Mathieu Schneider, former NHL Defenseman || Jewish Identity in Hockey

Mathieu Schneider reflects on his early love for hockey, his 21-year playing career in the National Hockey League, the importance of his Jewish identity, his role as an NHLPA executive, and much more.

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Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:30:09
Mathieu Schneider
Everywhere I played throughout my career, the Jewish community just gave me nothing but incredible support and love. I realized, you know, not just playing, you know, for the name on the back of my jersey, but I'm representing the Montreal Canadiens as an organization. Obviously, my family and as a Jew, I'm representing Judaism. And that certainly meant an awful lot to me, being a role model and a community where there weren't.

00:00:30:11 - 00:00:56:05
Mathieu Schneider
I think there were a lot more Jewish hockey players today, but there certainly weren't an awful lot back when I was coming into the league, and it meant an awful lot to be be a role model in the community.

00:00:56:07 - 00:01:16:08
Welcome back to another exciting episode of the hey, Where'd You Go podcast. I'm your host, Colin Kushner. Joining me now is Stanley Cup champion US hockey Hall of Famer, former NHL defenseman who also played for my beloved Red Wings, Matthew Schneider. The first time you stepped on the ice, like, can you kind of take us back to to that exact feeling?

00:01:16:08 - 00:01:33:16
Like, was it instant like, oh, I love this, or was there some hesitancy? And you kind of had to ease your way into things? Oh, and honestly, I don't remember my first time on the ice other than my dad telling it over and over again, but it was at Rockefeller Center. It was the first time I actually skated.

00:01:33:18 - 00:01:56:03
It was something that I just took to right away. I just really enjoyed it. I think the fact that, you're always engaged in hockey, and I guess if I, if I would compare it to baseball later on when I was, in high school, when I had to really pick between hockey or baseball, I was I was definitely more passionate about hockey.

00:01:56:03 - 00:02:16:22
Just because you're you're involved and engaged all the time. Baseball, you know, it can be can be a lot slower. I agree with you 100%. I think that was one of the reasons that that drew me to to hockey as well at a young age is like, you're especially on my end as a goalie like you are. So you have to be dialed in the moment like you look up and the same could be said for for the defenseman.

00:02:17:04 - 00:02:31:11
If you're a goalie, the punch is going to go in the back of the net. And if you're if you're a forward and you're looking down or you're looking around, you're going to get lit up. So I totally understand that, I guess. And then you said that your parents, had gotten divorced at a young age, was hockey.

00:02:31:11 - 00:02:52:13
Unknown
Were you able to utilize that as a as a healthy distraction? Absolutely. No. I was in, in a very unique situation, I guess I would say. And, and that, so I have my brother and I are the only two siblings in our family. And when we first moved to Rhode Island, I moved with my dad.

00:02:52:14 - 00:03:21:22
Unknown
My mom stayed in new Jersey with my brother, and then that was for the better part of a year, I would say. But when we moved to Rhode Island, and I went, I went to Mount Saint Charles Academy, which, so, famous hockey school, certainly on the East Coast and probably a little bit in the, in the Midwest as well, or a lot of discussions which, which area in the US had the best high school hockey for years.

00:03:21:24 - 00:03:50:06
Unknown
But I, we left the, about a quarter mile from the rink and, the coach, Bill Belichick, who was there for decades and ran an incredible program, allowed me to go on the ice. And he had a he had a son that was, about a year or two younger than me. And so I would just take my hockey bag, throw it over my shoulder in the summertime and go down and skate for hours with the son on the ice.

00:03:51:01 - 00:04:08:20
Unknown
It would be just the two of us. And then later on, when my brother moved up to Rhode Island, he would join us as well. And I was able to get, get a lot of ice time. And, a lot of kids don't normally want to get at that age, but it was really that that was kind of like my upbringing.

00:04:09:14 - 00:04:30:07
Unknown
My dad worked an awful lot. When we moved back to Rhode Island. We had a family business and the the electrical industry and lighting, that he worked at. And my brother and I were kind of left to our own devices an awful lot. But hockey became kind of that, that outlet for us. And we it gave us the stability.

00:04:30:09 - 00:04:58:11
Unknown
I think that we might not have had otherwise. How important do you think it is? And I guess just just for everyone, no matter what type of situation is going on at home, to have an outlet like a hockey or something like that, I, I, I can't, I can't say enough or express enough how, important I think that, sports and, and, or physical activity are and kids lives.

00:04:58:11 - 00:05:26:16
Unknown
And I think that's something that's missing today. No, I know, over, over the last decade, two decades, you know, sometimes, Jim has been taken out of the school curriculums. It's, you know, I I'd love to see more more sports played in the high schools, in the schools, rather than on the private, you know, the triple A sector.

00:05:26:17 - 00:06:03:08
Unknown
I think that's that that brings a lot of challenges. There's a lot of great that comes along with it. But there's a lot of challenges as well. And, for me, I just had an incredible experience playing playing high school hockey and playing for, and, and, and a team that, had a great program for years. I know that's not the case everywhere, and every school, but I do think that, kids should definitely be be involved and, and sport and activity teaches so, so many great life's lessons as well.

00:06:03:10 - 00:06:27:00
Unknown
You're drafted in the third round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, 44th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens. Can you take us back to that exact moment, what it felt like to be drafted, into the NHL and by one of the most prestigious franchises of all time? And it was it was pretty remarkable. I, I think, you know, for me, it was it was a dream.

00:06:27:14 - 00:07:07:03
Unknown
If I, if I flash back a year before them, I was at Mount Saint Charles. I was in my junior year. I really I was really excited about my senior year, heading into the summer. And I had my sights really set on college. And I know I tell people to stay out all the time, and I think people's, you know, for another, another issue we deal with in sport today is like every, every, parent thinks their kid's going to play in the NHL or planned Major League Baseball, the NBA.

00:07:07:03 - 00:07:29:03
Unknown
And and it puts an awful lot of pressure on the kids. I, I never felt like I was going to play in the NHL. It was it was a dream. And it was a far off dream that I never thought I'd be able to attain. I always thought college hockey and potentially getting a scholarship and playing college would have been, would have been, a great career for me.

00:07:29:05 - 00:08:00:08
Unknown
And, and I would have been very happy doing that, and I, I decided to leave my school year early and I played. I went to Cornwall in Ontario and played major junior hockey Canada, which I lost my college eligibility when when I left, to go play in Cornwall in the Ontario League. And and so, a lot of people were very critical of that decision, particularly my dad, because I was I was 17.

00:08:00:08 - 00:08:28:22
Unknown
I don't think they necessarily, felt that I, I was making the decision alone. And in all honesty, if I look back on that, I, I wish I had gone to college for various reasons. I really think I was so fortunate to have gotten drafted by Montreal because I was able to develop under such great coaches and, you know, all of their scouting staff were unbelievable.

00:08:29:02 - 00:09:03:24
Unknown
I just I learned so much and I developed so much after I was drafted. And that was really I owe all that to the organization, because if I come into another organization that just kind of let me figure things out on my own, potentially. And I've seen a lot of guys that I came in with that were in and out of the league, you know, in a couple years, two or 3 or 4 years, floundering between the minor leagues and, and the NHL, I would not have been able to have the career that I had if I wasn't.

00:09:05:00 - 00:09:24:06
Unknown
If I wasn't developed the way I was in that organization in Montreal, I, I owe so much to my, my career for the coaches I had in the scouts and that organization early on. Do you think that feeling you had of not thinking you'd make it to the NHL, that you would go to college, have a great college career?

00:09:24:06 - 00:10:03:13
Unknown
Do you think that ended up helping you in the long run? Kind of. When you look back that that mentality of like having it as something that you dreamt of doing, but you weren't sure it was actually going to become a possibility. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I, you know, I you read stories about, you know, like, Earl Woods and Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters and things like that, you know, from birth, they're they're, they're being groomed and, you know, it's that maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but it's, you know, I never had that pressure on me, as, as a, as a kid, but, you know.

00:10:03:13 - 00:10:29:04
Unknown
Okay, well, we're in this, or the family's moving. From California to Michigan just to pursue my eight year old's hockey dreams. And I've run into that, and I've seen that so often over the over the last, 15, 15 years or so. And, you know, I that's that that's kind of just it's a symptom of the society that, that, that we live in.

00:10:29:04 - 00:11:00:02
Unknown
But in the end, you know, I think that for me, it was just it was just how things were at that time. And then if you look at how USA hockey has come along as well, I would say, I would say pre 1988, for argument's sake, I think the league was 90% Canadians or 80%, certainly.

00:11:00:04 - 00:11:32:20
Unknown
And, but it might have been a Canadians, a Canadians, a Canadian kids dream more so than it was an American kids dream. And we had the 1980 Olympics. And then, you know, after that, you what happened in the mid to late 80s where guys like Pat Lafontaine, you know, Tom Barrasso, you think of, Brian Leetch, Kevin Stevens, Mike Richter.

00:11:32:22 - 00:12:03:09
Unknown
And I knew these guys. I played, I played with and against them and, and the New England area. Brian Lindstrom from Connecticut. But I always seem to be playing with or against him at different points. He was a year older than me, but it that kind of generation of players were the ones that really came. And Craig Janney, I think coming right out of the 88 Olympics and jumping into the Boston Bruins lineup and scoring huge goals.

00:12:03:09 - 00:12:48:13
Unknown
So, you know, and, those, those kind of, those players, that group really, I think, smashed a hole in the ceiling to open the door for, the next generation to fall. And that was, you know, guys like myself, Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, and then I think, you know, coming just behind our kind of class, you had guys like Billy Guerin, Doug Way, and, you know, there's just some really great players that were kind of all around that time we ended up and then 96 World Cup altogether, but, certainly not to the depth of Canada.

00:12:48:13 - 00:13:12:12
Unknown
But that was kind of like, okay, we'll break it through the ceiling here. You can play college hockey and be a successful NHL player as well, which there was always there was always that knock that college players were soft. They didn't, you know, they didn't have fighting in college. And junior hockey was, a lot closer to the NHL style of play at the time.

00:13:12:14 - 00:13:37:14
Unknown
You know, all of that's changed since then. You want a Stanley Cup early on in your career with Montreal in 1993. What was that experience like and how did it shape your approach to the rest of your career? I was 23 when only one of in Montreal, and I thought I'd won at ten more times, you know, just at the time I, I joke with people today about it.

00:13:37:14 - 00:14:01:08
Unknown
I feel like I was so young, I almost took it for granted. And the the the work and the effort, the luck that it takes to get there every year, you know, stay injury free. Everybody, you know, all 20 guys playing at the highest levels from goaltending on out the role players you know you get you're always you're playing hurt.

00:14:01:08 - 00:14:25:12
Unknown
Guys are coming in and out of the lineup. You know substitute. And everybody has to be on. And that's for two months. You know you got four rounds two months. And so it's you develop a bond with those guys that that you win with. And so, you know, all of those things, you know, meant an awful lot.

00:14:25:14 - 00:14:51:01
Unknown
Didn't realize it, didn't appreciate it probably until, you know, a couple of years later in my career. But, winning it in Montreal was just an incredible, incredible, feeling. And at the time, they were they were they were criticizing us for the, the previous two seasons. It was the longest time the Canadiens had gone without winning the Stanley Cup.

00:14:51:03 - 00:15:10:11
Unknown
So they they had won it. They won it. And 87 or 86, it was 86 that they won. And so it was the longest time they had gone without winning a cup there. And, and, you know, we read about it in the paper every month. Another reporter would bring it up. So it was it was an interesting time there.

00:15:10:11 - 00:15:32:11
Unknown
But, if I had to win one, which I did, Montreal was the place to do it. You play in the NHL for 21 seasons? Playing for ten different teams. I kind of want to talk about longevity in the National Hockey League and then just longevity in professional sports. I mean, that's unheard of nowadays. How were you able to be so productive for so long?

00:15:32:11 - 00:16:02:10
Unknown
I think that's the one thing I've always wondered about your career. Well, you know, I think, the part of it was, I think when I, if I go back to if I go back to my upbringing and my hockey development, my dad really focused on skills when I was very young, I think at a time when it wasn't necessarily the case, you know, across the board there were guys that weren't great skaters, great puck handlers that were playing in the NHL.

00:16:02:12 - 00:16:23:17
Unknown
And now I when I, when I got to the NHL, I think, you know, if I had to say my, my 2 or 3 biggest strengths were it was as it was really my skating, puck handling, ability to move the puck, get the park out of my hand. And, and I was at a time when the NHL was really big.

00:16:23:18 - 00:16:54:18
Unknown
It was big and heavy. They had, you know, I think I think I was probably one of the smallest defensemen that was taken and, and the draft, the year that I was drafted. And I think my size was also part of the reason why I was drafted. 44th that year, rather than higher up for a lot of defensemen in that draft that, that were, you know, A62, six three, 210, 220 pounds, that were really skilled as well.

00:16:54:18 - 00:17:23:04
Unknown
But, I think, I think that kind of carried me throughout my career. And honestly, you know, just the ability. And then as the rules changed, they changed into my favor. So there was a lot less interference, hooking and holding, fighting. Obviously, I wasn't a great fighter, you know, things like that, that really played in my favor and, and allowed me.

00:17:23:04 - 00:17:49:19
Unknown
And then I had a couple of injuries, that kept me out for large parts of the season, but I'd never had anything that I wasn't able to overcome. I had a couple of sports hernia surgeries. I had, a couple of shoulder surgeries, but my knees were generally good throughout my career. My hips stayed, stayed pretty good throughout my career.

00:17:49:22 - 00:18:16:09
Unknown
And those those are big issues for guys, you know, over the course of your career. And even though I wasn't injury free, I was able to play most of my career, you know, without, missing, you know, like a full season or or or even, you know, full playoffs, things like that. You scored 223 goals, tallying 744 total points over the course of your career.

00:18:16:11 - 00:18:56:19
Unknown
Internally, Matthew, like mind, body and soul, like what led to that level of production and consistency? You know, I think it was if I go back to Montreal and the, the coaching staff that was there, I my shop became a big part of, of my, of, of me as a player over the years and in particular, my one timer and so that on the powerplay and, and it, you know, now today every, every player has got a great one time, you know, they they get pucks off quickly and release is great.

00:18:56:19 - 00:19:22:14
Unknown
But, John Calipari was our defensive coach and, you know, probably every other every other practice, we'd be spending a half hour after practice and Jack would take us and he work with us in the corners playing defense, work with us at, at the Blue line, you know, one timers and and we'd be we'd be staying out on the ice an extra half hour, 40 minutes every day working on working on those things.

00:19:22:14 - 00:20:00:10
Unknown
And my shot really got better when I got into the NHL. I, you know, I didn't have a big, heavy slapshot and junior or in high school, even I was I more of a playmaker or additional puck off left or right? Right. On the power player in particular. But the shot, the shot in the end, I think, and being able to get pucks on the net and through traffic, probably why I was able to, score as much as I did and get, get the numbers that I did.

00:20:00:12 - 00:20:21:07
Unknown
What was it like watching, you know, Pavel Datsyuk get to work? Because I know my brother and I like I mean, when he was playing, he was probably we always thought he was the best player in the NHL, just from a pure skill perspective. But what was it like for you seeing that every day he was on another level from anyone that I really ever saw, played with.

00:20:21:09 - 00:20:52:09
Unknown
And I think with maybe a guy like Alex Kovalev, Kovalev was, I say the same skill or skill level, but he didn't, until later in his career when he played with when he played with, Mario and Pittsburgh and Robert Lang and Pittsburgh and other guy that came through Detroit. He didn't distribute the puck the way Pavel, that Pavel was just, on another level altogether.

00:20:52:09 - 00:21:18:06
Unknown
And, you know, just seeing the complete package of, just how strong he was on the skates, the way he can move away from a defender, the way you know, the way you protected the puck and just kind of slid. And then I think the thing that really captivated the fans early on was his his shootout goals.

00:21:18:08 - 00:21:43:18
Unknown
And he couldn't just embarrass a goalie. And that would be my biggest fear. Pavel Datsyuk, And I just embarrass you, okay? I freeze, guys, pull him out of the net. It's, the stuff that he was able to do. And that led to a lot of other players trying to emulate a lot of his his moves, but he was just, he was just something certainly special on another level.

00:21:43:18 - 00:22:10:00
Unknown
100% on an absolute nother level. I, I'm really excited to kind of dive into, your Judaism, Matthew. I mean, some might say you're the greatest Jewish hockey player of all time. How has your Jewish identity influenced your life both on and off the ice throughout your NHL career? I would first of all, I would say between the Hughes brothers and, when the fight.

00:22:10:01 - 00:22:34:22
Unknown
Yeah. And in New York, the the these guys are incredible players and, and and and one year, all of a sudden I'm not the are two years two Norris Trophy is all of a sudden know I dropped way down the old Jewish defenseman all time with us. But, you know, I, I we were never we were never, a strictly religious family.

00:22:34:22 - 00:23:16:18
Unknown
But my dad raised my brother, and I, to be very proud of our Judaism and, you know, it was something that I think. Well, I was, again, you know, I go back to Montreal, and Montreal has an incredibly strong Jewish community. And they embraced me from from day one. It was it was awesome. And, and I think, playing in that community and then and Long Island, obviously, and then even back in Toronto, everywhere I played throughout my career, the, the Jewish community just gave me nothing but, incredible support and love.

00:23:16:18 - 00:23:39:05
Unknown
And, and it was really in Montreal when, you know, you start to sometimes when you're young, you're a little bit selfish and you're, you're trying to figure things out. You know, I realized, you know, not just playing, you know, for the name on the back of my jersey, but I'm representing the Montreal Canadiens as an organization.

00:23:39:05 - 00:24:05:10
Unknown
Obviously, my family and as as a Jew, I'm representing, Judaism. And that that's certainly meant an awful lot to me. Being a role model and a community where there weren't and, and, and I think there are a lot more, Jewish hockey players today, but they're there certainly weren't an awful lot, back when I was coming, coming into the league.

00:24:05:10 - 00:24:35:04
Unknown
And it meant an awful lot to be be a role model in the community. I just want to personally thank you because in our household, growing up, you were definitely a role model. You know, for me, as a young Jewish kid, as a hockey player, I mean, there were many, many Jewish guys in the NHL. So I you know, when my dad told me like, hey, Matthew Schneider, like he's also Jewish, I just remember there was like, there's that connectivity point, you know, like, I, I don't know if I can really explain it or how to explain it, but it was always nice to know, like growing up, like, hey, there is somebody else like

00:24:35:04 - 00:24:51:09
Unknown
you there playing at the highest level. And it there was like a sense of comfort that that came with that. So, just segueing away from the questions, I just wanted to personally thank you, you know, for that, because that meant a lot as a kid growing up and you're just still trying to figure out things. It was nice to have that.

00:24:51:11 - 00:25:20:01
Unknown
I'll thank you for that. And, I, I absolutely understand what you're talking about, about that, that connection. And I think, you know, I mean, not to get off topic, but I think, I imagine you feel some more. I do. We're thinking about, Israel and the situation going on there, and we're dealing with, anti-Semitism, creeping into our and into an ugly world.

00:25:20:03 - 00:25:49:05
Unknown
But it's and you feel that you know, every time I see, things happening, whether it's on college campuses or, overseas, you feel that connectivity? Absolutely understand what you're what you're talking about. So thank you. Yeah. Of course. And to your point, yes. I mean, anti-Semitism is is running rampant globally now. And it's, it's it's definitely, you know, something that, you know, spell obviously throughout, throughout the, the Jewish community.

00:25:49:05 - 00:26:18:18
Unknown
Did you ever face any anti-Semitism throughout your NHL career? Matthew? Well, you know, there were there were a couple of, there were a couple of instances, remarks made to me on the ice. I for the most part, I really just talked them up, chalked them up to, guys being naive. I, you know, I don't I, I, I always like to believe or, I like to think that they, they weren't anti-Semitic.

00:26:18:18 - 00:26:51:09
Unknown
They were just trying to get under my skin and, gamesmanship. But I don't think people always understand, the, the words that they're using and, and saying. So, but I would say 99% of my career was or is, unmarred. And I, you know, even, the couple of guys that, did say things over the years, I was able to talk to them, at different points later on, my career.

00:26:51:09 - 00:27:17:23
Unknown
So, I, I never felt that, that there was any kind of prejudice against me. I do think you bring up a good point. There is a lack of education, and I do. And I do think that leads to, you know, some some of the remarks being said. But I guess in my I'm 33, 33 years old now, I guess in my head, if you don't know something or you don't understand something, don't say anything.

00:27:17:23 - 00:27:38:09
Unknown
And on the side, you know, maybe ask, you know, somebody who's knowledgeable on that particular subject to then teach you. I don't I think that's just my, my, my older brain kind of jumping in be like, why? Why jump to these conclusions if you don't know something, don't say it. Yeah. And, you know, it's funny, I that I say it to my kids all the time.

00:27:38:10 - 00:28:05:17
Unknown
Never the private, the, you know, they'll be embarrassed by me saying it again. I know my, one of my most used sayings over, over the last ten years has been, the thing about common sense is it's not so common. And, you know, we talked a little bit earlier about social media, and what it's, you know, what it's done to, this, this generation.

00:28:06:19 - 00:28:48:14
Unknown
I think it becomes very difficult to, for young people in particular to know what's true. What's not true. I know we talk about misinformation. I think I think misinformation is maybe sometimes an overused word. I kind of paint everything similarly. I think, you know, I think it it's up to people to really try, try to understand both sides of, of, of an issue, to try to get as much information as they can, good solid information.

00:28:48:14 - 00:29:12:10
Unknown
And, and a lot of times you're hearing people's opinions and people's opinions most of the time aren't necessarily fact. But I'm 100% with you count. And, you know, if you don't, if you don't fully understand something, if you don't know the situation. Now, I, I've, I've never been over to the Middle East. I, I've only been able to read about.

00:29:12:10 - 00:29:42:05
Unknown
I have a lot of friends that have kids over there that have relatives over in Israel. I try to learn as much as I can from them. I have, friends that are pro Netanyahu that are anti-netanyahu. So it's just, you know, but at the end of the day, I do have a lot of opinions on topic, and I try to talk to the people that I know have more knowledge than I do.

00:29:42:05 - 00:30:07:12
Unknown
And it's, and, and they're always developing, but the one thing that I know for certain is what we've seen as far as the antisemitism, you know, whether it's whether it's in North America on college campuses or overseas in the Middle East, it's unacceptable. And I think, you know, we all feel like we're in this fight together.

00:30:08:04 - 00:30:31:23
Unknown
And I know, I know, a majority of the people that I talked to are agreement with that. What do you think it means for Jewish athletes to have representation in the NHL today? And how do you think it's evolved since you're playing days? Well, I, I think it's just incredible watching, watching the young stars that we have today.

00:30:32:00 - 00:31:02:07
Unknown
Now, obviously, I mentioned, the Hughes brothers and, I, I'm, I'm friendly. I'm friendly with the mom and dad. I've known them. They're they're closer to my age than the kids. And I have gotten to know the kids a little bit. Really? Great people. Adam Fox, just incredible, incredible person. Young, young man. Going to be great players for years and years in this league.

00:31:02:07 - 00:31:28:07
Unknown
So I, I am very hopeful and optimistic that it's gonna inspire the next wave generation, the young Jewish hockey players and, you know, as, as you mentioned, I do think it's important that, kids have role models like that to look up to. It gives them certainly gives them the inspiration and the feeling that, hey, I can I can do that as well.

00:31:28:07 - 00:31:58:22
Unknown
So, it's a very exciting time. There's no question about it. And, and, I'm very proud when I, when I watch those guys, play. You join the NHL after your playing career concluded as an executive for nearly 13 years. You're advocating for players rights post retirement. What are some of the biggest issues players faced today that may have been overlooked during your NHL career?

00:31:58:24 - 00:32:26:17
Unknown
I think when fans look at, professional athletes, you know, they they think everybody is playing ten, 15 years. Everybody's making millions and millions of dollars. Which I mean, there are there are guys that do that. But the average career in the NHL, I think is still under five years. You go to the NFL, I think it's three years.

00:32:26:19 - 00:32:54:24
Unknown
You know, I'm not sure what it is in baseball, basketball, but the average career length of of players coming through are not always what what they seem to fans. You're looking at the superstar. You're looking at the Tom Brady's, you're looking at the Apple that sucks and the Henrik Zetterberg. And so you know it was it was important, particularly under Don fea when when Don came in from baseball.

00:32:55:21 - 00:33:30:12
Unknown
There's another great Jewish leader Dan came in from from baseball. The pension was a priority for him. And and we have now in the NHL. The highest level pension that you can have. And in the US, and Canada as well. And if you play five years in the NHL, when you turn, 62, you're going to have, pretty decent pension, when you retire.

00:33:30:14 - 00:33:55:19
Unknown
And so that was a big priority for us, no question. Something that we're very proud of, of being able to attain and collective bargaining, health care was it was another one trying to, make sure that we had affordable health care for players once they retired, was, was a priority. And we were able to achieve that and last collective bargaining agreement as well.

00:33:55:21 - 00:34:39:08
Unknown
When I think of, you know, where the average salary has gone over the years, it continues to grow. Hasn't necessarily kept pace with the other sports, but there are probably a whole host of reasons that we could get into that take up another show. But I think, I think generally, if you're an NHL player today, there's a, there's an awful lot that you can count on, knowing that there's going to be something there for you not only while you're in the NHL, but later on in life when you, when you're, retired from hockey, but also when you're retired and receiving Social Security as well.

00:34:39:10 - 00:35:03:06
Unknown
Do you think all of your years as a player helps you bring a fresh perspective once you once you became an executive? In joining the NHLPA? There, there's no question. And no, I think, you know, when I, when I look at, one of the one, one of the pluses of playing on ten teams in the NHL.

00:35:03:18 - 00:35:33:00
Unknown
I, I used to say this all the time. I saw the good, the bad and the ugly. You know, I played on I played in organizations like the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Detroit Red wings, but I also played for the New York Islanders when they were in turmoil. The ownership group was was was not settled similarly in Toronto when I got there, I think the teachers pension had the biggest share of, the team at the time.

00:35:33:00 - 00:35:59:11
Unknown
And, and, and it just creates an environment that, is very challenging, for, for management, for players alike when, when you're, when you're an organization that has that kind of turmoil. So I, I, I pretty much saw everything over the course of my career. Anything that's in the collective bargaining agreement probably happened to me over the course of my career.

00:35:59:11 - 00:36:32:18
Unknown
So, I think, you know, living it lit, living through the agreement and and understanding it, certainly helped, when I retire. There's no question about that. When you reflect back on your playing career, do you feel fulfilled today? I do, I do, I, I sometimes joke that I feel like I played one, 1 or 2 years too many and, oh, when that's your entire life, you and you go as long as you can.

00:36:32:18 - 00:36:58:20
Unknown
And so, I try not to live life with any regrets, and I, I look back and I think, what would have been great to play one on one team play 21 years. Absolutely. But I'm sure it would have been amazing. But that wasn't in the cards for me. And I thoroughly enjoyed and took so much out of each city and each team that I played for.

00:36:58:20 - 00:37:21:14
Unknown
And, I'm, eternally grateful for the game and, and just want to try to give back to it as much as I can. Matthew Schneider, everybody appreciate the time, appreciate the conversation. And again, thank you for being such an incredible, influence, you know, for for myself and I'm sure plenty of other Jewish hockey players growing up.

00:37:21:16 - 00:37:42:02
Unknown
Thanks, Collin. I really appreciate that. Look forward to meeting in person one day.