February 13, 2026 ⢠22 mins
EITM interviews Karl Alzner
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, so listen, I got a couple of things. Well,
(00:01):
I got a lot of things that I want to
get into. Let's start with the big thing and then
we could get into hockey and all that other stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Okay, sure.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
So the Alsner Foundation this year is working with and
co chairing the Make a Wish Wishball this year.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
So I was when and was reading about all that. Dude,
that's massive.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, it's uh, it's pretty sweet. When they asked us,
to be honest, it was a little bit of a shock,
but at the same time a huge honor. We we
got to participate in it last year just as a
as a guest, and I couldn't believe how great the
event was. Definitely pulled on some heartstrings and then ended
(00:43):
with you know, some some some stuff that's pretty uplifting.
The fact that people are so willing to help out
with donations and being a part of it, people that
are there to fulfill wishes, it's pretty wild. So yeah,
we're we're pumped to be a part of it this year,
and lucky that we were able to convince our friends
(01:05):
Braiden and Brandy Holby to also co chair with us,
so makes it that much more fun.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
And you know what, I think back to the softball
game last year, whenever like a sign would blow over,
Braiden would go get it, Like you would just point
Braiden and he would run out.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I imagine at.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
The at the wishball like You'll be up there doing
whatever you got to do and go like, oh you
need more water, Braiden, and He'll just run over and
do whatever you need.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You know what. I hope you're right. I know he's
he's already said he's he's nervous to go on stage.
Who doesn't really want to go on stage. So I'm
still debating whether or not I try and put him
on the spot and get him to come up there
with Mandy and I are not to be determined.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Hey can I can I say this and then I
I do want to get into more of it. The
what you and Mandy have done with the with the foundation,
like you two are really just good people.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I appreciate it. Thank you very much. I think I
think what we're doing is is just what we really
enjoy doing. To be honest, It's like one of the
things that we missed when we left Washington to go
to Montreal and then when we left Montreal to to
get out of hockey, was was that community involvement. So
coming back to d C was that was part of
(02:17):
the driving force for us, was knowing that we'd be
able to get involved in the community and that there
was lots of opportunity here and hopefully try and use
what little platform we have to to do some good.
So we're we're trying. Man, it's a lot of work.
We're trying.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So I was I was looking through, I was looking
through the site, right, the wishballmid Atlantic dot org. That's
the that's the site for the for the wishball, right,
So I was looking through.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Here's here's what I like.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
And I know the I know the actual event is
next weekend, but through the site, people at home, and
this is really smart. People at home can take part
in both the silent auction. Like normally you go to
one of these events, right, and the p that are there,
they're the ones that could take part in the silent auction,
and they're definitely the only ones that could take place
in the live auction. But I like how this has
(03:08):
been set up where people at home can take part
in both the silent auction and the live auction. That's
really smart to me, It really is.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
It's something that we're gonna steal probably for our events
as well, because it's nice. You do so much work
to try and get some of these packages donated, and
then although this event is big, there's going to be
eight hundred plus people, so you do get lots of
eyes on it. You can get thousands of eyes on it,
which in turn hopefully means more more money raised for
(03:39):
the foundation. And you know, this is the Wishball's biggest event.
The goal is to try and raise just over one
and a half million dollars. I think one point six
million dollars is the goal in one evening, which is lofty,
but with four hundred and sixty nine wishes waiting to
be granted just in the mid Atlantic area, you kind
(03:59):
of have to have a lofty goal. So I'm pumped
about it. We were able to help secure a couple
of cool packages.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
One of them is if anyone watches the Voice, it's
a team Michael Bublat hockey jersey that he gives to
his teammates one of those very very cool signed by him.
So I may actually end up bidding on that one.
So I think that's pretty cool. Some of the live
auction ones, I like, there's a package to go to Vail,
(04:28):
stay in this unbelievable apartment in Veil. There's Anguilla, there's
a Sweet Nats package. But this one, I I personally
have a soft spot for this because it's Caps related.
But so for four people, we were gonna go to
the rink and have dinner, Me, Holtz and uh and
four guests. Then we have do a little arena tour.
(04:50):
They get to watch the game and then they will
get a meet and greet with current Olympian and hopefully
soon to be gold medalist Tom Wilson. So it's a
pretty cool package. And the fact that you can have
an opportunity to bid on it without actually being there
since the event is sold out, right, is pretty special.
(05:10):
I think.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
No, And that's the other thing that I was going
to say, is that, like if somebody were like, oh,
so the event is next weekend, I've tried to the
event is sold out, Like the what you say, the
eight hundred and some odd people that could actually go
to the hill that's already sold out. But that's where
I think the genius part is being able to do
it all from home, and Carl, you'll know this better
(05:32):
than I will. For the live auction, you don't have
to be sitting in front of a computer on zoom
like on a big screen yelling like you would go
in and you would put in what your maximum bid
is and it will work its way up from there. Now,
they're not going to go right to your top number
right away, but that way you're involved in the live
auction as well, where you don't really have to just
(05:54):
sit in front of your computer and keep going no me, me,
that part's taking care of for you exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
You don't have to dress up in your tucks and
sit in front of your computer and just sit there
and wait and pretend that you're there. You can just
set it, forget it, and you're participating. So yeah, it's
a it's a very well thought out strategy there. I'm
hoping that we get lots of participants that are that
are still gonna be willing to at least contribute that
aren't at the event. There's one other thing, Elliott I
(06:22):
think is pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Golden ticket. Please say Golden ticket.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Golden ticket. That's the dude. Golden ticket dude, it is.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
You want to talk about stealing something, I will the
Golden ticket.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
This is genius. This is genius.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So right on the right on if you go to
the Wishballmida Atlantic dot org. Right on the right on
the front, there's a little gold bar and it's the
Golden Ticket. So you click on that right it costs
you one hundred dollars. It costs you one hundred bucks. Listen,
I know one hundred dollars isn't nothing. But for one
hundred bucks, are you ready, you get a seven night
(06:57):
stay at any Hilton property in the world.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
In the world. Yes, that's not You're Hilton down the street.
That's in the world. That's like, including their Waldorf properties,
their Conrad properties, those are those are big ticket items.
So for for ae hundred bucks to have a chance
for to seven nights there, it's pretty wild. I'll be
buying a Golden ticket, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
I bought one yesterday.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I bought one last night, exactly, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
And by the way, also, the like yes, they have
there's there's different I don't want to say different levels
of Hilton, but yes, like you said, the Conrad is
a Hilton brand like they have all.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Those, but it's anywhere in the.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
World, so Europe, like France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Mediterranean, Japan, Macaw.
I've always wanted to go to mccow. Why wouldn't I
go for free Singapore? Like it's everywhere. That's a great get.
That is a great get, it really is.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
That just goes to show you the brands the companies
in this area are willing to step up and donate
things like that. You just can't say enough good things
about make a Wish. What they do is so cool.
If you ever have an opportunity to go and visit
their headquarters and see some of the stuff that they've done.
And like I said, how many kids are still waiting
for wishes. It's really really nice to see the businesses
(08:20):
in the area really step up to the plate and
do good like this. So yeah, I'll pumped about it.
It's a great thing to get behind.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Hey, Carl, can I ask you this like going back
to your playing days, whether it was here or in Montreal,
and like we see them pop up on TV from
time to time where where somebody's wishes to go, you know,
skate with ov or meet ov or get a stick
from ov or. You know, like I'm trying to think
like who that would have been in Montreal.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
But from a player side, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
That you saw stuff like this where a child would
come through and it was part of their wish or
to attend a game or whatever the case is it.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Friend like you would.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
See it, and I'm sure it's very impactful as a player.
But to be on the other side of it of
like hosting it and putting it together, is it that
much more impactful?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Yeah? I think so, because we're getting we're getting more
details on everything that goes on behind the scenes, right
we get to we've got to meet some of the
wish families, the parents, and and hear the emotion and
see what they've gone through and to understand how much
this wish granting process means to them. Just you know,
(09:33):
you can only imagine how helpless you feel in that situation.
And then you get a group of people coming in
to give you a little reprieve from what's going on
and see how happy and appreciative they are of that,
and it really goes a long way. And that's originally
how I got hooked up with the organization is there
is a kid that came by one to be a
(09:54):
wizard for a day, and he did that and then
hung out with us for a little bit in the room,
and me and him spent probably close to three hours together,
played some ping pong, and just stayed in touch over
the years. And it was his family that invited Mandy
Night to the Wishball last year. So it's really cool.
You end up making some lifelong friendships. The players really
(10:15):
enjoy getting an opportunity to hang out with the kids
and making their day. It's all in all, it's it's
a really good thing.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
So you just hung out with the kid for three hours,
just like he came walking through the locker room and
you're like, yeah, let's go play ping pong, let's.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Just hang out.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Well yeah, I mean he challenged me to ping pong.
He's a tennant. He was a tennis player, and I'd
never say no to a challenge. And he was pretty good.
So the games lasted long and we ended up spending
some time together. And he's a cool kid, easy to
talk to, and yeah, we had a lot in common,
even though there was a pretty substantial age difference. We
just kind of hit it off and like at the.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
End of three hours, was he like I wish this
would end?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
He didn't say that. Maybe I was still laying down
a few chops and some top stings and yeah, you
didn't have enough. You're thirsty for more.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
No, that's great, Good for you, Good for you and Mandy.
I'm telling you the Alls Foundation, what you guys have
grown that into. I hope you too, were proud of yourself,
like it's really really become a good thing.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, I appreciate it. We are, We're We're happy with
the way things are going. It's a challenge every every
every day, every week to continue to to build it
and grow it. But that's what you do for for
for charity and to help people out. So we're gonna
keep going. We're gonna announce all the stuff that we
have coming up. We've got a golf tournament that's gonna
(11:38):
be coming up now, which we hadn't done before, but
those are always tons of fun. It's gonna be at
my home course, Riverbend in Great Falls, so a really
cool opportunity for people to have a chance to play there.
And then of course swinging to summer. Planning has already
started and hopefully we can we can have another great,
great event and great showing this year.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Awesome. All right, Hey, can we switch gears first?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Yep, shifting.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
So you mentioned possible Olympic gold medalist Tom Wilson. I'm
assuming you watched Team Canada and Tom Wilson yesterday.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I sure did. Yeah, what a site.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Oh my god. Now I watched.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I watched a recap of the game because it started
early and I was still at work.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
And then I watched Team USA and we'll get to
that in a second.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Team Canada. Holy crap. Is that a fast, physical team?
Even with all the skill they have. Boy, did they
look fast.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
You know what? I noticed that too. I thought that
was the thing that really separated them from pretty much
all the other games I watched, is the speed that
they played with. It just looked overwhelming. Like, thinking about
it from a defenseman standpoint, that would not be a
very fun team to play against at all. I think
there'd be a lot of a lot of turtle white pops.
But it was pretty cool to see, and I think
it's just another It's also good for Caps fans to
(12:57):
just kind of understand and realize how special a player
like Tom is the fact that they put him with
Celebrini and McDavid is pretty darn cool and he kept
up really good. McDavid had some great things to say
about Tom after he called him a four check God.
So hopefully somebody makes a T shirt that says four
check God on it and we can start wearing them
(13:18):
around the rink. But it was it was very impressive
to see. Obviously, it's just the first game, right and
the teams are trying to figure things out, but that
was a great start, very very promising, and hopefully we
get to see more from that, more from them like that.
As a Canadian fan.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Hey, so and Carl, let me ask you this, And
I don't know that Tom would ever ever admit it,
but going into the selection for the team to Tom
was one of those speculation guys right, like he wasn't
a four Nations guy and he was. There was speculation,
is is Tom going to be there? Is Tom not
going to be there because of four Nations and all
the fighting. Everybody was like, well, that's his in Well
(13:58):
there's no fighting in the Olympics, like you you can eliminated,
Like it's totally different than four Nations.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
So then they were like, well, that's not Tom's game.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
But people here know Tom's a goal scorer, he's a
penalty killer, he's got a lot more speed. But because
he's such a big, physical player, everybody thought, well, that
doesn't exist. So he was a speculation player going in.
Would Tom ever admit, and again, I'm glad that he
made it, and he certainly looked every part of that team,
(14:26):
But would Tom ever admit that going in he thought
Cooper would go, Hey, you know where, you're gonna play
top line with Connor McDavid and maclin Celabrini, So forget
being a speculation guy, top line winger, go get.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Him, you know what. I'm not sure what he would
what he would say, or how we was thinking about it.
He's smart, he knows the game really well, so I'm
sure it was probably in his head knowing that he
would be a good fit with somebody like that. If
you look at who McDavid plays with in Edmonton, he's
got a Zach Hyman who is that four check guy,
the energy player who goes and digs the tuck out
(15:02):
and can can distribute it to McDavid and whoever else
he's playing with. So it makes lots of sense. But
at the same time, you know also probably thinking could
be that third line, fourth line energy guy that's just
going out there and mucking it up. But that's that's
the that's the brilliance of Cooper, right is knowing how
(15:22):
to make those lines work and who's gonna probably be
good with who, and so you knew he was going
to be At least I knew he was going to
be on the team. I think they needed that, regardless
of the fact that there's no fighting in the Olympics.
When he's on the ice, players just speed up what
they're doing because they're afraid of getting hit. And it's
(15:45):
just the reality of it. Even players that don't play
in the NHL know what Tom Wilson does. They may
not know what some other guys do, but they know
that Tom's gonna come and hit you, and therefore you
do things quicker than you normally would and probably with
a little bit less accuracy. What he admitted that he
thought he might plan that line, I have no clue,
but I would assume that he knew it was a possibility.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Hey, I didn't see anything this morning before we started,
and maybe something has come out later. Team Canada went
with Jordan Biddington yesterday in net Cooper John Cooper had
already said that there'll be a different goalie for today.
Have they said whether it's Logan Thompson obviously ours or
Darcy Kemper.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I haven't. I haven't seen anything officially, but I had
heard that it was going to be Logan, So if
it's not, then I guess I'd be a little bit surprised.
But they're all good options. They need to I think
you need to have at least two goalies play in
the tournament just so that they're prepared in case something happens.
But I mean lt has earned it.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Oh god, he's been so good he has.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
You got the best numbers of all the goalies that
are there. You got to give him a chance. And
for Caps fan's sake, I think it would just be
great for his confidence too, to get a game in
the Olympics too. To be where he is now from
where he has been in the last few years at
the start of his career is pretty remarkable. So yeah,
so I'm pumped hopefully it is him that gets the game,
(17:10):
but I have not seen anything efficient.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
By the way, Tyler just pulled this up a report
out of TSN. They've got cameras there.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Obviously, Logan Thompson is the lone Canadian player. He's got
his own net, so he's obviously if that's the case
for morning skate, he's going today.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
There you go perfect, awesome, Well we'll be cheering for
him loud.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Hey, and Din, did you watch did you watch any
of did you watch any of the Team USA game?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
I did. I watched the first just I think the
first two periods of it.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I got how as a defenseman, Carl, how ridiculous is
Quinn Hughes.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, it's pretty crazy. It's he's another forward out there.
It's uh, it's scary to see because he just looks
like he's almost like got no emotion and he's just
doing stuff and nothing phases him. When I say no emotion,
I mean in a positive sense, right, he can he's
unflappable and and yeah, that's I think the strength of
(18:10):
the US team is what they can get from their
back end, and you saw that in spades in that
first game. I mean they had those two disallowed goals
and didn't phase them. They kept coming and eventually broke
it open. So I'm you know, I'm nervous about that team.
I think I think they're like all teams, there's some
(18:31):
spots to exploit, but when they're on there, they are
very much on and so it's going to be a challenge.
I really really hope we get to see that game
Canada US and and see how that shakes out, just
because everybody I think is waiting for it. But but
Hughes and and the rest of that decor are they're
(18:52):
they're extremely scary.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Oh my god, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
And then one other, one other hockey team that I
wanted to mention before we get to the Caps and
people are getting to see them because of the Olympics.
But I mean, listen, and the rivalry between the US
and Canada has been going on for years. But watching
the USA women play is like it's like watching a clinic.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
It's crazy. Oh my gosh, this is you want to
watch high level women's hockey. I hopefully you're tuning into
it because it's out there, and unfortunately, not enough people
get get a chance to see it. So it's great
that they're on the big stage right now. That US
women's team is outrageous you know, obviously as a Canadian,
you hope that that Team Canada is going to find
(19:34):
a way to to really challenge them. But they they
look like they're playing on a different level right now.
And if that doesn't get your parents of of of
girls excited to get their girls into hockey, then I
don't know what else.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Well, it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I mean they are, they are so goddamn good. All right,
cats real quick and then I know you, I'll let
you jump. Let's get to the cats. So when when
the when the Olympic break is over, we're going to
be pretty pretty close to the to the trade deadline?
Are we going to be busy or is everybody just
gonna keep asking for Ryan Leonard and Cole Hudson.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
I don't think that that's that conversation is gonna gonna
stop happening. But look, I it's tough. I have we
haven't really seen the team at at you know, full
power much this year with with Dubois being being out,
so you know, it would be nice to have had
more time seeing him in the lineup. But uh, look,
(20:32):
with it potentially being Ovi's last year, you would really
love to see them find a way to make a
little push here and uh and and do what's necessary
to to do that. But at the same time, you
also have to think long term for the future, and
I don't I don't know that you want to part
with any of these prospects that they have right now,
at least the ones that that are the absolute top prospects.
(20:55):
So I'm hoping that there's maybe a little bit of
an attitude shift in with the with the whole team,
and they can kind of come up with a little
bit of swagger and play in that high level hockey.
But this is this is why gms have such a
hard position. They have to take all things into account,
and I do not know what they're gonna do.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Oh my god, it's the only job I want. I'd
love that job.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Well, you like the pressure, then I don't. I don't
think I could do it with telling someone they're traded
or no no no no no no no no no
no no.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
I have an assistant for that. I just want to
be I want to do all the heavy lifting. I'll
let someone else deal with the emotional part of it
that I couldn't do.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Gotcha, Okay, I understand that. Then in that case, yeah,
it would be. It would be kind of fun if
you didn't have to do any of that hard stuff.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
All right, dude, Well listen.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
More importantly, wish Ballmidatlantic dot Org. You could take part
in the in the Wishball which takes place here in
DC next week, but it's the event to go when
person is sold out. But you could take part in
the silent auction. You could take part in the live auction.
You could buy a golden ticket stay for free at
any Hilton property anywhere in the world. Great event, Carl.
(22:08):
I appreciate the time, and I hope you I hope
you guys make a ton of money.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Thank you so much. I hope to bid against some
of you in the live in silent auction. And thanks
for having us on. Elliott.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Hey, you got to talk to you later, Carl. Thanks
my friend,
All right, so listen, I got a couple of things. Well,
(00:01):
I got a lot of things that I want to
get into. Let's start with the big thing and then
we could get into hockey and all that other stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Okay, sure.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
So the Alsner Foundation this year is working with and
co chairing the Make a Wish Wishball this year.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
So I was when and was reading about all that. Dude,
that's massive.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, it's uh, it's pretty sweet. When they asked us,
to be honest, it was a little bit of a shock,
but at the same time a huge honor. We we
got to participate in it last year just as a
as a guest, and I couldn't believe how great the
event was. Definitely pulled on some heartstrings and then ended
(00:43):
with you know, some some some stuff that's pretty uplifting.
The fact that people are so willing to help out
with donations and being a part of it, people that
are there to fulfill wishes, it's pretty wild. So yeah,
we're we're pumped to be a part of it this year,
and lucky that we were able to convince our friends
(01:05):
Braiden and Brandy Holby to also co chair with us,
so makes it that much more fun.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
And you know what, I think back to the softball
game last year, whenever like a sign would blow over,
Braiden would go get it, Like you would just point
Braiden and he would run out.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
I imagine at.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
The at the wishball like You'll be up there doing
whatever you got to do and go like, oh you
need more water, Braiden, and He'll just run over and
do whatever you need.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You know what. I hope you're right. I know he's
he's already said he's he's nervous to go on stage.
Who doesn't really want to go on stage. So I'm
still debating whether or not I try and put him
on the spot and get him to come up there
with Mandy and I are not to be determined.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Hey can I can I say this and then I
I do want to get into more of it. The
what you and Mandy have done with the with the foundation,
like you two are really just good people.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I appreciate it. Thank you very much. I think I
think what we're doing is is just what we really
enjoy doing. To be honest, It's like one of the
things that we missed when we left Washington to go
to Montreal and then when we left Montreal to to
get out of hockey, was was that community involvement. So
coming back to d C was that was part of
(02:17):
the driving force for us, was knowing that we'd be
able to get involved in the community and that there
was lots of opportunity here and hopefully try and use
what little platform we have to to do some good.
So we're we're trying. Man, it's a lot of work.
We're trying.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So I was I was looking through, I was looking
through the site, right, the wishballmid Atlantic dot org. That's
the that's the site for the for the wishball, right,
So I was looking through.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Here's here's what I like.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
And I know the I know the actual event is
next weekend, but through the site, people at home, and
this is really smart. People at home can take part
in both the silent auction. Like normally you go to
one of these events, right, and the p that are there,
they're the ones that could take part in the silent auction,
and they're definitely the only ones that could take place
in the live auction. But I like how this has
(03:08):
been set up where people at home can take part
in both the silent auction and the live auction. That's
really smart to me, It really is.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
It's something that we're gonna steal probably for our events
as well, because it's nice. You do so much work
to try and get some of these packages donated, and
then although this event is big, there's going to be
eight hundred plus people, so you do get lots of
eyes on it. You can get thousands of eyes on it,
which in turn hopefully means more more money raised for
(03:39):
the foundation. And you know, this is the Wishball's biggest event.
The goal is to try and raise just over one
and a half million dollars. I think one point six
million dollars is the goal in one evening, which is lofty,
but with four hundred and sixty nine wishes waiting to
be granted just in the mid Atlantic area, you kind
(03:59):
of have to have a lofty goal. So I'm pumped
about it. We were able to help secure a couple
of cool packages.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
One of them is if anyone watches the Voice, it's
a team Michael Bublat hockey jersey that he gives to
his teammates one of those very very cool signed by him.
So I may actually end up bidding on that one.
So I think that's pretty cool. Some of the live
auction ones, I like, there's a package to go to Vail,
(04:28):
stay in this unbelievable apartment in Veil. There's Anguilla, there's
a Sweet Nats package. But this one, I I personally
have a soft spot for this because it's Caps related.
But so for four people, we were gonna go to
the rink and have dinner, Me, Holtz and uh and
four guests. Then we have do a little arena tour.
(04:50):
They get to watch the game and then they will
get a meet and greet with current Olympian and hopefully
soon to be gold medalist Tom Wilson. So it's a
pretty cool package. And the fact that you can have
an opportunity to bid on it without actually being there
since the event is sold out, right, is pretty special.
(05:10):
I think.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
No, And that's the other thing that I was going
to say, is that, like if somebody were like, oh,
so the event is next weekend, I've tried to the
event is sold out, Like the what you say, the
eight hundred and some odd people that could actually go
to the hill that's already sold out. But that's where
I think the genius part is being able to do
it all from home, and Carl, you'll know this better
(05:32):
than I will. For the live auction, you don't have
to be sitting in front of a computer on zoom
like on a big screen yelling like you would go
in and you would put in what your maximum bid
is and it will work its way up from there. Now,
they're not going to go right to your top number
right away, but that way you're involved in the live
auction as well, where you don't really have to just
(05:54):
sit in front of your computer and keep going no me, me,
that part's taking care of for you exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
You don't have to dress up in your tucks and
sit in front of your computer and just sit there
and wait and pretend that you're there. You can just
set it, forget it, and you're participating. So yeah, it's
a it's a very well thought out strategy there. I'm
hoping that we get lots of participants that are that
are still gonna be willing to at least contribute that
aren't at the event. There's one other thing, Elliott I
(06:22):
think is pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Golden ticket. Please say Golden ticket.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Golden ticket. That's the dude. Golden ticket dude, it is.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
You want to talk about stealing something, I will the
Golden ticket.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
This is genius. This is genius.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So right on the right on if you go to
the Wishballmida Atlantic dot org. Right on the right on
the front, there's a little gold bar and it's the
Golden Ticket. So you click on that right it costs
you one hundred dollars. It costs you one hundred bucks. Listen,
I know one hundred dollars isn't nothing. But for one
hundred bucks, are you ready, you get a seven night
(06:57):
stay at any Hilton property in the world.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
In the world. Yes, that's not You're Hilton down the street.
That's in the world. That's like, including their Waldorf properties,
their Conrad properties, those are those are big ticket items.
So for for ae hundred bucks to have a chance
for to seven nights there, it's pretty wild. I'll be
buying a Golden ticket, that's for sure.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
I bought one yesterday.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I bought one last night, exactly, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
And by the way, also, the like yes, they have
there's there's different I don't want to say different levels
of Hilton, but yes, like you said, the Conrad is
a Hilton brand like they have all.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Those, but it's anywhere in the.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
World, so Europe, like France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Mediterranean, Japan, Macaw.
I've always wanted to go to mccow. Why wouldn't I
go for free Singapore? Like it's everywhere. That's a great get.
That is a great get, it really is.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
That just goes to show you the brands the companies
in this area are willing to step up and donate
things like that. You just can't say enough good things
about make a Wish. What they do is so cool.
If you ever have an opportunity to go and visit
their headquarters and see some of the stuff that they've done.
And like I said, how many kids are still waiting
for wishes. It's really really nice to see the businesses
(08:20):
in the area really step up to the plate and
do good like this. So yeah, I'll pumped about it.
It's a great thing to get behind.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Hey, Carl, can I ask you this like going back
to your playing days, whether it was here or in Montreal,
and like we see them pop up on TV from
time to time where where somebody's wishes to go, you know,
skate with ov or meet ov or get a stick
from ov or. You know, like I'm trying to think
like who that would have been in Montreal.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
But from a player side, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
That you saw stuff like this where a child would
come through and it was part of their wish or
to attend a game or whatever the case is it.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Friend like you would.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
See it, and I'm sure it's very impactful as a player.
But to be on the other side of it of
like hosting it and putting it together, is it that
much more impactful?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Yeah? I think so, because we're getting we're getting more
details on everything that goes on behind the scenes, right
we get to we've got to meet some of the
wish families, the parents, and and hear the emotion and
see what they've gone through and to understand how much
this wish granting process means to them. Just you know,
(09:33):
you can only imagine how helpless you feel in that situation.
And then you get a group of people coming in
to give you a little reprieve from what's going on
and see how happy and appreciative they are of that,
and it really goes a long way. And that's originally
how I got hooked up with the organization is there
is a kid that came by one to be a
(09:54):
wizard for a day, and he did that and then
hung out with us for a little bit in the room,
and me and him spent probably close to three hours together,
played some ping pong, and just stayed in touch over
the years. And it was his family that invited Mandy
Night to the Wishball last year. So it's really cool.
You end up making some lifelong friendships. The players really
(10:15):
enjoy getting an opportunity to hang out with the kids
and making their day. It's all in all, it's it's
a really good thing.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
So you just hung out with the kid for three hours,
just like he came walking through the locker room and
you're like, yeah, let's go play ping pong, let's.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Just hang out.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Well yeah, I mean he challenged me to ping pong.
He's a tennant. He was a tennis player, and I'd
never say no to a challenge. And he was pretty good.
So the games lasted long and we ended up spending
some time together. And he's a cool kid, easy to
talk to, and yeah, we had a lot in common,
even though there was a pretty substantial age difference. We
just kind of hit it off and like at the.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
End of three hours, was he like I wish this
would end?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
He didn't say that. Maybe I was still laying down
a few chops and some top stings and yeah, you
didn't have enough. You're thirsty for more.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
No, that's great, Good for you, Good for you and Mandy.
I'm telling you the Alls Foundation, what you guys have
grown that into. I hope you too, were proud of yourself,
like it's really really become a good thing.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, I appreciate it. We are, We're We're happy with
the way things are going. It's a challenge every every
every day, every week to continue to to build it
and grow it. But that's what you do for for
for charity and to help people out. So we're gonna
keep going. We're gonna announce all the stuff that we
have coming up. We've got a golf tournament that's gonna
(11:38):
be coming up now, which we hadn't done before, but
those are always tons of fun. It's gonna be at
my home course, Riverbend in Great Falls, so a really
cool opportunity for people to have a chance to play there.
And then of course swinging to summer. Planning has already
started and hopefully we can we can have another great,
great event and great showing this year.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Awesome. All right, Hey, can we switch gears first?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Yep, shifting.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
So you mentioned possible Olympic gold medalist Tom Wilson. I'm
assuming you watched Team Canada and Tom Wilson yesterday.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I sure did. Yeah, what a site.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Oh my god. Now I watched.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I watched a recap of the game because it started
early and I was still at work.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
And then I watched Team USA and we'll get to
that in a second.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Team Canada. Holy crap. Is that a fast, physical team?
Even with all the skill they have. Boy, did they
look fast.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
You know what? I noticed that too. I thought that
was the thing that really separated them from pretty much
all the other games I watched, is the speed that
they played with. It just looked overwhelming. Like, thinking about
it from a defenseman standpoint, that would not be a
very fun team to play against at all. I think
there'd be a lot of a lot of turtle white pops.
But it was pretty cool to see, and I think
it's just another It's also good for Caps fans to
(12:57):
just kind of understand and realize how special a player
like Tom is the fact that they put him with
Celebrini and McDavid is pretty darn cool and he kept
up really good. McDavid had some great things to say
about Tom after he called him a four check God.
So hopefully somebody makes a T shirt that says four
check God on it and we can start wearing them
(13:18):
around the rink. But it was it was very impressive
to see. Obviously, it's just the first game, right and
the teams are trying to figure things out, but that
was a great start, very very promising, and hopefully we
get to see more from that, more from them like that.
As a Canadian fan.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Hey, so and Carl, let me ask you this, And
I don't know that Tom would ever ever admit it,
but going into the selection for the team to Tom
was one of those speculation guys right, like he wasn't
a four Nations guy and he was. There was speculation,
is is Tom going to be there? Is Tom not
going to be there because of four Nations and all
the fighting. Everybody was like, well, that's his in Well
(13:58):
there's no fighting in the Olympics, like you you can eliminated,
Like it's totally different than four Nations.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
So then they were like, well, that's not Tom's game.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
But people here know Tom's a goal scorer, he's a
penalty killer, he's got a lot more speed. But because
he's such a big, physical player, everybody thought, well, that
doesn't exist. So he was a speculation player going in.
Would Tom ever admit, and again, I'm glad that he
made it, and he certainly looked every part of that team,
(14:26):
But would Tom ever admit that going in he thought
Cooper would go, Hey, you know where, you're gonna play
top line with Connor McDavid and maclin Celabrini, So forget
being a speculation guy, top line winger, go get.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Him, you know what. I'm not sure what he would
what he would say, or how we was thinking about it.
He's smart, he knows the game really well, so I'm
sure it was probably in his head knowing that he
would be a good fit with somebody like that. If
you look at who McDavid plays with in Edmonton, he's
got a Zach Hyman who is that four check guy,
the energy player who goes and digs the tuck out
(15:02):
and can can distribute it to McDavid and whoever else
he's playing with. So it makes lots of sense. But
at the same time, you know also probably thinking could
be that third line, fourth line energy guy that's just
going out there and mucking it up. But that's that's
the that's the brilliance of Cooper, right is knowing how
(15:22):
to make those lines work and who's gonna probably be
good with who, and so you knew he was going
to be At least I knew he was going to
be on the team. I think they needed that, regardless
of the fact that there's no fighting in the Olympics.
When he's on the ice, players just speed up what
they're doing because they're afraid of getting hit. And it's
(15:45):
just the reality of it. Even players that don't play
in the NHL know what Tom Wilson does. They may
not know what some other guys do, but they know
that Tom's gonna come and hit you, and therefore you
do things quicker than you normally would and probably with
a little bit less accuracy. What he admitted that he
thought he might plan that line, I have no clue,
but I would assume that he knew it was a possibility.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Hey, I didn't see anything this morning before we started,
and maybe something has come out later. Team Canada went
with Jordan Biddington yesterday in net Cooper John Cooper had
already said that there'll be a different goalie for today.
Have they said whether it's Logan Thompson obviously ours or
Darcy Kemper.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I haven't. I haven't seen anything officially, but I had
heard that it was going to be Logan, So if
it's not, then I guess I'd be a little bit surprised.
But they're all good options. They need to I think
you need to have at least two goalies play in
the tournament just so that they're prepared in case something happens.
But I mean lt has earned it.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Oh god, he's been so good he has.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
You got the best numbers of all the goalies that
are there. You got to give him a chance. And
for Caps fan's sake, I think it would just be
great for his confidence too, to get a game in
the Olympics too. To be where he is now from
where he has been in the last few years at
the start of his career is pretty remarkable. So yeah,
so I'm pumped hopefully it is him that gets the game,
(17:10):
but I have not seen anything efficient.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
By the way, Tyler just pulled this up a report
out of TSN. They've got cameras there.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Obviously, Logan Thompson is the lone Canadian player. He's got
his own net, so he's obviously if that's the case
for morning skate, he's going today.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
There you go perfect, awesome, Well we'll be cheering for
him loud.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Hey, and Din, did you watch did you watch any
of did you watch any of the Team USA game?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
I did. I watched the first just I think the
first two periods of it.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I got how as a defenseman, Carl, how ridiculous is
Quinn Hughes.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, it's pretty crazy. It's he's another forward out there.
It's uh, it's scary to see because he just looks
like he's almost like got no emotion and he's just
doing stuff and nothing phases him. When I say no emotion,
I mean in a positive sense, right, he can he's
unflappable and and yeah, that's I think the strength of
(18:10):
the US team is what they can get from their
back end, and you saw that in spades in that
first game. I mean they had those two disallowed goals
and didn't phase them. They kept coming and eventually broke
it open. So I'm you know, I'm nervous about that team.
I think I think they're like all teams, there's some
(18:31):
spots to exploit, but when they're on there, they are
very much on and so it's going to be a challenge.
I really really hope we get to see that game
Canada US and and see how that shakes out, just
because everybody I think is waiting for it. But but
Hughes and and the rest of that decor are they're
(18:52):
they're extremely scary.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Oh my god, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
And then one other, one other hockey team that I
wanted to mention before we get to the Caps and
people are getting to see them because of the Olympics.
But I mean, listen, and the rivalry between the US
and Canada has been going on for years. But watching
the USA women play is like it's like watching a clinic.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
It's crazy. Oh my gosh, this is you want to
watch high level women's hockey. I hopefully you're tuning into
it because it's out there, and unfortunately, not enough people
get get a chance to see it. So it's great
that they're on the big stage right now. That US
women's team is outrageous you know, obviously as a Canadian,
you hope that that Team Canada is going to find
(19:34):
a way to to really challenge them. But they they
look like they're playing on a different level right now.
And if that doesn't get your parents of of of
girls excited to get their girls into hockey, then I
don't know what else.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Well, it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
I mean they are, they are so goddamn good. All right,
cats real quick and then I know you, I'll let
you jump. Let's get to the cats. So when when
the when the Olympic break is over, we're going to
be pretty pretty close to the to the trade deadline?
Are we going to be busy or is everybody just
gonna keep asking for Ryan Leonard and Cole Hudson.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
I don't think that that's that conversation is gonna gonna
stop happening. But look, I it's tough. I have we
haven't really seen the team at at you know, full
power much this year with with Dubois being being out,
so you know, it would be nice to have had
more time seeing him in the lineup. But uh, look,
(20:32):
with it potentially being Ovi's last year, you would really
love to see them find a way to make a
little push here and uh and and do what's necessary
to to do that. But at the same time, you
also have to think long term for the future, and
I don't I don't know that you want to part
with any of these prospects that they have right now,
at least the ones that that are the absolute top prospects.
(20:55):
So I'm hoping that there's maybe a little bit of
an attitude shift in with the with the whole team,
and they can kind of come up with a little
bit of swagger and play in that high level hockey.
But this is this is why gms have such a
hard position. They have to take all things into account,
and I do not know what they're gonna do.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Oh my god, it's the only job I want. I'd
love that job.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Well, you like the pressure, then I don't. I don't
think I could do it with telling someone they're traded
or no no no no no no no no no
no no.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
I have an assistant for that. I just want to
be I want to do all the heavy lifting. I'll
let someone else deal with the emotional part of it
that I couldn't do.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Gotcha, Okay, I understand that. Then in that case, yeah,
it would be. It would be kind of fun if
you didn't have to do any of that hard stuff.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
All right, dude, Well listen.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
More importantly, wish Ballmidatlantic dot Org. You could take part
in the in the Wishball which takes place here in
DC next week, but it's the event to go when
person is sold out. But you could take part in
the silent auction. You could take part in the live auction.
You could buy a golden ticket stay for free at
any Hilton property anywhere in the world. Great event, Carl.
(22:08):
I appreciate the time, and I hope you I hope
you guys make a ton of money.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Thank you so much. I hope to bid against some
of you in the live in silent auction. And thanks
for having us on. Elliott.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Hey, you got to talk to you later, Carl. Thanks
my friend,
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