Clearing The Crease Podcast
Hockey’s best podcast featuring Mike Commodore Andrew Raycroft and hosted by James Cybulski.
Clearing The Crease Podcast
Commie and Razor talk the most TERRIFYING NHL enforcers... CTC 95
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In this episode of the Clearing the Crease Podcast, we’re diving deep into the world of hockey enforcers . Join Razer (Andrew Raycroft), Commie (Mike Commodore), and Cball (James Cybulski) as they debate their top 5 enforcers of all time—from generational legends like Gordie Howe and Dave Semenko to modern-day weapons like Brian McGrattan.
We also welcome Johnny Lequasto, the voice of Bare Knuckle Ice Wars, to discuss the revolution of combat sports on ice. Johnny gives us the inside scoop on the rules, the fighters’ incredible backstories, and what it’s like working with the legendary Matthew Barnaby.
How do you get a word in with Barnaby? How is it working with Barnaby? How is it Bro? He's putting bounties on people's heads.
SPEAKER_02John Avery, we're talking to you, bro. Let's go. Oh my God. There we go. That's a tease. Still dead silence, I believe.
SPEAKER_03Hi, everybody. Welcome to the Claire and the Crease podcast, powered by Ozun. Well played. Alongside the Calder Trophy winner, Razor Andrew Raycroft. He's Kami, your favorite Stanley Cup champion, Mike Commodore. I'm Sabalski. Just a quick reminder, everybody, if you're enjoying the show and all the content that we bring you with the podcast and all the add-ons and social media, make sure you are liking and subscribing to our YouTube channel. And if you listen in audio form, make sure you leave us a five-star review on Apple or on Spotify. And please follow along on Instagram, X, TikTok, or wherever else you may be finding us. Razor, I want to hit with you first. Boston life right now. Is it Red Sox fever the way they're cooking, or is the Patriot May taking over?
SPEAKER_06No, Drake May's got pushed behind. Everyone couldn't wait for Drake May talk to happen about a month and a half ago. And since then, the the Red Sox have gone 31 and 3, I think, in the last like something like that. Something like that. It's something crazy. I was down on the beach at the Cape this week and watched the Sox every single night. So yeah, there's some Sox fever here. They've taken over uh as they they try and chase down the Yankees. And I we were talking about um, you know, we've talked the last couple episodes prior, like you know, people coming up in the show. I was having breakfast out on like the little harbor, guy comes over, love the show with you and commie at seaball. Um down at the beach, too, that everyone was listening. But um, so we got a little vacation time. Basically, summer's like almost over here now. Um kids start school two weeks. Like I'm getting, you know, like practice schedules coming out, game schedules coming out for the kids stuff. Um yeah, so so we're at the end here, but I I'm off the beach now and um it's Red Sox fever.
SPEAKER_03Commie, see the Cardinals just had their first game, Hall of Fame weekend, and all the drama, and found a way to lose again. So, what's going on for the summer of commie these days? Are you behaving now?
SPEAKER_04Uh, you know, I'd like to tell you guys that I'm completely off it. You know, I'm no no sauce at all, but I did kind of have a few last night. But other than that, I've been back in the gym. It's kind of funny now that I'm down here quite a bit. You know, you you mentioned like summer's almost over, and then seaball, you say, no, and I'm sitting here, I'm like, man, I can't wait for dying for October. I think I can't wait for October first. You don't even have kids.
SPEAKER_03What does that tell you?
SPEAKER_04Oh, I see. I know, but yeah, walking the dogs around in 115. But yeah, did I already tell you I told you guys about my trip to Williams, right? Where the temperature drop? Yeah, anyway, 50 degree drop. 50 degree drop in two hours, but uh, I need to do that again. But uh yeah, no, not much going on. I actually having a little bit of uh a little bit of missing, what what's that like fear of missing out or whatever? You know you're missing out. Yeah, so I've I've the cup went through Minnesota. Jackson Blake just had it, and I played with Jackson's dad in college. So, anyways, it's just like you know, a bunch of pictures and stuff have popped up of him. He just had his day, he was on one of the lakes or whatever in the Twin Cities area. So, anyways, I've been looking at stuff and trying not to crack a beer and drink, but anyways, things are going good here.
SPEAKER_03You guys will appreciate considering both you guys played in the jungle. I I I hung out with uh Michael Dix victory day with the Calder Cup uh here our neck of the woods in sunny South Delta, and uh nice to see Michael who would uh who was leaving the Marlies and back as the general manager and head coach of the Vancouver Giants. Great little turnout. Jamie McClennan made his way out here for the trip. And Noodles is in the house. Yeah, Noodles passed along his best to both Commie and Razor as well. So he was uh saying hi, but nice to catch up and uh yeah, nice little spread of food there that uh Mike had for everybody. So summer's still, we're still having a good time. We don't need to wrap it up just yet. But um, this is gonna be a different type of episode here for us today. Coming up in uh a little bit, we are going to have the voice of bare knuckle ice wars joining us. Uh, he is the play-by-play announcer. It is a new product that is basically if you enjoy dropping the gloves, uh watching a hockey fight, this is basically tailor-made for you because it is a sport that is basically bare knuckle fighting on the ice. They put on the gear. Johnny will explain it all, but Johnny LaQuesto is the play-by-play announcer who's going to join us uh coming up a little later on here on the show. But with that in mind, we are going to kind of go down memory lane and talk about enforcers. And in our sort of view, who are the top five enforcers in our minds uh from our own perspective, again, opinion-based. And so opinion, you know, top five. Everything's subjective and sometimes it influences generationally and all of it. But we're gonna go down that road today in sort of a tough guy feel on this edition of the Clearing the Crease podcast because it is powered by Ozun. The clearest route to winning big is to play on ozun.com. Ozun's got you covered for all the props, game lines, futures, whether it's on the ice, on the pitch, diamond, gridiron, make your power play and score big with Ozun well played. Okay, so top five enforcers of all time. Uh Razor, do you want to take do you want to lead off on this one here?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, do we want to go like five to one? Then go like each of us take our five and then each of us go forward. We want to do it that way. Okay. All right.
SPEAKER_04I will say my list is a little bit different. So what do you do? Well, I did the I didn't feel right like doing the all-time, all time. So I took the ones that the top guys that I thought from like our generation.
SPEAKER_07Okay.
SPEAKER_04That's right.
SPEAKER_06So there'll be a little bit of a I I added two guys from a generation prior, like a couple generations earlier. So that's my fifth. So I have to go. I I I have to put him here because he's one of the best people that I'm I know, and and I've just heard nothing but craziness about him is Terry O'Reilly, the Tasmanian heavel, Terry O'Reilly. So going back a lot further, the rest of the guys are kind of younger, but uh Terry O'Reilly is my number five all time.
SPEAKER_03Number five. I you know what? Number five for me, and I I tried to span all the generations as much as I could as possible. There's obviously the bias in terms of what you know, what you've seen, but number five on my list, I've got Gordy Howe. Just for everything that any uh the amount of stories that I've heard from people that played with Gordy, the way uh the stories that his own son, Bark Howe, who if you want to go into our clearing the crease archives uh with Bark Howe and the story that he shared uh New Year's Day at a practice, what he did to a teammate. You guys remember that one?
SPEAKER_04Oh, yeah, that's right. You remember that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Uh I won't, you know, anyway. Check it out. So Gordy Howe, Mr. Hockey. I mean, we call it a Gordy Howe hat trick, right? So Gordy certainly cleared. He didn't need anybody to protect him. So Gordy Howe's my number five.
SPEAKER_04Okay. God, I don't know what order to put these guys in. I got full disclosure, I got seven names on this piece of paper. That's all right. They're all from like, like I said, this is not a shot against the older guys or the younger guys. They're all from like when I played, kind of when me and Razor kind of played. I guess I'll put the whoever I decide to leave off, I'll put in the honorable mentions category. I don't know who to leave off this. You know what? I'll put number five. That doesn't mean I'll put Sean Thornton. Oh sneaky. Yeah, I like that. That guy, in my opinion, had one of the most impressive careers. He ended up winning what, two cups, right? Yeah. But before he even got started with Anaheim, he was in the minors fighting everybody for a decade. Yeah. Like it's it's an impressive career. I think his games played is like seven or eight hundred games in the American League, and the same thing in like the NHL, something around there. So a very impressive career.
SPEAKER_06Play golf with Thordy a couple weeks ago, and he's like, I'm always the toughest guy in every golf course. He's like, uh that's that's what that's my favorite part of this. I can say whatever I want. Oh, he's the best. So much fun. Yeah, but the Hawks now. Yeah, he's like a he's a big corporate guy. Yeah. Um, and then now he's yeah, he's got a big tournament here, charity tournament in Boston here the next couple of years.
SPEAKER_03Razor, well, we get Johnny Laquosto on here later. We maybe we need to go. They've got ice force, maybe golf wars, and we get Nick Tarnasky from last year. Let's find out who is the bang! Bang!
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I know Tarns. We can make that happen.
SPEAKER_03Yes, please. Uh okay, number four on the list. Razor.
SPEAKER_06Number four. I went now. So the next four are kind of in our era. Uh, Donald Brashier.
SPEAKER_03I got Donald as number four as well.
SPEAKER_06Hey, there we go. Never lost a fight.
SPEAKER_03I never saw him lose a fight.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, he was big and scary and mean out on the ice, too. Yes, he was. There's no question.
SPEAKER_04Um, God, so my number God. I mean, why don't I go with Colton Orr. Or is he? Oh, yeah. He was tough. He was very tough. I fought that guy at first. He was, I think he's a year younger than me, but I fought him in the he was with Boston to start. Providence, yeah. Yeah, so before that, though, he went back to juniors, but there was like the little like rookie tournament as well. I would have played that game, I would have definitely been in that game for the game. Yeah, sure. Like some little minor hockey rink. You were there? Yeah, yeah, 100%. Okay, I fought him in that game and I did pretty good. And I ended up fighting him, I think, like long story short, I think I ended up fighting him like five times in my career. There, that was one. I fought him a couple times in the minors, and then I think he pounded me in New York in the NHL.
SPEAKER_06And I was like, You know why he got really tough as like time went on, right? Like from the first time, like he really worked at it and and he really realized, like, or as he was got smart, like he knew this is okay, this is my this is how I'm gonna do it. This is how I'm gonna get to the NHL by getting really good at this.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Needless to say, every time I fought him, I did worse and worse, worse until I was getting beat up. And then I just stopped. I'm like, I'm done with that guy.
SPEAKER_03Our favorite hockey executive, Brian Burke. I remember him bringing Colt Norron to uh Toronto for uh just to add some of that truculence, as Berkey described back in those days.
SPEAKER_06Another great guy, awesome guy. He's coaching hockey like down in Connecticut. I see him a lot too. It's funny. Really? Number three. Oh, all right. So number three for me is is my generation. A guy I played with in Sudbury for the Sudbury Wolves. Um, a guy that's similar to Orrz, he was not a fighter when he was 16, 17 when I knew him. Got bigger, got stronger, got better. Cammy's smiling because he knows who I'm gonna say right now. Big earned Brian McGratt and turned into an absolute weapon by the late to mid 2000s, 2010s. And and again, this guy was like the sweetest kid. He still is the sweetest kid, but I knew him a lot different from junior hockey. And then I saw him if when he was in the he was in the jungle for three years and he came out on the ice. I'm like, Jesus Christ, who is this? I didn't know Big Earn was Brian, this Brian McGratt. And the one I earned, I didn't did not put it together at all. And boy, oh boy, he was uh he was as tough as as it got in that era. So Brian McGratt, number three.
SPEAKER_03Razor, I used uh, you know, it's funny. I was I I my sounding board, I was talking to my dad about this, and you know, just as a sounding board to go back a little bit. And I was also talking to my buddy Ken Priestley, who won a cup with the Penguins early 90s and played years in the American League, and that was that was a name uh my dad was quick to mention. Maybe it's the Ottawa bias, but he was quick to throw out Brian McGratt and just how tough he was for that period. My number three, I've got Dave Samenko.
SPEAKER_06That's a good name. I mean it was right there, it was right there for me. He was like, I just I went younger.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I and I just think that you look at all the stars in the history of hockey that you know, Gordy Howe obviously didn't need someone to protect him. Maurice Rocket Richard had those crazy eyes, and there's enough stories to tell you that uh Rocket Richard went a little bananas from time to time, so he didn't necessarily need the protection. Bobby Orr lasted less than a decade, so obviously people were out to murder him. Mariel Lemieux had to deal with all the injuries as well. Uh, you know who stayed healthy for the better part of his 20 years? 99.
SPEAKER_06No one went near him. No one went near him.
SPEAKER_03And why did they not go near him? Because of that crazy mofo, Dave Samenko.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, he was. I met him once in Kelowna uh a few years ago. Uh this is probably like, I don't know, 10 years ago or something like that. Maybe even a little bit longer. Uh I forget the name of the bar. Anyways, he was sitting in there and it was a little just small event. It was yeah, it was probably 10, 12 years ago. Anyways, ended up sitting with him and talking to him. The nicest guy ever, had a great conversation. But like I looked at him, you know, and he was he was scary looking, his guy. I mean, and he wouldn't he couldn't have been any nicer. Like we were having a nice conversation. I was sitting there, but when I look at him, I'm like, you know, yeah, I'm like, he's not even scaring me, he's not even trying. He's incredible guy.
SPEAKER_03Bobby, I'm glad you said that. I'm glad you said that because when I first moved to Vancouver in 2000, working as a reporter covering the Canucks, Dave Samenko was a Western scout for the Oilers. Yeah. And you know, here I am, 25 years old, but like Samenko would come up into the press box all the time to watch games, and I'd see him all the time, and I'd often be sent to Edmonton as well. And like every time he came up into the room, you know, with a coffee in his hand, it was still like, holy fk, it's Dave Samenko, like just waiting for that guy to snap at any moment, but a prince of a human being. But by God, he still scared the ish out of me.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, there's no question. Um, well, you took full disclosure, I had Brian McGrattan as my number one. I was saving him for later. So I'll mix in some other names. There's nobody I love more than Gratz. Gratz and I, after we got done, I don't know if I've told you this, but we were in Calgary at the same time when we retired. And uh, you know, we were looking for something to saw. And I played with Gratz in Ottawa. Great guy. I love him. He's a great dude. And I still can't keep in touch to this day. But we started doing like some training. We'd start doing like white, so we started doing wai boxing with one of our buddies, Jamie Koontz, in uh in Calgary. Anyways, like I had to tell Gratz, I'm like, hey Gratz, like hey, I'm I'm here for a workout, man. Like when we're I don't need you because we would spar every once in a while, and we just kind of wheel it around. And like we weren't like trying to kill each other, like obviously, but like I don't think he realized like he just went straight forward. Next thing you know, I'm against the ropes and trying to dodge him from him, just knocking my teeth out. But, anyways, great dude. I had him as my number one. I'll fire out. Um, I mean, I'll I'll I got a couple names here. How about I'll go? I mean Eric Goddard. Oh, I play like Godzig in Dallas. I'll fire his like he's kind of undercover a little bit too.
SPEAKER_06That guy was not the biggest guy, not like compared to Bigger and the the crew.
SPEAKER_04He he bought them all. He did. Yeah, he's tough. I'll go with Goddard.
SPEAKER_06That'll be I like it. I'll fire him in there. It's a good name. This is a good way of doing it. You really we're catching a lot of stories.
SPEAKER_03I have some honorable mentions. Uh okay, number two, Razor.
SPEAKER_06Chris Simon, scariest person I've ever seen on the ice. Look at just Chris Simon, kind of enough said, never met him, um, never really wanted to meet him because like the Cementko thing, like he just kind of just made me nervous. Like he when he was on the ice, even in like when there wasn't craziness happening, I was still nervous. Like, this guy can do whatever he wants. Like, if someone runs their goalie, like I don't, I'm in trouble. Like, I'm in big trouble. Um, so like he had that ability. So Chris Simon, number two for me.
SPEAKER_03Chris Simon played. I mean, even Brian Kilray couldn't tame Chris Simon.
SPEAKER_06Nobody tamed him. He did whatever he wanted. That's what made him scary, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I I have a cousin, I have a cousin. Shout out to Charlie Felto, who ran with Chris. I think they ran a little misbehavior from time to time in Ottawa. I'm sure Charlie don't mind me telling that story, but uh, I'll keep it clean. But I mean, Chris Simon, as you're right, as tough as they come. As tough as they come. I couldn't scale too. Like, man, that guy can play.
SPEAKER_04He can play, he could play for sure. I'm so happy I played with Chris Simon in Calgary. Oh we traded for him. I'm like, yes. And then we were both in the hotel, right? Because I was like a mid-season call-up and then I hurt my shoulder. And so we were we ended up spending a lot of time together that 03-04 year because we were both we were both in an international hotel. Uh dude, I was so happy. And by the end of it, you know, Chris and I are buddies. Like we're going out. He didn't drink then, like he was off the bottle. But you know, he'd come with me to the bar, we'd go to Cowboys, he'd just sit there and he never had a drink. But I would hang out with him a lot. So then moving forward, now when I'm on a different team, all good. Hey, Chris, how you doing? Hey, what's up, Cobbie? I'm like, yes, I'm okay.
SPEAKER_03Uh gone, but certainly not forgotten. Chris Simon, who was yeah, one one tough dude. Uh okay. So that's uh that's thoughts going through.
SPEAKER_04Okay. I mean, I'm just kind of firing them out here. Uh Derek Bugard. Oh, the boogeyman. Yeah. Oh, from our generation. That guy was that guy was scary. There's no question.
SPEAKER_03No question about it. Yeah, the boogeyman. Uh, I my number two, I've got Dave the Hammer Schultz.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, yeah.
SPEAKER_05The hammer.
SPEAKER_03The hammer. At a time, like, probably the most fearsome team in the history of hockey, the Broad Street bullies of the 1970s, and he was the out like, and he was the craziest of them all, right? And so, I mean, I think the list is incomplete if Dave the Hammer Schultz is not somewhere in the conversation.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, no question.
SPEAKER_03Flyer flu. It's funny. I just showed, I just showed a buddy of mine, he had never heard the call, but there was the legendary Bob Cole call from when the Flyers played the Soviet Red Army in the mid-70s. Yeah. And they basically the Russians just basically throw their hands like you're watching the footage, like it is just guys, you know, chicken wigs for days.
SPEAKER_06Bobby Klar slashed the guy's arm off, didn't he? Is that the one, or was that like 72? Oh no, that was 70. That was 72. Uh, 72, but yeah.
SPEAKER_03But this was this is the 76 matchup, and it's just it is a gong show. And the officials, like their whistles, they basically just toss them into the crowd, and like it is a good idea. Prison rules, yeah. And like the Bob Cole classic calls, like they're going home.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, who came up with that idea? I won't do it.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03So so Dave the Haverschultz, number two. Um, number one. I do I feel like we're all probably on the same page in number one, but let's throw it out.
SPEAKER_06They're raised. Well, it's probably, yeah. The pro birthday, like, so my uh my cousin married Darren McCarty. She played in Belleville, they were together. I don't think they were married at the time, but Darren was with the Detroit Red Wings in '93, '94, like in that era. Yeah. And uh the the highlight, I got I got to go a couple weekends, one weekend a year. I went a couple years in a row, and and in '94, Bob was still there. And and to get to meet, that was like that's who I wanted to meet. I know I know you if you've seen the documentary, it's the same thing. Like Stevie talks about all the guys talking about like you roll into town, no one wanted to see Steve Iser, and they wanted to see Bob Probert. And and as a 14-year-old kid, it's exactly the same. So um, but he was playing against them even. It wasn't the same in the early 2000s, but being on the ice with him and and just having the mythology that he had, and again, that documentary they made the last year and a half is is absolutely incredible. My kids have watched it a few times, and um, for me, there's the it's it's Bob Probert, and and he kind of stands alone, even though those old guys were tough. Proby Proby changed it and made it different. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um yeah, I don't disagree with any of that. I mean, you took my number one, McGrat, and you like I said, from kind of our era. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'll just give you all the rest of the names. Like I'll put George Larac. Yeah, yes, I I thought I struggled with that one. Yeah. I mean he was tough. Thank God he was nice. Like if he was mean, he would have been a pro like he was a problem, anyways. But like I don't think he liked fighting. Well, he didn't like I don't think he liked fighting and like he did it because he had to, and he was very good at it. I mean, he was 260 pounds and left-handed. He was a problem. Thank God he was like nice. Like if he wanted to just go out there and start just nuking guys, he could have. And he and he never really did.
SPEAKER_03You know, not not to like just to further to Larac. Like George was over the top nice and kind to talk to, but but I think we should preface like all these guys, as much as we talk about like the Semankos and the Probers, how they just the look of them, these guys were all like they were all awesome people. Like the tough guys are just the best. The best the best.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, the best teammates. Yeah, no question. Larac asked me to fight once. I literally laughed out. It was game two of the Stanley Cup final. I think we were up by a few goals or something. I think it was either games one or two. I'd have to go through it anyway. Yeah, like we were, and he was I was right in front of the net. He turns around and he goes, Commie, let's go. I literally started laughing. I'm like, okay, George. And I was gone up the ice. Um, I mean, and then it's just some so some other names that I had. I had Chris Neal on here. He's kind of like the he's kind of like a Sean Thornton to me a little bit. Like had an incredible career, a thousand games, all one team. Like, I mean, he was tough too, there's no question. Um, who else? I mean, some guys that I played with too. I mean, uh a little bit older area, like I played with him a little bit, but he he was before my time, most of his career. Jim McKenzie. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Jim McKenzie, you didn't see there, it's hard to find in a fight where Jim McKenzie lost. Yeah, like he's he's uh he was tough too. I mean, Brandt Myers, and then I wanted to give a shot.
SPEAKER_06I was with Meisy in Providence, oh mama. You can put him on any list that was talking about a lefty.
SPEAKER_04Oh, yeah, big time. I played with him in Low of the Walker. Man, that guy was an animal. He looked like a metro kind of like oh yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Him and Sheldon Surrey, like the prettiest looking people, like the perfect physique and everything, and just look really nice and always smelled good and like fancy.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, sit at the table and like cross his legs. You know what I mean? Like when I first met him, I'm like, man, who is this guy? I have to play with him, and he just goes on. I'm like, oh my god. Um, and then I wanted to uh this is he ended up playing a few games. You can his highlights. I wanted to give a shout out. Uh this guy did it forever, mostly in the minors, played in every league. Trevor Gillies.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Oh, I mean, I mean he went he went a new coach. Oshawa General that played against him in the minor and the juniors. Oh baby. Man, he did that forever, and that guy was tough. Big time, big time.
SPEAKER_06Anyways, I remember I'll throw another name out that came to I he wouldn't be on the list, but one of like the coolest tough guys ever was Rippin' right? Oh, sure. Yeah, Rick Rolls. Like to see him, I got more enjoyment out of watching his fights in the National League than anybody else's for the year I was in Vancouver because you knew he was going to do a move with his hands. He liked gold glove boxer, and he was always taking on the Giants, and he was always gonna sneak up on someone. He had the block. It was uh so Ripper in our era was he again, he couldn't probably hang because of his stature, but tougher than anybody I've ever met, pound for pound, not even tough.
SPEAKER_03Another promotion to our archives section of the Clearing the Crease podcast. A great episode with Hal Gill as both 6'7, Hal Gill and 6'4, Mike Commodore, both on the receiving end of some of those old glove skills.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I tasted that left a couple times, I'm pretty sure. Yeah, I saw that both.
SPEAKER_06I'll never forget how mad skills he was at me. I sitting at that bar and bit over after, like, what in the world was that? His face is messed up. He's like we're sitting at Earl's after having food. He's like, What? Did you no heads up on that at all?
SPEAKER_03Uh honorable mentions as you as you touched on um a couple of names that that didn't make the cut, but I I do want to give it a throw them out there. Uh from Jim, my my father was insistent. Uh Razor, you may have heard this name, John Wentzick. Oh, yeah, go check out some of those. Uh I mean call it out the entire stars bitch. That's the best back in the 70s. Uh some great fights to see him. Uh, you know, John Kordick. Um, uh, you know, obviously life derailed with a lot of demons, but my goodness, uh, tough as hell. Uh, Rob Ray, Rob Ray, I think, at every level. Um, stories about him, even in the American League as well. Tony Twist. Chris Stylin.
SPEAKER_05We need so much scratch. Knuckles Dylan. And another one.
SPEAKER_03Last one I'm gonna throw out, Dave Brown. Uh Dave Brown. Uh man.
SPEAKER_06All the old guys say that. Dave Brown's like at the top of the guys who played against Dave Brown. He's always at the top of the list. And then Stu's got Stu's got his Bomber, Baumgartner, Mick Vacoda, Rob Ray, Brad May, and of course, Matthew Barnaby. Need a shout out for Pat Lafontaine's bodyguards. Bodyguards of his time. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_03Look at LaFontaine, all the health issues after he left New York, right? After he left the islands. He didn't have Mick Vakota and Ken Baumgartner anymore. Uh, speaking of Barney, uh, that was a lot of fun, guys. Thanks so much going down. Uh, I hope everybody enjoyed that. And uh, on that note, speaking of Barney, we're gonna talk to his play-by-play announcer from the Ice Wars. Uh, coming up in a moment, it's Johnny LaCuesto here on the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozun. Well, play. It is some of the craziest shit on television, I have to say, that I haven't I haven't seen something like this in quite some time, but it is uh it is popular. It is called Ice Wars and the voice, the soundtrack for all this dancing on the ice joins us out this time. Johnny the Questo. Johnny, thanks so much for doing this and uh welcome to the Clear and the Crease Podcaster.
SPEAKER_01Gentlemen, it is an honor. First off, I want to say thank you guys. I know you've been plugging ice wars like crazy, and so it's truly appreciated because we're on the precipice of something that no one has ever seen before. Like, that's the coolest thing when people see, like, oh, this is intriguing. What is it like? And I'm like, nothing.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's in a league of its own. It's the only thing of its kind. And I'm so excited, man, the feedback people have been giving it just by watching clips. And, you know, we also have a broadcast that's been airing on Fight Network in Canada. And from what I've been told, it's been the highest rated uh broadcast on Fight Network since it went up there uh back in May. And now we have 30 minutes of fury coming to ESPN2, and boy oh boy, it's uh it's a long time coming, it's very exciting.
SPEAKER_03Johnny, run me. One random fact, call me. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01No, go ahead.
SPEAKER_03My cousin Mike Garrow is the founder of the Fight Network back in the mid-2000s.
SPEAKER_04Holy moly. Well, shout out to Mike.
SPEAKER_03There you go.
SPEAKER_04Johnny, for some for people that haven't watched, like like run me through it. Where do you guys do it? Like, what are the like the round? Like, run me through the whole thing for people that haven't seen it.
SPEAKER_01Oh, 100%. I will I will cut a promo and talk people in the door right now.
SPEAKER_03So bring it, bring it.
SPEAKER_01If you don't know what bare knuckle ice wars is, bare knuckle ice wars, it's fire on the ice. It is chaos in the cold, it is fast pace in a small space. It takes the most exciting part of ice hockey and blends it with bare knuckle boxing. And it's in a league of its own. So it's it's truly just the beginning. And when it comes, people always want to go, what kind of fighters do you have? We have a plethora. We have a smorgasbord of interesting human beings. We got professional hockey players, we have mixed martial artists, we have boxers, we have indigenous warriors that are natives, we have uh blue-collar studs, like dudes work in oil rigs who still play hockey at night, and every single one of these dudes are enforcers in their own way. And we were able to get this broadcast on ESPN2, and we couldn't be more excited about it because we're telling people like, get on board now because you're going to get hyped up, you're going to get excited. And as far as explaining, it's not just a new sport, it's not just a new promotion, it's a revolution. Combat sports are always changing, and this is a brand new element to combat sports. And to see the reaction to it has been so exciting. It's been an honor for me uh to be the voice of it. And that's the cool thing about ice wars, it's a combination of people. We have hockey people, we have combat sports people coming together with one common bond is to make stars out of these fighters and to create something new that people can really enjoy.
SPEAKER_04So do you have like sorry, one I'll pick a view next. I'm just I have it on my head. So do you guys uh are the like how do you how do you get paired off? Is it like does it go by weight? Do you guys like weigh in and stuff like that? It's like a normal fight, like a boxing match.
SPEAKER_01100%. We have four weight classes under 150, 150 to 75, 175 to 200, and over 200 is heavyweight. Okay. Uh the rules are every fight, three one-minute rounds. Uh all fighting has to take place vertically standing. If a fighter goes down, we got a standing eight count, and you are not allowed to strike a downed opponent. And every fighter has to wear a helmet in hockey gear because you know, you catch a stiff right hand and you go down, you want to be protected. Gotcha.
SPEAKER_06Perfect. So far, who's uh what's what techniques winning? Is that are the do you have to be on skates? Like what's what's what are you seeing from are you just the toughest guy, the hardest hands, the heaviest hands, or is the skating actually leveling that out a little bit?
SPEAKER_01That's the perfect question because that's what makes ice wars so unique is if you're a good skater, cool, can you fight? If you're a good fighter, cool, can you skate? You have to be able to do both. And we're seeing that like anyone who fights in ice wars, they're already, they have to prove that they can skate and that they have some kind of fighting background. So, yeah, I'd say a good portion of our fighters are current or former hockey players, but it's such a unique blend. Like, we got a 21-year-old kid uh that fought on ESPN for us, Divine Apollin, who's working his way up to the NHL and he's a wing, but he's like, I just love fighting. And so he's he's part of ice wars and he's a stud. He fights a guy named the plow on ESPN. You want to talk about polar opposites. We got a guy named Big Rig Nick's Nick Fitzpatrick, who's an oil rigger by day, plays hockey at night, and is just jacked to the gills, fully tattooed, but a family man who just loves what he does. We have a hero on our roster, uh Travis Levitsky. This guy, also blue-collar, just muscle bound dude. He saved three families from dying in house fires a couple of years ago. Oh, ended up going viral for it because of the ring cameras. He got home from playing hockey one night at like 2 a.m. He was about to walk in his door, he heard a loud pop and a snap, and he looked about five houses down, one house fully engulfed, and it was spreading to the neighboring houses. So without thinking, he ran, went to the house, no one answered. He kicked in the door, woke up the family, got him out. Went next door, kicked in the door, got the family, got him out. Third house kicked in the door, got the family, got and it was a mix of families. Some had kids, some had pets. A multitude of people, literally, if he wasn't there, they would have been dead in minutes. He spent two weeks in the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. And so it's like, how do you not root for a guy? So aside from being the play-by-play broadcaster, and I can't wait to talk about my partner because he's the best, and you guys know him. You guys, you guys love him. Don't he? But it's such an honor for me to I want to tell these guys stories, man. Because to me, combat sports, the one element that's really missing in a lot of ways, I don't think combat sports tells the personal stories enough. Person, yeah.
SPEAKER_03100% wrestling, Johnny, it comes back to a storytelling.
SPEAKER_01It is. And you know, some fighters get over on their own with their own personality. But if you notice, even the biggest combat sports promotions in the world, they don't necessarily try to get stories out of people. It's whether or not the fighters are smart enough to get over on their own. So what I'm doing is besides being play-by-play broadcaster, I'm talking with these guys. I'm making them fill out tons of info. I want to know about them because I want them to look and feel like a star when they get out there. I want Big Rig had a whole fan section with people wearing his t-shirt last time. Like that's what we want with ice wars, you know? So it's it's really cool to be on the ground floor.
SPEAKER_03You don't have uh just big monsters and oil riggers from the male uh variety. I was watching uh watching the episode from uh going back about six to nine months ago, and there were a couple of women that were throwing down as well, right? So it's it's all gender here, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01I'm glad you brought that up too, because we need women. So right now, vicious Val Ruley is two and oh. She has thoroughly dominated both of her fights. The one you saw, the woman's face was so swollen she couldn't continue.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. And then the back in May, she also won very handedly. And here's the thing it goes back to can you fight and skate? And right now, we we've been posting on socials we need women to fight. We want women to be involved. And right now, Val is just waiting for an opponent. We have an event September 5th, and right now she has no opponent. Scared everybody.
SPEAKER_04Uh I I can't let this episode go by without bringing them up. My boy Kevin Harvey, he fought in the last couple or last one, I think. I know he won. I I saw some clips of it. It was Harve is tough. How was uh, you know, have you had a chance much to like hang out with Harve at all or talk to him much or get to know him?
SPEAKER_01He's so cool, dude. Like he's just a great guy. He's very laid back, very matter-of-fact. Nothing shakes him. He came in on very short notice, and then his fight almost dropped. So he was kind of just waiting. Fortunately, I believe it was uh Colden Hollywood Hayes jumped in. He's another Ice Wars favorite, and they had a fantastic fight. And that's what it's about, man. Everyone has respect for each other, but at the same time, they completely go at it. And you guys know most hockey fights they could last about 45 seconds. Well, now you got three one-minute rounds. It's a long time. Not to mention the jerseys are purposely tight, so it can be old school. We're like, I'm gonna pull the jersey up and just uppercut them. It's like, no, those jerseys aren't really coming off. Like you have to be a good fighter.
SPEAKER_06Okay, gotcha. All right, so who on the men? We got vicious valve dominating the women. So do we have any dominant performers over on in any weight class on the men's side?
SPEAKER_01Thus far, so here's the cool thing. We got the Laporte brothers, Nick and Will Laporte. Uh Nick Laporte, you might know as gorgeous gourd from Shoresy. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. He's he, I mean, they're both so goddamn handsome. It's insane. Gorgeous Gord, yeah. But Will Laporte is known as the body bag. He is currently undefeated. Um, he's unbelievable. And Nick unfortunately suffered his first loss uh back in May, so he is chomping at the bit to get back at it on September 5th. But yeah, both Laporte brothers will be in action. Uh Big Rig, as I mentioned, Nick Fitzpatrick, he was one of the standout performers. You will see him on ESPN. The future for him is so bright, and he's one of the guys that really sees the vision. Another guy, he goes by the penetangine Wolverine James Dalzell. Not only is he a hockey player, he's done MMA in the cage. He's also boxed multiple times. He's also a recording artist, he's a rapper. This guy does everything, and he had a phenomenal performance as well. So there are there's a plethora of guys. And then September 5th, you never know who's gonna step up. We have about 400 fighters who have already applied who want to get involved. So it's just going through. Yeah. Jeez.
SPEAKER_03That's not a good thing. That's wonderful.
SPEAKER_06That's wonderful.
SPEAKER_03Like, I I I'm fascinated. Come on, just to throw this to you quickly, what do you think the longest? Like, you've had a couple of dances, obviously, in your career being a bigger guy. What do you think the longest length of a fight was for you on the ice? 20, 30 seconds?
SPEAKER_04Uh, that most of them would have been that, I would say. I had a longer one against Chris Barch in Dallas. Okay. That one was probably like if I'm guessing, I would say that's tough. A minute, minute and a half, maybe. That one was fairly longer. The rest of them for me were all pretty though, right?
SPEAKER_03After that.
SPEAKER_04Oh, I was exhausted. I need an oxygen tank in the pellet. You can't play the rest of the period.
SPEAKER_06Squashed. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So, Johnny, like three one-minute rounds. Like, what is that like? Because you're you're on the ice, and again, like there is a different energy in terms of this isn't bot like this isn't boxing where they're like guys, you know, fighters are going in close here. They must be absolutely wiped if they're going three rounds.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. You have to have a good inside game. You have to know how to fight in that phone booth, and there has to be a strategy to it. You know, you see, and you see guys come with that strategy, like, I'm gonna lead with the jab, I'm gonna faint a lot, you know. And that's the beautiful element of it. You have to be a skilled fighter. But just like what you guys said, it is exhausting. And you see guys, if they go to that third round, it really becomes a war of attrition. You know, who's going to get winded? Now, when a fighter goes down, you have a little bit of respite. If you're the fighter who knocked your opponent down, if you're trying to get back up, you're expelling that much more energy. So it's it's so exciting. And I gotta tell you, this half hour brought it. Standing eight counts? Of course. Yeah. If a fighter goes down, uh standing eight count.
SPEAKER_04Where do you guys record? Is it up in Edmonton? Or I didn't say record, but like where do you guys do this? It's in Edmonton?
SPEAKER_01The event back in May that you'll see on ESPN, that was at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch. Yeah. And we're going back there September 5th because it was a hit. We completely sold out their adding seats. Um, we were close to 2,000 last time. We're gonna get there again. I know, and this is a little bit over my pay grade just because of what my job is, but I do know we have offers from multiple venues in America. We have other offers from venues in Canada, so it's really about the the ownership and the brass kind of organizing what's next. And sure. You know, following ESPN, we feel really good about it, man. We think we're on we're on to something really strong that we may end up with a broadcast deal somewhere and and then the sky's the limit.
SPEAKER_06Is this is there like, do you have to go through a sanctioning board? Like, I know, like it doesn't can you go anywhere? And then to that point, what's the is I I'm sure anything good nowadays, anything interesting, anything taking off gets some kind of backlash.
SPEAKER_01What's that been like as well? As far as I know, there's been no backlash because there were previous ice wars events before I came on board and no serious issues. I mean, obviously swollen eyes, things like that, but that's that's fighting for you. Uh there definitely are sanctions and rules. So uh, because I'm speaking with the owner, Charlie Nama, who's incredible, he always says, because I'll send him venues that I've heard about. Like I heard about a great one in Phoenix that you know they built for the coyotes, essentially, and then oh well. Yeah, and Arizona State's there and they're selling out routinely. And you know, so I sent him there. He goes, Okay, just gotta check out the sanctions, gotta check out the rules. So there are certain hoops you have to jump. I don't know what those are personally. But um, but yeah, I mean, I my thought process is hey, let's go where we're wanted. If we blow up in Canada first, beautiful, because why wouldn't Canada love this? But you know, don't underestimate the love of hockey in America and especially the love of hockey fights. So I think the sky's the limit.
SPEAKER_04Mullet arena in Phoenix, I I spend a lot of time down here in Phoenix, that's where I'm at right now. Mullet arena would be great. That seats like ASU plays hockey there now. Like you said, the coyotes were there, but it's like, I want to say it's like, you know, there's some suites, but I'd say it's probably yeah, I was gonna say 4,500 or 5,000, and there's not a bad seat in the house. Like it's almost the higher you are, the better off you are to see it because you can see it a little better. That'd be a great spot.
SPEAKER_01Is that the one they call Fire and Ice Arena or something?
SPEAKER_04That's a different one. That's a different one, yeah. So this place is called Mullet Arena, it's right on campus in temple.
SPEAKER_03Coyotes played there over their last year.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, the coyotes played there like the last three years they were here. So they split it with ASU. Now the coyotes are gone, so it's just ASU, but yeah, it's right on campus, right next to the football stadium. I think that fire and ice is a new rank up in like North Phoenix. I have not been there yet. Okay.
SPEAKER_01I mean, is there a better name for an arena for a hockey fight promotion? Oh, yeah. Sounds like a match made in heaven. Are you kidding me? Oh, thank you for telling you. Look, we're we're always looking. That's the thing. It's so exciting to be on the precipice of what's happening. And, you know, I even encourage the fighters. I said, hey, you know, if you have stuff you can add to your gear to make you stand out, like do that too. You know, right now we're working on original music, LED screens, because you know, my WWE background, that's part of the presentation, is everyone is individual. You're like, you know, I don't want fans saying, let's just go watch a bunch of fights. I want them to say, I want to see fights, but I want to see this guy, I want to see that guy. And you guys know from your playing career. Entertain me. Yeah. Entertain me. Yeah, right. Yeah. You want to stand out. Yeah, big time.
SPEAKER_03Does uh do you do you ever hear from the executives in the hockey world that are looking at this going, Hey, we don't want this?
SPEAKER_01I don't I know, I certainly have. I don't see why they would care because we're not stealing. Players from the NHL. I mean, and honestly, if you are playing professionally, what you do in your off time, it's really up between you and your team. Yeah. 100%. Awesome.
SPEAKER_04Awesome.
SPEAKER_03How do you get a word in with Barnaby?
SPEAKER_04How is it working with Barnaby? How is it putting bounties on people's heads?
SPEAKER_02Sean Avery, we're talking to you, bro. Let's go. Oh my God. There we go. That's a tease.
SPEAKER_01Still dead silence, I believe. Um you know, that's another thing about ice wars. Could I have a better broadcast partner than the man who had 2,562 penalty minutes in his 15-year career? The man that smiled throughout every single fight, the guy that was smart enough to get as far away from the referees as possible so he can get a guy in a headlock and then smile for the camera. A guy who arguably was the most entertaining, trash-talking fighter of his or any generation. Could I have a better broadcast partner than Matthew Barnaby? I say nay. We immediately hit it off perfectly. And I think you'll hear on the ESPN broadcast, we were having a blast. Awesome.
SPEAKER_03I thank you so much for this, John. Razor command, did you guys ever have a moment on the ice with Barney? Because you guys overlapped. Like I don't think it's ever come up. We've had Barney on the show a few times, but like in front of you in the crease, Razor, anything come to mind?
SPEAKER_06I don't remember. It's funny, but we we've been spent so much. But I don't it nothing stands out. I and guaranteed he said something like guaranteed he did. Almost like I promise you he did. There's no question about it, but it wasn't so egregious or so off the wall that you were like that. I remember it at this point.
SPEAKER_04I don't remember anything in particular happening, but I do remember I always kept an eye on that guy. Yeah. Yeah. Whenever I was playing against Barnaby, I'm like, where is he? And what is he up to?
SPEAKER_07Johnny, that's a touch for you, Johnny.
SPEAKER_04You do too, Johnny.
SPEAKER_01You do too. I believe in my introduction, I I I don't recall, but I think I may have introduced him as the antagonist himself, Matthew Barnaby. Um because that's the perfect way to describe him. And the cool thing is, I love as a play-by-play guy, I love having an expert sitting next to me. There isn't anything I can't ask him, whether it be about skating, hockey, fighting, strategy, he's got an answer. And that's the best for me.
SPEAKER_03Johnny, for people that are watching and checking you out maybe for the first time here with our hockey audience, uh, where can people find you if they want to check out more?
SPEAKER_01Real simple. If you just Google bare knuckle ice wars, the website pops right up, bkicewars.com. You can also Instagram and Facebook. We are on fire there. The following continues to grow. The TikTok is a work in progress. Uh, Twitter, I mean, let's be honest, Twitter's dead anyway, but maybe there'll be a who knows, a Twitter presence at some point. And I'm at Jay Questo on all socials, J-Q-U-A-S-T-O. And I encourage everyone, man, if you love hockey, if you love fighting and you feel like fights aren't what they used to be, come to Bear Knuckle Ice Wars. It's the perfect sport to watch where you just you kick back, relax, you're gonna be entertained, you're gonna laugh, you're gonna have a little bit of everything. The way I describe it is it's hockey meets MMA meets a little WWE meets a little Savannah bananas. It's a little bit of everything. Awesome. Awesome. Thanks, Johnny. Thanks for your time. It's an honor. Thank you, guys.
SPEAKER_03There he is, the voice of ice wars and all that magic that comes with it. Johnny Questo joining us here on the Clark. Sorry, Johnny Laquosto. There you go. Oh my god. I'll take it. I'll take it. I might have to get I might have to get run into uh with Barnaby. Might take care of me for that. That's right.
SPEAKER_01Here's the thing. In WWE, I had a fake name. I was John Questo, so you're not too far off. Oh, that's where we go.
SPEAKER_03It all comes back to wrestling. Johnny LaQuesto joining us here on the Clearing the Crease podcast, powered by Ozun. Well played. All right, big shout out to Johnny Laquosto from Ice Wars Commie. Our producer, Stu Stone, seems to think that we should try to get you into one of those ice wars.
SPEAKER_04I'll tell you what, with all due respect, there isn't a chance in hell. I mean, I appreciate it. I used to have MAGA training here. And you know, I like to think, you know what? There isn't a chance in hell. You will see me up there at the River Creek Casino getting the chick picks out of me. I'll just call it I the Columbus Blue Jackets paid me too much money.
SPEAKER_03I ain't going up there and doing that. And that is an ozoon well played right there, Tommy. Okay, time for our fan question of the week. That's what you hit us up with at the hashtag ask CTC on YouTube or on Instagram or wherever you find us on social channels, and you have a question for the boys, and let's hit them with it. This week it's coming from Esther in Australia. Yeah, we're going to the land down under. And this is Esther saying hello from a Canadian lister living abroad in Australia. I am also a proud female listener, so you could say I'm abroad abroad. Oh well.
SPEAKER_04I like it. I like it.
SPEAKER_03Okay, I'll stop being hilarious. I wanted to know if you guys were good at any other sports. You guys went on to be NHL players, but could it have gone in another direction? This is from Esther. Thanks, Esther. Great question. And I like the puns too. Thanks for the dad jokes. What do you guys think? Were you guys too sport at? Were you ever did you ever have a chance to be Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders?
SPEAKER_06Um no, no. I played, I was an athlete. Like I was a little athlete. I played every sport that was at my high school: badminton, volleyball, soccer, I basketball, I did all of that, but not in any world would I have been able to pull any of those other sports off at a high, high level. Um, you know, I love to think that if I put time in at golf as much as hockey, but even that, and there's no chance I would have been that good at that either. So it's so horrible. Oh my god. So so the answer is I was a decent little athlete, but I did nothing that would have uh I don't have the frame, I don't think, for anything that that could put me in place for something else. So no, I'm glad I stuck to goaltending.
SPEAKER_04Football comedy, maybe? No, I never played a down of football. My dad played a lot of football. He tried to play in the CFL, but I never played a down of football. There wasn't much. We had a high school team in Fort Saskatchewan, but there wasn't really much else. So no, I never played any. But I did play two sports. For me, it was hockey in the winners, obviously. And then as soon as the season was over, I didn't touch the gear and I played a lot of baseball. Um, as much as I would love to sit here and tell you I would have made it to the majors. I was a good player. I I played for Team Alberta a couple of times.
SPEAKER_03What'd you play for?
SPEAKER_04What you what position? Uh depending where I was. When I played for Fort Saskatchewan, we actually, when I was growing up, we actually had really good baseball teams when we were Bantam and Midget back then in Fort Saskatchewan. Like the one year when we uh my second year bantam, we we actually made it, we won, we we made it to nationals. So we're playing against Team BC, Team Saskatchewan, team Ontario, all the provinces, and the Alberta team was Fort Saskatchewan. So they and we ended up winning, yeah, we got third place. So it was like us versus now. We picked up like one or two guys like to help us, like from the province, from Alberta, but it was like our club team. Um, so yeah, and then I played Team Alberta baseball. When I played for Team Alberta, uh, I was a pitcher. That would be what I mostly do. That was probably what I was best at. Um, but I mean, I kind of my last baseball game I ever played was my second. So when I was in grade 12, uh we went and we went to provincials and the Fort Saskatchewan team for midget. We won provincials again and nationals, so it was gonna be the same thing again Fort Saskatchewan versus the rest of Canada. Uh, but I had a decision to make. That was at like the end, middle of August, and like nationals was middle of September, and I was going to the University of North Dakota to play hockey. So they gave me, I was like, you know, they're like, hey, look, like the university was great. They were like, hey, look, if you want to go play in nationals, you know, come a couple weeks late, it's not a big deal. Like that's a pretty big accomplishment. I was sitting there and I'm like, you know what? That this is it was kind of twofold. One was I didn't want to like I was going there, I wanted to get there in time for school, and this was a big thing for me. And I wanted to be there when the rest of the guys I was trying to make, you know, got a little bit of a go in hockey. And plus I played amazing in my last baseball tournament. I thought it was a great time. I threw seven scoreless. I still got a baseball somewhere. I think I was I threw a I pitched a full game shutout, or I gave up one run, a win, and I went seven for I think it was seven or eight for 15 at the plate with three homers. You're show a otani. You're shohey otani. I'm done. Oh, but yeah, no. I mean, I would say if I'm being nice to myself, you know, maybe best case scenario, I maybe could have got like maybe a junior college little scholarship in baseball, maybe. That would be about best case.
SPEAKER_03That's impressive, though. You played you played on team team Alberta. Yeah, yeah. By the way, Razor, nothing quite says Alberta like Fort Saskatchewan.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, Fort Saskatchewan Red Sox. I always struggle with that one. I love it. The Fort Sask Red Sox. Oh, there you go. There you go.
SPEAKER_03Well, there you go, Esther. Thanks for the question. That was a great one. A nice way to go down memory lane. And uh, I think I recognize at a very young age that I am a much better talker than I am at anything. Time to start talking. Time to start talking. You're paid by the word. That's right. Okay. Uh, time for don't puck it up. Billy Koivanen. Eight years, 32 million dollars, 47 career NHL games.
SPEAKER_06Must be nice.
SPEAKER_03I was just thinking about that Columbus contract for you.
SPEAKER_06Send uh Kami and I an email for that season we missed. Thanking you for that. Yeah boy.
SPEAKER_03Playing as many games in the American League last year, essentially, as he did in the NHL. 47 career NHL games, and he's been locked up set for life with an eight-year contract worth $32 million. Philly, congratulations. Nobody begrudges you for putting pen to paper on that one. But now I just say, don't pump it up.
SPEAKER_04Or if you do, it's okay. Yeah, that too.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, okay. Or if you do it's all right too.
SPEAKER_04Do whatever you want.
unknownBuy out.
SPEAKER_04It'll still be okay. I'll go next Razor. Yeah. And I'm going to tread very lightly. I wasn't, I well, I was prepared and I wasn't sure if I was going to use this. So I'm going to tread very lightly because I don't want us to get canceled. I am a big uh I am a big woman sports. I've gone to a WMBA game. I used to actually not that's I sound like a little bit of a douchebag saying this, but actually she's turned into a huge thing since she got traded. But that's Sophie Cunningham. That's how I kind of thought of this. Used to live in the building that I was at before this one. Anyway, she's very nice. Anyways, the WMBA. Can we stop pucking it up here a little bit? It seems like we're hearing everything except like basketball. Like, you know, we got owners yelling at teenage fans and they crying and this kind of stuff. Can we just let's just take a step back here and let's play some basketball and let's focus on that. I don't want to get into any of the issues, but just like the I'm more focusing on that. Was it the Seattle owner, C Low? Yeah, it was yeah, the Sophie. Come on, we got teenage kids there that are come on now. There's no need to be hollering at little kids that are fans of your game and at your in your stadium. I think it was in Seattle too. Anyways, let's just stop pucking it up and let's play some basketball. Could we do that? Now just leave it at that. Perfect.
SPEAKER_06Well, I'm gonna go the uh the basically the exact opposite direction. I'm gonna go, don't puck it up. You NHLers have about eight days left of your summer. So you fellas out there, get out on your boats, get out on your wakeboards, get all the traveling out of it because it is Sunday scary time in the net for the National Hockey League players. That Labor Day coming real fast. And as Tommy knows, when you got to pack the rig and you got to go where you are going, and you know you got eight months of grind in front of you. This is the week and the next couple of weeks to really enjoy yourself. So, all you guys making eight-year, four million dollar deals, you better enjoy it right now because it's gonna get ugly and you're gonna have to pay for it. Sunday scaries are coming.
SPEAKER_04That's a good point. It's a good point.
SPEAKER_03Every teacher watching this right now going, oh September. Stay the puck away.
SPEAKER_04They started early down here. Oh, yeah, it started a lot earlier. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I like I've obviously you guys know I've never had kids, so I don't I don't really pay attention to stuff, obviously, but yeah, it starts like third or fourth or something. It started a few days ago. I'm like, man. I don't know. I'm just used to September from growing up. Yeah, yeah. Anyways, yeah.
SPEAKER_03But but but school wraps up a little earlier, doesn't it, Razor?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, they're well, they are west. Yeah, like when we were that like the guys from when I was in Dallas, guys were like coming in in August because school, yeah, and then and then yeah, it ended like May. It ends a little earlier, and then are there more like stuff now? Yeah, I don't know about that. They just try and get out earlier because of just because of the weather, and everyone tries to leave in May, I guess. Okay.
SPEAKER_03Especially as you start getting to those southern states, it's a hell of a lot hotter down there than it is up on the south.
SPEAKER_06Oh, it's crazy.
SPEAKER_03Uh hey, just a quick reminder for everybody if you enjoyed going down memory lane in terms of talking about the tough guys, next week we are going to have one of the all-time tough guys. And the fact that we didn't mention them in our list, I hope he doesn't want to strangle.
SPEAKER_04I'll block him for a little while on Instagram. We don't either we didn't mention him.
SPEAKER_03Sorry, I totally forgot. Uh, but Tim Hunter, over 3,000 penalty minutes. Uh, Stanley Cup champion is going to join us in conversation next week here on the Clearing the Crease podcast. Hey, just a quick reminder: like and subscribe on YouTube for more ClearingTecrease, powered by Ozoon.com. Follow along, Apple, Spotify, X, TikTok, because Clearing the Crease Podcast is powered by Ozoun. The clearest route to winning big is to play on Ozoom.com. Ozo's got you covered. See, even my dog's fired up about playing on Ozoon. Got you covered for all the props, game lines, futures, whether it's on the ice, on the pitch, diamond, gridiron. Oh, it is crunch time now as a sports fan. Make your power play, score big with Ozun. Well played. We'll see you next time. He's Kami, he's Razor. Shout out to our producer, Stu Stone. I'm Stavalski. We'll see you next week here on the Clearing the Crease podcast. Powered by Ozoon. Well played.