Conversation With Brian Rafalski (Season 8 | Episode 18)

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Hi, this is Cheek a Rush.
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You are listening to the Let's Go Devil's byeodcast on
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the primetime radio network, Happy Devil Saturday.
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This is the Let's Go Devil's Podcast here live live
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at wings L House in Beautiful Wayne.
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New Jersey.
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I'm your old Stambou.
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You're with Short Sky and and crew Beer Barren streaming
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live on fishbook Live, YouTube Live x live and Twitch
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on the.
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Let's Go Double to network.
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As we're here on a beautiful Saturday watching the Four
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Nations tournaments.
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Yep, yep on snow, snow outside of winter. Yeah, real
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winter mix going on.
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Ye yeah, it's real, real We really did any show
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prepping real wintery mix.
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Oh yeah, well it's a Saturday.
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I don't even know what to do with my stuff
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because typically we're in our studios or we're like at
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a live of them. We're standing normally, yeah, sitting down.
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I feel so awkward right now. I don't know what
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to do with my hands. My legs are here, I
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don't know what to do with those.
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I've seeing people following the on the YouTube live A J. Bisco, Shay,
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Steve Angele. But but the real reason why we're here
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is there was a Brian Rafalski signing here today organized
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by Vic from the Devils, all day, all night.
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Yeah, crew, yep, did a great job. They did an
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awesome job.
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Yeah, it did an awesome job. And well we're gonna
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Brian on in a couple of minutes. We are, but well,
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lots of things going on. I'm hearing it, echo guy,
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Yeah a little bit.
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That's all right. Yeah, I figure something live live. Things
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happened when you're live live.
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So we're hanging out here and Wayne, we've got the
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the Sweden Finland match on, which.
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Is actually a pretty decent game. Can I just jump
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in it?
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I don't mean they interrupt you, but like before the
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All Star breaks and all that kind of stuff, like
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when this was announced, the Four Nations tournament was announced,
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I met it kind of with this, like okay, yeah,
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sure that sounds like a good idea. After watching these games,
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I'm like this, they can't do an all Star game
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ever again. This has been This has been so much
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more fun to watch. It's so much more Tonight's game.
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I cannot wait for Tonight's game. Canada in the US
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is gonna be.
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I think everybody in Canada right now but that's another
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story for another thing.
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That's another report for that story for a report.
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But yeah, no, this just turned out really good. And
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then it they announced yesterday or the day before that
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they're gonna bring back the World Cup of Hockey every
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two years, uh in between you know the Olympics or whatever.
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So that's going back to the Olympics officially, and that's
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that's a huge just looking at the rosters that that
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could possibly filled out wild It's gonna be so much fun.
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I know, I know, I can trust me. I understand,
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like there's a lot of apprehension because there's people that
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are like, I don't want to get my star player.
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You don't want to see Jack Hughes or Jasper Bratt
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getting hurt in any of these games because it's not
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like it counts towards the season. But at the same time,
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like the level of competition is it's absolutely incredible that
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the product on the ice is absolutely incredible and it's
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been fun to watch, you know, it's very much so
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that that first game, especially like Canada was just flying
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and I mean you look at a line you got
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a power play unit with with Crosby and then just disgusting.
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But then you look at the the US I know.
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I mean, it's it's just insane. It's been so much
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fun so far, it's been a lot of fun.
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And especially as a big fan of soccer that that
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I am, it's it's international play is huge. Yeah, and
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all these and all the players in world soccer just
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will go nuts for international play. And to see the
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World Cup coming back every you know, every four years,
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and the off years from the Olympics, I think that's
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gonna be a lot of fun. So I'm excited to
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see it and to have that international play become a bigger,
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bigger part of the game, I think is phenomenally. In
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Europe they love it, but I think over here it's
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gonna be even better.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, And I mean there's one piece that is missing.
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It's a defenseman by the name of Quinn Hughes. It's
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a bummer that he got hurt right before the tournament.
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It would have been really fun to see him out
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there because it would have changed the dynamic of the
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the US defense. But speaking of a former US defenseman.
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Very much.
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It's like I'm a professional, beautiful seg yeah, speaking of
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US defense and we have one here, oh there happens
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to be a US defenseman.
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Here. I'm gonna move over this. Nice to meet you.
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Hold on your head, said Brian.
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Come on in.
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Alrighty you guys doing oh man? Welcome to the Let's
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Good Devil's Podcast. Yeah, thanks time, you have fun today.
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Yeah, it's good.
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Nice.
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Nice to be back in Jersey. We're back a couple
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of years ago for the reunion for the three Cup
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and before then it's been juiced a long time.
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Yeah, did your hand get cramped up when you're signing
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all those autographs?
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Yes, I don't do it as much I used to, so, yeah,
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didn't feel weird a little at you gotta do some
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ate a lot of coffee this morning.
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Doesn't feel weird to send your name that many times,
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like you start losing like what it looks like and
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you're just kind of like you do.
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Yeah, just a repetition and it starts wandering and next
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thing you know, so you're not even writing your own
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name down anymore.
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Like who's Scooby Doo? I don't even understand what is
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this about?
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Do you ever get strange requests from fans?
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I'm usually that guy, but he is usually that guy.
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Yeah, No, it's it's been a while, but yeah, no,
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I mean yeah, no, not that it comes to mind,
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but recently very cool.
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So what are your thoughts on the Four Nations tournament?
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Have you seen any of it yet or.
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I watched the first or the second period of the
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first game for the US against Finland. It was good
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talking to a few other people. I didn't really know
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much about it till this week. But one of the
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positives I see coming out of it in the long
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term is it's gonna make the Olympics better next year.
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It gives these guys, you know, instead of playing together
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every four years, you have all the best players playing
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together a year before. Yeah, and some games so it's
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you know, the World Championships, aren't you don't have all
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the best players. Guys are still in playoffs. So I
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think this is a's gonna lead to much better Olympics
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next year.
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Yeah. And speaking of that, you know, you were in
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the Olympics twice, three times, three times? Sorry exulted, you know,
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plus did the World Juniors early on then easily?
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How was how was playing internationally?
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That's a fun Yeah, it's always I mean, it's gat Yeah,
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it's great experience. I justly get to travel some new places,
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and you know, the Olympics are always special. So you
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know we're fortunately get a couple of Silver's unfortunate that
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it's get gold. So but you know it's great always
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represent your country and you know you actually had more
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of it.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, It's funny because my daughters are here and they're
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you know, eating six years old and they don't understand
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that you could have guys from the Rangers and the
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Devils being on the same team and they playing together as.
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A player in the league. Is that?
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Is that always something where you have like a kind
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of a rivalry with somebody and you have to be
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on the same team as them.
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Is that it is that?
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No, you never think about that then, but obviously in
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twenty ten and the Vancouver is nice to get together
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again with the guys are did no like they are Langer,
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Brunner and Prize, you know, like uh Ryan Souter I
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you know Wisconsin, I did hockey camps for the college
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and he was is nine years old, nine years old
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at the time in those camps and Jack Johnson I
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worked with him one summer when he was seven eight
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years old in Detroit area. So I got to play
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with those guys and I'm still around and they're just
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coming in the league. So it was really neat.
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That is cool that that and that year was probably
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one of the greatest Olympics like that. To me, that
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that game US Canada, that was like one of the
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greatest games outside of NHL, like that I've ever seen
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in my entire life.
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And yeah, how is that like playing in that game?
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Like the intensity and that, Yeah, the speed is way
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up there for that because you know, Canada is throwing.
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You know, they could roll anybody out there, and they're
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got an All Star out there, so it was, uh,
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you know, it was a lot. It was very difficult
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because they're all coming out fresh every you know, every
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shift and uh you know, depending on that, you know,
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you're going maybe every two three shifts and you're going
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as guys that are playing every four shift and it's
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it's tough. You know, it would be a judicious with
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your you know, energy and uh, you know where you're
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gonna make your bigger, bigger spots.
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And when you play those Olympic tournaments, like you don't
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have a ton of time together to get used to
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whoever your partner's going to be and stuff like that,
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so that that to be you know, add something else
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into the mixing, like, let's you've got to start playing
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together now.
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Yeah, obviously get you know some you know, not necessarily
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easier games. You know, you have to play like Switzerland
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and some Norway, so you get some time before we
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had to play Canada for the third game. But you know,
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coaches did a good job. You know. You see Tortorella
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is still coaching this here and he's I don't know
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if he's coaching the D still here, but you know
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it was our d coach for that tournament in Vancouver,
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So yeah.
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How was that? How was that with Tordorella?
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There's not too much to do, real, I mean, he
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you know, obviously we're all very good players, and yeah,
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you know I've had you know a little more experience
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at that point. So it's really just trying, like you said,
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trying to get those guys together, I guess focused as
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quick as we can. You have a lot of new guys,
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so feeling that out, you know, you just try to
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get everyone involved as best you can. Coach is you know,
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did a good job of that, and obviously we had
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you know, some players really step up and have some
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great tournaments that in that that year.
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So I get a question, going back your Devil's career,
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how is it coming in as a twenty six year
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old Weekly You're like, you're coming into that, You're you're
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twenty six, but you're still in that rookie class.
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It's yeah, well, I mean personally, it's at that point
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it's my job. You know, I'm trying to ride for myself,
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my family going forward and just trying to get better
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and you know, want to stay in as long as
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you can, right. So it was a great situation. Obviously
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being able to play with Scottie. Uh, you know, it
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gets you know, yeah, right away.
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It's like, yeah, here you go, Scott Stevens is your partner.
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Yeah, so obviously helped, but you know, obviously having to
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prove yourself and you know, it took us a while
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that year to get going, but by the end of
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the year we really picked it up and had a
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great I think I had a great awesome you know,
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lass twenty two games this season, really picked it up
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towards the end and carried that through the playoffs.
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Yeah, and that was a successful year.
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Yeahs especially you can.
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Do Yeah, and that had to be fun too, especially
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your first season you get thrown into that mix and
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then you know, you know, the Devil's win and you
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get your first time at the Cup? What was that first?
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You know, when you got your day with it the
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first time around? Like you've got three other you know,
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two other days after that. But was was that the
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most special of the three?
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Or it was nice because I was able to take
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it back to Detroit area and have the coaches that
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I had through with Little Caesars and different programs come
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and enjoy that too, which they hadn't had a chance
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to do. So I was special for me to you know,
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share that with them so comparatively.
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Olympic Hockey, Stanley Cup, hopy hockey.
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What do you feel was more pressure in that gold
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medal game or playing in the stand final.
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Both games are obviously gold medal game. Every mistake is amplified,
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you know, you know, you don't have one game, one
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chance to do it, you know. Stanley Cup, you know,
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you get to a game seven, it's sort of summer situation, yep,
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you know, but Stanley Cup is obviously more of a grind. Yeah,
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you know, obviously best of seven. So you know, you're
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really and you're playing so many more games that are
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twice the physicality of a regular season games, so that
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really you know, the Olympics isn't It's physical but not
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as physical as Stanley Gout playoffs.
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Yeah yeah, yeah.
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And then the game is it's the rink is the
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International ring too, so it's a little bit bigger.
269
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Well not to Vancouver, oh that's right, that's right, yeah,
270
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but in Salt Lake it was, and in Italy as well.
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That's right. Yeah.
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So we have a question from our our Facebook live group.
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We have Shane van Sickel, listener of the podcast, who
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wants to know the difference between winning here in Jersey
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and then winning for Detroit is your mom tendency which
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agrees with wing Fan, So what was.
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The difference between winning here and winning there?
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And you can be honest, well, I mean, we know
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it's better here first one.
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Getting the first one is very special, you know, every
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time you get a chance to do it, you know,
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but winning in Detroit in front of my family and
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back home, and you know, growing up wings fan, and
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that's obviously you know what you grew up dreaming about
285
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as a kid, so that that was very special. Having
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that opportunity is.
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You know, I'm being able to live out your dream
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like that.
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Yes, it's incredibly is incredible.
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I know a few people who were actually gotten their.
291
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Dream job, and I'm jealous of him that that has
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got to be incredible to be on that ice.
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The Jersey you probably you probably had countless Jerseys read
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when Jersey's.
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Growing up, I meaning through college. I had a Paul
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Coffee one because I knew someone that got me one
297
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when he was playing for them and we had an
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alumni game and got sitt next to him. He's like, hey,
299
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I enjoyed watching you play and all that. I mean,
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that was pretty cool.
301
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That is pretty wild.
302
00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:29.519
So going back when you went when you went to Detroit,
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the first time you came back to Jersey and play
304
00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:34.799
was how did that feel like coming back to where
305
00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:38.000
you got it started and kind of going through that process.
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00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:41.559
I think I only played them in Detroit the one
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game we're here back issue, so I missed the game
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afternoon game. It was a Saturday, and we played. I
309
00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:48.440
did wind up playing Sunday in New York. So I
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think I missed the one game back in Jersey or
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00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:55.000
did I play one maybe I played, I played one.
312
00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:59.080
It's it's only four years so and I think we're
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playing one game of season. Yeah back then, so it
314
00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:03.679
wasn't uh it's.
315
00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:04.279
Like the schedule now.
316
00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:08.519
Yeah. Yeah, so it's fine. I mean it was good
317
00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:11.279
coming back seeing some of the players or you know,
318
00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:12.440
some of the staff is still.
319
00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:15.399
There too, and yeah, yeah, and even just playing them,
320
00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:17.720
you know when you played them in Detroit, was it
321
00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.240
is it weird like looking across the ice and seeing like,
322
00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:22.519
you know, former teammates and like yes.
323
00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:24.519
And no, I mean, are you just kind of like a.
324
00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:27.080
Game once the game goes you're playing, Yeah, you really
325
00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:28.919
focused on the same thing with the crowd, Like you
326
00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:31.039
get into that zone you don't leave.
327
00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:32.720
Which is wild because there's so many things that happened
328
00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:34.159
along the boards where I'm like, how do you guys
329
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:35.799
block that out? You know what I mean, Like there's
330
00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.679
lunatics that like slamming themselves into the boards and things
331
00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:39.000
like that.
332
00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:40.679
No, well, yeah, sort of.
333
00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:43.279
But I did go to Wisconsin. The car you know,
334
00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:45.840
the true sections are a little crazy there, and then they
335
00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:48.120
played Europe too, and there they have some crazy even
336
00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:51.519
crazier allowed fans over there, and yeah, road fans section
337
00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:54.879
and anything else, so.
338
00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:57.279
That I had the privilege to play a little college hockey.
339
00:16:57.279 --> 00:16:58.759
And that's the one thing I remember for the university
340
00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:01.200
in mains there's student sections right over the divisony neet
341
00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:04.000
in during warmonts, it just it feels like they're on
342
00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:06.599
your shoulders. Yeah, they go holistic every time you let
343
00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:07.759
them be shot in warmants.
344
00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:11.079
But it's a lot of like personally, I feed off that.
345
00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:12.559
I'm like, this is great. I love this.
346
00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:14.359
I don't know if you were the same way, you know,
347
00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:17.759
playing you know, feeding off that that energy finger fans.
348
00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:21.200
You'll both forward you and against you. I love that situation.
349
00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:23.519
It's much fun, right and you have the bands playing,
350
00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:26.200
So it's it's define definitely a different field than the pros.
351
00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:27.519
Oh absolutely is.
352
00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:34.200
There's the research on the opposition and the different day.
353
00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:42.319
So what a post career, So what do we have
354
00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:42.960
going on now?
355
00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:45.599
Well, I mean I coached about eleven years youth hockey.
356
00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.519
You spent my last year coaching and for Salzburg Red
357
00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:51.599
Bull Okay Academy juniors and they we played in the
358
00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:54.359
Czech Junior League, so that was very I love the
359
00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:58.440
Bavarian area, so living in Salzburg, Austria was uh, kind
360
00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:00.519
of a dream job for me outside of hockey, it was,
361
00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:02.640
you know, that's just a great part. Did a ton
362
00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:05.720
of hiking, bought my own skis, finally learned that a
363
00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:08.279
lot of skiing, and once winter came around, so and
364
00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:10.279
it's I've gone back a couple of times. So it's
365
00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:15.000
it's nice. I enjoyed that area. And now I'm dabbling
366
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.839
and gentleman farm being a gentleman farmer. Yeah, so I
367
00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:21.680
you know, raised meat chickens this year, I've got to
368
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:24.279
move on to pigs. Hopefully next the spring I'll be
369
00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:25.599
moving on to a couple of cattle.
370
00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:27.960
So very cool.
371
00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:32.200
Del So, how was you started your career playing in
372
00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:34.119
Europe for four years?
373
00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:34.920
Yep, I believe.
374
00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:37.440
How was that compared to playing in the NHL.
375
00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:40.960
Well, I mean the first couple of years you're trying
376
00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:42.640
to make a name for yourself, right, you come from college,
377
00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:46.519
you're not proven as a professional commodity yet, so you're
378
00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.519
playing You start with the one. I started with a
379
00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:51.440
one year contract. Obviously it was undrafted going so I
380
00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:53.519
had to find a job, didn't want to. I was
381
00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:57.359
working at Philip Morris selling death sticks h for summer,
382
00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:01.480
just an internship, but uh, you know, I was in Minneapolis,
383
00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:03.759
so I skated with the Minnesota guys in the summer
384
00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:06.160
and then got to try out for Sweden. So I
385
00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:09.200
went there, offered me a contract, so that was my
386
00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:11.160
first year, and then moved on to Finland after that
387
00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:13.880
for another one year contract. And yeah, so one year
388
00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:17.319
contracts and you you know, you prove yourself to earn
389
00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:17.839
the next one.
390
00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:21.519
I think that's incredible too, because you look at your
391
00:19:21.559 --> 00:19:23.960
career in a in a hole in that beginning, that
392
00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:25.720
in those first couple of years when you're doing these
393
00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:27.519
one year contracts, did you ever get to a point
394
00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:30.440
where you're like, I don't know, man, Like I don't
395
00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:32.680
know if this is going to cut out, because you know,
396
00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:34.640
you think about it. If you if you even take
397
00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:36.839
the foot off the gas for a second, you know,
398
00:19:36.920 --> 00:19:38.640
you can let go of that dream pretty easily.
399
00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:40.240
And there's there's plenty of guys.
400
00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:42.200
That probably go out there that are like, oh, I
401
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:43.920
can't do this, you know, I can't just can't do
402
00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:44.759
this grind anymore.
403
00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:46.079
Well, I was young. I was still young, right. I
404
00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:48.359
went to finished college at twenty one, so I wasn't
405
00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:54.480
also growing up in my size too, you know, you
406
00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:56.880
didn't have many opportunities you'd get in NHL, so there
407
00:19:56.920 --> 00:19:59.759
was I knew there was good opportunities in Europe, so
408
00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:03.279
I wanted to you know, make as much as I could.
409
00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:05.400
So you know, in that option, you got to keep
410
00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:09.079
getting better. And I progressively got better every year and
411
00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:11.839
it led to better and better contracts and opportunity back
412
00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:15.359
to the NHL. So you know, I guess one of
413
00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:16.720
my dreams, you know, back then in the day, with
414
00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:18.599
the best place to make money with Switzerland. Yeah, you
415
00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:19.880
never got a chance to go there because I got
416
00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:22.279
to go to the NHL. But you know that, you know,
417
00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:26.960
you're looking at you know, paychecks, and you know the
418
00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:29.119
better you get, the more you make, so yeah, you know,
419
00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:30.119
keep getting better.
420
00:20:30.519 --> 00:20:32.599
It's just it's just such an incredible journey to go.
421
00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:34.039
You know, you look at some of these guys they
422
00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:36.119
get drafted and they go straight from college, or you
423
00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:37.640
look at like at Jack Hughes to go from the
424
00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:41.519
Development Plan or Development League right into the NHL. I
425
00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:44.880
think going over to Europe, do you think that gave
426
00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:46.960
you an advantage to over some of these guys that
427
00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:50.519
go straight from college to to the show or.
428
00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:54.200
Well, it's different how it was different hockey back then. Yeah,
429
00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:57.599
you know, it's not as much there's you know, you're
430
00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:00.680
still bussing, you're not flying many plays is in Europe,
431
00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:04.160
you know, play as many games. But you do start,
432
00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:07.240
you know, beginning beginning of August over there, so your
433
00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:12.359
season is over April. So it's a different little different schedule. Uh,
434
00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:18.000
but just an advantage, you know, as long as you're
435
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:20.599
playing getting opportunities, if you want to keep getting better,
436
00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:23.240
it's up to you, right, it's not you know, you
437
00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:25.599
keep you know, you have different coaches every year when
438
00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.279
I was over there, but you know, you want to
439
00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:30.119
I was fortunate to be on some pretty good teams
440
00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:32.160
in Helsinki in the last couple of years and a
441
00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:35.640
lot of players, you know, Tim Thomas, Kimo, teaman in
442
00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:39.680
playing with a lot of good players. So yeah, olly opening,
443
00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:42.400
So we had some pretty good teams. So that's all.
444
00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:44.559
You know, all those guys at at least got a
445
00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:45.200
shot a lot of them.
446
00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:47.960
Oh yeah, you know. And then you when you got
447
00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.160
the call that you had the chance to come play
448
00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:54.480
in the NHL. I'm assuming you were just well excited
449
00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:56.319
at all as all get out. But it was like
450
00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:58.680
now you're like at that point where you're like, all right, well,
451
00:21:58.680 --> 00:21:59.839
now the real work is going to start.
452
00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:04.799
It's going back to a smaller rink, learning their style,
453
00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:07.279
how Jersy wanted to play, and and then also at
454
00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:08.799
the same time proving myself. I know I had to
455
00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:11.160
you know, be that puck moving defense which was which
456
00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:12.720
is I'm sure the way they brought me in and
457
00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:13.720
so I was able to do that.
458
00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:17.599
Now looking at your game, now, how do you think
459
00:22:17.640 --> 00:22:20.440
it would translate into the NHL now, Because, like you said,
460
00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:22.440
a puck moving defense man, it's you know.
461
00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:25.039
It's very very care now. Yeah, obviously it's a it's
462
00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:27.839
a faster game shift and shift out than it was.
463
00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:32.759
Your conditioning, your off ice habits would probably have to
464
00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:35.720
be a lot better. Yeah. You know, now, you guys
465
00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:38.039
have a shamous Casey that was with your team earlier
466
00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:40.400
this year. He you know, I coached him down in
467
00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:43.200
Florida with some other players, so it was you know,
468
00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:45.559
you know, we got to see I could see him
469
00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:47.400
when he was young and you know he had he
470
00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:48.200
was a special player.
471
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.359
So you know, did you have a feeling about him,
472
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:52.799
like when you're looking at it. This kid's gonna Yeah.
473
00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:55.960
So I ran into the GM in Nashville at the
474
00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:57.559
time and trying to remember him, like, hey, you have
475
00:22:57.559 --> 00:22:59.400
to keep an eye on this kid, and yeah, so
476
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:05.839
thing he didn't but yeah, well yeah, it's all yeah, yeah, yeah,
477
00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:08.240
it's it's incredible that the speed of the game is.
478
00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:11.079
You know, you see the Cama cars and Quinn Hughes
479
00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:13.440
and even Luke Hughes for that matter, and you see
480
00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:17.119
the just the athleticism that some of these defensemen have,
481
00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:21.880
and it's you know, it feels like you could, if
482
00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:24.119
you could take your game at your highest point, I
483
00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:26.720
feel like you would fit perfectly into how the NHL
484
00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:29.960
is now, and you know, I kind of almost seamlessly.
485
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.759
I would probably have to play a little lighter weight, though,
486
00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:34.880
I mean, honestly, because I played around one ninety four.
487
00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:37.240
You know, I'd probably have played down about one eighty five.
488
00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:39.119
Oh wow, you know, just to keep that, you know,
489
00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.960
maintain that speed and you don't have to worry.
490
00:23:40.839 --> 00:23:43.119
About somebody coming across like and just trucking you. So
491
00:23:43.559 --> 00:23:46.160
well yeah, not as much anymore, not as much anymore, but.
492
00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:47.720
Well those trucks seem to find.
493
00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:50.519
I mean, if they can't catch it, they can't hit you, right,
494
00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:53.640
that's the other thing too. Yeah, Yeah, that's a shamous
495
00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:55.559
Casey has been a player that I know, we've been
496
00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:58.039
looking at. We've talked about him for you know, some
497
00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:00.359
some time leading up to this, and we're we're we're
498
00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:04.119
excited to see him kind of blossom into that defenseman
499
00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:06.519
that we're hoping, which I know a lot of defensemen
500
00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:08.200
need you know, need a little bit of time to develop.
501
00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:09.799
But I gotta imagine, you know, kind of going back
502
00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:13.000
to you coming from Europe to the NHL, that you know,
503
00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:15.400
you don't have to really do that Ahl stint because
504
00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:18.079
you were playing at the professional level in Europe, and
505
00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:20.680
that I gotta imagine was also a big help to
506
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:21.240
stepping in.
507
00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:23.880
Yeah. I mean it's a more of a skating game
508
00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:26.640
over there, and you know, that's what they wanted to
509
00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:29.720
be here, so you know, it was more of a
510
00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:33.880
transition to you know, because I just learning the team
511
00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:35.880
and understanding the players I play with, and then that
512
00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:38.240
was probably my strongest point, just understanding what the players
513
00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:39.880
around me were good at and trying to put them
514
00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:42.039
in those situations and what was it like playing in
515
00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:44.759
front of Marty we obviously helps. I mean, you make
516
00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:46.559
a mistake, you got someone you know you could back
517
00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:50.480
and be trusted back there, so his reputation, you know,
518
00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:53.440
stands on its own. So you know, obviously that's what
519
00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.319
we built the you know, team around from that way out,
520
00:24:57.200 --> 00:24:57.599
which is.
521
00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.000
What we're We've we've struggled as Devil's fans for less
522
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:01.960
a couple of years because that's what we grew up watching,
523
00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:06.039
was we had, you know, very good, solid goaltending, and
524
00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:08.200
we've the Devil's been searching for that up until this
525
00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:10.599
year with Marstrom coming in, and I know that's one
526
00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:12.000
of the things that we've we've watched in the game
527
00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:13.680
and we've been kind of like pulling our hair out,
528
00:25:13.720 --> 00:25:15.200
like when are we going to get that good goalie again,
529
00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:17.319
because that's just what we're so used to and we
530
00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:19.839
just we have not had that. And you came into
531
00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:24.359
that situation where, you know, for was it almost twenty years,
532
00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:27.680
we just didn't have to worry about goaltending, which was fantastic,
533
00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:29.759
But now that's one thing that we were watching the
534
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:33.680
team now and finally we have a good goaltender in Markstrom,
535
00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:35.400
but we haven't had that up until this point. And
536
00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:38.440
it's been it's it's been tough. It's definitely been tough.
537
00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:40.559
S My wife and kids are leaving.
538
00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:43.319
Is this life?
539
00:25:44.359 --> 00:25:48.119
Actually it is live. But I have a question.
540
00:25:48.279 --> 00:25:52.559
You paired up Scott Stevens.
541
00:25:54.759 --> 00:26:00.519
What was that like? Yeah, I've got it always in too.
542
00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:02.880
I've also been coached by a lot of NHL Hall
543
00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:05.359
of famers as well too, So you've got Larry Robinson,
544
00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:09.359
Slava Fatissa, Brad mccrimmin h. You got a chance to
545
00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:12.279
play with Brian Leech, Chris Cellios. I've been around a
546
00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:14.920
lot of you know, Hall of Fame defense and that
547
00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:21.799
you try to pick up a few things from everybody. Well,
548
00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:23.720
they're all everyone's right, every play like we was the
549
00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:27.000
best forward everywhere, every you know, you know, all players
550
00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:31.039
that have different skills and abilities and uh and each
551
00:26:31.079 --> 00:26:34.480
team needs different things from players too. So obviously they're
552
00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:37.079
both Hall of Fame players, they're both scripture both ways,
553
00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:42.720
so you know, uh, yeah, that's so if you guys
554
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:45.480
to talk about that, that would be like if anyone
555
00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:47.519
asked you who you like better me or Beer Baron,
556
00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:50.359
and ultimately you'd say Scotty because he's not here.
557
00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:51.839
Yeah that's true.
558
00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:53.559
Yeah, that was our, Scotty is our We have a
559
00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:55.519
we have another co host, Yeah, we have a we
560
00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:57.359
have a fourth co host that he's he lives out
561
00:26:57.359 --> 00:26:59.400
west and we haven't we have him virtually, but he
562
00:26:59.559 --> 00:27:01.240
I'm sure he would love to be here. We just
563
00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:02.599
wasn't gonna work out.
564
00:27:04.119 --> 00:27:06.519
I have a question, So, any part of the game
565
00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:08.720
that you miss as a player?
566
00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:10.359
Is there any particular part of the game?
567
00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:12.079
Uh?
568
00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:15.920
Yeah, Playing in the playoffs is great. Yeah, that's the
569
00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:18.319
you know, you work all year, the regular season gets
570
00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:20.480
kind of a drag, which you keep doing it, but
571
00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:22.359
you're getting that playoff time. That's what That's what I
572
00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:27.359
enjoyed the most when it's the yeah, yeah, the the
573
00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:31.000
importance of every play is so much amped up. Yeah yeah.
574
00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:33.759
And now do you ever have like any dreams of
575
00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:37.559
coaching beyond like the lower leagues or do you ever
576
00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:40.359
think about No, no, get into farming good.
577
00:27:40.920 --> 00:27:44.079
I played in the US Men's over forty with a
578
00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:46.599
Chicago team a couple of years ago down to Tampa.
579
00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:49.839
That was fun for year. Yeah, back was killing after
580
00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:52.200
that though we had played three games in four days.
581
00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:54.799
I couldn't even see up a golf ball after yeah. Yeah, yeah,
582
00:27:54.839 --> 00:27:59.119
So my buddies, like you can see that up. If
583
00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:00.599
I happen to make it in the then they have
584
00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:01.240
to get it for me.
585
00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:01.680
Yeah.
586
00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:03.519
Yeah, just get one of those little suction.
587
00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:08.960
So is that basically the extent? You're just playing golf now?
588
00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:09.960
Do you a little bit?
589
00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:10.480
Yeah?
590
00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:13.559
I mean uh yeah, I mean I like hiking. I
591
00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:17.559
go skiing when the weather's not too cold in Wisconsin.
592
00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:19.640
In April.
593
00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:24.000
Yeah, so, I mean it's right now, it's I mean
594
00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:26.720
when I left it was your teeth yesterday morning it
595
00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:27.319
was minus eight.
596
00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:29.519
Oh wow, that's cold.
597
00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:30.279
Yeah.
598
00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:32.079
You sneeze and it snows in your face.
599
00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:32.440
Yeah.
600
00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:35.160
I wanted to carve good fifteen Yeah for.
601
00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:38.119
Sure, Yeah, it's good. Yeah. Well, if you would have
602
00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:40.039
come here about three four weeks ago, was about that
603
00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:42.079
cold here in Jersey, so you would have been going
604
00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:42.759
from one to one.
605
00:28:42.839 --> 00:28:45.200
I was down in Florida at that time. It wasn't
606
00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:45.559
that bad.
607
00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:48.200
So do you do you lace up at all?
608
00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:49.759
Do you ever put on the skates on just go
609
00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:52.359
out there and kind of shoot around or anything or much?
610
00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:53.079
Not right now?
611
00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:53.119
No.
612
00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:56.480
My youngest son's playing juniors in Bismarck, North Kota, So no,
613
00:28:56.599 --> 00:28:58.200
I don't really have much reason to get out there.
614
00:28:58.359 --> 00:28:58.880
Yeah.
615
00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:01.839
Speaking of cold, the Dakota's are cold.
616
00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:05.079
Yeah. I mean the closest I got last year was
617
00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:08.240
I substitute bus drive. Okay, and so the high school
618
00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:09.880
hockey team had to go a couple of hours away,
619
00:29:09.880 --> 00:29:11.200
so I took them up to tom Lock.
620
00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:13.440
Do any of the kids understand, like who you are?
621
00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:16.240
That's a smaller town.
622
00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:18.359
That's so cool though, imagine getting on the bus, n
623
00:29:19.960 --> 00:29:20.119
you know.
624
00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:23.759
Actually funny situation when I was coaching high school ice
625
00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:25.759
Haak a couple of years ago, and was during one
626
00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:27.960
of the one of the work stoppages one of the
627
00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:30.279
other teams. I looked a crusted on the other bench.
628
00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:32.799
Scott Stevens is there helping coach because he's got the time,
629
00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:35.200
and uh. Anyway, game goes on.
630
00:29:35.240 --> 00:29:35.680
We go through the.
631
00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:37.400
Handshake line and go to the locker room and I
632
00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:38.799
look at the kids and do any of you know
633
00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:41.480
whose hand you just shook? And they're like, like, that
634
00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:43.359
was Scott Stevens. There was Scott Stevens.
635
00:29:43.400 --> 00:29:46.000
They're like, oh, really, their hands probably disappeared, they did.
636
00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:48.960
My hand disappeared. My hand disappeared. And what was even
637
00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:50.960
better was one of my assistant coaches with me. Was
638
00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:53.079
a Flyers fan. Yeah, any of the shake Scott Stevens
639
00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:55.359
his hand. I was like, yes, good, good take that.
640
00:29:56.559 --> 00:29:59.480
Yeah, it's it's it's we're both teachers, so we like those.
641
00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:03.319
Anytime somebody comes into our realm and they're like doing
642
00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:06.480
anything like we greatly coaching or driving the bus or
643
00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:08.519
any of that kind of stuff, we greatly appreciate it.
644
00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:10.519
But I always find it funny because the students. I
645
00:30:10.519 --> 00:30:12.519
can point somebody out and be like, do you know
646
00:30:12.599 --> 00:30:13.039
who that is?
647
00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:13.559
And they're like no.
648
00:30:13.599 --> 00:30:16.640
I'm like, well you know everybody exactly.
649
00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:20.200
Yeah, because there's something like that. I think it's so wild,
650
00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:21.440
like just eat on the bus.
651
00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:23.400
The funny part of this is the playoff game when
652
00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:25.440
they lost and they were losing two to one after
653
00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:28.279
two and this is and coach walks by. I'm like, well,
654
00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:30.079
you guys, now, you could do you know, do this
655
00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:32.319
this this? He's like, no, that's not it. I'm like, okay,
656
00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:37.759
what I'm talking excuse me? Yeah, I have no idea
657
00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:38.839
what you.
658
00:30:41.960 --> 00:30:42.160
Know what?
659
00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:44.279
Actually, what would have been great in that situation too,
660
00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:46.079
is if you walked into the rink with a bag
661
00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:47.839
and like a hockey stick, like oh, I just drove
662
00:30:47.880 --> 00:30:49.640
the bus. I played a couple of couple of times
663
00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:50.960
in the NHL. I'm gonna suit it up for the
664
00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:52.160
high school team now, just.
665
00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:54.359
Like get in trouble form.
666
00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:00.920
It's a little older, right, But I wonder, have you
667
00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:02.240
ever had the urge to go to like just a
668
00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:04.559
Beer League game and not tell anybody who you were?
669
00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:06.400
Oh, well, I go to Steven's point, like when I
670
00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:09.319
was getting ready for the tournament done in Tampa, skate
671
00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:11.240
at the dropping there. But but I was around that
672
00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:12.359
rink enough that I knew.
673
00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:12.799
That people knew.
674
00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:14.720
Yeah, I made a couple of good friends, and you know,
675
00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:16.960
we play they come extraly my poker game. Yeah, a
676
00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:18.519
monthly poker game. So that's always fun.
677
00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:19.000
That's cool.
678
00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:19.319
Yeah.
679
00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:21.720
I always wonder if I was a professional athlete, I
680
00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:23.240
would love to just go into like a pickup game,
681
00:31:23.319 --> 00:31:23.920
not tell anybody.
682
00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:25.440
I you know, put on a lid and just get
683
00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:25.799
in there.
684
00:31:26.119 --> 00:31:28.359
I would. It's a new gear though, because it's pretty obvious.
685
00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:32.279
You got personally embroidered on the side.
686
00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:34.000
Pants, got a red wing.
687
00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:36.720
Yeah, well you can buy all that year now in
688
00:31:36.759 --> 00:31:39.880
the secondary market. So now now nowadays you can get
689
00:31:39.880 --> 00:31:40.440
away with it.
690
00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:42.880
But yeah, start skating and they're like, oh, that's not
691
00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:44.400
a pick up guy.
692
00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:46.839
That guys, he should not be in the D league
693
00:31:46.880 --> 00:31:48.440
right now? Why is he in D level?
694
00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:51.279
Yeah? I think you might know a thing or two. Yeah,
695
00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:52.319
well that's really cool.
696
00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:54.279
Yeah, it's definitely. It's been a lot of fun. And
697
00:31:54.319 --> 00:31:58.279
I know it's it's it's cleared out, snowing. Yeah, but
698
00:31:58.519 --> 00:31:59.240
is it fun.
699
00:31:58.960 --> 00:31:59.680
It's pretty good.
700
00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:02.000
Yeah, it's coming down good, it's not sticking yet. Is
701
00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:03.160
it fun for you to come out and meet the
702
00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:03.960
fans like this?
703
00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:04.640
I don't mind it.
704
00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:05.200
Yeah, it's good.
705
00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:07.480
I mean it's fortunately I have to do it every
706
00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:10.200
couple of years or something, so it's that's what I
707
00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:11.839
want to do all the time. But it's I don't
708
00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.759
mind doing it. That's great, that's pretty cool. It's good
709
00:32:13.799 --> 00:32:15.200
to see some of the different things that people bring
710
00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:17.319
into sign you know, I'm sy today had like a
711
00:32:17.319 --> 00:32:19.440
puzzle piece for a bigger puzzle, but you know he's
712
00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:19.759
putting it.
713
00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:21.359
I missed that.
714
00:32:21.880 --> 00:32:25.240
Very unique. First time I signed, the container had a
715
00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:28.039
Bucky Badger in it. So cool of Wisconsin. So that
716
00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:31.240
was never done that before. You never know what you're
717
00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:31.680
gonna get.
718
00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:34.400
Yeah, I mean, I was watching what some of the
719
00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:38.000
people were bringing in today and some of like, you know, jerseys, pictures, sticks.
720
00:32:38.079 --> 00:32:40.559
I said, there was a pair of gloves here. It's like, yeah,
721
00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:44.160
I guess you wind up seeing just everything almost when
722
00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:45.240
you when you have a sign.
723
00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:46.680
No jock straps.
724
00:32:46.680 --> 00:32:53.599
That's good, although that would be interesting. I don't even
725
00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:54.480
want to know how you got.
726
00:32:54.279 --> 00:33:00.839
It, right, Yeah, wash marker through.
727
00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:03.680
That right, yep. I don't need that worker anymore.
728
00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:09.880
So what was the like with Lou? We got some
729
00:33:10.039 --> 00:33:17.720
questions about uh, you know with Lou Lamarella in the chat, well, negotiating.
730
00:33:17.799 --> 00:33:20.480
The boss or to a certain extent, right obviously to
731
00:33:21.160 --> 00:33:23.400
contract time. You don't have a contract, but you know
732
00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:25.720
when you have a contract, uh, you know, it is
733
00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:29.960
what it is. So yeah, he's been very successful, so
734
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.200
you can knock that. And you know he likes to
735
00:33:34.279 --> 00:33:39.039
run very organized. You know, I have his team's very organized,
736
00:33:39.079 --> 00:33:42.119
and you know, and there's a way he wants to think,
737
00:33:42.200 --> 00:33:45.519
so you know that's by him, by the way, That's
738
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:47.240
why I was asking, and some of it's very good.
739
00:33:47.559 --> 00:33:52.359
Young players actually have some structure. So obviously later you know,
740
00:33:52.400 --> 00:33:55.839
when I went to Detroit, older more experienced you know team,
741
00:33:55.960 --> 00:33:59.200
and you know it wasn't as you know, organ I
742
00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:02.039
mean not not not as strict I guess in some areas,
743
00:34:02.079 --> 00:34:04.799
so you know, when you're older, it's a little easier
744
00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:06.759
that way. And he went to Detroit.
745
00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:09.000
It wasn't a lou team. There's there's definitely the difference
746
00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:10.199
between the lou team and.
747
00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:11.280
All of the other teams.
748
00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:13.559
That's what they did. But that must have been when
749
00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:16.039
you first came into the Devils and intimidating. First meet
750
00:34:16.199 --> 00:34:18.400
was with Blue. I would assume, well, it could be wrong.
751
00:34:18.599 --> 00:34:21.920
Everything's now, Uh No, I don't think so. Uhbviously, he
752
00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:24.440
wants he wants his player to succeed, he wants the
753
00:34:24.440 --> 00:34:27.639
team to succeed. So there's you know, he's gonna do
754
00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:29.239
with that whatever he feels that's gonna take.
755
00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:31.079
And was that your first time in Jersey when he
756
00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:31.519
came here?
757
00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:35.039
Trying to think, yeah, yeah, I think there was like
758
00:34:35.079 --> 00:34:37.320
a rookie a couple of weeks before where we came
759
00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:40.920
in and then we had thefecial main camp there at
760
00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:46.320
the and was it car that I can't remember, well, yeah,
761
00:34:46.360 --> 00:34:53.239
but with the training camp was at the practice facility.
762
00:34:51.320 --> 00:34:54.920
The one next to Turtleback zoo. Did you guys zoo
763
00:34:55.320 --> 00:34:55.719
we stay.
764
00:34:55.639 --> 00:34:58.440
The turtle back in right across the street.
765
00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:00.159
That's funny.
766
00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:03.199
This dude's great now, like I've heard, it's amazing. Yeah,
767
00:35:03.199 --> 00:35:05.280
they've done a great job. And I always laugh about
768
00:35:05.280 --> 00:35:07.679
that because every time we bring the kids there and
769
00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:09.480
drive into the parking lot, I'm like, I wonder if
770
00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:11.800
the guys ever just like walked over after practice.
771
00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:14.719
Just I think we did go over there once. Yeah,
772
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:16.360
looked at the monkeys for a well or.
773
00:35:18.840 --> 00:35:20.360
Just to clear your mind, you know, go and hang
774
00:35:20.360 --> 00:35:23.360
out and check it out post practice, walk through the
775
00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:24.719
zoo just to kind of calm Dawn.
776
00:35:24.599 --> 00:35:28.159
Can't say the turtle back all day.
777
00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:32.480
So all right, so now after this, how long you
778
00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:34.159
in Jersey for leaving tomorrow?
779
00:35:34.239 --> 00:35:36.519
You're leaving tomorrow. So a quick quick jump in jump
780
00:35:36.519 --> 00:35:37.239
out at my.
781
00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:43.800
Italian food yesterday which I missed Central Wisconsin is they're.
782
00:35:43.079 --> 00:35:45.199
Not for cheese, but they're not known for uh yeah
783
00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:46.480
yeah getting good pizza.
784
00:35:46.599 --> 00:35:49.039
The food is definitely in the higher quality here. This
785
00:35:49.159 --> 00:35:51.559
goes so, I you know, especially the town is nice
786
00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:52.079
to come back to it.
787
00:35:52.440 --> 00:35:54.760
Now when you were here, would you go to the
788
00:35:54.800 --> 00:35:56.079
city a lot like would you?
789
00:35:56.400 --> 00:35:56.519
Oh?
790
00:35:56.639 --> 00:35:58.559
Yeah, obviously a few times. Yeah, yeah, you know the
791
00:35:58.559 --> 00:36:01.079
team would go in there too, But yeah, I mean
792
00:36:01.719 --> 00:36:04.400
restaurants like Fertisamo and Fortes. You know, I lived in
793
00:36:04.480 --> 00:36:07.039
Essex County area, so that was what those were popular
794
00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:08.280
back in the day. I don't, you know, I'm not
795
00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:09.760
too familiar with that they're still there or not.
796
00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:14.119
But I actually don't even know. I don't even live
797
00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:15.079
in Essex, so I couldn't tell you.
798
00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:17.960
I wish they could, but so, but you know, those
799
00:36:17.960 --> 00:36:20.599
are the places I remember, and yeah.
800
00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:21.639
Yeah, yeah, you know, I tell you this.
801
00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:25.440
It's it's uh, it's you know, it's amazing to see
802
00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:27.440
like when you guys come back, it's amazing. Like we've
803
00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:28.800
go to the games and we get to see like
804
00:36:28.840 --> 00:36:31.840
the three Reunion things like that, and to see the
805
00:36:31.880 --> 00:36:35.159
amount of guys like come back for that reunion. When
806
00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:37.679
when all of you come back, what is that kind
807
00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:39.559
of like what is that feeling of just.
808
00:36:39.480 --> 00:36:42.280
Like because I can imagine you don't ever getting old. Yeah, well.
809
00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:46.400
Cause I can imagine you don't get a chance to
810
00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:47.760
talk to them or see a lot of the guys
811
00:36:47.800 --> 00:36:50.440
from the team or you know, then once you're close
812
00:36:50.480 --> 00:36:52.440
to you're close to but cross.
813
00:36:52.159 --> 00:36:56.039
Passed with so yeah, yeah, so it's good to get back. Yeah.
814
00:36:56.079 --> 00:36:58.199
It was a good couple of days. And uh, you know,
815
00:36:58.280 --> 00:37:00.559
the organization did a good job, and you know it
816
00:37:00.599 --> 00:37:02.719
was good to see the game from a box, which
817
00:37:02.760 --> 00:37:05.679
I had never done before at the New Arena. But yeah,
818
00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:07.559
it was good. You know, it's good to come back. Yeah,
819
00:37:07.840 --> 00:37:11.199
get some memories back and see what's else's new. Yeah,
820
00:37:11.559 --> 00:37:13.760
things change a lot in fifteen seventeen years.
821
00:37:14.599 --> 00:37:17.199
New Arena, you know, Yeah, I.
822
00:37:17.199 --> 00:37:19.519
Missed on all that good stuff here. I leave Devil's
823
00:37:19.559 --> 00:37:22.000
good new Arena. I leave Detroit. They get a new plane,
824
00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:23.559
all that stuff.
825
00:37:24.039 --> 00:37:26.239
Were you there for a little the new Little Caesar though?
826
00:37:26.519 --> 00:37:26.599
No?
827
00:37:26.960 --> 00:37:31.679
No? Yeah, okay, all right, yeah man, you really did
828
00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:32.159
miss out.
829
00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:35.880
I didn't miss all new stuff, that's right, too bad.
830
00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:37.840
Yeah yeah, yeah, I can't complain about everything.
831
00:37:37.920 --> 00:37:40.800
No, I mean we could know who's going to listen.
832
00:37:41.079 --> 00:37:44.480
Yeah, exactly, exactly. People just turn us off at that point.
833
00:37:44.599 --> 00:37:45.320
These guys click.
834
00:37:47.199 --> 00:37:53.440
So So one one question going to Detroit, did you
835
00:37:53.440 --> 00:37:55.320
ever have to pick up an octopus?
836
00:37:56.360 --> 00:37:58.519
I never did that. I guess it was the biggest
837
00:37:58.519 --> 00:38:00.159
thing I picked up on the ice New Troy. It
838
00:38:00.239 --> 00:38:05.239
was the bench that rabbit for throwing. That was what
839
00:38:05.280 --> 00:38:06.960
the devil thought that.
840
00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:08.800
That's still a great one of the greatest things that
841
00:38:08.800 --> 00:38:10.800
he ever did was just chuck that chuck that bench.
842
00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:13.000
Wait wait, what is your response like when that happened
843
00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:13.639
where you're like.
844
00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:15.760
I was like coming off the ice or whatever, and
845
00:38:15.800 --> 00:38:18.440
I was like, I'm just just saw. I'm like, I
846
00:38:18.519 --> 00:38:19.800
was a rookie, so I was like, I'll just pick
847
00:38:19.840 --> 00:38:22.199
it up on I didn't want the referees to pick
848
00:38:22.239 --> 00:38:22.480
it up.
849
00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:22.880
Yeah.
850
00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:27.639
Yeah, and kind of, you know, as the rookie, you're like, yeah,
851
00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:28.960
you gonna go get that bench.
852
00:38:29.400 --> 00:38:30.199
Pick this up now.
853
00:38:30.320 --> 00:38:32.840
Yeah, thanks coach. That wasn't too far.
854
00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:36.159
Yeah. Yeah, he did give it a good, good chuck
855
00:38:36.199 --> 00:38:37.559
though for the size of that bench.
856
00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:39.039
I didn't never saw if there was a chunk out
857
00:38:39.039 --> 00:38:40.079
of the ice or anything either.
858
00:38:39.920 --> 00:38:41.159
But imagine it must have been.
859
00:38:42.159 --> 00:38:47.239
That's what about Larry Robinson, the legendary story down three
860
00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:50.119
one to the Flyers. It was a tirade in the
861
00:38:50.159 --> 00:38:50.519
locker room.
862
00:38:50.519 --> 00:38:51.199
What did he say?
863
00:38:51.239 --> 00:38:53.440
Like, what what are you allowed to say?
864
00:38:53.639 --> 00:39:00.800
So I don't I mean, yeah, you know, well, I
865
00:39:00.840 --> 00:39:02.960
mean we fought back, so we were down three to one, right,
866
00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:07.199
so that that yeah, so yeah, I mean it was
867
00:39:08.360 --> 00:39:09.719
we actually had a good I had a good team
868
00:39:09.719 --> 00:39:12.519
and we just had to I mean I think games
869
00:39:12.519 --> 00:39:14.440
are fairly close all the way through to that point too,
870
00:39:14.639 --> 00:39:18.119
something excite of a lot of them. Yeah, so you
871
00:39:18.159 --> 00:39:20.639
know things happened that way, right, So, I mean that's obviously,
872
00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:23.360
you know, one of the bigger series comebacks that I've
873
00:39:23.360 --> 00:39:24.159
been a part of, for sure.
874
00:39:25.039 --> 00:39:27.599
But we talked about a lot about like the successes
875
00:39:27.639 --> 00:39:30.079
and things like that, But what was the biggest.
876
00:39:29.760 --> 00:39:32.960
Heartbreak that you think you've got out in the ice.
877
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:35.519
I can imagine that game.
878
00:39:35.559 --> 00:39:39.199
That was tough, you know, you know, we had some
879
00:39:39.199 --> 00:39:41.800
good chances before that to win it, so, I mean,
880
00:39:41.880 --> 00:39:43.800
but to come back even you know with Preez's goal
881
00:39:43.880 --> 00:39:46.880
late it was good. Yeah, And you were down to
882
00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:48.559
nothing even in that game and came back, So it
883
00:39:48.599 --> 00:39:51.559
was it was an exciting game for sure, But that
884
00:39:51.559 --> 00:39:53.559
as close as we came, you know that to win,
885
00:39:54.280 --> 00:39:56.480
you know, following the eighty team getting something like that,
886
00:39:56.480 --> 00:39:57.440
that would have been pretty special.
887
00:39:57.480 --> 00:39:59.920
That would have been Yeah, that was that was that
888
00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:01.559
was wont to record game.
889
00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:02.639
It was one heck of a game.
890
00:40:02.639 --> 00:40:04.679
I can't imagine playing in that and then just like
891
00:40:04.719 --> 00:40:08.320
that that emotional just dump at the end, you know,
892
00:40:08.320 --> 00:40:11.199
whether you're winning with you know, that euphoria of winning
893
00:40:11.199 --> 00:40:14.440
and everybody's exciting, but that that feeling of like you
894
00:40:14.480 --> 00:40:17.480
were this close and it just and it's done and
895
00:40:17.559 --> 00:40:19.920
it's over and it's like all right, you know, and
896
00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:22.400
it's just like that release must have been.
897
00:40:23.320 --> 00:40:23.559
You know.
898
00:40:24.079 --> 00:40:26.159
It's like not like to say it's low low, but
899
00:40:26.880 --> 00:40:29.519
it's almost like equivalent to how it feels to like win,
900
00:40:29.679 --> 00:40:31.440
if it's like that same thing, just on a polar
901
00:40:31.480 --> 00:40:32.320
opposite side of it.
902
00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:34.199
Yeah, and then you're it's out there a little longer too.
903
00:40:34.199 --> 00:40:37.440
Fall the ceremonies, oh yeah, with the metals for individuals
904
00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:39.599
and everything, so you're out there quite a while. Yeah.
905
00:40:39.639 --> 00:40:41.880
Oh boy, I turn around and go play against Colorado
906
00:40:41.920 --> 00:40:45.239
next day game in college, Like you're playing around. My
907
00:40:45.280 --> 00:40:49.039
coach was still on vacation or taking their breaks. Thanks
908
00:40:49.079 --> 00:40:50.239
coach so much for.
909
00:40:50.199 --> 00:40:51.480
Going on closing ceremonies.
910
00:40:51.760 --> 00:40:53.039
Oh god, how was that though?
911
00:40:53.119 --> 00:40:56.239
Like how well? The good thing is it was only
912
00:40:56.840 --> 00:40:58.679
one game. It's like second day back to back.
913
00:40:58.840 --> 00:41:02.679
Yeah yeah, true, and it's only in Vancouver, so it wasn't.
914
00:41:02.159 --> 00:41:06.039
Yeah, yeah, it wasn't that far and being in playing
915
00:41:06.079 --> 00:41:08.199
those games compared to the guys that have been off ten days,
916
00:41:08.199 --> 00:41:11.320
twelve days, they're getting their legs back. Yeah, so I
917
00:41:11.360 --> 00:41:13.800
had a little more you know. Yeah, that's better, a
918
00:41:13.800 --> 00:41:15.199
little better lungs, I think at that point.
919
00:41:15.360 --> 00:41:15.519
Yeah.
920
00:41:15.639 --> 00:41:17.639
Yeah, did you get to enjoy any of the other
921
00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:20.480
stuff around the Olympics, not just not just the games?
922
00:41:20.480 --> 00:41:22.079
And so I went up to the village and all
923
00:41:22.119 --> 00:41:22.360
that thing.
924
00:41:22.400 --> 00:41:25.400
Yeah, we went to where they did the NBC tapings.
925
00:41:26.719 --> 00:41:28.119
So I went up there. I was kind of nice
926
00:41:28.199 --> 00:41:30.039
up in the mountains, had done that, took a big
927
00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:33.360
gondola up or whatever, and yeah, that's so. Yeah, I
928
00:41:33.400 --> 00:41:35.719
mean the Salt Lake City did a couple of things there.
929
00:41:36.480 --> 00:41:38.320
Italy not so much because our games are so late
930
00:41:39.079 --> 00:41:40.519
and I think we started like eight or nine, ten
931
00:41:40.519 --> 00:41:43.039
o'clock and something crazy just.
932
00:41:42.960 --> 00:41:46.039
For TV is that I'm so unnatural to start that late,
933
00:41:46.119 --> 00:41:47.119
like you take.
934
00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:51.519
There's no like part of anything open. Everyone just got pizza. Yeah,
935
00:41:51.559 --> 00:41:53.039
they had been pizza in the locker room for after
936
00:41:53.079 --> 00:41:56.039
meal because the mess halls closed on the village and
937
00:41:56.079 --> 00:41:58.239
all the restaurants are closed. So you know, getting out
938
00:41:58.239 --> 00:41:59.920
of there, plus media after you're out there by one
939
00:42:00.039 --> 00:42:04.000
clock or Yeah, definitely changes your times up a little bit.
940
00:42:04.159 --> 00:42:05.559
Now you know what it's like to be a beer leaguer.
941
00:42:06.039 --> 00:42:11.400
Try four weeks in the next day, two children in
942
00:42:11.599 --> 00:42:12.239
America's youth.
943
00:42:12.440 --> 00:42:14.039
Yeah. Did you get to watch any of the other
944
00:42:14.039 --> 00:42:15.760
sports while you're in there at the Olympics any of
945
00:42:15.800 --> 00:42:16.400
the three times?
946
00:42:16.599 --> 00:42:16.760
Uh?
947
00:42:17.119 --> 00:42:19.840
Nope, nope. I think I think maybe we went to
948
00:42:19.920 --> 00:42:21.599
ice Dancy ones for a couple hours. I was like, Eh,
949
00:42:21.639 --> 00:42:25.920
this is kind of slowly and I'm done.
950
00:42:26.119 --> 00:42:28.599
Yeah, all right, So last question for me.
951
00:42:30.679 --> 00:42:33.119
Throughout, like, you know, your entire time in New Jersey,
952
00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:35.960
what do you think if you could pinpoint the one
953
00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:38.320
outside of winning a Stanley Cup obviously, but if you
954
00:42:38.320 --> 00:42:40.719
could pinpoint one of the things that you cherished the
955
00:42:40.760 --> 00:42:42.639
most or you think about the most when you reflect
956
00:42:42.679 --> 00:42:44.079
back on I'm playing.
957
00:42:43.800 --> 00:42:51.000
For the Devils, Well, jeez, one thing, I know. It's hard, well, yeah,
958
00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:55.199
pitting things down. I guess just the you know, just
959
00:42:55.239 --> 00:42:58.440
getting that first chance playing HL, just that opportunity that
960
00:42:58.480 --> 00:43:00.760
they saw something. I mean that you know other teams didn't.
961
00:43:01.199 --> 00:43:02.159
So you know, give me that.
962
00:43:02.239 --> 00:43:04.840
Change and we're lucky we did. We're lucky we did.
963
00:43:06.639 --> 00:43:10.480
I'll go my my last question I kind of mentioned
964
00:43:10.519 --> 00:43:12.840
a little bit earlier with your day with the Cup.
965
00:43:13.159 --> 00:43:15.559
Was there one of the three days in particular that
966
00:43:15.599 --> 00:43:16.880
stood out the most to you?
967
00:43:17.440 --> 00:43:19.559
Well, the one the last one in Detroit. I got
968
00:43:19.639 --> 00:43:24.480
an extra twelve hours because something happened with the flight
969
00:43:24.559 --> 00:43:27.360
going outer in or something. I can't remember exactly the things,
970
00:43:27.400 --> 00:43:34.760
but it was a long three six hours sleep. So yeah,
971
00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:37.119
that was that was a long, long period. I did
972
00:43:37.199 --> 00:43:38.639
get to see the Cup this summer, so that was
973
00:43:38.679 --> 00:43:41.840
kind of cool because my my former agent, Bill Ziitos
974
00:43:41.880 --> 00:43:44.320
the GM Panthers, so he brought to Milwaukee, so we
975
00:43:44.400 --> 00:43:45.679
had a party down there. So I went down there
976
00:43:45.719 --> 00:43:47.800
for a few hours, which kind of kind of nice
977
00:43:47.800 --> 00:43:50.639
to see that again and see the cup cup guard
978
00:43:50.760 --> 00:43:52.639
and you see him, So that was a good time.
979
00:43:52.679 --> 00:43:54.320
Did you automatically go and look for your name?
980
00:43:54.920 --> 00:43:57.360
Yeah, look one. I mean, but but that was long
981
00:43:57.400 --> 00:43:59.679
ones I wasn't you know, didn't wind so much time.
982
00:43:59.760 --> 00:44:00.679
So it's more just seeing people.
983
00:44:00.719 --> 00:44:02.599
What's more surreal seeing your name on the cup or
984
00:44:02.639 --> 00:44:04.679
seeing yourself as in like a video.
985
00:44:04.440 --> 00:44:06.440
Game, video game?
986
00:44:06.599 --> 00:44:10.000
Yeah, isn't that So that's gonna be so weird, like or.
987
00:44:10.039 --> 00:44:11.239
Like way better than they used to be though.
988
00:44:11.360 --> 00:44:12.519
Yeah. Yeah, now it's.
989
00:44:12.559 --> 00:44:15.519
Saying but or like seeing people walk around with like
990
00:44:15.559 --> 00:44:17.159
your name or in your jersey.
991
00:44:17.239 --> 00:44:20.480
Doesn't I mean that's that's kinda feel so cool, like yeah.
992
00:44:20.920 --> 00:44:21.960
That's not why I ever did it.
993
00:44:22.320 --> 00:44:24.360
No, no, no, not to say that. It was just
994
00:44:24.519 --> 00:44:26.159
as like something that's surreal.
995
00:44:25.880 --> 00:44:29.400
Like yeah, that doesn't you know, I mean yeah it doesn't,
996
00:44:29.400 --> 00:44:33.760
that doesn't really. Yeah, that's just cool. Yeah, I just
997
00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:38.320
just yeah, all right guys.
998
00:44:38.280 --> 00:44:40.840
Yeah, yeah, I think we'll close it out, Sammy, Yeah,
999
00:44:40.880 --> 00:44:41.639
we'll close it out.
1000
00:44:41.679 --> 00:44:41.800
Well.
1001
00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:44.760
Appreciate it, man, thank.
1002
00:44:44.320 --> 00:44:46.599
You so much. Thank you.
1003
00:44:46.760 --> 00:44:53.199
Yeah, I was gonna close, but.
1004
00:44:53.639 --> 00:44:58.480
I thought we can close down well to thank all
1005
00:44:58.519 --> 00:44:59.199
those stuning in.
1006
00:44:59.280 --> 00:45:02.519
Will be back tomorrow night at nine pm Eastern for
1007
00:45:02.559 --> 00:45:03.440
the Sunday edition.
1008
00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:05.239
Hello, Let's Go Doubles podcast.
1009
00:45:05.360 --> 00:45:16.360
Till next time, Well, Let's Go Doubles