Captain Korbinian

A championship captain, a beloved former Duck, and the next chapter of a hockey life.

On Episode 15 of The Mask & The Mic, Guy Hebert and Kent French welcome former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Korbinian Holzer to the show following one of the most memorable seasons of his career.

Korbinian recently captained the Moser Medical Graz99ers to the first championship in franchise history in Austria’s ICE Hockey League — an accomplishment that meant everything to the players, coaching staff, ownership, and the city of Graz. He reflects on the emotional championship run, the unforgettable celebration that followed, and the incredible gift the team owner gave the players after winning it all.

The conversation also marks the close of an incredible professional hockey journey, as Korbinian recently announced his retirement after 20 years of professional hockey.

Guy and Kent revisit Korbinian’s NHL career, including the moment he was traded to Anaheim and what it was like spending five seasons with the Ducks organization. Korbinian also opens up about what comes next — stepping into coaching and management as the future coach and GM of Germany’s U20 Junior Team. He shares how he’s preparing for the role, the lessons he learned throughout his playing career, and which former Ducks head coach has become an important mentor during the transition.

And yes… the guys also revisit some of the more unforgettable moments away from the rink — including photo shoots featuring Korbinian dressed as a circus conductor.

This episode is about leadership, reinvention, championships, and what it means to walk away from the game on top.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hi everybody, this is GA Bear, former NHL gold tender. And this is the mask in the mic. And yeah, I got top billing because I'm the mask.

SPEAKER_03 0:09

Yeah, so I'm just hanging around. Um I'm the supporting cast in this uh equation. I am the Mike Kent French, uh long time broadcaster, Evo. Uh we go in the way back with you when it comes to the Anaheim duct. Uh one of my favorites, um Mr. Corbinian Holzer joins the program and he just had uh one heck of a run overseas.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Yeah, without a doubt, uh we don't want to have any spoiler alerts, but you have to tune in and listen to his whole career, and then it kind of comes to fruition here in this uh last season for him in Austria. So French thought it was Germany, but he did play in Austria.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Yeah, I did my research, just not that much research. So uh a lot of big announcements for Corbinion Holder coming at you next on a podcast we like to call the Mask and the Mike. We hope you enjoy the show and vivo as always. And good for us. Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Mask the Mike, Ken French alongside Guy A. Bear. Uh, and we have a very special guest on the program. Uh it's gonna go, Captain Corbinian. Corbinian Holzer, ladies and gentlemen, joins the program. Uh minidocks fans remember him spending, I think it was five years in Anaheim. Uh, but Holsey recently won the freaking championship in Germany. Austria. Sorry, sorry to interrupt. Austria, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Listen, I don't know what's going on. Get your stats right. You're gonna lie.

SPEAKER_03 1:41

I told Holsey before he came on I had a freaking page in notes, and apparently I'm writing this stuff down. I didn't write the right one down. Um Austria. Yeah, congratulations, dude. And you were captain of the team, and then you announce you're retiring. Yeah. Holy, I mean, talk about a a couple weeks. Can you please just kind of go through the emotions of what's been going on with you over the last two, three weeks?

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Uh yeah, to be honest, I can't really grasp it myself yet. Um the retirement part was like kind of like announced, like internally announced. I talked to the team. I made a decision uh kind of like in the Olympic break. I made a decision for myself to retire at the end of the season, and um I kind of like communicated it with the coaches and the team internally before the playoffs started, just to kind of like you know, maybe get like a little more fire, even like like light a little more fire that we already had, and have the guys think, yeah, maybe maybe it'd be nice to win this this championship for this old wagon, right? In his last year. And uh so yeah, that was kind of like uh already on the on the horizon, and obviously the championship uh can't control that. It just happened the way it happened was unbelievable, obviously. And now sitting here um going out of the game like uh as a player, winning a championship after 20 years of professional career in my last year. I haven't won anything before. Um, so winning it in my last year is obviously super special. And uh yeah, I'm I'm super thankful for the whole thing, how it went down and uh how it how to go out. I I think uh including playoffs, we won 16 games in a row. Um we went three like there's only three rounds here in Austria or like in Europe in general. You have a quarterfinal, you have a semifinal in the finals, all best of seven, so we went 12-0 in the in the in the playoffs, so we swept every team. And it was uh it was a fairy tale run to say so. And uh it was special, and it's a special group, obviously. People who have won know how hard it is, and uh I'm very, very fortunate to experience in my last season, and this is gonna be a bond forever, like they say.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Now, when you started this season, uh, did you know that you're gonna retire at the end of the season? Did you just say, hey, I'm gonna keep it under wraps until it's the right time to tell people? Or were you just kind of feeling it out? I like I know for all of us, you kind of go into a season and you think, God, I don't know, I don't know much uh how much gas I have left in the tank. You know, I mean, can I get through this season and then I'll worry about it in the offseason? Uh, but yeah, I mean, where was your mindset when you when you started training camp?

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Um I had a two-year deal here. I and uh my first year um during the season, I was kind of like, there's a first couple of times where I was like, man, I don't know how much longer I can do this. Like how much long like I I felt like I'm I'm getting to a point where I'm like I want to transition into that next phase. I still had a lot of passion for the game, especially when when games mattered a lot in the playoffs, obviously, is uh it's kind of like my my bread and butter, and it's the most fun time of the year. Like uh Ghee, you know that. And um, but then I got hurt in January, broke my collarbone. I was done for the season, I was out for the playoffs. I was about to come back in the semifinals um with like a brace over my my collarbone, which was like I don't know, seven weeks into it, and they told me it's gonna be at least 12 weeks till I can play again. So I was about to come back after seven weeks, obviously shoot it up in the playoffs semifinals, but then we lost out in game seven in the quarterfinals, so I wasn't able to come back, and that kind of sparked the fire inside of me that I was like, this is not the way I want to go out. And uh I felt like I had a lot more game left, and then going into the season, I was like, okay, let's see how this goes. Uh, I had a good time in training camp. Um, I had a lot of fun playing. We we had a good start to the season. Um and then I want to say probably around November, there was a time when I first talked to the team about extension, and I told them I was like, hey, I I need some time to figure out if I want to keep playing or not. And during that time, I there was a first bigger stage where I was like in my head, I think it's time to to wrap it up at the end of the season, but I want to see how this goes. Then we we changed coach too during the season in October, I think, a couple weeks before that. So that kind of postponed my thoughts. I was more focused on getting the team right, always in the right direction with the coaching change. So a lot of new stuff happening, uh, a lot of things going on. So I was more focused about that than myself and what I wanted to do. And then I like I said, in February with the Olympics, I was like, okay, I have to make a decision now because I need to let people know I need to get ahead of things a little bit and have like a little bit of a head start to what I want to do after. And um, yeah, that's when I made that decision and I felt it. Like there was games where I was like, man, I I think I I want to play another year, and then there's games like bus rides home where I'm like, no, I'm done. Like this is it. You can feel it. And uh I I actually like talked to Dallas about like Dallas Eekens. Um, I called him, we're still in contact because he he was coaching me in Mannheim my last year there, and he's still like uh like we go way back, right? I I've known him for I don't know, I think ever since I got drafted in the league. Like by the Leafs, he was a player development coach, and then he followed me around kind of that's right, yeah. And uh we're still in touch. We're basically really good friends, I would say, and um have a really good relationship. So I called him and asked him, hey, when did you know it's time to retire? And he said, like it's it's tough to say, everybody's different, man. Like you'll you'll feel it. And that feeling came this year in February, where I was like, okay, well, like in January, I was like, okay, I think I think this is it. I had a good feeling about the team. I didn't know obviously we were we were able to win the championship. Like I had a feeling we have a chance, but um knowing it then, I was like, okay, I I think I'm gonna leave it, like obviously I'm gonna leave it all out there. And if we win, awesome. If we don't win, I'm also fine with going out after 20 years healthy on my own terms, not with an injury. And uh I think that was huge, and uh I'm very thankful, like I said, uh to uh actually end it with a bang.

SPEAKER_03 8:10

Wow. What a run. Hey, fix your uh I'm gonna have you fix your camera. You're you're sliding out of the shot. That's because he's comfortable because he just retired. He's I know, yeah, yeah. That's better. Can you do that? A little bit. Yeah, you were like, I saw half. You're just like, I know you're as you're getting comfortable now, you're in retirement, you're just like slowly sliding out of the shot. I'm going, man, you're really relaxed now. I don't think I've seen holes this relaxed ever.

SPEAKER_02 8:37

Um you know I'm a relaxed guy. Honestly, like it's it's Franchie, it's such a it's such a big deal, I think, for for uh any athlete to be able to decide on your own terms to be able to say, I I've had enough. It's been a great ride. I'm ready for whatever comes next in life, whether it's family or a new uh new challenge. And I think that when you can leave the game, listen, I'm gonna knock on wood, remotely healthy, right? I mean, we all will, you know, you retire, you're gonna deal with things for the rest of your life because of what you did. But it's nice to say that, like, okay, I've gone out of my own terms, I'm pretty healthy, and I'm gonna look forward to the the next stage of life. So uh it's rare because a lot of times those decisions aren't made by the athlete. It's not made by you or me, it's made by you know coaches and general managers, uh, the league, the league has passed you on, and they determine that you're too old, too slow, you know, whatever it is. What an incredible ride to be able to call your own shots, win a championship, you know, ride off into the sunset, and then you know, embark on your next part of whatever your career is gonna be. And I don't know if you've made that determination yet, if uh if you know or you want to tell people uh what that might look like if it's uh still in the world of hockey. Well, I did a little research though.

SPEAKER_03 9:56

Um, see if Franchie's stats are right on this one. Okay, I'm gonna go with this. And and I've I've read two different reports. So um, are you gonna be the head coach of the under-20 team? That's did I read that correctly?

SPEAKER_00 10:11

Is that yeah, it's gonna be like uh yeah, it's it's basically gonna be like uh yeah, like the national team, German national team. And uh I'm gonna join the under-20s. Um kind of like as a I would phrase it as kind of like a GM coach. Um I'm kind of like working with the head coach who's a head coach there right now. Um we're gonna be on same same level, basically. I'll be on the bench, I'll be um have last say on uh roster decisions. I have uh obviously influence on the way we want to play, um, all that kind of stuff. So it's it's a huge, huge opportunity, obviously, for me going into that straight away. Um I started my coaching license um at a year and a half ago, and uh there's steps obviously in Germany. There's a C license, there's a B license, and an A license. And um these steps I'm uh just about to like take step by step, basically. So um, yeah, I'm very thankful for getting this opportunity. And uh I'll be in Canada in uh in December for the World Juniors, so that would be um very exciting.

SPEAKER_03 11:19

Did you uh you know you were talking to us earlier about kind of trying to make the decision on retirement if it was the right time and talking to Dallas who you've confided in. Was this part of the conversation too about coaching and what that could look like? And has that been in the back of your mind for a while?

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Yeah, absolutely. And uh obviously Dallas, uh, another another uh point we talked about uh where I was like, I I feel like coaching would be something I would like. Um that's why I started trying with the the first license or the C license, just to feel out and uh if I like it or not. Like maybe it's like you know, you come there and you're like, man, this is really exhausting. Like there's a lot of things, yeah. Like I and for me to be honest, like when I went there, um like the C license is kind of basic, like it's more for like really small, like under seven, under nine, under eleven, under 13, under 15, kind of, before you get into that competitive uh range. Yeah, so I was like, oh man, like teaching kids how to skate, teaching kids how to shoot. And it's man, I tell you, like I played professional for 20 years, and there was 20 other players or former players there. And when the like kind of like the instructor asked us, how would you explain six-year-old Timmy how to skate? There was 20 wrong answers. He's like, No, like because you it's so hard to break down in into detail what it means how to skate, how to shoot, how to pass, because it's so natural for us, right? So we forget like what goes into it. So we threw all out all these stupid ideas, like, hey, like basically pretend like you're sitting down on a toilet, that's how you start, like, so you you know, get bent bend your knees, and it's all wrong, right? So it so it was funny to see, and also very humbling in a sense of like understanding how hard it is to coach. And I learned a lot during that, uh it wasn't wasn't too long, a couple weeks, obviously, like the whole thing, but like those five, six days where we were together, um, it was super humbling just talking in front of a big group you of people you know, but like just barely know. So that was very like your your voice starts breaking, like when you start talking about stuff that you grew up with your whole life, or you've basically been around your whole life with hockey, so it's easy to talk about, but like once you're in front of like 20 random people, you're choking, right? So you're like, man, like this is like something I have to work on, so so you don't choke in front of a team, blah blah blah. So it's like super humbling, and that's when I learned like I think this is gonna be something I would like. And obviously, being a captain on the team the last two years, um, there's team meetings, there's stuff you kind of like kind of like the the the the guy in between coaching, the coaches and the team, right? So you get a lot of like uh meetings with the coach, you carry it with the team, and vice versa. Um, so that was kind of like nice for me to learn, and then obviously talking from the team, get better at that. And yeah, for me, I think that'd be something I'd I'd like to get into, and we'll see how it goes. Maybe it goes well, and but I I'm very open and I'm very excited to uh to take this next step. And Dallas, when I talk to him, he's like, hey, like you're you're you have the right mindset going into this, blah blah blah. And like we talked about it, he gave me a lot of like insight, and obviously I can call him anytime I want. He offered me to come to Mannheim when they're still playing, but uh the time wasn't right. I couldn't come. I don't know if he's still here in Germany, so I might have to see if I can visit him over the summer. But he always said, like, if you want to pick my brain, feel free. So I will definitely reach out to him for a few more uh tips or information. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

Yeah, I mean that's incredible. And you know what? I mean, as a player, I I know we always need someone in our corner, someone that we can be able to uh kind of talk offline where you know it's not going anywhere. It's great to have a mentor. And I mean, I enjoyed Dallas when he was coaching the ducks. I mean, I just thought he was a quality person first and foremost. I also thought uh he was a great, you know, X and O's type of coach. And you know, I think if anything, the knock against him back in the day was that he was just too good to the players, right? He was uh very understanding of things on and off the ice, and I think some somehow that kind of bit him. Um but I really enjoyed him, and I think he'd he'd be a great mentor for you. And I know obviously as his coaching uh career continues, it's great to have that sounding board. Yeah, for sure. Holsey. Or you could call Frenchie.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Yeah, yeah. Frenchie's seen a lot for sure, too. Like uh and there's like obviously like uh just a connection with Dallas, and like you said it perfectly. I think uh he's a great, great human being. And uh there's just so many things uh just coming over to North America for me um in 2010 to the Leafs uh or like Marlies, and he was a head coach with the Marlies. Um there's a lot of influence on my obviously professional career and personal life. Um, the way he handled things, the way he handled the players, um, and yeah, just the the humanity he has with guys, the understanding he has, it's uh it goes a long way and it goes way beyond the game of hockey, I think. So um just having that that uh that person to call is huge, I think. So I really appreciate him being around and being that open to share uh a lot of things with me is uh is really beneficial, obviously, to me, and hopefully in the future. And um it it went both ways. Like any anytime and before he came to Germany, he reached out a couple of times. Like I helped him get in contact with the national team, talk to people there about the Olympics, maybe at some point before. And uh it was always like uh he could reach out to me, I could reach out to him, and uh, like I said, uh it's almost like a like a good friendship relationship in a sense that we're yeah just very healthy and like I'm very lucky to have someone around and like you said, have kind of like a mentor and a big influence in my life that uh helped me become the player and the person along the way in this 20-year career.

SPEAKER_03 17:30

Yeah, I will say this. Uh you know, I do see a lot of the same qualities uh, you know, in you that uh that Dallas has, just being a good human. And I can see you being a tremendous coach um and knowing the players, knowing just the human being first, the player second. I think that's something that Dallas was so good at and was such a good communicator. And I see that in you too, and and that's certainly something I look forward to seeing you you take on and and continue to get better as. And and I I love the fact that you're gonna be a coach, and I can't believe it. It's just so cool to hear. And um, you know, I I I can't wait to see what's next for you. But before we move on, I if you haven't um uh followed Holsey on Instagram, you need to. It's Corbinian underscore holzer. And I'm saying that because Holsey, you've got some unbelievable pictures of the championship. It reminds me a lot of when the Ducks won it in 07. I mean, the crowds are unreal. The look on your face holding the trophy above your head, you could see it in your eyes. You could see how how much it meant to you, how much it meant to the team, the club, the city, the country. I mean, can you just take us through what it was like at the end of that run to win the whole damn thing and and what that celebration has been like?

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Well, when you just talk about it, I get goosebumps. Like I I wish you guys could see it. Like, but it's actually like it's it was so special, like I said in the beginning. Um the bond I have with this city for the last two years, or I built with this city for the last two years has been uh very unique to like I always loved anywhere I went. And I think uh I always uh when I left, I always felt like this is part of my like my personality now, part of my heart. Toronto, my daughter was born. Obviously, that's a huge connection there. And then I went to Anaheim. All the connections I ran I made within the team, around the team, with you guys, for example, and all other people there, as it was it was always special. Neshuel was very short, but also you meet some people. Then I go to Russia, where I had like a great experience with the people there and have a lot of connections where somebody just texted me from that team, the translator, and congratulated me on my career. So there's a lot of bonds still there that I carry, but this one obviously with the championship makes it just so much more special, right? So um just winning it there for this team. There's some background to it. Like two years ago when I signed, the team was dead last in the league with 20 points, 20 points out of the the playoffs. Um, and there's a new president came in, and the sponsor basically the president is kind of sponsor, so he brought some money in, and he was he came in, he said, like, I'm not a president for second places. So that was the mindset when he was coming in. So we had the first year we had 18 new players. Um and when I signed, I said, I want to have a two-year deal because I know how it goes. You have 18 new guys, it's not gonna go like if if we win, awesome. But that would be fairy tale. But I know in the first year this is gonna have some growing pains. We'll figure out who's the right guys on the bus, get the wrong guys off the bus, basically saying, and we had some growing pains. We lost out in the in the seven, seventh game of the quarterfinals, had some up and downs during the season. Then we made some switches, five or six guys, and uh we had the coaching change during the season, so that was kind of like an up and down, too. And from that point on, something clicked, and we just went off. And experiencing that, being a part of it, and seeing the organization turn around 180 degrees, basically, going from a losing organization to championship organization, and what it did to the people, it's like a small office. There's I I want to say there's five people work there in the office. So it's a small, smaller city, 380,000 people, big second biggest city in Austria, but still it's a super small organization. And it's very um family style, like very like people are super friendly, but you could tell they were like they had this losing mentality, and bringing that in to reach this championship, you could tell like there's a switch now, and like they're all about winning, and it it was growing. You could feel it during the season. And that was the most special thing. Like seeing the faces after we won it off the people on the in the office, lifting the trophy with the team. Obviously, there's guys who've never won it, like me, um, older guys um that been. Around, even played in North America, never won anything, and winning it. You could see how special it was for every individual in this organization on the team, coaches, and uh that that made it just so much more fun, obviously. And then we had a huge parade. Um, the owner obviously he was not afraid to spend um even he has a funny story. Like uh he had a we had a bus obviously with the roof off, so we would drive through the city, like the the main downtown road towards the main square where they had uh set up a huge stage, and uh he is a Lamborghini, right? So he's he is a Lambo, and uh he wrapped his Lambo, like like just wrapped his Lambo for the championship in the colours of the team, which on the side it said championship or champion 25-26. It had the Champions League because we qualified for Champions League too. There's a Champions League in Europe in the leagues, and he had the logo on there. So he just just slowly for that, uh solely for that purpose, he wrapped his Lambo Guinea and had a drive in front of the bus by someone, and he was on the bus, and like we got to the stage, we went in the in the town hall, signed in the golden book, it's called. So we're kind of like in there forever, like kind of like special citizens of the city. So to say, like we lift a trophy on the on the balcony in front of like I think it was like seven to eight thousand people, which for us a city like that is super special. And the the rink only holds 4,000 people.

SPEAKER_03 23:29

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

So and they had every game sold out. Obviously, they could have sell probably like seven to eight, ten thousand tickets if they wanted to in the finals or semifinals, even. That's how special it or how much it meant to the city too, or like the people in the city, and uh then obviously going on stage. Then our president had all of us fly to Ibiza for three days um to party after. So we left. Like we had the we had the we had the team party, the championship party on the main square, and and we had a two 230 bus to the airport in Vienna to fly to Ibiza, all paid and sponsored, organized, organized by the owner. He said, I I sh like I should you not. He came in before game two of the regular season. We won the first game. Game two before we go out on warm-ups. And I was shaking my head after he left because I fuck, I do not need this right now. It's like such a big distraction. But he comes in before game two. He's like, hey guys, I have a really good feeling about this team this year. Last year, uh, we weren't there yet, but this year I know we're gonna win. And if we win, I'm gonna take you to e-biza for three days. That's what he said. Before game two, game two before game two. We lost that game in overtime. But we won it in the end, and he actually came through with his uh promise. So yeah, we went to ebizza for two and a half, three days, and uh after that, uh seven days of celebration was over, and it was it was a hell of a fun, like the whole thing was so special, and um, yeah, it was just a lot of fun. And I I I don't know how to top that. Like, I'm so happy to go out on those terms. I don't know if I if I win it again ever, if I keep playing, I win it again. I don't know if he can top that celebration. So um it was it was uh second to none for sure.

SPEAKER_02 25:13

Unreal. Well, you know, and it did doesn't end right here because I I won, I was in the IHL when I was with the St. Louis Blues playing in the minors, and we won the Turner Cup and the IHL uh my second year pro. And to this day, uh we all are in contact. We have a you know a text chain of you know 20 odd guys and kind of remember winning that Turner Cup. And the city, more importantly, reminds us about winning that championship. They have not won a championship since, they've changed leagues over the years, but it's like we've been immortalized in that city for winning uh the Turner Cup. So I'm sure with your team and all of you, like that that bond that you mentioned, that will exist for the rest of your life and you will keep in contact with those former players. And more importantly, you'll be able to cherish that moment with all the people in the city and that organization. Uh, you know, it it's a lifetime event.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Yeah, I agree 100%. And that's exactly what I said before we started the playoffs when I announced my uh retirement within the team. I said, like, hey, like if we win, this is this is gonna last forever. Like you're gonna run into each other. I don't know, I'm 38 now. 30 years from now, 25 years from now, you're gonna run into each other. Hockey, the hockey world is a small, small place, right? So you run into each other and you're gonna be there's immediately something you talk about. You say, Hey, remember this time, like when we won the championship? So it every conversation is gonna start with that. So there is a special bond there, and that's like I'm so so thankful and happy um that I was able to experience this now for the championship and have this bond with a group of guys or a group of people. And obviously, again, for the people in the in the city of Graz, uh, they haven't won a championship in this league since they've been founded in '99. They won some different league for I think 40 years ago, but uh it was obviously not the same. So you could tell on the faces on when we had that the parade, it was uh it was crazy and it was so much fun.

SPEAKER_03 27:21

Holsey, what was it like doing this all with the sea? You were the C for the captain for two years. You you made the announcement in the room about this is gonna be it. You wanted the boys maybe to get them fired up a little bit. Did you sense that not you had something there? You felt it, you you said it, it was a little it was special, but that when you made the announcement, you're wearing the C, you're the voice, you're the leader, and now you tell them you're gonna retire. I mean, what was it like being kind of the face of this team and having everybody rise up for for this last run?

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Well, I would be lying if I didn't say it was emotional, like it was super emotional, obviously, like standing in front of there of the team and kind of going through how do you start, right? How do where do you start? What do you finish with like announcing it? I I had to kind of find my way. I don't want to just stand and say, hey, I'm retiring at the end of the season, see ya, so let's try to try to win it, right? So no, I was like, it was it was very emotional. Obviously, there's a lot going into 20-year career and uh a lot of stuff that you sacrifice or people around you have to sacrifice, and uh making that decision was uh well announcing or like talking about that decision was emotional for sure. And I could feel by the look on the faces and the guys coming after to me afterwards, after I talked, that they like we were all in the same direction. I could feel right away, and I knew while I was talking, this group was special, and I talked about like let's not waste this opportunity. I've been on really good teams, I've been on really good teams with Anaheim. I brought that up too. Like, I there's two years in Anaheim out of the five where I was like, this is like we're gonna win it this year. I was convinced sitting there sometimes during the playoffs. The first time I came there um when we lost out to Chicago in game seven in the conference finals, I was convinced before game seven or six, I was like, we're gonna win the Stanley Cup this year. I I would this team was so good and so dominant. I was like, man, like I don't know who's gonna stop us. And the same was going into that year when we lost to Nashville in conference finals. I was the same way. I was like, man, like this year is our year. I I just felt it. But then you realize how hard it is to win, you know, and it's uh there goes so much stuff into that. In the NHL, it's even harder, obviously, with the the four rounds and the the teams that are playing and the teams you're playing against and all the stuff that goes into it with the travel, blah blah blah. You guys know uh better than I do. But uh yeah, to just end it winning with the team and knowing the guys uh gave their all, like also for me to come out with this championship is super emotional. I couldn't be more thankful. Like I've used this word so much, but it's it's it's just true. Like I'm super thankful for knowing all these guys to share um this experience with them, and uh I'm so happy for for them to to experience it and win it. And uh that was a big thing for me, like wearing the C um you basically serve the people, right? So um I'm happy to to be able to serve them and and experience this championship too.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

Well, you know, for a lot of people when they think about like European hockey, you know, they they they don't really understand. They don't understand that, you know, uh the leagues, they don't understand the travel, they don't understand even how many games that European teams will play during a regular season. Now, uh so to enlighten everybody who hopefully is watching this podcast, um so how many games did you play for the regular season? And you know, what what is your travel like? Is it by train? Is it by plane? Is it by bus? You know, what what's your furthest uh team that you have to travel to? And what what's like your closest team?

SPEAKER_00 31:10

Um so you play, which is a good thing in Europe, and uh that's uh one of the biggest differences, obviously. Um in Germany you you play 52 games, in Austria, it's 48 games. So you play every team in the league four times. Um there's 13 teams in the league, so you have the 12 times four. You play two times on a row, two times at home, and um then you have the playoffs. The furthest travel for us um was probably around, I want to say, six and a half hour bus ride. So you bus everything, right? There's nothing in Austria. Austria is a smaller country, so you don't have to fly anything. Um so six and a half hours with bus. We would usually go the day before, but there's times where we go the same day. Um go in the morning at eight, get there for game time, unpack, play, go home, get home at 4 a.m. in the morning, 5 a.m., have a Saturday practice, and then play Sunday again. Because usually your schedule is like Friday, Sunday games, and then sometimes a Tuesday or Wednesday game. So sometimes you have three, three games a week, or some most of the times it's two games a week. So you have that, and the closest was uh usually uh I want to say Vienna or Klagenfurt, which is probably around an hour and a half or two with the bus. And um then you have the the national team breaks in November. Um we had the Olympic break in February, obviously, like the NHL hat. So that the schedule, thankfully, is not as taxing as in the NHL. That for sure helps. Um, but the travel can be kind of challenging, especially in the playoffs. We played uh the finals, we played uh the furthest team possible. So it's kind of like Eastern Conference, West End Conference, right? Yeah. So in that sense, so we ended up playing them. Um but yeah, like again, like I said, like we you and the thing is in the playoffs, true. That's another thing. You don't play two at home, two at on the road. If you have home at ice advantage, and then go one-one-one, you go one-one one-one for seven games. So you have a game, so that's the travel in the playoffs, and that kind of sucks, right? Yeah, so that's when you go like game one and then you play every second basically. Yes, yes. So that's kind of like the travel that sucks after a while, especially. So um, that's the only difference that you have that uh the playoffs, it's a little more challenging in that regard, but overall, obviously, less games, um, less taxing on the body, but more practice time, which is also can be nice sometimes, depending on practice, right? Yeah. So, but uh yeah, that's what it is basically.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

I and I think it's uh, you know, I because you play 82 games in the NHL and you think about climbing on the plane and flying from you know here to there and back, and you know, and listen, it's it's luxury travel in the NHL. I'm not saying that it's not, but I I do. I think that uh a lot of people don't think it's as challenging when you look at a 52-game schedule and you're playing, you know, uh a less travel schedule. But listen, when you put the skates on and you go out and you compete on however many games, it it it's brutal, right? I mean, it's still you know, I mean, Europe European hockey has changed, uh, I'm sure, over the years to emulate more of the North American style. I mean, there's still a premium on skill, of course, but you're looking at there's still physical players, like there's a lot of North American guys playing over in Europe, and so they don't instantly abandon you know what they've been taught all their life how to play. So uh you know, do you find that? Is it still is it become more NHL type hockey? I mean, you think about the Olympics and yeah, you know, everybody competes on the same level because there's so much influence from Europe into the NHL.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Yeah, I I think uh the German League is very North American style play. Um Austrian League is a little bit different because you have those like the Italian teams, you have the Hungarian team, you have the Slovenian team, so you have kind of like that influence too into the league, which is kind of interesting. But you have the bigger ice, so it's a lot more skating um compared to the smaller ice. Not saying that it's like slower or faster, you have more time in a regard that you sometimes can find those pockets on the ice where you kind of have that extra second compared to the NHL, especially highest level you can find, um, where you have to know where the puck goes before you get the puck. So um, so you need to be a little more aware. Obviously, the hitting is a big factor. Um, it's physical in the playoffs for sure. And during the season, there's games where it's very physical too, but it's less less hitting and a lot more skating where you have to skate in more positions, you have to get up faster because the ice you have to cover is a little more. Um, that sometimes made it easy on the smaller ice for a bigger guy like me to get your gap back on the bigger ice and then D zone. Sometimes uh there's a lot of room. So um that's that helps like those little skilled guys. Um, and the game got so fast, doesn't matter if it's NHL um or in Europe, the game got so much faster. Players are so much more skilled now than compared to when I started playing, and uh you have to adapt to that. So that's that's that's probably like a little bit different, but um, yeah, there's a big influence both sides, I think, now.

SPEAKER_03 36:42

Holsey, let's talk about when you started playing now that you're 38 years young. Let's go on the way back machine for a second. Fourth round pick by the Leafs back in 2006. I have a I have a fun fact for you, too. Uh, your first NHL goal was scored on your fourth NHL shot.

SPEAKER_00 36:58

Yeah, I was a high percentage shooter.

SPEAKER_03 37:02

Holzie, wholesy the goal scorer. Right off, damn right you did. Okay, so you were at the Leafs and he got traded to the Ducks. Um, and uh what was it on 2015 for Eric Brewer in a fifth round pick? Do you remember that day you got traded to Anaheim?

SPEAKER_00 37:21

I will never forget that day. Like your first trade, obviously. Like, um, and the way it happened was just so I don't know, but I I tell this story every time I get asked. Like if I'm in a big group and people ask me about the NHL and like stuff like that, and everybody sees the the sparkles and sunshines and like all the stuff that goes into that. Like you play in the NHL, like don't get me wrong. I loved every second of it. It's the best like lifestyle, obviously, like the best league in the world. That's where every kid wants to end up. But there's also like a darker side to that, or like a shadow side, I want to say. So, my first trade, my my my daughter was just born, and Frenchie, you know, she's premature by 11 weeks and uh in the hospital for a while. So uh she just got released from hospital and was I don't know, I want to say, what is it, months, month and a half, maybe two months at home. Okay, and we went on a road trip with the leaves to uh Washington, and then from Washington we go to Tampa, have a day off on the trade deadline day, and then play Tampa and Florida. So I basically packed for a week road trip and a small suitcase, so you bring one suit, probably as a young guy. You don't have as many suits yet, you bring two shirts, so you pack light. So, right? You pack underwear for the days you were there, socks, but like you pack light. And uh I talked to my agent. I knew I was a free agent, I knew with the leaves we were out of contention, they were trying to rebuild. My agent told me, hey, like I don't think anything's gonna happen. If the trade late line passes, they want to talk um extension. I was a perfect I played second line minutes with Jake Gardner at that time, who was a duck, but like draft pick two, and uh played like around 18 to 20 minutes, kind of like first time I really established myself, and uh I had a good feeling, and uh we're playing Washington, I get hammered, hammered by OV in this first shift. Like my first shift, he hammers me from behind, concussion. Right? I I finished the shift, he scores the same shift. I was like dizzy as fuck. I like sorry, but like I stood up and I was like, what the hell? That was a why was this not a penalty? Like he hammered me from behind into the boards. I got up, he comes up in the rush on the side, does his fake thing, like shoots it through my legs, far side, goal, one-nothing, two minutes in first shift. And I was like, okay, I got pulled out of the game. Um for safety reason, I was out for the game, and I was like, holy damn. Like I come, like we've we I think we lost the game, I can't remember. And uh Monday we get to like we fly to Tampa, we have a Monday day off, right? So uh I go to the beach, walk around, get some treatment, talk to my agent. Again, I was like, hey, like I don't think anything's gonna happen. Like there's some teams kicking cans, but like I don't know, I don't think anything's gonna happen. So I'm like, okay, perfect. I lay down for nap. I wake up and it's uh the trade deadline was at 3 p.m., right? Always at 3 p.m. Eastern. So I wake up and it's uh I think I want to say it's like 3 45 and nothing on my phone. So I was like, okay, like perfect. Like I didn't get traded, sounds right to me. Five minutes later, my girlfriend calls me and she never calls. Like unless there's something really like I don't know, any anything happening. So she calls and she's like uh obviously still in Toronto and she's like watching the trade deadline day, and she says like on the ticker on the bottom, you know, when they they go through, your name just came up that you got traded. And I was like, no, no freaking way. But she said, like the the logo there's always usually the logo, right, of the team you get traded to, and then trade like a small, like just a short note. And she said, I couldn't, like it went by so fast, and I couldn't believe it. I didn't see what team. And I was like, Well, the next time it comes through, like take a picture and send me a picture. And she's like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, I'll do that, I'll do that. And uh like I hang up and I'm like shaking my head. I'm like, what the hell is going on? I hang up, my phone rings again, and I answer it random Canadian number. And I answer, I'm like, yeah, yeah, this is uh TSN Sports Center. Uh, this is a great trade for you. And I'm like, I don't even know where I'm going. And they're like, the guy is laughing on the phone. He's like, perfect, we put you right on air. So they they basically put me right into the panel where all these guys sit, talk about all the traits that are happening and all the rumors, blah, blah, blah. They put me right on air. And after that moment, I have no idea what I said. I just completely blacked out. It was it's just like I I now know because you re-watch it, right? And people tell you. And now that I know, is this like obviously the basic thing you say? Like they put me on, and they're like, hey, this is a great trade for you going from Toronto, like one of the worst teams in that moment in the league, and the the ducs were first in the league. He's like, going from one of the worst to one of the best teams or the best team in the league, Anaheim. And that's when I found out that I who I got traded to. And I was sitting there and I was just like, obviously, like, uh, yeah, well, uh, this is awesome. Yeah, like uh, can't wait. Uh, and thank you, thank the the leaf so much for this opportunity and uh looking forward to joining Docs. Like saying all this stuff that you say, yeah, but I can't remember saying it because I was just all like I was like, what the hell just happened? And I hang up, shaking my head again, my phone rings again. Dave Knowness, who was then uh GM in Toronto, calls me and he's like, hey man, like I'm so sorry you had to find out that way, but we had had to wait for the leak until the trade call came through. So I was like, Well, yeah, okay. Like, and he's okay, thanks, thanks for your uh time. And like uh, it was great having you and uh you you joining a great team for a cup run, and uh it's gonna be great for you. And uh yeah, all the best. Take care, bye. Boom, hang up. And I was like again, I was sitting there again. I was like, what the hell? What's going on here? Five minutes again later, Bob Murray calls me. He's hey, like, welcome to the team. Um, we're happy to have you, like all that stuff. When can you come? And I'm like, like, I'm in Tampa right now. I have no idea like what's going on. And he's up okay, right. You know, how's your head? I'm like, yeah, it feels better today. Um, all right, listen, like we want to play. I think you guys play. In Arizona that day the next day, and we're in there. He's like, Just you gonna come fly in tomorrow? Or I give you the guy, like the team service guy, talk about the flight. I want you to come in to fly to Anaheim, have our doctors look at you, and then uh we'll meet when we get back from Arizona or wherever. And I was like, Oh, okay. And then that guy comes on, the team service guy. I can't remember who it was. I think it was Ryan Licked. Right? Yeah, Ryan Licked himself. Yeah, yeah. And uh he said, Okay, Holsey, like uh there's a couple of flights. Um, obviously, at that moment it's already pretty late from the east coast, there's no no real connection there. And he's like, uh, I I don't think there's a flight now, but there's a flight tomorrow morning, uh, so you can jump on that. And I was like, okay, like what about my stuff? Because I had no idea. Like, yeah, this is the first time you trade. I had no idea what's going on. And he's like, Yeah, like just fly, take that flight and we'll figure it out. And yeah, I went for breakfast the next morning, said goodbye to the guys that I saw from the leaves. And we went, yeah, took my path to the the airport, jumped on the plane, got to Anaheim, I picked up, went to the doctor, and uh the next day I I I was on the ice with the ducks. So it's uh it's pretty wild. And yeah, like I was living out of the suitcase, hey, right? I only packed for this week. So I called my with my girlfriend. I was like, hey, like I need some stuff. Like I can't just go out and buy new clothes. So she sent me a box of like uh like just a moving box of stuff to California, which obviously took a while too, and then she had to take care of all the stuff with the baby, the newborn, um, at home. Like, like canceled the lease, um, returned the car. Obviously, like we were super lucky that we had people in Toronto that we knew or like met during my time there, and uh that helped a lot, but yeah, it was finding an apartment, um, stuff like that. It was it was tough. I'm not gonna lie, that was a tough experience. But now talking about is obviously super funny.

SPEAKER_02 46:01

Yeah, yeah. In hindsight, it's really, you know, it's uh a tremendous story, right? But when you're living in that moment, and I I mean, I always used to say that, you know, like fans are always excited, especially at trade deadline day, like who can we acquire for a playoff push or a Stanley Cup run? You know, it but there's so many guys' lives that are just uprooted, and and and if you haven't been through it or you haven't been in the league long enough to experience it with your teammates, that yeah, it it's so chaotic. And I I'm just curious in that whole story is did you ever hear from your agent?

SPEAKER_00 46:38

Well, yeah, I and and was he fired how long was he your agent for? Uh yeah, well, we we talked, like I called them, I was like, hey, but like, what the hell? Like, how does this happen? Like, how did you not know? Like, how did you not hear? Well, yeah, there's like I said, there's teams kicking can, but then they were worried that you got hurt last night, blah blah blah. So I didn't think anything would happen. And I was like, okay, like whatever. And then yeah, a couple, I think like a year or two later, um, I was not very happy with like how it worked, like in the whole the whole scenario, like that was just part of it. So we parted ways and uh yeah, yeah, part of the business too, right?

SPEAKER_03 47:24

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So yeah. What do you uh when you look back at your time in Anaheim, Holsey, what do you what do you remember?

SPEAKER_00 47:33

There's a lot of things. Um like I said before, it was it was a special time, and uh I think what stood out for me not the most but a lot was uh the team when I came there. Obviously it was going well. Um unfortunately I wasn't able to get into a game during that time after I got traded. Um I didn't I think I didn't play till the next year of uh uh training camp. But coming into that group, I was super worried. Like, obviously, like again, first first trade. Like, what do you expect? Like, I have no and I don't know anybody on this team. Um I'm basically the new guy, like I was still not old in a sense in hockey in the hockey world. I was still a young, younger guy trying to find my way around the league. Like I like I said, I barely just made the team drawn like where I would stick on the on the in the lineup kind of. So I was super worried that starting at zero, not knowing anybody, not knowing what to expect on the other side of the of the yeah, basically the the country, like east coast, west coast, right? So I knew Anaheim obviously super nice. Uh you know, sunny California, so I was excited for that, going from Toronto there, but I had no idea. And I came there and the guys, honestly, within I want to say like a week, I felt like I played in this team for five years. Like the team was so special, the the way they treated me coming there, and there's a couple more trades. I I remember that uh it was a big deadline day on defense, especially with the Ducks. I think they trade like three or four defense defensemen. They got Simone Dupree, and then I think a couple other guys and me. So Murr kind of like uh really got like a different vibe on the on the back end. So there's more new guys, which helped me too, obviously. But the new guys would stick together a little bit at the beginning, get around. But the team was so so nice. Like from Get Sea, Pears, like all these guys that were there. Um Freddie Anderson was still there, Gibby obviously kind of like started uh to get in there, and um it was uh it was it was really special for me to come there and I loved being there from that moment on. It was uh it was a really great time, and we had like I said, we had a great team. And even though I didn't play, I felt so much part of the whole thing just by the way the guys treated me and welcomed me on the team. So that really stuck to my heart and or in my heart, and uh that's something that yeah, definitely stands out.

SPEAKER_03 50:11

You know, it's cool. Obviously, having you on is is awesome just to catch up with you because uh it's just just great to see your success and everything that's happened to you, but also the ducks now in the postseason for the first time in eight years, they're making a run right now. You were part of the team in 2017 when they went to the Western Conference Final. Uh the comeback on Catella is something that's been talked about forever. Can you what was that like specifically come back on Catella to be part of and watching that all happen?

SPEAKER_00 50:43

It was it was insane. Like uh like I've never seen anything before that, and I don't think I ever experienced anything after that. And uh the way it just happened, like I didn't play that game. We were up in the press box, obviously, and then uh when we were down a couple of goals, you're there's like and then you know the time's running down, you're like, holy man, like this this is gonna be tough to come back from. Like, I I like I was like, man, like I don't know. I don't know. Like we're we're like you go down early, right? Before before the the game ends, and I think on the way down we scored one, and we're like, oh, there is a chance, right? Then we watched the rest of the game in the locker room, and then just the way it happened, it was like yeah, like I couldn't believe it. I running around in the locker room when we scored the winning goal, it was like it was insane. Like it was it was it was a crazy time, and uh some one of the moments too that you will never forget for sure.

SPEAKER_02 51:41

Well, you know, hey, the Anaheim fans have not forgotten about you, and I was just at game three and I was doing a uh a pregame hit for uh one of the local television stations, and so we had to do the shoot right from uh I listen, it was early, it was like 5 30 for the 6 30 game. So there were there were some people in the building, and as we were doing it in a wheelchair section, um, this gentleman came in and uh was like, hey, that's my seat, and said, Oh, well, you know, we're doing a quick thing, we'll be out of your way. And so I look he's wearing a ducks jersey, and as he turns to say something to somebody else, I see Holzer on the back. And so we got chatting or whatever, and I said, Hey, uh big fan. I said, We're actually supposed to have Corbinian on our podcast next week. And he's like, Yeah, he's a big fan. He goes, and as a matter of fact, he goes, I got the jersey from him at the end of the season in the last home game where you go, it's jersey off our backs, yeah, and you hand it to a fan. And so he said, I was able to go out on the ice and I got the jersey right off of uh Holsey's back. So he was wearing it proudly for the Ducks playoff game against the Vegas Golden Knights. So I sent Frenchie a picture and uh it's pretty amazing. But it once again, it's just another uh, I guess a reminder to all of us that when we do play, uh fans remember us and we've had an impact on on the teams that we played for. So no better example than seeing that for you.

SPEAKER_00 53:16

Well, yeah, that's that's awesome. Uh that's that's yeah, part of why we're doing it, right? I think or like why we play. And then hearing that, it's uh it's special for sure. And uh yeah, thankful again. Obviously, it's uh it's uh you can't say it enough. Uh so the people I I love the people in Anaheim, the fans were awesome. I had an unbelievable five years. I was I yeah, I can say that way. I was devastated when I got traded from Anaheim to to Nashville, and not because it was Nashville or anything, just because leaving Anaheim and it was second home for me in North America for sure. And the people I met outside of hockey too, and the connections I made, and obviously the the the warmth of the fans and the people and the organization. Um yeah, that's also moments that you will cherish forever, and I'm I'm super happy that people people didn't forget.

SPEAKER_03 54:12

Hey Holsey, before we let you go, you mentioned, you know, as a young guy, you might have had one suit. Um but then but then on your Instagram, as I pumped it earlier, Corbinian underscore holzer, there's another reason I'm bringing this up, is because there's this place called the Holy Tiger Barbershop. And Gibo, if you haven't seen these pictures, you need to go on his Instagram and check them out. There is one. Holsey is a it says every circus needs a director. He is the like conductor of a circus, and the look on his eye, I mean, the photo shoot must have been amazing, Holsey. I mean, you're like, you're like cynical, mischievous. I mean, you are in full attire, and then there's another like commercial of the entire team going in the barbershop in full hockey gear for Movember. I mean, I mean, you guys had some awesome promotions. I mean, what was what was this whole circus director thing though? I want to get into that specifically, man. You were you were on your A game that day.

SPEAKER_00 55:15

Oh, thanks, Frankie. Means a lot. Um that Holy Tiger um barbershop, like every place I went to, um, every team I went to, um, I always looked for a barbershop when I got there. I don't know why. I just, you know, it's I think I like barbershops. I like the the vibe around it, and I found that one. And uh they had great reviews. I went there for a couple haircuts, beard shaves, trims, whatever. And I got in connection or like in touch with the owner. And um he's a guy, like he's he's an Austria, one one of the best barbers, I think, um, that you can find. He had some awards, like won some awards and stuff like that. So he's he's really good. And we got talking. He found out that I played for the the team, the local team in Graz. And um we like we chatted. I came by and then he's like, hey, like I have this idea for Movember. Would you guys like five, four or five guys, would you mind? Like, I want to do something, uh, something funny, maybe like make it like cool, but like also funny, obviously, good cause, and I want to promote it a little bit. And you guys, I know hockey guys do it, so I wanna I wanna do something. Would you would you be interested? I was like, hell yeah. Like I love this stuff. And um, I asked a couple guys on the team that were in, and then we we like kind of got the date set, and that's how the ball got rolling, uh, basically. And it was so much fun. Obviously, it takes a while because he had to cut every guy's hair that day, and so he's like, Hey, I can only do four or five because if we do more, it's gonna take forever, right? So we did every guy the shoot with the cut like the hair before and the hair after with the helmet off, then the stash, and they want to have to make it funny, and then at the end, when we all sit on the on the couch, like the doctor comes in, and that was the guy who's filming, and he's like, Hey, so who's ready for their prostate exam? And the look on their face is like, What the hell? So that was kind of funny. And uh after that, like we stayed in touch. He came to a couple of games, and obviously I still went for a haircut there. And um, at some day, like um, there's this other guy I met too from a bar where we had our Halloween party, one of the best cocktails bar bars, if not the best, I've ever been to. I honestly, if you ever go to Austrian Graz, go to that place. And um they were they're friends too. So that connection kind of started the next thing with the circus. Like they texted me and said, Hey, like, are you interested in this photo shoot? I like I talked, like we talked, and we think you're the perfect guy. We need a circus director. And I was like, What is this? Like, I had no idea, right? So I was like, Well, you what do you need from me? It was like, well, you just gotta show up to this shooting and like we equip you with all the clothes, and just we need someone like you would be perfect for this role. And I was like, I knew they do some crazy stuff, obviously. Like, uh, so I knew it's not gonna be like, hey, like I'm the circus director, like something like in a sense, where like this stuff, I was like, this is gonna be crazy, right? And all the pictures that they take, there's this like a live snake, a lady with the snakes was was there, and they what they did was promoting the haircuts, like basically promote the barbershop, so the guy would all cut hairs, and they would promote all the drinks the owner of the bar has. So every guy I had like I I don't know if you saw the picture where I hold up the popcorn. It's got it's a it's a it's a cocktail. There's a there's a couple of shots where I hold up the the cocktail with the it's like basically like looks like if you go to the cinema or the movie theater, it's a popcorn thing. Yes, that one. Exactly. Yes, that's that's a drink. So that's a drink, that's a cocktail. So all these cocktails are like, unbelievable, by the way. Unreal. Yeah. And um they gave and they said to me when I got there, say, hey, like, you're not gonna be that fancy circus director. We have a shitty circus here. That's what he basically said. This is gonna be shitty, like bare, like bare, like minimum circus, like you know, from back in the days, like where like this these travel, like these guys travel around to survive, basically. Your clothes are gonna be ripped. Like I had these tight, tight pants on. I barely got in. There's like these are perfect. I was like, man, I look like I was like, they gave me this thing and then the hat, and every there's holes everywhere, and like, but they made it look so cool. It did, and then they told me like you gotta be this crazy guy, this crazy director who's like, Hey, I've been I'm in charge, but like I'm kind of like fucked up. So I crushed the dude. I mean you have to crush it. It was a lot of fun, man. It it didn't take that long. Obviously, the haircut did take a little longer, and the the mustache and stuff like that, but the the shoot itself went by so fast, and they had this this huge guy there who's like two heads bigger than me. I think he was like two meters, like a solid six nine, probably, or even more. And then they had this picture with that guy and a like a small person, like uh it was it was insane. The like the contrast they made, it was so much fun seeing what they did, and uh being part of that was obviously huge, and the pictures came out unreal. Like I like them a lot. This picture what you just showed gave is it looks really nice and is a fun time and something outside of hockey that uh that I like doing, and uh yeah, I'm happy that I did it because I it turned out great. Hey Gebo, I gotta tell you something model actor Corbinian Holzer. So I might be back in California soon.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:55

Look at this. I know you're gonna be on uh Hollywood. No, you gotta check this out too. I don't know if you can find it on there on Instagram as we wrap things up. I know, but um, everything in the NHL now is free dress, right? So it's you're it's you wanted to express and and guys get to kind of establish their own brand. There's one more photo, Holsey, I want you to talk about. It's a checkered jumpsuit with a hat on that you're walking into the the rink. It was like talk about yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember that. Yes, like if everyone's walking in their suits back in the day, right? When you were when you were traveling, but now you're walking in a full jumpsuit with this hat on, all about style, man. I mean, is it was that fun for you to be able to kind of express yourself and yeah, that one.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:43

Um this one actually, like uh this game that was in Mannheim in Germany. This game was uh like a um a retro game. It was like basically celebrating the 80s, 90s, and uh we had retro jerseys for that game too. And uh it was a full-on, like they had like the social media stuff, everything was like retro, and we talked on the team before, like we want to do something. Like it's kind of like for the the the winter classic, right? Teams they dress up and do stuff, so it's kind of like special for us. So we're like, hey, let's do something. And that time, I I think I don't know if it was the first time I watched a movie or like a couple times before. The movie The Gentleman with uh Matthew McConaughey, yeah, Unreal Movie, and you know the boxers, yeah, yeah. They had like the box club with uh uh Colin Pharrell, they have all those uh those tracksuits, just different colors, and these are all the Lawnsdale tracksuits. And I reached out to Lawnstale because I said, Hey, let's do something, guys. It's gonna be awesome. We're gonna do these tracksuits, and every every guy on the team wore them. I got them for free out of Lonsdale. I said, Hey, like, we're gonna do this. You guys, would you guys promote us? Like, send us those uh tracksuits, and they're like, Yeah, hell yeah. Like I have three or four tracksuits from them now, different colors, they're all sick, super comfy, and obviously they looked super cool. Like it was so much fun coming to the rink and uh doing that stuff. So uh yeah, it's uh it's it's fun, I think, uh, to express sometimes uh the uh the other person than uh than the hockey player, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:03:20

Yeah, so cool. And uh well, well, you know, we gotta wrap it up because we could keep talking to you forever. Unfortunately, we gotta wrap it up. But I I want to say um personally, we we touched on you being a coach, and I I can see it. Um I want to thank you personally for being so good to me over the years. Um, as many people don't know, I at many times on the plane, Holsey, they weren't there wasn't a seat for me necessarily. And so you always I always ended up somehow in the player area, and you always had a seat open for me, and I I truly appreciate that. But it was uh an absolute, you know, I'll call it an honor to to to cover you over the five years in Anaheim. You're a true gentleman, as everybody who knows you knows, and I I can't wait to see what's next for you. So congratulations on your championship, congratulations on your career. And um, you know, you're a dad of two, and uh be a dad for a minute, and I can't wait to see what's next for you. Frenchie, thanks a lot.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:17

Uh you make me blush here.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:20

That's hard because you have the same complexion I do, so that's tough.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:24

I mean, I don't know, maybe I tan. No, but hey, obviously, like same from me. Um, from the bottom of my heart, Frenchie. Like, you know, I think we had a special, special connection during those five years. It was always fun joke around on the plane or wherever. Um, you were always good to talk to. And uh yeah, Gee, the same thing. Like everybody, the media in in Anaheim was really good to me, or the to the team in general. So uh I can't thank you guys enough for for the work we did together and uh being uh respectful all the time. And uh yeah, it was it was a lot of fun, and dudes are that's definitely stuff I won't forget either. So uh those connections that like I said, it I could talk to you guys forever too. So that means a lot, and uh it's been a fun time. And uh yeah, thanks for everything and all the best to you guys too for sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:15

Well, we will uh we'll stay in touch. This isn't the last time we chat with you, so it's not this is just uh goodbye for now. Yeah, so uh so long to uh Captain Corbinian, hello to Coach Corbinian. That's right, that's right around the corner. Holsey again, thanks for joining us here on the podcast, man. And again, uh all the best, and we look forward to catching up with you real stuff. Thanks, guys.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:35

All the best to the ducks too in the playoffs. Go ducks.