Johnny visits Jimmy Gems at 499 Danforth Avenue to talk masks, toilet paper and bottled water as the Corona Virus takes over.

Best Player in the World

Masks, Toilet Paper and Bottled Water | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny visits Jimmy at Danforth Jewellers and they discuss the Raptors win over the Pacers and preview the Leafs game vs the Lightning.

Raptors beat Pacers, Leafs face Lightning | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny visits Jimmy at 499 Danforth Jewellers and they talk Leafs and Raptors.

Leafs Lose to Anaheim, Raptors Win over the Warriors | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny and Jimmy return to Danforth Jewellers after the Paul Lawless episode at Georgy Porgy's, and focus their conversation on the Leafs and Raptors western road trip.

Leafs & Raptors Go West | Jimmy's Gems

Jimmy and Johnny get right into it over beers and wings at the cozy corner table at Georgy Porgies’ Grill & Bar with former NHLer Paul Lawless. Lawless grew up in Scarborough and went on to play over 17 seasons of professional hockey and now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the first of a four part series Lawless shares countless amazing and amusing stories from his days as a player.   0:00 Paul Lawless starts things off with talk of the outdoor rink at Cedarbrook Park where he and others like Jimmy Gems would  skate and learn to play hockey.   1:30 Paul jokes that his mother wanted to play hockey because it WAS dangerous.   3:00 Barry Beck was a big mean guy. Scott Stevens was toughest, cleanest player Paul played against.   4:30 Slapshot from Moe Mantha his Paul in the face.   7:00 Paul has had some dental work done.   9:00 Ron Francis’ eye injury.   11:00 Paul, a good friend of Coyotes’ coach Rick Tocchet, was there in Arizona when Leafs’ president Brendan Shanahan flew in, fired Babcock and liberated Tyson Barrie and the rest of the Leafs.   13:00 Coach Quennville says you need everything going your way to win the Cup.   14:00 Why Craig Berube was able to lead the Blues to the Cup because the players loved him. It’s a simple game.   15:00 Players loved playing for Quennville. Mike Keenan. Getting Flyer-ized.   17:00 Pat Croce, now an owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, was head fitness trainer for the Flyers and got Paul into shape.   20:00 Getting benched at the hometown Maple Leaf Gardens by Mike Keenan. The intimidation factor.   23:00 Paul loves that Tyson Barrie stood up for his rights and that the Leafs stood up for the player. Babcock wasn’t getting the best out of his players.   26:00 Mark Howe took so much pride in his game.   27:00 Gretzky didn’t look like a good skater but was. “These guys are special people.”   28:00 Paul was Borje Salming as a kid when playing road hockey. Salming took Paul under his wing in Toronto.   30:00 Playing in Boston Garden.   End of Paul Lawless 1/4

Paul Lawless Part 1 | Jimmy's Gems

While the boys eat Georgy Porgy's wings and watch the Leafs play San Jose and the Raptors play the Suns, Paul does a role call of the many players he played with.   0:00 Mats Sundin won’t sign Jimmy’s jersey.   1:00 The number of times Paul had his bell rung.   2:00 Paul owes Harold Snepsts $12 on a darts debt.   5:00 The white skates of the California Golden Seals.   11:00 His good friend Ken Wregget was the goalie he scored his 6 points on.   Paul says he likes new Leafs backup goalie Jack Campbell.   Paul likes to hang out with Fergus, Daoust, Gavin, Kypreos.   17:00 Lawless once again praises Campbell.   19:00 End of epic 4 part pod with the great Paul Lawless, who promises to pod with us again in the future...

Paul Lawless Part 4 | Jimmy's Gems

This Jimmy's Gems Paul Lawless Special continues with part 3 at Georgy Porgy’s Grill & Bar. 0:00 Question time. Mail bag. How did you like wearing the Cooperall pants? What if you had to go pee?   4:00 Prank Alert: Nailing GM Bobby Clarke’s shoes to the ceiling.   6:30 Keeping your customers happy with grilled chicken wings.   9:30 Hartford Whalers Alumni annual reunions.   13:00 Staying in shape. Diet is key. Daily hiking in hills of Arizona.   15:00 Missing the burn of playing.   19:00 Crazy hockey parents.   20:00 If you’re any good you don’t need to tell anybody about it.   21:00 Paul had never even heard of Auston Matthews in Scottsdale but is good friends with Auston’s attorney.   22:30 Why would Auston resign with Leafs when he could live in the Baja?   27:00 Where we get into Kennedy conspiracy theories.   29:00 Anthem in background for Toronto-San Jose. Q: Anthems the most boring part of game? Intermissions.   31:00 Paul loves people in hockey more than management.   Paul scores 6 points vs Leafs on anniversary of father’s death on January 4th.   33:00 Goaltender Hextal was superstitious. Paul sat next to him in dressing room and never talked to him. A weird cat - like most goalies.   36:00 Summer hockey was the best part of my career.   38:00 Favourite ref: Ron Finn.   42:00 Today’s locker rooms. Tippet takes Paul into Coyotes’ room: every player has an ipad. Tippet is a student of the game.   46:00 Paul was an internal rebel. As a player you’ve got a job to do in a controlled environment. You’re a piece of meat.   47:00 Dave Semeko’s Five Lies of Hockey:   1. I’m only going for one. 2. My roommate’s asleep. 3. The cheque’s in the mail. 4. It flipped up on me. 5. It’s not how I do personally, as long as the team wins.   It’s all about you. As long as you’re making the dough.   50:00 Chris: The Patrik Steffan Miss   57:00 Semenko such a great guy. Pancreatic cancer. Gretzky and Sather said they would fly him anywhere in the world to the best doctors.   59:00 Breaking curfew. Paul and Semeko go out for one last night and Semenko retires from Leafs and the game. His book: Taking Care of Number One. Coach John Brophy was too much.   1:01:00 Brophy would put Iafrate on a bike in the sauna to sweet off weight.   1:04:00 You don’t want to sweat too hard in the first two periods because your equipment gets too heavy. You save it for the third and you fly.   …   References   Baja   Santo Tropicante   The Patrik Steffan Miss

Paul Lawless Part 3 | Jimmy's Gems

The Paul Lawless Episode continues with part 2 at Georgy Porgy’s Grill & Bar. 1:00 Paul and the boys feast on Georgy Porgy’s fantastic chicken wings.   5:00 Paul loves the Go Train.   8:00 What it was like to own his own hockey team in Austin, Texas.   11:00 How his friendship with a Hartford businessman took him to Arizona and from there branched out into business success.   20:00 The Molson Slow Pitch tournaments and how they were a bad idea.   25:00 Talking about “the After Life”, meaning life after hockey. Paul doesn’t like to sit still.   31:00 Player agents and how his NHL debut with Hartford was mis-managed.   35:00 Great Gordie Howe stories. Paul was there in Hartford when Gordie retired in Hartford.   42:00 Brian Burke becomes Paul’s agent.   44:00 Paul gets traded to Vancouver just before playing Vancouver.   54:00 Paul shares stories about: Al Iafrate, Billy Smith, Gerry Cheevers, and more… … Jimmy’s Gems A Best Player in the World Production. Sponsored by Danforth Jewellers.

Paul Lawless Part 2 | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny returns to Danforth Jewellers for a quick visit to talk to Jimmy about Nylander finally scoring game winners, the Raptors missing their big men, and more. ... Part of the Best Player In The World Podcast Network at: bestplayerintheworld.com

Nylander scores game winners, Raptors miss their big men| Jimmy's Gems

Johnny meets Jimmy for the first time since the game. Johnny reveals he is not a fan of the Zamboni Goalie Story. Jimmy predicts the firing of Leafs GM Kyle Dubious, and more.

Anger Management | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny returns to Danforth Jewellers to talk to Jimmy about the Leafs win over the Pens, the Tyson Barrie trade rumours, the raptors, music, bands, radio stations and more.

Tyson Barrie, NHL Trade Rumours, Raptors | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny and Jimmy meet at Danforth Jewellers to talk Doughty, Nylander, the Trade Deadline, Leafs vs Pens, and more.

Doughty, Nylander, the Trade Deadline, Leafs vs Pens | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny returns to Danforth Jewellers to get some gems from Jimmy. They talk about the NBA All Star Game, the Leafs previous games against Ottawa and Buffalo, their coming games vs Pittsburgh, and more.

NBA All Star, Leafs vs Ottawa, Buffalo and Pittsburgh| Jimmy's Gems

Johnny meets Jimmy at Danforth Jewellers on Valentine's Day to talk Brady, the Raptors and of course the Leafs.

Valentine's Day Special Edition | Jimmy's Gems

Johnny visits Jimmy at Danforth Jewellers to talk about the Leafs' Jack Campbell, Kyle Clifford and William Nylander, the Raptors' Terrence Davis, and more.

Jack Campbell, Kyle Clifford, William Nylander and Terrence Davis | Jimmy's Gems

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