Latest / NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers / Former Blues Owner/MSG CEO Dave Checketts: JD Reports from Milano, Olympic Preview and U.S. Women Dominate.

Transcript

Former Blues Owner/MSG CEO Dave Checketts: JD Reports from Milano, Olympic Preview and U.S. Women Dominate. · NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: NHL Unscripted is a production of the NHL and iHeart podcasts.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: All Right coming up here at NHL Unscripted. Jason Devers's
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: on assignment at the Olympics, but he will be joining
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: us with a special report of what's happening with regards
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: to Milano. It's a special Olympic sized edition here of
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the Olympics cinefile and sixty you talk about Bruce Springsteen.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: That's right. Finally, Suthy Springsteen biopic delivered me from Nowhere.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: It's currently available on Hulu. And we'll also talk with
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Dave Checkets. What a storied resume this guy has had.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Stailing company, owner of the Saint Louis Blues, was also
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: the CEO of MSG when the Rangers won the Cup
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: in ninety four and when the Knicks went all the
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: way to the NBA Final. It's great stories from Dave,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: especially the genuine hatred between Neil Smith and Mike Keenan.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: You'll enjoy that. Our special guest analyst Nate Thomps, who
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: has now been a part of the NHL Unscripted family.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: You've heard him cameo from time to time. He'll be
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: riding Chatka with me today. So good to have Natal
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: on for the ride. Of course, tell producing as always
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: so jay Z's and Milano. I'm thrilled to not be
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: traveling for Amazon Prime for a change, and we're enjoying
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: the Olympics. I know we're gonna talk hockey, Natee, but
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: first and foremost, I love the ski jumping. I can't
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: cut enough of it. I dv R it and a
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: friend of mine was Kevin Cooper, of our directors, was laughing,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: because you love it. Iin, because, yeah, but what do
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: you think of me? Because I think it's a cool
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: concept if they're flying, but it eventually becomes repetitive. I said, no, no,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I said, these analysts are unbelievable. Paul Burdmeister does to
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: play by blab been watching this for years, and I said,
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: johnny'splane he does the analyst I go, they explain that
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: the origin of skee jump it they used to think
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: like a chipmunk, you have your fingers like this. Then
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: they go arms back. Then they went the flying V
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: in the fifties and you're just flying down, just throwing
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: through the air. It's just insane. He's like, yeah, because
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: they start breaking through like all the aerodynamics of it,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: how to keep yourself stale. Normally normally does win, but
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Germany won this time. So I don't know if there's
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: a sport you're enjoying beyond the hockey. Figure skating obviously
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: is always very popular. Probably the highest raed thing I
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: think for NBC Ilium Malenin for America is unbelievable. That
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: guy they call him the quad God. I was watching
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the short program, Yester. The guy's just kneeling triples, wouldn't believe.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: But I'm really enjoying the ski jumping. Is there an
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: event you're enjoying right now?
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: I think multiple And I like that you touched on
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: it and on the long jump of ski jump, because
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: when I was at Lake Placid the World or World
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Junior camp they did they had in the summertime, they
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: had that ski jump thing, but it wasn't for the
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: long jump, and they had a ski jump and they
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: would practice and land in the pool, yes, and we
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: would just watch them and obviously they had bubbles coming
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: up so they didn't get hurt when they land in
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: the pool. But I think for me, I mean the
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: speed skating I really enjoy that's been great to watch.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: Is you just see how fast and how smooth these
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: skaters are. And then I second that I've been watching
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: a lot of figure skating. My sister figure skated growing up.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: So seeing this quad, god, right now, I mean, this
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: guy is he's on another level. I mean just ripping
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: backflips too, like it's no problem, and you see everyone's reaction.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: It's pretty amazing.
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: It's been.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: It's been so fun to watch.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: It's a great point. The backflip was unbelievable. And I'm like,
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: I'm not crazy about the dance because you know, they
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: just always they bring the twizzles. I don't know how
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: to rank a good twizzle, but to me, like the
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: actual skating, the jump is what he care about. Like
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: I think Pears is great too. When the guy just
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: throws the woman, I'm like, oh my god, it's just insane.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: A good pairs jump. I can't wait. But yeah, but
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: been a lot of fun. Let's get into the hockey.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: We've had to wait twelve years before finally we get
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: a best on best Olympic tournament, and finally the arena
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: and ice is ready to go. So that's good news.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: USA Denmark is on Valentine's Here the winner gets Greenland.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: I'm just kidding. Finland Sweden is a great rivalry that's
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: taking place February thirteenth. Leon drystells me carrying Germany and
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: the Kachuk brothers ready to go on a course for
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: canad Who's going to be their starting goaltender? Is there
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: a storyline that you're particularly excited about. I think dry
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: style on that German team is interesting. I was talking
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: to John Ford on the Voice of Amazon. Promidence said,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: give me a sneaky upset. He goes, dude, I would
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: be careful with Germany, he goes dry Sett on most sider,
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: I think they're kind of a sneaky team. How about
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: for you?
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: Honestly, I agree, and I know we're going to get
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: into our picks and stuff, but I mean I agree
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: with Germany because you look at their lineup and obviously
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: we all think of Leon Dreysidel as a captain in Germany,
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: and that's what you think of. But I mean you
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: look at the up and down their lineup, and you
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: have JJ Pitterka, you have Teams Dutsla, you have all
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: these guys, you have more each sider. I mean, they
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: have a legit team and on top of that. Germany
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: they play a structured game like they are not easy
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: to play against. You remember you go back to last
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Olympics or even before that, when they play against Russia
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: in the finals and they were about to win the
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: gold medal and then they Russia ends up coming back
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: and beating them. And I just think that for the
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: team USA, you really have to guard against their pool
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: because it's obviously not a strong pool. But you know,
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: playing against Germany, it's not.
• 4:33
  Speaker 4: Going to be an easy game, No, no, no, no question
• 4:37
  Speaker 4: about that team is gonna be good. Other than philin Sweden,
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: when would see any major rivalry games in the prelium
• 4:41
  Speaker 4: round Kanas and pool lates, they got Switzerland CHECKI and
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: France checky is our biggest game right of the gate
• 4:45
  Speaker 4: of Switzerland France, and they should be relatively easy. Americans
• 4:48
  Speaker 4: are in Pool C, Germany, Latvia and Denmarks.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: Speaking of as Germans, that will be their challenge. But
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: still plenty of teams to break down the tournament. So
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: we'll go with the captaincies here right now. Any thoughts
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: on these Nay, Austin Matthews captain for US, Gabriel Landeskog
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: for Sweden, Michael Granlin for Finland. I sat up for
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Germany checking at former flame Roman Trevenka and Slovakia. I
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: love this long time former NHLR Thomas Tatar. Always a
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: fun name to see these guys. That's what my excitements
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: here of the Olympics. You go, I remember that guy like, oh,
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: whatever happened to him? And he's seen them pop up
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: and they've scored a goal, having a big tournament. It's
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: important to be the captain of your team. Think about
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: the patriotism playing for a country that also do wear
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: the sea. Very cool for all those guys.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Former teammate of mine, Thomas Tuna Tata, Yes, you know,
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: he's just a great guy and happy for Tuna to
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: be the captain to have a chance to do that
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: in the Olympics.
• 5:35
  Speaker 5: So it's awesome to see.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: But I mean, I think you looking up and down
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: the list of the captains of these every single team,
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: and you know, especially canad obviously we know Sid the kids,
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: Sid Crosby, Captain Canaon and then you know Austin Matthews.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: I liked the fact that they gave him the captaincy again.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: Uh you know, I thought he had a great tournament
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: last year at Four Nations, I thought he played well. Offensively,
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: he wasn't, you know, putting up numbers, but I thought
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: he played well. And I think this gives Austin a
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: great opportunity to, you know, lead this team to goal.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: I mean, he's already scrutiny in Toronto. Why not give
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: him the captaincy for Team USA as well? And I
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: think it'll be a great opportunity for him. And on
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: top of that, I mean you look at the other
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: captains and different teams, it's really no surprise. I mean,
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: Gabriel Lanskaga, I think it just goes to show the
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: respect this guy has. I mean, he hasn't been playing
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: as long as he has and he's pretty much on
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: the fourth line, and he's your captain of Team Sweden.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: So what an honor for these guys to be captain
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: of their countries and get a chance to do it
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: on such a big stage.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: No question about it. All right, breaking down our predictions,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: So I'm gonna say Canada wins goal. I just love
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: our talent upfront. I mean, ultimately, when you just say
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: to yourself, who are the best players in the world. McKinnon,
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Canadian McDavid Canadian mccarr Canadian celebrity Canadian. I just think
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: the offensive firepar is there. And I know there's some
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: concerns about goal Tonny, but I do think Logan Thompson
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: will get the call. I know there's some thought maybe
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Bennington will be the guy because his resume what he
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: did at Four Nations. But I think Logan Thompson has
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: been great this year. I think he's gonna stand tall
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: in Net. I think we'll win in terms of disappointing teams.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: I was working coast to coast with our friend Mike
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: Rupp on Amazon Prime last Thursday, and Rupper I was
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: telling the best coup one I caul pay him as
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: I always think he's Canadians. He's such a nice guy,
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: but he kind of whispers to me because I don't
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: feel good about our team. Of course he's American. I said,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: do you mean there's just some gnawing feeling? So I
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: will I will ride Mike Rupp's disappointment and say they're
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: going to be a disappointment. I don't think their offense
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: is going to be quite good enough. They're going to
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: miss Jason robertson No Cole Kawfield. I love Billy Garret.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: I like the fact he was aggressive with his picks
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: and kind of kept it close to vest with Four Nations.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: But as great as their defense is, their goalteny doesn't
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: look head and shoulders above the rest of the crew.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: So I know we're going to talk to you aous
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: goldtending later. So I'm going to say US is a disappointment.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: They will not get the gold medal final. And as
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: far as the surprise, I will go with Germany. For yourself, Nate,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: go who's gonna win gold, Who's gonna be disappointment and
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: who's going to surprise?
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: Well, I have to say Team USA is going to
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: win gold. And I just say it because of their depth.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: I look at their defense, their goalies obviously, I think
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: is the strongest in the tournament. You know, they don't
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: have the game breakers that Canada does, clearly, but I
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: think overall, you look at their one through four lines
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: and it's speed. It's speed, and it's in the way
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: they move. I mean, I just think Team USA. You know,
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: you look back at Four Nations too, Like those games
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: against Canada, It's not like they were blowouts, you know,
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: I thought for the most part, the US, especially the
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: final game, kind of outplayed Canada. So you know, I
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: think for me Gold is for the USA. My biggest
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: disappointment I think would be Finland. I think I just
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: without Sasha Barkoff, and I know Finland there's a hard
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: team to play against. They play structured, they're always in
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: the mix in every single game. I just think with
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Barkoff out, this guy, he's just kind of a game
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: changer for Florida, and he'd be a game changer for Finland.
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: So that's my disappointing team. And then the surprise it
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: has to be Germany. And I know they're in the
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: same pool as the US, and I'm i second rupper
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: what he says a little bit when they play against Germany,
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: because this team is it scares me a little bit
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: how competitive they are. And then you add Leon Dreysidel
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: and these other guys are the mix and it changes things.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: Of Anchors Alaska and they calling gold for USA, tal
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: what do you got for me? Who's gonna win gold,
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: Who's going to disappoint, who's going to surprise?
• 9:11
  Speaker 6: Well, you know, I'm I'm a shameless homer of sorts,
• 9:15
  Speaker 6: so I'm gonna have to take Canada.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think we'll take away your passport, you'll
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: pick Canada here.
• 9:19
  Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, I want to be let back into the
• 9:21
  Speaker 6: country some days. So I think that again the game breakers,
• 9:26
  Speaker 6: it's you know, the goaltending is a question, but just
• 9:28
  Speaker 6: the fact that their special teams is going to be
• 9:31
  Speaker 6: best in the tournament. I mean, we could potentially see
• 9:33
  Speaker 6: a first power play unit that would have McDavid, McKinnon, mccarr,
• 9:38
  Speaker 6: you know, and like sid and Celebrini or something like
• 9:40
  Speaker 6: that that's absolutely lethal.
• 9:42
  Speaker 5: As far as.
• 9:42
  Speaker 6: Disappointment, I I'm not sure about Sweden in this tournament.
• 9:46
  Speaker 6: Victor Hedman just came back from injury, Willie neilanders and
• 9:49
  Speaker 6: doesn't seem to be one hundred going into the tournament.
• 9:52
  Speaker 6: I think their goaltending is a little suspect, and yeah,
• 9:55
  Speaker 6: I just there's something that doesn't smell quite right for
• 9:58
  Speaker 6: me with that team. And as far as surprises, I
• 10:01
  Speaker 6: got too. I like the checks they won the World
• 10:03
  Speaker 6: championship two years ago. They've been a prog they called
• 10:07
  Speaker 6: the Celebration Progano, you know, after their big Nagano victory
• 10:12
  Speaker 6: in nineteen ninety eight. You know, they have pretty good
• 10:14
  Speaker 6: goaltending with the milk of Ladar and Dostal, and they
• 10:18
  Speaker 6: still have two of the elite scoring wingers in the
• 10:20
  Speaker 6: world in Pasternak and uh and Martin Marty Natchez. And
• 10:25
  Speaker 6: then also I do like the Swiss as a potential surprise.
• 10:28
  Speaker 6: Let's not forget they won silver at the last two
• 10:30
  Speaker 6: World Championships.
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, right, And.
• 10:32
  Speaker 5: They have Romagnosi, they have Niko Heeshier.
• 10:36
  Speaker 6: They have some players on that team that you know
• 10:39
  Speaker 6: that that can really I think cast some damage.
• 10:41
  Speaker 5: And they've been great on the international stage.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: So they're still to be said for the fact that
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: they've coalesced in the past. I do think it's really
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: hard like these literally, these are a bunch of NHL players.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: You hop on a play and you have like two
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: or three practices, and the way you go like it
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: does take some time to gel. I get it. It's talent
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: and talent should rise above. But you're right, Switzerland move
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: like a Swiss clock could be good news for them.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: In the meantime, it is certainly the USA playing with
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: a heavy heart. Of course, Johnny Gaudreau would have been
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: there if he had not passed away, and his brother
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: back in August or twenty twenty four, but the Gadreaux's
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: presence is being felt the American squad, as Columbus defenseman
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: Zach Wrensky arrived in Italy wearing a John Matthew Gadreaux
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: Foundation teach shirt. Gudreau was honored last summer after the
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: Americans won goal the double i HF World Championships, their
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: first World championship in ninety two years. Again, Johnny, there's
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: a reason why they called him Johnny Hockey and how
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: specially he could be. But you have to think tau
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: for USA, if they're able to win gold, what kind
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: of tribute they might do for the gadrous and clearly
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: wishing the fact he was there with them in Milano.
• 11:40
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I think listen, he's If you ask people who
• 11:44
  Speaker 6: are involved in the US national team development program, they
• 11:48
  Speaker 6: really point to Johnny Goudreau as kind of the model
• 11:51
  Speaker 6: of what that program does. He was undersized, not really
• 11:55
  Speaker 6: on any national radars coming up as a youth hockey player.
• 11:59
  Speaker 6: He went to the national team development program and by
• 12:01
  Speaker 6: the time he was in World juniors. Don't forget he
• 12:04
  Speaker 6: was on a World junior team that was absolutely stacked
• 12:06
  Speaker 6: with JT. Miller, Seth Jones, John Gibson, and he ended
• 12:09
  Speaker 6: up being the best player in the tournament for them.
• 12:12
  Speaker 5: And I think, you know.
• 12:14
  Speaker 6: This strategy, this tragedy has given that program an opportunity
• 12:18
  Speaker 6: to really kind of try and pay tribute to him
• 12:20
  Speaker 6: and shine a light on how specially he was for them.
• 12:24
  Speaker 6: And we saw the Americans paid tribute to him after
• 12:27
  Speaker 6: winning their first World championship in about three hundred years
• 12:31
  Speaker 6: last summer.
• 12:31
  Speaker 5: I mean, he's still a big.
• 12:33
  Speaker 6: Part of this program, and the fact that Zak Wrensky,
• 12:36
  Speaker 6: his teammate, is going to be a big part of
• 12:38
  Speaker 6: the team, and it's already paid tribute to him from
• 12:41
  Speaker 6: the moment they got to Italy. If you know, if
• 12:44
  Speaker 6: they I don't know if they're going to have a
• 12:45
  Speaker 6: Gadrow jersey in the locker room, yeah, or pay tribute
• 12:49
  Speaker 6: him somehow like that. We'll definitely, you know, have to
• 12:52
  Speaker 6: wait and see. But if they make a run and
• 12:54
  Speaker 6: you know, potentially win this thing, you know that that
• 12:57
  Speaker 6: there'll be a really beautiful tribute and acknowledgment of Johnny Gudreau.
• 13:03
  Speaker 5: You know, if they do that.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we know, cameras are everywhere now as far as
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: just the way the world is in technology. So imagine
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: if USA wins gold and you see Mike Sullivan exhorting
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: the troops, maybe there'll be a win one for Johnny.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: At some point you'll see, like I said, maybe the
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: jersey You'll be there in the locker room stall. Either way,
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: good news is for the American women all over Canada.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Just an awful result for Canada. Americans absolutely dominated five nothing. Now,
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: Canada was without captain Marie Filippe pullin out the lower
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: body injuries suffered against the Czechs. No timeline yet for
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: her return to line. But the Americans are the defending
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: world champions to beating Canada in overtime last April, and
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: they've only won one Olympic gold that was since the
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: inaugural women's tournament Inagaa in nineteen ninety eight. But this
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: Canada team, it just looked awful. I mean, ten shots
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: through two periods. It was absolute US domination. And I
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: was telling casual fans today for those who don't really
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: follow women's hockey, not that I'm an avid follower, but
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: I was like, listen, the US is the favorite, Like
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: they're the better team. Canada is the underdog and they
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: certainly surely yes, I mean that was a route. I mean,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: Canada's not gonna make the final if that continues, USA
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: look great.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: People have to realize it. It's been domination for the
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: last four or five games. I mean, you could add
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: the rivalry series, you add the World Championships. And I
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: was talking to tow before we came on, and I
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: think that the difference is between these two women's teams
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: is you look at some of the youth for Team USA,
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: and in this upcoming PWHL draft, you have four girls
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: that are the possible first overall pick all on Team USA.
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: You got Leila Edwards, Abby Murphy, Janicky and I believe
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: who I'm missing one more, Oh, Caroline Harvey, who's probably
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: gonna be the first overall pick. So I mean, I
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: think you look at those those girls and the comparison
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: to Team Cannon, and Team Cannon doesn't really have that
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: youth I think that Team USA has and that seems
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: to be the difference. I mean, obviously they don't have
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: Poland playing that that that's a huge loss for them,
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: But I agree. I just think this Team USA is
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: a juggernaut for the women's side.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: I mean, anybody not paying attention to women's hockey tell
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: I mean it was. It was an ugly game and
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: only think oh kny leival rymc now. USA just dominated.
• 15:06
  Speaker 5: Yeah, they really did.
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: I mean, I like I said, just just the play
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: of those young, youthful players. And then and then you're
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: getting other contributions like Alex Carpenter has been fantastic. You know,
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: their goalie Aaron Frankel has been so good. I mean,
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: they they're they're pretty much. I mean I was watching
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: the broadcast after and Angela Rigiro talked about it. She
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: thought this was the best US team she's ever seen.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: And because they've never shut out Canada before, they've never
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: beat Canada like that five nothing, So that was a statement.
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: And I don't know for Canada, it's a big, big
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: look in the mirror right now before before they get
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: going and the rest of the tournament one hundred percent.
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: All right, Well, lots more Olympic talk on the way,
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: as Dave Checkets is going to join US momentarily, But
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: first I did want to mention our buddy jd jd
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: pov our very own Olympia. Of course, he played for
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: Canada and Beijing to Merse's imlaf the Olympics and during
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: the tournament, we offering his own personalized reports from the game.
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: Here's our very first special JD pov We wait with
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: beta breath the Olympic ddition Go ahead, JD.
• 16:05
  Speaker 7: Jason di Mers, I am here a Milano pet fail
• 16:12
  Speaker 7: all the fucking things, guys, Boots on the ground, little
• 16:16
  Speaker 7: recap for ad Nan and Nathan Nathaniel Thompson tal as well.
• 16:23
  Speaker 7: You sack a ship out there, Magoo with your glasses.
• 16:26
  Speaker 7: Here is your guy? Shut up, it's my email. I
• 16:29
  Speaker 7: gotta turn that off. Guys, Boots on the ground, we're
• 16:32
  Speaker 7: talking first couple of games in the Olympics. You know
• 16:37
  Speaker 7: were I could talk to Women's Hockey USA. Team USA,
• 16:41
  Speaker 7: They're gonna run away with it. Leila Edwards, stud hoping
• 16:45
  Speaker 7: to see Hillary night break the record, just absolute Studley
• 16:50
  Speaker 7: Harvey incredible for Team USA women's hockey. They're gonna run
• 16:54
  Speaker 7: away with this. In Canada's in trouble. Let's get to
• 16:57
  Speaker 7: the men's hockey Open tonight Slovakia vers Finland. I mean,
• 17:00
  Speaker 7: what can you say? Uh the goaltender. You know, twelve
• 17:06
  Speaker 7: years we've been waiting for NHL players to play in
• 17:09
  Speaker 7: the Olympics. And I've heard that fucking phrase just you know,
• 17:16
  Speaker 7: so incredibly long. And I played in the Olympics in
• 17:21
  Speaker 7: twenty twenty two, so everybody back home like that hurts
• 17:23
  Speaker 7: my heart even said that. But anyway, you know, NHL
• 17:27
  Speaker 7: is back. But who's the two stars of the game
• 17:29
  Speaker 7: in the first two games, I means two goaltenders, not NHL.
• 17:32
  Speaker 7: For now, the pride of the Iowa Wild none other
• 17:36
  Speaker 7: than and I got to pronounce it right, Hell have I?
• 17:39
  Speaker 7: Hell have I right now? For team Slovakia setting the
• 17:43
  Speaker 7: Olympic record thirty eight saves. Amazing. I don't think Finland
• 17:46
  Speaker 7: expected that whatsoever. Stood on his fucking head. Amazing goaltending
• 17:51
  Speaker 7: performance by him. And you know he gave he gave
• 17:56
  Speaker 7: Slovakia what they needed, the saves at the key times
• 17:59
  Speaker 7: and then they were very opportunistic. Absolute pizza, Pizza Pronto
• 18:03
  Speaker 7: delivered the finished defenseman to Slavkowski. And you're a Slefkowsky
• 18:07
  Speaker 7: just loves when he's on the big stage and loves
• 18:10
  Speaker 7: when he has to carry a team. He's you know,
• 18:12
  Speaker 7: you see him flourish in Montreal when he decided to
• 18:15
  Speaker 7: go run his own line on the second line and
• 18:18
  Speaker 7: now he's kind of running this team in Slovakia. I
• 18:19
  Speaker 7: mean he has nine goals in his Olympic career, tied
• 18:22
  Speaker 7: with the ir Mariagerny, the Covilchuck. You heard of him,
• 18:25
  Speaker 7: you have filthy animals. So what a what a game
• 18:28
  Speaker 7: by him in Finland with dropping that game, this gets
• 18:31
  Speaker 7: a very it's a very interesting group B. Now, very
• 18:34
  Speaker 7: interesting group B. Who knows what's going to happen with
• 18:37
  Speaker 7: Finland dropping that game and off to the second game,
• 18:39
  Speaker 7: which was Italy versus Sweden. I don't think any of
• 18:42
  Speaker 7: us expected, you know, we expected it to be lopsided.
• 18:46
  Speaker 7: But Damian Clara, another non NHL player for now, I
• 18:49
  Speaker 7: want to be his agent. He absolutely before he gets injured,
• 18:55
  Speaker 7: puts on a show. Sweden puts up sixty shots on
• 18:59
  Speaker 7: Team Italy. Team Italy almost pulls it out because Gustavsen
• 19:04
  Speaker 7: was it feels like in that game to start, but
• 19:08
  Speaker 7: I understand when we have four shots through two periods,
• 19:10
  Speaker 7: it's hard to stay in a game as a goaltender.
• 19:12
  Speaker 7: So yeah, I think absolutely amazing atmosphere in Santa Julia Arena, incredible.
• 19:21
  Speaker 7: The arena is finished for folks at home it's a
• 19:24
  Speaker 7: little bit wonky here and there, but it is finixed
• 19:27
  Speaker 7: and it's just been an amazing time so far. I
• 19:29
  Speaker 7: can't wait for the next round of games coming up
• 19:32
  Speaker 7: here in the next few weeks and throughout the next
• 19:34
  Speaker 7: few weeks. Sorry, but yeah, my two stars. You know
• 19:37
  Speaker 7: JD's POV. I mean, Damian Clary got injured unfortunately, or
• 19:41
  Speaker 7: he might have been. We heard from inside that he
• 19:43
  Speaker 7: was just cramping up rightfully, So you just get peppered.
• 19:48
  Speaker 7: And then Matthew Bradley, we do a feature with Matthew
• 19:50
  Speaker 7: Matthew Bradley for the NHL Network. He has lineage with
• 19:55
  Speaker 7: his grandfather from Italy. His grandfather flew into Halifax, took
• 20:01
  Speaker 7: a train cross country the whole way, just playing cards
• 20:05
  Speaker 7: on the train, having whiskey, eating bread at every stop
• 20:09
  Speaker 7: in I think it was nineteen fifty five, ended up
• 20:12
  Speaker 7: never getting off the train, ended up in Vancouver. They said,
• 20:15
  Speaker 7: get the fuck off the train. It's the end of
• 20:17
  Speaker 7: the line. We're in Vancouver, and that's how we decided
• 20:19
  Speaker 7: to settle on Vancouver. So what an amazing story for Matthew.
• 20:22
  Speaker 7: Biddy goes and scores tonight and just an amazing kid
• 20:27
  Speaker 7: and just so fun to see this team. Itddaly team
• 20:31
  Speaker 7: kind of capture the hearts and minds and set up
• 20:33
  Speaker 7: pet TEAMO. Just an amazing song played in the arena.
• 20:38
  Speaker 7: The Italians were a little nervous tonight, but yeah, big
• 20:41
  Speaker 7: matchup Sweden versus Finling coming up and we're gonna have
• 20:45
  Speaker 7: Canada check you tomorrow. So that's gonna be electric factor.
• 20:48
  Speaker 7: We got to tour the Hockey Canada Ice Palazzo, we
• 20:52
  Speaker 7: got to have him sit down interview with Matthew Bradley,
• 20:56
  Speaker 7: We got to talk to Sidney Crosby, Maclin, Cella Breeney,
• 21:01
  Speaker 7: Gabriel Landeskogs. We've really had just an amazing time. We
• 21:05
  Speaker 7: drank a ton of wine and a bunch of the
• 21:06
  Speaker 7: Gronies Spageados and uh yeah, that's that's my update from
• 21:11
  Speaker 7: Italy right now. I mean, have I seen any other sports?
• 21:15
  Speaker 7: Fuck no, because I've been at the rink all day,
• 21:18
  Speaker 7: every day and it's been a little bit tough, but
• 21:20
  Speaker 7: we've made it, and uh we're here. I'm burping up.
• 21:26
  Speaker 7: I don't know, God knows what at this point. I've
• 21:28
  Speaker 7: had way too many carbs, so much freaking fiber. It's
• 21:31
  Speaker 7: coming on my eyelids and uh yeah, me and Jamison
• 21:35
  Speaker 7: Cole just having a great time. So throwing it back
• 21:37
  Speaker 7: to you guys. Miss you guys, miss you Americans listening
• 21:40
  Speaker 7: to me, Canadians, probably a couple of Italians now because
• 21:45
  Speaker 7: ladies love me right now over here, I look a
• 21:47
  Speaker 7: little Italian with blue eyes. Pet fofility, petfuffility. So yeah,
• 21:53
  Speaker 7: there's my little update for you. Can't wait to talk
• 21:56
  Speaker 7: to you, guys. It's like a little video diary. I
• 21:58
  Speaker 7: feel like I'm it's audio though it's frheart radio. And
• 22:03
  Speaker 7: but yeah, got some good things coming up. And uh yeah,
• 22:07
  Speaker 7: Team Slovakia amazing, amazing, upset Team Italy kind of keeping
• 22:13
  Speaker 7: it tight. So a lot of good storylines early on
• 22:16
  Speaker 7: in this Olympics for men's ice hockey. And we'll catch
• 22:19
  Speaker 7: you next week. Can't wait to talk to you. We're
• 22:22
  Speaker 7: gonna be rolling into which I think before I let
• 22:25
  Speaker 7: you go, we're gonna be rolling into.
• 22:29
  Speaker 5: Man.
• 22:30
  Speaker 7: I mean, let me just stare at this right now quickly,
• 22:32
  Speaker 7: I gotta get my calendar up. Sorry about this. Next week,
• 22:34
  Speaker 7: we're gonna be rolling into Borderline the Metal Routs. Can't
• 22:38
  Speaker 7: wait tune in, folks, NHL and scripted Verkin demers back
• 22:43
  Speaker 7: to you. Worked for some dumbass movie recording you're probably doing.
• 22:48
  Speaker 7: I don't know what it is, but listen movie. I
• 22:53
  Speaker 7: love you, Verks. Talk to you soon, Nathan. Keep it warm, baby, all.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: Right, thanks so much for that. JD. Coming up next,
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: our very first owner on NHL unscripted, Dave Checkets on
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: draft team, John Stockton, Carl Malone, the run with the
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: Knicks and the Rangers in the late nineties, plus trying
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: to separate Mike Keen and Neil Smith who just hate
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: each other so much, and Dave was the man in
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: the middle saving Sachek as well. All that more coming
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: up with Dave Checkets on NHL in scripted right after this.
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: We've had players, coaches and executives and NHL in scripted.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: This is our first owner. Our next guest, that's right
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: when the Stanley Cup is owner of the Saint Louis
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: Blues in twenty nineteen. He first rose to prominence in
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: the sports world in nineteen eighty three, when, at just
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: twenty eight years of age, he became the president and
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: general manager of the Utah Jazz. From there, he became
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: president of the New York Knicks, where being promoted the
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: CEO of MSG, where his responsibilities included overseeing the New
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: York Rangers team that won the Stanley Cup in nineteen
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: ninety four, and if that wasn't enough, in two thousand
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: and five, became owner of the Saint Louis Blues, who
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: again won the Stanley Cup under his watch. Fly Dave Checkets,
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: Welcome to a Selan SCRIPTO. Great to see you.
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: Thank you very much, guys. Great to be with you.
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: You've had so many prominent roles in a number of sports,
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: the first and foremost, Dave, what are you up to now?
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: Well? Still swinging away? My son Nate and his younger brother,
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: also my son Ben, started a company called Ron Rhona
• 24:33
  Speaker 3: like the River. Rone Apparels men's and now women's performance apparel.
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: And I was living in London from twenty eighteen to
• 24:43
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty one. When I came back home, Nate said,
• 24:48
  Speaker 3: you got to help us. We got a real business here,
• 24:50
  Speaker 3: and so I put a financing together and our family
• 24:55
  Speaker 3: invested heavily, and so now we are officially in the
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: clothing business. Rone Apparel thirty stores nationwide and all of
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: your local Nordstroms and Dillards and specialty stores and really
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: going very very well. So I'm spending a lot of
• 25:14
  Speaker 3: time with Nate on that, and then I put together
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: I'm putting together a sports fund. The better question today
• 25:24
  Speaker 3: is who doesn't have a sports fund? But we're putting
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: together at one point two billion dollar sports fund with
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: longtime friends and partners of mine, the Eccles family from Utah.
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: They're a very prominent family out there for the Olympics
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: and the University of Utah. And dear friends from when
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: I first took over the Jazz clear back before any
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: of you were born, nineteen eighty three, and that was
• 25:55
  Speaker 3: when the Jazz were bankrupt and the Eccles family helped
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: me keep them in Saul Lake loan me eight million dollars.
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: With that eight million, I paid off all the high
• 26:07
  Speaker 3: yield debt. I put two million in the bank to
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: make the player payroll, and four months later we drafted
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: a player named John Stockton, and then a year later
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: we drafted Karl Malone and the rest is history. So
• 26:22
  Speaker 3: so we're starting a one point two billion dollars sports fund.
• 26:26
  Speaker 3: We're about halfway there in our rays and we've actually
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: done our first deal. So so I'm still still around
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: the industry and love seeing you know, the people that
• 26:38
  Speaker 3: I've worked and worked with and known for so long
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: headed to the Olympics this this weekend, So that's amazing.
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: And the fact that your son's name is Nate like
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: that as well. Yeah, and you know, I definitely I
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: definitely owned some Roan apparel. So I'm glad to help
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: you guys out, that's for sure.
• 26:57
  Speaker 3: You know, David, good for you, that's right.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: You know, I want to go back to your twenty
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: eight years old and now you become the president of
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: franchise NBA franchise. How does that happen?
• 27:12
  Speaker 3: That's what my kids always ask me. And believe me, Nate,
• 27:18
  Speaker 3: I will tell you quite clearly, nobody wanted that job.
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: The Jazz were in bankruptcy. They were in Utah, they'd
• 27:28
  Speaker 3: been there four years. They were drawing six thousand people
• 27:32
  Speaker 3: a night to watch the NBA. The local Triple A
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: hockey club, the Golden Eagles were out drawing the Jazz
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: in those days, and they had had so many problems.
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: Think about this, The Jazz drafted, I mean, the Jazz
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: traded two first round picks back in the eighties for
• 27:59
  Speaker 3: a thirty four year old guard from the Los Angeles
• 28:02
  Speaker 3: Lakers named Gail Goodrich would play literally for two more
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: seasons and then retire. And one of those draft picks
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: turned out to be Magic Johnson. So and then the
• 28:16
  Speaker 3: Jazz just the year before I came, they with a
• 28:20
  Speaker 3: third pick in the draft, they drafted a player named
• 28:23
  Speaker 3: Dominique Wilkins. You might have heard of Dominique Wilkins, and
• 28:28
  Speaker 3: then promptly traded him to the Atlanta Hawks for one
• 28:32
  Speaker 3: million dollars. Just just imagine. So when I got there,
• 28:38
  Speaker 3: it was all there was only one direction it could
• 28:41
  Speaker 3: go and raise some money, brought eventually Larry Miller in
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: to own part of the club, and those two drafts,
• 28:51
  Speaker 3: it was really three drafts. In nineteen eighty three, my
• 28:54
  Speaker 3: first year there, we drafted Thorough Bailey, then we drafted
• 28:58
  Speaker 3: John Stockton, and then we drafted Karl Malone and we
• 29:01
  Speaker 3: were off to the races. And my only regrets is
• 29:04
  Speaker 3: I left in nineteen ninety to go to the Knicks.
• 29:08
  Speaker 3: And you know, look, if if not for a guy
• 29:14
  Speaker 3: named Michael Jordan, i'd have four rings. Okay, let's just
• 29:17
  Speaker 3: be clear about this. He'd beat the Jazz twice and
• 29:20
  Speaker 3: he was the problem for the Knicks every year in
• 29:25
  Speaker 3: the nineties. We did get there twice and lost in
• 29:32
  Speaker 3: Game seven in ninety four and then lost in Game
• 29:36
  Speaker 3: six in ninety nine when we got to the finals.
• 29:38
  Speaker 3: But it was really Michael that just interrupted all of
• 29:42
  Speaker 3: my dreams and plans.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we won't focus on that jerk. Well, it's
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: to focus on the success you were able to have
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: stocked him alone. How quickly did you realize, Dave, these
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: guys were going to be special, transcendent talents.
• 29:58
  Speaker 3: I think it happened pretty quick with both of them.
• 30:01
  Speaker 3: I remember we were John Stockton's rookie year. He was
• 30:04
  Speaker 3: coming off the bench. We had a player named Ricky
• 30:08
  Speaker 3: Green who had started for the Jazz for some period
• 30:11
  Speaker 3: of time, and Ricky was still still not only serviceable,
• 30:16
  Speaker 3: but a good player and you know, good point guard.
• 30:21
  Speaker 3: Very quick. But we were in Philadelphia and the game
• 30:24
  Speaker 3: was close in the fourth quarter, and John Stockton came
• 30:29
  Speaker 3: in and completely turned the game around and got everybody
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: involved in going and scoring, and we walked away with
• 30:38
  Speaker 3: that game. And I just remember coming in the locker
• 30:41
  Speaker 3: room and meeting with the coaches and saying, holy smokes,
• 30:45
  Speaker 3: I mean this guy might be really special. And the
• 30:49
  Speaker 3: Mailman was special right from the get go. The only
• 30:52
  Speaker 3: thing that's unique about Carl is that it was the
• 30:56
  Speaker 3: thirteenth pick in the draft. And as you know, he
• 31:00
  Speaker 3: turned out to be one of the top fifty players
• 31:03
  Speaker 3: of all time.
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: And he.
• 31:06
  Speaker 3: Almost broke Kareem's scoring records. So so Carl was really
• 31:10
  Speaker 3: special right from the get go. And and and most
• 31:15
  Speaker 3: people in the draft that passed on him were saying,
• 31:18
  Speaker 3: always lazy, he doesn't work hard. I never met a
• 31:22
  Speaker 3: player who kept himself in the kind of shape, condition, preparation,
• 31:28
  Speaker 3: hardest working guy I've ever been around. So so we
• 31:32
  Speaker 3: we got Lucky. Let's let's face it, we got Lucky.
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: It's pretty incredible those two players. And I was a big,
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: a big Jordan fan in the nineties, so I remember
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: watching those games against the Knicks the Utah Jazz and yeah,
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: you know you talk about, you know, being with the
• 31:49
  Speaker 2: Knicks and and overseeing Nicks and the Rangers when they were,
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: you know, contenders. How was it running both those teams
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: at MSG as both the teams are contenders.
• 32:00
  Speaker 3: Well, it's I mean, I loved I grew up playing basketball.
• 32:03
  Speaker 3: It's the only sport that I really loved. Even though
• 32:06
  Speaker 3: I played football and ran track and played baseball, I
• 32:11
  Speaker 3: never played hockey. Which was part of the interesting part
• 32:16
  Speaker 3: of this story is that when they came and made
• 32:20
  Speaker 3: me ceo of Madison Square Garden, that meant that I
• 32:24
  Speaker 3: would become the governor of the New York Rangers, who
• 32:28
  Speaker 3: had just won the Stanley Cup in ninety four. In
• 32:31
  Speaker 3: ninety four, both the Knicks and the Rangers were in
• 32:34
  Speaker 3: the finals at the same time, a wild time in
• 32:37
  Speaker 3: New York. It just was the best of times. Every
• 32:42
  Speaker 3: night there was a game. The entire area, the city
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: was so focused on what was going to happen. So
• 32:50
  Speaker 3: but I remember I was just very honest about it.
• 32:53
  Speaker 3: I said to everyone, anyone who would listen. Look, I've
• 32:58
  Speaker 3: never played hockey. I can barely skate, but I do
• 33:04
  Speaker 3: know what it means to win, and I know winning performance.
• 33:11
  Speaker 3: I know championship culture, and that's what we're going to
• 33:15
  Speaker 3: bring to the Rangers.
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: Well, certainly for the Rangers, it was an interesting time.
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: As you said, that nineteen ninety four Stanley Cup. There
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: was some talk at the time David Head, coach Mike Keenan,
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: general manager Neil Smith didn't necessarily get along how would
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: you characterize their relationship?
• 33:30
  Speaker 3: Sorry, oh my gosh, didn't get along, you know. I mean,
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: that's like that was World War Three. It really was.
• 33:44
  Speaker 3: Neil Smith is still a really dear friend of mine.
• 33:48
  Speaker 3: Mike Keenan I didn't know as well. But boy, it
• 33:51
  Speaker 3: was nasty between those two. And it happens, and it happens,
• 33:56
  Speaker 3: especially in New York. One of the when I hired
• 34:00
  Speaker 3: Pat Riley. I remember Pat talking about what would be
• 34:04
  Speaker 3: for our success and it was, you know, one voice,
• 34:08
  Speaker 3: and he didn't mean his voice. He just meant that
• 34:10
  Speaker 3: we speak with perfect unity, that were one voice. Because
• 34:16
  Speaker 3: the nature of the press in New York, especially in
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: those days where he had eight or nine newspapers covering
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: us on a daily basis, and all the electronic press
• 34:25
  Speaker 3: and all of that was happening, and it was these
• 34:31
  Speaker 3: press guys, bless their little hearts. They would they'd go
• 34:35
  Speaker 3: to one of us and say, you know, Pat said,
• 34:39
  Speaker 3: if he had the players that he needed, you know,
• 34:43
  Speaker 3: you guys would be ten games ahead of where you are.
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: And of course I felt the need to defend myself
• 34:50
  Speaker 3: and Ernie and but you can't fall into that trap.
• 34:55
  Speaker 3: Neil and Mike fell into that trap. And the truth
• 35:00
  Speaker 3: of the matter is there's something that people don't really understand.
• 35:04
  Speaker 3: It is much harder to manage success than it is failure.
• 35:09
  Speaker 3: I mean, you can lose, you can get killed and
• 35:13
  Speaker 3: criticized in all of that, but it kind of brings
• 35:15
  Speaker 3: your group together. It's like, you know, we're survival mode success.
• 35:21
  Speaker 3: On the other hand, the Knicks were really good in
• 35:24
  Speaker 3: ninety four. The Rangers were outstanding. They won the President's Trophy,
• 35:30
  Speaker 3: Mark Messier, you know, Adam Graves, Mike Richter or Brian Leach.
• 35:37
  Speaker 3: They just had this team of stars and they were winning.
• 35:42
  Speaker 3: Anytime they decided to make up their mind to win,
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: they won everything. And there was that great series with
• 35:49
  Speaker 3: the Devils in the Eastern Finals where Messier guaranteed there'd
• 35:53
  Speaker 3: be a game seven, and oh my gosh, it was
• 35:57
  Speaker 3: like every day with such drama, and those guys just
• 36:02
  Speaker 3: more and more grew to really dislike each other and
• 36:09
  Speaker 3: being kind. They hated each other basically, and and and
• 36:15
  Speaker 3: the players knew it. But the players were led by
• 36:22
  Speaker 3: one of the great captains ever in sports, Mart Messier.
• 36:27
  Speaker 3: His leadership kept the team together and and basically pushed
• 36:33
  Speaker 3: it to a Stanley Cup because they certainly had enough talent.
• 36:36
  Speaker 3: But if it had been the undermining that went on
• 36:40
  Speaker 3: between coach and general manager did not affect the team.
• 36:43
  Speaker 3: The team was going to win. And there was an
• 36:46
  Speaker 3: assistant coach there, long time amazing hockey guy, Colin Campbell,
• 36:54
  Speaker 3: who just he was a together guy and behind the
• 36:58
  Speaker 3: scenes really keeping everybody together. It's still amazing that they
• 37:04
  Speaker 3: got all the way there and won. In Game seven
• 37:07
  Speaker 3: against Vancouver, I was sitting right behind the club with Neil,
• 37:11
  Speaker 3: and Neil and I had had a deal that if
• 37:14
  Speaker 3: I won the NBA Championship and I would get him
• 37:19
  Speaker 3: a championship ring, and if he won the Stanley Cup Championship,
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: he would get me a ring. And as you know,
• 37:25
  Speaker 3: he won it. We got to Game seven and lost,
• 37:29
  Speaker 3: so he was out of luck. But I have a nice,
• 37:32
  Speaker 3: beautiful Ranger Championship Stanley Cup Championship ring.
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: That's very cool. And after winning that cup, Mike Keenan
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: shocks the hockey world. He goes to Blues become their coach,
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: and you were to sit in a conference with Keenan
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: Smith to discuss compensation. How did you manage that?
• 37:50
  Speaker 3: It was a fifth fight? I mean, it almost turned
• 37:52
  Speaker 3: into a fist fight and we had to go to
• 37:56
  Speaker 3: arbitration in front of Gary Bettman, who I had worked
• 38:00
  Speaker 3: with at the NBA for a long time and was
• 38:03
  Speaker 3: a close friend. But Gary was just out of patience
• 38:09
  Speaker 3: at that point because these guys could really not be
• 38:12
  Speaker 3: in the same room by then, and he had to
• 38:15
  Speaker 3: keep telling both of them to quiet down or he
• 38:19
  Speaker 3: was going to, you know, find him huge amounts of
• 38:22
  Speaker 3: money or suspend them from from working in the NHL,
• 38:27
  Speaker 3: which he had every right to do. And Keenan had
• 38:29
  Speaker 3: been he'd been dealing with the owners of the Blues
• 38:33
  Speaker 3: for a long time because they were going to, you know,
• 38:37
  Speaker 3: give him more power than he'd ever had and and
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: take a general manager out of his way and kind
• 38:43
  Speaker 3: of give him the whole the whole throne. And eventually
• 38:48
  Speaker 3: he would go, but not without lots of bitterness on
• 38:52
  Speaker 3: both sides. Over the years.
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: You know, you've been with so many different organizations and
• 38:57
  Speaker 2: you've you've brought you've brought this winning culture to every organization.
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: When you when you would come to a new organization
• 39:04
  Speaker 2: and what what are some winning culture ideas you would
• 39:09
  Speaker 2: bring to every organization Because you would have to deal
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: with some I would I would imagine some loud personalities
• 39:15
  Speaker 2: as well as as the leader of these organizations.
• 39:19
  Speaker 3: You're right, Nate, and and and basically, I've learned a
• 39:23
  Speaker 3: lot about championship culture and I've I've I've valued it
• 39:29
  Speaker 3: so much that I have traveled with even in the
• 39:33
  Speaker 3: last couple of years, I've traveled with some teams just
• 39:37
  Speaker 3: to learn more about it. You know who the All
• 39:39
  Speaker 3: Blacks are the most successful team in rugby, New Zealanders.
• 39:45
  Speaker 3: They've dominated world rugby for fifty one years, you know.
• 39:49
  Speaker 3: And it's not just the haka that that war dance
• 39:53
  Speaker 3: that they do before every game. They are they are
• 39:57
  Speaker 3: a special club and there's things that go on there
• 40:01
  Speaker 3: that don't go on in other places that lead to
• 40:04
  Speaker 3: win the way they win. The other team I've traveled
• 40:07
  Speaker 3: with that I'm really intrigued with is Real Madrid because
• 40:10
  Speaker 3: when it comes to soccer, or as they call it
• 40:14
  Speaker 3: in Europe football, there is no team quite like them,
• 40:19
  Speaker 3: you know, all these Champions League titles, all these FA Cups,
• 40:23
  Speaker 3: they just they have one and one and one and
• 40:29
  Speaker 3: their culture is a big part of it. And then
• 40:31
  Speaker 3: the third team that I've I've focused on and spent
• 40:34
  Speaker 3: a lot of time interviewing people around is the Golden
• 40:37
  Speaker 3: State Warriors, and there's there's so many clubs you could
• 40:43
  Speaker 3: pick to travel with and be with. But I've interviewed
• 40:47
  Speaker 3: players and coaches and owners from those three teams, and
• 40:51
  Speaker 3: what I've learned is that championship culture really starts with
• 40:55
  Speaker 3: very high expectations. And those expectations run deep in the organization.
• 41:01
  Speaker 3: They're they're there to win, and anybody that comes in
• 41:06
  Speaker 3: feels it and knows it. And once you kind of
• 41:09
  Speaker 3: create that background and you have continuity of coaches and owners,
• 41:13
  Speaker 3: and then you see things happen like happen with the
• 41:17
  Speaker 3: Patriots or you know that happened with the San Antonio Spurs.
• 41:22
  Speaker 3: There are clubs that they don't just win one, they
• 41:25
  Speaker 3: win six, or they win seven and over a decade
• 41:28
  Speaker 3: they have championship culture. And it's because someone has set
• 41:32
  Speaker 3: very high expectations that it starts with that. The second
• 41:37
  Speaker 3: thing they have is high levels of trust and support
• 41:44
  Speaker 3: for their players and for their talent, their coaches. You know,
• 41:48
  Speaker 3: you know who you're playing for, you know who's making
• 41:51
  Speaker 3: the decisions. It's one of the reasons why teams that
• 41:55
  Speaker 3: are owned by companies corporations tend not to do well
• 42:00
  Speaker 3: because they always have the same solution for every problem,
• 42:04
  Speaker 3: which is replace the guys. You know, just throw them out,
• 42:09
  Speaker 3: replace them, that's what you do. Fire them and start
• 42:12
  Speaker 3: with somebody new. But in every season in a sports
• 42:19
  Speaker 3: sports team's life, you know, the more you can have
• 42:23
  Speaker 3: continuity and commitment to excellence. Red Arbac in the Celtics,
• 42:29
  Speaker 3: all those championships, Jerry West and pat Riley, the way
• 42:33
  Speaker 3: that they handled the Lakers in the eighties and nineties.
• 42:37
  Speaker 3: Chicago Bulls, I hate to say it, but they were
• 42:41
  Speaker 3: they won six titles. Phil Jackson and Jerry Krause really
• 42:45
  Speaker 3: did not They didn't speak to each other very much.
• 42:49
  Speaker 3: But the reality was Phil and the players had a
• 42:52
  Speaker 3: bond and that was very special and lots and lots
• 42:56
  Speaker 3: of trust, respect, and then it's just hard work and humility.
• 43:02
  Speaker 3: The All Blacks you probably know this story, but the
• 43:06
  Speaker 3: All Blacks are the one team in professional sports that
• 43:10
  Speaker 3: always does something quite unique when they play anywhere. And
• 43:14
  Speaker 3: you guys have been in pro locker rooms after games.
• 43:17
  Speaker 3: If you walk in a pro hockey locker room or
• 43:20
  Speaker 3: a pro NFL locker room, it smells awful. People take
• 43:25
  Speaker 3: off that the tape, they throw it on the floor,
• 43:29
  Speaker 3: they spit, they throw up. I mean, it's so bad.
• 43:35
  Speaker 3: When the All Blacks played England in Twickenham, just outside London,
• 43:43
  Speaker 3: I was there and I had interviewed the coaches and
• 43:45
  Speaker 3: players and I said, how do you guys keep this
• 43:49
  Speaker 3: attitude of humility? And the coach said, come to the
• 43:55
  Speaker 3: locker room right after the game and you will see.
• 43:58
  Speaker 3: They have something called sweeping the shed. And when I
• 44:03
  Speaker 3: walked into the locker locker room, the players still with
• 44:06
  Speaker 3: their knee pads on and still in their shorts. They
• 44:09
  Speaker 3: had taking their shirts off. They're down scrubbing the floors,
• 44:15
  Speaker 3: the showers, the toilets, they're all throughout the locker room.
• 44:20
  Speaker 3: They are picking everything up and putting it in the garbage.
• 44:23
  Speaker 3: They're putting their their uniform their soaked uniforms in special
• 44:28
  Speaker 3: bags so that they can go right to the wash.
• 44:32
  Speaker 3: And the respect that they showed and twicking them is
• 44:35
  Speaker 3: a I don't know. It feels like it's one hundred
• 44:38
  Speaker 3: years old. The locker room was so old. But the
• 44:42
  Speaker 3: arena manager said to me afterwards, when we walked through
• 44:45
  Speaker 3: the locker room together, he said, this locker room has
• 44:48
  Speaker 3: never been this clean, and it was the players that
• 44:52
  Speaker 3: did it. Sweeping the shed is how they keep their
• 44:55
  Speaker 3: humility pretty good.
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: I can try with my kids, try to sweeping the
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: set here. Boys should help put up this place.
• 45:02
  Speaker 3: If you can work that.
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: Out every second. Twenty nineteen Saint Louis Blues, worst record hockey,
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: then go on an unbelievable run and win the Stanley Cup.
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: So great for the city of Saint Louis and for you,
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: what was it like seeing that entire championship run.
• 45:20
  Speaker 3: Well, that's a hard chapter for me because I bought
• 45:26
  Speaker 3: the Blues in two thousand and six. I brought in
• 45:29
  Speaker 3: John Davidson as president. We eventually hired Doug Armstrong as
• 45:36
  Speaker 3: the general manager from We hired him after he'd won
• 45:39
  Speaker 3: a Cup in Dallas, and we went through a number
• 45:43
  Speaker 3: of great coaches, including Ken Hitchcock and others as we
• 45:48
  Speaker 3: as we tried to take the team that was dead
• 45:50
  Speaker 3: last in the NHL and turn it into a Stanley
• 45:54
  Speaker 3: Cup winner. But to be fair, the truth is I
• 46:00
  Speaker 3: sold control of the Blues and twenty and sixteen, now
• 46:07
  Speaker 3: by then you know we'd gone We'd come a long
• 46:11
  Speaker 3: way from last place, and we were a very competitive club,
• 46:16
  Speaker 3: and I kept we kept a big chunk of the equity,
• 46:20
  Speaker 3: but I was needed in Europe, and I went to
• 46:24
  Speaker 3: Europe in twenty eighteen, so I was not there for
• 46:29
  Speaker 3: the run. And even though I had a big ownership stake,
• 46:35
  Speaker 3: and I and all of the guys that we had
• 46:38
  Speaker 3: drafted and put in place were the guys that won.
• 46:41
  Speaker 3: So many of them have reached out to me, reached
• 46:44
  Speaker 3: out to me then and have reached out to me
• 46:47
  Speaker 3: since and thanked me for the change in culture that
• 46:51
  Speaker 3: started in two thousand and six. But it took us.
• 46:54
  Speaker 3: Took us thirteen years to win the Cup. But that
• 46:57
  Speaker 3: playoff run was really special, and it resulted from the
• 47:01
  Speaker 3: fact that we had kept the best of the best talent.
• 47:04
  Speaker 3: Doug Armstrong just did a great job assembling a team.
• 47:09
  Speaker 3: We had everything we needed, and you know, to go
• 47:12
  Speaker 3: into Boston Garden and beat the Bruins in that deciding
• 47:16
  Speaker 3: game said a lot. But I and basically we sold
• 47:22
  Speaker 3: the team three days after we won the Cup, so
• 47:25
  Speaker 3: we sold our interest in the team. And to go
• 47:29
  Speaker 3: from two thousand and six to twenty nineteen, it took
• 47:33
  Speaker 3: a lot longer than I thought it would, but it
• 47:36
  Speaker 3: made it all the sweeter.
• 47:40
  Speaker 2: So David in the National Hockey the leguear. Are you
• 47:42
  Speaker 2: a Saint Louis Blues fan or a New York Rangers fan.
• 47:44
  Speaker 2: Who's your team in the NHL?
• 47:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah? Well I love the Blues and I love Saint Louis,
• 47:51
  Speaker 3: and I really enjoyed myself. We not only redid the
• 47:55
  Speaker 3: arena and made it beautiful, but we also there was
• 47:58
  Speaker 3: a there was a theater sitting right next to the
• 48:02
  Speaker 3: arena that we complete renovated and opened as a concert venue,
• 48:07
  Speaker 3: right next to what was Scott Trade Center then. And
• 48:13
  Speaker 3: so I just feel like we you know, my mom said,
• 48:18
  Speaker 3: always leave things better than you found it, and we
• 48:21
  Speaker 3: took a last place team that was losing tons of
• 48:25
  Speaker 3: money and owners that really had stopped caring, and we
• 48:29
  Speaker 3: turned it into a Stanley Cup champion and a beautiful
• 48:32
  Speaker 3: arena with a concert venue. Right. So I think we
• 48:36
  Speaker 3: left Saint Louis lots better than we found it. However,
• 48:41
  Speaker 3: I fell in love with hockey around the New York
• 48:44
  Speaker 3: Rangers around that win of the Stanley Cup. I was
• 48:48
  Speaker 3: fully engaged at that point and very much a part
• 48:54
  Speaker 3: of the Garden and what it meant to New York
• 48:58
  Speaker 3: and to see people raising signs that said, you know,
• 49:01
  Speaker 3: now I can die in peace and to be part
• 49:05
  Speaker 3: of the Canyon of Heroes. Not that I was in
• 49:07
  Speaker 3: the parade at all, not not at all, but I
• 49:09
  Speaker 3: was down there for the parade, and I was at
• 49:12
  Speaker 3: City Hall when they hoisted the cup, and it just
• 49:17
  Speaker 3: meant so much to people. So I pull for the
• 49:20
  Speaker 3: Rangers all the time. The Rangers are the team where
• 49:24
  Speaker 3: we signed Gretzki. We had Messia. We brought Messia back
• 49:30
  Speaker 3: after we went to Vancouver. And if you wanted to
• 49:35
  Speaker 3: see an interesting documentary, I recommend you watch Saving Sakik,
• 49:42
  Speaker 3: which is the story.
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: You tried to sign Joe Sakkik in nineteen ninety seven.
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: Tell us about that.
• 49:48
  Speaker 3: And that was against Neil Smith's wishes because he was
• 49:52
  Speaker 3: he was just he was so sure they would match.
• 49:56
  Speaker 3: But I knew a lot about Denver and about the
• 50:00
  Speaker 3: Colorado Avalanche, and they had in my mind, you know,
• 50:04
  Speaker 3: the best young center iceman in the game in Joe
• 50:08
  Speaker 3: Sakic and they'd won a Cup, but they were really
• 50:13
  Speaker 3: in financial trouble. They couldn't get their arena built, they
• 50:16
  Speaker 3: couldn't they couldn't get anything done. In spite of having
• 50:20
  Speaker 3: such a great team, and Pierre Lacroix and Charlie Lyons
• 50:24
  Speaker 3: was was the owner and and they were friends of mine.
• 50:27
  Speaker 3: But Messier Vancouver had taken Messier away, and we were
• 50:33
  Speaker 3: we needed a leader, and we needed a center iceman.
• 50:37
  Speaker 3: And restricted free agency in those days was a little different,
• 50:41
  Speaker 3: and so you could bid on a restricted free agent.
• 50:46
  Speaker 3: If the team didn't sign, it didn't match the offer.
• 50:50
  Speaker 3: In those days, they would receive five first round picks.
• 50:56
  Speaker 3: Five so it's enormously expensive. No one did it, And
• 51:03
  Speaker 3: but I thought the fact, the fact that I, you know,
• 51:08
  Speaker 3: I once had the Jazz, which basically had no cash.
• 51:11
  Speaker 3: Then I came to the Garden where all we had
• 51:14
  Speaker 3: was cash. They had cash, and we had lawyers, and
• 51:18
  Speaker 3: so I went after Joe. I said to Neil, I'm
• 51:22
  Speaker 3: going to do it. I really don't care what you think,
• 51:25
  Speaker 3: because if we get him, if we get Joe Sakkik
• 51:30
  Speaker 3: and we put him on the ice with Gretzki, Richter Leech,
• 51:35
  Speaker 3: Graves will win another cup with this guy, maybe two,
• 51:40
  Speaker 3: maybe three. And Denver's in financial trouble and they can't
• 51:44
  Speaker 3: get their new arena going and they have no cash.
• 51:50
  Speaker 3: So a lot of hockey owners really were angry at
• 51:53
  Speaker 3: me about this, But I gave Joe Sakkik a three
• 51:57
  Speaker 3: year contract. We're twenty one million, which was a lot
• 52:01
  Speaker 3: of money in the NHL in those days. But then
• 52:06
  Speaker 3: I gave him a fifteen million dollar signing bonus. On
• 52:10
  Speaker 3: the day that he signed. You had to be ready
• 52:12
  Speaker 3: to cough up fifteen million dollars. And I knew Charlie
• 52:16
  Speaker 3: Lions did not have fifteen million bucks. I just knew it.
• 52:21
  Speaker 3: So it was it was a gamble. And if you
• 52:26
  Speaker 3: watch Saving Sachi, you learn that what happened is, you know,
• 52:30
  Speaker 3: Denver got its back up, the mayor got involved. We're
• 52:34
  Speaker 3: not going to be pushed around by New York and
• 52:37
  Speaker 3: so suddenly the mayor's involved. They get a new arena deal.
• 52:42
  Speaker 3: Then they go to Fox and Fox gives them a
• 52:45
  Speaker 3: new media deal with an upfront bonus of cash. And
• 52:51
  Speaker 3: then there was one other thing that happened. So they
• 52:53
  Speaker 3: get a new arena, they get a new television deal,
• 52:58
  Speaker 3: and there was one other big problem that they had
• 53:01
  Speaker 3: and I can't remember what it was now now, but
• 53:05
  Speaker 3: at the end of the show, I'm totally joking. I say,
• 53:10
  Speaker 3: I mean, so many good things happen to them in
• 53:13
  Speaker 3: a week that they matched the offer for Joe. As
• 53:16
  Speaker 3: you know, they went on to win another Cup and
• 53:18
  Speaker 3: now Joe is one two as a as a general manager.
• 53:24
  Speaker 3: So I'm jokingly said to the camera crew, I said
• 53:29
  Speaker 3: they should build a statue of me in front of
• 53:31
  Speaker 3: the area. It's like if I hadn't done that, none
• 53:35
  Speaker 3: of those things would happen. But totally joking. And the
• 53:41
  Speaker 3: show ends by saying there will not be a statue
• 53:45
  Speaker 3: of the checks in front. Well, you should still get
• 53:49
  Speaker 3: lots of now the ball center.
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I said, you should still get credit. That's certainly.
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: That's an amazing story and amazing it's all gone down.
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: And again I'm not a Blues fan. I do love
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: the logo. I'm with you on that Saint Louis Blues logo.
• 54:01
  Speaker 1: I think it's one of the coolest logos in hockey.
• 54:03
  Speaker 3: That blue notes great logo. Yeah, it is very much.
• 54:07
  Speaker 3: And the and the franchises beloved by people there, and
• 54:12
  Speaker 3: and a lot of the players who play there end
• 54:15
  Speaker 3: up staying there, so it's special.
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: That's what I said. Has with the highest rates of
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: retention among alumni, I ve any NHL seys that's really
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: is a cret to say, louis what the organization does
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: and what you were able to build there. Thanks so
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: much for the time and all the stories. Dave, best
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: of luck obviously with the clothing with your sons. It
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: sounds like you got lots in the go and never stopping.
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: But clearly you've had a wonderful career and we appreciate
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: the stories.
• 54:35
  Speaker 3: Great seeing all of you. Thanks so much for having
• 54:38
  Speaker 3: me on.
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: All right time, not for a little stun A file
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: in sixty, a film that I was really excited to
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: see because I like Bruce Springsteen as much as the
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: next guy. Maybe now having lived in New Jersey in
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: seven years, the Bruce is just getting into the waters.
• 54:55
  Speaker 1: Then it gets into my stream. So I had to
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: watch Springsteen Delivered Me from Nowhere on Hulu. This is
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: a film that came out with lots of buzz around
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: as far as Academy wore potential, Jeremy Alan White, who
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: people love, and the show The Bear, which is currently
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: available on Hulu. He's playing Bruce. And then the movie
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: came out it kind of flopped and I said, oh wait,
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: what happened there? Box office was disappointing. Critics reception was muted.
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: Having seen the film, I can now understand why because
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: this is not a rags to riches type story, cradle
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: to the grave, so to speak. It's about a chapter
• 55:21
  Speaker 1: of Bruce's life when he was battling depression. This was
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: when he wrote the film nebrask which is primarily done
• 55:27
  Speaker 1: by himself acoustic style, and in the midst of it,
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: by the way, he was also recording what would be
• 55:31
  Speaker 1: his biggest album, Born in the USA, with so many
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: hits after that. So I found it to be a
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: disappointment and I can understand why. But I did think
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: it was a unique look at an artist at a
• 55:41
  Speaker 1: dark time of their lives. The part that I found
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: the most interesting is about Bruce and his dad. Those
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: scenes were shot in black and white, done and you know,
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: flashback sequences deadly by Stephen Graham. Of course, the great
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: British actor loved him in Adolescens, He's greatest. Tony Prowen
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: Scorse says he's the Irishman. But not having known a
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: lot about Bruce Springsteen's upbringing, I mean, obviously I know
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: the music.
• 55:58
  Speaker 5: I enjoyed the hits.
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: I've seen him in concert, but didn't realize what a
• 56:01
  Speaker 1: troubled childhood he had had and how that could have
• 56:03
  Speaker 1: been impacted him. So I think ultimately the film was
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: kind of stuck in one gear, needed more of a
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: narrative tone. I think with tones like this, it's just okay.
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: It's a look at depression and sadness and what he's
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: trying to overcome. But as a movie, it certainly is
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: not a crowd pleaser, and it certainly isn't I think
• 56:17
  Speaker 1: that's really the one that I can recommend. So overall
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: to disappointment, I thought I had some notable performances. Jeremy
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: Strong is always a great actor. He plays a supporting role.
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: The producer here, John Landel and Alan White's obviously a
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: good actor, and he does his best of trying to
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: ape Springsteen. I'm sure they're using some sort of lipsticking
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: and stuff for some of Springsteen's music. I don't think
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: you can sing it that well. But for me, Springsteen
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: delivered Me from Nowhere a disappointment. I could see why
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: it did not garner much traction. Tal Bruce fan interested
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: in seeing the movie, where yet.
• 56:43
  Speaker 5: Not a huge Bruce fan.
• 56:44
  Speaker 6: I think the movie suffers from a bit of the
• 56:47
  Speaker 6: uh smashing machine pacing, you know, in terms of being
• 56:51
  Speaker 6: kind of slow. I mean, I guess it fits the
• 56:54
  Speaker 6: mindset of where Bruce is at that time in his life.
• 56:58
  Speaker 6: But but yeah, I mean it was cool.
• 57:00
  Speaker 5: Listen.
• 57:00
  Speaker 6: I'm not a huge biopic fan anyways, and we're seeing
• 57:05
  Speaker 6: so many of them now with the Sixcess. You know,
• 57:06
  Speaker 6: it started when we saw the Straight Out of Compton biopic,
• 57:08
  Speaker 6: and then of course Dylan last year with Shalomey and
• 57:11
  Speaker 6: and I think a lot of them just don't work.
• 57:13
  Speaker 6: And I love the casting that, you know, I like
• 57:15
  Speaker 6: the performances, but yeah, didn't quite didn't quite do it
• 57:18
  Speaker 6: for me.
• 57:19
  Speaker 1: Nate Bruce fan, ever seen Springsteen and concert you got
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: to seem in Jersey three times?
• 57:23
  Speaker 2: I've seen him. I've seen Bruce three times. That's why
• 57:25
  Speaker 2: I was, I was, I was pumped to talk about him. Yeah,
• 57:27
  Speaker 2: I've seen him. I saw him in Boston, I saw
• 57:29
  Speaker 2: him in Uh We're there's some Tampa and new and
• 57:33
  Speaker 2: uh like in OC. I think it was. But man,
• 57:36
  Speaker 2: what a show he puts on, this guy. I mean,
• 57:38
  Speaker 2: I'm not surprised. This guy hustles like you watch his shows,
• 57:41
  Speaker 2: and he goes for three hours and doesn't stop. And
• 57:44
  Speaker 2: he's and he's not He's not a spring Chicken anymore either.
• 57:46
  Speaker 2: So it's it's a testament to him and how he
• 57:48
  Speaker 2: takes care of himself because he's an animal on stage.
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I've told people. I said to me, the
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: coolest thing with Springsteen is like he's the voice of
• 57:55
  Speaker 1: a particular generation, of a particular group of people. I
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: think how rare it is, Like you can be a
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: great musician, but like to be the voice, like Taylor
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: Smith is now the voice of women or the voice
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: of this generation, but like Springsteen has been the voice
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: of the working class generation in America for like forty years.
• 58:10
  Speaker 1: Like it's unbelievable. Like whatever you may think about his politics,
• 58:13
  Speaker 1: Like this guy clearly cares about his community, cares abou
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: where he's come from. Even just released a new song
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: Streets to Minneapolis, which what's been going on there? So
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: like and today's point, his energy's insane. The guy's in
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: the seventies and you still have to three hour shows.
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: He must be playing Born to Run like thousands of time,
• 58:28
  Speaker 1: and it is his life and still like gives it
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: us all every single time you go, you go anywhere,
• 58:32
  Speaker 1: and Nate like blue collar people love him, like like
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: you know, fire people will work, you know, janitors or custodians.
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: You know, guys were firefighters, cops. The reason why they
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: love Bruce because they know him, like, oh, he's one
• 58:43
  Speaker 1: of us, which is amazing to think about, considering how
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: successfully he's been.
• 58:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd say, Bruce, his music is universal and you
• 58:49
  Speaker 2: could use it in so many different avenues whatever whatever
• 58:53
  Speaker 2: it may be. I mean, I know sometimes I get
• 58:55
  Speaker 2: in the mood. I'm like, all, I feel like a
• 58:57
  Speaker 2: little boss right now. You know, maybe it will pick
• 58:59
  Speaker 2: me up, you know, it'll help help me out, help
• 59:01
  Speaker 2: help help.
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: Get me going.
• 59:02
  Speaker 5: So I like that.
• 59:03
  Speaker 2: You're right though, he is he kind of represents that
• 59:06
  Speaker 2: blue collar, hard working, hardworking person just and he he
• 59:11
  Speaker 2: portrays that when he's on stage and he and he's
• 59:13
  Speaker 2: he's performing, I mean, he puts on one hell of
• 59:16
  Speaker 2: a show. And then on top of that, his band
• 59:17
  Speaker 2: is awesome too. When he has his band with him,
• 59:20
  Speaker 2: I mean also another another thing he's got going, which
• 59:23
  Speaker 2: is great. So I'm a big, big Boss fan.
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Rip to Clarence Clemens, of course is a great Sacks.
• 59:28
  Speaker 1: Maybe his son Jake is part of the band so
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: part of the eastreet, but Max Weinberg loved him with
• 59:32
  Speaker 1: color it as well, so prop Sa Bruce as always
• 59:35
  Speaker 1: all right, stuck in the middle hundreds of media in
• 59:37
  Speaker 1: Milan for the Winter Olympics, including JD you hear from
• 59:39
  Speaker 1: earlier we mentioned Claire Hannah from tsent Er excellent interview
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: with Lina's Omar. A couple of weeks ago covering Milan
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: for Ts and Hannah got stuck in a bathroom stall
• 59:48
  Speaker 1: in the hockey arena in Milan, forced to wait until
• 59:51
  Speaker 1: her camera person, Maggie came by to help her escape. Nate,
• 59:55
  Speaker 1: I'm a little claustrophobic. I don't even like reading that story.
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: I get a little bit of comfortable. Have you ever
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: been stuck in a situation like that? Like I go
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: in an elevator, I have no issue, but I think
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: if ever I got stuck once, if it was and me,
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: I'm like, Nate, just lay me out, like just I'm
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 1: gonna start panicking to just bunch me, beat the shit
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: out of me until I fall asleep. I hope you
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: will be saved eventually.
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 2: You recently, I had to face that fear Avy and
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 2: I had to do counted, I had to do six
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 2: MRIs together and one six of them six all right,
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 2: so think about how long that is and how and
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 2: I don't do well in a small space like that.
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 2: It was not fun, right, And so to answer your question,
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 2: I don't think I would do very well either. Granted,
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 2: the one thing that has helped me as of late
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 2: with this claustrophobia is jiu jitsu and getting smashed by
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 2: other guys and not having any space. That's helped my
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 2: clausterphobia for sure. But yeah, I don't envy Claire there.
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 2: That would not be fun. But what a good story
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 2: for the Olympics already.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: Teal ever been stuck in an elevator, thank god?
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 6: No like being being like I don't want to get
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 6: too morbid, but the thought of being buried underground is
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 6: like one of my worst fears. I kill style, Yeah exactly,
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 6: that's that might be where it started. Like the thought
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 6: of having to go through that is just absolutely terrifying.
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 5: Like I don't know what I would do.
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 6: I don't know how those six MRIs at once sounds
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 6: almost as bad.
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: I remember asked the doctor once. I said, listen, I
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 1: could just never get injured.
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 3: I go.
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: I just can't, Maria. So they have open MRIs now.
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 1: But then I asked the else. It's really not like
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 1: trust me, if you had to get them mind you
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 1: have to do it. They would just give you drugs.
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 1: They would just give you a xanax. Put your ass
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: to bed, like all right, wake them up.
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 5: When he's out.
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 2: I should have I should have gotten one of those,
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 2: but I didn't.
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 5: I had to.
• 1:01:46
  Speaker 2: I had to be zend and breathed for four hours,
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 2: and it's not a good place to be, but I
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 2: did it. I want to say congratulations myself were facing
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 2: those fears.
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: A new admiration for you. Now, a couple more topics
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 1: and we'll call to day. How about some net games.
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 1: We talked earlier about you, I say, and Nate was mentioned.
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 1: The strength of this team is in net. So you've
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 1: got Connor hellbut Jeremy Swaeman and Jake Ottinger. On Sunday,
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: USA coach Mike Salvin declined to name is starting goalie
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 1: for the tournament, so this is different from four Nations.
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: Hellibuck was clearly the guy. He and the Jets have
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: struggled the season, so speculation maybe Swimming or Oinger could
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 1: get the no, who is it for you, Nate? If
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 1: you're Mike Sullivan who's starting in net for USA.
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 2: I mean I'm a little biased, and he's having a
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 2: great season and he's from Alaska. But Jeremy Swayman I understand, though.
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think it is Hellabuck's net until it's not.
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 2: And I say that because you know, last four Nations
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 2: obviously pretty much was his net no matter what. But
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 2: I think this year, with the seasons going and how
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 2: Jeremy Swayman's playing, and I understand Ottinger two, I just
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 2: think that if you go with Hellibuck to start, and
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 2: if there's any chinks in the armor, then I think
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 2: you go to Swaymen right away. I understand, you know
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 2: they have they have a good problem here, but I'm
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 2: a little I'm a little nervous with Hellibuck in the
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 2: seasons he's had, but I think think, if you have
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 2: to turn to a goalie, it's Swaymen.
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 1: It's interesting because I think I would start Hallibuck, but
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: if there's any turbulence, I would have no issue going
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 1: to swimming or on. That's kind of my view. But
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: I go to the guy who got me the dance.
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: But if there's one bad game, I mean, that's it
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 1: tal for you. Would you start Hellibuck?
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 5: I yeah, it's a tough one.
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 6: Let's I mean, let's first state the obvious that any
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 6: one of these three guys would be the runaway starter
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 6: for pretty much any other team in the tournament. Something
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 6: about Swamen for me, I think, you know, he was
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 6: the guy when they won the World's last summer. I
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 6: think he's had a pretty nice season with the Bruins
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 6: this year. I think he's of the three that they
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 6: brought along. I think he's actually having the best season
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 6: in the NHL.
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 5: So I feel, you know, you got to do right by.
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 6: Helli Buck because he has been the guy and he's
• 1:03:47
  Speaker 6: the defending Heart Trophy winner. But as soon as he
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 6: starts to look a little shaky, you go with swaymen.
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we shall see. It's it's been a nice one
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 1: up for the Olympics, like Nate and I were saying,
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: and joining the other disciplines speed skating, He's right, is
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 1: really great to mcco. You think about Apolo anton Oldo backleys,
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: like you get that five meter thing going and it
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: gets basically the issue like watching It's like watching track
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 1: on skates, which is why it's called short track speed skating. Again,
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: love the ski jumping, figure skating has been fun and
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: cut out. Wait for the hockey. Thanks to Jason Mercer
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: chipping and thanks for Nate for hopping on and for
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: Tala has always our fearless producer. Thanks for checking out
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: AHL n Scripted special. Thanks to Dave Checkets. We'll talk
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: to you next week, See you then. NHL Unscripted is
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: a production of the NHL and iHeart Podcasts. For more
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts.