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Today's podcast is brought to you by Minerva Hearing.
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Hear the cheers, protect your ears.
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Shemai Powerbach Kroysor.
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Hello, everybody, and welcome to Devil's Insider for this week's edition of your Cardiff Devil's official podcast.
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Dan Ruther alongside Neil Francis and Gareth Hewish.
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As always, guys, it's good to see you.
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Gaz, how are you doing?
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Yes, I'm very well.
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Thank you.
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Um, apologies for my deterioration on the debrief on Saturday, where uh I don't really know what happened.
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I just think the sort of I was imbued by the style of the game, and I just sort of have gradually lost all my adrenaline.
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But uh I'm back fighting fit now, you'll be pleased to hear.
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Lovely stuff, lovely stuff.
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Franny, how you been?
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Four-point weekend always puts a little jump in the stride, doesn't it?
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So uh feeling excellent, thank you.
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We are indeed.
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Let's talk about the four-point weekend, why not?
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It's always good to chat about those.
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We'll start with Saturday and of course Friday, and of course the the the devils beat Dundee in overtime in in a marathon of a game that the guys, I mean, it nearly killed you off, and it nearly killed everyone else off.
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Well, the thing is that you get some games when you're you're commentating down, as you well know, where you you can't really take any time to drift away from it because when it's so tight like that and it's so thing, you have to be completely engaged and engrossed in it for the for the entire time.
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And uh, you know, it's just uh it was just that traffic jam in front of uh in front of Pestoff in that uh Dundee now.
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His stats coming into that game were were pretty poor.
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Uh, you know, as his called against average was uh a five uh in the fives, which is you know, yikes kind of area.
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But I thought he had a really good game.
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But what I was really impressed with was just how well that wall kind of stayed in front of it.
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It was a bit of a game of thrones on it with the with the wall a bit impenetrable by uh by the devils.
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But um, you know, we uh we found a way, and I think that is the uh the thing I take away most from Friday.
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Yeah, Franny, it was uh it was one of
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those games where you you just have to keep chipping away because it was so frustrating and they were so defensive and structured, and and credit to Dundee, you know, for sticking with it, they stuck with it for 64 and a half minutes, but uh eventually you felt that the devils the the the extra bit would just would just tell.
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Yeah, we talked about this uh a bit on the debrief that Dundee, as we predicted, would come in to set up shop in front of the goal and just make it difficult to play.
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I I called it anti-hockey, which it was.
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I mean, uh that's probably a bit of a discredit to to Dundee coaching staff because they did what they had to do uh to try the best way to get a result.
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And I think coming in here and getting a point, I mean the coach he was pretty happy and rightly so, because uh not only did they um they successfully get that point, but for 60 whatever minutes of the game, his team well say 60 minutes because it's you know in five-on-five hockey, um, his team carried out the instructions to the letter, and they made it very, very, very difficult for the devils to penetrate.
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I mean, you look at the the shots on goal, the devils had 83 shots.
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Now, we know not not a lot of them were in that kind of grade A chance area, but that's because there's five Dundee bodies packed into that grade A area, you know, packed right into that house in front of the net, add in a couple of devils bodies too.
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You know, that that's seven guys you gotta get through to get to to the goalie, and you know, the goalie's a big fella himself.
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So the devils had to resort to trying to outmove outmaneuver the Dundee stars and try and open up a lane.
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Dundee stars were too rigid in their structure for that, and they stayed disciplined, they didn't kind of fall for that.
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There was lots of activation and rotation from the devil's D and the forwards um to try and pull them out of position, and they didn't budge.
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So all the devils could do was just keep hammering away, getting shots through to that net, hoping for a couple of deflections, um, and those deflections didn't come.
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The one time we did see it work was of course on that Esther shot, which is uh you know a shot through traffic through the screen that that went top shelf, and uh and Pastov didn't uh didn't have a chance with that one because um he couldn't see it because of all that traffic.
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And the odds are that when you take 80 odd shots like that, more than one will get through and will take a couple of deflections and you know might end up with a a rebound in front that's tapped away, but just on the night it didn't.
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So it really was um yeah, a test of patience for the devils, and and in the end that came off with the OT winner.
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It did, yeah.
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And and and Tomo actually interesting.
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I'm glad you've brought up the kind of idea of of putting things in front of Peso trying to test him because Tomo, it's not just that it's not just this weekend that was the first time he said it, but um, you know, he he he really wants to emphasize sometimes, you know, you've got to challenge a goalie, move him around, get it, get people in front of him, do something, don't just repeat the same stuff again.
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And and so, you know, you look at the two goals the devil scored Esther's one, like you say, traffic in front, just put enough in front of him for him to get unsighted.
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And then it was actually just a really nice move by Contos, which gets the second and stuff.
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And so, you know, from Tomo's position, it I mean, he must be putting his hair out with with the you know, the fact that the devil's, you know, the evidence is there.
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You challenge him twice and you make things difficult for him twice, he gets two goals.
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Yeah, and I mean the second one is three-on-three overtime, so Dundee don't have the chance to to pack up you know the area in front of his net uh in three-on-three overtime.
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You've got to be very rigid man on man because you can't have any any odd man rushes.
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Uh, and then you know, that was uh Contas has got a long reach on him, he's got very good puck control, and he just kind of dangled that carrot out in front of Pestov and you know forced him to come out and narrow that angle down.
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But Contos's hands are really quick and makes a lovely move to tuck it in the post.
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And for me, the the story of that goal is the pass at the blue line that is really is is a risky pass to make.
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You know, when you're in cartoons and they're on a train track and the trains come in and you just about they just about get away at the last minute.
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It felt like that because that there was a dundee player in and around that uh that area that if he'd got a stick on it, it he had been away.
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But as it was, Estes played that pass pretty much perfectly and it got to to Contas, and uh, you know, the composure and the poise uh of that finish was was really uh befitting of a winner.
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Yeah, I mean it was the pickup of the pass as well from Contas, wasn't it?
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Because, like you say, I don't think he'd be expecting that necessarily because there wasn't much room to manoeuvre for Estes, but he
doesn't need much room, so uh he he just about threads it through, but then I think Contas had to take it off his skate, get control of it pretty quickly, out on the right hand side onto his backhand around the D-man, and then kind of bring it back inside to Tucker inside that post.
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And Tucker inside that post he did.
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It was uh it was a grinding win, it was a long, long, uh needed win for the Devils, but they got it done.
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Now, let's talk about Sunday because I really want to talk about Sunday.
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I I enjoyed watching on Sunday, it was a great game to watch.
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Devils go up to Fife, obviously, at the moment, an incredibly tough place to go.
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Everyone's finding that they get the win in overtime.
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It wasn't easy, but guys, they went and did what they needed to.
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They certainly did, and I'm just gonna start with Fife.
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I I really enjoyed watching them.
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That to me is the epitome of a team that plays without fear, and I think we haven't always seen that in Fife teams in recent years, but it was really refreshing to me to see a group of guys just like I say, play without fear, you know, you're in our barn, we're gonna go toe-to-toe with you, whatever happens, happens.
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Um, and they went toe-to-toe both on the scoreboard and with the gloves off as well, which was thoroughly uh entertaining uh to see.
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Um, but yeah, it it was it was one of my favourite games to watch uh of the season because I really didn't know at times where that game was gonna go.
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The ebb and flow was so different, and you know, you had your sort of you know customary sort of penalty kills you you you have um and sort of where you have to weather the crowd and the and the storm, and you know, they score after six seconds on that power play, and the place is going ballistic, just it had a bit of everything, didn't it?
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That game that that's a proper kind of proper motor point elite league up in Scotland on a Sunday game, and everyone gave their role, but we found a way.
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Um and one prediction that we didn't have is in the absence of Riley Brandt, we'd have Jonas Emidal stepping up to fight Garrett Hunt.
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And I mean, first of all, it was uh a big hit by Jonas on Hunt, and obviously he took exception to that and comes after him.
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And it what what was impressive for me?
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I mean, I mean, Jonas isn't a fighter, I mean he's a big body, but he's not a fighter.
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And Hunt starts the fight with like quite a big bomb.
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You know, he drops the glove and starts swinging before Jonas is even in the fight.
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And he after taking that one, I think that's the one that cut him on the nose.
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After taking that one, he his gloves came off, and I thought he he held account really, really well.
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You know, he held uh he you know used his reach to his advantage, but he started trading as well.
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He got some good ones in it.
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Yeah, he did, and he he caught Hunt square in the face.
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And I thought Hunt was probably a little bit shocked at that because he wouldn't be expecting that because we know Jonas plays hard, but like I say, not a traditional fighter, but I thought he did exceptionally well, so I want to be give a big stick tap to him for that.
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And I I do wonder the second fight from Hunt, the choice to do that seemed very odd to me, and I haven't quite put my finger on a theory as to why he took it, but I do wonder whether that first one did take him so much by surprise that he really wanted to try and make amends for that quite quickly.
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And he kind of ran into it, Nolan Remko.
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I think instantly realized, well, this guy's gone from the game, and I don't really have to indulge this in this building as much as uh as much as you want me to.
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Yeah, I mean, guys like Garrett Hunt, they play with their heart on their sleeve, and you know, sometimes they make decisions that aren't the wisest decisions, but that's what makes them the player that they are.
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Um, you know, he's an energy uh player, he's a tough player, and he sometimes steps over that line.
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Uh, we saw it last year with the the incident with Dante Hanoon where you know he got the the ban for the sucker punch, and you know, this to me was a it was a lack of discipline on his behalf, but if you take that edge away from a player like Garrett Hunt, then he's half the player he is.
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So you you gotta take the uh rough with a smooth when you know he's your player, and he chose to to have a fight.
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And I think the only reason that Yuremko took the fight is knowing, well, okay, Hunt's out the game here.
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So he took it, he didn't really engage in the fight.
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All he had to do was just kind of hang on.
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Um, especially with us being shorter bodies up there, he couldn't really risk anything, so he just hang on and uh had a massive smile on his face for the whole fight.
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Yeah, I think that was my favourite bit, is he is he just holds Hunt just far enough away that he's not gonna make any proper connections with him.
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Is there's a lovely grin on the face of uh Nolan Uremko, who's sporting a great mustache as well, by right now, by the way.
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Best on the team by a long way.
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But um and he only started growing it that morning as well.
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Um just the last thing on the Hunt scrap as well.
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I think actually, and and you know, you can talk about it maybe constantly and that might be a bit in terms of uh the language aggressive, but actually, you know, you saw the impact he had early in terms of getting stuck into the devils, and and I think actually losing a guy like him for Fife was a big loss because we've seen I I the the the other big kind of example that pops up is Racine.
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That game in Guildford where Guildford dominated, they made it really tough for the Devils because Racine just got stuck into everybody, and I think losing Hunt, Fife lost a little bit of edge there.
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Yeah, and I think where it played out really that to your point to highlight that is after Karon took his penalty and the Devils were aggrieved by that, the Devils started playing cheesed off, and they started playing a bit more nasty, and there wasn't a deterrent to stop that.
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And I think if we had risen that temperature and Hunt was still on the ice, Fife had an opportunity there to try and combat some of that.
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They didn't, and they couldn't.
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I think that us playing with that chip on our shoulder, we were allowed to do that there, and I just do think that had an effect.
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Yeah, and I love it when we play with a chip on our shoulder, and it was it was funny because the goal was a direct result of an awful call.
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I mean, there's a as a scrum, there's two guys equally at at fault in there, and the call is a two-each.
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Two-each for roughing, two each for delay a game, two, whatever you want.
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And then to to single out Karan for the four-minute, uh, you know, uh, so we end up on a two-minute power play.
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You could just see, I mean, he's not he's he's not normally an angry man, but you could see how how vocal he was to the extent that Toby Craig then gave him a warning about you know the back chatting.
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And then to make it even worse, um, Fife go out and score straight away on the power play.
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And I thought that was the game changer because the devils were they were so fired up that that poor call had led to the you know losing the lead uh and going behind against Fife to go out straight away and bang those two quick goals, I think, was was soul sapping for the five flyers, and you know, ultimately I think that's what won us the game.
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Yeah, two lovely finishes by Olashevsky and and Kontos and great work actually by Uremko, of course, who was back on the ice by that point to to feed Kontos for the for the third one.
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But you know, situations like that where you do, you know, you take a penalty they feel that you is unjustified, you concede six seconds into a power play.
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That can, and in that building as well, that can deflate a team big time.
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And I think that what I was most impressed by the Devils is that almost, well that did, as we said, spurred them on instead of you know putting them, you know, they didn't drop their heads, they didn't let it affect them.
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It got they kicked them into gear and they get those goals.
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And uh, you know, we've talked a lot over the last few weeks about just getting it done, getting the points, doing what you need to do.
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And and in a situation like that, it almost puts the impetus on the devils to okay, well, if you're not happy with the call, go and score some goals, and they did.
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Yeah, and I I think what made it even more important was in that build-in, um, that power play goal six seconds into the power play just ignited that place, and that that barn was absolutely rocking.
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And then when you score straight away and then follow up again with another goal, so they're now behind in the game, it just silences the crowd because it's difficult to you know the the way that that fiery crowd is, they thrive on um on stuff their team does well or the other team does badly, and then all of a sudden, if you take that away with those two quick goals, bang bang, it it took the energy out of the building, which is hard to do.
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So I thought that was ultra important.
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And um the other mention I want to make on the um Olashevsky goal was J Mac.
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You could see you could see how fired up he was, and we'll go back to that in a minute.
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Um, but you know, he went out there, and you and I love it when he plays with that edge, and he went in, he bangs a body in the corner, he wins a battle, and the puck ends up going across the other side of the ice and and Ollie ends up putting it in.
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But um, you could just see how visibly motivated and um the bit between the teeth the guys were off the back of that that call.
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Yeah, and I you know to your point then about saying about finding a way and and you know the way they reacted to it, maybe last couple of years w we sulk a little bit, maybe in those situations.
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And I I feel like that is uh a mood that has crept out uh a lot since maybe
Christmas time last year, is we don't feel sorry for ourselves uh as long as we need to.
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We we decide that we've got it in us to to right the wrongs that we felt has happened, and I I really like that about us.
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You know, and we we've sort of challenged the team, and the coaching staff have challenged the team, and the fans have challenged the team uh on their uh road form.
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And when you get those calls going against you, like the Quran one, then there was a a roughing one on Christian Stover where arguably it's goaltender interference the other way.
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You know, when you get those calls going against you and you're on a you know, you know, there's questions being asked of you on the road, there's every excuse there not to push through.
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But I think the guys have really answered the questions with that.
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Not you know, very important Nottenham Road win, and then going up to a difficult building with a side that is clearly um very um gelled as a team and have a good team spirit and they got a good thing going on right now, and you know, the crowd backing them to go up there and get a result in those circumstances.
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I think the the team answered those questions.
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They did.
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I mean, questions were also asked of them in the third at three all.
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They they and Tim Wallace said in his post-game interview, he thought the third was really great by them and they were the better team.
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I'd agree with that.
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I thought they were very, very good and pushed the devils really hard.
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But you know, the question was asked, the devils answered and said, Okay, let's get it for overtime.
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And then you look at overtime, absolute clinic.
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Fife didn't have a sniff.
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You look at the shots on goal, four-nothing in favour of the devils.
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Fournier could have won it, Estes could have won it, and then Josh McDonald did.
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Great work by Joey Martin turning over the puck, and he feeds J Mac, who I gotta say, the finish is really patient.
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And we talk about when you know when he's playing fired up.
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Almost sometimes in those situations, adrenaline can take over and you just try and rip a shot.
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He waited, he waited, and then beat the goalie.
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And and I thought it was a really nice finish.
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And and you know, guys, we'll just touch quickly on the work of Joey Martin on that goal as well, because he goes and gets that puck and gives it to J Mac.
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Vintage Joey Martin.
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He made a very similar one against Guildford here at the beginning of the season in behind the net, where he almost anticipates perfectly where someone's gonna throw that pack and make sure that he's in the way.
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And what is just so great about Joey Martin in those situations is how quickly he brings that pack under control and he's made the pass.
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It's almost like he's seen the whole thing in his head before anyone has even moved.
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Like Matrix bullet time takes over and everything else slows down around him, picks the pass, and you know, I think it a lot of that goal is in that pass, isn't it?
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Like the way that uh McDonald is there in front of Ned.
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He does have to do a bit, like you say, and be composed, but Joey Martin has just again been the guy you the go-to guy in the clutch moment.
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And of course, McDonald's celebration, Freddy.
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I mean, we we all absolutely loved this.
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And uh, you know, when you go to a building like Fife where you know you're gonna get pelters all night from the guys, and and you're gonna get it from the fans, and that's okay, you know, they they're entitled to you know, shout whatever they like to shout, I'm sure.
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And uh, you know, it's good to see J Mac giving it back a little bit and doing it in his own way, and I loved it.
00:18:41.599 --> 00:19:04.640
Yeah, I mean the the banter from the fans is relentless when you when you're in Fife, it is, and it's uh yeah, and you could tell that there was sections of that crowd that had just been given it to the players all night because not only did J Mac come up with that celebration where he shushed quite clearly the fans that were behind the bench that obviously been given a hard time to the team.
00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:15.119
I think you saw Panu as well have a little tap on the pexiglass at somebody that had been giving him a hard time, and uh yeah, that is the best way to answer back, isn't it?
00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:19.680
It is, and actually, I what I really liked about it is the team clearly all loved it as well.
00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.559
We talk about how Fife are playing really together and they've gelled well.
00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:30.319
Well, that devil's room seemed like you know, they were all playing for each other, and and you know, you look at a few of them sharing the video on social media after a few of them getting involved.
00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:35.839
They all really like this kind of thing, and I think that's really good for for team chemistry as well, is getting stuck into that stuff.
00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:37.680
Yeah, it is good for team spirit.
00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:44.160
I mean, it
when whenever you kind of uh overcome the odds, uh there's a sense of togetherness together.
00:19:44.240 --> 00:20:02.319
Um, we've seen a lot of fight in this team recently, you know, the the Friday night game where there was that persistence against the brick wall of Dundee, then a totally different game going up into five, uh, you know, in a couple of moments that didn't go our way, but still sticking together to get their second overtime win in uh in two games.
00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:04.240
Um, yeah, against that.
00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:10.160
It was a lovely way to answer back, and you know, everybody enjoyed it, and I'm sure that bus trip home was all the sweeter for it.
00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:10.880
Oh, I bet.
00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:13.039
A long, long trip, but one that's worth it, yeah.
00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:15.440
So the Devils win and they get the four points on the weekend.
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:17.440
We're gonna move on now and get our guest on.
00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:23.039
And as we mentioned, the Fife game and then the the final goal we might as well go back to the first goal that night, and that was scored by our guest tonight.
00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:24.799
Tom Coron joins the show.
00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:30.720
A huge welcome on Devils Insider this week to another edition to the Devils for the 26-27 season.
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:32.000
Tom Coron joins the show.
00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:32.799
Tom, how are you doing?
00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:34.400
Thank you so much for coming and chatting to us.
00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:35.359
Thank you for having me.
00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:35.759
Thank you.
00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:41.759
It's uh you know, you've been here a few months now, and uh I always ask the guys how they're settling in, and then hopefully by now you have settled in.
00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:43.279
But how are you enjoying Cardiff so far?
00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:45.279
It's been great so far, to be honest.
00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:48.160
Uh just uh everything on and off the ACE.
00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:49.920
It's been uh it's been awesome.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:51.839
The team uh streeting us really good.
00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:55.759
Uh the apartments are good, uh, the team is good, the guys are really nice.
00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.559
Um nothing but good things to say so far.
00:20:58.960 --> 00:20:59.519
We like to hear it.
00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:00.079
We like to hear it.
00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:01.680
What have you uh what have you made of Cardiff?
00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:03.359
Have you managed to get out and about with a bit?
00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:11.039
I know the weather's not great at the I had a chance to go uh the first probably week of training camp.
00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:13.359
I went to a Cardiff City game with Jimmy and Marty.
00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:13.759
Nice.
00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:17.039
Uh Corky brought us uh brought us there against Wrexham.
00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:20.880
So that was uh that was a good uh
welcome moment to Cardiff.
00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:22.000
Um it was awesome.
00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:30.000
And uh no, we've been to the City Center a few times uh with the guys and with the lady just doing uh different stuff.
00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.759
Uh we've been around, we've been to MMAQ too for a little bit.
00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.160
Just walk around, explore the city.
00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:43.359
Um there's some there's so many things to see, to do, to there's so many good spots for uh for uh dinner and stuff.
00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:45.920
So we had a chance to go for uh dinner also.
00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:47.279
So no, it's been great.
00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:47.839
Very nice.
00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:52.640
Let's chat a little bit about hockey and uh you know we'll we'll touch on on how things have been so far this year.
00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:56.000
And and first of all, you know, first year in the elite league, what have you made of it so far?
00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:59.839
I'm sure you know Jimmy told you a little bit before you got here about it, but what what have you made of it?
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:02.480
No, it's uh I want to say one thing.
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:26.160
It's it's I when I first uh started talking with Jimmy about coming here and everything, I was doing my homeworks and I know guys around the league who played here before and are also in the league uh at the moment and they're all saying that it was a good league and everything was good, but now then we're like I don't know like 20 games in or whatever it is.
00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:33.279
It's uh I want to say people they don't really really see the league as good as it actually is.
00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:41.039
Like it's not it's not the league that I heard it it was like I don't know like 10 years ago or 15 years ago.
00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:50.960
It's like it's I'm actually surprised by like how like every team are like actually like good, like you need to compete every single night, like night in, night out.
00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:56.319
Um it's physical, like it's different than some other leagues in Europe.
00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.039
That's for sure.
00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:59.359
It's more like a North American kind of game.
00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:05.039
Um, but like I said, I'm really pleased by what I'm seeing uh around the league, to be honest.
00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:05.440
Yeah.
00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:11.039
I remember when you first arrived, you and I had a little chat about the different competitions in the league as well, and getting used to that.
00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:14.720
And of course, you know, that's something that all the guys who are new to the league get get used to.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:17.680
And so, you know, what has it been jumping between the cup and the league?
00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:21.759
And obviously knowing that the playoffs are maybe a little bit different, and what have what have you made of that kind of setup?
00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:32.559
Well, yeah, it's uh, you know, when you first uh came to this league, and you like you said, like I didn't really know what was the difference between the cup game and the elite league games.
00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:37.279
Um, but I think for us it's every game it's the exact same thing, you know.
00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:40.960
Like we want to win, we want to play our best game on the road or at home.
00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:56.319
Um, but it's nice to kind of like where we play those cup games, we you you know, you play for something different, like another kind of like trophy that is on your mind, like another opportunity to just like win something, then you go back to the leak league.
00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:05.680
It's more kind of like a long stretch, like you know, you need to be like every single game, you need to be good to be able to at the end of the year to to to get that trophy.
00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:16.000
But I think it's good to go back and forth, uh, like I said, just to like it it gets you just like something else to win, something else to like go for it, something else.
00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:29.200
It's not different because at the end of the day it's just Aki and you want to win every single game, but it's it's nice, I guess that to just be able to like, okay, like there's something to win there, there's something to win there, and the playoff, there's another trophy to win there.
00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:31.440
So it's just kind of nice to go in between both, yeah.
00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:40.319
Is it do you do you think that having those extra options maybe motivates you, maybe not motivates you more, but it gives you kind of that extra that extra impetus to to go after a different different trophy.
00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:50.720
Well, yeah, because um we're used to well, especially back in North America, we we're used to just to be able to win one trophy, if I want to call it.
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:59.519
Like you just you play the whatever amount of games you have to play, then if you make playoff, you go for it, then you try to win whatever cup it's called.
00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:08.319
But to be able to maybe win three different trophies, it's kind of like it's three three chances to be a winner, you know.
00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:18.880
Like at the end of the day, it's as a player you want to win as much boss like possible trophies, and here there's chances to win three, so that's that's kind of nice, yeah.
00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:23.200
Yeah, and the the Devils have made you know a very good start to the league, obviously through in the cup as well.
00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:32.799
We'll talk quickly about the cup first, and and you know, it was it was an interesting start to the group because you know, three home wins, three away losses, and and that almost set you up to be in a position where you had to win all the games.
00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:40.000
And so does going into games with that mindset
and knowing you just you have to win almost put you in a good position for the rest of the season as well as the cup?
00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:41.119
Yeah, no.
00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:53.680
Um it's been uh like you said, it's been uh it's been uh I'm not saying interesting, but it's been really uh we've been good at home, we've been having some trouble on the road, um especially in the cup.
00:25:53.920 --> 00:26:02.000
Um but we just I I know it sounds cliche, but we just get every it's just game sevens.
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:08.400
You know, like we wanted to clinch this like the first two spots in the cup, and we did that.
00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:11.839
Um now we're in, now we're gonna go play Sheffield.
00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:18.960
I forget exactly when it's the date or whatever, but I know that we're playing Sheffield, and it's just for us, it's it's game sevens.
00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:20.400
Uh we're all ready to go.
00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:27.200
Every game we try to try to bring our best, try to uh put the team in the best uh best spot to to win.
00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:30.480
And uh no, the the boys, the boys have been awesome.
00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:32.240
I think we had a really good group of guys.
00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:34.079
Um everybody wants to win.
00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:42.240
I think uh everybody puts uh puts the team first, and that's probably the biggest uh the biggest reason why we're succeeding right now.
00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:44.799
What's it been like playing at this arena?
00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:46.640
You know, there's been a lot of games so far.
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:49.279
It's been it's been sort of a lot more home games than away ones.
00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:50.960
And what has it been like playing in front of the fans?
00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.079
Oh, it's awesome, man.
00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:52.720
It's awesome.
00:26:52.880 --> 00:27:06.480
It's I played in like nice buildings and I play in teams that like fans are passionated, but the devil's fans that I I don't know, it's maybe it's because I'm here right now and I like I love being here, but it's like it's it's been awesome.
00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:23.359
They just they give us so much energy, and um you like you just hear about like when you play at home, you'd have you have like an advantage, but I feel we really do have an advantage because they just they're just so loud that I feel like when teams comes here, like they like they know it's gonna be a tough game.
00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:28.799
They know the fans are gonna be honest, and you know, like they're gonna give us that that little one extra percent that we need.
00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:34.640
And like when we score, you you know, it's just like every time it's just like f we oops, sorry.
00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:43.039
We just when we just like, I don't know, like win the stand, you know, like it's it's it's awesome, and like I hope I hope it's just gonna keep doing the same thing.
00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:43.519
Yeah.
00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:58.400
You were here for for the 40th anniversary weekend as well, which I'm sure for for a guy who's in his first year might be a bit uh a bit of a shock in terms of seeing you know all those old players and and all everything, kind of the history that came with that weekend, and and and as as maybe a a new player to the devils, what did you make of that whole that whole event?
00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:06.000
I think it's I think it's awesome to be honest that the devil actually take care of their legends who actually build the team.
00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:12.880
Like, you know, it's because those guys that the devils are still what the devils are right now in 2026.
00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:27.200
And um, like I said, I play in great teams and I play in great spots, but I don't know if I heard or I seen another team actually r recognize some uh some of their legends of the past decades.
00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:32.079
Um and it was just a fun weekend in general, you know, like the building was buzzing.
00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:35.440
There was a lot of guys in town from around the world.
00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:37.440
I'm sure they had a great time.
00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:42.160
Um and to just split up that win in front of them, it was just a cherry on top, you know.
00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:42.640
Yeah.
00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:44.960
Well, uh, we'll talk a little bit about the the league now.
00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:47.599
Obviously, Devil's top of the league right now is as as we kind of record this.
00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:51.920
And uh and we're in a position where, you know, as we know, it's it's a long season.
00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:52.880
There's a lot of games ahead.
00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:54.480
We're only 10-15 games in.
00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:57.119
And so, you know, how do you looking ahead now?
00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:02.720
Uh put yourselves in a position where you can, you know, compete for the whole season, you can keep up what you've started all the way through.
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:13.759
Yeah, um, I think the I think the uh the the biggest um thing for us is not to look too ahead, is to focus a game by game by game.
00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:19.039
We're going on Friday, we're playing Nottingham, then we're gonna go Saturday, we're gonna go over to Coventry.
00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:24.799
But Friday we're gonna think about Nottingham, then we're gonna focus on Saturday and with Saturday morning comes.
00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:36.799
Because if you think, if you think, okay, uh in two months I'm gonna have to play Sheffield or Belfast, you know, like you're gonna, it's like you said, it's a long season.
00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:48.079
Uh if we focus on what we do game by game by game, and at the end, you you get there, whatever the result is, but I think it's important to go game by game.
00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:53.039
Well, uh we'll mention your personal game as well, because especially recently it's been
it's been going really well.
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:59.200
You know, you look at your last five games, four goals, five points, it's it's been working really nicely, a couple of man-of-the-match performances in there as well.
00:29:59.279 --> 00:30:02.000
And so what's worked so well for you recently?
00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:13.519
Uh I just I that's that's uh that's interesting because um I I I didn't really change anything to be honest.
00:30:13.599 --> 00:30:20.880
That what I was doing the first couple weeks in the of the year, and it was the points were not coming, whatever.
00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:22.160
It's it's part of the game.
00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:29.680
You just need to, you know, keep keep going and just you know, like you can really put yourself down and f whatever, like it's not going in.
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:31.359
But recently, I don't know.
00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:34.160
I'm just I'm I'm playing with confidence.
00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:40.240
The the guys, I'm I'm really thankful for the guys that always uh keep their trust in me.
00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:51.519
Um I'm going I'm going to the net a little bit more, you know, try to use my my size, and uh I've been I've been fortunate enough the pucks are going in right now, yeah.
00:30:51.920 --> 00:31:04.720
Well when you are in you know the situation you were in before, maybe where it's not quite clicking and it's not quite going as uh in the way you want it to, sort of mentally, how do you keep going and sort of keep thinking, okay, well it will come if you just keep doing the right things?
00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:14.079
Yeah, well I put I you know it's not everybody who plays professional hockey, any athletes in the world's gonna go through those kind of things.
00:31:14.160 --> 00:31:21.839
And I feel there's two there's two there's two types of players who or athletes you could be.
00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:47.920
Either you could be a f it's not going in, what am I doing, like blah blah blah, you know, or you just you put your head down, you just you work your nuts off, you try to be a good teammate, you do whatever you can for the team and trust the plan, you know, trust the like it's it's like if you keep doing the same thing, the good things, if you keep playing with whatever you build for, um, it's gonna start going in or it's gonna start going better than what it was.
00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:51.039
And I just opt for the second option, you know.
00:31:51.119 --> 00:32:02.000
I I'm just like I'm like I really like being here, so I'm like I'm gonna do it anything for for the team, like power play, PK, whatever, but now that's going in.
00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:05.039
I'm you know, I'm just it's going it's going good.
00:32:05.200 --> 00:32:08.720
You don't just sit on it and be like, oh my god, it's going awesome right now.
00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:18.880
You just keep working, keep keep going at it well one game at a time, and uh hopefully, you know, it's uh it's uh it's just gonna keep uh going that way.
00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:19.119
Yeah.
00:32:19.359 --> 00:32:22.319
We spoke a little bit over the summer about your relationship with Jimmy.
00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:24.960
Of course, we know that you guys knew each other for a long time.
00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:38.319
And and so not only him, but the the other veteran guys you think, you know, Joey Martin, Mark Richardson, Ben Bounds, guys who've been here for a long time, you know, how much do you talk to them about not only your game, but also you know, being part of this club and what it what it means kind of both on and off the ice?
00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:44.240
Yeah, it's uh, you know, we have we have a lot of guys with experience, especially in this league.
00:32:44.319 --> 00:32:49.759
I know Jimmy, it's only his second year here, but um, he has a lot of experience just in hockey in general.
00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:57.599
And you know, like me and Jimmy, we had a such a I don't know how to say it, such a fun relationship.
00:32:57.759 --> 00:33:01.039
Uh he's a good buddy of mine, and you know, we're just so tight.
00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:03.039
Uh his family is awesome and everything.
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:12.799
But to go back to the other guys, Richie, Diesel, Browner, all Dougie, I can Marty, I can, you know, I can say all the guys have been here.
00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:38.559
It's it's been awesome to to just come come in and as we're such a few amount of new guys this year, and just to see those guys, like what they what they think about the league, and especially like I'm sitting with Rabbi Richie and Diesel in the room, so I can I can hear what they you you know that what they have to say, and they've seen pretty much everything about this league, and they've been around for so long.
00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:58.640
So it's awesome to see how first how like the league change and like what it what it used to be back then and what it is right now, and like how how proud are they to play for the Devils and how good they're not just good hockey players, they're good people, they're good fathers, you know, they're good husbands.
00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:14.159
Um just being around those guys, it's just I feel it like it really helped the new guys a lot to be able to like just jump in right away and not kind of like being like tossing the side because there's like 98% of the team was the team from last year.
00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:20.400
Um, so just everybody in general just brought us in and just jump right in the boat, to be honest.
00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:30.639
Yeah, just touching on that point, that was gonna be my question, is that you came in as one of I think it was three new guys into the team, which is pretty much unheard of in any pro hockey team.
00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:47.039
Um, did that make it intimidating coming in, being like the new guy at school, uh the new kid at school, you know, with all these guys that had been that just won a championship
together, or did it help kind of uh embrace you into the the card of devils?
00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:53.039
It was to be honest, when I first got here, I was re remember sorry.
00:34:53.280 --> 00:35:02.719
Um when I got here, Jimmy was here, so I was like, okay, like I have a familiar faces that I can kinda kind of like follow around a little bit, you know.
00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:05.360
Like you show me the round and everything.
00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:20.159
But I thought it was gonna be like not hard, but like, you know, like it's a you need to like adjust, you need to like take your you the you don't want to be the guy who just like jump and like shakes everything, and guys are like, Who the f is this new guy trying to do, you know?
00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:35.199
But like I said, it's just the guys are like since day one, they just they brought us in, they make us feel like home, and you know, we're all we're all brothers there, so it's just like I don't I didn't think it was really hard to be honest.
00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:37.119
Like since day one, it's just been awesome.
00:35:37.199 --> 00:35:37.679
Yeah.
00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:44.239
One of the other new guys was was Panu Miejo, and obviously he he's first year devil as well, and and you've played a lot of hockey with him this year.
00:35:44.320 --> 00:35:46.639
And first of all, what's it been like doing that?
00:35:46.719 --> 00:35:49.440
But also, you know, you both played in Liga and have come over here.
00:35:49.519 --> 00:35:53.039
So do you think that's maybe helped the fact that you guys are transitioning that game to this?
00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:53.760
Yeah.
00:35:53.920 --> 00:35:58.880
Um well it's funny, like I play against Panu when he was uh when he was in Liga.
00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:03.679
Um I remember him from like back two years when I was there.
00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:16.000
And um when when we first met each other, we were just like talking about like oh like how was things back back home for him, and um we started talking about Liga, blah blah blah.
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:30.880
And we kind of like, I don't know if we got kind of like close from both playing in Liga, um, but then we kind of like got that chemistry a little bit playing together, like you said, like pretty much like 90% of the game.
00:36:31.199 --> 00:36:34.000
Um he's a he's a great guy, to be honest.
00:36:34.079 --> 00:36:47.840
Like he like he's not the most like spicy guy, like you know, like he's not gonna like go out there and like say or like do anything crazy, but like he's a great guy, he's a great hockey player, he sees the ice really well.
00:36:48.159 --> 00:37:01.840
Um he does the like little details that you don't really it's not really like like it doesn't it's never gonna make the highlights, but like that's the kind of game that uh Panu does.
00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:06.719
And I actually do remember like him like when I was playing against uh HIFK there.
00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:21.280
Like obviously he didn't have the exact same role that he has right now with us, but like those details, like they're still it's still the same Panu that I seen um back the few uh few uh years ago.
00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:28.639
But uh now to to go back to Oc, you know, it's been awesome playing with him and uh I really uh really like playing with him, yeah.
00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:37.679
We'll tie it into now all of you playing for Tomo and and and and obviously you know you've come in as it's a new coach for you, and then the guys always have different stories about Tomo and what they make.
00:37:37.760 --> 00:37:41.920
You know, you you ask Stover, he might have a different thing to say than than maybe what Marty does.
00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:44.320
But what would it was it been like for you playing playing for Tomo?
00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:45.119
It's been great.
00:37:45.280 --> 00:37:46.079
It's been great.
00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:51.920
Uh he's uh he's uh type of guy who wants to win, wants to do everything for the devils.
00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:55.039
Uh that's uh that's his that's his mindset.
00:37:55.199 --> 00:37:59.440
He wants to, you know, he's he's trying to give us all the information that we need.
00:37:59.519 --> 00:38:00.800
So we go out there.
00:38:01.199 --> 00:38:05.119
We I love putting that word, but like we don't think, we just flow, you know.
00:38:05.199 --> 00:38:08.880
Like like once once you do your homework, you don't really it's like an exam.
00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:12.480
Like when you do your homework, you don't show up to the exam and you're not like stressful.
00:38:12.559 --> 00:38:22.480
Like you know what you have to do, you do it, and uh he's hard, he's hard on us when it's time, and uh he he likes having fun when it's time too.
00:38:22.559 --> 00:38:25.519
So that's that's just a good mix of uh of everything.
00:38:25.599 --> 00:38:32.960
And you know, like he's just him and uh Nick, Nicholas, they've been around each other for a couple years now, I think.
00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:36.239
Um Tomo's been around the league for for a bit.
00:38:36.400 --> 00:38:40.880
I know he went away and he came back, whatever, but uh no, it's been awesome.
00:38:40.960 --> 00:38:41.360
Yeah.
00:38:41.679 --> 00:38:43.519
You've uh you've had the chance now as well.
00:38:43.599 --> 00:38:45.119
We're we're recording this on the Tuesday.
00:38:45.199 --> 00:38:52.400
You you you got back from Scotland on on Sunday, you've had the chance to play in all the arenas around the league now, and and I'm really intrigued because Fife is is unique.
00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:54.400
And so what did you make of playing up there?
00:38:54.639 --> 00:39:04.000
Yeah, it was uh it was it was another thing to add to uh to tell the story uh later on when uh when I'm gonna stop playing hockey.
00:39:04.239 --> 00:39:09.199
Uh it was probably the the older oldest rink I ever played.
00:39:09.440 --> 00:39:14.239
Um the fans they're the you know
they're they're fans, you know.
00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:22.800
They they're gonna cheer on their on their team, they're gonna do everything possible to kind of like get in their head and help their team win the game, you know.
00:39:22.880 --> 00:39:25.599
That's what that's what fans are are made for.
00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:27.119
Um but it was good.
00:39:27.280 --> 00:39:28.000
It was good, you know.
00:39:28.079 --> 00:39:33.119
It's a little far, but um other than that, um happy to get a win there for sure.
00:39:33.199 --> 00:39:34.239
Yeah, I bet, I bet.
00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:36.800
We've uh I think we've got some fan questions potentially, guys.
00:39:37.039 --> 00:39:37.840
We certainly do.
00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:39.760
We've been uh inundated with questions.
00:39:39.840 --> 00:39:42.159
Thank you so much for sending them in.
00:39:42.480 --> 00:39:48.800
Uh so Rian L18 asks, what would you say is your biggest career achievement to date?
00:39:50.079 --> 00:39:52.079
Biggest career achievement.
00:39:55.440 --> 00:39:57.199
Well, I don't know.
00:39:57.440 --> 00:40:08.239
Um I had the I had the pleasure to be coached by a legend, um my two last year in junior by uh Patrick Hua.
00:40:08.960 --> 00:40:34.639
My last year I was I was named team captain by him, so we kind of had uh kind of had uh special uh r relationship and you know it's not every day that you you kind of have the chance to to to be around a guy like that every single day and just go in his office for coffee and just you know talk about hockey, but just talk about, you know, he had so many stories about when he played and he's such a legend.
00:40:34.719 --> 00:40:38.480
So that was that was probably a good uh a good career.
00:40:38.639 --> 00:40:48.159
Um I don't know, like played, probably played like in the American League, you know, like it's uh it's like one step away from playing in in the NHL.
00:40:48.239 --> 00:40:53.920
So coming out of junior to play there for a couple of years, I think it was um I think it was good for me, yeah.
00:40:54.159 --> 00:40:58.000
And that answer about Patrick was probably one of the coolest answers you had on the podcast.
00:40:58.320 --> 00:40:58.880
Yeah.
00:40:59.119 --> 00:41:00.960
Yeah, one of my favorite players of all time.
00:41:01.039 --> 00:41:01.599
That was great.
00:41:01.840 --> 00:41:07.039
Uh Lowry Lilly asks, other than uh ice hockey, what would be your dream job?
00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:16.000
Other than ice hockey, um well when I was younger, I wanted to be a firefighter.
00:41:16.159 --> 00:41:18.880
So I'll probably say a firefighter, yeah.
00:41:19.599 --> 00:41:20.079
There you go.
00:41:20.239 --> 00:41:20.800
Louis T.
00:41:21.039 --> 00:41:21.679
1907.
00:41:21.840 --> 00:41:23.840
I hope that's not his date of birth, because that would be other things.
00:41:24.800 --> 00:41:30.960
Uh other than uh Jimmy Alini, what former teammate would you like to come over to the Devils and play alongside?
00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:35.679
If you could pick any of your former teammates to come over and play with you, who would you pick?
00:41:36.480 --> 00:41:37.280
Patrick Wall.
00:41:38.960 --> 00:41:45.119
Former teammate f has so many great teammates uh over the years.
00:41:45.280 --> 00:41:46.320
That's a good one.
00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:50.239
Um I can think of one right now.
00:41:51.360 --> 00:41:54.960
Uh well I'm gonna say Ank Rone.
00:41:55.199 --> 00:41:56.639
I play with him in Idaho.
00:41:56.719 --> 00:42:03.599
I play with him in Texas when I when I went back in the in the coast uh for a bit last year.
00:42:03.679 --> 00:42:05.519
Uh it just clicked me and him.
00:42:05.599 --> 00:42:07.360
He's such a unique player.
00:42:07.519 --> 00:42:09.679
Uh I've never seen a player like him before.
00:42:09.760 --> 00:42:16.400
He's uh he's an interesting, uh, interesting kind of player, but he's outside of Locke, he's such a great teammate.
00:42:16.480 --> 00:42:18.079
Uh he's a good friend of mine.
00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:20.880
Um and I wish him the best, to be honest.
00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:21.119
Yeah.
00:42:21.360 --> 00:42:22.400
Put him on the list, Fanny.
00:42:22.559 --> 00:42:25.039
Well, he's a he's a University of Denver alumni.
00:42:25.280 --> 00:42:28.320
So uh what's watch this space.
00:42:29.840 --> 00:42:32.800
Tony Dickens asks, have you been to Chippy Lane yet?
00:42:33.119 --> 00:42:33.599
I've been.
00:42:33.760 --> 00:42:34.400
I've been, yeah.
00:42:34.480 --> 00:42:35.920
I've been just the ones, yeah?
00:42:36.079 --> 00:42:36.960
Yeah, just once.
00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:38.639
I I've been.
00:42:39.039 --> 00:42:41.199
Um did you get any food?
00:42:41.360 --> 00:42:41.920
Yeah, it's good.
00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:42.480
It's good food.
00:42:42.719 --> 00:42:43.920
What's your what's your order?
00:42:44.159 --> 00:42:52.719
Well, we've been we've been to that uh well, we've been to five guys and we've been to that um tortilla place or whatever it's called.
00:42:52.880 --> 00:42:58.559
Um I didn't I didn't try that um it's like shawama or whatever.
00:42:58.719 --> 00:43:00.079
I didn't have a chance to try that yet.
00:43:00.159 --> 00:43:02.000
But you haven't been into Fellas yet, have you?
00:43:02.159 --> 00:43:03.280
Nah, nah, no.
00:43:03.519 --> 00:43:04.719
That's that's not really Chipile.
00:43:05.039 --> 00:43:06.320
Five guys in a burrito place.
00:43:06.639 --> 00:43:07.280
You gotta go see.
00:43:07.760 --> 00:43:08.960
That's that's a posh, that's a posh.
00:43:09.840 --> 00:43:11.840
You gotta get to Dorothy's there's chips, yeah.
00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:13.920
I'll put this on my bucket list then.
00:43:14.639 --> 00:43:15.280
Yeah.
00:43:15.760 --> 00:43:18.800
Uh the final fan question we have uh for this week.
00:43:18.960 --> 00:43:22.159
Harry Motton asks, why number 11?
00:43:22.639 --> 00:43:24.239
Why number 11?
00:43:25.119 --> 00:43:30.960
Uh well the first couple years in the American
League, I didn't have a chance to use to choose my number.
00:43:31.039 --> 00:43:32.159
It was just big for me.
00:43:32.239 --> 00:43:36.079
And uh at the time it was not number 11, um, it was number 50.
00:43:36.159 --> 00:43:39.199
So I was like, well, that's that's kind of like a tough number.
00:43:39.519 --> 00:43:46.079
And then uh when I went to after the American League, I went to Idaho in the East Coast League.
00:43:46.239 --> 00:43:49.920
And um, I don't know, like number 11 was available.
00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:57.039
Like they have a bunch of uh r retired numbers there, and at the time that team had a lot of returning players.
00:43:57.119 --> 00:43:59.760
I was like one of the few new as guys, so it was kind of like hard to.
00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:01.599
To pick on the number it was already.
00:44:01.760 --> 00:44:03.360
So I just upped for eleven.
00:44:03.760 --> 00:44:06.239
Um and since then I I didn't choose.
00:44:06.320 --> 00:44:14.159
I had that number in Liga, I had that number here, and it's just uh I think it's a great number and it's been working well for me.
00:44:14.239 --> 00:44:15.760
So just stick with it, yeah.
00:44:16.079 --> 00:44:16.880
Thank you, Rushman.
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:18.400
Thank you for everyone for sending your questions.
00:44:18.639 --> 00:44:20.320
Yeah, big thank you for sending your questions.
00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:32.320
Now we're gonna do one more thing with you, and and it's a bit of a surprise for these two because last season, when everybody came on, we did 20 quick fire questions and uh and I got rid of them for this year, and then everyone's been asking, well, you've got to bring them back, you've got to bring them back.
00:44:32.400 --> 00:44:37.920
And seeing as though we never got the chance to do it with you last year because you weren't here, seeing as though you're a new guy, we're gonna do them with you now.
00:44:38.000 --> 00:44:39.440
So here are your quick fire questions.
00:44:39.519 --> 00:44:40.159
Are you ready?
00:44:40.320 --> 00:44:42.320
Who is your favourite singer or music artist?
00:44:42.480 --> 00:44:43.360
Morgan Warlin.
00:44:43.519 --> 00:44:45.280
You've got a favourite Morgan Warland song.
00:44:46.480 --> 00:44:48.000
I know you was it LA Knight's you said.
00:44:48.239 --> 00:44:48.880
LA Knight.
00:44:49.280 --> 00:44:54.400
Um to be honest, all of all of his songs are just are just bangers for me.
00:44:54.480 --> 00:44:55.920
So yeah, yeah.
00:44:56.159 --> 00:44:59.199
Uh what is your signature dish when you're cooking at home?
00:45:01.119 --> 00:45:04.159
That's just a cliche, but just a good steak on the barbecue, you know?
00:45:04.239 --> 00:45:05.199
It's just like classic.
00:45:05.519 --> 00:45:06.400
How do you like your steak?
00:45:06.639 --> 00:45:07.280
Medium rare.
00:45:07.519 --> 00:45:08.079
Any sauce?
00:45:08.880 --> 00:45:13.599
Not really, more like a spice guy, like Montreal, kind of like uh spice barbecue.
00:45:13.679 --> 00:45:14.800
Like, yeah, it's been good.
00:45:14.960 --> 00:45:15.440
Very nice.
00:45:15.599 --> 00:45:19.599
And then what is your favorite place to eat out in Cardiff so far from what you've from what you've picked?
00:45:19.679 --> 00:45:21.440
Not Dorothy's if we've established.
00:45:22.400 --> 00:45:26.159
Uh I had a chance to go a couple of times at uh pasture.
00:45:26.400 --> 00:45:28.559
Yeah, so it's it's everyone's answer.
00:45:28.719 --> 00:45:29.840
It's a classic, we love it.
00:45:30.960 --> 00:45:32.960
What is one thing that's on your bucket list?
00:45:34.800 --> 00:45:37.920
Um well, I want to go to London.
00:45:38.159 --> 00:45:44.159
I never had a chance to go, and we're so close, so I was like, this year might be a good year to go.
00:45:44.400 --> 00:45:44.800
Yeah, yeah.
00:45:45.039 --> 00:45:46.480
I'm sure you could squeeze that in at some point.
00:45:46.559 --> 00:45:47.280
Yeah, yeah.
00:45:47.440 --> 00:45:52.559
Now, number five, I I'm sure we already kind of can maybe guess the answer, but it's who's your best friend in in hockey?
00:45:53.039 --> 00:45:54.000
Jimmy O'Lingy.
00:45:54.239 --> 00:45:55.039
Yeah, Jimmy.
00:45:55.199 --> 00:45:55.920
Yeah, yeah.
00:45:56.159 --> 00:45:58.559
Uh what is your favorite TV show?
00:46:00.320 --> 00:46:10.239
Uh I'm uh I watch a lot of TV shows, completely different kind of thing, but recently I just finished uh Lioness.
00:46:10.960 --> 00:46:16.400
Um it's like an army kind of like show, and I really enjoyed it.
00:46:16.480 --> 00:46:18.559
So yeah, looking forward for the new season.
00:46:18.800 --> 00:46:21.519
Yeah, I'm sure we could get people to to send some recommendations.
00:46:21.599 --> 00:46:24.719
You're well, I'm looking for a box set right now, so maybe that's my next one.
00:46:24.800 --> 00:46:26.159
Yeah, just finished the gentleman.
00:46:26.400 --> 00:46:27.920
Oh I heard about this one.
00:46:28.000 --> 00:46:28.800
I heard about this one, yeah.
00:46:29.039 --> 00:46:29.440
Any good?
00:46:29.599 --> 00:46:30.159
Yeah, I like that.
00:46:30.239 --> 00:46:31.039
Yeah, recommend that.
00:46:31.119 --> 00:46:33.119
So Jimmy said the exact same thing about it.
00:46:33.280 --> 00:46:33.599
There you go.
00:46:33.679 --> 00:46:34.079
There you go.
00:46:35.360 --> 00:46:36.159
There we are.
00:46:36.400 --> 00:46:39.519
Um the next one is who is your sporting idol?
00:46:41.280 --> 00:46:42.239
Sporting idol.
00:46:49.199 --> 00:46:53.039
Like hockey-wise, or just like yeah, any anyone.
00:46:54.239 --> 00:47:02.320
Well, could be Bryan, I think, is a good one, just like how like his mentality was kind of like he was just like on a mission every single night.
00:47:02.400 --> 00:47:03.519
I kinda like that.
00:47:03.599 --> 00:47:04.320
And yeah.
00:47:04.880 --> 00:47:05.360
Nice.
00:47:05.599 --> 00:47:12.159
Uh I mean you you've had the chance and we spoke about Fife, but what what so far is your favorite rink away from Cardiff to go and visit
in the elite league?
00:47:12.719 --> 00:47:23.280
Well, it's that is a that could be like a rink itself or like atmosphere, like really like good old, like, you know, like UK.
00:47:24.239 --> 00:47:45.679
I like going to Nottingham because it's a fun building, but like a good old like UK, like five was kind of like interesting to be honest, because like the fans were so like into the game and it was just like the rink, and like it's such a like old team, you know, it's kind of like hard to say, but yeah.
00:47:46.079 --> 00:47:46.480
Nice.
00:47:46.639 --> 00:47:50.800
Uh which NHL player do you most enjoy watching on TV?
00:47:51.280 --> 00:47:53.039
Uh Nathan McKinnon.
00:47:53.199 --> 00:47:53.519
Yeah.
00:47:53.920 --> 00:47:54.559
Good shout.
00:47:55.599 --> 00:47:59.199
Uh the next one is uh the best advice you've ever been given.
00:48:01.920 --> 00:48:05.199
I said this one earlier, but don't ding, just flow.
00:48:05.360 --> 00:48:05.760
You know?
00:48:06.000 --> 00:48:07.679
Don't don't ding, just flow.
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:08.159
Yeah.
00:48:09.199 --> 00:48:11.199
Uh what is your go-to karaoke song?
00:48:11.760 --> 00:48:14.320
Oh god, I'm not a karaoke guy at all.
00:48:15.119 --> 00:48:24.079
Um but if I had to pick one, I'll stay with uh Morgan Wallen because that's pretty much all I listen to.
00:48:24.159 --> 00:48:26.320
I'll say Broadway Girls, Morgan Wallen.
00:48:26.639 --> 00:48:26.960
Good shout.
00:48:27.119 --> 00:48:28.159
Yeah, I like that one.
00:48:28.400 --> 00:48:33.039
Uh do you prefer the devil's red, white, black, or green or country jerseys?
00:48:33.119 --> 00:48:34.880
Which jersey have you enjoyed most so far?
00:48:35.119 --> 00:48:40.639
Well, my favorite one is the black one, then green, then red, then white, but they're all good.
00:48:40.960 --> 00:48:41.599
Nice.
00:48:41.920 --> 00:48:45.679
Uh, what's your favorite sport outside of hockey to to either watch or play?
00:48:46.480 --> 00:48:47.440
American football.
00:48:47.679 --> 00:48:49.280
Have you got an American football team?
00:48:50.159 --> 00:49:03.119
I used to be an Arizona Cardinals fan a couple of years ago because my first year in American League uh I had a roommate, and he was from Arizona, so I kind of got into um so I'll stick with them for now.
00:49:03.199 --> 00:49:03.440
Yeah.
00:49:03.679 --> 00:49:04.000
Nice.
00:49:04.320 --> 00:49:05.599
What's your coffee order?
00:49:06.079 --> 00:49:06.960
Just black coffee.
00:49:07.119 --> 00:49:07.840
Just black coffee.
00:49:08.079 --> 00:49:08.320
Love it.
00:49:08.480 --> 00:49:09.039
Nice and simple.
00:49:09.440 --> 00:49:13.519
Uh who's the best player you've ever played with and then against throughout your career?
00:49:13.920 --> 00:49:16.719
Uh Wit.
00:49:20.639 --> 00:49:26.639
Well I play with uh Finnish guy when I was in the liga.
00:49:27.039 --> 00:49:30.800
Like uh he's drafted by the Red Wings who's in the American League right now.
00:49:31.039 --> 00:49:32.400
Jesse Keskinan.
00:49:32.800 --> 00:49:44.719
He's this guy has some insanely skills, like insanely, and he's he's like younger, you know, like he's a bit goofy, but he's pretty good at hockey.
00:49:44.880 --> 00:49:47.679
So I hope he's gonna play for the Detroits at some point.
00:49:47.840 --> 00:49:48.400
Yeah.
00:49:48.639 --> 00:49:50.000
And what was the other question?
00:49:50.159 --> 00:49:52.000
And then uh so with and then against.
00:49:52.239 --> 00:49:53.280
Oh, against.
00:49:53.679 --> 00:49:56.239
Um well in Junior that Alex C.
00:49:56.320 --> 00:50:01.039
Laffringer was playing on New York, he was he was disgusting.
00:50:01.280 --> 00:50:03.280
Yeah, he was good.
00:50:04.159 --> 00:50:06.639
Uh do you have any fears or phobias?
00:50:07.519 --> 00:50:14.880
Um yeah, I don't I don't really like the like small spaces, like you know, like I'm kinda like claustrophobic a little bit.
00:50:14.960 --> 00:50:21.599
Like I don't like or like when you're like younger and you win the like tournament and everybody's jumps on you and everything.
00:50:21.760 --> 00:50:27.039
If if I had the bad luck to be on the bottom of the I was I was freaking out.
00:50:27.280 --> 00:50:27.679
Not happy.
00:50:28.079 --> 00:50:28.800
No, no.
00:50:29.760 --> 00:50:31.360
Uh what's your favorite film?
00:50:38.719 --> 00:50:39.679
So many good ones.
00:50:39.920 --> 00:50:41.360
It's hard to pick one.
00:50:43.360 --> 00:50:46.639
Well, I love that stepbrother by Will Farrell.
00:50:46.800 --> 00:50:48.880
It's just such a nice and easy movie.
00:50:49.199 --> 00:50:49.599
Great choice.
00:50:49.679 --> 00:50:50.559
Yeah, great choice.
00:50:50.800 --> 00:50:53.760
Uh, do you prefer a big night out or a quiet night in?
00:50:54.960 --> 00:50:55.920
Depends the time.
00:50:56.159 --> 00:50:57.199
Depends the time.
00:50:57.360 --> 00:51:00.400
Uh, but if I had to pick one, probably a nice and quiet night.
00:51:00.480 --> 00:51:00.880
Yeah, yeah.
00:51:01.119 --> 00:51:01.840
Fair enough.
00:51:02.000 --> 00:51:07.039
And then the very last one is if you could change one rule in hockey, what would it be and why?
00:51:07.519 --> 00:51:09.280
One rule in hockey.
00:51:10.320 --> 00:51:12.639
If you're in charge for a day, what would you do?
00:51:12.960 --> 00:51:14.159
No offsides.
00:51:15.119 --> 00:51:16.719
Just hang up the other end, yeah, yeah.
00:51:16.880 --> 00:51:17.280
Wait for it.
00:51:17.519 --> 00:51:18.800
Yeah, just skate around.
00:51:19.360 --> 00:51:20.320
Love it, love it.
00:51:20.400 --> 00:51:23.519
Well, there's your 20 questions, and uh, that's all the questions we've got for you this evening.
00:51:23.599 --> 00:51:25.119
So uh thank you so much, Tom, for coming down.
00:51:25.199 --> 00:51:25.679
We really appreciate you.
00:51:25.840 --> 00:51:26.639
Thank you for having me.
00:51:26.960 --> 00:51:27.840
Great, great start to the season.
00:51:28.000 --> 00:51:28.800
Best of luck with the rest of the year.
00:51:28.960 --> 00:51:29.760
Appreciate it, thank you.
00:51:30.719 --> 00:51:34.000
Massive thank you to Tom Koran for coming down and chatting to us.
00:51:34.159 --> 00:51:39.679
Gaz, I loved that interview, and I think Coran's outlook on the game is really, really, really good.
00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:40.639
Yeah, it is.
00:51:40.719 --> 00:51:51.760
He's uh he's a laid-back character, but you can sense that kind of competitiveness and that sort of you know drive underneath the the way in uh which he delivers his message.
00:51:51.920 --> 00:52:00.320
But yeah, you know, he he very cerebral as well, like a lot of our players over the interviews we've done over the past two years, the thoughtful answers.
00:52:00.400 --> 00:52:05.119
It's not just kind of media soundbite type stuff, it's something that he really thinks about.
00:52:05.199 --> 00:52:24.239
I'm delighted that uh over the past few weeks uh the pack started going uh into the net for him because we spoke for for the weeks before that about just how much we could see he putting that effort with the way he was skating, the way he was working, but he just was just shy of that sort of last uh finish in touch.
00:52:24.320 --> 00:52:27.519
But but that is starting to come now and uh it's important it does.
00:52:27.760 --> 00:52:28.000
It is.
00:52:28.159 --> 00:52:35.039
Franny, what I really liked as well was you know, when he spoke about that that dry spell he had with no points, and it was obviously very difficult.
00:52:35.199 --> 00:52:42.559
He kind of kept the idea in his head of, well, you know, I'm gonna keep working at it, I'm gonna keep chipping away, I'm not gonna, you know, get down on my laurels, I'm not gonna sulk about it.
00:52:42.639 --> 00:52:48.960
And and also the the idea of, you know, keep doing my homework, but keep putting myself in a position where when it does come, it just flows and it comes naturally.
00:52:49.039 --> 00:52:49.679
I really like that.
00:52:49.920 --> 00:52:51.519
Yeah, I liked his answers a lot.
00:52:51.679 --> 00:52:59.599
Um, you know, you could tell, you could see on the ice that he was putting so much pressure on himself.
00:52:59.760 --> 00:53:02.079
And I loved what he said about his teammates as well.
00:53:02.239 --> 00:53:03.920
His teammates still backed him.
00:53:04.159 --> 00:53:10.880
So, you know, as much pressure as he was putting on himself, he didn't have that extra pressure on his teammates.
00:53:10.960 --> 00:53:13.920
It was all from within because he just wanted to contribute to the team.
00:53:14.000 --> 00:53:22.159
And as much as he was contributing in some areas like the penalty kill, for example, where he's been doing a good job, he knows he's got to come here and score points.
00:53:22.320 --> 00:53:24.079
That's what forwards get measured on.
00:53:24.159 --> 00:53:30.400
That that's your currency, and he wasn't putting up any points, and you know, that's a long, that's a long stretch to go without any points.
00:53:30.559
--> 00:53:47.039
Uh, when you knew on a team which has got so many returnees that have all proved themselves in the devil's uniform, um, you could see he had the weight of all that on his shoulders, and um yeah, it's it was good to see him continue to work hard through that.
00:53:47.119 --> 00:53:49.599
He didn't mope at all, and you know, he gave in his answers.
00:53:49.760 --> 00:53:54.800
You got two choices here, uh, and he chose to just keep doing the the little things.
00:53:54.960 --> 00:54:07.920
Um, I think he has changed one thing, and he and he he mentioned it about he's gone to the net a lot more, he's got that big frame, he's obviously got a good hand-eye coordination, like we saw with that tipping in um in Fife.
00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:11.119
Um, but he's getting the those goals in and around the net.
00:54:11.280 --> 00:54:21.440
Uh, so again, he spoke about he feels the confidence now, and I I you can see that in him, you can see that in his game, and you know, he he's making some lovely plays as well.
00:54:21.519 --> 00:54:30.159
I think you know, with a little bit more luck from the finishing on the end of it, he could have had a bunch more assists, and then his stats would look, you know, he you know, a lot better.
00:54:30.400 --> 00:54:40.000
But um, you know, if last five games, you you can only talk uh of someone's form on their recent games, and he's four goals, one assist in in five games.
00:54:40.159 --> 00:54:51.599
And you know, uh it that's such a bonus for this team to get him producing because we were winning games when he wasn't getting those points, and and now he's uh he's finally got that monkey off his back.
00:54:51.679 --> 00:54:56.000
He's uh he's contributing on the scoreboard, and uh hopefully a lot more to come from him.
00:54:56.159 --> 00:54:56.880
Yeah, we hope so.
00:54:56.960 --> 00:55:00.719
It was uh great to catch up with him and glad to hear he's settled into Cardiff nicely.
00:55:00.880 --> 00:55:01.440
Right.
00:55:01.679 --> 00:55:05.760
There's so much news that's come out from the club over the past few days.
00:55:05.840 --> 00:55:08.400
So we're gonna just touch on that before we look ahead to the weekend.
00:55:08.480 --> 00:55:13.519
And Franny's going to come to you for a lot of this as our insider knowledge, and uh we'll start with the injuries.
00:55:13.599 --> 00:55:16.480
That's I think probably the we'll start on the negative and then we'll come to the positive after.
00:55:16.559 --> 00:55:23.599
First of all, the injuries, and then I guess the most positive amongst those negatives is that Tyson Elgerson very nearly back in the Devil's United.
00:55:23.840 --> 00:55:24.960
He is very, very close.
00:55:25.039 --> 00:55:30.480
And I've got to say, what a pro uh Helgi has been right the way through his rehab.
00:55:30.559 --> 00:55:32.320
I mean, what a pro he's been.
00:55:32.639 --> 00:55:42.400
He played six months of the the season last year with a dislocated shoulder and still chose to fight people the size of Josh Tetlow when the team needed it.
00:55:42.559 --> 00:55:52.480
You know, you could see after fights he was kind of like holding his shoulder and trying to put it back in in lethal weapons style for those of you old enough to remember that uh that film.
00:55:52.880 --> 00:55:58.400
But um, yeah, he he patched himself up to the end of the year and then he had surgery.
00:55:58.559 --> 00:56:02.159
We knew he was gonna miss the the start of the season.
00:56:02.320 --> 00:56:06.800
Uh, and I just want to say, you know, this is one thing I think our club have got to be proud of.
00:56:06.960 --> 00:56:16.000
Other teams would have not given him a contract, knowing that he was gonna miss two plus months of the season, because they'd be like, Well, why would I pay a guy that I can't use?
00:56:16.159 --> 00:56:18.239
But this organization isn't like that.
00:56:18.400 --> 00:56:33.760
You know, he got injured um wearing the badge here and did such a great job that we rewarded him with the contract, knowing full well he could be two or three months or whatever it was out of the lineup because that is kind of what this club is built around.
00:56:33.840 --> 00:56:57.360
And we heard all the the nice words from those ex-players on the 40th anniversary um uh about how we look after our players, and I think this is a good example of the of the team looking after a player that has been injured in duty doing his thing for the club, and we've you know he's got all the time in the world to get back, get back on the ice when he's 100%, he's not getting rushed into this.
00:56:57.679 --> 00:57:05.199
So only at the moment when the experts say he is 100% signed off to come back in, will he be back in the lineup?
00:57:05.360 --> 00:57:08.079
It's very, very close, and I know he's absolutely itching to get going.
00:57:08.320 --> 00:57:12.480
Yeah, guys, the impact cannot be understated as well about how important it'll be to get him back in there.
00:57:12.639 --> 00:57:13.440
It really will.
00:57:13.599 --> 00:57:17.280
Uh, you know, we I I've started this season well with our defence.
00:57:17.440 --> 00:57:21.119
Our defense was our shining light last year, and he was a big part of that.
00:57:21.199 --> 00:57:29.519
So the fact that we've started so well, but we can add Tyson Helgison back at the Tyson Helsken fan club is itching to get back to its uh weekly meetings.
00:57:29.679 --> 00:57:33.599
We've been bereft of uh any sort of footage and highlights.
00:57:33.760 --> 00:57:35.599
So uh yeah, itching to get back.
00:57:35.679 --> 00:57:48.000
But he is he is a leader uh on that ice, and uh I just for him as well, I can't wait for him to join this group because I think it will give this group an extra boost just to have him around.
00:57:48.239 --> 00:57:52.239
Right then, Franny, let's touch on the two the tougher bits of news, I guess, that have come out.
00:57:52.320 --> 00:57:53.519
And we'll start with
Nick Welsh.
00:57:53.599 --> 00:57:58.639
And Welsh out what we understand is about six to eight weeks with an injury, lower body injury.
00:57:58.800 --> 00:58:02.320
Tough break for him because he was playing some really, really good stuff up until that point.
00:58:02.639 --> 00:58:09.039
Yeah, just as you said, Gaz, you know, we we've got this decor and we're gaining another key element to it.
00:58:09.519 --> 00:58:12.639
You know, the way our season's been going, we lose a key element to it.
00:58:12.719 --> 00:58:17.679
And you know, Nick Welsh, how'd you upgrade a D-cor like we had last year?
00:58:17.840 --> 00:58:22.559
Well, there's not many ways you can do it, but one way you can do it is by bringing in Nick Welsh.
00:58:22.639 --> 00:58:25.920
We saw firsthand how good he was for Manchester last year.
00:58:26.000 --> 00:58:33.360
You know, you look at his resume, playing the DL and uh Finnish Liga, and he came in and he just looks a devil, doesn't he?
00:58:33.519 --> 00:58:40.719
Straight away slotted in seamlessly, um, scored some huge, huge goals already in this first couple of months.
00:58:40.960 --> 00:58:43.840
And uh I I love his play both ends of the ice.
00:58:44.079 --> 00:58:50.079
You know, he's dependable in our end, and he's got that you know chip, that swag about him as well.
00:58:50.159 --> 00:58:55.599
Um, but he gets up the ice so well, and he knows when to jump in for those opportunities.
00:58:55.760 --> 00:59:01.679
And like you say, he's um that that Dundee game we were struggling to break, he's the guy that popped up.
00:59:01.840 --> 00:59:09.519
Uh, there's been no team winners and you know, last gasp goals from him that have won us a game, and you know, he'll be a massive miss.
00:59:09.760 --> 00:59:26.079
Uh yeah, it's when I saw him go down and limp off the ice, uh that that's not good because it wasn't in a hit, it was just I think he caught a rut with his skate and um you know buckled his leg under him, so he's got a lower body injury.
00:59:26.239 --> 00:59:32.159
Um, let's hope it's six weeks rather than the the eight, nine, whatever weeks that it could be.
00:59:32.320 --> 00:59:48.719
Um, and again, you know, talking about how well Helgi has done on his rehab within a couple of days, uh, well, maybe even next day, um, Nick was asking what can he do, you know, in order to keep his fitness up while he's recovering from this injury.
00:59:48.960 --> 00:59:56.719
And, you know, straight away he was on, no matter how minor the rehab was that he could do at that stage of the injury, he was on it straight away.
00:59:56.880 --> 01:00:02.239
So he's gonna do everything he can to get back um nice and healthy in the shortest possible time.
01:00:02.719 --> 01:00:04.719
Now on to the really tough news.
01:00:04.800 --> 01:00:09.199
And uh, you know, Riley Brandt is out potentially until March, is what we've been told.
01:00:09.360 --> 01:00:11.039
Obviously, really tough injury for him.
01:00:11.280 --> 01:00:15.280
Horrible to see him go down, missed a little uh last weekend, and we weren't 100% sure what it was going to be.
01:00:15.360 --> 01:00:18.000
And then now the club have obviously released that that information about him.
01:00:18.079 --> 01:00:22.719
And uh, you know, the the the joke, I guess, was that you know who's gonna win fan favorite this year?
01:00:22.800 --> 01:00:24.639
Well, probably still Riley Brandt somehow.
01:00:24.719 --> 01:00:31.840
But um, yeah, Franny, that's uh that's really tough for a guy who had picked up uh uh from last season and was doing pretty much the same stuff.
01:00:32.079 --> 01:00:49.599
Yeah, it was it was a big pressure season for Riley because you know he's become a fan favorite for the role he had on the fourth line as that energy guy, you know, go out, make some massive hits, uh take a fight against a guy much bigger than you, and uh, you know, and those kind of game-changing moments which he's been brilliant at.
01:00:49.760 --> 01:00:58.960
And then last year, when Tomo gave him more opportunity, he, you know, we knew he had a lot more potential than just that fourth line role.
01:00:59.199 --> 01:01:23.440
And yeah, he scored a load of goals last year, 18 goals in league play last year, and it's a high pressure season for him coming back, and just the way he started the season, even in the the preseason games, where he wasn't kind of snatching at shots to try and get the goals, he was making these really intelligent plays to bring his linemates into it, but then also popping up with the key goals, and you know, he's carried on where he left off last year.
01:01:23.679 --> 01:01:28.000
Um, yeah, it just you know devastating that that the injury is that bad.
01:01:28.159 --> 01:01:31.760
He did it uh earlier in the season up in Sheffield.
01:01:31.840 --> 01:01:40.079
Uh, eagle-eyed um viewers might have seen him kind of just clutching his shoulder after uh it was like a fall on the ice.
01:01:40.159 --> 01:01:47.519
Um, so he did it then, he's he's played through it, and then I think it might have been in a fight or a scrum or whatever against Belfast.
01:01:47.760 --> 01:01:50.320
Um, did more damage to it, unfortunately.
01:01:50.559 --> 01:02:00.000
And it's not uh you know, Helgi managed to patch his up um and get through the rest of the year with you know it coming out the odd time.
01:02:00.239 --> 01:02:13.280
Um we had the scans, we've had the consultations uh with the experts, and there just wasn't any chance to patch Riley up and get him through the year um safely.
01:02:13.519 --> 01:02:24.800
So the tough decision, you know, for everybody is that okay, let's get him uh under the knife as soon as possible and hope to get him back probably later on in March at best.
01:02:25.199 --> 01:02:27.920
So um, again, we know Riley will do everything right.
01:02:28.000 --> 01:02:38.400
We know the medical team here will do everything they can to um to get him back to full fitness um in a
in a safe way to return to the ice this year.
01:02:38.559 --> 01:02:48.480
Um there is of course a chance it takes longer and we don't see him again this year, but you know, let's uh all send him good vibes that uh we can see him on the ice before the uh season is over.
01:02:48.960 --> 01:02:49.760
Yeah, absolutely.
01:02:49.840 --> 01:02:57.440
It's just you know, we talk a lot during when we see games and we kind of say, oh, if you work hard and you do the right things, you get your rewards.
01:02:57.519 --> 01:03:03.119
And I think that is generally true, but sport also is really cruel, isn't it, sometimes?
01:03:03.280 --> 01:03:17.440
And when you've had Riley Brandt start the way he has, just taking responsibility, being a leader, taking the initiative, dragging us forward in games, changing games, turning them on their heads, you know, getting goals on a power plate, just all of those good stuff.
01:03:17.679 --> 01:03:22.239
This is not something uh that he he deserved to happen to him.
01:03:22.400 --> 01:03:33.519
Um, my message is simply let's make sure that if he does get back uh in in March, uh that we have everything uh on the line to play for so that he can come in and and help us.
01:03:33.599 --> 01:03:37.679
That that that I think is uh sort of where I hope will be a theme for the season.
01:03:37.920 --> 01:03:44.639
Yeah, maybe you can do a null and your MCO and come back right at the right time and uh and get us some championship winners.
01:03:44.960 --> 01:03:46.960
If anyone can do it, Riley Brandt can, I'm sure.
01:03:47.039 --> 01:03:51.039
But uh yeah, uh best of luck to both Nick Welsh and Riley Brandt in their rehab and in their recovery.
01:03:51.199 --> 01:03:53.840
Obviously, horrible to see him go down, so we uh thinking of them.
01:03:53.920 --> 01:03:56.559
But you know, as cruel as sport can be, we must continue on.
01:03:56.639 --> 01:04:04.639
And and the big news, I guess, the positive news coming out of the Devils this week is that reinforcements are here and uh Linus Nyman joins the Devils.
01:04:04.719 --> 01:04:10.960
And and Franny, we're gonna get the load down on him from you just quickly about how this has come about and and who we're expecting from Linus.
01:04:11.039 --> 01:04:13.760
And we can tell you he is in Cardiff and he's gonna be skating this week.
01:04:13.840 --> 01:04:17.280
Hopefully, we'll be in the lineup ahead of the weekend, but we're not 100% sure.
01:04:17.360 --> 01:04:19.039
But this is an exciting signing.
01:04:19.280 --> 01:04:20.000
It is, yeah.
01:04:20.239 --> 01:04:24.400
I mean, first of all, how do you replace Riley Bryan?
01:04:24.480 --> 01:04:27.679
Well, you can't really, because I do think he is such a unique player.
01:04:27.760 --> 01:04:48.800
I don't I I don't I can't look around the league and see any player quite like Riley that you know can make those game-changing hits, you know, jump in uh and make have those fights at the right time, but also score big
goals or make those plays that I referred to earlier, where you know he kind of freezes the goalie who thinks he's gonna shoot and then uh and then dishes it off.
01:04:49.039 --> 01:04:57.679
But um so so we're not looking to replace like for light, we're not expecting uh Linus to come in and play Riley Brandt role.
01:04:57.840 --> 01:05:14.079
What what we can what we are we did look for is that in the summer we you know we would have liked um a forward with speed and a very quick shot and one that'll kind of ghost into the scoring areas.
01:05:14.159 --> 01:05:28.239
I mean, we got J Mac flying at the moment um with his goals, and um we took this opportunity to address something with players that we that weren't available in the summer, um, that kind of type of player.
01:05:28.320 --> 01:05:35.280
Uh, and then when we knew Brandt was going to be out and we were in the market for a forward, it gave us the opportunity.
01:05:35.440 --> 01:05:43.760
Um when Linus came up that yeah, that maybe addresses the balance of our team a little bit better.
01:05:44.000 --> 01:05:55.519
Um, we've got lots of guys that uh are a little bit bigger in size that will put the hard work in, that um work their way to goals through through sheer grit.
01:05:56.079 --> 01:06:03.199
But it would be nice to have um somebody that's a bit Elusive, a bit kind of shifty, that kind of player.
01:06:03.440 --> 01:06:11.760
And um I mean if you fish around for highlights of of Linus, and a great example is the game that he played in this building.
01:06:11.840 --> 01:06:18.800
So I'm hoping that the this arena is his lucky arena where he got a hat trick against us in the uh in the Champions League.
01:06:18.960 --> 01:06:22.239
Um he's a player that uh he works really hard.
01:06:22.320 --> 01:06:38.639
We got some great, great references from ex-teammates of his, that he's a very popular guy, you know, he's uh a great team player, he'll work hard, but they also say he's really skilled and you know he's got that kind of um natural ability to find get himself in in good spots.
01:06:38.719 --> 01:06:50.800
And you know, you see that in the goals he scored, that he's not afraid to go into those areas, but kind of you know, kind of ghosts in and he's um got the ability to readjust and uh and pick his spots.
01:06:50.880 --> 01:07:01.599
He's got a very quick shot, and you know, I'm hoping that he gets off to uh to a good start here and and can start banging the goals um in the same way that he did the last time in this building.
01:07:01.840 --> 01:07:02.480
Yeah, we hope so.
01:07:02.639 --> 01:07:11.440
Gaz, it's not often that uh you know Franny will come to us and and the club will uh release a statement saying the Devils have signed someone with 400 Liga games.
01:07:11.519 --> 01:07:13.440
I mean it's obscene for a guy at 27.
01:07:13.679 --> 01:07:36.079
Yeah, it it's you know, but we take it for granted really that the amount of league experience that is coming to this
team and and the league, you know, you know, we've got Nick Welsh, got Tom Grant, Panny Maheo, and now uh Nyman coming in, and you know, over 50 goals as well uh during that time as well in a league where you know goals are uh not at a at a premium, really.
01:07:36.159 --> 01:07:38.880
You've got to work hard if you if you're up uh in and amongst them.
01:07:38.960 --> 01:07:52.559
And uh you can see over his career as well, particularly when he he first came back from the OHL uh and were on those top lines uh in uh Lucco, particularly, that you know he he's got he knows what our net is, he knows how to be uh an offensive threat.
01:07:52.639 --> 01:07:59.440
And I think uh in this league and this team, he's gonna get maybe a little bit more responsibility in order to do that.
01:07:59.599 --> 01:08:03.840
I think he's got a heck of a shot on him from what we can see in his highlights.
01:08:04.000 --> 01:08:05.840
And uh I'm excited about this.
01:08:05.920 --> 01:08:20.079
So I I'm excited about the injection of speed in transition because we are good in transition anyway at the moment, but I think that a little bit of extra speed is probably one of the things that we possibly could improve on in there, and it looks like we'll do that.
01:08:20.319 --> 01:08:28.000
Yeah, I I at this time of year and in a market that's tough, and you know, a lot of other teams are looking for forwards and not finding them.
01:08:28.079 --> 01:08:32.239
I I think this might be a little uh diamond that we found at this time of year.
01:08:32.479 --> 01:08:42.720
Yeah, and you mentioned the market, and I just give listeners a bit of insight into um the dynamics that have changed in the the recruitment market.
01:08:43.199 --> 01:08:58.000
So quite traditionally, if you're looking for a player mid-season, you look for guys that are playing in North America, in the East Coast League, that were hoping that their American League try-out they would stick at it and they'd be playing American League games.
01:08:58.079 --> 01:09:03.199
And there's always there always was a bunch of players that were hoping for their shot at the American League.
01:09:03.279 --> 01:09:06.319
It didn't happen, and they looked to come overseas.
01:09:06.560 --> 01:09:16.000
So around this time of year is kind of prime that you know guys that are not getting the opportunity yet may get a bit frustrated and may want to come across the water to Europe.
01:09:16.399 --> 01:09:35.920
Now, back last year, the East Coast League um renegotiated their, I think it's their collective bargaining agreement or whatever it is, where the the players association that that negotiates on behalf of the players said the wages in the East Coast League are way too low, and they and they are.
01:09:36.640 --> 01:10:00.960
You don't realise how little guys in the East Coast League were earning, um, which made it way more attractive to jump across the water to come for for better wages in in Europe, plus on a more settled team where you're not getting kind of guys sent down from the American League and losing your power play time because the NHL team has said this guy, this prospect's got to play and all that kind of stuff.
01:10:01.119 --> 01:10:09.439
Now, when that collective bargaining agreement went through this year, the money has gone up a lot, a lot in the East Coast League.
01:10:09.680 --> 01:10:21.680
They are looking at it now, you know, they play in front of decent crowds and they want to make it more of a career that you play in the East Coast League as a career rather than as a stepping stone to the American League, to the NHL.
01:10:21.840 --> 01:10:24.159
Um, they want to keep their best players there.
01:10:24.319 --> 01:10:28.399
They say, why should we lose these players that we've nurtured across to Europe?
01:10:28.479 --> 01:10:31.600
Let's just pay them a little bit more money, oh quite a bit more money.
01:10:32.159 --> 01:10:42.159
So the attraction for somebody coming across from North America is to come to Europe, is the European season starts a lot earlier.
01:10:42.319 --> 01:10:52.640
So we start in early August or you know, whatever it is, 10th of August, where they don't start in the East Coast, they don't start getting paid till the 26th of October or something.
01:10:52.800 --> 01:10:55.840
So there's an extra few months' wages if you come to Europe.
01:10:56.000 --> 01:11:03.920
Now, guys that are all that have stayed in North America for those American League camps that I was talking of, they've missed those bonus months payday.
01:11:04.079 --> 01:11:10.640
And the East Coast, if you're on a good East Coast League team and that goes far in the playoffs, you might be getting paid up till June.
01:11:10.800 --> 01:11:21.520
So the attraction of coming over mid-season, unless you're gonna really overpay guys, um, you know, oh over and above what guys make in this league, has become a lot less.
01:11:21.600 --> 01:11:25.199
So it is a lot more difficult to recruit from from North America this side.
01:11:25.279 --> 01:11:25.840
Not impossible.
01:11:25.920 --> 01:11:28.560
We've seen Harris come back over to Nottingham.
01:11:28.640 --> 01:11:31.359
Um, you can draw your own conclusions on that one.
01:11:31.520 --> 01:11:36.159
Um, but uh it is does make it a little bit more um difficult.
01:11:36.479 --> 01:11:40.159
So you you kind of gotta open your your eyes a little bit more.
01:11:40.319 --> 01:12:07.439
And um, you know, when when Linus' name came up and you look at that guy, what attracted us to him not only the 400 games in Liga, you know, especially some um seasons on you know, some of the top lines there where he has produced, but we also like those two years that he played in the OHL in you know North American Junior League because he's had that experience of North American-style hockey.
01:12:07.600 --> 01:12:09.520
Uh, he got 39 goals in one year.
01:12:09.600 --> 01:12:10.319
That's incredible.
01:12:10.399
--> 01:12:11.520
That's a great return.
01:12:11.760 --> 01:12:18.960
In that year, he was 11th overall in the OHL for points and 11th overall in the OHL for goals.
01:12:19.199 --> 01:12:25.119
You know, in a league full of high draft picks, guys that have gone to have really good NHL careers.
01:12:25.279 --> 01:12:27.760
I'm not saying that Linus is an NHL player.
01:12:27.920 --> 01:12:36.560
What I'm saying is that it's pretty impressive to put up those numbers in a North American star league, and that again is something that attracted us to him.
01:12:36.640 --> 01:12:41.520
That he's got the experience on the big sheet, um, playing on the big ice in in Finland.
01:12:41.840 --> 01:12:54.239
Um he's also got some experience of the North American game as well, and you know, clearly got his uh clearly got his hands dirty there to get those 39 goals when he was playing in in the OHL.
01:12:54.640 --> 01:13:04.960
Yeah, it looks like a really good find, especially like you say at this time of year when things are difficult in the market, and then you have to find maybe those those diamonds in the rough that you might not normally in in in places you might not really look at.
01:13:05.039 --> 01:13:07.680
So, yeah, really exciting to have to have Linus here.
01:13:08.479 --> 01:13:14.479
He'll win number 72 for the Devils, and we've established today that that is the first player ever in Devils history to win number 72.
01:13:14.560 --> 01:13:18.239
And we have checked that with Finney our statsman, and he has uh confirmed that to us.
01:13:18.319 --> 01:13:20.640
We've had lots of 70-somethings, but never a 72.
01:13:20.720 --> 01:13:22.640
So uh it's gonna be good to have him on the ice.
01:13:22.800 --> 01:13:24.560
Um where do we expect?
01:13:24.640 --> 01:13:30.079
I mean, obviously, yeah, it's it's hard to say people will maybe fit into lineups in in ways that we maybe didn't expect it.
01:13:30.319 --> 01:13:35.119
Initially, are we thinking on a line with Panamehu and Karon, or maybe there's something different in the mind?
01:13:35.199 --> 01:13:37.199
But I what's the kind of early thinking?
01:13:37.439 --> 01:13:40.640
Yeah, I mean, I think he could fit in on a number of lines.
01:13:40.800 --> 01:14:02.640
Um I think it would probably make sense from um a communication point of view and a and a styles, a familiarity point of view, to put him with at least Panu, who's uh Finnish and can help him maybe talking through some of the system stuff as he as he embeds into Card of Devil systems.
01:14:02.800 --> 01:14:09.359
Uh, and also that you know Panu is a Finnish hockey player that's been brought up playing that style uh his whole life.
01:14:09.439 --> 01:14:13.039
So I think that's probably a natural fit for him to begin with.
01:14:13.199 --> 01:14:13.920
But who knows?
01:14:14.000 --> 01:14:29.680
I mean, maybe at some point you see him with Contas if you know if he has uh the shot that that we've seen on the video, if he if he's
kind of um you want somebody to feed him for that, then you think Contas would be a good guy for that.
01:14:29.840 --> 01:14:31.199
But you know, Panu as well.
01:14:31.680 --> 01:14:44.640
You know, we heard Karan talk about Panu and he does all the little things that you don't notice, and you know, then maybe when you add a speedster with a heavy shot uh like Linus, then maybe that's a good combination.
01:14:44.880 --> 01:14:51.119
So um it's what I would expect to see him, at least with with Panu out uh in his first few games.
01:14:51.520 --> 01:14:51.920
We'll see.
01:14:52.079 --> 01:14:55.920
Very exciting, always good to get reinforcements in, especially with the amount of injuries the Devils have had.
01:14:56.079 --> 01:14:57.680
And uh let's look ahead to the weekend.
01:14:57.760 --> 01:15:03.439
The Devils take on Nottingham and Coventry Friday at home to Nottingham and then away on Saturday against the Blaze.
01:15:03.520 --> 01:15:08.560
Gaz, I'm gonna get your thoughts very quickly because we're a little bit tight on time, but your thoughts ahead of the weekend.
01:15:08.960 --> 01:15:27.279
Uh, Friday has got all the potential to be uh, you know, uh I don't know, the banana skin sounds a bit disrespectful, but Nottingham are uh have having a tough time of it at the moment, and they're carrying a few knocks, and the way that we're playing at home at the moment, uh, you know, confidence should be high in going into that Friday.
01:15:27.520 --> 01:15:45.039
But sometimes, well historically, with us, that there's always that a feeling that when someone wants to get over their problems, that they they play us and all of a sudden they play like, you know, prime sort of LA Kings, Gretzky, Edmund and Oilers, Gretzky teens, and and turn us over.
01:15:45.279 --> 01:15:49.119
So I think we have to we've had good starts in recent weeks.
01:15:49.359 --> 01:15:56.399
A good start is imperative to try and maybe chip away at any kind of lack of confidence that the Panthers have uh in that lineup.
01:15:56.640 --> 01:16:00.720
They'll be wanting to get one over on us after we sort of dumped them out of the cup a couple of weeks ago.
01:16:00.800 --> 01:16:08.880
I'm sure that there's been a bit of a you know a nasty training sessions for them, and you know, our posters are probably on their dressing room wall as most wanted.
01:16:09.039 --> 01:16:11.279
So uh we have to have a little bit of thing at the end.
01:16:11.600 --> 01:16:12.720
It is all about the good start.
01:16:12.800 --> 01:16:18.079
It's about the good start, and it's about trying to chip away at any uh lack of confidence, like I said, for the Panthers.
01:16:18.159 --> 01:16:20.079
That is my key to victory on Friday.
01:16:20.239 --> 01:16:24.560
Fanny, Saturday, the Blaze, tough, tough spot to go, and then they've got to go and get another road win.
01:16:24.720 --> 01:16:27.199
Yeah, I mean, first I'll go back to Nottingham.
01:16:27.359 --> 01:16:33.199
One thing we know uh from a Danny Stewart team that off the back of a number of losses is they'll be playing desperate.
01:16:33.359 --> 01:16:39.520
They'll be desperate for a win and they will be looking for this Friday night game to turn their season around.
01:16:39.680 --> 01:16:54.319
Um, as we've as we know with uh the Devils, that if the Devils can play the way uh that that we can, that relentless style, it makes it very difficult for a team that it might be sort of clutching a little bit.
01:16:54.479 --> 01:16:56.399
So really excited about that matchup.
01:16:56.479 --> 01:17:02.880
You know, a desperate Panthers coming in against a Devils team that is determined to kind of keep on on the roll.
01:17:03.039 --> 01:17:14.560
Um, and then you go into one of the I don't know if it's disrespectful to say one of the surprise teams of of the year, but you know, Coventry are having a bit of a time of it.
01:17:14.720 --> 01:17:31.279
Um I think built from two very, very good goaltenders, uh the a nice mix of returning guys with familiarity uh to the league and some new faces, some some sort of uh mix of young blood and some experienced heads in there.
01:17:31.439 --> 01:17:36.399
Um and they've proved tough already, as we found out when we went up to Coventry.
01:17:36.560 --> 01:17:39.119
Yeah, two goalies, like you say, who are playing very good stuff.
01:17:39.199 --> 01:17:42.239
And guys, we've talked a lot about how the Devils need to test goalies.
01:17:42.319 --> 01:17:47.359
That's that's the big thing for them is try and, you know, like we've said, take their eyes away, try and pull a move, get a move inside to side.
01:17:47.520 --> 01:17:51.520
And these are two guys in in Fitzpatrick and Hykeria right now who are having a really good time of it.
01:17:51.600 --> 01:18:01.920
So trying to get a goal in early, trying to maybe silence that building, but also beat them once, just so you know, you're not you know trying to chip away a potential shot that you want to try and make sure that you can clear that immediately.
01:18:02.079 --> 01:18:03.600
Yeah, don't allow either of them.
01:18:03.680 --> 01:18:10.880
Uh you know, we obviously don't know who's gonna start, but whoever it is, don't allow them to grow in confidence because that confidence is very high at the moment.
01:18:10.960 --> 01:18:15.520
And you know, I mentioned about chipping away at maybe a lack of confidence uh in the Panthers.
01:18:15.680 --> 01:18:19.680
You've got to try and find a way to dent the confidence of the Coventry plays.
01:18:19.760 --> 01:18:27.119
Uh netminders, uh but you know, it's uh sometimes you don't quite know what you're gonna get with Coventry.
01:18:27.279 --> 01:18:33.760
It's uh it's always uh uh uh intriguing to see which Coventry turns up at the moment.
01:18:33.840 --> 01:18:36.479
The better Coventry is turning up more often than not.
01:18:36.560 --> 01:18:39.199
So I expect a cracker uh on Saturday.
01:18:39.279 --> 01:18:43.119
And in terms of our waveform, uh I think we need to change the it's done now.
01:18:43.199 --> 01:18:44.560
Yeah, that we've got to change the narrative.
01:18:44.640 --> 01:18:47.920
We've picked up points in the last four away games that we've been on.
01:18:48.000 --> 01:18:49.520
So we're picking our points away.
01:18:49.760 --> 01:18:52.079
That's that's that's the top and bottom of it at the moment.
01:18:52.239 --> 01:18:54.159
So let's reframe that straight away.
01:18:54.319 --> 01:18:56.239
We pick up points on the road, that's what we do.
01:18:56.479 --> 01:18:59.119
That's what we do, and that's what the Devils will have to do again this weekend.
01:18:59.359 --> 01:19:02.640
Nottingham on Friday night, Coventry on Saturday.
01:19:02.800 --> 01:19:05.039
We will see you at the rink on Friday night.
01:19:05.119 --> 01:19:06.399
It's uh going to be a great evening.
01:19:06.479 --> 01:19:08.239
If you're not joining us, we'll be on Devils TV.
01:19:08.319 --> 01:19:09.840
We are also on Premier Sports.
01:19:09.920 --> 01:19:12.479
Aaron Murphy will be down with us commentating as well.
01:19:12.560 --> 01:19:17.119
So if you haven't got, or if you're not going to be buying the stream, then you have Premier Sports, then we'll be on that as well.
01:19:17.199 --> 01:19:18.880
So do tune in if you do get the chance.
01:19:18.960 --> 01:19:19.920
It's gonna be a great evening.
01:19:20.000 --> 01:19:22.960
And yeah, like I say, Devils, two more important games.
01:19:23.119 --> 01:19:24.479
A lot to look forward to.
01:19:24.720 --> 01:19:26.720
That's all for Devil's Insider tonight.
01:19:26.880 --> 01:19:28.720
Gaz, Franny, thank you so much to you two.
01:19:28.880 --> 01:19:30.640
Massive thank you to Tom Caron for coming down.
01:19:30.720 --> 01:19:33.199
It's been great to chat to him, and thank you to everybody for listening at home.
01:19:33.279 --> 01:19:34.319
We really appreciate it.
01:19:34.560 --> 01:19:37.920
We will catch you on Friday, and if we don't, we'll see you next week for more Insider.
01:19:38.000 --> 01:19:38.720
Good night.
01:19:39.359 --> 01:19:43.760
Thank you very much once again to our sponsor, Minerva Hearing, for today's podcast.
01:19:43.840 --> 01:19:47.439
And remember, Minerva Hearing, hear the cheers, protect your ears.