The 4 Nations Final with Paul Bissonnette | Canada vs. USA

Are you watching film of fighting guys like guys that you potentially fight, Like I know this guy, he's gonna pull my jersey, probably give me a right hook or something.

So fortunately enough for me at the time where I started doing it, like YouTube was a thing and I could study that way where the olden days they had to find like the VHS tapes. And also fortunately for me, when I was in the NHL, I wasn't having to scrap the old fighters of the past where they would grab on and they would just go punch in the face match where there was no defense none.

It was I watch it every time, like these guys take two or three off the face and just keep going.

And I was more of a defensive fighter where you look back and I'm just so grateful if I was playing in the seventies, like my nose would be on the other side of my head, ye, and I probably would be like eating through a two at this point.

Welcome to Games with Names.

I'm Julian Edelman, They're Jack and Kyler, and we are on a mission to find the greatest game of all time. And on today's episode, we're covering the Fresh four Nations final USA versus Canada with former NHL winger, host of Spitting chick Lits and the man they call biz Nasty, Paul Bizanette, and we get into talking this Canada America rivalry.

When you guys came into our building and you punched us in the face and then won that game, we needed a response. This isn't over. This is just the beginning.

The craft of fighting in hockey.

I would go on the ice, top him on the shin pads and say, hey, let's go mother. I'm trying to provide a spark to our team, like let's get this crowd into it and let's get going.

And what it's like to play with Sydney Crosby, one of the.

Goats, playing with a guy who was obsessed with the game and if the level wasn't at the level he would be barking.

And we're talking about our night at skate for La Strong in the chill Zone by Coors Light. You gotta stick around to the very end. Let's Go Games with Names is a production of iHeartRadio.

February twenty first, twenty twenty five td GTTEN, Boston, Massachusetts. The tournament is new, but the rivalry is as old as it gets the best of America versus the best of Canada.

This is the Four Nations Final.

Today, we have a very special guest and we are looking at probably one of the most crazy. It's the craziest popular All Star event I've ever witnessed. We're gonna talk about the Four Nations face off championship game between Canada and the US with the one and only Paul Bizinette in one sentence, why did you pick this game?

Well, I kind of want to pick both, not only the championship game, but the round robin game that had three fights in the first nine seconds, so we can kind of go all over the board. But what an amazing time for hockey right now. It's just on an absolute heater, not only the Four Nations, but now all of a sudden, you go back to regular season and Ovechin gets a hat trick in his second game back after the break, where he's thirteen goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's goal record.

Who would have ever fucking thought.

So, I'm not a hockey guy and I'd never even thought that would happen.

Yeah, there you go.

It's That's why I just feel like there's so many casual sports fans right now that have become addicted to hockey just based on, you know, the energy that guys are putting into it, you know how they're so relatable, and of course just the action. It's eighty two games, but guys show up much like football guys. It's like they put on the gear and they're ready to go.

Was this the greatest game of all time? So?

I would say that this championship game will go down at least as one of my favorites. As far as a rating standpoint, it was the most viewed non Olympic game in hockey's history. So for what it did for the game and the way that it just kind of reached out for our sport, I would probably put it as my number one. At this point. That might be recency bias. A lot of people might be shaking their head, but I can't, off the top of my head think of a more anticipated game in my lifetime.

As a casual puckhead. I couldn't agree with you.

More cultural impact of this specific game I mean, we're not even going to get to see how big it's going to create because we're so fucking fresh off of it. But like that put the All Star weekend basketball, it like.

Slapped that down, Like it was like the step son, the redheaded step son. And it also it made me, as a football player, be disappointed in our All Star Game and our Pro Bowl shit, whatever our activities. And it has to do with how the players came out and fucking showed up. Man, It's one thing I've always

Hockey culture is a very special place, and like even the reason I'm in town is because I played with the La Kings organization. They had a ten year anniversary for our Calder Cup winning the Miners. But it just so happens that they threw this this charity event in the last four weeks they put it together and it was for all the victims of the fires. Yeah, people who displaced from their homes obviously the first responders in la FD, so they were able to do this. So

I watched.

I watched the first two goals and I was sidetracked, and then I got back into overtime and I saw fucking mcjesus.

I mean, he wouldn't even do anything all game. And I don't know it that well.

I'm what were you sidetracked with?

I was? I don't know. I think it was like eating a brito or I.

Feel like you have add like terrible I thinks I think you were sending memes during the third period.

I was maybe setting memes about the game to my friend talking ship all my fucking Canadian friends. We got this. Yeah it didn't work out. No, no, it didn't. It didn't work.

Jesus came through.

He needed, uh, he needed a moment like that because, uh, maybe there's a little criticism on whether he can win the big one, but I think that will catapult him. And they have a very strong team in Edmonton, so they might they might be hoisting the Stanley Cup this year. I'd like to see that for him.

Yeah, we'll get into the teams. But how how cool was that l a skate yesterday? You know, like just.

Well, you know I got to see you know, Uncle Snoop, my little I brought my daughter and she was just in in in an awe of Snoop will Ferrell.

She thinks his elf. Uh, and she did a little high We were sitting on the glass and and Beebes gave her a little high five. She almost Yeah, she had a and we got a puck from uh who was Eric Armstrong? Armstrong Armstrong gave us a puck. You know what, I had so much fun watching the old boys, like just hockey guys, likes like they didn't lose any of it, Like they may have lost explosion, but they could still go out and fucking play like that was so cool to watch him.

And Mess is working out every morning. He has a fucking machine.

I think he could still play in the league, especially for how soft some of these guys are nowadays, that he would, he would still run show. And uh, he's just such a great ambassador for a game. And even after the career he had kind of like you, he transitioned into media and he's crushing on ESPN.

PK. Sue Ben was there.

Looked a little rusty last night. Who messeddk oh PK. Yeah, well he's too busy doing all the media. He probably doesn't hop on the skates much anymore.

So you lose it. You lose it if you're not on the skates.

Oh yeah, Hockey is the one thing where you could run and work out twice a day. But if you're not on your edges and on your blades, it's just little little must groups that you just have a real hard time finding if you're not on the ice. And for me, I tore both my acls and my last season, so I haven't really stayed in both.

Buddy, both I tore my no on one play no I tore.

I tore my right one.

Of all that, that's a real bender right there, man, that's like an official vendor status.

So I was trying.

To keep up to these young guys, right the game is constantly evolving, the players are getting faster and faster. So I tore my right one, and I knew it was going to be my last year, so I prehabbed it to try to come back and finish the season. So finally did so, came back, tweaked it again the first game back. Took another like month to prehabit. Came back in my first game back. Were in San Jose. Playned the Barracuda and that's the San Jose Sharks farm team.

It was very just a plug, you.

Know, press box junkie when I played in the NHL and just kind of going out in style.

I guess you went till the wheels fell off literally literally literally Yeah.

And you gotta fight on the way out.

And that's another thing that impresses me is the balance that you guys have when you're fighting, because fighting on ground is tough. Yeah, when you're fighting on fucking skates, like it's that's crazy. Which celebrity did you think had the best game last night?

I actually think Bieber is pretty silky. Yeah, you know, he's he's got a little bit of the ankle bender going, but he's got silky mits. So I would probably put him at the top of the list.

Uh.

He just needs to work on his toughness. Although I think that Jeremy Roona kind of let him win that fight to get his confidence going. But uh, just cool the fact that he was there.

Roner, could he would have hit If he would have hit Bieber, I mean that could have been bad for every little girl in his family. They would have hated.

Him, They would have definitely disowned him.

Sure, yeah, wife and all for Yeah, but uh, I mean just going back to the four Nations and like even the scrapping, Like, I don't know if you know the Kuchuck brothers at all.

I don't know them personally.

Boston guys.

Boston guys.

I know them though what they dad was a Boston guy and they were everywhere because of the dead.

Yeah.

Did you hear about the round robin game.

And how they fought in the first three? Yeah, and how they basically pre planned that?

Now, how they do that? Explain that?

So we were in Montreal, the mecca hockey of the world, and like rumblings were coming out that they had said that they were going to turn the Bell Center upside down. The Kuchucks had already said that. So obviously we're going in with the anticipation that there's going to be like a lot of hits. It's going to be a very intense game. By no means did we expect them to drop the gloves off the opening face off. So then the melee ensues right off the opening drop. Matthew Kuchuck

JT. Miller goes after Parenko.

So after the game and the postgame press conference, they said that they had a text chain going that said, Hey, let's fucking get this thing going tonight. So they had essentially pre planned it, the three of them, and they got the fireworks started, and it was a great rest of the game. Like Charlie McAvoy under Boston Boy, he was laying out McDavid and that really is what propelled

Now without a doubt.

I mean, those that three fight game that put in everyone's radar, what the fuck is this for nations thing?

And the fact that like you know, football is over right, Football is a juggernaut. There's no taking viewership away from that. Butter with the Super Bowl and not really much going on with the NBA, I mean, other than like the shitty All Star game they got going, everybody's just craving some type of sport. So the timing of it all was just perfect for the NHL. And by the start of the game to the end of the game, it was the conversation on Twitter. It's all anybody was talking about,

It is exciting times. It's really fun as an American to see that we're even put into that sentence, because you know how Canada fucking loves their hockey, love it.

I mean, that's their sport.

I don't think there's probably a lot of Americans watching this right now. I don't think people understand how important that was from a moral perspective. I think right now, from an economy perspective, Canada's in a bit of a dip. Leadership will be changing, you know, I don't I don't get into politics too much. Like I took the fifty first state comments and then the tariff things as like more like chirps from Trump and we're a very sensitive nation.

Not too much.

And I don't like politics and sports like to be overbearing.

Without a doubt, And we'll get more into the game. But take us through your journey, your hockey journey. You played twelve years. You battled back and forth from you know, the triple As to the big I'm sorry if I I fowed up the terminology, yeah, and so take us through your journey.

Yeah.

So I was a pretty decent junior player. I was a defenceman.

I actually was able to represent my country playing under seventeen for Team Ontario and then under eighteen was Team Canada. I played both of them World Championship, was able to win gold both times. Was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins and got in a little bit of trouble early on

So I started off my career.

And professional in the EHL, basically the lowest league, and slowly worked my way up, and after getting in a little bit more trouble, basically was in the coast and thought my career was over. And then from at that point I was a defenseman and they called me up to the AHL and they said, we're going to make you a fourth line fighter. And I had a decision to make at that point in time whether I wanted to do that or stay stubborn and stay as a defenseman.

So I started scrapping. I got beat up a lot.

I had back to back seasons where I fought thirty times, and guys at that time in the A were taking steroids. I was getting shit kicked out of myself, and eventually, just from playing that position and sticking at it, I ended up finally making the bigs with Pittsburgh.

And I got to team make it though unreal.

I got to play with Sidney Crossy, have Genny malk and Marc Andre Fleury. You know, just those memories alone were unbelievable, even though I was only there for about twenty twenty six games, played fifteen and then the following season, I was old enough where I got sent down, but I could get picked up by Waivers, so I got to go over to Phoenix, who put in acclaim for me and played.

Five years there, lived out my dream.

Ended up starting Twitter when I was there, and that's where the whole social media career started and then ended up finishing off my career in the American Hockey League. So I was one of those guys where I was a borderline NHLer and I was just grateful to be there and was able to play with so many amazing teammates and made so many friends in Arizona, one of which is another Boston guy, keith Yandle who's now on our Spit and Chiccklets podcast. But yeah, it was a whirldwin.

Have a purpose after my playing career yeah.

I mean you clearly did that. I mean you still played twelve years at a professional sport. Yeah, and then you did something amazing where you didn't just become a Canadian kid that went back to the house and did nothing with no with his life. You did something else and now you're known for something else other than being an athlete.

Yeah, I'm really cool.

Yeah, I'm always interested in more and what life has to offer. So as much as I love my hometown of well In, Ontario, I always knew there was more out there and more I wanted to do the same. Reason why at sixteen years old when I was drafted to junior, like I moved away from home and I lived at the Bill family. I never even called home for the first three weeks while we had training camp

Oh yeah, just all what year is this?

Oh this is probably like two thousand and eleven. So so the shit that I was able to get away with and droll my own personal social channels based on playing in Arizona and the fact that they wanted publicity, it just worked out perfectly. And that's kind of what got me my start into the media, where I started getting more opportunities and offers to do these one off videos. And then by the time I retired, I got my buddy here, Pasha. I dove right into it. I did

Fucking it's been fun to I didn't.

Have the playing career that you had. I was in the press box more. I had more healthy scratches in my career than games played.

Yeah, but yeah, still you still made do with what you had. That's it, and that's what you could continue to preach when you talk.

And it's also a lesson for like a lot of kids out there, Like everybody drafted when they're playing junior, we're probably the stars of their team, right Yeah, but you know at a certain point you're not going to be the star and you have to make a sacrifice. Are you okay being the fourth line peasant who's getting healthy scratched. If you're not willing to put your ego aside, there's other guys who will, and there's positions for those guys. So I'm glad at the time I was able to

That's what people don't realize is the different ego slots in the locker room for a professional athlete. Being a role player, you have to swallow your pride, do everything, have mental toughness, do what's best for the team, win it may not be best for you, and be that role guy and love doing that. The fullback going out and blowing out his head every day in practice, like knowing that he'll never touch the ball, but that's just

Do did you go to boxing camp?

Or like?

How the fuck?

So? When I, even when I was playing junior, I liked handling my own business. Yeah, but that would be about five six times a year and normally against other guys who were playing more so they weren't like just specifically heavyweight scrappers. So it was hard just because I was getting used to fighting these guys who, like some guys were on steroids and they were just a lot more experience, have been doing it since they were kids.

I got to do this again tomorrow night.

And so it was definitely a transition and a hard process to start to understand. But it just taught me a lot about like adversity and how to deal with that type of stuff and really prepared me for what was to come for.

After my career.

So great life lessons to learn, like getting the shit kicked out of yourself.

Yeah, can you got to walk us beat for beat on how a fight goes down in hockey as casual as casual, like, is it a fucking look?

Is it?

Are you guys talking to each other on the ice? Is it like just is it just drop them in? Fucking go?

So what is this? Walk us through this?

So the reason I love to do it the most was to protect my teammates, especially when they were being taken advantage of. And that was the one thing that made it a lot easier when I was going through all that. And you know, fighting three thirty times a year for the first time, is how appreciative your teammates are. And so you know, let's say one of our skill players gets ran by one.

Of these types of players.

It's what ran.

Like, Let's say he goes back for a puck and that guy takes a run and I'm like, lays out a big hit on him, Like there's nothing more than I want to get on the ice and go challenge that guy to get retribution for that hit he just throw through or if he's like slashing him and trying to take advantage of him. So that to me is where I would go on the ice, tap him on the shin pads and say, hey, let's go, motherfucker.

Or maybe you.

Know, we were down three to one at home, and you know, the energy and the building is flat and our guys aren't really going. I'm trying to provide a spark to our team, like let's get this fucking crowd into it and let's get going. That would be another time where I would line up at a face off and ask a guy to go. So most of the time it was just tapping a guy in the shin pads and saying, hey, let's let's throw down.

And what do they ever say now?

Yeah, Like, typically if your team's ahead, you don't want to lose momentum, so.

You don't want to get the power play, you don't want to get pedaled.

Yeah, because especially if I'm chasing around the ice and I'm tapping him on the shin pads, then I would have gotten an instigator penalty. You have to be a little bit more subtle about it, where like you're like off, a face off is when you just verbally say hey, you want one, And half the time a guy who had whose team has a lead, will be like, no, coach said no. Coach said no, And my coach would say the same thing to me, you go a biz,

We're fucking going yeah.

Now what's the difference between a fighter and an agitator? Because we just had Sean Avery on yes, and I just want to clarify talk.

About another guy who had a great transition out of playing.

He's fucking doing another Nolan movie.

He is. He is an unreal ad. He's he's very disciplined to.

He's part of my neighborhood watch for my daughter's house. He lives in the same neighborhood. And so remember that TMZ TMZ video that came out of him yelling at the kid yes, and that was right by my house. No ship yeah, he's gotten in a few Donnie Brooks off the Yeah, yeah, yeah, he got I.

Love having him up there. But it makes my kid feel safe. And he's doing all the jiu jitsu stuff. Yeah, he's like godd he's pretty to be an agitator, though he was.

He was probably one of the best ever to agitate. I mean, I know you had him on recently he talked about the bro Dure stuff. Sean would say some insane ship to people on pace, like places that I would not go if like if if Yeah, it's just some of the ship he said.

Your jaw would drop and you'd be like, oh my god.

I wouldn't want to be in a relationship if I was playing against Sean Avery Like, I might even divorce my wife before I played against him, just to avoid the type of insults that he would throw. But he was very good at like picking his spots and then knowing when to rile the other team up and then not fighting. So he was a master of his craft. I don't think he left the league with a ton of friends, but I don't also think he gives a shit.

He runs a tight ship. He's got a tight group, and that's all he cares about.

Yeah, so the fighter and the agitator is different.

Yeah, like he he was also a very good player when he focused on playing.

I think he could.

He was a very reliable third line player, and even in some cases he could go up and down the lineup, like if you needed Sean to play on the first line for a night, he could fit in. Maybe not sustainably for a twenty game stretch, but for me, I was just more of a knuckle dragger. Where I mean, the most minutes I ever played in the game, I'll

Are you watching film of fighting guys like guys that you potentially fight, like I know this guy, he's gonna pull my jersey, probably give me a right hook or something.

So fortunately enough for me at the time where I started doing it like YouTube was a thing and starting lowly, social media started coming in, so I could study that way where the olden days they had to find like

It was I watch it every time, like these guys take fucking two or three off the face and just keep going.

And I was more of a defensive fighter where you look back and I'm just so grateful. If I was playing in the seventies, like my nose would be on the other side of my head, ye, and I probably would be like eating through a two at this point.

So just a.

Different era, and I guess to answer your going back to your question, the difference between an agitator is somebody who doesn't necessarily have to fight all the time, but can get under people's skin, play the game, and also handle his business.

Shit. What makes a good locker room guy in hockey? I think just you guys have you guys always have. I feel like that you guys always have pretty great locker rooms.

There's not like it's not like football or basketball or I don't know how baseball that much.

You know, they got a lot of that too, where there's there's like a.

Lot of egos sometimes with certain positions. I feel like hockey, those guys are always what makes the locker room so great.

I mean there have been locker rooms like that. I was blessed throughout my entire career where we always had great locker room culture.

I was.

I played in Pittsburgh's organization, Phoenixes and LA's and every organization was first class. And I would say, what makes a good locker room guy is just like guys who are selfless. You know, they look they look after the team, They care about wins more than they do their individual stats. And that was just kind of how we operated in Phoenix because that's where I was for the majority of

So the guys.

Yeah, So you know, I always I learned from a young age that that's kind of what you had to do in order to be a good teammate, especially if you weren't contributing on the ice. And but it goes back to the entire locker room where we just had a great culture.

And that's just kind of the situations that I was in.

Now, what playlist as team DJ got the boys going the best?

So I think you had to read the room. And we had the check mafias. We had about five or six check guys on our team, and so they straight they liked the techno. They like, yeah, the disco biscuits, let's go, yeah, go into all.

Those finish dudes, they all love that shit. Huh Yeah.

We had a few euros and when they were in the locker room, I made sure that they were they were getting their techno. We had some Western leaguers they wanted the country and then usually leading up to Puck Drop, it was hip hop and then maybe a few like hardcore ac DC.

Thunderstruck can never go wrong. You can't go wrong with Thunderstruck.

I mean, I think it's on every kid's highlight film that's thirty five and older.

If you can't get your dick card to Thunderstruck, like you, you you got problems. You don't deserve to be in the league.

I'm tn T guy too. Yeah, I just want to hit something.

Yeah yeah, Now I got to ask something. You guys use the word slap dick. We use slap dick all the time too.

No, they don't. I want the equivalent of slaptick.

Oh what's the equivalent?

Explain slaptick?

A slap dick to us is like a baba luke or like just.

Like explain baba luke.

Yeah, it used to be a different language.

A locker room is kind of like a guy that he's a slappy like he's like.

He'll go over after the game.

What's that he's more of?

He's not a cool kid yet you know how there's like socioeconomic statuses in the locker room. He's not a cool kid, but he's not like someone he's like in that bottom tier of the of the team.

Probably me, Yeah, I was just handing out the protein shakes after the game.

Or you know the guys like my my.

My one example is like I remember me and Rob Nikovich early in my career when I was a slap dick. We would sit in the locker room after organized team activities in spring, like mini camps, and we we'd have the rest of the day off, and we'd be talking about going to Waxies, which is this local bar where no one knew who we were because we wear helmets and we were young guys and no one kneho we were. And we would sit there and we would just dream about look at Brady.

And say, man, you think he's gonna take his supermodel wife on a fucking helicopter in Hamptons for a fucking lunch today or that like that? Those are the slap looking at those guys like the what is is there? A slap dick name in hockey. I would I use the term tire pumper.

I was.

I used to pump guys tires and and you know, you want to make them feel good, especially a guy not playing is you want them being at the most confident. So even before games, like the rule was is when I had Dave Tippet as a head coach, even when I was a healthy.

Scratch, I would go for warm up. So I'd be around the locker.

Room just being like, man, you're the best, like you're you're fucking buzzing lately, you know, scoring all those goals. Maybe not speculating what they were doing with their wives, but more so just making sure their tires were pumped, their egos were inflav we.

Were marveling that like, yes, he's just like man, I wonder what he's probably gonna go to, like Italy for the day.

I would always like to ask guys like can I see your paycheck? Yeah, because they would put the hard copy in the stall, and you know, I'd look at mine and I was fucking grateful at that time, like twenty grand every two weeks.

Yeah.

And then you'd look at a guy like Ed Joe Venowski, like two hundred and fifty three hundred K every two weeks, and you're just.

Like, what the fuck?

Go good by Bentley if he wanted to to he wanted. It's crazy when silver Leaf, you know, playing golf every day, you know, rubin elbows mine while I'm eating at fucking five guys.

Well, time in my career, Thursdays was a Chili's night, Okay, bottomless chips and salsa, that's your go to.

That was our go to first three years of my career at Chili's.

So so it wasn't until year four where you were a starter.

I was a special teamer, so I played, I returned punts, I covered kicks. We had Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Joey Galloway. So like I was bottom on the depth chart at receiver and I was a quarterback in college, so I was transferring positions. So I had to like make myself valuable. I had to go to the hockey boy route and fucking tire pump a bunch of dudes and play on every fucking team and learn the game before I got to have an opportunity to start.

So, like, what would Randy Moss dap you up.

Yeah, Randy love Like Randy was souper cool to me. He he used to call me Edel nut, you know, and he would he would make me why because I was like a nut, you know. I was a little kid, fucking asking questions all the time.

I had no clue. You're you're in a new part of the world, new part of the country.

Probably bringing energy to the locker room too. What you have to do when you're a.

Tire pump, but you can't be heard, you have to be seen. It's a rookie, okay, you know, so you're not bringing that much.

I came in hot. That was my problem.

Like some guys were probably like this guy's a loser, but eventually I grew on them.

I came in hot once with Randy on Christmas and told him to tell his mom Merry Christmas while he's on the phone with her. And he looked at me and said, edelmanha, if I'm ever talking to my mom, just shut the fuck up on Christmas.

Okay, So like you.

Were Jewish, But he also like loved me up, like I would have to keep the receiver, like you're when you're a young guy or rookie, you'd have to get all the food for the travel. Yeah, and you usually have to pay for it out of your own pocket. But he'd always I was a seventh round guy. He'd always slide me the money and make me go.

Like he took care of me.

But he's awesome. He let me know that I was a rookie. But he always when no one was looking, he'd always pump my tires.

So year fourwards, when you you walked in and you finally fell like you'd establish yourself and then you had like.

The no, I was still battling. It wasn't until about year five, my year five, after year five, that's when I went for like one hundred and five catches. That was the after that year, that's when it was like, all right, now you're not a slappy.

So before that, you like wouldn't text back and forth with Brady.

I would. So I was trying to get there. I was making myself available. I was like the uh, you know, I was kind of like the uh, the non threatening guy friend okay for him or you know, if he needed me in La anytime I traveled anywhere. He was just in case he needed me to throw too so I made myself available. So the first year, you know, in the off seasons, we didn't we threw once because all the receivers used to throw at them. And then you know, by year four, we're throwing three or four

To how you started in the friend zone with Brady.

Was I was friend zone because he ed Welker and Moss.

Oh yeah, and then and then those guys took off and you took their place.

And they took off. Yeah, you know, he's kind of like Matthew McConaughey. I guess and days and confused.

They get older, I keep getting older and they keep playing.

I was just a younger version of them.

That's unbelievable. That's unbelievable. Oh, great way to put it.

Who were some of the big dogs you looked out for on your teams?

Well, Yeans because he was a skilled defenceman. Ed Jovanovski who was a veteran defenseman for US, but like a star at that time, he'd want a gold with Team Canada at the Olympics.

Shane Doan was our captain.

The thing about Arizona is we didn't have a big we didn't have a big budget. Like at one point when I was there, the league took over and they owned the team. So we never really had these like high end superstars on our team. We just had a really galvanized group of lunch pale mentality type of players where my first, second and third year there, we made playoffs.

Thirteen, thirteen, I remember that.

Yeah, and we lost to the La Kings in five.

Remember those jerseys, and I was like, who the fuck is a coyote?

Yeah, exactly exactly.

Now, yeah, we're staying at the fucking Best Westerns when other teams are staying at the Ritz Carlton and just like you know, that's sick, eating chicken noodle sup before games, just to survive. And and sure enough we go all the way to the conference finals. So it was a very special group and we had a guy, Ray Whitney, who played over a thousand games, over thousand points.

Who was he?

Actually, it's he has a funny story. He grew up in Edmonton. His father was a trainer for the Edmonton Oilers, and he grew up and he would go to the locker room and help as a trainer for game days and he would be taping Wayne Gretzky sticks. Oh, Wayne Gretzky would use about like five to eight sticks every game, and he would go there and tape it up and he'd make sure after the game and a Gatorade cup

He must be a good tape stick taper stick taper, because I remember watching Sagan do that once and it was like taping the stick. I know, but like that's a guy's like to have someone else do it. It's like prepping your sword.

No, yeah, some guys are very sloppy about it. David Posterknock used to just go like a couple strips and he'd score fifty goals. It didn't just yeah, like right out of the wrapper tape, a couple of strips on it and he's out there. But other guys are very precise where they would have the same amount, Like there wouldn't be a millimeter of difference between every player of how it went all the way to the toe from heel to toe or whatever. But yeah, so that's the

You have to.

Yeah, Now you started in social media, Yeah, that's how everyone kind of found you. Yeah, and you jumped over into the mainstream and you work with T and T. How the fuck has that been? Because I'm in this world now too, and it's a fun world. How's it for you guys?

So I don't think I would be on T and T if it wasn't for the Spit and Chickles podcast. Soh Rear Admiral ra as we call him him and Wit started the pod and Mike Grinnell, our producer, hopped on and then it kind of evolved to what it was before I hopped on that I actually started as a color guy with the Coyotes after I retired, So doing the full game and talking for the three hours

And it's so fun because I work at Fox and it's fun watching you guys, and from my experience getting to go to work and see how we long Terry Bradshaw, it gives you my football fix. Like everyone asked, don't you want to coach? I'm like, fuck no, those guys have no lives.

I still get my football fix by going to work and talking old war stories with Terry Bradshaw. HOWI long Michael Strahan all those guys and have that locker room vibe. How's the locker room vibe with fucking your guy? Yeah, Gretzky, Like, how crazy is how is it to get to work with the fucking great one every day? It's surreal.

And my first year, especially because he was doing a little bit more, and I've even shocked the fact that he's doing it. He's done so much as an ambassador for the game, he does so much for the alumni, so the fact that we even get to be in his presence is incredible. And our first year before Rick Talckett, his good buddy, had got a head coaching job with

Is that you said, I'm not a bord guy.

Me neither exactly tried a big one. That's like four syllables.

I should probably stick to my game off the glass and out the little details.

That's what the details.

Even more so so just to be around him and be in his presence, it's it's like I pitch myself all the time. He's the greatest to ever do it. And also the reason they call him the great one is not because of what he accomplished on the ice, but also what he's done off the ice, Like there's no bigger guy. Like all he wants to do is help the former players, whether it's get them insurance and grow the game and just help everybody out in the hockey world.

And uh, just an unreal ambassador for the game of hockey.

He seems like just a nice man. He is the man, dude, he's the man. He looks like I've never met him.

He's the best.

He seems so cool.

I'll tell him next time he's here. I bet you he would come on your podcast.

I would love to have fucking Wayne Gretzki on the Goddamn Podcast.

Because his kids, his kids help run his hockey school, his merchandise or they're keeping it as a family business and they run his social So he on the Theovon podcast. Yeah, so they'll be like, Dad, go on this, and he'll be like, okay. So he just loves it, and he'd.

Be a guy that's like a you know, we were very fortunate in our sport to have a great face guy to like Tom. You know, the guys that are faces of leagues and that are generational greats. They're not just that because they're great on the field or on the ice. It's because they're overall just great dudes, great humans. And that's why there's so much greater than everyone.

Yeah, and and exactly, and like going back, look at how much Tom's done for the game, Like you think, man, go go chill on a beach and and go relax, go enjoy it. And it's almost like he feels like he's indebted to the game based on what it's provided his life to continue to grow it and obviously to continue to be a part of it.

And he just loves it.

And yeah, and you could tell with all of them, it's just a fabric of their being. And uh yeah, it's just.

Because they respect the game and they understand. You know, you get a lot of these a lot of people that said, you know, I'm I'm not letting the sport define me the.

Well you know, the great ones do. Yeah, they understand that they're in debt to the sport because what the sport has given us. Yeah, and you love that sport, you know what I mean. And that's what you see from those two specifically, what's it like watching a game with them? Is he is he breaking that ship down? Oh?

Yeah, that and also how it will correlate to like just this insane monumental moment throughout hockey history. So that's the best thing with him. It's like goosebumps, goosebumps, choose your own ending. He could bring it anywhere. So getting to watch he also sees it like what's the term. He's almost like a savant. So sometimes he'll like describe a plan. I'll be like, oh, yeah, like I don't know what the fuck he's saying, Like you should have

Mcjesus gonna be.

He is him. It's what he does on the ice, it's I don't get it. I don't understand it. So I actually I knew that I could never play in the NHL again when I played in an exhibition game when I was with the LA Kings organization, so I was in training camp. They did this like Craft Hockeyville game and it was in like Vernon, BC, so we traveled there. I got to play in the game, and I was obviously playing fourth line, and you'd heard about this kid, and I think this was his first year

So that was the end of it.

And I knew that this game was being handed off to another level in which I didn't think was ever going to be possible.

Geez. It's it's exciting though. It's so exciting.

That's exciting for hockey because the leagues need one guy, like who's Basketball's guy right now, which is in a different form of fashion because they have a bunch of guys, but they're not like American guys, so they can't build around. Hockey's in a different world where the hockey I consider Canada and American guys like for the North in America, you know what I mean, Yeah, where you can rally behind at least in this country, like they don't have that in a lot of other sports.

Right now, hockey you have a future.

So not only mcjesus as we call him, but like Nathan McKinnon as Matthews too, Austin Matthews, he had sixty nine goals last year.

Gigb you then you got his predecessor or he's got you got his Uh, you just got a couple of little battles for.

It's like I feel like hockey is going into it's almost like it's glory days. Because of just the growth of the game in the United States and in the population. They formed the development program here, so the American kidcher U the United States so they.

Have they would they hire. I don't know who runs the Canadian guys.

Uh, there are a lot.

Of Canadian hockey players that have settled in the States and probably a big reason as to why the minor programs in these different cities, whether it's a Dallas, Florida, that these kids are obviously being raised in the States as Americans and the game is growing here. Yeah, Canadians do have a little part to do with it, but there's tons of amazing.

American John barselsand.

Yeah, PMT is like you never know where they're going. So I just kind of got off the rails with them. So had to take credit, especially during this time of the foreign nations and all the controversy.

Between US and Canada.

But but no, it's the game is in a great place and all these players are pushing the envelope, and especially the US with how many great players they have they have. Jack Eichel just mentioned they have some great defenseman even Canada, like Cale McCarry. You see his picture on the Spats he is, Yeah, he's a umask guy. He Wayne Gretzy just said the other day he goes biz. He's the best thing. Uh, Like he's the biggest comparable to Bobby or I've ever seen, and that is very

Whatever he did out there.

And Cale mccarr defensively and offensively is just an absolute phenom and living up to every expectation to Quinn Hughes, he's an American, He's a water bug out there. So he won last year's Norris ahead of Cale mccarr. So you almost like you have these battles going on between each of these positions, which is a good thing because it's just forcing them all to up their game. And on top of that, you have a storyline of of the Hughes brothers, so this you.

Can love that hockey guy. There's so many goddamn brothers in the Hut, three of them that are all under They're all like all stars.

You got the Kachuck Brothers who are now the modern day Bash Brothers, and the Mighty Ducks movie Bolton. You can there's a million storylines going on in hockey. And and that's why I said, I feel like we're entering like a new the.

Golden era hockey renaissance. Yeah, yeah, a hockey renaissance.

Olympics next year too, huh, Olympics next year. This formation is really gonna be that one two punch honestly.

Yeah, they timed it at perfect with the four nation thing because now you've got Olympics, which always gives his fucking cheers, and playoff hockey's coming up, so you're gonna get this and this back off.

Betman gets so much flack and I don't know if it's just a thing where like all the all all the guys who run the leagues, the commissioners get it. But as much as flack as he takes, he's done an exceptional job along with the league, the players association, the alumni to put it in a position where it is now. It'd been nine years since hockey had best on best for the COVID reason, and then at one point they just couldn't reach an agreement on an insurance situation.

Since the Crosby Golden goal was there was there a World Cup.

They did form a World Cup where they had like an under twenty five team. So it wasn't necessarily that traditional, but the fact that they did it the first one in nine years, McDavid and Crosby were able to put on Team Canada Jersey together. People want to act like it's a maybe, like call an All Star game or this makeshift event, But those are the four leading hockey

It couldn't be in a better place. Tyler, do you want to ask your Pittsburgh stuff for before?

Since before I can remember, you were a part the organization right at the start of the crosbyt Gino Latang Flower. Yeah, can you just can you in the organization in the building, could you see that was coming?

Oh? Yeah, yeah, it was kind of like I'm sure that you dealt with Tom. That was my first experience with playing with a guy who was obsessed with the game. And Sid would come to the rink every day, and the way that he would prepare, the way that he would be so focused when the drill was being drawn up. He would be the first guy in line and he would set the tone to every single drill and if the level wasn't at the level, he would be barking.

So but they were going to move the Penguins. Don't they love the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

It was just a dark time, right, Like it was like.

One of the isn't that like one of the most historic.

Yes, because of Mario and Yoger and what they'd done. But you know, unfortunately they were reaching their dog days. Mario was retiring, and that that lottery ball where they won and they got Sidney Crosby changed at all, and then the following year they got Malcolm and actually the year before that it was my draft when they ended up picking Marc Andre Fleury at number one overall. So they were fortunate enough to get those spots in the draft. Yeah,

Was hit the winger along the wall.

It was a fifteen foot fucking pass and I rounded the net and it was Mario and I missed him by about twenty feet and they had to blow down the drill and we had to restart, and I.

Was so embarrassed. Did you say anything like what's up? Kid? No? No, he was so cool about it.

You know. It was Eddie Ulcik was a coach at the time, and so thankfully the next time I did it, I hit his tape. But I'll never forget. He must have had a golf match after the practice and we didn't have the scrimmage that day. So normally you bag skate when you don't you know what to bag skate was, and to practice like lineup nopucks, just conditioning and yeah, ed Zoe was our coach at the time. He was like, all right, boys, great practice, great pace today, We're just

You got to be around some fucking legend legends.

I'll never forget you're.

Still around legend, You're you're a legend.

So uh no, uh the Afgheny malk and that was the year. I want to say he might have won the cont that first year.

He won the Heart too.

I think, yeah, he was just on fire. And when you do an entry level contract in the NHL, you're able to get bonuses. So that following training camp, I was still on the team and we're riding the bike and then this Frank Bernomo, who was like the PR guy, he comes off and ops an envelope and you could see once he opened it of Guinea Malklm's face lit up and I was like, what's going on over there?

And he handed over and.

It was like a million dollar check that he'd gotten for all his bonuses. And I was playing in the A at the time, making peanuts, and I just like, I'll never forget, and I think. A few days later, his nine to eleven poor showed up, Like this guy is just zipping around town. No way a cop would pull him over because they probably knew it was Gino. So just just living legends and a silly time in my life.

Oh my god, have you ever around when his parents would show up?

I was not there, But that was when the iconic series that he had against the Carolina Hurricane. Oh that backhanded going and when he had the hat trick that game and he scored that wrap around goal he went around the net and then he just like did like a spinner am of backhand top cheese, and his mom's crying in the stands and everybody's.

Like chanting, Geneo, Geneo.

And yeah, I actually unfortunately I was in the A at the time then and we were in playoffs and I got hit ass over tea kettle. So I had a guy hit me low and high, and it just so happens the guy who hit me high, he stepped on my wrist, and so I was in getting surgery because it cut my like tendons in my You.

Could die that way, they say. Usually if you want to kill yourself, slit your wrists.

But I got up and I saw the person in the front row. So we were in a playoff series against the Hershey Bears, and their NHL team was the Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh was playing Washington in the second round. That was always the biggest rivalry. It was OVI and Sid where they would have to hatching games and it would go to game seven. It was like, so good

That was that iconic series.

Story, hat trick game, the dueling hat trick, I want to say, was in Washington, but I was watching it on a TV when I was in Pittsburgh. And then they ended up coming back to Pittsburgh for I think it was like game six or something like that. So just a crazy time and to be in the Pittsburgh organization.

Energy like in the old Iglue.

The ego was unbelievable, and the acoustics were perfect as shitty as the dressing rooms were and whatever the facility, who who gave a fuck? It was iconic and I didn't care just because of the vibe in that arena. It was awesome. Sucks they had to tear it down. But you know, I don't like the way they build these new rinks. There's not enough character in my opinion. I like when they when they do them a little different geez. But yeah, I know we kind of got off the rails there.

Thank you for humoring me. You're the first penguin on our show in one hundred episodes, so thank you.

Yeah, no, it was, like I said, from Massachusetts, and the guy's a Penguins fan.

I like the animal and my penguin. My parents like spent some time in Pittsburgh. They lived in Swickly for.

A little bit.

Yeah, it's also Mario and it was Yager my number growing up in the middle.

Yeah, Mario was another guy just like Gretzky where they would have been very close in points if he stayed healthy and he didn't deal with the cancer and and the back issues, and like Mario was just badass man. He would show up like I don't I don't know how much training he was doing in the off season, but he'd be ripping heaters and fucking goal out there, like two goals to assist, like it was easy.

How big of a legend are you?

You know?

I see it a lot with these hockey guys. Man, I went out.

I I just remember going out with you guys, and you guys would have a game the next day. I would be in like offseason training, like stressing, like, man, I'm not gonna be able to run tomorrow for team run. These guys go out and fucking play hockey The next day, he dialed Savages Savages. We'll be right back after this quick break.

Let's let's go back into time.

This is a segment where we go back into time around where the game took place. We talk over pop culture. This is gonna be a little weird because this happened fucking last week. So February twenty first, twenty twenty five.

Oh, it's funny because it has the fiftieth anniversary of Saturday at Live. Wayne was supposed to go to that. We talk about him being the ambassador he was when he came to LA. He became so popular he ended up hosting Saturday at Live one time. So he got invited to that. He unfortunately didn't make it, but he had TNT right, Yeah, he had tntdn T.

Fiftieth Anniversary Saturday Live last week, White Lotus Season three.

You watch that.

I don't watch television. I should get watch more, but I just don't watch TV.

What do you do at night?

I just, uh, I'm just so invested in hockey and and trying to be on top of it all. I'm a bit of a hockey junkie, and yeah, I don't know. I just uh, I don't watch TV for whatever reason. But you recommend White Lotus.

I don't know, it's pretty good.

I did the Breaking Bad I did, Uh what other one? I think one of the best series of all time was the one that Woody Harrelson was in True Detectives. Was at season two season one? That was probably the best show I've ever watched.

Who was the guy yesterday at La Skate? Oh?

Taylor Kish was really good at you like that Moegs from Yes He was so good yesterday.

Okay, I saw a skill.

There's three or four actors.

I'm like that guy and Lee the guy from Chorsey to watch.

Oh yeah, So I'm good buddies with Terry Ryan, like Terry Yes, Teddy Purcell who played for the La Kings, He's good buddies with this Terry Ryan. And he's like this folk hero back in Newfoundland. And he wasn't on Shoresy yet, like he just retired and was kind of trying to find his way. And Teddy Purcell said, you know, this guy is a character. You need to get him

He looks looks the part Terry.

He played it all last night like he was playing in character, like booing the fans, and I was like, what.

The ten Hitchcock is his name on ten inch Cock? Yes, the playoff of it on Shoorsy, But just an unreal guy.

He's good handles.

Oh, by the way, I absolutely love the KHL episodes.

You guys do this is incredible.

Anytime you get guys on that played in the KS incredible stuff.

Yeah, especially when we get him back from guys who played in the Super League before it turned into the KHL. But yeah, the ship that they got going on in Russia is just gnarly. One guy told the story about how he would go on the road trip, he would come back and like his his like furniture would be a little off, so he thought he had ghosts in his apartment and he got injured on the road one time where he told the coach, hey, my Groin's hanging

The Eastern Europeans, bro like the Russians, any kind you anytime you hear a stand on something, one of the Kakistans of these stands, of that stand, they're fighting bears.

They're showing up to pick up the guys at the airport with Ak forty sevens.

I mean standard in those countries.

The one of the owners.

One time he didn't think the ref was calling a good game, so he came down on the bench and.

He killed him.

He threatened his family. I thought he killed him. No may maybe after the game.

I don't know if this ref has ever been seen or heard from again, but at least at the time. Another one of the one of the owners coming in the room with an AK forty seven like, yelling at the guys for not playing hard enough. It was guys getting paid cash at practice, and then they'd come back after and the duffel bag they got paid in was gone.

Now is it American cash or is it?

I think that they were paying them in US dollars these players, so.

Cash is king? All right, Let's break down the game.

This team USA team Quick with It, led by Mike Selvin. The twenty three man roster had a saw mix events and young Bucks. This team featured two sets of brothers and six sets of NHL teammates, notable dudes Austin Matthews, the Tucks, Jack Eichel, Jake Gunsel, Connor Hellibuck, and Charlie McAvoy. It's an all star team, so there's more names.

But it's an all star team. But we didn't have our best all stars out there because McAvoy had a fucking shoulder thing. What's this? What's this? Got an infection?

Yeah?

So from according to the Boston Bruins, they released a statement. I don't know if they were necessarily crazy about how it was handled. So it escalated to now where he's going to miss more time. They said it was an affection in his shoulder. That's the only details that I got. See.

This is the this is the ship that could get the all staring games fucked up.

Your star player goes down. Yeah, yeah, you don't want this is it? You know what I mean? This is the only this is why, this is what all the other people are going to say, like, this is why the other leagues don't play their best players all time. I think it would.

Be shortsighted to not understand what this did for the game. That is part of the discrepancy and why the owners push back on doing the Olympics. The Olympics don't pay the NHL anything to use their resources, so these owners are worried about these guys going and all of a sudden, you got a guy like Jack Hughes, Well what if he goes down where you're trying to make a playoff

Now, how do you describe this US team? Unreal?

They got, they got a little bit of everything. The biggest thing about the US is the guys that they still have coming up right, And there's a lot of young guys on this roster, like Brock Faber, very young defenseman for the Minnesota while where if you would have watched him play you would have been like, this guy's a thirty year old season vet. Another guy Jacob Slavin, like these guys are were not household names for this tournament,

What's prime age for hockey?

It might be like this with football, but there's it's slowly going down or course or quickly moving like down in age. I would say prime would probably be about twenty eight years old now.

And I'd say that that's when I was at my athletic prime. Yeah, twenty eight, twenty nine, twenty eight. It's when your man strength hits your your knowledge.

Yeah, yeah, that's pretty much the peak. And I think that US are really hitting that stride. The only thing about Canada and now is is Sidney Crosby's on the back nine, so that really sucks. Brad mar Shaw's on the back nine. So really this and the Olympics will be oh yeah, exactly, will be a passing of the torch, more so for the Canadians than the Americans. And we

Able to have.

Malcoln Ovechkin, Bebrovski and some of these older Russian players who have carried the torch for them handing it off to the Capricesovs in the next wave of Russian player and much like Canada, so to not have them involved as a top five hockey nation would would suck specifically for the hockey topic. Like sometimes when I say that on a podcast like ours, you'll see people commenting like there's a reason they're not involved.

It's like, bro, I don't know what the.

Fuck is going on with all this warfare and political bullshit politics. Yeah, I got my grade ten. I'm like fucking Ricky from Trailer Park Boys for crying out route Like I got three percent on my grade eleven math exam.

I fail. I failed.

I failed my States and Capital's test for crying out loud, So like, don't look at me for that.

I just want to see good hockey Canada or of US US US.

That's that's understandable. You're not from here.

Yeah right, thank you, thank you for back.

That's understandable.

Yeah, you're a great guy.

I mean, there'd be like I would tell you, there's probably fifty percent of the NFL that doesn't know all the states and can ree.

And and to be fair, I probably i'd probably fail my territory in province a test too if if we had it in Canada.

So uh yeah, not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

And also well, going back to my concussions, a lot of CT here.

It's a great thing to blame. It's it's a good card. As an ex athlete, you'll usually roll on that one.

We're gonna name yeah for a living for twelve years for syllable word ct C T E y C Yeah no, I meant going earlier.

Yeah sorry c T T yeah T.

How do you describe this Canada team?

On Team Canada led by John Cooper as usual, this is a heck of a roster led by vets Sidney Crosby, Brad marsh On along with three lightning players uh Fords were Stack, Conor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon, Mitch Marner, goaltender Bennington, just the kid.

I thought he was. I was watching that game. He had like four or five saves that I was like, this game should be over. Yeah, he had some like unreal saves in overtime and late in like the third I think, did he not or he just fucking swiped that thing you're bang on?

And and I don't know how many people listening know his story kind of like my trajectory where he's gotten a little bit of trouble and and you know, was down in the EHL and Ahl and then eventually he got recalled halfway through the year, the year that Saint Louis won the Stanley Cup, and he just went on this incredible tear and and uh, he's actually named after Michael Jordan. His father named him after Michael Jordan. He just kind of has that that pedigree where the bigger

Nut cutting time.

That's the guy that's the the been Nasty. They call him the Snowman. I don't need to go into that, but he's got a lot of fun nicknames and he's absolute character off the ice, going up top to John Cooper obviously won a couple Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What the fuck are you doing? Move the fucking buck, and like that's just how he is. He's the dog.

He's the dog and everybody has to match his intensity. It was good when they had Landeskog on the team because he was a perfect balance in the locker room guy blue guy to maybe calm him him down a little bit. But apparently he will not say a word to mccarr, which is actually funny because he's actually younger than him. But that just tells you how big of a dog mcar is too.

Who's the team asshole?

I would say that Marshawn plays a perfect villain and is a guy who from a veteran standpoint and the fact that he doesn't have to carry the weight as so much of a player in that locker room that we're looking at right now. He's the guy who probably handles all the media and settles the guy down the best, and is also chirping the most on the bench.

You don't want you.

Don't want Connor or McKinnon having to worry about Josh with the other team. You want to have guys who are the factors and guys taking the focus away from that. I thought hegel did an incredible job against fighting Matthew Kuchuck even though he's a little bit undersized, and handle himself well in the media as well.

So Canada had its dogs in the lineup.

How do you sum up this rivalry Canada US? Now, it's got to be at the highest it's ever been.

I think that that hockey is going to do insane numbers at the Olympics in Italy. I also think that this experience of controlling the Best on Best tells me that the NHL doesn't need the Olympics to grow it because you're also in a different time zone. So now it's inconveniencing North America, where hockey is at its biggest, and also with the best on Best being either in North America and or Sweden in Finland, you are in the mecca of where hockey can grow the most and

I think your klawon at baseball, bubs, Yeah, baseball's brutal. Baseball and basketball are up for the klon.

It's brutal. I think basketball is such a horrible product now. And you know, I think that Lebron and Steph Curry and those guys did a great job of carrying the league for a long time. But much like the Crosby's and the Ovi's, they're handing it off in amazing hands. Whereas I don't know if that's the case in basketball right now.

I don't know who.

I don't know who the next wave are. And that's no disrespect to the sport. It's just the time is ours, buddy.

That is it is.

Let me do the lead up real quick and blasphe this so for a nation's tournament, we all kind of know at this point. Newist in Canada played that game beforehand on Saturday night start off with three three fights going in hot, so anticipation for final in Boston was huge.

The Trump comments, the boom, this it just all manifested into like this was the biggest game.

And also the WWE approach that the Kuchuck brothers took Canadians.

Are a little couldn't be a better name away the Christkchuck brothers and Walt.

That's what they call him, Keith Kachuck. There was a former Walt Kachuk in the NHL. That's why Keith Chuck's name nickname became yeah, And I think that people thought it was his kid, but it wasn't. He should be a Hall of Famer in his own right. He scored five hundred goals. He was very impactful in growing the game with the ninety six World Cup of Hockey where US shock Canada and that was another moment that propelled

Exactly.

Now, you got to explain to us this game goes back and forth. It goes, you know, one Canada, one US. Then Canada hits it up again, the US ties it up, they get into ot explain overtime to us or it's.

The other way around.

The kidding scored first, followed by the to Chuck Kim.

Yeah, Brady could chuck and he wasn't even supposed to play because he was a little banged up, as well as Matthew being banged up. And Brady scores his goal when obviously he's going to the blue pain and the crease. And I thought that Austin Matthews had two great assists and he played a tremendous game. And then USA took the lead. This kid, Jake Sanderson, who wasn't even supposed to be at the tournament, another unbelievable youngster, took Quinn

Yeah, who got.

Away with it? And then that set the table for overtime and.

Now they're playing on the same team.

McDavid needed a moment in a game like this, and you know he got that beautiful pass for Mitchie Marner and the slot and you even said it though, going back before that, Bennington made three four ten bel saves where this game should have been over.

I thought we were winning like four times. And can you explain overtime? What's the world is a golden goals?

So yeah, it changed because in the round raw and it was three on three, which is a rule that the NHL adopted to make overtime more.

Excited, names quicker, probably faster, quicker.

And more games are ending in overtime as opposed to shootout, which I don't like to shootout. So but when you go to the gold medal game, you actually go back to five on five, the golden goal, first goal to score. It's it's game over. And that's the way that hockey should be played, especially in a moment like this. And uh, you know, Connor McDavid, they had an ozone draw. They made a great play along the wall from Cale mccarr over to Mitch Marner and he fed McDavid for that moment and he didn't.

Miss so and he was silent the whole game.

He did not have a great game. He seemed a little bit nervous, his reads were off, and he self admittedly said that in his postgame press conference. But what do big, big players do? Tom Brady didn't have a good first half against the Falcons. You didn't either. You guys were dog shit shit. But you guys went in the locker room, you figured things out. Boom boom.

You guys, not how you start, always how you finished finished. Baby.

So, Canada won the first ever Four Nations face off three to two in overtime. Nath McKinnon went MVP National Emergency in Canada avoided yep.

Yeah, Now what does this game mean winning for Canada winning the first four Nations? Where this could go?

I mean, is it is it important for Canada, the inventor of the sport, to win the first one.

Just for the record, so this is going to go forever.

Yeah, based on on on ridicule in the amount of comments that would have kime after God.

Forbid, America would have won the first four nations.

Yeah.

I just think it had more to do with the fact that, like Canada is is, you know, they're not struggling big time right now, but the economy is in a bit of a dip. Our dollars not doing good. We're changing, we're changing leadership very soon. And you know, hockey is the one thing that we get to fall back on, and that's our sport. We feel like we're

Let's name this game, and let's score this game, and let's see where it ranks in our top one hundred games or one hundred games that we've fucking done those. We're close to one hundred games. Name of the game, the Four Nations Final, Oh, Canada, suck it.

Suck at kachuck is kind of a funny ring to it.

The McDavid game, the goal in the garden, our game, just the beginning. Or if you have a name that you want to call this game, what do you want to call it?

I kept saying, who's your daddy? Because who's your daddy?

Game? Yeah?

We made you our little bitch, all.

Right, put it out? Yeah, who's your daddy? Game? Yeah?

Score the game? Is this the greatest game of all time? Let's score it? Biz stakes zero to ten decimals?

Okay? The stakes of this Four Nations Final game?

Oh, I would say ten, ten out of ten.

It was.

It was the most talked about hockey game since the twenty ten Olympics. And I want to say that it might have surpassed those numbers.

So ten, you know what, I have to agree, this is gonna be a high score for me. A nine to two, A nine point two, I mean, we haven't. This is the most excited I've been about hockey in a long time since watching Might we had.

Trump was talking shit, calling us the fifty first state. This meant every thing were so.

Much geopolitical nature. Always raise that we did the miracle on ice game with Jim Craig, and that's always gets into that high ten.

I guess what was going on geopolitically then war? Okay, so yeah, I'm not a history but and I wasn't born yet, so my apology.

Back at home had an eight point six. I had eight point four. It's still it's international best and best. It's still a brand new tournament, right, It's still not a gold medal. I think East been was pumping its tires a little too much at the end, but it was still awesome, and it was so much better than the All Star Game would have been.

Absolutely, that's what I think that That's what a lot of people had a hard time grasping is it was like, oh, it's kind of this like makeshift fluff event to like as a precursor to the Olympics. And also I think people are sick of the All Star Game. But it wasn't so much what it was coming in, it's what it evolved became.

Yere texting me on Saturday like, oh my god, people who don't give me about hockey.

Yeah, it was fun.

I text like all seven of my Canadian friends I had, like coming friend he was like worried.

He's like, I don't know.

I hope this going turns out. Okay, it's gonna be riose.

I don't know.

Man.

By the way, I'm technically half Canadian. Oh are you?

My mother was born in Chicago.

My mom was My mom was born in Kitchener, Ontario.

No ship their Kitchener Rangers Kitchener. Yeah. Wow.

So star power zero to ten decimals, Okay, the star there's fucking stars everywhere in this building.

Uh yeah, I mean I would say uh, I would say uh a nine point five simply because that you know, McAvoy was all line up. Quinn Hughes from my the biggest blessing for hockey would be everybody healthy at the.

Olympilding Captain honorary captain, honorary captain for USA.

That's where my buddy said, Hey, like AROZIONI did so much for USA hockey, but you got him against the great one there for Canada. The game was over. We knew we had that one in the bag the minute that Wayne walked out.

Yeah, I'm gonna go with a nine. It's gonna be high.

At eight point nine. I had a nine point seven, just as an homage to Connor McDavid.

A nine point that's the highest score.

Using the best. This is best on best, all right, I love it.

I love that.

The only reason it wasn't a perfect ten is if because you know International Russia is not in the mix.

Ooh gameplay zero to ten decim was okay, the gameplay you gotta score.

So the the game that there was three fights, it kind of lulled off. But the championship game was incredible. Let's go with I'll go with a nine to five to two, four to three always more scoring is a little bit better, but a couple of league changes and over time can't beat it.

I'm American. I like to see high scoring. That's why we do that in all of our sports. Our basketball is one fifty to one fifty two. Now our football is sixty to sixty one. I want my hockey to be at least twelve ten, so I'm gonna go with the eight.

I want my hockey to be lacrosse jacket a nine point one out of eight point eight.

The name of the game the Who's Your Daddy?

No, I actually got a better name game. Let's say it, Who's your Daddy? Donald?

Donald?

Who's gonna get I'm gonna get deported, But I think it's a hell of a name.

Just for anyone out there. Ice, do not come to Brentwood.

I'm sure they we're gonna be here anyway.

Yeah, the name of the game. We got to score the name well.

Through the Donald. I think I'm being petty as ship. Hey, he could talk his ship, we talk our ship. It's just sports. But the name is ten out of ten. Suck at Donald. The eleventh Province should.

Give it eleven for being the eleventh front.

I'm gonna give it. It's pretty funny. It's pretty funny.

You're gonna be living in Kitchener pretty soon. If you give it a ten.

No, I'm not. I'm gonna give it a ten. Won't give it a ten because I'm American, so I'll give it a seven point eight. I'll take it Jack.

At some point one, I had an eight point seven.

What is what is our score?

Final score? Eight point eight nine? Jesus gonna be very high. Eight point eight nine. He just puts it in seventh, just ahead of the two thousand and four ALCS game four Yankees versus Red Sox, and just behind the snowball game two thousand and one.

Fucking love, let's go out of applause.

Miracle on Ice is still fourth, though, I mean, that's crazy. No one's perfect.

We we kind of bag that we don't have a lot of hockey in this but our top ten has two hockey games.

Yeah, that's diversity if I've ever seen it. Yeah, but look it over here. Fifteen, uh fifty eighth overall. Two thousand eleven Stanley Cup Final game seven Bruins versus Canucks. Not great between two regular season NFL games.

Yeah, that's pretty bad.

Yeah, we can fix that. That was a bad game though, Yeah, seven Stanley Cup Finals.

That's a man of integrity, Yeah, man of integrity. He knew the game was bad, and he says it should belong there started a riot. They started a riot.

Oh yeah, that's right. God, they burnt the whole fucking city down.

Biz, we miss anything about this game.

I mean we covered a recovered it all. It was a fun game to cover. Yeah, it was, and it was fresh in my memory. I feel like the buzz is still in the air.

That's what I told Pasha. I'm glad we were coming over where this just ended. So everything was top of mind.

And I always get a little nervous with the hockey guys because I don't know hockey. Like I know hockey, but I don't know, like when you guys are dropping top cheese and.

I need some help.

I'll be your hockey correspondent from now on.

You know, I definitely I'm gonna hit you up all the time, now, you know.

I was introduced to hockey when I went to Boston, Like I went to a Sharks game in an expansion game in nineteen ninety four, oh way, And when they first came they were playing at the Cow Palace in the Bay Area. They didn't have the stadium in San Jose yet, and me and my dad and my brother drove up there looking for the game.

We didn't.

We out lost and we got there after the second period and we're like, cool, we get the second half football people we thought it would be. Yeah, we got one period of play that That was the introduction to my hockey in my life.

And then I moved to Boston and went to.

A few So, now where does your loyalty lie with the I'm boys with a lot of those guys, Sean Thornton, Melon Lucic.

I just saw last night too. He was the man. He's the man.

We used to hang out a bunch. I have a lot of relationships there. You know, Boston is a pretty cool pro city town. They're all very you know, intertwined and cross pollinating.

With the love of the sports.

So I love going back there.

Like I just feel like it's a great It's a big city, but it feels like a community.

It's a it's a small big city that's exactly too overwhelming. No, it isn't everyone out there go check out spitting chick Lits. You gotta check out biz on NHL on TNT, and you gotta get some pink Whitney.

Yeah.

So we we had New Amsterdam Vodka as a sponsor for the pod and they said, Hey, explain how you like to drink your your vodka. And then Ryan Whitney, my co host, who's hilarious guy, he's a genius, and he talked about mixing Newman's own pink lemonade and his vodka, and he's I call it the Pink Whitney, And all of a sudden, all our fans started hashtagging it, sending us pictures of it, and we all as a group barstool, uh you know, portnoy Erica, Nardini and New Amsterdam Slash Gallo,

Fucking the Rock.

Actually takes I think he took credit for the fastest growing Spirit of all time with his Teamana like, Na, we're the I think we were the first ones to hit a million cases. We're the quickest growing Spirit of all time. Just randomly, all these sorority girls just love it. It's it's a great vodka drink that's mixed obviously with pink lemonade flavored vodka, and uh yeah, it's yeah, it's awesome.

Go get you a pink Whitney right now, spitting chick litsiz. Thanks for coming on.

Bro Hey, And honestly, it was an honor coming like the minute, but the minute I heard that you were invite me over, I said, let's make it work. Man, I'm so uh, I'm so grateful and and congratulations and all your success as an athlete and what you've transitioned it into.

I can't wait to finally get to hang out with you now and now we know each other.

Yeah, and also this awesome team that you have going so good luck with your pod and thanks for having me.

I appreciate it. Man, I'm gonna come on your soon.

Oh we already had dronks and then maybe eventually Brady get all the boys.

That's awesome, let's go. We'll be right back after this quick break.

Man, Hockey guys.

Hockey guys guys are all cool, business cool. Yeah, you could just tell blue collar, fun to be around, so personal too, like just met everyone like, yeah, that's how hockey guys are.

The Zamboni guy they oh you know GM on the zamboni fucking the skate people all they're just they're just the boys, you know, they're the good. They're just the boys. I don't know why that's that's one of the that's like a hockey term. The boy.

What's the boys?

The boys?

The boys?

Yeah, the boys, the boys?

What's the boys doing? Also same reading level as you.

Did?

Nice?

I like that.

I like that. That's why I liked him so much. Yeah. Well, it's time for the Chill Zone, brought to you by Coors Light. Get Corps Light delivered straight to your door.

Visit Coreslight dot com, slash g w N celebrate responsibly today.

Oh we got a little story time. Oh the Mountain blues from uh what when we went.

To Last night? We went to l A Skate Baby Skate for l A Straw Skate for l A Strong. It's a big celebrity skating event for the LA Fires. Took place at Crypto dot Com Center Arena, Staples Staples, No, it's Crypto Crypto. It was fun.

It was fun.

Four teams you brought, Lily, we went. The amount of legends that we met that you had no idea who they were. It was awesome. I was I was like a pig and shit down there. Explain to your experience. How did you have a good time?

I had a great time.

I mean this was like, this was like my first maybe kind of charitable event in La as someone who's part of this community now and now this fire was like my first go around at this whole thing. And we just moved here full time, you know, two years ago, and we were really this was devastating. That was devastating time like that fire was crazy. It felt you felt helpless, and I'll keep reiterating, I was so so proud of

And it wasn't just rich people, you know, it was people of all responders, you know what I mean. That's what a lot of these narratives are when you see it across the country.

Oh La, just these movie stars. Nah, there's like some regular ass people lost their homes. There's a lot of homes lost. And this was a cool event that you know, the Kings put on at the Crypto Currency Center in a short amount of time that had a really cool turnout. Got to see Will Ferrell.

With Will Farrell. Lily was so fun with she was like in awe, you know, you know in Elf when you're like when he's when he points the Santa Santa, I know him. I was like, Lily, like, now you can point that to Elf when you watch him Elf, I know him exactly.

Yeah, she will was awesome.

We we had a dinner before once at Wahlberg's house after the fourteen Super Bowl because he's a Seattle Seahawks fan.

I think I don't know his uh settle.

It was a big USC guy's I think he's a Seattle Seahawks fan. But like we've we've met before and it was cool to kind of I haven't seen him in.

A long time.

Looks great. Yeah, and then unk Uncle Snoop Lily the whole ride there because I told her that Snoop might be there, and I tell her that I, you know, I got to get dad points. And Snoop made me look like the coolest dad ever. You know?

Was he is?

He He's friends with Pete Carroll from USC.

Yeah, Pete car So there was something. But Uncle Snoop Lily, you know, we were listening to Snoop Clean Mix, Snoop Clean Mix, Clean Mix, uh before the game on the way there, because that's her favorite rapper him and Eminem nice. Yeah, I don't know where. I like where. I don't even put this on in front of her. She like it's

Slowly and Aaron. Uh, they're really you know, that's the real reason I went. They asked me to come. Aaron Andrews and and her husband Stole and then uh, I mean there was a lot of people there. Yeah, Lily got the high five through the glass with Bieber.

She was all happy.

Well, she got a puck too, She got a puck from Derek Armstrong.

Armstrong shout out, my guy. It was cool seeing the old dudes. Yeah, I love seeing because they can still move it.

Yeah, Messia looks still good out there.

He dude, he looks like how old is he? He's got to be sixty. He's not sixty. Might be he might be what a freak?

Yeah, but like even I was really impressed with some of the first sixty.

Yeah, Taylor, Taylor Kitchen. He was great.

Kitch was really good.

Stayed home, defenseman. He was good out there, No, Kitch.

I've been watching him on that American Prime Evil Great great show.

Text Petersburg yet, Yeah, I texted him, Okay, thank you, I did.

I did.

But it was really cool to see, Like I didn't know he was playing in this and I didn't really know his name. Yeah, but then I was like, wait a minute, is that Prime Evil dude?

Oh he's way look at you might have been the best like actor celebrity athough there was that. There was a La Lan guy who I don't really know who.

There's a little blonde dude. Yeah he had and then the social media kid Josh Richard. Josh Yeah pretty good.

Yeah, he was good. He was out there like we went to uh, yeah, I saw.

Him flying around. Is he Canadian or something?

I think he is?

Yeah, all the that's how you that's how you know Kayler Kitchen.

Is Canadian too. Yeah, you could tell, you could tell about.

You could just tell.

If it because we did the family skate before. We were skating and Lily was skating.

That was fun skates. Next time we'll bring our own skates.

Gotta bring her own.

Yeah.

But how how cool is it to see the like because there was a lot of pro players in their families. You see like all the little young bucks, like their little eight year olds are flying in crazy ship.

A girl that could barely walk.

I think, who's the captain Copaitar Copaitar's little daughters. She was like, she's like barely walking and then she hops up on the skates and she's just fucking flying. She's she had to have been two, yeah, maybe three.

Yeah.

The kids were out there too, I mean it was it.

Was that was just it was really cool to see that. I like, you just enjoy hockey. It's a it feels fun family Now.

Matt Lioner was out there in the skate. It was actually played. Did that get the competitive Jesus going?

I kind of thought about it. I saw the way he was skating. I was like, maybe I could go out if if he's out there, I think I could go out there next time. I might have to almost start training with fucking biz nasty over here and fucking I'll be calling Sean Thornton. Milan's right down the street in Manhattan Beach. I saw him there. It was great to see him. Yeah, his daughter is so damn big. It's so crazy because you know, we haven't you see

That's you know, we still have that Boston connection. Anywhere we go, they're all the Boston guys, you know what I mean.

Yeah, I love that.

And then we talked to Kevin bix too, who for you deep cut games with names heads when he heads an on the on the show, and he told the story about how he saw the Canucks lifting the cup like as practice. Yeah, and the exit went on like national Canadian televisions like that's bullshit. He was talking to you about that a little bit.

He was cool. Yeah, I didn't really know. See I felt bad. I don't know the hockey guys that will always.

We're also with Ron McLean and Ron McLean is like an absolute fucking legend.

Yeah, yeah, there was just and they're always just really cool guys. Yeah, that are just like, you know, they're like here, they're they're they're all here with the demeanor, demeanor and like make you feel comfortable vibe by busting your balls or something that you know, they're just hockey dudes, got it.

Ron McLean, who we talked about the broadcasting legend, same exact age as Mark Messier. They're both sixty four. Was Beaber's good too, skate and you met like Luke Roboti, He's a legend. Martin McSorley.

Yeah.

Mc sorely took a picture with the cup.

Took a picture of the cup of Lil. Been with the cup before, Yeah, first time with Lil.

Yeah, she didn't touch it, just in case.

He did not touch it. Did not touch that cup. We don't we respect, we don't make them, but we enforce them.

That was awesome. Thanks to the La Kings for doing that for the community.

Yeah, that was awesome. I hopefully they got a great turnout.

It was awesome seeing all the cops, the firefighters. Yeah, shout out to the Mullins. They won, They won. They were fucking good too. He's a little just they're they're two SOUTHI Southie boys and they're like high ups in the fire department out here and they're just fucking wrecking shop on the ice.

It was fucking awesome. Yeah, it was cool. Like there's a good ask. I think there was a cop goalie that was really good. Was he the red goalie? Who was the red goalie?

Red?

I don't think I'll let up a goal the whole team.

I don't know who that was, but he was money. Yeah, I saw one. I think it was a cop. He had a fool food man chew. He looks so cool out there.

And then the one.

Those of like the weird mustache people are often firefighters because that's the only ficial here they can have for their masks.

Yeah.

My only regret from this evening was we didn't get to see our games with names. Friend of the show, Danvidvito.

I know he didn't get to see Vince Vaughan. Love Vince Vaughan.

Well, when you play next time, he'll be in there.

He's funny with sport talk.

He'd be great.

I think he would be an unbelievable.

Guest just on watching him in the breakup talk about the little digital people in the Madden game when he's beating the ship out of some twelve year old while his girls getting mad, Jennifer getting all mad at him.

He's over here talking ship. He's like prime shit talker to this little twelve year old kid. He's beating the ship out of Matt and I love.

He's the best.

Well that was the chill Zone thanks to our favorite beer, cores Light. Get you some cores Light delivered straight to your door. Visit Coreslight dot com. Slash gwn celebrate responsibly.

Guys, what a game that was. I'm like hockeyed up. I want more hockey.

I connected with the King's PR guy. He might he might get us some kings.

I know, but I'm just hockeyed up. Man.

Also, Bizz after the show said he'd hook us up with some people. We need to follow up on that. You get his number, Well, we got it.

We'll connect. Yeah, I didn't get his number.

We'll got it, we'll connect. Yeah, we got to take him up on.

That's cool. It's great to finally meet him.

Yeah, he's awesome.

Stud. Well that's been another episode of games would name. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you listen to your podcast comedy game you want us to do and remember, rate and review and leave us five star review on Spotify.

While you're there, remember to follow games with names on YouTube, Instagram, x TikTok, and snapchat. Leave a comment on the YouTube full episode. Yeap, leave a comment on the YouTube full episode.

During the live chat, we do a premiere now with me and Jack Crofting and that you're in there. Sometimes it's fun.

Hey, you got it. Yeah, we'll read some of the best ones out there. Yeah.

Maybe next episode.

Plea you a message at the old hotline at four two four two nine one two two nine zero.

We'll see you guys next week. Games with Names of production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio

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