Ask Knuckles Anything: #5 - COULD MAX PACIORETTY RETURN TO MONTREAL?!

Intro [Music] foreign welcome into another episode of ask Knuckles anything and in this episode we have uh Tim joining us for the fans request and we're going to start it off with Tim so you play with a bunch of guys with me it's my segment I'm the special guest yeah the special guest you're the first Filipino to come on so go ahead What did the Stanley Cup winners from Chicago bring to the Atlanta Thrashers locker room? Tim you played with a bunch of guys you just won the Stanley Cup in Chicago what did they bring to the Atlanta Thrashers locker room oh uh well just experience I I mean we had bufflin lad uh sopal and uh yeah just kind of experience at the time I mean it when you know we only were there another year and a half and then we went to Winnipeg but at that time yeah I was pretty cool to at least for me to to kind of be around guys that that's recently won it so it was um they were all like good good teammates good veteran guys and and like I said just guys that yeah what'd you learn from her what what'd you learn it's nothing because I never played in the playoffs so they were shitty teammates [Laughter] so yeah Chris uh someone said they noticed you fought Ben Wilson three times in preseason games while with Montreal and Behn Wilson fights then one time during the regular season when Ben had to move to Chicago and of course no video surface of those tilts uh how did those go and what was your opinion of Ben Wilson as a fighter oh it's good Friday it's tough um it's funny um in the documentary The Last Gladiators mock Napier talks about that fight with Ben Wilson so whoever's asking watch The Last Gladiators and when you get to Napier Ben Wilson had him in the corner and he was giving it to him and I came in and um I and cranked them one punched them and uh napes explains that in the thing but the one in Chicago I remember distinctly because uh I was coming in on the floor check and Murray Bannerman was the goaltender and the defenseman went behind the net and I cut across in front but I was like at the top of his crease kind of close to him but I wasn't gonna hit him I was just angling that defenseman also I could can put him through the glass in the corner and as I'm coming across just as I'm turning he stepped out at me and I I chopped them right in the chin with my stick and kept going but I hit him really quick I'm coming and boom I hit as soon as he stepped out I got him right in the chin and you could hear it almost and then Ben Wilson came after him and we fought at Sunrise was a good fight I've seen it somewhere the Ben Wilson Ben Wilson and me in Chicago I saw that one uh pretty good fight what's is that a call is he a coach Ben Wilson no no he just he was a he was a maniac big kid he was like six three six four big red-headed you know that red-headed stepchild defenseman yeah but uh he was tough as nails and typical consummate Philadelphia Flyer Could Chicago support two NHL teams? Tim so they said you were awesome with the Chicago Wolves your Chicago Kid there's two baseball teams could Chicago support two hockey teams uh uh I probably I don't know that's a good question I would think they could but you know I mean hockey is big now in Chicago especially the youth hockey side of things and I think it's growing um you know and I feel like you know there's a lot of hawks fans so I don't know that that's a good question I thought you're gonna ask me if my socks or a Cubs fan and you know well what are you yeah are you soccer whoever's winning you know like whoever's winning I grew up a Sox fan I mean I you know Cubs I I don't mind the Cubs I'm not a big baseball fan where I where I'm like super divided but a Sox fan I grew up but as far as it's important too probably I would say they I think they would be able to but I don't know that's a long shot it probably never will happen so you're not a baseball fan huh you don't like watching guys standing around scratching their balls no I mean it's you know yeah I mean that's good like have you ever been to it when's the last time you went to a game I feel like I'll stay for like three Innings and like you know you're just not I don't know I it's not that I don't like I hate baseball it's just yeah it's a little slow how about Wrigley you've been to Wrigley though no yeah yeah Wrigley's like going like the difference between Wrigley and then obviously going to a Sox game is like Wrigley like you're it's just like a big party like no no one's even watching everyone's just like walking around and just it's nuts and then saw you go to a Sox game everyone's kind of watching the game but no Wrigley's awesome Wrigley's I've been to Fenway too yeah fenway's awesome right the green monster oh yeah incredible spot and and so what how brilliant was that putting seats on up top of the monster like you know for years they just had a night out there right right yeah you know but um two teams and that's interesting you know New York right you got New York New Jersey you got the two teams in New York Long Island and and and the ranges um when you think of two teams and when I think the Rabid Blackhawks fans right I couldn't imagine another team going in there right and no and people even wanting to go right yeah I I don't know it's like at the start of the question I was like yeah no no by the end of it I'm like I don't know I don't think so I think there's like there's like hockey's big in Chicago but like I've always said they're like they're Hawks fans they're not you know like if you're at a bar and a hawks games on like when it's over they're not putting like the Columbus game on right like they're yeah like they're not putting another hockey game on so yeah just they're just looking to see how many people were shot this weekend in Chicago yeah yeah yeah like last weekend it was 50 right yeah we don't we don't know we don't actually we don't really hear about those I feel like there's not many cities that can actually support two professional hockey teams like outside of Toronto they've been trying one guy was trying to get the team in Mississauga and I'm sure the Leafs don't want it it's like here Montreal uh Quebec City is you know two and a half hours from here to two hours and they had a team but and they're trying to get one back and I'm sure they don't want it I mean the halves want to you know they want to have the Monopoly on the Quebec fan that's for sure you know Knuckles who is better their Peak at net trediak or Ken Dryden Vladislav Tretiak or Ken Dryden? oh I I man but the thing is one played international hockey all the time you know and the other played in the NHL so it's real I mean he's won the best ever in the NHL drive and you can't I mean you play 10 years how many Stanley Cups five six something like that like hello um two different goaltenders you know Dryden stand up you know one of the last of the stand it looks funny when you see him now yeah all the heaven went down if he went down he fell right um the style of gold tender now Patrick walk came in started doing the butterfly and and then everybody started doing it and you just don't see those stand-up goalies anymore but tradiac kind of was a hybrid he did both you know stand up but he he also went down listen they're both incredible goaltended I can't honestly I can't tell you and say say oh Dryden was better than him tradiac was but I I can't distinguish that what I will say is anytime I had goaltenders as a coach or as a player just stop the [ __ ] puck they're weird because goalies are weird so who's more weird well I don't really know I've met a couple of things but Ken Dryden I wouldn't say he he's weird he's very intelligent he's a human form of AI that was my way of asking who was intelligent weird means intelligent that's what I meant Dryden yeah okay Tim how was Claude Noel as a coach Claude Noel as a coach? I I he was uh you know he was good I always base coaches on I mean I think Knox you can agree like how they treat you and and you know um I felt like with with me you know he was he gave me a chance and and you know he was a little like I think he's a very like joyous like happy kind of uh you know always in a good good mood kind of person which is good great but you know sometimes I think you know when you own 10 yeah yes yeah yeah like it's good but like I said I I liked them uh as a coach as a you know a person he was great I just remember he uh I get sent or I got put on waivers in training camp and he um gave me like my exit meeting call you know like he like he was just like hey you're not a top six guy like you you'll do well and like you like just really just like I thought for sure I was going to St John's and like I cleared waivers and never never got sent down and then like shoveled day off was like hey just come to practice so like I already had my all my [ __ ] packed you know so I like came back to the rink with my bag and I saw Claude Noel and he's just like oh you're still here and again so he's like you're still here but gave me nuts and I was like oh I don't know how like I don't know how to take that but that's the kind of guy he was so so they asked you to practice yeah yeah I mean they basically um so how long did you stay after that like the whole year oh yeah oh yeah yeah but here's the thing though it's like it was it was it was tough because I came in the like they just didn't they need they like the numbers they were like it's like yeah just come to practice you know so I was like waiting you know at the hotel waiting for like my flight like almost just waiting for the information and there's like you know what just come to practice I was like the extra forward and they had like the four lines up and not not even like my number below the four lines it was like at the bottom of the board and I just practiced I was like Rudy for like the first five days just couldn't even killing penalties and practice and and uh and then we we started off I think like you know I was just around for like the first five games or something and then I got put in and then just kind of hung around and then injuries happened like they finally gave me that like get your own place letter like right around like December so it was you know how how did you feel when you you cleared wave as and no one wanted you oh well and I say that because I I it happened to me at least I thought it did I was like I'll be honest like that when I get when I get told I was getting sent or you know put on waivers I remember calling my dad and I was like 30 years old I was crying like this was on the drive home because I was just like at that point you know I mean it's hard to explain sometimes that and for people to understand unless you you've kind of I guess tried to go through it or whatever but like at that point I was like after all of this and I still can't like like I still can't make it like in the year before I played 45 games or something so we got sold to Winnipeg and they fired the whole staff in Atlanta and I mean it's a long story but yeah I was um yeah I was like a loser for getting put on waivers and then like I was even more of a loser for clearing and then when I came to practice and the coach was like you're still here like I you know but it I knew a lot of the guys everyone was you know that was probably the thing I had going for me and did you play when you came back that year did you play a bit you said you were there the whole year but did you I played 63 games I had 28 points I'm gonna give you all my stats 11 goals no I mean by Christmas I was playing 20 minutes a night on the first line so it was you know so there you go you know I just I and I remember you know I never felt I was never like a guy that would just like feel sorry and mope around I mean it was just at that point though I was like it did kind of like was like man yeah it sucks I was put on wave as much my last year in Boston there and surge picked me up but you know what happened like the the cutoff's at three o'clock right you know because yeah West Coast and all that anyway it's like one minute of three and no one picked me up I'm like like my career is over I'm done yeah it's over and uh sir all of a sudden someone come running in the room about five past three I'm like bummed out I mean this is it I mean I was gonna I was on waivers but I was still going to be in Boston uh probably just sat in the stands the rest of the season if no one picked me up but surge waited until the last minute the last 30 seconds to put his claim in because he was worried that if he took me early right away someone might have stepped in and you know somebody in a lower position in the league might have stepped in and taken me that's all yeah it's weird right like they're like we don't want to let someone get you but we like we want to keep you but not play you but yeah like it's like what do you just let me go and not pay you yeah yeah yeah no speaking of going back to that Andrew or the Hawks question I mentioned Andrew Ladd he was our captain I uh you know what I love about him he's a friend obviously too but he um you know who's at a point in Winnipeg where I was playing you know fourth line but I was running the point on the power play it was like it was an awesome role because at the time in the fourth line like it was kind of changing like I didn't have you know I didn't have to fight but there was still like kind of a few guys out there that didn't know like there was a puck out there so you know they like I would go out there and I wouldn't have to fight him I'd have to like play hockey it was almost like they used me on those in those situations to try to score or like create offense um and then I would play the point on the power plane just feed buff one timers and pick up these second assist and there was times where I would be playing like consistently and I remember one time I had like a five game point streak but they would take me out when someone who they were paying money to like was off the IR or something and at one time they tried to do that and he went in there Andrew Ladd and was like he's playing you know and they ended up keeping me in the lineup because he went in there and I thought I just always had respect for that I thought it was awesome that he did that so now would you rather play for Claude Noel or Mike Keenan Claude Noel no I mean I I would say like because Mike Keenan it's it's that's a good question because Mike Keenan like knows how to win though too right not saying clone Noel didn't but you know it's it's uh that's a good question but probably closing the well just because he was more he was easier on me mentally Mike loves abuses I still like wake us in the middle of my sleep I'm like Keenan [ __ ] let's go Chris please tell your top three most intense fighting stories both Most intense fight? on and off the ice oh God I got three stories I'm gonna pick one off the other yeah yeah we'll do one three soy will be here all day um I I guess the one no one on the ice was O'Reilly in Boston and I remember my first game Montreal Boston I fought Jonathan then I followed O'Reilly afterwards and um I knew he's a lefty and I said I'm just gonna go and I boom I tore right hit him and he came back and hit me with two lefts before I could fire the next one and the blood just poured out of my head I was like oh anyway fast forward about four years later we're in Boston and Pete Peters was giving me the stick in front of the net he did it a couple times and I I went up to him I said one more time I said I'm gonna take your head off and we win the face off I go to the Nettie give me the stick right between the legs and we turn the puck over and Boston started going down our end of the rink and I stopped back checking I get to the blue line I thought wait a minute I said I was gonna do something about it I'm gonna do something about it I turn around Boston now is five against four going up our end of the Ring I turn right around and I went up to Pete Peters and I skate up to him and he just stood there and I went boom and I cross checked them right in the cage and Donnie went like he was dying so all of a sudden everybody heard it you could hear the crowd react and all of a sudden the whistles blew and play stopped and O'Reilly came and he'd come flying down the rink after me and I was just standing there waiting I was in the corn I had my back to the wall and he's coming and Kevin Collins the linesman like always instead of just staying the [ __ ] out of the way he's trying to get in and stop him from coming and he's coming he's coming I just boom I hit him with one punch and Donnie went and I cut him open here pretty bad and I'm I'm telling you [ __ ] two weeks I I mean we played the next two nights later in Philadelphia and I fought Dave Brown I couldn't even hold my stick but it was I'm tired it was like for me probably it was a little bit of uh payback for that that first time I fought O'Reilly who I absolutely loved as a player growing up you know uh I absolutely love them but that was all P Peter's fault and it's funny I talked to O'Reilly years later and he said oh I really walked into that one he said I he said I gave PP to [ __ ] about that in the room because he told them you know he said when they were on the ice he said leave him alone don't wake him up blah blah blah leave him alone and he went ahead and took it on his his own to [ __ ] keep it going and O'Reilly was pissed at him but you know I hated guys like that who took advantage of guys like O'Reilly you know they wanted to be [ __ ] tough guys because they know he'd be there to stick up for him but Pete Peters you know oh well my first NHL goal I scored on Pete now I got nothing against Pete not not a bad guy but you know in hockey I do what Tim what's your favorite memory in both Winnipeg on and off the ice oh off the ice there was a every Monday it was called booty shake Mondays and I used to go and I'm serious I used to go like be a judge and pick like it was like a booty shake content anyways [Laughter] um no no I'm kidding uh they were Winnipeg was I was sorry the question was on the ice obvious on the ice yeah obviously just like the fans playing in front of that crowd I think you know I don't think many teams liked coming into Winnipeg so you know it's fun to play um and being on the home side of that that uh that crowd um we were that we were there the first year when we were kind of like you know the joke was like we were lovable losers kind of we almost made playoffs but like they were just happy we were back now I hear like you know they're like losing they're getting like fights and you know I mean they can't go outside like the fans get pissed off but when I was there um yeah it was just the fans were just they're so passionate there it's awesome Canadian market right 10 minutes the Canadian markets like you know like you know when you're in Canada because the crowd reacts to like the actual game in a play if someone's open they know it you know it's not like I always say the joke in Chicago's everyone's just like shoot you're setting up for like a controlled breakout you're like shut up like what are you doing um but but I get [ __ ] from that all the time with my buddies they're like dude why do you always rip Chicago fans I'm like I'm just you know what I'm just kidding but anyways off the ice no it was just kind of um it's a little city that gets a lot of uh gets a lot of heat from you know visiting teams but it's a fun it's a good City there's listen everybody who I talked to that played there loved it now I know they had close teams right because in the winter there right it's tough winter and guys it's kind of like running to your car like yeah right you're like mad it's so cold you're like just in the car you start your car just waiting for the heat to come on but you're just like [ __ ] mad that's how cold that's how cold it gets but uh yeah sorry what were you saying Knox yeah like no they were just it was just a small city that you know you kind of became like you if you're playing if you're a Winnipeg Jet and Winnipeg it's just kind of like you're all like you're just part of the city you're like Elvis yeah yeah it's just fun you know so yeah I'm off the ice I like being the man and on the ice I like you know running the power play it's not the booty shake Mondays nobody said Mondays was you know that was that was part of it you know I don't even think they have that anymore but they did honestly they had it well I'm sure they do that's the Palomino is called and it was just it was hilarious it's just like just this and I'd be like number four it's like who am I what am I doing any palominos I was just on waivers now I'm judging contest States State of the game in the ECAC? uh Chris what was the game like in the ecac when you played yeah I you know two lines you had the red line and you know it it was it was good hockey you know and for me honestly I played that year at Prep School it was big to get ready for um playing college hockey because you know as a prep school we played all JV uh teams of either division one or division two uh colleges so it's pretty good the competition was really good so it prepared me for that but you know it took you know a bit to get adjusted but um still you know again not maybe as fast as the game is today but it was still a good you know good quality hockey dcac if you love your pet like I love my Saint Bernard Adele you'll want to feed them a balanced biologically appropriate raw diet the reason I've chosen formula raw is because all blends of their food are locally sourced and they consist of exclusively human grade meat and organs as well as fruits and vegetables and all products used a hormone an antibiotic free so like I said if you love your pet like I Love Adele you choose formula raw make sure you go to formula raw.com and use the promo code rawnux at checkout to receive 10 off your first order that's Raw nux r-a-w-k-n-u-x Tim what's the best and the worst thing Best and worst thing about playing in Russia? about playing in Russia um yeah the best thing was money no no Russian gas money things that you know matter in life um like when I was in Russia it was like money Russian gas and then family you know like that was like um no I honestly like I did as much as I you know tell stories of Joker and I I loved Russia like that now that you know when it's I'm glad I got to do it I think the hardest part was um traveling I mean we would go on like nine hour flights to play like a game on Wednesday and they would they had their whole like and I'm not kidding you can ask this uh one of the import you could ask Chris Bork I think was on the team but I the one game I was so jet lagged that I was literally walking out for warm-ups with my jersey backwards just in Stapleton I swear one of the Imports was like stapes uh and I went in and I was like I I was like so nerd I was like I can't pull I mean it was just you know they didn't I was just like I couldn't I was like delirious and like I was I went into the trainer's office I'm like I don't know if I could play and all he said was like injection it's like the only English he knew and I'm like no I don't want an injection but yeah it was uh that was tough you would go on like these long flights to play games and stuff but um overall The Experience um you know I wish I you know if I did it all over again I wish I was probably a little bit less mentally negative I guess um and I mean that in a playful way I wasn't like super negative but I was you know I was American coming from the NHL like in Russia being like what the [ __ ] is going on here but eventually you got to be like hey I'm in Russia and you know I'm on their terms and and you know by the end of it I yeah I respect everyone yeah they wanted to inject you with methamphetamine and wake you up but you know Russia speaking of Russia I I I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go there and see it I loved Red Square I loved St Petersburg it was awesome to see The Hermitage red square architecturally is out of this world um and and I had the culture shock when I went you know you had time to adjust to that because you were there for so long I was there I think the first time 10 days and man I I couldn't not couldn't wait to go home but like yeah I was happy I was there like four years and like Yeah by the third year I couldn't wait to go home so don't don't worry ten days or three years I I always say like they kind of get a bad uh I guess um you know like Russians having no emotions you know like and like I unders I respected it after a while because like in the US it's for example you'd be like in an elevator in the U.S and you see you know random person you're like hey nice weather on hey how you doing the guy walks away and you're like nice jeans loser like like nice shoes there they're just like they don't talk at all they just they're nothing they're not fake they just like to you know they worry about what they got to do and you know like they do things a little bit backwards you know you like if you're in an elevator at a hotel and you come down to a Lobby and it opens like the people on the outside don't wait for you to get out of the elevator they just barge in yeah you're like by the you know in my third year I would be like just elbowing 70 year old Russian ladies like I didn't give a [ __ ] I was just like you know I didn't care you know but yeah it's just stuff like that and but but over time I was just like I loved it they just people just worried about what they had to do and um yeah I like Russians Chris when Max cutteretti be interested Would Max Pacioretty be interested in a return to Montreal? in return under a minimum salary plus bonuses contract and should the Habs consider making such an offer geez I don't know no I wouldn't not in the direction the haves are going um I think Max would come back maybe um I don't know that's a good question um you'd have to ask Max but I don't know if it'd be uh one that I'd entertain considering on the direction the team's going to rebuild and they're going to keep moving forward bringing Young hungry large men uh into this organization and I say that because again I saw it you look at who's standing at the end these teams I know Florida they got a smaller fourth line but they're pesky they're they're you know they're on it they're involved they play physical but you look at overall like Vegas big rumbling team they got some big bodies out there the guys who was standing at yeah you have to have talent but usually the team stand at the end Got Talent and a half size you know and for years yeah the halves have been a small team especially up the middle and you you can't be you know they had jonta uh who's the other guy uh Scott Gomez yeah they had these small Center Iceman for years David dayane like they were teams what's wrong with small guys well you can have them you can have them Tim as long as you insulate them yeah but you have too many like Caulfield yeah yeah he's a small Winger yeah but he can score goals so you can have him but insulate him you know he's gonna have to be insulated and having those bigger plays around is gonna certainly help him and help the team I mean look at Florida you're hearing about like Buddhists a lot now like right here like he's a big factor because Chuck's not a you know he's a heart like is that just a skilled player like he's a rat like I mean you're right I mean you know none of these teams that are that make it usually go they usually have that right like they have like that old school kind of build um but yeah so anyways I'm not picking on little guys you're insecure a little bird no no I'm not yeah you know I'm not no offense no offense taken Tim what ring size do you prefer the North American or International rink size? North American or International the big rink yeah yeah less hitting foreign I don't know the north I I don't I like the North American rink um I I think I played better on the North even though I would say that the international just because like I could use my speed more and you have more time but like it's almost like too much time you know there's a lot especially Russia they were they were so good like that's why they're so good like one-on-one like because they can just like hang on to the park and you know like my line mate would do like 75 spinoramas with the puck in the corner and I would just be like going back door you'd be opening a pack of cigarettes get to the bench you'd be like Tim you were you open I was like yeah the ninth time I was open when I went back door when you did your nice spinorama like we were we'd have Puck possession for like two minutes it'd be one guy whatever whatever the [ __ ] but uh and I just I think North America especially at the NHL level it's just it's almost easier like it just the puck does the work you know I think I know and sometimes in um over in Europe and some of the teams I played on we did man on man defense it was crazy so like if you just like lost a guy off the hash marks he was just like everyone would just back away and this guy would have like a breakaway so it was just it was different different style but as far as like the rank yeah probably International just because you know I'd hang on you know it's probably suits my my game more for sure yeah give me that little Matchbox any day Boston Garden was so small like yeah you would like I mean right like you know it it's good that the league finally said every rink has to be the same size because they had a definite Advantage at home you know they built their team around that small rink it scared the [ __ ] out of everybody they had you know all the knuckle dragons and IBM one you had to counter that somehow but Philly small rink uh the Boston God was teeny God he had no room in the neutral zone at all it's like that's the word like that I'll be honest like games like that for me I would be like invisible like it was so hard especially like you know I mean like this like where you're saying then the app like everything's closed in on you not if I was riding shotgun with you no no no if that then I would be the guy you were just talking about where I would just take advantage yeah what are you gonna do what are you gonna do what are you gonna do [ __ ] with Nile go ahead you know I had a son of Iceman Hall of Famer but Cobb I used to tell them cop do whatever you want out here I don't care you know I'll be there for you whatever and honestly he he was not a guy he he'd Yap at guys here and there but he never really took advantage of that on me you know what I mean like maybe some guys wouldn't he never did which is good but I always told him do what you want you know I used to talk [ __ ] on the bench to like the toughest guy when he turned around how to tie my skates I feel like looking and I'd be like downtown my skates and I'm like you know guys but it's just joking I never really actually talked to that wasn't that bad but it's funny oh speaking of geek carbon uh someone said Guy Carbonneau personality? they met him at a softball tournament and he appeared a little bit arrogant and aloof when compared to you that you were much more approachable and willing to engage with fans was their perception Off the Mark or accurate um accurate not I'm not saying in a bad way Cobb is um really quiet very reserved and a lot of people we used to call them cocky Cabo because you know he'd walk around with this he has his hair about him but Cabo's a good guy you sit down and talk with him I it's just I guess he's not as approachable as some people are I like I am I you know I talk to everybody and not that Cobb comes across like that I can certainly see what this gentleman is saying asking this question but uh like I said he's not a bad guy he just he's different that way Tim this person says they always love Vladimir Krikunov? hearing uh stories of playing for Vladimir kirkenov and Russian gas they said they're not sure if that was his name do you have any stories about them who's this who's this person who's trying to get this trying to get me I gotta go into witness protection [Laughter] um so thank you this person uh yeah I just heard his name and I forgot the question that's how much like I had him as a coach did you like him as much as close no no no no no no no no this guy was like Keenan on steroids he was like he wasn't here's the thing he he didn't know English and like he would just do like old school Russia like the first day of practice he would just you know like it was the night before a game we would just be like at the end of practice he's like all right 50 laps like he just made a skate around 50 times where it's no way swear to God yeah or we would do like these Tire pulls he had us running twice a week in the woods like late at night we used to run 10 miles and and it was just [ __ ] that just didn't like the guy would like do a two-on-one drill in practice and like didn't like watch it he would just have a stopwatch yeah and he was like all right this drill we're doing for 25 minutes and I was just like you'd be like talking to this like it was crazy it was just like old school Russian um you know I didn't really know that boot camp I didn't know he was like a legend so like when I did that spit and Chiclets thing I got like my agent in Russia called me was like he's like Russian media you not liked in Russian social media and I was like oh really why and he's like because you just uh trashed one of the most famous coaches first off I don't even think his name you said Vladimir I think I called him Igor on the show so that'd be like that would be like a Russian being like yeah that coach uh Bob Babcock or something you know like sort of like just some like you know I mean like Steve Bowman or something just saying he's the worst coach ever so these Russians are like who's who's Igor creaking off and then they realized what I was talking about and they're like this guy coached like datsuk and all the all the guys but for me yeah I mean the funny thing is that guy probably doesn't even remember who I am but yeah no he was he was definitely you know I I got traded so and usually I'm not a bad guy so I was trying to get out of there but he was nuts is I guess I could have said he was crazy foreign Why didn't the Bruins take an interest in Knuckles before the Habs? Knuckles why didn't the Bruins take interest in you before the Habs oh I honestly it's tough to answer I mean it's funny that the Bruins back then they always like to have local people in the lineup like Millbury right Bobby Miller they always look for that local kid I was playing at Northeastern Rod langway was playing up in University in New Hampshire and we both end up with the Montreal Canadiens uh I would have been certainly the consummate Boston Bruin if I started my career there but um you know didn't work out that way I am yeah maybe um they were looking for a different type of player back in the day maybe they never even knew about me at Northeastern I have no idea I know one thing I ended up in Montreal and I'm glad I did because I probably would have never won a cup right so at the time you were getting drafted did you ever think about that you just got drafted by the Canadians never I was never drafted Oh you were asking Knox okay I'm sorry I thought you're asking me yeah I when the drafts I didn't even know anything I I didn't know about the draft I didn't even you know it was 1978 I know the drop was coming but I didn't even pay attention to it I found out through a sports report you know and then two weeks later I got a letter from the Canadians back then guys didn't go the draft it was just all the GMS they'd go to Montreal Queen Elizabeth hotel and they'd do the draft there was no hardly any media anything so I found out uh I was in a bob at College bot called The Cask and flagon and somebody came up to me and said hey we just saw you get drafted by the Montreal Canadian what if you didn't get drafted what was your plan I think I would end it up in the military to be honest no hockey like yeah well what was I going to do back then it was like you know if college is over right and I wasn't drafted where would I play hockey what would I do what do you do yeah what do you do go to a training camp like you know yeah it's not you'd have to be invited so it's not like you had any choice in the matter and you know I was studying studying criminal justice and I thought of being a lawyer and I know I it could have been a good one uh but I I didn't pursue that because of the hockey but honestly I I look now and I wonder if like I love um military stuff I love military history like I I would have and I often think what it would have been like back then if I tried to have been a Navy SEAL because I I have so much respect for those guys and what they do and how difficult it is to become one my niece is married to one I know him he's a hockey player he's a great kid and he's been in there 11 years now and I I just but I and it's funny I talked to Jamie about it do you think I could have made sale training and become a ceiling she thinks I could I think I could except for maybe one thing and so I I don't know if I'd be able to qualify I'm claustrophobic and yeah you know they got to get in that mini subs like and they get in them and they go on like you're in the thing for 10 hours not like you will but yeah so I often wonder if I could right I'm claustrophobic too yeah I would be like when I was a kid if like in sports like a you know you know they do like the pile up after you get game winning oh yeah I would be on the bottom like crying oh it's the worst so Tim which of the uh former players Which former player impressed you the most? that you've met co-hosting Road Knuckles and also playing the NHL have been the most impressive to you ah honestly one of my favorite guests I guess even though I'm it's not a former player I love that uh Liam McGuire is that his name Liam I loved it like I just love stuff like that where someone you realize like how much time someone put into their craft and like yeah him being stats undeen you know like just knowing everything about hockey um obviously it might come off to people as like more of a joking thing but it's just like man I thought I thought I was blown away by that but as far as players like Jacques lemare like I had no idea he had nine Stanley Cups you know like okay you know I mean there's a there's kind of too many I think a lot of guests we've had are guys that like I grew up watching and it's just kind of a sometimes it's a little surreal to be like well I'm interviewing this guy but Don Cherry was awesome right when he came in with the soup yeah I mean you if you go back at least in my lifetime you there would never you could put that on a multiple choice question of like what I might do in life and these would not be on there like interview Don Cherry like that that would be like you know I I just so yeah I mean there's probably a a few few more but overall um yeah someone guys like that like Lemire Don Cherry the guys that ever done like iconic in the game so it's been fun to do those guys for sure Knox I interviewed Knox yeah yeah sorry Chris you are my that's my number one but you know so Chris where does the part of the intro that says he's a Madman come from Raw Knuckles Intro - "He's a Madman!" you were like like fighting no I was coaching in the East Coast Hockey League and I was contesting a penalty we had a great hockey game it was a 1-1 game and a guy come through the crease and hit our goal he knocked him off balance he felt they scored a goal so I asked the ref you give me an explanation I want to talk to him yeah I was like yeah so he gave me the see you later he didn't even come to the bench I mean what how anyway he just ignored me ignore me and I just took every [ __ ] stick off the bench and threw it out in the ice I emptied the rack I started grabbing them from players sitting on the bench you can go and find it on it's somewhere on the internet I haven't somebody put it out it had nothing to do with like the 300 fights I'm a coach exactly I threw every stick out in the ice and that guy was up in the Box saying he's a Madman he's a Madman [Laughter] yeah so that's where that came from it had nothing to do with a fight going ballistic I love it he's going to hit his own players he's a Madman he's a freaking madman look at him going to town that'll be a suspension that'll be a fine nyla's getting every stick there goes the rest of them bring them all out nylon you freak wow [ __ ] referees Tim you were born in Illinois you traveled all over the world as a hockey player where do you live now and then how did you why did you choose this particular City I live in Long Beach Indiana which is like on the it's pretty much if you anyone that is in the midwest you drive from Chicago to Detroit you kind of hit us like a kind of an area where it goes like Illinois Indiana Michigan all within like 30 miles like I'm on the border of Michigan and Indiana I live on I live in Central Time and my kids go to school in eastern I'm not kidding you like I'm late a lot this is what I'm saying but but it's really it confuses the [ __ ] out of me I've been here for like seven years and I'm always just like what time is it um but uh it's right on Lake Michigan here and and it's not it's only 60 miles from Chicago I ended up here when I was in Russia I just kind of at the time you know I was just kind of like only a home two three months a year and I kind of wanted to when you're living the city I love the golf but like when you live in Chicago you have to like golf around traffic and it was kind of just you know I like to fish um and that's kind of I love the fish I know and I I do too I just don't I don't know what I'm doing I had this book I had this fishing boat for like two years because I used to live like in this Marina with uh with a it had like a a boat slip attached to like my apartment I had this fishing boat and I used to I swear to God I took this thing out down this little river by my house for like three years and like never even got like a bite and like like I would it got to a point where like you could see me coming like at like as I came in the marina and you'd see me slowly coming around like this turn and then like my wife would always be sitting out there like you catching anything you know she's like every finally I would be turning the corner I'd be like shut up I didn't catch [ __ ] like I'd be yelling at her people were like what's this guy yelling at I was like I just didn't know what I was doing you know but um yeah no it's it's a place that uh it's kind of a summer summer place but now a lot of Illinois people live out here just because you know with everything that's been going on in the last few years and coronavirus and all that everyone's kind of gotten out of Chicago but yeah no it's how I ended up here just from coming home in the summers in Russia When did you feel comfortable doing interviews for the NHL? Chris when did you start feeling comfortable doing interviews especially since the Habs or the lifeblood of Montreal I'm you know here you've always they have so many press back in the day it was like crazy and it still is here but um yeah you had to you know you had to get comfortable quick doing it and sometimes you know media and and players have this adversarial uh relationship you know I remember when we you know guys would write negative [ __ ] and God would be like oh those guys never gonna [ __ ] help us and they've got nothing to do with us don't even pay attention to them let's all get here you know and there were certainly guys that are really fair in the media and most of them are but you get them few [ __ ] that you know um that you don't like and they they're controversial put it that way they don't always write or report would would the best interest in mind if you put it that way but I I got comfortable man listen you know I know when I go into Boston they'd always want to talk to me because I'm a Boston kid and I fought and all that [ __ ] Philly too a little bit so yeah I just got comfortable with it people ask questions I give my answer and I was always you know up front and tell it like it is you know Tim do Russian girls go for Americans Russian girls? oh yeah man for sure I mean I wouldn't know but I wouldn't know I just you know I would I would assume um yeah yeah no they do I mean there's Russian women are beautiful and but you know I don't know I mean they I think they I think maybe once you know if you went out there you'd maybe experience like finding you know a woman that might be trying to get out of Russia so you could be anything and they'd be interested but um yeah no I yeah I know I actually Dylan Reese our producer's son uh is married to a Russian um woman so clearly yeah they like Americans so the next of these questions are for the both of you guys they don't like it full of [ __ ] Tim Aki I was there to play Americans I played hockey and that was the only reason I was there and that's why I was there anyway they like American dollar not a robot rules do you guys prefer the Beatles or the The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? stones that's a tough one I like the Beatles I've seen the stones in concert I saw them like in 1995 when they were like 70 years old I saw them they were good they were still good then um no I I uh probably the stones for me just you know but I like the Beatles it's hard when it's hard when you listen to a band and you know like a ton of the songs like that's always you know I was a big Tom Petty fan and like I don't know don't bring the others into it you guys don't want to know more about what else Italian food's my favorite like what else you guys want to know I drive a truck all right anyways The Beatles You're like stones dude just answer the question when I was when I was six I'm the Beatles were big right and that obviously huge at that time crazy and still are but I remember going to a movie they put out a movie called Help help I need somebody help anyway I went to the movie when I was like six years old I was like it was like crazy Beetle Mania so I had Beetle brain as a kid you know like most kids did yeah I hate beetles I changed my answers Coleslaw? traditional or creamy coleslaw but both of you guys that was one of the most random questions that we've ever gotten I think okay here's the deal neither the same as Tim I'm not a big uh coleslaw you can have it Ever been starstruck? have you guys ever been Starstruck yeah and when I look in the mirror I'm [ __ ] um no uh yeah I mean not I have yeah go ahead because I know I I obviously him I'm just trying to think I'll give you time to think then yeah I was struck when I met Bobby Orr the first time oh I was uh in Boston walking up to the state house and Bobby O had a friend that was a treasurer of the state of Massachusetts at the time Bob Crane and I worked for Bob Crane and I was heading up uh Beacon Hill heading to the office it was when I was in college and I bumped into Bobby Hill and he saw me and he said hey Chris how you doing and he grabbed my arm he said look take it easy on the weights again you know and I had I had just been drafted by the Habs and uh you know it was just so cool I was like I don't know what to say you know I am your biggest fan bro yeah yeah no no I was Starstruck for sure I was playing for the Wolves now I I gotta and um we were in Grand Rapids and Steve Eiserman was was there and I'm a huge I grew up a Big Red Wings fan and so I after the game and you know I was my hair was still like sweat I was just like showered I ran the bus was like everyone's on the bus waiting for me and here I am like you gotta sign my stick and he was even like didn't you how old were you I was like oh this was last summer I was like uh I was playing with the Wolves I was I was in the NHL like the guy he was clearly like was like didn't you just play he was kind of confused but I was just a huge fan and I had him sign my stick so that was definitely a star struck moment how about like any Hollywood people uh stars like you know all the guys Shelly hangs with yeah I went to a Kid Rock concert with Shelly once One Summer and um we hung out for a long time pretty much all day with Ray Liotta he passed away oh yeah and uh I was a huge I'm a huge fan you know I love Good Fellas and I mean he laughed yeah he was awesome he laughs identical to like his character hey it's like I saw him I was at Gold's Gym in uh La okay um and no Santa Monica sorry and I was working out it's when I went to rehab the first time and Ray Liotta was in there on one of them sit-down bikes and he had the newspaper and he's just peddling reading the newspaper I'm telling you I was like like I wasn't Starstruck but I'm like he was exactly like I thought he'd be exactly exactly you know and that's the thing that's why what I love the bottom is like when I met him it was you know I wasn't trying to be like I'm not you know and he was like really engaging like asking me like hey you work out like he was like kind of like like drilling me about like my my uh Fitness like are you in shape as much as shape as Shelly I'm like no one is you know but he what I like I just liked him because I've met a few other I feel like actors in general are just you know nerds with money acting yeah they're nerds with money so now they're all popular they don't know how to act all of a sudden they're like an awkward around you right like and so he was so true right like but he was someone that uh just was a normal dude and he was just you know yeah he was awesome yeah so there's our starstruckers I mean he's probably saying that he was probably telling his friends like he was you know he was Starstruck right I've had Tim the kid who played in Russia some guy Tim some Chinese guy that said he played some Russian gas guy some some Japanese kid that said he played in the NHL I don't know his last name his name's Tim How does "money on the board" work in the locker room? oh so how does money on the board work in the dressing room and do you guys have any good stories about it money on the board is you know all right I was in and traded to the Rangers the first time we played the Habs I got to throw up the money on the board for the game winner that's all you throw it up whoever gets a game winner gets it if you lose the money goes back in your pocket yeah the miners was hilarious with that because it would be like money on the board so guys would just be like you know anyone's parents in town you know like just I remember I'd be driving to the rink with like Jason krog or somebody on our team and I would just be like yeah I got this you know whatever I got girls coming in from La you know and don't tell anyone you know then like five minutes before we're getting our skates on you'd be like anyone fly anyone in from La maybe so you know and I'd be like you know money on the who you know everyone's like you know and we'd throw money on the board for just the dumbest things but yeah no it was more of just kind of getting uh it was kind of getting the team like you know giving a team the reason to win and then you use it for a party and at the end whatever you want to do it's kind of more of a locker room thing but it's uh yeah I always put money up on the board when I knew we were gonna lose you know I was one of those guys so do you think part of the problem with some with so many concussions is the Concussions and equipment? equipment specifically the football style shoulder pads um not so much I I think it's more of the speed and um yeah the speed of the game you know certainly the equipment can help but I I don't think that's the main reason yeah I don't I I would agree I think I mean they even say like it's not like so much like someone getting hit into the boards it's like collisions at Center Ice you know and you're you know um but yeah definitely the speed uh I don't know you know I wasn't I didn't really throw a hit in my career so I'm not really familiar with all this physical talk Who do you have the Habs picking in the draft? who do you guys have the halves taking with the fifth pick in the upcoming draft I'm I'm thinking I I like to I don't know five people that Russian the Russian meechoff I think that's what I've been seeing a lot of to this did you did you see the [ __ ] that kid does with the puck there's a video on how he he flips it up oh he goes behind the net flips it up over and comes around and bats it in every time and then he does the Michigan or the you know crazy the Moscow whatever you want to call it the guard I know he's the real deal and stuff but it's like how can you get like I I figured McDavid was like that you can't get better than him can you right you know but they just keep getting better and more skilled and so who you got that five Tim some that Canadian kid I [ __ ] have no idea I gotta like I don't know I couldn't name five kids um I gotta yeah uh whoever someone after Bedard is gonna get picked Google it so this is the final question what do Stanley Cup Predictions you guys Stanley Cup finals predictions oh you're going first this time I'm gonna go Florida just because I'm kind of like actually that's who I want the win uh my eight my agent's there with the GM my old agent um but I just like Florida I like I don't know but I don't know like the whole like rest thing I know that [ __ ] that's always been talked about but maybe Vegas I Could See coming out and pull you know pulling out a winner too right away but I think Florida and along in the in the series will will come come on top in my opinion I'm like Carolina I think Carolina will win is that your opinion yeah no Florida I got Florida it's in six Florida and six oh my God ESP right there yeah well you know Florida and six has Knuckles I'm going Florida too I'd like and more do I think they can keep it going yeah I want to see them win I'd love to see them win yeah hey everybody thanks for listening to Ron Knuckles podcast please like follow And subscribe