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August 27, 2024 • 41 mins
Wild GM Bill Guerin joins the show to deep dive into everything Wild. Wolves VOX Alan Horton stops by to give us the latest on the Wolves.
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Want to chime in on what's happening with your favorite
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
Here comes Bill Garon.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
He is the general manager and president of hockey operations
for our Minnesota Wild. And before all right three to two,
and before we get into you know, some unbelievably pressing
hockey related you know, like like this Patrick Lioney thing
that I started reading about.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
I don't even know if it was a.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Thing like you know me, man, We're gonna get right
to the bottom of every single phone call that may
never even have taken place. But before we get to
pertinent stuff like that, which we know, we won't get
to anything liney involved. How big is Thursday night for you? Honestly,
it's really big. Yeah, why it's really big. This will
be the second time that I've ever.

Speaker 4 (01:02):
Seen Okay, my favorite band, So you know what I'm
talking about, Okay, because I heard I heard Morrero this
weekend Sunday sermons and he was out here and he
was like talking about some people who are going to
be joining him during the course.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Of the week.

Speaker 4 (01:15):
He talked about Billy g and I'm like, that's gonna
be cool. I'll listen for sure. You guys are fantastic
on the radio together.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
And but the main reason that you were here is
not necessarily a radio show. It was to see Motley
Crue playing at the Grandstand. And I'm just wondering, after
you see Motley Crue, do you then start googling, like
where can I find Rat and White Snake and maybe Scorpions.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
I was actually listening to Rat came up on my
playlist on the way here.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
It did, Oh yeah, well came up. What's this?

Speaker 4 (01:48):
Uh take the Midnight Subway track? Oh I Am You're
in love?

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Right? What's up, Allen? I couldn't.

Speaker 5 (01:56):
I can't name a Rat song or a White Snake song.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
I know Orpians had a massive, massive, not one hit wonder,
but like.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Scorpions are not a one hit one.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
I know, I understand that they had a giant song.
It's just not my musical genre. But with Motley Crue,
Molly Crue is.

Speaker 4 (02:13):
Like growing up in the eighties, like Springsteen and Motley Crue.
Molly Crue was like, just they're just my They're my band.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
I love them.

Speaker 4 (02:22):
Yeah, when's the last time you saw them? I've seen
the dirt probably fifteen to twenty times.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Okay, I know, so no, when's the last time? And
the reason I after.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Last two years ago Bank Stadium because Vince Neil's sixty
three and that was the first time I ever saw him.
Nicky six is sixty five, Yeah, so he should be
Nicky sixty five. Tommy Lee's sixty one. Who's Samantha Maloney?
Samantha Maloney's forty eight years of age. I'm not exactly
sure who she is, but I recognize those other names.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Well, Mick Mars is Yeah, no longer with the band.
Oh was it controversial?

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
It was? It was It was Holy cow? Did did
they falling out there? I think it was over some finances.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
Did they buy out Mars and then have to sweat
like finding a quality, high end bass.

Speaker 5 (03:10):
Player for three or four years?

Speaker 6 (03:11):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, I don't.

Speaker 4 (03:13):
Well Nikki six is the bass player. Yeah, okay, you
know what I meant that, I know what you meant,
but I'm you know what, we just got to get
it right.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
Think about think about the think about the pep. Well,
you got pep in your step all the time. Okay,
you're fantastic, Arry, good to what you do. H O
F type career on the ice.

Speaker 4 (03:30):
But like this time next year, when those buyouts are done, yeah,
I mean, you're gonna have like a thumb underneath an
armpit fluttering your fingers like we got some money, we
got some money.

Speaker 5 (03:41):
I mean, it's been an arduous time.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
I would imagine running an organization waiting just waiting for
this thing to fall off in July.

Speaker 4 (03:49):
Right, But I don't feel like we've been waiting for
it right like that. We haven't operated like that.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
We never.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
We never wanted to send that message to our team,
to our fans, anybody. We're not and we're not waiting
this year. We're trying to win. We've got some salary
cap obstacles. But you know, I I think are I
think we have performed well under the you know, the

(04:20):
the the situation that that you know, we put ourselves
in my choice, Yeah exactly, so I think, you know,
I'm looking forward to it, but it's not it's not
like that. Yeah, I'm not like, oh my god, we'll
just wait till next. No, yeah, we have this year.

Speaker 3 (04:37):
It's not like a metaphorical prison cell where you're like
marking a day every single day you know you get out.

Speaker 4 (04:44):
No, yeah, we I'm looking forward to this year and
trying to win this year.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
I have I have access to Motley Cruz set list
from their most recent show.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Which would you like me too? Well?

Speaker 3 (04:56):
By the way, I mean all I've seen this with
with my all time favorite band, Daryl Hall and John Oates.
Oh yeah, where you know? It used to be twenty songs,
four encres, nice Little Temptations cover or something like that. Sure,
and then it went down to like seventeen you know.
Now we're down to like maybe twelve songs and two
encres if they felt you were engaged, one if they

(05:20):
just want to get on the bus and go to
the next stop.

Speaker 4 (05:22):
Your band in their last show played a grand total
of eleven songs, So I don't know, I don't know
if that's normal.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Do they usually play more songs than that? I don't know.

Speaker 4 (05:32):
That's just like that's good, Hey, whatever they want to do.

Speaker 5 (05:37):
I have the setlist.

Speaker 4 (05:38):
I mean, this is like, this is like coming into
Colorado Avalanche Intel two days before a huge, huge game
and the Intel's provided, but I don't want it really,
So you don't want to know where Primal Scream falls?

Speaker 2 (05:54):
No, but I love that song? What about Dogs of War? No,
Kick Start My Heart? You have all those songs?

Speaker 4 (06:01):
Yeah, I just don't want to know where they fall.
I understand, Like I like the be in the moment.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
Yeah, for all eleven songs that I mean, it feels
like the whole concerts are going to take an hour twenty.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
I mean, old people got to rest, you know what.
Take it from me. Hey, we saw Duran Duran was
it last year? Wow?

Speaker 3 (06:17):
They were Dynamite with Simon Lebon and Andrew John Taylor
right Andrew?

Speaker 5 (06:22):
Originally? Oh that was Wham with George Michael.

Speaker 2 (06:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
Yeah, they were fantastic. Well we're close to the same age.
I'm about four or five years older than you. I mean,
do you remember when we were like in eighty four?
What were you in?

Speaker 2 (06:35):
I was middle school, freshman in high school?

Speaker 3 (06:38):
There you go, and I was graduating from high school
hungry like the wolf on MTV.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
It's incredible. Are you kidding me?

Speaker 4 (06:44):
With that?

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Everybody either wanted to dye their hair blonde and like
parted on the side like Simon Lebon.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
He was just everything everybody wanted.

Speaker 4 (06:53):
A a vest from Chess King with a bunch of
zippers in it.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, and Fingerless Love right.

Speaker 4 (07:00):
And I thought their video The Reflex, Yeah, that was
the coolest.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yeah. I thought that was the greatest. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
I mean, super poppy songs, but they're like songs the videos.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Back when MTV was good. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well right, remember my guys Daryl all and John Oates
Remember Family Man? Yes, the video, So like you might
not be a big Daryl all In John Oates guy,
or people might not, but like that video Family Man
or Man Eater, people are never gonna forget that you got. Yeah,
you want to say, they just don't do it like
that anymore.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's too bad.

Speaker 3 (07:36):
You want to say those were the good old days,
but you don't want to be the old guy. Get
off my long, guy, I mean that's what they were.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
I'm sorry. And you know what I told my kids.

Speaker 4 (07:45):
I always told my kids, you have to listen to
this music, right guys. You know what, Like I would
play Rush for my kids, and you know what, Rush
is one of my favorite bands too, And I would
tell them I'm like listen, these are three guys, three guys.
He's making this music, right, you know what they're actually
you can hear the instruments. Yeah, and that's pretty amazing.

(08:06):
And they're gonna that music will be around forever. LED's
up and write around forever. Like you have to listen
to it, even like some just the eighties stuff in
the seventies. Yes, and they that's what they listen to
a lot of that still they get it. My kids too, Yeah,
I honestly, if you know young parents out there, play
classic rock for your kids. Yeah, assume a favor or

(08:29):
or classic Motown, classic RM right. And you know why
because a lot of the music to which they're listening
now is means they sample those songs from back then
because that's how it was done, right, Because you know
what I mean, it's yeah, it's playing the stones, playing
the doors. I mean, we can look at it as
gay Chuck Berry one the commodorees. We can look at

(08:53):
it like, you know, we are in the second half
of life, which is factual. We can look at it
like we skew maybe you know, to the older side
as opposed to the younger side, the millennial side or whatever. However,
it was cool being part of a generation where all
of a sudden, you're let's see, you probably were thirteen,
twelve or eleven. Make me about eighteen seventeen sixteen when

(09:16):
ESPN popped up, when Sports Center.

Speaker 2 (09:18):
Remember that, it's all of a sudden, this.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
Ballyhooed two week thing that you know, you didn't read
on social media that there was a publication. Do you
remember something called The National It was it was a
short lived publication, but it was very, very good, and
like all the newspapers would write about ESPN and and
what's coming up and stuff, and then all of a sudden,
you see Chris Berman for the first time doing the

(09:42):
back back, back back back calling players nicknames at MTV
pops up.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
I mean that was big, back up back in the day.

Speaker 4 (09:49):
Did you ever see the Ron Bergundy ESPN interview now
when he was he was interviewing for a job there,
Well that's your you've got you got it check out
on YouTube. It's funny he's just saying, like sports all
the time, the terrible idea.

Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah, it's never gonna work.

Speaker 5 (10:07):
Yeah, it's awesome. It's actually hysteric, and.

Speaker 3 (10:09):
The the the morphine of it throughout the years. Definitely
has had to keep up with the Jonlenges because of
digital digital, digital.

Speaker 5 (10:16):
Social media and everything. And that's cool and it's amazing.

Speaker 4 (10:19):
It's in Bristol, Connecticut, right there's not a lot going
on in Bristol, but well they have just this massive
campus and it's pretty impressive. Billy Now September tenth and
eleventh NHL NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
But what's that. It's like they bring in some that
was like a comp trip to Vegas just to shake hands.

Speaker 4 (10:40):
Yeah, you know a lot of the things that you
see on TV, like the commercials and things like the
you know action shots they bring I bring you know,
a lot of star players are up and coming guys
in there, and and uh they they'll film.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
A lot of that. Get a lot of that.

Speaker 5 (11:01):
I got it.

Speaker 2 (11:02):
They do that. They do it in Europe as well.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yeah, well this also can be done in Branson, Missouri,
or Altoona, Iowa, or Anniston, Alabama.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
But we've chosen the Las Vegas and you will get
a lot of notes. You will get a lot of it.

Speaker 3 (11:15):
Is it in the sphere because I had no idea.
Well that's where the draft was right. Yeah, so we're
back there. The Vikings are back there playing the Las
Vegas Raiders late in the season, and you know, I
didn't get a chance to go to the sphere.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
That's what I hear.

Speaker 4 (11:29):
There was like a U two show there that was
like supposedly unbelievable. Believe I heard the I'm not the
biggest I'm not a grateful, dead guy, but I would
have gone to that. So that that was supposed to
be incredible, I would. I would have gone to that
in the second that building is it's like nothing you've
seen before. It's crazy.

Speaker 3 (11:49):
You Bill Garon, general manager, president of hockey operations for
your Minnesota Wild carried on KFA in here at the
State Fair. Uh, you guys broke the bank for for
Brock favor and good and and good good on you.
As some would say, he's special and he's just even
for casual hockey people like me who didn't play it,
you can just tell he sticks out and he's different
and only getting better, right, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (12:11):
I think so, you know, not too many guys have
have a rookie season like that. And you know what
he was, he was. He became a very important part
of the team right away. There's you know, Brocks He's
got you know, Brock's kind of got that factor.

Speaker 2 (12:31):
Yeah, there's there's a there's there's.

Speaker 4 (12:35):
A confidence about him. But he doesn't he's not a
loud mouth. He's a very humble kid. He's you know,
he comes from a great family. But you know, when
he gets on the ice, he's he's a leader. You
can see it. And I I really believe in Brock
and uh, you know, obviously obviously I do it.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
We we signed him to a nice long contract, and I.

Speaker 4 (13:00):
You know, when you do things like that, you have
to make sure that you know you're doing the right thing,
you're doing it with the right people. And and I'm
very confident that that we did it with the with
the right person.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
And and you're you're undoubtedly confident with with John Hines.
You know that job that now you get, he gets
his you know, he lives here. Now find a place,
get your full off season, have a say in free agency.
And that's just how the job is supposed to be done.
And and he obviously came in mid stream last year.
But now being with him and getting this thought process

(13:33):
and breaking things down from last year, trying to make
it better this year. What are you liking about coach
Hines with a full walk up to a season.

Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yeah, well, I think, you know what, he's very comfortable
with with Pat Dwyer, with Jason King, we brought in
Jack Capiuano. Yeah, you know, so, I think John having
his his own coaching staff now that he's really comfortable
with and excited about being able to, uh build on
the relayationships that he's created with our players and and

(14:03):
then you know, putting all their you know, they they've
they've met multiple times this summer. We've got coaches meetings
coming up next week as well, and then putting that
all into action during training camp and having a full camp.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (14:19):
You know, John, John's a coach, He's a but he's
he's a teacher as well. I think when he gets
when he gets the guys for you know, a couple
hours a day and can really drive home the message
and the systematic schemes and all that stuff and what's
expected that that will that that that's going to be

(14:39):
an added bonus for him.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
How often, if any, do you do you check in
with players in the off season, Like how often do
you stay in touch.

Speaker 4 (14:47):
A little bit here and there, not not too often. Yeah,
I mean we I know what they're doing. We we
have you know, I'm in contact with agents, we have.
You know, Matt Harder goes out and see our strength
and conditioning coach. He was out and see some of
the guys. You know, I touch base or bump into
certain guys here and there, but I look, it's it's

(15:08):
their time, you know.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
I don't want to.

Speaker 4 (15:12):
I don't want to be overbearing on them either. And
I trust the guys that they're gonna come in good shape.
And we haven't had any problems with that recently. So
uh yeah.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
So the the day and age of you know, like
an off season and somebody comes in and you're like, oh, hey,
what happened to you? You know, and they got to
kind of work themselves back to shape. Those are in
the rear view mirror this day and age, right, pretty
much what I'm Matt.

Speaker 4 (15:37):
You get your outliers too, right, you know? But yeah,
that that you you don't really see that all too often.

Speaker 3 (15:44):
Marc Andre Fleury season, I mean it's you've been peppered
a lot. He's immortality, He's h o f the whole thing.
You've been Peppered a lot on that. It's it's I
guess the only way I would frame it up is
if you were to cast your gaze and anticipate the
amount of games you would get from him. Best case scenario,
would that be two thirds of the season or is

(16:05):
that too high?

Speaker 2 (16:08):
That's probably high?

Speaker 4 (16:09):
Well high, Yeah, I mean, look, I don't know what
it's gonna be. Yeah, we have to see how he
I mean, he's always in great shape. We've got to
see what, you know, how he's performing. We've got to
see what his his energy levels are like, what his
health is like, and we've got to you know, kind
of go from there. But you know, I would say

(16:29):
in and around what he did last year is probably feasible.

Speaker 3 (16:33):
And what so with with the with with Marc Andre
Fleury and of Volstead and Gustav sin All right, so
let's just take those three and I think you're how
much like, how many goalies will you have a camp buy.

Speaker 2 (16:44):
Something like that? Total? We'll have six.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
It's okay, six, so is Bill garon GM from the
Minnesota Wild For those of you who who have stopped
five recently, it's you know, it's like the Vikings cut
today to fifty three. So I'm getting peppered with a
lot of questions about you know, the the do you
keep a third quarterback? And then like what what does
that cost? On another spot of the roster, it's you

(17:10):
got this up and coming offensive lineman or outside linebacker
or whatever. Well, does that mean that player goes to
the practice squad? Does that mean he gets plucked there
and goes somewhere else? That that's you know, it's same fishbowl,
but different rock when it comes to under different rocks
when it comes to pondering potentially keeping three goalies, you know,
like like on the active roster, but it's not a
zero percenter right, No, right.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
No, not at all.

Speaker 4 (17:33):
And you know when it comes to like, yeah, you
guys are you know, fans are looking for concrete answers,
and sometimes we just can't get it right, you know,
because I don't know what's going to happen. Yeah, I
don't know who's going to get what's going to happen
in training camp or you know, is there an injury,
is there a trade?

Speaker 2 (17:53):
Is there?

Speaker 4 (17:54):
This is there that I don't know. But but the
possibility of carrying three goalies is there?

Speaker 2 (18:00):
Right?

Speaker 4 (18:02):
And you know what we we absolutely want to get
Wally more more action this year.

Speaker 2 (18:07):
And and.

Speaker 4 (18:09):
You know he's he's ready for more. How much more
I don't know yet he's going to tell us, but yeah,
that's kind of the way we're looking at with.

Speaker 3 (18:19):
With Liam Ogrin. How close is he to helping the team?
Not making the team, but like helping the team.

Speaker 4 (18:26):
I think he's really close because I think he can
play up and down the lineup. I think he's the
type of kid that his game will not change whether
he's playing on the first line or the fourth line
and anywhere in between. I think he's going to be
able to kill penalties. You know, we saw last year
he's got a bit of a scoring touch. Yeah, he
can really shoot it. So you know, I don't want

(18:49):
to put pressure on him or anything like that, but
I think he can. I think he can be an
impactful player for us this year.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
So and and.

Speaker 3 (18:56):
Having I think it was five guys last year who
scored at least one of goals. Okay, you know that
that's you know, like, if I bring that up, that's
like col But I mean, be cool to have X
amount thirty thirty five plus stuff like that. But it
is when it comes to outside of say Caprice off,
maybe Hartman, Joel eriksonek and so on. Is there more
scoring either points wise, but specifically goals wise, that you'll

(19:21):
need from at least a couple of those who scored twenty.
You know, we need to get up there twenty five,
twenty six, twenty eight, like like is that imperative, Well, what.

Speaker 4 (19:30):
We need is the guys that scored ten, Yeah, but
usually score twenty. There we go get back to twenty, right,
you know the year, like you know, I've mentioned like
look at Johansson's got to have a better year.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
Good, Drew's got to have a better year.

Speaker 4 (19:45):
Bold he has to have a better start, Caprizov has
to have a better start. Hartman can have a better year.
Even though he scored twenty, he's got to have a
better year. Felino, if he can stay healthy, we need
him in the fifteen to twenty goal range.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (19:58):
These are guys you know, if if you've done it once,
you can do it again. Yeah, and they're they're capable.
I wouldn't ask that of them if they weren't capable,
And and they really are, so I think that's you know,
having spurge back will will Uh, we'll be huge for us.
You know, missing him all last year pretty much was

(20:18):
was you know that that was a huge blow to
our decor and our offense. Yeah, he moves a puck,
you know, he plays on the power play. He you know,
he's I mean, he scores more goals than you think, right,
I forget, like you know, he's ten plus every year.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
You know that's big from.

Speaker 4 (20:35):
The on the on the back end, you know. So,
so we missed a lot of offense internally last year
and we're looking I'm looking for those guys to uh
to to rebound it and and chip in more that way.

Speaker 3 (20:50):
So, so he he's off hip and back surgery, right,
but that's aggressive.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
Holy cow.

Speaker 3 (20:56):
I mean I would imagine he's checking all the boxes
as as you negotiate up to training camp. I mean,
does it have to be handled with kids gloves? You know,
given the stage of his.

Speaker 4 (21:06):
Career, Oh, by that by this time or you know,
in a couple of weeks when we get going, he
should be be.

Speaker 3 (21:12):
Full blast, right and favor and Brodeine. You know maybe
the first pairing the starters are too early to say that.

Speaker 4 (21:19):
You know what it's to early for uh, it's a
little early for me, So I understand. You know, we
get on the training camp September to make that to
say September nineteenth, right, yeah, yeah, boy, that's right around
the corner. Holy cow with with ze boyam like how
close is he to helping?

Speaker 2 (21:36):
You know what?

Speaker 4 (21:38):
I think he's I think it's good that he's going
back to school, right, but I think after another year
of college hockey, he could be an impactful player. Not
that he couldn't right now, but I just think that
one extra year, like favor did you know, like it

(22:00):
it's good for them. You you can take them out
too early, but that extra year will never hurt. Yeah,
you know, so I don't think he's far away, but
I'm very glad that he decided to go back.

Speaker 3 (22:14):
You lastly, you know, it's like what are your expectations
for the team this year? Like say all the right
guys stay healthy a majority of the time, and say
two of the goalies work out almost exactly the way
you want if all of that Nirvana type stuff takes place, Like, like,
what what are your expectations high end that that this

(22:35):
team can do.

Speaker 4 (22:37):
My expectations are to get back into the playoffs. And
win the Stanley Cup. Right, those are my expectations, right?

Speaker 5 (22:42):
Every are those of the expectations every year?

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (22:45):
Is it reasonable for all gms to have that expectation
every year?

Speaker 2 (22:50):
No?

Speaker 4 (22:51):
Right, because they're some teams are in just uh your
rides here totally cow mean those what's type of helicopters
A patches?

Speaker 5 (23:03):
Those are impressive?

Speaker 2 (23:04):
You know what.

Speaker 4 (23:05):
I I don't because I think there are some teams
that are in u you know, a rebuild or whatever.
And I think, but we we are we are not right?

Speaker 2 (23:15):
You know.

Speaker 4 (23:15):
The one thing that really hurt us last year we're injuries. Yeah,
if we can stay healthy, you know, we can get
back to our you know, one hundred plus point season
and get back into the playoffs and improve on what
we've done.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
I mean, correct me if I'm wrong here, But I
mean it lacked stability last year?

Speaker 2 (23:36):
Is that fair to say?

Speaker 3 (23:36):
I mean, whether it's injuries, changes, and I mean, you
know better than all of us. But again, you know,
a different sport, the NFL, same fish bowl, just under
different rocks. Is in that grind, they crave, they crave routine,
and they crave stability, and it seems like the best
it may be mundane or you know, every single days

(24:00):
the same to some, but that that is kind of
a that's kind of a formula for winning for the
best teams.

Speaker 4 (24:06):
Right, I would say so, And I would say that
professional athletes are more comfortable in that setting.

Speaker 2 (24:15):
Right.

Speaker 4 (24:15):
You know what, you get your you get your marching
orders for the day or for the trip or for
the year. You know where you have to be like,
we're programmed right, and then when when things don't go well,
you know what, we get off to a bad start,
make a coaching change.

Speaker 2 (24:31):
They are injuries. It can really disrupt.

Speaker 4 (24:37):
And yeah, you have to be able to you know what,
you have to be able to roll with the punches
a little bit. We have to be able to you
know kind of uh, you know, make changes on the fly.
There's no excuse for for anything. But it does disrupt.
And yeah, last year was hey, and everybody look at players.
Players have bad years, coaches get fired, teams missed the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (25:00):
That happens. The big thing is is that we bounce back.

Speaker 4 (25:03):
We get back to where we were before, right, we
get our swagger back, We regain our identity and play
the way that we can. And it's gonna be critical
that we have a good training camp and we get
off to a good start.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
What kind of seats you have tomorrow night or Thursday night,
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (25:24):
You gotta be in the pit, I don't know. I
honestly leaveless T shirt.

Speaker 2 (25:27):
Don't know. I will have my concert T shirt on
two years ago.

Speaker 4 (25:33):
If a Motley Cruse shirt, yes, you got a game
for Motley Crue.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
If unbelievable still fits. Yeah, that's the case for all
of us. Right hey, thank you very much, gat to
see if I appreciate it. Bill Garroon Ladies and Gentlemen,
General manager, President of Hockey Ops for the Minnesota Wild.

Speaker 2 (25:49):
We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (25:56):
Come join us at the twenty twenty four Minnesota State
Fair Live Carousel Park presented by Mesh, Bescher and Spence
will be broadcasting live through Labor Day, including.

Speaker 2 (26:05):
Today, Like right now, PA's out.

Speaker 1 (26:08):
There with the Wolves box, Allen Horton, TENA Fitzgerald will
be out there, Dan Barrera will.

Speaker 2 (26:14):
Be out there. I'm out there at six point thirty
as well.

Speaker 1 (26:16):
Come by your favorite fan merch and learn about your
shot to be the Mesh Besher and Spence rub of
the Day and win a prize pack. Get the full
details now at kfan dot com keyword Calendar.

Speaker 3 (26:56):
Here's Alan Horton, the radio play by play voice for
the Minnesota timber Wolves. As the cavalcade of guests continues.
Welcome back to nine to noon from the State Bear,
Great Minnesota, clomped together and the shadow of the grand stand.

Speaker 5 (27:09):
We thank Bill Garon for stopping by and joining us.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
Hello, Massachusetts native, right there, Bill, I understand.

Speaker 3 (27:15):
That, and you you of course would know that, and
a lot of minutia tied to his career being you know,
the the hockey guy that you've always been.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Right in a little hockey.

Speaker 7 (27:24):
I grew up hockey until until the size wasn't quite
there for my age group. I've ever seen Jared's virgin Yeah,
he's probably got a little more talent than I had.
So you mix it the no talent with the small size, right,
a small frame, and you don't last very long in
the spot. But growing up in Massachusetts, I was a
big Bruins fan growing up, and so Bill was there
for a couple of years. Wow had a really big

(27:45):
O one o two season with the Bees, but they
unfortunately ran right into the Montreal Canadians, which was always
the art rival.

Speaker 3 (27:51):
And so the the insiders and the natives call them
the Bees. They're the Bees Celtics or the Seas, right, yeah,
it is. So you were there when they played at
Madison Square Garden, correct, Boston Guard the old Boston Garden.

Speaker 2 (28:04):
Right, So we used occasionally.

Speaker 7 (28:05):
I grew up like three and a half hours away
from Boston, so it was not close. But you know,
in the summertime we try to make one trip to
Boston and go see a Red Sox game and winter
either a Celtics or a Bruins game. And then in
high school, when I had some mobility and could go,
you know, drive to Boston, we buy standing not standing
room only, obstructive use seats, which literally meant that there

(28:27):
was a pillar in your seat and you would dodge
to the right and to the left to be able
to see this Bruins or Celtics game. Another time, for
a Bruins game, there were so many decks hanging down
that you were in the back of the lower deck.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
The upper deck would hang down. You could only see
half the ice, so you.

Speaker 7 (28:42):
Spent the entire day leaning down like this just to
see the way. But you got in for five or
ten bucks or whatever the ticket price was.

Speaker 2 (28:48):
It was a great deal. So how old are you?
I'm ad fifties.

Speaker 3 (28:51):
Okay, so you were, So I'm I'm fifty eight. So
when I'm in southern California.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
I moved from.

Speaker 5 (28:58):
Washington, d C. As a freshman in high school.

Speaker 3 (29:01):
And right when I get to the Los Angeles area
seventy nine, it was Magic Johnson's rookie year, you know,
so we got him, you got and with Magic.

Speaker 4 (29:12):
They win their very first game.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (29:14):
So my first year, I go from DC where the
Bullets had just played the Sonics back to back in
the NBA Finals, right, and they won the first one
and they lost the second one. Then I moved to
Southern California. Here comes Magic Johnson. They win their very
first game, okay. And it was against the San Diego Clippers,

(29:36):
and Kareem Abdul Jabbar hit about let's see free throw
line fifteen feet, about a thirteen to fourteen foot skyhook,
middle of the paint, high slot as they would call
it in hockey, to win the game at the buzzer.
He hit it over spend Nader. Magic Johnson went, I
mean he hugged him, looked like he was getting emotional,

(29:57):
like his chin was quivering. And I'll never forget because
it was I read it in the La Times after
the game Kareem abdul Jabbar, and it just gently said
to reminded magic, you know, we have eighty one of
these left.

Speaker 2 (30:10):
That it was.

Speaker 4 (30:11):
Great, it's your first game and we won and it
was emotional. But if you're gonna be that emotional after
every win and every loss, it might not be an
elongated career for you, Irvin.

Speaker 7 (30:21):
Yeah, pace yourself. Pace yourself in long eighty two game season.

Speaker 2 (30:25):
Huh.

Speaker 7 (30:25):
And So while that was happening, I was on the
East Coast and I was just getting into the NBA
because the Celtics were Larry Bird had just showed up,
and all of a sudden, you had eighty one and
Red Maxwells and you had just that was a prime
time to just be enveloped in the game.

Speaker 2 (30:41):
And they chopped me in because they were so me too,
so good. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (30:45):
I mean, it's you know, people have a tough time
believing this one I say it, but it's true. Is
I enjoy the NBA league wide every bit, if not
more than the NFL league wide, Like, I'm definitely going
to watch more Gate and other Armor games, but like
Thursday night football, that's cool. Monday night football's really falling off.

(31:06):
Sunday night football's cool. But I'm not one to sit
there and like if the Vikings aren't playing watch football
the entire day, I just I enjoy it. Yeah, but
I've just always loved the NBA at a different level.
And that's what happens when you're hour or we're close
to the same age, and all of a sudden, I'm
playing basketball in DC as an eighth grader, moved to

(31:28):
Los Angeles. Oh, and I'm a Celtics fan in Los Angeles.
So I'm loving Larry Bird, Jerry Seastein and Robert Parrish
and Cornbread Maxwell and everything. He goes into it in
enemy territory while playing the game, and it was just
so so much fun. As as the league, really it

(31:49):
kind of redeveloped then, right because it fell off in
the seventies. There were some drug problems, there were some
some game potential fixing things like.

Speaker 2 (31:57):
That really bad image stuff, fad image stuff. He then's come.

Speaker 7 (32:00):
Along, it's magic, it's follery and they've got that rivalry
where they're meeting the NBA Finals every year, right, just incredible.

Speaker 4 (32:07):
And I know there are more teams now, you know,
Chris Finch and I have talked about this more off
the mike than on.

Speaker 2 (32:12):
But so there were fewer teams, but.

Speaker 3 (32:14):
Still the layers just kept going for a decade and
a half. So Magic and Bird, Okay, now Isaiah and
the Bad Boys now Peyton and Camp, now Stockton and
Malone ewing with with the Knicks. Oh what about these
Hawks with Doc Rivers one of the super tough nose

(32:35):
point guards. How about Randy Portland in there where you go,
you know with there and then Portland came next after that, right,
so it just you know, it's it's I'm not you know,
get off my long guy with this, because the world morphs,
there are more teams, uh need, different agent situations, different
different the way they walk up to the game with
you know, what are those leagues called high schoolers the

(32:57):
high end of thee like Carlo they all back of
stuff is markedly yeah, but I still really enjoy it.
But it was I mean, there were games that were
blood bats back then, you know, and and really for
that's kind of like what you and I grew up
on watching. Yeah, and now the Indiana Pacers man with
the Davis guys, oh absolutely, and Rick Smiths. I mean,
the NBA is now at a point too, and they're

(33:18):
looking towards expansion now that they've got this TV media
deal done starting at the end of you know.

Speaker 7 (33:24):
One more year from now. But the talent in the
league your point. You can tune in almost every night
and you may say, Okay, a common fan will say, well,
what do I want to talk about.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
The what do I want to watch the Magic against
the Pacers.

Speaker 7 (33:38):
I can give you a couple of storylines for every
single team, but there's there's depth there, There's a reason
to tune in and I'm going to find out what
Paolo Benko's doing that right, Maybe there's a couple of
teams like Washington the Wizards right now that aren't really marketable.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
Detroit's been in a down school.

Speaker 4 (33:53):
But so you're not going to go out of your
way to watch Blaabali.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
For the French Nationals.

Speaker 7 (34:00):
He's he's one of Rudy's guys, So yeah, these really
thinks highly of him.

Speaker 4 (34:03):
That's that French national team? Was that that that's quite
it was scrappy. It's good team, I mean.

Speaker 3 (34:08):
And when the Serbian when the Serbs with with Jokic
and the Bogdanovitch who plays for Atlanta, yep, I mean
they're up by thirteen into that final quarter. I thought
it was Curtains for the USA. They blew by him
like they were tied to all po.

Speaker 7 (34:21):
They really flipped the switch and jo but Serbia had
only too right. They had Jokitchen, Bogdanovitch, basically Yea and
France they had more firepower. And one guy who played
really well was Gershan Yabusele, who's now signed played so
well he got himself a deal with the Philadelphia seventy
six ers. It's gonna come off the bench there, Billy.
But there are a ton of storylines going into the season.

(34:42):
But before we get to NBA, I got something for
you Saturday.

Speaker 3 (34:45):
A let's savor for around the corner. So wait, so
we don't have to have trunk hat eat clock?

Speaker 2 (34:49):
Can we stay on the clock.

Speaker 4 (34:49):
We're gonna stay on the clock. That's Allan Norton.

Speaker 3 (34:52):
He is the radio play by play voice for the
Minnesota Timberwolves, and we have much about which to chat
over the course of the next thirty minutes or and
we will do so next on KFAM.

Speaker 1 (35:13):
Legendary comedian and actor Kevin hardis at to return to
Minnesota see has Hilarious Acting My Age Tour when it
comes to the Armory on Friday, February twenty first and
Saturday the twenty Seconds tickets for sales. Tickets for both
shows are on sale right now. Get the pull details
at campan dot com keyword calendar.

Speaker 7 (35:36):
What were you saying, Box, I was gonna tell you
On Saturday, I came in from doing some yard work
and I just turned on the old television and there
was a Vikings game popped on and it was a
comfortable Vikings lead.

Speaker 2 (35:46):
I think it was twenty three to three.

Speaker 7 (35:47):
At that point, fourth quarter maybe, and guess who you
guys had on one on one.

Speaker 2 (35:52):
I thought this was so cooln O'Connell. I was sweet.

Speaker 7 (35:55):
Oh my goodness, the insight. I mean that was awesome.
I mean it was really cool to be to hear
the thoughts of the head coach, Kevin O'Connell, and and
even something on an induscript play like there was a
punt right and he goes, I know, this is not
exciting I know the analytics they go.

Speaker 2 (36:09):
For, but here's pa, here's what I'm looking for.

Speaker 7 (36:12):
And just to hear his insight while he's going through
some of these plays it's elite stuff, and he's talking
to you and he's still he's still got an eye
on the back judge. He's like, that's a hold, right, Yeah,
he's interrupting himself. I mean, to pull that off is
really awesome. So kudos to you and to and to
Pete and to Ben Kevin O. Kyle's not doing that
if he doesn't trust you. Guys, Kudos to the Vikings

(36:32):
pr for pulling that home and for the Vikings Entertainment
Network for organizing that, because that's not easy.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
That's not an easy trick to pull up. That's really
nice that you said that.

Speaker 4 (36:41):
Really cool, Well, simply because there had to be a time.
It's a it's relationship based. You're so right.

Speaker 3 (36:48):
I mean, not just Kevin and I, but Jeff Anderson
and his media relations staff. Where just what I like
is is I just like when people think like this
and work like this, because it's too much of a
fat and happy generation with too many things where people
get set and they're like, oh, this is cool, and
I'm like, is it you know?

Speaker 4 (37:07):
But but where does it go from there? Who knows?
And what I'm saying is is there had to be
a time Media Relations and the Vikings Entertainment Network got
together and said, hey, we like our preseason broadcast.

Speaker 3 (37:20):
What can we do to make them better? And they
start brainstorming, you know, and they know It's like, we
don't have to call Paul and tell him because Paul's
cool with it. Paul wants us to win, and Paul
wants to have fun and enjoy the job. So you know,
when there's not a well you know, I mean, if
we're gonna have Quac in the second quarter and then
Harry the Hitman in the third quarter, you know, how's

(37:42):
Paul gonna They know you don't have to win. Paul
wants to win, Paul wants what's best. So you start
there just with the enterprising thought of how to make
something better, and it shows the people who do it
yours truly, and those who watch somebody cares enough to
think about something ways to make it better, which is

(38:02):
lacking in a lot of facets because.

Speaker 7 (38:04):
In this day and age, it's easy to say no,
will say no all the time, it's easier to understand that.
But like you do something like that that brings you inside.

Speaker 3 (38:12):
It's inspiring. It's absolutely, absolutely inspiring when when you're working
with people like that, So therefore they come up with
the idea and then we start going over it. Then
it's you, you know this man that there are just
more conversations with the constituents than just like like with Jefferson,
we didn't didn't see he did the first game, third

(38:34):
quarter and that.

Speaker 7 (38:35):
Was cool when he jumped when Kevin was joking with
him standing there on the sideline.

Speaker 2 (38:39):
I mean, that's just insight.

Speaker 3 (38:40):
Justin's not going to sit down for five minutes and
go over what we're going to talk about in the
third quarter O'Connell, Will Harrison Smith kind of did. So
there's a by faith approach to it, but it's it's
having like Jeff Anderson and his media relations group, Rian
Harper and his Vikings Entertainment Network think about it months
in advance, implement it, execute it, and then see that

(39:02):
the ratings are the highest in the history of Minnesota
Vikings preseason football TV wise. So just to start somewhere
with somebody caring enough about something to think about it
and work on it and then you'll win with it.

Speaker 4 (39:16):
That's fleeting. It's just so beautiful when it works like.

Speaker 7 (39:19):
That, right, it's great. I appreciate you saying that, you batman,
because it's awesome. And I love broadcasting, whether it's TV,
whether it's radio. So it's the medium. That's how we
get the message out there. It's how great talk about
and Kevin O'Connell comes off just I mean completely awesome,
like he is to hear his insights on something as
small as a you know, a power run up the
middle or like I said, that fourth down punt. So
that was really cool, right, really cool. Well, now I

(39:41):
got to work on getting Chris Finch.

Speaker 4 (39:43):
Finch's a cent. Oh he's sentchy.

Speaker 3 (39:45):
I mean, if you organize that for radio for the preseason,
if he's an absolute cinch. Because it's like for this
to happen, O'Connell had to be secure enough to let
somebody else call the plays and run the offense and
deep fence. He did that for multiple games, and and
there's a security level that goes into it, which he

(40:05):
has added empowers others and subsequently others then perform better
than they were performing. But Finch already has Mike and Norry.
You know who, michaeh you got this quarter, this half
or whomever. What's my man's name, who coached the summer
league team.

Speaker 6 (40:21):
Who had Summer League this year, Chris Hein, Chris Hines, Yes,
Hines right, yeah, so and then Finch, you know he
It's like when O'Connell was like, ripa, we're going to
run a screen to Dwayne McBride and fifty seven is
the key guy to block, and then you see the
screen and then you see seventy nine.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
Get the guy.

Speaker 4 (40:41):
He held him, but get the guy and O'Connell talked
through it. It's its career highlights stuff for me of
everything I've done because it's unique and Finch is a
cinch in a preseason game to do that with you,
that'd be unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
Yeah, that'd be cool. That'd be cool. And it's not
that far away. I mean.

Speaker 7 (41:00):
In games tip off, I think October fourth, we're in
Palm Springs, California for a matchup against the Lakers.

Speaker 2 (41:05):
Wow.

Speaker 7 (41:05):
Not opening the regular season against the Lakers, but we
usually try to play the Lakers. We usually get out
to La Alost every year Under Finch right to tip
off the preseason there too.

Speaker 3 (41:15):
We have plenty to talk about in our final segment
with Alan Horton involving the twenty four to twenty five Timberwolves,
but also some some twenty three twenty four and Anthony
Edwards in his performance with the Olympic team. That's all
around the corner from the State Fair on KFAM
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