Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: The following program is brought to you.
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The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots podcast. Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shott.
Thank you, Scott Kesey, and welcome to the Parting Shots podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. And welcome to our Christmas in July show. Yes, it's Christmas time in July.
It doesn't feel like it outside. No snow. It's been a hot summer so far. And of course, we'll have some more hot weather before the summer leaves us sometime in September. But we're gonna have a great show for you, of course. Mike McAdam is back for another at the track with Max segment. We'll look back at week two of the Saratoga horse racing season and go ahead, approve it. Look ahead to week three of the season.
This past weekend, the Union College celebrated the ten year anniversary of the 2014 national championship. Men's hockey team had a chance to catch up with a lot of the guys over the weekend. There's a ceremonial signing of a steel plates that will be featured somewhere inside the Mohawk Harbor arena. Then there was a panel discussion after that Friday morning up at union. The team went to Saratoga Racecourse Friday afternoon. There was a golf outing Saturday morning at Eagle Crest in Clifton park, and the celebration continued late Saturday afternoon at Mulhall Carpur with the autograph session and the showing of the 19 that 2014 national championship game seven four victory over Minnesota. I had a chance to talk a lot of players, and I have some interviews from after the panel discussion that took place on on Friday, I spoke with captain Matt Bode, Shane Gossisbear, Daniel Carr and Mike Vecchione. So you'll get to hear those interviews coming up. But first, it's Mike McGaddam at the track with Mac on the Parting Shots podcast. Stay tuned.
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[00:03:11] Speaker D: Hi, this is Colin Stevens of the 2014 national championship Union College men's hockey team. You're listening to the partnership Shots podcast.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: With Daily Gazette sports editor Kenshaw.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. Our Christmas in July is spectacular here on the parting shots podcast. And it's time for week three of our at the track with Max with Gazette sports writer Mike McAdam covering Saratoga and doing an outstanding job. Mike, how's it going? Are you celebrating Christmas in July?
[00:03:40] Speaker A: I don't know what you're talking about. It's all a blur. So there isn't very much of a Christmas feel from my end because we're right in the thick of it and we'll continue through Labor Day.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: So now, no snow up, no sort.
[00:03:53] Speaker A: Of ground grindstone, no holidays.
[00:03:57] Speaker B: So let's look back. You know, there's a lot of ground to cover in the three old male division with the Haskell last weekend and the Jim Danny coming up this Saturday. But the buzz horse continues to be the Philly Thorpedo Anna, who pretty much locked up an Eclipse award by winning the coaching club America Oaks last Saturday. How impressive was that performance?
[00:04:20] Speaker A: She's consistently impressive, if that makes any sense.
You know, she's won four in a row, all graded stakes. The last three are grade ones, by a combined 18 and three quarters lengths in the coaching club American Oaks.
Not only did she win impressively, but she overcame a stumbling start and was a little bit behind the eight ball right out of the starting gate. But Jackie Brian Hernandez just patiently let her get into her rhythm and, you know, she won for fun, as usual. I mean, she just wins impressively every time she's out there to the point where now the next time we see her is probably going to be the Travers against males. It makes sense. Trainer Kenny McPeek had been considering entering her in the Belmont Stakes against males, and really the only reason he didn't was because her stable mate, Kentucky Derby winner Mystic Dan, was in the Belmont as well. He doesn't want to run them against each other, but that's not going to be the case in the Travers because Mystic Dan has been given a little bit of time off. He ran in all three legs of the Triple Crown, needs a little bit of a breather, so we're probably not going to see him in the Travers, which means we will probably see this filly torpedo in and the Travers doesn't really. I wrote this in my coaching club American Oaks recap story. It would almost be a lateral move for her to run into Alabama against Phillies. And like Kenny McPeak said, you know, it's going to be just a showcase kind of a race. If she runs there, it won't be a betting prospect at all. She'll probably be one to five or one to nine or something like that, running against two other horses. I mean, these fillies don't want any part of her right now, so we're probably going to see her in the Traverse, which will be fascinating. She pretty much locked up the Eclipse award for three year old female by winning the coaching club American Oaks again. Four straight stakes races that she's won. There's nobody else that's even within shouting distance of her in the division. So it's time to start thinking outside the box. Well, he's been thinking this for a while now, but look out. We're going to see a filly and the Travers.
[00:06:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, let's get back to the three year old mills here. Dornoch got a leg up on the division by out dueling Mindframe in the Haskell, while Chad, the Chad brown train. Unmatched wisdom stamped himself as a Travers candidate by winning the curling at Saratoga to remain undefeated.
[00:06:52] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll start with him. That was last Friday.
Unmatched wisdom. Chad Brown was really kind of been raving about this horse, even though he's lightly racing, running a maiden race and an allowance race jumped up into stakes company in the Courland, and he won it like he was supposed to and gained seasoning from it and race experience that points him towards the Travers. Meanwhile, on Saturday with the Haskell, one of these three year old males finally jumped up and won another one.
You know, the division had been so muddled and, you know, nobody was really taking the bull by the horns. And Dornoch finally put together two big ones, winning the Belmont and the $1 million grade one Haskell.
It was kind of fascinating because it was almost a replay of the Belmonte with Dornoch getting to the rail and getting to the front and holding off mindframe in a real tough duel. And mindframe, if he could run in a straight line, he would have won one of these or both of them between the Belmont and the Haskell. And he's kind of still learning the game a little bit, too, so look out for him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's even a little slightly better odds than Dornock when they both show up in the traverse, just even though he's been beaten both times by very short margins by Dornoch. But Dornock is the leader of the division just by default from having one, two or two big ones in a row. But that division is still pretty wide open, I would say. And we'll get a little more information this Saturday with the Jim Dandy coming up at Saratoga.
[00:08:31] Speaker B: Okay, what about the Dornoch mindframe battle in Haskell?
[00:08:38] Speaker A: Again, it was like a replay of, you know, it was basically the tool and there was nobody else really in the frame at the finish line. And, you know, mindframe could have won that thing. You know, he got wide. He was kind of drifting in and out. And meanwhile, Dornoch just ran in a straight line and, you know, went about his business and won by a short margin.
So based on that, he's the leader of the division. But mindframe, you know, really didn't embarrass himself at all with either the Belmont or the Haskell.
[00:09:11] Speaker B: Yeah, well, of course, next up is the Jim. Danny, as we mentioned a few minutes ago, it's going to be on Saturday and it's drawn a six force field that includes preakness. Winner sees the Gray Kentucky Derby runner up Sierra Leone and 2003 champion fierceness trying to find the winner circle for the first time since March. This seems like it was going to be a good race on Saturday.
[00:09:31] Speaker A: Yeah, only six horses, but some interesting storylines, I think Sierra Leone and fierceness, it's kind of put up a shut up time for both of them. Sierra Leone has been knocking on the door.
You know, he lost the Kentucky Derby by a nose in the Belmont again. He was very close. And Chad Brown, the trainer, was complaining all day about the. The main track being speed favoring, which does not favor Sierra Leone at all because, you know, he likes to come from behind.
I will say that Chad has been complimenting the track lately, and it's playing more fairly now than it was in June in his mind, which would lead you to believe that Sierra Leone will have a better shot at the Travers than he did in the Belmonte. Pierce is put up or shut up. He came in 15th in the Kentucky derby. He was entered in the Haskell, but they scratched to wait for this one. He really needs to get to the winner circle again. He hasn't won since the Florida derby. You know, this is the two year old male champion from last year, and by all accounts from trainer Todd Pledger, he's been training very well, so we should expect to see his best shot on Saturday, which makes him a player. Cesar Gray, he backed up in the, in the traverse, finished, I'm sorry, in the Belmont and finished 7th and so he kind of needs to rebound from that. The trainer, Dwayne Lucas said the Triple Crown trail might have caught up with him even though he didn't run in the Derby. He did win the Pat day mile on Derby day, so he had three hard races in a span of five weeks, so maybe he kind of needs to get back on track a little bit. One interesting long shot, 15 to one in the Jim Danny that I'm going to keep an eye on is Gould's gold for the simple fact that he's been a regular workout partner in Breezes with torpedo Anna.
So he's been doing some hard work in the morning running with her and it'll be interesting to see what he can do in the Jim Dandy. So six horse field, but pretty interesting storylines coming from a variety of angles and it will kind of add a little information or evidence to the three year old male division, depending on who wins it.
[00:11:54] Speaker B: Go do a little tease for you, Mac. You're going to have a fun story here coming up later on. And it'll be on Daily, Daily Gazette.com and then Thursday's Saratoga Rapid on the Shen football team, working as a hot Walker for Dale Romans. Talk about that.
[00:12:10] Speaker A: Yeah, it's football season.
[00:12:12] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: Young man named Noah Goodson, he's going to be a senior at Shen and he's a wide receiver on the football team. I talked to his parents. He's working as a hot walker for Dale Romans. Kid's just been like totally into horse racing his whole life. His dad met Dale at the cigar shop down on Broadway in Saratoga Springs and they hit it off and they brought the little kid, this was probably, I don't know, six or seven years ago to the back stretch and Dale took him around in the golf cart. And the kid's just in love with horse racing to the point where as soon as he turned 16, he got a job working for Dale and he's just basically doing whatever they tell him. He's a hot walker. If you don't know what that means. He's, he just kind of walks the horses around before and after their, their training sessions, um, cleaning out the stalls, raking stones out of the horse path, doing whatever kind of stuff that needs to be done around the barn. And, and, uh, next year he's, um, he's going to graduate to be a groom, uh, somewhere. So kind of a fun story. And it's interesting because he's got a, like, mixed his football off season workouts with, you know, getting up at 430 in the morning and going to, you know, being at dale Barn at 530 in the morning to work a full shift, so. Real, real good kid. I'm looking forward to getting his story out there.
[00:13:28] Speaker B: Did you get a chance last Friday to see any of the union hockey players?
[00:13:32] Speaker A: I did, yeah.
They had an autograph session by the jockeys silks room, and there were probably about a half a dozen of them there. Apparently most of the team was here, though, and they were down in the winner circle, too.
Let's see, it was Shane gosses bear and matt Bode.
I think it was boat. Yeah, it was Bodie and gossips bear.
Did the riders up call in the paddock before one of the races, the fourth race, which was designated named after them. So those guys were all over the place, and I saw a bunch of union t shirts walking around, too.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I'll be coming up our next day. We'll have some interviews from last weekend's celebration. Mike, appreciate a few minutes and enjoy the coverage and enjoy the time up there. Your great coverage, and we'll talk soon.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: All right, thanks, Ken. I'll talk to you next week.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: All right. That's Mike Bugatto. As I mentioned, we're going to talk Union College hockey, celebrating the ten year anniversary of their national championship. You're listening to the parting Shots podcast.
[00:14:40] Speaker A: It's the most historic conference in college hockey. It's a battle night in and night out. ECAC hockey, an iconic conference, home to twelve of the most prestigious universities and programs in the world, and showcasing the best student athletes in the sport, top notch facilities and arenas, incomparable traditions, passionate fans, alumni who go on to become elite professionals, lead and champions. ECAC hockey, there's no experience like it.
[00:15:13] Speaker D: Hi, this is Union college hockey alum Mario Valerie Trabuco. You're listening to the parting shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shaw.
[00:15:21] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. It was a big weekend. This past weekend, Union College celebrated the ten year anniversary of the national championship team from 2014. Of course, the then Dutchman, now going to Chargers, beat Minnesota seven to four down in Philadelphia. A great time. It was had by all, and it was a great catch up with a lot of the players of the weekend. Now, back in February, they had a mini reunion and I was critical of how things were handled by union. I think it was like, just throw it together at the last minute. Not many players were there. Someone understandable because a lot of players, a lot of players are still playing professionally, whether it's here in the US or in Europe.
But you got to give union credit. They did it right. It was just an incredible weekend. The team has started out down at Mohawk Harbor arena, the construction site, signing a steel plate that will be featured in the building once it's constructed. Then things moved over to the O'Brien center on the campus of Union College. A panel discussion was held and they talked about that that season and some of the highlights and just what kind of a magical year it was. And then the team was bused up to Saratoga race course where they had a meet and greet and the fourth race was named after the team and they were in the winner circle. Afterwards, of course, they had the national championship trophy with them on Saturday morning. It was an Eagle crest golf club. They had their golf outing there.
And then Saturday afternoon it was off to Mohawk harbor for a meet and greet with fans and then showing up the national championship game, the seven four win over Minnesota.
So a wonderful weekend for everybody involved and, you know, maybe to get to do this again in another ten years or so, but I talked to several of the players and, you know, there'll be some stories throughout the season.
You know, we'll look back at Messer Inc. And get some memories of that chance to catch up with the players about their second most favorite memory of that 2013 to 14 season. Obviously, the championship was the highlight of the season, but there were other highlights. And of course, if you had a chance to read my column in Sunday's Daily Gazette and it's online at Daily Gazette.com, you'll see some of the players and associate head coach Joe Dume, who's now at Quinnipiac, they've reflected on some of the things that they look back on, what stood out to most, the second most thing that stood out to them that season. Of course, I had a story on Shane Kazbear is resigning with the Carolina Hurricanes. And of course, I talked to several players about the new rank and what they understand me. I know, you know, they, they love Mesa and all the, it was an intimidating place to play back when they were, they were rolling in. Yeah. But they understand it's time to move on and wrestlers are falling apart and it's, yeah, they're going to get a new facility and maybe the guarded charge will make their own identity in Mohawk Harbor arena. So let's go with the interview. Some of the interviews I did on Friday.
I talked to four players. We'll start with team captain Matt Boddy, one of the most. No, he is the quintessential leader of union hockey all time. He had a chance to talk about the ring. I. He had a quote about ten years ago about not wanting to leave Mesa, not wanting to see a new building, but I brought that up to him and here's what Matt Bodie had to say about that on some other topics as well.
Matt, I'm going to read you a quote from ten years ago. It said when I asked you about time to replace Mesa, you said Mesa is a great place to play in. The one thing I would try to shy away from is creating a facility that didn't have the same atmosphere with the roof being built, that the way it really keeps the noise in, it feels like the fans are on top of us. You were at today, you were down there signing a steel plate for the new building. What are your thoughts about now? Is it time for to say goodbye to Messa?
[00:19:41] Speaker E: Yeah, I think the school has done, done the research and, you know, come to the conclusion that it is time for mess to be put out to pasture, I guess.
Definitely sad to see it go, but the new facility looks fantastic. It's going to help with recruiting and I know everyone around the program and their school is excited for it.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: What was it like to go down there? Was that your first time down there today?
[00:20:04] Speaker E: Yeah, it's the first time I've been to that new facility. So it looks great.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: What did you see with the steel beams up and all that stuff? Like there's concrete there. What is. How happy are you to see this happening?
[00:20:14] Speaker E: I'm very happy, you know, because you want to see the program succeed and I think this is a necessary step for that to happen.
I think it's going to really help with the recruiting side of things. You know, union kind of can recruit for itself in terms of the quality of the school now having the quality athletic facility, it's really going to make a big difference.
It's awesome. You know, haven't seen a lot of these guys in probably nine or ten years, so it feels like just yesterday, though. So I think it's really cool.
And, you know, I was talking to a couple of guys saying, like, it's so cool that we were able to win because we get to do stuff like this. Obviously you're never thinking about reunion ten years down the line from. From when you're playing that game, but this group of guys really deserve to be able to have these kind of reunions, and it's nice to see everyone and, you know, hearing guys having kids and all that kind of stuff. So it's awesome.
[00:21:18] Speaker B: What is your favorite memory? Obviously, dance championship was a big thing, but what is a secondary memory of your year that year?
[00:21:28] Speaker E: Oh, man. You can go like, game by game.
There was one game where we were missing a lot of guys. We were up at Colgate, and we ended up tying the game, I believe, three. Three. And just the way the guys that were on the ice, because we had a lot of guys missing, you just kind of, you knew there was something special about that, that team. Another one I can point out is when we went to St. Cloud there, we played a lot of games in a short period of time, which is kind of unusual for the college schedule.
[00:21:57] Speaker B: It was three games and four days. You played Dartmouth on a Wednesday and went out to St. Cloud the next morning.
[00:22:01] Speaker E: Yeah. Correct. And we went there and we tied a game and won a game, I believe. Right? And again, they were the number one team in the country at the time. And, you know, going on the road after just playing a game like that was. There was some adversity in those games, and we just hit it right on the head. And again, that was probably another time. And, you know, talking to the coaching staff years later, that was one of the times where Rick said, like, wow, like, we got a team here. This. This has proven us something. So I'd say those two, like, jump out, really. But, like, every tournament game, there's great stories or great memories. Like, you can remember certain goals or plays. So it was just a, you know, a dream season for us.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: Your one favorite mesa ranked memory in your four years.
[00:22:48] Speaker E: Oh, boy.
I don't know if I necessarily have one favorite.
You know, looking back, we won the Cleary cup, I believe my freshman year, you know, seeing Brock, Olivia was pretty special.
I think senior night was really special. Having the family around senior night for my brother is another good night. We just had a ton of great memories. A lot of great memories, you know, practice, too. So it was just a great facility for us.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Next up is Shane gossips bearer, the outstanding defenseman of the Dutchman back then. Yes, I'm calling him Dutchman because that's what they were. They weren't Gardner Chargers. Of course, Shane was the most outstanding player of the frozen Florida. Cause it's memorable. Plus seven in that championship game. And of course, the defensive play he made late in the third period when Matt Bode got out of position and Shane went down and knocked the puck off the Minnesota player stick, and that ended up leading to Kevin Sullivan's insurance goal with just over a minute left to make it six four. Of course, Matt Boddy potted the NFT network to make it seven to four. So I talked to Shane about the rink new income that's coming. Also, I had some questions about why he resigned with the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that he briefly played for in the 2022 23 season after he was traded from the Arizona Coyotes. I talked to him about his, or asked him about his Arizona experience course, now that the Coyotes have moved on to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they're known as the Utah hockey club. And I tried my best to get Shane to say something critical about flyer former Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher, who basically gave Shane away to the Arizona Coyotes. But, you know, you'll hear what Shane had to say about all that here next ceremony for the signing of the steel plate there.
[00:24:48] Speaker D: Yeah, it's pretty special. I mean, feels like it's coming full circle, obviously, you know, ten years since we won and, you know, the landscape of, you know, college hockey has changed so much. And, you know, to see the new rank, you know, a couple beams put in there and us signing the plate that'll be there forever, it's pretty special.
[00:25:05] Speaker B: What was, how happy are you? Do you think that you guys win the national championship, maybe played a role down, down the road to make this happen?
[00:25:13] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, the college union always gave us the resources to, you know, succeed, and I, and I think that they're just doing that and continuing it, and I think for us, I feel like we did have a hand in that, in the sense that we had a lot of success and hopefully it transpires into the new arena.
[00:25:32] Speaker F: What's it been like getting together with these boys this weekend?
[00:25:35] Speaker D: Yeah, it's been awesome. We saw each other last night, obviously had a few pops or whatnot, and it's been good.
It makes you feel young in the sense that you get a back together with all these guys during your best times of your life, you know, college. So it's pretty special. Still sucks. It doesn't feel like it's been ten years, but it's already been ten years, so, no, it's just special to be with these guys. I mean, we could be in this room with just, just ourselves and we'll have a lot of fun.
[00:26:01] Speaker B: It was. Do you look back on that when you talk to your guys, your teammates about that?
[00:26:07] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, you know, obviously you talk to, you know, your classes pretty much your niche and, you know, I think for us, you know, the best time we have is just, you know, when we're sitting in the room telling, telling memories about school. You know, one time when coach Bennett was yelling at you, calling you a funny name or something like that. And those are the best times.
[00:26:28] Speaker B: Obviously winning the national championship was a highlight of that year. But what else, what other highlight special to you?
[00:26:37] Speaker D: Just, I think just seeing, you know, all the hard work we put into, you know, people don't see the 04:00 a.m. workouts, you know, all the lifts we were doing, all the hard work we put in in the summers to, you know, get to where we were and, you know, to get to the pinnacle and get to the peak of, you know, what we were trying to do, it's pretty special and, you know, not a lot of people get to experience that in life in the sense that, you know, you get to put in all that work and you see a payoff.
[00:27:02] Speaker B: Let me ask you about resigning with Carolina. You only spent a few games with him after you were traded there from Arizona. What led you to go back to Carolina?
[00:27:10] Speaker D: Yeah, you know, they were one of the first teams to offer me during free agency and, you know, having the familiarity there, you know, helps in the sense that, you know, you've experienced it before. You know, the systems obviously Rod's there, you know, probably one of the best coaches in the NHL. So, you know, definitely excited to get back there, know, have some fun.
[00:27:30] Speaker B: Was that an important factor, Roger? Because you did play for him there and. Yeah, was that a factor as well?
[00:27:36] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, you know, he's, you know, probably one of the best coaches in the NHL and, you know, obviously playing for him before, you know, you know, what to expect and obviously the fit for me is, you know, a great fit and, yeah, I mean, it's gonna be, it's gonna be good.
[00:27:52] Speaker B: How was your time in Detroit?
[00:27:54] Speaker D: It was great. I have no bad things to say about Detroit. I mean, you know, I obviously wish things could have worked out but, you know, that's just how it is sometimes and, you know, any chance you get to play for an original six team and, you know, being an organization with that much rich history of, you know, hockey with all the cups and success they had, it, it was definitely a special time.
[00:28:13] Speaker B: Of course, you played a year and a half in Arizona in a rink that was college rink. What was that like playing, being an NHL team in a college?
[00:28:22] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, didn't really feel like the NHL at times, but, yeah, I mean, it's the hand we were dealt, you know, we made the best of it, you know, is what it is. But, you know, obviously, I'm really excited for all those guys out there who've been there a while to, you know, formally get treated like an actual NHL team and, you know, the guys in Utah, you know, I'm really excited that they get to go experience that and, you know, be out there and get treated properly.
[00:28:47] Speaker B: Of course, you know, I'm from Philadelphia. So I gotta ask you, your experience with the flyers. I mean, you had some good, good years, some up and down years.
[00:28:53] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: And the way Chuck Fletcher, you know, sent, you know, he basically gave you way. Arizona, first of all, what was the flyers like, experience like and what was. When you were traded the way you were traded, what was your thoughts?
[00:29:05] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, I love Philly. I mean, it was where, you know, I was a kid and I became a man.
My wife, you know, worked at the children's hospital there for five years, and I. And, you know, it's a. It's a special place for her and I in the sense that, you know, you know, we. We grew there, we became adults. We still have our house there.
I don't look at it as in the sense they dumped me. They just gave me another opportunity to, you know, get back on my feet because I didn't have the best years my last couple years in Philly. And I'm actually thankful to Chuck Fletcher for, you know, what he did. He gave me an opportunity to get my career right and, you know, give me the opportunity to continue my career.
[00:29:38] Speaker B: You're three years at union. What is the most special memory of messel rink?
[00:29:44] Speaker D: I don't know. I mean, I think it's pretty special in a sense. I don't know if anyone, like, really knows, but, like, our families are right behind the bench and, I don't know, just playing there and seeing my parents every game and how excited they are, I think that's special for me, just.
[00:29:59] Speaker F: To see my parents playing at union for three seasons.
Kind of impact on your decade.
[00:30:07] Speaker D: HL career so far, yeah, I mean, it prepared me for the world. I mean, not so much on the ice, I think, you know, off the ice.
Carzi said it, you know, so much happens on the ice with the hockey program, but the school prepares you for life after, you know, experiences, not even athletics, you know, just in the business world or in the world in general, and just instills you values as a human. They you know, do the right thing, and, you know, it really is a special time to when you have these four years here.
[00:30:38] Speaker B: Next up is for Daniel Carr and cars and I had a great relationship over his four years.
Always a joy to talk to. I think I always seem to get him, always requested him, and he always has something good to say. He was a consistent player. Scored 20 goals in each of his four seasons at union. Just an outstanding player you can see still playing in Europe and Switzerland. And we had. We joked a little bit at the beginning of the podcast because, I mean, I was doing video back then. I'm doing video now. And I shot some video during the interviews I did on Friday at the. After the panel discussion. So here's my interview with Daniel Carrhe. Dan seems like old hat here, doing an interview.
[00:31:25] Speaker G: Yeah, exactly.
I miss this, Ken, you don't get.
[00:31:29] Speaker B: That over in your.
[00:31:30] Speaker G: No, I don't get it like this. Good to say whatever I want.
[00:31:33] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you're down there for the signing of the steel plate there. You look at that and what you guys, you know, you win the national championship. How much pride do you take, in fact, that you're seeing as a new facility going off for this program?
[00:31:47] Speaker G: You know, I think it's great. I think. I think during the panel, I think Shane said it very well, that it's, you know, the new landscape of college hockey. It's, you know, the school's done a great job of finding the resources to adapt and continue building. And I think that's, you know, it's. It's like, you know, you got to keep moving forward in life, and it's in anything. And I think the school's done a great job of that.
[00:32:10] Speaker B: When you saw it, the building there or the construction, what was your first thoughts?
[00:32:14] Speaker G: You know, I was actually. I haven't been back here much. You know, just being back to western Canada and beating Switzerland. You know, I haven't been back here much in the last ten years. So, you know, I was very surprised at how close it was to campus. I kind of got up this morning and went around, and I think it was, you know, it's a lot closer than I thought. So, you know, it's. It's great.
[00:32:34] Speaker B: I know I talked to some of you guys ten years ago about, you know, whether you guys should have a new building or this program should have a new building. I think, you know, Matt said, do it. Just keep the atmosphere. Don't lose the atmosphere. Are you hoping that the atmosphere they had at Mesa carries over to the new facility.
[00:32:50] Speaker G: You know, I think in life, things change. You know, I think that building will have its own atmosphere, and I think, you know, I think there's great people around to help it build and great people around to work to build that, and I think, you know, new building will have its own atmosphere, and I think. I know that'll be its own thing. I think that'll be exciting.
[00:33:12] Speaker B: How much are you looking forward to this weekend? Hanging out with your buddies?
[00:33:15] Speaker G: Yeah, you know, I think we're all. We're all excited, and we're all happy to be here, and, you know, I just said, and I would have been here come hell or high water. So, you know, it's. It's a lot of fun. It's great to reconnect with guys you haven't seen in a long time, and to have everybody together is gonna. It's just a lot of fun.
[00:33:32] Speaker B: Obviously, the national championship is probably the best memory of that season.
What secondary memory do you have of that year?
[00:33:42] Speaker G: You know, I think.
I think when we got swept by Lake Superior State at the start of the year, I think, you know, it was, you know, that was interesting because, like, after we won, we were joking about it. Like, what do you think Lake State's thinking right now?
So, you know, and I just think seeing us come together, build off that start to the year, and I think, you know, it's a credit to the staff, it's credit to the guys, and it's. It's. It's really special.
[00:34:12] Speaker B: So how much you still enjoy playing pro hockey?
[00:34:15] Speaker G: I still love it. I still love the game. You know, I still, you know, I feel very grateful every day that I, you know, I get paid to play hockey.
I'm very grateful for that. I'm very grateful to all the people that have helped me along the way so I can do this. And it's, you know, last year, I really fell in love with it again, and it was been a lot of fun.
[00:34:38] Speaker B: One particular memory of your four years playing in Mesa, what would it be?
[00:34:45] Speaker G: I think, you know, I think senior night was really special. I think, you know, having my family on the ice with me after the game, and, you know, not everybody is. You know, life happens. My dad's not here anymore, my grandfather's not here anymore, and I still get to see that picture with a big smile on my face and to enjoy, like, such a special experience for my. Me and my family together. And it was with people that I care about and don't care about me, and it was just amazing.
[00:35:11] Speaker B: That's great catching up with you, Dan. And maybe ten years from now, if I'm not retired.
[00:35:15] Speaker G: Yeah, you'll have to come back, even if you're retired, Ken, for an interview. So.
[00:35:43] Speaker B: Finally, for Mike Vecchioni, he was a freshman on that championship team and outstanding forward. Of course, he went on to great things with Union. Hoby Baker, hat trick finalist in 2017. Probably should have won it.
And he's the all time leading scorer. He closed out his messer in career with a penalty shot goal against Princeton in the 2017 EC AC tournament quarterfinals. Game two, when it was the best of three series back in the day, which should go back to that right now. But of course, Vex just finished another championship season, his second straight year, winning the Calder cup with the Hershey Bears. That's my old stomping grounds. Started my career covering the Hershey Bears. I gave Mike a little grief about not bringing the Calder cup with him on the trip here to union and Schenectady, and he said he was not getting the cup till September, which is kind of late, especially for a veteran guy like him. I think maybe he would, you know, get the cup. One of the first guys to get the cup, but, oh, well, that's life, so. So I talked to Mike about some of his experiences about, especially with the new rink, and I. We'll go from here. Here's Mike Vecchione.
[00:36:58] Speaker F: You know, it's really hard to tell. You know, we also had a great team, and, you know, everybody was, you know, dedicated to each other and really committed to rick, so I'm sure some guys would have left. I mean, three guys in my class did leave and, you know, went elsewhere. So it's just a lot easier now because you don't have to sit out a year and do that whole thing, which I got mixed opinions on it, obviously. Like, if you're not playing, you're unhappy, feel free to leave. But, you know, if you're part of the team and, you know, things aren't going so well for you personally, then so be it. But I still think, like, with the guys we had, the dedication, the commitment, mental toughness, everybody would have stayed. We were able to achieve what we did. So I'm just happy with how things went. Obviously, all four years, I loved it here, had a lot of success here, and, you know, they really stressed the student athlete part, and I think you were here for the interviews. I was supposed to go to Unh. And things didn't work out, so I kind of doubted myself a bit, figured, you know, what? I'll come to uni and get a good degree. And I knew the program was on the rise. Obviously, they were making it to frozen four before I even got here. So I looked at. Sorry, I looked at it as a great opportunity, and I was able to get a national championship, won a bunch of trophies here, my brothers, and walk out with a degree. So it was the best of all worlds. Couldn't ask for anything better.
[00:38:19] Speaker B: Mike, let me ask you about this morning down at Mohawk harbor. What was it like to see the construction going on inside that steel beam?
[00:38:28] Speaker F: Like, some of the guests had mixed feelings, obviously. We had so many great memories there. Such a historic place, memorable place. But on the flip side, it's great that after ten years, now they're able to build a beautiful new rank, beautiful new facility. Obviously, like, there's so many, like, great things about Mesa, but, you know, it's small and, like, everyone, all the sports teams are trying to use the same training room, so it gets very clustered and hectic and a lot of weight on Cheryl's shoulders to keep that organized. So it's obviously gonna help with recruiting and, you know, guys are gonna spend a lot more time at the rink, like doing homework, eating, and obviously stay committed to the game. So I think the blueprint out there is amazing. Some of the pictures I saw were just absolutely incredible. It's going to be top of the line, and, you know, the guys really deserve it. The program deserves it. It's been a long time coming, and now we're happy to just play a part of that.
[00:39:22] Speaker B: Do you think you guys will help get that ball rolling with the championship? I know it's been ten years, but there's always been talk, and I know I talked to you guys ten years ago. You guys are saying, no, we didn't like to stay here.
[00:39:33] Speaker F: Yeah, I think the year after we won, I had a meeting in Rick's office, and there was already blueprints to redo Messer Inc. They're going to blow out the back, do it all glass overlooking the football field. And it would have been great. They would have had a u shaped seating. And I just remember all that detail vividly. And I was like, well, when are you going to get this rolling? And we need the funds. Obviously didn't happen, but I think they made the right call. Obviously, just leave that as it is. I know they're going to use it for, you know, turf and another sports facility, but just to renovate that I felt would have been wrong. You know, it's just it's great how it is and I think it's just how it is and they just needed a bigger space anyway. And no, it's. It's pretty amazing what they're going to be able to do over there. And I'm looking forward to seeing the final project.
[00:40:19] Speaker B: What. Obviously the national championship is the biggest memory of that 20, 1314 season, but what other memory sticks out for you from that year?
[00:40:29] Speaker F: You know, just obviously after the fight, there's some suspensions and, like, you know, we all kind of came together as a team and I think. I don't remember the exact number, but we won 14 straight or something like that, all the way to the national championship. And I just remember, like, we were going into games with that confidence and like, we're gonna win and, you know, everything seemed like a blur because we just keep rolling and rolling and then, you know, you get to the regional and, you know, beat two hockey teams and then I. And beat BC and then Minnesota. So it just is not really like one specific memory except just the goal at hand. Like, obviously these guys won the regular season before. They won the UCAC playoff before. So, like, for me, those were awesome, like, being a freshman and winning those, but, you know, that was like the third in a row, so that meant nothing to them. The only thing that was important was the national championship. So that was what was on everyone's mind. It was like, if we don't win it, then what does the other stuff mean?
It's hard to say that there's any greater memory than winning the national championship because these guys set that foundation and made it come true.
[00:41:30] Speaker B: One memory of playing in Mesa in your four years.
[00:41:35] Speaker F: Well, this one's pretty easy for me, obviously. My senior year, we're up three to one against Princeton. They scored two late ones and then they ended up taking the lead. Fousey scores with 21 seconds left in the game force overtime.
I think pretty much five minutes into overtime, I get a pass from Nick Eastman, sends me on a breakaway. I get hooked and crash into the goalie and Bretz of Pensi scores. So I think we win. We're moving on. But because I got hooked and slid into the goalie, they had the penalty, but I got goalie interference, so they disallowed the goal.
Now I get a penalty shot over time against Princeton. You know, I score. And that was my last game at Messer Rink, so it was just so special score. An overtime winning penalty shot in front of all the fans. And, you know, that was my last game at the rink. And now I did take an extra moment to just kind of soak that all in. And I remember giving Cheryl a hug on the bench and just like crying. So I'm obviously getting emotional now because, you know, I love that place and had a lot of great memories there. So that was definitely my thought as well.
[00:42:38] Speaker B: Be back to wrap up the podcast and have the latest winner in the Daily Gazettes auto racing contest. In just a moment, you're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
Hi, I'm Rick Marshall from the Daily Gazette's martial arts podcast. In each episode, I interview artists from around the region, to musicians and comedians, to dancers, sculptors, even video game designers. After you finish the latest episode of the Parting Shots podcast, I hope you'll give martial arts a try.
[00:43:20] Speaker A: Hey, I'm Frank Calliendo, pretending to be Morgan Freeman. Maybe even a little bit of John Bamberg, Robert Downey, junior comedian, impressionist, playboy, philanthropist. Maybe not the last two. And in listening to the parting shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken.
[00:43:35] Speaker B: Shot back to wrap up the podcast. The week 22 winner in the Daily Gazette's auto racing contest was Judith Douglas of Amsterdam with 65 points. Judith wins a $50 gift card. Congratulations, Judith. The vip winner was Scott Lusher of Capitoland GMC with 35 points.
I'll announce the auto racing contest winner's name, and that winner's name will appear in Saturday's Daily Gazette. To play, go to dailygazette.com and click on the auto racing contest banner. However, the contest is taking a break. There won't be any NASCAR Cup Series races the next two weekends because of NBC's Summer Olympics coverage. NBC carries the second half of the NASCAR schedule, but it's not going to interrupt the Summer Olympics coverage. Racing resumes August 11.
Justice caused Covid-19 mandates are easing. That does not mean you should relax. Be vigilante. If you have not gotten vaccinated or received a booster shot, please do so. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, and do it for your friends. That wraps up another edition of the Parting Shots podcast. I want to thank Mike Brigadum, Matt Boddy, Shane Gossesburg, Daniel Carr, and Mike Vecchioni for being a part of the show. If you have questions or comments about the podcast, email them to me at shot. That's o t t dailygazette.com. follow me on x and threads at slapshots.
The views expressed on the parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company. The Parting Shots podcast is a production of the Daily Gazette Company I'm Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schott. Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you next time from the parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good sports, and happy Christmas in July.
