Brent Wallace Is Coming In Hot!

It’s finally here. an episode listeners have been asking about for quite a while. Brent Wallace from the Coming In Hot Ottawa Senators podcast makes his TCA debut in studio with Matt Robinson.

Lots to cover here including Brent’s journey, the early ups and downs of making Coming In Hot the success it’s become, rotating cohosts, skipping out on NHL lockout coverage to go bowling, getting stood up by Victor Hedman, trading vacation photos with James Reimer, the Sens trip to Quebec City, Atlantic Division predictions and so much more.

One of the most fun and informative episodes we’ve had here in a long time so make sure you don’t miss out on this one.

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[Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Talk audio. It’s graceful and beautiful and physical and angry all at the same time. Were you here, your mind would cave in and your heart would explode within your chest. This is going to be a shame. Here we go. [Music] What’s happening everybody? Welcome inside a Friday afternoon edition of the Tall Can audio podcast. No better time for a pint. It is a beautiful Friday at that. Uh, a guy making his TCA debut here, Brent Wallace from Coming in Hot. What’s happening, Wally? I feel like there’s like a golf clap that should be right about now. Thanks, Brent. Yeah, I I’m I’m looking forward to this. I’m waiting to open this can of beer. This is it. And And power to you for having some willpower because the number of people and it’s I I don’t know. I don’t give out clear enough instructions, I guess, but the number of people who, you know, walk in, sit down and crack the beer, it’s and really it’s not a big deal, but we like to get the sound effect on the show. That’s all it is. I will say as a rookie, you didn’t lay out the instructions, so this is on you. Well, I’ll give you the same spiel I give everybody when they make their debut here. It’s more of a a pub table than an interview. So, interrupt me, correct me, bust on me, whatever needs to happen. Um, no problem on that. Uh, you’re right. I try not to give too strict instructions coming in here. So, uh, but that is one that we’ll, uh, we’ll start with. Um, what did you grab out of the fridge there? I be the only reason I did this, Matt, is cuz it has like a TV look to it. It’s called, uh, evening edition, uh, Beyond the Pale. Uh, and it’s a dark logger. Yeah. But it’s a light beer, which I’ve never heard of. Yeah. 3.8% alcohol. That’s a nice way to start a Friday afternoon. The beer you want when you need it most. So, Friday afternoon, I uh I’m into I’m this I’m excited. I don’t know what’s going to happen. You now have my full permission to open your beer. Okay, quiet, everybody. What an old pro. This guy knows what’s up. No. Am I allowed to drink it now? Feel Have at it, my friend. Um mine comes from the Whitewater Brewing Company, and this is one uh it is that season, and this will be my first pumpkin spice beer of the year. Uh, an espresso porter with pumpkin spice checking in at 4.4%. So, we are easing into our Friday here. Wally’s got places to go afterwards. Well, I still got the Redlex. Yeah, but I don’t know if I’m allowed to pump White Water or the But they are a fantastic company to deal with. They used to be a a sponsor under our show early on. Um, they used to show up every month with cases of beer. We called it the Beer Santa. And they are phenomenal. I love that company. I think the world of them. They are great people. They are. Um, and the beer is really good. So, 100%. Uh, around here when that happens, like I’ve got some friends at well, Lake Bay and Nidita and Whippers Snapper and Vimeie. I call it IPA. Yes. Fun with words, right? That’s all. Uh, I should let the good listener know. Uh, well, let’s ask Wall-E first. You baseball guy? You fired up for Saturday here? The Blue Jays playoff run? See, I’m gonna I’m gonna Oh, no. I don’t really I care, but I don’t care. I’ve watched more baseball in the last couple of months than I have in the last 10 years probably. And I like I’ve covered the Expos. I I I worked in Montreal for a year. Uh when Pedro Martinez was winning the Sai Young. Yeah. Okay. Uh enjoyed it. It just and I’ve done some Jays games and stuff. I just Matt Stairs is from Freredton and I we know each other and whatever and it just it it’s too slow. Now I appreciate the pitch clock now. Yep. The game is better. Picked up the pace a bit. Yes, but I couldn’t handle the it’s just it was dragging and dragging and so it wasn’t quick enough for me. Okay. Uh well, for the good listener who does enjoy a ball game, uh yesterday we had our buddy Andrew Stoton from the batflip.ca on here to uh to take a look back at the year that was for the Toronto Blue Jays and and get us prepared for uh for what’s to come. And uh before that, Dan Schulman was here. The voice of the voice, right? The voice. Yeah, he’s such a good man. Uh yeah, nice guy. uh always makes time for us a couple times per season and uh this was no exception. So those were fun and uh next week somebody Wally you know pretty well Graham Nichols will be on the show uh every year he comes in here to help me out and do an Ottawa Senators season preview and uh Jeff Vet will do the uh the other end of the province the uh the Leaf season preview. All of that to come next week. I’m not familiar with that team. Oh, no. Uh, uh, I can Oh, wait. I want to go back to there is one thing about baseball that I intrigued by and I would go in a heartbeat is the Savannah Bananas. Yeah, they’ve got everybody’s attention here and I and the first time I heard anything about them was on 60 Minutes. I saw this documentary and I followed them ever since. I signed up for their tickets cuz you can’t get them. No. And they they they awarded me the tickets and I was like, “This is great. I can’t wait to go to Nashville.” And I was like, I can’t make it to Nashville. I had to give up the tickets. Oh man. I was like hoping it’d be like Boston or something. A quick little trip. I just couldn’t get to Nashville. Did you manage to turn it around and at least sell them for a decent dime? No, I didn’t even take turn. My neighbor like Three Doors Down who’s fullon Jay’s guy. Like full on. He has gone to the Savannah Bananas and I’m jealous cuz his kid wears the jersey around all the time. I’m trying to get one of them on the show. Yeah. because they have a guy that pitches from the mound with a like with a stick hockey stick. He’s Canadian. He wears like you know the lumberjack or they used to I don’t know if he’s still there but yeah I want anyway. Are you are you a classic an old school wrestling guy at all? Oh god I grew up with Atlantic Grand Prix wrestling. Oh okay. So Sweet Daddy Seiki. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Um there was like Ric Flair came out of there if I’m not mistaken. Um I went through there anyway. Yeah. And yeah, like I I was more thinking a little bit later than that. The Goon, right? There was a wrestler who wore boot wrestling boots that looked like hockey skates. Oh, really? Yeah. No, I don’t know him. But I Yeah, I did appreciate the Atlantic. It used to be on Saturdays on TV and I’d watch it. Yeah. But I’m not a big wrestling guy. No, no, I I do appreciate the documentaries. Like the stuff around WWE is fascinating to me. A lot of people like I it’s more interesting to see what’s going on behind the scenes than in the ring, right? Like because I I because what’s in the ring is seems like it’s it’s predetermined, if you will. Of course, the outcome is predetermined, but the the wrestling I get like I Hey, hats off to you if you want to jump on a table, right? I’m it’s physically. You are an athlete to me without question. It’s just all the I don’t know what you call it. All the BS behind the scenes of that’s amazing to me. I watched the Vince McMahon documentary. That one was wild. Yeah. Like that that stuff blows my I love a good sports doc and that was really good. Yeah. Um my dad has never really well once he when he was a kid he watched a little bit but when I was a kid I watched a ton and he would have to take me to you know the Ashawa Civic Center where I grew up to when they or we my uncle would order the pay-per-views at his place. That was his brother-in-law he wasn’t overly fond of to be honest with so that was his sacrifice. I can remember him taking me to that uncle’s place to watch King of the Ring. It was on Father’s Day. My dad has to spend his Father’s Day with somebody he couldn’t possibly care about. That’s great. The uh I remember like way off top, I guess, is the Hulk Hogan cartoon show. Sure. Yeah. Rock and Wrestling or whatever. That stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Um, but yeah, he would, you know, like I said, he he kind of knows some of these guys from having to watch so much of it with me, but every now and then, like he would never turn on Monday Night Raw these days, but if the doc pops up on A&E, he’ll sit and watch a little bit of that, right? Like that they’re they’re well done. I don’t know how we got on the top. Anyway, one of my favorite Twitter followers uh is Sergeant Slaughter. Yeah. Okay. I’m like, I don’t know how you were following. I don’t care. I just think it’s really cool. Uh this is a tough segue, but I got to ask you cuz we’re going to pretend to be topical here. We’re going to pretend to be hip. Wall-E. Oh god. Have you Have you listened at all to the new uh Tay-Tay album today? Brand new. The life of a show girl. I should text my daughter right now and ask cuz she’s This is why I thought maybe you’d have a handle on it. No, it came out at midnight apparently. Right. I haven’t Yeah. I know. I’ve been at the ring today. I I I’m embarrassed. I haven’t listened yet. No. Um I I’ve heard the first three or four songs. It’s not normally my I won’t pretend I hate Taylor Swift, but I’m not like I’m more of a rock guy or whatever else, but it is Thanksgiving. Next weekend, I will be seeing my niece and I’d like to be able to to converse about the topic. And that’s the only thing you’ll be able to talk about. That’s about it. She was giving me the 67 thing the other day. And as a Leaf fan, I hear enough 67s like that. I don’t like when those numbers are combined, but she has no idea what I’m talking about and I have no idea what she’s talking about. I I don’t mind Taylor Swift. Yeah. I and she’s phenomenal at what she does and like a superstar. Like I know you’re supposed to if you’re like a big rock guy like No, no, I can’t. I don’t mind like her stuff comes on star in the world. Yeah, it’s it’s it’s fantastic. Uh all right. Well, we won’t spend much time breaking down the album then. Uh we’ll we’ll pass over that. You know what? If you’ have told me, I would have stayed up studied up at midnight. You and your daughter could have uh done the download at 12:01. Yeah. Um, look, there’s a few different places I want to take you here and and we’ll talk a little senators later on, but I’d like to start with sort of your own, you know, whenever somebody comes in here for the first time, your own kind of your journey, where you start, your education, your road to TSN and now into coming in hot, like just kind of give us a sense of your path. God, we’ll be here for a while. I’m going to try and make this really short. Uh, in high school I went to I Okay, so at Fritton High, it was the largest high school in Canada at the time because there was 3,000 students because it was the only one in the city. Wow. So there were 32 sports teams. So uh there were three men’s basketball teams. Like there’d be the the varsity team which any grade could play and then uh double A which only 11s and tens could play on and then grade 10 was on single A. So I played single A. The reason I’m saying that is cuz I wasn’t very good when I say I played high school basketball. Sure. I didn’t make the team in grade 11. The basketball uh the broadcast, which is like Rogers Cable, Yep. said, “Hey, we’d like you to be the the color guy.” I’m like, “This is in high school.” Yeah. I’m like, “Sure.” Like, “I know you don’t have anybody else, but I feel honored you’re asking me.” How do they choose you? Like, is this cuz he just asked you just walked up to the kid who was So, I known him cuz he his name was Cable Ken. Um, and he wore he had the only thing he wore were like basketball warm-ups or he had every jersey imaginable of every sports pro sports even. That’s all he wore. Anyway, phenomenal guy did all the games. Anyway, he just asked me one day. Yeah. So I got into it for grade 11 and 12 and in grade and then when I graduated uh I went to university and then after the first semester they just I didn’t do very well and then after the end of the year they asked me not to come back. Uh but that yeah relatable honestly over here I wish I still had the letter cuz I had like a point4 GPA and anyway a lot of therapy later I know why. Uh so in grade 12 at the no sorry university at the uh second half I opened my own sports clothing store. Um, really? Yeah. I The guy that I worked at Canadian Tire and the guy that was the store manager also cable Ken, did you raid his closet? No, but we did but he did come in. Um, he the store manager had this store and he wanted to open a second one and so I opened it. Anyway, that it didn’t work out between us. So, I was looking for something to do and my mom just said there’s a a broadcast school in Halifax. It’s an ad in the paper like this is when they were classified. This is 1994. Okay. Uh it may even be 93. Uh and she’s like, “Look, there’s a broadcasting school. Go do this.” I was like, “Okay, get out of the house.” So, you had to actually apply to go to this school, which now I believe is just a way to make money. So, the guy that owned the school was Alex J. Walling. Now, if you’re old enough, you’ll remember Alex J. Walling was the TSN reporter in the Maritimes at the time. He also did the local sports at which ended up becoming global in the Maritimes. Okay. I’m trying to get this out. Yeah. Yeah. No, I’m intrigued by this to be honest with you. So, I go to this broadcasting school. It’s 11 months. It’s at the time like $6300. It’s it’s expensive, whatever, but I’m like, I don’t know. Sure. This sounds like a good idea. Um, and the first day, Alex goes, everybody stand up. Tell me who you are and what you want to do. And I’m like, I’m Brent and I want your job. and uh he brought me in after. He’s like, “You’re the one of the few guys that’s actually dressed up today and and whatever.” He goes, “I listen, just I will help you.” So, he took me on like he gave me the camera to take this is a $50,000 camera. I go shoot high school or I go shoot junior hockey games, shoot whatever I could. He then took me to TSN shoots while I’m still I found out why like I’m I’m still in school so he could bill for the camera guy as well as the reporter. I get it now. Anyway, um and so he was very very good to me and then he got me the volunteer gig at at the TV station he was working at at the time and then he had left and this other guy came in but then they started I did that for a while and they started paying me for an hour a night and then two hours. So I but I would still go every 6 hours a night. So from school like 8 to 5 and then 6:00 to 12 every night then I school was done and I still worked at Canadian Tire 8 to 5 or whatever it was and then 6:00 to midnight. So, I did that for a year of just constant on the go. I was exhausted, but I’m like, you do what you got to do. So, eventually the TV station hired me full-time as a reporter. And then and I they they gave me news, and I didn’t want to do news, but they’re they’re offering me a full-time job. I’m like, okay. Within 3 months, I was threatened to be sued, uh, escorted briskly off a ship and then chased to an RCMP outpost. I’m like, geez. like, can I just cover the Blue Jays? Like, just give me something. So, uh, eventually I got moved into sports, but then Global Montreal opened. So, I was only there for like a year full-time, if you will. Um, you made some enemies. I was like, like I just remember I I went to this Christmas, it was December 23rd, and you’re like, you got to fill the newscast. So, I go to this market and all of a sudden, and they’re like, what are you doing here? I’m like, well, I just want to do like a shopping story. Like, I’m just trying to fill my time here. local news. It’s And so I go in and all of a sudden the vendors are like, “They’re kicking us out of here. They just gave us a letter.” And I got people following me now. So I don’t I don’t know what’s happening behind me. I just know there’s I’m like, “This is weird.” Anyway, so people are like, “Yeah, they’re kicking us out. Here’s the letter.” And I’m reading this letter and now my focus changes. I got a real story. Sure. So I come back, everybody’s excited. The news director calls, “Hey Brent, uh, you can’t run that story.” I’m like, “What? They’re one of our biggest sponsors and I’m like what? And they said you’re there under false pretense. I’m like listen I am not smart enough to come up with this on my own. Anyway, so story didn’t run. That was my that was my introduction to how TV and your introduction to what news is going to look like in 2025 when corporate intertwined with everything. That happened to me at Hockey Canada actually a story and I know it’s hockey Canada but it’s not to it was just to do with coaches. We can get to that later. Sure. Uh, so then Global Montreal opens up a TV station in 1997 in Montreal and I get hired as one of their sports people. Go to Montreal. Uh, eight months later they cancel the sports show. I had won an award covering uh, University Sports and then they go like, “We’re going to make you the camera guy.” And I’m like, “Really?” So Michael Whan, the longtime TSN reporter, we’re at an expose game one night and he’s like, “Brent, there’s an opening in Ottawa. I’ve called them already. you’re to call them tomorrow. And that was in July or June. And then two weeks later, I was hired at TSA. Wow. I Yeah, I owe Michael Whan a ton. Sounds like. So, um, then I was there for like 22 and a half years and, uh, they asked me not to come back. Um, and then I went to, uh, start my own show. Yeah. So, and that’s been a a five years of, well, four almost five learning a lot. Well, tell me about that a little bit because I I do like to dive into that a little bit with people who are doing their own kind of content creation now and you were sort of pushed in that direction by by TSN, but I’m sort of curious, you know, it’s taken on a few different forms. was Wall-E and Method and then uh coming in hot like what does that look like as you are trying to get your your feet wet because I’m sure this required you know on top of uh already having built a reputation in the market and your ability to host and things like that. I’m sure there were things that were suddenly thrust upon you that you hadn’t done before like everything. Yeah. Um so I didn’t listen to a lot of podcasts so I didn’t I didn’t know I just let’s do a podcast. So, it’s my wife’s fault. Lisa, who you had on here a couple months ago. Yeah. Uh Ian said we had the better wall. Yeah. No, you you nailed that one. Um she’s like, “Well, why don’t you do a podcast?” And this is like day four after being laid off, right? And I’m like, “Sure.” Like everything’s just in a fog. Do you remember that movie uh Up, I believe, with Mel Gibson, who’s the guy that flies in to lay people off all the time and then they he flies out. I don’t know that I saw it. I’m aware of it. I know it. Something to that effect. Yeah. Yeah. And people are yelling at it right now going, “It’s not that.” And I know I apologize. And so in the movie, uh, he comes in and then they bring people in and they just, so we’re laying you off and then the mind just goes like to mush and you just hear noises, but you don’t know what they’re saying. That That’s what it’s like. Okay. So, day four, uh, I had there’s a bit of a bad reputation around this show of being the place people go after they’re laid off to talk about a therapy session a little bit. And so I do remember Lever Sage had just been on the show for the first time like a week before he got laid off. And so look, I like you, I know a lot of people down there when that round of cuts was made. And so I just sort of sent a text to people, you know, hope everything’s cool. And he said, I’ll see you soon was his response on the day he got let go. So it’s a little morbid, but it’s it is what it is, right? Well, it’s funny now to like I’ll sidetrack it like if someone’s laid off now, I call them immediately. So, and one of the reasons is I have a the lawyer. So, Gourd Miller was like the fourth guy I feel like to call me something into that. He was very early on me being laid off and he’s like, “Brent, do you have a lawyer?” And I’m like, “Gord, I don’t have a I don’t my phone just got disconnected. I don’t have anything.” And he goes, “I’ve already called this guy.” His name, ironically, is Tim Gleason. Wow. Who? Right. Who long time defenseman drafted by the Sens? Ended up playing in Toronto. Yes. Uh and I’m like, “Okay.” And he’s like, “Call him.” And then shortly thereafter, Greg Milan called me and he’s like, “Do you have a lawyer?” And I’m like, “Yeah, yes.” He goes, “I got a guy.” I’m like, “Okay.” He goes, “His name’s Tim Gleason.” I’m like, “Well, this is it. Okay. This is this is the guy. This is the guy.” And so I called Tim Gleason. goes, “I don’t know who you are, but there’s a lot of people that think you’re very highly regarded.” And I’m like, and so they took extremely good care of me. So my point is, I will always call right away and just go listen. Your head is scrambling, but one of the things you need to do take care of right now is to have a good lawyer. So anyway, I and I can tell you the exact moment where I was when I called Lever Sage that day. Okay. So yeah, like I It’s memorable stuff. It is people go like it’s like you have no like you can sit you don’t appreciate it till you go through it obviously it’s like any trauma uh but I can now appreciate even if it seems like oh you’ll be fine you’ll land on your feet and when one door opens and close I’m like if I [ __ ] hear the story one more time about one door closes I’m like please this isn’t the people mean well but they don’t know what to say and I and I and I appreciate that they just don’t know what to say and So I I I do like all the people that reached out to me that day or for like 4 days was wild. So back to Yeah. Lisa suggests. So she’s like, “Why don’t you do a podcast with Mark Method?” And I’m like, “Okay.” So I call Mark and he’s like, “Sure. What do you want to do?” I’m like, “Let’s do this.” So I had to wait a while. So we I think we were a month before we launched and then I had to wait three months because Belle wouldn’t let you have any advertising while you were still working through your stuff. So Uh that’s how that came about. So Mark and I like and again I didn’t and Craig Medallia who’s like a huge star in all this. He was the producer. He worked for the Suns. Uh without him it wouldn’t have gotten anywhere, right? Uh, and so we we do the show and now there are some like so like I’ve never really discussed this but there were times when like meth didn’t want to do the show and I’m like like we I need to do a show like we’ve promised guests or he wouldn’t show up to do an interview with a guest and I’m like so there like not everything we’re trying to hold sponsors and things like that there’s responsibilities. And so but but when you’re in that when you’re in that type of I’ll say tax bracket it’s not that important. This is it when you’ve made your millions and you’re doing it as a hobby as so there’s like there’s a bit of friction at that point. Um and then then the deal came. The Nation Network came to us uh and said hey we’d like to do this deal and we’d like to partner basically and we want to do three shows a week and maybe eventually up to five. And uh we agreed to the deal and then uh then meth backed out of the deal. Okay. Um and so I had to scramble and we had already discussed about bringing Bobby Ryan on as a a third. Y and he was he was always very good. Um so I reached out to Bob and I’m like do you want to do this with me? And uh he’s like sure. And I’m like are you sure? Right. Like I want you to take another guy in that tax bracket. I need a commitment. Right. and he had had like like been through some things, right? People know that he’s gone to rehab and then so he battles alcoholism. Mhm. And I I’ve been very protective of saying anything about him, but I think that that’s pretty public. Yes. So I’m like, are like, you’re sure like like I can’t have you just say yes and then walk away in a month. And he’s like, no, no, no. I’m like, okay. Yeah. So, uh, we do it. Uh, it’s not as good as like it’s not as good as the meth show. Uh, but it’s okay and it’s coming along and Bob’s getting better, but again, doesn’t always want to do everything all the time, right? So, oh no, wait. So, here’s I’ve never discussed this. Okay, I probably shouldn’t, but what the hell? You’ve given me free beer. That 3.8%’s gone right to you. So, can’t wait to do the rev last. Um, so they uh Sorry. So, I need to back up. So, sure. He agrees to it. I’m like, “Okay, fine. We’re about to launch the next day. It is Sunday. We’re launching. I like Monday, October 1st, October 2nd, whatever.” It’s 11, I believe, 11:13 in the morning somewhere in there. And he calls me and says, “Uh, I got to go to rehab today.” I went, “Bob, you know that like the show launches tomorrow, episode one.” I’m like, “Okay.” Yeah, we’ll uh we’ll figure this out. So I called Jason York like 10 minutes later. The Yorkie. Yeah. And we’d worked together before each other obviously. Like all right, let’s do this. Are you sure? Right. So yeah. So we I go I need you for a month. He’s like, okay. So we work out a financial arrangement. Sure. Start the show the next morning. We’re supposed to have DJ Smith on. Uh and the scents are still they this is the old regime. They still don’t like me. I can’t. So, uh, DJ, I checked with DJ the night before all this stuff 20 minutes before airtime. Bren, I can’t do the show. I’m like, he goes, “Yeah, the the PR people won’t let me.” And I’m like, “DJ, I asked you. You have to.” Anyway, so we called Dave Puland, who’s now working for the Sends, and he’s like, “Yep, Wally, whatever you need.” Uh, so he we were delayed like 20 minutes. He comes on. This is how I’m launching this new show. So, at the time, he’s still on TSN, not at the team yet. Okay. So, thank God he Anyway, so we got we got the first show off the air or running or whatever and then and then um we get to like December and Bob leaves. So Bob comes back after like 6 weeks y and I said to and the name like coming in like it so the name is based on the tweet coming. I’m struggling for a show name up until this point. Like I don’t like got like the send show and just a bunch of just nonsensical names to me. Just then nothing works. Y and then I go I remember that tweet. Yeah. And it cuts in for the fan base who also remembers, right? Like that’s a little inside grab. That’s cool. Right. So I’m like, okay, this Anyway, so Yorkie. So Bob comes back. I’m like, uh, we can’t get rid of Yorkie. So I make figure out how to make it work with the three of us. Y then December Bob leaves again and I’m like thank god York is here. So it just and then so people think that Bob left the show because of his tweets. Now there was a lot that led up to this whole and and I it played a part. Sure. Uh but it wasn’t because of the tweets. It was because uh more personal issues for him that he left the show. And I said like the tweets weren’t the issue, but we had to do something about this. Things were coming to a head anyway. So, and and I think he had run out of runway for this. Like he just didn’t really his heart wasn’t into it. He was just a lot of [ __ ] going on. Y um but I I and I ate it all because I didn’t want to there was no way I wanted to sell Bob out to the public and go this is what’s happening. So I just took it as people are all saying you just cut him off freedom of speech. So regardless, um, and I and it bothers me to this day. It bothers me the meth. Like I really like these guys. Um, they’ve been very good to me. Like we get along away from the microphones and so that was always tough for me and it still bothers me. It’s hard cuz like you said, this is going to be your dayto-day, but you’re partnering with people who kind of enjoy it but don’t need it. Well, they can leave anytime, right? They can go, you know what? I don’t want to do this anymore, right? I’m like, ah, or whatever. My Tuesday night got away from me and I don’t feel like being on at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. And so sometimes we get complaint, not very often, mind you, but people like, well, is the show on like at 9:00 or is it on at 4:00? Like what time? And I’m like, to be honest, sometimes it’s nine, but York’s got a like he’s got a life, right? And if he wants to do something, if he’s I don’t know if he’s got to go to his physiootherapist or I whatever, we’ll move the show around. It’s not the end of the world to not be every day at night. So, one of the other things that your young show had to to go through, which was really tough, was after bringing in Simmer and working around with him, you know, it it was really sad the way all that played out and and losing him. Obviously, sports fans in this market were very fond of of him and his voice and his takes and in the different shows you heard afterwards of people talking about him, everyone mentioned his laugh. Um, yeah. You know what’s uh So, Simmer and I had talked uh I’m trying to think if I had launched the show with Bobby yet or not. I’d always talked to Simmer about having him on. So, there’s a couple things. One, Bell Media in Ottawa for whatever the reason won’t let any of their staff on my show. Like, I can I can have anybody from any other Bell Media. Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. any other like Darren Dreger or like okay from outside Frankie Jamie Mlan like whatever but I can’t I couldn’t have like Dean Gourd Steve Lloyd. So point is I had Simmer on Simmer uh Meth and I teamed up against Simmer and Ian Mendes to play a round of golf and we ended up getting a betting line from our betting partner. Like it was it was a it was a great day. So the next day I have them on to discuss the golf. Y well he got yelled at. M uh I’m like, “Okay, so things still haven’t settled down. I get you.” So we had talked after that about, hey, like at some point if the radio thing, which I’m not sure how it’s going to play out, if anything ever happens, I think there’s a way for us to work together. Mhm. And then Bob joins the show and Simmer and Bobby hates Simmer. Oh. So I can’t have Simmer on while Bobb’s on the show. And if there’s one episode where Simmer is on and Bob like sat the show out. So that’s how I got Simmer on. Okay. So Simmer came on twice and the second time I think and I think may have played a part in him uh exiting Bell. I’m not 100% sure, but they were none too pleased. Um yeah, that was the same round of cuts with Lever and Yeah. And so I have uh so Bob is on the show, so I know I can’t have Simmer join the show at this point. So I’m like, Simmer, let’s let’s figure it out at some point. we should be able to work together. Yeah. And uh so when Bob leaves it does open the door, but there was a lot of hesitation and again stuff I don’t know what I should say and not say but like a lot of people in the industry were like don’t do it, don’t do it. And I’m like but I believe that the dynamic would be really really good. Yeah. And it was he was and Simmer was having his own issues, right? His own battles, but it was better for him to have a place to Well, it’s funny because not funny uh I get you. Yeah. Just before So before he came on, he went to rehab. Okay. Cuz he launched his show and then it was gone for like a month after a month. So he went to right away. It was So he came back out of that and that’s when we started having the discussion about joining the show and I’m like, “Are you sure?” Like I’m like I can’t go through another co-host. It’s going to hurt the show. He’s like, “No, this would be good.” And I’m like, “Okay, we’re going to we’re going to see here.” Because he had been on uh just before that as a as a part-time, like a couple of He was the number one rated show we had had. In fact, he came on the day that Pierre Dorian was fired and it was our most watched episode, I think, of the entire year. Wow. Uh, so anyway, point is we we start talking and he’s like, “Yeah, no, I’m good. Uh, everything is good.” I’m like, “Okay.” And then he gets into the show. Everything is great. Like, we’re doing really well. And then there’s a there’s a like Yorkie and I are like, “Do you think something’s off today?” And eventually it became that he started drinking again. And I’m like, “Simmer, you knew like I told you the rules before like if you start I can’t have you on the show, right?” And that was in November. And uh it he couldn’t get himself out of it after. And I’d said, “Listen, if you can like just figure this out, like there’s a chance that we can still work this through.” Cuz we had taken him out of rehab uh in August, I think it was. Like I celebrated his birthday with him at the Royal Ottawa uh Queensway Carlton. Yorkie and I showed up and I brought cupcakes. Like I wanted him to feel like he was some like he was part of something. Yeah, I know. Like there was a group of you and I look I I’m with you. This is there’s areas you try not to step in here, but there was a group of you guys who took really good care of him and helped him as best you could. So, and part of that was cuz I knew what it’s like to be laid off. That was number one. And when you’re a mid40s guy or late 40s, you’re like, what am I going to do? Yeah. I felt like there’s he was too good to just discard, if you will. I hope that word is not taken out of context. Um, so I really believe that he was really good for our show. So he comes back, but then he starts drinking again in November. And I like we had given him I thought we had fixed it cuz we we got him into rehab. We got him afterare. We got him I had him in a place to live. He had a job that was paying him money. Like I thought we had won. He’s on a good track here, right? Like I was like, damn it. like the show’s really good, like we’re this is we’re killing this and then I just he he fell back into it and I couldn’t that was it. I couldn’t get him out of it. Yeah. And and so I like I’ve always felt somewhat responsible and that is because I had to take him off the show and wow. Uh that’s heavy, man. Like it’s it’s still like [ __ ] it’s you still have to do what’s best for the show. I know. you feel like you might know what that outcome is, right? And so I that one it uh that one’s hard on me. It still is. Uh I will always feel somewhat responsible. So if you watch the show uh we launched with Simmer in like September with the bird feeder cuz the bird feeder became a part of the show, right? And so I’d always promised and I’d said it at his funeral, I will always fill the bird feeder. Uh, and so to this day, the bird feeder remains full. It’s a nice tribute, man. I think that’s uh Yeah. Yeah. It’s It’s tough, but you know, we’ve sort of outlined here a tough start, a tough road for what you’ve got. You’ve got Graham Nichols sitting in now. It’s a slightly different vibe, but it’s still a very like I I’ve always enjoyed the the point of view that Graham comes at things with and and the insight that he brings. How how’s the current group meshing and how do you find it working now? So, it’s funny. So, you’ll have to He’s on next week, right? Yeah. Yeah. So, I uh I think he does really really good work. Uh and I needed a So, I was going to Singapore with my wife for she was doing a conference and I’m like I want to go to this like and then we took some days and went to Thailand. So, it was like 10 days. I’m like, I need a co-host to fill in. And uh I’d asked Graham if he’d fill in with York yet. I had Graham on like once or twice before and he’s like, sure. And then he just hasn’t left. One of those guys who he just takes a spot on your couch and never moves out. And so I’m like, “Oh, I just sent him the email with the link every day and he shows up.” So yeah, ask him. Yeah, he just hasn’t left. I like that. Um once you get your foot in the door, man, don’t take it out. Yeah. And so we get along really well. And he does. It’s a different like it’s a completely different vibe and and I can’t it’s always tough because I try to compare shows and I can’t because this the personalities become completely different. I’m hoping this is where the show may land. You never know. But like as you say, Graham brings a whole different element that we’ve never had in the show. And so I’m going to try to get him to open up more. I think there’s because when we chat away from the mic, he’s he’s got lots of 100% stuff to joke about. Well, he sat around here a couple times afterwards having a pint when we’re done the show. I’m like, why didn’t you say that when we put the mics on? Right. That’s And I’m like, will you just open up a little? So, that’s uh he’s a work in progress, but I he’s very good and we get a long stream and all. What’s it been like? You know, you mentioned dealing with the old regime versus the new regime. Um, I know it certainly can’t have hurt uh with Mendes and and Sly sort of taking over media relations or communications, whatever you’d want to call it, they seem to be more open to new media, as douchy as that term. I know. Yeah, it’s Yeah. So, it’s been like I’m trying to think when television first started, were the radio people like, damn, these people, right? Um, this fad. Yeah, it’ll this will never work. You guys don’t know what you’re doing. Not even in color. Uh so, well, first of all, Ian and I are very good friends. Uh we’ve traveled. Never known the way he was talking about you in here. But well, that’s that doesn’t shock me. Um I’ve went to that uh comedy night you and York and he did uh over at uh Yakyaks in Nepian or Canada. He kicked us off the stage. I think we went so long. That was fun though, man. You guys had a a good rapport clearly. So like like Mendes and I, we’ve we’ve done Vancouver Olympics together every day. We’ve done London Olympics together. We’ve been to Sweden. Like we’ve traveled North America together. Um our kids have grown up together. And so um and when I got laid off, like it was during co which was also really not helpful. Yeah. No. Um not having a hard enough time here like right like so he uh they came over and sit in my garage and we’d share beers and stuff, socially distanced beers. So, it was him, Kyle Bukoscus, and a producer from TSN. They they took extremely good care of me. Like, I will never really not if I I’ll badmouth Mendes occasionally, but not not as much as I could. Yeah. Um, so like I didn’t expect anything when he took over or even like Sly and I’ve known Sly for 20 years as well. We’ve traveled around. Um, I didn’t and I didn’t know what to expect, but mend is like, “Yeah, like we’ll give you full accreditation.” Now, it’s different because the Toronto Maple Leafs, they they don’t do that or they didn’t. And I will say like my really good friend is the PR guy for the Leafs. Yeah. And so, we would have conversations. I’m like, well, like, why won’t you do this or or how do you see it from your vantage point? Sure. And so, he’s like, yeah, like we don’t know what podcasts are going to say. like one day you could be fbombing everybody and like and I and so I get that. So Mendes understood that I I was still like that reporter guy. We were never going to go after players or sabotage them and and before they even took over, I was getting all the players on our show because of who I had built the rapport with before and even some guys I didn’t know. We just reach out to them like, “Yeah, we know who you are. We know what you’re about.” Right. Like I would but I could never release the names. So I would always show like tomorrow a special guest because if I told them they would the sends would cancel you. Yeah. Okay. So that went on for years. Uh and so when Mendes took over I’m surprised it was never just like a blanket that at the beginning of the year they just tell all their people you can’t do these shows or so but players are allowed to have their own brand now which is that I guess that’s that’s the big part where they’re like yeah you know like it’s not a bad idea to do these shows and I’ll give you an example. Alex Deg who we all remember um he just had his documentary come out but just before it got released we had him on the show and he’s a really good friend of Jason Yorks which is why and he had never done anything beforehand and so he comes on he’s now full-time at TVA TV because he did our podcast and they saw his work. Wow. So like people don’t know where it gets seen, right? Like so that’s the thing like people don’t understand the power that you can sometimes have or whatever and and he so players see that perhaps building their brand like players are getting some are getting paid to be guest hosts or guest spots on podcast. Yeah. So there’s there’s stuff out there. Anyway, um so when they took over I was like I don’t I just felt that I didn’t have to hide it anymore. But then Mendes is like, “You can come into our locker room, have full accreditation.” And it’s still weird for me. Like I’m I’m uncomfortable despite being there for 22 years, whatever. I am uncomfortable in that room still because I get thought of as like like I’ve heard people like, “You’re the blogger.” I’m like, “I don’t even write anything.” Like I’m not a blogger. Like so yeah, they don’t they don’t really want me in there cuz they feel threatened. But the problem is there’s no media covering the team anymore, right? So this year they will not have a full-time media person traveling on the road to cover this tape. Even the radio broadcast is being left at home. So there’s no So we’re traveling this year, which irritates people because they’re like, “Oh, how do you really?” Yeah. Like we have a I have a budget due to our sponsors to travel the entire year. I can’t because of some things are scheduled and I just can’t. But if I want to do these games, I can. Like we’re going to I will fly to Florida this week. I’m doing the first two games on the road. Wow. But people continue to go, “Oh, that new media guy, that minor league podcast thing.” So like our but we bring something different when and Sens fans deserve to have as much content as they can. They’re great in our community. They love our show. We I I love dealing with them and and now the Sens understand the importance that a we need more media and b like those shows help give insight into who these players are and it’s a safe place, right? like you have 20 years or whatever it is of credibility behind you, right? Yorkie is a former player. He’s not going to come on and just bury other players. So, we’re fair and factual, which is what we’ve always said we were. And like, will I ever go after a player and go, “He’s the worst thing to ever put on skates.” No. Like, we’ll say like, “He’s struggling to play.” Of course, you got to be credible to your audience, too. But why would I ever like like why would I ever go after somebody? You can still say they’re struggling or they’re not playing well without really personally attack. will never personally attack a player. Never. It’s funny. Uh we were talking last year sometime, I can’t remember, about this new approach with Sly and and Mendes being more open to um new media, if we’re going to stick with that term. And one of the replies we got in our social media was, “Oh, I see everybody’s invited except TCA.” And I kind of laughed. I was like, “Well, that is kind of funny.” And so when Mendes was in here and he’s like, “Well, you’ve never asked.” I we had a discussion like for our show. I’m not interested in interviewing players unless one of them has like an affinity for craft beer or something that we could be interested in um together or whatever. It’s it’s more of a like we’re a different type of of show or what. But Mendes said to me in that when he was in here just as a placeholder for when the sends play random team we kept mentioning St. Lewis. And so he said to me afterwards, he’s like, “Why don’t you come in visit the press box when the Blues are in town?” Just again as the placeholder for random night. I said, “Can I come when the Leafs are in town? I’ll wear my jersey.” He’s like, “Yeah, no, probably I guess.” But it’s it’s really refreshing to see that the I knew all along once Mendes took if there was ever a reason to do it, I could at least shoot him a text and be heard, right? Whereas before that door was just completely Yeah. But that’s all that mattered. But so but you bring up a very good point and I I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. You just like I want to wear my Leafs jersey and I know it’s in I get it but that’s the problem with allowing some members of the new media in and so you’re a fan you’re active. So they did this one year I think it’s 2007 it’s Sydney Crosby I’m pretty sure his first year in the playoffs they’re in Ottawa. They lose if I’m not mistaken. The Sens or the Pens? depends. We’re in the Penguins locker room. They’ve allowed now these new media people. We’re giving it a try. Yeah. And at the end, one of them says, “Do you have Hey, Sid, do you have anything I could have like a hat or something?” And I’m like, “You got to be kidding me. Get out of here, man.” So, so that’s the juggle juggling act of what do you allow in and we’re the as far as I can tell right now we’re the only podcast in hockey at least in the country that has full accreditation regular full all season accreditation that has an access to any member of the management or players to have on the show like we’re very very fortunate of what we do but and even in that moment like I I will take him up on his infight like just as a media guy who’s in I’ll go to the press box one night, check out a game. I probably won’t go to the locker room. Like, that doesn’t it’s not your thing. No, it’s not really what we do. But I the experience would be fascinating, but I’m not an idiot. You dress properly, you don’t ask for merch, you don’t whatever, right? Like, it’s just um you know, like I said, it’s it’s good to know the door is open for at least being considered because you have to like you can’t just dismiss there’s a new ways of reaching people, right? Yes. Like and I’m trying to think like the number of people like there are countless podcasts and I know not everybody gets the same kind of treatment but you can’t discount this wave of media like or medium of media right like it is a great YouTube channel great writers out there now that’s how Graham Nichols gets his foot in the door is his writing right yeah like I I I glad I don’t know like I’m fortunate enough it pays my bills like this isn’t some little hobby on the weekend so just like you like the amount of gear Here you have this is the best podcast setup I’ve ever seen in my life. Um, but I went to radio school. I was kind of a nerd for the tech and so you slow we started with one USB Blue Yeti microphone in the middle of a dining room table and I don’t know where that mic is now and eventually you just build it up and build it up. So So it’s funny like this year I invested over I over but my wife isn’t listening. over 15 grand. Brand new DSR mirrorless camera, all the lenses, like it’s all professional, high-end, all the like equipment just to like a brand new laptop that allows me to cut video enough like Well, our buddy Nichols said he he sent me a message. He goes, “Wall’s wanting us to step up our game a little bit. Do you have any advice on mics and stuff?” Like I’m like, “Graham, could you turn the light on at this?” Like, gosh. Yeah. I’ve got to go over Anyway, I Yeah. So he doesn’t understand the technical side, but we’re getting there. Yeah. Yeah. So he’s got a new mic. I’m very excited. Sure. Uh the other day I’m like he sits down and he’s like like Casper the ghost and we’re into the show. So the show’s live so it’s harder to do a lot of stuff like I can’t go. Graham can you turn your I’m trying to be professional. No, I get it. I sent him a we have a chat on our software. I’m like is your light on? And all I see him click the light on and boom. I’m like he’s like a I just sat down. I’m like can you not tell that there’s no light in your face? Um but we like back to like I’ve spent thousands to try and make sure that I am as professional as anybody else. So I can compete in the same environment as anybody else. We’ve never really gotten anywhere or like really even tried to with the video side of it. Now I know that’s where it’s going and eventually we may have to to do that. But for me that was one of the other things like we don’t have 20 years of reputation like you did or Jason York who played in the league. So what are the things we can do to stand out? And it was just well we can sound better, right? Like we can at least start to address that side of thing and invest in the show that way uh and make it hopefully if the takes are no good at least the audio quality will be good. Okay. So here’s a dumb question then Matt. I’m again I feel like I’m taking this off the rails. That’s but that’s typical in our show and here it’s like why not stick a camera right here and we could right it’s just it’s it’s one more step right like it’s to to it’s not that hard I I shouldn’t like I’m it but I will tell you you will reach 100% YouTube is where this is all going you’re going to have to be there um and I’m a I mean probably part of the problem I’m a TV guy and this is it I’ve always just been I went to radio broadcast school I never wanted radio see that’s all I ever Now these things are coming together. You almost have to be everywhere. Yeah. And but you see like look what TV’s done. Sports in particular this radio. They just taken radio. It’s a great filler in the afternoons. How many different sports bars would you walk into and see Bob Macau’s face on t and you can’t hear him. It’s a radio show on TV with no audio. And it makes them money and it’s they don’t have to invest in it very much. Like it’s simple and but everybody like they watch. We are gonna end up having to go there, but it’s just something I’ve dreaded. I’m I’m a face for radio guy. I’m a I’ve always been an audio guy. It’s okay. We still put him on, too. Um, you’ve been hanging around training camp down there. I’m a little curious if there’s been noticeable differences in Can we pause for a second? Yeah, of course. I just I I really like this beer and we haven’t discussed the beer. Oh, yeah. Okay. You’re enjoying that one? I’m yeah like the evening edition dark logger from beyond the pale and like you said it is unusual to have a dark logger that’s also a light logger. That’s why I was like I not I was intrigued as to what this is. So cuz often dark can mean strong stout porter kind of stuff. I’m not a Guinness guy although I believe my tastes have changed enough where I should be actually consuming it. Um but this is like I would I would pour these all night. It’s got, like you said, it’s still a light enough body that it doesn’t feel overpowering. I’ve had that one a bunch of times. I like it uh when you’re just trying to coast. Um like again, this one also over here is only 4.4%, but some of the IPAs that roll in here are like 8 and 12% or whatever else. And that’s not something you’re going to sit down and have six out of. So heavy. So heavy. Anyway, yeah. Um sorry toense. Yeah. No, this one’s nice as well. The the pumpkin spice thing. It’s funny. I love coffee stouts and espresso porters and this and that. I don’t drink coffee or espressos. I don’t like hot beverages at all. No. And yet so you and Mendes. Yeah. And so this uh this is treating me well. Although Mendes when he comes in here, I have to have Michicolo Baltro or he’s not going to have a pint at all. Although he did come over. We had our 10th anniversary thing there back in May. I was surprised he showed up. But he did try we had a 10% black IPA that was our we brewed with the Nita Beer Company to celebrate the He tried it. Here is the thing about Mendes. I almost never to this day believe I witnessed and I I still have a I struggle thinking that this actually happened because he’s such a lightweight beer guy. 100%. It is. We are in New York City. I believe it’s the lockout and we spent so much time together standing on street corners. Wild. In fact, I don’t know if he told you the story. One day we just went to Chelsea Pier. No, we didn’t. I We’ll get to that in a sec. Okay. So, one night we’re at some bar and I still don’t know. I I will never be able to tell you where this bar is. Excuse me. And he just pounds back like scotch or whiskey. He I think he had 10. And then he just like, “See you guys going back to my hotel.” I’m like, “How are you walking?” And then he tells me he’s drinking this Michelob. I’m like, “Who? You can’t be the same person.” And you don’t even drink C. Like, I don’t know who he is. Anyway, um, so one day, so this is during one of the lockets. So this is 0405. Okay. Make sure this is right. Well, it’s hard, right? Gary’s got a bunch of them. It’s hard to keep track which lock which. Maybe. No. Was this 1213? Damn it. I did them both. I’m going to go with 0405. All right. Uh, no. No. Changed my mind because the uh the 1213 was more in the spring. It ended Did they start in January? They started in January and 13. Oh, damn it. Then it’s got to be 0405. And then it was 4-1. So it was a summer time summertime 045. Yes. We’ll just I’m just trying to get you references of the So 0405. And uh every day you stand on the street corner now. And we would wait thinking for what? Bob Goodnau might walk out here. Exactly. So this is how dumb this is. But they’re paying us. So why not? So we stand and in New York you can only stand like 6 ft off the curb because the building owns the sidewalk right. So they would have security walk out and make sure we stay. Step back. Step back you Canadians. Good lord. So every day we would just wait. Nothing ever would happen. We’d go to Oban, get a coffee and sit there for a minute and come back. Anyway, um one day we like it was so cold we rented a taxi just to sit there. I think it was $300 just to sit in the back seat. Yeah, cuz like we got to be there. So, wow. So, Gary, so anyway, day after day, no, the glory of working in sports TV, everybody, right? And everybody would tell us like either the PA like no one’s talking today. Okay. All right. So, day after day and then one day, Gary walks out at lunch. He’s like, “Hey guys.” And I actually I quite like Gary Bman. Okay. Uh, but I’ve been around him enough like people think that he’s this anti-Canadian, which isn’t true at all. No, I don’t believe he’s anti-Canadian. I just find him smug. That’s all. But he’s a New York lawyer. Like, but I’ve been in a Vegas nightclub when he’s in jeans sitting on the top of a couch drinking beer. Like, there’s a different side to give when he lets his down. Yeah. Like, like he’s a he’s a All right. for a really fairly normal guy like but keep in mind he’s in a whole different tax he makes like $7 million a year or something. Okay. So he comes in and goes nothing’s going on today. We’re like all right. So we’re Dave Joey my camera guy I and Ian and his camera guy although his camera guy is from Toronto. So the three of us this is again to pull the curtain back for people who don’t get sports media. This is the guy covering it for TSN and the guy covering it for Sports Net just hanging out together and you know cutthroat business of sports. But so what’s weird like in our I’m going to get sidetracked in our industry my colleagues are my competitors. Yep. So all my friends are like Ian Mendes and Gourd and Dean like all competitors that’s who ends up being who we work with. Of course. Yeah. So we end up It’s weird. It’s a really weird and for me all my people I knew and worked with if you will because I’m the only guy the TSN guy in the city is when I travel to other cities when you meet all the other media people those are the people that I would hang out with. So when I got laid off I lost all those people that would okay so back to this day. Sure. Nothing going on guys. Okay. So Mendes and I and Dave decide that we’re going to go over to Chelsea Pier and go bowling as one does in Manhattan because we’re like if we all say nothing then nothing happened, right? Okay. Yeah. Okay. So, we’re all in this together. So, we uh we head on over to the Lucky Lanes. Yeah. I’m like, this is great. And we’re all bowling. We bought socks cuz we weren’t none of us were prepared for this day. I I can just picture us like running around like cotton candy floating like you know one of those stupid movie musicals. Uh we had a great time. Uh on the way back we passed by the Church of Scientology and Dave and I are smart enough to know you just keep walking but Mendes stops and now I think he’s about to be abducted. And at that point I’m like you’re on your own Mendes. You know that you don’t have to talk to everybody. And we kept walking. So eventually we find out he’s okay. But I’m like that’s on you. like fully on you. You you do not stop by the Church of Scientology and ask South Park episode. You’re so that was our that was our uh Chelsea Fer day. Like it was one of the I thought you were going to say this was his way of slipping away. He had a little story that he could file and screw you guys over. No, we never and that was the thing like you never really try to you try to have your own story but you never really try to screw the other guy over which so we like we were there must have been a moment at some point take me inside the business and it doesn’t have to be the where you know something whether it’s the lockout the sends that not everybody knows. Yeah. Are you trying to get that filed first or are you whispering to a buddy going, “Hey, you should talk to so and so or you should No, you’d never tell.” No, you you just do the story and then you and see what would happen like and see if they caught on or whatever. Such and such trade is coming or it like to be honest with you at the reporter level it doesn’t happen that often. So when I I found out like they were going to ask Wade Redden to wave his no trade clause the next day. I told Darren Trager cuz I’m like I don’t want to have to deal with Brian Murray. Right. You go into the locker room every day. So you can deal with this. The big national guy who doesn’t have to be here. That makes sense. Okay. So yeah. Anyway, um I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve veered this thing into a cliff that I don’t know where we’re supposed to be at. We started with training camp, but I don’t know how we got to Chelsea beer. But Mendes is a drunk. That’s basically what we It’s what we’ve come up with. Uh, and God love him for it cuz yeah, he uh he’s never shown that side of him in here. Anyway, just cut that clip and send it to him. I will. I will do nothing but that. No context. Just Mendes. You won’t believe what Brent just said about you. Um, so I’m just curious about the difference in vibes between last year’s camp and this year’s camp with a new coach in place last year. You know, there’s a lot of learning about what his expectations might be and maybe the guys are trying to make a good impression. Now, you know, this wasn’t an overly busy offseason for the send, so the guys all know each other. The coach knows them. I’m just sort of curious at the same time that maybe you’d be letting your guard down a little bit about, you know, this guy knows me and I’m just going through training camp. There’s also a vibe of we’re trying to establish oursel this year as a regular playoff team. We we made it last year. Yeah. What’s Has there been a noticeable difference for you year-over-year? So, it’s funny and it’s funny that you can ask two people who watch the same practice and you’ll get different answers. Um because I’ve heard some people say, “Oh, this is like super exciting. Everybody’s pumped. Practice warm. Uh training camp has been ecstatic.” And I’m like, “It’s just another practice.” They look like they’re late in training camp going. They just look like the same team that ended the year. Like it’s a very uh I’ll say mature team. Very methodical. Like very business-like is what I should be getting to. There’s no like, “Oh, win it for the gipper type.” like it’s just very business-like and I and I think that comes with maturing with knowing the Travis Green understanding how this all plays out. Uh I don’t find it as it’s not as uh I guess as exciting as last year cuz everything was new. Yeah. And there was a lot of new faces. This year it’s just okay this is what we got to do to get us into the next round. This so let’s just get to it’s just work and I don’t and that’s not a negative. No. Uh, I think it’s actually if anything it’s a positive of they just want to put the work in to get the job done. What did you make of the Quebec City experiment? Um, from the moment it was announced, it felt fraud. We There’s been lots of talk about the split jersey thing and whether there was going to be regular season games and this and that, but now that we’ve seen the preseason of it all, it it does look like certainly during the Montreal game that was overrun with with Montreal fans. Um, So, was it worthwhile? I wish I knew everything behind the scenes because so it’s easy for us to say like, why would you bring in Montreal? This is stupid. Uh, which I still think is stupid. But maybe there’s a reason that they couldn’t bring somebody else in. Or uh, sorry, if I’m not mistaken, the promoter said you had to bring Montreal in to sell the tickets. Sure. What do you expect to have happen? Yeah. Like if you were to go to Kingston, I think you would find that you would be multi-blue everywhere, right? Like, and I understand that’s still an Ottawa market, but there’s an awful lot of Leaf fans that live just two hours. Well, I went to Loyalist Radio in Belleville, and even right there, it was almost split right down the center of town, right? Like it was so I like, okay, let me get back to Montreal. So, the beginning I like I was there for 4 days. I didn’t feel this big sense of excitement that the Ottawa Senators were in town, right? I like I I didn’t see anything that was like, “Oh, here’s the sense.” The only thing I saw was when they were in the parking lot or the stickers on the door. Um the New Jersey game was a debacle, which I think they should have, and again, I don’t know behind the scenes. So, I think that New Jersey should have almost promised or there should have been a discussion about the lineup you were going to bring if you want to sell tickets. They they iced like so many teams do right on the road in the preseason just like Ottawa against St. Louis. It just wasn’t a very good line. Yeah. So that’s an issue. But you’re 5 hours away from the market in a different province with the other team that you think everybody hates it still really likes. Yeah. And is a very storied franchise is two hours away. Yeah. I it’s it’s I understand. So I understand they want to grow the fan base. I understand they have numbers that say that a lot of people in Quebec watch the Ottawa play. I get it. That doesn’t necessarily translate into fans. The issue I have is you now need to do this every year. You can’t do a one-off and think you’re going to grow the fan base. So you have to go year after year after year. Now you only allowed four preseason games. So in so let’s say you got two home games. Are you going to go every year for one preseason home game in hopes of building that? Because there was already some grumbling this year that there was only one. Yeah. So, and it was an afternoon game, the first home game, the pre and I know people say they hate preseason, but you take the preseason away and suddenly everybody loves the preseason. And I know there are people that can only afford to go to preseasons. So, I don’t like I don’t begrudge them wanting to see their team in Ottawa. I I don’t know how I don’t know how you’re going to grow the fan base in Quebec City without moving heaven and earth to try to get them to come over. It just feels too late, doesn’t it? It’s like if you’d have done this in 98 or 2000, try and grab a piece of it. And to say that like I’m going to take some heat for it, but to say that oh, we’re trying to win over the fan base of Quebec City means that well, we ignored you for a really long time and we we think that you should just come cheer for us. How about you play the game in in Gatnau? I was just going to say stay in your region. Let’s take care of those back there. The number of people that email our show and that win prizes on our show that live in Gatau. Yeah. I I feel like it’s 50%. It is a large number that are in Gatnau that are Sense fans. And I just I think that we need to start to take care. If you had a scrimmage there or a preseason there at Slush Puppy or It was hype last year. They did a preseason scrimmage there or a black and white game. It was great. People loved it. It was full. I know it only seats like 4,000 5,000 people. Okay. But take the hit on ticket sales to grow the fan base and make the statement we’re here in Gatau. We care about this. Yeah. I Anyway, I it’s easy to sit here and criticize. It was worth a shot. I guess I appreciate the effort. Yeah. I’m just hoping that but now they’re in a tough spot. Like you said, do you double down and keep going or do you go that didn’t work and and come back home? And like you said, fewer preseason games now moving forward. you got less inventory to play with. It’s I I and I feel bad for it cuz I like listen, you take a swing and you hope that you make it, but not everything pans out and I don’t think that this is the answer. Um, last thing for you then as we kind of wind down. I know you got a Red Blacks game to get to. Uh, they keep you busy here, right? Listen, I I’ve not even done this beer, so keep going. Um, what do you make of the division this year? Because Yeah, this is what we’ve all been talking about. Hey, Matt. Okay. Sorry. Yeah, you’ve got five teams that made the playoffs last year from this division. It is arguably the toughest division in hockey. Yep. Only right there with the Central. That’s about it for me. Yeah. But like, so here’s the thing now. You’ve got Bararkov and Kachchuck out. You’ve got the Mi Mitch Marnerless Leafs, if you will, and Joseph Wool on leave. Y right. We don’t know when he’s coming back. Nope. Uh you’ve got got Rhymer, though. It’s going to be fine. I so I I know James Rhyr really well. Yeah. He uh I have a story about him. There’s my son has a jersey hanging in his closet of James Rhyr. Oh. Is your son a Leaf guy? No. Oh. But his godfather is the PR guy for the Leafs. Wow. That is a close relationship. So, um we’re going to talk about that off the air later. So, uh you’ve got Tampa. Mhm. which is Tampa, but Tampa’s they’re so they’re aging. I just wonder when if ever the falloff is. It’s it has to happen at some point. Let’s just let’s They finished the year on fire last year. I know, right? But you don’t know if Andre Basilki like No, we don’t know why. There’s question There’s just questions. Then you got Montreal that could be really really good. They they’ve got a ton of talent. I think they arrived early, but can they defend is the question I have. Yep. Then you got Ottawa, which I Here’s the thing. I I think they could either finish second or out of the playoffs. Wow. Because you don’t know what you’re going to get with Ottawa just gave up and I understand it’s a preseason. Yep. They just gave up 13 goals in two games. I understand the lineups, but let’s go back to last year. They struggle to score goals. They’ve scored three goals in the last three games. 31st in five on five goals. 32nd and five. There are questions about Ottawa and now they, you know, they’re going to start probably without Drake Bathson. Um they’re going to get Jensen and Eller back I think for Saturday’s game in Montreal. We’ll see if that’s the case. There’s questions. Tyler Cleven is still out. Yeah. Um they weren’t like they’re not a really deep team. There’s not a lot there. So if they if they suffer an injury, I’m thinking like to one of their key stars. Yeah. Maybe this isn’t going to be the way that this season unfolds that they want him to. Like Lenus Omar is still a question mark. He’s never played 50 games. You don’t know like sometimes it took Marilen to save their year last year when he went down and he hasn’t looked very good in the last like so there’s all I’m saying there’s questions which is why you play the games 100%. And I don’t think Boston ever thought that they would end up where they were last year or like Buffalo thinks every year that they’re going to be good like I do expect Detroit to be a bit better. the conversation we had. Why? I I just to me they’re they have enough pieces on their roster that you can still expect some internal growth from. And I I normally hate that phrase, but like to me the sends have I wouldn’t say maxed out, but the years where Stuttzla and Sanderson are taking massive leaps every year, I think those are gone. I think they can still be better. Oh, I Oh, no. So, I will say Jake Sanderson. Well, I think Sanderson still has he came a couple years later right after coming out of university or a year later or what. I I do think Sanderson can continue to improve, but he’s a stupidly good hockey guy. Yeah. Um I think Tim Stutzley gets back to like he he looks this year. So that man strength is there that like there’s nobody I think outside of Closure that wants to win more on that team than Tim. I think he has a monster year. uh and he’s really tired of being talked to about shooting the puck. My Monday co-host every week, uh Rob, he he and I have debated this a few times. He’s a huge Sans fan. What is the ceiling and the floor for the Sans if Dylan Cousins doesn’t turn out to be a reliable two seat? Like Stutz is still every bit what we think he’s going to be. Sanderson is still everything we think he’s going to be. But if this if the the cousins thing doesn’t quite work, it to me it it might be right where they’re at. Like if he’s not any better, if Cousins isn’t any better, I’m not sure they can take another step forward. Okay, I’m going to put this to you. Oh, great Leaf guy. Is I can live with that title. What if Dylan Cousins is your third line center? This is what I’ve been pushing for. I like Shane Pinto a lot. Well, so I’m not concerned about Dylan Cousins to be a 25 goal scorer, whatever. I because I think by the end of the year, Shane Pinto is the second line center. I don’t I I I don’t shy away from that. I I think he’s got every chance of taking another big step. So, if you move like Dylan Cousins down, and I don’t think it’s a negative. He’s still a great penalty killer. Like he has no issues on the defensive side of the game. I mean, he’s not as good as Shane. Sure. Um, but if you can have that guy as your third line center who’s big, strong, physical, I don’t know that you’re like losing that much. Yeah. So, if you go Stuts, Le Pinto, Cousins, Eller down the middle, I think it’s the strength of your team. Sure. But now you’ve got you’re a little messed up. Like I don’t want Bath checking with Pinto, right? Like that’s now not a great matchup line. No, not necess. But if you have I’ll put Fabian Zettherland on that line for now with Bath and and Shane Pinto. And I think you can you whatever. Let’s just Okay, let’s just stay there. I think if you have Pinto and Zetherland as your defensive conscience on that line, Drake Ba’s allowed to do what he wants, who I think, by the way has the best hands of anybody on that team. M. So, yeah, for me, you know, the conversation we had here was I think Tampa wins the division. I think Toronto is a little worse than last year, maybe significantly worse, but I don’t think they’re going off a cliff. I think Florida Okay, Brian Burke all they’re tcculent enough now with with Guv. I think Florida, even before the Barkov injury, was probably just like, “Yeah, we don’t care. we’ll finish wherever and then we’ll No, they don’t. So, it’s like, you know what, we got to win today. Okay, we’ll win today. So, this was it. I always thought they would roll into third just because, you know, they were they’ve been on some long playoff runs. Now, with Bararkov, that might be a little more out of their hands. I still think it’s And then I think it gets really mushy. I think Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit are all going to be right there, right? Like in this kind of And I do I I’m with you. I think it’s five and three, you know, five coming out of the Atlantic, but I don’t know which um where they land. Fair enough. I I your Detroit synopsis to me doesn’t make any sense. Okay. Uh with all due respect, which is never respectful when you say that, I don’t see Detroit. I don’t I don’t I like I know they got John Gibson and goal. I I just I don’t see the development from that group enough, but prove me wrong. Um and Montreal is an intrigue to me. They could also fall right out, but they’re fun to watch. Yep. Montbo like I don’t know if he gets enough credit or if sometimes he gets too much. I can’t tell. But like if he’s on the team Canada radar then maybe he’s not as bad as people want to make like so I can see Ottawa like in so if I were in a perfect scenario Mhm. I would go Toronto, Ottawa, Florida, Tampa, Montreal. You got Tampa in fourth. Something that Hedman and Mcdana are are getting old. And you’re right. If Vaselvki’s got something going on, that’s a big red. Yeah. Yeah. I’m still mad at Victor Hedman from his draft ear. I have a signed moto golf ball from Victor Heedman. Okay. Um, so I do the World Championships in Switzerland. They go, “Hey, you’re going to fly to Sweden and you’re going to talk to Victor Hedman who’s about to be drafted.” And I’m like, “Okay.” And then they’re like, “It’s all set up. You’re going to go talk to his teacher in high school. You’re going to go see his parents. You’re going to do talk to his brother.” And I’m like, “Okay, great. This sounds fun.” So we get there and we land, drive to the house, nobody’s there and I’m like, okay. And so we get suburban and it’s in it’s in Octo. It’s an ovik, Sweden, which is way north. Okay. Ernold, it’s like um the famous moto hockey team, but the Sadine Twins, Peter Forsburg, there’s a lot of hockey talents coming out there. And for whatever reason, I convinced myself to walk around to the back of that house. Like I I’m in I just I’ve never been to Sweet. I’m gonna get shot. Anyway, the headman Rottweiler. So the dad is sitting there eating his lunch and I’m like, “Hi, Mr. Heman. Excuse me. Um I don’t He’s like, “I had no idea you were coming.” Very nice, man. And I’m like, “Okay.” So they get a hold of Victor and Victor goes, “Ah, yeah. I didn’t uh I didn’t tell anybody. I forgot.” So we go to pick him up from school. Uh we go to moto practice cuz he’s skating with Moto. And uh I’m now in the lock like in within like 40 minutes I’m now in the locker room as they get ready. Like I don’t know anything. The coach like, “Hey, come on in.” And so uh we eventually do a sit down with Victor and his parents, but no teacher, nothing, no coach of it. Like like he’s like, “Yeah, sorry about that.” I’m like, “Okay.” Anyway, so we’ve always gotten along ever since. Um and he’s a hell of a hockey player. When if you had to reddraft, do you take Dvarus or Victor Hebann? I think you’d take Victor Heedman all day long at number one. It’s a lot more interesting than it was at the time. That question I would say it’s not like Tiverris has had a bad No, he’s a he’s arguably a Hall of Famer. Yeah. Victor Heman is a two two time Cup champion, right? Yeah. Uh he’s a Norris Trophy winner. Like y you win with your D. He’s been a stud even for Swed I like. And he said to me at forgotten he’s like I think I should go number one. And I’m like you’re so the Canadian’s going to go number one. you crazy. Well, especially at the time there was Tvarus was going to be the next. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He’s always thought that he should have gone number one. Well, and now like you say with the benefit of hindsight, it’s not a crazy opinion, right? Like and I do remember that was one of those weird drafts where it feels like there you’re trying to create intrigue where there is none. Like maybe he will go for maybe Duchine will pass them both and go for you’re like it’s it was always going to be it’s been we get bored for two years talking about this. So now we start talking about is it somebody else? Yes. So then back to my James Rhyr. Sure. Uh we’re at the World Championships. I might He likes it here in Ottawa. It He does might have even been the same year and uh and I No, we do training camp in Paris and then in Prague. Like it was an amazing training camp and I’m like this is like this is the life. Um so it’s 20 I think it’s maybe 2014. Only reason I know that is because I took my wife 2013. I took my wife for a 10 year anniversary, but I just did it like six months earlier. Then she still wanted another gift, of course. So I didn’t win this at all. Um and so I took my camera and I was just taking pictures at uh team Canada practice cuz you’re the only media member there at the time. Yeah. And I said to James like, “I got some pics for you. You are you suggesting the Leafs were done early enough in the year?” Well, he was there. All I can tell you. Yeah, Luke Shen was there. Of course he was. Max, if I’m not mistaken, like that’s the same year that Dion Fenu was there. Okay. And I remember calling Dion Fenov like Luke. I said, “Thanks, Luke.” At the end of an interview, he just glared at me. Um, new Luke. So, we I said, “I’m going to I’ll I’ll get you these pictures.” And he’s like, “Yeah, sure. Okay.” So, I I on a USB drive, give him the the pictures, and it’s like a few days have gone by or whatever, and he hasn’t said anything. I’m like, “Hey, do you see those pictures?” And he’s like, “Uh, no. I’ll check them tonight. I’m like, “Okay.” He comes back to me the next day. He goes, “Hey, thanks a lot. Those are great.” I’m like, “What did you think?” And he’s like, “I thought they were of your vacation.” I’m like, “Well, why am I giving you pictures of my vacation?” Anyway, so uh we’ve all like and I know he he’s like he had the I’ll say the anti- pride stuff, Jersey, whatever. Like I understand, but I I really like him. Like he and I get along extremely well. And so that’s where some of this problems of publicly like you can’t always go I really like that guy and like you’re an like what are you so that this has been a tough one for me. I loved Rhymer as a when he first came up the Leafs were awful. Awful. And in 2013 when they did get into the playoffs there, it was all on his back and they for whatever reason blamed him at the end. And it was an easy and so I’ll be honest with you, I was bummed out when I saw that he wouldn’t wear the pride thing in with the Sharks. That upset me a bit and I I I was just I was disappointed. It’s not like I hate that guy. I do understand it comes from a religious place and we can disagree on these things, but there’s another universe. There’s an alternate universe where I hear he’s on a PTO with the Leafs and I’m excited about it and now it’s more just like that’s business. He’s just another guy back in the fold. I don’t hate him. I don’t whatever. It’s just it bummed me out is the best way to say I I felt the same. I almost sent him a text just to like just try and talk to him a bit like and it’s always the case of never meet your heroes. Yep. Um but I still like I don’t change that I still like him as a person. Um because he and I get along like we don’t sit and have political discussions. We had a discussion one time whether he should go in the lines at Disney or get the fastass or book a VIP. Like sure I’m like you got the money. He was the VIP. Like I don’t know. So like you can still have those conversations. Like I have good friends that are completely opposite in the spectrum politically. Yeah. But I can still be friends with them. Like I think we sometimes we can never want to just accept people for who they are. And I listen there’s lots of things to not accept people for who they are. But you’re allowed to believe sometimes what you want without it being like if you believe you can murder everybody that’s obviously but I like if you believe for whatever reason. I don’t believe James Rhyr hates gay people. I was disappointed in what happened. I don’t believe it comes from a place, but it was still disappointing to me and and that’s and so like he could have not said anything. Yeah. Which I But then you’re still going to be the only one not wearing the thing. So, and this is obviously why the league took the step they did. Now we just won’t center out anybody and no one’s allowed to do it. And you’re like that’s not better. That doesn’t help. No. So I can tell you like it’s the NHL players are probably 80% like a Republican when you make that kind of money. Yeah. Right. cuz they just want to keep their money and the Republicans or the conservative side is all about trying to help you save your money tax cuts and so like that but you like I still like these people even if you have differing of views like I I just can’t cut you off. Sure. And so anyway, I’m way off a topic, but like my point was I still like if I saw James Rhyr tomorrow, would still have a chat with Yeah. I’m not going to shun the guy or So yeah, I probably shouldn’t have opened that kind of work. Well, these are the kind of conversations that are worth having sometimes. Sometimes. Yeah, sometimes. So anyway, um I just wish people would stop being so divisive in the world. Like it can’t always just be this one side or the other. we could actually have conversations and it’s hard, right? Like like I said, I there was another world where I’m excited James Rhyr is on a PTO with the Leafs and now it’s more just and again I don’t hate it. I’m like don’t bring that guy into my organization. It’s nothing like that. It’s just you know, right? It is what it is. He’s uh at this point a competent third string or backup goalie and we’ll see what happens. And but I yeah as a younger fan loved that guy as a Yeah, he was like in Ottawa for this is it Jesus you have to been every time. Yeah. What can you tell us uh about what’s coming up on on coming in hot here over the next little while? Okay. We fly by the seat of our pants. Okay. You’re off to Florida. That sounds that sounds harsh. That’s that’s a tough gig. We’ll try to we’ll see how it works technically. We’ll try to do some shows as I’m on location. Um, but I try to bring on guests at the time that are uh topical at the moment and sometimes you line them up and different things happen and whatever, but for the most part we try to go like if Drake Bern had a hat-tick like when’s the next time I can get them on right away. So, um, people always like, well, you must have your guests lined up like weeks in advance. I’m like, yeah, I don’t know what time our show is on Monday. So, no. No. It used to stress me out. I like I would lose sleep over not having it lined up. Mhm. And now I’m like, so one of the reasons having three people is when you have three people, you don’t have to worry, right? Um would I love to have a guest every time? Sure. But people have busy lives. They can’t always make it work. So we try as best we can uh to have guests and then just sometimes sometimes we just like to talk hockey because if it’s night after game, you just want to shoot the the ship. But we always try to have somebody coming on. Yeah, like even around here a little smaller time, but every Monday it’s me and my co-host Rob. It’s the week that was right. What’s what are the headlines? What happened over the weekend? And and that’s that. And there are weeks where we record that and I have nothing to tea up for Wednesday or Thursday, right? And yet it it does still a little bit stress me out if nothing’s coming up. But sometimes usually something will fall in your lap on Tuesday and be like, “Oh yeah, let’s do that. Let’s talk to that guy. Let’s let’s see what that’s all about then. Exact like and usually it just works out. But my mood changes drastically if I have guests lined up or not. Just more calm cuz Yeah. Like I don’t stress about the show like I know that we’re going to Okay. Okay. Now I’m like where is the guest? Well, it’s harder in the summer for me. Like there’s nothing happening. I by I love it. By the end of July I don’t want to talk red blacks anymore. They’re terrible. The last year the Jays were awful. I’m like, how am I going to get through the rest of August? Well, our first three years of doing the show, they were terrible hockey team, but I always said when that when I shouldn’t have maybe joked about job security, but I used to say like the worse Ottawa is, the better job security I have because people love carnage. Yes. And so I would be the busiest guy in the network cuz the team was just in chaos all the time. In fact, I told Steve to Stos this summer, I’m like, you know what? I’m a little disappointed in you this year. like there’s nothing going on. This is dull and boring. And I think this is it. People love a tire fire, right? So, you can’t have a show that’s just like, “Hey, things went well this week.” And your co I agree. All right. Well, we’ll see you next time. Yeah. Are awesome. Good day, everybody. Um and I agree with that. Like, you need to have some kind of chaos just to get people involved. But like lining up guests and and having the right ones on is is hard. But in the summer, our July is usually our one of our best months of the year because I players are bored, right? They’re at home. They’re relaxed. Well, you and I have very different rolodexes if that’s the thing. Me, but yeah. I mean, like I just like, “Hey, do you want to come on?” They’re like, “Sure.” Like, we’ll just Nothing else to do. They don’t have to talk about whether they had a bad game or the team was losing. So, how was your golf round yesterday? What’s you know? Yeah. One of our favorite topics is what’s your favorite snack? Um, lazy sour. And and it happened by Yeah, that would be true. It happened by accident in our very first interview with Daniel Alfredson at the end. And I don’t ever write my questions down. Uh and and at the end I’m like what’s your favorite and I knew he liked chips actually that’s why like what’s your favorite cheat snack? He’s like what? I’m like when you’re sitting at home alone watching a movie or whatever like what is your cheat snack? And people love to hear that Alfie ate chips. Sure. So, it always became something that we’d always try to work into the show now on. You never know, right? Like that’s what’s going to catch on. Yeah. Yeah. Uh I appreciate you making all this time, man. I I’ve kept you a long time here. I know you’re a busy guy, especially on uh on Fridays. The send skated late today. You’ve still got the Red Blacks thing to do. Um you’re a guy I’ve wanted to have in here for quite a while. I can’t tell you how much uh I appreciate it, man. This is awesome. It’s a good chat. I I’ve done a like I’ll say a few podcasts. one, they usually get my name wrong. Uh, but this is uh this has been one of the most enjoyable ones. I’ll tell you that without and I can’t blow smoke up people’s butts. Uh, it’s not how I’m wired. I really enjoyed it. Well, uh, I hope that means you’ll come back at some point here. No, never. But, uh, I did. It was fun once. It was All right, we’ll wrap it up here. Thanks so much, man. I appreciate it. Uh, coming up on Monday, Rob will be back in here. We’re going to try and dance around the Blue Jays who play at 408, which is right in the middle of our typical recording time. We’ll see how we’re going to handle that. But uh look for that on Monday. And then Graham Nichols and Jeff Vet next week respectively with the uh the Sens and Leafs season preview shows. Uh Andy Petrillo coming up later this month. Mike Camdo coming back. He’s got Bruins 365 getting ready to be uh released a new book from him. Lots of good stuff coming up on the show. Thanks so much for listening. Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you’re hearing us right now. And uh we will see you all on Monday. I thought it generally sucked. I didn’t think it was a specific suck. I thought it was like a all-encompassing type of suck. So, you know, we’re going to try to rectify that, but right now I’m going to be pretty about it. [Music]