Bill Guerin Interview

00:00:09 Speaker 1: from Meudon Partnership with TSN. Welcome to Episode three of the Ray and Greg's Hockey Podcast Time. Darren Dreger Along with Right Ferraro. Ray. Good Week. 00:00:18 Speaker 2: Well, it's only you know What is it? Tuesday? Yeah, that's a good 00:00:20 Speaker 1: one. I was thinking back to the last polls last week. Yeah, 00:00:23 Speaker 2: busy, you know. Good, Good busy, though. So kids busy commies started to scope. Now she's busy. I'm doing whatever it is that I do. So I'm busy. My son Landon just went to Germany and signed in. Berland it for him? Yeah, he's pumped. He's just had his first practice today. And, um, you know, so lots going on in our host and lots going on in the hockey. 00:00:44 Speaker 1: But what a difference. A couple of weeks making two weeks ago, both of us, of a 1,000,000 balls in the air. I mean, you can't see the end of the preseason and you've got preview shows. You've got all of this stuff, right? And then magically, all of the pieces of the puzzle fall in place and you get into a routine 00:01:01 Speaker 2: for me. It's the end of October is always a time I can kind of exhale a bit. The rosters are set of seasons on 00:01:08 Speaker 2: and you're just going. But before that, Oh my gosh, it's like you got 00:01:13 Speaker 2: every day's scrambled eggs. 00:01:15 Speaker 1: Well, there's his episode three. So another thank you to everyone who has downloaded episodes one and two and has subscribed to the ran drugs hockey podcast. The sport has been outstanding. It's awesome to see how much people seem to be buying in and loving. 00:01:28 Speaker 2: I like the feedback to that. You know that people are enthusiastic about it, that hey, you could doom or this or less of this I. And don't be scared. Don't be scared to share that, because that's the way we're doing the podcast. Not so I can listen to drinks talking because where we want it to be entertaining. You want you guys to have fun. So let us know what you like, what you don't like and and, um, we'll listen to it or not. Yeah, yeah, and radio us accordingly. 00:01:52 Speaker 2: Yeah, you rate us good ratings. We have just know you just you need to drain us. You know you need to be rated so so we can figure out what's the best way to go forward. 00:02:01 Speaker 1: Yeah, and a big thank you to our great sponsors who have jumped onboard early, right out of the gate with a sure health dot C A. You can call them at 1844235 Sure. India chino dot com Remember to use the code ray at checkout and you'll get a great discount there and andy dot see a use code ray 50 at checkout and you'll get $50 off the order 00:02:25 Speaker 1: and the mattresses are tiny. Approved. That's tiny. The Great Dane, My dog. He likes him too. She likes him. She Sorry. D'oh! I don't know what time it was. A she Well, 00:02:37 Speaker 1: you know, you know that. 00:02:41 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I'm probably 00:02:43 Speaker 1: Well, she made her debut on rain dregs Twitter account, and I believe on the website as well, eh? So you can follow us on Twitter at Ray and Regs Instagram account as well. Uh, and of course, Ray and greg's dot com. You can check out our fantasy pool. We're gonna talk about this a little bit 00:03:02 Speaker 2: late. We should talk about it later. How you doing? You're pretty bold after week. 00:03:06 Speaker 1: Well, that I was I was so confident a week ago 00:03:10 Speaker 1: because I forgot that I actually entered another pool. I was sitting in a pub, having a few beers with my body's before the start of the season. And some guy comes up with a pool sheet, you give him 10 bucks and you fill it out. Well, I felt that one out, and that was the one that I was actually following. And that's why I remember I was I said, Jeez, you're not even the top 50. 00:03:30 Speaker 1: Find you on this list. You're looking in the wrong pool. I was happy to rob. 00:03:34 Speaker 2: You're a sharp guy, aren't you, Abou marble brain. 00:03:37 Speaker 1: Anyway, so we're within 10 points of each other, 00:03:40 Speaker 2: and so you would be in second place. Which wouldn't be bad, considering there's only two places in this race. 00:03:46 Speaker 1: I know, I know. I understand that. But again, um, nobody's surprised. I I'm not sure who's leading. I was looking we, though, in the mid eighties and points and I believe the leaders, like around 110. 00:04:00 Speaker 2: I know you're in the mid eighties. 00:04:01 Speaker 1: Okay? 00:04:03 Speaker 1: Yeah. All right. So we've got some great stuff ahead here. in Episode three of the Rain Dregs podcast, including an in studio interview with Billy Garin And what a class act this guy is, I mean 00:04:18 Speaker 1: is sense of humor is second to none really keen eye for hockey talent. Otherwise, you don't get a job as an NHL general manager, but we forget how good a hockey player was. He played well over 1200 games in the NHL. 00:04:32 Speaker 2: Billy was was one of those guys in a far different game. He was a true true power forward. He was mean. He was big, like, you know, we're gonna shake his hand. It's like grabbing onto a bear paw. I mean, he is. He's a he's a He was fast. He played like in a defensive system in Pittsburgh. He played in an offensive or defensive system in Jersey and offensive system in Pittsburgh. He was a shooter, 00:04:59 Speaker 2: always was considered a great teammate, 00:05:03 Speaker 2: and then he went into management. And it's funny, you know, like he gets his first job and you forget that that's a long road behind him in the management, unreal 00:05:11 Speaker 2: on the step that get tau one level to the next level to the next level. And you know the Pittsburgh General managers Tree is, you know, Jimmy Rutherford on. Then there's Jason Botterill in Buffalo. 00:05:23 Speaker 2: Tom Fitzgerald's moved to raise Xiros assistant 00:05:27 Speaker 2: with the New Jersey Devils and now Billy Aaron. And you know so there. They've done something right, managerial wise in Pittsburgh. 00:05:35 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's It's not unique, I would say to the sport. But when you look at at all the good hockey people who have been promoted, you're right. It speaks to ownership to some degree, the stability and the good hirings and and also guys like sure and Rutherford, who aren't afraid to allow their assistance or their front office people toe learn on the job. 00:05:58 Speaker 2: Well, 00:05:59 Speaker 2: I think it's finally 00:06:01 Speaker 2: generally accepted that leadership now is about empowering the people around you to do what they do. Because if you're the smartest guy in the room and you don't take advice from anybody else or input, then why are they gonna work for you? They don't want to work for you. You let them grow. You let them blossom. If they leave, Great. That means you've hired a a great guy to go on to another place and then someone else will come and you teach them to. I mean, that's That's true. True leadership. 00:06:27 Speaker 1: Yeah, we're very pleased to have Bill Garin, the general manager of the Minnesota Wild. Joining us in studio will take you between the benches where Ray wants to talk later in the podcast. Ah, boat roster size and whether or not the Players association should have some concerns with that. I mean, it's cap related, but it is a thing. It is a thing in today's NHL, and we'll also hit you on a number of questions. As part of our segment. Ask gray and drinks. 00:07:01 Speaker 1: It is the rain dregs hockey podcast. This is Episode three we've got while general manager Bill Garin coming up later in the podcast. Ray Ferraro joining us to talk about the five biggest hockey items that caught our attention over the course of the past week since Episode two. And you know, some of the raise is obvious to a point when you look at the teams who are doing well in the regular season standings essentially in the first week of the regular season, 00:07:29 Speaker 1: but would jumps off the standings page. I think for both of us 00:07:34 Speaker 1: is the quick response by the Boston Bruins. I mean, this is a team that went to Game seven of the Stanley Cup, finally didn't go their way, and maybe it's the veteran quality, the leadership, coaching management, all of it combined. But, man, this team has essentially picked up where they left off. 00:07:52 Speaker 1: With the exception, of course, losing that Stanley Cup final? 00:07:55 Speaker 2: Well, they played 24 extra games last year. And while maybe you can forget that if you want to, 00:08:02 Speaker 2: there's a physical toll on that. Not only the physical toll that you get beat up during those games, but now also that your training doesn't start until about six weeks later than it normally would. So that final ended in, you know, in the 20th of June, something like that. And so they're not jumping in the gym. Joe. First, man. They need a break. So you take a break, and now you're running uphill a little bit, too, trying to get into shape. And the fact that the team is almost identical is probably helpful. Yet it can. It can make a sluggish start because guys know that the grind is long. They know they're a good team and they might be slow out of the gate while they're five and one out of the gate. 00:08:44 Speaker 2: They've had excellent goaltending. I think the Bruins, as a tandem, have the best goaltending in the national. Hockey has to be up there, you know, to corral Skinny Roo lack of veteran guys. They both understand who's got the net at the right time. Hull Axe 00:08:58 Speaker 2: thrown a shutout on the board. Already. Rascals had an amazing start to this season and then last night to beat Anaheim for two. 00:09:06 Speaker 2: And David Pastor not gets all four goals, which is crazy. The third time in 13 days there's been a four goal game. Uh, Danielle Manta. And now posture. Knock. He's got six goals on this season, one of my favorite players to watch. I just love watching David Posture, knock, play 00:09:22 Speaker 1: and did you see his postgame? I I mean this what I love about young players like this. I mean, he can deliver. That's pretty obvious offensively, but he's got personality of bottom, right? He talked about the afternoon game, and, uh, I didn't have to think. I just put my suit on. I put my suit on. I look good. I feel good. I knew I was going to have a big game, but what jumped out from his post game comments for me was, 00:09:46 Speaker 1: that's what I get paid for. 00:09:48 Speaker 1: So to him, of course, scoring four Bulls matters. He's not that arrogant, but he's almost shelving it because he's like, Well, you know, I mean, they're paying me a lot of money, you know? And I need to score goals. 00:10:00 Speaker 2: He is, um you know, his contract at $6.6 million Bargain. Oh, my gosh, is that gonna be a great contract for the next five years that it's still on the books? Like what? What an outstanding signing by a guy who got drafted in the twenties 00:10:15 Speaker 2: from the Czech Republic. We saw him with World Junior tournament like that kid's really good. But 00:10:20 Speaker 2: you know what my first thought was when I saw him was Peter Colima No kidding, because he was slick and skilled like Lima was. But his game is enormous. And, of course, the 00:10:31 Speaker 2: you know, lines don't stay together long enough to have a nickname anymore. But in Boston, with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The column. The perfection line and it really is. It's about perfect. 00:10:42 Speaker 1: This is the good guy podcast, and we're going to shift over to another one. Patrick Marleau in a second. I was at a world championship and I had the opportunity to go out for a meal with Pasternak and J. P. Beria's agent and a couple of other folks. And this was prior to him signing extension in Boston, and they got talking about numbers and probably stuff I shouldn't have been listening to. But I'm paying attention. The only thing posture not cared about. He didn't care about what the big number was going to be. He was blown away. That could be in the sixes. 00:11:11 Speaker 1: He wanted enough money so that he could buy his mom a new condo to live in and himself. If there was money left over a nice car. 00:11:20 Speaker 1: You know, 20 years ago that wasn't unusual, right? There's a different generation 00:11:26 Speaker 1: that sounds unusual to me, but it speaks to the character. Oh, Mum, Pasta knock is in a good 00:11:32 Speaker 1: toss again. 00:11:34 Speaker 1: Inevitably, Patrick Marleau signs with the San Jose Sharks, and no one was surprised by this, even though, prior to the start of the season the Sharks made it pretty clear that that was unlikely to happen. Right? Doug Wilson? Just Yeah, he plotted the history of Patrick Marleau with Sharks organization, but it was time to turn the page. Why is this player in this organization such a good fit with 00:11:58 Speaker 2: one another? Some players just fit in a team, and I thought Patrick Marleau and Year one in Toronto was fantastic. He was good in Year two. You could see that the decline was there, that he wasn't able to play the minutes that maybe they had thought he was gonna play. Even though Mike Babcock played him a lot of minutes, his production really fell off the cliff. 00:12:21 Speaker 2: If you can remember back the last year, his best stretch of the season came right after the All Star break. There was a nine day break and he was fresh again and skated well. And then he just started to slide 00:12:32 Speaker 2: in San Jose. You know, it kind of. There was some 00:12:36 Speaker 2: scratchy times there towards the end. He didn't play quite as much as he thought. Now you're 40 years old. You're in a different place mentally, and some people just fit. So he goes back because no training camp. You practiced once and he scores two goals in the opener 00:12:51 Speaker 2: for a team that, by the way, couldn't have looked worse coming out of the gate. So what San Jose's plan was, they were gonna give these young guys a chance to play. And Marlowe, who took the biotin Carolina because he was hoping to play back home where his family is now, all they're all together. But e 00:13:09 Speaker 2: they've won two in a row. They look terrible. Three young guys didn't quite pan out the way Doug Wilson thought and under the radar for the last 15 years. I don't know that anybody's done a better job of keeping their team relevant. And Doug Wilson? He's made tough decisions on players. I'm sure it was not easy to not signed your level ski, but he's looking at the cap. He's looking. He's got to get Meyer signed. You know what? He's got to get Hurdle sign, 00:13:33 Speaker 2: give these young guys a chance. That didn't work. Here's Patrick Marleau with 700 00:13:36 Speaker 1: grand. 00:13:38 Speaker 1: Speaking of Pavelski, why don't we rapid fire through a few things here. Wrap up our biggest items of the week. 00:13:45 Speaker 1: The Dallas Stars stumbling out of the gate. Likewise with the New Jersey Devils, who, at the point of our recording of the rain dregs podcast winless in six. 00:13:54 Speaker 2: We'll start with Dallas. I'm not sure what the deal is there, but there always seems to be some tension or unmet expectations. In Dallas, they line up. Looks like it should be better. They've really struggled out of the gate. Pavelski doesn't look good at all in Dallas, and I would have thought their power play would be really good. Remember how good Pavelski was in San Jose, while he also had Brent Burns shooting it at his stick and nobody tipped the puck better? It doesn't quite fit yet. They're gonna get Corey Perry back. As for Jersey, they were man, They were a preseason choices is one of the up and coming teams at a fantastic summer. It appeared 00:14:29 Speaker 2: Jack uses going through some growing pains as the number one draft pick, which is entirely predictable, but they can't keep the pocket of their net. They they gave up five straight goals to lose 00:14:41 Speaker 2: to Florida the other day, and I would say the heat gets a little a little uncomfortable on John Heinz right now. 00:14:48 Speaker 1: We've got some shot blocking casualties this season. The most recent being next are almost done with the Arizona Coyotes. Cracked fibula. Three months. And then you tagged out onto the Oilers, losing Adam Larson early with a fractured fibula, both because of shot blocking. I mean, it's not going anywhere but, man. Those are two big losses. 00:15:10 Speaker 2: Well, and the losses really could be tied to the new stick. The velocity of the shot 00:15:15 Speaker 2: is higher on average. I mean, I don't have a stat, but I can tell you just watching it when I'm standing on the ice down the the average shot velocity is much greater than it's ever been. And so a shin pad could only be a shin pad, 00:15:29 Speaker 2: and a glove can only be a glove like the padding in the shin pads is better. But if you catch that a little bit off the side, you're gonna end up with this injury and man shot blocking used to be a request, and now it's a demand. No, Um, and this is a consequence of that, and it sucks for these guys, and it hurts their team to be hurt this way. 00:15:51 Speaker 1: Let's talk about fume or individual players and great starts. Um, you know, you've got drowned with the Montreal Canadians. 00:15:59 Speaker 1: Seems to be a bit of a media whipping boy. Or at least ah, beacon for speculation, trade and otherwise, off to a great start. Patrick Lining and Winnipeg off to a great start. And Victor Olafsson. 00:16:13 Speaker 1: Does 00:16:13 Speaker 2: anyone have them in their pool? 00:16:15 Speaker 1: Well, maybe people are scrambling now. But a nanny to record 00:16:19 Speaker 1: 1st 7 goals, all on the power plates, unbelieving 00:16:23 Speaker 2: can that could shoot the pocket. I mean, like he's buffaloes. Power play is extremely dangerous. Early off, you know, off the sat here and Olafsson shoots that one timer from the right circle. Um, and Manny can deliver it. Jonathan Drew. It is there's a 00:16:38 Speaker 2: ah, a unique set of pressure. Always gonna be on Drew and playing in Montreal is a French Canadian kid. There's a great expectation and hope that he will be a leader. Last year, the Canadians missed the playoffs by two points. Drawing went pointless in 18 of the last 20 games. If he has just any kind of run, maybe they make it. We changed up his training this summer. He's off to a fantastic start. He looks like, in my opinion, he should look. And as for Lining, of course, he had the much publicized contract dispute, and 00:17:08 Speaker 2: he said that he wanted to play with the best players. And 00:17:11 Speaker 2: he's playing with Wheeler and shapely. And that line is smoke and hot out of the gate. Shray Flea is a terrific player. Wheeler's been 00:17:18 Speaker 2: amazing the last few years. In line a looks like he's he's out to say that 30 goals is the is the floor for him. 00:17:25 Speaker 1: What's been a great week in the national ocular ego will 00:17:29 Speaker 1: investigate. How great is part of our fantasy hockey pool, and you can check out some of the results on rain dregs dot com while general manager Bill Garren will join us in studio here in Episode three of the Rain Dregs podcast and the popular segment Throat Punch. Yeah, we're gonna have some fun there as well. 00:17:49 Speaker 1: We want to thank our friends in India Chino for supporting the ray and dregs hockey podcast Ray I haven't had the opportunity yet to get to Mendocino here in Toronto, but I can't wait because based on what I've heard from you, the experience is second to none. Well, drinks. I 00:18:04 Speaker 2: went in last week to get measured up. It is awesome. It was unbelievably simple. I walk in the store in Vancouver, I hook up with Cole, who was gonna help me through the measurements and and kind of steer me towards what kind of styles I described to him that I like. And I couldn't believe how simple it was, how straightforward it was. Look, they make suits, the shirt, the outer wear. Anything that you really want is there. You get the exact measurement. You personalize whatever details you want your lapels. I think I got a couple of cool linings in there and monogrammed it up. Chose the fabric. And here's the best part. The packages delivered straight to you. I have an email on my phone in a week. It's already been made, and it's on the way. It will show up at my house. Could it be any easier than that? 00:18:47 Speaker 1: Not It's perfect, and I can't wait to see how they Taylor to my muscular frame. So, my gosh, 00:18:54 Speaker 1: start your style. Upgrade now with $30 off your total purchase of $399 or more at India chino dot com. When entering Ray at checkout plus, shipping is free. That's India chino dot com promo code R A I ray for $30 off your total purchase of $399 or more. Incredible deal for made to measure clothing. You really have no excuse anymore. Toe wear clothing THAT Doesn't fit 00:19:36 Speaker 1: Laurie. It's been, Ah, good. Three weeks, three episodes. We opened up the rain dregs podcast with Paul Marie's Joining Us as our inaugural guest were on site extra effort with Ryan O'Reily Fox, My foreigner Stanley Cup champion with the St Louis Blues and now in studio no less is the newly minted general manager of the Minnesota Wild, Billy Garin, our first general manager. This is a big day. Where do we go from here? Are you comfortable with ownership? Should we bring an owner? And next time I'm not comfortable 00:20:08 Speaker 1: beyond, I'll pick the owner. I'll go through the teams that have played for there's gotta be one or 21 would be okay if you could find one belly. How you doing? 00:20:16 Speaker 2: I'm doing great. I'm doing great. Thanks for having me. And this is 00:20:19 Speaker 2: It's Ah, it's nice to be in studio. And I'm honored to be the first gm on your own. Yes. This 00:20:24 Speaker 1: is great. Well, we'll ask you how honored you are at the end of the interview and see if your mood changes at any point. It probably will. 00:20:31 Speaker 1: How are you enjoying your time? I mean it. It's not like you're a raw rookie. I mean, by by virtue of the title General manager. Yes, of course. But, you know, you get a tremendous amount of a management experience that you earned with the Pittsburgh Penguins. You interviewed for more than one general general manager job before you land this one in Minnesota. But how are you enjoying the first few months on and 00:20:55 Speaker 2: I'm loving it. And, uh, you know what? It's Ah, 00:20:59 Speaker 2: obviously it's a dream job, something I worked hard for. And, you know, finally, 00:21:05 Speaker 2: you know, see it come through. It's just, you know, I'm thrilled and, you know, I know the lattes been talked about like the timing of it and, you know, a little bit unorthodox, but I'm I'm fine with it. And it was it was a great time to get the job. Anytime you get a job like this, it's It's great. So I've ah, you know, everybody in Minnesota has been extremely helpful. You know, I've got a great staff. Guys like Tom Curve is Krystle Hearn. 00:21:31 Speaker 2: Matt sells. These guys have been holding my hand. Kinda. They had everything teed up for me. Ready to go. Everything was organized and very comfortable. 00:21:40 Speaker 2: How is ah, how was this interview process different than previous ones for you? 00:21:45 Speaker 2: Well, because I interviewed with the same team about 15 months before, All right, So I had a had a comfort level with with Craig and with mat maker, 00:21:57 Speaker 2: I kind of had a 00:21:59 Speaker 2: a feeling of what? They were looking for their easy guys to talk to a CZ. Well, uh, they just 00:22:06 Speaker 2: they put you at ease, and, um, you know, way could just kind of dial right in, but I was comfortable with it. It was, 00:22:14 Speaker 2: you know, like like I told Craig, I said the the interview process was actually fun and 00:22:21 Speaker 2: not Not all that difficult in my mind, but the waiting was hard. 00:22:26 Speaker 2: Right now I gotta break. Craig had a family vacation planned. So after my 00:22:31 Speaker 2: you know, after my first interview, he went away for a week. So I was kind of in limbo. 00:22:36 Speaker 2: And then after the second interview, Umm it was almost another week before I heard from him again. 00:22:43 Speaker 2: So the waiting was harder than anything. Did the timing of it make it feel way more urgent? Because clearly, most interviews for general manager spots or months before they're in April or May or when it Tim has made a change. But now you're in the August. I mean, he's gonna hire a GM, and it's gonna be soon. And you're clearly in the in the short list here. You know, I was I mean, I had everything organized ready for the season, you know, in Pittsburgh 00:23:09 Speaker 2: and I was ready to go. This change takes place, and I'm like, Oh, all this, 00:23:14 Speaker 2: You know, I could have a shot at this. And then when I felt things like momentum picking up, 00:23:19 Speaker 2: I was like, Oh, wow. You know, my wife care and I were talking like, 00:23:23 Speaker 2: you know, this This could happen, you know. What are we going? What are we gonna? D'oh. 00:23:28 Speaker 2: But thank like all our our four kids are all set up in their in their schools and and you know where they are. So we knew if we had to move, we wouldn't have to find hockey teams or soccer teams on the cross teams or strangles or anything like that. You notice how a list of sports first before? Before that, we'll get to the school, But yeah, I figured that out. So it just it just gained momentum in, and, uh, you know what happened? But like the first couple weeks, like everybody says, it's like drinking out of a fire hose. 00:24:00 Speaker 2: But I've enjoyed I've enjoyed every day of it. I'm 00:24:04 Speaker 2: I'm happy going to work every day. I've still never worked a day in my life. You know, I just enjoyed this. This'll world is 00:24:11 Speaker 2: It's amazing. The working 00:24:13 Speaker 1: it really is. Now Are you an easy going manager in the sense, you know, we in television love that cutaway shot, you know, depending on who the manager is, but we'll we'll cut to the press box. You know after a goal is scored. Four goals scored against. And there's some guys that are more emotional than others. When you're watching the Minnesota Wild play now is the general manager. You're feeling the pain of of the losses and everything that goes into it. 00:24:40 Speaker 2: Yeah, you you feel you feel the pain you feel for the players. You feel for the coaches because you see everything that they put into it all the hard work. You know, this is a good group. This is a good group of guys. They they work extremely hard, the coaching staffs very dedicated. So when when you do all that and you don't get results, it you get frustrated for them. I mean, I knew we would eventually win a game. 00:25:05 Speaker 2: Um, but when you see, we were in every other game and we were just do things that they cost us and that, you know, that gets frustrating. I like to 00:25:17 Speaker 2: I think I have a cool head, you know, sometimes all you know, if they show me on TV and if I look calm, I might be biting my lip. I do have a fused, but it's some days. It short some days. It's long, um, you know, I I just try toe. I try to keep my composure and, 00:25:35 Speaker 2: you know, kind of lead by example. You left playing and then pretty much quickly went into management. Um, who would you say he's had the biggest influence on 00:25:44 Speaker 2: the manager that you will become? Well, um, obviously I worked a long is for Jim. And, uh, you know, Jim's had a huge impact on my career. How does Jim Rutherford been a general manager, by the way? 30 years 00:25:59 Speaker 2: coming up on 30. So he's probably seen just about a 00:26:02 Speaker 2: chair. He has seen everything. And 00:26:07 Speaker 2: when I would walk into his office like Jim, we got a problem. You know, this is this is really gonna, you know, blow up. And he just kind of look up and be like, Okay, 00:26:16 Speaker 2: like nothing. 00:26:18 Speaker 2: Nothing ruffled his feathers, 00:26:20 Speaker 2: and that was good for me to see, because, 00:26:23 Speaker 2: I mean, he's seen it all, and he's handled it all. He's put out more fires and 00:26:27 Speaker 2: and then you can imagine and continues to do it every day. So, you know, like 00:26:33 Speaker 2: I learned a lot from Jim, I learned a lot from Ray 00:26:36 Speaker 2: Ray gave me my start and probably gave me the 00:26:41 Speaker 2: the most important bit of advice like before even 00:26:45 Speaker 2: started working. He said. Billy, my my fear is a former player that wants a paycheck of title and a business card and 00:26:56 Speaker 2: doesn't want to work. 00:26:57 Speaker 2: And that that hit me. That hit me hard because, 00:27:02 Speaker 2: you know, following you know, Tommy fits Tommy Fitzgerald helped me out a lot. Jason Batra. 00:27:08 Speaker 2: Um you know, a number of number of our scouts in Dan MacKinnon, who is our director of player personnel, helped me out a lot. You just see how hard these guys work. And that was It was a great example for me to follow. And so I had a lot of people impact. Uh, you know, my post playing career. I 00:27:27 Speaker 2: you know, I worked some really great people. 00:27:29 Speaker 1: Well, will you lean on those experiences when you're faced with your first difficult big decision? Whether that's creating a very popular player or players within the organization? Inevitably, a general manager has to make a decision on a coach at some point firing, hiring all of that. Have you thought about those things not specific. To what? Yeah, yeah, just the reality. You know, you're going, You're going to face it sooner than later. 00:27:56 Speaker 2: Yeah, I have. I've thought about it, you know, because you know, I'm evaluating our team right now and, you know, you play out scenarios in your head and, 00:28:05 Speaker 2: you know, I I know. You know, Ray, you know the feeling to like 00:28:10 Speaker 2: getting traded his tough sucks. And so when you're when you're thinking about 00:28:17 Speaker 2: trading a player, you really have to you know, it's tough to take the human element out of it like I've been through it. You know? I've been through 00:28:26 Speaker 2: it and and it's hard. So you know that that what you're gonna kind of 00:28:30 Speaker 2: cause in that player's life is traumatic family. Yeah, Yeah, it's not an easy thing. So I really try to take that into account and just, you know, I'll do what I have to do for the hockey team. And if we can make, we can make it better. We're gonna make it better on I guess. The good thing is that I have been through that experience to, and I know that the player will come through on the other side to know you took over late in August and all the staff was in place. I heard this one phrase about a management staff that I thought was really, really cool. Really applicable. Is every general Manager needs a Yeah, but guy 00:29:06 Speaker 2: Ah, a guy that says Well, hang on. Yeah, but what about this? Um, 00:29:11 Speaker 2: do you have that already? And how helpful would it be? 00:29:15 Speaker 2: Yes, I do. I have people that, um, 00:29:18 Speaker 2: will challenge me and will 00:29:22 Speaker 2: will give their honest opinions. You don't want Yes, men. That's the last thing that I don't. I don't like where you come from being that with Jim Rutherford or here in the past, because they don't They don't want Yes, men. They don't want people just to agree with them. They want they want to hear your They have you on board for your 00:29:40 Speaker 2: for your experience, for your opinion. And if they're asking you, they want to hear you honestly. And like I told my guys, I don't need them to agree with me. 00:29:50 Speaker 2: And in the end, it will be my car. 00:29:52 Speaker 2: But I I I want their honest opinion and yeah, you know what there have already been. Ah Thanh of situations where I have talked to to the guys around me, and they've said, Slow down. You might not want to do that right now. Just think about it this way, and I have and it's Ah, it's been good for me Is the patient's tough right now. The patient's is stuff. Yeah, but I 00:30:20 Speaker 2: I think when you when you look back and you see this, the guys that have been successful at the start, they've all had patients, 00:30:29 Speaker 2: they've all 00:30:31 Speaker 2: they've all tried to make the best evaluation of what they have, um and then moved from there. And, you know, we're still 00:30:39 Speaker 2: I mean, we're only five games into this season. I mean, I haven't even been on the job 00:30:44 Speaker 2: for two months, so it's it's, it's I have to be patient. And I think, 00:30:50 Speaker 2: you know, I think everybody deserves 00:30:53 Speaker 2: the ah, the opportunity to to prove themselves. And I'd like to give them that, you know, coaching staff players, 00:31:01 Speaker 2: you know, hockey ops, staff, scouting staff, you know, equipment guys, medical guy, everybody, you know. And this is, uh, there's a lot to take in, but so far, so good. I'm I've been really, really happy. 00:31:14 Speaker 1: You remember who is your first general manager? Call back. And I mean, g m's are always on the phone, right? You're trying to improve your roster. You've got this player maybe doesn't seem to be a fit with your team. Who is? Who is the first guy that tried to pick your pocket? 00:31:27 Speaker 2: Jim, 00:31:29 Speaker 2: Hey, I got a guy for you, you know? You know what? You know, Jim, Jim, Jim's calling. We talk. We talked a couple times a week, and, um, 00:31:39 Speaker 2: it is it's good to talk to him because he knows me, right? I know him. There's a comfort level there. 00:31:46 Speaker 2: And, you know, we we we can speak openly about about our teams and what's going on, and but just it's just been more of like, uh, 00:31:56 Speaker 2: just just talking. Yeah, yeah. Now, when we played against each other and, um, and through your career, you've got quite a reputation as is a pretty funny guy. 00:32:07 Speaker 2: Now, 00:32:09 Speaker 2: I don't know that that slides into the general manager's suit as well, but how much of you do you have to park now that you're like a big, serious general manager. Yeah, that's that's something like, 00:32:23 Speaker 2: I wrestled with it, too, because, you know, it is a It's a big job. 00:32:28 Speaker 2: But you know how many guys have You know what? I have to be me too late. I think if I was, if I was Joe serious, 00:32:36 Speaker 2: you know everybody and everybody in the hockey world that knows me would be like, Well, that's a good act, you know? So but there, you know, it was just like when I played, though. I mean, hey, look, I had all the fun in the world and I love the crack jokes and practical jokes and make fun of guys and, you know, you're the fashion police and make fun of guys suits and there's still time for that. But when I played, there was always that switch to you know what? When it's game time and it's time to be serious, you flip that switch and you're ready to go when you work. 00:33:07 Speaker 2: And I have that I've had that my post playing career, too, because 00:33:12 Speaker 2: you know what you have to have. You have to have fun in this job in this world and and and I do that now and they look it when it's ready. When it's time to work, 00:33:21 Speaker 2: we all better be ready to work. Have you had a call with if you had a call with Mark Merger van yet? Because I played. I played with bro. Yeah, you know, I've had I've had a call with version already. And I'm like, Oh, my God, is this a joke? Because he's like, when is when is he gonna When's he going to give me the punch line, 00:33:38 Speaker 2: huh? You know what's coming next, But but birds is actually ah, very helpful. And you gave me a 00:33:47 Speaker 2: a call, right when I got the job and we talked for about 20 minutes, and, uh, you know, he's been through it too, and he was very, very helpful, but yeah, I'm always waiting for the hammer to drop 00:33:59 Speaker 2: yet. Yeah, Yeah, we're gonna be in Montreal and on Thursday, and I'm I'm sure he'll try to shoot, check me or something, you know, But, uh, you know, I like I saw him on TV. May be his last year. A couple of years ago, coming out of the g m means and he had the plant in front of his face for men. But, you know, you gotta love that. That's that's That's Marc Bergevin. 00:34:20 Speaker 1: Now there is the infamous story. I'm not suggesting that you're going to do this with your team, because it wouldn't be right making omelets in the jocks. 00:34:29 Speaker 1: So it is. 00:34:31 Speaker 1: You have to You have to relate that story because part of me, even though I know you pretty well as this, Ray, obviously, we have a deep appreciation for your sense of humor. I mean, tell the story because I feel against been exaggerated over time 00:34:46 Speaker 1: or not. 00:34:48 Speaker 2: No, no. I don't know what you're hearing the story. 00:34:52 Speaker 2: Well, I 00:34:53 Speaker 2: I lost the shoot. Well, so in Pittsburgh, we would do shoot outs day before a game. And it was It was There was always ah, consequence for losing. You know, you had mustache, boy, 00:35:04 Speaker 2: you know, magazine boy, like if you have to buy magazines for the locker room, all right? And this particular time we had we had omelette boy 00:35:12 Speaker 2: and the guy who lost a shootout had to make guys omelets the next day and I lose. I lose the shoot out. Believe it or not. I look across the shootout. You went top glove again, you know. Yeah, Exactly. Yeah, Yeah. Morse code, that thing right in there. Um 00:35:29 Speaker 2: and I said, You know what, son of a son of a gun. These guys, they're gonna pay their goalie's gonna really pay that. He didn't let me score. And the guys showed up the next one. And I had a 00:35:42 Speaker 2: I just a jock strap on in a chef's hat. 00:35:46 Speaker 2: And so in the a soy only I only had to make, like to Ali, I don't want nobody was lining up, 00:35:54 Speaker 2: But it's all in good fun and trying to keep the guys loose. And yeah, that was, uh, that was it. Do you not notice? I'm sure you have. But since you moved to management side and I've noticed since I got into this, but 00:36:08 Speaker 2: you can't really explain what a locker room is unless you're in one like it never quite seems toe 00:36:17 Speaker 2: to jive with what the regular 00:36:20 Speaker 2: folk would see because they look in there and like, that's dumb. What that joke was is silly. That's yeah, you're right. It's all that. So it's weird, isn't it? toe have to turn that page of it. It's silly. I mean, when you know 00:36:36 Speaker 2: the beauty of professional sports is that you don't really have to grow up at all that quickly. You know, in some ways you doing in some ways you don't. You can always have your your 00:36:46 Speaker 2: childish fun and stuff like that, but that 00:36:49 Speaker 2: there's a lot of pressure. And sometimes the pressure gets so 00:36:54 Speaker 2: thick that you just you need a tension breaker. 00:36:58 Speaker 2: And you know what? Like, hey, look, you're you're going into these. You're going into these games that are you know, they're high stakes or you're going in the, you know, the playoffs. There's that. There's a lot on the line and it's just it's just that environment. And sometimes you just Like I said, you just need to break that tension. And because he can't play tight, my wife can be reminded me of something that happened in L. A. When I was playing there. And, you know, I'm sure there were guys that were easy marks for your practical jokes, right? Oh, yeah. Well, I was an easy mark because I get pissed off, and every so the guys in L. A. We were in Pittsburgh in the old in the a glue and they took my sticks and they taped, um, on the pipes at the top of the room because they knew a I wouldn't see him and be Once I saw them, I was too short to get. 00:37:44 Speaker 2: So I didn't realize this, and I guess the guys were watching me walk through the room and I've stomping around and kick in a garbage can And I was the easy mark. Oh, for sure. Is there a guy that was an easy mark, you know, because of just the way they reacted with Joe. God, I I can't remember if there is just one e I I considered everybody a mark and just 00:38:06 Speaker 2: I mean, like like you said, there's this It's just fun. It was just fun to do, like, 00:38:12 Speaker 2: you know what, Putting catch, crawling under a table and putting ketchup on a guy shoe was so much fun, 00:38:19 Speaker 2: you know? And then you had the one guy like I think it was Troy Mallette way back and my first couple of jersey years he would be under the buffet table 00:38:28 Speaker 2: and everybody would be going by and he'd be put in chocolate syrup or ketchup on everybody. Shoo! That's a heck of an effort. Yeah, 00:38:35 Speaker 2: that's a solid fo. It was It was unbelievable. So, stuff like that, 00:38:40 Speaker 2: um anything was said like, Oh, yeah, Yeah. Your favorite one was Crosby. There must be a couple. Yeah, he he was good. Like, Well, 00:38:49 Speaker 2: you know, I I don't even know if he knows this. But Pasqua, I got Pascal to play a couple of times. I Could he be out of practice? I threw my back out one time. I just feel his pocket pockets with coffee grounds. So we go to put his, you know, go to get his keys or something like that. 00:39:04 Speaker 2: But then I also I also put Tiger Balm 00:39:08 Speaker 2: in his underwear. Nice. So by the time he's 00:39:11 Speaker 2: too late, by the time you start feeling it, stuff like that he's on a halfway is dry. 00:39:19 Speaker 2: Billy Huer got me like that one night it was in Vancouver and I was in warm ups and I'm like, Whoa, 00:39:25 Speaker 2: something something's going on. Something's not right. I I'm in pain. I look over in the corner, Billy here it is dying, laughing 00:39:34 Speaker 2: like you, son. Uh 00:39:37 Speaker 2: huh. 00:39:38 Speaker 2: Said was always good about it. And I like Tonto. I don't want to see It was an easy target, but he was a fun target. Yeah, you know. Yeah. Serious guys air the focus, guys, they're They're easy marks. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But then there are also the ones that 00:39:57 Speaker 2: I think they appreciate it the most to think in the end. They're like, You know what? That was actually pretty funny. Yeah. Now, is there anything Billy that, um now that you're in the big chair that you thought you knew, 00:40:09 Speaker 2: that doesn't play out 00:40:11 Speaker 2: in the same way. Have you come across anything at her? Yeah. I mean, quite a bit. But you know what? The I guess the 00:40:19 Speaker 2: the first thing is, how many phone calls you you get 00:40:23 Speaker 2: and James just want to talk now. And you just kind of like getting a pool. Yeah, you're kind of kicking tires and just see him. Just just what's going on. The really cool thing is that every every GM in the league reached out pretty much and everybody's been like, helpful. It's It's almost like you're in this 00:40:43 Speaker 2: little fraternity and and, ah, 00:40:46 Speaker 2: but they always just say If you need ah, you know, 00:40:49 Speaker 2: run something by somebody, just give me a call. If you need help with any, then give me a call like that. Everybody's been 00:40:56 Speaker 2: been, uh, been helpful. And But I guess the one thing with the job is like there's just so much there's there's a lot of other things that you have to they have to deal with, you know, on the business side, you have to, 00:41:08 Speaker 2: you know, with budgets and business meetings and things like that. Um, 00:41:12 Speaker 2: there's a lot. There's a lot going on on top of the hockey 00:41:15 Speaker 1: one. And the reality is, situation is, I'm reminded this. We all know it. You better like your team coming out of training camp, right? Because of the cap situation. Everything else until you get to a few weeks outside of the trade deadline or you're into the off season now and you're looking at the draft, you're looking at free. There's not a lot you can do is 00:41:36 Speaker 2: no, there's not, and everybody's everybody's in the same 00:41:41 Speaker 2: in the same spot right now. Coming out of training camp You're right. You should like your team. So you're going to give your team a chance. So if you don't like your team, 00:41:50 Speaker 2: there's very, very few partners trading partners out there. You sure get a lot of help from the media. You need this. You really We didn't notice. It s over. See how helpful were? Yeah, that's how I get all my information. 00:42:05 Speaker 1: But it's saying that, I mean, that is an aggressive market, right? Yes. Minnesota. You know, the the group, the gaggle of media that 00:42:15 Speaker 1: When? When? When Minnesota played the Jets. Couple of years ago in the playoffs. You know, you've got my Crusoe. You've got Sarah. You've got the list of beat reporters. They'd all sit 00:42:26 Speaker 1: in the front row and just Pepper Boudreau and it, you know, there was. There was no cadence to it. It wasn't like somebody from Winnipeg, er, national media had a question, right? They just weren't given an opportunity because wild of beat reporters were just 00:42:42 Speaker 2: bang bang. Yeah. I mean, hey, look, they call it the state of hockey for a reason, and it's 00:42:48 Speaker 2: hockey is in the it's in. The culture is in the fabric of how people live their life. Everybody plays hockey at some level. I mean, 00:42:58 Speaker 2: people still skate on the ponds out there. It's It's really, like, still like grassroots stuff. Sure, you know what the I was in? Ah, I was in one of our vice president meetings the other day and and one of the guys said, You know, we're rolling out our junior wild program in 21 rinks. 00:43:16 Speaker 2: I said, 21 8 00:43:18 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's not even 00:43:20 Speaker 2: That's just in, like, kind of like, uh, you know, 30 mile radius. 00:43:25 Speaker 2: I mean, it is the state of hockey there. 00:43:27 Speaker 2: They love it. And, ah, you know, there's a lot of media attention and 00:43:33 Speaker 2: the fan's air knowledgeable. They know what's going on. But I I love that. You know what? That's a great hockey market. That's what you want. 00:43:40 Speaker 1: We're gonna let you go here. But, I mean, I'd be remiss if if I didn't bring up something that you might have on rape from the playing days. I mean, I'm sure you like to trip on the ice you weren't afraid of. 00:43:52 Speaker 2: Oh, he doesn't know. I know, he chirped. I was 00:43:56 Speaker 2: You know what? It was just funny, cause I do remember chirping with Ray once. And I was I got the bench. I'm like, God, this guy's angry 00:44:04 Speaker 2: saw. Like, why is he still mad at me? But he was He was just angry. You were being angry. Drone score. 00:44:13 Speaker 2: God, I do remember this because I was playing for the Devils. You were playing for the Islanders, and I was watching one of your games. It was an off night. I was watching Sports Channel. Oh, so so But I do remember you guys had some sort of outing that they were showing in between 00:44:29 Speaker 2: between periods. And Steve Thomas took off his shoes and he was kneeling down on top of his shoes and he started saying, Hi, I'm ready for our 00:44:40 Speaker 2: I don't know if you remember that, but I don't know what they want. 00:44:44 Speaker 2: And Stumpy is no giant. No, You know what? He used to stand beside me and prompt guys to measure because he was, like, half an inch taller, that he would do that and tape a fake mustache. A ll the time, boys, 00:44:58 Speaker 2: if I could have beat him up. Except the one time we fought he beat me to a tough Well, I found out halfway through the fight. He was a middleweight champ of the world. It was a terrible time to find out he knew how to fight, and I didn't know it was in Chicago. 00:45:11 Speaker 2: It was not, didn't go Well, yeah, I I do remember that, though. It was so funny. You guys were playing like Minister Cough, and he's kneeling on it. 00:45:20 Speaker 2: Hey, I'm Ray Ferraro. I 00:45:24 Speaker 2: was great 00:45:25 Speaker 1: on that. No, Billy, we gotta thank you for taking the time to get a man. You've been on a bit of a media world wind tour here in your tour through Canada. So thanks for joining us. Absolutely 00:45:36 Speaker 1: broadcast. We wish you all the 00:45:38 Speaker 2: best is great. Thanks, fellas. Over. Billy, Thank you for having a great time and enjoy. You've been a lot of years in the in the making to be to be a GM, so all the best. Thanks. I appreciate it, guys. Thank you. 00:45:49 Speaker 1: Class act. Bill Garin, the general manager of the Minnesota Wild Ray. When you look at this wild team, 00:45:56 Speaker 1: you know, Bill's not afraid of getting his hands dirty. You know, he does need to be patient. Takes some time, Get to know everybody. Front office, you know, associated with the team, on the ice, all of that stuff. But from an analyst perspective, How much work does he have to do? 00:46:10 Speaker 2: He's got lots. The Minnesota Wild have resisted a rebuild for a few years now, and now they're behind 00:46:18 Speaker 2: there, stuck in the middle of 00:46:20 Speaker 2: the pack, and I don't really see a clear road out for them, given their current roster. So the changes he's gonna have to make your going to involve significant players on the roster. 00:46:32 Speaker 2: They've got money tied up for seven more years on Zach Parisi and Ryan Suter. They've got a couple of years with Eric stole like Devin Duke. Nick's got a couple of years like they've got some significant pieces that Aaron the core of their lineup they signed before he was fired. Paul Fenton signed Matt Zuccarello for five years and $30 million. There's gonna be some difficult days in Minnesota's a transition towards some of their newer players and players they don't even have yet. 00:46:58 Speaker 1: Well, obviously we'll keep you posted on the rise or the fall of the Minnesota Wild Moving forward. 00:47:05 Speaker 1: A big thanks for friends at andy dot c for supporting the rain dregs hockey podcast. Ray, how is your first night sleep on your nd mattress? 00:47:13 Speaker 2: It was actually fantastic, first of all, and he makes it easy. I mean, we ordered it with their free fast Shipping showed up just a couple of days later in a box. It's about as big as a goalie bag. It was really easy. We just opened it up, got it on the bed. We found it's super comfortable. I had a really great sleep. What? I really like those. I get hot when I sleep. They call it a real breathe herbal mattress. I say I just made me feel cool through the night. Both Cammy and I loved it. Um, we slept well. We didn't feel hot really recommended. 00:47:40 Speaker 1: How about this rating? 4.8 star rating from their customers with over 10,000 reviews. That's why I nd is called the Great Canadian Mattress. They've got ah, 100 night trial with Andy. So if you don't absolutely love your new Andy mattress within the 1st 100 nights will pick it up. They'll give you a full refund and it's backed by a 10 year warranty, too. 00:48:03 Speaker 2: Yeah, right now, if you go to andy dot see a, they've gotta sleep now. Pay later. Promotion zero down, 0% interest free financing. And you gotta love that. They're made in Canada. 00:48:14 Speaker 1: So get Tandy dot c and enter the code Ray 50. That's Ray 50 and you'll get $50 off your order. That's the code Ray 50 at checkout at andy dot C. A 00:48:42 Speaker 1: time for throat punch and, uh, as we explain on a weekly basis, and soon we're not gonna have to explain the segment in its entirety. It doesn't have to be someone it can be. Someone doesn't have to be a team or something. Just generally something that that caught your eye over the course of the week that you feel 00:49:04 Speaker 1: needs 00:49:05 Speaker 1: some attention negatively speaking on, we call it the throat punch. And I'm gonna start with the overall concussion protocol as it's applied two goaltenders and in the speaking Minnesota and Bill Garin uh, Wild played the Ottawa Senators on Monday night, and Craig Anderson took escaped to the side of the head, actually, more to the mask and temple area as Jason Zucker of the Wild was getting to the net. I mean, his head snapped back. He was a significant blow. He goes down, he gets up on all fours and you can see him clearly shaking his head. Dom Nikola is the trainer for the Ottawa Senators. Comes out. He evaluates, 00:49:48 Speaker 1: takes 30 seconds or so to determine that Craig Anderson is good and play continues. Now for people who don't understand, it's either mandatory or it's discretionary. There's in arena spotters. There is the central spotters in New York. They've got to determine whether or not it's a mandatory pulled to remove the goaltender or the player or of its discretion. And obviously it was discretionary because Nicholas came out and and he made the assessment. I guess the reason that I offer the process as the throat punch candidate, 00:50:20 Speaker 1: I just don't know where. What sort of scenario are we going to see where they pull the goaltender? Because there needs to be a combination of the visible sign which I think was there and the mechanism of injury, which I think was there with a skate hitting this guy in the head. 00:50:36 Speaker 1: That confuses me. I think a lot of people are confused by it. And for me, where the of the throat 00:50:41 Speaker 2: punch all agree, because a CZ, long as it's not 00:50:46 Speaker 2: or for however long they go where the central spotters 00:50:51 Speaker 2: at league offices and then the individual spotters 00:50:55 Speaker 2: are in the arena, none of them should or ever should have contact with the team. It has to be an independent evaluation all the time because nobody wants their goalie leaving the game in the middle of a game. Right? 00:51:08 Speaker 2: When a player goes back to the quiet room, you still got 17 other skaters. Goalie goes out. Well, that's a big deal. Teams are gonna be pissed off about it. I don't think it could matter. You're either in this to protect the players, 00:51:21 Speaker 2: and the teams are gonna have to swallow it and understand that it's the same for everybody or not. And given the climate, I would rather be on the front side of this than chasing the issue 00:51:31 Speaker 1: and and not to pick on the NHL. But your throat punch candidate 00:51:35 Speaker 1: involves goalie interference, the coaches challenge and some of the issues. Oh, my God has seemed to have with it. 00:51:43 Speaker 2: I'm already tired. What is it? October the 15th? I'm tired of these coaches already whining about. I would have challenged that play, but if I challenged it and it was wrong, then we 00:51:53 Speaker 2: get a minor penalty and now we're shorthanded. 00:51:57 Speaker 2: Well, have some courage of conviction. We're all pretty clear now. 00:52:01 Speaker 2: I think, 00:52:03 Speaker 2: on if one is really objectionable, if it really should be challenged, because the reason the NHL put this ruling was because of the coaches, because they were using any play where some guy burped in the goal crease and they challenged it. They were using it as a time. Oh, and they basically said, Too bad, because the coaches themselves were saying after the game, Yeah, I didn't think it was interference, but I knew we could regroup 00:52:27 Speaker 2: Well, Too bad they took it away from you. You get a throat punch because you've wind so hard they've taken away your toy, have the conviction toe, realize what you're looking at, trust your video guy and either challenge it or don't. And if you don't, then let it go. 00:52:44 Speaker 1: Episode three of the rain dregs Hockey podcast Darren Dreger, along with Ray Ferraro. We have asked Ray and Greg's coming up in a short while, but let's go between the benches rape. And, uh, I don't know if it's a trend that's been established or it's just ah, reaction to necessity of teams battling with the salary cap. But 00:53:06 Speaker 1: a number of teams, I think half in fact to the National Hockey League have opted to go with a smaller roster. This has to be has to be somewhat of an issue for the players. 00:53:15 Speaker 2: Well, if it's not an issue for the Players Association and the players, it should become one of the NHL rosters. 23 players by league mandate. Um, however, you can have 2021 22 or 23 players. That's up to the teams. So now, because of the cap constraints players, as you mentioned, her team's Rather are calling a player off the roster, 00:53:37 Speaker 2: and he is playing in the either being sent down to the American League. But the NHL rosters 2122 in many cases, so it doesn't take long to do your math and your subtracting NHL jobs. That's what the players association supposed toe one of the things they're supposed to protect. So now a bunch of teams have players that are making one way money at the league minimum 700 grand. Toronto's got 1/2 a dozen of them, and they call those players up when need be. Put them on waivers, send them back down because nobody has any Capra, right? And if I I would suspect I don't know this for a fact. But if I were involved in the players Association, it would be an issue for me. 00:54:16 Speaker 1: Well, and I look, I know other American League teams. They're not happy if we use the Toronto Maple Leafs as an example, they've done exactly that, right. They know they'll rotate their fourth line and they'll they'll have one way guys making one way money playing in the American Hockey lick. So you're monopolizing the minor system. It's not illegal 00:54:36 Speaker 2: because it's outside. The cap. Went there in the American League, in particular because they can bury. How much is it? It's it over a 1,000,000 now. I believe it ISS so they can take the money 00:54:46 Speaker 2: if the player goes to the miners. 00:54:48 Speaker 2: If they're under a $1,000,000. 00:54:50 Speaker 2: It doesn't count against your cap. And so in Toronto, they had Kevin Gravel and, uh, schmaltz and Agostino 00:55:01 Speaker 2: s o least three. I know there's more than that. There, there, there. 00:55:04 Speaker 1: Ask Ray and Greg's around the corner again. If you've got a question for us over the course of the week, you can either tweet us at Rand regs. You can tweet, Ray. You can tweet me. Or better yet, just submit your question your post on ask rate and dregs dot com. Our website. A number of great questions this week Ray and ask Ray and dregs. We're gonna start with a weekend game involving the Vancouver Canucks in the Philadelphia Flyers. And, you know, earlier we talked about some of the concerns that we've got around the league. There are a number of new rule changes this year, and I think it was Episode two. We talked about the helmet rule. We're okay with it and how it was being executed. The question is, are we okay with what went down between J. V. R and Tyler Myers of the Vancouver Canucks? Because you can see James on Dream stack of the Flyers essentially knock off. You know, Myers helmet. Correct, Right? And then Mayer stays in the play. Um, 00:56:03 Speaker 1: but 00:56:04 Speaker 1: there really isn't a not for him there. And it's allowable by how the NHL rule Reed's 00:56:10 Speaker 2: right now, which is different than the European rule. The II h f right in the eye i h f in the international play. When your helmet hits the ice, you gotta leave no matter where you are on the ice and in the gold medal game 00:56:22 Speaker 2: at the Olympics. Russia in Germany. Yannick Seidenberg Helmet came off 00:56:28 Speaker 2: in the slot 00:56:30 Speaker 2: in the German end, and he left because his helmet was off and they scored the tying goal. 00:56:35 Speaker 2: He should have stayed in the play and taking the penalty in retrospect, but it was It was in the plate, and he laughed 00:56:42 Speaker 2: So J V R backhand slaps Myers helmet off and Meyer stays in to play. The puck went to the corner, He finished his check. The pot came out of the zone and then Myers left the ice. 00:56:52 Speaker 2: There's a mechanism in the rule that if the 00:56:55 Speaker 2: if a player Aiden 00:56:57 Speaker 2: intentionally takes the helmet off the other player, that player can stay in the play, right, and I'd never really thought of it in this regard. 00:57:06 Speaker 2: But watching it, watching that play out of, that's the right play. Sure, Meyer should be able to stay in the play. 00:57:13 Speaker 2: He finished it, and then he left the ice. There's no penalty given, even though the Flyers bench was screaming that there should be a penalty. And the official to his credit went over. Explained that the Land vino and the Flyers as soon as he explained that they turned and walked away. It's the right rule. It's the right call 00:57:29 Speaker 1: and Meyers, a smart guy. I'm going to assume he interpreted the rule that way and exercise that the way it was intended. Or do you think he's just a competitor? Er, and he was just maybe it's finally gets. 00:57:42 Speaker 2: It might have been that, but maybe he just knew the rules. 00:57:45 Speaker 2: I think that's the case. You better, and it will give him the benefit of the don't just think he got his helmet knocked off the guy. 68 00:57:53 Speaker 2: It's not by accident. 00:57:54 Speaker 1: All right, Question two comes from Thomas. If Brad Tree, living in the Calgary Flames, Ray could go back in time and reverse the Milan Lou Teach James Neal trade. Do you think that they would? Because, according to Thomas, he says, it seems like the Flames overreacted to the not tough enough talk coming out of the first round playoff loss to the ABS. 00:58:15 Speaker 2: I don't think that they would revisit this on Lee in that James Neal and Bill Peters, 00:58:24 Speaker 2: uh, did not job. It wasn't happening. And you look at 00:58:29 Speaker 2: where he is an Edmonton, and he got scored again last night. That's eight. He's on the power play. He plays with Ryan Nugent Hopkins on their second line. 00:58:38 Speaker 2: Unless dry cycles in the middle, and they moved the lines around a bit 00:58:42 Speaker 2: in Calgary. He was on the third line. 00:58:44 Speaker 2: He wasn't on the power on the first power play with no hope of getting on there. It just was not working. So 00:58:50 Speaker 2: it wasn't a perfect solution. Probably not, but it was a solution that had to come. 00:58:54 Speaker 1: All right, question three. Final question from Joe Ray. If you were appointed commissioner of the National Hockey League, what are the top rule changes that you would want to implement 00:59:04 Speaker 2: to improving you now I think this would improve the game because the play that I hate the most that I see all the time is a defenseman come out from behind his own net, slap the pock 130 feet at a winger who tips it into the zone, and then you chase after it. There's no play. It's just fast. I've said on the game. The last five minutes is like air hockey, the things just bouncing all over the place and nobody gets a shot and it just 00:59:31 Speaker 2: I'd like to see a line rate at the top of the circle, and I'd like the two line pass to come back in. But the two. But that pass wouldn't be from inside the blue line. It would have to be from inside the tops of the circle. What that does is makes the defenseman come up to the red line to defend the play. 00:59:49 Speaker 2: It would make the forwards come back, so now you can attack as a unit and it would get rid of that 00:59:54 Speaker 2: ridiculous 140 30 foot slap shot past. I would like to see that tried. I'd also like to have a play in game for the 89 teams. Like a wild card. 01:00:04 Speaker 1: Gassy. I like that. And on that premise, I might support your hiring 01:00:10 Speaker 1: just on that one. Yeah, just that one. I mean, you're pretty smart. 01:00:13 Speaker 2: We'll have my people talk to you. If I ever take this drug, 01:00:16 Speaker 1: you might be a little too emotional for the job. 01:00:19 Speaker 1: I feel like I mean, you 01:00:20 Speaker 2: could you not see me at a press conference getting questions just fired at me before Finally I go. Hey, buddy. Hey, Come, chum. Sit down. 01:00:30 Speaker 1: That would be horrendous. All right. Time for a weekly update on the fantasy hockey pool. Uh, let's hope that you registered at the rate and dregs dot com hockey pool icon Marty Ellis was alone in first place when I checked earlier with 100 I call. His name is Martin, but I feel like I know him well enough. Karna Marty Atta boy Marty. 111 points. Now, as we discussed earlier in the podcast, 01:00:58 Speaker 1: I thought that I was ahead of you last week. Turns out I was looking at the wrong pool. So you've got a marginal lead. Um, and we did have 1/2 point like our half a midpoint half bet, did we not? Yes. We didn't establish what that was. What was that? 01:01:14 Speaker 2: You're gonna come and clean up my gutters. I think 01:01:17 Speaker 1: it's a long trip for that on then. Of course, we've got the end of the season bet, which is an expensive dinner in Switzerland during the world championship. I wonder if in a look thank you to all of you who are participating in the hockey pool on rain dregs dot com. 01:01:34 Speaker 1: But 01:01:35 Speaker 1: it feels like we should be able to tweak it a little bit. And this might be putting more pressure on the gurus of hockey pro hockey pool land, Which is not us, not us, 01:01:45 Speaker 1: because there is two parts to this. There's a first half winner in a second half winner. Why don't we invite Maur into the into the pool into the party? I don't think we're gonna 01:01:56 Speaker 2: Well, I think we can. I don't know that. I don't know how it would happen. Let's get on him. We'll have an update for you 01:02:03 Speaker 2: in the next week, but it would be awesome if more people, because actually, my wife asked And she's like, Hey, can we still get in the pool? I'm, like, not sorry. It's too late. 01:02:13 Speaker 1: I think we should charge those people, though. And then you and I just collect the money. Oh, what charge can me? Yeah, 01:02:20 Speaker 1: she's late to the 01:02:22 Speaker 1: cabbie. Had lots of time. I mean, oh, I got plenty of time. 01:02:26 Speaker 1: He should have got Reese O'Reilly to fill out that as you did with yours. I mean, 01:02:31 Speaker 2: the reason Reese helped me pick it, I think we're gonna do okay, I think. No, but seriously, we're gonna talk to the people that, uh, execute the pool. And, um, 01:02:40 Speaker 2: by the way, I'm just watching a delivery truck. FedEx trucks getting a parking ticket. He's in a no standing loading zone. Oh, this is not gonna go Well now. He just is 01:02:51 Speaker 1: in there, too. So there could be a battle, I think. See, I like it. You've got it, you know. Anyway, all right. Just what I observed out the window drinks. No. Hey, I mean, you're very observant. That's why I'm an analyst. And that's why you're leading in the hockey pool, at least leading me. Yeah. So we'll update you on that and perhaps have answers on whether or not we can expand the pool in time for episode for any parting shots. Any parting thoughts as we wrap up Episode three I feel like it's been a good show. I feel like it has been. 01:03:18 Speaker 2: I think it has to be the only parting shot all say is there are teams that are undefeated 01:03:24 Speaker 2: and doing real well out of the gate that I think you know Colorado, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Edmund's until last night. It's kind of cool to see some different teams that air that are doing well. Colorado coming off of last year's great, you know, great playoff and stuff. It's kind of fun to watch new players do great things. 01:03:42 Speaker 1: Bill Garin, a tough guest to top but will inform you over the course of ah website or our social media channels as to who our guest will be for episode for Rate the podcast, share it so that other hockey fans confined it and thank you. All of you have already done that, thanks to those views subscribed to the rain drinks hockey podcast again overwhelming how great the response has been to this project. but we need your continued feedback so you can do that by tweeting us at rain dregs or directly to Ray and I. I want to thank sure hell thought. See A You can call them a 1844 to 35. Sure, And in new chino dot com, use discount Code Raya. Check out an md dot c A. You can use the code rate 50 at checkout. 01:04:30 Speaker 1: We want our listeners to support all of our wonderful sponsors, and you can do that by linking into sure health dot C and India chino dot com and nd dot see a They're all available. Also on Ray and Greg's dot com. Follow the podcast on social media at Raya at Ray on. 01:04:48 Speaker 1: Let me try. You want to say it now? Where did they follow us? Well, you could do it. You got two right there. It's Ray and drinks. It's not that hard. Yeah, on Twitter and Instagram, I want you, my friend. Have a good week. 01:04:57 Speaker 2: You two drinks. Thanks for listening. Everybody 01:04:59 Speaker 1: until episode for Have a great week