Latest / Chirping Zebras / JORDAN NOLAN | Chirping Zebras Podcast | Ep #113
Transcript
- Mark Riley: Welcome everyone to Chirping Zebras. Mark Riley virtually alongside Gino Bender Jr. Josh Dolan is behind the scenes today. He's here, but just not on camera. ⁓ before we get into it, we have a great guest today. ⁓ I want to thank our sponsor, the referees, Kresh, you want to stop shop for all your referee needs. Development, payment, scheduling. They do it all. ⁓ also wanna ⁓ remind you to like and subscribe on YouTube and Find us on all the social medias, the Instagram, the Facebook, and of course the TikTok. Thank you, Gino. ⁓ also find us online at tripping zebras dot com and check out our merch and all the upcoming stuff ⁓ that's going on with us. And ⁓ we we had ⁓ this is our second ⁓ shortsy guest. Last week we had Ryan McDonald, otherwise known as Michaels. He was great. Second in a row. Well yeah, we had Michaels and now Jordan Nolan. We've had a bunch today. What's that? We've had a bunch on. ⁓ yeah. No, I meant like in a row. We've had this isn't our just our second one, but we've had two in a row. That's that's what I meant. Sorry, I I probably wasn't clear enough. But ⁓ Michaels last week was great. And this week we have Jordan Nolan and three time Stanley Cup winner. ⁓ just an incredible story coming from First Nation Up ⁓ just outside of Sault Ste. Marie. And you know, his dad, his brother both played in the NHL. So yeah, very cool story. Yeah, very good ⁓ hockey family. Yeah. ⁓ it really ⁓ I really enjoyed this one. I really did. Not that I don't enjoy any of ⁓ I enjoy all of them. But ⁓ Jordan was really cool, had some great insight, and you know, his story is testament that hard work pays off. Yeah, and just going through, you know, the right way, not not get everybody's in a rush to get get there yesterday. Like all the referees you talk to, it's like they want a they want a ref division one. And I'm like, Well, how many what's your game count? You know, how many D three games have you done? How many playoff D three games have you done? Have you done an N C double A regional? Have you done in in the D three level, you know? Like, no, no, no. Okay, so w where like how are you gonna get here? Right. You gotta you gotta have a foundation and you gotta go through the process. It doesn't matter what you're doing in life, you gotta go through the process. One hundred percent. One hundred percent. Well, ⁓ without further ado, we wanna get right after it, ⁓ because Jordan was awesome. So this is our conversation with Jordan Owen, three times Stanley Cup winner and one of the stars, ⁓ as Jim number three on Shoresy. Enjoy. a zebra on the ice bill. They still can't get him off the ice. This is crazy. Here comes all the zebras. It's a zoo out there. You can't do that. Doesn't matter. Welcome everyone to trip and keepers, trim and keepers. We'll all embrace the zebra side. All right. I think we're good to go. All right. Jordan, welcome to the show, man. Welcome to the Zebras. Appreciate you being here. Yeah, thanks for having me. Right on. Yeah, thanks for coming on. ⁓ w we ask everyone this that one one. What was it like to raise the Stanley Cup over your head? I mean, I was only twenty two years old. I got called up in February and you know, we won in June. ⁓ I think I was just a young kid really, just taking it all in. You know, every I I was part of three Stanley Cup winning teams, twenty twelve, twenty fourteen. Twenty fourteen I felt like we had to earn it a little bit more. And then twenty nineteen, I was ⁓ I was married with ⁓ two kids at home. One of the older guys on the team watching, I think I was the only one who won it on that roster. So I kind of got to sit back and enjoy it and and really just kind of watch everyone else enjoy it. But when I was twenty-two years old, ⁓ it was just a wild ride really. You know, I was I I was called up in February, like I said, and ⁓ still rooming with ⁓ Dwight King in the hotel. King in in LA. and yeah, it was definitely a whirlwind and partying in LA and Vegas with the with the boys and enjoying the summer with my friends back in ⁓ Saint Catharines area. So it it was ⁓ yeah, it was pretty much just ⁓ you know, a a big party and and it was definitely a a fun summer. The two thousand nineteen one Us Boston fans would like to ⁓ forget about that one. Yeah, I was pretty much just sitting there just watching I was I was like you guys just watching and and taking it all in. You know, I was I was a black ace for that one. ⁓ myself, ⁓ Chris Thorburn, Chris Butler, we're the kind of the older guys. And ⁓ didn't expect to play. Obviously I didn't play. But during I think it was maybe game three or game four in St. Louis, ⁓ one of our guys got hurt or suspended for a game. And at the morning skate, ⁓ you know, ⁓ Bruba came up to me and said, ⁓ there's a good chance you're gonna be playing tonight. So, ⁓ be ready and you're taking warm-ups so prepare like a game day. And as a black ace, you're not you're not practicing with the guys and you're kind of on your own page a little bit. You let them kind of enjoy it. You you come on after practice and and play some shiny hockey and and kind of stay loose and ready, work it on your own and and when that call came, you know, it was ⁓ I was definitely a little nervous, but again, you know, I'm I'm a fourth liner, playing fourth line minutes. You pr your only job is pretty much don't turn it over and get pucks in deep. And so I was I was ready to go. But if I would have played that one game, I would have got my name on on the cup. But you know, thankfully the the blues gave me a day with the Stanley Cup that summer, gave ⁓ gave us some rings. So that was ⁓ that was very nice of them. Very cool. What's it like to party in LA after you win the cup? That's gotta be nuts. Yeah, I mean, looking back on it. ⁓ I didn't realize like I think I'd listened to some other guys talking about it. But I think we were like the only successful sports team during that time. I like the Lakers were very good, Clippers weren't very good. And we were kind of the only main show in town, ⁓ with sports. So we got all the celebrities, we got all the fans. And ⁓ when we went on that run, I think, you know, the the sport really came back in LA and you know, we got invited to all the award shows and the S Vies and got to party with ⁓ with David Beckham after the game and ⁓ Kevin Connelly from Entourage and Chuck Liddell and and and guys like that. So that was fun. Again, we were just we had a great group actually. We had a great group of older ⁓ veteran guys that have that have been through it. We have more of a quiet group, you know, nowadays you see, you know, so much social media and and guys, you know, posting all their videos and wanting to get out there in the in the big clubs and And we did those things, but I feel like we were more we were more private with it. I think we wanted to enjoy just just the boys. We went to our small local bar after the night we won. I think there's only maybe about fifty people in there. It can only fit fifty people. And ⁓ it felt pretty ⁓ it felt pretty exclusive to ⁓ to be a part of. Like it was kind of the boys only ⁓ kind of deal for a few days. It's awesome. What what did you do with the cup your day? Yeah, so I brought it back to ⁓ to Garden River First Nation. That's where ⁓ that's where I'm from. That's where my dad grew up. And ⁓ I pretty much lived there off and on until I was about twenty-five years old. So we moved away when my dad started coaching in Buffalo. I was probably grade one. Moved to Hartford before that, Buffalo. But every summer we'd always spend our summers up in Garden River outside of Sault Ste. Marie. And ⁓ I think I got it on Monday. So I had my buddies come in for the weekend before, rent to the cottage out. About six of six of my best friends. So we had a busy weekend, full weekend. And then that cup came in about six in the morning on the Monday. And ⁓ you know, we had a nice breakfast at my house, family only. ⁓ we did that till about noon. We had a sit-down with our elders at our community center. We had a nice parade. And ⁓ the parade took us pretty much all the way down to our our powell grounds, our sacred grounds. And there we had a big celebration, a big traditional powwow, ⁓ which was really great. You know, lots of the city came, lots of surrounding communities came, lots of other ⁓ First Nation members from surrounding communities ⁓ drove up. And at the nighttime, ⁓ we just hit up ⁓ you know, one of our local one of our local sports bars. You know, I rent the I think I rented a ⁓ a city bus actually. So we had about fifty people in that city bus ⁓ doing a little bit of a tour. And ⁓ I think we partied at the ⁓ the Canadian in ⁓ in Sault Ste Marie that night. A good shift. Yeah. So it was a full day, it was a full weekend and ⁓ yeah, it was a full day. But I mean, I think like most guys say, it's it's it's full it's a long day, you know, six in the morning till till midnight. but I think I after talking to some guys and listening to some guys, it's You can do you can do a lot in that day. You can fill it up, you can do certain visits and and bring it, you know, to your local gym or your local arena and community visits. So I kinda wanted to make it more about Garden River and really give them that experience and make sure I share the time with our community. So we got to we did meet and greets and and photos for the whole community. And ⁓ so it didn't feel like it was a a full day. You know, it's kinda lots of time to relax and and enjoy it and lots of time my parents' house with the cup and and I d I'm more of a relaxed guy and you know, I don't like too many big events. So I just wanted to just make it a nice chill day and something my family and friends will ⁓ remember. That's cool. That's really cool. Now you where you grew up, is it it it was it is it a big community or is it a smaller community? No, it's a smaller community. We're probably about ⁓ probably about twelve hundred people on our community. We're raised out of a Sault Ste Marie though, you Sault Ste Marie's probably you know, twenty minutes to get downtown. So we're not like lots of these ⁓ first nation communities that are that are pretty remote, ⁓ in the middle of nowhere. You know, we're right on ⁓ Lake Superior, ⁓ beautiful there, close to Sault Ste. Marie. So, ⁓ even though we're a small first nation community, you know, we have a we have a small gym, we have a small community center. ⁓ we just built a golf course a few years ago. But other than that, you know, we don't have a rink, we don't have too much going on there. But yeah, that's where my dad grew up. My dad had ⁓ ten brothers and sisters, ⁓ twelve maybe, geez. Twelve brothers and sisters. So we come from a big family, lots of cousins. So yeah, it's a it's definitely a a tight-knit community. Now you learned how to skate, obviously your dad in the you know, ⁓ with the ⁓ NHL, playing in the NHL and then coaching, but ⁓ he ⁓ did a homemade rink, right, in the backyard to help you and your brother learn how to play. Yeah, that's one of his big stories he tells when we do our speaking events. You know, he was he was, you know, eight years old and he had ⁓ he had a little a little well in the backyard. You'd pump water and and pour bucket by bucket and stomp the stomp the grass the the snow and keep pouring. He did that, you know, as an eight, ten year old, building your old rink. It probably took him four days to build. And that's what I remember about growing up Sault Ste. Marie, you we'd we'd water the backyard and stomp it down and take our four wheeler across it with piece of wood and and flatten it out. And we know we didn't do we didn't lay the boards out and the tarp down and and hose it down. You know, we kind of did it old school and and we had a nice, you know, beautiful backyard rink and and use the snowbanks as as the board. Nothing fancy, but you know, we definitely spent lots of time out there. Every winter we go up to the Sault Ste Marie Garden River area and ⁓ and spent Christmas out there. So that's where I kind of remember growing up. I don't remember too much about minor hockey and things like that, but skating in the backyard with my dad and my brother and some cousins and things like that. That's kind of where we ⁓ kind of developed our skills, I guess you could say. It it it's amazing that your dad builds his own rink and then makes the NHL and along with, you know, you and your brother, it's just an amazing story that, you know, most kids have the program and the rinks and all that stuff and and You guys you know, it was really like a grassroots thing. It's pretty cool. Definitely. I think, you know, I think just the way he made it, like I said, played house league hockey till he was probably fourteen years old, got recognized ⁓ by someone in our in our city, said you can scroll you can probably play junior hockey, moved to Kenora. I've never played triple A hockey, made their ⁓ their junior junior B hockey team, became rookie of the year. Got a trial with the Sioux St. Marie Greyhounds, came from there and and really probably had no skill development, had no training, never had a coach probably teach you how to do crossovers and skate backwards. So I think he was ⁓ he kind of downplays a little bit, but he's probably the best player out of the three of us. If you look at his numbers and and kind of where he came from and and how well he did in the American Hockey League and in pro. So growing up, ⁓ You know, our approach was a little bit different. ⁓ I have a different personality. I again I'm I'm pretty relaxed. I never ⁓ thought about playing the NHL. I never these the things I have to do to get there. I kind of took it step by step. And I think ⁓ grade ten used your OHL draft year and I was a bit of a chunky kid and I enjoyed playing hockey, but I didn't ⁓ I wasn't, you know, like the kids nowadays doing the personalized training and the skill development. And I got drafted the Eerie Yachters in the ⁓ in the third round. And I think going to training camp, summer camp there and and realizing that these are, you know, pretty much, you know, grown men as it seemed like. And I never worked out. I never ⁓ did anything. So I lost thirty pounds that summer and ⁓ made the team. And I pretty much had to do that every every few years. You know, again, you're the end of junior hockey, had to make the next step 'cause I wanted to thought maybe I could play pro and then once I get to pro, then I'd make the next jump and and keep ⁓ keep making changes. So I kind of took it, you know, really year by year. And I I enjoyed playing ⁓ hockey with my buddies growing up and play playing junior hockey. And you know, eventually you had to take it a little bit more serious serious as as time went on. How'd you like playing in Manchester? I love Manchester. I love that building. Yeah, I love that building. You know, we a great group of guys. ⁓ when I was playing at Sault Ste. Marie I got drafted the Kings and they came down and and worked with me and then that's where they met ⁓ Jake Muzzin. yeah, yeah, signed him as a free agent. So my first year, you know, I lived with ⁓ we lived in ⁓ one of those old Manchester houses. ⁓ boy. You know, really old house. ⁓ it was Andrew Campbell, I think he's a you think he's a coach now with coach now with ⁓ Belleville in America. Yep. ⁓ Dwight King. So they had the bedrooms in the main floor. I had the ⁓ the attic, which is freezing. I wasn't making a lot of money, so I was probably too cheap to buy a heater ⁓ for the attic. So I was freezing up there. And and Jake Muzzin started that year in ⁓ in LA. Mm-hmm. Got sent down maybe a month later, and he stayed in it seemed like a closet, really. In the attic too. So we were both up there. He had a a cot on the floor, ⁓ at T V where he played Xbox ⁓ most of the day. That makes a lot of sense the way he played too. Yeah. So yeah, we didn't we didn't have a lot there, but we had a good team. We had a great group of guys. You know, we had ⁓ Brandon Cozen. I think he played ⁓ for Team K at the Olympics during the COVID years. Little guy. ⁓ we had Nicky Delorie. Yeah, ⁓ yeah, he was a tough Tough, tough kid, man. Yeah, he was a tough kid. Androff. Was JJ Johnson on those teams? Justin Johnson. Justin Johnson was there. Rich Clun. Yeah. Clun. ⁓ my God. You guys did some heavyweights. Jordan Wheel. Yeah, we'd a tough team. And during those days, I think every day every team had four or five guys. So you're right. I remember I refue guys a ton those those years. ⁓ And I just remember going up there. It was always a bloodbath. Yeah. It was awesome. Yeah. No, we had a bunch, yeah, a bunch of ⁓ you know, middle to heavyweights. Yeah, there wasn't any killers really during those days. Everyone was pretty much on par. You know, unless you get like Steve McIntyre play him maybe, you know, once a year. And then you get Pierre Luke Leblanc. He's just a heavyweight. ⁓ I mean those guys I saw those two fight actually one night. That was a heavyweight. Yeah, yeah. So we had Jay G down there to kinda take care of those guys, then myself and Clooner and and ⁓ Dolore and Angirov. kind of ⁓ you know, pick up the scraps. So those were fun years for sure. They were. I I loved rough and those games. So those were a lot of fun. Yeah. I think, yeah, I think the first year we were down there, we had a good team. We had ⁓ Holloway, I think it's George Bud Holloway, ⁓ Azevedo and ⁓ we had Voinoff down there. That's right. And we were up three nothing in the first round against Belleville and Ottawa just got knocked out. So they sent all their top guys down. They got Leonard back and Zach Smith and Cody Bass and players like that. So they came back down and they came back. Yeah, they came back and won it. They be they ⁓ yeah, we were up three nothing. They came back, won the series, and they ended up winning that year. So we ⁓ we could have went on a good run. I might have I might have been a factor in that series. I did I did game one. That was my first playoff game. I did it with Chris Aggie. Yeah, I think our one of our guys had a penalty shot in game four, I think. ⁓ right. Close out the series and You weren't on the team that won it, were you? You were already up by then? Yeah, yeah. Then did ⁓ that was probably what, I don't know, singing maybe sixteen seventeen the ⁓ Biz was down there. Yeah, so Biz was done they're in Ontario by that time. Mm, that's right. Yeah. So Gino, do you ever give him a penalty? He's fought I I I had a couple of games where you fought in and absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, I scrapped quite a bit down there. Yeah, it was a scrappy league and you know, it was ⁓ yeah, when you're playing in those in that league and you're playing a lot of minutes and you get a lot of crazy guys and it seemed like there's only maybe run one ref out there at the I think it was. It was a lot of one one man games, yeah. Yeah, so you can do some stuff behind the scenes and and not and the video was so bad down there we can get get away with anything. basically had the overheads for the first couple of years and that was it, right? And then you then you had like the what the broadcast view and that was all you can really see. Yeah, so it's pretty much like pretty much like a big game of ⁓ of pickup hockey and hoping that some scouts are there watching you and and get noticed. Yeah, those Wednesday and Sunday games they could be quiet and then all of a sudden it's like Hol fuck, what just happened? Yeah. ⁓ the fun though it was a fun town though. Yeah, it was great. A lot of good memories. Yeah. That was a great building to work in. Now it's so I you really it what's what's cool is you really worked to make it there. Like it wasn't ⁓ not that you hand it to anyone, but I mean coming from a backyard rink all the way up to the NHL and then even taking a step further, being able to win three cups. I mean, that's quite a freaking journey. Yeah, like I said, you know, playing junior hockey, I started in the Erie ⁓ with the otters. And during that year, my dad was coaching hockey in Moncton, New Brunswick. My brother's playing hockey in Manitoba. And my mom was kind of bouncing around between all three cities. So I felt ⁓ I felt pretty alone and eerie. You know, I I always ⁓ I got pretty homesick. I ended up leaving leaving the team at Christmas time, ⁓ missing my buddies at high school. I went back there, played for ⁓ for our local junior B hockey team in St. Catharines for the Falcons. Got traded to Windsor, played two years there. ⁓ that was a fun time. And ⁓ and eventually I wanted to to move on to a different team. You know, I thought I should have been playing a little bit more. And got traded to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, where ⁓ Denny Lambert coached me. And there I kind of ⁓ found my game a little bit, got drafted as a 19-year-old in the seventh round, and ⁓ after that season joined the Ontario Rain in the East Coast League. Played ⁓ three games there in Vegas. I lived there for a season in the coast. Yeah. Yeah. So that was that was an experience. And actually got a 20 game suspension near the end of my 19 year old season. So LA wanted me to turn pro that summer. But I wasn't in a huge rush. Like I said, I was pretty laid back. And I want to go back and play junior hockey. So I did my OA year, missed the first 15 games. And ⁓ And then that summer, ⁓ LA had a great development team. They had, you know, you had Mike O'Connell and and Nelson Emerson and and a few other guys. So they really worked with you. They really taught you the game and and what it was like to be a pro. And I felt like without their development, I wouldn't have you know no way have gotten any NHL during that first year in the American League. Started to find my game again, working with those guys. And then my second year is when they made the change, you know, they hired ⁓ ⁓ Daryl Sutter. He wanted a bigger teams. He count he came down after the deadline, I think, to watch to watch the team. And he knows myself and Dwight King. And ⁓ yeah, we got called up in February and you know, playing for Daryl, there wasn't a lot of ⁓ there wasn't a lot of nights off. You know, every every practice you had to show up ready to go and every meeting you had to be ready to go and every game you had to be ready to go. So I really never felt safe or comfortable. That first year during that run. You know, I played every playoff game. But I did have to make a few changes. You know, I ⁓ I probably enjoyed junior hockey a little bit too much. You know, I was probably partying ⁓ a little bit. And I ⁓ I gave up drinking as a ⁓ probably as a 20 year old. First year pro, I I was sober. ⁓ and then I started drinking again just casually and then eventually it I didn't think it was helping me in any way. And then during my during the second Stanley Cup run, that's when I had to make a a a change in my life and ⁓ gave up drinking and and ⁓ from then on in my whole career, yeah, I never drank and to this day, ⁓ still sober. So there's definitely d different steps I had to take, you know, whether it was, you know, eating right as a as a young kid and working out better. as I got to be a teenager and then making those ⁓ certain changes as it became ⁓ a pro. Congrats on the sobriety. ⁓ yeah, thank you. I'm 20 years, so I I probably had a similar experience. Yeah. Partying too much when I was referee. ⁓ you know ⁓ now who was i we always ask people, because you played for a lot of coaches, right? ⁓ who was that coach that kind of, you know, stands out That made you not only better, but kind of affected you in a way that, you know, we all have that one coach, right? That we can remember. Who was that guy for you? That would have been my dad, to be honest with you. ⁓ had my dad. My dad was pretty much like Daryl, really, just black and white. Just wanted you to work hard. And if you weren't getting noticed out there, you gotta do something, right? You gotta show up every day, be ready. Try you. That was really his main thing, was working hard and and getting noticed out there. So During my whole pro career, I would, you know, talk to him after every single game and it was his wasn't so much about, you know, you turn the puck over here or you can make there's more time on the wall. His was nothing about that. His is strictly hard work and and keep your feet moving and finish your checks. And I think you know, having Darrell in LA and ⁓ and having our assistant coaches with ⁓ Jamie and ⁓ John Stevens and Davis Payne, they would kind of hone in on the details of the game. But Daryl was really the one who kind of kept you accountable. And that's really, I think, what most guys want is just being told what to do or what's expected of you. Daryl was definitely the one who who kept you in line and and made sure you were showing up every day, you know, doing your best. You know, I played for ⁓ I played for, that's probably bad up. Cut this part out. the coach in Buffalo, all famer. D man. I I'm drawing a box. American American coach, like legendary. Lindy Ruff? No. D man, like kind of like a Brian Leach era. ⁓ Freddie Maya? No. No. And that would have been two thousand eighteen. Hold on, we'll get it. ⁓ Phil Housey, yeah. So a question for Phil Housey. Phil Housey came at a different time. Yeah. So it's it's ⁓ Phil House came at a different time. You know, we didn't have a great roster and there's lots of there's lots of ⁓ things that had to be worked on in the organization, lots of guys to trade and you know, Vander Kane and O'Reilly and Eichel and and we had Jason Botterell as the GM. ⁓ it was a different time where LA was we were expected to win and perform and I think in Buffalo they had to you know, they're they're in a transition. And then went back to to St. Louis with ⁓ Craig Brube, where they're expected to win. So it's it's definitely a different it's definitely a feel ⁓ a different feel around the team and organization where you're expected to perform and and to win. And this is what you we expect from you and and that's really it. It's black and white, where when you play in those those teams that aren't doing so well and those losing teams, it's a little bit of you know, it's just it just feels a lot different. So thankfully I only played on a a team like that for a year. The it so you were there when Buffalo kinda I mean, it's amazing how many players they got rid of that were so friggin' good. Like Eichel, you know, ⁓ all those guys that they traded away. I mean, it took ⁓ na till now to be back and be kind of relevant. ⁓ but it's amazing that that that team just kind of dismantled itself. Yeah, you know, we had Andrew Kane, we had ⁓ O'Reilly, we had ⁓ Jack. We had Sam Reinhart, you know, Ristal Lion, Jake McKay, Bagosian. We had Robin Leonard. I think Allmark was our backup, maybe. Yeah, backup, yeah. So we definitely had the we definitely had the players there. It's just, you know, just finding that you need the yeah, you need those older guys, you know, to kind of set the tone in the room. And I think you learned that, you know, playing for the Kings, you know, even though Dustin Brown's our captain, you know, we probably could have had twelve captains. You know, we had Matt Green, Jared Stoll. Richards, Carter, Copatar, Justin Williams, Willie Mitchell, ⁓ you know, all those guys. It was all those guys pretty much led the team and Daryl was kind of there just to kind of keep everyone in line. You know, we we could have probably could have any anyone coaching us, but I think Daryl was there to kind of keep the guys in line and keep ⁓ you know, our eye on the prize of, you know, we're here to win the Stanley Cup and and that's our main goal. And this is your room. So you guys, you guys run it. the way you seem fit. So ⁓ but yeah we had a lot of great leaders in that room. Does it we were there ⁓ for the Dustin Brown's induction to the USA hockey hall of fame. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. He went in ⁓ the what was that Gino, twenty two or twenty three? Yeah two years ago. ⁓ yeah, which was pretty cool. How is it playing with Kopotar? he's like f ⁓ and ⁓ you know I might be wrong but Bergeron was our guy in Boston And you know, all around player, defensive, could put the puck in the net. And Copotar is kind like exactly the same. And everyone loved playing with Bergeron. And it seems like everyone loved playing with Copotar. Yeah, I think with with the team we had, I think it's changed now, you know, after playing with guys like Eichel and and Reinhardt. But I feel like, you know, Kopy specifically, he was just a good hockey player. Like I said, he didn't do anything flashy. you know, practice. He wasn't the fastest skater. He didn't have the hardest shot. ⁓ he didn't have, you know, he wasn't toe dragging guys and do and doing fancy things like that. And ⁓ he just played hockey the right way. You know, a two hundred foot game, great on both ends, you know, face off PK, power play, just played the game the right way. And that's how every single player in that roster was, you know, Mike Richards, you know, he wasn't ⁓ He wasn't overly a big guy, wasn't strong, wasn't too skilled. You know, you if he could list things that he was good at or amazing at, you really couldn't find anything. He was just good at every single thing. He just played the game the right way, played hard, had that competitive ⁓ that competitive edge. And I think every player in that roster was built like that. You know, Justin Williams, he was just a scrappy player, just, you know, very competitive. And I think that was those were That's what kind of separates I think the the losing team from the winning teams is those competitive guys that know how to play the game ⁓ the right way. Those guys both played in the American League like towards the end of their careers. And I just remember they were like just it's just that different edge those guys bring on the ice. Like it's just an extra level. Like an extra stick after the whistle, a fight in front of the net. It's just like every little thing is extra. And that's what makes them great. Yeah, that's what you need. I think you need that you need that edge, you need that bite. And that's why I see a lot of teams right now in playoffs kinda they don't really do it during the regular season, but come playoff time they know that's that's how you win and and ⁓ you kinda have to build your roster, you know, to make playoffs obviously and then to, you know, have those guys to to help lead you. So we definitely had that and I remember just playing in the first round against ⁓ Vancouver in twenty twelve. They were more of a skilled team. They had ⁓ you know, some tougher guys for sure, some competitive guys, but I felt like we kinda went in there and just took over with our with our size and how physical we played and and we weren't a goon team by any means, though we we a big, strong physical team that kind of, you know, put you to sleep and and and trap you in your zone for for a shift or two and just keep hammering on you. No, I mean that's how Boston beat them, right? In in two thousand eleven. ⁓ you know, i skill wise, Vancouver was much better, but Boston just beat the crap out of ⁓ Well fighting majors that year. Yeah. No, yeah, yeah, we could do it all for sure, but it was just it was just a different hockey and and having those guys on there to to help lead to charging that kinda thing, just that competitive edge and and really just having the right the right group and the right ⁓ mind frame in the room of you know, just playing the right way and everyone didn't matter if you're fourth line or first line, everyone kind of felt important in in their role. You definitely played with an edge. Where where did you develop that? Like did that come from where you grew up or how your dad taught you or you know. Yeah, I don't know if you can teach that. I definitely had more of a ⁓ more of a competitive edge and I think I learned that in the in the OHL I like to do that. I played, you know, I got to play a little bit more and and as you get into it and battle and competing, that's what and I think as I turned a pro, I learned that I needed that to kind of get my game where it had to be. If I came in there and I didn't started the game slow or soft and I needed really to to have a an early check or an early scrum to to find myself ⁓ to be engaged in the game and and my coaches always tell me, you know, when you when you fight or play that certain way, that's when you play your best hockey. So my goal was to to do something as early as possible in the game to get me engaged and that would kind of carry me through. Cause if I didn't do it, ⁓ you can kind of just drift through games, but as a as a fourth liner Yeah, you you need to find that edge and and find your find a way to get into it or you're not gonna to be in the league very long. But I never liked ⁓ I never liked squaring up with the guys. I didn't like, you know, talking to guys in warm ups and saying, Let's fight ⁓ this game. I like ⁓ if someone wanted to fight me, I would say, All right, well, you know, take a run at me or or do something. We need to get engaged first. That's what I liked and that's where, you know, that's how I like to fight. Now you ⁓ for W I we're zebras, right? We're referees. So what was your relationship like with the referees? Like did you know, was it ⁓ a real ⁓ communicative? Did you kind of just, you know, stay away? I remember him being very respectful, so yeah. Yeah, no, I always thought it was very respectful. I think ⁓ again, it's probably the same with the refs. You know, I like to talk to them and and be friends with them, but I wouldn't mind giving it back to ⁓ a little bit in the and not in a a mean way or you know, or I I don't like you kind of way. I think it'd find a way to to keep myself engaged in the g in the game, have fun with it. You know, I think they had fun with it. You know, if you're chirping at a ref or yelling at ⁓ You know, I think it was just ⁓ again, more of a joking manner. But there was never anything like you know, where you're mad at the ref or I think again it's just to kind of stay engaged in the in the game and and ⁓ anytime I would ⁓ bark at a ref or or get mad at one is just to kinda keep myself, you know, into it, whether I think you know, I didn't I what they did was wrong or, you know, I think it was just a way to kinda to stay engaged and but yeah, I wouldn't I always had fun with the rest for sure and try to keep it respectful as possible. But if I ever did cross the line, which I don't think I ever did, I think one time I I probably did. I think I was playing in Pittsburgh where I might have ⁓ pushed one of the linesmen when he was getting on top of me. And so that'd been the only time Maybe we're right crossed the line, but nothing came out of it. You know, I apologized, nothing during the game or after the game and and yeah, nothing came out of that. Yeah. Yeah. D were you a chirper? Like I don't think I was really a chirper. I think I think maybe in the American League I was more because you're more engaged in the game, right? I'm probably playing first, second line minutes, power play, PK. You know, and look at the NHL, your your fourth lines. ⁓ yeah, you gotta keep yourself entertained. A little sitting the bench there for for, you know, fifteen, twenty minutes, you know, looking in the crowd, you know, barking at a few guys. So it's really just to kind of just to keep yourself engaged, anything you do. But I don't think I was a huge chirper. But yeah, definitely ⁓ try to get under the skin of of certain guys and you know, playing against ⁓ Anaheim, you know, try to get under Geslav's skin and Perry's skin and and and doing the best I can, but yeah, just more having fun with it. Now your when you played the hockey style to now, it it's definitely changed quite a bit. What what's your thoughts on h that that evolution of how it's changed, why it's changed, and do you like it or do you w you know, like that more old school kind of play? Yeah, I definitely like the more old school kind of play. I think the teams that are winning now have that little bit more old school and I think near the end of my career that's when you see the guys like like the McCar and the and the and the Barry on the blue line who would just, you know, rover all over the place and get up in the rush. And ⁓ you you definitely need that nowadays with the games played. It's so fast. But I'm definitely more of an old school guy, you know, north south, get pucks deep, ⁓ make your plays and ⁓ But yeah, I think I really didn't notice too much of a transition transition. I think in St. Louis during that series, I think it was still pretty old school north south with with Craig Brube coaching. And ⁓ you know, I think the guys who are more skilled, ⁓ they have good regular seasons for sure, but they definitely have to, you know, bring back that edge and that competitiveness for playoffs if you want to be successful. And there's a reason why, you know, certain teams and certain players are successful and during regular season and it's it's hard to keep it up. So you I think you need to have that old school mentality and that old school kind of game plan for playoffs, you know, be north south, but also have that skill to make plays and and not be afraid to, you know, to turn over at the blue line once in a while. But in order to win, you definitely need to have that two hundred foot game mentality. And then the skill will help you obviously help you kind of take over in certain positions like ⁓ you know like Colorado does in in Vegas and things like that. Who do you like this year for the cup? I'm I'm an early bird. You know, my kids are, you know, waking up for early. ⁓ I haven't watched too many of the night games, the West the West Coast games. I think ⁓ I really haven't watched one Colorado game or Vegas games. I know Colorado's a pretty dangerous team. I've actually enjoyed watching ⁓ Carolina. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But I watched those I watch a lot of those, those Pittsburgh games ⁓ at the start of playoffs just to see the game, obviously guys at Crosby it. But I think probably I would say the Colorado and the the Carolina teams that play those two hundred foot games and have the skill to kind of add on to it. Yeah. No question. What ⁓ now you played against Ma Shann. Was he the worst chirper? Because a lot of people say he was. Or ⁓ Yeah. I mean my dad my dad coached Marshan in the Quebec ⁓ major junior league. My dad coached Keith Yandel. and I found with those guys, sometimes you go into these games thinking like, ⁓ yeah, I know him, or he my dad knows him. You can see you'd talk to him a little bit on the ice or buddy buddy. But those guys had that edge about ⁓ where you might get a a quick hello and that was really it, you know. You know, they weren't you know, they were a little bit nasty out there, right? Slashing you and doing dirty things. So that's what gave those guys the edge is you know, they weren't buddy buddy with you, that's for sure. You know, they weren't talking to me during the whistles and sometimes you expect that a little bit, but then they'd be tripping ya. you know, at a little bit of a scrum. So ⁓ I think that's what you learned. There's a reason why those guys are successful and and, you know, win Stanley Cups. And that's why the NBA sucks, 'cause they're all friends. Yeah, that's why there's no Yeah. That's why there's no, you know, comeback in those three nothing series. They said like this has never been a no one's ever came back from a three nothing series. Unbelievable. Yeah. They just don't have those yeah, that edge. I mean the Celtics just blew a three one lead, but you know, they weren't gonna get past the Knicks anyway. Yeah, they they ⁓ baseball baseball's like that too. Everyone's kinda friends and knows each other and it's not the same. No. I I mean when I played in the Merrick Link at the end of the game I would find guys who I kinda knew a little bit, ⁓ maybe guys that play against the NHL and a little bit of older guys, and I would pretty much tell them like I'm gonna be like pretty much warn ⁓ like I'm gonna be all over you tonight, I'm gonna take runs at you and this and that. But that was just for myself to get engaged. I had to find one guy in that team to hate, to keep myself engaged all all game long and take runs of them. And ⁓ there was a little skill guy, Andy Mealy. I think he was in player. ⁓ I remember him, yeah. My amiable Io. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Really good player. Very good. And he he would rip on me and you know, I would say, you know, I think doesn't you can get 200 points in this league, and I don't think you ever played in the NHL and ⁓ and things like that. I played against him again near the end of my career. Again, just take runs at him. I'll say hello off the ice. And I thought he was a great guy. But that's how I see it engaged by pretty much playing against guys I knew and trying to get into the skin. That's what kind of made it fun. Best best guy you ever played with. Best player. Best player. ⁓ I really liked, you know, like Mike Richards was an all around player. Very I liked the competitive guys. The guys who weren't, you know, overly skilled. You know, Drew Doughty again, he was a guy who competed and and loved to win and hated to lose. And I think, yeah, I think anyone on that f on those LA teams, whether it was Doughty, ⁓ Mike Richards, ⁓ Justin Williams, I was a big Marion Gabrick fan too. So I got to play with him. I like the skill guys growing up. I like Kovalchuk and Gavrick. So I get to play with Gabrick was pretty cool and watching how he practice and and work on his shot. So I think, yeah, definitely the competitive guys, but I think, yeah, for the for the best players, it was probably had it would have had to been Drew Doughty and ⁓ you know, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter. They just played north south and just played the game the right way. Yeah, Doughty and Kobatier are the two players that I really wished they played in Boston. Yeah. 'Cause those are two guys that like, you know, outs I of course we in Boston are kinda crazy and we love the Bruins and hate everyone else. ⁓ those are two guys and it you know, that you just couldn't you you you couldn't not like them 'cause they were that good, they worked that hard, you know, and and they would have been great as Bruins. Yeah, they would have fit right in there. I mean so you s you know, you take out Berger on or Crichey and you swap in any one of our guys. into that lineup and they would fit right ins. ⁓ we had we were very similar teams, Boston and us. And then during that time, right, I mean, I feel like the West was insane during those times. We had St. Louis was a great team. Anaheim was a great team. Chicago was a great team. San Jose was a great team. And I think we were all built pretty much the exact same. I think the only difference really was probably ⁓ was probably Jonathan Quick. Yeah. Was a big the difference maker ⁓ between our team and their teams. Yeah he he Was he well is incredible. Not was I mean just a ⁓ an insane goalie and played, you know, he had an edge as a goal. I mean, most all goalies have an edge 'cause they're all whacked in the head, but yeah, ⁓ no offense to Gino's daughter, but he had that he definitely had that edge. He had a competitive edge for sure. He wanted to save every puck in practice and he he was very competitive in practice too. He You know, he never gave never had a practice off. He would always battle to the last minute and and so again we had a bunch of you know, a bunch of dogs on that team who who love to win and love to compete and and love to have a good time. So I think that's why we had a close team. Now, Shortsy, I mean, i i it's incredible that that I mean, it's so popular. How did you end up on Shorzy? First of all, and what's it like to be on that show? I mean, and I I expect your answer is gonna be very similar to all the boys we had on, but ⁓ how did you end up on the show, you know, as as Jim number three? Yeah, so I'm like Jim. Yeah. So I signed a PTO in in ⁓ Pittsburgh during the COVID year. Went to training camp, had to leave Christmas Day, had two young girls at home. eventually got sent down to the American League. I'm living in a hotel, getting covet tested every day, no fans. played two games and I got a call about the potentially working with the Kraken on the media side, whether it was, you know, the color or or commentary, things like that. I think that kind of opened my eyes to maybe there's more out there. You know, I to keep I don't have to live in Scrand, Pennsylvania. Grinding and out down here. And I went home after two two or three games and nothing really happened. Probably sitting there for five months. Our hockey schools weren't happening. 'cause of COVID. I reached out to the LA Kings if they have any job opportunities for myself. ⁓ they hired me as a community relations consultant and ambassador for the team. I went back to school. I signed up through ⁓ fire fighting through the PA. And then I would say a week after I signed up for school, got the LA job, my brother got an email ⁓ from Letterkenny, producer saying we're starting a new series, ⁓ would you be interested? Six days of work. So we called me and said, you know, what do you think? Like I well, yeah, why not? I mean, we had nothing else to do. It's six days of work. So let's ⁓ let's get down there and figure it out. We got down there, signed our contracts, didn't know anything, didn't know what to expect. Our first meeting with ⁓ with Kiso, what has was that his place? Kiso, TR, Goody Dolo, and Morassi was when we first met them. And I swear that, you know, Kiso gave us a script and said, all right, who wants to be gym one, two, and three? And I think nasty, you know, is a pretty strong personality. I think he picked gym number one because he probably spoke the the least. My brother picked number two because he was the second least and I kind got stuck with ⁓ gym number three. And that's how it all that's how it all happened. And were you like you each have your individual personality, right? So how did do they match personalities? Like, you know, you're respectful, polite. Is that why you kind of got that personality? I think so. I think once he got to know us a little bit, I think, you know, like ⁓ John John probably probably is what the gym who probably in enjoys the least of the filmmaking process, right? Twelve hour days and and reading scripts and coming in prepared. He probably wants to do the least of all of us. ⁓ so I think Gentleman fits in pretty good just has to say yeah But he has fun with the yeah, you know, he he enjoys it too. He enjoys being there. ⁓ my brother, you know, he likes to, you know, just show up and go go to the keg after we film and hang out with the guys and and I'm probably the most like my character. you know, turn it on, being little bit more nerdy or and things like that and being a little more proper. So I think once he got to know us a little bit, I think he was able to to add on some lines for myself and and seeing how I worked and how I ⁓ took it and you he can give me you know a few sentences or a paragraph or whatever it is. You know, he knew he could do that for myself. And he probably knew he couldn't, you know, add on to Morassis or speaking lines too much. But he knows he knows it'll be funny in whatever he does. That's awesome. Yeah, we had John on and ⁓ that checks out. Yeah. Yeah. That checks out. ⁓ you know, now everyone said it's like right back to playing, right? Because all you guys are hockey players. And not actors first, right? ⁓ most of you. I and it it's gotta be that kind of the same locker room feel. Yeah, to me it's the exact same, really. There's no difference between myself playing for the Kings and you know, playing for ⁓ the Sudbury, Blueberry Bulldogs. You know, I treat it the exact same. I come prepared. I view Keiso as our our captain, as our coach. As our general manager, as our leader, ⁓ ownership, I treat him the exact same. I look at him the exact same. And he really sets the tone for the dressing room, for the cast and the crew. You know, he comes prepared, ready to go. He's there to have a good time. But when it's time to work, it it's time to work. And you know, to for him to wrangle all those different characters, you know, you gotta, you know, you gotta learn to to work with certain guys, you know, whether it's, you know, working with Marassi or myself or ⁓ or McDee and Terry kind of, you know, keeping at light but also knowing that, you know, we're here to work and we're here to make a TV show. ⁓ it's pretty much the exact same. I don't even view us as a as a as actors or a crew. You know, I view us as a hockey team kind of making a you know a documentary in in some sort of way. It's ⁓ I yeah I view us as a hockey team for sure. It's awesome. What's the tour like? Cause you guys, I mean, the both Boston games, ⁓ the first one sold out in like four minutes. And, you know, last year I was at the garden, you know, over thirteen thousand people. I mean, just insane. But kind of like that's like just shooting right back into, you know, being in the NHL or the AHL, right? Yeah, pretty much. I mean, it's different for everyone. It it feels like definitely feels like Crow again. I think I think you we really felt it. We really felt it that first game in Detroit on the tour. You know, we got to go to watch the ⁓ the ring the ring the Red Wings practice facility. We got to skate there the day before. Got to get in the dress room, you know, they had the everything set up first, the tape, the laundry. ⁓ we had the foam rollers in there, getting ready for the game. And then coming up for that warm-up, you know, five thousand people for the first one, eight thousand, whatever it was. The fans were going nuts, you know, looking at the alumni over there, they took it pretty seriously. And ⁓ you know, we treated it, you know, like a real game. You know, some guys are there just to have a good time, you know, some were the actor guys, just to enjoy the experience. And then you got myself and my brother takes the games pretty seriously. ⁓ Terry takes the games pretty seriously. And it's more fun for us, you know, when we try to take it as serious as possible. Obviously, you know, we're not gonna be you know, hitting guys that do they're doing things like that. We're there to have a good time and and make it a good experience and and give chances to their team and hopefully they give us chances. But I think we figured out pretty quickly that the alumni is the ones, you know, we gotta worry about them 'cause, you know, some of those guys, you know, they can't turn it off, as you know. Yeah. Yeah yeah. Once once you get engaged, you know, they wanna they wanna beat us pretty bad. So we have to try our best for sure. Yeah. They don't like to lose. No. They do not like to lose, you know. I don't know if Charter cracked a smile during our game. He didn't. ⁓ you know, I'm sure Ryan shared a a story about that. But yeah, that's ⁓ they're pretty serious. You know, some teams are more more serious than others. Buffalo last year, they were pretty serious when they came out firing and they had great roster and back checking and closing gaps and not giving us two on ones when they were up eight nothing. So Yeah, we gotta take care of ourselves. We gotta we we gotta try and get opportunities where we can. Careful of those referees too. They're on the take. Yeah. You know mine. I know. I think my brother had a break. I think my brother had a breakaway in and boss and ⁓ referee games. So I think yeah, they're they're good games. They're a lot of fun. It's ⁓ it feels like a road trip with the guys for sure and the and the and the shoresy crew take care of us and give us nice hotels and take us to good cities and and ⁓ you know, if it feels like playing pro, you know, enjoy your days off. Come ready, have a good time. It's really relaxed. They do a great job with the alumni, I think. They have a great time doing it and and we have a great time doing it. And the fans have a great time. So it's a great experience and it's fun for everyone. I think what one thing I found that first game in Boston at the Gannis Arena, don't I don't think some of the alumni were aware of the popularity of the show. They ⁓ I know for a fact some of ⁓ had never watched it. And you know, and I'm I'm saying things from the show and stuff, and they're not I told ⁓ John Horrigan was doing the announcing, the goal that went from Jim to Jim to Jim. And I said, Yeah You gotta say aren't the gym's beauties? And and he was kinda like, What? I'm like, You guys don't even know. And then last year I think they you know, they all knew. Holy shit, this is like this isn't just a kind of a pickup game. And also these guys are I mean, Chara got a big a bigger applause than Jared, but that was you know Pretty much it. And it it's I think they were kind of shocked. Yeah, I think it's definitely the first the first year of the tour. I think teams were, you know, weren't sure what to expect. You know, we had a lot of the older guys, lots of the guys been doing the alumni games for a long time. And then I found as it went on, and it's definitely the second leg of the tour ⁓ this past year, you know, we're getting more of the younger guys, we're getting more of the the more recent names coming to the join these games because I think they see you know, the experience and how fun it is and and how kind of good the games are. You know, we have definitely have a few a handful of players that can still play. You know, I think in the Edmonton game, I think we got smoked in Calgary. Like they came out flying. They had a great team. They dominated us. And I think the Edmonton game, ⁓ we wanted to come out as hard as we could. So we started that game and they had Raffi Torres out there and pronger behind the bench and and we came out flying. And they didn't have any goal scores, you know, like you know, Vancouver game had the Sedine so they can, you know, they could score on will. But Edmonton didn't have those goal scores. Like they're making line changes, trying to trying to slow us down. But we came out flying to the Edmonton. We tried our hardest and, you know, I think we could have won that one. But, you know, it's for it's for the fans to to have a good time. So and the goal of that those games are, you know, the guys to take their shirts off and And you know, touch the boards and you know, that's what the fans want to see and the and the guys probably want to show their bodies too off a little bit. So the win win for everyone. Right. I I know Andrew Ferrent in that game, he was playing like it was, you know, a playoff game back in the day. ⁓ you know, he really wanted to win. The Bruinch is signed him again. Yeah, I think that's what makes it fun for them. You know, these guys wanna come out and It's ⁓ some of those games could be a little bit long, right? If you're not gonna try and and tiptoe around out there. But if you can kinda go out there, get a good sweat, compete, bring you back to the olden days and you know, live a little bit of those those glory days. It's it's a lot of fun for them. It's a lot of fun for us too to be able to to try our hardest and ⁓ just have a fun, enjoyable game and make it fun for everyone, ⁓ not only for the fans, but also the alumni. Yeah, I think one thing I found or or kind of felt not only You know, the the game I was involved that first year, two years ago, ⁓ a lot of the guys didn't realize, you know, you guys played and someone like yourself spent time in the NHL. You know, ⁓ I remember ⁓ Dougie Smith, he hadn't really had any, you know, experience with the show. And he was like, These guys can play. Yeah, some of them some of them played in the NHL. Like, of course they can play, you know, and I don't I wonder if now people know, but in the beginning, I don't I I bet a lot of fans didn't realize, you know, cause they look at you from the show and from like, ⁓ you're they're actors, but didn't realize that real hockey people did, but you know, I I bet some of them like, ⁓ wow, they like they actually played at the highest level. Yeah, I think, you know, even myself really, you know, I wasn't a huge hockey nerd growing up. Lots of times you have to, you know, sometimes look up some of these names. If it wasn't the guy I played against, you know, I might not know who he is and and even for myself to come in there, like lots of times, even the guys I played against, like I don't expect them to remember playing against me and things like that. So, you know, I go introduce myself, say, Hey, you know, Jordan Nolan, I played against you, you know, I was part of the Kings, blah, blah, blah. So I don't expect these players to really know exp to know who we are. You know, they're they know we're a T V show and they're showing up to play a fun game and I think ⁓ you know, as we've grown, the show has grown and the tour has grown, I think they're probably talking to their room now, like, ⁓ you know, you know, the Nolan brothers, you they play in the NHL, they got Morassi the fight over there in TR. I think, you know, they're starting to, you know, realize, you know, that we played a little bit and that's why they're, you know, against some better players and guys are wanting to sign up. 'Cause if you're signing up for, you know, some of these charity games were a little bit slower. You know, guys don't really want to get out there and skate around for for two hours, you know, barely breaking a sweat. So it's it's ⁓ it's nice to get for sure the more the younger players to come in and, you know, be engaged and get that competitive level back. But it makes it more enjoyable for them and and for us for sure. And ⁓ you know, some of those older guys, you know, they might lean on some of our younger players who maybe didn't play a little bit and you know, give ⁓ a few shots and you know, you They're not gonna let you just walk around them. You know, I kinda give them a little bit of a warning, okay, maybe I'll try and put ⁓ put it through his legs on the try not to toe deck Charlie. He's not gonna let that happen, you know, especially in this barn. So I try to warn them a little bit and and try to be respectful for sure when you're playing these games. No, they're so much fun and you guys are so accessible to the fans. That's the coolest thing that I saw, you know, whether it's at the bar afterwards or at the game. you know, ⁓ during the game or after the game, you guys really appreciate the fans and, you know, what they mean to you in the show. And that's a really cool thing because I think that you don't find that everywhere. Yeah, definitely. I think we realize that, you know, as cliches the sound, really, without the fans, if we don't give them a good experience, you know, the these fans, you know, they pay a lot of money for these games and, you know, they spend a lot of time watching our shows and getting to know our characters and For them to show up and that was my really my first reaction when the tour got announced, I was like, well, who's gonna really who's gonna come watch, you know, a bunch of old timers play against, you know, a TV show with guys, you know, maybe played a little bit. But I think as ⁓ you know, as people have noticed and the fans have recognized that, you know, it's a good hockey game. We try to make it as entertaining as possible. We do a couple of things, couple skits during the game. they play a couple of bloopers from the past seasons. And really you get to meet, you know, some of your favorite characters from the show and, you know, s interact with them a little bit and and that's what kind of keeps the fans coming back. You know, as you've seen, you know, there's, you know, hundreds and thousands of fans kinda hanging out in the glass, you know, hoping to sneak a picture or or get something signed ⁓ from Shoresy. And ⁓ yeah, it's not they're not looking for, you know, Jordan Nolan, LA Kings Jersey sign. They're looking for a you a Sud Bray Boob jersey sign. And and that's why they're there and you know, then they're not there to, you know, talk about our NHL They're they're there to see, you know, characters from the T V show and and spend time with them. You know, that's what I've learned really. And what I knew growing up is, you know, once the career's done, you know, you're kind of onto your next and, you know, right now it's Shoresy and and the fans wanna see that and the fans want to ⁓ get to know our characters a little bit. Is so you got to play in different barns in you know, as a player in the NHL and now you're playing in some of the same barns in with the tour. You know, what was your favorite barn to play in when you were playing for the Kings as opposed to is it the same or different playing on the tour? Yeah, I get that question asked a lot about my favorite barn. And for me it's it's always the teams that are successful during that time. You know, Chicago was unbelievable during my career. The fans were nuts doing that anthem during playoffs and the fans kept on singing. That was one of the best places to play. I thought I really loved San Jose. San Jose had a good team. I feel it's like the upper deck was almost on top of you. That was a lot of fun. Vancouver in the first round, they were rocking. And ⁓ I loved playing in LA, you know, get the celebrities out there. We had a good team. Fans were great. And then I've ⁓ I enjoyed playing the Bell Center just the look of it, just the feel of it. But yeah, those would be my top ones for sure. But I think definitely the winning teams. And then when I got to come back for the tour, yeah, I think Boston has to be up there for one of the best ones. Just the feel of it, just walking around the concourse. And so yeah, I think that's probably more of the that's more of the feel now is just ⁓ the experience of the arena and and what it feels like, you know, sitting on that bench and and looking up and But during the during my playing days it was definitely who was the the winning teams. I mean, I'm sure if you in San Jose now, it's a little bit different, you know, during their during their tough times. I'm sure it's a little bit different. But yeah, definitely the winning teams, you know, the Chicago's and San Jose and Our Barn and you know, St. Louis had a great arena during those days. So it's definitely I'm sure Buffalo's rocking right now, right? When I played there, it a little maybe a little bit cold. Yeah. So I'm sure Buffalo's unbelievable to play in. And when my dad coached them, it was a great place to play. And and during my time there it was a little bit, you know, a little bit quiet. So that's really ⁓ really how you how you goes. In LA, did you have celebrities coming down to the locker room all the time? Yeah, we did. We had definitely had a few hanging around. You know, Daryl probably wasn't a a huge fan of that. ⁓ Dean Lombardi wasn't a huge fan of that. I feel like the guys weren't even a huge fan of that. You know, it's kinda cool to see guys come in the room. I think the main ones were You we had Tom Hanks come in a few times, ⁓ Brian Cranston, David Beckham, Kevin Connolly. And then I got to play in that ⁓ play for the LA Fires game in LA. Got to be coached by Will Farrell and Snoop Dogg, so that was a pretty cool experience. But but yeah, there wasn't a huge you know, celebrities rolling in and out every single day, that's for sure, with Daryl. What what was Snoop Dogg's pregame speech like? Yeah, there was a clip there. He was asking who's who's gonna set the tone and who's gonna fight for us and give us that energy. You know, one of ⁓ I think Matt Green told him, you know, that guy in the corner there was a fighter, you know, myself and Nate Thompson. You know, I got to, you know, shake his hand and have a little interaction with him. Those ⁓ those were fun games though. That's awesome. What ⁓ so are you acting wise, are you interested in kind of trying out some more stuff? Yeah, I think when the show first got ⁓ released ⁓ I was definitely interested. I reached out to a buddy who worked on a little bit of Yellowstone. He did the Magnificent Seven with Daniel Washington. So I got to hook up with his ⁓ his ⁓ agent. And I got a few auditions from there. So I auditioned for pretty much everything he auditioned for. And I would say the main one I got to audition for was ⁓ True Detectives the last season. And I did it, and I'm actually a huge TV buff and a huge movie nerd. So ⁓ I feel like I got a good grasp of ⁓ you know, what I like to see in the movie or, you know, a certain scenes, how it might feel to me. And now I can kind of picture them in my mind, like, ⁓ yeah, I can see that character ⁓ doing this, doing that. So I did my true detectives audition and actually got a callback for that. And I had a Zoom meeting with the director and the ⁓ the lead actress who would have been my my girlfriend on the show. And the audition went great. Did a few of those and then the last take they said, Okay, we know what the the scene is, so let's just have fun with it. You know where it starts and you know where it ends. That was a different experience, but ⁓ it was a lot of fun. But like anything, you know, if you don't ⁓ if you don't dive into it, you know, head first and be willing to to do up every audition and you know, every callback, you know, I think for that show it would have been like a month in Iceland. You know, which is hard which is hard to do, you know, when you're only working on a show and you got two kids and in hockey schools to so to leave the kids and your family to do a T V show. It it it's hard, but I think for opportunities where it could be a a you know, a little quick weekend thing or a week here, week there, those would be fun experiences. And ⁓ yeah, so I guess you never know what's what's gonna happen. What's your ⁓ f favorite movie? Like I I heard you were a movie buff. and ⁓ So what's your favorite like sports movie and then favorite movie overall? Could we ask we ask pretty much everyone this 'cause it's an interesting, you know, it's interesting to see who likes what. Yeah, no, I think growing up and probably to this day, I I always say my favorite movie's probably ⁓ Goodwill Hunting. Yeah. Yeah, that's always that's always up there on my list, you know, Shaw Shank. ⁓ I love the wrestler with Mickey Rourke. Yeah. I like kind of more, yeah, more drama movies. ⁓ growing up, you know, it was the Vince Bond, Will Farrell, you know, heydays, old school wedding crashers. ⁓ but yeah, I would say for sure it would be ⁓ Goodwill Hunting would be my number one. It's a great pick. Yeah. ⁓ I love Oppenheimer, you know, I saw that in theaters. That was probably one of my, you know, favorite movie experience. I saw it at the first Dune in LA. And I try to, I try to I try not to go on the Friday night, Saturday night opening weekends just in case there's someone eating nachos beside me, ruining my experience. So I try to go in a quiet Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon where it's just myself sitting there, bag of popcorn, taking it all in. So yeah, pretty picky when when I see certain things. ⁓ in my sports movies, sports movies was probably good or not. It was probably ⁓ Remember the Titans growing up. But there's a there's a long list, you know, obviously it's Slapshot and I actually love the movie Hoos or not Hoosier's, ⁓ Blue Chip. Mm. Blue Chips. ⁓ yeah, kind ⁓ of more of a real movie. But yeah, probably remember the Titans is a is a classic and you know, I know Ryan worked on Miracle a little bit. Yeah. I ⁓ think anytime ⁓ Slapshot comes on the T V, it's ⁓ You could watch it at any point. ⁓ all day. I i I was i Ryan said Ghostbusters and I didn't see that coming. I mean, I love Ghostbusters, don't get me wrong. ⁓ great movie, but and and maybe 'cause he's younger, I just didn't see that one coming 'cause it's you know, but Bill Murray's brilliant. Yeah, yeah. Ghostbusters is good. You know, it's it's a classic, I guess. Yeah. But yeah, I can yeah, I can I'm not stopping to watch it, but it's Yeah, I love Bill Murray and I love I actually enjoy their interviews too. Like I love watching their interviews and I love Bill Murray and all his movies and Wes Anderson. I love Wes Anderson movies. what's the one? The first like main West End bottle or not ⁓ after Bottle Rocket. it's key one of Keisel's favorite movies. But I love Wes Anderson and how he does things. More of the the cinematography and and the writing in the Royal Ten and Bombs, movies like that. Those are pretty I find those pretty cool. W what's your thoughts on all the remakes? Like remake and everything. Yeah, I'm not a huge remake guy. I don't know if there's any remakes that have been better. I was I was gonna watch them on the internet actually. I watched the original not that it's a classic, but the original like Count of Monte Cristo. The one from the nineties, they redid it. They did ⁓ a French version, which was pretty good. But ⁓ but yeah, I don't like the remake at Ghostbusters and and things like that. ⁓ all the all the new movies nowadays they kind of feel like they're almost like ⁓ like S and L skits just the way the picture looks and even like the new like the new like ⁓ Billy Madison, you know, just felt the the movies just feel I'm not sure if it's the the cameras they're using now. Just they're just different feels. Did it's time for a good hockey movie, that's what I say. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not sure what's coming out next. I'd like I I'd like someone to take a look at Penalty Box, the movie I wrote. ⁓ I think it Be pretty good. It's this episode one hundred and like fifteen. So you've pitched this a hundred and fifteen times. Someone's gonna pick this up. Someone's gonna I just mention it. I mention it. I know Robbie Shrimp's doing a movie right now. ⁓ yeah, Robbie Shrimp's doing a movie. ⁓ that should be interesting. So he does think he's got I mean if you get some money back behind you. Yeah, that's you can do whatever you want. That's a problem. Yeah. Well you gotta find some sucker to buy it. Yeah. Yeah. That was mean, Gino. ⁓ what? Sucker. ⁓ I before we let you go, your hockey schools, you run some, you know, in the First Nation to help kids learn hockey and and be exposed to it. That's a pretty cool thing. Yeah. So yeah, so that came from my dad. ⁓ my dad had a ⁓ a Rose Nolan foundation, ⁓ named after his mom. We had a a golf tournament. And the goal of the foundation was to raise money for ⁓ secondary school for First Nation women across Canada. And ⁓ it was a lot of work. My dad did a great job. And I think around 2012, 2013 was when my brother brought back the idea of maybe we should do hockey schools, golf tournaments. So we started that in 2013. While still playing, we'd probably do about, you know, four or five a summer. Travel these first nation communities, myself, my brother, my dad. And the goal of the hockey schools were to kind of get these kids to the rink, share our stories, and really just teach them, you know, about believing in yourself. ⁓ hard work, you know, we all have different stories. You know, my dad obviously grew up, you know, not a lot of money, house league hockey, you know, small first age community. had to leave home, pursue a dream. That took a lot of hard work. You know, my brother and I grew up a lot different. You know, my brother played ⁓ a few games NHL, had a career ending ⁓ concussion, went back to school. I myself had a, you know, fairly successful NHL career. ⁓ but still, you know, once I finished school, once I finished hockey, I had to go back to school. 'Cause again I was only, you know, thirty years old and I had him a whole life to live. So we want to share our stories, ⁓ share our experiences and kind of give them the tools to You know, be a a great community member, be a great person. teach ⁓ about hard work and and chasing your dreams and you know, whether you want to be a hockey player or you know, or a teacher or or janitor and if you want to be successful, it it it takes hard work and you know, if you're chasing your dream of playing hockey, you know, the tools that you learn along the way are gonna help kinda let you be successful in whatever you choose to do in life, you know w with being a good person, that's how you also get opportunities. You know, if if we were bad people and arrogant and and working on Shoresy, you think, you and think he's still gonna wanna bring us back every season or bring us on tour and hang out with us and and give us opportunities. And the same with the Kings. ⁓ you know, I'm still involved with the LA Kings and they're you know, they bring me back, you know, a few times a year just to work with kids and do learn to skate programs and, you know, I'm very thankful for that. And they've always taken care of me so I think, you know, if you come in there and, you know, an attitude or you think you're, you know, because I want Stanley Cups and I'm and I'm better than certain people, you know, that just that's not gonna, you know, get you too far in life. And it's about, you know, creating experiences and meeting certain people and that's how you kind of get more opportunities and and that's where, you know, you don't you don't know where life will take you. You know, I really I never thought I'd go back to school to be You know, be a certified firefighter, ⁓ never thought it'd be an actor, never thought I'd be working for the Kings and never thought I'd be doing hockey school. So yeah, so just you know, hard work and and being a good person and yeah, I guess you never know where where life could take you. ⁓ that's awesome. The hockey school stuff is great. And and I mean, I I think on the show, Jared really is that down to earth guy. Like he could have giant head and all the things he's accomplished and done and he's the most down to earth dude. You know, it's it's amazing. And like you mentioned, he's like the captain. It's just it it's cool because all you guys are like that. Like none of you are like when I talked to you guys on the ice and stuff, it wasn't I mean the second year all you guys remembered me. And I was like, how the hell are they remembering me? You know, and that was just cool. That's got you know, that's mean too. Well, this the chirping zebra podcast and I'm being mean. Yeah. Give me a fucking break. I was waiting. I was waiting. No, but that's how I mean that's how I mean if if Jared wasn't the person he was and the set wasn't run, you know, the way it's ran, you know, I don't think, you know, a lot of guys aren't gonna want to go back really. And are they wanna go on tour if they feel like we're not treated properly or you know, if we don't enjoy the experience it so I think, you know, you know, the acting parts the work for sure. But I think you know, being with the guys, being with Jared, being in the tour, that's really kind of what makes the experience and what makes the ⁓ the T V show ⁓ the way it is. You know, guys are excited to be there, guys are excited to show up to work and put the best product out and guys are excited to go on the tour and you know, you know, hopefully you know, hopefully Jared enjoys him. I know he does. I know it's a dream of his to kinda play in those arenas and interact with with ⁓ you know some of his the legends and icons growing up and some of his heroes. So I think if we keep doing a great job and and keep having a good time, hopefully we keep the ⁓ the tours going for as long as possible. As long as Jared ⁓ wants to keep doing ⁓ So he's kind of the boss and, you know, hopefully he's he's having a good time. I hope you keep doing it. 'Cause I love being out there with you guys. It's so much fun. No, it's great. It's a great time. Again, they I guess it's like we're hopeful yeah, hopefully it comes again around this ⁓ this winter and get to play some more games and guys are definitely I think I think Ryan might have been taking some skill sessions to be a better player. You know? We bumped him down the third line and maybe rotate with a few other guys. So his ice time was diminished diminished a little bit, which I'm pretty he wasn't happy about. But ⁓ yeah, we're there to we're there to win and we're there to put the best product out and and ⁓ so yeah I gotta compete with myself and my brother and we're asking TR for ice time and We're not gonna give it up, so you wanna show up and you know, maybe learn to sick can a bit better and you'll get some more ice time. So But yeah, we definitely g we definitely chirp a lot in that show and and ⁓ he's and he's been great though. He's ⁓ he's one of the true actors on the show. Yeah, yeah. I remember the first game I I went by and I said, ⁓ hey Ryan, I gave you an assist on that goal because God knows you're never gonna get a real one. Yeah. And ⁓ and he he had a good laugh, but ⁓ really good stuff. Jordan, we appreciate you coming on, man. It's been awesome. That was a good one. Like ⁓ like we said in the preview, he's just an incredible, incredible guy. Yeah, that was a good interview. ⁓ you know, we didn't even get into Shoresy till almost halfway through the thing. Yeah, you know what? It it it I I'm sure everyone wants to talk about just that, but his his career is just a His talking career was awesome. I mean I remember when he played like in obviously we talked about when he played in Manchester. Like I remember like following him during that cup run 'cause it's like, you know, I I kinda like rooted for that team a little bit because like I did like that Manchester team. Like all those guys he mentioned, like Andrew Campbell, like he was their one of their captains at one point. Like he was a great kid to to deal with and now he's a coach. So like they had good leaders there. But you know, like yeah, like they like I rooted for him when his cup run and you just see him out there and you know, just 'cause like you kinda you kinda get to know these guys, you know, when you're refing them. 'Cause you you banter back and forth and this and that and it's professional. Like they yell at you or whatever, and it's like you said, it's like a reactionary thing, like, ⁓ I just got slashed of the hand, like what the fuck? Not like, Hey you fucking idiot, you gonna fucking call something tonight? What the hell you doing? It's like, no, it's like, yeah, I just got slashed, like, did you see it? You know? Right. No, I didn't. Well, what the fuck? Wake up. And then that's it, right? Like they're moving on. They're not they're forgetting about it. You know. I I think it's really cool that You know, a lot of these guys, especially from the show, you refereed in the American League. Yeah. I mean Rasty, Nolan. Yeah. A lot of these guys. Yeah. It's just pretty cool that ⁓ you know, it kind of comes full circle. And now I'm referring to the Shortsy classics. So it's it's pretty cool. Like all I I see I see a lot of the coaches on the bench in, you know, you get to know them through the years. No, it's it's like a lot of them I like came up through, like they're all in the NHL now. Yeah. Yeah. Quite a few. Quite a few. Well this ⁓ we continue on the heater with guests. Right? Jordan Nolan, three times Stanley Cup winner and star Shoresy, Jim number three. ⁓ wanna thank our sponsor, the referees, Creese. Also wanna remind you to like and subscribe on YouTube and follow us on the social medias, the Instagram, the Facebook, and of course the TikTok. Do you know you're spot on every single time? They're listening. I don't know if you're listening. They're listening. I I always like, yeah, I'm done podcasting at this point. Wait, wait a minute. Let's let's do this. Let's do this. ⁓ if you're listening and you listen to the whole thing and we'll know, right? ⁓ we'll send you a hat. How about that? All right. Well the the first person that reaches out and and says we listen to the end, ⁓ and we'll give a little code word here. So if they are listening, they need to know the code word. ⁓ first one to send it, we'll send them a hat. Send it to who and where? Well they'll still reach out and I'll get their information. Where are they gonna reach out to? Just like the YouTube thing? No, no, no. They could comment on the YouTube or if they listen, they can email me at mark at chirpingzeebras.com and ⁓ the first one that sends the code word will give right before we sign off. We'll send ⁓ a hat. Perfect. You like that, don't you? I do. All right. And ⁓ and during the episode I said you were mean, but I was only I was only busting your balls. I w yeah. I wasn't I wasn't yeah. I was trying to provoke you to get angry. ⁓ Angry Gino. We love Angry Gino. Right? Hey. All right. Well ⁓ that that's gonna do it for this episode, ⁓ chirping zebras dot com and the code word. That you have to email me the first person that emails me and proves that they listen to the very end. ⁓ Mark at chirpingzeebras dot com. You will get ⁓ one of our cool Saint Patrick's Day hats. And ⁓ so what's our code word? Our code word? Frankie chirps. That's obvious though, isn't it? ⁓ Kinda, but isn't it? Well they had to listen, right? I mean they could guess what the cold brew how about cold brew? Cold brew? Yeah, we both do it. Did you just look at your cold brew coffee and come up with that? I don't know. I thought it we both drink it. All right. Cold brew it is. Cold brew it is. So cold brew is a code word. Send that to me. First one gets a hat. We'll really know because if someone sends Frankie chirps, they didn't listen all the way to the end. So fucking cold brew it is. See, there you go. We got him. So Gino Bender Jr., Josh Dolan behind the scenes, and I'm Mark Riley. We'll see you next time right here on the Chirping Zebras.