Miscellaneous
Former NHL Defenseman and Winnipeg native Derek Meech joins the podcast for Episode 34. What an episode we’ve got for you here! Derek takes the time to reflect on his journey to the NHL from the frozen streets of Winnipeg, where his dream began, like so many others. He recalls a hilarious story of how he found out he was drafted, and shares another another about his first NHL training camp in Detroit, surrounded by absolute legends. He would finally stick with Detroit in 2007-08, winning the Stanley Cup, and would go on to play over 100 games with the club before signing as a free agent with the reborn Winnipeg Jets in the summer of 2011. He would only skate in 18 games wearing the jersey of his childhood team, however, he would suffer multiple knee injuries and endure a lockout as well. He remembers many of the incoming Atlanta Thrashers first impressions of the city, as some had difficulty adjusting to the winters. Timmy slides in for the second half of the episode, taking ‘Meecher' back in time to his Memorial Cup winning days, reminiscing of his days in a Red Deer Rebels uniform. Timmy and his dad would often drive up the road to Brandon to watch their clashes with the Wheat Kings. Meech would partner up with Dion Phaneuf for the majority of his time in Red Deer as well, happily feeding Dion ‘One-Tees’ from the blueline. The two would be chosen to represent Canada at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Finland. There are many other fun stories, including ones about former coaches Mike Babcock and Claude Noel, and past teammates such as Darren Helm, Nicklas Kronwall, Dominik Hasek, and Cam Ward. A massive thank you to Derek for lending his voice to the podcast. Enjoy the episode!