Latest / Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam / A Coffee with Barrie Stafford, the Legendary Equipment Manager for the Edmonton Oilers

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A Coffee with Barrie Stafford, the Legendary Equipment Manager for the Edmonton Oilers · Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam

• 0:11
  Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park.
• 0:15
  My name is Cam Milliken, and I am here with my co-host extraordinaire, Jennifer Herrick, the Executive Director of the Acheson Business Association.
• 0:25
  Hello, Jennifer.
• 0:26
  Well, good morning, Cam.
• 0:28
  How are you this morning?
• 0:29
  Man, I'm doing good.
• 0:30
  I'm doing, but in all honesty, I'm a little nervous.
• 0:33
  Why?
• 0:33
  Well, because today's the day.
• 0:35
  It's a big day.
• 0:35
  Big game tonight.
• 0:36
  That's right, here in, well, it's not here in Edmonton, it's in Florida.
• 0:40
  But the Oilers are playing, and if they lose, we lose.
• 0:43
  And if they win, we're coming back here for game seven. We're coming back home for the Cup! They're going to win.
• 0:47
  They're going to win.
• 0:47
  I just, I feel it in my bones.
• 0:49
  They're going to win.
• 0:49
  So this is going to be incredible.
• 0:51
  Other than that, it's kind of sunny, a little bit rainy with a few clouds.
• 0:55
  I don't know how to say it.
• 0:56
  It's typical Alberta weather.
• 0:56
  I like this.
• 0:57
  You're a good meteorologist.
• 0:58
  Yes.
• 1:00
  It's a little sunny with a few clouds.
• 1:01
  In Edmonton, all you got to do is stand out on the balcony, and you can give the weather forecast.
• 1:05
  If you do it every five minutes, it'll change.
• 1:06
  But hey, we are coming to you live from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful Downtown Acheson.
• 1:16
  So if you hear a little bit of noise in the background, some coffee machines whirring, people talking, kids screaming, no kids today.
• 1:22
  But if you hear it in the back, because we're coming to you live from the coffee shop.
• 1:25
  The best coffee shop around.
• 1:26
  Best coffee shop in town.
• 1:28
  And if you've never been to Downtown Acheson, you'll want to come visit us and you'll want to come to the Wall Coffee Roasters.
• 1:34
  Absolutely.
• 1:35
  I'm going to recommend for the 15th millionth time.
• 1:37
  Oh, here we go again.
• 1:38
  The Honey Blueberry Latte.
• 1:41
  It is unbelievable.
• 1:43
  His favorite drink, folks, if you haven't already guessed this.
• 1:46
  Unbelievable.
• 1:47
  Anyway, Jennifer, tell us about what happened last week.
• 1:50
  Well, Cam, on Friday, we had our golf tournament.
• 1:53
  Oh, did we have a golf tournament?
• 1:55
  Did we ever?
• 1:55
  Come on.
• 1:56
  That was so much fun.
• 1:57
  It was amazing.
• 1:59
  We had such a good time.
• 2:00
  The weather held out.
• 2:01
  It was really, really cool.
• 2:02
  And we had how many golfers?
• 2:04
  152.
• 2:05
  152 golfers at the beautiful ranch in Acheson, at the Acheson Golf Course, who were ushered out onto the golf course by...
• 2:15
  The Brass Tactics.
• 2:16
  That's right.
• 2:17
  The Brass Tactics.
• 2:18
  And we had Matt on the podcast.
• 2:20
  We did last week.
• 2:21
  Yeah.
• 2:21
  And so, hey, it was really great.
• 2:23
  It was so much fun.
• 2:24
  Jennifer, you've done a good, good, good job.
• 2:26
  It was amazing.
• 2:27
  It was great and I'm happy it's over.
• 2:29
  Yeah, I bet.
• 2:30
  Anyway, so anything else you need to tell us?
• 2:33
  Well, we would like to thank some very important people, which include our gold corporate sponsors, the Myshak group of companies, Genics, Parkland County, and our friends and neighbors, Bow Valley Credit Union.
• 2:45
  Bow Valley Credit Union.
• 2:47
  Without them, we would not be able to do what we do.
• 2:50
  So thank you very much for our sponsors.
• 2:53
  We appreciate it.
• 2:53
  We sure do.
• 2:54
  Well, I'm very excited today.
• 2:56
  It's kind of an Oilers month.
• 2:58
  Well, we did say we were going to have an Oilers theme throughout the month of June.
• 3:01
  I know.
• 3:02
  It's amazing.
• 3:03
  It's just so exciting.
• 3:04
  I know people listen to us all over the world.
• 3:07
  So if you're not in Edmonton, you know, you wonder why we talk about this so much because we're just so excited that we could potentially win another Stanley Cup.
• 3:16
  Bring it back to Canada.
• 3:17
  Yes.
• 3:17
  If you don't know what the Stanley Cup is, it's the top prize in the National Hockey League.
• 3:23
  And so it's a pretty big deal.
• 3:24
  It's a huge deal.
• 3:25
  And they're playing the Florida Panthers.
• 3:27
  Boo.
• 3:27
  Boo.
• 3:28
  Yeah, anyway.
• 3:29
  But anyhow, I'm so excited.
• 3:30
  So hey, today I'm very excited because we're keeping up with Oilers Theme Month.
• 3:35
  Cam, we have a legend in the house.
• 3:37
  We sure do.
• 3:38
  Very excited.
• 3:39
  And so let's kick it off.
• 3:40
  Let's get going.
• 3:41
  Our guest today is Mr.
• 3:42
  Barrie Stafford.
• 3:44
  So welcome, Barrie.
• 3:46
  Welcome, welcome, welcome.
• 3:47
  Maybe a legend in my own mind.
• 3:49
  No, no, no.
• 3:50
  You are a legend in the city of Edmonton, man.
• 3:53
  You are amazing.
• 3:54
  It's so good to have you.
• 3:55
  Yeah, it's exciting to be here on the eve of a big game again for the team on the way to their Stanley Cup.
• 4:02
  Hopefully their sixth Stanley Cup.
• 4:03
  So for those who are listening, Barrie Stafford is the legendary equipment manager for the Edmonton Oilers for 28 years.
• 4:13
  He wasn't done then.
• 4:15
  Then he worked in some other positions, total of about 30 some years for the Edmonton Oilers.
• 4:20
  That's right.
• 4:21
  Amazing career, unbelievable.
• 4:23
  Was there when they won all the cups with Gretzky and all the boys.
• 4:26
  Unbelievable.
• 4:27
  Okay, so we have to take it back to the beginning, like we always do.
• 4:31
  Barrie, tell us, where were you born and where did you grow up?
• 4:36
  Very interesting question.
• 4:38
  I was born in Ottawa, Ontario.
• 4:40
  No! Were you really?
• 4:41
  Come on! Yes, I was.
• 4:43
  I grew up and spent my entire life in Banff.
• 4:46
  My family home was in Banff.
• 4:47
  Really?
• 4:50
  Yes, myself and my four siblings, there's five in our family.
• 4:54
  But my dad was born in Banff and he and my mom, after they got married, they went out to seek their fortune and ended up in Ottawa, Ontario.
• 5:04
  They're small town folks.
• 5:05
  They ended up one year I was born and they hightailed.
• 5:09
  They left Ottawa, and hightailed it back to Alberta.
• 5:10
  So from the age of one on until I guess this day, I consider myself a Banffite.
• 5:17
  A Banffite, I like that.
• 5:18
  You know why?
• 5:18
  You don't meet many people from Banff.
• 5:21
  Right, for those who don't know, Banff is a national park here in Alberta, which means that it's one of the most beautiful places.
• 5:31
  Matter of fact, the G7 location right now is being held in Kananaskis just outside of Banff.
• 5:36
  Yeah, Paradise in the Canadian Rockies.
• 5:39
  Okay, what high school did you go to?
• 5:41
  I went to the, well, Banff Junior High.
• 5:44
  Banff High.
• 5:45
  Yeah, I left, I guess, when I was 16 to seek my fortune, but Banff Elementary School and then the Banff Junior High and into, I guess, grade 10 in high school, yeah.
• 5:56
  All right.
• 5:57
  Wow.
• 5:57
  Are you going to ask them the mascot question?
• 5:59
  Did your school have a mascot?
• 6:00
  I ask everybody.
• 6:01
  Did your school, they didn't have a mascot?
• 6:03
  That was pre-mascot times.
• 6:05
  Pre-mascot.
• 6:05
  Like in Banff, what would they have as a mascot?
• 6:07
  A bear.
• 6:08
  Maybe a bear. Probably a bear.
• 6:09
  Or an elk or something.
• 6:11
  Probably a bear, more than an elk.
• 6:12
  Kind of hard with those horns.
• 6:13
  Anyways, okay, you left Banff to find your fortune.
• 6:17
  And what were you doing, Barrie?
• 6:19
  What fortune were you seeking?
• 6:21
  Where were you going?
• 6:21
  Where did you go?
• 6:22
  Oh, when I was a young kid growing up in Banff, Alberta, like any young kid who played hockey in Alberta during that time, I had a big dream.
• 6:33
  My big dream was to play in the NHL.
• 6:34
  Okay.
• 6:35
  And I played a lot of hockey as a young guy.
• 6:38
  And at 16, I took off to play junior in the Alberta Junior League, actually, for the Calgary Canucks.
• 6:47
  Oh, really?
• 6:47
  That's where I started.
• 6:48
  Yeah, that's where I started.
• 6:49
  Come on.
• 6:50
  Yeah.
• 6:51
  Pretty incredible.
• 6:53
  And how long did you play for them?
• 6:55
  Well, I can say that I had a very scattered junior career.
• 6:59
  That's a polite way to say it.
• 7:01
  At one point, I played for, I think, seven teams in two years.
• 7:06
  Wow.
• 7:06
  Yeah, I was seeking my fortune, wanted to be a hockey player.
• 7:09
  Right.
• 7:10
  But yeah, that was the start of things.
• 7:13
  And I ended up, at 18, I ended up playing hockey in Amarillo, Texas, of all places.
• 7:19
  Come on.
• 7:20
  Amarillo, Texas.
• 7:21
  You can't make this up.
• 7:23
  Amarillo.
• 7:24
  Yeah.
• 7:24
  Wow.
• 7:25
  Two years in Amarillo.
• 7:26
  Two years.
• 7:27
  Yeah, so that was the, then I realized, because I also had a big problem as a kid.
• 7:33
  I had a big dream, yeah, but I also had a very big problem.
• 7:37
  My problem was I had a terrible temper as a young guy.
• 7:40
  Yeah.
• 7:40
  Yeah.
• 7:41
  Man, I was getting into fights and getting kicked out of games.
• 7:44
  It was a total embarrassment to my family.
• 7:46
  Right.
• 7:48
  I got myself in trouble a few times playing in the Southwest Hockey League, which was like a minor league pro team, like the Bakersfield Condors.
• 7:59
  Probably the International League, something like that.
• 8:00
  Yeah.
• 8:00
  Yeah.
• 8:00
  Yeah.
• 8:01
  And I realized at a young age that, you know, I might have to change my big dream.
• 8:07
  I wasn't going to be an NHL player.
• 8:10
  So I made an about face and I decided to enroll in the University of Alberta.
• 8:15
  OK.
• 8:17
  Because they had a great hockey program.
• 8:19
  Yeah.
• 8:19
  Still eligible.
• 8:20
  Golden Bears.
• 8:21
  Yeah.
• 8:21
  Came to Edmonton because of the Golden Bear hockey team and Clare Drake.
• 8:25
  Yeah.
• 8:25
  Legendary Clare Drake.
• 8:27
  Yes.
• 8:27
  Legendary.
• 8:28
  And legendary Golden Bears hockey team.
• 8:29
  Absolutely.
• 8:30
  Yes.
• 8:31
  That's a strong program.
• 8:32
  All right.
• 8:32
  So did you play for the Bears?
• 8:34
  Very, very proud to say that I played for the Bears.
• 8:37
  Yeah.
• 8:37
  And I was on three championship teams.
• 8:39
  Come on.
• 8:39
  Of the four years.
• 8:40
  Yeah.
• 8:40
  Wow.
• 8:41
  And made some great friends.
• 8:44
  To this day, some great teammates.
• 8:46
  Actually, Randy, Dr.
• 8:47
  Gregg.
• 8:47
  Yeah. Former Oiler.
• 8:47
  He's a good buddy of mine.
• 8:49
  From the Oiler years.
• 8:50
  But lots of great friends, great experiences.
• 8:53
  Very fortunate to play for the legendary Clare Drake.
• 8:57
  Yeah.
• 8:58
  So those in the hockey world who follow hockey would know Clare Drake for sure.
• 9:02
  Legendary.
• 9:03
  And one of the greatest coaches, university level coaches that ever lived.
• 9:08
  Yeah.
• 9:08
  Iconic Canadian.
• 9:10
  Great guy.
• 9:12
  You know, of all the great people that I met, all the great experiences I had at, you know, and I ended up getting my degree there.
• 9:19
  The one thing that I took away that any Golden Bear player took away and lives by is it's amazing how much can be accomplished.
• 9:28
  Yeah.
• 9:28
  When no one needs to take the credit.
• 9:30
  That sums up the legendary Clare Drake.
• 9:34
  Love it.
• 9:34
  The culture of that organization was built on humility.
• 9:37
  Not about one person.
• 9:39
  Yeah.
• 9:39
  That's great.
• 9:40
  Yeah.
• 9:40
  Okay.
• 9:41
  So you graduated.
• 9:43
  You couldn't play for the Bears no more because you weren't going to U of A.
• 9:47
  What did you do?
• 9:48
  I got a phone call on my final year from, I think it was from Bruce McGregor was the assistant manager.
• 9:56
  He said, Barrie, my degree was in athletic training.
• 9:59
  So I studied to be a medical trainer actually.
• 10:01
  And I guess because of I was a college athlete and I had a degree and I was a hockey guy, they called me and said, we'd like you to come and interview for the job.
• 10:11
  The team was the Wichita Wind, which was their farm team back in the early 80s.
• 10:16
  That was me dating myself, in 1981.
• 10:19
  So I got hired and my first professional job was working for the Wichita Wind, which was the Oilers farm team.
• 10:26
  Wow.
• 10:27
  And what did you do?
• 10:28
  I was the, in those days, there was one trainer on the team.
• 10:32
  My job and my title was in those days, trainer.
• 10:35
  But you did everything.
• 10:36
  The trainer, typically a trainer is the fellow that jumps on the ice when somebody is injured.
• 10:42
  We see the training staff jump on the ice.
• 10:45
  But the training staff is also made up of equipment side and a medical side.
• 10:50
  So I started as a medical trainer and end up working more in the equipment side, which means the players need help with everything from their helmets, to their gloves, their sticks, their jerseys, their skates, sharpening skates.
• 11:04
  And then also you do the logistics and you kind of coordinate things through the coaching staff on the road and at home.
• 11:11
  So it's a it's quite a complex job, but a very rewarding job and a great position.
• 11:16
  And how long were you there?
• 11:18
  I was behind the bench.
• 11:20
  Well, one year actually in Wichita.
• 11:21
  Yeah.
• 11:22
  I joined with coach John Muckler, who God rest his soul.
• 11:25
  John Muckler.
• 11:26
  Yeah, ex-coach of the Oilers.
• 11:28
  Yeah, John Muckler and I started the same year for those for those long time hockey fans.
• 11:32
  This is like hockey flashback.
• 11:34
  This is amazing.
• 11:35
  Okay.
• 11:35
  Yeah, Andy Moe was on our team.
• 11:37
  Yeah.
• 11:38
  Charlie Huddy.
• 11:39
  We had Donnie Jackson.
• 11:40
  There was a bunch of guys that we started together with.
• 11:42
  Then actually my brother Gord was on that team as well.
• 11:45
  That's a little bit of family history, but I lost it one year and very luckily, I got a call at the end of that season.
• 11:53
  Some funny stories, I'm talking about a bad temper.
• 11:56
  I thought I was fired twice in my first month.
• 12:00
  But I do have some lessons that I learned.
• 12:04
  Luckily, I was hired, John Muckler and myself came up to the Oilers in 1982.
• 12:12
  And what a welcome to the NHL.
• 12:14
  The very first year, we went to the Stanley Cup final.
• 12:17
  So we got our asses kicked four straight.
• 12:19
  It's all right.
• 12:20
  But what did that feel when you got come up to the Oilers?
• 12:23
  What did that feel like?
• 12:25
  Did you say, I've made it?
• 12:27
  Or what was that?
• 12:29
  How did that feel?
• 12:30
  Well, remember how I mentioned I had a big dream and like most young kids had a big dream to play, but I realized that I wasn't a good enough player.
• 12:39
  I never played or coached in the NHL.
• 12:41
  But, you know, coaches have the same thought process as training staff or players.
• 12:49
  You know, our goal is to make it to the NHL.
• 12:51
  That's the best league in the world.
• 12:54
  And of course, I was an Oilers fan.
• 12:56
  I was working for the company.
• 12:57
  And the next thing, you know, you know, I got the job as the trainer for the Edmonton Oilers.
• 13:03
  And it was like, honestly, like a 10-year dream come true.
• 13:07
  Thinking back to my early days when I was in Banff at 16 years old or whatever.
• 13:11
  Yeah, it was a dream come true.
• 13:13
  So I never ever did ever take that for granted.
• 13:16
  Wow, incredible.
• 13:17
  I mean, that must have just felt amazing.
• 13:19
  Now you're with an NHL team and an NHL team that went to the Stanley Cup.
• 13:25
  Wow.
• 13:25
  Yeah, what a way to start.
• 13:26
  What a way to start, eh?
• 13:28
  All right.
• 13:28
  So tell us a little bit about that.
• 13:30
  How was, so now you're in Edmonton, now you're working for the Oilers.
• 13:34
  You got some pretty big names going around you.
• 13:36
  That's pretty awesome.
• 13:37
  What, what were you feeling?
• 13:38
  How was that going?
• 13:39
  What, what was, did you feel like this is, this is it?
• 13:42
  This is the pinnacle, reached it.
• 13:44
  Well, remember I mentioned I played for seven teams in two years.
• 13:48
  And as a, as a young player, of course, I wasn't a professional player, but I experienced a lot of different things in, as far as joining teams and understanding the culture of, of hockey and what it's all about.
• 14:00
  And the, the one thing that really helped me is that, I mean, I was about the same age as most of the crew.
• 14:07
  Like I grew up with- Right, right.
• 14:09
  Remember the joke we had the other day, I talked to you about, you know, I was talking to Mess and Gretz the other day, and they hate it when people drop names.
• 14:16
  Yeah.
• 14:16
  But, but unfortunately, the funny part is, and as you know now, I mean, I grew up with that group.
• 14:22
  That's who you worked with.
• 14:23
  That's very, Paul is coaching right now.
• 14:25
  I dropped name.
• 14:26
  I work with Jennifer.
• 14:27
  I drop her name all the time.
• 14:29
  I work with Jennifer.
• 14:30
  It doesn't go too far, Barrie, but yeah.
• 14:31
  But in, in the day, back in the day, I was very, very understanding to the fact that as a new member of a team, any team, whether you're a coach or a player, you just kind of sit back.
• 14:42
  Yeah.
• 14:43
  You stay in the background, do your job.
• 14:45
  You know, don't, I mean, I was, I was, I was in awe of those guys.
• 14:50
  I watched those guys play.
• 14:51
  I was at a training camp, actually had two training camps with the group.
• 14:54
  So I got to know the, the, the personnel, the team, the coaches, the players, and they were very, very respectful.
• 15:00
  I mean, I, I've often said that I was so, so lucky to come along at the time that I did.
• 15:05
  Right.
• 15:06
  And, yeah.
• 15:07
  You won how many cups with them?
• 15:09
  Five?
• 15:10
  Four?
• 15:10
  I was on the team for all five Stanley Cups.
• 15:13
  Five, yeah.
• 15:13
  Five cups.
• 15:14
  Very lucky dude.
• 15:15
  Yeah, that way.
• 15:15
  So your name is on the Stanley Cup.
• 15:20
  Yeah.
• 15:20
  My name is on the Stanley Cup five times.
• 15:22
  Five times.
• 15:23
  Five times, Barrie.
• 15:24
  Do you know, players would give their right leg to be on the Stanley Cup once.
• 15:29
  You're on there five times.
• 15:31
  Well, like I said, I was very fortunate.
• 15:33
  Yeah, pretty cool.
• 15:34
  I came along at a great time with, well, how many?
• 15:37
  Seven Hall of Famers.
• 15:38
  Yeah.
• 15:38
  There's not many teams that we can say.
• 15:40
  No, have seven Hall of Famers.
• 15:41
  That's incredible.
• 15:42
  That really is.
• 15:43
  All right.
• 15:44
  So you were with them for 28 years.
• 15:46
  Long time.
• 15:48
  That's a long time with one group.
• 15:49
  You saw, over the years, you saw a lot.
• 15:53
  A lot, yeah.
• 15:55
  You know, it honestly appears to me to be a different lifetime ago.
• 15:59
  I was talking to a good friend of mine, or I got a text this morning.
• 16:04
  Somebody had put on social media a collage of the 1983-84 team.
• 16:11
  Right.
• 16:11
  And he sent me a text saying, hey, I saw you on the team picture.
• 16:15
  Yeah.
• 16:15
  And I thought.
• 16:16
  You haven't changed, by the way.
• 16:17
  My good lord.
• 16:18
  Well, you haven't changed a bit.
• 16:19
  Like my lovely bride used to say to me years ago, why are all your friends in hockey rich and have hair?
• 16:27
  Of course, I lost my hair, but you know what?
• 16:31
  I hate to say it.
• 16:31
  That was 41 years ago.
• 16:34
  So it was a different lifetime ago.
• 16:35
  But I was very lucky.
• 16:38
  I had 28 years behind the bench.
• 16:42
  And because the team was so successful, once again, when you're winning, good things happen.
• 16:47
  We also were a part of many Canada Cups, and people don't maybe remember the Canada Cups from us.
• 16:54
  But our team won three Canada Cups for the country.
• 16:57
  So I got a chance to represent my country because of that.
• 17:00
  Probably, I would think, seven or maybe eight times, two Olympic Games, a world championship.
• 17:06
  You know, winning is good in hockey.
• 17:09
  Sitting with a legend.
• 17:10
  I'm not even kidding.
• 17:11
  This is amazing.
• 17:12
  This is really amazing.
• 17:14
  Cool.
• 17:14
  So cool.
• 17:15
  It's my pleasure to be here to share some of these thoughts.
• 17:17
  So then you, okay, so then you realize, okay, 28 years, maybe I need to retire.
• 17:26
  What happened then?
• 17:28
  Well, that's an interesting way to look at it.
• 17:32
  I wasn't ready to retire.
• 17:33
  But the NHL is a business.
• 17:37
  And we all know and understand business.
• 17:39
  And things change in business.
• 17:41
  You know, staff change, cultures change, executive level people change.
• 17:47
  So the organization made a change.
• 17:50
  They decided to, that it was, they wanted to reallocate the position I had.
• 17:55
  Totally respectful as well.
• 17:56
  And I moved into the office.
• 17:59
  Kevin Lowe was my boss at the time.
• 18:01
  Just a gentleman, a person I have a ton of respect for.
• 18:05
  I think the city does as well.
• 18:06
  And so I had had the opportunity to move into the business side of things.
• 18:11
  And I was 10 years in the business department under three actually different positions, three unbelievable positions.
• 18:20
  So talk about being lucky to be at the time that I was at in working with the team at that time during the dynasty years.
• 18:28
  You know, I worked as a young fella.
• 18:32
  I was young in my 40s by that time.
• 18:34
  But I was working in the 40s now.
• 18:36
  I got a chance to learn the business of hockey with my good friend Nick Wilson was the kind of liaison for me.
• 18:42
  And then from that point, I had a bit of a setback and I missed a year.
• 18:47
  But then I came back and Kevin said, well, we have a new building coming up here.
• 18:51
  We'd like you to be the liaison for Rogers Place to help design the spaces for the team.
• 18:56
  And I went, wow, what a job.
• 18:59
  I had a chance to work with a world-class group of people.
• 19:02
  Patrick LaForge was our president at the time.
• 19:05
  I had such a great team, Stu McDonald in the Oilers office.
• 19:08
  And so it was just a really good experience for me to do that.
• 19:13
  And that was about an almost three-year job.
• 19:15
  And the very last job I had was, I was tasked with Bob Nicholson and Kevin to start the Oilers Alumni Association.
• 19:26
  Actually, it was a department within the team.
• 19:28
  I mean, we had the highest profile alumni of any team in the NHL.
• 19:32
  But we never did have a formalized department.
• 19:35
  So they felt that it was time that we did that.
• 19:38
  And they gave me the opportunity to start the department.
• 19:41
  So I learned, you know, I got thrown right into the corporate world.
• 19:44
  Right.
• 19:45
  Yeah.
• 19:45
  And so that's where I actually finished my last job was there.
• 19:50
  That's in a nutshell, you know.
• 19:52
  And that's amazing.
• 19:53
  38 year history right there.
• 19:54
  It's amazing what you did because you created an amazing reputation for Oilers Alumni.
• 20:02
  Like it is in the city of Edmonton.
• 20:04
  If you're from Edmonton, you know that the Oilers Alumni are amazing.
• 20:08
  Like they're active, they're involved, they're there.
• 20:11
  Many of them have stayed in the city and are here.
• 20:14
  And obviously you had a big part in that.
• 20:16
  Well, I was fortunate to be able to start to formalize the program.
• 20:20
  I have to give, you know, I was only almost three years doing that.
• 20:23
  But most of the credit now goes to Pat Garland.
• 20:26
  He's the Director of Alumni Relations.
• 20:27
  They have a whole department.
• 20:29
  Patty Garland has done an amazing job with our alumni in the community.
• 20:33
  And it really opened my eyes at the time that I started, which sort of took me down the road to philanthropy.
• 20:40
  Right.
• 20:40
  You know, of course, I was understanding to that.
• 20:44
  I tried to do my best as a citizen of the city to help where I could.
• 20:48
  But when I realized as the lead for the alumni group, I was getting so many different requests for our former players to help out.
• 20:58
  Ryan Smith, Fernando Pisani, Curtis Joseph.
• 21:01
  Of course, Wayne and Mark and some of the Hall of Famers, they don't live here.
• 21:06
  And it's hard to nail those guys down.
• 21:08
  But you know, you have Kelly Bookberg or Craig McTavish, just names that we all know.
• 21:13
  But that got me thinking and understanding the importance that we can actually help these charities.
• 21:19
  We can help different events and charities.
• 21:24
  So once again, I was very fortunate.
• 21:27
  I had a lot of great experiences.
• 21:29
  That's awesome.
• 21:30
  So Barrie, I think this ties in a little bit to you being so passionate now about philanthropy, but you had a life altering experience.
• 21:40
  Share a little bit about that and what happened and how that changed you.
• 21:50
  Sorry.
• 21:51
  You know, I don't really talk too much about that, but it was 2011 and I was diagnosed with cancer.
• 22:01
  I went through a bit of rough time and you look at me now, I laugh and talk to my friends and say I'm a medical miracle.
• 22:11
  I'm a very lucky person.
• 22:14
  I have multiple myeloma.
• 22:15
  There's no cure, but because of the great work of the Cross Cancer Hospital and the doctors and nurses and all the staff, I was fortunate to make a great recovery.
• 22:28
  I missed probably almost a year of work, had total support from the organization, from the Oilers.
• 22:36
  They let me go through my treatment.
• 22:38
  And welcomed me back with open arms.
• 22:41
  And that's when I started my job with the, helping with designing the spaces.
• 22:46
  But it was a life changing experience.
• 22:49
  And it had a huge impact on my life.
• 22:51
  It was very personal at the time.
• 22:53
  I mean, so many people are touched by cancer.
• 22:56
  I'm not a public person.
• 22:57
  I work in a public business, but I'm a blue collar guy.
• 23:00
  And I worked in a white collar world.
• 23:02
  So it was fairly personal to me.
• 23:04
  And of course my close friends and family were part of it.
• 23:07
  But you know, I got back to work once I recovered.
• 23:11
  And I came in full force, you know, like I just put that behind me.
• 23:18
  And I was working very hard to, you know, on the projects that I was working on.
• 23:23
  And it wasn't until, well, like I said, 2016, I was in the corporate business.
• 23:29
  I've been a team guy my whole life.
• 23:31
  I was fortunate to be on a lot of winning teams, man.
• 23:35
  And I understood the culture of winning.
• 23:38
  I was so fortunate.
• 23:41
  And I wasn't feeling it in the corporate world.
• 23:45
  There was something missing, although I had great jobs.
• 23:48
  And it was nothing against the people or the organization.
• 23:51
  I just noticed that there was something missing in the world.
• 23:53
  I was missing something in my life.
• 23:55
  And of all things, I'm driving home.
• 23:58
  I'm a country music fan.
• 23:59
  Right on.
• 24:00
  Yeah, good job.
• 24:00
  I was listening to a song on the radio, Leaving The Northlands Coliseum, I guess we're downtown.
• 24:07
  And by that time, we're actually working downtown.
• 24:11
  The building wasn't built yet.
• 24:12
  But the song came on the radio.
• 24:15
  It was Tim McGraw, I'll never forget.
• 24:17
  The song was called Humble and Kind.
• 24:19
  Right.
• 24:19
  And I used to listen to words and songs like all of us.
• 24:23
  But for some reason, you guys, it hit me hard.
• 24:26
  I thought, you know, hold the door, say please, say thank you.
• 24:30
  Don't steal, don't cheat, don't lie.
• 24:32
  And I thought, what an interesting concept, humility and kindness.
• 24:36
  I thought something is missing.
• 24:39
  Something's not right in our world.
• 24:41
  And you've nailed it.
• 24:42
  You nailed it.
• 24:43
  I just, and that was before COVID.
• 24:46
  Yeah.
• 24:46
  I look today about what's happening in this world.
• 24:50
  And I feel so, I mean, the G7 is going on in Kananskis.
• 24:54
  We have a war in Ukraine.
• 24:56
  We have this Iran, you know, there was a bomb went off and killed 100 people the other day.
• 25:01
  And we don't even blink our eye and think about it.
• 25:03
  So, I mean, I'm very fortunate.
• 25:07
  What happened just in a nutshell, I was asked to join the Cure Cancer Foundation because of my experience with the Cross Hospital.
• 25:15
  And I was very proud to be asked.
• 25:18
  And I joined a bunch of just unbelievable people who really care about what they do.
• 25:27
  And I started helping and realized that I could help patients.
• 25:31
  And I have a little story about that.
• 25:32
  But just helping the community at large and, you know, an opportunity to get people to, you know, help change the world for the better.
• 25:40
  Right.
• 25:41
  And save lives, man.
• 25:42
  So what are you doing now?
• 25:43
  Tell us real briefly.
• 25:44
  We're running out of time.
• 25:45
  I want you to tell us what you're doing now with them and the difference you're making.
• 25:53
  Well, the difference I'm making is, on a personal level, I try to give patients that have multiple myeloma or blood cancers hope.
• 26:01
  Yeah.
• 26:02
  And I firmly believe in the message and I believe that I've helped to change people's lives because it happened to me once when I got out of the hospital where I realized that holy smokes.
• 26:13
  I might be able to live a normal life.
• 26:15
  You know, they call it the new normal, but that got me going.
• 26:18
  And then the great people at the Cure Cancer Foundation, I will say, we're part of many groups, many different events.
• 26:28
  And one of the events we talked about was the Glenn Anderson Day of Golf, which is the 40th anniversary.
• 26:32
  Yeah, that's a big one coming up.
• 26:34
  Yeah, which is just a fantastic.
• 26:37
  How much has that event raised?
• 26:39
  Well, I would say north of 20 million.
• 26:42
  Right.
• 26:43
  Just think, Glenn Anderson, as a young hockey player, on his own initiative, used to go to the Cross Hospital.
• 26:49
  And to this day, and I talked to him yesterday, he's still passionate about helping people with cancer.
• 26:55
  20 million.
• 26:56
  Yes.
• 26:56
  And you know, we have a Toast of the Town event that myself and my partner, Brian Anstice, God rest his soul.
• 27:04
  And when is that event?
• 27:10
  That will be in 2026.
• 27:11
  We do it every second year.
• 27:12
  Brian lost his life to myeloma.
• 27:14
  Right.
• 27:15
  But so we are passionate about helping people with cancer, not just blood cancers.
• 27:21
  And you know, we have Brent's Sake, the world's longest games.
• 27:25
  We've had many different events under the Cure Cancer Foundation, I guess, brand.
• 27:31
  But I do want to say that it's not just, I like to use the analogy of Mark Messier.
• 27:36
  His book was No One Wins Alone.
• 27:38
  Yeah.
• 27:38
  And it's all about collaboration.
• 27:40
  I feel very, very fortunate that we live in the city of Edmonton.
• 27:45
  We collaborate with the EOCF, the Mernicon and the group over there.
• 27:51
  They're just wonderful people.
• 27:53
  They've been very helpful.
• 27:55
  The Alberta Cancer Foundation.
• 27:56
  Yeah.
• 27:57
  They're our partner as well.
• 27:59
  And so together, you know, we're having an opportunity to really make a big difference.
• 28:03
  So like Mark Messier says, nobody wins alone.
• 28:06
  It's a team effort, you know, getting to know and meet folks like yourselves and all the great things you guys do and all your businesses do.
• 28:14
  I feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people in oil country.
• 28:21
  Yeah.
• 28:21
  And it's just, it's been an inspiration to me and I'm very happy that I have a chance to do that.
• 28:26
  Wow.
• 28:27
  We're almost at 30 minutes.
• 28:28
  I know.
• 28:28
  Again.
• 28:29
  Unbelievable.
• 28:30
  We could go on for a couple hours.
• 28:34
  Maybe there's going to be a part two.
• 28:36
  Yeah.
• 28:36
  It might be a part two to this one for sure.
• 28:38
  But Barrie, we have a final question we ask all of our guests.
• 28:42
  What is the best piece of advice you've been given either personally or professionally that you carry with you to this day?
• 28:54
  Well, Glen Sather was a mentor of mine and many other young players that played during that time and he had a huge influence in my life.
• 29:02
  He's a friend to this day.
• 29:04
  One day, I don't want to get into a long story, but I was telling a young kid that asked me for an autograph and I said, well, you don't want my autograph.
• 29:14
  You want Wayne Gretzky's autograph, Paul Coffey's autograph.
• 29:20
  You don't want my autograph.
• 29:21
  And I got a tap on the shoulder and he said, Barrie.
• 29:24
  Because I said, well, I'm just the trainer.
• 29:27
  I got a tap on my shoulder and he looked me very sternly in the eye with a cigar in his mouth and he said, Barrie, you're the trainer of the god damn Edmonton Oilers.
• 29:37
  And that's something you should be proud of.
• 29:40
  And don't you ever forget that.
• 29:42
  Yes.
• 29:43
  You know, Glen Sather was telling me I should be proud of my accomplishments, to stand up for myself.
• 29:48
  Yeah.
• 29:50
  So I think that's that's one lesson that I learned that, you know, and I was in my my mid 20s, early 20s at the time, but that really had an effect on me.
• 29:59
  And, you know, just be proud of your accomplishments.
• 30:01
  You know, work hard, do the work, put in the time and good things will happen.
• 30:06
  Right.
• 30:06
  Barrie, we've only known each other for a short while.
• 30:11
  I want your autograph, me too, and I'm sincere about that.
• 30:14
  But more than that, I just want to tell you, you are one of the most humble, caring people I've met and you are a legend.
• 30:23
  And I know you you kind of you don't like those titles.
• 30:26
  But man, I'm telling you, you've made a difference.
• 30:30
  You're continuing to make a difference.
• 30:32
  Yes, yeah, continuing to make a difference and that's incredible.
• 30:35
  And we are honored to have had you.
• 30:39
  Like Jennifer said, we could probably go on for another two hours.
• 30:42
  But we're honored to not only to have had you on our podcast.
• 30:46
  But Barrie, I'm hoping to call you a friend.
• 30:48
  Yeah, we get to call you a friend.
• 30:51
  And you're just the best.
• 30:53
  And, wow, amazing.
• 30:56
  So thank you.
• 30:57
  No, it's my pleasure.
• 30:58
  And the one thing I'll end with is I do a presentation.
• 31:03
  I've been speaking once in a while to groups.
• 31:06
  And the theme of the presentation is reflected in this time together.
• 31:11
  And it's gratitude leads to happiness.
• 31:12
  Yeah, that's right.
• 31:13
  And, you know, the people that do live gratitude are happier.
• 31:17
  And we need more happiness in our world.
• 31:19
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 31:20
  You guys make me happy.
• 31:21
  Man, I love happy.
• 31:23
  Happy, happy, happy.
• 31:24
  It comes from Robin's, the Duck Call people down there.
• 31:28
  Yeah, you know them.
• 31:29
  Duck Dynasty.
• 31:30
  Duck Dynasty people.
• 31:31
  So listen, real quickly, if people, how can people, where's the website for cancer, if they want to give, if they want to contribute?
• 31:39
  Is there a website out there they can go to?
• 31:40
  If they want to get involved in the Glenn Anderson Golf Tournament, is there still space?
• 31:43
  Glenn Anderson Golf and Cure Cancer Foundation.
• 31:47
  Okay.
• 31:47
  On the website, for sure.
• 31:48
  Glenn Anderson Day Golf has its own website, standalone.
• 31:52
  Toast Of The Town has its own standalone website.
• 31:55
  Or you can go through the Alberta Cancer Foundation as well.
• 31:58
  Just Google them all.
• 31:59
  You can find Glenn Anderson Day Golf and let's continue to save lives together.
• 32:05
  Absolutely.
• 32:05
  So give, give, give people.
• 32:07
  Barrie, thanks, man.
• 32:08
  It's been our pleasure.
• 32:09
  You're the best.
• 32:09
  Thanks so much, Barrie.
• 32:10
  Talk to you soon, everybody.
• 32:12
  Wow.
• 32:13
  Barrie, what a great guy.
• 32:15
  You know, not only an incredible story, but he is an incredible human being.
• 32:22
  He really is.
• 32:22
  He is so humble.
• 32:24
  And he just, he doesn't want the attention himself.
• 32:28
  And as you heard, he talks about the people in his life that did an incredible thing and made a difference.
• 32:33
  And now he's making a difference.
• 32:35
  He is making a huge difference in the lives of so many.
• 32:38
  Yeah.
• 32:39
  Wow.
• 32:39
  What a great guest.
• 32:40
  Thank you, everybody, for listening.
• 32:42
  Hey, on a kind of our Oilers month, go Oilers tonight.
• 32:46
  Go Oilers.
• 32:47
  And hey, we want you to share the podcast with your friends and your neighbors and your coworkers and your enemies.
• 32:53
  And if you don't have any friends, make a friend so you can tell them about the podcast.
• 32:57
  And yeah, it's fantastic.
• 32:59
  And be sure to subscribe.
• 33:01
  Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe.
• 33:02
  If you don't want to miss an episode.
• 33:05
  And Cam.
• 33:05
  Yeah.
• 33:06
  Next week.
• 33:07
  Yes.
• 33:08
  We're coming up on our one year anniversary of the podcast.
• 33:11
  Jennifer. Unbelievable.
• 33:12
  It kind of is.
• 33:12
  Unbelievable.
• 33:14
  It really.
• 33:14
  So maybe we'll talk a little bit more about, well, I think we're going to do.
• 33:17
  We're going to do a special edition podcast.
• 33:20
  So to everybody listening, thank you for tuning in.
• 33:23
  Yeah.
• 33:23
  We, you know what?
• 33:24
  It's been overwhelming and amazing and way beyond our expectations.
• 33:30
  And it's because of our listeners.
• 33:32
  So we can't say thank you enough.
• 33:33
  We cannot.
• 33:34
  Thanks, everybody.
• 33:35
  Have a great week.
• 33:36
  See you next week.