Latest / The Sean O'Connell Show / Jack McBain on the Utah Mammoth training camp open today, Internal expectations for the Mammoth, Season around the corner + more

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Jack McBain on the Utah Mammoth training camp open today, Internal expectations for the Mammoth, Season around the corner + more · The Sean O'Connell Show

0:03
Speaker 1: You're tuned to the Sean O'Connell Show from the Murdoch
0:06
Speaker 1: Chevrolet studio of ESPN 700 at 92.1 FM.
0:21
Speaker 2: Welcome back to the Sean O'Connell Show.
0:23
Speaker 1: We start our number three with a special guest, Jack
0:27
Speaker 1: McBain of the Utah Mammoth Kind enough to give us
0:31
Speaker 1: a few minutes one day ahead of training camp starting
0:34
Speaker 1: first practices tomorrow at the Mammoth Ice Center down in Sandy.
0:39
Speaker 1: Jack McBain, welcome to the show.
0:41
Speaker 2: How are you, sir?
0:42
Speaker 3: I'm doing good. I'm doing good. How are you guys?
0:45
Speaker 2: Oh, man, great. Excited that hockey is so close. It's wild.
0:48
Speaker 1: We've been so focused on football season, it almost sneaks
0:51
Speaker 1: up on you.
0:52
Speaker 2: How was the summer?
0:53
Speaker 1: Did you get to enjoy the time off, you know,
0:56
Speaker 1: a little rest, relaxation?
0:58
Speaker 2: Tell us what the last couple of months have been
0:59
Speaker 2: like for you.
1:02
Speaker 3: It was good. I'm from Toronto, so I spent the
1:05
Speaker 3: whole summer back home with some family and friends. Yeah,
1:10
Speaker 3: I know, just playing some golf and training a lot,
1:12
Speaker 3: you know, getting healthy and getting the body right. So
1:17
Speaker 3: summer was great, but excited to get back.
1:20
Speaker 2: Does the body start to itch a little bit?
1:22
Speaker 1: I mean, you're in this rhythm now as an NHL
1:24
Speaker 1: player for several years where this time of year, you know,
1:27
Speaker 1: you're getting back to that, hey, I better be in
1:29
Speaker 1: camp soon.
1:29
Speaker 2: I got to get myself in shape soon.
1:31
Speaker 1: How do you prepare for that, the sort of natural
1:34
Speaker 1: or maybe it's unnatural rhythms of an NHL season and offseason?
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Speaker 3: Oh, man, yeah. I think, you know, the seasons are
1:42
Speaker 3: long and tough, but, you know, the summers get pretty long, too,
1:46
Speaker 3: when you're at home and you're anxious to get back
1:49
Speaker 3: with all the guys and your teammates. you know summers
1:53
Speaker 3: are tough now I think guys take them obviously super
1:56
Speaker 3: serious and you take a couple weeks off but after
1:59
Speaker 3: that you're right back to it and you're trying to
2:01
Speaker 3: come back in better shape and as a better player
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Speaker 3: so yeah.
2:06
Speaker 2: How often are you on the ice in the summer?
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Speaker 1: I mean, we're still a relatively new hockey market, so
2:11
Speaker 1: we're not as accustomed to the training schedules and things
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Speaker 1: like that.
2:15
Speaker 2: We don't have this.
2:16
Speaker 1: In-depth knowledge of what the NHL player life is like
2:20
Speaker 1: like we might with some other stuff.
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Speaker 2: So, I mean, how many days a week are you
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Speaker 2: on ice during the summer months?
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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think, you know, as a guy to guy,
2:29
Speaker 3: I think everybody's a little bit different and kind of
2:31
Speaker 3: guys need different things. But, you know, you're kind of
2:36
Speaker 3: in the gym every day and then as the summer
2:39
Speaker 3: goes along, you're ramping up the skating. So, you know,
2:43
Speaker 3: anywhere from three to five times a week, kind of
2:46
Speaker 3: start with three. And as you're getting closer and closer
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Speaker 3: to camp, you start ramping it up even more. So, yeah.
2:52
Speaker 3: um yeah it kind of just depends how you're feeling
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Speaker 3: and what you need but anywhere from three to five
2:57
Speaker 3: times a week for sure you're skating quite.
2:59
Speaker 1: A bit in the summer and it sounds like you're
3:02
Speaker 1: also a golfer is that the only other sport that
3:04
Speaker 1: you play or that you you know move the body.
3:07
Speaker 3: With i grew up doing a lot uh i did
3:11
Speaker 3: a lot of stuff growing up uh whether it was
3:13
Speaker 3: like you know volleyball uh skiing um you know kind
3:18
Speaker 3: of parents got me into everything lacrosse and all that
3:21
Speaker 3: and um you know now just i feel like golf
3:25
Speaker 3: is super popular amongst all hockey guys with the off
3:28
Speaker 3: season but um yeah i try to play as much
3:31
Speaker 3: as i can in the summer for sure who's the.
3:33
Speaker 2: Best golfer on this mammoth roster.
3:37
Speaker 3: Oh uh we actually we got a really good golf
3:39
Speaker 3: team um but i'd be between probably schmaltzy and kells
3:43
Speaker 3: those two guys are are pretty dialed in. So, uh,
3:47
Speaker 3: they've had some good matches and I think any given day,
3:50
Speaker 3: those two can kind of battle it out. So yeah, they're,
3:54
Speaker 3: they're really good.
3:55
Speaker 1: Do you find when you move in the NHL golf
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Speaker 1: circles that the better hockey player they are, they're probably
4:00
Speaker 1: also going to be a better golfer. Is it like
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Speaker 1: an athleticism that translates pretty, pretty accurately?
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Speaker 3: Um, Not necessarily. I mean, I've met a lot of
4:11
Speaker 3: good hockey players that aren't too good, but, you know,
4:16
Speaker 3: in this case, it works out pretty good for those guys.
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Speaker 3: They're both obviously unreal hockey players, and they can swing
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Speaker 3: it pretty good, too. So, yeah, they're pretty good.
4:30
Speaker 1: All right, let's talk about this upcoming season and sort
4:33
Speaker 1: of the mentality, the expectation. I mean, obviously here in
4:37
Speaker 1: Salt Lake City was like a, sort of thrown together,
4:41
Speaker 1: rapid embracing of a franchise. It came together really quick,
4:44
Speaker 1: the move up from Arizona, and then suddenly we're Utah
4:48
Speaker 1: Hockey Club, and then the rebrand, and now it's the Mammoth.
4:51
Speaker 1: And it's crazy because heading into year three here in
4:54
Speaker 1: Salt Lake City, it feels like already this team is
4:57
Speaker 1: like deep in the fabric of the community, and the
5:01
Speaker 1: expectations are really, really high because you guys played so
5:04
Speaker 1: well last year, made it into the playoffs last year, And,
5:08
Speaker 1: you know, our expectation as a new hockey market is, okay, well,
5:11
Speaker 1: if they made the playoffs last year, well, now it's
5:13
Speaker 1: time to win a series or two and to be
5:15
Speaker 1: chasing a cup sooner than later. But you tell me,
5:18
Speaker 1: what's the mentality and the expectation like inside of that
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Speaker 1: dressing room now?
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Speaker 3: Like you said, we've been making some really good strides
5:28
Speaker 3: and steps every year. We made some really good additions
5:32
Speaker 3: in the offseason this year. The expectation inside the locker
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Speaker 3: room is to continue getting better. You know, we're in
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Speaker 3: one of the toughest divisions and we want to be
5:44
Speaker 3: one of the top teams in there. So, you know,
5:48
Speaker 3: you look at the look at the league and I
5:49
Speaker 3: think this past year there were six teams that were
5:53
Speaker 3: in the playoffs the year before and missed it the
5:55
Speaker 3: year after. So, you know, just because you made it
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Speaker 3: last year doesn't mean it's a given and it's going
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Speaker 3: to be tough. But obviously our expectation is to be
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Speaker 3: in there and competing and winning series and, you know,
6:08
Speaker 3: just becoming a better overall team. So, yeah, I think,
6:13
Speaker 3: you know, our management and staff did a great job
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Speaker 3: this offseason. And now it's just kind of up to
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Speaker 3: us to put it together. And, yeah, just have a
6:21
Speaker 3: good year.
6:23
Speaker 1: So 55 players in camp for now, and you've got
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Speaker 1: to whittle that down as you get closer to the
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Speaker 1: home opener against Chicago, which is in, what, like 15 days.
6:33
Speaker 1: It's crazy that, you know, that training camp is so
6:37
Speaker 1: short for such a long season. But I guess you
6:40
Speaker 1: guys are year-round hockey players, so you don't have to, like,
6:43
Speaker 1: get all the way back into form. Maybe that's why
6:45
Speaker 1: they do it this way.
6:46
Speaker 2: But tell me what it's like for the bubble guys.
6:49
Speaker 2: Tell me what it's like.
6:50
Speaker 1: Obviously, you're pretty established now, and we know– like the
6:53
Speaker 1: star names on this roster and the staples and the
6:56
Speaker 1: individuals with the big contracts who we know are going
6:58
Speaker 1: to be part of the plans moving forward. But what
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Speaker 1: is training camp like for some of these young guys,
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Speaker 1: the prospects, the recent draftees, and the individuals who are
7:07
Speaker 1: looking to become NHL staples for the first time?
7:11
Speaker 2: How physical is camp?
7:12
Speaker 1: How competitive is camp, especially for those guys who are
7:15
Speaker 1: trying to make a name for themselves?
7:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, for sure. I think we've got a really competitive group.
7:20
Speaker 3: I think, you know, you look at our team, a
7:22
Speaker 3: lot of guys that can move around within it, and
7:26
Speaker 3: we've got a really, really strong prospect pool, too. So
7:29
Speaker 3: it's an exciting time to be a player but a
7:32
Speaker 3: fan as well. And, you know, the camp layout's kind
7:35
Speaker 3: of changed a lot ever since even when I came
7:37
Speaker 3: into the league. It's gotten shorter, less exhibition games. So,
7:43
Speaker 3: you know, it's kind of less time for a young
7:46
Speaker 3: prospect to– um, you know, kind of show what they've
7:50
Speaker 3: been doing last game. So, um, you know, camp's always
7:54
Speaker 3: a grind. It's always tough. Uh, you get in there,
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Speaker 3: you try to learn as much as you can system
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Speaker 3: wise in a short period of time and, um, really
8:02
Speaker 3: try to prove yourself on the ice. So, um, yeah,
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Speaker 3: I think when you're going there as a young guy, you,
8:07
Speaker 3: Your goal is to steal a job, and when you're
8:11
Speaker 3: going in there as an older guy, your goal is
8:13
Speaker 3: to show why you still have it. Camp's always competitive.
8:17
Speaker 3: It's always fun. It's great to be back with the
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Speaker 3: guys and see everybody, too. It's good.
8:26
Speaker 1: Utah Mammoth forward Jack McBain is our guest here on
8:28
Speaker 1: the Sean O'Connell Show. They're back in action for regular
8:31
Speaker 1: season against the Chicago Blackhawks in 15 days. First practice
8:35
Speaker 1: at the Utah Mammoth Ice Center down in Sandy is tomorrow.
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Speaker 1: How do you know, Jack, when you see one of
8:42
Speaker 1: these young guys coming up, when you see some of
8:44
Speaker 1: these kids are 18 and 19 years old, how do
8:48
Speaker 1: you personally, you let the coaches and the GM figure
8:50
Speaker 1: out the stuff that actually who's going to make the
8:52
Speaker 1: roster and stuff, but how can you tell when a
8:55
Speaker 1: guy's ready to play NHL hockey?
8:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty crazy to think about. Some of the
9:01
Speaker 3: guys are just 18, 19, coming to the league pretty young,
9:05
Speaker 3: but Uh, you can tell when you're out there, I think,
9:09
Speaker 3: you know, some of the, obviously the top end talent, um,
9:12
Speaker 3: you know, guys are skilled, but I think what really
9:15
Speaker 3: takes you to the next level is just, you know,
9:18
Speaker 3: kind of the IQ side of the game, being able
9:19
Speaker 3: to think the game at that, uh, at that speed. And, um, yeah,
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Speaker 3: I don't think you necessarily have to be, you know,
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Speaker 3: the biggest or the strongest, but being able to think
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Speaker 3: the game and, and making smart plays out there is huge. So, um,
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Speaker 3: I think just as a player, you can kind of
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Speaker 3: see when a kid's got it and when their game
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Speaker 3: maturity is at that level.
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Speaker 1: As you try to stay ahead of that curve and
9:46
Speaker 1: to outpace the constant competition and things like that, and
9:50
Speaker 1: obviously you want to improve for the sake of your
9:52
Speaker 1: own career and to help this team win and eventually
9:55
Speaker 1: win a Stanley Cup, so for from a personal standpoint
10:00
Speaker 1: anything you worked on in the summer do you have
10:02
Speaker 1: goals on maybe a certain number you want to hit
10:04
Speaker 1: in a statistical category or anything like that what is
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Speaker 1: your i guess point of emphasis in getting ready for
10:10
Speaker 1: this season.
10:12
Speaker 3: I think as a bigger guy, I'm always working on
10:14
Speaker 3: my skating and trying to get faster. I'm always trying
10:18
Speaker 3: to fill out, be stronger. I try to work on
10:22
Speaker 3: my down-low play a lot. I'm a bigger guy, so
10:24
Speaker 3: using my body to my advantage. I try not to
10:30
Speaker 3: put really statistical... you know individual measures but uh obviously
10:37
Speaker 3: you know i want to see continued growth in my
10:39
Speaker 3: game and um developing my 200 foot game offensively and
10:44
Speaker 3: defensively both so um yeah no i think it's a
10:49
Speaker 3: really exciting year for our team and um you know
10:52
Speaker 3: hopefully have a lot of group success so that's kind
10:55
Speaker 3: of how you measure a good year.
10:57
Speaker 1: Forgive me because it's probably kind of a dumb question,
11:00
Speaker 1: but how much do you care who you skate with?
11:02
Speaker 1: How much does your line matter to you at this
11:05
Speaker 1: juncture of your career?
11:08
Speaker 3: No, I mean, obviously you want to be out there
11:12
Speaker 3: and contributing as much as you can, and you want
11:15
Speaker 3: to be trusted in situations on the ice. But we
11:20
Speaker 3: got such a deep forward group this year that, you know,
11:23
Speaker 3: I think– no matter who you play with and what
11:26
Speaker 3: line you're on, it's going to be good, and, you know,
11:29
Speaker 3: you can be effective out there. So, you know, whether
11:33
Speaker 3: this year I'm playing center, wing, or whatever line, I'm
11:37
Speaker 3: not too worried about it. Just go out there and,
11:40
Speaker 3: you know, try to help the team win as best
11:42
Speaker 3: I can.
11:43
Speaker 1: Maybe a better way to ask that question is, do
11:45
Speaker 1: you find that there are certain people that maybe you've
11:48
Speaker 1: gotten to know, you've gotten to skate with, or maybe
11:49
Speaker 1: you'll learn this with some young guys or whatever as
11:52
Speaker 1: practice starts that, like, Your timing, your skill, your communication
11:57
Speaker 1: compliments theirs or vice versa.
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Speaker 2: Do you find me?
12:00
Speaker 1: You don't have to tell me who they are, but
12:02
Speaker 1: is there is there a noticeable difference for you when
12:05
Speaker 1: you're out there on the ice with like, I don't know,
12:07
Speaker 1: a different combination versus somebody maybe you.
12:11
Speaker 2: Don't have as much experience with or something like that?
12:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, for sure. I think, you know, over the
12:16
Speaker 3: years I've played with some guys more than others, and
12:20
Speaker 3: you learn their tendencies, you learn, you know, what they
12:23
Speaker 3: like to do in certain situations, where they'll be on
12:26
Speaker 3: the ice. So, like, a lot of different stuff that just,
12:30
Speaker 3: you know, makes it easier playing with them. But, like
12:34
Speaker 3: I said, our team is so deep now up front
12:36
Speaker 3: and on the back as well that, you know, no
12:39
Speaker 3: matter who you're playing with– It's all going to be good, and, yeah,
12:47
Speaker 3: it's just super exciting.
12:50
Speaker 2: What's your relationship with Coach Baird like?
12:52
Speaker 1: We've gotten to know him a little bit, obviously, and
12:54
Speaker 1: we're a new hockey market, as I keep saying, and
12:57
Speaker 1: all of us are kind of learning the game through
12:59
Speaker 1: you guys, at least to some extent. And, you know,
13:02
Speaker 1: there's like, I guess whether it's ignorance or it's just
13:08
Speaker 1: behind the learning curve, We don't have as good of
13:11
Speaker 1: an expertise or as developed of an expertise on, you know,
13:14
Speaker 1: whether he's getting the most out of this roster, whether
13:16
Speaker 1: he's getting the most out of Jack McBain as a
13:18
Speaker 1: player or whatever. So I lean on you. You tell me,
13:21
Speaker 1: what is your relationship with Coach Bear like?
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Speaker 3: Excuse me um no coach bear has been amazing i
13:29
Speaker 3: i've had him uh my whole career now you know
13:31
Speaker 3: i had him uh when i was a rookie in
13:33
Speaker 3: arizona for a couple years and then obviously uh the
13:36
Speaker 3: transition to utah so um he's kind of seen me
13:40
Speaker 3: since i came in the league until now and um
13:43
Speaker 3: it's it's been great i think he he he understands
13:46
Speaker 3: the player he He's able to kind of develop a
13:49
Speaker 3: personal relationship and knows how to get the best out
13:52
Speaker 3: of each guy and, you know, how each guy reacts
13:55
Speaker 3: to certain styles of coaching. So I think he does
13:58
Speaker 3: a great job with that. And, yeah, no, I think
14:02
Speaker 3: he gets a good read of the game. And, you know, one,
14:06
Speaker 3: guys need to be put in certain situations. Um, he's
14:10
Speaker 3: really clear on what's, what he expects out of individuals,
14:13
Speaker 3: but also the team as a whole. And, um, you know, he's,
14:18
Speaker 3: he's good at communicating systems and everything. So I've had
14:20
Speaker 3: a very good experience with coach bear. And, um, you know,
14:24
Speaker 3: I think he's done a great job with our group
14:25
Speaker 3: and he's put us in a really good spot heading
14:27
Speaker 3: into the future.
14:29
Speaker 1: Jack, how compartmentalized is a hockey roster when it comes
14:33
Speaker 1: to the position you play? Like in football, I got
14:36
Speaker 1: an American football background in football. Um, You know, like
14:39
Speaker 1: offensive linemen hang out with offensive linemen. They're never friends
14:42
Speaker 1: with the D linemen. Quarterbacks can kind of get along
14:45
Speaker 1: with everyone because they have to. We always hear goalies
14:48
Speaker 1: are super weird. How does it work with forwards, defensemen, goalies,
14:51
Speaker 1: and hockey?
14:55
Speaker 3: No, I'd say it's, you know, I'm not too familiar
14:58
Speaker 3: with the football locker room, but it sounds like it'd
15:00
Speaker 3: be pretty different. I think, you know, we got such
15:03
Speaker 3: a close group on our team that everybody's kind of
15:06
Speaker 3: close with each other. There's no real... there's no position, um, differences.
15:11
Speaker 3: I think everybody's kind of just as one. I think,
15:14
Speaker 3: you know, you mentioned that the goalies are kind of
15:16
Speaker 3: doing their own thing, but, um, we're all buddies at
15:20
Speaker 3: the end of the day and, you know, everybody gets
15:22
Speaker 3: along super well. So, uh, it's been a fantastic group
15:25
Speaker 3: to be a part of, uh, to be honest, it's,
15:27
Speaker 3: it's been a really enjoyable.
15:29
Speaker 2: How often are you recognized around town?
15:31
Speaker 1: Like how, how hard is it to be famous in
15:36
Speaker 1: Salt Lake city from your experience so far?
15:41
Speaker 3: It might be different on who you ask on the team,
15:44
Speaker 3: but I think we've all had a really good experience here.
15:48
Speaker 3: I think the people have been super, super nice, and
15:53
Speaker 3: nobody bothers you too much. It's been an awesome, easy
15:57
Speaker 3: transition to Utah. I think the town has been amazing.
16:02
Speaker 3: I think it's obviously super beautiful here, and we're able
16:05
Speaker 3: to get out and enjoy it, no problem. um so
16:08
Speaker 3: yeah no it's it's it's been really fun and the
16:11
Speaker 3: fans have been amazing.
16:14
Speaker 1: For the third straight year now the the barn's going
16:17
Speaker 1: to be a little bit different configuration wise ryan and
16:20
Speaker 1: ashley smith and smith entertainment group have done so much
16:24
Speaker 1: with the delta center in just the short time that
16:26
Speaker 1: you guys have been here uh has it changed your
16:29
Speaker 1: experience from year to year like different configuration of seating
16:33
Speaker 1: how loud the building is i don't know what the
16:36
Speaker 1: dressing room if there's been big changes there but the
16:39
Speaker 1: building has been altered several times in a short span
16:42
Speaker 1: has it changed things for you.
16:45
Speaker 3: It's been cool to watch. It's been fun. The ownership
16:49
Speaker 3: group and the Smith family have just been unbelievable, and
16:53
Speaker 3: they've treated us so well. But they've been a great
16:56
Speaker 3: job growing the game here and filling the rank every night.
17:01
Speaker 3: It was loud ever since opening night, and it's loud now.
17:07
Speaker 3: They just keep putting more seats in there and making
17:09
Speaker 3: the fan experience more enjoyable. It's been amazing. I think,
17:14
Speaker 3: you know, the progress in the rink, going from the
17:18
Speaker 3: kind of walls behind the net to now the seats
17:20
Speaker 3: and continue to get better. But, you know, we also
17:23
Speaker 3: got the new practice facility down in Sandy, which is,
17:26
Speaker 3: you know, state of the art. And it's probably one
17:28
Speaker 3: of a kind in the National Hockey League. So, yeah,
17:32
Speaker 3: they've been able to put together some pretty incredible stuff
17:35
Speaker 3: in a short period of time. It's been fun to
17:39
Speaker 3: be a part of.
17:40
Speaker 1: In the offseason, we've been paying a lot of attention
17:43
Speaker 1: to kind of like, you know, the contracts, the roster construction,
17:47
Speaker 1: and the fact that, you know, Gunther got locked up
17:51
Speaker 1: and Schmalz got locked up and Kuhl's got locked up
17:53
Speaker 1: and all these guys at relatively friendly, franchise-friendly rates compared
17:57
Speaker 1: to some of the other contracts that are being handed out.
18:00
Speaker 1: And I know the main business for you and everybody
18:02
Speaker 1: else is to play hockey and just be good at
18:05
Speaker 1: that craft. But is that something that you all in
18:08
Speaker 1: the dressing room are paying attention to that this roster
18:10
Speaker 1: is being built in a way that to me feels
18:13
Speaker 1: sustainable and, and that there's flexibility to where, you know,
18:17
Speaker 1: pieces can be added. I mean, you bring in Trocek
18:20
Speaker 1: in this off season, I think that's going to be
18:21
Speaker 1: a big piece here. Is that something you guys talk
18:24
Speaker 1: about amongst one another?
18:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think obviously it's something that we all see,
18:31
Speaker 3: you know, day to day. I think even just in
18:33
Speaker 3: the last couple of days, there's been, you know, a
18:36
Speaker 3: bunch of signings with, you know young kids at huge
18:39
Speaker 3: numbers so uh it's obviously great for the league to
18:42
Speaker 3: see you know the contracts trending in that direction but
18:47
Speaker 3: um you know getting you know the coolies and the
18:50
Speaker 3: gutters and even you know schmaltzy last year locked up
18:53
Speaker 3: on long-term deals that uh like you said rates that
18:57
Speaker 3: are um you know pretty friendly considering what's being uh
19:01
Speaker 3: signed now i think is huge for our group going
19:05
Speaker 3: forward and, um, allows you to, you know, make other
19:08
Speaker 3: moves in, in areas where you might need help. So, um, yeah, it's,
19:14
Speaker 3: it's just a super exciting time to be part of, uh,
19:17
Speaker 3: you know, the mammoth and it's, uh, it's fun for
19:20
Speaker 3: the fans too. I think, you know, there's a lot
19:22
Speaker 3: to look forward to going, going into the future here.
19:27
Speaker 1: Jack McBain for another minute or two here on the
19:29
Speaker 1: Sean O'Connell show talking Utah mammoth hockey. They begin practice tomorrow.
19:33
Speaker 1: Season starts in 15 days against the Chicago Blackhawks. All right,
19:39
Speaker 1: I've exercised restraint here, Jack. The thing I wanted to
19:42
Speaker 1: start the conversation with is fighting in hockey. I love it,
19:47
Speaker 1: and it seems like you love it too. I have
19:49
Speaker 1: a combat sport.
19:50
Speaker 2: Background.
19:50
Speaker 1: I was a pro MMA fighter for 12 years. I
19:54
Speaker 1: actually fought a hockey goon once in the UFC.
19:56
Speaker 2: That was fun. But, but at what point.
19:59
Speaker 1: In your career did you decide, or was it foisted
20:04
Speaker 1: upon you that like, all right, you know what, when
20:06
Speaker 1: somebody needs to be taught a lesson, Jack McBain, you know,
20:09
Speaker 1: is going to be among the lead candidates to take
20:11
Speaker 1: care of that? Like, at what point in your hockey
20:13
Speaker 1: development did that become part of your game?
20:17
Speaker 3: Yeah. I think, you know, kind of my first camp pro,
20:23
Speaker 3: you know, you're kind of looking at the rosters in
20:27
Speaker 3: Arizona at the time, and you kind of figure you've
20:31
Speaker 3: got to differentiate yourself to– you know get yourself on
20:35
Speaker 3: that opening night roster and make yourself a full time
20:38
Speaker 3: player and you know when I was coming into the
20:41
Speaker 3: league I really just wanted to make a name for
20:43
Speaker 3: myself and get myself to be a full time player
20:45
Speaker 3: and physicality became a huge part of my game and
20:50
Speaker 3: It's something I really pride myself on now to this day.
20:52
Speaker 3: So I kind of found my role in that and
20:56
Speaker 3: I went with it. And, you know, obviously at this
20:58
Speaker 3: level you play physical, you're going to have to answer
21:00
Speaker 3: the bell at certain times. And it's something that I've
21:05
Speaker 3: really actually come to enjoy in the league. And, you know,
21:08
Speaker 3: I consider myself a really honest player and try to
21:12
Speaker 3: stand up for my teammates as well whenever they need that. So, yeah. Um, yeah,
21:18
Speaker 3: obviously it's, it's a big part of my game, but, um,
21:22
Speaker 3: you know, like I said earlier, you know, I don't
21:24
Speaker 3: want to, I want to grow everything and become more
21:27
Speaker 3: offensive and more of a 200 foot player and continue that.
21:30
Speaker 3: But obviously being physical and, and fighting when I need
21:33
Speaker 3: to is, is something, um, you know, I take pride in.
21:39
Speaker 1: Does the NHL at large have a proper relationship, you think,
21:42
Speaker 1: with that part of the game now? Because it felt
21:45
Speaker 1: like years ago they were trying to, like, be excessive
21:48
Speaker 1: about discouraging it maybe, and then I don't know if
21:50
Speaker 1: there was a conversation. They realized, oh, wait, our fans
21:53
Speaker 1: love this. This is part of hockey history. We need
21:55
Speaker 1: to let it be part of the game. Does the NHL,
21:58
Speaker 1: from your standpoint, does the league have a proper relationship
22:02
Speaker 1: with fighting and with, I guess, the penalization of fighting
22:06
Speaker 1: and suspensions and things like that?
22:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so. I think, I think the league's
22:11
Speaker 3: in a great spot, to be honest. I think we've
22:13
Speaker 3: been growing, growing a lot. You see where the contracts
22:16
Speaker 3: are going. But I think, you know, in terms of fighting,
22:20
Speaker 3: I don't think, you know, the league would be able
22:22
Speaker 3: to ever get rid of that. I think, you know,
22:25
Speaker 3: it's something that's been a part of the game for
22:27
Speaker 3: so long and, you know, it allows the players to
22:31
Speaker 3: kind of referee and police the game, you know, within
22:34
Speaker 3: the game. There's, there's certain things that you can do
22:38
Speaker 3: and certain things that you might be able to get
22:40
Speaker 3: away with. But, you know, at the end of the day,
22:42
Speaker 3: you know, a bad hit, you know, on a good
22:46
Speaker 3: player and stuff like that kind of needs to be
22:50
Speaker 3: controlled by the players. And, you know, I think it's
22:53
Speaker 3: a respect thing. It's an honesty thing. And, you know,
22:57
Speaker 3: it's a huge part of the game, to be honest.
22:59
Speaker 3: So I think the game's in a great spot.
23:03
Speaker 1: And look, I know that you're a complete player, you
23:07
Speaker 1: want to continue being a more complete player, like you
23:10
Speaker 1: said a couple times here, but is there room and
23:13
Speaker 1: is there time and is it necessary to practice that
23:16
Speaker 1: part of it? Again, I'm asking these questions because of
23:18
Speaker 1: my own individual interest and background, but do you and
23:23
Speaker 1: Spicy Tuna take 10 minutes after practice and practice that?
23:27
Speaker 1: Do you go into a boxing gym or an MMA
23:30
Speaker 1: gym or do you have to do it on skates?
23:33
Speaker 1: Can you get better at that? And is that something that, like,
23:36
Speaker 1: your coaches and your teammates are like, yeah, that's a
23:39
Speaker 1: worthy way to spend your time, Jack?
23:42
Speaker 3: Oh, it's a skill just like anything else. I think,
23:45
Speaker 3: you know, if you want to get better, you've got
23:47
Speaker 3: to practice it. And I think if you look at
23:50
Speaker 3: hockey fights around the league, you know, guys have certain styles,
23:53
Speaker 3: and a lot of guys are different, right? There's a
23:56
Speaker 3: lot of different grabs, a lot of different holds, you know,
24:00
Speaker 3: how you're defending yourself. Yeah. You know, when I first signed,
24:05
Speaker 3: I went right up to Spice and asked them to
24:08
Speaker 3: show me a few things, and I kind of went
24:10
Speaker 3: from there. So it's definitely something that guys work on.
24:15
Speaker 3: You know, it's a big part of the game, and
24:17
Speaker 3: like I said, it's a skill like anything else, and
24:19
Speaker 3: if you want to get better at it, then you've
24:21
Speaker 3: got to work on it. So, yeah, guys work on
24:24
Speaker 3: it for sure.
24:26
Speaker 1: Last thing I promise on fighting, is there somebody who
24:28
Speaker 1: you have yet to drop the gloves, and you're like, eventually...
24:32
Speaker 1: that one's going to happen and maybe you look forward
24:34
Speaker 1: to it. Is there, is there a fight that you're
24:36
Speaker 1: looking forward to in the 2026 season potentially?
24:42
Speaker 3: Um, I don't know. Like I, I don't, I don't ever,
24:45
Speaker 3: you know, plan them out. Um, you know, I don't
24:47
Speaker 3: think I've ever had a fight. I might, I might've
24:49
Speaker 3: known that some were coming, but I've never had a
24:51
Speaker 3: fight where, um, you know, it's been planned and, you know,
24:56
Speaker 3: we were gonna, we were gonna do it. I think
24:59
Speaker 3: You know, all my fights are kind of based on
25:02
Speaker 3: in the moment. And if something happens to a teammate
25:05
Speaker 3: or myself, you know, that needs to be done, then
25:09
Speaker 3: I'll do it. So, yeah, I think, you know, I
25:14
Speaker 3: guess we'll have to see what happens in game and
25:16
Speaker 3: kind of go from there.
25:18
Speaker 1: Well, I appreciate you indulging me on that line of questioning.
25:22
Speaker 1: It's just, like I said, it's my own personal interest
25:24
Speaker 1: and stuff like that.
25:26
Speaker 2: Good luck. Stay healthy, man.
25:28
Speaker 1: We're so excited about what this team is shaping up
25:31
Speaker 1: to be. And I guess pass on to all your
25:35
Speaker 1: teammates a thank you from the sports community here. It's
25:39
Speaker 1: been really, really cool to embrace NHL hockey and to
25:42
Speaker 1: feel like we've been embraced by NHL hockey. And as
25:45
Speaker 1: far as pro athletes go, it seems like NHL guys
25:48
Speaker 1: are about as accessible and cool to fans as anybody
25:50
Speaker 1: can be. So I hope you all know it's very
25:52
Speaker 1: appreciated here in Salt Lake City.
25:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, we appreciate that. We're super pumped to be here,
25:59
Speaker 3: and hopefully have a great season for you guys. Thanks, Jack.
26:05
Speaker 3: All right. Thank you.
26:07
Speaker 1: Jack McBain, Utah Mammoth forward, starting practice tomorrow at the
26:13
Speaker 1: Utah Mammoth Ice Center.