Latest / Predators Official Podcast / Happy New Year, Smashville! Mitch Korn, Preds Director of Goaltending, on the POP
Transcript
- 0:01Santos across right side. Marshall so shoots and scores.
- 0:08It's the podcast that loves the hockey team you love and sorrow
- 0:12stops him with the blocker. This is the Predator's official
- 0:15podcast with Cara Hammer and Max hers.
- 0:18Santos left, circle Rooster his scores on 102.5 and 106.3.
- 0:25The game at nashvillepredators.com.
- 0:30Podcast It's a New Year 2025. I'm Kara Hammer along with Max
- 0:36Hers and Max 2025. Not off to the start we were
- 0:41hoping after the way we finished on such a high note in 2024.
- 0:46Yeah, Happy New Year, Kara. It's it's it's great to be here.
- 0:50I'm in Vancouver right now on the road with the team to get
- 0:52the new year started. The first game of the new year
- 0:55will be Friday night, the third in Vancouver, which is game four
- 0:59of six in a row on the road. The Preds have lost the first 3
- 1:04Rd. games after a great three O and one home stand.
- 1:07We got a lot of talk about it's been too long.
- 1:08We missed everybody. We hope everybody had a Merry
- 1:10Christmas, happy holidays, Happy Hanukkah.
- 1:12That just ended last night and now, hey, we're full go 2025.
- 1:17That's all in the rear view. I, I have to know, Max, you guys
- 1:20were on the road for, for New Year's Eve.
- 1:23Did you make it to midnight? We were actually on the plane as
- 1:29New Year's was happening in three different time zones,
- 1:32going from Minnesota to Vancouver with the Preds.
- 1:34So you technically got three different you, you got 3 New
- 1:38Year's. You're you were like what I was
- 1:40watching on television. I saw a New Year's in Puerto
- 1:42Rico. I saw one in Nashville, I saw it
- 1:44drop in New York. And I think there was even one
- 1:46in LA. Like we were on the same page
- 1:47here. I was just on the ground.
- 1:50Yeah, did you see us where we featured on TV at all?
- 1:53No, but if if you are in the Nashville area and you saw the
- 1:58Music City New Year's Eve, I mean, we have to give a shout
- 2:01out to to the city for putting that on.
- 2:03That was a spectacular show. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun
- 2:07stuff since the Predators hit the road.
- 2:09The Music City Bowl we missed, New Year's Eve and Nashville we
- 2:12missed. We are far away from home right
- 2:14now in Vancouver. Predators were amazing on home
- 2:17ice. Kara.
- 2:18Going into the Christmas break, everything finally snapped into
- 2:21form for the Preds. A three oh and one home stand.
- 2:24The only loss of the four games was in overtime.
- 2:27It was nearly a perfect home stand, and the Preds played by
- 2:31far the best they have all season in a week on home ice.
- 2:34Yeah, I have to go back to to the game on the 21st against the
- 2:37LA Kings and Nick Blinkenberg finally breaks this overtime
- 2:42losing streak that the Predators were holding on to.
- 2:45I mean, there was a loose puck, Max and he and he he picked up
- 2:49the change. I mean, what an amazing what
- 2:53what an amazing way to win into his first career overtime
- 2:57game-winning goal. Plus his first goal in gold, an
- 3:00awesome moment. Philip Forsberg looked him off.
- 3:02And after the game you interviewed him, Kara, and he
- 3:06said he was happy that Phil didn't pass it to him because he
- 3:11didn't think he would have scored on the first shot and
- 3:13ended up just sitting in the crease for him.
- 3:15Awesome moment, awesome celebration.
- 3:18Awesome to watch Nick Blankenberg over his first
- 3:20sixteen games as a Pred here over the last few weeks.
- 3:24But yeah, those home games were great.
- 3:25The crowds were great going into Christmas and then the schedule
- 3:28does the Preds absolutely no favors.
- 3:30A whale of a road trip. Two different visits to Winnipeg
- 3:34on this trip, a whole lot of travel, 2 back to backs.
- 3:39It's a lot, and the Preds have not been able to pick up a
- 3:42standings point in the first three games away.
- 3:44Yeah, I'm gonna have to go back to to what Nick Linkenberg said
- 3:48after his overtime game-winning goal.
- 3:49He used the Ted Lasso line that we all like.
- 3:51Hey, we have to have a goldfish, we need to be a 10, we need to
- 3:54have a 10 second memory. And I think this is kind of what
- 3:57the Preds need to have happen now, Max, right?
- 3:59You, you can't dwell on on the way the new year has started,
- 4:03the way they've been playing 'cause there are some really
- 4:06great highlights to focus on too.
- 4:07I mean, how amazing has this top line been for the Preds even
- 4:11with the outcome of some of these games?
- 4:14It's been 10 games together since Steven Stamkos became the
- 4:17top line center in between Phillip Forsberg and Jonathan
- 4:20Marciasso. In those games, Marciasso has
- 4:24nine goals and 14 points in 10 games, including a career long 8
- 4:30game point streak and a career best five game goal streak for
- 4:34Marciasso. During that stretch, Steven
- 4:37Stamkos has 10 points in 10 games.
- 4:39That's a point per game for the math at home.
- 4:42And Philip Forsberg has not scored a goal.
- 4:45He did not score in all of December.
- 4:47He's got a 16 game goal drought going, but he does have 13
- 4:51assists in those ten games. So those guys have been fun to
- 4:54watch together and they've gotten the Preds top line
- 4:56production finally to where it needs to be.
- 4:59Marsha so is the Preds leader with 14 goals now in 38 games
- 5:04this season. I think he's definitely a player
- 5:06that when he got to that top line and the guys he's been
- 5:09skating with, excuse me, skating with, we've seen his game really
- 5:13start to come together. This is what Trotz saw out of
- 5:16him when he was in Vegas. This is why he came to
- 5:18Nashville. Yeah, and it's come later in the
- 5:21year than you would have liked, but it's been great to see those
- 5:24guys clicking. And now we got to get Phillip
- 5:25Forsberg scoring. Still sitting on nine goals this
- 5:28season. His last goal was November 25th
- 5:32in New Jersey against the Devils, which was the first game
- 5:35of the 8 game losing streak. Forsberg, Stamkos and Marjasu
- 5:39have been solid as the top line. The lines had fallen into place
- 5:42before a couple of injuries had shaken things up a little bit.
- 5:45Here we've seen the Predators debut of Vinny Hinastroza, who
- 5:49had played against the Preds plenty of times before he was
- 5:52called up from Milwaukee, where he was the Ahls point and assist
- 5:56leader so far this season. And he has fit in well, quickly
- 6:00getting up to the second line with Gus Nyquist and Ryan
- 6:03O'Reilly helping the Preds create offensively over these
- 6:06last two games. Yeah, he's looked strong.
- 6:08I mean, he's come in, he he's obviously had some experience.
- 6:12They seem to be meshing really well.
- 6:14But also a guy that's really stood out to me.
- 6:16Max coming up and and we saw his first home start in Nashville.
- 6:21But juice the big juice, and then you're still saying it.
- 6:29You can't do it like Hal and May scan, but neither and I I don't.
- 6:32I don't think my tongue moves at the rate that theirs does.
- 6:35I got to hear your best shot now.
- 6:37It's I can't do it like they can for Eustis Anandan.
- 6:42But yeah, he's he's started four games for the Preds now.
- 6:46He did give up five goals in the game against the Wild.
- 6:48I really think only one or two of those was on him on the back
- 6:52end of the back-to-back. But Anandan's been strong.
- 6:55His goal's against is in the low twos with the Preds.
- 6:57He has a really strong save percentage.
- 7:00And all of this for a young goalie changing teams for the
- 7:04first time in the NHL. He's the moment is not too big
- 7:08for him. Was what Preds coach Andrew
- 7:10Burnett said stands out most about Eustace Ananin that his
- 7:13calmness and confidence is contagious to the bench in a
- 7:17season where those types of feelings have been hard to come
- 7:19by for the Preds. Yeah, you use the two words I
- 7:22was just going to say he looks calm.
- 7:23He looks collected and coming up in the podcast, we're going to
- 7:26have a great interview with Mitch Korn and he's going to
- 7:31talk about his relationship with with Yusuf Ananin and and how
- 7:34great they have been meshing so far this season.
- 7:37Yeah, that interview coming up in about 10 minutes.
- 7:39The time stamp for that interview is in the description
- 7:42if you want to skip ahead. Mitch Korn is the Predator's
- 7:45Director of goaltending, back in the organization this year in a
- 7:48new job overseeing the Predator's entire goaltending
- 7:52department, which includes the NHL goalies, the AHL and ECHL
- 7:56goalies and prospect goalies and their development, plus scouting
- 7:59of goalies and every single aspect of that.
- 8:02You guys know Mitch Corn if you've been a day one Prince and
- 8:04he was the original Prince goalie coach under Barry Trotz,
- 8:07went with Barry Trotz first to the Capitals, then to the
- 8:10Islanders, then was held on to for a little bit by the
- 8:13Islanders and Lou Lamorello. And now it's back in Nashville
- 8:16this season. So that interview with Mitch
- 8:18Corn coming up in the second segment for the Prince.
- 8:20Goaltending has continued to do enough to win some games, but
- 8:25those games on home ice, the last wins for the Preds 3 O and
- 8:27one at home now O and three on the road.
- 8:30The Predators this season, Kara are 313 and four in 20 Rd.
- 8:36games. That is a points percentage
- 8:38drifting down towards 250, the lowest in the NHL.
- 8:43It's been a tough go for this team.
- 8:45One thing also too, Max is is the way they've been skating.
- 8:49We saw they finished on home ice with this they they started on
- 8:52the road with it. They were going 11 forward, 70
- 8:55man. But now we've seen some injuries
- 8:57for to this team too. So give us a rundown on kind of
- 9:01what's happening out there on the road.
- 9:02We've obviously Jeremy Lazan out and Zach LaRue, a tough go in
- 9:06Minnesota. Yeah, the Predators had to play
- 9:09a forward and a defenseman short for 2/3 of that game in
- 9:13Minnesota. Jeremy Lausanne had just one
- 9:16shift in the second period and then did not play again in the
- 9:19game. We have not received any
- 9:21information about his injury as the Preds have been off since
- 9:24then. But Lausanne missed 11 games
- 9:27with an injury from late November to early December and
- 9:30he was injured again in that game.
- 9:32Cole Smith also took a Roman Yossi slapper to the boot before
- 9:36Christmas and is going to miss four to six weeks, so he is not
- 9:40on the trip with the team. He's missed the last four games.
- 9:42And rookie defenseman Adam Wilsby, who had come out strong
- 9:45and played in 15 straights to start his NHL career, suffered
- 9:48an injury at some point as well in the game in Winnipeg and had
- 9:51to miss the game in Minnesota. And Zach LaRue, who you brought
- 9:54up, is not hurt but is facing a potential suspension from the
- 9:58NHL Department of Player Safety for a slew foot against
- 10:02Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon in the game in mini.
- 10:05So we're recording here on Thursday morning, January 2nd.
- 10:09The ruse hearing with the NHL is expected to come later this
- 10:14afternoon. And we'll find out the length of
- 10:16his suspension then. But yeah, a lot of moving parts
- 10:19for the Preds, Kara. And they've announced today on
- 10:22Thursday going into a practice here in Vancouver that they have
- 10:25called up two men who we have not yet seen play for the
- 10:28Predators in this regular season. 1 of them has never
- 10:31played in the NHL. We had him on the podcast back
- 10:33in the preseason. Rookie winger Ozzy Wiseblatt is
- 10:37here in Vancouver and is expected to make his NHL debut
- 10:40Friday night against the Canucks.
- 10:41Weiswat was acquired from the Sharks in a one for one trade
- 10:45for Igor Afanasiev this summer and Afanasiev ended up going
- 10:49back to Russia this season. It was two guys who were at one
- 10:52point big prospects for the teams that drafted them and
- 10:55wanted changes of scenery. Weiswat, a former first round
- 10:58pick, I think he's the perfect guy to fit in Cole Smith's spot
- 11:01on the fourth line. He is a hard nosed puck hound, 4
- 11:06checker, undersized but plays bigger than he is and we are
- 11:09expecting him to make his NHL debut this weekend.
- 11:12Here's what Ozzie Wiseblatt said in the preseason and what he
- 11:15said after practice today in anticipation of a possible NHL
- 11:19debut. How would you describe your
- 11:21hunger to make your NHL debut? Yeah, very hungry.
- 11:24You know, it's been quite the journey so far.
- 11:26And yeah, I'm, you know, scratching incline to make this
- 11:31happen. So I'm going to I'm going to do
- 11:33whatever it takes and, you know, work my butt off every day.
- 11:36We. Told you you were coming up and
- 11:39how did you find out? Scott Nickel called me and
- 11:42we're. It was New Year's Eve, so-called
- 11:45me and. Yeah, I just.
- 11:48Just broke down and crying like a baby to have.
- 11:50It's hilarious. But yeah, I mean, just just just
- 11:55super excited to be here, honestly, and dream come true.
- 11:58Where were you at when he called you?
- 12:00We were at a little get together New Year's Eve, so sprinted out
- 12:04of there. They didn't see you cry though,
- 12:06no. The boys, Oh no, they definitely
- 12:08saw me cry. And also Kara joining the
- 12:12Predators in Vancouver, a face we've seen before and we are so
- 12:15happy to have back. Defenseman Spencer Stasney is
- 12:19back with the big club. He did not report to training
- 12:22camp this year due to personal issues.
- 12:24Ended up reporting to the Admirals last month.
- 12:27Played in some AHL games and with the defenseman injuries.
- 12:30Stassney is back with the Preds today.
- 12:33Expected to be in the lineup this weekend.
- 12:35Garrett, great to have those guys here.
- 12:37Not great that the Preds have had to dip so deep because of
- 12:40injuries in a suspension, but those are two guys who we are
- 12:44happy to see for different but great reasons.
- 12:47Yeah, I think Max, it's a tough go, but then when these guys
- 12:51come back up, it's just the same thing we talked about.
- 12:52It's almost like this energy. So maybe with them and the
- 12:55lineup, the Preds can find a way to to rely on some of these guys
- 12:59who've gotten the call up. Obviously we know Spencer stats
- 13:01and he's probably been itching to get back in in the league and
- 13:06I I think that this could could be a positive turn around for
- 13:09the team. Absolutely, yeah.
- 13:11Two guys who will bring in some energy and I think the argument
- 13:15is pretty easy, especially with all the injuries the Preds have.
- 13:19Spencer Stassi is going to be one of the Preds best defenseman
- 13:21the moment he steps into the lineup, assuming he's at his
- 13:23normal best and what we've seen from him at the NHL level
- 13:26before. This is a guy who was expected
- 13:28to make the team out of training camp, but didn't end up making
- 13:31training camp. Yeah, he had a solid end of the
- 13:34season last year. I still remember talking with
- 13:36his mom when he made his debut about how excited they were to
- 13:39to have him out on the ice. But but having him back up Max,
- 13:44it's also going to fill the void of of us losing Alexander Kerry.
- 13:48He was traded away this before the the 2024 closed out.
- 13:54And what a familiar face for the Nashville Predators.
- 13:57He grew up in the system and we're wishing Kerry the best as
- 14:01he makes his trek now to Montreal.
- 14:03Yeah, back home for Alex Carrier to his hometown in Montreal and
- 14:06an incredibly beloved player by everybody in the organization.
- 14:10I'd say he's one of the most popular players in the Preds
- 14:13locker room in my three years being around the team and
- 14:15announcing for the team. And I think if you pulled the
- 14:18broadcasters, Cara, not that our opinion matters much, but he was
- 14:21one of our favourites to interview as well.
- 14:23Just the nicest, kindest man and just so fun to interview about
- 14:28the game of hockey in life. And as we always say, the most
- 14:31SPG's per game smiles per game. Alexander Carrier, he leads the
- 14:35league. I mean, he has truly been one of
- 14:38my favorite players that I have ever covered.
- 14:41Yeah, and it was a one for one trade.
- 14:43Right-handed defenseman for right-handed defenseman, the
- 14:46Predators got defenseman Justin Barrett from the Canadians.
- 14:50A 23 year old from Halifax, NS, Canada.
- 14:53He's played in three games so far for the Preds.
- 14:56Good to see him getting comfortable.
- 14:57He's a guy who's played over 100 NHL games.
- 14:59Former first round pick of the Avalanche Justin Baron, who was
- 15:03traded from the ABS to the Canadians as the big piece in
- 15:07the Arturi Lechinen deal. Big trade at the 2022 trade
- 15:11deadline that helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup,
- 15:13so Baron still got a lot of hockey ahead of him.
- 15:16A young guy who Barry Trusses had the Preds have had his eye
- 15:19on for a while and his older brother.
- 15:22We just played against Morgan Baron is on The Jets and I
- 15:25didn't realize this until I got to meet Justin.
- 15:28But he said that he and his brother Morgan were traded on
- 15:32the same day at the 2022 trade deadline, when Justin went from
- 15:36Denver to Montreal and Morgan went from the Rangers to The
- 15:40Jets. Oh, my gosh, that's crazy.
- 15:42You think they were, like, waving at each other at the
- 15:44airport? Hey, see you later.
- 15:45All right, we're on the move. I can only imagine how their
- 15:48parents felt. Oh my God.
- 15:51Well, you know why we're on the topic of trades in the Colorado
- 15:54Avalanche. Yuso Parsonen, who had been a
- 15:57healthy scratch for Nashville, was sent to Colorado and and
- 16:01hopefully that will be a great opportunity for him.
- 16:05Yeah, I hate the way it ended with you so Parson.
- 16:07And it was so fun getting to know him from the beginning of
- 16:10his career. And he was so exceptional as a
- 16:1221 year old rookie two years ago using his size, dynamic player
- 16:17who really did it all for the Preds.
- 16:18And it had me and everybody in Smashville, fans, hockey people,
- 16:24the organization, dreaming big about this young seventh round
- 16:28pick who was a late bloomer, who the Predators absolutely stole
- 16:32on draft day about what he could be.
- 16:34And then last year we saw a few moments of it.
- 16:37He ended up finishing the season in the AHL and this year from
- 16:41training camp on, extremely underwhelming from Parson.
- 16:44And I hate to say it because I love the player, but it was
- 16:47certainly time and the Predators got a third round pick for him,
- 16:50which I I think is an exceptional return for a player
- 16:53that the Predators did not have a chance to keep.
- 16:55If they had sent him to Milwaukee, he would have been
- 16:58exposed to waivers and would have been claimed by another
- 17:00team more than certainly as we see by the return of this trade.
- 17:03But the Preds got a third round pick for Parsonen.
- 17:06They gave the ABS a seventh round pick.
- 17:08So it's a little bit of a pick swap, but very much in the Preds
- 17:10benefit. And the Preds also got a player
- 17:12in this trade with NHL experience, 24 year old check
- 17:15forward Andre Pavel, who played two NHL games for the Avalanche
- 17:20last year. He is in the AHL right now and
- 17:23has been loaned to Milwaukee. He's joined the Admirals and
- 17:27would be eligible to debut for them as soon as this weekend.
- 17:30But yeah, a lot of trades this season, Kara, the president have
- 17:34been flipping the roster over both to try and get things going
- 17:37and out of necessity with other aspects.
- 17:40And it's it's a tough time for this team.
- 17:43They're on the road. They've lost three in a row and
- 17:45they're going to have a chance to turn it around.
- 17:47Starting Friday night against the Canucks in Vancouver.
- 17:49The Canucks will be on the back end of the back-to-back playing
- 17:52in Seattle the night before. And then Saturday night, it'll
- 17:55be the Predators on the back end of the back.
- 17:57Back once again for the second time this week in Calgary
- 18:00against the Flames. And one more thing I will note,
- 18:03Kara, we talked about Ozzie Wiseblatt getting caught up.
- 18:06He's from Calgary, so there's a chance either his first or
- 18:09second NHL game is in his home city.
- 18:12Oh, that'll be so cool. And then that's when the family
- 18:15all gets to come out because you're already right there.
- 18:17Yeah, yeah. We've talked about his family
- 18:19before in training camp, but his parents are deaf and speak sign
- 18:24language and have received a lot of incredible publicity in the
- 18:26hockey world for that and his siblings, Ocean, Oasis, Oceana,
- 18:34the greatest names in the world. It's so cool.
- 18:37Well, we'll wait to see what happens Max, but hopefully now
- 18:41the guys can find a way to get things started in Vancouver.
- 18:44Only a handful of games before we have this long break in the
- 18:47month of February with the with the Four Nations face off.
- 18:50Some of the guys will be playing in the obviously use of Soros
- 18:55and Philip Forsberg. But Max the most important thing
- 18:59right now it is to string some wins together.
- 19:01Try to find a way to get it going.
- 19:03Yeah, and on the very distant looking end of the tunnel, A5
- 19:08game homestand for the Predators starting Saturday night, next
- 19:11Saturday, January 11th against the Capitals.
- 19:14We're on the road right now. We're going to talk with one of
- 19:16the biggest influences in Predators history, original
- 19:20Preds goaltending coach Mitch Korn, who is back with the
- 19:22organization as the Predators new director of Goaltending in a
- 19:26role completely new to the organization this season as
- 19:29Barry Trotz brings Mitch and the children of the Corn home.
- 19:34We'll hear from Mitch Corn coming up next.
- 19:35She's Kara Hammer. I'm Max Hers.
- 19:37This is the Predators official podcast.
- 19:58Welcome back to the Predators official podcast here on ESPN
- 20:01102.5 The game, Elton John playing us in the Mitch's back,
- 20:05the director of goaltending, the original Pretz goalie coach
- 20:08Mitch Corn back with the organization this year and we
- 20:11finally caught him in Smash Go for an interview.
- 20:13Thanks for doing this, Mitch. My pleasure.
- 20:15Thank you. What has it been like coming
- 20:17back to the pretz? You know, it's been 10 years and
- 20:19it's hard to believe because it's like a blink of an eye.
- 20:23And while I've been back here a few times, I do camp here and
- 20:26obviously we've played here. It's been so much fun.
- 20:32Ben Vander Clark and I have had a very long relationship.
- 20:34I hired him 15 years ago and we worked together for five years
- 20:38and it was a really enjoyable relationship.
- 20:42And so I'm really happy to be back with him.
- 20:46Every day is fun. We talk every day and and I have
- 20:51no complaints right now other than the win loss record I
- 20:54think. What is unique about your role,
- 20:57something that the Predators are having for the first time here,
- 20:59A director of goaltending? Well the the business has
- 21:03changed a lot. When I started, most teams had
- 21:06one goalie coach and that goalie coach was the director of
- 21:10goaltending based on how much the general manager wanted to
- 21:15allow responsibility to go to the goalie coach.
- 21:18But I was responsible for Milwaukee's goalies if we had
- 21:21people in the East Coast league, if we had somebody drafted that
- 21:24was playing someplace else, and of course the NHL goalies.
- 21:28And it it gets to a point where it's too much.
- 21:31You can't focus on the day-to-day stuff that you need
- 21:35to do. We have so much information
- 21:38provided to us from analytics now, which we didn't have then
- 21:43to video to pre scout. Back back in 2005 shootouts
- 21:48started and that's when we started to do shootouts, pre
- 21:51scout on shootouts. And we were the first in the NHL
- 21:54to to have a a software at that time called pucks, which allowed
- 21:59us to give our goalies and our shooters video that you could
- 22:03not get otherwise. And it's just too much.
- 22:06So the NHL guy really needs to be the NHL guy.
- 22:09So some of the responsibilities that I have come off the NHL
- 22:15guy. So I'm responsible for two
- 22:19goalie coaches, all the goalies, which are two in Nashville, 2 in
- 22:23Milwaukee, 2IN Atlanta, though, 1 is not ours.
- 22:27And we have two draft choices, one in Finland and one in the
- 22:30Quebec Major Junior League. And we do video on them.
- 22:34Every game they play, they get video that's marked up.
- 22:37So myself or Jason Barron, who's our goalie coach in Milwaukee,
- 22:42mark up the videos for these guys.
- 22:44It's a never ending process. Long answer to small question.
- 22:50So as you mentioned, Ben van der Klok is the NHL goalie coach for
- 22:53the Preds, and you've been with him, as you said, for a long
- 22:56time, since he was the Milwaukee goalie coach, watched him become
- 23:00one of the best in that position in the game.
- 23:02What's it been like reuniting with him and seeing him hone his
- 23:05craft here in person? I'm so proud of Benny, the job
- 23:10that he's done here and picking up where, where I left off.
- 23:17Sometimes it's hard to follow certain people.
- 23:21I'm sure it was hard to follow me and, and to do that and to do
- 23:27it as well as he's done. And he took Pecorini to the next
- 23:29level. He helped Yossi Soros become
- 23:32Yossi Soros. He's done a great job.
- 23:35And, and we've stayed in touch and, and you know, you asked
- 23:39before what some of my responsibilities are
- 23:43philosophically, I believe that, well, there a team has five
- 23:48coaches, three of them, four of them two video guys who sit
- 23:51around a table. And on a given day, they'll sit
- 23:55around, well, who's going to play with who, what drills are
- 23:57we going to do today? And, and there's a synergy
- 23:59amongst the five of them creating what's going to happen
- 24:03today, tomorrow, whatever. You know what a goalie coach
- 24:05does on those days. He walks in the washroom, he
- 24:09looks in the mirror and he says to himself, what do you want to
- 24:13do today? Because there's no synergy.
- 24:16And I, my job, one of my jobs is to bring synergy, bring synergy
- 24:22to Benny, bring synergy to Jason, kind of bring the goalie
- 24:26department together. Benny and I, when we work
- 24:29together, if, if I worked and I produced a result of two and he
- 24:34worked and he produced a result of two, when we do it together,
- 24:40we produce a result of 6. There's a synergy.
- 24:45And that's been the most fun of all of that because as goalie
- 24:48coaches, we're truly on an island by ourselves.
- 24:53What is unique tactically about the way Pratt's goalies are
- 24:57being coached right now under Benny and now again under you,
- 24:59that shows through you think? Well, I, I think for us it's,
- 25:04it's being as efficient as we can.
- 25:06When you're a smaller goalie like you see Soros, you have
- 25:09less room for error. You need to be precise.
- 25:12Your leg has to be here, not here.
- 25:15You know, you have to do this, not that.
- 25:17And and Benny's been really good at creating a plan to have
- 25:22gotten UC Sarah's stories. And and each goalie has their
- 25:26own little plan and and different things that that are
- 25:30required. You don't coach a six foot 5
- 25:32goalie like you coach a six foot goalie.
- 25:36Skill set determines that. So I think we're adaptive.
- 25:40Not everybody, we want to play the same way and not everybody's
- 25:44made to play the same way. And, and you don't coach out of
- 25:48a guy what he's really good at to fit inside the box, which
- 25:53some teams do. We never did that with Pekka.
- 25:57Pekka would catch pucks that no other human would catch.
- 26:00He could catch it on the glass when it's shot around the
- 26:03boards, right? You don't catch out you you
- 26:06don't coach out of someone what they do.
- 26:10Fred's director of goaltending, Mitch Corn is our guest.
- 26:13This is really your first time coaching UC Soros.
- 26:16What has that been like? Then he coaches UC Soros.
- 26:19I'm I'm, I'm an observer. I perk up UC and I have had a
- 26:25long relationship because I was here when he was drafted.
- 26:28I was here when he was in his first development camp.
- 26:32And then I left. But I would run into these guys
- 26:37always on the road. I would meet Benny when, when
- 26:40they come to Long Island and I'd meet Benny when, you know, they
- 26:44even if they got in from a back-to-back and they they
- 26:47played the Rangers and they were coming to Long Island, they get
- 26:49on 11:30 at night. I'd meet him in the lobby
- 26:52because it's a game of people. It's relationships.
- 26:57Relationships matter to me. I think that's another thing you
- 27:00ask what the what can the Pred goalies expect?
- 27:04Relationships, They're important.
- 27:06They're not numbers, they're not an analytic result.
- 27:10It's a game of people. It's not a game of pucks.
- 27:14And I do believe you get more out of people when you treat
- 27:17them like people and, and, and that's what we do.
- 27:21UC Soros, the number one goalie, and you guys have had four
- 27:24goalies new to the organization at the NHL and the AHL level
- 27:28already this season. What has it been like getting
- 27:30those guys indoctrinated in the program and getting someone like
- 27:33Eustis who's a young goalie, who you can mold, who has NHL
- 27:37experience, who you guys are working with now?
- 27:40Well, from training camp, actually development camp, we
- 27:43met some of them and then training camp, they were all new
- 27:46to me. So everybody was new.
- 27:48But yes, you're right, Jacala was at his first development
- 27:56camp and and was not a training camp.
- 28:01Mulatta, who is a draft from the Quebec Major Junior League, who
- 28:06by the way is a world junior goalie for the Czech Republic.
- 28:10They play today an exhibition game. 5:00 TuneIn.
- 28:16So we, we met him for the first time, obviously at training
- 28:19camp, we met Wedgewood for the first time.
- 28:23So it it you as a goalie coach, as any coach, you have to know
- 28:30two things. You have to know them better
- 28:33than they know them. And you don't do that in 24
- 28:37hours. You don't do that in a week.
- 28:39You don't do that almost in a month.
- 28:41And so it takes some time for us to learn what buttons to push,
- 28:46what they're good at, what they're not good at.
- 28:49And sometimes in order to coach them, you need footage.
- 28:53Footage is important because what happens in a game is still
- 28:57different than what happens in practice.
- 29:00Preds Director of Goaltending Mitch Corn is our guest here on
- 29:03the Predators Official Podcast. So for Anand, and now he's
- 29:07started two games for the Preds. You guys have had him in the
- 29:09fold for a few weeks here. How much retooling is done with
- 29:13a goalie like that acquired mid season?
- 29:16We have tried to not introduce too much.
- 29:24We, we decided that one thing at a time, maybe two, we pre
- 29:34scouted for no better terms before the trade was made.
- 29:39So we had a good idea and, and I'm happy to say that the things
- 29:45that we thought were strengths in the short time we've had them
- 29:49are strengths. The things that we felt needed
- 29:54attention in watching 345 games, whatever we watched, I, I think
- 30:01we were spot on. And, and those are the things
- 30:04we've been at addressing. And I'm not going to tell you
- 30:07what they are, which is your next question.
- 30:10No, never. We don't need all the secrets
- 30:12here. The goalie coaches have to keep
- 30:13the secrets in house, right? For sure.
- 30:15Yeah. Mitch Cord is our guest here on
- 30:17The POP. Your prized pupil has a statue
- 30:20outside the Bridgestone Arena, now Tech Arena.
- 30:22What is it like being back, walking past that statue, seeing
- 30:26his banner, all of that? First off, I was lucky enough to
- 30:32have been invited to that event and it was very cool.
- 30:38Back to what I said before, it's a game of people, not a game of
- 30:43pucks. Barry Trotz refers to all these
- 30:46guys as children of the court, and I am blessed.
- 30:53This is my 34th year. I pinch myself every day.
- 30:57The number of goalies that I've coached at all levels, I've
- 31:03tried to maintain relationships with and stay in touch and and
- 31:07like a good dad, you want your kids to grow up and be
- 31:12successful. It doesn't always mean
- 31:15successful is winning hockey games.
- 31:17You want them to be happy. You want them to be successful.
- 31:21There are a lot of guys that I've coached that are coaching
- 31:25National Hockey League now. We're working in the National
- 31:28Hockey League now that I'd like to believe that that experience
- 31:32was positive for him. I listened to Carter Hutton, who
- 31:36we brought in here all the time on the TV stuff and the radio
- 31:40stuff that he's doing. And I'm going, you're speaking
- 31:43my language. You know, we were in fact, we
- 31:48were texting the other day, which was funny.
- 31:53But I'm, I'm both Pekka and a lot of guys I'm very proud of.
- 32:00And, and I, like I said, I pinch myself every day.
- 32:03This has been, I'm so blessed to have had the career that I've
- 32:08had because I'm an outsider. I mean, I didn't play in the
- 32:11league. I didn't have a dad who who
- 32:14would have opened the door for me somewhere along the line
- 32:17because you know, you lived it when you were growing up or
- 32:20whatever. I am just blessed to to be doing
- 32:23what I'm doing. And Pecka working in the
- 32:25organization now, coaching European prospects, goalie
- 32:28prospects, what do you see as his strongest attributes in that
- 32:32role and what do you see as his long term future in the
- 32:35organization? Well, I can't tell you about
- 32:37long term because that's his decision, right?
- 32:39He knows he's always got a place here, but it's the only place he
- 32:43ever played. So I believe that he will
- 32:46probably be the only place he ever works.
- 32:50I've been in it a long time. Benny now has been in it a long
- 32:53time. And when you put our resumes on
- 32:56the table, one thing it does not say, it does not say 15 years in
- 33:01the National Hockey League does not say Vezna Trophy winner,
- 33:05does not say Stanley Cup finalist, does not say any of
- 33:08those things. Pekka brings to our department
- 33:11what Benny and I don't bring to our department.
- 33:15And and that compliments us and makes us whole.
- 33:20And last question for you, Mitch.
- 33:22This year, the goaltending has been so strong.
- 33:24It's been a tumultuous year. Other than that, what has that
- 33:27been like for the goalies at the NHL level?
- 33:32The scoreboard, unfortunately doesn't matter.
- 33:36You have to, like we coach every play.
- 33:40As a goalie, you have to play every play.
- 33:42You have to try the best you can to keep the puck out on every
- 33:45play. And the score, whether you're up
- 33:47four, one or down 41 should not matter.
- 33:51I think the stress comes largely when your team struggles to to
- 33:58score. It puts an additional pressure
- 34:01no matter what team you're playing on, it puts additional
- 34:04pressure on you because some nights you feel like if you give
- 34:07up to, you might not get a point.
- 34:10And so I think if anything, that's where the the pressures
- 34:14are. Frustration.
- 34:17Everybody wants to win. Everybody plays to win, so it's
- 34:22not easy, but you have to have a short term memory.
- 34:26You have to gain something, learn something from every game
- 34:31and then you put it to bed, you make it disappear and you
- 34:35prepare for the next one like the last one never happened.
- 34:39Which by the way, is the way you approach playoffs because
- 34:44everything that happened before doesn't matter.
- 34:47Tonight's game is what matters and I think in some ways, even
- 34:51though it's frustrating, I hope when we come out on the back end
- 34:55of all this that everybody is better and stronger and more
- 35:00prepared to move forward. Great message to leave with
- 35:03Mitch. So great to have you back with
- 35:04the Predators where you belong. And thanks so much for doing
- 35:07this. Thank you.
- 35:07Max Synergy I think that's the one thing that stands out to me
- 35:11about Mitch Korn. He's an incredible human.
- 35:14I love how he talked about having this relationship, but
- 35:17it's people over pucks. I mean, I love it.
- 35:20Synergy Are we bringing Synergy today?
- 35:22I feel like we need Mitch Korn to come on more and and bring us
- 35:25together. I feel like we always have
- 35:27synergy. Is that not one of our trademark
- 35:29traits here on The POP It? Is we're dynamic, we're a duo.
- 35:33So great to have Mitch Korn back in Smashville, as long as Lou
- 35:36Lamorello tried to keep him from reuniting with Barry Trotz.
- 35:39We're on to you, Uncle Lou, we're on to you.
- 35:42But great to have Mitch Korn back in a new role.
- 35:44And as you heard, Kara, this is a role that is a necessity now
- 35:48the way the NHL is developed, the NHL goalie coach can't be
- 35:52worried about the minor league guys and the junior guys and the
- 35:55prospects. And it's interesting, we've been
- 35:57wanting to interview Mitch Corn all season.
- 35:59He isn't in Nashville a ton because he supervises all these
- 36:03different areas of the Predators organization.
- 36:06That includes Milwaukee. That includes Atlanta, where the
- 36:08Predators have an ECHL goalie signed to a contract affiliating
- 36:12them with the big club. That includes goalies in junior
- 36:16hockey like Yakim Meloda, who he mentioned is in the World Junior
- 36:19Championships right now for the Czech Republic public in his
- 36:21first year post draft. And then they've got a goalie in
- 36:24Europe and then they've got Pecorine coaching guys in Europe
- 36:27and they've got goalies they want to scout all over the
- 36:29world. So it's really interesting to
- 36:31talk to Mitch, who is so in tune with the way that all this is
- 36:35developing as he returns to the Preds, the place where he
- 36:39established everything about Preds goalies from the early
- 36:422000s and the late 90s, back here with the goalie coach that
- 36:47he raised, Ben Vander Klok, now running the show.
- 36:50Yeah, I love how you asked him about, you know, coaching Saros
- 36:55and he said that's Benny's job. And but, you know, it just shows
- 36:59how much the game has changed. Talking about the stats, the
- 37:02analytics. I mean, the Predators play an 82
- 37:05game regular season. They break down that film every
- 37:08night. And then he's doing this for for
- 37:1010 other goalies across numerous leagues.
- 37:14Yeah, yeah, it's, it's film from every game, like he said.
- 37:17And I think the best thing about seeing Mitch Corn is seeing him
- 37:21out on the ice. He is a diminutive figure.
- 37:24I can say that as a fellow under 6 foot tall person.
- 37:26I don't know exactly how tall he is, but I'm 5-7 and he's shorter
- 37:30than me. And he's out there occasionally
- 37:32on the ice, on skates, standing under someone like Eustace Anand
- 37:37and who is 6 foot 4 and in full goalie gear, or in training
- 37:40camp, Magnus Krona, who is 6 foot 6 on a good day.
- 37:45And Mitch is legitimately half these guys height.
- 37:48And he's the one who teaches them everything they know and
- 37:50has the wisdom. Yeah, well, and that's one thing
- 37:53that Soros has always been dubbed an undersized goalie.
- 37:56He's had to work the hardest to get to where he is.
- 37:58So you almost wonder if that if that helped at all with with
- 38:02Mitch Korn eyeing Soros C and he talked about this having the
- 38:05height difference, having to to use their legs differently,
- 38:08blocked differently. It it's really cool to see it
- 38:11all come to fruition and hear his side of things.
- 38:14The children of the Corn are back in Smashville where they
- 38:17belong. Thanks to Mitch Corn, Predators
- 38:19director of goaltending, for joining us for an interview.
- 38:22If you're listening over the radio and missed the beginning
- 38:25of that, you can hear the Predators Official Podcast, as
- 38:27always on your favorite podcast platform on demand.
- 38:30She is Garrett Hammer from Preds TV.
- 38:32I'm Max Sears from Preds Radio. Happy New Year from the
- 38:35Predators official podcast. Welcome back to the Predators
- 38:58official podcast here on ESPN 102.5 and 106.3.
- 39:02The My name is Max hers from Predators Radio, joined as
- 39:06always by Kara Hammer for Predators TV.
- 39:08Hammer, this is the song that has been in me and how girls
- 39:12head the whole road trip. It's the Pink Pony Club by
- 39:14Chapel Roan. Everybody knows hot to go.
- 39:18It's the song in the summer, and here we are on New Year's Day
- 39:212025. Hot to Go has officially reached
- 39:24overplayed status, so it's time to let everyone know that
- 39:27Chaperone has actually had a second song the entire time, and
- 39:31we could have been playing that one too.
- 39:33The Pink Pony Club, I know, but I can't rule out Hot to Go
- 39:36because now this has become Remy's favorite song.
- 39:38So we we play it a lot in this household.
- 39:43I think she's. Singing it downstairs right now
- 39:46as her recording. I I never thought your 2 1/2
- 39:49year old daughter would be so behind the curve Kara, but she's
- 39:52got to get on trend. We we finally moved on from from
- 39:55Taylor Swift, Shake it Off. So as long as we we now have two
- 39:58songs in the rotation. All right, good, well the Pink
- 40:01Pony Club is going and Hal and I couldn't stop singing it and
- 40:04then he hope it he opens his connections word game on his
- 40:07phone on the plane and the first 3 words are Pink pony and club.
- 40:11So it will not leave us alone. The Predators are on the road
- 40:15right now. They'll be back home for five
- 40:17home games starting on Saturday night, January 11th, that is
- 40:21next Saturday against Alex Ovechkin, Nick Dowd and the
- 40:24Washington Capitals. The week after that is the
- 40:27Predators inaugural Golden Hall Induction week.
- 40:30The ceremony will be at the game on Thursday, January 16th
- 40:34against the Blackhawks. So if you're coming to that
- 40:36game, you'll be a part of Golden Hall night.
- 40:38But we also want to invite you guys the day before that
- 40:41Wednesday, January 15th, to a luncheon at the Renaissance
- 40:45Hotel in downtown Nashville, right by Bridgestone Arena to
- 40:48celebrate the three inaugural class inductees, Shay Weber,
- 40:52Pecorine and David Poyle, as the team opens their first Hall of
- 40:56Fame week. Proceeds from the event will
- 40:58benefit the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund Co, founded by Rene and
- 41:03Weber, and the Nashville Predators Foundation.
- 41:05There'll be AVIP reception. There'll be a chance to meet and
- 41:08greet your 3 Hall of Farmers, Pecker, Rene, Jay Weber and
- 41:12David Poyle, and fans are able to join the event in exchange
- 41:15for a charitable donation. Go to
- 41:17nashvillepredators.com/golden Hall Lunch, Nashville
- 41:22predators.com/golden Hall Lunch and we'll see you guys when
- 41:27Wednesday for lunch January 15th at the Renaissance Hotel for
- 41:32what will be an awesome week with three pillars of the Preds.
- 41:35Kara. That's so great.
- 41:38I love having these guys back in in Smashville and what an
- 41:41opportunity to be a fan and come out and get to meet them in
- 41:43person. Couple things that'll be coming
- 41:45up during the next home stand. It's been so long since we've
- 41:49seen you guys. We figured we'd get the party
- 41:50started early for the first home game back 2 Saturdays from now,
- 41:54January 11th against the Capitals.
- 41:56The game is at 7, but we have a new Bud Light pre game party.
- 42:01We have our Bud Light watch parties.
- 42:03This is a pre game home game party starting at 4:30 on
- 42:07Saturday the 11th before the game at 7 inside Bridgestone
- 42:11Arena at the Bet MGM Sports Lounge which you can enter from
- 42:155th Ave. between Broadway and Demumbrian.
- 42:18Show up at 4:30. Zach McCann will be hosting.
- 42:20It'll be the same as the watch parties on the road.
- 42:22They'll be giveaways, raffles, prizes, dancing, free stuff and
- 42:27the 1st 100 fans in attendance at the Bet MGM Sports Lounge
- 42:30starting at 4:30. We'll get a free Preds puck, so
- 42:34make it happen. Come out early, we miss you
- 42:37guys. Cool.
- 42:38I love it. No purchase necessary and one
- 42:40per person and the restaurant is open to all ages so bring the
- 42:43kids out. A week after that, our Music
- 42:46City bobblehead series continues with Keith Urban.
- 42:51Did you see him? Oh, you, you were in the plane.
- 42:53But we were watching him on the New Year's Eve special.
- 42:55Max Keith Urban come out, get his bobblehead.
- 42:59We just handed out the Tim McGraw one at the last one game.
- 43:03And this is this is number 2 right?
- 43:06Keith Urban in our in our four set giveaway this season.
- 43:09Then later this season we got Vince Gill and Amy Grant
- 43:12together and Jelly Roll. You can go to
- 43:14nashvillepredators.com/theme Nights to see all of those.
- 43:18And that game when you get the Keith Urban bobbles on Saturday,
- 43:21January 18th is also the Preds versus Wild rematch.
- 43:26In the Wild may not be happy with some of the proceedings
- 43:29from the last game and they're injured captain, so there are a
- 43:33lot of reasons to go to that game.
- 43:34There may be some fireworks with Keith Urban bobbling around.
- 43:38I don't know, I feel like we're going to see, we saw a little
- 43:41bit of a Fight Night in Mini and it might be on its way down to
- 43:43Nashville. The annual Nash Vegas Casino
- 43:46Night and Auction presented by King Jewelers is set for Tuesday
- 43:49night, February 4th at Bridgestone Arena.
- 43:52Those of you who have been before know how much fun this
- 43:54is. You sit down, play some poker
- 43:56and the Fred's players will deal you cards and bring you drinks.
- 43:59So it's a fun night. February 4th at Bridgestone
- 44:03Arena. Go to
- 44:04nashvillepredators.com/nashvegas That's Nash Vegas is starting
- 44:08with AG like the one the only Nash Nashville predators.com/G
- 44:13NASHVEGAS and we'll see you on February 4th for one of the best
- 44:19nights of the year with the Preds Foundation.
- 44:22This is one of my favorite events of the year.
- 44:26I feel like last year I did OK on the roulette table with with
- 44:30some of the the fans in the building.
- 44:32But this is a great opportunity for people to come out and it's
- 44:35just so relaxed and it's so fun to play with the players.
- 44:39Yeah, it's a really good time to get pictures and autographs with
- 44:41the players at Nash Vegas on February 4th.
- 44:45One more thing we want to let you know about on the ice at the
- 44:49Ford Ice Centers in Bellevue, Antioch and Clarksville.
- 44:53If you have never ice skated before, regardless of your age
- 44:56and you would like to learn, the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy's
- 44:59Learn to Skate Program presented by Cat Financial is 50% off to
- 45:05start the new year for first time skaters, kids and adults.
- 45:09Just $75.00 for first timers for multiple classes, and classes
- 45:13start this week at Forte Centers in Bellevue, Antioch and the
- 45:18Forte Center in Clarksville, which is part of F&M Bank Arena.
- 45:22Go to nashvillepredators.com/learn to
- 45:25Skate to sign up and see if you're eligible for that half
- 45:28off discount. If you have a New Year's
- 45:30resolution Max, this would be perfect.
- 45:33Get out, learn to skate. So go out and see Scott
- 45:37Hamilton, the greatest American figure skater of all time, who
- 45:40we are lucky to have as our own in Smashville.
- 45:42And on that note, if you're not ready for a class yet, you've
- 45:46never been on the ice before, you can try skating for free at
- 45:50Fordyce Center in Antioch on Monday night, January 27th, and
- 45:54at Fordyce Center in Bellevue the following night, Tuesday,
- 45:57January 28th. You must register online for
- 46:00those first time free skating sessions.
- 46:03Nashville predators.com/learn to Skate.
- 46:07We'll come back with our interview of the week Coming up
- 46:09next, she's Karen Hammer from Preds TV.
- 46:12I'm Max Hurst from Preds Radio. This is the Predators Official
- 46:15Podcast final segment here on the
- 46:29Predators Official Podcast, our first show of the new year.
- 46:33Thank you to everyone who makes these shows possible.
- 46:35Thank you to everyone who listens.
- 46:36Sorry it had been so long, we missed you guys, but great to be
- 46:39back. We will be back sometime next
- 46:41week with another episode either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday
- 46:45once the Preds return home. We do have a Smashville Live
- 46:48next Thursday night. They're usually on Wednesdays,
- 46:51but Thursday night, January 9th, there will be a Smashville Live
- 46:54in Bellevue at Brewhouse 100. We are not sure which players
- 46:58will be there yet, but pal Gil and I will be there.
- 47:01So make sure to come see us before the Preds start a 5 game
- 47:04home stand. Kara.
- 47:06We got to finish things up with what I thought was an
- 47:08exceptional interview in perspective from Preds
- 47:10defenseman Nick Blankenberg. I talked to him before the game
- 47:14on New Year's Eve against the Wild about his resolutions, his
- 47:18goal setting, his perspective, and his journey in hockey and
- 47:21life. Masters in Minnesota with
- 47:24Predators defenseman Nick Blankenberg before the game
- 47:26against the Wild tonight. Nick, happy new year.
- 47:29Are you a resolution guy? Are you a goal setter at all and
- 47:32off seasons or anything like that?
- 47:35Yeah, I guess a little bit like I'll do some journaling probably
- 47:38on the plane ride tonight and just kind of reflect on
- 47:40everything that's happened over the last year.
- 47:42And I guess just self reflect on some areas for me just for
- 47:47personal growth. And I feel like this is kind of
- 47:50like the first few years after college and I'm coming to a
- 47:53point where it's like I'm finally becoming an adult and I
- 47:57feel like it too. So like kind of having that
- 47:59responsibility on myself and I feel like just like a lot of
- 48:04self reflection and yeah. From a hockey perspective, this
- 48:09is the first year when you've changed NHL organizations.
- 48:12What was that like and what led you to the Preds on a two way
- 48:14contract? Yeah.
- 48:16I mean, I think I was fortunate to be like in a rare area where
- 48:22I was like AI think a Group 6 UFA.
- 48:25So it was nice for me, I could choose from whatever team I
- 48:28guess wanted me. So very happy with my decision
- 48:31with Nashville. And that's definitely weird.
- 48:34Like when you're when you get a little bit older and you go from
- 48:38like a new team, like I was in Columbus for two years, but I
- 48:42felt like it, you know, it takes a little while to get
- 48:44comfortable and a situation and a new team in college, you're
- 48:47there for four years and it's the same thing every day for
- 48:49four years in the same same people.
- 48:51So it's been great just getting acclimated here so far.
- 48:55And I mean, everyone's been great so far.
- 48:57I guess I'm wrong in saying that you'd never been a free agent
- 48:59before you were an undrafted free agent.
- 49:01What was that like and how much pride do you take in that
- 49:04journey to become a full time NHL?
- 49:06Are being undrafted coming out of college as an overager.
- 49:09Yeah. I mean, I think the person I am,
- 49:13I wouldn't be the person I am today without having to go
- 49:15through that process. And I think by going through
- 49:18that process, whether if that's being a walk on or being an
- 49:20undrafted free agent, I definitely think going through
- 49:23those just challenging times and I guess betting on myself in
- 49:27some senses shapes me in to the person I am today.
- 49:30So for that, obviously I'm I'm very thankful.
- 49:33So I don't know, I kind of forgot the question but.
- 49:36No, that's perfect. So you started at Michigan as a
- 49:38walk on. At what point did you get a
- 49:40scholarship? My senior year I think I got
- 49:43like a little bit of money. I don't even remember exactly
- 49:46what it was. I mean, I was luckily the hockey
- 49:52careers worked out because I know I was good chunk of change.
- 49:56I was in some student loans. So yeah, like senior year, I
- 50:02think I was on like 20 or 30%. And I know when I committed
- 50:05there my freshman year, obviously that was a when they
- 50:09said, hey, we'll have a spot for you to be a walk on, like
- 50:11talking to my parents, leaving Ann Arbor after my unofficial
- 50:14visit. They're like, hey, like we'll
- 50:15support you and whatever you want to do.
- 50:17Like this is what you want to do.
- 50:18Like we'll find a way to make it work.
- 50:20So obviously very thankful and grateful for them for just
- 50:24giving me like that opportunity and that and that chance.
- 50:26So yeah. And then obviously it paid off.
- 50:31So yeah. You have moments in the NHL
- 50:35where you get to reflect or you get to step back and think about
- 50:38it a bit, Be like, Oh my God, I'm on the same team as Steven
- 50:40Stamkos, things like that. I think like maybe when you
- 50:44first meet the guy like a little bit and then obviously like once
- 50:47you're around him or other like other obviously All Stars are
- 50:51like guys who are legends in the game.
- 50:52It's like they're just just another guy, you know what I
- 50:55mean? Like they're all great dudes and
- 50:57they just love hockey. And obviously I try not to look
- 51:00at guys as just who they are as hockey players, but I think more
- 51:03so is that's who they are outside the ring too and just
- 51:08how they treat people. And obviously everyone's been
- 51:10great here. And I think just in pro hockey,
- 51:12that's been big for me and, and just hockey in general is not
- 51:15putting my identity in, in hockey or in a performance or in
- 51:19a good game or a bad game. And because obviously at the end
- 51:23of the day, like hockey's, hockey's just a game, you know,
- 51:26and there's obviously more to life than hockey and hopefully
- 51:30not for a long time. But when hockey does get isn't
- 51:33in the cards for me anymore, I'll be able to look back and
- 51:37see that this was all kind of part of a process for preparing
- 51:40me for hopefully the father and husband that I'm going to be one
- 51:43day and and mentor to other people and can use my story and
- 51:46my experience to hopefully help others.
- 51:48So. Thank you, Nick.
- 51:49Appreciate your journey. Happy New Year.
- 51:50Yep, Happy New Year. That's Nick Blankenberg,
- 51:52President Wilde coming up next. I I thought that was a great
- 51:56interview talking about how he was sitting on the plane
- 51:59reflecting on what he's been through.
- 52:01When you hear a player walk on at the University of Michigan,
- 52:04know that all of the money is coming out of your pocket to
- 52:07have a college education, play hockey, just to follow your
- 52:11dreams and to have the support of his mom and dad, It it just I
- 52:16he's such a great person, Max. And I feel like it was really
- 52:20shining through in that interview of what type of person
- 52:23he is. But I thought the most
- 52:24interesting part to me was when you asked him about Stamkos.
- 52:27And we've talked about this before when I asked some of the
- 52:30veterans, what's it like having Steven Stamkos on the team and
- 52:32their eyes light up and they know what it's like getting to
- 52:34play with this player. But for him to walk into the
- 52:38locker room and have that reaction right away and then
- 52:40realize, I think this is just a person too.
- 52:42And now I'm living out my dream. Just really cool.
- 52:46Blankenberg very open about his Christian faith and very proud
- 52:50of his Christian faith. He says the journaling is what
- 52:52keeps him grounded in his Christian faith.
- 52:54And I I think he's made that clear in his interviews and
- 52:58getting to know him over these last few weeks how important
- 53:00that is to him. And I appreciate him opening up
- 53:04in the way he did. That's not something I take for
- 53:06granted. So really cool to get that
- 53:08perspective. Yeah, also he, when we had him
- 53:12in our first Star interview after his overtime game-winning
- 53:15goal, I mean, he, he, he, he praised, he, he showed his
- 53:19Christian faith on a national broadcast, and that's really
- 53:22cool to see. Yeah, I hope our fans heard that
- 53:25and appreciated that as well. Back home in Smashville, more
- 53:28games coming up on the road, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg.
- 53:33Again, it starts and ends in Winnipeg.
- 53:35I said that to Andrew Brunette and he said it sounds like a
- 53:38country song and I think he's right.
- 53:40So our life is just a country song at this point.
- 53:42But we'll be back in Smashville next week.
- 53:44We will talk to you guys then. Thank you to Nick Frazier for
- 53:47producing today's episode back home in Nashville.
- 53:50Thank you to The Suit Chase McCabe for his continued support
- 53:52of the Predators Official Podcast and his tolerance of all
- 53:56our ethics. And thanks to all of you for
- 53:58tolerating all of our intents as well.
- 54:00We love you. Happy new year Preds fans.
- 54:02We will talk to you guys next week before the Preds start A5
- 54:05game homestand back in Smashville for Cara Hammer from
- 54:08Fred CV. My name is Max hers from Freds
- 54:11radio. This is the Predators official
- 54:13podcast.