Offside with Hawes and Maguire
Offside: with Hawes and Maguire is not your typical hockey show. This weekly
45-60 minute show is a potent combination of humour and genuine hockey insights that pushes the envelope.
- Liam is renowned for his photographic memory, lively storytelling, vast hockey knowledge and sometimes over-the-top passion for the game of hockey.
- Chris is known for his unrehearsed humour, contagious laughter and uncanny ability to make even the most serious debates end in boisterous guffaws.
Between the two, there is an infectious enthusiasm and professional chemistry that is evident from the outset. It can only be described as lightning in a bottle.
Offside with Hawes and Maguire
Minor Hockey Throw-down. Records, suspensions and Part 3 of Ron Duguay
Feel the adrenaline rush with us We talk Super Bowl. Then, glide over to the ice where Liam asserts that Ovechkin is the greatest scorer of all time.His recent scoring streak will see him outshine Gretzky's seemingly untouchable goal record. MAYBE in 3 or 4 years if he is able to. Ethical musings arise as we navigate the twilight journeys of athletes chasing glory, all while keeping a keen eye on how teams like the Oilers are reshaping the competitive NHL landscape.
Suspensions and contracts stir up the pot in this episode, as we dissect the implications of a controversial on-ice incident and a notable hockey player's hefty paycheck against his performance. Could this mean a trade is on the horizon? We weigh in on that and the Ottawa team's playoff potential, balancing the scales between the Eastern and Western conference showdowns. Liam and Chris get into it over the cost of Minor Hockey. IS is affordable? We tackle the affordability of house league hockey and share tips for keeping costs down without sidelining your kids from the game they love.
NHL All-Star Ron Dugay joins us in a candid 'Shooting the Shot' series interview, where he reflects on the highs and lows of his NHL career and his continued passion for the game through alumni and charity matches. We also take you on a historic journey back to Jean Beliveau's milestone and setting the record straight on a common misconception, and muse over the longest suspensions in NHL history. So, lace up and hit play—you're in for an episode that's as much about the heart of hockey as it is about the hard-hitting facts.
It's Offside with Hawes and McGuire. Okay, y'all set, all set, all right, here we go. Hey, welcome to Offside with Hawes and McGuire. I'm Hawes, I'm McGuire. Well, good day and good day. We have had a. Are you still on dry? I'm still February.
Speaker 2:Still on dry.
Speaker 1:February. I can crack a beer and I can marinate something in it, but I'm not actually drinking it. So I'm feeling pretty good that I've been able to succeed this far.
Speaker 2:You can finish playing hockey and not have a pint. I tip my hat to you.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what I have to say? I'm not as social as I once was, but you know, you can go to the pub. I learned this you can go to the pub and just get wings, what? Well, yeah.
Speaker 2:I've never heard of such blasphemy.
Speaker 1:So okay. So here's the scenario. We have had a big week. This was Super Bowl week, liam, yeah, okay, super Bowl, good game. Did you watch the game?
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, watched the game. I'm not a football affectionate, I don't follow it like hockey, I don't know it like hockey, but I was very entertained. Yeah, I was very entertained by the certainly the proximity to score the closest to the game. For sure I mean it goes to overtime. I think it's only the second one ever. I believe they said I'm not even sure when the other one was. I know it wasn't too too long ago, I don't think.
Speaker 1:This is with somewhere in the last era.
Speaker 2:It should be an ask Liam question. It should. Except they don't do football trivia. Wow yeah, but I was. I enjoyed the game and happy for Mahon's. I think he's slowly sliding up the ranks. It sounds very similar when Tiger was chasing Jack or when LeBron's been chasing Jordan, or you know, to use other sports analogies, because we're going through with OV now, who was finally found a scoring touch again. He scored in five straight games now OV has.
Speaker 1:Yeah and so, but the only thing is is at this rate he's still going to be three years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's this year and next, all but assuredly, and then got to go into a third season.
Speaker 1:And if everybody goes well, play three more years.
Speaker 2:I think it's going to be very nip and tuck. But I mean, I was in Montreal all weekend and talk out, talking hocking pretty much nonstop, and the people there's a lot of chatter where people are just saying they're just going to roll him out there in a rocking chair If they, if they, if they have to, just to get goal eight, 95, and then he'll probably retire on the spot, you know, and shut her down. I don't, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I mean I, but is that, is that fair to do? If that's the case, because it's not the way eight 95 was, or eight 94 was, no, but everyone else is doing it Right.
Speaker 2:Marlowe did it to beat how's record. Chara did it to beat beat cellulose. They trotted these guys out there. They're past their prime. They had nothing left in the tank and they went out to beat records.
Speaker 1:So what? But what about the?
Speaker 2:Yandle same thing, and then Phil Castle just use them as a speed bump, went by him and like it was a speed bump.
Speaker 1:And I mean, here's the thing, phil Castle, was Phil Castle really going for the Iron man? I mean, at the end of the day, phil Castle was just playing a game that he loved and and you could tell that he still loved doing it and, okay, he set the record.
Speaker 2:No, I don't think that that was a my comment. There was more on Yandle.
Speaker 2:Oh I see, yeah, yandle really had nothing left. I don't think Chara had nothing left and Marlowe had nothing left and they were all kept right, much like Ovi. Now we scored five games in a row, but the Caps are losing most of them. They're not going to make the playoffs, nor will Pittsburgh, and it's it's. It's a changing of a guard here, for sure. The McDavid era, such as it is, they've charged back up. Yeah, they've lost two at the last three, but they're eight and two in the last 10. They're firmly in a in a, in a playoff position right now.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I mean, I don't know what's going to Ovi. You're right, it look good and he scored five in a row. Is he going to keep this going? I don't know, you know, but I mean it. It's way behind. You know, a lot of us figured this year and how it was going to go with him, and now he's scoring again, right, he's picking up some goals, and so he's coming up a little bit sort of the bottom line of respectability, where he you know, for a guy, his age be fitting of his age.
Speaker 1:When a. How old is he? Right now he's 38. 38. Yeah, or is he 37?
Speaker 2:Oh, I forgot when his birthday is. Okay, but it doesn't really matter. But he's turning 38 this year.
Speaker 1:He's, he's over, he's over the hill for the most part and and yeah, he's never going to score 50 again, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:But I mean, he's already done. It's already what he's done. From a goal scoring point of view is unparalleled.
Speaker 2:I mean in terms of in respect to his peers, like, okay, well, hold on, wayne has 92 in a season, wayne has eight, 94. Isn't it Wayne? Yeah, it is. It is. But what he's done in terms of compared to his peers year in and year out, right, he, he, like he's led the league and goal scoring more than anybody else, more than Wayne, more than Bobby Hall, more than the rocket, more than anybody else Alex Ovechkin. So you know, I mean I have to correct people all the time talking about Mike Bossy who have this romantic link back to the bossy nine straight 50 goal seasons. I mean nine straight 50 goal seasons and he led the NHL and goal scoring twice. Yeah, in those nine years, like Wayne, dwarfed them.
Speaker 1:Right, and and and but I mean. The question is, is the goal to win the scoring title or is the goal I mean, as you, as your career extends, when you look at it over over the years is it winning the scoring title or is it consistency as?
Speaker 2:an well. When you say scoring title, you mean the rocket reshark trophy, in this case here which has only been around for 25 years.
Speaker 1:So what was it?
Speaker 2:What was it called before that? It had no name. There was no trophy, yeah, there was no goal scoring trophy in NHL.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm sorry, so he's points.
Speaker 2:It was total points. Points is yet Ross but I mean. Ove's got no shot at that. He never has Well, but but it's it's. You know, he's led. He's led the league in goal, scoring eight or nine, nine times. I believe eight or nine times. I think it's nine now Right.
Speaker 1:You know it's very, very good.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's phenomenal. To me he's the greatest natural goal scorer in the history of the game. Over a career, bossy has the record for the highest goal per game percentage. He only played 10 years. Would Bossy have kept that up if he had to play 15, 16, 17, 18 years, where Ove is now, or some of the other guys like when Wayne started to slow it down? What we'll never know, right, we'll never know. You know he hurt his back. We all know what happened. He had to retire early, same as Bobby Orr, your favorite, my favorite, is all time great. So you know these things happen with injuries. But Ove, yeah, let's see how it goes. And he has scored in five straight. I mean, that was a hell of a game against Vancouver.
Speaker 1:I didn't see it. I didn't see it, and now I will have to TT Miller, and overtime.
Speaker 2:So the cap's got a point, but I mean, right now, they need. You know, it's like New Jersey's game tonight it's 30 games to go, but these games are massive and whenever this airs they'll have already played it. But New Jersey's, six points out of a wild card right now. You know, fuck, it's it's, it's like it's it's gold time man. You better be, you better be winning the majority of your games right now. If you've got to make up five or six points, yeah, holy cow, yeah, it's tough to do. Just look at everybody's last 10 games. Right, right, that's how you can measure it. Like the Sands have picked up 14 points in their last 10 games. Yeah, okay, so it's outstanding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're doing very well, you know, you do that at any other block of 10 games and they're, they're wild card spot all day. Yeah, all day.
Speaker 1:but we all know, you know that's not you know, but it could happen, like right now they've got a couple of games right now that, where they can, they're going to run the week.
Speaker 2:You think, yeah, oh yeah, columbus, anaheim, chicago, they're going to run the week.
Speaker 1:You don't, don't, I'm going to run the week.
Speaker 2:I'm not jinxing it.
Speaker 1:I'm just telling you, you're jinxing it.
Speaker 2:Whenever you say that you're jinxing it, oh, they're going to run the week. They're going to win easily. They're going to have to get the rubber stamp victories it's over.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, if they can just get the rubber stamped, and that'll be fine. Instead they have to play it.
Speaker 2:Okay, they're going to win? I doubt it. They're going three and all. They're 16 points out. It's February as we're taping this. It's February 12th. There's 16 points out with two games in hand. On February the ninth of 2015, when they set the the NHL record and went on the Hamburg run, they were 14 points out with two games in hand on February 9th 2015. Now it's February 12th, 2024. There's 16 points out with two games in hand on the wildcard teams, and they're 16,. Two in the last 10, maybe, I'll tell you and they're just playing really well. They're full measure for that win over Toronto. That's that.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about that. Let's talk about that.
Speaker 2:Why? What happened Anything?
Speaker 1:No, we'll get to that. We'll get to that. Let's talk. What did you think of the, their actual play itself? Because, I'll be honest with you, it's the first time I've seen Ottawa yeah, and playing Toronto most recently, but the first time I've seen Ottawa really show what they can do consistently for almost three periods. There was a bit of a lag in the very beginning of the game, yeah, but then for I would say you know 55 minutes of that game, they were consistent, solid, defensively strong.
Speaker 2:I really I loved the way they played Well Greg, and who we'll talk about shortly and Pinto and Teresanco where their best line. I don't think that's even beyond shadow of a doubt or up for discussion. They were their best line and they were the line that Jacques and Alfie were throwing out there. You know to try and protect everything at the end there. I mean, pinto was 10 and 5 in the dot and he just seems to be getting incrementally better almost every game, which is exactly what you wanted out of this guy before he. You know, 41 games and away we go. Now they're back and he's playing well and, like Ridley, greg is just a beauty and we'll get to him in a second, as I said. And Teresanco has been a good fit, even though you know I mean they probably should deal him, but he's got it. No trade Well you know what?
Speaker 1:Here's the thing. It's a good gig if you can get it. I think that he's overpaid, but I think he is.
Speaker 2:But he's playing well right now on that third line. But yeah, of course he's overpaid. Yeah, I mean they should deal.
Speaker 1:But they're not.
Speaker 2:They're not going to do that.
Speaker 1:They're not going to do that, because who's?
Speaker 2:going to pick them up? Well, somebody, yeah, well, you eat some of the money. Who?
Speaker 1:wants to. Who has the cap space? Oh, you got to. I don't know you got to.
Speaker 2:You got to sit down now and get the slide rule out and see well, you can check on cap space pretty easily. It's going cap friendly and you can get that. I haven't done a deep dive on that yet, but we're fast I mean every day racing that much closer to the trade deadline.
Speaker 1:Right Now it could change if you have a comparable guy who gets injured and it's the long term, long term injury, so that team oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. So that changes things significantly for that team. You know, and I don't know how. You know how things work out. Maybe there'll be a, you know, but I don't actually. I see him being here next year.
Speaker 2:That's just my opinion. Hey listen, stranger things have happened.
Speaker 1:Well, he might want to be here next year.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, you got to think one of these years Otto was going to figure out how to play October and November and and uh, and not be behind the eight ball come Christmas every single year. I mean it's been seven years in a row. You got to think next year, I don't know. I mean it's, they've got way too much talent to be where to be where they are, and I think six two and two is much more reflective of who they are as a team than what we saw.
Speaker 1:Well, and you know what, if very they could be, I, I, you know it's not a prediction, but they could be the Cinderella team, they could be the come from nowhere.
Speaker 2:You mean or no this year. Let's just say they, you know they could be the Cinderella team. They make the playoffs.
Speaker 1:They have the potential. On any given Sunday or whatever night, it is yeah Okay To actually win a game and compete.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Now, that being said, when they head out West it's going to be a lot of fucking tougher. But you know, but in the East, in the East, ottawa could be. I mean, it is definitely a long shot, but I mean, you know, I'm willing to put a grand on that with the 30 to one or whatever the hundred to one odds there are on that. Right, you know, go for it.
Speaker 2:So go for it. Yeah, yeah, no problem, just get that over here. Must have dropped it on the way.
Speaker 1:Comes from the car, okay About the and we got to be careful. So here's what just I was mentioning this to you. But so people have said that we sometimes go down these rabbit holes and we talk too long about a certain kind of beat it to death and we go too long, no question.
Speaker 1:Guilty guilty charged With respect to that. I have got something. Okay, it's an egg timer. Okay, so that we don't go down that hole, okay, and certain things, because we could you know how we can do this. So I, what? How? How long do you think we should spend on talking about? We're going to talk about what happened after the, the empty netter.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well geez.
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:I've never thought of a, of a timeline or anything like that, but let's do.
Speaker 1:let's do the six minutes that Don Cherry is supposed to have. Don's supposed to have seven, Seven minutes.
Speaker 2:Coach's corner was seven minutes long in theory, which I don't think once we finished the lesson. Well, let's see here.
Speaker 1:But seven minutes. This is going to go ping at seven minutes, okay, all right, it's all right. So there you go, okay. So Greg, yeah, okay, takes the slap shot into the net because he was excited, okay, or something. I don't know why he was doing that, okay, but he did that, yeah, and finally takes serious fence to that and decides that he's going to, you know, give him the whole cross check to the head. You know which seems to be the. It seems to be the go to hit in the league this year Going around him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what I tell you. After you got up in arms and built the Gallagher suspension, I said give it a week, there'll be five more. Wow, it's every week, buddy.
Speaker 1:So so every week. So we we don't know yet what has been announced for other than it's going to be. Yeah, we don't know, as we're taping here, but we know it'll be an suspension of some sort.
Speaker 2:We yeah.
Speaker 2:And then we know that it's in person as opposed to a phone call. Okay, so that's also a different degree as well, right? So, because in person means they can go more, more than five. Yeah, and look with what Perron got with the cross check on Zoob. To me it's tailor made for a six gamer. I think it's a six gamer. I think what really Greg did was a joke. It was ridiculous and he'll never do it again. Like, but it's, it should not have worked. It does not warrant that type of reaction. Like you don't take a cross check to the head would have been the best had Riley could have flipped him around, they could have had a scrum. They would hardly been able to fight, probably in that scenario with everybody jumping in.
Speaker 2:But at least they could have purported, or he or Riley could have. You know which is not his age.
Speaker 1:You don't do that.
Speaker 2:No, you don't do it, but he did it and you know, sometimes good guys make bad decisions, right.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, but here's the thing. As far as bad decisions, Okay, you know what? That's the least of fucking bad decisions, like taking a slap shot into the into the end. Wow, I was referring to Riley. No, no, I see what you're saying. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And he's a. You know he's got no history of this, no, but neither did Scott Needermeyer when he clubbed Peter Orwell and got 10 games suspension Right. Scott Needermeyer is one of the most revered players in hockey history and certainly was not known for that, but he brought a stick down like he was chopping wood and he got a 10 game suspension for it. And there's been all sorts of NHL superstars and Hall of Famers that have been previously suspended. Not to say that Riley is all that, but maybe at the end of his career, maybe, who knows, but he's going to get suspended. To me, chris, the only thing, like I said, next week it'll be another one. There's one every week.
Speaker 2:There's something egregious in the game and now, with social media, gives you the opportunity to jump up and everybody wants to. You know, oh, up in arms about it, and this is terrible. We got to get this out of the game. We got to get that out of the game. You're never getting it out of the game. It's never going to leave the game. Jesus, people, come on. It's been in the game since hockey began. Egregious hits and plays of this nature and the people that go online and cry about the lack of consistency and everything. Look, there's no blue book, right? That says if I cross, check you and here in this scenario, I should get X number of games.
Speaker 2:Okay, clarence Campbell, brian O'Neill, gil Stein, brian Burke, Brendan Shanahan, steph Van Kintel, george Parros They've all been presidents. You know, the Department of Player Safety only started in 2011. Right Prior to that, it was just a consortium of the NHL hierarchy that took care of the suspension. Yeah, the Disciplineering Committee. So the Department adopts. The Department of Player Safety officially starts in 2011. You've had three people in charge of it in that time. In what? Almost 13 years? Yeah, right, so Shanahan would be the first. Shanahan being the first, he's the guy who more or less broke the bread of it, gave way to Steph Van Kintel and Shanahan. He was suspended five times himself. You know, I mean not to say that that should matter.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, you know, we know that Perron is, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's another one, David. Do you ever expect Perron to do that to anybody ever in his career? You never, would expect that in a million years no but that's, it.
Speaker 2:His cross check to Zube was reprehensible. He gave him six games. Rivey's probably going to get six. I wrote originally on Twitter that night. Now, mind you like, as in Montreal, watched the Habs that afternoon, had a few pops after. Well, on my way, by the way, with two great friends, piero and Sunil. Thank you guys for your hospitality If you're watching this show, it was amazing, amazing hanging with you guys.
Speaker 2:But I thought you know, I figured I thought Greg kind of sold it a little too. I think he went down like he was shocked in the grass. He knew all the better, make it look good here and everything else. But upon review myself, not sure how you saw it, I'll throw it back over you here, probably almost through the timer is. I think he's going to get six games because of Perron on Zube and it's an in-person hearing. He deserves at least six. But everyone like, have a Coke and a smile. Believe me, next week there'll be another one, there'll be another one to talk about. Next week that everybody will be freaking out and going oh my God, this is so terrible. And hockey, we've got to get this out of hockey. Watch another sport, okay but hang on, okay.
Speaker 1:So two things I agree with you. Okay, it's going to be equal, okay, to the hit on Zube. In my opinion, that's at the end of the day. Okay, now here's the thing, and I don't know, where are these people that you're saying are so tearful? Let's just go on Twitter. Oh, yeah, I don't go on Twitter. That's why the fuck do you go on Twitter then?
Speaker 2:Because I need to go on Twitter. I have to promote everything that I do to try and make a living, so I need to be on social media. So I go on there and people ask me I get asked all the time. If something happens in hockey, Liam, what's your thoughts? What's your opinion?
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, then can you not just ignore those people? No, they're following me, you know.
Speaker 2:I mean, I've got almost 10,000 followers on Twitter because of who I am in hockey. Whatever that is good, bad or different, it is what it is. So people want to thought. So I got to get involved. What I don't do is I don't roll down in the mud and just absolutely lose my shit, like I used to do the first few years I was ongoing. Seriously, why are you even watching the sport? Why are you commenting? Why are you even saying that? You know, and I'm not that guy anymore I got into with a guy just last week about something.
Speaker 1:So you're not that guy anymore, but you just got into it last week.
Speaker 2:But when I got into it last week, what I say is I ended it very, very amicably, Very, very amicably, and the guy was totally taking me to task and it was a minor hockey thing that, had you been in, you would have probably jumped in with a Well. So tell me the story. Oh, it's just about how Well it's starting, about how minor hockey is not affordable. You know he's saying it's not affordable and I said, excuse me, my son was a house league player most of his career. Believe me, I was a single parent. We could. It was affordable. I don't make a lot of money, it was. It's very, very affordable. I had to point out to the guys oh, you're just talking about AAA. No, the majority of players play house league. The majority, the biggest leagues, the biggest registration is house league. It's not AAA, Right, so it's. You know the multiple thousands of dollars that are needed to fund at that level for tournaments and league fees and everything else is not what you pay to play house league.
Speaker 1:It's not Well, you do. I mean it factors out. I mean, at the end of the day, hockey is not subsidized in Canada.
Speaker 2:It doesn't have to be. I'm not paying the anywhere. I never paid anywhere near close to what you would have paid for Evan in hockey.
Speaker 1:No, I could have driven a car into the river every year. Wow, okay, and save money.
Speaker 2:But that's my point. So when a guy goes on social media and puts paints, every minor hockey thing with the same brush, and well hold on a second here. Well, yeah, 13 years here, of 11 of which were nine of which were house league.
Speaker 1:In defense of the guy, okay, so house league. But when you get to the competitive level, okay, the costs are outrageous.
Speaker 2:I'm not saying that. I'm saying where the majority of the kids play. You know this. No, I know that when the majority of kids play. If you've got 20 kids in a class that are playing hockey, where are the majority playing?
Speaker 1:But what about the playing house? Okay, but let's say you've got a kid who has some talent to whoa, whoa whoa, you're way off.
Speaker 2:Where are you? Where are you even going with this?
Speaker 1:I'm saying is that that's got nothing to do with the conversation. No, no. But if you have somebody who is talented somewhat, okay, they have to move up. That's the way the system is designed.
Speaker 3:That's not what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:No, no, I know you're talking about cost, but just because you could be a poor person and have a talented hockey player, yeah, so you're forced to go and play in the A, a, a, whatever level it's going to be for that child, okay.
Speaker 2:And then it becomes out of your ability to afford that Again, red herring, apples and oranges, not the conversation I was having. Now, conversation I was having was twofold. Number one majority of players are house league players. That's a fact. Number two house league is affordable. That's a fact.
Speaker 1:Relatively. It depends on how much money you're earning.
Speaker 2:Well, listen, if you can't put, what is the cost to play? I don't know. My son hasn't been in 10 years, I don't know.
Speaker 1:So it's got to be registration. It's got to be registration. Was a few hundred bucks it was like I'm sure it's way more than that you can't get like registration and Osgood Rito for Rory almost every year that he played was around four or $500. And I'll tell you that it's likely over $1,000. Okay, I wouldn't know. I doubt it costs.
Speaker 2:I will say no, there's no way. In house league Osgood Rito, it's over $1,000 to play minor hockey. I'd be willing to bet a case of beer on that.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm willing to offer a case of beer, but I would say I'm going to say I think it's over $1,000 to play.
Speaker 2:Not for registration, but obviously like the way we ran it, we always tried to go in four tournaments.
Speaker 1:Okay, so there you go. You got to go in four tournaments.
Speaker 2:Two, at least two of which were local.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we're going, I know, but we're still. There's still costs to going in the tournament. There's ice time. Okay, I mean, your registration covers some of the ice time. Okay, I always, chris, I coached house league.
Speaker 2:We weren't going out getting extra ice. No, I okay we weren't getting extra ice.
Speaker 3:Okay, there was no cost.
Speaker 2:Everything was laid out to the parents at the start of the season. It was very succinct and very on point and very affordable. If you are going to put your son or daughter in team sports, which you should, because it is a tremendous character builder, no matter what team sport it is oh listen, I totally believe in it.
Speaker 1:What I said to the guy on Twitter was you.
Speaker 2:It becomes a budget, a family budgetary thing, and you, you budget for it. Look, if you can't afford to put them in in in baseball or fastball or soccer or anything else as well, and that's just where your economic structure is as a family. Single parents, guardians, what have you? Okay, so be it. But for the majority that have a child and want to put them in a team sport, house league hockey is very affordable. It's very affordable because I'm proof of that and it was then and it is now, and there's absolutely no way it's over a thousand dollars to register for house league hockey and osgudrido, I'll eat this can. If that's the case, it's no freaking way you may find it it's over a thousand dollars.
Speaker 1:No, no, listen. But adding to that that you do have the other tournaments there.
Speaker 2:I don't care, I don't care, it's affordable. Okay, it's affordable. So we have three kids. It's affordable. Look, it becomes a budgetary thing. Do you want your children in sports? If you're going to sign them up for anything, that's parents who have their children in other sports. Man, the cost. There's cost attributed to every other sport. But there's a mindset that hockey is only for the elite and only for those that have pocket books or second mortgages or lines of credit or they can afford it, going out the yin yang because you can't play otherwise, and I just went on the discussion thread to refute that because I'm proof of it. Wow, and we did it for 13 years. Yeah, zero problem, single parent running it, paying for it and not making a lot of money. I never have and I was able to comfortably pay for Rory's house league hockey Comfortable, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I was a budget thing for us.
Speaker 2:He didn't play another sport. Yeah, he wasn't in soccer, he wasn't in baseball. Yeah, you know I was able to finagle his way into some junior sports. He was doing your stuff at Redo View Golf for a couple of years. He didn't stick with it but you know, it became a little summer thing. But that was it, man, that was it and we have zero regrets. He has none, I have none, and anybody who thinks they can't afford it is just making that up.
Speaker 1:They Well, I do think it is expensive, though, and I would like to see it become less expensive for people to be involved in the sport.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, that's you know and I don't Again, you're just quickly just jumping the conversation though.
Speaker 2:I mean it is affordable for the overwhelming majority, a majority of families, and even though our registration is down, we still have six to seven hundred thousand kids playing in minor hockey in Canada. It's just not far under where it was in its peak, which was just under a million, and we're still the number one producing nation in the world. The elite still find a way to get there, and where the majority of kids play is house league and it's affordable. And it was when I played, it was when my son played and I'm going to say right now, 10 years after my son's packed in minor hockey, that it's still affordable in house league to play Okay, and that's your opinion and this other person's opinion, and I'm playing devil's advocate here.
Speaker 1:Well, I can tell you right now he had no horse in the race.
Speaker 2:He made a generic comment, and I am because I called him out on it, which is the last thing he was expecting. I know this. I'm a Twitter expert, I know my way around Twitter and I know this guy was.
Speaker 1:So you know the Twitter heads.
Speaker 2:I know the Twitter heads and I know this guy just wanted to take a shot at hockey, which probably you know he drew me in that way. But the backdoor point of all that is, turn the clock back and I would have gone in fuming invective you know taking the guy on everything else.
Speaker 1:Well, why would you be upset about something?
Speaker 2:Because I just got upset about everything 10 years ago when I got on Twitter. Now I don't. Now I'm just. Liam is happy, I got mine. It's great.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to say affordability is relative. Okay, it's relative to what you're, where you are in your life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and let me put it to you this way so it's easy for you to understand, because you seem to make the up my words.
Speaker 1:Well, because? No? Because I think honestly, I think you're wrong and I know I'm not wrong.
Speaker 2:I'm totally right If your child is going to play sports. Right, If you have a son or a daughter or more and you're going to put them in sports and you said, okay, we want our children in sports. What sports do they want to play? What are they interested in this side or the other? He is no more expensive at the house league level than any other sport that you will sign your son or daughter up.
Speaker 1:Well, you, know what my experience is. That's not the case. My experience with both of my kids is that. And now, granted, you know what you know when you put the competitive level into everything. But ball, house league, ball was house league is a question here. Okay, yeah, yeah. So ball is far more affordable. Soccer quite affordable. Now they have got some of the clubs now have gotten to. You know what I mean to be. You know not about it, but when you just play little Timbits or you're playing the lowest level, what do you think?
Speaker 1:Timbits hockey kids are paying. Well, we're not what I'm saying. When I used Timbits, I wasn't referring to the initiation program. Okay, whatever the lowest level is, I'm not even complaining that, not to mention the fact that at least you can get together, like when I was growing up. Now we used to play road hockey too, right Of course, and we were lucky enough to live in Northern Ontario where we could skate and play on the outside on the ice and do all those things. I did those things too.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, so we did that. Yeah, but kids in the city don't have that opportunity anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's neither here nor there. No, no, but what I'm saying is that Stay right on point, stay right on point, stay right on point. But the thing is house league hockey affordable?
Speaker 1:No, I think it's very expensive. Okay, I disagree strongly. So where's the line? So you're saying it's very expensive.
Speaker 2:You're saying you've already you're on camera.
Speaker 1:How much is Gates now?
Speaker 2:You're on camera is saying that you think for starters registrations over a thousand bucks.
Speaker 1:It's. I was no. No, I said hockey for the year, including registration and the extra and the tournament and all that stuff for that team is going to be over a thousand dollars.
Speaker 2:So anybody who's watching, if you have a son or daughter in a sport other than hockey, if you could please message us and let us know, because there's a case of beer on the line? Well, no, because you're already resended it.
Speaker 1:You've already changed. No, originally you said it was a thousand dollars.
Speaker 2:Of course it will over the course of the year, okay.
Speaker 1:Well then you're talking about your ass. No, I'm not. Yes, I'm not. I'm a single parent that afforded to pay it was affordable to play house league hockey and you can't say that when is house league hockey more expensive than triple A hockey?
Speaker 2:no-transcript no, absolutely not, of course. Not. Right, right, okay. So but still, you still say House League hockey is not affordable.
Speaker 1:I think for a lot of people it's not affordable. Okay, well, no listen.
Speaker 2:If House League hockey isn't affordable, then neither are other sports. So this is where I need somebody to chime in who has a son or daughter that's playing right now, because we don't. Our kids are older Right, so we don't know right now. So we need somebody that could give us some context, that's right, and tell us what you paid for little Johnny's or little Samantha's soccer or baseball, baseball or football. So in.
Speaker 1:You know I play hockey. You know the U65, right yeah, the old guys After us in on Sundays. They're kids who are playing and there's a lot of the parents and sitting there watching those kids. And I can tell you, and that's not, that's House League, okay.
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 1:And I guarantee you those parents are paying for it when you talk and I'm not even talking about the equipment, I'm just talking about for registration and for the extra fees with respect to tournaments and all the other stuff, and you know that goes along with it Got to, you know, paying for pucks or whatever the hell else there is. Okay, yeah, I will say that they're, they got to be paying $1,000 easily. Yeah, easily I would say over the course of the year.
Speaker 2:Well, no, that's not what you said no.
Speaker 2:No, that's what I said I would say yes, $1,000 for a winter of activity for a child to play is very reasonable. I know this is from a guy that you know, on average makes $60,000 to $70,000 a year. It's probably been my average. So if people can't afford it, I totally get that, you know. But by and large, if you're going to put your child into a sport which I think we all should try and do and you try and make it a budgetary thing, it's what Liz and I have to do.
Speaker 1:When we split up, Shanna chose basketball, yeah, and in her case You're telling me that basketball isn't way less expensive than we paid more because she made a touring team.
Speaker 2:She played on a higher level that comparatively.
Speaker 1:Okay, forget about that. We're talking host league basketball Conchucker.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, yeah, Unfortunately she wasn't on that you know, she was on a rep team, okay, but when she and it was more expensive not by much, to be honest, but it was a little bit more expensive to pay for her over the course of the year. Now I got to also say 90% of Rory's equipment, my son's equipment, I bought it, played against sports. Yeah, it was used equipment. Yeah, I went in there and got him used stuff all the time, incredibly affordable. You can go in and get cheap stuff. That's good quality stuff.
Speaker 2:I played hockey my whole life. I would never risk my sons but having something that wasn't at least quality wise to protect them. But there's no way I needed to pay $200 for shoulder pads when I could get them for $40. Wow, and they'd been worn for one year and I did that all the time.
Speaker 2:And you know what, every Saturday, every weekend in October, you go to play it against here and they're packed with parents like me that were in there that don't have a lot of money, that were finding the affordable way to get your son or your daughter on the ice to play our national sport, more importantly, to play a team sport. And it was affordable to be able to do because it was house league. My son had been up at AAA level, no way I would have been able to afford it. No way, no way, no how. And I don't know what I would have done if had he been good enough to play there. We'll never know.
Speaker 2:Now, and it's a moot point, the discussion on Twitter that I was in and I will say discussion, not argument, because I ended it very amicably, I'm very proud of myself that was that house league hockey is very affordable and I knew, by the way, the context that this guy was talking about that he had lumped all of hockey in together has an elitism that is out there that you can't afford unless you're taking a second mortgage and that's bullshit. So that's the point of it all. Case closed. I'm right, as usual.
Speaker 1:Next when the fuck is. This thing's not working. This should have stopped the long fucking time ago.
Speaker 2:I don't fucking believe it, hey, at any time we should fire that thing right across the room, just like Morgan Riley did. Is stuck right on the side of Ridley's. Where do you think he hit him? Did he catch him here or here or right in the head? What do you think?
Speaker 1:He caught him. He caught him right in the fucking neck.
Speaker 2:Well, he caught him, he looked kind of down. Yeah, you're going to.
Speaker 1:And you know what? Okay, it probably grazed off the shoulder, but it was upper and at the end of the day he caught him. I'm sure he didn't want to Six games. You're saying that Absolutely. I think it's fair because you have. You know what I mean. I don't want to get all legal here, but you've got precedent. You've got just this season a very similar hit, yeah, Okay.
Speaker 3:And so we'll do it.
Speaker 1:Now it may get more because of the time of the game and not, you know what I mean, with seconds left in the game.
Speaker 3:It was no longer there.
Speaker 1:That is another story. But you know what? I feel very comfortable with the five, six games and again, because he doesn't have a history and because, you know, and because it's Toronto, it's a big ticket team, they need them back so that the NHL will be easy on them.
Speaker 2:Well, six games is still six games. I mean they're you know they're four points up or five points up on New Jersey. I think they've got a couple of games in hand Like they're not in imminent danger here, but they can't really afford any type of significant losing streak.
Speaker 1:Well, they can't afford to lose a fucking defenseman. The Toronto Leafs.
Speaker 2:And they're going to.
Speaker 1:So I defensively are a bit of a shit show A little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know a little bit for sure. I mean, you know they've been comfortably in the playoffs all year because they score their way out of a lot of trouble, right.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, Matthews is going to win the Richard in a walk and Nylander's had, for the most part, a career year, for the most part got the new money to show for it, and Taveras hasn't played poorly and Marner's been fairly consistent as well for the most part. But you know Ottawa's had their number and they go back to something we said to start of all this, I think, was they deserve that win on Saturday. Oh, absolutely, they absolutely deserve it yeah.
Speaker 2:I thought the third line was the best line of the night, but that they did enough throughout the course of the evening to warrant to warrant the win. And then you know why'd Greg do what he did? We haven't heard him speak yet. He wasn't made available in the media.
Speaker 1:He's not going to say anything. You know what it is, what it is. It's over, it's done.
Speaker 2:I just think it was he's young and it was a sense of the rivalry, and I think they're fed. They're fed. That's got to be frustrating too. I mean, the Sens fans are drowned out in their own building. Yeah, right, and it was a big F, you right, yeah, so he hammers it home. He'll never do that again. You got to think you're going to take some of the reaction.
Speaker 1:You know what I would do the next time. Actually, if you could, it would be nice if you had whoever. Who's the toughest guy? The Sens have Brady easily. He's the. He's the toughest guy by far. Oh fuck, then he'll be. He'll be a guarantee. He does it the next time, against the Leafs. He's going to do it.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, that would be great, because I'd like to see who's got to run him, while Reeves would.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but but they put Reeves out there and again it's just you know what, listen, if they had gone, if Reeves, if something had happened and Reeves was only there in case the Sens were going to do something, I think, okay, if Reeves had done something, he would have been gone.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:If he had instigated something.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, first of all, if you do instigate anything in the last, there's an automatic one game.
Speaker 1:But I mean, you know, it would have gone, it would have gone way further and it was, it was just like.
Speaker 2:I mean, it depends on the nature how it would have went down.
Speaker 1:You know, I was just a fight?
Speaker 2:No, if he just dropped the gloves, no, but I mean I, he does a little, you know.
Speaker 1:There was. Nobody had a horse in that race. The end of the day, you know they went and you protect a guy, okay, and even, even Jiru. When they asked Jiru, they said I know he was bamboozled.
Speaker 2:You know he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he didn't know what to say.
Speaker 2:Cause he didn't want. He didn't want to endorse Ridley for doing it. No, clearly no, he didn't. And and he said I can't throw a guy in the bus. He's my teammate, he's a kid, so he's trying to dance around. It was very awkward, yeah. And they throw it back to, to that ref bit there where he's just saying oh, the ref called Morgan by his first name, like he's such a good guy.
Speaker 1:Like, oh, I didn't say that.
Speaker 2:I heard that. Holy Jesus, give me a break. I mean, it's just. That's just Toronto centric shit. You know that we get jammed down our throats, but you know it is what it is. I'll tell you it. It would be waiting for the battle of Ontario to find a spark. It's unfortunate they don't have another game this year.
Speaker 1:Right, but you know what? So Otto won three of five. Yeah Right, three of four. I believe Three of four.
Speaker 2:We're playing four this year. Yeah, it's just four, okay so they won three games.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, you know what I'd say that we win, so we get the cup. All right, now I think it's time that you need a cold shower. Okay, and we're going to take a break and we're going to do a segment called this Week in Hockey History.
Speaker 3:Hello Canada, hey guys, it's going to be beautiful. Lafleur coming out rather gingerly Back to LaFleur, lafleur, lafleur, lafleur, lafleur, lafleur.
Speaker 1:LaFleur, lafleur, lafleur, lafleur, lafleur, lafleur.
Speaker 3:LaFleur, lafleur, thank you, you.
Speaker 1:All right, welcome to our segment this week in hockey history and this week Liam. Yep, we I'm trying to look for something that is I don't know if you can tie it in with, I don't know Like we do a lot of Montreal canadian stuff, do we? Yeah, way too many.
Speaker 2:I don't think there's more than one an episode.
Speaker 1:Exactly, we don't do enough of what I call Boston Bruin Type of things. Yeah, so let's talk about this week in hockey history. Yeah, as it relates to the Boston Bruins, okay, okay, and so you know what? What? What is going on this week in hockey?
Speaker 2:What? What date are we talking now, can you guys?
Speaker 1:Or you don't even know what date we are. This is live. This is live. It's all it's. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. This is all.
Speaker 2:I know people are sitting there what? I just don't know where your heart right now, sorry.
Speaker 1:Valentine's Day, february 14th.
Speaker 2:Yeah okay. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm putting you on the spot. You are yeah, yeah. Okay, it doesn't have to be Boston, but I'm thinking it should be something. Boston okay okay, so Now do you recall that we're talking about? Even though, apparently, the magic is gone?
Speaker 2:Okay, we're talking about the week from don't forget all about it for the next show.
Speaker 1:February. Look they're back. Live 11 to 17 11 to 17.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, well, yeah, there's obviously there's times. It's such a great month, but it's hard to ignore John bellowal.
Speaker 1:Yeah remember earlier when I said about the Montreal Canadian thing. Just just want to point that out, it's okay.
Speaker 2:I know, but I watched this game on TV. You know, his 500th goal was scored February 11th 1971 and I will tie it in with with 500, it's fucking nothing.
Speaker 2:I know it is nothing. Now there's been 47 guys to do it again, much like the 50 goalscores which we talked a few weeks ago With Al C chord right, and I believe now we're up to 96 different players that have had a 50 goal season in the NHL since rocket reshards in 1945, but back in the day, the Montreal Canadians. You could watch them on hockey night in Canada, which ran on on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and or you could watch them on the French Channel right Joe Canada right, joe, canada, cbo FT and with the F for the French and with René Le Cavallier and Gilles Chomblay.
Speaker 2:And on this Really odd scenario, odd time frame, for whatever reason, the Montreal Canadians played at home against the Minnesota North Stars on a Thursday and the game was broadcast in French. And yeah, it wouldn't have been in the week with CBC.
Speaker 2:No, no, it was not and and at least not to my knowledge, because we only saw it on French, where we were three channels and CBC and CTV weren't weren't showing the game, because I only showed national and and this was not a national game. This is Montreal Canadian broadcast and John Bellow will scored three goals against the Minnesota North Stars and he scored 498, 499 and 500. About that time he was only the third player in NHL history.
Speaker 1:Is that the famous picture with him holding the puck?
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's hold. He's holding, I think, three.
Speaker 1:Pucks are. I think it's three.
Speaker 2:I think it's three and and.
Speaker 1:I'll try to find that picture.
Speaker 2:Okay, I believe it's three. Maybe it might be just one, but a couple things about it. He got them all early. Montreal won the game six, two and, and the goal to 500 was assisted by Frank Mahoblich, which is a name most people are familiar with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I said where's he from? He's from.
Speaker 2:Timmins Schumacher. Wow, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:I know he's a northern Ontario boy.
Speaker 2:And that's one thing we do have. Almost every show is a northern Ontario connection we do. We do with you sitting here, which I love, by the way. You know how much I've gotten an affinity for that since meeting Goldie, but even more so because there's so many great names.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, that are it, and so much toughness, so much toughness.
Speaker 2:But Frank Mahoblich, timon's Schumacher guy, draws a primary assist for over Burdo. I've got the got the second assist.
Speaker 1:I have no idea who that is.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, phil Burdo got the second assist. I remember the first time ever met John Belivow and I told him that and he was impressed, of course, didn't know that I dedicated my whole life to reading and memorizing hockey trivia at that time. I had the pleasure, good pleasure, fortune and honor to work with him many times after that and he, since you know he certainly got to know that it was a real big thing with me to know of this history and anecdotal stuff. However, that's pretty neat stuff. Now the addendum to all this, chris, okay, the add-on, the date February 11th. So it stays tied to February 11th to this day this week in hockey history. The goal tenor from Minnesota that night is erroneously identified by most people in cesar maniego. It was not, it was actually jills You'll bear.
Speaker 1:Oh really, yeah, my boss in bro.
Speaker 2:You're Boston Bruin goalie.
Speaker 1:I played with him.
Speaker 2:I told you that you did tell me that it's a fabulous story. God rest his soul. We just lost him just recently, a couple of months ago, and, and you know, I never got to meet him, so you, you did. He was it.
Speaker 1:You know what? He was? A super, super guy. Everybody tells me you know what he was. So and he loved, oh my god, he laughed. We sat one night after we played and then we had I had him back to the club, yeah, and we did a show, okay, and then we sat till like three, four in the morning with moose do pond and him and the stories and the laugh. He'd laugh. He loved laughing. He laughed a whole. I swear to god, he laughed a whole. If I could have a room full of gilgil bears for every show I performed, I'd be a fucking star. I love here. I am with you, I know.
Speaker 2:You took a deep dive, brother. You took a deep dive. It's like that's the highest stage you ever worked on your life and you took a step off.
Speaker 1:Oh, you know coming on me, you know what?
Speaker 2:just to go back to gilgil bear and finish on February 11th for this week in hockey. Ironically, gilgil bear not only allows bellows 500th goal on February 11th 1971, but again sticking with the number 11 and synergy with numbers, 11 years later to the day, february 11th 1982, gilles Gilbert, now a member of the Detroit Red Wings, okay, after so he, between then he went from Minnesota to Boston, to Detroit, yeah, and he's with the red wings and he becomes the first goaltender in nhl history To allow two penalty shot goals in the same game. In the same game, 11 years after allowing bellows 500th goal, samuaged around gila flares, too many men on the ice. Goal may 10 79, also a Thursday, by the way. He goes to February 11 82, with kerry frazier as a referee who calls two penalty shots awarded to thomas grideen and ivan olinka. Both score on gilgil bear tend up tying the game at four in the third period this week in hockey history.
Speaker 1:All right, that was this week in hockey history and I promise you that next week we will not be doing anything when shriek, that's my, that's my hope, and because I had it. Luke, yes, it just just happens, which, by the way, I want to bring. I'm gonna bring this up, so you're wearing your, your molson export um Hockey jersey. Yes which, and I'm gonna say this, I went and have most and given us any money? Well, not really, and I believe you have spent billions.
Speaker 1:Third world countries don't get as much aid as you have given to molson.
Speaker 2:You know we should cut out this segment and I'll send it to the boys and see if we can chase them down for a few bucks. They should be sponsoring the ask, leon.
Speaker 1:I would take that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I thought.
Speaker 1:I, we, I thought we had somebody on board for ask leon, did we? We were talking about somebody? Well, we won't discuss it, yeah, here, but the whole thing. I'm going to say this, though it undermines my beer sponsor I don't have a redneck jersey that I wear, ah, so so here's the thing. So, yes, one, I need a redneck jersey. Okay, two, though, I mean I. I think endorsing any product that we're not getting paid for is a bad idea.
Speaker 2:So we're endorsing it. Oh, I just uh, really Well, you're dazzling them, I wear, you're wearing it. Yeah, but that could be any minute of any day.
Speaker 1:I would say I would call that an endorsement.
Speaker 2:But it's really not, though.
Speaker 1:Okay, it's a lifestyle choice.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's a lifestyle. Yeah, okay, yeah, so, but my point is, I just threw this on, didn't realize what it was.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I took my jacket off.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's the first time I've ever worn it on the show.
Speaker 1:Well, you have it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, yeah, so either way, uh, I would like to see molson like anti up. Okay, this is worth gotta be worth a billion bucks or something Like there's gotta be some value in that on the show. Okay, and as the guy who takes care of the editing and the accounting, yeah, I'd like to hear from you, molson, otherwise I'm gonna I'm gonna get another jersey for you to wear.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you what we will. Why don't we clip this and we'll send it to Wayne Hall, who is, uh, my, my local go-to molson guy here in Ottawa yeah, who's the nephew of the famous Skinner family right grant and Larry and Dave and uh, some molson connection there too, molson connection through grant obviously, I mean he came right in as grant was, I think, still formally involved with molson's.
Speaker 2:And that gets you into Cam Atchison and and and Rocky and all the great guys at molson's over all the years. So yeah, chris, you make a good point. I, I think that we should clip this. I act your convenience and, yeah, we'll send it.
Speaker 1:We'll send it to.
Speaker 2:Wayne, yeah, send it to Wayne and go wainer. I mean uh, but you don't need to break the bank. But I think uh show us a little love here, because you know I got your back 24 seven drinking this and I love it. I'm around 112,000 pints deep and give or take 500 since 1967 and I very happy to say that it keeps on tasting great. So why don't you give us a little uh sponsorship of ask Liam, which I think we're about to do, and uh or this week in hockey history.
Speaker 2:Or this week in hockey history, yeah, which we just did, yeah, we are gonna do an ask Liam though, okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this is our segment. We like to call ask Liam. All right, welcome, this is our segment. We call ask Liam. And now today we're because we would been going on about the morgan riley.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hit yeah slash or whatever you want to call. It wasn't a hit. Yeah, cross check, cheap shot, cheap shot. Yeah, and and we were discussing suspensions, yes, so the big question is okay, yeah, and this is actually a question that I'm asking, so this is not from a viewer or anything like that, but I thought it would be a good question to ask and maybe you might have some.
Speaker 2:I thought it was maybe from from ollie on uh john street in stittesville. I was writing in because he had been suspended so many times previously that he was wondering if morgan riley might get a Suspension beginning of that.
Speaker 1:Well, that, that, that, that could be it, and I, uh, you know you're, you have to. I have to tell you that, uh, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about I know that's a little interesting one of our regular viewers, Uh so the question is this of all the suspensions in the history of the NHL, what was the longest?
Speaker 2:So it seems to get washed under a lot of times because it was so long ago.
Speaker 2:Billy Couture was suspended for life and you and I talked a little bit about that a few shows ago because you indicated your displeasure at the Marty McStorley suspension on the Donald Berchere here, which was actually a suspension that was increased by Gary Betman to extend to one calendar year and, as we know, marty never played again Billy Couture COUTU one of the games historically, one of the games most violent characters, a big brawl when Ottawa won their last Stanley Cup, 1927, I believe was here in Ottawa, playing here at Bruins of course it's a little bit before our birth, but playing Boston and Ottawa won the cup and at the end of the game Couture got into it and he ended up hitting.
Speaker 2:There was two officials in those days, not three, and the officials' names were Jerry Laflamme and Billy Bell Dr Billy Bell, I believe he was a doctor and they were the two officials for the game and he ended up hitting them both and Frank Calder, who was president of the NHL, was in attendance at the time. The Stanley Cup was awarded right as the game concluded, while winning their 11th and final Stanley Cup against Boston in 1927, I believe the final score was 3-1, side identity with the cup winner. Frank Finnegan scored in the game and Couture got suspended for life. Now they rescinded it two years later but he was in the minors and he never played in the NHL again. But he was suspended for life. That was from the NHL, but he was able to play in the minors. He was able to play in the minors.
Speaker 1:And there he probably made what a chicken and maybe some eggs, and he didn't make much in the NHL.
Speaker 2:No good, NHL salary in those days was about three grand four grand. So yeah, he would have been making half that, maybe in the minors. But he did play a few more years, I believe so 29 or 2930. The interesting thing, Chris, is you've come out and played Redo View where I'm a member. You've come out and hopefully again this summer will catch out, and there's a member there. Her name is Janet Barker. That's her married name. She's married to Jerry Barker. It was a long time worked in the agency for Larry Kelly's office for years. He's a retired police officer, the PN police officer, and Janet is Billy Couture's granddaughter. Oh really, yeah. So it's kind of a neat connection I think to have locally. We have a woman locally who's actually related to Billy Couture, so he was pretty nuts. I mean, they had Billy Couture, Is she nuts? That's what I want to know. Is that the guy? Well, I'll tell you what. Janet's pretty tough herself. She was police officer too. Is that right?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, beautiful woman, great wife of Jerry. They're just a fantastic couple. He's had a real tough goal health-wise the last of a while, but he's hanging in there. I love that guy, I love them both. Their son, sean, good guy. She's a great family and, yeah, she was police officer as well and definitely she's pretty tough herself, but Billy was her grandfather, which is amazing. Yeah, and that's the longest suspension in hockey history. You know, rocket got suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs in 55 led to the riot. The incident was March 13th, got suspended March 15th. The riot was St Patrick's Day, 55. Right Cosmos scoring championship, no doubt about it, and that's an infamous moment in hockey history.
Speaker 1:And how many days were left in the league I believe there was three. I want to say Three games left, yeah, three in the regular season and then he got suspended for all the playoffs. Right, no, no, no. But so three games, and that was the difference in the scoring.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was like boom, boom, jeffrey. I ended up winning, I think with 75 points. I think Belova was 74. I believe the Rocket had 73. Okay, he would have picked up three points in those three games. I think it's safe to say it cost him, barring any other thing that might have happened, injury or otherwise, how he played, and not only that. I mean Montreal went to a Stanley Cup final against Detroit, losing in seven games without the Rocket who had led the NHL in goal scoring that year with 38 goals. So it was anyway.
Speaker 2:But so there's been some long ones, the Marty one, obviously. And thing is, there's been so much chatter about Riley and the hit on Greg and a lot of comparisons to Dale Hunter. That wasn't Gary Betman's first season as commissioner and he gave Dale Hunter 21 games for that hit right on Pierre Terzion. And I've told you before when we did talk about suspensions a few shows ago. I remember this now because I was telling you about Chris Simon who got a total of 55 games over two same calendar year, but over two seasons. The reason I bring it up is because, again, go back to Twitter, it's where I hang my hat for a lot of hockey discussion. Just you know whether I'm partaking or just reading it all. Just a lot of people were saying that they got us, got to set a precedent here. You know, set the precedent with Morgan Riley and throw a Dale Hunter suspension out and do this side and everything else it won't matter.
Speaker 1:They did that back then here's the thing what he did was you know what. It was wrong, but it wasn't the worst fucking thing that ever happened, I mean at the end of the day.
Speaker 1:I mean like let's get realistic. I mean who hasn't, you know, accidentally come up on a guy's into the face, slash? I mean it happens especially in front of the net, like you know what. You get cross-checked in the back, you turn, you know you happen to have your stick in your hand and you punch the guy in the face. I mean it just it happens. It still happens in frigging old guy hockey.
Speaker 2:I know, and I've been in it and I've seen it, and it's so true and it's just a nature, it's human nature of sports, collision sport. Even if you're playing non-contact overnight hockey, it's still a collision sport. It's U65. Yeah, same thing. And hey, you're still playing, I'm not. So I tip my hat to you. And the bottom line is there's still incidents, there's still some anger, there's still some incidents. Sticks can still come up, punches can still get thrown. It's just inherent. And I just I just have to always go back and finish on this. If you don't like it, go watch something else, because guess what, when Chris and I do the next show, there'll be another one.
Speaker 3:There'll be somebody else, they'll have done something There'll be, another suspension.
Speaker 2:There's already been like a half dozen incidents just since the Gallagher hit. Just since the Gallagher hit there's been five or six other incidents. Trubb has already been suspended a second time just since the Gallagher hit. I mean, come on, they're every week, every week. It's just human nature and the sport the way it is, the level it's played alpha males, big business, lots of competitiveness, lots of bad blood can get fueled and it's not even remotely close. Look, you know this. If that's the seventies, you got a full on bench brawl First off. Can you imagine anybody in the 1970s taking a slap shot like Greg did into an empty net?
Speaker 1:No, no. But you know what? I don't mind it as a fuck. You Right, I don't mind what he did.
Speaker 2:I don't mind it, but then know you're going to get something. Oh yeah, absolutely yeah, he did so. Now you got to suspend Riley and he will be. So where is everybody up at it actually?
Speaker 1:works out really well. At the end of the day, it hurt the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yeah, okay, all right. That's it. That's all we have to say. All right. So just to sum up on this that's good.
Speaker 3:Ask Liam.
Speaker 1:Okay, the longest suspension Longest suspension Billy Kutcher Lifetime suspension. Billy Kutcher no relation to Jean Kutcher.
Speaker 3:No, no, no yeah.
Speaker 1:But Billy Kutcher, it was lifetime, but then it was reversed two years later. Yeah, okay, yeah, but he did never play in the NHL. He never played in the NHL.
Speaker 2:Marty never played but he only got believe it got 20 games got extended because Betman wanted to be a year and he never played in the NHL again either. And then you've got. You got Rafi Torres 41 games he is for on ice. Pinto got 41 for the gambling thing.
Speaker 2:But Torres got 41 for an on ice incident. You've got Chris Simon with a 25 and a 30. You've got Dale Hunter at 21. You've got a bunch of other guys in the 2021 range, but Billy Kutcher is the NHL only guy. The other guys suspended for life were for gambling as well. Billy the Kid Taylor and Don Gallinger were both suspended for life in the 1940s and they weren't. Those suspensions weren't rescinded until 1970. So long after they could do anything in hockey. And Billy the Kid Taylor excuse me, Bay Pratt was he got lucky. He got caught and they said don't ever do it again. And they gave him like 10 games. They said anybody else gets caught, you're getting kicked out for life. And those guys got caught, Right, and they got kicked out for life, but that wasn't for on ice. So you have lifetime suspensions from Taylor and Gallinger as well, but Billy Kutcher on ice incident suspended for life 1927 is the number one.
Speaker 1:All right, there, you have it. All right, welcome back. You know we've talked about a lot of things and we go on and on and on and the egg timer didn't work, okay. But it's actually time for us to unveil something. It'll be unveiled in this next segment, by the way, is our new shooting, the shot logo, oh yeah, which I sent to you. I sent you the logo, yes, you liked it. Now we're not sure exactly the color combinations. That's going to work. It's basically going to be a black and white thing, but it'll go on, like you know, golf shirts and stuff like that. We got the idea because, as a favor, as something I was doing, as a nice gesture, I was wearing and I bought and was wearing some spitting chicklets. I tire Really.
Speaker 2:Well, they'll get a single dollar from them.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what? Hello, no, no, here's the thing. The reason why is because they're going to do the same. That's my thing.
Speaker 2:We know they're not. We know they're not, though. Well, you know that. But you know that's right, but you don't know that it's good to try, I did it once, I did it once.
Speaker 1:I did it once as a goodwill gesture, yeah.
Speaker 2:And this is the only time I've ever worn a Molson shirt on offside with Hoson McGuire, are you sure?
Speaker 1:Positive. You're sure right 100% If I go back and look at the tapes. Yep, Not that I give a shit.
Speaker 2:I'll bet you another case of beer on the top of the one you're going to lose. So, but I'm not doing this right now.
Speaker 1:Okay, so here's the thing we have our new logo as part of our segment called Shooting the Shot. Right Today, we're going to continue with another excerpt from a great interview we did with Sudbury Wolf alumni. Yeah, okay, yeah, an NHL All-Star. Okay, made the All-Star game.
Speaker 3:Canada Cup member.
Speaker 1:Stanley Cup Canada Cup. Canada Cup member. Canada Cup member.
Speaker 2:Silver medalist. We lost that year.
Speaker 1:Ron Dugay. So here comes Ron. It's obvious from your post NHL career and even the fact that you still play now. You engage in the charity work and you play and you are part of the sport, so I'm assuming that you love to play still.
Speaker 3:Yes, a part, there's two. Yes, part of what happened to me is I played 12 years in NHL. Then I played another three, four years in the minor. I played one year in Germany. So I kept playing because I was still healthy to play. But part of what bothers me when people ask me about the NHL, I'm almost embarrassed to say I only played 12 years. It's hard for me to say I only played 12 years. I should have played 16. And so after I left, I kind of you know it happens you lose your confidence, you're not on the top line and then you're fighting it. You're fighting, you're working hard, like I can always work hard, but just work hard and be calm and still shoot and score and all that and play with the right guys.
Speaker 3:And so to this day, you asked me, I am 12 years and it's like someone oh, 12? Yeah, yeah, but I'm to this day, I'm still chasing a goal. I'm still chasing the score goal to make myself feel better about not having scored enough. So, and I never put a lot of pressure on myself, I just played. But the fact that I only played 12 years, I should have played 16. When I look at other players who played 16, it bothers me that I can't say that I played 16 years old, 16. I was sure to play in a thousand, a little bit shorter, playing a thousand games. When you add up all my games, playoffs and so on, I hit that thousand.
Speaker 3:I hit that thousand, but I'm. I could have scored more, I could have got more points. So I'm very, but I can't beat myself up. I really can't.
Speaker 1:No, no, no. I mean, here's the thing you accomplished and this is not growing. Smoke up your ass, then. You've accomplished something that there are. How many? 40 million Canadians yeah, 41 million Dream of right. You know, you know Canadians dream of you. Not only did you, you know you can just have a coffee, you were a superstar in the game at the time. I mean, like you, you score, scored more than one goal in the NHL you scored 274. 274 goals. You had. I mean, how many plus 20 goals seasons? Yeah, you had so many goals.
Speaker 3:So let me let me add to that because, like I said, I can't beat myself up. I had a unique career and I only played 12 years, but when you look at where I played, who I played with, yeah. I played with Gretz, I played with Mario, I played in New York, played in LA, and then I played Canada Cobb, and so there's a lot of great things about I got to score 40 goals, which is hard to do.
Speaker 3:I was in Detroit. I have, you know, a point of game, so there's a lot of highlights.
Speaker 2:But more than anything, else I got to play in the All-Star game.
Speaker 3:but I got to my career, started where I needed to start to be who I became today, to be a New York Ranger. You know, with everything that it name recognition it brought the best out of me and so I cannot complain, but still I wish I would have played longer. I had a very unique career.
Speaker 1:But when you strap on the ski attack, right, when you play some of these shared things or whatever, or even if someone says, hey, ron, we're getting a bunch of guys together, you want to come play, yeah, what's your visceral gut reaction?
Speaker 3:Well, part of it is who am I playing with? Who am I playing against? Because I, let's say it's me? Well, yeah, I, because I still I enjoy being a player, I enjoy being the best player that I can be. For who I am today, that means receive a pass, make a pass, score a goal, and a lot of that you're going to get it with other alumni, so and alumni is that can play a little bit. So for me, to go play with a couple of guys who are still playing, like younger ones, that make some plays, score some goals, win a game, that's my thrill.
Speaker 3:Now I can go do other games where playing with the adventurers some will you know they'll miss their pass and they'll this, and that it's kind of sloppy play. I don't enjoy that as much because I still kind of I want to play it where it feels good, right, where we're different, we're playing against them. We are different, you might be skating fast but we're going to oh, thank you not play. So I love going on these tours. We just finished a tour.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And where were we? We were in New Brunswick.
Speaker 2:New Brunswick. Yeah, I got to jump in and tell the story about you. You were playing your third game you got better every game and this was in Richard Bucktoe and you're flying down the ice. Matthew Dandenoh's pass was about 10 feet behind you and so you cross the blue line. The play ends up getting whistled dead and you go back and you just give him a nice little nod and a look there and he goes I got you. And then your play comes back around almost identical. 10 seconds later it's a plate. Come around, dandenoh's got the puck. You're flying down the wing. This time it was right on the tape and you just knifed right in and you were smoking it and Dandenoh made no mistake that time that he was going to get you on the pass and I thought that's NHL guys doing NHL things right there.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, we separate ourselves from the others, and there's even a little bit of a lot of lies, yeah, and there's little things.
Speaker 3:In fact, I had an amateur playing on our team and he was playing defense and every faceoff I tell him okay, be ready, Because this is what I'm trying to do. Well, I probably lost half of them, which is normal, Because these kids go in there and they're just slapping on Puck is bouncing. So anyways, after the game the guy was kind of joking around, which I didn't like as joking. He says, Ron, you kept telling me, you got there.
Speaker 3:You only got it. You didn't get it back that much. And I was just kind of thinking about it and saying that because it almost hurt me a little bit. But I thought about it later what I should have said to him. I said, look, this is who I am. I get ready for every faceoff and if I win that faceoff and you're not ready, that's a miss opportunity. Or I win that faceoff, you're ready, we score that goal. That could be a game winning goal at any time. So I kind of take it seriously is what I should have said to him. Because he didn't quite get it, yeah, and so, yeah, there's certain situations where I bear down.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, and one of them is a faceoff.
Speaker 3:I'd like to be able to. I'd love to be able to get ready and do it. Well, it doesn't always happen. Now we can face off. The puck bounces. Amateurs can beat you because it bounces. So my point is is like there's certain places where we can, you know, we read each other and moving, and that's kind of what I enjoy playing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Well, you guys had a ton of fun. We had five towns and five nights and I think we had a great group. You guys really I know you've done a million of these with so many guys, but you know and. But when it's guys like Stephane Ruchet and Rick Vibe and Lucy and Deblau Brian Scrugland, they're saying they how much they enjoyed it being around everyone, being around each other. I think you guys fed off each other that way too.
Speaker 2:Like you seem to have that kind of fun and the crowd is reacting to you guys as well, especially when you played the kids, when they put the little kids on the ice and the crowd you know many of the parents are there- watching that so Well, once we leave the game, what is it that we're losing or missing?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that old, at least that question, Exactly, it's that interaction with the fans. Where do you get to go, where you're getting a response from something you're doing? Right, you're on the ice and people applaud score goals, and where else are you going to get that? Yeah, right, to play in front of I'm not, you can play an empty bill that I can still enjoy, right, well, for me to play like a thousand or 10,000, whatever it is. It goes back to who you are Like. We're, not just I'm.
Speaker 2:When I played, I wasn't just a hockey player.
Speaker 3:And this is I got to bring this up because we didn't. We have not mentioned his name because I Boston, right, Bruins, Esposy, Bobby Orr.
Speaker 2:Yeah so.
Speaker 3:Bobby Orr was my favorite player to watch. My favorite player to watch, not because of his genius, of how he played the game, but it was the entertainment value that he brought. And that's kind of what I saw in him, that I wanted to be him. Not to necessarily play like him I would try to to pump control and be different, but it was the entertainment value on the ice, like he stood out. Now, bobby Orr wasn't doing it to stand out, yeah, right, but he, but he had a way about him like wow, that's entertaining. So by the time I got to New York, I I didn't get to play against Bobby Orr, I was two weeks short, but that's who encouraged me to see it in a different way. Yeah, you're not just a hockey player. Don't be regular, be noticeable. How can you be noticeable? There's different ways you can be noticeable. Sometimes some guys grow their hair. I'm just going to say that that's like six.
Speaker 1:It's like yeah.
Speaker 2:I got to tell you none of that was calculated. It just kind of happened the hair was just the thing right Back then.
Speaker 3:We all had big hair and I just knew when I stepped on the ice, because I knew I can get a response by skating fast, hitting someone, scoring an ice goal, but just playing fast and playing hard. The first time I stepped on the ice at the garden, because they had heard about me yeah, but they hadn't seen me yet. And sure enough, I'm going a hundred miles an hour and didn't take that long where I was getting this response. And next thing you know, it was dues, dues and that's all I needed. I couldn't wait to get back on the ice. That's the entertainment part of it that I kind of miss. I'm not getting it as much anymore. That's kind of what I miss.
Speaker 1:Okay, I think that has been enough for this week. We have, you know what? We have disagreed with a lot of things, which, by the way, makes good television. Well, I mean, I know it's not television- no, but we're on camera.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think the worst thing anybody I'm sure you would say the same Is any show you're listening to or watching, and if everybody agrees- Well, yeah. Unless it's a point that you just both legitimately agree. Well, exactly. And we've agreed on a ton of stuff since we started doing off, so I would pause in McGuire, yeah, but yeah, we have a difference of opinion on a few things and that's good.
Speaker 1:So but we do have to tell you that next week's episode will be kind of a pieced together type thing, because we've got some travel issues and we won't be able to be filming live doing that. So we're going to add well, continue the interviews, we'll add a few things, we'll do a this day in hockey history. Yeah, we'll add all those things, but you won't get the dynamic personalities and the you know, and the and the blood pressure. I do have to do the color correction on Liam's face later on because, well, when we were going on about minor on I was calm.
Speaker 2:Okay, you were, oh yeah you were calm, absolutely calm.
Speaker 1:That's what I thought. Calm, it's a poster boy. Yeah, Absolutely. There's no passion there, so so thank you for watching this week. We will not be live next week, but the following we will. We'll be back, but there will be an episode next week. Watch for it.
