RICK NASH Joins the Show – Ep. 594

RICK NASH Joins the Show – Ep. 594

Me and Ryan have been officially welcomed to the jungle. That is Basel Sports. I uh brought it toward the Coyotes and I asked him if it was okay if I joined the Spit Chicks podcast full time. Ryan Whitney got a pink Whitney out there now. Bagger. Get that on camera. Yandle the song man is a full-time member. Marley just got an assist from Chris B. Whoa. We’re buzzing right now. Honk. What is up, folks? Welcome to episode 594 of the Spit and Chicklets podcast. And it’s Friday morning. You know that means this episode is presented to you by Discover, sponsored by Discover, the official credit card of the NHL. No matter if your team wins or loses, Discover is there for you with cash back on all of your postgame purchases. With the Discover it card, you earn cash back on every purchase. So, celebratory wins just got even better. Learn more at discover.com/creditard. Cash back on team gear, cash back on tickets, cash back on fries, etc., etc. The Discover NHL Winter Classic is taking place on January 2nd, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Tune in to TNT and Biz Nasty. Boys, what is going on? Great to see you. What a guest we got lined up today. Thank you. Keith got us Nasher. I never thought we’d get him, boys. Well, we saw him um and we mentioned this quickly in the article. Yeah, Keith’s got the London Knights old school Rick Nash jersey on for anyone not watching on video. Um we ran into him at the draft. He worked for the Blue Jackets in Nashville a few years back and just having a couple beers just shooting the [ __ ] I said, “What about coming on the pod?” He’s like, “Nah, it’s not really my style. I’m kind of a boring guy.” I think people who who think they’re boring because they don’t have like these crazy stories, they don’t understand how much people want to hear about their careers, especially a guy like him. Two gold medals, first overall pick, won the rock of Rashard. So, it’s great. It’s great. It was great to have him on. We just did it. It was awesome. He wasn’t boring at all. And Keith, thank you very much. Yeah, of course. He He’s just one of those guys like he doesn’t say anything in the locker room, but he is watching everybody. You know that type biz where it’s like nothing. He never said nothing. No, he was a quiet dude. Like especially on game day, he was very quiet. Like he’d come over, drop a couple jokes, and giggle to himself and then go back. Like he he was honestly one of my all-time favorite favorite uh teammates and I I love the guy. Yeah, but his you can see why he works for a team because just like his awareness of the room and what a room needs and and you know what guys gel together and and especially with drafting and all that stuff. So, uh Columbus Columbus is in good hands with him uh working with the team. It’s basically the exact opposite of us, right? Yeah. And and I mean, you know, you hear the old like, hey, you got two ears, you got one mouth, probably do double the listening and talking. For me, I basically have four ears. So I never listened to that though, you know. I was a talker. Biz, you were a talker. Yans, you always I mean team like every every morning I would be coming in the room and I’d be telling some like donkey story and then afterward it would be Yans and Donor would just be laughing at you. He wouldn’t really chime in. Like who else would carve me? I think Oki would join in. He would whisper one of my favorites. Yeah. Yeah. Oki was funny, dude. He is just torture. Oh, buddy. He and he he would get on the mic at our our uh like Halloween parties and [ __ ] Akwood. No, no, no, no. Okie. Oh. Oh, sorry. Sorry. Stepp was the guy kind of under the breath stuff that was like, you know, light light years ahead of where I’m at. You know who reminds me? Uh Scader and Stempnak kind of similar, very dry, right? They just say a comment. They wouldn’t smile, but it’d be hilarious. But um yeah, Nasher Nasher’s awesome and and he ends up bringing up oldie. That’s why he likes having the funny guys around. He gets the you when you’re that cool and you score that many goals and you’re like a phenom in hockey, like guys just want to be around you so they’re willing to provide that energy just so he can be constantly entertained, right? So when you got when you got a text from Nasher to go to dinner or go for a beer on the road, it was like I would let him dog walk me. Yeah. I missed the birth of one of my kids to go to dinner with him. Uh it is true biz about like the the superstars like you just want to be around them like I remember and Merles will say the same thing Army like if we can just make Sid laugh like we’ll always be here and like we all made him laugh at different times and we all got shipped out of town. So as much as you want to think that’s the case at some point poor play and maybe having the chance to get a Chris Kunit type will get the funny guy out of the room and that’s what happened. But um yeah, you got to win games and you got to win and you got to win hockey games and you got to show up and and Biz I I you owned me. Uh t Monday night just absolutely owned me. I mean I’ve never take I’ve taken L after L after capital L in my life especially my internet life. And for the Leafs to be down 300 after the second with eight shots on net against Pittsburgh and the Oilers to be leading 2 nothing early in St. Louis. I’m loving life. And I’m sending out the tweet. Wow. I’m shocked that the Leafs would only have eight shots and be losing three nothing at home with Biz Nasty in the building. Oh, buddy. I was [ __ ] bricks when when you said that, bud. I was when they scored the first one in the third, I was like, I’m going to fire off a tweet. And I said, “No, you got to have discipline. And once you do that, you’ll probably mush them, so just [ __ ] let it play out.” And sure enough, boom, another one. Another one. They tie it up. I really wanted to fire one off after the tire. And then I didn’t. And then they scored again. I was like, “Motherfucker, in regulation.” So to be in the building after getting owned by you and on the the Blue Jays loss and just how devastating that was. I was getting a lot of Drake backlash like I’m the mush and then to be in attendance for them to pull that off and then now they got three in a row, right? So people are now sending me tweets. We talk about the overreactions like with that with that multi-goal blown lead by Edmonton. It’s the fourth blown multi-goal lead in the first 15 games. It’s the first time I believe it’s ever happened in Oilers history. And then right now, as far as going back to last year, Leafs are at a better uh point per game pace um like to finish off better than they were with with Mner. So like people try to use the Martner thing. It’s like buddy, they start off 5500 every year and then all of a sudden they’re on a little bit of a roll. So life is good in Leafland in Bizand. I don’t get a lot of I don’t get a lot of W’s. All right. So, I’m going to celebrate. You always said season started right after the playoff game. So, so I did have [ __ ] oldie. He comes up a lot this episode. I brought him to the game. Him and memes. So, we weren’t walking in like hardos like you guys saw in that comein video. Although, it was Fuego. We saw it. That was [ __ ] Tell me that wasn’t fire. It was good. The the the song made it nice. It was a good video. Put the song on it. I kind of wish you guys all had dead serious faces looking fa forward at the same time. Like you were laughing kind of turning around laughing. I [ __ ] looked at them. I said, “Are you [ __ ] boys ready?” I said I thought you were smiling. Okay. Okay. No, I wouldn’t smile. I’m say you [ __ ] ready to go, buddy. We need two points tonight. You bringing your And but originally we never wanted a team to lose so bad that you could if you could read me and Yan’s texturing. Read them right now. Here. You guys are getting me fired up this [ __ ] early. I thought I was going to stay calm. I [ __ ] know you guys are plotting my death, you [ __ ] And when they won that [ __ ] game and then they beat Utah, which is a [ __ ] Utah’s rolling right now. Yep. Read it, [ __ ] I said he wrote [ __ ] I wrote [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] He wrote the [ __ ] pen. He wrote the [ __ ] Penguins. I said I’m so mad right now I could puke. He said I’m so furious. I said, “I cannot believe the Leafs won that game. He’s gonna be miserable to deal with Thursday.” And like seven minutes after I sent that text, whatever it was, the Oilers get scored on in I mean the Bousard on the winning goal against the Blues who suck. The Blues, make sure you gift this. Oh, they they like he literally got out of the way and then I think it was P Sudter. He bangs in the rebound. So they lose in regulation and I’m like and the [ __ ] Oilers lost. So it was just, you know, I went to bed. I I tweeted something like, “I’ll be back tomorrow.” Like, “I got to regroup.” I was in bed staring at the ceiling like muttering to myself, “Biz [ __ ] nasty.” That I think I think the streets are are starting to call him Bardi Bouch is the name he’s got, right? Is that is that how Well, here’s a worry for the Oilers and and and we’re kind of just quickly going around what’s going on. You just completely dodge what I said. Are they not calling him Bardi Bouch? I haven’t seen Bikardi Bouch anywhere. I don’t mind it though. Like win or lose, you booze. Yeah, you just made that up, Bardi Bouch, but the Oilers are uh defensively it’s a little bit of a disaster. Um like the Pasha under the hood stats of like five on five chances, they’re like very very very bad. So, you know, I’m zero panic. Very similar to the Leafs. Always start off bad. Start off slow. No panic at all. Speak for yourself, please. We’re good. Like, speak for yourself. Did you just say you start off every year 500? Yeah. games. The whole Eastern Conference is [ __ ] 500. I I I I’m saying that you just said we start off every year 500. I said the same thing about the Oilers. It’s a little There was no coming at you there. It was just a It’s I thought you used different verbiage. Okay. I actually think I actually think we’re even usually worse than 500 to start off the year. So, no panic, but just an ugly ugly Monday night for your boy Whit and Keith. you know, Keith who who despises Toronto the same way I do. Um, if Donor didn’t work there. Hey, we’re we’re not just going to glaze by Keith like the he dick rides. He [ __ ] twerks for it or what do they you jump on it and and do your tricks on it for the Florida Panthers. They’re last Eastern Conference. They’re last. Yeah, I think everybody knew that was coming. I I I mean, they’re missing their two best players. Cool. A co like things aren’t going great down in South Florida, but you know, maybe I got to show up with memes and [ __ ] oldie to a game to get the boys going in season. As much as Hey, no, no, you should be testing your fandom powers and you should go go bang the drum. Go see if you can I don’t I don’t do I don’t do regular season drum banging. I’m a playoff g when we need a win. You need a win. You come to the bullpen for the regular season. Eh, you’re like you’re like, what do you [ __ ] LTI like Mark Stone all the time? You don’t play regular season hockey. You only playoffs. All right. Hey, I the the worst thing about it in talking about our three teams. I I’m as I am less worried about the Panthers than both of our teams is. That’s what really sucks. Like I it doesn’t it literally doesn’t matter. Like if they’re in last place January 20th, I still might be like, I’m not that worried. So, I don’t know. I I love seeing it right now. I love seeing it. Um, but it’s the Panthers and come playoff hockey and if if Barov comes back, it’s could be same old story that we’ve we’ve been used to the past two seasons. You know who could be dead last in in in um in January is St. Louis. But before we get to them, congrats to Oie on 900. Holy [ __ ] boys. Oh my god. That guy. You know what though? It was in perfect fashion. He just has a knack for the net. He gets the bank off the boards. He’s probably in his head’s thinking, I think [ __ ] Bennington’s pretty far out of his net with the eyes that are in the back of his head. And he’s thinking like, I need a Subway sub right now and a Dr. Pepper. Like, we don’t know. You could have been saying, I [ __ ] You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to get one here. I’m going to go ask the trainer for a Coca-Cola. A nice ice cold Coca-Cola on the bench. Is it Coca-Cola or root beer that he drinks? He probably does it all. He, you know, he’s cares. He’s the guy who’s doing the mix. You know, we call it swamp water. Why? He’s crossing sauces. What the [ __ ] does he care? Yeah. He’s got all the pops in there waiting on the bench. And another thing, too, when he hits it on the backhand, it elevates it just enough to kind of get over Bennington’s pad and glove. And what a [ __ ] 900 boys. Only member of the 900 goal club. I was I was watching the game and the and my kids were watching and they’re like 900 goals that seems like a lot. I’m like yeah like and then I was thinking like if you added up all my practices, pregame skates games like I don’t think I’m even close to 900 goals. Like scoring on a goalie in practice like there’s no way. No. No. I’m talking summer skates. I’m I’m talking street hockey when there was no goalie in the net. I don’t know if I got 900. Let’s put it this way. If you played 20 years in the National Hockey League and you had 20 40 goal seasons, you’d still be 100 goals away from him. What the [ __ ] No, that’s that is putting it that way. Well, I was just thinking for 20 years health just doing it when he first came in. Obviously, the fact that they uh they changed the rules a little bit where there were more power plays, right? You couldn’t clutch and grab like [ __ ] nobody wanted to watch that hockey anymore anyway. But no, it it was still hard and competitive like [ __ ] goalies, the way how good they are nowadays, the technology, like it’s just it’s um like the way the defenses play way more structured. Like the things working against you and like boys, he was [ __ ] throwing 12 hits a game. He was throwing [ __ ] 12 hits in a shift sometimes. So, the fact that he’s even still going is just it’s [ __ ] [ __ ] is what it is. It is. That’s a great way to put it. Just put that on the quote card. This is [ __ ] [ __ ] It is. And the way that he’s kind of like eating Subway and drinking pop, too. Like, he ain’t doing the he ain’t doing disposal. He must look at Yeah. some of the young guys with like all these supplements and creatine and protein. He’s got one on his team. He’s like, “Nerd, nerd, geek. I got 900 and I’ve been eating trash since I was born in Moscow.” He’s eating Cheetos between periods. 900 goals. Carberry was cool talking about it after. I don’t know if you saw the post game. Just more like what he’s doing now with like all these young guns flying around and the pace of the game and like he still just gets in positions to score. I did think it was funny. It was a very unovike goal for 900. And we haven’t even mentioned we haven’t even mentioned Bennington. It’s it’s him stealing the puck is stealing the puck. And the way he did it just the skateway, the Chris Pronger style. He shoves it in his pants and then they’re all looking for it. I I’m assuming like the bench was like, “Where’s the goal? Where’s the puck?” And then the ref’s going over to him and he’s like, “We know you have it.” Like, and if Benny ever thought he was getting away with it, it’s even funnier. There’s 700 cameras everywhere. He has to reach down to his pants. I think it was Liam brought it up. He He has a um like a tinfoil hack conspiracy. He had another puck in there and he swapped it out. So Bennington actually has the 900 puck, but then you’re then you’re going into the game with a puck in your pants knowing he’s scoring against you. That’s like not great karma, right? It’s over. I don’t know. for a [ __ ] $500,000 puck. I don’t give a flying what? The team can’t even [ __ ] play defense anyway right now. I might as well give Obie one. Like, yeah, that’s true. You know what I’m saying? But like he just gave him like a warm-up puck just like so it’s kind of bad karma and it kind of goes actually back to game seven of the Jays. So did you see the guy who caught the home run ball? The Toronto Blue Jay fan. So he caught it and he celebrates quick which is kind of funny like to, you know, he quickly does and then realizes, oh my god, the game’s tied. He’s got the [ __ ] Toronto Blue Jays jersey. So the camera pans away. He had another ball and he swapped out the ball. So he actually still has the home run ball cuz you know how they make you throw it back. So he he threw one back and everyone’s like, “Yeah, but it wasn’t the [ __ ] home run ball.” Do you know the craziest part of that story? Didn’t his son catch his son caught the other one in extra right next to each other. That is like that’s bananas. And now unfortunately it wasn’t their team. Imagine if like those were Jay’s homers and you got those balls buddy. Those balls would be worth I mean they’re probably still worth a [ __ ] ton but wow at home. Imagine bringing your glove to the game as an adult. Otani’s like hey want to make a bet? Let’s make a bet for that ball. I think that I think that that Bennington had to just be furious. My my thought was he was just disgusted it was on him and he’s like, “Fuck this crowd’s going bananas.” Team Canada’s they’re watching too. They were there that game. They were there scouting goalies, right? Cuz Logan Thompson and Bennington. So, I’m not blaming Bennington. Like St. Louis has a lot of issues. They were getting peppered. I thought he was pretty good early. probably a few he wants back, but like it sucks, buddy. You go if if they go this way till the end of January and it’s still the same. Like, are you Do you think he has an automatic guarantee on the team, Bennington? On the team? Yes. Yes. Yes, I do too. I would I would agree. But there’s also [ __ ] there’s also a decent amount of like like Darcy Keer’s names coming up. McKenzie Blackwood. Um Aiden Hill st who’s a Stanley Cup champion. He was there last year. He wasn’t playing obviously. Uh who was the other one too? Obviously I said Logan Thompson Logan Thompson’s got the best numbers in the league for goalies right now like and he did last year. So if Logan Thompson keeps kicking the way he’s kicking for the first half of the year. I think there’s a story that they didn’t necessarily want guys who’d been in Vegas like Yeah. Okay. So there he had a moment in Vegas like I think like people who follow the league closely like yeah he probably he yeah yeah he was he was going through some stuff and he got a new change of scenery and a completely different mindset. So like I think Ace kind of mentioned on the broadcast last night he kind of alluded to it like you know why is he being kind of black ballalled if this is the these are the numbers that continue it’s not you’re you’re desperate in that position. Why would you take the best one over the last year and a half if that’s what the stats are showing? So, you know, at what point do are like, have you kind of like, what’s the word I’m looking for? Like water under the bridge, dude. Yeah. It’s like, [ __ ] Yeah. I was I wasn’t the best version of myself. Like, I was learning. Things were coming at me quick. Now I’m [ __ ] kicking and I’m [ __ ] a good teammate and I [ __ ] show up every day and I’m a professional. So, hey, you got to it it’s these are hard decisions that that the the Olympics have to make, but I’m just saying is like he would probably be a top consideration for me anyway. So, you got him, Bennington. Well, who’s your next guy? Montbo. Ah, he’s kind of lost the starting job. So, I know we kind of got in the weeds on the on the Olympic talk and like Bennington’s night, but I think that they got way bigger fish to fry in St. Louis. That was [ __ ] Oh, yeah. Dude, I think they’ve gotten Kyu getting scratched tonight. Kyu is a healthy scratch tonight is what Joe Vitali said on ESPN radio or something like that. And and if you go to uh Carlson’s goal, I mean, they had six of Oh, I’m talking the Blues defensive play. Carlson’s goal, he he he gets the puck, gets to the slot, has enough time to spin around, roof it, nobody near him. Uh uh Bolivier’s goal like makes a little nice beautiful fake, goes to his backhand, wide open net, nobody near him. And it’s like showed up Olivier also. That’s who that people think um put the alarm clock in Matt Barczelle’s locker when the Caps played the Islanders. I don’t know if you saw that because they they obviously played together in Long Island and people are kind of guessing it might have been him. Funny prank right there, but uh the Blues. Yeah, I I mean they didn’t have um what’s his name? The stud. I can’t even think of the forward who’s now. That’s a Yeah, Thomas was out for a few games. He comes back. They beat the Oilers, he scores. All right, let’s see what they what they’re doing here. And then just no no way of building on that Oilers win going into Washington and just laying an egg. So, I don’t think anyone saw this coming. I certainly didn’t. G was saying earlier he thinks Bennington kind of covered up a ton of warts last year and carried them into the playoffs. But, I mean, yeah, he was good in the first round. They still took they had that game one, game seven against the Jets. Enough where you think this season like the Blues are a legit team. Maybe not a Stanley Cup contender, but a playoff team in my mind. They’re not playing nearly as hard. Like I remember how remember how hard they were forchecking those games against Winnipeg. Like everybody wanted to watch the first 10 minutes cuz they were just trying to kill each other. And yeah, I’m not seeing that same effort, that same forche. Like I watched that whole game like we I know Kyu’s name came up the last couple pods about like him being potential trade bait. I at this point put I would definitely put a little bit more gas on it. Um yeah, he wasn’t he wasn’t noticeable. So I don’t know. Good for Sher for for jumping in there. Like I think it was um it was Doo who challenged Panko at that point in the game. I think if I’m Panco after throwing that big hit and things have been going the way they’ve been going, I’m the one who drops him with Du Hane, [ __ ] Braden Shen comes sprinting over and he takes the fight. So, it always seems to be Braden Shen doing it. I think a lot of guy more guys in that locker room need to follow him and their D is just like that. Tucker had a tough night. I’ve had him twice on the broadcast this year. They got beat 83 by Chicago and then they got beat what was it 6-1 last night. So, they’ve given up 14 goals in two games that I’ve watched. I don’t know. I don’t know what their exact numbers are as far as like like goals for and goals against, but they were given up so much. Well, that goes to show you that they were expected this year to be a good team if they’re even on the TNT broadcast twice already this year. Like, they got to have some But they got a big hockey market. They got a big hockey market. Big time. But it’s not one of those things too like if people like, “Oh, we need a quick fix. fire Monty. Like that ain’t going to do it either. Like Monty is same like it was in Boston. Like if he gets fired, another team is going to take him right away. So it’s I don’t think it’s one of those things where it’s a quick change and the coaches like it needs to come from within there. They got to figure out how to get get it done and you know, you you said it before like they did it and won the Stanley Cup uh you know, in recent memory. So they got it in there that they could hopefully turn it around. I know they got a lot of pride in that locker room. Hopefully they figure it out cuz when they’re good, they’re a fun team to watch. They’re very fun. And and Neighbors being out is a kick in the dick for them. He’s a drag him into the fight player. He had six goals in eight games. He gets injured. Like Neighbors no doubt is taking that Doo Ham fight, right? Like it’s just kind of a guy who with a quick start. How he came out of the gate like that that’s a kick in the dick for that team. But the what I said last episode about the thought of trading Kyu, this like elite skater, goalcorer, you know, he’s just a playmaker, like the guy’s a nice offensive piece. The thought of trading him seems crazy to me. Now, if that was already like rumored, then he’s scratched. He’s probably furious, right? So then it’s like there’s way more to this than than I thought based on him being scratched. He was remember was it last year he was crying after one of the games doing a press conference in the locker room. I don’t know. No, there was something that happened where it made it seem like he didn’t give a [ __ ] about a loss or something. I think it was amplified and like they ended up having like a big win and he was a big part of like a comeback the following game and he got emotional which I loved. Like I love to see that. that to me everything and I think like everything from a fan base was exiled and you know even people beforehand were saying it was ridiculous that people were trying to make it a thing. So I don’t but he just he just goes so like invisible sometimes for stretches of time where you’re like you might it’s kind of like we talked about Pey the offense might might not be there in Vancouver right now but his effort level and him blocking shots and him putting in the effort defensively like those are the things that stand out like those are things you can’t hang you can’t hang a guy out to dry on just because the puck’s not going in. For me, sometimes it’s more about like if you if you’re an elite star player in the team and I go a whole game and I don’t notice you, that’s an issue. That’s a problem. Yeah. Yes. When you could skate like that, too. By the time the name I don’t think I said Kyro’s name once tonight. I meant like with with the emotion he showed last year, year before, whenever that was, and then this scratching like this could be something where it’s getting to him now, like I need I need a new start, right? Like there’s just going to be a lot more discussion now based on a health bomb. They already got fleeced by them um with the Bull Duke thing and the Logan Mayu swap at least as of now. Uh I would love to see him in Montreal. Like I would with that offense rumored ever. The Cadre to Montreal thing makes so much sense to me and like he scored a goal. I think it was his thousand was it his thousandth game last night? Two nights ago. Got a goal in that game. Um, they need they need a two center, but everyone needs a second line center. And Kadri is the one they all want, I think. And how could you not based on how he just gets it done in the playoffs, uh, minus his suspensions with the Leafs, but that doesn’t really that doesn’t really hit. Um, uh, Kyru said, “I’ve got no comments. Uh, he’s not my coach anymore.” When asked about Craig Barubi. Oh, that’s what it was. That’s what it was. Yes. Yes. Yes. when he got upset and then fans booed him the next game and he was kind of just saying like I think the quote was maybe taken a little out of context in in his opinion right like that I was he wasn’t dogging him he’s just saying he’s not my coach right that’s what it was that’s what it was so it wasn’t even really about his so mypa I kind of had it wrong I knew it was something like that also my on the air I thought when do I thought it was Josh Hennessy who told us the the slaughtering of the lamb story and I thought it was to break a like a like a a goalless drought But it was Kevin Dolman who told us and it was the christristener arena over there. So to the New York Rangers, I know you’re going through something right now, but don’t be slaughtering a goat on on the ice just to to get the slump buster going. And am I seeing Rangers fans like kind of like dogging Shurkin a little bit? It’s like, buddy, oh my god, they have five goals at home against the Sharks and I think the next six games, whatever, they have like six goals or five goals. So no, no, no, no, no. They have six total goals in six games at MS. Oh my god. They are 05 and one. They scored five goals against the San Jose Sharks. They have one other goal and Panaran’s Panaran’s struggling. The contract talks were were rumbling a few weeks ago. I guess he wouldn’t be willing to take a hometown discount. He’s got two goals, five assists so far. I think three or if not four of those points came in one game. He’s gone whatever four or five games without a point. They got no offense at home. But keep in mind they’re 500. So, but but I watched that team and I’m like unless Sturken’s up top three for the VZNA boys. I don’t think they’re making playoffs. And luckily the games Quick has played, he’s been the best goalie in the league. I think it’s like three games, but his numbers are insane. But Rangers fans, don’t talk about goalending. Like that is the least of your worries. The least of your worries. So some of that just stir talk. Yeah. I actually saw a clip online too of our uh our buddies Lazarus and Colby Cohen with Elliot Freriedman who said like there is zero chance of any sort of rebuild there. So it’s not like uh you’re going to be just taking a big step backwards dealing Paneran and maybe that happens but there is no thought in New York of like starting over. Do you think they’re smarter to rebuild now or or try to make it work? I I No, there’s no rebuild there. No, I mean they just signed Shurken last year. Fox has a big deal. Benjet still has many years left. Miller’s their captain on that big ticket. Like I No, I How would you I don’t I don’t even I don’t even Do you think that they can fix it because of the Rangers? Like free agency wise, not many of them. Like Kempe is going to get signed. Who’s going to be the biggest free agents next off seasonason? How are you gonna improve your team? Said Canaran showed up to practice with a shaved head this morning. That’s that’s something that’s something. He’s usually a monster when he shaves the noodle, right? He came back that one year. That’s what Babroski does. Yeah. After the season, he cleanses himself. He’s like, I need to rid myself of whatever this is and start fresh. So, [ __ ] man. That’s Are you guys just [ __ ] around or you did that? Well, Pasha could be [ __ ] around. Who knows? But it’s also too like Biz and W like I you look at their team on paper. I think that they’re still a playoff team just by looking at their team on paper. Like Troach has missed time. He’s going to come back. But it’s like, and I talked about it last time, like they’re like Posasha says, they’re under the hood stats, their defensive stats aren’t bad. like if you get them into the playoffs, they’d be a tough out, but they somehow have to find a way to score at home and they can’t right now. But it I don’t think that’s just one like one trade away from making that happen. Like not one guy is going to come in and be like, “Oh, okay. Now we’re scoring here at home.” Like they they they need the slaughtering in the in the crease, biz like it h or the shaved head. That could be the change of the guard right here. I just texted Paul. Oh, he said yes. So he did shave his head. Every guy Every guy shaved their head, I heard. He needed something to change. He needed something to change. Maybe they may maybe they heard what I said about the lamb and they said, “Hey, like New York state law, we can’t be slaughtering lambs in the crease, but let’s do something as a group to like galvanize us and rid us of the these gold troubles. So maybe if they if they all come in with like robes and like shaved head, like they start a cult or something.” No. Yeah. 100%. I mean, you got to try everything now. righty if you’re a lefty. One of the games of of the the most entertaining games of the season so far Tuesday night. Flyers go up 3 nothing on Montreal. All of a sudden it’s 4-3. Flyers tie it then win it in the shootout. Zegris now things aren’t great in Philly I don’t think. Right. Like and I don’t think much was expected. Ziggress looks awesome. Right. Zegris looks incredible. He also I think now is has the best percentage of u in the shootout since the shootout began. He is just automatic on those and he goes 63% maybe super slow motion at the beginning enough where it’s like awkward almost but then comes down picks up the stick handling berries but that game was wild. Uh Demod 65.2% in his career. Demodv in my top five players to watch already. I think we’re looking I’m going to keep saying like legitimate superstar in the NHL. He’s right at a point per game. I think he’s a 100 point player. Not necessarily this year, but like we’re looking at an absolute game breaker for the next 10 years in Montreal. I can’t wait to see what his contract looks like after the season when they can sign him to an extension. So Montreal, everything’s good there. Um whit his I got something for you on him. Since he’s since he’s been put on the first power play. Before he wasn’t on the first power play, they were running at a 19%. Since he’s been on the first power play, 53.8%. How’s that for a nugget? And St. Louis a legend. Like same thing with not having Hudson on the first unit to start it last year. Hey, earn it a little bit, kid. All right, five games in. Yeah, that’s you. And same with Demov. his his deception like the one pass he made to Suzuki back door and every pass that he makes to these guys back door the goalie is not even over it’s a complete empty net with which just proves that his deception is so good and then when he’s stick handling the goal that he scored short side was [ __ ] insane I thought he was still stick handling the puck and I think the goalie did too next thing you know he’s in the hug giving hugs and kissing heads it was in like when He has the puck. It is the most mustwatch TV in the NHL right now. Like he is a very very special player. I know. It’s it’s it’s awesome to see in that arena. It’s just it things are good for Canadians fans right now. They are very good and and I mentioned Zegris um and how he he’s been great right for Philly. But Biz, you texted me the Flyers fans watching what Cutter Goautier is doing in Anaheim have to be sick to their stomach. I mean, he gets a natural I think he had the first three goals. They dust the Panthers 73. He has a hat-tick. He added an assist. Talk about a release. A team that we said we had high expectations for and we keep mentioning him every pod because they’re not slowing down. And I I I just can’t believe after the years off, like that’s where Quenville went. And a decision by him, he knew exactly what he was doing. He sees the roster. He sees what Leo Carlson’s going to be. He sees these young D. And I no media. I knew Gothier was good. I saw him at BC. I saw the release. But this is like he’s got 10 goals. And G mentioned, does he ever have a chance of making the US Olympic team? But man, if if he’s leading the league in goals still like right around the top in two months, [ __ ] you’re taking him, right? E uh options up front for a big decision. They needed scoring come down to that final game, right? Okay. Well, I mean, it’s one game like the the best in the world the best in the world get can play defense and get defensive. That’s what I was going to say. Like I don’t know if you and you know, we talked to Rick Nash and he mentioned it like he was a superstar and for those teams he took more of a shutdown role like is a young, you know, highly skilled guy like that willing to do that or able to do that, you know, where they’re not going to be on the first or second line. they willing to play third, fourth line, you know, play against other team or do they even know how to? Like that’s what I’m saying. He’s so young. It’s like, hey, all of a sudden we need you in a checking role here. He’s like, well, [ __ ] man. I played a year and a half in the National League. Like, what are you talking about? I’m a [ __ ] top six, baby. I’m cutter [ __ ] Goce, dog. I’m the [ __ ] turd cutter. Must trade to Canada. Yeah. Um uh so another thing in Anaheim, I mean right now uh Jacob Troubo would be tied for second on goals for the New York Rangers. He has three. Crider would be leading the team in goals. I I thought Krider I thought it was really coming to an end. Maybe I’m just an idiot, which is probably the the case here, but dude, this guy his tips in front the the the the smell of the ocean. Well, I guess he was in New York City. The ocean’s right there, but it smells like garbage in that city. Newport Beach, the no media, being a veteran on a young team, he looks phenomenal. And the Rangers power play, I believe, right now is the worst play. Brutal. They got no net front presence. They don’t they don’t cause a ruckus. He like he was good at the top of the crease and he was good popping out for doing some sort of high tip. So, I think that that’s a huge miss. It’s like I don’t know why they moved off of him, but I thought that he would have success in Anaheim and the bring Avery back. Bring Avery back for Netfront something. They need something. But um it wasn’t a surprise to me. And he’s still pretty like he’s fast straight on, right? Like when he gets going straight on, he gets some steam going. He’s as fast as anyone, right? Oh yeah. He loves jumping into the boards on hits. Doesn’t matter if he hits the guy or the boards. It’s a big old loud bang. Crowd goes nuts. And apparently apparently um we will be out there. I believe we have the chance to possibly go to the Ducks game. I guess the atmosphere and the environment in there is phenomenal. I I came from Pittsburgh and even when we were in the playoffs, it was good in the playoffs in Anaheim, but like overall regular season games, it’s like a dark arena. I didn’t love playing there uh arena- wise, but it seems like it it’s loud, it’s full, and the fans are kind of realizing how good of a team they have there. Um, another story from this week was the Minnesota Nashville game that went to OT in which um was it Marcus Johansson? He was awarded a goal on a puck that never crossed the goal line because Anin Anunen, I’m struggling today with names, the goalie in Nashville, they said he pushed the net off. I agreed with the call. I think he bumps into the net. It moves a tiny bit, not on purpose. And then I thought his his little shove at the post was kind of blatant. And because of that, the ref awarded the goal to Minnesota. They win in overtime. It was actually crazy because I think Stamco scored to tie it with.1 second left on a one-time. Um, but did you agree with that call, Keith or Biz? Like what did you think? So the only thing that the when the when the net came around cuz he pushed it so aggressively if if he would have shot the puck and it would have still been on the moorings the puck would have ended up behind the net but because it swung around it hit the meshing and came back to him and then he put it in between where the net would have been. So the fact that it was knocked around benefited him the fact the puck came back the rebound. Yeah. But I get it because it’s like also it’s it’s hard because if if over the course of the game he had done it a few times and then it’s like ah okay cuz sometimes there’s certain games where you get a bad mooring and like every time you’re pushing off of that when it’s coming off and maybe eventually the team the ref the home crowd get fed up so it kind of wears on the game. So it seemed like they like the in real time they ruled like no dude like you were [ __ ] you were going to slide out of position. You knocked the net off on purpose so we gave him the goal. I have no problem with it being a goal. But for the other team if he hadn’t knocked it off all game long and the fact that that net bounced the puck back to him to give him the puck, I would then be pissed. Do you know what I’m saying, Yans? Yeah. And I I just I think it’s such a heads up play by uh Johansson where it’s like you you taught as a kid don’t stop till you hear the whistle and he did that and got rewarded with it. I thought originally it was a like I thought he would just tried to push over and it came off maybe a faulty uh mooring or whatever. But I do kind of agree with you guys where he did do that extra push to get it off. Maybe thought he was out of position. Weird one for sure. Stammer Stammer’s quotes at the end. He was not happy about I mean anytime a goal scored when the goal is literally not in the [ __ ] facing the wrong way. Yeah. It’s not even on the ice basically. The players on the ice were like dumbfounded there. Yeah. I mean but just credit to him for sticking with it and putting it in and playing till the whistle. I guess um another thing I did want to mention um because I I I saw the highlights this morning. you know that you can go on you can go on YouTube or nhl.com the five minute to 10-minute game recaps are great they’re awesome the assist that Bard had on uh Bertusi’s second goal I believe incredible pass it was the same thing Bertusi did on the first one he just it’s Sid style just getting against that post choking down on your stick and banging it home and then Bard adds an empty netter for his first goal in Vancouver the Blackhawks are fun dude I know Barsttowol Chief’s an enormous fan. He loves this team. Kind of what we talked about before, just giving the fans something something to be proud about. Whether you win or lose, that is what they’re doing. And I forgot to mention last show, the numbers that came out after 161 games in their career, Patrick Kane versus Connor Baddard, is wild. It’s wild because the heat that Baddard has taken, and I have been one of those people, compared to the way we spoke about Kane as he came into the league has been very different. And through 161 games, Baddard has 51 goals. Kane had 46. Baddard has 91 assists. Kane had 95. So Baddard has 142 points. Kane had 141. They both had eight game-winning goals. So you’re looking at the exact same player that Patrick Kane was through the first 161 games. They’ve both And not to mention what like Bard doesn’t have Jonathan Taves, Bufflin, Versteig, uh Patrick Sharpie came later, but like Havl was there then. Yeah, Havl like he Patrick Kane had some players around him, but Dard’s kind of doing this, no offense to the guys on their team, like he’s doing this without any other superstars is is very impressive. And yeah, a lot of people have been hard on him. I think he’s looking at this year like I got a chance to be on the Olympic team. Like you can tell he’s bought in. He’s playing hard every shift. He’s not just going out there playing uh on the perimeter like he he’s bringing it every night and bringing his team into the fight like Bratusi hattrick the other night like those guys getting them going. It’s like you said they’re a fun team to watch and you know he’s going to just keep getting better and better. And uh I’m all in boys. I said at the start of the year I’ve seen enough. I know you are. Uh another player in Chicago and local guy uh Boston area. We talked about Ryan Shay how good he’s been for Pittsburgh. Ryan Donado, who was a 14, 15, 16 goal scorer throughout his career, who pops off for over 30 last year. Everyone wonders, wow, what he didn’t get traded and then resigns in Chicago for lower money than I thought he would get, buddy. He He’s nice, man. He He is six goals already in 14 games, that guy. And he’s 29. It’s just it takes people a little bit longer and people to get a chance that they maybe necessarily didn’t get in where they play in the lineup uh to to really like reach your full potential. So, good things in Chicago right now. Very good things. Um and and on Monday Night Prime biz, are you working this week? No, I did that uh that Pittsburgh Toronto game. I Is it back in Toronto this week? No, it’s uh Columbus Edmonton, which is a fun one. Which is a fun I’m excited for that. I pray Columbus spanks you Oilers. Okay. Yeah, we know you do. We know you do. Um I I believe when I think of uh Columbus in Toronto, they they did beat you in the playoffs during the uh pandemic. Correct. Yeah, I think that was the case. So, um yeah, go Oilers. But Columbus, kind of a weird start. Very slow start for Fanti. I was I was thinking we were gonna see a pop off season, but right now uh the numbers aren’t necessarily there, but their team based on what I’m kind of reading like they they’re jackal and hide a little bit. We talked about the loss to the Islanders that was an absolute kick in the dick leading that game. Uh not even getting a point out of it, but then there’s been nights they look excellent. So they kind of got to find their identity, I think. But I think that there’s enough there where they could make the playoffs. I know I was willing to bet them over the Devils this season. That was probably a mistake I even considered that. But I I like Columbus. I like watching them play. Edmonton has to figure something out. They got a few more games, I believe, till that game Monday. But that should be a good one on Prime Prime Hockey Monday night. Uh not the same without Biz on the panel. Prime Monday Night Hockey is available to Prime members in Canada. Start your free trial. Primevideo.com. For the full Prime Monday Night Hockey schedule, visit primevideo.comnhl. Um, it was getting rowdy back there. Do you guys see how many people were back there when I was Yeah, because of you screaming. You were screaming like a WWE character. Yeah, maybe that. Maybe doing the splits. So, I would We We did those game time videos with them. One of them already came out and more of them are going to roll out. I think it would be silly if we could go to Toronto on the concourse there where they got the setup and we’re dressed as those characters so people see more and more of these videos and what we’re talking about online. But we did uh we’ve obviously collaborated with Amazon to do some fun things like we’re doing we got three coast to coast coming up on some of these Thursdays. Um I personally have at least one more where I’m on the panel. I believe it’s the last Monday night hockey of the year against uh Toronto versus Dallas. But it would be like even maybe even do one um um in Montreal. Imagine getting to go there to do one of those live. Getting all the happy jersey Imagine you got demagod on the [ __ ] panel after and you could talk to him and like touch him with your hands. Is he doing interviews yet? I don’t think so. during the [ __ ] translator. Speaking of interviews, the the Otani uh with the perfect Thank you guys at the end of his interview after it’s like ah that sounded like a guy like from Kansas. It’s Mal. Hey, I I saw the uh uh what is it? Uh Home by Three like Schwarz, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Schwarzy. And they were like, “What if he’s just like Hawaiian?” Schmaltzy. Schmaltz. Yeah. They were like, “What if they were like, “What if he’s just a Hawaiian guy and he just doesn’t want to do interviews and he like he’s just putting on this his fake that he’s from?” Deep dive uh deep dive into Otani on Wikipedia. So, who knows if it’s true or not. Apparently, like had maybe had the ability to swim in the Olympics. He was a swimmer growing up and just just, you know. Oh, he’s got the body of a swimmer. Like when you look at him, you’re like, “Oh, yeah. This guy could Yeah. Would you say I have the body of a swimmer?” No, you do. You see? Oh, you you I thought you said Did you say I have it as in I was talking? No. Yes, I can swim, dude. No, you know what? Your shoulders aren’t broad enough. I got broad shoulders. Not like that. I got broad shoulders, bro. Not like that. Come out his shoulders, man. Buddy, I got shoulders, dude. I mean, this is a loose fitting hoodie. This is a loose fitting hoodie. I got shoulders, bro. I got shoulders. swimmer back. Take it back. The whole back. Show us your back. Yeah. Turn around. If he if he trained like a swimmer, then maybe he would. No, but you got to go tarps off. Dude, is that [ __ ] Hulk Hogan? Too much hair back there to take that off right now. Um, well, Biz, take it back. He’s going to bring up one more guy. Okay. Who? We talk about him every week though. Now, Mlin Celerini tied for the league lead in points. He’s got to make that team. I don’t think there’s a chance in hell he’s not on that team. He’s a beast. I think you lock it up. Lock it up. Bernard, who you taking, Biz? I mean, but that’s not fair because I feel like I don’t think it’s not fair to say that Whit doesn’t have a nice back. Yeah, seriously. Good call. I think Mlin Celerini like 99% out of 100 people are taking him on as opposed. But from what I’ve seen so far this year, like Baddard has figured out that compete is what he needs to bring and he’s doing it and he’s putting up offensive numbers. So I personally think it’s it’s hard cuz like I think like Celery would actually start the tournament in the lineup whereas if you’re bringing Baddard I don’t think Baddard’s starting in the lineup. So, it’s like, are you using that space for a guy who might not seek act see action or are you saving that space for like, let’s say, an extra where like maybe like a Tom Wilson? Like, do you guys see Tom Wilson as a starter right now? He’s he’s their high he’s leading their team in points. You see him as an Olympic starter? Uh, yeah. So, looking at looking at the lineup from Four Nations, um Bennett, I mean, he’s been he he’s not having a great start, but it’s Bennett in a big game. Like, he ain’t going anywhere, I don’t think. I’d be shocked. No. Celli, Coup’s the coach. Lock, I don’t know. Crosby, Hegel, I don’t know. Jarvis, Kenkne, then you got McKinnon, Marshon, Marner, McDavid, Point, Reinhardt, Stone. So those first few, if you’re talking Wilson, you’re talking Bard, you’re talking Celibbrini, I could see an argument for all of them making the team. I don’t think depends on his health, dude. I I mean, he’s injured again right now. Like I think he’s probably there if he’s healthy. The guy’s a gamer. He’s an unreal defensive player and he’s a horse. So I I I don’t see a world where if he’s healthy, he’s not on the team. But I don’t know. Celli Hegel, Kenkne, Jarvis. Like I I could see Wilson Celibbrini. I don’t know. Like the thing about Bard is he’s not going to PK, right? You’d be losing a PK guy based on those names we mentioned. So there’s going to be people amazing players that get hosed out of playing in the Olympics. With Canada, it’s always that way. The old Canada could send their second team and probably compete for a medal is is is always valid, although goalending would be an issue. Um, but a guy who won two gold medals and played in three Olympics, best on best Olympics, was Rick Nash. And he was unreal. And he talks about his role in 2010 as a checking line uh player. He talks about 2014 and the disappointment of ’06 along with many other things. So, right now, we want to thank Rick Nash and throw it over to an awesome interview. So, Blue Jackets fans and team Canada fans, Rangers fans, Bruins fans for a minute. Enjoy, guys. This is nuts. There’s over a billion bucks in prizes already won using Jackpocket and over 70 millionaires made. That is insane. 70 millionaires making over a billion bucks in prizes all because of Jackpocket. Megaillions and Powerball are climbing right now. And with Jackpocket, you can order official lottery tickets and even scratch offs whenever you want. No lines, no hassle, just your phone. That’s it. All you need is your phone. You get the alert when you win and boom, it’s time to collect. So, we’ve partnered with Jackpocket to hook you up. New customers, get $5 in lottery credits when you sign up with code puck 2 and opt in. Don’t miss it. Get Jackpocket today. Guys, we got to take a quick break here to talk about DraftKings. Hockey is back full swing. And this season, DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NHL, brings you all the speed, skill, and non-stop action that you love, DraftKings Sportsbook delivers the unmatched intensity of the NHL right to your fingertips. From player props to the thrill of live in-game betting, every drop of the puck is your shot to win big. If you like a team going into the game, maybe you wait to take them, hope they go down one- nothing. Boom, the odds go up in your favor, and you hammer them. That’s live in-game betting with DraftKings. True customers, this one’s for you. Bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you’ll get paid out $300 in bonus bets instantly. Light the lamp all season long with DraftKings. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code chicklets. That’s code chicklets to turn five bucks into $300 in bonus bets if your bet wins in partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours. [Music] Welcome now to a very special guest. A guy we’ve been wanting to get on for years and years. First overall pick in the 2002 NHL entry draft. An all-time player, all-time human being, and current director of hockey ops for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Rick Nash, what’s going on, Nasher? Not much. It’s uh it’s good to join you guys. I think I told you every time that I would just be a boring boring interview and you know I listen to you guys all the time and it’s fun and it’s exciting and as Yans knows um you know that’s just not me. Hey, you know what? I think that when you’ve had the career that you’ve had, you don’t have to be telling wild and crazy stories. People love the game that listen to this. They want to hear I mean gold medalist uh rocket Rashard winner like first overall pick. I think your career in itself doesn’t matter if you think it’s boring others don’t. So, I did I remember seeing you at the draft in Nashville and you’re like, I don’t know, it’s not really my style. So, maybe we could say thank Y, right? We finally got a former teammate of yours to get you to drag you in with us. So, yeah. Well, I mean, there’s there’s a lot of crossover, you know, with with our our draft class and uh you know, going to Carolina uh together way back in the day. And remember that game? Yeah, I remember that game. That was a long one. and and you know with Biz growing up in Wellland and uh you know the old Wellland Tigers and and the battles that the organizations that Bmpton had with them and then obviously Yan. So you know I I would like to give Yans a little bit of the credit but there’s also a lot of history with you guys as well. Well I mean getting right into it I think my first question is without you we don’t have Oldie. Can you please explain to me how you know Oldie? Has he always been like this? Have you been as surprised as we’ve been in seeing his antics? This morning, I don’t think he knew you were coming on, but the Bmpton number popped up. And you said like you you’re maybe not so crazy, but you enjoy having like gestures around you, right? Is that is that a fair thing to say? Yeah. You know what? Some of my friends call me um you know, kind of the guy that likes to sit back in the corner and watch them. And Yans Yans knows better than anyone. But uh you know, I’m I’m so happy for Oldie. Um he’s honestly been the exact same guy since he was 6 years old and uh we played for the Bmpton Excelsiers from when we were 6 years old and we would come up as to uh to Pelum and play the Pelum Raiders and uh you know we’ve been traveling all around Ontario and and just struck up a a great friendship and I’m I’m telling you there’s there’s not a better guy or a more um genuine uh big-hearted guy than than Oldie and uh you know it’s fun u you know thank you to you guys for taking him under your wing and and Yans to get him going. But uh it I honestly mean this when I say it. It couldn’t happen to a better guy. He’s the bad that’s him. And it’s not it’s not an act, right? Like he’s been doing this [ __ ] for years and years, right? You know, so how it all uh how it all started was um you know, obviously we were friends. cuz we were buddies growing up and uh Oldie actually had to go to a different high school um than than our friend crew, but I promise you he spent more time at our high school than he did his own. and he would just show up and be in the hallways. And then uh I moved to uh to London and would come back halfway through uh when our once our season once we got beat out of the playoffs, I go back to our school and see Oldie and hang out. And then finally I got drafted to Columbus and and started uh you know moving down to Columbus and I had a group of buddies and Yans knows all of them that would show up to games without telling me and they would be dressed up along the glass and I would come out for warm-up and I would start dying laughing. Um and it just turned into a uh you know a huge thing that they usually surprise me in Buffalo, Toronto, uh Detroit, you know, Ottawa kind of close close to Bmpton. Um, so that’s that’s how it kind of uh all began. And then, you know, as we move along here, I don’t know how much time you guys want to spend on Oldie, but uh you know, we can talk about what it what it evolved into. Keep going, man. I mean, he’s a character I love having around. Everything you said is bang on. He’s so genuine and uh yeah, it’s just it’s it’s just awesome to have him around. He’s just such a morale boost. Now, was he playing net? Was he a goalie back when you guys were growing up? Yeah, so he was he was he played inner city in in Bmpton? and he was a hockey goalie. And then uh in lacrosse he was uh he was a defender and um you know I always remember parents saying don’t give oldie a lacrosse stick because you’ll use it as a weapon and and he did. He was he was crazy. He’s he’s got this as nice of a guy as he is and as genuine he is. You put him on the lacrosse floor and uh and he was insane. But um yeah, so they started coming down to Columbus and then you know obviously got got traded to New York and uh it almost got taken next level as most things do on Broadway and um you know that that’s kind of where the uh the the star in him came out and uh you know Yans I’m sure Yans can speak to a little bit of that. Yep. I want to go into like your kind of your your youth hockey and your your beginning of the game and like how much did you fall in love with it? like was this something from the time you can remember you dreamed of playing in the NHL and who was somebody that kind of if it was your dad or a coach like who really was a guy you look back now that like made a huge difference at a young age to you? Well, it was it was definitely my my parents. um my parents, my older brother. In our household, it was it was hockey all the time. And uh it’s funny now having two uh two young boys, and you know, I you can’t try to create that passion for them, right? And and I always tell them, you know, get in the garage, take your shots, and and I can’t be pushing them too much because they got to fall in love with it themselves. And I can’t I can’t um you know, I can’t initiate the passion of the game. And for me, my whole world was hockey. every opportunity I had, I was in the street, whether it was, you know, by myself taking shots. Um, you know, recreating situations of game sevens or, you know, Olympic gold medal games. Hockey was my life. And funny enough, a few years back, my mom was was moving and she went through some of uh the old school work and it was one of those things uh from grade two of what you want to be when you’re older. And uh you know, mine mine was an NHL hockey player. So, you know, it was it was my dream. I I honestly felt that, you know, I I couldn’t be stopped only for the fact that I don’t know what else I would do. Um, you know, growing growing up in in Bmpton, you just, you know, I’d probably be, you know, working in a factory somewhere or or doing something I don’t even know. So, it was almost like there was no other option other than to live out my dream. At what age did you think it was a possibility that you could make the NHL? Like, when did when were you like, “Okay, and when did you notice that you were just a lot better than the other kids?” like did that happen at a young age or was that like a growth spurt? Yeah. Funny enough, on uh one of the mom’s trips with uh with Dan Gerard’s mom, she uh she always used to say when when we were coming up to play against me, they always knew it was going to be a a tough night for Dan and I was going to have a couple goals, but uh you know what? It honestly didn’t hit me, Biz, until we were driving down the 401 from London to Kitchener. And and you guys remember that Redline Report I think it was you used to get the clippings on the junior bus and I remember seeing I was like top 20 in the North America rankings and and for some reason it just hit me there that I I’m going to take this season really serious. Um you know before that it was always a dream but that’s kind of where it hit me hard. Um I’ll never forget one time in uh in in grade six. This is a a funny story at least uh when I tell it I get some good good laughs out of it. We I I left the Toronto Marlies and I went to play for the Missaga Rebels for one year and they used to play at the old Iceland um on uh on Thursdays at 8:00. And so I’d show up to to grade 6 or grade seven, whatever it was, uh every Friday morning and and we started with uh with French class. And during parent teacher meetings, my mom came in and the French teacher said, you know, Rick Rick’s tired every single Friday morning and you know what’s going on. And she explains to her, well, you know, he has a hockey his home nights are are Thursday nights. And um you know, we get home late and it’s it’s a quick wake up and he’s right into French class. And and the French teacher said was uh you know, maybe Rick should really think about quitting hockey and taking school a little more serious. And you know, school school was always number one. You know, you got to be a good student. But uh anyways, thankfully we didn’t we didn’t listen to that. And I was a couple couple years into my career and I got uh some fan mail from from that teacher and she was asking for a stick uh for the school for charity. So yeah, I know Yans wouldn’t send it, but uh the funny part would have sent her a mini stick. Yeah, just funny part of that note was she had a pretty good line and she goes, “Uh, she goes, “PS, you better hope you never get traded to Montreal.” Oh, okay. And anyways, we we learn the whole the whole province would have learned English to have you on their team back then. I thought you were going to say she might say, “Well, he’s got to take this more serious. What if he gets drafted by the Canadians?” No, she was like a American teacher. You got to quit. Yeah. Hate her. She was straight up quit hockey. No, not going to work. Yeah, thankfully you didn’t quit hockey uh in sixth grade and then a few years later obviously getting drafted to London and we know what London is now. Was it like that back then? Did it have like the aura of okay this is like the mecca of junior hockey and for you coming in or did you start that and make it where it is today? Not sure. I think I actually played against you my my rookie year when I was in North Bay and I think you guys were still at the old barn, weren’t you? Before they moved into the nice one. Yeah. So I was uh I was the first year the Hunters just bought the team and I was their first draft pick. So we we were at the old barn, the old ice house right off the 401. It wasn’t the uh the dynasty that it is now or or the reputation that London has with just producing, you know, NHLer after NHLer. It it was a lot different. Um you know, Mark and Dale were were around, but they would Dale wasn’t on the bench yet. um that would happen pretty fast halfway through right through the season. But uh yeah, so it was it was different in London. We we played at a uh well, Biz can tell you about that arena. Um it was it was an old barn. Um but it was uh it was fun. Like an old a sick old school one, Biz, like one you like wanted to go into or Yeah, it was kind of it was Yeah, it was just it was just old and grimy, but it was it was cool. It felt like an old junior barn. And like um was it was it hard for you to adapt to the OHL or did you slide right in? And like did you get homesick cuz you you kind of talked about the relationship you had with all your your close friends and stuff. I’m sure they were visiting quite a bit, but how was your transition to the O? Yeah, it’s a good uh it’s it’s always nice to dive into these these things. Um you know, there there’s definitely some homesickness for sure. I mean, I I literally just turned 16 in June and I was gone uh in September right to London and you know, my mom dropped me off. Uh, luckily enough, I got to live with Logan Hunter, who who passed uh, you know, a couple years back, which is which is terrible. So, we lived together for two years, which really made the uh, experience so much easier. Um, you know, we we we bonded like brothers and, you know, living in London with with having Western University uh, right there. I mean, there’s there’s so many fun things to do. Um, you know, as a 16-year-old, obviously you can’t take part uh, which I didn’t in in a lot of those things. Um, you know, you can even check with Oldie. He he’ll back me up on that. But, uh, anyways, there there was some tough times for sure. But when you’re chasing your dream and your dream is to be an NHLer and that’s kind of a stepping stone to uh to get there, you you just kind of um, you know, man up and and know what it takes. I’m looking at this your second year’s roster. I can’t imagine a 16-year-old Cory Perry as a rookie after your rookie year. And he kind of lit it up, too. like he was he just nasty right from the get- go? Yeah. Cory Perry came in and he was he was incredible. I mean, he was he was so light in in his weight and he looked like such a young kid, but you could not deny the skill, work ethic, compete. Um, and just how how good of a guy he he was. You know, he fit right in. Um, you know, we we had some some older veterans that gave uh, you know, not only myself, but, you know, Cory a bit of a fun time being a young guy and junior back in the uh, early 2000s. But, um, you know what? There there’s a reason he’s still playing and and still having success. You you could see it from when he was 16 years old. That was during the days of the uh, the being a being a rookie and junior and even pros wasn’t easy. Like you getting harassed by the older guys. Like looking back on it, like I think it helped make me who I am. And I’m sure you feel the same way. I’m glad it’s still not in the game, but like it’s it it’s tough when you’re 16, 17 years old getting absolutely berated by these guys who have played a little bit in that in those leagues. Yeah. You know, it it was um it was different, I think, obviously than it is now. And and unfortunately, you you really do hear some horror stories and some terrible things that happened. Uh, for me personally, nothing like that happened uh happened to me. I think uh with the Hunters taking over and Dale and Mark kind of having that reputation around the hockey world and and there was no messing around from from that standpoint. You didn’t want to have to deal with them um in their first year of owning the organization. But in saying that, Yans, I think you’re totally right. I mean, it brought so many of us together. It’s like a little brotherhood. uh you know whether uh whit you’re going to NCAA or or you’re going to the Q like Yans did or or you’re playing in the O. I mean you’re leaving home for the first time. You’re at such a young age where you know you’re going to have people make impressions on you and you end up uh looking back now and I don’t know how you guys feel about this but you know that was that was probably the two best years of of of my life was hanging out hockey life hanging out with those guys going to high school with them going right to practice hanging out all night. Well, it feels like, you know, it it is your job and everything, but you have no clue how much of a difference it is when it’s truly your profession, right? Like, and guys have families in the NH. That’s why I kind of said the AHL uh that lockout year was incredible. I mean, you you were so good. You you were lighting it up. You don’t know what the AHL is. But I know what you’re saying. League under the NHL, Nasher. It’s like you’re not Yeah, I almost got there a few times towards the end of my career. Don’t worry. I want to talk about the the draft a little bit and I’d like to hear your memories of it because I remember hearing about you, but I’m sure you remember that like since we were 15 now you were a year younger than me cuz back then NCAA players you your draft would get pushed back a year but it was Jay Bulmester and from the time I think you played world juniors at 15 16 and all of a sudden you know you came flying on the scene and I remember the night before the draft like everyone’s kind of saying oh Rick Nash and then I just remember when you were picked It was so dirty how they did it. The camera like panned to Bow Master, right? Do you remember that in the arena? And then as Letin went second u and then he still didn’t go third. It was like kept going over to him. I was like, “Holy shit.” But were you as shocked you went first or did Doug Mlan and the the Blue Jackets kind of let you know prior that was going to be the case? Yeah, you you know what? You’re you’re exactly right on the Bowester. I mean, we we thought he was going to be first overall for for years and years and years. And, you know, that the way it worked out and with the trade that they did, um, you know, he he was obviously Florida knew that they had him locked up. So, yeah, you know, it’s it it wasn’t really like a like a huge shocker or surprise, I think, to everyone that had inside knowledge, the way the trade worked. Um, but to to answer your question, I had my meeting with uh with Doug Mlan the night before and when whenever Doug tells this story, he tells it a little different. I love him. I think you guys know me well enough, but at the end of the meeting, Doug said, “We would we would love to have you.” And the way Doug says it happened is I said, “Well, then trade up and get me.” And I think you guys know me well enough that I would never say that. And the way I remember it is that Yeah. Oldie was right beside me. No, Doug’s probably like, I’m going to trade up and get him and then I can blame him if it doesn’t work out. He he made me do it. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I love Doug. He he did a lot for hockey in Columbus, but um so he mentioned it to me. He said, “We would love to have you. We don’t know if you’re going to be there at three.” And I said, “Well, I think I think Columbus is the perfect situation for uh for me.” I think Florida had they drafted Steven Weiss at the time the year before. Yeah. And so they had their forward. I know uh Atlanta had Heatley and Kovalechuk and Columbus only had Klesla and so it was kind of a perfect situation for a young forward to come into Columbus. So I told Doug I would love to be there. I think it’s a perfect situation. Uh draft day comes around and uh I was sitting in the stands and about 7 minutes before they announced the p uh the pick uh Gino Reetta came running up to me and he said, “You’re not going to believe this, but Columbus just traded with uh with Florida for the first overall pick.” So I I pretty much knew it was going to happen there once uh 7 minutes before the pick. Wow, that’s unreal. Going, you know, from Canada, you know, the mecca of hockey, especially London, huge falling going to Columbus, a new, you know, hockey town. It was their second year in the league, right? Correct. Yeah. Going into their third. Yeah. When I showed up. Yeah. Like for you it must have I mean I know you were cruising around in your Hummer with the fish tank in the back like going to O OSU parties but like what was it like to go to a you know a team that has never really had hockey? It was different. I mean I I grew up a uh I grew up a Toronto Maple Leaf fan and I I mean I couldn’t even get close to a Doug Gilmore, Wendell Clark, a Matt Sundine, Felix Pot Van. I mean you would never see them. You would never go to an open practice. you would they they were celebrities really in my mind. Um and then you know when I got to Columbus, Ohio and and you know there were fans waiting outside my car after practice for a picture, for an autograph, uh for a conversation. So I had to learn fast that uh we were in a different market and we had to grow the game and we had to get uh season ticket holders, right? So, you had to put that time in after practice, after games, stop, sign autographs, have conversations, you know, talk to their kids and and I embraced it. And, you know, I take pride now where I see, you know, where where Columbus minor hockey um is now, it’s been very impressive. So, from a hockey standpoint, um that was that was kind of uh an eye openener coming from Toronto where hockeyy’s number one and and that’s it. From uh from an offite standpoint, it was tough. I mean, both my parents were working back in Bmpton. Um, you know, I I was trying to figure out how to how to get a mortgage on a house, how to rent a place. Um, oldies colate, you know, going to uh sorority parties and and this and that. All my buddies are in college, so it it was different. Luckily enough, um, a guy named Larry Larson was a uh was a radio guy for uh for one of the local stations here, and uh he brought down Simon Fraser one day. Simon Fraser was a uh was a defensive end for the Buckeyes. And if you guys remember in 2002 I or three they won the national championship. So he started bringing me onto campus and we used to hang out with like Craig Krenzel, Bobby Carpenter, um I believe AJ Hawk was in that crew. These were all Buckeyes of those and we used to go to parties and uh Simon would introduce me as a as a walk-on tight end. And I would say he goes, “Don’t worry, no one knows about hockey on campus.” He goes, “Just go along with the tight end and you’ll have more fun.” So, it was uh it it was great. But yeah, those early years were different in in Columbus, Ohio as a hockey player. You’re like, “Can I be a full ride tight end at least?” Like, “Why do I have to be a walk in the NBA?” He’s going to be a walk-on. Good call. Getting the Jesus Shuttlesworth treatment just cuz you’re a [ __ ] walk-on at Ohio State. Now, you’re with Columbus. We’ve talked on the show a lot like working with Columbus, that fan base is unreal. Like I know it’s been like a struggle here and there, but like when they get in the playoffs and even like the end of the years they’re not in the playoffs, that crowd I I can’t imagine if they could you guys can get a consistent winner cup threat like I think it’s a phenomenal hockey city and I never really would have guessed it when I first came in the league when often it was kind of maybe not half full but never really jammed. Yeah, they they’ve done a tremendous job here. our our staff and our our ticket salespeople. But um it it’s it’s actually kind of scary to think that if if we ever do go on a run, what’s going to happen to the uh the city of Columbus? I mean, we have we have 11 sheets of ice here and they’re all jammed booked already. So, this this city is just waiting for a Blue Jacket team to kind of take it to the next level. We always say, you know, Buckeye football ends in November and then you get the couple playoff games, but other than that, it’s all Blue Jackets hockey. And um you know, I I honestly think our fans deserve uh deserve a lot. They deserve playoff hockey. They deserve a good run. Um and and we like to think that we’re building the core here in Columbus to uh to be able to do that, you know, sprinkled in with some with with some great veterans. But uh you know, there’s also 30 31 other teams that are trying to do the exact same thing. But uh our fans are incredible and and you saw in the playoff series when we played Tampa and then went on to Boston. I mean, the city was just buzzing. I noticed that Ray Whitney was one of your teammates your first year there and we me and Yans play with him in Arizona. One of the best ever. Uh should be in the Hall of Fame in my opinion, but I also have everybody in the Hall of Fame. Uh who who probably him as one of the guys, but who else did you kind of lean on as the veterans when you first came in and and kind of teaching you just like how to be a pro cuz you go from only two years in the OL where you’re trying to adapt to that and then boom, you’re right off to playing in the National Hockey League. Yeah, Ray was great. I mean, he’s he’s obviously one of the best still still to this day. Um, you know, to to come in the league and and have him as my captain, it was uh it was incredible. We also had a uh a former brand league guy, Andrew Castles, who was uh just an incredible guy and a guy that I obviously grew up watching from being from the uh you know, the the neighborhood um right right over from us. So, we had a guy a lot of veterans that kind of took me under their wing. Um, it was funny. I was just 18 years old and my first year was Kevin Denine’s last year and I think he had 11 or 12 year old and it was it would almost be more normal for me to hang out with the uh with the kid than uh than him. But there was a lot of good veterans. My first roommate was uh was Scott Lechance and uh you know I still see him around the arenas. Great guy scouting for the devs and you know he was he he he just he kind of told it how it was and that was my eye opener moment into the NHL. He explained it, you know, he explained it to me that it’s a business and, you know, you’re you’re kind of a product and the teams are going to do what’s best for for the team and and sometimes you have to do what’s what’s best for you and and obviously me and uh me and LC spent a lot of time in the room together just chatting and he was kind of towards the end of his career and I was just starting mine. But uh you know, I couldn’t really think of a better guy to kind of learn off it because he’s a classic East Coast guy. If he likes you, he’s going to tell you. And if he doesn’t like you, he’s going to tell you as well. I was going to ask another question. It kind of goes back to like you coming into junior, too, and then obviously the NHL. Like, you’re such a highly skilled guy. How did you and I’m sure they wanted you to try things, but where do you find the line and how do you get the help from either coaches where they’re like, “Hey, that’s not the play in that in that situation. Like, you got to make the safer play.” like when did you start kind of learning that where where it all came together as far as like your high-end talent and and and then maybe like learning how to play the right way or were you a guy when you came up it was like you kind of always played by the book. You were always on the right side of the puck. No, I was not that guy. Biz, you cheated a little offensively. My plus minus kind of speaks for itself over uh over my career for sure. But I I like to think that my game did kind of mold into the guy that you were talking about. Um secondly, uh you know, coming from junior when you’re playing in the O, as you know, like you know, point point getters, goal scorers are are held account held accountable on their goals, not for the defensive play. And uh that’s just the way it was and that’s why I got drafted. But I came into Columbus and and it was kind of the same thing. I didn’t really understand the defensive side of the game quite uh you know, to the best of my ability yet. And you know, for for coaches with a new franchise, they’re kind of wanting to win right away. So, you know, it probably happened when uh when Ken Hitchcock took over and um you know, I’ll never forget he uh he grabbed me. We we landed in uh in Denver and he grabbed me getting off the plane and he said, “Uh so so do you want to be a great goalcorer in this league or do you want to be a great player in this league?” And and I said, “Well, I want to be a great player.” And he said, “Well, I I can’t put you on the ice if we’re up a goal with a minute left and and you don’t play PK.” And um you know I I I thought I would change my game right there. And he helped me a lot and he kind of gave me uh PO’s number, one of his former captains, uh Madano and and guys that he kind of worked with before just to touch base on Hitch and and how he worked. But you know that kind of evolved into uh you know 2010 being on a shutdown line in Vancouver with uh with Taves and Richards and playing against all the big guys um you know the number one lines on the other team. And then same thing in Sochi. Um, you know, for the Olympics, I wasn’t used to on an offensive motor or even on the power play. I was used in a defensive role and and PK. So, uh, it’s a good question, Bis, because I do take a lot of pride in and kind of molding my game into a 200 foot game. That’s awesome. Do you ever look back and I know how humble you are? Probably not, but like if you were to come in the league right now, the player that you were, the offensive, you know, skill that you have, we’ve all seen your highlight goals. They’re [ __ ] insane. But like if you came in the league right now like cuz when you came in it was there was still a lot of hooking and holding big lumbering D like just how easy the game do you think would be for you right now and you cannot be humble for once in your life? Well I I think I think the uh when me again Kovchuk won the rocket it was I think it was 41 or 41 goals I think or 42 whatever it was. I mean that’s amazing. I mean that’s some you know nowadays that’s just a standard year basically for a goal scorer. Um so yeah the league was so different and you know even if I if I wanted to you know say I could come in and score 60 right now I I I don’t think that’s the case. I I watch these guys skate every night and I don’t know how you guys feel but I mean you could move you could fly everything. Yeah. But I I don’t know that was it was more straight line hockey in in our day. I truly feel that it was power forward. You had to be over six foot. Um now you just, you know, I feel like Crosby came in and he changed the game with his edges and then you’re seeing all these guys like Mar or Hudson and Montreal. Um obviously McDavid. It’s just a different game with your edges. Um you know, I probably would have enjoyed this hockey a little more than having, you know, some of those crazy big guys. I always think of Nashville’s defenseman um you know going in there in 2002 or playing against Scott Stevens me and Chris Pronger when we had to play St. Louis eight times a year um when we were in the West. I just think about some of those guys you know whether it was Hulse or uh there was there was just so many guys in Nashville I remember. Yeah. Just big guys. So I I don’t know. I think I think the hockey now is more enjoyable to watch. I don’t know if you guys agree or disagree with that. Oh, I think definitely. And I I was actually gonna ask you like who were like the biggest like pieces of [ __ ] but as a compliment to play against, you mentioned prongs and you had to play against them eight times a year. Like these guys were probably just trying to abuse you, right? Night in night out, the slashing, the hooking, the cross checks, like right between where the pant meets the shoulder pads. Like all that [ __ ] you had to put up with, especially when you’re the only guy. Like he was the only guy in Columbus for a long time. Yeah. Pronger. I mean, we we always had our battles. And funny enough, his brother um Sean was was on our one of one of my first teams. He was the nicest guy. And uh you know, obviously Chris knew we hung out, but he didn’t take he didn’t take any breaks on me whatsoever. You know, then then when I got to New York, I felt like there was some really good battles with Boston and Charara. I mean, it was just such battles with him and you know, Marawn. And it’s always funny when when people ask me when I played in Boston for the four months, they always ask me about Marshad right away. And and I honestly say I said I I couldn’t stand the guy playing against him. Like he was such a competitor. He was he played with an edge. Um and then I got on his team and he couldn’t have been a better guy. He he literally couldn’t have been a better leader. Um I was traded there. My uh my family stayed back in New York. Brad would actually text me, you know, almost every other night asking me if I wanted to come over for dinner, meet up, go over to his place, watch hockey. As he ends knows, I’m pretty antisocial, so I always declined, but uh it was it was always nice of him to ask. You’re pretty antisocial. I like my alone time. Um you know, I I like to keep to myself, but uh you know, as as Ys have seen, when when when we like to turn it on and have a fun night out or something, I’ll I’ll be there for sure. That’s why he’s got a 30,000 square foot house to just hide and seek from his family. The Mall of America. Dad, um I want to go back just before we move on from Columbus. Like you guys finally get over the hump. You guys have that magical season where you you finally make playoffs for the first time in franchise history. I know you guys end up getting swept by the wings, but what was that run like and finally to get like a few playoff games in Columbus and like what did it mean to you to finally deliver that? Yeah, it it was great. I mean, it was the year after our owner passed away, too. who I was uh pretty tight with, John H. McConnell. Um so it it was a special year, but you know, looking back, I mean, everything went right that year for us just to get in the playoffs to get swept in four games. Um you know, we I think that was the year that Steve Mason showed up, the goalie and kind of won the rookie of the year, I believe. Yeah. Uh so you know so many things went right but it was it was it was a really cool time to to let Columbus Ohio experience uh playoff hockey you know and just that experience I I I just feel like you know my career if I would experience more playoff hockey uh at a young age that some of these guys get to do now it just does wonders for you down the road when uh when your window opens and and you’re actually competing for the Stanley Cup. Those those early years for for playoff hockey is invaluable. Yeah. I mean, that’s a that team. I’m looking at that team right now. A 19-year-old Vorek must have been comedy. I mean, Commodore is on that team. God, Brousard was young. Like, at the time it was and Umbberger was a really good player. He was a year older than me at the national program. But you must have felt like, all right, we’re kind of building something here. Like, let’s go. And and Mason wins rookie of the year, and then the next season it it had to be such a kick in the dick, like, oh, we’re out again, you know? Yeah, it was it was tough. Um, you know, the the guys you mentioned, there were some good names there. Um, you know, we had we had Mark Matth was coming on on defense. Yeah, Verette was there. You know, they they were they were picking some good pieces. Um, I think that next year was when we got Jeff Carter, too, which uh which kind of really uh you know, kicked the excitement into uh into uh you know, major mode with having him. But uh you know, it just didn’t pan out. we kind of started going the other direction and then you know things things started to change and and people people wanted out people you know wanted wanted to make different moves so it’s it was just kind of the es and flow of being with a struggling uh a struggling team. you seem like a pretty like like non-vocal guy in a sense of like complaining and like at a certain point were you starting to like maybe talk to management and say hey like you know we need to kind of advance things a little faster here like I feel like maybe my talents are going to waste in a sense of you want to go on and fulfill your dreams of lifting a Stanley Cup and going on these deep runs like did those conversations ever happen like like maybe even before you ended up moving on? Yeah, they yeah they happened for sure. I mean, I signed an 8-year deal in Columbus, and I planned to spend my whole uh my my whole career in Columbus. That was that was the idea. Um I think I was 26 27 in that uh second year. And you know, I I was, you know, as I might be quiet, I I I pride myself on being upfront and honest and and keeping things black and white and not letting there be any gray areas. and and I asked manage management what the plan was and and they mentioned to me that they wanted to do another rebuild um around me and and I just thought gez if this if this kicks off that means I’m going to be 30 31 um when when the window opens and you know I I suggested to them why not start you know your rebuild and get all your pieces with uh with me with traded me and um you know they they sat on it and chewed on it and then they were they were part of it so um you know it it as much of bad PR I might have gotten around Columbus um you know it was kind of an equal deal it wasn’t like I went in there demanding a trade um and you know I asked them what their plan was and and how we thought we both could benefit uh from my career and their organization at least like you lose in the playoffs you get in you lose and next year kind of struggling but that was the season of Vancou the Vancouver Olympics and you mentioned like the the role you played on that team and just being in the city for that like it was it It was something I’ll never forget and we lost. But for you it had to be so fulfilling. Like not only are you winning a gold medal for your country, but you’re playing such meaningful games and playing a big role. Like I I guess for you that’s probably I mean you got two of the gold medals, but that had to be the best moment of your career by a mile. Yeah. By a mile is right. Um, you know, I actually played on that 2016 in uh in Torino as well. And that was kind of that was kind of the old uh the old 2002 uh uh roster if if you guys remember with Pat Quinn coach in and they brought kind of the Salt Lake City guys to Torino with you know a few uh younger players sprinkled in for experience. And I mean just the heat that we got for finishing seventh or whatever that was in Torino. um the pressure that we had when we showed up Vancouver and I thought Steve Eisermanman did a great job kind of throwing that pressure on him and not on the players. Um it it was unheard of. I I don’t know what would have happened if if we didn’t win anything other than gold in uh in in Vancouver. So that that is definitely one of the the biggest highlights of my of my hockey career. Um it was incredible. The city was unreal. You know, the last game was incredible. the quarterfinal game against Russia was was incredible. Um, so, you know, unfortunately I never got to win the Stanley Cup as a player and it still, you know, eats at me every day, but at the same time, I I I did get to experience some pretty cool things like winning a gold medal in your home country. What did Stevie say like what like what like what went down for those who don’t know? Yeah, you know what? So, one of the things that um Steve I also say he started the Vancouver Olympics training camp with it and uh you know, he started Sochi as well was was was check your ego at the door. Um and I still carry that with with our players now. Um you know, it doesn’t matter if you play power play with your with your club team. I think we had eight captains or nine captains, something crazy. Um, it doesn’t matter if you’re, you know, the best goal scorer, you’re going to have to check your ego at the door and you’re going to have to do uh whatever it takes, whatever we ask you to do to uh to win a gold medal. And and as far as the pressure went, he he, you know, he he he made sure that he he kind of put it on himself and and let us worry about hockey and focus on the ice and, you know, just just kind of um kept us away from all the distractions that that could happen when you host a Olympics in in your own country. Is it true Dowy showed up a little bit late to the rink for the gold medal game? Like, do you remember that at all? You know what? I I remember not being able to sleep the night before that gold medal game uh in the uh in the village. It was at I don’t remember that with doubts. I don’t remember him being uh being late, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I think looking back now at at 06 at least quickly, like they didn’t bring Crosby and it was his rookie year, but like now you’re like, “What the hell were they?” I mean, I’m biased. I saw it all his rookie year, but that was probably the beginning of like like when they brought Dowy, it was almost like I think people were a little surprised and he kind of started as maybe the seventh and then by the end of the second game, it was like he’s spinama all over the ice and dominating. So, it was pretty evident to like bring these young guys in with the legs and Dowy was just a superstar there. Yeah, it was kind of the passing of the uh the generational for Hockey Canada, I I believe, you know, with having Sid come in and and then, you know, that’s going to happen. It’s going to happen again just in waves. It was same in Sochi. We had a lot of the same players sprinkled in with a few young guys, but um you know, it was great hockey and I’m so happy that NHLers are back at the Olympics. I think it’s going to be awesome. What was your time like with the Rangers and Yans? Like what like was were you there right away, Yans, when you first got there? I can’t I think you had already been there for a year, right? You you got there the year you guys lost in the finals. Was that your first year there? No, I was there uh 2012 I got there. Okay. So, he was there for 2 years before I got there. And it must have been a whirlwind. You go from playing in Columbus to the [ __ ] Big Apple. Yeah. You know what? As much as I love Columbus, I I think I’m so happy I got to play for an original six. Um, you know, and I’m not going to blow smoke up up Yans, but uh, you know, you guys get to work with him every day. And, you know, it’s it’s it’s so fun that, you know, all your listeners and and all these people are exposed to him because he is he is truly one of the best teammates that I’ve ever played with. One of the funniest, most wittiest um, guys I’ve ever been around and, you know, someone that I keep in touch with, you know, daily, weekly. The funny thing is is you can ask so many other guys that he’s played with and they’re all going to say the same thing about him. So, it’s uh it’s pretty cool. But we had a lot of fun in in New York and like I said, I I mean to play for an original six was incredible. Biz the the one thing I did to impress him and has nothing to do with hockey was when I whistled down that boat when we were down the keys. Oh, he’s my greatest accomplishment. Yeah. Like one right now. You should be a bellman. I Yeah, I used to work at a cab stand. Didn’t you do something to uh JT’s car, too, or No. Yeah. Yeah, that was that year. Yeah. That’s what Yeah. He cut you off in meeting. I went into the end of the year meeting and Nashville was like, “Oh, I got to wait for uh Millsy’s in there.” You could have been making the whole thing up. And I was like, “All right, I’ll take care of that.” And put his car on the highway. What other antics did you guys get into? Well, then Hazy came. Oh, yeah. It was us three. Oh my god. Yeah. I mean, the Rangers is like that’s a place that everyone kind of wants to play at. Like I I once you go to a game there, just the vibe and warm-ups, you’re like, “Oh my god.” So the fan base for you, Nasher, as good as we’re pumping up Columbus’s fan base, it’s just kind of different there. Like it it means a little bit more or at least it feels that way when you’re playing in New York City, I think. Oh, it was incredible. I mean to to play 41 home games at MSG and then then you start talking about playoff hockey and you’re you’re coming out of that tunnel and the lights are off and I mean there’s you know that that many fans and you see the MSG roof. I mean it’s it’s it’s incredible. It’s what I what I dreamed about when I wanted to be an NHL hockey player. Um and I think you know as a fan you you can understand it but as a former player you know what the energy is like in that building. some buildings have different energies whether it’s Montreal, Toronto, uh New York, um you know, it’s it’s it’s just it’s different the way it is. But, you know, as far as those Ranger Ranger teams went, I mean, there were some great years. We had some great guys. And once Hazy showed up, um you know, the young guys kind of took over and you know, all of us living down in Tribeca, I think they they had a they had a penthouse down there for a bit. And um you know I also had to remind them that I was an older guy and and towards the end of my career and couldn’t really uh do what they were what what they were uh you know doing going out for nice dinners and and that kind of stuff. But um that was a special group right with with those guys that we had. I mean that was one of the tightest teams I’ve been on. Yeah it was incredible just on and off the ice. Like you think in New York everything’s so spread out. guys are going to be doing different things, but like the the tightness of our group, especially at the rank, was so fun. And conference finals that year, Keith. Yeah. Lost game seven to Tampa. Tampa Tampa at home. Yeah. What was the score? Wasn’t it one- nothing or something? Or two nothing? Yeah. 2-1 29 something that year. You had 42 Nashville. Who you playing with? Uh Steon and Krider, I believe. We had some Yeah, we had some good years. I mean, you just think you think about that team with Mcdana and Gerardi. Was Klein there, too? Yans Klein Stally. Yeah. Um, Rich was uh Marty. Marty. Yep. Marty. Yeah. Who was the biggest stud on the team? Probably Hank, right? Like he was like the Was he the Yeah, for sure. For For me, Hank. I mean, Nasher and Hank. No, not not me. Hank. Uh, you know what? Hank Hank is Hank is one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever seen. I always say is the best goalies in the world are the guys that work the hardest in practice and uh he would be pissed off at you if you score score on him at practice and uh you know there there’s a reason why he’s why he’s in the Hall of Fame right away and one of the best goalies of all time. I know um by the end like you kind of had to retire because of concussions like when was your first one was do like and and how long did you miss after that? Like when did it kind of begin with with the head injuries? Yeah. So I I had I had one in junior where I actually got uh knocked out. I think I might have been playing North Bay. Might have been you, Biz. No. Yeah. No, I wouldn’t you [ __ ] We were playing Sus Marie and uh and I got elbowed and I got knocked out and that was my first one when I was 17. Um you know what? And then early on, as you guys remember, when we all first came in the league, I mean, there really wasn’t much of uh of uh protocol, I guess you could say. Um, and now they’ve come so far and I and I truly believe the NHL has done a a great job in doing that. But, you know, they added up over the years and and had a few in New York and um, you know, had had one in Boston where I just kind of had a lasting uh, effect with my uh, with my eyes. And funny enough, it actually went away. And you know, I met with a bunch of doctors and um you know, after talking to my family and and having a young family with with three kids, I I just kind of weighed my options and thought, how bad is that next one going to be? So, I was cleared to play. Um and I just thought that I played 15, 16 years, over a thousand games, and you know, although I didn’t win a Stanley Cup, which is, as I talked about earlier, still disappoints me. Um, you know, I wanted to be able to throw a ball with the kids, coach coach both their teams now. Um, so that’s kind of why I made that uh that decision was I I just didn’t know how bad that uh that last ball was going to be or the next one. Sorry. I I can’t believe we haven’t asked you actually. Um that goal against the Coyotes, an all-time NHL goal, like one of the greatest goals ever. I I just looked it up. I didn’t know the game was tied with 20 seconds left. Like that was to win the game in the third period. But Derek Morris and Keith Ballard like you had to know right at the end of that like holy [ __ ] that’s the best goal I’ve ever scored. You know what it was incredible. I took a high stick and penalty a couple minutes before that and uh and they tied the game on it. So it was amazing how it worked out and Mike Becka flipped it out and I mean it was such a like such a basic um inside out move that I couldn’t believe it worked the first time and then it worked the second time too and it was unbelievable. You should have done it three times the valley. Yeah. And then uh if you actually watch it, the uh the goalie actually makes the right play and he he poke checks it and it rolls up my shin pad and then lands perfect. But talk about, you know, at the time Columbus was a bit of a a smaller market and the uh the media and I don’t even know if social was really around back then, but the media that that goal caught and you know getting uh put up for an SP and doing like a whole bunch of different interviews just because of that goal kind of uh you know gave a lot of love to the Blue Jacket brand or farming. Wait, I was sitting on the bench. I think I’ve told the story and Jo took his glove off and flipped it upside down. He goes, “Here, you want some popcorn?” Enjoy the show, kid. I was It was like everyone on the bench. I remember looking back and Wayne was like, “What the [ __ ] was that?” And then Obie had his against that team, too. Arizona was laughing. That was before that, though. Who would you put as the most skilled guy you ever played with? Like, who was the the guy you were just like, “Wow, your favorite.” I mean, you had Fedorov early on in your career with Columbus. Yeah. Olympics doesn’t count. Yeah, I know. I was going to my I got to in Torino I got to play on a line with a Ginland Sackic which was you know incredible growing up watching those guys. Um you know Sergey was obviously Sergey was one of the best. He was I mean he was a great guy. He was uh he he taught us a lot. He was a funny guy to be around. But you know there was actually one guy named David Vibbori. We’re going to honor him here in a few weeks for our 25th anniversary for the Blue Jackets. He was a Czech player that was incredibly skilled. We also had a Russian guy, Nikolai Jeredev. Oh my god. Who was sick? Oh my gosh. I mean, that’s probably the most skill that I’ve ever seen in my life, especially coming in when he did. Obviously, it just didn’t pan out. But um I I would have to say those two guys were were probably the most skilled guys that uh and of course Keith Yandel, one of the the all-time greatest with this. I I once I retired and I got to watch more of his games and and the fake slap shot behind the net. I mean, I just I was just waiting for it every time I watched him. The Sog Master Federov was playing D back then. No, didn’t he play a little D with you guys? Yeah, he played both. Yeah, that’s that’s where we were with the uh Wow. with Sergey could play both. Now being in like player development and all that, like you’re watching uh your prospects, the the the Blue Jackets. Are you watching uh around the league? Like are you tuning in on a Thursday night when there’s 12 games? Yeah, so I’m following mostly uh our prospects. Um you know, I spend a lot of time kind of in the NCAA arenas. Uh this weekend I’m off to see Kaden Lindström and Jackson Smith. So they got a good matchup with uh with the Spartans versus uh Penn State. So I’ll be down there. Oh, that’s a big one. I’ll be down there all weekend. Um, you know, catching up on on on college free agency, trying to find uh find guys and help help, you know, our team here. Um, and then, yeah, watch I don’t travel with the big club, but uh, you know, I’m at every home game uh that I can be at. And then on top of that, coaching assistant coach for both my kids teams. So, it’s just uh it’s non-stop hockey. Nash, I know I know we’ve been pumping, you know, Columbus’s tires and what you and you said it earlier, just taking pride in being a guy that helped build it to what it is, but you know, last year with all, you know, the terrible news with Johnny and the way that that city came together and your team in general and you see it on the documentary on Amazon, like, you know, what everyone has done with Meredith and and Johnny’s kids, like it it’s it truly does seem like a family that you guys have there and like such an easy team to root for, But just talk to us about just what that meant to you guys just to obviously with horrible horrible news that happened and then what you guys were able to turn that into. Yeah, it was it was absolutely devastating for you know for for all parties and obviously Johnny and Matthew’s parents and and and their wives and their kids. I mean it was um you know it was something that didn’t feel real at at the time. And um you know, Meredith uh lives pretty close by to us in our neighborhood and and we try to you know, check in on her, my wife and I, as much as possible and you know, try to have her over for dinner whenever whenever we can. And you know, we got to hold the uh the crazy game of hockey with our buddy uh Mark Rober and O that where all the proceeds went to the uh the Matthew Matthew and Johnny Foundation. So, you know, Johnny as as a Blue Jacket, I remember um you know, I remember when we signed him and and I got to fly down to uh you know, somewhere in Jersey, wherever it was outside Philadelphia to pick him to pick him and Meredith up and bring him back to Columbus and and uh you know, I’ll never forget Johnny uh he hated to fly. And uh I think one of Mr. McConnell’s planes was was having a little issue before we took off and the pilots assured us that we were fine. And Johnny was so scared the uh the whole way uh on that flight home. And you know, he had so many questions about Columbus. And uh you know, I I I think um you know, Don Wedell here coming into the new job and and that happening right away. He he did a great job for the organization and and the McConnell family really did well to uh you know, to try to honor Johnny and and and we will never forget him and and and what he brought, his excitement to the ice and and his family. Buddy, we can’t thank you enough for coming on. I think it’s it’s nice way to end talking about the GDRO family and what what you guys have done for Meredith like Keith said. So man, I’ll tell you watching that highlight of that goal kind of, you know, I haven’t seen you play in so long like you were unstoppable at times, buddy. It’s it’s a treat to have you on and congrats on your incredible career and good luck with everything with with the Blue Jackets. I hope we uh we run into you soon. We need a sandbagger with them. I got one last quick one. Did Did the cannon scare you when it would go off after you scored? It scared me. No, I love the cannon. That didn’t that didn’t affect me. But I uh Hey, listen. I’m I’m happy I got to do this with you guys. Um you know, honestly, watching from afar, and you know, I don’t really like being in the spotlight or anything, but I’m I’m I’m so proud of all you guys for what you turned this into. I mean, it’s incredible. And and I watch all the stuff, especially with Oldie Jordan joining in. And um you know, it’s just uh you guys are fun to watch and you guys are great for the game. Um you truly are. And uh you having an individual relationship with with each of you guys is uh is awesome. And and I did watch your guys uh golf game uh whatever that tournament was with with Bar Stool. And uh we’ll have to get out to the links. Maybe me and you would do one. Well, we have to talk to Oldie first. But okay, we’ll bring the take all the focus off of you. I love that. Hey, and thank you for the kind words, Nasher. Like that means a lot coming from you, dude. And and the fact that you basically say we have somewhat of a relationship. Yeah. And send me his number. I might be [ __ ] texting. No, no, no. We’re a putty. He doesn’t. You got a 30,000 foot house, man. I might [ __ ] move in. Yeah. Yeah. It’s got me. Finally tracked me down and got me. So, all right, Nasher. Have a great one. You’re a G. Okay, guys. Take care, man. All the best. [Music] Guys, we got to take a quick moment here to talk about game time. There is nothing like the start of hockey season. The first blast of cold air as you walk into the arena and the roar of the crowd after a big hit, breakaway goal or a fight. It’s electric. But getting there, it’s another story. It’s a pain in the ass. Cues, price jumps, getting logged out midclick. All you want to be is there with your beer in hand, losing your voice, going nuts with the crowd, enjoying your time in the arena. And the Game Time app gives the advantage back to the fans. It’s the hack for unlocking amazing tickets and experiences in a few taps. It’s incredibly easy to use, and the game time guarantee means you can trust you’ll get 100% authentic tickets on time and at the best price. Plus, fees are always included, so what you see is what you pay. I was looking at tickets for the Greensboro Gargoyles at home against Biz’s old squad, the Wheeling Nailers. He’s got a key to the city in wheeling. They’re in town to play Greensboro. 20 bucks right now on Game Time to go to an awesome in-game atmosphere at a great rink to see the Gargoyles. Hopefully get a win. $20 a game time deal for you right now. So get involved and take the guesswork out of buying NHL or East Coast Hockey League tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code chicklets for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code chic ls for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go download the Game Time app right now. Thank you so much to Nasher. Awesome guy. A pros pro. What a career. Um, Biz, uh, you got anything before we throw it over to RA’s world? Is so is Rick Nash a Hall of Famer? Yeah. [ __ ] yeah. Not yet, but he will be. Okay. I don’t know. I It’s hard, right? cuz we often have this this this conversation and it kind of leads into what I wanted to mention and I forgot to bring it off off the top of the show when talking about the Leafs. John Tiveres 500 goals. He’s got 501 now. Uh they had the celebration on Wednesday and like wow the fact that he signed that four-year deal and a hometown discount is so huge and like I I I in the past I’ve brought up the like it was a bit of an anchor at 115 but I think what he’s done to set the precedent in that locker room and show these young guys like how to be a pro and and everything along with everything he’s done as a Maple Leaf and even beforehand like I think this guy’s a Hall of Famer. I think he’s he’s got three and three/4er uh years left of playing hockey, if not more. I think he’s going to get to 600 goals. I don’t know how many guys all time have hit the 600 goal mark. It’s It’s got to be a list that’s probably what 12 guys. You think he’s got 100 more or 99 more, buddy? He’s 40 last year. He’s going to get 30 35 this year. And yeah, I think that a guy who and yeah, I couldn’t be happier for the guy. He carried a lot of bad Islanders teams into playoffs. It’s hard. He’s never been to the conference finals, right? So people tend to try to weigh the whole the team thing. No Stanley Cup. I don’t believe he’s won has he won a a ma a a a major award like sometime he’s maybe won like a leadership award or something like that but has he won like a a a rocket or a art ross or I don’t think he might have won her he might have won rookie of the year Calder but and also like he’s what he’s done international play what he did in junior he got exceptional status like I think that this is this is a future Hall of Famer and uh I just want to congratulate him on 500 goals 501 now as I mentioned but I think that uh he’s still got a lot of gas left in the tank and that’s why I’m confident in this Leaf’s team. He’s got two more games to 1200. He’s got uh he’s just under a point per game and he’s got 18 points already in 14 games this year. So yeah, I I picture John Tvar as a Hall of Famer, but yeah, you’re right. No major awards. I think that’s a big thing with voters. I know, but that ends up mattering a lot. I think that if you’re if you’re going to end up playing 1,500 National Hockey League games and you’re putting up consistent 30 35 goal seasons and you go that type of run, like that’s crazy. That to me is more impressive than someone being like like no knock on Eric Lindros. I’ve he was he had like a three-ear stretch where he was like the best player, but like that’s the that’s the difference. And I think it was longer than three years too. I would say when he was winning like MVP and like in like Art Rosses like there was like three years there where he was. But yeah, but I I think of the the to it’s similar to Neely like when you’re that dominant, right, where you’re like that guy is the best player in the league right now. That weighs a lot, right? Over consistency over 20 years. I know what you’re saying, but I think I think they’re both impressive and they’re both worthy in my opinion of the Hall of Fame, especially when you’ve done what he’s done out even outside of the NHL, like international play, uh, junior coming up like being this phenom, living up to all the expectation, first overall pick, and also, [ __ ] man, those teams like we’ve talked to Matt Molson, we’ve talked to um, Aposo, like he’s put a lot of money in a lot of guys pockets to what he did on in Long Island and and I was talking with Liam McHugh about it too and Liam was kind of like eh off the hop and then he’s like no you’re right he’s a hall of famer so either way um thank you to Rick Nash Hall of Famer and and congrats to JT and uh according to you he’ll have a Stanley Cup this spring so that shouldn’t be an issue right I mean you did kind of go against yourself there a little bit who else more deserving right you you oh you know he’s getting a ring Um, all right. Well, let’s go now to a guy who has This guy’s got this guy’s got rings galore. This guy’s been in more Stanley Cup uh locker room celebrations than Serge Shavard or Larry Robinson. This is RA’s world. Let’s go. [Music] Hello everybody. Welcome to AR’s World here on the Spit and Chicklets podcast, boys. Number three. It’s been a blast so far. Been loving the feedback from you guys from the general public. Giving out my classic recommendations. Hoping some of these youngans are watching Casablanca maybe. But boys, I’m still on a sports high. I know you guys talked about the World Series already. In my lifetime, maybe the best World Series ever. I was pulling for Toronto. I have hated the Dodgers ever since I wore the Astros Little League uniform back in the day. But I couldn’t believe the amazing seven games, the defense, the hard attacks. Uh LA was they batted 203 for the series outscored 34 to 26. Still managed to win. Uh played great fundamental baseball. Uh you talked about the guy uh making that I mean it wasn’t the best catch by a fan. But that when that ball’s coming at you with steam out that to get your glove to make the catch was pretty cool, but then his throw like the dichotomy of catching a a home run ball and then I mean he threw like my little sister when she was 5 years old back throwing the basketball. Tough look. Tough look for my guy. But but anyways, there were a couple things I wanted to mention more from the sportsmanship side. Uh I don’t know if you if you noticed this, but a lot of the Toronto uh pitchers, particularly the relievers, they wrote 51 on the side of their hats. Uh and that was for LA Dodger, the opposition uh relief pitcher, Alex Vessia. Uh he was dealing with with a very uh personal problem. He wasn’t uh at the World Series. He didn’t make the uh the parade. He’s deal with a very like serious matter from what I understand. But just the fact that these guys are going to battle every night and just to to might be a small thing you might think, but to to acknowledge the the opposition and what he was going through, I really touched my heart. I thought it was a very wonderful thing. And and even something as simple as when uh you know, Vlad Judy got up in game seven and Yamamoto, by the way, pitching the next day. I mean, what a what a the balls and he gave that little hat tip that we see the Japanese pitchers do sometimes. And just the the little pots of respect and and the final thing that really got my got my gut was, you know, Dawn mad at me. I mean, I hate the Yankees, but I always love Don Magnley. And when he was sitting there just staring out in the field, then Bashette comes behind him and gives him this hug. And man, it just reminds you of, I know, the sports that we watch for the game, but the humanity beneath it. And and I thought there were so many examples of that. I I just wanted to acknowledge those. They they really touched my heart business. It was incredible the entire series. And like I appreciate you coming back on and talking about it, RA. Now, do you know what the fif the player the 51 like did they say what he’s going through? like uh I was hoping you wouldn’t ask, but no, his wife was was due to give birth around the same time and he’s been away from the team for a while. So, they haven’t released details, but it’s believed to be related to, you know, his wife giving uh due to give birth with the child. It’s details have been scarce and obviously it’s a private matter and they should be, but it’s believed to be tied to to his pregnant wife. So, that’s terrible. Yeah, it’s it’s tough, but but again, just the acknowledgement just, you know, they’re all they’re all human beings at the end of the day. And I just want to like, you know, acknowledge what what those guys did. I thought it was uh you know, a very nice gesture. So, and uh I I I we did forget to mention Yamamoto’s hat tip like, “Hey, good luck. Here we go.” Like, that was classy. And and I guess it’s similar to um remember when Matsuyama won the uh Masters in his Caddy, took the flag off the 18th hole, and then bowed down to the course. Just pretty cool to see that respect for your competitor from Yamamoto to Guerrero and and Matsyama’s Caddy to the course. That was a great call. And Mattingly, so the Yankees went on that dynasty right after him. Yeah, he was Yeah, he was basically between Yeah. Yeah. Yankees dynasty runs in the 70s, then the 90s. Yeah. He he never got to a World Series. Donnie Baseball. Donnie baseball. I don’t even think we mentioned the fact that there was also in game seven the bench clearing brawl. So when you say that that was ridiculous. That was that guy. I don’t know what the hell was he thinking. Like buddy, the pitcher was like, “You think I’m I think he’s mouth. You think I’m trying to throw at you right now? Like come on.” Yeah, that was a hard a bit of a hard move. But yeah, tensions are high and then like it brought the [ __ ] benches out. So [ __ ] rights, right? Game seven, baby. It it was good stuff. What do you think cost the Jays the most? Like what was the one moment where you’re like [ __ ] all right betting on him I have small small wager on him again it was more anti-des sentiment than anything else um and there was so many plays at the plate and bang bang plays the guy getting thrown at home and missing by that much I I I forget which player it was because there was so much going on I think if he had one more step of a lead they would they win the World Series and you know he’s going against a lefty reliever what are the odds that this guy’s going to try to pick you off third and let the winner run score on on a wild pitch. It was more about getting doubled up the way that it game six had ended though. Yeah, but I’m with you, B. No, I was just thinking I’ve I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of this online. You laugh. I’ve been listening to picture you doing that. Oh, and and cuz cuz it was the one thing I noticed the most. one one player one player obviously stuck up for him and saying that you know you don’t want that happening but then one guy brought up the other point of like it wasn’t like it wasn’t like you were trying to tie the game you’re going for the win. You can’t like you you you that to me was the most aggravating part is like you can’t you can’t play scared and they did in that instance basically considering all these horrible variables which if you looked at the stats he never even hits that way that guy if you go out in a bang bang play like that. [ __ ] it. The other one from the game before was was worse off because it didn’t make sense. It was a fully [ __ ] bases loaded for the win. So I’ll I’ll throw it back over to you. I’m sorry I went down this [ __ ] rabbit hole. No, I understand. It’s, you know, a tough loss and yeah, too, too bad. I was rooted for Toronto, but I want to piggy back. Matt Meline, I know you just mentioned it, Biz, but uh eight goals. He’s your favorite player already. I see you tweeting nonstop. You’re obsessed with this guy. Obsessed. When I look at the tonight’s lineup, obviously the Bruins my first game, and then San Jose, which is great because they usually the late game out the West Coast. Uh I mean, I said it last year with this kid like the way he plays the game. I mean, he’s only 19. He’s going to be 19 for this whole season. His his on ice IQ, his vision, uh he he was already playing the game like a veteran last year. I mean, I said he’s going to be a perennial hot and Selki and Lindsay candidate. He may well be one this year. You know, talking about the Olympics. I texted Coupe during Four Nations saying, “Is this kid going to be on your roster?” Like back, you know, I knew obviously the roster was done, but he had been playing so well. Of course, Coupe replied with a Jaws gift, which is that’s why me and Coop speak the same language sometimes. So, uh I love watching this kid play. uh tied for the league scoring right now with McDavid, but he does have a game in hand. So, I wanted to uh give them a tip off. And another team out west, I know uh I said they’re going to go in the playoffs right here. Quack- quack. I think they should go back to those uniforms. The the OG ones. I I I don’t I don’t I don’t mind the home, the away all orange. I don’t like I I think it’s weird. I I wasn’t crazy about them when they, you know, when they first come out, but they’re definitely nostalgia in time. I definitely do like them out. But uh while we’re talking about real quick, Leo Carlson 513, 18 and 12 games. They got five guys right now averaging at least a point per game on that team. Uh just a great team to watch. Again, the West like you got Utah, you got San Jose, you got Anaheim. There’s I think there’s going to be a power hierarchy change over the next few seasons. And I’m here for it, man. I couldn’t agree with you more about the jerseys whit you like. Yeah, the orange at least the aways are brutal. Too much. I think they’re trying to draw in like the kid crowd and like draw like hey, we’re here over it. gives me PTSD from being called like a pylon and a cone and it’s like you’re just dressing up defenseman to just get carved. You already look like a cone. You’re getting treated like a cone. So maybe that’s that’s on me. Maybe I need to talk to somebody about that. And you know there’s a good chance we’re going to see some future Hall of Famers, you know, for the next couple years. And speaking of which, this is Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend up in Toronto. Uh eight members are going to be inducted on Monday night. Zado Charara, Duncan Keith, Alexander McGillni, Joe Thornton, Beu Coach Jack Paca, Jen Bal, Briana Deca, and uh Danielle Sovou. Uh we got six players going in uh two builders, and you know, Jen Bart and Brianna Deca, these girls were essential in in bringing women’s hockey into the forefront in this century. You know, it was sort of an afterthought in the ’90s, but because of these two and many other women as well, you know, women’s hockey is talked about at a level that I’ve never seen in my lifetime. It’s great the doors that have been open with players, coaches, uh you know, friends of mine, their daughter played hockey years ago. I remember seeing 8 years old. I says, “Man, she’s better than the boys.” And right now, she’s the head coach at Malden Catholics women’s team over over in Malden Hair, Massachusetts. Shout out Alexa Hingston. She’s done a great job. And you know, not every woman can be a pro hockey player, but again, there’s so many other options out there just getting involved with the game. So, I wanted to shout out those two as well. All right, quickly on that. It is cool that that all these girls growing up now like you could always go to NHL games and you know, I’m sure as a dad you wouldn’t say, “Hey, you can’t play here. You won’t be able to play here.” But now, like at least my buddy like he brings his daughter. I think it’s the Boston Fleet. Um their jersey I was in pure hockey. Like they got great jerseys. They’re selling a ton of those. And now it’s like they’re bringing their daughters and it they’re watching something that truly they they could they could dream and and wish to be there someday. It’s it’s it’s awesome. It’s it’s really cool. And you’re right, those two women had an enormous impact on that. And um Danielle Sovou, she’s the first female to go in the builder category in the history of the hockey hall of fame. No way. Basically, she was a key cog for, you know, team Canada women squads for basically the last four decades going back to the ’90s. uh she was coaching them when they won the Olympic gold medal back in 20 uh I’m sorry 2002 and also she’s a Mounty for 33 years in addition to doing all this stuff with women’s hockey and you know doing tremendous work for for team Canada also a mounty for 33 years so uh shout out to her on that regard as well uh and now for the for the the guys we watch play I mean I was lucky to see Z you know Keith McGilly Big Joe by the way that puck right on my shoulder right there Joe Thornton signed that January 1st 1998 of his rookie season he was a scratch versus Ottawa and uh I bumped into him down the bowels of the guard. My boy Rizzle gave me a shop. He went over I got the puck signed for him. So that’s one of the few pucks I have. Uh and and and I guess the fear for many years when Moil wasn’t getting in was that he wouldn’t come if he got in. And I don’t think he’s coming. He’s not. No, he’s going to he’s going to send a message. Imagine I mean it’s kind of a power move I guess a weird in a weird way to oh he’s not going to come or he doesn’t care and they they bring him in and he start coming but he is going to send video like in my mind like who cares if they’re there he’s a hall of famer and uh you know and we’ve been lucky on the show you you know we could we could tweet him out we’ve been lucky to have and Duncan Keith on the show I mean Duncan Keith I mean it was years ago I believe in Chicago I don’t know if there’s ever been a smoother cat who who walks in the room and sit there and he just has like a vibe or an aura about him like you know, he’s not like a [ __ ] 30 minutes a game. Yeah, he he he he ice ice in his veins. So, if you want to check those old interviews back and Char is one of the few where I I did get a little shaky in the hands as a big Bruins guy. So, go back check those out. Uh and Jack Parker uh Whit actually I know you probably talked about him before, but you know, BEu coach, absolute legend in this year. Great to see him in a true legend, an amazing guy. Talk about like witty and funny and just man, this guy was demanding. Uh he he he really helped players grow. Like I remember Jay Pandalfa when we interviewed talked about what Jack Parker meant to him. I mean BEu’s got to be up there. I don’t know where they sit in terms of having the most NHLers from an NCAA program. They got to be right up there near near anyone else. He was there for so long. National titles, Bean Pots, Hockey East Championship. I ran into him uh last year. I really really want to like he’s a sit down interview for me. So hopefully he’d agree when we’re all in town to do that. I’m going to try to set that up. Just an an all-time guy. And I’m and I I think for a long time, RA, we we brought up how he should be in the Hall of Fame. Once Jerry York went in, it was like, all right, those two the battles they had back and forth and and Jerry York had been at Bowling Green and then come over to BC. Jack Parker played at BEu and coached at BEu that like it’s Jack Parker Jack Parker Arena at at Aanis Rink or Jack Parker Rink at Aanis Arena for a reason. Um uh he had a funny line last year. I ran into him. We were at practice. He’s like, “I’m going across the street to play tennis.” I’m like, “You’re not you’re not playing pickle ball.” He’s like, “I’m not old enough to play pickle ball.” He’s like 83 years old. So, u just an awesome guy. I’m so happy for him and I really want to sit down with him, all of us. I think it’d be an incredible interview. And Duncan Keith, same draft, uh left Michigan State, I think during his freshman year to go to the WHL, which was very surprising back then. That wasn’t a normal thing. I don’t know if it was after his freshman year or the middle of the season. Then I saw him playing against him for the first time was he was on the Norfolk Admirals during the lockout season. I was in Wilks Bear. Yeah. And I was like, “Holy shit.” I was like, “This kid’s nasty.” Like hopping very very uh what’s the word for only original skating style. Similar kind of. Yeah. Similar to Schaefer a little bit. Schaefer’s I think bigger but just like hopping around out there. never get tired. I saw a a quote came out from Brian Campbell who played in Chicago and Florida who said he was he was the best I ever played with. He was a minute eater. He played first power play, first penalty kill. He got all his teeth knocked out, returned that game. Like the definition of a Hall of Famer in my mind. And and when we met him, it was the first time I’d ever hung out with him. You’re right, RA. Just a cool cat. softspoken, but you could tell just like he just showed up every single night, played 28 minutes, would get an assist or two, and just dominate. So, I I loved watching him play, man. I really did. And I actually have photo evidence of me uh watching uh Jack Paca two years ago. All right. That look at that aluminum uh that stick was big. Was that the one you cried over or was it the silver one? The grat. Yeah. You kind of look like Payton Manning there. Yeah, he is. Yeah, you do. I’ve heard that before. Definitely resembles in the forehead area is what I is what I usually hear. But what’s funny is that looks like a that looks like a um that the kid has a a shamrock on the back of his Beu helmet. Doesn’t that look like that? That’s no chance you’re allowed to do. Now, uh my dad gave me some of those put on riders later. You know, you got to have a little good little shamrock on the back. Riders like what does that mean? You’re a little Irish. Hey, didn’t uh RA and Whit didn’t Parker like and Jerry York as well like they had the aura around them like SEC coach has like when I was growing up like those guys were like if you saw him at the rink you’re like oh my god it’s Jack Parker like was your relationship with him when you played good or is it just way different now cuz you’re older and you’re not playing for him? I bet it’s after the fact, right? It’s it’s way more after the fact with him. um where he you know he every former player he sees big hug like good conversation um he had I think anyone who played at BEu would say that he had his favorites on each team and maybe some guys like he used to say you’re in Mukville you’d have to ride the bike Sunday morning 6:00 a.m. if you were in trouble or in the fat club. I remember at my uh the first day they could come, they came down for a visit at my house, like say it was July 1st going into your sophomore year of high school, junior high school. So he comes down and and I’m so nervous like I grew up going to BEu games and like I’m going to BEu. Like there was never even a chance I was going anywhere else. And my my dad grilled up some steaks and my mom cooked, you know, the veggies and the corn and we have a great meal. And then, you know, we’re clearing up the plate. Dad’s clearing up the plate. He brings it Vernon Road, I’ll never forget. He brings the plate of corn up to the sink and we’re still talking at the kitchen. And then Big Dan, he gets over the sink, dude. And this guy started just crushing corn. I’m talking crabs another piece dummy corn. And Parker looks over. He’s like, “Jesus, you don’t need a disposal in this house with that guy eating.” And my I’ll never forget my dad like this. look down as he’s holding the corn like a dog. A lot of a lot of or an aura big time. He showed up to one of my high school games and like both teams are like Jack Parker’s here, Jack Parker’s here. Like it it was it was legendary. Biz, you know why our dad You know why our dads wanted our their kids to go to BEu? Why? They were the only arena in the Hockey East that sold beer at the at the games. They were the only arena I think in the country at the time that was selling beer. Yeah. Um Yeah. Just just awesome memories of of playing for him. He you know he gave me he gave me the cage treatment a couple times. Just Yeah. So like when was it often times when you came to the rink like you always had this like not a nervous energy like you were there to work and there wasn’t a lot of [ __ ] around like how was the uh practice was demanding. um he would have it kind of depended on the weekend you had prior or the weekend coming up if you know if you won both games and is a little looser but then you know come Thursday come Wednesday Thursday you got BC you got UNH you got Maine like we we’re ready to practice right now like there is no [ __ ] around and he was just an expert at getting guys ready to play and he was good at knowing times where I got to tell this kid to wake the [ __ ] up and I got to tell this kid hey great job. Like I remember my junior year uh the team was kind of struggling and and he came up and he’s like you were dominant this weekend like and and that wasn’t huge like he wasn’t a huge grab you and like pump your tires guy, but I think he knew when guys maybe needed it here and there. He was he was awesome. Awesome. That’s awesome. I I I do compliment me on my salad back in the day too. Not not so much the Payton man. And I do got to point out I I did have the Beu sweatshirt on, you know, the player sweatshirt and uh you couldn’t really make out the number, but that was number 24 and uh number 24. No, no, the last the guy who wore it before Travis who was playing that game I was watching Big W number 24 on that thing. It’s a little little trivia for you. And I guess uh uh Grenley just sent to the to the group, McGilly has a severe fear of flying, so I’m sure that probably factors in why he won’t be there Monday night. Yeah, sure he does. salute to all all the Hall of Famers and you know keep it with the Hall of Fame thing. You know, I’ve been given some recommendations, but G had a good idea. Let’s do uh your four Hall of Fame shows to make a Mount Rushmore. And this is not easy to do to pick four TV shows from the plethora of like tremendous TV, especially in the last 30, 40 years, the stuff we’ve been getting, but I gave it a go. I mean, there’s obviously, if you ask me in a week, I might do it a little bit different, but I’m going to give my Mount Rushmore TV shows right now. And and first up, uh I’m gonna go with The Wire. I know this is probably obvious to a lot of people, but I don’t think we’ll ever see a TV show that comes close to what David Simon and HBO did. Biz, you know, it showed uh how a city breaks down a great American city, Baltimore, you know, a great port city uh for many years, but it shows how a city uh falls into disrepair and how and why fix it. It becomes almost an impossibility. Uh and each season takes on a different theme. The first one was, you know, uh kids selling drugs in the projects. The second one was uh the dock workers and the blueco collar guys like you know losing jobs and then they have to turn to other means to try to make up that lost dough. Uh third season delves into the politicians and how shady they are and then their roles in it. Uh the fourth season which is many people’s favorite is about the schools and how it affects these young kids and you know I know people may see you know young kids in in any city growing up in a tough environment. How the do they turn out that way? And this this season shows exactly how a young innocent kid can turn out to become, you know, a psychopath, a drug dealer, or a killer. And, you know, when it does it with without judgment and with empathy. And the fifth season delves into the journalism’s role in all this. And and again, this is a show you need to put your phone down. you need to shut it off, put it away and focus on every scene because if you turn your head for one second or two seconds, you might miss something that not even a dialogue, just a little scene in the background and it will kind of throw off your whole understanding of the show. So yeah, how many seasons were there of The Wire? Only five. Five seasons. Yeah. Okay. I didn’t realize that. So going in now, do do the people that you see in season one intertwine with people in season two? So they’re still in the show. So that’s the brilliance of it. It all intertwines. It all goes together. It’s not like a anthology where the next season has like it’s a completely new telling with different people. It it all intertwines and it shows you how again it’s just a brilliant show. Can’t believe you’ve never seen it, Biz. Yeah. So I I started watching season one. I started watching season one and I don’t know if the disconnect of the the gap in time is kind of what I guess turned me off of it. Like sometimes when things come out like Breaking Bad, like I started doing Breaking Bad, I think like when season like three was out, so it was still kind of like, oh, okay, all of a sudden they’re still winning all these awards and it’s like, okay, I’ll see what this is about. And it was obviously filmed like newer, but I I’ll I’ll give it another chance if that’s a show. So that’s I’ve watched it uh I’ve I’ve watched it three times, I think. like first time I watch it say 10 years ago then I watch it three years later and I watched it like two years ago and it every time it’s like oh [ __ ] like I watch that first episode of season one I’m like I know what I’m doing the next two weeks like when when the kids go to bed it’s like it’s just it’s excellent and I actually recently was talking to a Boston police officer about that show RA in like how it shows how like people who don’t deserve to move up can move up based on who you know and like it’s he’s like it’s so through like how this all works and that one season. Well, you see that throughout all five seasons, but excellent excellent choice there. That’s number five. Well, four, I didn’t really necessarily put them one through four sort of Mount Rushmore. I mean, I don’t think they really rate the uh presidents that way. And yeah, with to your point, when you when you watch a show like this the second or third time, you you’re not focusing on like the the main thing, the m the macro, I guess. You’re focus you’re looking at the background stuff. So, you you do catch all these things you might have missed the first time. So, yeah, second and third viewings can be uh very rewarding on a show like this. And also this show, the the second show I’m going to mention. Again, Captain Obvious is here, but The Sopranos, uh, you know, instead of showing how a city gets stuck in a rut and can’t get out of its own way, The Sopranos does a similar thing, but but with a guy, with one man. It’s a mob show. Yes. Uh, the best mob show ever, but at its core, it’s about Tony Soprano and how this guy is born into this world. And, uh, you know, probably at the end of the day, not not a great guy, but but it feels like he’s trying to be better in some way. uh somewhat of a reluctant mob boss, but it’s really about one man and just how he’s dealing with with all this stuff. And you know, the idea of the the head of a mob going to a shrink was uh unfathomable. He you know, 25 years ago, it may still be in some mob factions, but it’s really about one man and how he deals with all this. And uh just an absolutely a brilliant show. Again, another one that you you you got to put the phone away and pay attention to it. And I know the latest seasons that some of the dream sequences I I know some of the people maybe got, you know, weren’t crazy about all that stuff, but the the last season, last season and a half, you know, how they tie everything together and and what I think was a brilliant ending. Um, you know, I don’t not a spoiler alert, a lot of people didn’t understand it or didn’t get it, but I I think it it was brilliant after I kind of got it and, you know, read up with uh what um David Chase said about it. So, and we got to compliment James Gandalfini, too. We lost them. Christ, I can’t believe 12 years ago. Uh, it’s too bad we didn’t get to see more of what he he would have done. I think people thought he didn’t hold this, you know, playing this mob blast because he was Jersey. He probably grew up with guys like that. I mean, the accent, you know, you know, he had this imposing figure, but it was sad we lost him when we did. I think again Fee would have had so much more to off. Now, Keith, I’m assuming you’ve seen The Sopranos at least once. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I actually started watching it again uh recently. But my favorite thing about that is when they were filming, it was what, you know, when the ducks would come to his pool and [ __ ] like that and he came out one time, he had shorts on and maybe it was at a barbecue. He had shorts on and apparently when they were filming, he got a call from an actual mob boss and was like, “Hey, mob bosses do not wear shorts, so you’ll never see him in shorts for the rest of that thing.” Cuz it was like like that’s how much it made an impact. Like even the the mob bosses were watching a biz. I thought that was pretty cool. But yeah, I think that’s the greatest show of all time. Wire probably number two. How many seasons of uh Sopranos? Technically six, but like they I think the sixth one they called it like 6 point was 6 and a half and was it 6.1 and 6.2? Basically they they were the first show to make a a last season stretched into two seasons. Yeah, like Breaking Bad did that too then. Yeah. So basically uh six seasons. So he was pounding the shrink. I could say that. That’s not that big of a spoiler. No, no, he didn’t publish the ring. He was in love. He was in He was kind of in love with her a little bit. He was never never slept with her. Did he Did they make out? No. He uh remember when she was she was raped. She was raped and then like she was thinking about telling him what happened, but she knew he would kill the guy and never did. And No. No. No. Would he tell her about like the the dark of the dark of what he was doing? No. He wouldn’t tell her details. Okay. Yeah. But she knew though. I mean, you know, he he was a mob boss. And Keith, to your point, you know, at the time the show was on, the FBI, you know, obviously had a lot of these guys, you know, wiretapped and they would hear actual FBI, I’m sorry, actual gangsters talking about the show and how much they actually loved it and they would criticize it and the FBI, you know, some real meta stuff going on. So, yeah, The Sopranos, again, not not a not a surprise there. You know, huge part of the American pop culture lexicon. Of course, if you’re on Twitter or social media, all you do is see the memes all the time. Um, next up, it this was a tough one for me. I had to put at least one comedy in there. I know drama tends to get the spotlight more. Uh, we do need some laughs and it hurt. It hurt me to not put the Simpsons in this spot. Uh, but I do want to mention the first decade of The Simpsons. You know, some of the most brilliant writing in television history, but they’re on season 37 now. And I’m going to name Cheers as the next show because I’m going to consider the whole body of work. Uh, Cheers was on for 11 seasons. Uh, it was brilliantly funny for all those 11 seasons. They were uh were 275 episodes. They were effortlessly replaced characters. Some left for you know uh work reasons. Uh some cast members passed away and they brought in new members. But this show was part of the greatest TV lineup in TV history. Uh Thursday night. Well, don’t cancel me for saying this, but the first show, the Cosby Show, uh then Family Ties, Cheers, Nightcourt, and it was finished off with Hill Street Blues with my the best opening theme song ever. Uh, so it was just a phenomenal comedy and it, you know, it’s it’s not one where it’s a you got to follow every episode to follow the story along. It’s just you can pop on a couple episodes here and there. I know it’s on uh Paramount right now. I think Hulu has a few seasons, but we had to put a commie in here. Maybe because I’m a Boston guy, but Cheers uh the quintessential sitcom. So, I’m going to throw Cheers in here. Have you ever seen any any of it? I know you grew up in Canada. Yeah, I used to watch like Cheers used to be on like and I would just like see episodes and stuff. I couldn’t recall like I know like they ran a bar, right? And then like the the one guy was having a love affair with the one girl and that guy was kind of off and on, right? Yeah. He played for the Red Sox, Samone. Sam alone. Yeah. He was a former pitcher for the Red Sox opened the bar. Um you know and then like said Noam Cliff all these cast of characters just like a per the perfect sitcom I would say just to do a show that that good at that high level. And then the last episode, uh, it was a huge to-do and they were all on Jay Leno late night and they were all shitfaced Biz. You could probably you Google the, uh, clip YouTube. They’re all [ __ ] hammered on on, uh, Jay Leno at the other night. And finally, uh, again, it’s probably a Captain Obvious here. You just mentioned it, Biz. Breaking Bad uh, to me, Breaking Bad, it’s just a a classic story. And creator Vince Gilligan, he he told the studio, he said, I I want to make a story about a man who transforms himself from Mr. Chips into Scarface. Mr. Chips was an old movie about a beloved teacher. You know, obviously Scarface was, you know, was a gangster. Uh Brian Cranston, he stars as a nerdy chemistry professor, Walter White. He’s diagnosed with lung cancer and he’s struggling financially due to all the extra costs that people do get. Even when you have insurance in America, you still get pounded with all these costs cuz insurance never covers everything. Uh and he’s on a ride along with his DEA brother-in-law. Uh and and during he sees an old c an old student of his escape out the window and he brainstorms this idea like oh maybe I can sell meth on the side and make some money to make sure my family’s financially secure when I’m not here. He pairs up with Jesse Pinkin and over the next five seasons 62 episodes. Breaking Bad manages to do what I think was impossible. It sticks every single landing I think on that show like oh how are they going to go out of this without being ridiculous? And every single time they would like pull it off. You know, sometimes it might be implausible in the real world, but every time they were in a situation, man, whoever it was, they always sort of stuck the landed and the ending was phenomenal the last episode. And it’s also given us, I think, two of the best episodes of TV ever. Aussie Mandas, I believe, was the second or third last episode. And uh to Haja Lee, you know, when the stakes just get higher and higher, man. I mean, this is when you had to wait a week, too. I mean, most people can stream everything all at once now, but just a phenomenal show. Biz, I I know you just mentioned it. How many times have you watched it? So, I would put that and True Detective season one as my like my my goats. Um, yeah, I agree with you. It stuck the landing. It didn’t It never came off. And the way that they tied it all back together. And I’ll I was one of those people though. I wouldn’t wait week to week. I would wait for the season to come out and then I would binge watch it. I couldn’t do the week to week [ __ ] I just had to wait. All right. The episode, weird name. It was incredible. Uh Ozie, what is it? Ozie Mandas. Yeah. Yeah. Biz that episode. Um I watched when we were at camp with the Blues and and I remember like after that I mean I think anyone who’s watched that show after that episode you’re just kind of sitting there like what what just happened? Incred like the most I think that show had some of the most shocking moments like that I can ever remember. You’re just like what? And and and we’d be remissed if we didn’t mention we are a bar stool sports podcast. Pardon my take. PFT commenter. He created that show. Do you know that Bis which one? Breaking Bad. He moved to Austin to film. He gee, can we look up the exact He had an idea about having they wrote that they wrote a script. So they wrote the basically like a very very similar script to like it’s like a a kid and his professor cook meth. It’s the exact same storyline and then like a year later Breaking Bad came out. Get the [ __ ] out of here. Yes. Google it wrote it. Biz Yeah. Well, Merles directed, wrote it and created it, but PFT was with So I can’t tell whether you’re you’re pulling my chain or not. No, buddy. Buddy, I’m telling you, PFT wrote a script of a of a high school teacher. Uh yeah, we there there is like a podcast episode where he describes what happened, but it’s crazy. Crazy. I heard Merl’s invented meth, too, by the way. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So, yeah, that that’s that’s the Mount Mount Rushmore TV shows. Uh weekly classic recommendation. I gave out uh Casablanca last week. I actually did get a a few people feedback that they one kid never heard of it before. He absolutely loved it. So, you know, there’s no this isn’t homework. You know, you can you can do it whenever, but I just want to pass along this week’s. It’s another HBO show. Uh very underseen show. Did 63 episodes over five seasons from 2001 to 2005. That was 6 feet under. Um absolutely tremendous show. It’s about a dysfunctional LA family that runs, you know, sort of a classic funeral home where the family lives above the home. You don’t see this too too much anymore. Uh and the first episode is it’s not a spoiler. The family patriarch uh who’s played by the great Richard Jenkins. He’s killed in a car accident. And the show deals with how the family deals with the fallout, the aftermath of losing their dad and the family now has to run the uh the funeral home, which they didn’t really particularly want to do, especially the uh the now adult children. But the show, it’s really about humanity. Uh how everybody deals with their own messed up lives, no matter who you are or what you do for a living. I think there are themes that relate to anybody on the show. Uh it might not be for for everybody. I think people watch the first couple episodes and realize, oh, this is this is great. Or they may tap out. Uh but what’s cool about it is cool maybe in in quotes is every episode opens with a death. Like the first scene is always somebody dying. It could be as innocuous as somebody going to sleep and having a heart attack in bed or it could be just some like weird crazy cruel way that somebody dies. Like one episode, not really a spoiler, you know, uh airplane was flying ahead. You know, the blue ice from the from the bathroom falls out and hits a lady in the head and kills her. So it it deals with all all these different ways. Sometimes the death relates to that episode, sometimes it doesn’t. Uh but but again the show it’s about the human condition and the [ __ ] up lives we all lead and and yes death is a part of it. Uh the writing acting top-notch. Uh and the series finale I would say probably the best I’ve ever seen. Don’t watch it on YouTube. You can but don’t you got to earn it. Watch all the other 62 episodes before it so you get the proper emotional payoff. It’s on HBO, HBO Max, whatever it’s called nowadays. But Six Feet Under legit one of my favorite shows. Really flies under the radar. Has anybody on on the panel seen it? Never heard of it. finished a great show on HBO though uh called Task. You watched it? I loved it. I thought it was unreal. Yeah, I got that actually. I did my recommendations. We we pushed down for another week, but we can discuss in depth maybe ne next week we talk about it. But I think I texted you to watch that RA. Yeah, I did. Yeah, we DM’d night cuz I I wrote about a couple weeks ago on uh blog that in and the pit which is another show we’ll get to a little bit later. uh up and up uh grinding my gears this week. And I’m I’m actually going to hat tip to to our pal John Bucha Grross on this one. And it’s why, you know, guys shouldn’t have to wait to no longer be with us to get in the Hall of Fame. And I’m going to go back to Buchi’s tweet back in June. You know, why do Hall of Fames wait until people die? Why do they adhere to arbitrary categorical rules that really mean nothing and can be changed with fewer than 12 words? Hall of Fames simply tell a story and ceremonies give someone a chance to feel love from family and friends and adoring strangers. Otherwise, the bu these buildings are really meaningless. Uh I really agree with what BCI sentiment here and you know we shouldn’t have another Pat Burns situation where a man who should have been in the Hall of Fame years before. Unfortunately it came postumously after we lost him and he wasn’t able to you know enjoy the adoration and Pat Burns know you know great guy coach and knowing him he may not not have cared for the adoration just because of because of how he was but you know if you’re going to be in any hall of fame you should be there to enjoy it. Uh, and the Hockey Hall of Fame, you know, they can make their own rules. They’re their own their own, you know, uh, establishment. They can make exceptions. And he he specifically mentions BCI does, you know, Don Cherry and, um, Barry Melrose. These these are two guys who’ve given their their life to the game. They should probably probably already be in just for what they’ve done. So, yeah, I just want to echo it what B said that, you know, let’s maybe honor these guys while they’re still with us rather than do it after the fact because, you know, the family and and the honory should be able to enjoy it uh while they’re still alive. And again, I don’t think we should have any more Pat Burns situations in that regard. So, no doubt. No doubt. I know. It’s a good point. I can’t believe Don Cherry’s not in the Hall of Fame. Like, I think Barry Melrose deserves to get in there, too. But Don Cherry, it’s like, what are we doing here? Grapes. Absolute absolute legend of the game. And rounding up, I got my picks this week. We made some money last week, boys. Uh, I gave out the Ducks money line and puck line Friday versus the Wings. Easy money. Uh, unfortunately, Dallas the next day. They hit a post late in regulation. uh then two in the shutout. So, lost that. Basically offset the Ducks win. Uh but this weekend, I’m looking at Saturday in Toronto. Uh Bruins Leafs. Uh we don’t know the goalies yet. We don’t know the lines, but if the overunder is uh 6 and 1/2 or lower, take the over. Uh over 6 and 1/2. I think it’s probably going to be six and a half, but whatever. Over 6 and 1/2 or six. Bruins Leaf Saturday night. Don’t know who’s in that, but I could see high scoring affair. The Leafs always seem to have high scoring affairs. Uh and then Saturday night as well, Tampa’s going to be back from a West End road swing facing the Capitals. Uh Tampa’s going to have a bit of a break after this game, not playing again till Wednesday. This will be the cap’s third game at four nights. Uh teams tend to tire out a little bit in those games, I believe. Uh so if Vaselki is in net for Tampa Bay Saturday, we’re riding with the Lightning like Metallica style. Uh over to the NFL. You gave us the Panthers, that Panthers win. uh NFL last week Cincy, we looked like we were going to get a wild late cover uh and the money line, but of course the the Bengals bungled it once again, blew it late, lost the game outright, but thanks to Carolina Wit. I what I say last week they were 13 and a half. I said buy it up to 14 and put 20% of your investment on the money line. Well, Carolina plus 700 one outright in Green Bay. Wow, that’s a hit. And this weekend, Arizona is at Seattle. The line is 6 and a half. Uh this game is essentially Arizona’s season. And if they win, they’re still alive. If they lose, they’re dunzo. Uh they played Seattle pretty tough a couple weeks ago. Uh so take the Cards, buy the spread up, though. Buy it up to 7 and 1/2. Pay the extra vig. Uh take it up to 7 and 1/2. They’re in Seattle. But I think the Cards, they’re going to hang in there. Could even win Cardinals plus the 7 and 1/2. And then San Fran at home getting four and a half versus their longtime rival, the Rams. I think that’s too many points for a home team in a big divisional rival game like this. Uh so take the four and a half with the Niners and we’ll go from there. So yeah, last week very profitable for backers and hopefully we do it again this week, boys. It’s been a pleasure. It’s been a blast being back and uh yeah, turn it over to you guys. Any final thoughts? As we wrap up the show, Yans, uh your boy Chris Bourke. Bork. Oh yes. Speaking of Hall of Fame, Chris Bourke, one of my longtime friends just got inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame. Amazing for him. I’m so happy for him and his family. AHL legend. Legend off the ice. Couldn’t be more happy for him. like just just the guy like he came in the league biz and you I’m sure you played against him in the minors like the AHL wasn’t made really for small players and the way that he played it it was impressive like Ned Haven told the story like when when Chris was on the ice and he had the puck it was like he was a six-year-old out there just like snapping it around having fun. So one of the guys that I owe a lot of credit to for helping me get to where I was. He pushed me every day in high school. We skated every single day. Uh he was the best player at our age. I think and it’s a good topic to bring up at some other point, but I think he’s the best high school player I’ve ever seen. I know our radio might say like Robbie Ftoric or you know, you could say TC Harris. Like there there are guys that you can make the argument, but I think he’s the best high school player in Massachusetts history. Uh and yeah, couldn’t be more happy for him and and his family that he got into the Hall of Fame. I’m pumped for him. Played against him in the American League. absolute gamer. Like there’s nothing really else to say, man. Like the [ __ ] playoff time, he won three Calder Cups and and I think honestly if not for his size, he probably would have been a dominant NHL player, right? But I’m not trying to take anything away from him cuz like, you know, in the AHL, maybe now, maybe like Yeah, maybe now. But he he was dominant, man. And he was part of those great runs and and also like he didn’t [ __ ] back down either, man. He was a [ __ ] dog. like he was we would have some big time rival games between us and Wilks uh Hershey and Wils Bear and he was you know he was in the fight every game. Yeah. So congratulations you he’d spear you right spit your face but no problem doing that. Um also scored the OT winner to win a Bean Pot Championship at BU just one year there. So Borky’s the best. Uh so happy for him. So congratulations. And to finish the show, just a reminder that we got the breast cancer merchandise that’s on sale also for November. 100% of the net proceeds go to uh 5 under 40. So that’s store.barsports.com. So RA, awesome job once again. Very happy you brought up all those Hall of Fame guys and should be a fun uh fun introduction for them and we’ll see uh you guys Monday. RA, last thing you got? Yeah, I’m glad you said it. NHL Network Monday at 8:00 p.m. the inductions on and for our friends up north, TSN 4 and TSN 5. Check it out. Wow. RA is [ __ ] buzzing. Thank you to RA. Thank you to Rick Nash. And thank you to everyone right now. Whether you’re watching on YouTube or listening, we love you guys. It’s awesome. With two episodes a week, we’re having a blast. And we’ll see you Monday, 2 o’clock Eastern. Love you all.

On Episode 594 of Spittin’ Chiclets, Biz has been everywhere (Toronto → Atlanta → Dallas), and the league’s upside down: the Anaheim Ducks are legit (8-3-1, six of seven), with Cutter Gauthier throwing a hatty at the Panthers — are they sneaky Cup contenders? The Wild Vs. Preds OT was pure chaos with a controversial winner after the net popped loose. Blue Jackets are 7-5-1, set for Prime Monday Night Hockey in Edmonton — do they have playoff juice? To talk all things Columbus, the greatest Blue Jacket ever, Rick Nash Joins the show. This is an episode you won’t want to miss.

00:00:00 – START
00:04:57 – TOR Leafs
00:12:00 – Ovi’s 900th
00:15:20 – Blues Trouble
00:33:54 – Anaheim
00:37:45 – Wild OT Drama
00:40:33 – Around the League
00:50:46 – Rick Nash Interview
01:50:53 – RA’s World
02:09:45 – RA’s Hall of Fame TV Shows
02:22:38 – RA’s Weekly Classic Recommendation
02:25:10 – RA’s Grind my Gears
02:26:48 – RA’s Picks this Week
02:28:54 – Etc.

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