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Olympic Special · Predators Official Podcast

0:10
Welcome to the Predator's official podcast, Olympic Best
0:14
of Special. My name is Max.
0:16
Hers from Preds Radio along with Cara Hammer from Preds TV Rockin
0:20
her USA Preds jersey hammer. It's Olympic time.
0:25
Let's go. Let's go Max.
0:27
I'm so excited. Although I wish it said USA, it
0:30
just says Nash. But I was like, if I just go
0:31
this way, you'll see the S and people will will know what I'm
0:35
doing. But this was thankfully at
0:36
Fred's giveaway the other night and I'm excited, Max, I got my
0:41
TV set. I'm ready to go.
0:43
Here we go. I'm all about the Olympics
0:44
coverage and we've got a lot of guys heading to Milan, so let's
0:49
get into it. I mean #1 UC Sorrows is going to
0:52
represent Team Finland and we got to give a shout out to our
0:56
guy Juice, because he's going to be on the big stage, hopefully
1:00
stopping all the goals. Let's hear it from our main man,
1:03
Juice on the Predators official podcast last month.
1:08
Welcome back to the Predators official podcast here on
1:11
ESPN1O25 The game at Nashville Predators YouTube.
1:15
My name is Max Herz joined by Preds goalie UC Sorrows for our
1:19
interview this week ahead of the Olympics where he will be one of
1:22
the goalies for Team Finland. UC, thanks so much for joining
1:25
us. Yeah.
1:26
Thank you. What is the build up like to you
1:29
playing an NHL game every other day and being less than a month
1:35
away from your first game in the Olympics?
1:38
Yeah, obviously you focus on these games right now and we're
1:43
really trying to make a good push here, so but yeah, at the
1:46
same time like like days between the games, some nice, you kind
1:50
of look ahead of that that too now that it gets closer.
1:55
Is there extra preparation that goes on, whether it's
1:58
conversations with your coaches, logistics or things like that?
2:03
Yeah, I may have some phone calls to the coaches in in the
2:07
national team and obviously just keeping in touch with the good
2:11
men, the good men manager about all the gear and all that kind
2:14
of stuff. Is the gear coming soon for you
2:17
to start breaking in? Yeah, I think it should be here
2:20
like this week, so hopefully. What what went into your
2:25
thoughts for your colors and your designs on your mask and on
2:28
your pads? The mask is kind of similar to
2:32
what I had last year with the national team, the lionhead in
2:36
the middle and a skyline of Helsinki and then the logo like
2:41
jersey logo on the side. So I could kind of, I like that
2:45
design A lot. So I and pretty much kind of
2:48
like a similar, but just a couple of tweaks there.
2:52
You and I have talked previously about the coaches for the
2:54
Finnish national team, and it's not the same as Team US and Team
2:58
Canada, where it's NHL coaches who are coming together to coach
3:01
these teams. It's coaches who coach at
3:03
different levels and coach the senior national team at lots of
3:07
different tournaments throughout the year.
3:09
Can you tell us in our fans, please, about who those coaches
3:12
are, what your relationship is like with them, and how long
3:15
you've known all of those people?
3:17
Yeah, it's a little different than.
3:20
And like you said, US and Canada, like all the European
3:24
national teams, they have the head coaches, only the head
3:28
coach for the national team. So that's his only thing.
3:31
And they had tournaments throughout the year too.
3:33
And obviously they're scouting throughout the year on all the
3:37
players. And then usually the assistant
3:40
coaches, they have a like they, they coach in some other teams
3:45
during the during the year or two.
3:46
But usually the head coach, it's just with within the his, his
3:51
main focus is only with the national team.
3:53
But but yeah, obviously I played in the World Championships last
3:57
last spring and the, yeah, it was pretty much all the same,
4:01
same stuff there. So yeah, they're all all
4:04
familiar faces. And actually the goalie coach of
4:07
the of the team used to be our goalie coach for under 18, under
4:12
17, under 18, like the international team.
4:14
So go way back with him. And he's also a childhood friend
4:18
of text. So it's a small world.
4:22
Nice. Hey, anytime we can get back in
4:24
there, we're happy. Talking with UC Soros before he
4:27
represents Team Finland at the Olympics coming up next month.
4:31
It's a ton of players that you know, a team of almost entirely
4:34
NHL errs will be representing Finland at the Olympics.
4:37
Who are the teammates that you're closest with?
4:39
There are a lot of guys who are very similar in age to you on
4:42
the team. Who are the guys that you've
4:44
known the longest? Who are the guys that you've
4:45
come to know well in the NHL? Yeah, a lot of guys that you
4:50
play out there ever since you're growing up either with like
4:54
during the with the national team to the national team or
4:57
play against. So a lot of guys go way back.
5:00
But see, I got to say a little when it's the closest guy to me.
5:06
We were the roommates in the World Championships in Mace and
5:10
we already got got the call that we get to be roommates in Milan.
5:14
So really looking forward to that.
5:17
Ice OK, good. I was going to ask who your
5:19
roommate was, but you already know that's impressive.
5:22
And you'll be reunited with your former Preds goalie tandem mate
5:27
Kevin Lankinen. You and him have known each
5:29
other for more than half of your lives.
5:31
The other 1995 birth year on the team is Arturi Lackinen.
5:34
What's it like being with those guys who you've played with at
5:36
so many levels to now get to play as Olympians together?
5:40
Yeah, it's awesome. Like you said, we know those
5:44
guys from a long time and played it played with with each other
5:50
for a long time. So it's kind of special to kind
5:53
of share like a similar route throughout their careers and and
5:59
get to reunite in the this stage as well.
6:02
And you will have a Preds teammate as your Olympic
6:05
teammate. Eric Hollow will also be making
6:07
his Olympic debut for Finland. How happy are you for him to be
6:11
able to be a part of the team? And what's it been like getting
6:13
to know him more closely this season as a teammate for the
6:16
second time at a round? Yeah, obviously that was really
6:19
cool. Then he's he's played a long
6:22
career in the NHL, but since the NHL players haven't been part of
6:25
the Olympics, so he's kind of missed that chance to chance to
6:29
play. So obviously really happy for
6:32
him. Then he got the call as well.
6:33
And he's been a big part of our our team this year.
6:36
So not really surprised that he made the team.
6:38
He's I think he's been a really great player for us.
6:41
Can play kind of every role you put in in there in there.
6:45
So yeah, it's awesome. You guys have both told us on
6:50
Preds radio that you found out at unique times that you were
6:53
going to the Olympics. Holla got the call on Christmas
6:56
morning from Finnish head coach Andy Pennant in and he said he
7:00
was nervous, but then he realized that he wouldn't be
7:02
getting the call on Christmas morning if they were telling him
7:05
that he wasn't making the team. So he was confident at that
7:08
point. And you told us a couple weeks
7:10
ago you found out over the summer as part of the first six
7:13
players announced, you got a text from Coach Pennington while
7:17
you were sitting at the Roland Garros tennis final.
7:20
That's pretty cool. Yeah, yeah, that was pretty
7:22
special. Yeah.
7:24
We were watching the final, obviously one of the greatest
7:26
tennis matches ever going on, and me and my wife were there
7:29
and got the got the text, which made it made even even sweeter.
7:35
So yeah, it was a pretty cool memory.
7:38
So you're sitting in Paris watching Alcaraz center at
7:41
Roland Garros. You find out you're going to be
7:43
in the Olympics in Milan, two of the premier sporting events in
7:47
the world, two of the greatest cities in the world.
7:50
Have you been to Milan much before?
7:51
Have you spent a lot of time in Italy?
7:54
Yeah, went to Milan a couple years ago, so for a few days.
7:58
So got to kind of see the city a little bit there.
8:01
And yeah, obviously that's a really cool place to have have
8:05
that event. So yeah.
8:07
And Federer Svechkov wanted us to ask you, are you going to be
8:10
able to go shoe shopping and get some designer shoes while you're
8:14
in Milan? Maybe I got to pop into some of
8:18
the stores if I got some spare time.
8:22
I feel like you might looking at the schedule as we talked to UC
8:24
Soros before the Olympics. Your guys three games in your
8:28
group are Slovakia starting in the first game on Wednesday,
8:32
February 11th, then a day off before the big game, probably
8:36
the biggest game in the preliminaries in all of the
8:39
men's hockey tournament, Finland versus Sweden on Friday,
8:41
February 13th. Then you take on the host
8:44
country, Italy on Saturday, Saturday, February 14th.
8:47
What do you think about that schedule?
8:49
And obviously that game against Sweden will be one of the
8:52
biggest, I would say. Would you agree with that?
8:56
Yeah, for sure, But at the same time you got to take it one and
8:59
get it came in a time the first game will lead for it as well.
9:02
Slovakia has a has a great team and you know, they're always
9:06
battling hard, hard as a team and they got great individuals
9:11
as well. So but yeah, then the second
9:13
game, obviously big rivalry. So that's that's a cool, cool
9:17
game for sure. What levels have you played in a
9:21
Finland versus Sweden game? What tournaments have you played
9:24
in that rivalry game before and what is that like that's
9:27
different from other rivalries? Yeah, the history goes way back.
9:32
It's always been kind of Big Brother, little brother kind of
9:37
mentality. And the latest one was less less
9:41
spring in Stockholm played against Phil in the Sweden in in
9:45
our group States. And yeah, that was my latest
9:50
one. And well, it was the best memory
9:52
I got of those games when we had the War Tuners final in in
9:57
Sweden then happier obviously we we got the win on that one.
10:01
So yeah, those two games come on my mind first.
10:06
Who's the Big Brother and who's the little brother?
10:09
Oh, it's the little brother been kind of always been thing.
10:12
Yes, in Finland, yeah, that's kind of how it's been been seen.
10:17
But over the years, I feel like it's kind of even even down a
10:23
little bit. That's good.
10:25
And you've been in a lot of those talking to UC Soros before
10:28
the Olympics where he will represent Team Finland.
10:31
Do you have friends who have been Olympians in other sports
10:34
or athletes you've gotten to know, or any who will be there
10:37
this time around that you've gotten to know from either
10:39
Finland or other nations? Got to think, not exactly sure.
10:50
I, yeah, I got to look into that more.
10:53
I haven't really thought about it yet, but obviously all the
10:56
all the hockey guys, but I got to think if there's someone else
10:59
in in other sports. Who from your family will be
11:04
going to support you? I got my parents and wife's
11:08
parents always in my wife and then a bunch of friends as well
11:12
so. That's that's awesome.
11:15
And maybe the most important question for the Soros family
11:18
about who's going Is there pet care provided in the Olympic
11:21
Village for you to bring the dogs to the Olympics?
11:24
Yeah, I I wish, but they've been, they're going to be
11:27
watching here, here in Nashville, Nashville.
11:29
And but yeah, that, that would have been awesome.
11:33
Hey, well, we'll be watching with them.
11:35
UC, thanks so much for doing this.
11:36
We will be watching and rooting for Finland, maybe even against
11:39
Sweden and Philip Forsberg. We might have split allegiances
11:42
that day, but hey, maybe little brother, we'll get it done.
11:45
Thanks UC. Yeah.
11:47
Thank you. That is Predators goalie UC
11:49
Sorrows, who will be in that for Team Finland when they play in
11:52
the Olympics starting on February 11th in Milan, Italy.
11:55
More of the Predators official podcast coming up next.
11:58
You're on ESPN1O25 The Game. That is Prince goalie Yusi Soros
12:03
who will be playing goal for Team Finland in the Olympics in
12:07
Milan, Italy. I think Juice in Milan is just a
12:12
perfect fit. Kara.
12:13
We had a fan question submitted by our number one listener,
12:16
Feder Svechkov, who really wanted to know if Yusi Soros was
12:20
going to have time to go designer shoe shopping in Milan.
12:23
I think we've gotten to see even more of UC Soros's designer swag
12:27
this year. I think he's going to be right
12:29
at home in Milan and comfortable and hopefully stopping a lot of
12:32
pucks. Yeah, I think so.
12:35
It's kind of interesting though, Max, because you wonder now with
12:37
the new rules that the players don't have to get dressed to the
12:41
nines to come to the rink anymore.
12:43
So you kind of wonder like how much effort is is UC going to
12:47
put into to having a chance to stop and get some designer items
12:51
before coming back? I think he will be able to drop
12:55
some cash while he's over there in Milan, Italy for the
12:58
Olympics, but he'll be focused on the hockey first and
13:00
foremost. Finland in the Olympics and
13:04
their biggest game versus Sweden.
13:06
I love UC. Hey, we're we're still the
13:08
little brother. We've won, but we're still the
13:10
little brother in Finland. Sweden going to try and take
13:12
down Philip Forsberg and Sweden on Friday, February 13th in the
13:16
biggest game of the preliminary round across all three groups in
13:20
the men's hockey tournament. UC Sorrow is one of four Preds
13:23
players headed to the Olympics. We also have a member of the
13:26
Preds staff headed to the Olympics.
13:28
We'll hear from Preds head athletic trainer Kevin Morley
13:30
coming up next as he joins the Team USA athletic trainer
13:34
meeting staff at the winter Olympic Games.
13:36
This is the Predators official podcast Olympic Edition here on
13:40
ESPN1O25 The game and Nashville Predators YouTube.
13:44
Welcome back into the Predators official podcast.
13:46
I'm Kara Hammer along with Max Herzen.
13:48
We are two proud Americans sitting here as we record our
13:52
Olympics edition Predators official podcast.
13:55
But Max, you and I, we had the chance to sit down with our
13:58
fellow Co host Brooks Bratton and interview Kevin Morley.
14:01
Now he is the head athletic trainer for the Nashville
14:04
Predators, but he's also going to Milan to represent Team USA
14:08
and stand on the bench helping along.
14:10
Our fellow Americans, have a listen.
14:13
Welcome back to the Predators official podcasts here on ESPN
14:17
102.5, The game streaming on YouTube and a whole slew of
14:20
other spots. Back on the program, Brooks
14:23
Bratton along with my friends Max Hers and Kara Hammer.
14:26
And we're really excited to be joined by our next guest,
14:29
someone who maybe you don't necessarily expect to talk to,
14:33
but a fascinating person nonetheless and an Olympian.
14:38
We will touch so much more on that.
14:40
Preds head athletic trainer Kevin Morley is joining us here
14:44
on The POP Kevin, First off, welcome.
14:46
We're glad you're here. Thanks for joining us.
14:49
Hi guys, Thanks for having me. Our pleasure.
14:52
We're really excited to do this because we've talked already on
14:55
the show, previous episodes about we know the Prez
14:58
Olympians, Roman Yossi, UC Soros, Philip Forsberg, Eric
15:01
Holla all headed to Milan for the 2026 Games.
15:05
But they're not the only ones. You are also going in a
15:08
different capacity. You're not on the ice.
15:10
You're close to the ice for Team USA.
15:13
First off, the Olympic Winter Games.
15:14
As an athletic trainer for USA Hockey, can you put into words
15:18
what this honor means for you and your family?
15:21
No, I don't think so. And I have a lot of words.
15:23
So for me to not have words is is probably surprising for a lot
15:27
of people. But I mean, you know, you just
15:29
don't ever think, you know, I was a swimmer growing up.
15:33
I swam in college. I certainly know I wasn't ever
15:34
going to go as a swimmer. And so, you know, when you're my
15:39
fledgling athletic career finished, I certainly thought
15:41
that was the end of it. And so let me have this
15:44
opportunity. Obviously such an honor for, you
15:46
know, for me, just thinking back at all the all the summer and
15:49
Winter Games that I watched as a kid swimming, but you know,
15:53
other things as well. And obviously haven't been in
15:55
hockey now for almost 25 years, haven't watched.
15:57
Obviously it's been a while since the NHL has been in in the
16:00
Olympics. But even just watching, you
16:01
know, all the games, it's just such an honor to represent, you
16:04
know, all the because you just think all the people you you're
16:07
representing my academic programs.
16:08
Obviously my family might, you know, the town I grew up in and
16:12
of course the preds, you know, and, and the USA.
16:14
So it's it's very, very humbling.
16:17
Kevin, you were in a similar role last year for the Four
16:21
Nations face off. How do you even get on the radar
16:23
to to be in its capacity to to join Team USA?
16:28
I'm in truth, I'm actually, I got that question a lot.
16:30
I'm not totally sure and I don't ask any questions because it
16:33
happened. So I'm just going to take it and
16:35
run with it, you know. But to your point here, yeah, I
16:38
was invited by Billy Guerin, You know, it's been a year and a
16:42
half ago now to join what was, of course then, you know, on the
16:46
upcoming Four Nations tournament.
16:48
And so the medical staff for that tournament, I joined two
16:52
other athletic trainers from the Minnesota Wild and then the
16:55
orthopedic surgeon, the team position of the Minnesota Wild
16:59
equipment guys from a couple different places.
17:01
And so obviously we kind of, you know, sourced from all over the
17:03
NHL and how that actually happened.
17:07
In truth, I really don't know because I just said I couldn't
17:10
say yes fast enough. And so I didn't really care.
17:13
And so, you know, we knew that the plan was that this that the
17:17
whole staff, coaching staff, equipment and folks video really
17:20
everybody team services. The plan was for us to kind of
17:23
get to know each other through the Four Nations experience and
17:26
kind of not necessarily work out the kinks.
17:28
A lot of us knew each other in some capacity.
17:29
Obviously, John Hines is on that staff who I've known back since
17:32
our New Jersey days. And so, you know, we've all
17:34
interacted with each other in different capacities along the
17:36
way. But to really come together, you
17:38
know, the Four Nations from obviously was so exciting and
17:40
such an awesome experience for us personally, but of course was
17:43
so, you know, so impactful and I think, you know, blew out of the
17:47
water anything that the league expected it to be.
17:50
And those US all the games are awesome.
17:51
Obviously I, you know, my, the, even the, even the USA Canada
17:54
game we lost was just like an unbelievable experience, I think
17:57
for everybody. And to be able to play them once
17:59
in Montreal and once in Boston was, I mean, those are, I've
18:02
been in a lot of hockey games and those are two that I think,
18:04
you know, I know I'll never forget.
18:06
And so to then have this opportunity again to kind of
18:09
keep that stuff. The whole staff has stayed
18:11
together. We've added a massage therapist
18:12
from Buffalo Sabres that we're really excited about.
18:15
We've got, you know, a team services kind of media relations
18:18
guy as well. But I mean, largely same stuff,
18:20
same group of people. So it's nice to feel like we've
18:22
gotten kind of the initial, I don't want to say kinks worked
18:25
out, but we've gotten to know each other a little bit to kind
18:27
of understand everybody's kind of flow.
18:29
Obviously Olympics, really different animal with, you know,
18:32
of course, the village and some different, you know, obviously
18:34
the geography, everything's different.
18:36
But at the same time, you know, we spent our entire careers
18:38
going from rink to rink and city to city.
18:40
And so we're reasonably nimble in that regard where we're
18:43
comfortable kind of setting up and, and, and making things
18:46
work, you know, because it's not always the same thing.
18:49
Our guests on the Preds official podcast is Predators head
18:51
athletic trainer Kevin Morley, who will be part of the Team USA
18:55
athletic training staff for the Olympics coming up next month.
18:58
So, Kevin, before you were an Olympian, before you ever were
19:01
in Nashville, tell us, please, how you got to the Preds and how
19:05
you joined the organization. Yeah, thanks, Maxwell.
19:08
I started, I worked at my first show out of grad school, was in
19:10
was in college hockey, which at Miami University in Oxford.
19:12
OH, and loved it there and just kind of got the itch after a
19:15
period of time where I knew I was ready for a different
19:17
challenge. And at the time the the American
19:21
League job for the New Jersey and the New Jersey Devils
19:23
organization was open and through some professional
19:26
contacts was connected with Lamarillo family and some
19:29
different folks. So made the move from college
19:32
hockey into the into the AHL at the time.
19:35
So I spent start to finish 14 years in the Devils
19:37
organization. We were in law Massachusetts to
19:39
start. Then they picked us up, release
19:41
ran up, ran out. So we they picked us up and
19:43
moved us to Albany to New York. So was in those two, that one
19:47
position, 2 cities, same job for a little bit and then went down
19:50
to New Jersey and finished and spent the last when they go as a
19:53
head athletic trainer in Jersey for five years in New Jersey for
19:57
for 8 total and 14 with the club.
19:59
And then the the Preds, the Preds, John Andy Hosler, who's a
20:02
very good friend then and continues to be a good friend
20:05
now. Now with the New York Rangers,
20:06
Andy Hosler was was going to make a move for some some family
20:09
related and and personal reasons.
20:11
And so the the Preds position was open.
20:13
He felt like I'd be a good fit for it.
20:15
And so, you know, of course, went through the interview
20:17
process, which was still kind of at the tail end of COVID, which
20:19
was a, you know, a very zoom focused process and, and just,
20:24
you know, got such great energy from there's a couple people I
20:26
already knew on the pred side. Most people I didn't, but just
20:29
everybody from, you know, Sean Henry was part of my interview.
20:32
Michelle was part of my interview.
20:33
Obviously the team positions were part of my interview.
20:35
Vicky Woosley is part of my interview.
20:37
And so it just became so clear that, you know, the Preds was I,
20:41
I know it's a buzzer to talk about a family environment, but
20:43
it really was so comprehensive that, you know, this, this hire
20:48
was really important to a lot of people.
20:49
You could, I could have talked to an HR person, you know, and
20:52
just kind of check some, some boxes and, and that's not what
20:54
happened. And so people really spent a lot
20:56
of time, you know, really diving into kind of what it means to
20:58
work for the president, what we're looking to accomplish here
21:00
and some forward growth. And of course, David Pollo was
21:02
AGM at the time. So I spent a lot of time with
21:04
David and, and Brian Pollo as well.
21:06
And so now obviously you've been through some changes, but you
21:08
know, the the energy hasn't changed at all.
21:11
You know, the energy. And of course, Barry Trotz
21:13
leaving and coming back. It is really exciting for all
21:15
of, you know, Prez Nation. So it's been, you know, it's
21:17
been a great, this is season 5 that we're in now.
21:20
And it feels like, you know, feels like it was just
21:22
yesterday, I guess. What led you within your dream
21:25
of wanting to work in sports medicine and athletic training
21:28
at a high level attracted you to hockey specifically?
21:31
Nothing, it just happened. I have known, you know, story
21:36
about how I I grew up outside Hartford, CT and I did go to a
21:39
handful of Wailers games with, you know, Kevin Dean, Ray
21:42
Ferraro and Mike Liu, you know, and you know, those days, Ron
21:46
Francis and and I was, I mean, like I said, I was a swimmer.
21:49
So I spent all my time in the pool.
21:50
And so my best friend growing up, I mean, this is like my
21:52
childhood best friend was a hockey player.
21:53
What's the rink a little bit with him, But I mean, there was
21:55
no hockey was not necessarily on my radar and I finished grad
21:59
school and I was looking for a job, you know, I needed to start
22:01
working. I need to pay back some loans
22:03
and the the again, the position at Miami University working with
22:08
the hockey team was open and seem like it would be a good
22:10
fit. And I I look back now on all the
22:12
things I didn't know and you know, and I'm I'm just glad that
22:18
I've taken the the path that I've taken, you know, because
22:21
it's just been, you know, when that was that was in 2001.
22:24
So I'm dating myself by saying that, but it was, you know, so
22:28
it's been, it's been an interesting.
22:30
Ride So Kevin, just to give some insight to Preds fans on your
22:35
role as the head athletic trainer in Nashville.
22:37
You're on the bench during games.
22:39
Perhaps some folks have seen you on the ice tending to an injured
22:43
player, but how do you describe your role as the head athletic
22:47
trainer for an NHL club? Yeah, I generally, you know,
22:49
kind of in a nutshell, I just say that I oversee all the
22:52
medical services for the prets. And so that doesn't mean I
22:54
deliver all the services. It just means I oversee them.
22:57
You know, I have AI have a lot of administrative
22:59
responsibilities in terms of interfacing with obviously both
23:02
our our medical staff here in Nashville, which, you know, has
23:04
an extension of courses. All of our team physicians, most
23:07
of whom are associated with the Vanderbilt Medical Center.
23:09
We have a couple of private practice folks as well.
23:12
But that's everyone from the things that you would expect in
23:14
terms of orthopedics and sports medicine.
23:16
But you know, people get sick and people have families and
23:19
family, you know, and wives or spouses get pregnant.
23:22
And so those aren't aren't necessarily my jobs to manage
23:24
that care, but certainly as in, you know, as a kind of from a
23:28
management perspective, I do, you know, get involved in kind
23:30
of connecting a lot of dots. And of course, then, you know,
23:33
kind of the next essential courses are Milwaukee group.
23:35
And so, you know, the we have a full medical staff in Milwaukee.
23:39
There's there's a little bit fewer, you know, there's fewer
23:41
of them and we have here in Nashville, but they have
23:43
everything we have. They just have maybe a little
23:45
bit, you know, you know, fewer of them and a little bit less
23:47
space. But you know, they do a great
23:49
job as I'm interfacing with them a lot.
23:50
And you know, we have some great stuff there.
23:51
They don't really need my help, which is great, but we do
23:54
interface a lot. Obviously we're having, you
23:56
know, player transactions all the time.
23:57
So I need to know what's going on down there to a certain
24:00
extent. They need to know what's going
24:01
on up here. So you know, we're, I just, you
24:04
know, we work with our prospects a little bit.
24:06
And so the folks, you know, depending where they are and
24:08
what type of things are going on with them, sometimes we're
24:10
talking to the junior teams or that, you know, there are clubs
24:14
in Europe just to make sure that they're getting what they need.
24:16
And we understand there are times when we get involved.
24:18
Most of the time we don't cuz we don't have to.
24:20
But it's really important that we have our finger on the pulse
24:22
of everything that's happening throughout the organization.
24:25
So you know, my favorite part of my job is the actual medical
24:28
care part. I like working with our players.
24:29
I'm a hands on therapist and so I like that part of it.
24:32
You know, my staff will tell you that probably less and less
24:35
every year. It might afford to be a time to
24:38
do that because there's so many administrative things that kind
24:41
of fall under this umbrella. But that's the that's that's how
24:44
I describe my role. Looking ahead to the Olympic
24:48
Games cover, what are you? What are you most looking
24:50
forward to in your role? I guess the obvious answer, the
24:54
obvious answer of course would be you know, the games in the
24:57
medal rounds and that we're hoping to play in and planning
24:59
on playing in. I think apart from that, it's
25:01
just that is the experience with that working in the NHL is the
25:07
best thing that I've ever done as part from having, you know,
25:11
being a parent and having children and all sorts of
25:12
things. But, but I've done this for a
25:15
long time and it never gets boring and it never gets old.
25:17
But it does get a little cyclical, little formulaic.
25:19
We kind of know what to expect from place to place, you know,
25:24
So, you know, working, even just being in a different
25:26
environment, being around female athletes, you know, will be the
25:29
way we're set up in the village in in Milan is that the all of
25:33
the USA is in the building that we're in.
25:35
There's lots of different villages because the footprint
25:37
of the games is really, really spread out.
25:39
And so in Milan there's not that many sports happening.
25:42
So in our village, what you would the US women's team is in
25:45
the same building as us. And then we've got a shared
25:48
treatment kind of medical space. So the men's staff and the
25:51
women's staff, we're sharing that space.
25:54
And so of course the women's tournament starts a good ten
25:57
days or so, maybe even more prior to the men even getting
26:00
there. So they'll already be up and
26:02
running. And so we'll be able to cheat
26:03
off of them because they'll send us some, you know, some videos
26:06
and things of all the things we've seen mock ups of all these
26:08
spaces. But until you really get there,
26:10
you know, it's kind of like when you when you go to buy a house
26:12
and you see the pictures of the house and it always looks way
26:14
bigger on the on the website. And then you get if you're like,
26:17
you know, so I think that's probably what I'm expecting.
26:20
And so the collaboration women's team, even prior to getting
26:23
there has been awesome. And a lot of the folks on the
26:25
women's team on the women's side rather have done Olympic Games
26:29
before. So they're absolutely
26:30
babysitting us to do this. We couldn't be more appreciative
26:32
of that. And so I'm excited to do to see
26:34
that. I'm excited to collaborate with
26:37
them to whatever extent is possible.
26:38
I'm excited to see some other events.
26:40
I watch. I watch a lot of hockey games
26:41
and I have a really great view and that never gets boring and
26:44
never gets old. But it is always interesting to
26:46
see something different because I don't ever get to see anything
26:48
different. So in Milan, in addition to
26:51
men's hockey and women's hockey, are all the speed skating events
26:54
and then all the figure skating events.
26:56
And so we're still trying to, of course, my primary
26:58
responsibility will, will be to, you know, to, to take care of
27:00
our players. But when there's opportunities
27:03
depending on kind of the schedule and transportation and
27:06
all the X factors, you know, I'm, I'm, I'd love to see some
27:09
figure skating. I'd love to see some speed
27:11
skating. I've, you know, of course you
27:12
want to spend a lot of time at rink.
27:13
So I've seen all these things a little bit, but I mean certainly
27:15
not at the Olympic level. So things like that I think are
27:18
going to be the The X Factor that really, you know, make it
27:20
again just the whole Olympic experience.
27:23
Yeah, I was curious, like what other sport you could be
27:25
interested going to the Olympics?
27:26
You talk about speed skating and like I'm thinking about Apollo
27:29
Ono and how incredible his Olympic journey was.
27:31
But do you have a favorite Olympic memory looking back that
27:35
you you might be thinking about as you had here?
27:37
Not really on the which side. Again, I'm a swimming nerd.
27:40
So obviously I have to go back to Phelps in 08 with Akle
27:43
medals. Like that's, I mean, that's a
27:44
tap in, right? That's easiest.
27:45
Katie Ledecky, he's been an absolute goat for years and
27:47
years. So I mean, between Ledecky and
27:49
Phelps, like those are easy answers for me on, you know, on
27:53
on the on the winter side, I actually spent a period of time
27:57
earlier in my career working for the X Games.
27:59
And so I have a little bit of experience with some of the snow
28:01
sports. And I did a Winter X Games only
28:03
one time, you know, because I spent most of my time in hockey.
28:06
But you know, the, the slopestyle stuff, the big, the
28:09
big air, the vert ramp, those sorts of things on skis and
28:11
snowboards, any of those things when you see them in real life.
28:14
And you guys obviously even just experiencing hockey games in
28:17
real life, like it's a different environment when you're seeing
28:19
in real life as opposed to when you see it on TV.
28:21
So when I, you know, having been at the Winter X Games, you know,
28:25
seeing how big the vert ramp is or the halfpipe, how big it is
28:30
and how high they go and how fast they spin and things like
28:32
that, You you can't, you can't. I think it's just a different
28:35
experience seeing it in in real life.
28:37
So, you know, I, I, I spent a little bit of time with Shaun
28:40
White as as a skateboarder. I didn't really see any came on
28:43
to snowboarding a little bit later.
28:44
But I mean all those things that were just so impressive.
28:47
And again, then just the realization that those are also
28:50
people, right? So to, to, to preds fans, right.
28:54
Most, most preds fans aren't interacting with Roman.
28:57
You'll see or filled for his but on a regular basis.
28:59
And so and you know, of course, all four of us, right, like we
29:02
know them as people too. And so that's the fun part is to
29:06
really get to know people and establish relationships with the
29:09
person. And then to watch people
29:10
perform, you know, is really exciting, and I think it makes
29:13
it even even more special. We'll finish on this and, and
29:18
you touched on it at the beginning.
29:20
It's, it's tough to put into words what this means for you,
29:22
your family, your, your academic institutions, basically all the
29:26
paths you've crossed. But where is that sense of pride
29:29
and not only representing your country, but also helping to
29:33
make sure that these elite athletes are able to compete at
29:36
full health as they compete and you compete for a gold medal.
29:40
I mean, on one hand, you know, obviously it it's very exciting,
29:45
but and kind of fanboy, right, But the it's also it's also
29:48
burdensome. You know, I mean, like I feel as
29:52
as my colleagues and I were were reaching out to.
29:55
Of course, the team has been named for a few weeks now.
29:57
And so as we're reaching out to the other teams, our colleagues
29:59
in sports medicine calling, you know, Vegas and New Jersey and
30:03
Columbus and saying, you know, tell me about this player and
30:05
what is it that he needs? And I kind of already know,
30:07
again, most of the roster course is the same as the Four Nations
30:09
roster with a couple of exceptions.
30:11
So what do you know? Thankfully, most of these
30:13
players, but to then interface with their providers again, what
30:17
is it that, you know, we're all very formulaic, we're all very
30:20
repetitious. We're creatures of habit and
30:22
some players more than others. And so our goal is to make sure
30:26
that they deviate from those those habits as little as
30:28
possible. Hopefully zero.
30:29
I can't promise 0, but we're going to do it, you know, as
30:31
little as possible. And so it's burdensome for us.
30:34
And I feel the weight of talking to the providers for these other
30:38
players and and getting to understand what it is that
30:41
they're expecting. What do they need to perform?
30:43
And some guys are super easy breezy, laid back, It doesn't
30:46
really matter. I'll get to it when I get to it.
30:47
And some guys are pretty regimented at 16 minutes and 32
30:50
seconds on the clock. I eat a banana and I eat it with
30:52
my left hand, right. And so those things, and I don't
30:55
want it on my shoulders that I messed up your banana routine.
30:58
I'm probably not going to do it again.
31:00
But if that's what you need, then if I can't execute that for
31:04
you, I can probably find someone who can.
31:05
So it's kind of equal parts Brooks, you know, it's, it's,
31:09
it's the excitement and it's the American in me and it's the fan.
31:12
It's just the sports fan. But then it's also, you know,
31:16
we're here to do a job and, you know, and my goal is to not mess
31:19
it up. And so both of those things kind
31:22
of in concert are, are, are exciting and it's not stressing
31:26
me out. It's exciting me.
31:27
I feel very prepared. And again, the Four Nations
31:28
thing couldn't have prepared us better because going into that
31:31
experience, you know, you've got the top 2234 whatever players in
31:36
America. And so they're used to getting
31:39
not necessarily what they want, when they want they again, they
31:41
have these routines. And so I was like, well, if, if
31:43
7 of you need something at the same time and there's only three
31:46
of us, I don't know how we're going to accomplish that.
31:48
And, and it just magically worked.
31:50
And so, you know, that makes me know that gave us pause going
31:53
into Four Nations. I think it makes us feel much
31:55
better now. But again, we've added a staff
31:57
member, as I mentioned before, so that makes us feel even
31:59
better. But again, you know, our, our,
32:02
our plan is to come home with a gold medal.
32:04
And I, you know, what I'm willing to do within reason,
32:07
whatever it takes to get that accomplished.
32:09
And so very, very excited, very honored, you know, really,
32:12
really looking forward. You know, it's like it comes up
32:14
quickly, but now it feels like the days are dragging.
32:16
And so we're, you know, we obviously we're having calls and
32:20
all the things. And so we're, you know, really,
32:22
really looking forward to getting there.
32:24
Maybe the most important question, Kev, if we meddle, do
32:27
you get a medal? So it's funny that you say that,
32:31
Max, because I just assumed the answer was yes because I don't
32:34
actually pay attention to anything.
32:36
My wife told me that the answer is no.
32:38
My wife told me that the only people that get medals are
32:40
players, that coaches don't get them.
32:42
Now, I believe and you can, the Internet can correct me, I think
32:48
that either USA Hockey or USOPC or somebody, I imagine like with
32:53
Stanley Cup rings or whatever, you can buy anything, right?
32:56
So I imagine that there that you that you can get that.
32:59
But in terms of like the numbers of medals that are that are
33:02
allocated for each club, we have the 25 roster spots.
33:05
So there's 25 metals. All right, well, bring home the
33:09
gold. We'll get a gold medal to go
33:11
with your Preds gold, and we'll be looking for it on the bench
33:13
every time. Team USA is out there, Kevin.
33:15
Thanks so much for doing this. Thanks guys, I appreciate the
33:18
time. That is our USA Olympic athletic
33:21
trainer Kevin Morley, the head athletic trainer for your
33:23
Nashville Predators. Back with more after this on the
33:26
Predators official Podcast. Max, one of the coolest things,
33:30
I think when we got done talking with Kevin Morley is he said,
33:32
hey, these guys have to remember this is not the NHL going to
33:36
Italy to compete in the Olympics.
33:38
He's like the guys have to kind of level down their expectations
33:43
for what they think things are going to be.
33:44
And we've seen some videos circulating around on social
33:47
media of what the rooms are starting to look like.
33:49
It almost looks like just two twin beds in a hotel.
33:52
So not The Four Seasons that these guys are used to.
33:56
It's kind of like going to summer camp, right?
33:58
It's you're kind of living outside, but you get to be with
34:00
your buddies all the time, so it's fun.
34:04
Definitely. And I, I'm interested to see
34:06
kind of what the food's going to be.
34:08
How are they going to keep things rolling for these guys?
34:10
We know we heard from Kevin, they're so superstitious.
34:13
He said, hey, if I have to make sure that a guy is getting
34:15
treatment with a banana in his left hand at the exact moment,
34:19
I'm going to try to keep up with that.
34:21
So it will be interesting to see.
34:22
But obviously, because we're American and because we do love
34:26
the press, we're rooting for Kevin Morley right now.
34:29
Yeah, go go USA. And I'm glad Kevin Morley could
34:32
get his doctorate to make sure that he has a banana at the
34:36
right time in the right hand of the right athletes, certainly
34:38
using his skills appropriately. But hey, hockey players are
34:42
going to be hockey players, so. They just hockey.
34:46
Pretty cool to have a member of the Pred staff on Team USA, head
34:48
athletic trainer Kevin Morley. If you want to hear that
34:51
interview in full or hear it again, you can hear it on a past
34:54
episode of the Preds official podcast from last month.
34:57
We'll keep our Olympic edition of The POP going.
35:00
Coming up next, we'll hear from Finnish Olympian Eric Holla on
35:03
his long-awaited and now realized Olympic dreams.
35:06
Coming up next on The POP. Back on the.
35:08
Predators. Official podcast Carrie Hammer
35:10
Max Herzen Max, you had a chance to sit down with Eric Holland.
35:14
Now he is going to the Olympics representing Team Finland along
35:18
with UC Sorrows. But he found out at a really
35:22
cool moment that he would be making the trip.
35:25
Yeah, it's it's a. Long-awaited Olympic dream for
35:28
Eric Holland, who was a rookie, a first year pro the last time
35:32
NHL ers went to the Olympics 12 years ago, now is a 34 year old,
35:37
13 year NHL veteran. He gets the shot, and he opened
35:40
up about that on Fred's radio last month.
35:43
Thank you, Chase. We are in Calgary with the
35:45
recently announced Olympian for the first time, Eric Hall of
35:48
Fred Center. Eric, congratulations.
35:50
Thank you. Thank you.
35:51
When? And how did you officially?
35:53
Find out and who gives you the call to tell you that you are
35:55
representing Finland at the Olympics.
35:58
It's actually a Christmas morning.
36:01
We were just like getting up and about to start opening the
36:03
presents and I got a phone call from the head coach Finland.
36:06
And I honestly, I looked at my phone and I was a little anxious
36:10
to answer it. I not looking back, I guess he
36:13
wouldn't have called me on Christmas morning and tell me
36:15
that I didn't make it. But, but yeah, I, I, I texted
36:19
him back shortly and said we were in the middle opening
36:21
presents and if I could call him back in a little bit and, and
36:25
then obviously made the call and, and what a relief it was.
36:29
And, and yeah, honestly, it got me a little emotional as well as
36:33
it should. And it's.
36:34
Your first Olympics It's been a long time since the NHL has been
36:37
in the Olympics. What was your reaction when you
36:39
officially found out the NHL was going back?
36:42
Well, just excitement at. That point, just the
36:45
possibility, I mean, like you said, what I also mentioned to
36:49
the coaches that, you know, you can call me at any time that
36:51
I've been waiting for this for 12 years.
36:53
And. And yeah, I'm just so honored
36:56
and so happy that, you know, I get a chance to represent my
36:59
country at the biggest stage. And, and, and yeah, it's it's
37:03
been really frustrating not being able to go and, and
37:06
definitely would have been something that I would have
37:08
looked back at as that would have bothered me for sure.
37:11
You're a veteran, NHL OR. Did you feel like you had a
37:14
really good chance to make it all the way, or do you feel like
37:16
you had to play your way onto the team this season?
37:20
A little bit of both. I think being on the Four
37:24
Nations roster last year definitely like helped a little
37:27
bit too, you know, show a little bit of what I'm all about, you
37:32
know, as a person, teammate and, and on the ice.
37:35
That was such a great tournament.
37:37
Just getting to know the staff better and, and also my
37:39
teammates. I think that was that was that
37:41
was really big. And, and but as we've seen for
37:45
every country, you know, it's, it's important to to play
37:48
yourself on the team, no matter, you know, who you represent or
37:52
whatever. Obviously there's a little bit
37:54
more more competition in certain places, but but yeah, Finland
37:59
has a lot of great players and I'm honored to represent the
38:01
two. The last time NHL were in the.
38:04
Olympics was 2014, That was your first year pro and your rookie
38:07
year. Were you close that year to
38:09
making it? No, I don't think so.
38:10
I. It wasn't even on top of my
38:13
mind. I was just trying to make the
38:14
NHL at that point. You know, I was, I think I
38:16
played half the season my first year.
38:19
So I was up and down and, and my main focus that year was just,
38:23
you know. Making the NHL.
38:25
Roster What is the scouting report on?
38:27
Team Finland, we know UC Soros is your most important player.
38:30
What about the whole crew? Yeah, I think we have.
38:34
I think we have a. Good 4 lines.
38:37
That's you know, probably going to try to play similar way be
38:40
tough, tough to play against and and kind of in your face hockey.
38:44
Obviously we have some really high end players.
38:48
A big loss obviously is is Sasha Barkov, But but we we do have
38:53
some depth and and guys who have won recently and and so it's
38:59
exciting. I think you know, we have a
39:01
chance to to do something special and you got the call
39:05
opening. Presents with your two young
39:06
sons on Christmas morning, you put on Instagram.
39:08
Your son just turned 5 this week, so happy birthday to him.
39:12
Will your family be able to go with you to the Olympics?
39:14
Are you looking into that? Yeah.
39:17
Well, that's the one part is that when they announced it
39:19
yesterday, now we have 4 days to figure everything out pretty
39:22
much. So that that's, but obviously
39:26
you've had like those conversations and, and I'm going
39:28
to have my family there. This is something that's going
39:31
to happen. You know, it's a once in a
39:32
lifetime opportunity possibly in my case now.
39:37
So I want my family there and experiencing and being part of
39:39
it. So we're figuring out the
39:41
logistics here probably tomorrow with with an off day here in
39:45
Calgary and and so getting getting that all dialed in, but
39:48
it's focusing on playing the game today.
39:51
Great for you. Congrats, Eric.
39:52
Thank you. Thank you.
39:52
That's finished Olympian Eric Holla Jase.
39:55
I think it's been really cool Kara getting to know Eric Holla.
39:58
This year he will be playing for Team Finland in the Olympics.
40:01
He played for the Preds 4 years ago.
40:03
It was the COVID season. He didn't feel comfortable here.
40:06
He he wasn't even settled in any way like on the ice or off the
40:10
ice. Now this year I I think Holla
40:12
has been exceptional teammate. I really appreciate him as a
40:15
veteran player and it's cool to hear he he's part of the group
40:18
that definitely would have been in the Olympics if NHLR had gone
40:22
in 2018. For 2022.
40:26
Now in 2026, it wasn't a sure thing, but he made the team,
40:30
he's there and I'm happy for him.
40:32
Yeah, definitely happy for air call.
40:34
And I, I kind of had a chance to talk with some of these guys,
40:37
you know, before the season even started, where they felt like
40:39
the first handful of games in October or what not was going to
40:42
be a tryout to see if they can make the Olympic team.
40:45
Because some of these guys were sitting on the bubble.
40:46
I mean, even Max to start, Philip Forsberg wasn't named
40:50
right away to Sweden. We were all sitting on standby
40:52
waiting for them to announce #9 going over.
40:55
But Congrats to Eric Holla. We're happy for him and
40:58
obviously we'll be rooting for him and Sorrows.
41:01
Can we get a? Holla all the way over in Milan.
41:06
Yeah, Hey, we got 2 Preds on Team Finland.
41:08
We love our friends, so we'll be rooting for those guys starting
41:11
this week at the Olympics. The Best of Predators official
41:14
podcast getting you ready for NHL players back at the Men's
41:18
Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy continues with a look back
41:22
at the Pred who has been in the Olympics before, that no one
41:26
seems to know about. That's next on The POP Welcome
41:30
back to the Predators official podcast Olympic special here on
41:34
ESPN1O25, The game, Nashville Predators YouTube page and your
41:38
preferred podcast platform. My name is Max Herz from Preds
41:41
Radio with Kara Hammer, our proud American from Preds TV and
41:46
Kara. NHL.
41:47
Are back at the Olympics. It's been 12 years since NHL are
41:50
went to the Winter Olympic Games.
41:52
Roman Yossi was there in Sochi in 2014, part of the last group
41:57
of Preds to be there. He will be the only repeat Pred
42:00
in the Olympics this year. But there is one other current
42:03
Preds player who has been in the Olympics before and nobody seems
42:08
to realize it. It was Preds defenseman Nick
42:11
Pervix who was part of the non NHL edition of the Olympics four
42:15
years ago. At the beginning of the season
42:17
on Smashville Live, I stumped Hal Gill along with Predators
42:22
defenceman Nick Hague with Nick Perbix waiting in the wings
42:25
trying to keep the secret that nobody knows that Nick Perbix
42:28
was AUS Olympian 4 years ago. We're going to go 1 by 1 and get
42:33
an answer to the trivia question.
42:35
Hal Gill, your first stop. NHL players are back in the
42:38
Olympics this year. Yes, have you seen this?
42:40
Have you heard about this? Yes, I've heard about it.
42:42
I'm excited about it. Who are the 2 current preds?
42:44
Players who have played in the Olympics, Hal Gill, you guess
42:49
first we're going to go down the line.
42:51
No, Stammer never did. Stammer never did.
42:55
Are you trying to get a correct answer by correcting?
42:57
Yourself, I don't I you I would for sure say.
43:00
Stammer No, Stammer never did, because he.
43:02
Missed it. He missed it.
43:04
No, he hasn't. Yeah.
43:05
Nick Hague and. Hal Gill can collaborate.
43:07
On this one Phil they seem the most interested Phil Phil
43:10
played. No juice.
43:15
I'm getting a lot of practice. On my buzzer here.
43:17
Nick Perbix played in the Olympics.
43:19
Nick Perbix is 1. Let's see the end of the
43:20
building. I forgot about that, I was
43:21
playing. That are you guys still October
43:25
2020? Two.
43:26
Yeah, well, that's the hard one. We got the hard one now that
43:29
just popped into my ass. I don't know the.
43:31
Other one the. Other one is Roman Yossi.
43:34
But you got you got the one that people wouldn't think of first.
43:37
First he went in a non NHL year. So how the most recent?
43:41
How awesome was that? It was great honestly as.
43:44
China, the heat of COVID was a pretty crazy place to be like we
43:47
wanted to go. Like we were talking to the
43:49
snowboarders at the opening ceremonies and they were like oh
43:53
like come up for halfpipe this and that or like we were like
43:55
yeah, we want to go up but it was like 4 hours away of a drive
43:59
so we couldn't go. I didn't know that there wasn't
44:01
just one Olympic. There was 3 separate villages
44:03
and everything. So for the mountains, obviously,
44:05
yeah, obviously they need to be in in the mountains out for all
44:09
that, all that stuff. But so we couldn't go up there
44:13
because the bullet train that they used, it wasn't a closed,
44:16
whatever they call it, bubble or whatever you want to call it.
44:19
And so, but no, it was really cool, really cool experience for
44:23
sure. This is Beijing Winter Olympics.
44:26
February 2022 Or did it get pushed back?
44:29
Yeah, I literally found. Out a week and 1/2.
44:31
Before that I was gone. Wow.
44:33
Because they didn't announce the players weren't going until like
44:35
December, right? I remember it was right before
44:37
Christmas break because I got a call from a now agent saying
44:41
like, would you be interested in going to the Olympics If because
44:43
like NHL is aren't going anymore?
44:45
I was like, yeah, no. And and then like a month later,
44:49
like they had announced like probably 3/4 of the team.
44:52
So I'm like, oh, didn't happen, whatever.
44:54
Didn't expect to be by any means.
44:57
But then my coach was in a my college coach was an assistant
45:00
coach on the team. He was already named and
45:02
everything. He called me up.
45:04
I'm at I'm at dinner with like 10-15 of the guys before a game.
45:08
This is your senior year at Saint Cloud Senior.
45:09
Year at Saint Cloud, yeah. And he was like, do you want to
45:13
come to China with me? And I was like, whole like,
45:17
yeah, yeah. And then but he's like, here's
45:19
the thing. Team isn't announced for three
45:21
or four more days and it can't get out.
45:22
You can't tell anyone. So I have to go back.
45:25
I took the call. I have to go back and sit down
45:28
with 10 or 15. And we're like best buddies not
45:30
tell them that I'm just freaking out inside.
45:34
I don't know. I wouldn't call my parents,
45:35
obviously, but but yeah, so I don't know.
45:38
That was just a very, very cool feeling.
45:40
And then 10 minutes later, yeah, you're telling.
45:42
Your buddies I no one can say your thing.
45:46
We told him the next. Morning.
45:47
I went in when I saw him the next morning.
45:50
I'm like, I can't hold him and keep this from them.
45:52
Anymore, they know I was just. Acting weird all night.
45:54
And they're like, what's going on?
45:56
And then they were like, yeah, we figured something like that.
45:58
So cool. What a great experience.
45:59
That's awesome. You guys had a good team.
46:01
Too nice. Faber yeah, Justin Ablocator,
46:05
kind of the Yeah, veteran NHL. It was kind of crazy because he.
46:10
He was like an alternate technically.
46:11
And so Sanderson, he, he got popped with COVID in LA so he,
46:18
he couldn't come out right away. No, he, he ended up coming like
46:21
he missed like 3 or 4 games. So Ablocator could play for
46:24
that. But once he came, Ablocator
46:26
couldn't play. And he played like almost, he
46:28
played the most out of all of our forwards, ironically.
46:31
And so it was kind of a weird dynamic there.
46:34
But yeah, no, we had a lot of guys, a lot of guys playing in
46:37
the NHL. Now it's kind of a lot of
46:39
Minnesota guys too, right? Yeah, it's kind of funny because
46:42
it was like. Euro or like older AHL, like
46:47
European KHL guys that are all like 30 and above and then like
46:51
18 to 21 year olds and nothing in between.
46:54
It was just so there were two distinct groups pretty much.
46:58
That's so crazy, so cool. Man, Well, OK.
47:01
Good job on. Trivia.
47:02
OK, got the hard one. Thanks for.
47:04
Putting me on the spot. Yeah, Hal Gill's really good at
47:06
that. Stuff I was going to say yours,
47:08
but I. Anyway, I was going to go ahead,
47:13
just sit. We would a guy with my dunce hat
47:15
on. I like the trivia.
47:19
Skillzy was very wrong. And shout out to Nick Hague,
47:21
who, after a little bit of thinking, got it right.
47:24
Yeah, that's great content. I love when we can stomp Hal
47:28
Gill. Yeah, but not as.
47:30
Dunce cap, as he said. I was from Smashville Live back
47:33
in October, and I brought it up again this week with Nick
47:36
Pervix, who was an American Olympian as a collegiate player
47:39
four years ago when NHL ers were not there.
47:42
And it seems like nobody knows still that he was in the
47:46
Olympics, even with the Games coming in hot.
47:49
Have any of the guys going to the Olympics this year asked you
47:51
about it? Do they even know you were in
47:53
the Olympics? Not really.
47:54
Not I was just actually. Talking to Holla, there's a
47:57
bunch of like classes type stuff you need to do.
47:59
And he was telling me about it and I, I let him.
48:00
I was like, yeah, I remember doing that.
48:02
And then he was like, oh, I didn't know you went.
48:03
And so it's kind of a funny moment, but but no, I haven't
48:06
asked him too many questions about it.
48:07
They'll enjoy it though. I can definitely picture that.
48:09
Conversation, I recall I was like, man, these forms, all this
48:14
stuff for the Olympics, I have to click through all these
48:17
things, whatever, whatever. And Nick Purbix is basically
48:20
just a normal guy who's in the NHL is like, yeah, it sucked
48:24
when I had to do that. And all what?
48:28
Nobody knows that Nick Permix was in the Olympics last time.
48:31
Nobody knows but Max you. Are now in charge of spreading
48:34
the word. Yep, and now.
48:36
You know this is what happens when you listen to the POP.
48:40
Thanks so much everybody who joined us.
48:42
Enjoy the Olympics. All the scores are in the NHL
48:45
app for the men's tournament. Easy to follow.
48:48
The gold medal game is on Sunday, February 22nd and the
48:51
Preds will return to action on Thursday night, February 26th
48:55
for the first game back from the Olympic break.
48:58
It also is Cara Hammer's birthday during the Olympic
49:01
break. Happy birthday, hammer Ah.
49:03
Thanks Max. For Nate.
49:06
Baker, our production. Coordinator and our entire POP
49:10
roster. My name is Max Harris.
49:12
Enjoy the Olympics. This is the Predators official
49:15
podcast.