November 25, 2025 • 5 mins
Head Coach Dan Watson of our Grand Rapids Griffins joins us for our weekly Griffins Power Play!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Red Hot Griffins are on fire and busy this week.
A couple in Texas and then a couple at home.
This is West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and Brett Pakita.
That's Laurence Smith. Coach Dan Watson on the liveline, head
coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins. Thank you so much
for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh thanks for having me on, No problem, coach.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Happy Thanksgiving a little bit early from all of us,
and we got to get you into the conversation that
we had earlier this week.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Cranberry sauce, No, cranberry sauce.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Cranberry sauce. Oh good man, cranberry sauce guy, Yep, absolutely
all right.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
How about your favorite part?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Now you can throw the turkey in there too, but
all the sides, pies, whatever, favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, you know, if it's a good stuffing. I take
stuffing with a little bit of greevy on top, but
it's got to be good. Though.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Do you like little sausage in your stuffing?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I can't say I've ever had that.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Oh that's good. Yeah, Steve, whip you up some when
you guys get back on Friday.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hey, all right, here we go. All right.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Lastly, this one, I just have to throw this out
there because I was thinking of myself back when I
used to play basketball in high school. I always hated
the practices after Thanksgiving and we usually had, you know,
something on Black Friday. So is there anything that you
have to address with the players? I know the professionals about, hey, guys,
let's not overeat for Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Well, the good thing is we're flying home from Texas
on Thanksgiving Day, so airport food, airplane food. They're not
gonna eating too much. They can't imagine, but it is
going to be tough. You know. We have the travel
day and then they're gonna get up and pregame skam.
We play Iowa right away, so there really isn't time
to to really for those guys to gores themselves and
(01:44):
food the night before and talk about all the turkey
gets you tired, all that fun talk you have as
a kid. You know, you guys have to be ready
to go for Friday night.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
All right, we'll get all that stuff aside.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Keep an eye on Caza though he tends to overeat
a little bit and he doesn't have so Coach, Congratulations,
you split with Charlotte, and the first question I want
to ask you, because you've got two with Texas, you
got two of the Iowa Wild and people say, well,
you look at the Central Vision, Griffin's are on top.
These are two of the bottom dwellers. But with that said, people,
if they're not noticing how good the age L is
(02:18):
just around every division, talk about that because as good
of a start you guys have had, there's other teams
that are just fantastic right now.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, there are there are a lot of teams this
year who are showing with their records how good they are,
and Charlotte. Charlotte's one of those teams. I mean, they
played a phenomenal road series against US. Obviously beat US
game one and took us to extra time game too.
So it's nice to play those teams to see what
their divisions are about. But you've got a Providence team
that's very strong, Wilkesbury teams that's very strong out in
(02:46):
the East, you know, out in the West, Colorado, you
know they're predominantly very good. They have another strong season started.
So if you look around, our record's good, but it's
still there's other teams that if we lose one or two,
we're right with them, right with that pack. So it
is it's fun to watch. It's fun to see around
the league that there's some teams are who are dominating
(03:07):
their divisions, Griffin said.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Coach Dan Watson joining us here on the power Play.
We do what every Tuesday on Wood Radio at eight
thirty six. So, coach, you got back to back games
on the road with the Texas Stars. We always talk
about this is an interesting trip for you guys to
kind of gauge yourselves. What do you like in about
this team right now that you guys have done to
be so successful.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I think it's our work ethic. I mean I say
this and I want to say this every year that
we always have a strong working team and a hard
working team. But for some reason, this group of guys,
led by our leadership group of eight veterans, they really
push the pace in practice and it kind of leeds
right into our games and it also polls guys with them,
you know, maybe the guys that are learning about pro hockey,
(03:47):
learning how to be professionals on an everyday basis, these
guys are showing them. And I really, you know, I
love our locker room, how close the guys are, and
then they just go out and they work together. They
want to make each other better and obviously it's looking
out right now.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I got to ask you because the goaltending situation, I
know there's defense ahead of them and it's not all
of them, but with the parent club, do you think
sooner than later from a fans perspective, that Sebastian Coast
is going to get.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
The call up?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Well, I mean he's working for it. You know, he's
putting himself in the best opportunity and position to do that.
You know, he's making management think about it, I'm sure,
which is the way he's playing. He's the number one
goaltender in the American League right now and for good reasons.
He's made some big says, he's had some great starts.
He continues to get better and you know, hopefully for
(04:32):
him it's his fourth year pro now that he gets
the opportunity at some point in time.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
The Griffins Texas tonight and tomorrow, they return home for
games Friday and Sunday against the Iowa Wild You'll want
to get out of the house for those games, just
so you know.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
And by the way, Sunday afternoon is the thirtieth anniversary
poster giveaway for the celebration. Yeah, so you want to
get that.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Head coach Dan Watson, thank you for your time today.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
All right, thank you very much and have your Thanksgiving
and the same to you.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Thanks for
Red Hot Griffins are on fire and busy this week.
A couple in Texas and then a couple at home.
This is West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and Brett Pakita.
That's Laurence Smith. Coach Dan Watson on the liveline, head
coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins. Thank you so much
for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh thanks for having me on, No problem, coach.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Happy Thanksgiving a little bit early from all of us,
and we got to get you into the conversation that
we had earlier this week.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Cranberry sauce, No, cranberry sauce.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Cranberry sauce. Oh good man, cranberry sauce guy, Yep, absolutely
all right.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
How about your favorite part?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Now you can throw the turkey in there too, but
all the sides, pies, whatever, favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, you know, if it's a good stuffing. I take
stuffing with a little bit of greevy on top, but
it's got to be good. Though.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Do you like little sausage in your stuffing?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I can't say I've ever had that.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Oh that's good. Yeah, Steve, whip you up some when
you guys get back on Friday.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hey, all right, here we go. All right.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Lastly, this one, I just have to throw this out
there because I was thinking of myself back when I
used to play basketball in high school. I always hated
the practices after Thanksgiving and we usually had, you know,
something on Black Friday. So is there anything that you
have to address with the players? I know the professionals about, hey, guys,
let's not overeat for Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Well, the good thing is we're flying home from Texas
on Thanksgiving Day, so airport food, airplane food. They're not
gonna eating too much. They can't imagine, but it is
going to be tough. You know. We have the travel
day and then they're gonna get up and pregame skam.
We play Iowa right away, so there really isn't time
to to really for those guys to gores themselves and
(01:44):
food the night before and talk about all the turkey
gets you tired, all that fun talk you have as
a kid. You know, you guys have to be ready
to go for Friday night.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
All right, we'll get all that stuff aside.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Keep an eye on Caza though he tends to overeat
a little bit and he doesn't have so Coach, Congratulations,
you split with Charlotte, and the first question I want
to ask you, because you've got two with Texas, you
got two of the Iowa Wild and people say, well,
you look at the Central Vision, Griffin's are on top.
These are two of the bottom dwellers. But with that said, people,
if they're not noticing how good the age L is
(02:18):
just around every division, talk about that because as good
of a start you guys have had, there's other teams
that are just fantastic right now.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, there are there are a lot of teams this
year who are showing with their records how good they are,
and Charlotte. Charlotte's one of those teams. I mean, they
played a phenomenal road series against US. Obviously beat US
game one and took us to extra time game too.
So it's nice to play those teams to see what
their divisions are about. But you've got a Providence team
that's very strong, Wilkesbury teams that's very strong out in
(02:46):
the East, you know, out in the West, Colorado, you
know they're predominantly very good. They have another strong season started.
So if you look around, our record's good, but it's
still there's other teams that if we lose one or two,
we're right with them, right with that pack. So it
is it's fun to watch. It's fun to see around
the league that there's some teams are who are dominating
(03:07):
their divisions, Griffin said.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Coach Dan Watson joining us here on the power Play.
We do what every Tuesday on Wood Radio at eight
thirty six. So, coach, you got back to back games
on the road with the Texas Stars. We always talk
about this is an interesting trip for you guys to
kind of gauge yourselves. What do you like in about
this team right now that you guys have done to
be so successful.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I think it's our work ethic. I mean I say
this and I want to say this every year that
we always have a strong working team and a hard
working team. But for some reason, this group of guys,
led by our leadership group of eight veterans, they really
push the pace in practice and it kind of leeds
right into our games and it also polls guys with them,
you know, maybe the guys that are learning about pro hockey,
(03:47):
learning how to be professionals on an everyday basis, these
guys are showing them. And I really, you know, I
love our locker room, how close the guys are, and
then they just go out and they work together. They
want to make each other better and obviously it's looking
out right now.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I got to ask you because the goaltending situation, I
know there's defense ahead of them and it's not all
of them, but with the parent club, do you think
sooner than later from a fans perspective, that Sebastian Coast
is going to get.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
The call up?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Well, I mean he's working for it. You know, he's
putting himself in the best opportunity and position to do that.
You know, he's making management think about it, I'm sure,
which is the way he's playing. He's the number one
goaltender in the American League right now and for good reasons.
He's made some big says, he's had some great starts.
He continues to get better and you know, hopefully for
(04:32):
him it's his fourth year pro now that he gets
the opportunity at some point in time.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
The Griffins Texas tonight and tomorrow, they return home for
games Friday and Sunday against the Iowa Wild You'll want
to get out of the house for those games, just
so you know.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
And by the way, Sunday afternoon is the thirtieth anniversary
poster giveaway for the celebration. Yeah, so you want to
get that.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Head coach Dan Watson, thank you for your time today.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
All right, thank you very much and have your Thanksgiving
and the same to you.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Thanks for
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