Spittin' Chiclets Episode 576: Featuring Zenon Konopka

Summary

Podcast Summary: Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 576: Featuring Zenon Konopka

Introduction

In Episode 576 of Spittin’ Chiclets, hosted by Barstool Sports’ Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette, and Mike Grinnell, the team welcomes former NHL player Zenon Konopka. The episode offers an engaging exploration of Zenon’s hockey career, his experiences with legendary coaches, intense summer hockey tournaments, and personal anecdotes that highlight his passion and competitive spirit. This detailed summary captures the essence of their lively conversation, peppered with notable quotes and insights.

---

Guest Introduction: Zenon Konopka

The episode kicks off with the hosts introducing Zenon Konopka, a seasoned hockey veteran known for his formidable presence on the ice. Zenon shares his journey post-retirement, including his role with the International Operators Union in Ontario and his budding coaching endeavors.

Notable Quote:

• Zenon Konopka [01:34]: “That is Barstool Sports our white whale, Sydney Crosby. Shave his head. Shave his head.”

---

Summer Hockey and Upcoming Tournament

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around the upcoming ball hockey tournament in Boston, featuring Zenon’s team, the Stranglers, against Paul’s team. The hosts discuss the preparation, the competitive edge Zenon brings, and the dynamics of their teams.

Notable Quotes:

• Paul Bissonnette [02:27]: “You are a world-class rambler.”
• Mike Grinnell [03:22]: “The group chat has been firing at all cylinders. I just gotta wait for the right time to bring Coach Whitney in.”

---

Coaching and Career Insights

Zenon delves deep into his coaching philosophy and experiences with iconic coaches like John Brophy and Brian Kilray. He recounts stories from his time with the Syracuse team, emphasizing the importance of competitiveness and fighting in hockey culture.

Notable Quotes:

• Zenon Konopka [47:04]: “My dad was born in Poland. He was taken at five years old... He never knew anything about hockey.”
• Ryan Whitney [52:18]: “Where you're saying that now individual skill coaches and skating coaches, like, those things can all be taught, and you can learn and become skilled and fast. But do you have that level of, like, hating to lose?”

---

Personal Anecdotes and Experiences

The hosts and Zenon share a treasure trove of personal stories, including Ryan’s fly fishing adventure, encounters with intense coaches, and memorable fights during summer hockey leagues. These anecdotes shed light on the raw and unfiltered nature of their hockey experiences.

Notable Quotes:

• Paul Bissonnette [12:21]: “So one of the guys that we went with, he's a guide at Jimmy Kimmel's lodge where he knows my buddy Ross.”
• Ryan Whitney [17:06]: “I was in the first year we get to the fourth seed and we upset four teams and won the OHL.”

---

Repercussions and Reflections

The discussion takes a reflective turn as Zenon talks about the physical and emotional repercussions of his intense playing style. He acknowledges the balance between passion for the game and the responsibilities of being a family man.

Notable Quotes:

• Zenon Konopka [63:27]: “But yeah, so we end up...”
• Ryan Whitney [99:46]: “I just jumped in to try to pull these bouncers off. Now it's like it turned into a fight...”

---

Zenon’s Journey in the NHL and Beyond

Zenon provides an in-depth narrative of his NHL career, including his tenure with the Ottawa team, the challenges he faced, and his eventual trade to Syracuse. He highlights pivotal moments that defined his career, such as his fighting prowess and leadership qualities.

Notable Quotes:

• Ryan Whitney [42:02]: “So what happens now? Okay, I go to Utah at Christmas. My first HL goal is the December 23rd against Milwaukee.”
• Zenon Konopka [67:48]: “He missed out because you went to Russia. And they want to, you know, make an example.”

---

Interactions with Legendary Coaches

A memorable segment features Zenon’s interactions with John Brophy, a coach infamous for his intense and unorthodox coaching methods. Zenon recounts stories that illustrate Brophy’s influence on his playing style and mentality.

Notable Quotes:

• Ryan Whitney [74:55]: “No, no, no, no, no. Like, certain, like he would play cards with us on like the bus and stuff.”
• Zenon Konopka [87:07]: “He just didn't tell you that he'd already fought.”

---

Closing Remarks and Future Plans

As the episode wraps up, the hosts express their admiration for Zenon’s enduring love for hockey and his contributions both on and off the ice. They hint at future collaborations, including potential golf outings and more in-depth interviews.

Notable Quotes:

• Paul Bissonnette [116:11]: “He's the best, man.”
• Ryan Whitney [116:43]: “You get so much for hockey in the future of hockey. So thanks, guys. Appreciate it.”

---

Conclusion

Episode 576 of Spittin’ Chiclets offers fans an unfiltered glimpse into Zenon Konopka’s life, blending intense hockey tales with personal stories that underscore his passion and resilience. The hosts and Zenon engage in a candid and animated discussion, making it a must-listen for hockey enthusiasts seeking authenticity and engaging storytelling.

Notable Quotes Recap:

• Paul Bissonnette [02:27]: “You are a world-class rambler.”
• Zenon Konopka [47:04]: “My dad was born in Poland. He was taken at five years old... He never knew anything about hockey.”
• Ryan Whitney [42:02]: “So what happens now? Okay, I go to Utah at Christmas. My first HL goal is the December 23rd against Milwaukee.”

For those who missed the episode, this summary encapsulates the essence of the lively and insightful conversation, celebrating the undying spirit of hockey and the stories that make it so compelling.

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]

Why choose a sleep number smart bed?

[Mike Grinnell]

Can I make my site softer?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Can I make my site firmer?

[Ryan Whitney]

Can we sleep cooler?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side your sleep number setting get early access to.

[Ryan Whitney]

Sleep number's biggest sale of the year.

[Paul Bissonnette]

25% off the i8 bed, our most popular plus free home delivery limited time all sleep number Smartbed sleep beds offer temperature solutions for your best sleep. Check it out at a Sleep number store or sleepnumber.com today. Why choose a Sleep number smart bed?

[Mike Grinnell]

Can I make my site softer?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Can I make my site firmer?

[Ryan Whitney]

Can we sleep cooler?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side your Sleep number setting get early access to.

[Ryan Whitney]

Sleep number's biggest sale of the year.

[Paul Bissonnette]

25% off the i8 bed, our most popular plus free home delivery limited time all sleep number Smart beds offer temperature solutions for your best sleep. Check it out at a Sleep number store or sleepnumber.com today.

[Ryan Whitney]

Me and Ryan.

[Mike Grinnell]

Have been officially welcomed to the jungle.

[Zdeno Konopka]

That is Bastool Sports our white whale, Sydney Crosby. Shave his head. Shave his head. Ryan Whitney. Paul Vinette RA Mike Gritton, Chicklet.

[Ryan Whitney]

Foreign.

[Zdeno Konopka]

What is up, folks? Welcome to episode 576 of the Spit and Chickles podcast, presented to you by Pink Whitney. If you can. If you're watching on YouTube, you can see Yan's and Biz are with me. We're back catching up. And the reason we're all here together is really Pink Whitney. We've talked about it for years and it's. It's big time. Golf, boating season, beach season, lake season. That's Pink Whitney season. It's member guest season. I know I talked about that last week on one of my rambles. It's Pink Whitney season. That's what. That's what goes into member guests. Just a couple nips here and there, a couple drinks, couple Pink Whitney sodas to get the birdie juice flowing. But I digress because it's all about Pink Whitney. Guys, what's going on? Thank you for joining me. I've been just. I think it's two weeks in a row. I just come on, I kind of talk. Couple people say, hey, I like hearing you talk cold. People say, I had to listen to that. I need to jump out the window yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You are a world class rambler.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah. The gift, it was like talking to myself. I, I really kind of was just like, all right, well, I'll just say whatever comes to my mind. And then at one point it's like, you're done, dude. You got nothing. You've repeated yourself. But I was like, boys, so that I. That was Monday. And now it's, it's, it's Wednesday, boys. And I said, guys, can you come on and join me? Because it was two days ago. I went on and rambled. I'd love to. I'd love to hear from you guys how the summer's going to.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, normally we would have picked back up on Monday, but fish, Fishy behind the scenes, who helps us out with everything. All the vlogs, sandbaggers, you, you, you name it, he does it. Edits the pod. He's going to Newfoundland. So I don't know if he's going to link up with Terry Ryan and Terry Ryan Senior to maybe get some info on how guys are keeping in shape for the ball hockey tournament we got coming up that we just announced in Boston. The Stranglers and your delinquent team will be on hand, I'm sure.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yandel.

[Mike Grinnell]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. The. The group chat has been firing at all cylinders. I just gotta wait. Wait for the right time to bring Coach Whitney in. I know he's coming off of a tough loss in the basketball world, but that's not his world. He's. He's a hockey guy. He's a street hockey. I remember Whit playing ball hockey back in the day. Unbelievable. I wish he'd be out there on the ice with us or on the court with us. But to have him at the helm is going to be amazing.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So what happens when you guys lose and he's cracking smiles on the sideline because he can't win the big one? Are you going to stick with the guy who isn't really emotionally invested or are you just going to stick with him?

[Mike Grinnell]

I think you're going to see a different side of wit, especially on home tour, on home surf surface at, you know, he's going to. His kids are probably going to be at the game. You got to show up. You got to. And he's used to coaching now. I think when he coached you, he wasn't coaching Ryder's team, so he's comfortable behind that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He was coaching Bull. He was helping me.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I never coached for you. He got a home surf and turf, by the way. That was awesome. You're crazy. It hasn't gone through my mind that like, all right, that was business team. He just can't get it done. I'm going over to the Stranglers. Like, I'm from Boston. It's in Boston. Going with Keith. Like, I, I love your team. Great guys, but you're never going to win a thing. But now, yes, it's like, all right, you're involved in this. Like, if, if I go on to lose to you, then I was the problem. It's like Clemmer if in that basketball game. Yeah, Clemmer's the. He was the issue. Good guy. You know Clemmer biz from Survivor. Skinny guy.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I love Clemmer.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Great guy.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's a. He was the one who get. Was getting in my head about the discrepancy of the idol being brought out. So he was in my kitchen for, for a day at the house. And finally I, I called Jeff DLO and he's like, tell Clemer to shut up. He's completely making this up. And Clemmer watches every season of Survivor, so I just didn't know who.

[Zdeno Konopka]

He wasn't first out, but he was first in the house, I believe. Or maybe Mincey. All I know is talking about ptsd.

[Ryan Whitney]

Let's not bring up Survivor.

[Zdeno Konopka]

No. Yeah, we don't have to bring up Survivor. Like, that one still stings, though. I'm not gonna lie. I can't catch a W. But I, I mean, I, I was the first to the house. I'm sorry, I'm not moving on from Survivor yet. I was with him. He was sitting like a cat, rubbing his feet. He's all skinny and like flexible and. And he's sitting there and he's just over and over and over the gameplay, what he could have done different. I was like, Clement, you were never winning.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That was all of us.

[Zdeno Konopka]

So, Clemer, I'm up in Berlin, Connecticut, Monday. Two and a half hours there, two hours on the way home, I went up to be an assistant coach on the Kirk Minahan show basketball team. They played the barstool New York team. It was the third time playing barstool New York won the first. Kirk's team wins the second. Well, in the second game, Clement was on the New York coaching staff. He was part of that team that lost. It was for cinema. I talked about this. The guy, he was a big minute fan. He passed away. They did it in honor of him. He played on the hoops team. His brother joined the team. Brother was a losing team. Then they fire Clemmer and he goes over to Kirk's team. Well, buddy, they got Dana beers too. And Clemmer. I mean, this guy couldn't make.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's a donchick, isn't he?

[Zdeno Konopka]

I'm not. I'm not. I'm not like, what is it? Monday morning quarterbacking? Like, I actually. Clemmer's a good dude, but he comes over and if I go over to the Stranglers and we lose, I'm Clemmer. I told you one time, a guy I was walking, I was at a restaurant or a bar, and the guy's like, clemmer just fucking with me. Like, saying, that's me. I'm like, man, I love that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's your doppelganger.

[Mike Grinnell]

That's a compliment.

[Ryan Whitney]

What?

[Paul Bissonnette]

So Kirk was out of control. He was like Dennis Rodman on acid out there.

[Mike Grinnell]

They should have charged 30 bucks to watch that game because I watched it for free and I feel like I owe somebody some money. Cause Kirk was so. Dude, he ripped the ref's whistle off.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He was choking him with his whistle.

[Mike Grinnell]

Fired it.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Forget that was. I think that was first half, but. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Was he like. He's the leader of the team. He's the captain coaches at all. And he's given great speeches at practice, after practice. He's writing messages to the group before the game. Nice. Like, pump up speech. Like, let's go. I didn't expect it. Before the whistle dropped, he went over and elbowed Rico in the head. He was. He was elbowing people in the side of the head. He didn't. One technical. Like you said biz. He choked out the ref nearly with the whistle. He fired that about 50 yards. No tech there. I'm like, wow, it's. I guess it's just prison rules. Or minan rules, actually is what it should be called. Yeah, but they had Dana. But by a. Once. Once Pat. Gay Pat got injured. He tore his ACL and then much. You guys know Mutt?

[Mike Grinnell]

No, just from that show.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Okay, so. Well, so Gay Pat tears is acl. Kirk says no. You know, you can't get any new players. But Dana, who's now in Chicago but started the barstool New York basketball team. He's allowed to come play as long as Kirk can have the refs. Maybe Kirk, no. He could. Knew he could choke out the ref with his necklace. And that's why he wanted him in the game. The one ref was horrible, horrible, horrible for both sides. You know when you go to a game and you're like, this, this ref is just. It's not even like one team can complain. It's just. This is horrible.

[Mike Grinnell]

One of the refs tried out for Kirk's team.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, that was the horrible one. Yeah, he was bad. I mean, I don't even know what a foul is. I'm like, hey, Mo, bad call. Because I'm. Everyone else is telling me it's a bad call, so. But I got this, this guy, Mutt. He's unbelievable. He worked in Boston sports radio for years and now he has Mutt Stack. Just a must read. Every Friday morning, boys. He writes about, I don't know, Boston sports media. This, this poor bastard got hit by a. He got hit by a car a week before the game. Biz.

[Ryan Whitney]

What?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah. 90 year old woman ran the guy over. A lot of people thought he might have been making it up. But I show up, this guy don't get welfare.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You're full of shit. Suck people.

[Ryan Whitney]

Question.

[Mike Grinnell]

Outside of a church biz.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Get on the line.

[Zdeno Konopka]

It was outside of a church old lady, he thought she said, go ahead. She just buries his leg. So he's mangled and his elbows mangled. He landed on his dome. Just a, Just a tough scene. So we got guys in crutches. But yeah, by the end of the game it was just. Dana was dominant. Like it sucked. And I'm there and I'm sitting there, I'm like, oh, fuck. Well, I didn't do anything. I mean, I'm just part of the losing team. They've won the game before. Still a cool experience. The arena was rocking. I'm talking like I was into it. I was like, this is.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, I was, I was like, I shouldn't have been surprised. But there were a lot of people in there. It looked like it was jam packed. The energy was high. Obviously shocked that with Kirk doing his antics that he didn't get a technical and thrown out of the game. But that's why the people show up, right? He, he's the show. One other thing you mentioned last part and Yan's like, you're. You probably got this sent over. I haven't even opened mine yet, but I was going to say it for the pod. Have you guys gotten this bad boy? You haven't gotten it?

[Zdeno Konopka]

No.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, the foreplay guys and Bob does Sports have collaborated on a golf tournament.

[Zdeno Konopka]

That's Kirk boy.

[Mike Grinnell]

Bob and hey, someone was chanting that during the basketball game.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Chanting what?

[Ryan Whitney]

Robbie Burger.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Those were Rico Riders. Rico Riders had people show up. Kirk also kicked Pat's crutches at one Point.

[Mike Grinnell]

I saw that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So we're going to the Ozarks. I never even heard of the Ozarks. So I owe an apology.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I said it was Mississippi. It's Missouri. My bad.

[Ryan Whitney]

Missouri.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Missouri. I hadn't even heard of Ozarks until that show came out with Jason Bateman. Is it Jason Bateman?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yes. Great call name.

[Paul Bissonnette]

What's the name of the show? Ozarks. Right.

[Zdeno Konopka]

It's called too.

[Mike Grinnell]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Unbelievable. I got into it. So we'll be heading there for. For a couple days because the Foreplay boys are putting that on what Bob does. And congrats to Joey Colcutts who just had his first kid as well. So they're buzzing.

[Ryan Whitney]

Go. Got.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Got everything going. Anything else barstool related that we need to mention? Oh, I had a few things here.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Besides Dave not showing up.

[Mike Grinnell]

Summer host starting.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Oh, that's next week, I believe.

[Mike Grinnell]

Is that going to be like a live type watch or.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Apparently what I've been told is like they have certain people that are with them and some of it's live.

[Mike Grinnell]

Okay.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Then every week an episode will come out. That thing's pretty sick.

[Mike Grinnell]

You are.

[Zdeno Konopka]

We're playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nobody knows the format, nobody knows the teams or anything, but that should be fun. Have you played any golf biz?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Not really. I think I've played once since I've been back.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Where are you?

[Paul Bissonnette]

What do you mean? Oh, I'm in Vancouver right now. So I've finally finished my journey, as most of you know. I talked to you when I was in Jackson. I hopped on. I wasn't supposed to hop on, but because we got Tarnaski on, I came on just to kind of tee up the interview. And that day I was leaving to meet a buddy to go on my first fly fishing experience. Now, have either of you been fly fishing before?

[Mike Grinnell]

Yes, one time.

[Paul Bissonnette]

One of the most.

[Mike Grinnell]

We did it. We did it in Arizona. It was like a team building. Maybe you.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I was not on the team. I must have gotten.

[Zdeno Konopka]

He got benched for the fly fishing excursion?

[Mike Grinnell]

No, it was probably before he was there, but.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So one of the guys that we went with, he's a guide at Jimmy Kimmel's lodge where he knows my buddy Ross. So we just went out, the three of us. Like he had an off day at work, but most helpful guy and like taught like I didn't know the technique and how to throw it and where to throw it. This guy's.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's paddling in the, in the boat. We got the Seat at the front and obviously the back. And for the first two hours I was kind of just learning how to cast and cast properly. He'd bring us and tell us, hey, throw it there, throw it there, throw it over there. And I started getting the hang of it. Few times I got bites in the first couple hours, but I didn't pull back quick enough. But it was cool. Like you get a rush, right? Seeing the fish come up. Grab your, what do they call them? Why salmon flies? You've ever seen these big ass salmon flies? They're literally just birthed, I think, to be food for these, for these fish inside these streams. Why, why are you laughing?

[Mike Grinnell]

That's what they'll put on earth for us to get eaten by some salmon.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I think they serve no other purpose. Where they're like caterpillars and they turn into quote unquote butterflies. They're like the caterpillars of the, of the, the rivers. And then they.

[Mike Grinnell]

So when they get, they get eaten, it's like, okay, my life is.

[Paul Bissonnette]

My life's complete.

[Zdeno Konopka]

How big is the salmon?

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, they're called salmon flies, but I. Oh God.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Are they salmon?

[Mike Grinnell]

No, no, I don't think you fly fish.

[Paul Bissonnette]

There was cod, trout. There's one called something like, with like a net. I'd have to look it up. I was actually talking.

[Zdeno Konopka]

When you say salmon flies, it's actually salmon.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They're just called salmon flies. And I believe it's because they have this underbelly that's a very similar color and that's what actually attracts the fish to come up and bite it. And. And once again, like as you're going in the river, this guy will tell you, hey, that's where the fish are. That's normally where they're going to hang out because they're not being taken away by the stream. So they're essentially kind of just waiting and then boom. A salmon fly hook the water and they grab it. Well, I hadn't caught one for two hours, so I decided to start eating my sandwich. I put my rod down, I'm halfway through my sandwich. And Adnar our, our guide is like, I think you got one. And then all of a sudden it's on. I got, I caught a fish while I was eating my sandwich.

[Ryan Whitney]

I was like, I'm eating, I'm eating now.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So, you know, it was a big one. It was about a 25 inch. I think that one was a code.

[Mike Grinnell]

Listen, we're all not fishermen here, clearly, but isn't a cod, isn't a type of fish. Doesn't that just stand for catch of the day?

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't know.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I don't know.

[Ryan Whitney]

You're.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Now, the part is none of us can answer this. If that's actually what a cod is.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't believe.

[Mike Grinnell]

I could be 100.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Fish is going to help us out.

[Mike Grinnell]

He's official someone who's going to Newfoundland.

[Ryan Whitney]

To catch cod in this summer. Cod is absolutely a fish.

[Mike Grinnell]

It is a fish. Okay. All right.

[Ryan Whitney]

Absolutely.

[Paul Bissonnette]

This is the one I caught when I was eating my sandwich.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Kind of a little guy, right?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Or is that what you.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I know.

[Mike Grinnell]

Why are you holding it, like, bigger? That's what you do.

[Zdeno Konopka]

It's like the guy Adnan had to, like, be like, hey, put out your hands, biz. I'll put the fish in there. Like, why didn't you just grab them by the gills there?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I up his name. It's actually Adair, Adair Dickerson. And he spends time between Jackson, Wyoming and that Idaho pocket where it's some of the best fly fishing on the planet. I guess I didn't know Lil Sass was a fly fisherman. He actually headed there like a week after I was there and he was sending me messages about what he caught. And he's an. He's like an expert. He goes there all the time to do it. So this guy treated us to an unreal day. Now, that is as big as they get in there with, though. That's like. That's the. Like, you.

[Ryan Whitney]

You'll.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger one than that. My buddy caught one that was probably about 2 pounds bigger. My buddy Ross. And it was cool because when he caught it, it had a big gouge in the back of it where like an eagle, like there was. This was. This is one of the biggest breeding grounds for bald eagles in, like, the world. This little pocket that we were in. So they just swooped down and tried to grab fish. So the fish that he caught had like a scar from just almost getting snatched by a. By a bald eagle. And when I say that when I was on this. This river and we did this all day long, you're out in the sun. He's got a great playlist of tunes going like nothing else matters. It is the most. It takes you away from all your stress and all. All your everyday troubles, and you are in the moment just fly fishing. And it's something that I will continue to do because I absolutely loved it. And shout out to Adair, our guide, who made it very pleasant Biz.

[Mike Grinnell]

So you did it from the boat. I thought like you do it in the water with the waiters on.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You can't. You can. And, but this is a strip where you get dropped in. You could do it one or two ways. And this is the way during that season where. And also the, the current there is pretty strong. So you could go from being in like 10, 12 foot deep, like, like river to all of a sudden, you know, you're near the rocks and some people you did see were out of the boat and had that whole outfit on. But the way that we attacked it was that the three seater, but he's in the middle, like pedaling over from side to side telling you where to go. So a great, a great little experience for me. And then I went horseback riding a couple times. A guy, Shane that I met there at the Million Dollar Cowboy a couple times ago, he's helping out on this, this ranch and interesting story. Like his brother who just had his fourth wedding anniversary, he like went over to Mongolia at one point and I didn't realize how hardcore Mongolians are where he would be riding for like 3,000 miles. Where they would. On a horse, on horseback.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's like how.

[Zdeno Konopka]

That's like Boston to la, buddy.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They, they are just going all over where there's people in Mongolia where they just set up these. Oh God, I forget the name of it. Like a yeti. A yeti or something. Not a yeti. You're fish is going to know the name of it. But they can basically put up these impromptu homes that's like a tent. And they'll go switch season a season, then they'll just pack up onto the next place. So these people are just straight up living off the land. And he went, what are they doing? A yurt. A yurt is what it's called.

[Mike Grinnell]

So I don't know if he's Google sick.

[Ryan Whitney]

Come on.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's helping us out with these words. People are at home, are in their car punching the stealing steering wheel. They can't get these words. But you guys know I have a small vocabulary. Two languages though.

[Mike Grinnell]

But what do they do on these treks? Are they like buddies?

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's it. It's just journeys. They just go on these journeys. That's them living, buddy. They live off the land. That's all they need. It's like going back to the Braveheart times.

[Zdeno Konopka]

So the guy who took you horseback riding, his brother went and just was like a nomad in Mongolia.

[Paul Bissonnette]

In Mongolia, yeah. Shane Michaels, the guy from Jackson, Wyoming. I was just talking about. And his brother finally ended up moving back. And he's kind of sending me all this information on the go right now. And yeah, he's. He really appreciates Mongolian culture. Culture, which is the most important is what he said.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I'd last. Well, I'd last one day on one of those voyages, Keith.

[Mike Grinnell]

One day.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Maybe. Maybe one hour.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And what's cool, too, is I got lucky by chance and that lot that I. I ended up snagging in Jackson. My neighbor there, I remember I mentioned he's from Saginaw, Michigan. He does all, like, the quadding and all the. The snowmobiling. He has all the licenses. So in the winter time, if you wanted to go on a snowmobile excursion, he can do it. And the girl that he's dating and serious with, her name, Sarah Hoffman, she's like an expert horse rider too. So they do all that right there. So it was cool because she got to bring us out on the horses as well. So I. Although I did a faux paw, the. The time I went out with Sarah, I wore shorts and a T shirt, and people were just giving it to me for having shorts on a horse. That's. That's a. That's an absolute no, no.

[Mike Grinnell]

In the streets, to the beach.

[Zdeno Konopka]

He asked for, like, samples of horses. They're like, dude.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And. And that was it.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Why. Why can't you wear shorts without, like. Is that. What's the faux pas about it, that your. Your legs are going to get, like, all chafed?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I just think.

[Mike Grinnell]

For the cowboys, you got to wear jeans and a fucking, yeah, you know, hat. And you got to do it right. You got to treat. You got to show them the respect that they deserve when you're out doing something that they do.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, I actually, I ended up going. I. I met up with Brooks Orpic a couple times too. We went down to that Snake River Sporting Club, which is always a good time, but I kind of threw out the L5s one. So I basically just watched him golf for nine holes. He was a stick. And then he had 18 holes to play later that day. But I just still marvel at what type of shape he's in.

[Mike Grinnell]

He looks more jacked than he did playing because his cardio probably doesn't skate as much. I saw him at the draft or something. He looked so fucking good.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Stallion.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Stallion. You just brought up your L5S1. Yeah, like two weeks ago, I was in pure hockey. I had to get wired a stick, and one of the guys working there, I don't remember his name, he Told me he's, like, studying or has been doing, like, sports science stuff, some course at Harvard. I'm kind of maybe making up the Harvard, but he's working at Pure Hockey. And he's like, your hips are all fucked up. I can tell. And he's like, I could fix you in two minutes. And I'm. I'm laying on the. The seat that the kids, you know, they get new wheels, they heat them up. And this guy's like, you're doing art.

[Paul Bissonnette]

At the sports store.

[Mike Grinnell]

Oh, you hear me?

[Zdeno Konopka]

This guy, he adjusted my hip.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's.

[Zdeno Konopka]

He's. I got a hockey stick. I'm holding it underneath. He's pulling my knee. I'm pushing down. You know, the pull, push, pull effect. There's a woman, the other guy at Pure Hockey mentioned, that woman just took a picture of you doing that. I said, I don't know. I can't control this at this point. This guy adjusted my hip and then went and put a 5, 8 sharping on Wyatt skates. It was the most. I. I said, I don't know if anyone's ever had, like, a chiropractic skate sharpener guy. So that was. And he. The reason I just thought of that is because he said, I could fix biz in two minutes. He talks about. He talks about all the treatment. He's like, I got. I got him. Did it help you five minutes with. Yeah, it actually helped me.

[Mike Grinnell]

Hey, we should get his number. Have him work for the gargoyles. He can be the skate sharpener and.

[Zdeno Konopka]

The physio bus driver. No, actually, we should make sure that he comes and helps the stranglers.

[Mike Grinnell]

Yes, you're right. Get the boys.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I'll go back in there, I'll say, hey, you. You can. You can put all the rollerblades on the skates, and then you can adjust the whole team. We win a title at the Heartbeat.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Come on. We're not doing rollerblades, though.

[Ryan Whitney]

We're on foot.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Well, it's just giving them other business from the tournament.

[Mike Grinnell]

Yeah, true.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So we're doing physios now at the. At the ball hockey. I'll have a full time.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Well, we had the cold tub last year. That, like, that was a step up.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah. We drowned it.

[Mike Grinnell]

Probably just all beer in it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Zdeno Konopka]

How did the tournament go for Mila?

[Mike Grinnell]

It was good. It was. So. I don't know for any of you, Listen, if you've ever been to Delaware, not the greatest state in our lovely 50, but. Yeah. The closest airports, Philly, hour and 45 minutes. Away which is always nice when you have to drive hour and 45 and then middle of the, the fields are in the middle of this cornfield and there's just surrounded by fields. It's actually pretty cool once you get there. And there's just teams from all over the US playing all ages from grad year 2030 to 2034 is playing. So it was, it was a ton of fun. A lot of good lacrosse, some great teams. I think Georgia won for Mila's age. They, they were a wagon. They had some stud players. But yeah, it was cool. It, you know, because in Florida, you know, we mostly only play against the Florida teams and you know you're playing against the same five or six teams then to go up and you know, see teams from New Jersey, New York, Long Island, Massachusetts. You play in different competition is always fun. Like you remember going to hockey tournaments when you were little. Like it was always huge for us to play against Canadian teams to like kind of measure where you are. And that's kind of the same for us in lacrosse with the kids like in Florida, like the Meas, Long island and Philly and you know, the, the, the States up here. So it was fun. They did great. They lost in the quarter finals and yeah, they played really well. The thing that's stupid, which I didn't like was the this, the playoff games were only two 10 minute quarters where they had been doing two, four 10 minute quarters. So it was just a half basically, which I thought was stupid. So I mean you're already there, you might as well play the whole game. But it was a blast. Great, great, great venue and a lot of fun.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I'm looking at, I, I just pulled up a picture of Delaware. Well, if you Google, if you Google Delaware, a beach picture pops up. Looks like Nantucket. Now with the slander of Delaware there, there's the entire right side of the States on the ocean. There's got to be some nice spots.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You just have literally divided in half where it's like a lot of wealth is in half of it and then there's like a very poor aspect to it. I want to say that gunpowder or ammunition was a big reason why like some of them accumulated so much wealth early in the early days as, as America. This might be completely wrong.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I believe it. I'm so interested in where you like heard this or how you think.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I don't, no, I don't remember.

[Zdeno Konopka]

That's why I believe you though.

[Mike Grinnell]

Like it would make sense. They had a ton of gun statues all over like the. The downtown and stuff they do. No.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Oh, I thought they did. So I googled Delaware. Gunpowder specialist. I'm not seeing a ton.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Maybe guns, maybe. Maybe ammunition.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah.

[Mike Grinnell]

Because maybe during, like, the early times.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Where there was.

[Mike Grinnell]

And it's on the water.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't know.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I really don't know.

[Paul Bissonnette]

If you.

[Zdeno Konopka]

If you google.

[Mike Grinnell]

Because we did it. If you google. What is Delaware famous for? I swear to God, it says the beaches and no state tax. Google it right now.

[Zdeno Konopka]

That's business dream right there.

[Mike Grinnell]

I know.

[Zdeno Konopka]

What is Delaware known for most Delaware state facts?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Wait, have you ever been horseback riding?

[Zdeno Konopka]

It's the second smallest state in the United States. In the United States biz, what's number one?

[Paul Bissonnette]

The smallest. I would assume Hawaii.

[Mike Grinnell]

Yeah, definitely Rhode Island.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Hawaii. There's, like, eight islands.

[Ryan Whitney]

Rhode island, isn't it?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, I didn't know I was showing up to the quiz.

[Mike Grinnell]

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I failed my states and Capitals test when I got to Saga.

[Mike Grinnell]

California or Texas?

[Ryan Whitney]

Is it.

[Mike Grinnell]

It might be Texas.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I failed my states and Capitals test when I got to Sagina, Michigan. I was a little bit late getting there. And I'll never forget, like, I was. I was in grade 11 or. No, I was in grade 12 at the time. And they put me in. In grade nine geography. And I'll never.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You're like. You were like Billy Madison, dude.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I had. I had grade nine geography, grade 11 English. I had a class called current events. I had gym and religion. Those were my five classes. And I got called in after two months of being there. And the coach is like, hey. You're like, if you don't pick it up, you're gonna fail out, and they're gonna, like, basically say off. It was this place called Nouvelle Catholic Central. And, like, I. I got threatened to get put on probation, so I had to get my ass in a gear and pass grade nine geography.

[Mike Grinnell]

He's like, hey, take this one class. It's really easy, and I think you'll be good at it. It's called sampling. You can just do samples for 45 minutes. You'll be great.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, for sake. We're back to the samples. I saw that in the Best of Episode. I. I still don't think it's crazy. If you're going to a new ice cream shop, if you get two samples per scoop, there's got to be people.

[Mike Grinnell]

I just left Jack and Charlie's with. They don't do samples.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's fucking criminal. That's criminal.

[Zdeno Konopka]

One sample. Two is, like, kind of an Eye roll. But you got into the, okay, you got into the weeds that night.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, this, I, I'm lost in.

[Zdeno Konopka]

The sauce of the sample game.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay. All right. Okay, I'll, you know what, I'm gonna take the L on the sample game, but I'm gonna give you guys a scenario and you're gonna tell me if I'm crazy or not. So I, I'm not gonna say the bit, I'm not gonna say the business, I'm gonna say where it was. But if you buy a 10 pack of something, okay, like let's say you, what do you think is an adequate amount of time before it expires?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Like, it depends if we're talking milk or T shirts, but no, no.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay. It has to do with, with workout, with a workout class. If you buy a 10 pack, you.

[Mike Grinnell]

Should have six months.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Oh, I kind of think if you were to buy a 10 pack of like workout classes, like a 10 pack Pilates class, for example, I feel like it should be like infinity time to use them.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Which, okay, I, I, I tend to lean towards what you're saying Whit. But sometimes in the fitness industry, I guess there's different standards. And Yan's, like, I think that six months is fairly reasonable. I think a year is probably where most people at land. I purchased one and it was you, 30 days to use it.

[Zdeno Konopka]

And I was like you in the gym.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's fair, that's fair.

[Mike Grinnell]

I just go on the road and you're traveling, it's tough.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's where I just, I thought that that was a little bit kind of crazy. You didn't, you guys didn't seem too blown away. I was, I thought maybe.

[Mike Grinnell]

No, I think 30 days is crazy.

[Zdeno Konopka]

No, I think, I think it's, I mean, I said infinity, dude. Obviously, I think 30 days is nuts.

[Mike Grinnell]

30 days wit does 10 yoga classes in infinity amount of time.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I'm 74 years old.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I'm like, yeah, like what?

[Ryan Whitney]

I got eight more, babe.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And I, and I get it. They're trying to get you in there and you know, you buy a cheaper pack because you're getting the more of them and they, you know, they want to get you in there. I just thought 30 day. I thought 30. Holy, that's, that's quite, yeah, you got to be in there every three days. I mean you might as well be common law, right? Just get your grocery scent there, get a cotton about.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, I mean, I guess, I guess the prices are going to be going up at some point. So if you do the Wit.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's true.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You're like using once a year. They're like, dude, you kind of paid for. For 23 years ago price. So it's like if I had a 10 pack of like filling up my gas tank and I was still getting like 8 cents a gallon because I bought that. That in 1968. You know what I'm saying?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yes.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, no.

[Paul Bissonnette]

For. For sure. You got any. You got any of those coupons in your car with.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I got no coupons.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You're not a big coupon. I couldn't see it being a kusha.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I remember my mom making me, like, cut out the coupons, you know, like in the newspaper, cut all those up. I was like, oh.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So I thought you guys would. I thought you guys would like this one because I'm. I'm getting close to the time I have to be there. I have a 5:30 dinner with Jeff and it's our, you know, he's taking me and posh out. It's kind of like our end of the year type thing. And he's bringing me to this place in Vancouver. It's called sushi masudu.

[Ryan Whitney]

Masuda.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I butchered that. Obviously, this chef masuda is trained to Japan. It's like a little restaurant within a restaurant with only six seats, two seatings per night, no menu. And it's just omakase, where he feeds you different fish or whatever it is for two hours. It got a mission start.

[Ryan Whitney]

What.

[Paul Bissonnette]

They'Re gonna chop up the fish. That I know sandwich, you guys, it got a Michelin star within a few months of being open. And he's like a prodigy. He's a prodigy sushi chef.

[Zdeno Konopka]

There's a documentary about a guy like that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I believe maybe he's got the doc.

[Zdeno Konopka]

And then I think that's sushi Sean or something.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, reservations open up on the 1st of every month. And they go like instantly. So this guy, I'm excited to go experience two hours.

[Mike Grinnell]

You know, you don't get to order.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I know you're getting what he gives you.

[Mike Grinnell]

That's. That's what omakase is. You're getting what he gives you.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I'm like, nah, nah, I'll get the Caesar salad.

[Ryan Whitney]

The whole I'll get the Caesar salad.

[Mike Grinnell]

Hold the Caesar, add ranch, actually blue cheese. Oh, so you want a wedge? No, I want it to look like a Caesar. But biz, you can also like say you do like, say he gives you a salmon, you know, nigiri. If you like that, you can get more of it.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You can double it up, you can.

[Mike Grinnell]

Double it up, but you can't like whatever you're getting, whatever he's cutting up, he's giving you.

[Paul Bissonnette]

No alterations.

[Mike Grinnell]

Just tell him you're. If you don't like scallops or whatever, just tell them you're allergic.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay, well, I'm allergic.

[Zdeno Konopka]

The documentary, it's called Jiro Dreams of Sushi and it's about, it's about a guy, 85 years old. This is from 2011. He owned Sukiyabashi Suki Yabashi Jiro, a three star Michelin restaurant. It was a 10 seat only sushi only restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, yes, I've heard about that one.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, where it says, oh, that kind of sounds similar. With only six seats, I'm interested to hear how this goes.

[Mike Grinnell]

A lot of those places are like that. Yeah, I'm excited. You'll like his knife skills. When you sit there and watch him, you'll be amazed by like the way he'll cut like a, a cucumber, an avocado and the fish. It's legit beautiful to watch these guys, you know, work a knife. It's like you stick handling.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Oh yeah, like me, like the last samurai.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You mean like me teaching the kids at Gretzky's hockey school how to stick handle. I also stopped by Gazer for a night and, and went and helped out Ty and Trevor. They do a hockey school. They travel around. They're actually in Scottsdale this week. I think they do a couple stops in Coeur d'. Alene. But yeah, I went out there for an hour and helped the kids get worse. And that was cool. That was a cool little stop along the way and one of the other stops and I'll be done with my trip now I'm finished explaining my, my sushi details for tonight is I stopped in Bozeman, Montana for the first time. Very quaint little city. I would recommend it to anyone. And, and really that whole journey going down from Arizona all the way up through the, you know, Idaho, Utah, the Wyoming, the, you know, all, all that stuff up there in that, in that pocket is just a stunning drive. So I would recommend it to anyone. If you want to like get like an rv, do a little fly fishing and catch a little bit of your new rig. I took the new rig.

[Ryan Whitney]

I took the new rig.

[Zdeno Konopka]

What did you listen to? Music or podcast?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I listened to, to the Eagles like Greatest hits album probably 17 times. I just beat the shit out of.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, when you like something, bro, you.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Just go Houston's the Eagles. The Leafs. I will just beat the wheels off of anything.

[Mike Grinnell]

A great documentary on right now or I don't even know if it's new or not, but Billy Joel on hbo. Max, I have. I didn't know a ton about him. Obviously know his bangers, but on Unreal, watch the stuff that I didn't know about him, but it's a really good watch. I think it's two episodes. They're like two hours each, though.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, really?

[Paul Bissonnette]

I'm, I, I'm gonna watch that for sure. The Eagles documentary was incredible as well. Just going back to the Eagles, but I'll watch the one you just mentioned. I like documentaries more than anything. I gotta get going for this sushi meal though. We're sending it off to what, Zen and Canopka for this one.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah. It was good to catch up with you boys. Thank you for coming on. We're gonna throw it to him. Yeah, that's. That's biz. I'm excited for you. Nice little time off, getting out west to the. What is it, the great frontier. Can we call it that?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, sure.

[Zdeno Konopka]

So great. Great chat with you guys. Now we throw it to Konopka, who, I mean, this guy, he's comedy incredible. We it. I think we've been talking for five, six years about having him on. So awesome interview. We sat down with him during the finals. Check it out right now. Xeninkhanopka. Guys, let's talk about Row Sparks. I know, I know. You've heard me talk about before the big hard erections. I know. We're back. It's a two in one prescription treatment for stronger, harder erections. Rose sparks dissolve under your tongue, meaning they hit your bloodstream a lot quicker than pills. So you can get ready for the action quicker. You know the action we're talking about. Once the medication dissolves, they work in about 15 minutes on average, giving you the boost you need for a thicker and a longer erection. Yep. And it helps you last longer for more fun for both of you. Plus, Rosparks stay active in your system for up to 36 hours. That means you can go round after round after round, biz style, or even the morning after. And no need for awkward in person doctor visits. Ro connects you with a medical provider 100% online. And if prescribed, your treatment trips right to your door. If prescribed, new sexual health patients get $15 off Sparks on a recurring plan. Connect with a provider at R.O. co. Chiclets to find out if prescription R.O. sparks are right for you. That's R.O. co. Chicklets for $15 off your first order. Guys, let's talk about sport clips. Sport clips. This summer, the sun's out and so are the fresh cuts at Sport Clips Haircuts. It's the perfect place to cool off and watch some sports on tv while also getting a precision haircut from stylists who just get it. They've been specially trained to cut men's hair. If your favorite baseball team has a. Has a, you know, an afternoon game and you're sitting around, maybe it's a double header and you want to catch the early action and get a haircut. Sport clips. You lay there relaxing, you watch your team play and you're getting a haircut at the same time. Also, if you take your haircut to the next level, when you're there, you could do it by asking for the MVP Haircut experience. It comes with a hot steam towel and a seven pressure point massaging shampoo. Spit it out. Wit that are sure to make you melt into the chair. And for this summer only, you can swap out of the classic hot steam towel for a refreshing chilled towel. It's an icy alternative that's the perfect way to defeat the heat. Sport clips. It's a game changer. We are now pleased to be joined by a guy this is a long time coming. A warrior in the game. Played over 340 NHL games. A ton of games in the coast and the AHL as well. Zenin Konopka. What's going on?

[Ryan Whitney]

How you doing, boys? Nice to see you on. Love your show.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Thank you so much. We appreciate it. And yeah, Biz has been saying for years, we got to get Konopka on. I think we were supposed to one time something happened, but. How you been? What's going on? What are you doing these days?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah, if things are good. After I retired, I, I ended up working for Adam moats for about 18 months in his development program. It was amazing. You know, we. We got to teach the best players in the world, literally Scamcos, eichel, Kucherov and McDavid. But I had three kids in diapers, so that was a tough one. OT is a wizard, but he's got dogs. I got kids and it's a bit of a different circumstances, so. So then I always, I always had a bunch of businesses and one of my buddies that I played with in the miners in Cincinnati, Mike Shoot, worked for the operators union in Ontario and his brother Kyle Shoot. And they kind of sold me on the idea of being back on a team. So I'm in the organizing department for the international operators Union in Ontario. We have 20,000 members here. And I said, I'll try it out. And I've been there two years now. I absolutely love it. Like, you're. Actually. It's kind of like the locker room again. We got 18 guys in our unit, and I didn't realize how much I missed kind of that until I. I went back to it. And I've been doing some coaching as well, a little bit GB coaching, stuff like that. And I love the game and the competitiveness in me, you know, obviously still is pretty hungry. So when the time's right, probably go back to coaching at some point.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Z, it biz here. Great to see you, buddy. Long overdue. We're gonna get to all those face offs you won throughout your years.

[Mike Grinnell]

It's like you guys have the same exact nose.

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, we're brothers.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh.

[Paul Bissonnette]

We're biological brothers.

[Ryan Whitney]

We start off at on the best foot.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You guys must have fought. I was gonna. How many fights between you two?

[Ryan Whitney]

One. In summer hockey. Oh, no, you know what? No one.

[Mike Grinnell]

No one's getting paid.

[Ryan Whitney]

No.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let's get into it right now. This guy was an absolute maniac in summer hockey. We're just trying to. No summer hockey. Not in the NHL, not in the East Coast.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Guys like him, they can't turn it off in summer hockey.

[Ryan Whitney]

Business is going to give him his side of the story, and then I'll give him mine.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Okay.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, Fair.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Let's hear business.

[Mike Grinnell]

Where the jury.

[Paul Bissonnette]

It was you. What do you mean, my side? It was you and Lance Galbraith. And anytime we'd get a league lead, if our goalie made a save, there would be a scrum in front of the net. We're just trying to get a summer sweat in. And this guy thinks he's paying for the Stanley Cup. Now we'll hand it over to you, Z. Exactly what Whit said. You just can't turn it off. You have one speed. That's why we all love you. And I'll hand it over to you to tell the story.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, I agree with. I do only have one speed. I'm not trying to diminish that. Or. Or. Or. Or say I don't like. I play for keeps all the time. But the one time where we had the issue. Okay, was so in summer hockey, biz had a good. Bunch of really good players. You had Girardi, you had Pyad on your team. You had. They had a really good summer hockey team. Now I'm. I Think four or five years older than biz, right? And I played with a bunch of older guys that were my buddies, Scott Ellis, Roy Montgomery. And we were. Our team was called Bush, and we were always kind of the top team. And I come back from. And maybe we'll get into it later, but I. I ended up breaking my hand and I had hand surgery. I put a plate in my hand. So I come back in the summer, and this is one, like, business team is the up and coming team, and I can't play. And we're getting absolutely, like, slaughtered. Like, we haven't won a game. So we're gonna play business team. And I'm like, I'm supposed to be off, like, anything for, like, another month of the sea, like, you know, for rehab. And I'm like, it. I'll play. I don't give a right. So I. I get out there, right? But I'm not, like, I'm in horrendous shape, right? And before you know it, it's like eight, eight nothing.

[Zdeno Konopka]

They're running it up.

[Ryan Whitney]

They're. They're. Yes, good point, Whit. They're running it up. Not only are they running it up, but we got this kid going through his legs and wooing and ha. Out there, right? So finally, on the ninth goal, the guy goes through his legs and kind of like, stares our goalie and he turns. So I just buried him and allegedly broke his rib or wrist. I don't know. That sounds made up to me, but this could probably add in on that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I think it was a broken rib.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I will give business flowers. I'm going to give him his flowers, but not yet because maybe I'll give him one flower for jumping in. Because I guess, like, what he's supposed to do. So he jumps in, right? So I'm like, what? I'm like. So then we're kind of like, about kind of fighting. And then punches start going and, like.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You have a broken hand, correct?

[Ryan Whitney]

I got a broken hand, right? And I'm trying to punch with my left and you know, like. And now, like, the refs can. Guys. So anyway, so then now, like, we. We get at this point, somehow we stay in the game. So at the end of the game, you shake hands and I remember. And at this point, like, this is young. I'm older. Like, I. I'm not sold on this guy yet, right? Like, I'm like, oh, none of us.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Were when we met him. We hated him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. So we go in the lineup, right? And I look at him and I'M like, I had a. I got. I got a broken hammer. I just had surgery on my hand. He goes, I got a broken hand too. I'm like, really? And I just. I'm like. And they're like, what does he. Well, apparently has broken too. So I'm like, what the is wrong with this guy? Like, so for that, like, at that point, I wasn't like a huge biz fan. And then I think the turning of the corner, I think when he fought, I. I'm pretty sure you fought John Rasting at least once or twice. Like.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, against my own will.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no, it was like biz made a decision. Okay. And that's what I try to tell like, young players and parents. Like, there's got to be, you know, a point where either you're going to fight or flight. Right. Because things are going to get hard. Like, things are going to get hard and everyone's a good player. I put a big numbers in the, you know, the minors and in junior and there's tons of those guys. But it comes to a point where you're like, how bad do you want it? Do you want to fucking sacrifice your face? You know, by blocking shots and maybe taking a couple punches? And like, I was never worried about. I never got knocked out in my life. Right. I would. I took seven or. I had over 700 stitches in my face. I broke my nose 14 times. I never lost a tooth, believe it or not. And I never wore mouth guards, so figure that one out. But it was one of those things for biz. When he fought Morasti, I remember the next summer, I bought him a beer at the bar. I'm like, all right, you're okay, kid. Yeah, I like you.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You know, like.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, like that kind of like gave you like, all right, man, this guy's legit. Takes a lot of nuts to do that.

[Paul Bissonnette]

100% Z. I. I felt like that's kind of just also how you came up and you played like an event. At a certain point, I had to change my style.

[Ryan Whitney]

True.

[Paul Bissonnette]

How. How did you, like, how did you develop into that type of player? Like, did you have an uncle, a brother, your father, like, who instilled that. That in you from a young age to play the way that you did.

[Mike Grinnell]

And only being 6ft tall, you're not the in. Back then there were some monsters.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Like, when I go to events and stuff, people are like, can't believe how small you are. For fight fighting the lake, you know, I fought Boogeyman or fought a bunch of guys but really, like, my dad was born in Poland. He was taken at five years old. They were taken out of during the Second World War and taken to concentration camps in Russia by the Russians. And they were there for a year and they. They ended up going to Africa during the war and, and came to England and to Canada. He. He never knew anything about hockey. He liked baseball and played fastball, baseball. And he was a real tough guy. Now he was my everything. And he ended up passing away when I was 13 in a tractor accident. I grew up on a farm, but it was like, I remember I was like five, maybe four, five, six years old. And you kind of try to remember what your first memory is. And it might be. My first memory is my dad. It was a catcher for fastball, and he worked at gm and he hurt his finger early in the game and they wanted to take him out and he said, no, I'm staying in. And. And every time a pitch came, you know, and at the end of the game, you know, he went to the hospital and he had a broken finger, you know, but he caught the rest of the game. And I don't know, like, for me, it was like winning was.

[Zdeno Konopka]

We.

[Ryan Whitney]

We won in Triple A wise twice. And when we got to Ottawa, you know, we went in the MEM cup in the first year and it was like, I, I always say winning is the best drug in the world. Like, you can't buy it, you can't fabricate it, you can't make it up. Like. And it was one of those things where, like, in the minors, in junior, I love, like, I used to love fighting because I only fought when I was pissed off or someone hit someone, you know, NHL sometimes, you know, you know, biz knows you play like, you know, a few shifts and they're like, okay, we're down to nothing. I guess I gotta go fight this guy, right? So I, I used to enjoy fighting more in the minors because you didn't.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Have to do it, really.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And you were making way more of an impact where it felt like guys were almost trying to take you off the ice. Like you were a savage in the AHL when you played with Syracuse, obviously, in your east coast days. And I felt like you were maybe more relied upon just fighting and maybe snapping back a few draws at the NHL level.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah, I know. And I always, like, tell, you know, parents and, and tell younger players, like junior players, is that you can't have any holes in your game or they're going to find them. Like, they'll find them eventually. Right. So, like, you can like, not want to work on something, but the higher you go, they'll be exposed. Now, for all the, like, studs out there now, the exposure, I think, is competitiveness. Right. You show me a kid that is super competitive, and I want that kid on my team. That's, like, for me, I think that's the new toughness is the competitiveness because we have all these, like, individual coaches and all. Everything's revolved around, like, these. These kids. But at the end of the day, it's about winning. Like, winning is. That's. At the end of the day, that's the most important thing. Yeah.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Where you're saying that now individual skill coaches and skating coaches, like, those things can all be taught, and you can learn and become skilled and fast. But do you have that level of, like, hating to lose? You mean well.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I think it. It not only does.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You can have all the skills and not have that.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think it hinders it because you go to a stickhound culture, skilled, you know, like a skating coach, and, you know, say your team got bumped out. Oh, don't worry. You had a good series. Your skating was good. Right. And we lose sight of the fact. And. And I mean, that. That was Canadian, Right. And you. I mean, I. My mom was born in Buffalo, so I'm a dual citizen. Just putting that out there first, but cyber U.S. passport. But, you know, looking at the four nations, it was like, whoa. Like, it was kind of like opposites. Like, aren't we supposed to be the team, like, dominating and like. Like not going down with a fight? Now, the other thing, and I don't know when it's going to air, but, you know, Corey Perry. I played with Corey. I was a rookie with him in Anaheim. And, you know, at the end of Game 3, he's getting into the mix and he's trying to slash someone, and he's trying to. And he's 40 years old. Right. But you think someone. Some of these younger kids on the benches, and this is how far we've lost, where, you know, winning comes from, that Corey Perry's like, we. I want to make any kind of doubt in their mind to think, like. And I mean business, right? Like, I don't care what summer hockey and especially in the playoffs and any kind of hockey, if a team went up on us, it was on. Like, someone's getting hurt.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I don't legit. We were like, guys, keep it within one goal, because if we get to three, if it's three, one, and there's a two goal spread here. It's going to be gloves off and it's going to be a show. You guys had Dorset, you guys, yourself, Sestito, John Morasti. So that was at least the game plan back then, but I'm sure for, for many other years growing up.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, when, so why I went to Syracuse, like winning was everything for me, right? And we win the MEM cup the next year, we have a really good team. Bunch of guys get hurt the year after everybody leaves. And now we have. And I remember, you know, there were seven of us on the team and that won the MEM cup and we hosted the MEM cup. So we did go in the back door. Like, you know, like we didn't win the OHL title and it kind of bugged us a bit. And I mean, when I played pro, guys would be asking my first year in Wheeling, you know, how was Ottawa? How was. I was. Why do you keep asking about how was Ottawa? But like, you didn't have a curfew. I'm like, you guys had a curfew. They were like, you guys had to go to school. You guys had a workout. Really? Oh, wow. That was amazing. Right? So, so that, that team with eight games left were a point out for missing the playoffs. And it's like they're writing articles and Kilray comes out in the paper and says, this is the most undisciplined team I've ever had. I can't control these guys. Pretty much saying if they missed the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, it's not my fault. And we weren't missing the playoffs. We were having too much fun on and off the ice. And we went seven one and one down the stretch to get in. We got to the fourth seed and we upset four teams and won the ohl. And that's why I wear this ring over the MEM cop and the one in the minors is that we had nobody. And that taught me that this could work. I don't care about how talented you are. Of course you have to have talent. But the will to win will always outweigh any talent or anything like that. So then I win a championship in Boise, Idaho on the east coast, the ahl, we lose and double overtime to Hershey and then I get traded from Anaheim because I go to Russia the year they win the cup and it was like disastrous. And now I end up in the Syracuse team who's on the bottom of the league. Like, they're terrible, there's no fans, they're Chanting the coach to fire the coach. And you know, I come in and I'm kind of surveying the situation and there was this big, you know, husky bar fridge, short, you know, indigenous guy in the stands. And I said, who's that guy? They said, john Rassey. I said, why doesn't he play? He goes, oh, he's take stupid penalty. He doesn't know what he's doing, can, you know, play. He goes, they might be the toughest guy in hockey. I said, what?

[Zdeno Konopka]

He goes, you don't even know who he was at this point I didn't.

[Ryan Whitney]

Even know who he was, right? He goes, he played in that Quebec league. So I go home, right? And back then it wasn't like you had your Internet on your phone, whatever. I'm looking, I'm like, holy Christ, right? So I next day I come back to the rink, I sit down with Johnny. I said, johnny Zankanacha, nice to meet you. I like your work, you know. And I said, you want to go back in the lineup? He goes, how are you going to get me back in the lineup? I said, that wasn't the question. I said, do you want to get back in lineup? He goes, yes. I said, okay, there's going to be one rule. He goes, how are you going to get me back in lineup? I said, let me finish. There's one rule. Okay, what's the rule? I say, you only fight when I tell you to fight. He goes, don, how are you going to get me back in line? So I go to the coach, I said, johnny's back in the lineup. He goes, you can't put that guy in the lineup. You can't play. He takes Bell. I said, he's going back in the lineup. I'm here to switch culture. We're putting Johnny back in. So then Johnny goes back in. And really the second year we wanted our run when I got traded there, but the second year, like we started, we solved the parking issue in, in, in Syracuse because half the crowd would be there for warm ups because there were so many warm up fights. So we used to like stretch on the red line and we touched their blue line and touch their top of their circles. And who could touch Circus? Come on.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh yeah, you guys would get that deep, eh?

[Ryan Whitney]

So, so, so and, and it kind of came all together when I started going through the stat pack and we had this kid, Derek Dorset, who was a great kid, kind of quiet, you know, Thomas Esquito a little louder. But you know, they weren't playing lunch, they were in and out of the lineup. And I looked at the stats and saw these guys, their pellets in the, in the, in, in juniors. So I sat both of them down. I said, boys, like, what's going on here? I see like, you guys like fighting? He goes, oh yeah, we love fighting. I'm like, perfect. Why guys aren't you fighting more? Like, wow. We don't know when to, you know, like, or who, like, you know, like I said, don't worry, I'll tell you when to fight, right? And, and then we became like, we started fighting and warmups and during the game, after the game, in the hallway and. But we started winning. We couldn't fucking lose. It was crazy, man. So, so they had.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Didn't you guys go on a crazy win streak though? Like, didn't you guys rattle off like.

[Ryan Whitney]

20 in a row? 23 and 20. We set the record for most undefeated. We were undefeated 23 games in a row. Jesus. And this is from a team that was on, like we were in the cellar, you know, a year before. It hurt us because we had to. When we were so far out of the playoffs. It hurt us because we had to play so hard to get in, like. But anyway, so now, so they had a rule that you had to wear your helmet in warm ups. Columbus had this rule, right? I didn't wear my helmet. Johnny didn't wear his helmet. But everyone else wore their helmet, right? And I said, I said, you know, this is when we're starting this. Like, we've lost a bunch of games. And I said, we win five games in a row, we'll go buckets off, like the, the whole team for warmups. So sure enough, we win one, we win two, we win four, we went five. Is, are we going to do this, you think? Columbus, right? I said, fucking rights. We're doing it, right? So we go into buckets after warm up, we get pulled in, assistant GM for Columbus, like, we got a rule. I said, buddy, you guys haven't had a five game win streak in like the last 10 years. Like, he goes, okay, okay, fine, right? So we win that game. And now guys are like, what are we doing now? Like, what, what's next? I'm like, what do you mean what's next? Well, we got the five games and I said, we win seven more games, we'll go, no buckets, no shoulder pads to warm up, right? They're like, I'm like, there's no way we're gonna more fucking games. So sure enough, we rip off five more, six more, we win 12 in a fucking row. We go into Erie, Pennsylvania right now. Guys are like, we can't do the. Can we? Like, like, Derek McKenzie was on the team. And he's a great guy, right? But he's like, you somewhat follows the rules, like, you know, like, see, you can't. I said, fucking right, sweetheart. I don't. I. I said, you're not playing unless you're going with no fucking bucket, no fucking shoulder pads, right? The guys were like. I said, if we all do it, we got to stick together. Okay? Okay. O. We go out there and we're fucking cruising around. And Derek Broussard was on our team. He was like the biggest prospect for Columbus. So after warm up, I get pulled by my neck into the coach's room and there's Columbus assistant. Are you fucking crazy? Are you fucking nuts? I said, we just won 12 games on the fucking road. I don't care how many games. What if Derek Broussard would have caught a rut and separated his shoulder? Then what would you have done, right? I look at him, I go, it would have been the same percentage of Derek Broussard separating his shoulder when he doesn't wear shoulder pads the whole summer when he goes home, like. And then the. The owner was in there. The owner, go. Goes. He's got a good point there. Anyway, you know, so. Yeah, so then one more little highlight on that run. So we go into Manitoba and. And you always play two games because you're flying in. So the first game, and again, they didn't really have many tough guys. Oh, fuck.

[Paul Bissonnette]

I've heard this story. This is a classic.

[Ryan Whitney]

So we're. We're. We're by the red line, and we're just, you know, scouring the red line and barking and, you know, no one's doing anything, right? So we win the game. So the next day I come down for, you know, my breakfast, and they have the newspaper there, like the local newspaper. And I always like reading the sports section. And I'm reading. And they had this Labrie kid, the first round pick to Vancouver Canucks. And this kid has it all. He can shoot, he can pass the puck, he can score. You know, he hits and he'll fight anybody. And I'm like, fight anybody? Fuck. What? So I come to practice, right? And now this is like, we're like 13 or 14 in a row at this point, right? And the guys are all pissed off. I'm like, what's wrong? They said, well, it's not optional. We got to skate. Like I said, not optional. Like we just want. So I go on the grab the marker, put on the board optional, right? And the coach comes in, he's like, don't you, don't you think we should be skating? I'm like, don't you think you're almost fired before I got here? Just not fucking skating because. Okay, okay, we won't skate. We won't skate, right? So when every time we played like a real tough, like a team that had some tough guys, we, me, Dorset, Sesteado and Morozki would kind of have like a little meeting like, well, who's going to fight who? You know, like and, and so I said, guys, be ready for warmup like. And they're like, what there was they nobody. What do you. I said just be ready for warm up, right? So we go, come back at the night, we go for warmup, right? And there I see that Libri kid, right? So I told Dorset, I said, as soon as that Labri kid comes close to the red line two hand him, right? So he comes in, fucking two handsome. He's like, what the fuck? I'm like, tell me who you want to fight. There's four of us. You pick two, you don't have to fight. Four of us just kind of like skates away, right? I'm like, you motherfucker. Right? So then I told Cestito, next time he comes around 2A, right? So here again Cestito was. He had a couple, you know, marbles loose, right? He does all.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

So now he winds up and just smoking, right? So now their team's got it come up now because now it's going to get embarrassing. I'm like, I told you, you fight two guys. So Mike Keane is their captain. So at the end of Mike Keane's career, he was a captain of the man Manitoba Moose. I, I believe he's from there. That's why he was. Yeah, he's like 40 years old, right? Cup champ. He's like, z, what the going on here? I said, the kid's got to fight two guys. He said, don't fight anybody.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Not even one, two, four of us.

[Ryan Whitney]

Just two of us. I He goes, I didn't say that. I said, right? She goes, no, I didn't. I say, you didn't. And I pulled the newspaper out of my glove and I put on center ice, right? I'm like, right there, right?

[Paul Bissonnette]

He brought the newspaper on there.

[Ryan Whitney]

Mike Keane goes, see, you can't put a newspaper on the center ice, right? Tostito 2 ends up. He goes, he can do whatever the he wants, old man. I'm like, no, no.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Enough, enough. Right? And so the breathing Iran, he didn't fight any of us, but yeah, it was. It was a special time in Syracuse. That's. That's for sure. It was.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He have not changed a bit.

[Zdeno Konopka]

No. You were so throwback. It's unreal chatting with you right now. Look, there's. I have so many questions because. But I want to go. You got the 23 games in Anaheim, right? You'd kind of grinded four years in the Miners Coast. You lit it up AHL. The one year in Anaheim that you got 23 games, you had way over a point per game in the minors. But then. And so it's kind of turning into like. My thought would be like, this guy's going to become a everyday NHL in the next year or two. But you go to Russia, like, was that. That. I'm guessing it was all for the dough.

[Mike Grinnell]

Like, how?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Because.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, it was. It was. Okay. So I'm going to try to explain it quickly. So again, winning was everything. Loyalty is everything in my life, right? Like, you know, like I'm. Loyalty to default, probably, right? And so we're. We're playing those 23 games, okay? I played 23 games. Now, Penner, Perry and Getzloff were in the minors for like 20 games that year because Brian Burke wanted them to ride the bus, which is, I think was a very good idea, you know, and maybe some of these other guys should be riding the bus that are coming in now. So when I was up later in the year, we were playing in Boston and I went into the boards and I had a high ankle spring and my. It was bad, right? And Carla, Rick Carlisle was her coach and he was hard on young guys, but he was really great to me. And he's like, oh, you know, this is. He's supposed to be out eight weeks. He'll be back in under two weeks, right? So like 10 days later, we're in LA. I'm like, I can play, I can play, right? So I go for pre game and like morning skate and I rip it again. And that's when they kind of shut me down and said like, whoa, whoa, whoa, like, we shouldn't let you out there. So at this point now I'm rehabbing in. In Newport beach, having a great time, but again, I won the Mem cup, won the ohl, won the East Coast. I want to win the Calder Cup. As stupid as to see I'm in the NHL, but I'M like, this is. And I wanted to get home ice advantage in the first throughout the playoffs because we had a pretty good team. So they had a meeting probably mid March with the trainer, me and Bob Murray, the assistant gm and they said where is he at? You know, like is close coming back, blah blah. And they said he's close. But he. And I told Bob, I said listen, I can't help us at the angel level, but I can go down and play in the, in the A, right? And I want to get home with him. It's like what a fucking idiot. But. And so Bob Murray talks. Okay, let him go right now. Saying that two things to this is rest is a weapon. You know, people talk about it, but that was the best hockey ever played in my life. When I came back because I got that rest for like two months I was out and, and I, I had a 23 game point streak and 29.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Points in 19 games in the playoffs.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Fucking easy.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's like I cracked my shoulder. Game two against Providence, I had to take a needle. Every game they said it was out for the playoffs. Every game had to freeze it, take it. Okay, so at the end of this, you know, we lose double overtime and it's crazy because you know, in the ahl, you know, we're the best team, but our, our NHL team still, you know, in, in the playoffs. So you don't get those guys back, right? So we're playing Boston was. Didn't make the Blast. Played the Rangers farm team. We beat them. Then we play Hershey and obviously Washington was in the playoffs and they were so good that we had to make it ugly. And we went down 3:1 in that series. We come back, make it 3:3 and there's seven days off because of the circus in, in Hershey. In that seven day stretch, Edmonton beats Anaheim and we get Guestlof Penner and Perry down for game seven and we fucking lose in double overtime. Oh, six, five. And it was like, you know. So there was a lot of talk about getting a one way contract because I had decent numbers, you know and I really good numbers in the minors.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And also what you've provided their organization from helping develop and instill competitiveness in these guys and fight and yeah, you deserve it.

[Ryan Whitney]

So at this point I didn't think I, I just wanted the top players were making 90 in the minors and I was making 40 grand. And Bob Murray called me and said we got you by the ball. It's just like guys, you know, guys have us buy the balls in the Free agency now, and you're going to play for 40 grand. And I'm like, yeah, I get that. It wasn't even the money. Don't get me wrong. Like, because I played with a guy that was from Russia, and he's like, although, off your, you know. 400. No, 450. 500. 550. 5. 600. 650. 700. Like 700. Jesus Christ. You know, And. But it was the loyalty, like, in. And again, I. I was hurt. I. I really. I love Brian Burke. Right? And I just couldn't believe that after playing with my shoulder and like, and. And all this, that they wouldn't give me 90 in the minors, you know?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, it's more a slap in your face.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. So I go to Russia. I come back, okay, so I go to Russia for. You know, they start fucking so early, and they're fucking with my money. I'm not getting my money. And I'm like, and. And no one spoke English there. My buddy that got me there wasn't even there yet. And so the one guy said, no, they're going to hold your money till the NHL year starts because you can go back. Right? Day before the NHL year, Brian Burke calls my agent. He said, okay, we'll give him 90 for the next two years in the minors, right? And at that point, I'm like, okay, I'll come back. Like. And it's stupid, me. I, like, Instead of waiting, trying to collect my money, I hopped on, like, three different flights to try to make the opening game for Portland in. In the ahl. And, you know, at the time, I. I was okay, you know, Like, I was ready to win the HL. And 1 def. 14 gets hurt. I don't get called up. And I'm leading our team goals, says points, I'm fighting whatever, you know, and another four gets hurt. I don't get called up. Another four gets hurt. Four forwards get hurt. And Cavadini's coach calls me and says, listen, like, I don't. I just want to tell you, I'm not part of this. I'm like, yeah.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Like, I don't agree with this.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I'm like, part of what? Like, you're younger. You're like, you know. He goes, well, you're getting blackballed because you went to Russia. And they want to, you know, make an example.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Like, you brought me back.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I know. I guess the point of mind is I, like, so, you know, I had a meeting with Brian Burke because there was. There was a lot of rumors. I asked for A trade. I never asked for a trade. And Burke said that I'm only going to trade you if they're going to put you in the NHL. If you're in the Miners going to play for me. And he traded me and went right to Syracuse.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I love Berkey.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, we buried the hatchet since then, but it was. And then for a guy that winning was my whole life. I get traded, Marshawn gets hurt in Anaheim in the playoffs, they can't find a fourth line center. And, you know, I think Joe Matsuko's name is on the. On the Stanley cup, because if you play one game in the finals, your name's on the Cup. And it fucked me up, man. It was like. It was hard to do.

[Zdeno Konopka]

That was mine.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Now let me ask you this. Back to Russia quickly. Yeah, because you had four games before you went back, because they start so early, like you mentioned. But yeah, the name Igor Grigorenko. So this guy in the, oh, three world juniors, I was playing for usa. We lost to Canada in the semis. Russia then beats Canada in the finals in Halifax. He was the player of the tournament. Ovechkin was on the team. Granted, he was, you know, 16. He was incredible. Like, and Detroit Red Wings draft pick. Like, I think going to be a super superstar in the NHL. Horrible car accident in Russia. Never ended up making. But you played with him on that team. Do you remember his name? And could you have seen maybe before the injury, how good he might have been?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I know for sure.

[Zdeno Konopka]

It was crazy dude in 03, and.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think he had. He was fighting an injury when I was there as well. Like, so he wasn't totally healthy, but, like. And again, I didn't know who from who there. Right. But he was our. He was our top player. And again, you know, you do your research before you go to Russia. Like. Like, there's Moscow, St. Petersburg even.

[Zdeno Konopka]

No, you were in the middle of.

[Ryan Whitney]

Nowhere, middle of the hole of Russia. Like, holy Audi. Like, yeah, it was a tough bounce for sure. But yeah, no, the guy was super skilled. But he played. He played kind of a North American game too. Like, he played pretty hard. And yeah, it would have been interesting to see what would have happened with him. But he was a nice guy, you know, like speak English.

[Zdeno Konopka]

But I was just curious he remembered him because in 03, I was like, who? Like, this guy's gonna be Datsuk? And then the car accident happened.

[Paul Bissonnette]

But Z. I was just gonna kind of go back to Ottawa, the 67s. Like, you played for the legendary coach, Brian Kilray. Like what did he help instill in you to, to become the player that you, that you were? I mean that was a legendary organ. Guys won a Mem cup, won an ohl. Like what did you learn from the fundamental aspect to help you propel your career?

[Ryan Whitney]

Like the biggest thing Brian Kil does if you make it the four years and like if anyone got traded from Ottawa, you went to Sudbury. Su Marie, he never traded anyone anywhere. Nice, right? If you, if you survived the four years, you came a boy and you left a man, that is the biggest thing he'll give you. Okay? Now he was, you know, every practice was the same every day for four years we never worked on the power plate, never worked on pound kill, not one time, once. Now saying that our power play was usually always in the top five, you know, our pulling kill is pretty good. So maybe like coaches are overthinking it, but it was like his thing was like there's no substitute for hard work, the face off thing, you know, like if you didn't win face offs, you didn't play center. So that helped me, you know, probably later in my career, right? Because at that point I wanted to play center. And so yeah, Killer, he's a legend, right? Like he, he's in the hall of fame and it's a love hate relationship for sure. My last year I, I actually own part of a rest like a pub there and we went on like a three game losing streak and he banned everyone from the pub and I'm like killing me here. Killer. Like, come on. So we won, the boys won a couple games and the boys come back.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And another legendary coach you played for Brophy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh my God.

[Paul Bissonnette]

So I don't know how many people listening know about what's his first name? Is it John Brophy? John Brophy. And I heard insane stories about him. Basically bag skating teams in pre game skate.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Like the hot coffee from Walshi.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, there's a legendary story from Walshi about him chucking a coffee in a guy's face. Oh, I I there for that.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no, no, I, I actually watched. I, I saw the little video you guys put together and I was dying because. So when I get to Wheeling, West Virginia, okay, And John Brophy is my coach, you hear all these stories, right? And you're like there's no way, like there's no way this is all true. And then like a week into the season you're like, oh my God, this is all fucking true. Like so he would be you know, like, he would in pregame skate if the other team was watching, right? They're on the glass. He'll, like, stop, blow the whistle, and, like, everyone grab a stick, and we're gonna skate towards the glass and smash glass as hard as you can. If you break your stick, just grab another one, right? And. But he was pretty witty and funny, too. Now, that's where, like, Kilray didn't like fighting. Like, he's named Brian Kilray. He wasn't a huge fan of fighting. Bro was the biggest fan of fighting. So the first game I played, and I had a good school package to go, and back then, you play one game, you're done. And we played in Reading, and we're, like, in. We lost, like, seven one. I had one assist, but I was terrible. Like, terrible. But I fought this guy, and he caught me with a left early, and then I probably won the rest of the fight. And Bro had no assistant coaches, just Bro. And then the medical trainer, equipment trainer. Think about that one, right? And he's 73 years old at the time. He looks like he's 103, right? And. And everybody's scared of him. Like, every person is scared of him. The owner's scared of him, the trainers are scared of him, the media's scared of him. And, like, players are terrified, like. And. But he did a lot for me. So he calls me, the trainer grabs me, goes, bro wants to see you. I'm like, oh, my God, I'm gonna get cut. Like, why didn't I go to school? Like, you're gonna get cut. So I go into the room, and, you know, bro, he's like, sit down. Right? So I sit down, he looks at me and goes, you had one hell of a game tonight. I said, I did. He goes, oh, yeah, that fight. Oh, man. But he goes. And he gets up, and he's 73 years old. He's waddling around. He broke his back, so he can't walk. And. And he's trying to show me when a guy throws left a turn and punch him in. And you kind of hit me in the head. And so then I realized if you weren't having a good game, all you had to do was fight. And he thought you had a great game. And that's. I fought quite a bit. So the best rope story I got, actually, a funny. I. I'll give you the first. I'll give you the funny story. Just a quick little tease. Like, he would always. He was up to date on stuff and, you know, like, we had this. One of the Moore brothers played for us. And, you know, in, you know, during the national anthem, he'd be like, hey, more. What's the circumference of the arena anymore? How many gallons of water? Or nice. Hey, you know.

[Mike Grinnell]

Because to his own player.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Why did Moore go to Harvard?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, yeah, they all went to Harvard. Take it. All right.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

So. So now, okay, so now the next game, it's like. And he would always do this during the action anthem, like when everyone's supposed to be quiet, right? So the next game, he's like the PA announcers, like, John Smith, the longtime season ticket holder, passed away at the age of 85. He was a season ticket holder for 20 years. He loved the Wheeling Nailers. We're going to do a moment of silence, right? And everyone's quiet as could be. You can hear Pin Dragon. He's like, you see how bad we're playing? We're killing season ticket holders. So the best one I got was. So we were Pittsburgh's farm king, like, east coast team, right? And Wilkes Barre was our HL club. And I actually have a merly story that maybe next time Juan will talk about.

[Paul Bissonnette]

No, we're. We're talking about it after you deliver this one.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Okay. So. So we had a neutral site game against Reading in Wilkes Barrel, right? So it's a big, you know, all the brass for the HL teams there. It's a big game for us. And, you know, and we're not a very good team, right? This is the first year I'm like, losing. We're under 500 I've ever been in my life. So both buses come to the neutral site game. And. And so now it's a very intense game. There's some fights and. And bro. And the benches are right next to each other, right? And their coach, I don't know, he's probably like 35 years old. And bro's like, going on 103 here, right? And fucking every time something happened, he's yelling over at the coach, you motherfucker, I'll kill you. I'll. Cause I can kill you, right? And the guy's like, what do you like? Okay. Like, okay, old man. So we're down 2, 1. There's like 40 seconds left. There's a face off in the rent. We pull the goalie. So Bro pulls everyone in. He goes like, all right, Clapka, you win the drawback. And then we fucking put the puck on that and we put everything on that. You put the fucking defenseman you put the forwards, you put the goalie, put the puck in the net, but just make sure the puck goes in the net, okay? Good plan, coach. And he goes. But he goes. But listen, if we for some reason don't tie this up, somebody better fucking run their goaltender, right? So we had our. Our captain was this French guy, Susi I think was his last name. He was a pretty tough guy, right? And it's really tough to be a captain of a bro team. Not to mention we're not that good in the standings, right? So we, I win the draw. We're all over them, right? Every. Bodies are flying everywhere. And then they, they, they chip the puck out. And there's like eight seconds left in the game, maybe like six, right? So we all have to get on, tag up on the, on the ice, on the, on the blue line. So we're all coming out of the zone and I see the captain look at the clock and say, fuck it. And he's a defenseman. He comes flying by me the other way. He's offside. He doesn't get care at this point. And he goes and slew foots their goalie. And then all hell breaks loose. Benches, like, he. Bro's trying to get at the coach, like in between the benches, he grabs. Grabs someone's stick. He's using a stick to hit guys trying to hit their coach, right? So finally they settle everything down, right? And we go to the dressing room. So we get in the dressing room and again, like when I tell you everyone's scared. Like, we're so scared after you lose a game, like. And like there was multiple one time to try to skate us after the game like the fucking Olympics or whatever the fuck was. So. But anyway, we get into the dressing room and everyone's just looking down and bro is like fucking spitting that fucking motherfucker. We lose those fucking guys. I hate that fucking coach. He's a fucking loser. I'm a fucking killer. He goes, let's get the fuck out of here quick. Right? So everyone's like, holy fuck, let's get out here quick. So everyone's getting their bags and like, so now like we're packed our bus. Like these guys haven't even come out yet. The other team, right? So now they're starting to filter out a little bit. Now everyone's on her bus and I'm a rookie, so I'm towards the front. We had a sleeper, but I'm towards. And bro can't see anything. So he's looking and. And then the trainer's next to him. And he hits the trainer and he goes, is that that coach? No. And the trainer goes, yeah. He goes, hold my jacket, right? And takes his jacket off, waddles down the 73. I'm like, Jesus Christ. Like, fuck. We like. I go flying off the bus, right? He goes, let's go.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Me?

[Ryan Whitney]

You fucking. Right now, motherfucker. Right? So this guy's 35 years old. He's like, bro, fucking leave it on ice. Fucking. I. Fuck you. Fuck you. I'm going to fucking kill you. Right? So now the only people out there is the parking attendance. So now the parking attendants are in between them, right? And now, bro, like, throwing a punch over the parking attendance, trying to hit the other coach, right? So the other coach. Now their team starting to filter out, right? So their coach is like, all right, bro, if you want to fucking do this, we'll clear. Clear your bus. Let's just have a big brawl. Like, what the are you talking about? This is between me and you. None of these guys were fighting one on one, right? And they throws another haymaker over the top, right? Now, finally, the Pittsburgh brass comes out because. And they fucking. They're like, fucking. Like, they get in between, right? So we get back on the bus, right? And bro is, like, ripping at his hair, and his hair's coming over his head. He's spitting on the floor of the bus, and you can see white hair that he's ripped out of his head. So now there's a knock on the door. Is this. There's this, like, parking attendant that probably, I don't know, maybe early 60s, right? So bro gets up, opens the door. What the fuck do you want, right? He goes, oh, Mr. Profi. I got a lot of respect for you. I. I just wanted to say I apologize if I put my hands on you. There is no apology needed for anybody besides our boss and our actions, right? He goes, what? He goes, well, I. I just want to apologize that I. I didn't mean to grab you and that I was just trying to keep it. He goes, go fuck yourself. And he slams the door. When he hits the door, the guy. It hits him, and he was flying back. And the guy's laying there as people are coming out, and the bus takes off. The next. Next day of practice, we had assistant coach.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, no, you did. They had to hire someone to babysit them.

[Zdeno Konopka]

They're probably scared to fire sakes.

[Mike Grinnell]

I looked up, he was in professional hockey from 1952 to 2007. Like, did he ever tell you guys Any stories from back in the day or anything?

[Ryan Whitney]

Or was.

[Mike Grinnell]

Was he just. You didn't even talk to him?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no, no, no, no. Like, certain, like he would play cards with us on like the bus and stuff. And like, I remember the one time he's like, she was selling money, we're playing poker. He's like, cop, you got any money? I'm like, yeah. He's like, give me 20 bucks, right? So I give him 20 bucks, he loses. He's like, you get 20 more bucks. I'm like, yeah, the youngest for, right? So I borrowed like 80 bucks, right? He loses. Now we finally get back to the thing, right? So then the next day I come in, right? I'm not gonna ask the fucking coach for fucking money back, right? So he calls me his office, he goes, hey, did you get your money? Did you get your money? I'm like, what? He goes, go check your stall. Go check your stall, right? So I go in my stall and he folded four 20 bills and put six nails into the holes. So there's 12 holes in every bill.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, my go.

[Ryan Whitney]

You gave him the money?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Oh, dude, he coached. So he coached the Leafs. They went to the playoffs, second round, lost first round, and then it was the next 20 years he coached in the Coast. You. You think he was like black ball, like, even from the ahl. How did nobody hire.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, he was too crazy. He was like. He was the most intense person. Like, I feel better about myself when I spend the money for him. Like, so. So we. We had this old guy come in and he played with Bro, right? So like he just came in. He. I don't know, he came to watch the game, whatever, right? So like a couple of us took him aside and like, Cuz Bro always said he was tough as nails, right? So we go to the guy, I said, like, you know, like, how tough is bro was? He like, as obviously says. He's like, wow. Kind of like, like, what do you mean kind of? He says he was crazy, like he'd spear you in the face. But he goes, well, there's one story about him beating up. And he said the guy's name who was like a really tough guy. And. But he goes, what he doesn't tell you about that is that guy fought another guy on the way to. On the way to the penalty box, bro jumps him in the pounding box and beats the piss out of him. And to this day, or you know, God rest his soul, bro, but he always said, oh, I kicked the out of that guy. But he. He didn't inform you that he'd already fought.

[Zdeno Konopka]

He had no. Nothing left.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That is. And, and, and, and mind you, you were only in wheeling for 68 games. So the fact that you have all these stories in less than a full season, we could do a whole.

[Ryan Whitney]

We could do six hours. I got more stories with that year than all the years combined. It was unbelievable. But it was entertainment. But it. Thank God it was my first year pro because I thought it was just like that, right?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Like, you guys were 28 and 40 one night.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Quickly, though, you. You did win an ECHL championship in Idaho. Pretty cool place to play. I got to go play in an all star game there. Not a big deal. And great building. Seemed like they had great fans, good city to live. They got the college there, so that must have been one of the highlights.

[Ryan Whitney]

It went from Wheeling, West Virginia, to the most intense coach in the world, okay. To Boise, Idaho, where the coach was the most laid back. He's still a buddy of mine, a great coach, John Oliver, right? But we go out for practice for like 35 minutes, and then it'll be over. And like with Bro it'd be like an hour and a half and we're skating for the last like, 25, right? I'm like, that practice is over. Like, is that the warmup? They're like, what are you talking about? In practice? Over. I'm like, it's been 35 minutes. Like, yeah, went a little long today, but we're okay, right? It was un. Like. And what a town. There's no. It's. It's. I, I find. I think Boise, Idaho is the most underrated city in America. People are so nice. No crime there. Not much at all.

[Zdeno Konopka]

And great fan. Don't they pack it too?

[Ryan Whitney]

We won a championship there. They think they thought we were in the NHL. Like, we had a parade. We had like, it was unbelievable. And, and, and, and so for that, so I get called up to Utah. Okay. Now at the start of that season, so I played for BRO Okay. And I. I only have three offers. I had a pretty good year that year. Third in rookie scoring in the league. I led our team. I had 268 minutes and I smashed my nose. But I took a slap shot off my face. But I only had three options, so one was going back to Wheeling to give me a AHL one way. But it was like, they're signing me to play in. In. In Wheeling. One was in Reading, and then one was in Utah. Boise. And so I said, okay, if I can guarantee me some games and Utah said, they'll guarantee me, like, eight or 10 games. So I said, well, can I talk to the coach from. From the East Coast?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

I said, where's the East Coast? And they said, boise Idol. I said, can I talk to the coach? They said, sure. I said. I said, you know, I just don't want to be stuck losing again, you know, Like, I want to make sure. So the co. I call the coach, and the coach says. I said, listen, I just got three questions. I said, one, do we have a chance to win there? Two, I'm used to playing a lot. I'd like to play a lot. And three, I got some guys I played with in Junior I want to bring in.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

He goes, listen, he goes, I don't know who you are, but he goes, I'll call you back within an hour, and I'll have the answers. And he calls me back, goes, one, yes, we have a chance to win. Yes, you're gonna play a lot. And yes, if guys can help us, we'll bring them in. Okay? So I had a friend that their dad had a racehorse, and I went to the racehorse track, like, the warmup track there, and they asked me if I want to cool down the horse. And I said, sure. I've never been on a horse in my life. I grew up on a fruit farm, not an animal farm. And I get on the horse and like, wow, that was pretty cool, right? So the next day I go back, right? And I said, can I get on the horse again? And they said, yeah, yeah. I said, well, how do you get it to go a little quicker, right? And now you're cooling the horse down on the track, and they're like, whoa, whoa. These are racehorses. You don't want them to go quicker. I'm like, no, I know, but, like, let's just say if you wanted to, how would you do it, right? For, like. Well, you squeeze your legs, right? So, like, I'm kind of cool down this horse. And so I kind of squeeze my legs a little bit, and nothing happens, right? And it's like walking around and, like, squeezing again. Nothing happens. I'm like, what the. So then the third time I squeeze it, I guess a little too hard, and the thing takes off, and they're like, I got. I'm in T shirt and shorts, and. And we go. Start going around the track, right? And these things are so fast, you wouldn't even believe it. Like. Like, you can't hear anything behind you. There's. You're gone so quick. So I'm thinking, okay, as long as I can stay on, do I get back where the trainers are, they'll figure out some way to slow down the horse, right? And I was, I thought, if I pull this horse, am I going to go and break my neck? You know, So I go around. So, you know, here's the track and I go all the way around and we're coming down, you know, the home stretch. The wrong way. The wrong way and fucking. I guess there's a safety device on the stirrups so if you get thrown off so it doesn't drag you if you put too much pressure. So I put too much pressure on something and it. The stirrup snapped and I fell off the horse and my other ankle got snapped and everyone's running out and I'm like, oh, my God, I'm so embarrassed.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You know they told you not to squeeze them, dude.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I didn't tell him. I just, I said, it just took off. I don't know what happened. And so then I ended up going for X ray. They said it wasn't broke, right? So then I kept on training, and then I couldn't skate like it was. It was so fucked up. And part of my deal was I got to go to Dallas Star camp and I had to call them. I can't go to camp. And then when I went to Utah, I could kind of skate, but I couldn't. And what's the gm? The old GM from Nashville. His son was. Son was the GM for Utah. And he pulled me in the office and said, listen, we heard about the accident. Like, you know, you got hurt outside hockey. He said, your contract, your, your eight games, guarantees out the window, and your contract's void unless the east coast coach wants you. And then that was the coach I talked to on the phone. And he goes, I'll take him. My God. So we leave the office and he says, I know what you have. We had a guy have it. It's called a high ankle sprain, right? This is like, I've never even heard that, you know, terminology before. And he goes, when we get back, we gotta go in a walking boot. I said, coach, I can play. I played through. He goes, nope. He goes, I just saved your career. You're going to walking boot. And I didn't play until November, like, so I haven't played a game yet. And my coach calls me in and says, hey, we can get this one of your buddies. You know, I put a list together, right? And the top of the list was Lance Galbraith. And he goes, should we get him? I said, 100%. Get him. Get him. Like, so then he calls me back in the office like, I don't know, 30 minutes later. He's like, hey, listen, I've called nine guys about this guy. Every guy says not to touch this guy. Like, there's no way. He's nuts. He's crazy. I say, no, no, no, I can control him. Like, trust me. It's a good crazy, you know? So, like, the coach tells the story about how, you know, everyone said no and I said yes. And he just, for some reason, agree with me and brought him in. And Lance ended up winning two championships there. I did. Lance would never do anything all summer but drink, right? Never work out, right? So every time he'd have a horrible camp, and around Christmas time, he'd start getting in shape, and then he'd be a fucking beast. In the playoffs, when we won the ohl, he led the. He led the playoffs in points and penalty minutes and pound for pound, one of the toughest guys ever says 5, 10.

[Zdeno Konopka]

He. He had 300 penalty minutes every year.

[Ryan Whitney]

And.

[Paul Bissonnette]

And just like you said, come summer skates, one speed, you would go to those money tournaments in Toronto and he would be a nightmare to play against.

[Ryan Whitney]

I mean, he was on, and he was, like, drunk at those things, like, Smash. Like, I couldn't believe. Like, I couldn't. Like, I can. I'm better now drinking and playing. But, like, back then, I had three or four beers. Like, I had a tough time, like, playing well, Like, Lance would have, like 18 beers and still get the game winner. Like, it was unbelievable. So, yeah, so we. We end up. So what happens now? Okay, I go to Utah at Christmas. My first HL. My first HL goal is the December 23rd against Milwaukee. We lose 2. 1. I scored only goal in my first game up. I get sent down the next day. I think I'm the only player. My first HL goal, I get sent down the next day. First NHL goal, I get sent down the next day. Okay, so then they asked me if I wanted to drive or fly. So I drive the first time. The second time, I said, I'll fly for like six hours. I'm not, you know, so I fly and I'm there the rest of the year. Now in Utah, we're not going to make the playoffs, and Don Hay is the coach. So I go to Don Hay, I said, listen, I wanted. I want to get sent down. He goes, what? I said, listen, we're. We're not making the playoffs here. And that coach took me with my bad ankle and he brought my guys and I want to go play. And he's like, no. He goes, you're. You're an AHL player. If I send you there, you'll be an east coast player. It's going to kill your career. He goes, you're not going to. I say, yeah, but if I go down there, we win. I'm in a way better position. He goes, win. He goes, I got. He had a kid on the team. He goes, you guys don't even have home race advantage in the first round. How are you guys going to win? Like, I wish you were right, but you're not. You're not going, right? And I plead with him and plead with him, and then he finally let me go. And it was three out of five. The series, we went down 2 0. So he said, I'm not going to send you down till we're mathematically out. And. But if we don't play on the days when they start the playoffs, because the east coast started early. So I flew to Vegas. We lost game one, flew back, flew to Vegas for game two. We lose game two. And it was like. It was kind of like. Kind of like the Brophy thing was like, we. In game two, we're down a goal with, like, 30 seconds left. And we set up a play. And look at Lance. I said, you know, if we don't tie the. You know, if we don't tie this game, go to overtime, we lose this game, We're. We gotta make a statement, right? And we had a big brawl at the end of the game, and it was like. And then got into the hallways and then, like, securities and, you know, they're. You know, they're saying, bye, bye, bye. And I said, we'll be back for game five. I guarantee we'll be back. Like, just wait. Make sure you be ready for game five. So then we won the next two games. We went back to base for game five. And one. Game five, then we upset three more teams and won. You know, it was pretty. Pretty special.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You saw that coming. Like, you could see it, too. You had an idea you guys could win it. That's crazy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Yeah. At that point, like, I. I felt like when I in the NHL is different because I wasn't a dominant, like, player in the NHL, but in the OHL on the east coast and then in the ahl, I was a pretty decent player. And then when it came down to it, if I had some dogs with me, it's like, we're Gonna. I'll take. I'll take on any dogs with our dogs. Like, and it was just like, eventually, as long as it's a series, one game you can lose, but in the series, it's like, we're gonna. And if we're not gonna be you, we're gonna take you down with us, you know? Like, I don't know. Like. But yeah, it was. But there's repercussions, right? Like, everybody wants their kid to be like this, right? But like, my body's. I got seven disc problems. Like, you know, like, there's repercussions to, like, you're playing as well, you know, like, now I got kids. My wife and four kids. And it's like, certain days are like, geez, man.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, but you wouldn't change it for the world, though, Az.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no. You know, I always say I would always still play to hurt and take the needles in the playoffs, but in the regular season, I don't know. Sometimes I was taking needles to play in the regular season. Like, I. I might rethink that part of it if I had to go back.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Do.

[Ryan Whitney]

Do we.

[Zdeno Konopka]

We need to hear that Merle story?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah. Great call. And we haven't even got to your time with the Islanders, for crying out loud.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, my God. I don't know. Have to get. Like, we're gonna have to. We're gonna. We're gonna have to leave. I'm. I'm gonna have to get the go ahead for murals before I tell us.

[Mike Grinnell]

He's right. Merrell's. Can you tell the story?

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Per.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He said he gave it the thumbs up.

[Mike Grinnell]

Thank you.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's not even there. He'd be on the camera.

[Zdeno Konopka]

He's too much of a vet.

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's doing a body armor ad for us right now. He's giving away free tickets if it doesn't involve women.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I think morals would let you tell it.

[Ryan Whitney]

He might. He might lose the body armor commercial if I tell the story. But it's not like. Anyway, we can always. We got a little bit of trouble in San Antonio with the law, so.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Oh, yeah, I actually have heard that. I actually have heard that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You guys all got arrested, right?

[Ryan Whitney]

Allegedly. Yeah, maybe.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I think his version of the story was he came around the corner, Karopko is dummying someone on the sidewalk. Listen.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay, now I have to tell the story because. Because now it's going to sound worse than it was, but. Okay. So I get called up from the east coast from Wheeling, West Virginia, and I'm pretty sure it's the same trip. We went on this trip, like there was a snowstorm in Philadelphia. It took us like 24 hours to get to Utah. And then we go to San Antonio and we're going to have a rookie party. And because I'm a call up, I'm not involved in the actual rookie part of it. Right. But. And, you know, we go for this dinner. And again, I. I wasn't drafted. Whatever. It was, like, pretty odd, pretty amazing. And our first round, Pittsburgh's first round pick was a guy named Ross Lupus Chuck. Okay.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I played with loopy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. And when Luka used to drink a little too much, then I don't know if you've seen that side of him, but he could get a little loopy.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, I think he's off this. I think he's off the sauce now.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, well, yeah, that's probably. That's a pretty. Pretty good decision maybe, right? So we go to this piano bar, okay? And the two dueling panels are going out all at the moon. And I'm kind of at the back, right? Because, like, I'm a rookie call up.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Whatever.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm just watching, drinking, whatever, right? And out of the corner of my eye, I look and there's Ross Lubaschuck, like, doing some taekwondo like in the mirror or something. And I'm like, what the fuck is he doing right now? Everyone's facing the piano, so I'm the only one, like, kind of looking over, and he goes to do this kick. And I don't know if he meant to kick the wine glass or he was just doing this kick and the wine glass got in the way. And he kicks a wine glass, like, halfway across the restaurant. And the bouncer looks over and he grabbed, almost beating the shit over. I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa. And, like, no one's seeing this. So I jump in to try to, like, pull these bouncers off. Now it's like it turned into a fight, right? We're getting pushed towards eggs that now, like, all of our guys are joining in, right? And I turn and I get suckered by a bouncer. And I'm like, it's just mayhem, right? And then the next thing I do and someone grabs me and I kind of rip my shoulder in his cop. And I'm like, so. And I'm like, listen, I got nothing to do with this. I was just jumping in like, I got suckered, right? He's like, shut the up, you know? And out of all this, it was me, Merly, and Darcy Robinson, who I think has passed away. But were the three guys that were arrested and Ross. None of these guys even got in trouble, right? And so I. I said, Mr. Police Officer, can I talk to. I said, listen, I. I just jumped in to break it up. I had nothing to do with this. He's like, fucking go tell it to the judge. Blah, blah. So now we get to the jail, and it's like, there's a huge cell in San Antonio, and three of us go in. So now I'm like, again, like, the jail guy. I'm like, hey, can I talk to you? I said, there's a big misunderstanding here. Like, we were just trying to break it up. He's like, tell to the judge. Don't tell me. Like, no one's giving us the time of day. I'm like, jesus Christ. So I remember those guys were kind of like. I'm like, well, we might as well look, get a little bit of rest, right? So I put my, like, suit jacket down, and they're like, you're gonna sleep in here. There's like 60 guys in here. Like, I'm like, like, what do you think is gonna happen? You know? So in Texas, they had this law that you go in front of the judge. So, like, in the morning. It's like eight in the morning, okay? And we get three of us in front of this judge, and the judge is like, what happened? And we explained that. Listen, we were just jumping in, trying to break things up. And. And I gotta. I got a mark or, like, under my eye. Like, I'm cut open. And he goes, okay, okay. He goes, listen, there's two options. One is that we're gonna have an arraignment. You guys can come back and we're going to, you know, we'll set, you know, a trial. You can get some lawyers and stuff. Okay? We're Option two. You pay a fine for a misdemeanor misdemeaning. And it doesn't go on your record or anything. Merle's is like, how much is the fine? He goes, 200 bucks. He goes, I'll pay all three. I'm like, thanks, Merle. Right? Like, I was making, like, 300 bucks in the minors, right? A week, and. And then, boom, we're out. And I'm like, oh, my God. Thank God. Like, you know, like. Cause it kind of. And then you hear that the news hit the TV or radio, the paperback in Wilkesbury. And then I get called in at the rink that I'm getting sent down.

[Zdeno Konopka]

I'm like, right, I didn't even do anything right.

[Mike Grinnell]

Well, you know, you're usually the one asking us get sent down.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

So I get sent down to Peoria, okay? And we're Wheelings playing Peoria, and I come to the game and the. The radio guy goes, hey, listen, do you want me to tell Bro for you? Are you going to tell Bro? I was like, oh, my God, Bro. And Bro always told me, like, you know, stop going out so much. He had a meeting with me. He's like, why do you go out so much, right? I was like, I don't know, like. Like having like. Like beers and going out. He said, okay, I'll. I'll make you a deal. I said, do you think it's affected my play? He goes, no, definitely not affecting the play, but I don't want you to get labeled, you know, Like. He goes, I'll let you go out as much as you want. As long as you don't go out with the guys, then no one's going to know you're going out. I'm like, well, that I don't want to go out then, right? What's the point, right? So. So he was always all over me about that. So now it's. I'm like, fuck, I got to tell Bro if this, he can kill me. Because he just said, stay out of trouble. This is why you don't go out, because shit happens. It's not your fault. And then, you know you're going to get a bad name, right? So I told the radio guy, I said, no, no, I'll tell him, but I'll tell him after the game. I. So I'm like, I gotta have a hell of a game. So I fight this guy and we end up losing 2:1. But they were like a really good team. And I'm like, so I get on the bus and I. Biz probably knows, like, Peoria to Wheeling is like, I don't know, nine or 10 hours. It's like. And so I'm like 12ft from bro and I get up to tell him about this, and then I push you out and get back down, right? And I got. Okay, I'll have a couple more beers, then I'll tell him. Like, I do this for 10 hours. I'm so scared to tell him, like. So we get to Wheeling right now it's daylight because it's the morning ready, right? And he goes, all right, you know, we'll see on Tuesday, you know. I said, Prof. I gotta talk to you. He goes, ah, whatever it is, Again, wait till Tuesday. I was like, no, I can't, right? And he goes, oh, well. He's like, we're gonna come in my office, right? And I'm so scared. I'm like. And he's like, what? What. What happened? I said, well, you know my mark on my eye here. I said, I didn't get that from playing. I said, I. I got into an altercation at a bar and, you know, I got arrested, right? He goes, well, for what? What happened? I said, told him the story. I said, well, one of the players kicked the wine glasses and beating the shit out of him and jumped in and tried to help him. He leans back in his chair. He goes, you know how many times I've been arrested for other guys, stupid. He goes, don't worry about it. I'm like, I stressed for 10 hours on the way home. I could have been having, like. Yeah, Mer was very nice. Like, Mer was like, I think our second round pick or third round pick. And he was super awesome guy to like the. Yeah, that's why.

[Paul Bissonnette]

That's why Whit always wants him around. Help. He's his gambling buddy, his drinking buddy, you know?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, I just. I just brought him in the mix. Like, we need this guy on the road. He came to meet us. Philly Washington game. We were doing a pink Whitney event and gave. Gave out the draw as the bed of the night plus 3:30. And it went to overtime. And never since then, Mer has never looked back or stopped gambling.

[Ryan Whitney]

Awesome, dude, man. Awesome.

[Zdeno Konopka]

All right, well, I mean, we have so much to talk about, but we have another.

[Paul Bissonnette]

We got another interview with Cal Clutterbuck after this.

[Zdeno Konopka]

We gotta do round two with you. Hey, do you play golf?

[Ryan Whitney]

I do. I do. Oh, boy. That would be a fun one.

[Paul Bissonnette]

You know what we should do is we should get you and Klutzy for a. For a sandbagger.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's actually not bad because I'm not that good. And he's really good.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Oh, he's nasty.

[Zdeno Konopka]

We get the rollback. Last question. Because you ask it. But let me just read the code. Code [e-mail] Generous 20 off your first purchase through the end of this week. C-H-I C L-E-T S on R H O-B-A-K.com 20 off. All polo shorts, swim trunks, and more with code Chicklets biz. Give it to him.

[Paul Bissonnette]

We're going to have to bypass Tampa Bay this time. Your time in Columbus. No. Ottawa? No. Minnesota. No Buffalo. But the New York Islanders, you played all 82 games. You had two goals, seven assists, 370 penalty minutes. I'm going to name you some of the guys on this roster down here. Well, obviously yourself. And where is it? Oh, was Gillies not on this team?

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh yeah, Trevor Gillies. Oh yeah.

[Mike Grinnell]

He used to patrol the red line in War up. Say even when he wasn't playing, he was.

[Ryan Whitney]

I played with Gills in the Miners too, right? And we were kind of, you know, kind of buddies before. I love Gills. I say this, okay? I think Gills was the scariest fighter of all time, okay. And now there was guys that were bigger and stuff, like. But he was a lefty and he was crazy. And he loved fighting, you know, like some of the most of these guys don't. Like, he loved fighting. We used to fight in the street. So when I played with him in Portland, okay, we would get drunk and start wrestling around and you know. And then the next year he went to this Muay Thai guy and he's kneeing me and I'm like, oh. He goes, yeah, I learned this over the sum of these knees, right? I'm like, yo, stop my ribs. Right? And he's drunk and he keeps doing it, right? I get into the fucking trainer's room, like they want to shut me down. Bruised ribs and they think it's. I've got to tell them from the game. But it was from Gills, so no, I love Trevor Gillies.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Hey, you want to know something pretty cool? Nobody has had more PIMs than you ever since and I'd be willing to say ever again in one season in the NHL.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, my two. My two little like kind of claim to fames. I was the last guy to have over 300 pounding minutes and I was the second best face off guy of all time, percentage wise.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah. What was, what was it about? Like, what made you so good at those?

[Paul Bissonnette]

He's nibbling on the guy's ears.

[Ryan Whitney]

Before.

[Mike Grinnell]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

When I was 12 years old, we had a non parent coach and they kept stats and they kept plus minus, they kept hits, takeaways, give and face offs. So when you get a piece of paper with your buddies, like you want to be the best at that. Then when I go to, you know, when I go to Ottawa, you don't play center if you don't can't take draws. And I started realizing, and I mean like biz did a pretty good job of figuring out like little things that are going to keep you around, you know, like there's like little things that will just. And like being able to take face offs, man, like, even now, it's even more important with puck possession. If they had analytics back then, they would have played a little longer, you know, like, because when you start with a puck, especially on the power plane, stuff like that. So I was on teams where I would just take the, you know, face off on the power plane and get off.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Well, Z man, we can't thank you enough.

[Zdeno Konopka]

You're a legend.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Highly entertaining as always. You haven't changed a bit. I wish we could go to. Where would we hang out in Saint Kitts.

[Ryan Whitney]

There, where we were getting the bar scraps sometimes Jailhouse.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Yeah. What was that? Brophy was the manager of it. What was the whole area called, though?

[Ryan Whitney]

Port Daluzzi.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Portal? Uzi, buddy. Those were the good old days.

[Ryan Whitney]

No doubt. No doubt. Yeah.

[Mike Grinnell]

I'm fascinated by this Brophy guy. Did he have, like, a family? Any, like, grandkids at that age? Like, was there any soft spots?

[Ryan Whitney]

He was going out when we. He coached us. He was going out with this girl, this lady that was. She used to be on the LPJ tour. She wasn't like anything to look at. And that was. I think they got married and then that was his fourth marriage. And I'm pretty sure that didn't last too long. No, he's the bad. You guys should do a Rophy show. It's unbelievable.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, we should get like 20 guys that played for him. Everyone gets a million that played for him.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Was our Pod Mohali on your team when you played with them?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Okay. When you play for. Oh, my God.

[Ryan Whitney]

So. So when I. Okay, so when I. I did a charity event, we went to Thunder Bay and there was a bunch of ex Leaf guys, right? So there's Clark there, Steve Thomas. I frady. Right. And we're the planes delayed, right? And somehow one of the guys asked, he said, did you play for John Broy? And I'm like, yeah, yeah, I played. And they're like, hey, we don't get over. He played for Bro. No way. Right? Then they started telling bro stories in Toronto and stuff like that. And before you know it, the whole airport is around us laughing and dying. And like, Gary Lehman, it was like.

[Zdeno Konopka]

They had so many.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, it was.

[Paul Bissonnette]

It was even more old school when they had them. And he probably get away with more because he was with the Leafs, but it's kind of like that skit from SNL to Bill Brasky. Well, Z.

[Zdeno Konopka]

All right.

[Mike Grinnell]

You're the best, man.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Thank you so much, buddy.

[Ryan Whitney]

You get so much for hockey in the future of hockey. So thanks, guys. Appreciate it.

[Zdeno Konopka]

This episode of Spit and Chicklet is brought to you by body armor Flash IV. Flash IV delivers faster, longer lasting hydration with over 2000 milligrams of electrolytes. 2000. And no artificial dyes, flavors, or sweeteners like those other drinks. I. I played golf in the heat. It was like 98 degrees. I'm just exhausted. I'm gassed. Boom. Body Armor Flash IV feel phenomenal the next day. Just feel better than I would have if you hadn't drank it. Because you put it in your system and you know it's natural. There's none of that junk. There's none of the crap that's in the competitors. It tastes great. You feel good after you have it, and it is not bad for you. So whether you're training, traveling, or just feeling the heat, work hard, hydrate hard with Body Armor Flash IV and grab yours today at your local 7Eleven convenience store. Right now, go over there to a 7Eleven and grab a body armor flash IV. You'll thank me later. Thank you so much to Zenin Konopka that he had some stories. I mean, great storyteller, awesome player. Just the way he went about his entire career. I wish I got to play with him. I mean, we need a sandbagger with him because I think he'll be electric on the course.

[Mike Grinnell]

Yeah, it could be like another round of when you guys had Bugsy and be a fist fight with Biz on one of the tee boxes with him. You never know what's going to happen. Yeah. What a, what a treat of a guy. And you could tell he just loves the game too, right?

[Zdeno Konopka]

Like, oh.

[Mike Grinnell]

Figured out he knew if he was going to last in the NHL, he needed to be good on face offs. And he did it. And, you know, played a. Had a hell of a career and still loves the game. Right. He's still giving back. That's awesome.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah. So many penalty minutes. I'm just looking at his career stats right now. It's crazy.

[Mike Grinnell]

Someone was actually telling a story at Kachuk's wedding about Konopka that, like, he would be, you know, taking a face off and it'd be like towards the end of the year and he'd be like, hey, guys. Or to the center, me be like, dude, I got like a $250,000 bonus if I'm like, top five in the league. Let me snap this one back. There's two minutes left. You're up by six. Just let me Win this one. And guys would be like, all right, I don't want to get my head punched in. Just let him win the face off. It was.

[Zdeno Konopka]

And if you say no, I'm going to jump you and just smash your nose in before the off season.

[Mike Grinnell]

Yes.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Yeah, that was, that was a great interview. Stranglers are ready. Oh, actually, no. You just mentioned how was Chuck's wedding? Did Brady give the best man speech?

[Mike Grinnell]

Yeah, he did. It was great. Short, sweet, you know, got all the emotions going, you know, that any brother does. But yeah, he was awesome. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was typical. Typical Chucky too. It was a 15, 20 minute mass and then right back to the hotel to start partying. It was beautiful, the way it should be. But yeah, they, you know, they throw in a great party. Ellie's family, the, you know, Walt and Chantel, Matthew and Ellie. It was amazing. From top to bottom, everything, first class. It was fun. And those weddings are always fun. You get to see guys that you played with, played against and you know, you feel bad when you go with your wife because you never even talk to her because you're just talking hockey with the guys and. But it's. Yeah, it was a blast. Great to see those guys at the.

[Zdeno Konopka]

Airport on the way home. You're like, Kristen, that was a fun weekend, huh? Yeah, I haven't seen you. Were you one of the guys carrying Walt?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no.

[Mike Grinnell]

God, no.

[Zdeno Konopka]

No. My shirt off, that was, that was just scenes. Yeah, that looked awesome. Group group chats going.

[Mike Grinnell]

Group chats going. Boys are picking out their numbers for the jerseys, you know, sending me clips of them training, getting ready, playing in some upcoming tournaments. Yeah, the boy, the boys are ready. And see the thing about business team. I don't think that they, they, they're taking this like, ah, it's just another ball hockey tournament. My guys, I think they realize, you know what it takes to win this. They know what it means to us to beat biz. Because if we, if we come on this podcast for a couple weeks after that, losing to him, where it's going to be absolute hell. So I think, but I think our team, I think they know what it means to us and what it will mean to them and they're ready to go. And it's on home soil too. It's huge.

[Zdeno Konopka]

The home soil is a big, a big aspect also. I think there's going to be like a shitload of people at these games. At least your guys game, it's going to be like, I've talked to a bunch of buddies that are going to go. Yeah. I mean I think the big deal selects. They want to win. Like truly like they want to win. They just get. They just go so hard. They get out from the first night. I mean, I think Biz mentioned a couple times like, let's try to like not go too hard that first night. You're telling Terry Ryan to not go hard.

[Mike Grinnell]

Especially in Boston, which is kind of like a Newfoundland he's going to be. He might not show up.

[Zdeno Konopka]

All right, dude, thank you so much for. For hopping on everyone. I hope you enjoyed us kind of catching up. Well, I'll be back for sure next week. Maybe Yance will join me. Maybe Biz. We'll see and have a great week.

[Mike Grinnell]

Way.

[Ryan Whitney]

Even if I go the other way. Get the crew together and head off.

[Paul Bissonnette]

To the course in the new 2024.

[Ryan Whitney]

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.

[Paul Bissonnette]

Let's drive.