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Ra
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.
Biz
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Ra
And getting it done.
Biz
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Ra
Me and Ryan have been officially welcomed to the jungle that is barstool sports.
Biz
I brought it towards the Coyotes and I asked him if it was okay if I joined the Spit Chicklets podcast full time.
Whit
Ryan Whitney's got a pink Whitney out there now.
Biz
Sandbagger.
Luke Robitaille
Get that on camera.
Whit
Keith Yandel, the song commander.
Is a full time member. Marley just got an assist from Chris Beat.
Yan
Whoa. We're buzzing right now.
Whit
Welcome everyone to episode 602 of the Spit and Chicklets Podcast. We are back a day early, ready to roll with Luke Robitaille. What a legend. But first, we got to talk about Discover. This episode is brought to you by Discover, Sponsored by Discover, the official credit card of the National Hockey League. No matter if your team wins or loses, Discover is there for you with cash back on all of your postgame purchases. With the Discover it card, you can earn cash back on every purchase. So celebratory wings just got even tastier. Learn more@discover.com credit card cash back on team gear, cash back on tickets, cash back on french fries, etc. Etc. The Discovery NHL Winter Classic is taking place January 2, 2026 in Miami. Rangers at Panthers Tune into TNT and Biz get cash back on every purchase with the Discover it card. Learn more@discover.com credit card.
Yeah guys, I can read. I can read. I could read sometimes. What's going on Biz? You've been an excellent reader lately.
Yan
That's true.
Biz
Usually when I'm reading about dick pills, I just all of a sudden turn into A reading savant, you know?
Whit
No way. No way. Yeah, that makes total sense. You're a dick guy.
Biz
Well, I do the RO ads. Have I done any. Any other ads in the row? Ads?
Whit
I don't know. I don't know.
Yan
You're into those?
Biz
Yeah.
Ra
The.
Whit
The ads or the pills.
Or just dick.
Biz
Oh, no.
Whit
Or your own. Your own.
Biz
Okay, okay, okay. Pause, pause.
Whit
So we have. We have 95 minutes with Luke Robitaille. I. I know. I know we're pumping this up, but just please, everyone. We even wanted to drop this episode Thursday because it gives you a little extra time to listen. Then before we're back at. Back with you on Monday, a comedian, a hall of famer, a legendary career, and an awesome storyteller. We got ra's World. Apparently, RA is very fired up to talk about your There Will Be Blood video. I got a kick out of that.
Biz
It was.
Whit
I saw. It was six minutes, and I was like. I didn't. I didn't want it to end. I just wanted you to keep going. I tweeted, you may be a movie critic when all is said and done.
Biz
Well, I mean, the fact that we've been talking about There Will Be Blood, and that's the only movie I watch, and I've probably seen it 75 times. And then Quentin Tarantino. I. Most of you who are listening right now have probably been online and see what the uproar is. I think it was the most viral thing that happened on Wednesday or no, Tuesday, because you're going to be listening to this. Two days separated.
Yan
What was it?
Biz
So he came out with his very rude. Very rude top 20 list of movies of the 21st century. It was a very odd list. Like, kind of like all over the place in a sense of genres and. And. And. And what his favorites were. I thought he said Toy Story at four. It was actually he had toy. Toy Story 3 as his second favorite movie of the 21st century. So you think a guy like Quentin Tarantino would be maybe a little bit.
Yan
Like, he directed Toy Story?
Biz
Oh, no. Okay. Well, that makes a lot of sense. He had his. His number one is Blackhawk Down. Now. I saw it, and I saw it one time, and all I remember from it is, like, it was very intense and loud the entire time. Like, there was never a break from just, like, gunshots and.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, there was.
Whit
There was.
Biz
It was just like, oh, my God.
Whit
There was, though, because it's one of my favorite scenes in Blackhawk Down.
Yan
He's coming at you.
Biz
No, no, no. But. But it was A long movie. So it was just a lot of noise for the full. I think it was like well over two hours. Right. But the, the biggest that that was, that was the list right there. So if you're watching online, you could see the full list. And he still put there will be Bl. Comments were that if There Will Be Blood wouldn't have had Paul Dano as the Priest, that it probably would have been ranked first in the 21st century. And he went at Paul Dano saying how he was like, it was a brutal performance. He overacted. He was quote, unquote, weak sauce. And that it ruined. Essentially ruined the movie. Where a little fun fact for th. For. For those of you who don't know Paul Dano. He wasn't even scheduled to play the priest. And they were filming the movie for three weeks. And then I don't know who was playing the priest, but they were like, ah, this ain't. This ain't it and this ain't the guy. So Paul Dano had two days notice and then stepped in in that role where I thought he was excellent. Like, call him above average. But it definitely didn't ruin the movie. So I just thought it felt like a personal attack not only on Paul Dano, but my favorite movie.
Yan
So you.
Biz
I went. Yeah, exactly. I went right at Quentin Tarantino saying that he was hitting the crack pipe.
Ra
Yeah.
Biz
And I'm interested to hear what Ra's thoughts because he's the movie guy now. You saw the movie. What did you think of Paul Dano in it?
Whit
I thought he was great. The worst part of the quotes was I think he. He at the end said he's the worst actor in the sag, which is, I think, Screen Actors Guild.
Biz
Yeah.
Whit
Sog, I guess you call. Just. It seems like it's. There's something personal between those two going on.
Biz
Somebody. A bunch of tweets were legit. Like, somebody must. He must have plow his mom or something. Yes.
Yan
Or, or, or.
Biz
Or his wife or something. Something personal. Quentin Tarantino has known to have a foot fetish. So people were saying maybe he didn't show him his feet when he asked for a picture or to see them live in the flesh. I don't know what his personal vendetta is against him, but definitely an off the cuff comment that I, I didn't appreciate.
Yan
Yeah. I thought that kid was good in that movie. He's. He's like one of those actors that like, you think like, oh my God, is he this weird? Like, is this just how he Is like. Was he in, he was in Batman, right?
Biz
Yeah, he was the Riddler.
Yan
He was the Riddler. Yeah, yeah, like, just like you'd think that that's him. So I thought he did a good job in that movie.
Biz
Yes, he played. But so one of the other things was, is, is, is Tarantino said that it should have been a two hander. Was the comment where. That's a movie like we talked about the other day, Heat, where you have two main guys going at it and they, and they both dominate the screen. But that to me wasn't what he was supposed to provide. He was this kind of this basically Daniel Day Lewis in it. Daniel Plain View, the oil tycoon. He was his. And he was this naive priest trying to be like, basically be a poser where he would give these sermons where he would just be like, oh, you know, like, like screaming. Like you see in these clips online of these priests who have Bentleys who are trying to praise the, like the, to spread your wealth.
Whit
They're worth 400 million.
Biz
Yeah, yeah.
Yan
They're selling out the Dallas Cowboys stadium to fucking.
Biz
Yeah. Who's the, who's the one guy where they, they had all the floods in Texas and he built this big mega church and he didn't want anybody staying in it while they were, they were out of their homes and stuff. It's like that's literally what the money's for, buddy. So I don't know, I just thought it was a, it was a bizarre way to start the week. And it just so happens it's my favorite movie all time. And Quentin Tarantino went below the belt on me.
Yan
There's two things in. Two things in this life that you don't come after. It's Houston's and it's fucking There Will be blood and whatever's in the way is going to get these hands. So for the rest of you out there, anything else is on. Like me and Whit have chirped you up and down like since we've known you. Those are two things we know not to bring up. And I will never, ever bring those up.
Whit
I mentioned it. Although it is crazy that Houston's didn't give a salad named after you. I still will stand by that. Yeah, the tossed salad. Exactly. With extra, extra mayo on it. But, but it's.
Ra
It.
Whit
That's Siskel and Beesbert right there. That's just like you. That's. That's just you just ripping up movies and ripping on directors who come at, you know, your movie. That, that's A good call by Keith.
Biz
I still said though, I believe that Quentin Tarantino, even if you're, you're, you're a big time movie head, he's probably in the top 10 all time as far as directors with his catalog of movies, the uniqueness of them and the, and the, and, and the plots and just the way that he's able to, to get all the best actors in them and then, but I, I, I would even personally have him in my Mount Rushmore. So it's nothing against him personally, it's just more of his, his ignorant comments towards Paul Dano.
Whit
Ra is probably trying to rip through his computer screen to get on this zoom right now.
Biz
Like maybe he agrees with Terrence.
Whit
Well, we'll, we'll get into that later. Ra's World, you know, that's what, whatever he wants to talk about, we're, we're living in his world. That's right in that segment. So tonight everyone, us three will be in studio together with Andy Petrillo and we'll be going coast to coast big time. Bummer for Keith and I that this isn't in the States. I understand, you know, TV rights, all that. Amazon's just in Canada right now. But for anyone in Canada listening, tune in Amazon prime tonight. I went through last night. We got a hell of a slate. You know, Blues, Bruins, Rangers, centers, big game, Penn's Lightning, Predators, Panthers, avalanche, Islanders, Schaefer vs. Makar, the Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, Leafs are kind of going right now. Wings, Blue Jackets, Wild Flames, Kraken, Oilers, God damn Edmonton. And that wall stat fucking guy is just killing me. But, and then Black shutout. What, four?
Biz
What does he have four shutouts now.
Whit
In his last six games? It's 8.02in his last 10 games. The Wild are a complete wagon. It kind of brings us into to last or Tuesday night's games. A great slate. Also I think the big takeaway at the end, you know, you wake up in the morning, what were the big things that happened? That Bedard goal, which one? I, I know the one that actually counts in the stats. The shootout one might have been even dirtier. And apparently skating by the Vegas bench after guys were like, that was unreal because like somebody saw him say thanks to the bench. Yeah, sometimes just dip your cap there. Fine, son. Good job. You just opened up the wickets and slid it right through the five hole. But the shot, man, and it was on sh door. This is a, a world class defenseman, a guy who could skate almost as well as any D man in the league. He gets him to pivot, cuts back in. And that release and the way he shoots the puck bar down from that far out, it was, it was a thing of beauty. I couldn't stay up for that game. I passed out after midway through the second. And then I get up, I see that. I'm like, are you kidding me? This guy and his skill level and what he's doing within all the noise about the Olympics, it's not just not slowing him down, it's actually making him elevate his game. So incredible goal from there. I didn't know if there was anything from Tuesday night's games that stood out to you biz personally.
Biz
Well, I mean, the le. I'm obviously the Leafs winning South Florida was huge. You know the.
Yan
Congrats. They beat the, the Charlotte Checkers.
Biz
No, hey, listen, man wins a win. Fucking Leafs needed bad. The. Probably the trolling from Marshawn, which it felt like trolling.
Luke Robitaille
Unless.
Biz
Did you guys send some sincerity in his voice?
Whit
I only read it. Did you see the video of it?
Biz
Yeah.
Whit
Okay.
Biz
Yeah, I felt like he kind of had a few smirks in there. Kind of like when you do when your lip starts quivering and drives me up the fucking wall, you know, I.
Whit
I, the lip quivers sometimes just because I'm like so excited listening to the next point that's going to come out of your mouth. It's, it's not necessarily trolling. It's just like, oh, my God, like we have a legit movie critic on the pod talking about hockey. This is a gift from God.
Biz
So you're a what?
Whit
I'm serious. I love.
Biz
Oh, wait, are, are you being as sincere as Brad Marshall right now?
Whit
I'm being more sincere if you're saying he's trolling. There's no troll in me right now.
Biz
I feel like he's, I feel like he's trolling and try to stir things up. But going back to the Bedard, like, I feel like, like coming into the year, I don't think any of us had him on the Olympic team. Right. Would you, would you agree?
Whit
No.
Yan
Right? Yep.
Biz
And with every game that's going gone on, like, it's just more and more confidence where you feel like, okay, wow, we're seeing the best of. Oh, my God, he's got another. Oh my God, he's got another level and he's just, he's just clawing at that confidence. And, and with every game I see him play, I'm like, damn. I think that he's going to be starting the Tournament on the wing with, you know, Crosby or McDavid at this point, like, you can't. You really can't deny his skill and the way that he's moving out there. And I know it's weird to say, like, some people might be fucking screaming at their. At their radios or. Or at their YouTube channel right now at the fact that I have, like, do you have them playing, starting the tournament on the wing now at this point?
Yan
I think he went from penciled in in the beginning of the year, and now it's set in stone. He's on the team. Like, what he's doing this year, like you said, with the pressure. With the pressure of being a young guy trying to make the team, gonna be the next face of the, you know, Canada hockey movement. I guess him and Macklin Celebrity. But I think 100%, it's not even a question anymore whether you think he's going to be on the team or not. It's what you said. What line is he going to be on?
Biz
Yeah, I just. I. I can't see him starting as, like, a third or fourth line center, can you?
Whit
Well, look at the line. So you got the top four guaranteed of the top six forwards. We got McKinnon, Crosby, McDavid, Reinhardt right after that. Like, I actually think Crosby, Reinhardt, Marshawn is just such a sick line. And Marshawn is the one guy on Florida. Well, Reinhardt as well. But, like, he. He's locked in, like what he's done last year in the cup final, last year in that tournament. Like, he's there then. I mean, if you're looking at McDavid and McKinnon playing with celebrity and Bedard or figuring out one of the guys fitting in there, it makes sense. It really does. Now, I think there's some serious question marks. They're like good question marks for Canada.
Luke Robitaille
You just.
Whit
You're so deep. You have so many options. But I wonder if we're going to be surprised at the amount of guys that aren't playing a big role in February in Italy, that were in February in Boston last year.
Biz
You mean. You mean in North America?
Whit
I know. Apparently there's, like, legit rumors that this might happen. And. You said it, Biz. You're like the new Merles. It's your idea. You thought of it. Just bring this thing over here. We'll sell out every barn they play it in.
Biz
So it sucks. So I guess we'll dive a little deeper into this. So we've heard rumblings that they went over there to check out the rink and it's just not in good shape. We talked about it even last podcast.
Yan
The rink is getting put down today. The ice.
Biz
Yeah. But keep in mind it's. It's four feet shorter as far as length. So they up the length. I don't know how you do.
Yan
So they're gonna take away the neutral zone. So just the neutral zone. Be sure it's the same as was it who did Nashville. Nashville, Pittsburgh. You. You won't even notice it like they did it in that Nashville Pittsburgh game. It just shortens the neutral zone a little bit. So it does. I don't think that's a big issue.
Biz
The thing that would suck for the players is they don't get the experience of the Olympics and to be in the Olympic Village and, and take all that in. I think for the integrity of, of the. The sport and the game. And also given how much North America and, and how much the growth of hockey is happening in the States right now, I think that it would be a blessing in disguise if they ended up moving the hockey component of the Olympics over to North America. Worry about growing it over here, you know, and, and, and obviously I don't know what's going to happen with the money. I would assume that the gate has to end up going to the IOC because they're like fucking as corrupt as they come and they're not going to be able to. To like take the criticism of fucking this whole thing up and the fact that this rink wasn't built because they're taking four hour espresso breaks in the afternoon. But I just think that it would be sick to see it over here. And then it's in our time zone where we're going at normal times, whether it's afternoon games or at night. Snap it around to Boston, Minnesota. I think that color. Because you got to think of rinks that wouldn't be occupied.
In advance. Like knowing in advance. Because I would imagine like msg. Like that's for sure. Got to be booked up. Maybe even in Boston. Like Minnesota. Not sure. I feel like that's a place that deserves to watch Olympic hockey. Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal. I just think that they should seriously consider thinking about shifting it over here. And I know it would suck for the players to not get that true experience. But in fact minus all the travel and all the bullshit, they might want that. What do you guys think about doing it over here? Do you think it takes away from the Olympics? No.
Whit
I mean you don't get to go to the opening or closing ceremonies. Anyway. Yeah, you missed the village, but the village sounds like It's a Section 8 housing dump. And you don't even really get to go to, like, other events.
Yan
You're. You're.
Whit
You're not really. I mean, maybe we got to see like a little bit here or there, but I just think at this point, the guys wouldn't even care. Saving the travel over, saving the time change, saving all that. You're in North America and in terms of the gate, like, ioc, yeah, they definitely get something. But how many seats are in this arena that's still being built anyways? There's no way.
Biz
It's the other thing.
Whit
18,000. So it's like the atmosphere would be even better.
Biz
And. And G was chiming in, in the. In the group text about Lugano. Is that. That's in Switzerland, right?
Whit
Yes.
Yan
So I heard that's a definite no.
Biz
Okay, so just even hearing that, like, what are the other options? So this is becoming more and more of a serious issue. We'll get as much information behind the scenes and bring it to you guys as far as what we can. But that's probably at the list of concerns right now for the NHL and trying to grow the game because this was. This is the first time they're back and I don't know how many years the first time that McDavid is going to be playing. Best on best. Same with Maar. Right, Too. I don't think McCarr has either. I mean, like, McKinnon hasn't either.
Whit
No, this will be 12 years. It was 2014 in Russia, and then here we go.
Biz
We're having a fucking rink issue. So.
Yan
So I heard, I heard. I think the biggest issue, too is, like, they're going to supposedly have the ice down January 5th, I think, and get some skating on it, whatever. But the biggest issue I think could be if, you know those days that you have three games on, like that first day where there's three games on that same sheet with, you know, these big, massive guys skating on it. Like, it takes the tear on it. So you could be looking at like a sheet of ice. Like, remember playing an afternoon game in AHL after or a late game after a NBA game. And there's like, cones on the ice to not skate by. So I think that would be something to worry about. So even having to pivot halfway through the. The tournament because the ice is so shitty, it's like, why not just start it over here?
Biz
Yeah, it's like, it's like you can't even Truly test it to what it's going to be going through during the Olympics. I, I agree with the Yans. I, I don't even think they should risk it. I think they should think of an alternative plan right now. And, and some people might say, well, keep it at least closer. Like maybe they can go to, to Sweden or Finland or somewhere overseas. I just think. What do you think? 80 to 85% of the players that are going to be playing in the Olympics are playing in the National Hockey League.
Whit
Yeah, maybe it's more. Well, because of. You're saying because of Switzerland.
Biz
Yeah. There's some countries where it's like half, if not more than more than half.
Whit
The players saying Turin, where they had the, oh, six games that Sweden won the gold, it's an hour and a half from Milan. So that makes a lot of sense to me now if this rink they're building right now, like, do we bring over. Does the NHL bring over the ice crew?
Yan
No.
Whit
Is it like Mario and Luigi out there on the Zamboni that they've done it for like a couple months, like, because that honestly they should same.
Yan
It's the same people that did the rank in Torino. But it's not, it's not NHL guys. It's not. Cause I mean, think of those, the outdoor games they put up in what, a couple months, two months?
Whit
Ah, even quicker, I think.
Yan
Quicker. I mean obviously that's different. They probably have the compression stuff underneath, but why not bring those guys over? Because what I heard is that where it is in Italy right now, there was not like they didn't have water, they didn't have power. It was like a brand new site like that. They just said, okay, let's put a rink here. And then they had to build the infrastructure.
Whit
So it's FIFA, FIFA. And the Olympic committee is mafia.
Luke Robitaille
Those are.
Biz
They're fucking sitting on their mega yachts clout.
Whit
Yeah, they're very similar to Joel Osteen and the rest of that.
Biz
Yeah.
Whit
With the monster houses and the. How did you pull the Gotti's G wrote it up there. Joel Austin. Yeah. Here's a church that I make 45 million a year and built this church. But as this hurricane's ravaging through our town, nobody's allowed in here. But make sure you come back to church and donate in three weeks when you get back into your houses. So yeah, the Olympic committee and FIFA are just scam artists. That's what it is upsetting for the NHL. I'm sure that Gary Bettman's Sitting in his office, fuming that we're back. It's finally back. And it. It was a lot of headaches to get back, right? The disagreements with the owners and the players and the league and all this. All right, let's do it. This is great for the game. And now this is the noise coming out. Now, granted, if it all turns out okay, once the game start, that's all we're talking about. That's all we care about. But. But as of right now, this should not be the storyline. It should be going through the top six of Canada, us, Sweden, and. And then not talking about a rink. That's like the bricks are still being put up and they're putting the cutter on the back of the Zamboni. Like three. Three hours before the face off of the first game of the.
Luke Robitaille
Don't worry.
Biz
It's going to get the done.
Whit
Is it going to get the done?
Yan
If they need guys to go over there and help out, we should just go. Like, if they need bodies, let's go and do it. What, are we here to build the game, too?
Whit
We're going to end up drinking wine, Italian food.
Biz
I used to. I help lay brick.
Whit
Oh, I know you. You lay brick. That never changed. It didn't stop.
Biz
It's used. Build houses and. Well, and I used to bring the miter to the guys laying the brick. The mix. Help mix it in the mixer and then. And then put it. Put it in the pails, dump it in the wheelbarrow, and then wheelbarrow it all the way up to the house. And then they could.
Yan
I'd love to see what shape those houses are in.
Biz
I think back then I was making $10 cash an hour.
Whit
Right. To Arrow Pistol, Grab a T shirt, resell it later.
Biz
Right, right. To Balkan. Yeah, right. To Aldo for my new dress shoe.
Whit
So Demodov now has it. It's been passed around Russian since Biz bought it.
Yan
I'd love to see if those houses are still standing, man.
Biz
You don't think I take pride in my. My helping with bricklaying work? You don't think so?
Whit
They're all singing Christmas carols. The roof collapses. They're like bissing that.
Biz
I wasn't the one putting the brick on the hose. I was just helping mix the movie.
Whit
I know, but that might be more important than the actual laying of the brick. Is the. The what built what is making the brick.
Biz
I look Italian and I'm half decent at mixing mortar.
Ra
I'll.
Biz
I'll see over there. IOC the other thing I was going to bring up too. I don't know what the expectations were coming into the year. I think a lot of people thought that Washington was going to drop off and that car Berry and crew, man, I'll tell you, like, even when they came back on the Leafs, when they were down those two goals, I don't know if you guys caught the video in the locker room. And they have all. They always have these, these locker room videos come out and just like every time Carberry says something, the way that the players light up and they have their inside jokes and yeah, like, like always, like, yeah, like. And everybody, everybody's like in unison, like it's unreal to watch. Like that to me is the embodiment of what a team should be like and, and the chemistry they have and the love for one another and you know, it's a bunch of. And think of how many like castaways they ended up picking up like chicken, you know, he gets shipped out of Arizona, ends up going to Ottawa, couldn't settle in there. He ends up having a career year last year, gets the big ticket and then now I'm pretty sure he's a name that got added to that list of players that could be representing Canada for the Olympics. So who would have thought a few years ago after getting. I don't want to say.
Yan
Isn't he American?
Whit
No, he's not American.
Biz
His father was playing. I want.
Yan
From Florida.
Biz
Yeah, his father's. His father's Canadian. He won a Stanley Cup, I believe with the Penguins, played in Philadelphia and now they reside in. Is it Boca Raton? Yep, in Florida. So I believe he does have Canadian citizenship. Citizenship. And he would represent Canada if he did go to the Olympics, which I mean if, if his plays speak it for itself, I think if he deserves a very strong consideration. Dylan Strom, another guy who was a castaway who ended up going over to Chicago, they didn't want him. I don't even think they qualified him. And I mean the list goes on of, I mean Logan Thompson, who should be another guy who's on the fucking Olympic team. So it's remarkable what Carberry and crew has done there. And I think they deserve a lot of praise. For the last few years, people saying, ah, you know, they rode the OV goal wave last year, end up getting playoffs and doing damage. And this year I think that a lot of people would have thought they would have dropped off. Especially with the rumors of it being ovies last year and assuming that he would then drop off. But they are all Systems go. Five wins in a row. And where do they sit right now in the standings? I believe they're in the top. Their second place in. In the Metropolitan. Tied. Actually they're tied to Carolina's. Got a few games in hand on him, but tied with 34 points. So remarkable what Carberry's done.
Whit
And we didn't bring up that with the. With the 4ft shorter for the Olympic ice, for the ice at the Olympics is. Is there a person in the league as a defenseman, Keith, you would not want to give four more feet on the forecheck to then.
Yan
Tom Wilson. Tom Wilson home.
Whit
So, okay, and I think it might have been. Was it Debo or was it maybe Nick Kyprios on his show? Like, yeah, so it's shorter so you have less room to get away from four checkers. And now we're talking Tom Wilson just killing someone. Now, granted, if, if you breathe on someone the wrong way in international hockey, you can get like a tournament disqualification and you're just immediately banned. But he will throw a hit over there if he's on that team, which I think he should be. That just basically knocks a guy out of the rest of the NHL season and sends Canada buzzing up and down the ice the rest of the game, chanting on their like, warrior, Savage forechecker on 4ft less of ice. So Tom Wilson, I see him on the team.
Yan
I see him on 100%. But wait, I think it'll be some poor kid from Denmark who, like, I.
Whit
Know, I know, I know.
Yan
Just doesn't understand that you got to have your head up no matter what. And there is zero percent chance Tom Wilson finishes that tournament.
Whit
That might be a worry, but he's been smarter. He also has 16 goals. It's like this guy's turned into a legit offensive weapon.
Biz
I think he's on a five or six game point streak right now.
Whit
Crazy. OVI had two apples. Two Tuesday night. I didn't believe in him last year. And then this year I was like, all right, I think the magic of the OV goal chase will end. And I thought I was right. And they've just completely flipped things around. They look awesome. In terms of. Of Olympic news that leads into or Olympic roster questions. That leads into current NHL questions. Goaltending. And Jordan Bennington, he got pulled the other night. I don't know if you saw the little exchange. He was not happy with getting pulled. And he's coming off. He's got his helmet on so you can't read any lips. I didn't see a view of Monty talking back to him, but he was drawn. Adam. Monty was funny. He was asked about it after he told me that he loves me and I, I told him, I love you, Jordan.
I don't really know why he was that upset. He got pulled. Both goals were pretty weak. They went at one went like far side on him from near the boards and the other one was just like an awkward looking kind of off angle. St. Louis has nothing going on and Monty pulls it pulls him out of the game. And I don't think that's something that lingers now. If he gets pulled quickly again, you could see him like handrahan attack his own coach maybe. But I was, I was surprised to see when the team's doing that bad. That's probably part of it. The emotions are crazy. Everyone's down in the dumps now. We're down again in this game at home. I think it was. And he's John at his coach. Not good. If you're a Blues fan.
Biz
I think this puts a little bit more oxygen in the fact that he might get dealt. I, I think that Monty handled that perfectly though. Like that was comedy when he like I read those quotes and oh man, that's, that's a seasoned vet as a head coach just completely defusing a situation and getting all the reporters laughing. But buddy, this team has struggled. They've been dealing with injuries. They've just haven't played well. You know, you think that you thought that they would ride that magic after the second half of last season and they look like a shell of themselves, you know, not as physical, just playing with no confidence. So I don't know. I'm not the goaltending expert. I don't think it's has been his best start to the year.
Do I think that it's affected his Olympic bid? Probably. But I would imagine if you're Canada, you still just bring them even if it's as that third just to. Just to have him. You know, you got a guy who's comfortable in that room and that with the boys and, and they have confidence in him. So I don't really know what else to say. But have, have you been hearing any, any rumors more amplification on a potential trade?
Yan
The, the only things I've been hearing is the Edmonton stuff. But I honestly think when it get comes down to it, St. Louis could be trading a lot more guys than, than just Jordan Bennington. Like they, they, like you said wit, they look like a shell of themselves. They bring nothing. I, I Love Robbie Thomas. I think Kyru's a nice player too, but like the rest of the. They got to step it up there.
Whit
I would not trade Thomas. Yeah, Broberg Holloway and Neighbors. That's it. And I was one earlier.
Yan
That's what Snugarude.
Whit
I'm sorry. Snug Root. He's out injured, so he wasn't on my head or I'm just making an excuse that I forgot about.
Yan
Good excuse.
Whit
I. I was on the thing, like, why would you trade Cairo? But I guess at this point, like, maybe you could get a lot back for him and maybe there's parts of his game that Doug Armstrong's not a fan of. I don't know. I'm just kind of thinking here that the fact he's been in the. In the news as a possible trade target that there might be something there. So those five names, those are my safe list, but after that. Yeah, let's try to figure this thing out and try to set Alexander Steen up with. With something to go. Go with once he takes over as gm.
Biz
You.
Whit
Yeah.
Biz
You just don't want to. You don't want to panic trade too. Right. Because Cairo is such a valuable asset at 8 million bucks for how many more years to come? But then again, it kind of reminds me of maybe like a. Like a Sabers trade where they ended up trading Cousins to Ottawa for like a. Like a Josh Norris, right? Where you're just trying to. You're just trying to get something. You're trying to spark the team in some sort of way. And usually when a big move like that goes down, it's kind of like a. An eyebrow raise, like, oh, maybe. Maybe nobody's safe around here. And it gets. Buddy. Everybody playing to the top of their ability, which I don't know if you guys saw Norris's first game back with Buffalo. He looked great. And now they got their full roster, so maybe they start getting going here. This is a big. We actually got them on TNT tonight against the Flyers, who have been playing way above their expectations so far this year, getting great goaltending. Zeger's having a career year, but now is normally the stretch of time where. Where Buffalo takes a dump and they put themselves behind the eight ball and in. In really no possibility of making playoffs. So I'm really interested with a healthy roster and a lot of questions around that core group in Buffalo. What can they do in this next 1015 game stretch here before. Or I guess they probably have about 20 before Olympic break.
Yan
I think the biggest haul you'd get just to go back to St. Louis would be Pareco. Like, imagine.
Luke Robitaille
Imagine.
Whit
And. And I didn't say Shen, but. And Shen, dude, that guy's a Warrior. Stanley cup champ. Like, but at the. He's, you know, he's on the back nine of his career, I'd say. And I think a cup contending team would give up a boatload for him. Right? Like, that is a guy like, all right, we slide this guy in our third line. Like, our team just got so much better. Yeah, that's not.
Biz
That reeks of like a Florida grabbing him and all, you know, don't even say that.
Whit
I. I don't. I don't want to hear, like, Florida. I know. You're right, though. You're right. But. And Buffalo. I had a DM from a Buffalo fan. He's like, I don't even want. What did he say? Something like, teams just want to, you know, make the playoffs that haven't been in the playoffs for long. So long. I'm not even thinking that. And I'm not even thinking being in the race in March when March starts. Like, if you're still in the race March 1st. Like, all right, we got. We got a fantastic final 20, 25 games here. He's like, just February. When February starts, can we still be in it? So that's where the Savers, they just want a February 1st right now, they're five points out of the. Of the last wild card spot. I would consider where they're at now. February 1st, still in the race. Now when you have to leapfrog seven teams, it's a little fake when you see five points considering all the teams above you. But this poor guy, he doesn't even want playoffs. He doesn't even want being in the mix in March, just February. So just a.
Biz
A battle game to get into a wild card spot at home with the goat jerseys on.
Luke Robitaille
That's all he wants.
Whit
Oh, that. That would be special. Like a February 28th afternoon game in Buffalo. Everyone's crippled because they haven't even been to sleep because they're such drunks there. And they show up. And if they win this game, their second seed wild card, February 28th, the place would be buzzing.
Biz
Yeah.
Ra
All right.
Whit
Well, we do have to mention Monday night prime Monday night hockey. We got to talk about Amazon, considering we're going to be on there tonight. That's Lightning Leafs at the Yacht Club. Now, Biz, they've got three of the last four, so it's two teams going. And I mean, Tampa's going in one direction. The Leafs looked like the opposite direction. Now they're turning around a little bit. So a big Monday night hockey game in Toronto biz. I know that they've looked better. I know that they've won three of four. A lot of questions around Matthews right now. I think he scored the nice goal in Pittsburgh. What are you seeing? Like, are you, are you as worried as some Leafs fans are? Because a lot of them, at least on Twitter, like, where did the magic go? Like, what is going on? I saw one. Bedard stole Matthew's release from him. I, I'm, I'm curious if you're like, all right, something's off here.
Biz
Yeah, there's been a few moments where he has looked more like himself recently. I think people are concerned about the, the injuries piling up and what type of a shape his body's in. There was a few clips even from the game against Florida where you could see where he's got a perfect opportunity. Where if you're Auston Matthews, like that is your scoring zone like every time, especially in, in the year where he scored 69 goals. Giggity. He was fucking firing that thing, no questions asked. Where he seems to have more of a pass first mentality, which I don't like. They put him on the point on the power play and yeah, Yan's is shaking his head right now. Like I, first of all, they, they end up giving up that shorthanded goal when they're up to nothing in that game. And I think as far as what Berube's postgame comments were, is, I think that experiments over. But just weird. Like you're up two, you're on the road. That's a building where you've given up a two goal lead before to lose complete control of a fucking playoff series less than a year prior. But I, yeah, I would say that I'm just like, the more that people watch him and worry about his body, I guess it gets me in my own head about, about how his back's feeling and where he feels at physically. I mean, he's lugged a lot of miles over the first part of his career. I don't know, man. Like, I, I think that right now don't put him there, let him just focus on his position and worrying about that and, and then delegate the, the playing defense to fucking defense on the power play. Despite if your power play might be even struggling a little bit. But yeah, I, I could see why people are trying to kick up dust on that.
Whit
Like what I saw that clip. I, I saw the clip you're talking about where he wheels like high above the circles and comes down to the slot and whoever made the video is a random person. I saw making a video like, this is your, your area, this is your behind the net and he dishes it over to no one. And the guy, it's obviously a Leafs fan. He's like, what is this? That was the one you're talking about, I think.
Biz
Yes. Yeah, that's kind of the main clip where I think people are seeing a little bit too much pass first mentality where it's like, nah man, you need to be selfish. You know, you, you have one of the nastiest releases the league's ever seen. So that's why the, the injury question mark comes in as to why he, maybe he's not getting the same velocity or maybe that, that torque and the way that he shoots it is putting more strain on, on, on, on his body. But I, I don't know. I think that the team overall just needs to worry about defending better. Pasha sent me the under the hood stats the other day where basically there was second last or last in every statistical category as far as them letting goals in their own net and their D zone coverage. So the more that, that improves and the more that, you know, Wool and Stolars play to their capability, the better they're going to get. Because them putting the puck in the back of the net hasn't been the issue so far this year. And as far as more Leafs concerned, Dakota Joshua got I would say a, a fairly deserved PP whack. It's like, hey man, 20 games in here. I think we've been patient enough. Let's see more of that bulldog mentality and, and you using your size and being a fucking factor out there. And then he had ended up having one and one last game. Scott Lawton coming back huge for the penalty kill and he's a dog. And then he ended up getting his first the other night. So things are starting to turn around regardless if Brad Marshall was, was trolling or not. I do think that they are going to end up in a playoff spot and that the, the rebuild quotes and the trade this guy, trade that guy. Let's bash Morgan Riley here, let's bash this guy there. That's just gotta stop. Let's simmer down here. 30 games into the year, let's just get the ship righted and, and get ourselves inside the playoffs. I, I mean, let's throw it over to Yan's like, how about Fucking Florida here.
Whit
That's what I was just, I was just going there. They're the last place in the Eastern Conference, Keith. And you could say we got no Kachak, we got no Barkov, a bunch of injuries. But you're not worried in the least?
Biz
No.
Yan
Last I saw that Matthew is skating. I saw that last night on the Broad. I thought it was on the broadcast. But if he's skating and he's back soon, would be unbelievable. Cause obviously when you're missing guys like him and Barky, it, it affects everybody else. You're not seeing the same Reinhardt that you usually see. You're not seeing the same Bennett that usually see. Just because those guys are so good at driving lines and you know, getting everybody in the mix. But, and even like Benny, like when Benny's at his best, he's running around killing people like, like it. But at the. Matthew's doing the same shit. Like he feeds off of that type of energy. Obviously the goal scoring and stuff like hurts not having them out there, but I honestly think I, I expected a little more from the, from the younger guys like the Sam Skewage. I thought he was going to commit. I don't know if these guys are just, you know, a little bit more comfy, not fighting for a job because, you know their, their slots are, are set for the season because they have so many injuries. But, but if I was on that team, I, I'd be putting a little blame on the younger guys needing to step up. But Marchie, like, he's been incredible, like playing with no one. He lost loose to Ryan and one of his line mates. He's not even playing right now too. So it's like what he's done. If there was any questions in the beginning of the year, if he was too old to be on the Olympic teams, he's going to be there. Like you said earlier with Bob too. Bob hasn't been great. He hasn't been himself. Like he, he. You notice things when, when ball and from playing with him. Like when he's tracking pucks. Like there's little things that I can see in his game where it's like, okay, this, I think I said it to you one warmups wit when we were at the Screwed. Yeah, like you're screwed. Like the way that he feels the puck and sees it. I'm like, okay, this guy's feeling it. And I haven't seen that this year so far from him. He's given up a couple. It seems like a, a week goal or a Couple week goals every game.
Whit
It's.
Yan
But honestly, it's one of those things. Like you can't judge them yet till Barky and Matthew are back. I think the Kulakov injury too, is a huge miss for them too. Like, people aren't talking about that. He just, he steadies that blue line, he plays his role. He doesn't ask for more, doesn't ask for less, does everything the right way. So it's, it's just one of those things right now. The injuries are brutal to even judge them on, but if I was on that team, I'd be wanting a little more from, from the younger guys who are, who are given these minutes right now. Right. Because at the end of the day when those guys come back, you're not getting those minutes. And.
Whit
Yeah, and I think right now they might be. They're not ready for those minutes. Like, that's just not. They're playing in a role that they're. They're not ready for. Maybe we'll never be ready for, I don't know. But it is at some point. Like three straight cup finals, dude, for a lot of those guys, like, they are gassed, they're injured. I even couldn't believe Tuesday night there was a loose puck race and now Nick Robertson can motor. But he beat four sling out, muscled, forzing and it ended up being Lawton's first goal of the year. It was like seeing Duncan Keith like lose a race to a loose puck and then kind of get out muscle. You just never see it out of forsling. So he's probably playing even more than they want him to. Even being the best in shape VO2 guy in the world, it's like it's just wearing down on guys. So. So at some point, yeah, there's a lot of hockey left, but that much hockey in the past three years and this, this amount of injuries, like if they went on to miss the playoffs, it's not. It. After what I've seen so far, it wouldn't be like that shocking. And this is from a group of guys who said they're just going to win it again this year.
Biz
They're decimated right now. Actually, did you see the. The they posted to their social accounts, one of their workers was asking him on the way out to the ice about six, seven. And Brad Marsh. Yeah. Brad Marchand said if you say that in his household, you get grounded.
Ra
Wow.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
Yeah. People are coming at me. They're. They're showing the meme of like Sandler's buddy, like how you doing kids with the backwards hat like me being an old guy enjoying 6, 7. Sorry for enjoying something.
Just haters sorry for enjoying something, guys. Sorry for laughing my way through life, you miserable prick.
Biz
You.
Whit
Six, seven.
Biz
Six, seven.
Luke Robitaille
No, you loser.
Whit
You're an old man. Act your age. Shut up. I fucking do a podcast. Wear a hoodie and a hat every day. You.
Biz
Yeah, fuck you talking about injuries, I was gonna mention. Oh, God. Tyler Sess. Yeah, he's out for a long period of time here. Acl. Just like the.
Luke Robitaille
In.
Biz
The injuries just keep piling up. The other one, too. We talked about his thousandth game. Brendan Dillon. I don't know if you guys caught this situation. When he played in this thousandth game against Columbus, there was a net firm battle between him and Veronkov. A big guy, big, big boy most. And, you know, still and just trying to protect the net front. It looked like he kind of threw on with his glove on. And I think Veronkov took that as a signal, like, oh, I might be going. And then Vronkov, you know, sometimes at the end of your shift, too, things are happening a lot faster and a lot more intense than they might actually be. And he drops the mitts and then he just starts swinging. And with a guy with that much length and size. Gets a great hold of you. Oh, we got Pasha popping on here. Was he coming to talk about that Brendan Dillon thing? That. What are you doing there, Pasha?
Whit
I gotta show. I gotta. I got something to say to Pasha.
Luke Robitaille
Oh, I don't.
Ra
Just throw me in there, but since.
Yan
When do you come on unannounced?
Biz
Yeah, I don't know.
Luke Robitaille
It's just popped me in on its own.
Biz
Yeah. Well, anyway, so then Verokov got that good grip, and then the minute he starts throwing and people had an issue with the way that he threw him down to the ice, I just think this is a. Like, a tough result to what Baronkov thought was going to be a fight. Dylan's just playing hard in the net front. And from a guy with experience, like, when you're in those net front battles at the end of your shift, sometimes it's just like you, You. You fucking drop them and you figure that out and then you ask questions later rather than eating one on the jaw. So. Sucks to see Dylan in his thousandth game go down the tunnel. He came back to try to finish, but then didn't end up coming back out for the third, so just wanted to mention that one.
Whit
And he's had neck surgery.
Luke Robitaille
Ugh.
Yan
Biz and all. The. All the fans listening. If you're wondering if a guy on your team that you root for, if his teammates like him, go and watch that at what happened after Dylan got hit, because everybody on that team, you can just tell that they love that guy. Every guy was running someone. Everyone was trying to fight someone. I absolutely. I saw some quotes from Sheldon Keefe, too. He was pissed the off. Like, that's how you know if your teammates love you when they act like that after. And I loved every second out of your New Jersey Devils Pasha.
Ra
Not to drag the shipbag Rangers into.
Whit
The bus, but did you see what Mike Rupp posted after that?
Ra
Basically being like, where was this with the Rangers? When Fox got hit and hurt, he goes, we saw no pulse out of them.
Whit
They need to show a response like the Devils did.
Ra
So I digress.
Whit
You're unbelievable. That's where you went. Now they play again.
Biz
You want to chirp J.T. miller about posh.
Ra
Did you see his defensive play last night?
Yan
All right.
Whit
They beat one of the best teams in the league.
Biz
They're playing.
Ra
It was.
Whit
It was a tie game with three.
Ra
Minutes for eight minutes left. And he had one of the worst.
Whit
Turnovers I've seen and then didn't. Well, turnover is not.
Play a haters.
Biz
This jacket's made from your mother's pubic hair.
Whit
You said you had a question for me.
Yan
What?
Whit
Silky Johnston. Nasty. So there was a tweet out that said, I bet you Matthew Olivier cannot wait until December 15th or whatever they play again. Columbus, New Year's Eve, 31st. New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve. And I can I. I bet you he can't wait for this rematch. Hopefully he's healthy enough to be back. And Olivier liked it. You know, that's just a subtle sign, Biz. Like, I'm seeing what you're writing out there. I'm watching this hockey game. I see what the Devils are doing in my blue jackets, and I don't think they'd be doing it if I was in the lineup. So hopefully he's back December 31st, and I think you're gonna see a little bit of a different devil's toughness with that guy.
Ra
Oh, no. They'll be ready.
Yan
Danico is playing. He already announced it. Yeah.
Whit
Dylan will beat the fucking wheels off.
Ra
Ronkov with a fair start or beat the wheels off Olivier. I welcome it.
Luke Robitaille
I can't wait to see it.
Whit
Wow.
Biz
You think he can beat up.
Yan
I think you got to bring somebody up. You bring up a. Kill someone out of the Federal.
Biz
No, you trade back for Bradford.
Hey, you get McDermott back. A little swap for the night? No, thank you. The other thing I wanted to bring up was I, Ozzy Wiseblatt ended up scoring his first NHL goal and right afterward points up to the sky for his on behalf of his brother, who tragically passed in a car accident not too long ago. So just thought that that was a very special moment and that family's been through so much and. Yeah, just. Just really happy to see them have a moment like that.
Whit
Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. Awesome, awesome stuff there for the Wise Plat family. And I think it's time for. For Luke Robitaille. So everyone sit back, grab a drink, grab a pink Whitney, and just enjoy this right now because you're gonna love it.
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What an honor this is. We're out in la, joined by hockey hall of Famer, Stanley cup champ. Memorial cup champ, I believe.
Luke Robitaille
No.
Whit
Oh, just Quebec League champ.
Luke Robitaille
Lost in the final. Goalie's fault.
Ra
There we go.
Yan
There we go.
Luke Robitaille
That's Luke.
Whit
Robotized voices.
Biz
We'll get that story. Now exactly what happened. You went out the night before. I let a few too many in or what?
Luke Robitaille
No, we. We actually. We felt we got screwed by the league. So this is the days where it was in Portland and somehow they added a game to have Portland played against. I think it was Kelowna. Robbie Brown was on that team and Hitchcock was a coach. But they added a game to get a bigger crowd. I don't know the way the standing was. So Robbie Brown. I think Hitch team won. But they played Wednesday, Thursday. We had to play them Friday night. So they played. Those poor guys played three and three nights. We were supposed to play Thursday. And then the finals was Saturday 11. But we. So we. We crushed them on Friday night because it was three and three nights. But then our excuse was we had to play 11 o' clock the next morning against Windsor, which was Gary Roberts. Oh, Chase on Steve Chase.
Biz
So you don't. You don't even get the 24 hours rest you're right into.
Luke Robitaille
That was our excuse.
Biz
So you lost.
Luke Robitaille
You lost in the final one. I think four two something.
Biz
And that was your last year junior. We were looking at the hockey db. So Pat Brisson, the agent was on your junior team? Yeah, is okay. Wow.
Luke Robitaille
He was a front of the neck guy.
Yan
Really?
Whit
Well, you're also not mentioning you had 191 points that year. Look, that's a little ridiculous. And then Keith, you said Let me click on this. The Hull Olympics. Another guy had 191 points. You were low.
Yan
Never even played.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, he was.
Whit
He had 91 goals.
Luke Robitaille
Luke. Yeah, he was. He's the best goal scorer I've ever seen. Probably even better. Pure, like. Like Yari Curry was a pure goal scorer. This guy was a whole other level, really. He just never played. He got. He went. He signed with Montreal, then went with the Islanders farm team, got MVP of the playoffs. And his story was when he signed with the Islander, they had Patty LaFontaine and they said. He said, I'll sign. He was kind of a stubborn guy, you know, he said, I'll sign, but I want to have one preseason game next year. They said, yeah, you know, you sign a minor league deal, it's like with the assistant gm. So he went to the final from Europe and got MVP of the playoff day one. Next year he showed up at camp at Al Arbor, was a coach, and he cut him after three. He said, listen, Guy, you had a really good camp. You did really good. If you go down there, you know, and you, you do well, we'll call you back. Because he was. He was small and he, he looked at him and his broken frame goes, no. And Al Arbour goes, what?
Biz
No.
Luke Robitaille
He goes, no. You guys told me you would give me a game. So he says, says, well, Guy, I can. You know, you got all the guys. And he said, okay. He went home.
Never played again. He went to Europe and in. In Switzerland, he's one of the leading scorers.
Biz
He was a man of his word.
Luke Robitaille
Where. Yeah, he was. He was awesome.
Biz
He didn't. He didn't say. So he said to them, you got to give me the preseason game. You promised me. Probably just because he just like, I want to show you what I could do.
Luke Robitaille
Oh, he believed it. He would have. But I do remember him saying before he died, he goes, I kind of screwed down. That was all Harper. I go, you're not kidding. He was awesome. I love Gi.
Yan
He.
Luke Robitaille
He's the one that taught me how to. How to shoot, actually. Yeah. We didn't do one timers every day for a year. He was the best one timer I'd ever seen. And we practice it every day. My life.
Biz
We should just talk about his junior team. This is unbelievable.
Yan
Through the list.
Whit
I'm going home, Al.
Biz
Okay. That is so fun.
Whit
A preseason game.
Biz
Well, you grew up in Montreal. Obviously, you're kind of. Hockey's ingrained in the culture there. So, like, what was your, your upbringing like? Was it Hockey in skates at like 2, 3 years old? Like.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, I think I was 4.
Biz
Okay.
Luke Robitaille
You know, we, we. That's how we. We just started. We didn't have any money, so we went to a hockey school and then started playing and then just kept playing. And I think I got made doubly with Vinnie Danfus was like a young guy, Benoit Hogue. They had played in the Island. They were. They were playing around and probably started making Double A and Peewee. That's when it kind of took up. But I was always the. The guy that, you know, he can't skate, he's not going to make the team.
Whit
And you'd been hearing that. Team, you forget the NHL, you'd been hearing that.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
When you were 10 and 11.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, yeah. They would say the same. Yeah.
Whit
That's crazy.
Luke Robitaille
I remember asking my dad, you know, you gotta. Someone like, am I really slow? He goes, ah. He kind of gave me the all. I know if the puck is loose, you seem to get there first. I go, all right, okay.
Biz
So it wasn't pretty, but you got the job done.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It wasn't pretty at all.
Biz
Did you. Did you try to improve it after all the criticism? Would you go to, like, power skating?
Luke Robitaille
Every single year? I did power skating because I knew that was the one thing I had to prove. And I. I didn't make. I didn't make major Triple A my first year. They. Then I got sent down in New City. I didn't make the double. They said they sent me. Why? It's not. I didn't make double. They just sent me right to Double B in those days. So I started there and I finished a year in Double A. And then the next year I made Triple A. That was probably the moment that changed my career because I love Gretzky then. So I would play center and I get to this Triple A team and Vinnie Danfu is going to make the team. Benoit Hogue, you know, they were ahead of me. And so the coach at the end, he goes, he goes, he had a really good camp. He goes, he says, I don't have room at center. He goes, would you play left wing? I'm like, yeah, play goalie to play aaa, you know, like A. So he kept me on the fourth line at. To start the year in Triple A. But we had a coach, his name was Claude Tariani. He coached in junior major. He's just motivated. No, no. No system, nothing. And so we, we were just killing team because he was so good at motivating us. And because we're always leading 4, 5, 1 or so for the fourth line was playing. So you know when you're up in the fourth period. So after like three, four weekend, they. They put the leading score and Vinnie Danfouz was there, Benoho. But I was like, let's say six in the league. So then the next week, the left wing on the first line got hurt and I moved up.
Whit
Wow. That's what happened.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. Then I got drafted. Junior. That's how it kind of happened at.
Biz
That age was like Vinnie so advanced where like all of a sudden you find yourself in this new position was you saying, hey, go here, do this. Like we see one of the guys.
Luke Robitaille
Well, Vinnie was like a year younger, you know, so he was like a first year. So he was just really humble. But he was really good. He was really, really good. Aaa. He was already big. He was almost the size of the NHL.
Biz
Did you step in right away and you were kind of lighting it up as a first liner. Like, that was pretty seamless.
Luke Robitaille
I ended up leading a team in scoring at the end of year and I can't remember. I think I got whatever 100 points or something like that. Wow.
Biz
And that's when you're. You're like, whoa, maybe I could make something of this. Like, what was the what like?
Luke Robitaille
Or no, agents talk to me, you know, and no, no. So I remember I went to the draft in June. I didn't know one team had called me. So it was like the first pick was this guy, Jose Charbonneau, played in Vancouver. The second was Stefan Rishi, I think. And then there was a third one. Then I went to the bathroom thinking like, you know, I don't know when it's gonna. And I come out of the bathroom. I was fourth, really. They picked me to go to Hall.
Biz
What a spot to land, though. They had a rich history even then, right?
Luke Robitaille
No, they, they were, they were real. They had been bad. They never passed the first round when I got there and they. The only guy they had that was a really high end player was Sylvain Terjon. Yeah, up to that point, hall never had much history.
Biz
So you guys were, I guess, the first ones then, because I remember like Max Talbot.
Whit
They won. They won them.
Luke Robitaille
Max was after. So we were the first team that kind of changed the course. Pat Burns was our coach.
Biz
Oh, wow.
Whit
He was right.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
Wasn't he like a cop there?
Luke Robitaille
First year he was an assistant coach. He had the big, big beard and at one point he grew his hair for a Couple months. And then he left for about two. He was doing undercover, I think, for the. And he was inside the Hell's Angels.
Yan
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
And we were, like. We were so scared of him, even though it was the assistant coach. And the next year, he became the head coach, but we didn't. You know, he's your coach. He was mean, he was tough, and he just made us play hard. But I remember after a game, he'd go, okay, there was only two bars in Hull. He goes, what bar are you going? And be. We're going there. He goes, don't go to that one. And we'd be like. Because he was only 29, you know, he was going out as much as us, so we couldn't go to his bar. And.
Ra
And.
Biz
And you guys were all like. I guess 18's a drinking age there, right? You guys were all boozing after game. That was kind of culture then, too.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, it was. Yeah, that's what it was. I mean, we would play Tuesday night and Sunday night. Wasn't a lot of people in the.
Biz
Bars, but you can't play guilty if you're only playing the Sunday game. You can't. Maybe Friday, though. Friday.
Luke Robitaille
Friday night, if we didn't play on the road, you could go. There was a couple bars.
Yan
It was Burnsy X and O's guy, too. Or is he a motivator as well?
Luke Robitaille
Just motivator. Motivated. Just like. Like Burns, it would just like, you know, hey, you went tonight. We're going out. Yeah, we're going out. Like, it was like, you know, that was his big motivation.
Yan
So you two coaches before that, you.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Yan
So you had to learn on the fly. Pretty much.
Luke Robitaille
We had to learn to fly. And Burns, he would come in, he. He would talk to a lot of coach before that. Like, you got to give him credit. He was always talking to NHL guys, and he was reaching out to learn, and he come in and try new system with us. But. But looking back, it was just. You gotta go. If you didn't play for Bernie, you just didn't play.
Biz
It feels like a Mighty Duck script. I feel like we should make a movie out of Pat Burns's life. The fact that he's an undercover cop.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
He somehow weasels his way into the Hell's Angels. Would they think he's one of them?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. Yeah. I think that's what it was. Yeah.
Biz
And then, like. So after that, like, was. There was never any trouble or weird instances when he was your coach of, like, any of that past?
Luke Robitaille
Not with us, but we knew he knew everyone in town. You know, it's a small town in El. So we knew we. We couldn't do anything. He. He knew everything, you know, it was a. So he was my coach my last two years in junior. So the, the last year we went to the finals, and then he was one more year. Then he went to Montreal. It wasn't long for him. It was like three years. Coach Junior. That's it.
Whit
But you're. Your draft too. I'm looking at like that was Mario's years. You grew up and. And he was around like. You always knew about him. Were you playing against him when you were younger?
Luke Robitaille
No, because he, he. We're the same age, but he was born in September, so he was a year ahead, you know, always for the hockey birthday. Yeah. So like he made junior. So at 16 he played in Laval and I lived next to it. So every Monday night I want to see Mary with my dad.
Whit
And it was that. It was that incredible.
Luke Robitaille
That was unreal. Like the smoke in the building. Oh, you know, people saying, the staff.
Biz
People just hacking darts, you mean?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, yeah. Just everyone's smoking. It's Quebec back. Everybody was smoking, you know. And then. And then the next year, when he was 17, paddle La Fontaine came. He was in Verdun. So Patty's game were Sunday night and Mary Monday. So AAA was Sunday afternoon. Now go see Patty on Monday, on Sunday, then Mario on Monday and those two guys that were, you know, toe to toe on the leading scorer. And then the next year, Mary had to come back. That was my first year Junior. That was.
Whit
So you played against him the year he had like 260 points.
Luke Robitaille
Whatever it was, it was. He didn't even try until in the third most games I remember we played in. In hall. That was our. We had a terrible team my first year. And Mary was coming. That was our biggest crowd. And we were like pumped. You know, we're a bunch of kids and.
Biz
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
And he. He comes in and after the first, I think we were up one, nothing. And in a second we're up two, one. And we're like, we got them. The crowd's going nuts. And Mary was at maybe at 60 games with a point every game. And he had a record to beat. So he was a little nervous. I mean, MD, Lemieux nervous. It's hard to see, but he looked like he was thinking a little bit. And next, I'll never forget, he chips it out of his own and his winger just goes all the way down and scores. And Mario showed a Little emotion. He kind of stepped. We're like, oh, oh, no. He ended up with like 2 and 2. We lost 7 to 2. It was over. I mean, it was like unbelievable. Like, Dominica. Oh, okay, I'm back.
Biz
Yeah, yeah.
Luke Robitaille
And then. And then the story about that years. We all laugh because we all felt he would only play in the third, like that year because he was bored. But the last game of the year, he needed a certain record of goals and points to beat Gila Fleur.
Whit
We were talking about this, and he.
Luke Robitaille
Got 11 points that game. And if you go back, the opening face up, he put it through the guy's leg, split the D, and I think roofed it. And we said that's the only game he played 60 minutes that year. He got 11 points. 11.
Biz
That's crazy, man. So that's the most dominant you've ever seen someone on service.
Luke Robitaille
Anyway. It's not even close.
Biz
Well, one of the questions I was going to ask you is, like, growing up there, I feel like these, like, famous hockey guys are revered as, like, gods, Right?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
So who, like, were you hockey obsessed growing up to the point where you were watching them on TV and like the, you know, all of them. Rocket, Rashard, all this.
Luke Robitaille
Well, come on. I'm too young for the Rocket.
No, we thought. We thought, thought. We thought it was normal in Montreal. Like, you know, I was like 10 years old and they won four years in a row. I thought I was normal. They just won every year. Like, we, you know, the Bruins are the bad guys. But Montreal, when we. We thought it was normal, like, you know, you didn't realize. But then I do remember seeing Gretzky my first time, 79. I think he was 18. When I saw Gretzky, it just was so different. That was unbelievable because Gila Fleur was end to end, you know, and. But for me to see Gretz, anybody that's had a chance to see Gretz in Edmonton, I was like, just like.
Whit
Thinking the game, you're.
Luke Robitaille
And he was. He was working so much harder. He looked like he was working harder than everyone else because he was always moving. No one had ever played that way. So.
Whit
And then you like, you know, being a late bloomer a little bit, you're saying like, five years later you'd be drafted the first time you see him, and then you're playing with him years later, it's like, you must pinch yourself.
Luke Robitaille
He bought my junior. Our junior team the last year.
Biz
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
He bought Hall.
Ra
Yeah.
Biz
He was owner our last.
Luke Robitaille
My last year junior. He bought the Team. And I remember he came in the room and he should.
Biz
You know, that's how I heard the Pat Burns story, where he's like, oh, yeah, he was a cop that used to hang out in the concourse. And he would, you know all the guys who talk shop up there, like, he just, you know, word spread. Oh, this guy kind of knows what he's talking about. And like, And. And then Gretz was the owner of the team.
Whit
Why would he. What. What made him buy that?
Luke Robitaille
So I don't know. He was in Edmonton and his dad knew this guy, Charlie Henry. I don't know if you guys ever heard of him. He was well known in hockey in Ontario and around Ottawa. And Charlie was best friends with Walter. And when Gretz bought the team, Charlie was our gm. Oh, that's how this came about.
And then we switched the jersey colors to the Raiders colors because Gretz loved the Raiders. The King's Col. We used to be blue and gold. And then we. We were like, we're the Gretzky boys. That's we. Dad has the Gretzky boys that year. Wow. Actually, yeah.
Whit
Would he be around? Was he around at all?
Luke Robitaille
Maybe he came around or like in. During the training camp, I think, like, you know, you had the main season for them. He came to see a game. We all shook his head in the room. We. And then the next night, he got us all tickets to go see the game in Montreal. It was a preseason game. We were like.
Biz
And he said back then, he goes, I wasn't getting those games off. Like, I would be playing 12, you know, 1012 preseason.
Yan
Oh, he was growing.
Biz
Yeah.
Whit
Give one to the guy on the Islanders.
Biz
So you. It was a kind of like when we. We saw McDavid come on the scene where it just. He looked. You said it just looked like he was working that much harder. Was he also faster than everyone?
Luke Robitaille
He was quicker. Like, he, like, people forget. Like, Gretz was really quick. Like, you know, it's skating. It was different. Like, because he would stop. Like, he would stop up. Everybody knew he was going to stop up on the. Yeah, the hashtag. But he would step three step back towards the blue line. So, like, he was the only guy that's ever done that in those days. So the deal would stop and he'd be away and then he'd out. He was the first guy to find guys coming trailer behind, you know, I mean, cough was fast and all that, but he found everybody. It was unbelievable.
Biz
So when he stopped up, he would work back to open up that passing Lane again, where defense were just. Normally it's like they would just stop when that guy stopped and they put their stick there and they would just try to make the play. He would just like get back. Slos it back over.
Luke Robitaille
And his stop was always like a turn, almost like a stop turn. But he was always moving against the grain. I. I was like. Even when he came in la, I remember watching him, like, I was just. I'm like, oh, I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do any. I'm like, I could maybe do this one thing that he's doing because you're trying to learn, you know, but he was. To me, that was sick.
Biz
What about the behind the net stuff? Were you guys marveling at, like. Oh, like we've never really seen somebody utilize the back of the net that way.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. No one had ever seen and no one knew how to handle it. I remember my first two years we play against Gretzky and the coach would say, I don't chase him.
If you don't chase him, he's just gonna pick you apart at any thought. You might as well chase him and hope. Like Jacques Lemaire. We always knew whenever we play against Jacques Lemaire, Jacques Lemaire had the rule, don't chase Gretzky. Gretz for sure got three points against Jacqueline. Even though he was the best defensive in the game. Yeah, the Gretz for sure picked him up. There's a clip. I think Jacques was the co. But Montreal never chased him behind the net. And I knew that. And we were in overtime. It was a jock lemur. But he didn't chase him. And if you see me, I. I think I was with the Rangers Regress. I. I literally go to grass. Wait. I'm in front of. I go all the way outside the zone because, you know, if you go outside the hunter and I come right down the middle and he feeds me and I put it in, it was game over. That is so funny.
I remember. Should I. I put my hand up.
Biz
To tell him the way the D mattered. Basically, like near the. The goal line. They're just standing there.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
Looking at each other.
Luke Robitaille
And he would wait forever because he was going to pick apart the guy. Oh, yeah.
Whit
He's finding a passing lead.
Luke Robitaille
But in the 80s, I think when he was in Edmonton, like, it's. It's unbelievable where no one knew what to do with him.
Biz
And it's also the. I feel like the tape studying wasn't really there. Right. So it's Almost like you would hear about, like, how other teams. It would be, like, through the grape vine, like. Like the William Wallace. Like, I heard he's 7ft tall and, like, this is how you're supposed to defend him.
Whit
Like.
Biz
You guys weren't watching video, were you?
Luke Robitaille
It's funny you say that, because my first year, we make the playoffs and we. I think we won nine games at home. The Kings here was 21 team. It was easy to make the playoffs then. And. And we're playing the Oilers, and it's. And in those days, it was back to back in Edmonton and back to back in la. So I think it was Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. So we go there on Wednesday and we win the game somehow. And then. So you wake up in the morning, there's no skates because we're playing again. I remember the headline. The orders are, this is 87. They won the cup that year. They. They had lost a year before. They're choking. They're just ripping them. I'm like, oh, well, no.
So we go. We go that night, and we got cream 13 to two. I think Rhett's got eight points. I remember in the third, with about 12 minutes left, the glass broke and Mike Murphy was our coach, and. And we're skating around the glasses here, and the referee goes, it's gonna take a few minutes. And Mike Murphy goes, can you just let the clock run?
The best one was Mark hardy. It's like 12 to 2 at the time, and we're just kind of skating because it's taken so long. And Mark Hardy. We had Bob Bourne, who had won four cups with the Islanders, who's playing with us now at the end of his career, he's like, he's down 12 to 2. The poor guy is just skating on the ice, going slow. Mark Hardy goes to him like, dead serious, goes, hey, Bobby, on the third goal, did you. What happened? Like, he's dead serious. Four balls, nine goals.
Ra
Just.
Luke Robitaille
We got one win.
Biz
You know what?
Luke Robitaille
We're happy.
Whit
What were you thinking on that pinch.
Luke Robitaille
On the third goal?
Biz
That's like. That's when he goes over to the broken glass, puts one foot over, walks up the concourse.
Luke Robitaille
My career is done.
Biz
Never see him again. That is so funny.
Whit
Oh, my God.
Luke Robitaille
Anyway, we lost in five.
Commercial. That's what sucked. That is so good.
Biz
So actually, Yan's brought this up in the car. You lived with Marcel Dion your first year with la?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
Wow, that must have been crazy.
Luke Robitaille
It was pretty wild because what happened, it was Jimmy Carson, Steve Duchay, myself, We all made a team at the same time. So in those days we came to LA and then they put the rookies at. There was an old hotel right next to the Forum. It was called the Airport Park Hotel. And then it was the racetrack where. That's where SoFi is now. And, and we got there and they said, listen, don't go out at night. I'm from Quebec. We don't know anything. You know, we just barely speak English. It still does, but, but, and, and so we're in the hotel, we don't know anything. And it, it's a bad hotel and we're staying there. And they said, don't go out at night. We're like, really? Like, why? And then, you know, you're from. I've never seen grills on the storefront and stuff like that. So we're kind of scared. We don't go anywhere. So after two days, Marcel went. I think we played a preseason game at home. Marcel went to Rogue, our gm and he said, hey, are these kids gonna, gonna make the team? Because we were scoring goals in preseason. It was like, I think we had 11 games or the last two were, were in LA. So I think we had played the Canucks like five or six times because we had camp in Victoria. So to save money, we play the Canucks in Victoria. One game in Duncan, one game in Nanaimo, one game in Vancouver. We took the boats, that's four. Then we played them in Seattle.
And you know when you're rookie, no one knows you. And you know, I was trying to make the team. So you were like scoring every game. I remember by game three, Garth Butcher like had me lined up. This kid's not. I wasn't surprising him already. So we played that them five times. But anyway, so we get in LA and Marcel went to them and he says, if he's going to make the team, I'll. I'll find a place. So Jimmy Carson lived across the street with a neighbor that he knew. I live at Marcel. And then Steve the SH was about a mile away. He took care of us. That was awesome.
Yan
That was in Inglewood, right? Where you guys.
Luke Robitaille
We were in Inglewood. That's where we're staying. But Marcel lived in Palos Veris. So we were, all three of us went to. To PV Palos Verdes. And the deal was Marcel wanted me to help teach his kids to speak French, but they were helping me speak English. I didn't never learn to speak French or poor kids.
Whit
He's a guy that like, not. I don't I feel like not enough people know about how great he was. Right. He was out in la and it was the beginning of hockey out here. Yeah, but what was his game like? Like, if you describe him now, well.
Luke Robitaille
In those days, like, at 35, seems so old and, and he was still doing the thing where he showed up at camp to get in shape. So, like, his pants, he had a little belly and his pants were really loose and, and it was kind of. It took three weeks to get him going, but he was really, really good. Like, he. So Jimmy Carson played with Dave Taylor and I play with Marcel. So they made two lines. And I remember Marcel telling me, just go to net. I'm going to put it at the goalies pads. You'll get a rebound every time. And he never missed.
Whit
And you had 45 goals that year.
Luke Robitaille
Your rookie year, it was really, really good, like, as a small player. If you look back at the Kings, for them, trading probably Butch Goring to the Islanders when Marcel Dean and Butch Goring were there, if they would have kept Butch Goring and number one, number two center, they might have been really good in the next few years. Oh, even for you, he was awesome. Marsh.
Yan
For you, when you came, like, you're a seventh rounder, right?
Whit
Like, doesn't even exist anymore.
Yan
Like, was there, did you believe in yourself to even make that team? Like, going into that camp, or did you have an idea that you could maybe even make the team?
Luke Robitaille
Well, when I got drafted, I'm like, my name's on the list. They gotta look at me. That's kind of the way I looked at it. I was like, all right, now it's up to me. So the first camp I went in those days, he used to do, you know, you guys are too young. But in those days, it was like, we'd do like, aerobic in the morning, and then three practice and a scrimmage or two scrimmages. There were three teams. So the first day, I think I got like three goals in two games. I'm like, I'm gonna make the team. I, I, I didn't know. I work, I'm like, I'm gonna make this team. Next day, I get a couple goals, a couple assists. I'm like, I'm making a team. So the third day, they cut me. No preseason nothing. I'm like, what happened? I didn't know. You know, like, everything is made up before, you know, so. So it was, Paquin was my co, the coach, and Rogie. So they, they're sitting in a room, they Go, Yeah, the really good Camp Logan. They kind of give you a story. And Pat Quid says, I'd like you to improve your skating. And he says, I'd like you to be, you know, pack. He had a cigar. I don't think it was lit up then, but he's like, I'd like you to be a little tougher. I'm like, okay. So I go back to Junior and we had a couple tough guy. I go, you guys gotta teach me, you know, I gotta fight, you know, they, they're asking me. So we had a guy, his name was Mario Wallet. And I think, Serge Robert. Remember him?
Biz
Like I remember the name.
Luke Robitaille
He's still there. So anyway, they go, listen, here's what we'll do a favor. He goes, just grab the arm, squeeze a jersey, swing a little and hug the guy, make it look good. He goes, whoa, go. We're all gonna jump on the bench. I'm all right. He probably did that like seven, eight times in junior and it looked all right, you know, I just like picked my, my spots. And Victoria, I always loved it. So the next year I come to camp in, in la. It's in Victoria. I get on there and for some reason I was playing with Bernie Nichols, and Bernie was like, just kept feeding me. So I, one time, a couple, I got two goals and I'm coming, I'm like. And then, and then I'm thinking, they asked me to be tougher, I gotta show them I'm tougher. There's no one in a stand except the scouts. I'm like. So this guy hits me. And you know, in hockey, you know, when the guy's a little late, it's not right. So this guy hits me a little late and he's bigger than me. And so I, I, I slash him. And I look at him and I go, you, you. And, and he looks at me and he goes, no, kid. And he skates away. Now I'm like, I'm more embarrassed because I'm like this total embarrassment, but I'm thinking I might as well pick the biggest guy. If I lose, they'll say he's got guts. And if I win, no lose situation, I'm gonna shock him. So a couple shift later, I keep watching me, I think he was a right handed player. And he hits me. Not, not as late, but at this time, I, I swung my stick as hard as I could at him. He turns around, so I dropped my gloves and I do exactly what I did. Junior, mistake number one, you probably didn't do that as I reach forward to grab him, and. And just as I grabbed his arm, it was. He was a lefty. Bang, bang. Cut me here, cut me here. And I remember I heard Bernie jump. Go, stop. You're gonna kill him. That's all I remember. And I'm on the eyes of trainer come. They drag me. Blood is straight. His name was Dan Brennan. He was a tough guy in the My. In the minors. I don't think he's ever played in the NHL.
Yan
Beat up the wrong guy.
Whit
Pat Quinn's like, yes, that's what I love.
Luke Robitaille
So then the next day, I go in the room, they're gonna. They cut me again. And I go in the room, not even a preseason game, nothing. And I come in the room, my eyes, it was 25, was 13 and 12. Oh. And it's like, he got me really good.
Biz
God.
Luke Robitaille
I come in and. And they're opening the book. They go to my page and rogue, we just want you to keep improving your skating.
So Dave Taylor said, I taught him a lesson and never asked me to be tough again. That was it.
Biz
Thanks, Pat.
Luke Robitaille
And then Dan Br. And then Dave Taylor said, Dan Bren retired after that. He was scared to hurt more guys.
Biz
So good.
Whit
You were told about the skating so often. You had to be like, I'm producing, though, right? Like, yeah, bringing it up.
Luke Robitaille
But I keep saying I didn't look at it. I just kept trying to improve it.
Whit
That's awesome.
Luke Robitaille
I remember being at camp, even in la, and, you know, in those days, it was all older guys and, you know, you go blue line to blue line, all the way at the end and back. And when everybody would kind of slow down the block, I would sprint to the end.
Whit
So you did good in those.
Luke Robitaille
I'll finish first. Like, I didn't give a. I was like, I'm making this team.
Yan
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
You know, I didn't care. I kept trying to finish first all the time.
Biz
You mentioned about how it was Dion who said, just go to the net, I'll find you. Right?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
Were you always a good net front guy? Like, were you able to take the punishment there?
Luke Robitaille
Like, no. So I'll tell you how I ended up being the front. So my first year in the NHL, because in junior, I love grats. So I was a playmaker. Like, even though I scored goals. It's the Quebec. Everybody scored goals. No, but Giulop, my. My center got 90. I got like, 130 assists. Like, because I played with him, I kept feeding him. So I was a pass first guy. And Then when I got to the NHL, even though Marcel told me to go to net, I said, okay. And. But he was right handed. And then Jimmy Carson was right, so on. I really played the half wall on the PP my first and second year. Then Gretz comes. So they say, okay, Gretz is on the first power play, so. So I would take Gretz on a change.
Biz
Oh, no.
Yan
Well, they were either scoring power.
Luke Robitaille
Please. The bet is 200 points a year. The odds are he's scoring every power play first. And if he's not scoring a par play, he's staying too many. He's Wayne Gretzky. He should, you know, so I. I basically would jump the last 20 seconds or whatever. So later, I think it was the next year because Tom Webster was our coach. Maybe the first eight, 10 games I didn't have. Maybe I had a couple goals. So Rogue Vachon calls me in his office because I was still the youngest guy because we had John Tenelli, Larry. When we got Gretz, we kept trying to get guys to help us win. So Rogie goes. He goes, you know, I know you're having a tough time or you're young. He's trying to give me a pep talk. Just keep working hard, go to net. You'll be okay. And he. He goes. He goes, I. I get it. You're not playing on a power play. He goes, it's kind of hard. You're taking grits. He goes, I wish you were a front of the net guy. You see, you know, I. And I look at him and I lied, like, everything. I go, I go, I could play the front of it. He goes, you can. He goes. I go, yeah. I go, I played Junior my whole career to front of the net. He goes, you did. I go, yeah, my whole career. He goes, goes, okay. I get. I get on the ice, like, for practice, like an hour later. And Tom Webster skates by me. He goes, you played the front and end, Junior. I go, yeah. He goes, all right, we'll put you in front. And I. The rest of my career.
Yan
I just.
Luke Robitaille
Want to get on the ice.
Whit
Regrets, really.
Luke Robitaille
I'm like, in the practice suck in front of netboy in that game. It was awesome.
Yan
Move around a little bit.
Luke Robitaille
So that's. That's literally. I swear to God, that's how I ended up in my career.
Biz
Should have been your own agent.
Luke Robitaille
There's no video of Junior.
Whit
They're not going to go.
Luke Robitaille
Check it out.
Biz
Just on the spot.
Luke Robitaille
When you were on the spot, I'm like, I got to go on that.
Whit
All of a sudden he's not tipping anything.
Biz
They're like, did you start working on your tips stuff in practice?
Luke Robitaille
But I didn't know. When I was bored as a kid, I would play tennis with a hockey stick against a wall, you know, So I would just try to hit a hundred times. So I was pretty good at tipping. But I would. I started like. I put guys at the blue line, just shoot and just. I would never try to tip him in front of. I would try to stop him in practice because I figured if I could stop in practice, I'm gonna somehow hit it. So I. But I. It was every day.
Biz
And back then, I feel like the D man, they would legit keep their shots along the ice most of the time. No more so than now. Or am I crazy?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, but. But what made it easy is the deep played behind us. Like the D would cross check to you.
Whit
Yeah, now they come behind.
Luke Robitaille
Now they front you. Like pronger. McInnes were the first two that start playing in front. They would start blocking. That changed everything. In those days, they were blind. So if you timed it right, you were always able to get some room in front of. If you tipped it, you took the cross check after right away. But if I timed it right, I was able to get there, tip it, then take the beating.
Biz
Unreal.
Whit
What was the excitement level like when Gretz came? Like, it was so crazy and like interviewing Wayne about it. It's really cool to hear how it went down, but for you and the guys here, it's like, oh, my God. Like, we.
Luke Robitaille
We couldn't in. Gretz does. I don't think Gretz knows that. But in February of that year, like, Gretz won the cup in Edmonton. February that year, Bruce McNall, we had the All Star game in St. Louis and I was coming back and my dad was on the plane and he said, I think I got a chance of getting Gretzky. And we were like, just like, oh, yeah. All right, Bruce, we'll go to LA and we're looking at things. And then right around that time, he was going to change the king's colors. And it was going to be. If you look at the this jersey and it's in black, everything was the same, but it was dark blue. Bruce McNall's color of his company was a very dark blue. Like, I'm trying to see. Like, really.
Biz
It was kind of cool.
Luke Robitaille
Like really dark though, but all the same. So I look at it, I'm like, oh, that's really cool. And he said, and it Was, I think. And I'm not sure it was that logo. I think it was just a crown. And I said, oh, that's really cool, Mr. McNall. But I said, you should see my junior team. I said we had the same, but it was black. And I said that was. Gretzky changed it because he liked the Raiders. I. I just said that in like January, not thinking anything because you knew it. And then when I won the all star game, they saw somehow there was a film of in junior and. And Bruce saw it, but he was trying to get Gratz. I don't think Gretz knows that, but I think Bruce was like, if Gretzky designed those jersey in junior, those. It's the same jersey we had in junior, different logo. Wow. That one year only like that one year like before that we were another color, right?
Yan
He's like, why the hell.
Luke Robitaille
So he says, he says, we're gonna get Gretzky. I'm like, yeah, sure. And then July comes in and he had said to me and Jimmy Carson, I think he had not douche, but I think he had told Jimmy and myself, we're never trading you. You know, like, we were really young though. But you would have to ask Jimmy 100%. But I remember, I think at some point Jimmy went to Bruce when he. When it was. There was a buzz internally for us that Gretz had a chance. And I think Jimmy went to. To Bruce that said, if Wayne comes, maybe I should get traded.
Whit
Really?
Luke Robitaille
Well, we had Bernie too, so he would have been a third line center. I think Jimmy. Jimmy Carson was really smart, cerebral smart. You know, he was. He was investing in stock at 18. I was like, what is that? Computeware? And you know, you knew about Microsoft. Like, what is that? You know, wow. You know, so. And I think Jimmy said it might be better for his career to be moved. Moved at that time.
Ra
Wow.
Luke Robitaille
You know, so. So then when. I mean, it was.
Whit
When we got Gretz, it was like the crowd immediately. Superstars, everything.
Luke Robitaille
It was. But. But McNall was so good at promoting. Like, he made sure there was celebrities and I think they had dinner before the game. Then Bruce would take him in our room before warm up or many times between warmup and the game, because if he knew the celebrity weren't staying after, he'd take him before. And then if they were there, there was always someone after the game. Somebody. It was a show.
Biz
It was even before, though. You guys were like before all the time. Oh, my goodness.
Luke Robitaille
Oh, yeah. He would just bring him in.
Yan
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
It was awesome. Like I remember he brought Stallone and he's like I brought Rocky to pump you up and he's high fiving everyone because we leave the room. We're all like he's really small, you know. Yeah dumb Canadian.
Biz
That's all you.
Yan
Wasn't there a club in that arena that.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah there was farm club. So Bruce had a. Had an area like he had dinner with everyone and but we. Everybody was coming.
Biz
It was all just like that. Hey like before it wasn't really like that even.
Luke Robitaille
No. There were a couple people that were celeb like the I think Glenn Fry. The Eagles were hockey fan. They knew Marcel a few but when it was Gretz it was. We were like the Lakers. Wow. Like the Lakers were starting to slide a little bit. Like they weren't. Weren't doing as good. I can't remember there was and all.
Biz
These people the greatest hockey player to ever live.
Luke Robitaille
It was like. And then Bruce had like rose on the. On the glass and Ronald Reagan was coming. I mean he had everyone coming. It was all about Grets. And then we. We would do tour. So the first year we go we go back to Victoria and grass like what are we doing here?
Yan
Let's go to Vegas.
Luke Robitaille
So then we. We ended up going to.
We went to hall to have training camp one year and then we would do a tour. So they would. They would try to schedule the Rangers or Pittsburgh with Mario and we would play Tampa Bay Florida. We played like Cincinnati other like Houston Dallas we would do. So we would play like seven, eight games on the road.
Whit
Sell them all up.
Luke Robitaille
It was all to. It was sellouts. It was always supposed to be Mary and Wayne Wayne and they never really played against each other in preseason but it was. And then funny enough all these new franchise came out of it. So I always say Wayne had everything to do with those. It probably would have happened but it happened so fast after Wayne like Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas, Phoenix, Miami. We played all those arenas like with.
Whit
Wayne when they didn't have teams.
Luke Robitaille
There was no one who played. You know the baseball stadium. That was the biggest crowd at the time for a preseason game though we go to Miami against the Rangers. They told her we took Kelly Rudy off the net because the ice was melting the gold crease. So they told I can't remember our second goal. They said you got to play outside the crease in the third. And then Bruce comes in. We're just going to do a continuous time. So they kept the clock going and Greg's didn't play in the third.
Biz
Yeah, we don't want him to get hurt or the pony, that's for sure.
Whit
We couldn't believe. Believe looking at things on the way down that I would have thought it was like the second year Gretzky was in LA was the run to the final, but it was his fifth year.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
So like there was times where I'm sure you guys are like Wayne's coming, we're gonna win a cup. And then one year, two years, three years, some frustration probably grew.
Biz
I think it was. It was probably slowly building in the.
Luke Robitaille
Right direction when we got Gretz. I like Gretz due to what it took to win. He had won four by that time. So he made sure he got like Mike Krushel, Neski and he got Mario Party.
Whit
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
You know, and, and Charlie Huddy. We signed Charlie Huddy too. From, from the or. So right away we, we were. And then we signed Larry Robinson, John Tonelli, Steve Casper from the Bruins. So we were a good team, but I think we're probably missing something. So the first year we were down 3:1 against the Oilers and came back and beat them in game seven. And then I think the.
I can't remember, we. We beat maybe Vancouver, then we lost against the Oilers in six game. But Gretz was hurt. I think he got a shot on his ears. And then the, the Oilers won the cup that year.
Biz
Right.
Luke Robitaille
Then the third year, or I think the second year, my first year, Gretz was. Calgary was really good. They won the cup, you know, or they had just won the cup or whatever.
Biz
Right around. All around that time.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, I can't remember who we lot. We might have lost loss against the orders again the third year.
Biz
And wow, it feels like this organization here has a lot of playoff history. Holy. To bring up the last.
Luke Robitaille
No, I know. Thanks.
Biz
All right, well thanks for coming on.
Whit
Great run in 93.
Luke Robitaille
All right, boys, I'm out of here. No, but, but you're right. And in the year we went to the finals there was. We thought Gretz might never play again. He got hurt I think first day of camp. I mean, you guys gotta ask Gretz when you see him because this is the year we had camp in, in Lake Arrowhead and Gretz was working out with Janet and he was. And he comes to camp and this first year he says he's in shape because he. These guys always showed up to camp to get in.
Biz
Right.
Luke Robitaille
So he said I worked out all summer and everything. And then in those days we used to do a push up test and it was like as many push up with your thing. And I think they would stop you at 50 or 75. So I think Gretz did like 20. And he was like. That said he used to do like two.
Biz
Right.
Luke Robitaille
And then the setup test was like they'd stop you at 75. And I think Gretz did 50 or so. He did a lot. And he comes. That's it. I'm in shape. The next day he blew his bat. And I remember him saying, that's the last time I'm working out.
And then a helicopter there came and. Because it was in the mountain and. And then we heard like, he might never play again. Apparently with his back. He didn't play till January. He didn't come back till January.
Biz
Wow.
Whit
That year that you lost to Montreal. That was that year.
Biz
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
So. So that year Barry Mellows was a coach and. And what people that knows. We had Alex zitnick as an 18 year old, Daryl Sidor and Rob Blake as a 21, 22. Those three young kids were unbelievable indeed. And Kelly Rudin and we had Charlie Huddy, Mark Hardy.
Yan
We.
Luke Robitaille
We had a good D. And Marty, obviously. And, and we, we did. We came out of the gate really good and then kind of went down and Gretz came back and you know, you get.
Biz
That's such a.
Luke Robitaille
On a good team. Yeah. We had a lot of speed, but. But it's amazing. Like, we thought he might not come back. We were told that they weren't sure.
Biz
Unreal.
Luke Robitaille
And then he. Then I think he had like 45 points in the playoffs.
Biz
That's ridiculous.
Whit
Half a back.
Biz
So, like, what ended up happening towards the end of your first time here? Like, you ended up going over to Pittsburgh. Yeah. And you were there for one year. Unfortunately, you don't get to play with Mario because he's out right at the time. So, like, what happened? Was it a trade? Was it an off season signing?
Luke Robitaille
Like, well, I broke my ankle the year before. I think in January. I think in January or February, I hit the wall and my foot turned this way, but there were no X rays or anything. So they said, I think you're okay. And they froze it a little bit. And then like, you know, the doc said, keep your foot high. Kind of nuts. I kept my foot high so there was no swelling. So I missed a couple games. And then they shot it. We taped it and I jump, I jump on the s. On the band. I'm like, oh, shit, that hurts. But I got to the slot. I get a pass and at one time it goes In So then everything's good that the coach thinks you're great. Everything's okay. And I just kept playing. It kept getting worse and worse, but we kept shooting it. And then it healed wrong. And then I found out in the summer it was cracked. So I. That got better, but it didn't get better. Surgery. And then I got traded to Pittsburgh. And then it was a lockout, though. You know what? I screwed up, though. It's like, Mary was smart. He didn't do training camp, so he got paid. I did camp and I had a bad ankle, and then I never got right. I was dumb. I should have just said no.
Biz
Yeah. Because if you. That was.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. There was a few guys that were like, I'm hurt. Like, I was like, years ago. That was really dumb.
I missed a couple games. You know.
Whit
Wait, if you didn't do a camp.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, I was.
Biz
For instance, Marion Hosa got hurt from that hit from Rafi Torres. And I believe that he was still like, in concussion protocol when that quote unquote, season would have started the following year when the lockout was. So you're still collecting your full salary. Yeah. Yes. That. That was a huge advantage to guys who had off season surgery.
Luke Robitaille
The big boy. The big boy, he wasn't playing. He was getting paid.
Biz
Yeah. And I'm sure if you're.
Yan
He was an owner, he probably knew.
Biz
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
He wasn't an owner. Then later he became an owner of what they owed him.
Biz
So what was like. What was your time like there? You got to play with Yogur that much.
Luke Robitaille
I was a. But we didn't play till January when we came here. It was like 48 games in like 90 days. And that's really Yog's first year where he was the guy. That's his first. Like, he was really good. They had won the cup, but he was the kid that year. It was like. It was. Ronnie Francis was on the team. Kevin Stevens got hurt. It was a really good team. We had Tommy Barrasso. That was.
Yan
He was crazy, right?
Biz
I heard it. Wasn't he a silly guy?
Whit
I heard he was crazy. I think he got mean sometimes.
Luke Robitaille
He was really mean. Like, But. But I didn't know. He was all. He was all right with me, but he got hurt and we had Ken Reggaett and that was just the greatest guy. And then Tommy comes back and. And I had heard stories like, so you couldn't raise a puck and practice and anything. And so we never practiced. So he was gonna do the morning skates and the warm up.
Biz
Okay.
Luke Robitaille
So we get in the morning skates and one guy hit him here and he just skated off the ice. This was his first practice. I'm like, oh, what's going on here? And then we get in a warm up in the game. You know the second goalie. Everybody tries top shelf know Ken Regga is our goalie and we've been win. We had a good team. Guys are trying. Ken re a Top Chef. And then Tommy gets in that as a second goal and I. Everybody's literally shooting on the ice. I'm like, what the.
Whit
Is like what the guys.
Luke Robitaille
So he came back at Tommy.
Whit
I think he.
Luke Robitaille
Then he got hurt again. Kenny Regette was our goalie but it was funny. Like it was funny to be on his team. That was a whole different thing.
Biz
So he was in the locker room. Like he would snap. Like there was some.
Luke Robitaille
No, he was. He just didn't say anything. Guys were scared of him. They shouldn't talk to him. The only guy that would kind of was on him is all Samuelson.
Biz
Oh yeah.
Luke Robitaille
All three would be all over him, play cards with him and rip him. He didn't care.
Biz
Like was Barasso a tough guy? Was he tough?
Luke Robitaille
No. How would he just.
Biz
How would he just intimidate you by being an.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, he was just. Yeah, he was just. He would swing his stick and it was just like there was a lot of non negotiable. They had won the cup so he could do anything he wants.
Whit
Right?
Luke Robitaille
He wanted to. So he just did it. Like we, we go there and they were still in the Mary era where no helmet in the morning skates and no shoulder pads. I was playing with Mario with Yogs and, and Ron Francis and it would go okay, okay, three on one. You know, you go three zero, three on one and three on two. And I remember we, we'd be going on the three on one if the, the goal didn't go in. Yags would stay and still playing some. Ron and I would go three on two on one and then we'd turn around at three on two and Yags would come back at the Bruno and Ronnie would give him a long pack going to breakaway. I'll be it. That's the drill. And he'd have a sock on his head. It's just like.
Eddie Johnson was our coach. Oh, it was awesome.
Biz
Just like.
Yan
Because I played with Yogs later on. But there'd be a drill going down one end and he would just be doing his own thing. His linemates would be looking for him be like yeah. No. Somebody else jumping. He beat to his own.
Luke Robitaille
He worked hard, though.
Yan
Oh, worked his nuts.
Luke Robitaille
He'd stay and do 3 on 3 after practice for an hour. He didn't care and do weights on his legs all the time.
Biz
But it was interesting, Cat.
Luke Robitaille
It was so fun. But it was the merrier. We all. I don't. You guys weren't playing that. But we would go every day that went to Pittsburgh. We'd watched our mornings. Wow, this is so cool. Mary would come in 10 minutes late, take a couple one time. Everybody was so relaxed. Then you go and lose seven sex.
Whit
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
It was awesome. They didn't turn it on. They was just a different team biz.
Yan
Weren't you at training camp with them? And like the coach was like, all right, we're bag skating.
Biz
Mario was like, no, I think Eddie Oldchuk. It was his first year, he was coaching and they'd played together and you know, and. And I was in his group and I. I remember he was like, hey, you know, great day. You had the scrimmage, you did the practice. We're going to do a skate. And he was just like, not dead.
Luke Robitaille
And I was like, good job.
Biz
The coach were not skating after 8. Hey, great day, Robin.
Ra
Hey.
Biz
This is ridiculous. But like, I was so young and naive. Like, I just like didn't even know how big of a deal that it was.
Luke Robitaille
Right?
Biz
Like, he was just. I was so nervous. I came around the net. One drill I passed to him and I must have missed his tape by 15ft. Start to drill over. I'm like, oh, my.
Luke Robitaille
Oh, yeah.
Biz
That was my ex. And then I asked him to go to lunch and he's like, who the is talking right now? Yeah, no, I was a bit of a donkey or a lot of a donkey. But so that, that was short lived. You were only there for that one year and then it was off to. To New York for two. So, like, I mean, you played in some awesome spots. What was that like for me, going.
Luke Robitaille
To New York was great. You know, it was.
Because the lockout, like Howard Baldwin, there's like Tom Rich. I had the same age as Mario, so there was was. They knew there was financial trouble. And Howard Baldwin was really cool. Like, I had an arbitration case in those days. We all had an option year. So when the. After the lockout, you had the choice as a player to not take the option year and just end your contract or take it. And because I had eight years in a row with 40 goals, I had the best arbitration case. So Bob Goodenow Was like, you know, he didn't tell me, but with my agency, you should take the arbitration case. Yeah. So we filed for arbitration and then Pittsburgh Mary was coming back. So now I think the insurance wasn't kicking in. So it was kind of a little bit money thing. So Howard was great. Like he was gonna trade me to the right to a good team. I remember that. He told me that. So it was the Rangers.
Whit
He promised, like I'm not gonna.
Luke Robitaille
He promised the team, the three teams I had heard, heard funny, it was Anaheim, Chicago Rangers and ended up being the Ranger, which I love New York. So it was awesome.
Biz
You signed a two year deal there.
Luke Robitaille
No. So then I was a. So I filed for arbitration. So I was going without a contract that summer and I think I was 29, I was going to become a free agent and those at 31 or 32, crazy. So they kept trying to sign me for four years and so we said, no, we'll just sign for two, you know. And then they, that was the battle. It wasn't. So then the last one said, well, it. We just, we asked for six and they said, well, to give. And those days no one signed for six years. So I got a six year deal with the Rangers. Wow. And then after two years, I didn't understand, you know, when no one talks to you. I didn't understand my role with the team. Colin Campbell was a coach and, and we got Gretz the next year. But I still never knew how to play. I just, I was like, I don't want to be on the first line, but can I play more than. Let's say I was playing 13, 14 minutes. Can I get to 16? And let's say in LA, before that was you had 18, 19 as a winger. So I was never going to play. So actually.
Neil Smith sat down with me and I, I remember telling Neil, I said, neil, I love it. I love Lychee Mess. They were great. I said, I just need to play a little bit more. I said, I'm not asking for a lot, just a little bit more. Because I. We had gravy. One of the best teammate ever, you know. And. And he came, he called me back in the summer. He goes, listen, he says, I talked to Coley, he's not going to play you more. So. So this day I ripped Coley Campbell, by the way. But so anyway, he came to me, he goes, but I know Ellie wants you back. Back. He goes, I think I could make a trade there. And Kevin Steven was there. We were two wingers kind of the same stat score. So it was a one for one. So that's how I got back to la. No, that summer.
Biz
Wow.
Whit
So you. And once he told you that you're like, oh, I'll go back there.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, I was okay with that. I wouldn't have had a choice. But I, but I, it was respectful the way they did it. Like, so, so people, I, I felt they treated me good coming out of Pittsburgh. Same thing coming out of New York.
Biz
So you finished. And I finished that deal in LA six years.
Whit
Like.
Biz
Yeah. Rude to ask you at that time. Was it like a, like a revolutionary deal? Not only in term, but like, oh.
Luke Robitaille
The guys were dying in the Rangers. They were. Nick Kiprilla was dying six years. Because in those days it was all two, three. A four year deal was very long in those days.
Biz
And, and like what was the AAV battle?
Luke Robitaille
It was, it was, it was three, two. That was a lot.
Yan
40 goals for eight over 18 million.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, 18, whatever.
Biz
That must have been one of the biggest contracts that the league had ever seen.
Luke Robitaille
Seen then Total Dolls had that like Gretza died like a big deal. Like.
Biz
Yeah.
Who signed a six year deal? Three point.
Luke Robitaille
No one. No one said four. Four. But, but guys were starting to sign for big money, you know, and like, you know that 3,4 million. Like Holly was at 4, I think in those days. And guys were, it was starting to, to.
Biz
So good for you though. Like, you came up at a time where like if you were 10 years prior, like you. They're different.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
They were kind of making peanuts. So you finally got that. That must have been. Oh, that's a.
Luke Robitaille
And then by the end, the same, you know, I, you go back like when a guy was making 300 grand in 70, I'm. Most people were making 50, you know, so.
There'S a difference though. It got higher between normal people and, but it's the same today. There's guys that are bitter and I'm like, well, don't be bitter. Like, we were lucky, we were treated good. But today's guys, it's. And you paved the way another level. Yeah. I tell some of our kid, I go, you know, if you just hit the net all the time, you become a 30 goal score instead of 20. You're gonna make a hundred million.
Biz
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Luke Robitaille
A hundred million dollars. You know, I mean, it's ridiculous. Think about that. I'm like, you know, if you just hit the head, you get the 30 and you do that two, three, you make a hundred million.
Biz
Yeah, I never really Thought of it that way. Holy. I was kind of just happy getting 20.
Luke Robitaille
Oh my.
Biz
So then that deal finally expires and then like, was Detroit on your list of teams to go to?
Luke Robitaille
No, I, I thought I was resigning in la and I didn't know then. Now that I'm on the other side and I get the business, they had internal budgets and I thought I was signing in LA and I ended up not signing. I got an offer the day before and you know, I was 34 or 33 at the time, or 34 maybe, but I led the team in scoring and we'd beaten Detroit in the playoffs. So I thought I was going to sign a two or three year deal and let's say I was at three, two. I thought I was going to get four, you know, like a two or three year deal. And Dave Taylor was our gm and I think he told me they'd offered me a little bit of a pay cut and own a one year deal. So. So my pride and my ego, you know, I was like, fuck that. Like, you know, I think I should, I wasn't asking for a lot, but. So that was the day before free agency. So then I was like, okay. It was more, I thought they didn't want me, but I didn't know there's budget. You, you got, you be, you got to be accountable for someone. So I remember I said, I'm gone. And then I talked to Dave and I told him, I go, dave, it doesn't matter at this point. Point, if you don't know what I'm worth, I'm gone.
Whit
You were insulted a little bit.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, you know, but so the next day I remember like my kids were enrolled at school, they were getting older. So I started talking to Pat Brisson, my agent, and I think Tom Rich was still alive in those days. Yeah. And I was looking to not live too far. So San Jose was coming up and I thought I had a chance there. And then Dallas was pretty good and then. But they signed Adam Graves in San Jose and then Pierre Turjon, I think Donald Odette or someone else signed in Dallas. So then that day Dominic Hassett got traded to Detroit. And I'm kind of on the phone and I was at my father in law and my wife says to me, she goes, she goes, why are you looking to say? I go, well, because it's close if you. We thought the first year she wasn't going to come with me. So I said, it's close, it'll be easier for you. So she said, well, Go, who do you think is going to have the best team next year? So I said to her without thinking, I go, Detroit. She go, well, you guys just beat. I go, yeah, but they got Dominic Hasek. No, they'll have the best team. She goes, well, why don't you try to go to Detroit? That literally. And I go, really? But it's far. She goes, it doesn't matter. It's four hours or an hour. Two hours, the same. So we call pack, call Detroit. And I think they were trying to get. Get Salani or someone else. And within an hour I was there.
Whit
No.
Biz
Wow. Two year deal.
Whit
Crazy story.
Luke Robitaille
It was a two year deal. Yeah, I was in an hour. I was there. And then Holly went like maybe a.
Whit
Month later because I was I looking at your career, right? Like I would have guessed it was all right. Like I've. I came to Pittsburgh after they won. I came to New York after they won. I won a cup. But you, you were more like, hey, I was willing to stay in la. And it's your wife who said, hey, they're going to be good.
Luke Robitaille
I thought we were really good. When we beat Detroit. We had Stumpo at center and I remember I met with our president, Tim LaRue. He said, what do you think we did? I said, we need one more Center. And J.R. was up that year and I thought we were going to go get Junior. I didn't know we were going to cut the budget. I'd be out.
We had Adam Denmark, we had Pulfi. You know, we had the Cat Podvan in net. Like he was a great goalie butterfly. But we were really good with Manny North Nordstrom. Like we had traded Blakey, but it was a tough trade for all of us because he was our leader. But you get.
What's his name? Miller from. From Colorado.
Whit
Kevin Miller.
Luke Robitaille
Kevin Mallory. Like. No, not Kip Miller, huh? No, the defenseman. He was really good. He's going to be mad at me.
Biz
Ozalynch.
Luke Robitaille
No, it was. Miller was a defenseman. Right handed defenseman, like a stay at home defense. And Adam Nedmarsh. And we got a first pick for Rob Blake. So you get Dead Marsh and a really good four defenseman. You're never replacing Rob.
Biz
You had to diversify a little bit. Tough trade, but you had to make it.
Luke Robitaille
So. So I thought we were really good.
Biz
Gary Miller.
Luke Robitaille
That's it. Sorry, Aaron, but I was. And I thought if we could get a second line center. We had Ian La Perrier on our team. He was lappy, was tough, understood his Role. We had a lot of good role players.
Biz
Don't feel bad. I called the Nick Luke today. We did one of our guys here. Sometimes my brain just speaking of money.
Whit
Being crazy, that was the year Hashek had. If they won the cup, he had a million dollar bonus. And I remember this. Everyone's like, this is insane. You guys, you guys won it. It was discussed like a million bucks.
Luke Robitaille
Well, we were joking. Last year, up to a few years ago, this, that team salary was like 85 million. That was the cap. Two years ago there were teams at.
Biz
20, so they had no problem paying either. So you got your number and your two years.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and, and I think Stevie and Shani at some point Ken called them. They, they, they, they deferred some money to help the budget. Yeah, I think Shanny, Stevie, I think these guys did a. I think I.
Whit
Remember hearing that I met you that year in the cup finals because we had the draft prospects come to the game. And the thing I remember most was Eiserman. He could not pregame skate. No, he was limping. We, he was getting treatment when we got to meet him. And then like guys were saying like it's in. The guys from the NHL, they were bringing us around like it's insane. He's playing.
Luke Robitaille
He didn't practice from the Olympics on. And then he would, they would freeze him and he would get in a warm up. It was funny because he was all taped up and he could barely move around. And then when the tape loosened up and the way they froze at me. But it would only kick in at game time. So in the warm up, guys on the other team would be looking what the fuck. Like if he'd go to stretch, he couldn't get up. He'd have to put his stick down and then try to get up because he was taped up. So it was like he's skating like Robitaille.
Whit
What the hell's going on?
Luke Robitaille
I was blowing by him. It wasn't even close to in a warm up. Go around him.
Biz
So he did this for half season.
Luke Robitaille
Basically, including from the Olympics on. It was, Steve was unbelievable.
Yan
Yeah, just see that in the locker room. Guys must have been like, we got to win this for Cap and doing that.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, he just like, he was awesome though. He like Mass is a great lady, obviously. Gratz. And Stevie was, was. He, he didn't speak a lot. He, he did one for me that I remember he did one, two. I think it was only two speeches. So I, I, you guys are gonna like it. So I Gotta tell you a couple Scotty Bowman stories. I'm in la. We're like, scotty Bowman. Like, I'm from Montreal. My dad loves Scotty Bowman. So. So I get. I get to. To Detroit, and I'm like, scotty Bowman. So he sees me in the hallway, goes, hey, hey, look. Hey, look, hey, look. You like it? You like it here? You like to play golf? You like to play golf? I'm like, that's really weird. That's how Scotty talks off the ice, you know, he's like, you like it? I go, I go, yeah. He goes, I. There's some good, good tracks you got. We had camp in Traverse City, so that's it. Never says another word. He never comes on the ice the first week of camp. At one point, he comes by the board and he goes, he used to abuse Barry Smith. Smith. And he goes, barry, Barry, come here. And we would only do the veterans on the ice. And he goes, I don't want to see anybody get hurt here. He goes, if you're doing sk. He's yelling at the coach. Word there. If I see anybody get hurt, it's your fault. You're out of here. To Barry Smith. So he said, no stopping. So every skating drill, we weren't allowed to stop at camp.
We're all laughing and Holly's just, Just dying, just laughing, you know, like, we had Chelly and these guys, and we're just ripping Barry Smith. We're not stopping anywhere. It's awesome. But, but, but I do recall him saying, because we're going to play till June, so right away he said that in September. So I'm like, ah, that's his message, you know. So then we start the year and he says, he doesn't explain it, but we read in the paper that we're going to do a new system. They used to play the left wing lock. Detroit. Everybody knew that, that. But they were really, really good at it. So it was going to be like a V, and we're all joking. It's going to be the Mighty Ducks, like a flying V. And. But no one can understand it because it's. It was like a 1, 2, 2 in the offensive zone, but we. We can't figure it out. So as the game would go and the puck would end up on. On our right side and the left side, we were supposed to do a V and, and cut the ice. But Buck would end up on the left side and there'd be a breakaway. So we give up two, three breakaways a game. But we had Dominic Hasek. So he'd stop him and we'd win a few and lose a few. And next thing you know, I think Holly and Stevie and some of the run, they said, listen, we can't keep. We don't even know what we're doing. And they were like, we're not a pressure. They kept wanting us chip it in. And Hollywood like, we're not gonna chip it in. He goes, here's wild Wilder. Let's play that trap like in Dallas. He goes, we'll just get the puck. We'll never give it back. That's how he pitched it. So Stevie and Barry Smith and I don't know how they did it, but somehow they came in one day. They said, okay, we're gonna play the trap. When we get the puck, we're just.
Biz
Not gonna give it back.
Luke Robitaille
That. That was our system basically. So we go to Edmonton and it's one of those eastern western trip. So we go to Edmonton and we're there. Listen, we're practicing and Scotty's down the ice and the guys are like, look at Scotty. I look up, he's got the newspaper. He's not watching. They're like, he hates the trap. He. It's not his idea. So he hates the trap. So. So we're practicing, they're all laughing and we're doing a trap. And you go, he. He hates the. So then we win, let's say 4:1. Next day we're in Calgary. We're practicing. The game is after. Not on the ice. Got the newspapers, not looking. So we win like five in a row. Then he comes on the ice, you know, because now the trap works. But guys, that was. That's how we started with the trap.
Whit
He didn't want to be associated with it.
Luke Robitaille
He hated a track because it was like every team did it, you know, but they worked.
Biz
Wow of the guys came up with that in the locker room.
Luke Robitaille
It was the guys there maybe with Barry Smith, Dave Lewis, but I don't know what happened. But we started playing the tr. We're like, what's going to give it to Nick? Nick lrom. He'll find a way. He'll find us.
Biz
No, no.
Whit
And that's like. That was. Dat Souk was like four fine, right.
Luke Robitaille
Datsu was our fourth line player and we were like, holy. Oh my God. It wasn't even close. We never seen. He would do on the ice. We never seen. I remember he's a rookie, maybe that's his fifth game. The puck is. For some reason the puck Is at. At the red line at centerized, but it's standing up, and the D's come in to just poke it. And the kid's standing still. He chops it, and the guy's stick goes over. He flips it down and goes three on two. And Holly goes, I want to play with this guy.
Yan
The magic man, man.
Luke Robitaille
At one point, they put. They put a line. Stevie, Holly, and me. So we all had 600 goals. So everybody's laughing, you know, so we're all, we. We go on a run, we win eight in a row. I get eight goals in a row. But Holly's only got a couple goals. He's got a bunch of assists because I keep picking up his rebounds. And Stevie, like, we just get so, like, game seven. Holly gets on the main, goes, Stevie can't pass the puck. Everything is like this. And he's telling me that. Then he looks at me, goes, why the am I telling you that for? You never even thought of passing the buck. And I'm like, I think the line's pretty good.
Yan
He hated a sin.
Luke Robitaille
He was great.
Whit
What a team that he was.
Biz
He was the. He kind of reminds you of Phil Kessel from the stories you hear about him. Like, the perfect guy where maybe not the leader, but just crack the jokes, get the job done.
Luke Robitaille
He was so.
Yan
And he's gonna score.
Biz
Yeah. And he was gonna score a goal.
Luke Robitaille
So anyway, so. So Stevie's story was, we're opening night in San Jose. We haven't seen Scotty, and we go to San Jose. And the year before, Detroit lost a bunch of leads. We beat them in the plow. They lost leads like, we were up. They were up three nothing. We. So we're up three nothing against San Jose. And San Jose. They. They were not really good. And we. We tied it. No, we're up. They tied in a third. So now it's the buzzer, and we're going to overtime. And Scotty goes, hey, hey, Stevie, bring. Bring everybody here. I'm like, oh, this is it. This is the first speech from Scotty Bowman. And Scotty. Stevie, we'll miss a curfew. We're gonna miss the. Remember.
What are you guys doing? We're gonna miss the curfew.
Yan
Barry.
Luke Robitaille
Barry, we're not gonna make the curfew. We're in this after 9. 11, too. We got all the security. This is that. Yeah, with all the security. We're not gonna make a curfew. Then you go, we go. We're going overtime. We win 4, 3. So now we, we tap and we go in this, in the room room and, and guys are getting undressed. We kind of know we have to hurry and. And Stevie goes hey guys, stop a second. And, and so we all stop. He goes listen, this is all we lost last year. We can't blow leads anymore. From now on, if we're up, it's over. If we're up in the third, we gotta. I'll dig in. It's or. And all you can hear in the hallway in San Jose, you know they were like you can hear ago a meeting, a meeting, a meeting we're gonna miss care of you and Steve go.
Whit
Oh he just wanted out.
Luke Robitaille
He wouldn't, he wouldn't face Stevie though. He's like on the other. But he's yelling so we, and we're all laughing while Stevie is trying to talk to us.
Yan
So you guys coach that team.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. Yeah, he did though. Scotty's the best.
Yan
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
Coach, bench coach. I've ever, ever just.
Whit
Yeah.
Biz
Dive into that because we've had guys talk about it before. He just like knew who to how to manipulate whatever they were doing or.
Luke Robitaille
Like he didn't talk to guys. He only talked to dad Souk who didn't speak English that year. So it was the funniest thing. Cuz he on purpose you'd be coming off the ice and after practice he'd be so you like it here, Pavel Pav. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'd all laugh. We'd walk by and. And guys like he's talking to one guy doesn't speak English. You know, he wouldn't talk to anybody. It was, it was awesome. This is ridiculous.
Whit
Yeah.
Biz
He's like why?
Whit
What is going on right now?
Luke Robitaille
But it was kind of funny. And Stevie said he's talked to my kids more than me. He had been there for 15 years or whatever. Like he had all the guys had these stories but he, he, he just knew who. How to give you a role without talking. You know, some will say that's your role. But with Scott people will say well I was a great team. But he still, he didn't do like. Like I'll give you an example. I remember there was a game where drapes Chris Draper that year he had 20 goals but he was the grind line. It was you know and he never put him on the power play and you were going to say well you got all the great players, you know, so he had to figure it out. But he made sure everybody got enough ice time to feel important on the team and you all Felt you had your role. But I do remember there was a game. We're up, let's say five, two. And Drapes got two goals that were all, There's a commercial. Remember the. It was those days, the commercial were starting to like. So there's five minutes left. We have a power play. And he's. He's on the ice, he's drinking. We're like, drapes, you gotta go get your hat trick. And Scott, he's like going like this. And then it's time to go back. And we're like, steve, the guys, we want Drapes to go get his hat trick. Scotty goes, get the. Off the ice. You're on the pk. That's it. So it was like his message, like, no, you're never getting on a power play. This team, it's hall, it's Shannon, like, those are my part. And he like, basically it's message. If we're up five, two, I'm not putting Robot on the pk.
Biz
Right.
Luke Robitaille
You know?
Ra
Yeah.
Whit
Like, kind of interesting to me because.
Luke Robitaille
That was the first time I'd ever seen that. It was like, okay, that's not your role. It'll never be a role for me to win the cup. And poor Dre went out there. We're all laughing, the whole team.
Whit
It was like Rudy handed.
Luke Robitaille
We wanted him to get his hat trick, but never got. He never went out there. That was awesome.
Biz
Like, what. Were you even intimidated by Eiserman just because he was so stoic? Like with.
Luke Robitaille
No, Stevie's funny. I don't know if he, you know, we don't know. A great sense of humor. He's got great one liners. And so I sat next to him in the room. He's awesome.
Biz
Once the game was over and you're on the bus and like you won, like, he was to. Able, able to then, like, well, even.
Luke Robitaille
During the game, he would make fun of himself. He didn't speak loud in the room, but when he got up or he said something, it was. It was like, that was his team. It wasn't even close. He was the leader. But he's really funny. Steve is really. He's got. He's like most hockey player, but he's got a great little one liners.
Biz
We'd love to get him on at some point.
Luke Robitaille
I don't know. He's too serious now. Now he's really serious, though.
Biz
Yeah, we try to joke.
Luke Robitaille
I gotta listen to my.
Biz
I try to loosen him up ent a little bit.
Yan
He doesn't like that.
Biz
No. No, we never really talked about your, like your relationship with Mess when you played in New York. Like you're so good at describing these, these legends. Like he, he must have been a fun guy to be around always like to go out after games, right?
Luke Robitaille
And yeah, he, he's probably one of the best leader. Like I, I use him like, you know, you think of corporation something leader. Like he, what surprised me though, he was never mad, you know, like he was the most positive guy I've ever seen in a room. Like, he was, he was awesome. Like, because I live in the city, so I would drive with him or Kevin Lowe and these guys were nuts. They just, they want to win everything. Like, even in the car they would race like they were nuts. And so, but, but Mess, like he was the king of New York. I mean he said we're going to win and he won. And. But I remember in the room you either were part of Mess's team or you were out. So if you didn't complain, you know, there's guys like Wines on the bench or something. As long as you played hard, you were part of his team. But if you complain you cheated the game or something, he didn't say it, he didn't do anything about it. But the way he treated people, you were like, this guy's not on the team. You don't, you could tell, next thing you know it was traded or something, it was out. But you felt if you worked hard, you were honest, you were on Mess team and it was, it was unreal. But he just was always positive. The only thing that was hard is he changed skates every period so you couldn't get your skate sharpened. You ever hear the stories?
Biz
Yeah, I heard he was, he would.
Luke Robitaille
Change the rivets, he would change the blades on his skate. Like he really. But he's the greatest skater in the game. So he would, he would take his skates off after warm up, up and he would line him up and he would make a mark on the front and he'd go to trainer, he'd have to take the, the whole blade out, drill new holes and reset his blades. And he did that almost every game. And in those days, he was the only guy I'd ever seen. I would wear a new pair every day, you know, right out of the box. Right out of the box. In 1990, this is like 96, 95. Those were, it was unbelievable.
Biz
But he was, but he was so positive.
Luke Robitaille
Like in the room you were, if you were in his group, you were in his group. Like and he, there was an aura about him. He just believe into winning.
Biz
It was.
Luke Robitaille
But then he was a little bit older then. But you kind of knew he was going to pay any price to win. I do remember a story where I was in, in the room and we're down, I think two, nothing. We're playing really good. He goes, we got them boys, we got them boys. And he goes, I got one. And you're like, oh. He just said, I got one. You. You knew he was going to get a goal. He's Mark Messi. And then he reach over, he goes, lucky, you got one. You got one. I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, I got one. I'm crapping my pants. I got, I got one. Mark Messi. I know he's going to get a goal. That was a race. I shot everything I could. I did I actually pass it from the corner. He hit a stick and went in. I'm like, I got one.
Biz
Did he get.
Luke Robitaille
No, I got the other one.
Yan
Where.
Whit
He moves.
Luke Robitaille
Pressure like Mark Messi tells you, I got one. You're like, he's getting one. I was never felt that much pressure in my life.
Biz
Hey, I had yours too.
Yan
First.
Luke Robitaille
I didn't even say to you.
Whit
I was like, actually Stoli was just telling me out there about your goal scoring. He's like, he didn't have the hardest shot. You would tell him, like, I just try to get it off my stick as quick as possible and hit the net.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, that's all it is. I just shot as quick as I could. Everything.
Whit
Every time.
Luke Robitaille
Most goals you miss your shot or hit something. And if you should, because the guy that Girolu had taught me, like, he would line up 100 pucks in a corner and just, he wouldn't snap and he would just. They kept coming. You had no time to. To set and we'd practice. He had to, to. To. To aim. We'd split the net in half. That half or that half. But you can't miss the net. Or you had to do 10 push ups. A hundred bucks you didn't want.
Whit
No way up.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, that was hard. Yeah.
Whit
And just hit the net.
Luke Robitaille
We did that every day. But you, you split the net in half, but you couldn't miss a net. So if you never miss a net, it's like Gret says, give yourself a chance, you know?
Whit
Yeah.
Biz
Percentage.
Luke Robitaille
So, so, so then when I got in the NHL, everyone timer was just as quick as I like it. Like, I, it never sat on my stick.
Yan
I was just gonna say, because the goalies Are so good. If they see it, they're gonna save it, right?
Luke Robitaille
Especially. Yeah, there's. They come. They come fat, but a lot of time you see a guy, even they. They. They kind of take it. And just that time, the goal is there.
Ra
Yep.
Biz
Yeah, it's. Maybe they want to have it on their stick a little longer, you know?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
Yeah. Take a look at me.
Luke Robitaille
Well, guys shoot different today with the sticks.
Biz
Yeah, we. We kind of went back to talk about mess, but winning that Stanley cup, like, that run, like, I mean, what. What do you. What sticks out the most? Like, the celebration, like, what was it. What was your.
Whit
Did you have relief that you got a cup?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. Yeah. What was cool is, like, we knew we were the best team. So when. When it started, I started collecting right away from day one. I never done that in my career, but every round, every time I could get something, I would collect it. So. So I was hoping it was gone. But then we were down to nothing against Vancouver in the first series.
And then. And then people threw a Dominic Hasek jersey on the ice. And I remember we go, that. That was Stevie's second speech, was we were down to nothing, and Stevie just.
Biz
Was it on the plane?
Luke Robitaille
No, it was in Vancouver. He said, hey, guys, let's, let's. Everybody was like, let's just calm down. He goes, we know what it takes to win. We're just going to go out there, play our game. Game. We'll win tonight, and then we're gonna move on. I think that's what he said. So then that. That's the game Cloutier led. It was a. It was a one one game in the third, right? It was in the second. Okay. And we made two one and we won two one that game. And then the next game, I think it was 5:2 or something. And then we won in four. The next series against St. Louis, it wasn't close. Then it was Colorado. That's when. No, those two teams.
Biz
Was that when you. Did you guys go to game seven with them that year? It was seven zero or seven. One.
Luke Robitaille
Seven one or seven. Yeah.
Whit
While I went to pick up that puck.
Biz
I'll never forget.
Luke Robitaille
That was game.
Whit
That was 7 6.
Luke Robitaille
I thought that was game six. So we were down 3 2, and the game six was in Colorado. That's. That's Stevie's third speech. He said, that's what he said before the game. We're stretching you and stretching. He goes, let's just take it easy. He goes, listen, we're not here to. To win. He Says, we're. We're just going to play tonight. We're going to win tonight. He goes, we're not going to celebrate. We'll win game seven. We're just going to move on and we'll go. We're here to win the cup. That's what he said. But game six. But he said in a calming way that you just knew he was right. And. And that's the game that. In the morning skate. I think Bob Hartley asked for Dominic Hasek stick, or he asked at sometime he asked for a Dominic Hasek stick, and his blade was too thick and. But, you know, you kind of measure. You didn't really know. But they knew he had given him a stick, so they shaved his blade to be legal, and they called Dominic Hasek stick that.
They f. But. But Dominic gave it for his kid. He said for his kid.
Biz
So they try to act like, hey, give me a signature. I really want when you're sick. But really, they were trying to.
Luke Robitaille
That's sorely.
Whit
But you got. Hey, you guys got ahead of it.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. So.
Whit
So.
Luke Robitaille
But I remember Dom was like, hey, Vegas. He's so happy. He knows we got him.
Ra
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
And we got.
Whit
Oh, once. They asked for the check.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. They say he almost threw it at them. He was so happy, but he was pissed. Wow.
Biz
That's game.
Whit
Did you guys score on that power play?
Luke Robitaille
I think so. It's not too long after that. Patrick went like this and the book went in and Sergey put it in. Yeah. And then I think we won three two. And then game seven, we were up four one in the first. It was over or four nothing, whatever.
Whit
Yeah.
Biz
You think you guys won that one? I remember being so hyped for that game.
Yan
Me too.
Biz
At that time, I think that. That the Lemieux situation with, like, all the chaos that was.
Luke Robitaille
That Lemieux stuff was. Was over because, remember, it was.
Whit
That was 96.
Luke Robitaille
But. But if you were to go back and watch that. That series, that's probably some of the best hockey.
Biz
That's what I mean. I think just because of the history of it. It was this, like, new school rivalry where it was a Game seven between these two teams. And it was such a dud.
Whit
Yep. I remember the same thing.
Luke Robitaille
Well, it wasn't a dude.
Biz
We.
Luke Robitaille
We played that year in. In Detroit. Detroit against Colorado. We won 41 or 4 2. And I remember seeing Blakey after. And Blakey's laughing. He goes, we didn't even touch the puck today. Like, remember I told you we always had the puck. He Was like, we couldn't believe it. We never touched a puck the whole game.
Whit
It's crazy, though, because even that team, one of the Greatest teams ever 10 hall of Famer still down two zero in the first round.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
Down three, two. Western Conference files. It was. It's never easy. Yeah, it's never easy how good that team.
Luke Robitaille
And then I guess Carolina know, we knew we were the better team, but we still lost game one and we went triple OT in one game.
Whit
That was the game I was at.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
Laronov goal.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
So you ended up. Your last year was the year after the lockout, though.
Yan
Yeah.
Whit
So, like, I feel like maybe a decent amount of guys your age then they didn't come back for that next year. And you knew. I'm not done yet.
Yan
Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
It's kind of funny. Like one I that that year that we had the lockout couple years prior, my back was bad, so my back got better.
Whit
Yeah. From not playing, you know, not playing.
Luke Robitaille
And, and I felt pretty good. I'm like, I think I could play one more year. It'd be fun, you know. Then I didn't know it. There was no plan. Yeah. And ended up playing that year and was fun, you know, and it was kind of a good time not knowing I had no plan. Then towards the end of the year, you're like, you're starting to sell. I'm like, and, and then I was joking because I was playing with George Perros that he ended my career. I told Georgie other day, George goes, yeah, you knew your career was over once you were playing with me. But we had fun on the bench, though. Then I, as I got near the end, I, I, I started knowing, like, maybe January. I started thinking about it, but then it was funny because then everything was fun, you know, in the room. You know, when you're a player, there's going on, you're not sure. But then everything was fun t the year.
Yan
You're appreciating everything because, you know, because.
Luke Robitaille
I'm like, oh, this is going to be it. I'll never get this.
Whit
That was my question. So you knew the last game of the year. That year. That was your last.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
And, and then the crowd got to know.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. A week prior, I'm like, we weren't going to make the playoffs. I said, it'll be my last game. So. Because then I knew I would fly. My parents and, you know, and everybody was around. So.
Whit
Yeah.
Biz
I have to say this has been one of my favorite interviews of all time. Hell of a story, you Are such a funny storyteller. Luke.
Whit
Let's do rollback.
Biz
Yeah, I was rollback. Last question. When you got the call for the hall of Fame. And do you want to do the funny.
Luke Robitaille
Sorry.
Whit
What? Funny? What?
Biz
Or the whole rollback thing.
Whit
Sorry, I thought you were taking it over. All right, so this is last question, presented by rollback. That's Rho, B, A, C, K dot com. Use code Chiclets, C, H, I, C, L, S. 25% off. 20% off through the end of the week. Polo shorts, swim trunks and more. Use code Chiclets at roback.
Luke Robitaille
Com.
Yan
Funny.
Whit
No, I was gonna. Yeah, I did a funny job with that. The hall of Fame. Tell about the call. Who called you? Like, I think it's. Who does the calls now? Lanny McDonald, I believe. Was that who it was for you?
Luke Robitaille
For me, I was working in the Kings, and I wasn't sure how it works because they don't tell you. No one calls you and say, if you get name, we'll call you. I didn't know. So I look at my phone. It said 4, 1, 6. I'm like, oh. And I picked it up, and it was cool because it was Pat Quinn, and that was my original coach. Wow. Wow.
Whit
So that was your punch in the eye that time.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah, yeah, exactly. He didn't ask me to get, but I was. So that was him. But the hall of Fame was really cool, but for me, I think the greatest honor in my career. And I remember I called my dad is Pat couldn't call me back. Back a few years later and asked me to be on the selection committee.
Biz
Oh, wow.
Luke Robitaille
And I told my dad, I go, dad, I just want to play hockey. Now I get to pick who gets in the hall of Fame. That's so, like, that's the greatest thing ever, you know? That was. For some reason, that was like, the coolest thing. Wow.
Whit
Are you still doing that now?
Luke Robitaille
Yeah. Yeah.
Ra
Wow.
Whit
So you guys get together once a year. Once a year. And. And you go over all the names and boom, boom.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Whit
Is that a vote? Secret vote.
Luke Robitaille
And then Bobby Clark was on the committee the first time. My dad loved Bobby Clark. Bobby Clark's eyes sat right next to him. Hey, Bobby, who we voting for? Bobby Clark just doesn't care. Oh, yeah. I was totally peeking because.
Biz
Mine own too.
Yan
I remember. I remember in your speech, you said, talking about the LA Kings, I can't wait to win a Stanley cup with the Kings. And you guys did it, what, two years later?
Luke Robitaille
Two years later, yeah.
Yan
That must have been incredible.
Luke Robitaille
It was amazing. It. It's cool. When you win as a player, it's the trainers, it's your family, obviously the player, because you know, it. It is like, it's a. It is really people. It's the hardest trophy. There's no doubt. You know, when you watch the playoffs, it's amazing. But when. When I won the other side, what I never realized is when you're a player, like, ah, if we win, they'll show up, they'll be there. You don't realize how much work and passion is behind, behind. So I got to appreciate that. And then the other thing that never thought or come to my mind is like, there's people that had been buying season tickets since like 1968, paying five grand, a grand, and don't make a lot of money. Every year they're buying. So then when you see them and they're crying and you're like, oh, they means a lot to them. So that was cool to understand that part for me.
Whit
It been a long time here. Yeah, till they got one, then they get another one two years later.
Luke Robitaille
Yeah.
Biz
That was unreal.
Yan
Incredible.
Luke Robitaille
Thank you so much.
Biz
So many good career. You're a silly bastard, Luke.
Luke Robitaille
No, you guys are great for our game. Love what you guys are doing.
Whit
Like, I do.
Luke Robitaille
Like, you know, sometimes.
I still can't get away with some of this stuff. You get away with. No one can.
Ra
No one can.
Biz
What do you mean?
Whit
Charles.
Yan
Charles Barkley.
Biz
So we got Blakey coming up here. We're gonna joke around. I remember when I signed here my last year with Ontario, like, I was trying to negotiate.
Yan
He's like, yeah.
Biz
I said no, I tried to negotiate like five more grand on my contract. So the. That you guys put up with while I was here, did he give it to you? Yeah, yeah. I went from 130 to 135.
Luke Robitaille
About 10.
Biz
He's like, never call me on a long weekend again, you asshole.
Whit
Get my number. Number.
Biz
Yeah, exactly.
Luke Robitaille
So.
Biz
Oh, thank you for everything for me.
Whit
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Thank you so much to Lucky Luke. A legend gave us so much of his time. Awesome, awesome interview. We appreciate it very much.
Biz
And if there's one thing I could take away from that interview, it's just, you know, lie to your coaches so you can get power play time.
Whit
Yeah, yeah, that's it.
Biz
Just lie to them, Lie to their face. Tell them that you played the half wall. Tell them you played behind the net. Tom, you'll play netfront and you'll get out there with the best players and you'll pad the stats and you'll make a shitload of money. And the only other thing I wanted to bring up before we throw it to Ra's World, boys is this battle between Michael Buble and Frank Saravelli is top notch entertainment right now.
Yan
They got a fight.
Biz
They are.
Whit
I'm wondering, though. So for anyone who doesn't know Michael Pupil, we got to get him back on. I liked interviewing him. Huge Canucks fan. He went at Frank. I don't know what show he was on, saying that if Frank Saravalli is a Canucks insider, the movie the 40 Year Old Virgin is about a porn star. I might have been messing up that quote a little bit, but that was. It was a shot. Biz. You're muted, buddy.
Luke Robitaille
You're muted.
Whit
Muted. So it was a shot at Frank Saravelli saying he doesn't know anything about the Canucks.
Yan
Shot at Steve Carell, too.
Whit
I know, I know. Seriously, the back with the chest waxing scene, all time. And then Sarah Valli came back, apparently did some research and said this is coming from a guy who named one of his children. Now when I'm reading his response, I'm like, he's bringing his kids into this before I even finished it. I'm like, what's going on here?
Biz
Here?
Whit
Who named one of his children after the old. One of the most overpaid players in the league. So then I'm wondering. All right. I didn't even think it was Pederson because he's been pretty good this year. I wasn't thinking EP40. But apparently Buble's son is named Elias. Do we have that correct? Is that now he's. And.
Biz
And I guess Blue Blade fired back because he's been following Elias Pederson since he played in Sweden and he's been a huge fan of him. So that's why he named his kid that. So.
Whit
So, so that's what I was wondering. So people came out originally and said, oh, nice try, Frank. His son was born the year before Pederson was even drafted. So I was like, oh, maybe he got it wrong. But then Buble did write, like, things that made it sound like he did name him after him. Is that true?
Biz
Was he. Maybe he was trolling him back. I don't know. But I think that hopefully at some point we're able to get to the bottom of it. Maybe we get them both on, have hash it out. We kind of got the Bloods and the Crips with. With the. The bandanas tied and holding it. Y. Yeah, just, you know, we've. We've resolved our issues. But just a. Like that would. That would be the last battle. I would have considered going into the holidays, especially with the holiday album or you and Tarantino. Me and Tarantino's up there. So I just wanted to bring that one up and hopefully those guys can resolve it because we want to get Buble on singing those Christmas albums.
Whit
Yeah, seriously, bring us.
Ra
Hello.
Everybody, and welcome to Ari's world here in the Spitting Chicklets podcast. What's going on, boys? How's that?
Whit
Thanks.
Ra
Since the last time we saw each other Thanksgiving. Not much. Not much higher. We heard your injury. Yeah, just the. Yeah. Sciatica's had me on on the DL the last couple weeks been acting up a little bit. Plus I got arthritis. That's when you know you're getting old. I get in the middle aged double whammy right now, you know, so you.
Biz
Got to get the bands out. Ra. Like the band work to activate your glutes.
Whit
I think just start with, are you walking?
Ra
RA. Well, I It's. I usually do, but I, I, it's tough right now because I gotta like, I gotta walk like Yoda. I gotta like walk hunched over. And then that, like, tightens up the top part of my back. It just kind of, you know.
Biz
Do you have a roller Ra.
Ra
I do not.
Biz
But I gotta get a foam roller. You gotta get a little.
Whit
He had one. He made it into a bong.
Like, oh, that's not what that's for, sir. He's like, no, but smoking the styrofoam makes you more high.
Ra
Extra buzz biz. You just mentioned that Aussie wise blot. That was actually the fifth time that two predators got their first NHL career goal in the same game. Pretty wild stat. Yeah. The last time. Call buddy. Colin Black on Pekka Rene back in January of 2020. Interesting little step.
Biz
Picker Rene scored a goal in the same g. His first NHL goal. The same game as another guy.
Ra
Yeah, it's Colin Blackwell. Yeah.
Luke Robitaille
No shit.
Ra
Yeah, absolutely, bud. Absolutely. Yeah. How was you? How was you guys? Turkey day. I know you might have discussed it a little while ago. Anything exciting?
Biz
I flew to tnt. I didn't do all for. For Thanksgiving.
Yan
Did they give you turkey on the plane at least?
Whit
Biz?
Biz
Nope. No, I had meatballs with ricotta cheese.
Whit
Not bad.
Luke Robitaille
Not bad.
Biz
No.
Ra
Yeah. But yeah, actually, I wanted to talk about, well, the ruins. I haven't really gone off on them since I've been doing this. Ira's world. But I want to talk about Mark Castellick. Man, this guy has been an absolute stud. I know people thought he was the throw in back of the Linus All Mark there when they picked up Co Opa. Solid. But this guy, man, 58.3% of the Face off circle. I mean third, fourth line, whatever line he's on, that's pretty damn good for a bottom six guy. Four goals, four assists. But he plays Bruins hockey, man. I know they're outside the playoffs last right now. They lost to Detroit. They went from second in the Atlantic to 11th in the conference. That's how tight the Atlanta Conference is right now. Sorry. The Eastern Conference. Pretty wild. But I don't know, I just like the, the way he plays his game. He'll. He'll stick up for his teammates, chips in with the odd goal. But like I said, that face off percentage, he just personifies what the Bees have been doing. I know he's talking about Zadorov as well, but they're just kind of treading water biz. I just can hope they can just like Stay there and not fall too far behind. Missing pasta, missing Mac way. You know, it's, it's tough to keep winning games or you're missing your stupid.
Whit
Well, G said that he could see him falling off a cliff here and.
Biz
Then they scored two goals to make it three. It was three nothing. G said, I'm they're going to fall off a cliff. They got two goals and then he's like, I'm a complete mush. But they ended up losing that game five four to a. A division rival in the, in the Red Wings. I don't know. I, I, I don't see them being able to sustain what they've done so far this year. But like you said, RA at least like you fans have something to cheer for in a sense of they're bringing it every night. They're playing physical, they're playing Bruins hockey and, and they're, you know, they're, they're setting the tone for, for hopefully you know, to, to eventually get back into to dominant situation now Fraser Mitten's been playing pretty solid for them. They got to be crazy happy with that trade and what they've been able, what they were able to turn over Carlo for. But yeah, I, I think that they have between Zadorov, Geno and Castleic, one of the tougher teams in the league. We where I mean we talk about the lack of toughness that some teams have. They could definitely use one of those guys.
Ra
And, and Swayman's been unreal. I know he kind of got dummied a little bit last night, but in November 10 starts in November when 8 and 2. 206 goals against with a.935 save percentage. He's been playing out of his mind. I mean he's a huge reason why they are, you know, in the play. Well just outside the playoffs right now. Hopefully they just can rope a dope and hang in there and I'll get a spot. But that fight, Castle Cider, I was surprised Cider jumped and jumped in there with him, but man, he ended up getting fed a few punches, man.
Whit
He had no say. He, he, I think he said after like I didn't even really have an option at that point. Like his glove was on for a while and then, you know that I give Cider credit too, but that's not we talked RA on Monday's show about Detroit. Can't love seeing that like if Detroit could have one of Castle Jano not at the contraction I was on. I don't think think but one of those guys that could just at least toughen their team up a little bit. Maybe Cider doesn't have to go there. But also I forgot to say Monday, like if Cider's gonna be a true one, which I think he's well on his way to being. That's what Chris Pronger did. That's what Scott Stevens did. That's what, that's what some of these animals actually were willing to do. And I don't think Rob Blake was as dirty or fought like Chris Pronger, but he was willing to stand in there with guys. So you know what, it just shows your team and your fan base like I am not just one of these new offensive number ones. Like I'm a true penalty kill power play in your face prick in front of the net. Number one well rounded defenseman.
Biz
Yeah.
Yan
Like Kale Makar and, and Quinn Hughes don't have to do that. But they're also not laying the massive hits. And then like watch Mo Cider, he's cross checking guys in front of the net.
Whit
Yeah.
Yan
All game long. Like those other guys aren't doing that.
Whit
As well and they're getting a hundred points.
Yan
They're.
Biz
He very true. He's stuck in that 44 point bracket there.
Whit
I think he can be 50 to 60, 25 minutes. PKPP. Last minute down a goal. Last minute up a goal.
Yan
Yeah, I was just trying to say it's a different type of number one defenseman that they have and I, I like you said, I love the fact that he answered the bell there and fought because you know it's not going to be the last time he's going to have to do it, especially the way he plays.
Biz
I don't think Petro fought much, but I see him as a, as a Petra and Angelo. That to me is, is what he could be. An unreal stick shutdown guy. He's long, he's, he's nasty, he's mean. I mean was it petrol a few years back where he ended up fucking giving it to dry Seidle or was it the other way around?
Whit
He, he like legit Juan Soto swung at his wrist.
Biz
Yeah, yeah. Just being an absolute piece of out there. But I think that if Cider is going to be stuck in that 45, 50 point range as a Demon and plays the way he plays days we talked about a last pod, get some boxing lessons, keep fight, fight, fight. Five, six, seven times a year. Just to let everybody know, hey, if you want to, if you want to drop them, I'm right here waiting for you. And Even if like he. He should be able to fight a guy like Castle at toe to toe. He should be.
Yan
I know, but just such a bad trade off. Like.
Biz
Yeah, I know it's a bad trade off, but he should be able. Like, that's for his size. Yes. You should be able to go toe to toe with him if. Especially if you want to play the way that he plays.
Yan
Right.
Whit
Yep.
Ra
Yeah. You guys just mentioned a beef between play coach Marty and Bennington. Pretty funny stuff. But I want to go back to Sarah Valley and Buble. Yeah. Basically Buble said if he's a canucks, inside, a 40 year old verge is a porn stop. But before that, what he did say, like, oh, he's. He's probably a good guy. He didn't like. He didn't really like, talk too much about him. And then Frank said, I found it very odd. I guess in the end, I would expect nothing less of someone who has named one of his children after perhaps the NHL's most overpaid player, which is kind of weird. Like a ricochet shot at Ed Patterson, who had nothing to do with anything. And that wasn't even true because Buble he. One of the Instagram comments he wrote, I got to give Frank his due. It's the first time he's been right about anything connects. And then he said, frank's right. I was a fan of Petey before he gets drafted. Used to watch him play while he was in Sweden. We was thrilled when the Canucks drafted him. So I don't know if he was being a wise.
Whit
Actually that seems like.
Biz
Like he. He just named him Elias. And it just so happens that he ended up coming to play there. Is that what you're saying?
Whit
No, I was going to say it seems like he already was watching him.
Biz
Yes, that's what I said earlier. I just thought maybe like, because we don't know. We don't know, like the. The actual deep roots. Deep roots of what's going on. Maybe he was just being condescending. As if though you actually think I named my kid after him.
Yan
Hey, Mer is actually Michael Buble. He's been watching all these young Swedes.
Luke Robitaille
No, you're right.
Whit
Merle's invented singing, so it's fair.
Ra
And we know sarcasm in the Internet, like oil and water, you can't really tell when someone's. I know, that's the problem, but it reminded me of some other me. Media versus talent beef here in Boston with Will McDonough. He was a great footballer. He passed away a few years ago. Yeah, he Was he had an argument with one of the Patriots, Raymond Claiborne in the room and like the Patriot bumped into him and he's like, hey. He's like, what are you doing? Like they started having words and Will McDonough hit him boom, boom, boom, with like three shots. He knocked out one of the fucking patriots like with three punches in the locker room like 40 years ago. You ever had story endo about one McDonough, Sean McDonough's father, he was a, you know, great football reporter. Really pioneer reporter. Yeah, he ended up punching out a fucking one of the Patriots, which is pretty wild. And then what? You probably remember this one, Jim Everett and Jim Rome on that, the show we had on esp.
Whit
Call me Chris one more time.
Ra
Yeah, people thought that that was rehearsed too. I mean, yeah, call him Chris. His name, Jim Everett. Chris ever, of course is the, the tennis player. And I mean he pissed him off. He, he didn't really like punch him. He just kind of rag dolled him a little bit.
Whit
Flipped the T. He flipped the table on him.
Ra
Yeah, on that, what was that, that show, what was that name of that show back, back in the day.
Biz
Jim Rome is burning.
Ra
Yeah, he's still doing it too, out in California. He's got like a show every day. But because I want to ask you, are the jets, are they going to be able to hold serve until Halibut gets back? I know he's due back relatively soon, but they've lost five or six, only scored 13 goals, seven points back, a mini two back from the wild card. He's not going to make a move for a goalie. I don't think they really need to, but I don't know, it's. It seems like they've, I don't know, lost. Lost a huge. Obviously it's a huge thing when you lose a goal of that caliber, but you think they're going to slip too far where they're not going to be able to get back on the range.
Biz
I don't know. It's looking that way right now. It's crazy when you're so used to the tendencies of playing with a guy in that, like the way, like, you know, the way he plays the puck, the what angles you give up when you're penalty killing. And just the fact, like look at his fucking numbers throughout the regular season since he's been healthy. And he's also the guy who gets the net, you know, 65 times a year. So I don't know, I, it's, it's not good right now. The offenses went a little bit dry, but yeah, it's, it's, it's. That's such guys with a central division you can't go, you can't go cold for too long or you're going to find yourself outside the playoffs looking fans are.
Whit
Jets fans are pretty pissed off. Like they need a second line center in the worst way. They lost Ehlers and then I think like Taves look good but now they're like he, he's playing like above where he should be playing. Some people are saying like our windows kind of like already done it feels like. So. Yeah. All right. Scary times for the jets right now.
Yan
Tough year for Taves to come back to with this, you know, the cram schedule before Olympics. Like he hasn't played in how many years? Like obviously the break will help him out. But yeah, they, they need to figure it out. But it's not even figuring it out right. It's just waiting till your goalie gets back and trying to win some games.
Ra
Interesting stat too. They've had a goal fewer per game over the last 12 games compared to their first 12. So in other words, you know, that's a, that's a huge drop off and you can't play that on a goalie too. You know what I mean? That's not, it's not hella box fault. Yeah, just 13 goals over the last six games. So. Another thing too, the helmets. Helmets have been a big talk this week. Unusual this time of year. Bill Daly said the league was going to be sending out a memo to remind teams that helmets are mandatory in what? For all players who entered the NHL beginning with the 2019, 20 season or later. Because the sens. They were the first ones to do it. They were in Vegas. I guess they had lost their last six times out there. They're out team dinner. They decided to go without the buckets and warm ups. They end up winning four, three in a shootout. And San Jose did the same thing. Five straight losses. They were in Vegas and Will Smith said there was no particular motivation. It was just a team decision at a dinner Saturday night in Vegas. So I think the guy guys were pretty, pretty set to do it. They went out, they didn't end up winning the game but. And then the next game, the Devils, they wore the hats for Dilly's 1000. We just mentioned that a few minutes ago. So I, I think the fine is. I think I asked what said 5000 per player and 25 per team. Does that sound right, Keith?
Biz
Do they just eat the fines. Like knowing that when they do it that they're going to each have to pay that much money.
Yan
I would hope if you get the win, like, like RA said, if the team's on a skid and then you go out and get the win. And it changed the juju, the owner should just drop off a check and say, there you go. Go.
Ra
Yeah. Yeah.
Whit
It all started when.
Luke Robitaille
When.
Whit
When I was on the Oilers when Corey Potter stepped on Halsey's face.
Biz
Oh, yeah.
Whit
The picture of that I've showed you guys is Frankenstein saying the worst thing. Like, it was scary as I think he got 40 stitches down his forehead. And that was kind of the beginning of the discussion. Like, maybe we need helm ups helmets in warm ups. But God, was it cool to have no helmet on and warm ups. What a feeling.
Luke Robitaille
Feeling.
Whit
Talk about feeling like you're at the top of your profession. NHL hockey, buzzing around wind in your hair. My hair's still not moving.
Ra
Damn, I missed those days. Also, congrats to David Perron. His 1200th game Tuesday in Montreal make it even more special. It was in Montreal. He's a Quebec guy. So congrats to David Peron, man. He's a hell of a player. Been doing it for a long time. But boys, I want to ask you.
Yan
800Th point too, right?
Ra
Played.
Yan
Or recently or something like that, but I was that. That's an amazing career, man.
Biz
He's a gamer. Yeah, he'd be a piece of.
Yan
Check it out. Not good at the Internet.
Ra
Yeah, just like how many guys undrafted and ended up playing a thousand games?
Whit
How about one of them's Kunitz? Yeah.
Biz
RA Sent me.
Yan
Ever heard of this guy? Just a picture of Adam Oates.
Ra
During the show. Yeah, that was hilarious. Serious.
Whit
797 points.
Yan
So he's gonna get 800 plus.
Biz
Way to go, Yance.
Ra
110 playoff games. I mean, sorry, Keith, I want to go to you for this one. What do you think is more impressive? This actually came from my buddy, PK Crosby, Marshan, Malcolm and OV Averaging a point per game at their age, or Celebrini, Badad, Carlson and Smith averaging a point per game at their age. What's more impressive, you think?
Yan
Wow, that's a great question. Probably.
I'd say the old guys. Just the fact that they've done it this long. If it was the end of the season and all those young guys still were a point a game, then maybe I might switch my answer. But I think when the. The old guys who have Been doing it for, you know, 20 years. Almost 20 years with Marchie. Like that's so impressive to me. Just the, the, the commitment that they put in in the summertimes and you know, obviously every day to their craft. So probably the older guys.
Whit
All right, quickly. You just said, I forgot to bring this up. You said PK made me think of PK Stupan, who put out a picture having dinner with Andre Markov.
Luke Robitaille
Markov.
Biz
Yeah, dude.
Whit
I had like forgot about Andre Markov. He was so disgusting.
Yan
Nasty.
Whit
That guy was the N. I thought he was so nasty playing against him. His stick skills, his shot, his passing on the power play. Like just a name you kind of forget about. About. Oh my God. I, I. Canadiens fans all know that guy was sick.
Yan
Wasn't he ripping darts in the locker room too? Is that the other Danny Markov?
Whit
They didn't want to pay him at the time. I think army was saying like, no.
Biz
I sent, I sent a text to a breakdown. I'm gonna pull it up right now. Just the fact that at the time Bergeron or Berger, Mark Bergen was the GM and they were having contract battles and I guess that he represented himself, himself. So he didn't have an agent and he didn't feel like they were offering him what he was worth and they were battling and then he just hung him up. And here's the, here's it right here. This is from Habs on Reddit. Back in 2017, the Habs GM Mark Bergevin decided to play hardball with Andre Markov during contract negotiations. I didn't even know this is how it all ended. Bergevin then seated. Well, this is kind of a shot at Alex Alsner. Bergevin then proceeded to sign Carl Alsner for 5 years times 25 year, 23 million dollar deal. Markov would go on to end his 17 year NHL career at 990 games. So never got a thousand. All of them with the Habs. He would have become the first Canadiens player to reach the illustrious 1000 game milestone. All with the franchises, all with the franchise since Larry Robinson 1986 and Bob Gainey 1987.
Ra
Wow.
Biz
So that just. And also he was one point away from becoming second all time points among defensemen in Habs history behind Larry Robinson.
Whit
He was sick.
Yan
Yeah.
Whit
Years. 46 points, 49 points, 58 points, 64 points. And then like he was injured. 2010, 11, I guess 11, 12. And then he went back 30 and 48 games. 43, 50 points.
Biz
It.
Whit
And then he went. I didn't even realize he Went to the khl and they won it all. His first year out of Montreal. So that guy, I. I just a.
Yan
Guy I forgot about 47 points back then, too, was like 80. Now maybe 75.
Whit
47 points. 47 points.
Biz
Adjusted for inflation.
Whit
47 points in 05. 06. I'm. I'm giving you 58 now.
Biz
Yeah.
Yan
Oh, really?
Whit
I would have 12 more.
Biz
Yeah.
Yan
Okay.
Ra
Definitely an unusual way for a guy to leave the NHL. But wait, going back to that question, what's more impressive? Do you think it's harder for old guys because of the wear and tear, or is it tougher for the young guys given the inexperience in the league?
Whit
I don't even think that question close. I think it's the old guys.
Biz
Old guy. Especially with the speed of the NHL, I would say that the progression of how fast the league is over the last 15 years has accelerated faster than any point in. In the history of the game. Like, that's every single person you talk to, and you're like, oh, what's the. What's the biggest difference? Like, skating, skating, skating. These guys are zipping up and down the ice. And the fact that Sid and some of these older guys are still like. Sid's like, not only keeping up, he's dominating. What are you getting?
Whit
Pace for 50 goals.
Biz
Yeah, he got his 18th the other night. Just remarkable. He had his classic knee drop snipe. It's still. He's so good at going to the right hard areas and like. Like, just touching, like, little tip here, a little tip there, open the blade there. Boom. So he just has so much arsenal in his bag.
Yan
What does he get? 5 goals in 3 games with. Playing with Hazy.
Biz
I know. Hazy. Get hot.
Yan
Don't let Hazy.
Luke Robitaille
Boy.
Biz
How about that?
Whit
Don't let Hazy play with Sid. Signing. Sign an extension there.
Biz
The other night.
Whit
That was nice. Oh, yeah, that was nice.
Biz
Right to the backhand. What do they call him? Not the great one. The. Don't they call. Don't they call him something? Not Broadway One. The best one. The best one.
Whit
But Sid. Sid had two against Philly. Like, that guy has been torturing Philly for 20 fucking seasons. Like, and I remember a rookie year. Like, they would boo him every time he touched the puck. That was the game. He got his teeth knocked out, scored the OT winner, and then it's just never stopped. He had. At one night, he had six points against him, if not seven at home. Like, he's just owned that city.
Biz
Hey, how about this one? I saw a stat that in that building there now. It used to be called the Wells Fargo. I don't know what it's called now.
Yan
Still is, I think.
Whit
Or thought it was Kovia.
Biz
Maybe they changed it to a Kovia that he has the. Like. I think he's, like, around the 35th to 30 most points in that building.
Whit
No way.
Biz
Yes, buddy.
Yan
Like, guys, unreal stat.
Biz
That is insane, bud. I don't know.
Yan
He's ahead of. He's ahead of, like, Wayne Simmons or someone. Like, that's insane.
Biz
Yeah. Like, I. I mean, I would imagine Hartnell's up there, but, I mean, what.
Whit
Does he play four times a year there and then he's had a bunch of playoff series, but owns that organization, which is.
Biz
Owns them. Owns them.
Ra
I feel like Gino's getting kind of overlooked a little bit. Cause, you know, all these guys at a point per game, but he's got, you know, 26 points in 25 games as well. Man, he's been playing at a ridiculously high level. Number one, too.
Biz
I feel like when you know it's your last year, like, you just. He wants to. He wants to leave his mark, right?
Yan
He.
Biz
He wants to leave it all on the table and empty the tank. So I heard he had a huge offseason training, and. And, I mean, no surprise that he's coming and doing what he's doing. And it would be awesome to see that Pittsburgh group make playoffs. I would be so fired up to see him in there. And the type of group where you got Sid leading you, man, you never know with how tight that. Tighter than a nun's cunt. So it's not like the.
Yan
The.
Ra
Hey now.
Biz
We. Hey now.
Ra
Hey now. Oh, go ahead.
Biz
No, I'm done.
Ra
Jinx. Buy me some Coke. Today in NHL history, in 1968, Gordie Howe became the first player to score 700 goals. Seven players have done it since then. Marcel Dion, Brett Hull, Mike Gardner, Ovechkin, Esposito, Jaga, and Gretzky. Howe is also the first to 800 goals, and just two guys have joined him in that rare fight. Essence, Ovechkin and Gretzky. And also on this date in NHL history, in 1902, the oldest and most historic franchise in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens, was founded. They were a chattel member of the National Hockey association, which was the precursor to the NHL that lasted for eight seasons. They won a Stanley cup there, but there was only three teams in the league when they won it. It originally started with fourth. The Montreal Wanderers are the other team, and the arena burned down like six games into the season so that the team had to be suspended. So it was the Ottawa Senators, the OG Senators, the Toronto Arenas, and the Canadian Canadians. And I saw they only had three teams. And then 1924, the NHL started. So that was like the precursor to the NHL. So, hey, shout out to the Canadians, man. Huh?
Whit
They should have had that Italian construction crew come over. They would have rebuilt that rink in a week.
Yan
They would have just finished it now.
Biz
100 years later, Laval Canadians. They'd be playing out of Laval, God damn it.
Ra
All right, now, the. The main lecture at hand. Biz. There Will Be Blood. Quentin Tarantino, Paul Dano. Weird thing. I. I don't know why he took such a shot at Paul Dano. I mean, the guy's a great actor. He hasn't been nominated for Academy Award, but he's done some stellar work. Little Miss Sunshine, Looper, Prisoners, 12 Years a Slave, Love and Mercy. He was actually in the Sopranos too, back in one of the early seasons. He. Yeah, he was one of Meadow's friends. Yeah, he had that stupid haircut and the glasses. Yeah, he's OG he's always got stupid hair.
Biz
Haircut.
Ra
But, yeah, I guess that's true.
Biz
What did you make of it? R.A. like, I like. Where do you put Tarantino as far as directors to all time?
Ra
Yeah. I mean, if I don't Mount Rushmore, things played out. But, yeah, he's definitely up there on my list. I. I got 10. Oh, easily top five. Yeah, top five. I mean, you know, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, the Kill Bills, Once Upon a Time. Yeah, Once Upon a time in Hollywood. I mean, he's done some stellar work, man. Yeah, he's a little of a weirdo.
Luke Robitaille
He.
Ra
He says some funny things. Oh, Biz, did you watch that clip I sent you last night when he. He was doing the interview? He was the only white guy there. And when he's around black people, he starts talking like thinks he's black. It's like wicked cringy. Like, even Sam Jackson looked like he would want to do the Home of Simpson, like, fade into the bush thing. He was his wicked cringey man.
Biz
Yeah, he just take a look at it after this. I didn't. I didn't see that.
Ra
Yeah.
Whit
You know what movie he was in? R.A. have you ever seen Taking Lives with Angelina Jolie?
No, I remember it. It's like old early 2000s, but it was pretty good. It was creepy as Paul.
Biz
Paul Dano was.
Whit
Oh, he was creepy dude.
Biz
Yeah, he plays a Good creep.
Ra
He does play a good creep. He was in the Batman. Tool played the Riddler in that one as well. But yeah, Biscuit, Tarantino, the Cohen Brothers, Scorsese. Those. Those come come to mind right away. No doubt about that.
Biz
I. I found it odd too, that a director would take a shot at an actor like that. Just like there's got to be some. Something that's. That's such a full pot.
Ra
No, yeah, yeah. It's not. Not something you usually see, but he says some. Some wacky stuff and he's. He's been on this like, oh, I'm only gonna make 10 movies, and supposedly he's gonna make one more movie. I don't know why you would limit yourself to make it just 10 movies, but I don't know, see what happens. But his best, Best movies of the 21st century. I was surprised he had Blackhawk down as his number one. I mean, it's a great movie. I believe Ridley Scott directed it, like, you know, technically done. I mean, it's tough to do all that with all the helicopters and film all those war scenes. But I was really.
Biz
Did you find it so noisy and loud? I think I went to the theaters to watch it, actually, and I just remember being like, oh, my. I have like a headache and PTSD leaving here. Which I'm sure was the point of bringing you in the action, but it was just so much noise the entire time.
Ra
Yeah, definitely loud and definitely seen that in the theater. But yeah, that. That. I don't. Didn't see that as his number one. But as far as his list, Midnight and Par Harris. Yeah, that was a Woody Allen movie. Shaun of the Dead, a great, like, horror comedy. I don't know if I'd have it. My top 10, Mad Max, Fury Road, the one out a few years ago. That was awesome. Unstoppable. Did you see that one, Keith? The one with that. Who's it.
What's the name? Pine. And Denzel. I think it's Denzel. They're on that train that literally.
Yan
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Ra
They can't stop the train. Again, I was surprised that was there.
Yan
So I think I only watched it because Denzel was in it. It was fine.
Ra
Yeah, it's a good little action movie. Zodiac, There Will Be Blood, Dunkirk, Lost in Translation, which I like. Toy Story 3, Blackhawk Down. But yeah, he's a. He's a bit of an odd duck, but also a fellow movie store guy. He worked at a video stuff like 15 years too, so. So, yeah, I don't know. It's just a little weird shot. Who knows? I'm sure there's a backstory. There's always a backstory with that type of stuff. But talk about some TV shows. This is the best stuff I watched this year. Whit, I know you mentioned a few weeks back task with Mark Ruffalo on hbo. I don't know if you saw Mayor of East Town, the same writer who did that with what's the name, Kate Winslet. Terrific show. A task was unbelievable. First couple episodes, they rope you right in you, you know who the. The robbers are right away and you kind of watch and see if they figure it out. But I thought in the middle, what did you think it was like? All right, maybe there's a little too much going on here. But then they, they kind of pulled it all together toward the end.
Whit
Yeah, the first episode was a little slow. Then I enjoyed it the rest of the way. I don't really remember disliking the middle. It was a great show I'm on. There's an eight episode series. I finished five of the Beast in me. Claire. It's phenomenal. Phenomenal show.
Ra
Yeah, I've been here hearing about that. I haven't, I haven't started that. That one.
Yan
All right. I just finished All Her Fault. Have you seen that?
Ra
No. Who's in that?
Whit
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Yan
It's the girl from Secession and what's her name? Dakota Fanning's in it. There's somebody else that's. It's incredible. It. It the same type of things though. Like a lot going on and they tie it all in like towards the end, but amazing.
Ra
Watch where. What's on Netflix.
Yan
Yeah, yeah. Amazon Prime, I think.
Ra
And what was wild too. The, the three cops that Mark Ruffalo worked with. What? The, the black girls from Africa. The. The guy was from England and the, the other white cops use him Ireland. And they all nailed that Philly accent. That Delco accident. I think that's as tough to nail as like a Boston accent when you, you know, you, when you're doing some actor work.
Whit
But that's the one, that's the one Ron can do perfectly when he's doing his like Eagles fans impressions.
Yan
Go Birds.
Ra
Yeah.
Biz
From Philadelphia.
Whit
Ron is.
Biz
Yeah, yeah. Does he naturally have that accent?
Whit
I don't really hear it. But he can like put on an Eagles Die Hard.
Biz
Yeah, no, I've seen him do that accent because like, like when he normally talks, I can't really, really like distinguish what. What it is.
Whit
Me neither.
Biz
Here's one for you ra. Since you're the movie guy, that there's rumors circulating that Dualipa's husband, or maybe it's fiance. They're not quite married yet. Is cast to be the new James Bond. So that K. Kum Turner. So imagine being named. What?
Whit
He's a stud, that guy.
Biz
Oh, stud. I. I read on the Internet that they met on a four light and it just so happens that they were reading the exact same book.
Whit
I think you remembered. We talked about this on the pod.
Biz
Oh, we did. Okay.
Luke Robitaille
All right.
Biz
Yeah, No, I didn't remember that.
Whit
Smoke more weed, Turtle.
Ra
I'm not familiar with his game, but that. That's probably a good idea going with the relative unknown for Bond because you don't want. You don't want too big of a name because I think that could overshadow the role. Whoa, whoa.
Yan
Was.
Whit
Was. Were they un. Was Daniel Craig an unknown? Was Sean Connery an unknown?
Ra
Known.
Craig, not an unknown. I don't. He wasn't. Obviously. I don't know if he was the A list that he became.
Whit
Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and unknown.
I think I just crushed that argument.
Yan
Keep going.
Ra
And it was, oh, and then, oh, Timothy Dalton. He was probably the worst Bond. But yeah, I don't think it's the worst idea. Sort of like what they did with Superman, but I don't know. See what happens. Are you a big one guy, Keith? Yeah, I don't. I don't.
Yan
I don't watch those.
Biz
I like the older one ones.
Ra
Boomers love James.
Whit
I like the Pierce Brosnan ones.
Ra
Hell yeah.
Biz
Did you. Did you hear the story about Daniel Craig? When they got a little break in filming, he, like, bought these, like, gloves that he loved wearing and he's like, I want to wear them in the scene. And the. The director's like, oh, like. And I guess he was being a pain in the ass. So he ended up wearing them in the scene. And that the. The earlier in the movie and they'd already filmed that the gun that he was using, it was all fingerprint based, so they had to like, go back and cgi, like, to make it look like it was just his hand without the gloves on. They tried to get them all back to, like, refilm the scenes, but the amount of time and money it was going to cost them, it was just ridiculous. So that was something that I, I heard that had happened. Once again, that could be a completely false story, but I don't remember talking about the. The. Them meeting on a flight with.
Yan
Yeah, we. How long ago they were reading the same book or something.
Whit
I'm gonna say they're on the same page.
Yan
It was the Monday show. It was Monday.
Biz
No, it wasn't that.
Yan
No, it was a while ago.
Whit
No, I'm, Yeah, it was probably, it could have been September, October, but.
Biz
Okay.
Whit
But I would like to get like a sit down interview with an actor. Like a famous actor actually doesn't even have to be famous. Somebody who's done a bunch of movies. Movies. Who has stories of director and actors, beefs throughout filming.
Biz
Well, there was just one that was pretty public. The Francis Coppola and Shia LaBeouf. And I think it was Coppola's last documentary.
Whit
Avery talked about it, I think.
Biz
Oh, yeah. Okay.
Ra
Oh, yeah. The Megalopolis. I haven't, I haven't seen that, but I heard about that.
Whit
When I say, what want to get an actor? We have apes. That's our guy. But I'm talking like, like somebody who's been in the business. He just, he's probably got some good ones.
Biz
Yeah.
Ra
Well, you just talked about a mistake. They try to cgl going back to Tarantino and Paul fiction. There's actually a pretty glaring era in that movie. A lot of people don't notice when they, when the dude comes out of the bathroom with the gun and tries, you know, shoot some and he misses them. Right, right. You know, from close range. The bullet holes are actually in the wall already when Vince Vincent, Vagar and Jewels are standing there. If you look the, before the guy shoots those bullet holes already in the wall. If, if you notice that the Starbucks.
Whit
Cup in Game of Thrones.
Ra
Yeah.
Yan
In one of the Bond movies, they, he wanted to wear these gloves and.
Ra
All right, I got one more. This is, this was probably the best show I probably watched all year. It's called the Pit. It was on hbo. It's. I dropped in January. I've never been like a huge medical drama guy. I, I, I mean, I haven't watched one. Probably freaking MASH back in the day. This, this show is unbelievable. It's, I think, was it 15 episodes and each episode is one hour set in real time. It's one shift at, at emergency room. And Noah Wy, he was on ER back in the day. He's like sort of the, the main doctor who runs the show. Unbelievable in it. Sean Hosi was in Outside Providence back in the day. He was in it too. Just the acting so good, the writing so good. Again, I'm not like medical drama, not really my bag. But I pissed through this three nights In a row. I did five episodes each night, stayed up late. And I. And so the acting. I know people think it's like, oh, big deal. Tough to do it. It is. It's. It's tough to memorize all that. But when you have to memorize all that medical jargon and like, say that over and over, that's like a high degree of difficulty, man. That's like a tough thing to do to. To memorize all that, you know, all that type of lingo. But anyways, Brian, you know, Brian Cran, stuff from Breaking Bad, his daughter's actually on it. Have any of you guys seen any of it? The Pit?
Whit
No.
Ra
Yeah.
Whit
Never even heard of it.
Ra
Yeah, yeah. It's again, I come out back in January. Dude, unbelievable show. Season two's coming out in January. Just. Yeah, I mean, it's roller coaster of emotions. One minute you're laughing your ass off and five minutes later you're balling your eyes out. So definitely recommend that. Thought it was real good. One last one too. A Netflix limited series called Death by Lightning was about the assassination of President James Garfield. And the guy who offered. Awesome. I knew nothing about this. History's not my biggest thing, but it was. It was dynamite. Four episodes. The cast, unbelievable. Michael Shannon, Matthew McFadden. I don't think I'm saying his name right. The dude from succession, Nick Hoffman, Brad Whitford, Shea Wiggum and Betty Gilpin. Dynamite show. You, you know, sounds like a boring topic, but you put it on, I bet you guys would finish it. Just a pretty cool story. A little slice of history of, you know, how this like, loser basically ends up shooting a president of the United States. So check that out, biz. The hauntest show of the year, the hunting wise. Have you heard about this at all?
Biz
No.
Ra
Yeah, it's. It's a. It's wicked cheesy. It's set in Texas. I was like, I'll throw this on. Probably fall asleep. The Hunting Wives. Yeah. Mallon A. She's buck. She's naked as a jaybird. Like five minutes in the show. I was like, all right. Oh, yeah, yeah, sign me up. Yeah, it's like a little campy, little cheesy, but it's. It's definitely the honest show the world that I watched this year. So. Right up your alley. Biz.
Yan
It's fun.
Whit
Another one, Ra. Have you heard of the Chair Company?
Ra
Oh, yeah.
Whit
This is something. I've watched one episode. This.
Biz
He's a. He's a character, that guy.
Whit
This guy. Tim Robinson. You could.
Yan
This.
Whit
This Is totally like, if you told me I hate that show, I would get it. But basically the premise is this guy, he gets a raise. He becomes like the, the big dog at the company.
Luke Robitaille
Company.
Whit
And this is early on in the first episode. And then he's addressing the company as the new leader and he goes to sit down in this chair and the chair breaks. And this dude cannot get over the chair breaking. And it turns into an obsession of finding the company that made the chair. And he can't find the company and he goes to the warehouse and it's an empty warehouse. And it.
Luke Robitaille
I've.
Whit
I'm only one episode in, but I, I was laughing my ass off. Like the guy is completely insane, saying he plays him perfectly and he can't get over that this chair broke. It basically like ruined his life. So I'm gonna keep going on that one.
Biz
What's the show where he did the, the, the cigar and the hat on the window.
Whit
I haven't seen any other his shows, but I like had seen his face out there.
Biz
I, I watched some of his clips on Instagram from his shows and there's one where he goes back and forth with a guy like constantly where they just like he wants them to leave and they just keep insulting each other back and forth. So his brain works on a, on a different level than, than a lot of people.
Ra
Yeah, he had that Netflix show, I think you should leave. And then that movie Friendship come out earlier this year. Him and Paul Rudd, sort of like a modern day cable guy. Yes.
Whit
That's where I saw. That's where I saw that yet.
Ra
Yeah. Pretty funny shit. And one of my followers on Twitter, I asked me what were all the shows that I had recommended to Coop over the years. So I went back through all my text and these are all the shows I sent the Coop just, just for anybody who wants to watch him. I give him Bookie Murder in Boston, Men of a Certain Age, Six Feet Under, Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, Succession, Industry, the Penguin, American Primeval and the Red Riding Trilogy. So any of those things I gave him. Coop seems to like, you know, to appreciate what I sent him when he wants to kill.
Whit
When is the Penguin coming in?
Biz
So many games.
Ra
I think sometime next year, I think.
Whit
The Penguin, the ending of the first season. Oh my God. God, I need another season of that.
Ra
Chris had Mildi too. She was dynamite in that. The one, the little gangster girl there. Let's see. Oh, my classic recommendation for the week. It was the 50th anniversary last week. One of just three movies to sweep the big five at the Oscars. Picture director, actor, actress and writing One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest with Jack Nicholson. That was my Halloween costume a couple years ago probably. I'm sure it's streaming at the usual places. Just a fantastic movie. Was based on a book from the 60s. And this. This is the movie, like I said before, that took like Nicholson was already a star. This put him into the stratosphere, made him a superstar. You know, it's a movie about authority and rebelling and all that stuff that was going on during the 60s and 70s. But. And they filmed it at a real nut house, I want to say, in Oregon. But one of my favorite movies. If you never seen it, check it out. Biz. You've seen it have you know Cuckoo's nest? All right, that's your assignment for this week.
Biz
I think I've seen parts of of it where when it's on TV all ratchet.
Ra
Yeah, there's ratchet. Oh, yeah, yeah. One of the meanest characters all time. Yeah. What's her name? Oh, I forget. She won the award too as well. The Oscar for that. Okay, I don't have an NFL pick yet. I didn't really like anything but NHL pick star tonight. If Minnesota if wallsted is starting again. This kid's got four shutouts in his last six games. He has 10, 10.5% of all the shoutouts in the NHL season in just his last six games. That's pretty wild. One dude has all that. So if Minnesota if wallsted starting tonight, they're only minus 115 in Calgary. It seems like too low of a line, but I'm going to jump on them again if wallstead starting. And one last thing. If you're in Boston this weekend, if you're around Sunday, I will be behind the bench at TD Garden coaching team shy versus the Bruins alumni. It's a charity game. The shi boys will be in town this weekend. So if you need something to do Sunday, three o' clock o', clock, come on over. TD guiding.
Biz
Oh, nice.
Ra
Behind the bench. Yeah, I'm pretty excited, man. Yeah, you know I did it last year over again, Serena. But to be behind the bench at TD guide, man, I'm pretty fired up. I didn't something I never thought was going to happen. So I'm pretty revved up fighting, right?
Whit
Last thing. Last thing last night was the final episode. Episode 3 of We Pe We Peeking. We Pe Everyone Go Support our guy. Biz, go support the guy that's giving you all these laughs. All these takes over the years and check out his series because it's excellent.
Ra
I love the double meaning of it.
Biz
That felt genuine.
Whit
That was 1000% my takes.
Ra
Yeah, I love. That's a clever title too. Biz peeking. Not just the peak of the mountain, but you know, if you take a little something when you're on the mountain.
Biz
Oh baby, oh baby. And go support the amputees as well. What, what David Vora is doing in Texas is awesome. So all the information you need to find is on that video and a credit to those guys for getting all the way to the top. So yeah, check it out, baby. Thanks to Wonton and the boys.
Whit
We will be back. And tonight, if you're in Canada, if you have Amazon prime, throw us on. We're going around the league. We're going around the league for hours and hours and hours covering all the actors Biz, myself and Yanz Ra, thank you once again for an ra's World. Thank you so much for the amount of merch that you guys bought from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Shout out the people creating our merch. Shout out everyone out there who is willing to spend a couple hard earned dollars on a hat or a T shirt or a hoodie. Like that means the world to us. And that is so cool that you're willing to, to spend your money on representing our brand and, and seriously. Thank you. We love you all. This show is nothing. Wouldn't exist without you guys. So thank you. I wanted to, I wanted to get that in there.
Biz
That's very kind of you.
Ra
It's a beacon too, man. When people see it from afar, whether, you know, it's like a bonding thing, when people see the chickless gear, man, it's pretty, it's pretty good.
Biz
So it's like when motorcycle drivers pass each other, they gave each other the piece or Jeep drivers or, or F250 super drivers duties most people bought between.
Whit
Like six and seven pieces of merch.
Biz
Love you boys.
Luke Robitaille
Bad habits was breaking but it's taking time.
Biz
I don't know.
Luke Robitaille
Don't let it. It's going to happen. It's going to happen again.
Release Date: December 4, 2025
Summary by Podcast Summarizer
This episode of Spittin' Chiclets brings a legendary guest: Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. The Chiclets crew—Ryan Whitney, Paul "Biz" Bissonnette, Rear Admiral (RA), and Producer Mike Grinnell—spend nearly 95 minutes with "Lucky Luke," exploring his incredible career from humble beginnings, through the LA Kings' Gretzky era, to his Stanley Cup with Detroit. The rest of the show features lively debate on Quentin Tarantino's movie takes, NHL roster talks, and pop culture news, all delivered in classic irreverent Chiclets fashion.
Tarantino's Viral Top 20 Movie List and "There Will Be Blood" Dispute
Olympic Hockey News
Connor Bedard’s Dominance
Olympic Roster Debates
St. Louis Blues Troubles & Potential Trades
Maple Leafs & Panthers Check-In
Other League Highlights
Intro: 51:54
Main Interview (Hockey career): 52:00–1:43:30
Faked his way into being a net-front power-play guy due to a lie in a coach’s office.
Playing with and learning from Hall-of-Famers: Gretzky, Dionne, Messier, Yzerman, and more.
Gretzky Anecdotes
How a combination of his wife’s advice and roster moves led him to sign with Detroit, landing his first and only Stanley Cup.
Reveals hilarious details about Scotty Bowman’s coaching quirks ("He only talked to guys who didn’t speak English"; wouldn’t claim the “trap” system).
Insight into locker room dynamics with Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Chelios, Shanahan.
Winning the Cup: the relief, celebration, and a veteran’s appreciation.
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:04 | Biz | "It felt like a personal attack, not only on Paul Dano, but my favorite movie." | | 16:16 | Biz | "I just think it would be sick to see [the Olympics] over here. And then it's in our time zone where we're going..." | | 85:49 | Robitaille | "I lied, told them I played in front of the net in junior… next thing I know, my entire career was played there!" | | 121:16 | Robitaille | "Let's play that trap like in Dallas... We'll never give it back." (on the Red Wings' system change) | | 125:05 | Robitaille | "Scotty's the best coach, bench coach I've ever, ever had. He just knew how to give you a role without talking to you." | | 128:42 | Robitaille | "He [Messier] was never mad… he was the most positive guy in a room." | | 141:35 | Robitaille | "That was my proudest moment: to be asked to serve on the Hall of Fame Selection Committee." |
As always, the tone is laid-back, hilarious, and definitely irreverent. The crew blend inside hockey knowledge with pop culture, keeping it R-rated and unfiltered throughout. Robitaille’s stories shine with humility, humor, and a sense of gratitude, while the hosts deliver both analysis and classic Chiclets chirps.