Spittin' Chiclets Episode 614: Featuring Rob Blake

Summary

Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 614: Featuring Rob Blake

Date: January 23, 2026
Hosts: Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette (“Biz”), Rear Admiral, Mike Grinnell
Guest: Rob Blake

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Episode Overview

Spittin’ Chiclets #614 features a classic in-studio roundtable of outspoken, irreverent hockey banter—this time with a deep-dive interview with Hall of Fame defenseman Rob Blake. The boys run through the latest NHL news: hot goalie stories, Olympic selection controversies, league transactions, and memorable career moments before launching into a rich, wide-ranging conversation with Blake about his path from farm boy to NHL stardom and management. As always, the show is laced with trademark Chiclets humor, insider stories, and a few off-the-rails tangents.

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Main Topics & Highlights

1. Banter, Pink Whitney, and The Crew Assembles (01:11–03:08)

• The hosts are together in Hoboken—and immediately riffing about infusing Pink Whitney into their coffee.
• “It might sound disgusting. Don’t knock it till you try it!” – Ryan Whitney (01:44)
• Reflections about how much the crew loves doing the show live and in-person.
• Nostalgic shout out to Pink Whitney’s success.

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2. League Rundown: Injuries, Schedules, and Team Struggles (03:35–09:27)

• NHL injury updates: The Leafs bitten by the injury bug; hectic travel schedules, particularly for Florida Panthers—a major concern as the playoff race heats up.
  • “Florida’s schedule is a disaster the rest of the year... That is the worst travel in the east.” – Ryan Whitney (04:41)
• Bill Zito (Panthers GM) shoutout, his surprising backstory as a Milwaukee Brewers ball boy, and classic hockey media quirks.
• Fun aside: What’s bigger—an athlete with a candy bar or a cereal? “The coolest thing you can have is vodka.” (06:43)

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3. The International Factor: Netflix Expansion, Commonwealth Realms, and UK Listeners (07:06–09:15)

• Chiclets now on Netflix in Canada; figuring out global content licensing (and accidental confusion about the UK/Commonwealth/Australia).
• “Is Australia part of the United Kingdom?”—Team banter and self-roasting for bungled geopolitics. (08:05)

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4. Inside Locker Room Banter: Pre-Game Rituals, Social Media, and Warmups (10:00–14:41)

• Tales of viral memes, Olympic silver medal regrets, and how social media recirculates players’ worst on-ice moments.
• Discussion of warmup routines—goalies getting prepped, players copying legends like Nick Lidstrom, and the rise of “performative” pre-game antics.
• “The only time you went in the corner, too.” – Ryan Whitney to Biz, re: his passive style (14:11)
• “Copycat league” stories: Players steal each other’s routines and tweaks.

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5. Social Media, Heated Rivalry, and Modern Hockey’s Sex Appeal (16:28–18:01)

• Gentle ribbing about fans (especially women) flocking to warmups to film players stretching (“making it so sexual”), fuelled by viral TikToks.
• The evolution (and sometimes over-performance) of pre-game routines, growing fan engagement.

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6. NHL News: Goalie Fights & Viral Moments (18:13–22:47)

• Main Event: Goalie fight between Nedejkovic and Bobrovsky.
  • “Bob went full blown, as fast as he could down there.” – Biz (20:25)
  • The buzz of social media; NHL posting fight clips again; nostalgia for old-school hockey violence.
  • Proposal: EBUGs should be “absolute savages.”
• Shift in league culture: Embracing fighting after a period of shying away from it.

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7. Goaltending Surprises, Olympic Snubs, and Team USA Decisions (23:09–34:43)

• Brandon Bussi’s incredible start in net gets kudos; talk of late-blooming stars and career turnaround stories.
  • “He was driving to Charlotte for the farm team, gets claimed by Carolina… So happy for him.” – Biz (25:01)
• Vezina frontrunner debates and snubs.
• Major controversy: Lane Hutson left off Team USA's Olympic D-corps in favor of Jackson LaCombe after Seth Jones’ injury.
• The nationwide debate about “replacement” value, size vs. skill, and Canadian fans' outrage over snubs.

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8. Team USA Roster Debates: Caulfield, Robertson, and Fan Backlash (27:19–34:52)

• Ongoing outcry: Jason Robertson and Cole Caulfield left off the Olympic roster despite stellar seasons.
  • “If the U.S. goes on to lose… it is going to be ridiculous—the second guessing, it’s already started.” – Whitney (31:08)
• Debates around speed, size, and organizational philosophy for international play.
• “I don’t think any outside noise is going to vary their opinion… Billy G’s done that, he’s not worrying.” – Biz (34:20)

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9. Hot Teams & Players: Tampa Bay’s Resurgence, Radish’s Breakout, Pittsburgh’s Unexpected Rise (44:36–58:23)

• Tampa: Since coach Jon Cooper joined the show, the Lightning are “39–2” (jokingly exaggerated, but on fire); major props for their continued roster mastery and comeback after injury-plagued stretches.
• Darren Radish’s unexpected point-per-game pace and heavy shot (“48 shot attempts >90 mph”)—the group marvels at his development path.
• Pittsburgh: Crosby and Malkin “turning back the clock,” Malkin’s willingness to take a pay cut to stay, the evolution in team depth and new coaching energy.
  • “If he doesn’t allow Evgeni Malkin to come back on a discount, Dubas’ stock will plummet.” – Biz (53:05)

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10. Personal Triumphs and Comebacks: Skinner’s Rebirth, Luke Hughes’ Injury Saga (57:52–72:08)

• Stuart Skinner thriving after escaping the Edmonton media pressure; Pittsburgh’s defensive lockdown (“allowed the fewest goals against per game”).
• New balance in Pittsburgh’s ice time, coaching staff praised for “hitting all the right buttons.”
• Luke Hughes’ recurring shoulder injuries and tough choices—team calls Pasha for Devils’ perspective.
  • “He's a warrior … but unless he changes his offseason habits, he's in trouble.” – (quoted by Pasha at 70:22)

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11. Interview: Rob Blake—From Farm Boy to Hockey Hall of Famer (75:23–128:25)

Early Roots, Family & Farm Life (76:02–80:54)

• Recalls starting on a frozen pond, coming from a hardworking farm background in Simcoe, Ontario.
• Attributes much of his hockey work ethic and simplicity in management later to “doing it the farmer’s way.”
  • “I referred to that so much during my time as a general manager… get rid of all the stuff around it and get to basics.” – Rob Blake (79:37)

Junior & College: Bowling Green and Jerry York (82:36–84:52)

• Chose NCAA (Bowling Green) after a Junior B stint and a near-miss with the OHL.
• Developed under Jerry York, who wisely advised him to mature another year before turning pro.
• “You’re not ready yet. You need to come back for one more year.” (84:52 – on Coach York’s honest advice)

L.A. Kings, Gretzky, and Stardom (87:11–99:35)

• Drafted to L.A., adjusting from small-town farm/kid to Hollywood life.
• Surreal stories: Celebrities in the dressing room postgame, the only private jet in the league at the time, partying at the Forum Club.
  • “President Reagan, Sly Stallone—they were coming around the dressing room.” (96:00)
• Learning from Wayne Gretzky—Gretz’s constant: “You gotta hit the net!” (98:04)

Trades, Cup Runs, Colorado Avalanche Glory (98:41–102:54)

• The trade to Colorado; Ray Bourque’s confidence: “See you in a month, we’re gonna get you.” (99:36)
• Winning the Cup as a critical late addition to a stacked team featuring Roy, Sakic, Forsberg, Adam Foote.

Legends & Leadership (102:54–105:50)

• Memories of playing with Peter Forsberg (“unbelievable edges and strength”), Sakic’s steady leadership, Adam Foote’s mutinous edge and incessant on-ice trash talk.
• Defining moments: Olympic heartbreak in 1998, golden redemption in 2002 with Team Canada.

Coaching, Youth Hockey, and Management (113:15–120:26)

• Blake’s post-retirement immersion into youth coaching and love for the game; pride watching LA’s growth as a youth hockey hub.
• Insights on the grind and camaraderie of NHL management: “The best thing in the world is when you’re just talking about hockey… and you have the right guys around you.”
• Reflections on player development, loyalty, and the value of honesty.

The Modern Game & Player Empowerment (120:35–124:32)

• Contemporary players locking up life-changing contracts at a young age.
• “It’s great the guys are getting rewarded now… if you’re paying these guys, you’ve got some real good players on your team.”
• Expectations vs. reality: Transitioning from the farm to management and finding fulfillment in both.

Personal & Hall of Fame Reflections (123:37–128:25)

• On Hall of Fame induction: “You think about the Stanley Cup as a kid… but you don’t think about the Hall… It’s a good remembrance of what you went through.”
• Parting thoughts: He’s still loving the game, eager to get back into hockey at some level.

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12. Closing & Rapid-Fire NHL Notebook (131:16–158:39)

• Updates: Buffalo’s Josh Doan signs a life-changing contract (“in Buffalo, you’re a billionaire!” – Biz), Flyers’ Garnet Hathaway’s huge empty-net blunder, and thousand-game milestones for Charlie Coyle and Alex Killorn.
• Celebrating under-the-radar pros (e.g., Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in Edmonton), Jonathan Toews’ emotional return to Chicago (“captain of a dynasty”), and the modern challenges of mental health, social media, and day-to-day life in the NHL—especially for goaltenders.
• Classic Chiclets humor about early struggles, cheap dinners, and living the dream through hockey.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the NHL embracing fighting again:
  “Bring back the violence.” – Biz (22:47)

• On replacing injured stars on the USA Olympic roster:
  “They’re not going to replace a defensive guy with Lane Hutson… It’s the size too. You’re preparing to face Canada.” – Biz (27:50–28:34)

• On Pittsburgh’s resurgence and Malkin’s loyalty:
  “If he doesn’t allow Evgeni Malkin to come back on a discount, Dubas’ stock will plummet.” – Biz (53:05)

• Rob Blake on farm life shaping his NHL approach:
  “I referred to that so much during my time as a general manager… very basic and very simple—get rid of all the stuff around it and get to the basics.” (79:37)

• On Wayne Gretzky’s locker room presence:
  “When Wayne walked in, everyone just stares… He knows it, too, but he handles himself so well.” – Rob Blake (127:45)

• On winning gold and the cup:
  “Stanley Cup, you’ve got the summer, the trophy tour… Olympics, it happens so quick, you’re on a flight the next day.” – Rob Blake (111:20)

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Episode Structure – Timestamp Guide

• 00:00–03:08 — Opening chatter, Pink Whitney hype, hosts in Hoboken
• 03:09–09:27 — League updates: injuries, schedules, GMs, expanding distribution
• 10:00–18:01 — Locker room stories, warmups, performative antics, TikTok culture
• 18:13–22:47 — Goalie fights; the viral Bobrovsky–Nedejkovic scrap
• 23:09–34:52 — Goalie sensations, Team USA & Olympics, fan controversies
• 44:36–58:23 — Tampa’s resurgence, Radish’s breakout, Pittsburgh’s turnaround
• 57:52–72:08 — Skinner’s comeback, Hughes injuries; Devils check-in with Pasha
• 75:23–128:25 — FEATURED INTERVIEW: ROB BLAKE—career, stories, insights
• 131:16–158:39 — NHL notebook: player milestones, mental health, memorable blunders, closing
• 158:40–166:31 — Closing chatter, sponsors, and final banter

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The Vibe & Tone

Chiclets regulars know the show blends deep league analysis with inside-the-locker-room storytelling, raw humor, occasional self-mockery, and sentimental pockets—this episode is classic Chiclets: knowledge-rich, hilarious, and heartfelt.

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For fans who missed the episode, this summary covers every major angle: who’s hot (and who’s getting dunked on), behind-the-scenes stories from a Hall of Famer, and where the modern NHL is heading—plus plenty of reasons to keep Pink Whitney (and maybe your phone camera at warmups) close at hand.

Transcript

[Rob Blake]

Hey, Spit and Chiclets listeners.

[Biz Nunez]

You can find every episode on Apple.

[Rob Blake]

Podcasts and Spotify Prime.

[Biz Nunez]

Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Rob Blake]

TaxAct understands you haven't memorized the tax code.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's why Tax act has live experts to help.

[Biz Nunez]

TaxAct can even do it for you if you prefer.

[Rob Blake]

It's the easiest way to know you're doing it right.

[Biz Nunez]

Well, other than going back to college and obtaining a bachelor's degree in accounting.

[Rob Blake]

With a minor in finance, then interning.

[Biz Nunez]

Somewhere and becoming fluent in all tax forms.

[Rob Blake]

But that might be hard to accomplish before tax day. So maybe just stick with TaxAct Tax Act. Let's get them over with.

[Mike Feuds]

Paramount plus is the new home of.

[Ryan Whitney]

UFC and we're coming out swinging with UFC 324. Oh, what a shot. 325 on back to back weekends. The new era is here.

[Biz Nunez]

Time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Every fight. Bam. Let's go. One subscription. Oh my goodness. Pay per view just got knocked out. Back to back blockbuster UFC events this month only on Paramount Plus.

[Biz Nunez]

Me and Ryan have been officially welcomed.

[Ryan Whitney]

To the jungle that is barstool sports.

[Mike Feuds]

I brought it towards the coyotes and I asked him if it was okay if I joined the Spit Chickens podcast full time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Ryan Whitney's got a Pink Whitney out there now.

[Rob Blake]

Sandbagger. Get that on camera.

[Ryan Whitney]

Geek. Yandel, the song man is a full time member. Just got an assist from Chris.

[Biz Nunez]

Whoa, we're buzzing right now.

[Ryan Whitney]

What is up, folks? Welcome to spitting chicklets, episode 614. We got Rob Blake joining the show. Did the interview a while back in la. So show out a legendary defenseman. We'll be getting to him later on, but first we got to get to Pink Whitney. We even have a little bit of Pink Whitney in our coffees right now. I know that sounds crazy. It might sound disgusting. Don't knock it till you try it. Don't knock it till you try it. Get involved with Pink Whitney. I see sign. Signs in Hoboken. We're in Hoboken, New Jersey right now working at coast to Coast. Tonight. I see Pink Whitney signs. I need one of those for my basement. I need one that lights up in pink and just reminds myself like, oh, I created that drink. So shout out Pink Whitney. Shout out the nip. Shout out the big bottles. I wish you had your big bottle to just give your fake little pour right now, but it's in your coffee, so a nice mixture. Pink Whitney. New Amsterdam's own Pink Whitney. Thank you so much, anyone ever who has ever drank it. What's up, guys? It's a pleasure to be in person with you guys again. We haven't done this since la.

[Biz Nunez]

Since the robbery.

[Ryan Whitney]

Since la. You're right. That's what to do if you get your microphone right near your mouth or.

[Biz Nunez]

You get sucker punched by these things on like. Because you didn't last time.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know you didn't have the pee protector.

[Mike Feuds]

No, no, I lost it. I lost it on the road. Yeah, and my piece popped too. But I wish I had more non hockey stuff to talk about. But I've been so into the hockey right now. Yeah, the triple header with the broadcast. But the good news is I'm locked and loaded. Any team player you want to ask me about, I'll fire away.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's kind of cool.

[Mike Feuds]

I'm an expert. I'm an expert.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, no, hey. When you are in studio and I remember from my years ago at NHL Network that is 1/10 of TNT and the size and everything. But I'd be like, wow, I think I know everything about every team. So for you just to do six games in three days and still know the rest of the league, that shows maybe you're not as dumb as you look.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, and I'm not smoking as much weed and taking as much edibles because I'm on the broadcast.

[Rob Blake]

Okay.

[Mike Feuds]

Lowering my doses so I'm able to retain. Retain a little bit more knowledge. So if you want to talk about Bussy, you want to talk about Duclair, you want to talk about teams snap and losing streaks like the Vancouver Canucks, you want to talk about teams who are on fire, who are maybe struggling a little bit like the Colorado Avalanche. I can go that way. Any way you want to go. I can go. Give it to me. Put me in coach.

[Biz Nunez]

Or I want.

[Ryan Whitney]

And. And you didn't mention maybe talking about the Leafs injury bug that bites again. Oh, shucks. But we'll wait for that.

[Mike Feuds]

I just signed on as a team masseuse.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, really?

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. You're going to tug those guys?

[Mike Feuds]

Well, I just. I mean, fuck, man, they got one of the worst schedules in the league. Just grind everyone's schedules things. You might as well put them in the Western Conference. That's how much they've been traveling, getting their fucking shit pushed in.

[Biz Nunez]

But that means they'll have an easy schedule. Maybe after the break.

[Mike Feuds]

That's true.

[Ryan Whitney]

Do you know Florida, who's not in the playoffs right now? Their. Their schedule is a disaster the rest of the year. I think they have 15 home games left. So if you're not even in the playoffs Right now, I don't think Barkov will be back before playoffs. Maybe he comes back a couple games to go, but they're going to be on the road a lot. And that is the worst travel in the east when you're on Florida.

[Biz Nunez]

Yep.

[Ryan Whitney]

Florida. I mean, that's right.

[Mike Feuds]

What, like, if you're a Bill Zito, what could you do if they miss playoffs? Would you. But you can't be angry.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, I would totally be. I'd be saying, all right, like, we're back next year. Every single guy signed. This was just. It was three Cups in a row. Three cup finals in a row. This was bound to happen. Like, I'm not worried. I'm not changing a thing. We'll be back next year. That's honestly how I would look at it.

[Mike Feuds]

Sometimes the league's cutthroat, so you never know. Right. Like, he could be snapping, but I would imagine that if they miss, he'll have him sleeping in the hyperbaric chambers, recovering and getting ready to hit the ground running.

[Ryan Whitney]

I saw a clip of Bill Zito on a podcast talking about he used to be like, the outfield ball boy for the Milwaukee brewers or something like that. And he had a. He played catch with Reggie Jackson. He said he was firing it over Reggie Jackson's head. And then he's on the podcast and he's doing his throw. I was like, this guy's like the best GM in the NHL and he looks bizarre right now, imitating his throw over Red. He was going like this on the podcast. You're on Netflix and watching.

[Mike Feuds]

Are you saying that Bill Zito, two time Stanley cup champion, throws like a girl?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, I think he has an absolute hose of an arm. Basically. He was saying, I was throwing it too far. I was throwing it over Reggie. He said Reggie Jackson had a serial at the time. He was top of his game and his fame, Reggie Jackson style.

[Biz Nunez]

And he's got a candy bar.

[Ryan Whitney]

Maybe that's what he said. Not cereal, a candy bar. That might have been what it was. So I don't think panic for the Panthers now. And the worst part is, if they do, can I win it again?

[Mike Feuds]

What would you say having a candy bar is way more big time than having your own cereal?

[Biz Nunez]

Well, I think Wheaties, if you get on the COVID But that's not your own cereal, right? Yeah, but I think if you did your own cereal, it would be dog shit. But if you get on the COVID of Wheaties, I think that's like the top echelon, like, usually like the Gold medal teams get on that. Stuff like that.

[Ryan Whitney]

So Wayne. Wayne had a cereal, right? Wayne O's, I think. I think honestly I might have been called. What were they called? G. Look him up. Wayne had a cereal. Pro stars.

[Biz Nunez]

Really? He also had the shoe, remember?

[Ryan Whitney]

Pro stars. Pro stars. I'll tell you the best, the coolest thing, the thing that if you have shows how big time you are is vodka. Yeah. So. So, you know, I'm not saying that. Talking about anyone in particular.

[Biz Nunez]

No. How many guys have that? You and Jonathan. Grey Goose.

[Mike Feuds]

You. Hey, you had me on the ed. My seat waiting for that.

[Biz Nunez]

Oh, you didn't know that was coming.

[Mike Feuds]

I had no idea.

[Ryan Whitney]

Ricky Casamigos. Oh, that's a tequila. Whoops and shout out. Actually, anyone who. Who is watching, we are now, let me see here. We are available in Canada in Netflix. Now, there were some Canadians confused and then they went back because I believe on YouTube Canada, the Brady interview was still on there. It was taken off. But we're in Netflix in Canada and Europe. Uk. We're working on that.

[Biz Nunez]

We better get in the UK because.

[Ryan Whitney]

You'Re a UK guy.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, but I got a ton of huge support.

[Ryan Whitney]

You're at a Boston bar.

[Biz Nunez]

Boston bar, yeah. And I believe on it.

[Mike Feuds]

I believe that UK also means Australia as well. We have a lot of Australian listeners. But hey, listen, Netflix thought it was going to maybe take about a month.

[Biz Nunez]

I can't tweak that. Can't be correct.

[Mike Feuds]

I think that Australia is part of like the same. Like, same with Canada and UK are part of like something fucking. Jesus.

[Ryan Whitney]

I just googled, is Australia part of the United Kingdom?

[Biz Nunez]

It just says, no, no, your computer shut off. Like, he can't be this dumb.

[Mike Feuds]

Siri comes out of the phone and punches me in the face. We got a domestic. I'm just battling out with somebody's knock. Like, no time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Somebody at the door in a hotel room.

[Mike Feuds]

Can you look up? It's part of. There's a different word for it. Canada, uk. And I believe Australia are all part of something the world. Oh, yeah, that's true. Okay. You got it. That's it.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know they're all a part of NATO, but I can't find anything. I hope that. I hope we're in Australia and the UK and Europe. Right? Like, I hope that they all are together in the Netflix spit and Chiclets world. Yeah, let's go with that.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. Since I completely hit the E break on this conversation with my stupidity, I'll just say that dealing with Netflix and how quickly they got it into Canada. And also, like, like, whoever thought that Netflix.

[Ryan Whitney]

Wait, Biz is right. Both the UK and Australia are part of the Commonwealth realms. Okay. And they. They both share the British monarchs as common state. Commonwealth realms. Commonwealth Real. Both Game of Thrones. Like, realm. When you're talking realms, it's like how.

[Biz Nunez]

In Canada, they have, like, the pictures of the queen. I'm sorry for calling you out, but how they have pictures of the queen.

[Ryan Whitney]

And stuff in the rinks and stuff. Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Could you put up the. The meme of. Was it. What's the Savage. Randy Savage or what was his name?

[Biz Nunez]

Macho Man.

[Mike Feuds]

Macho Man. Randy Savage. When he's like, oh, yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah, brother.

[Mike Feuds]

But yeah, no. Shout out to Netflix. It's been awesome. Thank you for everybody. I mean, Christ, we've dropped three on Netflix. We've had. And then Tom Brady, and then. And then. And then Tim. Tim Jackman.

[Ryan Whitney]

Tim Rick. I mean, Barrett Jack.

[Mike Feuds]

I just guess every time there's. There's three options. I just guess, but we should actually.

[Ryan Whitney]

Have Tim Jackman on. Maybe he could go over ripping my head off and the years he wanted to kill me. And that's just another Jackman that you. You know, you could call him Barrett for all we care when he comes on.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

But Tim Jackman would be a good guy to catch up with. Episode 57. We did have Tim Jackman. Okay, we're gonna take that out.

[Mike Feuds]

But I wasn't on board yet. That was right before I hopped off.

[Ryan Whitney]

They joined episode seven. Honest to God. Like, I feel horrible. Like, what. When was that? December 14, 2017. That's nine years ago. Just about.

[Biz Nunez]

You shouldn't be remembering stuff. Nine years.

[Ryan Whitney]

And obviously I think that I've blacked it out knowing what he did to me, the lifelong meme he created of me with no head and the pounding he gave me at the end of my career when I really didn't deserve or need a pounding. Based on how things were going for my play and myself personally.

[Mike Feuds]

Would you say that that's the picture get tweeted at you the most?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. But, you know, it's another thing that I don't get tweeted at me as much. And maybe I will come February this year is. I was trying to describe to Ryder and Wyatt, like, how special playing in the Olympics was because Ryder went into school and had, like, three things that are cool from his house. So I was like, oh, bring in the silver medal. And. And then he's, like, kind of, like, asking all these questions. About it. And so I was like, I'll show you the game. And in that game, dude, I didn't play a shift after it, I think gets left, throws it to the middle. It hits my stick and goes right to Perry. He buries it. It's two nothing Canada. I'm looking at it again like I should have. I just wasn't hard enough on the puck. Like, as the puck's coming, I gotta just like jam that thing to the boards on my backhand. But I was like, Laxaday is going to. Just hits the heel of my backhand, pops right to Perry. I get that one quite a bit. Not as much as you think. But like I said, in the next month or two, that could be head my way.

[Mike Feuds]

A lot of Perry is. You were his teammate at the time.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think he was talking to me too. But that. That was straight up like warfare, that.

[Biz Nunez]

What did Torts have to say when you got back to the bench? You gave me your suit.

[Ryan Whitney]

Just like sit right here. Root on the boys. And I did root on. That's when me and Bobby Ryan. Me and Bobby Ryan, I think we had a big part of Zach Parisi scoring that tying goal, that we were pumping everyone up.

[Biz Nunez]

Okay.

[Ryan Whitney]

I also forgot Kessler had scored and tipped in that goal to make it two 1. I forgot a thought about the game. My memory is just such a joke. But yeah, the headless wit and the direct tip right to Perry to make it two nothing. The gold medal game. Those are the two things I hear about most. So, you know, you'd think you'd talk about my 44 secondary assists on the Penguins in 07, but I guess we're not going to do that. But we will go to the NHL currently this week.

[Mike Feuds]

Thanks for taking us a trip down memory lane with the Olympics.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I have really cool memories.

[Biz Nunez]

I remember gone back and watched any of your games.

[Mike Feuds]

I just sometimes get like. Mostly it's just me getting hockey fights, posting me getting my pushed in. But like the la. The last one they posted that people were laughing at was the Islanders with Trevor Gillies. And he was a scared.

[Biz Nunez]

Remember him in warm up?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, he was. And he had the. He had one of the guys with the jersey up to the elbow pads, didn't he?

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, he. He wasn't worried about getting his wrist slashed.

[Ryan Whitney]

No, no, no. He's like, I'm gonna slash somebody else. I'll even give you my wrist as an option, but I know you won't do anything.

[Biz Nunez]

Slash me so I can fight you.

[Mike Feuds]

But yeah, as you just brought it up. One of the most insane pre game rituals as far as was like he was snarling on the other side of the. Of the red line skating it. Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

I pretend like I didn't see him. If I ever skated by him.

[Mike Feuds]

I was like, I don't think I've seen somebody sweat so much to get ready for a game and warm up but not touch a puck.

[Biz Nunez]

Right.

[Ryan Whitney]

I actually was tweeted a picture biz. You and I were tweeted a picture yesterday. It was seven years ago today. I took this picture of Keith Yandel and warm ups against the Wild. And he said you were in a trance. You were doing some weird things. It was pictures, but you could tell you were. You were just turning your head and you were, you were just like. And then you turn your head the other way and you were like, what was that?

[Biz Nunez]

Get the eyes going.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, like hella bucks.

[Biz Nunez]

I was pretty. I was in my own world during warm ups. I always hated the guys that would, you know, you had to pass them a puck or whatever. Like I just did my own thing. Wasn't patrolling the red line. Like you were in the corner. I was in the corner.

[Ryan Whitney]

That was the only time you went in the corner too.

[Biz Nunez]

I wasn't getting hit.

[Mike Feuds]

So you kind of like the goalies. It would help you with your peripheral and making sure you were extending. Like if you wanted to do shoulder checks, you could turn your head like the farthest you could and your eyes were, you know, you're getting your eyes going everywhere. Running backs do that too.

[Biz Nunez]

Do that. Yeah, I just always, always have my eyes moving and warm up, trying to get them going like, you know, different. Every arena is different lighting and all that stuff. And I would just, you know, the ice comes off a little differently. So I would always just try to get my, my bearings early.

[Mike Feuds]

Anybody tell you to do that?

[Biz Nunez]

No, it was probably from actually, I remember wit one time you were like, I. I watched Nick Lidstrom's whole warm up one time and just kind of tried to mimic what he did. And then from that on I might have taken a few things from different guys, but it was kind of one of those things. Just over the years, you know, you get more and more and kind of.

[Ryan Whitney]

Just when they say copy, it's a copycat league. Usually they're talking about plays during the games. My copy league was just stealing guys like warm up routines. I remember lidstrooms was. He would fly out, whatever after a couple laps. He would do a one foot stop right in front of the red line in the middle of the ice. And then he would take his stick and he would softly just like bat away the ice that had come from the one foot stop. And then he was ready to go. And I was like, that is so cool. How do you look that cool and like your gear wear is that sick? And then he'd have two assists, play 27 minutes and be plus three. So that was the difference. My warmup could maybe relate and transfer to Nick Lidstrom's warmth. The game started. It was a different ballgame.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, you can try to.

[Ryan Whitney]

Do you think guys are getting a little too performative with it, though? Like, you're seeing like 13 year olds, like, doing X cuts at the center of the ice. Like, I'm seeing videos on social media where you're like, I don't know. I think this is just a little bit X cuts. X cuts could be, you know, you're feeling your edges. I don't. I don't really hate that. Like, almost similar to like on a race car driver who's getting those hard turns as he gets the car going.

[Mike Feuds]

I think that's just pure superstition.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Kind of like Sid doing the arches.

[Biz Nunez]

But it was also in the beat, like in the beginning of our careers, there wasn't footage like there is now warm up.

[Ryan Whitney]

Exactly.

[Biz Nunez]

Kind of just did what you were doing. I. The stuff I don't love now is the guys hitting each other in the corners and all that stuff because I'm like, dude, someone gets clipped in the chin or whatever, so that stuff kind of annoys me a little bit. But getting your feet going, getting your hands going, your eyes, whatever you need to do to get ready for a game, I'm all for.

[Mike Feuds]

What do you make of the guys who got the baby bottle in their hand that are through the photograph hole and like, don't, like, no, don't wait.

[Ryan Whitney]

Wait to their kids.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, they. Yeah, they got the kids. They got the kids there. You know, the. So the one thing, I mean, we, we. We talked about heated rivalry a little bit this morning. They're calling it what, the fish bowl or something where they like all, like, all of them go watch the guys warm up. They call it like the aquarium. And I guess, like, a lot of the guys, they feel like they're doing more of like the splits and then they kind of warm up their groins and they're doing that motion. And I guess it just makes the heated rivalry fans all over tick tock.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, yeah, every tick tock. You see now Is girls going down to the glass, filming guys stretching and just like making it so sexual. There's us to do. Midnight madness at bu. First practice of the year would be at midnight and a ton of fans would come. I don't know if they still do it. And right when we got down and did that stretch, there'd be. And then like, I like pulled my groin doing it one year I'm like, I didn't go over like I thought, but that's always been a thing. I would say women maybe found a attractive in hockey players is maybe stretching out the groins. I didn't know you were sitting there humping air while doing that biz.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, I think that it's evolved and that's why we talked about like maybe guys overdoing it a little bit. I think that they've caught on that that a lot of these women like going to watch the warm ups now. And everybody was doing that groin stretch right where you would split open. Now the guys are kind of like putting their knees in a circular motion and it basically looks like they're shoving their into the ice.

[Biz Nunez]

So pants.

[Mike Feuds]

That's how horny I was. Warm ups. I actually started that.

[Ryan Whitney]

They took his stick and just started going like this with it. It's like, dude, you're what? What? I'm not playing tonight. Don't worry. Yeah, well, we can get back to the NHL.

[Mike Feuds]

There's a lot going on, boys, some teams moving positions, some big contracts being signed. I'm so fired up to talk hockey right now.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, there is. And. And the funniest thing or the most entertaining thing so far this week for me was Nadel Bob. I mean, that was first off. Nadalovich was itching for it once. So I was watching with my wife said like, oh, look at. Here we go. Goalie fight. I paused it. She's in the kitchen. She's like, why is this hat. Like, why. Why did the other goalie come down? I said, well, once Nadelkovich goes in the corner, I feel like that's the rule. If a goalie leaves his crease to a scrum in the corner or behind the net and starts throwing any sort of contact at a player, that's the sign for the other goalie if he wants it, get down here. And Bob, who was. I think he'd already given up three at that time. It was three nothing. San Jose. He shot down and that was a great fight. Nadelkovich looked like he kind of knew what he was doing. And they squared off. And I think the duck, which. His helmet came off. Bob still had his on. I was like, oh, but did he take it off on his own or did he get it ripped off?

[Mike Feuds]

I don't know. I would say, as far as, like the emotion, how good the scrap was, and the fact that none of them got hurt.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, that's the dream right there.

[Mike Feuds]

To the point where I don't think that the NHL typically posts fights to social media. It's not a very common thing. And then they posted this one because of all the traction it was getting. So I found that to be interesting. But listen, I think we're so. I didn't watch what had happened up until that point. Clearly, Nadelkovich, from a goalie perspective, he was getting handsy. Like he was in that pile throwing some punches. He was clearly sick of what had been going on up until that point. I would assume with Florida being down and trying to get things going, they were probably poking at him a little too much and he'd have probably seen enough. But full respect to Bob for skating down and taking care of his boys. It was Kachuk's first game back, so.

[Ryan Whitney]

Even though were already going at it.

[Mike Feuds]

Playing swords halfway through the game, man, it was. It was nuts. You could seek jump squatting on the bench pre game, so just a lot of emotion coming into that one. And I think that considering how they've been going, Bob is probably like, you know what? This is probably the spark we need right now. And went down and handled business.

[Biz Nunez]

And good for Bob too, because usually the goalies kind of stop at center ice, wait for the other guy to see him. He went full, full blown as fast as he could down there. I didn't understand why neither one of them took off their masks, but I guess why would you, if you're in a fight, have an advantage. Then Bob got his off, threw a couple wild ones. If he caught him there, I think it could have been.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's what I was like as I was watching. I'm like, oh, once Nadalkovich was off and Bob still had his on, I'm like, this is game over.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then, you know, the. The San Jose. The San Jose bench, that was. I think there was a tweet like, look at the daycare going crazy. Like it was celebrities going nuts. Everyone's was like, that shows how cool it is to see two goalies fight. Like you said, biz, no injuries. I also don't know why I thought goalies got kicked out for that same. I was. But then they came as they came Back and Bob came back on the ice. The whole Panthers team lined up, and I think they were giving them like the king walking out of the castle.

[Mike Feuds]

I thought he was getting a silver stick. I'm like, what's going on here? There's a ceremony going on. The fans are going bananas. But I kind of love that, though. If there ever is a goalie fight, send them to the locker room for a few minutes and then next TV timeout, make sure the camera's on the tunnel and get them both coming out and hear the fans go bananas. So that couldn't have played out any better. It was all over social media and it definitely created the buzz. I would almost rather see that than a goalie goal.

[Biz Nunez]

Oh, 100. We can get one of those a year. We are golden.

[Mike Feuds]

Okay, so are like, you're telling me that, like, was there a goalie fight last year?

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm guessing there was. I feel like the rest try to.

[Biz Nunez]

Break them up, but because Bob went full blown, he didn't even give the refs an opportunity to grab them because usually. Because remember, Flurry tried going. I think Bennington a couple.

[Ryan Whitney]

Flurry tried it, like, a lot.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, he tried every. But usually the refs will stop them because I think they're probably kind of told a little bit like, hey, if the goal isn't getting into it, like, these are our lord and saviors, the goalies.

[Ryan Whitney]

But if the league's posting the clip, as Biz said, maybe now they. The refs have been told, let the goalies go.

[Mike Feuds]

No, I think that the league's figured it out. I think that they're where they have started embracing the fighting element. I think that they were getting a little scared in that 5 to 10 year ago period where every. Every other that 20, 20ish campaigns want to know fighting in hockey. Every single hit was they wanted player safety. Giving a guy five to 10 games. Those days are gone. Bring back the violence.

[Biz Nunez]

The E Bugs should be guys like Gillies like, just have. Just have nail guns on in the locker room waiting and like Abbott versus Butterbean. Like, like, hey, hey. Games getting out of control a little bit. We're putting in the E Bug and then just two absolute savages.

[Mike Feuds]

You should work for the league.

[Biz Nunez]

I know I do. Oh, that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, that's actually true. That'd be. I like that idea.

[Biz Nunez]

It's the pink Whitney in the coffee.

[Ryan Whitney]

Another goalie. I want to bring up this Brandon Bussy. We had him on before. It's been just outrageous what he's done. He's signed by Florida. He goes on waivers, Carolina grabs him. What is it here? He has, has. He's won 18 of his first 22 games in his National League, like the, the most. That's the most wins for a goalie in league history in that span to begin a career. When we had him on, what was cool is he was, he was talking about like how he was a late bloomer, kind of always stuck with it, really nice guy. And then he mentioned, I think Lundquist was his hero. You told him at the time, oh, we'll have to interview you at TNT when I'm with Hank. And it happened.

[Mike Feuds]

It happened.

[Ryan Whitney]

That was sick.

[Mike Feuds]

That wasn't me setting it up. I even, I don't even remember saying that, but I think it was Liam, Liam and. And Sean figuring that out. But that was a great moment, man. And he was unbelievable in that game. Did you watch the. Yeah, it was against Buffalo. I believe it was a 2:1 finale.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yep. Jarvis got the winner early in the third.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, a lot of set face off plays for goals right now. But he was kicking. He made about four, five, ten bells. None better than that. Two on one where it was the tic tac toe back to Tage Thompson where. Where I think that Alex Faust, who was calling the game was like, that was a goal. And then they showed the replay and his glove just comes back and completely robs him. Where Hank. What Hank was complimenting about him was his skating ability where sometimes when that, that cross crease pass goes the other way, the goalie kind of slides over in desperation. Where when he slid over, he was cocked and ready to go on that left leg where if he went back, boom, stopped and then pushed back with a ton of force. And that's how he's able to get back. And I guess for a big goalie of his size, like his skating is like elite. Elite. And his father always stressed that growing up and it's paying dividends. So you talked about it with this guy. Goes from signing with Florida, being put on waivers, he's driving to Charlotte where their farm team is the Florida Panthers, and then just so happens he gets claimed by Carolina, where he was already headed to that state. So, so happy for him. He's such a humble guy.

[Rob Blake]

Guy.

[Mike Feuds]

His numbers are bonkers right now. I think that, I mean, who, who's who's right now the leader for the Vezna. You probably have to say. Okay, yeah, he's, he's, he's doing a lot more heavy lifting too. But I also believe that the bus. He played at a certain level with Paige Thompson and he might have robbed him three or four times in that game. So kind of a full circle moment for him. And. And another great game by Carolina at home.

[Biz Nunez]

You think if he. Like, he probably wasn't even on the list going into the season. And this probably for the USA team. Like, you think they even brought his name up or. It's like, we got our three guys already.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, they kind of had the three all set. Those three guys have been pretty. Although Helle Book was injured. Yeah, that would have been. That would have been crazy. Just not enough past. Like. And we'll get in. We'll get into the USA Hockey. Right. The Seth Jones news. I guess we could just talk about it right now, if.

[Biz Nunez]

Brutal. Another injury for Florida.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Now, this came out of nowhere, right? Like, had Seth. When did Seth Jones get injured?

[Biz Nunez]

Outdoor game, I believe.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay. So they hadn't really announced, like, how long term it would be or anything. And then it breaks the other day that he's out of the Olympics and Jackson Lomb is replacing him. So right away, I knew this would be the case. The Montreal Canadiens fans out there went bananas.

[Biz Nunez]

And.

[Ryan Whitney]

And the lack of Lane Hudson. What Lane Hudson's doing this year is ridiculous. I mean, you watch the game against the Wild, which was crazy because it's in front of Billy Garon. It's in front of the Wild and their gm. And the USA gm. Caulfield scores the winner in the last minute. Lane Hudson had moments of domination. I think maybe the worst penalty I've ever seen called was in that game. But I gotta say, like, I wasn't surprised. I was not surprised based on the fact that. That we've talked a million times about Quinn Hughes and Zach Warrensky. One's undersized. More in Quinn. They are the offensive guys. They are the power play guys. If one of those guys goes out, Lane Hudson's getting named.

[Biz Nunez]

Yep.

[Ryan Whitney]

When Seth Jones went out, they're replacing a similar type player. Probably better offensively than Seth Jones. Jackson lhome. Probably a better skater than Seth Jones. Jackson Lhome and plays in all situations. He will be there as a PK guy. He can eat minutes. He can play against top lines. I don't even know if he will, but I was. I wasn't surprised to see it. Like, I get the anger from the Canadiens fans, but they're not going to replace, you know, they're not going to replace a defensive guy on their roster with Lane Hudson.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah. It's the size Too. And we've talked about it. You know, you're realistically preparing for Canada. You want to go out there, you want to set your team up to face Canada. You need big D, you need guys that can move the puck. And I think it's a no brainer bringing him. I think Lane Hudson deserves to be on that team as well too. But it's like, man, when you got this many good D, it's tough to have them all. So he's put himself in a position where he should be on the team. He's done amazing things this year in his first couple years in the NHL. But like you said, if one of those skill guys goes out, Quinn or Zach Morinsky, knock on wood. Hopefully none of them do, but I think he would be your guy. But you're, you're bringing them in just to strictly take up more room on the ice, make good breakouts, kill some penalties and be a pain in the ass to play against.

[Mike Feuds]

Hey, and at the end of the day, I mean, you know, as, as, as annoying as it might be sometimes at the fact it's like, hey, listen, this, this Lomb kid's a great player too. And he possesses a lot of talents that maybe Lane doesn't have. Where the reverse too. Like you guys talked about the offensive ability, so. But them pumping up their guys and, and, and going to Twitter and going to social media with their distaste of it.

[Ryan Whitney]

I love, I love, I respect that.

[Mike Feuds]

I mean even, even admin for the Montreal Canadiens tagged USA Hockey.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, after that was.

[Biz Nunez]

That was.

[Ryan Whitney]

That was impressive.

[Mike Feuds]

Pretty rough.

[Biz Nunez]

Ruthless with that stuff.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh yeah, yeah. They don't around, but both those guys have had unbelievable years and they earn a playoff spot and there's a lot to also be happy about. And another thing too, like, of that full Montreal Canadiens roster, I know Suzuki's going. How many guys they have going the Olympics? They're trying to make a playoff push and they're trying to have success in playoff. Getting those guys a little bit of rest ain't the worst thing either.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, the thing is, I don't think Hudson and Demet, they won't those guys just skate?

[Biz Nunez]

Oh, they'll be on the.

[Mike Feuds]

They.

[Ryan Whitney]

They skate every day. They. That Lane Hudson reporter showed up for an optional pregame and he wasn't on the ice. They were like, oh no, no, he's injured. He's injured. And they were told like the team forced him, like grabbed his gear, locked it in a closet and you're not skating today. So that's the Kind of like he's on the ice 30 minutes before practice starts every day. So I don't know if during Olympic break he's going to be down in Mexico chilling. He might find a rink somewhere in Mexico. Is there any in Mexico?

[Mike Feuds]

And skate on the Odrs. Like Gan said stays at the same.

[Ryan Whitney]

Place Rocky did in Rocky 4.

[Biz Nunez]

He's just.

[Ryan Whitney]

You're like only have three guys going to the Olympics though. It's Suzuki, Slavkowski and Tech Texier for. For France. And then Kapan also just got named for Finland. But okay, okay, okay, okay.

[Mike Feuds]

So decent representation.

[Biz Nunez]

Shout out Montreal's fans for having their guys back though, even though it's for a different country.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I'll say it wasn't just Caulfield who scored a big goal to have certain USA Hockey fans and Canadiens fans saying like why isn't this guy on the team? Robertson had one of the sickest snipes of the year against the Bruins. So if the US Goes on to lose in the gold medal game and they can't score in that game, it is going to be ridiculous. The second guessing it's already started. I think being. Being right where having the lead in that game of finals of four nations and losing an overtime. Like I trust the staff, I trust Billy G. I'd like to think that they can go get a win, but if they have trouble scoring, no Caulfield, no Robertson is going to be a thing that'll be talked about forever.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. So we had Robertson on the broadcast. I would say that his interview skills have their leaps and bounds better where they, where they were when he started. Like he gave a great interview. I believe it was Katherine Tappan after the game scored two goals. I want to say he's got 29 on the season now. I guess just hearing that there wasn't much of a conversation when he was asked about like, what, you know, what was the conversation like when they told, you know, you, you didn't make it. And he was like, well, there wasn't really much of one. I guess I was more surprised at that that there wasn't more of an in depth conversation of saying like, hey man, we loved you. You've had a great start. Like, and you, you guys might be saying like, well, what else is there to say? But when you're, when you're visibly having. I think he's got the most points of any American forward right now. If I'm.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's third in the league in goals behind McKinnon and McDavid.

[Mike Feuds]

So, so there you go. But hey, there's a lot of other things that that fan base and he can be happy about. He's in a contract year and I know he's restricted so he is going to get every cent that he would have imagined that he would have gotten coming into this season. You got to think that he's looking at a number easily like Adrian Kempe. I would imagine that if he signs back in Dallas, I think a hometown discount would be that 8 times 10 number.

[Ryan Whitney]

I've seen people pencil it in at 12 and a half.

[Mike Feuds]

I would say if he hits the market he's getting that. Absolutely. Like probably five teams would offer him that if not more on the desperation of there's never really any high, high end free agents. I would be a little reluctant, reluctant to pay him that much money just because he is having that breakout career year. But let's see what he's able to do the rest of the season and playoffs. But once again there's a lot of other things to be happy about and if there is an injury I would imagine imagine he's getting that next call. I so the three guys that would probably be up for it would be DeBrincat, Cole Caufield and then Jason Robertson. I just assumed because of the size.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I think, I think pace though I think it would be Caulfield.

[Mike Feuds]

Okay.

[Ryan Whitney]

Based on I I just remember being at those games in Montreal and Boston. Those were the fastest hockey games maybe ever played. It's that that may sound like an exaggeration. I There was zero time, zero space and the worry about Robertson is, is pace like pace to his game and like I don't know if that staff at USA believes he has the ability to keep up with that pace. Caulfield does now he's smaller. No doubt you're talking about size but I don't I think that's what they're thinking. Cause I has he even been told he's in the running with injuries or did you mention in the interview he said nothing.

[Mike Feuds]

I I I would just assume at the time when they, when they told him it wasn't much of a conversation where maybe I agree with you where been lower on the list but even since then he has not stopped scoring, got 30 goals. He's third in the league in goals so maybe that makes them rethink their decision. Y I don't the one thing about Billy G and staff, I don't think any outside noise is going to vary their opinion. Not like would have before but it obviously at this point now, it's getting a little bit louder and louder with teams tweeting at them like that. It's gotten to that point. So I just wonder if maybe that influence would. Would change things.

[Biz Nunez]

I think when you're a guy like Billy G, who's been there, done that, he's on everything in the NHL that has needed to be done. I don't think he's worrying about any outside noise.

[Mike Feuds]

Checking Twitter?

[Biz Nunez]

No. In. In. Like we've said before, too.

[Ryan Whitney]

Building a workbench. Yeah, Basement.

[Biz Nunez]

He's building.

[Mike Feuds]

He's actually building the. The. Where they go on for the metal ceremony right now. Yeah. What do they call the podium?

[Biz Nunez]

Podium.

[Mike Feuds]

Wooden podium.

[Biz Nunez]

But like we said before, you can't. You can't judge the construction of these. These, you know, rosters till the games are over.

[Ryan Whitney]

No doubt. I agree. And then the second guessing kind of. Kind of goes from there.

[Mike Feuds]

Could we. Since we talked about Dallas, they played Boston in that game. Boston looked like they'd been out for three nights straight on that siblings trip. Just getting wrecked.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Pasta.

[Ryan Whitney]

Pasta.

[Mike Feuds]

Looked like he came out of a dumpster before warm up. Did you see it with the black eye, the hair? And then the interview he had the interview with Tuka.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

What was he. What were they chirping each other for?

[Rob Blake]

For.

[Biz Nunez]

For the Z's ceremony game. Because they were all banged up at that game and I think that's what he was chirping about. Right?

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. Because he's. Because, like there was still a lot of guy. There were some guys still on the team that had obviously played with Z. And then all the guys who came into town. So they tied one on like they hadn't before. So yeah, it was a great ceremony and they had a lot of laughs.

[Ryan Whitney]

I like seeing Tuka on tnt. Great guy.

[Rob Blake]

And.

[Ryan Whitney]

And biz. I'll say this like I was all over you. This is in my mind. I'm like this. So you did. Your guys panel did the. The Mount Rushmore of American hockey players. You were talking about Patrick Kane. He's about to pass Mike Bonanno. And those two for everyone were on there for sure. And then the differences kind of came in where I think everyone might have had Brian Leach, except for Chelios. Yo. Everyone had maybe Chelios, except for Brian Leech. Chelios had Brian Leach. Excuse me. And then the fourth was like Kachaka Roman Ronick. You wouldn't pick a fourth.

[Mike Feuds]

Eh, No, I went.

[Ryan Whitney]

But then I could. I was with you. I'm like, I can't pick Ronick or Chuck either the re.

[Mike Feuds]

I just felt like they were so similar in you know, how they treated the media and how funny they were in front of the camera, the charisma. So I just felt like they would be so silly enough to be okay being a two headed monster on the Mount Rushmore.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay.

[Mike Feuds]

And both of them hit 500 goals. So both of them did so much for the game. And, and, and to move the needle from like an excitement off the ice perspective that I was just trying to pay homage with that time that I had to talk. So great job by me. And then obviously great job by me.

[Ryan Whitney]

Not answering the question. I'm a professional at that.

[Mike Feuds]

That's true. I'm a, I'm a flip flopper.

[Biz Nunez]

Usually Ace is the one who gets an extra pick.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, that's why I said I took a page out of Ace's book. And then obviously with Chelli there, I wasn't not going to say Chelly but some other notable guys. Pat La Fontaine had a lot of points per game. Like he junior numbers.

[Biz Nunez]

Look up his junior numbers when you get a minute.

[Mike Feuds]

He was a sick puppy. Phil House Housley I believe is the highest scoring American defenseman. Chelli. Chelly was interpreted. He was just saying ah. He was way more of a riverboat gambler. I, I never got to watch housing as prime so I didn't see what he was doing. Like if he was just like jumping in the rush every, every single play.

[Ryan Whitney]

La Fontaine without the concussions, he probably 1500 points. Yeah, he had, well he had 10, 13 points in 865 games. He had 62 points in 69 playoff games. And he just. Those concussions options, they ended up just kind of completely derailing his career. But if he'd stayed healthy, I mean 2 time 50 goal score. He got 41, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times. Like he was hit 148 points and.

[Biz Nunez]

An undersized guy back then. But read his junior stats for biz.

[Ryan Whitney]

So Verdun Juniors in the Quebec major junior league he played 70 games. He had 104 goals, 130 assists for 234 points in the queue in the playoffs. He had toughest league in the ch. 50 games, 35 points in the playoffs. Yeah, that's, that's 104 goals and 70 games. What the fuck is that?

[Biz Nunez]

Who is this Winger dude?

[Ryan Whitney]

The next there was another guy with 149 points on the team. He had 85 more points than the second guy on the team. That is, that's nuts.

[Mike Feuds]

He's all full celebrity.

[Ryan Whitney]

Full.

[Mike Feuds]

I was. I was talking about that, too. I would assume that you guys would have Celebrini as third in line for the heart. Just how sick puppy McDavid and McKinnon have gone. I think right now he's 40 points ahead of the next guy in his team. The last guy I could think of who won it in in a similar fashion if San Jose gets in is Halsey. And Halsey had 93 points that year and. And roughly, you know, 35 to 40 points ahead of that next guy and.

[Ryan Whitney]

He dragged the Devils into the playoffs.

[Mike Feuds]

So it's. It's a hard. It's a hard thing to. To decipher. Like if you got MC. You know, McKinnon and McDavid who are in the 130, 140 point range, and if they're 40 points ahead of celebrity, do you care? Does. Does that big of a difference matter to you or are you more about, like. No. If there's no Celebrini, there's no playoffs. He's the heart.

[Ryan Whitney]

If celebrity hits 100 points and they get in, I think he's the MVP.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah. And he might get the. What's it, the Ted Lindsay where the players vote?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, maybe.

[Biz Nunez]

I think. I think guys around the league could see that. And from what I've heard is guys, you know, appreciate that award just as much as a heart or anything. So I think he's going home with some hardware this year if he continues the way he's going and drags that team into the playoffs. Because you look at his roster compared to either Tampa, Edmonton or Colorado, it's like, okay, this guy's doing it on a different level, basically by himself.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, Cooch is. Cooch is a freak again. We're going to talk Tampa in a minute, but biz your favorite player in the NHL, Michelle. We're talking San Jose, talking help for Celebrini. Kiefer Sherwood is now a San Jose Shark.

[Mike Feuds]

I thought it was a heck of.

[Ryan Whitney]

A deal and they should sign him too. Like, that's a guy as you're building and getting this thing going, like, runs around now. What do you have? I think he had 18 goals last year and he's already at 17 or. I don't like, is he a 25, 30 goal guy?

[Mike Feuds]

I think so. Sometimes it's hard because when you're on a team like Vancouver Hoover, mind you, he had a great year last year. I want to say he finished with 19 goals last year. So I think year in year out, he's a, he's a 20 goal guy. If, yeah and if, if I see him on a successful team being a middle six guy, a guy who can probably play second line if, if you're very deep, he could be a third liner. But the thing about him is he plays physical like he'll score your goals. But he also finished the night with two, three big hits. He gets in on the 4ch check. You know, he's a water bug out there. So I, I was actually shocked that no other teams who really wanted to push their chips in like teams that are way ahead of San Jose wanted to give up a late first rounder for him because I don't know how you're going to go get a 25 goal guy who's only making a million and a half dollars. So I don't know where that was. They ended up giving up the two second rounders. But he's, he's the type of piece that and, and Greer and staff, they're probably like hey, these guys in the locker room have played their, their off all season. We're inside of a playoff spot right now. They deserve a little bit of boost before we go into this break knowing, hey, we're going to do whatever we can to give them a little bit of help but also not make a move where he's not going to be around. And I agree with you. I think they should try to offer him like a 6 times 6 type deal. Maybe, maybe I can.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's. Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

You know what Garland got paid what? Five times? Five and a half.

[Biz Nunez]

Half.

[Mike Feuds]

I, I see.

[Ryan Whitney]

But Garland, I mean Garland's numbers are.

[Mike Feuds]

Different than his over the last few years, I think.

[Biz Nunez]

Sure would. You can't say he's one dimensional and just scores because of what you said. He, every game he's, I only gets.

[Ryan Whitney]

More, more cysts, more points. But I see, yeah, goal wise it is not different.

[Mike Feuds]

If you can get me 20 goals, 20 assists and you're for checking and hitting guys night and night out and you're a good utility middle six guy, I'll get you, I'll give you a five, five and a half till I'm blue in the face. And this is a guy who has not made a lot of money and hasn't had much security. So I'm sure that he's looking at it like wow, this team's on the come up. They have a Tony to ton of money to spend come free agency. I'm going to get a great opportunity here and I get to live in California and play with Macklin, Celebrini and Will Smith. I would hope that they get something done based on what they gave up for him.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, he could be the next Chichu there guy just score some goals.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, that's another thing too. Like he might be the type of guy where they're like we want him playing on a top line with Macklin just gets a chance and hey man, if you're like Hyman where you're an unreal four checker and you get it turned over and you're relentless and you can go to the back door and tap it in a man. I mean look at, look at what Hyman's done since coming back. Not that he hasn't done it before.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hyman has 17 goals in 20 games and 25 points in 20 games. Like it's, and it, I mean you've seen McDavid just go nuclear and pop off since he came back. So yeah, I kind of like that. That's a decent little comparison. Also the Sharks, it was very nice him to get Will Smith back. He didn't just come back. He came back with those new white skates, the pasta skates. And I think he scored in his first two games back. He look, and the NHL, I think they understand how good looking Will Smith is because they post him walking into every game they should. They've decided, okay, well this is a guy that everyone's clicking on. We're going to post him walking into every game in his outfit.

[Mike Feuds]

I would also say heated rivalry effect that if all the missile launchers in the league just keep, keep hammering those walk ins and the, the, the, the outfits they're wearing now. I know I was anti it. I said put the black suits on, win some fucking games Leafs. But you know, you were only saying.

[Biz Nunez]

That when they weren't doing well.

[Mike Feuds]

Correct.

[Biz Nunez]

You're all for it with playing well, right?

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

Look good, feel good, play good.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh yeah. Now if the Leafs win, Biz will have him coming in in a hammock bikini bottom. He doesn't give a banana him the bull wrap bikini up over the shoulders. We'll actually get in. We, we do have something to talk about in terms of gear and what you're wearing. Walking into games in a couple minutes. But the Lightning guys still, they're still going, dude, I and, and I think think we're not people that like to kind of pat ourselves on the back. That's not our crew. No, that's not what we're like.

[Mike Feuds]

No, we're very Modest.

[Ryan Whitney]

I might have to switch it around and say, like, this is thanks to us. Coop owes us because I believe they were 2 and 7 or 2 and 5 when he was gonna get fired.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Coop thought he was done, although he just resigned. So I don't know. But since then, G, I think you have it here. 39 and 2. Say it again. 39 and 2 since October 24, 2025. I don't think they're 39 and 2.

[Rob Blake]

30.

[Ryan Whitney]

39. Hey, 39 and 2 since we talked to Coop.

[Biz Nunez]

That is good for us.

[Ryan Whitney]

And if you told, do we get.

[Mike Feuds]

Part of the Jack Adams bonus?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I don't want it. I don't. Because that means we might get fired from this pod after.

[Mike Feuds]

That's right.

[Ryan Whitney]

Jack Adams doesn't mean. But I will say that like, if you look at coup coming on, they were down on the dumps, things weren't going great. And if we had had a crystal ball and say, coop, listen, you're going to lose McDonough, you're going to lose Headman, and you're going to lose Cernac, he might have just hung up on us immediately. And that happened. And this is still going on. And then you didn't even have point playing very well. So Radish has been a complete freak. He's got a point per game.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

So I don't. I don't know if he'll be resigning there. He's a ufa. With what you've done, I'm so happy for a guy like that. Like, he's going to get an enormous payday. I heard it was.

[Biz Nunez]

They weren't going to contract discussions till after the season, which usually for the player isn't the best thing, but.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, that means like.

[Biz Nunez]

Or it's like, hey, you got to prove it the rest of the year. But the way he's clipping, if he stays at a point a game, like, it's cash money records for him.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, yeah. I would probably say he's looking. I mean, what's he making now? He's probably going to be looking at, I would say eight times eight. I don't think that people will go, I don't think he's looking at the 10 number. You saw a guy like Harley get what he got in Dallas, but remarkable what they've done. And to think, imagine, like, he goes from being down in the dumps, basically on the verge of getting fired by Tampa, to coming on our podcast to winning a gold medal at the Olympics, another Stanley Cup, Jack Adams. I think then at that point, he should just retire and join the podcast.

[Biz Nunez]

He should give us his host at Gazer. At least.

[Mike Feuds]

At least for the weekend.

[Ryan Whitney]

We do have to get up there. God, this is from the Athletic. Couple different things. So there's four defensemen at a point per game. It's Kale Makar, Zach Warrensky, Lane Hudson and Darren Radish. Like, I don't know who saw that one coming. So he's also played over 24 minutes per game. So it's not just like he's a power play specialist. You remember Mark Andre Bergeron with the cannon, kind of just like third pair power play guy. That's not been the case for him playing with JJ Movie closer. And then this one was interesting. So he's recorded 48 shot attempts that have cleared at least 90 miles an hour, which ranks in the 99th percentile of all NFL defensemen. So, like it's just a cannon. And then it says 18 of his 37 points have originated with one of his shots, whether it's a rebound, getting banged home, a tip or a goal. So it's like if you have a cannon like that, it's. It's, yeah, Bouchard, Bouche, but. And wherever. Mom forgot about that.

[Biz Nunez]

But no one wants to go out and block. When you've. When you're hitting it at over 90 every single time, guys are a little hesitant to go out. So that means he's going to get it by the first guy. Cause some shit at the net and they got some hounds around the net that you're going to get some secondary assist or even first assist. So good for him. He's ripping the puck in, but also too like he's playing. Would you say, 24 minutes?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

When those other guys come back, you know, maybe his numbers dip a little bit. Bit.

[Ryan Whitney]

Why would you switch, though?

[Biz Nunez]

Like, I know you.

[Ryan Whitney]

So. So Headman, you can just have him still playing 25 minutes second power. Like I don't know, like they're. The way they're going. Headman. What. What does he care now? That may be ridiculous because you know, the C, the leader and the guy.

[Mike Feuds]

He'S already got his money.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

And focus more on. On playing the defensive side of like, hand the reigns over and then if.

[Ryan Whitney]

It does go south while you're back. All right, he's back on top of the first unit.

[Biz Nunez]

And Head Headman's done that like they had Surgichev in the first unit. Power play before he got traded. And he never bitched about it. He just, you Know took his other minutes that he needed because he's got. He doesn't need a power play to get going. He doesn't need, you know, 25 minutes. He's going to be a stud whether he's playing 15 or 25.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then McDonough and Cernak, right, like they're not really PP guys. McDonough has been but. So maybe his ice time takes a hit.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ryan Whitney]

But also like with Cooch on his off wing then it's a one point timer right where Headman isn't. So where.

[Mike Feuds]

Where did Radish come from or was he drafted there?

[Ryan Whitney]

He wasn't even drafted. Was.

[Mike Feuds]

Was he in a different organization before.

[Ryan Whitney]

You know, Australia, uk. You know who had commonwealth? He cuz you, you from Toronto and he played with the Rockford Ice Hogs. That's Chicago. And then he was with Hartford. So the Rangers had him there.

[Mike Feuds]

The Ranger.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's 29. He's 29, dude. He played 1, 2, 3, 4, 4 full years in the AHL without even getting a sniff.

[Mike Feuds]

Undrafted boys you have to like.

[Biz Nunez]

Good for him.

[Mike Feuds]

Coop. We just gave him the biggest glaze of all time and well deserved. He's the best breeze, Bois and management though, man. Like they, they. They had to get money off the books and put it other areas in order to get the Genso and all that stuff. Stuff done. So they get JJ Moser in return for moving off of Circuit Chev, where a lot of people would say they're basically the same. You want to give this slight edge to Circuit Chev, sure. But still an unreal serviceable defenseman. You just mentioned Radish. They give up on McDonough because they couldn't make the money work. They ship them off to Nashville, they go get them back Hagel, they bring in Gensel like what they're able to do and retool. It's unbelievable that, that you cannot glaze.

[Biz Nunez]

That Johnny Gourd, man. They got Yanny.

[Mike Feuds]

Johnny Gourd comes back culture guy from when they won the two.

[Ryan Whitney]

So that was making me think about like Blake Coleman is still pretty legit player. You remember he would get him. Dude, if they went back and got Yanni Gourd would coup not be like get me Blake Coleman again.

[Mike Feuds]

He's making a lot though.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know. But if Calgary eats a bunch, what you see, look up Coleman's how many. He might have three years left or two after this year. But if Calgary who's in the position, they can eat salary. I. I thought, I think Cooper would Be like bring me back who we won Budd. I would have Goldman's in year five of six of his contract. Dude.

[Rob Blake]

Wow.

[Mike Feuds]

Okay Wit but I would have put my family on the line. I would have gambled my family thinking that they were going to Pauls. No I would he idiot. I thought for sure they were going to get KE for Sherwood.

[Ryan Whitney]

That yeah that wreaked of a Because I think I said Garland you were like no, no no no no. That's sure.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

I don't know what they didn't see in them but like for that cheap a price and like they only give up a few second rounders. I know they probably don't have any first left but my goodness. But yeah. Unreal job by Tampa and we have to glaze them because of how good.

[Ryan Whitney]

They have to have to, have to. So yeah it's been incredible to see what they're doing. Another team that boys this is shocking is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now I could say why is it shocking what you Crosby made your whole life? Crosby's the one of the best players in the history of hockey.

[Pasha]

Why?

[Mike Feuds]

Reason you met your wife.

[Ryan Whitney]

But yeah, exactly. But based on the past couple years it was like oh I don't even think he could save this. But dude, he's fifth in the league in goals. Like he is still doing it. And if G Malcolm Boyce has turned back the clock and the news right now out of Pittsburgh is bizarre to me. And it's Malkin has told them he makes 6:1 this year. 6.1. He said he'll take a pace cut and sign a one year deal. He doesn't want to play anywhere else. And they're still saying we got to think about it. Apparently his reps and dubas are going to talk during the Olympic break. I get the side of like we got we got to kind of move on here like our stars of Malkin.

[Mike Feuds]

And if you're saying a pay cut based on what he's making now.

[Biz Nunez]

Yes, 6 million.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'll take like I I he'll take a hundred thousand dollars I think dude who knows maybe be like give me four and a half half. Give me five.

[Mike Feuds]

Like you gotta.

[Ryan Whitney]

And based on here's, here's the one.

[Mike Feuds]

Issue I I if he doesn't allow Evgenie Malin to come back on a discount it will plummet. Dubious stock will plummet.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah. Cuz he's one of those guys. There's a very select few that have ever played. They deserve to have a say in what whatever they want to do.

[Mike Feuds]

If you want to. If you want to bang my wife, bang my wife. I don't care.

[Biz Nunez]

You're not married.

[Mike Feuds]

No, but I'm saying I was. And he. I was the gm. I'd say whatever you want. Carte blanche.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, but he's like, what said turned back the times and when he gets going like this, man, he is a streaky player and he can put the team on the back. Like they've done him and Sid for the last 20 years and they've had.

[Ryan Whitney]

They've had Carlson out. I think he'll be back soon. It's just. I don't know. It's incredible. I think army has Kindle on the slump busters, who's been awesome. He was just drafted this past year and apparently, like, got to get him going again. But the. The core or I mean, the stars are old, right? Like, that's the worry. And dubas in this article I read talking about, like, we love where we're at with our middle six, we love where we're at with our prospects, but we need to get like a star. And that's why Robertson's name's been brought up a ton by Penguins fans. Like, if they're willing to move on from him, that would be a guy like, go get Robertson. Do what it. Do what it takes to take. He's a younger guy, he can score and I could see that being a really good fit. I don't know if Dallas is willing to move him, but Pittsburgh. Army sent me some text. So army said he's.

[Mike Feuds]

When you say move them, you mean like trade? Not. Not before the season's up?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, like this season.

[Biz Nunez]

So you think if Dallas is in the position that they're in now, they would give up on him and not even try to have him for playoffs?

[Ryan Whitney]

Do you want to? Well, because he's already restricted. I know, I know.

[Biz Nunez]

You're going to get something for him at the end of the year.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, so you want me to just read Army's text? Soft style. He said he's the Bob Stauffer of Pittsburgh.

[Biz Nunez]

Wow.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I know.

[Biz Nunez]

Whoa.

[Mike Feuds]

Um, not as good.

[Biz Nunez]

I didn't say it. Stop.

[Mike Feuds]

He's not as good looking, but.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, here we go. So this is. We've gone over some of this stuff Geno said playing unreal. 38, 39 years old. You kidding me? Carlson best year is a Penguin and Latang's playing hard. Minutes only team in the NHL, I believe with PP and PK both top five in the league. New coaches have them going with vibes and energy. It's so different. And what's crazy is you have the New York Rangers sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference. They got the Penguins coach from last year, and the Penguins have a guy that was on the Rangers bench last year. So that's going to be disgusting. That's going to be just disgusting for Rangers fans.

[Mike Feuds]

But.

[Ryan Whitney]

Shout out Dan Muse.

[Mike Feuds]

I thought. I thought you were leaning towards that. Maybe they make a move for a Ranger there and bring Trocheck home.

[Ryan Whitney]

So that. That is one that has been. That is one that has been brought up.

[Mike Feuds]

Been rumored.

[Biz Nunez]

No, you just.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think you just created that rumor. I think that just.

[Rob Blake]

Wow.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, he talks about our boy Ryan Shea, right? This guy paid his dues. We talked about Radish.

[Mike Feuds]

He was a. Did he come in as a unsigned training camp?

[Ryan Whitney]

No. So he was with Dallas for a long time. A lot of years in the minors, like four or five years.

[Biz Nunez]

Like Radish.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. And he's not like, point per game, but I think he's a. I think he's a point every other game, playing 20 minutes in the night. Keith and I are very close with his family and him. He's an awesome guy. I'm just super happy for him. But even Army's like, dude, this guy's playing legit hockey and he's ufa, so I'm hoping he gets a big payday. He's never had one.

[Mike Feuds]

He's going full Troy stature right now.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's. He. I don't know if he's got the style and the coats and like, the. The gear.

[Mike Feuds]

No, I just meant as in, like, coming in. We didn't expect much, and all of a sudden you're like, I love this.

[Biz Nunez]

Guy to the team. Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, I think last year, like, he would. He know he was playing, but, like, obviously Muse came in. In camps, like, I like this guy, like, and I'm playing him way more than Mike Sullivan did.

[Mike Feuds]

That's. That's why having fresh blood and. And a new coach and a new vision sometimes help because you actually figure out, you know, you. You have some. Some diamonds in the rough even in your organization. Yeah, like, to. To give a guy, like, I. Sometime. It's weird, man. Sometimes, like, certain coaches, they just won't see the potential in certain guys where you. And then you end up moving on from. And he goes somewhere and has so much success where, hey, that. That. That's huge. That they didn't get rid of him and he's getting the opportunity.

[Biz Nunez]

But The. The three of the four goals in Calgary. He had a big outcome in the first one. Great shot. Malkin Tip, just a great CNI shot. The second one, he made an unbelievable play in the neutral zone under his deep partner. Kind of gave it to him in a weird spot at the red line where a lot of guys would have just rimmed it in. He made an unreal little pass to Geno. They went in and scored. I don't think he got an assist on it. And then the third one was like a two on one code coming down on him. He made a good play. They end up getting a shot and going the other way. And he joined the rush and just kind of made that defenseman. Yeah. Look. And then what's his name? Novak. That was sick. Dangled the goalie. So he had a huge outcome in. In three of the four goals that they had.

[Ryan Whitney]

And. And this. This being the toughest part of me for Pittsburgh. And I'm very happy for the guy. I think I spoke highly of him when the trade went down, but Stuart Skinner has turned into Dominic Hash in Pittsburgh. So he got out of Edmonton. And since Christmas, the Penguins are 9:2 and 2. They've allowed the fewest goals against per game at 2.08 with Skinner. And she loves playing, but Skinner, he's 6 and 1 with a 1.5:8 and a 9:33 save percentage.

[Mike Feuds]

So did he.

[Ryan Whitney]

What?

[Mike Feuds]

Tie his skates a little tighter?

[Ryan Whitney]

Imagine if that. That's what it is.

[Biz Nunez]

No, he went Velcro.

[Ryan Whitney]

Imagine if, like he comes out, he's like, yeah, Sid saw and said, you better lace those fuckers up. Yeah, pull it.

[Mike Feuds]

No, I heard he's tying them for him.

[Rob Blake]

That.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's. That's one of his.

[Biz Nunez]

Joe Vitalis.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, but he. That's his new dog. Days were over. Routine tie and Skinner skates.

[Biz Nunez]

But I mean, you talk about it all the time sometimes a new. A fresh start, a new place going into somewhere fresh. Like the media is tougher and in Canada. He's kind of just floating under the radar a little bit there. And I'm happy for him. I'm sure deep down with you are too. And. Well, but like big time. Good for him. And you see. You see him back. They're back in Edmonton. You saw him on the bench. I saw some clips today. You know, the guys obviously missed them, giving them his hugs and stuff like that. So still a beloved guy there.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's not playing tonight because he played in Calgary, but the other two things. Army sent this from Bob Grove on Twitter most balanced distribution of ice time this season for the Pens, no one played less than 13:28. First time that's happened under Dan Muse. And then over their last five road games, they've allowed an average of 19 shots against. So, like, that's not like the Penguins of old. Right? Like, they've just really. And I. Chastity belt. Yeah, big time. Big time. Oh, yeah.

[Rob Blake]

The.

[Ryan Whitney]

The ice time thing's so important because obviously there's games and power plays really change all this where guys are playing six, seven minutes. But if the whole team is. It just. If the whole team's getting ice time, it's just like so much more alive on the bench at biz. I'm sure you know it. The games you got to play like 8, 9, 10 minutes. It's like, dude, I think the one game he played 11 minutes getting a.

[Biz Nunez]

IV after I did.

[Mike Feuds]

I did. I. I had a full body cast the next day.

[Biz Nunez]

But it, it's.

[Ryan Whitney]

Took his option. The thing.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, he did the thing that like, good coaches see if the power plays are kind of taken over or the PKs. You got to get the guys who aren't PKing out there that next shift. Yeah, you got to get guys going into it. Like you said, it's a huge boost because I wasn't a guy who PK'd. If there was a ton of PKs you'd be marinating for, you know, it seemed like 30 minutes, minutes regular time and be sitting there like, oh my God, not getting a shift and then they go back to another rotation. So getting guys out there, that's just a good heads up play.

[Mike Feuds]

And I would assume that they're a well disciplined team. I wouldn't. Wouldn't know. But like, as far as penalize, I mean, where. Where do they land on the list?

[Ryan Whitney]

But the only bad reason I say.

[Mike Feuds]

That is because we watched Boston the other night in Dallas. Boston takes so many stupid penalties. So Dorothev's the most penalized guy over the last five years.

[Biz Nunez]

Just.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah, yeah, he loves to the.

[Mike Feuds]

Penalty box, but no, Pittsburgh's got it going right now, man. The coaching staff is hitting all the right buttons. Like you said, it feels like everybody's pulling the rope and the juju is very high. And yeah, I couldn't be happier for Skinner, man, having to deal with that media circus for two, three years. I know Toronto gets a lot of. A lot of heat, but my God, Edmonton.

[Ryan Whitney]

And right now, this is Thursday, January 22nd. Second, the Pittsburgh Penguins are. They're seven points behind Carolina. Right. They have a game in hand, but they're in second in the metro. They're one in seven in shootouts. So, like, even if. You know what I mean, even if they're, you know, four and three or something, that's three more points and they're a little closer. It's just right now, if you told me January 22, the Penguins would have a home game, first game of the playoffs, let alone be in the playoffs, I would have told you. You're smoking crack with R.A. but somehow, somehow they're doing this so good for Pittsburgh. And Crosby just continues to do his thing.

[Mike Feuds]

Is.

[Rob Blake]

Did.

[Mike Feuds]

Did R.A. get his Twitter account back?

[Biz Nunez]

No.

[Ryan Whitney]

No. Has any. Did he ever call you back?

[Mike Feuds]

He texted me back. His back's bugging him. I feel bad for him. He's got the sciatic.

[Ryan Whitney]

Sucks.

[Mike Feuds]

I told him. I said, we're. We're going to do a trip to go to Greensboro. I was going to. Me and him were going to just go there for another game. I mean, you guys are more than welcome to join. Join us. But he's. He's 50. 50 right now. On if his back's getting better. And then I mentioned the. The Twitter thing. He didn't seem like too rattled by it, but you have to imagine it's eating him alive that he can't be on Twitter.

[Ryan Whitney]

But if he can still scroll, he's fine. I think he just needs to be on it constantly, maybe not just be posting. Doesn't bother him that much.

[Mike Feuds]

You know, we were going to call him about something, weren't we?

[Ryan Whitney]

No, we're going to call Pasha, which is actually right now. We could talk. And I want to call Pasha because this sucks, man. Luke Hughes is on LTI ir. His shoulders mangled. This one was bizarre because nobody was even. There was a guy near him, but it was just a quick movement he made. I think he was trying to move the puck over in the neutral zone, and you could tell right away his right shoulder. He went to see this doctor that he's seen before, but it's bizarre that the. The Hughes brothers, they just. Their shoulders and. And something is wrong. And I just feel so bad for.

[Mike Feuds]

This because, you know, they love the game like they're. You mentioned Lane Hudson. Been out there. 30 minutes on the ice before practice. Like, that's how these gu are.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

They don't. They don't necessarily care to be too much in the gym. They just want to be on the ice playing the game that they love. I was talking to another Guy who, Who played in the league who's retired now. And keep in mind, like, I don't sniff around for this type of stuff. You know, it's not my own opinion, but I guess he was saying that going in even before this happening to this season, he was personally concerned after talking to people about the, the, like, the laundry list of injuries and what Luke in particular, particular has dealt with and question, like, how long of a career can this guy have if. If this continues? Because we're not talking like, oh, hey, I got a sprained ankle. I'm gonna be out for a few weeks.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's triggering to me. But yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. Well, sometimes high ankle sprains can linger. I was just using that as an example. But bumps and bruises, like, they've had some pretty serious stuff go on. That could be stuff that is like. Is just like, it adds to the CH chain. Especially when it's like, things like. Didn't he have a knee issue last year or the year before?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, there was a knee thing at some point, but there was another shoulder thing with him.

[Mike Feuds]

Another shoulder thing. And. And these are things that, like, can definitely cut a career short. So he was. He was just kind of like, ah. And this is even before that this one went down. So I don't know how much getting in the gym and putting on some weight and some muscle mass would help for this injury prevention mentioned, but you have to imagine that it would based on what we've seen so far.

[Ryan Whitney]

But sometimes there is like, you're just like, born with. You know what I mean? Like, there's certain things that are always an issue for. For some guys. And like, I don't know if there's something there that just. Can it be fixed? I hope so, but he's got to miss at least another nine games. And then that is if. And then, you know, it's similar to Tanev, which. It came out. He's. He hasn't had surgery yet because he wants to try to play, but if he comes back, like, he's going to be battling something. Same with Luke Hughes. Say Luke Hughes decides to play the extra the rest of the year and then. And then get surgery after. He's going to be in a sling. You're guessing. And then all of a sudden it's like, fuck, I can't even play my game right now. I'm wearing this sling. Merles had that. Merles could have got surgery right away. He wanted to play. Play in a sling, couldn't do anything. He's like, I should have Just gotten the surgery.

[Mike Feuds]

I played through injuries coming up like I did in the. In the coast for a little bit. You also then tend to, like, over competition, compensate, and it does throw your body off in the way that you play and your muscle memory, which could end up you long term. But like you just said, like, let's say he puts a sling on, then he's got to get surgery on it. It's like, then you spend another off season instead of going and building, and then you're just recovering from this injury. And then another thing, too, is. Is Jack Hughes the other night, like, against Edmonton, like, I didn't notice him that much. He was not very noticeable. And they're saying that on his top hand, he's just basically controlling his head stick with three fingers where. I don't know what happened at Chicago cut or how that injury, like, went down or what it's affecting, but he's clearly not himself either right now. So, man, they're just.

[Ryan Whitney]

Let's call Pasha because they've actually started winning a little bit.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, thanks to Cody Glass, he's got 11 goals. He was unreal the other night.

[Ryan Whitney]

What do you think this guy's doing right now? He's probably sitting in his Porsche rubbing himself because the Devils have won a few.

[Biz Nunez]

You.

[Pasha]

Ryan. Whitney, how nice to hear from you.

[Ryan Whitney]

What's up, Pasha? How you doing? We're talking Devils right now. You're live to tape on the Spitting chickles podcast, episode 614. What's going on with the Hughes brother Shoulders?

[Pasha]

Well, first of all, I just want to say it's really nice to see that you found your phone or you fixed your phone. I was starting to worry it was broken.

[Ryan Whitney]

What do you mean?

[Pasha]

There was radio silent.

[Biz Nunez]

What do you.

[Pasha]

You know, usually you. Usually, you know, you're tweeting during Oilers games. Every little detail. And then during the Oilers game the other night, it was radio silence.

[Ryan Whitney]

I hurt my shoulder, and I couldn't hold my phone that night. I actually. Yeah, I was carrying Cal. I was carrying Cal, and I. My. My shoulder kind of got messed up. I couldn't tweet, man. You know about that, though, right? What? Seriously, Pasha, like, what's going on?

[Pasha]

With what?

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't know.

[Mike Feuds]

With.

[Ryan Whitney]

With Luke Hughes. Like, would. Let me ask you this. Would. Would you rather him. And I respect the hell out of me. He wants to keep playing, right? Like, he's got to miss nine more at least. Then he comes back, say he's in a sling, gets surgery at the end of the year. Would you rather that or would you rather have him just do it now and then, as Biz is saying, like, be able to train this summer and try to build up some muscle where there's obviously like a weakness in, in his shoulder.

[Pasha]

Yeah, I mean, I don't disagree. I think, think it's, it's a risky play for sure, because, yeah, like, if he, if he goes this rehab route, comes back, you know, the Devils, whatever, missed playoffs or fizzle out in round one, and then he has to get a surgery, like that's a disaster. And it seems like that's, you know, very much within the realm of possibilities. So, you know, I'm not a doctor, you know, I don't know. We know if it's his call or the, the team kind of agrees on whatever the course of action is. But yeah, I mean, it's, it's risky for sure. And it's unfortunate how it happened. I mean, I don't know if you saw the replay, but it seemed like just kind of a passing play.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, we're saying that.

[Pasha]

Very concerning. Very concerning.

[Mike Feuds]

Ryan, ask him. Pasha, it's Biz here. How much, how much, how much blame do you put on Tate McCray?

[Biz Nunez]

Dude, we want guys.

[Pasha]

I, I, I don't put any blame on him.

[Ryan Whitney]

He has their Instagram page up right now when we call them.

[Pasha]

I put no blame. There's, there's lots of blame to go around, as you guys have heard me kind of dish the blame. But Tate is free of blame.

[Biz Nunez]

Okay.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, well, you know what? Pasha was a good win. It was on a back to back. They beat Edmonton. Yeah, tough loss. If I hadn't hurt my shoulder, I would have been throwing out the props that the Devils deserve coming into Edmonton and getting a W. But yeah, it's scary. I feel really, we just said we feel really bad for the kid. It sucks and, and hopefully terrible figured out. So it does suck.

[Pasha]

And, and you know what?

[Rob Blake]

It.

[Pasha]

So he has shoulder surgery on the other shoulder last summer. So I mean, I guess in a way it's good that it's not that same shoulder acting up. So if he does eventually get surgery on this one, he'll be kind of in the, in the same boat as Jack where he has two bionic shoulders. So, you know, obviously not good to see his shoulder get hurt, but at least it wasn't the one he just had surgery on.

[Mike Feuds]

So.

[Pasha]

Yeah, really unfortunate. But you know what? I think the Devils will use that captain Space to address some other areas of need. I think now Dougie is Not going to get dealt. So that's kind of.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, no.

[Biz Nunez]

He's just gonna say, I didn't say that.

[Pasha]

I did.

[Ryan Whitney]

Hey, hey.

[Pasha]

I didn't say that. I just said I don't think he's gonna get dealt now because of the circumstance. I didn't say I like him, but he is playing better, so at least he's kind of coming close to playing, like, half of his cap. It.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, he had to throw.

[Ryan Whitney]

He had to throw something.

[Mike Feuds]

This. This is a quote that I got. I talked to about it before we. We called you, Pasha, about the guy who texted me. Just about. I guess it's just about the concern for. For Luke and some of these injuries.

[Rob Blake]

He.

[Mike Feuds]

He wrote. I'm not going to read you all the text. He's injured, and unless he changes his offseason habits, he's in trouble. He's a warrior, so he. He's complimenting him. But I believe teams have allowed him to play through the wrong injuries. And. And I. And. And then Basie, he said that he thinks that Quinn is dialed as far as, like, where he needs to be physically. Physically, but he kind of questioning where Jack and Luke are from, like a. Like a physical standpoint and being able to withhold these 82 game seasons. Like, how many times has Jack and. Or Luke played a full season?

[Pasha]

Yeah, no, listen, I hear you. It's just. It's very frustrating, right, because it's like, okay, like, now is the summer, they're gonna bulk up, and then, boom, shoulder injury. So they spend the whole summer rehabbing it. They don't have a chance to kind of put on the muscle, and then, boom, next summer, it's the other shoulder. So it's like they haven't even had a chance to kind of bulk up because of these injuries. So it's.

[Rob Blake]

It's.

[Pasha]

Yeah, it's. It's very frustrating.

[Ryan Whitney]

But I imagine that. I imagine that they're all training together, right? So, like, I don't think, like, they're doing different workouts. It's just that you're saying maybe that every summer those two are battling an injury.

[Mike Feuds]

I'm a. This is just a text I got.

[Pasha]

Up until, like, three summers ago. But, like, for the last two summers now, Jack has been rehabbing the last summer, Luke has been rehabbing. You know what I mean? So it's like, you can't really be putting on the muscle if you're spending your whole summer kind of rehabbing.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, buddy. Well, we. We apologize for interrupting you massaging your. Your girlfriend Doing all the nice things that you do for her. So have a good day, bud.

[Biz Nunez]

And it's like you said, they're hockey junkies. And Luke Hughes, how do you tell a guy if he doesn't have to get surgery? Or. Or how do you tell him that, hey, we're going to have you go under the knife here and get you ready for next season.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know. I, I get the fact you want to play and you want to try to get in the playoffs, but if I'm as, as young as him and I've already had one and he makes a good point. I wasn't sure which one he'd had. Surgeon, good thing. This is the other. I'd be like, fuck. I. I think I just want to, like, get right for next year and the next, hopefully 15 years of my career.

[Biz Nunez]

So Luke did play Alt 82. Two games his second year or.

[Mike Feuds]

Okay.

[Biz Nunez]

And that.

[Mike Feuds]

But what about Jack?

[Biz Nunez]

Jack, he's 61, 56, 49, 78, 62, 62 and then 30, 78.

[Mike Feuds]

I mean, that's a good.

[Ryan Whitney]

That was, that was a 99 point year.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. If you, if you miss four games, that's a good year.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

Great year.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

But yeah, we need those guys playing and at their best, man, because like, they're like a sick hockey family. They're. They're good for ratings and they're incredible. Incredible when they're at the top of their game. So keep in mind, like, I don't, I don't dig for that type of stuff. That was just information that I was, I was given and, and that's why I read it well right off me. I'm starving.

[Ryan Whitney]

I think now it's time to throw it to a legendary defenseman who played, who played 1,270 regular season games and 146 playoff games in the Hockey hall.

[Mike Feuds]

Of Fame Stanley cup with the Colorado Avalanche.

[Ryan Whitney]

Colorado Avalanche. The year he was traded from LA in 2001 1. They brought him over. They got it done with Ray Bork on the backline with him. Adam Foote. Incredible team. We talk about that.

[Mike Feuds]

Sandis Oulynch. Was he there?

[Ryan Whitney]

Sandis Oalynch.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, he was there.

[Mike Feuds]

Who was? Their decor.

[Ryan Whitney]

Sandis O. Lynch was not.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, no.

[Ryan Whitney]

On that team. Their decor was Ray Bork. Martin School. I remember him. That was. He was nice player. Greg De, John Clem. Adam Foot. Aaron Miller was there for a little bit. Rob Blake. They had Rick Berry play some games. They had Nolan Pratt play 46 games that year and Alexi Guserov played nine games that year, so an incredible career. Let's right now throw it over to Rob Blake. Guys, let's take a minute here and talk about skills. Spitting Chiclets launched new co branded hockey training aids with Skills, the leading sports skill training brand. Now you can go to Dick Sporting Goods and Pure Hockey locations and see Spit and Chiclets on the shelves. We release training aids for players of all ages. We have the Universal Shooting Target, Hockey Shooting Trainer and the Foam Shooting Targets. Perfect for the driveway or on the ice, these products will help your offensive game in a big way. The Universal Shooting Target builds a visual focus to improve shooting accuracy. And the Hockey Shooting Trick Trainer features five target areas and helps build the vision and muscle memory needed to increase scoring percentages. And the foam targets, those are the fun ones. Quick hook and loop attachments for multiple shot locations. So go get the brand new Skills Time Spitting Chiclets Hockey training Aids now available online and in store at Dick's Sporting Goods and Pure Hockey locations. It's a pleasure now to be joined joined by another hall of Famer on our trip to LA and this guy, one of my idols growing up. Rob Blake, Stanley cup champ, hall of Fame. It's been an incredible one. It was an incredible run for you. So thanks for joining the show.

[Rob Blake]

Oh, it's been great. I know I've been dodging biz the last few years when I was working, so I can't use that excuse anymore.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, he gotcha.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. I thought you were still mad about me negotiating that extra 5k on my salary. When I was playing, we had a.

[Rob Blake]

15,000 on the budget. We only gave you five.

[Ryan Whitney]

You could have got told. Careful what you say.

[Biz Nunez]

He'll ask for back pay.

[Mike Feuds]

I'm on the payroll with the Kings now. Yeah, no, but this, this is. We're grateful to have you. And how we normally do it is we like to start at the, at the, you know, start at the beginning of your career, like how you got on skates, like who introduced you to the game of hockey. So going back to your days in Ontario, you're a Simcoe boy, right?

[Rob Blake]

I am not far. Yeah. So, yeah, grew up there. Grew up on a farm and we had a pond on the farm. And I mean, that's how it was back then. That's where you started and. And didn't get in the organized till about 5 or 6 years old. Had an older brother who, who played. So that was just natural growing on the pond and soon as it was cold, froze over. And that's where we started.

[Ryan Whitney]

And your brother, like, he was kind of like you were battling with him or you were looking up to him.

[Rob Blake]

And he was a few years old, I was looking up and then I had a year younger brother too. So that. That's where the battle's more.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Did you start like with the local team and then like with that same team till. Till, I mean, you went to college, which get into. But yep. Was it like coach, great coaching you had? Were you a late bloomer? Were you really good at the beginning?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, I would say late bloomer, but yeah. Played a minor hockey in Simcoe, which is, you know, small town, 10,000 people. So, you know, oh, here we've got AAA and all that. That we weren't even close to that level. Just played that all the way up. And then I think it was 15 or 16. The local junior B team, Brantford, at that time had junior B. They major A now, but they called, said, would you try out for a junior B team? And my dad drove. Yeah, I was 15 because my dad had to drive me. I drove there, tried out, made that team that year, played a year there and then the whole team got suspended for a year because of too many fights. But there's two of us that were young. Myself and Brad Gratt. And Brad was a first overall in the ohl. We were young enough that they allowed us to play the next year. So I went to Stratford and then from Stratford to Bowling Green.

[Ryan Whitney]

How many fights?

[Biz Nunez]

Like, must have been a million.

[Rob Blake]

Our coach was Kenny Grattan. It was, I think it was Brad's uncle, Brad Gratton's uncle, Chris Gratton, and you know, that whole family from there. And Kenny had a pretty tough team. And we had some guys come back from, you know, NHL camps that played with us and that. I mean, it introduced me to a whole different side of the game, which was terrific. They were so good to me, protected me all year. But yeah, I learned a lot that year about different stuff on the ice.

[Ryan Whitney]

Was your dad somebody you like, confide in a lot? Was he teaching you the game after games on the rides home, or was it. He stayed out of it?

[Rob Blake]

Not really. I mean, like I said, we were farmers growing up. And yeah, it was enough for him to have to. I had to drive me. It was about 45 minutes an hour away from our home. So he would drive me there for practice every night. I'd come out, wake him up in the car and get a ride home. Till about December. I finally turned 16 and then and drove Myself. But you know, there, there were more. Just support. Not helping understand the game and everything. Just obviously lots of support in return.

[Mike Feuds]

Would he have you working on the farm all summer long? That's where you were doing your off season training?

[Rob Blake]

So I had to go to training camp there. This is, they call, they said he come to camp. I was working in tobacco at the time, prime in tobacco. And I was going to miss three or four days for camp. So my dad filled in for me, went primed on the crew, you know, we're sitting on the machine and all that. So I could have three or four days to go to Branford to try out for this junior B team. And then from that point.

[Ryan Whitney]

What about when you were seven and eight on the farm? Like you're, you're.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, but I was terrible. I go back, I went, you know, I had this, this time off. My, my younger brother runs our family farm and has added a couple more farms. And I went back about three, four weeks ago. He was doing wheat and everything and he had me in the machines. These tractors are so nice now. All remote control. It's like, like a joystick in a video game. But yeah, on the farm growing up, my two brothers did so much for me. I was, I was really, I was terrible.

[Biz Nunez]

I was always amazed because, you know, we grew up at city life and you're like the way playing with guys that grew up on farms, like, you have a sense of discipline, hard work, you know, you're essentially providing for your family like your whole life. So like there's going to be a lot of pride when you're on a farm growing up.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, but I didn't, I didn't understand that when I was young. I didn't appreciate it until I probably later in my career playing, but way more. When I was a gm, there was a thing I found online, do it the farmer's way and it was like seven points. And I referred to that so much during my time as a general manager because it was very basic and very simple and get rid of all the stuff around it and you get to the basics. But that was my, my, you know, I was fortunate in that background growing up to see that on a daily basis and have carried that right on through.

[Mike Feuds]

Were you directing way more of your time and attention to like the hockey aspect of it? You mentioned like being on the pond all the time. Were you more dialed in and interested in the hockey side than your older brothers?

[Rob Blake]

Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah. They were both, both my brother, my older and my younger Continued to farm after I left and everything, so I was more on the athletic side. But I just, I think I learned early. I, I wasn't going to be a good farmer. I might have enjoyed it, but definitely wasn't going to be a good one.

[Mike Feuds]

Do you think that's why maybe they, they held up your end of the bargain is because they're like, I think he's got something here and he's going to keep going in the hockey department. Was that they see it in you?

[Rob Blake]

I think a little bit later, probably when I got to Bowling Green and they made their trips down on the weekends in the winter and different things, but like I said, lots of support from that point. But they, I, I know they learned early. I was not the, the guy going to take that farm over.

[Ryan Whitney]

Were you Leafs fan? Like Saturday night Hockey night in Canada?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, there's always Leafs in Montreal. That was, that's what was on all the time on Saturday night, you know, Montreal. My dad was a big Montreal fan and that's where Larry Robinson came in. And then, you know, I was fortunate. My first game playing in NHL, he was in our dressing room and a partner.

[Ryan Whitney]

So was that one of your idols growing up?

[Rob Blake]

Yep. Yep. Or 19. As much as I could until I got to Bowling Green, I just took the number that was, you know, they gave me that. But in Minor Hockey War, 19, as much as I could.

[Mike Feuds]

That'll lead us into your, your college career. Bowling Green. Not a, I guess a traditional university, maybe at the time, but why not Canadian junior, Like what happened with all that?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, I, I, that's what I wanted to do is we grew up in Ontario. That's all we did. And so I was drafted by Sault Ste. Marie, a later pick I played that year, a Junior B drafted in that, that time you could go for 48 hours without giving up your college eligibility. So I went to a camp, you know, it hadn't been up to the Sue. It's pretty far too. When I got up, did 48 hours, got back home and they're like, well, you're not quite ready yet. Go back to Junior B for another year and maybe after that. So my whole plan was to play Junior B and then go to Sault Ste. Marie and play for the Greyhounds. That second year I was in Stratford Junior Junior B. Their coach, Terry Flanagan, his dad was at Bowling Green, so they had a connection to bring in players. And the one right before me was Nelson Emerson. He had played in his draft, went to Bowling Green, but we were from the same hometown. So I had known Nelson real well and I kind of got on that path about Christmas time. Like, hey, I think I'm going to go to Bowling Green. I'm not sure about the, you know, whether I can make Sault Ste. Marie or not. And Bowling Green had a, you know, I had offered a scholarship to, to.

[Ryan Whitney]

Come down there and he's probably telling you, hey, it's fun.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. He said this is great.

[Ryan Whitney]

Better than the bus rides. Oh, yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

Well.

[Mike Feuds]

And he's still like, he was still with you with the Kings. I mean, he was around as part of the development team. So obviously he's had a major impact on your career for a very long time. And one of your closest buddies now.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, we, I mean we grew up, like I said, same hometown. And then we played together at Bowling Green. Got traded to LA as I was playing here when Andy Murray to was going coach. And then he was our started as a video coach when I was still playing here with Mark Crawford. Nelson was a video coach, graduated, then he got into management. And then when I came on board, he was still here in management. And today's assistant gm.

[Mike Feuds]

No way.

[Ryan Whitney]

So one of your buddies was the video coach. Like, you better not get any clips of me looking bad out there.

[Rob Blake]

No, but I would hear the stories of Mark Crawford behind the scene direct from the source. They're pretty good.

[Biz Nunez]

Me and Whit being Boston guys, like we grew up, you know, a lot of our friends play for Jerry York, but that was when he was older. Like, what was he like when he was younger? Like, terrific.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, he was so good. And like I said, so coming from a farming community and my parents didn't understand junior college and all that. So when Bowling Green was recruiting when I was in Stratford, Coach York drove to. To my hometown and had dinner with my mom and dad and. And from that point on they were like, hey, if that's where you're going to go, we're 100%. You know how it'd be with. With Coach York and you sit down. So no, he was terrific. I remember it was my sophomore year at Bowling Green and like I said, I was kind of late bloomer. But the second year I started to take off a little bit. Had been drafted by LA and Rogie Vashon was a GM at the time. So he called right after the second my sophomore year and he's like, hey, we're thinking of turning, you know, off in your contract. Have you turned pro? But I wasn't really sure. And I went and met with Coach York, and he had had so many guys go through the same situation when he was at Clarkson. He had Dave Taylor, who was here, and obviously a Bowling Green, Brian McCullen, George McPhee, and these guys. And he said, listen, he goes, you're. You're on your way. You're not ready yet. You need to come back for one more year, focus on. On your whole intentions and that you're a turning pro after. And that was the decision I met, went, made, went back for a year and turned pro after my junior and dominated. Holy.

[Mike Feuds]

And some 23 goals.

[Ryan Whitney]

Some people may think, like, oh, well, he just wants you back.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, but.

[Ryan Whitney]

But he would have told you, I think, right. If. If you were that right. Ready. He's like, it's. It's time.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, and. And that. But that's the kind of trust I think players had with Coach York right on through his whole career. I mean, he was just genuinely a really nice person. And, yeah, you know, that. That's the trust I put him. Hey, is this the right decision? He said, just hold for a year. He didn't tell me I had to go to school or anything. Yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

Just. Well, because that could have been that next year you would have been playing in the minors. Right. And then trying to figure it out, and then you never know what happened. Then that year you step in.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. No. Got real fortunate that way to be able to come into that group that we had here.

[Mike Feuds]

Was he more famous for his time at BC as a head coach?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, he was there longer and. And won, you know, national titles and. But, like, I remember finding out, oh, he coached at Bowling Green before. Like, I didn't know because he was just known as, like, Boston College. But I. When you mentioned you were drafted by la, like, you're big, you could skate, and it was still the fourth round. Like, was it. What do you. Why do you think you didn't go higher?

[Rob Blake]

Sometimes, like, I've been able to watch a little bit. You know, we're doing all our video and preps when I was a gm and this guy had access to video of us in college. And, you know, like I said, I was sitting with Nelson one day, I said, let's watch a game of ours now. Nelson was a heck of a goal scorer. I'm watching him, I'm like, okay, I can see why you got drafted. St. Louis. I was so clumsy. And really, I'm watching video and I'm like, there's no way I would draft that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Raw.

[Rob Blake]

Raw. And it just, you know, it Took. Took steps obviously sophomore and junior and fortunate to come into this organization. Did you.

[Mike Feuds]

You didn't win the Holby Baker that year, were you? 23 goals, 36, 59 points for a D man in college.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's crazy.

[Mike Feuds]

Especially in that time. Right.

[Rob Blake]

Well, like I said. And Nelson, Nelson was a four year Hobie finalist each time like nominated for the hobby four years in a row. Wow. One of the highest scoring players at Bowling Green. But that was a partner on the power play. So it was pretty simple. Feed across. I just had to learn how.

[Biz Nunez]

Wasn't Ken Klee passing?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, it wasn't good.

[Ryan Whitney]

Did you guys make a run in the NCAA tournament at all any of those years?

[Rob Blake]

We lost to Maine. I know Maine. A couple years in, in bc. We had to go into bc. Not, not too far. We won the. I guess it would have been CCHA championship. I think we beat Michigan and then double, maybe double overtime at their building, which was a, a big win for that team that, you know, that club.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then, you know, growing up on a farm, Bowling Green, kind of middle of nowhere a little bit, you come here, it's like, what the hell? I think you must have been just shocked.

[Mike Feuds]

Luke Robitaille. That's a whirlwind.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, I mean I got draft. I was drafted in the draft was in Montreal. And you're right, I, we didn't do visits back then. We didn't have phone calls with these teams and that, you know, the, the agent I was using at the time was like you, I should drive down to the draft. At least Montreal was close enough to, to where I grew up and be part of that. And, and, and, but hadn't talked to LA or anything. And, and the furthest possible away from my hometown was la. And that was, you know, that was the draft that time. So. And they were still the old color at that time. Then I went back to school. They traded for, for Wayne. Obviously the next year the colors changed. Bruce McNall, Mr. McNall took over the team and you know, from that point on was, was pretty fun time here.

[Biz Nunez]

Didn't you get in a little dust up on the drive to the draft?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

What do you mean?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, yeah, I did.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, you're talking to another guy who had one before his draft.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, mine wasn't going to the draft.

[Rob Blake]

Okay. Well, yeah, so the whole, okay farming families, the whole family's gonna come to the draft, right? Like this is, you know, we had an old, I think it was a Ford ltd. You know, those big cars and so the kids Four, four kids in the back, my mom and dad in the front. And you know, we're, we're heading there. They, they're like, well, you gotta drive. You know, it's a long drive, eight or nine hours or whatever. So I'm on the 401, but it, I think it was a 401 heading that way. But the traffic's real bad, right? So it's like stop and go, stop and go, stop and go. And I guess I wasn't a good enough driver. But I remember, you know, the car had to be stopped finally. And I looked guys at my window. I roll opens the door of my car and he starts yelling at me, little French guy, he's like, you're driving. Whatever. It's too slow, too slow. And then he just walks back to the car. And I'm like, my dad's like, what are you doing? I said, I don't know. I'm just normally driving. So we continue. Traffic's going, traffic's going. And again I go to stop, stop. And just as I stop, I can hear our car doors are open and everything. My whole family's filed out and they're, they're fighting the guy behind us in the car because he's coming back after me. So I told this story. I said, that's probably where I learned that I got teammates that are going to protect me. My family's doing that on the way to the draft.

[Ryan Whitney]

They're rolling around on.

[Biz Nunez]

Mom said, get out now.

[Mike Feuds]

Fighting, that is.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. My brother had one of their guys over the guard or my dad had another guy. And my mom's in the back yelling at the rest of the car. And I'm going, I'm the last one getting out of the car. I'm like, oh, boy. I just tried to go to the.

[Biz Nunez]

Draft trying to better myself here, guys.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, that is unreal. Draft story.

[Ryan Whitney]

You would have gone to the first round had everyone known that story front.

[Mike Feuds]

I know from the page.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, my God.

[Rob Blake]

Actually, that draft was. Link Gates was a first rounder. He showed up with a black guy. I think he had a fight the night before. Really? Right. I mean, Minnesota had Mike McDonald. I think they took right after that.

[Biz Nunez]

Oh, his draft photo. Doesn't he have the big as black guy?

[Rob Blake]

But the story was that he had to fight the night before.

[Biz Nunez]

It's amazing.

[Rob Blake]

Like, at least I didn't get hit. My family, dude.

[Mike Feuds]

Was he a first rounder?

[Rob Blake]

He was late for. I think Madonna went early and then Mike went first that year.

[Mike Feuds]

And then, yeah, I Got to get this picture now.

[Biz Nunez]

It's amazing.

[Ryan Whitney]

When you got to la, who, like, who kind of took you under their wing. Like, is there a defenseman you have, you play with the same guy all year and you're kind of looking around like, I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing here.

[Biz Nunez]

Wings.

[Ryan Whitney]

Gretzky's in this room.

[Rob Blake]

No, it was amazing room to walk into. You know, Larry, I played with quite a bit there. The one guy that, you know, was close to where I grew up was Marty McSorley, grew up in Cuga. So once he knew I was from Simcoe and Wayne was from Branford, we're all pretty close. And, you know, Marty was single and he was always good to the young guys and. And that's how I kind of ended up in Manhattan Beach. So as soon as I got here, he's like, hey, you gotta. You gotta look down by the beach. Our practice rink was a little bit, bit away, but he said, you want to. You want to live down by the beach? And it's been that way forever. So he was a. He was a real important figure early on. Just in, in. In helping me understand what the NHL was all about.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, that's what you need too. I mean, Manhattan beach, from what. Where it is now to when you got there, it's got to be so different now. All the guys pretty much pulled the.

[Mike Feuds]

Trigger on a house there a couple years. It was a double lot, and it's probably worth.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, what, didn't you buy a double lot or something?

[Rob Blake]

I got lucky there. I. Yeah, I was living on the strand. I was in a smaller, you know, single. Little at the time was just beach tongue, you know, it was little beach homes and everything. You know, this was 30 years ago now. And yeah, I got fortunate. I got one beside me and then. Yeah, good thing I got in then because I wouldn't be getting in now.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, good for you. You deserve it.

[Ryan Whitney]

When you came in or even in college, were you always like. Cause you were known for your hits. It wasn't just the offense. Like, was that always a part of your game?

[Rob Blake]

No, not really. I think I told this one day. So in college, I had shoulder surgery. One shoulder surgery. My second or third year of pro in the NHL, I had another one. So I had back. And I had back to back surgery. Same shoulder, two on one, one on the other. So within about four year stretch, I had three surgeries on my shoulders. So I couldn't really hit with my shoulders that's kind of how I started turning, turn around and you know, whatever. From, from that. That was kind of the evolution of that whole process. But.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, like, like, like the hip check. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rob Blake]

And, and it was all due to shoulder surgeries and they were dislocated shoulders. So what. What they would do in the old days, they put you in that little harness or whatever, you finish the season, but it would come in and out and everything. So it just, you know, I got used to it. But I, but it wasn't an effective way to hit anymore.

[Mike Feuds]

Had you seen anybody do the hip checks? And when you were doing it, were guys thinking it was like kind of dirty? Because it wasn't really seen that much.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, it wasn't. But it wasn't low hip checks. It was. But somehow I, it would just the, the form I'd get almost turned around backwards. But what I think it did is it surprised forwards too. I don't think they were. You know, they see somebody coming kind of backwards, they're like, it's not going to get the hit. But yeah, Cronwell took it to a whole extreme after that. I mean, he, he used to catch these guys coming.

[Ryan Whitney]

It was all the time timing right where they're looking back for the past. And he'd. He'd already be skating backwards. Adam.

[Rob Blake]

And I think that era too. So we had a lot of hooking and holding before the, the, the rules came in and changed that the neutral zone was much slower. So you could catch guys, you could catch them off guard, you know, the other, your, your teammate be holding them up a little bit and you can come from the other side.

[Mike Feuds]

Did you find that you had to start fighting more because you were delivering these big hits?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, I learned early. Stupid in college too, right? We don't have. And I had none of that. You know, I signed with la, came in, played two regular season games and played a couple rounds of the playoffs, then went home and came back. And our, our training camp was in Quebec then. And they used to have rookie games the day of the NHL game. So that, that was training camp. So the rookies would play at 2 o' clock and then.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then you'd have to play both.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, no, no, but the rookie. Rookies would play it too. So the teams would have all their players there. And we were in Quebec. Rookies would play like two and the NHL guys would play at seven. I was fortunate that I played the year before, so I didn't have to play in the rookie game. But you go Watch the rookie game. Every time, any. Any stoppage or any contact, there was a fight. Right.

[Mike Feuds]

Trying to make a name for themselves.

[Rob Blake]

Right. So I'm playing my first game and I'm like. I hadn't fought the, you know, the. Whatever the two rounds that I was up there for the playoffs and that. And where I remember was playing Quebec. And near the end of the game, this guy hits me behind the net and kind of gives me a push. I turn around, I fight him. And it ended up being Darren Kimball, who I had no idea, because I didn't know the Western Hockey League or anything like that. So I learned pretty quick, like, you better understand your role out here and understand who you're playing.

[Ryan Whitney]

Check the game notes.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, it wasn't. But the funny story that. That happened with about two or three minutes left, and he got me good and I had stitches. So I was in there and I was on the medical table, and not even two or three minutes later, another player comes in and is Jay Miller. So he's the older vet on our team, and it's tough guy. He saw their. Their guy take a run at me. So very next Face off, he went out and did the same thing. But you just learn that your teammates will be there for you, like, throughout their whole career. That's what these guys are for.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

Wow.

[Mike Feuds]

So you kind of. Yeah. I mean, you saw your parents do it on the way. Yeah. So you kind of got fortunate where you saw these small examples throughout that you know what a team and having support is like, that's awesome. And then the projection of the. The team when you first got there to like, what, like five, six years in, was it every year you guys were kind of getting better in Clonway. And then I don't know what year it was. You guys finally made it to the conference finals.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Or the finals.

[Rob Blake]

Excuse me. Yeah. 93. Yeah. And it was good. But so that whole era, like I said, Mr. McNall, Bruce McNall took over the team. And, you know, the first time I got there at the end of the year, he had already purchased the jet for the team. So they're flying private. Like, I'm 20 years old and I'm jumping on a plane, and they've got Opus One wine, and they've got shrimp cocktail at every seat. I thought this was what the. Everybody in the NHL was doing. Right.

[Mike Feuds]

Were you the only team with a private.

[Rob Blake]

We were the only one, I think us. And then Detroit might have got it right after. But, yeah, Mr. McNall had it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Guys love McNal then. Holy.

[Rob Blake]

He was terrific. He, as far. I understand the troubles and all that thing, but the way he treated the players.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

Was above and beyond. But that's when the celebrities were coming in the dressroom, win or lose, you know, President Reagan, Sly Stallone, who was. They were coming around the dressing room, and I'm just like, this is, this is. So I'm talking to my friends that are, you know, Nelson and some of these guys playing other time. Like, this is what we do in la. It's pretty nice.

[Mike Feuds]

Were you, like, who were you starstruck by? Who did you meet where you're like, oh, my God.

[Rob Blake]

Well, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell were there all the time. And. But, but, but they're in the dressing room not even five minutes after the game, you know, and, and it's always, it's always right in front of Gretz's stall. And, and so when you watch him and you see how he could do this and how he could welcome them, that and, and allow his teammates to share was. It was pretty special time in LA early on.

[Biz Nunez]

Were you guys partying after at the, the club that he had at the Forum?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. Go right up the stairs from the visiting room. They. They had a little section in the back that was a great setup for us.

[Mike Feuds]

That would be ridiculous. You don't even have to go to, like, another place you just put.

[Ryan Whitney]

You would have had an apartment in.

[Mike Feuds]

There, would have slept in the kitchen.

[Rob Blake]

Well, they would go right from there to the Hario's in Manhattan Beach. That was the bar, too. So. And we got to know the bus driver for the visiting teams, and that's all he would do is pull the visiting teams bus right over to Harry O's and they come in the back door. And both teams have been having fun.

[Mike Feuds]

No way. You guys would muck it.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah. Because they'd have to stay. The other teams would have to stay.

[Mike Feuds]

Right?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Fly commercial. Any times, like, there would be like, Josh and going on from. From the.

[Rob Blake]

You know, the guys were all pretty good. And, you know, the, it, it made it difficult for our home games because those teams, they wanted that night out. So, yeah, that's a little carrot for them. The Forum. Club him out after. They're going to play a little harder. Oh, right.

[Ryan Whitney]

You. You became so offensive, like when you came into the league, were you already given a chance in that role or was it like, I gotta wait and kind of earn it a little bit?

[Rob Blake]

No, it's fortunate. Right. Right into it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Nice.

[Rob Blake]

You know, I watch it now. And I see these young Cubs come in and, and you know, we're very careful when we're in. Management put them in. They were playing. I was throwing out in different situations. I mean, playing the point on the power plane. Wayne Gretzky's on.

[Mike Feuds]

On the half wall.

[Rob Blake]

Like, just, just.

[Ryan Whitney]

You must have been nervous, though. Like, I got to give it to him every time.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. Or it. But he would always tell me to shoot. But the only thing to get mad at me is if I missed the net. It was like adamant. You got to hit the net. You got to have. I'm going to give you the puck. You got to hit the net. And you'll learn early on if you, if you want to get it from the. The best player in the world, make sure you're hitting the net.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, you missed the net. It goes out of the zone and he's looking at you like this.

[Biz Nunez]

You ain't getting it next time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, I mean, moving along, right. Like, you had a good run in LA and, and some really good team teams. But when you went to Colorado, like, did you know that was coming? I remember it was in the news, like, Rob Blake's possibly available in a trade. Was it hard for you? Like, how does that, how did that happen?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, you know, I, I kind of felt it during the year. There was contract stuff going on and there we weren't able to get anything done at, you know, early on in the season. And then there's lots of talk in that. And I remember the. Also it was. It was after the All Star Game that I got traded. But the All Star Game was bit a little, little bit earlier and, you know, I was fortunate to play in that All Star Game. And Ray Bourke was in the All Star Game. He was with Colorado at that time. And I didn't know Ray real well and that. And you know, talk to him a little bit near the end of the game, he's like, hey, let's switch jerseys. You know, trade jerseys at the end. Like, that's great. I can get Ray Bork's jersey in that. So, sure enough, the All Star Game's over. You know, exchange jerseys and we're kind of by ourselves. Shakes my hand. He goes, I'll see you in a month. I'm like, what are you talking about? He goes, we're going to get you. He goes, I. You know, and he knew Pierre Lacroix real well. Right, right. And he had come the year before and Pierre was pretty good at making some of these deals that really helped the. The avid. Different times in that. So that. That's when it kind of hit home that okay, maybe it is going to happen here.

[Ryan Whitney]

He already knew.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

And. And you know, as it worked out, a few weeks later I was on my way to Colorado and. And they were poised too. That was a. A terrific room to walk.

[Ryan Whitney]

And it's crazy because I think most people think that when Bork went there that year, they won it, but they didn't. It was the year you went. Went there. And so they were so hungry from the year before. Failing and getting Ray his cup like that run must have been nuts.

[Mike Feuds]

Wow. I even assumed that. Yeah, it was an early season move and they won at the end of that year. So he spent a year and a half there.

[Rob Blake]

Y. Wow. Yeah, they lost, I think to Dallas. Remember Dallas? They had those wars with Dallas. Forsberg going with the Hatcher and Ludwig, those big deals.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Dallas won it in 2000.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

So you were a move. Move they needed to make to get over.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, it just. But. But just coming in, you knew how much they had to win. That's all it was about. I mean you start with Patrick Juan. Watch him. I just saw him the other night here. He's got the same fire on the bench. This guy was all about winning on.

[Mike Feuds]

Ranting in the other night.

[Rob Blake]

I've seen him do that to guys too. You don't want that wrath. Right. So. But yeah, but you start with him and net and then you had sacking and you know, Forsberg and Chris Drury scoring huge goals. Tangay is a young guy, but Bork and foot and you know, that team was, was destined to win. It was, it was fortunate that I got into that type of atmosphere.

[Mike Feuds]

It's a shame that, that Forberg. Forsberg's career was cut so short, but for like young people listening, like how would you describe his game and how dominant he was? And he wasn't even the. The biggest guy either. Era where defenseman could be so vicious and brutal.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, he wasn't that big, but he must have had just unbelievable edges strength wise. Like I laugh because we, you know, we were sitting in the last couple years and we're going over power plays and we're like, okay, the new drop, you know, drop pass on a power play. That's the entry and everything. And it always goes back, well, what'd you guys do in Colorado? Because it's a pretty good team. I'm like think I'm like, I don't know. I think it was pretty simple. Just Give it to Peter. It basically there, that was it. Bob Hartley was the coach. He's like, get the puck to Peter Fox Forsberg and he'll get the puck in the zone. But no, he was.

[Mike Feuds]

The reverse hits like was he. Who, who was doing that before him?

[Rob Blake]

Nobody. You do that reverse. Then he'd come around the net and he, he liked to just take it short side and always come back, but.

[Ryan Whitney]

They go the other way. He'd come around his forehand and then roof it on his backhand.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, yeah, but he was just. There was a one year, you know, a year later he had all those injuries, had really bad feet. Really. You know, and I, no one really understood the pain that he's probably going through in his skates. He didn't play at all for us in the regular season. Then he practiced the last day of the regular season, the two days leading in the playoffs. And then he came into the playoffs. This was the second year, year after we won the cup. Then he went and he played all the playoffs with us. We lost to Detroit in seven. We went three, three rounds in a row. Seven games lost to Detroit. They beat Carolina that year. Peter, I think might have led the playoffs in. Yeah, he did in just three rounder, but didn't play one regular season game practice three times with us.

[Biz Nunez]

That is insane.

[Rob Blake]

That's just how good he was, you know.

[Ryan Whitney]

What was Sakic like? Like? It sounds to us at least similar to Iserman a little bit. Just kind of. And you play, you know, he had the Olympics, but just quiet. And just every single night he brought it.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, I, I tell Copa Kopitar the same thing I said. That reminds me a lot of, of Joe Sack, their, their personalities and Steve Iserman. But it was interesting on that team because you had, you had Patrick who was really emotional. Let's go. Adam Foote was very similar in that role. And Joe was more the, the quiet, just always doing the right thing, always doing the right job. He was the captain, he was a leader. He had the emotional guys around him to keep that room steady. But yeah, you could count on Joe at any time and any day. And that's the same way he, he was as a GM and now president of Colorado. You just watch him and his appearances. There's something, yeah, there's something about these guys. They're just ahead of, ahead of the other guy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Were you ever in like a dust up with Patrick Wall? Right. Because he'd get mad at his D a little bit.

[Mike Feuds]

No, not.

[Rob Blake]

I was not, not directly my partner Was a young kid of Martin school at the time.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, Scoop, you know, Scoot the punching bag.

[Rob Blake]

He had his moments. I remember though, we were. We were in a. Starting a playoff series. We had a four or five day break and. And Marty came in and he had the sunburn from ski goggles, you know. So the off day in Colorado was a Breckenridge or something like that. I could just see Patrick like you do. Like this is not why we're here. But no, Patrick was the first goalie that I really played in front of. That was very technical on a power, especially on a. On a pk, you know, I went to the top to a one timer. He's like, that's your lane. If that goes short side, that's your. You have to get in front of that. Give me the far side. Right. And it was. He would draw it up and he'd have all our D in it. So as soon as it rotated around, you wanted to get in the shooting lane, but you just. You took the short side and gave him the other side. And it was just the way he. He wanted it read interesting.

[Ryan Whitney]

Block it.

[Rob Blake]

No, he.

[Ryan Whitney]

But it was the right side. He didn't care.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, but if it went in the short side and it was because you weren't in the lane, now you're going to hear.

[Mike Feuds]

Which is weird because I feel like most.

[Rob Blake]

It might have. It might have been. It might have been far side. The way it was rotating if I'm thinking now to get over. But he had it. He had it so specific. Like this is if it goes to this direction, you're in this lane and that's yours. And I'm going to cover the other spot.

[Mike Feuds]

Another guy who was there, Adam Foot.

[Rob Blake]

Oh, he's great.

[Mike Feuds]

What a warrior, eh?

[Biz Nunez]

Okay.

[Mike Feuds]

What a mutant, man.

[Rob Blake]

Some of the stuff he would do on the ice, the way he played, vicious between your legs, elbow coming across and non stop talking. But great. Like just.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, he'd be yapping other guys out there.

[Rob Blake]

Oh, non stop. Really? That's as good as you biz.

[Mike Feuds]

No, I couldn't. I couldn't back it up. Most guys would be like, buddy, shut the up and get off.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's the third period. You're not going to be able.

[Mike Feuds]

Your skates aren't even tied, buddy. What the are you going to do?

[Ryan Whitney]

Are you surprised he's coaching now?

[Rob Blake]

No, that's.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's kind of.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, that's how he played. He was, he was. He was coaching all the time as he was playing.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay.

[Rob Blake]

You know his presence. I could just imagine him walking into a room in. In Vancouver. Just that the presence.

[Ryan Whitney]

He.

[Rob Blake]

He. That comes off of him, you know, he's a special guy in that.

[Mike Feuds]

You got to earn that. Right. Those are years of. Yeah. Just being an absolute warrior, you know, it's kind of like. Well, I mean, imagine having him and talk on the same bench where just the amount of respect that they command.

[Rob Blake]

And that's why those guys are so valuable. They do. They. They walk in. They don't have to say anything, you know, right away. If you didn't play well, you. You know, just the look they probably give you.

[Ryan Whitney]

Were you on the 98 team in. In Nagano?

[Rob Blake]

Yes. Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay, so. So that O2 for you.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

You were part of that crew. Like, we are. We are getting this gold medal. The failure must. I mean, I say failure, but not winning it for Canada in 98. It's a big deal. Gretzky didn't go in the shootout. Like, what do you remember about that? Were you on the bench? Like, why isn't he the best player in the world?

[Rob Blake]

Regardless of what you think he does on the shoot, you put him in that situation. Yeah. That was the first year we were all NHL players were going to Olympics. And I think we lost the shootout to the checks. Right to Dominic. But the whole tournament, we were by far the best team. And we wasn't close. Like. Like we had some great players and everything. And then we end up losing that in a shootout. And then I think that what happened was he come back. We had to play the Fins for the bronze medal game. But it did it in our room. It didn't mean anything.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

You know, it was like, okay, we.

[Ryan Whitney]

Were here for gold.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. And then you take the next four years and you're like, God, this is special. Even a bronze would have been a special. So, you know, it just added the height. And then you go into Salt Lake and you're playing the US in the gold medal game. So, you know. Yeah. What a set up that that was. And really sheltered in the Olympic village, which was a good thing.

[Ryan Whitney]

All the guys are together all the time.

[Rob Blake]

We got beat real bad by the Swedes in game one. They had the torpedo, remember?

[Ryan Whitney]

Yes.

[Rob Blake]

New whole game plan to be. I think it was 5-1-6:1. It wasn't even close. They beat us. And Wayne was. Was a GM or the president of that team. And I remember he took a lot of the heat outside the public, and I think what he was doing was sheltering us. Hey, we were in the Village. Footy was my roommate there. So we were. It was kind of funny because we're all in this in the, in the Village. And they're. And they're not the, you know, the big five star hotels. You stay out on the road and everything. But the best thing we did in Nagano was stay in the village. There was talk about going outside and getting a nice hotel, your pros and everything. You get the whole feel of the Olympics being in the village. You watch the other athletes and everything. So, you know, fast forward to Salt Lake. We're in it and there's. I think there's eight of us in there. And Adam and I are in one room.

[Biz Nunez]

Room. And.

[Rob Blake]

But everybody would meet at night and then one guy would get elected to go down the food hall. They had a McDonald's there and come back with a bag of, you know, cheeseburgers and fries. If people saw that, you know, like, we're in the Olympics. Yeah, McDonald's was the best thing we could have.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, him and Bernie Nichols and wayne were doing McDonald's all the time when he was playing.

[Rob Blake]

Right.

[Mike Feuds]

That was like their pregame meal. Yeah, they were good. They were probably there, if you don't really 100 times a year going there after practice all the time. That was 1500 trips to McDonald's. Yeah, yeah. No, they were just stamp card. He won the Monopoly game. That's how Wayne made all his money.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Ryan Whitney]

That goal though, in that gold medal game when Lemieux let it go through his legs. I think Pronger passed it. Oh, you guys must have just been in awe watching that.

[Rob Blake]

Just a different level of hockey iq.

[Mike Feuds]

Did you ever get nervous, like depending on the, the stakes of the game?

[Rob Blake]

Not really. Like I said, we were really sheltered in the village. I don't think we understood the pressure Canada and us that we were playing put on themselves. Like you're kind of. And the social media wasn't nearly what it was. Right. So we didn't have a lot of that. So it was just, you know, show up the guys in the room, same thing. Go back, get in village together, hang out, show up and play the game. You knew it was important to win. I did not understand the importance of a gold medal for Canada at, at that time.

[Biz Nunez]

Wow.

[Mike Feuds]

And then. Okay, so then what about when you won your Stanley cup, like winning it for Ray Bork? Like, did you feel pressure in that situation?

[Ryan Whitney]

Down three, two in the finals, right?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. Down three, two to Jersey. Yeah, you're right. Had to come back to that one I. I felt pressure. Pressure win. Because I think at the stage of my career I might have been, I don't know, close 30 or something at that time. Had been to the finals early in 93 but you know, hadn't been in the playoffs for a few years too. So that type of pressure to. To. If you're going to get back there, you got to get this finished.

[Mike Feuds]

You gotta.

[Rob Blake]

Gotta get the.

[Mike Feuds]

Wow.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, that's. Do you. For a guy who threw big hits, is there a hit you think back like you got crushed?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, Bates, Battaglia got me one.

[Ryan Whitney]

Really?

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Behind the Carolina.

[Rob Blake]

No, I was a. It was dumb as a D TO D and But I was kind of in the middle and I just. I. I didn't take a look to where I was going. I just thought I could widen out, no problem. And I remember he caught me. My helmet was off and everything else.

[Ryan Whitney]

Guys with through hits, they. They might remember some. But you remember getting crushed.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

No. Yeah. No, for sure.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

That was about as hard as I had been hit.

[Biz Nunez]

I remember you hit donor in San Jose and it was both. You just like collided and the noise. There's just like two mute running into each other.

[Rob Blake]

He was solid.

[Mike Feuds]

He was a big boy. Man. I remember that one. We used to do this. They would keep score. If you get like a shot, a hit and you'd get a point, right. And I think Tip like kind of called them out a little bit. And we had that game in LA. He must. I think he had two goals and an assist. He might have had 13 hits that game.

[Biz Nunez]

Chased Brian Bole down the hallway after the game, remember?

[Mike Feuds]

No.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, he tried to kill him and he got like thrown out. It was like in between periods or after the game. Yeah, he flipped out and you know how the locker rooms are close. He went down to try to get him and I, I knew boy though, I'm like, oh God.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's like that worked.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah. 100%. Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

And he wasn't. He would, wouldn't. He wouldn't do that ever.

[Biz Nunez]

No, never. But Tip probably just got so in his head.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

Ask him about it.

[Mike Feuds]

I mean it's hard to compare Olympic gold medal, Stanley cup. Like where. What do you remember of the celebration and just that that time after you won.

[Rob Blake]

Well, the, the. The gold medal. It's interesting because it happens so quick, right. You're on a flight the next day back home. I remember we chartered. It was Joe and I Adam and again we were playing Calgary in two nights later in Colorado. So he was on the plane with us flying. But all of a sudden you're done, right? Stanley cup, you've got with the team, and then you've got the summer where the cup does its tour, and then you got the banner raising and all that stuff the next year. So it's really spread out celebration where the Olympics is, is very quick. It was like a, you know, a party right after the next day, you're on a plane back home and you're back playing in the NHL.

[Ryan Whitney]

Did you know early on here that you, you'd be here for life? Like, you know, you've worked with the team, you're never going anywhere. You got the lot business talking about, was it that nice to live here? You're like, I, I, I could see myself never leaving.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, no. Early on, I think like most young guys, when I see them come here the day the season's over, over, you have your meetings, you're on, and you're back home to your hometown. It's, it's, you know, a small hometown. And in Canada, they're hockey crazy. So it's kind of fun to go back there, right? And, but as time went on, I, you know, married a girl from here, from California, started having kids out here and then coming back here and working for a number of years, just made this home after that.

[Ryan Whitney]

And we saw you on the ice yesterday as we arrived.

[Biz Nunez]

Did these kids know how good they got it?

[Ryan Whitney]

That's what I'm wondering. You're out there, they're doing power plants, play work. I'm like, Rob Blake's teaching these guys. How long, like, have you done that? Is your son 14? Somebody said that's playing?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, that 13? Yes, he's 13. So first year ban him. That's my youngest. My older son's at Bowling Green. He's a senior there, and my daughter's a senior at Bowling Green, too. So the two of them are there and they're done this year. But yeah, so since, since I stopped working, I jumped back and started helping. So we do clinics here. Luke's really good about ice time and helping out here, so I, I bring some of the kids, but I don't know if you guys were watching. That's probably when they weren't listening. Man, I had to line them up yesterday. These kids don't want to listen.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, yeah. It's a little different era now. Like, does your youngest one have an opportunity to maybe go play college and.

[Rob Blake]

Maybe beyond that, he would like to. That's what he's Kind of focused on. So they're in the AAA program here, but it's a, it's a lot of travel. I think we have three tournaments in Detroit, two in Chicago, one in New Jersey. Just as wow, you know, so these kids are on Thursday, they're flying cross country, playing five games or whatever in the three days, flying home on Sunday. So. But I think he'd like to follow. Like I said, my older son's at Bowling Green. He played there and he's a senior. And, you know, the little guy is probably headed hopefully in that direction too.

[Mike Feuds]

Get school paid.

[Ryan Whitney]

And you've seen what happened here.

[Rob Blake]

It's paid for. I don't know if they're getting it paid for.

[Ryan Whitney]

But the Junior Kings, I mean, wasn't around when you came here. Now they're producing players, they got good teams. Like, it's pretty sweet to see what's happened in LA with hockey.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. And I think once that move of Wayne coming out here, not only the youth hockey, I think there's so much roller hockey early on, and some of those kids actually ended up. Then I saw the switch to the youth hockey with Anaheim, San Jose, Arizona at that time, and now Vegas and all these teams out here. And, you know, I think the other important thing is with Luke running the team here, he's put a lot into the Junior Kings. So they travel, they got their purple and gold. They look great when they're on the road and that. And you know, so. But, but you can see the payoff of, of the Kings, the two Stanley Cups they had, and just the excitement is brought through the youth hockey.

[Mike Feuds]

What was it like for you getting on the management side of things and, and like, what did you, what did you learn from that? Like, was it way harder than you expected early on?

[Rob Blake]

Like, yeah, was great experience. I. It was funny. I mean, even near the end of my career, I remember the guy, guys, after practice, you'd go in the steamer and you'd kind of play GM and be like, God, if we were running this team, we'd do this. We do this. You know, within about four or five years, I'm, all of a sudden I'm doing that. I'm like, I'm not sure I know exactly. I'm not sure I know exactly what I should be doing here.

[Mike Feuds]

I thought this would be like my fantasy football roster.

[Rob Blake]

But. But the good thing was it was some, some real good people around here. I spoke, spoke of Luke, played with Luke. Right. So real good. Trust in the president. Nelson Emerson, Glenn. Glenn Murray. We Brought Mark Vergen in halfway through, so really good guys that he could bounce ideas and you know, the best thing in the world is every day you come in and you know how it is. You go through the grind, you lose games and everybody's pissing that, but you come in and you go in the back room. And when you're just talking about hockey and it's such a great time, that's the best, the best in the world. And you've got the right guys around that you can really trust. And it doesn't always work out the way you want it to, but those are the times I'm going to miss the most, is just being around, talking, talking about the game. Kind of like we are here. This is fun. It's the greatest game in the world.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, I was pretty blessed where I was involved in great organizations. Pittsburgh and then Arizona and then I came to you guys and like you guys, the, the, the drafting and developing and what you would do with the players and how you guys, even at the time when you got. We were in Manchester in the ahl, they would all fly across the country and they would get on the ice and it would be the. This like hand on experience and kind of teaching them little nuances of the game. So I always felt like here like it was above and beyond like the group of guys you had helping try to develop everybody.

[Rob Blake]

I think that started with Dean Lombardi. When I, when I came on board, it was all development. And from what I had heard, he studied baseball. So before I think he was GM in San Jose. And then, and then he came here and he, he studied the baseball model on the development. Right. So that's kind of when I first met you. You know, we were in Manchester at that time and Mike Stuthers was a coach, was great coach and you could lead, leave the. That team for three or four weeks and not worry. Mike had it on. And then we'd come down and I remember coming one of the first few times in Manchester, kind of, you know, older building, older rink and coach's office. And you'd walk down the hall and the players, you guys would be getting dressed there. And I remember we came off from practice and sat around with Coach Stuthers and talking to him. And I'm leaving and the doors are closed to the dressing room and all the guys are still in there. And I'm like stutz, I said, what, they got a team meeting or something? You. He goes, no, biz is holding, holding candle in there telling stories about the NHL.

[Mike Feuds]

But I made me realize.

[Rob Blake]

But it made me realize that these kids need it. Right. These young kids have these examples and they want to know what the NHL is like. And, you know, Biz, you provided that we felt was so important to have a good veteran. You know, once Biz was left, Brett Sutter came in and he ran it here for six or seven years. And, you know, and Jacob Doty's doing it now. These guys have been around, but it's so important for the kids to understand and see how special the NHL is. And if that's stories or whatever it is on the road, you know. But like you said on the development, we continued that here. Our development staff, it was Sean o'. Donnell. Oh, yeah. Matt Green, Jared Stoll, Mike Donnelly. And they had a little slogan above says, I wish I knew that when I played. And that's how they were every day. They came in, they said, God, if I knew that when I. I played. You tell these kids that, right? And you help them and you help them because you. You only get so many of them and you work so hard and you want them to do it. But the development is so important.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, I mean, it was a few who brought me in, and obviously me, him and Stutters were together and Owen Sound and I mean, like Sean. Sean Backman was there, Vinnie Laverde, and. And just the. The people that you guys brought in, especially on that level, it was incredible. That was a very special, special year for me. I went from not having a job sitting on my arse at home to winning a Caller Cup. So I'm forever grateful to this organization and getting to see you guys run it the way that you were doing it. It was. It was. It was mind blowing.

[Biz Nunez]

But.

[Rob Blake]

But did you understand the impact you had on the kids? Like, like, do the good veterans.

[Mike Feuds]

I know that later on, maybe I feel that Stutters and. And feuds and that. And obviously all you guys, like, you kind of like, you talked about, like, great coaches. They made you feel like you had a role on the team and they made you feel special. It was kind of like going back, back to Dave Tippett. Like, even nights where I wasn't in the lineup and I'd be a healthy scratch for the eighth game row, he would call me aside and say, hey, you know, we were thinking about it. You know, we. We ended up going with this guy. So even though, you know, they weren't thinking about it, they were probably having beers the night before, being like, he ain't playing.

[Biz Nunez]

What can we tell Biz?

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, yeah let's with him tomorrow and tell him we were this close and then he was actually gonna play some penalty kill. But no and and yeah, I mean I, I felt, I felt it in return and it was just a very special year years so and we had like Josh Gratton was there. Oh yeah, yeah we had, we had other good veterans and it was just a very special fun group. So I've drawn.

[Biz Nunez]

If you couldn't feel it when you played I was at the 10 year anniversary that you guys did. I came with him for that and you could tell all the guys how.

[Mike Feuds]

Much they appreciate we had such a good squad. It was cool to see even I, I remember posting a social media after like I don't think that those guys realize how big of a hole that. That they brought me out of. So anything that I provided that group it's just like it was in reciprocation of to how they made me feel. So very, very fun special year and just going back. So obviously you're not with. You're not with the organization anymore. You're probably enjoying a little time. I mean you went from playing to all of a sudden jumping in management.

[Rob Blake]

And yeah, it's been a little different that that way. I, I still follow these guys and talk to these guys every day and understand it but yeah like I said involved a little bit with the youth hockey and doing that kind of keeping my to time but hopefully as we go on jumping back into somehow.

[Mike Feuds]

So you would like to get back involved.

[Rob Blake]

I just, I, I enjoy the game too much.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's your life.

[Rob Blake]

That's what we do, you know and we're going to be around it in some form or some fashion.

[Ryan Whitney]

We, we've talked a lot about the game being so unreal right now. Like it's the speed, the skill. But for you is there anything that the game is missing that maybe had a little bit more of that you played that you. You wish still wasn't around.

[Rob Blake]

What I mean maybe a little bit on the rivalry side. Like I caught the end the last couple years of Colorado Detroit. I mean that might have been the height of it there for a while. You know I, and, and you don't maybe I haven't seen it as much in that aspect. I mean the Tampa Florida seems to be headed in that direction whenever they're playing each other and different things. I think you have to meet these teams perpetually in the playoffs. Unfortunately we did with Edmonton. We got beat each time so I don't know if there's much of a rivalry there.

[Ryan Whitney]

But the game, game. I'm wondering what you feel about like how. And it makes sense. These young guys, they come in, they have two good years, they get eight year deals. So like a guy like you, you're giving them out but you're also like this is so bizarre how it's changed this much.

[Rob Blake]

Very much. You used to have to put your time in and I think free agency might have been in the 30s early on there and that that's when guys got paid, they got paid for the later in their career.

[Biz Nunez]

No, you're done.

[Rob Blake]

Teams have got a little smarter. You're going to make, you know, take the eight or 10 years of a guy's career, get it through his prime, through 23 to 32 or 30, 43, whatever. Right. But I was watching the game last night watching Celebrity. Holy smokes.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

It's crazy like the way he attacks a millie ice and that. And then you look at the, the, you know, the leaders with him and Bedard up there with McKinnon and McDavid. I mean these young kids are, and they, they train, they do a lot of things like a pro does. Early on we had to learn it. Right. You had to learn from the guys ahead of you or the development staff than that they're coming in, they're ready to take over and they're not afraid to.

[Mike Feuds]

And they probably realize, hey, have a good start, two, three good years and you're going to set up your the rest of your life. Right. Like Celebrini is probably looking at 12 and a half, $13 million right now out of.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, I can't even imagine.

[Rob Blake]

I think it's great the guy's getting rewarded now though.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh yeah.

[Rob Blake]

Like, I mean you look at these other sports elite, these are the best players in the world. Yeah. You know and as a gm you're always like okay, what, what levels in that. But day if you, if you, if you're paying these guys the high, high end, that means you got some real good players on your team.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

And they deserve it.

[Ryan Whitney]

You were lucky you got in. I mean you had. That was kind of right when early 2000s, 10 million a year. You're in your, you're in the, the prime of your career.

[Mike Feuds]

So it is made 10 sheets a year. A few years.

[Rob Blake]

I was no, I was there close two or Sakic and, and Forsberg were.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like Pronger was but like you were, you know they were. That's when the salaries really started exploding.

[Rob Blake]

We had, we had 75, almost $80 million, payroll in Colorado back then. Yeah, that's right. And then it took a dip. It just got back there a few years ago. I'm like, these are what these guys make.

[Biz Nunez]

38 million.

[Mike Feuds]

Got cut in half.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

To what you guys were, you know, you grew up loving the game as much as you did, put as much as you did into it. And then the day you get the call for the hall of Fame, would you put that at the top?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. But it's never anything you really. I don't think you think about it going in. Like, you think about the Stanley cup as a kid.

[Mike Feuds]

Right.

[Rob Blake]

You watch it and you're like, you do the outdoor games, road hockey or whatever. Stan. You don't think about the hall of Fame, right. You know, Olympic golds now that they're playing and guys are thinking about that. So it. It kind of creeps up on you, but it is a good remembrance of what you had to do and what you went through. So. And they do such a special job in Toronto. I was just in last, the last one here a couple of weeks ago with Jumbo H. Play with him in San Jose for a couple years. And Glenn Murray, who, you know, good friend of mine here with the Kings. Him and Joe are real good, real good friends.

[Mike Feuds]

He was a treat, wasn't he? Like, just a joy to come to rink every day. How happy made him. No bad days for Joe.

[Rob Blake]

He just loved it. And that's why that kind of rubs off on all the guys. Like, he just. He loved to be at the rink. He's going to have to be at the rink the rest of his life.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's what everyone says. He has to be.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah. And he's going to enjoy every day no matter what. What. You know, other guys, you lose three or four in a row, you're kind of walking around Joe somebody.

[Mike Feuds]

Actually, it was Jason Demers who just told the story on his podcast. He does it with Adnan, that I think they went on a bit of a losing skit. And he didn't feel like the. The team was vibing enough, so he went in, got the. The driller, and he drilled off the doors on the. So in the shower, the showers were there, the pissers were there. And then. So when guys, no hiding, he would be there out in the open, taking a shitters. Guys were going, let's go, bud. We're all team here. Let's get the mojo going.

[Rob Blake]

I was there when he did that. I was 40.

[Biz Nunez]

Blakey was shitting.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'm 40. Hey, hey, that's how.

[Rob Blake]

That's exactly true. I did hear Jason say that I was hoping somebody got it out.

[Mike Feuds]

I didn't want to bring it out.

[Rob Blake]

But Yeah, I was 40 years old in San Jose near the end there. Right. Coming in. And it was at the bigger rink that he had. I remember coming in and I got there early to have a coffee and I go in. There's no stall doors. Dougie Murray walks. I'm like, crankshaft was his nickname. Like cranky. What are they doing? And he's like, I don't know what happened. And then Joe comes in. Yeah, boys, we gotta, you know, we gotta get closer together. And so they put this, you know, the maintenance after our practice put them back up. And I come back in the next game and they're down again. And Joe had the drill and he would take it out and it was a week straight. We. We didn't have anything in the. In there. But I'm 40. And then I got like Tory Mitchell and guys that are 20 years old. I'm like, hey guys, how you doing? I got the stat sheet. Yeah, no, like, but that, that stuff Joe did and you just, you just laugh. Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

It would bring the group together. Right. You guys have chuckles about all that is who gave you the hall of Fame call? Do you remember?

[Rob Blake]

I think it was Lanny. Lanny at that time. Yep. And he's pretty special.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

All that. And like I said, they do such a wonderful job. Like there's so many things, but. But it's kind of nice because you do bring a lot of the teammates and a lot of guys that you went to through things with back and, and you have a pretty good weekend. It's not. I can't say it's relaxing because you got to prepare and you got to be ready.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, how nervous for you to give a speech.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, that. Because you're right.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

You're trying to, you're trying to thank everybody. Trying to get everything appropriate in there in, in a short time. But. Yeah, no, but then you're.

[Ryan Whitney]

You do enjoy it after have the, the. The abs that wanted. Have you guys ever all been together again the next season? There's always somebody gone. Like they ever.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, we did. Did a. Whether it was a 10 or 20 year anniversary and then they. They had an outdoor game in Colorado against Detroit and they had alumni game prior to it. So a lot of us came back because it was. This was years ago. So most of us had. Were still capable of going out and playing and we had alumni Game, so got to see some of those guys.

[Mike Feuds]

We got so many Wayne stories from. From Luke. Do you have, like, a favorite one?

[Rob Blake]

Just his. Just his presence is amazing. Like, he. In between games, signing autographs for. For the other team, he comes, come in and the. You know, back then there was a table in the middle with a Gatorade and everything. It wasn't as elaborate setups and, you know, the other team would have sticks and hats and jerseys, and he'd be signing away and coach be coming in, getting ready for the speech, and it was just great, you know, but it's a different level. Like, he walks in the room and, I mean, there was Larry, Luke and Dave Taylor.

[Mike Feuds]

There's a lot.

[Rob Blake]

But when Wayne walked in, you just. Everyone just stares. They just watch him. And he knows it, too, but he handles himself so well. So, so good for all of us young guys at that time to learn from.

[Ryan Whitney]

All right, we got rollback. Last question. Go to roback.com, use code CHICKLETS for 20% off through the end of the week with polos, hoodies, swim trunks, joggers. That's R H O B A C K dot com. Use code C H dash I C L dash T S roback dot com. That was actually pretty good reading it. Thank you, guys. Rob Blake here. You don't need. You don't need to. Yeah. So how much Hawk hockey are you watching now? I guess you still love the game. You want to get back into it at some point. Every night games on.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, yeah, same. But we're fortunate out here, right? Four o' clock start, you know, with a seven.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's the best part about. About us being out here. It's awesome.

[Rob Blake]

It's great. I remember when I worked at the NHL, I told him that. I said, you got to have an office. Out West. We were doing supplemental discipline with Brandon Shanahan there in New York.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's a tough gig for an ex player, right?

[Rob Blake]

Yeah, it's a little different. Yeah, it wasn't the. It was nice to be around and understand it all through the NHL. But Saturdays, the games would start in, you know, the one o' clock games, and then you'd have 10, 30 LA and sure enough be going to overtime. Do this out West. I know we're done by 11 o'.

[Biz Nunez]

Clock.

[Mike Feuds]

That's not a suspension. He took his head off. All right, give him a. I just want to go to bed. 5K. Fine.

[Ryan Whitney]

Well, Rob, thank you so much. Congrats on everything, and we really appreciate it.

[Rob Blake]

Thank you, guys.

[Mike Feuds]

Thank you.

[Ryan Whitney]

Guys. We gotta talk about Amazon right now. And that's prime Monday night hockey on Amazon. And coming up this Monday, January 26th, we got a big one, the Anaheim Ducks. My former team are visiting my other former team, the Edmonton Oilers. Prime Monday Night Hockey, 8:30 Eastern. Our listeners in Canada can watch Monday night's game on Prime Video. If you're already a Prime member, you're all set. If not, sign up for a free trial@prime video.com. the Ducks have figured it out a little bit. The Ducks were, were amazing to start the year and then kind of disaster struck. And as I say this on Thursday, January 22nd, they've won five in a row.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

With no Carlson. Carlson's donezo now. Carlson's done so now. But they got Kilorn playing his thousandth game. They got cuter got who continues to score. He looks great. They have maybe figured out what, what kind of put them in the rut that they were in. So the Oilers got to get going, man. They're the only team in the league, along with the Blues to not win three games in a row that, that. I mean there's a lot of bad hockey teams who've had multiple three game winning streaks and the Oilers haven't had any. But I'm still confident they're still sitting second in the Pacific right now. This would be the playoff matchup in the first round if the playoff started today. We got Edmonton, Anaheim. So you and you like your chances against. I love our chances in that. Although if Dostahl plays like he did against the ABs last yesterday, Wednesday, that would be a disaster for the Oilers. But right now, I'm telling you, you can watch this 8:30 on Amazon Prime. It's Prime Monday night hockey once again. Go to primevideo.com to set up your free trial and if you're already a Prime member, you're all set. It Prime Monday night hockey. It's on Monday. It's on Prime. Thank you so much to R Rob Blake. That wraps up our all the LA interviews we did. Fun trip out there. The I saw the Duke was on with foreplay. Oh PGA show I think in Orlando. The Duke.

[Mike Feuds]

The Duke or also just. I know I've said it before but Rob Blake and the rest of the LA Kings. I was in a tough spot my, my third last year playing and they took me on board. Boys. I wanted a crazy run with that Manchester Mar ARCS team. Completely flipped my, my year and really my life upside down in a positive way. So I'm forever indebted and grateful to Rob Blake. Mike Feuda, Stutter. Mike Sthers. Dean Lombardi was there at the time. Luke Robitaille. So everybody from a king's organization, the Harmonica ladies, obviously were a huge, huge part in that too.

[Biz Nunez]

I think Dean Lombardi is, like, known for giving guys second chances. Right. And being guys. So good on him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Just get off your Twitter biz. That was the only thing they requested.

[Mike Feuds]

Feuds called him. He says, yep, we can sign him. Just tell them to stay the off Twitter. And it was fun for me to take a two. Two and a half year hiatus.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

And.

[Mike Feuds]

And refocus and. And go win myself a Calder Cup. Not a big.

[Biz Nunez]

You guys won it.

[Mike Feuds]

We won the Color cup.

[Rob Blake]

Wow.

[Biz Nunez]

Never heard of it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. That's when we used to go to dinner biz. Remember in Boston, we'd go to get some sushi and we'd go shopping together and stuff. That was. That was when you were penny pinching too.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. Y.

[Ryan Whitney]

Before you hit it big. Dude. Dude. He was bringing coupons to dinner. I'm like, how did you get that? He's like, I cut it out of a magazine in Manchester.

[Biz Nunez]

Be like, can you drive up to Manchester and eat? It's cheaper up here than if we eat in Boston.

[Ryan Whitney]

I'll pay for it.

[Mike Feuds]

Just get down here. I'm siphoning gas to get to him. He's like, why are we running? I was like, we didn't pay. Just keep going. Don't look back.

[Ryan Whitney]

I've been washing dishes and in Manchester.

[Mike Feuds]

Why are you wearing.

[Ryan Whitney]

I can't get caught here.

[Mike Feuds]

Why are you wearing a balaclava at dinner?

[Biz Nunez]

So they can't see we're leaving right after we eat.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, dude, those jeans are cool. They got a rip in them. Is that the new style? No, I just can't get new ones. I got no money. I was jumping over a fence after I didn't pay the bill. Ripped these ones.

[Mike Feuds]

Hey, good thing about New Hampshire, though, that where I was living.

[Biz Nunez]

No state tax.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yep. So you mentioned you were going through a tough time when you were signed by LA and won the Caller Cup. I know another guy going through a lot right now. Linus All Mark sat down with Claire Hannah and did an interview published this past week. I feel bad for the guy. Obviously, he's struggling. You know, we talked about the rumors and how crazy that was. He said he kind of just like, started getting, like, messages like, are you all right? He didn't even know what was going on. It was interesting.

[Rob Blake]

He.

[Ryan Whitney]

He said it stems back his Mental health stuff to when he was to trying traded. He then signed a big deal with Ottawa, correct?

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

So, yeah, I mean, who are we to. To. To. To judge or say? We don't know what's going on with him, how he's feeling. You just kind of hoping for him. He, He. He feels better at some point. And I'm sure with the, the news that broke in those ridiculous rumors, it's kind of like, holy. Like I can't even really. I'm not even with the team right now. He said he was very worried about what the team was saying or thinking about him. Him. So I don't know biz, if you had anything or Keith.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. It drives me bananas. The people online who are basically like, oh, he's. He makes this much money, kind of get over it type thing, like those people are shoot him to the moon. The fact that he had to take the break and then on the break had to deal with that is insane. So essentially you're not really getting a break and in fact you're getting more put on your plate to where you can't go address whatever it was that was affecting him mentally. You, you mentioned that. He did mention it happened when he got traded. He had such a good situation there in, in Boston splitting the net. He's not getting overworked. They had great defenses in front of him. They were putting up what, below two goals against averages with 929, 25 save percentages. He ended up winning the Vesna. So being having that much success, loving your environment, I believe that was the year where they set the regular season record. So you get taken out of that, where you've, you've grown this amazing life and then boom. Now all of a sudden you're in Canada with a team that's trying to figure out its way and I mean, what are you going to do, not sign that unreal contract they're offering you? So. And, and you're probably thinking if he is going through that, that mental anguish even when he was in Ottawa at the start, you know, you're thinking, oh, okay, like I'm going to get this new deal, things will get turned around, we're going to start winning and. And that the rest of it will figure itself out where, you know, obviously he hasn't had the best year statistically, but that is so far on the bottom of the totem pole at this point. You just got to go get your mind right. So the fact that he had to deal with this on his time away, it's Fucking brutal. It kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier in the pile with. With Skinner and how much happier you're for him that he. He doesn't have to play in Canada more and he can just go worry about stock stop in the puck and not be in this chaotic media environment. So I hope he gets. He gets his mind right and. And back to where he was when he was in Boston and obviously these rumors stop and. And we can kind of just, you know, move on. And it's.

[Biz Nunez]

It's brutal, especially as a goalie too, if your head's not there, like, it's such a tough position anyways. But if you're. If you're playing forward, a defense, you can kind of get lost in the game. Right? But if you're a goalie, it's. It's all on you, all eyes on you all the time. They. It seems to me that goalies take home a little bit more too, if after a loss and stuff like that. So I feel horrible for him, especially with all the. That going on. You. Like you said, you just hope that everything with him mentally is. Is okay and he can come back because we've all seen what he can do in this league. He's an unbelievable goalie, and you know he can help your team win games. So you just hope he can get back to that.

[Ryan Whitney]

That year in Boston, he was 46 and 1 1.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

With a 938 and a 1.89. So that was just. That was incredible.

[Biz Nunez]

And just remember how happy. Remember, like, they'd have those big hugs celebration.

[Ryan Whitney]

So it's.

[Biz Nunez]

It goes to show you how much you have to have clarity in your head to be good in this league. Like, you can't just go out there and play off a skill. Like, you have to have the clarity in your head off the ice to put. To be good on the ice.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. If you're. If I've heard this mentioned in golf a lot. If, if you got stuff going, going on, away from like in that case, the course or the rink, like, how the hell guys who can play good hockey while maybe their personal lives are a mess, that is. That's alien mode.

[Rob Blake]

I've heard.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. Obviously we know some. Some stories behind the scenes where you're.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, oh, how is he playing?

[Mike Feuds]

Well, you're a sick puppy if you're doing what you're doing.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yes. Sociopath. Wait, you're telling me that you. Maybe those guys just get to the. Of the rest drink. They're like, finally, I'm away from that madness. But that's.

[Biz Nunez]

That's why, like, I was so bad with my phone when I played. And I remember texting our group chat, apologizing for not being the best a friend a friend could be the last 16 years, but way better now. Yeah. I knew what it had for me to take to play in the NHL, to be an everyday guy. I had to just be focused on the game and to have the outside noise, I couldn't have it.

[Rob Blake]

Wow.

[Mike Feuds]

Okay. So that's why, I mean, even me, like, we would be home like in Arizona and I would call Yan and I. I could never get through to him.

[Ryan Whitney]

You couldn't get in touch with the.

[Mike Feuds]

Only time I could talk to him.

[Rob Blake]

Good for you.

[Mike Feuds]

For. So you would. You purposely would just block it all out to stay in the moment and you know, and obviously you're not getting as much family time during the season because you're on the road trips, you're at the rink the whole day. It so that you would just focus on being present and at home when you got home.

[Biz Nunez]

100. Yeah. You just try to be in that moment. Your kids are only young for so long, right? Like, you're a different stage now because you get to enjoy all that stuff. But when you're playing, you miss everything basically. Right. And I was one of those. I wasn't helping out a ton at home. Like, Kristen was doing the majority of it. Like, if it was game day, I wasn't doing anything. So it's kind of one of those things. For me, it was just, I need to focus on the game when I'm at the rink and I need to focus at home when I'm at home.

[Ryan Whitney]

Living in the moment stuff. Bizarre.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, no, that's it. Did you just learn that yourself or did you kind of have to like talk to the older guys when you were taking that next step?

[Biz Nunez]

No, I remember witnessing it. Like you'd go over to guys like donor Derek Morris, Adrian a coin Ken Clee, like all these older guys and you just saw how they interacted with their families when they were there. They weren't on their phones. They weren't, you know, having guys coming over all the time. It was kind of the family time was family time.

[Mike Feuds]

The. I remember, remember the. The five years I played with you, there was only one period in stretch of time where you were struggling. I think it was the Olympic year. You weren't named to the Olympics. And I remember you were. You were just struggling. You remember that period?

[Biz Nunez]

No.

[Rob Blake]

Oh. Oh, geez.

[Mike Feuds]

Okay.

[Biz Nunez]

Well man, I, I, I would imagine.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay. Jake Sanderson.

[Mike Feuds]

No, but, but it wasn't. But were you good at leaving it at the rink and not bringing it home?

[Biz Nunez]

100.

[Mike Feuds]

You would never be in a different movie. Food at home because of the hockey.

[Biz Nunez]

No.

[Mike Feuds]

Good for you. Good for you.

[Biz Nunez]

Thank you.

[Ryan Whitney]

I remember actually. I remember I was good before I.

[Mike Feuds]

I was going to Tip's office. I was hey, if you need me on the back end healthy, can't handle.

[Ryan Whitney]

The puck right now.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, yeah, I, I think I could turn it over less than what that.

[Ryan Whitney]

Guy'S doing right now.

[Mike Feuds]

Tip, just try me one game. You'll never look back. Give me my moment. I'm like Tom Brady. I'm not coming out.

[Ryan Whitney]

I came into this league as a D Tip. I could still do it. No biz. Take three minutes and just put on the right.

[Mike Feuds]

I'm Dave King and tips office is down the street.

[Ryan Whitney]

And, and Jake Sanderson did actually come out and he kind of apologized and I know he said he went and talked to Levi and, and mentioned like I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I think his quote, yeah, Levy is a great guy and I think that's not what good teammates do. You don't tear each other down. You build each other up. Especially after a game. I also didn't know that earlier in that week he'd won back to back starts and then that was his 10th start in a row. Just something that, that he kind of brought up. It was just right after the game. Didn't have the time to, to kind of think had put my thoughts together and regretted. Regretted it so.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, you, you said it you right after the game. Mike. In your face, young guy. You're, you're frustrated because the team's not doing as good. He had four points and I think he had one and three. Played 24 minutes. So it's just tough timing for a young player to have a mic put in his face. And it's a great learning lesson and I'm sure he, he meant nothing by it. No.

[Ryan Whitney]

You mentioned apologize.

[Mike Feuds]

With all that said, this guy's got to stop.

[Ryan Whitney]

This guy's good. Whenever you hear like the but like he's a good guy, but you're like.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, with all that said, we're gonna be.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, you had a great career. But that's that 2014 season.

[Mike Feuds]

Holy.

[Ryan Whitney]

And shout out. Josh D. You mentioned Shane. Dude, I kind of first thing I thought was very happy for him. I believe it's right around 48 million bucks. He made Life changing money set for life now I was like, I think he left a lot of dough on the table here. I know biz, you're a big guy and like, hey, he loves it there. He's given a chance. It's still life changing him money. But did you not think that it was a hell of a deal for the Sabers?

[Mike Feuds]

Honest, I haven't given him much thought. I just texted him for a loan. That was the only thing that I thought of. I never, what he said about, he didn't reply. So then I texted Shane and he said, I'm sure he'll get back to you. I just, first thing I thought of is like, holy, he's going to make more money than his old man by the time he's done playing. Which is crazy to think about, right? Because the, the money was just a lot different. Uh, did. I don't know, man. I think that you go from a situation of where like you don't know even where you're going to be in the lineup in Utah maybe for whatever reason, they have you in the minors to start the year and that trade goes through and he gets there and all of a sudden they, you know, he's playing well and he's getting this opportunity and he's in the flow state right now. He's playing unbelievable two ways hockey. We've been pumping his tires on this podcast for the last like what, six weeks now and he's off to a, a career year start. I bet you he's just like, no, I love it here. I feel welcome here and I just want to get this done. And I think that when you leave that probably I, I, based on what he could have stretched them for, he probably left a million per year on the table. But you just, you come off as a, as a God now. The fan base loves you. Every, every, every comment under underneath the post was like, oh, I, I gotta, I got a donor, like joking. I got a boner, like, which is fine.

[Ryan Whitney]

I love that.

[Mike Feuds]

That's my thing, right? I wrote it. I'm ghostwriter. So I'm just, I'm just more happy for him and happy that he left money on the table. And it's also like, how are you going to make more money than Tage Thompson? So they, they have set the precedent with some of their guys where they're not making much. So he falls right underneath that and it's still a boatload of money. And if he does regress a little bit offensively, he's not the topic of conversation.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I. I just think I would have maybe tried, like, for five years. He turns 24 in a week. So then, like, maybe you're 29 when it ends, as opposed to 31. Right. Like, could that affect his next one? But the way guys are in shape. Right. Like, I think the way he plays, hopefully that. That he ages well in the game and can sign another big ticket. I would.

[Mike Feuds]

I would assume that he's.

[Ryan Whitney]

Take a little less per year. Sign the five year. But Buffalo's like, I don't want that.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, let's keep in mind, if you make that in Buffalo, you're a billionaire.

[Biz Nunez]

Right. He bought the Bills.

[Rob Blake]

He did, yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Holy.

[Ryan Whitney]

Speaking of the Bills, the fact that, like, no joke, six weeks ago, the Bills are like, all right, here we go. I'm going to get to the Super Bowl. No burrow this year. No Mahomes. And the Sabers are a disaster now. The Sabers are buzzing, and the Bills have the biggest clown show press conference I've ever. It's completely switched.

[Biz Nunez]

Switched. Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Pagula's like, can I get both of these teams going at the same time?

[Mike Feuds]

Well, that's why they fired McDermott. To give the money to Josh.

[Ryan Whitney]

True, true, true. You're right. I forgot about that. I got a donor now, but Biz, I interrupted. I interrupted him. You said one year a billionaire in Buffalo with that dough. Anything else, or did I ruin your train of thought?

[Mike Feuds]

No, no, no.

[Ryan Whitney]

Happy for him.

[Mike Feuds]

I'm happy. I'm happy. I'm. And, oh, and the last thing I was just say is, like, donor is the most conservative guy. Josh will be driving a pickup truck that's probably given to him by a local dealership, and he might spend 150k of that money per year when he's living in Buffalo. Yeah, he's just as simple and as down to earth as they come.

[Biz Nunez]

And he's also. I never remember donor having, like, arguments about contract negotiations or anything. So I could. I could honestly see where Buffalo came to him with that offer. And he was like, yeah, absolutely. This is what you. You think of me? Obviously, I have no clue. But, I mean, they're. They're guys that. They're. They're good soldiers. They're. They're team guys. And, you know, like Biz has said.

[Mike Feuds]

You'Ve said, I'll put it this way. If I had a daughter, I'd want Josh Stone to marry her. If I.

[Ryan Whitney]

Or the opposite of Stefan Diggs. You seen that clip?

[Mike Feuds]

Is that.

[Biz Nunez]

I don't know if you want that oh, that.

[Mike Feuds]

Okay. The one thing is, is, yeah, he. They got, they got ropes on them. So I know that there's going to be a little pain involved, but hey, here's your wedding gift. Some ibuprofen, you're good to go.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's so twisted.

[Mike Feuds]

Couple ice bags and some ibuprofen, you should be all right, sweetie.

[Ryan Whitney]

Here you go. You get, you give them that. What, what do the guys put on their legs? It's like a normac food.

[Mike Feuds]

Here's an all inclusive trip to Mincy's room in my house. You guys could stay there for a week and then some ibuprofen and some ice bags.

[Ryan Whitney]

When you talk about good soldiers, right? I said to you, I think an hour after he recorded on Monday, I said, oh my God, I fucked up.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, you did.

[Ryan Whitney]

I fucked up big time. And I heard about it and what I tell you, I said I'd hear about it in the city, Edmonton. They came at me the way they should have. I'm looking at you, Edmonton, I'm looking at you. The fact of the matter is I didn't bring up and I forgot and it was in my notes, but I forgot to talk about the Nuge, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, the only man remaining on the Edmonton Oilers that I played with reaching a thousand games. I didn't bring it up when I should have, and I apologize to you, Edmonton. It won't be the last time I apologize to you and it certainly isn't the first. I owe you millions of apologies. The turnovers, the mistakes, the falling down, the injuries, but not bringing up new thousandth game, that's on me. So when I tell you that this guy came into the league first overall all pick right away, his skating was what stood out. He moves around so gracefully. He's so smart with the puck. Like you talk hockey IQ like this guy just never made mistakes. And his skating ability, because he is not big, he is like, he looks like a 16 year old. Especially then, like, yeah, now we're talking. But the crazy thing is of all the years and I looked it up here.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, you did say. Didn't you say that he looked like Rachel McAdams? Didn't you make a joke? I saw a clip surfacing online.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Oh, G sent me that I forgot about after hours. Something like that. Yeah, he was. Dude, he's just like a little kid. But then he'd get on the ice, his edges and he was so good right away. But I looked up because I was like. Of all the changes that have gone on Specifically, like a few years back. Not, you know, lately. Really.

[Mike Feuds]

His name was popping up every year.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

So Steve Tambolini drafted him. Then Craig. This is GM. Then Craig McTavish came in, then Shirelli came in. Then Keith Gretzky was the interim gm. Then Ken Holland came in, then Jeff Jackson was the interim gm. Now it's Stan Bowman, all the trades, Halsey Eberley, all the stuff that went down in the decade of darkness. The Nuge has remained. The Nuge has.

[Mike Feuds]

He's a cockroach.

[Ryan Whitney]

And I. Oh, yeah. And I remember hearing his name, but you never heard, like, for sure. Definite. They were looking to move him. And all those different GMs looked. And all the coaching that they've had, they're like, no, this is not a guy you get rid of. He's never made a ton of money either. His deals have always been super team friendly. And he's just done it as, like a true pro. Like, never complaining, just shows up. I actually know that part of one of the reasons that I kind of knew my time was done in the NHL was because of Nuge. And I got to look at the.

[Biz Nunez]

Year, get him out.

[Ryan Whitney]

So his first.

[Rob Blake]

First.

[Ryan Whitney]

His first year, he was buzzing. He won the Calder that year.

[Rob Blake]

No, no.

[Ryan Whitney]

Did he not win? I think Landiscog did look that up. G. He might have lost it, but he got hurt his rookie year because we'd had a big night out in Chicago rookie party and lost to Landiscog. Landiscog, yeah. And he. We're in Chicago and we're. He's skating around and he just literally toe picks and goes flying into the boards.

[Biz Nunez]

Dummy.

[Ryan Whitney]

His shoulder. It was like a straight up rookie party injury. Like, you had to still be hurting. And he. And he dummied himself. And in that time, I was out injured, of course. So as he started skating and I was skating, we were with the skills coach on the Oilers, and I was like, I can't keep up with this guy. Like, his. And obviously his skating wasn't affected with the shoulder injury, but it was so embarrassing to me and it was so evident and obvious. Like, this guy skates at such a different level than I can move. Move now. I think my time's running out. I think that this is going to be it based on his way to, like, move around the ice. And we would do these certain, like, cone drill races. And it was. I was losing by 10 seconds. That's like 10 minutes, basically, in hockey or sprinting. So I just remember his. His iq, though. That's what I think of is, like, his ability. And he's great defensively. He's had huge playoffs in these four years where they've had such good teams every spring, and it's just awesome to see that he's done it. And he's the first ever Oiler player to get his thousandth game with the Oilers. All with the Oilers. Kevin Low did it, but he was around 960 or whatever when he went to the Rangers, hit his thousandth game with the Rangers, went back to Edmonton, and ended up playing a thousand in an Oilers uniform. But Nuge is the only guy, and he's going to. He's going to end up being the guy who's played the most games in the Edmonton Oilers.

[Mike Feuds]

So do you think he gets his number retired?

[Ryan Whitney]

Fuck, if they get a cup, no doubt, right? If they get a Cup.

[Mike Feuds]

Playing 12, 1200 games, most with that organization.

[Ryan Whitney]

I know, but those numbers retired are only cup winners.

[Mike Feuds]

Did you ever hear him yell once?

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, no. He's a quiet guy. He's very quiet.

[Mike Feuds]

I trained summers in. In Vancouver with his brother, and just the. The best. Both of them, like, just an unreal family. Like. Like salt of the earth guy. And when I think of Nuge, I think of how the. Can you make a flavor saver look that cool?

[Biz Nunez]

I know how. Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

How can you.

[Ryan Whitney]

He's got, like, the Viva Vendetta look.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

Like, it works on him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

That's why. Remember when I grew one when we were at the Coyotes and everyone's like, biz, get that thing off your face. He just had. It's so, like. It's so faint.

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't think he can, like, grow a beard, though. I don't know if, like, anything's coming in on the side.

[Mike Feuds]

Just the flavors. Yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

My channel. Just be the flavor saver. His wife could love that. Who knows?

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, for sure. You must eat the best box in the league.

[Ryan Whitney]

But. But, yeah, we're. Yeah. So, dude, he had. He had 104 point season. He's got 40 points at 42 games this year. I mean, the last few playoffs last year, 22 games, 20 points. The year before Cup Final loss, 25 games, 22 points. The year before that, 12 games, 10 points.

[Mike Feuds]

Hall of Fame.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, he. That's a biz. Hall of Fame. But it's just been incredible to watch. He's an awesome guy, and he's. I was on the Oilers when Nudes was on the Oilers. Think about that. That was a long fucking time ago. So Nugent. I apologize again. Edmonton.

[Biz Nunez]

It really is impressive to. Because those dog days that they got rid of pretty much everybody else but him or they did get rid of everybody else but him. It just goes to show you what a pro he is. Goes about his business, does his work. Like he's even got drop down lines. He doesn't complain. Just a guy that you know nowadays when you think Edmonton Oilers you think Nuge and the reception that he got from I mean was outdone by Jonathan Toews. But the reception that he got from from the Oilers faithful was amazing and he deserved every second.

[Mike Feuds]

Oh, the drum guy was going crazy.

[Ryan Whitney]

I also don't know I remember something like this so I don't. I could easily be told you're bullshit, you're wrong with. I don't think like he had like they had a ton of money growing up and I know or I don't know I shouldn't say that but I'm pretty sure at one point like when he was like 10 years old, 11 years old, he didn't play hockey for the entire year. Like he. I don't know if it was financials. I just remember like something being told about that because we were bringing up like seven, eight years later he's the first overall pick. And you do not see people in the NHL that didn't play hockey for a full year when they're 10 years old that just that the sport doesn't work that way. So I could be way off on that. But I remember like discussion about that and just happy for the guy and once again I apologize. Edmonton Jonathan Toews guys returned to Chicago.

[Mike Feuds]

Holy goosebumps.

[Ryan Whitney]

That was Merle's had it at his. As his bed of the night he'd score a goal. He just figured like this is the type of guy that goes back and gets one. They got shut out. But what'd you think Biz the Merles mush. Yeah, I know he's been hot on the parlays though somehow.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, I just, I mean buddy, that was like the, the like the pinnacle of my hockey career. And we got to play against them one year in playoffs. But what they were able to do and just like watching that dynasty and him being the leader of it and his two way game and everything. He brought his, his. His intensity Captain serious of course incredible. An incredible run and, and you know obviously he dealt with, he dealt with over the last couple years before he came back. So I'm sure like going back there and, and being able to feel the love from that city considering it maybe didn't end the way that he expected it. Just remarkable. And what a crowd to serenade him for as long as they did. All class from the Chicago Blackhawks. And I think everybody knows, like Taser's the man, he's the best. And that's the type of guy that deserves an ovation like that. So the only thing that sucks is, is is Kane wasn't be able to be a part of it and be there for it.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah. And you know, you think of Jonathan Taze with those teams and being the captain of that team. Like they had older guy. Like the hosts, the Sharps, the Brian Campbells, like they had older guys. Like it had to have been tough to be a younger captain like that. The west back then was a gauntlet too. Like the teams that you were playing hard games, you know, you had your Detroit's, the LA's. We were good for a couple years. Like there was some, you know, that was a tough division to be in Vancouver then Vancouver was an incredible Calgary when Iggy was there, like, you know, it was tough out West. And the way that he just showed up every game he played hard, him and Kane had. They were just completely different. What it led on media that. Completely different people in the locker room. But having the older guys buy in, having the younger guys buy in. He's got to go down as one of the best captains of all time.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. And that the night whenever they do retire, his jersey will be probably even cooler because the whole team, you know, all those guys will be back. And yeah. The captain of.

[Biz Nunez]

Of a dynasty.

[Mike Feuds]

Show off.

[Ryan Whitney]

The captain of a dynasty of an. On an original six franchise at a young age. That was just the bigger the game, the better he played. Really happy for him.

[Mike Feuds]

And would you say that that was the. Like that's the. The pinnacle of the Blackhawks franchise.

[Biz Nunez]

Oh yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah. And. And, and once again, I think I brought this up earlier this this year. This. There's an Instagram reel of like. Is it Linger? It's the Cranberry song Linger. Okay. And it's a. It's a different band cuz it's like acoustic version and it's of Kane and Taves and. And it. I like was. Army said this on Wednesday on game. He was like crying watching it. I was watching it. I was just like if I was one of those two guys, I would just watch this every day like morning. Because I was in the league that. Right. I was in the league for most of that.

[Biz Nunez]

Oh yeah.

[Ryan Whitney]

And they were so good. And it Was such. It's Chicago's a sick city. And they were packing that place, the Madhouse on Madison. It was just like. Yeah, that's stuff that when I'm 65, 70 years old, I'll be like, remember those Hawks teams with Dave's leading them, we beat them. I know. That's crazy.

[Mike Feuds]

Crazy.

[Ryan Whitney]

That's crazy.

[Mike Feuds]

Well, the Coyotes did.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, I was gonna.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

But hey, you got one second.

[Ryan Whitney]

You showered after the game with the team.

[Biz Nunez]

He got one second playing.

[Mike Feuds]

One second.

[Biz Nunez]

But he. He also, like, he scored on his first shot in the NHL.

[Ryan Whitney]

I believe he also had that shootout in the world juniors. He scored every time.

[Mike Feuds]

What a career.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, what a career is, right?

[Biz Nunez]

Amazing.

[Ryan Whitney]

What a career is, right? One of those legendary Shadic St. Mary's players, right?

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, I beat him when he was at Shadic.

[Ryan Whitney]

Shout out.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah, we beat our junior, bro.

[Ryan Whitney]

You. Yeah, shout out. Flash boys. I felt for Garnet Hathaway, and I'll say this. I mean, that's one of the. That's. That's a blooper. It's not. Patrick Stefan missing a wide open net.

[Mike Feuds]

And then welcome to the Big Deal Select.

[Ryan Whitney]

Patrick Stefan missed a wide open net stole. Fires it up to Ryan Smith, who gives it over to Hemsky. That's the ultimate missed empty net blooper. This one was. He was in quicksand. And he was. And, and listen, he, He. He maybe didn't feel the pressure behind him, but of course, Clayton Keller ties it up. Then Clayton. Clayton Keller wins in an OT and the Flyers lose. And Flyers fans at this. And I'll give Flyers fans this one. I've been on the Meech cough talk and maybe not deserving the ice time. You think last night in that game, Mechkov played less than Gar Hathaway? I'll give you guys that one. Yeah, I'll give you guys that one. Garnet halfway.

[Mike Feuds]

I started 17 Philadelphia flatter burner accounts since the end of that game.

[Ryan Whitney]

But Garnet Hathaway, man, has had a legit, legit career as, like a, you know, fourth, maybe third line guy, tough. He'll hit. It's just kind of. It ends at some point, I think this year. He's got one goal, no assist, 42 games. So I feel for him. He's had an unreal career, but at this point, to see that, and I guess after he's in the locker room with all his gear on, everybody else.

[Mike Feuds]

Was changed out of their gear, out of the shower, and he was just sitting there and, and, and. And they'd been. They'd been struggling, right? So that win, all of a sudden, Mojo's the back, but you got the thing locked up. It's on ice. You're about to shoot it, although your feet are in quicksand. And shout out to Schmaltzy for not giving up on that play. He makes that play. An unreal move by Clayton.

[Biz Nunez]

He did give up and he still caught.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, man, I've been there. I've been there when you, you kind of. Yeah. And this.

[Biz Nunez]

You can't laugh if you can't laugh at yourself at something.

[Ryan Whitney]

Like, you gotta laugh at that later on. He's going to laugh at that. I mean, he was. He is just the nets right there. It's like, shoot it.

[Mike Feuds]

Ah.

[Biz Nunez]

Like those dreams that you have when you can't get your skate on. Like, that was it.

[Ryan Whitney]

And honestly, like, of course you get stripped and you lose it and you're like, oh, my God, I could have just sealed the game. And then it gets tied up. Then you know you're losing after.

[Biz Nunez]

Did he play in overtime?

[Mike Feuds]

He was still faster than beach golf.

[Ryan Whitney]

That may be there might that and.

[Mike Feuds]

Send it to every goddamn Philadelphia Flyers. I own you. I tweet about Mechov and I got you hook, line and sinker. You right in my mention ratio. Me, I don't give a. I'm all here for the clicks.

[Ryan Whitney]

What is? I, I.

[Mike Feuds]

But I don't. I'm Meech Cob's agent.

[Ryan Whitney]

I, I, like, I, I, I was uncomfortable, like, seeing that when you. I was like, oh. Like I felt. But I mean, I was dying laughing.

[Mike Feuds]

Every time you rewatch it, you're like, okay, he's going to shoot it.

[Ryan Whitney]

Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it. Oh, no.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah.

[Rob Blake]

Oh.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then seller scored a sick goal. And then the, the Sanheim's then furious at Hathaway because he gets walked. And then the fire fans are all over Sandheim, who never would have got walked had it been five, three.

[Mike Feuds]

They took him off the Olympics.

[Biz Nunez]

Sanheim should have came in after him. Yeah, but did you see Hathaway final things.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh, Shout out. We talked about. About Nuge. Charlie Coyle. Thousand games. Alex Kalorn. Thousand games. Kaloren's got all those cups. That, that great guy and God dude, at some point he's gonna be done. And that's a.

[Mike Feuds]

Did he graduate from Harvard too?

[Ryan Whitney]

I did. I don't know if he ever graduated.

[Mike Feuds]

Either way, some guys get it all.

[Ryan Whitney]

And then, you know, scratch dude, man, he, he has been on some good teams I know that Bruins team that broke the record. They lost first round.

[Mike Feuds]

He's handsome, too.

[Ryan Whitney]

I forgot he was drafted.

[Biz Nunez]

Drafted by San Jose.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, he's just. Yeah. And he left BU halfway through his freshman year to go to Quebec.

[Rob Blake]

Yeah.

[Biz Nunez]

St. John. Harvard.

[Ryan Whitney]

Wow. He did. Yeah. Colon played four years at Harvard. And dude, 14 points his freshman year. Got up to 46 his senior year. Third round pick. What a career for both those guys. So shout out those two getting their silver sticks. Well deserved, dude.

[Biz Nunez]

Charlie Coyle guy worked out with later on in my career. He took it seriously. Serious and, you know, hence why he's still playing and, and playing good hockey. And an unbelievable guy. Like you said about Josh Stone, too. A guy that you would want marry your daughter. Oh, yeah, he's that type of guy.

[Mike Feuds]

We interviewed Coyle.

[Biz Nunez]

Great family. His sister worked at the gym too. Like, just a really good salt of the earth family. So. Yep, shout out the Coyle family. I hope you all enjoy that game tonight.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yep. And killer. He's been on. He's been a great guest. We did him in person, I think in Anaheim last year. Jet ski Bo boy, great.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah. He's still dodging us on a sandbagger. But who isn't, right?

[Ryan Whitney]

I don't know if we want that smoke.

[Mike Feuds]

This was an awesome pod, guys. I loved.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, guys, great. Great being in person with you guys. Shout out us in Canada on Netflix now, hopefully in Australia and the uk. We're there in a couple weeks, but we will be back to you. And because we're in person. No Ra's World, he's going to be on Monday's show. So Ra will be back next Sunday episode. Well, we record Monday, we drop Tuesday. So Tuesday Ra's World will be back and Friday we'll be at Penn State. We'll be at chance at 4 o'. Clock. Best call. Back together next week.

[Mike Feuds]

Yeah, we got back to back weeks. We're recording live.

[Ryan Whitney]

Yeah, because we're going to go. All right. I'm flying into Pittsburgh Thursday morning and then we'll get to State College, record the pod. Big interview, huge interview lined up.

[Mike Feuds]

Maybe. Maybe a couple. We'll do a couple zoom ones and then we're going to do one sit down live. We're not going to spoil who it is.

[Biz Nunez]

You guys have to fly into Pittsburgh.

[Ryan Whitney]

Where you taking a private jet?

[Biz Nunez]

Frank's taking me.

[Ryan Whitney]

I might fly down to Florida. Frank, can you just pick us up in Boston? Pick me up in Boston.

[Mike Feuds]

I'm going to be in Atlanta. I might just fly to See you on Thursday.

[Ryan Whitney]

Can I please just, like, get picked up?

[Biz Nunez]

Ask him.

[Ryan Whitney]

Frank, please, I. I'll do anything. Just shoot up to Boston and then we take a leftover state College and it. Please. I'll take you to an Oilers game one day.

[Mike Feuds]

To offer you other than a room. Min's room to stay in. Oh, and last final thing for me, a friendly reminder to the people who are still bitching that we went to Netflix and are complaining. What can they do with.

[Ryan Whitney]

They can listen to the pod.

[Biz Nunez]

Yeah.

[Mike Feuds]

No. They can lick my cornhole.

[Ryan Whitney]

Oh. Oh, okay.

[Mike Feuds]

But they can also listen.

[Ryan Whitney]

Okay, well, everyone have an awesome weekend. We'll be back to you Tuesday on Netflix. Won't happen again. A bad habit worth breaking, but it's taking time and again. No, don't let it.

[Pasha]

It's going to happen.

[Rob Blake]

It's going to happen again.

[Ryan Whitney]

Out on the course, they're the PGA Tour's best players. But in the arena, they're prime time. In season two of TGL, presented by SoFi, is back with lights, cameras, action. We're talking big moments, big personalities, big names in the stands, all on the big screen. Big time matchups with shot clocks. Hammer drops timeouts, overtime and playoffs. It's city versus city, squad versus Squad. This sport just hits different under the lights. It's TGL, presented by SoFi.

[Mike Feuds]

Keep up.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's golf. Tune in to every match, only on espn. Out on the course, they're the PGA Tour's best players. But in the arena, they're prime time. And season two of TGL, presented by SoFi, is back with lights, cameras, action. We're talking big moments, big personalities, big names in the stands, all on the big screen. Big time matchups with shot clocks, camera drops, timeouts, overtime and playoffs. It's city versus city, squad versus squad. The sport just hits different under the light. It's TGL, presented by SoFi.

[Mike Feuds]

Keep up.

[Ryan Whitney]

It's golf. Tune in to every match, only on espn.