Inside the NFL Owner’s Meeting + Gretzky on Ovechkin's Scoring Record, GOATs & NHL Playoffs | EP 141

Summary

Episode Summary: Inside the NFL Owner’s Meeting + Gretzky on Ovechkin's Scoring Record, GOATs & NHL Playoffs | EP 141

Date Released: May 28, 2025

In this enlightening episode of "New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce", hosted by Wondery, brothers Jason and Travis Kelce delve deep into the intricacies of the NFL's decision-making processes and engage in a captivating conversation with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. The episode seamlessly blends insider perspectives on football with rich insights into the world of hockey, offering listeners a multifaceted look into professional sports.

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1. Navigating the NFL Owner’s Meeting and the Tush Push Controversy (02:36 - 12:54)

Jason Kelce shares his firsthand experience attending an NFL owners' meeting, providing listeners with an exclusive glimpse into the legislative side of the league. The focal point of the meeting was the contentious "tush push" play, a strategy that has garnered both acclaim and criticism within the league.

• Defending the Tush Push:
  Jason explains, “I was just there to offer my frame of reference on the tush. The pushing of tushes” (07:00), emphasizing that his presence aimed to dispel rumors linking the play to increased injuries or his retirement.

• Legislative Process Insights:
  He reflects, “It was awesome to witness the legislative process of the NFL, how the owners vote on it, how these proposals come about” (07:10), highlighting the complexity and deliberation involved in rule changes.

• Outcome and Future Implications:
  Despite Jason's passionate defense, the proposal to ban the tush push "failed by two votes" (11:00). He believes that the longevity and success of the play are testament to its effectiveness and the owners' good intentions in maintaining competitive fairness and player safety.

• Community Reactions and Personal Reflections:
  Travis remarks, “You are the tush push, Jason” (10:15), showcasing the brothers' lighthearted camaraderie amidst serious discussions. Jason humbly counters, “Nobody cried. I’m the crier” (10:44), underscoring the emotional investment athletes have in their strategies and legacies.

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2. Introducing Hockey Icon Wayne Gretzky (40:03 - 56:10)

The episode takes a remarkable turn as the Kelce brothers introduce their distinguished guest, Wayne Gretzky, hailed as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Gretzky's impressive resume includes:

• 15-time NHL All-Star
• 9-time NHL MVP
• 10-time scoring champion
• 4-time Stanley Cup champion
• Holder of numerous NHL records, including most career points and assists

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3. Celebrating Gretzky’s Legacy and Records (40:33 - 47:18)

The conversation between Jason, Travis, and Gretzky is both nostalgic and inspirational, delving into Gretzky's most cherished records and his sportsmanship.

• Defining Moments and Records:
  Gretzky shares, “If I had one record that I cherish the most is the record that I think is going to be hardest to break. And that was I scored 50 goals in 39 games” (41:45). This milestone underscores his unparalleled skill and determination on the ice.

• Respecting Successors:
  He reflects on Alexander Ovechkin's pursuit of his record, “I'm proud and privileged that he broke it, and I'm happy that I say he's a good friend” (45:45), highlighting the mutual respect among elite athletes.

• Personal Anecdotes:
  Gretzky recounts memorable moments, such as witnessing Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal and the camaraderie shared with fellow players, emphasizing the humanity and emotional depth within professional sports.

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4. Current NHL Playoffs and Future Predictions (51:11 - 56:10)

Transitioning to the present, the trio analyzes the ongoing NHL playoffs, offering expert predictions and insights.

• Playoff Dynamics:
  Gretzky comments, “Edmonton learned a great lesson last year losing in the finals. They'll be a little bit different, a little bit more prepared” (52:25), predicting a competitive advantage for Edmonton with home-ice benefit.

• Travel and Team Morale:
  Travis adds, “It's absolutely ridiculous” (53:58), referring to the extensive travel teams endure during playoffs, a contrast to Gretzky’s era when travel was less grueling.

• Game-Day Experiences:
  Gretzky reminisces, “It was part of our life, right. We had no complaints about it whatsoever” (54:11), illustrating the enduring spirit and dedication required in professional hockey.

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5. The Culture and Respect in Hockey vs. Football (56:10 - 72:10)

A significant portion of the episode delves into the cultural differences between hockey and football, particularly focusing on physicality, respect, and sportsmanship.

• Physicality in Sports:
  Gretzky observes, “In hockey, you kind of knew where the guys were. In football, guys come out of nowhere to hit you from the side” (58:25), highlighting the structured nature of hockey’s physical plays compared to the unpredictability in football.

• Sportsmanship and Legacy:
  He emphasizes, “I have no enemies of players I played with or against” (60:47), promoting a culture of mutual respect and camaraderie that transcends fierce competition.

• Multi-Sport Development:
  Gretzky advocates forPlaying multiple sports during youth, “I don’t think there’s any question without all that, I wouldn’t have been a better player” (70:34), stressing the benefits of diverse athletic experiences in developing well-rounded and skilled athletes.

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6. Closing Thoughts and Final Interactions (72:10 - End)

As the episode winds down, the Kelce brothers and Gretzky engage in light-hearted banter, reflecting on personal stories and shared experiences.

• Personal Memories:
  Gretzky shares, “One of the great days I had was… protecting the Stanley Cup” (76:00), recounting heartfelt moments that symbolize the honor and responsibility of being a champion.

• Humor and Camaraderie:
  The conversation concludes with humorous exchanges about head covers and playful teasing, showcasing the genuine friendship and mutual respect between the guests.

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Notable Quotes

• Jason Kelce on witnessing the NFL legislative process:
  “It was awesome to witness the legislative process of the NFL, how the owners vote on it…” (07:15)

• Wayne Gretzky on sportsmanship:
  “The respect that the players have for each other… that's what's really important in life and in sports.” (56:10)

• Travis Kelce on the uniqueness of hockey:
  “It's something different watching hockey in person than watching it on TV.” (55:56)

• Gretzky on multi-sport benefits:
  “I don't think you just throw everything away at the age of 10, 11, concentrate on one sport.” (71:48)

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Conclusion

Episode 141 of "New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce" offers a compelling blend of insider NFL insights and legendary hockey narratives. Jason's recounting of the NFL owners' meeting provides a rare look into the strategic decisions shaping the league, while Wayne Gretzky's participation enriches the discussion with decades of sports wisdom and personal anecdotes. This episode not only entertains but also educates listeners on the profound connections between different sports cultures and the enduring values of respect and dedication.

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Transcript

[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

How about that?

[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

I've been hit all over the field on a football field. The hardest I've ever been hit in my life is open ice on a hockey ring. Like, you get a hospital pass going where you're looking back and that defenseman can have a clear run at you, man. Oh, my gosh, that is going to hurt. That is going to hurt.

[Wayne Gretzky]

You never look back. And secondly, you never have a defenseman that bad that passes the puck that bad.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah, there you go. There you go. Welcome back to New Heights, gentlemen, boys and girls, a wonder show produced by Wave Sports and Entertainment and brought to you by Reese's and their new PB and J Cups. All right, now, those things sound delicious, don't they? Get them in grape and strawberry, Jason. How about that? We're your host. I'm Travis Skells and my big brother, Jason Kelsey out of Cleveland Heights. Ohio Heights High alumni, baby. What's good, yo? Shout out to the heights. Shout out to the BearCats. Subscribe on YouTube onery plus wherever you get your podcast and follow the show on all social media at new heights show with 1s. Jason, tell the people what we got coming up.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh, we got a great one for you. We're gonna have some recap of my time at the NFL owners meeting. Answer some of your not dumb questions. Hey, speaking of great ones, we're gonna have the great one.

[Travis Kelce]

Wayne Gretzky, baby.

[Jason Kelce]

On the episode today, you're going to want to hear that Stanley Cups are coming to a. To a what? Is it coming to a forefront, right? We're 14 flats.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah, it's.

[Jason Kelce]

Stanley cup is almost here.

[Travis Kelce]

There you go. It's almost here. Panthers one game away and yeah, we got a. We got a heated battle between Dallas and Edmonton right now.

[Jason Kelce]

I think that means it's time for a little bit of that new news.

[Travis Kelce]

Let's get right to it, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

[Jason Kelce]

New news is brought to you by American Express. Okay, now you can go.

[Travis Kelce]

Let's get right into it. Shout out to American Express. Jason, you saved the tush push. Everyone in Philly has been saved. You're like a hero.

[Jason Kelce]

Stop.

[Travis Kelce]

You ever felt so heroic? You feel like you matter now?

[Jason Kelce]

No, I never feel like I matter.

[Travis Kelce]

Last week, the NFL owners voted and the vote to ban the tush push failed. Jason, did you stand outside the courthouse with a sign that said tush my push like I asked?

[Jason Kelce]

Push my Push my tush.

[Travis Kelce]

Push my tush.

[Jason Kelce]

No, no signage. I was. I was in the courthouse. I was. I was traversing and talking with the other owners and Committees and people that were in the room.

[Travis Kelce]

What did you do you threaten them? Did you threaten them with, like, something you would do if they banned the tush push?

[Jason Kelce]

No, I did not want to piss off any one of these individuals of immense. Was just there to. I was just there to offer my frame of reference on the tush. The pushing of tushes.

[Travis Kelce]

Man, I haven't been in a courtroom since I got a jaywalking ticket when I was in middle school. Well, how's a courtroom look in Minnesota?

[Jason Kelce]

It wasn't a court. It was a conference room at the hotel that we were staying at.

[Travis Kelce]

Ah, the courtyard.

[Jason Kelce]

Nice.

[Travis Kelce]

The old courtyard.

[Jason Kelce]

It was less courtroom and more like legislative room, if that makes sense.

[Travis Kelce]

Did they put you on the stand and ask you to so solemnly swear?

[Jason Kelce]

Well, there wasn't a stand. They. They just had. They did. I did get up there and was able to. So. Okay, let's fast forward. The reason I was there, or flashback, I guess, was because there was a narrative out there that one of the reasons I retired was because of the play or that I somehow felt like the play led to more injuries or was injured because of it. So I was really just there to offer my perspective on that stuff not being true. And, you know, the fact that I think it's a relatively safe play. But they. I did go up there and talk after Jeffrey Lurie kind of started things off and got some things. He kind of opened everything up. And then I kind of dispelled those rumors as well as, you know, answer some questions about how the play was run. But for the most part, it was. It was just awesome to witness, honestly, the legislative process of the NFL, how the owners vote on it, how these proposals come about. I couldn't help but think, like, I can't believe I'm in this room right now, to be honest with you. Like, there's just, like, hundreds of billions of dollars of wealth just sitting here. And.

[Travis Kelce]

Did you wear a suit?

[Jason Kelce]

I wore a blazer with boat shoes and slacks.

[Travis Kelce]

Okay, okay, okay. That was swagged out.

[Jason Kelce]

I was. I was. I was dressed. I was. I was looking.

[Travis Kelce]

You wear the collared shirt underneath or just like a regular.

[Jason Kelce]

His college shirt, collared shirt down, white button down. Kelsey, listen, I'm not gonna go in there looking like a slob. Anyways. It was awesome to witness. It was awesome to see how those things kind of take place. And, you know, I really did leave that place, leave the room and the meeting feeling strongly about, you know, how these proposals come about, how the. How the Game has changed. And the thought that goes into it, the thoroughness that it. That that happens between the competition committees and the health and safety doctors and individuals and. And Roger and the owners, there's a lot that goes into a lot of these decisions that are made. And it was. It was awesome to just kind of witness something that, in my opinion, has made the. The league better, at least our time in the NFL. So. Yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

When Roger walked in the room, did they all go all rise?

[Jason Kelce]

Nope.

[Wayne Gretzky]

No.

[Jason Kelce]

Once again, this is not a courtroom. It was not a courtroom. It was just.

[Travis Kelce]

But there was. There was a jury.

[Jason Kelce]

There's not a jury. There's. This is, again, legislative, not judicial. Legislative, not judicial.

[Travis Kelce]

I forgot those.

[Jason Kelce]

This is. This is more. You know, they're voting on how they want to proceed in business, so.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. So this is a lot different than a jaywalking ticket.

[Jason Kelce]

Much different.

[Travis Kelce]

Was there, like, one owner that kind of like, stood out to others? Like one that was just kind of like.

[Jason Kelce]

I think the one that stood out the most was Jeffrey because, you know, obviously he's been. He's passionate about this. He's. This play has been a big part of the Eagles success.

[Travis Kelce]

And yeah, you guys don't win a Super Bowl.

[Jason Kelce]

I will say the.

[Travis Kelce]

I kid, I kid, I kid.

[Jason Kelce]

The.

[Travis Kelce]

It's one of the greatest teams ever played.

[Jason Kelce]

The official proposal was not targeting the tush push, so to speak. Right. It was a targeting. They just wanted to add in the verbiage that used to be there that you can't assist the runner and push the runner. Right. That was a rule for 60 years. They wanted to go back to that rule. The reason they changed that rule back in the. I think 2016 maybe was because it was. It was really hard for the officials to decide, like, you know, is this guy pushing a defender when it's a pile? Is he pushing the pile? Is he pushing the runner? So they decided to just get rid of the rule of pushing and allow that to happen. And that's when the Tush push started. So the proposal was to go back to that. So it's kind of all encompassing, any type of pushing. Needless to say, I think that the main reason this is being brought up is because of the tush push and the success of it and the notoriety behind it. And I think Jeffrey was just. He's been pretty passionate about trying to get his point across. And I don't want to go into too much of what happened in that room because I don't think it's my place. I think it was kind of crazy I was even in the room to begin with.

[Travis Kelce]

You are the tush push, Jason.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, but I'm not an owner. It's not called the Tush Push meetings. It's called the owner's meetings.

[Travis Kelce]

Did you really make someone cry? Rumor alert. Some NFL owners were reportedly moved to tears listening to Jason defend the Tush push.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, I don't know what account this is.

[Travis Kelce]

Well, it's NFL notifications. Yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

I don't know.

[Travis Kelce]

Notify. It's clearly. It's got a blue check accounts.

[Jason Kelce]

I can guarantee you that. No, nobody cried. Nobody cried.

[Travis Kelce]

Okay.

[Jason Kelce]

I'm the crier. Everybody knows I'm the crier.

[Travis Kelce]

So you cried in front of everyone talking about the ticklish.

[Jason Kelce]

I did not cry because. In front of this. Because this was not a moment that warranted crying.

[Travis Kelce]

I think it's cool as hell that you did this, man. Obviously, everyone listened to your words. And the tush push is still in because Jason Kelsey went out there and defended the honor and. And Philadelphia's legacy.

[Jason Kelce]

I don't know if anybody's mind changed at all. They needed two more votes to ban it to. For the proposal. You need 24 votes for the proposal to pass. Yeah, I. I don't know which of these teams are already in favor. I mean, I know talking to a few of them with even the day of, you could just kind of tell which teams were kind of in your corner. And a lot of them incorporate the offensive lineman pushing downfield or just don't think that the play should get removed for the reasons that are being stated. But listen, I think everybody has legitimacy in how they voted. I think that the reality is this was a rule for a long time in the NFL that you can't assist the runner. Both the competition committee and Dr. Alan Sills suggested that the proposal pass and the play be banned, one for health reasons and another for competitive fairness reasons. So I think that there's, you know, a. Well, not competitive fairness and more just like, they want to see that out of the game. They didn't like the pushing of piles and stuff. But I took away from this meeting that all these owners have good intentions, and not just in this proposal. In all the proposals, you know, there was multiple things discussed throughout the meeting, and it really did. It was really cool to witness how this process takes place. The owners back and forth over the proposals, things that passed, things that got tabled, things that didn't pass. Like, I think at the end of the day, it was just awesome to witness and see how serious each one of these owners take all of these decisions and how it's going to affect the game, what could be byproducts of these changes. It was cool to listen and be in the room with because I don't think that in a million years I'll ever be back in that room. So I don't know, it just kind of felt surreal being there until you.

[Travis Kelce]

Succeed Roger Goodell as the commissioner of the NFL. Jason.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, I think we. We can see by my background that that is not going to happen. I can't even. I can't even get the clothes off the floor, let alone that background.

[Travis Kelce]

I thought you were talking about your. No, I think your life background.

[Jason Kelce]

I don't really want to touch too much on it because again, I don't know, like, what's privy to share and like, I don't, you know, listen, mom told us not to kiss and tell, right? So, you know. Yeah. There are some things that, you know in the Eagles locker room and as a player, you find out, like, what's good to share, and then as a. In this world, it's like, listen, I don't know. I just wanted to go there and offer my perspective on the play and dispel some rumors that have been being said.

[Travis Kelce]

You get any cheese curds while you're up there?

[Jason Kelce]

I did not. I was in and out, baby. Unfortunately. I would have loved some cheese curds. You're a spotted cow.

[Travis Kelce]

You're a foodie. Dude, you got to go in there and grab some carrots, man.

[Jason Kelce]

Get some.

[Travis Kelce]

I mean, it's a Minnesota whatever, dude. It would have been good bowl in Minnesota, dude.

[Jason Kelce]

I know. Listen, I'm not gonna lie. I got some good vibes in Minnesota, dude. Super bowl freaking all of America went in the Tush Push proposal.

[Travis Kelce]

There we go. There we go.

[Jason Kelce]

What else?

[Travis Kelce]

What else, what else?

[Jason Kelce]

I had a layover in Minnesota once with Delta dude, gave me some, like, service where they drive you to the next gate and I didn't even ask for it.

[Travis Kelce]

I don't even know how that happened. That's pretty. I'm not gonna lie, though. Walking. Fly. Like walking through St. Paul.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

Airport. I mean, that thing's pretty sweet. They've got like a topgolf like thing where you can go and like, play like simulator golf while you're waiting on your next flight. Eat some wings, take some hacks. Did that with my guide, old David Glover. Shout out to DG David Glover. Yeah. Trainer. Trainer in Kansas City. Legendary trainer. Oh, nice city.

[Jason Kelce]

Nice. Nice Nice. Happy that it's going to be around. But I even kind of said this last week. I, I, I think at the end of the day, you know, if it gets banned or not. The Eagles are good at quarterback sneaks. Are going to continue to run those at a high rate.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah, I'm with you. I think people make too much of a buzz about this goddamn play anyways. Yeah, it's a good play for you guys. You guys do it well, and it will, it will continue to be a good play for you guys.

[Jason Kelce]

Thanks, Trev. For at least one more year.

[Travis Kelce]

No, dude. And then you'll just have to go to the owner's meeting again.

[Jason Kelce]

I feel like the Eagles should just not run it this year just to.

[Travis Kelce]

I don't know if that's, I don't know if that's good for the Eagles.

[Jason Kelce]

We were really good with them with Carson.

[Travis Kelce]

I'm not saying they, they wouldn't be like 90 QB sneaks. It's just that much better of a play for you guys. Yeah. With the push, you can really see the surge when everybody gets behind him and pushes them.

[Jason Kelce]

I don't think so. I think that surge is happening regardless of the push. Usually.

[Travis Kelce]

I will never know, will we?

[Jason Kelce]

No, we do know. We can see it on the tape and we can see it in. Before it was a play. Maybe because the push never causes the surge. The push just kind of like gets a little bit extra, like, yardage if it's all piled up. The surge is created by the O line.

[Travis Kelce]

It is. It is definitely the, the surge is started by the O line, but then it's got a nice little double surge in there.

[Jason Kelce]

I don't think so.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah. Were you there for all of it or just the tush push?

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, well, I was there for all of it.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, that's sweet. So you were there for the Olympic flag football approval?

[Jason Kelce]

Very much so.

[Travis Kelce]

Nice. So the NFL is going to allow players to be a part of the Olympic flag football team?

[Jason Kelce]

Yes. We'll see how teams individually choose to allow their players, but yes, that is, that is a fact. I think it's going to be embraced. I think that everybody realizes this is an opportunity for the game to be on a global stage that it usually doesn't get. And it would be awesome if some NFL players are out there representing the usa.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, man, I gotta get, I gotta get hip to the rules, man, so I can start to get, get ahead of the curve.

[Jason Kelce]

Not so fast. I don't know if you saw this, but the there is already A USA Flag football team. And apparently these players.

[Travis Kelce]

That's what I know. I gotta get hip to the rules.

[Jason Kelce]

These players do not think that NFL players should be playing it. They think they should be playing in it.

[Travis Kelce]

Well, I mean, the. May the best players play.

[Jason Kelce]

That's my thing. Here's a quote. Let me read this quote first. So from Daryl Doucet. He is the quarterback of Team USA Flag Football. This is a sport that we've played for a long time. We feel like we are the best at it. We don't need other guys. Daryl Dispatchett, the third USA flag football quarterback on NFL players potentially playing in the 2028 Olympics.

[Travis Kelce]

Is this guy afraid of competition? It sounds like it's just have a tryout and the best players make the team.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, I don't know. So most teams are picked by boxing.

[Travis Kelce]

Out other people from joining the sport because they haven't played this specific style of football.

[Jason Kelce]

So I will say I think most.

[Travis Kelce]

No, nobody from Canada can come up here. We got plenty of guys.

[Jason Kelce]

Yes. So I think most other teams in the Olympics aren't tryouts. They are picked by, like, coaches. They, like, handpicked the team. So tryouts are like, more like individual sports. So like Team USA Women's soccer. I don't think that they hold. I could be way wrong on this. I think that those teams are picked accordingly. I don't think that is as much of a tryout procedure.

[Travis Kelce]

I got you.

[Jason Kelce]

I kind of am on board with these guys playing. Let's just have these guys play an NFL team that's picked up and maybe the best team win and represent the usa.

[Travis Kelce]

Interesting.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah. What do you think?

[Travis Kelce]

I wouldn't even know. I mean, if you're right. Do they have tryouts for USA teams?

[D]

I did some perplexity doesn't roll off the tongue, but I did it. They do not hold open tryouts for national teams.

[Jason Kelce]

Well, this. You just did women's soccer.

[Travis Kelce]

I just didn't.

[Jason Kelce]

Women's soccer.

[D]

I didn't do all. We do every sport.

[Jason Kelce]

I just. Can we get to a more. Do they have tryouts for teams as opposed to individual sports? I don't even know how to ask that question.

[Travis Kelce]

I think that's a good.

[D]

Do they have trials for Olympic team sports?

[Travis Kelce]

No open tryouts.

[D]

No open tryouts.

[Travis Kelce]

So, yeah, like you're saying, so there's a coach, and that coach picks who he thinks his best team would be?

[D]

I believe so, yes.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh, so there's Olympic trials, which is what I'm thinking of.

[D]

You're Thinking of trials which is more individual sports.

[Jason Kelce]

But that is also. It says the US is both individual and team hold official Olympic trials. There are high level competitions where the best athletes compete for a limited number of Olympic sports. For example sports like swimming, track and field, gymnastics and wrestling have. See these are all individual sports that also have team components though.

[D]

Like a relay component.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Sort of.

[Travis Kelce]

But keep reading, keep reading.

[Jason Kelce]

The trials are more so for team sports. The process often a combination of performance in trials training camps and coach selection. So the. The teams are selected after the trials. It's not like you do a trial to get into the team though.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

So it's still. Whenever it's a team it feels like it's a pick. But either way back to what we're talking about. Back to this made up scenario that we're talking about a new heights. I think it'd be cool.

[D]

You've defined the whole show.

[Jason Kelce]

I think it'd be. I really do think it'd be cool if we have. Let's just have a team of flag football, NFL players play these guys and see if they can win. May the best team win.

[Travis Kelce]

I think if I recall in 3 on 3 basketball for. Because you know that was an Olympic event this year or this past year. So three on three Olympic basketball. I think they, they didn't take the best three. They had like a. A tournament or something where the. The USA team that ended up being like our represented team.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

Was like the one that won that tournament essentially.

[Jason Kelce]

How'd they do in the Olympics?

[Travis Kelce]

Jimmer Jimmer for that got injured.

[Jason Kelce]

Let's. Let's not copy that model.

[Travis Kelce]

You got better. So I could be off again though. This is. None of this is legit research here.

[Jason Kelce]

All I'm saying is I think. I think a coach that is familiar with flag football should select an NFL represented team and that team should just play this flag football team that's been playing for a long time and feels like they are the best at it and they don't need other guys.

[Travis Kelce]

And then whoever wins this is like a mystery. Alaska pretty much. This is awesome.

[Jason Kelce]

I think it's the best way to.

[Travis Kelce]

Alaska 1 because I do agree like.

[Jason Kelce]

I do agree if these guys are the best they should represent you USA 100%. But I don't think that I, I'm pretty. I mean I've never. I don't know anything about flag football. I feel really confident they're not the best.

[Wayne Gretzky]

It's.

[Travis Kelce]

We got just some crazy. Some guys that can do some crazy stuff with the ball. In their hands, man. I understand. Even Darnell, watching Darnell's highlights, he looks good. My bad. My bad. Daryl or Darrell? Daryl. Dug it. D. Damn it.

[Jason Kelce]

I think it's Daryl Doucette, if I'm not mistaken.

[Travis Kelce]

All right. My bad, Daryl. Even his highlights are epic.

[Jason Kelce]

He doesn't look like Daryl, though. He does kind of look more like a Darrell. Daryl's gonna have a little bit more thickness to him. You know what I mean?

[Travis Kelce]

Daryl's the Daryl. The Daryls and the Heights definitely had.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, you're a little bit stockier. You know what I mean? D is more.

[Travis Kelce]

This dude, he could. He could move around and slide around and, you know.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, no, he's. He's.

[Travis Kelce]

He can play. When we think of a quarterback, though, we think it's somebody that can really sling it around, and I think somebody can do both.

[Jason Kelce]

I think a Lamar Jackson. There's no chance Lamar would be.

[Travis Kelce]

Nobody's catching him. He's. That. I want to know.

[Jason Kelce]

Lamar is more of a Daryl.

[Travis Kelce]

He's stocky now, though.

[Jason Kelce]

That's what I'm saying. He's got a little bit of heft to him. He's got a little bit of heft to him.

[Travis Kelce]

Like, what if we hold, like, a combine?

[Jason Kelce]

Dude, I don't. I just think we have the NFL team play these guys, and whoever wins goes. That's it. I don't even. I mean, if they're the best team, they should represent us. But I. I feel like if we put Lamar Jackson, it's as easy as.

[Travis Kelce]

Putting Tyree Kill outside and having Lamar just throw a go ball to Tyreek.

[Jason Kelce]

I mean, I think that alone would probably be pretty effective, but I think that it's going to be also more than that, because there's other players, too, that are going to be out there. Like, I'm trying to, like, the problem is, I don't know flag football that much, and I don't know what skills you want, but I feel like just speed is usually pretty good. And.

[Travis Kelce]

And the NFL has speed.

[Jason Kelce]

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

Has a lot of it.

[Jason Kelce]

Yes. The flag football game in the Pro bowl, they kept blitzing. Eli Steam just kept blitzing, and they couldn't stop it because they couldn't avoid the sack. Like, you don't have to beat a blocker, so you don't have to be big. You just need to be quick and agile. So linebackers aren't going to be on this team. It's going to be.

[Travis Kelce]

It's going to be like the.

[Jason Kelce]

The defense is going to be Very heavily.

[Travis Kelce]

Damn it.

[Jason Kelce]

Well, I mean, maybe not. Maybe a big body receiver is a mismatch for some of these shorter, quick guys.

[Travis Kelce]

Maybe. Do you have to play both sides of the ball again?

[Jason Kelce]

These are questions. I don't know.

[Travis Kelce]

Good point. Let's keep it moving. We have a new award in the NFL.

[Jason Kelce]

We do. We do.

[Travis Kelce]

I was there and Jason, you actually won this award.

[Jason Kelce]

No, we did not. I've never. Nobody's ever won the award. Because it's a brand new award.

[Travis Kelce]

No, but you won it.

[Jason Kelce]

I did not win the award.

[Travis Kelce]

You're definitely getting a trophy.

[Jason Kelce]

Nobody has ever won the award. I do vote on the award. I am one of the select members of the committee that will decide who wins this award.

[Travis Kelce]

Dude, you're like two steps away from being commissioner. Are you kidding me? You're like you're go. You're trajecting in that direction.

[Jason Kelce]

Pretty sure that's not going to happen.

[Travis Kelce]

Dude. Next next is you'll be in charge of the fines.

[Jason Kelce]

Yep. Yeah, not going to happen. Jason doesn't find anybody all year. Yeah, it's fine.

[Travis Kelce]

Back to this. The protector of the year. Can you. Do you have information on how this all began or how this all started up?

[Jason Kelce]

Well, I don't. I'm pretty sure it started. So Andrew Whitworth and Roger were on my late night show in season and we talked about having an offensive line award and from that they kind of put together a list of guys seeing if they'd be interested in helping kind of give this thing some life. There's a lot of icons of the game in the position that'll vote on this. And the NFL got behind it. It's going to be called the protector of the year. It went back and forth on the name. I think at one point it was the shield or something like that. It's very tackle dominant. So they went towards the protector of the year. Being the offensive lineman of the year essentially.

[Travis Kelce]

Very cool, man.

[Jason Kelce]

So.

[Travis Kelce]

So this will now be at the the NFL honors. They'll be honoring offensive lineman finally.

[Jason Kelce]

Yep. Big Andrew Whitworth is. Is been instrumental in. In kind of like leading the charge on this.

[Travis Kelce]

So there have been 10 protectors of the year. The. The last 10 years. They did not did say who would have won these. No.

[Jason Kelce]

DraftKings just made some weird list. This is not like a official thing.

[Travis Kelce]

Well, I think DraftKings should come to you and give you a fucking trophy because you were the best protector in 2021.

[Jason Kelce]

I mean it's not even my best season. My best season was 2017 by far.

[Travis Kelce]

So now you're saying you were better than Andrew Whitworth in 2017?

[Jason Kelce]

I'm definitely not saying that. I think this is going to be an award that is heavily dominated by offensive tackles because tackles are more of the limelight of the position. There's also a lot of people that are going to be making the decisions, former tackles. And tackle is just a harder position. Like if you're dominating a tackle, you're freaking getting the job done now.

[Travis Kelce]

So it's one of the highest paid positions in the league.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, I mean it's, it's, it's, it's very difficult. And the guys that do it at a high level.

[Travis Kelce]

Guys, we're giving these guys way too much money. We got to get an award for him.

[Jason Kelce]

Hey, should we give Jason Kelsey the protector of the year when he doubled a nose guard with the left guard for 80% of the snaps or should we give it the Lane Johnson who had the one on one block? Von Miller like.

[Travis Kelce]

Nope. To the guy that's in the front of the tush push, this play is unstoppable. Why? Because of big old 62 hard knocks news. The Buffalo Bills will be featured in Hard Knocks this year on hbo. Their training camp and it's gonna be exciting. You know, finally we get some inside access to what the Bill's got going on over there with Josh Allen and the gang. And the NFC east will be featured as the in season edition. So we'll get the entire NFC East. Do we like the picks? Yes, of course. I like all Hard Knocks picks. You can do any fucking team in the, in the league and it's going to be entertaining. Neither of us have done Hard Knocks. No, I haven't. I don't think I've seen Jason do it.

[Jason Kelce]

The only thing we did the one year Amazon did something similar and I didn't interact with it because it was just like hard to really know what it was. So I kind of like stayed out of it. But Hard Knocks has not done been done with the Eagles yet. This will be the first year just.

[Travis Kelce]

So everybody knows each team has their version of what kind of what Hard Knocks is like. The, the Chiefs have a YouTube series called the Franchise where they do a season long kind of. They, they recap every single week and get. You get inside access through that. But Hard Knocks is just, you know, the training camp ins and outs. And I remember growing up, it's not as much this now but I mean you see guys get cut, you see guys make the team, it can be. It can be a happy and sad story all in one. So Hard Knocks is always, always interesting and you get to see the characters that. That are the NFL, like some of these coaches, some of these, you know, equipment managers and trainers and stuff. You get to see inside these teams from a different point of view.

[Jason Kelce]

We do not have. I don't know what the franchise is for you guys. I would say the Eagles have not had any type of exposure like this in the middle of a season. We have our own YouTube channel and stuff, but I don't. This is going to be a whole nother level of a look into the inner workings of the Philadelphia Eagles. I believe it always depends on how open the team is to kind of allowing it. And I haven't. I'll be honest, I haven't watched a lot of in season Hard Knocks. I've always been accustomed to the training camp one. That's what I grew up loving. Like the. With the Cincinnati Bengals, the. The New York jets with Rex Ryan, I think. Did the Lions do the first in season? I remember watching clips of that.

[Travis Kelce]

I'm right there with you.

[Jason Kelce]

I only never watched the in season one. I've only seen clips of the in season one.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

They moved last year to the conference setup instead of just doing individual teams. So last year was the AFC north and this year it's going to be the NFC east. And I think it's a good choice by the league. I think it's going to be a competitive year for the NFC east even though the Eagles are the favorites coming out. Washington was really good last year. They've improved this offseason. The Giants had a really good draft and it's also just four major teams in huge markets that have a lot of history in the NFL and a lot of animosity towards each other. So I'm gonna watch it this year. And I haven't watched. And I like the AFC North. That's my conference, too. That's what I grew up on in Cleveland, Ohio.

[Travis Kelce]

Come on now.

[Jason Kelce]

But I can't wait to watch this one.

[Travis Kelce]

I'm with you, dude. AJ Brown is already out. Unfortunately. He retweeted NFL Films account when they announced that the NFC east will be a. A part of the in season. Hard Knocks. He just said straight up. Nope. With a period on it. So. And we know AJ Isn't about this kind. He's. He's. He's very, you know, he's. He's not for the. The flashy inside scoop stuff like.

[Jason Kelce]

Right.

[Travis Kelce]

Like A lot of guys are, but I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. He's just not. You could tell he's not a part of the. He's not about that.

[Jason Kelce]

Do you think he's saying. Nope, because he's out on being a part of it for the battle for the East.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah, that might be that.

[Jason Kelce]

I feel like he's kind of saying, like, yeah, there ain't no battle. We're the. We're the reigning champs. That's kind of the vibe I'm getting from it, but maybe not.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, I.

[Jason Kelce]

What do you think?

[Travis Kelce]

I think he both feels that there is no going to be no battle for it, and also that.

[Jason Kelce]

That'S so good. And that's new news brought to you by American Express. All right, before we get to Wayne Gretzky, the great one, let's get to some no dumb questions brought to you by Perplexity. All right. Discover fast and reliable search with Perplexity AI today. Holly Halls. If you could bring back one discontinued snack or food from your childhood and it would taste exactly how you remember it, what would it be? I don't even know if I can remember a discontinued snack or food.

[Travis Kelce]

Here. I looked.

[D]

I looked up a list. I looked up a list on Perplexity.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh, nice. There we go. Perplexity. Help us out here. Notable discontinued 90 snacks. That's a great. That's a great question. Butterfinger BBS. Those are good. PB Crisp. I don't remember those. Choco Tacos.

[D]

Discontinued, sadly.

[Jason Kelce]

I was wondering why they stopped serving them in the ice cream trucks in Seattle. I thought they just weren't selling enough of them. Wait, why would they stop selling those?

[Travis Kelce]

Are you talking about the same tacos?

[Jason Kelce]

Taco Taco. The frozen ice cream treat?

[Travis Kelce]

Is that what it is?

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, it's a frozen ice cream. It's like ice cream sandwich, but a taco. No, it's not a Klondike. It's.

[D]

It's this.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, it's got, like, a hard chocolate shell, and then it's got, like, chocolate woven into the vanilla ice cream in the middle.

[Travis Kelce]

When did that stop?

[Jason Kelce]

I think that stopped recently because they. Unless they had a bunch of them stockpiled in the fudgy wedgie carts in.

[D]

Seattle city discontinued in 2022.

[Jason Kelce]

See, I'm on top of the Choco Taco lore.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Jesus.

[Jason Kelce]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pies. Don't even remember those. Crystal Pepsi. I think everybody's happy that's gone. Oreos cereal. Don't remember that. Air Crisps. Dude, I remember that.

[Travis Kelce]

Dude, I'm. The drink just took me back. Dude. Fruit topia.

[Jason Kelce]

Fruitopia doesn't exist anymore. I had Fruitopia every day.

[Travis Kelce]

Every.

[Jason Kelce]

In high school.

[Travis Kelce]

In middle school, it was when I was chugging Fruitopia.

[Jason Kelce]

They said it was discontinued in 2000. Maybe I didn't have Photopia. I thought I had a fruit punch. Fruitopia every day. When was it discontinued?

[D]

I'll go back up. Hold on.

[Travis Kelce]

It couldn't be 2000.

[D]

Where was. Says early 2000s.

[Jason Kelce]

Okay, so it was still there.

[Travis Kelce]

It was right before. It was right before it was still there.

[Jason Kelce]

Okay.

[D]

Yeah, I definitely had in high school too.

[Travis Kelce]

Dude, I'm going through Toby. I used to.

[Jason Kelce]

It was that don't exist anymore. I just had those things like two years ago.

[Travis Kelce]

Dunkaroos are bangers too. Gosh Damn.

[Jason Kelce]

Stopped in 2000.

[D]

They could have brought. I think they brought back Dunkaroos for like a limited time. But yeah, they did. They did stop making just the serving of frosting that we used to eat.

[Jason Kelce]

Planters Cheese balls, Keebler Munchums, Crispy M M's. Swoops. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not hating that any of these are discontinued. This probably is Butterfinger.

[D]

BBs were really good.

[Jason Kelce]

They were good. But it's not like I'm that upset about their. Them not existing anymore.

[D]

Well, you're an adult, man. This is not that big.

[Jason Kelce]

Choco tacos I'm kind of upset about because I tried to get one a couple years ago and they didn't have them. And I was a little bit upset about that. They.

[D]

They should bring back Fruitopia, though. It's got real fruit in. Was healthy.

[Travis Kelce]

But I want to. I remember. I remember going to my mom and asking her in middle school because we used to get like, school lunch going to my mom in middle school and be like, mom, can I get like $5 a week so that I could get a fruit topia every day? Because the fruit topia was a dollar at the end. They had one, like, drink machine, like vending machine. And you could go and get a Fruitopia. And instead of like the milk or the water that they were giving us in the lunch line. And it turned into me just going and buying 50 cent honey buns. Like a ridiculous, like $5 worth of honey buns on Monday.

[Jason Kelce]

So good.

[Travis Kelce]

And I came home one day with like. I like, threw my book bag on, like the couch or something. Yeah. Mom was like, what the fuck is in this bag? Mom didn't swear. But she's like, what the hell is in this bag? She opened up the bag and it was like a grocery. Are you stealing honey buns from the grocery? From the store? I'm like, no, I'm using the money you gave me. I'm stocking up so I can have these all day, every day.

[Jason Kelce]

That's great.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah. And that's when my mom stopped giving me $5 for 4 dopias because I was turning into a big boy.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, she's all right.

[Travis Kelce]

Gotta love it. Shout out to mothers. All right, well, so what's yours? I said Fruitopia was my. If they could bring it back. What do you. That I could taste right now, too. I could taste the fucking green one, man. It's so good. It's like a kiwi strawberry or some shit. What are you going with?

[Jason Kelce]

I don't know, man.

[Travis Kelce]

Dunkaroos are a close second for sure. You're going choco tacos, it sounds like.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah. I'll go check on Taco.

[Travis Kelce]

There you go. Way to get out of there.

[Jason Kelce]

That's it for notam questions brought to you by Perplexity.

[Travis Kelce]

Let's get to this Wayne Gretzky interview.

[Jason Kelce]

Thank you to our partner, Reese's and their new PB and J cups and strawberry and grape. Now, for a limited time only.

[Travis Kelce]

Man, that sounds like the perfect candy combination. Reese's PB and J. Some things just sound right together.

[Jason Kelce]

The only question is, what took them so long? Better late than never. Reese's PB and J cups sound like a complete candy. No brainer.

[Travis Kelce]

You guys better get in on that greatness of not just one, but two new Reese's, PB and J cups in strawberry and grape. Decide which one you love the most. Probably already deciding. I'm a grape guy. You can also just follow in love with both of them, though.

[Jason Kelce]

It's perfectly okay to do that, but get away can, because unfortunately, they're only here for a limited time, these new PB and J cups. What's your jam found? Wherever candy is sold.

[Travis Kelce]

Now a moment brought to you by American Express.

[Jason Kelce]

What is your favorite vacation that you've been on?

[Travis Kelce]

Let's take it back to the childhood. One of my favorite vacations when we went to Disney and we stayed at the Disney Sports Hotel. Man alive. As a sports fanatic, like I was when I was a kid, man, I felt like I was in heaven. They had turf everywhere.

[Jason Kelce]

All Star Sports Resort or something like that.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah. And I. Dude, you got a good memory, man.

[Jason Kelce]

I like the. The Caribbean one when we were like.

[Travis Kelce]

On the beach because they had the rocks and the waterfalls and the the water park and everything. Yeah, they had the water guns you could shoot random civilians with. No matter what kind of traveler you are, though, the American Express Platinum Card offers a range of benefits designed to enhance your journey.

[Jason Kelce]

Enjoy access to Centurion lounges at airports worldwide and and when you book fine hotels and resorts through Amex Travel, you can receive complimentary breakfast for two and guaranteed 4pm checkout.

[Travis Kelce]

Plus, with global dining access by RESI, you'll have the AB Secure reservations at some of the finest dining establishments around the globe when you add your Platinum Card to your RESI profile.

[Jason Kelce]

That's the powerful backing of American Express for full terms and to learn more, visit american express.com withamics. Thank you to our partner DraftKings basketball fans, it's win or go home time. The NBA Conference Finals are here and the intensity is off the charts. Every possession matters, and there's still time to get in on the action with our partner at DraftKings Sports. Here's the deal. New customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you'll score $300 in bonus bets. That's right. Pick your side, place your bet and get ready to cash in. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app now and sign up using Code New Heights. The crown is yours. Stay in on the action and use $300 in bonus bets on DraftKings. Same game parlays for a shot at an even bigger payout. Combine multiple bets together for the same game. Love the thrill of live betting. DraftKings has got you covered. Bet Live on in Game in Progress games right now as they happen. If sports betting is not yet available in your state, don't worry, you can still join in on all the fun with DraftKings. Pick six and have the shot to win cash prizes. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app now. New customers use promo code New Heights and bet just $5 on any wager and get 300 in bonus bets if your bet wins. That's Promo Code New heights only at DraftKingsportsbook gambling problem.

[E]

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[Jason Kelce]

This is the longest one I've ever had to do, so just be prepared, okay?

[Travis Kelce]

All righty.

[Jason Kelce]

Our guest today is one of the favorite athletes of all time. For both of us, this is a true honor. 15 time NHL All Star. 9 time NHL MVP. 10 time scoring champion. 2 time Con Smythe Trophy winner, 4 times Stanley cup champion, still holds the records for most points and assists in a career. Most goals, assists, and points in a single season.

[Travis Kelce]

Yes, Sir.

[Jason Kelce]

At least 60 other NHL records.

[Travis Kelce]

God damn.

[Jason Kelce]

He is a member of the Hockey hall of Fame, member of the Order of Canada. The first player to ever have his number retired league wide.

[Travis Kelce]

God damn.

[Jason Kelce]

These are a lot of stats. He is the star of the greatest hockey game Travis and I have ever had the joy of playing. Please welcome the great one, Mr. Wayne Gretzky. Hell, yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

After that, absolutely epic, man.

[Wayne Gretzky]

That same way I scripted it. Well done.

[Jason Kelce]

Well, that felt like it took forever, but it could have taken so much longer. I mean, you. The amount of records you hold in the NHL record books is truly remarkable.

[Travis Kelce]

Unbelievable.

[Jason Kelce]

Do you have one that, like you, means the most to you? Like, which of all of your records are you the most proud of? If that's easy.

[Wayne Gretzky]

First of all, hey, it's a pleasure for me to be here on your show. I love you guys, and it's an honor for me to be part of being with you guys for a day. So thank you again very much.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, my gosh, the man.

[Wayne Gretzky]

As you guys know, being a professional athlete is such a thrill. And anytime you get any record, it's a thrill and it's an honor. And so for me, each and every one was felt the same. But if I had one record that I cherish the most is the record that I think is going to be hardest to break. And that was. I scored 50 goals in 39 games.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And I think for somebody to get 58 games, as you guys know, the athletes get better every year. The equipment's better, the coaching's better, training's better. It's just sports is better today than it was. But that's not knocking what we did back in the 70s and 80s and 90s, 20 years from now, it's going to be better than today. So I'm proud of all my records.

[Jason Kelce]

50 goals and what?

[Travis Kelce]

That is insane.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh, my gosh.

[Travis Kelce]

Did you just feel unstoppable that year? I mean, just everything you sent at the net went In.

[Wayne Gretzky]

So the record was 50 and 50. And then Mike Bosnia came along and he tied the record 50 and 50. He scored two goals in the last seven minutes in his 50th game to get 50 and 50.

[Travis Kelce]

Epic.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And I remember watching it and seeing his face and the jubilation and the joy he felt. So I was driving to the rink with my roommate, and I had 45 goals in 38 games. I was a little more edgy than normal. Heading to the arena, my buddy turned to me and he said, are you okay? And I said, you know, I just thought of this. If I don't get 50 and 50 now, people are going to say I choked. So I'm thinking before the game, I'm thinking during the game, I'm like, gosh, I got to get to the 50s and 50, and I'm gonna look like a miserable fool.

[Travis Kelce]

There's no way.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I got three goals. All of a sudden I had 49 goals, and I'm like, all right. And I scored the 50th goal of. My buddy turned to me and said, well, I guess you don't have to worry about that 50 anymore.

[Travis Kelce]

That's awesome, man. Recently and Alexander Ovechkin, ironically, just around the same amount of games just, you know, past you in most career goals ever scored. And it was. It was awesome to see you show that respect in that class to him. When you set that record or at the end of your career in 99, did you ever expect that that thing could be touched? Like, it was mind blowing that anybody is even around that realm, man?

[Wayne Gretzky]

No, no, we all hope not. But listen, the night I broke Gordie, how's record? Or the night before, I was having dinner with my dad and I said to my dad, I said, you know, in some ways, I'm kind of embarrassed because it's a different era and a different time from when Gordy played and he was such an icon and he was my idol. In some ways, I'm feeling kind of guilty. I'll never forget my dad saying, listen, you just have the same dignity and respect that Gordie Howe has for you because he's truly happy for you. So when somebody breaks your record, you be as classy as Gordie Howe. And I remember I looked at my dad and I said, well, can I just enjoy it for a little bit?

[Travis Kelce]

Already talking about getting broken.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I had so much fun. The NHL took care of my wife and I, we flew up. There we are at the game. I remember saying, gosh, they're playing Chicago Tonight, he might get three tonight. We got to go. He's got two goals and tied it. My good friend is the assistant coach, Kirk Muller. Went for dinner after the game, and I said, why didn't Ovechkin go on the ice in the last minute? You had the empty net. You're one of the coaches. Why didn't you put him out there? And he said, we tried to. And he said he didn't want to break the record on an empty net goal. So. Shows you the class that he has, which was wonderful. So we got to go to Manhattan, spend a couple days there. My son lives in New York, so we spent a few days in Manhattan, got to see him play on the island, and when he did score the goal, part of me was like, gosh, I was kind of looking forward to going back to Washington. They were playing Thursday that week, going to hockey games, you know, dress, no pressure. We knew eventually he was going to break the record.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And he's just a wonderful young man, and I think that his ownership grew up dead. Leones and the hockey club and the coaches and his teammates and all the teammates he played with over all his years. He's just. He deserves the record, and good for him. He's meant so much for hockey, Washington for the NHL, and of course, in his own country, Russia. So I'm proud and privileged that he broke it, and I'm happy that I say he's a good friend.

[Travis Kelce]

Man, that is such a cool story. Is he. Just to hear how much class and respect is in the NHL and. And you guys have been doing it, right? I believe his. His rookie year, you were the coach of the Coyotes.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

And Ovechky, he scored the. The goal in 2006. How crazy is that to come full circle?

[Wayne Gretzky]

Somebody asked me the other day, they said, when did you realize Ovechkin had a chance to break your record? And he said, when I was coaching again. So I think his first year, really, he went through the whole team twice and scored on his rear end, on his back. I remember looking around going, what. What just happened? And not, did he beat players. He beat some good players. Like, some. They beat some NHL guys. He beat a good goaltender. So, hey, listen, you know, that's what makes sports wonderful, right? When you. You think, oh, I got. Can we get any better than another guy comes along, you go, wow, that guy's phenomenal. And then every sport's the same, whether it's football or basketball, hockey, baseball. And we just sit back as fans and go, you Know, this is wonderful. This is great. We get to watch. We have bleacher seats here, and we get to adore these athletes. Look at Caitlin Clark, how she's captivated.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Just taken over the country, for that matter, maybe the world. And how she's. She's encouraged so many young girls now to participate in sports, whether it's basketball or soccer or volleyball. My dad used to always say the greatest thing about sports is that you learn so much about real life. You learn how to be unselfish, you learn how to be dedicated. You learn how to work hard, you learn how to win. And then you learn how to pick yourself up off the ground when you lose. And that's what life is all about. And so I just have so much respect for so many of these athletes that come along now. And as a fan, I just love it.

[Travis Kelce]

Hell, yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

Absolutely. And I think we both can speak to this. You know, we didn't really know what hockey was that much growing up at first. And I think what you guys brought in that era, in particular, you growing the game, I mean, it became so much bigger in the United States at that time, and it caused both of us to start getting it. I mean, started making movies about it. Slap Shot came out. Then they had the kids movie with the Mighty Ducks, and all of a sudden, everybody's playing hockey.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Yeah. You know, hockey's grown so much. I would say this, like, Gordie Helm, Bobby hall and Bobby, or they were the sort of the golden age of the 60s and early 70s.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And then, you know, the Islanders were so special in New York. And then, you know, I got traded to la, and everybody goes, you know, like, did you go to LA to help grow this sport? And I really didn't. I went to LA because I thought, okay, this is going to be really good. I'm really excited about playing in la. I want to be part of growing a franchise and helping hockey. But I didn't realize at the time when I went to la, that Steve Yzerman was in Detroit and Mario Lemieux was in Pittsburgh, and Brett hall was in St. Louis and Mark Messier was in New York.

[Travis Kelce]

Legends.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Not only all those guys, really good players, but they were incredible off the ice, too. And they had charisma and they loved the game. So we had a big wave that kind of went all at once, and it was a perfect storm, Right. And then all of a sudden, the Mighty Ducks came in. I'll never forget Michael Eisner having dinner with him one night, and he said, you know, I'm going to have an NHL team called the Mighty Ducks. I remember looking at him going, you got to be crazy. Mighty Ducks. My wife Janice says to me, you know, he probably is the number one marketing man in the world. I think he knows what he's doing.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, right.

[Wayne Gretzky]

What he was doing.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah. Nothing was better than the 90s, though. And seeing you guys, the names you just threw out there, Messier, Lemieux, I mean, you name it, man, you guys had that thing rocking and rolling, especially for two young guys like us out of Cleveland, Ohio. We didn't even have a team, so we were just fans of the game and the league.

[Jason Kelce]

Seriously.

[Travis Kelce]

Wide.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Yeah, I played an exhibition game in Cleveland. I can't even remember what year it was, but it was somewhere between 87 and 91. We played an exhibition game.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, the Gunderina.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Yeah, Cleveland Barons. Remember those guys?

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, we know the Cleveland Barons real well.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Dennis Maruk was their go to guy in those days.

[Travis Kelce]

That's too good, man. How about the shout out to the Barons, baby. We had, we had a coach that actually played for the Barons for a little bit. We gotta ask, man, do you have, you have so many good nicknames. Do you have one that you just, you, you chuckle at or you like the most or you got the great one? We, we found out that one of your early nicknames was the White Tornado.

[Jason Kelce]

Not gonna lie, that's pretty good.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Because I wore white gloves. I was playing well and I went to this tournament in Quebec City and they drew really well. We were drawing 15,000 people game to watch us play. And I wore white gloves and somebody wrote in French, he's the White Tornado. My dad hated that one. He hated the gray one. I think my favorite nickname is Doc. And the golf world to Dustin and all his friends. I'm known anywhere in a golf course as Doc. And one of the things I said was I, I became an honorary doctor to the University of Alberta.

[Travis Kelce]

Very cool.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I remember I said somebody one day, you know, Dr. Buss wasn't really a doctor, but he's an honorary doctor and they call him Dr. Buss. Can somebody call me Doc? Me Doc.

[Jason Kelce]

I love it.

[Wayne Gretzky]

So that's probably my favorite nickname.

[Jason Kelce]

That's a good one.

[Travis Kelce]

Forever. Call your Doc for sure.

[Jason Kelce]

Let's shift to the current Stanley cup playoffs right now. Four teams left. We obviously, we got Edmonton leading two to one. The Panthers are up three nothing on the Hurricanes. Who do you think is going to shape up into the. Be the. Is it going to Be a finals rematch. Yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Well, listen, I want you to know I'm the only guy in TNT on that panel that picked Edmonton to get to the finals.

[Travis Kelce]

There you go.

[Jason Kelce]

Okay.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Now I picked Tampa Bay from the east but part of my pick at that point in time was to. Chuck was hurt and he's such a big part of the success of, of the Panthers and I wasn't sure he was coming back but he's such a great player and such a good team player for that team.

[Travis Kelce]

Tough guy, man.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Listen, you guys know how it is when you win a championship. It's hard to knock off the championship. I mean they know how to win. They know what it takes. They focus, they know how to keep the distractions away. Now I will say this. Edmonton learned a great lesson last year losing in the finals. They'll be a little bit different, a little bit more prepared and some of the things that won't be surprises off the ice, but they still got to get through Dallas because Dallas is so well coached. Bratton and trade, this kid is a tremendous hockey player. Their goaltender, Ottinger is really good. They're big, they're well coached. That series I still think is going to go seven games. Florida looks like they're in a great position. They win tonight, they're going to get a nice break. As you guys know, you get those breaks, it's more mental than physical. Sometimes you get that mental break. Right. And so Florida, they'll regroup. They know what it takes to win. They'll know how many days they have off before they play the first game again. They're well coached, well managed. I'd be hard pressed not to think that it won't be a rematch in Florida. Edmonton. The difference is this year Edmonton would have home ice advantage which in the playoffs four to seven is a big difference.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah. Hell yeah. I'll tell you what man, that back and forth that they talked about last year, going, going seven games or whatever from Edmonton all the way down to Miami and like that time difference is like a seven hour flight. It's absolutely ridiculous.

[Wayne Gretzky]

It's crazy. But I'll tell you something even crazier. How times have changed. In 87 we played the Santa cup finals, seven game series, Edmonton, Philly and we flew commercial. The Edmonton Oilers.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, no way.

[Jason Kelce]

You're like you're sitting in coach.

[Wayne Gretzky]

The next morning after game two, we flew from Philadelphia to Toronto. Toronto, Edmonton, went to the arena, practiced, but we didn't know any different. We loved it. Oh yeah, like you know what else are you going to do? We didn't think we were being treated any worse or poorly. We loved it. We're all together. We, it was just part of our life, right. We had no complaints about it whatsoever. And in those days, if you sit in the middle of the airplane, you know, they had smoking sections in those days, choking, say, oh my gosh, poking their eyes, getting out on the ice. But that was, all the teams did it. That's the way we, that's. We didn't know any different. Right? It was fine.

[Travis Kelce]

I'll tell you what, whenever we go, whenever we go overseas or we do like an international game, a lot of the international, like travel, you got to go through international customs. So you're going through the main concourses of a lot of these big airports overseas. And I'll tell you what, man, some of the best memories and stuff are after you win a game and you get to go enjoy walking through the concourse, joking around with all the guys. I can, I can, I can see that being a hell of a time. Especially if you're in the, if you're playing for the cup, like, it doesn't matter how you, you get bused there and back, you know.

[Wayne Gretzky]

No, we, we didn't, we didn't complain one second. We were loving it. We're all together and I wouldn't have traded it into the world. That's cool. You're right. Florida, Edmonton is a lot of travel.

[Travis Kelce]

That's crazy. It's like an eight hour flight.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And not to mention when Florida gets off the plane, they got to go against McDavid and dry silo, the fastest guys ever.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

Let's go, baby.

[Travis Kelce]

It's something different watching hockey in person than watching it on tv. And, and I'll tell you what, I went to a Stars playoff game last year and seeing, seeing the action and seeing how fast those guys are, man, it is, it's mind blowing.

[Wayne Gretzky]

It is so unique. I always say the, our sport, if you watch it one time in person, you're going to sit there, sit back and go, oh my gosh, I didn't know it was like that. When I retired in 99, we had two more children. And about the age of eight and we were in Thousand Oaks, California. Not a lot of hockey out there. And about the age of eight, my son said, can we go to a hockey game? So I called my friend Luke Robitaille and he got us seats on the ice. My wife and I and my son and a friend and that, you know, on the ice, how big and fast they are like. They run around and it's physical. Like your sport. Crazy. It's. It's more physical than people even see or believe.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh, yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

My son got up and he turned to my wife and he said, be really honest. Am I dad really playing this league? It's a whole different level when you're there.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

The respect that the players have for each other. I don't know if you guys followed the Winnipeg Dallas series really close, and it was physical, and you had to be a man to play in that series. And unfortunately, one of the players on Winnipeg's father passed away the night before game six. But one great thing about our sports is the handshakes after a series. But the pure compassion that the players had for him and his family was incredible because they just spent the last six games trying to kick the crap out of each other and to see the emotions and the true emotions of, you know, hey, it's a game, but we're family and friends. That's what's really important in life and. And in sports. And so it was really great to see and be part of. I was there and I thought it was so emotional.

[Jason Kelce]

Absolutely. I mean, I can believe it. There's two things you touched on that I think I've always been true for me with hockey, and. And one of them is I've been hit all over the field. On a football field. The hardest I've ever been hit in my life is open ice on a hockey ring. Like, you get a hospital pass going where you're looking back and that defenseman can have a clear run at you.

[Travis Kelce]

Man.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh, my gosh, that is going to hurt. That is going to hurt.

[Wayne Gretzky]

You never look back. And secondly, you never have an offense when that bad that passes the puck that bad.

[Travis Kelce]

There you go.

[Wayne Gretzky]

But I always said this. I never played football, but I always. I would watch the games my son played in California. And it was always fun because Joe Montana was always at the games. His son and my son played together. I could sit with Joe and nobody ever bothered me at the games because Joe was there. Everybody wanted to talk to Joe, but just to watch the game. And the one thing that I see the difference, in hockey and football, they're both physical, but in hockey, you kind of knew where the guys were. In football, guys come out of nowhere to hit you from the side. At least we know where the guys are. There's only four of the guys coming at you or five guys. You guys. You got 11 guys are trying to get you. Half of them you don't know where they are. And that's what always amazed me about football.

[Jason Kelce]

That's right. You gotta have that head on a swivel.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh yeah, always.

[Jason Kelce]

You talked about the guys in the Winnipeg in Dallas series and like hockey has much so, such a culture to it that is just everybody is truly, I don't even know how to describe, but I felt like it was like they were even growing up. There's such a tight knit culture to the sport, to the NHL. Like you're waiting around to go to Ovechkin's time when he's going to break your goal. And it does, it just, that's something I've always appreciated about the sport. Even growing up, the parents like, it feels like there's like just a culture to the sport that, that, that is inclusive to everybody and just, I don't know.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah, you got guys throwing haymakers on the ice at each other, then afterwards shaking each other's hand. There's so, there's such a class in rich respect, but such a toughness to, to defending and being there for your teammates.

[Wayne Gretzky]

People ask me sometimes I don't even have the answer because I, I, I watch these guys and a lot of them, I'm very proud to say, I don't have any enemies of players I played with or against. And I would think that I would help to try to do anything for guys that were ex players. We're all eventually alumni. That's the one thing we have in common. I used to do a fantasy camp in Vegas and I was, I had a friend there one day and I had all these guys. I bring in 14 NHL guys and I put three, two or three of them on each team so that the campers could get a chance to hang around with them, see how they work, see, get to know them personally. And it was just remarkable. And one day I said to my buddy I grew up with, I said, come here, I want to show you this locker room. And I had like Chris Chelius in there and Marty McSorley and Shane Corson. All these guys.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh man.

[Travis Kelce]

Man, so cool.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And I said, you know, it's amazing. Those guys fought each other for 15 years. Not like one time in their careers, but they fought each other and whacked each other. Every time I see Chris Shelley, I'll see how are we doing? I said, well, good. My wrist isn't as sore as it was last time I saw you, but that was hockey, you know, you battling to try to win today. And done. We're on the same page. We're all trying to help each other do things for each other and help this person's charity or that personal charity. And that's what makes our sport so wonderful. But that starts back in the 60s and 50s from guys like Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr. And then they pass it on, right? And the guys pass it on. 20 years from now, they're gonna. Kids are gonna be saying, yeah, I remember Crosby and Ovechkin And I remember McDavid. And, you know, those guys really showed me the way, and that's the way hockey is. Our culture has always been like that. I'm very proud of it.

[Jason Kelce]

It. Absolutely.

[Travis Kelce]

It's awesome, man.

[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

Like, you know to check if you have all the ingredients before you start baking. Jason.

[Jason Kelce]

Like, you know if you've got a hand on the tush before pushing.

[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

Thank you to our partner. Kingsford.

[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

What's on your grilling lineup for Memorial Day, Jason?

[Jason Kelce]

Almost assuredly we will make burgers, hot dogs, and probably ribs.

[Travis Kelce]

Burgers and dogs. Can't beat it. Throw some ribs in there. I love it.

[Jason Kelce]

That's pretty much the go to in our house.

[Travis Kelce]

And I will say go to on everybody's house.

[Jason Kelce]

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[Travis Kelce]

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[E]

You know those creepy stories that give you goosebumps? The ones that make you really question what's real? Well, what if I told you that some of the strangest, darkest and most mysterious stories are not found in haunted houses or abandoned forests, but instead in hospital rooms and doctor's offices? Hi, I'm Mr. Ballin, the host of Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries. And each week on my podcast, you can expect to hear stories about bizarre illnesses no one can explain, miraculous recoveries that shouldn't have happened, and cases so baffling they stumped even the best doctors. So if you crave totally true and thoroughly twisted horror stories and mysteries, Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries should be your new go to weekly show. Listen to Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

[Travis Kelce]

We mentioned that you were the coach for the Coyotes. How much different is it trying to coach and not necessarily have the. The ability to go out there and make things happen, but try and just like be a coach, be a leader? What was the biggest difference in terms of, of leading a team in that. In that aspect outside of just not being able to get out on the ice with the guys?

[Wayne Gretzky]

Well, listen, first of all, I loved coaching and I had tremendous group of older guys like my captain, Shane Doane, and my goaltender was Curtis Joseph.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah, guys.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I guess they were just wonderful guys. I never one time ever said, gosh, why can't you do this? Or didn't you see that? I didn't even do that with teammates. I had one teammate who always said to me, every time we come off the ice, he said, gretch, you didn't see me. I was wide open. Gretch, you didn't see me as wide open. Finally, I said, if I see you, trust me, I'm going to give you the. I started calling him 7 11, that guy. I said, he's always open. Every time I come off the ice, I want you to score as badly as you want to score. So my CEO, I'll get you the puck. So I never really overly concerned about. I wish that guy could do that. I kind of. I loved coaching. I loved helping kids become better professional athletes and professional hockey players. I truly enjoyed it. It's, you know, I've tried everything in the hockey. I was a player. I was fortunate enough to Run. Team Canada. In 2002, we won a gold medal in Salt Lake City. It was one of the great thrills of my life. I played in the Olympics in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Unfortunately, we didn't win, but it was such a great experience. And staying in the Olympic village, we had so much fun being with all the other athletes. Curling, figure skating.

[Travis Kelce]

I can only imagine.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Man, it was like going back to high school. Right? So my point is, if you get asked to be on the flag football team, do it. You're gonna love it.

[Travis Kelce]

I got. I gotta find it. Even if. Even if I'm just like a assistant coach or something, I got to get in there somehow.

[Wayne Gretzky]

It is the greatest thrill being part of the Olympic games you're ever gonna have. I mean it. Truly, it will be. If you get a chance to play. If they ask you to play, do not turn it down. Trust me. And stay in the village. It's overwhelming.

[Jason Kelce]

So much fun. That's awesome.

[Travis Kelce]

Noted.

[Jason Kelce]

All right, we want to start here with you growing up and your dad, because our. I speak for Travis and I. Our father has been such a huge inspiration for us in our lives and was so impactful in us just having joy for sport and competing. Oh, man, he was there every step of the way. He was our baseball coach.

[Travis Kelce]

He fueled it.

[Jason Kelce]

So involved in the stories of your dad and his involvement in the backyard ice rink. Like, first of all, how did the back. How did the backyard ice rink come about? Like, where did that even come from?

[Wayne Gretzky]

Well, it's interesting because everybody thinks. And my dad built this backyard architect legend. Yeah, that's not true. Came from one. Came from Minsk, Belarus. My grandmother came from Ukraine. They met in Manitoba, Winnipeg, moved to southern Ontario, and they bought this farm in 1924. And the farm had a river that ran through the back. And at two and a half years old, I started skating on this frozen river. Well, my dad would take me out there and Saturdays and Sundays when he wasn't working, and I would skate all day on Saturday and Sunday. So then as I got a little bit older, three and four, he take me to the park. They had these outdoor parks, and I would skate for hours at that time. I'm not in school yet. You didn't start school until 5 years old or 6 years old. So my dad got mad one day. He was so cold that he decided, look, I'm going to build a wreak in the backyard, and I can sit in the kitchen, drink my hot tea. So every. Every late November, early December, when it first started to snow, my dad would say to my mother, listen, go over to local the store and buy me a sprinkler head. And my mom would say, you're an idiot if you think I'm going to go ask for a sprinkler head in December when it's snowing. They're going to think I belong in the home sprinkler. And he put it in the middle of the yard and it'd go back and forth for an hour. He'd move it, move it around and he'd make the ice, oh boat six, seven inches thick. We'd have the best ice. And I'd skate all winter on this backyard rink. And it was just, oh, that's so cool. Out of necessity. It wasn't to make me a better player or make me an NHL player. But the ironic thing about it was he was the worst handyman around.

[Travis Kelce]

We know a guy, we have the.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Greenest grass and the thickest greenest grass. People would stop and say, walter, how, how did you get your grass like that? What, what are you putting on there? And my mom would just shake her head and it just comes from freezing it in the winter time. And you're gonna. I don't. For some reason it works. So that's how I started and like your dad. My dad took me to every practice, took me to games and he did the same thing. I had three sibling brothers. He took my brothers, he took them to practice. Baseball, I played boxel crowds, track and field. I don't think my mom and dad ever missed. They were at some. One of them was at either a practice or a game 98 of the time.

[Travis Kelce]

That's so good.

[Jason Kelce]

One of the things you talked about, I think it was in the master class thing I saw you do with about your dad was not only you didn't just play hockey. I feel like that's unique to a lot of hockey players. Now all they do is they just play one sport. But you played baseball, you played box lacrosse. Like you did everything. How much do you think that that enabled you to be a better hockey player?

[Wayne Gretzky]

I don't think there's any question without all that, I wouldn't have been player Ivy King.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh wow.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Track and field helped me build my endurance. I used to be a long distance runner. Box across Tommy. How to, you know, avoid body checks and cross checks or roll after them. Baseball, you know, baseball was, was my favorite sport as a kid actually. And you have to be such a thinking man, you have to be one step ahead of that pitch you got to, you know, if you're playing shortstop or you're playing third base or you got to know where you're going to throw the ball, if it's hit to, if you're playing, if you're in first base and you're, you're guys bunting, you got to know when to go. So you're always thinking and anticipating in baseball. And I tell parents this all the time, that all those sports helped my hockey. Now in those days, they didn't play as much hockey in the off season. And I feel bad for some of these kids because their parents are thinking they're getting left behind because their son, their friend's son is skating all summer. That's not the case. I think all these sports help you. And then when you get to be 15, 16, you say, you know what, I want to be a football player or I want to be a hockey player, then you make that decision.

[Jason Kelce]

Absolutely.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I don't think you just throw everything away at the age of 10, 11, concentrate on one sport. I just, I'm not a big believer in that. And I feel bad for some of these parents who can't afford to have their son or daughter play all year.

[Jason Kelce]

Right.

[Wayne Gretzky]

That think, that, think they're getting left behind. Trust me, they're not getting left behind. They're going to be fine.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah. And it feels like a lot of times these parents get caught up in the moment and it's like, no, no, we're building this thing for the future. Really, Just not, I mean, chances are nobody's gonna play in the NHL. We're just trying to, we're just trying to build the most all around athlete and well centered or human being. Right.

[Travis Kelce]

Whoever's having fun doing this. Yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

My boys grew up in California and it wasn't a lot of hockey in Thousand Oaks area, but my son played baseball and I would go to practice and I, you know, you go to the games and you saw these parents and I'd be sitting there going, oh my gosh, just hope that your son turns out okay. Just hope that maybe he gets a college scholarship.

[Jason Kelce]

All right.

[Wayne Gretzky]

This is one of the hotbeds of the baseball country. There's about four kids that have made major league baseball years.

[Jason Kelce]

Right, Right.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Let's not get too far ahead of it for a professional athlete. And I know firsthand I, I went through it and you guys know firsthand it's hard to become a professional athlete. And you got to learn to be a good person, be a good teammate, and then if you can get a college scholarship, hey, after that, everything's gravy. That's the way I look at it.

[Travis Kelce]

Absolutely, man. You, you keep mentioning not a lot of hockey out there in California, and I. All I keep picturing is the pro beach hockey league. Do you remember when this thing hit as a kid? As a kid, that was the. One of the coolest leagues ever. They had crazy jerseys. They had the whole arena. Arena right there on the beach.

[Wayne Gretzky]

It was pretty cool, I gotta admit. They did a spectacular job. I had some friends who were actually playing in that league.

[Travis Kelce]

No way.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And went on to watch a game one day and they said, wow, this is pretty good.

[Travis Kelce]

It's rocking. Yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I was like, very impressed about the whole style of it, the whole sale, the game itself. I thought it was pretty cool, you know. Chris Jelly was a Hall of Famer. He didn't even ice skate to the age of 13. He grew up inline skating.

[Jason Kelce]

Really?

[Wayne Gretzky]

Yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

That's crazy.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I would tell parents, listen, financially, it's tough to be a hockey parent at the age of 8, 9 and 10 if your son or daughter is inline skating, it's going to be fine. You're not falling behind, trust me.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah. My mom said that was one of the best decisions I ever made for was in high school instead of continuing to play hockey and her having to buy all this equipment and especially at the rate, especially at the rate me and Jason were growing.

[Jason Kelce]

That's right.

[Travis Kelce]

It was like, it was like mid season, we'd, we'd change out skates for a new size.

[Wayne Gretzky]

You guys go through two pairs of.

[Jason Kelce]

Skates and it's not even just the price of the equipment. You got to wake up at like 5 in the morning to go to ice time. You're traveling. We went, we went to Canada to go play hockey tournaments. Not many parents can foot, foot the bill for it, but it's, it's a tremendous sport.

[Wayne Gretzky]

That's the hardest thing. I, I see it in Florida because we live a lot of the time there. And I see it in, in California. These parents are so dedicated, these mothers, they don't get enough credit. Look at Austin Matthews, his folks in Phoenix, getting up 4 in the morning and practicing and then playing in the league. Can you imagine, at 11 years old, you're in a league in Phoenix. There you're playing against Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Denver. They're traveling more than the Phoenix Coyotes. It was crazy. I'm like, oh, my goodness. So the parents, they deserve such credit for like, like hanging in there and backing their Sons or their daughters. And just. It's. It's incredible, really.

[Jason Kelce]

Our dad has always credited hockey with both of us making both of us good athletes.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Oh, there you go.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah, 100%.

[Jason Kelce]

He's like the late. The leg strength, the. The speed of the game, all of it. He. He raves about it.

[Travis Kelce]

Understanding angles and, I mean, you name.

[Jason Kelce]

It, and I will say the best. Some of the best football players are changing direction because you get used to going on edges on the ice. Those guys are always good at changing direction on a football field, too. All right, we're going to ask a bunch of questions. This is called we got to ask. Feel free to not answer them. Tell us off, whatever you need.

[Travis Kelce]

All right?

[Jason Kelce]

All right. Favorite parting with the Stanley cup story. Which one you got?

[Wayne Gretzky]

Oh, the very first one. We're in the locker room. Nobody knew what to do with the Stanley cup because nobody had ever won it before. I was sitting there with my dad and my little buddy. This the stick boy Joey that's famous now in Canada.

[Travis Kelce]

Hell, yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And I said, what to do with the Stanley Cup? And he goes, you guys want to take it? And so we took it everywhere. And now every time I see Phil, who guards the Stanley Cup, I said, we got you that job. You made a living traveling around the world protecting the Cup. So that's probably my favorite Stanley cup story.

[Travis Kelce]

That's so good. Jason actually had the cup right there where he's sitting in his living room.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah.

[Travis Kelce]

I was so freaking jealous, man. Lord, Stanley, it's even more beautiful in person. Have you. Did you. Did you eat or drink out of it?

[Wayne Gretzky]

Oh, yeah. You always take a sip out of the Stanley cup, right?

[Travis Kelce]

There we go.

[Jason Kelce]

Got you.

[Wayne Gretzky]

One of the great days I had was, of course, times have changed in the 80s. I called the hall of Fame one day and I said, hey, hey. I'm at home in my hometown. My grandmothers are coming over. My mom's doing a barbecue in the backyard. Can you bring the cup down? And they drove the Stanley cup down. Nobody really was around except my folks, my family. And it was actually pretty cool. That was back in the day, it was a little less crazy, right?

[Jason Kelce]

Sure, sure. Should more sports include fighting?

[Wayne Gretzky]

No.

[Jason Kelce]

All right, fair enough.

[Travis Kelce]

We were talking about. Hockey is unique in that aspect where it's not going to just take over the. It's like. It's more of a. Yeah, it's more of a out of respect thing and a tone setter than it is if you. If you add fighting in other sports. I mean, guys it's literally just going to get turned into a.

[Wayne Gretzky]

You don't need it. Somebody one time asked me, is fighting hockey real? And I said, well, if it wasn't, I'd be in more of them. You know, we don't need the fighting.

[Jason Kelce]

No, you said you were a long distance track and field runner. Is that what you said? Good.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

Well, we had this clip, Brandon. We got the clip ready.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I know what you're gonna do.

[Jason Kelce]

This ain't a long distance race.

[Travis Kelce]

Long distance. And you were out the gate.

[Jason Kelce]

Look at the white tornado go, baby.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Let's go.

[Travis Kelce]

Give that man the football on, on a sweep, baby. Let's see.

[Jason Kelce]

Let's see what he can do.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I tell you, funny story behind that. You had to did. Bjorn asked me to do this. It was his charity and his thing. And I said, oh, I'm awful that stuff, but I'll come, I'll do it. And the other five events, I had no chance. I think there's an obstacle course and whatever.

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And I remember I said to my dad was there, I said, geez, I better do well in this race because I'm going to come last in every other event. In every other event. I wasn't very good. I think there was a bike ride and an obstacle course. I can't remember, but I wasn't very good.

[Jason Kelce]

That's awesome.

[Travis Kelce]

That is awesome, man. Yeah. You smoked them. Well, we gotta, gotta give you a shout out. Have you ever played your. At your game? We, me and Jason played this game our entire lives. We still, we still, we'll, we'll. We call it Wayne Brusky now. We'll play it and we'll, we'll make it a drinking game, man. How did this, how did this even come about? Did you like, were you, were you a video game guy or did it just kind of come to your table and you're like, yeah, let's do it.

[Wayne Gretzky]

It crazy enough. One of my really close friends, a wonderful man who unfortunately passed away. It was his company, he came to me, we played a lot of golf together. And I said, honestly. He said, jack, I don't know a lot about this stuff. We, I think we won New York Times Video Game of the year. He created a cool game and I remember thinking, wow, that's pretty cool.

[Jason Kelce]

That's awesome.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And my boys at the time were 8 and 6. They loved it. They played it.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh man, every day.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Oh, I'm proud that it was part of it. But look at the games today.

[Jason Kelce]

It's.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh yeah, no, it's It's. It's.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I mean, I feel like I'm really playing hockey.

[Jason Kelce]

Seriously. Yeah. The graphics so well, we love that one.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah. We got to know who your. Who your greatest of all times are in. In the NBA, the NFL and the MLB.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Well, the NBA is easy. 23. That was pretty easy, Mike.

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah.

[Wayne Gretzky]

NFL. Well, I'll go with you two guys like 1 and 2.

[Jason Kelce]

Let's go.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Major League Baseball. Listen to me. What Jackie Robinson did was in. Is incredible, babe. How he created the full baseball world. But I'm going to pick George Brad as the greatest player I ever saw.

[Travis Kelce]

There we go, baby. There we go. Keeping it mo, baby.

[Wayne Gretzky]

And he was such a force, and he was so good. And then in your sport, I mean, how can you go against Tom Brady with all the championships, Right? You know the great thing about sports, we sit around and we all argue and debate. We don't have all the right or wrong answers. Right. Who's the greatest team, who's the greatest individual, who's the greatest player? We don't know. It's all opinion, right?

[Jason Kelce]

Yeah, sure.

[Travis Kelce]

Exactly.

[Wayne Gretzky]

You just sort of pat those guys on the back that have made a difference, not only what they did, but how they've helped their community, how they help charities, how they get involved with their family, their cities. So it's hard to go against. I'm proud of the fact that I could say George, Brad and Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and I got Bobby or. And Gordie. How in hockey, those are the two greatest players ever to play.

[Travis Kelce]

There we go.

[Jason Kelce]

You beat me to it. What if you were going to make a Mount Rushmore of NHL players who would be on the Mount Rushmore? So we got Gordy and Gordy how? Bobby Orr on it. All right. Who else is on this?

[Wayne Gretzky]

Lemieux and Mark Messier.

[Jason Kelce]

See, Travis, the greats always leave themselves off of their own mountain.

[Travis Kelce]

What are you talking about?

[Jason Kelce]

Travis infamously put himself on his own Mount Rush. I didn't know it. It was.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I pick those four guys anytime. I always tell people, Mark Messi was the greatest player I played with. Mario was the greatest player I ever played against. And Gordy, Allen, Bobby or were the greatest two players ever to play against.

[Travis Kelce]

That's awesome. Oh, God, that's awesome. Who. Who owns the quote? You miss 100% of the shots, you don't take. You or Michael Scott from the office.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Now I get pushy. It's my quote, not his dad. You ever walked to the office? I go, I don't even know what you're talking about. Oh, it's pretty good.

[Jason Kelce]

Quote.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I looked at it and I said, oh, my God. No, that's fine. I don't care.

[Travis Kelce]

No, that's too funny.

[Wayne Gretzky]

If he wants to claim it, go ahead and claim it.

[Travis Kelce]

I think that's all we got for you, Doc.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Listen, Doc, I love that. I really appreciate you guys. And listen, good luck to you this year. Don't let them take your jersey away from you until you're absolutely ready to quit. Make them rip it off your back.

[Travis Kelce]

You're the best. You're the best.

[Jason Kelce]

Out. Let me ask you, though. I gotta ask you one more story. So I've since been golfing with my brother, and he has the greatest head cover I have ever seen in my life. How did you let this knucklehead get this head cover? What is the story behind that? Is the coolest thing on the planet to us.

[Wayne Gretzky]

So I'll tell you this. So he was playing golf with a couple of buddies and my wife at Troubadour. Really hot that day. And I said, I don't want to play. And I was in, watching TV or something with my buddy who lives on the course, Randy Bernard. And my wife texted me and said, we're coming through the where? The hole that he lives on. Come on out, say hello. And I said, okay. So I brought out this head cover, and I brought out this head cover, and I gave it to him and said, here, this. My son gets these made, and this is mine.

[Travis Kelce]

So cool, too, man.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Cool. But you know what pissed me off the most about the whole thing? We took this picture, and everybody sent me letters and phone calls. What are you doing golfing in bare feet?

[Jason Kelce]

How are you? I want to take a picture.

[Wayne Gretzky]

I went out there to do a nice thing. Golf course. You got no. No shoes on. I'm like, I'm not playing golf.

[Travis Kelce]

He's just hanging, man. He was just hanging.

[Wayne Gretzky]

Playing the golf, not me.

[Travis Kelce]

Oh, yeah. Once it's out there on social media, man, everybody's gonna comment. You're the best, though, big guy. I still. Still got it on my. On my driver today, man.

[Jason Kelce]

No doubt. It brings.

[Travis Kelce]

It brings me good luck.

[Wayne Gretzky]

No, good for you guys and keep it going. Have fun.

[Travis Kelce]

Thank you for everything.

[Jason Kelce]

Thanks.

[Wayne Gretzky]

My pleasure.

[Travis Kelce]

We just. We just had one of the coolest conversations of. Of my life.

[Jason Kelce]

That's pretty awesome.

[Travis Kelce]

I could have kept asking him questions. I'm so pissed I didn't have my Gretzky skates, man.

[Jason Kelce]

Your skates?

[Travis Kelce]

I have Nike Gretzky skates. Yes. All white Gretzky skates, the white Tornadoes, the docks. What a cool ass nickname.

[Jason Kelce]

It's pretty sick.

[Travis Kelce]

I'm wearing nothing but white gloves all year.

[Jason Kelce]

Oh, love it, love it, love it, love it. No, you're not, though. That would increase your chance of holding. Don't do that. Don't do that.

[Travis Kelce]

You're right. I'm out of there on that.

[Jason Kelce]

Alrighty, that wraps up this episode of New Heights. Make sure you're subscribed on YouTube, the new heights channel. Follow New Heights in the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. You can listen to new episodes of New Heights early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

[Travis Kelce]

That's right. Once again, New Heights, a wonder show produced by Wave Sports and Entertainment and brought to you by Reese's and their new PB and J Cups. Follow the show on all social media, add New Heights show with 1s. Thanks to our production and crew for always making us look better than what we are. And thank you again to all the 92 percenters for tuning in. Hope you guys enjoyed the interview with the gray one.

[Jason Kelce]

You guys hear that call?

[Travis Kelce]

Yeah.

[Jason Kelce]

Do you guys. Can you guys make out what she's saying?

[Travis Kelce]

I can't.

[D]

Sounds good, though.

[Jason Kelce]

She's saying, I'm all done pooping. That's the call for me to go wipe Elliot's ass.

[D]

Do you need to come back to us?

[Jason Kelce]

Nana just walked up there.

[D]

Thankfully, I'm gonna start doing that at home.

[Travis Kelce]

That's so cute, Lauren.

[Jason Kelce]

Gosh, it's the best. She just goes, what? Yeah, you're not gonna want to answer this.

[Wayne Gretzky]

You don't want. Don't.

[D]

You don't want to be part of this bit. This bit's not for you.

[Travis Kelce]

Don't worry about it.

[Jason Kelce]

All right.

[Travis Kelce]

Follow New Heights on the Wonder app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to New Heights early and ad free, plus enjoy exclusive episodes of the show by joining Wondry plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify today.

[Jason Kelce]

Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short [e-mail] survey.

[F]

Every successful business starts with an idea. And on the best idea yet, we're obsessed with those light bulb moments, like how a bored barista invented at the Frappuccino during his downtime and then it got acquired by Starbucks. Or how Patagonia's iconic fleece was inspired by a toilet seat cover. On the best idea yet, we dive into the untold origin stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk takers made them go viral. These are the wild ideas and insights that made Birkenstock the best selling sandals since Jesus and made Super Mario the most played video game in the history of a attention span. Yeah, Nintendo almost became a ramen company until Super Mario saved it. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Follow the best idea yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus. And if this podcast lasts longer than 45 minutes, call your doctor.