Gloves Off: The Enforcer Code

Darren McCarty is sitting with Tony Granato, Scott Mellanby, and Darren Pang having a round table discussion about their histories. Tony remembers his first shift in the NHL at Chicago Stadium against Panger and the Blackhawks and the guys discuss how much culture influences the success of a team. Granato talks about how the current players appreciate the generations that came before the same way they did as young players. DMac and Mellanby talk about the Broad Street Bullies in Philadelphia and Mellanby tells the guys about their influence in the years after they won a Cup. DMac tells Tony about getting to play for the Red Wings as a kid who grew up near Detroit and what it took to become a champion there. The guys discuss who they played with that helped pass on the culture, and who in the game today is doing the same. DMac asks the guys which teams they like and the guys discuss the teams and players they enjoy watching this season. 

Joe Kocur and Darren McCarty are hanging out with NHL defenseman Jeff Brown. DMac and Joey ask Brownie about his youth hockey days in Nepean with teammates like Darren Pang and Steve Yzerman, and Brownie tells them about his junior days in Sudbury and getting drafted by Quebec. They discuss hockey in Quebec City and how much fun it was to play there and the old rivalry with Montreal. Brownie talks about how he never had a true "I made it" moment, but how he had several great teammates at every stop that made his entire career great. Brownie tells the guys what it was like coaching youth in his post-playing days and how his style was influenced by coaches he had as a player. DMac asks Brownie about getting traded to St. Louis in '89 and Kocur talks about some of the great defensemen Brownie got to play with. The guys all relive the 1993-94 Stanley Cup playoff run that ended with Brownie's Canucks losing to Kocur's Rangers and the souvenir that Brownie still has from that series. The guys discuss the end of Brownie's career and the importance of player health and how concussions are handled now versus then. Joey wants to know more about the current NHLers that Brownie coached as kids and what it's like getting to watch them succeed.

Joe Kocur and Darren McCarty catch up with Kevin "Killer" Kaminski this week. Killer and Joey give DMac a geography lesson and talk about all of the NHL talent that has come out of Saskatoon and the influence Barry Melrose had on the tough-minded style they all played with. Killer gives some details about the 32 games in a row that he got into a fight in juniors. DMac and Killer talk about how much it meant to them being recognized by their teammates for what they did on the ice, and Killer tells Joey about winning the Calder Cup. Killer relives some of his best memories from his time in Washington including the time they thought they had the team to go all the way. Joey asks Killer about that one big fight that he just had to get into and the guys discuss how great Bob Probert was at giving the young guys that approached him late in his career a chance to fight. The guys discuss having some guys that they fought all the time and other guys that they never would square up with. Killer tells the guys about some of the worst concussions he had that ultimately led to the end of his career and they all talk about the importance of mental health and the "team" that is the NHL Alumni. 

Joe Kocur and Darren McCarty are hanging out this week with one of the toughest fighters of their era, Tony Twist. Twister tells the guys about his new podcast and the guys talk about the mental toughness it took to be an enforcer in the NHL. Twister and Joey talk about the approach they had going into fights, especially against former teammates. DMac asks the guys about the guys that they fought mad instead of just doing it for the team and the guys talk about some of the best fights they watched during their time in the league. Twister tells DMac what it was like trying to follow the legacy that Joey and Wendel Clark left in Saskatoon and the guys discuss who they enjoyed beating in fights on the ice. DMac reminds Twister of the time they fought and Scotty Bowman saved his life and the guys talk about how much respect enforcers had for the "off-limits" guys in the league. Twister shares the biggest piece of advice he received in his career that he would share with his younger self and Joey tells him about the advice he got from Scotty.

Joe Kocur and Darren McCarty are excited to have, Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Fame member, Brett Hull as the first ever guest on Gloves Off: The Enforcer Code. Hully shares the story of how he ended up in Detroit as a free agent, what it was like playing for an original 6, and his first impressions of some of his new teammates. The guys talk about some of Hully's best goals and the effort it took them to win the Cup. DMac asks Hully about some of the tough guys he got to play with and Hully tells him about his discovery of the need for a tough guy. Kocur reminds Hully of one of the first times Tony Twist made an impression in Blues camp. The guys discuss how smart and involved in the game the enforcers had to be, even from the bench. Hully gives the guys the details of how his dad influenced Brendan Shanahan's style of play and talks about how skilled Shanny was at every aspect of the game. DMac and Kocur remind Hully how much coaches loved him and ask which were his favorite coaches to coach.