It’s not everyday you get to talk to Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean for over an hour-and-a-half. But luckily for me, Adam Wylde and Jesse Blake, that’s exactly what happened when Ron recently appeared on the Steve Dangle Podcast.
If you’re looking for some serious opinions, funny stories and thought-provoking quotes from a variety of ancient Greek people, you’ll love this show.
In case you need a little more convincing, here are four things I learned from our talk with Ron MacLean.
Ron’s a big wrestling fan
Much to my surprise, Ron grew up a huge wrestling fan. Long before Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior collided in Toronto at Wrestlemania VI, a young Ron loved a promotion called Stampede Wrestling. At roughly the 1:30 mark, Ron talks about going to see Stampede Wrestling with his dad at the Halifax Forum and meeting one of his idols; a heel wrestler named Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie.
Here’s the Stomper taking on a young Bret Hart in Stampede Wrestling many moons ago.
He’s got a great Lou Lamoriello story
Even to fans, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello remains largely a mystery. He rarely hints at potential moves, won’t give any time to rumours, and rarely shows his emotions. When the camera pans to Leafs management after a big goal, you might see Kyle Dubas jump up or Brendan Shanahan give a big fist bump. Lou? Stone-faced.
Ron manages to tell two quick stories that make Lou seem like the biggest sweetheart and the no-nonsense authoritarian he’s generally portrayed as. Fans of the New Jersey Devils will especially get a kick out of this story. You can find this around the 54:00 mark.
One thing that surprised me for the longest time was that Ron didn’t have Twitter. Even since opening his account in early 2014, he barely uses it despite having over 172,000 followers. In nearly three years on Twitter, Ron still has less than 300 tweets.
Ron shared his thoughts on social media, including his reservations about it. If you’re into social media it’s actually a somewhat refreshing take instead of the usual “kids these days” dismissiveness you hear from some.
By the way, what was Ron’s first tweet? A picture with famous Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. Because of course it was.
Ron & Strombo
Ron was very candid when asked about being removed as the host of Hockey Night in Canada for George Stroumboulopoulos.
It’s an interesting little listen if you’ve been curious about how he felt about the situation. After all, it’s still a popular topic of conversation in Canada, even outside of sports circles.
It was a full show, discussing everything from the Penguins and the White House, to opening hockey cards.
I’m obviously biased because it’s my podcast, but I think the entire episode is worth a listen. If you’re only used to watching Ron for a few minutes at a time every Saturday and Sunday night, hearing him speak for over an hour and 40 minutes is a whole new experience.
If you would like to listen to the whole thing, I will post both the SoundCloud and YouTube links below. Just be warned that there’s a swear word here and there.
