Hey, it's Daria Mironova and Haki on the Beach.
Today I would like to welcome one of the best players in the Cajol history, Nigel Dawes,
who announced his retirement back in April.
So is there a chance that you're going to pull Tom Brady and just be back?
No, I don't think so.
I'm quite content with where things are in my life.
You know, I haven't really had the itch or anything to get back and I got hurt in January.
I was trying to make it back for playoffs and then had another injury come up that needed surgery
and stuff. So it was not an ideal way to end a career, but you know, a lot of times in hockey
you don't get to go out on your own terms and I thought I was going to be able to, but you know,
sometimes things happen and fortunately enough I'm healthy now and I'm good. So it's nice to
start the next chapter of my life not in any pain or having any issues and being able to enjoy
everything.
So how long did it take you to make that decision?
I kind of knew going into last season it was going to be my last year, the way my life was with Benson
growing up and just the career I have enjoyed it and you know, I think the timing was nice. Benson
is going into grade two and we want to kind of have some more structure and not, you know, going
to two different schools each year and moving back and forth. So yeah, I think it was going to be
something that, you know, things went really, really well and stuff maybe would have changed my
mind, but even with the injury and not being able to finish the season playing or, you know, the way
I would have wanted on the ice, I knew it was the right choice because my mind didn't really change
even though I, you know, I got hurt and wasn't able to play past January. So I think that was the
first clue that I was making the right decision and nothing's really changed since then.
So how did your son and wife react?
Well, I mean, I think these kinds of decisions are all family decision. I don't think just myself
making it, you know, I think they're both excited and sad at the same time, you know, excited to be
back home in Canada full-time after living 12 years in Europe and in Russia and yeah, but also
sad because we're going to miss it. I mean, my brother was just playing in the world police
fire games. He's a firefighter and he was playing hockey and that and we went and watched him and,
you know, it brings back a lot of memories and just seeing that kind of competition and
just people playing hockey again. I mean, I haven't had any much time on the ice. I haven't had any
actually and, you know, I just want to kind of step away for a little bit. But yeah, I mean,
it's been such a big part of our lives that, you know, I think it will take a little bit time to
get used to not being at the rink all the time, but I'm sure now with Betson playing hockey,
we'll find our ways back to the ring pretty quickly.
Okay. What was your childhood dream? Do you remember that?
Well, I think like most Canadians or even hockey players, my dream was to make the NHL and,
you know, you never really think that that's a possibility or maybe it's the opposite. You think
it's an easy possibility as a kid where, you know, it's just like, oh, it can't be that hard. You
know, you go and play hockey and then go out and play, but, you know, it's definitely a grind.
It's a long road and a lot of hard work. So lucky enough for myself, I was able to make that dream
come true. And, you know, it's a few years in my life that I'll never forget. And, you know,
it seems like a lifetime ago playing that, playing in the NHL and playing in North America, but
I definitely remember that fondly. And yeah, now I'll get to watch it a lot.
Yeah, we'll go back to that. So a lot of achievements here, there, all over the place,
all over the world. So I had to write it down. Five seasons in the NHL, five NHL teams, UA team
gold with Team Canada, New York Rangers draft pick, overall 12 seasons in KHL and Germany,
and six KHL All-Star games. I mean, that's crazy. Have you ever dreamed about it?
No, I think the last couple of months doing a couple of interviews and talking to people and
just kind of sitting back and thinking about it a little bit. You know, I think you start to realize,
you know, some of the great seasons I was able to have. And I mean, I loved my time in Russia and
in Kazakhstan. Just playing in the KHL, it was not something that, you know, you would dream of. But
I mean, I was so excited that I was able to do it and have that experience because it's such a great
hockey league. I was able to have a lot of fun on the ice and play a game I love. And, you know,
I know I have a lot of fans and followers and stuff from Kazakhstan especially and also in Russia.
I mean, it was just such a great part of my life and such a great experience that,
you know, times I'll never forget. How did you survive in Russia and Kazakhstan without
knowing Russian? I think you go to a lot of the same places that have English menus and
English servers. And, you know, you kind of learn. I mean, I definitely knew, you know,
a little bit of Russian but not enough to be like conversational. But to kind of get around,
to say a few phrases if you got yourself in trouble or lost or something where you could get
some help. And I think you kind of, yeah, you get more and more comfortable each year. I mean,
the first year is definitely a lot of culture shock. But as you settle in and you kind of figure
your way out around the city and stuff, the imports really, really help each other a lot. And,
you know, we formed quite a tight bond with them as well as some of the Kazakhs and the Russians.
I mean, at the end of the day, once you get on the ice, it's pretty easy to live and be over there.
You know, it's just kind of away from the ice. Sometimes it can be a little bit
harder. But yeah, you kind of find a way to get by and, you know, there's a lot of good people
around you. Did you ever feel like special treatment? Did you feel your superstar status?
Be honest. No, I mean, it was a while. I think probably was like the fourth year before, you know,
someone would see me out and ask me for a picture or something. And I always seemed to be at a
grocery store. I don't know what it was with grocery stores, but it was always like you couldn't go to
a grocery store. And then it's just like after, you know, one person took it, there was a couple
other people. But after the first time that happened, you know, yeah, it seemed like almost
like every time I was at a grocery store or supermarket or something, someone would come up
to me. So it was kind of funny. We kind of joked about it. But yeah, I think after that, yeah,
four years or so in in Astana, you know, the game was growing a lot. The team was going trending in
the right direction, getting better each year. And, you know, they're really passionate fans and
they watch a lot of games on TV if they weren't able to make it. And I think you could get
recognized here and there. But I don't think I was treated any differently. For the most part,
which really pretty respectfully, you know, sometimes there's a little bit of pushing and
shoving or people kind of trying to get right up to the front of the line. But for the most part,
it was a good experience. What about pressure, like some of the fans from management, like you're
a superstar, you're supposed to deliver. Yeah, I think that comes with any job. I think there's
ups and downs with that. I mean, when you're doing your job, it's obviously it's a great feeling. And
when when you're not, it can be tough. But the thing about hockey is it's such a team game that
it's not always just one player. So I mean, you could you could play really good and losing,
you could play really bad and win. So, you know, it's all about kind of lifting your teammates up
and being being there as much as you can and playing as well as you can as a team. I mean,
there's there hasn't been any championship teams that have won with one good player or two good
players. You know, you see the teams come together. Yes, guys can go on a run and get really hot. But
it's not like basketball or football where your star player is going to get the ball every time
you're out there. I mean, you know, you might not touch the puck for a few shifts. It doesn't you
can't just hand somebody the puck like you got to get it. So it's definitely a different different
feel that way. But I think, you know, you start to embrace it and you go out and you kind of a lot of
us, you know, thrive under that pressure. So it was definitely a lot of fun to to kind of have that
on you and kind of learn the goods and bads of it and ups and downs of it to try and be able to play
your best all the time. You know, but it hasn't really hit yet because it's not it doesn't feel
necessarily real. I mean, nothing really changed in my life except that I don't have to go to the
gym if I don't want to. You know, like it's like I've always been home for the summers.
You know, going to the gym is not, you know, at the top of the priority list to stay safe. It's
staying staying in shape and skating and and working out towards next season. So now
it's just been, you know, relaxing, enjoying the summer and spending time with friends and family
and stuff. So I think kind of come October, November, I think it's going to start to really
hit where it's like, OK, now the weather's starting to change, it's getting colder at home and, you
know, now what are we going to do with our time? And then I think those longer days and the colder
days, you're going to sit back and and think about all the times that, you know, when you're living
in Kazakhstan or different games that different people visiting different trips, different
trips we've been on, different experiences like that. So I still think it's a little bit too soon
to to really have those those huge, you know, like look back and remember moments even on my
career. I think it's still you think about it a little bit, but it's still not there. I guess
still haven't really completely sat back and really gone over everything that kind of,
you know, accomplished and been able to do so one day. That's right. And that's why we're going to
do this interview and we're going to have another one like, I don't know, in a year, in five years,
so we can compare how change, how change things and everything around you. What about your family?
Because I know your parents, they used to visit here in Russia and Kazakhstan, right? And since
you guys are Canadians, you're not really scared of the bad weather. Yeah, no, it's true. I mean,
there that's another thing. I think as a younger player, you don't realize that, you know, it's not
always about when it ends, it's not always about you. And I think part of the things that, you know,
weighed into my decision about retiring is your family. I mean, not just my wife and Benson, but
also, you know, your parents, brothers, like my brother just had a baby girl nine months ago. So,
nine months ago. So, you know, like just things that you're kind of like missing as you get older
and, you know, your parents start to get older and you've missed all these things over all these
years that you kind of, you want to be around for things as they start aging. And also that means
I've been aging as well. And even though I don't feel old, I mean, you know, in the hockey world,
I'm definitely old and you can definitely feel that the last couple of years are not so much on
the ice or at the rink, but just away from the rink. You know, do you have different priorities
and you have different, you know, life commitments as maybe some of the younger players? And, you
know, I asked a few people, like, if they want to ask you anything through me. And it's really funny.
Do you remember Mike Pelino? Yes. So, I just asked him, like, do you have maybe a question or two for
Nigel? And I swear he gave me a list. No, I'm sorry. This one is going to be like a separate
interview from Mike Pelino. Yeah. Okay. So Mike asks that you were one of the best shootout
scorers in the history of the New York Rangers. So I need to ask you, what's your favorite move was
and how did you practice that? I think my two favorite moves were probably, especially when
I was in New York, I think it was, you know, low blocker coming down the right side and kind of,
like, just a quick shot low blocker or a quick shot five hole. And I think as you have more reps
or more chances in the shootout, everybody's watching video and stuff. So then you want to
try and, you know, come up with some moves that you can kind of start the same way, but maybe,
you know, you finish something different and maybe it's a fake shot and you go to a deke after that.
If you're watching or what might happen, but I don't know if it really practiced. I know I had a,
you know, a good snapshot and I really use that to my advantage. I had a quick release and it was
really accurate. It wasn't the hardest shot and it wasn't always, you know, like a big slap shot, but
I practiced a lot just releasing the puck and as the sticks got better and the one piece and the
technology, it just kind of made things a little bit easier on the release. And I think, you know,
it was definitely one of my strongest points in my game. Can you say someone is your favorite
hockey player right now or maybe someone you just enjoy watching? You know, I haven't watched a ton
of hockey over the last few years. I mean, just being in Europe, you watch highlights and stuff,
but with the time change, it's so hard to watch actual games. And that's something that I'm
really looking forward to, you know, just being able to watch hockey games live and kind of sit
back with Benson and watch games on TV or go watch some, you know, jazz games and some other teams
coming through. There's so much skill and so much speed in these young players that, you know, it's
very entertaining. I mean, the highlights are super entertaining, but just to watch, you know, as a
former player to watch all the little things that they do and how skilled they are and how good they
are doing it at such high speeds is definitely something that I'm excited to go and watch.
I mean, I'm sure everybody loves watching McDavid. He's just so fast and so skilled
and watching McDavid and Dreissel together is, the highlights is always pretty fun. So they're
definitely at the top of my list and, you know, Nathan McKinnon, you know, and maybe even some of
the guys that not many guys that I still play or used to play with or have played with playing, but
you know, Crosby is always at the top of the league. Oh no, you beat me to it because I was like,
please dude. Yeah, so yeah, we might try and get out to a game, you know, when Pittsburgh comes through.
Oh, so can you like just call Sydney Crosby? Hey, can I get a ticket? I probably wouldn't do that.
I'm sure there'll be tickets available. You can try and go and buy some or maybe somebody on the
Jets might be able to help me out, but we'll see when the time comes. Okay, thank you. Now Mike
wants to know, I should ask you about the father's trips and why they were so special. Well, the first
one didn't get off to a good start because my dad actually slept in and when I went to pick him up
from the hotel, he wasn't ready and I almost missed my meeting because of that. So I was not happy to
start the first father's trip, especially as a younger player in New York, you know, almost
missing a meeting, having to leave my car running in the parking lot and run in to make sure I wasn't
late for the meeting. Luckily, I made it on time and, you know, I guess there was no consequences,
but, you know, it's always fun to have, you know, your dads around or mums around now, especially
on a lot of the trips because they sacrifice and put so much into all these players careers and lives.
So to be able to share with them and, you know, just some of the travel or the dinners or the
stories, you know, it's always pretty special. And, you know, my dad's met a lot of people and
anybody who's been around when he's in town probably has met him because he's always just
walking around the rink introducing themselves and talking to people even if they don't understand
what he's saying. But he's got a huge personality and he's a great person and a great guy to
to be able to share some of those things with. That's a good story.
Yeah, maybe not for him, but I don't know if Mike knows that, but.
Okay, so why were you so good in the K-Chall? I mean, he asked that.
I mean, I think a lot, I mean, especially in hockey, I mean, it's confidence, it's,
you know, being able to play with good players. I was very fortunate to have some very good line
mates and not just that, I mean, you could have two really good players that just don't mesh
together, don't, you know, aren't able to play well together. So I was fortunate that, you know,
my game kind of, you know, blended well with with my line mates and that we were able to to figure
it out. And yeah, it was it was a lot of fun. I think being able to play a lot of minutes and in
every situation, I mean, other than that, the NHL, that was kind of what I did my whole career. So
it's a little bit different when you know, you go from being a top line player to maybe having to
play on the, you know, the third line or the fourth line and you're not playing as much.
I mean, it happens to, you know, 95% of the players, but you know, that not everyone's going
to be a superstar in the NHL and you got to find different ways to to make your game good. And,
you know, I was able to kind of just get back to what I had done my whole career and I was,
you know, being offensive player score goals and, and trying to create offense. So, yeah, I think
looking back on it, I had some some really good playmakers on my lines and, you know, they made my
job a lot easier trying to trying to score goals. Now that I'm trying to remember, I think Martin
Braddor was one of your favorite goalies, right? I scored a few goals on him. Yeah.
Not everyone did, but you did quite a few times. I, I don't know why it happened, but, you know,
I think in my last year in New York, I think I have 14 goals and I think six of them were against
him or four or something like that. But I mean, sometimes you're just in the right place at the
right time. I was able to, you know, score some, some nice goals and some ugly ones against them,
but, you know, it's always fun and we play New Jersey more than a lot of the other teams. So,
I think that's part of the reason as well. No, there must be another secret. Yeah.
You know something. Well, close your eyes and shoot.
That was your secret? No, no. I mean, sometimes things just happen. I mean, there's not really
a reason for it. I mean, situations, time, parts, plays in the game. I mean, when you get your
opportunities, you want to try and bear down and score. And sometimes they hit the post and go
out. Sometimes they hit the post and go in. And I mean, you probably take the same shot again and,
you know, you might have a different outcome, but I think it was just, uh,
funny or lucky story in my career. Yeah. We should ask Bradore about that. You see,
I interviewed him before you a while ago. I didn't know you back then, so we need to do something
about it. Cool. Yeah. Okay. Mike wants to know, can you name a couple of the most memorable teammates?
Brandon Batchenski, Dustin Boyd, Stephane Dacosta, Mark Ransky, and, you know,
Martin St. Pierre. Those were a lot of my line mates, so I'll give their thanks first. But I mean,
you know, Roman Starchenko and Astana, he's still playing and he was always a great player. One of
the best Kazakh players of all time. And it was fun to watch him play. Antoly Goloshev, when I got to
Automobilis, he was just starting and, you know, now he's, uh, he's one of the top players in,
on his team and in the league. And, you know, watching him now, it's fun to see how far he's
come. I got to play with Zarapov, which unfortunately was kind of later in both of our careers. So it
would have been nice to play with him when we were, when I was a little bit younger, but, you know,
the history and how well of a career, how big of a career he had and how important he is to Russian
hockey. It was, it was nice to be in the locker room and play on the same team as him. And I never
played with him, but playing against him and having a lot of battles and not so much physical, but
scoring back and forth with Moziakhin was always fun. You know, he arguably the best Russian
player of all in the KHL for sure, in the history and just to be able to play so many games, being
in the Eastern Conference and in the same division and seeing him score almost at will was, looking
back on it now, it was really cool to see. At the time it sucked because he'd always be scoring
against us, but yeah, it was just a lot of fun to be there firsthand to see all those players play
with and against them. So one of those guys, he told me that you love shoes. I think I've asked
you about that like once before. So you really love shoes. You collect shoes. Is that true?
I don't think I collect them. I mean, I have a lot of shoes now. I think I have more golf shoes.
They're more the purchases these days, but you know, you just want to have comfortable shoes and
you want to be stylish and kind of go have different options depending on what you're wearing. So it's,
you know, shoes can be a big part of that. And over the years, I've bought a few pairs.
No, no, no, no, no. One of your teammates said that you have new shoes every day. That's different.
Oh, I don't know. I wish that was the case, but no, not every day. But you know, I do have a few.
You need to call your wife. Well, she has more shoes than me. So she looks like shoes. So maybe
that's where I get it from. Did you bring all of them home? All the ones that I was so learning.
Yeah. For the most part. I mean, when we left, I mean, I think our biggest move was leaving Astana.
And I think we had 23 or 24 hockey bags going home. So that's one thing I won't miss is packing
up and flying across the world. And now it's just one suitcase anywhere I go. I know it's only going
to be for a few days or a week or something like that. You don't have to pack up your whole life.
So I'm a pretty good packer, but now it's going to be real easy to do all the packing.
Was it hard to choose an apartment in Kazakhstan and Russia? Like, how was the process?
I think the first time, the first time I think it was tough. And especially you go in, you got
four or five guys, you're going with a real estate agent and they show you, and you kind of have to
like pick on the spot, but you don't know what the next one is going to look like. And you don't know
if that one's going to be available. If you don't take it now. So it's almost like a game of chicken
and you don't know what's going to be behind, you know, doors, A, B and C. But as the years went on,
you know, I think the apartments, they had more and more options and they were getting,
uh, you know, more modern. And, um, you know, I think maybe your fourth apartment in Astana was,
you know, we had it for three years and it was great. And it felt like a home and, um, you know,
it wasn't the hardest thing to pick. And as we got used to it and kind of knowing what to expect,
I think it was, uh, you know, one of the easier things to sort out once we got there.
Did you drive?
I did drive. Uh, I drove the whole time. The only place I didn't drive was in
Cattaring. Well, no, I even drove a little bit in Kazan. So yeah, I drove every, oh no,
uh, you Cattaringburg was the only place we had a driver. We didn't have a car.
So that would have been the only place that I didn't drive.
I'm just trying to understand, you know, how different was the live home and the life.
I think you get used to it. I mean, I, I think now a lot of you guys have drivers, um, you know,
but when we went over there, they had two cars for 11, 11 of us players to drive. So, you know,
there was no way that we were supposed to get to share them and stuff. So we kind of, it took,
you know, a little bit, but after, you know, maybe a month or so we were comfortable. We'd
kind of knew our way around the city. And, um, you know, sometimes you still get lost, but I mean,
that happens and you just kind of find a way out of it and, and you go on your way. So we,
a lot of times we'd have more landmarks as a set of street names, just to kind of like
figure out how are you going to get around? Because we couldn't all read this, the street names.
And when we first got there, so, you know, at this big yellow building, you turn left or at the orange
building, turn right. And then, uh, that's kind of how we made our way around it. We, we would, uh,
but you know, you figure it out once you kind of fill yourself into it, it's, uh, it's not,
it's not too difficult. What about money? Was it easy to get used to new money? Cause you know,
like I remember it's still, it's still not, I mean, I don't, I mean, not, not, not now. I don't
need to, but it's, uh, yeah. I mean, the, the exchange rates and stuff, you're always going
through on your phone and looking and, you know, you have all these extra zeros and you just don't
know what it is. And then you're like, Oh, it's so much money. And then you're like, Oh, it was $20.
So it was just, it was all a little bit bigger than it seemed. But, um, yeah, I think it's all
a part of, uh, the experience and, um, yeah, it was too bad. Although sometimes you would think,
Oh yeah. And then you like pay and then you like do the trend or the exchange after, then you
realize you spent way more than you thought you were, or it was way less or something like that.
But so you definitely had to be careful if it was something a little bit bigger repurchase,
just to make sure you weren't, uh, you know, overspending on it. One thing they don't have in
NHL, the breaks, like I forgot, how did they call them in ketchup? Like European breaks or something?
Yeah. European breaks are like national team breaks. Yeah. So how did you spend them usually?
Like, did you guys travel? Um, if we had enough time, we would definitely try to travel. Um,
you know, I think that's part of the, the nice thing about being in Europe is having those breaks
and being able to see different parts of the world, uh, going on different trips, kind of just, uh,
you know, a little R and R time and recovery and, and resting and, and touring around. So for us,
a lot of the time it was Dubai is just a direct flight from a lot of, uh, you know, the Russian
cities, um, and the weather was always nice. So, uh, it's definitely a pretty cool experience.
After a few years, I think it kind of got a little bit, I mean, although it's always changing, but,
you know, it would be nice to be able to see a few different places, but at that time you just kind
of want some nice weather. And that's, uh, that was the easiest, uh, guarantee for, for good weather.
Let's, uh, go back to the All-Star games. That was my first one. That was, that was, uh, that was
the best coach I've ever had, right? Thank you. Yes. Well, first one is a coach. Yeah, actually.
Yeah. Yeah. Cause I want to go back to this one. Cause this, that year and that All-Star
changed my life forever. So the first time ever KHL for some reason decided to bring
KHL female reporters as coaches, assistant coaches, but we had some drama, you know,
our locker room, not related to the players or us. We were fine. But still, um, Kevin Dalman,
he was, well, I don't want to say mean, but he really gave me a hard time and I credit him for
becoming so tough. And that's something I needed in Russia, like just become tough. And he helped
me with that. But how was it? I don't know. How was like, was it weird for you guys that a girl
in the locker room? I felt really bad at first. Oh, I mean, I don't think it was that weird. I
mean, you got the girls as reporters or were around a lot anyways. So, I mean, the four assistant
coaches, you know, they were all very successful reporters in the KHL and, and in Russia. So I
think, um, you just had to kind of time being in the room at the right times. You couldn't stay in
there the whole time, but, um, but you guys know, it was nice. I think it was a great reward. And
just to kind of get the behind the scenes, um, you know, interviews or talk, or just to kind of
learn. I mean, like you said, you hadn't been in a coaching aspect before. And I think it was a
nice thing that the league did to, to kind of broaden, you know, get more fans and get more,
more eyes on the game. But, uh, you know, Kevin hardened me up too, when I first got there, he
wasn't, uh, he was welcoming, but also, you know, Oh yeah, he, he makes everyone earn it. And that's
why he was such a good leader and a good player, you know, nothing is ever just handed over. And
you know, it took a little bit of while for me to adjust to the game over there, but, um, you know,
Kevin and I still keep in touch and, you know, he, he was known for not ever taking it easy on
anyone and practice him. And I think that's, uh, you know, why we were such good players is because
he made sure that you were going to come in and play your best and practice your best too. So, um,
you know, yeah, it was, it was fun. Yeah. One thing I told myself, I will not break and I didn't
break. It's too bad we couldn't win that tournament though. We were too busy having fun. Cause yeah,
some people, they put it a lot in, they want to win it. You know, we were just there for a good time.
So celebrate. That's actually, um, that was the hardest part. Cause at first that's like, you know,
they just said that you guys going to do that, but no one explained what are we going to do.
No one knew what are we going to do. So it was kind of, kind of, they just threw us out there.
It's like, do whatever. Yeah. I had to take step by step and actually do something. We lost,
didn't we lose our head coach like right before the game or the day before or something? Yeah.
Yeah. So that's what I'm saying. We had a lot of drama that wasn't related to the KHL All-Star
and sometimes like somehow we had to handle all of that and just, you know, keep like being focused
on the game, having fun. It was hard. Yeah, it was especially, but you know, it's fun. The fans
were great and being able to play an All-Star game in Astana was, uh, it was definitely very special.
It was, they called you the king. Yeah. Uh, I don't know. I don't think I'm the king of anything,
but you know, it was fun. They, they, they, they've always treated me well. And I was a lot of fun to
play in front of the fans and the support that they gave us. And it was anyways, it was fun.
And our team was named like the most creative, the fun one. Like, yeah, we were the fun team for sure.
Yeah, we were cool. So yeah. And I can't remember the years, like I'm all confused now because of
the timeframes, uh, the one in Kazan where we had Benson and Nikita on the bench. It would have been
what year was that? I was coming from Oftermobil, so it would have been 2000. Because of like the
pandemic, it's all confusing for me now because we missed a few. Yeah. Was it 19, maybe 20? I don't
know. Like 21. Maybe it was, yeah, it would have been, oh yeah, it was my last year in Oftermobil.
So it would have been what? 22, 21. I can't remember. 18, maybe 18 or 19. No, this one was
19. This one was 19. That one? Yeah. Yeah. I think it was 19. That was. Look, it says on the front.
Oh yeah, that's right. 18! Yeah, so that's 18. I told you, it's one of the best years of my life.
Yeah, so 19. 19? Maybe 19? 19, yeah, it would have been 19. Anyways, it was after Kazakhstan.
But the most important part is Benson was able to have fun with you. I mean, he was little, I'm
not sure if he remembers. Yeah, he was. But he got a couple other games after that. He was in Moscow as
well. So that was nice for him as well my last year. Do you help him to learn the game of hockey?
Not just skating, like to learn more about hockey? Yes and no. He's hard. He doesn't listen to me. So
I mean, one day, maybe he will. Maybe if he asks when I try to help him, he's like, I know that,
I know. But this will be his first year actually playing hockey on a team. So he was really into
football the last couple years in Germany and playing. But yeah, he'll play this year and we'll
see where it goes. But I mean, if he ever asks any questions or anything like that, I mean, obviously
I'm happy to help. But I mean, I'm not going to push him. He can kind of sort out his things on
his own and I'm definitely going to support him and watch him. And it will be fun to see him out
there. But yeah, I haven't really been doing much with him so far. So we'll see how things go in the
next couple of years. What was your favorite arena in the KHL and in the NHL? NHL, probably Montreal.
It's just, I mean, there's so much history on that team and it's one of the biggest ranks and the fans
are insane every game. And just being able to play a few games from Montreal and some of them
be at home and even some games as a visitor, you know, the crowd would be insane. You wouldn't want
them to get on a roll because you would not be able to hear yourself think. In the KHL, when Astana
built their new rank, you know, that was one of the best in the league. And to be able to call that
home, it was always fun to play there. You know, some of our playoff runs against Tractor,
having the arena sold out and, you know, winning one of those first playoff series ever for that
organization was definitely something, a feeling that I'll never forget. And, you know, just,
you know, having everybody behind us and being able to do that at home was fun. And then I always
like, you know, going to Moscow to play. You know, the new VTB arena is very nice and before that,
you know, SESKA Arena, when it was first opened and it seemed like all the Moscow teams were playing
out of there. But it was always fun to come and play, you know, it's kind of like the heart of Russia
and to be able to play in Moscow was always a treat. What about the old SESKA Arena, like the
classic one? You know what? I didn't like it. I mean, I liked the rink, but I didn't like playing
in the ice. The ice was terrible. It was really hard to move on. And I mean, I know there's a
lot of history and, you know, warming up and seeing all the pitchers and that was very cool.
But as a player to play on that, you know, I was happy when that wasn't in the league anymore and
we didn't have to play on the ice. It sounds like I am the only person who loved that arena.
I'm sure there's a lot of the SESKA teams that loved it because I'm pretty sure they did pretty
well there. So not many teams winning in that arena against them. I can't be nice all the time.
So I have to ask you about the Olympics. Like, you know, we cannot predict just every single
thing in this world. And basically when NHLers were not able to go to the Olympics, Team Canada
and Team USA were able to choose to invite anyone they want to. Was that hard for you?
Honestly, not really, because there's not really anything I could have done about it.
You know, I made my decision a couple of years prior to that. If it was something that maybe I
would have done a month before and then I changed. But when I made the decision to, you know, take
Kazakh citizenship, you know, that wasn't even on the table. So yeah, in hindsight, looking back,
yeah, maybe I would have done things differently. But, you know, at the time there was no other
options and that was, you know, something that I wanted the opportunity to do. And I got that
opportunity to try and qualify with Kazakhstan and then also play in the World Championships.
Who knows, maybe I wouldn't have made Team Canada, you never know.
Well, you said it's too early and you are enjoying your life, I believe you. But
you probably still have some ideas, like what kind of things you would like to try being a TV
reporter, play-by-play, hockey operations, something, coaching, youth team, something.
Give me something.
I wish I could. I mean, honestly, like this is probably the most asked question to me in the last
three months and I still have the same answer. I don't know. I don't know what's going to be next.
I'm probably going to take a year or so to just enjoy life, go on some trips and do things that
I haven't been able to do in the winter. So, you know, I'd like to stay in the game of hockey.
At this point, I don't see it being like coaching or something, but you know, things can change. And,
you know, I'm going to probably meet people, talk to some people over the winter and you never know
what might come up. You never know where things might head. But, you know, right now I'm kind of
enjoying not having a schedule and just being able to do what we want to do each day. That will change
when Spencer goes back to school. But, you know, for now it's been a good summer and we've got some
trips planned over this winter. And, you know, just kind of see where this next year takes me.
I just remembered you guys went to Vegas for Stanley Cup Finals.
Yes. Yeah.
Who was it?
It was really cool. I mean, we didn't plan it out. We were there for our wedding anniversary and it
happened to fall over, you know, game five. And, you know, I bought tickets before the series started
just in case. And, you know, who couldn't have dreamt that there was going to be the Stanley Cup
clinching game. So, the atmosphere, the fans, the city, the players, I mean, everything was so cool.
Even just as a hockey fan, let alone having played hockey and having it been a dream of mine at one
point, but just to go and watch and experience that and, you know, even Cassie, you know, loved it.
And, I mean, Vegas knows how to put on a show and I can't imagine a better place to win a cup. And,
you know, I knew a few of the guys on the team from Winnipeg that I had trained with in past
years. So, to see them win it and be able to celebrate and just to have that experience is,
you know, it's kind of just a lucky coincidence that we were there at the right time,
right place. And so, yeah, we're really happy that we were able to get tickets and experience
them winning the Stanley Cup. That's pretty cool. Well, thank you for your time. I will have to call
you again in a year and then in five years. So, we'll hear your answers or you will become an NHL
coach by that time and you will say no. Yeah. Easy. Well, thanks for having me and it's good
to talk to you again. Thank you. You're welcome.