MARTY BIRON TALKIN’ HOCKEY
What’s up? This is Rob Gronowski and you’re watching the Moneyball Channel. [Music] Welcome to Moneyball. It is my pleasure to have with me today Mr. Marty Bon. How are you, my man? Thanks for coming on. I’m doing great. You’ve got a great looking hat. I got to get one of those like that. I I decided to go um you know, goat head black and red today. I had that on Sabers Live and I’m like that’s going to be good. So, we we’re balancing it pretty good. Truth is, this is my 11-year-old son’s hat and uh you know, he doesn’t wear it often, and I said, I’m taking that thing cuz I think it’s really nice looking. And I did a great looking hat. Check this baby out. I brought out on this is a special occasion. The Sherwood Tom Baraso comes out. Yes. Yes, man. Those the goalie sticks are nothing like this anymore. like the very sharp heel I you know the the way the blade and everything is is built that is man you you wouldn’t even be able to find a stick that resembles this right now the thickness of the paddle the way the shoulder and the the shaft meet like guys all have their own ways it’s very rare that it’s that straight and that cut so I was going to say even even the lack of curve on it like look at this thing man there’s nothing to it no and and Baraso did it often because he used the backhand a lot. So, he didn’t want a big curve cuz he used to switch it up and do the the crazy backhand with his curve. So, but he wanted to be able to you so he was different. He was a right catching goalender, but he flipped it over and shot the puck lefty. So, he would go the huge backhand um if he could. It was he was kind of uh on backwards a little bit. I always wanted to be Tom Baraso. So, I I would be I would be the forward version of Tom Baraso. The guy was like a hero to me and he was such a I think he’s so underrated, man. Like Tom Baraso had some crazy good numbers. I think he won a cup with Pittsburgh if I’m not mistaken. He did. He won with Pittsburgh. He actually did pretty well in Carolina as well. Buffalo obviously he was, you know, the rookie of the year. Um Tom Baras. So the biggest thing with him and why people loved him so much is because he was like absolutely uh you know an aggressive type of goalender. the stick would come out and all of it and no actually Tom Baraso won the Vzna after they made so he was voted the best goalie in the league. So that’s an 838. So it was like Baraso was this 63 aggressive giant and then Cluch would come in and he was like 57, right? It was and it you know like totally different people. Jacques is like the nicest easygoing type of guy. He was I I he so I grew up in Quebec City and Jacquluche played in Quebec for the Nordics as well. So the amount of goalies that were shared like Clint Malachuk played for Quebec and Buffalo, Jacqu Clutier. So that was you know and then Bob Sylvie was actually a guy that turned to be an agent and he was in the Quebec area. So I I knew a lot of what was going on in Buffalo but you’re right Jacques was the nicest easygoing guy. Tom Baraso was the most focused kind of you know just crazy kind of person. So, it was it was totally different. Tell me about growing up in Quebec City. Uh, first round draft pick for Buffalo in 1995. We’ll talk more playoff hockey and make this more of a fun conversation, but just for, you know, just to start out and kind of, you know, I had mentioned off the air I said you’re kind of a Buffalo legend, which I absolutely think that you are. I mean, anyone, it’s you, it’s Dom, and if you’re old like me, it’s Baraso, right? Those are the guys that everybody remembers. And and then your infamous fight, of course. No one can ever, you know, no one can ever It’s just classic, man. And I I remember right where I was. You know how like you remember where you were for no goal. You remember where you were for this. And I remember right where I was for for Marty’s Marty’s fight. I remember where I was for no goal. Uh I was a few rows behind and I was a black ace. So in the playoffs when the Rochester Americans are done some some prospect and some guys come up and I was one of those players just in case of injuries. So I was about 10 15 rows behind the goal where it happened and then I walked down to the locker room after just to see Lindy Ruff come out and be angry and yelling at the at the referee. So that was that was scary. And then I remember exactly where I was for the brawl because yes, I was getting punched out by Ruffy Henry at that moment and I remember what I was doing after the brawl because I was having pizza and wings in my full gear in the locker room watching the rest of the game because I got kicked out. So that was great. But you you’re right. You do remember some of these moments. My first Bills game. I went to a Bills game for the first time in the 99 2000 season, I believe. Um, and you know, it’s I I remember where I’m sitting. I’m at the other end of the stadium and the Bills have a, you know, they need a touchdown to win. Last second play. Doug Fluy looks over to give the ball to Turman Thomas. Turman Thomas went the wrong way. So, Fluty bootlegged into the end zone, scored a touchdown. Tell me about anyway growing up in Quebec City. So it was my brother and I. I’m three years older than my brother. So I was born in 77. He’s born in 80. My dad was, you know, simple construction worker but worked extremely hard, you know, like his job. And then after hours and the weekends to afford like our our hockey and baseball and my goalie equipment. I mean, I never had new goalie equipment. It was always used because we couldn’t afford it. But you know, but he would he would do the ice rink in the backyard. We would be out there all the time skating until our toes were frozen and we’d come in. I took some liberties on my brothers where I would hit him in the snowbank. He would go home crying all the time. And then he got bigger than me and he got taller than me. He’s about a 6’7 like monster that played in the NHL, too. Is he that tall? Is he that big? Yeah, he’s he’s he was 66 and a half, 235, 240 when he played in the NHL. So, you know, and he’s he’s probably bigger now, but there was a time where I was taller and bigger than him, and then he passed me and then I quickly shut up. I learned to shut up and not like get into him. But it was very, you know, we were huge Quebec Nordics fans growing up. The Peter Stasny and Michelle Goule and you know the there was some tough years, really, really tough years where it was first overall pick after first overall pick and the Eric Lindro saga and then finally they get good again just in time to leave to Colorado and win in Colorado Cup in 96. But we were a sports family. My dad played softball and bow and and he did all these played pickup hockey, beer league hockey and whatever. My mom was, you know, playing a lot of sports. So, we were a sport family. That’s what we did. We never went on vacation because our time away was sports. It was we would have a hockey tournament, a baseball tournament, a soccer tournament. That’s that’s what we did. And so, you know, 95 I get drafted by the Sabres, which also coincides with the time that the Nordics left to go to Colorado. So, you know, for me it was an easy transition. Well, now my team is Buffalo and and and I kind of fell in love with the organization, the people in the organization. I got to play at 18. I got to, you know, come here to Buffalo and love the city, love the the area, decide to stay here. So, it became very simple. It became a very easy transition from I feel like Quebec City and Buffalo are very similar in ways different in others. like Quebec has this old, you know, established downtown that is is lots of tourist and and the tourism and and all of it, but the suburbs are the same. The suburbs are great schools, hardworking people, very welcoming, very loving, and I felt like that is what I love so much about Buffalo. So, the transition was easy. You know, I I felt like I fitted right in other than the the French speaking and the French accent, but everything else was good. How did uh it’s great hearing that that story because I’ve actually never heard that you know broken down that way with you. How was that assimilation? I mean obviously now you still have you know the accent but were you speaking predominantly French? Did like did you grow up speaking French? Yeah, I grew up English in school was like you know the Spanish that that most people in high school learn you learn a little bit but you’re not going to go out all of a sudden in in in a Spanish speaking environment and be like I know what’s going on. No, you’re completely you’re just understanding a few things. In English classes in school, they used to ask us to watch a half hour of TV in English a week. And on Monday nights, I would turn into Monday Night Football and I watch the first 30 minutes of Monday Night Football. All I could tell is that well, you know what? It’s like a sporting event. I could have put it on mute. It would have been the same thing, right? So I remember when I came to Buffalo, I’m 18 years old, first training camp and then my first, you know, few games, Mike Wilson and Jay McKe used to have an apartment on this on the waterfront in the city. And I I I went there a couple of times and uh they’re like, “Oh, let’s call, you know, let’s order a pizza or whatever. Marty, you want to order a pizza?” And I’m like, “Uh, I I ordered something that came back so disgusting. I had no idea what I was doing.” I’m like, “Guys, you can’t like I didn’t speak that that much English.” Right. Right. Uh but then I I I learned I got better. Um I ended up marrying a local girl. So then it became like everything was in English, right? Like 95 98% of my life became in English. Yeah. Which I balanced back, you know, with a lot of French into it. But yeah, that that’s really how my development and my language learning became, you know, just part of everyday everyday task. Do you still speak fluid uh French? I mean, is it still is it easy to do a lot of media work in French, a lot of radio, a lot of TV, which I love because it has made my French so much better. Yeah, you can’t go on TV, especially when your mom and your family’s watching, and go out and butcher the French language and throw in a bunch of English, you know, expression or whatever. No. And I had a great producer my first year when I started doing French TV after the show, he would send me an email and say, “Be careful. You said this today.” Okay. And he’s like, “I hope I’m not stepping on toes.” And I’m like, “No, please help me.” Yeah. You wanted to hear that. It’s not that. Look, your first language is always going to be your first language. You know, when I I cover some of the Montreal Canadians with with RDS and TSN and and radio. So, when there’s a game that I’m home and if the Canadians are playing, I’ll put it on the French just to hear like my good buddy Mark Denny does a fantastic job with RDS and Patty Lee, former Sabres Goender, he does it with TVA Sports. Um, you know, I listen to them and how do they, you know, use different, you know, expressions to be able to stay up on it to to guide and to be able to understand what the what the new things are doing? Uh, was hockey night in Canada always in French then? Yes. So on Saturday night it was hockey. So uh the the hockey night, but it wasn’t in in Canada. It was just a hockey night, you know, hockey. And yes, it was it was very popular. But it was very popular because a lot of the Montreal Canadians games was were on. But I hated the Canadians, but I had to watch them on Saturday night because that’s the game that was on. It’s funny you say that. Every I remember Don Cherry and the Canadians being on, you know, I would tune almost every Saturday, right? They were like, Don, they had to they had to be on, you know. Good segue into the playoffs. I I know you’re covering them like crazy. And, you know, it’s it’s there’s been some wild games, man. There’s been there’s nothing in my opinion, there’s nothing like playoff hockey, right? Yeah. first round especially, right? And you go through the season and you know, obviously we know what’s going on with Buffalo. We’re we’re in the drought. We don’t need to go over that and beat the team up and everything else cuz that’s not what I’m here to do. I’m here to have a good time. And it it it does stink. You know, I I really do. The fans deserve that hockey, but if people are not tuning in, like say say you’re a Sabres homer and you’re just a Sabres nut and then you stop watching after Buffalo season’s over, you’re missing out on the best hockey in the world. And personally, the West Coast hockey to me is is that fast move. I love that West Coast hockey. Who do you think right now, man, is is is at their their peak, their pinnacle, uh goalending wise and everything else. Who do you think looks who’s it look like to you? Well, goending wise, we’ve got a lot of different storylines in the playoffs because the best goalie all season was Connor Elluck. He’s probably been one of the worst goalies in the first round despite the fact that he advanced. So, it’ll be interesting to see what he does against Dallas in the second round. A lot of people say, “Oh, well, he exercised a lot of demons by winning in the first round against St. Lewis and you know that overtime and second overtime game seven was crazy and he was better. Say he wasn’t that much better. He just the puck hit him. He he you know so I’m going to have to really pay attention and watch how he looks in the first few games against Dallas to see where is Connor Hellbug’s at. I think it’s all mental and the game we all know is very very mental. Everybody can skate, everybody can shoot. Everybody’s in good shape. Find a player hockey player that is not in good shape. that’s impossible, right? Uh but about how do you approach it mentally? How do you process the information? How do you uh bring the best out of yourself? That’s the thing. And I think Connor Hellbuck when it got it gets to the playoffs, it’s tough. Sergey Babroski on the other end when it gets to the playoffs, all of a sudden he’s like he’s he’s you know Bob, right? There’s been some seasons where Sergey Babroski has not been Vzna Bob, but the last three years, playoffs, Stanley Cup finals, they lose two years ago, they win last year. This year they beat Tampa in the first round. I think Sergey Babroski has been the best despite the fact they lost game one to Toronto. I still think he’s been the best in the playoffs so far, but we have a lot of weird goalie, you know, basically things happening with the Edmonton Oilers. Kelvin Pickard is winning five in a row. Like that’s just crazy. So, there’s a lot of crazy goalie stories going on. And, you know, with with Dallas, I’m I’m glad you brought that up first, you know, with Winnipeg playing uh Dallas because Aer has been he was he was kind of I guess going in a few guys that I spoke with, he was kind of the the favorite, you know, to be the best goalender in the playoffs, right? Maybe just his streakiness or whatever, but I feel like, and this is just my opinion, playoff hockey was always about the best goalending. And as of the last few years, you’re not seeing like the 2-1 games, you know, you’re not seeing as many. You’re you’re still getting some high-scoring games, you know, and and where I feel like, does that make sense what I’m saying? Like I I feel like the goalending has to taken a little bit of a dip in the playoffs. Is that fair to say? You still need the best or one of the best goalenders to win in the playoffs. So the game the game has evolved more into, okay, let’s continue to push. You’re up two nothing. Don’t sit down like it used to be and try to win it two nothing, two-1. You got to get that third goal and you got to keep pushing. So that is a big thing when it comes to goalending. The other thing is safe percentages are down. And a big part of safe percentages being down this year and in the playoffs is the fact that because of gambling and because of all the prop bets and all of it. The league is now auditing every single shots, every single periods and there’s less shot on goal when it used to be ah this looked like it would have hit the net. It’s a shot. It’s a shot. Allen the shots are 37 to 32. Now, at the end of the night, the shots may be 32 to 23, and you’re like, “Oh, well, you know, the game is still 4-3, but the save percentages have gone down.” I looked at this year in the playoffs, the goalies that have the highest save percentages are, to me, the goalies that their teams have been playing really well in front of them. Freddy Anderson, Carolina, his team has played really well in front of him. Logan Thompson, Washington, his team played really well in front of him. And then you look at the bottom of the list, you’ve got Connor Hellabuk, you got Andre Vaselki, you got Lenus Olark, you got Sergey Babroski, Darcy Keer. These are all goalies that have have had fantastic seasons, right? You’d think it’d be the other way. Yeah. Yeah. It could it goes the other way. So to me, it’s just a matter of get in the game, win your game, get out like do then try to re rinse and repeat the next one. Who’s your uh who’s your prediction right now? Who’s going to take the cup this year? Well, my cup final is busted because I had Tampa and Colorado and they both lost in the first round. So, I’m like drawing uh you know back basically. I’m buying back. I’m like at the poker table right now and I lost and I’m doing a buy back. So, in the second round, yeah, I would the buyback’s always good. I have Dallas and Vegas advancing and then I have Florida and Carolina advancing. Am I confident in those? Not really. I think that what we saw at the Edmonton Oilers against Vegas in game one is like what the heck is Edmonton flipping the table and playing the Vegas style now? Like they gave up who was it 14 or 17 shots to the Vegas Golden Knights in the game. Did the same thing to Washington. I know it. I know it. You’re right. And and it’s crazy. Well, and it was then it was two nothing Vegas and you know and Edmonton scores four straight and as a fan that’s frustrating. you know, your team’s up 2 and the way they scored. I think Mark Stone had two quick ones, you know, and it’s like, oh, we’re on, you know, we’re going to fly through this game and and they don’t they just stop shooting the puck. You know, we saw in game seven in, you know, the third period of Dallas and Colorado how a game can turn on its head. And and this this is so far after just a couple of games here, three games in the round two, there’s been 13 games this year where the team that was trailing after two of won the game. There was 12 in the whole playoffs last year. Like the change of leads, the the comeback wins. The Edmonton Oilers have won five games. Five come from behind win. Everyone, they one of them it’s a come from behind wins. I get it. You have McDavid. You know, you can always come back, but it has been such a story. Yeah, there’s always a story. Let me ask you a couple more things. Uh, one is about home ice advantage, which, you know, I I I thought about this from always from a fan’s perspective. You think about it differently than a player. And here’s where I’m going with this. You know, recently I’ve interviewed a few players who have given me the reason that home ice advantage is so important. And it’s not how loud the crowd is or people banging on the glass or even the familiarity with the rink where bounces go. It’s that last change. It’s it’s who you’re bringing out. And I never thought about it that from that perspective, you know, but they said the game is changing and I don’t know if anything changed in the rules with this, but you know, you see McDavid and and uh you know, Dell hop over the boards, right? Well, then you can shift and and bring out your one. Yes. And and and I never thought about it like that. And that’s got to be crazy important. I mean, yeah, it’s crazy important. It’s always been like this. Like the home team has last change. Why is it more relevant now? Like why does it seem more relevant now then? Like why you know what I mean? Like I be teams are better with matchups like I mean and and there’s more of that cat and mouse games that happen like back in the days you know if Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky stepped on the ice you had one guy that you would say you’re covering that guy and they would glue themselves to that person. You can’t do that anymore because it’s got to be a five on five type of game. But if you have a line that is really good defensively look perfect example game one Oilers Vegas two nothing Vegas. the one shift that Jack Eel and Mark Stone are not on the ice against McDavid’s line. Boom. McDavid dryidle line scores. Cory Perry gets a goal and all of a sudden you’re like that’s how important matchups were and it allowed the Oilers to come back. Now the Oilers scored another goal, Dryidle scored a goal with Aikol on the ice. But if that door opened up, that’s what happens. And so teams that are really good at it. I remember I was with the Rangers and you know we played Alex Ovichkin in the playoffs and it was not so much about who the forwards are going to be against Alex Ovetchkin. It was about who do we want on the back end. Who are the defenseman that we want against Alex Ovetkin and the designated player was Dan Gerardi. So Dan Gerardi as soon as he saw Obie on the ice he got the bench like he knew. He knew we had last chance. Now we were in Washington and Dan Gerardi would have a shift. he’d come back to the bench and then we’d see OVI jump on the ice. They try to avoid the matchup. So, it was that’s what it is. Some teams do it much better than others. Some teams are better equipped than others. Some teams are better at it. Um that’s just a an experience thing and maybe a game flow thing. Um the first run the playoffs, home team won a lot more than the road teams. There has been instances where the road team maybe have had some success, but I think the overall rule is if you have the control of the matchups in the playoffs, it gives you an advantage. It’s very very cerebral insight. It’s intelligent to think because it’s always been there, there’s got to be a reason why it’s and that’s what it is. And I think, you know, almost better quality hockey players, right? Like I mean, your lines are more even now, too, right? you’d always have the fourth line was, you know, traditionally you’d just sometimes with some teams you’d have a the Goon squad that would come out and they were on there for a reason. And you do see this, they’re not drafting and they’re not bringing up the guys who are that that that’s not they don’t need that anymore, you know, they need matchups, they need goals and everything else. So, they’re not bringing out the toughness. So, you know, and then you’re right, like there was a time in hockey where your Fort Line and and was a lot of fighters and you would never see and no disrespect to Rob and the job that he did, but you stepped on the ice, you’re like, “Razor, get off, right?” And Razer says that he said he had one time he was on the ice with Wayne Gretzky and uh he’s like, “I saw him go right by me.” Right? It’s just that’s basically what it is. But now, like I’ll use the Sabres roster from last year, for example. If Conor McDavid’s on the ice, you you’ll be okay with having, let’s just say, Payton Krebs, Sam Laferdy, and Beck Malenstein on the ice. Why? Because they’re they’re good players. Like the depth and the amount of good players in the NHL is is significant that you can have a third line or a fourth line to be able to do this. The Sabres in the 80s were were amazing in in in the 70s, I should say, with their Danny Gar line, right? Greg Ramsey, don’t lose Danny G. They were the checking line, but they, you know, they still scored, you know, 50 goals a year, but they were checking line. And why did it give the Sabres advantage is because they had a line that would do it% and could go out and check. That was very different back then. And they were so successful and they made it to the finals because of a line like that. Yeah. No, listen, I can’t agree more. I had Danny on the show. I had I had Rammer on the show and we talked a lot about that. I certainly, you know, appreciate the time and I think I can I can speak for Buffalo. You know, we love you up there. There’s always kind of a a little bit of a cat and mouse, right? Kind of messing with each other a little bit, man. And and I think that the people of Buffalo almost choose a side, you know? It’s like it’s like, you know, it it’s funny, but you guys win. No, man. You do a great job. You really do. You You know what? It’s funny because I’ve always enjoyed doing what I’m doing. And when I was playing, so the year I got traded from Buffalo to Philly, we didn’t make the playoffs in Philly. we were last in the league like the last month of the season and that year um you know this guy at TSN Steve Dryden called me and was like do you want to do some you know playoff coverage with us we’re bringing in some players and I went and I really enjoyed it and the next year I did it again and and it came be like a part of oh I want to do this when I’m done I want to be the educator at the same time the teacher and then like hey listen I want to be able to give an opinion and bring energy but I also want to be able to educate and say this is what’s happening Here’s here’s why I love that. I have an 11-year-old playing travel hockey. I have, you know, I have three boys and that’s what I say to them, you know, when when the when there’s intermissions, I don’t care, you know, what game it is that my my son’s a huge Carolina Hurricanes fan and we were there a few weeks ago and I’ll tell you what, man, they rock out down there. There were tailgates, man. It was awesome. They beat us in ‘ 06 and all of that. The tailgate around the rink area, the the the atmosphere inside the building. I hate that Ric Flair because I was so shocked like we’re rolling up and I see guys tell it looked like a Bills game and I’m like this is crazy but but college town kind of atmosphere and that is exactly what you’re doing you know so I’ll say hey you know listen up stop beating your brother up and listen up to what he’s saying man he’s making some good points you know couple of fun questions I’m happy to be the babysitter during the game that’s yeah yeah that’s a good role right couple of fun questions man what’s Marty’s favorite ice cream flavor chocolate peanut butter or chocolate peanut butter, whatever. I love Perry’s. And uh but I have to say, let’s do Buffalo is definitely up there. And I also got to give a shout out to Rosies, my boy Steve Tasker, and his family. They were just on as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We uh How is it? I just had Oreo milk at Rosy’s the other night. And man, was that so good. Was it Wait, milkshake? No, Oreo milk ice cream. Like that’s what it’s called. Oreo milk. Okay. It kind of is like an Oreo McFlurry or Blizzard or whatever you want to call it, but it’s ice cream and it was so good. So, yeah. So, I’m an ice cream guy, so I I have a diff a lot of different flavors. I love I love it, too, man. I I you know, I just had the taskers on, Steve and Luke, and I got to get over there. Uh cuz Deacon uh I think Deacon and his wife, and that’s my son’s name as well, and we got to get over there. Deacon beat me. And so, I I got to play in our President’s Cup at Craig Burner one year. Yeah. And I was matched up with Deacon and and he absolutely terrorized me. I think he was I think the match was over at the 12th hole. Exactly. Yeah, he was he was good. He was I think he was hitting his iron or of the the the the T- box. He was striping it down the middle. It was unbelievable. So yeah, Deacon crushed me. Those taskers take you by surprise with their athleticism. You know what I mean? Like you look at them and you’re like, “Oh man, you size them up. That’s a mistake, man. They’re great athletes.” You know what I’m saying? Yes. Absolutely. And I love that family. They’re awesome. Yeah, they’re great people. If you could go 100 years in the future or 100 years back, which way would you go and why? I’d go 100 years in the future. I mean, I love the past. I love history. I was terrible in history in high school, by the way, but I love history now. I love to go back and especially with hockey and go back, but to be able to see what is going to be in a 100 years from now. Like, I know what happened 100 years ago. I want to see what happened with what what is happening 100 years from now and where we’re at. I had a grandma that passed away this past year. She was 94, I believe. So, I’m looking to live in my 80s and 90s and get to 100. So, that’s what I want to do. Well, I’ll tell you what, man. This was this was a lot of fun. This was great. Uh very entertaining. Uh I’m really glad, you know, that you decided to take some time with me, you know, and hopefully we’ll keep in touch. No, absolutely. Good luck with the travel hockey and the boys and everything. I know it’s just a start. I had I only had a boy. I have three daughters, but they did well equestrian and they still are doing it. So that’s crazy. But you’re a great dude. Thanks a lot, man. Have a great day. Awesome. Thank you. You, too. All right.
Martin Biron played for a few different NHL teams but is most known for playing Buffalo Sabres, the infamous Ray Emery brawl, and now doing the intermission reports for the Sabres games. Marty is also working for TSN doing playoff hockey coverage, and is very involved in the Buffalo community.
