The Trophy Tour and More with Beer League Goalie and Ref Doug Carson

Beer league hockey is supposed to be fun… but the best teams also have something extra: communication, positivity, and real locker-room chemistry. In this episode of The Beer Leaguer Podcast, we sit down with longtime hockey friend Doug Carson—a former beer league ref and current beer league goalie.

Transcript

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That was. That was crazy. That was so much because we I we had look like such idiots but like, people were excited excited, very excited about it. That was the best part was like, we're going into restaurants and we have this and we're like, hey, yeah, we just won the championship. And people are like, wow, that's Okay, you know, we went into Yes, yes. People were so excited for us Hey everybody, and welcome to another edition of The Beer Podcast. On this episode, we are joined by what we've just kind of went back and reminisced about one of my oldest and dearest hockey friends, former Beer League referee, current fairly goalie, formerly my goalie, and the goalie that we rode to some league championships back in the day. Welcome to the show, mister Doug Good evening. Thanks for having me, Ross. Well, thank you, Doug, for being And like I said, we were just We've known each other for a Uh, you came came into my life we were bad. We were really bad. I mean, we were the beginner We weren't winning anything. And you showed up and had no business playing at the level we were at. And really, we rode you to win the championship in Cleveland, get to go to the big, uh, international championships. Uh, and did that for a couple team off the ground, really. So. Well, I, uh, I'm going to beginning because I was just um, I wasn't very good or as Um, but I appreciated the opportunity to play with you guys. So for that, I'm very, very Thank you so very much. Yeah. No, everybody loved it. Everybody loved it. And I know for me, a big thing is really don't have this with a This is I think you kind of forward is you were such a good everything going on. You talked a lot. You let us know everything that You're easily the most ever played with and I want to I It wasn't just you yelling that, or, you know, hey, I'm passing You a lot of instructions, Um, but like I said, we were we didn't always do. The guys were, uh, put you on supposed to line up. I mean, it was. No, it was super appreciated because we were still pretty beginner ish. I mean, this is probably the year of the team being a real And a lot of people that was like their third or fourth year of playing any kind of hockey, you know? So we just didn't know stuff. So I guess kind of my first come from, from you doing that? And like, is that something you saw us and were like, I gotta, I Well, I had, uh, four kids and So I had coach my kid at uh for So that's and I played I played So I mean. It just I guess it just came want to win, to want to get better the team. Uh, that was that was my goal. I think I did okay, I think so. I mean, I'd like to think we all got a little bit better from that. You guys. You guys really improved. Absolutely. We all did. We all improved as a team. As a group. Uh, like you say, it took us, And we ended up in Toronto in So, uh, that was fantastic. Yeah. That was I was so shocked when It was such a nice, like, just big curve up there with everything. It was pretty amazing. Uh, another thing. So then I had to go. They wouldn't let me play with Then they realized you were way completely writing you. And they made you move up. Yeah, yeah. But, you know, I mean, you're At least I am. You know, I am, I, I, I, I'm have in a long, long time. It's been, uh, it's been a rough the the blast, but, uh, we're starting to come into our own playing as well as I ever have. And I'm, I'm sober for the most Helps. Helps. It helps. Yes it does. Well, that honestly, that brings up something that we discuss here on the show a lot is what do you think besides just skill level. Because like you've you've You've seen a lot of hockey outside of just pure skill level. What do you think helps get You know, like what kind of you talking really helped us out I'm sure you're not doing that I'm sure you're not. It's not the same kind of team, they're doing for the most part. Uh, the answer is, uh, yes, I am, because it's beer league, and they still really don't know exactly what they should be doing. So I guess that's because it Um, but yes, I am still always Always, you know, behind the it, uh, you know, up the middle, you know, just stuff like that. That's that's kind of where I It's where I've always been. And, uh, it helps. That's one of the things that Um. What else having I guess For one, you almost need to have coach and who's willing to to better and help the team. Yeah, that's kind of a thing big difference between like, you were helping, you were calling take that two ways. You can take it the way you did it, where you do, like you said, you're calling stuff out of, you know, go up the boards or that person's breaking out or look for that. But then I also know goalies it's it's not incorrect things, You know, it's like a very Like there's the coaching tone negative kind of yelling tone. And I get it. Sometimes that happens, you But it's very different. You know, it's a very different, agree, it definitely has to be a when you're trying to get people Um, you know, it really does Uh, and I'll give you an example night at Winter Hurst. And, you know, those crappy lockers they have now, you can hear everything. So anyway, this team just takes the ice and the coach first words out of his mouth was, that was horrible. That was horrible. And I'm sitting here going, wow, your team to go. Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah. Same thing. You know, it's you got to be Uh, negativity just brings So that's the other thing is make sure everybody on your team is positive. You gotta you gotta get rid of Those negative people for sure, Yeah. Well that's also a big thing for Not just like on the ice, but I mean, I think, I mean, you I mean, you've, you've seen me, I'm all about one of the best. Have fun off the ice locker You know, you run a great locker It was, uh, it was always fun. It was. Everybody knew their jobs. And, you know, we we, uh, we all It was it was great. You know, my dad, you know, even might be five or six of us maybe after a game. There's just not. Not many. But, you know, whatever. Everybody has a has a light. So. Yeah. Yeah. It's uh talk a little bit more Like what do you see. And you don't have to again, you specifically like, you know, on but being on other teams and you goalie, you fill in places over like specific things that you locker room versus making, I room because I know that there's I know there's I hear about that because there's people that like, I don't want to be on this team. I hate the team. You know, you quit the team, Well, I will tell you the the best locker rooms are the ones where they have the cooler, they've got the beer cooler they've got. And it doesn't have to be beer. It can, you know, you don't Yeah. You you know what people like I And that that person, you know, whoever that person is bringing the beverages, they they need to make sure everybody's, you know, accounted for. You know, your root beer guy, This guy's, uh, you know, high noon's or stuff like that. That really, really helps make a Uh, you know, not that we're before a game, but, you know, beverage doesn't hurt. Loosen things up. Um, yeah. I think it's not just I think I think it's because the teams that have those from what I've seen that, you know, bring in you know you have your cooler with you is people show up earlier usually to maybe have a pregame drink. So they're hanging out more. But then you're also hanging out around, you know, I mean, you where, you know, you're milking game, you know, so it's not like you're hanging out, you know, room and just talking about. And sometimes it's hockey, sometimes it's stupid crap like, uh. And what, you're getting to know You know, that's that's the you don't know everybody. Every year you've probably got Um, you know, people don't come, you know, start up. This kid just had a, you know, But oh, wait, now and now I can There's there's all kinds of So it it's one of the things, Yeah. I, I had a moment this summer of just like I stepped back and but this is awesome. We were playing summer league. We were hanging outside the back One of the guys had ordered a pizza delivery to the parking lot. So we're just hanging out, you off the back of my truck with anything about hockey. We were talking about great That was the big group And I just, like in the middle to like, wow, this is this, this right here, like, you know, in it's utterly you're laughing. It's utterly ridiculous. Those are special moments. But it was so much fun. It was so much fun. Yeah, absolutely. Kind of like that time we went to Toronto and took our trophy with us. Yeah. Why don't I think you should. You should tell this. You should tell kind of the Yeah, the whole story of this. Uh, okay. So our team won, uh, won the our, our trophy with us and with our trophy. And we had one particular gentleman who was, uh, he he was a good looking young stud at the time, probably in his early twenties. Mhm. And we would take this trophy, women we could find, and even But basically if they were a a trophy and we had him take the trophy and I bet nineteen Oh, yeah. It was a hoot. We we go we go into Gretzky's, Hooting and hollering and. Oh, we just won the And everybody wanted to be in That I remember realizing we went in, I don't know, we went into like three or four restaurants. And at one point, I think we collectively realized no one asked us what we've actually won. Like no one cared. Nobody cared. They just see us with the trophy hey, that's all right. Let's do this. It was. Yeah, a good time, that's for Yeah. And we I mean, we milked that We we had that thing a lot of Yes we did. We, we ended up in, uh, Put-in A group of us ended up in Put-in And that may be its resting Yeah. Don't know what happened to it. But the story I was told is it It was out on a boat. You guys had a lot of fun on the It wasn't on the boat anymore. That's. That's what I was. Uh. I don't know what to tell Yeah. You know, like, here you can get kind of rough, so you never know. Right? Right. Right. Yeah. Could have been the alcohol. No, no. Definitely not. Definitely not. No. Could have been, uh, could have been the neighbors at our dock. Yeah. People were jealous. Yeah. Yeah, they probably wanted that. Yeah. Yeah, we we definitely had some Oh, yeah. Yeah. That was a that was a super fun That was a really fun. And I think like I said, I talk know, having a good locker room. I feel like that team was kind of like peek good locker room, because I think everybody on that team hung out, like all the time. And we went out all the time Right, right, right after we were probably seventy five percent. We had ten, twelve guys every Yeah. After a game, which was great. I mean, that was super, super Yeah. Which is I mean, now seeing how iterations of teams after that many people went out. But it's also looking at the It was a lot of guys that didn't kids, they were grown up so they Um, a number of single people like, it was just like this great confluence of people that can go out at eleven thirty on a Tuesday night. Right, right, right. Well, there's also the But that one guy, that one guy that was in the locker room and and he had played for a couple of years and nobody really knew who he was because he, he, he was the last one there and the first one to leave. And he never hung out. And then one day he, he, he after the game? Yeah. I want to say it was me. And I got the look and I was Second of all, why are you Where are we going? And you know. All right, I got divorced and And boy, did we have fun. Well, we went to Toronto, but It just takes one person to say Because I remember you saying And we're all like, well, we're There's no other. Hockey's done. What are you talking about? What do you what do you mean? You know, we're going out. That's what we're doing. Yeah. Like it just didn't occur to Let's go. Let's do it. Let's do this. Let's go. Have a good time. That's. And that's all. It just takes one person. It takes one person to make the So I think if I, if I have any advice for people listening that think this sounds like fun, this is kind of what your locker room needs. Be the one person, be the person Yes. Find some. Yes. And it doesn't matter where you go because we went to all different kinds of we'd go to like any kind of bar that was open. We'd go to food places that were It didn't matter. Like it didn't matter. It didn't have to be a bar. We just went. It was just a pizza shop and Anything. Yep. I mean, I think if we had to, we hour grocery store. I think we would have, I mean, hung out in a 7-Eleven parking lot. Yeah. Why not? But, yeah, you just got you just got to make the suggestion, right? Somebody, somebody be the one to say, yeah, be the who's going out guy. Every team needs that guy. Absolutely. I'm still that guy. I think I might be that guy now. Yeah, I think I might be. Awesome. Well, you instilled that You instilled that culture in Well, it's your legacy. Yeah, it's your legacy to hang Now. Uh, what kind of kind of things that I said that you did Beer league ref. Yes. And I mean, you ref plenty of my Got to see plenty of my games One. What do you see differently as a Like just from the game itself. When you ref a game versus when also skated out a little bit. Uh, I know, not a lot, but you have, you know, so you kind of have all the perspectives of things. So what do you see differently you see as a ref change kind of Um, well, in my younger days, very nice to the referees And then that was before I was Um, but then once I started uh, things mellowed out. Um, I became nicer to the just about all of them. I know hardly any of them now, five, six years removed? But, um. From Ruffin to playing, what do Uh, I would have to say just the Different levels. The different, uh. God, there's so many different. People, like, they're just. Everybody's so different. You don't. You don't know. You know what? What mood they're going to be in You don't you don't know what's You know, I've done games where a problem with this guy. Why don't what's going on with And. Oh, you come to find out. Oh, his wife just found out his wife has cheated on him or something. Something like that. You know, like, okay, that makes Um, yeah, but having an open And actually, I had learned to doing their games, if, you know, were having issues and going off what seemed to be no reason. Like, dude, what's going what's Why are why are you why are you Oh, okay. All right. Now that makes sense. Maybe you should sit this one Maybe, you know, let's let's find a way to curb this, because you're not helping your team when you do stuff like that, you know? So. Yeah. So what did you. I mean, that that's that's good. I think that that's a great way. I wish more refs approach stuff Unfortunately, I think a lot What what for you was the best way for somebody to talk to a ref? You know obviously it's not you know, ranting and raving about something but how to approach stuff, how to talk to you like when to say things, when not to say things. Well, Humor is the gateway to If you can come up to me and you've got a good one liner, you know you want to like, quote Schwarzsee or something like that way before Schwarzsee, that's what. Okay. You know that that's fantastic. And I will pat you on the back every time because that was funny. And okay, let's have a This is what I saw. I know you didn't see it that Okay, fine. And, you know, usually things go a lot better than that guy just coming up to you screaming and yelling and hooting and hollering and going crazy when he really has no, no basis for his, uh, his argument to begin with. Yeah. That's that's why I always and I because I know you. I knew you well before you were Uh, you know, from playing is. But I'm sure you saw how I was I always tried to talk to refs You know, not any upset about Just like, hey, how you doing, Yeah, chat a little bit. So it's not because my thought was always, I don't want the first time you hear my voice to me going, why didn't you call that? Why didn't you call? Like that's a slash. Why didn't you call it? I don't want that to be the Uh, maybe. Maybe instead of saying, why You know, maybe say, um, that wasn't a penalty? Or what did you see there? Because I saw this maybe going with a different attitude with with a question other than a demand. Um, and tone is everything as Um, you know, if you're calm about it and I do that now when I play, I'll even, you know, I pick the puck up for the refs every time. I they never bend over when they I am always picking the puck up. I'm always being nice and I I'll say, you know, why wasn't Well, this is Bubba. Okay, fine. You're civil body. You get a good answer. You know, if if you're if you throats a they're not going to Uh, B if they do, you may end up sitting for an extra couple of minutes. Yeah. No, that's very, very true. That's very true. That's I had a story. We had another referee on Ron Ronnie was on here a couple uh, talking to him is. And that's how I, you know, I try to approach it as, you know, not yelling. I try and be really civil about And there was, like, legitimate I was like, I feel like I know I feel like I have a pretty And I asked him about, um, it was something like an offsides call. And I was like, why? Why wasn't that offsides? Like, I was legitimately like, I did I miss something? You know, I know what I saw. To me, it looked like it was. And he explained to me he was happened, you know, blah, blah, That doesn't mean, you know, so I'm like, oh yes, that's how the It's like, yeah. So when that happens we don't I was like, oh, I had no idea. You know, it's just one of those is, but I don't know all the And it was a very. Right, right. You know, it might have been one of those where, where the guy, like puck was out of the zone and he pushed it into the zone while someone was still in there. But it was kind of a. bang bang where this one touched back, you know. Touched the blue line just as he then touched the puck going across. So it was like, yeah, but he So you know we're allowed to tag And that's what it was. It was one of those like weird happen in super quick sequence. But because they happen in this And I was like, I had no idea. And I remember going back to my and I was just like, okay, I learned something. I remember going back to my My bench was pissed, you know? And I was like, guys, no, And the whole bunch was just All right then. Well on to the next thing again. That's that's the other thing about especially the lower divisions is they don't know the rules. They don't they don't understand They don't understand that just tap somebody or bump into penalty, You know, you have to You know what? What what was he trying to do? Um, and I think that's the way a lot of the, you know, the officials look at it, but the younger guys just starting beer League don't quite understand that yet. Well, they make it very black And yes, that's a I think that's with, with hockey, you know, checking but no checking doesn't Correct. There's a very big difference. But there's a there is a big But it's a big difference Absolutely. You know, you you you can be down the boards and get just them off and, you know, give em that's not a penalty. Yeah, they may not like it, but Right? And I think that's always to me Especially with beginners, like people that didn't grow up playing hockey. That's what they have trouble Is that difference of not every little bit of contact is a check, you know, and you can contact. It's not like, you know, we're know, but there's a difference along the boards or like kind of There's a difference between that and just knocking somebody over. You know there's. Yeah. Correct. Yeah. And then there's the incidental You know, you get that guy that middle and two guys end up Whose fault is that. Nobody's. And it's typically not a penalty know, that other person had the Yeah. which, I mean, it's barely. We all got to go to work in the Most of us do. I give a lot of credit to the level beer league, because I easier to tell intent because, around, they know they know how It's very, you know, it's very Whereas lower level, you know, I mean, you might also just fall, you might be trying to go and just fall because, you know, it happens. Well, you know that that blue It happened. Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. I've never had that happen to me, but I've seen it happen to other people. It's, uh. It's fun. It's fun to fun to watch. Yeah. Yeah. Well, there you go. You had a great vantage point You got to see all this in front Play out. Correct? Yeah. I love every minute of it too. Oh my goodness. Like I was saying, having so We're not winning many games, That's good, that's good. Yeah. The winds will come. Winds will come. If you're having a good time, Absolutely. That's how it works. Absolutely. And you know, it's good when you goes to the wrong bar, but the hear is them talking about you. Hey, what the hell got into Well, you know, I must have Well, there you go. I've never. I've never had that. The other team is glad to see me That's that's. Ah, I disagree, Roz. You've, uh, from from when I are now is night and day. I appreciate that. Oh, absolutely. I'm proud to say it. You know, I like to hopefully I but I doubt it. But more, more than a little more than a little come a long way. I appreciate it. Yeah. Stories that you want to share out into the public for people enjoy on their drive to. I assume most people in my head, this are like on their way to a home from a game. So a fun story that they can Uh, man, I uh uh, I will tell I have had to be escorted out crazy parents at Rocky River. I had a parent that was in the parking lot waiting for us to come out. Uh, but when he didn't know was I just finished wrapping a game and oh, wait, now I have a beer league game, so it might be a while. Uh, anyway, we, uh, we it's right up, right? Literally in the parking lot So we, uh, we let them know what was going on, and they took care of him. So that was fun. That, um, uh, what else? What else? Crazy stuff. Reffing. This wasn't a men's league game or beer league game, but, uh, and one of hers, they have two rinks. And the game that I had was just It It was. I don't know, sixteen, eighteen And they just wanted to fight. And it was it was not good. So anyway, leaving the rink, uh, you're literally running the staring at you and you're And I see this lady out of the making a beeline right towards yelling at me, blah, blah, blah, I go, whoa, whoa, whoa. I was on the other rink. She she's heading on her walk Or, you know, you make the league, you know. Yeah. Because they do. Doesn't matter where you start. Does not matter where you start. All roads lead to beer league. Yep. Yep. It's very, very true. Very true. I mean, look, you have pros You know. Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. I got to play against one, uh, last, uh, April, I played on a, uh, USA Hockey National men's national championship sixty and over league. Um, and there was a guy that played for the Rochester, not Rochester. It was Chicago. Wherever the Chicago team is, um, Chicago Wolves or was it the Blackhawks? No, no, no, it was the. Yeah, it was their NHL or HL. Oh, uh. Was it. Yeah. Okay. This this guy was absolutely. He was a tank. He had a cannon. In his first shot is at my head. I'm like, I know that was Because he's way better than You know, you guys like that. You know, that's intentional. Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah. Good times though I, I can't have a guy out there like that that's he was he was good. He was, he was for sixty This guy could still move. Jeez. Well, that's a big thing that honestly, with older hockey like, are super fast. It's a lot of times these guys, they just always are in the right spot. They know where to be. Yep. Absolutely. And that's, you know, ninety That's how the Russians played Yeah they just Everybody always There's always somebody in open to get there. And if you can get your guys on your men's league team to do that, it's going to make you guys that much better because the other teams aren't doing right. And that's every so often I see No, but I mean, every so often, you know, you see, like you have the right combo of guys and you see like a shift out there and they're doing that and it's, you know, the D gets the puck and he takes it in and somebody covers in behind him and he takes the shot and he goes to the left side. Then the right side guy comes You know. And it's right. And you just watch it. And it's I mean it's beer I'm playing in lower level beer It happens for like 30s at a But like you watch that 30s and looks like hockey. That's amazing. Hey, let's do that again. That's I will say, that's the thing I always try and do is at least be smart about what I'm doing playing because I know I am. I am not a gifted athlete. I do not have speed, I have But I try and at least, you know, do the stuff of like know what's going on around me, go to the right spaces for the most part, you know, and that's what I preach to people is trying to do that because that makes such a difference. And it helps out. So especially in Beer League because people aren't doing that. Right. Right on. Absolutely. Uh, let me see here. Unless you have a story queued up, I'm going to I'm going to bring up something here that I have. Uh. I'm guessing you don't, I don't, I do not. What? Grab this guy because I forgot I'm not. I'm not as prepared as I always I hate to hate to burst your I know I seem like I always know Hey, I do really enjoy watching I appreciate it, man. I have fun doing this. Me in that town in Germany. Hey, you know, I'll tell you There's still number two and the most down like, like, across the board downloads. I don't know why, but I was individual YouTube stats. Uh, I have, you know, us is the Canada's easily the second one. The third one that is far and away number three above anybody else. Sweden. Sweden. Yeah. Okay. I assume it's like one really but all Swedish? No, Finnish. See, you know, I would take it if it was finished, I would understand. It'd be like, oh, it's maybe, found this and got Ahold of All right. So, yeah, this is the rapid fire Questions. All the guests get these. Answer them as short and quickly for better, better answers. Alright. How do you wind down after late Hot tub. That's good. All right. What do you think is the biggest Uh, biggest cheerleaders? Um, willingness to learn. Oh, that's a good one. That's a good one. Base layer or no base layer? Base layer. Skate socks. Athletic socks. Dress socks or you're disgusting Um, just athletic socks, Uh, what do they call them now? Those compression socks. Oh, okay. All right. I'm glad to hear not no socks. Somebody's going to say that I'm Yeah. Yeah, that's that's disgusting. Oh. Slapshot or wrist shot? Neither. You know what? I'll accept it. Because you're a goalie. As a goalie, I'll accept that But this. This is when you have to pick. We'll bag or backpack? Bag. Oh. We'll bag. All right. You know, people make fun of the I love a bag, man. Yeah, I I'm I'm old. I ain't hearing that shit. It weighs more than I do. I love it like I have so much It's nice to be able to wheel Hell, yeah. All right. Parking lot cookout or locker Ooh. Mm. Uh. I'll go. Locker room beers. And finally, six a m. Game or Game six a m. Wow. Wow. Okay. Yeah. We don't get a lot of those. Yeah. You know, it gives you a rush of I mean, to be fair, the eleven You're not going to be great Right. You know. Yeah. I'm I'm I, I'm tired by then. I don't like the ten fifteen Eleven o'clock. Give me. Give me a six seven, eight a m See? Now, do you like would you Because most of our games are I'd say it's kind of the latest, but generally the earliest is like. And we have some, some like seven forty five, but usually it's like nine fifteen, nine thirty. Do you care if between like nine I prefer nine fifteen versus ten fifteen and extra hours is is huge. Believe it or not, to me it is Okay. Because what I see happening a lot of times as we have earlier games, you know, as the season goes on, obviously our games get earlier, as you know, kids hockey ends and we can actually get into rinks earlier as a captain. That starts to really kind of games, like when we get the Because all of a sudden people gotta put the kids down or, you from work until eight o'clock, very true that that happens. Yeah. It turns into a very different Whereas people like, yeah, if want to do it, but as soon as it as we get very late into the forty five on Sundays and stuff sketchy about, you know, being Right. I will give you a tip or this there in beer League. You need to limit the amount of on your team, because inevitably of them can make it. And you have ten guys because Oh, that's. I never thought about that, but. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that, uh. Yeah, that that would suck. That would really suck. That's us. We're we're very heavily, uh, So it's it can be very, uh, trying getting enough people to show up. Yeah. Yeah. Because I know there is there is a team that I think is almost all firemen, uh, in our league as well. And. Yes. Yeah. And they have a roster of like Well that's why because I think year and I think they had a didn't have enough guys because overlapped, like whatever. You know, however that worked, it was like, oh, our overlap for all the different shifts are right when our game is supposed to be. So like we can get the three non firemen can come play, but that's it. Everyone else is coming or Right then. Crazy. Yeah. Weird. Weird problems I never thought Right. Thank you. Beer league. Are great. It is. You know what? Let me end on this. Let me end on this question for You've been around Beer League a You've been in a lot of You've been on different teams, tons of teammates that you've had. What is your one favorite thing The thing that keeps you coming What brings me back year after Um. You know. I grew up with this game I Uh, couldn't wait, You know, I moved to Olmsted Falls, and they And sure enough, I managed to And it's just one of those I just love this game, you know? There's nothing else like it. Lacrosse may be close, but And it just doesn't compare. This is by far the greatest And I'll fight anybody who dares That's perfect. Yes. That is perfect. That is a perfect way to end All right. Well, Doug, thank you so much Oh, thank you so much for having Hope you had a good time. Hope we can have you back You know, catch me later in the We'll we'll do a recap of how Perfect. I mean, you know, it'll be I'm everywhere. Oh, I'm. Absolutely. I'm always there. I'm at every game. Pretty much it, uh. And when I see you, it brightens Oh, it really does, man. You're you're just, uh, such a. You're just such a cool dude, you know? And you're always positive, and you always have a smile, and you always have a great story to tell. So there you go. I have fun, I have fun with the You know, it's a good time, too. Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much, Doug. Really appreciate it. Uh, thanks, everybody for Uh, as always, go check out Yes. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to everybody. Happy New Year as well. Happy holidays. Uh, go check out the com for Everything to do with everything Uh, hockey. That should be your homepage on Uh, go check out other episodes. Really appreciate everybody Thanks a lot. Catch you the next one.