The Bagchucker Podcast
Join former NHL pros Chris Mason and Hal Gill aka Mace and Skillsy as they hit the road and share the ultimate guide to life as a "Bagchucker" – hockey players turned broadcasters who’ve packed their bags and traveled the world. Whether you're a die-hard hockey fan or just love the thrill of travel, this podcast brings you expert insights into the NHL, the best travel hacks, and stories from life on the road. From rink-side banter to the hidden gems of cities around the league, Mace and Skillsy mix humor, experience, and the love of the game in this one-of-a-kind show.
The Bagchucker Podcast
The Bagchucker Podcast: Episode 7 - "Stamkos return to Tampa, Athlete Alter Egos and the Mindset in Hockeyand more"
We also pay tribute to a legendary player from the Tampa Bay Lightning, reflecting on his emotional farewell and the powerful bond between players, teams, and fans. You'll find yourself swept up in the stories of transition, the balance of honoring the past while embracing new beginnings, and the challenges athletes face when leaving familiar turf for uncharted territory. Through personal stories, we reveal the deep emotional fortitude required to navigate the world of professional sports and the human side of the fame and fortune.
And it wouldn't be the Bag Chucker Podcast without some lighter moments. We jump into the world of sports psychology, drawing comparisons between legendary boxing tactics and the mental game in hockey. You'll also find some laughs as we debate fan etiquette, jersey-wearing rules, and share a glimpse of our Election Day experience in Washington D.C. Wrap it all up with a toast to our listeners and a call for your feedback, as we set the stage for more engaging conversations and exciting guest appearances.
Welcome to the Bag Chucker podcast where we break down life on the road in the NHL.
Speaker 2:We're your hosts, Chris Mason and Hal Gill, aka Mason Skilzy, former NHL players, current broadcasters for the Nashville Predators. Lifelong Bag Chuckers, dads, brothers and sons We've seen it all, from the bus rides to the big leagues.
Speaker 1:Each week we'll dive into what's going on around the league. We'll give you travel tips, places to go, things to do and stories from years of living out of a suitcase. What?
Speaker 2:do you say Mace?
Speaker 1:Lobby in 10. Just chuck your bags and let's go. All right, welcome back to the Bag Chucker Podcast episode 7. We're 7 episodes in. In, of course, I'm joined by the godfather of chuck, harold priestly gill, the third you have to tell him you're chris mason.
Speaker 2:I'm chris mason mace, aka the savior I would.
Speaker 1:That's far from that. But uh, chris mason joined with the godfather. There's no better nickname than that, I don't think. But, Skilzy, you just came back. You had a great night in Tampa Bay. We'll talk about that. I miss you, buddy. We haven't been able to travel. The ESPN's taking all our games right now All the good ones too, by the way. Thanks.
Speaker 2:ESPN. Yeah, fanduel Sports Network has been pumped aside for a couple games on the road, so we miss checking bags together and it's it's not the same without you, but I won't lie to you, it's not the same.
Speaker 1:And right now I'm watching the game and you know I'm very envious and I would say what are the seven deadly sins? Jealousy is not a good one to have, but I've had those feelings and it kind of hurts and I kind of miss it. But we're going to get it back in November.
Speaker 2:Radio keeps me on the road. You know I'm off one oh two, five.
Speaker 1:We don't sleep there. We're radio, is they're the, the blue collar of entertainment. There's no question. Yeah, yeah, just grinding, you got you got fourth liner and you just you bring it to you.
Speaker 1:Well, the people need you, the people need radio and you guys deliver. You have, uh, you have a great crew too. I appreciate you saying that. I appreciate, but we have, uh, we got a good episode. We got a lot of stuff to cover, um, but one of the things, skillsy, that's coming up in november, which you've been very passionate about, and bag chucker, trying to support our service members, the military, the, the police, the fire, everybody that serves, uh, the community in those roles, um, skillsy, the service cup. Is it november 23rd? We have coming up, that's november 22nd friday, november 22nd.
Speaker 1:Okay, then, that's uh, so tell me all about it, skillsy.
Speaker 2:It's gonna be a fun event yeah, it's awesome if we you know, one of the things we started with Bag Trucker is let's give back. Then I think both of us were like, yeah, the military first responders that were playing hockey, let's get them on the ice, let's help them out. That's our wheelhouse and so this is kind of a service cup. What we, what we're going to do, is we're going to have four teams police team, fire team and then two military teams that are going to get out on the ice and duke it out for the Service Cup, and it's going to be a quick game. We got sponsors with Black Abbey.
Speaker 1:Great beer, so we're going to have a couple beers. They made a bag truck of beer a couple years ago, yeah they did, they did make a bag truck.
Speaker 2:That a couple years ago. Yeah, they did, they did make a bag that was like a combo the combo of like yours and mine.
Speaker 2:That was actually pretty yeah milkshake ipa it was called, and it was delicious. I'll get on. I'll get on them. We need to do that again. But uh, martin's barbecue pat martin is, uh, generously offered some food. So we're going to feed the boys, we're going to give them some drinks, we're going to go play some hockey. We got some alumni that are coming out, um, so that's going to be really cool. Um, I'm excited about it. It should be a lot of fun and uh, well, ideally we want to raise money so that we can run weekly clinics and get these guys some ice time so they can play hockey and it's kind of their outlet. Um, you know, these guys work hard for us and we want to pay them back and, hey, we know hockey, so we can pay them back with hockey and that's that's what we do and that's what that's what they need, especially like Brian Bailey is one of our good friends, that you know.
Speaker 1:This is kind of why we wanted to donate all this stuff to to the military and to the service members is because what he does and and the fact that he he's trying to get people together and, you know, get over the transition out of the military, and obviously it's a very, you know, traumatic experience and yeah, and that's who we started with was Brian Bailey and seven element.
Speaker 2:That was a great group that had almost a thousand members at the start of like 30 or something like, not even like a handful of people, it was just and it was just get these guys out on the ice and bring them all together and share a common bond of playing hockey with each other, and that became a lot to handle. So that's broken up, but there's a lot of groups that still need hockey, so we're trying to help them out with that.
Speaker 1:Service Cup is going to be a good way to get that going it's all about the locker is is gonna, is gonna be a good way to get that. It's all about the locker room talking to each other and uh and uh. If you guys trust me, we we did the uh shelter cup. And if you think it's just going to be a bunch of guys laughing and uh, passing the puck around and giggling, these guys are diehards, man.
Speaker 2:They want to win Anytime. Police and fire go against each other. We all know Military.
Speaker 1:I don't care if you're military but you split up in a two. They're going at it, they want to win.
Speaker 2:So it'll be fun, it'll be fun in that regard as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I'm excited That'll be awesome.
Speaker 2:More details to come.
Speaker 1:More details to come. We'll touch on it here at the end, but it's going to uh follow along for that. But skillsy last night uh, I don't know when this is gonna be released, but uh, monday night which is an odd night for a game monday night football you got all the things. You got the world series, but I was watching from home because we weren't doing the broadcast. I know you were there in tampa, so I love these types of moments.
Speaker 1:And this is a player we're talking about, stephen stamkos, going back to tampa bay. This is a generational talent. He's a first overall draft pick. He played 16 years for the tampa bay, lightning two cups, a final. He did it all. He's one of the probably one of the nicest people, I think, in hockey, like just genuine nice people. He is a player that should, in my opinion, have retired as a tampa bay lightning player and he's going to go up and you know he'll be a hall of fame. He is a player that should, in my opinion, have retired as a Tampa Bay Lightning player and he's going to go up and he'll be a Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1:And you got to see the night where he came back to, arguably the place he should have never left and I know as a player and it was not even close to that extent that I know you do as well of going back to an old team, that you have all your the kid. He grew up there, he was, he was 18 years old, 18, yeah, when he's 18 he's got three kids. Now he's he turned, he's went from a kid to a man, to a father, to a, to a husband, to a captain, to a, you know, a stanley cup. A person that lost, they're supposed to. You know, I remember when they lost out in the first round they were. They won the president's trophy. They lost to columbus. They won the stanley cup the next two years in a row.
Speaker 1:But he's been through everything in his life in tampa bay and obviously I think the lightning probably uh, muffed that whole situation. I mean, how do you not find a way to resign, steven stamkos? But regardless, that that's an old, that's another opinion. But you were there. Tell me about the energy, the just what was the day like? Because it must've started the night before.
Speaker 2:It's a lot for them. Like, don't forget he's got. He flew his wife down and they went out for dinner with. You know he was hanging out with Victor Hedman, his buddy, and you know he was hanging out with Victor Hedman, his buddy, and you know they're like so there's a lot going on. Just Hedsy, he was like they were, they were going out and you know that's. That's emotional in its own right. It's just being back in your old stomping grounds and doing and we've all gone through that and it's not easy. But then he gets to the rink in the morning and there's media everywhere. He had a huge scrum and they had, you know, and everywhere he goes and that was the weirdest thing for me after leaving the bruins I was with the bruins for nine years and then I go to toronto, I come back in and I'm like I don't know where to go like this is a whole different rink.
Speaker 2:I like we, the bus dropped me off and I was looking around going I don't even know this part of the rink, like so I had to like figure out where to go and how to get in there. And so for stammer, uh, you know, he's sitting around, his head was kind of spinning for a little while and they ask you know, what do you say? What do you, what do you tell media? I don't know how this is going to go. Is it going to be emotional? I don't know. I I want to go play the game. Uh, they had a great ceremony at the first intermittent first break, uh, tv break at the 14 minute mark and they gave him a huge ovation. He did the full lap. It was really awesome.
Speaker 2:The the video was kind of crazy because they showed his evolution over the years. Just this young kid coming in and then he had the beard. During the playoffs he had the long hair at one point. That's crazy and I'm looking at it going. Just a generational player, he's just a beast for them and they love him and they're chanting his name and it was really cool to be there. But honestly I think luckily it's earlier in the season because it it, it didn't drag on as much. I think it's been a weight on him. I think he can close that chapter now. You know, like, okay, the lightning chapter is done and I'm moving on and I'm a pred now and I'm hoping he can relax now and get into his game and play his game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree. I mean it was amazing I think they should have done. I wish they had done one with him on the blue line waiting for the anthem, and done one at the beginning of the game, because I feel like that really, you get to see when a player is probably at their most vulnerable, I would say before the game starts, because we all get, I think we all. This is one thing, and I watch you every single time. If we're in a booth beside each other and the anthem's playing, I would think you're ready, you're playing that game because you do the same thing that you did when you're playing, like that's an emotional part of a player's preparation, like you're seeing the anthem and you still, you know you move the neck around.
Speaker 1:You have that energy, that energy that you know that you're just ready to go to war right before. You know that that and that's it, that's. After that it's go time. So you get to. You know respect and, uh, you know appreciate your, your, your nation and when they do, canada and us together, I love that even more, even though it takes a little bit longer, it's can be annoying now for tv, but uh, but it's just that, that energy that you have, and I think that's when you get a guide at their most vulnerable. We talked about, uh, I think I sent you guys one pk, sent out his and montreal did that, and uh I was like, well, way to go, pk, no offense, pk not nearly, but you make it about yourself and it's like whatever.
Speaker 1:But it was, it was freaking awesome like it was, and I I love those moments because I think the older you get, the more that you appreciate that when you're still a player, you know, especially when you're young, you don't care like you. You do, but you don't, you have and our next topic is kind of phasing into that but I I feel, like tampa, you don't want to do this all the time, but for a player like Stamkos that's worth delaying the start time of a game. That's worth. That's a special once in a lifetime kind of a player. It's the best Tampa Bay Lightning player to have ever played in that organization.
Speaker 2:Yeah, give him five minutes to grab the mic and say his words before the game starts and, you know, play the anthem and then drop the puck. I think that would have been maybe better, but it was still. It was awesome. I'm not, I thought it was great, but you know, I think he deserves anything you could give him.
Speaker 1:It doesn't happen for someone play 16 years with one team and then goes on, but you know everybody wants like you want to see, like I want to see, a tear out of stammer's eye, like even though when you're in the game you kind of get past that sometimes you know what I mean Like you had a shift, he had a great, and they're all cheering and you know. So you're kind of like past that moment where I feel John Cooper and you didn't see this too on the broadcast they showed him because he was kind of and some of the players, which was really cool, and they did a great job.
Speaker 2:They really did. I told you my story about moving on from teams, but when I was in Pittsburgh we won the cup, I was excited. I only played for Pittsburgh for two years. I signed in Montreal after that and they had a day. You go with the team, you go to the White House and you get to meet the president and do that whole thing and I turned it down because I was at a Montreal Canadians golf tournament and I was I, I, my my head, my head was gone, like I was not a penguin anymore. I like I needed to fast forward. My mind space could not be in the past. You know, I had my day with a cup.
Speaker 2:I love those guys, I wanted to be with those guys, but now I'm not. Now I have, you know, 20 new best friends and I need to be with these guys because we got a job to do, and so I think everyone process is now looking back. I go, what an idiot. Why wouldn't you go to the White House? It's so dumb. I should have gone to the white house. I should have told the Montreal Canadians I can't make the golf tournament because I'm going to go to the white house, but but you're, you're you're a team guy, though, like we're, like we were looking back, it's so.
Speaker 1:It's crazy because you're conditioned to think a certain way and it's almost like you have to. You almost have to get because it's there's. I don't know if it's like you know I'm, the same thing happened for me. I played in nashville, the first team that ever gave me a chance. I played there for six years. I played in the minor league team for four years, got traded or got let go and then came back and the expansion route. But the only the first six years I played in the national hockey league was with nashville. I got traded in the summer at the draft I. I had a terrible year. They traded me to St Louis. It was kind of like a fresh start, but I still.
Speaker 1:You just have those feelings. That's the one thing about players is people if you listen to media and fans and stuff talk, they're like oh, you make a million dollars and blah, blah, blah and this and that. Yeah, of course you do. It's amazing, it's the best life in the world. But you also have feelings. You also have a family. You also are as much as you think you're the strongest guy in the world all the time and you're immune to these kind of things, you feel those things you should have went to the White House, you know, like looking back, but Chris Pronger, this is into our next segment. I say in this video, I'm like this is awesome. You're like, oh, I saw that next segment. I say in this video, I'm like this is awesome. You're like, oh, you're like, oh, I saw that. It's awesome.
Speaker 1:We got to talk about this and chris pronger was known. I didn't. I, I have met chris pronger after he played in the nhl. He's, you know, one of the best and you, you probably appreciate and respect him more than than anyone and hate him probably at the same time, which we all did. I thought I've heard guys that play this guy's cocky. He's, uh, he's an arrogant, blah, blah, blah. He's this, he's that. He's one of the nicest guys, he's funny, he's not. He doesn't have that like, and this is after he played, and I think we all kind of come out of our alter ego. But so my question is to you.
Speaker 2:I so explain that video that Pronger does so his his explanation on this video.
Speaker 1:It's it's recently, so he's been retired for a lot of years. He's done a lot of good things in hockey, he's worked with the league, but he is out there getting the message and exposing different things around the game and a lot of it's about just being a real person. And as a player, you get a certain persona. You have to almost develop an alter ego. And this is not a vicious guy, this is not a, you know, a mean spirited person. Exactly, and so did I.
Speaker 1:I was like this guy's, you know, because he'd be in the interviews, he'd be the same. It's almost like when you see in wrestling or boxing or whatever. And I would watch a documentary on roberto duran, one of the greatest boxers to ever fight in the history of boxing, and it was the same thing for him. It's incredible. But his thing was he had to develop this character, this alter ego, because he had a certain way that he had to play, to be successful and to dominate and to do all these things. And so he took on this persona and I'll ask you and I'll I'll tell you my situation after you know it was.
Speaker 1:It was incredible, just because it's it's so true and so many guys do it and so many guys I see that I played with. After they're done, they're different people and I did this. I did this for my that's the only way I could have made it and and I know you're a big guy and I know you. When I played against you, when I played with you, you were a fricking savage. But I know like I know you as a person. I know everybody's like this. Tough guys go out there and kill each other. But let me ask you, what did you have to create that alter ego?
Speaker 2:I I, you know what I think. I wouldn't call it an alter ego, but it's a mindset and it's for each player. It's different, I think. And you know there's there's putting yourself in a position where you let yourself go. You know, like you, like you can't everyone's. You can't play with fear, right. You can't play with fear, right. You can't play with fear at all. You have to have a kill or be killed mindset. You're going to give everything you got, um, and so at certain times I would have reminders that I'm not who I am I'd like be. For instance, right before a game, I'd go out in the hallway and I'd start banging on my shin pads with my stick and I just banged. I think it was annoying for a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Why are you doing that?
Speaker 2:It was like, but I'm just banging my shin pads and then I'd start barking like a dog, like just like a hard growl, like kind of like. I'm engaged, I'm in this, and not to say that I was like a like a dog out there, but I had that mindset before a penalty kill. I'd see one of our teammates take a penalty and I and I'd look at it and I look at the puck and I'm saying I'm going to eat that thing, I'm going to eat that shot, I'm going to go and I said it in my head, I'm going to eat that shot. And I'd go out there. And my mindset was that puck is coming, I'm staring at it, I'm going to block it. You know, like I'm, that is my puck and I'm like a dog in a bone. I'm going to get after it. And so I would. I ever do that. And now we always laugh because I walk down by the glass and someone fires a shot.
Speaker 1:Whoa, that was so hard you know like now we're soft again.
Speaker 2:I'm like peed my pants a little bit because that shot went off the glass right next we're soft and emotional.
Speaker 1:Now we're soft and we got. We have emotions. What's going on here?
Speaker 2:and then I look around going why did I stand? Why, why would I stand in front of that when someone is shooting that? That's insane.
Speaker 1:It's honestly, it's when I look back on that stuff and I love I'm an overthinker and I think about this stuff all the time and I think about the ability of a human being to just almost you can put everything on. And I do the same thing, like right before on the. I take my stick and I would put it in the air before I twirl it down and whatever my little routine, but I would do the self-talk. I'd say I don't know if I shouldn't probably shouldn't swear, but I'd say you get your mother head in.
Speaker 2:You know, get your head in it.
Speaker 1:You know, like, and I would like get myself in like that, Like you're just whatever. I wasn't a talented, like most skilled blue chip kind of a prospect. I made it because I worked hard and the more people either called me out on, like you think you work hard. I told you the one about when I yeah, I worked hard on the ice, that's all I did, you know, when I first started. But I didn't work hard in the gym, I didn't work hard on my nutrition, I didn't work hard on the other stuff. And then I was like, okay, and I love learning that new stuff, and then I commit to that.
Speaker 1:And then you, when you get into, like pro hockey I know you played in an era where I would say the biggest, toughest I don't know how skilled players played against you.
Speaker 1:By the way, ferraro, I was talking to Ray Ferraro and he's like, yeah, I got to be able to be skillsy, you know, and he's going on Like how does a little guy like that like even compete against somebody like you guys? And I know you had to go against jogger and lemieux and but it was a different era of like you have to, and then, plus, you had all the other tough guys and you're six, eight and everyone's going, oh, I'm gonna fight this guy, and so you got to deal with all the monsters too. It was like it's, you can't just as a normal person go out there and just say I'm just gonna go play hockey and do the best I can. You got to get yourself in a mindset where you're like you're almost everything is compartmentalized and you got to get ready for, you know, not war, obviously, but a battle like, and for you that players that would have to fight back then man, that would be, that'd be a mental, you know, mind screw.
Speaker 2:But you have to. You have to find your own level of toughness and I think this is what people find hard is. Players, youth players especially is where am I going to be tough? If you're a goalie, your mental toughness comes from. I will never quit on a puck. You were like that. I don't care if it was an easy backdoor tapping. I've never seen you not give everything you can to make that save. That was your mental toughness. If you gave up a goal as a goalie, right like you have to dial back in, like you can't get fragile and cry. You know you can't. That's your level of toughness. For me, there's fighters that go out there and fight, I like, and they just punch each other in the face and they don't care if they get punched back, they're just going for it and that's a level of toughness. There's a guy that blocks a shot.
Speaker 1:That's what you did in practice. So you're not. That's probably a level of craziness as well. And they say goalies. You guys are crazy, I'm like look at the gear.
Speaker 2:But you're always challenging. But you're always challenging that toughness uh being if you go in the corner, if you're a little guy and you you got to fight out of a corner. That's a level of toughness. It's scary going in there against big guys that are going to try to run you, so you need to find that toughness. I don't think toughness is just like across the board.
Speaker 1:Oh, he's a tough player.
Speaker 2:Because I know a lot of fighters that would never block a shot. Yeah and forget, don't even get into a goal scorer's mind. You have to be the toughest mentally because I'm having an off night, things aren't going right, but you have to know in the back of your head I might get the game winner in overtime, exactly, and I'll be the hero. And I got to keep going because I got to get there. You can't take the game off. The best players in the world don't take a game off just because they're like ah, you know I'm not feeling it. You know you have to have the mental toughness to power through that. And I think that all goes with that alter ego, that mindset is is battling through that. Now, how do you tell a kid to do that don't? How do you? How do you say to a youth hockey player, a youth soccer player, like, where, where are you? Because I know, with girls, uh, you know I have two girls and they get their toughness from their teammates.
Speaker 2:It's social. That's how.
Speaker 1:I felt that's how the love of a sport, same as my situation. And then, once they get to a certain age, then it's like you start getting competitive. But I think you're right, it's, the love of going to be with your friends is how it starts for my girls especially, and now they're in that, and yours are sure, but it's, it's so important, exactly, I think, organically you have to get that as an individual. But that's a great question. I think it's. It's different for every person.
Speaker 1:I remember when I was a young player, I just moved away from Canada I'm a simple guy, I don't know, I didn't know anything and moving down the states and you go through all these emotions and you know, break up with a girlfriend and affect. How do you, how do you stop letting things that it sounds like almost like a cave man, ish. How do you let? How do you block emotions from getting in? Well, you practice it, you compartmentalize and maybe it's good, it's great, it's good in sports If you can do that. It's maybe not good in life because it affects other things and it's easy to. You know, the older you get you're like okay, well, I can just put this aside, I don't have to deal with it now, because I have to perform and you do whatever you do, and that's another topic for another day. But to your point, how do you get someone to do that? I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think I just did it because I wanted to get to the next level and I, you know, I experienced things. I I'm very I take the emotion of things, you know, very whole, you know. But I learned to not do it, I learned to put it aside and I learned to, you know, just be, I guess, a person that could get into your, your alter ego, and do whatever it takes to to win and to be as best as I could. Cause I wasn't, like I said, I wasn't, uh, I wasn't a skill player. There's no guarantee. I probably shouldn't have made the NHL. I played with a lot of guys that were way better than me. I, like you know, I got in there and I was able to hang around. Heart is a skill.
Speaker 1:Mace, it is it all is, but that's what you're talking about. Those are the things. Every person has a different level of toughness. I play with David Leguan. Anyone who ever played against David Leguan would probably say he's not a tough guy. Yeah, who are we, bro? I saw this guy. He played through so many injuries. He played stuff that you wouldn't say on the exterior. This guy's tough, he's like whatever and you know. But he played through so many different things. He loved the game, he had a passion about it and he did whatever it took for him to do it and I feel that's tough. That is exactly. There's different, there's tough for every different person, and we all saw a player I'm sure you saw a bunch of players that everyone on the outside would say, oh, he's not tough, what are you talking about? But you know, it's it's special and it's it's very individual.
Speaker 2:I think yeah, the other. The other thing is is is I think tough is ignoring distractions. You know you talked about there's a lot of things going on in your life like, and it could be as simple. I remember there's one of my, you know, in my early in my career we had an afternoon game and I was all excited because we were going to go have dinner and have a party and I was like I was already thinking about it. Oh yeah, of course. So I, you know, like like I woke up in the morning and I'm like this is going to be great After the game. We're going to do this.
Speaker 2:And I started, I had a bad game and then I went out to dinner and it hit me like a hammer when I was sitting at dinner because I was like this sucks, I ruined everything because I wasn't prepared for the game and I was thinking past it and I was excited. You know you're a youth hockey player. You're excited about going to the pool and playing knee hockey in the in the room after the game. You're not worried about the game and so I think you need to, you need to get in your mindset like that's a distraction. How am I going to solve that. Okay, I got to go and play this game and I'm going to win this game so I can have the best night ever I can. You know that that needs be. I need to have the best game ever.
Speaker 2:So tonight when I go to dinner, I go play knee hockey. It's the best. It's the best, I feel the best. And there's other things you know if you're excited about. And it goes back to teammates and the social aspect and the ironic thing is it stands out for me with having young girls and and how they just want to play with their friends and they like you know my kids like if they didn't really love their teammates, they weren't going to play that hard, it was just like but and it stands out with girls more so, but really with men with it stands out even more when you think about it because there's teammates that you don't like right, there's more pressure Every every teammate, there's just someone you don't like.
Speaker 2:So how do you handle that? How do you handle that distraction, do you? And I think you have to look at it as like I'm going to prove to him that I'm awesome and he better love me because I'm going to prove it to him. If you love a guy, you're going to play for him. I'm going to give you everything I got because I love you and you're my best friend and so, however, there's so many distractions that you deal with. Being mentally tough is turning that into. What are you going to do?
Speaker 1:and how are you going to play Exactly? And I tell this story all the time and we, uh, we'll have to do an episode there. I saw a funny instagram video of a dad getting kicked out of the rink and he was on the the square. That's not kicked out of the rink, he goes. No, I'm not leaving.
Speaker 1:I'm not leaving, don't get me and he's like, then the parents. He's like, donnie, shut your mouth, donnie, you know whatever. But it's like the parents are the ones that that ruin it. But for my daughter, I had one of these like moments which was, uh, she was 10, okay, and the pitcher on the team, she's, she's a d1 commit now. She's amazing and, uh, she's just dominant. But when she was a kid she was just like one of these free spirited, just they just love being together, and all the parents were at a tournament, way out of our league for our team and, uh, we're probably losing. It was after two innings, it was probably like 16. We got mercy ruled, whatever. Two innings in a row and the girls are getting killed. And we drove out there at like 5 in the morning. You had to be there at 6, and all the parents are going. Oh, my God, everyone's got all the answers. Why don't we do this? Why don't we do pitching?
Speaker 2:she just getting teed off on left to right. She comes up and it's ready to start the inning and she's in the.
Speaker 1:You know she's in the, the yeah, better. You know she's taking her warm up circle, she's waiting, and then, uh, she looks to the parents, the guy that's keeping the, the game changer, and she goes are we winning? Oh my, everyone just started burst out laughing because we're all like, everyone's all like, uh, you know, bitter feeling sorry for the girls she's pitching and she asks if she's winning. But they just love being together and that's to your point, all that kind of stuff. And now she's, they're still doing the chants.
Speaker 2:They're still living the dream.
Speaker 1:They care about going and doing the dances after and like what are we going to go? And you know and. But she anyway, she carried on and now she's a she's a D1 commit. She pitches like almost 70 miles an hour. A softball pitcher. She's incredible. But that's like. That was the start, you know, and that's the mindset. She loved it and she didn't love the playing of the game. She loved being around her teammates and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then I think you develop the love for the game because you're playing with your friends, it's fun. And then you're having fun with your friends and then you say, hey, I like competing, because it doesn't really set in until you're a little bit older. Right, like that, compete, you get mad if you lose.
Speaker 1:You get mad if somebody beats you. You don't understand that when you're young.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you find a little extra switch because a lot of kids don't know how to work hard. You're like, come on, you got to work hard.
Speaker 1:I didn't know. I didn't know what working hard. I was like, oh yeah, go and run fast. You don't know what working hard is until you play against or see people that work hard and you can compare yourself. You're like, holy shit, I'm not working hard compared to so-and-so. You just don't know.
Speaker 2:You don't know you don't know my, my son is starting to say my legs they're burning, they hurt so much. I'm like, yeah, that should be every shift. And he's like I know, but it hurts. And I'm like, yep, but that's you know what's funny buddy? You're starting to go. He's starting to work harder than he ever has and he's starting to get that feeling more and more and and then and then.
Speaker 2:But that's the beauty of it. That's when I and he's starting to get that feeling more and more and and then, and then. But that's the beauty of it. That's when I think you say exactly the psychology you're like oh, I like this.
Speaker 1:The psychology is the most fascinating thing for me, because I see, I see you, I played with you and I saw you. Obviously I played against you. I knew a lot about you before I ever met you. But you really get to see what someone's all about when we're in the lockout and you're in practice. You're blocking shots. In the friggin lockout we're playing three on three, no one's coming out, things are dying down and I'm like so you, you block a shot. You're on my team. I'm like fucking right skills. You like I'm like there's no one, nobody, it doesn't matter, but it does matter. And you, you get that in your DNA. You just can't help it. Like that's just, it's who you are, even though you're probably thinking do I really want it? You just you can't help it. You probably think after yeah, I like that.
Speaker 2:I like blocking a shot in practice because I could celebrate after you do. You do it in game. You can't. You can't do anything as the game goes on. You should.
Speaker 1:If you get a good block shot, you should be able to pump it, shoot the glove, or something I don't know, it's crazy but I'll finish with this, because I actually just watched this documentary about roberto duran and it was, uh, there was four boxes probably rape when we were young kids but it was uh, roberto duran, sugary leonard, marvelous, marvin haggler and uh, who's the other one? There was one other guy that was, uh, one of the the best fighters. This is after muhammad ali retired and roberto duran was from panama and he was this guy from a third world country and he came over. The first big fight he had over was when he fought sugar ray leonard and sugar ray went in there and he's he's, you know, gonna fight, he wants to go toe to toe. He said he's never been so mad at a fight because, uh, roberto duran came over and he would like follow sugar ray's wife around and like say stuff, like you're not with a real man and blah, blah, blah, like just a hard nose, like just psychological, like whatever, like he's just one of the hardest punchers to ever, you know, fight, and uh, sugar ray lost, whatever. They went the distance he lost, and then he said he's never been so mad in his entire life going into a fight and that his emotions got all like it. Just it skewed him. Yeah. So the next time he they fight it was round two of this, uh, whatever trilogy and he went in there and he went, you know, he started doing like kind of rope-a-dope kind of stuff, like showboat, and he's like I didn't know what I want to do and blah, blah, blah, fast forward to many years later. He's like finally, he's like you know, we had another fight and then, uh, sugar a beat him in, uh, in the trilogy and in a on a decision.
Speaker 1:But he said I asked roberto. He said, uh, because he was just stone cold. He said he had that look in his eyes where he's just he's just dead. He just wanted to kill you. He came from poverty and you know those types of things.
Speaker 1:As a fighter is probably you know, something I think would benefit you. And he meanwhile, he's probably the most like fun, loving, laughable type of personality. But he put this alter ego like he created this to be a savage and he said did you really hate me that much? And he said Roberto Duran like paused, he kind of looked around and he goes no, I, you are you kidding me? And he's like you know what he's like I created. But you have to create that to be whatever you want to be, and it's, it's the psychology of it. It's kind of crazy, but uh, yeah, everyone's different. The guys that have the talent can do it. The guys that I think they're superstars are obsessed with it in our sport, in hockey especially. But it's uh, the psychology of it's just amazing and it transfers your life, like it doesn't matter sport or whatever and I honestly, I think it's.
Speaker 2:It's different, absolutely, absolutely, yeah. You can't, you can't just put a blanket on it. You got to find out what makes you tough. Yeah, exactly all right.
Speaker 1:Well, let's change it to a funner one. Skills. You texted me this one which was uh, this could be. This is I don't know how to I'm going to do, we're going to I want to hear with.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping we get feedback on this. This is this is a conversation that I had before a game. Um, talking some of the espn. Uh, you know, john buch J Malesko did the Chicago game and so we had a little conversation about fan etiquette and you know, is it okay, as a grown man, to wear a hockey jersey to a game? Like, is that okay and what are the parameters on that? Obviously, kids go get your jerseys, but I feel like if, if you and I were going to a hockey game, I don't know if you and I would wear a Jersey. No, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't, I know I know, would you wear a Jersey or?
Speaker 1:like okay, let's, let's. I think more importantly is what are the parameters Like? I could see myself, cause I actually is. What are the parameters like? I could see myself because I actually the last jersey I bought was when I went to new york the last year. That new york uh stadium the new one was going to be built for for baseball, the all they had, the all-star game they hosted in the last year, and I bought a america league jersey. I've never worn it. I bought it. I was.
Speaker 1:You know you get caught up in the nostalgia of things and everything. I thought I've never actually worn it, or actually I shouldn't say that I wore it that day. Or to the game and we went to the home run, yeah, but but do you so? Let's go into, because this could get so many different levels. Like, my thing is if you're a, you're a guy and you wear another guy's jersey or whatever you know, there's obviously other sports do you wear a girl's jersey at wmba or whatever. But if you're the let's say, you're the husband of a wife that's wearing another man's jersey, is that like, oh yeah, I love that guy too. Or is that like, uh, you know, am I wearing like uh do I have matthew mcconaughey posters all over?
Speaker 1:my wife's got matthew mcconaughey posters all over the wall.
Speaker 2:Well, hopefully you're. Hopefully. Hopefully your wife isn't looking at you. Let's find out where roman joseph's going after the game. I want to get my, yeah exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's go to this event or that event, but like that's the, I don't know, we need to the parameters First. Okay, you answer this first, then you ask the question is it okay for a guy, a dude, to wear a Jersey? Do game?
Speaker 2:All right, here's the thing is I'm a football fan. I can, I can see myself wearing a football. I always wear t-shirts. Like, if I'm going to, I have a t-shirt for every team, every sports team that I cheer for, and I wear those t-shirts. You know, I got my Titan shirt, I got my Patriot shirt. I'm right, red Sox Like let's go, I got my T-shirt. I would never wear a jersey. I feel I would feel awkward in a jersey, and certainly not with hockey, I think for the average fan. And going to a tailgate you become like back to mindset. You become a little bit of a crazed psycho fan. At a football game there's only 17 games a year You're tailgating, you're wearing your jersey. I can see that. I'm okay with that. I do think it's a little weird when men wear a hockey jersey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess stylistically Can we please stop it with the number 69?
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm wearing new or 0.8 or .08. You know, do that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like stop Johnny, try hard. You're being a hard-o now and stop it. But now the things change when you have a kid, right, if your kid brings a baseball glove to the game. I'm not bringing my glove, but I can understand if you bring your glove with your kid. If your kid says we're going to the preds game, like, wear your jersey with me, dad, then all bets are off. And then there's also who am I to judge is the bottom line, and why do I care? That's my whole thing.
Speaker 1:You can do whatever you want to do, that is exactly what I think.
Speaker 2:I think anybody other than the 69 thing, because then I have to explain it to my kids and it's just like an awkward conversation.
Speaker 1:Why is everyone laughing and pointing? Why is there a crowd around this guy? Why is? Why is that?
Speaker 2:it can pointing. Why is there a crowd around this guy?
Speaker 1:Why is that Even though it can be funny sometimes- it has to be the right execution, you have to have the right personality and all that stuff. But I'm the same as you. I'm like I honestly I don't care. And this is another faux pas that people talk about is like if they're going to a Preds-Blackhawks game, can you wear a Canadian's jersey to the game? Yeah, yeah, you can, why not? I think you're a hockey fan.
Speaker 1:I think fans, whether you hate another team or hate another fan base, everybody is exactly the same. You, these people that are wearing different jerseys they love their team just as much as you love your team. If you were wearing the same jersey, you would be. You know, besties be besties in the circles on the whatever. So I don't think I don't even care. And for me personally probably the only ones I would wear Blue Jays like vintage jersey or something like that, or a hat, and you and me are both probably the same. I got more of a T-shirt and a hat guy, but I would definitely if I'm going to a Blue Jays game, I would wear a hat, and you know when I play in clint lewis yes, you got to support the team.
Speaker 2:Here's the other thing. Okay, if you're, if you're painting your face, I'll bet you're off.
Speaker 1:You can wear a jersey you can wear whatever you want, like you're a full send that's full send you got, if you're, if you're like the bread skin is the if you're in a poncho.
Speaker 2:Yes, if you're wearing a poncho. Yes, if you're wearing a poncho, a sombrero with a helmet and gloves, you're a. You're a legend.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, exactly he. And you know, what's funny is every time they're trying to do things to get the fans going. This is why I love it, because you show this guy that's doing a funny dance and then you show a cute little baby. Everyone's like ah. And then they show the Pritzkin and it's almost like the Preds just scored a goal. Everyone just going ah, and then they yeah it's the best. And then they go to the baby and everyone's like yay, and you know, obviously everyone wants babies and kids and stuff.
Speaker 2:They go to the funny guy on his belly or whatever, like, yeah, they go, and then they show the preds again and everybody just goes crazy, yeah, and so, yeah, I, I love it, I love it, but uh, that's the here's the thing here's the thing is you gotta, you gotta support your team's colors, no matter what. You know like you need to wear something that works with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can't go to preds game and wear red. No, why Don't do it? No?
Speaker 2:That's like, no Like. If you're a Red Wings fan, okay, whatever, but you got to. Next time I see Bridgestone, we should see gold, gold or even like navy Blue navy gold.
Speaker 1:If you don't like it. Some people like the dark. They've got those embossed hats where it's like all Navy with the Navy logo. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or you have a striper. That's fine, but those two colors you, we should see everything.
Speaker 2:If you're supporting the other team, okay, I respect you. I don't like you, but I respect you, yeah. But if you're a Preds fan, where, where are the colors? You don't have to wear a jersey and, in the end, mace, as we always say, do you, you do, you, we love people, I do not care. Everyone always says oh sorry, we like your team, we like this team, Let your freak flag fly, we don't care, we love everybody.
Speaker 1:That's the funny thing is like we've talked to so many people that are like, just don't get mad at it, I don't care. I actually like, when people make fun of me, it's funny. I think it's funny, but if we make fun of you, it's, it's the same thing and it's no, no ill will against that. But yeah, that's a great, that's a great topic and I know that's a very uh, a very passionate one amongst fans. But I think you know what feedback? Yeah, let's hear feedback, because I don't even I don't care if you're wearing sometimes I think you know you're wearing a texas rangers jersey at a whatever, a st louis cardinals, and you know chicago cubs game.
Speaker 1:Who cares? Who cares? You're there, you want to. You love baseball, you love the sport. I want to show people this is my team, you're exactly the same. They love their team, they're from texas, they, whatever. Who cares like I? I just I think the more the merrier um violent at sports events is, it's unhinged. To me, it's like it doesn't make sense. I get it, you're passionate about it, but that's another whole, another topic. But we're, you're all the same. You're not in the arena.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come on I get it I get it, I get it.
Speaker 1:All right. Skillsy um. All right, I was gonna, I'll bypass that one. We are, we hitting our, our next.
Speaker 2:Well, I think we just mentioned it. It's gonna be kind of funny.
Speaker 1:I was just I was deciding whether we talk about it or not, but it's actually gonna be. I've been thinking about it because it's like it's pretty crazy that we're gonna be in washington dc election day and then the preds play the capitals. So we'll be there for day and night when everything's getting done. But that's pretty crazy. We're not getting political here, obviously, but being there during that time that's a pretty massive event, especially in Washington DC. What are your thoughts on that? Lindsay's texted the group. She's like hey, do you guys realize that we're going to be in DC the day of the election? We play the Caps. I know the next game, I don't know. Lindsay's the one. She's like our girl, that person that just like. She's like hey, this is what's coming up. She knows everything, but I'm a two or three-day guy that's it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's gonna be kind of numb. I don't know what day of the week it is.
Speaker 1:I know if I have a game or, or the game is three days away. Yeah, exactly so a week. We're gonna be there election night. That'll be like what's the? What are we gonna? We're gonna go out, have a couple beers or what?
Speaker 2:do you check your bags and go out and like and what happens? Do you just go out into a wall of traffic? I don't know, traffic.
Speaker 2:is it gonna be going to be like, I assume, police presence everywhere they cause they want to? You know the like I well, I don't know. Is it going to be a weird feeling, because is anyone going to be out? Is the other question like, or like everyone works in politics in DC, are they even going to be out? Are they going to be like hinged to the TV? Is it going to be like a sporting event where we're actually watching the ticker?
Speaker 1:A hundred percent. It would be more than that.
Speaker 2:Kamala's up.
Speaker 1:Except Trump's up Literally the whole country will be Ohio's in.
Speaker 2:We got Ohio's in. What is it? Everyone's staring at the TV. Is that how it's going to be?
Speaker 1:All of a're gonna be. It's gonna be like you're watching a sporting event, I guess, because half the people are gonna be happy and half the people are gonna be sad and mad, so I don't know. It'll be uh, it'll be interesting, but that'll be. I'm actually looking forward to being in that there at that point just to see what it's like, because, as a new american, you should absolutely I that Absolutely. I voted, so I'm looking forward to I feel it's obviously politics, I think is crazy.
Speaker 2:I was excited to get you by the Washington Memorial and go and get pictures of you with Abraham Lincoln statue. I would do the Lincoln Memorial. I wanted to have all of that, but I don't think we're going to do that I don't think we I don't know. I don't know if I You're going to have all of that, but I don't think we're going to do that. I don't know You're going to have to wait to be fully Americanized later on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so, but that'll be fun. We'll report back on that because you're right, it's probably like anything. You go to a bar when you're watching the Preds playing it's a Preds bar and you go to a bar that's Blackhawks fans it's going to be the same.
Speaker 2:It's going to be the same, it's going to be nuts.
Speaker 1:It's going to be crazy. It'll be fun though, maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, go vote, go vote, people Go vote. I know, mace, you already voted. Yeah Well, you and.
Speaker 1:I told my daughter this too. She just voted and I'd never voted in my life, I've never voted in the Canadian election. Obviously, this is the first year I was ever eligible to vote in the United States and I'm like good for you. I'm like that's one thing you can do, whatever your view on anything is. If you want to be heard and whatever, go vote. I never did it. I never did it. I wish I did, but I honestly didn't care about politics. I was never had any interest in it. I really, you know, it wasn't any part of my you know, daily life. I thought, you know, and now I'm almost 50 years old, I did for the first time. So I'm glad the young kids whatever, everyone's got their opinion Go do what you got to do, I don't care what side you're on, just go do it.
Speaker 2:Go, do your thing. Go, do you, do you? Just like wearing a jersey, you do you. And and that's the last time we'll ever talk about politics yeah but that was actually a good.
Speaker 1:That's a good. Uh, it's a. It's gonna be, it's gonna be an experience. We'll tell you about it for sure. We'll tell you about for sure. Okay, that's, we're gonna wrap skills. Need one more plug for the uh service cup, because that's gonna be fun service cup nove November 22nd in Antioch Ford Ice Center, antioch 730.
Speaker 2:People should come out. It'd be a fun tournament to watch.
Speaker 1:Are we planning it?
Speaker 2:We want to take care of these guys.
Speaker 1:Yes, you bet your butt. I feel like you're going to be buzzing out there.
Speaker 2:We got alumni coming out. We got some alumni coming out.
Speaker 1:It's fun, it's a good cause, it's great people, you have some good personalities and if you want to come see us we'll chat you up and you have access to everybody and it's just a good time and a great cause for sure.
Speaker 2:It'll be fun. It'll be fun Cheer these guys on. They've been working hard for us. Our chance to give back. If you want to come out, have a couple pops and cheer the boys on and the girls there's some good girl players too. Anyway, we'll have some fun.
Speaker 1:Wrap it up, mace. That's it. Let's do the close-up. Cheers everybody.
Speaker 2:Cheers. Guys Like us. Hate us, let us know. Give us your feedback.
Speaker 1:hate us, let us know what you want to do, just let us know. You got any topics, anything you want to hear, let us know guys. Well, we'll start getting some guests on and we're gonna, we're gonna do this thing, all right, guys. Cheers Outro Music.