ERIK COLE re-unites with Commie for an AWESOME interview - CTC 93

On this episode of Clearing the Crease, Mike Commodore re-connects with one of his favorite teammates, ERIK COLE, who talks everything from their 2006 Stanley Cup run, where he missed time due to an injury, to his early career in New York, all the way to the current Canes Cup Controversy. All that and more on today's NHL hockey podcast!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Tom Dunning is the owner of the team. He writes the checks and he can do what he wants. Yes. I understand that. I realize that. He's the owner. I get that. But in saying that, my opinion, and it's more about, hey, look, if you don't have enough guys to fill it up to 53 and you want to put the kids' names and stuff, I'm fine with it. But like you guys touched on, leaving Bob Gorman off, who like it's such a terrible look, Gorman and Sundheim. Sundheim's been there for 28 years. Bob Gorman's been with the organization since 1976. Rod asked him to come back, even in a little part-time role to like help out. He comes back, helps out. Like, yes, he was part-time this year. He was full-time for the last 50 years.

SPEAKER_03 0:48

Clearing the crease.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Back for another edition, Summer Style of the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozun. Well played. He is the Calder Trophy winner. You know, your favorite tendy between the pipes, Andrew Raycroft. Razor, you look like you're home, buddy.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Finally, finally home. Yep. Happy to be here. Yes. Perfect week.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

There we go. Welcome home. All right. On the flip side, your favorite Stanley Cup winner. Although today might be our second favorite Stanley Cup winner. My Calder Callie. How are you doing, buddy?

SPEAKER_02 1:34

I'm doing good, yeah. Just uh got a brand new computer, you know, to finally uh fucking uh some spent some money at Apple. Trying to get that reimbursed, maybe by Ozom, but we'll see about that. Um I was due for one. But yeah, everything good. Just been hanging out with the dogs and uh getting through the heat here a little bit. Went up to how about this change of temperature last weekend? It was supposed to be on Saturday, a high of 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Phoenix. Come on. Yeah, I swear to God. So I'm like, and I looked at Williams, Arizona, which is like right by Flagstaff, which is like a two hour and ten drive north. It's not very far, like actually, probably even a little bit less. And so booked a room just last second. Like, let's get out of here, grab the dogs. I got in the car after the gym. It was 116 degrees on my truck, like the the temperature gauge. I drove now, it was cloudy and it was raining a little bit up there, but I drove two hours and 15 minutes. Call it the gauge said 66 degrees. Come on. I swear to God, dude. I got out and I was freezing. Wow. The dogs are like, get back to the house. Oh, yeah, yeah. So, and I think it got as low as 64. Like I said, it was raining a little bit and it was cloudy, but like it wasn't like pouring or anything. But, anyways, two-hour drive, 50 degrees.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

Just for context, for everybody watching on the Canadian side that can't do the math of converting Fahrenheit to Celsius, 115 is 46 degrees Celsius, and 64 drops down to 17 degrees.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yeah. 30 degrees.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

You know, you might have seen this like from your time, you know, not that you were in Calgary a long time, but obviously you lived there after your playing days. I remember covering an NHL trade deadline there in 2004, and it started the day started around zero. By noon, it was up to 17, 18 degrees. This is early March, right? So it's like, wow, this is like summer in you know, in March, this is amazing. And at noon, it peaked at about 17, and suddenly the temperature swung. By five o'clock, it was down to zero. The winds were howling, it was snowing, and by eight o'clock that night, it was minus 20 with the wind chill. It was you're talking a 40 degree swing in terms of temperature, in like in hours.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Yeah. Yeah. Calgary's crazy too, right? Right next to the mountains, and you get all kinds of, I think it gets like if it's not the most sunshine, it's one of the most in Canada for sunshine. You get a lot of sun, but yeah, you get the temperature.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

As much as you hate Edmonton, commie, even Edmonton gets sun.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

I hope they don't get any more sun now.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Uh 118 is hot. That's cooking. That is cooking. Oh my God. Hey, just a quick reminder, everybody, if you're enjoying the show, our forecasts uh for weather on both sides of the border and all the content that we bring you in between with the podcast, social media add-ons as well. Make sure you are liking and subscribing to our YouTube channel. It's an Ozoun well played if you're doing that. And hey, look, if you're also listening in audio form, please leave us a five-star review on Apple or Spotify. Make sure you're also following along with us on Instagram, on X, TikTok, or wherever else you may be finding us these days. And it is remarkable to see, you know, some of the comments that you chime in with throughout the world. Uh, seeing listeners coming all the way from Japan, people in Europe. It really is awesome to see how many people are continuing to find us, commie. It's, you know, you're a rock star. People love you, buddy. And you know what? Razor and I continue to benefit from uh from that red hair.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

Well, you guys are uh, first off, much too humble, and it is definitely not me. Uh, it is definitely most definitely a team effort. I think we each bring a little bit of everything. C-Ball, you keep it running. Razor's got like he's dialed in with what's going on in the league and stuff. I'm kind of a little bit in and out and provide a little bit of humor every once in a while. And it's working out, it's been good, it's been an interesting last year. That's for sure. Coming up on our year we've had so far, right? I mean, hopefully it keeps getting interesting and more interesting, but it's been a good year.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Absolutely. It's been amazing to see where we started coming up on four years together, our hundredth episode also coming up in the weeks ahead as well. So lots of big things here. If you're part of the Clearing the Crease podcast family, and if you're a follower, you are family. So thank you so much for helping continue to grow this thing. A quick reminder that the Clearing the Crease podcast is powered by Ozun.com. The clearest route to winning big is to play on Ozun.com because Ozun's got you covered for all the props, game lines, futures, whether it's on the ice, whether it's on the pitch, the diamond. And oh yeah, we're getting to the gridiron football season. My God, there's been drama on all everything just off the field with the NFL. So here we go. Football season's ramping up already, and camp's just starting. Make your power play. Score big with Ozun. Well played. Okay, we got a special guest joining us here on the show for this episode. A guy that, Commie, you've got a lot of history with when it comes to your time on the ice and including winning some hardware.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Yeah, I got as much history with him as anybody else that I played with, that's for sure. Two and a half years was my maximum with anybody. So I got as much with him as anybody else. Uh, but yeah, Eric Cole's nice enough to uh come on and give us a little bit of his time. Colzee, uh, I mean, I've said it a few points a few times, maybe on here, but on some other podcasts, that he's he's put together some of the most amazing games that I personally was able to watch, whether it was like, you know, he was such a strong skater and good with the puck. And I mean his skating was off the charts. And whether, you know, usually it was him playing forward, dominating the wing, but every once in a while he'd step back on defense when we needed him. And anyways, like some of my, I don't remember very many games that I played, but I do remember, you know, one in particular that Eric played that I will never forget. But a great dude, and we can ask him about it when he comes on. But I think he's doing a little coaching in Charleston, South Carolina this year, I think, coming up. So he's going through some changes and moving around a little bit. So, anyways, he's a good dude.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

You know, Razor, I don't know if you remember from your time uh with the Leafs, but my God, when I was a reporter covering the Leafs going back years ago, the amount of fans that would talk about Eric Cole because he just seemed to be a leaf killer at certain times. I don't know if it was to from from your era, from your time when you were there, but the amount of times that Eric Cole, I can remember coming into Toronto and just seemingly having two goals, two assists, and and just Toronto media and fans just looking like that guy might be the best power forward in the game. Like he can skate, he can score, like he just there are certain markets that if you're gonna pop, Toronto was definitely one of them.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

The lights were bright for Eric Cole in Toronto and he stepped it up. But again, it was this he was so powerful, and and he could turn a game whenever he chose to, and that's why he's got a Stanley Cup ring because he was a huge part of that, like like Tommy knows.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

No question about it. Montreal, he turned it on too. That's where I remember it. That's the game I'm talking about. But for whatever reason, I've already talked about it. You know, we just always seem to beat Montreal from my recollection. But and if we're beating Montreal, our cole's gonna have a big part of that. So I think Colsey, well, he ended up playing there. That was probably a big reason they could have been tired of playing against him, so they signed him. He lit it up there, too. I think he had 30 goals one year at least. So he was a good player. 35. Yeah, 35, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Funny enough.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

That would have been as high. He got screwed our year, but we can get into that. Or like our.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Funny enough, commie, Carolina's still beating Montreal well after you're done playing with the Cades, too. That happened again this year.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

Laid a bit of a licking on him this year, too. You're right.

SPEAKER_00 9:25

Certainly did. And without further ado, let's bring him in. The Sasquatch here in the middle of the forest. Here we go. Comedy, why don't you tee this up properly? Because, as you mentioned, you know, when you talk about teammates that you've had, this guy's probably got as much longevity as any former Mike Commodore teammates ever had here.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

He does. There's no question about it. The pride of Oswego, New York. Uh, I had the pleasure of playing with Eric for two and a half years until they boosted me out of Carolina. Uh, but it was a pleasure while it lasted. Uh, I guess we could get it out of the way right away, like I touched on earlier. Eric Cole is, and I've told him this before, and he tells me to shut up, but it but it's true, he's one of the best players, one of the best skaters I've seen, forward-wise for sure. You know, I I I have maybe a little partial to Near Myers of the World as far as back end, but a very powerful player. Colzie, I was uh you know I know what game you're talking about, and I get a little bit wrong a little bit because I I get you know it was a few years ago, but game in Montreal where you played.

SPEAKER_05 10:32

Yeah, yeah. It was the so it was it was the game right after we traded for Dougie Wait, and we sent a couple roster players to St. Louis, and then Dougie made the request that he needed to like take a couple days to kind of wrap up some things, and you know, he's family man, he had the you know the kids and everything. Um, you know, his wife Allison, like they you know, they needed to kind of button some things up before he left, and he was like, you know, I'll meet you guys in in New Jersey. And so we went into Montreal short-handed. Like, team, yeah, I mean, we were a budget team back in the day, always were, uh, under the Carmanos uh era. And um, and so so we get to that that game in Montreal, you know. I like I, you know, we I like I found out, I was one of the first guys to find out about the Doug Wade trade. Like my agent and like we share the same agent, Steve Bartlett, sports consulting. And Steve called me and said, Hey, I got a guy that wants to have a quick chat with you. And it was Doug Wade, and we had just gotten off the ice from practice, getting ready to go to the plane. And then Waiter was asking me about like, you know, what's the room like? How's the culture? I'm like, buddy, you're gonna love it here. Like you will fit in so great and all this. He's like, All right, man, I'm doing it. Like, I'll see you in a couple days. And uh, and so waiter made made the decision to come. And so we get to Montreal, you know, and it's big news because that was a that was the first big trade to happen like that year. We and we did it early, it was January. Um and but unfortunately, we were short-handed a little bit, and we had to dress commie as like a seventh defenseman. So we had like 11 forwards, 7D, and commie's injured. Like he like this dude, yeah. I can't play. I have a Charlie Horse. The whole like side of his leg is like purple, right? Like it's just is Collie.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Is this the game that you talked about saying that you were oh just you just need to dress, but you're not gonna play, and then it's like Lavi came up to me and said, Hey, like, we didn't have enough players.

SPEAKER_02 12:36

He's like, he sold it to me a different bill of goods a little bit. He sold it to he's like, hey, the team plays a lot better when you're in the lineup. And I'm like, I don't know if that's true, Lobby, because no, he goes, I'm like laughing literally now. Yeah, he's like, man, just dress, you're just gonna sit on the bench. I'm like, all right. So I had a front row seat to this performance.

SPEAKER_05 12:58

Go ahead, Paul. All right, so so we get into this game, and so we've got 7D dressed, but only six healthy ones. And we lose, and we got 11 forwards. We lose Andrew Hutchinson and Glenn Wesley in the first period. West to like a shoulder injury, Hutch broke his wrist. So we're already down to four defensemen by the start of the second period. We get down toward like it's like later in the second period, and you know, defenseman took a penalty. So we've we're when we now got two D on the ice and one D on the bench over there. Lavi's like, Colzey down here, like let's go, like move it on down. And it wasn't like too far-fetched because he would have me play like four on four. I would when we'd get to overtime, I'd walk down to the D like side of the bench and everything, and I would play D f uh four on four, so that way we'd have three forwards out there. Um and so all of a sudden I'm sitting down there. Next thing you know, we take another penalty. A defenseman takes another penalty, like a cross check or a flash in front of the net or something like that. So now we got two D in the box, two D on the ice, and Colzey next door. I'm like, shit. So get out there on a five on three, playing D. You know, we you know, we killed kill off uh a bit of that there, like toward the end of the second period. But then to my surprise, I'm starting on defense, like the next period to help with like the next it was awesome. Well I'm sitting back there, like, and I swear, like, you know, you're looking across the red line, and you know, the before the opening faceoff for the third period, and the Montreal Canadians forwards are just licking their chops Colby one-on-one. So, you know, we win the face-off. It's Rod Brandomore, of course. We won the face-off, you know, go grab it, do a little circle around, skate around, dump it down the ice. I'm like, this is easy back here, right? And I'll never forget it. Like, I I gap up, and you know, I was the the safety valve, so you know, the right D played up, left the other forward played to the left side. We had it was like our left wing line. We had a steer man, yeah, and then I was just like free safety, like roaming around, like whichever way it went. And unfortunately, they made it through the middle, and here comes Alexei Kovalev down on me, and I'm like, So he comes in and he tries to just dangle me, and I gave him a little bitch slap, like swatted the puck away and forearm shiver, grab the puck, send it down the ice. I took a victory lap on the way to gap back up. I go by the bench and I'm like, that's how it's done, boys. I was moving beyond from like is he he was the barrier between the forwards and the deep. Just posted up the whole game, like just every now and again he squirt some water around, like, yeah. But yeah, what was the final score of that game, Colzi? Didn't we? Oh, we beat him, yeah. We beat him like nine to nine to one or whatever. I I I had already like so I scored two in the first, and I scored one early in the second period. So I'd already had a hat trick. I was playing with house money all over the cooking. Oh man, I wasn't gonna buy a beer out on Montreal that night at all, right? The fellas fellas had me covered.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

Right after that game, the Canadians put his name down as a free agent to be pursued or traded for as soon as possible.

SPEAKER_05 17:03

Yeah, I mean, I was I I always loved playing that building, and I think a little bit of it was I had I had early success there, like my rookie year when we played them in the in the playoffs, and I had all these little superstitions that I would like abide by when I was there. Um, lots of times we always stayed at that Chateau Champlain. And if you knew Ronnie Francis taught me this, which I think is kind of why it was like really special to me. You came down to the lobby and then you went like towards like the restaurant, and there was another little elevator tucked in there, just like a little single lift, and it brought you down to the metro, and then you could walk the metro to the back security door, and he showed me that one morning, like it was a morning skate during my rookie season, and for the literally the rest of my career, I never went to the rink like another way uh when I was playing. I always did that walk and buzzed myself in on the back door and everything. Like I just loved it. I mean, you're going through the metro, there's a guy there, you know, playing guitar, like in this one little corridor, and you're you know, you're throwing some tunies in the you know, in the case for them and everything. Like it just that city for me just I you know I'm a northern New York guy anyway. So like it always I always just felt like as soon as we landed at the airport and you got on the bus and you're taking the drive, you know, like along the river, and you're just like there was just an aura about that place for me.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Eric, was that am I crazy to think that Toronto was kind of similar for you? We were just talking about it before you came on, and and I I seem to recall of more than a few big games that you kind of became a bright light sky, not just in Montreal, but in in the world.

SPEAKER_05 18:58

Yeah, again, like another situation where like because we had to go through them that rookie season. Like, I didn't, I didn't I barely put up any points in that, like if any, in that series, because Gary Roberts beat the snot out of me. Like, damn. He choke slammed me. He choke slammed me in game five. I was breathing up blood in the penalty box, like it was it took a toll on me, man. Now that game was like that series was just rough as hell uh for me, like going against Robs every night. Um but yeah, but I did, I I was a big fan of you know playing in the original six buildings, right? Like I'm you know, I'm from northern New York, small town kid, um and I took a lot of pride in playing really well in Boston, sorry, Razor, playing really well in Toronto, sorry. Chicago, you know what I mean? Like I always wanted to play well in in those buildings. Um and yeah, like for whatever reason, I mean, you know, call it just you know, like just like I just always had those all the feels like because there's just so much history, or you know, maybe I was playing guilty, whatever. You never know.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

If you were gonna take a game off, you took it in Atlanta.

SPEAKER_05 20:27

We'll sweetwalk, we'll sweepwalk through Atlanta. I'm not worried about that. I'll take half the game off and kind of rest the legs a little bit, and then I'll just surprise them in the third period.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Colsey, you bring up upstate New York. So as the guys know, I've been through Oswego literally eight times in the past four weeks, five weeks, driving the kids, going back to Belleville, Ontario. And and you're a perfect guy because my my older guy's been asking, like, so what is what did guys where did guys play that played hockey up here? Whether it's you know outside of Utica in Syracuse, of course, Oswego. So bring us back all the way to the start. How'd you get into the game and what was it like living in that area that isn't necessarily there's been a lot of good players come out of there individually, but it's not necessarily the easiest place to play minor hockey and continue to go forward.

SPEAKER_05 21:19

Yeah, so so I I got into the game because my older brother played. I've got an older brother, Quent, that's uh what, six years older than me. Um six, yeah, yeah, six years older than me. And you know, I I played because of him. Like he was into it, whatever. My like my dad never played or anything like that. The only thing my dad ever said to me was skate hard. But you know, it's real super snowy, lake effects snow, hometown, right on the shore of Lake Ontario. The good players played out of like the Syracuse Stars program. Uh Donnie Kernan ran that for a number of years. Um, you know, guys like uh like Brownie, like you know, he was an Ithaca guy. You know, he traveled north up to Syracuse to play with the stars and everything. Like, you know, we we we can never afford that kind of bill, you know, at the end of the hockey season. So I stayed in a suego all the way up through minor hockey, played two years of high school hockey, my sophomore year and my junior year, but my junior year I doubled it and kind of piggybacked a year in Gananakway, Ontario. All right.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

No way. Okay. There you go.

SPEAKER_05 22:33

Just across the eight-day border. So it's 96 miles one way. Yeah. Put some put some miles on the uh on the old Ford Explorer that that year, me and my old man. And uh, and so I would I was playing up there in Gann, going to a couple practices a week, playing games, and then once my high school season started, um I just practiced with my high school every day. So I'd go to school, practice, and if I had a game that night, like my father Dennis would back up, he'd back up the explorer and have it waiting right after practice. I'd be packing up my gear straight up the across the border, and I'd go play a game that night at like 7, 7:30. And you know, we were traveling up and down to St. Lawrence, so we could be in Brockville, you know, Evans, what is it, Evansville or yeah, like Evansville or Evansville?

SPEAKER_00 23:28

Did you play with Alan McCauley? Because he's from Genough. Wait, you guys are around the same age, as well.

SPEAKER_05 23:32

Well, he's a touch older than me, but yeah, a year older. Yeah, he's uh like trust me. I walked into that arena and saw his drafted jersey in the frame every every time I went there. Um but that would that was a really big deal for me. It was a big year where my confidence really grew. I was 16, turning 17 um that November. And you know, I just I I played just like I, you know, like I did in the NHL. I was a very like straight line up and down the ice, probably a little bit too much horse blinders until I actually got to the NHL where you know I started realizing like, yeah, there's some other guys out here that are just as fast as you. But yeah, like I just I you know I just played really hard nose and everything, and I had a great year there where uh I I ended up I played 38 games. I was like rookie of the year, I was an all-star. Um, and that that translated to my high school season that year was just, I mean, it was a joke. We played 25 games. I had 90 points. My two linemates, Matt Bashaw and Mark Donabella, each had 75. We lost two games that year. Unfortunately, one of them was the state final. Oh right. But um, but so I was like, you know, I like I knew I wasn't going back to Clarkson or to uh Oswego for my for my senior year of high school. I actually had committed to Clarkson before I even really knew like if I was gonna where I was gonna play the next year. Clarkson wanted me to go across the border and play for the Aces or the Colts uh in uh Cornwall. Cornwall. Yeah, because it's just right across the border. It's like 30 minutes away from the school. Um, and I got a phone call from Scott Owens about the USHL, and I knew nothing about it, but he was gonna be in Boston, you know, wants to come take me to breakfast and all this. And he showed up and you know, I think he had called the weekend before, and I'm like, he's telling me I'll be drafted me, whatever. I'm like, yeah, like I'm going to Des Moines, like hanging up this phone, like, are you I was out at the drive-in the night before my buddies, like I was I was still in bed snoozing. Uh but he showed up, and it wasn't until like the because I was there with like Maddie Murley's uh dad's program, Uncle Sam's, and it was like all those guys that played like triple A hockey like during the year, like during the season, right? Like Travis Howe was there, like you know, just a lot of guys that all played in triple A programs, which I never played in triple A programs like growing up. Our my hometown was a B organization, right? Like um, and those parents kind of like freaked out a little bit. And my dad on the way home, he's like, Yeah, we're gonna have to talk about this. He's like, which is like apparently this is a big deal. And I was like, Are you like you're you're serious? You're like you just with me, Dennis? Like, what's going on? He's like, no. He's like, he's like, yeah, apparently, like we need to look into this. I was like, oh, okay, well, all right, well, we'll we'll look into it. And I ended up going out there, and one of the first guys I saw was uh uh a buddy, a northern New York native out of Messina, Pete Frigo. Uh, and he had left Messina early and went to like Sioux, Michigan, and was playing uh AAA hockey there before going to Des Moines. Um and I, you know, I walk in and see him and I'm like, you know, what are you doing here? He's like, what the hell are you doing here? Like, how did you get here? I have no idea. And he's like, Well, he's like, This is the place to be, you gotta come. And and so I ended up having like I was only there for one day. Uh I had a great showing. They played me in both games that night. I played like about a period and a half, and then the coach came down, Scott Owens came down to the glass, and he's like, Hey, we're gonna send you off and have you play the next game as well. And I think I think I I scored a couple goals in like both games and just played really, really well. Uh the two like friends of his that he had, one was the coach of UNH and one was the coach of Providence. And within the first week, that first week of July July 1st when my recruiting opened up, my first two home visits were UNH and Providence. Like those those two guys were like at my parents' house, like offering me a scholarship and everything, but I had already had my heart set on Clarkson. I never went on a tour anywhere else, I never looked anywhere else, never entertained it. Like I was a northern New York kid and all my family's from that area. And for me, that was like if I had gone to Clarkson and played Division I hockey there and never played after it, I probably still would have felt really good about like that was the dream. Yeah, like it that was you know, it's like you like for me it was because I wasn't like a really good player at you know, 15, right? Like like somewhere between 15 and 16 when I started to finally grow. But from the time we were like squirts, which back then was you know 11 and 12 years old, to the time like when everyone else hit puberty and I didn't, I think I got I got tossed around the ice quite a bit. Like, you know, it was uh yeah, I used to get I used to get beat down pretty good through those years where I was just a really small forward and just couldn't match up physically, but then I grew and like I'm I'm the runt of like all my cousins and family and everything. Like I'm I'm the little guy, so I used to get my ass kicked all the time from you know whether it was my brother and his friends or even my own peers or my cousins. Like I took a lot of beatings, but the good news is I got a good memory, and yeah, like I I you're better for it though. I kept I kept tabs on everybody, yeah. Yeah, I was collecting I collected a bunch of receipts in my late teens. Yeah, I don't remember you.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

Eric, I actually have a dentist story, as you just alluded to your dad multiple times here the last few minutes. So 2009. So 2009 playoffs, it's Carolina Boston, phenomenal seven-game series. Honestly, one of uh one of my favorite assignments I've ever had. And so we're down in Carolina. I want to say it's game three, uh, or maybe it was game four. And uh you guys are up. And I'm standing, I'm I'm the sideline reporter for TSN. I've got my suit on, I'm in the crowd, and here's here's a fan at at the edge of the seat at the aisle seat, and he looks at me and kind of sees the microphone. You know, he's got to look like he spent a lot of time in the sun that day, right? That sort of upstate New York tan or you know, Canadian sort of, you know, pretending like a lobster. And he looks at me and he says, T SN. He's like, uh, who are you going for? And in those days, you know, I'm about 30 at the time. And I, you know, I was pretty locked into my bias, like, you know, pretty balanced and you know, pretty a little cynical as well, traveling a lot. And I said, you know what? The sooner the series ends, the sooner I go home. And Carolina's winning right now, so let's say go canes. And he's like, All right, he's like, Who's your favorite? And then he says, Who's your favorite player? And I said, Oh, you know, Brenda Moore or Eric Stahl's pretty good. And then, of course, like he's kind of leading me here and says, What do you think of Cole? Now, respectfully, Cole's it was a quiet postseason for Ireland. Are you cool?

SPEAKER_05 32:00

I can I can I can explain why, but yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 32:04

So he says, So he says, What do you think of Cole? And I look at him and I said, I think he needs to score. And he quickly explodes with, no shit, I'm his dad. And now I'm like, oh my God, like, did I just crap on his kid? I said, Well, at least he's out of Edmonton. And he had a kind of laugh about that, but had a really nice conversation with him after the in that moment. But yeah, right when I said, Oh, I think he needs to score, and just his reaction, like, no kidding.

SPEAKER_05 32:33

Yeah, he would agree. Yeah, he would agree with no what happened in the 09 playoffs. So I got so I got traded back. It was, you know, whirlwind getting traded back and everything. Yes. And we, it was shortly after I got back, we went on a trip to Chicago, Dallas, and I got hit by a defenseman in Chicago along the boards, and he pinched me from this side, and I cracked like my first rib and popped out my SC joint.

unknown 33:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 33:06

And so, like, yeah, so I had like a nub coming out of my chest, like way up here. All right. Crack first rib, and I didn't miss a single game, like the rest of that regular season, and then all through the playoffs, and then of course, like, you know, like the like our playoff series were rough, right? Like, we're we're New Jersey for seven, and then it's like I got Chara for seven games. I'm like, come on, man. That was a war.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

That series was a legit war.

SPEAKER_05 33:36

It was it was spectacular hockey, physically. He hated me too. Like, like I would, you know, I would sense him coming a little bit and give him a little reverse sting, and then I'd be chirping him. I'm like, yeah, you like that big boy 6'210 and all this. And then he would like he would do the same to me. Like, I'd be going in on the four check and he'd just rim it up the wall and just drop me. And then he's like he's talking shit with the marbles in his mouth. Yeah, you like that. And I'm like, You're a Neanderthal. You're supposed to knock me down. Like, what are we talking about? But yeah, I was oh man, I was hurt. I was a hurting unit in that playoff run.

SPEAKER_02 34:18

Like, I'm you probably could have couldn't even I'm assuming you could hardly shoot the ball.

SPEAKER_05 34:22

I couldn't do a lot of things, but I couldn't hit anybody with my left shoulder. Okay, it just hurt.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

Like I was But you've played, but you suited up every game. I played like that was a seven-game series, that one against Boston.

SPEAKER_05 34:35

Yeah, yeah. It was, I mean, it was hard. I just like and the sad thing is, is that like I actually played pretty well down the street. I didn't score a lot, but when I got back, like Eric Stahl was like, you know, like Jim Rutherford's telling me like we have to be a playoff team. Like he's like, you don't have to do anything yourself. He's like, but we need to get to the playoffs. Like it is imperative that we are a playoff team this year, and everything. I was like, okay, got it, right? Like, and then Eric Stahl's like, you gotta get me to 40, bud. You gotta get me to 40. Thankfully, like like night one, it was against like Calgary, beat him like 6'3. Ray Whitney had a hat trick, but then we go to Tampa, it was the back-to-back. We go to Tampa and Halsey scored four. So I was like, okay, we got the big boy off and running, we're good. And so uh, and so I ended up like I think I played, you know, it was like 17 games and had 15 points, or I played 19 games and had 17 points, something like that, or whatever. Like, I'm like, I was actually putting up points like that last little bit of the regular season, but man, by the time the playoffs rolled around and everything, it was just like every you know, third hit, like it just hurt. Like I just, yeah, it was it was it was brutal. I just I I wasn't wasn't healthy, didn't play well, and I I mean I wish I would if I could have contributed a little bit like during that playoffs, like one, we wouldn't have had probably two game, you know, seven-game series. By the time we got to, you know, the Penguins, who were, you know, they were a wagon that year. And uh, you know, we got we got steamrolled, you know, four Cobb, Matt Cook dinged up my my knee. I had an MCL sprain that I played through the last you know, three games of that series or two games of that series, even like, but I mean it's the playoffs, and that's you know what you do with like the I mean Kami will tell you, like you know, you go into our training room in that 06 run, and there was like you know, six or seven needles of like markane lined up for guys like to just numb some body part so they wouldn't feel it, or somebody was getting you know a shot of tortall or whatever. It's just it's such a grind. Like it's Dr. Martini. Yeah, what do you what do you wizard, man? That guy was unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 37:01

I did that portall, I did it once as my shoulder was killing me in that 06 run, and I'm like, man, everybody's doing this. God, it must be this. So I tried it. I forget what game it was, might have been against New Jersey or something like that. I don't know. Whatever game it was, I think I was minus three in the first period. I'm like, I'm never doing this shit again, and I never touched it again. But yeah, guys were doing it. Colsey, what do you remember for listeners that don't know? In the 05-06 here, Colzey was on fire on pace for 40 goals, and uh Brooks Orpick ran him from behind 60 games in and he missed the end of the season and then came back in the playoffs. Like, what are your memories, Colzey? Because it was obviously a little bit different for you, and it would have been extremely hard in a lot of not only physically but mentally too, I'm sure. Like, what are your you know recollections of that of the 06?

SPEAKER_05 37:49

Yeah, it was original. Like for me, the O like and this is why like I'm so thankful to you guys, like because I you know, like I went through it in 02, and my body was in shambles like basically that whole summer. Um, like so I know how tough the grind is and I know how hard it is. And um the way you guys played like that through that play, you know, I was it was it was really weird because you know, I was a you know, I was a fan, but like at the same time I was still like, you know, hopeful that I was gonna be able to get cleared to play. And and then we, you know, we did it a couple times where I was, you know, getting checked out and like I left Buffalo to try and go home and get cleared by the doctors to to play in game five. And that was when they finally they were just like, all right, like enough's enough. Like you're we're just shutting you down, like you're not gonna play the rest of the year. And and so that was that was you know a tough pill to swallow, like through, through all that. But like I can remember, like, like I mean, you know, when when New Jersey scored that goal at home off of like your stick, off of Gomez's stick with like you know, 30 seconds left or whatever, and I'm up there in the press box with the black aces, and I'm chucking chairs against the wall, I'm just pissed about it, right? I'm like, tell me like that was way.

SPEAKER_01 39:31

I'm never doing this again.

SPEAKER_05 39:35

No, but I was just like, you know, it like it's all these like moments like throughout that playoff run where you know I'm pissed off and I'm I'm out in the hallway, like picking the wall and just sour and being like, you know, like so mad about it, right? Because I can't, I don't have any control over it, right? Like, but I'm sitting up there in the suite all the time. I mean, you saw us, like we had all these superstitions, and it was like who we sat next to, what time of the game we went and got popcorn and you know, whatever. Like it was just because you're just you're you feel so helpless when you can't be on the ice, like helping out, right? Um and so that was like a a big like moment that I remember where you know when in Stalls he ties it with you know 2.4 seconds left or whatever, end up winning it in overtime with the big Swede, like Walline, you know, like moments like that were just crazy. Uh and then you know, you back it up even to the Montreal series where you know we lose the first two games at home, and I'm like, I'm sitting up there in the press box being like, what the f like we like this isn't good. Like, so I go downstairs after the game, which I didn't really do, like go into the locker room like after the games. I went downstairs after game two and I walked into Lavi's office. I said, Hey, I'm uh I'm coming on the this road trip. I was like, I'm not staying here in Raleigh. Like, there's a chance like the like our season's gonna end, like I'm not gonna be sitting at home watching it, right? Like, I'm coming. And he's like, Well, what did the doctor say? I was like, I don't care, but I because I haven't asked them yet. I'm telling you now. Um, so I talked my way into like being able to go to Montreal. Unfortunately, I was still in like the like the full like waste up, like Yeah, you weren't even close. I was like, I was confined to my room. Like I was basically confined to the hotel. Like I like I had to eat every meal at the hotel. I couldn't go out like to dinners or anything like that. So everything had to be done at the hotel. I had to take the bus and like I had like a security detail on me, like at the arena. Like it was, you know, like it was just it was weird. But but I was I was thankful to be there, and then you know, we win in OT, and then you know, we win game three, game four, and you guys, you know, you guys did the basically reverse sweep on them, you know. Yeah. Uh so like it was it was so great, like just the watching you guys roll through, and then that Buffalo series was really, really difficult for me just because I'm northern New York. I yeah, you're from the area. Yeah, like central New York, Western New York, there's a big rivalry. Um, you know, despite me not even, you know, not being in the series. I had a ton of friends that were like at every game, you know, there and um and watching that series and how nasty that series was. Man, I wanted to kill Derek Roy something bad. That little rat, like every time, like I mean, it would be an offsides, and there would be like a scrum on an off sides, and he would come around a pile and just like throw a haymaker at Stalsey, and I was like, this little rat, like what the kill this guy. Like, I just I I developed a real strong hatred, literally just from being like, you know, not what not in the game and just like watching from afar and not being able to do anything about it. I was like, man, like it was just such a nasty series. And um, yeah, like one of my like probably like my toughest moment, other than like the, you know, they hey, like you're you're getting shut down for the rest of the playoffs, was uh when you guys, when you guys beat them in game seven at home, and I can remember like just we were in like the tunnel uh and like on the bench, like congratulating a couple of you guys and and what's now become like the norm, which it was the first time it had ever like really been done for like the Prince of Wales trophy, where Roddy brought all of you guys like out there around the trophy. Around the trophy. And and I was sitting there on the bench and Like that was like like for me, that was a moment where like my my eyes like welled up and everything, and I was like, man, I'm I'm missing out on all this. Like it was like, yeah, that was like a real kick in the kick in the shorts right there. Like I was and you came back.

SPEAKER_04 44:18

Like you came back in three and a half months.

SPEAKER_05 44:21

But at the time, I I was told, at the time, I was told I wasn't I they were shutting me down for the year and I wasn't gonna be able to play again. Like how I ended up getting back into the lineup was a miracle in itself. But like, yeah, like in in that moment, like it was just like shit. You know, like I mean having having a really good year, and you know, like we loved our group that year. We had, you know, so much fun like at the rink and away from the rink together. Like we just we were genuinely just like a really tight-knit group, and it was so much fun to to be around the fellas day in, day out, like whether it was at the rink or away from the rink. And that's what I think that's what made it so so difficult was being so disconnected from it. Can I just throw this to Tommy?

SPEAKER_00 45:14

Tommy, can I throw this to you? What was that like in the room when Eric comes back? Yeah, he's cleared the final, like six and seven. Like, I mean, what a like what a lift that's gotta be. How inspiring is that? No, it wasn't. No, but you did it, man. You did it.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

We we lost game five, we lose an overtime at home on the power play hole stiller there, made a mistake, but it was unreal overall. Uh, and then so we go up to Edmonton, Colsey's coming back. And and I remember, you know, we were sitting there, and I'm like, I'll I mean, I'll just speak for I think I can speak for everybody. You know, Colsey just came back from a major injury. We're going into the Hornet's nest here in Edmonton. These people are fired up. Oh, and the way that game went, like, honestly, five minutes into the game, I'm like, we're in trouble. Like, anytime any one of us touched the puck, we got smoked. So go to Colsey. I remember sitting on the like watching he's out there and they were running him. And I'm like, oh my God. But honestly, it ended up being inspirational for us because you know, like I said, it this was well, we got our asses kicked that game. You know, Colsey's taking hits, they are going out of their way to run him, and he's up and he's still moving. It was like, all right, all right, well, let's go. Now it didn't work out that game, but yeah, I remember that. Like Colsey, I forget, maybe I can't remember who somebody caught you like pretty good early, if I remember right. Ethan Moore. And I remember kind of being on the bench, be like, oh, and then but you got up and Ethan Ethan kept going.

SPEAKER_05 46:42

And Ethan Morrow got me really good in game six early, and it didn't bother me at all. Like the only the only hit I took in those two games that hurt a bit was from Pronger in the second period of game seven, just like off a face-off win, like D zone face-off win, and the puck came around and I had my my back to him, and I was, you know, gonna play the puck like off the hard rim, and he came in and just gave me a cross check to the back that like floored me, and I was like, ow. But I was also like, like, don't go off the ice, don't go off the ice, like, yep. And I like so I stayed out there for a little bit to like make everyone think like it didn't affect me at all or whatever. But like, yeah, that one stung a little bit, like, you know, the you know, Chris Pronger just, you know, extending the arms on you. Right. Because that was the only and that was the only one that hurt a little bit. Um, but at that point we were up 2-0. Um, and the reason and the only reason Pronger was out there is because they they switched up the the matchup because I had spot check before that, and I was going like toe-to-toe with he and Steos uh for all of game six and then uh the majority of game seven. But yeah, it was just it was just crazy that I was able to get back in the lineup. And you know, to Kami's point, like I mean, we got our asses kicked in Edmonton that night. I gotta be, I felt like crap. Like I was like, I can remember coming out from, you know, it was behind the net over there at Rexall and you know, the long walk, and you you step onto the ice from like the Samboni entrance. And normally every time I stepped on the ice, I took a couple hard strides and you know, got the legs like moving. And I took a couple hard strides and they like grabbed on me. I was like, oh, this is gonna be a long period. Uh-oh. I I think I dropped like two IV bags after that game and just you know, didn't have to pee for another five hours. Uh yeah, it was it was bad. I was, I mean, it was just it was crazy. You know, we tried to get a CT scan into Edmonton, and yeah, every time we booked one, it they ended up calling us back and canceling it. And so eventually shady, right? That's that Canadian Medicare you guys got going forever. So great.

SPEAKER_00 49:25

I got five, I got a five-hour experience of it just the other night when somebody took my wife out in a volleyball game the other night. So uh hey, listen, Eric, uh thank you so much for doing this. Cool. Uh obviously, commie, thank you very much for facilitating this. Please, if you would ever consider joining us again sometime and continuing story time, like we didn't even get a chance to touch on the fact that, you know, you almost scored 30 at the season after breaking your freaking neck. Not only, you know, never mind the fact you also want a Stanley Cup and talk more about your time in Montreal as well and all of it. But before you go, I'd like you to join us for our fan question of the week here. Okay. So we get a question from our listeners and our and our viewers. Uh, and every week they throw a question and we pick one of them. And so this week, uh, we have a question from somebody who, and I feel like this might relate a little bit to, you know, the Carolina Hurricanes, your team that you're defined for. So this comes from Mick, and he says, Hey guys, what's going on with the NHL PA and alumni on this travesty of the Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundan, having his entire family's name engraved on the sacred trophy above the players? How come this meritless desecration is being tolerated by NHL players, past and present, without any protest or public outrage? That question, a good one at that, because we haven't touched on it yet. Coming from Mick O'Grady. That's a very Irish name. So Colzian, do you want to take this one first? How do you feel about uh no short of about a half dozen families? And this also, in fairness, the Panthers did this also last year before Dundan did. So how do you feel about this? And then razor command, I want to get your thoughts.

SPEAKER_05 51:07

Yeah, I so for me, it's it's unit's unfortunate that this is like kind of like blown up, you know, like on social media and everything, and just you know, so much outrage about it. Um I mean, if if you actually I mean, if you ever got the chance to study the cup and you see certain owners that put their dog's name on the cup, uh, you know, like there's a lot of things that have like happened like over the years, right? Like, and I mean, you know, when you're the owner of the team, like you, you, you kind of, you know, you get the say as to like whose names go on and who whose names don't and that that kind of thing. Uh and to your point, like, you know, it happened in Florida and nobody said a word, right? Like it's it was pretty hush hush. But I think, you know, with Tom and you know, just uh, you know, everything going on with with the the purchase over in Portland and what he's doing there, and just it's just all the timing of it all, right? Like, but you know, like for me, like I get it. Like, you know, you own these franchises and it's it's your call and you know, it's your legacy. It's your family's legacy. Um you know, like you know, I when I when I think about Chicago or Detroit, like with you know the the the worst family in um you know the the family, like you know, like like it was it was a big deal for them, and I I think that he feels that strongly about it also, like you know, it's it's his family and it's you know it's his organization, it's his team, and he he's allowed to have the the say as to you know who's on there and who isn't. Like for me, who I feel bad about is like you know, the few names that have to be omitted, you know, be because of it. Like that's that's where like for me it's you know, there's there's uh like Mike Mike Sunheim uh comes to mind and Bobby Gore.

SPEAKER_03 53:18

Yeah, great example.

SPEAKER_05 53:20

You know, like guys, you know, Gogo's been with the organization since they were in Hartford, right? Like made the move down here. He's always been like so great with with the players, and I mean he was always always great with me. Uh you know, everybody loved Gogo. Like he was he was awesome, right? Like is awesome. Um and then, you know, like to the point like Mike Sunheim and uh, you know, like for me, guys that have been, you know, with the organization, you know, for Gogo, it's over probably like what, 35 years, and then you know, Sunny's, I mean, he he's been here since I was here. So he's been here for 26 years, you know, 25 years, something like that. Um, it's just it, it's it's unfortunate, like how much backlash has come from it because it's not like it's the first time, it's just because it's Tom and somebody wants to make a deal about it and you know, and and criticize about it. But it is what it is, and you know.

SPEAKER_00 54:26

I mean, this was what the goal was, man. As a player at the dream, how do you feel about seeing that?

SPEAKER_01 54:30

No, I I I'm actually I'm a little bit on that uh on Colsey's side as well, in that I thought it got blown out of proportion more for and I didn't really understand why. I mean, I know the I know the Portland thing and the t-shirt night and all that. Like, I I get the pit, like I get what what Tom and and what people are after to a point, but there are a lot of family names on that cup. If you do like and the one that we all think of is Pocklington getting the X out, like I I think of that too, which is interesting. Like he actually got really screwed. Like, if in the in the history of the world in the Stanley Cup, like there's a lot of names on that, and and Peter's got X'd out for for trying to sneak that one on. But um, you know, of course, there's a couple names that get left off, but but I think if in the reality of things, um, there are a lot of family names at the top of that, and those guys putting uh a lot of money down. I'm sure it's going to continue to have a lot of family names on it as we go forward and as as guys are putting billions down on these teams. So I you know, again, I guess maybe they maybe we get to a point where it's like, okay, owners only get six, and GMs and personnel only get eight, and then we get 20 player. Like, there might have to be a rationing of some point. Hopefully, it doesn't get to that point, and there the rules don't have to be set. But again, I I didn't think it was as bad or a travesty as as Mick called it.

SPEAKER_02 56:02

My turn. I'm a little more on the other side before I get started. He Tom Dunan is the owner of the team. He writes the checks and he can do what he wants. I understand that. I realize that he's the owner. I get that. But in saying that, my opinion, and it's more about, hey, look, if you don't have enough guys to fill it up to 53 and you want to put the kids' names and stuff, I'm fine, I'm fine with it. But like you guys touched on, leaving Bob Gorman off, who like it's such a terrible look, Gorman and Sundheim. Sundheim's been there for 28 years. Bob Gorman's been with the organization since 1976. Rod asked him to come back, even in a little part-time role to like help out. He comes back, helps out. Like, yes, he was part-time this year. He was full-time for the last 50 years. Like the guy is a full-blown employee. To me, it that part of it, I think, is a joke. And I shouldn't say joke, I just think it's a terrible look. And in a way, I'm almost like, is Dundan just trying to get people pissed off at him? And another way that I kind of look at it a little bit. Now, I'm not the one that should be talking like this. I've never had kids, so I have zero idea, like what? I mean, I got two dogs. How do you feel the team right now when I won the Stanley Cup? Henry put on that. But like, you know, I definitely I've never parented in my life. But it also from that perspective, I look at it like, man, that's supposed to be pretty special getting your name and it's you know, you have to earn it. And hey, look, you want to put your wife's name on there? I'm I'm fine with that. Totally fine. But I don't know, the kids, and you know, I don't want to pick one kid over the other and age and stuff, but I'm like, that's the problem, right? It's like either you put them all on or none of them on. And to me, it's like if you're leaving guys off that have a combined almost 80 years of like Carolina Hurricanes, Hartford Whalers hockey underneath them, so you could put your kids on there who literally might not you probably can't name more than two players on the team. I do kind of have a and who have done nothing to earn it other than be your kid. I don't know. It's I don't want to say it's a joke. In a way, I I want to say it is, but I it's just a terrible look. I'm not a big fan.

SPEAKER_00 58:19

I hear you. I think it's one of those situations that you look at how the players have kind of taken over and powered themselves in the league in a lot of ways from a financial standpoint, calling the shots where they want to play. And I don't know if this is the return serve on the owner's part where they're kind of flexing. I mean, look, the teams are billion-dollar franchises now, right? And so if you're if you're writing checks for that much money, maybe you're entitled to do it. But at the end of the day, these kids, it's essentially comes down to being lucky seed, right?

SPEAKER_02 58:51

And I mean give them rings, keep their names off the cup and give them rings. I'm fine with that.

SPEAKER_00 58:56

Exactly. Give them perfect. That's fine. You want to buy them a ring, give them a ring. That's not money. Lucky seed, guys. And I say this as a parent too, right? Like, but there's a time and you know, I often say to my kids, time and a place. And in this particular instance, I think there's a time and a place. And so if you want to put your your better half uh along the side, go for it.

SPEAKER_05 59:14

But you know, to bring it real quick, like to that, like you know, I just saw a clip um on one of like the hurricanes posts or whatever, and it was Jordan Stahl like holding, you know, one of his one of his kids, and he's like, you know, you gonna do this someday? And the kid's like, yeah, and he's like, Yeah, man, you know what I mean? Like it, like it's that whole thing, like, because the whole thing about the cup is you know, if you ever have ambitions of winning one yourself, like you don't touch it, right? Like away from it, and you know, there's the mystique about it and and everything. Um for me, like that's also kind of another thing, like you know, you would like realistically, you I mean, it would be amazing if you know the Dundan family kept the hurricanes for you know, the amount of time where it gets passed down to those kids, and you know, they're in charge and you know have the say and whatever, and they can, you know, and they can experience it like you know on their own, on their own merit. That would be cool. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:28

Love it. Thanks so much for doing this, Eric. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:31

Thank you. Anytime, fellas. There he is. Daily Cup channel.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:38

Former Hab, all of it. Former Kane, Eric Cole, joining us here on the Clearing the Crease podcast. Just a quick reminder, everybody, to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more ClearingTheCrease podcast content powered by Ozun.com. Follow along on Apple, Spotify, X, Instagram, TikTok because the Clearing the Crease podcast is powered by Ozoun, and the clearest way to winning big is to play on Ozoun.com. Ozun's got you covered for all the props, the game lines, futures, whether it's on the ice, the pitch, the diamond, the gridiron. Make your power play and score big with Ozun. Well played. He's Razor, he's Commie, I'm Sabalski. Special shout out to the one and the only Eric Cole. We will see you next time right here on the Clearing the Creeks podcast, powered by Ozo. Well played.