Tom Wilson talks John Carlson trade, his Toronto roots & Olympic experience with Team Canada

Welcome once again to the hockey life first presented as always by Penn Fed credit union great rates for everyone now Bruce is going to be missing a few shows in the upcoming weeks and in his absence we're going to mix in a new rotation of sort of special guests some interviews as well.

We really do think you're going to enjoy it before we get to our feature interview of the day.

Did you see that Buffalo Tampa game on Sunday? Hey God let me be more proud when I say that did you see that Buffalo Sabers Tampa Bay Lightning game on Sunday if you haven't do yourself a favor because even though the highlights are great the highlights themselves don't do the whole event justice.

You want to watch this one from stem to stern bell to bell it was it was ripped out of the pages and we get this every now and then in hockey.

It was ripped out of the pages of a different era and an era that for those that went through it we kind of get the nostalgic soap and warm water feeling about now the one year that I'm thinking about specifically for that game was 1987.

For my money 1987 that is when hockey hit its height hockey hit its absolute zenith as a sport in not just the NHL but international hockey as well.

There were great international tournaments highlighted by maybe the greatest hockey tournament of all time the Canada Cup.

Gretzki to let me scores. There was rendezvous which by the way is a tournament that I wish that history didn't forget and there's only two game series between the best of the NHL and the Soviets but it was some of the best hockey we ever saw.

We saw a great seven games Stanley Cup final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers and by the way in game six when J.J. Daniel scores that goal.

And the spectrum pops like the cork out of a champagne bottle it is the loudest I have ever heard that building.

And oh yeah nobody was shy about having four hour games either whether it was the calendars and the Rangers whether it was in our deeks and the habs whether it was the oilers and the Calgary flames.

It wasn't very rare to see games take three and a half to four hours long because of the extra curriculars that added a little pepper and parsley to the soup.

What I'm getting at here folks is 1987 was a year where skill met violence in a way that we haven't seen before and it made this sort of beautiful symphony on ice.

Not that I'm trying to get to modern and poetic about it but this is really what your boy Jeffy feels about 1987 that I've never felt or experienced before now I know that caps fans may not have the warm and fuzzies about 1987 easter epic and all but nonetheless for those that went through 1987 we look at the game on Sunday between the sabers and the bolts and say oh yeah that's 1987 as a matter of fact the final score was eight to seven.

For the Buffalo sabers and it had not just a little of everything it had a whole lot of everything.

Well it didn't really have saves so let me scratch that it didn't have saves but other than that you had the hometown pops you had a million fights you had scores getting settle with the Dominic James incident he's out for the season and you know Kessel ring and Cernac going at it over that one.

Rasmus style everyone's chasing Rasmus style I don't know what Rasmus Dalline does to players right but you had you know hegel chasing him around you had rat is chasing him around you have getting malkin just took a five game suspension on him we saw earlier this season Brad Martian running around at Rasmus Dalline we've seen Austin Matthew as we've seen chase Rasmus Dalline does but he may be maybe the sneakiest dirty player in the NHL I do say that as a compliment by the way that is not an answer.

When I say sneakiest dirtyest player in the NHL I do mean it as a compliment and whatever Rasmus Dalline does and whatever Rasmus Dalline has it drives players crazy these two teams by the way will meet again in April circle your calendars now it's going to be talked about for a long time it's dominating headlines today it's a dominated social media on Sunday.

Night and this one will bleed right through until early April when these two teams meet again and by the way don't be surprised if you hear the name Mason Gertzen who plays for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League don't be surprised if he gets called up.

Slap shot style for that one particular rematch between the bolts and the Buffalo Sabers now someone on today's show would feel very comfortable in a game like that you know I've always felt that the best compliment or maybe one of the best compliments is a better way to put it that you can pay a player is to say that guy could have played in any era.

Like we all look at hockey players around the league and say this guy's an 80s player this guy's a 90s player this guy's good for this era right now this guy is from a throwback and doesn't really work right now but one of the best compliments I think you can pay any player is by saying.

That player could play in any era of hockey since the NHL began in 1917 you know we think about individual rivalries and in this era there is none better than Alexander Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby but maybe when you talk about the combination of toughness and skill the best rivalry in the history of the game was rocket Richard and Gordy how that was the mix of skill and toughness and snarl and legitimate hockey hatred.

Between two players. Could you not see Tom Wilson playing in that era.

Great skater not shy real tough could you not see Tom Wilson playing in I don't know the 1970s where half the league probably should have been in prison could you not see Tom Wilson playing in the the fast skating 80s the tight checking 90s right into

the 2000s and right into the era where we find Tom Wilson now Tom Wilson could have competed in all the errors of hockey going back to as I mentioned 1917 when the NHA the National Hockey Association turned into the NHL the National Hockey League Tom Wilson has this sort of intoxicating combination of skill and size.

And the one thing he's become to in the NHL he's become a type right that's coveted by every single team how many times have you seen or heard a general manager say or a team say I want Tom Wilson type go talk to your amateur scout bring me a Tom Wilson type at the draft that is what we're looking for you know I am I kind of in some ways.

Think about a quote from Harry Sinden who used to be the general manager of the Boston Bruins and this quote was about goal tending Harry Sinden used to say goal tending is like oxygen I only think about it when I don't have it and I kind of feel about toughness the same way how many times have you seen a team.

Pick any NHL team who doesn't have toughness in the lineup on the roster in the room and they consistently get run out of the rank and then eventually the manager get gets fed up because the coach is already fed up and the players are saying will you please send us someone to deal with this situation.

Tom Wilson is an answer for that for a lot of teams everybody would love to have someone like Tom Wilson and in an era right now where everybody can skate everybody can play make everybody can shoot a lot of it is because of the technology but a lot of it as well as about the training a lot of it is about the elite athlete that is now joining the NHL when everybody can do that managers look for something extra.

What's that something extra it's what Tom Wilson brings it's taking physicality finding where the line is and walking right on that line now has Tom Wilson crossed over the line in the past.

Absolutely he'd be the first to admit that but I don't think that there's anyone in the NHL who's figured out exactly where that line is walked on it and not stepped over it this season.

In the interview you're going to hear I referenced the heat will hit in the stank hoven hit the Larkin hit at the Olympics as well that's Tom Wilson understanding a his role and be the line and what the game will tolerate and saying okay that's the frame now here comes the painting in a lot of ways what Tom Wilson has kind of become for the Washington capitals is what every other team wants and that is that ultimate.

Ultimate physical luxury item if you have it it's awesome and maybe you take it for granted a little bit but if you don't have it man do you hear it from every single corner of your organization players coaches managers fans media and and and.

And the need for physicality has never been a conversation for the Washington capitals since Tom Wilson joined the line up in this interview you're going to hear Tom talk about his former teammate John Carlson who was traded at deadline one o'clock in the morning eastern thanks for keeping us up Chris Patrick he's now member of the anaheim docs he talks about John Carlson he talks about the Olympics he talks about getting the Gordy how hat trick at the Olympics he talks about a teenage fight in mind.

He talks about getting the Gordy and his partner slash youth hockey with Scott lot and we do talk about hitting and some of those hits that I just referenced and a whole lot more including his love for North Toronto arena on we even get a book review to a book review from Tom Wilson check it out here's Tom Wilson on the hockey lifers.

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First of all Tom thanks so much for joining me here today in the spirit of I mean listen the podcast is called the hockey lifers so we're going to spend some time talking about your life in hockey.

But the news of the day of course still around the Washington capitals life without john Carlson and you know time heals all that's the old saying there's been a game in between now with the Boston Bruins.

How does it feel like give us a sort of vibe check in the in the capitals room what's it like without john Carlson there.

Yeah I think it's still early it was it was a really tough day obviously hearing that news and you know seeing Johnny kind of walk out the walk out the door at a facility that he's been you know a staple for so long I never thought I would see the day that he wasn't in a caps sweater you know it happens quick and it's it's tough.

You know but then you know it's still early like I mean he's he's been he was hurt the last couple games or right now there's almost just kind of a feeling like he's not on the bus he's not around maybe you know he's just back home rehabbing or something but as time goes on it'll be more apparent that you know he's not he's not here and he's on a new team and you know it's it's it's tough the human element is very tough and then obviously as a team he is such a big part of it so

you know we'll move on you know we got a we got a job to do here obviously but that was a tough day.

By the way very Canadian of you to say sweater and not Jersey as the Canadian here at the other end of the microphone I appreciate that's what thank you.

So a couple of things here like it's been it's been a really interesting year for you personally as well I'm having a great season.

Getting on the Olympics I was personally of the mind having conversations with you know Doug Armstrong the last Olympic cycle about Beijing I was very much of the mind that had the NHLers gone that you were going to be on that team then to but take us back to when you got the call and you became an Olympian.

Yeah it it was a whirlwind I mean obviously coming into this season you know that it's a huge year and your dream is to play for that team your your whole life early in my career I would have never thought that that would be an option or an opportunity to do that but as things got down to it the last couple years I realize that it might be reality and it might be realistic that I could be there to try and help team Canada go out there and win in Italy and.

It was you know it's it's tough it was one of the it's funny that way that it was one of the best experiences of my life but also probably one of the toughest and one that will always kind of sting the most when you look back on it to be an Olympian to be an Italy representing Canada was one of the proudest moments of my life but to be so close to.

To you know greatness in a gold medal and and doing that for our country I think the rest of my life will always be something from my career that that hurts the most and it's still still something you're thinking about as you fall asleep every night it was it was a tough ending but an incredibly experience i'm glad you got us there in the conversation because I can't tell you how many and not just from hockey but from like from from other sports as well.

How many silver medalists that I've talked to who all say the same thing at the time you don't want it you don't want the silver medal because you're right you're right there for the gold and you know to your point like it it burns and I get it but they all say the same thing Tom as time passes they're able to look back on it and say you know what that was a great accomplishment regardless of what the goal was or is still an incredible accomplishment i'm guessing you're not there yet or are you inching closer to that.

I mean there's two elements to that I mean the end of the day in Milano Cortino you're part of team Canada you're part of the bigger the bigger picture you know as hockey Canada we want a gold medal you know but you're also part you know you with the speed skaters and the figure skaters and the skiers and you're part of a bigger group and a bigger picture and we were proud to to be the men's ice hockey team representing Canada and you know winning a silver medal but at the end of the day I think what hurts the most is we played almost the perfect game.

We had opportunities to win. We made their team look like they were on their heels for a good portion of that game and you know when you're talking about the US Olympic team and and what we were able to do in that gold medal game and how well we really played and just couldn't finish and put the puck in the net.

You're so close to a gold medal that I think is what hurts like we played we played almost a perfect game we played great and you know it comes down to a three on three goal and they beat us fair and square and you know obviously a big congrats to the American team they're a heck of a hockey team but we felt like we played well enough to win and that's sports that's what socks you got to go play the game that's why people love it.

And they did enough to beat us on that on that given night and it'll always it'll always sting I think it's always going to be a proud moment but it'll be one that hurts for sure.

Well I'll tell you what I'm talking about you know proud moments that may hurt early in that game the first pop heard around Canada was you hitting Dylan Larkin.

You want to walk us that was like four minutes into the game and bam you get a good looking on the trite's number one center you want to walk us back to that one.

Yeah you know my role obviously is to bring energy and physicality and team Canada never wants to get pushed around in the game of hockey I don't think that should ever happen.

So I knew that was always going to try and be part of my role but with that it's a fine line you don't want to take penalties you don't want to do anything where you're going to put your team down short handed in a short you know single elimination game so you don't want to be chasing that stuff and as that play happened I wasn't really thinking I was going to finish my head and we were both kind of reaching for the puck and I said hey this is an opportunity to do it.

This is an opportunity to get a good lick and to finish a good hard hit that's within the rules so I took it and obviously it was a big collision he gave him credit he popped up obviously a tough tough guy and hockey player at the end of the day.

I think he would probably say you're going to have to hit him harder to keep him out of the gold medal game but you know it it's hockey that's why it's the best sport in the world it's fast it's hard and you know whether it's the Olympics or the NHL it's physical and

that's why we love the game.

You know this is become so much of your story now in that you know Tom Wilson knows exactly where the line is and knows how not to step over and I think going into the Olympics it was like a week before you went.

The capture play in the Carolina Hurricanes and you caught Logan Stankhoven behind the net coming out front and remember we had TJ Ocheon and he was talking about how you know Stankhoven needs to be more aware and needs to lead more of these shoulders and sort of walking us through what Stankhoven should have done in that situation.

I think a lot of us were thinking if Tom Wilson makes that hit in the NHL it's great it's cool but if Tom Wilson makes that hit in the Olympics is it going to be the same non call.

Are you thinking about these things because like all season like the heat all hit was it was perfect terrible outcome for the Vancouver Center but like it's perfect it.

Stankhoven same thing but were you thinking the back of your mind this is cool for the NHL I just don't know about the Olympics.

You know if I mean completely honest it wasn't a worry of mine but I had to be cognizant of you know there is a little bit of a different parameter for how things may get called.

At the end of the day most of the guys were NHL players and they're good NHL players and they're.

The American team and the checks and the fins and you know those are all world class class players that are smart players that.

You know play the game that I'm used to playing so usually those hits happen and you know they can kind of see it coming they're prepared for it they know how to take the contact.

So playing in those games I wasn't too worried about I wanted to make sure I didn't go into the tournament and hit a guy that wasn't used to the NHL speed or physicality and getting trouble that way.

Right you know there's always like I said there's always part of it that I wanted to make sure that I wasn't taking a penalty because in a single elimination game whether you're in the quarters of semis or the finals one penalty one for double minor one major can completely end your end your night and your game.

So that was obviously it make sure that doesn't happen from there have an impact physically so it's it's you told the line and.

I thought we were good physically in the final I thought we were fast I thought we executed I thought we were all over them and you know I have one that goes to the goal line we have a couple of ones that could have gone in the net easily.

And that's that's all I guess you got us to an interesting place there and I knew about two thirds of the square root of zero about Pierre Crinnell before this tournaments I'm guessing you probably knew about about Pierre Crinnell as as I did but it's going to be one of those moments where myself along with the rest of the country 41 million Canadians all saying at the same time Tom don't do it.

Can you take us back to the the incident with with with with Crinnell and was that in the back of your head I can't do this I can't do this.

Yeah and then I put the first cordy in the history of the Olympics but what was going through your mind at that time.

Yeah we reviewed the rules a little bit before the tournament we were aware that if it was if it was just a fight and there wasn't really much else going on there wasn't an instigator involved you'd be thrown out from that game and you'd be eligible for the next game so.

I always had that in the back of my head I wanted to make sure that I knew the rules exactly what they were and what the extra discipline if any would be and when that hit happened you know it's tend to it's a dirty hit on the kin and like i'm thinking like is this a possibility that this might happen.

And you know we kind of bumped into each other in front of the net and it seemed like it was going to happen and then all of a sudden I got yanked down which I mean doesn't really happen in the NHL if you're going to fight you want to throw stand up and throw a couple punches so I got thrown down to the ice pretty aggressively there and then it was kind of all hell broke loose and.

I would hear a couple of our teammates and Tom Tom like stop enough I think the ref was kind of yelling out so once I got my bearings and kind of as I think that was the appropriate time to do that and and wanted to make sure that there was more that we were playing for obviously but.

I didn't know anything about that guy obviously had some history in the French League and stuff and not my problem I guess to worry what's going on with him but.

It was a pretty crazy crazy game against the French okay a couple of quick hitters here for you Tom something that I've always wondered about like there is a legendary story in minor slash youth hockey in Toronto that involves you and Scott lot and it was at the GT HL's very first prospects game I don't know if it was pre planned if it was spontaneous but you and Scott lot now the Los Angeles Kings decide to go for one and.

And he got a little bit better in that fight I've always been told that you've asked him for a rematch and he's always said not interested is that true yeah yeah it was the first ever prospects game we were 15 years old and we were we played against each other whole lives and it was.

I think it was more about who could get each other's helmet off first it wasn't much of a fight but we were going out of the gloves came off.

And and we bump into each other obviously now nowadays on the ice and stuff and he always says no I'm not going ever again I'm want to know and I'm going to I'm going to stay that I'm going to remain that way but I remember at the time after that game happened we were kind of chatting on MSN or one of those messengers online.

I think I'm laughing about it in our agent I told us at the time it it was you know our draft stock in the OHL coming up that year was was going to improve because you know how time hockey was was all about guys that could play and fight and hit and all that so it you know the time it seemed like a huge event right like as a kid that was like the biggest crazy thing ever that you fought in an all star game and you know I know I know Scott still pretty well he's a great dude and we'll be always.

And we'll be always kind of laugh about that they they still talk about that one around the GTHL is someone that spends as much time around the rings I do they that story still comes up so I was I was texting this morning with an old teammate of yours both from junior hockey in the NHL is well comic Eric and he was reminding me of something that I had forgotten about but you still love watching he says there was some battles between Tom and Nikita's a door off now you play with the London nights you played with Plymouth there was some battles between him and Nikita's a door off in the playoffs series against London.

That belonged on an episode of animal planet I remember you two guys go at each other. What do you remember from from your battles with Nikita's a door off back in junior yeah I mean I think at that time in junior like you know there's you come in as a 16 year old there's always guys that are bigger than you and and crazier than you and tougher than you and you're playing 21 year old man and then a couple years into my career I'm starting to think hey you know what you know I'm the top dog there's really no one bigger.

I'm bigger than me you know in the league and then I think that he came in and played for London a couple years in maybe an import draft or whatever and I'm like holy there's this big Russian demon that's that's a that's a big boy so we played each other in the conference final I think and I mean it was we went out it and you know I took some huge hits from him and I've given him a few over the years and I think it's always been a good a good battle with him.

Two things before I wrap up one would I say North Toronto arena slash burger shack what comes to your mind oh that's that's home that's truly home I think that's where everything started for me North Toronto arena was was where the dream you know that's when you're a kid and you're you're in the hallways and you're getting dressed and you're going on the ice and you're dreaming of playing in the NHL it takes when you think back to that moment that's North Toronto arena for me and

you know Eric moose the ring manager always had the best hot dogs and donuts and hot chocolate and coffee and it's still one of the great barns in Toronto so I try and go back there once a once a summer to get some ice on my own and just skate around and reflect and kind of brings me back down to earth and

it's such a great rank in the community is just like I mean during the Olympics they had watch parties and that's just what it means everything to me and to my family the support from that community and that rank has just been I couldn't have asked for anything more throughout my I'm just one of the lucky kids that that made it I mean there's so many kids that great hockey players that have come through there and I feel lucky to be the guy to be able to kind of represent that community in the NHL and they've supported me so much.

You took the Stanley Cup there they have a banner of you there it's a beautiful thing I grew up playing it North Toronto arena as well I got the soap and warm water feeling about it as well.

I can ask you for a book review now hockey has some some great books is of course Ken Dryden's the game which you know most if not all hockey fans have read by now I always encourage people to eat empire of ice which is all about essentially your general managers family the Patrick family.

The greatest game is about the Red Army versus Montreal Canadians New Year's Eve 1976 me with the greatest game ever played but I picked up a new one the other day and I want to know if I can get a book review from you Tom it's called they play hockey in heaven.

What can you tell us about this book Tom can you give us a book review from your brothers hockey offering.

You know what it's yeah that's that's my brother's book it's it's funny you're just talking about North Toronto arena but it's kind of loosely based on a family that just like ours that you know grew up playing at a local rank and.

You know I got I got to go back and read it again but I think the local rings getting shut down in the communities got a rally around it and I guess pretty fitting you know nowadays with the way the world's going.

But it's it's a good read it's an easy read my brother's been such a role model and and supporter of mine throughout my whole career he's the best big brother he's been my my number one fan and he's he's a talented writer so.

It's a good one it's an easy read any hockey fan I think would enjoy it and take something from it and and there's a little bit of nostalgia in there for everyone.

I actually met Ken dried in last summer couple.

And what an amazing individual I feel very lucky to have met him and I'm enough I haven't read that one yet but I think that might be the next one on my list to dive into as well he's such a smart awesome guy.

And one of the best goal tenders to ever do it and I understand you know Peter just had his first kid so you become a first time uncle as well so congratulations adding to your your great season this year Tom.

Thanks so much for spending time with me today much appreciated.

Yeah thanks for having me good chat.

Okay that's Tom Wilson of the Washington capitals hope you enjoyed the interview as I mentioned off the top over the next few weeks we're going to have a number of different guests and an interview subjects and topics and formats here as we as we play around with the program a little bit one more thing on Tom Wilson before I leave you today.

I referenced in the in the piece the name Connor Kerak who is currently playing still playing pro hockey in Europe so I was texting with them on on Sunday morning about Tom now he played of course with the capitals organization with Tom Plymouth Whalers in the OHL with Tom and I asked him for like give me a good Tom Wilson story so here's here's what he sent me.

I reverse hit him in training camp thinking he was Stanislav Gallyev they both had white eastern macos sticks remember those he wasn't happy Tom that is made it very clear that moving forward in training camp are truce because we are going to be teammates in Plymouth was over.

Mike have been told me that was the moment caps management decided to keep me at 19 in pro hockey so on top of everything else the Tom Wilson has done in the NHL also got his buddy Connor Kerak a job in the national hockey league.

Thanks for joining me here today on the hockey lifers we're back in seven days enjoy.