Nation Real Life Episode 146 – Talking hockey, fighting, and coaching with Zack Stortini

Today’s episode of the Real Life Podcast was a special one as the boys were happy to welcome former Edmonton Oiler enforcer, Zack Stortini, to the show to talk about his journey in hockey and what he’s up to now in retirement.

To kick off today’s podcast, the boys got started with a look at last night’s 3-2 overtime loss against the Arizona Coyotes and whether or not fans should be concerned about the way the team lost. Wanye also told the story of sitting next to a British indie band at Rogers Place and what it was like watching folks from the UK figure out what’s going on and how hockey works. Furthermore, he also saw someone that was able to sneak a dog into the arena which gave Baggedmilk the idea of getting his dog, Frank, labelled as an anxiety pup so that he can take him everywhere. With that nonsense out of the way, Zack Stortini joined the show to talk about his new life as an assistant coach for the Sudbury Wolves, his hometown team where he also spent four years in junior. Stortini spoke about his transition from playing to coaching and gave insight into what it’s like being behind the bench after more than 800 professional games.

From getting in 81 fights, to scoring his first NHL goal, to life as an Edmonton Oiler, Stortini had plenty of great things to say about his time in the big leagues and all of the people that helped him get there. He also told the story of going out for a rookie dinner in his first year with the Edmonton Oilers and how Ales Hemsky came to his rescue and picked up the tab on a bill that would have sunk his bank account. Lastly, the guys wrapped things up with a look at the ESPN players poll that came out today which ranked Edmonton as the third-worst place to play on the road and whether or not it’s fair to label the city in such a negative light.

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