HAPPY NEW YEAR! While everyone else is saying “new year new me” we’re saying “new year same shit kickin guests!” But before we kick of 2024 we need to appreciate some of the greatest moments of 2023, again. Thanks to our awesome listeners and sponsors we were able to bring you guys the gift of video, and for this .best of, you can watch the entire podcast on YouTube, like usual. On this episode we look back on some great moments including 1980 USA captain Mike Eruzione talking about the Miracle on ice, Devan Dubnyk on his issues with Binningtons “antics”, Clint Malarchuk’s on his horrifying skate incident and so much more.
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So they they take a picture inlis scog and I’m like walking behind and I look like I’m like I look like a homeless guy that just like lost his house I know at this point because you know I don’t my family’s not there like I should probably clean myself up a little bit
But yeah it was just a different time you know like like I yeah when they said like here’s the testing I’d be like okay just Mark me a zero or whatever like no this was a photo shoot like that was the end of the conversation I’m telling you
This probably happened five six times like all right there goes that one I just saw you last night you’re a scumbag exactly welcome into the cam andri podcast fuel by first form baby yeah baby it’s our holiday special the best of Cam it’s kind of hard to track
Down and uh and compile what the best of is because they’re all kind of the best when you think about it they’re all tied for the best yeah we got some good ones for you guys I know it’s uh Christmas time it’s New Year’s but we’re going to
Entertain the hell you guys I know you’re going to Grandma’s house over here and you’re doing this you’re traveling we’re going to entertain you we got so many so much good content with the best stuff so check this all out do you know the history behind grandma got
Ran over by a reindeer like the no the history behind that like people want to hear the best of and you’re going through [ __ ] right now trying to do ack favorite Christmas song My Favorite Christmas song is oh holy night oh my God it’s a great one my favorite
Christmas song is Oh Holy Night I like the church hymns more than Santa got ran over by a reindeer I hate all that [ __ ] I like the church hymns or whatever they’re called like Orchestra yeah that’s good too and I like drummer boy drummer boy is fine totally but I
Like Oh Holy Knight it’s a sweet song about Jesus Holy Night great T he talks about Jesus we should go to church on christmaseve I will I used to do that in the miners I go to with religious guys they C come to church with me come let’s go to midnight
I’m not do no the temple no go to church said oh okay I want to take my kids cuz I used to I used to love when they had the the bells you know like the little like the red I feel good at a church at
Christmas time I do dude I feel good you want to get in the Christmas spirit we’re going to midnight mass Kate can come over and I’ll have a fire going probably it’s nice I’m passed out Andy at midnight s of Santa typically if I stay awake at midnight what time do s
There’s a reason for it and I can’t go into what time does Santa typically come typically come two in the morning that early 3 in the morning yeah no you gotta get you got some [ __ ] kickers get reer [ __ ] in my yard I don’t like that I can’t go to a you hear
That no you have deer [ __ ] in your yard the reindeer they [ __ ] in my yard there’s no Reindeer by you but I don’t I can’t go to church at 12:00 at night talk about Santa comes he brings the reindeer D dude we’re not talking to kids man good god yes they are Jesus
Christ no if if if your kids are listening to this and you’re in a car with them like you can’t they can’t if they still believe in Santa they’re too young what’s the age requirement I said 14 [ __ ] 14 and if your kid’s 14 and he believes in Santa you got your
Own issues it’s okay if you do I still I still believe in Santa it’s not okay if your kid’s 14 years only believes in Sant that means he’s in a fairy tale [ __ ] land if he thinks that it’s [ __ ] fairy tale I was talking to somebody who blew their nose like very
Aggressively it was like dude we’re doing an intro on the best up we got to go right in front of me like just was blowing their nose very aggressive and then he like finished and he had like some stuff going on right here in the
Side of his face I didn’t say anything I didn’t know what to say say clean your face up you say that yes I didn’t want to embarrass him no no if we’re doing this and I’m looking at the camera if I have something going on you better dud
If you don’t do that I’d be I’d cancel the whole thing actually I wouldn’t I’d be like I’m not you’re not doing it I wouldn’t tell you I’d be like I’m not doing this um what are the plans for Christmas day we’re doing an intro mhm
For yeah I know yeah but like they don’t care right now okay this is the best of are you making your PIN Wheels yeah oh God yeah so bring some of those over I’m making a ham I’m making pin Wheels I’m making little crunchy pretzel things
With bacon like my mama used to do and I’m going to hook my dad up I’m going to hook up my aunts and uncles that are coming over well Kate’s ANS and uncles and stuff like that I’m doing a ham the spiral ham with a good glaze on that
Some [ __ ] I was going to do a standing uh rib roast okay nobody wants that are you kidding prime rib oh I’ll get you one of those I don’t I have one in my freezer right now actually there you go nobody leaves my house without a steak
You know that so come on good old frozen steaks Hey listen man we can’t thank you enough we love you guys hope you guys have an awesome Christmas everybody support all our sponsors of course first form.com cam andri teston Roofing teston roofing.com uh the Illinois Recovery Center 188874 30971 we’re thinking about
All y’all that are dealing with specific issues this holiday season don’t go to Seth get a spar stay away from that Hockey Shop to get your skat sharpened the tournament go to Sparks do sparks hockey.com Sparks hockey.com get yourself a new sparks use that promo code Cam and strick it’s going to save
You more money than Black Friday and Cyber Monday and of course Bellman at belman there’s no swinging dicks and you get sushi and flavored water and all that type of stuff and all you guys that are bel.com inoy uh Buck GMC Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and all you guys that are busting their
Ass out there man try trying to make your kids happy just remember when you sit down with your lovely wife and you have your coffee on Christmas morning after you guys been fighting you’ve been busting your ass you’ve been working overtime driving 12 hours straight to get the [ __ ] product to where it
Needs to be that’s right just remember you’re going to see your kids and they’re going to have a smile on their face it’s all going to be worth it you guys are busting your ass we all think about you blue cower sons of [ __ ] out there we love you Merry Christmas to all
You guys we love you man stop saying blue color because the wealthy people aren’t as stressed out it’s the hardcore cats that are stressed out dude I’m not talking to the wealthy guy that had not talking to you I’m not talking to me we’re not even wealthy but we’re okay
I’m talking about the heart the paycheck to paycheck that they’re just so stressed out just to make their want their kids to have a a smile on their face that’s who I’m looking at cuz everybody else is okay we have all types of people that are listening yeah I know
But I’m speaking to them right now okay we’re okay Andy like we’re okay you’re okay I’m okay ho night merry Christmas everybody we love you guys but I’m curious when you found out you were going to be the captain of the 1980 team like did her Brooks call you
In like H how was that decision made like how early before the tournament did you find out you were going to be the you know wearing the sea well it’s right when we got back from Europe so I think that would have been um January let me see probably October September October
Um you know we had a player vote and practice was over and we were all you know in a circle you know you get around the the coach coach stands in the middle and Herb looked at us and says guys we got Pratt we’re on the ice tomorrow at
10: uh Mike you’re the captain see you tomorrow and that’s how it went down now there’s no way 12 kids from Minnesota voted for a guy from Boston you know there’s no way in hell that you know because of what was going on the Rivalry between East and West
Nine kids on the team played at the University of Minnesota so clearly they voted for Billy Baker who was the captain of their team the year before um and as Craig Patrick said we voted and Herb counted the ballots uh so you know
It it wasn’t a big deal to me um you I was a captain in high school and I was a captain in college and um I was and I’ve said this many times I was a captain amongst captains uh you know Mark Johnson and Bobby sud were captains at
Wisconsin Kenny Maru and Mark Wells were captains at Bowling Green Jackal callaham was a two-time captain at Boston University pav and Harrington were captains at Minnesota Deluth um Billy Baker uh and Buzzy Schneider when they were at Minnesota were captains at Minnesota Christian Bron Ramsey captains
Of their high school team so you know there was a team of captains so it it wasn’t a big deal to me obviously was a great honor and something I still take great pride in um but it it wasn’t like something oh I’m the captain you know it
Was just be yourself don’t change and and that my teammates respected me I think on the ice and clearly respected me off the ice and I think as a captain of a team that’s all want uh you want your teammates to respect you you want
Them to trust you and and maybe herb saw that if I was the captain that that might be the case but it was never talked about it was never discussed I think my dad was was happier than I was how did the movie portray her Brooks was
It accurate in your opinion and all the little mannerisms he’s done he did in the movie well first of all Kurt Russell was amazing yep I mean it was Eerie watching him when we went to the premere in La I was sitting with Herb’s wife and
Daughter and son and when Kurt herb came on the screen for the first time Herb’s wife went oh my God it’s him I mean it was it was Airy but having said that he was a lot friendlier in the movie uh herb was a little more intense um his
Wife was in the movie A lot and I don’t think I saw her once during the year so you know I’ve always told people it’s it was really the her Brook story and we’re a part of it but I thought the movie was fine I mean a little hollywoodish here
And there uh Mark Johnson should have been mentioned more in the movie because if it wasn’t for Mark we don’t win uh he was that important to our team Kenny M was a great defenseman not even mentioned in the movie yeah and when you see the movie the guy playing Kenny
Shoots the wrong way I think Kenny was a left shot and the guy shot right trying to figure that out really was Kenny pissed about that yeah so it was pretty pretty funny when we saw the movie then here we are at the premiere and we’re all spread out in the theater right
Because we didn’t know this they were showing to us before they showed it that night to to everybody else and we didn’t know what was going to be said nobody interviewed me I didn’t talk to anybody so we’re kind of watching the movie wondering where they’re going with it
Rather than you know sitting down and watching a movie halfway through the movie Kenny Maru who’s as quiet as quiet can be yeah steps up in the theater and he goes hey was I even on this effing team and we just about lost it and we and Kenny just
Sat down and we watched the rest of the movie uh but it was done well I mean you know I think the HBO documentary might be a little better um and that’s I think how the movie came about I think uh you know Disney saw the HBO documentary and
Said this this got to be a movie and not just a 30 minute wow segment well you know every every youth hockey team every Junior Team they’re watching that on the bus Kenny Morrow by the way lives in Kansas City he’s here in St Louis all the time watching games I’ve gotten to
Know him really well he Scouts for the island yeah yeah I can’t see him standing up and saying that it’s amazing that he did that but like what in the movie in terms of the most popular scenes whether it’s m Rion Boston University you know her Brooks on the
Ice saying again again and you know skating the hell out of you guys you know coming back on the ice after a game did all of that happen is there anything that was just completely out of the blue fabricated that it just never happened no well we skated uh we played Norway
The game ended in a 3-3 tie uh only 16 of us dressed that night there were 26 players on the team at that point nobody had got cut from from the team yet so the the other 10 guys were in the stands Buzzy Schneider got thrown out for
Fighting so there were 15 of us left and the game ended in a tie and her obviously wasn’t very happy with the way we played and came out on the ice and proceeded to put us through the drills we called him herbes um and suicide gassers whatever they call them today
And we didn’t do him 15 at a time we did them five at a time well maybe six because the two goalies were there and we’d do them for about 15 minutes and then we’d stretch then he blew the whistle and we went again then we did
Him for 15 minutes and then we stretched and then we did him again and we did him for about an hour and a half maybe an hour and 20 minutes uh they shut the lights off in the building at the end we thought we were done and then we did
Some more and if I remember correctly Mark Johnson guys were smashing his stick against the boards we were pissed and the guys who didn’t dress they wanted to get dressed and come out because they thought it was going to be a practice after a game we practiced always we always practiced the morning
Of a game full practice it wasn’t just sweats and loose you wh practice and um herb said no you you guys just stay here and watch and then Mark smashed the stick against the glass and I remember her saying if I hear another goddamn stick smack against the glass you’ll
Skate till you die well nobody said a word and we finally went in the locker room and we had to play Norway the next day and he said if you guys play this way again you’re G to skate again well we went eight to nothing the next day so
Message understood damn right you know they call that a safe sport violation by the way that a happen anymore say hey we’re going to skate until you die the parents the parents aren’t putting up with that mik you know you know you know the lesson was this um respect is a very
Important value and probably the most important value in life let alone in in in a locker room and I believe we skated because we lost sight of that value and Herb was telling us if you don’t respect yourself you will not be successful if you don’t respect your teammates you
Will not be successful and if you don’t respect your competition you will not be successful and I think that was the message for us was we didn’t do we did not do all of those three things and I think he he needed us to understand early on in order for us to
Be successful these are the things we need to do I think a lot of people forget that you played Finland in the championship round I mean I seriously people do forget that because you guys celebrated such a worldwin again beating Russia leading into the Finland game like what was herb saying before the
Game what were you saying to the guys cuz that must have been somewhat bizarre after you basically just won a championship and all a you got to regroup and you got to go again if you really want the gold we beat the Soviets Friday night and a lot of the guys went
Back to the um place where our parents were staying to watch the game because it was on a tape delay so the game was on at eight o’clock the only time herb let any of us go to a press conference was after the soovie came Jimmy Craig
And I were Downtown lake pla with Jim Lampley being interviewed about the game and we had won I go back to the Olympic Village and the guys had already watched the game and they were we were in trailers four guys to a trailer and um I
Was I was living with Baker Vota and um Jimmy and we went back and we had a little refrigerator we had some bears in the fridge and we’re having a few bears and just kind of enjoying the moment and get up Saturday for practice and it might have been the hardest or second
Hardest practice we had all year we’re in the walk room we’re laughing we’re joking guys are signing autographs sticks and pictures and Herb came in and flipped those screaming you know who do you guys think you are and we skated our asses off Saturday morning and you know
I’m like why is he so pissed off we just beat the Soviets but he did what he needed to do looking back he needed to get all that energy out of us get all that excitement out of us because we had another game to play on Sunday and I
Told herb years later her after we beat Finland we had the team that would would have played another game I mean these guys just we just love to play and he didn’t have to skate us that hard after the after the Soviet game but he made us
Very aware that we had another game to play and um we were as prepared to play Finland as we prepared to play any other any other game we knew it was at stake and you know I think you know the story goes we’re we’re losing two to one going
Into the third period and Herb came in the locker room and Jacko Callahan first of all he must have said it a hundred times there’s no way a bunch of effing fins are keeping us from a gold medal and Jack was walking around the locker room and Herb walked into the locker
Room he stood in the middle he pointed at us he said if you lose this game he’ll take it to you effing grave and he walked out he stopped at the door and he said you’re effing grave and we went out in my opinion and i’ I’ve only seen the Finland game once
And that was probably 30 years ago um I think we played the best 20 minutes of hockey we played all year and scored three goals we win four to two and and we win the whole thing but the one thing about herb and people are surprised at this after we beat the
Soviets he never said congratulations good game good win after we beat Finland to win the gold medal he never said hey guys that congratulations that was unbelievable he stayed totally away and let us enjoy the moment let us Embrace each other the guys were crying in the
Locker room it was an incredible place to be and we beat Finland to win the gold metal and all of a sudden herb calls me into the back into the shower area and he says I just got a call from the White House President Carter is
Sending Air Force One or one of the planes to take all the Olympians to Washington for celebration at 6: in the morning I want you to make sure that nobody’s act nobody acts up and stays out late tonight I looked at him I said I said who’s gonna watch
Me but you know we stay out pretty much all night again I tell you the story because it goes back to respect herb was telling us respect your success respect your accomplishment respect all the work that you put in individually and and we put in collectively don’t do something
To take away from that so he stayed so prepared and so focused from beginning to end he never went on the ice and celebrated with us he never told us congratulations he let us enjoy the moment up until even when he passed we had events that we would go to a weedies
You know General Mills bunch of the guys in the team herb never came he stayed away and then maybe called me a couple of days later and say hey what was the event like why don’t you come to one of these nope this is your moment this is
Your team you guys did what you did and I you know I I think he would have loved to have been a part of it but if he was I think guys would went oh now you wanna now you want to be our friend yeah you
Know and I think it was hard for him I I think he would have loved to embrace us although you know he coach nine of the kids at the University so he kind of knew them um you know I’ve said many times if it wasn’t for Craig Patrick who
Knows how we would have done CRA Craig was you know good cop bad cop and Craig was an important part of our success just to have somebody we could kind of talk to sometimes so all right as The Story Goes you know vladislav treak you know wildely considered probably the
Best go tender in the world at the time gets pulled after the first period did you ever talk to him at all I know you said some of the other Russians didn’t did you get to know him and have you ever been to Russia yourself have you
Ever traveled to Russia yeah I I went to Russia years years ago and did a Trivial Pursuit with Brad Park Jerry chers uh and I and I think it was just Brad Park Jerry chers and me because they were introducing Trivial Pursuit to the Soviet Union ah apparently the game
Came out of Canada and the people who started the game new Brad or new Jerry so that was the only time I went to to the Soviet Union um it’s not talked about in the Soviet Union it’s like the event never happened uh I remember years
Ago years ago I got a call from Alexi catano a great defenseman played for the devils and for the the Red Wings and he called me at home this was before cell phones and I’m thinking one how do he get my number and what do he want with
Me so he says I know with a little small talk and and he goes Mike we have many Soviet players living in the United States we play five exhibition game 80 team Soviet team we all make money and I said Alexi I don’t play anymore but let
Me call some of the guys so whenever I get requests I always call O calling in Jack is a character unique in his own way so I I lay the story out to Jack and Jack says here’s what you do you call him back and tell him screw him we beat
Him once we not playing him again so I call kasat back I said Alexi I talked to the guys you know we don’t play hockey anymore but we’re really Avid golfers I said if you want to do a five City Golf Tour we’ll play golf we’ll make some money
For charity and we’ll we’ll all make a few bucks at the same time there’s a pause and I he we don’t play golf yeah so that was the last time I talked to anybody in the Soviet hockey team so you never talked to treak at all about that about that
Incident were you guys even like phased by the fact that he was taken out of the game was that even talked about they took out Trak and put in Michigan yeah and that’s like taking you know uh Patrick RAR out and put and Martin bodor I mean Michigan was the goalie that shut
Out the the NHL Allstar six to nothing okay clearly he didn’t have the history of treak and how great treak was um treak l in two goals in the first period and you know years later you wonder hey maybe he was having a bad game we’ve seen every every great athlete sometimes
Isn’t on their best and the only the other goal he l in two and two periods but we would never you know when they pulled Trak it wasn’t like hey guys trac’s not playing it was like we were never and this is why I think herb was a
Great coach we were never concerned about other teams and what they were doing we were we we were only concerned about ourselves and in the movie you see a herb a lot on the bench saying play your game play your game that’s H how we played the whole Olympic Games we were
Never concerned about other teams this is the way we needed to play in order to win we can’t all of a sudden change and do something different because we’ve been successful playing the way we were playing now if we fell behind by three or four goals maybe we would have done
Something different but the fact that the games we played um we were in every single one of them no reason to do anything different and worry about what they’re doing let’s continue to do what we were doing which was playing pretty damn good hockey and I’m going to give you a
Statistic um and I didn’t know this until about maybe two three years ago in the third period of the Olympics we outscored our opponent 17-3 that is an unbel believable statistic oh yeah two we period of time that’s those Herbies in that conditioning and every teammate that I
Played with said the best shape they were ever in was the six months playing under herb and I think the conditioning in our youth you got remember our average age was only 22 21 and a half and I was Buzzy Schneider and I were 25 we would be the youngest team in college
Hockey today wow well at 20 yeah CU all these guys are like got 22y old freshman nowadays you know yeah it’s a very different that’s that’s a whole different subject it’s funny it’s funny you say that go ahead sorry no we we we you know we we dominated teams in the
Third period and and like I said that that’s that’s an incredible statistic you know we were we were trailing Sweden we were trailing R uh uh Norway no we’re trailing Sweden we were trailing Czechoslovakia we were trailing Norway we were trailing West Germany by two goals we were trailing like the Soviets
Throughout the game and we were trailing Finland and came back and won all those games so I again I think that just that’s it’s it’s a thing that hockey players know that just tells you how good how good we were uh as as a as a
Hockey team to be able to under the gun being so young and playing your best hockey when you’re behind I think that speaks volumes of the type of players that we had that’s interesting I had a player tell me the other day because John tarella and is known for his hard
Training camps oh yeah and the player said the other day he goes That’s why Philadelphia got off to a great start last season and why they’re off to a great start this season because they’ve got their hardest training camps they’re ready to go before everybody else and
Then it’s only a matter of time before they fall off who knows how that plays out hey hey the movie Miracle though did you guys make money on it are you okay yeah I think each guy When the Smoke cleared I think we all get like 880,000
Bucks or 85,000 bucks I mean Disney probably made about 20 million yeah we got 85,000 but it was I donated last night I watched it again last tonight so I donate some more hey let me ask you though like you know you play hockey long enough and you’re in an
Important game and you’re up by a goal and you got 10 minutes to play that 10 minutes is like four hours like how was that you’re up you just are you just staring at the damn clock the whole time like I me what was it like on the bench
And playing well you know what we we played four lines we never wavered from four lines um and you would we at one point if I remember we could play four lines in a minute and 30 seconds I mean your shifts were maybe 15 to 20 seconds
Max wow maybe magic maybe mark would stay out a little longer because he was so good and needed him out there but we just we just kept rolling we just kept rolling and you know I’ve I’ve only seen the Soviet game twice maybe know three
Times and I I haven’t seen it in in maybe 10 years and when I watch the game and this this was something I didn’t know because you’re playing the game in the last 10 minutes of the game the Soviets had seven shots on gold in the movie Miracle it’s like you
Know we’re not even defending yeah we we kind of shut them down in the third after after I scored and they started doing things they were dumping the puck in the zone soet never dumped the puck in his zone They regroup and and you know throw it back and criss cross and
Do everything so I think we kind of got them off there off their game um and it was like holy [ __ ] we’re going to lose this thing and you know they never pull the goalie which we were surprised on the bench always looking to the well it
Would have been to my left you know when’s he coming when’s he coming and they never pulled him maybe because they’ never been behind before well they never pulled the goalie yeah that’s right terrible terrible coaching Mike yeah yeah I mean how do you not do that
Hey listen what kind of role do you think Al Michaels has played in how the entire achievement has been commercialized and the whole Mantra behind miracle I mean just think if he never said Do You Believe In Miracles what what would be different today if he never said
That um well we wouldn’t be saying it maybe he would have said you know this is an impossible Victory who knows what he would have said but you know Al has been a very close guy on our team when we have Team functions we always
Invite Al uh he he says he’s our mascot he’s our team mascot um but yeah it was a great I thought what he said after we beat the Finland game this Impossible Dream comes true I thought that was a great line but everybody still talks about the Soviet game you know you if
Put it this let’s you know we were just talking about if we don’t beat Finland we’re not having this conversation I know you know people would come up to me and say gez Mike if he only could have beat Finland to win the gold medal y uh
And and and there was a chance if we don’t beat Finland we could have come in fourth place and not even won a medal because there was a point situation then it wasn’t the like it wasn’t a gold medal game you carried points into the semi-finals and the finals so the
Finland game was by far the biggest game we we would play wow what was the Olympic Village like when you guys get done with Finland you guys cruising around saying hey we’re high-fiving everybody the girls are probably coming up to you I must have been unbelievable where’s the where’s where’s the figure
Skaters where figure skaters at the Swedish the Swedish the Swedish B Bob SLS yeah they’ll find you there were signs in all different languages in the Olympic Village congratulating us on on on winning it was pretty cool but if it happens I would be happy to entertain um an
Opportunity to coach somewhere in uh in the show he is Jack he is man I like your attitude no absolutely that’s the attitude you have so how did it all go down I mean did you know the phone call you get that probably at a weird time of
The day and you’re like okay what’s this all about so how’d it go down yeah so I we left the rink and and it’s been document I’ll tell you we we had lost to Detroit we get back um and I’ll tell you the whole scenario because I haven’t
Really uh told anybody this part but we were like what do we do tomorrow we’ve got to try to do something different so as you guys know as hockey people we we brought them in said everybody come to the rink they they probably expected us
To get on the ice and bag skate and whatever said we’re going to do an active stretch with our strength and fitness guy we set up the pingpong table we’re going to pick teams we’re going to do a pingpong tournament we’ve got nice lunch um prepared the coaches we watched
Every single uh shift of the hockey game and and a lot of times we just go off into our little pockets and one guy watches PP PK ozone dzone I said I want to watch the whole game figure out what’s going on here so we went through
The process and it was like in the video guy Jonas Plum was clipping as we were going and we were playing slow playing slow playing slow so we put all these clips together I had like 35 40 clips and I was I weeded them down after practice of us playing fast playing fast
Playing fast so we leave I left the rink I said to the guys the guys are all still there I go guys let’s get out of here we’ve been here all day um let’s not all day it was like 1 one two o’clock I said I’m going home grabing a
Nap I’ll see you guys tomorrow I’m Jack let’s get it going uh bright and early tomorrow morning get here take my jeans off and in the bedroom and I get a call from Billy and Billy Garen and I pick the phone up and he’s like like uh dino
Can you U meet at the uh at my office in about 20 minutes and I’m like yeah for sure Billy call my wife immediately and I go one of two things is happening either I’m getting fired or he’s going to ask me to fire one or more of our my
Assistant coaches it’s just the feeling that you get I walked over there walked into his office he’s sitting there nobody’s in the office um except for him and uh I I looked at ad him and I said you’re firing me and he said yep or he
Didn’t say yep he just nodded his head stood up came around the desk we had a hug uh I’ll be honest with you we both cried um very emotional then we sat down I thanked him we talked about the team what it needs um the the future of the
Franchise my future his um family we just we just shot the [ __ ] for about I don’t know 45 minutes an hour and and uh then I I thanked them again and I walked out I’m trying to remember if Billy did he Fire Bruce or were you the first coach he’s ever had
To fire as as a general manager no he he fired Bruce um but he did it a little bit different um we were all in the room one day um he came in his office is uh was beside at our practice facility beside Bruce’s and we didn’t even know
He just came in and and asked to speak to Bruce um that we didn’t see anyway he came in and then he came around the corner and he he said Dean you got a minute he took me in his office Bruce had already left and that’s when he told
Me that uh he had let Bruce go and that he was putting me uh as a interm head coach so cam just asked like did you not know I’m curious if you ever have that feeling I mean you’re doing that press conference and you’re you’re you’re
Listen I don’t want to say calling out you’re speaking the truth about Matt baly man he wasn’t scoring you’re saying he’s making a lot of money these guys get paid to score I’ve heard Chiefs say that you know several times when guys aren’t scoring man hey the guys who get
Paid to score need to score are you at that point knowing that hey this is kind of coming to an end this could be like you know heading the other way does that even creep into your mind whatsoever I mean you don’t have any heads up that
Maybe this they could be looking to go in a different direction it’s a great question um and one that I’ve pondered here um you know you start thinking right you start thinking different things and we had tried everything like uh or I had tried as a head coach not
Tried everything we are obviously still in the process of doing that but as you guys know like when this stuff happens you you you you you stroke them you Pat them on the back and you know stay with it guys we’re we’re getting the scoring chances we’re not scoring Matt B had one
Goal um he’s 22 years old he’s making $7 million I don’t care how old you you’re getting paid to score um so I’d brought him in and I’d yelled at him um I’d brought in individuals harsh meetings brought in the captains our starts aren’t good it’s on you guys you know
Not necessarily just the the the coaching staff Billy had a private meeting with the entire team screamed at them called guys out um for their contracts for different things this that so we were both trying to do all of it so that press conference I was
Frustrated and I don’t usually do that I probably shouldn’t have did that I don’t do that normally in public um but when you get frazz it it wasn’t like I I thought this is our last draw we’re going to get fired it was just more of a spur of the- moment frustration they’re
Asking well how do you get baly going I’m finally well Baldi has to get Baldi going at some point here um and obviously he scores um you know the next game and St Louis happen course against yeah against St Louis and he and he played great he’s he he was
Getting the chances and and as you guys know and and and you know his ex players and people that are around it you it’s fragile the mind’s fragile right I mean they just got into this rut and it just they just couldn’t come out of it and
Individually and and as a group but like I said I thought we were honestly on the right page that that ping pong tournament it was like they were like screaming and yelling and as you guys know it just it was they forgot about hockey for a little bit what happened
With you and Rick bonus that one time remember he was he’s like pointing at you on the bench I’m reading his lips he’s like talking about your now I’m not a very tall I’m like five I’m like 5’11 he Shing your height oh damn think yeah he’s giving me he’s giving me
This one like and I’m like well no [ __ ] I’m short why do you I get it I I’m not big but you sent Reaver out right I guess it was towards the end of the game what was going on get set the scene for us for those who don’t know well they
Had um Ellers uh head cross check Carill behind the net and it got the game was out of hand they were beating us uh by a few goals and it was late in the season and Hartman um reverse hits eers um and then it started this this kind of [ __ ] show and
So we’re killing a penalty and I put I think we’re killing I can’t but I put Revo on the ice and it you know I and believe me I’ve never tapped a guy on the back I’ve never I I would never ever do that as a coach um because as a
Player and a guy that fought um if a Coach told me to go fight someone i’ be like you go freaking fight that guy like so I never tapped the guy but you do put players in situations um to to be a calming effect on the game or to be a
Physical presence on the game so Revo went out there and uh him and Lowry fought and it was a great fight um both did really well and afterwards or I looked over and he was just screaming at me and like like and he was giving me the you know you little or
Something I say it to him all the time yeah which I believe me I’ve been called short my entire life forget about my career so it it really doesn’t hurt me if somebody calls me you know small I am small and I and that’s what drove me
To play in the National Hockey League but um so anyway it was documented I’ve seen the video and stuff and I I’m not going to yell at another coach through two panes of glass and like what am I we going to fight like so I just I
Literally just I just went like this if you want just come over he did the old come on over yeah I I didn’t I didn’t yell I just said just okay come on over and and and then so funny thing is and Bones will tell you
This too we had uh coach GM meetings in Chicago prior to the season and I hadn’t seen them since that incident and we had a break and everyone was getting the water or coffee or whatever and I snuck up beside him and I’m like bones I said
What what what the hell was that and he just starts laughing I said don’t you’re not going to yell at me again this year and he goes the reason I was mad is that I never had a Ryan Reeves on my team to put out there so he’s like so we we had
A good Giggle and and and I got a great deal of respect and and to be honest you one of the first texts that I uh that I got after I got let go was from him I like him man how was your relationship with Reaver CU I play I play with he
Took my job in St Louis so I I kind of hate him a little bit but uh he’s a good dude and he’s a tough guy and uh you know little loud little loud he’s chirping a lot of uh Superstars now and he’s kind of getting owned a little bit
But uh how was your relationship with Reaver well first of all he took your job because he’s not tougher than you though right k um I’m too 50 now he could get the puck out he was better than me 600 games man I can’t you can’t deny that dude he’s still grinding it
Making some good coin you know yeah no and you know what he’s uh he’s a real good teammate too he’s um he cares uh about the group um obviously he’s tough the the problem he’s having now is that nobody wants to fight him right you know
He’s just he’s just why like what would be you know so that’s that’s the tough part for him um but I have a a great deal of respect for uh anyone that plays in NHL but anybody that fights as much as that and uh has the courage to um
Stand in front of 20,000 people as as you and I know C it’s you know you you you get you you have an opportunity to get knocked out and embarrassed and and what have you and if you know you still do it takes a lot of takes a lot of
Courage and it’s still part of the game um not as much as it used to be obviously when uh when you played and certainly when I played um but uh but he’s still doing it um and like you said I got a great deal of respect for him
Yeah different era he’s not as tough as cam you know a little bit little bit of a but you know what I I I give him credit too man he’s he’s been able to extend his career and he’s still doing his thing making money who’s cool on that Vancouver team like were you
Single were you like in the mix like who was your like running Partners um well sh o’ Bren was there right we had been uh because it was on waivers we were in a hotel together so we hung out every single after every game basically right um so he was super
Fun to B with and you know he he wasn’t shy most times you go out and you’re in a Canadian city you’re you’re you know doing things on the low key and he was like the exact opposite right like you’d go out and and funn all the beer in
Front of all the fans right so yeah he was he was a riot it was it was a lot of fun but like when you guys was there I sat beside Dary hor track oh yeah too time there he was always coming up with funny things so when you guys like uh
Like the coach and everybody knew like if you and Shane hung out the night before and you walk in like they’re like evaluating you too everywhere you go right like like what do these guys do like you know I I get the feeling right like I mean every time you walk on
Locker like we gotta we gotta freshen up a little bit because they know we probably went out yeah well the thing was is Shane was so obvious about it when he went in the next day that there wasn’t like questions or anything like it wasn’t he was really funny that way
Like he would even show up late and like everybody knew and but everybody liked it because we we needed that on a team and they had even said that’s why they brought in horuk and O’Brien and some other guys because um it might have been a little too nerdy on
The team uh and they were like hey like we got to bring in some guys that bring some some little more to to the season right I they were they were everybody was cool about everything there like yeah I’d say all the the leaders of the team um would
Would come up and ask like how was the night out or something right like it was it was very much like that compare playing in Toronto versus playing in Vancouver like two major Canadian cities they get a lot of attention a lot of controversy headlines Galore I mean
Which which place is easier to hide and which place do you think is easier to play from a privacy standpoint uh well Vancouver is much easier it’s a very it’s a small town and um the hockey fans that are the hockey fans would would just say hi and leave you alone
And want not really want to have conversations too much right and if they did it was appropriate where I think in Toronto it’s such a big city four million people and they’re just gigantic Leaf fans that if they randomly saw you they would just have to talk to you
About the Leafs and and and give their opinion on other teammates and say like that guy’s not playing good or this that and you’d be like hey that’s my buddy like what do you like what do you think why are you telling me you don’t like
This guy the team like be that buddy so yeah it was interesting it was interesting I I you know I preferred to my rookie year I just loved playing in Toronto because it was so new I was you know 20 years old and I just would love
The Saturday nights to go out and just have a good time and be popular and and great but then then the next couple years um you start getting sick of it so they’re like you’re minus four you’re like oh I’m minus three you dick they’re yelling out
The window you know yeah exactly hey but what about like okay so you know it’s a it’s sometimes a pain in the ass of play for the Leafs okay I get that but you are in the spotlight and even after your career I’m sure you can go back there
And like do an autograph session and probably make 10 G’s you know what I mean like there’s a lot of opportunity as well right yeah I think I think uh um you know I haven’t really been back to do anything like that in in Toronto I know the alumni there probably have so
Much to do uh They Don’t Really reach out but in Vancouver we do a lot of lumni stuff uh yeah you wouldn’t get paid in in Vancouver for things um people have already seen you so many times that uh you know it’s not really a big deal but in Toronto with all the
Little communities all around that are huge hockey fans uh if you’re going to go visit um you know Barry or Miss Saga or all those towns around there then yeah you could probably do autographs but you know I don’t know if I’d enjoy that so it’s an hour you just get it
Done and you know I mean you’ll be all right yeah yeah hey who was your GM there was it was it berky or was it Mike Gillis at that time um in in vancou we had Gillis yeah okay and then in Toronto we had Pat Quinn and then Ferguson okay yeah okay
Yeah so you were there when leonga was there though was was he the captain already or was he not the captain of the team he was the captain and a few of us didn’t really believe it because the French I was just got there I was sitting beside hu and demit was there
And some other guys that were you know they came in the room and because you know you got the Sedin there you got you know BX Willie Mitchell K you you got some decent leaders there right and when when they came in the room and said uh and it was
Viho and there’s this French Connection in the locker room too we had some French guys and when he said like oh the captain’s Longo like me and huk weren’t quite sure if he was serious or not because we hadn’t had a goalie Captain right um but yeah he was named captain yeah
Interesting what about Kesler because uh we just had hordy on too and you know he kind of he said he bumped heads a little bit with with kesla a little bit how was your relationship with him and how was he with everybody in the locker room um
You know what we the locker room was you know you had the Keesler the exit Burrows we had a lot of guys who were very um clicky great to play with because they were aggressive and they were willing to like get out there and stick
Guys and and that and then you had the more passive guys like the sadine Twins and the the the dmen who were sort of like just stay at home guys whatever and Luongo too and Luongo wanted things just perfect in front of them and then when
Guys take penalties he’d get mad and but sometimes he’d be happy because he’d be sticking up for them um I had a good relationship with with Keesler he like he’s from Michigan and I’m in Windsor so he would he’d always want to invite us out in the summer and things like that
He’s he’s a super friendly guy um when when you’re on his team but yeah the buding heads would have been you know those guys like take penalties and be more aggressive and then you had other guys that were like hey I don’t even penalty kill just stay over the box like
We’re going to win like I’m you know you have the svin the best five on five players in the league and then you they were great on power plays I was like you never took a penalty I don’t see how he’d ever lose the game you know so
There was always a bit of that was leango a good teammate though like guys like him like was he was he in the mix off the ice hang on because he he hated his contract I he love loved it on payday right but obviously it prevented
Him from getting moved and all that type of stuff at one point and he was pretty vocal about that yeah yeah I mean they structured the contract in such a strange way it wasn’t a normal contract and you know they had sort of his agent
Then must have sold it to him as this was going to be a good thing for you right and yeah he was giving up money because we had such a good team right and we wanted to bring in you know mat sine came to play and some other guys
Would come to play and and wanted to win so he ended up up with a bit of a weird situation was Cory Snider was playing well too but uh no he he was a he was like a really good regular dude you know he took his thing super
Seriously um but uh yeah as a captain he’s he’s a goalie so so it kind of would get hard right you know it’s something I wasn’t used to and uh you know well like in timeouts would you come by the bench and be like listen here’s the deal between periods yeah yes
I mean it’s hard as a goalie like what do you say hey go block them shots guys or go hit or do that like you can’t do it yourself physically so it would get hard right and it’s goofy it’s goofy it’s it’s Goofy and he was already the
Personality that um he was incredible goalie if he saw the shots or if things were positioned right around him like you couldn’t beat him like in practice you can’t beat him but um if the puck goes across the ice he doesn’t move as fast he’s so stationary um so he would
Like when the goals would go in it would it would be because someone made a nice cross- siiz pass and he’s not there because he’s playing the shot right so he would say like that’s not really my fault like what he guys’s doing like in
His own mind you could tell and it was true it was like yeah he’s not he’s going to stop every shot why are you not playing the pass you know so it so it was it was interesting because uh he was an interesting dude that way what about
In uh in Toronto how how’s Matt sundine as a captain he’s the best he’s the best Captain like he’s like super dedicated super fun um and it was even strange to go and have another Captain because um actually I was having my my my friend or
My cousin who I he actually came to visit me two days ago he hadn’t been in Vancouver in forever and he took him he like you remember Matt San’s 500th goal party and uh uh I was like yeah cuz he was there there I brought him out and
Like Matt was so much fun he hosted parties at his house paid for everything on the road he’d take guys for dinner take pay for everything like just the great God I always wanted to know what the young guys were up to love the stories um but he scored his five mon
The goal and I had been organizing things uh downtown at the the clubs or whatever because I was the rookie and he ended up gets his five month goal he’s like I want to go out and he’s like what’s the spot tonight I like was a Thursday or something and uh you know
And he’s such a VIP he wants like five the goal he wants to have a big good time so I I was like okay so I rushed out of my equipment got down there got a couple tables and they’re like put your card down right and I was like ah okay
Baby I was like yeah but only for the first the first bottle but like I like I I don’t have the the money to do it myself and guys would just come in and out so it was a funny night because I was trying to get other guys like hey
Well you got to come chip in or you got to figure this out D and and the guys weren’t weren’t budging and they were laughing at me and uh so so I ended up having to tell um the server like hey like you got to get it from from Matts
Like I can’t cover this bill like whatever it was going to be and uh so so um yeah my cousin was laughing at me that it was cheap so I was like I I couldn’t carry the whole whole tab that night but yeah he he he’d come out and
Only a couple beers mats too right but he wanted the whole show with the the multiple tables and the the bouncers not letting people in and all that so um he ended up having to pay for for most of it for his own 500 gold party he’s
Paying for oh yeah dog who are the other big dogs who else was making money on that team oh lots of guys were were were were making money uh you know we I think we had uh gez mccab was there making decent money the goalies were making decent
Money bfor was there he ain’t paying B for’s like I’m out of here you drink my whiskey he’s like I’m not saying he’s cheap but you know he’s Edie B for he’s like somebody else is paying for it I’m here for the party you know yeah that
Had to be fun playing with him man he’s not not everybody went out for the five month goal party because it was a Thursday right so yeah who wasn’t good to you like did anybody uh you know even when you were young did anybody like hey
You need to start work harder and just like you kind of buted heads with as far as like an older guy you are out of shape yeah like you’re out of shape I’m going to evaluate your body oh yeah oh yeah for sure I I think even at Leaf
Camp my first year um there was a lot of older guys because we were fighting for jobs right and uh you know I played on the fourth line so I was fighting for jobs with some older guys at camp and they were like you’re never going to
Make it and and and things like that right which you know of course when I walked in the locker room cam would have saw me you wouldn’t have guessed like is this a trainer like what’s this guy doing you know um so you to you me yeah
Yeah I wasn’t I didn’t even pay attention I didn’t care at all like I wasn’t even paying attention so hey did you really practice one time with two right skates yeah yeah a couple times even yeah he had two pairs he had two pairs of skates and when he had to practice
Somewhere else you know you’d have to bring him on the bus or or whatnot and yeah I was out to lunch I’ll say you but when it was practice and they said like it’s going to be somewhere else yeah I was so out to lunch and and didn’t want
To be there I was just like oh my goodness where are we going like get all your gear on we got to go practice for 25 minutes and it was like yeah I was I was like okay like sure and then pack of my gear wasn’t paying attention half the
Time dude I remember uh I mean in juniors though and like nothing it’s like my Kelly and and the Windsor Spitfires I mean but when you when you know you’re gone the next year and you’re probably going to make the American League like you kind of can do
What you want in juniors at at that point and at that early 2000s as you know and I know I remember one time man you uh I think you were sick and in Windsor and then we’re getting on the bus to go out of town and we’re driving
By and I see you driving with your buddies and your little BMW driving around like there goes Willie oh yeah you remember that little BMW had in Windsor it was hilarious dude yeah well I because I remember pulling up next to you all the time in your white
SUV as a teenager cam had this I don’t know was a Lincoln Navigator or Chevy Tahoe or like a really nice white SUV he had a signing bonus from New Jersey and he had the nicest car on a team and everybody else had you know an older
Vehicle and cam had the really nice one that could fit like six or seven people that money’s gone by the way all that it’s been it’s been gone for a long time hey because the story was like you guys had to like get dressed and then get on
A bus to go practice at a different rink so you had to bring your skates with you and you just happened to bring two right right skates he didn’t bring a right and a left you brought two rights and people were like amazed that it didn’t even
Phase you you just put them both on practi it hurt it hurt but it was funny like guys were loving it right oh yeah and they were like are you gonna do like yeah like we’re here like I’m going to put on uh the two samide skates whatever
It hurt and I couldn’t go very fast but you know I didn’t I wasn’t like it was a regular practice and a regular season where you get on the bus and go somewhere you know but what happened when you went to Leaf’s camp and then
They cut you I guess right and they sent you back to Junior but you didn’t bring your equipment with you you just like left it there in Toronto so then you just didn’t Escape for a couple days you’re like oh I don’t have my stuff
Yeah yeah I’m not sure I I mean that stuff would happen all the time to me you know you know they I remember in junior they tried to make me switch gloves and I wouldn’t and I went out there with no gloves like I was yeah
Dude like during the game and they were like no like you have to wear these gloves no I’m not I’ll go no gloves like I was I was a bit of a a jerk sometimes you’d rather wear no yeah but like even like um even at like uh you know like
Some of the workouts you had to do for testing before like push-ups and like pull-ups and [ __ ] like that where you just like you know what I’m gonna get 115 [ __ ] pints I don’t need to do this military [ __ ] go [ __ ] yourself yeah it was just a different
Time you know like like I yeah when they said like here’s the testing i’ be like okay just Mark me a zero or whatever like let’s get the games going yeah like you dominate I’m here to play the games let’s just play you know I don’t know
What all this stuff is like I’m sure it doesn’t matter and uh but but nowadays looking back like if you put the work in as a teen with your Fitness it’s way easier when you’re in your 20s because you built a base right so you know was
Much harder for me in my 20s when I was after my injury and I was trying to get in better and better shape I was like oh my good you got put in so much work compared to everybody else that got the strong base so it was quite challenging
What you think of like uh Evander Kane like it was a young Evander Kane back then like how how did he interact with the guys how the guys deal with him like Were You There When buff went through his clothes in the shower and stuff like
That or were you not there oh yeah uh yeah I mean all those things were definitely uh deserved he’s my Lin mate my in my buddy like we played really well together on the line and uh I got along well with him but yeah he do a lot
A lot of things on his own like you’d see him at the restaurant and you’d be like hey like why didn’t you wait in the lobby for me and he’d be eating on his own and stuff and and and he’d still want to eat alone and you’d be like okay
Bud like so but he I mean he’d go out and do his own thing he wanted to be like he always wore nice clothes bought all kinds of stuff when he was on the road and guys would be like you know why do you need four four Louis Baton bags
For somebody and like you know he was just being himself but it was so foreign to what uh most guys are quite not very showy and humble and he was like the opposite right yeah so yeah he he like you tried to give him a hard time but he
Took it so seriously and someone gave him a hard time too like it could be a fight if if he said something and he’d be like really offended so it it was an interesting year for sure but I mean I liked I I really liked him on the ice he
Was a great player he still is a really really good player to play with so if he came on the if he came on the plane with like five Louis Vuitton like purses you’re like what are you a woman and he like I’m gonna fight everybody what’ you
Say don’t say that D who’s that going to say it again yeah so yeah so so he would yeah he’d get in a fight in practice or something with a guy for sure like yeah what about big buff he was cool buff buff was the best
He he was the best guy for sure he uh he was hilarious yeah I I really everybody got along with him but I had a lot of fun with him a fisherman fisherman now yeah he would he would always go fishing tub Winnipeg he drive he’d be out
Fishing all the time going on trips um and he um was having boxes of beer on a plane because our flights were so long right win we were playing in the Atlanta division still so we were playing the Florida and Carolinas from Winnipeg and so we were just back and forth on these
Planes and you know he was having beers on the plane and he he end let me see him got a let see let me see him it looks very scary let me see what you got what you got there I got two dogs what kind see yeah what kind oh
Nice oh little babies Johnny J come here Johnny J I got bit by a cocker spaniel one day and I got 20 stitches in my lip from who a [ __ ] yeah a cocker spaniel bit me in the lip a cocker spaniel would bite you that’s what you would get bit by a cocker
Spaniel don’t bite anybody didn’t miss a game miss an interview hi look at the little one an interview oh look at the Gray beard look at the Gray beard I like that so I’m gonna tell a story I usually keep this one but it I mean he he so
After my first game in Nashville um Mitch sorry if you’re hearing this but this is a true story um I played awful I was first time I ever been traded I was I was super nervous didn’t know how to handle it uh we were in Nashville and we lost 54 to Colorado and
I didn’t play well let in two goals that should not have gone in um and just was bummed in the dressing room because you you know you want to you got a new team you want the guys to to be happy that you’re there not not be upset with you and so I’m
Sitting in my stall everyone’s gone and I’m just kind of sitting there staring at the floor and Mitch comes over and he starts pacing in front of me back and forth and he starts naming um other goalies in the league and he’s like Sergey barosi quick and Powerful you not quick and
Powerful and like I’m like in my lowest spot right now Corey Crawford quick and Powerful you not quick and powerful and he did like seven or eight goalies and I was like okay I think I got the point here are we gonna go through the whole league that’s that’s brutal I know he’s
Got a like a incredible reputation too like he’s like the goalie Guru right I mean Mitch Korn people like credit him with a with a lot of you know Reviving guys careers and helping guys get to that next level so your experience with with him wasn’t as good as as it was for
A lot of other people that’s interesting man no and I mean there’s always going to be you know you’re not going to goalie coaches aren’t going to mesh with everyone perfectly um you know i’ I’ve talked to him since everything’s good but yeah certainly um jumped on me at a
Point when I wasn’t ready to be jumped on yeah no it’s good man it’s interesting beat you when you’re down hey h how are guys it was it was a Beatdown for two months too until I got traded how were guys like sudor and perie C like in the locker room I just
Felt like it’s just interesting on the outside looking in I feel like when Billy G took over that was like priority number one we got to move on from these guys and you know the team obviously has had some success since they left like have they taken too much heat did they
Deserve the heat did they run the room were they were they too big of personalities to have both of them there at the same time like how do you look at it not at all I’m uh I’m good friends with Zach he’s he’s an amazing person um
You know I know suits well too they’re very they’re two very different people um but I think that that a lot of that is is speculation uh I think it was just one of those times where it was a change needed to happen and that’s not a change
From those guys but but it was it’s like it’s like a rebuild without being a rebuild yeah right it had been a long time um and they needed they wanted to go younger do whatever they wanted to do and I think that people are looking way too much into their personalities and
Like what was happening in the room personally um I I love Zach like I said he’s he’s one of my really good buddies um and he’s I think he got a bad even when I was gone from there and talking to it just he got a bad rap for things that
That he shouldn’t have got a rap for at all and Suits is a suits as a a bold personality but again he’s he’s he’s a good guy he’s fine he’s it just Everyone likes to tell stories and like make up things that are going on I think it was just time to
Move on and and you know they want to get spurge comes in as a captain and and you got Capri off and it’s just it’s just a different group but you look at you know suits is playing great in in Dallas and Zach you know scored 20 goals
20 one or 22 goals last year like and it was a great part of that team and everyone you talk talk to says the same thing I think it’s just you know it’s one of those things you’re in Minnesota everything gets talked about a lot I
Think it was more more a time for change rather than like those guys were not cancers in the room from my experience being there at all yeah Jared spurger man he’s underrated you know I know he’s got dealing with some injury and stuff like that but even when Mike yo came to
St Louis like we’ even talk privately like hey who’s the best defenseman in Minnesota he’ say Jared Spurgeon he’s our number one dman so I don’t know if you agree with that they were playing in front of you so I don’t know if you felt the same way but man he’s I’ve always
Liked him you know underrated he’s Mr reliable yeah I played against him in junior too I remember I remember chirping him in junior when he just spok in I asked if there I said I thought you had to be 16 to play in this league he still looks like he’s 14 he
Does oh he looked like he was 10 at the time hey did you have a temper like would you ever like lose your mind and there’s a great highlight of like you know slashing like Andre Lee and stuff like that you got to hold man you know you got a hold of them
Pretty good on that one yeah I got a lot I got a lot of dumbass uh Clips like that uh yeah I I had a temper it it went away actually the the older I got the the more calm I got sort of uh but my
Dad always taught me my dad was a goalie and he always like if someone will stand in front of you hack the [ __ ] out of him like this just hell yeah this just what you do and so that’s just like from when I started playing goal when I was like
10 years old I just someone stands in front of me I’m whacking him I’m going to I’m going to hit him in the back I’m going to hit him in the back of the legs and so I just always did it continuously and U it’s funny my first game ever uh in the
WHL I was 15 I was like 6’5 weighed a buck 57 probably I looked like an alien and um I don’t know if you if Cam if you remember the Lynch brothers there I think there was five of them that played in the Western League a few of
Them played Pro yeah I yeah there was yeah Doug Lynch man he was traded he was in the Pronger deal I believe man when he from Edmonton he came he was supposed to be like the the big dog in the in the trade Jeff WWI also oh that’s right
That’s right and Eric Brewer came yep um and so there were five of them in the league and I was 15 first game in Vancouver like first shift and he stand in front of me and I hit him so hard in the back of the legs because that’s just
What I thought I should and he turned around full beard grown man and I was like 150 lbs and he goes touch me again I’ll rip your [ __ ] head off and I was like yes sir won’t happen again my apologies damn right maybe we’re not talking about the same Doug
Lynch yeah I think it this guy this is not Doug this is not Doug there was like there was like five of them they’re all killers yeah one of the Lynch brothers yeah CA Jamal May Doug I think Doug I think was a d man yeah he was and he and
Jamal Meers got in a training camp fight back when they had training camp fights and and and Jammer opened him up pretty good under his eye big black ey was all cut up yeah no this was this was not Doug this is one of the other other boys
But uh yeah and then I got you know it’s funny I get got into it with uh Landis scog the one time everyone always asked me about that because I end up being you know he’s he’s probably best one of the best captains I’ve ever had I mean the
Guy’s the guy’s incredible yeah um and he was one of my best buddies when I got traded to Colorado but I could not stand playing against him and he just like he drove me nuts and he watched the clip and everyone’s like well why’ you slash
Him like I I whack him and then we kind of get into it and and go behind the net nothing really happens but um and I’m like I just saw 92 in my wires crossed and I just started swinging my stick like he didn’t even do anything he
Didn’t bump me he didn’t just I just saw 92 and started swinging I’d be pissed at him too he’s got a little bit of everything he’s got beautiful hair he’s probably a model honestly he’s like there’s nothing bad about him one of the best guys you’ll ever meet to
Like he’s just he’s amazing he I love the guy and it’s so so I was there this was during Co and uh the team puts out you know the guys coming off the bus and the team puts out photos the guys coming off and so they they take a picture and
It’s Lis scog and I’m like walking behind and I look like I’m like I look like a homeless guy that just like lost his house I know at this point because you know I don’t have my family’s not there like I should probably clean
Myself up a little bit but my wife L Tex me and she goes she goes you should probably not get off the bus behind him anymore like she’s she’s not even being she’s not even being mean she’s dead serious she’s like just just stay away from Gabe because guy looks like a GQ
Model does man coming off the bus and he’s tough he’s tough too he man he does he does everything like I was saying last year um gosh and it’s so it’s so sad that he’s not going to be there this year too it’s a different team with him
In and out like when they won the cup when he was gone for a bit before playoffs and he comes back like it is a different team with that guy on the roster oh my God God and I mean there’s not much like better you can say about
Somebody but the guy just does everything hey who’s the closest uh partner that you had like your goal tending tandem who you became closest with probably wasn’t bris Gall off maybe it was man although we we had him talking aliens BRZ the grizzly bear you
Guys had him on here oh yeah yeah we had him we had we had sea Burke on too man you brought him up um bur’s awesome yeah we’ve had a bunch of goalies on like who I can’t I can’t imagine what the stuff that came out of brz’s mouth BR so I
Played with BRZ and Edmonton he would like in between periods and I was younger I mean if I was older this wouldn’t bother me at all but I was younger he’d be like talking to me about Russian Airlines in between the first and the second period I’m like
Dude what what are you talking about it’s like yeah I wouldn’t you know I wouldn’t get on them they’re not safe and I’m like I’m not getting on a Russian airline I’m trying to go play period in the NHL what what are you talking about right now it’s kind of right though I
Know it’s actually right it’s actually good advice practice tomorrow let’s bring it up tomorrow we sit down at breakfast and talk about Russian Airlines but maybe not in between the first and second period of a hockey game I get you man hey last thing for you I gotta ask you about Jordan Bennington
Right I mean on the ice you’re in San Jose that whole situation like what’s your opinion of him and and some of the goalies that kind of have a little bit of emotion you don’t see too many goalies like that anymore to be honest with you you know like mean back in the
Day it wasn’t that unusual you know this is a St Louis podcast so what you not really not really we got people all over you want me to go with it I want your honest answer what what happened on the eyes I didn’t do anything yeah I told
Him I I I told him to [ __ ] beat it because he’s he’s being a fool of himself um and he’s one of my he’s one of Le’s guys too so I mean I don’t know what to say I don’t I don’t know bner well um
Ton of respect for him when it comes to stopping pucks yeah you know I mean that the run that he went on is amazing and he’s still he’s still a great goalie that’s amazing yeah um that situation we can go through that real quick I really
Know what was going on um he let in a couple [ __ ] burgers and got pulled and in San Jose just like we were talking earlier with Hartford he’s got to go all the way to like the far Corner yeah it’s not like you skate to your bench he’s got to go
All the way to the far Corner which was by me and usually when there’s a long break I kind of just twirl around the Zone just kind of keep moving and he went over and I think it was uh shimmick that he went after for who knows what
Reason just cuz he happened to be the guy standing there kind of mix it up a little bit the bench wasn’t a big deal I saw it kind of knew B thing likes to do that so who cares and as I was skating around then he came around and he fake punched
Carlson and you know it was like a thing but I never saw him do that I just knew he was kind of being a clown on his way off the ice so I kind of just like as I was twirling around keeping moving in
The end I just went over to him and I was like get the [ __ ] off the ice man like there’s nobody in the building first of all like what kind of show are you trying to put on here and then so he wound he tries to whack me in the back
Of the leg and I so I kind of shoved him I’m like and then I I thought we’re going I was like okay here we go like I’m I’m a i there’s there only a few guys that I would not go Robin Leonard Ray Emory oh yeah cam Andy
Like but for the most part I’m big enough that like I’m not a fighter but I’m big enough that like I’m gonna I I’ll go somebody I’m not going to get hurt I wouldn’t think with all the gold equipment on so I thought we’re going and then you know the refs shuffle them
Off the ice uh so my issue with what bner does is that to me it’s it’s it’s a it’s all a facade it’s all a show so when I would get into it with guys like we tal you talked about the anders Le thing where that he made me feel like a small
Child um because I whacked him and he turned around with one hand and like bent me over the crossbar and you know with Landis scog like that that’s like those are emotional situations for me like Landy was I just saw 92 and snaap um Anders
Lee I don’t even know if was him but I snapped because somebody I thought it was a reckless play I went to my post and somebody came across and clipped me like in in the head with their leg and that kind of made me snap and it was but
It was like emotional you’re you’re doing it out of emotion and your wies crossed to me watching Bennington is it’s always it’s always the same story he’s playing like [ __ ] he’s getting scored on and he puts on a show and it’s all fake to me because he never actually gets involved
With anybody it’s always between whistles you know rubbing up in someone’s face linesmen are in there coming and yelling at somebody like even last year or uh my last year in Colorado at the end of the year him coming down and like yelling at grow and I’m just
Like in my mind again I’m not I’m not tough cam you are to me is like show me something if you’re if you’re going to keep putting this show on show me something oh [ __ ] I don’t want I don’t want to show if you if you
Get run into like if you get clip or whatever and you snap snap go for it but don’t do it because you’re letting in goals and you’re getting pulled and to me it’s all it’s always the same show with B that it’s he’s he’s he’s not playing well or the team’s not playing
Well he’s letting in goals he’s going to get pulled and then the show begins I thought they would let him and flower last year I thought he and flower which have been awesome I know they should have let him go would get his ass K yeah
I think he’d get his ass kicked he’s a he’s scanny but he is a good answer that’s everyone when everyone ask me after San Jose thing I’m like yeah a sat on his chest like he’s I got 100 pounds on it yeah I know and that might not
Even be exaggerating like you look good though just want to I want to see something I want to see like I want it to be genuine for him yeah because to me it’s not genuine it’s a show well maybe he’s gonna listen now and maybe he’s
Gonna fight the next time he goes out and plays now yeah no doubt he does listen great yeah he’s he is a great goalie it’s but I think everyone to be honest I don’t think I’m alone in that assessment no you’re not no you’re probably not what was your darkest day
As far as like alcohol pills how much were you doing what 30 Beer a Day eating [ __ ] pills then it ties all together like how how bad that but that was American Beer I’m Canadian no I know it’s that light ass beer trust me a lot of people do that
Actually but when you mix it together it’s different yeah the the worst day was uh October 7th 2008 and that’s the day um I was going through well number one zedick had cut his uh recently cut his neck and I’m doing all sorts of media you know just like I was this but
I I didn’t know anything about PTSD then I didn’t know that I had it so you know I’m just doing interviews and yeah it bothers me whatever but you know we man up and push through and don’t acknowledge and and then I was self-medicating drinking you know 25 30
Beers a day just to get through a day and uh yeah it was a couple days three days probably no sleep I wasn’t sleeping I was just I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me but my PTSD had gotten so bad and then Richard Zednik happened
And was just Kaboom and a big explosion and uh that’s when I I went behind the barn and pulled the trigger and your wife was there right when you when you pulled the trigger was she right in front of you or what she had just walked
Up yeah and so what was going on that day though that that led you that that drove you to that point was it any different than any days leading up to that and was it that moment after that that led you to to going into treatment
And getting some help I had no choice uh walking around with a bullet in my head um yeah she hadn’t come home that night she she couldn’t deal with me anymore because I was had a very very uh paranoid paranoia State uh probably psychotic um I was taking the I was way
Over Medicated by this one doctor and then I was drinking a lot and uh you know of course when she didn’t come home that night I’m thinking oh she’s out you know screwing around and that’s that’s kind I think that why I waited for her
To get home to to to kind of say okay you you want to do that to me I’ll do this in front of you and I did but the thing is I didn’t lose Consciousness and um you know the paramedics come and the cops and they
And she called the cops saying he shot himself but the cops don’t know for sure right yeah did she she could have shot me you know so they’re coming in with the guns up and and it was it was pretty intense and I’m just sitting there bleeding
And they wanted me to get on this helicopter I’m like no way that thing might go down like really Clint you know you got a bullet in your head so I was not in a a a clear State of Mind probably for I’d say eight days leading up to the
The gun so like your mind’s just playing tricks on you you’re [ __ ] depressed you’re on all this [ __ ] you’re boozing now the wife’s gone because she’s pissed at you and you’re like oh my gosh she so like a 22 and you’re like you know what it’s over and so when it happened were
You like whoa It’s I’m still alive what do I do now what’ you do well when the gun went off I didn’t even know if there was a bullet in it because I was shooting targets waiting for her to get home and she walks around behind the
Barn she probably heard the the gun and I sat down and there was a table and a bench there and um I and I I think I was trying to make a point and I said you don’t know what it’s like to live in here you don’t know you don’t know and I
Put the gun under my chin and pulled the trigger and when it went off I was like okay I should pass out I should be dead I should be and I’m just standing there bleeding totally conscious I it’s it that [ __ ] just doesn’t happen every day no so the uh
They couldn’t remove the bullet huh like it’s still in there today right yeah yeah how come they couldn’t remove it just because it’s so close to the brain or what yeah too dangerous so did it go up through your jawline and just miss everything it it
Went under my chin here it it it deflected off two teeth knocked those teeth out went over this way and then straight up in my sinus missed my eye yeah you know I I I I I could show you a picture but I don’t think it would
Show on this at all uh I don’t know if it’d pick up but yeah we got great cameras in here the guy that took the the picture was my colleague the veterinarian he he took the photo he’s like here don’t do this again you know
That no he goes you know that you guys know that gall’s humor he goes how’s that bullet do you feel it and there’s a rattle he’s joking and and then he goes hey let’s take an x-ray and I said okay yeah and so he found it on the X-ray oh
Yeah I’ll show it oh yeah I don’t know if you’ll see it or not oh yeah we see it oh my God keep it up there yeah right by your eye whoa right between it went right between my God you think if that was a 38 it would have
Been something different yeah yeah that’d be you’d be dead there a 22 but the thing is but you know the Art of War they use low low caliber uh uh bullets then you know why hey you get you get to get two guys you know you shoot one guy and he’s not
Dead because it’s a low caliber and the other guy’s trying to help him you get to shoot him too exact there’s a book called The Art of War and I think that’s in there oh hell yeah but um yeah you know I mean but a 22 is very scrambly
Had it got through my my skull it would have it would have ricocheted around made made sure I got a great mik Keenan story though yeah um because it’s Iron Mike and you know he had the big uh you know just a you know hard a hard ass and
So was my first year in Florida we had long Longo and we didn’t have a very good team and longang was standing on his head and it was early it was like mid maybe November and Mike uh we Luongo had a Soo game so after the game Mike
Goes you talk to the goalie I said yeah I talk to him yep next day at practice you talk to that goalie you talk your goalie I said yeah you asked me this yesterday later later that day do you talk I’m like what is going on so the next
Game a day and a half later whatever it was we’re we’re down to the Rangers two to one God I know this I even know who we’re playing because I thought I was getting fired and he comes in between periods I’m going in the coach’s office
And he goes did you talk to your goalie and I snapped I said f you you you talk to your team this is a horeshit team I’ll worry about the goalie he stands on his head every night and blah blah blah and I I just
Went off and then uh it was about 1:00 in the morning my cell phone rings they say oh keen and I’m like oh here it comes and he started asking me questions about the game the team what I thought and I thought okay then we talked for a
Bit and he goes okay I’ll see it the rank tomorrow yeah and that was you know some people are like that man I like that from that day on I was his rightand man that’s kind of when he started asking me about the power play and
Things like that we got killed one one night uh uh we’re in Washington we got beat 10 to two and we flew to New Jersey short flight we get in the hotel it’s like midnight you go he called me goalie all the time he goes goalie Lobby 10
Minutes and all we did was go and drink beer we didn’t talk about the game so yeah I kind of became real close with my good guy well he respected you man see that’s what happens like these guys that are that are loud and and they’re
Hardcore they want once you stand up to them that’s right then all of a sudden they start to respect how was Luongo man you like Luongo when you were working with him he was awesome he was awesome but going back to coaches hitch yeah Ken Hitchcock he purposely he wanted guys
Pissed off and telling him to F off and I mean oh he pushed the buttons he did it on purpose yeah did absolutely so like so when you are one-on-one with Keenan away from all the [ __ ] he’s a normal dude cuz we’ve had him on the Pod
We’ve seen him like you know you know he he clicks on to Mike Keenan mode but was he cool and a normal person yeah yeah he had a great sense of humor um I remember one time we were in LA or Southern California we go to this bar it’s kind
Of a lounge and they have a kind of a jazz band in there well Mike knew them and we end up playing half their instruments with them and he’s a fun guy he’s a fun guy yeah you could go on a you could go on a a a 4-Hour car ride
And and just talk away you wouldn’t be uncomfortable it’s Iron Mike or anything like that it it’s yeah great guy really good guy did were you in the brawl no not the 86 one oh the new the one where I think you were a goalie coach maybe for was it Calgary and
Vancouver and torz wanted to fight everybody MCG gratton’s in the hallway were you trying to go after Tor like what was going on with that well I came down from the P box you know between periods I walk in the back door of the dressing no players I say to our V coach
Where is everybody he looks and it points at the cam TV and I go oh [ __ ] so I go out there and our uh Tor was trying to get to our coaches but right outside our locker room and I know Tor uh had him in in Buffalo when I played he was
Assistant coach so I I’m gonna go pop him right and he’d be he we’re friends he’d be disappointed if I didn’t show up our other guys are and mgr’s the one that called me and grabbed me and I couldn’t get away big grats right yeah baby anyways uh after the game we had
Brian Burke was our GM and Bri Brian gave me [ __ ] for that e and then yeah he did I was like you kind of like like that look you just did and uh but the next day uh in front of all the coaches he said no you know what
I’ve thought about this you guys should have done something about it he did the right thing I like w there you go berky yeah he thought about it had to sleep on that like wait a minute I’m Brian Burke I hey we’ve had a a couple different
People tell that story man you know we had mcgran who told that story too so and I I was with the blues I think we went to Vancouver for the next game and they was still being talked about and I’m I’m I’m trying to like you know Envision down the tunnel how everyone
Could kind of get to one another so you don’t see those happen too often but you did have torz man when you were a player and he was an assistant coach right he wasn’t quite a head coach yet did you see him you know going on to having the
Career that he’s had and and becoming successful head coach yeah because when he was coaching in uh Tampa I was with Florida and so i’ see him a lot you know we had a friendship but yeah he he toris is misunderstood um he’s kind of like a
Mike Keenan he he’s just what you see is what you get he’s a a great great guy um but he’s very direct and when he gets behind the bench I mean you know he he’s that’s why he’s you know been in the game as long as he has he’s good do you
Miss coaching uh I love coaching uh I go up and Coach it these military guys and that’s enough for me now yeah the they’re actually fun to coach you know and they don’t get paid anything and you know uh they just love any tips you can give them do I
Coaching yeah I enjoy coaching but the politics and um and that’s in everything but you know it’s it’s it’s getting worse I guess I don’t know hey looking back on it and you know I I know everyone has kind of like made like these heroic comparisons with you for coming back and
Playing 10 days after the injury right do you think that was smart do you wish you would have gone about it differently I I you know I I you get bucked off a horse you get right back on that was my mentality a lot of other things I had to
Prove to people because everybody to me oh if he comes back he’ll never be the same right and you’re wondering the same thing well maybe I won’t be and um let’s see um had to prove the management and and the coaching staff but management because I that was the
End of my contract that year so were you were you ever were you ever the same I I yeah I thought I was I don’t know uh because I didn’t know I had PTSD um years later I I got well yeah years later but it was after my playing
Days what about your first couple of games though and there’s a lot of traffic in the crease bumping in you and guys are bumping into you and pucks are loose and you’re trying to scramble and try to you know jump on a loose Puck where was your mind at right off the bat
Were you constantly thinking about what had just happened before I played my first game I set up a couple drills um and one Darcy loen he he had one gear fast and he crash goalies all the time so I didn’t want him to crash me but I
Used him for the drill you know come in Lean On Me you get you other guys come in and take my feet out whatever you know just fool around stuff just get me into the uh I guess scramble mode yeah just get normal again figure
It out get bumped a little bit like okay I’m okay sometimes you have to trick your own brain and be like no everything’s okay yeah right yeah what about the blues what was their reaction did you ever talk to Steve Tuttle I heard that he was really
Struggling um and I I was I think we were in Toronto and I read it in the newspaper or something so I called I got his number and I called him and it was uh his his roommate was Sergio messel and so I talked to Sergio and anyway Steve Steve never
Called back but I do remember our first game against St Louis we were skating around in warm-ups and I skated by him I said you’re a Cutthroat son of a [ __ ] aren’t you he he laughed you know hockey players that’s probably the best thing I
Could have done to help him you know y because then he knows that it’s just an accident you know yeah that was a fluky thing Man it totally was hey we got to give the uh the Army vet a shout out too who saved your life give the trainer the
Trainer yeah yeah Jim Pizza Telly what you think Pizza I I I had a lot of things going for me to that Sav my life number one it happened at the end of the ice where our doctors and locker rooms and everything had it happened at the
Far end of the ice I might not have made it number two it’s a major sporting event and I get major there’s an ambulance there I get to the hospital and probably the biggest Factor was our our our medical trainer Jim pizelli was a Vietnam vet you imagine saving a guy
In front of let’s say 20,000 people and a TV audience and the blood’s flying you you don’t train people to do that as medical trainers you go to the war to do that right you know he’s seen it he’d seen it before so he knew what
To do and he didn’t Panic you know is he still with us pizza yeah all right yeah we haded up we ended up together in Florida and then the lockout year was San Antonio our farm team in American League so we we both went there and then when I was in
Calgary coaching he was oie yin’s personal assistant so I yeah we kind of stayed together he should have a lifetime contract I know never pay taxes again or something I don’t know you you save somebody’s life no you’re not paying taxes anymore right you know what I mean is and I noticed it
When you came to St Louis I’ll never forget I see you carrying that bucket of pucks out to the rank before anybody gets on the ice you know I I talk to some of your teammates and be like yeah he’s always first one to the rink last
One to leave yep you know but like there was like a reputation you know because you are single you’re living the life and do you feel like that maybe held you back I mean like even when listen it’s out there Lisa an she comes out and says
Whatever she says publicly do you feel like you had to chase that reputation as a result and it was like unfair that there was like this perception of you that was out there that may not have been completely accurate 100% I was still dealing with it you know to this
Day the last couple years like you you had some teams that would say oh he’s a party animal like anyone who knows me knows I’m not a party do I like to have fun yeah absolutely not nearly there’s plenty of other guys who party a lot
More than I do I like to be social I like I’m single like God you know God forbid that I wasn’t ready for a relationship and I I wanted to just do me and be on my own and it’s like it was thrown in my face about my my marital
Status which I think is is so wrong and you guys saw it firsthand in St Louis like I work my [ __ ] ass off and it just felt like a constant uphill battle of having to prove people or having to tell people hey like no I actually work my ass like
Know like this body not to be cocky like this body doesn’t happen overnight like I was a chubby kid growing up I worked my [ __ ] ass off for this you saw me at the ring the first guy at the rink every single first guy in the weight
Room guys there be no one at the rink and I’d be grinding the weight room first guy in the ice shooting pucks that’s how it was every day throughout my career I was always first guy at the rank I worked my my ass off just because
Something may have came out to the media or I didn’t have a girlfriend I remember I think one of my contracts right where it was I actually lied and said like yeah I have a girlfriend like that was one of their questions oh are you single
Or like what are you doing like no no I have a girlfriend I have to lie about it for them to convince them to give me a contract why does that matter does look at my look at my play on the ice look how I am as a team and I take pride
That’s how I got my name on the Stanley Cup you know the parameters wouldn’t have allowed me to have my name because of the amount of games I played I didn’t play any playoff games but the guys appreciated the work I put in knowing that you know God forbid someone did get
Hurt I would have been able to step in lineup and they would have trusted me and know I was there to do the job because I work my ass off every single day so this uphill battle it was [ __ ] exhausting it was exhausting just be
Like man sorry I’m a wheel do I gota take my [ __ ] shirt off and Flex for you goddamn hey did any GMS or coaches ever pull you in to talk about that like did was it ever really an issue uh no no one ever said it to my
Face but it they would say that to my agent when we’d be negotiating contracts or or whatever would be happening in the summer no one would say it to my face because I would give them the same answer I gave you guys like what’s what’s the problem that I don’t have
Have a girlfriend I’ll if you want to sign me if the only way you’ll sign me is if I get a girlfriend sure I’ll get one tomorrow but I’m not going to be happy I’m not going to be able to give you the best possible version of Michael
Delado on the ice so why why does that matter I’m not doing anything wrong I’m not doing anything that’s hurting the team or hurting my play on the ice so that’s a part that bugged me the most is just you would hear the Rumblings behind
The scenes or to other people and no one would address it to my face so they’re they were [ __ ] cowards is really the only way to put it and and that that bugged me because if I have an issue with someone bring it up it’s a you can
Have a conversation like adults we don’t have don’t have to go through other channels and have it get back to me that way you’re like I’ve got body byell okay I’ll take my [ __ ] shirt off isn’t wasn’t that your was that was that your workout group in London was it Body by
Yeah no MC tell you that one ABS with Deli yeah R I’d run I’d run AB class after practice with the boys yeah were you ever close to getting married uh no no okay so not even never even remotely close you never proposed no girl proposed to you no will you
Marry me Deli I did do I did do a a wedding like a a photo Sho for a wedding magazine and there’s pictures online I can’t tell you how many girls like oh I didn’t know you were married you’re a scumbag no no no it’s it was just for a
Photo shoot yeah you’re a scumbag yeah so getting called out about a photo shoot you’re a scumbag like all right and it wasn’t like no this was a photo shoot like that was the end of the conversation I’m telling you this probably happened five six times like
All right there there goes that one I just saw you last night you’re a scumbag exactly what about Nashville like did you just miss when Nashville like became what it is today yeah unfortunately there was nothing there I go from New York City to Nashville there’s nothing there there
Was Broadway I hate country music there was nothing else going on The Gulch wasn’t what it is now there wasn’t you know the W Hotel the one hotel the JW Merit all those big chain were were not there um so it was a bit of a a let down
I guess with to put it nicely yeah really what about what about living in Anaheim like West Coast versus east coast and Vancouver being up there like you know obviously it’s the Pacific Northwest but it’s a Canadian city like did you feel like different in that market being in a Canadian City versus
Some of these other ones you played in that’s a tough that’s a tough Market man that’s a really tough Market I like everyone talks about the Toronto and the and and the Montreal of Canada Vancouver is a very tough Market great place to play until the winter hits and you go
Three weeks with no sun then it’s depressing it’s brutal and I’m for me what a you know amazing place to live the happiest I’d ever been I was like three blocks from the beach every morning I’d wake up have my coffee go for an ocean dip and then I go to the
Rink and I was I think like one of the only single guys maybe two single guys on that team most of the guys were young so every day after practice I either go to the beach i’ play tennis or i’ play golf and it was just like it was the
Best lifestyle um not the best organization to pay to play for you know very uh very cheap very cheap um and just geographically not a great setup there rink is probably like 45 minutes from the beach so if you’re driving there for uh during rush hour to get
There for a game it could take you an hour there’s a a curfew at the the airport there so because we’re where we’re located other than maybe La um anytime you’re coming back from a road game you actually you have to fly into LAX and then from there either bus or
Uber back so it’s you know say you get home at 3 in the morning you’re taking a 45 minute Uber to get home yeah that gets old really fast yeah attacks on Big Time okay say say you got drafted say you’re the big dog you’re Conor Conor B
Whatever you’re you’re delado but you’re [ __ ] killing it and all of a sudden you get drafted this year like what would be your ideal team besides the Rangers what would be our ideal team probably somewhere in the US right but what what would it be and why I would
Say Vegas the team is great okay the suburbs are amazing to live the weather is relatively mild in the winter time the owner is phenomenal gives the players whatever they want um you have a chance you have a chance to win every single year um and that division’s not
Not great either so to me and state tax y so to me kind of checks off every box what about Dallas Dallas another great one yeah I love Dallas that’s in my top five in the league for sure and D Dallas is is the Miami of whatever the
Southwest basically you know all the big restaurants have now gone there yeah um a great place you know one of my good buddies Tyler San plays there he absolutely loves it it’s a great place to be hey he didn’t get he didn’t get allowed into the rink the the other day
Either yeah I saw that that was crazy that was crazy what do you mean what do I mean they didn’t let him in they didn’t let him in Andy he didn’t have idea on him yeah I heard he’s got a tendency to to lose things yeah he
Probably lost his ID hasn’t had it for six months and he let him in weren’t you guys roommates didn’t you live together yeah we did for two years in Toronto we live together and trained together oh God awesome so like what was that like I
Mean is he still single too or what no he got married this Summer actually he got married in Bahamas this summer yeah we had a great time there we had a great time my I had the pretty much half the wedding my shirt was off yeah oh my God
What a beautiful man he is can you believe those two living together I know I mean I know dude we we had a we had a great setup we lived together downtown um we trained together and he you’ve seen him like he’s a physical specimen so it was great being in the gym
Together pushing each other on the ice pushing each other and then we also enjoyed ourselves away from the I think one summer it was like seven or eight weekends in a row we traveled like we traveled a lot together and we had such an amazing time um my deep partner and
Really good buddy in New York was Steve eminger whose best buddy was Gregory Campbell who played in Boston where seg was and they’re like we have to introduce these guys like they’re they’ be perfect for each other both outgoing like they have a good time oh yeah so we
Basically got set up on like a blind date essentially and then we end up living together and we had yeah start dating yeah pretty much pretty much we had a we had a great time together he’s a the fun guy to be around he he was
Good for me in the sense that we push each other but he’s also got a very different mindset than me where I I tend to overthink I’m very much a thorough thinker where nothing really bugs him um so having that rub off on me was actually was actually great because one
Of those Summers I I hadn’t been signed until August and having him um training and working with him was um was great for me weren’t you guys in a movie together yeah go to yeah oh like how was that on the set go that’s funny that’s funny man it was
It was filmed in in Barry so like 30 45 minutes outside the city and a buddy of ours like hey you want want to be in the movie like yeah [ __ ] it like why not it’s an afternoon of our day we went there and did it it was yeah it was
Great we had we had a good time it’s interesting though to understand how much work goes into just like the smallest scene it’s not it’s not that not not as easy or simple as you would think it’d be hey let me ask you this what if would you pull an Eric
Lindros if Arizona’s like and you’re going to be number one overall and they had the number one pick would you want to play for Arizona considering their circumstances and what’s going on now with 4,000 people there and half of them are kids that probably just walk in and
Don’t even know what’s going on yeah that’s an amazing question um come on now no it it is it’s a it’s a so I would go because I love the warm weather I love to go like you have you have all the perks yeah but and you know that
That situation isn’t going to be longterm you have to assume Gary at some point moves that team is is it’s a [ __ ] joke it’s a joke it’s they’re the laughing stock of professional sports not even NHL right so at some point something has to be done here you
Can’t keep going down this road unfortunately it’s already been way too long so having that mindset that you maybe get a couple years to enjoy it there and then who knows where are you Houston Quebec City you know I don’t know where City yeah yeah Sal Lake
City probably not the best of me might be demanding a trade at that point not for you buddy not for you buddy not for me at all not for me um Salt Lake City is actually cool City uh not for him though let’s be honest do we need to get
Into it I I think yeah I think I would just I would roll with it yeah and and I enjoy it there and deal with it I had three or four times in my career where I thought I was done and bear with me is there’s few interesting stories
For each one the one of them was my last year in New York so torz is gone Vigo comes in we don’t see ey to ey at all was very stubborn was a [ __ ] prick to be quite honest with you to me he put He played me on the right side I never
Played the right side of my career and it wasn’t hey let’s work together and try to get you some reps here and we’ll do this and that it’ll help your game I like no you play the right side and that was it like zero help there to for me to
Develop and and and be useful there so I’m not playing I ask for a trade I go to Nashville go there um they don’t extend me so now I’m a free agent um I go to Philly I don’t sign until August I get to Philly I don’t I’m not playing
All of this I don’t play one game I remember I I call my brother I’m like hey let’s look into schools like that’s it for me I’m 24 years old you know I’m not going to play again um that’s it December hits or January hits sorry I
Get back in the lineup and I was like [ __ ] it the last time it’s my last opportunity we’re going down swing I don’t give a [ __ ] I’m just gonna play it was like the hottest stretch of hockey I had in my career and like I think four
Or five game winners um poured up was playing 25 minutes a night amazing end up signing a two-year deal uh biggest deal of my of my uh of my career then you fast forward after the cup run Co hits the following year sorry Co hits and teams aren’t siging veteran players
Because we had lost so much money the year before teams don’t want to Fork out any more money they’re just the young guys that they have signed they’re just going to bring them up and let them play and not bring any more money I had nothing it’s Christmas Christmas Eve my
Family’s out my place I think that’s it for me I called torrs like torr bring me on a PTO there’s zero risk for you guys I can come in [ __ ] the bed you send me home I come in and do well we can talk maybe there’s an opening I’m I drive
It’s boxing day I don’t boxing day is not a thing in in the US and but in Canada I I boxing day five in the morning I leave my place in Toronto drive through a snow snowstorm to get to Columbus because I have to get there in
Time for covid testing first day of camp I’m doing tor’s test like what the [ __ ] am I doing here you start the selft talk literally the worst training camp out there I end up making I end up making the team out of it and there you go I
Have a phenomenal year then I signed a two-year deal after so there’s numerous times in my career where like you get to Rock Bottom and that’s what I’m probably most proud about in my career is there was times where I was I was down I was
[ __ ] kicked while I was down I had no one there for me yeah my family was there to support me but I I I was always on my own and I brought myself back up and um had that chip on my shoulder and you know dealt with adversity and um
Persevered and came out on top [ __ ] yeah man okay so listen but like what about when you’re in St Louis and and like you’re not in the lineup like that team was winning every game they kind of had the team established they they brought you in pretty much for insurance in case
Something went down right like you’re an NHL guy they can plug in and get locker room and yeah and you go they go you know on this huge run they end up winning the Stanley Cup like are you appreciating what they’re doing at the time or are you more thinking about man
What am I going to do next year how is this setting me up for my future for sure for sure because you you win the cup you’re typically getting a big extension you know you’re you’re making a lot lot of money coming out of that I
Didn’t play so I didn’t get that you know unfortunately to get that luxury but I think it was like three months three and a half months I didn’t play and you guys saw it every day I was still the first guy in every single day three and a half months so there was
Definitely a lot of days where I was yeah I I was wondering is this it for me is this it for me what can I do to get in I remember having a a talk with Chief make Chief just just [ __ ] give me an opportunity I’m begging you
Just give me one opportunity he’s like D’s like I can’t like these guys are rolling and I understood that’s the thing I understood the business side I understood the team was winning I didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry and what was going on so it’s it’s a weird spot
To be in because you never wish anyone to get hurt but you’re like [ __ ] like I hope someone just like has like a little just a little injury not not anything longm suspension exactly just something to get me in to show that hey I can play because even when I when I played
Whatever the the numbers I had there I still put up some good points and I was playing like what 10 minutes 12 minutes 12 minutes a game and I and I and I played well but I understood that so there was yeah I end up signing I think
League minimum the next year to go back back to Anaheim so there was a point there too I thought I thought that was it for me too and I remember I signed the contract when I had the cup uh cup party at my place like end of end of
July or so maybe something like that I hope you enjoyed part one or part two depending on which one this is doesn’t matter I just hope you guys enjoyed it yes um and again we love doing this each and every week uh throughout the course
Of the year and then it allows us to compile the greatest ones throughout the course of the uh of the calendar year and put put them together man we had some great interviews throughout the damn good interviews can you remember any of them no I can’t I can’t remember
Any of them which ones do you guys want I’m like uh whatever blew up the most you know what I mean like we’re going to listen there’s there’s all we have so much content it’s ridiculous so we’re going to put it together and we did put
It together hope you guys enjoyed that I hope you guys had a great Christmas hope you had an awesome New Year’s hope you didn’t spend that much money I hope you got to see the joy in your kids faces man that’s it’s a great reminder to go
Back and listen to some of these episodes if you haven’t heard the whole one you know I even forget sometimes who we had on like I saw John Gibson the other night make a great windmill save yeah we had Gibby on GI he was awesome L Millo mik was this year they weren’t
This year are we just doing this year yeah dude oh okay it’s the best of 2023 oh my God oh my God you didn’t know that well I just saw best with your hunting hat golly you didn’t even know it doesn’t matter okay fine first form.com
Trick use our link always use our link teston Roofing teston roofing.com IRC the illino C Center thinking about all y’all 888 743091 Sparks hockey.com get a Sparks today take advantage of that special use the promo code Cam and strick it’s going to save you more money than Black Friday and Cyber Monday and
Of course Bellman and Bellman dcom no swing IND dicks they give you Sushi and flavored water Danny Boy Kenny and Dale we’re thinking about all y’all this holiday season man so again thanks for all the support subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on all social media channels we’ve got lots more
Coming up in 24 it’s going to be a hell of a year yeah baby and uh thanks for joining us on this ride baby
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Love you guys… Happy New Year, boys!! LGB!
Fantastic!