Vinny Lecavalier joins the Block Party podcast

Stanley Cup Champion Vinny Lecavalier joins Greg Wolf and Braydon Coburn on this week’s edition of the Block Party.

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Bolts Nation welcome back to another episode of the bolts block party powered by our friends at highly I am your host Greg wolf joined by the always insightful Braden Coburn and uh welcome into another episode super excited for our guests this morning uh he’s probably one of the most um I would say

Well-known uh storied history players in our Tampa Bay Lightning franchise Vinnie lavier joins us the man’s numbers in the rafters Vinnie thank you for taking time this morning you’re you’re a busy guy um but we want to kind of take a trip with our fans this morning and uh and go over

Some of the uh the history uh of you as a Tampa Bay Lightning player uh but go back to where it all began um some of the fun stuff that got you um to the Hall of Fame uh caliber cuz you are a part of the first inaugural lightning

Hall of Fame class with Marty and uh the great Phil Esposito so we want to talk about all that stuff Vinnie today but let’s take it back Kobe and talk talk about some of the statistics and where Vinnie currently still stands uh in the record books because you know we have a

Lot of new fans right so we’re always building gos had a couple goals so for our fans let’s just kind of rewind uh the resume of Vinnie La cavier the number one overall draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 1998 uh 2004 Stanley Cup champ Maurice rocket Rashard

Winner back in ‘ 07 which is for the NHL’s leading goal scorer uh like we said first inaugural class of the lightning Hall of Fame last year with Phil and Marty Vinnie ranks third all time in lightning history for points with 874 behind stammer he made sure to

Tell us to tell you that any of these stats you’re behind stammer he wanted us to tell you that I know stammer um so 874 points behind stammer who’s at 1,087 in that range Marty’s at 953 you rank second for goals with 383 behind stammer he’s got 530 currently you’re

Fourth in assists behind Marty stammer and Hy third in franchise history for penalty minutes behind Chris graten and Pavel cabina second I know dirty guy all right dirty player dirty so yeah third in franchise history for that um second for Power Play Goals behind stammer third for power play scoring behind

Stammer and Marty uh franchise leader for shots with 3,166 but stammer it’s just a couple by the time this episode airs stammer will pass you for franchise leader in games played and then a very important stat which was back in ‘ 07 became the first Lightning player to record 50 goals in a

Season that’s a lot it’s a long resume so you are a legend when it comes to the Tampa Bay Lightning folklore and uh it’s amazing to to have you here with us but Kobe and I want to go back to the very beginning where it all started the

Boarding school take take us there like growing up growing up growing up in Montreal um you started hockey how did you get into hockey was your your parents your dad who who um I mean yes my dad but I think it’s you know you know how it is but it’s obviously the

Culture and and uh in Canada I mean you go to school and if you it’s kind of weird if you don’t play hockey you know I mean so uh but my dad brought me he was a firefighter and uh he brought me to the rink like at starting at 2 and a

Half years old three years old like five days a week so like by the time I was five like I had I don’t know how many hours but you been on the so was he a hockey player yeah he played he played the junior hockey until he was 19 and

Obviously like you know you kind of have to make a choice am I going to go to work or keep grinding and and not really go anywhere so uh but he was he was a defenseman just like my brother uh who you know he played college hockey so uh

But yeah I was at the rank like and I loved it like I was like passionate and like it wasn’t forced um you know I wanted to be there for hours like he would drop me off I would go out like the outside rink sometimes you would

Drop me off we had uh that’s maybe a little bit later I was like maybe 9 or 10 but I was the only gy like there was like this much snow and I would you know I would I would shovel like a little square and I would just like stick

Handle for like hours you would like leave or stay for a bit or then leave and come back you have this fur like fur hat you just like watch me for old beaver pelt from far away so anyways I was uh I went kind of forward there but

Uh I started very young and and um but I I I loved it I loved it the boarding school no so Vinnie so you’re playing you’re playing you you obviously have been very talented at this game for a long time when did The Whispers And when

Did the the talk of Vinnie La cavier hockey Prodigy when did that when did you start to hear that uh so so I start okay so it’s kind of um I guess when I was young I was you know I was seven years old playing against 10y

Old so you know there’s like these little articles in the paper but when you’re that young you don’t realize it so I always say like people ask me that question I’m like well I started thinking the NHL and I was like 16 because that’s when you know the draft

List came out but I feel like I never uh they were talking about it you know the pee Quebec that’s a big big tournament and even before that but but uh you know I was just a kid playing hockey I don’t I don’t I don’t care I don’t I don’t um

But you know they were talking about me but I didn’t know you you never really know um you know how good you you are or not or you know what I mean like I was just a kid playing hockey so basically uh I would say again it was it was 60

When I realized that maybe I’ll make it the NHL even the thought of it that’d be good enough to do it sure uh but you know when I was young there there were talks and you know articles and stuff like that in the papers all right so I

Mean but you went to a a boarding school and I know Kobe you went to that same school was that school specifically to breed hockey players I well so it’s it’s athle Murray college in will Cox scatch Nord Dame and will Cox es katchan the

Town is Vinnie like what is it it’s like the student body is like 300 to 400 kids it’s like 400 kids and like 200 250 people living in the town yeah so if you look out in any direction going to be Wheatfield for miles and miles and miles

Until you re Regina which is about you know like5 lights at night I’d go to bed I was in uh one of the dorms uh ethal the first year eth bunk grade nine rats yeah my bunk was the second floor and I would go to bed at night listening to

Music I would just look outside I could see the lights 37 km away which is probably around 25 miles wow you could just see the lights because so flat wow but anyway that was a side note but yeah so how did you end up there and like

That was a big decision by your parents you you’re going from Montreal to somewhere in the middle of Saskatchewan I mean Montreal was great for hockey we had you know great great teams great competition but my uh my dad uh sent my brother there five years earlier and uh

More to learn English uh and uh it was a it was a big uh I don’t know how to say it but like a lot of kids from that school went to uh got recruited for college right right which no in Quebec did we all played Major Junior it’s it’s

A junior hockey uh so to go College in in in United States was kind of like a different route back then especially for my brother uh but you know my dad wanted us to to have an education and and then have the opportunity to do that so he

Sent my brother there and then so when I was 9 years old my brother was 14 my dad’s like you’re going there in five years so like ready ready so when I got there I was like I was I didn’t know what to expect but and I was shocked

When I got there but um I kind of always knew what age was that that you finally went there 14 so n Dame has an impressive roster of of NHL players of NHL alumni including yourself um yourself wendle Clark Rob brandemore Curtis Joseph kind of guys that Brad

Richards so and then recently guys like Jordan Eberly Tyler Meyers Morgan Riley John Cooper went there so so what is it about this what is it about about this particular school I mean is it like you said is it the education Factor but is it also the fact that they’re breeding

Hockey like do you eat breathe and sleep hockey at this at this school or like I don’t think they overdo it like we skated maybe maybe five days like you hear aboutmy now like they they do like 100 games and like they skates 10 times

A week and like they kind of overdo it no I thought it was just a well balanced uh it was just just a good culture good hockey culture good uh living culture and I think people went there uh you know you get the dorms you have the uh

Just a it’s a different uh you grow up quicker you get mature and obviously you learn it’s it wasn’t like a military school yeah but they made you do a lot of you become very independent you become very independent so how was your English when you went there it was fine

Because my brother after one year there so I was nine or grade four after one year there’s like a loophole that in Quebec uh cuz in Quebec you’re not allowed if you’re French you’re not allowed to go to an English school so it’s just they want to keep the French

Culture so you’re just not allowed got it but there’s a loophole that if a sibling went outside the uh the province then your brother was allowed to go to English school so in grade five I was the only french guy uh in an English

School so I I um I started then to speak English obviously I wasn’t great I mean even now I kind of got the accent you’re not great yeah but you know I started writing in grade five so when I got to Notre Dame I was uh I was okay reverse at that point

So you meet Brad Richards he was sorry go ahead go ahead talk talk to us about Brad Richards like how did you he was literally the first guy I met in the dorm like he was like you walk in and you go to there’s a list of the the the

Rooms and he was the first person I walked in I’m like hey I’m Vinnie hey I’m Brad or I was I was I was Vincent back then they called me Vinnie after but then during the year they called me skinny Vinnie CU like it was like 150

Lbs skin Vinnie love it but uh um yeah he was the first guy I met at at uh at Notre Dame which is crazy because because of everything after that with him and yeah we were like best buddies we were like this we never we played

Hockey may we get there in in what in end of August we don’t start hockey until October so until October you hear how great everybody is right you’re like this guy’s from British Columbia this guy’s unbelievable this guy’s you know you hear all the stories right so uh so

I didn’t know Brad and but when we got on the ice it was like wow okay this is this is pretty cool like we’re both doing well we both made the team the the the banam tripa team the only grade NES that did it so it brought us even closer

That’s pretty remarkable especially considering like you just said the careers the lineage the fact that you guys started at such a I mean it just doesn’t happen I don’t know too many other stories like that in the NHL where two guys started at such a young age

Went to school together played for the same team both going to be in the in the team’s Hall of Fame it’s it is rather remarkable did your brother cuz again when you talk about older brothers going to going to school did he is there like

A legacy like did he leave like a legacy for you because the L cavier name in that school was like thank thank God did HEK God he was you know how tough that school was Kobe I mean my brother was a house leader okay so you you basically

Ran the dorm wow in grade uh so he took care of all the grade nines usually they treat him like crap right and so when I got there in grade nine all the grade 12s were the guys that my brother took care uh their first year sure thank my

Brother’s like the best guy in the world said it well you got to remember there’s like uh it’s not like this anymore but when we went there there was a tradition or a history of hazing that was initiations and and it kind of it was you know meant come came from a good

Place but there was different times you know it was different right so and it was it was student body Le for sure yeah so I mean it was you know you go to sleep at night I mean there’s a lot of things going on in that dorm so that’s

Insane okay so that obviously that was the the catalyst so to speak to the next level so talk to us about the next level so you get you know you’re at the boarding school you’re starting to play hockey you’re making the team what was the next step after that after Notre

Dame after Notre Dame so I mean my second year Notre Dame in grade 10 they’re like it’s either you kind of have to make a decision like am I going the college rout which my brother was and and and Junior rout but if you if you play one game in junior hockey in

Canada you’re you’re not allowed to play in college United States it’s a rule so I had to make that decision grade 10 and um I was kind of torn because I wanted uh and your your dad was pushing University too right oh yeah my dad was pushing

University uh but that summer I went to a uh a camp in in Boston and uh that’s when the scouts kind of started talking they’re like I think you should go Junior it’s kind of like a faster route a little bit to uh to the NHL and they

Put me at the top of their list and everything so uh anyways I made the decision I made a pros and cons with my dad I sent it I sent it to him and you know and we decided to uh to go the junior route nice but only if this one

Particular team drafted me because of how important they thought school was like they really brought that you know they had a school right next to the rink and so my parents again was like all right if you get drafted by this team you’re going to you know you

Can go play Junior so I was like praying and they were they were picking fourth overall and uh so I went there wow so it all the Fate again like you wi that into existence almost because again if you were the fourth round pick so there was

No inkling for the first three picks to like maybe pick you up but Brad Richards he was kind of was he involved in this type of decision cuz he ended up going the same went the year he went the year after he saw me he was like wait like I

I had a great year at 16 and started talking about the draft he’s like wait I I I feel like I need I need to go major Junior as well so I told uh he was kind of like hidden cuz you’re in Saskatchewan they don’t know you they

Don’t Scout in three- hour playe right away right so uh I told rusi the team I went to I’m like hey you got to go look him you got to go see him so they flew to Saskatchewan and they watched him like all right we’re picking him we’re

Picking seventh this year so uh nobody really knew about him and they uh you know you can kind of tell teams well I think think I’m going Junior route so they don’t want to waste a first round pick on somebody that’s not coming right sure right that’s amazing though that

You were responsible for bringing him there yeah yeah really cool and then yeah do you still ra him about that to this day like if it wasn’t for me and I didn’t you you still you still be SC somewhere I’m the reason right yeah that’s right so that’s I mean wow that’s

A a pretty remarkable uh path to kind of get to the junior level and then obviously you proved yourself in the Juniors and uh you get drafted by the Lightning Back in 1998 talk to us about that day do you remember that day that that uh that draft day and putting on

The sweater for the first time it was great and I was happy back then uh the night before but it wasn’t a surprise which when you’re 18 or like you go to bed philis Biz told me the night the day before so usually they should like keep

It a surprise I think he could hold it he’s like I’m draing you so um so yeah I mean he he told me the night before I slept like a baby cuz I’m like oh this is I’m so excited and and you know not I mean I was nervous but not as nervous

Right so uh but yeah it was amazing day and and and and with Phil and and the the lightning organization and um yeah I mean it’s it’s some some memorable absolutely start to a legendary career okay so when you you get drafted and was did you come down to Tampa was that your

First time ever being in Tampa yeah so I came like the week after um first time I couldn’t believe how hot it was it was like I think it was like July 3rd or they made me do like this um like a pressor no what’s the what’s the the Jesus

The the park like 20 minutes from here the thetis park no no the the the were you uh there’s animals and oh a Lowry Park Zoo or um buch Gardens B Gardens sorry I had I lost it uh so we went to Bush Gardens for that like it was like a

Full or half day of like pictures at Bush Gard with animals I had like sloths on me and like it was it was literally 120 degrees it was it was so hot anyways so that was my first day but obviously we did the presser and all that and um

But yeah it was kind of it was it wasn’t obviously what Tampa is now I mean as far as City crazy growth um and I was from Montreal so I kind of knew a little bit to downtown and all that so it’s kind of uh a different uh you know

Culture uh and atmosphere for hockey right sure so what was the first big purchase you made when you signed that big contract uh I I bought a car and I was always uh it was a BMW M3 okay nice so uh yeah I was always into like the

The little you know the the speed car stick shift stick shift oh yeah of course Ian if you have a car like that you better you better invest in the stick shift you brought you Ferrari you still have the Ferrari no I don’t when I walked in front of it about four four

Months in a row cuz I had three kids you don’t want to drive to school come back take the take the ferar kids to school but um yeah I was always a sports guy and and uh a sports car guy and uh still what so what are we driving today or is

It a I used to be so now I’m no exactly yeah now now I’m a more pickup truck the last uh kind 180 right little people are like I just can’t I can’t see you in that and then you know but whatever so you get to Tampa uh obviously again

Young kid you know first overall pick did you feel that there was a lot of pressure on you to be you know the overall pick the number one overall pick coming into a team that you know um was still a work in progress at that time um

There was but I feel like um like usually I think like let’s say you get drafted in Montreal Toronto it’s like the media kind of like yes almost overhypes it and I feel like I didn’t have that here uh because of you know the team wasn’t great at all all um you

Know wasn’t a huge fan base there wasn’t a lot of lot a lot of media so um there was pressure from Canada but it’s it’s in Canada right so um yeah I mean I put pressure on myself but I feel the team did they did great I mean they put me on

The third line the first year with Jac demur was the coach French Canadian uh uh coach and he just took care of me like he uh he played me but you know he protected me at the same time and then um just try to kind of steer me in the

Right direction for that first year and then get used to the uh to the league and and but you know I I didn’t feel that I put pressure a lot on myself but I didn’t feel the the pressure from the lightning itself sure I’d love to ask

This question the guys but was there any welcome to the NHL moments for you like a moment or a time in a game where you’re were like wow like this is the NHL uh probably probably I mean I don’t want to say first game that’s kind of like too much

Uh to me maybe it was like going into Detroit because they were like a Powerhouse team back then and that was my team growing up right and you get there and you see the the federov and Eiserman and mccardy and uh uh you’re just impressed I think that was like the

First time I was like okay this is these guys are like uh I watched this guy growing up and and and now I’m playing against him two years ago I was 97 they won the cup um that was I think the most impressed I was that first game probably

In Detroit for sure so Vinnie you’re part of my welcome to the NHL moment I don’t know if I told you this here we go so I was playing for the Atlanta Thrashers and I was set up in a control breakout so I was behind our net right

Had the puck we’re going through our routes and I see a guy I think it was like I think it was I don’t know who it was maybe Kovalchuk he was like streaking right down the middle and I’m thinking I’m going to step up behind the

Net here I’m going to lay a perfect sauce pass right on his tape he’s going to have a breakway this is going I step out I step out and I I it was a laser beam pass I thought it was a laser beam pass and it was about maybe a foot off

The ice which is tough and then all of a sudden I see this stick vinice standing right there knocks it down out of midair right inside our Blue Line grabs it takes like two steps wires a slap shot top corner and I’m like I look at the I

Look at our bench and B Harley’s got his hands on his hips oh yeah he’s not happy he is not happy I just nailed my butt to the to the bench for the rest of that period my God and I remember that was my welcome to NH NHL moment I was like man

These guys are good you know this is this this league is the best league in the world so thank you for that by the way a revelation like he’s nuts too oh my God it was a it was it was different so I mean it was it was only what uh two

I mean you were a season two seasons in to be named one of of the youngest captains in the NHL at that time that was like the 2201 season which was your sophomore season and then you were stripped of that Captain C but then you were you were brought back to the

Captain c a few seasons later was that just because of the age Factor at that time that they put that on you maybe you weren’t ready at timean you’re too young in 19 like to be honest like uh I remember doing interviews even um I

Mean I don’t want to throw guys in there it’s not like you asked right the team bestowed that we were probably the not probably we were the youngest team by far and I think um I was probably one of the guys obviously they saw as you know

As as growing up with the Tampa Bay Lightning but when you’re 19 years old you have no you have no clue I don’t care how good you are it’s not about being a good player right it’s about uh and I think you learned that more and

Kobe I’m sure you uh you know you learned the leadership skills as well through looking at older guys and what they do and we didn’t you know we had that my first year but we were you know we’re kind of a losing losing losing team and still anyways I was too young

But I feel like I realized that when I went to like um you know to Philly and then La you know watching guys like Kopitar um a guy that’s you know he’s been a leader for 10 years 30 years old you know you go through you go through

Things as a team you win together you you bring guys together you’re I just feel like 19 or before 25 I I feel you don’t have enough um experience experience uh leadership like you haven’t it’s something you’ve seen enough to to Really to to be that

That person uh it it does still happen and I think you know good players are you know they put their cap in see because they know they’re going to be there for a long time but I think they allow guys around them to help them out

A lot too right you have to and I say that too now I mean um I was actually gush that brought it up he’s like no there’s not one guy it’s like hey there’s the group of like the seven leaders and you need more than one guy

To push in that in that direction to to be a winning team and that’s what you know obviously stammer is a great is a great leader you need guys around you you need you need guys to everybody pushing the right direction and keep each other accountable and and Inspire

Guys um you know you don’t have to break a stick in between the periods and uh you know if you show by example uh that’s good too some leaders are like that some guys are more uh talking in the room talking to young guys doing different things so um that’s why I

Think you need to be more than more than one right absolutely so another tidbit that I thought was interesting was um after we won the cup you during the lockout year actually you went over to play in Russia with Hobby bullan and and Richie talk to us about that whole

Experience because again you’re coming off of winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 you think you’re going to the next season you’re goingon to be able to defend your cup and then that doesn’t happen what was the de what went into the decision to say I’m going to go over

And play in Russia it was end of October I’m like I cannot stand this right now I need to play hockey okay it was like itch I’m like I don’t care um so my agent’s like all right I got uh Milan in Italy okay all right which you know the level

Wasn’t that great right and I got uh maybe Russia like okay um it’s a great League I mean there’s good players but you know you you go to Russia and I start calling guys I can’t remember who I called they said he was talking about Kazan so I called uh Freddy brathe who’s

Who’s a goalie he’s like Vinnie he’s like he wanted me to go so bad because he was the only Canadian there with all the Russians so uh anyways he he he sold me and Richie on it and uh you know we went we went to Russia and I mean it’s

It’s a different world you go to Moscow you think you’re in Russia then you fly out of Moscow to go to Kazan they’re like okay this is Russia so uh bigger culture shock Saskatchewan or kazen yeah I but uh I mean I I had a good experience like Richie hated it right

From the get-go the first two weeks how long were you there I was there for six months until the end of the year okay and great experience the culture was uh I I mean I didn’t love it I didn’t I mean I miss language barrier oh yeah everything but I was kind of

Lucky we had like kobuk like a couple guys like NHL guys that took care of me on that team so very lucky uh but the culture and and it’s just so different every day me and Freddy were like we’re just shaking our heads like how how

Where are we where are we how is this happening you I mean I mean so how does that work with the with your contract and you’re playing for the NHL but they’re in a lockout so is there a loophole within the within the no you’re allowed play where you want yeah okay is

That same thing with the Olympics I mean it all kind of falls under that same Olympic cuz I mean you play for the Olympics too in 2006 team Canada so I mean NHL the time was was cool with that right and now they’re kind of so was

2004 2005 and then the Olympics was after the other year so I came back I came back here and then they picked a team and and um yeah you’ve had some amazing experiences in your career I mean for I mean just from Saskatchewan I mean that’s like I mean that’s uh

Starting there I think it kind of sasy boys as you say oh yeah sasky boys honorary honor I mean I know we’re getting close to Running Out of Time Kobe um let’s talk real quick um about your new position um you’re a special adviser for hockey operations for the Montreal

Canadians you’re joining Marty St Lou is Teddy pcel doing some stuff with Ted Teddy’s doing some stuff I I mean we had Teddy on he’s scouting the West okay so yeah tell us about how that whole uh situation came to be and like are you Marty’s boss or it’s

Like I mean I don’t know like what’s no I’m not give us the rund down can we can we go with that though can we I guess yeah okay Miss Boss all right nice um yeah I mean Ken Hughes is my agent for 20 years and we’re we’re you know we’re we’re

Good friends we’re best friends and he’s uh right before he got the job he’s like if I go there will you help out M at first I’m like ah you know I got three young kids and I didn’t know the level of uh commitment uh for traveling and

All that and I’m like I I’m like first of all I’m not moving to Montreal because we’re here we’re done here I love Tampa love that uh but um anyways I I I I I took the job and it’s it’s it’s perfect I mean uh I I deal directly with

With Kent and uh you know there’s trades going on or players that he wants and uh a big thing for me is the draft and Y uh knowing the top 50 guys uh for the draft which you know I go to Europe in uh in

April and u8 and um you know all the scouts do their own list and I do my own list so it’s uh that’s a big part of it and you got to be ready because you’re going those meetings at the before the draft and there’s a lot of debates and a

Lot on different players we like hey if we’re picking last year we’re picking fifth right so if we’re picking fifth there’s these four guys here like so we’re debating and um so anyways it’s it’s a lot of fun it’s uh something I love doing and I can still be in Tampa

And and Coach my son and caddy for my two daughters to play golf and um so you know I have that and I can still you know help out and and and do things with with Montreal you talk to Marty a lot about I do not not a lot I mean uh

Honestly I deal more with with uh with Kent and management than uh than the coaching I mean mari’s got a lot on his plate I mean he’s uh uh he’s dealing directly with the players it’s tough for me to be in in in Tampa and say hey this

Guy or you I mean like I’m not in the I’m not in the locker room first of all and you know how it is I mean you’re you’re you’re you got to be in there right so um you training camp and stuff do you get an opportunity to go down and

Talk to the guys yeah yes so training camp uh development Camp so after we draft the guys get to know them um you know obviously the trade deadline I’m there and uh so you know the important dates I’m in I’m in Montreal but uh and obviously the draft wherever it is but

Um it’s perfect I love it for me right now and and and my life it’s the the the perfect thing I’m in hockey I love it and I’ve never watched that much hockey in my life so what about what about down the road are any aspirations to become a

General manager or anything like that honestly I’m not I’m not I’m not even there to think about that um just honestly just from my kids being 13 12 and 10 yeah um uh it’s a big commitment I mean I see it with Kent and I see it with with

Everybody else and um and just like Marty being a coach is a huge commitment way more than a player way more I think yeah um so I’m not there yet you never know so maybe Never Say Never I mean never never say never so I mean as a dad as an

Athlete before we get into our Factor fiction um you mentioned your kids and and they play sports was that important to you that your kids played you know organized sports or did they just kind of gravitate to that because that’s you know what they want to do uh I want to

Say I kind of steer them C low I mean you’re allow uh that was a pro athlete I mean yeah so obviously hockey I mean my brought my son on the ice uh when he was young and and and golf I love golf so I brought my daughter in Philly there’s this little

18 hole like 30 40 yard greens or whatever like uh so I kind of steered them in things I I like to do as well sure um I don’t know if that is that wrong or no no I don’t think that’s wrong at all but you know they love it

So they’re now they’re my my two girls are competing and my my son uh you know he’s playing travel hockey and I’m coaching so um you know that’s that’s fun okay loving it all right so Vinnie before we uh we let you get out of here

We do a segment every uh show uh presented by highlight it’s called Fact or Fiction it’s really these are either true statements or not true statements so you got to let us know is this true or not fact or fiction so we’ll start it off Factor fiction Vinnie after every

Game you needed to get a massage fact so I mean go I talked to Bill Wicked on this one he said Vinnie was on the table a lot he said but I mean that obviously allowed you I like a zipper to take off my clothes just to get like the

Leg massage after but it worked I mean obviously 17 seasons in the league I mean that was his uh that was him out that was a fact okay all’s got one so you received an Emmy for your portrayal of Jean Bello in the rocket the Maurice Rashard story and ever since then

Hollywood agents have been knocking down your door for you to become a movie star totally fiction but you did play that role in that movie I did yeah I was in there for three seconds okay no further future uh acting aspirations that is completely fiction all right EA Sports video game

Nh8 featured you as the cover athlete uh fiction I think it was 06 it was 06 my man knows his stuff man all right Kobe you got one all right so you are a big history buff and you have an especially uh you love Chinese hinu so Chinese

Characters you have a a strong a strong uh love of Chinese characters fact or fiction fiction or fact well if someone has one to tattooed on their body I would think they’ love it a little bit there’s a tattoo on your body I took it off okay what’s the story on this

There’s no Story the next so next okay I’ll leave it at that okay you got one more all right Vil cavier is good for one good golf club throw per round all right maybe the old Vinnie okay so I’ll say fact okay not anymore I’m a change

Guy you’re a change he’s a reform who said that Richie who gave me that one I cannot reveal my sources here cannot reveal sources all right so we’re going to let you wrap up with that one all right so bols Nation uh an amazing episode once again again here on the

Block party Vinnie we we thank you so much congratulations uh on all the success and uh you know having your number in the rafters and and being a part of the first inaugural uh lightning Hall of Fame class it’s uh it’s remarkable we love you I know the city

Loves you and uh we wish you nothing but the best in your future so much thanks for having me bolts Nation uh we’ve got another amazing episode of the block party coming up next week but we thank Benny La cavier for being on here once again thanks to our friends at highi you

Guys have a great week