Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 573: Featuring Nick Tarnasky & Gene Principe

Summary

Podcast Summary: Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 573: Featuring Nick Tarnasky & Gene Principe

Introduction Spittin’ Chiclets, hosted by former NHL players Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette, along with producer Mike Grinnell, dives deep into the world of hockey with a blend of humor, irreverence, and insightful discussions. In Episode 573, released on July 15, 2025, the hosts welcome special guests Nick Tarnasky and Gene Principe to discuss Nick's recent viral incident on a golf course, his NHL career, and life beyond the ice.

1. The Viral Golf Course Incident

The episode kicks off with an engaging discussion about Nick Tarnasky's unexpected viral moment involving a confrontation on a golf course in Alberta. Nick explains the events leading up to the altercation:

• Setting the Scene (01:07): Ryan Whitney introduces the episode, mentioning that it was initially intended to be a "best of" episode but pivoted to cover Nick Tarnasky's viral video:

  "The greatest video in the history of the Internet came out involving Nick Tarnaski." (01:07)

• Incident Breakdown (33:34): Nick details how the confrontation unfolded when intoxicated golfers were slowing down play, leading to tensions:

  "I rolled up and I just said, hey, guys, that we got to get moving... instantly set him off." (38:31)

• Aftermath and Apologies (44:11): Nick reflects on the widespread reactions, emphasizing empathy and the respectful apology video from the other party:

  "Everyone's getting a good laugh, but you don't have to continue to pound this guy down." (44:47)

2. Nick Tarnasky's NHL Career

Delving into Nick Tarnasky's professional journey, the conversation highlights his role as an enforcer and his experiences across various leagues:

• Early Career and Fighting Ethic (50:10): Nick recounts his transition from a sniper to an enforcer at age 18, influenced by his coach's advice to embrace fighting:

  "Mark Hagstri... told me, you need to find a way. Go get in a fight." (52:23)

• Challenges in the NHL and Minor Leagues (74:56): He discusses the difficulties faced in the NHL, including injuries and trades:

  "I ended up fighting Chris Neal in preseason with a broken thumb. It wasn't a good fit." (74:56)

• Experience in the KHL (78:39): Nick shares his adventurous stint in the KHL, highlighting the camaraderie and unique team dynamics:

  "We were boxing with, like, Povetkin and going through... to make something happen." (80:07)

3. Life After Hockey

Post-retirement, Nick has diversified his career and maintains a strong presence in his community:

• Current Endeavors (99:53): Nick balances his time between selling cars at a Chrysler dealership and working at his father's lumberyard:

  "I sell cars at a Chrysler dealership back home and work part-time at my dad's lumberyard." (100:26)

• Handling Online Attention (44:50): He discusses managing the influx of messages and support following his viral incident:

  "I was on the plane all day yesterday. I probably got 500 texts." (44:50)

4. Personal Anecdotes and Other Discussions

Throughout the episode, the hosts and guests share various personal stories and insights:

• Golf and Fly Fishing Adventures (03:09 - 28:51): Paul and Gene talk about their experiences with golf and fly fishing, interspersed with humorous exchanges about golf mishaps and outdoor adventures.

• Merle's Induction to NY State Hockey Hall of Fame (15:22): They congratulate Merle on his induction, sharing playful banter about his contributions and legendary status:

  "Like, Merle's invented the dreidel that Leonardo DiCaprio spins in Inception 2." (15:45)

• Keystone Moments and Mentorship (53:12 - 73:53): Nick reflects on influential figures in his career, including coaches and veteran players who shaped his fighting role and overall hockey journey.

5. Reflections on the Hockey Community and Media

The conversation also touches on the dynamics between players, media, and fan interactions:

• Interviews and Media Relations (127:25 - 142:53): Ryan discusses his role in sports broadcasting, sharing stories about interacting with legends like Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler, emphasizing the importance of building positive relationships within the sports media landscape.

• Impact of Hockey on Fans and Community (132:43 - 142:53): Ryan highlights the profound effect hockey teams have on their communities, sharing heartfelt anecdotes about fans who find solace and joy through their teams.

Notable Quotes

• "Pink Whitney always delivers." – Gene Principe (01:52)
• "When you go to a course and you challenge that many people, eventually you're going to run into somebody that says it." – Paul Bissonnette (11:39)
• "You don't ever forget those memories." – Nick Tarnasky (67:42)
• "Embrace the suck." – Nick Tarnasky (92:16)

Conclusion

Episode 573 of Spittin’ Chiclets offers an in-depth look into Nick Tarnasky's impactful career and his recent viral incident, blending personal stories with broader discussions about hockey culture, media interactions, and life after professional sports. The episode underscores the importance of empathy, resilience, and community support both on and off the ice, providing listeners with a rich and engaging narrative that goes beyond the surface of sports entertainment.

Transcript

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey Spit and Chiclets listeners. You can find every episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Get the crew together and head off to the course in the new 2024 Chevy Traverse. With impressive cargo room, three room seating and the first ever Z71 trim Traverse can handle your buddies and their golf bags with ease. Chevrolet together. Let's drive. This episode is brought to you by.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Hey dude.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey dude.

[Paul Bissonnette]

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[Gene Principe]

With so many options to choose from.

[Paul Bissonnette]

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[Gene Principe]

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[Paul Bissonnette]

No more sacrificing comfort for style.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey dude.

[Gene Principe]

Shoes are unlike anything.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Head to heydude.com barstool to shop our favorites.

[Ryan Whitney]

Me and Ryan have been officially welcomed.

[Paul Bissonnette]

To the jungle that is Barstool sports.

[Gene Principe]

Our white whale, Sydney Crosby. Shave his head.

[Ryan Whitney]

Shave his head.

[Gene Principe]

Shave his head. Ryan Whitney. Paul Vincent Ra Mike Grinelli. Spittin Chicklets. What is up, folks? Welcome to episode 573 of the Spit and Chiclets PODC presented to you by Pink Whitney. It's me and Biz here. We got a lot to get into. This was going to be a best of episode, but then the greatest video in the history of the Internet came out involving Nick Tarnaski. We'll get into that in a little bit, but first we got to talk about Pink Whitney and what Pink Whitney brings to your summer and brings to your days on the lake and brings to your days on the beach or your days on the golf course. It really doesn't matter because Pink Whitney always delivers.

[Ryan Whitney]

Biz.

[Gene Principe]

You know it. You go get the little shooters, you go with your buddies, you'll get a big bottle, you bring it over to a cookout. It doesn't matter. Just pour a nice cold, refreshing Pink Whitney, mix it with a little soda water, mix it with whatever you want. Really. Some people go the double pink and they mix the Pink Whitney with the pink lemonade. Old school style. But either way, if you drink it, you'll enjoy it. I promise you that. And thank you so much to Pink Whitney for what they give to us. And they're the reason this show exists. Let's be honest here. So thank you so much, Pink Whitney. Go check it out, Biz. What is going on, my brother? I, I, I can't wait to hear this interview. Biz sat down with Nick Tarnas. He's going to be the only interview he gives. Talking about this incredible video. Since then, the guy he dummied has. Has released almost an apology video. Very, very respectful of that guy. We'll get into that a little bit, but. How you doing, brother?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Good. I mean, we. We said we needed a break and here we are a week later.

[Gene Principe]

I mean, and it's 6am in Jackson right now and you're sitting in bed.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, we're addicted to you guys actually going fly fishing today for the first time ever. And apparently it's. It's at like Jimmy Kimmel. He's part owner of this lodge and they own this strip of. Of land which has like a. A river in it or whatever. I think it's a river. I. I'm going in blind, obviously.

[Gene Principe]

Okay.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And it's some of the best fly fishing in the world. Like, people fly from around the world to go to this specific lodge and location. You. And we have an unreal guide today. So I'm pretty fired up for it. And that's the first thing I wanted to say. Secondly, going back to Pink Whitney, I would imagine that guy on the golf course that Taroski threw around like a rag doll. He probably got into his own big, big old bottle.

[Gene Principe]

I would. I think he had the big dog, like, and finish it by himself.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So it made a little solo mission for him. So I will say with, like, obviously, like, like after that happened, I reached out to turn asking. I said, hey, we've never gotten you on and obviously we want to talk about your playing career. In which we did. Like, I talked to him for over an hour and he actually downplayed the whole scenario. And the main reason he wanted to come on was just to kind of give his side of it. Saying, like, this isn't some old fighters looking to get back to his heydays and wanting to throw haymakers on the golf course. And he'll explain exactly how he ended up getting in this altercation. So it's just good to see that, like, obviously the other guys came to his senses. And I mean, when it originally happened, I was, I. I was going to my trainer all the last couple weeks when I was in Arizona and he's.

[Ryan Whitney]

He.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He like works with Sugar Sean Ali. I've talked about this guy. He. He described it as like an adrenaline dump. Maybe. Like, I don't know if this guy was drinking and he was just so fired up and he just needed to get something out of him where. Not very common, where you're just like screaming and acting like that when you have cocktails. So he did mention that he played 36 holes where you've played a lot of golf in your life. Have you ever been that buckled on a golf course?

[Gene Principe]

No. And. And there's been some sandbaggers. I mean, I think a Tuka Riggs.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Might have been twice as drunk during our. Our 27 whole match with him. But he wasn't that aggressive.

[Gene Principe]

No, no. I think he was just so smothered, he couldn't even be aggressive. We left the Tuka Ras and Raycroft one, and I. I was like this. This has gone a little extreme now. That was 18. Imagine going out for another 18. I'll just say, like, that video. I mean, I probably watched it a hundred times, and then it came out. It was Nick Tarnaski. I remember Tarnasi well on the Lightning. I remember on Springfield, he was a complete maniac. Tough as nails, enormous. But, you know, it's been a while. I. I don't know him personally. And then when it came out, that was him. I watched it another hundred times. Like, just the perfect video. I mean, he chucks this guy in the pond. He says, good start, pal. Like, it's just. And then he gets out and some of those punches, and you could tell he's. He's really laying back, like he's hitting him, but he could have been hitting him harder. And then he gets him down and he gets back up. And at that point, I was like, he really could have killed him. But he chucks him again. He almost reached the point again. The guy, he's completely parallel to the earth.

[Ryan Whitney]

And.

[Gene Principe]

And now you got to think you're going to a golf course. I saw some tweets. I was just. I've. I've loved this story. And the way the story's ended has been just perfect, too. I mean, both guys kind of not really loving the fact that it happened. Tarnowski just handled it perfectly. I mean, yes, he dummied a guy, but what are you going to do? At some point, you got to just, like, give a guy a beating. And. And then the other guy comes out, we mentioned and says, like. Like a great apology video. I feel like we don't see many apology videos nowadays where the person's like, I fucked up. That's on me. Drank too much, acted like an asshole. Just perfect. A perfect story. But when he's hitting him, bang, bang, bang. To announce bang. As you hit somebody. And also, if you ever, ever are close to an altercation or a fight with somebody, biz, and the person is sitting there telling you listen, you don't want to do this. I'm looking him in the eye. I'm telling you right now, you don't want to do this. Just start running. Just get away, like. Because if I'm somehow, some way gonna be fighting someone and he's looking me, looking at me and saying, dude, like, I'm gonna kill you right now, I'd be like, ah, all right. Unless he's like, the ultimate song master and psyching me out, like, beyond any movie I've ever seen. It's like, it's. What's that movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in the movies? Like, what is that Inception? Like, that's almost like. Unless you're inceptioning my mind telling me you're that tough. Like, I'm going to be like, all right. This guy, he's almost just, like, giving me an out right now. And, And. And Tarnas tried to do it, but I can't wait to hear, like, the interview because I remember him tough as nails. And just an incredible story. I, I.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Inception. Inception lost me at the opening credits.

[Gene Principe]

So that just.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That just tells you how that one went for me. But you mentioned the sound effects, which is probably a lot of people's favorite part of that mind afterward is finding out that Nick Tarnaski is from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. Is there a more tough guy hockey city than Rocky Mountain House, Alberta?

[Gene Principe]

Rocky Mountain House. I mean, you meet a guy from Rocky mountain house. He 1000% has been in a fist fight and probably considering out of the womb. Oh, he fought. He's punching his way out of the vaginal cavity. What?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I said you're fighting the lady cutting your umbilical cord.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, yeah. You're. You're stringing out the nurse by maybe her mask as she's cutting the umbilical cord. And, and then, and. And then I'm talking. They. Rocky. Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. They fought on the ice and off the ice because those people play hockey. They love drinking and they love golfing, obviously, and they love fighting. So, I mean, when you told. Texted us, listen, I'm sitting down with Tarnowski tomorrow. I couldn't. I'm sorry, buddy. I'm sorry. I couldn.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Don't be sorry, man. That's what. That's what teammates are for. I mean, Yan and you were busy. You guys. Actually to. We'll talk about the hockey school quickly after when we. When we. I mean, whether before Turnaski or after. Whether you want a couple other things that I thought were funny. Is a violent gentleman. They released a collaboration shirt. And it's. And they always have those enforce, you know, enforce la, enforce San Diego, whatever. Whatever pro team it is, they had an enforced pay supply and it says bang, bang, bang underneath. So I'm sure those are selling like hot cakes. And actually, Sean Avery, who's overseas right now filming a movie, he reached out to me and asked for his email, because I believe that Avery makes a cameo in the new Happy Gilmore movie that's coming out. And the producers reached out to him to get Taraski's email to invite him and his family to come to the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2 in NYC. So the floodgates are going to open as far as opportunities for Nick Tarnaski for handling business on the golf course as they should. But I can't stress enough that this wasn't like a coming to flex and dunk on interview. This was a guy who was very empathetic, knowing that this guy was gonna, like, like, he's. Like, this guy might have a family and kids and, like, his kid might have to see that, right? And it's probably a little bit embarrassing. So he was, he was very honorable in mentioning all that and not really dunking on the guy. And then, as I mentioned, we really talk a lot career and how it all started, how his hockey career began and how he fell in love with the game and went very similar to me, where I don't think naturally, deep down, he likes doing it and likes fighting. He's easy.

[Gene Principe]

Unless you're holding him up on the golf course.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Unless. Unless you're. You're slowing down the pace of play, my friend, don't be doing that. Woody. I could see you doing that for slowing down place of play.

[Gene Principe]

So I don't think you could see me, like, physically dominating somebody like that. But I will, I will say, like, if you're golfing, dude, and there's a group in front of you that are slowing up the entire course and that are taking 20 minutes a hole and are lining up their putts. As a golfer, there's nothing worse. Nothing worse because it's not that hard to get up, get your club ready, your buddy hits, then you hit. A lot of times, these slow groups, they'll all be next to one guy hitting. Then they all drive over to the next guy hitting. It's like, dude, ready, golf play. Golf play fast. I think the, I think the, the. The course saying at Seminole Golf Club is one of the best courses in the world in Florida is like, play good, play fast, play bad, play faster. Like it's just one of those things where courses need to do a good job of really keeping up the pace play. That's why the rangers have got to be out there. The course rangers, they got to be out there and they got to be moving the pace along. And if you have a drunk crew in front of you and not to mention if they let you play through, okay, no problem. Like if you're going to let everyone play through, that's not ideal, but at least you're not holding up the course. But don't do it to Nick Tarnowski, because I'll tell you right now, he'll chuck you in a pond and yellow bang as he drills you with rights.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's. That's a fact. Early 6am here. So sorry if I'm stuttering a little bit as.

[Gene Principe]

No, no, buddy, no.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Am I doing all right for 6am in Jackson?

[Gene Principe]

You actually seem like it's 6pm and you've had an active day working out. H. I went for a hike.

[Paul Bissonnette]

The altitude here, I'll get you, man. The, the, the dryness and the altitude. I, I did a hike. I, I went to up the Snow King, it's called. It's the one hill downtown here. And actually what they did is they created these concerts up there. So every, every week in the summertime they, they throw a concert. Like last summer it was like Portugal. The man who's the old. The, like the. Not the Insane Clown Posse. I'm drawing a blank on who they had last summer, but I went to see De La Soul the other night and they were incredible. Dude, this is like a 90s hip hop group. I believe they actually started in 88 and they've been going since. And these guys are a little bit older now, but did they put on a show? If you could ever go see a De La Soul concert, go do it. I was dancing with the entire time. Could have been a little bit of the mushrooms. It could have been, but I was. I had happy feet the entire time. But earlier that day I hiked up it and then you get the gondola ride down. I was whacked. I had to take a two hour nap in the afternoon because the altitude got me.

[Gene Principe]

But so played golf. You played golf with Brooks Orpik? I did a big favorite of ours. Great guy. I got to go to high school with Orp. He went on to just incredible career. Two Stanley Cups. He's gotten pretty fucking good at golf, huh?

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's unbelievable.

[Gene Principe]

I know.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, I couldn't keep up with him. I was looking for my ball in the fescue all day. I was all over the place, as usual. But no, he. He looked. He still looks like he can play.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah. Yeah, he's a lunatic in the gym, I think.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So I'm actually going for a hike with him on. On Tuesday morning, which was tomorrow, the day that this comes out. A few are the things that top of mind that I wanted to mention. Joel Pavelski. Holy eagle putt on 18. This guy's a machine.

[Gene Principe]

He is so nasty at golf. Like I. I was watching yesterday at the end. I mean, he.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I don't get it.

[Gene Principe]

His swing is just perfect. So tight and compact, and he just beats it. And then that last hole, I mean, there's water up the left. It's a par five. It looked like he hit like a nine iron into it. I know the ball travels a little further in Lake Tahoe, but just perfectly, just right of the water. Uphill putt and he cans it for an eagle.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He hold out a couple years ago, and I think Madonna was in his crew, so I remember there being hype around him when he did that. I don't know if he got a hole in one there also, because I.

[Gene Principe]

Just remember there was uproar.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, exactly. We can name anything in golf, and he's done it. The other two things, though, back to hockey, I did mention that you and Yan's. What was more so the Yanls through on the rink shrinks hockey school, and you helped out at it. So that must have been awesome. And then we'll get to it afterward is Merle's getting inducted to the New York State Hockey hall of Fame, which is awesome. Congratulations to Murr. Loving all the comments that he invented the hall of Fame, which is anything that we. When we mentioned Merle's now, it's that. That's what's being mentioned.

[Gene Principe]

It's. It's the Dos Equis man, which you brought up recently. It's just like, Merle didn't just invent the New York Hockey hall of Fame. He invented New York, right?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, no way.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, he was the one. He even drew out how he wanted the state to be shaped. It was crazy. He showed me. Yeah, he was like. He was real, real, real young. And New York, you think was around a lot longer than Merle's. But no, everything changed when he was born, so.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So Christopher Columbus kind of jacked what Merls did.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, he. He. Inception. Going back to inception, he was kind of in. I know. That's how the movie Merle's invented Inception. I know. Merle's invented the dreidel that Leonardo DiCaprio spins in Inception 2. It's wild what Merles has done. He truly is.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I love reading the comments. The other one, the other day was like Merlin invented inventions. Like Worth. That's Inception, like right there. But how was the hockey school? Were your kids out there skating around?

[Gene Principe]

So Ryder was. But quickly, let's just talk about Merle's quick.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay.

[Gene Principe]

So happy for him.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah.

[Gene Principe]

And Army. What a classy. Like, army is a unreal teammate. He always has been. You talk to guys who played with him and just a guy you love having around. Dude, he shot up quick. He went up to Saratoga for Murals's weekend. They went to the track. I think army went 0 for 10. He didn't even sniff winning a bed at the track. I saw Merle's cashing in like an eight thousand dollar winner. So it was Merle's weekend. Yeah. He invented cash too. So I think the fact that Timmy Conley was there. Clark MacArthur was there. Army was there.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They probably didn't drink at all.

[Gene Principe]

Oh, my God.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, my God.

[Gene Principe]

So Merle's had a great.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Army could hang out with Elio the way that he. The way that he's hitting.

[Gene Principe]

I know, I know. Seriously, Army. Army just got a. He got a kick in the dick, but just a great guy. And I want to shout out Merles because Merle's dogs on himself a lot. He was a great player, dude. Like, oh, yeah, freak. As a kid. Unreal. Could have gone to any college he wanted to. Decided to stay home. Played for rpi where he grew up going to the games. Was a legend there for four years. I mean, Murals story of being on a run preseason freshman year, and then just stopping and just being like, I'm not doing this. And the senior captain be like, what are you doing? Start running. He's like, nah, I'm not here to run. I'm here to get points. I'll get 50 points this year. 50 points as a freshman is. I mean, that's. That's enormous. In college actually.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Did he actually tell the captain that? He's like, I ain't here to run.

[Gene Principe]

Yes. I think Murals was. I think he was a little cocky back in the day. He was the best players to. He was seven. He was always ripping it up in every league. And he got there and he's like, nah, I don't need to run, dude. I'll get 50 points. He finished with 49. He didn't get 50, but 49 points as a freshman. He never loved working out. But Merles, like I said, doesn't give himself the credit he deserves. He was nasty and then he changed his game a little bit. He was a pain in the ass to play against. He could PK when he realized he wasn't going to be like a first liner. He had been in his entire life in pro hockey, you know, in the NHL. When he was up, he was playing a different role. Ahl. He always point per game and then he played in 15 different countries. Did you see his plaque? It's like Matt Murley, New York Hockey hall of Fame. And then, you know, rpi and then it lists off like all the countries he played. And it was a seven foot piece of wood, you know, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, he, it was, it was cool. He kind of got to get a bit of a world tour as far as hockey, big time, the back half of his career. And I'm sure he's grateful for the life experiences, but going back, I didn't know him like when he was younger, but like, just like obviously talking to Conley and, and you're more aware of it. And I'm sure Army was with the fact that they played together in Wilkes Barre as well, but just kind of. Yeah, he was like a prodigy coming up. Like you, like, you think he was talked about like, like, kind of like Crosby was.

[Gene Principe]

No, no, not to that extent. That was kind of Timmy Conley. So Merle's is a 79 and Conley is an 81 and played with the 79s for like seven years. Like, I know, like playing up a year is kind of nuts. Like, I see kids do it now. You're like, wow, that kid's that good. He's playing, you know, as you get older, like when you're 11, 12 and you're playing up, the kids can be a foot taller and 70 pounds heavier. Conley was playing two years up. So Conley was like a true phenom and then went to the ohl, lit it up and was fifth overall pick. Merles was just really good and, and he was always really good. He was always dirty, too. I don't think people know Merle's was a prick on the ice.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, that's why him and army get along so well. Army was a savage out there.

[Gene Principe]

Army talking about trying to just knock people out with shoulders to the face. I mean, that's when, you know, we were playing in a different time. We were playing In a different era when Army's like, okay, wit, make sure you angle that guy wide. He's gonna have his head down. I'm gonna come from the off wing and I'm gonna put my shoulder through his nose and he's gonna be knocked out. And then it would happen. So different game, different error, couple of rats. But just congrats to Merle's unbelievable person and the fact Merles came and joined us at that trip in Philadelphia. I want to say what 20, 18, 19 called the draw. He called the draw. Philadelphia, Washington Capitals. He's going to be the gambling guy. We're getting into the gambling space at barstool and checkouts and draw dude plus 335. I invented ties. Boom. They tie Merles. That was it. He took off. He just never stopped. And he's our guy. So is army. So congratulations.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah.

[Gene Principe]

And on.

[Paul Bissonnette]

On to the season. They had two game notes, man. They're evolving. Yeah. It's awesome to see. It's awesome to see.

[Gene Principe]

Very happy.

[Paul Bissonnette]

We got a hell of a team.

[Gene Principe]

We do.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Those guys are the guys behind the scenes. Like even fishy hopping on this morning. You know, we. We said to everybody we planned the best of. And. And these guys. No, no, no problem. Just hopping on and, and, and getting her done with us.

[Gene Principe]

GS in Greece. So G was at a wedding in Greece and the.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Getting frisked in the. What do they call it, the TSA line right now. And on, on and, and watching from behind the scenes. So, yeah, just remarkable. He went to that. He went to. I've drawn a blank on the DJ's loud luxury. One of the guy. I believe it was Andrew got married over there.

[Gene Principe]

That's whose wedding it was.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, it looked awesome. G and Alana went over there. I think they're on their way home now. And I think G might be even going back to Europe again.

[Gene Principe]

I think he's going to Italy. He's going to Italy in a couple weeks.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He loves Italy. I think Alana's got family there who has a place and he just cruises around. He goes and eats all the best food. I. That's all I hear about is how good the food in Italy is and that you can eat all the pasta in the world, but you don't gain any weight.

[Gene Principe]

Ah, I don't know. If you stay there long enough, you might. But it's definitely not like the pasta over here we're eating or the wine. You can have wine over there and not be hungover. I loved. I loved Rome I was just in Italy for a little bit in Rome. It was incredible. But G happy for him as well. Alana, you know what she went through with her breast cancer. She's doing phenomenal. So they're getting to enjoy. They haven't had, like, a normal summer together. Right. Like, they've been going through all these different things. So I'm very, very pumped for G and Alana to get to go on these trips. Fish was at a wedding last night. He hops on at 8am for us. You're up at 6:30. Hell of a squad we have, Fish. Maybe not. Maybe not. You know, Fish can talk to somebody for hours. He could have been talking to the Same guy from 3am to 8am and then hopped on and done chicklets. That guy. He can talk. You know it, Fish. You know it. But this week we did a lot of talking and coaching. So the Yandel Hockey Camp. There's my hat. Y3K. It's got the Nantucket logo right there. Beautiful lid. It was awesome. So this was the third year that Brian and Keith have thrown their camp in Nantucket. First year for the Whitney family to get to be there. The dates were kind of moved around where we had our house rented this year. I said, I need the dates. I want to be there. It was awesome. It was awesome. Brian couldn't go on the ice. He's got to get back surgery from an injury at work. So he's got that August 4th. So he couldn't skate because, like, he's just back's all mangled. So Keith and I were out there. I was really helping out with the younger kids, the mites and squirts. I was out there like a couple days with the pes and bantams, the second hour and a half. But it was great, dude. Like a lot of local kids from Nantucket, then a lot of kids who were there vacationing or who parents maybe rented a house with some friends so the kids could all do it. Started off with just giving them a good, good edge work. Bizarre. And then, you know, getting into the scrimmages, all the different drills we had. Ryder had a blast. So Keith's sister Lauren, she helps run the camp as well. She's doing the behind the scenes checking kids in dealing with the. The board of health. All the madness that you don't consider when you're talking about running a hockey camp and all the things you got to do. So her son Tripp is Rider's age. He was out there. We, dude, it was a great time how about Yance? This is classic Yance. You know how he just don't give a shit, right?

[Paul Bissonnette]

No.

[Gene Principe]

Yes. There's never been a second of anxiety in this kid's life. So the camp ends Friday. It was 9 to 12 every day. And we're sitting at his. Oh, he's got such a pad over there, beautiful house. All his family was over. All his wife's family had come over for the fourth, Then his family's over for the camp and he's like, oh, dude, I got a. His daughter. His daughters have, I think a week or two week camp in North Carolina, a big sleepover camp. A bunch of their friends from Florida are doing it. They did it last year. So he's like, oh, we gotta leave tomorrow. There's a only one flight from Boston down to this area in North Carolina where the camp is. It's at 9am we're on an island. It's 1pm Friday, they gotta fly at 9am Saturday. I'm like, you get the flight yet? He's like, nope. I'm like, you got a ferry off the island that. Nope. I'm like, ah. He's like, oh yeah, I guess we got to do this right now, dude. He's trying to book a flight, then he's trying to find a ferry. Like just. I'm like, anyone else in the world would have had this plan. Nope, Yan's is just kicking it. He's just got his feet up in the pool area. He's on his phone, he's checking for ferries, checking for flights. Ends up taking a 10pm ferry off of Nantucket, getting to Hyannis in the Cape, stays at like the Hyannis Harbor Hotel and then takes an uber at like 5:30 in the morning up to Logan to fly. So just a guy who's just doesn't give a. Never rattled. Really cracked me up.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's why he could walk the blue line last night back and just snap it like he did. You need to have alligator blood like that.

[Gene Principe]

That's what somebody said to me. Like, no wonder he just had no, no pulse on the ice with the puck. He's just like, yeah, dude, I'm, I'm fine. I'll just find the guy. Late, choppy, I don't give a fuck. My money's already in my bank. But I, I was bummed out with the ending. We had a great week. We had a great week. My buddy Jake Plzkowski, he's the head pro at Sankety Golf Club. It's, it's the it's my favorite golf course on Nantucket. Old school. Mini Shinnecock, I call it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I feel like you say that about a lot of golf courses.

[Gene Principe]

Nobody. This place is different. That's your favorite now, Unfortunately, I shot 84 round before that, 81. I stink at golf. I'm in a bad, bad place, but to the point where, like, I need some, like, help mentally with, like, not being so, like, depressed when I'm bad at golf because I know I'll be good at golf again and then I'm gonna be bad again. I have to enjoy the down times when I'm really trying to find my game right now. It's. It's ugly and it's. And it's very. It makes me upset. But still, I wanted to show out Jake for getting me out there. Amazing course. My favorite. So we had a great day there. Besides my 84 hit a shank. Just horrible. Horrible birdie the first birdie the first from 50.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You never want to birdie the first. No. Told us that.

[Gene Principe]

I know that my t ball on two, it went. It went basically, I'd say 100 yards, right? Literally. And luckily Lynx Golf, I found the ball, the eight, the eight iron. Then went 100 yards right? Double. And then it's kind of. I'm kind of screwed from there. But my week, I was thinking I wanted to be at this place Friday night after camp for. It's my favorite. It's the best sunset I've ever been a part of. It's beautiful. It's called Millie's. It's Madicott. Nantucket. It's out on one of the ends of Nantucket. You get the food, you bring it down to the beach. You get the drinks, get the cooler, and you're just staring at a beautiful sunset. I was talking about this months ago. I'm like, brief Friday night, I want to go to Sunset Matica. So I. I dragged Brian Yandel. I dragged Joanna. I dragged their three boys. I drank Lauren. I dragged Lauren Noonan, that's Brian and Keith's sister. I dragged their husband out there. And I'm like, guys, this sunset's gonna be on. I'm talking about a sunset. Like, I'm like a 12 year old girl talking about, you know, maybe painting a sunset. It's beautiful out. Five o' clock. All of a sudden, buddy, the fog rolls in the fog, you couldn't see 50 yards in front of you. And they're just chirping me. Lauren Noonan said, no sky at night. Ryan Whitney's delight So I just. I just. I got kick in the dick. I couldn't get my sunset. Kind of a. Kind of a bummer of an ending, but a great trip nonetheless. Great trip. My mom was over there. My dad came over with my aunt. It was just awesome.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That might be the most wit story ever right there.

[Gene Principe]

It was crazy, dude. And it was. We were setting up.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You talking about a sunset for that long and then to that. For that to happen.

[Gene Principe]

I'm gonna show you something.

[Paul Bissonnette]

The only thing that would have been cooler is if the fog would have rolled out and there would have been crepuscular rays coming down. Dude, that would have been cool.

[Gene Principe]

This is how the wit sunset I've been talking about for months went. Pretty nice sunset, huh?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Armageddon.

[Gene Principe]

It was sick. So, incredible week. Awesome time. Anything else? Oh, this. The Boston Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I see you tweeting about the Red Sox. I don't got much time here because I gotta go fly fishing. Let me. Let me know what the fuck the Red Sox are doing, okay?

[Gene Principe]

I know you gotta go. I know you gotta go. They've won 10 in a row, buddy. Oh, they traded away Rafi Devers. Who? People were like, what the hell? They signed 300 million dollar contract. Just whatever last year. And first off, people are telling me, oh, bandwagon fan. I've been watching the Red Sox since this people. These people chirping me were in diapers. I didn't. I probably watched 100 games a year from 98 to like 2018. And then since then it's just been. Yeah, I haven't been watching many games. They haven't been great. It's kind of been a disaster. Dude, they have this young squad. They got this. This Marcelo Mayer, fourth overall pick, couple years ago. Silky stud. He's up now. They got this Roman Anthony. This kid's an absolute stallion. He's lighting it up. It's just. They got this sedan. I don't even know if I'm saying is I Rafaela now. Maybe I look a little soccer player. Maybe I look a little bandwagon, considering I can't say some of their names. But this team is so fun to watch. They've won 10 in a row. I'm back in. And I think what happened was. And I think other dads or mums will agree. Ryder is so into baseball, he loves baseball that I'm now. And so now he's like, can we watch Red Sox now? Dude, I'm back. All my buddies at home, we're all Back in. And it's just a joy every day to know when. Congratulations. 1 o', clock, 4 o', clock, 7 o'. Clock. You sit back, you watch the socks. I feel. I feel like I'm 18 years old again, not. Not physically or mental or. Or mentally, but Red Sox wise, I'm 18.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I think it always is fun to root for an overachieving team. And is that what they're doing right now? Like, they didn't have much expectation coming in where all these young kids are. I mean, they always have a big payroll, so that might be a bit.

[Gene Principe]

Well, that's changed a little. That's kind of changed. But they have this pitcher, this crochet, this guy, big lefty, absolute horse. Horse. He's an all star. So I've just been very into the socks. It feels like summer. I'm loving it, but I know you got to go fly fishing. So let's send this. This thing roll over right now to Nick Tarnaski. Amazing, amazing video. Bang, bang, bang. Biz sat down with him right now. The legend of the golf course, the no slow play king.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And before we throw it over, Yan's and Whit were not with me. I didn't establish that right away. I just want to say for those of you who are like, oh, where are those two guys? They were helping out at a hockey school being.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, I was teaching how to make a tape to tape pass to a bunch of seven year olds and.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And Yan's teaching kids not to give a shit so they can quarterback power plays. So now over to Nick Tarnowski.

[Gene Principe]

Guys, Whit here. And this episode is brought to you by Body Armor Bang. I'll tell you right now, this new Body Armor Chill. This is frozen cherry. It's incredible. This summer, cool off with a Body Armor Chill. A bold new way to hydrate with no artificial dyes, flavors, sweeteners, 1390 milligram of electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamins A, C and E, coconut water, no artificial thighs, B vitamins. Natural flavors and sweeteners. And they got some great flavors. This is frozen cherry. Incredible. They got frozen orange and they got frozen berry. Impossibly cold, incredibly tasting. And I'll tell you right now, official partner of the NHL. And this episode is brought to you by Body Armor. So check it out. Right now, available for a limited time. Grab yours at a 711 or a store near you and you will not be disappointed. Frozen cherry. I like frozen berry is actually my favorite. But I've drank all of those or drunk all of Those. Which one is it? I don't know. I apologize. Body armor for my. My English not being great, but body armor chill. Frozen cherry. Thank you so much. To body armor. This episode is brought to you by them. Go check it out right now. 711 or a store near you.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Folks. It's just myself hopping on here, and I'm with Nick Tarnaski. Nick, pretty insane moment. By the way, how's your last 48 hours been?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, pretty tough. Pretty overwhelming. I mean, it's nice to hear from damn near every single team that I played with for 13, 14 years of my life kind of feeling, oh, yeah, I'm here from guys from Springfield in 2005. Like, it's okay. Guys are fired up and be able.

[Paul Bissonnette]

To get an NHL PTO off of this.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. Fuck, I don't know. Lose a few pounds to get that back.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, for everyone, anyone who's been living under a rock, a crazy viral moment happened on a golf course in Canada, in Alberta, this past week. And I had to hop on because the story ended up evolving into the fact that it was Nick Tarnaski, a guy who I played against in my last year. You're with the San Diego Gulls, and there was a guy on the golf course, he was obviously intoxicated, ends up biting off more than he can chew. And it just so happens it's with you, a former NHL heavyweight, and obviously it didn't end well, but we just wanted to get you on, or I guess I just wanted to get you on and clear the air as to, like, how this all transpired, hear from you. And then obviously we want to get into career after we talk about this story, but this is probably something that was viewed, you know, tens of millions of time online, and it just so happened to be you in the video. So how. I'll start with this. Like, how did. How did this all begin?

[Gene Principe]

Like, was.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Was this. This happened the minute he teed off to where you guys ended up meeting up?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, so we started on the back. We teed up on 10. I watched him he off, and I. I mean, I didn't know really what situation he was in, but, I mean, you know, you hit a tee shot 10, 12 yards, you kind of give it, you know, take them all again, rip another one. And I didn't even pay attention. Then by the time I teed off, played hole 10, the marshal comes back and he said, hey, you know, those guys are. I'm trying to kick them off, but, you know, they're trying to fight me, and I'M like, all right, don't worry about it. You know, they're having fun. If I end up catching up to them, I'll just say, hey, guys, like, let's, you know, keep fun. Let's stay respectful to the staff and, you know, the other golfers, like, no big deal. You guys are having yourself a time. Okay? So catch up to them. The next group, they're on 12. Now, that's a buddy of mine and his fiance. And, you know, apparently, he.

[Ryan Whitney]

He.

[Nick Tarnowski]

He hit a long ball within 15, 20 yards of him, and now buddy came back and wanted to fight him, too. So I'm like, come on, man. Like, so now by the time These guys take 45 more minutes to tee off on. On 15, so they're just.

[Paul Bissonnette]

This guy's duffing every shot. He can't even stand up. He's just inebriated. And. And it's taken how long to play, like, three holes?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Like, we're talking two some. A two some. A threesome. And we're 20, 22, 25 minutes a hole. And so now we've jammed up at 15. Tee box. I'm behind my buddy. He's kind of, you know, he's a little tentative because these guys are clearly. I don't. I mean, bath salts or meth or. I don't know what was going on there. So I said, hey, you know, I'll go talk to him. And so I rolled up and I just said, hey, guys, that we got to get moving. And that instantly set him off. Then he's doing the. The fist clenching and the. The pump in his arms. And he. And I said, you know, like, that's where the altercation starts. That's on the video. Obviously, everybody's seen what then happens, and from then on, it was just basically what you see is exactly what happened.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Is this, like a. A place you're a member at? Like, it was just. Just like a public chorus. Like, how. How was this guy allowed to get this up while playing and then take that long without. Yeah, like, I guess, any type of restraint.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I guess it's. I mean, it's a public course, but it's a great course. It's. It's run well. It's in Red Drive in a member there, I think, for eight years now.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay, so a place you're a member at all, right?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. Like, it's. We have a fantastic membership there. We have a great group. Like, there's never any issues. Very rarely do we even need a Marshall out there. I've never seen these Guys, I don't know why they decided maybe Friday night would be the time we're gonna come get obliterated and start looking for any type of person on the course that will fight me. I, I don't understand that mindset.

[Paul Bissonnette]

See, I mean, it seems like the type of place you'd pick a fight to actually win one, but it just so happens you were, you were golfing that day. Now. So you, you obviously are aware you're an NHL former tough guy. This guy does not. So he, he was kind of above ground, right? Like, he had, he had like about a foot on you because he was on the tee box. Maybe that's why he, he might end up betting off more than he could chew. But was it you who yelled out, I'm gonna throw you in the pond? So was it you who gave him the warning or was it your buddy?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, like, I, I, I was trying to be like, you know, let's make it fun. Like, I'm not gonna threaten you, but like, hey, if I, if I hear I'm gonna get thrown the pond by this mutant, maybe I'm gonna chill out. Maybe, you know, And I thought, you know, that might be kind of a good, fun way to be. Like, hey, you guys are in the wrong. Let's speed things up.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, my God. So then he, so then he comes at you and then you, you throw him the first time and then he keeps coming. Like, at this point you're kind of telling the stop. But the one thing that I think surprised everybody was, did you give sound effects to your punches when you played?

[Nick Tarnowski]

I was just trying to have fun with it. Like, I just, I don't know. It's like, man, why I'm fighting in a golf course against a guy that like, is, I don't even know what's going on here. I just thought, oh, this might be a blast. Have some fun with it. Like, whatever.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, my God. So what was, like, what was the aftermath of all this? Like, after that, was he taken off the course? Like, how did it end? And he finally off with his buddy?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. So after the whole confrontation, you know, basically what's seen on the, on the full length video, I, I tell him, like, you know, you got to get the outer because it's not like you've now, you've made it. Like, now there's three or four groups pounded up behind us. There's other, you know, dad with, with young teens. And I'm like, hey, like, you guys gotta go. Like, it's enough, you know, at that point, you know, he's completely. He has no idea now where he is.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Did he put his tail between his legs and take off?

[Nick Tarnowski]

They finally did. So they. They take off. The one girl that was behind that was my buddy's fiance. So she phoned the pro shop, they phoned the cops. So we go play hole 15. We're halfway through hole 16, and I see the cops parked at the green walking over. So I pick up. I, you know, I headed over, and they said, kind of like, you know, were you guys the group that got thrown in the lake? And I'm like, no, officer. Like, I'm not going to try to, like, hide from you. Like, I threw the guy in the lake. He was threatening people, trying to fight anybody he could. I tried to, you know, diffuse the situation the best that I can without. Without hurting. Someone ripped him in the lake. And he said, oh, you know what? Like, I don't know what more you could have done. Like, we've already had five or six complaints of threats from staff, from golfers, from, you know, anybody involved in the golf course that day.

[Paul Bissonnette]

The beer cart lady. So, like, I mean, we've already kind of made this clear that this guy was being the instigator all day. And then even your situation, like, he was on the tee box, and then he lunged at you. The video. I'll tell by the time the video catches that it kind of just catches him in screen. So he almost lunged at you and gave you a shove, and that's when you kind of just threw, like, made the rotation and threw him in the lake.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I mean, lake was close enough where I thought, okay, at least maybe give this guy a chance. Moldy water. Like, it's. I don't know what's growing in there, but, like, you got to think you get thrown in the pond.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I was trying to give him benefit of the doubt. Like, okay, maybe he caught, like, a slip and slide action, then he came, and then you gave him the other way. You. You got a full core workout out of it, for sure. Oh, my God. So what. What's it been, like, the last, like, 24 hours? And, like, the amount of, like, chaos. Like, we joked about the PTOs, but, like, how many texts have you gotten? How many phone calls? And I would imagine that you probably came on this one to just kind.

[Ryan Whitney]

Of clear the air.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Don't want to talk about it anymore. This is my piece. This is what happened. It wasn't just me being a hardo on the golf course, looking for one. Hey, I Want to dust off the old. The gloves here or the fist. Like, my plan days. You. This guy was antagonizing everybody, the staff, and then finally, you're just like, enough's enough. This guy needs a right hook. And get chucked in a lake.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. I mean, you know what? At the end of the day, like, I. I asked him not to. I told him he shouldn't get involved with me. I asked him to move on. I gave him every opportunity not to. Charged on me. Like, I'm not gonna fold over. Like, that's not my nature to. Then I'm gonna look like the carrot. There's no way. So I thought, you know, the lake thing would be good, and, you know, good laugh. And then comes out of the lake, like the girl from that Ring movie, and I'm like, dude, what's going on here now? You know? And then I got uneasy because, you don't know. Example, right? He's looking at me with those eyes that I. Like, I don't know if you're looking at me or through me or, like, do you have a knife? Like, I don't know. And so, again, like, I don't go to the golf course, especially where I have tons of friends and family that go there. That. Oh, yeah, I'm going on a Friday night. Looking to get into a tilt. Like, I. I pray there five times a week. It's somewhere where I enjoy my weekends, my time and. And the friendships that. I'm not trying to make a scene here. Like, I. I respect the. The people there, and it's unfortunate that it had to happen, but when you go to a course and you challenge that many people, eventually you're going to run into somebody that says it. Okay, let's go.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Were you surprised at how easy you were able to hurl him? Like, kind of like in, like, Jazzy Jeff in Fresh Prince of Bel Air, like, out of the house.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I don't. I don't know. I mean, obviously there's some adrenaline, but, like, it's just. I don't. I don't know what he was thinking. It was just kind of. It was so bizarre to me. And, like, even my mindset at the time was like, is, like. I'm looking at my friends like, is this guy serious? Like, come on, man. Like, is it just move on? I'm huge compared to you. You're. You're way out of your element. Like, just don't do it. Like, why? There's nothing good gonna happen to this. And just like, let's move on. Like, it's not cool. Like, we shouldn't. It shouldn't have happened. It's. Everyone's getting a kick out of it, but it's. It's unfortunate because it's just not. Like, it's not my mentality at the golf course, and I, I guess ultimately just kind of guy, we can get a few.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Few chuckles out of it. But, like, you, you know, there's the empathetic element as well. Like, you're probably like, I didn't want this to begin with. Like, I don't want to flex and. And also bury this guy too, because, like, I. I don't know where you got to be in life to get that buckled on a golf course where you're just all of a sudden challenging everybody. Right? Like, I. I kind of deal where there was those. Those guys around town, they were buckled. They were just looking for something. Right? So, like, and this guy probably lives in. In. In your community, and I don't know if he's got a family. And like, now all of a sudden, like, your. Your worst possible day is. Is being portrayed online.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. And that's the thing. It's. Everyone's getting a good laugh. I think the message was. Was sent that it was inappropriate, and, you know, he got, you know, he got embarrassed by it. But, like, I think it's like, you know, let a sleeping dog sleep. It's nothing to, you know, continue hacking a guy about. It's. It happened. It's done with. Like, he's not feeling good about it for sure. I mean, I. I'm feeling the, you know, the anxiety of the messages and messaging message, and they're positive. Like, everybody reached out. I. I don't understand how that would feel to be negative. So, I mean, unfortunately, it happened. But, like, I don't think we need to beat the guy to death about it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

No. How many calls and texts, by the way?

[Nick Tarnowski]

I mean, I was on the plane all day yesterday. I probably 500.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, that's just getting buried now. I would imagine this is something that, like, one of your buddies captured, sent it to a couple group texts. Like, you wouldn't believe just what just happened. And then all of a sudden, it was going through town, and then somebody in town posted to the Internet. Did you know who, like, first posted it?

[Nick Tarnowski]

We have no idea. Like, we tried to not let it out, and it's. Again, oh. One person hears about it, they see an. Exactly. Somebody rips it out to a group chat with 80 people, and then it's wildfire. So.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, I Mean, you're from Rocky Mountain House, which is a town, actual town name in Alberta. Now that's not where you were. Right. You're currently in Red Deer.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay, so how far in proximity is that?

[Nick Tarnowski]

It's like 45 minutes.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay. And so, I mean, let's kind of transition. Unless there's anything else you kind of want to button up about this story because like, like we also, I wanted to talk to you also because I played against you your last year. You were a tough guy. You had an insane journey. Drafted the same draft year as me in the ninth round. I don't know if you ever thought you were actually going to get to play. Played, I believe over 250 games. Got to bounce around to three teams, by the way, all no state tax teams. So ching ching. Right, right. And then ended up in the khl. So I want to hear all about it and the people who are listening to this interview to also get to know like the. The human on the other side. So how did you grow up loving hockey? Like what made you fall in love with the game?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, I mean that's just in those days, like Rocky Mountain, I was. It's really all there was. There's an oval and then an outdoor rink and a rink there. I don't know, there was like maybe four or five thousand people. My dad would build a rink in the yard every year. And like that's all you do. And the summer you play street hockey and the winter you play ice hockey. Like there's literally nothing to do. You know, there's no mall, there's no skate park, there's no BMX. There is all that stuff now, but in the 80s and 90s, like he just played hockey. Like everybody played all we did, the ones that loved it. I mean, Brad Stewart's run, right? He won the cup twice. He came out of there too, you know, so I look got to look up to him my whole life and just kind of follow in steps of what he would do. I'd call him once in a while, meet up some play roller hockey with them and kind of learn from, you know what guys been the dub. Go watch the dub. Like read your rebels 45 minutes. My dad would always take me, we'd go watch. You'd see like tons of Brian McCabe, like Trevor Kidd, like all these old names. Peter Vandermeer, like Mapletop. You'd see all these guys play and you know, you kind of start to understand where you want to be and then. Yeah, that's just kind of where you set your goals and just never really give up on them.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, good people around you, like, kind of following that same goal. Now, the minute the. The ice was taken out, was it right to ball hockey and roller hockey? Because we just had Matthew Schaefer on the first overall draft pick, and we were asking about him power skating, and he said no, actually, it was more like rollerblade in the summer, which gave me my stride. So was that kind of the same thing whether it was winter or summer? It was ball hockey or. Or whatever.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. When we were younger, we do soccer and baseball and stuff like that too. And then, you know, once you get to 13, 14, 15, you kind of wanted to transition into more of a elite. Then you start with, you know, the training and stuff, which I kind of neglected till I was about 17.

[Paul Bissonnette]

But okay, why you decided what you. You wanted your off seasons to drink beers. I mean, how old were you when you started drinking? I would imagine in a town like that starts young.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Nah, I wasn't too bad when I was younger, like a couple times, but just didn't really grow up like that. And we just. We kind of like other kids. There were parties and stuff. I go once in a while, but I kind of didn't really want to get involved in that scene. Just had a pretty decent attitude towards getting better. Even though I didn't put the effort in. I also chose not to get involved in the distraction. So kept. I kept my. My nose pretty clean there growing up. And then. And then even like when I. When I actually finally made junior at 18, it was like, because I didn't party at all. Like, it was like, quit it. Or like, you might as well not even come to camp. Like, there's no point in coming out of shape that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I mean, that's a. That's a huge thing not to be drinking.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Right.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You already have an advantage over all. Like, a lot of young kids, you know, they want to live their. Their social life too.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Right.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So at. At what point were you finally like, okay, I'm not drinking. I need to also start dialing the training if I want to make this a for real thing. Like, was it when you were drafted to the dub?

[Nick Tarnowski]

No, I never even got drafted the dub. I got no way I got listed to the dub. And then I got picked up in the expansion draft a couple, maybe a season later by Vancouver. Then I got traded to Kelowna. So I didn't even work out before my first actual dub camp. I had made the team, but then I got. I got Sent back to Junior A around November and then so that was the actual. I never really, I never committed to training until my 18 year old year where I was like, hey, like yeah, you, you can't like just going playing street hockey and ripping a few pucks doesn't get you where you need to get to make a team. And obviously Mark Hapshide, pretty well known coach as far as discipline. I, I knew I was going into his camp and figured well, I might as well, might as well commit my, I mean 18 years old, you're kind of like in those days was your last chance to make the dub. And so I had to, you know, commit that year and ended up making the team and then got drafted to the Lightning after that year.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So who, like, who did you lean on to like figure out okay, where do I start training? Was it all those local guys you mentioned?

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, did you start all of a.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Sudden going to, to, to sessions Monday through Friday, like how would you start doing it?

[Nick Tarnowski]

But yeah, I moved into Calgary and my agent hooked me up with a, with the trainer there and I got like dialed into the personal trainer and nutritionist and like did it the right way and, and you know, ended up being two a days and, and, and like understanding why you're doing certain things and what, what the process is from you know, May, June, July, August to where you want to be for September. So it was a good step for me. I needed it. And you know, I had a lot of support from my mom and dad financially, obviously to not work at home hardware, you know, Canadian Tire for the summer and I was able to go train.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's unbelievable. So now like when you were growing up, when you were 12 years old, were you getting in brawls at school? Was this something where like you like to just like play the game and then at a certain point you're like, ah, I gotta evolve my bag. So I have to start doing this. Like when did that, that side of you come out on the ice?

[Nick Tarnowski]

I, I used to fight once in a while as a kid, but not much. And then, you know, I, I had a like massive year in mid you Triple a. I had 40 goals and it's like, oh, I thought I was a sniper. But then you get sent home from the dub the next year and it's like, okay, you're, you're not a sniper, bud. Like, let's get you, let's get you dialed in. There was Mark Hagstri that like just, he took me aside and he's like, buddy, like I'm trying you on the power play. It's not working. You're not. You're also not that good at. So he's like, down easy. He just said, like, you need to find a way. And he. And he was just honest. He said, you know, go get in a fight. Even if you get beat up, watch how good it feels. And so the next night we played Prince, George and I ended up fighting twice. And he just came in. He. I was like, already undressed. And he came in, gave me a thumbs up, and walked out of the room. And I'm like, hey, fuck. You know what? He's right. Like, you can't be this size and be. Be scared. Like, you. If you are, you have no chance because I can't skate fast enough and I can't puck handle well enough in front of 6,000 people that I'm going to score 40 at any level. So let's start doing more than one role and stay in the lineup. Or, like, you might as well go back to Junior B and Poco Buckaroos and, you know, start on the Beers.

[Paul Bissonnette]

How. How'd the first one go?

[Nick Tarnowski]

I think it was all right. I honestly don't even remember. I just remember the feeling of him, exactly what he described that you. I mean, you remember, like, your first two fights were like. Like, it doesn't really hurt. It's quick, it's fun, and the crowd's going. You get your adrenaline. You're like, this is actually kind of awesome. Like, it's almost addicting where you can't wait to do it again because it's so. The rush you get makes you feel so good about what you just did. And all the boys are fired up and like, yeah, that was the moment. I won't forget that day for the rest of my life. How the boys are like, okay, I don't know, probably one one lost one. I don't know. They probably. I mean, decently tough guys. And it's just like, you know, that was the transition between being a. I think I'm a sniper to, okay, I can play a third and fourth line rule and then maybe score a goal or two once in a while.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, my God. You just described it, though, like, the high from it. Like, it could also be where your team loses by a couple goals and it doesn't really feel like the coach is as mad at you, especially if you did it for the right reasons. And all the boys in the room are like, hey, thanks for sticking up for the boys. So. So it's kind of. It Feels good, man. It feels good.

[Nick Tarnowski]

That's like, you know, it's. You know exactly what it's like. Especially, you know, you go out after a. You get scored on, hey, fourth line, let's go. And you're just like, well, I'm not going out. They don't. They're not putting me out to go. Like, oh, yeah, they're gonna go get one. No fucking rights. Were not. You're gonna go out there, you're gonna, you're gonna find Asham or you're gonna find fucking Brad May.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, he was tough.

[Nick Tarnowski]

You have.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I never.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Or you're not playing tomorrow. Like, it's not. And it's not like, hey, Nick, go do this. It's. No, Nick, it's your turn now. Like, well, I get it. You know, I'm not so down to the fact.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So at the fact of your size and now you kind of got this rush for. For it and you had this willingness to do it and you felt like, what, you fell from it? What, like, how often would you start doing it? Like, how. Like, was it like 20 fights a season? Like, were you going. Were you going pretty hard? Like, the WHL was a tough league back then.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I think I was only running about 8 to 10 fights a year because I, it was. That was my 18 year old year. I think I have like 30 points and 8 or 10 fights now. Then I got like, yeah, then it was. Yeah, I only played, really only played the two years. Played 18, 19, I think I had eight or 10 fights and 50 points. My 19. And then it was that lockout year that we went into. That was that 0405 lockout or 0304 lockout, whatever that was. And that was the year that really, really escalated the fighting. Because you look at those rosters, I mean, you look at my team in Springfield, I think we had like eight super heavyweights in it. And you look at every team, every sport.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Because all the, all the really good players who were vets, like, some of them didn't play at all. The really skilled ones who were still young in their careers went and took all the Euro spots and then the, the heavyweights kind of got put in the spot. Well, I want to play. Where are we going to send them? The ahl? So there was this log jam of heavies where it became the UFC for a, for a year there.

[Nick Tarnowski]

And you look at those. It is it. It gives me like anxiety to this day. You look at those rosters or, oh, who you play tomorrow? Philadelphia Fathoms in The Spectrum, they got Cote, Eager, Josh Gratton, and I'm like, fuck. Like, I'm fighting one of them. It's just like, who? You don't know who. Like, every. Every rank, every team, three to five top guys look like monsters. Stro, Shy and Scroy. Like, any of these clowns, like, unbelievable dudes. Gillies, like, holy God. Crazy tough guys, like, crazy list.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Kind of as crazy as that 033 draft. We'll get to that in a little bit, but, man. So the. I was gonna go a few ways. Your last year of junior, though, with Kelowna, you lit it up. Like, that was where you finally got to also play a little bit. So that must have felt pretty good.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, so that's. I. That actually was in Lethbridge. I finished in Lethbridge.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Lethbridge. Excuse me.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, so I finished there. And, like, I just. It's one of those things, too. Like, I was fighting a bit, but I scored a few goals and just kind of ran with it. Had some confidence and just played hard every night. And I mean, fuck, we had me and Chris Verste and Brent Seabrook on the pp. Like, pretty helpful to have players like that to get kind of stuck with on the ice and there and, you know, build some confidence off, you know, giving one piece to Seebs out there, right? Like, okay, let's pick it up some greasy apples. Just because you got. You got a chance to go out there once in a while because you earned it, right? So it was good. And then, yeah, like, I had a decent year. I think I ended up getting like 25 or so goals just based off of merit. And it was. You earned it.

[Ryan Whitney]

You. You.

[Nick Tarnowski]

You know, maybe. Maybe you're not the first line, but you don't have to wait, you know, you don't have to wait till the 12 minute mark to get your first shift. You're not out there in the TV timeouts doing laps. Like, you know, you can get a little bit involved and have some fun out there.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I know a lot about those laps. Were you working the half wall or were you the netfront guy?

[Gene Principe]

We.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I actually, I, like, I got to play kind of all over. I don't even remember what the system was, but I remember I'd. I. Anytime I'd get the puck, I had to. I just made sure I got on verse. Big stick or on Seabrook stick. And then I'd go find a way to just stay out there.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like, smart player. Yeah. Get it to the better player's hands. What a veteran. You Are oh hey. So you kind of mentioned how you didn't do it growing up and then you had this fulfillment from it. The first time you did it at 18. Like I was a guy who it, it wasn't natural. Like I was never a killer. Like there was guys like Colt nor we. We were talking offline beforehand. Scotty Sabrin, who I played with, who was a lefty where I'm like, oh my God, these guys are nail guns. Would you get like butterflies in your stomach from morning skate basically till game time before? Like before you had to do it every weekend.

[Nick Tarnowski]

You bet that didn't matter. Like it didn't matter. Especially in hl. Like there was like one or two teams would be like thank God. Like they don't have anyone. So it was like lightning. We'd play Florida and it'd be like thank God. Like I get one easy night. Because there were guys in the league like they might not be looking for me but there, you know, there was like the, the, the John Scotts and the Boogards and like those guys that were, they were out there. The. I don't even remember a lot of the names but you know the like the Zenikonaka's. Like when I was in Florida, then he was in Tampa. It was like. I wouldn't say I was scared but it's like I know we're fighting. It's. And like how's it gonna go? Is it first shift, second shift, how many times? Like I love them. Like we're gonna fight, we're gonna talk about it and have been in warm ups and it's like where are we going? And then it's like yeah it, let's go. So every time and you know it was every game through my whole career, you know who's on the other team? You. And especially if you have a bit of beef, like the one year in the minors there, I think I fought storks like 12 times and it was like every single weekend. It was Hamilton against Rochester. Like we're fighting tonight and it's just like Storts like yelling over the bench like when like let's do we get it over with, right?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Get it over with.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I'd rather fight now than we can at least go play.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like let's just do it. Get it over with.

[Nick Tarnowski]

It's. I don't care. I don't care how. And I feel like, you know the Laroques and those super, super tough guys would probably agree with us that I don't think it ever went away the fact that you, you never know how it's gonna go. You can always get caught. Like, you know, Big Earn and those guys, like, such tough humans. I don't know that they'd ever, I don't know if it was ever easy for them either.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah. Oh, you're bang on, dude. The butterflies suck. And yeah, you did it because you had to. Your draft, like, were you expected to get drafted? Were you blown away? I'm assuming you weren't there. I went, I went. Second day. I shouldn't have gone.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I didn't go. No, I, I, I know I was on that Central Scouting list, but it's like, I think it was like 180th North America or something. Like, absurd, where it's like, you were deep. You might, it's cool to be on the list. Like, maybe I'll save this Central Scouting list for the scrapbook, you know, for my kid. But no, I ended up actually just, you know, hanging out at home and just going to like a barn party and just, I didn't even think about it for the weekend. I, I just, there was like a, you know, local 4H party or something, like a meat drawer or something like all the community was at. And, and then I woke up the morning, my phone ring and that said, hey, buddy, like, you got drafted. And I was like, okay. Like, don't recognize this number. Like, okay, guy, you know, and then.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And then, oh, you thought you were getting pranked.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Thought I was getting pranked. So I was like, okay. And then, you know, there. I don't know. Like, I honestly don't even know if my parents had Internet at the house. So I don't. Like, it's not like you can rip your phone check. Like, I gotta see this ninth round draft. Like, did I go or not? And then, and then this guy from the Lightning called me a couple hours later to welcome me to the organization. So I was like, okay, this is actually legit. Like, again, not feeling like, okay, ninth round. I'm like, well, it's cool. But like, I don't know, wasn't like, ultimately, like, it's great, but it's, I think there were teams that actually had passed at that points before I got drafted. So I was like, it's cool. Like, they grabbed me, like, felt good about it, but it wasn't. You're not sitting there like it, you know, I'm Eric Stahl or I'm, you know, Dion or someone that went early and you're going to play in the NHL the next year.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So you mentioned your coach beforehand who kind of gave you the advice to, to fight, who was also in your corner as far as like maybe a scout for the Lightning. Like did you find out who was in your corner base? You're like, we need to take this guy with the 9th round pick.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I don't know who, like I don't know who in the Lightning. I, I mean I know Bill Barber was probably the one that was pushing for it. He played in Philly in those hard days. So I, I, I'm assuming he would have been one of the ones Jay Feaster lobby the whole time. When I, when I actually got to go to the camps, like I had a great relationship with like Nigel Kerwin, the video coach who's still there. I still talk to him like every week. Like Jeff Reese was there. I got, I got, I ended up just having a great rapport with all the staff and I think any, anybody that I got to spend time with that rookie camps was like, this guy's fighting, he's, you know, having fun in the locker room. He's, I don't know what he's doing at the nighttime, but he's here and he's having fun looking boys and apparently not a lot.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You were, you were a good kid. Did that transition into when you first got on your own? Because that's where I had a hard time adjusting where I was. Like you, I didn't booze growing up. Like I was very focused on, on like advancing in hockey. And then when I first got to pro, all of a sudden you got money, you're, there's no billet parents, you don't have a curfew. Well, at least not on game nights for most teams, our non game nights. Like did you, did you start getting to the bottle more or were you always like pretty straight laced and stayed disciplined?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Now those younger years, like I kept it pretty respectable just, just on the weekends, on the, you know, when you had your day off. Like me and, me and Andre Devo lived together in Springfield and like we were, I was only 19 too, so there was not really an opportunity to be buying beers or going to the bars because there's just too much headache. So you know, I'd been going to the bars for, for a couple years once in a while in Alberta at 18. But you know, for the most part staying out of it. And then okay, now you're, you're act, you know, you're not 21. So I wasn't trying to make a huge scene like trying to get the bars every night and making, you know, having the brass from the lightning find out that the. The underage kids on the minor league team are making scenes down in Springfield again.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Right? So you were raised right, man. Good for you, man. That's awesome that you stayed really disciplined and. And held yourself accountable. Now what was it like when you finally got the call? Like, how did it all. Was it out of camp? Like, that was my first experience. I made the team at a training camp where I was like fucking in shock. Or was yours like a mid season call up? Like, do you remember getting the phone call or the coach calling you in to say, hey, you're going up?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, me and Evgeny are touching. Got brought in together and I think. I don't. We only played two or three games in Springfield and then we got brought in and it was kind of like it was a big time salary cap issue still in those days, right? With. It was low, like what, 30, 40 million. And so we got brought in. It was, hey, guys, don't leave town today. Like, don't be going to Boston. You might be going up. And we're like, okay. And then after. Then they had to wait till a certain time. I think it was 3pm and then, then Derek Graham called and said, okay, you two are going. And then we ended up meeting the team in Atlantic City, I think. Or yeah, I think we ended up meeting there. And then they were on some trip and then we ended up flying to Atlanta or something from there.

[Paul Bissonnette]

All right. And then, I mean, you walk into that locker room. I think Torts was there that year, right? Vinny Le Cavalier, I believe St. Louis was still there at the time. Maybe Brad Richards. That was a loaded locker room. How intimidated were you walking in? Were you a. Like, were you a mega hockey fan growing up to where you were watching all the games? So you were like, oh, my God, these guys brought these guys a Stanley Cup. Like, these are legends of the game.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I mean, we had Dave Ander truck, we had Freddy Modine, Daryl Sidor, like, it, like, it was like, holy. You know, ultimately like a hall of Fame group. And I, I don't. I don't really like, I hop on and it's like, honestly, Torres came up to us at the first practice and he brought us his eyes. He's like, tarn tar's already. Just play hard. But when you get the puck, get rid of it. Get off. And we're like, all right. He's like, get Vinnie a rest. You'll get another shift. Go bang some bodies. Get off. If you don't want to do it, somebody will. And we're like, fuck. Okay, that sounds great. Like, you can't really screw up. Get the puck, get the line, get it deep. Fucking awesome. Very simple.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Simplify, simplify.

[Nick Tarnowski]

So then, yeah, so we ended up playing eight or 10 games, and then I went back down, played a few more games later in the year. But, yeah, I think I played 10 or, I don't know, 10 or 12 that first year, and then made the team out of camp the next year.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Andrew Chuck. I mean, that's probably as old school then as you could have gotten. How old was he? Must have been like 40 by that time. Just a tree out in front of the net. He might have even still been using a wood twig. What was it like being in the presence of someone that old school?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Unbelievable, man. Like, it's. It's. You just. And I got. I love talking and, like, as I got older, like, he couldn't shut me up in the locker room, but, like, in those days, it's like, man, just shut the up and just listen to what's Dave saying? What's Dave doing? You know, What's. What's Brad Richards doing? Like, what's he doing? Just watch it, because it's pretty cool, you know, Vinnie was always great to me. Marty's always great to me. Like, these are guys that you like. Even the young kids I coach now still, like, when I bring up an example of, you know, you're not going to score as many goals as Vinnie did, they understand who that is, right? And it's pretty cool to be like, hey, I got to play with those guys. And they treated me really well, and it's. It'll never, like, you know, they all reached out to me this weekend, just being like, hey, making sure you're okay seeing the vid. Like, all right, man. You know, just checking on you. So it's still pretty cool. They're always great. And you just. You. You don't ever forget those memories. Like, you'll have those, like, probably with Mario, right, And. Or someone like that in. In pit camp.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, a few from training camp where you're just. Yeah. You're like, oh, my God. Like, this is the guy. Oh, this. Here he is, live in the flesh. Like, wow, how does he carry himself? So cool. And then you see him walk in a room, and there's other people in the room, and you see the air come out of the room, and they're all just in shock. So it's kind of. Of it's kind of crazy to be in front of people that, of that presence. Obviously Lemieux is a, A different level. I like to observe too, like in the locker room, like the dynamic you had this coach and John Tartarella and also I believe kind of towards the end of his time there because he can wear thin on players. What was the dynamic like between Vinnie and those guys where if like Torre, Scott Barkin, like, did you have like, was it. Would they go back and forth?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Vinnie and him would like, if Torts. He would looked at me, it's just like, nope, not even in the room. But Vinny would. Vinnie would challenge him and like they'd get into it and I'm like, this is fucking unbelievable. Like, I don't even want to say good morning to Torts. I'm so scared. And Vinnie's like, no, that. Not a chance. And that's how, that's how I want to play. And I was like, you know, this is great. And Torts, I, I genuinely feel like Torts loved it and challenged the, the better, stronger players to, to, to challenge him. And let. Okay, let's hash this out. Let's get better as a group. Like, I loved it. I mean, playing for Torts was nerve wracking and that's why I'm bald. But I loved it. Like, it was so much fun. Like you, you keep your nose clean, you do the right thing and you get some opportunity. With him, it was unbelievable.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's made, he's made a ton of money coaching. We should get him to get you a Turkish hair transplant. Like tor give you that and any other player that he's coached, they should get a Turkish air transplant on him. He could probably get a good deal on one. I think that the barstool guys all went over there free of charge. They just had to promote it. So we'll have to fire up the social media for, for Torts. On any other, any other. Would you accept, by the way, if he offered to buy you a Turkish hair transplant?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Torts, if he came, he'd have to come with me.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He is. He is getting a little thin up here. He's got kind of the Widows like the two. The two Harbors. God, now I got distracted by this Turkish hair transplant nonsense. Any, Any other crazy, funny stories between like you, Torts or that team that you remember? Like what was. You only played 11 games. You said your first year. Did you have to pay for rookie dinner or was your rookie dinner the next year?

[Nick Tarnowski]

No, I, I got, I didn't Go. I don't even think I was there for the rookie year, so I didn't have to give. Get. Give the option. We did it the next year and it was fucking actually unbelievable because we did it in Calgary, which I was living in Calgary the summer. So big boy walks into Cowboys dance hall and guess what? Daddy's home.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Daddy's home. That is unbelievable. No, you can't call yourself daddy because a Shaf Daddy has that nickname now. So he took it.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I was in those days.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Anyway, you can. You have Tar Nasty. I'm. I'm no longer. I'm just biz. Now you're Tar Nasty. Especially after this past week's events.

[Ryan Whitney]

But what.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So you. So you go on a Cowboys. Like, did you guys have to tell the joke? And do you remember how much you had to.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, we did. We did it. I think it was Calvary Trophy just downtown, just like kitty corner from Cowboys in those days. And we did it. Just closed doors. Dinner we did together the group. And yeah, we did our jokes. I think that's all they made us do, just give a joke. And then.

[Paul Bissonnette]

How were you?

[Nick Tarnowski]

I think I told something inappropriate. I think a few of the boys laugh, but it's like a pretty hard group to get going.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like, oh, they've been to a lot of rookie dinners and it takes a lot to impress that group.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Like, I think I was probably the one of the better rookies, but like to try to get Brad Richards to laugh like you, you. I mean, it's impossible.

[Paul Bissonnette]

It'd probably be something like weird and diabolical and he'd be like that. Just Whit says he's got like eight golf memberships at all these fancy courses. You should have him join yours. You could be. You could be his protector. I got a question from the chat here. My buddy, did Torts reach out to you after that video?

[Nick Tarnowski]

No.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, no.

[Ryan Whitney]

Who was.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Who was the most surprising person to reach out? Like, whether it was like a celebrity?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Like, dude, Jerry Ferrara from Entourage reached out today. That was pretty badass.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Turtle.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Turtle. Yeah. So I was like, fuck, that's pretty cool. He asked me. He asked me to go teed up with him. So I was like, fucking right. Bring Johnny Drama.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let's go, let's go, let's go. We'll do a golf match. We'll get. We'll get you. We'll get him on your team. What was the most old school thing that Dave Andrew Chuck would do? Just like from. From watching him. What was. Did something stand out to you?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Honestly, 40 whatever. Years old and he'd still be the last guy on the ice. Stick work, tip, tip and pucks every day non stop. Like I don't know how many, what has he got? 6, 7, 800 power play goals. You know why? Non stop tips every single day and then net, you know, net drives.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Was he nasty at it? Like just watching him with would, would they shoot a hundred in a row and boom, boom, boom, boom.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Anywhere they shot it didn't miss single one. Like unbelievable. Like you, you couldn't. I don't think you could pay him to miss one.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's fucked. Hey, and the craziest part about it, donor was pretty good at him. I would watch him. They would have the D man not just sift these things in. They were full blown clappers and they wouldn't, they wouldn't care, they wouldn't blink and they'd be coming in at about 90 miles an hour. 95 rockets. Who was the one shooting them? Usually Sidor.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Well, yeah, it would be like Sidor or that Pavel Kubina absolutely fucking hammering biscuits at him. I'm like, holy. Like he could rip it and so he would pound the puck and yeah, Dave would just. It was, it was fucking crazy. Like you can't, you can't. Honestly, you can't teach it. You can either do it or you can't. Like you, you, you can't teach that. It's just, I mean it was phenomenal.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Ridiculous. Like probably the. I would say that he would go down as net front Mount Rushmore, like Netflix guy. He would go. That would be a fun list to assemble. I don't have any other at the top of my head. I mean Pavelski was good, but I don't know if he's top four all time. I don't want to sound ignorant like, like usual. So you played like a, a good like chunk. You played 77 games and 80 games in the second and third season with Tampa. Like the trade, like did it happen? Did you just not sign there? You end up going over to Nashville for it looked like part of one year and then got Delta Florida. So I mean, how was your experience there and how'd you take the trade or, or whatever signing?

[Nick Tarnowski]

So I got sent over to Nashville like from the European premier with a broken thumb and so that didn't really go so good. I wasn't really ready to play. And then I ended up fighting frusty like my first night and I'm like, you know, I can barely even hold a stick.

[Ryan Whitney]

But.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, how did you start that sentence. What?

[Nick Tarnowski]

So I had a broken thumb from cap. I gotta take a slap shot. And I was like.

[Paul Bissonnette]

But you said something about a premier premiere from somewhere.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, we were in Prague or one of those NHL premiers, like, so I was overseas with the Lightning and I got. Okay home in the trade, so I got moved to Nashville from like, Slovakia or somewhere with. No. Didn't even have shoot like running shoes. And then, like, I got kind of thrown into the fire with. With Nashville kind of not like, I mean, had a broken thumb. I hadn't. I wasn't really ready to play and ended up fighting prosty. And then. Yeah, just. Just wasn't a good fit for me. It wasn't really a. I. I just. I don't think I was the guy they're looking for. I mean, they wanted somebody to replace Hortichok, who was, I think, a little above my level of fighting.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Dude, he was so tough. I had to fight him one time in Vancouver. And, you know, you really understand how tough a guy is till the reaction of some of the guys in the way that they come and say, hey, great job out there. And you're like, oh. Oh, God. I guess. I guess I survived that one, apparently.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. So that it just was a good fit. And then I only. I think I was only there for about a month. It wasn't. It wasn't going great for. For either side. And I got shipped over to Florida and then had a decent second half of that year. And then the next year, I. I ended up getting jumped by Chris Neal in preseason and broke my orbital bone. And so I missed another half year. And then. What'd you get? Just in a scrum. Just. I don't know, kind of an unnecessary. I don't. I honestly don't even remember. Like, there was no video. It was in, like, Halifax or somewhere. Like, don't even really remember. It happened and then kind of just a lucky break and then came back fighting there at the end of the year. But it just didn't really. I think too much time had passed that it was kind of like not really fitting in anywhere anymore.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I. It's always hard when you go from the NHL down to the minors and, like, you know, you finish off in Florida, you played 34 games and then 31 year last year. And, like, so then you go down to the Miners with Rochester and then the following years, other than the season, the khl, we will get to that. How. How hard was it for you to, like, make the adjustment back to the minors? Were you Bummed out by it. Were you just grateful at the fact that you got to spend that time in the NHL being a 9th round draft pick and a guy where, you know, you know, you maybe didn't expect to get to that level of hockey?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, I think exactly. Like, I, I don't think there was much potent, not those years. Like again, it was, it was grateful exactly to have got to spend time with those hall of Fame players and have those stories and have those experience. And then I went back to Springfield for a year and then Rochester for a year, Hamilton. I mean, they're all fun years, you know, got to mentor some kids, got to, you know, have a few more fights, have a few more, you know, good laughs, couple of good years. Got to play with a bunch of buddies that I'd played with in the past, like that San Diego year. I don't think coming back down the minors is that hard for me. Just kind of maybe realizing that now in that role, there's only so many players that you can, you know, there's one per team. And then it kind of got phased out and then you got the new up and comers. You got your, your new 9th round draft pick that they're high on or their new six round pick that they're high on. You know, they've got their kid to the minors that they're already kind of slotty in. So it was tough to kind of get another sandpaper roll back and, and then, yeah, you just kind of, you kind of get lost in the shuffle. And I just never really found my way back.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So the year in the KHL, this, you played for this team, you had 173 penal penalty minutes there. And the guys on this team, it's. I think Morasty was there and this was kind of in the era where they had one team that just had all these mutants on it. And if I'm not mistaken, would the owner come down and like, tell you guys, yeah, I want you guys to start a brawl off the opening draw and get the fans going. Okay, so how did you find yourself in this situation? Who did your agent call and say, I got this opportunity over in the khl?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, surprisingly, I was golfing. I get a call like, hey, man, I don't know if his offer is legit, but give this guy a shout. And so I gave a shout over and is like, yeah, like, we want to bring you over to Vitas. And. And then they're like. And I knew because, like, Gratz had been there before and, and Simon was over there before. And I was like, okay, that's that tough guy team. Like, all right, well, I don't know if there's really anybody that fights them, so, like, yeah, let's go over there and check it out. And they're like, oh, no. They told me, like, yeah, don't even worry. You don't. You're not even going to be, like, the tough guy. So I'm like, that's even better news. Because, like. And then in my mind, I'm like, well, who's coming over there? And then, like, I. So I get over there, me and Kip Brennan show up there together, and. And then two weeks later, Johnny and. Johnny and Yabo show up, and I'm.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like, oh, my God. Oh, my. Look at these guys. So you're the fourth.

[Nick Tarnowski]

All right.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You must be living.

[Nick Tarnowski]

This is the best. Two fucking toughest guys in the minors are now with us. Love it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I. I've talked about Yago many of times in this pod. He bambied me so much. He was nails John Morasti. You could. I. You could punch him with a bowling ball on your fist, and he's going to take four in the noggin, and your hand's going to be broken, and then he's going to take over the fight. And then Kip Brennan, like, he was a fucking super heavy in the AHL too. Like, he was a fucking heavy in the show at some point. So, like, there's. I would assume that most teams in the K at that time didn't even have a heavy. Why the need for four guys? And, and what was. What was your experience like with this owner? Was he just a scary guy?

[Nick Tarnowski]

He was actually awesome. Like, I. I'll tell you what, it wasn't the nicest setup. It wasn't the nicest town, but you couldn't treat someone better. Like, with what they had and what that town could offer, you couldn't have been treated better. Like, they. The community would come up. Like, you go sit down a restaurant, all of a sudden a ball of something shows up on your table and some big guy with a leather jacket's waving, like, thumbs up and like, it was you. It was such a. Like, it was such a. Like a rewarding experience to be treated like that from a community and from. From an organization that they bring you in that you know what they're asking of you, and you just. You go. You wear your hard ear sleeve for them. And we'd be boxing with, like, Povetkin and, And. And. And going through, like, the Vita's training with these guys and having fun with, with other athletes. And then we'd head out to that. The boys have talked about it on here before to this, this farm that they had with like the wolves and the machine guns and the vodka. And like, it was the, it was a blast. The owner, he didn't speak much English, so his son would translate. So he'd be like, hey, boss wants.

[Ryan Whitney]

To talk to you.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Then you, the three of you would talk. So he translates something and then he'd be just like, yeah. And he'd be like, what's he saying? He's like, loved your fight yesterday. And he's just like. And it was awesome. They show up at the hotel, guy in the leather jacket in the blacked out Land Rover and it'd be like.

[Ryan Whitney]

Come.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I'm like, oh, fuck, what are we doing? Nothing gives you a thousand bucks. Goes throw in your suitcase and then we're going to the, we're headed out to the, to the farm and so give you a grand or two grand or just throw you a bunch of dough for whatever you did previous. Like, we had a couple brawls that he had come in with like the big entourage, Hell's Angels, like all these Russian mafia guys into the room box, come in the room in the intermission. And he'd be talking in Russian, getting all the boys fired up, and we're like, what's he saying? And then it'd be like, he goes out and then that Andre Nazarov, our coach would be like, you guys gotta go make something happen. Like, boss wants to see some action. So then you've probably seen those videos. Me and Johnny are out there chasing people around, they're jumping in the bench, we're suckering guys. And, And Boss would be like, you could see him, he'd stand it up in his suite. He's clapping, he's just like, think this is great. Then you get your thousand.

[Paul Bissonnette]

It was just a toy. It's a toy.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Unbelievable. And like, he, he. Then he'd bring us to like the local restaurants. He'd have these spreads, he'd bring us to the bowling alley, these spreads, like nice people. He'd have rides for us like it. You couldn't. Honestly, you couldn't say a bad thing other than maybe, maybe the, the look that we got from doing the stupid, you know, racking up. I think Yagua might had 300 in 20 games that year. Something like something crazy.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And Kip Brennan had 204. He had 2:40. Yablonski had that was, by the way, that was in 14 games. 16. 16 games. 174. Pims Morasti, 197. And then where are you at? This is too good. Yeah, you were 173. I said that earlier. Oh my God. So you guys are just terrorizing the league from that.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Aside from that, look where I was, like, I'm probably never playing in another league again just because it's nonsense. Like, it was such a unbelievable experience. Like when my dad came, we went to Moscow for New Year's. Like, you got to move down the Red Square and like you, you got to just experience so much cool shit that you'd never see in your lifetime while being treated so well by people that were just happy to have guys there that were, you know, acting like meatheads, but also were. We were pillars in the community there. You, you. I couldn't walk to the grocery store without a car stopping and somebody, they'd come out, shake your hand and just, they just say, vitas, Vitas. And they'd be so excited and it was awesome.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So you basically felt like you were back in the NHL, if not better because you were playing in these southern states where like nobody knows you're walking around. So you kind of get that feeling like you almost did back in Junior.

[Nick Tarnowski]

It was great.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I gotta ask you a couple things though, about more about that. So Nazarov, the coach, I've heard some crazy antics from him. What was the most like Russian you would see just from on a day to day basis where you're like, okay, that's definitely not how we do. This is blowing my mind right now. You go down a rabbit hole if you want. And also about this coach Nazarov, he.

[Nick Tarnowski]

The one thing that stands out to me, there was a, there was a game in maybe Dynamo or I can't remember the team was. But I remember like, he ends up like hitting fans with sticks and like Panarin's hitting fans with sticks and like, it's all because. It's all because like I lost a draw and we got scored on. He's like hitting people and I'm like, what the going on here? And he's looking at me like, you lost the draw, man. And I'm like, well, I don't know. I've played 32 minutes tonight. We have nine skaters. Like, I don't know what you want. So I just, that's. I. I mean, I just remember that out of him. And like he would, he would have us doing every morning hurdles, 10 time, 10 sets of 10 hurdles and 500 push ups every morning. And I'm like, dude, like, I'm 240 pounds. Like, I can't do one hurdle. So he's like, okay, then 20 sets of stairs. You choose, like, all right. Yeah, they.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Did you. Did you get there for training camp?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, it wasn't as bad, like, it wasn't nearly as bad in, in there as like. And he, he also was pretty cool since he played in the NHL with like, U.S. guys that played North America. Didn't make us do the stuff he'd actually. We had this, this huge tractor tire there. And so if you could go and lift the tractor tire and flip it without it touching itself, you're exempt from the next part of the training camp. So you got to just go play soccer. So some kids would have to rip the tire back and forth down this parking lot 50 times, but if you're strong enough to rip it once, exempt. So this is pretty good to us.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Did you ever ask them why they just go so hardcore, why it's such a thing? Like, did you. They seem like a type of culture where it's. They go hard at everything. Like, whether it's training or drinking or whatever, they just go hard.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, I never really got too much into with them just, you know, chit chat here and there, but for the most part, like, try to keep to ourselves as best we could.

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, I just meant more so in like, your experience there and just kind of like, you know, just being curious of. Of how they do things so differently. You mentioned them already. That was one of the other questions I had. Panarin. So you got to watch a young Panarin where that. There was a clip that just came out. I think it was a Cam and Shrek podcast that they had Revo on. And he said that, you know, they'd be playing basketball when they played together in New York, and he'd be up till four in the morning when I'm ripping this Russian vodka and playing hoops at his place. And he just said, he's the biggest beauty. Just very chill, nonchalant, high, high intellect and just loves the game.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Loves the game. It was, it was actually, we never heard of him because he was like 18 and I was already like 27 or whatever. Like, and in practice, like, it was like watching a little Kovalev rip around fiddling and sniping. And I was like, damn, this kid's nasty, man. Like, I wish I would have understood how good he really was when watching him at that age, to See, like, where he is now, I'm like, that's unbelievable. I didn't really put it together in my head, like, how good this kid was. And it. I'm so proud of him, how he was able to turn, you know, that. From that team with. Obviously, I think I. He got stuck playing with me for 20 games. So to turn that into playing the career he's turned it into, it's unbelievable. Like, he was a lot of fun to watch. Watching him on the PP with. With some of the other skilled Russian kids was just phenomenal. Like, it is. It's undescribable to what, like, you just remembering the practice. We'd always play three on three at the end or four on four with those kids. And it was just if he played, it was a totally different game than if he didn't.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You guys had a tough year, though. Only 16 wins.

[Nick Tarnowski]

That.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I mean. But, yeah, you seem to have such a positive experience from it now. Going back to that question, what were the most shocking things you saw while there where you were like, oh, I'm not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I don't know. You'd see, like, a full pig head in a freezer just sitting there. You'd see, I don't know, like, just.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like at the rink.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Oh, like, just like, you go to a grocery store, you think you're gonna grab some burgers, something like, no, there's the pig head in there. Open the freezer. Ah, wrong one. Like, the. The village that we'd go to with Boss was the wildest thing with that. There was that. That wolf that lived there, and he'd be pacing around and bunny checking the. Checking every vehicle with the EK47. That was wild. He had, like, all these furs, all these tiger furs and bear furs and all this stuff there. Like, where did you get this, man? Like, it was crazy. We'd hit the sauna there.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He would go out on these wild hunts, I'm assuming.

[Nick Tarnowski]

So he had them all. And we'd go from building to building. Each building had some different furs and some different activity we'd do there. We'd go to one building and eat. Then we'd. He'd hustle us off to the next building, and we do, like, 10 vodka shots. Then he'd rip us into the sauna. We had Buddy in there. We were all, you got 10 naked guys in there. And you got Buddy hitting us with the big.

[Paul Bissonnette]

With the leaves.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, the big leaves. And we're like, what the.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So they went hardcore. Yeah.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Boys, let's hit the river now. Now we're all laying in the river and it's like, man, what the fuck? This is too much. But it was a lot of fun. Like there's. I'd have to look back at my camera and relive some of the stuff. The getting paid in a manila envelope was priceless too. You get like 10k and thousand rupal bills or what? A ten thousand dollar rupal bills. And you're like, what? Like, what is this even? And like I'm hiding it in the locker room because they'd give it to you before practice. I'm like, where am I putting this, man?

[Ryan Whitney]

And trying to rip over.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You're putting it in your jock and it was bizarre. And you're taking it easy that day. You're not sweating too much. That's wild. How'd you get the money home? And. And I have so many questions. This property this guy was on, was it the most insane compound you'd ever seen? Where the. Were the structures nice or was it kind of like run down and just like a bunch of land out in the middle of nowhere?

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, it's kind of both. Like there'd be a nicer like on the main house that was nice and all done up. Then it'd be kind of like a little garagey type 1. But then you walk in and it's got like granite countertops and you're kind of blown away that like, why? What's going on here? And then, you know, a lady would come in and she just. Just rip down like 10 different trays of some type of delicacy. Like you don't. You have no clue where you're eating. And he's just like, nicholas, Nicholas, eat. And I'm like, I don't even know what this is, dude. Like, oh, that was horse. Like, ah, man. Oh, I wasn't trying to eat a lot.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They eat like over there. It's crazy.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Oh, those stupid. Those little. Those little bead things that they are big on. What are those things called? Caviars everywhere. I'm like, brutal.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I hate the. The popping in your mouth.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Ah, we can't do it, man.

[Paul Bissonnette]

God, this has been awesome, dude. I appreciate your time, buddy. You're a beauty. You know what's even crazier is because of all this happening and you wanted to get this story out and people kind of as much as you're getting patted on the back and as viral it's got, you're showing the human element where there's going to be consequences for this guy. Hopefully that DUI story is not the case, but if it is, God damn. And, and just, you know, the, the empathy if, you know, after this, that's part, it's tough to live that out on your worst, your worst moment in front of everybody online.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, I agree. I mean, I, I think he paid for it enough. And it's not something, you know, a guy needs to get, you know, ran through the walls about. It's, it's, it's done with, it got dealt with. A lot of people had a, you know, a good laugh, but you don't have to, we don't have to continue to, to pound this guy down. Like, enough's enough. Leave it. And, you know.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, and, and hopefully he kind of turns it around, man. Hopefully he's not trying to scrap people on the golf course and he maybe tones down their drinking a little bit and. Yeah, but the other cool thing though is, is you're going to be on the podcast. The reason I got there is with Gene Principe. So it's a cool, cool Alberta connection here with the, all the Oilers talk. So how, how did it all end? And like, when did you, when did you know it was time to just say, hey, I'm. It's over.

[Nick Tarnowski]

So that last year, San Diego, I actually got in a car accident. 30, 30 games or 35 games in. I got rear ended like a block from my house. And that, honestly, that was the worst concussion I've ever had between fighting and anything. So I, I ended up. I don't know if you played or not. I played my very last game at Ontario. And I mean, I knew that was my last game because I missed like, you know, I was 33, 34. I missed 35 consecutive games. Honestly, like, I was waking up some days not even know if I'd be able to, to like, get to the store. Like, so that was it, that was it for me. And then I worked out that year, but I, I didn't really want to play anymore. It was like, hey, if someone calls and offers, maybe. But in my mind I knew. I, I think it's probably best not only for, like, my health, but at this age. Like, let's, let's move on with life here and try to get, you know, to the next stage versus trying to slug out another year for 100 grand and, you know, have another 15 fights. Like, it's, I think that for me the car accident was enough. And I, I, I think I'm, and I'm also pretty, it was A great send off year because I got to play a lot of golf that last couple weeks with, you know, Genin and Takarski and Prop and guys that I played with in the past, and we had a, you know, a great finish to the year. Then I got to go on the playoff run with the boys still and be part of it all just from the sidelines. And I mean, I'm definitely at peace with it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's awesome. Yeah, like, kind of got to ride it out in style where I know you couldn't contribute on the ice, but hey, man, living in San Diego and sorry to hear about the car accident bothering the way it ended and. And we had, I guess, somewhat similar paths, man. Mine kind of ended my. My last year too. I tore both my ACLs. And. You know, interesting to hear about all your journey, really. So thank you so much for joining us. There was a few more questions my buddy Jeff asked. What did you shoot the day that you got in the scrap? Like, what Was your round?

[Ryan Whitney]

81 off.

[Nick Tarnowski]

That was whole four. We played off the back. So that was only whole. Like the fight was on 15. So I played. Yeah, I think I was only two over. I birdied 15 after the OR. I pard 15 with like a 20 foot putt. After the fight. I doubled 16 because the cops came. I picked up and then I think I birdied 18 and I think I shot like 37 or something on the front. I put the hand in the ice bag and then the beer cooler each shot and dried it off when snapped it around.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That is the most hockey golf story the world has ever heard right there. What a question by my buddy Jeff. I just had a couple more just because we glanced by Nasty, Morasty and Jablonski and they're kind of these like folk heroes on this podcast we talk about because I had my experiences with them. You obviously did. Now Morassi's doing the the Shore Z, so he's off to. To bigger and better things. So is Yabo. Yabo's doing great. Talked to him not too long ago. But what was it just like playing with those guys and they're like, they're somewhat related or like very close to each other. So they must have just been at each other's throats all day, chirping each other.

[Nick Tarnowski]

No, again, like, just goes hand in hand with that whole experience. Like, being over there with those guys, like every day was a riot. Like, what, what are they going to do today? Like, are we going to fight someone to practice? Are we going to fight Each other, like. Or do we think we're now. Power play guys? Like, where are we today, boys? Like, we would, you know, push and shove each other. We'd go, you know, I don't know what the yabo was eating. He. He'd be getting like, 14 eggs for breakfast. I'm like, dude, how do you even function? Like, he. We'd go over to his house, he's doing push ups, he's doing chin ups.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like, oh, he's a.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Did you ever see the magazine, dude, that we did with those two?

[Paul Bissonnette]

No.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Oh, my God. I gotta send that to you. It's.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, we did in Russia. They did like a big photo op.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah. And like, yeah, BO is just like, bang. It's just like, I've never seen so much muscle on a human in my life. I. I don't know what. Like, we go to the gym, have dinner, head back to the rink and work out at 8, 8 o'. Clock. And like, I. Those two were absolute such beauties. Lifting heavy, you know, chirping each other, pushing each other, trying to fight each other. Talking about all the old days, telling everybody other fights, like, was just such an incredible experience. Like, you couldn't ask for two better dudes to, like, share that with and look back on and be like. Like, even just the other day talking to Johnny and I'm like, because he did that Ice wars. And he's like, oh, you know, trying to see if I could come. And we just start hashing about the old days. Like, remember this? It's like, holy. Yeah, that did happen. Like, all the, you know, fights. I think me and Kip fought once. And then I think him and Diablo fought once.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Once.

[Nick Tarnowski]

And like, we just. It was like, they're such great people that. And they do a great job with it for how tough they are, how they treat other people and how they, you know, interact with. With community. And it was like, honestly, like living in a cartoon. Just, what. What's gonna happen today with the boys and, you know, playing soccer in Russia or they make us go run after. And the four of us would be like, you're making us run in a blizzard like this. We just go inside and they're like. Like, they have this. Don't be like, nazi, we ain't doing this. And he'd be like, it. Why is it, Nick doing it? And I'm like, well, if they're not doing it, I'm not doing it. They're like, they're tougher than you. You go do it. I.

[Ryan Whitney]

Off.

[Gene Principe]

Off.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I'm not running in a blizzard. Like, all right, well, you're off at this time. And I'm like, thanks, boys. Like I was. I don't have the stones to not do it. But it was great playing with them. It was absolute pleasure. Like one of those ones where I wish we could have stayed together as a group longer because I think, yeah, with that group you could have. With the young talent and, and the toughness it would be, you could have probably built on it. But then, yeah, Gills went over there next year and had a pretty good go to at it. So. No, it was unbelievable. It was. Every day was a pleasure with those two.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, it's awesome because, like, not everybody's experience over there is good. And it sounds like even though you guys didn't play like or win a lot, you had the, the best time ever. Well, what. Last one I have for you is. What are you doing now other than doing security at the golf course?

[Nick Tarnowski]

I sell cars at a Chrysler dealership back home.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay.

[Gene Principe]

All right.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Extraordinaire.

[Ryan Whitney]

What.

[Paul Bissonnette]

What's the dealership?

[Nick Tarnowski]

It's Summit Ram in Pinoccha, Alberta. So if anybody's looking for a great deal on a pre owned vehicle or a new Ram, give me a shout. I also work part time at my dad's lumberyard. Roosters in Caroline help him out on the weekends if he needs a. Gotta throw some, throw some wood around. We've had that for like four or five years now. So do that once in all, help him out. And then I just teed up and get in fights once in a while.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, buddy, I, I hope that I think this is going to open up some doors for you, like, because you did the right thing and stuck up for, for people being harassed at a golf course. So I, I wish you the best in managing all of these texts and calls coming in, but it was great to just chat with you, man. Like, I, we played against each other. I didn't know much about you, but this is just a great, refreshing conversation and, and for those of you listening, I didn't establish it off the top. Yans and Wick couldn't join. They're on vacation and this was kind of something that happened like spur of the moment, so I felt like it was obviously our duty to cover it and yeah, it was just good to hear you. Like you said, like, put more of a human perspective on it and, and give us the full breakdown yet, a little bit of levity and just let everybody know about your, your career, man. So best of luck in, in Whatever you're doing now and, and keep it going.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah, appreciate it. I love having, having a chance to get on here, chat with you. Been a while, so loved it and hopefully we can chat again soon.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Love it, buddy. Thanks so much. Nick Tarnaski. Tarnasty.

[Gene Principe]

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[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, once again, thank you to Nick Tarnowski. Pretty crazy story about how this all transpired. And wait, I mean, the guy challenged seven people on the golf course because they were trying to get him to play a little faster even though he was buckled. And you know when you're threatening people like that and, and you guys saw the video also, he was the instigator. He's the one who ended up going after Tarnaski. So I don't think anything will happen beyond this other than the guy taking fault for it. Tarnaski putting the beat down. But I'm really happy that everybody got to hear about his playing career because there's a lot more to this guy than just a dust up at a golf course, including those wild KHL stories.

[Gene Principe]

But him playing on that team, Nasty Morasty, Kip Brennan. I mean, imagine, imagine knowing like, imagine knowing if you're buckled on a golf course, you're like I'm about to just go toe to toe with a guy who played in the KHL on the biggest goon squad the KHL has ever seen. That's kind of where you're like, I gotta go home. I need to go home. So unreal job by you, dude. Great guy. And thank you so much, Tarnassi. We appreciate it. And buddy, stay out of his way on a golf course. Let him play.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Absolutely. I'm going to be taking off here to fly fishing, but the next interview is unbelievable and it's kind of sticking with that Alberta theme and, and a guy that we, we wanted to get on for a very long time, Gene Principe. He's provided so much to the game of hockey with his humor, his insight, his interactions with the players, and especially for those people in Edmonton where he's beloved hometown kid. I'm sure you guys will be happy about this one too. And, and Whit, like, I think that it was kind of nice to, to maybe get some words of encouragement about Connor probably coming back too. That was the one big thing that stuck out from the interview for me, and he seems very confident that they'll be able to get it done. And yeah, it was, it was just great hearing Gene's story and, and, and why he, he brings what he does to the broadcast.

[Gene Principe]

Buddy, have a great time. Fly fishing. Send me some pics. I've been fly fishing before you. You have to have soft hands. So I don't, I don't know if you're gonna. I don't know what. I don't know if you're gonna catch it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I'll just bring my one hitter.

[Gene Principe]

Just, just bring your shrooms and your one hitter and just sit there and look at the beautiful mountains and the amazing landscape and then just worry about the other people catching the fish. Okay, buddy?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I should have got a lesson from Lil Sask. Fishy was letting me know before we hopped on here, and I think that we were actually talking about it when we were at the Writer cup, but he's a, a fly fishing expert, which I didn't expect from little Sask, but.

[Gene Principe]

I could see that, though. I remember bringing that up. All right.

[Paul Bissonnette]

The man of many talents. See you later, everybody. Have a great summer.

[Gene Principe]

I actually remember talking a little sass about that. And when I did it the one time in Vail, Colorado, I thought the guy was telling me to, like, have it land and then pull it up and have it land and pull it up. And sass is like, that's completely incorrect. You want to let it sit it. You want to have it very calm. I. I guess I was getting a bad teaching or I was just bad at it. So. I know Biz is gonna be horrible at fly fishing. Horrible.

[Nick Tarnowski]

He can't.

[Ryan Whitney]

He.

[Gene Principe]

He couldn't make a breakout pass. How are you supposed to just have this tiny little. What is it? Lure? I mean, I talk about not being good at fishing. Just be soft hands, soft on the water. Biz is going to be sitting there smoking, talking to people about, like, Biz does bc and they're gonna be like, we're trying to, like, reel in this monster in Jackson. So congrats to Biz on a great interview. Thank you guys for tuning and Gene Principe. Now, I met Gene right when I got traded to the Oilers. Great guy, very friendly. And I had no idea about the puns and how he would kind of bring his energy to the. To the show in terms of what the game broadcast was. He's been a great dude. He's actually, we mentioned in the interview, he's kind of popped off even more in the last few years. I think a lot of it has to do with how good the Oilers have become, but, I mean, this guy is at the top of his game. And he talks about when he maybe wants to retire. Not for a long time. Don't worry, Oilers fans. But it was great to see him on the. On the cup final broadcast for sportsnet and all the things that he does to make the game fun for the fans. And maybe some stories when he might have pissed off some guys here and there, but Gene's an awesome dude. We sat down, I think it was over an hour with him, Tell some great stories, told an old Wayne Gretzky story. And yes, Oilers fans, is another man close to the team confident that Connor McDavid will be back. He's not going anywhere. Don't worry. Don't panic. Enjoy your summer. He will resign. I don't know for how long, but this year coming up is not the last year. Connor McDavid will be on the Edmonton owners. Don't worry and enjoy right now. Gene Principe. Guys, Whit here and I want to talk about Ro Sparks, a two in one prescription treatment for stronger, harder erections. Yes, that's right. Ro Sparks will make your dick very hard, very strong. Maybe a little longer if it's really, really, really hard. So Ro sparks dissolve under your tongue, meaning they hit your bloodstream faster than pills, so you can get ready for action quicker. Once the medication dissolves, they work in about 15 minutes on average. When giving you the boost you need for thicker, longer, harder erections and helping you last longer for more fun for both of you. Now, at this point in my life, if I hit a monster drive 300 yards and I'm sitting in the middle of the fairway, I get a longer, stronger, harder erection. But when I'm not playing golf like I wish I was and I'm slapping it around 220 and I'm hitting it out of bounds, that's when RO Sparks can come in handy for me. And they can come in handy for anyone. If you want a longer, stronger, thicker, harder erection, Auro Sparks is where it at where it's at. And plus, Auro Sparks stay active in your system for up to 36 hours. That means you can be ready to go round after round or even the morning after. And no need for awkward in person doctor visits. Hey, doc, my dick doesn't get hard. No, no, no, no, no. Ro connects you with a medical provider 100% online, and if prescribed, your treatment ships right to your door. If prescribed, new sexual health patients get $15 off Sparks on a recurring plan. Connect with a provider at RO Co Chiclets to find out if prescription row Sparks are right for you. That's ro cic lip c h I c l e t s for $15 off your first order. We are now pleased to be joined by a very special guest. Everyone in Canada knows and loves this man, the king of the puns, Gene Principe. What's going on, buddy?

[Ryan Whitney]

I met my Whitney's end here getting started with you guys. I figured I'd just get one out of the way, right of the way. Let's just, let's cross it off the list. We're good. You know, checklist is done now. Listen, you know, I gotta say, guys, first of all, it's great to be with you. I, I, I was telling my daughter that she's a huge Oilers fan, a big hockey fan, and she's like, oh, you're doing a podcast? I'm like, yeah. And she goes, you know which podcast I told? She goes, she probably. She goes, whoa. She goes, wow, you ever made it? You know, I'm doing podcasts. Well, you know what, Kevin Bxa who, who, by the way, I, I, you know, I'm, I'm like so many viewers who, who watch people on TV or watch them on their podcasts and biz. I saw you at the final. I mean, I'm just a fan at the end of the day who just happens to talk in front of a camera and have a microphone, but I love hearing about hockey. And that time that you were, you know, with you guys, that time you were down 3:1, and. And you came back and. And just, you know, that's what fans love to hear, the. That inside conversation of what goes on. So Kevin said, I told those guys to put you on. So primary assist to Kevin. And thanks, guys, for having me on.

[Paul Bissonnette]

It was.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Right outside the. Our locker rooms anyway, before the finals in. In Florida, but long overdue, buddy. You're a legend in the game and. And I'm actually glad we got you after the season in this setting so we could talk about your career and your evolution. But it's just a pleasure to have you on and you've done so much for the game and. And it was nice to see that Rogers Sportsnet put you on for the final. Like, was that the first time that you've been. Ever been able to do that?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, absolutely. I gotta say, Biz, I. I kind of fell in love with Henrik Lundquist.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, yeah. You and all of us, buddy.

[Ryan Whitney]

I. I could. I felt like I, you know, I took a photo with him, and I'm wearing a nice suit. Sports that gives us some great suits. And I got a bit of color, you know, from being on the beach, just a little bit.

[Nick Tarnowski]

And.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I look at that photo and I look like, oh, my gosh. Like, this man is just a. A piece of art. Perfection. Like, it was. It was. It was incredible. So that was one of the highlights being along.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's why I say put me at the other side of the desk. Like, put the other. Put me the far. I feel bad for Ace.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I get it now. Like, it's unbelievable. And then, you know, I talked to Ace a bit because I remember him when he played here. And of course, Wayne, who doesn't know Wayne. And yes, for me, I've covered many Cup Finals, but as, quote, unquote, a news reporter. I was at the Cup Final when the orders were there the first time against Florida. But, you know, it's different when you are hosting the Cup Final and millions of people are watching you and everything is. Is, I guess, dissected. You're just, you know, a lot of people, they. They tune in and they tune out. But. But if you're an Oilers fan, you're a hockey fan, Florida fan, you're watching that. And it was great. I had a. I had a wonderful time. I mean, it was. Listen, I. Up front and honest here, I grew up in Edmonton. And when I was 17 and they won their first Stanley cup, back then it was Jasper Avenue and there were no watch parties, and people would spill out of their, Their homes, their basements, sometimes little halls, and they would just all gather and celebrate, you know, high fives and congratulations. And here I was, you know, 40, 41 years later, now I'm hosting it. And I, I have to admit, I sort of envisioned that it would end with an interview with Connor and an interview with. With Leon and Ryan Nugent Hopkins. And it turned out to be not them, but David. Amber, my, My co worker at Sports. I said, you know, when you get in those situations, there's such an excitement and there's such a. A respect for the team to do that not once, but twice that it'll be a breeze. And it really was. And, you know, I, I don't. Seth Jones, who doesn't, you know, feel good for Seth Jones, right? This guy's had a solid career, ups and downs, didn't go first overall. I mean, this. He's always treated me well. Why would I want something, you know, bad to happen him? Of course, I'm an Oilers fan, but when you're on tv, you're not a fan of, of anyone. You're a fan of the game.

[Nick Tarnowski]

You can get away with it, biz.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, you can. I don't know, you can do what you want.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, you got some kind of closet.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let's get these two other knuckleheads going.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, when I, When I think of you, I think of a guy that just loves the game and it, and you just said it, like being a.

[Gene Principe]

Fan of, you know, the players in the sport.

[Nick Tarnowski]

But for you, it just seems like.

[Ryan Whitney]

Every day you're happy to be at.

[Gene Principe]

The ring, you're happy to be doing interviews. Like you, you really. Through the screen, you bring your enthusiasm and love for the game through that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Then I just wanted to know where that started.

[Gene Principe]

Obviously, growing up in Edmonton with winning teams is huge, but where did that all come from for you?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I think it starts from that. In fact, I was thinking, you know, when we're. When you're on a show like yours or a podcast, you're thinking, what can I. What can I say? And it reminded me of a story that involved Wayne. Back in the day, at the old building, there was a hotel, restaurant, adult entertainment spot across the street. And I remember once, back When I was 17, 18, there were no. You didn't know who was starting a net. You didn't know what the lines were. You didn't know anything. You went to the game and oh, okay, there's. That's who's starting and oh, so and so is out of the lineup or he's on the fourth line. I remember bumping into Wayne across the street once, and I was getting ready for my hockey draft, and they had acquired Mike Krushelniski, if you remember him, from the Boston Bruins. And I said, hey, Wayne, like, he's. What do you think? He's. Where's he going to play? And he goes, he's going to be on my line. I said, oh, okay. So I took him. I kind of snuck him into my, my hockey pool, and he ended up getting 88 points that year, and he won me the hockey draft. And that was my first ever meeting.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You know, with insider trading.

[Ryan Whitney]

So. So you know what I think, you know, being able to see guys around town, you know, back then, like Craig Simpson and I are two weeks apart. And so when I was going out when I was, you know, 20, 21, 22, 23, there were, you know, the Oilers, they were out and about in a. In a different way that I. I'm not sure they could do it like that nowadays, but they did back then. And that's just. Just the growth of watching these unbelievable teams and once in a while, bumping into them. I think that's one of the great parts of my job, Keith, is, you know, you get to know Paul Coffey and you meet Glenn. Glenn Anderson was kind of. Well, they were all my favorites, but I always loved the way Glenn just attacked the net. Would run into those posts and not worry about that. They weren't supposed to move, but he would make them move. And so to be in my city and to cover, I guess my team that I grew up with has given me, you know, an unbelievable amount of enjoyment. People are, you know, I'm 58, so I don't know how many more years I want to work. I don't know how many more years anybody wants me to work, but I would love to see a couple of Cups come to this city as a real payoff to oil country and the support, you know, that these people have given them throughout not just the years, but the decades.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Reads hey, did you tell your fantasy buddies that you that way told you.

[Ryan Whitney]

That I did because they were like, like Krushevisky back then had. Had not a very good season in Boston, but a different team Boston. And they're like, you're taking, you know, and we used to just go up and down and write Them down on a piece of paper. And I took Krushelniski, I think third or fourth rounded.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's what they're like.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, they're like, wow, why would you take Krushel Misky that high? You know, like he's not going to play with Wayne or Mark and, and I'm thinking, oh well, I guess we'll see. And then they saw, you know, coming. And back then the Oilers, like I remember we used to do like hockey pools every time they played. And the most popular score that we would pick would be 73 Oilers because they just were always scoring a, you know, a bunch of goals. So it was. It's funny, I told Wayne that story once and I, you know, I think he, I'm not sure he remembered, but I think he remembers the fact that people around town would, would treat him and everyone else like royalty. But anyone who knows Wayne knows that he treats you right back the same way.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They had to do pen and paper for keeping track of fantasy back then too.

[Gene Principe]

So yeah, somebody had the job of writing it all down. They checked the Sunday paper. It was nuts.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's right. Once a week you'd get the stats. Sometimes we would check like on a nightly basis. You'd open up the paper the next day and then at the end of the week the once a week stats would come out and then we would make sure that, that the stats were, were correct. It seems like a hundred years.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He made buddies with the guy at the newspaper. Right. Misprinting his guy stats. You could get around that. Edmonton.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, no problem in Edmonton. You could do anything like that back.

[Gene Principe]

Marius Chakowski had 19 goals last week. What a pick in the seventh round.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh gosh, you're taking a first overall.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Gene, where did you get your quirky personality like Yan's kind of touched on it, how you, yeah, you show it on screen and sometimes you got the costum like is anybody helping you with these ideas or was this just you from an early childhood where you were just always the silly guy who, who wasn't afraid to be in front of the camera?

[Ryan Whitney]

I think a combination like D. I would say all of the above. I think when you start in your career, whatever career it is, you know, you're trying to find your way and figure out what, what's the best you to do, whatever it is that you're doing. And I think, you know, I didn't do that when I started but, but it was in fact after the 06 cup run to game seven and then I'll never Forget reading a story the next day that Chris Pronger wanted out. And I'm like, how's that? I never heard him work, never. And then by the end of the week, he was, he was virtually gone or on his way to Anaheim next season started. And it was, it was a rough goal. I mean, the team was in, in tough shape. And I just said, you know, the one thing that people turn to at the end of their day, good, bad, somewhere in the middle, is their sports teams. And when you turn on the TV and I'm the guy that tries to make a good first impression, I want to be able to do that. And when you're in, whether it's a football market, a baseball market, a hockey market, people know the power play, the penalty kill, save percentages, how many wins, how many losses in a row. So I was like, well, let's, let's find some things that are, that are positive and then try and add to them. And so the adding became the puns and the props and, and I still remember my first pun. I was talking about Gary Bettman and Chris Chelos, if you guys remember, during.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, yeah, that got heated.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, that got heated. And I remember we were discussing it with, with one of the analysts and you know, Chris, he's Greek. And so I said, apparently Chris is Feda up with the commissioner and Pampa. And that was the, that was the beginning of it all. Very, very subtle, soft start, like a soft opening for a restaurant. And here we are, you know, virtually, maybe not getting close to 20 years later and still doing the same thing. But I gotta credit my family for sort of being a test audience. The crews that I work with are fantastic, and at the end of the day, sportsnet, because they've allowed me and others to be creative and to try and do something that people will, will hopefully like the world has changed. So some things that you could have done certain amount of years ago, you won't be doing now, or you would only do it once. So which is. Okay, so now there's a couple of layers. I go to our producer, we discuss it, and if we're not sure, if we got to go to our executive producer, then we know, okay, let's not bother. Because if we don't know whether we should do it going to him, let's just leave it at no, we'll save it for another time.

[Gene Principe]

When I was there, you dressed up like a hot dog. It was that they, it was right around. It wasn't Halloween. He's like, yeah, I, I, I feel Like a wiener for dressing up too early. And then he's interviewing Kelly Buckburger after. He's like, this is the first time a hot dog's interviewed a burger.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Like, this guy. Yeah.

[Gene Principe]

You wore the hot dog costume the whole game that day.

[Ryan Whitney]

The whole game. I remember. Yeah, I remember. And I remember. Remember Fernando Pisani, who. Fernando had been out for about. About a dozen games because of a back problem. And they said, come on over here. You're, you know, doing an interview with Gene. And he comes around, kind of a barrier, and he goes, oh, my God. He's like, are you kidding me? Like a hot dogs. I just. I can barely catch my breath. I'm not feeling great. And now this hot dog has to interview me. And so I. I remember that we were in Boston, in fact, and it was. It was fabulous. Like, I just love doing that kind of stuff, and I know not everybody does, and. But I just think it adds something now that we have, I don't know, 150 channels and countless podcasts. Some better than others, of course, that there's so much out there. When I was growing up, there were a couple of channels. You were lucky to have cable. And in our area, Edmonton, we would get. Spokane. That was where we would get our cable from. The abc, cbs, NBC affiliates, and that was it. Right. But now, I mean, there's nothing but channels out there and opportunities. So. Thanks, Whit, for bringing that up. I. I remember that vividly. And Fernando and I. Fernando lives in the area, and we'll go for a coffee once in a while, and we always have a, you know, a chuckle about it. So that's why even the Oilers have been fantastic supporters, too, to, you know, they might have went, you know what? Not we're an NHL team and not. We're not. Maybe that's not the way we want to start our broadcast. But they've been fantastic and really supportive over the decades with it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I feel like the players love it because it almost takes a little pressure off them as well. And I was fortunate. When we played in Arizona, we had Todd Walsh, and he would always bring. Oh, he's incredible. And especially with the. The. The way he spoke on the team's last game here, like, yeah, live. And. And he didn't even know that he was going to get sent that. Just an incredible human being. But I think the. The players love it, so. But the question I had was, what did you ever do that warranted you getting called in where they were maybe upset? Like, what?

[Ryan Whitney]

Great question.

[Paul Bissonnette]

What did you do? That was offside that you could have gotten in trouble for?

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah, it was about. Yeah, the one that. That sticks out. So I've had a few where they're kind of like, hey, you know, like, tone it down a little bit. And. But the one that sticks out was. You remember Drake Kajula, and he was with the Oilers, played on a. I think it was a Saturday afternoon in Dallas, and Drake had a couple of goals, and he got moved to the first line, right? So. And I had been thinking, you know, like, boy, it'd be great to do something on Drake, right? Drake. Drake. And so the. That next game versus St. Louis, I did something on Drake, and I kind of dressed up as Drake. No, no black face or anything like that. I want to make that clear. It was just a look, you know, clothes and stuff like that to. To look like what Drake might look like. And so I did something like on the first line Bling, you know. You know, you. The coach used to call me on the cell phone and, you know, and. And so that's. That's kind of how I did it. And it seemed okay. Like, everyone kind of left. But what happened was, again, when I first started in tv, you did something, and it was done the next day. Someone might talk about it at the water cooler, as they, you know, would say, and that's it. But that night, in our overnight run, we ran it over and over again. So in the morning, we have a morning loop group. So every half hour is the same show. So twice an hour, hour after hour after hour, it got seen. And I think some people. I think they just got tired of it. And so that one got me in a little bit of. A little bit of hot water. And I. I think it was. It was okay at the time. I was. And, you know, for any of you guys that know me, and all three of you do, I'm. I'm a. I'm a, like, make friends kind of guy. I don't want anyone leaving a room thinking anything bad about me. And I felt really bad that anyone would have thought that I was making any kind of racial gestures or anything. It was just.

[Paul Bissonnette]

What kind of bars did you write other. You got a couple for us? Can you.

[Gene Principe]

I think it was.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think it was. You used to call me on my cell phone, you need my goals. And then something about the first line Bling.

[Nick Tarnowski]

And I did it.

[Ryan Whitney]

It was funny because Drake thought it was great, right? And I think that, you know, kind of circling back to players liking it. I mean, I think it's kind of neat for a player when someone specifically picks them out and tries to entertain through their name, through their success, through. Through both, through their play. But that was. And I remember then we went on to Buffalo and yeah, for a couple of days I was kind of quiet. I felt really uncomfortable about it. And it just wasn't what I wanted to come out to people. If there were those that thought, yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, you're a sensitive guy. Right. And it almost takes a little. A little wind out of your sales for like being creative for the next probably like month or six weeks. You go. Go into a bit of a shell. But I don't need to do that. That's why everyone loves you is because you take those swings and you put yourself out there and that's why you. You become somebody everyone loves. So don't feel bad about that one. I would just say maybe work on your bars a little bit.

[Ryan Whitney]

It.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's what. That's what I would do. And at least you didn't show up like Rafi Torres, I guess. Oh, yeah. Just mad because I said that. He's mad. I'm the one who put the picture out.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't want.

[Gene Principe]

I don't want the wrath of Rafy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, my gosh.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You know Raph.

[Gene Principe]

How's that?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, I thought maybe with Drake Kajula, you would have thought of something like Dracula. Because I kind of sound like. If you say it quick, I thought me.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Drake, why'd you pop up there Wit.

[Gene Principe]

I think you're trying to tell Wayne Gretzky how to pass the puck. Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, no, no. I thought when he started telling the story, right.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's the way he was going it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Like he was going to dress up as Dracula like Drake. I was, I was waiting for another. Another hot dog.

[Gene Principe]

He just fired Biz.

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, we just added another seat to the panel. Any other. Any other ones where maybe that you got in trouble for where you're like, like, I'm not taking the L on this. You need to lighten up.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. You know what? For the most part, it was. It was very minor wrist slaps. Like that was the only one that kind of got elevated. I wouldn't say to the top, but. But pretty close.

[Gene Principe]

And if you did the Trump. If you did the Trump mask now we'd have a difference.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, bingo. Right. And so that, that right back in.

[Paul Bissonnette]

The day, mask on, you were out of your time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, you know what? My son had dressed up as him for Halloween and the inauguration would have been, I think around November 17th or somewhere around there. And that would have been 20. Was that 27?

[Gene Principe]

Oh, it was like. It was like January 2017, like, when he was coming.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay, so January 2017, you're right, wet. And I, I put it on and I put a red tie and what does he wear? Kind of a blue.

[Gene Principe]

Blue suit, blazer, Orange makeup.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, well, yeah, that's kind of natural for me. And I just did an opening and I remember saying, like, you know, Talbot, you know, has been like a wall oiler's trying to trump the wild. And like, the only thing I saw was a little article in the New York Post. Someone actually sent it to me. So that's a perfect example with. That's eight years ago, but that feels like 28 or 38 years ago. And just so everyone who's right. I would, I would never. I would never do that now. I wouldn't even think of it. But, but back then it. I mean, it just kind of happened. And. Yeah, like, I. I don't know. I don't even know when I. When I think of it now, it just seems just bonkers. But at the time, it seemed. I wouldn't say natural, but at least. Okay.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, for sure. Yeah. Your barometer was pretty solid there.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Oh, gosh, that's funny.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I wouldn't run it back next season, though. They might. They might move the team. McDavid will leave for sure if you do that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, I remember. Remember where Connor dressed up as Trump for Halloween. Whipped. I don't know what was that? That would have been around. Well, around the same time.

[Gene Principe]

That was like, probably a year before that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, it was like. Yeah, right around the. It was 2016, 2017, maybe along the campaign trail. And I remember him just that not a grief is probably overstating it, but just getting a few comments, you know, and, and, and, but, but now certainly he wouldn't. I wouldn't. None of us would do, you know, anything, Anything anywhere near like that?

[Gene Principe]

Yeah. I'm wondering, like, when did you kind of know you wanted to do this? Right? Like, and what was your start? Because for people that, that are doing what you do a lot of times, I mean, you're starting. You're starting at the bottom, right. You're at a small. Maybe a small network or. I don't know how it all began for you and how you even thought, like, this is what I want to do with my life.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, it's. It's a great question because so many people see you sort of at the end of your Career and think, oh, you know what? Wow, look at him. He's on sportsnet or whatever network. They got this podcast. I was. I was a soccer player as a kid, and I tried out for the provincial under 16 team, and I got cut. And I was like, you know, I'm not sure I'm gonna make it as a pro soccer player. So I. I always wanted to be a pro athlete, so I thought it'd be kind of neat to cover pro athletes. And. And I'm not sure why, but when I was a kid growing up and Howard Cosell, Don Crickey, Dick Enberg, Al Michaels, so many of the announcers, I found myself enjoying the call of the game almost as much as the game. And so I thought that, you know, I'm 15 years old. Okay, let's.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let's.

[Ryan Whitney]

Let's try this. Got through high school, went to a local college, and then I honestly, it's like being a ball player. It's like rookie ball, single A, double A, triple A, and then you hope to make it to the majors. And that's what happened with me. I worked in towns of 25,000, 50,000, and, you know, my big break came, I guess, personally and professionally when I went to Winnipeg. That's where I met my.

[Paul Bissonnette]

My.

[Ryan Whitney]

My future wife. And that's where I got to first cover the NHL before it left the first time or left initially. And then I went to Toronto, and then I moved back to Edmonton in 1998, and since then I've been hosting the Oilers. I was. Funny, I was telling my wife the other day, I said, I'm now the guy that I used to hate. Oh, my God, he's still there. Like, what is this guy? What is someone gonna get rid of him? Yeah, like. And I'm. And I'm a big believer in that. Like. Like, I. I'm a fan of letting young people, whether it's in sports, in broadcast, in business, to have an opportunity. I'm not quite there yet, but I am not going to be the guy at, you know, 71 or 73 or maybe even 68 or 67. I really feel like once I've had a good run, I'll be so happy with what I've done and not worry about what I am no longer doing and giving some young kid, male, female, in their 20s, 30s, 40s, maybe, a chance to do something that they dreamed about, that I had a chance to do for a long time.

[Gene Principe]

So you're telling us right now, if in five years, they win the Stanley cup, you're pulling a Ray Bork, you're done.

[Ryan Whitney]

You know what, Keith? I gotta tell you, I'm, as mentioned, 58. If I was like 63 or 64, I'm not kidding you that it would have really crossed my mind, because I would have been.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And how.

[Ryan Whitney]

I mean, how does it get better than this? I'm. I'm at the. You know, I started when I was 20. So let's say I'm 63 and I'm 43 years into the business. I'm covering the team I grew up watching. I'm interviewing a generational talent who's going to be, knock on wood, in the Hockey hall of Fame and one of the best top three, top five players ever. All time. His sidekick is not too far off. I mean, where. Where do I go from here? What's. What's next? I might have done the mic drop. I. I've always kind of said that I would like to. I would like to cover Connor from start to finish. I was there in 2015 when he was drafted, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna outlast me. But you're bang on, Keith, that if I was a little bit older and if they had won, I might have. I might have been thinking that all day. What am I doing tonight? Like, if they win this, am I. I might call it a quits tonight, or maybe I'm gonna take the evening or a week to think about it, but that might be it. I might be done. So you're saying that covering the team.

[Gene Principe]

Now with Connor and Leon is better.

[Ryan Whitney]

Than when Whit was there during the dog days?

[Gene Principe]

Hey, you went through a lot trying to. Trying to get some good storylines with those teams shooting Roman candles out of.

[Paul Bissonnette]

His ass pregame to get people to watch.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, it was, you know, the one thing I would say. That's the thing. You know, it was kind of funny because you're right, Keith. It was a challenging time. But what I would say about winning and all those players through all those years of. Of, you know, dejection and disappointment, the players always treated me well and were fantastic at still telling. Well, you know, thank you for saying that. I mean, that does make me feel good because busy were bang on. When that incident happened, I just kind of felt like, do I even want to be like that anymore? I can just say, hey, the Oilers are 311 in their last five. The penalty kills at 89% over that stretch. I don't. I don't need any trouble, but I want to try and entertain so after a while you kind of step back and then you step forward again and you go back to kind of who you are. But it was, it was a difficult time. You know, I have to tell you, when I see teams like Chicago and San Jose and some of these clubs now that are, are, are struggling and getting those high picks and trying to turn that into success, I have to shake my head and say, I remember when that was. That was the Oilers and that was me covering a team like that. But the players through, through the many coaches and general managers, honestly, they've been fantastic. I, I can't say enough great things about the organization. And even through the, the changes and sometimes many changes because of the lack of success, I always got treated well. And I always felt like when someone comes to talk to me, I hope that they leave and say, yeah, I'll go back and talk to that guy again. And, you know, one of the, one of the neat things from the playoffs, of all things, was in the cup, the conference final, we do these walk up interviews and so they don't wait for the person to arrive as they're kind of in eyesight or the camera can see them. You kind of start entering so that they come up. And I was about to interview Miko Ranton and you know, I've covered him and he goes, hey, Gene, how you doing? And I can't tell you how much street cred that gave me because he wasn't, he wasn't an oiler and he wasn't, you know, quote unquote, a Canadian kid who grew up watching me. But here he was, you know, giving me this really nice welcome and hello. And so it was really nice. And one of the small things, it's a big thing for me is when at the end of an interview someone says, thanks, Gene, or, you know, thanks Biz, thanks, Jan, thanks, Whit, whoever it is. It's just that little extra that makes you feel like, hey, you know what? They enjoyed the moment, they enjoyed the time, and that I hope they'll be back again.

[Gene Principe]

So, you know, I met you in 2010.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Gene Principe]

And then, you know, you've been doing it before I met you, you continue to do it. But. And tell me if you disagree. I feel like in the last three years, and maybe it has something to do with how good the Oilers have become, you've kind of reached a different level. Like, do you notice that, like where Twitter, a lot of your things are going viral, like, I don't know what doing. You're.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah.

[Gene Principe]

Like you had that, yeah, you had.

[Paul Bissonnette]

The long hair, baby oil on the beach in Florida.

[Gene Principe]

But do you notice what I'm saying, where it's like, wow, you've like, reached the top of your game. You're 58. Like, I don't know what happened because you've been, you've been the same guy the whole time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, you are bang on. And I, I credit the Edmonton oilers and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Zach Hyman. And I couldn't agree more. When I cut my hair earlier today, earlier than the playoffs against Vegas, it was like, like, I, I, I, I.

[Gene Principe]

Was mad at you. I was like, what's he doing?

[Ryan Whitney]

I know, I, it was a subtle. So, so the orders in the first round, we weren't sure if they were going to make it through. They were trailing, I think it was 2:1 at that time. And, and I had to do this, this event, which I, I just cleared with Sportsnet, and my boss, who's a great guy, says, yeah, for sure. He goes, maybe they'll make you cut your hair for it. So I was like, okay. Hint dropped. Okay and received. So then we get into the orders, get into the second round. And actually my son was graduating from university with his second degree, and so I was busy that weekend. I got to Vegas and I, I said to my boss, said, hey, listen, what's going on? And I said, but I'll cut my hair here. And it was kind of a line like, maybe he's gonna go, ah, don't worry about it. He's like, yeah, you know, good luck. I hope it, you know, it turns out great. So I said, okay. And that morning, I've never had so much haircut stress in my life because I had to find someone to cut it. And then I had to Uber over, then catch an Uber back with a suit on. And even the lady was like, I don't have anybody come in with a suit to cut his, their hair. Like, she's going, I don't know who this guy is, but he seems like he's important to some extent. And I went to the rink and it was like everybody was just like, you know, even the players and, and even Chris Knobloch goes, I didn't even know who you were. And he's like, I wasn't sure. And then someone said, that's Genie goes, that can't be Gene. And so it was, you know, it was so kind. Even Connor, the, the day after. So I cut a game day the next day you know, just in Connor, like, it was so Connor, like, he's about to do an interview, he looks and goes, touch your hair. Huh? Okay. And that was it. And then it was time for questions, you know, so. But, but that acknowledgment, Listen deep down, to have people like that, whether they're former orders of greatness or current orders from greatness, I feel like I'm 10 years old and that. I think that is circling back. Yeah. And to your question about what kind of keeps you going and enthused, it's things like that that make me feel young. And the other thing is you're around young people all the time, Right. There's a new 18 year old, first overall pick or first round pick. There's a new kid that was signed from Europe. He's 21. And so you keep hanging around young people and it just, I think it helps keep you young and enthused and energized for what you do too.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, that's so true. And it's just something that's like amazing to be a part of. Right. Like you're, you're kind of a part of the team with the fan base. Like, right before puck drop, we get to see Gene. We know he's dropping a pun and that's what's cool, but. Yeah, I didn't, I didn't know when you decided to. That it's funny. You brought up the hair. I couldn't believe it. I. I flipped it on. I'm like, what the hell is he doing?

[Ryan Whitney]

I know.

[Gene Principe]

I was greasy, though. That was getting greasy. Yeah.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Looked like easy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Really was. I went 19 months without cutting my hair. And you know, some people, it just sort of grows like. So mine grows this way and this way and this. Like, it grows everywhere, right? Yeah, totally.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I mean, you say easy. Yeah, yeah.

[Gene Principe]

With the Jerry curl. That's what it looked like.

[Ryan Whitney]

It was out of control. I get him in trouble where he.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Went down the rapper road.

[Ryan Whitney]

Who.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Who would you say were your, your biggest, like, inspirations growing up? Like any other, like, people in entertainment who you like, idolize, where you were like, oh, I kind of want to be like them. Like, what really sparked it?

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, you know, I mentioned earlier Howard Cosell and. And when I was a kid, we'd get Monday Night Football. Like we still do, but I mean, Monday Night Football was so special. And on Sundays we didn't, you know, we would get kind of like the kickoff at 11 and then a 2 o' clock game and that would be it. And we didn't have all these different channels to watch all the different games. So Monday night was all about football. And I, I remember my parents would let me stay up till halftime and then Howard would do a kind of a wrap of the weekend action. And I grew up a Minnesota Vikings fan with Fran Tarkenton and Chuck Foreman. Those were sort of my guys, Ahmad Rashad, Sammy White. And so I would always want to see the highlights. And I know this may sound strange, I may not have even known if we didn't have the paper that day, if Minnesota had won the day before. I know that sounds weird, but I would watch those highlights and by the time halftime was over, I would know every result, including if. If Minnesota had played on Sunday, if they had won. So Howard Cosell. I was really into, you know, American announcers in Canada. I was a big fan of Don Whitman. Even a guy who had just worked with Chris Cuthbert. You know, Chris isn't a whole lot older than me, but I remember watching him do the Olympics. And then I've had a chance to work with some, you know, Ray Ferraro is great analyst and a wonderful guy. Jack Michaels, who you guys know, I mean, Jack, Jack's like a wrestling announcer doing hockey. I mean, he is people. Absolutely. You know, what you had asked about the last two or three years, I think Jack's answer about our, our brand, for lack of a better term, would be the same. His has grown exponentially because of what he does, how he does it and the team that he covers. And of course, I feel very safe anywhere with Louis Debrusk.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, my gosh, Louie, you know, he's.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Got, he's a handsome bastard too. We talked about Lundquist, but holy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, Louie's a good looking dude, too.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, absolutely. So a lot of lots, lots of people along the way, you know, but I, I would, I would say my parents, you know, I mean, you know, they unfortunately both have, have now passed. But I remember, you know, my dad would always say, we came on a boat, July 19, 1959, and the people back home would write letters saying that the streets of, in this case, Edmonton were paved with gold. And he got here and he goes, I don't see any gold on the streets. But hopefully for you kids, you and your sister, that there will be some gold in your future. And you know, they love the Oilers. They, they wouldn't have known a puck if it hit him in the face when they came over. But they, the, the people fall in love with the sport that they know Nothing about. And I remember once having a 20 minute phone conversation with my mom and for five minutes we talked about my three kids and the weather. And then 15 minutes was like, what's wrong with the Oilers? And I'm like, oh my God. Like this is a 70 year old Italian immigrant woman who made a seamstress who made drapes for a living that all she wants to talk about is the oiler. So it is an example of, of what it's like. And, and I'm specifically talking about oil country and the Oilers. But you know, any major fan base that, that just has that kind of support and just to kind of wrap up this thought, you know, there's a lot of great times to come with the plus, but it. Sports helps a lot of people through difficult, difficult times. And just one story that through Instagram I get so many notes from people and messages about all these, these great things that are, that are happening in their lives thanks to the Oilers. But this is a note I in fact sent to Kelly McDavid, Connor's mom. And I said, you know, I got this note from this gentleman whose father was, you know, and for. He was dying and there was no other way for him to put it. He said, but when we moved him into a hospice, he said the two things he wanted. You know, I, I even think about it, I just, that's how much these guys mean to people. He wanted a photo with his late wife and he wanted his Connor McDavid jersey. Those are the two things that he wanted to bring with him. And I just think sometimes I, you know, I know it was disappointing loss, but it's, it's. You can't even, I think register or calculate how much Conor, the Oilers mean to oil country and take a certain player and their team and to their area. Like it's. Sports is, is wonderful. I just think it's does separate people because you have your favorite teams, but it, it just brings them together and it's, it's, it's the most beautiful thing and I couldn't ask for a better way, you know, to have a career in doing this, you know, what kind of career? My friends joke, when are you going to retire? Like, wait a minute, you're already retired, you know, so there is a little bit of work that goes into it, but for sure, I love it.

[Gene Principe]

So did you ever have an instance with a player that they kind of were like rattled with you a little bit like because you're making jokes and maybe they're in a bad story? I don't know if you, if you have one you could share.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, one in particular. I, I've had a couple just. I, I wouldn't say problems, but you kind of heard. I, I, well, two that, that stick out and one was diffused quite quickly. I, I remember with Kevin Low. Do you remember Alexander Salavanoff? Yeah, he scored. Phyllis Posito's son in law, in fact. And Alex had been with the Oilers, if I remember correctly, scored 29 goals one year. And then the orders didn't sign him, which was, you know, no big deal. And I, I interviewed him. He went to Columbus and I interviewed him after a period and I said, you know, were you surprised that I, I'm paraphrasing, but that you had to wait for a job kind of thing, that, that kind of instance or that kind of example. And then later on, you know, I saw Kevalo and he goes, I'm not happy with you. And I'm like, like Gez, I'm like, kevin Low's not happy with me now. I'm not happy. Why? And he goes, well, what you asked Alex Savanov and, and, and he, he, he recited the question. I go, yeah, you know, I didn't say the Oilers didn't sign. He goes, but, but when you say what you said, you're lumping us in with the entire group. And I went, you know what, it's true because I'm, I'm broadcasting back to Oilers fans. So by not saying it, I'm still kind of saying it. And it was just a little subtle reminder. Right. And I thought, you know, he, he's.

[Gene Principe]

Kind of right on that.

[Ryan Whitney]

I, and it wasn't meant to be a shot at the Oilers, but if you're reading between the lines, that that's kind of what you would hear is, hey, are you surprised that the Oilers and the rest of the NHL didn't sign you? So I totally got that. The other one was Larry Murphy. Remember Larry Murphy, who was, who put up a lot of points. I interviewed him once in Toronto and I was doing a feature on him and I don't know why I suddenly thought I was like Mike Wallace, but I was asking him all these freaking hard questions, which I thought they wanted at that time. Larry was making, I think, three and a half million. And we're talking 35 years ago, about 30. It was like 30 years ago.

[Gene Principe]

He was the whipping boy too. Right?

[Ryan Whitney]

And, and that's the point. Another booed a lot. Another booed out of the lead.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, Leafs fans, stay hot.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Shut Up.

[Ryan Whitney]

And that's exactly the setup. He was making a lot of money, and he was getting booed. And so I remember asking him, and honestly, I would have wanted to punch myself in the face, too, for this. I said, do you think they're booing you because of your pay or because of your play?

[Gene Principe]

It's like, oh, man, that hurts.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know. Who am I?

[Gene Principe]

Like, you were supposed to be talking about, like, hot dogs or something.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know, I know. And I just. When they said do a feature on him, that was kind of what was happening at that time. So I thought, oh, geez, I guess that's what they want. So we. Larry was really good, actually. Larry was fantastic. He answered the questions. We got out of there. The next game, Cliff Fletcher came at me red, like, your shirt with. And he was upset, and I was like, whoa, okay. And again, you kind of go back and you think about it. And I didn't speak to Cliff that night because there was no point, but I saw him the next game. I said, cliff, you know what? I actually watched the Future back. And I said, you're 100% right. I was totally out of line. And he was so good about it. You know, he goes, you know, like, we got a lot of pressure going on, and. And you're the host broadcaster, and we weren't expecting that from you. We understand if he's standing in front of a bunch of journalists that people might ask him that, but we didn't think it would come from you or from your network. And I said, you're. You're bang on. And I said, the next gu. I got to talk to is Larry Murphy. And I went to see Larry, and he was. He was fantastic. You know, I continued to cover him in his career, and then I would see him in Detroit a lot when he was doing the games. He was great. He goes, no problem. He goes, I. I just was kind of surprised. I didn't expect that. And I'm like, you know what? In some ways, I didn't expect that either. It was new to the Toronto market, and I. I think I felt like I had to do something, and that's what I did, and it was the wrong thing. So those are. Larry certainly sticks out as that would be at the top. And then there were some other ones like Kevin's, that gave me some perspective on when you're asking people questions, sometimes it's not just what you say, it's the underlying meaning of the question.

[Gene Principe]

But how long you been in the league if those are your only two Mishaps. You're doing the right thing. He's almost gone to jail. Basically. Yeah. Like seven guys have restraining orders on biz in the league. And then you, you just asked Larry.

[Ryan Whitney]

Murphy if it's the pay or the play. Well, yeah, I mean the thing that, you know, the guys do on, on TNT is, is, and you know, the podcasts have really opened things up again. When I was starting out, there were, there's sort of three avenues. You either worked on radio, TV or you were a writer. I mean that was it. You had three options. There were, there was nothing else. And nowadays there's so many options for kids and a lot of times people.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Will look only fans. Everything.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

What do you mean? That's like one of the outlets.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm not familiar with that. Yeah, I'm not familiar.

[Gene Principe]

Sports.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Plenty of people on Only fans not.

[Gene Principe]

All right, well, Gene, these guys are torturing me. These guys are torturing me. McDavid's gonna leave. Like, nah, I like, yeah, come on, like, tell me why. I mean, tell me how confident you feel that he will stay as an old oiler.

[Ryan Whitney]

You know, I'm, I'm really confident. I, I, I think that, you know, back to back losses in the cup final one almost epic. Only the second time ever a team would have come back from a 3 nothing deficit and to lose by a goal. Then another one where you're down to a best of three and you lose in game six. I think Connor is, you know, in soccer we would use the term gutted and I just think at the end of the season Conor was, you know, I, in hindsight it would have been nice not to have him talk. But I, you know, that would have been worse because people would have been making up their own words and their own.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh yeah, we would have been doing plenty of that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Right. Of course. Right. So he's, he has to talk. But then people don't see this big smiley lovey dovey words of I'm staying forever, you know, and, and I never, I never took any of it. Like when I say personally, I mean as a city, I never took that as anything bad at all. I just took a guy who's, who spent, he's given everything and then some and has, I'm not going to say nothing to show for it, but not what he wants to show for it. So I, I'm cool with him like taking off. Go spend some time at the cottage. I'm, you know, I've heard he's already working out and yeah, just go relax and let's make this a negotiation. I, you know, one of the great questions that he answered was a message to the fans and he spoke of how difficult it's been, but how enjoyable it's been. And, and, and he, he said, you know, stick with us because for all of us it's going to pay off. And to me, that was, that was kind of better than, you know, I love you. To me, that was, I'm saying to you and to everybody, stick with it. We got this. We're going to get this. Continue to be patient and continue to love us and I promise you, we'll give you the love that you want with a Stanley Cup. So I'm not, you know, I'm not saying he's signing an eight year deal, but I, I'm not concerned at all that Conor wouldn't come here. I mean, everything I've seen and heard, I've never heard an inkling that he dislikes anything.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You know, it just came in his jeans.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, yeah, that happens all the time though. A soft wind can make that happen, happen Biz. But Gene, the, the, a lot of people, like, I have some buddies at home that are like, why does he seem so miserable? And like I've kind of said I think he's just, you know, he's maybe wound a little tight, but he's obsessive about, you know, his craft and he's a pro, but around the room, like, he is different. Like, at least I've been told, like, it's just more how he comes off in the media. Correct?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Yeah. And you know what, he's been so great with the media. I mean, you know, see, that's where.

[Gene Principe]

People will say, no, he hasn't.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, you know, I, I think that, and what I was going to add was that when the camera stopped rolling, there was a time you think Connor was fast on the ice. The, the cameras would stop rolling and he was done. And so now the camera stopped rolling and he chats with you. I mean, he, he arrives at 18 with this generational talent tag with an organization that whit, you know, you played here, I mean, is trying to find a, just a, a just a sample of those glory days. And it all lands on his lap. Despite everybody that he has, it lands on him. And I think over the last, well, certainly the last decade, Leon has taken some of that, maybe even more than we expected, considering that, you know, in the beginning we weren't quite sure what Leon was going to be. But he's, he's an all Star. I mean he's going to be a hockey hall of Fame player. But I just think that he's really started to become more comfortable with who he is and, and that's tough to ask an 18 year old. Where I see it the most is with kids. I think that Connor now knows and has for the last certainly once we got through Covid and then there was, you know, more interaction with people face to face. That, that, that 10 seconds, that photo, that signature, that handshake, that fist pump, that smile, that pat on the back, whatever it is. I mean that kid is remembering that for another 50, 60, 70 years.

[Gene Principe]

Life changing for some kids.

[Ryan Whitney]

Unbelievable. And it really is. And I, and I think that Connor understands that where before you know, you, you, you get a 13 year old kid and you're 18 and it is tough. Like there's.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Feels probably a little weird in some cases. He just wants to be alone and you know, privacy and it's, I couldn't imagine handling that at that age.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think that over the course of the last decade, you know, he's now married and, and he said himself one day, you know, he's, he's going to be a dad. And I mean it's the evolution of a human being who in this case is a guy that people are comparing with Wayne Gretzky. I mean, talk about, talk about a lot of pressure and trying to fulfill that, that pressure and the expectancy to win Stanley Cup. Paul Coffey told a great story after the Oilers lost the first Stanley cup to the Islanders. And that's why, I mean, I think, I think we just had this like dream sequence that the Oilers were going to win and it was going to be like 84, 85. You know, they lost in 83, they came back to win in 84 against the same team. Just like the Oilers back then. We, we had it all written out. And Florida decided that they had a different script to finish this season off with. But Paul told the story how Wayne said, you know, I, I gotta win a cup. They're never going to compare me or I'm never going to have the same legacy as a Gila Fleur after they had won their cups in a row or Braun Trache and Mike Bossie. And I firmly believe that's Conor and I, I firmly believe like Wayne, he's going to win Stanley Cups as well. But I, I think sometimes people just forget the, the, the, the, the pressure just waking up and you're Connor McDavid and people expect you to be A superstar every game. And they expect you to win scoring titles and score goals and be Mr. Community and be the husband of the year and win a Stanley cup. And, and, and I mean, he is a human. And I've seen him, though, really kind of get more comfortable with. With who he is with. I'm not sure he's ever going to be all jokey and funny in front of the cameras. I do see that more than I used to, but I just feel like he's. Even if it doesn't look like he's different, I think he feels different about his comfort level when he's talking to him.

[Nick Tarnowski]

A.

[Ryan Whitney]

A row of cameras and microphones.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I was going to ask the same thing about Leon. Like, he seems like a. He. He's a pretty funny guy. Very sarcastic, right?

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, I love it. I love it. You know, that's the thing about Leon, you know, he kind of puts you on edge a little bit. Like, he reminds me a little bit. And you guys know him and played with him. Dustin Penner, I remember Dustin was one of those guys like, you better make sure your question, first of all was a question, not a statement. And that the question, I guess had some merit. Like, Leon's not afraid to kind of give you, I wouldn't say a jab, but make it clear that maybe the question wasn't a great one. He doesn't, I don't. I don't think he does it rudely, but I think he makes his point and he's more open and I think honest and forward with his feelings. Like, if he doesn't like something, he doesn't like some questions. He'll. He'll tell you whether he actually verbally tells you or he'll tell you in his answer where Conor, I would say that doesn't really. He doesn't really do that. But I, I've enjoyed being around Leon. I gotta tell you, I didn't know what. First of all, I didn't know what kind of player he was going to be. I mean, MacD sent him back to Junior with Colona. They made it to the Memorial cup and everyone's going, what. What is this kid? You know, who's he going to be? I mean, he's turned into an incredible. I mean, you know, he plays with Conor and of course people have always 97 sort of first in their mind and then 29. But Connor said in himself, I mean, I'm not the best player on the ice all the time. And a lot of times it's number 29 and so it's such a wonderful time to be that people say, how's your job? How's your work? How's your career? I get to watch those guys and the rest of the guys around them, so it never feels like work. And Leon, you know, one of the neat things is getting to know guys from being teenagers into, into young men, and you just sort of see their evolution. And I love Leon. I think he's fantastic. And I think sometimes. Long answer. I think he sometimes speaks for Conor. I think sometimes things are going on and it isn't maybe right or proper for Conor to answer a question, whether it be about him or the team. Leon will step forward and kind of answer it for Conor and Leon's and the rest of the team kind of going, okay, enough. Here's the answer. Let's move on.

[Gene Principe]

What's it like being on the road with Bob Stauffer?

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, listen, I haven't been the same since he said he would block shots in the nude. I've, I've, I've not seen Bob in the nude, but I see it him a lot. I could kind of imagine Bob's unbelievable. Like, you know, Bob and I once got into a little bit of a disagreement. It was. I think it was after the 06 cup run, in fact, I was walking to the rink in Vancouver. Bob had a show on a different radio station, and he was, he was kind of questioning Craig McTavish, who was coach back then. And I, I can't remember exactly how I said, but I said I was kind of like, like, I get if you are. I don't know, I'm gonna say Mike Babcock, maybe not the best example, but a former coach or a coach, and they say, hey, I, I didn't like the way he handled his power play, but I was like, Bob, you know, who are you to. To question Craig McTavish? And, you know, Bob didn't like that, which I, I don't blame him. He's got you on his show. He's not expecting you to kind of call him out on it. But I've always been a big fan of, of Mac Teeny works with Sportsnet. He's on the panel with us recently. So after that, we had a little bit of friction, but we, we got it settled. And, and Bob's work ethic and his love for the team in the city is, Is pretty hard to match. I mean, he, he wears results quite clearly. A lot of times you don't have to hear Bob say a word and, you know, exactly what the Oilers have done. He is somebody. You know, him and I are just like a year apart. We're both Edmontonians. I grew up on the opposite inside of the city. So we. We sort of have the same background. And so it's. It's kind of neat to work with him. And he knows a lot, and he knows a lot of people. And for anyone who ever questions Bob's, I guess Rolodex is what we would say. Don't question it. He's got. He's got a lot of people texting, calling and back and forth between, you know, different executives and different people in the NHL, including players. So he's very well connected in the hockey world and certainly in Edmonton.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Well, I don't know.

[Gene Principe]

You got anything else for this guy, boys?

[Ryan Whitney]

I just had one.

[Gene Principe]

You know, everyone's Talking about Florida 3 Pete and going back. Do you see Edmonton in the same position?

[Ryan Whitney]

They didn't do a ton on free agency, but you see them getting back to the finals and, you know, trying to get their crack at the Panthers, if that's who they're playing. Yeah, you know what? Yeah, I. I think, you know, it's been interesting with all the post celebration or I guess post cup dramatics theatrics calling out. I mean, I don't remember. And, And I'm. This is an observation. It's not a criticism. I don't remember. I, I think people before that, right after Florida won the Cup, I think many Warrior fans would have said, let's. Let's see somebody else. But then, you know, the, the playing of. Of the.

[Gene Principe]

Oh, it was crazy.

[Ryan Whitney]

They.

[Gene Principe]

They were going at him for a week straight.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I, I didn't. I, you know, I didn't quite understand it. But that's. That's who they are. Right? They're kind of like the Oakland Raiders back in the. You know, in this. In the 70s or whatever. Yeah, I mean, it was. It was great. So I think now people want them. Yance.

[Nick Tarnowski]

To.

[Ryan Whitney]

To play Florida because of a. The. Yeah, the two losses in the cup final, but also what happened afterwards. I. I'm never betting against Connor and Leon. I. I really think. I know. You know, getting to three in a row is tough. Just ask Florida. But it's doable. The orders are, I mean, as good a team as anyone, except for one. So I don't see there being any reason that they can't make it. And if they were driven to make a second straight Stanley cup final, I can't imagine how driven they are to make A third. And that's the one thing I underestimated. Media day before the cup Final. I think being around Edmonton and knowing that they lost to Florida, there's just a inherent feeling like these guys are hungry. They're hungry. They're hungry. Yes. But when I listen to the Panthers going into the cup Final, I'm like, let's not underestimate how hungry these guys are to build a dynasty. To get to two, you can't get to three without two. And the idea of building something that could go down in history, especially the way the world is and the way the salary cap is now, the hockey world, it's different than when you just would roll team after another after another and they would win four or five in a row or five and seven. Like the orders, it's very difficult to do. So they were a lot hungrier than I expected. But Yan's, I would. I would like nothing better than to see another Florida Edmonton final. I mean, I think it would be awesome. It would be awesome, I guess, if other teams are in it too. But certainly from Edmonton standpoint, they. They want another crack at it. Leon will be 30 in October. Connor will turn 29 next January 13th, to be exact.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They grow up so fast.

[Ryan Whitney]

They do. They do biz. I mean, I remember them. I remember Connor at the draft. He was wearing like a. A cutoff shirt and a hat on backwards. And, you know, you look at him and go, that's the guy. That's the guy that is going to lead Edmonton somewhere. We wait to see where that is. And now we've seen where that is.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So, you know, they're.

[Ryan Whitney]

They're still in that window, of course, but you start flipping the calendar into the threes and it's not like you're 24 anymore. I think these guys have many more great years, but to have a great team year after year after year, that's a little more challenging.

[Gene Principe]

I think this stuff with the.

[Nick Tarnowski]

The during the parade and all that stuff, from everything we've heard that the.

[Ryan Whitney]

The trash talking during that series was crazy.

[Nick Tarnowski]

So I think that kind of maybe had something to do with it.

[Ryan Whitney]

But you would obviously know more than us. No, and I'd heard that as well, that there was a lot of that going on.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Did you hear what was said?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, I never did hear what was said. He's not a snitch.

[Nick Tarnowski]

What do they say?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let's get called into the office again at sportsnet. Come on.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no, not again. I don't want to go back to the principal Zombies again. But yeah, I, I, I did hear a lot about that. I just have never heard that after like it's, you know, it's one of the unbelievable things in sports, right, where after this hard fought series, they, they shake hands and they seemingly wish each other, you know, congratulations or what a series. And then, I mean, listen, a lot of that was liquid courage. I'm not sure that if, if they hadn't had who knows how many beers, it would have all come out. The other thing too is, you guys know, listen, the owners were well known at forgetting a, forgetting the Stanley cup at a, at a strip bar and putting dents in it. Just like the Panthers. There was no video back then. Who knows what Mark Messi might have said or Paul Coffee or Grandfier. You know, name any one of them, right? But there was, there was nothing to be recorded back then. There was nothing to record.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh yeah, you don't know those stories either.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, well, Paul's a pretty good storyteller and, and as you know, Wayne's a wonderful storyteller as well, so it would be great to see them play again. Now I'm, I'm Yanz. You got me going. I want to see baby.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Let's go.

[Gene Principe]

Let's do this, bro. Start growing that hair right now.

[Ryan Whitney]

Again. It's coming, it's coming.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Last one I had was who's the most famous Edmontonian other than yourself?

[Ryan Whitney]

Wow. Most famous admin. Yeah. Stoff has got to be in there.

[Paul Bissonnette]

But maybe outside the hockey.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hockey world.

[Paul Bissonnette]

World.

[Ryan Whitney]

Geez.

[Gene Principe]

Well, you know Joey Moss.

[Ryan Whitney]

Joey Moss, Yeah, for soccer you got a kid named Alfonso Davies who's, oh, he's from Edmonton. Well, he came over actually from a Liberian refugee camp, to be specific, when he was 5 years old. And so he grew up. This is where they became Canadian citizens. In Edmonton, there's a guy. Do you ever watch? Well, he was on One life to Live, then Castle and now it's the rookie, Nathan Fillian. You guys know that actor?

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, I don't know.

[Gene Principe]

I would need. I'm gonna, I'm looking him up right.

[Ryan Whitney]

Now like Ron Jeremy and Peter North.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Peter north is Canadian though.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm trying to think Edmonton.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Joey though would be biggest loads in the league.

[Gene Principe]

I know Fillion, I know Philly.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think he's one. I wouldn't have know if you said that to me before. I'd be like, ah. And then you see me go, oh, he'll his, his actually his mom taught me English in high school. We had Ms. Mrs. Fillan was our English teacher. Other other great Edmontonians. There's got to be a bunch that as soon as we leave, I'll think about.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And last one for me is you told one Wayne story. Do you have another fun one to end us, to send us oo another Wayne? Let's go to the vault. Oh, or it could be one of your craziest, funnest Edmonton oiler stories. And it doesn't even have to involve Wayne if you got one.

[Ryan Whitney]

I do have a Michael Jordan story.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let's go, baby. I don't know.

[Ryan Whitney]

You may have heard of him.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yan's golfs with him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, do you?

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, I'm a member at his course. I don't golf with him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Do you see him?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah. A little salt and pepper on the steak.

[Ryan Whitney]

I just remember I was working in Toronto and the Bulls were the Bulls. I would have been mid-90s. And no, the story is great because it's Michael Jordan. So I, I should preface involves Jordan, right? I just remember he. He came off the bus and I was with the cameraman. And the cameraman goes like, you got to go talk to him. I'm like, I'm, I'm. I'm nearly like peeing my pants with nerves because it's like Michael Jordan, this guy is iconic, world renowned, internationally known. And I, I go up to him and I, I, you know, you remember the show Cheers, and whenever Cliff Clavin would. Would try and talk to a lady, he would. His voice would. Would crack. And so I, I started talking to him like that. My voice was cracking. And we did. In tv, we call it a walk and talk. So we walked and talked for about. About a minute 15 until he got near his locker room, and he goes, is, is that, is that. Are you good? Is that enough? And I said, yeah, you know, that's, that's good. And he said, see you later, brother. And I went, okay, see you later. And so that's my Michael Jordan. Which reminds me of Clyde Drexler. I do have one last. Sorry, did you off. So Michael Jordan, but Clyde Drexler, this is like Clyde, Clyde the glide, right? Played at Houston, one of the greats of all time. And this is, I guess, how the world has changed. So there was a, There was a reporter in Toronto that was covering him. He had come through with Portland. And the reporter.

[Nick Tarnowski]

I don't, I don't.

[Ryan Whitney]

Know how to word this, but he was trying to be cool with, With, With Clyde and like, just too cool. Like, just, Just be yourself, right? And so he went up To Clyde at the end of the interview. And he again, he kind of did all this stuff, right? To shake his hand. Yeah, he was doing all these things. And Clyde goes. He goes, this is how we shake hands. And he just shook his hand. That was like.

[Gene Principe]

Leon.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. It just was like. And I was just standing there going, oh, my God. Like, and that guy was like, he was, well, really pasty white. Like, he was just so uncomfortable with what had happened. But Clyde's just going, like, don't. Like, this isn't about any colors here where you're interviewing a basketball player. But he was so cool at just going, this is how we shake hands. And he just shook his hand, like. And it just a story that, you know, every time I watched him after that, I would just. No matter how many points he had or anything that he did, that's the story I remember about Clyde to Clyde.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Going back to mj. Did you see him later?

[Ryan Whitney]

I. I saw him after the game and interviewed him. And, you know, well, you guys have been in front of, you know, a wall of cameras being interviewed. Dude. And he kind of, you know, he sort of just looked to see who was there and he looked at me, went. And that was it. I think your aura, I think that was me. For me, I'm not sure.

[Paul Bissonnette]

But then you went over, dapped him up.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, I said, this is how we shake hands.

[Paul Bissonnette]

This is how we shake hands, brother.

[Gene Principe]

We got rollback. Last question. Use code chiclets on roback.com Generous Twitter.

[Paul Bissonnette]

What? An interview with Gene Principe.

[Gene Principe]

Through the end of the week, 20% off. C-I C L E T S for the code on R H O-B-A-K.com 20% off all polo shorts, swim trunks and more with code Chiclets. If you could work one other, like big maybe sport or. Or event.

[Ryan Whitney]

I got the answer.

[Gene Principe]

Okay, what is it?

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay, so real quick story. 2006, Oilers play Alishamsky scores. They win second last game. Vancouver loses at night. Baxa was on that team, actually, and they go to the playoffs. So I'm supposed to go to the World cup of Soccer in Germany, right? So, okay, you know, we weren't expecting them to make playoffs. To make the playoffs. Then they beat Detroit in six. So. Okay, we still got time. Then they're losing two nothing. And Rafi Torres, the guy we spoke of, hits Milan Mahalik and nearly knocks him all the way to, like, Orange county and totally turns that series around. I remember Chris Pronger. They were down 2 nothing goes. Mark my Words. We're coming back to win this. They come back to win in six. So now we're into the third round against Anaheim, and I'm calling my bosses going, like, what are we doing about the World Cup? And they're like, well, what do you want to do? And I said, well, I kind of want to do both. If the Oilers advance, like, well, we can't, you know, credit two different people. It's either, you know, one or the other. So I'm like, well, let's see what happens with Anaheim. So the Oilers jump into a three nothing series lead. And I'm like, they're like, we got to make a decision. And they're like, what do you want to do? I go, I want to do both. And like, well, you can't. And so I said, you know, I. I just can't make the decision on this because I just. I can't do it. I'm going to regret it no matter what. At that time, I had three kids. Five, three and one. And this would be a six week trip to Europe. So they say to me, sportscent goes, you're staying to cover the Oilers.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Okay.

[Ryan Whitney]

Do they win that series?

[Gene Principe]

Wife's like, yes, yes.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Saved your marriage?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yes, I think so. Six weeks with three kids at that age.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So start a different family in Italy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yes. I married Gina in Italy. And then I, I'm like, okay, this is great, right? Like, Pisani's all the rage. The Italian, you know, like, it's all going great. And then the oilers lose in seven. And my cameraman calls me. He is 10 rows up from the Italians. They won it. Oh, and I missed it.

[Gene Principe]

Tony. Luca.

[Ryan Whitney]

Tony was on that Matarazi, right? With the boom, with the Zidane.

[Gene Principe]

Yes, yes.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I'm sitting here and I was like, I could be there covering it.

[Gene Principe]

Yeah, the Oilers could have at least.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, you got it. So if the orders had won, it would have been, hey, listen, this is truly a win win. If I was there, I'd be covering the World cup and Italy wins. If I'm here, I'm covering the orders and they win. And the other thing is, you got. I mean, the city now is even above what it was then. But you're right in it, right? Everywhere you go, everybody's talking oiler. So the, the, the idea of being over in Germany, it just seems truly so far away. Not only geographically, but kind of emotionally. You're right in it with Edmonton. And so anyways, they didn't win and I wasn't There to watch Italy win.

[Gene Principe]

And so what about next year?

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah, I'm definitely going to the World Cup. I don't know if I'm covering it. I went to the Europe.

[Gene Principe]

It'd be crazy not to have. You gotta get it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I would love it. I would love it. I, I, I'm really looking forward to it. It, I'm obviously pulling, you know, for Canada as well, so that'll be great. I'm looking forward to it. So that would be the event that if I could cover again with be the World Cup.

[Gene Principe]

So we need everyone listening and, and all Gene Principe fans to get on. Write your notes to Sportsnet. We need this guy on the coverage for the 2026 World Cup. That'd be sick.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Thanks.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Put the Drake outfit and then, and.

[Gene Principe]

Then the world and the Trump mask.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Might as well go a quad box with MJ air jumper. Air jumper. When Jeez jeans at the rim with a high five ready for. That's funny.

[Gene Principe]

I love it. Thank you so much, man. This is great.

[Ryan Whitney]

We appreciate it, boys. Thank you. I really appreciate it. Keep up the unbelievable work and have a great summer.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And to Kevin Bxa for facilitating this. Thank you.

[Nick Tarnowski]

Thanks, Kevin.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You're a legend.

[Gene Principe]

Thank you so much to Gene Principe. Like I said, how do you not love that guy? Just a good dude. An Edmonton boy. Edmonton man, I should say. Amazing run and a cool career. That story of missing the World cup as Italy wins to only see the Oilers lose in game seven on the road against Carolina in 06. That, that, that's tough. I mean, that's tough. We've seen a lot of heartbreaking Oilers losses from the game seven against Carolina to the game seven last year to just the drumming in game five and six this year against Florida. But don't worry, Connor McDavid isn't going anywhere. Also pretty sick. Like, even Michael Jordan could tell he was a cool guy. You could, you could just, you know a cool guy when you meet one. That's why I, I don't think people ever, ever have thought I'm a cool guy when they meet me. But, but cheat. Principe is laid back, funny, and Michael Jordan, I mean, he just, he could tell this guy's my guy. So like we said, best of next week. We had to, we had to talk to about Tarnasi in the best video of all time. Bang, bang, bang. If I could ever get in a fight and actually win the fight, I would choose, oh, there's a hawk outside. There's a hawk. Or I mean I'm pointing like you guys could see these. You see the size of this hawk in this tree. I gotta get Yoshi out of the yard. He could just come down and grab him. But what was I saying? Tarnaski. Bang. If I could get in a fight, never hit somebody, bang. I would use the sound effects off to a good start as you chuck someone in a river. It's just, it's an all time Internet video. What a guy he is. And like I mentioned before, that's an apology video from the other guy who got beat up. I tweeted out, just a good old Western Canadian taking his beating like a man, owning it. What a great story. So yeah, thanks for tuning in. Anything else? Oh, so I'm the assistant coach on the Kirk Minahan show basketball team. They played barstool New York's basketball team last year. They lost. They played him already this, this year in honor of Cinema Lords. A big time great fan of the Kirk Minahan show tragically passed away. His brother is now playing for the Kirk Minahan basketball team. His whole family went to the game. They drum New York, they were down, I think 15 to 2. They end up coming back. So the Rubber match is July 28th in Berlin, Connecticut. Right in kind of in between, I think New York City and Boston. I don't, I don't know if that's true. I'm just guessing that's how they decided to play it there. And I'm an assistant coach. I went to my first practice Sunday morning at the Thayer Academy Sports Center. I never seen intensity like this. I've seen NHL teams getting ready for the playoffs practice. And then I've seen the KMS basketball team. They got this guy Matt from Providence, He's a monster. He can shoot. They got this guy Beanbag Ron running around. Kirk's got, he's got range. He's. He's just dropping. What's the term in basketball? Making it wet? Is that. That might not be it. That might be a little awkward. Just this team was a blast to be around though. A lot of energy, a lot of just feistiness in practice. That's how you get ready to play. I can't wait. I need to be a part of a win. You know, wit, you know, the wit dog doesn't get to be a part of many wins. And I'm using third person here. That's how lost I am. It's all my golf game guys. God, I could go on a diatribe about my golf game. Jesus Christ. Just across the line stuck. Just. No, turn my body. Like, my hips and my shoulders, they don't feel good. I'm just, I'm just lost. But like I told Biz, I'll be good. I was lost last year. I've basically been lost for about two years now. And then I'll find it, and I'll find it for a week this year. I found it for two weeks. I was striping it, like, 74, 75, 74, 76, 72. That was like two weeks where I played like five times and I was lighting up and now it's just, it's just gone. I mean, hitting it off the planet, no distance, just disgusting golf. It makes me so sad. I care so much. I love golf. But you know what? Like, three kids, seven and under, like, I've noticed it can affect the golf game. But now, so now I'm, I'm a 3.2 handicap. When I'm playing good, I'm a great 3.2. But as I played in Nantucket, like, I'm a horrible three. Even so, like, I, I. Now some people like, oh, you're a sandbagger. And then, and then they play with me. Oh, what happened to you? You're horrible now. So it's like I'm getting it on both sides and I'm just, like, trying to fight it. I'm trying to fight out of it, but God damn it. Anyone who plays golf, this is a little golf psychiatry. Psychiatry. Maybe Maybe just, like, session where, like, it sucks when you're playing bad. It really does. Now the question is if you're really, really playing poorly at golf, and you love golf, and you at one time were really good, even if you weren't really good, but you're really playing bad to your standards, how do you still enjoy it? I've talked to many people about this. Now, the upsetting part is a lot of people have told me, like, ah, you can't. Like, it's, it's. And I've, I've had people tell me, just, just try to have fun. Like, you're outside, you're with your friends. And it's so true. Like, you're, you're. It's a beautiful day outside, you're with some good buddies, you're playing golf. Think you could, you could be sitting there behind a desk. Like, you could be working and grinding. Now, I think the problem is my job. It's pretty enjoyable. So I think for some people who can't stand their job, which is probably, I don't know, sound off in the comments, how many people don't like their job? 90% of people. It really sucks to think I really, really feel bad for people who can't stand their job. That stinks. But that's probably easier for them. Like, I could be at work right now when I'm getting yelled at by my boss and I'm not turning in my TPS sheets, like from the movie Office Space, where the guy ends up burning down the office because people keep borrowing a stapler like that. You know, when you're. When that's your job on the golf course, no matter how bad you play, you're in a good mood right now. For me, I. I love being home with the kids. I love. I love my job. So when I play golf, I just want to play good. I just. I just want. And by the way, I don't even have to actually score good if I hit it. Great. If I hit it. Unbelievable. And I shoot 79, I'm fine. I'm fine, seriously, because I just. I hit it pure. And then there was goofy mistakes or I didn't putt well. But when I shoot bad, bad, ugly numbers while hitting it horribly, it's just. It's like, I. I don't want to be out there. That's the thing. I've. I've actually been like, I think I'm gonna buy a boat. Like, that's the saying. Like, I gotta buy a boat. Like, golf is not it anymore. How do I enjoy it when I'm playing real bad? So my new thing is just embrace the suck. That is a saying I learned from JB Speiso, alleged army Ranger, who told me that down in the ditches, when they're grinding away protecting our freedoms, they say, embrace the suck. Well, I'm gonna bring that over to the golf side, and I'm gonna try to embrace the suck. And I'm gonna know and just remind myself, you'll be good again, and then you'll be bad again. So you got to embrace the suck. You got to enjoy being with friends and playing golf. But, yeah, it's tough, man. And every time I go play, I'm like, today's the day. I'm out of it. And then I'm driving home like this. I'm driving home like I just saw a ghost. Like, what the hell? And it's also, I'm playing for big money. I really. That's what I enjoy to do. I love playing for money. So then, not only are you playing like shit, posting a horrible number, screwing your partner, but you're venmoing somebody. Just a bunch of bank. So it's like, I got to embrace the suck. I got to get the club more laid off. I got to try to just grind through the ugly days. And maybe people don't want to hear this, but I don't care because I'm on this show alone right now, and I'm just talking like I need to talk. I mean, I'm sitting in my living room, I'm getting the club laid off. Practice swings, getting the club laid off. And then I video a real swing. My right elbow is up here. The club is completely across the line. I've reverse pivoted, which means in the golf world, like, I think I'm turning my left shoulder behind the ball, but I'm actually leaning towards the ball. Then I come up and out of it. I early extend. There's enormous high blocks to the right. There's the occasional snap hook. And it's, you know, it's an eight handicap, which is nothing wrong. Nothing wrong. And when I started playing was a 16 handicap. I would have killed someone to be an 8 handicap. Maybe not killed somebody unless they were slow playing me on the golf course and I chucked him in a pond. But I would have just, I would have been like, oh, my God, eight handicaps are unbelievable. But then I got, I got good. I got really good. Now, I was playing, in fairness, I've said this a million times. I was, I was playing at least eight rounds a week. So that's one day's 36. The rest of them are 18. But on my 36 days, I was not trying to fight the entire golf course and then trying to fight a former NHL enforcer. I was just, I was just playing golf. And now I don't really play that much. And I think with my swing, which isn't exactly nice or in good spots or technically sound, I, I, I don't know if I could play very good, consistent golf. Not playing every day put. Playing every day is done. That's done. Maybe cal's just turned one. Maybe in like 16 years. When, when Chiclets. Who knows? If Chick. If Chiclet is around in 16 years, I think I'm gonna need therapy. But maybe when I get back and I'm. Will I be in 16 years? 52, 58. Jesus. Yeah. The good golf in my life might be over, but no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to embrace this talk. I'm going to be back. I'm going to be back. I need to have Better tempo. I'm sorry, everyone. I just needed to talk about this. I need. I need to just. I need to just go out there and enjoy it. Bad swing, good swing. It doesn't matter. I'm going to keep trying. Thank you for listening to this TED Talk with Ryan Whitney. Thank you for listening to Nick Tarnaski and Biz. Awesome interview there. Gene Principe is the man. Shout out him. Shout out the Red Sox. Ten in a row. Awful time for the All Star break to come and tell me right now. Tell me you don't know me. If you're saying, oh, yeah, you never watched the Red Sox, you don't know me because the Red Sox have been a big part of my life. All my friends. I'm talking 99, 98. When Pedro struck out like six, five hall of Famers at the All Star game in. In 99 at Fenway Park, I really hope it was 99. I'm gonna sound super dumb. That was like the beginning. And then the Aaron Boone home run. And then they. I mean, put it that you want to think that I'm not into the Red Sox and that I'm a new bandwagon fan. We were playing the Norfork Admirals in the AHL Wilkes Barre, Wilkes Barre, Scranton Penguins. And we're playing Norfolk at some random game, October, maybe end of September. It was game seven, Sox, Yanks. The year the Sox were down 03. And in intermission, I'm going up to Jimmy Morlock. Jimmy, great guy. He was the kind of like the PR guy for the Wilkesburg. I was like, what's the score? What's the score? He's like, damon hit a bomb in the first inning. They're up four nothing. He was a Yankees fan to us, laughing at him as Terry, and was going over the breakout. So don't even try to tell me that I haven't been into the socks the last six years. Yeah, probably not much. But before then, I was die hard socks. Fenway park, the best park in the world. I took the boys there. It kind of began the streak. My wife and I, we bought Ryder and Ryder and Wyatt sat like 15 rows behind the Blue Jays dugout. I think they beat him 14 to 2. That game absolutely murdered the Blue Jays. And since then, they are on a streak like no other. All Star break could kill some momentum. They come out of it. They're in Chicago at Wrigley playing the Cubs. God, I'd love to get out there for that, but I'm not traveling anywhere. I'm hanging out. And thanks for listening. This has been fun. Feels almost like oiler spaces where I'm just talking to myself. But the oiler season's over. But McDavid's not going anywhere. I'm repeating myself. That means it's time to go. Thanks to our guests, thanks to our crew, and congrats to Matt Murley. What a guy. He invented the game of ice hockey. Don't ever forget that. Have a great week, folks. Best of next week. We'll talk to you soon. Love you guys. Bye.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Way.

[Gene Principe]

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[Ryan Whitney]

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