Tim: Hi,
Lance: everyone. Welcome to the hockey journey podcast. Episode number seven, presented to you by online hockey training.com. I'm your host coach Lance Pitlick. If you're new here, please make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on any future episodes. Before we get things rolling. If you want to learn more about me, my hockey experiences, what I know, and most importantly, how I've been helping hockey players get really good with a stick and puck, just head on over to online hockey, training.com and gain instant access to my 10 part video series, where I'll show you everything considered my gift to you.
Lance: I'm super excited for this interview because it's what someone who basically showed me the way in Pro Hockey. He mentored me on how to be a professional, how to establish a process to accomplish things. And was one of the people who taught me how to believe in myself. And if I followed certain steps along the way, I could eventually get a shot in the NHL.
Lance: But today I don't want to talk about how this individual helped me along my hockey journey. I want to celebrate his hockey career because it was an uncommon one though. We only played in 106 NHL games due to untimely injuries early in his career. He quietly went on, focusing on what was in his control and put up some spectacular numbers in the AHL.
Lance: And when it was all said and done, he found himself at the number four position on the American hockey league all time point getters list. Let me put this into perspective for you. Over a 12 year professional career, I put up 140 400. For this individual, he put up 58 points and 106 NHL games. But check this out in 824 age, all games, he scored 353 goals, 621 assists for a total of 974 points.
Lance: This guy had some game, ladies and gentlemen, please help me in welcoming one of the most talented hockey players I've ever had the privilege to play with Mr. Tim. welcome to the hockey journey podcast.
Tim: Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be.
Lance: It's been a while since, we connected we haven't been teammates and boy a long time, almost 20 years.
Lance: That was a lot of beers ago.
Tim: Yeah. Yeah. It's your, it's been been we don't want everyone to know how old we are so, we won't quite give that's right.
Lance: That's right. I'll get started then. I'd like to start to go back to the beginning where you grew up your introduction to hockey and to other sports you played, I guess I'd like you to, just to elaborate on what it was like growing up, Tim.
Tim: When I was two years old I got my first pair of skates. And back in Edmonton, Alberta is where I was born and raised. We had a rink, just we lived in the low rental apartments and just a couple apartments away. A gentlemen built an outdoor rink there for us kids to play. So I started skating when I was two.
Tim: And. Fell in love with it. And we'd go there just about every day and skate and play hockey. And it didn't matter how old you were or how small you were. Everybody played. And they just had a great time. And as I grew up my uncle played semi-pro hockey in Edmonton and we used to go watch him play and he was our hero at the time.
Tim: And So watching him and my, seeing my dad be excited about the game was the two things. He drew me into it when I was little. And then it seemed like that's all I ever wanted to do play hockey even in the summertime. And I did play soccer for soccer teams and not in the summer to get away from hockey, but I still love to play ball.
Tim: On the streets or even on the grass with a tennis ball and looking back, I think that might be one of the reasons I got known to have soft hands was playing with a tennis ball on the grass. Cause you have to really, learn to control the ball. And so growing up, I started playing into my community league about when I turned seven years old and.
Tim: Played a couple of years then where every game and every practice was outside, we only had, I think, two indoor rinks in Edmonton at the time. And the only time you got to play in those was if you made the playoffs. And so my first year we didn't, but my second year we did we, got to go and, we ended up winning the provincial.
Tim: So we ended up playing in the indoor rinks at the end of the season. And No, the biggest deal ever to be able to play indoor and growing up then went on to play Bantam, AA, which was the highest level at that time. And then onto midget AA. And I got to play midgets with a team that was picked a come in last out of 12 teams.
Tim: And we ended up winning the city championships and provincial championships. And it's probably one. One of the greatest memories I have the little brick men was the name of our hockey team. And it was, it's one of those that you'll always remember. And if you ever see each other, just like you and I, if we ever ran into each other I it's we're going to talk, like we haven't been a part at all.
Tim: And so I ran into those guys, man was a 20, 20, almost 30 years after that happened. And. That team will be special. That was a team that pushed me on to want to go further winning a championship like that. And but the tough thing there was I, hurt my knee and I had surgery on my knee and the doctor after I had surgery, he said that I would never play and never walked never run.
Tim: And So got knocked back a little bit. But then my goal for hockey was to play one game in the NHL. That was all I ever wanted to do. I wanted to play and be a player, but it didn't have to be in the NHL. Just one game was what my goal was at that time. As you go through junior. I had three good years of juniors made great friends, played with great players.
Tim: And at that time there wasn't really the college route to go. You went to juniors to try and get, to get to pro I think at that time there was maybe 2% of Hockey players that came out of the college. And if I did it today, I would be. And as a coach today, I'm telling everybody to go to the, go to school route, if you can, because you definitely want to have an education.
Tim: Cause you never know. Careers, are short. And so you don't want to you don't want to miss out on that opportunity if you can. But back in the day then I was working at home in Edmonton with my father. My dad was a welder and I was a labor that summer and my mum called work. Told my dad to tell me to call home or so I did, and here I had got drafted to the Washington Capitals, 88th overall underage.
Lance: Okay. I'm going to, I'm going to stop you right there. Okay. You're just, you're you're driving a Ferrari right now. I want you to Volkswagen bug. We gotta slow this operation down.
Tim: Okay. All
Lance: I just want to backtrack a little bit. Okay. At what age did you know? You talked about junior hockey, but, and winning that provincial championship or city championship, but at what age did that was all community-based or you were still at home.
Lance: When did you have to move away and go to the stage?
Tim: Ju midgets was at home in Edmonton and it was the AA program. So it wasn't community league. It was now. For city wide groups that played against each other and that was at 16. And so then I went, they actually Portland Winterhawks owned the property of all the players from Edmonton.
Tim: Cause he had just moved the year before from Edmonton to Portland. So all of our rights were still were owned by the Portland winter Hawks because they were ex Edmonton oil. Okay. So they came and had training. Just outside of Edmonton and we got invited to camp and the neat thing there is that you're trying out and you don't know how good you're doing guys are getting cut, and then you see it's getting smaller and smaller.
Tim: And then all of a sudden it was like the night before the team was getting ready to go for it, to leave Fort Saskatchewan, just outside of Edmonton and had done. Play exhibition games on the way going to Portland and the general manager of the hockey team called my mum and dad and with me in the office and said we'd really like to take him with us.
Tim: And so the neat thing was we went home that. And my mom did not want me going. She was like I was, I still had grade 12 to go in school I had just started school actually just registered. And mum was like, no I don't know. I don't think so. My dad was like no, this is once in a lifetime opportunity.
Tim: This and I'm like, yeah, this is what I wanted to be. I want the opportunity to try and get to the NHL and. So it took us a while, but I finally persuaded her into letting me go. The next day we all hopped in a bunch of cars and started heading down to Portland. And that's how my junior junior career started with the Portland winter Hawks.
Lance: So you played there for three seasons and during, that time, when you were there, you you were drafted at one of those years. What year were you drafted in?
Tim: Yep. Yeah, I got drafted after my second year under H and then I decided it would be, I was, I got injured had an ankle injury where I torn my ligaments that second year and I was out for a few months, so I wanted to stay there and play one more year.
Tim: Get myself stronger and be better. I didn't think if I went right away that I would make it. So I stayed and played one more year in Portland and had a wonderful season. It was a great season. And I think it helped me to get back on track to where I want it to be put this
Lance: into perspective for everyone that ankle injury season.
Lance: Your second year with Portland, you played 56 games and yet. 33 goals, 47 assists for 80 points. Your final season, 70 games puts up 58 goals and 83 assists for 141 points. Twos. You had the mojo gone.
Tim: Yeah and, I was, again, I was in to put in a good position there too. I had two great line mates.
Tim: Yeah. And both Jim Dobson and flora, Roberto went on to play pro hockey too. And it was one of those years where you just kinda, you, it's not just, you it's everybody around you that makes it work. And it was fun. We had a lot of fun and it made the game W, how do you say that you want to come to the rink every day?
Tim: Because you were having fun and it was not it never can say it was easy, but things flowed, like you said, you had your mojo and things were flowing. It was one of those wonderful seasons. You'll never forget
Lance: you. Did you get deep into the playoffs any of those years?
Tim: I think not a hundred percent sure.
Tim: I think it was our second year, but he didn't win the Memorial cup. We didn't win the Memorial, but we went on to, I think the Western Western finals and lost to Brandon and then Brandon went on to win the Memorial cup that year, I think.
Lance: Perfect. Okay. So let's you, mentioned that you were drafted by Washington and obviously it was similar to when I was drafted a few years later than that.
Lance: It was a telephone call of someone else saying, Hey it's not like today where you, go to the draft in the social media. You end up having some pretty doggone great years with Portland a, great spot to just mature and to develop and to grow into who you're going to become.
Lance: Then you turned pro and in that first year, you make it to the show, man. Your first year pro you got some NHL time, let's talk about that experience.
Tim: think the, first thing is that we went to training camp and training camp was in Hershey, Pennsylvania. And so we're there in Hershey and back in the DS communication.
Tim: Isn't, wasn't it. Good as it is nowadays. And communication is a big part of life. And back then no one came and told you things, you just, you would learn by figuring out what's what's happening. And all of a sudden I was there at training camp. Things are going good, but all of a sudden they came and gave me a pair of maroon gloves to start wearing our chocolate covered gloves, as we would say, cause the Hershey bears colors and they were saying, oh, just, we just want you to wear them in.
Tim: As soon as you get those gloves, you get a feeling well, I'm going to be, I think I'm going to stay here and Hershey. So I ended up starting the season down in Hershey and I was playing for Brian Murray, who Brian was a really good coach and a guy that believed in me and gave me an opportunity there to, play at the start of the season, I was on the fourth line and then there was a trade made and all of a sudden, then I got my chance and I got.
Tim: Got to play with some pretty good hockey players, guys that put up good numbers. And then all of a sudden, you're you go home. Or I went to the rec to practice and we're, getting ready for a game. And all of a sudden he called me in his office and said Tim, you're gonna get in your car and you're going up.
Tim: You're gonna play in the show tonight. And the neat thing about it was I was going to play the Edmonton. Which is where I was born and I knew all about them. I knew mark messier. I had played against mark and even with them for a game in an exhibition game and once, and then when Gretzky and this was the team that went on and did all those wonderful things.
Tim: He, they added a few guys after that to make it even better, but so I'm driving up. From Hershey to Washington and hour and a half that afternoon. And I was there was no nap in that day or normally I was a pregame napper two hours, but I remember not getting to the hotel and not being able to sleep at all, but you get to the rink and you walk in and you're like, oh my gosh, this is it.
Tim: And going from a rake that held 7,000 people now you're at a rink that holds 16,000 or whatever. Landover held at the time you you're all excited. And coach says you're going to play, want you to shut Wayne Gretzky down tonight? And I was like, whoa, okay.
Tim: Just happy to be here. But my first face off was against him, and so you look across the face off and you're just like, oh my gosh, this is it. I'm here. This is I'm in the NHL. This is, and. The game goes by and you're almost into dreamland. Like it's like a, I dunno how to explain you're in a zone that it's, this real you're.
Tim: I think you're thinking that the whole time through the whole game and but it's it's something I'll never forget the, absolute wonderful feeling that you have and Yeah, I made it. And that was that day. I couldn't wait to get on the phone to call mom and dad and say, you know what? It was, I did what we wanted to do.
Tim: Just get that one game. And it's something you'll never forget. That's
Lance: so true. And, but once you get that one game, you want to get that second one? If I, for those of you listening, Tuques had a 15 year career Tuques and started it with Washington then to Quebec, then the Pittsburgh penguins Philadelphia flyers, LA Kings.
Lance: And then this is this, the NHL. He also played in Fredericton Baltimore. Skipjacks new Haven Nighthawks, Muskegon lumberjacks. My both my boys played there. And then Hershey and Providence when most of you don't know is that he played 106 games in the NHL. He was about a half a point, a game player, 22 goals and 36 assists.
Lance: But he just couldn't find it to get, to be an opportunity to be in everyday. In the NHL, but what the guy did do is mass some totals that are just staggering in a, in the AHL that put him right now as the fourth leading point getter of all time in the AHL. So tuques what a career just talk to me a little bit.
Lance: You're, Your wife, Sue and your daughter trusts are just a means so much to, to my, wife and I most people don't know, but tuques and his family, one of the years we played together and Hershey let let my wife and I stay with him for the season because we were a little tight on cash and they opened up their house to us.
Lance: So you know the, spouse of a hockey player is a. Is pretty special. You guys are a special group, but just talk about a little bit of the suitcase, a career that you had and being a part of so many different teams and organizations, and just how that affected your relationship with your wife.
Lance: Because I know that at times it a lot is put on them at a moment's notice. All of a sudden you get traded or you get sent down and they got to call it up and they're dealing with everything.
Tim: Yeah. I think one of the toughest things, especially for the wives is that if, you do get treated, it's you gotta go you're, leaving now.
Tim: You got to pack your bags, get on a plane or, get gone. And then they're left there with a house or an apartment and and then when you do go, you go there and you still don't know if you're staying see if you get treated and you go to the NHL. The well, are you digging to keep me up here or are they going to send me down?
Tim: You'd sold where everybody's left in limbo and it's, it is, it's a tough thing on the wives. And I'll tell you mine put up with a lot of stuff over all the years that I played. And the day that I was re put into the hall of American hockey league hall of fame I told her.
Tim: I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for her. She, that ring that I got in that trophy that I got is just as much hers as it is mine, because I never would have been able to do what I did before. It wasn't for her beside me and behind me. And then to add to that, she brings her our daughter into the world.
Tim: That's the greatest, joy in my life. Besides my wife that every day I get up, just so thankful just to be in their lives now, right now. But in my career, I got. Some of it bad breaks, bad timing. I my first trade, I got traded from Washington to Quebec and I got sent down and to Fredericton to play a game.
Tim: And they said, Tim, you're going to go there. You're going to play one game and never calling you up on Friday because you're going to play against Washington while I'll be darned in the second period of that game. I didn't go into the board's weird. And I broke my head. And I ended up having to have surgery on my hand and I was out for a month and a half.
Tim: That it happens. That's the way it goes. And so then I came back, I finished the season in Fredericton. Then work worked hard to get back, started in Fredericton the next year and worked my way up. We got a few games with Quebec, but they had their lineup and it was guy that was injured.
Tim: And you went in, you filled in for that guy. When he comes back, then I had to move. So it just happened like that. And then go into some organizations you get a little bit of a shot again like that, but or you get injured. Los Angeles. When I got there, and one knee, I hurt my knee, got surgery.
Tim: So then I worked my way to go back to new Haven, to get back into shape, to come back to LA, to play again. And then my last game in new Haven, the other knee gets taken out. So again, bad brakes. Yeah, just that's that's part of life, but I guess you get down in the dumps, but again, all was like, I never, I think we all get down in the dump on January.
Tim: I don't care who says they don't, but every hockey player gets homesick in January thing. And there's that little lull in your season. And I think we all have that and there's downers, but man, I got to look back now and I go like 90, 98% of the time, but I want it to be at that. And I wanted to, play the game.
Tim: And even now there's times when I, don't play, I haven't played for a while, but I've been getting back on the ice lately and coaching with my daughter a bit. And I love it. I still, I always will love it. It's a great game. I love to see people learn it. I learned a lot of things from a lot of different.
Tim: And as you now are coaching, you've been coaching for years to one of the greatest rules now for me is to take someone and show them something and have them grasp onto it and then see the excitement in their eyes so now, the circle's gone all the way around, right back as a player now I'm teaching the stuff that I learned,
Lance: so awesome.
Lance: Let's just you, had a lot of coaches that you cross paths w paths with and hopefully they were all trying to help you get to the next level, but just, is there one coach that maybe comes to mind throughout your career that really had a positive impact on you? And changed your trajectory or just your view of yourself?
Tim: I think. No, as a player and looking back, I think every coach we had, we learned something from them. There's a little bit, I take from this coach and from that coach, and there's a little bit there, but I think probably the one that sticks out the most would be John panic for me. He was an ex player, so I think he.
Tim: Sometimes coaches, they don't realize what players are feeling at a certain time or that. And I think what John was really good at was realizing like we're human beings and there's going to be things off I said happened. And you try not to bring it to the rink and try not to, show it in your play.
Tim: But there are things that happen in life that Make it tough some nights and they we watch a hockey game and you'll go to that guy. This doesn't look like he's playing too good tonight. And then you think wonder if he's got the flu or I wonder maybe there's something going on at home.
Tim: Or like my wife, she was in the hospital one time and I had never played 80 games. And she told me to get to the rink and go play the game. Then I got to the rink. John paddock says you shouldn't play. And I said, why not? And he goes your wife's in the hospital. And I said, yeah, but she's the one that told me to get here.
Tim: Here's I haven't played 80 games in it ever. And he's are you sure? And I'm like, yeah. And that's, so that was the respect I did. He had for us and I had for him. And he was a guy that you just want it to win for, wanted to play for. But he also had that in us. No, I need to go right now.
Tim: Let's put you guys, can you get me one? And you were like, yeah, we can do it. He took me from maybe a certain level and took me up a level because he made me believe that I could be a better player. And that the two years that I played under John, I had 97 points in the one year and had 120 for the next.
Tim: And those were two of the greatest years I ever had as a player. And not just selfishly, but with my teammates, that those two years too. I had some great linemates. We had great teams. We went to the color cup finals and lost, and those, it was just special and, everyone on that team wanted to play for that, man.
Tim: And that's something you take with you forever.
Lance: I love that because there's so many coaches along my journey that I had the same pat just friendship with, and you just didn't want a lot of downs. So it's cool to recognize that. This might be a tough question, but did you ever give up on Being an everyday player in the NHL.
Lance: The, if if I look at your stats here, three out of your last four years playing in the AHL, you had career years regarding points. I mean in year 12, you put up 105 points. You're 13, 108 points. And then in your 14th year, 89 points and 66 games those are monster seasons. Did you still think that there might be some team that says, gee, I'm going to give this guy a chance, one more luck?
Tim: I don't think so. I think I had come to the realization that I was going to be an American leaguer and but I was okay with that. Cause I was just happy to again, I just was happy to be playing and I realized that maybe. Teaching too. I was part of the guys coaching and I had players come up to me after and safety to thanks when I played with you, you always helped me with my face offs or you helped me with this.
Tim: And, I realized that, and a friend of ours, Don Olivette is a guy that I'll, I want to mention because he helped me to be that player in those last few years of my career. I used to get frustrated. I go take a shot and I miss, and then I'd be mad. So I'd miss again. And working with Don with Ali or Friday, all he said to me, he goes, who do you think you are?
Tim: And I was like, what do you mean? And he goes, oh, these goalies you're playing against. You think you're going to score on them every time these guys are guys that are getting ready to move up to the NHL. And all of a sudden it clicked in holy cow. Yeah. Who do I think I am? Yeah. And, I shouldn't be scoring every time.
Tim: Yes, I want to, but, and so I think in my last few years there, I learned to relax and really enjoy the game and just it didn't get frustrated like I did when I was younger and. I got to thank him a lot and all he wasn't our coach but he was our coach. You know what I mean? And I got to thank him because those last, few years might've been the funnest, like the years I played with you in those last years there I just, I was enjoying the game and enjoying just to be playing the whole.
Tim: That the NHL in the back of your mind, I think you're like maybe they'll call me up the playoffs or something, but realistically, you're just glad to be playing and loved playing. Yeah.
Lance: Just CNO the Ali man I've already made contact. He's going to be. A reoccurring guest on the show, trying to give a tips to our listeners on how to manage our thoughts.
Lance: And so here, I want to write your final curtain call. We all have that day. You look back on your hockey career. How special is it for you to be number four on the HL all the time point getters. And here's the totals I put yourself before, but I'm saying it again. Maybe I didn't 824 games scoring 353 goals, 621 assists for 974 points.
Lance: I wasn't a math guy and I have problems just adding that up too. That was amazing, man. Congratulations.
Tim: Yeah, thanks. I think all of us, when we set out to have a career, we want to do the best we can, but I don't know that I ever, thought that would happen or that I would put up those kinds of points or that I would be in the hall of fame or Go out and just, like I said, we go out and play.
Tim: We have fun. We do the best we can. And then when it's all over now, looking back, you're like in a way it's man, was that really me? But no, I'm very proud. And I'm thankful I was blessed to played with just wonderful guys. Great players. You included my friend. I can remember you said about scoring your, first goal.
Tim: And I can remember playing in games, trying to set you up. You run, you set me up and we were that kind of players that you wanted to, I honestly, still to this day would rather pass the buck to someone else and see them score. That's just, that's my nature. It always had. I thank Bobby Clark though for the one year.
Tim: Cause he told me weeks, you got to shoot the puck this year. You can't be passing all the time. And he was right. I scored 51 goals that year, so wow. Yeah. You look back and you go, thank you. Thanks for telling me that. But then later on in my career, they didn't know if I was going to shoot or not.
Tim: So we were worked out good. I'm very, proud very, thankful for the opportunities that I had, the people that I met. And you talked about you look back, would you change things? And I don't think I would, I don't think I would change anything, especially now when I'm with the situation that I have with my wife and my daughter and, where I'm sitting in life, I, you just gotta be.
Lance: Yeah, you can have enough gratitude in your life. My friend. So tell me is, hockey still part of your life in some way today?
Tim: It, stopped for a while. I got away from it. W daughter and wife are our Christmas Eve was a go skate or public skate. That was our, kind of our tradition.
Tim: And then I did coach a little bit through the mid 2015 in that area, I coached a little bit, helped some teams in Canada when I was home a bit. And then I got away from it. And then my daughter now has opened up a company, a hockey company to teach in Reno, Arizona, or Reno, Nevada.
Tim: I'm sorry. And so I'm involved a little bit with her helping to run some adult clinics right now. And I'm excited looking forward to, I got three more years of sprinkler fitting. That's what I do for a living. And after those three years, and we'll retire, then I'm going to start getting back into it where y'all.
Tim: Hopefully I can be on the ice just about every day. Holy cause. That's what I love to do full
Lance: circle. My man, full cert. Yeah. Oh
Tim: yeah. And I remember you to probably remember guys coming back home in the summer, teaching us right when we were kids. And so now yeah, we're that circle is coming around.
Tim: So now we can teach people and what a wonderful thing to be able to teach.
Lance: We're servants and our mechanism is hockey, yeah. And love it. I always say if I could do a first lesson here at the house every day, I would never have to go on vacation
Tim: again. It's not the truth, isn't it.
Tim: There's such an excitement. Isn't there. The thrill of seeing someone grab on to just lifting the puck off the. And seeing that smile on their face, knowing the feeling because we've been there. Yeah. I think it's so gratifying. So what's a, can
Lance: you, do you got a website that people can check it out here for, if they're in the Nevada area for Trista
Tim: Trista is it's Tookie hockey.
Tim: Tookie hockey.com I think. Okay. well.net. Sorry. Thank you. So there was, you heard that voice from down there, the QSO. Thank you, Sue. He said, you're welcome.
Lance: When I was when I was when I set up the interview with you, when we lived with you, I thought this popped into my head cause the microwave started beeping that it was.
Lance: And when I live with you guys, I don't know if it was a guy or if it was me we'd stay, I'm coming. I'm coming,
Tim: oh
Lance: yeah. Oh, so awesome. No I, still trust is just has accomplished so much.
Tim: Oh, yeah. And your sons do, buddy. Yeah.
Lance: Let's, talk about your daughter here for a second though. She's like a nuclear engineer or something.
Tim: How does she do well? She works for a max R and the or she's involved with the satellites that are put up into the, into space and she does work on she's working.
Tim: Part of the Sirius radio one she'd done a little work with a bunch of different companies. And so she, went to school and she became a physicist and she definitely got that from her mom, but I thought it was me.
Lance: I thought it was me all the puzzle early days with her.
Tim: Gee she's doing really good with that. And then also now with the hockey thing she, just, we just started it and we ran two, we've run two adult camps now. And she does private lessons in the mornings. And he does off-base lessons with people and she is just loving living where she is.
Tim: They actually, the ponds are frozen over near her. So she's out every day on these ponds and lakes. And or her, when she was younger, she was talking about trying to go the hockey road when she was in her teenage years. And then she wants no, I got to go to school. And so she went to school and kind of, she still played the hockey with, the people at school and stuff.
Tim: And, but now she's back into this new rink and Reno, ice, and she's. Got to be friends with Mike harder, who is the hockey director there, Mike's an X, H L player. And so she's learning to drive the Zamboni and learning to sharpen skates and she's teaching all different levels. And she's actually coaching a travel team, helping to coach you, 12.
Tim: So she's a one busy lady, but she's loving,
Lance: That's awesome. I, don't know about you. Anyone listening, I don't know anyone that works on satellites. And then has the, passion and just the niceness to be able to give back and to do what she's doing. So I kept five follow that young lady on.
Lance: Facebooker, so perfect. So before I let you go, I got one last question throughout my playing days and a 17 year coaching career, and today still getting in front of some super talented hockey players. All of you point producers you think the game different than us common folk like myself.
Lance: And the one thing that I noticed a lot with these. Highly skilled players all these years is that when they don't get any points or when they're in a slump let's put it this way. They're not very fun to be around. Can you give our listeners? Cause I know there's a lot of them that are chasing what, you achieved.
Lance: Can you give them some advice on some things to avoid and tips on how to think like a highly high end
Tim: I think, first of all, you got to think that the people that you're playing against are very good hockey players, and they're trying to shut you down. And that's their goal just as much as you're trying to put the puck in the net or make a great play.
Tim: And so you, you need to stay calm, relaxed. I think a lot of times in nowadays, Get too excited. We get two stimulated to pumped up and I think you need to play the game calm and cool and relaxed. And I think. One great lesson I learned was I got called up in the one year in the playoffs with the flyers and Dave pool and their captain.
Tim: He, we were on, I was, went out for a shift and I came back and I was just struggling to breathe and he just looked over and he said, heart rate down, heart, rate down heart rate down, relax. And, that. Was something that I grasped on and it remains with me today. And it's, that's what I try and teach is just stay calm, relax.
Tim: And we get so excited and even coaching, you get excited or you get angry at a situation. Just, you got to let it go and relax breathe, Come back down, take your time. And you're not going to score every game. You're not going to get a point every game that's life. That's the way things go.
Tim: And the funny thing is you get into those slumps and nine times out of 10, you're just going down the ice and a puck will hit you in the button, go on the net and you get a goal. And all of a sudden you can score again. It's weird how life works, but I think staying calm and trying to relax and realizing that the talent you're playing again.
Tim: They're just as good as you. And they're like, my daughter is you let she's great defenseman, defensive defenseman. She did not, she does not want to get scored on. And she takes as much pride in that as I would take in trying to set up a player, get a goal and she's going to, she's going to try and shut me down just as much as I'm going to try and score.
Tim: And he got to learn that's going to happen. Sometimes you're not always going to score it. Just all he said,
Lance: So I I'll never forget this tuques I think I was on a three or a four month slump where I hadn't scored a goal. And I asked you what, should I do? And you said just you gotta get more shots.
Lance: You gotta if you're not, if you get one shot a game, then you gotta try to get two shots, increase your numbers. But with all. We didn't have that conversation. Cause I didn't give a crap, but scoring goals.
Tim: I loved why. No the funny thing too though, is I think Wayne was the one that said that you can't score and if you don't shoot you think about that and you go in a game and you get to the end and you are, so you are a guy that gets points and not, and all of a sudden you go, gee, you had one shot tonight, walk, you know what?
Tim: You're not going to get many goals with just one shot in the game. That is a good mindset thing to think about and it's Wayne was always in there. It's never a bad shot. Throw it at that net. So to
tim_tookey_hockey_journey_ep7.mp4_HD: excite,
Lance: I you know what I really looked forward to, doing this interview because you were such a big part of my experience, my wife and I as experienced when we were in Hershey with, you and Sue and Trista you had.
Lance: An unbelievable career. You were a mentor to me and so many ways the guy got me passionate about playing the guitar cause he's a pretty dark accomplished. And we just we've had so many, we had so many memories together, and I just I'm so grateful that I was able to Just hear your story because a lot of this, I, I didn't know.
Lance: And congratulations on being a fourth on the HL all time point, get her list the, that is nothing but passion what's cool too, is that the guy that's ahead of yet Jody is a Jody gage. You guys were at the same time. To see you guys let's quickly talk about that a little bit.
Lance: How much did that feed off? Did you guys feed off of each other? When you're, in a race like that because every year you guys were at the top of the scoring board.
Tim: It's, neat too. I think both number nines playing on the two teams that we played against, we were definitely rivals all that.
Tim: And I wouldn't have run into Jody and finally had a chance to sit and talk to him and our wives met and it was kinda neat. It was neat to see. How similar our careers were with injuries and things and how things didn't work out. And, but he said our team was going, Hey, make sure we shut down number nine.
Tim: And their team is doing the same thing. He said the conversation was the same in our dressing room, as it was in your show. Don't let that guy loose tonight. And if I was on the ACE, I didn't want him getting any more points and he didn't want me getting any more, but it was a fun thing in a way, but.
Tim: No, it is pretty neat to see our careers when we looked at it, how similar they were.
Lance: Yeah. And it was just as a spectator, just witnessing mastery every night it was, no, it was true. At two weeks you were the most skilled player that I've ever been on the ice with. And you, had taught me so much, it was a fun run. I am so glad that we were able to do this. I miss you guys and I guess I'm going to have to go to Nevada sometime and you, and maybe talk to some kids a little bit. Talk, talk to them a little about hockey.
Tim: That sounds good. Maybe get a camp set up or something. Yeah.
Lance: I just like a little couple day trip now.
Tim: Yeah. But that's not even just scribble days. We'll do a couple of sessions and a little talk off ice and then spend some time together. Absolutely.
Lance: Just so you know, I don't go on the ice anymore. It hurts my body. Yeah. So I haven't been on the ice in a couple of years, but I, saw the off ice little area that trust has got down there and it definitely can work in that.
Tim: All right. That sounds good. Yeah. We look forward
Lance: to thank you, Tim, for being on the hockey journey podcast. You're my first actually, or my second guest, but you're my first male guest. So you're still number one. Okay.
Tim: All right, buddy. Thank you. Hey, congratulations to you too. You had a pretty darn good career
Lance: too.
Lance: My well, thank you. We're only as good as our teachers and you were a great. You passed on a lot of information to me and prepared me. It just took me a little longer to get my 10,000 hours in and get my, first.
Tim: Yeah, but you got there buddy, and that's what, all that. And you
Lance: know what, two weeks I had the same dream one day it came to me where I wanted to play one NHL.
Lance: I sweetened the deal a little bit. And I said, I'd also like a hockey card.
Tim: Yeah I hear you got that.
Lance: Yes, I'm so grateful. You guys came into my life. Congratulations on an unreal hockey career. I'm glad life is treating you well, and thank you for continuing to pass on your knowledge to other hockey players.
Lance: And I looked forward to seeing all you guys down the
Tim: road soon. Same here. Bye. It was a pleasure being here with you and look forward to getting together with you again soon. Awesome.
Lance: That's a wrap for episode number seven, the hockey journey of my good buddy, Tim Turkey. I want to thank you for stopping by for.
Lance: If you think someone in your circle of family and friends might enjoy, tuques the story. Please share it with one person. It really helps me in growing this hockey community. Again, I appreciate you being here. Don't forget to subscribe. I hope to see you back here soon and do me a favor. Make someone close to you.
Lance: Smile today. All the best. My friends.
