71: Over(Age) Achievement with Dylan Edwards

0:00Justin: Hey, Eddie, how's it going? Welcome to the AudPod where we're talking Kitchener Rangers hockey with the AudBalls themselves, Andrew and Justin.

0:20Dylan Edwards: Take it away, fellas. Toronto born. Came up through the Greater Toronto Hockey League program. Played, played four and a half seasons with the Erie Otters before coming to the Kitchener Rangers in December to become one of the Rangers biggest offensive drivers for the rest of the regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup. He is now an OHL all Star, an OHL champion, a Memorial Cup champion, and has one of the most badass trophy pictures of all time. Dylan Edwards joins me on the AudPod today. Welcome.

0:54Justin: Yeah, thanks. I'm excited to do this. I've always been seeing them on my feed. So now I'm here.

0:59Dylan Edwards: Now you're here. Now you're in the belly of the beast. So, you know, you know, the AudPod. We're here for hard hitting journalism. Where is the bloody jersey?

1:11Justin: To be honest, I was actually just looking to see. It was hung up. No, the bloody jersey. I think. I think the blood got washed out after.

1:18Dylan Edwards: Oh, no.

1:20Justin: Yeah. Had to use it for the MEM cup, so.

1:23Dylan Edwards: Oh, man.

1:24Justin: I tried to keep. I tried to keep it, but I don't know if I was allowed to do that.

1:28Dylan Edwards: I think that should have been like framed like in the. In the Hockey hall of Fame, they have a Memorial Cup section. I think that jersey should be in the Hockey hall of Fame with the Memorial Cup. That is.

1:40Justin: Yeah, I don't. I don't disagree. Not my, not my choice.

1:44Dylan Edwards: That, that moment was pretty epic. The you guys win in the OHL Championship. You skate towards Kershaw. Kirsch throws his stick up in the air. What. What happens? What do you even remember from that moment?

1:55Justin: I just remember counting down the seconds and then I end up skating, skating towards like, you know, Kirsche. We're all celebrating and I just feel something hit my head. Like it didn't feel like it was so like how bad it actually was. I was just like, oh. Like something hit me in the head and I'm like, oh. And I'm in the pile. Like, I guess you can see Ando's jersey. I think Soupy it was. They're all covered in blood after the fact. But I'm sitting there with my hand on and I take my hand off and my hands like covered in blood and I forget who I look to. But I was like, is it bad? They're like, yeah. And I was like, okay, so then maybe we have a problem. So I ski it over. You Know, grab a towel because I didn't want to leave. Like, we're celebrating. I want to get stitches in the moment. So I guess that's how the bandana came about was, you know, kind of bandana up and go.

2:43Dylan Edwards: If you're going to get pictures with a trophy and that's the way you look like. You literally look like you went through battle to get there, there.

2:49Justin: So, yeah, yeah, no one needs to know. That was my own teammate.

2:54Dylan Edwards: Obviously you and your. Your brother as well. A big, big in the OHL here. How. How did the. How did the hockey journey all begin?

3:02Justin: It was when I was young, four or five maybe. I don't really remember the. The age I was, but I remember my uncle getting me into it. My mom or dad didn't really play growing up. My dad didn't play at all. My mom didn't play it at all. So my uncle actually took me out skiing, whatever. I liked it and kind of just grew off of there. And then my family has basically just adapted, the hockey family and continued to grow as a hockey family and drive rink to rink and train all here and there and kind of just grew upon us.

3:33Dylan Edwards: And obviously playing with your brother in Erie, like, that's a pretty unique experience to be able to play together. How was that?

3:41Justin: Yeah, it was pretty special. Obviously him getting drafted. The same organization at the time was super cool. And, you know, there's always a thought of playing together and he's a great player. So I knew hopefully before I got my time with Don in the ohl, he come in and play with me, and it ended up being the same year he got drafted. He got called up during playoff right before playoffs. Sturden played well and was there for his first goal. So, yeah, it was unbelievable. Cool. So, yeah, it's a special opportunity because, you know, you don't really get to play with your brother. You know, some people play against their brother, but not many people play with their brother. So, you know, going to the rink every day, seeing him and, you know, just living my life with him and, you know, just going the rink together, it's awesome.

4:22Dylan Edwards: Have you guys. Have you guys always been close, growing up and everything?

4:26Justin: Yeah, we've been. We've been super tight. Me and my. Me and my two brothers were always tight. We're playing, me and Kaden, we always train together, so it's a good competitive battle on the ice. It pushes me to get better and pushes him to get better. So, you know, we feed off each other a bit, and it's awesome.

4:45Dylan Edwards: You said just before we got on here that you were. You were helping your dad paint the garage. Does he also have to help your dad paint the garage?

4:51Justin: Yeah.

4:52Dylan Edwards: Okay, good.

4:52Justin: Yeah, we were. We were both in there, and then the little one, Brody, he's like 12, he was kicking around. All right, what do I need to do next? And then we'll send him off on a side mission and. Yeah, it's pretty fun.

5:04Dylan Edwards: Okay, good. So the whole family's together for the summer. That's. That's pretty awesome. Yeah. You obviously won the Memorial Cup. Have you had your day with the cup yet?

5:11Justin: No, it's coming up and it's 10 days now, so I'm looking forward to that.

5:15Dylan Edwards: Nice. Do you have big plans for it or.

5:17Justin: Yeah, I think you're gonna have a bunch of people come by, everyone that I kind of know, family, friends, people that helped me get here, and kind of anybody who really wants to see it that knows me. So it's not like a crazy open thing to the public or whatever. It's just kind of people I know and stuff like that.

5:32Dylan Edwards: So is your. Is your. Are you in Toronto? Is your family in Toronto still?

5:36Justin: Yeah, yeah, we're in Toronto area, so

5:38Dylan Edwards: I'm not trying to dox you here or anything. Trying.

5:41Justin: Yeah. You're good.

5:43Dylan Edwards: Nice. That's. That's awesome. Eating anything or drinking anything out of the Cup?

5:47Justin: Probably. I'm sure. I don't know, probably my last time seeing it for a while, unless I see it kicking around or. But yeah, I'll try to do some stuff with it, have some fun with it, take it for a ride, whatever, and enjoy my day with it.

6:01Dylan Edwards: Nice. You get the whole day with it. That's like the.

6:04Justin: Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty. It's pretty cool.

6:07Dylan Edwards: That's awesome. I. I saw some of the. The other guys have had pictures up and stuff about with their days with the Cup. It seems like it's a. It's a pretty fun day. Uh, all right, so. So let's. Let's talk a little bit about you, how you came to the Kitchener Rangers.

6:19Justin: Yeah, obviously getting traded was a different experience. I've never been traded before, so I knew I was gonna. I had the Aud I was getting traded, just didn't know when and where. So, you know, you get called in and you're being told you're traded to Kitchener, and first you think of playing the Aud and how hard that was to. Now you're on the same side as it. So I was pretty special. And then once I Found out and everything was official. I was texting Prids, actually went to high school with Pridz for a bit. So I was texting him all fired up. And yeah, I was looking forward to, you know, getting there and seeing all the new faces and meeting new people, coaches and. But yeah, it was. It was sad to say bye. You know, you're there for four years, you spend a lot of time with your billets. Tough saying bye to them. Tough saying buys the guy that you've been there since year one. So obviously a tough moment. And then especially saying bye to my brother because, you know, you might. Might be the last time you play together in your career. So, yeah, it was a tough day. Guys gave me a signed jersey of all the guys on the team, which was pretty cool.

7:24Dylan Edwards: So that's really nice.

7:25Justin: Yeah, but. But get in the kitchen. You know, you pack up your stuff, you drive along your way and you get there at 9 o' clock and, you know, you meet your new billet and you kind of just plop your stuff down. You're not really unpacked yet. We ended up playing the next day in Sarnia, so kind of wanted to get there and get ready for that game. I. Probably my worst game of the season, that game, just because, you know, all the commotion, emotional stress, and, you know, you're just tired. But after that, it was all. All settled in. The guys are great. They welcomed me. Yeah, just. It was a great group of guys. Like, I knew from the moment I got there it was a special group just because you got there and everyone welcomed you so openly and, you know, you grow the friendships and whatever and so on and so forth. But yeah, being the first. First guy traded there was. It was like you knew they're going for it in a way because obviously they missed out on the bid and that was a big thing. Obviously the whole league knew if got the bid, you were waiting till next year to go in, and if not, you had the piece to go in this year. So being that first piece, you Andrew who's coming in after you. If you're the only piece. You know, there's a lot going through your mind, but you show up there really willing to play and be ready to go. So as the pieces came along, you know, you got. You got Cherry, and then Ando comes back out of from the A, and that was a big pickup. And then you get rumblings of Peanut and Wolf and they come along and it's like, wow, okay. Like, we're. We're really good here. So it was, it was super cool, you know, seeing the. I called it. Me and my family were like, the Avengers are assembling. All the guys are coming in. And it was pretty cool going against guys that you hated playing against now on your team.

9:03Dylan Edwards: Yeah, I was going to ask, like, so, yeah, Erie, Kitchener, London, all these guys, you know, you've played against them a lot because they are division rivals and conference rivals and you don't really

9:14Justin: bring it up that much. You kind of just go about like, hey, how's it going? And then I don't know, there's a couple times like throughout the years, maybe two months, and it was like, hey, remember that time we played against you? You said something and I was like, oh, no, I don't remember that. Yeah, so it's, it gets to that point where it's like, oh, like you remember that? And I'm like, nope, no, do you? And you know, you play against guys and it's like you have this huge hatred towards them. You play against them, but then you go on their team, it's like, wow, you're a really nice guy. Like, I kind of gotta enjoy hanging around you on the ice. I didn't really like you. So it's a good thing to have on your team because personally I like hard playing against guys that play. Play you hard. So being on the same side of them was nice.

9:57Dylan Edwards: I feel like you hear this all the time from the NHL guys. It's like, you know, the most annoying guys on the ice are the. Sometimes the friendliest guys off the ice. So.

10:05Justin: Oh yeah, yeah, that's. That's how you gotta be, right? No friends on the ice. So once you get on the ice, it's. It's a war zone. But yeah, that guys are great. It's a great group.

10:15Dylan Edwards: Little bit of, little bit of goldfish brain there too, with some of the remembering of old times.

10:21Justin: Yeah, it's. Oh, yeah, no, we're on the same team now. We're good.

10:26Dylan Edwards: So who did, who did you connect with once all the sort of the pieces were in place, trade deadline hits, you know, Ando's back, all those things. Like, who did you sort of connect with early on with the team right off the bat?

10:39Justin: I don't know, it's just kind of, you know, being to myself, you know, chiming in on conversations, just kind of feel the room a bit. But I was sitting next to Arky, he's a great guy. So we kind of chimed in a bunch. And then my roommate Romano, we drive the ring together. Every day, so it was awesome. And then you got the guys you just, you know, you kind of gravitate towards. Everyone was nice on the Tommy Kut you always got those guys that live close to you hanging all the time. So Humselli, Kneeler, all the boys there. And then when Peter and Wolf came, those guys were great to hang around. Everyone was great to hang around. Ando, you could go on the whole list was amazing. Like on every day. At one point in the season, we were hanging out with a different group every day, doing something every day, and it was. It was awesome.

11:24Dylan Edwards: I didn't realize you were. You were roommates with Romano. Do you got any. Got any stories about Luca Romano there?

11:30Justin: I remember we always make pizza, the homemade pizza. So nice. He was a good chef there. So he. He cooked up some good pizzas. I attempted. I tried to make some and then ended up making better. So I was just like, this. This one's on you. This one's on you. So. But yeah, I know he was a great time.

11:47Dylan Edwards: Did he have a staple pizza? Sorry, now I'm. Now I'm going to talk about pizza forever. Yeah. Did you have a steeple staple pizza he made?

11:56Justin: Not. Not really. We just kind of find. Found all the meats in the fridge and threw them on there. And. Yeah, I don't know. It was good, but he actually introduced me to the hot sauce ranch duo, so it was unbelievable.

12:08Dylan Edwards: All right.

12:09Justin: Yeah.

12:10Dylan Edwards: You're a changed man now.

12:12Justin: Yeah, I actually am. Anytime I have pizza, it's because of him. Now,

12:20Dylan Edwards: Mike McKenzie, he. One of the things he said in the. In the press release when. When you were. When they. When the Rangers traded for you, very much paraphrasing what he said, but he. He essentially said, you're a clutch guy, and that's what. That's what he wanted. So, like, now. Now you're part of this team. It sort of looks like a powerhouse going down the stretch. Like, and the Aud then you get to the playoffs and 10. You won 10 games from you. You lost Game 3 against Windsor, and then you won 10 straight, which included sweeping the finals of the OHL championship and sweeping the Memorial Cup tournament. Like, there's something special in the water for that to happen.

12:56Justin: Well, when everyone first gets there, it's like, okay, like, at first it was just pure skill. Everyone took over. Like, you just have good players playing with good players, making good plays. And first couple of games were just pure skill. We were winning games. And then, you know, as guys build closer relationships and continue on in the Season, we're getting the points of like eight game win streaks where it's like, hey, like, we're really good here because, you know, you get to develop a relationship with all the guys. You know, for me personally, coming as a trade, you get to develop a relationship with all the guys and come like, it was maybe mid February. We were like 10 in a row at one point. And I was like, hey, we're really, really good. Like, and we just kept building and building and building and building. And it was like it all. It was getting scary. I was like, we should go into every game winning this game. And that was our mindset. We can't. This game is a must win game. So. Yeah, and it starts with our coaches, too. Our coaches were prepared for every game, you know, giving us what we needed to win and then strengthen us up during the week. And there was just so many helping factors to make sure we were ready to go. And it didn't matter anything else outside the game, as long as you win that game. That's what's going on. And we kind of showed up ready to go. And throughout playoffs, you know, we swept SAG and then we ended up dropping one against the Soo And it kind of helped us because at one point we were, I think the game we dropped, we were up by two going to third and we were playing not to lose. We were playing like passive dump, chase, stay back. You know, we weren't playing like we normally play to play to win. So I think that game was a big turning point in our season to the point where we were like, hey, this is going to help us a lot. And then, you know, you go and play on Windsor. And we were, we were really good against Windsor. And then you lose one and it's like, hey, this, we're, we're fine. Like, we were so confident. We knew going into this playoffs that we were the team to beat. So we just kind of played that swagger, play with that swagger of we know we're the best. And obviously you don't say it aloud, but you kind of have that personal confidence in knowing that you should be winning these games. And it allowed people to play with confidence and make your plays and then playing for the guy next to you. I've said it before, but everyone in the room is willing to do something for the guy next to the Aud it was unbelievable. And then, you know, getting to the MEM cup tournament, obviously it's the four best teams of the leagues. It should be. And you know, you show up just you have no clue of anybody else in the league how they play, what this. And then our coaches prepare us and it's just go out there and play hockey. So we were so well prepared from our practices. And then the personal aspect, guys were willing to do anything, so I think it just kind of built off, you know, every little thing leading up to that point. So. Guys are amazing. And yeah, it was. It was scary how good we were at one point.

15:53Dylan Edwards: Well, scary in the best possible way.

15:55Justin: Yeah, I know, I know. If I were playing against Softs, I'd be scared. So they're good.

16:01Dylan Edwards: That's got to feel pretty good to be a part of.

16:04Justin: Yeah.

16:05Dylan Edwards: Okay. Talking about coaching a little bit here, you know, we've. We have the AudBalls Andrew and I have pretty strong opinions of how intimidating UCAHS is to come in as a coach. How is it. How is it joining his. His squad? And now we've seen some lighter sides of him, especially winning lightens him up a little bit. But how was it coming into that system with Flynnar and. And Kazakis? Like, how. How is that coming into that situation?

16:38Justin: I remember first being traded there and, you know, me meeting everybody, introducing yourself and, you know, you kind of go around, hey, nice to meet you, I'm Dylan, blah, blah. And, you know, you get to UC and he's got this, like, straight stone cold look, like, are we friends? Like, what's going on here? And the Aud first I was really intimidated because, you know, you play against the Aud you see him and you hear him and I'm like, okay. Like, it's not a guy I need to be messing around with. But then, you know, after the first day, I'm like, hey, like, is he good? Are you mad at me? He's like, no. He's like that all the time. He's great. And then, you know, you see him yelling at guys in practice and he turns around laughing, and I'm like, this guy is the most unserious person there is. So he's. He's the ultimate best guy. Like, you know, he's hard on you and he'll make sure you're doing your job. But he loves having fun. Yeah. And then the cracks and flair. Those guys are the best guys ever. You could talk to them about anything. You go up to him, be like, hey, like, how's your day going? Or, you know, you just chop it up for however long. And I don't know, it was the, like, they were. They were coaches, but obviously they were like your buddies. You can you know, have fun with them, talk with them, laugh with the Aud was awesome. Like, we were. We were doing pranks at one point in the year, and they were hopping in on the Aud was awesome.

17:53Dylan Edwards: We've. We're. We're well aware of the sauna culture in the Kitchener Rangers. Were you able to hit the sauna with uc or. Or did you have to bow out?

18:05Justin: No, I. Funny story, actually. I got there, you know, you see the coaches going in, whatever, and the one day I was, like, recovering. I was in the hot tub, cold tub, whatever, and the coaches were in there. I was like, I'm gonna sauna today. Like, see what. See what it's all about. So I get in there, and it's. It's at a pretty hot temperature to begin with. And, like, I haven't really gone in the sauna prior to this. Like, I've gone a couple times, but I get in the sauna, and UC pours more water on, and I'm sitting there. My ears are on fire. I can't breathe. I'm like. He said like this all the time. Yeah. If not worse. So that guy can handle some serious heat. I'll give him that. The coaches, they'd be in there, and that thing would be like blazing heat, and I'm like, wow. But the Aud But then after, when I go in by myself, I'd be like, oh, it kind of felt nice. Like, I felt good the next day. So he kind of.

18:57Dylan Edwards: There might be something to it.

19:00Justin: Yeah, some. Something to do with that. All I know is scorching hot that first day, and I couldn't even breathe.

19:07Dylan Edwards: That's hilarious. Yeah.

19:08Justin: Yeah, it's. Funny story.

19:10Dylan Edwards: That's pretty. That's pretty much the. The. The word on the street going back to the OHL playoffs, Western Conference final in the Aud AudPod. Listeners will know Luke Elena's, you know, majority stakeholder in the Windsor Spitfires. He. He owns them pretty hard. You got that overtime winner that clinched the Western Conference championship. Did you get him a minority stakeholdership in the Windsor Spitfires, or how did that go?

19:39Justin: That was fun. That was like. I don't know. I remember watching it back a couple times, and, like, it'll come across my feed randomly these days. And it was just such a crazy, eventful moment, that game. I remember, I was like, you know, you go into the game and they get three quick ones, and I think I was dash two or dash three. After three, nothing for the Aud I was like, oof. It's not a way you want to start your game. So coaches made some lineup changes. I ended up playing with Romes and I think Prid's on my wing. And then Ellenis was with Thompson, Pia. So they switched around the top six and I was like, all right, like, let's go. So. Because obviously, you know, dash three and the first three goals are not what you want to do, but as the game go on, you kind of feel the momentum rising. And I think it was three one, three two scored to make it four two. And then we went into the third down. Four two, right?

20:34Dylan Edwards: Yes.

20:35Justin: Yeah. Yeah. So we're in. And we're in the room. Like, I remember UC coming and says, this is our game. And we're down two, going to third. We got 20 minutes left to score two, tie the game and hope they don't give up. We don't give up one to make it a 54 game. So we're like, this is our game. I remember walking out of the bathroom and the guy Sam O'Reilly forget who. I think it might have been peanuts, some Eagles. This two goal lead is the worst lead in hockey. I was like, okay, so it's brewing up right now and you know, we're walking out. Make it four, three. And then Supys was the fourth one, right?

21:06Dylan Edwards: Yeah, I think so.

21:07Justin: Yeah. Yeah. And I kick it to Prince. Prince messes it. I was like, oh, there was our chance. Prid slings it out to Rome's realms, misses it. Soup. He's sitting in the slot wide open. I just see the puck go in and the place erupted. And that was insane. I remember that. It was like pure emotion. Just like out of this world. Crazy. And then, you know, you go to overtime. 4, 4. And it's like, someone's got to be the hero. Yeah. And you, you know, you always want it to be you or the guy next to you or like you just want to win the game. And it doesn't matter who gets it, it's just someone's got to do it. And as the game goes on, I think there might have been five minutes left. They had. They had a really, really good chance in front of our net. And I thought it was over. I was on the bench and I was like, oh, we're going to Windsor.

21:48Dylan Edwards: Yeah. Kirsch had an unbelievable save there.

21:51Justin: Yeah. Yeah, we're going to Windsor for game six. Obviously you don't want to make that. And you know, you don't see the puck. You don't see the puck. And then all you just hear is a roar of the puck being cleared, and that was the Soo of relief. And then as the game goes on, I remember it was kind of a broken play.

22:06Dylan Edwards: They.

22:07Justin: I think they missed the breakout and got up to Rome's, and it was a nothing play, really. And I just, you know, found some open ice, and I remember just shooting that and kind of black out. The moment you just see the puck go in, you black out. You know, you don't really hear the crowd at the moment because you're just like, watch this happen. But it's just pure emotion. And, yeah, it was. It was an unbelievable feeling. I remember looking to Wolf after I said, wow, this feels great, because we were winning and, you know, you won the west, and it's like, wow, this feels great. Let's go on and win The. The whole thing. And then, you know, you build off. The. The winning feeling is so amazing.

22:42Dylan Edwards: It's. It was almost worth. Like, it was probably worth losing a game just to get that. That win in Kitchener in the Aud Like, oh, yeah.

22:51Justin: Looking back at it now in the moment, losing, dropping a game in Windsor suck. But, you know, coming home against in a crowd full of 7,000 people was. Oh, it was special. I remember sitting there, just looking around, hearing the siren before the game, and the. Let's go, Rangers. It. It was pretty special. Special thing to be a part of.

23:10Dylan Edwards: the Aud is a. Like, obviously, we are called the AudPod. We're pretty. We're pretty close to the Aud But you know how you. You said earlier that the Aud was a. It was a place that was intimidating to play again, to play in as an. As an opponent, but then coming in to the Aud especially during a playoff run, when the team is playing as strong as you guys were, like, how. How was it playing there? Like, what was the difference between there and Erie and other places you've played and.

23:39Justin: Well, it just. It feels like the environment of people just being on top of you and screaming on you. It's not like a echoing sound. It's like you hear the crowd and. I don't know. When I was on Erie, I hated the Goal song with a passion. Every time you hear that thing, you just duck your head and it's like the.

23:55Dylan Edwards: Whoa.

23:56Justin: It was horrible. I hated it on Erie. And then you get here and you score one for yourself, and it's like, I kind of like this, but it's just a special place to play. And, you know, every night, didn't matter if it was a Tuesday against whoever, but Friday night at the Aud it was. That was A special night. Just because, you know, you have your fans there and they're, they're allowing. You listen around low Canada and people are singing along. It was just, it was, it was a sick thing to be part of.

24:25Dylan Edwards: So you pack it up. You, you, you win the OHL championship. How does that, how did that feel that. That night you guys were in, Barry, you know, you get on the bus, you come back to the Aud You guys, you guys had a little party there and like, how was, how was, how was that? And then how is the mental shift from that to the Memorial Cup, like a week and a half later or whatever? It was

24:49Justin: like right away, it was obviously the bus ride back was probably pretty fun for everyone on that bus. You know, you just won the league. So we, we had, we had our fun. It was, it was a special time. Something I'll never forget. Um, yeah, it was, it was a real, real fun time. So. But once, you know, the couple days were off, the two, three days or whatever it was of winning, it's like we, we got. So we still got more to do. And I don't remember seeing the trophy after those two or three days. It was. And it was out of sight, out of mind. We got another thing to focus on because, you know, it's nice when the O. But you go to Kelowna and you know, just participate in the tournaments, like, ah, whatever. We lost. And the Memorial Cup doesn't feel as, you know, as accomplishing. So going there, we knew we had a job to do. And you know, if you win the Memorial Cup, it would be a season success. So that was our plan right off the bat, you know, have your fun. And the Aud was straight to focus on Kelowna.

25:49Dylan Edwards: How do you prep for the Memorial Cup? Like, how do you guys prepare for teams you've never faced? You don't really know what they're on about.

25:56Justin: Just as much Prescott as you can. You know, you watch their tendencies of how they forecheck, of how they, you know, track in the zone D zone overager ozone, their face off plays, and then individual players, you know who to look for and you know their tendencies. There's not much you can do. Like, honestly, I don't. You know, you look around and you watch how they play, but once you get out there, everything, you still keep it in your mind. But it's like we're playing like this is real. They're not going to not be predictable. So you kind of just go out there and play. And that's why we're so good, because we can go out there and just take control of the game. I don't know. The Prescott stuff, you know, helps, you know, seeing who they are and how it works. But once you get out there, it's just you versus the Aud there's nothing that stops that.

26:43Dylan Edwards: Yeah, for sure. Memorial Cup champion. Tell me about that. What was that game like?

26:48Justin: That game was actually really stressful. You know, on the way to the rink, you. You don't really want to think it's your last game, you know, as an overager. It's your last game in the league.

27:00Dylan Edwards: Yeah.

27:00Justin: This is win or lose. You. You win, you're a champion. You lose, your better luck next time. So I remember on the way to the game, I was. I was really excited, but I was also, like, in the stage of, like, this is my last game. Like, I cannot lose this one. And, you know, going to the rank, you. You don't want to think about it at all. At all. You just want to go there, and it's just another game. You play. You play how you play. You warm up. How you warm up. Everything stays the same. And once you get out there, everything's just amplified. It's. It's just another game until, you know, the final buzzer rings and, you know you're a champion. But throughout the game was. I remember we were getting out shot. We had, like, four days off prior because we had the buy, and we're getting out shot. And I remember Ali missed, you know that he fakes the goal. He goes around him and miss. And I was like, okay, like, we got some life here. And then we ended up scoring first. Yeah, we ended up scoring first.

27:54Dylan Edwards: I think Ellie scored first, didn't he?

27:56Justin: He.

27:56Dylan Edwards: He got that chance and then he got one.

27:58Justin: Yeah, yeah, we ended up scoring. I was like, okay, that relieves some pressure. And they score right back. And I was like, okay, like, one one. We're back to square one. And then, you know, as the game goes on, we get our legs under us and continue. We start dominating more, and we weren't sitting back as much. And then, you know, you come in and game continues. And then I get the chance and I end up scoring or. No, they. They scored first and got taken back, right?

28:24Dylan Edwards: Yeah. You guys were down two one and then. Yes.

28:27Justin: Yeah. So we. They scored to make it two 1. And we're sitting there, and we don't really know what's happening. We don't know if it's no goal goal. Right. And we're sitting on the bench Whatever happens here, we gotta. We gotta wake up. That was our saving grace. And for me personally, that was the TSN turning point of the game. All right, like, time to wake up. Now we look around the bench and is yelling down like, we got our chance now let's go. Take advantage of this because, you know, being down 2:1 in a final game, they're going to be playing hard. So just to go down two one would be in a tough situation for us. But I still like our odds in that situation. But being one one with a disallowed goal kind of gives us momentum to be better. And I end up scoring the goal to make it two 1. And I was like, hey, we're playing good here. I like our game. And then we make it 3:1. And then we go into the third period with a 5 on 3. And I said, at least. We just need at least one. Make this a three goal lead, because if they get one, it's a 32 game. But I like our odds better 41 than 3 2. And we're talking about in the room, and we're sitting there and we're talking over our power plays. We know we're getting one going in and right. And I'm sitting there and I was, like, talking to Prince because we were both along the goal line. I said, pridz, if you take a step, I might be there. He goes, okay, I'll look for you. And if not, I'm going five hole. I was like, sounds good. So we get out there, we snap it around, whatever goes down to Pridz. Pridz looks at me, wasn't there. Zips it five holes. Like, wow, that was kind of impressive. He said what he was doing, and it went in like. He described it detail for detail of how I was going. And I was like, not bad. And then we ended up getting another one off their skate, and it's 5:1. I said, okay, we're. We're good here. Obviously keep playing our game, but, like, we can't take these guys lightly. They might pull some. They might pull their goal to 10 minutes left, try to get some goals, and then the game continues. And they make it 5:2. And I was kind of getting nervous because, like, you know, that's my. The side of, like, I wasn't nervous in a sense. It was like, we gotta keep playing because this could be five three quick or five four. And then we're in a game and everyone on the bench is, you know, we're. We're going off their shift after Shift after shift, and you come back and you slowly see the clock start ticking. And then we get a penalty late and it's five, two. And I was still confident in ourselves, like, I knew we were gonna win the game, but it's like, you don't wanna think you're gonna win before you win because that's how stuff happens. And you just slowly see the clock ticking and it's like a minute left and I think hump scores, right, but like a minute left or something.

31:07Dylan Edwards: I think so, yeah. Empty. Empty Netter. Yeah.

31:09Justin: Yeah, something like that. And it's 6:2. And that was the point where I was like, okay, they need four goals in a minute. Like, we did it. And I'm start hopping around the bench, looking at guys like, we did it. And you see the guys out there, the clock's ticking, the clock's tick, and then you just jump over and it's just pure excitement of, you know, we're. We. We won the Mortar cup and that's everything you dream of coming in the ohl. And, yeah, that's every team's goal at the start of the year. And to be a part of that team was special.

31:37Dylan Edwards: Oh, man, it. I. It was a. Like, I know obviously it was exciting for you, it's exciting for your family, exciting for the Tommy Kut this was exciting for, like, the fans have been just dying for this too. Like, it. It just felt like we, Andrew and I were at the Aud We were watching at the. The party there and it was just like, you know, we were all. We. I think we were all the same with you. We were all kind of standing. We were all kind of hopping around going, okay, it's four goals. Like, it's.

32:02Justin: Yeah.

32:02Dylan Edwards: What you just described felt very real. And man, when. When that, when that final buzzer went, like the emotion you guys had, the emotion the fans had. There were a lot of fans in the. In the arena that day watching you guys, and man, it was just a. It was like a unbelievable community moment too. Like, just. Just a phenomenal moment. So I hope you guys felt the love too.

32:23Justin: Yeah. Oh, yeah. The kid. The kid side of me, you know, growing up and seeing all these players play in front of all these fans and, you know, just like the kid side of me, seeing people packed in the rink and the support coming out to Colona, it was. It was special. The kid side of me really appreciated, you know, everything that the city welcomed me with. And then as the run continued on, the fans kept pouring in and everything just got more amplified to the point where it was like, wow, this is pretty cool. And yeah, it was special for me personally. This is my kid self talking of like, wow, this is pretty cool. Just looking around and seeing the support. It was awesome. Yeah.

33:06Dylan Edwards: Oh, that's great. overager season done. You played every single game you possibly

33:14Justin: could to get a mess. Mess. One missed the last game of the year, which was probably the best game to watch because it was fun. 6, 5 and OT. I remember sitting there watching.

33:25Dylan Edwards: Nice. Well, that's great. Were you watching for the press box? Is that where you were? You're just.

33:30Justin: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was the last game and you

33:32Dylan Edwards: guys were pretty locked up in where you were, so. Yeah.

33:35Justin: Yeah, I was fortunate enough to get the day off that day.

33:37Dylan Edwards: Nice. Okay. You played all but one of all the games you could possibly play in your OA season in now, now you're. You're heading off. You, you were, you were in the Nashville Predators development camp couple weeks ago and you're. And you're committed to the NCAA Quinap D1 team, sort of, you know, a top five elite NCAA team like you got. The world's your oyster. What, how, how has this been now? Thinking about the transition and I know you said your Memorial Cup day's coming up, so you're not, you're not fully transitioned AudPod.

34:14Justin: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's, you know, as the summer goes on, you start thinking of, you know, your next year plan and unfortunately, I wish I could carry on the Mortal cup season forever and relive that season every year. But you have a new battle to get for get to and this coming up year, obviously going to Quinnipiac. I'm super excited and seems like a great time and a great school development wise. And we're gonna be a good team. Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. It's an awesome place. I've heard. Haven't been to campus yet, unfortunately. I want to go and see how it is, but I'll end up going soon. But yeah, going to Nashville camp was awesome as well. Cool experience. Obviously no one reader there. Yeah, hung with him a bunch. Yeah. Hung out with him a bunch there. And then, you know, you meet your guys along the way, you kind of make new friends there and it was a fun week. You know, the whole environment of the NHL aspect, everyone strives for that gold. So to be a part of the camp's pretty cool. And yeah, participate was awesome.

35:22Dylan Edwards: We've. We've heard lots of that. A lot of the development camps are very different throughout the NHL. Like, what was your. What was your week like? Like, what did you guys do and how did they. How did they learn about your development?

35:35Justin: It was dev camps. It depends team to team. Obviously, some teams have one way, and this one, Nashville, is super fun. Obviously, you take some things and you learn a bunch of things throughout the development camp and you try to implement them in your game, and it's more of a learning experience. Obviously, we're going hard on the ice and. But it's mostly just figuring out what works for you and what to take back in your game and kind of listen from people that have been through it in a way, like guys that have played NHL games where they're talking to us and what they wish they did when they were playing. So just taking it and put it into my game, it was super fun and I learned a lot when I was there and.

36:24Dylan Edwards: Yeah, and so you were there with Reader. You're going to Quinnipiac. It sounds like Kirsch is going to be there with you. So Rangers connections continuing on.

36:32Justin: Yeah, that'll be super fun knowing a guy going into school, you know. You know, you know a guy, he was actually my stallmate all year, so I know him pretty well. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to that. It'll be super fun. I heard the hockey is really good. I've, you know, watched some games and have buddies that play in the league, so I'm really looking forward to it and, you know, hopefully for another winning season with Quinnipiac this year.

36:55Dylan Edwards: That'd be awesome. Yeah, they. They won recently, right? 20, 23. I think they. They won it all, so.

37:01Justin: Something like that.

37:01Dylan Edwards: Yeah. How's your. How's your family doing with, you know, you. You've been pretty close to close to home. Now you'll be a little bit further away. How. How's your family doing with all that?

37:13Justin: Haven't really heard much. I'm sure they are sad. Obviously, Kitchener was nice being an hour and a half away from home. I think Quinnipiac's eight or nine now, so it's obviously a little further. But, you know, as you grow up, stuff happens like that. I'll. They'll call them. Good thing we got FaceTime.

37:31Dylan Edwards: Yeah.

37:31Justin: I can FaceTime see their faces all the time, so that'll be nice. But I'll obviously miss them a bunch. It's not a, you know, hour drive home anymore and just say hi, you know, have dinner with them just because they wanted to. It's a little further now, but sacrifices. You take as being a hockey player. And. Yeah, it's how it goes sometimes.

37:52Dylan Edwards: Yeah, of course. It's the. Aud the natural progression. You gotta. You gotta get a little bit further away to. To keep going. So a little bit of a funny story about your. One of the first games you played in Kitchener was against Erie. It was just after the holiday break. And as a. As a Ranger, it was your. It was your first goal as a Ranger, I believe. And I was. I was in the. I was. I was watching. I. I brought my dad to the game. And you. You had a lot of family there that day. They were all sitting behind me.

38:24Justin: Oh, yeah.

38:24Dylan Edwards: And the. Your mom was sitting, like, right behind me, I think, and she. The. This was the Blackout game. So this was the game. The lights kept going out. There was like a crazy ice storm happening. And. And the. The lights were out. There was a huge delay. Uh, the lights came back on. Basically, they dropped the puck. There was like 45 seconds. You scored. The lights went back out almost immediately after the goal. Your mom was sitting there. She was like. She was. She was freaking out. She was like, are they going to count it? Did they have any of the video stuff up? What's going on? Everybody really wanted to know. You know, there was. There was a little bit of maybe animosity because, you know, some of your family was like, well, we don't want him to score against Erie because, of course, your brother was there and things like that. So it was like everybody wanted you to score, but the, you know, there was a little bit of, like, against eerie situation still happening. So how was that?

39:20Justin: Yeah, how was that? It was. It was a really weird game.

39:25Dylan Edwards: Yeah.

39:25Justin: Overall, playing against your former team, you know, you just got treated a couple of days ago playing against your brother and lights go out. The whole game was just like, that is weird. You know, you show up, you know, you see the old logo used to play for, and it's like, oh, like, I'm playing against you now. It was just a really weird game overall. But as the game went on, you know, it started to become. It was like, okay, that game's on. Like, I gotta win now.

39:52Dylan Edwards: Yeah.

39:53Justin: So as the game goes on, whatever. And the lights go. I was tracking back and Diesel lights go. And I was like, what is happening? And, you know, we're sitting there like, is the power gonna come back on? And you sit around for five, 10 minutes, you're like, no way. It gets canceled now. Yeah, like, no way. We gotta play another time. And it's like, come On. So we end up. I remember looking over and the refskates over and they're like, yeah, we're play. Like we're playing like you can't even see the puck. So whatever. Lights go on just enough to see the game, see everybody around you. It was all safe, puck drops, win the draw, skate around, catch it, end up scoring. And I remember just the emotion of like my first goal as a Ranger. And like I was like, wow, this is pretty sick. Like, it was a special night to get your first as a Ranger. So former team lights went out versus the Rangers. Just a crazy night in general. But yeah, you know, the soft part of me looks over my brother and it's like, oh, sorry for that. Like, you know, but sorry. Not sorry because, you know, we're family but we play against each other. He's. He's hit me more than I've hit him. Like I'll. We'll go out there, we'll go out there and play. And I remember the one time I think we were here and he blew me up and I was like, that was you. So. But yeah, it was super, it was super cool playing against them. Yeah, you know, you have that competitive side. We have a very competitive family. Very competitive at home too, even when we train. So playing against them in the game was super fun. But. Yeah, cool, man.

41:28Dylan Edwards: Well, I, I've taken up more than enough of your time and I really appreciate you joining us. Well, joining me on the AudPod today and, and like, I know it was only half a season, but it was such a memorable, amazing season to have you as a Ranger and it was awesome watching you play and I, I just, I, I eternally grateful that you were able to join this team. And you're, you seem like such a nice human being and awesome hockey player and you know, the Aud the Aud pot is pulling for you. You're a, You're a. I know you're probably an Erie Otters for life with all the time you spent there, but you're also a Ranger for life, so.

42:06Justin: I am a Ranger for life. I gotta. I'm both.

42:09Dylan Edwards: Yeah.

42:11Justin: I'll never forget this one, though. Yeah, I'm. Cup's pretty special, so 100. Yeah. No, my time in Kitchener is unbelievable. It. What was it? December to June? But I felt like I was there for three years, so. Yeah, it was, it was special.

42:25Dylan Edwards: It was a. It felt like a lot of hockey with you and, and we loved watching you play and you're, you're a pretty awesome power forward to watch and things like that. So, man, you're.

42:35Justin: You're cool. Appreciate it. Well, thank you. I appreciate it.

42:39Dylan Edwards: Wish you all the best going. Going forward and. And we'll be. We'll be watching as you. As you go through NCAA and hope to see you in the NHL at some point. So.

42:49Justin: Yeah, we'll see. I like. I like that one there. Yeah, I'll see you in the NHL one day.

42:56Dylan Edwards: We'll be watching. All right, man. Well, thank you very much. And, yeah.