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
Cashless Conundrums: Kilrea's 90th, Trouba's Hit, and Unions Unite
Kicking off with tales of our personal drinking habits and a memorable trip to the Emerald Isle, we set the tone for an episode filled with laughter, nostalgia, and unique insights. We celebrate the 90th birthday of hockey legend Brian Kilrea and navigate the hurdles of conducting public interviews. With stories that take you through the historical labyrinth of hockey player exploitation and the birth of player unions, Derek Sanderson’s career choices serve as the perfect illustration of a bygone era’s financial dynamics.
Shifting gears to the ice, we break down the early NHL season and its surprising twists. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ rocky start gets a close look, with echoes of the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche's own challenges ringing in our ears. Fan reactions on social media are as unpredictable as the game, adding spice to the mix. Standout performances from the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets catch our attention, and we revisit some of our bold pre-season predictions. Meanwhile, Jacob Trouba's recent hit brings the conversation back to the grit of the game and the necessity of a tough team mindset.
From there, we journey through significant moments in hockey history, such as the pivotal "Springfield Incident" and the formation of the NHL Players Union. The narrative also tackles modern societal concerns like cashless transactions and their exclusionary potential. We round off our chat with a nod to consumer advocacy and the importance of maintaining one's convictions in a cashless world. Packed with humor and insights, this episode promises to entertain and engage with stories of past glories and present challenges.
It's Offside with Haas and McGuire, so not hitting on you.
Speaker 2:Are you ready? I'm not drinking.
Speaker 1:Eh, so I apologize, but you go ahead Ready. Oh, should I not? No, no, no, absolutely Go ahead. That's how we start. But you know, go ahead Ready.
Speaker 2:Oh, should I not?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, Absolutely Go ahead. That's how we start. But you know, okay, you ready, I'm ready. Okay, hey, it's Offside with Haas and McGuire. I'm Haas, I'm McGuire, all right, you may have noticed that I'm the only one drinking. He's the only one drinking. Only because I've said to myself I'm on another one of those dry kicks. How am I going to do in that, are you? Yeah, you've been thinking for a long time. Yeah, the problem is that you overthink these things, liam.
Speaker 2:That's what happens.
Speaker 1:That's what they say.
Speaker 2:You can't overthink it. I've been a little on the down low since Ireland, you know what Not going to? Lie. What do you mean? Like you've been? Well, I've been, yeah, definitely haven't been with pedal to metal like I am a lot of times.
Speaker 1:Yeah well, that's good.
Speaker 2:Definitely taking her easy and because that was a Well, you went hard, eh.
Speaker 1:You went hard for a few days, but you were pretty good.
Speaker 2:You were steady, you were steady, you were steady. It wasn't until like 10 years ago.
Speaker 1:No, I wasn't there 10 years ago, but I can tell you you put in a valiant effort.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a good shift, as they say. Yeah, especially the first three days of beer because we were in family. Well, this is the thing. The rest of the three nights were pretty crazy.
Speaker 1:And you know what People have asked. They've said how was Liam on the trip? Was he behaved? Yeah, that was the thing, was he behaved? And I said you know what? Here's the thing Liam had a few days ahead of time, yeah, and we were going to hook up one night, but we didn't. But where you were able to get a lot of that.
Speaker 2:I did.
Speaker 1:That's a great point.
Speaker 2:actually, you got a lot of that.
Speaker 1:So when it came to the time for the actual tour and the trip, you were like you know, you were there and you certainly outpaced everyone. Okay, you know, I think you and Beaver were both star number.
Speaker 2:You know he's a premier, he's a first-round pick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Okay, you guys certainly were two of the three stars of the trip, but it wasn't not. There was no, it was nothing out of control.
Speaker 2:No, no, no. I felt really good about that. Yeah, I didn't get anybody really in any trouble and I kept on down low.
Speaker 1:really you did no no, absolutely. I say that. But I also say to people I say, well, what's Liam? Like I said, well, you remember that 14-year-old friend you had, and they said, yeah, I said that's him, so yeah never grew up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's his.
Speaker 1:You, you know, it's both your strength and your weakness yeah, yeah, no doubt about that's okay, all right, listen, we've got some stuff to talk about, yeah, but in particular, today we're gonna we're gonna add to our episode an interview we did a while back, like not that long ago, but just uh, you know, recently, uh, but in celebration of his 90th birthday, yeah, all right, yeah, so we've got coming up. Later in the episode we have our interview with Brian Kilray, yeah, and it's very illuminating. Now I'm going to tell you again, I'm going to apologize for interviewing people in public places, because I will never learn my own lessons, right Sound?
Speaker 2:Ah, sounds.
Speaker 1:It's so hard to do, right, with all the things in the background and clangety-clang this guy's talking and somebody's screwing somebody's wife over here and this and that. But all that being said, it's a great interview and great story and you know well, we don't want to tip. I don't want to tip the whole thing. You know what I mean. We can talk about it later.
Speaker 2:Well, if nothing else, just a player union conversation. I think it's one every hockey fan should listen to.
Speaker 1:Oh well, it's an important part of the history of the game.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Right yeah. And how it was able to evolve from a place where players were exploited, oh for sure, completely exploited, no question. Yeah Right, they were chattel.
Speaker 2:They were literally chattel yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know what? It's funny? I was actually watching an interview with Derek Sanderson. You know I'll get Boston guy right, okay. So with Derek Sanderson, when he was approached by the WHA, yep, okay, and initially he turned them down. Right, he turned down $2.6 million. Okay, that's what? No, sorry, they offered him $2.3 million and he said, well, if you pay me $2.6 million, I'll make more.
Speaker 2:That was over 10 years. Right, it was a 10-year contract, I believe it was no, no, it was a short-term thing.
Speaker 1:It was a year that he was going to make that money because he said, pe, and he would be the biggest, he would be the highest paid person, okay, and for whatever reason it was. But he had, but he didn't trust that they were actually going to come through. Sure, okay, and then, um, his father said, you got to be loyal to you know what I mean? And so he went and he was going to sign with the bruins for 80, 80 000, okay, and the, the lawyer for the Bruins, pissed him off and said, well, you're only worth $75,000. So, anyways, they came back and said, well, we'll pay you the $80,000. And then the lawyer pops his head in his but I still think you're only worth $75,000. So he goes fuck you. And he went to the WHA. So you know what, even guys who tried to be loyal you know what I mean they got screwed over and this and that. And the WHA did a lot more for the players than the NHL ever did.
Speaker 2:Like that biggest salary increase in NHL history because of the WHA, that's right, and with full salary disclosure in 1991 being the second biggest era in terms of salary increases. But there was nothing like 72, 73. Right, that was monstrous and Derek played a big role in that.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, we both know this. Frank Frank Mahalich. I was going to talk about Frank Mahalich, but because he went to the Toronto Toros, didn't he? Yeah, yeah, because he left and he ended up making way more money at the WHA. Everybody was going through it the year before Phil Esposito with his record-breaking year yeah, 71.
Speaker 3:76, 76, right.
Speaker 1:Okay, $27,000 a year was what his salary was initially $27,000.
Speaker 2:That's ridiculous salary was initially $27,000.
Speaker 1:That's ridiculous. I mean, he did get a major bump the next year, but for a guy who led the league set the scoring record. That's what this guy made and the money that they were bringing in off of their backs.
Speaker 2:Paul Henderson told me he went from $25,000 with the Leafs to $75,000 in the WHA and he had three young girls at home. You know his wife and they had three young girls and he said I guess, no way, I'm passing that money, no way. So that's. It was a case for all of them. Obviously, derek obviously did go. We all know unfortunately things didn't work out for him or the league. But the league lasted seven years. There were 26 franchises, of which I think 16 or 17 hit the ice at one point Right and, and a lot, of, a lot of phenomenal players got their start there and a lot of phenomenal players ended there like like a Frank Mahal, that's right.
Speaker 2:Or a Paul Henderson, although he came back briefly in the NHL with the Atlanta Flames. But yeah, man WHA, brian Kilray, his involvement a little bit earlier with the American Hockey League and the Springfield Indians and what he did with the union unionizing Springfield.
Speaker 1:And that story is. Hopefully the sound's not too bad and people can hear it. Oh no, they'll be able to hear it, but it is a challenge, so I apologize from the outset. Okay, so the NHL is underway. Yeah, there's lots of stuff happening. Yes, and I'm going to say I've watched only one game yet this year. I have been so crazy busy. You're always busy.
Speaker 3:You're always busy.
Speaker 1:I have not had a chance so I watched. Stop to sit down and watch. I watched that Toronto game the other night. That was the only one, because that's the only thing I get. Well, I should say I should get Senator stuff, and there's a way. Apparently they're streaming now on Prime Streaming on Prime.
Speaker 2:They're doing a game a week. I think it is yeah, monday Night, hot, the Monday Night Game.
Speaker 1:I've got to check that out. I haven't been there to watch it and I don't have the PVR anymore and I know nobody has PVRs anymore.
Speaker 2:But I'm still living in the 18th century.
Speaker 1:Last time, the least one to come. Anyhow, you've been watching some stuff and there's been stuff that I have heard about but I'm going to defer to you on it.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, we needed to do a show, because I think our last one was in Ireland. It was in Ireland, in Port Rush, right In Port Rush.
Speaker 1:And it was not that long ago.
Speaker 2:No, I know, and it's so surreal even to just think back where we were that night. A lot of the guys were there watching.
Speaker 1:We had a crowd.
Speaker 2:We had a live crowd and we're going to post that on.
Speaker 2:It's on yeah, yeah, I know that's up, but I mean when we do this one? Well, so we'll let the boys know that you know that, that we're the show's up. Yeah, I know some of them know already. There they have it, but some of the other guys that didn't know, uh, want to know when the next one's up. Okay, I just think it's cool, because they were all sitting around and we were when we were doing the show and you had such an amazing night with the storyteller and the guy who sang rocky road to Dublin. Then the woman comes out of the back and absolutely walked right out of an opera stage. I mean it was unbelievable that whole night. But yeah, man, listen, we needed to do a show, we needed to tee up Kill Ray.
Speaker 2:I was at his 90th birthday party. I was asked to speak. It was a tremendous honour. I did their auction no surprise there, but happy to do it, and just really happy and honored to have a chance to say a couple of words about Killer. And so that's why this interview is perfect timing. Perfect timing to go up. So I hope, if you do nothing else, man, watch that interview. This guy turned 90 on Monday. The birthday was celebrated on the 20th. He turned on the 21st and I'm really happy that we were able to get him.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely, and put him on. Well, we've got to do it again because there's so much history in here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we barely scratched the surface, yeah, and so much that I mean Irrespective of his time too, and you know, it's just even at 90.
Speaker 2:No, listen, yeah, it was. You know, levente Zuper flew in from Budapest to attend this thing. Oh, really, on Sunday. Yeah, if you could imagine, he took three planes, it took a day and a half travel or something, and he came all the way to see Killer. It's just not the type of effect the guy had. So I'm really pleased we had a chance to sit down with him. And in terms of Leafs, I mean right now, whenever we get this up, maybe a little right of the ship, but right now, chris, they are absolutely sucking. Right now, how's our number of other teams, including Montreal and the Edmonton Oilers, and the Edmonton Oilers, who started terribly, then got a couple of wins and then blew a lead against Carolina, picked up a point? Connor looks like he's starting to turn it around, which we know he will.
Speaker 1:We know he will, but it's not. Did you see that? I don't know if you saw that faked, it's like a fake video. Oh, the AI stuff that's out there. Oh yeah, I saw it, it's on free.
Speaker 2:It's the funniest stuff going. Who's ever putting these together? Is on free Like it's tears running down your face. Funny the commentary about Conor talking about Skinner and about Bouchard and the whole thing, and the same one. They just did one with Jacob Truva after his hit on goal.
Speaker 2:We'll talk about that too, about that hit. We can finish with that if you want. I know we're not going to be on long today, but anyway, the Leafs, you know everyone're. We're less than 10 games in. You got to figure they're going to right the ship, much like edmonton has a little bit. Look, colorado lost first four, have won the next four right, and they absolutely spank utah last night like that was just a spank job and utah started pretty strong.
Speaker 1:They did start strong, but you know what you expect, that it's a new franchise. You know they're kind of coming to the gate. Christ's sake, the Ottawa Senators won their very first game in history against the Montreal Canadiens. That's true.
Speaker 2:And the Habs won the Cup that year, so you know it just goes to show you anything can happen early on.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of we're all guilty.
Speaker 2:We all can be guilty. Everybody is guilty today, because the phones, the phones. You live minute by minute, period by period, shift by shift. Somebody has a bad shift.
Speaker 2:Twitter blows up and says the guy's a bum, cut him, trade him. You know, I mean it's, it's unfreaking, believable the way the world is today. And these are all Bob and a bunch of numbers commenting, and from their mom's basement, you know the usual gibberish and and and it's uh, that's what's out there today that that carries the day the majority. The day the majority of the commentary is that type of commentary. So you have to. You have to, you know, disseminate through a lot of bullshit, but at the end of the day, if you watch the Leafs play right now, yeah, that's, that's a couple of real bad games in a row. For a team that kind of should be on cruise control, as they have been mostly in the Austin Matthews era, especially the Golden Four era, and they just cruise into the playoffs before they explode, right, right, yeah, so they're going a little early this year it appears well, no, you know what I think, and I don't like the leafs.
Speaker 1:I was just again, I would. I would like to see the leafs reach their potential, okay yeah, I really would.
Speaker 2:I feel there's a joke coming in here, for sure no no, no, no, no, I really do.
Speaker 1:I do wish they reached their potential. I just you know what. It is just so frustrating, though, to see them do this over and over again, and like they're their own worst enemies, Right. At the end of the day. You know that game the other night it was good, but like the Rangers fuck, like they're a strong team, eh, Rangers fuck. Like they're a strong team, eh, well, they're, I mean again.
Speaker 2:We're coming up to like when we get through this weekend, half the teams will have achieved the 10-game mark. Yeah, so far in the early going NHL, the Rangers are the best I've seen. Yeah, they're the best team that I've seen. Notwithstanding, I have not watched a full 60 minutes of Winnipeg, who are 7-0. Right, so I'll say that openly. I've not watched a full 60 minutes of Winnipeg. I've gone like this and said, oh, yeah, the Jets, okay, they're winning 2-0. Okay, back and go back to the other game they're 7-0.
Speaker 2:So, you know, and Calgary just had their first loss, regulation loss, the other night. So, maybe anomalies? Yeah, probably, but and that holds true for the Leafs yeah, probably, and that holds true for the Leafs as well. But at the end of the day, Austin's, you know they're off to a slow start. It's a slow start. Let's call it what it is, because that's what it is. It's a slow start. And, yeah, they should still be able to back into the playoffs. But when you've got some question marks in goal, which they do and when you have a defense that continues to be a work in progress, they don't know what's going on with Lindgren, the online battles over Lindgren. I tell you if you like that sort of thing. It's required reading because it's unbelievable Leaf fans going at each other, oh my.
Speaker 2:God.
Speaker 3:It's unbelievable.
Speaker 2:It's unbelievable. I know you're not on Twitter. It's hilarious to read, but having said that, you know I mean you're getting some mileage out over Yale, like they're going to turn it around, but right now they're definitely in quicksand right now, so we'll see, I will tell you this.
Speaker 1:You know I mean I want to leave you. Like I said, I made a prediction that the Edmonton Oilers are going to be the President's Cup winners. You did?
Speaker 2:You said that in Ireland. Yeah Well, I went out in a limb called Florida to repeat. Right now they're looking pretty strong. I mean, they beat New York the other night in New York, but big deal. You know what?
Speaker 1:Speaking of New York, by the way. Yeah, no one wants to fight Rempy.
Speaker 2:No, no one's going to fight him right now.
Speaker 1:What they sent him down.
Speaker 2:Sent him down to the minors. When was that? He's gone to the Hartford Wolfpack. They sent him down 24 hours ago, really. Yeah, well, he's played two games. He's played two games and he had his customary fights there. He fought Keefe, fought somebody else, I think, and they sent him down. And they sent him down. They don't have room for him in the lineup right now. Much like the Habs right now aren't dressing Jack. I know they probably will tomorrow night because Baron I doubt very much will be dressing. We can talk about that hit in a minute, but Jack is not dressing right now. I don't think that's indicative of anything. In terms of fighting per se, he has not a particularly good. He's only played four games at a Montreal start. He hasn't picked up a point.
Speaker 1:Is his brother playing as well?
Speaker 2:He's playing in Laval, oh okay, he's playing in Laval and they're off to a nice start. But whatever American Hockey League, and that's where development goes. But Rempe has gone down under the commentary that he's going to refine his game.
Speaker 1:Right, because he's a rookie, though, he didn't have to pass waivers, he didn't have to do anything.
Speaker 2:No, they sent him right down. They sent him right down. Yeah, no worry about being claimed, because I think somebody would. If they had the chance, somebody would grab him for depth, if nothing else. I mean he was a story for six weeks in the NHL last year. Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I don't care what, and it was trending that way early this year because of the video that he showed a training with George LaRock on the ice. He went on the ice and George LaRock trained him how to fight and showing him how to work uppercuts it was. I mean, that's hockey, baby. That's what I'm talking about right there.
Speaker 1:Well, it's good to see that George LaRock is being able to do some good consulting work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, hey, hey, a guy's got to work, man, a guy's got to eat, well, yeah, Again.
Speaker 1:He should be maybe working for the NHL in player safety.
Speaker 2:Well, george Peros is. What's the difference? So you know? I mean, the only difference is George LaRock was one of the most feared enforcers ever, whereas George Peros had about an 18-month window where he might have been up there before he got speed bagged by Colton Orr and knocked into nine years from now. So now he's running the Department of Player Safety and nothing against George Peros. He's actually an incredibly gifted academic man with a university and college education from the United States. He's actually quite smart. But hey, listen, the guy can make seven figures a year and you're a big, strong man. All you got to do is drop the gloves 30 times a year. You're going to do it. I'd do it. You'd do it, I'd do it.
Speaker 1:You know I mean, if I do it, I do it for about a year, right?
Speaker 2:Well, we say that now because we sit here, because we can't conceptualize what that would be like to be able to sign a two or three or four year contract, basically guaranteeing your life financially.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing because you're, you're six foot four, 250, 240, I know, and, and you know what, and, and the thing is is like hockey fights are different than getting punched in the head by your brothers, right?
Speaker 3:well, yeah, okay, your brother, or or a street fight yeah, or in a street fight yeah
Speaker 2:it's different like, or a bar fight street there's a decorum in hockey fighting right plus the refs are coming in at some risk, I mean if everything goes to hell in a handbasket, you're gonna yeah, yeah the rest will come in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So you're right based down, rent based down and by the way, chris should point it out because I just heard it coming in. This be old news by the time we post, but Lafreniere just signed seven years with the Rangers, did he? Yeah, seven points something. I didn't hear the actual number. So it's got to be over a 50 mil contract and he's off to a great start. He's playing so well. I'm so happy.
Speaker 1:We all fell in love with him, what he did for Team Canada and the World Juniors and with Barrett Hayden there. But he had a rough go in New York for the first bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, he was down to the fourth line. They were screaming because you live right now for the moment, this is the point I'm making. Look at Byfield in LA who's starting really to turn and burn and play. Well, you know, it's because Stusla came in Ottawa and did so well, right, and Jake Sanderson, and they did so well. And these picks that were taken ahead of these guys languishing and looking terrible well not so much right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, lafreniere's on the best team in the league and he's right there behind, you know, jibanejad and Panarin. You know I mean it's the other way around, but I mean he would be probably the Now.
Speaker 1:Panera. Is he the guy who owns the bread company?
Speaker 2:Yeah, same guy. Yeah, the bread man. Most of you guys out there, your moms would know them very well exactly.
Speaker 1:They've got some good soups too just delivered. We had the bread delivered.
Speaker 2:Really yeah, we had the bread delivered in Stoneham as kids. We had bread delivered.
Speaker 1:But not the Panera bread.
Speaker 2:like not that Panera it never came to Stoneham in the 1960s. No, I was going to say I have no idea what it was, but we had our bread delivered.
Speaker 1:So you see, we had a big family, right, you guys aren't that big, just three boys, yeah. So, and we used to, like you know, whatever it was, my mom used to go and buy day old bread Okay, day old bread, we'd go to the bakery directly. It was a bakery in Coniston. Okay, we'd go directly to the bakery. She'd buy day old bread and they'd have the racks where there'd be a dozen loaves of bread on the racks and we'd just pick up the rack and put it in the car, nice, and return the rack the next week because we would go through that much bread and more every week, yeah, awesome, and milk, I love that, and milk.
Speaker 2:We would buy milk.
Speaker 1:Milk was affordable. I drank a ton. I remember my father seriously considering okay and having a. It wasn't an argument, but it was a discussion with Phil Nadowskiowski, who was the mayor at the time. Okay, uh, who ended up winning the lottery, by the way? No way, yeah, he won. He won the olympic lotto in 1976 or whatever.
Speaker 1:come on first, yeah, first millionaire, okay, yeah, crazy anyhow. So uh, he's saying, trying to convince me why can't I have a cow? He goes I had a cow, we had a cow when I grew up in Nova Scotia. Yeah, okay, and that's what we. Why can't I have a cow?
Speaker 2:1930s what's the difference.
Speaker 1:My kids, my kids are. They're eating me out of house and home.
Speaker 3:So, and I remember that, and Phil goes you can't have a cow in town.
Speaker 2:You're not allowed to have a cow in the town.
Speaker 2:Well, you remember Claire Alexander for Toronto back in the 70s. His nickname was the Milkman. And then there's that funny story about how a young delivery milk at five in the morning in Chicago hammered out of his mind. He took the police about six blocks to catch up to him and he kind of crashed in the truck and he drank all night with the milk guy who got hammered. So then he said I'll do your route. He didn't know where he was going, he wasn't from chicago, he just started dropping milk at any any of the addresses. He rolled over a couple mailboxes and hit a couple cars. They phoned the police on him. By the time they tracked him down he was wherever you know. He already crashed the milk truck. But uh so, and panarin is the bread man. Yeah, he, he's the bread man, yeah, and he is delivering. Speaking of delivering, the bread.
Speaker 1:Look at you with the hole. Hey, you know. Ron McLean's got nothing on me, all right, well, okay, so we were going to talk about speaking of New York Rangers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we should talk about the hit, I guess. Yeah, well, you talked about. First of, I love Trouba so do I, my god, he'd play on my team any day, absolutely.
Speaker 1:But tell me about this hit, tell me about the.
Speaker 2:I feel, as the NHL did. There was no call at the time on the ice and there was no supplementary discipline or investigation. I think that's perfectly right. If anybody watching and this has been indicated by many media people, uh, both in in print or electronic or or on camera, a number of people who have a tremendous problem with the hit and you lobby the nhl to change the rule, because by the rule under the rule.
Speaker 2:So describe the hit to me well, a baron came across the blue line carrying the puck and had his chin on his chest.
Speaker 3:That's basically what it was.
Speaker 2:Trouba saw another victim of the Trouba train and came in basically like Scott Stevens used to. Now, yes, we all know that some of Stevens' hits back in the day would be penalties today Because he did target the head and he did blatantly, maybe borderline interference or whatever, and it was called a good hit back in the day. You know this absolutely. So in the case today, in 2024, truba came in, he made contact here right there first, and Baron also, who's not a small man, he's six foot two, yeah, and but he was kind of in the process of trying to cut. He was down a little bit.
Speaker 2:We all skate. Anybody who skates knows you don't all skate like this. He's carrying the puck. He was in like this a little bit. Truba came in at an angle, skates down, elbow down, shoulder down, shoulder to chest, came up, head was secondary point of contact, right and he laid him out and it was a good, clean hit. That's the way I saw it. I don't think there should have been any extra uh penalty on the play and if you can find the AI of the true, but hey.
Speaker 2:I swear to god, you better have some Kleenex, because you'll be mopping up tears. It's so freaking funny and, look, I bleed Habs. I'm a hardcore Hab fan. The score was 5-2. At the time, mike Matheson of all people, they didn't dress Jack Eye Rangers didn't dress Rempe, so we missed out on that. It would have been a nice heavyweight tilt and as a result, we got Matheson jumping in, who's borderline getting hurt every second game anyway, and he went in and started firing right hands.
Speaker 1:Is that Kelly Gruber of the?
Speaker 2:Montreal Canadiens. Well, you know what? It's funny. You say Kelly Gruber, but that's that's. That's Goulet. Goulet right now is another guy. He plays. He plays like Scott Stevens, except he's half the size, you know, and you're back there as a defense hitting everything that moves Like. I love him as a player. When he's in the lineup he's probably Montreal's best overall defenseman. You know, notwithstanding, uh, lane hudson's made a made a hell of an impression here in the early going last few games, more for some defensive lapses, but he's still so dynamic when he's carrying the puck. It's incredible, notwithstanding, to get a couple of giveaways in the last few games and been stripped of the puck. But the hit was clean. Did you see it? No, I didn't.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, that's why I asked the hit was clean.
Speaker 2:We needed to comment on it. It was the number one topic in the league for 48 hours, until the next one. Yeah, and there was no supplementary discipline or even disgust, chris.
Speaker 1:Well, I will trust as you've described it. I trust that your recollection of that was accurate and you know what. Here's the thing it's against the Habs too, like you know I don't want Barron out.
Speaker 2:I mean, the guy who was playing looked like OK, the thing is, chris, and you know Sidney Crosby trains. Barron's a Nova Scotia kid. They train out there. Chase said Montreal's got such a blue chipper. They traded Lackin and Vorm, right, and they got such a blue chipper and he's this and he's that. Hey, he's a real pretty player. Yeah, you know he's really pretty. But you know you just don't win Like hello. Did anybody watch the playoffs last year?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what, here's the thing.
Speaker 2:One, start building your team of ax murderers back there. That's how you win. You have to have a group of guys that are ready to go out there and absolutely execute in more ways than one. Well, you know what Can't be a bunch of pansies. And if you're going to go, everybody should be going. You know, I had to laugh at the broadcaster doing the game after the hit and Trouba comes out of the box. Oh, everybody's now making sure that, taking a good, healthy run and letting Jacob Trouba know they're there. Should you not have been doing that already? Holy fuck, I mean, it's just unbelievable to me. I don't understand it. Where's the guys? Run the game, run your team, understand what you need and if you're going to go, if you're gonna go, if you're gonna make the decision, I love Josh Anderson, speaking of big guys, he's pushing 6-3, probably about 208, built like that door, you know, and he can fight.
Speaker 2:But he's out there with, uh, whatever, schneider, whatever his name, is out there who's kind of like he. He's pushing the envelope physically in terms of the pushing match, you know, like it's going. Like this, josh, it's pretty much go time. It's 5-2. You know what? Buddy, drop the flippers and let's go, kid, let's go. What are you doing? You're going to score five goals this year. Get on the goddamn game sheet. Very frustrating to watch. Frustrating to watch. From that point of view, it's the Hab fan coming out of me, but the hit was clean. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 1:Next topic we're going to jump right over to speaking of watching and fans and stuff like that. To the gentleman who scored the very first goal for the Los Angeles Kings yeah, we're jumping to our interview.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're going to play the interview.
Speaker 1:We're going to play our interview and then we'll come back after that.
Speaker 2:Also had the first ever misconduct in Los Angeles King history. Did he really? Yeah, in game two he got a tripping penalty in the third period against the Minnesota North Stars. I believe the referee was Vern Buffy. He's passed away but he wrote a book called Black and White and Never Right and it was co-written with a man named Mike Monty who was one of my professors at college. And I met Vern back in 81, 82, and he's still alive and he said I have never I'd been in the NHL six years at that point and I never heard a man swear like Brian Kilroy.
Speaker 2:So we gave him a misconduct penalty and it was the first misconduct in LA King history. Oh, there you go.
Speaker 1:So that's, he's got two records there. Yeah, all right, that was good. Here we're queuing up our episode of Shooting the Shot. Shooting the Shot hey, welcome to Offside with Haas McGuire. I'm Haas, I'm McGuire. Today, it's another one of our segments we like to call Shooting the Shot. That's right, it's pronounced shot, not what you would normally say Today we're shooting the shot with A legend.
Speaker 1:A legend, and we'll talk about this soon. Why don't you introduce who we're talking about? Should we say where we are? Oh yeah, absolutely. We are at Broadway's Bar and Grill, yeah, okay, which, by the way, the best, best, like honestly best breakfast in all of Ottawa. Yeah, it's great breakfast, the whole fries. I, for one, can attest to the fact that you know so, if my you don't miss many meals, eh, bud? No, well, you know what? Not here we actually, kristen, my wife, well, my wife will actually come and pick them up and bring them home.
Speaker 1:No kidding, absolutely, we're a very big Broadway customer.
Speaker 2:Well, so is this guy every Tuesday, and we're at the Prince of Wales and Fisher location and we thank them very much for giving us a little bit of space here, because Killer comes in here on Tuesdays, as he told me on the phone yesterday when we set this up, Chris, so I feel very thankful that you can do this with us Killer.
Speaker 2:It's a great spot and I know you're here with a bunch of guys that many in Ottawa would know, for example, terry Marcotte and Dave Shriver here today and Donnie Brennan is covering the Red Rocks.
Speaker 3:It's easy to hear Donnie Campbell.
Speaker 2:Donnie Campbell. It's easy to hear we have a good group.
Speaker 2:Long-time journalists and I will formally introduce you, brian, even though you really don't need any. But he's the winningest coach in Canadian major junior hockey history 1,193 wins, I believe. Five-time coach of the year in the O, two-time coach of the year in Canada, two-time Memorial Cup winner, scored the first ever goal for the LA Kings, played with Detroit in the late 50s, had a game with the Red Wings in Gordie Howe, springfield, and his association with Eddie Shore is where we're going to start this interview, chris.
Speaker 1:Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before we start, I've got to mention something here. We've met before. We've actually met on a couple of occasions, and I used, to believe it or not. When I was a comedian your namesake Barr I used to perform in the basement of him all the time.
Speaker 3:Killers on.
Speaker 1:Marybell, I was there, okay, but we met when I was about a 14 year old kid. I grew up in a little town, you may know it Coniston.
Speaker 3:Definitely I do Home of Jimmy Fox.
Speaker 1:That's right. Well, literally right across the street from my house, but I was the worst pick you never made. That's what I'm here to say. You know, you pick Dino, you pick Boyd, you pick Foxx, and where are they now? None of them are playing. I'm still playing. So, as far as longevity goes, I just want to say I was the better player.
Speaker 3:Jimmy Fox is doing the call for LA Kings. He probably stayed there for a while. He's doing a good job.
Speaker 1:He's doing a great job. He's actually in the California Sports Hall of Fame now. Yes, he is For both that and he also owns a venue. That's right yeah he's very successful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know he's done very well. He was always a nice guy. He actually taught me the toe drag when I was a kid, so he's a few years older, an outstanding junior. My brothers played on that Pee Wee hockey team. I should have brought the picture, I should have posted it. So Randy Jimmy, chris, vino, riel Gervais my two brothers all on one team in a tiny little town of Napa.
Speaker 3:There's also another guy there that was constantly Jerry Foley. That's right, yeah, I played with Jerry Foley for many years in Springfield Super individual. But the funny part was, not only did Sudbury not get any of the Dose Street, I drafted Mario Seri out of Sudbury and Daniel Long out of just on the other side of Sudbury, walden, I think it was. And so we had five. So when we used to go there, I think we had more fans for us than Sudbury.
Speaker 1:Well, I remember going to those games when you guys would come and visit Sudbury. Yeah, you know, because everybody loved the success of the other people.
Speaker 1:That's one of the best parts of Northern Ontario, I'll tell you, is that people celebrated the success of other people and really wanted them to succeed once they were on their way. It wasn't easy, though. My father tells the story of how a lot of people were very hard on Jimmy when he was coming up. They didn't like the fact that he was so good and they were screaming at him in the stands and lots of stuff like that.
Speaker 3:Then he moved to North Bay and played for North Bay for a couple of years At 14? Yeah, At 14, yeah, no no he was a phenomenal, phenomenal artist.
Speaker 1:That's for sure, unbelievable. But you know what? We're not here to talk about Connison. We're here to talk about Ryan Kilray and some of the benchmark things that you've done in your career. And, liam, you led to the first piece that most people won't even know.
Speaker 2:No, most don't and I had the privilege of attending a Bill Kitchen memorial event with Killer just a number of months back and I grabbed on my phone just a bit of a bit of video of you talking, I believe, about 1967 in Springfield, if I've've got the year right when Eddie Shore and I'm going to roll it out Killer correct me on any details I've got wrong, but I think he suspended several players without pay, including Bill White, and I think you spoke up and then ultimately were suspended immediately for speaking up you and somebody else, and then it led to a confrontation with Shore and in there I've got a bit of a gray area at what point Alan Eagleson was called to come down, and you can kind of take it from there, because it's my belief that that conference it's not only my belief. I believe this is a fact that the actual start of the NHL Players Union such as is today was a genesis of what happened to you in Springfield in 67 with Eddie Shore. Can you shed some light on that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, as it turned out, the three players were Dale Rowe, dave Emanuel and Bill White. They were the heart of our team and they held out at training camp.
Speaker 3:And they all won the $500 raise, which sure didn't want to give, but finally couldn't start the season without these three defensemen. So, as it turned out, we had to give it to them. But, as it turned out, we had a week off. We played a Saturday night game and we had a week off. Well, after that game he suspended those three players for a week and it was just magically for that $500 that they held out for at training camp. So, as it turned out, I did speak up. But we had a banquet, a booster card banquet, and when we were told they were suspended they were upset the players. So some of the players asked me would I go and speak up? So I went to shore the next day and I said but I did say before, I said I'll tell you right now what's going to happen. I'll go and speak up and he's going to suspend me. That's first.
Speaker 3:But I said I'll still do it so, as it turned out, the next day, I went to meet eddie shore as he walked in the ring and, as it turned out, I said I'm here on behalf of the players and representing them the three putters and he suspended me and he told me I represent nothing. That wasn't his words. I'm cleaning it up. Anyway, as it turned out, I walked back to addressing but sure, beat me to it and he said so what's?
Speaker 3:all this. He said stick around, I got letters for y'all, anyway. So I came in and I said guys, there's no years waiting around and I'll try and talk to him tomorrow. And I said we should leave. So we all left, but we went over to a handy bar across the street to talk about it and I was pretty smart for one thing because Jerry Foley was one of the most respected guys on our team. And I said, foley, this is probably going to get bigger than we want. Why don't you be a spokesman with me? And I don't mind doing the talking, but I'd like to know that you're with me. He said, yeah.
Speaker 3:So anyway, before we could get out of that bar, the trainer came in with a letter from me that I was suspended for a different play. Now we had played the last game on a Saturday night and I had a goal in three assists. So it was a different play. I guess I should have got about 10. I don't know. But anyway, as it turned out, we kept them out and I kept calling meetings morning and night just to try to keep the guys so they'd understand what's going on. So we did it for a couple of days and finally I didn't realize it would get so big.
Speaker 3:And finally we were getting nationwide. We were getting reporters from New York, boston, chicago, they're all coming down to the interviews. So we had a rule no one could do an interview but me. I didn't want to have someone speak and say something that was really going to be detrimental to us. You know, it wasn't very many things we want. We just wanted the players back and really proper medical, which we didn't have.
Speaker 3:And anyway, finally, on the Thursday I think it was Bill White said what about that guy in Toronto? It's not Bobby Orr. He said Al Eagles. I said fine. I said this is above me. So I called Eagles. I said fine. I said this is above me. So I called Eagles and Eagles said I see, you got a little bit of a problem down there. I said a big one. He said I'll fly down tonight. We brought a fella by the name of Ray Smaila with them. They flew into Hartford that night. Jerry and I went and picked him up, brought them in. We had a meeting on Friday. We talked to the players and he said we're going to schedule a meeting at the shore. And he went over to shore and Ray Smail came back and he said Well, we're back Now.
Speaker 1:What you know what? Something I never, I never mentioned to you while we were in ireland, but because we weren't near there. But there's, there's a little town, the south there's I'm gonna tell you. So I'm talking to outside, inside, but an inside comment. It is, yeah, but I was going to tell you this. There's a town called Kilray in Tipperary, okay, okay, which is Spelled the same right.
Speaker 3:Yeah same way, same way.
Speaker 1:Okay, spelled the same way, and it's actually about not even three miles from where Kristen's family no way comes from in that area. Well, from where Kristen's family comes from in that area, that's a long way there. It is a long way to Tipperary it is, as a matter of fact, one of my favorite Mary Tyler Moore episodes was that last one, yeah that.
Speaker 2:And then there was Corsica. What a great show.
Speaker 1:Wasn't it.
Speaker 2:Great show, great theme song too Great theme song and what a great actress and that whole show, every actor in there was phenomenal.
Speaker 1:You know what we'll do At the end of this show. We'll end the show. We'll sing the theme song. Okay, do you remember it?
Speaker 2:I'm definitely not singing the theme song.
Speaker 1:Come on, you can sing the theme song Turn the world on with a smile.
Speaker 2:I'll drink my Molson X.
Speaker 1:Okay, maybe we won't do that, but will you twirl around in?
Speaker 3:the middle of the city street and throw your hat out.
Speaker 1:I'll twirl around and throw it empty. All right, so we're going to close on something. What are we going to talk?
Speaker 2:about. Well, I wanted to give the Sens a shout out, you know. I mean. They're off to a great start here. They're hitting. Now. We're on the verge. By the time you post this, we'll be coming up to the verge of the month that's killed them Right For the last three years. Yeah, so what's your gut feel?
Speaker 1:We'll finish on this note. How do you think they're?
Speaker 2:going to do.
Speaker 1:So I have been just following them from reports, right, okay, okay.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's right, you haven't seen it.
Speaker 1:I haven't seen them play yet. Okay, okay, I'm not going to the rink anymore. Why not? Because they don't take money. Are they going cashless? Yeah, and I don't believe in that. I think it's completely.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that actually it's horrible. Maybe I did and I'd forgotten.
Speaker 1:So it forces everybody to have a credit. Of course I have a credit card.
Speaker 2:I got all the things, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:But what if you're person and someone gives you tickets to the game? You can't get a drink because you don't have a credit card. You can't get a. You can't buy a pretzel for your kid yeah, because you don't have a, you know. Or, oh, you got to use your bank card, which they charge you fee after fee after, yeah that's fundamentally wrong.
Speaker 2:I got my prescott hotels doing the same thing.
Speaker 1:Pisses me off well, you know what I? I don't think that it should be legal. I mean that it says says right there on your frigging bills this note is legal tender. Yeah Right, yeah, okay. And that's the whole idea behind cash, this whole digital bullshit and I get. Oh well, you know what, it saves us from having to do accounting at the end of the day, accounting money and all that stuff. It goes directly into the bank, yes, but you're disenfranchising whole groups of people. You know what I mean. Anyways, that's just my thing. I'll watch them on TV, I'll go and see them at another rink that accepts cash, but I'm not going anymore. They're not going to change their rules for me.
Speaker 2:No, you're probably not alone, but unfortunately there won't be enough of you. That's going to make it no, no.
Speaker 1:But you know what?
Speaker 1:Here's the thing, you don't stand up for it. Now, next thing you know you have no rights. They take away. You know what this is? It was an analogy that was given to me and I thought man, that's exactly it. We're frogs in a pot and they've been turning up the heat gradually and changing things gradually, so it's not all. One Next thing, you know, we're going to be boiled right Because we are finding another lily pad. Well, no, you can't. You're in the pot. They're turning up the heat slowly and the water's getting hotter, so we don't notice it and we don't jump out. That's the thing. That's what's happening with everybody in society. I know I'm going to leave because I've got to get my tinfoil hat, okay, and go to a meeting of the Conspiracies Anonymous or something, but anyway, it's just one of those things. So, mr Andelauer, you know what? I love your team, all that stuff. But you know what? This whole ridiculous not accepting cash is punitive to the poor people who live in this country, frankly, uh well, I'm, I'm pissed off about it too.
Speaker 2:Obviously I, I always. I'm still a guy that carries cash. I still I find I pull it out to pay. They've already punched in ready for me to put a card. Oh, I'm paying by cash. And you almost have to ask now do you take cash? I've said that at cashiers even in the last seven days, a couple of places where I've been you take cash. Yeah, yeah, we take cash. So you know you still pay. But I mean I'd forgotten that, that the rink had gone cashless.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's too bad. The last time I was, it was like you know.
Speaker 2:Fair enough.
Speaker 1:You're making a statement. Absolutely, I'm only hurting myself, but you know they don't care. They don't care about me, right.
Speaker 2:Well, they certainly don't care about somebody who's going to draw a line and say I'm not coming because you're not taking cash.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, but if you don't draw a line, if people don't stand up and vote with their feet, then all they're doing is accepting poor service, bad behavior.
Speaker 2:I agree All those things I agree. You're a man of conviction and you're standing by it.
Speaker 1:I applaud that. Actually those convictions were overturned. Okay, that's right.
Speaker 2:That's true. You got off those you did have a good lawyer.
Speaker 1:I did. You know Well, you know why I use my credit card to pay for it there, you go. All right, we're done this is it.
Speaker 2:You finished your beer. I didn't even get my pint done. I'm very close.
Speaker 1:This is a short episode.
Speaker 2:This is a very short episode.
Speaker 1:All right, well, listen, there's anything you have to say in closing, but we'll be back another day We'll be back.
Speaker 2:No, I'm good. We and T-Up killer. That was the most important thing, all right. Well, this has been Offside with Haas and McGuire. I'm Haas, I'm McGuire, g'day.
