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Tyler: Hello listeners and welcome back to the Pucking Around Podcast I’m Tyler Wilson and I’m here with your second favorite host-
Noah: Hey!
Tyler: *Laughs* We took a poll man, accept the results.
Noah: *Laughs* Our listeners apparently have no taste, I’m Noah Smith and today’s episode is a special one.
Tyler: Oh is it? What could have happened recently that could make this episode a special one?
Noah: Well I mean the PWHL is in the middle of an expansion draft and there have been lots of major moves made there in the last week.
Both: *Laughs*
Noah: Now all the love to those talented ladies, and we will be covering the acquisitions and moves made so far, because there’s been some crazy ones-
Tyler: I think crazy is underselling it,
Noah: It might be, but we’ll be going over that one later . Right now there's something else that we need to address
Tyler: Ah yes the NHL’s season just wrapped up as well
Noah: Yes it did, congratulations to San Jose, that was one hell of a series against Ottawa
Tyler: It really was, going all the way to game seven, Ottawa losing in a third overtime in their own barn. That was a hard game to watch as an Ottawa fan.
Noah: Oh yeah man I'm sure it was. Won’t anyone think of the poor Ottawa fans? They only have five cup wins in the last fifteen years and consistent deep playoff runs. Oh no! It’s not like your team is full of future Hall of Famers-
Tyler: Man fuck you, this was our captian’s last season, everyone wanted him to go out on a winning season.
Noah: Yes what a tragedy, instead Troy Drover will just have to retire with a final Conn Smythe, such a low note to end a career on.
Tyler: *Laughs* But seriously can we highlight exactly how illustrious of a career Troy has had?
Noah: Oh yeah I guess it’s time for your crush to shine through.
Tyler: I’m not ashamed of it.*Clears throat* Troy Drover, formerly Barrett was drafted fourth overall by the Toronto Guardians in 2013, he began playing for them in 2013-14 season, quickly finding himself on the first line as a right wing forward, he spent the first seven years of his career with the Guardians. While there he became one of their star players, and gained a reputation as a rather physical player who liked to run his mouth. Now in recent interviews Troy has regularly stated that his time with the Guardians is not a time he looks back on fondly, The culture that team fostered was a toxic one that he- and I’m quoting him directly here, “deeply regrets conforming to”. I’m not gonna excuse his actions while a Guardian, and he wouldn’t want anyone to, but he is living proof that change is possible for anyone who puts in the work.
Noah: And when did he start to put in that work?
Tyler: I’m glad you asked-
Noah: I’m just following your script man,
Tyler: *laughs* Dude shut up and let me get to when Troy's career really started flourishing- Bro! Audio only can’t see this, but he just tried to hit me and fully just fell out of his chair, I don’t- I don’t even know how that happened. But back to Troy’s career, now as im sure we all know in late October, early November of 2020 women started coming foreward with allegation of sexual assault against the then center of the Toronto Guardians, now irrelevant asshole who’s rotting in prision, Dallas Kent-
Noah: Fuck Dallas Kent!
Tyler: Yes fuck Dallas Kent. Anyways these allegations gained traction, but of course nobody within the hockey world was going to actually say anything. As much as I love hockey. As a culture we were deeply toxic and horrible for such a long time, and while there’s been leaps and bounds of improvements, there;s still a long way to go, but back then it was especially insane to even imagine calling out a teammate or to believe those women. But one guy did, Troy Drover called out Dallas during a public practice, calling him exactly what he is “a piece of shit rapist”. A video was taken of this moment and it caused shockwaves within the hockey community, because for all of Troy’s early career he was known to be close with Kent. After the video’s leak Troy got pretty suddenly traded to the Ottawa Centaurs-
Noah: Awful decision
Tyler: Yes it was, for Toronto at least, for Troy it was probably the best thing to happen to his career. After a rough start Troy quickly found his footing on the first line as Ilya Rozanov’s right winger. The team went on a record win streak after adding him to the team.
Noah: A record that would be pretty quickly broken the next season with the addition of Shane Hollander.
Tyler: God prime Cens were truly something else. But yes Troy Drover was one of the most integral parts of the legendary run Ottawa went on. And naysayers tried to say it was over when Hollander and Rozanov retired together in ‘31, but then boom! Two years ago Drover led the team to another cup.
Noah: Hey Tyler? I feel like you’re ignoring a pretty big part of why Drover is such a beloved player.
Tyler: Yeah mean I havn”t even started to get into the true details of his insane stats, the All-Star appearances, and awards he earned in his career-
Noah: You know that’s not what I’m talking about.
Tyler: Are you talking about his passion for social advocacy?
Noah: Dude this script is so corny, you don’t need me to prompt you to talk about this shit,
Tyler: *sighs* I didn’t complain like this during your Hollander episode did I? *loud paper shuffling* But yes at around the same time that all the Dallas Kent stuff started going around-
Noah: Right after that plane crash right?
Tyler: Shut up about that fucking crash man! But yes right after that crash Troy went full throttle on advocating for victims of sexual assault. A cause he’s still passionate about to this day, he’s a major donor of several charities that aid victims, But it’s not just that, he’s of course a part of the Irina Foundation, regularly coaching at their camps, and aiding in Scott Hunter’s charity that supports queer youth. And I can only imagine more will come with his retirement.
Noah: I feel like you’re ignoring a pretty major part of his personal life right now.
Tyler: Hmmm, man I don't know what you could be talking about. *Snap* Oh! Maybe the fact that he was the first Canadian player to publicly come out!
Noah: *Laughs* Man you’re having so much fun with this.
Tyler: Hey his public coming out was a core memory for me, I was a bit too young when Hunter macked on his husband on ice to really sit there and realize that history was being made there, I was 11 when it happened and much more focused on celebrating the Admiral’s win in the sick bounce house my parent’s rented. But when Troy came out I was 15, I knew I was queer but it wasn’t something I had ever really had the guts to tell anyone. But then that pride night game happened, I followed Troy on the gram at the time and saw the video before the game. It kinda rocked my world, seeing that a guy I had idolized was also gay, a guy who played on the team my dad loved. It was almost this spark of hope. Then that night I got to watch Drover kick ass as a newly out man. I remember looking at my dad during the game. The commentators kept bringing up Troy’s sexuality. And seeing how chill my dad was with it finally gave me the courage to come out-
❣
CJ ripped off his headphones as he heard his dad yell at him again, “Fuck Dad I’m coming down! I was just finishing my homework!”, he yelled down the stairs as he grabbed his hockey bag and ran down. He saw his dad already at the door, Curtis Barrett Senior was an older man, like a lot older, you would think a man that had a thirteen year-old would maybe be in his early fifties at the oldest, but no Curtis was pushing seventy, and looked it, His face was hard and miserable, with cool blue eyes that matched CJ’s own, and as he only knew from pictures, his older brother had the same eyes. CJ never met his half-brother, but when the guy in question is a pretty popular NHL star you’re at least gonna be familiar with how the guy looks.
“We’d better not be late, you know Troy was never late for any sort of practice. He would be the one at the door telling me or his mother to hurry up so he could get some extra time on the ice in”, and here goes the lecture. CJ could never hope to measure up to whatever imaginary version of Troy lived in his dad’s memories. If you believed Curtis’s memories Troy already had NHL scouts watching him at thirteen, and CJ should be at that point too.
“Where’s mom, I thought she was supposed to take me?”, CJ asked as he got into his dad’s stupid fancy car.
“Oh you know your mother She’s at another facial or whatever. Why? You don’t want to hang out with your old man?”, Dad let out that one laugh he always used when he said something he and the other retirees all thought was a lot funnier than it really was.
CJ didn’t respond, instead looking out the window at the moving scenery, he wished he had kept his headphones on, even if listening to people praise his brother like that was something he could barely stomach. He had been trying to get through the episode for months now, first just working up the nerve to even press play, then actually trying to get through it. It was strange hearing people praise this perfect stranger CJ should know. Everyone always talked about him like he was a role model all young hockey players should look up to, Well unless you ran in the more old school circles, they had much less kind things to say. CJ realized that his dad had stopped talking and was clearly expecting a response. CJ just gave a wordless grunt that he was sure Dad would take whatever way he wanted. CJ was sure it would get featured in the post hockey practice lecture where if he did badly Dad would be sure to highlight every way he could have done better mixed with every other petty grievance that he may have.