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00:00Mike Milbury is brought to you by Shaw's and Star market perfecting the art of fresh by fine mass money gov
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00:12Boston showcases the best of the city under one roof and
00:16Mike Milbury joins us on the phone because apparently he is traveling somewhere Michael. Good morning
00:22Good morning. Yeah, I'm fresh back from Florida. I'm at the Seaport Hotel in your neighborhood and
00:28Doing a little function here this evening, but
00:31The chat and I'm glad you're on to the greasy pole adventure. Well, we're working on it
00:36you weren't able to get it done, so I will step in and fix things like
00:40Many of the owners had to do when you were a general manager in in the NHL
00:46but I could
00:48Things about that, but none of them were really air worthy
00:52Well, what is the event are you doing some kind of motivational speaking engagement tonight, so
01:01Yeah right here at the Seaport Hotel, so I'm looking forward to that and then I'm heading home afterwards
01:06But I was in Florida was beautiful there except I paid a lot of money to
01:11Go to the one South Hotel or one hotel in South Beach. And all I could hear all day long was
01:18Techno music I had my body was vibrating more than it has in a long time. We must have just missed each other
01:24I was there last weekend
01:27Really where did you stay at the one? Oh
01:31Really? You stayed at the one as well. Did you like it? I loved it
01:34But yeah, there was a lot of it was a lot of like vibey music. They love the techno down. Yeah. All right. Well
01:40Listen, we talked a little bit about the March and bump which lasted for a couple games
01:47And then they're back to
01:50the ways of old
01:52I you know, I know we're I we're we can't hope about this season any longer, but
01:58you look at this team going forward and and Don Sweeney and cam Neely and
02:04When it comes to looking toward the offseason, what do you think primarily they have got to focus on?
02:10Well before they get to
02:13Anything they have to make sure that their drafting is as good as it's been in a long time
02:18I mean, they've they accumulated a few picks and and they have a chance to start to
02:24Pile up a few prospects and but that
02:27That doesn't mean you're going to get better right away
02:31That means you're going to get better in two three four years
02:34And so then
02:37Free agency comes into play and I don't know what the pool of talent is or how much they can spend
02:42They took a swing and missed last summer
02:45But they got a swing again if they want this to be a short rebuild
02:49It's going to have to take place not only in the draft, but certainly in free agency
02:54They're going to have to find some gems along the way right now. It's it's an audition time
02:59They got to find whether this kid Lysell is a prospect or not
03:02I mean, I don't know if Patra has one goal in 33 games
03:06That's not very encouraging and Laura. He looks like he's got some talent is minus 24. That's that's embarrassing
03:13I mean, they've got a they've got a corral these kids and find out which which are keepers and which are our
03:21AHL players and that's what the rest of the season is all about. I mean, they're on the road for five games now
03:27Most of the time teams are happy when they come back with a
03:30500 record on the road if there have any kind of a glimmer of a chance and I don't think there is one
03:36They're gonna have to win four out of five
03:38Mike is it possible in the NHL and I don't know how it works for a team like the Bruins because you said they swung
03:45And missed on free agency last year. Is it possible to move out some of those guys whether it's a
03:50An Elias Lindholm as a door off a Hampus Lindholm and say, all right, even though we just signed these guys we miss
03:58We're moving on and we're now gonna bring in new free agents
04:03It's hard to do I mean
04:04especially given what in particularly with Lindholm of the amount of money that they gave him and in their
04:10Expectations that he would be a top six forward and now it looks like he's a you know
04:15He's a replacement for Charlie Coyle as a third line good face-off guy reliable defensively, but not very
04:22Gifted offensively and that's you know for them to try to move him is going to be tough and it's a long-term contract
04:30I I think they're going to have to just eat it and
04:33So Doroff is a little more tolerable in terms of finances
04:36but he's a four or five guy and they thought he was going to be at least a three or four guy and
04:42he's not and so
04:44You know what you swallow your mistakes and you move on and you you know, try it again if ownership lets you
04:51Mike do you think that Joe Sacco might be the biggest loser to come out of this season to be with an organization for 11
04:57Seasons then be put in a situation where you're the interim head coach
05:00With a team that just doesn't seem to be meshing like is he getting screwed in all of this?
05:07Yeah, losers the wrong term. There's nothing a loser about Joe Sacco even though his team's not winning right now
05:14He's put in an impossible position
05:19He's doing the best he can with it and I you know, it's hard to judge him as a coach under these circumstances
05:25I I've been there in a situation on Long Island where we just didn't have talent and it's just it's frustrating but
05:34There's not much you can do except just put your nose to the grindstone and try to work with younger players and try to get
05:39them in a better situation, but it's it's a
05:43It's bleak now and I as a player, I never missed the playoffs and it was you know, I'm proud of that
05:48But these guys I know when they're in this situation and I coach the team that didn't make it
05:54It's tough to keep them motivated
05:56It's tough to keep their spirits up and you know
05:58that's a job that Joe Sacco has to address and try to keep them in a place where at least you're getting effort and
06:06Not easy to do to do it really isn't but you know
06:10I hope for his sake that some of the young blood that's coming into the lineup will stay with it
06:16Realizing that they have a chance to make a lot of money and make an impact on this particular
06:22Organization Mike Simon, I kind of go back and forth on this one. I guess what your expertise expertise
06:29Do you feel like this team has talent other than really pasta in?
06:35McAvoy
06:37Do you feel it? Yeah, it's Wayman, but I mean like forwards defenseman forward wise do you feel like they have
06:45talented players
06:48They're clearly they have role players and they have some guys that can be effective in the
06:54Bottom six of the lineup and geeky looks like he's having a heck of a year
06:58Looks like he could be a top six forward along with pasta
07:02There's a void in the high-end talent positions and that's where you you need to fill that void in order to become competitive
07:10you can't go with role players and you guys that are game changers, and they don't have enough of them and
07:16Particularly as we've talked about many times at the center position at one two if if you can't fill those voids
07:23Successfully you're going to struggle and and they're struggling because of that right now
07:28And so their focus has to be on fulfilling that
07:32Void of high-end talent with high-end talent through the draft and if they're lucky in free agency
07:39Something a little less depressing Bobby or his birthday today. Do you have a favorite Bobby or story?
07:45You know
07:47in my first training camp I
07:51Was the VA group, you know, the oars and Esposito's were on at 10 o'clock
07:56But I was so excited to get there
07:58I was there before the eight o'clock group went on and it was Don Cherry's first year and
08:04I was kind of I walked into the locker room
08:06I was trying to find some sticks and the only guy in the locker room was Esposito and it was just a tick before eight
08:12o'clock and
08:14in walked Bobby or until I sort of slinked back towards the
08:19Bathrooms to get out of the way and he started yelling at Phil. He said Phil we didn't win the cup last year
08:24What's the matter with you training care training camps about to start?
08:28This is the first day with a new coach get your ass on the ice get your ass on the ice right now
08:33I mean, whoo. Wow, what a way to start training camp. I mean, I knew who was running the show at that particular moment
08:39He was his intensity was palpable and you know, Phil with a big Italian face. Well, Bobby Bobby
08:46The new coach is out there
08:47He's waiting for his guys to come out and you're not out there get your ass out there
08:51It was it was eye-opening and his intensity and his you know
08:56dedication to finding a way to win and realizing when he said we didn't win the cup last year was like
09:02You know, that was his goal and and he was not gonna tolerate even a guy like Phil Esposito
09:08One of his buddies and a great player being late for practice on opening day
09:12I'll be used to always talk about he was fond of a tall tale. So I used to talk about Wayne Cashman and those guys
09:20Drinking beers and smoking butts between periods. Was that is that was that accurate?
09:26There are a few guys that did that
09:28You know, they went off to the side of the room and I don't remember anybody drinking beers between periods
09:33That was that's not something I saw and not something I'd ever
09:39expect to see in the locker room
09:40but there were a couple of guys that you know moved to the skate sharpening room and and had a weed once in a while, but
09:47Most of the time the guys were pretty dedicated to it and
09:51nobody more than or and my other or stories when I was coaching in Maine and
09:55The team was really we're my second year
09:58We we were struggling a little bit and I called him and I wasn't that close with him and I asked him to
10:04He possibly could come up and talk to the team the guy drove up from Boston
10:09Spent a practice with the guys didn't try to coach anybody. He was just there and he's his presence is so
10:16Palpable that you know, the guys were just in la la land and it was a it was a big
10:22Ask and and he came through and that's sort of what a lot of people will tell you about him
10:28He if you ask him, he'll do it. He'll do you a solid
10:32Nicest guy in the world Curtis always talks about flying with him to down to Florida. He's just
10:39Golf tournament wise. He's just the nicest man and and for his stature and unbelievably nice
10:45I have I have the best
10:48To Bobby or stories of all time one. I'm sending this terp
10:53I don't know if I don't even have Terps number
10:54I'll send it later
10:55but there's a photo of me standing in front of a private jet where Bobby or waited on the tarmac for over an hour and a
11:01Half because my drunk ass got there late
11:05he was the nicest guy alive couldn't have been kinder signed like
11:093,000 autographs for these Jimmy fun patients
11:11and then we get down there and we had a dinner night with all these with a couple of pairs of
11:17Listeners that had bid a bunch of money for the right to go down and have dinner with the show and with Bobby or
11:24John Dennis tells us all that he's gonna get Bobby and he's gonna get him to Carrabba's because God knows what a budget big
11:30night out in Miami or Florida
11:33Bobby or is not at dinner. John Dennis is seated at the dinner table
11:37Where's Bobby in the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott for another 90 minutes
11:43Did he say one complaint the greatest hockey player who ever lived was the nicest most?
11:49Magnanimous guy on the face of the earth couldn't have been kinder. There is nobody on the planet that would have behaved that way
11:56Mike thank you as always and we will enjoy your
12:00Speaking moment this evening and the seaport and we will we will talk to you again next week
12:05Well a fun scheme, all right, thank you
12:08We are headed to watch use a mountain for the snow show tomorrow. So it's literally my childhood
12:13It was probably my fondest memories at watch you sit mountain from grades
12:18third to eight hmm, I
12:22Did enrage Bobby or probably rightly so on the old show?
12:26because he locked himself out of his vehicle and while playing golf at the International and
12:32Asked if he could you know the on star asked if he could use my on star to get back in
12:37Yes
12:38and I shared that story because I thought it was of interest and he was very upset that I oh well felt it made him
12:43Look like an old man because he locked his
12:46Locked himself out of his vehicle. That's fair. I mean that happens. Oh, yes, it could happen at any age. Yeah
12:51Yeah, I mean
12:53It's a lot harder to do it nowadays because the keys all you need to do is just
12:57Have them in your pocket and and open the door. So I
13:01Mean that's what's happening then to
13:04Like having the keys. No, no, it's up. Also what his keys on his belt. Yeah, but he said
13:10No, no
13:12He's saying he locked him in some cars if the keys still in it
13:15Like you can't lock the door or you just as long as the keys near you or in the car the door
13:20Well, I see what you're saying