Andrew Ladd Interview, Senators Trade For Dennis Gilbert + Stephen Halliday & Lassi Thomson Recalled

Andrew Ladd Interview, Senators Trade For Dennis Gilbert + Stephen Halliday & Lassi Thomson Recalled

On today’s show, we have a trade to discuss. Ottawa pulls the trigger to bring back a familiar face. And the Ottawa Senators recall a couple of players for this long road trip. And we have an interview with two-time Stanley Cup champion Andrew Lad. This is Brad Kuck and you’re listening to the Locked On Senators podcast. You’re Locked On Senators, your daily podcast on the Ottawa Senators, part of the Locked On podcast network. your team every day. Welcome. You are locked on to the Ottawa Senators. I’m Ross Levitan alongside Brandon Pillar. And today’s episode’s brought to you by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. Today is Tuesday, November 18th, and Pillsy. Just yesterday, we asked what kind of depth options could be out there. Well, didn’t take long for Steve Stos to make a move, sending Max Ganette to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Dennis Gilbert. Man, it’s nice when you feel like you’re you’re right on a take, Ross. And we heard from people watching the premiere of our YouTube episode yesterday. As it was premiering and we were talking about it, the trade was announced and I was sitting on my pedestal saying, “Look guys, we can’t get the impact player. We can’t spend those assets. We got to make a move for a left shot defenseman that has NHL experience. Won’t bump Tyler Cleven out of the lineup. And preferably, you can’t pay too much for him. Maybe a guy like Max Skinnette who’s sitting on the sidelines unsigned. Maybe that’s a good trade chip that you can use to get that type of player. And you were joking, Ross, when you said, “What are they just going to reacquire Dennis Gilbert?” I said, “Yeah, sure. Why not?” Well, there you have it. Dennis Gilbert is back and he hasn’t played an NHL game since leaving Ottawa as a free agent in the off season. He was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers, but did play exclusively in the American Hockey League earlier this season. So, for those saying, hey, you could have just claimed him on waivers. While Ottawa wasn’t in the predicament that they’re in now with having lost Donovan Sabbrano on waiverss and now the uncertainty around Thomas Shabbat, who Travis Green would not confirm or deny was going to be going on the trip. We know Brady’s on the trip, but the team left this morning. Where’s Thomas Shabbat? Is he with the boys or is he back continuing his treatment at home? That’s going to be a question we’ll find out the answer to sooner than later because the Senators will practice when they arrive in Anaheim later on this afternoon. But what are the Sans getting in Dennis Gilbert? It was a short stint in Ottawa last year. He was brought over in the Dylan Cousins trade. Only got four games and what 15 minutes of of playing time. PZY, how much did he play for Ottawa? Uh, I’ve got it right here. He played 52 minutes and 6 seconds averaging 13 minutes and two seconds in those four games where he had an assist in his career. He’s got 111 games played, 20 points, 138 penalty minutes, 259 hits, and 146 block shots. Actually averaged above his career average in those four games with Ottawa. But he is a meat and potatoes type defenseman. I think he got in a fight if I’m not mistaken with Sans as well. He’s a a hard hitter and a guy who I don’t think you’re going to see him as an everyday NHLER. I think that would be uh meaning that other things have gone wrong on the injury front, but he’s a familiar guy who knows the system and was around the group through the playoffs last year. All accounts is that he’s an absolute beauty, great team guy. So familiarity reigns supreme. And we’re starting to see, I think, a bit of a trend with that of guys who, you know, Steve Stos is comfortable bringing into this group. This is the definition of we need depth, but we don’t want to disrupt the apple cart too much either. So, I like the move. I don’t think that it’s a complete gamecher, and who knows what the future holds in terms of if he’s just going to sit in the press box. Is he going to be on waiverss and reassigned to the American Hockey League? If Thomas Shabbat is back, is he just insurance for that or do they legitimately see a world where he’s a seventh defenseman and can be in the mix for an everyday spot? Because Matt and Palo is obviously on a one-way deal. He’s a guy who has played well and limited opportunity so far this season, but it’s nice to kind of have Ma Manante as a righty and then Gilbert as a lefty. You can kind of pick and play. It also just shows what we always knew. NHL coaches love lefty righty. They played with the righty righty pair for three games and now they’re like, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Let’s go get a lefty.” They did. Dennis Gilbert is back. Yeah, I think um the familiarity does help. Um the cost efficiency I think was a big part, too. Look, I’m not trying to downplay Max Ganette. We liked him on this show. We thought he had potential, but the matter of the fact is he just wasn’t going to sign here. He wanted to go somewhere else. So, that was an asset that you weren’t going to be able to use internally. You had to use him for a trade. And at best, you’re probably getting future considerations or a low pick uh just to kind of do them a favor to move them on. So, to get someone in return that you’re familiar with um is good. Now, do I think Dennis Gilbert is going to be an absolute gamecher and this is the move that pushes the Ottawa Senators uh into a better spot to compete for the Stanley Cup? No. I mean, let let’s be honest here, but I think you need to add left shot defenseman depth. That was clear. This is a guy that has size, plays a physical game above puck moving. That’s the kind of guy you want on your third pair. He’s probably going to play just a handful of games when he’s needed. He’s already been through waiverss. So, it’s likely if you have to send him down once Thomas Shabbat is back, which I assume will be the case. I don’t think Matt Palo is going to be the odd man out like you mentioned, one-way guy that Travis Keane trusts. He just wants that lefty righty combo. I think there’s a good chance he’s going to clear waiverss. And then that’s a guy that can really help out in Belleville as well. Uh the left shot defenseman depth down there isn’t strong either. It’s a lot of young kids. So, I think this is a move that makes sense, costefficient, and just a nice tidy piece of business for Steve St. And Ross. Uh, he did not get into a fight with the sends last year at zero pimps. Uh, but this is the type of guy that you you can expect to stand up for his teammates, I think, for sure. Yeah, absolutely. And with Dennis Gilbert playing in the AHL this year, just six games, one assist, six penalty minutes was plus one during that time. And we’ll see how this affects the situation as the Senators have taken feels like a bajillion players on this road trip with calling up a pair Steven Halliday and Lassie Thompson both called up. So you’ve got Gilbert on the trip. You’ve got an extra You’ve got three extra defenseman. So could this be more than just Thomas Shabbat? Could this be Nick Jensen potentially needing a day off or two? Those questions will all be answered in the coming days. But welcome back to the organization. Dennis Gilbert Pelysey. We got to talk about Stephen Holidayiday coming up because something interesting happened throughout training camp that I wonder if it could be applied to Holiday once if he gets in the lineup because it’s not guaranteed he’s going to play. You know, it’s thousands of kilometers away. So, you want to have a full compliment. You don’t want to have Matt Murray flying cross country on a commercial flight. That was actually a punishment. That was the bottom of the barrel of this organization that time. Do you remember that? Yeah. I mean, I think that was done as a bit of a punishment, too. Like Pierre Dorian sending Matt Murray down was uh that was meant to be a message. That’s so bad. I’m trying to figure I’m trying to remember exactly the time. It had to be in a November, right? Like it just that feels like such a November thing to happen. But yeah, he played brutal against the San Jose Sharks on November 24th. Four goals on 27 shots. They always play the Sharks late November. That’s a theme that got Matt Murray’s record on the season to 06 and0 in games that he played. His decisions were 05 and0. He had an 890 save percentage. And they said, “Hey, you know what? We’re actually good. you can just get yourself back to Ottawa and we’ll deal with you later. That was different times for the organization and similar like remember Michael Delado, Uncle Deli being told that he was sent down not because of his play or anything but just to make an example because he was wellliked by some of the younger players and they hoped it would send a message by sending the fun uncle away from them for a while and then he lit it up in Belleville and then he was like I’m done with this. I’m going to be a real estate agent in Florida. Let me let me just change they made him change career paths. That was crazy. Uh the last time the last time Lassie Thompson went to Anaheim, which was where the sends are going now, he got claimed off of waiverss at the end of camp and then tried to open a pizzeria in Orange County. Yeah. Quick. Was it literally just that one game or did he play two? No, that was a preseason game. He didn’t play any regular season games. No, no, I know. But did he play one or two pre It’s You can’t really like find those stats either. They’re tough to find. Um, no. Which is reason number 500. The preseason doesn’t matter at all. They don’t even like keep stats. My beer league has better stats available than the than preseason NHL. It didn’t happen. Your your elite prospects has better stats than that. Yo, relax. The capital V is so tough. That’s Ross Levitten, man. That’s tough. Shout out the Ottawa Stink. But no, with Lassie Thompson, he he got stung in Anaheim and came right back, then went to Sweden, now came back again, and now he’ll get an opportunity to be on the trip here in the National Hockey League. On the other side, I want to talk about Steven Hall, though, because I mentioned there is something interesting to note. We’ll talk about that next. Plus, great interview coming up with Andrew Lad. If you’re a hockey parent of a young kid, you’ll definitely want to pay attention or need a little motivation because Andrew Lad captain for a long time with the Winnipeg Jets in the National Hockey League and he won two Stanley Cups including his rookie year with Carolina and then the first of the three Chicago Blackhawks championships. Those conversations are next. You’re listening to Locked On Senators, your team every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or you want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. keeps every game exciting, especially when your team’s making a late push. Or if your team’s not playing for a couple days like the Ottawa Centers, you can be a hater and bet against Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division teams, hoping that they help the sends in the standings. And right now, new customers to FanDuel are going to get $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So head to fanduel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, PZY. So, the Ottawa Senators are boots on the ground in Orange County. They will begin a seasonl long 7game road trip that goes from Anaheim to San Jose, back to LA, and then crawls its way back to Ottawa with stops in Vegas and Dallas and St. Louis, wrapping up against the Montreal Canadians. I flipped those uh St. Louis and Dallas games, but they are working their way east, and then they’ll actually go further east than Ottawa to wrap up the road trip. But PZY, we talked about Lassie Thompson. If he gets in the lineup, you’re just hoping for mistake minimal hockey, right? Like there’s no there’s no elevated expectations, I don’t think. No offense to Lass. He’s had a decent start in Belleville, but it’s it’s a warm body that can produce bottom pair results in the NHL. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I’m kind of hoping they let him play in Anaheim Ross and he has a heated revenge game up against the Ducks being like, “You see what you gave up? See what you could have had? Well, I’m back with back with my old team and I’m showing you how it’s done.” Uh, that would be great. But I doubt he plays uh in the Anaheim game. But man, what a what a trip for Lassie and Steven Holidayiday to get that call be like, “Guys, pack up your stuff. You’re going to Cali with the boys in the PJ. Like that is that is awesome. Yeah, it’s certainly a great moment for those boys, especially Stephen Hall who is sitting on zero NHL games. Could we get our first rookie lap of the season for the Ottawa Senators? That will be decided over the next number of days. You got to wonder though, is this just an extra body or is there something more to Lars Eller and Ridley Greg more so Eller is the fourthline center missing practice as a quote maintenance day. Got to wonder that. But the other thing I wonder PZY how often did we see Steven Halliday ride shotgun with Tim Stutzla? Whether it was the call up at practice last year or at the start of training camp this year, they always seem to have put Steven Halliday in offensive situations when he’s around the NHL club. So, I’m just wondering, I’m not saying they should or they will, but I am curious if that is foreshadowing him being elevated as a plugandplay guy in the top six. Well, Ross, if you had a nickel for every time that Steven Halliday was paired up with Tim Stuttza and the big boys, you would have 10 cents, but it it is it is a pattern that it’s happened two times out of two times. Uh, so that would be fun if that happened. Now, I don’t think that Holiday being called up is is a warmbodied type move because he’s the top player in Belleville. Leads the team in in points, 15 assists. Yeah, Disher is that good. and he’s one of the top point producers in the AHL. So, you don’t pluck that guy off your roster when you’ve got games up against the Marlies and the Laval Rocket coming up. Two big heated division rivals, which you need to win those games. So, I got to think that there’s a good opportunity that he ends up playing uh at least one game here cuz yeah, maybe Lars Eller isn’t quite ready. Uh, I don’t know if Oolie Lexel has been on the trip or not. We know he’s been dealing with a concussion. He did skate yesterday though. So then you look at Ridley Greg, what’s the situation there? Um, yeah, Lassie, I think, is more of a warm warm body extra guy, especially with Gilbert coming. Maybe they don’t know if he’s quite ready to slide into a game. They want to get him into a couple practices or something like that. But Stephen Holidayiday, different story. And I would love to see them give him an actual opportunity, not just on the fourth line like and it just feels like he fits a bit more with with scorers, right? With guys who he can dish the puff to and that they can put it away. You know what I wouldn’t mind seeing. If Larseller is out and Lars has been great, like I’m not saying take him out of lineup if he’s ready to go, but if let’s say there’s a world where Larseller is unavailable, Ridley Greg fourth line center, move him back to the middle. See if you can get a little confidence out of him here. That’s where his natural position is. He hasn’t had a chance to play there with obviously the young locked up centerman down the middle with Stutlick Cousins and Pinto. So why not take this opportunity to create an extra layer of depth and have Ridley Greg at center and start Holiday on the wing. I know Holiday’s played center, but when he’s in the NHL, like it’s either fourth line center or you’re not in the middle of the ice. And I think that it’s probably better for his skill set to play with better players rather than play in the middle of the ice. It might even be a benefit to play on the wing because you’re not going to be going up head-to-head against Leo Carlson or Mason McTavish, for example, if you’re going up against the Anaheim Ducks who all of a sudden are really strong down the middle. They got a veteran in Ryan Stro as their third option there, too. So, I do think that this might be an interesting follow of where Steven Halliday would play in the lineup, and we’ll wait and see what practice tells us later today. You can follow along at Sen Central on Twitter for the latest. Tomorrow, we’re going to have a Wisconsin Sens segment. Great chat with uh with Todd Mlesi, who has been covering Wisconsin for 30 years, 30. He’s seen a few things. We’ll talk to him about some of the old Wisconsin sends that have gone through the program and an update on how Logan Hensler, Blake Montgomery, Bruno Eun, and Tyson Dick are fairing in the early parts of this season. But we got a real interesting interview for you today and I’m getting lots of comments at Sen Central saying that’s random, but I love it. Andrew Lad is on the show today, an absolute beauty. Got the silver stick. Over a thousand games played in the National Hockey League, two Stanley Cup rings, and next time that we get him on, cuz we we skimmed over it a little bit, but my favorite hockey team of all time, he was the fifth leading scorer. The 2005 World Junior team. Yeah. Has to be the best hockey team ever assembled. Patrice Bers had already played a full NHL season before going to that World Juniors. It was during the lockout year. Sydney Crosby would have been an 18-year-old or no he would have been still in his draft year then. They had so much talent. Their decor was Dion Fenu, Shay Weber, Brent Sebrook, Cam Barker. Are you kidding me? Clark MacArthur was on that team too. They had Getlaf. They had Perry. As I mentioned, Berson Crosby, how about Corey Perry, how about Ryan Getslaugh? Like incredible up and down the lineup. So, Andrew Lad, huge part of that and just a a conversation, I’d say, about leadership more than anything. And PZY, we we talk about this great program that he’s got up and running that’s absolutely free for hockey parents, hockey uh youth, U10, U13 players. So, we’re really excited to share the 1616 initiative. They’re helping youth hockey players develop tools that they need to thrive, not just in hockey, but in life. And you can register for this program. We’re going to put the link in the description below, 1616.org, and Andrew is going to discuss that in great details, what to expect if you are interested in having this mental and um and tools to succeed on the ice as well as off of it. So, really excited about this one. So, let’s get to it right now. Here’s our conversation with two-time Stanley Cup champion Andrew Lad. Today’s episode is brought to you by our friends over at Rouette. Let’s be real, making excuses doesn’t solve anything. We’ve all heard them before. It’s just stress. I’m just tired or it happens to everyone sometimes, but when it comes to performance, sometimes your body needs a little extra support. That’s where Rouette comes in. Rouette.com offers fast acting doctor prescribed treatments for ED designed to help you stop making excuses, start making moves. Rouge yet. It makes it easy to get started. You just connect with a boardcertified doctor, 100% online. None of those awkward waiting rooms, no in-person appointments. If prescribed, your treatment treatment ships discreetly straight to your door. The process is fast, simple, and private. And it’s all handled by real doctors. It’s about confidence, connection, and getting back to those moments that matter. Visit rouette.com/lockedonhl to get 15% off your first order. That’s rugg.com/lockedonhl. Don’t forget to use our code locked on NHL so they know the locked centers podcast sent you. Stop making excuses and start making moves. All right, we now welcome a very, very special guest. A veteran of over a thousand NHL games. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion, a world junior gold medalist on no doubt the best team Canada ever assembled for that event. He’s a captain in Canada for a number of years and now he’s giving back to the next generation. Andrew Lad, welcome to Locked On Senators. How you doing today? I’m doing great. How are you guys doing? Fantastic. Well, this came across our desk. We saw the Sens Foundation posting about 1616, which is an initiative that you, your wife, and a number of people have gotten involved in. So, to start, I’m curious how this came up and where you’re planning on taking it. Yeah. So, um it’s funny, man. Like, my mom used to say when I was growing up, she was like, “Ah, like if you want Andrew to do something, just tell me he can’t do it.” And and uh that was a mindset I carried all the way through my NHL career. um until essentially it kind of like rammed me into a wall. Um and I found myself like in the minors after multiple knee surgeries. Um and uh really just like struggling, frustrated, um complaining about a lot of different things in my situation and what was going on and and you can imagine how I showed up as a teammate or uh as a parent and uh as a husband. Um and so it led me to working with a mental performance coach. Um, and as I started to work with this this mental performance coach, I started to understand like, oh, like there’s there’s a bunch of different mindsets available for me and tools that I can use to navigate this situation. So, you know, obviously you’re 14 years into an NHL career and I’ve been captain, you think like, oh, like I have all these great leadership qualities and it was like, oh, like no, there’s still a lot to learn there. Um, so because of that moment, um, my wife and I had always always really like supported mental health. it’s impacted our families and friends and I’ve h I’ve lost uh teammates, I’ve lost trainers um and friends to it. Um so we we always have this idea of like hey like how do we uh everything in the space seems very reactive and not proactive. Uh and maybe it’s just the the athlete in me and and my background. It was like as as an athlete, you’re always trying to build a foundation that you know uh that allows you to overcome any obstacles um that you may face whether that’s during the season or over the course of your career. And and the idea was like, okay, what if we can actually equip kids with um these tools early on so they can understand how to navigate any the challenges that are going to come their way. Um because you know, as we know as adults, hey, like those challenges are inevitable and the better equipped we are to handle those challenges, um the better off we’ll be and and the stronger uh we’ll be after we go through them. So, uh it really kind of set the stage. So, long story short, I there was a weird year in in the NHL with like remember the co year where um we they had taxi squads. Yep. Yeah. So, uh they the honors decided, hey, they didn’t want me at the NHL team. They didn’t want me in the minor league team. I think the minor leagues were only playing 15 games that year. Uh so I would literally skate by myself every day. Like I was I would I remember texting Lou Lamarello. Um like at like 10 o’clock at night be like, “Hey Lou, like what time can I skate tomorrow?” And I’d wait like you know, wait for the text back and then you know pen goes off my phone. I look at it. I’m like he’s like oh you can come in at two tomorrow. And I would literally go in workout skate by myself and that was that was my daily routine. Um, so in that moment I was working with that same performance coach and he was like, “Hey, like at the end of this year, like, hey, you can keep skating, working out, and now you’ll you’ll stay in shape and maybe get another chance, but like, hey, what would you actually be proud of at the end of this year?” And like it it stopped me in my tracks and I was like, “Yeah, like it made me think what actually would I be proud of?” And that’s when that was essentially the the idea to start 1616. We built this program from the ground up um to equip kids with uh the tools proactively to to help them face a lot of different challenges that they’re going to have in life. Yeah, I think it’s a great initiative, Andrew, especially starting young so they have those building blocks to base off. But when you mentioned that you got um what was the title you used? Mental performance coach. Yep. Yeah. Like mental performance coach, life coach, executive coaching, all in that same realm. Yeah. Okay. when you decided to um have a mental performance coach at that time, was that still a bit of like a taboo thing in the hockey world? Like were other guys that you knew and teammates and other players doing that or were was that kind of a unique thing? Um I would say it wasn’t like it wasn’t taboo. Um I would say it wasn’t uh as common as as you would think. I I think it like actually since I have started it’s it’s become more and more common. I think it you know as an athlete you’re there’s there’s like the the wellness side of it and then there’s the performance side of it and I think like when you’re in the NHL you’re always looking for that extra 1% 1% and I think guys are starting to understand like oh like this the mental part of playing like of the game and and the grind of an NHL season like it’s it’s so valuable to have someone to talk to and talk through any any of the the challenge that you’re facing. Um, so it is becoming much more mainstream within within pro sports in general. And in terms of your career, I mean, it must have started about as well as anybody could, not just the gold medal I mentioned where you’re on a team with Crosby, Bersron, Getlaf, Perry, list goes on and on. Former senator Dion Fenuff there too. And then you win a Stanley Cup, your rookie season in the National Hockey League. So, was it kind of just a high you were riding and then maybe once the injury started that sort of thing you realize like was it ever on your radar before it kind of hit you like a ton of bricks? Um, no. And I I think like you’re when when you have success with something um and doing something a certain way uh now now I realize like oh it actually builds a blind spot. So you stop you stopped looking at all the different areas like hey where you can grow and where what you might be missing. Um and it it really was like my mindset was like a little bit of a bulldozer. So like put your head down and grind and work. Um and like I said it it’s not a bad mindset. It’s it is definitely resourceful at times. Um but what I realized like oh there’s moments where that’s not working. And I that’s essentially what I realized in that moment was like oh I’m grinding here and I’m just running into a wall consistently. like what else can I do to to actually um put myself in a position to to overcome this this obstacle that I’m facing? Well, these kids, they’re now having tools to deal with that at 1616. You can find about more about it online uh numerically 1616.org and this available for coaches and parents to do, right? Yeah. Like like it is it it’s a whole ecosystem, right? And um I I think you know I think there’s differing opinions of the culture and sport and there’s there’s some some great things and some things that um definitely need improvement and in our mind hey that that whole ecosystem needs to be address. So uh a we need like the kids to understand the concepts and how they’re important um to them and be able to relate to them and and understand where they show up in their life. And then also like we want we want parents and coaches to understand why those those concepts are important as well and how to reinforce them. Uh I think what we realized even over the course of the the program is is a lot of a lot of parents and coaches just don’t know what to to say. Uh they don’t know what to communicate. So this is this program’s kind of giving them handles on like hey how to approach these topics, how to communicate them. Um it’s spurring on more conversation and uh the program is pretty simple. Like the kids just watch a a five to seven minute video about an NHL player and their experience. It’s a story about an NHL experience um or player. Um, and so it deals with confidence, connection, or character. So it could be like a a resilience uh episode. They watch, you know, a story about Zach Lavin, who was a sled hockey player and his experience and what he overcame to to become a Olympic medalist um to to understand the topic. And then and then there’s there’s um there’s content for the parents and coaches to be like, “Hey, this is how you can reinforce why this concept’s important and the moments to look for, whether it’s in games and practices um to uh to really reconnect them to to that concept. And what are the parameters for people that can have access to this? You mentioned coaches, parents, um is it from certain age levels, certain competition levels, uh America, Canada, what are the costs included? Just kind of fill everyone in on who this is available to. Yeah, I mean, so it it’s available to anybody. Um the ideal age age range would be U13 in Canada. Um U1s can can get away with doing it, but 10 to 12 is really the ideal age. Um, and and it’s that age because they’re old enough to understand and grasp the concepts, but they’re still young enough to they still have that innocence or they’re not overly influenced by everything else going on in life. Um, and um, and it’s it’s free. So, it’s completely free to anybody who wants to join in that age group. You can join as an individual. It’s what I would say best practice would be to to do it as a group. So with my team, like we we literally we go to practice, everybody’s ready 15 minutes before practice and we watch we watch the the 1616 video together as a group and then have a discussion after a quick discussion and then go on the ice and practice and then I’m looking for ways to to reinforce it. Uh and I I have I have a a player, I have a tier three player, and I have a house player um that I that all in my family that I’m coaching and we use it for for every every level. So it’s it’s literally out there for anybody. It’s free. Um, so you really have no excuse not to not to sign up. What a great way to give back, man. And you’ve got an awesome lineup of former current pros. Anders Lee’s a part of it, Blake Wheeler, Brent Seabbrook among others. And I think just that influence of seeing guys who have been there and done that the way you all have. I think that’s such an awesome thing that you’re doing to grow the game. I wanted to ask you this. We had Steve Stoos on last year. He also played a,01 NHL games just like yourself. And you talk about battling through that COVID year. Well, you found a home in Arizona, got 51 extra games that got you over that mark. Was that a big one that you were hoping to to cross that thousand game threshold and get that silver stick? Yeah, that was a big driver for when I ended up in the miners. Um, that was kind of the one goal that I was like I wanted to get to. Um, so that was a big part of of uh sticking in there and trying to to get another chance to play, you know, the extra I guess 51 games. It was um and it and it was a grind. So I was I think I was like seven games away and I hurt my knee again. Had surgery and and limped through there the last two games. I I still remember playing my thousandth game and being like, “Oh, there’s like a sigh of relief. I did it.” And then it was like, “Oh I got to play the next game, too, because I got to do the ceremony.” Yeah, you got to hit the ceremony. You don’t want to be that in a series. So So I limped through the last one. and um you know thankful for for Arizona for for giving me that opportunity and and Bill Armstrong and um they were great to me. That’s awesome. When you look back at uh at your career as well, were there any teammates that helped influence you the most maybe when you were younger some of the vets on those Carolina teams? Yeah, there I I think man like I was fortunate enough to play on some some fantastic teams. So early on that that Carolina team whether it be like you know Rod Brymore, um Kevin Adams, Ray Whitney, Mark Reky, uh Glenn Wesley, um you know, even even at a very young age like Eric Stall was was a big influence. He was only a year older than me, but you know, you’re that’s a great demographic and you’re always kind of finding, you know, if you’re in that in in the NHL, it’s like who are you? and even in life, right? It’s like who who am I around that’s actually going to help me grow and help push me and Eric was definitely um that person for me early on. So, and man, I was lucky like to have have Rod Bindmore as a captain that first year and see see how we handled all the different things that happened whether it be throughout the season or in in playoffs in those tough moments and um you know, Edmonton coming back from from down 3-1 to tie tight in game six and and just see how a how much it meant to those guys to like to be in that position uh and the leadership in those moments uh was had a lasting impact on me throughout my career. That’s awesome. One other guy I got to ask you about just because we’re obviously locked on Senators and growing up, one of my favorite players. You got to play with Marian Hosa, too. Yeah. And it was his third straight trip to the cup final when you were there. How much was that internally? Like, man, let’s let’s win it not only for us, but this guy’s been grinding through it the last couple of years. Yeah, he was uh we actually just saw him this past weekend at the at the Hall of Fame inductions. We were there for Duncan Keith, and obviously he’s he’s really good friends with with Big Z, too. Um, man, it like when you think of like the the consumate professional and like just a a great teammate, great guy, good good human being. Um, and just a horse on the ice like him getting up and down the ice and just like the power that he played with and and um really one of the the great power forwards of our generation. Um, it was uh it was special to play with him. like there there was just such a like a calm nature about how he went about his business and how he treated everybody. Um and when you see someone who, you know, at that point it was, you know, already on his way to a Hall of Fame career and and had been to the finals twice before, uh when you have a young group, man, that like that his his demeanor and his energy just just resonated throughout our room. So, uh, again, it’s it’s it’s usually in those tough moments when when when things start to to hit the the hit the fan a little bit that you need someone with that kind of presence and that kind of demeanor to to really calm the group. And I I uh I thought he was just such a massive um impact on on that group. Uh part of your career that I’m really interested in, Andrew, is you go from Chicago to Atlanta. You’re named the captain there. You’re there for one year and then you move to Winnipeg. Like yes, what a whirlwind that must have been like and especially as you as the captain like it must have been crazy getting there being named captain. You find out, hey, we’re relocating and then you go from Atlanta to Winnipeg, two very different places and you got to be a leader throughout all this. Like what was that experience like? Um, yeah. I think what everyone just assumes that we knew it was going to happen and that like we were on like we knew like, okay, it’s a heads up that we were going to end up moving and it it was it it wasn’t the case. Like I I think we we literally like saw it come across a ticker and we’re like what? Like we’re going to Winnipeg. When did you find out then? Literally when everybody else did. Geez. Um, so it was it was uh it was an interesting time that’s for sure. So like Yeah. again like you’re and it was a lot of people’s first year in Winnipeg in Atlanta at that time like even the coach and the GM like their first they’re trying to get their build their foundation for how they want that team to look. Um and then everything’s uprooted and obviously you go to a new or you know new owner and um you’re thinking that hey okay like he’s going to want his people and and so obviously you’re you’re resetting. So it was essentially like it was almost like being traded but then you still have the same group of people but then different coach and and GM. Um, luckily for me, um, you know, I had Rick Dudley in Chicago when I was there in Atlanta and then, hey, you go to Winnipeg and Kevin Chevos there and and and I have a relationship from him, uh, from my time in Chicago as well. So, that made that made the transition. I had a high trust level for Chevy right away. So, going in there and then um, as far as the leadership component, I like for me, I just wanted to make sure, hey, like we had an understanding as a group of like what this was going to be like. um from a ownership and management standpoint and I had a early conversation with obviously Chevy but um with Mark Chipman too and and when you spend some time with Mark Chipman you understand there’s there’s a lot of uh he’s a high character person that really uh cares about that community in general um and um instantly was like yeah like we’re in good hands and this organization will will take care of us. Uh, and then, you know, just on the ice, I think the big thing we were excited about when you’re playing in a rink that’s in Atlanta, you know, we we weren’t a great team that year. The rink’s half full. Um, and then you’re going to a a city that’s like the roof is literally going to blow off every time that you’re stepping on the ice. I think that was that was something that we all kind of rallied around and and and really enjoyed, just the excitement and the energy that that was happening in that city and getting that team back. And you could you could feel that right from the the get-go. And it took a couple of years, but what was the first white out experience like? Because that’s I tell people like if you’re coming to Winnipeg, you’re coming for a white out, bring your sunglasses because it’s bright in there. Yeah, it’s um it’s one of like the like epic things in sport, I would say. Right. That um that like you said, it took a little longer than we wanted to, but uh to experience that stepping on the ice and you’re you’re going out there for warm-up and it’s like they’re dropping the puck and it was absolutely nuts. And um like that’s what to me what makes Winnipeg special is like that environment that they create um night in night out and um you know I’ve been in a lot of different places in playoffs and and that that’s right up there in terms of one of the the biggest moments for me and you wore the C there for a number of years. So final question for me Andrew. Really appreciate your time and we again are just shocked at how this is free for kids and parents to go and check out 1616.org. I mean it’s such a leg up on the competition and even just in terms of uh making yourself a better leader and I want to talk about your leadership a little bit because we talk a lot Ottawa named Brady Kachchuck captain at 21 22 years old he’s clearly settled into this role but you have a unique perspective of being a captain in Canada. So what are the different pressures because we hear players say it all the time like oh captain in Canada but what does it look like on a day-to-day basis from your from your view? Yeah, there’s um I would say there there’s the external pressure um is there and then like the the eyes are there. So like you’re you’re you know you’re talking after every game, you know, you’re talking after every practice. Um and to me it became like okay and actually I learned a lot from Paul Maurice coming in when I was in Winnipeg. I I learned a lot of like okay cool like there’s a lot of external noise on the outside. So, like, hey, how do we as a group actually just focus on not let that enter our room and focus on on what we’re what we’re about in this room and what we’re committed to day in day out. Um, so I think that was that was probably the biggest challenge. It maybe not doesn’t happen in in a few other places. Um, and then and then it’s like you’re just trying to figure out how like hey, what what are you how are you as a leader? Um, and and then how you can grow as a leader. I think leadership is such a like an active and live thing and like I said I had got to a point in my career where you you think you’re like oh this this great leader and you’ve been a captain and all these things and you’re like oh man like actually there’s some things I can work on constantly. So, uh, I think one of the things, uh, you know, that I can you appreciate just watching Brady is the passion and energy that he brings every every day and every game, um, to that organization, uh, and and and they can feed on that. And I’m sure for him, um, one of the challenges might be to like to take that on all himself. And I know that I did that in Winnipeg where like you feel all this pressure to like you you need to lead everybody. Um, and a there there’s moments where that happens and like, hey, how do I create this group around me to do this with me? Um, you know, like I was lucky enough to have Blake Wheeler and Dustin Bufflin and um Mark Stewart in Winnipeg where it was like, hey, I can lean on them and like we’re doing this together. It’s not just me leading the entire team. Like I want I want a really strong group around me um to help make sure that this dressing room this dressing room is ready to play night in night out. Yeah, I think that’s a big reason why Khlo Jaru was brought into this team. Having a guy like that is absolutely massive for Brady. And then Thomas Shabbat, a longtime senator, helps out as well. Uh, final question for me, Andrew, is what’s next for 1616? And what is kind of the ultimate goal for for you with this organization? Yeah, I mean, so the ultimate goal for me is to be like the pre-minent um mental well-being program in sports in general. So, we’re obviously started with hockey. That’s what I knew. that’s what my my connections are. Um, and we’ve built, you know, this is this is a multi-million dollar program that we’re giving away for free. And so, the next step is really dialing it in. We’ve only been live for for three years. We’ve doubled enrollment every year. Um, so like I think this year it looks like we’re going to have over 500 teams across uh, North America, which is thousands of kids, thousands of parents, thousands of coaches, which is awesome. Um, so we want to we want to make sure we dial in the experience that they’re having um, first and foremost and make sure that this is something that we can make kind of a blueprint for every sport. Um, and then, you know, there’s so so to me that’s that’s where I where I want to go with with um, with the whole program. Uh, and and I know it’s it’s a long it’s a long journey. So we’re we’re committed to like constantly just tweaking and upgrading and making sure that we’re creating an experience that people actually want to engage with. um anybody who’s done like the you know just certification in general for coaching and kids and like a lot of it my my problem with it was that it’s kind of like hey you do it for two days and then you forget about it because it was plain and boring and and very academic like this is meant to be engaging in real life and so that people hey actually are interested and want to be a part of it um not only this year but moving forward so that that is the goal and it’s free free yes free yeah well Hey, we feel really lucky to get the chance to chat with you. You obviously have such a great career under your belt and it’s awesome to see that you’re looking to give back to the next generation. We’d love to have you back on, check in on how things are going at 1616, get some more thoughts on the current NHL and everything, but this was fantastic. Great having you on. Thanks so much for the insight and everything that you’re doing to help grow the game for the next generation. Awesome. Thanks, guys. Appreciate you having me. Stick taps to Andrew for joining us. really fun conversation there and I mean that just got me fired up, man. Like that’s leadership personified. We’re really happy we got to have that chat. Yeah, and it’s important. Uh maybe some people are like, “Oh, well there wasn’t really an Ottawa Centers angle to that, but we’re trying to grow the game of hockey as a whole and so is Andrew Lad.” And that’s why it’s so so important. And 1616 is a free 10-week virtual mental well-being program designed specifically for young hockey players. their parents and coaches. So, everyone involved. 1616 was developed by the Lad Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Andrew Lad and his wife Brandy. Uh they help young players build confidence, character, and connection both on and off the ice through short, engaging weekly videos from pro players. It’s easy to access, free to join, and supports your whole hockey community. So, it’s something that is important to to everyone. Uh, and you know, whether you’re playing competitive or what level of hockey you’re at, it’s a community and we all need to support each other. And what better way sign up. Yeah. I mean, it’s it’s a good idea. What better way to to learn about these important issues like your mental health and things that hockey players go through at all levels than to hear from pros who have experienced it and this has been their lives for, if you’re Andrew Lad, 16 years of his life was being a pro hockey player. So, just an awesome initiative by Andrew and his wife. And yeah, I know we’ve said it a bunch, but it is insane that this is something that he provides for free because he puts a lot of time, effort, work, and um money, and funding into making this a good program. Uh we’ll be back tomorrow. Mentioned earlier, we got Todd Maloski, Malooki. I got Mleski. Got it. I got it. Hyphen. We just chatted with him a couple minutes ago. So, that’ll be in tomorrow’s episode. And we’ll also get practice updates. How is this going to fit in? Because like we know that Steven Halliday wasn’t just brought as an extra body, they already had an extra forward. So this will be interesting to see how it all fits in. For today though, we say goodbye. Thanks so much for watching, listening, and engaging with the show. And go check out 1616.org and the great initiative by Andrew Lad. For Brandon Pillar, I’m Ross Levitan. This has been another edition of the Locked On Senators Podcast. Your team every day.

On this episode, Ross Levitan and Brandon Piller discuss the Ottawa Senators trade for Dennis Gilbert, player recalls for a big road trip, and welcome two-time Stanley Cup champ Andrew Ladd for a great interview!

1616 is a free, 10-week virtual mental well-being program designed specifically for hockey players (U10-U13), their parents, and coaches. 1616 was developed by Ladd Foundation, a nonprofit founded by 2-time Stanley Cup Champion Andrew Ladd and his wife Brandy Ladd. 1616 helps young players build Confidence, Character, and Connection, both on and off the ice, through short, engaging weekly videos from Pro Players. It’s easy to access, free to join, and supports your whole hockey community.

00:00:00 – Senators Make a Trade: Dennis Gilbert Returns
00:06:52 – Depth Moves and Call-ups for the Road Trip
00:13:43 – Stephen Halliday Gets the Call: Rookie Lap Potential
00:20:02 – Interview: Andrew Ladd
00:44:24 – Final Thoughts

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