Nothing too revealing on the Verbeek episode, although still a huge departure from the Murray days. here is a pretty comprehensive list of things they talked about:
personal stuff:
1) his show will be renamed "the beeker" since that's his nickname
2) talked about his upbringing a bit on a pig farm, he began driving tractors at a young age. thinks this helped instill a strong work ethic. the family still runs a farm and greenhouse.
3) started playing hockey when he was 5 or so but skated at a younger age. around 7 or so he really felt that hockey might be for him.
4) tried to model his game after Bobby Orr since he played D when he was younger. wore #16 for Bobby Clarke, whom he admired as a player (lol)
5) learned to train hunting dogs after he retired and still does it today
6) has 5 kids, and eldest daughter got married this past summer
playing career:
1) talked about the sabres/stars cup final and the controversial goal. very happy the league did away with that rule
2) 'little ball of hate' nickname started in NY from glenn healy. (ray ferraro was the 'big ball of hate' because he was grumpy off the ice.)
3) feels his temper helped him during his career especially on days he didn't feel great
executive career:
1) really enjoyed working with the ownership in Tampa and Detroit because they let their hockey people do their jobs
2) philosophy is to not bring players into the league before they're ready. obviously similar to Yzerman in that regard. says expectations for McTavish aren't terribly high and there will be ups and downs. believes there's nothing left for him to accomplish at the junior level. said McT puts in a lot of time on and off the ice
3) close relationship w/ Yzerman, think the game similarly, view players similarly, and they attempt to be as patient as possible
Ducks related:
1) I thought this was interesting and a good idea: trying to better coordinate hockey ops and the 'business' part of the team. has gotten to know Aaron Teats and they are working closely with marketing and player appearances. believes it's really important for the team to be out in the community.
2) Watched Regenda at WC and liked his size, skill, hockey sense. will take a wait and see approach but earned the right to start with team given his preseason performance (except for 1 game, Eakins also echoed that).
3) excited to see how the young guys progress. thinks 1st year is easiest year but 2nd can be tough as teams adapt. mentioned Comtois and Jones specifically as guys he's hoping have bounce back years.
4) Thinks Kulikov/Klingberg can help Drys in different situations.