Hour 1: LIVE at The NHL Shop

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode: Hour 1 – LIVE at The NHL Shop (Dec 2, 2025)
Location: Manhattan West Plaza, NHL Shop
Special Guest: Bill Daly (NHL Deputy Commissioner)

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Episode Overview

This lively hour of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg is broadcast live from the NHL Shop at Manhattan West Plaza. The crew—Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg—mix biting New York football commentary (focused on the Giants' latest woes) with their trademark humor, before welcoming NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for an in-depth look at the state of hockey. Discussion weaves between New York sports dysfunction, honest takes on football organizational culture, and the impressive competitiveness of the modern NHL, plus the challenges facing Olympic hockey in Italy. All takes come with plenty of banter, side-riffs on mall pronunciations (Plaza vs. Plaza), and sharp but affectionate digs at each other.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Opening Banter: Threesomes & “Plaza” vs “Plaza”

• The hosts kick off with classic chemistry and self-aware humor, debating nicknames, inside jokes, and odd openers.
• Fun side chat: Is it pronounced “Plaza” (NY/NJ style) or “Plaza” (elsewhere)? Each host tries to justify their regional take, with a tongue-in-cheek mock seriousness:
  • Don: "You don’t say Garden State Plaza, you say Garden State Plaza...I could be swayed." (02:03)
  • Peter: "Well, I think we swayed you already." (02:43)
• They joke about Lake Placid, movie confusions, and whether notables have heard of “Brazzers”—setting the comedic tone.

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2. Giants Meltdown: Calls for Organizational Overhaul

“It’s enough for me to just say okay, I’m cool. Let’s just blow the whole thing up. That was embarrassing in all ways, shapes and forms…”

— Don (05:01)

- Dissecting the Giants' Dysfunction

• Previous night’s game called a new low: “That was embarrassing in all ways, shapes and forms…” (05:01)
• Alan: "I feel the exact same way. I tried to look at it logic...but...I’m having a difficult time believing...there’s anything of value to come back now.” (05:21)
• Don and Peter debate where the blame lies: talent acquisition, coaching, or culture?
• Peter explains the failed field goal: “The toe caught the turf before it reached the ball. It’s like he was just kicking the ground." (06:22)
  • Alan: “Even when I did the field goal kicking contest...the ball moved every time!” (07:42)
  • Peter: “Charlie Brown is seeing this and going, ‘My God.’” (07:56)

- Accountability and Culture

• Rosenberg challenges common wisdom: “So many people now are assuming that Joe Shane, a general manager, is the guy that sets the standard in the organization when we all know that’s not how it works in the NFL…” (10:08)
• Don disagrees: “It’s beyond the talent and the analytics...Are you the kind of player that can handle it? Are you going to help us win?” (12:08)

- Seminal Culture Shift: Tom Coughlin/Beckham Era

• Don identifies a franchise turning point: Coughlin letting Odell play unchecked to “save his job” (13:16).
• Peter: “TC was so disgusted he couldn’t even shake the man’s hand...You’re choosing the players over me.” (15:02)

- Front Office vs Coaching

• Sharp debate about roles in setting culture and responsibility for decline:
  • Don: “The easier answer...is to just say, let’s wipe it clean and let’s start over.” (17:48)
  • Hahn: “What you’re describing is more than just a ‘let’s try something new.’ It’s a new ownership group…We are changing.” (18:41)
  • Peter: “When you bring in a resume coach...the GM kind of works for him.” (22:28)

- Mike Kafka Hot Seat

• Kafka is ruled out as future head coach. The crew is unified: “That team was not prepared. They were not prepared physically. They were not prepared game plan-wise. Nothing was right.” (19:55)

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3. Live at the NHL Shop: Welcoming Bill Daly

• Don introduces Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for a wide-ranging interview.

- NHL’s Competitive Balance & Young Talent

• Don: “Seven points separate first place in the Metro and last place...Is it good? Is it because everyone’s good?” (28:26)
• Bill Daly: “The skill level of the players is at an all-time high...players coming into the league are coming in more skilled than they’ve ever been.” (29:40)

- Younger, More Visible League

• Bill: “We have five, six, seven superstar teenagers, which we’ve never had in our history...and superstar senior citizens pushing stories every night.” (30:00)
• Alan: “Sid the kid is a senior citizen...I watched him in my 20s, I’m 46!” (30:46)
• Bill on promoting youth: “We spend a lot of time...to make players more accessible, to open lines of communication with the fans.” (33:36)

- Olympics Infrastructure Problems

• Don: “As of right now, arenas aren’t done. We’ve got nine weeks. Is there going to be a place to play?” (34:27)
• Bill: “I think at the end of the day, they will be done...It’s going to be a kind of race to the finish.” (34:42)
• Alan and Peter probe: “Did it sound to you like there’s some, like, funny business going on...Guys are trying to make money off this and they’re not going to work until you pay them.” (48:26)

- Jerseys, Market Surprises, & Utah’s Merch Boom

• Alan: “Who are the teams that might surprise you about whose popularity...does really well?” (37:00)
• Bill: “Utah [merch] is moving very, very well...even last year when they didn’t have a nickname…” (38:18)

- Cap League and Tax Disparities

• Don: "How do you deal with that in a cap sport where, you know, $17 million is different in New York than it is in Dallas and Tampa...?" (38:40)
• Bill: “It’s a fact. It’s one of many factors...but with a good team, you typically draw better players.” (39:21)

- Ownership: Snoop Dogg Hypothetical

• Alan: “Is that sort of ownership...something that could be appealing?” (42:34)
• Bill: “Of course. You look for those crossover opportunities every chance you get...for the league and the popularity of the league.” (42:34)

- Commissioner Succession & League Progress

• Don: “Is that a job you’re looking forward to throwing your hat in the ring for?” (43:17)
• Bill Daly: “I don't even think about it to be honest. Gary still loves his job...I don’t expect he will [leave] anytime soon.” (43:17)
• On recovery post-lockout: “The progression of the sport and the business over that period has been pretty remarkable.” (44:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Don, on the Giants:
  “It’s not about sending eight, nine guys to the Pro Bowl. It’s about winning football games. But they don’t win. And why don’t they win? Because there’s something wrong with the culture...” (12:47)

• Peter (on the infamous field goal):
  “The toe caught the turf before it reached the ball. It’s like he was just kicking the ground.” (06:22)

• Alan, re: “Plaza” regional dispute:
  “My Garden State Plaza was Wheaton Plaza. I assure you, it’s rougher than Garden State.” (02:19)

• Bill Daly (on NHL future stars):
  “We have five, six, seven superstar teenagers, which we've never had in our history.” (30:00)

• Bill Daly (on Snoop Dogg the owner):
  “You look for those crossover opportunities every chance you get. It creates opportunity for the league and the popularity of the league...” (42:34)

• Peter (on Olympic venue corruption):
  “The only thing more corrupt than these is the NCAA. Let’s be honest.” (48:47)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 02:51: Opening banter, show open, Plaza/Plaza debate
• 03:26 – 15:55: Giants flameout post-mortem, Giants culture debate, pivotal moments (Coughlin, Beckham)
• 17:18 – 23:13: GM vs. coach power/hiring debate, the Kafka hot seat, who really sets the standard
• 24:04 – 28:16: Introduce Bill Daly, NHL shop, NHL’s young stars and competitive balance
• 28:26 – 33:36: NHL’s global player base, youth movement, promotion of star players
• 34:27 – 41:39: Olympic venue crisis in Milan, international logistics, new markets/experimenting with outdoor games
• 42:34 – 44:26: Ownership diversity, Snoop Dogg hypothetical, voice of the league, NHL’s post-lockout recovery
• 47:53 – 49:55: Olympics infrastructure/corruption, NHL’s learning from past international experience
• 53:44 – 54:24: Callers/tease next hour, wrap up

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Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

• Full of self-deprecating humor, inside jokes, and familiar barbs between co-hosts, balanced by sharp, passionate New York sports analysis.
• The transition from football chaos to hockey optimism is seamless, with Bill Daly bringing calm, measured insight.
• Politics of sports ownership, coaching, and culture are unpacked with candor—no one is spared.
• The show remains easily accessible for casual listeners, yet meaty enough for hardcore fans.

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If you missed it:
You missed a blend of relentless honesty about New York football, inside media jokes, a genuinely insightful state-of-the-NHL conversation with Bill Daly, and a snapshot of how three hosts can keep sports radio uniquely irreverent yet smart.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

I was fighting with obesity. I wore.

[Rosenberg]

You're losing, Han.

[Don Hahn]

Don.

[Rosenberg]

Peter.

[Don Hahn]

Thank you, Alan. I hope you make the team.

[Rosenberg]

And Rosenberg.

[Alan]

Richard, have you ever heard of Brazzers?

[Don Hahn]

No. This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.

[Rosenberg]

This is Don, Han and Rosenberg.

[Don Hahn]

The best threesome I've ever heard on.

[Rosenberg]

ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube.

[Don Hahn]

That's the consensus. Best open, right?

[Peter]

Oh, there it is. There it is.

[Don Hahn]

It is. That's number one.

[Alan]

It's got. It's got. You were losing. It's got Namath, and then it's got, you know, Richard and Brasser. I mean, that's the best open.

[Peter]

That's the trifecta. And I mean, one day we have to have Namath back on to see if he can declare that I've made the team or not.

[Don Hahn]

And. No. Well, after this winner, Final Cuts, we'll say.

[Alan]

We'll say to him, hey, we want you to pay attention this segment and afterwards. Because I can't assume he's listened since he left Fair Point, but listen for the segment and see if he believes.

[Don Hahn]

No, I thought that the easy question would be to combine everything and ask him if he's ever heard of Bret Browser.

[Alan]

Well, no question.

[Don Hahn]

And the question is he might have invented it.

[Peter]

Yeah, he said no. No. Brazers back then was called Bachelor's 3.

[Alan]

No, it was called His Life.

[Don Hahn]

It was called Thursday Afternoon right after.

[Alan]

Joe Brazer's Name It.

[Don Hahn]

Donna Rosenberg coming to you live from the NHL shop.

[Peter]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

@ Manhattan West Plaza. And it's all powered by.

[Peter]

Plaza. We're going with.

[Don Hahn]

Plaza. I say Plaza.

[Bill Daly]

Man.

[Don Hahn]

Plaza. Listen.

[Peter]

I.

[Don Hahn]

You. That.

[Peter]

That. You.

[Don Hahn]

Are. You are a Plaza guy. I'm a Plaza.

[Alan]

Guy. Plaza, Alan.

[Don Hahn]

Honestly. No, I guess you know why? Because you're thinking the Plaza, right? I'm thinking Garden State Plaza. I'm thinking.

[Peter]

Jersey. So Plaza's a.

[Don Hahn]

Jersey. You don't say Garden State Plaza, you say Garden State.

[Alan]

Plaza. I hear what he's saying. That Plaza makes it sound nicer. But just to be clear, my Garden State Plaza was Wheaton Plaza. I assure you, it's rougher than Garden State.

[Don Hahn]

Plaza.

[Alan]

Okay? And I still called it.

[Don Hahn]

Plaza. Well, there's nothing rough about it. It was Just.

[Alan]

Suburbs. Well, Wheaton. Wheaton has its moments. But I still called it.

[Don Hahn]

Plaza. I'm not, you know, I've lost confidence in it. I don't.

[Alan]

Know.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Is it a thing. I could be swayed. I think I can be.

[Peter]

Swayed. Well, I think we swayed you.

[Don Hahn]

Already. We are.

[Alan]

Live. And I say Lake Placid as.

[Peter]

Well. No, Please don't ever do that.

[Alan]

Again. I.

[Peter]

Don'T. Especially House of Hockey to.

[Alan]

Ever. Lake.

[Don Hahn]

Placid. And think of all those people that went to the movie Lake Placid thinking they're gonna see Mica Ruzzioni and there's big alligators jumping out of.

[Peter]

Lake. Was not expecting that at.

[Don Hahn]

All. That doesn't make.

[Peter]

Sense. Where's Herb Brooks? He was right. I thought he was the.

[Alan]

Villain. By the way, real quick, before we get into all the excitement and mishigas of today, give me a quick breakdown because I am deep in the throes of a move. Yesterday was yesterday as a day was a rumor to me. What was the. What was the hardcore lean into the show.

[Peter]

Yesterday. Tomlin Giants. The fire. Tomlin chants in Pittsburgh were leading to. Do Giants fans now want to say, come home, Come here, Come to New.

[Don Hahn]

York. That was big. That got the.

[Peter]

Big. We got a lot of Steeler fans calling in. Danny from Long island, of course, leading the way, saying buyer beware, which had a lot of Giants fans then calling in, wondering if maybe, you know, maybe. Maybe Tom is not the right guy for the job. So there's a lot of confusion right.

[Don Hahn]

Now. And two really ignorant football people on Don Island. Rosenberg, that love the Giants last.

[Peter]

Night.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. And I'm talking about you and me. And I do it.

[Alan]

Again. You know what the funniest part is? Best part of.

[Peter]

It. You guys are out of your.

[Alan]

Minds. Best part of that was Don and I had discussed it.

[Peter]

Earlier.

[Alan]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

Right. Clown show. Clown.

[Alan]

Show. Get into the clown show. I make my picks, which I'll gloat to Allen shortly. I made the first two, and then Don's like, oh, and we're. And we're going Thelma and Louise for the third one. I'd already picked another game I liked.

[Don Hahn]

Better. Oh, well.

[Alan]

That'S. But.

[Don Hahn]

I. But.

[Alan]

I. But I wasn't gonna leave Don because he had already went Giants. So I went with the.

[Peter]

Giants. And I liked them all.

[Alan]

Right. But I sat there like him after the first quarter.

[Don Hahn]

I. But again, I should have. It was bad, and it's really bad, but we're here at the.

[Alan]

NHL. I do it.

[Don Hahn]

Again. Messier is here. He's going to be joining us in a little bit. Looking forward to talking to him. Not just about hockey but you know, just leadership and everything that's going on at the five o'. Clock. Bill Daly, deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League will join us at 3:30. But we're going to start where we should start and that is with the New York Giants. And it's enough for me to just say okay, I'm cool. Let's just blow the whole thing up. That was embarrassing in all all ways. Shapes and forms and a little squeak in the background from Anthony Pusick. Say I told you so. But you know what Anthony? You have a dark black heart and haven't been wrong yet have I towards that anyway. So you, you just happen to be right because you're always going to err on the side if it's.

[Alan]

Awful. Yeah, I feel the exact same.

[Don Hahn]

Way. I said I tried to look at it logic. I'm taking the passion out of it. You know how passionate a Giant fan I am. So it's easy to say blow the whole thing up, get rid. But I was trying to look at it logically that there's a road for Kafka to be able to keep this job. There is talent on this team and that maybe if you want to give Joe Shane another kick at the can. I can understand that the NHL has already had the. The Giants have already had him be a part of the hiring process. But when you have a game like last night and yeah listen, they fell to a superior team, there's no shame in that. But to just see what happened with Cotter again. Discipline, not playing to start the game again, Dart getting leveled at the sidelines and your kicker. I never saw anybody kick more ground than ball like he was a foot away from the ball. I know you were busy. They missed the field goal because he kicked the ground several inches away from the.

[Peter]

Ball. His.

[Don Hahn]

Toe. The ball was.

[Bill Daly]

Safe.

[Peter]

Peter. Just picture this. The toe caught the turf before it reached the ball. It's like he was just kicking the.

[Alan]

Ground. Wait, this is the one where he then picked up the ball and got.

[Peter]

Then. And then he got.

[Alan]

Demolished. Now wait, I was on my phone. That's what.

[Peter]

Happened. That's what happened. So just to be clear though because you know just I had to get the explanation of what the hell was that after the game. The way it was explained was that the ball wasn't steady when it the holder. I forget who he the the whole like it wasn't steady and Ku kind of hesitated Thinking he's going to pull this away. And he didn't. So his approach was completely messed up. And, you know, it was like a golf shot for one of us. You know, just, just a lot of. Just chunked it. Way too. Totally chunked it, but chunked it so much that the club stuck in the turf instead of. He didn't come through. Yeah, no, it's. It's amazing. His leg didn't snap. So that was such a. And I say this because. And I say this with, with all, all the love and respect and emotion that I can have as a Jets fan. It was a very jets moment for the Giants. That right there as Peter is now watching back the.

[Alan]

Replay. Oh, no, no, no. I, I never saw the up.

[Peter]

Close. Never. No, no. Have you.

[Don Hahn]

Ever. There's a lot of football you've watched in your life, by the.

[Alan]

Way. I'm up to now. I'm up to 40.

[Peter]

Years. 40.

[Alan]

Years. I'm 40 years in 40. I've never seen. Even when I did the field goal kicking contest against with Michael and Don, I was horrible, but the ball moved every time I kicked it. Yeah, I mean, Charlie Brown is seeing this and going, my.

[Peter]

God. Yeah, that could have been.

[Alan]

Worse. Could have been worse. Charlie Brown is saying, it could have been worse. You could not just slip, you could just catch.

[Peter]

Ground. Just catch.

[Don Hahn]

Ground. No, this is.

[Peter]

Bad. So chunked it bad. So that was, that was the epitome of the performance last.

[Don Hahn]

Night. And that looks fine. And that's why I say that, you know, when you see something like that and you see what's going on with Abdul Carter and it's easy to blame. Alan and I were talking before the show. It just shows you just what a ridiculous bacchanal was going on with Dable. Do whatever you want. Just win me games so I can keep my job. You know, show up to meetings late, don't show up at all, who cares? Just show up on Sunday to win the games. It was bad and they got it right. Getting rid of Dable. But still, when you see something like you saw last night, you're 2 and 11 and we talk so much. I talk so much about, well, look how close they got these leads. But you look at the parody in the NFL, is it really saying something that you're not getting blown out? Is it really saying something that you have a lead in the fourth quarter when you end up losing at the end of the day anyway, I, I'm having a difficult time believing that really there's anything of value to Come back now. There's still games to be played and they could beat the Raiders and they could beat the Commanders and all that. But before, before I'm done, before.

[Alan]

Anthony, you know, number two is all over and that's fine. And I look forward to it.

[Don Hahn]

Because he's good at.

[Alan]

It. I'm just still. None of this still convinces me though, that Shane needs to be a part of this. I just still like what they've put together on paper over the last. I.

[Peter]

Know. I'm glad you said I.

[Alan]

Do. I just look down both sides of the ball and I see a bunch of pieces I.

[Don Hahn]

Like. But is that all it is? See.

[Alan]

That? See.

[Don Hahn]

That? I. I was with you guys up until kickoff, but what does that.

[Peter]

What, what does a general manager have to do with what happens after kickoff? Build well, he built a team. It's been poorly coached. There's no.

[Don Hahn]

Accountability. Both could be right talent.

[Peter]

There. They have not done the talent justice. The way they've used it, the way they've developed it and the. What they have done. And Kafka comes in and he knows all season long we've had a problem with.

[Alan]

Carter. I'm gonna do something harder story.

[Peter]

This week it was the same stuff. Late for things, you know, so.

[Alan]

So, so his last story of I mistimed my treatment. Yeah, it's now it was something.

[Peter]

Else. Yeah. Basically happened again. No one's really given a lot of detail, but basically happened again. The thing is to me though is that so many people now are assuming that Joe Shane, a general manager, is the guy that sets the standard in the organization when we all know that's not how it works in the NFL and especially with the Giants and the jets too. He is not in charge of the culture. You know what he's in charge of? Scouting, drafting free agency contracts, building the roster. That's.

[Alan]

It. And not Cuz don, not all GMs are the same. Right. Fair, Ozzie Nome, Jerry West. There are guys who culturally, because.

[Peter]

They were players, just stay in the NFL.

[Alan]

Though. Well, I won't be able to name.

[Peter]

That. That's because it doesn't exist.

[Alan]

Anymore. They're not that many of.

[Peter]

Them. People always assume that the hierarchy is general manager who hires the coach. He is part of the coaching search. He's not going to hire the next coach. He's just going to be part of the.

[Don Hahn]

Search. I understand everything. And again, I was with you guys up until kickoff because I've seen talent here and I was willing to give him a chance with another coach. To build a winner. But it's more than just drafting and acquiring talented players. It's having them fit into a culture. It's having them know how to win. Making sure that you bring in good character guys who understand New York. What do we say about Brian Cashman all the time? See bringing in guys that can handle New York, that can handle the media, to handle the constant criticism for not winning the championship. It's easy to go play in certain markets where there isn't that requirement every single day. But it is in New York when you're expected to win or at least be progressing towards winning. So that's where I kind of disagree with you and Peter is just, just get talented players and let the coaches put the culture together and all that. No, no, no. Ownership, general manager, head coach, players, they may all be disconnected. I agree. There isn't that ladder anymore where the owner's in charge and the general managers in charge of the head coach and head coaches in charge of the coordinators and the coordinators in charge of the players. I can see that that's not necessarily however your organization does it. And I'll concede that that doesn't necessarily have to be how you win, but they all have to be on the same page of. It's got to just be beyond the talent and the analytics of this guy can do this and that. Can you fit in New York? Are you the kind of player that can handle it? Are you going to help us win? Because that's ultimately what it's all about, guys. It's not about hanging in games. It's not about sending eight, nine guys to the Pro Bowl. It's about winning football games. But they don't win. And why don't they win? Because there's something wrong with the culture of this organization that has really been completely disconnected since God love him and I hope he survives his cancer battle. Since John Mara has become the full responsibility of this organization, football wise. Because once all of Ernie, of course he's players were gone and all the coaches were gone and it became about John Marin. No longer about a Coursey and Wellington. It has been nothing but complete.

[Peter]

Garbage. And when did it start? What was the moment? The Seminole, I think.

[Don Hahn]

Franchise. Odell Beckham Jr. And Josh Norman, Giants, Carolina. Odell Beckham Jr. Allowed to do whatever the heck he wanted to do because Tom Coughlin desperately needed him to stay in the game to win, to save his job. And since then it's been an absolute joke because then it just became about every man for.

[Alan]

Themselves. And by the way, do whatever.

[Don Hahn]

The players want to do because they can help me.

[Alan]

Win. And that exact mentality, sadly. And we all know Cawthon was great. He shouldn't have even been scared of his losing his job at that point. But he was. And as a result, coached that way, made bad decisions. But we see it translate all the way to now where you had a coach in Brian Dabel who was coaching Jackson Dart in a way that was dangerous for Dart because he needed every single. That's why he nearly made love to the man on the field after the first.

[Peter]

Line. And don't forget, also looked away when Abdul Carter was doing whatever he was doing on the.

[Don Hahn]

Side. And who made that decision? And I said it at the time, I would have let them both go or give them both the contract extension. What John Mara did was half pregnant. As Michael K. Would say, I'll let you come back, but it better be better than it was last year. And they came back and they were awful and they were trying to save their jobs and one wasn't able to do it, one's still trying to do it. And maybe I'm overreacting because I really thought they were going to play better and maybe we were all wet on the Patriots and they are the best team in football and they're going to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy and we're going to look back and go, oh, the giants only lost 33, 15 to the Patriots. Looking at that game, guys, that's an embarrassment from not being able to kick from players being suspended, from Jax a Dark getting obliterated on the.

[Peter]

Sidelines. That's him. That's a whole other conversation. Now, one thing I want to add is that the real seminal moment was Tom Coughlin walking off the dais after saying goodbye. John standing up to shake his hand. And Tom, no, you're right in the indignity of walking right past the handshake, which told you everything you needed to know about where the franchise was headed. TC was so disgusted that he couldn't even shake the man's hand. They won Super Bowls together. Think about that. He was so disgusted with your choosing the players over me. But where the standard you're choosing keeping a guy like that happy rather than letting him know we have a standard here and you have to fit in it. And they didn't do that. And from that moment forward, they have not been the same, but we.

[Don Hahn]

Were on the same page. It's Tom Coughlin. I have to fight for his job and realizing my only chance to do it is let Odell do whatever.

[Peter]

He. But I don't think it's fair to start now making this a blanket blame game. I don't think you start putting it on the front office because you saw last night the residue, and you've been seeing it ever since. Kafka Tova. The residue of Brian Daboll this season. Coaching, desperate coaching to make sure that he was popular in the locker room, that guys cared enough about him so he couldn't lose the room. So he wasn't going to hold guys accountable. He wasn't going to get on Jackson Dart for extending plays the way he did. A lot of times he didn't want him to run, but then Dart just instinctually did and he took some hits and eventually led to him missing time. And now everybody is trying to treat him with kid gloves like he's all of a sudden this fragile human being that can't handle another hit, which is not the truth. And the kid's now trying to tell everybody, listen, I understand that you guys are worried about me, but this is how I got here. And he was sliding last night. He was trying to avoid hits last night. The one on the sideline was one step too many. And those are. Once again, he is going to be on the edge until he learns that I can't take that one more step. But these are two different things. I don't think that and Abdul Carter have anything to do with the front office. They're two separate things, in my opinion. This is residue of Brian Dable this.

[Don Hahn]

Season. Okay, I can't disagree with that part of it. But you're still talking about them being connected in a way where there's been a lot of losing, a lot of embarrassment. John hired, you know, was part of the hiring and the extending of these guys. When I say extending, not firing them last year, letting them coach here, what are we really saving? All right. The negative would be he's a really good general manager. If we let him go, we're going to regret it. But isn't the more the easier answer the percentage play to just say, let's wipe it clean and let's start over, let's start fresh. And this is where Tish has to get involved. John, we love you. Focus on your cancer treatment. Somebody else has to make football decisions for this team. I don't know who it is. I don't know who in the organization is equipped to do that, but that can't be how we move.

[Peter]

Forward.

[Don Hahn]

Agree. What are we trying to save here? All Right. Shane's a good man. Peter and I talked to him at camp a few years ago. He's a good guy, he's a bright guy. But he is a part of an erosion and a stink. And I just don't think it's worth trying to keep it around for.

[Alan]

What? Peter, Don here, maybe hear me out. This organization has run this way for a long time. What you're describing is more than just a, like, let's try something.

[Don Hahn]

New. It's.

[Alan]

A. It's a new ownership group. It's like we are.

[Don Hahn]

Changing. Well, that's why Tish has to. Tish is not involved in the football decisions. But he owns 50% of the team or whatever the percentage. But then who's gonna.

[Alan]

Represent. It can't be him if he's never done this. But there are Mario Maris. Mara is a football.

[Don Hahn]

Owner. We gotta stop with he's a football guy more than Tish is. All right, but there's plenty guy. I mean, they're not even. They're not even a part of the team. There's plenty of owners, okay, that don't know anything about the sport of the team. I know what, but you know what? But they make the right decisions. And just say, John, the agreement was we would split. We'd split the profits, we'd split the team. But you'd make the football decisions. Your football decisions have been God awful. Somebody else has got to make.

[Peter]

Them.

[Don Hahn]

Right? Any executive. I don't know how to make widgets, but if I own the company that makes widgets and my widgets aren't selling, I'll go find somebody that can help me sell my.

[Peter]

Widgets.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Do I have to know what a widget.

[Alan]

Is? Nobody needs a whole new thing. Still, it's just a scary.

[Peter]

Proposition. That part is. That's. That's what I'm talking about. But that all will. Will this. All this will be decided not on how the Giants finish the season. This will all be decided by who you hire as the coach. And maybe one thing we can learn from last night is that Mike Kafka is not the guy. Can we all just say, like, you know.

[Don Hahn]

What? Well, this ain't the.

[Peter]

Guy. Because that team was not prepared. They were not prepared physically. They were not prepared game plan wise. Nothing was.

[Alan]

Right. He couldn't have had one of those.

[Don Hahn]

Games. Barely out.

[Peter]

Coached. They got. Oh, well, that's.

[Don Hahn]

Very. Ran circles around him the way.

[Peter]

He controls coach of the.

[Don Hahn]

Year. Well, without.

[Peter]

Right. How could he not be so. But what you saw last night was Mike Vrabel, that was a personal game for him on many levels. Monday Night Football, the whole country's watching. Everybody gets to see what we're doing is real. He had his team ready. And then the physicality that they brought to that game, there was something extra to that.

[Alan]

Performance. Plus the Giants ownership of his Patriots in the super bowl, there's a lot of.

[Peter]

Pieces. There's a lot of things to talk.

[Alan]

About. Kafka could not have last night in this stretch, the final eight, seven games, whatever it is that Kafka is doing, one of those couldn't happen. The way he got that job, the way he jumps over sexier opportunities, is because he never has a moment like.

[Peter]

Right. That every game you're competitive, even if you lose, you're fighting the nail and you can't sell to me. Well, you know, we got to stop. We were down two scores, and if we did something with that possession, we'd be down. Well, he's trying to sell that after the game. No, man, that game was over in the first quarter. When your team was not ready. At kickoff, when your team wasn't ready, special teams wasn't ready. You guys were not ready for that.

[Don Hahn]

Game. And that's. It was just eye opening to. Just for me rewatching that game because I had the devil game, but I got home and rewatched the game, and I said, because you're. What do we hold? What are we holding on to? What are we holding on to? So I get what you're saying, and maybe Shane deserves a better break than this, but really, what are we holding on.

[Peter]

To? It's all about the coach, Don. It's whoever they end.

[Don Hahn]

Up. And why would a coach with it worth any Mike.

[Peter]

Tomlin?

[Don Hahn]

Yep. Why? Why would he want to come here and say, so I'm coming here. I'm leaving Pittsburgh. We work something out. I'm leaving. I want to go someplace where I can prove I can win someplace else. And I've got Joe Shane as my general manager. Are you willing to have Tomlin walk away because you want to keep Shane, or do you want to just start.

[Peter]

Fresh?

[Don Hahn]

I. Once again, I start.

[Peter]

Fresh. I think if you're getting a name like that or McCarthy or somebody like that, those guys come in with somebody they have in mind to run all that stuff. Yeah, because those guys, when you bring in a resume coach, which the Giants desperately need, when you bring in a resume coach, the resume coach is the voice. The resume coach is the guy in charge of everything. And the GM kind of works for.

[Don Hahn]

Him.

[Peter]

Okay. Get me the players I want. This is what I am. So I'm bringing you in to be my general manager again. This is not the old School. The GMs. That's right, the leader. And he hires his coach. That's not how it works in the NFL. The head coach is the one voice, the standard setter, all those things. Our culture is based on what we bring. Look at Vrabel like, that's what you do. But I now have my guy in the front office. We can work together because he knows the players I want the style. I want all that stuff. That's what will happen if you.

[Don Hahn]

Bring in a resume right now. Unless something got changed and they, they didn't alert the media yet. Joe Shane's gonna lead the search for the new head.

[Alan]

Coach. I think.

[Don Hahn]

That'S. So if I'm Joe Shane and I find out Tomlin wants to bring in his own guy, then I guess I'm not making that call, am I? Oh, Mike McCarthy wants to bring his own. Oh, for some reason his line's.

[Bill Daly]

Busy. I'm gonna try.

[Peter]

Something. Are you really, you really think that Mike Tomlin and, oh, the Giants just didn't, they didn't get to call? Like, come on, that's not gonna happen. If, if Mike Tomlin wants a job, if Mike McCarthy wants the job, it goes over Joe Shane's.

[Don Hahn]

Head. All.

[Alan]

Right? I mean, to who.

[Peter]

Though? You really think, you really think that Joe Shane's gonna block that? He's gonna be like, I don't.

[Don Hahn]

Know. Phone didn't.

[Alan]

Ring. I think there is a.

[Peter]

Chance. No chance. They'll be in the.

[Don Hahn]

Media. They'll be all over the emergency breakthrough. We.

[Peter]

Can. It's busy. I don't.

[Alan]

Know. I've heard of.

[Peter]

It. I was on, I was on the phone all day. My kids were online. I, I, I didn't have.

[Alan]

Aol. They were on.

[Don Hahn]

Aol. Absolutely abused that. We're here at the NHL shop. Big day because it's all wrapped around game seven brands. Mark Messier is going to join us coming up in a little while at five o'.

[Alan]

Clock. We're also streaming live, by the.

[Peter]

Way. You can still see.

[Don Hahn]

Us. Yeah, you can see us on YouTube, which is awesome. So we're going to take your calls on the Giants. We're going to get into Devin Williams all of a sudden, you know, can't handle the Yankees, but, oh, it'll be great with the Loves New York, by the.

[Alan]

Way. That was the weirdest. I thought it was, I thought it was Sports.

[Peter]

Pickled. There's a lot of weird stuff.

[Alan]

Happening. A lot of weird.

[Don Hahn]

Stuff. So we got that to do. But one of the, one of my favorite people in the NHL is Bill Daley. He's the deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League and he usually is the one that gives away the Clarence Campbell bowl to the Western Conference champion. And he's really in tune. He's a local guy and he's one of my favorite people to talk to. And we're going to have him in the Olympics right now. A problem. They have not finished the buildings yet. There's so much to get into with the NHL. So Bill Daly is going to be joining us next. It's all happening right here. Don Han and Rosenberg coming to you live from the NHL shop at Manhattan West Plaza. And it's all powered by Game seven brands. I'm sticking to my.

[Peter]

Instincts. I said you weren't confident, but okay, it's a.

[Don Hahn]

Plaza. Well, I'm working. I'm.

[Peter]

Workshopping. It's a plaza. Now, I didn't.

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[Don Hahn]

Payment of $45 for three month plan.

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[Don Hahn]

Together. Let's.

[Rosenberg]

Drive. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg.

[Alan]

Podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just.

[Rosenberg]

Said. Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your.

[Don Hahn]

Podcasts. Don Adam Rosenberg coming to you live for the NHL shop at Manhattan West Plaza. And it's all powered by Game seven brands. And it's a pleasure to welcome in deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League one of my favorite people, Bill Daley. And I say that because I'd go out with my friends back and forth kids when there were other responsibilities where I'd go out and watch some hockey with the Stark brothers and who'd be sitting there, Bill Daly watching games on the Dish because he's deputy commissioner, wants to host the line, and he's also very social, so he wanted to have some fun. You can't have a drop for a person that sits next to.

[Peter]

Me. He's right.

[Alan]

Here. Well, still. But Don saying they hung out of.

[Don Hahn]

Houlihans. That's the name. I went over and said hello. We didn't hang out.

[Peter]

Out. It was.

[Don Hahn]

Very. Yeah, it was very local. But how are.

[Bill Daly]

You? I'm great. How are you.

[Don Hahn]

Guys? Good.

[Bill Daly]

Good. This is exciting here.

[Don Hahn]

Huh? It's this. I love the old place. Right. Because we did the NHL history in the old.

[Peter]

Place.

[Don Hahn]

Yes. This is. This is next level. I mean, just the location so close to the Garden and. And how many floors it. It is. Really?

[Peter]

Absolutely. There's no broadcast position here, though.

[Don Hahn]

Don. No, but I'm not doing a show.

[Bill Daly]

Anymore. This is the.

[Peter]

Broadcast. This is. This is the position right in the sales.

[Bill Daly]

Floor. Yeah. It gets tremendous traffic around Ranger games, as you might imagine. So it's. It's been really good for.

[Don Hahn]

Us. All right, let's start with. I guess you could look at it as a positive or a negative because we were talking about parody in the NFL and Alan and I aren't in love with it because we think the parody is coming from just not great football, but in the NHL. And maybe I'm biased because I'm an NHL guy. I think the parody is coming from really terrific hockey with a lot of good young players that are starting to come into their.

[Peter]

Own.

[Don Hahn]

What? Seven points separate first place in the metro and last place in the metro. So how excited are you as a league to just see everything bunched up the way that it is? And do you agree it's because of the fact that all these teams are good? Not.

[Bill Daly]

Bad? Yeah, look, I think our system promotes a competitive balance that's really good for the league. Having said that, I mean, just comparing this year to last year, this season and last season, you have a handful of clubs who I don't think anybody expected to be winning as many games as they are now. And just because of the influx of young talent, which has never been better. They are, they're competitive. And so we don't have a lot of non competitive teams which, which is good for a sports.

[Peter]

League. What has been the difference though in that? Is it just simply better talent? Like the talent pool is still the same size. You get European players, Canadian players, North American players. So what is the difference in what makes it more competitive? Because you've added more teams, you would think it would dilute the talent, but it hasn't done that. It does seem like the, the game itself is at a level that I don't think we've seen.

[Bill Daly]

Ever. So I think the pool in terms of numbers of players hasn't dramatically.

[Don Hahn]

Changed.

[Bill Daly]

Right. But the, but the skill level of the players is at an all time high. It really is. And the players coming into the league or coming in more skilled than they've ever been before, you know, we have got five, six, seven superstar teenagers, which we've never had in our history. So that's added to the depth. And then we have superstar senior citizens who are pushing stories every night, including Sid last night. So we have a really, really good balance and we have kind of that middle, a middle level veteran who, you know, is creating great highlights every night. So it's, it's been a really, really good balance for us this year. And, and you know, maybe part of it's the Olympics and the upcoming Olympics and everybody wants to qualify and everybody's playing harder. Not harder, but.

[Don Hahn]

Differently. With a.

[Bill Daly]

Purpose. With a purpose for sure. So we'll see how that all plays out. But, but I think that's been a positive as.

[Peter]

Well. Peter, how about this? Sid the kid is a senior citizen. Think about.

[Don Hahn]

Europe. Probably shouldn't get.

[Alan]

Repeated. I know, I.

[Bill Daly]

Know. He's not Sid the kid.

[Don Hahn]

Anymore. How's that? He's a grown.

[Alan]

Man. I watched him in my 20s. I'm.

[Don Hahn]

46. It seemed like every night, the beginning of the season, I'd be doing a game promoting an 18 or a 19 year old on the other team, you know, and you see what Schaefer's doing out on the island. But when I was growing up, you never got that opportunity. The young kids stayed in the minor leagues. I was looking up Scott Nedemeyer was drafted, what, third overall. He played four games his rookie year. Why do you think general managers are more apt to let the kids play? Is it the style of game or is it the desperation of the job? Like I might have it long, I got to get this kid to play right.

[Bill Daly]

Away. I mean, there's a combination of factors. Obviously it goes to the skill level though. And their preparation to enter the game at an earlier age than they historically have goes to their maturity, both physical and mental. A host of reasons why we get younger players in the game currently, but it is a young players.

[Alan]

Game. How much does the league think about things like the aging of Sid and ovi? I mean, there's a world in which of course at this point neither of them are playing. Instead they're both playing. And last year Opie's doing magical things. Sid right now doing special things. Do you guys sit around sort of like dreading the day it actually ends? How does the league view superstars like this getting to the tail.

[Bill Daly]

End? Well, I think we, we, we like to think that we can promote it and take advantage of it as long as it's going on. Right. And I think both of those players continue to play at a high level. They continue to be appealing to people who come to the games and watch the games on TV and it's, it's great for the sport. So, you know, as long as they're willing to play and they're playing at a high level, it's great for the.

[Alan]

League. But you guys don't have fear around.

[Bill Daly]

It. Like you feel good in part because of the influx of young talent we have and the, and that kind of middle class.

[Peter]

Veteran. You use the word promote now, obviously. Four nations last year, that was one of the greatest marketing tools ever and for any sports league. And it really was amazing. But when you talk about the young players, like I have a teenage daughter and she loves the Devils because of Jack Hughes. But she became a Devils fan. That was her entry. It was seeing his face and going, he's cute. And the next thing you know she's watching Devil's games like crazy. But the way you, the way the league. And there was always, there was a time, and I remember it, that the league was criticized for not promoting the players enough because the players was a very humble culture in the sport. It still is. But what has the league done that is so different now that has allowed the players that you have, especially the young players, to have that type of presence that is drawing in fans that might not have been fans.

[Bill Daly]

Before? Well, it's certainly a focus and we, we spend a lot of time and resource and a lot of talented people who push hard on this to make players more accessible to open lines of communication with the fans. So it's something we're focused on every day. You're right. It's not in the nature of most NHL players to want to be about themselves and not the team. So it's been a process, but I think we made progress in the.

[Peter]

Process. And the generation probably helps too, because. Because they're so used to being.

[Bill Daly]

On. Everybody's on social.

[Peter]

Media.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. I'm talking to Bill Daley, deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League here on Don Hanna Rosenberg. We're live here from the NHL shop. The Olympics. Everybody's excited about it, but as of right now, and correct me if I'm wrong, the arenas aren't done. We've got, what, nine weeks? Give us an idea of where we stand right now. Is there going to be a place to play and what can be done if they're not.

[Bill Daly]

Finished? Look, I think at the end of the day, they will be done. We will be able to play. It's going to be a kind of race to the finish. It, for some reason, always seems to be around Olympic Games, with Sochi being a potential exception to that. But that's just the way it works. They still have a lot of work to do. We had, we had people, technicians on site after our Global Series Games, which, what was two weeks ago now, they'll be there again. There's going to be a test event in Hockey2, which is the secondary building. There's going to be another test event in Hockey one scheduled for mid January. And, you know, the ice builds are going on, so I think it ultimately gets done. What kind of fan experience it is for people live and in person, I can't vouch for, but I think. I think the ice and boards and glass will all be in place and we'll be able to.

[Don Hahn]

Play. And that's got to be your ultimate concern, right? The safety of your.

[Bill Daly]

Players? Of course.

[Peter]

100%. How is, how does this happen, though, with knowing that the Olympics were coming? Like, obviously this is, this is an infrastructure issue over there. I mean, like, what is, what is at the bottom of it, like, the reason for, for.

[Bill Daly]

This. Hard to.

[Peter]

Know. Really hard to.

[Bill Daly]

Know. Part of it indigenous to.

[Don Hahn]

Italy.

[Bill Daly]

Yeah. But no, for. For whatever reason, it. It just hasn't ever been on schedule. It's always been behind schedule. And the distressing part is sometimes it's falling be farther behind schedule. So they've had strikes, they've had lawsuits. They've. They. They do what they do, and it's. It's interfered with their progress. The amazing part to most people are, you know, they made all these plans. They're having the Olympics in Milan. What happens if there's not an arena? They don't have a backup.

[Don Hahn]

Plan? So.

[Bill Daly]

I. If, you know, if. If they don't have the ice hockey tournament in the Winter Olympics, that'd be a big story.

[Peter]

Yeah.

[Alan]

Yes. You're looking around the NHL store, and every time we're here, they're always fans of. Of every team coming in. And, like, this is one league where it seems like practically every jersey is awesome. Like, there's a look of almost every team that I think everyone.

[Peter]

Agree. We were just debating, right, the bet, what are the best.

[Don Hahn]

Ones.

[Alan]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan]

There's. There's just. And this goes back all the way. You know, I remember. You know, Don and I often reminisce on the expansion days and how popular the San Jose Sharks jerseys were. There's always the Lightning, starter, jackets, all that stuff. Stuff. Obviously, there are some teams at the top of the league. When I say that, I mean in terms of popularity, market size, etc. That I'm sure do a lot to constantly keep this league doing well. Who are the teams that might surprise you about whose popularity, either in market or nationally, does really well? And maybe you wouldn't think of them first the way we would, the Rangers or the penguins.

[Bill Daly]

Etc. That's a great question. I don't know if I can single anybody out. I mean, what I would say is that we have people at the league who work with our suppliers to be creative to design jerseys. We're going to have a presentation at our upcoming board meeting with respect to color on color jerseys in games, like we saw with the Rangers and Red Wings a couple weeks ago, just utilize. I mean, look, I. I think our sweaters are iconic. I think they're one of the strengths of our sport and the history and tradition of our sport. And I think we try to think outside the box to maximize those as.

[Alan]

Assets. How's that Utah merch.

[Bill Daly]

Moving? Really good job. It's moving very, very well, actually. They unbelievable, right? Last year when they didn't even have a nickname, those, those jerseys sold really, really well. Utah. It was a good identifier. They kept that for one of their, their away jerseys, I guess and adopted the logo on the home jersey. I think they've done a fantastic.

[Don Hahn]

Job. We talk about this with all the cap sports of. And nobody's going to ever cry for New York and California because they're big markets. But the taxes players have to pay by going into that market and you look at, you know, the two Florida teams six straight years, stamp cup final for Tampa for three and now Florida. Dallas has been consistently good. No state tax, which means the value of the contract is different. How do you deal with that in a cap sport where, you know, $17 million is different in New York than it is in Dallas and Tampa and Florida and the advantages that those teams can have? Gary said it's nothing. What says.

[Bill Daly]

You? Well, well, I mean it's a fact. It's one of many factors that come into play when a player is deciding where he wants to play, where he wants to move his family, where he wants his kids to go to school, what kind of weather the market has. You know, we hear a lot about this in the Canadian media in particular as being disadvantaged in some way. What they failed to mention is the fact that they pay their players in US Dollars and their dollars or their players pay their expenses in Canadian dollars. So there are financial advantages to playing in Canadian markets if you're NHL players. So. And you know, with respect to Tampa and Florida, there were 20 to 30 years that no players wanted to play in Tampa and Florida. So when you put a good team on the ice, you typically draw better.

[Peter]

Players. It's shocking. A well run organization will attract good players. You know, that's, it's an amazing concept, but it is true in Florida you're going to have some outdoor games. I still can't figure out how you've reached a point. We have technology that in Florida you can put ice outside and play on it, but it's, it's a real.

[Bill Daly]

Thing. Well, I guess we'll have to.

[Don Hahn]

Find out whether we can do.

[Bill Daly]

That. Look, we haven't, we haven't missed a game yet. I think we're up to 40 something. 43.

[Peter]

Maybe. We've done Southern California.

[Bill Daly]

So. And we've done Southern California. I think the Miami one is, is, is pretty. I'm not going to say easy because nothing's easy, but, but we get to build the rink in indoors basically because it's a, it's a retractable roof.

[State Farm Announcer]

Stadium.

[Bill Daly]

Right. So you really only have to open the, the roof for a nighttime game in South.

[Peter]

Florida. Okay. So you're.

[Bill Daly]

Cheap. Temperature wise? Temperature wise, we can maintain ice without much of a problem. The big issues are rain and sun and so we'll be sheltered a little bit from that in Miami. Tampa is a little trickier. We have to bring in and kind of a man made convention to cover the ice while we build it and then remove a day of game. And that could be tricky. It's never been done before. So will. We're confident in our ability to.

[Don Hahn]

Execute. So everything's good. Any, anything you want to break? We'd love.

[Bill Daly]

That. No.

[Don Hahn]

No. Okay. Everything's good.

[Alan]

Excellent. I, I have a random one for you. I, I Yesterday for some reason, my algorithm sent me a, a video.

[Bill Daly]

Of. It's crazy like that.

[Alan]

Right? The algorithm, what they send you sometimes, by the.

[Bill Daly]

Way. It's kind of scary.

[Alan]

Actually. Well, this one's pretty rare. I mean, listen, I'm a hip hop guy, so I guess that makes some sense and I enjoy hockey. But it was when Snoop's group, when Snoop was trying to get the Senators and it was Snoop talking about why he wanted to be a part of getting the Senators. Obviously I know you can't speak to one group and what they would have done, but was there a part of you that thought that could be a cool opportunity? Like to me as a, as a longtime hockey fan, I thought, wow, someone like Snoop being involved in the.

[Peter]

League could really crazy.

[Alan]

Crossover. And he talked about how he thought there's a lot he could bring brand wise to the league. Is that sort of ownership, whether it's Snoop or someone else, something that could be appealing to this league, of.

[Bill Daly]

Course. And you look for those crossover opportunities every chance you get. You don't pick owners that way necessarily, but, but you're looking for those cross over opportunities. I think all sports leagues are. It definitely creates opportunity for the league and the popularity of the league and the accessibility of the league. And so those are, those are all good opportunities. And you hope to have those relationships over time, whether they be ownership relationships or partnership relationships or other types of relationships to create that.

[Don Hahn]

Crossover. I've always been a fan of gary. He is 73, a young 73, but he's not going to be the commissioner of the National Hockey League forever. Is that a job that you're looking forward to maybe throwing your hat in the ring.

[Bill Daly]

For? I don't even think about to be really Honest with you, because I've worked with Gary for so long now, it's going to be 30 years next year. He still loves his job. He's passionate about it. He does it incredibly well every day. I've been very fortunate to work with him. He's been a mentor of mine, and so I'm not looking for him to go anywhere anytime soon, and I don't expect he will. So.

[Don Hahn]

I'm.

[Bill Daly]

No. No spring chicken.

[Don Hahn]

Anymore. So.

[Bill Daly]

I'm. I'm sure when the appropriate time comes, you know, the league's owners will make the right decision with respect to who's the proper.

[Don Hahn]

Successor. My last experience, like a future.

[Peter]

Commissioner. Yeah, right. Very political answer. My last experience covering the league was when the lockout happened and we lost a whole season. When you think about how far this league has come with you and Gary at the helm the whole way, like, what do you. What. What is. Is there a moment. Is there something you think of to think about recovering from something like that, which is, you would think would be devastating, and yet where the league.

[Bill Daly]

Is today, you know, it's a great question, and it's one I get asked fairly often, and I. I'd like to think that I could come up with a couple of key points during the progression of the last, what, 20, 20 years that kind of stand out. And I'm not sure there are. There are highlights for sure, but just in terms of. To use your word, the progression of the sport and the business over that time period has been pretty remarkable. I've been very fortunate to be part of it. We have great people who work for us. The organization's a lot bigger and, you know, we believe that the future is really.

[Peter]

Bright. I will say, I personally think the resuscitation was quick, mainly because of the one name and another name. You name both of them. With Sydney and Obi coming in one and two and immediately having that impact of. These are the next ones. Like, you could feel it to a point where the veterans recognize it as well. And then they ascended to that. Like they lived up to it, which. That can carry a league. That was. The timing of that was.

[Don Hahn]

Perfect. It's the NHL version of Larry.

[Peter]

Imagine. Yeah, really, you really could argue.

[Bill Daly]

That. It certain. Certainly helped. And then the. The, you know, change in the way the game was played. And we made some pretty significant changes coming out of that lockout. And the game was better, right? The game became immediately better, immediately more exciting, immediately more entertaining. And certainly with talents like Syd Novi, you know, it was. Was good combination Bill, good luck. Thank.

[Don Hahn]

You. Appreciate thank you so much for giving us a couple of minutes. Bill Daley, deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League. Get to your calls on the Giants at 1-800-919-3776. Mark Messier is going to join us at.

[Peter]

5:00'.

[Don Hahn]

Clock. Don Rosenberg coming to you live for the NHL Shop at Manhattan West Plaza. And it's all powered by Game seven.

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[Rosenberg]

Running thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg.

[Alan]

Podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just.

[Rosenberg]

Said. Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your.

[Don Hahn]

Podcasts. Don Hahn and Rosenberg coming to you live from the NHL Shop at Manhattan West Plaza. And it's all powered by Game seven brands. I think I threw a plaza in the.

[Peter]

Last. You might have. I was going to ask Bill.

[Don Hahn]

Workshop in the whole.

[Peter]

Thing. So maybe if Bill said it was plaza, not plaza, then maybe you'd get off.

[Don Hahn]

It. But I didn't get.

[Peter]

It. Oh, you're.

[Don Hahn]

On. Ask.

[Peter]

Him. Yeah, we did ask him a.

[Don Hahn]

Lot of things, though, and he was no, he's.

[Peter]

Good. He was quite open about everything, which was.

[Don Hahn]

Great. Hey, the Olympics are a problem, man. And listen, they got nine weeks. But I have a feeling that you're going to be watching, you know, Switzerland, usa, and you're gonna hear drills in the background. You ever see the movie Gung Ho? They had to get all the cars done. And right now, and you know, wheels are falling off and the windshield wipers don't work. But, but the thing is you.

[Peter]

He admitted, did it sound like you.

[Don Hahn]

Might see games where there's no fans because they didn't.

[Peter]

Finish? They haven't.

[Don Hahn]

Finished. Make sure that the, the ice surface is.

[Peter]

Okay. Did it sound to you like there's some, like, funny business going on you know, was it unions and. Well, people need to be.

[Don Hahn]

Paid. That's what he was.

[Alan]

Saying. And it's all got to be on the.

[Peter]

Table. There's stuff happening over there that they. It's out of their.

[Don Hahn]

Control. Only thing more corrupt than these, the ncaa. Let's be honest.

[Peter]

Right? Because. Because how the hell do you know that this. This Olympics is coming? And it's the. Let's be honest. It is the biggest event, right? Aside from, of course, figure skating, which everybody.

[Don Hahn]

Watches. Which also they.

[Peter]

Need. Everybody's watching. And so you got to build. You got to build these rings. You got them done. They knew it. Plenty of time, and they. They aren't ready. That. That goes beyond the NHL. That goes beyond anything other than guys are trying to make money off this, and they're not going to work until you pay them what they.

[Don Hahn]

Say. And there's a ticking clock, right? So, hey, you want to get this done? You want to drop the puck on February, whatever it is, my hand's.

[Peter]

Empty. You know, we need.

[Don Hahn]

Vacation. Maybe I can get it done on the.

[Bill Daly]

9Th. I don't.

[Peter]

Know. If I get these guys in, they look a little tired. You might have to fill this.

[Don Hahn]

Hand. You fill this hand, and I can get it done on the second, and everybody's okay. Yeah. Any. Listen, he's not going to admit that. But. And that has nothing to do with the NHL. That's all has to do with the ioc. And let's also be honest, too. I'm never a big fan. I love Olympic hockey. I love international hockey. Having these games being played, you know, north of midnight is not.

[Peter]

Ideal. Not.

[Don Hahn]

Great. But they're doing it because part of the thing with the relationship, because we're having a conversation with a deputy commissioner, not talking about a work stoppage, because that's how healthy the relationship is between the players and the owners. Part of that health comes from players want to play in the Olympics and the NHL, letting them play because they want to do it. And that's helped the relationship. I don't know how much it really helps the NHL when these games are in the middle of the night and you're also stopping the sport for 16, 18 days in the process. That keeps the players.

[Peter]

Happy. Like, the difference for the NBA is it doesn't interrupt the season. Season, Right. So. So for the NBA, they don't care. Like, you're gonna play in August, Fine. It doesn't affect us. So they can play well. They'll.

[Alan]

Play. Yeah. It doesn't affect it.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan]

This. This league, it Affects so many.

[Peter]

Players, you stop the.

[Alan]

League. It's every. Everyone's foreign in the.

[Peter]

League. But don't you feel like, though, all of your fans are watching because every team's gonna have guys from almost.

[Don Hahn]

Every. Every team's gonna be represented in Salt Lake City. When it was in Vancouver, it was. It was a big.

[Alan]

Deal. What's the percentage, you think, of international players relative to the league, minus.

[Peter]

Canadian, North.

[Don Hahn]

America? Oh, it's got to be north of.

[Alan]

35%. And then if you include Canada.

[Peter]

65% Canadians are the majority of the.

[Alan]

League. So Americans make up, what, like.

[Don Hahn]

20% of the league.

[Peter]

Maybe? Yeah, it's much larger now than ever.

[Grainger Announcer]

Before. The.

[Don Hahn]

Americans. I remember when I was growing up there being, you know, handful. A handful. Now it's. It's way.

[Alan]

Up. It's Rob Langley to you and.

[Don Hahn]

Me. But you know what's so interesting? Maybe. Maybe it's just me. And I'm not trying to, like, you know, sing Kumbaya or whatever, but, like, we can. It's amazing how. It's not. It doesn't affect me. Like, what's that? Where anybody's from? Oh, you know. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's not like it's. I think it was. You know, it's a big deal when. It's rare when. Like, when the Russians first came here, and then you'd have a couple of Russian players now, it's like, you know, is he from Russia? Is he from Czech? Isn't it all about what really does play for what teams he plays.

[Peter]

For? Because you adopt. A lot of these guys also end up just adopting wherever they are like that. Like, you know, a lot of those guys that played for the Lightning all those years, they just, you know, they're Florida people.

[Don Hahn]

Now. I.

[Peter]

Know. Like, I know I'm from.

[Alan]

Sweden. For better or worse, they've now chosen.

[Don Hahn]

Florida. It went from. Oh, like, what percentage of Americans do you have to. To where You've got American players that were born in California, in Texas.

[Peter]

Florida. That's.

[Don Hahn]

Crazy. It just. It just shows you how.

[Alan]

Much. Real quick, you mentioned. I know we'll take a break here, but I don't. I don't see this getting a lot of shine today. What's aged better? I assumed you were referring to me. Maybe it was something else. You know, in the group text, it's hard to know who's talking about what, but when. When the Lane Kiffin stuff started going through our group text this weekend, and I was like, case. Case in point of Why I hate college football. Yeah. Like, what's age better than me hating college football? It is. It is. I'm.

[Don Hahn]

Sorry.

[Alan]

This. Stories like this make the entire thing. Yo, yo. The entire sport looks so silly to.

[Peter]

Me. Yeah. Because of the rules like this happen and they blame. They all want to make one guy the villain when he's not the villain. The villain of the rules and all. And the people that run the NCAA just. Just because Pusick's all over it. 63.6% of the NHL is Canadian. 17% from the US and 20 from international. The rest is. Yeah, like so. Sweden, 5%, Russia, 3.6. Finland 3.2. Then you have Czech and Slovakians and then the Swiss, as heavy.

[Alan]

As. I knew it was Canadian, I would not have gone.

[Peter]

63. 63. Yeah. Isn't that amazing? I thought 30 something still heavily.

[Don Hahn]

Canadian. It's still their.

[Peter]

Sport.

[Don Hahn]

Yep. Right. It's just that. But it's crazy. But those percentages are much lower than they were, you know, back in the day. It was like 98% Canadian and 2% American. And no European players are just a handful of handful. You know, maybe a Stan Makita who grew up, you know, and then came over when he was a teenager or something like that. But we got to get your calls on the football because I've converted to now blowing it.

[Peter]

Up. You.

[Don Hahn]

Wanted. You guys.

[Peter]

Seem. You want to clean the whole.

[Don Hahn]

Place out to having Shane come back and all that, but I was so embarrassed by yesterday. And I'll be honest, maybe it was just because I thought they play well, but on national television, that kind of dysfunction, it's a mess. 1-800-919-3776. Got into the Mets. Mets get another former Yankee to be a part of their.

[Alan]

Bullpen.

[Don Hahn]

Dreamy. So that's something I want to talk.

[Alan]

About. And I have a question for Alan too. In the four.

[Don Hahn]

O'. Clock. Oh, listen, we got plenty of time. I'll take questions, including mark Messier at 5 o'. Clock. Always fun to talk to Mess. Don Hahn and Rosenberg coming to you live from the NHL shop at Manhattan's West Plaza. And it's all powered by Game seven.

[Rosenberg]

Brands. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg.

[Peter]

Podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's.

[Rosenberg]

Good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.