InGoal Radio Episode 240with Brian Daccord

Intro

We're back indoors after the winter classic. We'll get into some of the happenings there as Kevin Woodley was perusing the hallways at T Mobile Park up in Seattle for the Vegas cracking contest, and we'll get into our Gear Segment dealing with the Brian's optic pants. And our feature interview is a proud papa who has been on this podcast plenty of times and Brian Daccord. Welcome in to InGoal Radio Podcast. It's David Hutchison and Kevin Woodley along with Daren Millard.

Hutch, I'm gonna be flattered honest with you. You were missed in Seattle. We we wish you were there, but it didn't stop us from catching up and having one heck of a good time.

I was just so happy to see you guys having fun. I wasn't jealous at all.

We thought we owed it to you to put the pedal down and absorb every possible moment of that Winter Classic. Didn't we? What do you... We kind of paid tribute to Hutch. Let's do it for Hutch.

He would want us to.

Yeah. With the, Led Zeppelin band tribute and the the heart concert on New Year's Eve at the New Amsterdam party put on by the NHL, I figured that that was my tribute. Listening to old music would, would would be my tribute to Hutch.

We we had a couple of hot stoves, like, just, out of the blue hot stoves with different media members. We got to catch up with, with other hockey people, goaltenders, from both teams, and just enjoy the moment. And next time, Hutch, we we actually made a commitment, Woody and I, while we're in Seattle, while we were watching the second intermission, we said next time, Hutch has to be here. Wherever we go, Hutch has to be here. So that's on you.

We're we're not doing it without you next time. No excuses.

Super kind of you. I'm glad one of you must have pull then with the NHL that you can get accreditation for a little schlep like me, but I'd be happy to come along, carry your gear, sharpen Woody's pencils, you know, whatever it has to be done. I'll I'll be there for you.

Doesn't even have to be an NHL event. It can just be, like, going to Columbus for a weekend or coming over to Vegas to cover a a goalie seminar or heading up to Colorado for a couple of days. Like, he gave me a There he that. We don't need to worry about accreditation, but you have to I'm be in there. Alright.

We got a fun and gear segment today, and our NHL Sense Arena feature interview with Brian Daccord coming up. But, we acknowledge the record breaking Marc-Andru00e9 Fleury. I don't know what's more impressive getting to number two all time in wins or cracking that thousand game barrier. Where is it on you? Because the win should be the obvious answer, but playing in a thousand games is just unrelatable these days.

Yeah. I don't know that we ever see anyone get there. Right? Like, this is something we can kick around a little bit, but, I wrote it a couple times for InGoal Magazine and at the NHL. There's a great feature up.

Quick, you know, shameless plug for InGoal premium. We had a chat with with Fleury when he was in Vancouver, probably, I think it's, like, ten days ahead of hitting a thousand, about the relationships he had growing up with Brodeur, with Patrick Roy, sort of his first idol growing up in Quebec, then going to the Franu00e7ois Allaire goalie camps in the summer at the age of 13 and 14. You know, learning the butterfly from the same guy that that developed it, you know, with Waugh at the level that they used it. Roberto Luongo, the other member of the thousand game club there on the ice with him at those camps as an instructor as a guy who was a couple of years older. And then, like, we got into some of the details.

Right? Like, we've we've got that that modified stick paddle that he's using this year up on the site, the way his game has evolved. Like, there are so many things that have to go right, including health, and he looks like he's 25, by the way, to get to a thousand games. Started his NHL career at 18. I remember talking to him when he came through town with the Penguins that year.

The longevity, being on good teams to have a chance to both get to a thousand games and especially the win mark, And then just constantly evolving and always having fun. So there's lots of... You know, he told a great story about it where that having fun part comes from his dad in his first year at junior and maybe being a little lonely and thinking about wanting to come home. And his dad just saying to him, as soon as it's not fun anymore, you can come home. And so, that that story sort of ties in all the elements of Marc-Andru00e9 Fleury's...

Fleury's journey to a thousand games, and I thought he was he was really kind to share that much time with us. So it's all there on ingoalmag.com. To me, he might be the last one, to be honest.

I've had the conversation with a couple of people in our game, and it's not even wishy washy. It's an emphatic he is the last one that will get to a thousand games. And you start running through some of the active players who are closest, and you go down, and Jonathan Quick is 700 plus games. He's at the tail end of his career. He's not gonna have four more seasons in the league.

Sergei Bobrovsky in around close to 700. He's got a long term contract. He's there. There's there's not a lot of guys that are even halfway to a thousand.

Yeah. It's pretty shocking. Pretty shocking, I think. For me, I know we talked about this a little earlier, and we didn't look at the win numbers. I'd be curious how many guys can get to that win record because not only do you have to have the longevity, but as Woody said, you have to play in a good team.

I'll just take the other side though and say somebody's gonna do it. Look. Four times in NHL history is is remarkably few times, so it would only make sense that there aren't many guys that can get within striking distance. For me, it's more remarkable that there were those three guys in sort of overlapping generations. Well, in a way, four, all four overlapping that have done it.

That's incredible. I think somebody's gonna get there guys because we have, greater access to sports science than we've ever had before. We've got higher level athletes than we've ever had before. Guys training from a young age, at least on the sports science wise, I I I guess we can be a little bit concerned about the beating that the body takes the way we're playing the game today, but I think we'll figure that one out as well. I I I believe never say never and somebody's gonna come along and and have the ability to to play until they're 42, 43 and and get a young start.

So I really think it's gonna happen, but it will always remain an incredibly exclusive record along with just, you know, the very few that that exist that can can barely be touched.

Well, I think the... I'm with you on the never say never thing. But on the science side, I think the science side is one of the reasons most people don't think it's gonna come because everything from that end keeps telling us and and push back the number of starts, limit the number of starts. Guys don't have success if they're... But, like, Luukkonen played 70 games on a regular basis.

I think played 70 or more eight times. We've now seen that number of acceptable starts for a workhorse go from 70 to 65 to 60, and now teams are talking about 55 as sort of a cap for their goalies. We see tandems. We have more talent at the backup position than we've had before. Sure.

There might be a guy that comes along and gets the opportunity to do it. I I I think it's unlikely and for a number of reasons. Like, think about, like, who's starting at 18? Like, even these guys that are having incredible careers, yes, maybe even Vasilevskiy, if he plays till he's 41 has a shot. If Hellebuyck plays till he's 41, he has a shot at the same rate.

Saros. If if, Sergei Bobrovsky can maintain this level and you talk about fitness, there's a guy that maybe might be the example who could do it. He'd still have to go till he's 41 or 42 years old and do his 42 year old season to have a chance while averaging over 57 games a season, a number that very few guys are hitting anymore. And and you see Fleury, what's made it tough in the last couple of years, he's in more of a backup role. So I'm with you, Hutch.

I just... Like, who's getting to start in the NHL at 18? Like, I just don't... I don't see it see it's happening.

But that's why it's four out of all time. You can't look around and say, but nobody else is doing it right now. It really is something that exclusive, but I believe that elite athlete will come along. You know, yes, I agree that they're going to fewer and fewer games started. I don't know that I would call that science.

I would call that impressions that people are getting by looking at, you know, back to back results and so on and then narratives take place and I think somebody's gonna come along that'll break that narrative. I'm not saying it's gonna be a common thing. I'm not saying you'll be able to look around the league and point at four guys that's gonna happen to, but somebody's gonna come along. It'll they'll they'll be an otherworldly goaltender just like every now and then we have generational talents that come forward and start breaking other records as well. Generational is sort of a word that tends to get knocked around far too often, but, there there'll be another goalie.

You'd have to be in the CHL. Like, couldn't be in college. Because as soon as you're in college, you're probably not until you're 21, 22, so you're three years behind them with that. Like, there's a lot of... You're you're probably right, but there's a lot of things that would have to fall in place to have a career like Fleury.

For sure. But it could even happen from college. Look, Celebrini is in college right now in what should be his grade 12 year. And, he's gonna come into the NHL quite possibly as a 18, 19 year old. So it could happen to a goaltender.

Extremely unlikely. I'm not saying it's gonna happen every year, guys. It's just, yeah, I think, I think our heads get turned. Things change for us all the time, and I look forward to this being one of them.

Put this one in the vault, and you can bring it out in twenty years. Episode 1,200 something. Not, Hutch is right or whether Woody is on the mark here. When you say somebody will come along, quite possible. And I agree with you that somebody may come along because I don't think that person's been born yet.

Like, I think we're that far into the future for things to turn before somebody gets an opportunity to play that many games in the National Hockey League at that young of age. And that, consistently, it's, it's wild. And when when you talk about the most unbreakable record, Glenn Hall, 502 straight games, like, there... There's only a handful of guys that started... If they started Glenn Hall's streak right now would reach a thousand games, if they followed through on that.

That's how far away a lot of these active goaltenders are. Wanted to mention Sergei Bobrovsky, 171 wins shy of the all time record for wins. That is a challenge to write when it when it comes to getting to that record too.

He's on the right team, though. I mean, the... They're they're trending in the way the panthers are playing, the way they followed up last year's run to the cup. I think he's only got two years left in that contract, so he'd have to sort of get... He'd have to continue on beyond this.

But, you know, if there is a guy who physically, like, ever since he changed the way he trains, and there's an article in the InGoal archives about about those changes that he made with the Finnish coach, you know, he's been remarkably healthy. So to Hutch's point, here I am saying nobody does it, and Bob might have a shot at doing it himself.

Yeah. He could get to a thousand. He could get to the wins record, but he would have to play really deep into his career.

Connor Hellebuyck might do it. Like, you know, as... Like, Connor Hellebuyck, it would take... There's a guy that plays more than anyone else.

He's got long term contract too. Right?

He'd have to do it till he's... He'd actually have to do it beyond that contract to get to that number. Wow. But That's incredible. Yeah.

He'd have to go beyond that contract. You have to be into his... I think I calculated his age 39 season, 39 or 40 season, and he would have to average 60 starts a year beyond that contract to have a shot to do it. But, you know, yeah, now I'm starting to walk you back here. Is it...

If anyone's doing it, we talk... I mean, generational talent. We got a guy with a Vezina who's starting to trend like he might win a second this year, behind a team that seems to suit him and is willing to let him play a ton. Yeah. And remarkably healthy the way he plays.

So, yeah, I mean, there there there are guys on the list right now. So And Hutch... I... I'm I'm leaning over to Hutch's side. I don't think it's won me over.

I don't think it's a bad thing that we may not see it again just to hold those four guys in such high acclaim. I think that's a that's a pretty cool honor.

It's not, but, you know, look look at some of the other records. If we look back to that sort of dead puck era where there was no scoring and hooking and holding and if you'd looked at the game then, you might have said nobody will ever get anywhere close to Gretzky's goal scored record. And then the game evolves and now we've got some people that at least can can be seen as having a shot at that one and and I expect that the game will evolve. Yeah. We're trending towards guys starting 55, 60 games right now.

Somebody's gonna come along and decide that, we can do things a little bit differently and and the pendulum will swing.

You know what? I I do feel safe saying is not touchable. Like, we're talking about a thousand games. Brodeur got to 1,206.

That's That's insane.

We talk about 551 wins in passing Patrick. Brodeur's at six ninety one. Like, that's just madness.

Yeah. I'm not gonna

say somebody's gonna break that.

First blush, is it a good thing that we're going to a more of a tandem base in the National Hockey League and Professional Hockey League, which will filter down into junior and minor hockey? Is that a good thing, or do you wish there was more of a starter carry the ball mentality, Hutch?

You can't develop sitting on the bench. So I think it's a good thing. I think it's the kind of thing that a lot shows us that there's gonna be some guys that will come up and succeed that might have never really had that chance.

I feel like he's I feel like he's just setting up the feature interview here with Brian Daccord because a lot of those elements are in there.

Yeah. No. I guess so. I hadn't even thought of that, but everything Brian said resonated with me so well. So, yeah, I think I think it's important.

I'm sure you can argue that at the NHL being the ultimate level, that's finally the place that somebody should play sixty, seventy games and it's okay to have starter backup. I'm not even sure that's a good thing because you just never know when the injury comes along and somebody has to be ready to take over. So

And that's the other part of this. We're seeing injuries with goalies at an unprecedent... I shouldn't say unprecedented, but sure feels like this is becoming an increasing problem around the league.

Having an a and a b is not a bad thing. When you get into a and an e, then things get tilted way out of whack, and it causes you great strain if something happens to the the a guy. And I like... I just like seeing different guys. I I like seeing different goaltenders out there more often and and being exposed to to their skill set.

So that's that's why I like it more than any other reason.

Well, when you think about it, one of the reasons we're seeing this is because we lost an entire generation of pure elite a's in a very short period of time. Think of the names that have retired in the past number of years. I mean, a bunch of them are over my shoulder on on the wall in the Olympic jerseys, Luongo, Price, Lundqvist. Guys that were, you know, capable of playing 65 to 70 a year on a regular basis and being that elite. So the counterpoint to seeing all these goalies...

And I... I'm with you, Daren. I like seeing all the different guys. But is the counterpoint... Are we losing are we losing the superstars?

Maybe.

Like, how how much shorter is that list of, you know, the Hellebuyck's You know, even Saros, he's he's been a guy who's been in that... On that stratosphere for the last couple of years, but hasn't played at the same level this year. Vasilevskiy, obviously, the first name that comes to mind is a superstar goaltender in the NHL and coming off a back surgery now and a save percentage below 900 on a team that doesn't play as well. And, yeah, I just...

It's it's interesting. The game has shifted so much towards offense. How much has it shifted the way we we regard goaltending and goaltending greatness and even goaltending statistics?

How many games do you think you need to play to qualify to be a Vezina trophy winner in today's game? He used to be 60 plus where you were in that conversation.

What was Ullmark last year? Like, I I think it's 50 now. Like, I think if you hit 50... Right? I remember there was a year where I think Flower was just below that.

It might have been in Vegas where he was so good, but his numbers, he didn't play enough. I I... To me, top of my head, if you're at 50, you're probably okay. Now does the guy who... If a guy...

Now here's the one thing. If a guy plays 62, 63 and maintains the same level for more games

Than this.

As the guy the guy that played 50, I give it to him because there is value in that. But consistency is harder to maintain over a larger sample. But I think once you get to 50 now, you qualify. And I I can't... Top of my head, I can't remember what Ullmark hit last year because we were having this discussion last year.

Linus Ullmark's the best goalie in the NHL should win the Vezina, but will he get enough games played in the system they were setting up?

So who is in the group right now as far as leading the the Vezina trophy race as we approach the halfway point of the season? And does that reflect what you're saying being a 55 game guy?

Linus didn't even get to 50 last year. 49 games played. I should know that off the top of my head, but he only got to 49.

50.

He was he was Round

round it up.

48 starts. One of them was a relief appearance. He was far and away the the most obvious deserving choice. The only guy that could touch him wasn't even a finalist. Read about it at ingoalmag.com and my rant, it was Juuse Saros.

By the way, he only made one relief appearance. That... That's pretty good goaltending on the Boston Bruins.

On the on the other side too. Yeah. Yeah. Especially when you... When you're starting the other guy

Yeah.

You know, that's 34 times. Demko is still at the top of the list in terms of goals saved above expected, but so much of... We talked about consistency. Like, he was at an unsustainably great level for the first month, month and a half of the season. And since then, he's played right around expected.

So other guys have caught up. Ilya Sorokin, who is, I think I think quietly, because I haven't heard a lot of buzz, is is quietly nipping at his heels and goal saved above expected. Linus Ullmark, frankly, is right there with both of them despite seeing, like, 300 fewer shots. So gold saved above expected is a cumulative stat. And the fact that Ullmark is nipping at their heels despite playing so much less, again, tells me, you know, he's backing up last season showing that it was not a fluke in any way, shape, or form.

And he's doing it behind a Bruins team that isn't as stingy defensively as they were last year. You know, next guy on the list, this might surprise you guys because I think his raw numbers are, like, somewhere in the nine zero five range. You'd have to look it up because I've stopped checking. Jacob Markstrom behind a Calgary team that has leaned heavily on goaltending has not maintained the defensive posture that they had under Darryl Sutter last year. As a matter of fact, Jacob's expected save percentage of eight seventy two is the third lowest in the league.

The only guys below it were Eric Comrie at eight fifty and Antti Raanta around eight sixty two. Eight seventy two, and Markey is a full 13 goals above expected right there in that group with Demko, Sorokin, and Ullmark. And then you've got Lindgren and Connor Hellebuyck sort of starting to gain ground on them with with... As as well as Hellebuck has played, there is still a defensive component to this with the jets, and and... Which isn't a surprise as with Rick Bowness as their coach.

But anyone in that conversation... Charlie Lindgren's in there as well, But, again, not as many starts currently out hurt. Adin Hill was up there, but he's been out for a while. Joseph Woll as well. Joey Daccord is top 10 in the National Hockey League right now at plus nine goals saved above expected.

And Martin Jones in a tiny sample is already at plus eight and a half. Martin Jones leads the league in adjusted save percentage, guys. So for everybody sort of looking at the Leafs going, ah, they're a great defensive team. That's why the goaltending's succeeding. Martin Jones has been full value for the performances he's had in Toronto.

They are not as stingy as they were in years past, and the goaltending's been asked to do more. Joseph Woll went healthy, was working his way into that Vezina conversation, and Martin Jones has picked up where he left off.

Right. Brad Treliving. That that ends up being one of the greatest offseason signings to get you through a stretch with Martin Jones coming in.

Well... And it... What makes it the greatest off season signing is it happened with us on the ice with Martin Jones in Kelowna that... In the summer. Well, I remember...

I literally remember him coming on

the ice. He didn't sign the paper on the ice.

No. But he... Coming on the ice right after signing the paper and us sort of knowing this was coming a few days in advance and having to zip our lips, because anything Leafs related, last thing you wanna do is leak. So, it was pretty cool to sort of be there. And, hey, ingoalmag.com, go to the pro gear section.

And Martin Jones that day walked us through the custom grip he uses because he's got bigger hands to sort of get a better feel for his stick. So if you're a goalie who has bigger hands, not something Hutch and I have to worry about, Martin Jones will show you how to tape your stick so that you can have a better grip and be one of the best goalies in the National Hockey League.

You had the great custom grip scoop at the Winter Classic.

I... You know what? Chris, the practice day and the family skate on New Year's Eve, I just saw a stack of fresh Warrior twigs in his locker, and I saw that Bobrovsky slope shoulder. And then I saw the notch in it, and I'm like, hey, Drew. Do wanna walk me through why this works?

Fired up the iPhone video, and he was awesome. So explained it all, dropped him some sort metal down. Yeah. He's... Because he's one of the

He asked you to tape it so he could talk it through instead of you asking him to talk it through.

Future InGoal correspondent, Chris Driedger.

He, the beauty there is, if anything other than a winter classic environment, he had people waiting for him and everything. Anything other than that environment, his pads were sick. And, you know, hey. Listen. Joey Daccord's a great story.

Chris Driedger not playing for over a year and a half because of the blown ACL and then coming in and stopping thirty seven and third... Of 38 in his first start, during this Seattle Run is something I don't think we've heard enough about either. Like, that was a hell of a performance and well deserved for a guy who has grinded to get back. But he... I I swear if that wasn't the winter classic, I would have told him, hey.

Like, you haven't taped these. Because he said to me, I haven't even had a chance to tape these up, but I was like, first thing that went through my mind was, let's go

let's go around the corner and tape these up. Show me how you do it. So we'll save that for a future episode, but I love those. I'm starting to really... So many unique little twists on the grips that goalies at the NHL use, and I love that so many guys have been so willing.

We've got a bunch of those recently. Fleury and Carter Hart with the unique sort of puck marks on the on the Yeah. Pat... Or the blade. So lots of that stuff at ingoalmag.com.

Does Driedger order those manufactured that way, or does he doctor them after he gets the sticks?

Well, obviously, we we talk about the the slope shoulder. That's a Bob thing. He started... He he ordered them like Bob, but then he was cutting the notch out himself. And Warrior said, no.

No. No. Like, just show us how you want it, and we'll do it. And so now he gets them delivered that way. It's funny because I see that and I'm like, man, that's a that's a spec, slope shoulder with a notch that I think a lot of people would...

Lot of goalies would love to try. The hard part if you're if you're a company like Warrior is like, you know, they've built that mold, but it'll just be in his... Like, it'll... I think it'll just be in his length, his, you know, his lie, his his blade curve. So if everybody wants it in those exact specs, no problem.

But if you want variations on it, that's where it becomes a lot more complicated other than ordering your own custom stick. And, you know, I gotta actually hit up Kirk Allen from Warrior and double check to see that they have a full custom program at the retail level. I know, obviously, Bauer does. We know that CCM is is gonna have theirs coming back out again soon. I'm not a 100% sure I'm worried, but I wouldn't be surprised.

I wonder if you could order Driedger's model.

I would. I... Believe me. I wanted I wanted to try it for sure because I've really started to love that slope shoulder and how it allows you to grip the stick. And I love that he he showed us.

He's a little worried. He's like, maybe we're giving away Bob's secrets here, but how that hand is down over the paddle. But then on breakaway, he draw... He pulls it back to the top where the the shaft starts on its own. So he has a little more reach for a poke check.

I love that too.

That's an interesting thing about a number of these videos, is that gripping further down on the paddle, which is effectively making you use a shorter stick. You know, the only way to do it in the old days would be to order a shorter paddle. I think as we talk, we consider it sort of something that everybody already knows and understands that people are going to shorter sticks. And then I work with even junior goalies at a high level now. They don't know it.

They're all excited when they can get a 27 inch paddle and have a longer stick and cover more area. I don't think everybody understands that there's this trend towards shorter paddles. We... Gosh. We were there Woody on the ice with Carey Price.

It's probably five years ago now he was trying different size paddles, trying to see if he could get comfortable with a shorter paddle. And the reasoning for that being, we make all our stick saves while we're in the butterfly. I still saw a bunch of people leaving comments on the InGoal Instagram over the break as I was filtering through our comments, mystified why somebody would have their stick off the ice when they're standing. And we can debate that one all day. I still know goalie coaches who teach it who are excellent goalie coaches.

Speaking of Connor Hellebuyck, having his stick off the ice when he's standing. The whole point being, we wanna size that stick so that we can make a stick save while we're in a butterfly. If you have that perfect length paddle, that long 27 incher, if you're a young guy trying to go out there and get a long paddle. Yeah, it'll look good when you're in your stance and doing skating drills and everything, but then you go down to the butterfly to make a stick save and everything is going to be messed up. If you want to have that paddle where you...

Excuse me, the blade where you'd like it to be, well, then you end up opening up big holes under your arms in order to do that. And there's a lot of reasons for exploring a shorter paddle and that's effectively what these guys are doing. Obviously, with twists, they give them a whole lot of other advantages as well.

Well, it's interesting because I asked... If you watch the video and folks, again, ingoalmag.com, if you're a premium subscriber, you can watch me with Chris Driedger sit down and go over his paddle. I asked him if it was because, like, Bob likes it because it allows him to square that blocker up so nicely. Mhmm. But Chris' answer was the first game he tried it, it was how that short...

That gripping down on the stick allowed him to seal in the butterfly better and not give up holes under the arm was that was the reason he switched to it.

Also wondering, do you need a different lie angle? Lies. Remember lies back in the day? Mhmm.

Mhmm.

Do you need a different lie angle if you go to a shorter stick to try and push it outside the pad a little bit because the blocker comes down lower? Well, and that lower than the pads there. It's

And that's what actually I just... Correcting myself because I've done... We've done so many of these lately. Yeah. For, it actually wasn't under the arm.

It was the way the stick lied on the ice. Like, he liked the way it it lay on the ice and helped close the five hole when he was down in the butterfly. That was part of the reason above sort of the arm. So Fleury was the arm. Fleury was gripping down on the...

That modified grip allowed him to have the stick closer and seal better in his butterfly and

Your elbows. Right? Your elbows to your body. Yeah.

And he actually... For folks that haven't seen that video, make sure you go check it out because Fleury actually drops into the butterfly in the hallway on the way to back to the locker room to demonstrate for us. It's awesome.

So here's one for you. When Minnesota played a game in Calgary, it was either Calgary or Detroit. I don't wanna say one or the other because I'm not sure. They were honoring Mike Vernon for going into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and Marc-Andre Fleury made a point of going out before the ceremony into the hallway and making sure he could connect with Mike Vernon and congratulate Bernie on being named and inducted into the Hall of Fame. And then he was backing up that night, went back in...

Into the room and joined his teammates. I thought that was a really cool thing and an awareness of Marc-Andru00e9 Fleury, but what's going on in the building and, obviously, with Mike Vernon and the great honor that he received. And Bernie turned around and said... The head of his blazer on. He said, you're gonna get one of these in a couple of years anyway. So enjoy it. But just to to bring It full circle.

in Calgary. I remember that. It was in Calgary. It was great.

It was it was really neat. I I love that that type of awareness. And I know he's not not playing, so he's got that that opportunity, but it was fun to see from our Marc-Andre Fleury. Are we through the goalie drama? Are we are we on our way out of the goalie drama around the league with all the injuries and and performance issues, or is this gonna be something that's gonna stretch into the back half and the three quarter mark?

What do you think?

I think it's gonna stretch out, don't we? We've still got a couple teams hanging on to three guys because they know they're gonna be able to extract a little bit more when teams are looking. We, haven't hit the trade deadline when everybody's feeling desperate thinking about what the future holds. Injuries will always happen. Isn't it really in many ways one of the most exciting years we've seen for goalie drama?

Yeah. And, one of the first years we've seen where teams holding a third guy, in a way holds the the cards in a trade market. It's well, I think we're just getting started, aren't we?

Yeah. Columbus isn't even in the race. They're carrying three guys because they know if they waive somebody, they're gonna lose Spencer Martin.

And yet they also had Jett as well.

Jet Greaves sitting there as their number four in Columbus who, when he's gotten the opportunities up here, has played fantastic. And yet through all this... And I get it because the raw numbers are what the raw numbers are, but I was surprised. I will admit to see Eric Comrie clear waivers when Buffalo decided they didn't wanna have a three goalie situation anymore only because I have access to clear side analytics, and I saw that he had an eight fifty expected say percentage, which is so low. Like, it's almost incomprehensible how bad his environment was this year, and that's two straight seasons.

He has had the worst defensive environment in the NHL. Feels a little bit like Buffalo recognizing, hey. They got a couple of young kids, and when they have starts that they think maybe aren't gonna go all that well, here you go, Eric. I know last year, he just got his running games when they were missing some of their, more important bodies on the back end defensively. So he he had to struggle through that And, you know, really tough because in both seasons, he managed to stay above expected despite the environment for long periods of time.

And then right towards the end, there was a game in there that dropped him below. But, man, anytime your environment is that bad, it's really hard to tread water. And he was, you know, like, there's some names out there that his adjusted numbers were better than that I think would shock some people. And I thought there might be there might be a team or two that would have access to those stats that that might take a flyer. But, actually, sadly, there's a lot of teams that don't have access to the stats and coincidentally, I see them make mistakes with their signings on an annual basis, it seems.

Just call Woody. Hey, guys. We've had a... Probably the... I We have had most certainly the busiest Christmas ever at InGoal.

Thank you to everybody who joined us, over the holidays with gift subscriptions and so on. So I know we have a lot of new listeners tuning into the show right now. Woody, I know I've asked you to do this before, but I'm going to do it again for people who haven't heard it before. I think that term expected save percentage might throw a few people. They might be thinking we're expecting Eric Comrie to have an eight fifty save percentage.

That doesn't sound very good. What's going on there?

Based on the quality of shots that he's seen using 34 different points of data, and they're the only company that use traffic and screens, cross ice passes, all the things that we know as goaltenders make our life more difficult or in the in the case of a clear sighted shot down the wing into the gut a lot easier, they weigh the value of every shot and create an expected, say, percentage of what the league average would be based on the types of shots a goalie sees. And based on the types of shots Eric Comrie saw this season in Buffalo, a league average goaltender would had an eight fifty save percentage.

And it just occurred to me that with our guest this week, Brian Daccord, moms and dads, you don't have access to clear site analytics for your kids. I sure wish we did. But Brian Daccord and his company have, Stop It Goaltending Game Day, an app you can get on the app store, subscribe to, and you can actually track, your goaltenders, whether you're a goalie coach. I've I've used it at the junior level and I've shared it with the head coach to let him give him some perspective on how his goaltenders are performing. It lets you do kind of what what clear side is doing.

Not as many points of data, a little bit of a simpler model, but still, a very interesting one. And I think it's really interesting for coaches, for parents, for goaltenders to go through the exercise because it puts a lot in perspective. You can walk away with a shout out thinking you've conquered the world, but maybe it wasn't the toughest game. It's okay to know that and see that you can give up six and go through this and realize, wow, that was actually an average game I had or maybe even a little bit better than average just based on the context of the game. And and then finally, as a person tracking the game, it gives you a lot of insight because sometimes you look at something and maybe Brian's app said, oh, that was a great A and you realize that maybe it wasn't necessarily or his app might say that that wasn't a great a and you know that there was something a little bit more challenging about it.

So it gives you a really interesting look at it. It kind of reminds me Woody, I know you're a huge ball fan. I remember as a kid, sometimes I would go to Jay's games and I'd get the scorecard and I'd actually score the game myself And that just gives you so much more insight into what's happening, makes it a much more entertaining experience. So, on those lines, stop the Goaltending GameDay app.

It's context. Right? Like, at the end of the day, you can't just look at raw numbers because quite often... Especially most people say, like, from one team to the next in terms of how they defend, comparing raw save percentage is apples to oranges. Stupid.

It's stupid. Raw say percentage is the dumbest stat out there. I'm gonna say it. I hate it. Don't talk about it.

I was that way with goals against average for years, and raw save percentage has pretty much become the new goals against average. There's just not enough context to it.

It's absurd.

Sometimes it exists within the same team because of the starts you get. Hey. Listen. Part of it's the job. The backup gets the second end of the back to back when the team's not fresh and not defending.

You know, it might be against the defending Stanley Cup champions, and they're on a 10 game run. Or, you know, so opponents, how the team plays in front of you, it can vary widely from team to team. Comrie's a great example. UPL, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Devon Levi, their expected save percentages are also well below the league average. Again, that is a tough defensive environment in Buffalo right now.

But relative to Eric, they're, like, 30 points higher. So, yeah, Eric Comrie has an eight sixty three save percentage, and that's probably why he didn't get claimed off waivers. But the adjust... If you put him in their environment and... Hey.

Like, doesn't necessarily... The math doesn't always check out equally. But by the math, it would be more like an eight ninety three.

Gear

Environments are very important, like the one over at the Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, the hockeyshop.com. They are coming out into the New Year just banging with all kinds of opportunities and exposure and information if you wanna upgrade your, just availability to goaltending product.

Yes. They have everything, and a lot of it's on sale. So we're sort of into that window now. And and still, like, the unique part of post pandemic is there's still new product coming in semi regularly. We've talked about all the new stuff from Brian's.

We've got another new product here that, you know, isn't brand new, but still relatively new, and we haven't had a chance to go through it. The Brian's Optic pants, which we'll get to in a minute with Cam. But everything that isn't brand new, everything that's a generation or... This is the period where they need to clear space. Because as much as I'm in awe every time I go into the hockey shop and off into the corner on the left where Cam and the goalies hang out and to, goalie utopia and how big it is and, you know, floor to ceiling pads and chest protectors and every accessory you could imagine, even danglers for Daren.

Everything they have there, there's a bunch more coming in the spring. That's when the new products launch from most of the major manufacturers, and that means they have to create space. So make sure if you don't live here in person and you can't check them out live in Langley, go to the hockeyshop.com. Check out all the sale merchandise. There are deals to be had early in the New Year as they try and create even more space for a lot of new product that's coming in in the spring.

So oftentimes, the best time of year to shop. Make sure you check them out. For all your bargains and any questions, hit them up, over the phone or by email because his entire staff plays the position, knows the position, and will help you do it better by getting gear that fits not just your size, but your game. You can spend

two hours conservatively, two hours just going through the sticks, just up and down, up and down. And and not even really dialing in, just trying out all the different patterns and manufacturers.

There are so many different... Like, yeah, that's that's a great point, Daren. Like, actually talking to and talking to all these custom things, like, there are so many options. We aren't quite to the point where everybody has a custom flex point, you know, from goalie to goalie based on how they handle the puck or how they prefer to shoot it. But there are so many options within each line that you you pretty much can.

Like, hey. I want a low kick point, a mid kick point, a high kick point like a shooter. You just choose a different model with, you know, within sort of that line from each different company. There's there's never been more options at a time when passing the puck and moving the puck and setting the puck up has never been more important. There's never been more options for goalies, and Cam can walk you through what works best for you.

Maybe at the shooting room that you can give it a shot and, figure out whether you like a high or a low, kick point when it's moving the puck. This week's, the Gear Segment, with Cam over at The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com, focusing in on the Brian's Optic pants, Woody.

Yep. You know what? Didn't know much about them. We haven't done a lot of gear testing with Brian's over the last couple of years. Maybe something we need to rectify, especially now that Cam's walking around the shop calling himself iconic.

So let's get into the pants. I think we saw the chest protector monstrous last week. The pants are a perfect complement to the optic three chest, the optic three pants. Let's let Cam explain the rest. Welcome back to The Hockey Shop Source for Sports.

Welcome back to The Hockey Shop Source for Sports.

I'm down... Well, I'm not down anymore. I... Jeez, all these years, I still think I'm going to the basement, but I'm not. For a year.

There is no elevator. There is no lower floor. There is no basement where they hide camp.

I'm raising the bar.

Like a troll under the bridge.

Raising the bar. We have

our own special corner. We call it Goalie Utopia. We are back this week in Goalie Utopia with a Utopian level pant. Like, I haven't seen Utopia on the whole pant. Three Brian's pant before.

This is my first time viewing it and I'm I'm quite impressed, Cam. So walk me through the specs of this beautiful pant.

Yes. Brian's Optic 3 pant, hand built in Canada. Very nice color all the way to start.

The quality, it just feels like a gen... Like, maybe... And you get the Primo on the front here, like, in the high wear areas. Like, there's just a richness

to it. You're already even talking about some of the features. Like, like, you're calling it up with looking at it.

It's great, though. That's good.

I don't know what I'm talking about. That's why you're here but I just... These things... That's awesome. It's because they jump out at me and I know how high wear that primo is. Cam, I'm sorry. No. That richness the

richness of the pant itself is clearly what's standing out to Kevin. So nice air lint liner on the inside, breathable fabric. It's gonna help keep the pant nice and cool while

it's on you. Is it all kinda... Does it always red? It doesn't have to be because you can order custom, but

yes, the red nice nice pop. It stands out.

I kinda like it. You know what? Like, you know, like, old hot rod guys would like that. They like the red interiors on their old cars. It's kinda...

It's got that feel to it. Again, that's just because it's sort of the holiday season or a little past the holiday season. It's not a Santa Claus pant. There's a richness.

So moving on to the inside of the pant too as well, we do see that internal belt that wraps all the way. Removable as well if you don't want it.

Or if you play in a league where it's illegal. I guess that's only the NHL, and these are definitely not NHL legal pants.

No. You can definitely see that from the overall thigh barrels themselves as being a wide, flat, squared off

thigh. And I'm gonna be honest here, unless you're playing in the NHL, why the hell would you want a rounded thigh barrel? Exactly. Lots extra coverage.... Baby and this one's got it.

Lots of extra coverage. Easy snap clip belts up in the front in transit for adjustment. Quite like these two as well. Really easy to get set up and get tightened up to your overall fit. Nice high waist for the pant as well.

So you're able to tuck into your chest integration very easily. Cam's a

big fan of the high waisted pants.

Yes. For tucking in. Tucking because I'm a big fan of tucking in.

You are a big fan of tucking in. I'm kind of picturing like Urkel right

now. Funny guy.

I hate like pants up to

like Splice it in. Splice it in, Hutch. So your segmented overall hip pads angled as well. Still creating good flexibility for the pants, but offering that good coverage and protection, especially in that lower area.

I like how you showed the flexibility. You do a lot of

this when you're in goal. Yeah. Splits. I believe it when I see it. That extra flexibility.

So Kevin called it out to you. Primo in the high wear areas of the pant as well. So, again, an added durability feature. This is gonna be a nice long lasting, durable, protective, quality built pant from Brian's. You can check it out at the hockeyshop.com.

I got one last question. What's that? First, give them the number. Give them a number.

604 589 8299 or 1-800-567-7790. For all your fashion advice or if you wanna know the question I have, do you say tuck in? How does it work for an untucked?

Just as well too. That's all about how tight you can pull

that waist around with having it wraparound. We've And had because of the segmentation here, you're still allowing flexibility forward. So we've had the chesty. Does it fit well with this? Like, tuck to untuck, you're

liking it? Yeah. Put it on? 100%. Nice.

Okay.

If you got any questions, hit them up. Cam and his crew here at the hockey shop, thehockeyshop.com. One last time with the number.

(604) 589-8299 or 180567790. The latter one is important because Brian's, well made in Canada, will cross the border. Sure will. You can ship to The States.

The latter one is important because Brian's, well made in Canada, will cross the border. Sure will. You can ship to The States.

You put the Optic three chesty with the Optic three pants, and are you an Optic tank out there? Is is that what we're sort of after here with that kind of

It's an optician.

For a whole...

Yeah. Well, you you

don't even have to see it coming because you just stand there. Boom. It just protects you.

I'm an optic illusion because I look so much bigger than I actually am.

There we go. The ultimate optimist. It does give, an an unbelievable amount of protection, though, from your your body standpoint.

And there's, you know, options in how you can wear it as well, aren't there? Yeah.

Tucked in, untucked, designed to work together. I think the biggest thing that you see and the way they use that Primo, which has sort of become their... Also their sort of slide material on their pads. It started as something that they use on a high wear areas because it's so much more durable, and then they realized it would slide better. So they put it on the inside of their pads, including the iconic pad line.

But there's a richness to that material. Like, just that it feels like quality. It's like, you know, when you get into a car with a nice leather interior, like, it's just... And and just that's what I get when I... Both the chest protector and the pants.

I just... There's a feel of a real high quality, well made richness to the materials and the way they put them together. And that's something I think we've come to associate with Brian's and their equipment. Like I said, we're probably a little overdue to start testing some of that ourselves and and, you know, putting it through the ringer and seeing that, you know, does the durable... Durability of that product match the feel of it off the shelf?

History tells us that's probably the case, but maybe we need to call the folks at Brian's and get that back into our rotation for testing because I was really impressed with both products.

From Brian's to Brian, Daccord is our feature interview this week on NHL Sense Arena, the feature interview on InGoal Radio Podcast. It's a proud papa on the heels of, Joey's performance, not just, at the Winter Classic, but overall this season and what he's been able to do to help the Seattle Kraken get back into the mix. But it was an exclamation point with the MVP and the shout out of the Winter Classic.

Yeah. And just a part of a bigger story, and I think coming off that, I talked to Brian, managed to get ahold, and probably got lucky because he told me there was over 500 messages in his phone. Credit to Brian. This is probably a good lesson for parents everywhere. On a big day for his son on the biggest stage he's ever been on, playing in front of 47,000 fans where you wanna soak in the moment.

How many people do we see holding their phones out trying to video everything? Brian turned his off. Lucky for me, he turned it back on at the end of the game because I needed a few quotes for a feature I was writing about his son and the game he had, and Brian was perfect for it. But he just he just focused in on the game, and you'll hear him talk about how difficult it was to get through the game and the methods he used and how it became a point of reflection on the journey to there and some of the lessons that him and Joey have learned along the way, lessons he applies still today as the goaltending coach for Boston University. So just...

I thought it was ideal to have him back on. I know he's been a frequent guest here, but it feels like there's... Much like the game and the position itself, it's always evolving. And the takeaways that Brian comes up with, that's how you get to be a coach with the level of success he's had, both first with the Boston Bruins and then as the Arizona Coyotes' director of goaltending department. All these different things, like, you're constantly evolving, and he had fresh takeaways coming off Joey's big big game of the Winter Classic, but also the run he's on right now.

And he's... How he's able to sort of maintain himself through that run, including something that goes against what Brian would have in his book about even keel. So there's tons of great stuff in here in our interview with Brian Daccord.

And it's a great relationship, with Brian Daccord and NHL Sense Arena Hutch and what's happening with the, VR world.

Sure is. We just continue to hear about Sense Arena fitting in at higher and higher levels of the game. Woody's recounted the story of Joey Daccord before, the fact that he has used it before games, during games, in between periods. And we hear a lot more in this interview about it as well. So we could probably, you know, let a lot of this just stand as an interview, and you'll hear a great deal about Sense Arena.

But I'll just add in, I've bumped into a number of junior goaltenders now starting to recognize this as well. And I like the fact that as as Woody will talk about in this interview, Joey's making it okay for guys to step into the rink and use Sense Arena. He's he's creating an environment where you would feel comfortable doing it. Because I've spoken to a lot of young goaltenders who think the idea of warming up a Sense Arena is kinda cool, but there's no chance they're gonna do it in front of their team. I would even say maybe they would worry about some coaches if they did it in front of their coaches as well.

Joey's making that acceptable. And now, actually, I heard that our former billet, the six foot eight Cooper Black at Dartmouth University, who is, one of the top goaltenders in the NCAA, is using it now to warm up for games as well. Didn't have anything to do with me because Cooper's that kind of a guy. I just find out about it through the woodwork because he doesn't talk much about himself. Couple of goaltenders here as well, and then I'm using it at the junior level.

Look. It's just a great tool that gets you a chance to dial your game in. And on so many different levels, we're not gonna get too deep into it today. We will have a review coming down in the pipe in January, that will give you access to everything that is in there. All I will say is head over to sensearena.com.

Check it out. Try the trial if you're one of those lucky folks who got a headset for Christmas, and use the code I g m 50, and you'll get an even better deal than the awesome deal they have going right now. Check it out. But more importantly, listen to Brian Daccord and listen to what Joey Daccord is doing in the National Hockey League with Sense Arena.

Perfect segue to our NHL Sense Arena feature interview on InGoal Radio, the podcast.

Feature Interview - Brian Daccord

Really excited to welcome back to the InGoal Radio Podcast. We were just trying to figure out how many times I think he is now the league leader in appearances on the InGoal Radio Podcast. Brian Daccord fresh off the Winter Classic and a day that I'm guessing I... Like, just as a media person, I know I'll never forget the winter classic in Seattle and covering it. As a dad watching his son shine on that stage and get the first ever winter classic shout out, I'm guessing you're not gonna forget that one for a while either, Brian.

No. Absolutely not. First off, thanks for having me. I I love coming on, and thank god you ended at some point because if it didn't, we would be here for eight hours. Each time we do this, we just we just go off, but it it was it was a magical it was a magical day for my family, for Joey, obviously, for, you know, for all the parents that were there, you know, with their kids and and trying to put things in perspective afterwards, right, was, you know, was interesting.

And I was really fortunate because we were able to stay in the moment. I had my phone turned off, and we just we just dialed in on everything that was going on. It actually... It was like we were... I talked to Daniela about...

It was like we were in a Disney movie. I just... Everything was just... From the family skate the day before to, you know, how the game went and then the postgame with Joey, you know, with the MVP trophy, you know, with Wayne Gretzky and the TNT guys, and then, and then they asked myself and him to do an interview on the NHL net. Like, it was it was a pinnacle.

Right? It was it was very reminiscent of Joey's first NHL game where afterwards, when everything had settled down, it was it was a great time to reflect and talk about, you know, the journey there.

Okay. So sticking with the game for a sec because I wanna get to the journey. Like, the moments within the game, that jump out for you, here we are, you know, less than a week later, like the ones... The the memories. I'm obviously as a writer, I queued on the save on Eichel.

I love the little old school flare that it came with. I thought it was just this perfect for the moment he's talking about feeling like he's playing in his friend's backyard. Like, just everything about the day seemed perfect, but what what parts of it jump out for you?

Well, first off, just being with... So he had his buddies come in. These are kids that played knee hockey in my basement and are now working and married and the whole thing. That was really cool with his girlfriend and his girlfriend's father who's in the business as well. Her brother actually is with the Orlando Solar Bears.

And so just being in this group and... You're so anxious for the game to start. Everybody's anxious because, you know, we understand goalie world. Goalie world is... You could have a game like that game or you could be three on five and on the bench and embarrassed seven minutes into the game.

We all know what can happen in those games. I would say from my end, I'm always looking for the first touch. Whether it's a first shot or whether going out to handle the puck, you're always hoping for a clean first touch to get the game going. I'll be honest, I was was doing the Corey Schneider five minute segments in that game. So that's how I was living it.

I was going five minutes at a time. And it was really interesting because I got through the first period and now I was like, Oh, okay. Then in the second period, you got the donut going and no one wants to say anything, which is great. Then I'm thinking about, can you imagine if he got shut out? But in my head, I kept on repeating to myself, and this is funny, stop the next shot.

I was trying to keep myself I don't know what was going on in his mind, but in my mind I was like, okay, don't get ahead of this, Brian. So I kept on... My inner self talk was stop the next shot.

You had an athlete's mindset, not a fan mindset.

Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Then it was so ironic when he made that save against Eichel at the end of the game, and it was so reminiscent of the Corey Schneider Winter Classic save in Foxborough Stadium. We all knew it.

Right? We jump up. We're like, save, Corey save. The whole thing was just surreal. Watching him at the end and people cheering his name and the Joey.

Like, can you imagine as as a parent, you know, hearing that? It was, I mean, it was it was beyond what beyond what you could have hoped for in the game. Right?

Well, I mean, like, even if you get to experience that and, like, think of how few ever do to be in the NHL for starters and then to have a game like that and have the crowd chanting your name, but to have it happen in an... In in a winter classic where that crowd is, you know, two and a half times the size of anything you'll ever experience in a regular... That's 47,000 people there. And, boy Yeah. The Seattle crowd is a good one.

Like, it's such a good sports town.

Without a doubt. It is it is a sports town. And, you know, I I I always said it. I said, when Seattle... This is for regular season games.

When Seattle gonna figure out that every game is not a playoff game? Because the play... The barn's packed, and they're so into the game, and they're they're dialed in. And from day one when the franchise started, I was like, when's it gonna slow down? And it hasn't slowed down one iota.

We went to the Philly game. So so Seattle won two to one on Friday night, and it was it was bonkers. It was it was like a it was like a playoff game.

I went to a preseason game with my wife. First game I've been to as a fan, we just happened to be in Seattle in over twenty years. I said, let's go watch a hockey game, like, in the stands, not in the press box. And walking in there, this is preseason, every person had merch. Every person had a jersey.

And my wife was like... She was the one who was like, they're all, like, hardcore. I'm like, yeah. They are. This is Seattle as a sports town.

It's like going to a seahawks game. Nobody sits down the whole game.

We had we had... I'll tell you. As much as as as Monday, the winter classic was was Disney. Even the Friday for us to go see him and get announced starting lineup. And then I remember after the first period, we went down with the pro shop, and his jersey was on sale.

It had never been on sale, so somehow it's now on sale. Say you could buy a Daccord jersey. That was a big moment for us to see his jersey up with all the other jerseys that they sell stock. That was really cool. When we were walking to the pro shop, there was this massive mural with Joey on it.

It was a wow for Daniela And and then and then we go from that, and he was first star on Friday, and then we go to that. And then Monday, just, like, off the charts.

Okay. So I wanna get... Because then, again, another... Like, they played again a few days later, and again, a fantastic game. So I wanna get to the mindset he maintains that allows him to go from, like you said, like, what feels like a once in a lifetime moment, but it's actually just part of a bigger role he's on and to be able to continue it.

What allows him to do that? But let's go back to the Winter Classic because as you you you mentioned reflecting like you did on that first day. So what are, you know, what are some of the things that you reflect upon as a as a goalie parent? You know, there's probably some some advice in there I'm thinking that other goalie parents would love to hear.

We talked about all the decisions that go into your parental decisions going through. As a goalie parent, just like any other player's parents or whatever, where to play, what coach to play for, what tournaments to play in, when to leave home, what... You know, like... And the whole time you love your kids so much, you don't wanna you don't wanna mess it up for them.

Well, it... It's very similar to when Danielle and I got on the plane after Joey's first game in Buffalo, and and that was actually that was actually where I came up with the idea to to to write how to be a goalie parent because we talked about all the decisions that go into your parental decisions going through. As a goalie parent, just like any other player's parents or whatever, where to play, what coach to play for, what tournaments to play in, when to leave home, what... You know, like... And the whole time you love your kids so much, you don't wanna you don't wanna mess it up for them.

I remember when I sat down to write, I'm in the business and it was hard. I know a lot about goaltending, a lot about hockey, and you're still up at night wondering if you made the right decision. And when you get to a pinnacle moment like that, it's almost like you can take a breath. After his first game, it was take a breath. Hey.

I didn't screw up. And then the winter classic, hey. You know what? Taking the stair... Like, taking the stairs and not the elevator.

Joey never took the elevator. So taking the stairs and not the elevator. And he ends up with that priceless, you know, unbelievable day. It helped, in my mind, maybe justify. I don't if it was a sense of relief or justification that all those decisions and my mindset during all the development years has allowed him to get to this point.

It was pretty rewarding personally as well. Rewarding or relief, I'm not sure, but to think back on our mindset. I put my flag in the ground a couple of times on development, And, and, you know, it it... It's worked out to this point.

Give me an give me an example of some of the decisions that you may be worried about, that you made and you see you see... I mean, we talked about... I mean, he's 27. Right? So the pay...

And this is the first time outside of that rookie year, and I know there's an injury, but this is the most he's played since that first season. Without doubt. Yeah. In the in the NHL.

In the NHL, and and he's grinded his his way up. And and so I'll go through some some of them for me, which a lot of people aren't gonna agree with, but this is how I think as a parent and as a goalie guy. Joey was never the only goalie on his team. So, you know, sometimes... Because I hear a lot where some parents when they're trying to figure out where to play, it's about being the only goalie, and we know that games played is so important.

And so that's great if you're the only goalie. There's nothing wrong with being the only goalie, but sitting right beside me at the Winter Classic was his goalie partner from might. That was his goalie partner all the way through, and and the relationship that he had with him and the relationship that he had with all the other goalies that he was on, think there's a tremendous value to that. I'm not saying one's right or one's wrong, but for me as a parent, I was never... I want...

I wanna be the only goalie. And so he was always with the goalie partner. So that was one thing. The other thing which which is, you know, not everybody's gonna agree with was splitting games. So I I had a thing right through youth hockey, and wherever he played, it was if he goes to a game, he's gonna play.

So I I don't believe in the full game, and have a 10 year old, 12 year old sitting on the bench an entire game. So it was... I always made it clear. So let's say, Woody, you were the coach. I'd say to you, hey.

You know what? You want Joey to play? Great. But if Joey goes to the game, he's gonna play.

So you meant... I I... When you first said splitting games, I thought alternating. You mean No. Both goalies playing in the same game?

Play in the game.

I know there may be other people that are not fans of this, but I'm raising my hand as I... Yeah. Absolutely. I'm a fan of it. As a matter of fact, we went through an experiment here.

I wish I had Alex all right here to talk to me about it where he went through and now he's on the bench, so he's able to talk to them as they're coming off, but they would act... They would actually alternate more than once during the game. It wasn't just first period, second, third.

USA hockey is starting to to push that as well.

And he loved it. Yeah.

And and it's really interesting. That is an ideal situation to switch in between when there's someone on the bench that can coach the goalies. Right. Because now you can give feedback, and then they go... Like, now you're not waiting till...

Remember that save 27 saves ago?

Right.

Right? Everything's fresh. But I just all the way... Like, we're talking all the way through midget, like fall midget, the whole thing. I was like, it's split games or he's not going.

And if you wanna play in the whole game, that's fine. It's up to you. But but at the end of the day, like, that was that was a deal. And I remember a couple of times, you know, I had two coaches that that really didn't agree with me whatsoever. They're like, it's better for the goalies.

Brian, you don't understand. It's better for the goalies to play full games. That's what they're gonna get in high school. Blah blah blah. And I said, yeah.

I said, okay. Here. I'll make a deal with you. Your son plays on the team too. If he plays every other game, my son will play every other game too.

And you're like, well, well, that... That's impossible. I'm like, that won't work. I'm like, well, there you go. Do you want to bring your son to every other game and he's not going to play?

It's youth hockey. It's development. It's sports. So that was a big deal for us. Another one that I felt strongly about was we didn't jump.

In other words,

see lot

So I guess in the big picture, I always I always put passion and fun and and just being in a really good environment over the level.

of parents jump from this organization to that organization. They're always looking for that next best team, and that team's gonna go to this tournament. That team's gonna qualify for states and so on and so forth. So I guess in the big picture, I always I always put passion and fun and and just being in a really good environment over the level. So in our area, we have the EHF.

That's the triple a. That's that's our top level Yep. Of youth hockey. Joey has one EHF game played.

Wow.

He didn't play at the top level. He played that that next level down. But it was a great bunch of kids, and he had a great goalie partner, you know, who was at the game the other day, and and it was just a great environment. And the thing that I really learned from that is that it's so hard to be bold, that when you hit those hard times, that you have to have had that joy and that fun and that passion built up when you were a kid to be able to push through the hard times. In my mind, I prioritize the environment over the level.

Even moving into high school, I remember he went to high school and he played for our North Andover High School team, which is our local Division II public high school.

Okay.

Now a lot of the better players he had played with were off to prep schools, they were going to the big names and everything like that. The problem was going to prep school, chances of playing at that level as a freshman were very hard. Maybe a very good freshman or sophomore player can get shifts, but a goalie is sitting on the bench or playing JV. So he played for his local town team, a high school team, played two years. So then he went to Cushing Academy, which is a powerhouse.

He repeated sophomore year. Now, when he played his first game at Cushing, he had 48 high school games played. So he was playing his first game at Cushing Academy as a sophomore. He had 48 games in his back pocket. To me, that's putting him in a sit...

In in in a situation to succeed. It wasn't a rush. It wasn't always going to go to a big name school or academy or something like that. It was always going to play and develop and be in a good environment. I've always felt, going back to taking the stairs as opposed to taking the elevator, when you take the elevator, you miss out on experiences and you miss out on growing and getting to a level that you're dominant, that you're very good, that your self esteem, I'm good.

And now you're ready to go to the next one as opposed to going to that next level and not being sure. So I think there's a value to that so that you're not... So many parents that I talk with, they're such in a rush to get to that top level. And if you're there, that's awesome. That's perfect.

But for me, you don't have to be there. As long as you're playing at a competitive level, that's great. You can't obviously be at a very low level, but as long as you're playing at a competitive level, then I think it all... It it works in your favor because you can you can be a key player. You can be an important player.

You can be a player that guys rely on. And then when you've when you've conquered that level, then you go to the next one. Then you go to your next stair. There seems to be such a rush. Some people want to get ahead so fast.

I think there's a value to it. Like I said, this isn't the only way. There are guys that zoom up because they're ready and they're mature and they can do it. But I think for a lot of kids, they just need that time to grow and continue to develop on a pace. I think Joey's been an example of that guy that, as each level has gone and taken his time, you know, even even at, let's say, college, right, start off.

And and it was a tough year that freshman year going to ASU, new program, and and they gotta hand it to him many nights. And then the next year they started getting better and then they started believing. Then that third year they go to the national championship tournament. I think that all the lessons, let's say, I went into ASU and that journey there and then start again in the American Hockey League and start the East Coast League, sorry, ECHL and jumping from there to the American Hockey League and then growing. It's the same pattern.

It's the same building of confidence and learning from those experiences.

More calluses because there's adversity at each Yes.

What you're referring to is, you know, with with Joey, we always had a thing when when there's adversity, and there's always adversity. And That's where you go back to the passion and the fun if you love it so much. Every time there's adversity, we would always say, Hey, more calluses. More calluses, you have to have those thick calluses to be able to keep on going. There's a performance coach, Mick Pavlik, and she taught me about emotional endurance.

And and I'll never forget this. I use it all the time, and it's a big part of Joey's life. Emotional endurance is you're playing in the American Hockey League, and you go to practice one day, and the stop beside you is the other goalie, guess what? He just got called up to the NHL. And he went from making 75,000 to $750,000 that day, and he's gonna have a chance to live his dream.

How are you gonna practice that day? K? So now take another scenario. Now you walk in the locker room. It's the middle of the season.

Your best friend just got sent down to the East Coast League. How are you going to practice that day? Are you going to be able to practice at the same level with the same intensity and the same purpose regardless of what's happening in the environment around you? That her definition of or her example of emotional endurance. When I was scouting for Maple Leafs, this is what she told the scouting staff.

You need to find players with emotional endurance. And once again, tying into taking the stairs, you you learn that taking the stairs. Right? You learn how to deal with that and and keep going because... So there...

There's several times in in Joey's career where, you know, he needed that. So think about the most recent two years ago or last... Yeah. Two seasons ago, he was in Charlotte in the American Hockey League, first year with Seattle. I think he put up a nine twenty four.

It was the second best save percentage Troy Grosenick had a nine thirty. He was out of his mind in Providence. So the second best save percentage, his team was... When he when he took over full time there... Because he was up and down a lot because of some injuries.

But when he took over full time, they were in sixth place. They ended up in first place winning the division. And he had this great year, and and and then, you know, all of a sudden, Driedger goes to the world and has a knee injury and now a spot opens up Seattle. 26 years old, has a great year, a a career year in the American Hockey League, and Seattle signs Martin Jones for $2,000,000. Right?

Yep. Your your mindset... I'm assuming, like, without having asked him, of course, you're gonna assume that spot's probably for you and then boom, gone.

You are. You're you're gonna assume that. Right? You're the goalie. You're the you're the next goalie in line.

Yep.

And a spot opens up and you're thinking, there we go and and Martin Jones. And you can you can take that two ways. Right? You can be like, hey. I'm getting screwed here.

This is not fair. Or you can go, okay. Here we go. And this is what what we talk about all the time, the Kobe Bryant. You have practice the next day.

You have practice the next day. So so, you know, Joey's heard me say this to the kids that I've worked with for years. When the coach tells you to play, you play. When the coach tells you to sit on the bench, you sit on the bench. If If the coach tells you to sit in the stands, you sit in the stands.

But be ready to practice the next day. That's all. Just be ready to... So no matter no matter how that goes, whether you're the starter, you're the third guy, as long as you have that emotional endurance to bring it the next day, then, hopefully, things are gonna end up going your way. You know?

I love it. I love it. This year and the opportunity he's getting now is... Gets to the call to cup final last year, has another great season, gets an opportunity to play this year with Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer gets hurt.

Joey goes in. He's on this role. The Winter Classic is a part of it. Yeah. Just everything.

This is just all part of everything that's built through all those other periods. As opposed to... Like, it's like the test you're ready for. Right? We always talk about, you know, you're not stressed about a test if you've taken it, or if you've...

Taking a test, if you've done the work to get there. I'm guessing as as this opportunity comes, he's just ready because of all those other tests he's taken and all the other preparation.

And and so in this in this time, game ends and and now you sit the next day and you start reflecting, I've thought a lot about opportunity. And, you know, one of the things that that we talk about all the time is that it isn't always just one opportunity. Typically, see... You know, it it feels that way. Right?

I remember, when Joey was 17, he tried out for the US development camp, And he was... In in Massachusetts here, he was the number one ranked goalie in all the tryouts leading up to the, all star game. And lost the all star game, and they decided that the goalie that he lost to should go to the national camp. We had one spot from our district, and he didn't go. And at the time, you think about, well, that's his opportunity.

His opportunity, you go to you go to develop... USA development camp, every college in the country is there. It's a it's a tremendous opportunity. So so when that happens, you think, oh, you know, what now? Right?

Right. Right.

Martin Jones. Oh, what now? You know, always he ever gonna play? You know, that kind of thing. And then when you get when you get in hindsight and you go, that was probably one of the greatest things that happened to him, not getting picked.

Because that really makes you more callous, harder. And if you get up and go to practice the next day, you win. And when Seattle signs Martin Jones, which was, as we know, a fantastic decision, he played great. He won a ton of games. It allowed Joey to get a ton of games and get on a...

Like, in in in in hindsight, what a great decision. At the time, oh, you know, are you gonna blow it out of perspective, and are you gonna think, oh, poor me, and this isn't fair, or, Oh, this is the end, or, I'm not going to get a chance? I work with Andrew Raycroft and I know you know Razor very well. One of the things that Razor talks about all the time is that you just got to survive. You just got to stick around.

You have to just keep on going. Those opportunities come and you just got to keep on. And then those setbacks, that I've heard that adversity, growing those calluses, that's what you're gonna lean on. I I I remember I remember Scott Darling's first game. He actually text me today.

Scott Darling's first game in in Chicago. And he... Here's his first game in the NHL in Chicago, his hometown. Okay. Can you imagine that?

He's got 30 family and friends there. But guess what? He was from the Southern Pro League to the East Coast League to the American Hockey League. He was calloused to the point where he could step out on that ice, block out all the emotions, and go stop a hockey puck. And that's what you learn along the way.

Right? You learn how to do that, be able to block out everything else that's going on and just do your job. And and and you think about the winter classic. It was really interesting, going a little bit back on that, in Joey's mindset, he knew he was really prepared. Mike Condon gave him some tips and he said, Time is on your side.

Goes, don't worry about time. And Joey went in there knowing that everything was gonna be off and everything was gonna take longer. It was funny because Mike even told him, he said, get some high shots in practice. Get flips in. Work on your spatial awareness.

He said, Slow the game down. He said, Just settle it down and just be ready for a long day. And and so it was so funny because I thought about when Joey hopped on the ice... So they did the national anthem and he hops on the ice. The the the guys that were carrying the flag and the whole thing, they're in the way.

I saw that.

And he's gotta go and he's gotta cut. And and when that happened, I was like, there it is. That's exactly it. Nothing's gonna be the same. It's gonna be...

Everything's gonna be a little bit different. And and and he talked about it after the game that he was really happy, that he that he would... He was mentally prepared for for everything to be a little bit longer, a little bit different. And and so so, you know, thanks to Mike Condon and and and the goalie fraternity for helping out on that.

You know? I love that. Yeah. I mean, it's definitely a little bit different when you're making your entry to sir Mix a lot, and there's flying fish going over top of your head as you walk out onto the ice. It was it was spectacular.

But I guess from a... As a creature of habit, as a goalie, when you've got a... You know, you're trying to prepare a certain way. If you weren't prepared for that, like, if you just went in there thinking, hey. This is just...

Like everybody says, oh, just treat it like another game. You can't. Because you

have You can't. You get the you get the dinner the night before the the family skate. You got... You have distractions all over the... Like, you have to be you have to be experienced and prepared and know how to flip the switch.

We talk about it all the time, knowing how to flip the switch and learning what is your cue, what what is your trigger, what allows you to... Wherever it is. It could be the national anthem. You could be a guy that that you walk through the doors of that rink and you flip the switch. Or you wait for the national anthem and when they start singing the national anthem, that's when you flip the switch.

Everybody has a different way. You have to learn that. Have that whole weekend building up. You have us staying at Joey's house and his girlfriend's parents staying at the house and all his friends. You have all these distractions to deal with.

That's a big part of being a goalie and being able to say, guess what? Game time. Nothing else matters.

Then you have a game like that.

Yep.

Words that he used, magical.

Yeah.

You know, even I I was asked to write a feature for NHL and and didn't get my... The ability to ask my question in the press conference area. So as he walked back to the room, I just pulled up beside him and said, hey. Just walk and talk and asked a few questions. He was so focused in the moment that when I tried to pull it out big picture to the run, like, he just couldn't go there, which it would totally fine.

I realized that afterwards, I'm like, oh, yeah. He's just he's... Everything was about this moment. Yeah. But but then three days later, two...

They have got another game, and he has to continue this role. What... How... Walk us through the tools he's developed to to sort of be able to go from a high like that. Like like you said,

the whole team. They said the whole team.

Right.

The whole team think everybody's got family. Everybody's got friends. That's a that's a circus.

Right? Not everybody had the Coco Cup with Wayne Gretzky afterwards, though. You know what I mean? Like, but but to... You're right.

To go from that to the next game and still be able to maintain that focus.

Yeah. You gotta be able to do that. Now this is this is funny. This is a point of contention with Joey and me, so I'm gonna share you in a little bit. So in my book, I talk about being even keel a goalie.

Don't get too high. Don't get too low. You gotta stay there. You can't. You can't.

And whenever he hears me saying stuff like that, he calls bullcrap. He says, no way. The lows are so hard for a goalie. It's so mentally challenging when you hit those lows, when you let the boys down, when you let the team down, when you get pulled, when you don't win, when you get lit up, those lows are so bad. When there's a high, I'm gonna enjoy it.

So when you see him celebrating after a game and on the ice and waving like like, he's not, oh, I'm gonna stay even keel. He's like, this is a high. This is a high moment. I'm enjoying this moment. I'm having fun and I'm going to love it and be in that moment.

Because, he says, it hurts so bad when you're in the other ones. Why shouldn't you enjoy it? So if you think about a scale, right? And if that scale is in the middle, those lows, he says, pulls that middle scale down so low when a he chance to celebrate and enjoy. So, I don't know if you noticed, but after every goal, he goes to the blue line.

He doesn't sit in the net. Oh, yeah. Goes and he high fives after every goal. He does not stay in his net. He goes, we scored a goal.

I want to celebrate it. I want to be part of that. I'm not going to sit here and be even keel and stay in my crease. Once again, I'm not saying this is for everybody because talk about being even keel. But isn't it fascinating that he has that approach?

And that's why he lets himself get excited. He lets himself put and holler after a win with the boys. He doesn't try to be that guy in the middle. He'll be there because he knows how hard it is on him when things don't go well, and and we know things things things can go the other way.

And there's sincerity about it. That all makes sense now hearing that because when he eats the fish as the first star or second that... Whatever, you know, whatever star he is, he gets out there. It's not... You can tell that it's not put on.

There's nothing insincere about it. And so if you have a sincerity to how you do things Right. Your teammates are gonna appreciate that.

And he'll he'll he'll go up and give Bowie a massive hug at center ice and, like... And and I'll I'll be honest. He's... That is no different than five-ten whenever he grew up. He's always been larger than life when it comes to that.

He loves that stuff. He loves the cell. I'll go back to sitting in the office that I'm in now and I'm watching a video from the Lincoln Stars in the USHL. Joey's just... I'm getting emotional thinking about it because it was right here.

So I'm scouting. I'm watching a kid and Joey's a little guy. And the Lincoln Stars had a light show where they turned off all the lights, and they had the Stars logo with the lights going off, and the guys came on. And he goes, I wanna play in that league. He loves that stuff.

That's little Joey seeing a light show going, I want to be part of that. He enjoys it. He loves the show, the big time stuff. He said, jeez, when the helicopters came in, he thought that was the greatest thing ever. Right?

That was pretty cool.

It was awesome, baby. He loves that stuff. So he doesn't deprive himself because he's a goalie and has to stay... He doesn't deprive himself of enjoying it and being in that moment and having fun with it.

So it's a lesson here that as much as we try and come up with rules and it's like everything else in goaltending, there are no absolutes.

Like

No. Be be who you are. Like, be sincere to who you are within the framework of of whatever, you know, is commonly accepted. It doesn't always have to be within that framework of what we think goalie should be.

Without a doubt. And it goes back to... Right? You talk about it all the time on the show. Like, it's not one size fits fits all.

Right.

There's not one one way to play, one way to be. That's that's just him. And maybe maybe I I shared a little bit about why he's that way, but that's just that's just the way he is. And the fun thing, which is really fun, is that the the the crowd seems to... The fans enjoy enjoy that.

I know I know they've got they've got his bobblehead night coming up, but not not in Seattle. They got a Joey Daccord bobblehead night in Coachella Valley coming up. He doesn't even play there anymore. But but he had a great relationship with the fans there. They're having a bobblehead night for him there.

Love it. I love it. I love it. So last question. How how much of this, as you as you said, like, in the book, it's all even keel.

And with your son, it's different. No absolutes. How many of these lessons are you still applying at BU when you're back as a goalie coach? Like, you know, like like, this all becomes part of the experience for you as a coach, and it stop it as well.

I wonder if I do it too much because I've learned so much from his journey. I... I've been... This is our... Stop the goaltending's twenty fifth anniversary.

This is our twenty fifth

anniversary. Congratulations. That... That's a huge milestone.

Yeah. So we have a huge massive party coming up August 16. I think it's Friday. August 16, we're gonna have a huge celebration of twenty five years. We're trying to get all the the the Stop It alums back, and we're gonna have a band and do the whole thing.

So so, Yeah, we're going to do a big party to celebrate the twenty five years and hopefully we can get a lot of the kids back that are now grown and gone on and done different things in the world and hopefully get everything back. But, yeah, look, you do this unbelievable podcast. I do my stuff, we continue to learn. It just continues to evolve. BU, I take what I learned from Joey and I'm always passing it along.

I wonder sometimes if it's too much, but I pass along. When something happens with Joey, an experience comes up. Perfect example, Florida. When things weren't going well, Florida, two two game, three minutes left, a puck in the glass. He goes behind the net to play it.

It hits the stanchion, bounces out front, open net, and lose three to two. Absolutely. Let's go, guys. We gotta learn from this. We don't go out to play pucks in the glass.

Like, so so there's all... There's always there's always things that I'm pulling. And as much as I've learned in my career as a scout and a director and a goalie coach for the Bruins, it is... I'm always learning. And his journey...

I'll tell you what his journey's taught me that I didn't understand. From all the guys that I've had that have played in the NHL, until you're a parent and get to see it every day, it's so freaking hard. The grind that these guy... Every other night, they're going to travel, to practice, the media, just trying to keep your body physically in a physical shape to go out and perform in front of 18,000 people and TV every other night. I I can't...

Now now I'm experiencing as a parent, like, firsthand what a starting goalie because he's been a starting goalie here for a while because of Grubauer's injury. But now I get to see him like, oh my god. Here we go. Here we go. Have...

I'm... It's halfway through the season. I'm exhausted.

It's it's a lot. It's a lot. Yeah. Actually, funny thing is they're practicing today in Seattle, and one of the... I thought about going down there and grabbing ten minutes with him so we could add this to yours.

And I realized one of the things that went through my head was, man, he's probably getting requests from all over the country after the winter classic. Like, he's probably been on every show and everything. And there's my goalie parent even though I'm not the parent moment. I'm like, I'm not adding to that today. We're just gonna we're just gonna grab dad today because I'm not adding to Joey's workload today because

I'm a I'm a big listener. I I love I love the podcast. I think what you guys do for goaltending is is off the charts. It's fantastic. And and we talk about learning. I learn from every single one of your podcasts. I learn. And I've been this twenty five years at the highest level of goalie coaching, and I get something out of every one of those interviews. I love it.

it's I appreciate it. As you know, I'm a I'm a big listener. I I love I love the podcast. I think what you guys do for goaltending is is off the charts. It's fantastic. And and we talk about learning. I learn from every single one of your podcasts. I learn. And I've been this twenty five years at the highest level of goalie coaching, and I get something out of every one of those interviews. I love it.

Look forward to them all the time.

Okay. So I got one last one because as you... You're a listener, so you know one last one actually meant two. Because this interview is being brought to us by Sense

know that you're gonna get chirped for going too long.

I know. But this interview was brought to you by Sense Arena, so I I didn't ask. Like, I mean, Joey's become a poster boy for it. He he told me about using it in between periods. As you talk about the stress and the and the need for rest, like, you applying it at BU?

Is that something you use there? Like, we've seen this grow. You know, I... Joey told me he wasn't... Like, when you first brought it home, this isn't Joey Daccord using Sense Arena in the NHL because his dad was a part of helping develop it and and and a part of their their group that, you know, that sort of continues to evolve it.

He didn't have any interest at the beginning.

But he's Yeah. He he looked at it like a game or something kids would do, and it was ironic. So he was in Coachella Valley, and they didn't have a morning skate. Like, okay. Well, what am I gonna do?

You know what? I'll break out the Sense Arena box, and I'll I'll put the headset on, and I'll give myself a little workout. And he did that. So what do you think happened that night?

Oh, I know what happened that night.

Right? So he gets a shutout that night, and he's like, boy, like, I felt good. I didn't have a morning skate. I felt fresh. I felt I was seeing the puck well, and then he started building.

And then it was, alright. Any option... If he had the option not to go last year on a morning skate, he would not go. He would just do the Sense Arena, and then, let's say for home games, he would put the Sense Arena on at home and get a few minutes before he went in, and then that went to it being a staple at the rink to this year where winter classic, he did 17 drills two hours before the game.

Because there's no morning skate that day, of course, because it's a 01:00 start Exactly. Or noon start. Yeah. I I wondered about that, and now I gotta I gotta ask him now because I think Sense Arena actually had the Winter Classic environment built in before the puck drop. Like, you could actually go be at T Mobile Park where the Mariners play and do drills out there.

So I'm... Now I'm gonna have to find out whether he

actually Yeah. So

he it in

17 drills. So that would be 17 sets, let's say.

Yeah. Yeah.

So so he did 17 before... Two hours before the winter classic. And and and now it's at the point where... So in the preseason, when Grubauer would start and Joey would come in in relief, he would do the Sense Arena, do virtual reality in between periods.

Right. That's awesome.

Almost at it's almost at the point now. Now you have that period. Now you have that period where you get, like, two or three shots and you got nothing to do. Yep. Now you can go in in between periods, put the headset on, get yourself going again, and then get back on the X.

It's it's really incredible. It it... To me, the the beauty of it is it has zero to do. I could not sell him on Sense Arena. Do you know what I mean?

Like, it had... It wasn't me saying, hey, Joey. I'm involved with this now, and I want you to do this, and it'd be helpful for Sense Arena. This is 100. And I'll tell you what.

There was a shot in the first period, and it was a d to d pass and a shot through, like, three different bodies that he caught. And Boucher picked up on it because Boucher's angle was down at at, at ice level. And he goes, wow. He goes, that was a hard save. That was a hard puck to find.

And what Joey talks about in the car, on the way home, he talked about that save in Sense Arena. He goes, When I have a save like that, I'm thinking, I don't know if I make that save without Sense Arena because he loves doing the screens, so there's an option where you can have screen work. And he puts himself in a situation where he's only getting glimpses of pucks. And now you get a split second to see a puck and then make a save. So you don't get the full path of the puck.

And he practices this all the time. And now when in a game, when he just catches a glimpse and he's able to make a save, he's like, there we go. Sense Arena paying off.

I love it. I love it. So that's so good. Is... Like you said, the the reason I wanted to ask is because I knew it...

This wasn't him using it because dad pushed him on it. I know that he came to it very organically, and now he's Yes. You know? And the other part is, I remember when they came through Vancouver the first time this year is they were packing up their bags at the end of the game. Post game, I'm in the locker room doing my interviews, and I glance over to the goalie corner because we were...

Like, we're talking to Everly. And I glance over to the goalie corner, and Joey's finishing packing up his bag, and he's just putting the Sense Arena kit into the top of the bag, the same carrying case that every kid has that buys Sense Arena and gets the full kit, that that, that Pelican box. And I'm like, there it is. He's normalizing it for the kids that see it as a tool but are embarrassed to take it to the rink because Because

it's not now. Normal. If you go to Coachella Valley, like, even Seattle, they have it. Like, that's just part... Is now part of every day.

This is what you do. And you talk about the BU. So we had one of our goaltenders,, and so he went home for Christmas break. For us, we were off for three weeks. And I specifically gave him a plan, a three week plan, fifteen minutes a day.

I can't tell you what aspect of his game we were working on.

That's fair.

But there was one aspect of the game where I wanted to change. And I said, here's a window and I know what you can do. And he worked on this fifteen minutes a day for three weeks to come back. Now we started second semester here. And now I was able to get stuff done for my goalie virtually.

It was... It's the coolest thing ever.

Well, and the beauty is it's fifteen minutes a day with no stress. You're not going to the brink. You're not having to stretch out before you do No gear to put on. It's... Yeah, I know.

They... I think the applications were just scratching the surface. And like I said, it's nice it's nice to see Joey normalize it for a lot of people.

And just Joey Joey will tell you. Like, this is... If... When you interview him the next time, he'll go, I can't comprehend or understand why every goalie doesn't have one. He values it so much as part of his development and routine.

He went from not wanting to touch it to not understanding why everybody doesn't have him. Well, we'll keep it working.

Well, we... He's gotta be... When we find these advantages as goaltenders, normally, we try and keep them secret. But the nature of our sponsorship means we gotta shove this one from the rooftop. So I really

appreciate disagree with you, Woody. I think that the goalie guys, like our community, we share.

That's fair.

I I I... You got... You guys do you do an unbelievable job. The people you... Think about the people you bring on the show, they share, and that's...

That gives people like me, and the goal is that I work with, the opportunity to develop our our game as well.

Tools in the toolbox.

Yep. Absolutely.

Love it. Love it. Brian, thank you so much for taking the time as usual. I took more than I said I would, but that's just me. And, you're always such a good sport about it, and we always enjoy these conversations so much.

As you said at the hop, we could probably keep going for another eight hours. We don't wanna set any records today. We'll save that for the next time because we know there'll be a next time.

I appreciate it very much. Thank you.

Outro

The parent content, Hutch. They... As as a goalie dad, you must have loved that.

I, have a sheet right in front of me here with all the notes I was taking, all the things I got excited about because as we're editing the interview and working it through, I get excited. I don't wanna forget the things that Brian is saying because I don't have the world's best memory, Woody will tell you. Just that line, he took the stairs, not the elevator. It took me a little while to figure out what he was talking about, and then it it came through. Like, parents, it's okay to take the stairs.

The only thing I would add, Brian, is the stairs don't always go up. Sometimes they go down before you go back up. It's a roller coaster ride. Having that game as an opportunity to take a breath as he was deciding if he'd done the right thing for his son along the way. To see that there's a parent of a goaltender succeeding at the National Hockey League level, feeling the same things I felt when my son was in Adam and Pee Wee, there was just so many things in there that resonated with me.

I just loved every minute of it, and, we need to have more.

I gotta be honest. When he first said taking the stairs instead of the elevator because we were still sort of talking about the winter classic, I I thought to myself, is there an opera... Was there... Did... I thought he meant, like, at the ballpark at T Mobile Arena where the Mariners play because I was thinking to myself, was there an elevator involved in them getting to the...

Or did they... What... And so it took me a little

while do if it was a life lesson about being fit. You always take the stairs, not the elevator. Took me a while to realize. We're not that

bright, Hutch.

No. We're not. We're not. I'm optimistic though that we'll figure it out.

So it's just about the journey. Right?

Yes. About not being in a not being in a rush to get to the next levels. You don't have to bypass the steps.

Yeah. And and to to understand that it's okay if that journey isn't the same as everybody else's. I talk all the time about everybody has a different path, and my path might lead off into the woods and not to the National Hockey League. But everybody has a different path to get to becoming the best goaltender they can become.

Yeah. And and to to understand that it's okay if that journey isn't the same as everybody else's. I talk all the time about everybody has a different path, and my path might lead off into the woods and not to the National Hockey League. But everybody has a different path to get to becoming the best goaltender they can become. And, you know, talking about the fact that Joey never played at that top triple a level as he was growing up and then didn't rush into one of the top high school programs.

Things don't have to be like everybody else. In fact, I say this all the time. If you wanna be like everybody else, then sure. Go do what everybody else does. But I think you probably wanna be exceptional.

So maybe we wanna look at doing things a little bit differently, and that's okay.

For me, all roads lead to beer league. I got a T shirt for it, so it must be true.

The issue with the elevator is even if you take it, it doesn't always come on time and you get impatient and you start pressing the button over and over again. So at times, the stairs are are are a great option.

We actually have a rink here in in the Vancouver area at Richmond Oval where one of the Very cool. For the Olympics. And and so there is an elevator or stairs decision. And I gotta say, as much as I appreciate Brian's analogy about taking the stairs, in full goalie gear, especially on the way down after you're fatigued from a game, I would highly recommend the elevator because I may have tried the stairs once and almost ended up ass over tea kettle.

You guys ever had to take stairs at a minor hockey rink when you're growing up? Nipawin, Manitoba, home of Shane Doan. They have big set of stairs going down to the ice, and then you gotta climb them up, after the practice or after the period. Do you guys ever have to take stairs?

Mhmm.

There's a there's a high level program just down the road from here where their very top team has their dressing room up the stairs from the from the actual rink, and it's a fairly new arena. So, yeah,

still happens. Wasn't it Chicago? Didn't... Wasn't didn't Chicago go barn there and have have, yeah, have stairs that you had to take that?

The the the dressing rooms were in the basement.

And so there would have been stairs involved at the winter classic too. Right? Because they... We we were in that sort of lounge area, there's sort of a walk up. You take stairs up the dugout.

Yeah.

So You

gotta go down to the dugout and then up out of the dugout.

See? Up and down. There you go.

And it works out just fine. Guys, great to be back with you. Having some fun on InGoal Radio, the podcast. Hutch, we're holding true. No more road trips without you, which we hope there's a road trip in the future.

Like, we hope you just don't stop all of our road trips.

I was gonna say we better pick out something really good then.

Yeah. Could could it

be that camp that Woody discovered might be happening in Florida this summer?

Speaking of

games played.

Marty Brodeur. I think we need another catch up with Marty Brodeur. He's hosting a camp I'm in.

Is he really?

Yes. He is.

In Florida this summer and a couple in New Jersey, I think.

One in Florida and two in Jersey. I'm picking I'm picking, I'm picking Florida every time.

You put me in the same room as Marty Brodeur, I'll go anywhere. I'm not gonna get picky like YouTube.

That's that's a fair point. And for anybody else who would like to be in the same room as the three of us and Marty Brodeur for an hour, twenty nineteen draft, did get to spend an hour in a hotel lobby talking goaltending with Marty Brodeur. Make sure you go find that in the archive. Might episode. I might I might force Hutch to put this in the show notes now, a little, link to the to the Brodeur episode because it was

Oh, we could do that. Epic. Hey. If we went to the New Jersey one, we could take up our good buddy Bernie Parent on that fishing trip.

Yes. All coming together right now.

There you go.

It is. I love a plan.

I got it.

Bernie, get the poles ready. We're coming.

I gotta go. I gotta start packing. Shorts, some zinc. I'll I'll get the bait when I get there. It's InGoal Radio, the podcast presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports Langley, thehockeyshop.com.

Thanks for being with us. We'll talk to you next week.