Spittin' Chiclets Episode 665: Featuring Glenn Healy & Jim Vesey

Hey, Spit and Chicklets listeners, you can find every episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Work hard and hydrate hard with Body Armor Flash IV. Whether you're working in extreme heat or powering through a long shift, Body Armor Flash IV delivers faster, longer-lasting hydration. With more than 2,000 milligrams of electrolytes, vitamins B and C, and zinc, coconut water, and no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or dyes, Body Armor Flash IV keeps you performing at your best. Get Body Armor Flash IV at your local 7-Eleven. Welcome, everyone, to episode 665 of the Spit and Chicklets podcast. That's right, pinkies up. Yance, I can tell you're back in Florida. Which means summer has come to an end almost for you. For me, I got about 10 days till the kids start school. For Biz, I'm guessing maybe another three weeks in BC, I'm hoping for you. Either way, wherever you are, whenever the kids go back to school, if you are a 21-year-old going back to school, Pink Whitney's where it's at, right? If you're just trying to enjoy these last few days of the warm, warm, hot weather, grab a Pink Whitney, throw it on some ice, throw a little soda water in there, whatever. Whatever you choose. Some people mix it with like mixed canned drinks. I think that's a little aggressive. That's what my mom did one time. I saw her pouring a high noon into a Pink Whitney on the rocks. I was like, ah, mom, I don't know. She's like, no, it tastes great. Is she going to be our next Sandbacker guest? Holy shit. So shout out Pink Whitney. Shout out the Pinkies Up movement. And guys, I guess we can, so let me say this, like happy for everyone who works in hockey right now. It is just, just the time to just kind of recharge the batteries. I know July, and obviously there's still some, some things going on. I mean, the Detroit Red Wings haven't hired a GM yet. Kind of waiting to hear news on that. You would think that would be relatively soon, but everyone's kind of just getting ready for camp. I know players are really ramping it up now. And guys within, within teams, they're getting a couple few, couple weeks, I'd say of just like, all right, this thing's going to get going again. That's kind of where we're at. I'm excited for hockey to come back. I'll really be excited. Like September 5th, that's kind of my day usually like all right this thing's coming soon but hockey news there's not a ton of stuff going on there really isn't that's nice though get a little break what's nice for these players is normally as september starts like it's just around the corner you kind of get the butterflies in your stomach about that not anymore though about the testing and now they no more shout out to we got heels coming on he talked about the negotiation they had with the alumni for the cba this might have been the second biggest win for the players yeah was not getting the fitness testing these guys are doing everything in the offseason now to come in in shape like they're as fine-tuned as ever they're like ferraris and and lamborghinis coming to camp like you know all revved up ready to go um and then now only what three exhibition games with the fact that in 84 game regular season schedule so kind of nice they just to kind of get to hit the ground running i also remember um i think we've talked about this but the letter that punch imlach the gm of the maple leafs in august 2nd 1962 can i read this for anyone who's never heard a name too this is oh yeah what's the name say it again punch imlach i hope i'm saying imlach i'm lack i know he's a legend so the fact i don't know is how to say his last name correctly is embarrassing but the fact his name was punch i'm guessing he was tough um i would not be nicknamed punch right i'd be nicknamed like like like uh women's slap like or you know something like relative to not being a punch i'm not a punch guy but this is the letter i think pinkies up is pretty a pretty good thing yeah perfect i'm pinkies up exactly i'm not punch pinkies up wit so um we will start our training camp on friday september 7th at peterborough ontario all players are to report to the express hotel friday morning the 7th physical examination will start at 9 a.m through to noon it says 1 p.m after dinner all players will or seven i guess all players will report to the training at the arena at no at 2 30 p.m so we called lunch dinner that's kind of funny that must be a 1962 thing and draw their equipment and go for escape golf will be a must in the training camp schedule be sure to bring along your golfing equipment so they're giving them hockey equipment telling them to bring their golfing equipment which is amazing arrangements have been completed for the use of the car car kawawatha golf club training camp in view of the fact that nearly all players have cars i am assuming you will not need uh railway transportation however if you do wish transportation kindly let us know as soon as possible we hope that you have enjoyed this summer and that you will attend camp with the attitude that now we are stanley cup holders we wow that was a long time for us to run maple we will show everybody we deserve it and intend to keep it i expect you to report in good condition and not more than seven pounds over your playing weight with a minimum of being able to do 20 push-ups 30 sit-ups and 30 knee bends so i mean what's a knee bend squats i think oh i think that's like squats i think another word for squat so yeah i think jake is insane if he doesn't send out this same exact letter copy and paste it to the internet i think that's just like another word for squat so yeah i think that's just like another word for squat so yeah i think that's just like another word for squat to guys because that's how you got to get your team motivated we had a few injuries last year so the better your condition i believe the less injuries we will receive see you in september and late let's make this another profitable year that's the one thing that is still in line with the maple is it's still a profitable year with a big playoff split so they're talking about the money but times have changed now yes you said the the the butterflies i had for testing it wasn't the vo2 now the vo2 was the one where you put the math in and you put the math in and you put the task on and you're riding i think it would average 10 to 15 minutes i want to say and it would basically just show you like duncan keith in my age of playing was the lance armstrong the guy had numbers i think comparable to lance chara as well right and chara was big time it was the windgate for me now many people say windgate what's that well basically based on your body weight they would put more and more weight as your ride went along on the bike and i think it usually lasted about a minute but no it's a 30 second test so they would always 30 seconds but it could crush your entire day yeah it was a percentage of your body weight and you would get going on the bike and then you would basically crank it to as much output as you could do it and then they would drop the weight and then for that 30 seconds they want to see how much you can maintain that power output with the weight now on there and obviously like throughout the 30 seconds like mine would just kind of drop like like boom like this all the way down like the stock market and the housing or the housing crisis in 08 but like mine was just i i came to a stop and i'm like is that good like nah man you're just no at least be able to pedal it slow at the end but you've got you'd have some freaks with huge quads that would just keep powering through like i remember mikhail bonker would dummy that test that wasn't my i think donor would be really good on that test because he was a bull in a china shop so yan's actually won the fitness testing i think at least two or three of the years when i was there yeah i don't get it no one gets it who knows him you look at him and you're like i don't get how you were a physical freak it doesn't walter norton did i ever tell you guys the story at the um at the combine you had to do the wind gate or no you did the 30 second test and then the wind gate but you have the mask on right so i'm doing it i puke into the mask all the way down and then they're like all right you got like two minute break and then i had to go do another break and then i had to go do another break and then i had i'm like i don't know if i can do this here boys that's why you went in the fourth round yeah maybe it wasn't that the fight in the street maybe it was the fitness testing i shouldn't have went to that i mean the the testing aspect i mean i never experienced the skating test but i'm assuming with the off ice being gone the tortorella like that's probably gone can you do it on ice i don't know if those are banned i think you could still bag skate them where he used to he used to do the like whatever but that was a test that was a i think it's like 15 laps a couple different times i don't think there's anything holding holding the coaches against like doing a bag skate at the end of practice though right yeah no they're gonna get back i'm interested in to see and talk to guys after camp how much harder their skates are because they can't do any of that stuff but yeah the tortorella one ended because i believe derrick step on because you know if you're skating around 15 guys in the circle like there's gonna be big ruts and he broke his ankle and i think that's why that one ended and that's also why um similar the hurricanes canceled testing a while ago because i think justin williams Mr. Game 7 tore his Achilles in a test. Doing a test. So it's like you see some injuries like that and you're like, all these guys are coming in shredded. They've been skating since like a week after their season ended. So let's just realize that these are fine-tuned machines now and not guys that only have to bring their golf clubs and no hockey equipment to the Catawana Golf Club in Peterborough, Ontario. So G wrote in the chat, wasn't Witt really good at testing, but when I was in Pittsburgh with you, ours was probably even easier than that letter you just wrote. We've told this story many times. But just an incredible day of my first pro testing of yeah, it's a push-up max and a sit-up max and a bodyweight squat max. Go over there and tell me how you did. And I was like, oh my, wait, what? They don't even watch it? And Scud's like, do not say a big number because next year you're going to have to beat that number. I was like, oh, okay. Perfect. Came back. I did 15 push-ups. Great job. And then I was like, shit, I probably only could do 35. I don't think that was, no, I think I just didn't listen to Scud's, the veteran. But the Pittsburgh testing was comedy. It was comedy. And I guess that the times have changed. I mean, who knows? We could go back to that day at some point. I'm guessing not considering guys are making $19 million to play hockey now. They're probably going to be in good shape. And the owner was on your team. And the owner was on the team. The owner getting you out of the bag scape is. Or was that Merle's? Was that Merle's or you? That was probably Merle's. Ed Zoll was the coach. Mind you, it was a tough day. We'd already had the scrimmage. We had a very hard practice. You fought Carcillo at 8 in the morning, center ice. Before the scouts had their coffee. And now, I mean, you talk about the salaries. Now we got guys trading cards going for more than what guys were making back then. Okay, so I wanted to mention this, and I'm glad you bring it up. So the news broke that Macklin Celebrini has a card out there right now that is worth $1.2 million. It just went to auction. Now, $1.28 million. Alright, so it's the highest public sale for any non-Wayne Gretzky hockey card ever, according to Golden Auctions. And it's one of one. It's an outburst gold parallel of Celebrini's Young Guns rookie from the 24-25 upper deck package. The owner bought the box hoping to get a base. Celebrini Young Guns after the Phenom's performance at the Olympics with Team Canada. I don't really get. The whole card business is wild because it is an incredible market. It seems to be. There's YouTube channels about it. It's everywhere. I don't really understand. Obviously, it's an investment, and that would be worth more in the future. What would you guess the highest selling hockey card ever cost? I bet you a Wayne Gretzky rookie mint is like $4 million. Yeah, I would say $4. Pretty close. $3.25 was the highest. Is that a Wayne rookie card? It was a Wayne rookie card. And that was recently, right? Celebrini's in his third year. Wayne already finished his career, did everything. It's fucking crazy that Celebrini's already going for this. I know. He must have been told that information before he had that putt against me to get all his money back. Apparently, it was valued at just under half a million bucks, but just because of the booming in the card industry, it went to auction, and then it ended up going for the number it went for, right? Is it signed? It's not signed. Sign might make it worth less. That's how weird that business is. Do you guys get, like, a cut of cards, and do you have to sign to a certain, like, card business? What I got was Upper Deck, and I still even had it a few years ago, but then I forgot to send them back, so they probably gaspiped me on that. But you would get a certain amount of money to just sign, like, 500 cards. Now, funny enough, I have a card out there. There's a Sidney Crosby rookie card. Or no, there's a Ryan Whitney rookie card that somehow the signatures were messed up, and it's got Crosby's signature on it. Well, that makes sense. People have said to me, I'm like, why do you want that? It's me, but I guess his signature on the wrong card makes it more valuable. Now, are we talking 1.28 million? Well, he was signing your checks too, right? Yeah, exactly. That's what I'm saying. Maybe that's why they know this guy only had a career because of the guy whose name is signed on the card. So, like, that's kind of the special factor in it, but that's been sent to me many times, actually. It's probably worth, I'm going to say, 100 bucks. A little short of 1.28, but none of my other cards are worth 100 bucks. I wonder if it was, you know how when the Seekers are out by the bus or whatever, I wonder if you were, like, behind him and he signed it just messing around because you were right there. No, it's one of those little strips, right? It's the strips. Yeah, there it is. And then they send them in. That is unreal. That's your, hey, dude, that's the same face you made in Family Feud. That's Family Feud face. Unfortunately, I think that's kind of a common face my wife said to me this weekend. She's like, stop giving me the Family Feud face because she, like, asked me to do something. I was like, she's like, get rid of Family Feud face with me. So, I did laugh at that. But, yeah, that card, I don't get it. I'm not spending that dollar on cards. I know. I think it's such a ridiculous thing, man. Imagine spending 1 point, you know, 1.3 million dollars on a piece of cardboard. It's just weird. I know. It's weird to me. The Pokemon cards have gone mad again, too. Yeah. This is a trend since COVID where, you know, people were bored and there wasn't much to do where cards started going, like, on the rise. I thought it would teeter off a little bit, but you can't imagine it's going to stay where it is for very long. I'm pretty sure it was huge when we were kids, right? The card collection and trading and all that stuff. And then it took a serious boom. And then now it's back up, I guess. Now, Merle, in classic Merle's the Mush fashion, I believe he said he was huge into cards. It was like, all he did besides play hockey was collect the cards. And he thought he had like 3,000 different cards saved. And he's like, dude, I definitely had some pretty legit cards in there. And he went back to his parents. I believe they'd thrown them all away. So, that's another just Merle's, like, he was kind of first. He's never wrong. He's just early. Could have got his furniture for his house. Boys, I was going through my parents' cards the other day. That's the worst thing I've ever, that's R.A.'s card. Oh, but dude, there's some unbelievable, yeah, it actually fell off. But I mean, I got like Ray Bork rookie cards, Wayne Gretzky cards, Joe Sackick autographed cards. You have a Ray Bork rookie card? Ray Bork rookie card in here. I forgot that I used to collect these. Like, I have every team, organized, like, the devil, I have every Devils player, every Bruins player, every Red Wings player. I forgot how, like, intense I fucking did this. I had a, um, I had an Iserman rookie card, mint condition, because it was in the little plastic wrapper. Then I put it in the screwdriver case. You know the screwdriver case everyone had? The plexiglass one. I don't know what ended up happening. I don't know what it would be worth. I think it was OPG. Remember OPG? Yeah, OPG. That ring is a bell, but I wonder if I ended up fumbling that, getting rid of that or losing that somehow. But, um, yeah, I was into the cards. I just, I don't really get spending the dough on the cards. I don't understand that. But, somebody gotta sell a Brini for 1.28 million. And if he does what we. Pavel Burry rookie card? That's gotta be worth something, right? Is it mint? It's all about the condition of it, though. Yeah, what's the P. What do they call it? The PSA? You're probably chopping up weed with that thing at Plymouth State. Ruined it. Just tearing a corner out of it to put a filter in his joint. Why is this Ray Borg rookie card. He smokes it faster because it's Burry's. Why is it missing a corner on it? It's the original Russian gas. Wait, wait. How about this card, though? Rod Brindamore shirtless doing a push-up. That's gotta be worth something, boys. That's a good one. And it's a pinnacle. That's a good. Look how mad he was. How many years had he played on the back to be doing that? Rookie? Or 95-96. It only shows that season. I think he. No, he was in the league way before that, right? Yeah, I believe so. Let's see. Brindamore rookie year. My guess is 87. There are some horrible cards. Remember some of the pictures you used to have to take? 88. There's some bad ones. Buddy, I had one where I'm getting hit from behind. It was the worst. Find that one if you can. I know. I have some. I have one where I'm wheeling the net, and my legs are as straight as humanly possible. And my feet are two inches apart. I'm like, I don't think that's the form you want when you're trying to, like, beat a four-tracker around the other side of the net. My favorite one. Pronger rookie card? Not bad. Dude, that's sick. I think it's Biz's one that. Maybe it was just a photo and his chin strap is undone, so it's clearly in warm-ups. Only action shot. No, but you have a great one where you're bleeding in the middle of a fight. That's a cool one. I don't know. Is that a card? Oh, is that just a picture? I thought that was a card. Hockey card. Bissonnette hockey card. It just sees him, like, putting his fucking Apple, uh, his iPod together in the locker room. Making a mix for the game. I gotta find this one. Or he's pouring a bottle at, like, the W. He's that wet republic with the eye-type sparklers. So it was actually me hitting Peros, but this has to be the worst card of all time. That's kind of sick. You're throwing the hit. I know. but but how it's like a i'm like when you come over the red line and warm me i don't that's not the that's not bad no there's got to be some like i remember that some of the old school baseball ones would just be like a guy standing there blowing a bubble like there was some bad not even like an action shot like just like when you're standing there and they're like all right do this i'm gonna put worst hockey card yeah do baseball i have to i was reminded of this um that's pretty bad oh my god rogie yeah that's i mean that's he's got a big old head on him huh look at his chest lettuce too that's unbelievable right up to it connects to his beard in the neck the hair the hair the hair is kind of it looks like almost like amish looks like a he kind of looks like the guy in old country for old men running them all down it looks like that guy too no country for old men and the joker had a baby this one's kind of like a guy in old country for old men and the joker had a baby and the joker had a baby this one's kind of like a guy in old country for old men and the joker had a baby this one's kind of like a guy in old country for old men and the joker had a baby this one's kind of like a guy in old country for old men and the joker had a baby this one's kind of sick of sick of sick oh i remember that i remember upper deck oh i remember that i remember upper deck oh i remember that i remember upper deck pavel bury sitting in the la uh on an la pavel bury sitting in the la uh on an la pavel bury sitting in the la uh on an la beach with his roller blades on that was beach with his roller blades on that was beach with his roller blades on that was it you was it you who told the story it you was it you who told the story it you was it you who told the story about uh about a guy who was it was he about uh about a guy who was it was he about uh about a guy who was it was he he was supposed to play in la he was supposed to play in la he was supposed to play in la and he said he had a groin injury it was and he said he had a groin injury it was and he said he had a groin injury it was scottsdale and it was a back injury scottsdale and it was a back injury scottsdale and it was a back injury and then the bus drove by as he was just and then the bus drove by as he was just and then the bus drove by as he was just rollerblading along rollerblading along rollerblading along fort lauderdale right i thought it was fort lauderdale right i thought it was fort lauderdale right i thought it was scottsdale just rollerblading along just scottsdale just rollerblading along just scottsdale just rollerblading along just getting a nice skate in but he couldn't getting a nice skate in but he couldn't getting a nice skate in but he couldn't play because of back injury play because of back injury play because of back injury this isn't means his russian uncle this isn't means his russian uncle this isn't means his russian uncle madonna madonna madonna oh my god lift that up everyone searched oh my god lift that up everyone searched oh my god lift that up everyone searched dave dave dave cricks cricks cricks crisskaw crisskaw crisskaw crisskaw crisskaw crisskaw left wing flames that's unbelievable left wing flames that's unbelievable left wing flames that's unbelievable that's straight out of slapshot that guy that's straight out of slapshot that guy that's straight out of slapshot that guy that's a baseball one that's a baseball one that's a baseball one yeah the card the card game i mean yeah the card the card game i mean yeah the card the card game i mean look at this mutant look at this mutant look at this mutant oh my god who is that no bridge oh my god who is that no bridge oh my god who is that no bridge straight up killer right i could i could straight up killer right i could i could straight up killer right i could i could do this for three more hours what are do this for three more hours what are do this for three more hours what are you googling just funny oh my god worst you googling just funny oh my god worst you googling just funny oh my god worst talking with talking with talking with look at wit please everyone look up dawn most please everyone look up dawn most please everyone look up dawn most see what team is that picture see what team is that picture see what team is that picture this this this this is on the side of his head i should this is on the side of his head i should this is on the side of his head i should mention by the way we got a shout out mention by the way we got a shout out mention by the way we got a shout out john marino who signed that great ticket john marino who signed that great ticket john marino who signed that great ticket this summer this summer this summer he was i think he was a little upset he was i think he was a little upset he was i think he was a little upset with us he's like i got 36 with us he's like i got 36 with us he's like i got 36 points last year and these guys are points last year and these guys are mentioning me is thinking i was dan marino so we might have been looking at john's stats from the year before when he was injured and didn't have many points he had a hell of a year and deserved every penny so shout out john marino hell of a player oh was it did he shoot you a text about your comment no i heard from somebody else he called me like well tell your fucking asshole buddies on chicklets to check the stat sheet i actually had a really solid year what's 36 points nothing in the nhl i think i'm very true i go that was key that was yeah i love his game um another thing we have to mention um the bob does sports guys they dropped our video for anyone who hasn't seen it i think keith said one of the funniest things i've ever heard joey cole cuts is standing over a ball like just into the fescue and says oh my god what was that that scared me and keith like in point two seconds says what was it a salad he's he or good yeah good one but yeah good it was no means it's a good one you know it's a good one if all you got's good one and then i'm driving with him i said joey i think you look great but like that's fucking funny as shit and even your own teammates were killed over laughing another part that i missed was i wouldn't have came out of the fescue no i would have walked deeper into it children the thing he was scared of bit me but the other thing you said dude he had the black socks on and i believe you said what do you want your own skateboard company something like that fab five i mean all that mattered all that mattered though is we we beat him again that was four in a row we've played him four times and because of that we get a shrine in their office and the new bob does sports uh it looks like a pretty sick fun factory they got on there they did the whole one stream there they got all the fun games we'll put it wherever we want yeah they they said that maybe we would do um like toilet paper dispensers no as as like make the shrine where like every time they're in the john they would see it they would hold the toilet paper thing but i think that that's because they just don't want it out front and center for everybody to see they don't they don't yeah and i don't want to be reminded and that's that's stolen valor from didn't big cat do that to uh will compton they made like a can't steal somebody else's idea and i believe we said it on camera but it's got to be front and center like when you walk into bob hq yeah yeah which i i thought they agreed to at the time but like i said the dog caller um the dog caller thing pasha made that that might have that might have ruined a relationship here there i think all things are mended but they they weren't thrilled with the dog caller they uncollabbed us they uncollab because of the because of that um yeah i could actually get the guy who made the wendell clark uh jersey with the leafs like who wells the metal we could get him to do it maybe if if you guys are down i think that's the play because that thing is awesome i know you quit the leafs but you got the wendell clark thing in your office there it's phenomenal and would it just be our jerseys or like our faces i don't really want my face on there not gonna lie if we could just go my jersey and my name that's good enough for me um the whitney name can be be living in there there'd have to be like a little pink whitney shooter yeah on there yep for sure now and a lot of people have asked who do you want to play in a sandbagger like the most i want crosby and mckinnon really bad again and because it's three of us now i really want marshawn i think you would do it i don't know well actually he's in the news too because he he had to get surgery and you remember he was all banged up and i'm sure he just tried to rehab it most of the summer it turns out he does need surgery and i mean that team's so loaded not a not a big deal and you saw i mean he had three surgeries the year before the summer before he came back and then was traded and then should have basically won the con smite that year and won the stanley cup so he'll come back healthy will he do it i think if sid asked him i mean you can't really say no so we basically need sid and mckinnon on board that is the one i want just bring it back full circle we've added a guy add a guy and then we go toe to toe and see what happens if it wasn't marshy who would be the third with those two who else is from hell that's a tough one i mean you know those are like hall of fame all-time great players right yeah we get malcolm i think marshy will do it yeah what time is marshy much of much of a golfer actually i know i'd want for my third because there needs to be a connection to one of them and um two times sid won a stanley cup with phil kessel so if it's crosby mckinnon phil then i'm looking at like our all-time biggest i bet you phil phil doesn't want to come on the pod but i bet you'd do a bagger there are there are a lot of guys who aren't interested in the pod but we'll do the we'll do a bagger because they're probably i don't want to sit and talk to those losers but i'll play golf for free biz biz who would be yours with those two guys no no different three you oh like all together my dream oh he's like page again yeah i just not with me and you though it's just him and page um he's motorboating a five-star hotel she's like ah where's the course oh don't worry oh that's a great question i got one i got one celebrini smith and joe thornton oh that'd be a real good that would be good and they're in and and could they get joe to do it with them if we they said they said anytime they have two days off at home during the season come out they'll line everything up and and they'll give joe the ask i forgot about that it would never happen but i but i would say wayne tom and and mj and they're all they're all they're all in florida the three goats that would be ridiculous i don't even think wayne and tom brady are the that crazy to think it's just the mj's not doing one although he could be like i'll do one if that idiot whitney will play me in another match so i can get another free bunch of dough from him another louis duffel my show the one time um well we could talk to glenn healy about this we didn't but we did chat about a bunch of other things because i'm sure he has some great alumni ideas for sandbaggers but i think it's time we throw it over to him we also have another very special guest this episode we're going to talk about glenn healy and joe thornton and joe thornton big jim veezy many people may know the name jimmy veezy from his son who now plays in switzerland holby baker when at harvard good friend of keith and i and his dad is an all-time legend like i love the guy we sat down with him for over an hour so we're gonna throw to that after we throw to glenn healy and we got ra's world let's catch up with him and i gotta shout out a very special baseball 12 year old baseball player who's an enormous chicklets fan i'll save that for after but right now glenn healy it is a pleasure right now to be joined by a reoccurring guest this has to be three four maybe five times our guy the man who runs the nhl players association glenn healy what's going on buddy should i should i do my best ryan whitney of the answer ready what is your best ryan whitney i'm here no he's doing your family oh i was hoping that didn't air in canada didn't air in canada i sent it to him wait i'm telling you 543 to nothing like what's your favorite color you didn't even get that right heels heels buddy i could have had 10 minutes before that buzzer went off i didn't have an answer for a difference between a player and a regular man and on the beach this weekend a kid came up to me and he was like hey ryan he's probably 10 or 11 and then i was like hey nice to meet you and his dad came over he's like he loves family feud he couldn't believe how bad you are i'm like that's how he knows me you know you could win championships and stanley cups and trophies and play for 20 years in the nhl and that's what you'll be known for in i know i know even even gretz even gretz told keith that's why i never i would never go on that show i don't even want to risk the chance of that happening i know that's what he why he's the great one and i'm the pigeon well we do have one of our uh one of our gentlemen uh does some stuff with us jerry d who you probably see yeah he does the canadian yeah the canadian he's a comedian he's you know he's he's quite funny he's very entertaining he's got his own show on cbc and he does the canadian show he does the canadian show he does the canadian show version of family feud so we have thought about doing the family feud up north of the 49th and so anytime that now after watching the results of your group we are willing at any point to fly the whole group up first class and take you on mano a mano head to head and uh first question goes to wit and the answer is well here's the thing i'd love to do it with these guys because they're not exactly mensa candidates either like they we could get some r.a might be our best guy it's like okay we're like whoa we're gonna have to we'll have to have like those uh earpieces in like the un yeah he said boston the answer was boston the translation anyways look at wit those things happen um you know it's not a big deal though do they no they don't no they know they everything that went on i mean uh he had the the rollerblading on the highway into the saber chug and then what was the other huge moment you had before that it wasn't good it was bad and i don't even what was the other i don't know i'm sure granelli has him listed granella's gonna try me i mentioned it to him the other day heels did you see me chug that beer out of the saber sword in the first round when i was gargling the sword look at um i i wasn't gonna say this uh courage is certainly something you're not lacking in uh but then again hey you know i've watched the show and i've seen guys wear like diapers while they're watching the olympic gold medal game like i've never seen that before uh yeah maybe a president or two has had a diaper on but i've never seen it from like a sports star i've been anyone know anyone who's house yeah never outside of the window looking in you know and again the only one voting for canada which we should have won the game easily but but i don't want to go there but anyways uh you guys it's been a historic year and don't stop please you guys keep it going because whatever you're doing is working damn well i might and it's been a historic year for you guys that's kind of what i wanted to catch up you guys are doing so much which as former players is awesome like the amount of uh get togethers i saw the all the golf tournament highlights like that's one thing but you've had a million things going on and biz had mentioned to me one of them was can you explain what's happened with some of the money for the health insurance because we were on a golf trip keith and i with a bunch of alumni and it was it was a great discussion mainly pumping your tires and everyone with you that's that's just doing a lot for former players well uh thanks like the golf tournament was historic yeah you know it was funny how the hall of fame brings out all the trophies that i've never won or will ever win isn't that wonderful you know great yeah there's there's the cons my though there's the vezzina there's the norris there they're all there um you know at one point uh glenn gretzky was taking part in it and somebody asked oh where you from he said i'm from branford and they're looking at the trophies and they said wow branford branford that's uh now you wouldn't think the natural progression would be that's where wayne gretzky's from because his name was on the trophies 87 times and the guy asked him do you know a by the name of like how stupid is this guy so he's not coming back to our golf tournament blenny will but not him uh but that that was that was great uh yes we talked about this a while back when we sat down uh in toronto we talked about it when we sat down in chicago and we had this 30 000 foot dream and idea of how you know as players we deserve a better tomorrow than today and health care certainly should be one of them you know we are in a lot of ways our bodies are like humidity years right 60 but it feels like 80 kind of that temperature and so we were the only sport not to have it and we went swinging for it and maybe the first blush was spitting chiclets and me going on uh your airwaves to send a message to people to say enough we we we deserve better and for gary who has done a great job with the nhl and bill and marty walsh now with the pa uh it's time to put the last brick in the wall and so the 30 000 foot view of what we talked about years ago and what it would cost and thank you guys so much for your endeavors to push for this uh we uh we're down at ground level granular uh and thousands of players now have health care and a lot of it started with a discussion we had and many discussions we've had with the league and the players association but i'll give all the credit to the players these meetings didn't happen without a lot of players taking part and we had everything from uh bobby orr who showed up and meeting in boston with the players association pretty hard not to help bobby orr when that's the only picture in his office uh as former mayor of boston uh same with at the national hockey league level uh again numerous meetings with gary and bill who've been great and gracious bobby the most entertaining was ty domies not good to start meetings with threats but somehow it worked for him and worked for us uh but we're there now we've arrived we're all growed up now and we have health care for thousands of players and their family i'm proud of that and i'm proud of the fact you guys were a part of it and i'm proud of the fact that you a big part of this happening because you started the ball we made a little snowball and created a snowman and eventually we created a tsunami and that tsunami led to a lot of players getting help and hope so thank you to you guys i think merles was pretty vocal about it as well when he would always come on and on a game notes uh um i know you're grateful for what you guys received this time around was there maybe certain things that that you guys like didn't get what you were expecting in the next round of cb uh cba negotiations like what is one other thing or a few other things that you hope to get um the next time around if you didn't receive it this time so break it down just a little bit uh okay the one thing i wanted to do i wanted to make sure that everybody got something whether you played one shift or a thousand games you deserve something there's a lot of guys that toil their whole career in the minor we can't all be spoon-fed like wet you know we can't all just go right to the nhl i was in the minors for a full year i was in the minors for a full season during the lockout though you you were trying to get your bus license and you're driving the bus do you got your dz license that was it let's be clear so anyways you're during the lockout it took a lockout for him to go to the minors okay yeah uh anyways uh so there are guys that toiled the minors and played in the nhl and they deserve to have something so everybody gets something every player gets a family doctor maybe not a big thing in the u.s and canada we don't have and that's important every player gets a mental wellness professional through zoom every player every wife gets a mental wellness professional every kid of every player gets a mental wellness professional so somebody in this world who's played one shift everybody gets something and that was important to me as a long time minor league guy then for the guys and the league and the pa set a parameter of 400 games then they'd get a lot more than what you would normally get in a bucket so dental uh anyone have their own t-shirts and they'd get a lot more than what you on this call the answer is no uh and so dental was important that was the number one thing so from dental to to uh screening for blood to uh prescriptions these are all things that are included in the guys that have made a full craft of their career we created this plan based on the four p's i feel like an informal infomercial but price was important clearly because yes we didn't get all we wanted price was important i have to make a penny into cop or wire but we needed to be proactive we needed to get on top of our skis and prevent things from happening to players and their families. We also needed to make sure pre-existing conditions, they were not part of it because, you know, we all have something going on in our backyard that we're not happy with, whether it's diabetes, hypertension, cancer. So they're excluded. So no matter what you have, you're in. So proactive, preventative, price, and pre-existing conditions. And we provided that in this group. We also knew that there's players that, you know, financially are distressed and there's catastrophic reasons why they can't afford certain medications. You have cancer and you can't afford it. It's not covered in your plan in the U.S. with your big, beautiful bill. Well, we have an ability with the PA in the league to cover those players that need some help. So everybody who's played one shift to the guys who play 400 to the players that can't afford it and didn't make that mark and didn't come up with the benchmark. 400 games is what exists now. Biz, it's going to be 200 before we know it. It'll be 100. And before this is all done, and we have two more teams in our league and we've got more expansion, the players that have paved the roads for us, the current players to drive on it. And trust me, they're driving on an Autobahn right now because of what we created. Then this will just get expanded. Marty is on board with it. Gary's on board with it. I'm not speaking out of school here. They're not going to call me and complain. And then the other big one, not to be too long-winded, but the wives are important to us. I think they're the COs of the household. And I think when transition happens for players, it happens for wives. And we make sure that they are taken care of too, because if it's not right in your home, it's not right with you. So, you know, this is just a start. It's a great start. It's a thank you. It's our Christmas day. And it's only going to get better as time goes on. And the players have been the ones who've created that tsunami. And maybe it started with that little snowball from you guys. So give yourself a pat on the back. Heels, what kind of, and I definitely want to give them the credit too, because they got it going. And it was something that even when I was still playing, I would talk about it with younger guys, like, Hey, to pay 30,000 a year in your health insurance, like you got to make 80, whatever it is. So it was definitely these guys who had a big part of it, but what, um, what kind of got it over the goal line? Cause it seemed like something that had been talking about for years, right? So what kind of gave it that last push over the goal line? Well, I think showing up with players and it's not looking at this as numbers, right? Looking at this as numbers, right? It's not looking at this as numbers. It's looking at this as numbers. And I, I can tell you my real life story. So when I was a kid, I grew up in Pickering, Ontario, you know, um, world renowned for eight nuclear reactors. Not exactly the best place you want to tell your family to settle as you're bringing up a family. Okay. Unless when, you know, things come to an end, you don't even want to know what's ended because you're the first to know it's over. Boom goes a dynamite. So that's where I grew up. When I grew up, there was a player. His name is Joe Cowell. And he got drafted by the Buffalo Savers. And Joe was a guy to me when I was 12, I wanted to be Joe Cowell. You know, he got drafted by Buffalo. He, he didn't drink out of the Stein like Whit did, but he was drafted and he bought a, he bought a beautiful sports car. And I was like, wow, can you imagine good looking big guy sports car? I want to be him. That's, that's what I want to grow up to be. Well, Joe ended up dying on the streets or was, was going to die in the streets of LA. Six strokes, no teeth, wearing a diaper. And our social worker went down to get him off the street so he could die in a place with dignity with his family around. That's my hero. That's not what I wanted to be when I was his age and he passed away, but that's a real life story. And I think whether it's Bill Daley, who has a hero or Gary, who's got a hero or Marty Walsh, who has a hero, everybody's got somebody and maybe it didn't turn out to be perfect for that player, but that doesn't mean we should just discard him. We have to take care of them and we've got to make a better tomorrow today. And in a $7 billion industry, we can do that now. And I think that's the emotional side to it. The names, the faces, the stories, I think made a big difference in pushing this across the line. That and the fact that there was an abundance, over a hundred players that took part in these meetings. So it wasn't me walking in by myself with a flag. It was everybody taking part. Thinking back to playing, when CBA negotiators are going on, the first people you're like, ah, fuck them, are rookies. That's kind of, that's always, all right, they're fine. They'll figure it out. And then the next group always was the alumni because you're in the league and you're playing and you're like, I'm invincible. Like this is never going to end. And everyone feels it. And that's why Keith talking to younger guys, that helped a lot. But I think finally you get older and you're like, oh my God, like I just, I never thought this day would come. And I'm looking here online. It says 8,700 people have played in the NHL. So I can't imagine. I can't imagine for you, you must get a lot of calls from guys that most people don't know their names because they might've played 10 games or a hundred games, but you must be fielding calls constantly on guys that are, that are going through a lot. And that's when, as a former player that, that, you know, has done, been lucky enough to do something after he was done playing. It makes me feel, you know, it makes me feel bad. It makes me feel bad. It makes me feel like this is a brotherhood and there are guys struggling that you're hearing from. Well, you know, the way that the, the, it works with our group is, and there there's guys on this call that have called me for help to say, I know a teammate, I know a guy, he needs help. It's always a teammate, a player, someone else who calls and says, this guy's looking for a better tomorrow than today. Could you please help? And we do right away. Or a wife that calls and says, I want my husband back. Something's wrong. I don't know what it is. You know, there's a number of things going on in our world. Can we get the ship back on track? So it's, it's this team and ship, this unique brotherhood we have that has stuck up for one another. And that, that's a, that's an incredible thing. And you're right with, yeah, there's a lot of players. Look at, I mean, that's what made this healthcare wellness plan so difficult because we've got players in Canada. You got 50 States in the U S you've got 1300 European players, pretty easy to get healthcare in Russia and Germany. And Switzerland and Finland and Sweden. Yeah, it's complicated, but you know, we put together an incredible team and you know, when it came to the wellness plan, let's start with every social nerd that's in the, in the healthcare industry. I could get, they're all nerds. You don't want to sit with them in a room for five minutes, but man, are they going to drawn up a good script here? And I, every time they walk in the office, I hide, you know, I just push the blinds. I'm out, I'm out. Uh, but we needed them and we needed our social work team to, to come up and tell me what we needed. We needed the players to tell me what we have to build. I'm no expert on everything. I kept Google on my phone. So clearly I need some help. Uh, and that's been important. And then when we sat down with all the team doctors in Florida, a number of years ago, I asked them, what are the current players need? Cause I'm building it for us. I know what, Hey, I know what we like. And I'm pretty clear with, you know, just come up, hang around with us for a weekend at all star. We can figure that out pretty quick. Um, but what about the current guys? What about the guys that are just going to play this year? What about the celebration? What are they going to need when they're done? And so we had to build it for them too, because they are going to be an alumni. We're going to get 143 players in, Ooh, but another couple of weeks, none of them know it yet, but they're coming. And I got to make sure that road is, is as equally paved for me as it is for them. But the bottom line is this, uh, you know, the Ottawa senators, when I played the first couple of games against them, they were the worst team in the league I've ever played against, uh, could pretty much play a game and maybe wear my suit under my gear and still leave and be at the bar and not sweat. Okay. That team was sold for whatever number of millions of dollars, 50 million. Now it just got sold for a billion dollars, 950 million because of the players that paved the way. And so the owners get it, the league gets it, the PA gets it. And as a unique brotherhood, we get it and we help one another. So it's a long way of saying, yes, there's a lot of players, but when the phone rings, there will be an answer and there'll be help and hope. And that didn't exist when I came on board. I've heard you joke about it. You're not the smartest guy. You went to Western Michigan, but it seems like, you know, how to surround yourself with smart people that get shit done. Right. But what's kind of been like the biggest thing for you and hiring people and having people around you that, you know, helped with all this? Well, you know, I think, uh, when it comes to, NHL players, I think we deserve the best. We were the best at what we did in our craft, uh, the most elite in the world. I mean, look at 750 players playing the NHL. You know, if we were to take the best 750 doctors, we could probably put them in my office. And that's a small group, but they deserve the best. And so when it comes to people, um, that work for us, the players deserve equally the best. And so players and people that have come out of the woodwork to, uh, make tomorrow better than today for guys, it's been pretty easy to find, you know, it starts with our chief medical officer, who's one of the best neurosurgeons in the world, Dr. Gazam. And it just filters through there. And most of the people that are working for the players, you know, they've worked for teams for 30 years. They've worked in the social work industry with the highly and most addicted of all people for 30 years. They've worked with wives in a tragic situation for 30 years. So it's not like they're a group of people that we're going to give a tryout to know that those are the guys what's talking about. So the rookies, we, we put it in the CBA and dust under, no, this group came well-heeled, well-oiled ready to work and ready to make a difference. Uh, and you know, you don't have to tell them how to work and when to be here and how to do things. If anything, I've got to tell them, you know, half a day at Christmas is okay to take, you know, take that half a day. You know, it's seven days a week. It's all day long. And I can tell you there's so many nights when, you know, I'm on the phone and my wife will go, you know, it's 11 o'clock. Would you just leave those people alone? Yeah. Well tonight's not the night for leaving people alone, but, uh, it's easy to find people that care and the big heart and a really good and want to make a difference for us because we entertain them and we're a very highly afflicted, unique brand that is the best of the best. And so I'm happy to stand by that flag all day long. And for perspective, like how many calls do you think you're getting a year just from former players or former wives? Like, do you, is there like a number? Yeah. Like we're probably helping in some shape or form about 500 players right now or wives. So it's a lot, uh, but it's manageable. And I think with this wellness plan, uh, again, the four P's like, so proactive and preventative. So we're hoping what we do is we get on top of our skis and we get these calls down. Like we get where players, you know, here's an example. There's a player that, um, um, had heart surgery just recently. That heart surgery was created because that player had a infected tooth and that infected tooth because he didn't have dental. Led to sepsis, which led to a collapsed valve, which led, led to open heart surgery, a unique thing. How about we get the tooth fixed with the infection before we get you on a table for open heart surgery? What a unique idea. But if you don't have dental and you don't have the money to go and you know, it's going to cost some money to go and get that taken care of. Now we're getting proactive, preventative. We get that taken care of. Likewise with hips and knees and shoulders where there's incredible pain. And I'm, a guy who's sitting with two fake hips, uh, and you know, don't wait 13 months, two years to get a replacement if you need it, because you're a crappy goalie, get it done now. So you don't get on sleeping pills and pain medications. And then now you're battling another addiction. So I think what we're going to do is try to find a way to get proactive, preventative. I've talked about this, all of us, it's like a triangle, right? And the top of the triangle would be acute intervention. So that would be where, you know, you have a player that is in rehab and needs to get help like immediate, absolutely immediately. Okay. All the stuff around that you want to build up, uh, whether it's the, the taking care of your family, getting transition programs, financial literacy, all that stuff. So we invert the triangle. So we don't get players rushing to the top and that's our goal, proactive, preventative, and let's invert the triangle. And I think it's worked for the most part, but the more help that's there, the more calls you get, but for the most part I don't think we're getting the big calls that we got at 1.7 years ago where, Oh my gosh, you've got to release the army. We're getting on top of things now in a lot better way. And a lot of it is players talking to players and the unique brotherhood that sticks together and, and is seeing things, hearing things and saying quotes. And that's been the big difference. Yeah. That's, what's awesome because if you, if you wait too long, right? Like if you can get ahead of it, that's the biggest difference. And, I think even for any former player listening that, you know, there there's, these guys are proud people and sometimes they don't want to ask for the help, but anything that you're struggling with, and if you need a job, like you might not get one right away, but all you guys can at least push these people in the right direction to try to really kind of tackle it as a team. And that's what I like, because I think when we talked seven, eight years ago, that was when you were getting some real kind of hurricanes and just storms that were already so far beyond what you could help with. And to hear you say that now you're getting, you're getting told things earlier. That's like the biggest thing that I've heard for you in terms of getting ahead. A lot of the, the big battles guys are going through. Yeah. And, and that's, uh, look at, you get on a call with a player, uh, typically is a couple of minutes of, you know, chatter like what we had before we got on and started recording. Thank goodness we weren't recording. That was, uh, Oh boy. It's hot in here, isn't it? Uh, but anyways, or maybe you were, and that's going to get really hot. Uh, but anyways, uh, you know, uh, when you get with a player, typically it's a little bit of chatter and then they unleash, you know, we, you can talk to me or I can talk to you or biz or where any of us, right? Yeah. And we can talk to any of us because we've been there. We've done that. We understand. We're not going to judge. We're not the unwashed. It's going to be me at some point where I'm going to need some help. And the better I've built this yellow brick road, the better it's going to be with, if I need that help or my family, family needs that help. So, um, and, and player to player, there's nothing better. Uh, there's nothing like having a peer who's been through what you've been through, you know, to know, like to know what it's like, the hardship of having to go to the minors when there's a lockout and the entire season is, is shut down. That was for you, Whit. Uh, but anyways, there's nothing like player to player, peer to peer. And it really makes a difference because you know, you're talking to someone who's been there and done that and has, and has gone through the same thing that, that you've gone through. So it's made a difference. He was, you mentioned, uh, the players, the active players playing right now, kind of helping and having their say. And I think the NHL is unlike any other league that they respect the guys that paved the way for everyone, probably more than any other league, but you know, kind of just talk about what the, the younger guys in the, in the league right now, or maybe even the Crosby's that are still playing, but it's been through so much. Like what did they bring to the table with these conversations? Well, I think, it starts with a Marty Walsh who's the head of the player association. He's a person who's been through, uh, an addiction and has battled it. He tells a incredible story about how, when in 1994, when he decided he was going to go down and party with the New York Rangers, we won the cup and he left Boston. He was going down to New York and we're going to party with the Rangers in central park. He ended up somehow in the Cape and said, that's it. I'm done drinking. Okay. Time for me to settle down. So good on Marty for that. And then, then so he understands player wellness, but he also understands that his dad who worked for union paved the way to, to create a better world for, for Marty then. And he had, right. You know, all the rights his dad fought for, like us, the CBA is 800 pages, not because the current guy sat down and decided to rewrite the Magna Carta. No, it's because we started with the first 600 pages and we've added on since then. So it starts with leadership and Marty gets it. And then it's that, how do you present it to the players? So that they understand that, you know, number one, you're going to be a retired player. Number two, you might need some help and what better place to get it than players helping players. And so those are the guys that have stepped up and said, Hey, you know what? We're willing to help. And, and they are, I mean, millions of dollars from their paychecks. Thank you to them is going into a wellness plan for our players. And it goes even beyond what they've just provided with this wellness plan. You know, we're working on some, some stuff for the widows that Bobby or has helped with that's been activated and actuated based on the current players buying in. So they understand and they know what it's like. And they also look at the guys who built the game and say, Hey, that guy was my hero. So yes, I'm going to help. So it's not been a hard sell for the current players. I think they've been more than generous and I'm just hoping that whatever I build one day is, is up to their standard because they deserve it. And yes. Oh, we're going to talk about, the contracts and the guys that, you know, we're getting 19 million. I get it, but the average career is 2.1 years. There were last year about 300 and some players that made less than, you know, a million dollars, which with it, with escrow and with taxes and your two year career, it doesn't amount to a whole lot of money. And then when you are at 24 and in the stream without a paddle, that's a 24 to debt is a long way before. And you deserve a great life after you're done playing. It'll never be as good as it was when you play, but you deserve that great life. So like at the end of the day, I, I, I think the players get it, the league gets it. And we're right down the path of doing all the right things. Um, the music has stopped. I hate to be campy, uh, but we're all sitting in chairs. There's no, oops, I'm out of a chair and I'm in trouble. We've all figured it out together. And it's great. It's a good spot to be in. You see the salaries now and like the next expansion team might be two to three billion. It's, it must be wild for guys, you know, even older than you that are like, what was your first set? What was your biggest contract say? And then I know at times, there's definitely been guys who are a little bitter about that. I don't really blame them. It's just like timing is just everything in life. But you look at people who were incredible players and it's like, Holy shit. Now the league has become so successful. I get it, but it must be wild to talk to a lot of guys that you do and hear their opinions on what these guys are doing. What these guys are making now. Well, you look at part of the problem that we've had for many years, we had Alan Eagleson as the executive director of the NHL, PA who went to jail. That's a, that's a pretty good place. Yeah. That was a tough career. Here we go. What do you want to do when you're done? Go to jail. And that's a good spot. Yeah. So 25 years of that flop. And what do you get a lot of players that, you know, we necessarily in the collective bargaining side of things, things weren't done the right way. for them and about them. It was about something else. And, and we've read the stories and we get it. But again, like for me, I taken that rear view mirror off my car. You got to look ahead and we got to understand, yes, their pensions weren't good. That's why we have supplemental gifting, which is not a pension, but basically doubles these guys' pensions. And that was brought about by Pat Flatley and Ted Lindsay. Yes, I came, came along and carried their bags, but those were the two guys that fought for this. And is it good enough? No, it's not good enough. That's why we're not stopping there. And we're trying to get the widows taken care of and trying to make sure that a wellness plan is taken care of. Once you're done playing, you know, this, the CBA, you're not really allowed to collectively bargain for retired player benefits. So things are done out of the goodwill and goodness of your heart. And so as a result, a lot of the things we can't play catch up, but these guys should know, and they do know we revere them. We don't forget them. Uh, they were going to honor the past and we're going to make sure if they need some help and they've got that help, but I can't take the clock back and then say, okay, let's start in 2026. And the salaries are, are what they are. They are extraordinary. Uh, but, uh, the end of the day, um, we just make sure that the guys that pave the roads, um, we're going to make sure we take care of them. That's the only thing we can do because I don't have a time machine. If I did, and I go back to collective bargaining, I think I'd be punching John Ziegler right in the face, but that probably would get me back in jail where the other guy went. So I ain't doing that. Um, as far as like transitioning out of the sport and like finding a new job, like how does the P uh, or the alumni help in that regard? Like maybe whether it's becoming a fireman or like, it's just sometimes hard to find that next thing after you've gone from pro sports and playing hockey your whole life, or you're pretty one-dimensional and don't really know any other world. Yeah, it is hard. Like we all transition every one of us, right? Yeah. And I think that's, I think that's a really good point. I think that's a really good point. Right. We're, we're not, when we're doing it and we're sitting and having our pregame meal and, and you know, busy, you're going up and having the third piece of chicken and people are looking at you like, what are you doing, man? This is one piece of chicken. He's got his doggy bag for the week. Yeah. And, and then he's got, he's up the ice cream bar. Like it's a, you know, last call. No. Okay. You can save some. Well, I had a big bag skate after the, after the pregame skate. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, look at the end of the day, um, we all understand we all transition. And so there are tons of programs set up. Digitally for us and in person, but more digital because all you need is a coffee and a computer and some time to sit in front of that computer and find out the things you did on the ice are exceptional, exceptional, and the work ethic you put in and the sacrifice and the teamwork and all those things, the life lessons we learned. Like I played hockey when I was five, my dad put me into hockey. He came from Scotland. All the other Canadian kids were playing. So Glenn should play too. So when it came to that, I was there to learn life lessons. I wasn't there to play in the NHL. I mean, I was 11 years old. I was still with, listen, I was still wearing jeans underneath my pads. Okay. Jeans like dad, everyone else has hockey socks. What are those done? I've never seen them, you know? Yeah. Cause they don't sell them at the Legion. You got to go to a sports store. So at the end of the day, I'm still wearing jeans. I'm not making the NHL. That's a pipe dream. But, but I, I, you know, transition for us, we understand it. It is important. Take those life skills, take that hard work and put that into another profession. And look at what you guys have done. Everyone thinks sit in front of a mic, just, you know, kind of look around. Where's the meal? Uh, do we got enough, uh, uh, drinks in here? Great. No, you gotta do a lot of homework. You gotta do a lot of research. It's a lot of travels. A lot of work goes into your job and my job with Hockey Night Canada. But as long as you take what you did on the ice and transpose that off, any company in this city alone of Toronto, in this country of Canada, anywhere around the world would love to hire an athlete who can take what he's learned on the ice and send it into their widget factory, their office, whatever it may be. And it's getting that player with structure, purpose, and motivated. And we're here to do that. We're also here to make sure the wives have that too. Cause you know, when you retire, she looked at you at some point and says like, I had had this for 15 years. Why don't you stop ironing the couch with your ass and go do something? Okay. And I think a lot of that, or you're in the house too much. Like you really need to like, yeah, I can't stand you being around this often. Yeah. Uh, so that transition program is important for the wives as well. So that healthy family and, and try to find that thing you love every day when your feet hit the ground and you say, I'm going to have my best day and live my best life. It's hard to find because you have clowned my climbed Mount Everest and what's next. There's not a bigger mountain to climb. Um, so this you've done it playing in the NHL. You've done it. And for a lot of guys who won championships and trophies and have been the best of the best, it is a hard transition, but, um, that transition just take those skillsets, take them off the ice and you can live your best next life, which is a long one, but it's a hard transition. But man, it can be so, uh, resourceful and fruitful and enjoyable in every way. You, you brought out the Scottish accent. I noticed that the alumni golf tournament, you put on the kilt and had the bagpipes out. Is that something you do every year? I played with Paul McCartney once. Yes. I, I could actually stand by here. There we go. They were pounding all over the green with their fucking shoes and their. Oh, well, shameful, shameful. Oh, whatever. What a night. He writes, what a night on the bottom. What a night. Peel regional police pipe band. There we go. So, and Highland Creek pipe band now. So we're all thrown on the kilt these days. A lot. Yeah. No, there's one thing. Look it. There's one thing. Yes. Uh, there's one thing I love in this, in this world and it's not between the pipes. It's on them. So I do love that. I do love when we piped at Vimy Ridge. I love when we piped at Carnegie hall with ranger sweaters on. I mean, not many people have done that. Uh, that was for nine 11. So yeah, it's a big part of it, but yeah, the, uh, golf tournament, um, yes, an absolute big part of that. The, uh, the guys from the crash test dummies come out and play with us. Brian Trotchy gets up with his guitar, which is a fantastic thing. So it is a massively big part of it. And the other element that I've added, uh, shamefully is, uh, when we do our Boria storming award, which is, um, or the, the, the gentleman. Who's a pioneer courage. You know, we think about Boria came over from Sweden when no Swedish players were here and he was getting taken down by the broad street bullies and the, you know, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia fires. They were all taking them down because he was a chicken shit wrong. He wasn't. And he was a pioneer and paved the way for a lot of the players to come. So all that put together in good Scottish fashion, what would a pioneer and a guy with courage who's paved the way for players? To come over need, but a Scottish broadsword. Yes. William Wallace. So the players that win the Boria storming award, uh, Matt Sundin last year, he gets a Scottish broadsword and on it, it says rise and rise again until lambs become lions because lambs never become lions. So Matt Sundin never change, but the Scottish broadsword, which I get laughed at in this, in this office all day long, and I'm going to fire everybody by the end of the day. Um, it's. It's important for me to have that little flavor, that little bit extra, uh, and trust me, they love the store when they get it, they love it. So one day when Whit becomes a Swedish resident, he may get that award as well for his, his great 543 to nothing, uh, event on family feud. I don't think it made it to Swedish TV. It might be the one place I can go not get recognized for 543 to nothing. Yes. It's a big part of it. So, uh, like we love, uh, we love that off ice. It's, it's, it was a great passion for me. And, you know, it was funny. We would sit on the plane coming back from games and I had Corey cross who I play with and I love crosser and he had have this big thick book on the war. And I look at him, my crosser, you're so stupid. You can't even read like, what do you have that book for? And he would read about one page and then fast asleep. And then there would be Curtis. Joseph who had loved horse racing and would spend the whole time talking to me about horse semen and what are the best horse to breed would be. And then there was me with my bagpipe chanter playing bagpipes. So like you talk about a dysfunctional team in Toronto, like biz, you wonder why we didn't win war genius, horse semen and bagpiper. Versatile. How could we not win? Versatile. The, the old core four or core three. We were like the Beatles minus Ringo. He was the only one who made sense. Uh, what do you make of Matt's now, uh, uh, jumping on with the Leafs? You gotta be pretty fired up for him. No. Yeah. You know, I think the biggest thing that, uh, has lacked in Toronto for a number of years. Uh, and I hate to use the C word, but the culture has been wrong. Too many people allowed in the locker room. It's just a sanctity of a room. Look at, we have a player app. That's available for every player that you can, all the players, if you haven't joined on join on, but we have a player app called the locker room. And it is basically all our videos, all our partner discounts, all our wellness plan, everything in one little stop, one shop. Ping Golf Clubs. Commodore had the Ping Golf Clubs. He said it was like 70% off a $4,000 bag. It's really helping his game too. We also have a thing for great clips, okay? The hair cutting place. Maybe he should use that one, 40% off that. Or kinstrap.com for him. I don't know, whatever. Thanks, Mike. But at the end of the day, that's our thing. That's our locker room. Like, no one else can go in that. And if you didn't play, you don't get the locker room. And that's the locker room that should exist for NHL teams. When you're in there and you're a player, that's your sanctity. That's your space. So that has to change. There's a whole host of things as this club, and they've got their strength is their weakness. Their strength is they have money. That's their weakness. They have money. Because there isn't this gun against their, like in Carolina, you better go win because we can't sell tickets. We don't win here. You can't get tickets, even if you don't win. So strength and weakness. So Matt's will be that guy to provide that 30,000 foot view. And then Chica, who I think is a hard worker, really hard worker. He has an incredible IQ. He has no EQ. He has no social skills. I shouldn't say that out loud, but he will make it. He will make sure that this staff is, they're engaged and they're going to work and there will be no stone unturned, so to speak, to make this organization better until they win a championship. And I do like those steps. I like the moves they've already made. Like they have really changed this organization on its head. And it's only a couple months in. So I will say this about Matt. He's emailed me and I don't know if this guy has no idea what a watch looks like, but five in the morning, four 30 in the morning, he's faking it. He's facetiming me. Like, does he think I'm up wearing my kilt practicing in the backyard? Well, he's like, you might've never gone to sleep. The old heels. I know. Well, that's happened at times. I, okay. You know, guilty as charged. All right. Um, I would ask you that question, but I think it would get this as a response. Uh, well, I don't think Tulsky's a social butterfly either. And it worked for the hurricane. Chica can just sit in his office. He could. Use the great clips, uh, code. Yeah, but they will be, they will be, uh, a much better group. And, uh, I think they're going down the right road and look at they, they have, you know, there's been mistakes made in the past, but there's one thing that is, is so evident here. This fan base deserves it. The city deserves it. Uh, they have been more loyal than any group. Um, you know, even, even with the Rangers, man, I still remember the Stanley cup finals game five. They were booing. Mike Richter, like what, you know, they don't do that in this city really for anybody or anything at any time. So that being said, you know, if they do have a parade here and they win a championship, I will be in it now. I might be playing my bagpipes, but I'll be in it. Uh, but we're now into our fourth generation of leaf fan and, and at some point they will win and this city will erupt and it will be a special moment and I'm sure this will be back. He might get that diaper. Out from that, you know, gold medal game, the Olympics and stand outside the window, bang and cheering me on. Maybe. I don't know. Well, that, that, that diaper is soiled. So that thing's retired, but we've got the rollback last question. Use code. Chickles on it. On back.com for 20% off through the end of the week. C H I C L E T S on R H O B A C K.com. Polos, hoodies, joggers, swimsuits. Now 20% off deals. What, um, what's the deal for when you guys give out the award, you give. The, the, uh, Borg-Salming award. Is that over the hall of fame weekend? Cause I know Keith's been up there. It's pretty special time with the game and all the alumni gathering together. Is that when that will be given out? No, typically we do that. Uh, that's a European award for European players. It's done in between the global series. Uh, the games on the 12th and the 14th, the Saturday is reserved for the NHL, PA, the NHL, and us to do that award. Essa Tikkanen will be that winner. Uh, and then last year, our big award for man. Of the year. It's been everybody who's a hall of famer. Who's got, you know, Stanley cup championships. Uh, it's, it's the who's who of hockey last year was Paul coffee. It will be a new player this year. Stay tuned. Uh, exciting news about that. Not ready to release it yet. I'm going to do my best, uh, wit imitation at family feud and not come up with an answer. Uh, but, uh, those are our two big awards, but yeah, the, uh, the one in the one in Europe, as we know, European players, they finished the game. They go to Europe and we don't give them enough love. And it's time for us to recognize that. Look at when Matt Sundin first came in the league, there were 10 Swedes last year, about a hundred started playing in the national hockey league. The European game is big. It's vibrant and we need to show them that they've been a big part of building this game. So the European award, our national award, so to speak for man of the year, those are two big ones, but, uh, see in Finland, if you'd like to come and we've got a big event in Halifax. That fit and chiclets is more than welcome to set up shop there. We've got about 60 players coming in with the NHL and the sponsors at crowbush. Uh, talk to the powers that be when is that happy that it's going to come up at the end of August, uh, beginning of September again, open invitation. You guys, as you know, you're welcome at every event and all of our events. Um, but a big thank you to you guys for what you did. You started this, uh, ball rolling with healthcare and wellness. You helped me do it and you. You spread the word and man, oh man, it's made a difference for thousands of players already. So thank you for what you guys are doing. It's wonderful. Thank you. I got a last one. Heels. You mentioned like the guys that, you know, the shoes that you've filled and you know, one day someone's going to have to fill your shoes and those are going to be big shoes to filled with everyone, everything that you've done. But who's a guy, uh, that you think that could take over for you when you decide to hang them up, which hopefully is not for a long time. Yeah. You know, organically, I think it's just going to happen. I think there'll be somebody who's got a, an incredible passion. There's a couple of things you need here. You've got to get along with, you know, the league, you got to get along with the PA. You got to know the CBA. You got to have a little bit of legal, a little bit of business, but the most important thing that you have to have is fuel in the tank and a drive and an energy and a passion. And if you have that fuel in the tank and a passion, when you're fighting for players that have built the game, this is a relatively easy job, as long as you don't lose. Your focus, which is make tomorrow better than today. Everything you do is about the players for the players and their families in that next journey. And it's not going to be hard to find, look at, I'm looking at three guys right here. They could fill my spot in no time and come and do this job. Cause it's all about those qualities that you guys all have. And, you know, um, I know it because I've talked to you about other players and you've called me and said, he needs help, call him please. And we've done it together. So, uh, it'll happen. It'll happen. It'll happen. Someone will step up and, uh, and that player will come in and carry on. And this is a great game and the players, we deserve it. We've earned it. Amazing. Glenn Healy. Awesome guy doing a great job and all the former players appreciate it. So thanks for hopping on with us. All right, guys, anytime you guys know it and keep up the great work, uh, and, uh, uh, really appreciate the time. It really goes a long way. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. See you heels. Do any guys listening, any of you guys ever get a limp stick and I'm not talking about on the ice. Rougette ready is a custom compounded three in one ED treatment designed to get your brain and body back in action. It dissolves under your tongue. No pills or water needed works in 15 minutes on average. Why is everyone raving about it? Well, most ED meds only target blood flow. Rougette ready combines catalephyll, sytenylephyll, and. And apomorphamine to not just get the blood pumping, but help light up those arousal signals in your brain. It can last up to 36 hours. So no buzzer beating needed here. Although you might find yourself up for a little bit of overtime. It's doctor prescribed 100% online and ships discreetly to your door. So don't leave your game up to chance. Go to rougette.com slash chicklets. Get 15% off and start scoring today. That's R-U-G-I-E-T. Dot com slash chicklets. Thank you so much to Glenn Healy. Good to hear from him. Funny bastard, that guy. Robin Williams. Yeah, exactly. They've done some great work. I'm so happy to see a lot of guys are getting helped out that weren't a couple years ago. And that's all because the Alumni Association, all the work he's doing. I think sometimes people are like, oh, I played in the NHL for seven years. I don't fucking, I don't care what's going on after this. I figure it out. But no matter what you do. When it comes to an end, I think most, most older people you talk to seem a little bit lost when they retire from a job. They've been doing 40 years, whether it's working it like, you know, in a wherever an office or doing whatever you're doing. You get accustomed to something. And when it ends, it can be difficult. So we've talked about that a lot. And Glenn's helping a lot of former players. So shout out him right here. The Greensboro Gargoyles. Gee, put this in. Their schedule came out, boys. We have to come back. Last place. does that have something to do with us owning part of the team? Possibly. But they got some good nights here. They got October 24th is wrestling night. October 25th is pucks and paws. How low? Whole Halloween. I don't even know what that is. They got the teddy bear. It's Halloween. Halloween, like the dogs. You know what I mean? Oh, bring your dog to Halloween. Yeah. OK. OK. That could be an interesting one. They have a teddy bear toss game. December 18th. December 26th is Dr. Doom Marvel Night. Probably an interesting one there. And then Saturday, February 27th is K-pop night. What the hell is K-pop? K-pop is Korean pop. Yeah. All those Asian guys. They were at the FIFA. Is that the Pink Whitney song people have sent to me? There's like a Pink Whitney song. Isn't that a rap? Oh, yeah. You're right. There might be a new one that has the Pink Whitney in it. Yeah, I think it is. So I love that. I went to a Bark at the Park, which is like Howl at the whatever. Yeah. Where they bring all the dogs to the Miami Dolphin or Miami. What's the baseball? Marlins. The Marlins game. Well, they need to. And they would they would send they would they would hit the doorbell. So on the loudspeaker, a doorbell would go off and then all the dogs would start barking. It was unbelievable. Were they just shitting all over the place? The place smelled like fucking shit. Like a circus. Yeah, I know. A dog to a big event. That's that's tough. One. They need the fans there. They don't get I don't give you some extra valium for that one. He takes some sort of medication to just calm him down a little bit. He's been great since we got him on there, though. I saw this story. I thought you guys would get a kick out of this or I'd love to hear your opinion. Do you guys know Jaden Daniels, the QB of the Washington? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Number five. He played at LSU. LSU. Just I'm sure paid a lot. A lot of money and got in this big recruit DJ Pickett. They gave him number five, which is what Jaden Daniels wore at LSU. Apparently, Joe Burrow, who played at LSU, won a national title at LSU, wore number nine. And I don't believe you're allowed to wear that number. He said they would never give it away after he wore it. All time clip of him running out to senior night with Burrow spelt the way they say it in New Orleans with the EAUX. And I think the beautiful cheerleaders are back. Bowing down to him. Very handsome guy. They're the best team in the nation. They win it all with one of the best offenses of all time. Well, Jaden Daniels, I think he snapped. I believe it was reported. He told LSU they can never use his name or anything in recruiting or videos or I don't know. Basically, he like banned them from using anything to do with him at LSU moving forward because they gave out his number. I kind of was I thought that was a little bit of a bitch move. You never you never won the national title. You were a very good player. I almost look at it like an honor that a kid wants to wear your number. So I didn't really understand that. And then he got Grinnelli. Did you tell me he got carved for it online? He got absolutely carved. And I think something that people forgot is Jaden Daniels actually sat out his final college game. It was a bowl game in 2023 that he sat out. Well, I don't blame them for that. I don't blame them for that. Well, it's like don't act like you're like you live in pre. It's LSU LSU football till you die. It's like, I don't know. It's it seems like it was more about the Jaden Daniels. Him sitting out that game doesn't help the resume as far as like, oh, yeah, like, OK, yeah, that's it's like Joe. Joe Burrow is 16 to know one of the greatest college football teams of all time. And in 2022, he was 10 and 4 2023. He's not in three. Like, let's not act like he was this like he won the Heisman because it was an off year in college football. Well, he had a great rookie year. And then I believe he was hurt last year. Daniels. He's a great quarterback. But. Like what he meant to LSU and what it's not even close to what Joe Burrow had the best quarterback season a college player has ever had. That's it. That's it. It's crazy. Did you see at LSU everyone wearing number five in practice as like a few to Daniels? Oh, they almost gave it back to him a little. Yeah. Yeah. They're which and even like I get it maybe in like the early 90s if that happened and a team's making money off of you after you leave. But. Aiden Daniels probably made good money in college. Like now that these guys make money off their NIL, like it's like, dude, just be fucking excited. People want to wear your number and give back to the school. Like that's such a bitch move. I just think if you're an NFL QB, a third, a second overall pick, and then go on to a great rookie season, you have this insane contract. It's just so petty to me to then be worried that like they gave out your number. Go win something. Go win a few Super Bowls. And then you can get your number retired. You'd have to get PFT's opinion on that because Caleb Williams, nice little run in the playoffs. He does paint his nails, which looks ridiculous, but he looks pretty good for Chicago. And we have Drake May because Washington selected Jaden Daniels second. He's going to need his guy. PFT is a guard. I don't know. What is their nickname? Commanders. Commanders. Commanders. So I was thinking of the other team that got rid of the Indian head. What are your expectations for the Patriots this year? I actually have no idea. I guess their schedule is very hard. I like watching the games, but I don't know much about the team. I would think there'd be somewhat of a step back considering they had apparently the easiest schedule in like the history of the league last year. But you need a QB in the NFL. That's my opinion as a ball knower, as a junior ball knower, or maybe just a real JV ball knower. We have a QB. So we'll see. Excited for the games to get going. Last thing here. Pat McAfee released an album. I have to listen to this, because people are furious about this online. Don't really get why I've seen other ESPN employees really pump the tires of the album and then just get brushed by just very mean spirited people on Twitter. I'm going to have to give it a listen though. I'm not going to sit here and chirp a guy for making an album. If he wants to make an album till I listen to it. So what type of music is it? I think it's country. Okay. What is G saying? Lay mascots 2.0. What is that? No, I'm just saying like all of ESPN, it's getting behind this and promoting it and it's not getting the best reaction. Oh, basically mascot. Kind of like we all promoted. They mascots didn't get the best reaction. I enjoyed it. It'll shut out for, for, for coming out of your comfort zone and trying something, I guess. But you know, as far as the album's concerned, let mascots, I actually enjoyed, but that's a discussion for another day. I don't need, I don't need to get Dave back on here, giving it to me again. Um, um, what was it? Oh, and the K-pop song is actually called pinky up by, by cats. Sorry. So see synthesis. I don't know. Maybe we want them saying that it's K-pop. Yeah. It's huge. Korean pop. They have to perform it on trickles cup live. And then we call it even only of our is legs bleeding again. Um, all right. I think we could throw it to Jimmy VZ now. Um, great guy. I think everyone will really enjoy this big Jim VZ guys. We're going to talk about draft Kings for a second because something big is coming on September 2nd. Draft Kings game day arrives with massive deals, exclusive offers, and an all day celebration built for sports fans. The countdown has begun. All roads lead to game day. The Draft Kings sports app is now live in all 50 States. And that means from Texas to California, the Florida, every fan is in on the excitement. One app, every sport, all 50 States. Draft Kings game day is yours. Remember the date, September 2nd, Draft Kings game day is the kickoff of a new, a new season, a new era, and the biggest day in sports history. Get pumped. Yours truly may, may even be involved in something September 2nd. So get ready to celebrate new Draft Kings customers. Sign up with code chiclets, spend five bucks to get 150 in rewards within 14 days for all markets. That's code chiclets, C-H-I-C-L-E-T-S in partnership with Draft Kings. The crown is yours. Bet with DK sports book gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler 1-800. My reset Connecticut called 888-788-7888. 9-7-7-7-7-7 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Boothill casino in Kansas. That tax pass through may apply in Illinois 21 and over void in Canada event contract trading with Draft Kings predictions involves risk of loss availability varies predictions offer void in New York bet to get bonus bets that expire in seven days trade to get predictions dollars that expire in one year, $50 in rewards issued every seven days via click to claim for 14 days. One non-withdrawable reward redeemable nationwide based on sports book predictions and free to play sports contest availability varies by state terms at DK and g.co slash off. Offer limited time offer. It's a pleasure now to be joined by a very, very special man, a legend around these parts. He's been around pro hockey. I don't know, 40 years, maybe even longer. Big Jim VZ. Thank you so much for joining the show. Hey, what? Yans biz guys. Thanks for having me. I texted me on that. I said, you come on. He said, let me know when. so I mean, we kind of got to get in your entire career. Obviously your son, Jimmy played for a long time. He played in Switzerland this year. You played at Merrimack back before Merrimack. Merrimack legend. Merrimack legend. I mean, biz senior year, 40 games, 40 goals, 55 assists, 95 college hockey, college hockey. That's unheard of, but grew up in Charlestown, a little younger than buddy. Correct? Yeah. He grew up with Mike and Jay. Yeah. You grew up with Mike and Jay. And Jay's my age. Jay's probably 15, 16 days younger than me. And we got, a text from your kid saying, hey, if he says anything stupid, you better cut it hey i've already been one but i call him dad i've already been one by my dad he's telling he's telling me what to do now like i i don't know so you didn't like one of the podcasts i did i said you shit me you couldn't grow up the way i did were you a maniac though oh no just the times we grew up in charleston was nuts yeah i mean we had our share yeah i mean but not like the way my kids grew up yeah definitely moved them out but he'll know keith uh keith will know all his uncles the way we grew up was in charleston at the time was crazy you know it was one square mile but nobody wanted to live there he'd say oh you live in charleston now everybody lives in charlestown healthy you know what i mean you know before i say it wrong too yeah nobody wanted to live there before yeah just because why it was a tough town a lot of stuff went on there like sometimes you couldn't get a cabbie to drop you off in charleston come on it was that bad it was that bad then yeah i'm telling you yeah i'm telling you it was bad what how did you start getting into hawk i mean granted everyone around there played at that point i kind of want a little know a little bit more about what it was like growing up in charlestown it was just a inner city right we own the gardens we're in that building every day we can get any soakers bruins getting through the roof everywhere we know that building back of my hand plus so you were never buying tickets no no everyone everyone worked in the bulls gang you open the back you had to sneak in before we're bull gang i mean so how many people would they be packing in the building 15 would come running in but there ought to be another 15 guys already in there so how many like during big playoff games it must have been like there must have 2000 too many people probably yeah but we knew when you ran you know what section of charlestown section was the standing room everybody was there you meet up there yeah and then the guy working there wouldn't he wouldn't get you out sometimes you knew the guy sometimes they change but they let you go but one time we were going celtics were playing the sixes game seven when birds era we went up to the roof to go in all the stuff of the dogs were there we backed us right down the fire we're back out the door yeah we didn't get in that game is probably another level yeah well we got in a lot of those bird games we're going to our larry bird games against the sixes the lakers wow okay so i just watched a documentary on when the pistons were trying to beat them and how they brought in that like well lambert was there and how these these games were physical yeah the bad boys in detroit that was a nickname yeah that's when guys used to take the basketball to the hooper and john they get knocked on their ass now today they want to shoot 70 freaking three-pointers yeah yeah not a product any longer although i do like i'm a wemby guy i am i just started watching the finals i actually like the kid yeah yeah you know it looks like the next might be they haven't won since 73. it looks like they might pull it off but i am do like that guy yeah europeans are starting to come into basketball though they're starting to become the better players in the nba so was it hard for you to get your chance and like playing hockey was there like a local league like a local team that in charlestown youth hockey barbier rings right the mb or when he come around they started putting bc rinks all over the city so the inner city kids could have a place to go we just had a roof there was no sides so it was freezing but we didn't get to play um like the islanders triple a travel team like the king wouldn't get that no you thought split nice with people what was it was it ice whenever you wanted though no we couldn't get ice no really it was tough because everybody wanted to be barbie or now yeah so ice was rental like even people before his father and then they would have to go down to lynn to find ice and stuff like that was no ice it was scarce which split ice in the city crazy did it develop your small area game better well we play ball hockey every day the kitchen cut like the ball hockey was we didn't play roll hot we played ball hockey so when you play ball hockey against another corner it was like the bruins canadians like it was you want to kill each other you know so we fight everything oh everything we that's why you learn a lot of charleston guys right can all stick handle we played ball like our whole life that's all we did but even going back to charleston i know like my grandfather didn't play hockey all the kids did a lot of like the older crew maybe like the fiddlers and stuff like that but for a mile square town like the amount of good players that it came out of there and obviously like the famous thing is you either become a hockey player or a bankrupt coming out of there it's like one of the other right and like but some of these guys like you look at the college stats of the fiddlers you like absolute studs that come out of a small small town you know it's one square mile I always say all roads lead back to charleston you can say pete neandle the kachuks grandparents the fitzgeralds hazy hazy tommy fitz tommy fitz corner gauntlet's mother's charlestown oh really i love garland yeah i used to play in the youth hockey he's a he's a funny bastard too that's where he started you know his mom's a charlestown lady so then in so you're born in 65 yep all right so before you obviously buddy yandall and then jack o'callaghan's older than you yeah so then in 80 you're 15 watching a guy from charlestown like he is you're already diehard hockey at that point oh we watched that it was on tape delay i remember leaving the charlestown rink where public skating that's when you just get on there people would skate the rink would be mobbed with no sticks just public skating then we ran home to catch the results but when they won that 80 olympics i remember being on the monument waiting for the uh limousine to pull up chasing he come out of the limousine oc come out of limousine with silk wow and he got out of his house right on the street people everywhere everywhere mobbed right so what's that 80 so he's what 13 years old right i did the math right keith you have the math yeah big time yeah so chasing that day and seeing oc come out you know seeing a kid from charlestown winning the uh gold medal was on the label it's just like this year for all the young kids watching the olympics this year you're going to see more guys and talk we were already into hockey but i used to fall mark for the oc at bu that was our team charlestown's team was bu even though did you not end up at bu talk to jack jack parker recruit us he thought it was crazy right because my sats were bad you are a oh i could only imagine my yes it was 620. noon's had 610. i thought i was doing brian noonan i thought i was doing dynamite right i wasn't doing dynamite right i wasn't doing i don't know i think i probably got 500 sign your name right mind you his son went to harvard yeah oh that's my dna but yeah definitely but i couldn't get into bu that's where i wanted to go okay so he wanted you big time bc brought me over there all of them brought me couldn't get in billy cleary said between your sats and brian noon's combined we can't get one of you as a visitor i think keith's about better than the sats where were you where did you play high school christopher clemerson nothing because force boston started yeah mike was there jay got thrown out and you got first week yeah i would have definitely paid you for for a bc guy oh no no no no no no no no no no you is city kids i feel maybe i'm forgetting a couple people city kids growing up in boston they went to play to bu yeah they won the title interesting where and where is boston college in the greater boston area too it's it's it's chestnut hill it's not it's not like downtown like bu is okay now try to who who would be seen is from my dad bu just buddy handle oh shit actually i can't think of one of them ratings from charleston play there um haze the haze boys one of the one after i was surprised the haze was joe fiddler he went there the mark and mike yeah i shouldn't have said everyone but more so is b it was always but that's when they had uh snooks kelly who loved the uh city kids i looked up mark fiddler because he's just a little older hung around my cousin so we we played our home games at columbus it'd be at the old walter brown rink so fit and oc would come in throw sticks in the dressing room i had to practice would be all psyched having sticks so when i was playing anytime i seen guys i was clearing out the dressing room to all the sticks in the dressing room for the kids because i remember they did that for us yeah you know we'd walk from charleston to bu even why why there was nothing you could do to get the grades up like because at that point i couldn't get in the merrimack ronnie ronnie anderson who was a bu guy won back-to-back championships 71 72 72 73 on those two bu championships he's a monkton kid uh ron he was a merrimack guy he somehow got me into merrimack said ronnie get me in the door and i'll do the rest i said i just don't test well i don't ask ats he got me in and the rest was history ronnie had to go up and get all the canadian kids so we had jimmy a rib neck playing the nhl goalie uh ben waller ball ricky peon we had good canadians because ronnie couldn't compete with guys going to bu or bc he had to go outside but he found them ronnie was a hell he got three cups with the hawks as a whatever hell whatever his title was it was a little higher than that he was with deal talent then he was with bowman oh yeah so he had a lot he had a big influence but hell of a coach you know so my senior year we lost a north we beat northeastern they were the hockey eastern being part champs we beat him during a regular season it was a two game total goals we lost the first game five three next night we're down three nothing that means we're down five goals total bruce racine's and that's we scored seven unanswered goals to beat them wow and matthew's rink but matthew's arena had more people from charlestown and merritt we had a bigger fan base because of you so then we had to go out to lake superior state and i think they only had one loss in their building we beat them the first night four three the next night we lost they went on and won the national championship and like yeah we're that close okay so you had you had 156 plus 30 186 points in three years what happened the junior year you didn't play where's that at merrimack oh they don't have my stats i don't know i played oh really yeah so you probably had would you have that 60 another 60 it's a good one sophomore year my sophomore you had a good year junior year i went from first team all america second team all right i had a little down year not down but i was like 58 points i left 240 points in college yeah that's some of that yeah and then who were like when you got there like like were you one of the better players right off the hop i was nervous but i couldn't even play there but merrimack wasn't like the big time oh right he started turning into that okay right he just took his second year when i showed up what league were you in we were independent so when i was senior year we're in the plane we had to play all the teams to qualify for the nationals the next year they went to hockey east okay so that's how you have something to do with them getting a hockey absolutely all yeah ronnie i always say ronnie and the guys you brought in you know but we had a good club like we'd be in any like we'd play anybody would beat anybody did you feel like almost like a bunch of kind of misfits that were there we used to use that coming into our building the dressing rooms were tiny the visiting dressing rooms don't matter we say fuck them they're coming our building fuck them like this is our house yeah but me i didn't know what other dress rooms that nice because i only see merrimack this is kind of a dumb question where is merrimack north and over yeah it's about by where i would say 35 20 minutes okay no traffic no track but i live in north france i used to think i was going to different state when i was going to merrimack yeah yeah i come home first week there i hated it no you were done and i was quit ready to quit and you were like typical charleston i'm sure you had guys come up there with you because you can't be alone no 100 but the first week i don't take home people playing hacky sack and all that thing it's back now that's back everywhere doing i was a big hockey side i've never seen the thing before they got credit cards the only times we had credit cards they weren't us were they playing devil sticks too playing all kinds of great remember devil sticks so ronnie yes i go to 125 i'm home my mother said whatever i said i go back down i can't think right i'm playing ball hockey next thing ronnie innocent shows up down the cage in the projects i go what is he doing here he come down and got me he didn't come down like kids he said what are you doing i said ronnie i don't fit in up there we grew up in a tough town i'm 20 minutes out of the town i'm lost wow i'm lost i went back because the first day i showed up everybody's showing up with these big boxes with clothes sheets and i showed up a little duffel bag you know shit nobody in my family went to college my mother and sister dropped me off oh i'm laying on the top bunk bed with no sheets no pillow i said what the fuck am i doing here right i went home when ronnie said i said right in the house i got a sleeping bag a couple of pillows i was on it then eventually when the hockey started i got to know the guys but like i said there was a ton of guys out there all the time and we ended up you know we had a lot of fun up there guys i'm still a lifelong fan of ronnie i mean you're a hockey lifer like now you work for the toronto maple leaf you and i love you and chris bork you travel everywhere together oh shit that's your work he picks him up yeah and then boom they drive everywhere i pay for everything tell me yeah no no i wasn't saying no no is it your credit card still or no yeah no no i love chris i call him peppy good guy i know he's your age you guys here but we've got very close with him and the funny thing he lives in north reading right now where i live yeah oh yeah that's right yeah so we're close thank you so okay so marimac you have this you have this incredible run and then you go the next year you go to the ihl the peoria rivermen which ended up being an ahl team for a long time 93 points in 76 games 47 goals you get a couple nhl games and then the next year in peoria 91 points in 60 games another 47 goals what was stopping you in each year you got some games yeah what was stopping you from getting was that the point where americans still were maybe kind of in your mind that had something to do with maybe uh black but not blackballed but back then like when i went to camp right i remember there was only like two scouts was teddy hampson bobby plague or maybe patty janelle from out west so i went there i didn't know anybody it was only like three or four americans right how was dole so it wasn't mary menning i didn't know any i didn't know the western league the quebec league ontario i didn't know anything about that stuff the only thing we read was the hockey news but i had no clue so we went there i first thought it was like the 10th forward you want to get dressed 10 guys back then for forwards and i didn't know if i was getting shipped out i was in a road i was playing with ron flockhardt remember ron flockhardt you old philadelphia flyer no plucky hockey but next game he's gone he said the hell with it he's been the nhl this whole career he takes off to europe so i'm still there finally get in they put me up with cliff learning and dave lowry i had a fight out in denver scored a bunch of goals and everything next thing wayne thomas the coach calls me and says you got called up i go you shit me you go what the fuck don't you understand i go up to st louis get games there went back down but back then there was no hardly no american gm's scouts player and how do you know american guys in the camp you know but my knock was my skating i wasn't a good skater but if i blew mine in give me the puck i i knew how to score you know what's that you're like mark stone more for that kid because he can't skate yeah he plays with his head oh he's smart he plays with his head that's why i always pull for him you know i mean but that was my knock but i knew wherever i was i was going to and i ended up playing one on the line with michelle mongeau god rest his holy passed away he played with lemieux and juniors and dave tomlinson not the one from bu oh okay th who's one of my best friends we had the mtv line who they consider one of the best lines ever in the minors we had a great line you know we ended up eventually winning the turn of cup my third year first year we had chaser twister oh my god as young guys coming up right you had a fight because i was big yeah they go where'd you learn a fight i said the twister i'll bring you to charles i'll show you what if i can learn how to fight right yeah they all came they learned we're all about charles because no social media we would get killed our first year but they'd shut it down they didn't want to blow us out too much because the game will last till the next day because of fights yeah i mean so we had uh liah lowline was lent out to us by montreal i used to call him raymond after raymond bark right he was minus 64 next year was the nhl or two years later he was the head of the plus minus thing in national hockey no shit minus 64 something like minus 48 right raymond that's okay keep on going i used to call raymond had he lost part of his finger already yeah he had no fingers to stick it up when he fought okay yeah yeah we had a tough tough team but we kept on getting better we had curtis joseph deehee beer pat jabonsky three nhl goalies kujo went up the year we won it he went up to st louis i mean he was good somebody got hurt they brought johnny blue in because he needed the money remember johnny blue played for the bruins goalie yeah he come in play for his list so we always had good players down there and barbie plaga who was our coach he was he's a legend he's a legend he's a legend he's a legend legend said he never touched the cup till he beat the bruins in 2019 he was in hockey since he was 18 years old canadian kid he's jersey still behind barrick jackman yeah yeah it's raised obviously in st louis and when he passed away really emotional we won that coach he was our coach yep old school guys coach old place well he led the charge off the ice right and on the ice really yeah as long as you saw that play right you know he was what you're drinking but you had to come and play the next day if not his city wouldn't give a shit like you wouldn't care well that's well when you said you play with lyle orderline i would imagine if he was going like even half as hard no he was just that note he wasn't going as hard as he did later on his career like when we were in pittsburgh erupted by these yeah yeah yeah yeah you know we've told this story before but od he brought me i don't see after training camp and next thing you know we're ordering dinner yeah i guess it's training camp well that was normal he was just a vet like a veteran you know the cultures the old normal day was you go for lunch and you're still there at midnight that was normal so that was cool so you got to experience winning a championship there in the minors like that yeah that must have been a fun run like were you playing in like weird places that don't have hockey teams now like where were the weirdest road trips muskegon kamazoo flint i can't wait to get there we were in every saginaw oh every town you can think of our closest ride was milwaukee we must have played them 16 times that's a fun city you want to talk about a great city but want to talk about brown when some of you play 15 times yeah regular season you know they give us meal money they'd wait to have to lunch so they put freaking change in the meal money so they have to pay us for the whole day of meal money you know i'm saying right right right right then they come in the room they're like yeah it's 11 getting that room the other 11 get the other room two hotel rooms between the whole team no but it was that it was bad so when you see the guys in the nhl getting treated the way they are but now even like the minors now that's underrated guys getting paid good too yeah yeah what were you making that first year in the nhl twenty five thousand dollars oh nice but but it probably felt like a lot yeah probably felt like because i remember showing up the first at training camp right here's the privileged one from college chasing all these guys thought i was like a privileged one from college like a college fucking thing right meanwhile i'm waiting to see them to get a per dean check i have no money no credit card never had any money in my life on our credit card i'm living on the fucking uh what they're giving us for meal money right so then those guys start to get to know me and became lifelong friends with them you know i remember twisted got married i had to step in as his best man out there when he got first got married yeah that's how yeah that's why when i pull in the st louis twist will never let me go he'll pick me up drop me off wherever he is he'll come somebody said that he's like borderline genius he's like stewie grimson they're both intelligent intelligent guys twister i always say out of all the guys i play with off ice he could fight too well oh i heard the twister like if you got caught with him in a back yeah i heard if you get caught with him in a back alley like he's bad he just like looks like one of those guys when you look into his eyes you're like oh man if this if this guy's wires crossed plus he can put the leg up and put a you know foot break the fucking jaw away yeah he fought violently yeah where like he would but he's one of the nicest guys i know right he acts bizarre crazy and shit but he's really intelligent yes yes yes no i heard he's so intelligent he has like a a company there yeah he's doing well in that glass company yeah he had a couple bars back in the day but that's when i told brett howe when i was on that um their podcast what's it called ice guardians yeah i remember when how good trade level when it was just brett we walked down the game to st louis carlos holly didn't know he's gonna be like he'll tell you i didn't know how good he was gonna be he was just trying to figure it out you know you trade it over next thing how he's scoring 70 80 goals i mean right then he can holly right i mean but he'll tell you to be the first one he didn't know was was um uh oh god i'm drawing a blank on the guy we just said the twister was he the toughest guy you ever played with yeah he could hurt you yeah he could hurt you yeah he was young then and chaser was young i probably had 15 majors him and chaser those guys probably had 30 majors I wasn't getting that much. Okay, interesting. Because you were big. Big, people challenged me, fucking college pussy, and all that shit, right? I think I had 137, 147 minutes. Yeah. Those were all majors. Was it hard because you really, I mean, obviously. On the ice, you learn. Yeah, on the ice. You were probably doing it in the streets growing up a little bit. Oh, totally different. But the only time I ever really cut was my first time in a game. I fought Steve Thomas. I gave him too much respect. Stumpy. Stumpy, yeah. He cut you? Cut me over my eye. The only time I really was cut because I was nervous because I'm in the NHL. Instead of fight my fight, I said, I don't care after that. Whenever I fight, win, lose, or draw, I'm fighting the way I know how to fight. Stumpy was pretty tough, too. I didn't realize how tough he was until we had him on the dagger. Because I gave him too much respect. But meanwhile, I get the animals down the mind as you're fighting. I remember Paul Ose. We had a toe-to-toe fight. You guys remember him? He played in Florida. I didn't know who he was. This was in a play. Toe-to-toe fight. I wish I could pull out a tape. I feel like I won a fight. He broke my nose. I didn't even know. We had a brawl and a half. I remember trying to find me. It was better I didn't know who the hell he was. Yeah. Yeah. Because sometimes I remember, oh, the Grim Reaper. Yeah. I didn't know who the Grim Reaper was. Who the heck's the Grim Reaper? That's the thing is all of a sudden you're playing these guys from the Western League that have all these crazy. I hear every story from the Western League. I used to fall asleep, wake up, and finish some Harkin story. I already know the other thing. Yeah. I love that. Army. That is Army. Yeah. Oh, I had to hear all of the bus rides. Army. I've been on a plane with the whole team asleep and he's still like, and then we're near that third game in three nights. We had all Westerners there, right? I used to go finish the story from them. Toughest guys in the world. But I did get along with all the Western guys. Yeah. They were tough guys. No, they're likable bunch. Oh, yeah. It's funny. They think they're the toughest guys in the world. Everybody else had it easy except the Westerners. I was a show HL guy. Yeah, yeah, show HL. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We were college pussies, probably. Yeah. So every time I see Nyla getting in fights with another college pussy, beating up a fucking Canadian. They would fucking hate him. Yeah, they would fight us out. Oh, no. But Chase, I got him a couple of times. I said, hey, I think Nyla's going to make the All-Star team. I already knew. He goes, get the fuck out. Nyla? Yeah, Chris, right? He goes, yeah, you're fine. I said, put 100 up. He goes, I'll take 200. I go, take 200. I already knew the answer. He got a name. He got the coach's pick, didn't he? Yeah, Milbury put him in another Canadian. Was it Scrooge Lynn or something? I forget who the name. But Chase would tell you how the clocks, the coaches, they all go. He said, the mean streets of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan. I said, oh, yeah. Oh, they make movies about that fucking time. Yeah, the five or six of them we've talked about. Yeah, because they had that softball team. What's a softball team? I said, come down and play our league. I said, I think we'll win that fucking fight. No shit, eh? If we lose, we'll still win. No, I think we'll win. We might lose, but we'll win. And you won't have your cars. Yeah, yeah, cars, baths, we'll use everything else. A little different. Yeah, gangs in New York, gangs in Boston here. I always tell them, the only one from the Western League, I fool around, I said, Wendell Clark, he's the only one humble. All you got are the ham and egg. I was like, Wendell's the only humble one. Oh, he's so humble. He's so humble. Yeah, he's so, like, chill-tempered. And he was a tough bastard. Oh, yeah. It's always the quiet ones you got to worry about, right? Not the fucking loud pussies like me. What was it like getting called up, and what was your experience? How many games did you end up playing in your full career in the NHL? I think it was 15, I forget what you can say. Yeah, 15. Who was your goal against? Toronto. In Toronto, Maple Leafs got it. Pretty sweet spot. And, but no, Bernie Federico, passed to me with 4-3. We made a 5-3 empty netto. He had a goal to assist that game. Yeah, I played with Bernie Federico and a BU guy, Ricky Maha. Oh, yeah, yeah. But then I'd get called up. Parker Dricks drills after him. Yeah, Mickey. But then after that, he got called up. They put me with Craig Cox and Dave Richter. We might as well just put work boots on, sat on the bench. I slide right, slide left. Two-shift face on his own. Get off the ice, Frank. And a skilled guy that sucks. It doesn't, yeah, I know. I didn't want to play. I was happy. Honest to God, you're making money. But I'd be in the press box. I'd be up there like a month and a half sometimes when we played two games. But I'd be relieved to get sent down. Bob Berry was our coach. He had a figure right in his mouth, assistant coach, bagging us. I'm skating with Cliff E. Ronning and Gaston Gingras. Two guys that can fly. I'm with the guy. What the heck is this? Every day. Not playing, I go. I'd be relieved getting sent back down. Yeah, that's how I felt sometimes. Like, this is before even, like, if you're skating with your weak, weak part of your game. You're not, like, working on it in the summer. No, they're just bagging us. You know what I'm saying? And even in the summer, like, not even, like, no. No, you couldn't get better. You're just like, oh, he's not a good skater. We didn't have to. That was the knock. You just think that's what it is. But, like, I talked to Paul McLean. Yeah. He wasn't a great skater. But he got locked out. He started with Howarchuk. Like, he told me the story. He said, I locked out. I go with Howarchuk. And he wasn't a great skater. He'd score. You know, if I ever had a chance, wherever I was, I could play. But that's life. Yeah. All the other guys were better than me and they've gone to even one game. Right. Right, yeah. And then, I mean, you got to play some games with the Bruins, too. Yeah, that's what's nice. Then I blew my shoulder out in the gardens. Oh, man. Happened a game in the past against Quebec. I could have bailed out, but I went to get the puck, and Stephon Finn, I think it was his name, caught me with my shoulder and snapped it all the way back. I remember with six shoulders. I remember him going on the bench. I mean, six screws in my shoulder. I'm sitting on the bench looking. Twisters on the end of the Quebec bench laughing at me, right? I remember that look. I go, he's laughing, thinking I'm all right, but my shoulder's killing. Then they had to wear that sour brace after that, and the game became no fun. Couldn't even protect myself. You know that brace you can't get? Oh, yeah. You know, guys are taking liberty, Kenny, if I can do anything. But I played the inaugural season in Providence, which we had a great team. Timmy Sweeney, Sergei Zoltak, Clark Tonatelli, Jamie Husgrove, Billy Hewitt. We had a tough team. Darren Banks, Big Daddy. Darren Kimble was down there for a while. Another tough kid, Kimby. I think we've hit our name. We've hit our name limit. Yeah. Those are all guys I'm still friends with. I play with every freaking tough guy. No, I know, I know. Everything was always full of tough guys. It feels like almost fictitious, some of the names you're saying. Yeah, I know. Big Daddy. Yeah. Well, Big Daddy's Banks. You guys know Banks, right? He's out there with Vegas, running hotels out there. Joseph Stumple was on that team. Stumpy, 92 points. Glenn Murray. Okay. But even for you, growing up in Charleston, playing at the Garden, that must have been incredible. You know, I was working, I worked a pro shot there. You snuck in. No, I snuck in the game, yeah. But I worked the Gardens, I worked the pro shot in high school, did the Bull Gang, and eventually played for the Bruins. That is wild. I have to sneak it in my whole life. But that Providence team was good. Yeah. Who was the coach? OC was the coach, right? So you got a. Did you just like love the game too? Did you watch the game when you were not at the rink? Because you're, obviously. I had Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots fans. But I mean more so like the game of hockey, like because you're now a scout, like you just love watching hockey. Are you like a hockey obsessed person? You know what? During COVID, that was the only thing I was looking forward to was watching hockey. Thank God they had the hockey on. Yeah. But do I still love hockey? I'll tell you, sir, when I first went to St. Louis, I was still checking boxcotes with the Bruins, how they were doing, right? Then I eventually got out and every two weeks you're getting paid by St. Louis, right? And I didn't have that same feeling. And I'll be honest, 2019 I was pulling for the Blues when I played the Bruins. Really? Even though I was a Bruins fan because I was pulling for Bobby Plager and guys like that. Right. So I was pulling for them to win the Cup. They won. It was Game 7 they won. Game 7 here. Even though I coached Grizzly, he was with the Bruins. Tuca's a good friend of mine. But my hat was with the Blues. Yeah. You'd play for them. Blood, sweat, and tears with the organization. Yeah. And to see how long it takes sometimes to build something and then eventually experience success and how improbable that run was. Yeah, it was unreal. They weren't really a top, like nobody would have even predicted them a top 10 lead. No, they fired you. Yeah, they were going to fire everybody. Yeah. Chief almost got fired. Yeah. And then Bennington was lent out to the Providence Bruins. They brought him up. Right. That year he was? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He came up halfway through the year. They just said, let's take a sniff with him, try him. The next thing we're going to fire, stick boys are getting fired. They took off on a run. I think that that year in training camp, Bennington like hung up on Marty Brodeur or was like, yeah, no, like basically like. Yeah, they had him lent out to Providence. Yeah, like pigeon tossed him. Yeah. Imagine that run. Crazy. It was improbable. It's even like when Pittsburgh won their first Cup. Yeah. Disco Danny got. Yeah. I'm the one who nicknamed him. He was our coach in the minors. Really? You gave him that nickname? Because I played with him in Phoenix. Because he'd do like the naked dance before the game. Yeah, he did everything. I don't know what he was doing. He was a wild man when he played because I heard that even like Cincinnati when he was there. Maybe afterwards I played when I was with him. He was a quiet boy. Really? Yeah, but I mean, one thing I'll give that kid, he'd go on box shots with his fucking head. Yeah. He really would. That kid would box shots from everywhere. Yeah. But do you think of Pittsburgh, right? Yeah. Who knows? They fight a coach that year. I don't know who it was. They bring those guys. They stick Fitzy on the bench with them. Next thing, Crosby and the boys go up in a roll and they fucking win the Cup. You know? They were down 3-2 in that season. Yeah. But they fight a coach that year, but Disco up for the minors. I mean, look, it's going to happen this year. It looks it. Yeah. It looks it. Or even like a thing with Buffalo. Like they fire their GM sometimes. I know. It's crazy, isn't it? I was pulling for Lindy Ruff. I like Lindy. Okay. Yeah. You know, that was a good series, Buffalo Monchal. Really good. Yeah. So then you went to Phoenix. Your last two years you played. Yeah. And was it just. Well, my shoulder is sick. Okay. So it was the shoulder. You know what? When you lose the dream, the playing the National Hockey League, it starts getting harder and harder to play. Yeah. Especially when you're out in the warm weather and stuff like that going away. Yeah. What was Phoenix like then? Playing fans? We played the old Phoenix Coliseum. No, we'd get like five. You played in that Coliseum? The old one, yeah. Oh, my God. Where the Celtics beat the Suns years ago. Yeah. That's where we played. You guys played downtown. Wow. That's crazy. Yeah, that's where we played. Yeah, that old building. Holy shit. But I mean, my wife was just pregnant, so Jimmy was there. There wasn't many people on that team that had kids. Yeah. Then I. She went home and had my. She was pregnant with my second kid, which was Nolan. She went home that night. We lose in a shootout. I take a shoot, we lose. Keith Redman, who was a high draft pick for the Kings, is in the dressing room fighting Rod. be lit our coach oh yeah they're toe-to-toe going at it i try to break it up i get that sour brace off my arm get snapped over again i get a second up then we're playing another game again my way no bullshit what were they fighting about i don't know i had no clue i don't know like i'm not playing with vz no no i was like gotta come out of the bullpen yeah we're shootout time start tap on the back go take a shootout taking a shift of like 15 minutes must have been nice playing there no it's great but it was tired when you didn't you knew you weren't going to have a chance to play no right right yeah at least you get to marinate in the sun yeah we had some good pies who was their uh affiliate la oh la kings and the year before that la lost on the cup to montreal so i was 93 was it the roadrunners phoenix roadrunners yeah bobby he house you know him yeah he was yeah yeah i just did a commercial with old spice commercial i love you guys yeah yeah oh i love you guys yeah i love you still doing it bobby no uh no so that's what sucks about the coyotes leaving like he just oh that's right yeah like they didn't break i mean you know radio kind of became a little bit obsolete i like good man oh dude he took took me under his wing he took tyson nash uh who's the guy who does edmonton i'm drawing a blank no no not michael yeah the tough kid his son was on the bruins yeah uh yes i played against the father oh de brusque yeah like to pump your tires here i saw that you had heater in the commercial with you just goes to show you just such a great guy who is my god i ride for my dog yeah but this is like kept him he's keeping him involved that's good he's had him in a commercial i like old spice right yeah yeah heater's the best i'm like i kind of want to do a little bit more with the utah mammoth and incorporate him because he buddy he was an unreal he's amazing i play amazing he was good he was really good he's got a classic like singing the game to him where i'm like this guy's this man's got talent and talk about as over prepared as you need to be oh yeah he's always have all of his knowledge ready to go always and at that time i think he was doing more than just calling games probably he might have been stitching us up too i don't know yeah he was a bus driver he was that's awesome that you had bobby there who's the other guy who was used to it mike um oh worked in your office still out there mike um oh fuck out phoenix yeah phoenix mike we had rich nairn he was the guys we know mike with the black hair he was there forever he knows all you guys he's still living in phoenix oh okay say his last brophy oh bro yeah oh my god bro he was a silly man he related to john here let me uh no remember mike the guy yeah yeah yeah bro yeah he was the man yeah i gotta see if i still got his number in there i was out on the father's trip out in arizona all of a sudden i hear my name i go who the fuck out here knows me we're going in a line it's him i hadn't seen him probably 20 years before after before that yep yeah but he's talking about all you you know you and all that stuff but he's still out in arizona he doesn't ever let me go with utah oh is it mike briotti briotti briotti that's her briotti yeah yeah yeah mike brophy briotti all the same thing yeah when you were done playing were you right into hockey no i would do i went back i had to take out a cobra thing for insurance i don't know what i was going to do for work charlestown or north reading then i was still in charlestown okay but in my my wife ann was pregnant with our third was her daughter department in charleston i got too small i never went back to charleston so i had to go find a place to move she found a place we moved nothing but i decided in utah i could coach the kids in utah and then they had the islanders so the 93 and i had uh grizzy jimmy but surely got 11 of those guys went on play division one four of them were drafted that's cool yeah that's so cool yeah because you're so jimmy's age group maybe not the exact year but around it was hannifin it was eichel they were a year younger you had the fitzgerald playing with you guys too yeah came up because you guys i gave the younger team i had with nolan i gave that to tommy fitz and randy wood they took over that team your son nolan was unbelievable youth hockey player unbelievable yeah what's it mean yeah nolan academically was like me he didn't really care you know jimmy was always smart huh jimmy was always smart you know i mean you know he didn't it came to him you know i mean somebody got his head the thing i remember said he come home and said he's gonna take mandarin right i go chinese i go what the fuck are you thinking i go why don't you get a job as a cop interpreter in the courthouse right he goes this is the way of the world right i go where the fuck a world right i start looking up he's in fifth grade fuck it was way of the world oh yeah i had no clue mandarin yeah mandarin what were you like as a hockey dad i was a coach was nice so i didn't have to be in the stands listen i went deal with the parents i was hard on those kids myself and mark fiddle were the coaches and probably pretty hard on your own kids yeah i was was jimmy was he a late bloomer no they were good he was good it was good you know we go against frankie um from the flames you know frank the channel thank you for channel they had good teams there we're playing all those tournaments we'd get to the like the finals whatever you do all the summer hockey too yeah we're doing some of those tournaments and stuff like that but those guys there worked their ass off i mean grizzly was a 94 but two days away from being a 93 so he's like a january 2nd birthday the the best the best hockey birth yeah best hockey birth right we had them running power plays 19 years old really yeah yeah snapping it around yeah it's unbelievable and those kids worked their ass off because mark fiddle was a same way i was like was no nonsense was no crying then you know there's no cutting on the back it was like a hockey i mean the way we know it like today i probably wouldn't be able to coach yeah not that i was hitting guys not like but we're getting on guys you know even at a young age that's back when there was hitting full hitting it all hit it right off the heart as soon as you started i mean i'm not saying we're screaming like maniacs we taught them but told them hey you got this guy he's got to get here get to high school if you get college you won you won you did it anything after that's heavy you know get get an education on this thing and 11 and went on grizzy as a young kid grizzy was good you get great like ball hockey skills with a hand we used to calm grizzy down before games to be nervous i said grizz no matter whatever happens we get five guys in there all the time calm his nerves out you know i mean and he'd go out and dominate but we had a bunch of good guys that played division one didn't play pro they were good players yeah so you got to see eichel grow up and come up i seen him when he's younger yeah you know i mean you always heard about him and he's separated he went on a team like him and carter garland i've said that i'm sorry about that uh on a different team like that so i lost count but i remember when jimmy was in the uh eastern junior hockey league i could call up to play in the finals it was like that was a tough league back then remember the year before the stars yeah that was good he was with the kids scotty hollow was the coach yep uh i forget who the hell he played in the finals but apple core was always good but jack was coming out i go wow look how good he's got now really yeah powerful okay why he took a huge step just snapping a puck like and skating like he's like whoa yeah i mean he always skate yeah he didn't go to like skating things probably so he's always gonna skate you know how sometimes he looks like he's like weird skate but that kick can fly you see me on the back check and then even what he does like it'll be a two-on-one the other way or three-on-two he comes all the way back from the goal line makes a three-on-three and it looks effortless now like i'm coaching kids and some kids can just skate it's like it and you can do all the lessons you want but some kids just fly it's it's it's weird how i mean jack just kept on getting bigger and bigger but what people don't realize about jack in it in the with boil and stuff he's like unbelievable strong the biggest no i the first time i saw him give me it's unbelievable he was he was doing pull-ups he was 17 and he was doing pull-ups with 45 pounds hanging and he must have done 15 ago and then ike's ike and then he was hand clean in 325 oh like he was a full-on freak of nature we used we used to do the you know like one guy goes in it and then you like run right yeah and first time i ever worked out with him i was holding him and he was literally dragging me like yeah is that powerful he's a did his dad play know it then i started like with bob right bob's got that same kind of strength okay he's ran marathons and everything his old man yeah oh he's got a big motor but he wasn't right what's that he wasn't even a hockey guy bob right well i played more hoop wow that's so crazy how that works yeah play basketball more than look all of a sudden i know nothing about this game and my kid's one of the players in the world it's unbelievable is it it's so weird like you'd think the dad would have something to give him i know which is probably better so i know sometimes my kids are like shut up dad i know i grew up my mother didn't go to games because she wasn't really that healthy my dad died so i never got that in the car you know what i mean yeah right i'd go home and say i stunk my mom said you play good you know what i can game but i play good the same way you have a my brother was tommy was older but um mostly the parents i get picked up i remember my mother played in milk smith that was an in-house league in charlestown would be packed i'd have my scabbards on my mother throwing money out of the second scabbards the thing to cover the blade so you can walk okay okay what do they call them i don't know they're rubber skate guards skate guards my mother throwing money out the second floor window of the cabin to take me to charlestown rink for a seven o'clock morning game imagine and today they arrest me but i said we thought it was normal then after a while i was getting a little old i said pull by the rink a little bit i was getting embarrassed not that my mother did that because everybody's showing up with their parents and i'm walking with skate guys like a snorkel or a fucking hood on me and i'm like oh my god i'm not going to on going to rink you know what i mean yeah but but i live in six apartments they're all family right so i had a brother cousins neighborhood everybody played ball hockey right and the bruins game was a must watch that's when the old antennas wsbk you had to hold the fucking thing put tinfoil on the antennas to watch the game but everybody watched you know i mean i was a diehard red sox fan too i love the red sox you know i was out there when they finally won in uh st louis when you went to the game yeah Yeah, when they swept the No. 4. - Yeah. - Yep. - Well, you must have been playing in a bunch of other sports, too. I love baseball. Baseball I loved. Were your kids playing other sports? Yeah, they played baseball. Okay. Nolan was a catcher. Jimmy was a pitcher. Both left-hand hitters. They shoot left and bat left. I was righty batter and a righty shooter. So they were lefties. Jimmy's into golf now, too. He's getting better. The first time, remember you brought him to Wall-E? He goes, there's every hole up. I know. I never enjoyed it either. Now I wish I knew how to play at my age. I know. You ever get arrested? Maybe held for PC, protective custody. Allegedly, maybe. Yeah, we all did. When did you get into scouting? I'll tell you what. I talked to Chaser. Shani was running the team. And Mark Hunter was there. Next call, Mark Hunter. And that's how I got in. Okay, so it wasn't that long ago. 11 years ago. Okay. 11 years ago. So I was bouncing around doing all that. We had the rack, the Byron Fenial Hall with my cousin Paul. That's where all the NHL guys were. Yeah, I had everybody there. Who would you say your most prized guys that you think you found kind of out of nowhere? As a scout. Yeah. Some of the guys that I liked that we didn't draft that went on. Yeah, like just where you were like, I was on this guy early. Like the kid Kovacevic from Merrimack. I know he's like a 5th, 6th defenseman. I think he's in New Jersey. I remember saying, hey, we got to get this guy. Because I'm drafted. He's drafted. I meant to do an interview with him, right? He goes, I'm going to get drafted as a Toronto kid, right? He goes, I'm going to get drafted. I said, oh, I like you. Winnipeg stepped up and took a fall. We're going to take my 6th. I kept on telling Mark Hunter, step up and get this guy. He's had a good career in Montreal, New Jersey. He's still bouncing around. Kovacevic. Yeah, the defenseman right here. Kovachkin. Kovachkin. Kovachkin, yeah. Kovachkin. Yeah. Kovacevic, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We call him Kovachkin. But guys like that, I got to find those guys. Everybody knows, like, first round, whoever, people know that. Yeah. I got to find the guys late round. Diamond in the roughs. With Chris this year, or last couple years with the free agents. Find guys like that. So you and Borky must argue about guys. Yeah. Or do you? We're pretty much on the same thing. Okay. Sometimes we differ a little bit. You know how he is. He likes to argue, too. Oh, yeah. Yeah, he doesn't give in. He's never wrong. He tells me I'm never wrong. He looks like he's got some grizzle, too, on that. But I tell you what, he loves the game. He's confident. And he's opinionated, which I think he wants. He wants. At meetings, he speaks up. He does. He speaks up, which I like. Yeah. We learned that from Mark Hunter. Don't just be, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes. If you want a guy, you got to fight for him, you know? And I remember when, like, Lou Lamarillo was there, what I learned from Lou was stay in your lane. A lot of other guys, you ask a scout, he'll be telling you what the GM's doing. You know, this is the height of my pay. I know what my lane is. And I learned that way back then. So you worry about your own job. That's sometimes everybody else is doing everybody else's job. Right. How many games are you doing a year? Jesus. Probably four or five days a week from September, October on. Yeah. It's nice you got all the colleges around here. That's what's good. Yeah. That's what's good. BCB. Yeah. It's not bad at all. Yeah. That's hard. Like, even like the far right at Dopp, at the Union, or say, me and Chris went to a year, not year, what the hell is that? Cornell. We got caught in a snowstorm the night before the Super Bowl. I said, Chris, keep on going. You're doing great. I had my fingers crossed, my toes crossed. You're doing good. Fucking flatted everywhere. Keep it going. Keep it going. You're crushing it, boy. Yeah. You're doing good, Chris. Just get me home. Just get me home. Yeah. Yeah. That's what the Super Bowl is the next day. And Cooper and them are coming in. They're in town. They're in town. They're in town for that. So it was him and the kid that's coaching Chicago Nine. Nice guy. Where? Chicago Blackhawks. The head guy. He used to be Cooper's assistant. Oh, wow. Oh, yeah. He looks like. Belond? Blaschel. Yeah, Blaschel. Blaschel. Jeff, you're a good guy. Halpern was there. These guys had a ball. Know why? Because they come down and they left alone. Nobody bothers them. Yeah. Nobody treats them like hockey guys. Nobody gives a shit. Yeah. Every time Cooper's. I go back with Coop when Jimmy was at those Rochester's for those USA things. And Twister and Chase said, look up Coop. So we'd be out drinking, me, him, and Clarky. He wanted Jimmy to go out to Green Bay. Then he took the job in the American Hockey League. Remember that? Yep. Yeah. That's how I thought. Yeah. Go back with Coop. And he won one there. Won one there. Won one in the USHL, right? Yeah. Well, that was there. Yep. American League, right? Got there in the Stanley Cup. Yeah. He never did the coast, right? I don't think he did the coast. Yeah. Right from the USA. Yeah. He coached Pat Maroon in that Junior Blues. Yeah. One of those players. Oh, yeah. Before the USHL. I think that was the North American League. What do you remember about the summer of Jimmy Veazey? Remember, everyone wanted him. Oh, my God. Yeah. He won the Hobie, which is so cool. Your son won the Hobie Baker. You know what? Yep. He graduates from Harvard, and then all of a sudden, I'm a free agent. Every team wanted him. What's crazy with that- What were you telling him? I was just telling him to get his education. Okay. You don't want to be on the bus like me. Mary Mac's a lot different than Hobbit, but I'm saying, finish your degree at Hobbit. Because he maybe wanted to leave early. It wasn't like a plan. Well, they asked him after junior year to come out. Because he had a great junior year. He was running up to Eichel that year for the Hobie Baker when Jack won his freshman year. So, I said, get your degree, and you'll go back for your senior year. But then all that shit turned like that, right? And every- People called, well, saying they weren't. Every team, just about, right? And Jimmy didn't know if he was going to play in the National Hockey League. It wasn't like he hated Nashville or anything like that. Yeah, but at that point- Hazy was his good buddy. They grew up playing together. He just kind of did the same thing. Hazy. Hazy. He didn't sign with Chicago. Remember? Yeah, remember that? Yeah. But Kevin was in Jimmy's ear. They worked out together. Keith and all that. And the Rangers. And that's how that- I was trying to stay with Toronto at the time. Because I was going for Toronto. Yeah. And he ends up getting there anyways. But the only thing I did, I said, you make your own decision. I don't want you to come back and have anything on me. Right. Yeah. You know? And it sucked. Because, like, Ronnie Ennis was with Chicago and all that. People would call me left and right. But Jimmy made his own decision. But they portrayed him as this rich kid from fucking Harvard. And he hates Nashville. It had nothing to do with that. But, I mean, I think you gave him the best advice you could. Get your education. Get your education. Especially from Harvard. Harvard. Obviously, he had a great career and made enough money to have that education. Keith, with Harvard, by him going back to school, not just the sports people, all those big hedge fund people call him left and right. Oh, yeah. Because it looks like he was serious about school. He went back to school. But the way they portrayed us is as this rich fucking Harvard family. Fattest thing. All my family, Longshoremen or Teamsters. Well, I think after they listen to this, they'll get, Do you think so, Biz? Hey, I was already one, so some things I can't think. Who did Jimmy text? You texted me. Did my dad come on? He's coming on tomorrow. He goes, I want the ability to cut stuff. Yeah, yeah. That's what it is. That's your dad. Yeah, dad, tell me what I can say now. So, but Jimmy never played. He played EJHL. Did he go to Belmont Hill? Belmont Hill. And why didn't he stay playing ISL? I said, you got to get out of there right now. Okay. Play a little higher level. Okay. And Scotty Hollis coached him. This was before the USHL was in place. This is kind of what it is. Yeah, and he was going to go with Coop. But Coop wasn't going to go on American Hockey League. He was going to say he's not going, and Coop was going to take him to Green Bay. Okay. You know? But it's hard now, because you're always with Borky, right? Yeah. His son's a really good player. I know. And now it's like, you got to go somewhere when you're 14, and then you're going to now go to the Quebec League, you're from Massachusetts. Yeah, it's crazy. And it's just like, it's way harder, I feel like, for parents. What sucks, you know, you think of the Canadian kids, like Dave Thomas, he got dropped off to, got the first junior team at 15 years old, like you got. You're leaving your house. You want your young son there, right, and those guys getting dropped off at that age. I know. I just don't want to wish the kids were still in, young kids in the bed with me, sleeping, you know? And they grow up that quick. That's one thing about junior guys in Canada. Those players are ready for training camp and stuff. They're living a life more than we did. But as you guys got young kids, you want to drop off. Oh, my God. I got a 15-year-old. I couldn't imagine. Dad, right? I know. See you later. If Ryder was ever, like, a high-level hockey player, I'd have sex. I'd have seven more years with him. Yeah. That makes me sick. And they're gone. And it goes that quick. Look at it. My kids were all off my house at 16 years old. Yeah. It's crazy, right? I was 17, which still is, like, even now, thinking about it. I am so grateful that I went out and I experienced. I was not homesick. You mentioned being homesick and going home. I don't think I called my parents for the first three weeks. They must have been like, jeez. No, but I was so. They took the phone off the hook. No, it was more about that. I knew that that was going to have to be my journey in order to make it. And you wanted what you wanted. I wanted what I wanted so bad. My parents didn't give two fucks if I liked playing hockey or not. My dad, like you said, my dad, like, after games, great game, son. I'm like, dad, I was dash three. I was brutal tonight. Like, always supportive. Didn't really know enough about. So he never told you one thing. Like, hey, you got to do this better. He just didn't know. He played, like, league Champlain growing up. Like, basically, like, house league, men's league hockey. So he just liked it. No. And he was just happy you were on a team. Yeah. Learning life lessons. Life lessons. And, like, something I was truly passionate about that wasn't, like, drugs or alcohol or anything bad that might steer you in the wrong way. But that's what I was going to ask you about that. Like, just getting to go to NHL games and watch your kid. That must have been, like, the coolest feeling. I know. That's crazy. Like the father's trip. The father's trip I had fun. But I'm the worst parent to watch the game. I'd be walking around the fucking rink when he watched the game. I'd be fucking nervous. With the sweat towel going. Yeah, sweat towel. I couldn't even watch. Like, you know. Really? From nerves or because you were talking everywhere? And you want him to do good. Even regular season? Sometimes the TV, I'd be clicking the stations off the other thing and click back. And I'd be hoping they won. You know what's funny? It's crazy. I couldn't enjoy it. Danny said. I'd watch it all afterwards, maybe on a tape delay. But during the game, I'd be like, oh, God. You just want your kid to do well, right? Yeah, but even when he got in a rhythm and he was in any. No, like, I remember one time we were out. They played Florida and Madison Square Garden, right? He had a goal and assist, but he had a breakaway. And he went for that stupid move where you open. You got to go through the five hole. Yeah. You know, that move where I hate that move. I ain't going to say anything. First thing I say, what did you do with that fucking move, Paul? You got to be everything. You got to be. That's not a whole fucking record. I just had a goal and an assist. Yeah, I know. But I said, what the fuck? It was a penalty shot he had. And he tried to open the pads and go through the middle. I said, why would that fuck him? Hey, so did he ever score on you? it after and then i probably has probably text you after show that up your ass oh i'm sure i'm sure without like i used to go down to worcester games watch nolan down there and he was up in bakersfield he was with the poor kid cody cave in the airport no way cave went one way nolan went the other way right when cold would hit and they scans received kid who passed away cody cave the oilers prospect yeah nolan was playing one in bakersfield i saw nolan i heard he was no one said a dynamite guy guy yeah just like wouldn't that fly just a ultimate team guy i look at claude lemuel the other day right oh yeah carry the things so sad knuckles was with him he was telling knuckles how well you know proud of him being sober for all these years god bless jimmy played with brendan a little bit in new york brendan lemuel yeah you know but some of you lose a father a husband right a son is terrible it's terrible i still love our game you know when something happens in our game it hits home yeah yeah yeah it's a pretty it's a you know as as big as it's growing it is a small small world small hockey world that's like i remember talking to brian once he said you know this guy said all these guys i've known for years i've been yeah and i know it i was always myself i didn't kiss nobody's ass you know i mean i'm friends with all these guys right you know and still safer they come to the boss i'd set them up at restaurants whatever cars whatever the hell else they were doing you know they'd be down the clubs the different clubs in charlestown they all loved it take care of your own yeah like i played with sean o'donnell i remember l.a was in town two days they're in st patrick's they had two days off sean o'donnell the green kid what's his name good kid bravis matt matt green yeah yeah there's briody yeah all those guys down the 520 club right they loved it but they think i seen greeny later on and i was scouting i was down the west that green goes was one of the best days i've ever had in my life that's his style yeah he loved it oh yeah and they had we had the irish dinner going for them they didn't want to leave you know speedy wongs yeah speedy walks across the street late night yeah that's gone now i know it's sad so yeah i mean interesting times for toronto it's exciting for you now like when a new gm comes in is they're like oh i gotta right when anything's like that yeah you know we just had meetings like two weeks ago and i i was first time i met john you know i mean seem like a gentleman me i don't know what's passed and i don't like that i judge people how they oh yeah yeah yeah i mean and who knows maybe it works out yeah yeah i mean we've had any other but i tell you one thing i know he wasn't involved with the mariner trade i guess he's playing all right yeah he's in toronto throwing his jerseys on the ice yeah i knew they had to break up something with the team we haven't won yeah yeah but the kid's a good hockey player oh he's a good hockey yeah i mean it's a good hockey player yeah he's shoving it up everybody's hoop including mine how about that game the other night for nothing i walked away from the tv i stopped brush my teeth ready to go to bed and they go oh jesus i should have moved i'm superstitious bastard right i sat back down they tied up i read for the clicker for the window yeah yeah because i'm pulling for that and like you say i go way back with the eichel family yeah and the last time they won we had good parties everything else with the cup and stuff and sometimes jack's with he jack's a real good guy yeah a lot of people don't know him that kid does a lot of stuff off ice with people right people only know you know i don't know you guys know him but whether i put jack and i always say this i know the kid in florida was hurt all year and the kid from copenhagen right i put eichel right now is one of the best 200 foot plays if not the best in the game of hockey today it's fair yeah i think the more he does this it's like unbelievable overall overall in the league but he's an old soul too yeah always better yeah the first time i met him old school guy yeah he's just an old soul and he did get a a rap in buffalo yeah i know why he was young too some of this maybe some of the things he's 18 years old in the nhl second overall pig he's a he's a great guy but no one in buffalo from my experience watching him and when jimmy was there he was playing 27 28 minutes on a game in november everything was on his shoulders every night they got rid of all those veterans his first year ryan all right they had a good team there he was putting on his 18 19 years old not a great club right and every game was on his shoulders you know where's on you when he went to vegas you got to give cassie credit he turned him into that 200-foot game like he takes it seriously remember before jack will be on the ice kind of looked like he was cruising he was getting his rest on the ice as soon as he went back to bench he was tapping like it was ray bork you got me get back on the ice couldn't get any rest yeah now the kid plays he does a lot of small things that hockey guys notice when you watch tv even back in defense went off the line on zone entry so getting back on the back check you know the kid that's i wish he'd shoot the puck ball same you know he can shoot he's got a cannon cannon oh cannon of a shot what'd you think of switzerland going over to see jimmy this year we had a great time yeah i didn't know how i was going to like it because i i hadn't been in europe i went way back to sweden on a trip but i forget it with hockey but we went over there i couldn't believe how nice it was beautiful then when jimmy rented a house up in the mountains because they had a break we were up there i was drinking hot wine like i know everything because there's no bud lights i was drinking everything like i but my wife and the kids loved it we had a great trip what st moritz i i don't know one of those one of the big mountains big mountain i think where the olympics were i saw it plus uh france is like an hour and a half away did lugano i forget what happened we went it was like an hour and a half drive jimmy drove us we had another car but it was dynamite right up in the mountains then you go to those little mark you know how those have those christmas markets yeah those were unreal yeah i was sitting i wasn't moving i was drinking hot wine whatever the hell hot wine was great for trying to try it i don't know any of the wine drink i was like i'm drinking hot wine i know that there was no bud lights but we had a good time over there it was good to have the family all on one roof too because you have to have when they get older for sure well it's it's been great catching up with you i love seeing you at the ranks and and thanks for coming and joining and just talking some old school hockey yeah you're welcome with anything i appreciate you that was so funny just make sure this passes with uh dad's cold by saying that you're fine i'm not sending him all right thank you thanks onion guys we're going to talk about lucy right now quickly and i'll tell you right now there is no better nicotine pouch in the game the breakers the breakers is where it's at the lucy breakers are intense long-lasting flavor that actually satisfies bite down before use to pop the flavor capsule and unlock the full breakers experience a satisfying click a rush of a new flavor and a pouch that feels unlike anything else in this category breakers flavors are built to stay vivid from start to finish apple turns icy berry gets a blast of citrus and mint gets even more minty creating a refreshing flavor experience that lasts longer and stays more interesting than ordinary pouches lucy is the only pouch that delivers long-lasting on-demand flavor get 20 off your first order when you buy online at lucy.co chiclets with code chiclets and here comes the fine print warning this product contains nicotine nicotine is an addictive chemical thank you very much big jim awesome guy great storyteller and and and at times sounded in kind of the boston accent a little bit like r.a a little bit same hometown a little bit four streets away the same father they're coming out with an album together all right everyone right now we haven't seen him in a little while i need to talk to ari let's go r.a's world hello everybody welcome to ari's world here in the spit and chicklets podcast live from the cabin here at a lake in vermont boys it's been a minute how are we all doing you're looking good that's such a good guy that's a good cat i need i need to see the entire that's a cap that's a curtain that's like a fake backdrop yeah yeah yeah that's that's green that is what you think green screen when you hear the word cabin that's what you think of what you're sitting in right now what are those black things that look like are those speakers i think so i i haven't used them at all i got my bows over here so when i play my cds i got some good quality bow sound but i haven't even touched those bad boys at all you know what the number one thing i've done the most of since i've been here believe it or not is reading i finished a book in three or four days here i read the karen reed book uh blizzard of lies from dave wedge former herald reporter i followed that case it's day to day uh it's a great book if whether you're familiar with the case or not he he doesn't like really take sides he just sort of does everything presents every all the information and you know i think common sense you could tell what like what happened or didn't happen but i i was through that book great stuff uh except for my herald reader that i've been eating a lot because there's just food out all the time but it's been some hikes around the lake it's about a two-month hike around the lake it's about a two-month hike around the lake it's about a two-month hike around the lake it's about a two-month hike around the lake it's about a two-month hike around the lake been doing that a few days uh smoking a little bit and some local brews but that but the most man reading and uh and basically just walk around eating and taking it easy very relaxing for you have you been to saratoga yet or is that this week uh the fam went uh the other day i just wasn't really up for it i didn't feel like we took a drive the day before i didn't feel like three hours in the car with like four or five people plus i'm trying to cut down on my gaming so uh staying away from a horse track is probably a good way to to help and that's what i've been doing for the last couple of weeks i've been doing this for the last couple of weeks i've been doing this to help on that i noticed i noticed he hit up the rodeo though bingo just just was gonna get to that yeah the rodeo up in uh castleton vermont uh my two uncles uh you guys obviously know gg the gg special but mitch and jeff they come up uh they had always wanted to go the rodeo we went it's like 15 bucks a head it's awesome you saw the pitches i probably sent out biz like i mean just beautiful you're up on the top of a mountain and the sun drops down and then a few minutes later venus in the moon pop up accepted biz that's venus and it was just you know you had the bronco busting uh the gals come out doing the barrel racing but one poor bastard man i felt awful for him like you know like i think it's like eight seconds that's sort of well i don't know if that's the bull riding or the bronco busting which is the horse the dude he got thrown but his fucking his arm his hand got caught on like a you know i don't know a rope or whatever and the dude had to be on there for 45 seconds to a minute just and and the other cowboys are trying to corral the horse like he came so close to the like the metal barriers like it was it was like being at a hockey calamitous injury happens and you just like make it stop and the dude him he had to have effed up his shoulder and or wrist really bad so it was like you know those guys are putting themselves really out there so make you know not a ton of money but it was cool it was a nice little like cultural thing and you know i bought myself a cowboy hat with a little it looked like it was it looked like it was a girl's cowboy hat all right i don't know look put it on put it on little johnny cash inspired maybe i'll throw it off for you okay maybe it's in the picture it looked a little bit okay never mind no that looks unbelievable all right blow out the back too yeah the streets are saying wait i looked a little like michael madsen i i wasn't saying it but the streets are saying i looked like the lady i don't know who is that oh he was um mr blonde and reservoir dogs he was bud and uh kill bill oh yeah yeah yeah you do you do a little bit did he pass all right yeah he did um he did last summer last summer he did oh yeah so on yeah it was good time like say i got to get off a good lurline uh lurline lumpkin simpsons joke my twitter of course anytime i can make that but no it was fun stuff and i just mentioned mars and venus biz well that uh that was it a week ago wednesday the 12th it was like supposed to be the celestial super bowl there's there was a what they call a planetary parade there were six planets in in the sky if you had a telescope you could see them all but like just before the dawn comes up when the sky is too bright to see the stars but you can see four planets but my where my vantage i can only see satin so it's sort of a dud and then later in the day was the eclipse did you guys catch any of that and or wherever you guys are like the sun the sky you're gonna see these videos from spain it happens for like a second everything just it's like someone pulled the plug on the country and then a second later like it just the moon just keeps going by basically the moon gets between planet earth and the sun and just blocks out the sun completely for like two seconds and then they had those just something that makes you feel like how insignificant we all are all right one of those moments exactly and you know every the the just the regular stargazing with has been great here you know it's so clear you're so far from light pollution and you know some nights you you know you'll see a shooter every two seconds some of them they boom across the sky but the ones that freak me out are the slow moving ones they'll it's like something grandma going 45 and a 65 and they're just like slowly going across the sky but then some of them they move they're changing directions and you don't know if it's like a optical illusion because they're millions of miles away or is this like a comet that's taking a turn or is it or you smoked an accident by somebody they say jet blue on it here i tell you no no but it is wild you definitely i mean always feel small when you look up at that stuff but but when you see one that that's literally like kind of going this way not i don't mean like dotting quickly just sort of like this way and that way because comets and meteors typically like don't take turns so that you see that stuff and you just wonder what you're actually looking at they just shoot until they they go out yeah yeah some of them it's like they boom across the sky in like a second and other ones they're they're like just sort of slow moving you can actually track it for a good 10 seconds and then they're like oh my god they're like oh my god they're 10 12 seconds as it sort of goes across the sky but yeah every every night's been pretty good stuff like that so it's uh yeah enjoyable stuff again it does remind you do you have the scope out do you have a scope there i wish i did man because like you know we're gonna roll a toilet paper look looking up at it but yeah it's been pretty cool stuff and uh i heard you guys mentioned in the cards a few weeks uh baseball cards or hockey cards i told the g i had a you know a few thoughts on these i think it's the same back in the 90s it's a bit of a rigged game they kind of rise of these cards to send people looking for them to buy more cards and i think what's going to happen is the bottom is going to come out because this is what happened i used to collect them i had almost every nolan ryan card out there i do have you know a beret rookie a hashtag rookie a bunch of kachuk rookies but they flooded the market with so many brands and then the market collapsed and all the values went down and then you know it's nice that people collect and it's great to have hobbies and all that i'm not knocking that aspect of it but people getting involved for the financial risk i think that you know a lot of people are going to get left holding because when you when you say you know this card's worth that before like you said keep before somebody well not that celebrity hasn't done anything but you know before a career has even really started a lot it's just i don't know i think there's an artificial element to it that a lot of people get left holding a bag on it so well it's like if somebody's worth if somebody's willing to pay that i guess that's what it's worth but like in you're basically saying that in a few years no matter how good celebrity does that card could be worth less um possibly and i love the kid obviously i've been tooting this one forever but and and i just think yeah you're telling you know this who's coming out and saying this card's worth that value who's like uh you know authentic you know authenticating it i just think there's you know this and there's a history of this stuff i know real sports on hbo the late show uh that's not on anymore they did a huge couple segments on it and you know it's like the people authenticating it well those were people getting paid off to authenticate because they you know like i always tell people don't pay for an autograph if you didn't see it signed in front of you because that's where there's janky stuff going on but again i'm not shitting on people's hobbies i know it's had a bit of a a comeback but um you know just tread tread carefully if you think you're gonna like get your retirement out of that stuff so even if it's a methuselah rookie card going way back though uh what else here boys yeah i just been kind of like said taking it easy trying to get get a few uh miles in around the lake watching the stars been not trying to catch up my reading to recalibrate my calibrate my brain you've probably seen i haven't been on online all that much so good for you on the book yeah man it's been fun the you know i had uh my niece and her boyfriend couple uncles come by but could you ever live like in in that type of environment full time hundred percent hundred percent yeah even the freezing cold during the winter up there this place is yeah this i mean this is in a winterized cabin but like yeah i mean there are plenty of houses that are you know built for the winter around here but not like in the next year or two but i could definitely see myself you know living i had an uncle lived up here for a long time and i could i could see that the quiet the solitary you know it's uh it's it's a beautiful place that like you know it's like the vermont wave you don't even know people that you know we're on like a dirt road off a hidden lake basically everyone just waves to each other like you know if you stop by the the fruit stand or the farm stand and no one's there you take your five years of corn and you leave the money and it's just it's just a very trusting place and by the way the corner pair is unbelievable corn corn see you in the morning so yeah what what helped you find that particular cabin um what's great also what's what's funny this lake we are actually my stepfather found um a cabin on this lake years ago like like 50 years ago but there was nothing around here like we sold it because me and my brother hated coming up here there was really nothing to do and like a year or two after we sold it uh killington got built like you know the ski resort got like a half hour away from me i got built so we kind of like maybe sold a little bit earlier on that one uh but my mother always came up and visited and then we used to stay down the street at a place and she found this place i'm sorry another place that we stayed at for years which was the same lake which was kind of crazy all these years later so that guy was selling the and we found this cabin that crazy uncle mitch stays at um so yeah just basically been coming this area for a long time have you done any swimming uh yeah yeah after i do my little hike around the lake i'll go for a dip uh cool off a little bit um yeah it's it's not like a gigantic lake but yeah it's a it's a like i said it's a nice spot it's not overdeveloped at all it's like there's a lot of year-rounders here and a few weekenders but i mean you can't hear i mean there's nothing you can't hear a thing right now so yeah very peaceful beautiful place and uh it's you know it's a annual thing and i love doing it yeah i'm so glad we stayed a little extra this year because normally we do a weekend i would have been home yesterday and i would have been like no man what about i want to stay up there for a few more days what about the shroomies nah no nothing on those yet but didn't really make a huge effort for them what do you got g all right i am going to a bachelor party i'm actually kind of planning it all in killington this weekend can i get you to come make an appearance for the boys they would go fucking crazy if you show when he's getting up here friday get here thursday there possibility yeah um because me my bro mara up here she's leaving early but i think me and walnuts are sticking around in which case yeah i i could definitely swim thursday or friday as long as we're here it's only for the duration i'd be happy to come back that's your party is your colon bunch of boston guys show us the way it'll be fun i'll dm you i'll text you on the side g if i wasn't and and on a personal note and i you know i know i hate to bring up sad things but i just want to send love and condolences to the hometown charlestown uh we lost one of our best uh over the weekend uh judy hayes she was my late stepmom's best friend and a dear friend of my my dad leo uh fuck cancer always in forever and i just want to say judith then yeah you're forever loved and uh may all your your teams cover up there we love you so we can we can move along here boys just want to send well i wanted to shout out somebody too these uh i mentioned before you came on our race so bridgewater massachusetts won their region and they're going to the little league world series in williamsport i think that starts wednesday so tomorrow nice um and apparently a kid on the team callan goodwin now what a great name callan our cal is a callan he's a big fan apparently i was told doesn't miss an episode of spit and chickles a stud on the bridgewater team so i want to wish good luck to him i want to wish good luck to the team representing massachusetts or i guess it would be new england district and um that's pretty cool we got a listener playing in the little league world series this week they beat my nephew's team with to go they beat paul o'brien's yeah no way what the hyde park team parkway yeah yeah oh yeah i i go actually one one more thing shout out to our tyler from ontario i was walking in manchester center vermont the other day and you know kitty had a blue jays hat he did a sort of a double take and then he heard my voice he's like are you all right i was like yeah i was like i was like what's up he was hiking the appalachian trail with his gal he's been down they started in georgia biz back in i want to say april and they've been hiking since and they're in vermont right now and the whole way yeah they started march or april down in georgia and they've been hiking the appalachian Manchester, Santa, Vermont. They were getting some rest for the night, continuing. On to Maine That's right up Biz's alley I can see Biz doing that That's a long one Shout out Tyler from Ontario And your gal Thanks for saying hello Much appreciated Appreciate the support Just wanted to give him a shout out We will have Pekin coming out Probably beginning of September Havasu Lake Havasu We Pekin Yeah Awesome Shout out to Pekin And after G's wedding There is a possibility We film a small Another other one So we'll be up In the New England area Maybe we'll have to get Get the boys mixed in On that one Get an appearance I can't wait for that We could do Blue Hill With Wit I'm in It's a quick one That's kind of my What's the one in van That they race Oh The Grouse Grind That's your Grouse Grind That's my Grouse Grind Wit They found a rattlesnake At Blue Hill The other day You still doing it I'm staying far the fuck Away from there 100% A lot of people don't know that I'm not afraid of a rattlesnake There's a rattlesnake It's a native to New England Yeah Easton Timber Rattlesnake I'm staying far the fuck Away from rattlesnakes Okay Oh boys Well great catching up Hope you guys are enjoying Great seeing you Last of the summer Yeah yeah Thank you to Glenn Healy Thank you to Jim Big Jim Veazey And RA I'm glad you're Enjoying your vacation We'll be back You deserve it Thank you We'll talk to you guys then You guys do too Alright Enjoy It won't happen Won't happen Won't happen again It won't happen Won't happen ♪ Won't happen, won't happen again ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ ♪ Won't happen, won't happen, won't happen again ♪ - Listen up here, my wife and I are always getting 10K steps a day, and what do I need? 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