End The Playoffs Now And Give The Avs The Cup w/ Brooks Laich

Summary

Empty Netters Podcast: "End The Playoffs Now And Give The Avs The Cup"

Episode Date: May 14, 2026
Host: Almost Friday Media
Guests: Brooks Laich
Theme: Postmortem on the Minnesota Wild’s playoff collapse, Colorado Avalanche's dominance, and a detailed career and life conversation with NHL veteran Brooks Laich.

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Colorado Avalanche’s dominance in the 2026 NHL Playoffs, dissecting the Minnesota Wild’s painful elimination and marveling at the inevitability of the Avs’ march to the Cup. The hosts bring in Brooks Laich—former NHLer, Capitals legend, and entrepreneur—for a wide-ranging conversation on hockey culture, playoff agony, and building something meaningful post-hockey. Throughout, the Empty Netters blend irreverence, genuine analysis, and storytelling, making for a rich, entertaining After Dark episode.

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Detailed Segment & Key Discussion Points

1. Opening Banter & Tone-setting (00:00–02:20)

• Hosts (Dan & Evan) set the late-night, high-energy mood, referencing chicken fingers, running into guests, and the after-midnight grind.
• CP is overseas in Ecuador, reinforcing the pod’s global, connected energy.
• Quick inside joke about hockey player recovery routines and Fortnite.

2. Minnesota Wild’s Collapse - Postgame Dissection (02:20–15:30)

Key Insights:

• The Wild’s playoff elimination, after being up 3-0 against Colorado in Game 5, is diagnosed as a classic hockey meltdown—not the biggest choke in league history but brutal in its own right.
• Dan expresses affection for the Minnesota organization and fanbase but is blunt about the outcome:
  • "You are dead. You cannot beat Colorado three games in a row." (02:07)
• Evan and Dan riff on the psychology of going up 3-0, identifying it as a dangerous “too much time left” trap:
  • Evan: "I hate three-nothing leads in the first period... Teams go up three-zero after one and they go, we've won. This is a bloodbath. And then there's too much time." (06:20)
  • Dan (Profane extended metaphor): "It's like you come too quick, man. There's way more ballgame left. You've got to f*** for another 45 minutes, pals." (07:06)
• Analysis that Minnesota’s mid-game let-up is the cardinal sin against a team with Colorado’s firepower:
  • Dan: "You cannot sit back against this Colorado team." (08:51)
• The Avs’ comeback—especially McKinnon’s game-tying/throat-slitting goal—is cited as a prime “elite talent takes over” playoff moment.

Notable Quote

Dan: "Nate scored the most throat-slitting goal I've ever seen... is there any man or woman on this planet that thought Minnesota was winning in overtime?" (05:36)

Timestamps for Notable Moments

• Minnesota’s Collapse Forensic Breakdown: 02:20–08:51
• Avs Flip the Switch Analysis: 11:23–12:18

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3. Macro Takeaways & Offseason Questions for the Wild (15:21–19:48)

• The injury absence of Eriksson Ek and Brodin is dubbed “devastating.”
• Kirill Kaprizov’s playoff output is questioned:
  • Dan: "Through 11 games I need like six goals from him. That's what I need from 17 million dollar Kirill Kaprizov." (14:11)
• The conversation pivots to Quinn Hughes’ future, with the panel agreeing he has proven his value, making an extension for him a major offseason storyline:
  • "The only thing that Bill Guerin has to do is extend [Quinn Hughes] now." (15:21)
• The Olympic experience for the Hughes brothers is discussed as a complicating factor in whether or not Quinn stays in Minnesota:
  • Evan: "I think the Olympics was the worst thing that's ever happened to the Wild... they were like, God, that was awesome." (17:04)

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4. Avalanche as "Team of Destiny" and League Forecast (19:48–23:48)

• The Avs’ ability to come back, survive goalie chaos, and ride McKinnon is cited as evidence of a “wagon” team:
  • "If that's not Michael Myers... your goalie gets rung up in the first period and you have to yank him and then you win that game? Not a lot of teams can do that." (19:04)
• Broader cup forecast: Avs are treated as virtually unassailable. Buffalo or Montreal await in the East, with Carolina-Colorado pegged as the “dream matchup.”
• The Rantanen (“Rantman bowl”) subplot is teed up as hilarious:
  • Dan: "Someone get a suicide watch on Miko Rantanen..." (22:20)
• The arms race to sign Quinn and Cale is forecasted as the premier offseason storyline:
  • Dan: "The race this summer between McFarlane and Guerin to get Cale and Quinn extended before each other is so funny." (23:48)

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5. NHL News Round-Up & Award Chatter (31:36–40:41)

• Calder Trophy: Matthew Schaefer wins unanimously, “breaking MacKinnon’s record by a few days” (32:31).
  • Schaefer's emotion highlighted: "He’s not afraid to let you see it… What a story, what a kid." (31:57)
• Anti-Oilers Bias Joke:
  • Dan: "Matt Savoy with zero votes for Calder proves there’s a clear anti-Oilers bias… I spit out my mocha frappuccino through my nose laughing at that statement." (32:54)
• Charlie Coyle $6Mx6 Deal with Columbus:
  • Evans: "He likes it here... I want, I think we can be a playoff team." (35:30)
• Suspensions: Charlie McAvoy gets 6 games (“for trying to murder”); Ridly Greig suspended two regular season games for uppercut. Extended riff on the NHL’s discipline logic.

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6. Maple Leafs & Canadian Teams Coaching Carousel (39:38–43:24)

• Craig Berube fired as Leafs head coach.
• Discussion of the revolving door, delusional rumors, and the absurdity of permission rules (re: Butch Cassidy, Vegas blocking interviews).
  • Evan: "Imagine Carl leaving Denver for the Leafs right now..." (41:50)
• Hosts vow to make a carousel meme of absurd rumored coaching candidates.

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7. Brooks Laich In-Depth Interview (45:31–1:42:15)

Career Journey & Hockey Memories

• Brooks is introduced with his full resume and humility (Saskatchewan roots, NHL longevity, AAA roadside legend).
• Early Career: 1-game debut with Ottawa, promptly traded to Washington:
  • "I played 9 minutes and 34 seconds. Enough of that. See you, bro." (55:21)
  • On GM MacPhee’s welcome: "Brooks, welcome to DC. I hope you're here for the next 15 years." (57:02)
• Culture-building and Washington’s rise:
  • “It was a melting pot... Just overflowing with young talent." (58:45)
• Coaching switch to Boudreau as franchise turning point.
• Firsthand stories of Ovechkin’s impact and unique fire:
  • "He could compete at a level that no other guy could... just ferocity in his eyes." (81:07)
  • "He pounds beers like a bear." (83:23)
• Legendary glue guy Matt Bradley, locker-room and plane hijinks.

Playoff Agony & Team Chemistry

• Honest reflection about coming up short with the Caps:
  • "The hardest thing is dealing with unfulfilled dreams." (73:36)
  • The 2016 “sewer ball” soccer game as the catalyst for the tightest team he’s experienced, and the heartbreak of being traded: "I just told him, it ain’t broke. Don’t break it... Next day he traded me." (76:15)
• Deep conversation on what makes a championship roster—Laich’s “framework theory”:
  • “Top six: Four North American, two European (one N.A.-style); Norris-quality D; franchise goaltending.” (87:19–91:12)
  • Hosts apply the theory to current playoff teams.

Off-Ice, Post-NHL Fulfillment

• Brooks on “loving the competition laced within hockey” more than the game itself. (101:45)
• The journey from hockey to entrepreneurship.
• Building World Playground—a platform to make travel more affordable, inspired by his family, personal travels, and love for making life richer for others.
  • "Our mission is to connect a traveler and their next unforgettable memory, and to do it at the lowest possible price." (108:54)
  • Logo origin: Koda the Husky, personal story as company ethos.
• Deep, moving stories about safari, travel with family, and passing on life’s best lessons:
  • “Taking my mom up Kilimanjaro—it’s a score if you do it with someone you love.” (125:21)
• Playful “Pass, Shoot, Score” segment on favorite trips, outdoor activities, and food.
• Unabashed love for bad-for-you food, and tragic chili bean accident as a child.

Notable Quotes

"I did love hockey, but I haven't played in nine years since I retired. Why is that? ...I was addicted to the competition laced within the game." (101:45)

"Every person, every traveler that we serve, our intention is to give them the best life by taking them around the world." (111:13)

On building teams/company culture: "Accountability is the best ability." (74:46)

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8. Closing Reflections and Love for Brooks Laich (142:19–End)

• Immediate reaction to Brooks: "I have rarely left an interview that hyped... Brooks did the same thing. It’s just so nice talking with people like that that make you sit back and be like, you know what, this is a pretty wonderful world that we’re living in and let’s take full advantage of it." (142:34)
• The pod wraps with gratitude and encouragements for listeners to check out World Playground and, of course, to "skate hard."

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Highlight Reel – Memorable Quotes with Timestamps

• “I hate three-nothing leads in the first period...Teams go up three-zero after one and they go, we've won. This is a bloodbath.” – Evan (06:20)
• "It's like you come too quick, man. There's way more ballgame left. You've got to fuck for another 45 minutes, pals." – Dan (07:06)
• "You cannot sit back against this Colorado team." – Dan (08:51)
• “He could compete at a level that no other guy could...just ferocity in his eyes.” – Brooks Laich (81:07)
• “The hardest thing is dealing with unfulfilled dreams.” – Brooks Laich (73:36)
• "Our mission is to connect a traveler and their next unforgettable memory, and to do it at the lowest possible price." – Brooks Laich (108:54)
• “Take my advice, the world is your playground.” – Brooks Laich (Regularly throughout interview)

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Structurally Important Timestamps

• Wild’s Collapse/Avs Comeback (02:20–12:18)
• Playoff Team-Building Theory (87:19–94:56)
• Brooks Laich Intro and Career Stories (45:31–74:46)
• Post-Hockey Reflections/World Playground (101:45–115:50)
• Favorite Things Pass/Shoot/Score Game (124:43–138:39)

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Takeaways for Listeners

• This episode is a brilliant blend of analysis, community storytelling, inside-the-locker-room color, and post-athletic life wisdom.
• Don’t miss Brooks Laich’s reflections on loving competition, building lasting culture, and leveraging what hockey taught him to now make travel accessible for more people.
• If you're a hockey fan in pain from your team’s playoff meltdown—or an Avs fan basking in the glow—there’s something for you.
• The episode closes on a note of gratitude, excitement, and a reminder to make memories—on and off the ice.

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For More

Find Brooks Laich and World Playground:

• worldplayground.co
• @worldplayground on social media

Listen to Empty Netters:

• New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
• YouTube
• [Podcast platforms – search “Empty Netters”]

Closing Reminder:
"Skate hard. The world is your playground."

Transcript

[Dan]

Welcome to the Empty Netters podcast.

[Evan]

Can you believe what this has become?

[Dan]

There was a full 48 hours where

[Brooks Laich]

I felt like I was like literally Superman.

[Dan]

Jumbo loves playing Fortnite. So does he gets on the sticks. Did TR show you the sauna cycle or was that already.

[Brooks Laich]

No, I invented that. Almost a year now that I haven't taken a body check. That's kind of nice.

[Dan]

So we are back. We are horned up and we are going deep. Finished tonight with some chicken fingers and a few Guinnesses. Ran into you guys and that's where this pod came to life. Ice is ready. And we're back. Back with another episode of the Empty Netters podcast brought to you by BetMGM, bringing you an After Dark edition like you read about. Beyond midnight for CP over in Ecuador.

[Evan]

As always.

[Dan]

Crazy. It's a late one, folks. We had a crazy game. We're gonna jump into this. CP's traveling all over the world. Me and Dr. Watkins are grinding away and we are going to get into the death of the Minnesota Wild. And it happened in the most Minnesota sports fashion I have ever seen in my entire life.

[Evan]

Dan. I was, I was saying to Ev before he jumped on that it's literally all I've done today is podcast and fly. Like I. I left from the. The morning podcast and have been in the plane since and it landed and the first thing I did, I did is this, like I'm in the same outfit. I was like, holy, dude. What a groundhogs day.

[Dan]

It's a grind, dude. We have absolutely horrible lives. So I don't know what else to say.

[Evan]

Dan, you think Because I want your take on. I want your macro take right at the top because you and I think Marty were kind of banging the seven. This will still go seven drum. So I want your take on that. And then I don't even want to quote this person because he just randomly popped up on the Twitter timeline. But he's a Stars fan and a hater. It was saying how big of a choke job this was. Blowing a three goal lead is obviously a fucking meltdown. But I kind of want people to calm down on how intense of a choke this was.

[Dan]

Yeah, I mean, listen, it's. I declared them dead last episode and then out of respect for the Minnesota Wild, because I do believe they're a great team and I love everything about them. I love that team, I love the organization, I love that. The fan base. So I was like, listen, there's a little fight there, There's a little fight left. But I Did declare them dead. I was like, you are dead. You cannot beat Colorado three games in a row. You're. And we. We did make that statement. We were like, if there's one team that could do it, maybe it's them. And I'm like, no, you know, it's not them. This was definitely a choke job. There's no, no, no other way to slice it. I think getting online and dancing on graves, I don't really. I think I've said this before. I don't really get the Dallas, Minnesota hate. I'm like, what?

[Evan (Producer)]

Who is it because of the star?

[Brooks Laich]

The.

[Evan]

The fair.

[Brooks Laich]

No, no, no.

[Dan]

Not fair, Chris, because like, ev. You're right. I would longer and I would maybe understand a Minnesota fan hating Dallas. But Dallas hating Minnesota is insanity.

[Evan]

It's. It's like you.

[Dan]

It's like murdering someone's mother and then being like, I hate you. And I'm like, you killed my mom. What? I like, I hate you.

[Brooks Laich]

Hate me.

[Evan]

I hate you.

[Dan]

So I don't really get it at all. So I don't really get the dancing on graves. It's not the worst choke we've ever seen. It's not even the worst choke of these playoffs. Probably the problem was that probably belongs to the Penguins.

[Evan (Producer)]

Sorry.

[Dan]

It's fair.

[Evan]

Oh, God. The.

[Dan]

The problem just overall.

[Evan]

Yeah, right.

[Dan]

Was, dude, the.

[Brooks Laich]

The.

[Dan]

You came out and Minnesota was like, we. We ain't done yet, dude. We ain't hear no bell. We're fucking firing. And you give up that goal to Colorado, was that in the second period?

[Evan]

Yes, Dan, because I have something to say about this, but continue.

[Dan]

So you go, all right. You go three nothing in the first period with a goal called back like you were fucking killing them. And then you come out in the second period flat as a pancake. It was insane.

[Evan]

If you go bad pancake too, go

[Dan]

and look in that game, Minnesota had 13 shots in the first period and four goals. I'm going to call it four goals because they scored a goal that got called back. And I'm still confused why that got called back. But they. They were all over them. And then you come out in the second and you have three shots on net. Dude. And you have three shots on net. And then you let the best team in the league. I don't want to say let. But they score a goal and you go, okay, it's a two goal game. Now let's come out in the third and let's get four shots on goal. It was just like, did the Kings series teach you Nothing that you cannot sit back against this team and like, try to wait them out. You're going to try to grind them down. It's never going to fucking work. So honest to God, when it became 3:1, I was like, they might die here. But then somehow they lasted almost the entire third period. But then Drew scores. And I swear to you, I'm sitting here alone in my fucking lonely empty apartment as a lonely piece of shit loser hating my fucking life. And everything is terrible in my life. And that goal goes in and I go, well, at least it's not as terrible as the Minnesota Wild, because I promise you, they're getting scored on again. I'm surprised they didn't lose in regulation. Like, it the second that goalie was pulled and Colorado had possession. And Minnesota is fucking running like they're just desperately trying to clear it up the boards. And it's. It's not even getting to the point. It's getting smothered at the hash marks. I was like, count your fucking seconds, boys. You are getting scored on. And then Nate scored the most throat slitting goal I've ever seen. And it was like, do you think there's any man on earth, any man or woman on this planet on this spinning rock in the miserable universe that thought Minnesota was winning in overtime?

[Evan]

No. Not even Quinn's mom. Like, this was. This was done. Okay, Lot to. Lot to unpack there, Dan. I'll start here. This is a crazy take for me, but I. And, and there's going to be a thousand anecdotes that prove me wrong, but I just swear to God, this is a real thing. Yeah, I hate three. Nothing leads in the first period. Oh, specifically the first period. If you get three up later, I'm like, yeah, fine, you're gonna win now. I swear to God. Teams go up three zero after one and they go, we've won. This is a bloodbath. And then there's too much time. 40 minutes, dude, they can get three. And then this always happens like, bang, there's three goals and now you're dead. I swear, this is a thing.

[Dan]

You're. You're 100% right, man. I'm telling you like it is. This has happened in these playoffs before. It is. It's. It's. It's like you come too quick, man. There's way more ballgame left. Like you got. You've got to fuck for another 45 minutes, pals. You can't fucking bust this quick.

[Evan]

Get the Roman swipes out. Dude, hurry up.

[Dan]

So you're Just so. You're so on it early and it's, it's hard not to let up after that. Like, after that you're like, this guy's. We got a three goal lead. We got this going. Game six at least. But it's again, the, the absolute worst team to try to just wear it out after. And yeah, man, it's like when you go up three nothing, you almost need that fourth to be like. And now it's out of reach.

[Evan]

Agree, dude, I completely agree.

[Dan]

But then crazy. But you do one against Colorado, you're a little bit like, oh, fuck me. But again, the credit to the Wild for, for making it last in the third as long as they did. But I'm sorry, as soon as Drury scored, you were like. And okay, good. Good job. Good effort. Good night. You know that I was actually just

[Evan]

remembering, Dan, that I know the AVS ended up winning, but I'm just remembering this exact thing happened in game one in reverse.

[Dan]

Yes.

[Evan]

Where the AVs go up and then the wild are like, we're up five, four now. And you're like, what the fuck just happened? So I hear you there big time.

[Dan]

Yeah, it's tough. Like, I, I don't even want to. There's nothing really to break down in this game. Like, it's like, you know, we all, you know, you saw the goals, you saw the game. The only things to talk about are there's just complete let up. I mean, to go up 3 nothing with 13 shots on net and finish that game with overtime with what did they have 22 shots on net in the end of the game?

[Evan (Producer)]

I think, yeah, I'll look it up.

[Dan]

I know I got it right here.

[Evan]

Well, I had this. Dan, while you're. Because this is the same topic.

[Dan]

20, not even 22. 20. Dude, you had, you had three goals with one goal called back and 13 shots on net in the first period. And you finished that game, including overtime, with 20 shots on net. They had zero shots on net and ot like that. You. I know that they're kicking themselves. I'm not saying anything that the Wild don't know, but you just, you cannot, you cannot sit back against this Colorado team. And we saw it. I said after game four or I think it was sooner than that. Game three against LA, CO is suffocating. So it's like when you get three goals on them, you have to keep playing that way. You can't think that you're going to like, let up in any sort of way and change the way your, your game is and you're going to. You're going to confuse this Colorado team. They're going to figure out how to play. So it sucks. Like, I'm bummed out for the Wild because I think getting out of that first round in a great way, beating Dallas in quicker than seven was awesome. But to then come in here and lose in five, like, it looks like you got rinsed. And I think this team's way better than that. Their win was a huge win. Kind of a beat down game. One was obviously a shootout. And then this game, by all accounts, you have to fucking win this game. After you go up three nothing, you have to fucking win that game. So unfortunately, what should have been a great playoff run for them, playing easily the two hardest teams any team has faced in these playoffs, beating Dallas in six, and then coming up against Colorado, you. You would have thought losing to Colorado, Minnesota would be like this great fucking season, boys. Like, we picked up Quinn, things started going really, really well. We're buzzing out there. We took Colorado to a tough six or a tough seven, but now you lose in five and you lose in five.

[Brooks Laich]

In.

[Dan]

In game five. Getting your dick stomped in after being up three nothing. That. That is a feeling.

[Evan]

Sour taste in the mouth to hit the golf course tomorrow. You know, like, holy. We were talking the other day, Dan, when talk was out drinking that the boys go out and have a pop after. You know, like, it's tough season and it's. It's whatever. And the team, when you get it eliminated, the whole team goes out and has beers that tonight must have sucked. Like the team. Beers must have sucked tonight, dude. Because you're just sitting there being like, wow, I am in shell shock.

[Dan]

Like, that is a silent plane ride back, right? I mean, you're just like, are you kidding me? You know what? Also blows or go. No, go on, go on.

[Evan]

I did want to say this about the abs.

[Dan]

The.

[Evan]

And you highlighted already, but not after the first where you got rinsed essentially for nothing. And I kind of want to go back to that goal. But you get rinsed for nothing, and then the shots are 9:3-944-nothing in overtime there. I do want to tip my cap to the ABs a little bit because, man, there's something about this team that usually, dude, when you were having a bad night as a team, you're just having a bad night. It happens, right? Like, the Bruins got pumped at home in game 4. The ABs got pumped in this series. Shit happens. The AVs really can claw out of that in a way that I Haven't seen a lot of teams do where I'm like, oh man, not the ABS night. All good. And then they just flip it on you, dude, so hard and not only get back in the game, but like dominate you for two thirds of the game after the worst period of their whole playoffs. It's really impressive.

[Dan]

You know what's interesting now is again, this, this was supposed to be a better you. They were always losing in this round. I'm sorry. They were always losing in this round. This was supposed to be a more celebratory finish to the playoffs for the Wild. And I think now you. You feel like a little shitty. And you. I can't stress enough how brutal losing Erickson Ek and Brodin is. Like every, every Wild fan who's down right now, please don't think that I'm murdering you right now. I'm.

[Evan]

I'm just.

[Dan]

I'm talking about. I love the Wild. I really.

[Evan]

Yeah,

[Dan]

it's just like this should have gone better. I wanted it to go differently. And you have to remind yourselves, Ericsson, Ekin, Brodin being out is devastating. It is devastating to my case

[Evan]

now

[Dan]

though, what really blows is with the exception of Boldy. Boldy was great. I think you needed a little bit more from Caprizov in these playoffs.

[Evan]

It's so weird, bro, because we posted.

[Dan]

I'm not. I'm nowhere near done with this point.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Dan]

So let me know if you have a quick interjection because I want you to finish if you think it's quick.

[Evan]

Just that he is one point off the playoff lead in points.

[Dan]

Caprice is funny.

[Evan]

Yeah. Like it's only Marner who has one more point than him than he leads playoffs.

[Dan]

How many goals does he have though? 4. Let's see.

[Evan]

Under 5. Because he's not appearing on this leaderboard yet. He has four.

[Dan]

Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. I think through 11 games I need like six goals from him. That's what I need. That's what I need from. From 17 million dollar Krill Caprizov.

[Evan]

Sorry, I'll give you that.

[Dan]

So my point being, I personally feel like Quinn emerged as the best player on the Wild in these playoffs. So now I think given that they didn't go out in a more because if they had gone out in seven, the vibes in that lock, the vibes in that locker room would be sky high. Even with a loss. It would be like, dude, that, that ABS team was a fucking wagon. We didn't have Eric Sinek, we didn't have Brodin. We are right there. Like, this is. Elect Walsted has emerged as a fucking stud. We can maybe flip Gustafson this summer. We are right fucking there. This is exciting. But you kind of go out like this with a whimper and the vibes aren't that high. And my point being, if the vibes were higher, the idea of maybe extending Quinn this summer would be way stronger. Okay? But they are lower. So now there isn't as strong potentially. There's potentially not as strong of a poll to make Quinn be like, this fucking rights. I'm staying here.

[Evan]

I love it here.

[Dan]

You guys traded for me. You traded a haul for me. You believed in me. You bet on me. And we made a fucking unbelievable run. We just barely lost to the probable cup champions. I'm coming back. We're getting this done. There is a world now where that feeling is. Is much weaker than it could have been. And that's terrifying because I am telling you right now, holy shit. What we saw this season and what we just saw in those playoffs, the only thing that Bill Garon has to do is extend him now. Like, I would not. I would not want to go through next season letting Quinn Hughes play and have every single day people talking about what's happening with Quinn. Is he going to New Jersey? Is he going to just hit free agency? And you sold the farm for a second round shit kicking and one extra year to, like, see what happens. Because I'll tell you what, dude, if you extend Quinn and then you've got Quinn, Caprizov, Boldy, Ericsson, all these guys for. And Faber for a long time, you can trade Gustafson, you can make some moves, and people go like this. You got Quinn, Faber, Caprizov, and Boldy forever. That. I mean, that is the. That is probably the best Northern team set up in the league. I'm going there. But if you have Quinn being like, I don't know what I'm doing, it's going to be hard to get people to buy in.

[Evan]

I think the. We've talked about this so much about what the Hughes brothers are going to do, and I think a ton of this, the answers to your question relies just kind of on what Quinn wants. Right? Like, I'm sure they're going to say, hey, dude, we're open to extending you, and he's going to go, okay. Or, like, I don't want to talk about that yet. And we have to wait. But I do think the Olympics was the worst thing that's ever happened to the Wild.

[Dan]

Or.

[Evan]

Or the worst thing has Ever happened to the people who go, I don't, I don't think they are going to move mountains just to play with each other. Because I think they were like, God, that was awesome.

[Dan]

That, that is so true. Like them bunking together and all that. But I'll actually, if we're going to play devil's advocate to that, I think it is enormous that Garen Boldy Faber are all there.

[Evan]

Okay. Yeah.

[Dan]

Yes. I think huge factor too. Like, I think you could play both sides of that argument.

[Evan]

Yep. But it would be, you gotta, I mean, then the, then the Kirill. 11 or 17 mil Hertz. Because I'm like, could you have saved some for Jack Hughes? You. And he's like, no, I can't. I am Russian. Give me the money. I want an answer from both of you on this. Do you think Dallas would have done better?

[Dan]

No, no, I agree. Really, completely agree.

[Evan (Producer)]

I, I, I think, yeah. I think we all wanted this to be like Rocky one. Like Dan was saying, where it's like you go toe to toe and then you lose, but you feel like you put it all, you left it all out there.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Evan (Producer)]

But now this is like Rocky 5,

[Dan]

which sucked, I think, which is.

[Evan (Producer)]

I don't think Dallas would. But I, Yeah, but I don't think Dallas would have done any.

[Dan]

I completely agree with Evan. No disrespect to Dallas, but like, I think we saw their, their up and down. Obviously it was primarily up. Yeah. Like the weird skids they went on all season. We just saw that and play out like they're, they were a flaccid penis, these playoffs. And if they were somehow scraped together a couple extra wins and beaten, I think they would have been lost in five as well.

[Evan]

And I just wonder if we could have given them some, some blue pill dude, a little Viagra.

[Dan]

I know. I do feel for Minnesota. Like, I think they are definitely being like, how the did we let that happen in five? Like at the very worst, this should have been six. And that this game blows for that man. Like, it is.

[Evan (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Dan]

So bad.

[Evan (Producer)]

The abs are just like, they're like Michael Myers.

[Brooks Laich]

They just.

[Dan]

You can't, you can't kill him.

[Evan (Producer)]

Like, you literally put three bullets in

[Brooks Laich]

him in the first period and they

[Evan (Producer)]

just like sh up and like came back and destroyed and it's, I don't know of anybody.

[Dan]

It's crazy how, you know, Bednar took that massive risk and played Blackwood in game four. It worked. Then he plays him in this game and he gets pinballed and he just Yanks him and puts in wedgie. And then, yeah, it's like, that is if that's not Michael Myers. Like, you're telling me that your goalie gets rung up in the first period and you have to yank him and then you win that game? Dan, Not a lot of teams can do that.

[Evan]

This should have been so easily a. Okay, Wedgwood goes in for the rest of this game, doesn't even give up a goal or maybe gives up one. But we lose. And then Wedgwood wins Game 6 because he gets the start and we're like. Like, that is the script here. The fact that he came in and shut them out and then he didn't

[Dan]

have much to do, right? What he. What, he. Seven shots like me?

[Brooks Laich]

That's crazy.

[Dan]

But it's just like, again, this was just a brutal performance by the Wild. And that sucks because this team is so good. And I'm sure they're scratching heads right now. I'm sure they're all getting home and they're being like, how the fuck did we let that happen? Like, what. What happened to us? And. And that's a. That's a shitty feeling. Shitty feeling. But for this Colorado team, man, I mean, getting through in four easy games against la, and now you beat Minnesota in five. Probably the best competition left in the NHL, save for the Canes. Holy fuck, man. Like, I'm not. I'm not trying to dead or count out Vegas or Anaheim, but if you're Colorado, you're looking at those two teams being like, we just. We just handled a buzz saw team in five. What are these guys possibly going to throw at us?

[Evan (Producer)]

I think they're going to win in three in the.

[Dan]

Honestly, like, it's. Again, I. I feel bad counting them out, but, like, this team is. I mean, hearing Nate after being like, you know, like, some guys are banged up and bruising. Obviously they are, but I'm like, you don't look like it, pal. You guys look like the Monstars. It's insane. And it's. It does. I don't know. Sometimes. Sometimes shit feels like it's meant to be. And, you know, if you're a Bruins fan and you have that 23 season, the. The president, the record breaking season, you got into that Florida series and, like, things started going downhill quick. And it felt going into playoffs like there was. It was a season of destiny. But when it started going downhill, you were like, oh, my God, this team is the President's trophy team. They come in, they have goalie question marks they're answered in the first round. You then come up against the Wild. You. You have that crazy game one. But then it's like, bang. Big win, quick loss, big win, comeback win. Everything is rolling. Everything feels like this is a team of destiny. It's like we have Landy's comeback last year, and now he's fully healthy this year. You have Burns. He's probably last ride. You got Kadri back. It's just like, everyone's healthy. I know Lecky has a knock here and Malinsky has a knock here, but they might be back in and out. And it's like this team is genuinely unstoppable. And I'm. I'm praying. And I also don't want to count out Buffalo or Montreal, but, like, we have two teams on both sides that look fucking elite, that we want that final. And when that final happens, Carolina, Colorado. Someone get a suicide watch on Miko Ranan, because I don't even know.

[Evan]

That's hilarious, dude. I forgot about that.

[Dan]

The Rantman bowl, like, the. The Rantman get bowl will be quite

[Evan]

brutal for him, dude. And that was kind of on him too. Like, obviously there's some questionable reports about what the offers were in Colorado, whatever.

[Dan]

But, I mean, Chris, like, literally, it was like he was like this there. The offer wasn't there in Colorado. I had to get out. Then he goes to Carolina and he goes, you, I will not play here. And now both those teams are probably going to the Cup. That is tough to see.

[Evan]

That is extremely tough. Especially because the guys too, like, stank and nature are like, balling. And I'm like, oh, no, dude.

[Evan (Producer)]

He's gonna be like the next Marion Hosa, who, like, kept bouncing from yes, then went to win the cup after he.

[Evan]

Holy shit.

[Evan (Producer)]

Landed in Chicago.

[Evan]

I also think that there's. So I was gonna say to that ABS point, they. I think the Oilers, one of those oilers teams, won 18, played 18 playoff games on the way to a Cup. 16 and 2. I'm pretty sure that's the record. Colorado legit feels like they're flirting with something like that right now because of. Of who is in their way and. And anybody. Vegas could surprise them. All three east teams could surprise them. But they're flirting with something crazy, like a teens games to win the cup. 18, 19, something like that. And I was also dying at the thought of Carolina making the cup this year, but then getting swept by the ABs and starting a new thing. Like, all we do is get swept. Like, they've just. They just moved their Sweep, curse, like, into one deeper round. Like, they will make the cup three straight years and just get swept. I'm like, dude, what the fuck is happening?

[Dan]

You know? You know what I think is hilarious, boys, is the. The race this summer between McFarlane and Garon to get Kale and Quinn extended. Yeah. Before each other is at the market. Yes. Is so funny. And like, you know, both of I. I wonder if they have the same agent, but like, you know, both their agents are being like this. Well, I'm just going to wait to see what happens there.

[Evan]

Which is what Connor did with Krill. And obviously he ended up taking less. But remember, Connor wouldn't sign because he's like, I'm not signing till I see what Krill gets. Yeah, exactly.

[Dan]

But what's interesting, right, is like, Kale ain't going anywhere. They're like, there is no, like, Kale and Nate will play and retire in Colorado. So you'd imagine Kale will happen pretty quickly. I would think, like, they'll probably go on and win a cup or, you know, if all things goes well for Colorado. And then maybe like a month or two later he'll be like, yeah, like, let's get to that and just get that done. And that is just so treacherous for Minnesota fans.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Because like, all that you've lost now and all you want to do on God's green earth is go, Garen, can you please, please just get this done? And with the fucking krill 17 mil hit, I'm sure there's a part of him that's like, well, maybe Kale takes a team friendly deal and we can just kind of wait that out. But, like, I don't think you can wait that out.

[Evan]

It, dude, There's a chance Kale does because they have some cap stuff too, you know, like, he can't. He can't go nuclear.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Evan]

But a man. I will say again, the 17 for Krill is insane. And I know you had to keep. You got to keep them. You can eat a superstar. But I'm just like, did you need 17 dude caps going up, whatever. But just still, that's such a crazy number. Such a wrinkle.

[Dan]

The good it is. The good news is for them, though, I believe passionately that, I mean, certainly with D, you're not considering that, like, no, there's no way Quinn's camp is being like, well, Krill makes 17. The Great.

[Evan]

Your point earlier, you're like, he's better than. You're like, I'm the best player on the team.

[Dan]

I know I know, I know, I know. The great news is that Brock makes 8.5.

[Evan]

The great Boldy makes 2.

[Dan]

The great. Yeah. Boldi's playing for free.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

The great news is that Quinn and Brock play so well together. They like, they, you know, that's just like a beautiful combination. And thing you would wonder if Quinn, when you have to think about your career, I know he loves playing with his brothers, but you would wonder if there is a part of Quinn's camp that is like, dude, like you, you're not, you're probably not gonna play with Luke. So, like, because they're both lefties is what I'm seeing. So, like, you have a good situation here. You're playing with your gold medal winning teammates and specifically your gold medal winning teammate. D partner, chill. Like it's Minnesota. You fucking, you spend, you spend your summers in Michigan. Like you're right here. This is a good home for you. Garon is your gm. He's going to take care of you. There is, there is a lot that they can play on, but it is just, I mean, the fact that Luke makes nine.

[Brooks Laich]

Luke.

[Dan]

Luke Hughes makes more money than Brock Faber. It's like the D market is lunacy. And yep, you've got Quinn, who's 26 years old. Like, he's, he's gonna sign a seven wherever he goes. He's gonna sign a seven year deal and this is the fat ticket. And you just, I mean, what are we talking, 12 and a half here? Like, I don't think there's any world where you can argue that Cale McCarr and Quinn Hughes don't deserve $12 million.

[Evan]

Yeah, I know, I know. Unless they're homies. But, you know, like, maybe they go, give me 10, dude. Like, give me the high end of the D market, you know? And like, because what does Boost get? 10.5, I think.

[Dan]

So is Drew still the highest paid defenseman in the league?

[Evan]

11, right?

[Dan]

Yeah. Because I think what is. Well, was it Carlson? Carlson's hit right now with Pittsburgh.

[Evan]

10. Yeah, I think.

[Dan]

But I don't, I don't remember if, if his deal is 10 or if San Jose is eating some of that.

[Evan]

No, I think it's 10. I think he took like a fat 10 and everybody was like, Holy shit.

[Dan]

Yeah. No, it's 11 and a half. Yeah. San Jose retains 1.5 of that. Okay, so it is Carlson, but like, whoopee.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Yeah. You like that?

[Evan]

Oh, yes. Yeah. He had a good year. He had a good year.

[Evan (Producer)]

No, of the three years he's Been here. One of them was good.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Evan (Producer)]

So. But that was this last year.

[Brooks Laich]

Year. So hopefully he's.

[Dan]

I mean, I think we're looking. It is insane that Drew And Carlson got 11 and 11 and a half when they signed. I mean, yeah, I think we're looking at $12 million base for these two dudes.

[Evan]

Yeah. Fuck.

[Evan (Producer)]

Come on, guys. How many jobs have you been at when you see the person making the most money is usually the one who does the least?

[Evan]

So true, dude.

[Evan (Producer)]

So think of it that way.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. I.

[Dan]

Again, I don't have.

[Brooks Laich]

I.

[Dan]

The only thing I can say here is Colorado is just proving every bit of them being a team of destiny. Every bit of a wagon. And Minnesota, I'm. I am so impressed with this team and with this group and the makeup and the construction of the team, especially with Krill.17mil. But I mean, there's literally only one thing on your mind, and it's trying to sign resign Quinn Hughes. And unfortunately, that should have ended way better than it did. And I don't think that's helpful for that. Cause now that is. That is a completely ignorant fan take. I. You know, no one knows what's going on inside that locker room and inside his camp other than the people in that locker room and the people in his camp. So this could mean absolutely nothing to them. You know, like. And. And in all actuality, that's probably the case. Yeah. But there is no doubt that vibes are helpful. Like when you look at Florida, dude, when they went, all those guys went, give me way less money.

[Evan]

They signed Drunk Dan.

[Dan]

They signed drunk, signed drunk.

[Evan]

And now the. The Wild are angry. Hungover. Yeah. And they go, you want to resign? And Quinn goes, you.

[Dan]

I'm just.

[Evan]

Headache.

[Dan]

If they, if they had gone down on their shields in a fucking epic bloody seven game battle, I'm telling you, Quinn would be. He'd be. He'd have bloodlust. Like, he would be drunk on how close that was being. Like, we just lost the best team in seven. We're close.

[Evan]

Give me the. Give me the bold idea.

[Evan (Producer)]

Even. Even if it got to six, don't you feel like even at six, you would have been like, okay, we were one game away from like maybe winning.

[Dan]

Yes. And I do think that bloodlust would have been there.

[Evan]

Credit to the ABS. As you said before, absolute nip job from Nathan McKinnon. Oh, my God, dude. And. And the Brooks interview, which you're going to hear later in this episode, he said, you need elite talent to win the cup. The second that Go in and he said, he texted us and said that is what elite talent looks like, boys. Yeah, that's what. Those are the goals you need to win. The company's absolutely right. Let's take an ad break and we'll be right back. All playoffs long BetMGM is turning every single shot, every single save and every single sudden death thriller. Just like we had tonight in game five as wild which put the wild to sleep. They're turning it into an even bigger win with our Stanley cup playoffs odds boost token. I love the odds boost token. You know I like making extra money. Here's how I can get in on the fun. You lock into your BETMGM account and you add any NHL playoff wager that you want. We're chasing the empty net bets. Get on that with us. It's amazing. But you can bet on a win. You can bet on an anytime goal. Score anything you're feeling. Then you just activate the Stanley cup playoffs odds BO token and then if your bet hits, boom. You get a bigger payout. How do you like them apples? If you're not skating with the BET MGM crew yet like we are, now is the time to get on the ice with us. Use that bonus code netters. That's N E T T E R S. When you log in and you receive your welcome offer at sign up betmgm make it legendary.

[Brooks Laich]

All right.

[Dan]

We got a couple of quick hitting news stories we're going to get to before we jump to this. Brooks like interview number one. Matthew Schaefer. Unanimous Calder trophy winner

[Evan]

first place votes 0000 second, third, fourth, fifth. Oh dude. That's awesome.

[Dan]

For once they got it right.

[Evan]

Good for him. I mean incredible the year. If you haven't seen the video of him getting the award presented to him and his family comes out and the Martin family comes out and Shaf daddy is the. And I mean this in a good way the most. Wears his emotions on his sleeve kid. Right. Like when these big monumental moments happen to him and he knows it's a big moment in his life. He's not afraid to let you see it. So him getting teary eyed is what it's all about dude. You know it becomes the youngest guy ever to win the award. Broke McKinnon's record by a few days. I mean my God. Dude. What a story. What a kid.

[Dan]

What a story. What a kid. He's the best guy in the world. If you haven't seen that Good morning America him. Him getting it and and just like how close his family is how amazing they all are. It's so cool. It was a couple things were awesome. I loved that doves got so much love fourth in voting and that. That is just like what a fucking win for them. Love seeing Frazier Minton on there.

[Evan]

Yes.

[Dan]

Dan Minton getting some love. I died. I don't know if you guys saw this online, but there are some Oilers fans who. Some fucking Oilers writer tweeted out. Matt Savoy with zero votes for Calder proves that there is a clear anti Oilers bias in award voting. And I spit out my mocha frappuccino through my nose laughing at that statement because it just makes me laugh. Like Linus Carlson and like a couple other guys are at the bottom with like one vote.

[Evan]

Like one like last one fifth place vote. Yeah.

[Dan]

And like Linus Carlson I think had like 35 points. And like Matt, I think Maddie Savoy had like 37 points. And, and I know that's it's not just a points thing, but like the guys at the end like Sortif and her Kovian. I. Sorry, Justin, I don't know how to pronounce the last name. Yeah, they, they all had like 35 to 38 points.

[Brooks Laich]

So.

[Dan]

Just saying.

[Evan]

These guys are just saying I deserve one, I deserve one place vote.

[Dan]

And because they didn't get the 1 5th place vote, there is a clear buy anti Oilers bias. And I was just like, man, you guys are down bad right now.

[Evan]

I mean, from Minton up, it's not even a conversation.

[Dan]

No, of course.

[Evan]

Right. You know, so I'm like, what are we talking about, dude?

[Dan]

I. There's a part of me that thinks the, the like fifth, fourth place voting is the most fucking moronic thing in the entire world. Like just fucking vote for who you think it is. Yeah, you get one vote.

[Evan]

I think I take slight, slight issue with the Demidoff over Seneca for second. I, I mean I'm not trying to piss off any house fans, but I'm just telling you that Beckett, Seneca is the second is it should be the runner up and rookie of the year.

[Dan]

I, I actually, I'm not entirely sure that I think Seneca should be over Demidoff, but how vast the gap is I think is a monstrous mistake.

[Evan]

Yeah, monstrous. He's a fucking stud.

[Dan]

But either way, amazing from. From the kid. And again, it's just, you know, friend of the program. Couldn't be happier for him. It's amazing. Speaking of being happy for people, Charlie Coyle, one of the big free agent names, just signed a six by six deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Again, one of the best guys that you will ever come across. Like, Cece, you're the man and I couldn't be happier for you. He gets full no move protection, which you love to see for the kid. Do you like this move for Columbus?

[Evan]

I actually like it for both, actually. And the fact that he signed it makes. Says to me that he's. He likes it here. He's like, I like this. I like what we're building. I want to be here. I want. I think we can be a playoff team coming forward because I think he easily could have gotten offers if he didn't want to be there.

[Dan]

Right.

[Evan]

Yeah. So I am. I love this. I think if that means that tells me that he's happy and I think that he will be productive for them at that number. And that works.

[Dan]

My take is they have the best. I mean, or. Excuse me. Charlie Coyle had the best year of his career this year with Columbus. That's amazing. He is only 34. He's got, you know, several good years left. That $6 million number is nothing.

[Evan]

And I'm saying they're going to be old by the end of this.

[Dan]

Warren Ski is 9.58, highest contract on the team. And, like, their cap situation is actually pretty great. They've got something like 34mil next year, and the only people they need to resign is Marchman Jenner. You've got RFA and Cole Cylinder, and you've got a couple of D spots to fill, and they've got plenty of money for it. So, like, you look at Columbus, and their cap setup is pretty fantastic. So I'm like, fucking given Charlie Coyle to be your second third line center making six mil after you just had a career year. That feels fantastic.

[Evan]

I'm in, dude. I'm here for it, for sure.

[Dan]

So I think it's great.

[Evan]

And this is a win. This is a happy. This is a happy ending. It's a good story.

[Dan]

Absolute win.

[Evan]

Couldn't be happier.

[Dan]

Six is the number on today's episode. And six suspension games for Charlie McAvoy for trying to murder.

[Evan]

Right? Yeah, dude. Remember we were talking about, like, what did they do? Do they suspend you into the next season? And they. And they sure do.

[Dan]

Yeah, they sure do.

[Evan]

Six games.

[Dan]

There is.

[Evan (Producer)]

Wait, is that. Does that count? Preseason or regular season?

[Evan]

It's got to be regular. But great question, right?

[Dan]

What a nice little loophole would be if it was pre season.

[Evan (Producer)]

Oh, my God, a bunch of meaningless games.

[Dan]

Charlie McMurray gets to be like this.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, I don't Have.

[Dan]

Oh, I don't get to play preseason games. Oh, no.

[Evan (Producer)]

I don't get to play a craft hockey.

[Evan]

Bummer.

[Dan]

You're gonna hear nothing from me here.

[Evan]

Dude, we talked about six is low.

[Dan]

I. Chucky, I absolutely adore you, pal. That was a wires cross moment. And sometimes you gotta get pee pee whacked. So I know that there are some people who'd be like, it should be three.

[Evan]

You know, I wanted five. To be fair to Chuck, I wanted five. Five feels like a more round number than. I mean literally less round than six, which is a very round number. But.

[Dan]

But I will say I do think Benson should have been suspended.

[Evan]

I hear that it's. Dude, it's gonna be a playoff game. I mean, it was a scumbag.

[Dan]

It was a scumbag. Scumbag. Nasty slew foot. And I am very anti slew foot. I think he should have gotten one game, but I think six is appropriate for Charlie going Paul Bunyan on Zach Benson.

[Evan]

So he'll be okay.

[Dan]

It is what it is.

[Evan]

He could use the rest.

[Dan]

Yeah. And then Ridley Greg, nothing too right. Like he got well.

[Evan]

So that was my big question. I don't think they gave. We were because the reason the can they suspend you into the regular season comment even came up because I was like, they must give Ridley Greg something. Yeah. And then to my knowledge, I guess maybe fact check this, Evan. But to my knowledge, Ridley Greg has received no suspension for uppercutting a dude who's engaged in a fight, actually. Which seems crazy.

[Dan]

I thought he got one. Didn't he get one?

[Evan]

Maybe.

[Evan (Producer)]

Let me look it up.

[Evan]

But I didn't see it didn't come across my radar.

[Evan (Producer)]

It was two regular season games.

[Dan]

He. He. He has that coming up.

[Evan (Producer)]

He was. It was with Carolina against.

[Evan]

Yes. You got two, right?

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Evan (Producer)]

That says two. That's what.

[Evan]

That's fine with me because you were fine with none.

[Dan]

And I was like, no, I think he got one.

[Evan]

Yeah. I put question marks because I was like, did he get nothing? Yeah, two. That works. Two and six.

[Brooks Laich]

I agree. Two's correct.

[Dan]

Okay. And then last bit of news before we get into this. Brooks, like, interview chief fired. Craig Berube has been dismissed of his duties by. As head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[Evan]

And that's all by Scar. Yeah.

[Dan]

Oh, I mean, we. I. When. When Tree got axed, I was like, that's. That is the first chip to fall of a bunch of big things to happen for the Leafs. I'm surprised it took this long. I think it's Amidst the circus. What a fucking circus. And oh my God, what an entertainment ville Toronto and the Maple Leafs have been for all of us. We get the tree axing, then we get the Chaika hiring, then we get the fucking lottery win. And now Chief is fired. And now Auston Matthews is getting traded.

[Evan]

Never a dull moment in Toronto.

[Dan]

Never a fucking dull moment.

[Evan (Producer)]

So wait, who would be like the Chica version of the coach if they want to go full crazy? Okay, who would your version be of that?

[Evan]

Great question. So I. And let me think about the answer to that. But these two, because they were talking about in the article that said he was fired, they were like listing names and two just killed me, Dan. One it said topping the list of candidates for the Leaf should be Butch Cassidy. And I just love the idea that least he like that prima donna. And I've been saying that in a mean way. Just like that prima donna lease team getting butch.

[Dan]

I'm like, dude, can we talk about it too?

[Evan]

The.

[Dan]

The fucking down bad desperation moves from some of these Canadian teams. How about the Oilers talking to Butch before even firing Knobloch?

[Evan]

Yeah. I'm like, whoa, like, what are you fucking doing, dude?

[Dan]

It's like, imagine being like, knoblog, we don't want to fire you yet because we want to make sure we've got a better replacement. But we are going to interview people before we fire you.

[Evan]

Like, they don't want the job. We still like you. And I'm like, okay, this was confusing to me as I didn't even know this, but it said Toronto would need permission from Vegas to hire him since he's still under contract.

[Dan]

Yeah, that's what just happened with Edmonton being fired. What do you mean? What the fuck? This is literally what just happened with Edmonton. They. They denied Edmonton permission to talk to him.

[Evan]

Yeah, I didn't even know that was a thing. Oh yeah, like that. You could be like, you are fired. You have a contract. We are firing you from the contract. But also you are under contract, so you can't coach anywhere else.

[Dan]

And I'm like, well, you can just. You can block some and like in division make sense? But.

[Evan]

Yep. And then the other one, Dan, that killed me. It said there are other intriguing names out there, including University of Denver coach David Carl. And I was like, imagine Carl leaving Denver for the leaks right now.

[Dan]

The delusion is so remarkable. I saw some. What, some. Some rumor bot today that was like, chica is going to try to pressure Morgan Riley into waving his no move for a one for one trade with Edmonton. For Darnell nurse. And I was like, okay, Edmonton.

[Evan]

You.

[Dan]

You bet that's gonna happen. You bet. So it's just like. Yeah. I mean, listen, Berube was always gone.

[Evan]

I wanted to be. I wanted to be a Wendy's guy, like, one of the floor managers that I could just love that he. That he was like, this guy's Dave Thomas. This guy at the. At the Hamilton, Ontario location. You would not believe the floor plans this guy comes up with.

[Evan (Producer)]

Dude, he's always beating me in fantasy.

[Dan]

He's got.

[Evan]

He's great.

[Dan]

We should make a list, like, a fake list of, like, rumored Montreal, Canadian. Montreal, Canadian. Rumored Toronto Maple Leafs head coach options and just have them all. All be utterly preposterous and insane.

[Evan]

We got to post that, Dan. For sure. We got to make a carousel.

[Dan]

I'm going to do that tomorrow. I'm going to have.

[Evan (Producer)]

I'll text you.

[Dan]

I'm going to have Nate whip me up a graphic, and I'm going to be like this. Here are the names, and we'll just see what. What happens.

[Evan]

That is so good.

[Dan]

It's unbelievable. All right, let's take an ad break, and we are going to go straight from that into an amazing, amazing chat with Brooks. Like, one of the most inspirational dudes in the entire world. Please enjoy it. Right after this ad, it is time to talk about the greatest brand in the entire world, and that is Bauer. And I know you are used to Bauer being everything hockey, but here's the thing. If you've been listening to this show long enough, you know that Bauer is dabbling in just about everything. They have their unbelievable spring collection. We got rollerblades. It's summertime. We're talking golf. Yes, that is right. Bauer has gotten into the golf game in a big way. It's the best crossover from hockey to golf that you could ever imagine. The grip, the stance, the mental game, whatever translates from you from hockey to golf, Bauer has got you covered. Golf apparel should move with you, not fight you. Have you ever played a round of something that held you back? Like when you felt like you wanted to, you know, move, get that swing going, but all of a sudden, you're too tight. You're buying all these golf shirts that are this wannabe weird moisture wicking fabric, and it just gets sticky and hot and sweaty, and it's terrible. None of that anymore. Bauer is making the best apparel from the ice to the golf course, giving you unbelievable fits, unbelievable style options, and it's all incredible. They're going to last the entire round. They're going to feel great the entire time, I'm telling you. Bauer has just launched this premium golf apparel line and it is unbelievable. We're going from the rinks to the links, folks. It's unbelievable. It's Bauer built for the golf course and like I said, it's going to move with you. Designed for your swing, for those long walks and everything in between. It's performance comfort, it's lightweight, breathable, and it's perfect for long rounds. It's going to elevate your style, make a statement without sacrificing any of that performance. Bauer is now in the golf game and it is the only option you should be looking at. So for the rinks to the links, check out Bauer's new golf apparel, available [e-mail]. well, today we're joined by a Woboda, Saskatchewan native.

[Brooks Laich]

Yes.

[Dan]

The 193rd overall pick in the 2001 draft by the Ottawa Senators.

[Evan]

Amazing.

[Dan]

Longtime Washington Capitals legend. He also played for the Leafs and the Kings world junior silver medalist.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, you bring that up.

[Dan]

Love that. Calder cup champion.

[Evan]

Sick.

[Dan]

Soon to be husband of a two time back to back CrossFit Games champion.

[Brooks Laich]

That's the best thing you've said.

[Evan]

Electric.

[Dan]

Co founder of World playground and Washington D.C. 's most famous AAA emergency roadside employee. Looks like. Welcome to the Empty Netters podcast.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. That is the best intro I think I've ever had, ever, anywhere I've been. That was well done, sir.

[Evan]

Well put it. Amazing.

[Brooks Laich]

I mean, listen, we are new best friends. Thank you.

[Dan]

AAA is important.

[Evan]

Yes.

[Evan (Producer)]

Correct.

[Dan]

Saved my life many a time. I'm always gonna give it a shout out. It's amazing.

[Brooks Laich]

It's amazing how that gets worked in. I actually just did two spots in DC media spots this morning before coming here. And it's amazing how that continues to show up this far after it happened.

[Dan]

It is so funny, man.

[Brooks Laich]

We.

[Dan]

I love little things like that. A couple of years ago, maybe three. Oh, yeah, probably three years ago now, we went to Coachella and we were supposed to do this thing where we were supposed to perform on ice with Frank Ocean.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

It did not happen. There was a whole thing about it. And to this day, whenever we do any sort of interview or randomly, we'll get DMs of like reporters or lawyers and they're being like, hey, I'm working on a story about Frank Ocean. Would you care to come?

[Brooks Laich]

Interesting.

[Dan]

No, I would not.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, I think you should do it.

[Dan]

So those things come up funny. Yeah, it's crazy.

[Evan]

But that was. That Was a sick. That was a sick gesture. The tire.

[Brooks Laich]

It. It was blown up more than. So I. I don't think people. I think people give me too much credit for it, because what actually happened in the situation was we had just lost and we had cup aspirations. Yeah. And I was. I was distraught. I was. Of course I was. I was not even. I was past livid into distraught and disbelief. Livid is like rage on the road. Drive 90 miles an hour. Distraught disbelief is. Drive 30 miles an hour in a 60 zone. So slow that I could see that it was. A lady and her daughter were stranded on a Busy Bridge in D.C. and I was slow enough to be able to pull over to help them. I see my parents do it a million times in Saskatchewan, so. So I just pulled over to help them change their tire, went home. And then it ended up being a story.

[Dan]

Whatever.

[Brooks Laich]

But it was only because I was so upset that I was driving. When was the last time you drove, like, 30 miles an hour? Well, you know, it's 60 zone.

[Dan]

I'm actually. It's great that it's a driving story, because I know exactly the feeling you're talking about. It's when you're beaten down.

[Evan]

Yes.

[Dan]

And you're like, I can't even fight anymore.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

And I have had times where not driving, but I'm walking. And you would think that I was minutes from passing out. I'm walking so slow because I'm just like, I've got nothing. I've got nothing left. It's unbelievable.

[Brooks Laich]

One of the funnier stories I heard a couple years later was Bruce Boudreau, who was our coach at the time. We. It was at a golf tournament in the summer. And he told the story. He goes, I saw the same two people, but I was so mad. I drove right by him.

[Evan]

That's awesome.

[Dan]

On the way by.

[Evan]

Dude. That's actually hilarious to think about because I. Presumably you were all leaving around the same time.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

It's so. So many guys could have been like, oh. I actually also drove back.

[Brooks Laich]

I was just on a bridge, too, bridging Virginia to D.C. and. Yeah.

[Dan]

Anyway, everyone's like, I can't be bothered.

[Brooks Laich]

Sorry.

[Dan]

When's the wedding?

[Brooks Laich]

The wedding in August this summer.

[Dan]

Amazing.

[Brooks Laich]

I'm marrying the most. I mean, Chris and I were just talking about his fiance. He recently engaged.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. I'm marrying the most.

[Dan]

Rub it in, guys.

[Brooks Laich]

Single?

[Dan]

No. No, no.

[Brooks Laich]

Okay.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

It's the greatest thing in the world. She's the most amazing woman. Katrin Davis Otter is her name. And I just. When I proposed to her, I told her two things. I'm like. You said, you gave a speech. And I had the same thing planned too. Right. Mine was a little bit shorter, as it should be.

[Dan]

Oh, wait, Chris.

[Evan]

Long winded. What? Insane.

[Brooks Laich]

But I remember telling her two things that just ring true to me. I feel like she is the best of us, like the best of humanity. She's the best woman in the world. She's the best of us. And she is my hope. Everything good in my life flows through her. The hope to be. I think the greatest things I can ever become in my life are a loving and devoted husband and father. And only through her can I become those things. And so, yeah, we get married this summer. I can't wait. I can't wait to say my vows to her. I am planning a fun surprise for her that she doesn't even know. She'll never know. And nobody. There's one other person that will know this. That's it. But, yeah. I can't wait to get married.

[Evan]

It's gonna be so fun. Yeah.

[Dan]

Is it.

[Evan]

Is it in Iceland or. Can you not say no?

[Brooks Laich]

It's gonna be in Idaho. It's gonna be.

[Evan]

Oh, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

It's gonna be on our property in Idaho. Yeah.

[Dan]

You know what? Idaho keeps coming up for us, and we keep. Want to pumping its tires, but then Idaho people are like, don't. Don't share the secret.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Keep it special.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. People always ask, why do you live in Idaho? I'm like, ah, no reason. It's nothing special.

[Dan]

You're like, it sucks.

[Brooks Laich]

Meanwhile, it's my best friends. I'm like, come.

[Dan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

It's. I'm a. I'm a. I'm a western guy. So I lived in D.C. for 12 years. The east is very. I know. You guys are east.

[Dan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

The east is very organized.

[Dan]

Yes. You know, very organized. Very well said.

[Brooks Laich]

It's very organized. It's nine to five. It's free ways to work. It's just. It's very. You come out west and you guys now experience this. It's freelance. It's raw, rugged nature. It's. Build your own schedule. Build your own life. I just love the west. I'll probably always live west.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

The rest of my life.

[Evan]

Sandra's dad's in Boise.

[Evan (Producer)]

Really?

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, yeah. Come on up, brother.

[Evan]

It's incredible.

[Brooks Laich]

You'll be getting a lake house soon.

[Evan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Come on.

[Evan]

You. I saw a quote from you about your hometown. It was the funniest thing I'VE ever heard. It says if your dog runs away, you can see him running away for three days.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, that's. That's generally the quote. Back in Saskatchewan. That's great.

[Dan]

Like, ah, there he is. Yeah, I'll go get.

[Brooks Laich]

Still going.

[Dan]

I'll go get him in a couple days.

[Brooks Laich]

I'll give him the weekend.

[Evan]

That absolutely killed me. That absolutely killed.

[Brooks Laich]

But it was great. Growing up, I never changed my childhood for anything in the world. All we did was play hockey. Yeah, that's all we did. And every kid wanted to be a hockey player. And all you did, you played in the summer, you played ball hockey, you played roller hockey in the winter, you played hockey, you played street hockey after. Every day after school, all you did

[Dan]

was play hockey non stop.

[Brooks Laich]

And we skated every single day. There was only 600 people in our community and we had a rink and the caretaker just left the rink open.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And you. I would go skate before school, I'd go skate, that is, come back home, eat breakfast, then go to school, come back home, go skate in the after, like. And so you just spend so much time. That's why Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan has the highest per capita NHL player per, like, it's. I think it's 41 people per million residents. It's the highest in Saskatchewan because kids spend so much time on the ice when they're young and you just develop fundamentals. Unbeknownst now you have skills, coaches, and that, that plays into it now. But 20 years, 30 years ago, 40 years ago, unbeknownst to you, you're just spending so much time on the ice, you're developing your skills, you're developing your proprioception, how to read moving objects around you and how to interact within them. And then just the skating, the edge work, the mixing in, stick handling, shooting, all of that just gets developed over so much time. And then as long as one of my best friends, I was just telling you, with four kids, he has a famous quote, he's like, he got interviewed once on like, you and Brooks grew up together. You did everything together. Why did he make the NHL and why did you not? And he goes, oh, it's simple really. When Brooks turned 13, he hit the gym and the rest of us, we hit the booze.

[Evan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan]

You know what? At least there's a good answer.

[Brooks Laich]

That's spot on, Curtis. That is exactly the reason.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Evan]

That's so funny, dude.

[Dan]

Incredible. That question would kill me, like. Yeah, right, exactly.

[Evan]

Well, so to get into a little hockey.

[Dan]

Well, actually, I do have one question. Will There be any sort of crossfit element to the wedding weekend?

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, I haven't even thought of it. I mean, there's a lot of people in the community. Like my fiance is a two time fittest woman in the world. CrossFit Games champion.

[Dan]

Pretty good.

[Brooks Laich]

Six times in the top five. Just a phenomenal athlete. Yeah. And a lot of her community, which we talked about. She spent years in Natick. A lot of her community is a CrossFit community which will be coming. And we have a wonderful home gym, so we don't have anything specifically planned, but yeah, fitness people.

[Dan]

We were, we were wedding a few years ago, our one, two of our best friends and they're both big in the CrossFit community here. And the day before we did a whole Greenbaum Games and it was.

[Evan]

I'm flipping tires up at Big Bear.

[Brooks Laich]

It was a big boy.

[Evan]

That's a big boys. Yeah. It was insane.

[Dan]

Great.

[Evan]

Y. I mean, so hot too. I was like, I, I, I might not make the wedding at this rate. But it was, it was awesome.

[Dan]

I won. Not a big deal. But yeah, actually he, well, it might

[Evan]

have been him if we, yeah, they did some teams. They put Dan and I together, so we were doing quite well. But then.

[Dan]

Yeah, the running stuff. Yeah, we crushed on that.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. You guys got the frame for runners.

[Dan]

Yeah, it was great.

[Evan]

It was good.

[Dan]

It was good.

[Brooks Laich]

Moving heavy. Loads different for us tall, skinny guys.

[Dan]

That leverage, you'd think. Think it'd be better, dude, you get

[Evan]

the form with the sandbags, I'm like, jesus Christ. I'm like dragging it up my body,

[Brooks Laich]

you know, you learn over time. Yeah, but if I wasn't, if I didn't work out, I'd be a buck 60.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Maybe like, I'd be really skinny if I didn't work out.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

It's hard for me to keep on weight.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

Good. Well, CrossFit's awesome.

[Dan]

CrossFit.

[Evan]

CrossFit's great. Okay. So for some hockey, I wanted to start in Ottawa because you get drafted with the Sens and in the early 2000s, they have, they have a pretty stacked team. It's like those at Alfredson Spezza have Lachara. You know, the whole thing.

[Brooks Laich]

Hosa.

[Evan]

Yeah, Hosa. Oh, my God. So you make your NHL debut, you get called up in the 0304 season on February 3rd against the Devils.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

And then February 18th you are traded.

[Brooks Laich]

Yep.

[Evan]

A lot of guys spend a long time in the league before they get that. It's a business lesson. You, you spent two Weeks. How? What was that like? What was that like, experience with when you were such a young player?

[Brooks Laich]

Clearly they didn't like me. They tried me once and said they gave me one game. I think I played 9 minutes and 34 seconds.

[Evan]

Enough of that.

[Brooks Laich]

See you, bro.

[Dan]

We're done here.

[Brooks Laich]

I mean, it was tough and it was amazing. Tough A. You get drafted by a team, you are so proud and you brand yourself like an NHL team, believes in you, Chris enough to draft you and they bring you to development camp and you just, you're like, I'm in. I'm an Ottawa senator. I'm a senator and I'm a loyal guy. And so you brand yourself as that. And then, yes, I was 20 years old, I'm immune to that. This is a business, right? This for me is a passion. And play my first game, which is amazing. A couple weeks later, end up getting traded, which you're semi heartbroken. But then also you realize, okay, Ottawa was stacked, they're trying to win a cup this year. They trade for Bondra, I get traded for Peter Bondra. A couple other picks involved, whatever. But they are a veteran team that's going to be very difficult for me to crack and they have cup aspirations. I get flipped to a situation in D.C. where they are unloading every veteran player, stacking the cabinet with young guys and saying, okay, guys, fight it out and we'll see which one he is the best, right? And so I remember walking in the locker room. I'll never forget this moment my entire life. First time I walk in the locker room in Washington, just caught a flight, whatever. Got there. Walk in the locker room and I opened the door. Have you guys been in the Caps locker room?

[Dan]

No, I don't know if we have yet.

[Brooks Laich]

I don't think so. You open the door and you look down, there's a hallway, there's a hallway. You walk in, as most locker rooms do. George Maphee is standing right where this camera is, right there. And he's looking right at me. And I know who George is. I walk up to him and he walks up to me and he goes, brooks, welcome to DC. I hope you're here for the next 15 years.

[Dan]

Wow, you must have loved hearing that.

[Brooks Laich]

And I'm a 20 year old kid hoping to play in the NHL.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And to hear that from the general manager that just traded for me was like, oh, maybe I have a new home, you know. And so like, awesome. Really was able to let go of being a senator and now adopt. Okay. I'm now a Washington. Yeah. And I ended up spending 12 years there. Didn't make it 15.

[Dan]

Damn close, though, right?

[Brooks Laich]

Only because they traded me.

[Evan]

Yeah. Yes.

[Brooks Laich]

I asked to be moved out, but, yeah, that was a very special moment.

[Evan]

That is amazing. I thought for sure that story was going to be like, who were you? You know, like this classic. I don't know what's going on here. That is amazing.

[Brooks Laich]

No, that was. I'll never forget, George, in that moment, just what that made me feel as a human being.

[Evan]

Yeah. That's epic, because then you start an awesome run there, too. So. What a welcome.

[Dan]

You hear so many stories involving trades and guys going to new cities and this and that, and it's always so wonderful to hear those ones where it's like you interact with a guy who does it right. And that's the type of thing that makes you feel home in a business. You know, it's interesting, like you said, being that young, when that happens, you're not really thinking about the business side of stuff now.

[Brooks Laich]

You're just so.

[Dan]

So many learn quick, right? It's like, fuck me, I got traded and traded again. And it's just great when someone makes you feel like family and like, there is a home there. That's really cool. I love that.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. I'll never forget it. Yeah.

[Dan]

I mean, that's unbelievable. But as you get to the Caps, kind of a doormat in the beginning of those days, and then pretty quickly, that team turns around and you are one of the best teams in the league for so many years. And you had an amazing interview where you talked about how that bond in the locker room was so special because so many guys were so different. What was that like? And why did that work so well in that group?

[Brooks Laich]

It was. It was first. It was a melting pot. It was right. You were just bringing in draft picks and prospects from everywhere, every country and every. And young guys. And I remember them just. It was just essentially we were overflowing with young talent. Yeah.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And not everyone was going to make it. Everyone thinks that. Everyone comes up. You're a scorer. Right. You come out of junior or whatever development system you're in, and you're a scorer. And the reality is you can. Only X amount of people can get those scoring minutes in the NHL. So we also know we're competing against each other, but we're competing with each other anyway. It becomes a really tight group. There's 15 names that I could throw at you right now. Like, obviously, we draft ovi, we draft Backy, we have Mike Green, we have Jeff Schultz. We have Thomas Fleischmann. We have Jacob Kleppus. We have Boyd Gordon, Brian Sotherby, Steve Eminger, Sean Morrison. I mean, these are all first rounds.

[Dan]

Like salmon for a while, too.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. Like there's just. There's just an embarrassment of riches now. It's okay. Figure it out. Now nothing is given. You still need to prove yourself. Figure it out. And it wasn't really until we made the coaching switch.

[Evan]

Oh, true, sure.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

When we brought in Boudreau, we were 6, 14 and 1. This is my third year there. And we hadn't figured it out like Ovi. Ovi had Ovi hit the NHL. Scored 52 and 54. 52 goals, 54 assists his first year. He was a Rocket, right. He had figured it out. But as a team and success, we hadn't figured it out. And it wasn't until we made the switch to where we. We got. We released Glenn Hanlon, who was our coach. His claim to fame was he gave up Wayne Gretzky's first ever NHL goal. Glenn Hanlon. You looked that up, Evan?

[Evan]

Sick.

[Dan]

Yeah, pretty sick. Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

But then when we switched to Boudreaux, we were in last place. We were 6, 14 and 1. And I believe it was in November. We were in dead last place.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

We switched the coach. We ended up going 37, 17 and 7, making playoffs on the final day. And hockey is alive in D.C. yeah, here it comes. Right. And now you unleash the ovies, the backies, the greenies, salmon. And now we have the hottest ticket in town, and then end up having perennial 50 goals or 50. Yeah, Ovi had 50 goal seasons, the

[Dan]

rest of us didn't.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, 50 win seasons, you know, and then you elevate the sport in the region, the whole thing. So just when I look back now, when I get to talk hockey with you guys, which I don't get to do much anymore. Yeah. It's such a fond chapter in my life. And D.C. will always be a second.

[Evan]

Could you feel the city switching? Because I'm sure it was a. It was a Redskins ticket at the time. Could you feel the city becoming a hockey town in that moment?

[Brooks Laich]

You could, because the other teams were also struggling. Like they were really struggling. And then the caps, when we rebranded from the golden black jerseys, you remember the golden black jersey, of course, to the rock, the red to the red jerseys. And then non traditional caps or non traditional hockey fans. And. And D.C. had a team, but like a Toronto, a Boston, a New York, the original six those are like traditional hockey markets. D.C. wasn't a traditional hockey market. Non traditional hockey markets need a branch to grab onto, to root and cheer and celebrate. And the Rock the Red gave that identity to D.C. and fans could get their red jersey, wear their red shirt and rock the Red and unleash the fury. They did the whole thing. They unleash the fury and non traditional hockey fans that weren't there just for the love of the sport, but also more there for the entertainment. And this is the hottest ticket in town. Then all of a sudden started loving hockey through the entertainment value and having the most flammable, flamboyant rock star on ice in the league. Seeing him play every night was another reason. So it turned into a hockey town. Still is a hockey town. Yeah, yeah. And wonderful place to play you.

[Dan]

I mean, in those early days, I know it was short, but in Ottawa you were around so many unbelievable players. You just listed all the unbelievable players. In Washington, you played hockey your whole life. When OVI showed up, was it immediately, holy shit, this guy's different?

[Evan]

Good question.

[Brooks Laich]

I played against him in the gold medal game in world juniors. So he lit up World juniors as a 17 year old. I think he had two hat tricks in there. He didn't do much in the gold medal game, but he was on my radar at that time. Then we draft him, then it's still like, okay, yeah, but you've done it in Russia somewhere, you've done it wherever. But then, man, he hit the NHL like it's staggering to do. Sid had 100 points.

[Evan]

Yeah, dude, we talk about this all the time.

[Brooks Laich]

Obi had 106. How do you do that? When I think of my first, I was just trying to win a battle for a dude and like these guys are putting up 100 points.

[Dan]

Insane.

[Brooks Laich]

What Salabrini did this year.

[Dan]

Yeah, 150.

[Brooks Laich]

115. As a 19 year old, 56. More points than any other player on his team. The level of composure that some athletes have should be studied because it is completely agree. Athletes can spend their whole career and never reach that level. And some possess it at the age of 18, 19, 20. It is a wild thing. And what a wild time for the NHL too. And with both those guys coming in, they couldn't have been more contrasting than each other.

[Dan]

We say it all the time, Brooks. It's like they, they genuinely saved the NHL. Like it was a weird time after the lockout and then they came in in division, rivals couldn't be more different. And then they both just burst onto the scene like that. It was like everyone who was desperate for hockey to come back and everyone who was on the fence about being like, oh, is hockey something I want to watch? All of a sudden those two were there and it was like, holy shit, I do want to watch.

[Brooks Laich]

It was fun to have a front row seat to all of it and be involved in it, too. Just the best of two of the best players to ever play, to play with and against them in the prime years of their career was magic.

[Dan]

Unbelievable. In that locker room. Do you have any Matt Bradley or OVI or Greener stories that come to mind?

[Brooks Laich]

Matt Bradley is maybe my favorite teammate of all, all time. Like, he so cool. He is. And most of your listeners are probably like, who is Matt Bradley? They might hit the Google machine and try and find out who he is. Matt Bradley played 10 years in the league and, like, he couldn't even. I bet you he couldn't backhand a puck from one side of the ice to the other. Not the full length of the ice, just one side of the ice to the other side. He couldn't make a board. To board pass. He couldn't get it over there, I don't think. Yeah, but the most. Every single teammate, if you asked our. Our Caps team during the whole time Brads was in town, every single guy would pick him as their favorite teammate. He was just. He was lighthearted, he was funny as hell. He would fight anybody, even though he wasn't tough really, per se, in, like, a Donald Brashear. We had tough guys, and that wasn't Brad's. But Brads would fight anybody just because he knew he had to do it and teammates just loved him. I could tell you a story. I mean, I know everybody wants the OV stories and the Mike Green stories. I could tell you stuff for days on those guys. And I know you guys get away with a lot on your podcast, so it probably would be appropriate. A lot of stuff. I can't. But you mentioned earlier, we were so different. Like, OVI and Backy and Greener and myself and Semon and, like, we were all just so wildly different. And, like, I remember there's a time where they. I was a fitness guy and I was like, we need to be diligent. They're not, like, structured human beings.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Like Nicholas Backstrom is.

[Dan]

You're telling me Subway and Cheetos aren't on your high on your nutrition chart?

[Brooks Laich]

They're not structured human beings. And, like, it would be a constant battle for me to, like, get them. You need to eat healthy. We need to train. We need to, like. Because I just feel like this is going to cost us lazy. Whatever habits, whatever bad habit. I perceived my own perception of these were bad habits. I felt like they were gonna cost us in the playoffs, and I wanted to win. And I remember there was one time it was ovi, it was Nikki. It was greener. I'm trying to think who else was there. They had a pout. We were in Montreal and they had a poutine sitting on the table. We were out at some bar or something. They had a poutine sitting on the table. And the pot was up to $6,000 for me to eat this poutine. They're like. And I'm like, I'm not eating it. I'm not eating it. And they're like. Because I was a. I was like an obsessive health. That's probably why, like, I married.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Another fittest woman on earth.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Yes. Right?

[Brooks Laich]

Definitely. And I'm like, I'm not eating it. And, like, Mike Green would score two goals and go get two, five guys hamburgers on the way home and just pound them. I'm like, mike, you can't do that. You know, like, anyway. And he's like, it's working.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

It's where he scored 31 the one year. I'm like, it's not because of the hamburgers, but for him, it was because I love Mike. Mike is a brother to me.

[Dan]

Oh, it's so good.

[Brooks Laich]

But, yeah, there was a. There was a poutine. And they had it up to, like, over $6,000 to eat this poutine. I'm like, no. Like, what is wrong with you guys? I probably looking back now, you never did it.

[Evan]

I never caved.

[Brooks Laich]

I never did it. I never even had a bite of it.

[Dan]

Samana principle right there.

[Evan]

That is insane.

[Dan]

Poutine is good.

[Evan]

One bite, probably.

[Brooks Laich]

I don't even know.

[Dan]

Maybe never had it still.

[Brooks Laich]

I don't even know if I've ever had a poutine.

[Evan]

Oh, my God.

[Brooks Laich]

God.

[Evan]

Oh, dude, that is so good.

[Brooks Laich]

But they're great.

[Evan]

So good.

[Brooks Laich]

They're all. Man.

[Evan]

It's just.

[Brooks Laich]

I like when I get to talk about them again.

[Evan]

Yeah, they're just the best.

[Brooks Laich]

They're great human beings. Great people, and such a joy in my life.

[Evan]

What was Brad's like? You know, was he. Was he the card guy on the plane or what was he doing, like, when you guys were off the ice?

[Brooks Laich]

He was the jokester. He was just. He could make fun of Everybody. And he'd make fun of himself as much.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And. And I don't even know how to say. You guys know the term glue guys.

[Dan]

You guys locked like.

[Brooks Laich]

You just know. And he was just the epitome of it. He just. Everybody cared. It was more than that. You just cared so deeply about Brad's because you knew he cared deeply about you. And it was authentic. It was real. But he also kept it light.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And. And then also just some of the stuff you'd see him do on ice, you're like, that is the worst display of hands I've ever seen. Like, I can't. You can't raise the puck.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Maybe try Ovi stick.

[Dan]

You can't.

[Brooks Laich]

You're 30 years old and can't raise the puck. Brad. But he was great. He scored some big goals in the playoffs.

[Dan]

Yeah, he sure did.

[Brooks Laich]

That was awesome.

[Dan]

Speaking of big goals and big games, how awesome was it beating the Penguins in the Winter Classic?

[Brooks Laich]

That was tremendous. That was tremendous. That was tremendous. Because it started to rain halfway through the second period. Halfway through the second period. You couldn't move the puck on the ice. So we knew it was over.

[Evan]

It was like half funny.

[Evan (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Halfway through the second, we're like, this is great. Start looking around. Yeah. Checking the sights like Hines Field. This is. This is really cool event. Oh, it's my shift. Okay, I'll go play. Can't touch a puck. It's not going to slide. And then it was. It was great. Just because we hadn't had a lot of, like, also right before that, we lost eight games in a row.

[Dan]

Oh, really?

[Evan]

Damn, I forgot about that.

[Brooks Laich]

That was the whole HBO thing going on. And we had lost eight in a row. We still ended up winning the President's Trophy that year, I think, despite losing eight games in a row. So it was. And like, Boudreaux was worried he's going to get fired, so it was much more than just going to beating them in Pittsburgh at the Winter Classic. It was like, we need to write the ship save, coach.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

I gotta know. Did you guys ever give it to Brucey for the wing sauce all over his face?

[Brooks Laich]

I actually never even saw it. I didn't even watch the HBO series.

[Dan]

So it's one of the most iconic scenes of all time. He's just like, giving you guys a speech in the locker room and he has wing sauce all over his face. Oh, I don't know. And it's like, there was a period in hockey culture we were like, good God, Boudreau what the were you doing?

[Evan]

It's so good.

[Brooks Laich]

Bruce was the best. I have another story. I remember Dean Evison. Have you guys ever chatted with.

[Dan]

Yeah, no, no. I mean, we've interacted with him. Haven't had him on the pod.

[Brooks Laich]

Dean is a great human being. He's a great coach and a great human being. I remember Dean comes walking in the room the one time in New Jersey, and he goes, brooksy, I bet you Bruce comes in with his jacket done up. And I'm like, why? What do you mean? He goes, just watch. In walks Bruce, jacket done right up. Gives the full meeting everything. Right. Okay. Meeting done. Five, seven minutes when a meeting done. And I'm like. I turned to Dino. I'm like, what was that all about? And he goes, spilt a giant coke on it right before the meeting started. Right on his shirt. He just dumped a giant coke out of it.

[Dan]

Classic.

[Brooks Laich]

He was, man, he was the best. Bruce was so good at X's and O's. Like, yeah, coaching matters so much. Like, I look at some of the coaches in the. In the NHL today, like, what the Habs are doing.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

They're so well coached with the Canes are doing. They're so well coached. Having played against those two guys, like, I know how well coached they must be. Colorado is obviously so well coached. I think also Minnesota is, but I never played for.

[Evan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

Or those guys don't have any firsthand experience.

[Evan]

But.

[Brooks Laich]

But the other Two guys, right. St. Louis and Brindamore, like, coaching matters so much. And Bruce was a very, very good coach. We had our best statistical years under him.

[Evan]

Oh, my God. It was insane. Run, dude. And obviously, like, the Cup. The cup came after, but the. The teams you guys built in that era, that must have been. We were talking before, we were recording of just the pendulum swings, you know,

[Dan]

it was a decade of being a wagon. It's like. It's unbelievable.

[Evan]

It must have been awesome getting into playoffs every year. Those years being like, this is it. Like, here we fucking. I mean, obviously it doesn't end the way you want, but, like, those must have been intense runs.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. What a question. So when I look at other teams that don't get that opportunity. Yeah, but like, we had built. We had earned the right. Like, we had earned the right to be a legit in the conversation for. For. I think any year. I think any given year, there's six to eight teams that can win a Stanley Cup. It takes a specific blend of which I think there's an actual framework. I'D love to propose it and see what you guys think and compare it to teams that are still left. But you need a certain amount of all class, all world skill to win the Stanley Cup. You can't do it without it. It's just hard work will not get you there. You need game breaking, amazing world class skill to also do it. And I knew, I knew that we had that, but we didn't have organization framework. We didn't have. When the moment got tight, we didn't own the moment.

[Evan]

Interesting.

[Brooks Laich]

And we also didn't have franchise goaltending. We were rotating, we were rotating goaltending and we didn't have a locked in hardcore second line center every year. And so when I look back at the teams, there were holes that our power play covered up for us, that the high energy and high flying caps covered up for us. But when I look back at our teams, there were holes that we had. There were some years where I thought we didn't get bounces. You guys have talked about this on recent punk. It takes a little bit of luck. Like when they won an 18, the Holtby save.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

That's a moment we never had. We never had that moment ever before. And in fact it actually, those moments went against us.

[Dan]

Something like that.

[Brooks Laich]

Where it's so outside the normal, like it's an outlier. That puck should be in the net and that wasn't. So that's not an excuse, but when I look back, it's a hard question to answer. Yeah, yeah. Because yes, it's the greatest, one of the single greatest joys of my life to play in the NHL and to play in playoff hockey. And one of probably the single most difficult thing in my life to realize that I never want to stand right.

[Dan]

Of course, on teams like that. I mean, dude, you're a competitor. Like it's, you want to get to the end goal. I, it's, it makes sense.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. So that's the hardest, that's the hardest thing is dealing with unfulfilled dreams.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

You'll get another shot.

[Dan]

Yeah. But I also think it's very, I mean, we appreciate you talking about it. And it's also, it's very astute of you to acknowledge that being that good and getting that close almost makes it harder. You know, it's like there's plenty of guys who are like, oh, I played 15 years, I was in the playoffs like three times. Yeah, it's like you were, as you said, you won the President's Trophy. You know, it's like you guys Were always there. And it's. That does, I can imagine, make it harder at times.

[Evan]

Was there one team in particular, one casting that you're like, this one 16. Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

There's a year I got traded. We had that. I learned so much about life, team, company, like leadership, everything on that team. Of all the teams, that was the Team 2000, Dale Hunter was coach and. No, Dale Hunter was the coach the year before. Sorry. The 16 team. It started in the sewer in the soccer game.

[Evan]

Oh, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

The 16 team was the tightest team I've ever been on. And now running a company, I try to run the company. Like what that team felt like.

[Dan]

Very cool.

[Brooks Laich]

I have made a pledge to myself. I'll never be part of an organization that doesn't have a culture like that 16 team. And what it was, it started in our soccer game. It started with. We just wanted accountability to be more present. And I've heard you guys say this in the show, accountability is the best ability. And we wanted accountability to be more present in our team. And it started in the soccer game, the warmup, the two touch soccer game that every team plays. And if a player would make an errant shot and it just started where players would attempt everything to try and save that ball for the teammate and it would just nick their toe and they would be out. It was like, I give you everything I have. And that eventually filtered its way into our hockey games. And it was every player so excited that Chris had two goals tonight and so excited that Dan had two assists. And the next night, I want it too. I want it to. I want to be first star too, but damn right, you. You're the best. You were the man tonight. How can we elevate you? And that was. It was the only true. It was the only time that that feeling was absolutely true through the entire group.

[Evan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

That 16 team. And we ended up winning the most games in NHL history. In 100 years, as 100th year of the NHL, we won the most games through 60 games in league history.

[Evan]

Wow.

[Brooks Laich]

And then I remember having a conversation with our GM at the time. I was like, I know you're thinking of trading me just because it's. Personally, it's not working out, but team wise it is. Yeah. And I just told him, I was like, it ain't broke. Don't break it.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Like, do not break this. It ain't broke.

[Dan]

Like, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Do not trade me. Don't break this. It's. We are free. I know. We'll have another discussion. I know that I'm a grown man. I understand. I've been around a long time. We'll have another discussion, but don't break it right now. And then next day he traded me. And dude. So that was the one that heard like that one. That team. That team was so special. That was the most special feeling I've ever felt. And I've always carried that feeling with me since. Yeah.

[Dan]

That is insane.

[Brooks Laich]

It started from Super Bowl.

[Dan]

It started from just a little socky soccer. One that gave me.

[Evan]

Chill, dude. My God.

[Dan]

Oh, my God.

[Evan]

Did he say anything after when he was like, hey, I am trading you.

[Brooks Laich]

No, I. I found out via voicemail.

[Evan]

Yeah. Dude. Unbelievable.

[Dan]

How did.

[Evan]

What happened to the capsite year? Where'd they finish?

[Brooks Laich]

They lost in the second round, I believe. Yeah, but I'm not saying we would have won it. I'm not saying that we would have won it, but I wanted the. That team. I wanted the shot. It was my worst by far. It wasn't even close. My most. My worst statistical year. My most tumultuous, personal, like, professional year. It was. Personally, it was horrendous.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And I knew that there'd be an answer for that at the end of the season. But as far as a team component, it was by far the best of my life.

[Dan]

God.

[Evan]

Roller coaster. But that's.

[Dan]

I love so much that that energy and that experience has been pulled through into your life now. I mean, that's amazing. So, like, don't leave that there. Take all those great moments and lessons with you. That's fantastic.

[Brooks Laich]

Have you guys ever been part of that something that's just so wildly better than anything ever? It's just an outlier. That sounds like this is the real thing.

[Dan]

Definitely.

[Brooks Laich]

I mean, your relationship.

[Evan]

Yes, absolutely.

[Dan]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I. I think it's too. We don't need to turn this into a relationship pod, but when you were talking about your relationship, I very much relate to those feelings. And I love how with the hockey team, it's the sewer ball that did it for you. Because I am a big believer in. It's those little moments and those early moments that you almost have an out of body experience and you go, oh, this is different. Yeah, this is something special. And that is such a good feeling. You got to chase that feeling the rest of your life. Like it's, It's.

[Brooks Laich]

Or create it.

[Evan]

Yes. Or create.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. That's where I'm at now is like, I want to create that with anything I'm involved in.

[Evan]

Taking it outside sports is awesome because the ones that I think of are sports or relationship. But, yeah, it's like, you know, know teams. Because it's rare in sports where you go, there's always a competitive internal competition a bit where you're like, maybe I'm impressed. Maybe I'm in college where I'm like, I'm trying to make it to the next rung. Right. And so is everybody else. We're all actually. I love you guys, but also, I want it to be me. And it's rare when you catch a team that's like, I actually just want all of us to succeed together very much.

[Brooks Laich]

I think both can work. And if you look at the dynamics of sports and dynamics of championship teams, quite often it's two superstars that want the spotlight, that play together. Crosby, Malkin.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Kobe, Shaq. Pippen, Jordan. There was obviously hierarchy there, but, like, two superstars on the same team is a dynamic that can work. Because when Chris has an amazing night, Dan is happy for him. But damn right, Dan is driving home tonight saying, I'm gonna be the best. I'm first star next night.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And that. That's the competition. As long as they're not competing against. If they're competing with that healthy competition on a team can drive magic.

[Dan]

Absolutely.

[Evan]

That's awesome. No question. That's awesome.

[Dan]

Before we move on from the Caps, I need to just dig one out of you. We talk to Osh all the time. And Ovi boozing on the plane. I know you've got one that comes to mind because it sounds like it's an endless loop of awesome stories and funny moments.

[Evan]

He told me that in Russia, beer isn't even alcohol. Like, OV didn't understand that. He was like, wait, can you not drink this? Is this illegal? They were like, yeah, you're 18, dude. Stop.

[Dan]

Oh, man.

[Brooks Laich]

I don't even know where to begin with that. Like, what is fascinating for me is I spent my whole life applied. I am an absolutely applied athlete. And then I remember talking to him in August one year, and I'm like, what you been doing, man? How are you? He goes, I probably start running a little bit now. I've been at the cabin all year. And I'm like, it's August 14th. We have training camp in Leslie. He hasn't done anything.

[Dan]

Nothing, Anything.

[Brooks Laich]

But he cracks 50 goals every year. How do you do it? And I remember seeing him, like, he's 240 pounds. I remember seeing him in the weight room. He was trying to bench press one day. He's, like, learning to bench press. I'm like, you hit everything that moves and you don't bench press. He couldn't even. His legs are kicking to bench press 180, 85 pounds. Like, his legs are kicking to get this thing up. He's the strongest human I've ever seen.

[Dan]

Some guys just have hotkey and bare blood surging through their veins. And that is him.

[Brooks Laich]

The thing that he does have, the thing that I'll wage war on this. He could compete at a level that no other guy could.

[Dan]

Yeah, he could compete. That's so cool.

[Brooks Laich]

Even, like, even Crosby, even the McKinnon now. He could compete. And, like, because I was so close to him too. We're the same teammates. So you see the. You see the fucking fire in the eyes, like. And I don't like to swear on it. You get to swear on your podcast, whatever. He had just ferocity in his eyes. And he could kill you. He could go through you, around you. However you wanted to play it, he could play it. And that is what he did better than any player in the league. And it just pulled you into war when you saw him. And his first three, four, five years, he wrecked everything.

[Evan]

Yeah, he did.

[Brooks Laich]

Remember Douglas Murray, San Jose Sharks? He was a fridge on skates. Him and OVI had. We lost the game, I think three, two in San Jose or something. But there's one night they had four full tilt collisions in the last 40 seconds. Just fucking cuz.

[Evan]

Yeah, just cuz.

[Dan]

Why not?

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, because why not? And I remember seeing OVI do that and just go, this guy. Guy is amazing. Like, it is impossible for you to not be dragged into the fight when that guy goes and does that.

[Dan]

Brooksy. We always say we. We looked up a couple seasons. I don't know if he. He actually led, but there was on multiple seasons where he was number one in goals and number like three in hits.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

And it must be so contagious when you're seeing your best player out there just laying wood on everyone too. You're like, oh, my God. Unbelievable.

[Brooks Laich]

It is a blend of skill and. And physicality that's never been seen. I know there's other players that have done it, but not at this.

[Evan]

I was gonna say, I don't even know. Yeah, it's. It's kind of untouched.

[Brooks Laich]

Not at this level. Not the way he hit. Like, I ran into him at times in practice. And you're like, yeah, you're solid. And then I ran into him in the World Championships in 2013, Canada, Russia again. I'm like, oh, you're a bear. Like I, I, I've spent 10 years playing with you, but like to now feel it.

[Evan]

I'm like, awful.

[Brooks Laich]

But if you shake his hand. Have you guys met?

[Dan]

Oh, not really. I mean, like, we're in the same place a lot this summer actually. Fun stuff coming up. Okay, but go.

[Brooks Laich]

When you see him, when you just see him, go and say that Brooks, we chatted and whatever and just like tell him I said hi. Yeah, he's still a good friend. He'll shake your hand. When he shakes your hand, it just, it's like a, it's like a 10 pound weight hitting your hand. Just like, he's just a bear. Gonna re break it and.

[Dan]

Yeah, and he, he don't do that.

[Brooks Laich]

He pounds beers like a bear.

[Evan]

Yes, like a bear.

[Brooks Laich]

Grizzly bear.

[Dan]

All checks out to me.

[Brooks Laich]

I'm like, yep, he's amazing. Al, I love you, buddy. He's great.

[Evan]

That's so awesome. Well, we were listening, we were listening to some of your old pod and you had a really funny story about the, like how close the teammates were and someone, someone had sent a rogue text and through tossed you under the bus that said it was you and then you just wore it for him. Do you remember this?

[Brooks Laich]

No, I don't even. Oh, I do know it. Oh, my God. I do believe truly fallen on a grenade. I wonder where you're going. That is great research. If that's Evan Chris, whoever brought it wasn't me.

[Evan (Producer)]

No, these guys do.

[Evan]

I couldn't believe it.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, I couldn't believe it either. In the moment, I'm like looking at her like it's genuinely one of the

[Dan]

great teammate moments of all time.

[Brooks Laich]

I'm like, oh, yeah, my bad. I was like, oh, yeah, that was a. Jeez, man. There were some dark days back. I, I forgot. I've, I would never have remembered that moment if you had never said, yeah, dude.

[Evan]

Well, it killed me because I, I remember thinking, I was like, man, Brooks is such a good guy. Because in I don't know what year that was.

[Brooks Laich]

Should I. For your listeners, should I give them the text?

[Evan]

Yes.

[Brooks Laich]

I won't mention names. I won't mention names. Yeah, we go out to a bar at night, whatever, it's a Saturday night or something, and a friend, a teammates, I don't know if they were dating, whatever come up to me and she's like, that was quite some text you sent to me. And I'm like, oh, oh. I'm like, I have no idea what this is all about.

[Evan (Producer)]

Right.

[Brooks Laich]

I'm like, staring at her like a deer. I'm like, oh, yeah. She goes, yeah, I don't know if you always talk like that or if you. And I'm like, oh. And I'm like, I have no idea what is going on or what the text was. And I'm like. And then all of a sudden, the guy that she was involved with, my teammate, comes up and he, like, smacks me. And I'm like, yeah, I'm sorry. I just. I just. I don't know why I did it. I apologize. And I still had no clue.

[Dan]

And then.

[Brooks Laich]

Anyway, this teammate then tells me that he texts the wrong thing to the wrong girl. And it was not a G rated text. It was quite a. It was quite, quite a. I'm so, so.

[Evan]

I never talk like this. I'm so sorry.

[Dan]

This is very unlike me.

[Brooks Laich]

Very unlike. Oh, anyway, hildb.

[Dan]

Yeah, but I.

[Evan]

So what I saw. I heard that story. I was dying because. And I don't even want you to say what year it was because I don't want the Sleuths to start figuring out what teammates. But back in the day, you know, now it's like the iPhones are so dialed with everything. Back in the day, you're text. You can't even make a group chat, really. It was like, everything was crazy. And when I was in college, I was talking to a girl who I was trying to see that night, and a buddy, and he was, what are you doing? And I'm going back and forth and I'm like, oh. And I'm talking, and he's like, what's she saying? And I'm, you know, I'm like, yeah. And whatever. And I. I invite her. I forget what happened. I was like, meet me at this bar. And she said, yes. So I text him that. I'm like, something. It wasn't even that already, but it was like, it's going down. Yeah, I'm gonna smash tonight. I'm smashing. So and so tonight I. And I just. I look at the phone and I've texted it to her.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh.

[Evan]

And I was like, oh, my God. And I go, oh, I'm so sorry. And I say, I grabbed my buddy, who is an idiot and does talk like that. I go like this. I'm so sorry. My buddy stole my phone. He said that. That. That would never be me. Just tossed him, dude. Like such a scumbag. And he's like, I had to text him. I was like, yo, dude, just. You got to wear this. And he was like, okay.

[Brooks Laich]

Did it to Me, dude.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

But anyway, you guys.

[Evan]

So tough.

[Dan]

So tough.

[Evan]

But, hey, good teammate, good teammate, great bond.

[Brooks Laich]

Wait, can I test my championship framework theory? Because I know you were talking about the goaltending one the other day here, and I'm curious to see you guys apply it to who's still left in the playoffs and see if A, you agree with it, B, how we apply it to what's current right now. I think for a team, I think at any given year, there's only maybe six to eight teams that can win a Stanley cup because you need. You need all world talent to do it. You can't do it without it.

[Evan]

It's true.

[Brooks Laich]

And I think the framework of a team, your top six forwards, you need to have. And this was. You can test it. But Four North American.

[Dan]

Oh, okay.

[Evan]

Wow.

[Dan]

This is gonna be cool. Love this. Okay.

[Brooks Laich]

Four North American, two European. One of those European needs to play like a traditional North American. And this is not a slight on European. Don't come at me in the chat or whatever.

[Evan]

Don't.

[Brooks Laich]

This is. If you look at teams historic last 20 years who have won. Look at this setup. Top six forwards, four North American, two European. One of those European plays both ways. Plays like a North American Norris quality, all world defenseman, and a pretty much defined top four, an enfranchise goaltending. Outside of that framework, you can almost not win a Stanley Cup.

[Dan]

I.

[Evan]

So I want to look this up. I would literally want to look at the rosters, the everything, the defense and the goaltending. Could not agree more because I think the.

[Dan]

I passionately agree with the defense and

[Evan]

goal agree especially with the defenseman, because if you don't, if you have question marks there. I've seen teams that we have rooted for that. I'm like, this team's gonna win a cup. And then those holes like you were talking about, there's a clear hole on the back and that shows its face every single time. The forward stuff is awesome.

[Brooks Laich]

Want me to. Let me give you a few examples.

[Dan]

Yeah, I. I have one already.

[Brooks Laich]

Okay. What do you got? Colorado right now.

[Dan]

Yeah. Because you have in their top six, it rotates a little bit, but you have Mac, Roscoe, Brock, and WA who are all North American. Landy is your prototypical European who plays

[Brooks Laich]

like a North America.

[Evan (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

And then you could honestly make this argument for nature stew, but nature's. There's your other European. You have Kale.

[Brooks Laich]

Yep.

[Dan]

Yeah. You could make the argument for Taves as well and then say what you will. Wedge wood is a Was a vet, should have. Could have been a Vesna candidate and is playing all world goaltending.

[Brooks Laich]

Give me some examples in my so in my career. Look at the LA Kings. Look at Chicago Blackhawks. Look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. LA Kings. Kopi.

[Dan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

Right. They were. They were heavy North American. Then you had Kopi, who was amazing human being. Got played with Fonzie. Awesome.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

A two way player. Look at Chicago. They had Marion Hosa.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Evan]

Oh, yeah, right.

[Brooks Laich]

Marian Hosa was the one at my first ever NHL camp in Ottawa.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

At the end of camp when I was released, our GM asked me was the most impressive thing you saw here this week. And I said how Marion Hosa back checked.

[Dan]

Oh, wow.

[Brooks Laich]

In training camp was the single most impressive thing I saw. He was phenomenal. I would take Hoss on my team any day, but he was a two way player. They had Keith Seabrook, they had Crawford. Was maybe not cheered like Vesna guy, but he was a franchise.

[Dan]

Yeah. I mean, listen, he got it done.

[Brooks Laich]

He got it done.

[Dan]

We talk about that all the time.

[Brooks Laich]

The Kings had Kopitar. They had Doughty.

[Evan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

They had Jonathan Quick. Right. And then you look at Pittsburgh. Malkin was the second line center.

[Evan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

And then they had Flurry.

[Dan]

Tanger.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, Tanger was there. So like you had. You had all world talent.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

You had a top six that was usually comprised of four North Americans, two Europeans of which one played like a North American. And then you had a Norris style defenseman on all world defenseman. And even look at Boston when they won. They had Chara, they had Tim Thomas, they had David Krecci.

[Dan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

Right. Was their second line center. Played both ways.

[Evan]

Absolutely.

[Brooks Laich]

But then they had Horton and Lucic and. Right.

[Dan]

Bergey and Ryder. Absolutely.

[Brooks Laich]

That's the composition.

[Evan]

I really like this.

[Dan]

That I believe.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. I'd love to hear what the chat says. I know you're big on the chat. Like what. What do. What do you guys think? Let me. Let me test it to you.

[Dan]

Minnesota has too many Europeans.

[Evan]

Yeah. Well, that my favorite part.

[Brooks Laich]

We were inverted. We were two year, two North Americans and four Europeans.

[Dan]

There you go.

[Brooks Laich]

For 10 years in D.C. we were inverted.

[Evan]

And it was kind. I mean, you said the high flying caps earlier that kind of made you the high flying caps.

[Brooks Laich]

It did, you know. Yeah.

[Dan]

But I mean with Ericsson Ek in the lineup, they are too. Yeah. Because they have Erickson, Caprizov and Mojo. And then they have Boldy and you're over Hartman, dude. I love it.

[Evan]

Because you want. I like that. You want the European who's just going to be elite talent, goals. You know, you're like, just go get me a goal. Yeah, you need.

[Brooks Laich]

You need talent. You like, you just. You need talent, too.

[Evan]

It's. Oh, man, I love this too. I want to run through all the cups. I love that.

[Dan]

Like, I want to dig into this more.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, we had. One of the reasons why I feel like we didn't win is one of our. And I'm not going to call them out. I don't like calling people out. But we had one player on our team that was a highly skilled player that didn't practice one day because we didn't have hot water in the shower. No, no hot water. I'm not practicing. And I'm like, how are we going to win a Stanley Cup? How are we good? It's too hard. Yeah, it is too hard. And the only. This is nothing against Europeans, but growing up in Canada and North Americans, just. It is in your blood to try to win a.

[Dan]

Like, you will go through war to

[Brooks Laich]

try and win a Stanley Cup. And I don't know that that's always present. I'm not saying it's not for European hockey players. I'm not at all. They are some of the most wonderful people, teammates, players ever. Just looking at. In my era, the composition of hockey teams that won the Stanley cup was the framework that I pretty much laid out.

[Dan]

Yeah, I love it.

[Evan]

Me too. And dude, you're so right. It's the hardest thing on earth and to think that you are going to go through. Through that easy sledding.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Evan]

Without a bump and bruise and people playing injured. I mean, that's the whole. That's how you get there. Right. Well, it's. What was your dad. What would your dad say? Suck it up soup.

[Dan]

Oh, you know, well researched.

[Evan]

Everyone have some suck it up soup. You know, like this. So, yeah. Like, that's unique. And you need the whole team on board, so. On board.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. Run it today. So, like, look who's left. Yeah, right. What's the. What's the makeup of the teams that are left and does it stand?

[Dan]

Yeah, I mean, for a lot of. Like I just said, Colorado is perfect. I'm actually Carolina.

[Evan]

I'm.

[Dan]

I'm curious about Vegas.

[Evan]

I think Carolina's interesting because Freddy's playing like it right now. Slaving.

[Dan]

Yes, Slaven, for sure.

[Evan]

Then you've got. You've got Svetchnikov up there.

[Brooks Laich]

They are also unique in that they do it by committee more than any team that I'VE seen.

[Dan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

They do it by committee. Like, they don't have the number one big dog like McKinnon. McArt.

[Evan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Guys. Right.

[Evan]

But elite town. But like Svetchnikov and ers.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. And then ERS is so fun to watch.

[Dan]

And he's so. He's also watching him in this guy. He's the best. I love hearing that ever. Oh, and he is. So it's like when that trade happened, or. Excuse me, that signing happened, I was so happy because in Winnipeg, he, like, never really got time. He never got PP time. He never really got top six time. And I was like, this is a perfect team for him. And. And he. After Olympics, he was like a top five player in the league, points wise. And he's just. God, he's fun to watch. But they're pretty damn close to it. I mean, like.

[Evan]

Yes. I mean, they're a good one.

[Dan]

I think Vegas is a good one. Vegas has the right. I mean, Vegas, they have Ikes, Howden, Marner, and then you have Dorothy of Carlson and Barbershev. So they're kind of three and three. But Stone.

[Evan]

Yeah, but like, be. Goaltending's their downfall.

[Dan]

Maybe. Yeah, but. And it always is.

[Evan]

And like Petrangelo. Petrangel's.

[Dan]

But you've got. But I mean, dude, you got Shay.

[Evan]

Shay's awesome.

[Dan]

You got Hannifan. Like, I mean, Shay is. Shay is the guy, but that's a good one too.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Shit.

[Brooks Laich]

If I was looking to build a championship team, I would try and use that framework at least to work off of and see where. And it's. I don't know that it's a perfect math, but if you had to identify somewhere to start, that's probably.

[Evan]

But it's a good foundation. Exactly. Right. Like, we can peel off of this, but start here.

[Dan]

The Ducks kind of have it too.

[Evan]

Yes, dude. Okay.

[Dan]

Kreider, Kalorn, Senica and Terry. And then you got Leo and Granny. And Granny is definitely a North American type player. Like, he's a little cigarette machine, you know, like. And then Lacombe.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

And then do still is the question. But like, moving forward for the Ducks. You feel great about that.

[Evan]

Well, it makes them one of the six to eight, Right.

[Brooks Laich]

At least you have the talent. Like, the Ducks have so much young talent.

[Dan]

So much young talent. Crazy.

[Brooks Laich]

At least you. At least you're one of the six to eight now. It's like, okay, let's figure this out. Right, Coach? They're very well coached. You know, goaltending. That's like, that's what the Kings had. That's what the Pens had. Like that franchise goaltending man. You can get the. Like the Rangers had that with Lundquist when they didn't have the other pieces. If you can get that franchise goaltending man, like the Kings had Quicky. Have you guys had Quicky on the show?

[Dan]

No, we hang with. He's the best guy. Yeah, he is truly the best guy. Jackie's the best, too.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

It's like the greatest family ever.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, he's great. Yeah. So we'll see how it plays out every year when the cup is won. I kind of look at the roster and just be like, does this check out? It seems to hold water over time.

[Evan]

I love that, dude. I love that. It's amazing. Okay, well, you mentioned the swing to Toronto and then you went from there. Oh, do you know your Nylander stat, by the way?

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, I do.

[Dan]

That is so cool.

[Evan]

Sane.

[Dan]

That's all the time.

[Brooks Laich]

I don't know that that one will ever be broken.

[Dan]

No, no way. Like that. That is just one of the coolest random stats in the world.

[Evan]

Assisted on Michael Nylander's last NHL goal. And assisted on William Nylander's first NHL goal. Yeah, that's a while.

[Dan]

Incredible.

[Brooks Laich]

I remember Willie coming in the locker room. Niles was like his dad. Michael was. There's one time his car seized up. He hadn't. He'd never changed his oil. Put $9,000 on a new Mercedes and his car seized up. He never changed his oil. Like this guy was out there.

[Evan (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

But man, you couldn't take the puck off. But I remember the Nylander kids walking in the room. He had six of them. They were just like bobbleheads. They would just spread throughout the room. So Willie was like 9 or 10 or 11, 12 when I got to know him.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And then. Yeah, getting to play with him and assisting on his first goal was pretty cool.

[Evan]

So sick.

[Dan]

I love it.

[Evan]

But yeah, so Toronto to la. You get the pto, you get the one year deal with the Kings. And so. And I saw that a cool video with you where it's like, that's when you kind of found CrossFit first of all. And you're. You're feeling great. You like. I have a lot of hockey in the tank. After the Kings year. I think you. Was it Florida and Carolina. You had a couple other offers.

[Dan]

I never.

[Brooks Laich]

I never seriously considered anything after that, even coming to the Kings at that time in my life. I was married.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And I had done this for Four years. We talked about you and Sandra potentially doing here in Boston and back and I'd been doing it four years and my desire to play was at an all time high. It was. It just. Every day in the NHL gets better.

[Evan]

I know.

[Brooks Laich]

It just gets better. And my desire to play was at an all time high. However, I just did not want to be a part in my relationship any longer. So it was Kings or nothing for me and didn't make the team out of camp per se. But Rob Blake was like, keep coming around. Yeah, we like, like having you here. Keep coming around. So I kept coming and ended up signing. And then actually the same day I signed, then that night Carter got hurt, Jeff Carter got hurt. And it looked like I signed because whatever. But yeah, spent 14 games with the Kings. And then when they released me, one of the toughest days of my life for sure. But when they released me, I didn't ever really look at pursuing something. It was such a hard place because I didn't want to leave. I wanted to be in my relationship and didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to stop playing either. And it was just a really tumultuous time of like, I don't know, I don't know how to let go of hockey. But I can't go to hockey.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And it was. Yeah, a few years.

[Evan]

That's the one to ask. Because there was a gap between the release and then when you officially announced your retirement.

[Brooks Laich]

Five years is more than a gap.

[Dan]

Yeah, well, dude, it was like it's

[Brooks Laich]

a chasm or whatever. What's that word? The Grand Canyon.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

That's a Milky Way.

[Evan]

Yeah. And it was because I had seen you had an unreal interview answer. I forget what the question was. Something about like a defining career. Career or like what shaped something in your life. But it was that quote from your mom where you were playing baseball where she said, stop hoping you're going to hit the ball.

[Brooks Laich]

Where do you find all this stuff?

[Dan]

Together.

[Evan]

We go deep.

[Dan]

We go.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, you do. Yeah. It's impressive.

[Evan]

And I loved that because you said, now that's how I've. That's how I live my life now. Right. And in this moment, in those, during that Grand Canyon gap, I have to believe you're going, I'm not hoping I can be in the NHL. I know I can be in the NHL. I know I'm an NHL player. So how do you. How does that. How you do you wrestle with that in your mind?

[Brooks Laich]

It's hard because a so by the time I'm released, I got released on Thanksgiving Day. We were actually flying to. I was with the Kings. We're flying to Phoenix to play against Phoenix the next night. And it's Thanksgiving Day in the US and my parents were Canadian, but my parents winter in Phoenix, so I was going to have Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and my godparents. They were there to watch the game as well. And then Rob calls me to. Into the office. I know what's happening. Tells me that they have a couple kids, a couple guys, we've got to see if they can play. And I'm like, rob, you know, I can play. And he goes, I know, but we've got a couple guys that we've got to see if we can play. And shook his hand. He was a. He was honest and straightforward. I think human beings, we can take good news, we can take bad news, just make it honest. And to our face. And shook his hand. He was. He was world class in the interaction. He said, would you like to go to Ontario and play? I was like, hell, no. NHL or nothing. Like, no chance.

[Evan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And then that was it. And that was the end of it. But I also understood that I did that to somebody else when I came in.

[Dan]

Oh, cool. Wow.

[Brooks Laich]

Right?

[Evan]

Unbelievable mindset. Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan]

Like, I did that.

[Brooks Laich]

I unseated somebody else for me to be in the NHL, somebody else loses that spot. And that's just every year. I think there's 20% turnover in the league, you know, And I got to play 15 years, which is longer than three times the average. The average is five is what it averages out to. So, like, I have immense amount of gratitude, but it's still at the same. I thought I was going to play till I was 50.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

You know, just because I love the physicality and, like, I'll stay in shape and, like, I love that. And I wanted to show the young guys how to do it, but, man, the landscape shifted so fast under my feet, where now it all of a sudden shifted on the other side of 26. You get on the other side of 26, 27, they're shy of you. You get on the other side of 30. At that time, I was 34.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

You know.

[Dan]

Bye.

[Brooks Laich]

Bye.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

So it was that Thanksgiving, a nightmare. Was it. Was it nice that you got to see your.

[Brooks Laich]

No, I didn't go. I got. I didn't even get on the plane because I was. I was done.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

So, yeah, it's. Tough day. Tough day. I still remember it very freshly, but so grateful, man. I got to play in the NHL. That's why, like, whatever I was. Yeah. It didn't matter if I was hurt, sick, dying. I was going to scrape away to get to the rink and try and get the jersey on. It was just so good.

[Evan]

I mean, playing a game, playing every boy's dream, playing the game.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. And actually, you know what? Since I retired, I learned something very unique, very different. I didn't know this. It wasn't until I retired that I learned this. I always said, if you look back, I said I loved hockey. I loved hockey. And I think that was a superpower. I loved hockey more than I felt everybody else, but it wasn't actually true. I was. I did love hockey, but I haven't really played. I haven't played hockey in nine years since I retired. Why is that? If I love it that much, why is it? I was addicted to the competition, laced within the game, competing with and against the best in the world. Hockey was just the outlet where I got to do it. Yeah. But what I found out, if I would have grown up in Texas, maybe I'd have played football. But it was the competition against the best with and against the best in the world that I was addicted to. And I did love the sport, but the calling was really the competition laced within it.

[Dan]

Yeah. That's very cool. I love that.

[Brooks Laich]

But I didn't know it at the time.

[Evan (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Right.

[Evan]

Because I just think this is the game I like to play.

[Dan]

It kind of takes us to World Playground, which I really want to talk about now. And there's a couple of things in here that I thought were so, so cool that you've said, as you kind of created this and got into. Into this, one of them being you said that you spent 13, 15 years. And frankly, it's more than that. When you think about your childhood.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Doing something that you love. And you just said it was that competition. It was playing, playing against the best. So then when you finally stopped, you said you weren't going to do something that you like. So you had to figure out, what do I love? I love that so much. I think it's what people should do in general. And then also, you used to sign autographs and say the word world is your playground.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

And that kind of comes to the name. And you were talking about the logo. So I want to hear more about the logo, how this came. And then in that search for, like, what do I love? What am I going to spend the next part of my life doing that I love so tell us about all of this, how it came about and then you had two kind of crazy years after you retired.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. Fun years.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

So for anybody listening that doesn't know what it is. World Playground. Worldplayground CO is a travel booking platform. We make the world more available to everybody. We remove all commissions from travel products. We'll never add a single cent of commission. We'll never keep one. If you want to save, we save you the most on travel. That's our tagline. But what it is is we actually just give you the travel product for the price that we receive it and we don't ever add a commission to it. Where every other booking platform adds a commission to your hotel. So wherever you guys are traveling, run the hotel. Have Evan run it right now. Your next hotel, run it on any other booking site. Run it on our site. It'll be more affordable on our site because we don't ever add a markup to it. We just want to make the world more affordable to everybody.

[Evan]

And that's so people understand that's like, you don't even see it.

[Brooks Laich]

You don't know it. Yeah. On average it's 18%.

[Evan]

Yeah. What they show you when you're on every other site, what they're showing you is already. Yes. It's already been taken from you. Yeah. That blew my mind. The first time I was watching your videos. I was like, God damn.

[Brooks Laich]

So, yeah, I just encourage people price compare any of your travel, your cruise, your hotel. We have flights coming to the website as well. We just.

[Dan]

The.

[Brooks Laich]

The price of travel has gotten outrageous.

[Dan]

It has, sure has.

[Brooks Laich]

The home prices are outrageous. Inflation, gas prices, outrageous. Groceries, youth. Sports are incredibly expensive. And our booking platform just makes it all more affordable for anybody that travels, whatever your manner of travel is. I did used to sign my, my autographs to kids. The world is your playground. So my dad was a principal. He always wanted me to. To get an education. And I said, I'm going to play in the NHL.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And he's like, brooks, you should get an education, have it in your back pocket. Then you can try and make the NHL. And I'm like, you don't win a Stanley cup in college. And I had, I had scholarship opportunities. They were sitting on the table at home. My dad. My parents sat me down. There's Boston College, whatever. Denver College, Wisconsin, whatever. These colleges like scholarship opportunities. And my dad is a principal.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Looking at the world through an educator. You have a full ride to the United states, America, like D1 College. And I'm like, I don't care.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And he's like, what if you hurt your knee? I'll rehab it and then I'll make the NHL. Whatever. So anyway, he wasn't wrong. He was just wrong for me. I love my dad. My dad is the biggest supporter. My dad and my mom are the biggest supporter in my life and in my career. And I would never be anywhere without them. It just wasn't. Education wasn't for me. I wanted the NHL and I wanted to just let every kid know that. That the world is a place of play. You don't just have to plug into the. Go to college, get a job, go work, whatever. The world is amazing. So I always like to tag. The world is your playground your friend. To Dan, the world's your playground, your friend Brooks, like. And then I just love those two words. They just kept coming together.

[Evan]

World Playground. Such a great name.

[Brooks Laich]

And in 2015, I could feel the landscape of the league shift under my feet. It was going younger, and I'm like, I'm not playing till I'm 50. Yeah, I've got a few more left maybe. And I'm like, okay, well, what do I want to do? I started kicking tires on other things that I might want to transition to. And I was like, I don't know what World Playground is, but I know that name is cool. And in 2015, I got the social medias for it.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Brooks Laich]

At World Playground. No idea what I was going to do with it, but I was just like, someday in my life, I'm going to do something entrepreneurial with that word, those two words. And then in 2020, then 2018, I retired from, like, hockey. Ended 2018, 2019, I traveled the world, summited Kilimanjaro with my mom, went trekked with the gorillas, went on safari, went sailing, scuba diving on a yacht in Indonesia. Just went everywhere. And it was awesome. And I was telling you, Chris, I'm like, I'm going to go broke. Like, I made a few bucks, but, like, I'm spending a few bucks. I'm going to go broke. I love this travel thing. And then I was like, okay, I love travel and venture. I've been to some amazing places, some remote places that I think other people would want to go. And I love a team environment.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

What can I do with those three things? Let me apply my intelligence here and find out a way to make money traveling. And so we started World Playground, which is taking people on ultimate bucket list adventures around the world. I would take. Take small groups of anywhere from 16 to 40 people and lead them through whatever country, Egypt, Iceland, Maldives, Tanzania, wherever on these bucket list adventures. Learned a lot in the last five and a half years and then said, okay, I had served a luxury community, and now I was like, I want to make the world available for everybody. And I saw how much other booking platforms were adding to the cost of your travel and your travel. And now being a parent, I have a daughter. The cost of travel for a father or mother to afford is outrageous. And I said, we're going to build a booking platform that never adds a single cent of commission ever to a product and give the exact pricing that we receive to every single traveler in the world for free.

[Evan]

Insane.

[Brooks Laich]

And that's what we built.

[Dan]

And it's unbelievable.

[Brooks Laich]

We have, we have people from 45 different countries using the website, booking their travel, saving hundreds, thousands. I got a text message yesterday from a friend, said she saved $3,000 on a trip to Costa Rica with her and her mom.

[Dan]

Like, that's incredible.

[Evan]

And it's, it's amazing too, because you kind of just said this, that it's not just.

[Dan]

It's.

[Evan]

It is the bucket list stuff too, but it's also like a family reunion. We're doing a small thing. Whatever you need.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

This serves.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. So now this is my competition. Like I told you, I love competing with and against the best in the world. My competition now is to be the. The best in the world. Our platform, be the best in the world at connecting a traveler to their next unforgettable memory. The single best in the world, the traveler and your unforgettable memory. And we want to be the best in the world at connecting those. And my mission in life now used to be to win a Stanley Cup. My mission in life now is to inspire people. And one of the ways to do that was through travel. And now one of the ways that I can fulfill my life mission is getting you and you and your family, you and Sandra, want to go on your honeymoon, getting you as close to your next unforgettable memory as possible. And if in some way our booking platform is a small component of the best memories of your life, that's pretty fulfilling.

[Evan]

How special is that?

[Dan]

That's a championship right there.

[Evan]

It's amazing that you had this idea, 2015, you're already cooking on this, you know, and then 2020, it launches. I was actually laughing, dude, because obviously 20, 20 year travel.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, it was great for us. It was amazing.

[Evan]

Yeah, actually good point, because people were

[Brooks Laich]

like, I gotta go somewhere and Every other company stopped.

[Evan]

Interesting.

[Brooks Laich]

The world shut down. The world shut down. So everybody came back to the starting line. And we launched in 2020 in the height of COVID and we took people to Tanzania and everywhere in Maldives. We got, like 60% off the best villas in Maldives because we were willing to travel and they had nobody at the resort. So I could just leverage our community and the time and get people amazing deals to places that they otherwise couldn't afford. And then we'd go on these amazing adventures.

[Evan]

Dude, this so good. There was a. You had an Instagram post, I think, but it was like, my friend, maybe, but someone had said, pick an adjective for your year at New Year's. What are you going to. And you were like. I saw you being like, I love this, actually. And actually, I do, too. I want to do this.

[Dan]

That's very cool.

[Evan]

But your January 2020 adjective was boundless.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh.

[Evan]

And then you were like this. And the world shut down. It's like, God damn. But it was actually perfect timing because you remained boundless the whole way.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. Well, I was on a flight one time that had four people on it.

[Evan]

No way. Yes.

[Dan]

Coming to la. I love that that flight took off. You know, it's unbelievable. Can you break down the logo for us? There's so many details.

[Brooks Laich]

So the logo, I told you, is my dog. My dog. Koda. Yeah, Koda. I got Koda when I was living here in la. A friend text me. He was a friend text me and said, I adopted the sister. The brother's gonna be put down. These two daughters are gonna be put down because the shelters are overflowing after the Malibu fires. And you need to adopt the brother. So I adopt him.

[Dan]

Is he a husky?

[Brooks Laich]

He's a husky. Siberian Husky. And he's my boy. And my pledge to him, when I got him, we went on a run the first day, and I was looking at him like, nobody in the world is going to give this guy a better life than I will. Yeah. I just know that I have my lake house in Idaho with 12, 10 and a half acres in the woods. Nobody's going to give this guy a better life than I will. So you're my boy. And my pledge to him was, I will give you the best life in the world, and I will take you around the world for the best life. And that's why he is our logo for our company, because that reminds me of my intention with the company in that every person, every traveler that we serve, our intention is to give them the best life by taking them around the world, and that's what our platform now makes available for them. Previously, I did it in leading them on the adventures. Now it's a booking platform like an expedia or one of the same thing, but we just don't add Commission. So we're 18% under those prices on average. But he's the purpose. That's the reason. Because in perpetuity, when I look at that logo, it'll always remind me. The purpose of this company is to serve travelers, take them around the world and give them the best life possible. It's also my favorite photograph I've ever taken. It's my favorite photograph I've ever taken.

[Dan]

Before you even show me. Is the blue a bandana?

[Brooks Laich]

Yes, it was. But also the blue will ring in on this photo when you see it.

[Dan]

Okay.

[Evan]

Holy hell, dude. What? Oh, my God.

[Dan]

Where was that?

[Brooks Laich]

That was in Idaho. He's.

[Evan]

It is insane.

[Brooks Laich]

He's just a regal beast. We were hiking in the snow, in the woods the one day, and I just caught this angle of him, and I'm like, that is it. That is. I've ch the rest of my life. I've tried to take a nicer photograph than this one. And he is just a regal beast. Look at that handsome guy.

[Dan]

I know the sky with his eyes.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

You have to text that to us. Yeah.

[Dan]

Because we got to get that.

[Evan (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

So it's so fun. It's like your honeymoon. Where are you planning on going?

[Evan]

Your honeymoon? Don't know yet, but we're starting the conversations because it's like we have a list, you know, so it's like, great. Some unreal options.

[Brooks Laich]

Wherever you go, we'll be able to make it more affordable. So whether you're going on a five star honeymoon or if listeners are going on a three star honeymoon, if you need a. You guys travel a lot for work. The hotels are now more affordable. This is my pledge to you, to my employees, to our community. I say this every day on social media. We will never, ever, ever add a single cent of commission to any travel product. We sell.

[Dan]

Huge.

[Brooks Laich]

You will get the exact price that we get it at, and we will forever compete on your behalf to bring the cost of travel down to as low as humanly possible when every other company is trying to add commissions to make as much profit as possible. This platform is built by a traveler. Yes, by travelers to serve travelers.

[Evan]

Yes, dude.

[Brooks Laich]

And that is the whole purpose of it.

[Evan (Producer)]

I got the research here. It's Lowe's Hotel Hollywood. Same dates, 8:57 on the Lowe's website on World Playground, it's 696.

[Evan]

Come on, dude.

[Evan (Producer)]

So that's like $151 two night stay. Yeah. Two night stay. Yeah. That's obviously Hollywood. Very expensive anyway, but that's really great.

[Brooks Laich]

150. Yes, 150 bucks. All it is when you search on our sites or again, anybody listen, our site is free to use. Every single decision we made on this site was does this make this more expensive or less expensive for the traveler? That was the single filter. That's why there's no membership, there's no subscription, there's no fee to use it. There's no added commission ever. There's no gotcha hidden anything. We simply pass on the product as we receive it. And we think it's the most groundbreaking and disruptive thing in travel since travel went online in the mid-90s. Because there's no other company in the world doing this. Other companies are built by corporations for profit. This is built by travelers, to serve travelers and get you to your next unforgettable memory. And you just see the prices revealed right here. Just price. Compare our site versus any other site out there, wherever you want. Right now we're on average 18% lower on hotel rooms than the next lowest price anywhere online. Not just against one hotel room.

[Dan]

That's so great. Why do you think just quickly in doing all this and how amazing this whole thing has been for you, why do you think travel is so important to people, to couples, to families? What are the elements of it that you think are so good for the spirit and your just life in general?

[Brooks Laich]

Can I take you on a trip, please?

[Evan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan]

Because I love traveling. I think it, I know you do too.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Dan]

But it's like I think it is the most we're so big on, you know, Alice and I try to establish rules of like, you know, if it's been X amount of time when we haven't gone somewhere, just do a mini trip.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Find somewhere close by where we can get away to. And it's just like I think I, I my. One of my favorite things about travel is I think it's twofold. Experiencing new things, going somewhere, a bucket list place that you've always wanted, wanted to do and fully dive into the culture, the food, everything there. And then I also love how great of a feeling you have when you come back. It makes you appreciate home more when you travel more. And I think that's such a special thing.

[Brooks Laich]

I have a couple things I'll try and get through them really quickly. And I say this knowing where I am and who am I speaking to? I did. I hosted a podcast with iHeartMedia with Gavin DeGraw. Gavin. We did a podcast for a couple years. I realized that I couldn't fulfill my mission in life doing a podcast. And that is no slight on YouTube. Gentlemen, I love what you guys do. So that's why I press that is no slight on YouTube. I couldn't fulfill my mission. My mission in life is to inspire people. The follow up question to that is, okay, how? How do you inspire people? And I couldn't. I didn't feel like I could do it through a podcast. Cause I couldn't see the person's reaction of what they were listening to. I couldn't be there with them in the room. I couldn't. I couldn't grab them and see it in the eyes. And. And I was like, I. So I need to do more in travel. And then that's when I stopped the podcast and then I went back to travel. And then in 2020, we launched World Playground. And you take people and you take them to Africa. You put them in front of a lion, you put them in front of a kid that has no shoes on and one T shirt, and that's all they have. And you see hearts wonderfully disrupted in ways you can't imagine. You see gratitude, you see kindness. You mentioned it with culture, food, dance, spirit, celebration.

[Dan]

Yes.

[Brooks Laich]

The world is amazing. And that's where I felt I could impact and touch people. And so that's why then we continued with World Playground. And then it was okay, we don't want to just touch people that have the means to afford these nice places. We want to make the world more affordable for everyone. Everybody. And it's just, honestly, it's simply a continuation of what I saw my parents do my whole life. Yes, My dad, always my dad. My dad is the fairest man. You guys haven't met my dad. My dad is the fairest man on the planet. He genuinely dislikes Christmas because. Because so many kids go without.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

He generally. Christmas is always a difficult day because he just thinks about how many kids go without. And he always said fun is the last thing that families can afford to spend money on. Rent, health care, school bills, whatever.

[Dan]

And that's a shame.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. And so he always tried to bring fun into families. We're from a community of 600 people. He knew. He did. He was a principal. He knew which kids didn't have their families didn't have money. And he Would always try and bring them golfing, water skiing, tubing, bring them to my hockey games later on, whatever he could do for families to bring fun into their life that he knew they could not afford. And he never asked for anything back. My mom did it with food. So I saw my parents do this their whole lives and still do it to this day. And just what we are doing with World Playground is just a continuation of the efforts that I saw them make. It's just now hopefully at a scale that can reach more people than just within our immediate community.

[Evan]

Yep. I mean, dude, I was going to ask you because you said competition was what was actually fulfilling you. It's from hockey. And I was going to ask what. How does this fulfill you? But it's. It's that. It's. It's passing on.

[Dan]

It is firing.

[Evan]

Inspiring.

[Brooks Laich]

It is going at the biggest companies in the world. Like the companies we're going up against the biggest booking platforms. Think of the ones that run the

[Dan]

super bowl, of course.

[Evan]

Yep.

[Brooks Laich]

They have, like, one has a $12 billion marketing budget. Just. Their marketing is 12 billion. And here we were, we're a few people in a small dev team and computers, and we're beating them. The biggest booking platforms. Evan just showed it. Yeah. We're beating them on average by 18% on price because. And we don't even compete on price. We compete on value. So I want you, like, I want you to take Sandra to the most amazing honeymoon you guys could ever imagine. And we're not. We'll give you our, like, our platform's free for everybody, and we won't make a cent off of you doing it, but you will save hundreds or thousands of dollars on that trip, you know, and maybe you get to go on another trip to because of it, or maybe you get to have an experience on it that you got that you could afford where you otherwise couldn't afford something. And that to me matters so much more. And so I love going at David and Goliath like Expedia and booking.com and I want to compete, and we're competing to be the best in the world at marrying the traveler to their next unforgettable memory. And a byproduct of that competition is just a better price.

[Evan]

God. Right. So. So good. Fires me.

[Dan]

I'm telling you, I want to know on the personal side sense, just, you know, take away the company and. And everything you're doing for others. What's some of your favorite type of travel? And what does Catrin love?

[Evan]

Like, what.

[Brooks Laich]

Where's Safari?

[Evan]

Yeah, man.

[Dan]

We went a few years ago.

[Evan]

Did you? Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

There's nothing like it.

[Dan]

We will have to do it after the pod because we will talk for 15 hours. I. Man, it was the one. The one anecdote I'll share. We. When we're getting to go, our cousin sets it up. He loves. He goes to this place every year pretty much. And they send out this unbelievable itinerary of, you know, like, when we do the game drive, when we have tea, when we do this, blah, blah, blah. And there's, you know, we were there 10 days, multiple game drives a day. And when we were looking at it, I remember in my head going, I'll probably skip an afternoon game one of the days, you know, maybe I'll want to do a workout or maybe take a nap, because the first one's really early. Day one, morning one, we're up at 5am we go have breakfast, we get in the trucks and we drive out. And I. We were out for maybe one hour. And I said out loud, there is nothing on earth that will keep me from doing this. Like, I don't care what workout I've missed, how sleep deprived I am, I will be in this truck on game drive every single day. This is the best trip of my entire life. It was.

[Evan]

Idiot.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, we went together, man. There's nothing like it. It's the greatest thrill. If I had one single day of adventure left in the world, I would do a day trip. We do this thing in Tanzania, where we start in Tanzania, we migrate over to Kenya, to the Mara river, where there's the crocs and the wild beast crossing the chaos and rhinos and you hippos and you name it, that's the single greatest day of adventure on the planet for me. So safari is my number one. Trekking with gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda is insane. Swimming with humpback whales in Tonga. Everybody needs. It's a. It's like the single greatest wildlife moment of my life happened in Tonga a couple years ago. There was 22 males or 22 whales coming right at us like a Jurassic park moment. 22 school buses, like, coming at us underwater. And it's 21 males chasing one female to mate with her.

[Evan]

Oh, my God.

[Brooks Laich]

That's why it's called a heat run. Yeah, and that's what it's called. And.

[Evan]

Oh, my God, if we had that

[Evan (Producer)]

in college, heat run.

[Dan]

We've all been a part of that. We've all been a part of that.

[Brooks Laich]

It was amazing. And I just. We saw the whole. We had 22 whales coming right at us, and they just came right and went right underneath us. And you just feel like you're in Jurassic Park.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

So wildlife is fascinating. Wildlife is usually what draws me in. And it's. To your point. It's Mother Nature. There's no human beings. It's not fences, it's not cage. It's Mother Nature, its landscape. It's sunsets, sunrises, and animals existing within an ecosystem as God or nature, Mother Nature, whatever you believe in, designed them. And that is just beautiful.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Evan]

So good.

[Dan]

Love it.

[Brooks Laich]

Okay, well, I have one question for you. One bucket list. Place that you can go on, like, one trip. You guys can go on your next one. You got a free trip. Where are you going?

[Dan]

I want to go to the mountains in Japan.

[Evan]

Oh, wow.

[Dan]

Nice. Yeah.

[Evan]

Very interesting percent. Okay, so our mom is Lebanese, and our dad is kind of is Norwegian and Irish. That's. That's the. That's the blend. And I. As I was telling you, I'm pretty new to travel, and I've really wanted to hit one of those. Like, whether it's like, in Ireland where we golf and I see that, or go to Norway and experience that whole see the northern lights or do go to go to Lebanon and have a trip there. One of those, I think, would be cool. Just for the one on one of my first big trips to get the family connection, I think would be really special, too.

[Brooks Laich]

My parents. My dad was born in Germany. They actually just got home from Germany, and my brother went with him as well, just to see what. Right where my dad's roots were.

[Evan]

That's so awesome.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, it's important, too.

[Evan]

Yeah. So those. Those are my first. Those are first on my list. Okay. Well, this is actually perfect because we are. We're going to play a game we play with everybody. It's called pass, Shoot, score.

[Brooks Laich]

Let's go.

[Evan]

And it's a just. We give you three things within categories that we know you like, and you just rank them past shoot and score. Pass in the puck is cool, but that's our least favorite. Shooting the puck is better because we like getting pucks on net. And then scoring is the ultimate goal. So that'll be your favorite.

[Brooks Laich]

Now, why do I feel like I'm gonna go score, score, score?

[Evan]

Yeah. We award one hat trick.

[Brooks Laich]

Okay.

[Evan]

So the first one, you kind of are just answered, which is why this is amazing, but so you don't even have to rank them. And if you don't want to rank them, I want to hear your bucket list. That you haven't done. But the first one was going to be travel, so it was pass through score. Climbing Kilimanjaro with mom. Trekking with the gorillas in Rwanda. Swimming with the humpbacks in Tonga.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, my mom trained for six months every single day.

[Dan]

What a legend.

[Evan]

I couldn't believe it.

[Brooks Laich]

My mom's a third degree. Third degree black belt karate.

[Dan]

Really?

[Brooks Laich]

She tried out for the national team at the age of 55 and placed fifth. Like my mom was. My mom was a. I would get into quarrels with her in the kitchen. I would try and, like, choke my mama, but she was just. She was so fast. And I am like my mom. So every. There's so many ways I am like my mom, and I love my mom, and I am so proud of her. And she summited kilimanjaro after her 64th birthday.

[Dan]

That's insane.

[Brooks Laich]

She trained for six months every single day. She would not miss a day because she's like, I'm gonna end up on the top of that mountain. So that's incredible. That's a score. Especially if you do it with somebody you love. And there's a reason I'll say this. It's a shoot unless you do it with somebody you love.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Brooks Laich]

It was a distinction so much more powerful.

[Evan]

Good distinction.

[Brooks Laich]

It was cool. But, like, I'd rather swim with the humpback whales in Tonga.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

That's a score. Yeah. Trekking with the gorillas like you trek with a gorilla's head. A gorilla's head is like the size of a propane tank.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And they walk by you. It's like you, like, they'll walk. They walk, like, five feet by you sometimes, and you're like, you are the undisputed king of the jungle.

[Dan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Undisputed. The feelings you get in the proximity of animals is just. So I'd say Kilimanjaro would be a score or a shoot unless it's with somebody you love. Gorillas, I would say, are a shoot as well, Because I would put. I would put Tonga and the humpback whales above it.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And safari above it.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Brooks Laich]

That's a score. So I'm trying to be honest to the game.

[Evan]

Yes. And so give us, if you have one, because you've done so many amazing things. Do you have a top of your bucket list? You're like, I haven't done this one yet, and I can't wait.

[Brooks Laich]

I want to take my fiance and our daughter through Tuscany and Florence and Venice. Less adventure, more peace. Family walks. Culture, food, music. Just for a month in Tuscany. Something like that's calling to me. More adventure related. I want to do, like, a four day trek through the desert in Morocco, ending up on, like, a cliffside villa for four days in Marrakesh or something like that. I want to do that, man. We had Antarctica planned. I had a whole trip to Antarctica planned. And we got pregnant, had to cancel. We were gonna do skiing and snowboarding in Antarctica, so there's so much out there. Like, there's. So that's why I like asking.

[Evan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

What's on your. Because I'm gonna learn something.

[Evan]

Something right here. Something new.

[Dan]

Definitely.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

That's sick.

[Dan]

Okay, next one's gonna be outdoor activities. Local outdoor activities. Wake surfing at the lake.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, yeah. Come on up, boys.

[Evan]

I cannot wait.

[Brooks Laich]

Come on up.

[Dan]

Fly fishing.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Saw that arctic char catch.

[Brooks Laich]

Yep. You guys are the best research guys ever. Evan, if that's you, you need a raise.

[Evan (Producer)]

No, it's all them.

[Dan]

Then.

[Evan (Producer)]

I'm just hitting buttons.

[Brooks Laich]

So impressed.

[Dan]

And then day of paintball with the boys.

[Brooks Laich]

That one just. In what you just mentioned, what was the first thing you mentioned? Wake surfing. Okay, so wake surfing. Score. Love it. Yeah, we spend a lot of time during that. The day you mentioned was my favorite day I ever had with my. My dad still alive. My favorite. All the hockey stuff we did paled in comparison to us. Fly fishing in Alaska, catching Arctic char at the base of an active volcano. That's travel.

[Evan]

So that's trouble.

[Brooks Laich]

That is like, somebody kill me. Summoning Kilimanjaro with my mom. Fly fishing with my dad in Alaska. Those are two of my favorite memories in my entire life with my parents. And it was only because I could afford to go do them. I could take them on those trips. I want that for every son, every parent, every brother to be able to afford those same things. That's why our platform exists. The last one you said

[Dan]

paintball with the boys.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, that one for me is like a pass. Just because.

[Dan]

That's fine.

[Evan]

I had to bring it up exactly.

[Brooks Laich]

Just because the other two are so powerful. The wake surfing, the memories. And then, like, what I did with my dad, fly fishing for arctic char.

[Dan]

I had. I had a paintball phase.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Okay. And nothing wrong with that.

[Dan]

It was just like a random thing in the summer while playing hockey, and it was just like, you know, there's a group of guys, and I don't know what happened to me, but there were people at the paintball courses, and all my friends were like, you need to go GoPro at paintball. Yeah. This is insane. Like, I was like, dude, you did. I was an assassin. I don't know what happened to me or came over me, but I was like, there's something clicked. And paintball was the thing, and I was like, I got to stop doing. It's also low key.

[Evan]

Manchurian.

[Dan]

Canada.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan]

Genuinely. I was. I was just born.

[Brooks Laich]

Something in paintball. Somebody said a.

[Evan (Producer)]

A keyword, and.

[Dan]

Yeah. But it is the most expensive hobby in the entire world. It was great.

[Brooks Laich]

From golf, maybe.

[Evan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan]

Golf's up there.

[Brooks Laich]

If you look at every single year in our caps like. Like, player profile, what would you do if you didn't play hockey? I was like, I'd be in a Canadian. Like, I'd be a Canadian James Bond.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

I could be in the paintball team with you.

[Evan]

Yeah, you too, Dan.

[Brooks Laich]

Let's start it.

[Evan]

I love it.

[Dan]

We got to figure out what would the Canadian James Bond name be.

[Evan]

Good call. We love names. This is the team. This is.

[Dan]

We're gonna figure that out.

[Brooks Laich]

Daryl

[Dan]

was there or gourd. Like.

[Brooks Laich]

Like, yeah. Stuff like that. It'd be fairly easy. I. I probably know all of the James. They're just living.

[Dan]

I love that Kota gets in the mixer with the. With the lake life stuff, too. Oh, yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

He surfs.

[Evan]

Was it hard to get him on the board?

[Dan]

It's exciting.

[Brooks Laich]

No, he. My deal with him from the start. I tell him this all the time. I'm like, part of the gig bud. That's what I say to him. Like, we go on helicopters, boats, trains, planes. He's probably been on 300 flights. Like, he goes every. He goes everywhere. So everything I do, he does. Yeah. So I was just like, part of the gig bud, and figured out how to surf with him. So he surfs now. He loves it.

[Evan]

He loves it.

[Brooks Laich]

Paddleboarding.

[Dan]

He's like, dude, you saved my life. I'll do whatever.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. He's my boy. Yeah.

[Evan]

Yeah. Okay, your next category is songs.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

Pass, shoot, score. Money talks by acdc, Little giant by rupains, and mmm bop by Hanson.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, you guys are the best researched. I just respect your craft.

[Dan]

I respect you for liking MBapp. That is a banger. And we bought that album, that orange album, and that song absolutely rips.

[Brooks Laich]

Okay. Money talks was one of my favorite songs growing up. It was one of the songs that got me into playing guitar.

[Evan]

Yes.

[Brooks Laich]

With what's coming up with little giants and mbop. I'm gonna pass.

[Evan]

Wow.

[Brooks Laich]

It got me into guitar, and I'm even gonna Pass little giant. That is my When Coda. When I play little giant, coda howls.

[Dan]

Oh, really awesome.

[Brooks Laich]

When it. That is our song. And when it comes on, there's a. And he just. And anywhere in the house, if that song comes on, wherever he's at, he just stops and he just howls and sings to it. And I'll put that on when he jumps into bed in the morning sometimes. But once a week, I'll put that song on and we'll just howl.

[Dan]

And I love how much huskies talk.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, it's a bad.

[Evan]

So funny.

[Brooks Laich]

So that one is a scammer's a hat trick for me.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Mmm. Bop two. I don't care who you are. That song is amazing. It's amazing. That song is fantastic. I wake surf to the.

[Dan]

It's slap song.

[Evan]

Slap.

[Brooks Laich]

It slaps so hard.

[Dan]

And I. I. You actually just nailed it. I. There's. I. I have a playlist that I will share with you. That is a. That is exactly this. I believe there are some songs that are meant to be played outdoors.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, cool.

[Dan]

Oombop is one of those. Like, when you are outside and the sun is up and you're on water and Oombop comes on, you are a dead person if you do not get a smile on your face and you're like, yeah, this is awesome. Also. And that song is one of those.

[Brooks Laich]

It's my wake surfing song and there's nothing. And like, a lot of. We have a same group of core friends that come up and there's nothing more enjoyable than me looking at the boat and seeing all of the girls, because girls usually dance more than guys, and so they love the song. And so I look up and I see a bunch of my best, like, friends just dancing and just loving bop. And it just. It's my visual, too, of them, like, looking at me and look. It's just the greatest. But. And the lyrics, if you actually listen to the lyrics. Powerful lyrics.

[Dan]

It's absolutely the powerful lyrics. Very much so. It is not just like a random summer jam. It's like, that is a song. It has a meaning. It has feeling. It's unbelievable.

[Brooks Laich]

Great question.

[Evan]

That is incredible. Did I have to ask? Did the Baby Blue Sound crew ever master Sweet Child of Mine?

[Brooks Laich]

No, no, no.

[Evan]

I. I got the timing issue.

[Dan]

Honestly.

[Brooks Laich]

It was a commitment issue. There was a commitment issue. Just. He was an unreliable bandmate. I mean, probably all of Lamar, but, like. Yeah, it was fun, though. Mike and I just had good times playing. He just could never figure it out. I couldn't either. I wasn't good enough. But yeah, it was, it. It allowed me to spend time doing something that wasn't hockey related. Playing instruments.

[Evan]

So you were named after your Fender, right? Your baby blue Fender that you had?

[Brooks Laich]

Yes.

[Evan]

Yeah. Is that because I saw that you. Because you said you were playing air guitar in Ottawa and somebody's like, buy a guitar. And then it was like the trainer's dad had arthritis or something. Was that the Fender that was the baby blue one?

[Brooks Laich]

No.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Brooks Laich]

So I just. I know I didn't even sign yet. So I was 18, walking through my first NHL camp playing an air guitar. Like money talks or something.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

And yeah, it turns out the trainer's dad had arthritis and was selling nine guitars and they were in his office. I used some of my per diem to buy. To buy a hundred and fifty dollars godin guitar. And I learned. I taught myself hockey or taught myself hockey, taught myself to play guitar. Then I bought an amp for like a hundred dollars. All I could afford. I couldn't afford anything. And then when I signed my first NHL contract, my signing bonus was 775,000. And I bought myself a Line 6amp which is like a thousand dollar amp and a Fender Stratocaster. And I just let that thing roar. I didn't buy a vehicle for like four months. I got rides with teammates through like November, December. They're like, brooks, you should buy a vehicle. I'm like, I probably should, but damn, you should see my ass.

[Evan]

God, that's incredible. I remember, dude. One of my fondest memories of our uncle is very musical and got us. He. Dan was a drum. You play a little guitar too. But Dan was drums. I was a piano guitar guy. And I remember my first Fender to this day. Like it's still. I. I never play it because I have a couple new ones, but I still have that sunburn. Black and orange sunburst Fender Strat all timer classic.

[Dan]

I went Hendrick style because I'm a lefty.

[Evan]

Oh.

[Dan]

So I had to restring a black and white Fender upside down. Ooh. Which was kind of cool.

[Evan]

Yeah, it was a vibe.

[Dan]

All right, here's your last one. I'm very excited about this one because I'm a big foodie. You have said that breakfast is your favorite meal.

[Brooks Laich]

Oh yeah. I also have another favorite meal to share with you, but. Okay, let's go.

[Dan]

All right, so we're going to give you your passion score. Cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese honey and a fried egg.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. All time.

[Dan]

Your Mom's famous poppy seed slices and a cinnamon bun when you're on vacation. Because I know that's a vacation.

[Brooks Laich]

That's like.

[Evan]

That's it. There's the natural hat trick. There's the hat trick.

[Brooks Laich]

That is I. Yes.

[Dan]

That is the natural and then the surprise poutine. Right now.

[Brooks Laich]

Can you bring in the poo?

[Dan]

$6,000.

[Brooks Laich]

Put it on. I'll eat it.

[Dan]

$6,000.

[Brooks Laich]

Here's my favorite meal in the entire world.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Brooks Laich]

If you ever go to Iceland.

[Evan]

Oh, I've been.

[Brooks Laich]

You have been?

[Dan]

Yes. I actually saw the northern lights in Iceland.

[Evan]

Okay, I want to go.

[Dan]

Very good trip for me.

[Brooks Laich]

You ever go back, There's a place called Steakhousid Steakhouse. Steakhousid. H U S I D Steakhousid. And they have an Icelandic surf and turf, and it is a minke whale and horse steak.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Dan]

I've had the horse steak.

[Brooks Laich]

So minke whale and minke whale is so good. So the Icelandic surf. And it's like, it's like 300 pound burly men in the back grilling, like it's the big Icelander. The Viking guys in the back in this steakhouse grilling this. And it's amazing.

[Dan]

Other whale. And it was so fatty and chewy. And I was like, oh, my God, this is insane.

[Brooks Laich]

This will be. You'll. I would. I will highly. I. I think this is highly accurate that it would stand up against the best filet you've ever had. Wow.

[Dan]

All right.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah.

[Evan]

So they go. It comes out like they look like two steaks.

[Brooks Laich]

It looks like two steaks. If you didn't know you were eating. If I didn't say this is mink oil, you would have no idea.

[Dan]

A couple steaks.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah. If. And the horse steak is amazing too. Horse steak is so good. People just have a weird, I can't eat horse. But if you didn't know it was horse ate it.

[Dan]

You know what's funny? I. The first time I had it, it was a burger and I was like, burger incredible. And someone was like, it's horse. And I was like, oh, yeah. After that I was just like, well, I'm eating horse. So here we go. Yeah, it's incredible.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Brooks Laich]

Cinnamon bun, though. That's a Stanley cup of baking.

[Evan]

Agree. I am such a stupid.

[Dan]

Are we talking Cinnabon or are we talking like Swedish cinnamon buns with like sugar pearls and things like that?

[Brooks Laich]

Cinnabon has it down.

[Evan]

Yep.

[Dan]

We're talking like a glazed frosting.

[Brooks Laich]

Any of it. All of it. Just. I'm on a quest. Everywhere I go, it was a quest. Our cameraman would always find me a cinnamon bun. Kyle, my buddy Kyle is our cameraman. He would shoot all our adventures. All the ones are on YouTube. And he would always bring me a cinnamon bun. Somehow in Rwanda, Uganda, somewhere, he'd find a cinnamon bun.

[Evan]

Everyone needs a Kyle.

[Dan]

Kyle is baking cinnamon buns.

[Evan (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

Is amazing. Yeah.

[Dan]

That's incredible. And then. All right, I. I did. I did see this. You. You hate beans. What the hell? Just.

[Brooks Laich]

Where did you find that?

[Dan]

Too much. Too much chili growing up or like, what's going on?

[Brooks Laich]

Oh, yeah, basically. So I grew up in a small town. We'd walk to school, we'd walk home for lunch. We'd eat lunch at home as a family. Like my mom, dad, my brother, sister, and I, we'd eat lunch at home as a family, walk back to school, four blocks, whatever. The one day in grade four, I get to stay at school for lunch. Like, I've never got to do this in my life. And we have this little mini. It's like a shop room, cafeteria, whatever. And all they're serving is chili. And I have no idea what this is. I'm like, cool, give me a bowl of that. And it's just beans and just garbage. And I'm like, what is this? This is horrible. You ruined the first day that I ever get to spend at school for lunch. You ruined it. And I've been done with beans ever since.

[Evan]

Never again.

[Dan]

So devastating.

[Brooks Laich]

I was.

[Evan]

Dan's a big chili guy.

[Dan]

Oh, I. I'm. I make the best chili on earth. It's so good.

[Brooks Laich]

I believe it.

[Dan]

And there are beans in there.

[Evan]

There are. There are tons of beans.

[Dan]

It's not heavy beans, though.

[Evan]

Fair.

[Dan]

It's heavy protein. It's. I mean, beans are pretty protein, but do you do burritos or Mexican food and you're just always skipping the beans?

[Brooks Laich]

No, my fiance's got me into that stuff now. She just makes food and just puts it in front of me.

[Dan]

And then.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, we're back.

[Dan]

I'm semi bad back into both games. All right. Well, Brooksy, this has been unbelievable. We can't thank you enough for coming on. Before we cut you loose, is there anything else you want to plug? Anything you want to tell people? And. And as far as World Playground, just retell everyone where they can find it and what they're looking for.

[Brooks Laich]

Worldplayground. Co. You can just Google World Playground, find us on social. Worldplayground across every social. And yeah, we save you the most money on Travel. I give you every single person listening you gentlemen. Evan, I give you my word. I'm competing on your behalf. We are competing on your behalf to make travel more affordable for you. And we always will. So you can find us at world playground and then also just tip my cap to you guys.

[Evan]

Come on.

[Brooks Laich]

I say thank you for being able to come on here, share my story, our story, talk hockey. And also I think having hosted a podcast in the past, I think you guys do a beautiful job of the most important thing on a podcast. You walk the line between always adding value and entertainment. If you just do value, people get bored. If you just do entertainment, you're a schmuck. And you got listening to your podcast. And the way you guys do that, you are entertaining. You tell good stories. But then also you assess the game with knowledge. Not just there's a lot of people morons just talking about hockey, but you assess the game with knowledge. You do your research in depth. You have actual discussion on the game. I would love to come back to chat more hockey because I just love like having been in the sport. There's nuances that people don't see that I love to share. Being out of the sport now the way that I can still be involved is to share it. So I love what you do. You walk a beautiful line between value and entertainment, informing and entertaining the listener. It was a joy to be on here. I have another. I have another appearance. I got a jet to otherwise.

[Evan]

Yeah, yeah, let's get you there.

[Dan]

I would hang out. We would keep you all day. I would hang out. That means the world, bro.

[Brooks Laich]

We'll do.

[Evan]

We'll do a remote one from the lakes in Idaho right from the deck.

[Brooks Laich]

How dare you come up to Idaho.

[Evan]

That's what I'm saying.

[Brooks Laich]

Digital.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Brooks Laich]

We got beds for 20 at the house, bro. Bring Sandra, right? Bring like come on up.

[Evan]

That would be an absolute blast.

[Brooks Laich]

Yeah, anytime.

[Dan]

Damn.

[Brooks Laich]

I appreciate you both.

[Dan]

Yeah, seriously.

[Brooks Laich]

Thank you.

[Dan]

Huge, huge, huge shout out to Brooks. Like hope you enjoyed that as much as we did. That was one of those amazing moments where all three of us the second Brooks left we were like I could have done that for an entire day, dude.

[Evan]

That I have rarely left an interview that hyped. And it was I. I was talking about it to everyone I ran into. I stopping strangers on the street telling them they got to listen to it. It was absolutely insane. And easily have I could talk hockey with them forever. But the easily just as cool. The other half is world playground. Like that is going to change My life, literally.

[Dan]

If you are going traveling anytime soon and you don't check out World Playground, you're out of your mind. I actually shout out Rutger McGrorty after that interview. I was like, that kid just changed my perspective on life. Brooks did the same thing. Like there. It's just so nice talking with people like that that make you sit back and be like, you know what? This is a pretty wonderful world that we're living in and let's take full advantage of it. And I dude, my favorite now because at the top of this episode, I'm talking about how nothing is good in my life and I'm going to fucking swan dive into traffic. So thank God.

[Evan]

Brooks think so Think about the Brooks interview. Yeah, dude. My favorite part about Trigger Warning.

[Brooks Laich]

Trigger warning.

[Evan]

My favorite part is how dialed Brooks and Evan are like, they have the same name, their dads.

[Evan (Producer)]

His legal first name was Evan, which I thought was strange. Yeah.

[Dan]

Why strange?

[Evan (Producer)]

Well, because now his was name is Brooks, which he goes by, I guess. I don't know why. Maybe he hated the name Evan then I. I get it.

[Dan]

And there are just too many cool Evans out there, brother.

[Evan]

Yeah, there you go.

[Evan (Producer)]

And yeah, my dad and him do the same thing. And we both learned guitar from acd.

[Dan]

Yeah, that was.

[Evan (Producer)]

And my dog is. My dog is called Soda and his dog is called Koda.

[Evan]

I was like, well, you were the same people. Is it. This is ridiculous. That was awesome.

[Evan (Producer)]

I wish. I wish I was that hot. I. Trust me, my body does not.

[Evan]

But you couldn't. But you couldn't play for the captain so that, you know, there it all goes up in flames right there.

[Evan (Producer)]

That's true. I know when I told him I was a Penguins fan, he kind of had this look in his eye like he was going to strangle me. But he's too nice, so he didn't do it. He's a great guy.

[Dan]

Great guy. Great guy. Great episode. That's going to wrap it up for us today. If you haven't yet signed up for the virtual Goudreau family 5K, do it right now. It's all over our socials. It's going to be this weekend. If you're in New York City, join our partiful invite that'll be on our socials as well. You can walk with me in New York City. It's going to be fantastic. We love you guys. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Go do all the stuff. Give us those five stars. Subscribe to the YouTube. Send the YouTube to your friends and we will see you Friday morning. Let's keep enjoying some hockey. We love you guys. And remember the most important thing, skate hard.