet. He said, Sam Gerrard appreciation post. We were coming off the worst season in franchise history when we got G. From that moment on, we were a perennial playoff team. G was a huge part of that and a big reason for our success. G went through personal issues in the public eye and came back a better man. He should be celebrated and thanked for what he did in Colorado. We were lucky to have him. Good luck, Sammy. And Gerrard was pretty open about taking a little bit of a break from the game for some issues. And just to be open, open with that stuff is pretty powerful. I think it helps a lot of people that aren't in the public eye that are maybe hesitant to do that. So yeah, Sam Gerrard's a fun player to watch. And I think he'll be great on Pittsburgh. It just, they just looked at their roster and kind of thought, what would help us more? Is it a steady 19, 20 minute guy? P.K. guy? Or is it Samuel Gerrard? And Colorado made that decision. But Kulak's a free agent after this year. And Gerrard, I believe. He signed through next season. Signed through next season. So, and Dubas has set this team up, man. He's got a ton of picks. He's got a ton of prospects. So we'll see what the Dubas stock is able to do here. And doesn't that leave, didn't Biz or someone send a text message that leaves $8.7 million? $8.7 million in Colorado's cap space? We promised to never bring that up again. Biz did. So Kadri also, Nazem Kadri, apparently according to TSN's Darren Dreger, wants to be traded. $7 million cap hit. I think every single team in the league that wants to win a Stanley Cup would have a lot of interest in him. If he's your second line center, even your third line center on some really good teams, like you are set to win the guys against you. He's a gamer. He's a mean prick on the ice. He can score. He can play off player to play off player. I would love to see Kadri on a team trying to make a run. Do you think it's going to be one of those things that Calgary is going to have to eat some salary? Because, you know, the teams that he's got, he's got 13 team, no move clause, like the team that he's going to want to go to probably don't have $7 million in cap space, right? Probably not. I mean, buddy, if that's going to, if that's going to increase your return, I think it's pretty, obviously Calgary wants to be set to get going as the new arena opens. I think it's two years away. If you can eat a little bit of money on that and then you can get the return even greater, that's kind of a no brainer for me. That'll be, I just wonder of all the trades and the names you hear, like what will be summer deals and what can get done? I mean, the deadline's in eight days, boys. It's kind of crazy how quick this is coming. But we'll see. I see him in Dallas for some reason. I don't know why I just see him in Dallas and Dallas tough news out of the Olympics. Nico Ronton will miss a minimum of two weeks with a lower body injury. He, he, he suffered in Milan. Just kind of part of what you're dealing with when guys go over there, but he should be able to return before the regular season, not the end of the world. They're in the playoffs. They're in a good spot. I don't think they're catching Colorado either way. Now, maybe they lose home ice to Minnesota in that first round matchup, but you saw last week, last year that, that when Ronton is going in that game seven, a game that nobody will ever forget what he was able to do to his former team. So this, this would be the year of the cap circumcision. If you could do it, like bringing back all these guys from, and it's the last year you could do it. I, oh, you can do it this year. Yeah. Right. Oh shit. I think teams are going to be doing it. Yeah. And they're actually moving to three on three and overtime these playoffs as well. Just kidding. Perfect. Blues forward, Robert Thomas. He took the lead. He took a leave for personal reasons. So hopefully everything's all right in his life. What a player he is. That's a guy who's been kind of out there. I think it would take a boatload to get him out of St. Louis. True number one center, incredible player. I guess he's going to return to the team this week though. So, all right, with that, we got Ari's world coming up, but first we're going to talk to Abby Murphy, gold medal winner for team USA. Let's throw it over to her. I'll just say just one quick thing. Yeah, go ahead, Liz. Coop, I don't know if we mentioned Coop. Obviously you've had a very difficult week. He loses that gold medal game. And then after the gold medal game, I think it was, you know, 30 to 36 hours later, he loses his father and just a brutal, brutal gut punch. And we just want to send our condolences to Coop. Canadian icon. Love you, buddy. I'm really sorry for what you and your family are going through. And it's just been a really brutal week for, for, for, for a lot of, a lot of Canadians. Well said. So, so sorry, Coop. Let's bring in Abby Murphy right now. Very, very, very lucky right now to be joined by gold medalists. And the person who I think has the assist of the season in hockey, that is Abby Murphy of the university of Minnesota. What's going on, Abby? How are you guys doing? Thanks for having me. Just back to normal life here. Yeah, we're doing great. How are you doing is the question. I can't imagine the celebration and we saw, you out chug Jason Kelsey. So we know you can drink. I can't imagine how you're feeling getting back to campus. Yeah. Cheers down up. Oh, love that little interference. Pick play. You should get another gold medal for that. No, she did. Oh, that was electric. I mean, that guy's a legend, you know, in so many ways, but for him to be there supporting us was super cool. And to chug a beer with him, uh, a massive guy, but I can't even imagine how many beers he deletes, but, um, I could say the same over here the past couple of weeks for us girls. So, uh, that was awesome. It's crazy. You're just going back to your college campus. Like what a whirlwind dude. It's nuts. I mean, the, the journey and the past couple of weeks in Italy has been, been wild, but I guess that's kind of what we signed up for here, going back to school and kind of getting back into things. The professors aren't making you do homework or take tests or anything, right? Cause as, as a proud American, and if any, if any of those professors are listening, give Abby an A for the rest of the year. She's done. She's done for the year. Dude. I think that's like the shittiest part about going back to school is, you know, it's a part of kind of staying eligible, but, um, just trying to pass, you know, obviously not focused on school. It's hockey's life. You know, when came back to my fifth year for hockey specifically. So, uh, but professors have been great, you know, uh, get your schoolwork done on time, whatever, uh, hand in late stuff, they'll take good care of you. So really lucky here at the U. Well, we talked to Gavin, McKenna, he's taken fly fishing. What, what, what kind of courses are you taking? Dude, God bless that kid. I mean, he's having the time of his life over there. He's a legend. So I wish I could take fly fishing. I'm in like some BS classes, Tibetan medicine and nature heals. So I have to do a little work, but, uh, we're trying over here. So take us, uh, take us through the term. And I mean, it was leading up to the gold medal game, the most dominating team I think I've ever seen. Just, I think it was at one point you'd scored 20 goals, given up one. And all of a sudden you're down late to Canada. Like before that game, did you understand, or did you guys all realize that it would be a lot closer than it had been the past few games? I think, yeah, I feel like whenever you, you get put up against Canada under that kind of pressure in a gold medal game, you're going to expect everything to come at you. So, I mean, leading up to it, I think, I mean, it doesn't lie. Our team was obviously the best team in that, in that tournament. Um, but I mean, there's so much talent on one team, you know, everyone kind of playing a role. Um, having Hillary Knight as your captain has just, electric energy. So um but yeah i mean obviously that gold medal game i mean it went down to the wire you know but freaking hillary with the tying goal she's shows up in those in those kinds of moments so then megan keller absolutely putting someone in a blender and put out and that was was nasty so such an electric moment for both men's and women's hockey teams you know obviously so much history there so incredibly special i thought it was like we were talking about it so hillary knight did she get engaged the day before the gold medal game day before biz that's when you know you're that's when you know you just you know you're gonna win it made me nervous i'm like listen we can't f this up like i mean this is like a storybook ending right here like you get everything you want like we got to do it for hill you know i mean it's her last olympic she gets everything she gets the girl you know so super super cool moment for her and obviously ending off with a gold medal we can't really complain did she tell all you girls she was doing it before the game no she didn't but i mean hill likes to go on these little side quests um and she doesn't like to share many um information about those so um a lot of us were super shocked so when we found out uh at practice before the gold medal game was electric the the locker room was going crazy so it was super fun but super happy for her she's probably thinking though like i i'm pretty sure you guys called a timeout before you scored that goal right because it was a power play goal like she's probably thinking a i gotta i gotta bury one here or i maybe look a little silly at the fact that i got engaged and then we end up fumbling this gold medal over yeah dude i mean she broke the record for what most goals i think something about most points like no better moment to do it you know but she shines like i said in times like that moments like those she's a legend in the game you know along with so many other players but uh such a cool moment for her for her and our team is is she the the loud one in the locker room intermissions prior to the game or is it somebody else who's doing a lot of the vocal you know speaking in the room yeah for sure i feel like that's what's like really cool about our about our team is that like everyone kind of speaks up you know whether you're a college kid or you're a hillary knight you know she's obviously always saying things kind of um you know that first period in the canada game we kind of got our asses out worked a little bit and i think we know that so um but you know she came out of the locker room kind of told us to wake up and and we knew this wasn't going to be handed to us um how the rest of the round robin games went but you know um yeah i mean she's such a good leader on and off the ice you know you can't have it any better than that so we're extremely grateful for her and uh everyone else who leads on our team abby i was gonna ask you i mean you look at your guys's roster you guys got people from all over the u.s right like it's kind of similar to the men's like the way that the game has grown and you guys are a very young team playing against the older more experienced canadian team was that kind of one of those things where you're like okay it's our time now especially you being one of the younger studs like was it kind of like the younger gals talking and being like hey this is our time to fucking shine now like that we want to show everyone that usa is going to be on top for a long time absolutely you know i think we give a lot of props to our coach you know robo who put together such a legendary team you know obviously you put so many people in who haven't had much experience at an olympics or whatsoever but i think we've all played enough hockey to be able to be put in those situations to to shine bright and um you know i think when you put in young players and talent that you have on our team it's kind of unstoppable um against you know a little bit of older players on that canada team who um you know they're great players you know i feel like we just kind of outworked them a lot and um you know a lot of players on our team shine like hannibalca and and hyzee and i can go list after list but um you know at the end of the day we were just a legendary team and it was so cool and electric so it wasn't even your first olympics you were able to experience it in 2022 so did you feel like that experience like helped you out and like getting acclimated to when you get there and kind of everything you have to go through and what was like what was the difference in your experiences compared to the first one absolutely yeah it was completely different you know covid obviously didn't didn't help anything it made made a made a little bit shittier obviously run into a lot of issues but um you know i feel like personally i played a different role at that olympics didn't really play much so um kind of being able to kind of go through that that those moments and kind of experience it all and then into italy kind of playing a different role here and um obviously being in those canadians heads they can't get sick of me so um but it's it's so cool kind of what do you mean by that you mean you're chirping all game you got some food to a biz i love it it's always chicago girl always what kind of stuff are you saying from old block dude don't fuck around oh not quite but close not quite but close you know but uh they a lot of people on our in their heads and i think that's it's an honor you know are you digging up dirt on these people like outside you're just you're you're doing like a private eye detective type work she's like jalen ramsey yeah you know i try to a little bit you know my my teammates give me some dirt you know they'll do anything for their country why not anything you say is gonna piss them off and um obviously you can't cross lines you know who taught you to play with that edge though like where did you get that i grew up with two older brothers okay they they beat my ass when i was they kind of set the set the path for me i kind of chirped them my dad would be like nope that's off limits and i tried different things and some would be okay some wouldn't but um you know growing up playing with the boys you kind of had to fight for yourself and learn new ways to kind of win and battle so um but now it's just been so fun i feel like it's a battle between us and the canadians canadians for a very long time watching your team play like the the caroline harvey to me like i was she's a rival at wisconsin but how long have you kind of known her and realized like she she has to be the best skating women's player right yeah dude she's she's insane i mean she's on a whole nother level you know whoever taught her how to skate's got to get a lot of hell a hell a lot of other people to to learn from them but just the way she moves and and her agility is incredible i mean when i watch her like work on the blue line it's like putting people like literally in blenders like back and forth it's like they literally cannot keep up with she's so impressive up there you know like like watching her with the puck it's like yep let her do her thing and then something's gonna happen out of it and it's just gonna be like holy shit like she just did that like her goal against the swiss i don't know if you guys saw that yeah absolutely just down the wall made the goalie look like an idiot just like she's like quinn hughes like it was the same way like just such a better skater than everyone else no and it's not even matched either like it's it's here to here so props to her but love playing with her hate playing against her you know so uh really cool my thing is like uh the high school that i went to the i think like three of the girls played on on team usa and just like the hatred that you guys have for canada and now nowadays you guys might play on the same teams in the pwhl and and you know be a little more buddy buddy like the nhl guys are but like even now like you're still you can you can feel the hatred of of you know the two teams like what is that just one of those things that you're like oh my god i'm not gonna play against her those things you're born with or when you get in that locker room it's just passed down from generation to generation yeah absolutely i mean i think when you experience it at like a u18 world you kind of first come to realize that it's just um the rivalry that you'd never expect you know and um ever since i put on a usa jersey for u18s that my hatred for canada sorry biz kind of grew you know so um but i think everyone feels the same way you know canadians hate us too i'm just happy i don't have to go back to a pw and play with play with any of them or against them so uh but yeah i mean you you go on the ice and it's a free for all you know there's there's no limits to to what gets said or what gets you know you put someone on the line you hit them you know it's it's whatever you're we're not friends you know i'm happy i'm not friends with any of them you know obviously look up to all of them who lends one of the greatest players in women's hockey you know she's is she the goat dude i hillary's my goat you know but pooling is right up there a canadian goat you know i'm not gonna play against them you know i mean playing against her dude it's like you gotta watch out for her every single time you know so much props to her but like i said my goal is to get under her skin and and not let her do her things that that she wants to i i think it truly is like the best rivalry in sports just because it's it's always seems to be you guys in the finals are playing the meaningful games and you guys wear it on your sleeves like it it's hatred and in the best way possible obviously you have respect for them but that that rivalry i don't think there's a better one in the game sports i can't agree more you know i look back to the men's game at the the four nations you know and they just drop the gloves and start hammering each other like it doesn't get better than that like no it doesn't you know like i think that just shows like how cool the sport of hockey is that that you can do that and then go back and play with these guys but i mean it's the same if i could drop the gloves and start beating the shit out of someone i think i would i think that'd be really cool well i'm interested to get your take on that like if is it up to the girls if maybe i know there is an element of physicality to it where you can like but like obviously open ice hitting is not quite there do you think that that will ever change and is that something that the girls are trying to invite and get into the game of female hockey yeah you know i quite honestly have no idea i think that it should be considered i think it'd be really cool for this entire sport especially obviously women's hockey men's hockey is on a whole different level but you know i obviously they they leveled up in the women's league allowing hitting uh in the women's league Obviously, they are trying to manage that and find limitations on like you said open ice hits but I couldn't even imagine a better feeling of what we could do if we were able to kind of hit in games like that at the Olympics but you know we'll see I mean I feel like the sport's growing in a good way that you kind of see how that rivalry plays out and hopefully one day they can they can allow things like that but who knows who knows excuse my negligence so now that you're in your fifth year at university have you been drafted to the PWHL yet or does that have to happen once you leave college once you leave college you were going to be a top pick last year decided to come back you guys are fourth right now so you have a lot of unfinished business this season and then the draft will come like I imagine that you're you're ranked to go pretty high have you thought about that or is it more kind of the moment right now with the gophers yeah absolutely obviously you dream about playing in that in that league you know obviously coming back to school was a huge option choice that I had to do over the summer so I feel like just for training wise for the Olympics it was kind of the best option best route to go so just the the facilities we have here and and the stuff that our staff workout guys kind of give us so I'm really lucky but excited kind of to get up in that draft pretty high not really sure where I'll go but wherever I do go I'll be excited and looking forward to it what do you rank like I like it have you looked or do you not look at that stuff would you say you're you're probably a top three pick at this point potential first overall um I don't know the way we talk about Caroline Harvey you know she's up there obviously I'm reading online it's you two back and forth one two yeah you know I mean whoever gets it you know I'll be happy for her but you know you'll fight for that you know we're however this college season ends out you know um but wherever I go you know I'm happy to just be there you know but battling for that spot would be pretty cool but like you said she's a legendary player you know her skating um the things she can do on the ice but um super looking forward to that and and playing in that league and allowing hitting it must have been a little different because usually um you guys trained together like for a year or two coming up but now with the with the p-dub and then you guys in college like it must have been a little bit different how long were you guys training together as a team before you went over to Italy yeah it was weird actually because I mean obviously in 2022 we took the residency year so entire school year off that was so nice not doing school and just living life playing hockey every day with your friends I mean the best no complaints at all in the world during that year but um yeah super excited so we started camps in August so we did a week in Lake Placid September was in Michigan October was in Blaine um so just one week a month and then we did rivalry series uh November and December just for for one week kick Canada's ass there too I'm gonna do a loser lap here you guys can ask an S question I'm gonna take a quick break let us know when you're back but yeah that was kind of it's something different you know that you kind of had to adjust to um which was different in the Olympic year but um obviously we never kind of took those weeks for granted got better every single month so um but yeah back to school it was just really weird like leaving and then kind of having to deal with the fact you're gone for three and a half weeks and then go back to school and right in time for playoffs so um but it's really cool kind of being on a high and I'm really excited about it and I'm really excited about it being at that highest level right now kind of going into it so our team's really excited though talk about uh coach robo I mean great player uh coach the national team development program and and went through a lot in his life like what does he mean to you guys what kind of coach is he and and how much did he mean uh to the team when you guys ended up getting the gold yeah we love the guy you know whatever happened you know we don't know much but um just his journey is really cool to see you know he took over our team so well we haven't been happy about it you know the way he he leads our team the faith he puts in us the belief we have every single day we we work together so um but yeah I mean for example you know that gold medal game down being down one to zero the entire game um you know he just instilled that belief factor in our team you know you're gonna win this game like go out there win it'll it'll come come your way eventually so um but you know seeing him cry after that game was was electric you know he's worked with us for so long and I'm really excited about that and I'm really excited and he's done so much for our team our organization so so much to be grateful for for that guy I don't think we've talked about Layla Edwards um I got a chance to interview her and she she she yeah she's like she seems a lot taller and bigger than the other girls like how is she is that the case yeah but she might beat your ass like oh she would for sure but she also seems a little bit soft-spoken like she's this like big presence but a little soft-spoken is that the case behind the scenes like she is so much fun and like such a good person to be around like amazing and it doesn't get much better when she puts on the ice it's a whole different person it's like get the f out of my way you know like there's no other thing but her shot dude it's like like crazy see it when it comes off it's like it's in the back of the net every single time but I got I got a good one for you guys so we were uh at the Slovakia men's game I want uh Slovakia versus USA I think that was was that the quarters of the semis semis yeah and uh we were hammered already like at the game and we went down to the locker room and we were we were all messing around kind of getting ready to go out there for the third period and we're me and Layla were messing around she put me in a chokehold wrapped me around a corner and I just fell flat on my ass and the team heard the biggest boom and I'm like Layla get me up like I can't get in trouble for this right now I'm like get me up Hillary's like what the fuck was that so I'm like I'm like terrified right now of like our captain about to like you know wake the f up like you gotta like no like we're in the locker room let's go so but she's awesome you know that was you guys just afterward basically like your tournament was over right and you're just celebrating getting to watch the men's and probably about 60 Michelob ultras deep yeah and she's just playing playing around with you and just chucking you like a kettlebell exactly literally you can you can't put any better than that but that was a funny moment we're still joking about it I wish there was footage in that little little hut but oh my gosh yeah she's an unbelievable person player so happy to like I said happy to play with her but the second we put on those skates and play against each other it's a little rough how was uh how was the reception when you got back to school like it must have I don't know if it's even hit you yet of what you guys have accomplished and how big of an accomplishment it is winning gold medal and bringing bringing a gold medal back but especially going back to a college campus must have been incredible yeah you know it's such a warm welcome you know I felt the support here from from our school from our teammates uh obviously people who who I see out at the bar kind of giving me the wave congrats so super super awesome obviously love this school love this campus and coming back here just bringing that gold medal back was was an honor and um can't wait to to obviously continue the celebration obviously after after playoffs here but um on a little stretch here so how many college players besides you and caroline were on the team you were on the team you were on the team you were on the team you were on the team I want to say six okay I think well they went younger that was the big topic of conversation and you guys seem like you you guys brought a lot of energy to the squad yeah you have to you know I mean you know we have um veterans you know who obviously paved the way for us so I mean our goal is kind of just to have some laughs in the locker room make some jokes kind of make them feel young again and especially on the ice kind of being creative and doing different things so uh but we loved kind of what we could give to our team you know it was super fun kind of you know we were able to do a lot of things and we were able to do a lot of things being one of those whatever how many players it is in college so um such a cool opportunity you know but the skill that these college players have is just it's incredible and um to know these girls to play with them is is just a blast do do the women have any like uh like like uh hockey lingo words that maybe the men are unaware of like is there anything that's like said in the locker room that we would be like oh okay and then uh if there's if there's no answer to that who was the coolest athlete in the locker room and who was the coolest athlete in the locker room and who was or athletes that you met at the olympics while you were there whether it was in the village or whether they came to see you play and i mean obviously you mentioned one of the kelse brothers that's pretty cool so any anyone that you got to meet that you're like wow that was an unreal interaction yeah um the lingo part no i feel like it's all the same all same okay oh yeah i mean you always get girl talk here and there the bs you know but um no not much but yeah there were a lot of cool celebrities there i think jason kelsey and kelly kelsey were up there as as two of them and i think they're all the same i think they're all the same i think they're all the top ones you know they were such cool humans almost felt like a normal interaction for how famous they are but um you know met snoop dog that was cool that guy's a crackhead but yeah i mean i don't think he's smoking crack unless that's what he's lacing it with i have no no it's probably no but there's no other way to put it but that guy is like no better like person to have you know help in the u.s kind of um it was it was so cool to kind of meet him and uh hear what he has to say supporting us you know we got to have him come to the rink and join our team there you go i got mine too snoop on a stoop with his crack pipe that was incredible kind of meeting him he was uh definitely a unique person to say the least but obviously his support for for the entire u.s olympians was really special i saw your obviously we all did your online video where you you busted out some witchcraft on that unreal assist you had so i'm looking at your hockey db here and it's your fifth year at minnesota and you're like oh my god i'm gonna and uh you had 18 points your first year as a freshman and then after that it was 50 points 62 65 and in 26 games already this year 61 points now jesus save some for the rest of them yeah yeah exactly i i would imagine that maybe by the time you're finished that you're the all-time leading scorer at uh at university of minnesota for the women or are you already there i actually have no idea so goals i got one more to beat uh the league the leading scorer right now so that's pretty cool um hopefully i can get that done this weekend here but so many legends have played here at the u on the woman's side so um but yeah i mean the level of of college has just been fun um scoring a lot of goals is my thing it's a lot of fun to celebrate do stupid shit so um but yeah it's been a blast who has that record amanda kessel is she uh nadine muzzerall are there any like uh maybe younger girls 16 17 phenoms coming up with usa hockey that you've like heard about or anything or are you kind of out of that loop oh yeah i think body bagged them yeah i i'm a little bit in the loop obviously watched a little bit of uh 20 u18 worlds i know there's a girl jane daly going going to ohio she's supposed to be a legend um so super excited for her kind of killing it there at u18s i think she broke the record for for most points at a world championship okay um but i'm sure there's a there's a lot of kids with a um skill that are coming in here and excited to watch them kind of kill it it was an amazing tournament um you're an electric person we appreciate you coming in here and i'm excited to watch you come in here and i'm excited to watch you coming on and congratulations once again it was an incredible story in that game man i was nervous i was like there's no way because i knew you won the games in edmonton and you dusted them the first one i'm like there's no way and boom you guys pulled it out so incredible congratulations no i was a special group to be a part of you know so i'm honored to represent our our country and to be an american there's no better feeling you know so uh biz you're trying to trying to get me on here a long time ago and i was right i was dming with you dude i was waiting for this moment i'm like god i'm like brian my agent i'm like you gotta help me out here i'm like but it's better that you waited yeah now you're stuck in the locker yeah dude so fun my brother's got this group chat and he's like abby when are you getting on the pod when are you getting on the pod his his entire group chat's lighting up they're called the riders so oh rico bosco riders yeah they're gonna be excited when this pod comes out so i appreciate you guys more than you know you guys are awesome and i watch a lot of this was it your brothers that were over there actually watching you guys and you guys were like oh my god i'm gonna be dressing up whose brothers those were hayley wins brothers but mine were kind of on the side they were probably more intoxicated than they should be they couldn't put them on camera yeah uh just one last one for me abby like are there any other like fun memorable stories from the village that you got to experience while there yeah obviously there were a ton of ton of really good memories to make but i think one that kind of will stick with me for a long time coming is uh uh that last gold medal game for the men we were obviously on the way back home from closing ceremony so we walked into the dining hall everyone was starving and um the first two guys that we saw were were brady to chuck uh connor hellbuck and uh um charlie mcavoy and charlie mcavoy had his goggles on his head still wrapped around i mean biggest smile on his face and and he welcomed every single girl a big old hug you know a squeeze that we were all laughing about big good memories and um he was just super happy for us as we were for them but what i think my favorite part was uh after that hug i was going to walk by and brady chuck literally had i think 20 of the lava cakes that the dining hall was famous for about 20 of them and and we all walked in and we're like those those all for you guys and uh now he laughed and he said literally listen like take one take them all so uh sharing that with all of us i mean obviously it was super funny but um that was just awesome you know joining in the dining hall after that both teams kind of conjoined um and sat together for for i want to say like two and a half hours in the dining hall up until 3 a.m i know they had a a quick flight out uh i know they had to get on a bus around 4 a.m but we sat around the table with laughs and jokes jack eichel was leading a lot of cheers that that we were following a lot along on uh i was sitting next to tage thompson who had a lot to share he was a really funny guy but you know it's just stuff like that that we're going to remember forever obviously um for us us both teams kind of writing in history is just such a cool opportunity so um to be there for them and to be there for them and to be there for them and to be there for them with them and experience all those things was was some of the best moments i remember that is incredible so jack eichel was getting a lot of the booze going with the girls and you guys were sharing war stories and how you guys got there and always yeah he wouldn't stop with the chance he was yelling and got everyone else everyone else yelling after him so um it was electric it was just so much fun and then the figure skaters speed skaters came in and um they were just open arms you know sit at the table hang out everyone was kind of conjoined so it was mixed but yeah like you said sharing those stories uh it's just super cool for for both of us did uh did anyone like you say the cheers like so when he would do it jack would he be like like talking from the heart about like how you guys have been able to achieve what you guys did and i think if you even go back like both ladies teams own the world championships so you guys got all four titles right now both teams right yeah absolutely i mean it doesn't get better better than that you know their team was so much talent you know it's incredible to watch them succeed at the highest level too so um but i mean we've achieved so much in the past couple weeks together um i'm pretty sure jack eichel started the channel it's like ew and then it just kept on going on and on but yeah obviously a huge honor to to represent the country with them so i'm glad to make as many memories as possible and you guys deserve that because like it that comment ruined the moment a little bit but we're gonna you guys are gonna get it back and you guys deserve it yeah no i mean we heard the whatever but you hear someone in the back of the phone call yell yell two uh two for two you know and like it we never felt anything bad from them and it was just it's sad that they even have to apologize for anything like it really is it was a huge honestly part for for both teams and a really cool moment you just mentioned like uh somebody in the back of the call saying two for two like these is that kind of what you guys remember and take from from the whole thing yeah absolutely you know that's what we were there for you know it was two two teams had one goal in common and that was gold and and kind of hearing that was a lot of reassurance for our team you know like he's not the only guy who was thinking that too and and we know that so um like i said they're they're a special group of boys and we're just honored to kind of be in that in that journey with them and share it so um but we know how much they respect us and we it's it's really cool to see like where the women's game's going like to see all those pwhl games sold out and the support they get um i know they're already talking about league expansion but uh the quality of play and and where you girls are driving it to is amazing and i look forward to get you back on after you're drafted uh in the top uh top two picks and uh hopefully it's for for toronto yeah i don't think you can go to the fleet because they're too good in boston right yeah you never know hopefully you know i'm willing to go to the fleet because they're too good in or wherever you know help make an impact with whatever team boston would be pretty cool but yeah they're killing it right now abby thank you so much as as a as a girl dad i appreciate everything you did you had us you brought us so much joy watching you guys for what you guys did you guys embodied just being americans being you know hockey players and you know it was truly amazing watching you guys and how you represented yourself and uh congratulations to you and all your teammates no we appreciate it we'll live this one together both men's and women's sides such an incredible honor like i said to kind of write your name in history so thank you guys for having me uh it's an honor so i'll continue to watch your guys's episodes and follow you guys i think i might need to lay some up boys and get on the ice with abby the shit talker here she'll fucking dummy you dude yeah yeah you want to bet paula that's gonna fucking give her the elbow yeah i'll go for the knees biz oh he's got the riders will fucking stab you they already took those from me by last year i got no knees left i got it they look like witt's ankles perfect and i know your weak spot yeah all of them you're the best girl thank you so much yes i appreciate you guys so much thanks for having me right oh this is great guys let's take a minute and talk about lucy lucy is the obvious choice for the true nicotine pouch connoisseur that's why they're the official nicotine pouch partner of barstool sports every pouch is the same lucy breakers game changers they're the only ones doing it differently to give you the longest lasting flavor in pouches lucy pouches go up to 12 milligram in strength and have a unique shape that feels great lucy is in stores nationwide now or get lucy delivered to asap on apps like doordash and gopuff lucy is the only pouch that delivers long-lasting on-demand flavor find a store near you at lucy.co stores or get it shipped with 20 off your first order at lucy.co slash chiclets using code chiclets lucy products are only for adults and children every customer is age verified warning this product contains nicotine nicotine is an addictive chemical thank you so much to abby murphy what a player what a team congratulations to the women's team unreal run domination the entire way um and with that let's throw it to our guy haven't talked to ra in a while here he is Hello, everybody, and welcome. to R.A.'s World here on the Spittin' Chicklets Podcast. What a great week for the States. Whit, Ian, sorry you lost the big game, but just an awesome, awesome game. One of the best games I've ever watched, no doubt about it. Connor Hellebuck, we can't beat that drum enough. Just awesome stuff. I knew you boys down in Florida. Ian Delley's with your dirty socks walking around this house all week. I went down the club. Did you hear Hellebuck's quotes already after the game? He said your Chicklets Cup performance and that inspired him to do what he did in the gold medal game. That was the first time I think I ever impressed Whitney in my lifetime. That was unreal. Yeah, it was pretty good stuff. And last. Good shit, good shit. No, I actually, I was in bed early the night before, believe it or not. I know some people probably thought I would have stayed out for Saturday night. Rolled right into Sunday morning, but no, I got to bed early. I set the alarm for 728, got up, grabbed an Uber down the club, and it was great. My buddy T.O. put a great breakfast bread. We had about 25, 30 guys down there on Sunday. That's pretty impressive. And it was great. You know, obviously, you know, high tension. It was very tense atmosphere. And then they scored. Every guy jumped up, hugging each other. And then what was great, Biz, was, you know, when they were doing the National Anthem, you know, I always sort of like sing it to myself kind of quietly. And then by the second or third verse, every guy in the place, they sang. But it was very subtle. It wasn't like loud. It was almost like we didn't want to disturb what was on the TV. And it was great just to have those 25, 30 guys sort of singing the National Anthem as it was being played on TV. It was a real goosebump moment. So it was great stuff to be down the club with all the guys. You know, I've grown up and shit. R.A., your phone must have thought you got hacked setting your alarm for 7.30 in the morning. Rejected it. He must have meant P.M. Why won't this set? It's like it refuses. Yeah, the whole system crashes. Only needed one snooze, too. And then, of course, well, down there, it's like code of silence key. So I posted like, oh, the boys are going wild. You know, Freebird was blaring. I was like, but I had to blur out everybody's face in the background. Not that, like, you know, old ladies would have gave a shit if they were out for that game. But it was pretty, you know, it was a great day. I was glad I spent it with a lot of old, close friends. With the piggyback on your ratings, yeah, there was 18.6 million people attuned in. It did peak 26 million during the overtime. The second most watched hockey game ever on NBC, trailing only the 2010 gold medal game. It was the most of the most watched single network non-football TV broadcast the last year. It was number five after the World Series. Dude, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, people really like, love that shit. That was number two. I think everyone just puts that on. I throw it on in the morning, Thanksgiving. You know, you see the big Snoopy, kids love it. Winter Olympics lead out. That's what gets you going, Witt. You're a big Snoopy guy. Oh, yeah. Throw the pigskin around. Same ears. See the 400-foot blow-up Snoopy and I'm ready, turkey. Does Garfield get a shout-out? Yeah, but he's a big lasagna guy that I burnt. I'm a Heathcliff guy. Well, remember that year, Witt? I forget who it was when the two big blow-up things got tangled up and one of them was basically like tossing the salad or one of the other fucking blow-up things. No. You ever see that one? Yeah, basically. Definitely my favorite float. They got like crumpled up. Yeah, one was basically. The Bonnie Blue float. The biz float, yeah. Yeah, the men's gold hockey game. The mother of my children. Watch your mouth, my bad man. I'll tell you, one of my favorite parts of the crowd experience in Milan was when they played the Godfather Wedding song. I know, like, when the old Italian guy comes out at the beginning of the Godfather at the wedding, he's like and he puts his hands on it. It's like an old wedding tune. They actually played that in the arena. I thought that was absolutely hilarious. Biz, you know, you ever seen the Godfather biz front to back? You know what, R.A.? Self-admittedly, I've never watched them from start to finish, but like, I've seen it, like, if you put it all together that I've seen, yeah, probably. But that's probably one where I need to put There Will Be Blood on hold for like a day or two and actually watch another long-form movie like that. Oh, if it's a rainy day, you got six hours, you put on one and two. He lives in Arizona, no rain, so he can't watch anything but There Will Be Blood. So the number three was bullshit, dog shit, right? Yeah, we don't talk about that at the dinner table. So should I not even bother watching three? No. Not really, no. I mean, you can if you're a completist, but no. Godfather and then Godfather Part 2, I mean, I can't, if you pick one over the other, I'm not going to argue with you. I mean, I know the original, the novel had, like, segments of both parts of it, but I probably watched Part 2, like, three times this week, or snippets of it. Would you put those, so I'm a huge casino, I love casino, Goodfellas, like, you put that, the Godfather ahead of those types of ones, A Bronx Tale, those are better than that, Whit? You're shaking your head. No, Godfather 1 and 2 are better, especially 2. Yeah. Okay, all of them are amazing. I'm not going to fist fight someone over if they think Goodfellas is better, but yeah, the Godfather, the Godfather Part 2 was, you know, the pinnacle. Good shit. What if it was Mincy? Would you fist fight him over it? Uh, I don't know. If the price is right. I don't know if you guys saw that segment I tweeted out the other night of Jack and Quinn Hughes' mother, Ellen Hughes, when she was, like, 11 or 12 years old, playing hockey down in Dallas, which is crazy, too, like, to think, like, you know, not a lot of girls played hockey back then, and especially down the South. Dude, how much does she look exactly like Jack? Identical. Crazy. Absolute spitting image, and then the best was the highlight. Absolutely insane back check. It was an empty net. Looked like they were going in front of the empty netter, and she dove, knocked the puck away, just made a sick defensive play, and yeah, it was good stuff. If you haven't caught it, check my Twitter feed. It was awesome stuff to see. I know you guys just mentioned Crosby. Sucks he's going to be out four weeks, at least, with an LBI, but there was a pretty good clip the other day. It did keep him from going to the Penns Youth Clinic. He went over there. He was, like, taping up sticks for the little guys. So cool. I mean, imagine being, you know, 8, 10, 12 years old, and, you know, Sid, the kids over there, like, taping up your sticks for you. It's just awesome stuff, man. And, like, legit, I could say one of my real, like, maybe first Pinch Me moments was when we were up, you know, Halifax a few years ago interviewing him and Nate, and, you know, we went to that bar. We kind of had the whole, like, sort of section corralled off, and first off, how respectful everybody was toward him. Like, in Boston, you know, people would be gawking, taking pictures, whatever. Like, they left them alone. I remember one point, it was just me and, like, Sid sitting there, and I was hitting a vape pen, just, like, shooting the shit with him. I was, like, what the fuck am I doing here, man? Like, sitting here, hitting a vape pen, talking to Sidney Crosby. He's just, like, he is the genuine article. Like, I mean, I don't Bruins, Penguins, all that shit, whatever. He is like a genuinely awesome human being and such a great ambassador for the game, and I'm sorry to see he got hurt, but, you know, I have nothing but great props to send Sid's way. Awesome dude. I'm not sure if you heard about the Goudreau's making the trip over. Initially, you know, Johnny's parents, Guy and Jane had said no. They weren't sure if they wanted to be over there. If he wasn't there, and then one night his mother said, I didn't sleep. I think John would want us to go. I think we should go, and their daughter Katie said, if you get there, and you go to the first game, and it's entirely too hard, you don't have to go back. You don't have to go. You can leave, but if you're watching the game at home, you can't be there, and that kind of, like, swayed them to say, all right, you know, we'll go over there, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They decided to go, and they met up with Meredith and the kids down in Atlanta, and they headed over, and NBC higher-ups would help facilitate that stuff, so I thought that was a nice little side story for how they got over there. Didn't want to go, but, you know, the daughter said, let's go over, and we gave us one, like, I mean, I was, I think half the club was, you know, had tears in their eyes when they brought the kids over. Just an awesome, awesome moment. She is so strong too, man. It's incredible. Throughout this entire thing, since they passed, like, she is a rock, that woman. Yeah, it is. It's a strength I certainly don't have, and, you know, we commend her and the whole family, because it was a beautiful moment. And just the hockey commute. I remember when it first happened, like, he's playing in Columbus, and then torques and the flyers brought him over for a practice, and just, you know, it's so hard in those times, right? And they just, the hockey community has just done such a good job of trying to make them feel love and through this difficult time, and that's the, like, that was the pinnacle, I think, for everybody, just the way that it tied it all together. So, Johnny Hockey will live forever. Absolutely. I mean, him and Hazy come over for that interview, and I had never met him before, and here he is in my living room, and I had a pair of old cowboy boots in my basement, and, you know, it was after the, like, he wears Yeezys to the Stampede, and I brought up, hey, here you go, buddy, here's a pair of boots for you as a joke, and, you know, he laughed his ass off. It was, you know, a little bit of an icebreaker, and I got a good picture of it, so yeah, man, Johnny Hockey forever, buddy. We love that guy. He had the Gucci belt on, I think, in the Yeezys, riding a cowboy at the Stampede Parade. What a legend. Hilarious stuff. Witt, I know you mentioned USA Hockey earlier, and this is, a lot of the courtesy of Big Head Hockey, a great follow on Twitter. 17 out of the 25 players on Team USA went through the United States National Team Development Program. You know, throughout the first decade, they were only averaging about two NHL first rounds per draft, but from 03 to 05, Jack Johnson, Eric Johnson, Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane, and Javia joined the team. Jack Johnson went third overall, Eric Johnson first overall, Kessel fifth overall, Kane first overall, and then Javia went second overall. And then from 2012 to 2015, we had Austin, Eichel, Wierenski, Charlie McEvoy, Adam Fox, Matty Kachuk, Dylan Lockett, Tate Thompson, Noah Hannafin, Clayton Keller, and Quinn Hughes all joined the program. And then the 2019 draft, Jack went first overall, Alex Dirkhardt fifth, Zegers ninth, Boldy twelfth, Spencer Knight thirteenth, Cam York fourteenth, Cole Caulfield fifteenth, and John Beecher thirtieth overall. All these guys went through the program. So just like we said earlier, just the way this program is just like running the game lately, it's been awesome. It's great to see USA catch up with Canada. I'm not saying they own the game yet, Canada, but it's been a hell of a run for USA Hockey. No doubt about that. And how about this Greg Custin's tweet from January 24th, 2011. I'm sorry. January 24th, 2011. He said, USA Hockey's eight and under membership has reached 100,000 for the first time ever. And he actually said, look out 2026 Olympics. Like, how crazy is that? And it was 2011, right? Yeah. I mean, yeah. Crazy. That's insane. Unreal. That's why when like Dave, obviously Dave doesn't follow hockey very much. And you said this will just like catapult the growth of hockey in the United States. Like this is I can only imagine what the amount of signups are going to be in the next few years as far as people just being so inspired by. And also like what like hockey in general teaches you about life. Like look at the way that these guys formed a bond and it's fucking amazing man. Yeah. I think they'll get like a miracle like bump from this. Like, you know, back 46 years ago with the effect that had. I think this could be equal to that. So also the Paralympics are going to be starting up. It's going to run from March 6th to the 15th and the sled hockey starts on the 7th. Team USA has won five golds, including the last four in a row. So check these guys out. Incredible athletes to go around with, you know, they have the little like sort of sticks and things. I don't know what they call them. Sticks that they propel themselves around the ice. But these guys are unbelievable. Well, all right. We have we're going to have Declan Farmer on who is the Connor McDavid. Now we we hope we win, right? Like, you know, I'm naming the greatest player, but this guy is the guy, the dude in in sled hockey, and we're going to have him on before the Paralympics and they're fucking they go like they basically like torpedo one another. So there's just as much physicality in that, if not more. And then they got those little metal spikes on the end, which I heard they kind of they use as like butt ends to job one another. We had Rick Middleton on the interview will be dropping somewhat soon, and he coached the O2 team. For Team USA. And he goes a lot into that and his career. It's a great interview. So excited to see that and talk to Declan and for you guys to hear Rick Middleton. And also, I remember I did that hike this summer with a couple guys who will be heading over there for the Canadian snowboarding and skiing team. Chase Nicklin and then my buddy Tyler Turner. So best of luck to those guys. And yeah, very cool, man. It's sort of reminiscent. You guys ever see the documentary Murderball? Guys who like it's sort of like, like rugby, isn't it? It's sort of like wheelchair, like rugby slash soccer. They, you know, they just they fucking pummel each other. It's like insanity how much they kill each other out there. Great documentary if you've never seen it. So yeah, Murderball, good stuff. All right. We got a little history lesson for you, Biz. Today in hockey history, 1994 Peter Forsberg pulled off the Forsberg and when he joined us on episode 420. Nice. He told us it was the first time he ever pulled off that move successfully. He had never pulled it off until he did it in the Olympics. Talk about some balls, man, huh? You know, do something you'd never actually succeed to it, to do it at that level and then to pull it off. Awesome stuff. So a couple more. Another guest from episode 324. Brent Sutter scored his first goal of his NHL career, added an assist on February 27th, 1981 and an Islanders 5-1 victory over Vancouver. And the other guest that episode, Ian Delly. You were a guest that same episode as Brent Sutter. Ian Delly. Ian Delly. I've said that. Why do you call him Ian Delly? Because my old man and his uncle Paul, like, you know, ran around, like I said before, they went to a party in 1980 and came back in 1984. So my father used to call his uncle Ian Delly so I kind of riffed off that. You might have the most nicknames of anyone I've ever met, Yance. Oh, Shandle. What's the other one? Sney? Dickhead. I'm a big I like personalized nicknames. Like you give someone their own nickname that nobody else calls them. You know what I mean? My uncles called me Jelly for the longest time when I was a kid and I had no idea what it meant until I turned like 15. And? KY. What's it mean? My initials are KY. Okay. I'm pretty sure you've told me that before but, you know, CTE. Alright, one last one this day in history. Buddy Henrik Lundqvist became the first goalie in NHL history to put up at least 30 wins. In each of his first seven seasons in the league on this date back in 2012. So, good stuff. Interesting day in NHL history. Some guys get it all. Yeah, they do. Nice head of hair on that fella. Okay, what I've been watching lately, Netflix. I don't know if you saw this. It's called Queen of Chess. It's a documentary. It's really good stuff. It's about a father who, I forget which I and Curt in country they grew up in, but he raised his daughters to be like chess prodigies and one of them became like the greatest, like, you know, female chess player of all time. But, you know, they kind of tell you that from the front. It's really good shit, man. Very interesting. I haven't played chess in freaking 40 years. I couldn't finish a game now if I tried, but if you're looking for a nice little documentary, Queen of Chess on Netflix. You ever seen Searching for Bobby Fisher? Oh, yeah. Awesome. Great movie. What about the Queen's Gambit? You watched that? I watched that one, actually. Absolutely. I wrote a blog on that way back in the day. Yeah, awesome stuff. Another one I've been watching on HBO, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Now, I watch Game of Thrones. They missed the land on the last season. Nobody knows that. And then they had that other show come out a couple years ago. Didn't really fucking tickle my fancy. But this one, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, I put it on the first couple episodes. Really good shit, man. It's like this, I guess he's a former rugby player who's like, plays the main guy. And this little kid is sort of like his companion. But first few episodes are awesome. I've been digging that. And also the show Industry on HBO. Not sure if you ever heard about this. It was on for three seasons. They took a little bit of a lull and they just come back with the four seasons. It's about like a finance houses in England. Now, there's a lot of shit I don't understand what's going on. English politics, like finance industry, way over my head. But it's a dynamite drama. If you're looking for a show that, you know, isn't like violent, it's just sort of like a, you know, a drama type show. Give that a whirl. My classic recommendation for this week is Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Awesome flick. It's I know E.T. is what he's known for, but Close Encounters is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's basically, it's an aliens related movie. Actually, Melinda Dillon, who played on Hand in Hand's Wife and Slapshot, she's in it. She plays the mother of the little kid. But if you're a sci-fi person, Spielberg, I Close Encounters of the Third Kind, give it a whirl. Awesome flick. NHL picks, I don't have much insight because, you know, I don't have the line chip, but Buffalo is at Florida Friday night. It's going to be a back-to-back for Florida. Playoffs not looking too good for the Panthers and they had a league high, 10 players in the Olympics. Sabres been rolling, so I'm going to take Buffalo, whatever the line is, have no idea right now. Take the Sabres Friday night. And Biz, I know you did mention Coop's dad, Robert, who passed away. Again, we extend our deepest sympathies to our pal Coop. And we also extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Jim Boomer Gordon. He was the longtime host of The Point with Boomer Gordon on Sirius XM's NHL Network Radio. He passed away at 55 from cancer, just way too young. So we want to, again, extend our deepest condolences. So much. I saw a ton of messages online about him and what he meant and you just tell he was such a likable guy based on all the replies and stuff like that. So just a brutal week for some deaths in the hockey community. Yeah. R.A., you mentioned Coop and the Lightning Quick. You see Kucherov's 700th assist the other night? Crazy. Yeah. Oh, and Quenville's 1,000th win as well. Yeah, and the awesome way for the Ducks to celebrate. All the players had the mustaches on. That was funny. Quenville's hilarious. He walked in like, they gave his laugh. They gave him the jacket. He's like, I haven't been given this fucking jacket before. His laugh cracks me up. He might as well have had like a stogie in the way he's like walking there. He's always whacking a stogie. He always, like you see him driving in his car, he always has a stogie in. Yeah, he's old school. I told you guys that Edzo story on here. Did you remember about the horses? Oh, yeah. Because I was asking Edzo because, you know, he loves the horses. He does all the Kentucky Derby stuff. And out of curiosity, I'm like, what's the most you ever won on a horse race? And I think a few times he's been near the half a million mark. And the one time, I guess like you have to, you have to guess the whatever, the exacto box for 10 straight races. So he got it all right for the first nine. And he was so excited. And these were like races that were going on in a different time zone. So it was pretty late at night. And Edzo and Q often communicate. About the horse racing. And it was like 1230 at night, one o'clock and Edzo called help me out. Q. Q. And literally one ring and Q's like, what do you got? Like it wasn't, he was sitting by the whole waiting and then boom, he ended up hitting it for just over half a million. He crushed it. And just like hearing that and then hearing the Q story of him, like I think it was before a big playoff game and he was a little bit late for his pregame speech or something. And he's in there like losing. He's like, yeah, come on, come on. He's got the piece of paper on his knee, you know, come on, get going. And then hits another big one. So I didn't, I don't know. Those stories are enough to make me want to get in the horse racing. I'll tell you that. You do it. Yeah. Yeah. I love the horse races. Hey, how many? So he's the second to a thousand wins. Scotty Bowman won. How many wins do you think Bowman has? Off the top of my head? I must say. 1,400. 1,244. And which I was shocked. Bowman only has two Jack Adams, and Q only has one Jack Adams, and it was in 1999 with St. Louis. Like, he never got one in Chicago? Buddy, you don't even want to win one. You don't even want that thing. It's like Coop. Coop doesn't have one. Yeah, sure. Three Stanley Cup finals. Oh, shout out to my boy Frosty, too. He was the head equipment guy for Team USA. He's been a pal of mine for a long time. Awesome dude. Did an awesome job over there. It's fun to see him on TV, too, during the whole Olympic stuff. I saw him in the pictures at 11. I was just dying laughing. What a guy. I'm glad you brought that up, R.A. Game notes, Army and Merles ended up having on Teddy Richards. I mentioned it earlier, and they talked about Frosty. So if you want some insight as to, like, what the trainers who are just lugging these insane hours, guys, behind the scenes, and what they do in order to set up these players for success, go check that interview out. And as I mentioned earlier, I had him in Wilkes-Barre with Witt, and then Yans had him in Florida. Teddy's a G, and he's been doing this a very long time, and those guys don't get enough credit for what they do. Yeah, I don't think people realize how much those guys mean to a team, especially in a tournament like that. I know Teddy had to go over early to kind of, like, set everything up, get everything kind of there for them. And Frosty. It's basically the same thing. Like, those guys can never have a bad day, right? They're usually the first guy you see in the locker room. They have a big smile on their face. They're the ones you see first. They're the ones you see last. They're the heartbeat of a locker room, and they deserve just as much credit as the guys. Yeah, Yans, I've been saying since the show started, they're the grease and the gears of the NHL. Like, without them, the league doesn't run. And, you know, all these guys, they're sort of one big team, even though they all work for different teams. You know, they all have to work together doing the laundry and, you know, forwarding the equipment and all the stuff. So, yeah, shout out to all the equipment guys all around the league. But, again, congrats to my man, Frosty. Very happy for you, buddy. We got to get him on at one point to just tell all these crazy stories. Oh, he's the best. Yeah, and he still looks like he's about 22 years old, too. He looks amazing. Yeah, he does. All right, boys. Great time. Great segment. USA, good stuff. Biz, what do you got going on this weekend? Raya? Well, hey, well-earned, boys. An incredible tournament and a fun way to cap. Things off. And we'll get you next time. I do see that there's Ottawa reporters demanding Brady Kachuk apologize. The fucking world has lost its mind, fellas. There's a clip of an Ottawa reporter demanding Brady Kachuk apologize. For what? What the fuck did he do? Laughing at Trump's joke. Yeah, so a reporter asked Brady Kachuk if he felt the need to apologize and if he understood why the girls would be upset after those comments. And, you know, Brady gave an unreal answer. And then at the end, the reporter again doubles down and says, you know, do you feel the need to apologize? And again, Brady gives an unbelievable answer that, you know, the women's team and the guys team were so close. It was 10 minutes after, you know, they had just won the gold medal. And Donald Trump called in there. You know, he was going to laugh at basically anything he said. It's just kind of the situation they were put in. So the Ottawa media right now is just trying to bully Brady Kachuk into this. And it's just it's so unfair. To him. It's so unfair to all these U.S. players. But we do have someone who actually wants to pop in. Biz, I do believe you lost the bet. I did. Yeah. Someone wants to pop in here. Absolutely. Absolutely. Wow. What a W, boys. What a W. This must be how you guys feel all the time, huh? I know. We had to live it up. We never get this feeling. I know. I'm not going to be a sore loser. So I have a couple jerseys here. And so I got to thank my buddy Jeff for scrambling. And one fanatic stepped up. So I have two here. This one fits me. The other one is a fanatic's one where they ran out of jerseys, boys. I guess they didn't anticipate U.S. winning this thing. So now they're like backlogged and backordered on all these jerseys. So this is the one here. So this is and it's got the O'Callaghan. Okay. Dang. But this one is going to stay in my shrine over here. Over here forever. And this is obviously this year's jersey. And and obviously a Johnny hockey. So I want to thank fanatics for saying this over. So which one would you like me to? This one's a medium. It might be a little tight, but I think I should try to squeeze it on. And I'll leave it up to Osh to tell you guys on what we ended up deciding for the charity. Yeah. Johnny hockey for sure. Let's go. Let's go with that one. And then, yeah, we this is. This is actually Biz's idea. A great idea by him. First of all, having to go for charity. But then we're putting it to the the Johnny and Matthew Foundation, the Gaudreau boys, which is honestly the the foundation hits a little close to my heart and like my family's side. But it goes towards hockey families that have been affected by drunk drivers. My older cousin when I was growing up. He's basically like my older brother. He was killed from a drunk driver when we were young, too. So I love the foundation. Obviously, a lot of love for the Gaudreau family. Look at that. It is a little tight on you. Yeah. Oh, I love that, though. But that was that it was Biz's call. And he actually donated a lot more than than what we agreed to. So hats off to Biz on that for supporting the Gaudreau family. Yeah. I mean, boys like I get to work with you guys. We talked about it earlier. I get to live in the United States. Amazing country. And obviously the Johnny and Matthew story has really affected us all. Amazing cause and amazing family. I personally never I played against Johnny for a long time, never with him, but know a lot of guys that did. And honestly, I even seen like, you know, pictures of him having fun with the boys. And it just he just looks like he was a unanimously like loved by anyone, anyone. And I think that's just one of the things that I really appreciate about him. So unbelievable. And and before the two years he played in Columbus, I mean, he played in Calgary, Alberta in Canada. And after his passing, the one story that really stood out to me was just like a an Uber driver who was going to drop his food off. And when he got to the door and he was obviously a big Johnny hockey fan and how like cool and and how long Johnny ended up talking to him for. So not only the impact that he made on the U.S. program, but also what he did in Canada while he played there as well. So I got to meet him through Jans and Witt. And, you know, he's he's obviously there's a reason why these guys hung out with him. He's just he was a joy of life to be around and a funny, funny, funny bastard. And just so sorry that he's gone. And yeah, it's it sucks. I think one thing that's really cool, and I think you see this time and time and again in the in the hockey community, no matter what country you're from, is how tight everyone comes together in tragedy. And it's up and down. It's like if you play hockey, like no matter if it's like U.S., Canada, whatever it is, like if you're a hockey player, there's are automatically a special bond there. And. And so I'm not surprised at all. The the appreciation and respect that they showed showed Johnny and his family on the ice there with the kids and just so special. And I also think, too, the way that, you know, you hear these guys talk about the way that they bonded, the way that they were just hanging out in the in the village. And, oh, I know from playing with you at Worlds, like you're one of those guys that never wants to go to bed, never wants the night to end. And that's how Johnny was. And I bet. Him looking down like I bet he's more proud of that than, you know, even winning the gold, just like the way that his team came together. And, you know, I'm sure it was talked about in their locker room like, hey, this is what Johnny would want. And, you know, the way that they hung out together, stayed in the village, you know, all the stories you hear of them hanging out with the girls team, watching the girls team going to other events, just chilling in the in the cafeteria. So I could imagine that he's smiling down on that just as much. As he is for the gold. Absolutely. And great job, Osh, all the all the coverage that you you did. And I know that this is your first real year stepping into media, man. That's a lot. So congrats on everything you were able to do over there. Well, I guess I do as far as the media coverage and and congrats on a gold, buddy. Yeah, thanks, man. I appreciate it. It was it was fun being over there, gotten a little bit of a routine with with your boy Ace and and Lindsay, too. That was mostly us three. But we had fun. And, you know, I'm just so I'm so proud of the U.S. guys. I think this has been a long time coming with the amount of gold medals that we've gotten in U-18 and and world juniors leading up to it. So, you know, I think Canada's, you know, there is still the you know, still there's still the big dogs. But I think they're they're one of the big dogs now. Not just the big dogs. So proud of the boys. And, yeah, I'm sure there'll be another hell of a rematch. You're coming soon. You must have. I'm sure you saw the guys after the win and stuff, and I'm sure you mean a lot to a lot of those guys, especially what you did in the Olympics and the way that you played your whole career. But like. do you remember any conversations you had with guys after the game uh yeah i mostly just through text um i know they were calling a lot of the guys on air force too a lot of the former players and uh i had a group group text with matthew and brady and uh and they said that it was happening but i was doing a a feature a one-on-one feature with ovi uh in uh in dc and so sure enough when they called oh i was on the ice and didn't have my phone so i missed it uh but no just a lot a lot of text congratulating the boys obviously a tight connection with brock nelson being from warroad um and then the chuck brothers obviously like they were little shits running around the locker room when i played with their dad so it's uh it's cool i i mean just like i'm just i'm it's hard to like explain like how proud of these guys i am and how they carry themselves and and the flags around them and and talking about the country and um that's what you hope for right like i mean boys you guys know like as guys that played for for us before like all you hope for is like that you and your teammates you come together you you you try to have success and when you do you immediately shift it into america the united states your teammates your brothers um usa hockey as a family um so i think they i'm just so so proud oh i think that when jack hughes gave that great interview right after and he talks about the guys who came before him like you're somebody that came right to my mind and i think it was the same for all those guys like what you did how you played type of teammate you were so thanks for popping on i don't know if we get this dub without that bet you made with biz that might i know that might have put this thing over the top so we appreciate you and um we appreciate everyone for listening so thank you so much ra great to see you again boys awesome to summarize you know i i mean tate mccray wasn't a mole and and jack took our pop icon and and he took our gold medal thanks to jack jersey looks good on noah hannifin zach warensky and abby murphy what a show what a group of people osh dog we'll talk to you soon thanks guys appreciate you boys a bad habit worth breaking but it's taking time and i know you don't let it it's gonna happen it's gonna happen again you