Feb. 3, 2024

A Deep Dive into Hockey, Parenting, and Life Lessons with John Buccigross

In this episode of "Our Kids Play Hockey," we have the privilege of welcoming John Buccigross, a renowned figure in ESPN's hockey coverage and a passionate advocate for the sport. Known for his in-depth knowledge and love for hockey, Buccigross shares his journey as a hockey dad, broadcaster, and advocate for youth and college hockey.

Key Highlights:

Buccigross's Hockey Journey: An exploration of Buccigross's path from a passionate hockey fan to a leading voice in ESPN's hockey coverage, highlighting the integral role of hockey in his family life and career.
Parenting in Youth Hockey: Buccigross shares insights on the delicate balance between providing encouragement and applying pressure in youth sports. He emphasizes the importance of energy, creativity, selflessness, and affection in nurturing young athletes.
Coaching Challenges and Rewards: Discussing his own coaching experiences, Buccigross talks about the need to adapt coaching styles to fit the diverse needs and sensitivities of young players, ensuring a positive and growth-oriented environment.
Redefining Winning: The conversation shifts to the concept of success in sports, advocating for a broader definition that includes teamwork, perseverance, humility, and the personal growth that comes from participation in sports.
Impact of Specialization: Buccigross expresses concerns about the trend toward early sports specialization. He advocates for a more balanced approach, encouraging kids to participate in multiple sports to foster a broad skill set and prevent burnout.
Support for ACHA and College Hockey: Highlighting his support for the American Collegiate Hockey Association and college hockey, Buccigross discusses the importance of platforms that allow players to continue their hockey careers beyond youth sports.
Tribute to Barry Melrose: Buccigross pays tribute to Barry Melrose, discussing their friendship, Melrose's battle with Parkinson's disease, and initiatives to support the Parkinson's community.

John's journey offers a compelling look at the hockey's impact on family, the development of young athletes, and the community. His stories and insights provide valuable lessons not just for those involved in hockey, but for anyone navigating the challenges of mentoring young individuals.

Call To Action

Check out https://www.assistmelro

Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

We're powered by NHL Sense Arena!

NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality training game designed specifically to improve hockey sense and IQ for both players and goalies. Experience the next generation of off-ice training in VR with over 100+ drills and training plans curated from top coaches and players.

Use Code "HockeyNeverStops" at Hockey.SenseArena.com to score $50 off an annual plan!

Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

Follow Us On Social Media:

00:52 - Interview With John Buchagross

09:42 - Sacrifice and Selflessness in Hockey Parenting

14:00 - Parenting, Coaching, and Youth Sports

18:49 - Parenting, Sports, and Redefining Winning

22:53 - Parenting and Teamwork in Sports

33:00 - Broadcasting, Mentorship, and Love for Hockey

WEBVTT

00:00:08.012 --> 00:00:12.640
Hey everybody, this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey is brought to you by our title sponsor, nhl Sensorina.

00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:26.399
Look, we all want our kids to succeed in hockey, but let's face it, finding training that's both effective and enjoyable can be a real challenge, and, not to mention, expensive and a total drain on time, especially if you have to drive to the rink, pay a private instructor.

00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:31.428
There's so many reasons that money gets spent on this game, but that's where NHL Sensorina steps in.

00:00:31.428 --> 00:00:38.151
It's a virtual reality training game that brings the rink into your home, that takes off-ice training to a new reality.

00:00:38.151 --> 00:00:56.411
It's designed to improve hockey sense and IQ, something that's lacking majorly in the game today, for both players and goalies, and you get unlimited access to over 100 drills and training plans from top coaches and players that can be played anytime, anywhere, with drills approved by USA Hockey, player and Goalie Development Directors.

00:00:56.411 --> 00:01:04.447
Look, improving mental hockey skills at home has really never been more fun, and any hockey player that uses this is going to have a blast.

00:01:04.447 --> 00:01:26.052
I've used this before on my own and it feels like you're so immersed in an arena you sometimes forget you have a headset on and again, it's not being on the ice, but it allows you to work on some of these skill sets, like scanning, as I said before, hockey IQ, looking around the rink, making the right plays, that getting those repetitions in now as a hockey player are super important for your development.

00:01:26.052 --> 00:01:36.234
So NHL Sensorina is giving all the listeners an exclusive offer for $50 off an annual plan when you use our code HockeyNeverStops at checkout.

00:01:36.234 --> 00:01:37.359
Again, that's HockeyNeverStops.

00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:43.028
All you got to do is go to hockeysensorinacom Again, that's hockeysensorinacom.

00:01:43.028 --> 00:01:48.772
Use the code HockeyNeverStops and you'll save $50 on your annual plan of NHL Sensorina.

00:01:48.772 --> 00:01:52.305
Make sure to check that out and enjoy this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey.

00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:06.849
Hello hockey friends and families around the world, and welcome to another edition of Our Kids Play Hockey, powered by NHL Sensorina.

00:02:06.849 --> 00:02:08.866
You've got your top line back again this week.

00:02:08.866 --> 00:02:18.312
I'm Leo Elias, with Mike Benelli and Christy Cashiano Burns, and today we are joined by someone who has escorted countless hockey fans through many incredible hockey memories and moments.

00:02:18.312 --> 00:02:28.532
He has been a centerpiece of ESPN hockey coverage in journalism and broadcasting just about 30 years and has been a beacon for everything great about hockey for as long as I can remember.

00:02:28.532 --> 00:02:31.808
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome John Buchagross to the show.

00:02:31.808 --> 00:02:34.187
John, it is an honor, sir, to have you here today.

00:02:34.187 --> 00:02:37.866
Welcome to our Kids Play Hockey Thank you, you're too kind.

00:02:37.887 --> 00:02:38.748
It's great to be here.

00:02:38.748 --> 00:02:39.890
I love talking about hockey.

00:02:39.890 --> 00:02:46.272
I love talking about kids and youth hockey and so it's always been a passion of mine since I was a little kid.

00:02:46.272 --> 00:02:47.824
I was like 12 years old.

00:02:47.824 --> 00:02:48.728
I couldn't wait to be a dad.

00:02:48.728 --> 00:02:50.747
I was a little different as a little kid.

00:02:50.747 --> 00:02:52.066
I just couldn't wait.

00:02:52.066 --> 00:02:59.826
That process of a family and coaching and honing and guiding has always been like I said, I was born with it.

00:02:59.826 --> 00:03:02.408
So I'm sad it's all over for me.

00:03:02.408 --> 00:03:08.525
I started young and I'm all done now, but I still enjoyed it and still hopefully I can contribute here in the future.

00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:11.647
I would say that you've contributed quite a bit.

00:03:11.647 --> 00:03:18.367
I love to hear you say that you love to talk about hockey, because we see you talking about hockey every single day of the week and I'll tell you kind of a return story.

00:03:18.367 --> 00:03:23.610
Really weird I actually went to a Halloween party in elementary school as a dad once.

00:03:23.610 --> 00:03:24.844
I thought that was the coolest thing.

00:03:24.844 --> 00:03:26.645
I kind of share that.

00:03:26.645 --> 00:03:30.510
I think that's a little weird looking back, but a very proud father today.

00:03:30.510 --> 00:03:37.250
So, john, again, we all know you as a broadcaster, all right, but as you alluded to, I want to introduce everyone to you as the hockey dad.

00:03:37.250 --> 00:03:39.325
Right, you coached and parented kids through hockey.

00:03:39.325 --> 00:03:42.330
Tell us about that experience and what it meant for you and the kids.

00:03:44.019 --> 00:03:50.864
Yeah, you know, I was a dad at 26 and 28 and 33, so I started a little young, especially with this current generation.

00:03:50.864 --> 00:03:53.287
At my generation it was probably about average.

00:03:53.287 --> 00:03:58.132
Like I said, I couldn't wait to start a family and get married.

00:03:58.132 --> 00:04:04.092
So yeah, I was introduced to hockey about my dad who grew up in the Boston area.

00:04:04.092 --> 00:04:12.650
So I always knew a lot about the sport and followed the sport and collected hockey cards and watched the games and listened to the games and consumed the game like I did.

00:04:12.931 --> 00:04:16.507
Football, basketball and baseball Most American kids just stop at those three.

00:04:16.507 --> 00:04:20.870
But hockey, because of my dad, was just part of my vernacular.

00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:29.149
It wasn't a weird sport or a niche sport or a freak show Like it was back then because of the fighting and things like that and the bench clearing brawls.

00:04:29.149 --> 00:04:36.168
It kind of had a circus atmosphere to it, almost kind of like punk rock small audience but really, really passionate.

00:04:36.168 --> 00:04:38.487
So yeah, it just was always there.

00:04:38.487 --> 00:04:41.408
So when I got the ESPN it served me well to have that niche.

00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:46.045
The line wasn't very long behind the hockey department so I say I'll go get in that line.

00:04:46.045 --> 00:04:52.644
There's only a couple of people over a year there the football line and the baseball line and the basketball line is really long, so I'll go in that short hockey line.

00:04:52.644 --> 00:05:02.827
It's served me well and then, yeah, then to have my kids raising them in Connecticut and to have the access to rinks and to hockey and to get them involved at a young age.

00:05:02.827 --> 00:05:07.850
First fret and then Jack yeah, it was just a natural.

00:05:07.850 --> 00:05:10.848
They played everything and hockey was just one of them as well.

00:05:10.848 --> 00:05:20.290
But you know, brett played through but a couple of years of prep school through high school and Jack played from age six travel right through high school as well public high school in South Windsor, connecticut.

00:05:20.290 --> 00:05:22.105
So it was a big part of my life.

00:05:22.105 --> 00:05:26.932
Like I said, brett started probably about 1998 and Jack graduated in 2017.

00:05:26.932 --> 00:05:30.752
So it was a pretty big about 20 year run of being pretty involved.

00:05:33.341 --> 00:05:36.271
Yeah, involved and very passionate about it.

00:05:36.271 --> 00:05:41.906
You also gave lots of great advice along the way too, and I love what you said.

00:05:41.906 --> 00:05:50.589
You need to have an abundance of four things if you are a parent of a hockey player energy, creativity, selflessness, affection.

00:05:50.589 --> 00:05:52.766
That says it all to me.

00:05:52.766 --> 00:05:59.086
I read that, I took that to heart and always kept that with me whenever I stepped into the ring.

00:05:59.086 --> 00:06:00.605
So important.

00:06:00.605 --> 00:06:08.389
Maybe you can share, especially with some of our younger parents who are listening now, why those are such important virtues to have as a hockey parent.

00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:16.007
Yeah, I had a very affectionate dad and mom and I had a very positive.

00:06:16.387 --> 00:06:18.432
My parents are very positive, especially my dad.

00:06:18.432 --> 00:06:26.107
My mom probably had to play the bad guy more than she'd like because she probably thought my dad was too soft, but I never heard a negative word from my dad.

00:06:26.107 --> 00:06:28.084
I guess had a lot of affection.

00:06:28.084 --> 00:06:29.485
He was my best friend growing up.

00:06:29.485 --> 00:06:33.072
I always said if my dad was a drug dealer, I would have grown up being a drug dealer probably.

00:06:33.072 --> 00:06:34.043
Thankfully he wasn't.

00:06:34.043 --> 00:06:42.151
He was a great dude and he loved sports and he loved people and he loved his family and he was just a moral and ethical beak in my parents.

00:06:42.151 --> 00:06:45.608
They're just almost like angels or almost just extraterrestrials.

00:06:45.608 --> 00:06:47.266
So you just don't meet people like this.

00:06:47.266 --> 00:06:49.307
And my dad passed away 13 months ago.

00:06:49.307 --> 00:06:53.310
My mom was 92, still alive, just so positive, cheery and chipper.

00:06:53.310 --> 00:07:13.605
She's never down, she never whines, she never complains Like a hockey coach would love her Literally never complains and so, yeah, so I had that as a model and then it's just my nature is to coach up, to make people comfortable, to make people feel good, and yeah, I just think it's so important to get down to their level as well.

00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:21.627
Like a big thing for me was to get down when you talk to a young child and a young hockey player is to get down on one knee and look them in the eye at their level.

00:07:21.627 --> 00:07:23.627
Just imagine you look down on them.

00:07:23.627 --> 00:07:25.105
I mean you're literally at that age.

00:07:25.105 --> 00:07:29.988
You're twice their size, sometimes maybe three times, but really about twice that.

00:07:29.988 --> 00:07:43.108
That's like us looking up at a 14, you know, like a 12 or 13 or 14 foot person looking down at us, whether they're yelling, which really is counterproductive, or even just being, you know, intimidating.

00:07:43.108 --> 00:07:47.440
So you have to always remember that ratio that you're twice as tall as they are that you.

00:07:47.440 --> 00:07:48.485
It's like us looking at a.

00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.269
I look up at Scott Ben Pelt, who's six foot.

00:07:51.269 --> 00:07:52.725
I'm six foot, I'm a pretty tall dude.

00:07:52.725 --> 00:07:55.208
I don't come across many people taller than me.

00:07:55.208 --> 00:08:00.944
So what I do, like Scott, even a six foot six guy who's only that much taller than me, he looks like man.

00:08:00.944 --> 00:08:02.247
What a monster you know.

00:08:02.247 --> 00:08:05.245
So just imagine as a kid looking up at someone twice your size.

00:08:05.245 --> 00:08:12.625
So yeah, that's the big thing is getting on their level, looking them in the eye, making a connection, and then everything else kind of goes from there.

00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:41.688
Yeah, I think you know, knowing your history and your background and kind of some of the people you've been around I mean being a youth hockey dad and then being broadcast around pro hockey players and then you know your relationship with guys like you know what I consider like some of the real core forefathers of building like the USA hockey long-term development model and guys like Kenny Roush who you really you know obviously have been around and understand I mean, what are some of the things that you would tell the parents about that journey?

00:08:41.688 --> 00:08:43.817
You know your own kids seeing.

00:08:43.817 --> 00:08:57.187
You know you're around all these college athletes all the time now and obviously the pro guys, but just about you know the different little intangibles that you've seen that separate a hockey kid from some of these other athletes you're around all the time.

00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:04.006
Well, the big word and going back to parenting, and one of those core four I talked about was sacrifice and selflessness.

00:09:04.006 --> 00:09:16.351
And that's why so many hockey kids grew up to be so humble and have such great manners and respect is because they see that sacrifice unspoken throughout their lives.

00:09:16.351 --> 00:09:32.610
They see their parents get up at 6 am and take them to practice in a cold rink and hide their skates and drag them around and they might not quite get the costs for a while, but then they sometimes they probably feel it as parents worry about bills and worry about debt and things like that.

00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:42.687
They might hear a parent verbalizing, complain a little bit, and that's natural, and so they might realize well, this does cost more than a kid who plays basketball, who just basically pays 50 bucks to the rec department.

00:09:42.687 --> 00:09:47.687
My parents are right now car payments, you know, three times a year for me to play hockey.

00:09:47.687 --> 00:09:55.589
So I just think they see that unspoken sacrifice and it just kind of offsposis, it just kind of gets into their being and they know.

00:09:55.980 --> 00:10:14.187
Now, sometimes a kid doesn't notice that or maybe he's not coast up enough and he might be a little spoiled, but you very rarely come across a spoiled hockey player, and so it's just that sacrifice, that selflessness, and then, of course, that carries on the ice with block shots and being a good teammate, and that's why I always love my son Jack.

00:10:14.187 --> 00:10:16.126
I could still see him as a Mike in a squirt.

00:10:16.126 --> 00:10:18.225
When somebody else scored a goal.

00:10:18.225 --> 00:10:28.788
He was more excited than when he scored a goal, and that makes me emotional, just verbalizing it, like I just, oh, I was so proud when he would do that, and so that was just so big for me.

00:10:28.788 --> 00:10:34.249
And so just that selfless system, that team and that bonding is the big thing.

00:10:34.340 --> 00:10:50.302
And talking to Kenny and just again the education that we all go through in life, whatever topic it is, how we can get better, how we can look at things differently, how we cannot maybe think like a politician or who's always right, who wants to kind of maybe go into groups.

00:10:50.302 --> 00:10:55.356
And then you have other people who always have to be right, other people, of course, maybe, who think differently.

00:10:55.356 --> 00:11:08.998
I want to learn, I want to try to stay down the middle because I want to learn and maybe get better and like, obviously, someone like Kenny and USA Hockey early on, one of their early mantras that was really difficult to get through to parents was that you're better off practicing and playing.

00:11:08.998 --> 00:11:10.976
We should have more practices than games.

00:11:10.976 --> 00:11:29.269
But a young parent, especially growing up in the 60s and 70s and 80s, when winning was everything and that pressure, whether it was the Olympics or whether it was professional sports, they want their kids to play, they want a scoreboard, they want a winner, they want a loser and once they realize that, man, we're better off practicing for it.

00:11:29.350 --> 00:11:40.870
And then, once they go, then the data when the kid plays a youth hockey game, he touches the puck for about 15 seconds over a one hour hockey game when, if you could practice, maybe you can touch it for 20 minutes, and that's obviously how is he going to get better.

00:11:40.870 --> 00:11:47.160
It's like a piano kid just touching the keys six keys for over one hour, as opposed to actually playing for 20 minutes.

00:11:47.160 --> 00:11:50.600
Of course, the one piano player is going to be better than the other piano player.

00:11:50.600 --> 00:12:05.876
So that was a big thing with then small area games that USA Hockey really started to push and but yeah, those guys, those men and women, are just so committed to doing what's right for the kids from a hockey standpoint that it was always very impressed by them.

00:12:06.331 --> 00:12:18.649
Well, and I've seen that like just just, but you know, just thinking about like just a couple of weeks ago, walking in the South Windsor Arena and seeing like just, and that selflessness is there, like a hockey kid, a little six year old, is carrying their bag in the rink and they're dragging it in.

00:12:18.830 --> 00:12:25.039
And you know, you're a soccer player, you have a pair of shin guards and maybe you're wearing flops to the field and you throw your cleats on like.

00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:31.409
So all of this you know taping your stick and learning how to buckle your helmet and knowing you know how the equipment goes on.

00:12:31.409 --> 00:12:41.730
And you know, and a lot of our new parents you know that listen to the show, you know depend and really you know use us as kind of a board of like, okay, well, what should I expect?

00:12:41.730 --> 00:12:50.121
So you know, maybe what's one thing you could say you know from seeing the journey, you know what should you expect your, your, your five and six and seven year old to be able to do?

00:12:50.121 --> 00:12:54.370
And then where is that line of like, oh, you got to tell you got to be tough enough.

00:12:54.370 --> 00:13:04.216
If I see you, you know, I know coaches like if you don't carry your own bag in, you're not allowed to play hockey, but I'm like maybe I'm not a really bad guy myself, but you know maybe a little.

00:13:04.256 --> 00:13:10.144
You know where's the line between hey, how do we keep these kids in the game as long as we can, and where is it where?

00:13:10.144 --> 00:13:11.089
Listen, you're just not.

00:13:11.089 --> 00:13:13.275
You know, you're just not teaching your kids the values of you.

00:13:13.275 --> 00:13:14.820
Know what it is to be an athlete at that age.

00:13:15.429 --> 00:13:16.273
Yeah, it's a fine line.

00:13:16.273 --> 00:13:18.600
As a parent, I always thought I walked it pretty well.

00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:21.778
You know, I parented hard and I coached hard.

00:13:21.778 --> 00:13:23.666
I had that look.

00:13:23.666 --> 00:13:26.494
One of the most important things a parent can have is has that look.

00:13:26.494 --> 00:13:27.738
This is, it's a.

00:13:27.738 --> 00:13:28.941
This is not going to happen.

00:13:28.941 --> 00:13:31.996
Look, when we go to church, you're just not going to act up.

00:13:31.996 --> 00:13:33.280
That is not going to happen.

00:13:33.280 --> 00:13:35.399
You're not going to scream in the grocery store.

00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:36.865
That's just not going to happen.

00:13:36.865 --> 00:13:42.950
We have to walk out and you know I've told my son I'll pick you up at one o'clock and if it's 10 after one.

00:13:42.950 --> 00:13:45.340
I left one time and it was hard, but I left.

00:13:46.043 --> 00:13:47.892
Once I had my kid through his club on the golf course.

00:13:47.892 --> 00:13:48.774
We walked in.

00:13:48.774 --> 00:13:51.888
You know I didn't do that stuff a lot, I just picked my spots.

00:13:51.888 --> 00:13:54.825
I had a lot of patience because as faces they're young, it's difficult.

00:13:54.825 --> 00:13:58.864
Their brains are growing, they're underdeveloped, they're trying to problem solve.

00:13:58.864 --> 00:14:03.179
It's difficult for anybody, even through 14 years old.

00:14:03.179 --> 00:14:08.777
We tend to get, you know, really impatient at that age, when that's the most difficult age, especially for young boys.

00:14:08.797 --> 00:14:18.711
You know it's really difficult for young boys and and so, yeah, it was that fine line of coach and luckily my youngest son, jack, liked to be coached hard.

00:14:18.711 --> 00:14:21.879
He liked an organized coach who screamed and had things in order.

00:14:21.879 --> 00:14:22.690
Jack liked order.

00:14:22.690 --> 00:14:24.024
He could deal with the yelling.

00:14:24.024 --> 00:14:24.681
That's fine.

00:14:24.681 --> 00:14:27.371
But again, some kids maybe can't deal with the yelling.

00:14:27.371 --> 00:14:35.246
They have different sensory situations and as a coach and teacher and parent you have to understand how your parent differently and coached differently.

00:14:35.246 --> 00:14:37.774
It isn't just one way and that's the way coaching has really evolved.

00:14:37.774 --> 00:14:49.173
Well, at the professional level and I hope at the youth level Again, I'm not around it as much anymore, but it is it's not one size fits all and you have to kind of pick your spots and you have to kind of look at the parents, how the parents raise that kid.

00:14:49.173 --> 00:14:50.636
Maybe they have to go the other way.

00:14:50.636 --> 00:14:54.014
Some parents are soft and maybe not even connected with their kid.

00:14:54.014 --> 00:14:55.600
Some are too overbearing.

00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:58.754
So then you really got to pump that kid's tires and tell them what grade he is.

00:14:58.775 --> 00:15:13.101
So you do have to observe that the parents, I think, from going to a hockey coaching level and just really observe the parents and try to get it to be a quick study on what kind of parents are they, how are they parenting, and then try to slowly guide your coaching towards that to get the most out of them.

00:15:13.101 --> 00:15:23.727
And ultimately, like you know your question about what to expect, like I always try to tell parents, like if your kid makes the high school hockey team, what that's a gigantic accomplishment when they're six, seven, eight, nine, 10.

00:15:23.727 --> 00:15:28.841
I mean, you know my son's high school at about 1200 kids and there was only 15 spots on the hockey team.

00:15:28.841 --> 00:15:30.133
You know that's an amazing.

00:15:30.133 --> 00:15:31.537
Those are tough odds to get to.

00:15:31.537 --> 00:15:32.499
So it's not.

00:15:32.499 --> 00:15:35.258
It's not the NHL, of course, it's not even a college scholarship.

00:15:35.258 --> 00:15:36.162
It's a.

00:15:36.162 --> 00:15:51.067
It's trying to make your high school team and to make it fun, make it demanding, give them structure, because you know kids want structure, they need structure and that, again, that's what a hockey practice can do, because it's fast-paced, because it's one hour, because the time is valuable, because it's difficult to get there.

00:15:51.086 --> 00:15:55.759
It's difficult, but yeah, you know, jack, luckily, was tying his skates his first year of Squirt.

00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:56.621
He wanted to do it.

00:15:56.621 --> 00:16:05.845
But yeah, you want the kids to carry their bags as much as possible and if they have to pull it because they're little I mean, jack was 50 pounds when he was a Squirt, you know 40.

00:16:05.845 --> 00:16:07.714
He's not going to carry that bag.

00:16:07.714 --> 00:16:08.899
It's going to be hard to carry them.

00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:10.466
He still did it a lot of the times.

00:16:10.486 --> 00:16:19.115
So there has to be some mercy, some some affection, as I talked about, while you balance out with structure and demand and push, because that's how we get better.

00:16:19.115 --> 00:16:22.837
Most of us get better when we're pushed and you do have to push a little bit.

00:16:22.837 --> 00:16:26.332
Some push themselves a lot and so that's why you maybe be more cheerleader.

00:16:26.332 --> 00:16:28.639
Others don't push themselves and you push them and push them.

00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.774
And, like I said, some kids are ultra sensitive.

00:16:30.774 --> 00:16:32.197
Some kids are, they can take it.

00:16:32.197 --> 00:16:41.832
So again, it's reading the room and that does take some of that's natural in a human being and as a parent and a coach and others have to maybe work on it a little bit.

00:16:41.832 --> 00:16:43.076
Yeah awesome.

00:16:43.817 --> 00:16:46.243
I always love to roll to Jersey on a hanger.

00:16:46.243 --> 00:16:48.808
You carry that Jersey, show respect.

00:16:48.808 --> 00:16:54.552
So many kids just shove them in the bag, but we always follow the John Butcher Grass rule.

00:16:54.572 --> 00:16:56.417
That goes on the hanger.

00:16:56.417 --> 00:16:57.860
Show your Jersey respect.

00:16:57.860 --> 00:17:09.540
Are you concerned at what we're seeing with parenting now and the push towards specialization and the push toward, you know, making your kid faster, better, stronger, sooner?

00:17:09.540 --> 00:17:12.612
A lot of kids are even dropping out of youth sports.

00:17:12.612 --> 00:17:21.913
I think a study just came out showing that there was a decline in youth sports just because of the amount of pressure that they're feeling to perfect everything.

00:17:22.893 --> 00:17:24.570
Yeah, that's you know.

00:17:24.570 --> 00:17:29.705
The kids are definitely more isolated now because of the phone, which is real such a tragedy.

00:17:29.705 --> 00:17:30.366
It's so sad.

00:17:30.366 --> 00:17:37.925
They have options to quit and just to kind of live with their phone in their room and that's enough for them and that's how most people meet other people.

00:17:37.925 --> 00:17:39.458
It's how most people date us on.

00:17:39.458 --> 00:17:41.642
Most people get married I mean this generation.

00:17:41.642 --> 00:17:47.328
Most of them will end up marrying someone they met online or somehow and Now some ways.

00:17:47.328 --> 00:18:05.686
That's okay Because you can vet people that way and kind of maybe, which is in ultimately, you know the goal, I guess, as opposed to going out and in in college You're at a bar, like we kind of did, or at school or classes or something like that, or in the professional world, which is probably the best place to do it, because then you can really observe people you know and how they work, what's their work ethic, how they respond to pressure.

00:18:05.755 --> 00:18:10.512
So that's probably the best way to meet somebody's probably had work and so you can really see how they react.

00:18:10.512 --> 00:18:13.603
And, plus, there you know they're young adults too, as opposed to just kids.

00:18:13.603 --> 00:18:18.255
But yeah, you know, it's weird.

00:18:18.255 --> 00:18:26.262
I think parent, like you said, parenting seems to either be overbearing or disconnected or doesn't seem to be much in between anymore and the specialization you talked about.

00:18:26.262 --> 00:18:28.894
Usa hockey for years has pushed all around athletes.

00:18:28.894 --> 00:18:35.031
We want athletes play multiple sports, play change of motions, sports like soccer and hockey and basketball.

00:18:35.031 --> 00:18:38.575
We are changing the pivoting and turning and tumbling and they know that's the best.

00:18:38.694 --> 00:18:40.240
But you know some of it is economic.

00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:44.894
You know the cost of tuition and this is so outrageous and so counterproductive.

00:18:44.894 --> 00:18:53.586
I think that has permeated the mind of a lot of middle-class parents and who feel like I how can I afford $60,000 a year to send my kid to a good school?

00:18:53.586 --> 00:19:06.434
Because they want their kid to go to a certain school, because they Feel like they don't want them to fall behind, even though we know now, if you just go and get a degree at any place, it's the education you teach yourself and the drive and the motivation you have after that really is the difference maker.

00:19:06.434 --> 00:19:10.365
There's a few places that can obviously like a Wharton business school at Panda.

00:19:10.635 --> 00:19:16.603
I was going to put you in a great position right away to make money and be connected, but those are so few and far between most of us.

00:19:16.603 --> 00:19:17.586
You can go to a state school.

00:19:17.586 --> 00:19:25.328
You can live at home for two years and then you can go to go to on campus for two years and you will not have that big debt that we see, that we read about and talk about.

00:19:25.328 --> 00:19:26.674
There's ways around that.

00:19:26.674 --> 00:19:45.263
You know, to go to a state school, live at home for a couple years and my cost of ten grand a year, like it's really affordable, you can really do it if you have to and and so, yeah, it is overbearing and for some it's some disconnected and and that's why, again, and and that starts right away, this you get, that starts to the young age.

00:19:45.263 --> 00:19:52.015
If a kid is already kind of soft and coddled, you're not going to change that at 12 and 13 is going to be hard for a coach then to figure that out.

00:19:52.015 --> 00:19:55.994
But in the end we just have to realize that we're not raising professional athletes.

00:19:55.994 --> 00:19:58.103
We're, at the most, we're raising high school athletes.

00:19:58.544 --> 00:20:05.595
Someone and I always mentioned that I want, I want to my kids it's like hockey, because they're around a lot of peers, a lot of friends and it was such great exercise.

00:20:05.595 --> 00:20:08.144
You know, practice two days a week, play two times a week.

00:20:08.144 --> 00:20:15.605
They're going to build lower body strength and they're going to use their heart and lungs and they're going to create these athletic habits when, hopefully, they realize who eating well is important.

00:20:15.605 --> 00:20:20.634
I could be a little better if I eat well and I can train well in the summer, and I have a goal and I have an aspiration.

00:20:20.634 --> 00:20:32.674
So those are the things that I always focused on More than you know wins and goals and championships, with all that ancillary stuff that athletics Can teach you in terms of diet, fitness, quality of life.

00:20:33.636 --> 00:20:40.839
You know, john, one of the things you're bringing up that is, is something we talk a lot about with coaches is Redefining what winning is right.

00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:45.901
There's always the black and white scoreboard terminology with it, but winning is everything.

00:20:45.901 --> 00:20:52.565
You just said hey, let's become better citizens, let's learn to eat better, let's work out, let's become a team, let's learn how to work together.

00:20:52.565 --> 00:20:54.252
You know, I'm a big subscriber.

00:20:54.252 --> 00:21:04.306
Today, it takes a village to raise someone with the teams that I coach and I try and I try and explain that to the parents and most of them here before the season of like, look, we got to help each other here.

00:21:04.306 --> 00:21:09.474
It's not one and done for anyone here, and you know I think that that's a really important part of the game.

00:21:09.474 --> 00:21:11.761
But I would say, redefine what winning is.

00:21:11.761 --> 00:21:13.487
It doesn't have to be on the scoreboard.

00:21:13.487 --> 00:21:19.026
You know, in prep for this episode Was reading one of your older articles from 2017.

00:21:19.105 --> 00:21:22.478
That's where we're getting the energy, creativity, selfness and an affection.

00:21:22.478 --> 00:21:30.339
It was a beautiful article, but something that really hit me that I want to share with the audience and my kids are 10 and 7 and I'm Chris Christie.

00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:41.914
You have shared this kind of thought with me too, but you wrote if you give your kids everything you have inside you, they will eventually give it back, and there are days that I absolutely need to hear that.

00:21:41.914 --> 00:21:43.642
You know what I'm trying to say.

00:21:45.935 --> 00:21:46.577
Many times.

00:21:46.577 --> 00:21:47.319
Yeah, that's what.

00:21:47.339 --> 00:22:05.769
I wanted to make sure I shout it out Christie, too, maybe you both could could just quickly dive into that, because I think sometimes, when Maybe you're running late and they don't want to pack their bag and they're dragging their bag and they're not, you know, you know you can get to this point of this, isn't worth it, and everything shows that it is absolutely worth it.

00:22:06.217 --> 00:22:06.660
Could you guys?

00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:07.423
do that for a minute.

00:22:08.067 --> 00:22:09.315
Yeah, it was always worth it for me.

00:22:09.315 --> 00:22:28.868
Yeah, there are moments where he's getting dressed in the car because we're a little bit late, driving to that prep school in the middle of nowhere in Connecticut and that for especially that first kid, where we're really we probably do probably Over parent a hair on the first kid and then by the time we have our third or fourth, third juggling knives and their high chairs, I was like, yeah, whatever, he's fine, you know, it's that.

00:22:28.868 --> 00:22:29.875
That's really the great side.

00:22:29.875 --> 00:22:40.785
I would say, the first parent, parent, the first kid, parents, you know, really try to calm them down a lot and to say, hey, this is, you know, you can step back a bit.

00:22:40.785 --> 00:22:41.487
I got this.

00:22:41.487 --> 00:22:48.752
Less is more with Jimmy and with Sally, she, she's gonna feel your pressure, she's gonna feel your stress and then she's gonna get stressed.

00:22:48.752 --> 00:22:52.660
But you know you, yeah, I mean, but you know it's.

00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:54.885
You know winning is important.

00:22:54.885 --> 00:23:15.601
There is a scoreboard and there's nothing wrong with trying to win that game and that is a skill set in life and it's why athletes do very well in the business world and do very well in the stock market and Wall Street and you know commercial real estate and things like that because it's competitive and you have to grind out, you have to battle and that's part of winning.

00:23:15.601 --> 00:23:24.703
That's what the winning can reflect, the battle, the final score can reflect the battle and the and the smarts and the self awareness and the sacrifice of block and a shot.

00:23:24.703 --> 00:23:27.875
It's although that's why winning does matter.

00:23:27.875 --> 00:23:37.404
Still, there is a scoreboard and it is a good way to test us and to kind of show us where we can improve and how we can, because in the end, you just got to get the job done.

00:23:37.404 --> 00:23:46.602
Like I'm going back before, like this is just not going to happen, you're not going to act that way, and just like when you go to, when you're competing, it's like we have to get this done.

00:23:46.602 --> 00:23:48.694
There is some of that and we're going to try to win this game.

00:23:49.159 --> 00:23:54.752
But again, like I said, my I helped coach Jack when he was a Bantam, his last year at Bantam, and the coach I worked with.

00:23:54.752 --> 00:23:56.775
The two of us we did not have a power play unit.

00:23:56.775 --> 00:23:58.794
We did not have a Puk K unit.

00:23:58.794 --> 00:24:00.855
Who's ever up the line is next.

00:24:00.855 --> 00:24:02.434
Everyone played the exact same.

00:24:02.434 --> 00:24:13.433
Maybe, if we're down one late and we pull the goal, we might shorten the bench of hair, but very rarely, and the kids know that and they appreciated that and I think it gave them a sense of empowerment.

00:24:14.138 --> 00:24:23.747
No, because nothing worse than a kid who gets short ice when they're 10, which happened to my first son and what that does to their self esteem, and they know it, they know what's going on and that's very.

00:24:23.747 --> 00:24:33.275
That can be dangerous again for a developing kid with a mind that's at different levels of development, as different levels of sensitivity and sensory you know as well.

00:24:33.275 --> 00:24:37.326
So got to be really, really careful there and that's when winning that.

00:24:37.326 --> 00:24:38.133
That's the balance we talk about.

00:24:38.133 --> 00:24:41.527
Right Is everybody should play, especially when they're writing checks to play.

00:24:41.527 --> 00:24:42.595
Everybody should play.

00:24:42.595 --> 00:24:44.752
When you get to high school it's a little different.

00:24:44.752 --> 00:24:54.015
We get that and you know it's a, it's a little more hierarchy and and some of the kids are ultra competitive and some are not as competitive and so that's again and that's going to a lot of times in the real world.

00:24:54.015 --> 00:24:56.734
That's what determines the success of learning.

00:24:56.734 --> 00:25:02.201
But yeah, and the funny, the funniest thing is the kids at that age, no, too.

00:25:02.323 --> 00:25:04.095
They know, like they don't want to see your teammate getting sat.

00:25:04.095 --> 00:25:07.323
It's just like, like we're on this together, like you keep.

00:25:07.323 --> 00:25:12.981
You keep preaching that you know we're a team and we have to work hard and we're a practice, I'm sure, for practice, just like you are Now.

00:25:12.981 --> 00:25:15.864
Again, there's certain kids that they haven't been at practice in four weeks.

00:25:15.864 --> 00:25:19.993
You know maybe they shouldn't be on the ice for the last minute of play, but you know these kids are working hard.

00:25:20.134 --> 00:25:28.295
I see that in high school all the time, like I like, especially depending on what high school you're at, but if you're in a local public high school, anyway you need to play.

00:25:28.295 --> 00:25:29.375
You're there every day.

00:25:29.375 --> 00:25:34.153
You've got to find a way to get that kid on the ice and get them being some part of that team.

00:25:34.153 --> 00:25:36.595
Cause why would you go to practice every day?

00:25:36.595 --> 00:25:38.414
Like, what is the motivation?

00:25:38.414 --> 00:25:41.148
Like because they want to be in front of their friends.

00:25:41.148 --> 00:25:48.736
And I'll tell you right now, knowing from different players you know players at the highest levels on their high school team they want that kid to play.

00:25:48.736 --> 00:25:51.104
Like they want that fourth line kid on the ice.

00:25:51.104 --> 00:26:02.182
They want to be on the ice with that kid because that's because that joy is seen in the classroom, it's seen in morning meeting, it's seen after school at a different sporting event, like I think we lose sight of.

00:26:02.257 --> 00:26:14.984
You know a lot of that because we as like a lot of us, as coaches only see the kids, for you know, two hours out of the day You're spending all that other time with all those kids and those families and again there is a time and a place for for cutthroat winning.

00:26:14.984 --> 00:26:16.843
I get it, but, but there's.

00:26:16.843 --> 00:26:24.380
But there's also and you've seen it, you know, doing the college hockey broadcast and doing all that with these guys are going to be playing pro hockey.

00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:33.547
Not every, not every guy on North Dakota is playing pro hockey, right, so you see how those guys react to each other and the joy on the benches.

00:26:33.547 --> 00:26:39.828
And that comes from, you know, great coaches and great people being there supporting each other every day in practice.

00:26:39.828 --> 00:26:41.278
So we don't get to see, we only see the.

00:26:41.278 --> 00:26:42.603
You know the 60 minute game.

00:26:43.641 --> 00:26:44.164
But I think it's.

00:26:44.164 --> 00:26:49.934
You know, yeah, it was strange I'd go to a high school game and see so many kids who would get dressed, put their buckets on it and they'd sit in the bench.

00:26:49.934 --> 00:26:51.119
They don't play at all.

00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:54.055
I was like that's, that's so strange.

00:26:54.055 --> 00:26:56.134
They can, they can take a shift or two a period.

00:26:56.134 --> 00:26:58.824
They're you know, they, these kids can play a little bit.

00:26:58.824 --> 00:27:11.954
You can protect them a little bit, but yeah, you've got to reinforce, like I was, like you said, because I remember, you know, I wrote a book with Keith Jones and he talked about you know how Eric Lindross, he would just when you have that power as a superstar and you keep looking at the coach, and and yeah, there you go.

00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:19.161
He talked about how Lindros would just look at the coach and when they give, when the superstar gives the coach that look, that means I'm going on the ice now.

00:27:19.161 --> 00:27:32.755
But what happened was he, he took ice time away from the fourth line and then they don't feel like they're part of the team and then the team is less than it could be because you don't have the full, you know, arsenal of personality and effort going towards one common goal.

00:27:32.755 --> 00:27:37.153
And that's why, again, another negative of a short bench is.

00:27:37.153 --> 00:27:38.615
That is that the rest of the team does.

00:27:38.615 --> 00:27:45.585
And, like you said, there's some other kids who know, who want those kids to play, and they feel a little bit oh man, this is as good as it could be.

00:27:45.585 --> 00:27:46.557
Yeah, everyone wants to.

00:27:46.577 --> 00:27:52.275
That's the great part about sports, is the cause, is the goal, and getting galvanized as a group and going together.

00:27:52.275 --> 00:27:56.026
That's that's what every professional athlete misses when they retire.

00:27:56.026 --> 00:27:58.595
Is that all for one, one for all group?

00:27:58.595 --> 00:28:05.305
And especially nowadays, kids need even more, like I said, the more isolated not just kids, but everybody's more isolated than they've ever been.

00:28:05.305 --> 00:28:12.835
And because it's easy, life has gotten easier and the phone has made it easier and so, as a result, people are getting isolated.

00:28:12.835 --> 00:28:14.942
So that's where sports still holds its magic.

00:28:14.942 --> 00:28:16.434
It's why it's still popular.

00:28:16.434 --> 00:28:18.214
It's why it's probably growing in popularity.

00:28:18.214 --> 00:28:21.124
Football is the most popular TV show on television now.

00:28:21.124 --> 00:28:28.243
By far more than any other TV show that's on TV is our football games, and the rest of the sports world does pretty well too.

00:28:29.257 --> 00:28:30.651
So, john, I know we only have minutes left.

00:28:30.651 --> 00:28:32.295
Two things One, I want to plug the book Jonesy.

00:28:32.295 --> 00:28:37.734
This is one of the greatest but also one of the funniest books I have ever read in hockey in a positive way.

00:28:38.236 --> 00:28:39.159
I know there's none left.

00:28:39.159 --> 00:28:40.141
There's no more left.

00:28:40.141 --> 00:28:41.304
I know I've got one.

00:28:41.304 --> 00:28:41.664
You have one.

00:28:41.704 --> 00:28:42.207
It's valuable.

00:28:42.207 --> 00:28:43.519
It's signed by him too.

00:28:43.855 --> 00:28:47.954
I got it signed by him too, and we got to talk about Barry too before we let you know.

00:28:47.954 --> 00:28:49.260
Barry, melrose, please.

00:28:50.214 --> 00:28:51.883
I know you put a lot for him.

00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:52.837
Yeah, so sad.

00:28:52.837 --> 00:28:59.088
He was diagnosed with Parkinson's a couple of years ago and he kept working and then he had to finally retire after last season.

00:28:59.088 --> 00:29:04.654
Because it's just, you know, tv is difficult as it is and it's you really need to be able to recall information quickly.

00:29:04.654 --> 00:29:20.201
And it was so sad just for someone who was so witty and so much fun and so quick witted and so good at TV, for him of all things, to get this dreaded disease really in his mid to late 60s Still a young guy Could have worked for another eight, 10 years.

00:29:20.201 --> 00:29:22.221
It's really heartbreaking.

00:29:22.221 --> 00:29:31.275
And so, yeah, so we're just, you know it made some t-shirts up and try to raise some money for Parkinson's the Michael J Fox Foundation, which Michael J Fox, also Canadian.

00:29:31.275 --> 00:29:33.061
He got his in a very young age, of course.

00:29:33.061 --> 00:29:37.420
His diagnosis came in his 30s and but, yeah, I was able to.

00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:47.046
When Barry called me with the news and I called another fellow right away, I actually had played in a charity golf event which Michael J Fox was in the group.

00:29:47.046 --> 00:29:59.528
It was actually for this broadcasting foundation that helps out broadcasters who are struggling and it's a net and Michael J Fox was just a part of that tournament and he, it was really inspirational just to watch him.

00:29:59.528 --> 00:30:01.998
You know, as the day went on he got more tired.

00:30:01.998 --> 00:30:06.335
Obviously the Parkinson's you can see the effects of it more and more as the day went along.

00:30:06.335 --> 00:30:08.375
But man, you talk about grit and determination.

00:30:08.375 --> 00:30:09.872
He kept playing, kept playing.

00:30:10.355 --> 00:30:17.201
This was just outside of New York City and that sleepy hollow golf course, and it was just something.

00:30:17.201 --> 00:30:28.587
So I was able to make another guy in that group who I played with, the TV guy Ray Cole, I Soon, as Barry called me, I got off the phone and I talked to Ray goes, or any way we get Michael, because I know he had a connection with Michael.

00:30:28.587 --> 00:30:37.064
Oh, that's all because he played with us and because Ray was a TV, abc TV executive and of course Michael's sitcom family ties was on ABC.

00:30:37.064 --> 00:30:40.021
So there was an ABC relationship and sure enough he was able to go.

00:30:40.182 --> 00:30:43.740
Michael's people and the next day Michael J Fox called Barry and talked to him.

00:30:43.740 --> 00:30:55.815
I was like jeez, how blessed am I that you know the biggest TV star of the 80s and I was a kid you know, I'm a little younger than Michael J Fox, were about the same age, though when he's a superstar 23 year old I was a struggling 23 year old.

00:30:55.815 --> 00:31:01.173
I was able to call someone and get him to talk to my friend who needed it.

00:31:01.173 --> 00:31:09.989
It was like man, wow, how blessed am I to be in this business of sports and television that I could actually it was one phone call get that guy to talk to my friend who really needed.

00:31:09.989 --> 00:31:15.384
You know, obviously at that point, guidance and what can I expect and ask him any question you wanted to ask.

00:31:15.384 --> 00:31:17.669
So, yeah, it's still difficult.

00:31:18.277 --> 00:31:19.441
Right, you mentioned the t-shirts.

00:31:19.441 --> 00:31:20.183
How do we get one?

00:31:21.007 --> 00:31:22.994
Yeah, I you know it was a pre-order.

00:31:22.994 --> 00:31:29.766
I think they're going to go out pretty soon and Funny at the top of my head right now it's either assist barry or barry assist calm.

00:31:31.316 --> 00:31:32.520
We'll get it out for everyone.

00:31:32.520 --> 00:31:33.364
I'm also gonna order.

00:31:34.317 --> 00:31:37.595
I also ordered some for myself to put on my website to make it easier.

00:31:37.595 --> 00:31:41.951
Okay, I know people sometimes, yeah, so that'll also be a period soon.

00:31:41.951 --> 00:31:45.804
But yeah, they're probably not hard, and I think I actually linked it on my Twitter.

00:31:45.844 --> 00:31:53.003
I think it's a assist Melrose, calm looking at it, because I'm we are going to put that on our.

00:31:54.777 --> 00:31:55.820
It's such a cool logo.

00:31:55.820 --> 00:31:59.179
You know it's funny, you know you're an icon.

00:31:59.179 --> 00:32:03.028
When someone can make a sketch of you, not use your eyes, nose, mouth.

00:32:04.396 --> 00:32:04.738
And you know.

00:32:06.636 --> 00:32:07.500
That's an icon.

00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:09.886
I mean you put me up there I would look like any.

00:32:09.886 --> 00:32:16.263
Any car salesman you know like, but very, that's very, without using facial features.

00:32:16.284 --> 00:32:20.345
So Let me tell you this in closing is that's a perfect segue.

00:32:20.345 --> 00:32:26.496
You might not know how far your your career has reached, and we've had other broadcasters on this show too, and I want to.

00:32:26.496 --> 00:32:28.723
I want to pay you a compliment again in closing.

00:32:28.723 --> 00:32:48.608
When I was a teenager, you were voicing the national games that I was dreaming about, and then I started my career as an ACHA player and then an ACHA coach, and you have been a massive supporter of the age ACHA college hockey, and I can tell you now, looking back, that that league is also on the map because of your support.

00:32:48.608 --> 00:33:02.088
But and here I am on a on a show with you today I want you to know that you were a massive Motivation for me, a mentor for me, even though we've never met, and that it really is an honor to be here with you today.

00:33:02.088 --> 00:33:07.405
But my life is the game of hockey and you played a major role in that and I want you to know that and thank you for that.

00:33:07.915 --> 00:33:13.654
Right, and I have to thank you too, because I reached out to you when I first wrote the puck hog series.

00:33:13.654 --> 00:33:24.898
Yes, it asked you if you would give it a review and you gave it the most beautiful review and it helped elevate the status of that book.

00:33:24.898 --> 00:33:27.645
And you didn't even hesitate, you just thank you.

00:33:27.645 --> 00:33:37.075
You didn't even know me, just some kid from Syracuse like who's this past, and right away you read the book and you gave me them the most beautiful review.

00:33:37.075 --> 00:33:38.220
Thank you for that.

00:33:39.575 --> 00:33:40.278
Appreciate you.

00:33:40.278 --> 00:33:41.642
I have nothing nice to say.

00:33:41.642 --> 00:33:51.867
My, my son my son walks in with his college hockey hat and his English teacher's cringe, so you know I was the overtime challenge.

00:33:51.867 --> 00:33:52.630
Stuff has been great.

00:33:52.630 --> 00:33:56.782
It's brought so much attention to the sport I think a lot of people wouldn't even know something like they.

00:33:56.782 --> 00:33:57.806
Like the people get into it.

00:33:57.806 --> 00:34:05.125
You see, I'm sure you see hundreds of thousands of people chime in in that you would go man, this person's a hockey like fan, or I can't believe they're really into this game.

00:34:05.125 --> 00:34:05.826
So it's really cool.

00:34:06.428 --> 00:34:06.970
Oh, so lucky.

00:34:06.970 --> 00:34:08.851
I'm just, you know, right place at the right time.

00:34:08.851 --> 00:34:24.554
You know, I was 30 years old when the internet really kind of took off and so, and then corporations got involved with television networks like Walt Disney, body, spn, and so I was just the right age at the right time to kind of go through that ascension of Television, the entertainment, when sports became part of entertainment.

00:34:24.554 --> 00:34:31.844
Now it's obviously a challenging time with people cutting the cord and social media, but, like you said, social media opens up a whole other avenue of communication.

00:34:31.844 --> 00:34:35.255
I was able to create this boot you overtime challenge just out of a fun win.

00:34:35.255 --> 00:34:39.121
We it's a game we used to play on NHL tonight and then call a chalky.

00:34:39.121 --> 00:34:40.284
It was just kind of.

00:34:40.284 --> 00:34:43.318
Once I was named voice of the frozen four in 2013.

00:34:43.338 --> 00:34:46.108