Devils Insider - Episode 27 - March 19th - A Family Affair

Welcome back to Devils Insider for this week's edition of the podcast!

Weekend review: After losing in Glasgow on Friday, and dominating the Panthers on Sunday, the guys breakdown a Jekyll and Hyde weekend (00:00)

Interview: Brett Perlini joins the show and chats about his career, growing up in a hockey playing family, and scoring a Continental Cup winning hat-trick (18:25)

Quiz Time: Gaz and Franny are put through their paces again with another edition of "Who am I?" (49:25)

Look ahead: A home double header is on the horizon for the Devils against the Stars this weekend, what can we expect? (54:15)

Thanks as always for listening in, and remember to hit that subscribe button! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Today's podcast is brought to you by Minerva Hearing. Hear the cheers, protect your ears. Shemai Pao Bakroiso. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to Devil's Insider for another episode of your Cardif Devils official podcast. Dan Ruther back in the studio this week alongside Gary Thewish and Neil Francis. Guys, it's good to be back. Thank you very much for holding down the fort last week. You did a great job. And uh yeah, it's good to be back with you both. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Yes, very good, Dan. As always, we miss you greatly when you're away. Luckily for you, you didn't miss anything at the home game on the weekend. So we'll um just brush over that in a second and uh get on to the preview.

SPEAKER_04 0:35

Yeah, nothing, nothing to really talk about this week. Um, Randy, we'll start with with with Friday. I say nothing, but I wish we didn't have to talk about Friday, to be honest with you, but we'll go ahead and do it. Devils got to Glasgow and they they're beaten by the clan on Friday night. A tough result and a tough evening.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Yeah, I I think this weekend we saw both sides of the card of devils, didn't we? And it was the the worst side that came out first in um in Glasgow. Great start, you know, on the road in Glasgow. You go out, we get a power play goal, you know, the elusive power play goals, although they are coming more and more regularly now, which is great to see. Um, but then after that, I I I think the word that I would describe was sloppy um all over the ice. There was turnovers in offensive zone and defensive zone that ultimately led to to goals, and it was um it was really disappointing not to join the dots from the Belfast performances and uh and continue on the momentum. And um, you know, but sometimes you have to take a step backwards to go forwards, and clearly that's what happened on on Sunday.

SPEAKER_04 1:41

Guys, it felt to be honest, you the the the biggest issue I thought on Friday was the fact the devils kept conceding in bad ways at bad times. You talk about sloppiness, you think you get a goal up, you peg back pretty quickly, then you concede short-handed, then there's the the one 20 seconds into the third period. Just sloppiness leads to conceding at bad times, which can set a tone.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

Yeah, it can. And if you look at the five goals we conceded, at least three I think are probably unforced errors on our part that really you you can avoid. Um, you know, there's one point where we had ample time to kind of clear the zone and we don't. There's another time where we have the sort of a cause of turnover in our own zone, and you know, when you when you start to do that, I think you sometimes fall into the trap of feeling a bit sorry for yourself because we were pegging them back a a couple of times as well, you know, knocking on that door. But we've said it a lot this year, we we do have a lot of resilience in the side, but there's only so much you can do, and maybe three got three times you can do that, but once you get to a fourth and a fifth, just mentally and physically, it it kind of uh takes it out of you. So it was disappointing to watch because I did have a lot of optimism after that Belfast weekend, and it it felt like the the guys had got a little bit of a spark uh after that weekend. And and for the first 15 minutes I thought we did. I thought we were we were really playing the puck quickly, we were really playing at a good tempo. Fred Franny mentioned that power play was looking quite sharp, and I think that second goal going in two-one down at the end of the first is what sort of affected the mentality and then the rhythm of our game a little bit. Because I think we sort of went our first period, kind of going, How are we down?

SPEAKER_04 3:20

And then once that happens, I just think you kind of got on top of us from the yeah, and a result that on the road again is frustrating. Franny Tomo spoke in his post-game interview about the the road form and how it's not been good enough this year. And if you look at the numbers, you know, at home 16, 4, and 2, great home home record. You go away 13, 9, and 3. That's where you know you you lose league titles on on those kind of forms, and then that being the kind of offset. And yeah, Tomo breaks down a season into blocks, and and those kind of patterns do show up eventually as as a waveform.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

Yeah, it you know, the team that um goes on to win it, and you know, it's gonna be Belfast now. They find a way that even when they're not playing their best game and they are having those sloppy moments, they still find a way to to pull it out of the bag. And we just haven't had that on the road this year. We did go through that spell, didn't we? Um, where we were kind of falling behind in games where we were dominating and then clawing our way back, and eventually that ran out. But um, yeah, it it was a really frustrating one. Like, like you say, Gaz, it was the the manner in which the goals were conceded, just as there was a bit of life to get back in the game, you know, you're talking about um you know pulling through games that that sat on the road, but then when you give up the short-handed goal, give up the goal so quick into the period, then it's just too big a hill to climb then to to win the game. And um with those mistakes, you don't deserve to win the game. And you know, it was yeah, it was really disappointing. And you can you could tell by Thomas' interviews disappointed, and you can see what then led on to Sunday night.

SPEAKER_04 4:54

Yeah, we'll get to Sunday night in just a moment. Uh as as a result, it was frustrating. The devils had a bit of a sit-down as as Thoma made reference to in his interview after the the Sunday game about the Friday one, and and what kind of thing would have been spoken about in that, Franny? What what I I know obviously you don't maybe don't want to go into too much detail on what was said in the room, but the impact was clearly this, or whatever was said worked.

SPEAKER_03 5:15

Yeah, I I think um it was just a very, very honest conversation about the levels of performance that are expected and the levels of performance that were delivered, you know, in that game in um in Glasgow, uh, along with the video as well to back it up. It wasn't a rant, it was you know, look at this, we don't do this. What you know, when we're playing well, look at us what we do when we are playing well, and this is night and day. So I think it was um it was kind of uh drawing attention to the focus to to be able to win, you've got to focus on you know the the small things in all games, all areas of the ice, and that focus clearly wasn't there in Glasgow. Um, but the minds got refocused, uh, like we're saying um on the the game then on Sunday.

SPEAKER_04 6:05

One last note, guys, on on that Friday night game. Uh it ends and Ben Bounds and Sammy Aitacalio get involved at the clan bench. Not something we see Ben Bounds doing very often, I think they're probably uh indicative of of what the game was and the frustrations.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Yeah, I on the the coverage on the stream, it was a little coming together between Brett Ferguson and uh Aitacalio. Uh Ferguson probably, bless him, didn't realise that Aitacalio was there and leant on him a little bit just to keep his balance because he didn't want to fall over. Fair enough. And Aidacaglio took a bit of an exception to it. Now, I don't know where Bounds was in this scrum uh when it happened, but I suspect he may have come a bit down ice, possibly. And I'm sure that Decagalio made a kind of gesture towards him after the scrum, which I think Ben probably wanted a little chat about after the game. But fair enough. I like it. We were probably a little bit sore, but I think we I think we need to keep that in the game a little bit. I think we need to keep those little bits of uh sort of needle in there and accountability, and you know, bouncy Nightcadio had a bit of a wash back and forth a little bit, and um, you know, I was disappointed to see um some clan staff get involved again. I thought that was probably a bit unnecessary, especially as we sort of highlighted it before. I think you need to be I think you need to keep that separation sometimes between the guys uh and and and the the staff on the bench because uh I I think that sets a bit of a bad press. I didn't really like to see um that happen again, but I I the old school in me. I I do love to see goalies having a little bit of a face wash and awkwardly try to throw punches. Punches in the massive bit bits of equipment, and uh, you know, if we uh meet again in the playoffs, I'm sure there'll be uh a few more tempers.

SPEAKER_04 7:54

There will, yeah. And and I would like to maybe you know voice my opinion on maybe what happened at the end. I think Bounds and Nightcalio going at each other is absolutely fine, you know, it happens, stuff like that we've seen before. But um, yeah, like you say, guys, disappointing to see staff members getting involved, not for the first time this season. And I I caught a little bit of flack on social media from what I said during a stream from a home game where the the clan athletic trainer Tim Wiley called out Jimmy Alini and ran to the bottom of the bench and had a go at him. And I said some stuff on the stream that clan fans didn't enjoy. Well, I'm gonna repeat pretty much the message now and say this as an athletic trainer, as a medic, as a physio, you are integral to a game. You're massively important, and if players need you and you know you you you you your job is called upon, absolutely every credit to you for doing the job you do. However, outside of that, your job is to stay at the back of the bench and stay quiet and not get involved. And if you want to be a hero and run to the front of the bench, go do it somewhere else. Because in the elite league, I don't think that should be done. Let's move on to uh Sunday now. Devils beat the Panthers 7-2 in what is a fantastic performance, Franny, and one that from the outset. They were there was intensity, there was pace, they played at a real good level, and like we say, it the reaction was there.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Yeah, the the only puzzling thing about the whole night was how Nottingham were only one goal down going into the first period break because it was it was such a dominant period. I mean, it started off with a a Nottingham two-on-one one way that went down two-on-one the other way with you know very um quick reactions by Kevin Carr stopping that one. But after that, it was one-way traffic. I think the first period uh shots were 20 to 8 to the Devils. Devils were three goals up. Um, Joey Martin, I mean, he was the the one positive from the the Glasgow game that we must talk about because he had two goals um on the night up there, and you know, certainly did his part to to give the devils half a chance in Glasgow. Backed it up with another two goals then on the the Sunday against Nottingham, three goals up, an absolutely fly-in, and then a couple of scruffy goals by Nottingham. And it it was I mean, it was I take my hat off to them for trying something. I mean, there there was no um space around uh to get some direct shots on. So I think it was uh Harris that threw the puck just speculatively at uh Stover's feet and it m found its way to squeeze in, and then there was uh a tip then from a dog T shot after he did well keeping the puck in the zone that all of a sudden it was three three two and you know in my mind I was like, Oh, it's not gonna be another one of those nights where we dominate and then you know things don't go well. But what I loved was the start of the second period where the Devil's desk totally shrugged off what had just happened at the end of the first period and got back on the horse, and it was an even more um dominant period, I think restricting Nottingham to two shots in the entire period. And you look at this this game, it's a 7-2 result, like we say, two goals against the runner play, massively outshot um the devils massively outshot the Panthers, but the Panthers uh had five power play opportunities to the Devils won. So they had that stacked in their favour and still got massively outshot, and like say two shots on goal in that second period is unbelievable.

SPEAKER_04 11:18

And on that for one of those power plays, the devils managed to get a short-handed goal. Stover clears it long, Ben Davis goes, uh sorry, Capone goes chasing, feeds it to Davis, and Gaz, a lovely moment I thought on that goal was was Ben Davis tucked it into the back of the net, and his immediate response was to turn around and point at Capone and go, That you know, that was you, you you hustled there, you got us that goal.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yeah, that short-handed goal and that penalty kill, because just before we scored on that barrow, we'd taken the puck down low and kept it there for what felt like pretty much an entire minute. I don't think it was that long, but um certainly he knocked about 15, 20, 25 seconds off uh of that. And it I think it summed up that it was like a microcosm of the entire game, that penalty kill, because it was about us working harder than Nottingham, getting to pucks more quickly than Nottingham, and that's exactly what that goal was all about. Capone busting a gut to get to that puck first, having a little look over his shoulder. There's Ben Davis teaming for he loves a short-handed goal, didn't he? Ben Davis, and um, yeah, we talked about Capone as well. He was put on the wing on uh uh Sunday night, not um his usual centre role, and I thought he seemed a lot more free and a lot more kind of unshackled in a way. He didn't I think he put so much into his assignments. We we talked to him a couple of weeks ago, didn't we? And he's so diligent in everything that he was saying about how he thinks about the game. And I think as a centre, he's so committed to not conceding on that goal and being responsible at both ends of the ice. Where it's on that wing, I just felt he had a little bit more license to get his feet moving and get to the pucks and maybe just know that Ben Davis was looking after the sort of you know middle of that ice and uh yeah, great assist and and great goal. And like I say, I thought it was a real part of the game you could point and say that is exactly how they guys summed up that cane.

SPEAKER_03 13:04

Yeah, I think a smart move by the coaching staff. They've obviously made this kind of call to arms and challenge the guys to respond after a disappointed night in Glasgow. Bringing um Capone back into the lineup, you know he's what he's gonna give you, you know he's gonna give you energy, physicality, but then giving him that extra bit of freedom being on the wing where you know he can you know shrug off some of those defensive duties and go hunting down um to make the hits. And he made he made, I think, you know, at least two shifts, uh two hits on every shift in the first period. It was it was great stuff. But yeah, that um that short-handed goal, I mean you just saw the willingness of him to get down. It kind of reminded me of Ben Davis's Great Britain goal. Uh, I think it was against France in the World Championships where you had Jonathan Phillips chasing down um I think it was from a Ben Davis face-off actually, but this time it was Stover that cleared long. You had Capone chasing down in the Phillips role, who managed to then slip it back to Ben Davis, who went top shelf, and it just there's a bit of deja vu coming out from me. I thought I've seen that somewhere before, and it's just come into my head where it was. But um, yeah, that that penalty kill shift was immense with Ryan Barrow and then um ultimately ending with the uh the Ben Davis goal. Um, and it was yeah, it it was it summed up the determination of the the devils all over the ice, and uh I thought to a man, every single one of the team responded to the uh the call from the coaches.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

Yeah, they did. And it was weak because it wasn't like a big there was one Riley Brandt hit on Kuba Zek, which uh I'm sure Brandt enjoyed. Uh but it the energy in the building was more from the work rate. And as soon as the pack would go into a corner, the the whole arena I felt was buzzing because they knew there was at least two or maybe even three guys who were gonna swarm over that pack uh and win it. And towards the end of the game, we saw Doherty, who had been so composed on the pack, and he usually so is so composed on the pack, all of a sudden was flapping at a clearance just to get the pack away, and there was no one around him, but he thought they would be. And as soon as I saw him do that, I thought we've done a number here, we've really sort of put a stamp on a game in uh in the way in which when we have done this. I'm thinking of a couple of Guilford games where we've we've done it at home, is just so exciting to watch, and uh yeah, I left with a smile on my face.

SPEAKER_04 15:30

One man who didn't necessarily have a smile on his face at the end of the game, weirdly, but uh we'll we'll talk just as a final note on this one was was Paul Thompson in his post-game interview, and you know, you think you win a game 7-2, you're gonna have a happy coach, but Gaz, not obviously happy. Well, he was happy with, but not overly happy with it.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Well, yeah, I mean, you know, you usually uh take on the uh post-match interviews, and uh you weren't around on the weekend, and I saw the result and I thought, oh brilliant, I can't I can't believe my luck. We're gonna have Paul Thompson come in, we're gonna have a nice easy, we were wax lyrical about all the nice things that uh I want to talk about. And within a second of him coming into the room, I suddenly realized it wasn't gonna be the interview that I had expected it to be. Uh he's uh very much just wanted to get on with it, and you know, everyone heard uh what the response was. And uh, you know, I after I sort of digested it after going through it, I thought, you know, great, he he's uh he has seen a great performance, but if we don't build on it, and we've said this a few times this year, then is it worth doing if you if you don't build on it? It is a waste, and uh that's kind of what he intimated there.

SPEAKER_04 16:45

Franny, I thought it was very interesting when he talked about how you know there's an there's an acceptance that the league title is now out of the devil's grasp, but he you know he spoke about how it's been eight years since the Devils won the league title. You know, Belfast have gone and they do it every week and this and the other.

SPEAKER_03 16:58

And I got the impression he's genuinely hurt by the fact that the Devils aren't in and around the Giants this year, and he genuinely believes that they should be massively hurt, and you know, he came here to win the league title not in a few years' time, but this year, and you know, he's annoyed that that hasn't happened, and I think what really kind of irked him leading to that interview was when you put on a performance like that against somebody else who is a title contender, and you know that is in the bag, not seeing that week in, week out, and having performances like the Glasgow one, that's that's where the league title's gone. So that is I think that performance, as much as he will be somewhat pleased with of the response, it will have wound him up to say, Well, it's there, you just need to bring it more often. And uh, I think yeah, he he is hurt right now that you know we're a few weeks away from the end of the season and not in the the hunt for a title, knowing that we can throw out a performance like that against a top top side.

SPEAKER_04 18:00

Yeah, and I think there's very much a feeling of holding the team to standards and and saying, all right, well, you've gone and won one, big deal, now go and win more.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

Yeah, and it's you know it's it's the the games are running out this year, and I think his challenge now is you know, you can see the the finishing line inside. So there's yeah, there's your standards, you've shown you can do it. I'm not accepting anything dropping below that for the rest of the year.

SPEAKER_04 18:23

And uh an attitude I think we all like to see in here. The Devils beat Nottingham 7-2 on Sunday. One man who grabbed a couple of points that evening is Brett Pellini, and he is our guest this week. Ladies and gents, a huge welcome on Devil's Insider this week to our very special guest, Brett Pellini. Pulse, how are you doing? Thank you so much for coming down.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

I'm good, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_04 18:41

First of all, congratulations on a great game on Sunday. A few couple of points on the board. How was it?

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Yeah, it was good. Uh obviously nice to uh to contribute and especially against an old team. Uh, but I think it was very uh overdue um for us and for myself as well. So uh yeah, it was uh it was a great finish of the weekend.

SPEAKER_04 19:01

And there's been a little bit of juggling of lines throughout the season. You played pretty much with everybody for the year that you can think of. So uh was it good to get back on that line and get a couple of points?

SPEAKER_00 19:10

Yeah, um obviously uh Riley's been scorching hot uh as of late. Um and we've been playing, we've been playing well uh at the start of the season, and um I think we we just play uh we connect uh well in general, uh the way we see the game and stuff, and um both have uh kind of different things we bring to the table. And then Fergie's obviously uh hardworking guy, you kind of know what you you're gonna get. So uh we can be a bit predictable, and yeah, for me that uh that really helps.

SPEAKER_04 19:44

We're gonna cover uh a fair few different bits and pieces this evening, but I want to start kind of going way back when and and and talking a little bit about your upbringing within hockey because you come from a really big hockey family. You think your brother, your dad have obviously both play, and then and then your cousin and your uncles do as well. So growing up was it kind of you always just assumed you were gonna end up as a hockey player?

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Like um from what uh you know my parents tell me, like when I was uh you know one, two years old, all I wanted for Christmas was skates. And uh when I got them, like I would just you know always want to go to the rink and stuff. And I think uh yeah, being in that environment like uh with my dad playing and stuff, I just you know always looked up to him, watching him, always wanted to be like him. Um, and it was never like you know, they're dragging me to the rink. It was you know me begging to go there. And um of course I was interested in different sports too. Um, but hockey always seemed to be the one uh I would gravitate back to.

SPEAKER_04 20:44

And of course you your brother plays as well, like I said, and was that a competitive household as as two kids, uh little brother and and yourself?

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Yeah, it was it was different because because there's such a big age gap between us, yeah, um six years. Um it was uh it wasn't like uh you know we were competing against each other because it was just you know I was so far ahead. So I would have my friends like let's say we're playing street hockey and stuff, and he'd be watching, and then all of a sudden he's old enough to kind of hop in and you know at first maybe get bullied around a little bit, and then he learned how to hold his own. So I think that really helped him being around the older kids. Um, but for sure it was good to uh to bounce. And I had my dad too to to ask, you know, for things like um, you know, shooting advice or whatever it is, and then I would pass that down to him. So it kind of worked well.

SPEAKER_04 21:38

You're taking all credit for for the career that he's managed to span as well.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Yeah, uh he wouldn't have been there without me.

SPEAKER_04 21:44

You moved back obviously uh a younger age into junior back home over in North America, and then you ended up at uh Michigan State. And how was that as an experience? You know, it's it's it's a great school and and and you you were there for three or four years. What was that like?

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Oh, it's unbelievable. Um to go there. uh as at first um when i first moved back um i didn't really know if i wanted to play in uh l or college obviously now you can do both but at the time you had to make a decision and you have to make it pretty early on um and you know my dad played new hl my brother ended up playing new hl um but he always uh had high praise of of college hockey and of course you know uh that education is huge and um kind of always opened my mind to that so I yeah we kind of looked uh looked at some different options and when we went down there it was just like wow this is unbelievable like you know they they roll out the red carpet for you um my first experience like they take you on an unofficial visit you drive down meet the coaches kind of thing um watch a game and that's that and they were playing like a like a derby game I guess it would be against University of Michigan um at home they had a great team that year Michigan had a great team it was like sat us right beside the band and I'd never seen a band at a hockey game before like this was like insane we're me and my mom were kind of looking at like what is this and it was like it was so cool um just a completely different atmosphere I think the game was like six five tons of goals like um and it just it felt like wow like this would be an awesome place to play and then um I think about a year later I went back for an official visit and that's where you kind of stay with the guys in the dorms and stuff and I was like yeah this is this is where I gotta be so um and then uh actually once I got there it was you know it it's not easy too I I come in as a true freshman which a lot of people don't do which is like as an 18 year old um a lot of players will play like three four years of junior hockey whether it's in like the USHL or North American league um but I came I did um I did a half year in the US USHL um in Columbus and it it wasn't really it was like a new organization things weren't really going right there so I kind of I left halfway through the year um went back to my hometown played tier two um junior just to get get my uh get my scoring touch back and get my confidence because like you know it was just like we were on a losing team before and um so to go from that jump to straight into college hockey was was pretty big um a lot of a lot of things you gotta learn is a fast paced game blah blah blah um but then you you kind of find your way um probably halfway through my second year is when I really broke out and you know took that next step and I I think uh it was it was such a roller coaster too because um the second year I was getting scratched like you know we didn't have a great year my freshman year and a lot of the my recruiting class kind of got blamed for it almost so like um yeah a lot of the guys uh were in and out of the lineup uh you know getting scratched getting fourth line ice time um so I think I played like three games up until Christmas and we have this huge like uh it's called the Great Lakes Invitational a huge tournament at Christmas one of uh one of the guys got hurt so I got a chance on the fourth line and like it was like something about I I'd been like working my ass off like um training like crazy like waiting for an opportunity I was like okay this is it and we ended up winning the like I think like my first or second shift I went down scored and I was like okay here we go like and I ended up with like it was like two goals and one assist or something we won like 10-1 in the semifinals like I was like okay on unreal like you know now I'm going next day same thing it was like goal two assists we win the championship we've won six one uh against RPI and I went from being a healthy scratch to MVP of the tournament all-star team and everybody's like my god like why is this guy not playing um and then I just like rode that um the rest of the season like stayed on the fourth line but it was uh you know it was uh it was a funny they called us like uh the bloodline because it was me uh Dean Chelios Chris's son and Trevor Nil Jim Nil's son so it was like it was like all our dads played the NHL and stuff and uh they kept us together we had good chemistry and stuff and um yeah I think I ended up with like seven goals and 12 points or something the rest of the way and ended up getting drafted that year. So it was like went from completely like not planned to yeah like getting drafted was like that was like when I was like okay like I I'm on my way now. I was gonna ask you about getting drafted is that something that you were expecting or is it totally out of the blue it sounds like it was and how did you find out where were you when you when you found out that you'd been picked up by Anaheim yeah yeah so it was uh well my my expected draft year when I was 18 um so that was the year like I was in the USHL it wasn't really going well like at the start of the year I was like I was like on the the radar type thing to to get picked like I remember I hurt my shoulder uh early on in the year and the coach was like oh can you play can you play like the Florida Panthers are coming to watch you and I'm like oh man like I'm I'm injured like I can't play this off and then um I may ended up making the uh the final rankings um they do like uh North American European rankings blah blah blah I think I was like uh a C C ranking which was like okay I'm I'm thrilled that like uh to to go from where I was and then uh so that I remember that day like I watched the whole thing like we were listening on the radio like scrolling online and just not seeing your name was like my what is happening like very disappointing day so then after that we're like okay we're not we're not doing that again like let's get out of our minds um so yeah it's actually a really funny story um we were in Sioux Canada at the time and like the phones like we had like a it was like an LG like you know the flip up ones with a keyboard had one of those like only worked in Canada didn't work we crossed the border and played in the in the US like um because we're on a border town we can like go there golf whatever so it didn't have like didn't have internet whatever we play the we and we every every time we play this course it like something good happens it's it's like crazy like um so we get to the end of the round and you know the signal's kind of coming in and out and we get a text from uh one of my friends saying like oh congratulations like uh you must be so proud this was like to my mom we were like sharing the phone at the time it was sent to my mom like yeah you must be so proud and we're like what is what are you talking about man like great round of golf yeah yeah and then um a missed call from my agent came through and we're like hang on a sec like we like I almost forgot like it was even going on at the day so I ended up getting a hold of him he's like he's like yeah like you just got picked like so I ended up going in the pro shop on the the computer like the pros computer checking seeing my name like got picked and was like oh man like that that was unbelievable feeling and it was like the next day like had to fly out there for camp and stuff and yeah it was really cool. You're gonna have to go back to that golf course a few more times I know I know um I I you you've mentioned a couple of times your dad and and the decisions you had to make as a younger guy you know thinking oh HL or going to college and and then those kind of decisions do you did you growing up lean on him for advice like that obviously you say that he played in the OHL but was spoke very glowingly of the college system was he a big influence in terms of the decisions you made growing up yeah 100% um you know I was I was very lucky to have him um because yeah like he saw a lot of things coming that um you know I would figure out like later on um he would kind of give me the heads up like okay this is you know how you gotta act in this situation you know this is what you gotta do um because he'd been through it all so um yeah like his first year in the OHL you know he's moved away from home for the first time from a small town to Toronto and um you know to get to school he's got to take like two trains and a and a bus and it was like you know he didn't want that me going through that same thing you know um so like things like that um and of course uh you know he could talk to you know we were going through the OHL process and stuff like um he made it uh a big thing like okay I want him to get his education um like the school package stuff like a lot of kids my age they would just sign a a player contract and not even really know about the school package or what it what is involved and he's like no I want it it guaranteed like even if he um if he plays pro whatever I want him to be able to fall back on that and they said yeah okay like they kind of fought a little bit but um they gave it to us in the end I we didn't end up taking that route but um because what they kind of do is they say like okay if you let's say you play four years we'll give you a school package at this amount per year um but if you play pro then you can pay for it yourself kind of thing so it's like well no like you know I I gave my time like I want that um so he knew like all like the ins and outs I guess um for that after you you graduated you played a little bit around North America and then you made the decision to come back to the UK and was that a decision that you did it feel like a natural progression was it something that you always maybe felt could happen because of your upbringing because your dad played here as well or was it something that was very kind of organic in how it came about yeah yeah I mean I always had it in the back of my mind like um to be a good spot um and I always uh I always wanted to try Europe I think um I stayed in knowing what I know now I would have probably gone to Europe or the UK like a lot sooner. I kind of had this thing in my head like uh you know I want uh well I wanted to to stay in North America and and try and you know make it that way as long as I could um but it just seems like once you're in that east coast like if you're not out of there in one two years like you kind of get um you know stuck in the shuffle.

SPEAKER_04 33:24

So it was like yeah I guess my my first thought was like uh let's look at somewhere in Europe and stuff and um I didn't really know hardly anything about um the way it worked in Europe and stuff and and it kind of we were looking at it late summer and um all of a sudden it came up like um a couple teams from the UK uh reached out and we thought yeah why not uh let's go try it out and yeah it was almost like uh it was it was really cool coming back it was like um being in a time machine almost like like um arriving back and like you know things change but things don't change um so I remember that that first year back just having a smile on my face like uh kind of enjoying all the the times because I hadn't been back since I left which would have been 12 years I think uh difference so so yeah it was pretty cool and you played in Nottingham for three years how was that what was it like playing for that organization yeah it was good I I really enjoyed it um I met my wife there the first year um that was pretty cool and then we kind of looked um after that what we were gonna do like um talked about going to Europe and then ended up uh signing another two two seasons so um yeah uh I I definitely enjoy enjoyed my time there um you know we had had lots of fun had some good teams and stuff and then uh yeah I think once we hit that kind of COVID period it was like okay let's let's try something else and that's when the the European journey kind of kind of took off yeah you you went to a few different places you Germany just before you came to to the devils and and when you are moving around Germany obviously covet restricted things and forces your hand a little bit but when when players do move around Europe I'm always intrigued to to know kind of what that experience is like from guys who who've lived only in North America but of course you grew up here and then went to North America came back so as an experience is it something you recommend to like the younger guys and say you know if you get the chance to come over and go to Europe and travel do it.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

Yeah 100% it's like and what other job can you like just go play in a like a beautiful country and like everything's taken care of you know you show up you know you already got 20 friends built in um and just to to experience some of these cultures was was really cool like uh you know it's uh their experiences I'll never forget um certainly uh can take something from from each place um that's what people always ask me all what's the nicest place you played in and stuff and it's hard because you you're like I'm living in the the Alps in Italy and it's so beautiful and stuff um but then you've got uh you know like the Danish people are like so nice and they let their baby sleep outside and it's like um yeah there's there's so many different things you pick up from from each culture and stuff and uh yeah I I would recommend it to anyone to to go out and and try it.

SPEAKER_04 36:24

Have you got any favorite memories from from that few years?

SPEAKER_00 36:27

Yeah I think uh well some of the the teammates uh that I played with like still keep in touch with um we actually just had a call with them the other day uh one of our friends that they have two kids now and we never had we didn't have any kids at the time and so like catching up with them and um just uh I remember like teaching my wife how to skate on an outdoor rink in Norway was like uh it was really cool and um yeah it's things like that is is awesome.

SPEAKER_04 36:57

I'm very jealous of scared on an outdoor and you know that sounds pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

Um you then obviously come back to Car or come to CARD if uh and and and make the decision to come back to the UK and and play here and how did that come about and and you know it was Pete Russell who signed you up back here obviously he'd been your GB coach as well so that that kind of must have been where the connection came from yeah yeah we started talking about it um kind of in January uh the season prior and then uh of course we came here for the the Olympic qualifiers for GB and that was kind of when we pretty much decided uh that we wanted to come back and stuff and yeah Pete had a a big hand to play in that and he had nothing but great things to say about the organization and stuff and you know I had talked to Todd uh in previous years so we kind of built up a relationship and um so it was easy that way and of course um when I was in Nottingham obviously playing against the the team here like you know they always had great teams and it was uh you know you talk to guys on GB and stuff and it seemed like uh a great place to play and yeah I mean it's definitely like lived up to to expectations for sure. Probably the the highlight I would say of of your time since being here was the Continental Cup final of course and and great weekend a good weekend that we you know us three talk about uh a fair amount and and topped off by scoring a hat trick in the in the clinching game you know it doesn't get much bigger than that what what do you remember about that weekend and and that game in particular yeah it was special it was uh you know I'd played in the Continental Cup uh twice before and and not won it and so it was something like I had circled on the calendar kind of all year like you know I don't want to let this one slip and I remember when I was playing in Denmark following the the Cardiff team uh in the cup as well so like like man like it just uh it seems like we we need to win this one so um and then to play in those European competitions is is cool too like even like going the first round in Slovakia like it's just you play the different styles and it's fun and to see like the different you know teams and and stuff like uh I remember that the Slovakian team was really good and they didn't even end up getting through so it's like you know it's not an easy competition to win and then come into that weekend like uh you know you you gotta play good hockey and like we know we're playing that the French team in the final they you know went on like an unbelievable run or something so we're expecting like you know uh an absolute battle and it just it's just seemed like one of those nights where everything went right and you know that's that's the game for you sometimes you can work your hardest and nothing comes of it and sometimes it just you know the puck follows you around and that's kind of what it felt like for me that night and yeah it was really special.

SPEAKER_04 39:59

I can tell you that the moment you put that puck in the back of the empty net for the third Franny jumped on me and then he shouted he's coming home and then everything went crazy.

SPEAKER_03 40:08

So you could think it was our third time in the final as well like your third time personally is the devil's third time and it's like yeah three times a charm I guess whatever it was but um yeah yeah and obviously winning a major trophy here in Cardiff at home as well so that that kind of topped off the weekend I think yeah yeah that to do it at home too is is is very special like um not a lot of times you get the chance for that so yeah to to celebrate with the the fans here was was really cool.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

Guys I believe we've had a couple of fan questions come in over the socials this evening uh yes we have uh among the things Ian Phillips uh has asked uh do you think you'll ever play on the same team as your brother I get this a lot um I wish I could say yes but uh like it's getting harder and harder um I I would say as of right now no but you never know you never know so it's a long summer who know who knows what could happen but um yeah uh anything more guys no no at the moment that's okay although we haven't already covered yeah in that case uh we're gonna finish tonight with do the quick fire questions we uh get everybody on and do 20 questions with them and so we'll uh we'll run through that now quickly with you um I say to everybody you can give your your explanations for your answers you can just get them off and say what you want to say but um yeah here we go so Brett Polino 20 questions your favorite singer or music artist uh let's go with drink nice your signature dish when you're cooking at home um steak and sweet potatoes and then your favorite place to eat out in Cardiff Pasture another for the pasture list we just went there yesterday it was answering oh very nice how'd you have your steak cooked uh I got it medium there uh between medium or medium rare like a I rotate but uh what is your favorite of the four seasons summer um your best friend in hockey um probably my brother gotta get him over here that's it I was gonna say uh you popped up on a few of his uh YouTube uh videos yesterday more plans on that summer I'm featuring yeah um yeah we got some stuff planned so uh yeah we'll see eyes peeled on that uh your favorite fee favorite TV show um it's a tie between entourage and suits nice uh what is your game day routine um we're gonna need more uh that's fine take as long as you need uh no uh yeah I just I um if we don't have a skate or anything uh in the morning I'll just I'll try and go for a walk get some fresh air like uh move a little uh stretch out um like to have my pregame meal early um what's the pregame meal it's usually uh it'll be like ground beef or chicken with rice and like some sort of vegetable um and then I'll have a nap wake up have a maybe a snack head to the rink um 4 30 for a 7 o'clock game and get into my rink routine um you know there's a lot everybody says oh a superstition but it's just more routine tape stick same way blah blah blah and uh yeah I just get more mentally focused than anything very nice uh which rink is your favorite away from Cardiff to play at around the elite league either Guilford or Nottingham just a little uh which NHL player do you most enjoy watching uh I like McDavid Matthews um there's I like a lot Kutcherov um a lot of good players these days um you know you're Turn the highlights on and even like you know, I was watching uh The Sharks and Canadians the other day highlights. Um so many good young players, like Celebrini Caulfield. Like um yeah, there's there's there's a lot.

SPEAKER_04 44:15

Uh what was your first car?

SPEAKER_00 44:17

My first car officially, like the one I kind of got my license in was like a Dodge caravan, like probably like 2006 smiles. I'm driving around that, driving to high school, like uh you know the windows cranking. Like uh yeah, we like had like a mixtape on there be blasting rap music. I don't know. Um, but my first one I actually bought um was a Greek Jeep Grand Cherokee. Um well leased it for for a few years, and that was my baby.

SPEAKER_04 44:54

I mean, I know the first one you said was an old car because you just made the the the gesture of winding a window. Um the best moment of your career so far.

SPEAKER_00 45:06

I think um playing in my first world championships and scoring against USA was that's gotta be up there.

SPEAKER_04 45:14

That's a good flex.

SPEAKER_00 45:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:16

Uh what's your go-to karaoke song?

SPEAKER_00 45:19

Oh man. Um probably Journey.

SPEAKER_04 45:26

Yeah. Yeah. Don't stop believing. Um do you prefer the devil's red, white, green, or black jerseys this year?

SPEAKER_00 45:35

I love red. That's always been my favorite.

SPEAKER_04 45:38

Uh your favorite sport to watch or play outside of hockey?

SPEAKER_00 45:42

Um I like golf, uh, football over here. Um yeah, those ones to me are are good. Um big man you supporter of me if any. We're always chatting about the another one. Yeah, oh yeah, we got a lot on this team.

SPEAKER_04 45:58

Yeah. And what is your coffee order?

SPEAKER_00 46:04

I don't even I don't drink coffee that much. Like uh, if I was to get it, I would just get it black. Um been dabbling in like the green teas and stuff, but uh like yeah, I mean my wife both they're like, you don't drink coffee, but um yeah, it's just not something I never really got into.

SPEAKER_03 46:23

Yeah, fairly that's a first, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Uh the non-coffee drinker, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:26

Yeah, really in my club that is not for me.

SPEAKER_04 46:30

Uh who's the best player you've played with and then against during your career?

SPEAKER_00 46:35

Against would be maybe Jack Eichel. Um and with oh man, like so many good players. Like I there's not one that kind of stands out like um Matthias Bau was one in Denmark, he was like uh I think he's like 6'6, could stick handle in a phone booth. Like it was just like I would just go to the back door and he'd find me, and it was like, okay, this is this is nice. Um so yeah, we'll we'll go with him.

SPEAKER_04 47:09

Do you have any fears or phobias?

SPEAKER_00 47:12

Heights, uh a little claustrophobic, I'd say. Um the the usual stuff, snakes, you know, all the hands.

SPEAKER_04 47:22

Your favorite movie.

SPEAKER_00 47:25

A big Marvel guy. I really liked uh the Avengers, um, the Infinity War when that came out. I remember seeing that in the movies, and that was like amazing, like blew my mind.

SPEAKER_04 47:36

Yeah, it's a good choice. Very good choice. Uh, do you prefer a big night out or a quiet night in? Quiet night in. It changes a little bit from what we've had in recent weeks. We've had a lot of young guys, so yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:48

They're all yeah, definitely now, maybe early on with like the big night out, but uh yeah, now I like my peace.

SPEAKER_04 47:54

And the final question if you could change one rule in hockey or one thing about hockey, what would it be and why?

SPEAKER_00 48:00

Um maybe get rid of the shootouts, have a little longer overtime. I like the three on three. Um, yeah, just a faster, more exciting uh and better way to finish, I think.

SPEAKER_04 48:15

So that's a pretty good sell, I'd say. Yeah. Well, Brett, that's all the questions for we have for you this evening. Thank you so much for coming down. We really appreciate it. And uh yeah, best luck with the rest of the season.

SPEAKER_00 48:23

All right, thanks, guys. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_04 48:25

Huge thanks to Brett Pellini for coming on the show tonight. We really appreciate it. And and Gaz, a really lovely guy, a guy who has had a long hockey career at this point. You know, he's in his mid to late 30s now. We're seeing a lot of stuff, and uh still very grounded, still very nice.

SPEAKER_01 48:38

Yeah, indeed. And uh, you know, the the Polini name in the UK is uh you know a huge dynasty, really, isn't it? And uh, you know, not just uh the Polinis, you got Conway's as well in our relation. And uh you know, Brett for me will always live long as a as a devil's hero for as we said, that Continental Cup heroics, uh yeah easily top three games I've ever called, the top three moments I think I've ever had the the pleasure to to be involved with in the devils in the comedy position, and for him to score a hat trick uh in that is uh was uh just unreal. And uh yeah, great to hear his thoughts uh on that and his his career. And uh yeah, it's been it's been great to have uh Pearls as part of the Devils these last few seasons, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 49:23

It has indeed, yeah. We're gonna move on. Uh and and because it's this time of the month again, I thought quiz time, we're gonna do another quiz. I know you guys enjoyed the last one so much, and and this time I've uh I've I've tightened things up, I've made it better. We're gonna play the who am I again. So best of luck with this one. As was the rules last time. Buzz in if you think you know the answer. If you get it wrong, you're frozen out for the next few clues. There's five clues for each one, each of them get more and more particular, and you'll be able to get it a lot quicker as you wait. But Franny, are you gonna go for it for go for broke early again? I don't know, it didn't work out for you last time. Oh uh yeah, I'll go for it. Okay, we're gonna start with this, and it's a current devil. I'll start with a current devil just to give you a nice, easy one off the bat. Number uh sorry, clue number one. I was born in Canada. Any bites on that one?

unknown 50:13

No?

SPEAKER_04 50:14

Okay. Clue number two. I played one season in the East Coast League before joining the Devils, icing for the Florida Everblades. I'm gonna buzz in. You're gonna buzz in with Cole Sanford. Cole Sanford's the correct answer, Franny with four points on the board. The remaining uh clues in that one were I'm in my fifth season in Cardiff. Uh I played my junior hockey for Medicine Hatton Regina in the WHL, and I scored 38 goals in the 2022-23 league campaign. So Franny with four points on the board. Great start.

SPEAKER_01 50:45

Yeah, I think it's gonna be a maulin this week.

SPEAKER_04 50:47

Yeah, player number two, and this clue will give you a beginning kind of baseline. I'm a former devil who is currently playing for another elite league team. No bites? No, I'm gonna hold mate. That's all right. I have played hockey in Germany and Denmark throughout my career, as well as in the UK.

SPEAKER_03 51:08

I'm gonna go in again. Go for the big four-pointer with Jake Kugler.

SPEAKER_04 51:13

And he's only gone and done it. It's another one for Franny. It was some more points. I thought there's loads in Guilford. Wow. I think I had beat still going through them before I got to the Cougs. That was I'm very impressed. Well, I'll give you the other three clues as well. Uh, former teammates of mine are Tristan Langan, JJ Pickenich, and one Nico Heesha, who plays for the New Jersey Devils. Uh, I won the playoffs with the Devils in 2022, and my jersey number is 86. So, yes, that would have been Jake Kugler. Franny with eight points on the board. Gaz, we've got two more of these. You better you better catch up pretty quick. Hold on, I'm gonna lie. I'm looking to set records. Player number three. I am a former devil who is now 46 years of age. Charles Longay. Is the incorrect answer. Gaz frozen out, and that might well be the nearly. I played junior hockey in the WHL.

SPEAKER_03 52:10

Keep going.

SPEAKER_04 52:10

Okay, we'll keep going. I was selected in the sixth round of the 1998 NHL draft. Keep going. For two points. I once scored 30 goals and put up 328 penalty minutes in the same season. I'm gonna go with Brad Voth. Brad Voth is the correct answer. Frontier with two points. The last one there was I have my jersey retired by the card of devils.

SPEAKER_01 52:35

That was silly when he because I think Lonnie was 46 when he joined, right?

SPEAKER_04 52:39

He's never lost it. So with 10 points on the board, Franny is the winner this week, but we'll do the last one just for just for a bit of fun. And here we go. Player number four. I am a Brit playing in the elite league. Clue number two. I have played at least one game for five elite league teams. Ben Davis? Incorrect answer. We'll let you stay it anyway because we're not. No, no, no. We play it correctly, we don't play at all. He was in my head, but I wasn't gonna keep it. I have won the league playing for Belfast. Okay, go on. And your final clue sorry, your fourth clue. I wear the number 88 jersey. Lewis Hooked. Lewis Hook is the correct answer, yes. For five T. He did indeed, and I will tell you which fire teams and when he played for them now because it surprised me as well. Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes is one. Ah, of course. Not Dundee. He played, well I'll just get it up. Playing the Elite Series for the Elite Series for the Nottingham Panthers. And he played one game for the Coventry Blaze, apparently. In 2016. So there you go. There's your six, uh, your five teams for Lewis. So Franny's the win at the end of the day. Warum Franny, it's uh it's one all, I guess, in who am I now between you and them?

SPEAKER_01 54:04

Uh scrambling, you know, just just trying to go for the big guns, try and pull my way back in.

SPEAKER_04 54:08

We will play that again, I'm sure, at some point, if not by the end of the season in the offseason. We've got plenty of time, so I'll uh I'll have to start thinking of some more clues because clearly they weren't detailed enough, right? Yeah, we're gonna move on to the last topic tonight, and that is of course that the Devils have two home games this weekend against the Dundee Stars. We're gonna just uh touch on that briefly before we end the show. And uh Gaz, I I love a double and especially one at home.

SPEAKER_01 54:29

Yeah, absolutely. Retro night on uh Saturday. I think we can have some jerseys, I think I think. Uh I believe. I'm right, I we usually do. I hope so. I'll have a retro jersey.

SPEAKER_03 54:38

Um, he's been at work again.

SPEAKER_01 54:40

Uh here we go. So we know it's gonna be a good one. So looking forward to that. And uh, like I said at the end of the stream on uh Sunday night, my uh my clothes won't draw as much attention on 90s retro night that they usually do. Um, but yeah, it it's a big weekend this weekend because uh after that interview from Tomo and his reaction to that win on Sunday, uh there's you know, the guy is gonna be under no illusion as to what's expected of them. Dundee can come in with pressure off. Um, you know, I I don't want to say that it's a jolly weekend for them because that suggests they're not gonna be professional, but it is a weekend I think where they can just kind of concentrate on someone in isolation. They got two games against us and they'd love to sort of make a weekend of it, get some team bonded, and kind of finish the season as much on a high as possible. So the Devils have to maintain the same tempo as they did against the Panthers, against the Stars, because if we don't come away from this weekend with four points, then you know I tried to think what the post-game interviews will be like after either of those games.

SPEAKER_04 55:43

Franny, it's a it's a funny weekend as well, because you look at the two games and you think, okay, the Devils should really be taking all four points from this. Dundee out of a playoff spot, not going to get in, have been down on the luck and struggling. But they have also had some scalps in recent weeks. They've beaten Coventry, who are in great form, playing in a cup final. They've beaten Manchester, who we know can play some great hockey as well. So the Devils have to be careful. But this is a really big weekend as well for how the top four or the second to fourth, I guess, it will fall for the playoff places.

SPEAKER_03 56:09

Yeah, different things at stake and and things that probably at the start of the season neither club would want to uh have as their motivation for this weekend. But um, yeah, for the Devils it is um finishing as high in the table as possible, even though we know first place is not going to happen. But uh Nottingham Sheffield play each other, so somebody's dropping points. Um, so it gives an opportunity to close the gap on second and third place, so devils have to be on it to make sure. Like you say, Dundee playing with pretty much freedom, although I will say one of the things that they will be playing for is the pride of not finishing in last place. Um Fife have probably got better fun than them in the second half of the season, uh, and are picking up you know points here and there, and you know, they won't want to be caught. I mean, there's local rivals, etc. Uh, they won't want to be caught by Fife because everyone knows Fife have struggled this year, and if Dundee finished below them, then you know that is uh it's an even worse season, isn't it, for Dundee stars?

SPEAKER_04 57:16

Yeah, and it's it's it's one of those weekends as well, guys, where you you look at the fixtures to come after it, and it's almost one that you think this could be a good momentum setter now for the running. You know, the Devils have to play Coventry, Manchester, Sheffield, and Nottingham, those four teams across the last five games into the playoffs. If you want to start and build from here and build on what you did on the weekend just gone, putting four points on Dundee, who, like we say, are struggling is it is a real good chance.

SPEAKER_01 57:40

Yeah, and because the playoff format is so short, uh, you have to be in good habits. And you it's not really other other playoffs are kind of a reset button where you can really kind of take stock and think, right, we've got maybe a little a game or so to get into this. You haven't got that in the UK playoffs. If you're not on top of it in that first game, then that's it. Your season's done, you don't make the weekend, and you know, everyone goes all miserable. Um, so it's about habits, and it they have to be good, and they have to be the in the habits that we started last Sunday. And you know, we we have to, you know, we've viewed Cardiff Bay bullies a few times on here, but it kind of has to be that kind of mentality that you know we we want to try and dent the low confidence of that Dundee team, and we want to try and take advantage of any frailties they may have mentally, and you know, no time for sentiment now in the last uh three weeks or so.

SPEAKER_04 58:37

Yeah, no time for sentiment. The devils need those four points, they'll be chasing them. Lots to look forward to for the weekend, double home games. If you've got tickets, great, we'll see you down there. If not, join us on the stream. We'll be back with debrief as well across both games, and of course, then inside of next week. But yeah, that's all for tonight. Thank you so much for listening in. Thank you to Brett Pellini for coming down, Franny and Gaz. Thank you to both of you. It's been great to be back and chatting with you again. And yeah, thanks everyone for listening. Good night. Thank you very much once again to our sponsor, Minerva Hearing, for today's podcast. And remember, Minerva Hearing, hear the cheers, protect your ears.