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"Hey, do you know John Scott?"
It wasn't a question that I was expecting to hear, sitting for a job interview for a small marketing agency in Traverse City, Michigan.
It was 2018 and I had just moved to Michigan a few weeks earlier. I jokingly refer to this time as my “quarter-life crisis”—I didn't know what I wanted from life, but I knew what I didn't want. That realization had me packing up my life and moving 1,000 miles away from my friends and family in Boston. I didn't have a job or a place to live lined up, just a fold-out bed to crash on and the stubborn belief that things would work out once I got there.
I had interviewed at a few places and had a really good feeling about this one. It was a small team of good people in a beautiful office space by the water. I had just told the CEO that I was a huge hockey fan, which is what prompted the question.
"Yeah, of course I know John Scott!"
This was only a couple of years after John’s storybook All Star Game appearance, where he had turned an embarrassing situation into one of the most heartwarming sports stories ever told. He was a huge name in the hockey world.
It turned out that the CEO of this agency was neighbors and pals with the former NHL-er. John lived in little Traverse City! I had no idea. They had recently started a podcast to help John build his personal brand and John came in the office every so often to record the show. I thought it was the coolest thing.
Anyway, I got the job. I remember thinking, This is so cool. Maybe I’ll get to meet John once or twice. That would be a great story. I just wanted to meet him.
A year later, I was at John Scott’s house for Christmas dinner. Life is weird.
"This is Tim, My Co-Host."
Over the years, a lot of people have asked me for advice. “How do I break into sports media?” “How do I grow my podcast?” “Where do I start?”
I always tell them the same thing: work hard and grab your opportunities when you see them.
That’s what I did when John started coming into the office to record more podcast episodes. I saw the potential for something special and I seized it. I got in on the ground floor and made myself essential to its success.
It began with taking over John’s social media, scheduling interviews, putting notes together for specific episodes, things like that. For someone who had spent years writing sports blogs for various Boston-based websites that nobody ever read, being part of this was a dream come true.
I had been behind the scenes for a few months, when one day John asked me if I wanted to come on the show with him for the next episode. The conversation went something like this:
“Hey Tim, want to join me for this one?”
“Ha, sure…”
“No, seriously. Come on the show. It’ll be fun.”
“Wow, okay. Yeah, sounds good.”
“Cool. Be ready in five minutes.”
It was thrilling yet intimidating. I was so nervous. I specifically remember it was a New Year’s resolution episode, where we went through the list of teams alphabetically and said what we thought each team’s goal should be for the new year.
John led the conversation and would bring me in every few minutes. I never knew when he was going to point to me, so I was mentally staying 1-2 teams ahead of him. So, while he was talking about the Calgary Flames, I was mentally thinking, Okay, the Carolina Hurricanes need…to get more veteran experience in their lineup and the Chicago Blackhawks need…to stay healthy for one more playoff run before they have to break up this core.
You get the picture.
It went well enough, I guess, because he asked me to come back on the show again. Not every time, at first. Here and there. And then more often. I think he liked getting to chat and riff with someone who knew the game. Soon enough, I was on every episode. Before I knew it, he started referring to me as his co-host.
This might surprise some people, but there was never a conversation where we decided to do it together. To go all in as co-hosts and make something of the show. It just…happened.
It reminds me of one of my favorite Michael Scott quotes: “Holly's my friend, and ultimately, my strategy is to merge this into a relationship without her even knowing.”
Just a few months after moving to Michigan, I found myself the co-host of a popular, and growing, hockey podcast with a retired NHL All Star.
Like I said, life is weird.
The People Who Made it Possible
The show was picking up steam. There was buzz. The feedback was great. We joined one network and then another.
We started interviewing a ton of current and retired NHL players. From Hall of Famers to 4th-line plugs. From Vezina Trophy winners to backup goalies. And everyone in between.
Names like Pronger, Bourque, Kane, Hossa, Toews, Tkachuk, Hedman, Pavelski, Guentzel, Fleury, Esposito.
At different points over the years, I'd get such bad cases of imposter syndrome. I'd think to myself, This is fun, but at some point John's gonna have to get a "real" cohost.
But, to my surprise, the listeners embraced me. They stood up for me when John picked on me. They argued with me when I said something they disagreed with. They DM-ed me to let me know how much they liked the show. They saw a fellow hockey die-hard and treated me like a friend from the very beginning. It's hard to put into words how grateful I am for that.
I also need to thank everyone else that supported us behind the scenes along the way: John, Larry, Eric, Ethan, and Sam at Web Canopy Studio; Kevin and Neal at Blue Wire; Jay, Patrick, Liam, and Aaron at The Nation Network. So many more. I’m sure I’m forgetting some. You know who you are.
The Best of the Best
As I reflect back now on the past 7 years with Dropping the Gloves, I’m so grateful to have been on this exciting, fulfilling, strange, and wonderful journey. It’s just a hockey podcast, but it was so much more than that to me. It was a creative outlet, it was extra cash in my pocket, it was a chance to interact and speak with dozens of NHL players. It was a feeling of being part of something special. To build something from nothing.
I have so many amazing memories, but there are a few that stand out in particular. Here are some of my favorite and most memorable experiences from being part of Dropping the Gloves:
- Dinner with the Sharks - In Detroit, John and I had a steakhouse dinner with some of the best players in the game: Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, even a young Mario Ferrarro. Jumbo in particular was amazing, such a great and personable guy at the table. Burnsy didn’t give a shit about me. It was funny.
- Chicago Blackhawks Convention - Recording a series of interviews in front of a live audience with thousands of fans in the building. I got to meet so many players and see the “behind the scenes” of such a huge event. It was awesome.
- Teaching Through SUNY Adirondack - I was approached about teaching a podcast course in their Continuing Education program. The class was called, “How to Build & Grow Your Podcast: Six Lessons Learned on the Way to Six Figures.” I was so happy to share some of my insights and chat with folks who were passionate about their projects. It was a really rewarding experience. You can read more about the lessons I shared in that class here.
- Streaming on Bleacher Report - Over the past few years, we got to do several live streams on Bleacher Report’s app. We loved doing it and the live aspect of it always raised the stakes. Butterflies in a good way. They have a killer team over there and really created high-quality shows every time. One of our streams had more than 700,000 viewers. Surreal…
- Sponsorships and Partnerships - Getting to work with some amazing brands like The Farmer’s Dog, ESPN+, Wendy’s, UFC, DoorDash, AG1, IndoChino, Crown Royal, and so many others was really cool. I’m thankful to have worked with them and for their investment in our show.
- Friends of the Show - Last year, we finally started a Patreon for those who wanted to support the show. I wish it hadn’t taken us so long to do that. The best part of it was the Slack community of DtG die-hards that we have affectionately named “Friends of the Show.” The community is active, hilarious, supporting, and so much fun. You guys are the best.
- Interacting with Listeners - I could get emotional when I think about all of the listeners who have reached out over the years and shared how much they enjoy the show and what it meant to them. I'm in debt to you all. Even those who DM-ed me to call me a moron for something I said on the show (and it happened a lot). John and I have been the ones on the show, but it belongs to all of us.
Thank You, John
I sometimes think back to that job interview. I think about the question I was asked.
“Do you know John Scott?”
I said yes, of course I did.
But, I didn’t. I had no idea who he really was.
In fact, for most of his career, I hated the guy. I was totally on board with the idea of an enforcer and the important role they played in the NHL. But there was something about him specifically that did not jive with me. Maybe it was his size. Maybe it was his perceived lack of skill. Maybe it was the fact that he elbowed Loui Eriksson in the head and then beat the shit out of Shawn Thornton.
Fun fact: there was only one time in my life that I actually called into a sports radio station to share my thoughts. When I was living in Boston, I listened to 98.5 The Sports Hub every day. I enjoyed the banter, the hot takes, the knowledgeable hosts. I never felt the need to call in, except just one time.
It was right after the Eriksson hit. The Bruins were slated to face off against the Sabres again and the hosts, I think it was Felger and Mazz, were talking about how someone like Chara or Lucic needed to fight John Scott to teach him a lesson and get revenge for the hit.
I called in to say that they unequivocally should NOT do that (this was years before I met John). Not because of the risk of injury or anything like that. Because, by doing that, you play right into his hands. This is what he wants to happen. If he can get a guy like Lucic in the box for 5 minutes, he’s done his job. You’re keeping him relevant. You might as well just write his paycheck.
I thought he was a big, dumb goon that didn’t deserve to be in the NHL.
I was wrong.
Before I met him, he had already won me over with the whole All Star Game thing. But, in getting to know him over these past few years, I was totally wrong about who I thought he was as a person. And now he's become one of my closest friends.
John is smart. Very smart. He’s a problem solver. He embraces hard work as if his life depends on getting the job done. He’s a great father and husband. He’s got a big heart, but in his own gruff, rough around the edges, I-fought-for-a-living sort of way.
John, thank you for teaching me so much about the game of hockey. Thank you for the opportunities you’ve given me and making me feel part of something special. Thank you for making me feel welcome in your home and letting me spend time with your beautiful family.
And most of all, thanks for giving me a chance.
Onwards and Upwards
770 episodes. 104 interviews. Thousands of memories.
We recorded at the agency office. We recorded on my living room couch. We recorded in hotel rooms. In person and virtual. Alone and in front of hundreds of people. Early in the morning and late at night. Year round. For 7 years.
It was so much work. I dedicated so many hours of my life every week to this podcast. It was fulfilling, inspiring, fun...and even frustrating at times. But even those challenging parts were rewarding in their own way. In the end, I had an absolute blast being part of Dropping the Gloves. And I’m so proud of what we built.
That's why it's such a bittersweet feeling to close this chapter and wrap up my time with the show. For the fans of the show who are reading this, rest assured that John plans to keep it going every week and doing what he does best. I'm excited to see where he takes it next.
Dropping the Gloves will always have a special place in my heart. From what started with a simple question in that job interview, it's been an incredible journey for this lifelong hockey fan.
Thank you for being part of it.
Tim
