Adam Graves & Stéphane Matteau-Stanley Cup Champions

Mike Hartman, performance mindset strategist. This is Develop the Mindset of a Champion with former Stanley cup champion Mike Hartman.

Welcome to the show. Develop the Mindset of a Champion. Today I have my co host and former teammate, great guy, Stephon Matteau. Hey Stefan, say hello. How are you guys? Today's show, our featured guest is Adam Graves. Adam is one of the most respected individuals I have ever played with. Great teammate. Oh no. By the way, he's a former NHL player that played for the Detroit Red Wings, the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, San Jose shark. He's a two time Stanley cup champion in 94 with the, with the Rangers and then again with Edmonton. And we're going to get into that a little bit. People, you know. Adam, great to hear you. Great to have you here. We just want to hear your story and we're looking forward to hearing you and Adam say hi to everybody and great to have you.

Well, Hardy, it's great to be here. And Steph, you guys are like brothers rather than friends. And from our years gone by, Steph were playing against each other. We were just chatting about that when you were in Calgary and I was in Edmonton and certainly the rivalry and then a lot of people don't know this, but Hardy and I have grown up almost together from early teens, skating together and being good buddies from our Detroit Windsor days. So yes, we won a cup together, but our friendship started, you know, a lot earlier than that.

Yeah. And we're going to get more into that. So Grady, I just want to start just share, you know, I know a lot about you as well. We heard Steph the other day and he had a great story shared with everybody. Just if you could share your family situation, I know you know where you grew up in Canada a little bit about your family. I'm sure that people would love to hear it.

Well, I grew up in Toronto. My dad was a policeman and as a kid that was my hero. I'll never forget having the opportunity to shine his boots when he was in full uniform. And then he became a detective and wore a suit every day. And some of my fondest memories were in the driveway shooting pucks with him. And I'll never forget because he used to work either 4 to 12 or he would work days. And when he was working days, we would shoot pucks at the end of the day and if he was working nights, then I'd run home at lunchtime and we'd shoot pucks in the, in the driveway. But at the same time we always had used cars. We never had new cars when I was a kid. So oftentimes we go to Canadian Tyre. For those of you who don't know up in Canada, Canadian Tire is the hardware store for just about everything, but certainly for cars and automotive. And my dad had this big thick manual on how to do different things from as easy as changing spark plugs to rotating the tires to changing the oil. These are all things that we used to do together. And it was all. My dad always said it was a two way street. So, you know, you would be out shooting pucks, but at the same time, if car needed to be worked on, I'd be getting them coffees and tools and kind of helping out any way I could.

Maybe it's him. Horton Donut.

Yeah, well, back in those days, I mean, Tim Hortons was obviously a big part of it, but for us, we didn't get out very often for dinners or to Tim Horton. So it was, was often just going into the kitchen and putting the kettle on back in those days on the stove and heating up the water. We always had lots of brothers and sisters, had foster kids. My mom and dad were foster parents, so had probably 20, 25 kids come through our home and range from anywhere from a day to a weekend to a couple weeks to a couple years. And shared my room with kids, same with my sisters. And that was just the way we grew up. And everything was around our neighborhood, playing road hockey every day, riding our skateboards, bikes, playing soccer. As much as I love talking, there was just so many things as a kid you love doing.

Yeah, you know what I think was amazing too, and I talked to Steph about this not too long ago. But you know, on a personal note, your family brought in, and they are your family, you brought in an extended family. And I think that this defines your family and maybe this is how you became the person you have became. Tell us a little bit about that. I know you had, I don't know if the right word is extended family. This is your family. And just share with us about your brothers and sisters and what your dad has done and your mother.

Well, certainly my mom's parents, my grandparents on my mom's side had foster kids when my mom was growing up. So I think it was something that she always wanted to, to do. And then having my two older sisters, their names Lynette and Rashanda, it was just, it wasn't a big deal. We had kids that would come in and literally I remember having a bunk bed and then a single bed in my room where I would be on the top bunk. And then I'd have a little brother on the bottom bunker on single. And they were in our house. There was always chores to do. My dad believed in two way street and give and take and, and they shared in all those, those duties. I had a paper route and I'll never forget that they would, you know, our foster brothers and sisters. Because originally when I first started the paper route, it was a Globe Mail. You do it at 5 in the morning. I did it with my oldest sister. So we shared the route for a couple years. It grew to about, I don't know, maybe 50, 60 papers in around this whole, our neighborhood. As I said, our whole life was our neighborhood, whether it was playing road hockey or delivering the Globe Mail. And I can remember the skates that I had because it was the old roller skates with the four wheels, right, stop front. And I can remember going, putting the, the bag over my, my neck, putting the papers on and you know, skating around the neighborhood. And at the same time, when I wasn't skating and I had the help of my brothers or sisters, they'd help out and then we go and collect and then we'd share, we'd share in the profits and, and that was just the way it was. And I think that, and often said this, the greatest compliment you could get as far as comfort was concerned is when, you know, these young kids would reference you as brother, sister, my mom as mom and dad, or consider you as family. But the whole idea with the foster kids was for them to get back with their parents. And once, you know, that was like all of us, there's nothing more important than family. And for them to be reunited and be back with their family, that was kind of the focus of being a foster parent is just in the meantime or just trying to give them a home until they get back with their natural parents.

Yeah, that's such an amazing story. And we're going to just get into your hockey career. I know you could tell us a little bit about your youth and your junior hockey, you know, your youth hockey growing up and what it meant to you. And you said something to me once and Steph, you could elaborate on this. You said it's a privilege to put your skates on. It's a privilege to be part of the New York Rangers. Like, you really even taught me a lot, is that we're like great friends and I love you like a brother. Like you said, both of you guys. But it's so true. It's a privilege. And people have to understand that to play hockey and some families are not as fortunate. And you have that mindset as a young player growing up as a youth hockey player that, that you want to give everything you had. Your goal was to become a hockey player. Why don't you share that with us?

Well, I think it started from the first time I stepped on the ice. My dad was a policeman in Toronto, as I had said, and he and another fellow by the name of Fantino and he was a chief of police, in fact, for Toronto. They started a underprivileged hockey league and it was at Flemington park arena, which has now been renamed the Angela James Arena. And it's funny how the world is so, it's such a small world. I'm real good friends that have been for decades with Angela James. So I'm four years old, they're running this league and week after week they keep having to cancel games because, you know, they didn't have enough players for whatever reason, kids weren't showing up or, you know, because of various reasons. So my dad said, you know what, I can solve this in, in a pretty simple way and I'll start with my son. So he grabbed me, he got some, just some used equipment, threw it on me and put me on one of the teams. As a four year old with five, six, seven, eight year olds, I didn't move for, for two years. I couldn't skate. Some things didn't change. That didn't change even when I turned pro. I just stood in one spot, but essentially I just stood in one spot. And then I started to learn how to obviously move my feet and everything else. But that's how it started for me where it was a privilege to get out there and then played minor hockey. Worked at Seneca Hockey School in, in, in Toronto. But whenever I thought of hockey, my dad always said, he said, you know what, if you don't do well in school, you know, you know what, you're not going to be able to play hockey. That it's a, it's a privilege, it's, it's fun and if you're going to commit, then you commit. And I've even said that with our kids, Violet and I with our kids, is that you don't necessarily have to be the best player. You don't have to play at the highest level, but when you commit, you have to commit. It's out of respect for your teammates and for the game itself. And it's one of those things that it's a privilege. And certainly that was Instilled, I think, when I was young, as a young kid and then certainly as a young player, that not every kid is lucky enough to play the game of hockey. And we think about hockey in Canada because you have, you know, 20 sheets of ice in a five mile radius. There's so much opportunity, outdoor rinks, everything else. But even with that being said, equipment and everything else, it's, it's, it's expensive, it's not easy. And, and you get to competitive hockey nowadays, as we all know it, is probably gone to a different level than it was when we were younger.

That's so true. And I'm just going to get into a few things. Steph and I, we talk about. We've never. You both are two givers. I never hear the word I. In fact, it says Adam. Your last name's not even there. I don't want to embarrass you. I have. When I say I've never played with a person in my life like yourself, Steph and I could both share that. Like we've never played with a nicer guy, a more caring person. I know how humble you are, but I had a bunch of messages come in and I wanted to take these. Some text messages. Brad Bellan says hello. What a great guy. Great stories from Windsor. Used to train with them in the summer. A special high, you know, I know he's in San Diego and remember those days, we used to all train together with, with Tai Domi and we had so many great players come out tonight.

And Banksy and all the guys, the Shannon brothers.

And you know, you know, it's funny, we had Jovanowski come out is that he was young and this guy, this big six foot four guy.

Yeah. And Bob Bugner and Wright and big fed. I can remember playing basketball in the driveway.

Yeah. Now it's great. And then Scott Metcalf, who I played with, first round pick to Edmonton, he says Gravy is a great guy and teammate. We know Metter and what a competitor he was. He was tough to play against. I know I played a little bit with him in Buffalo.

Yeah. Wonderful teammate and a real, real talent. And these are great people. That's the best part of the game. You talk about Belzy and it's the friendships and it's the people you meet along the way. And I know that's the one thing you can never take for granted. And Steph knows this. I mean, every time we see each other smiling and laughing and as much as we're together a ton and Hardy, you Know, it's the same thing. There's a humility about the friendships, that they're honest. You don't have to talk to someone every week, and you just, you know, when you get back together, you pick up where you left off, and there's just such a comfort there. And certainly hearing, you know, the names, you know, like Scotty and Belzy, it's terrific because a lot of great times, a lot of great memories.

Yep. And I'm going to share a couple. Mitch Beck, he's a big hockey guy, and he wanted you to go into the mindset part of things a little bit. We're going to get into that after Bob Murray in ohl Big. He does a lot online. Bob Murray, great. Always putting photos up. He put a picture of you as captain. I didn't know you were. I don't remember you. You were the captain of. Of Windsor, right?

Yeah. Well, that was. Well, that's back when I had some hair, too. Steph, you. You had a good head of hair.

Too, didn't you, in 1994? I did, and I started losing my hair after that. I was so nervous.

Where have the years gone? Hey, where have the years gone? But the. The. I was a captain, but actually, the reason I was a captain because Paul Maurice was a captain of the Spitfires. And I've often said, because Mo is one of the great people that I've ever come across and been able to call a friend and a teammate and learn from him. And the interesting part was Mo was only a year older than myself, and you always looked up to him, which is kind of strange when you're talking about junior hockey and you're 17, 18 years old, that you could look up to someone that's only a year older than you. But Mo was that type of guy. He was our captain. And then he decided to retire. He was a draft pick of Philadelphia, got a puck in the eye, and his vision was affected by it. So he decided that he was going to step back as an overage, go on the bench with Tommy Webster. And that's what he did and certainly made a great decision because he's been one of the great coaches over the last 30 years in the National Hockey League. I think he was a head coach at 28 in Hartford. But that was the only reason I ended up getting the C in my last year, juniors, because most, you know, stepped aside and became the coach that he is today.

Now, that's awesome. And, you know, one more thing I have to share with you. The impact grape that you put on people. I have. I have a story that's sad. And a couple days ago, I ran into a friend of mine. Her name is Natalie Raymond. I met her here. One of the first people I met when I moved here a couple years ago, you know, just right across the river from New York City, about four minutes away. And I just get in town and I'm sitting at Starbucks, just getting acclimated to the area where we are, and I met this really nice person. She starts talking about what her husband does, and coincidentally, he did the same thing. His name is Walter. Did the same thing as my brother. So I connected them. Long story short, my brother ends up working together with them, and he says his biggest dream in life was to meet you. And I said, yeah, we can make that happen. Adam's a great friend. He would love to. So he tells me he's not feeling well one day. Tough guy. Guy had many talents, played guitar, different things, and never told me that he was sick. Found out that he had cancer, and I didn't know that until I took him to the hockey game. He met you that night, and he had a tear in his eye. It's going to make me almost cry right now. We became, like, really good friends. And long story short, he met you and said the best thing in his life was meeting you. And I didn't know how bad he was. He passed away last year. He has a little daughter, four months old. So I had to share that story. I'm going to have Steph talk about some stories and ask some questions, but how you impact people is unbelievable. You met him and he said, what a great guy. You made my life. You made my day. And I know we don't look at ourselves as. I look at ourselves as a role model when we play, but Gravy, you impact so many people, and you really made it. And then when I went to the funeral, there were pictures of the Rangers, and without getting too deep into was really amazing. The first people I met here became great friends, and you really impacted him. So I know, Steph, you're sitting there quiet for the first time. You're pretty quiet there. I know you got some things for Gravy to talk about. I'd love for you guys to chat it up and share some stories just to.

I just love to listen to Gravy and you. You and you, Mike. I could listen to you guys forever. We've been arrangers for the last 25 years, and we do a lot of events around New York. And when we sign Autographs. I always engage with the fans and always talk to them and who's your favorite? Rangers. And your names always come up on top. And I know you personally, and you are so sensitive about it, but does it get tired for you just to. I know the answer, but can you tell us when you go to an event, how do you prepare yourself and how do you engage with the fans? Because you leave such an impact every single time?

Again, we go back to the word of privilege. At the end of the day, you guys will agree with me that. And at no time has it been more substantiated or reinforced than right now that as athletes, we're very, very fortunate to play a game. And when you put it in its simplest form, we're following a little rubber puck around the ice. And for me, the most important part of the game isn't the game itself. It's what you can do with the game and the people you get to meet and to hear your story, Mike. And that's the humbling part of the game, because at the end of the day, I'm a fan. I'm a huge Ranger fan. I don't miss any games. I love the excitement. I love the energy of the Garden. And in many ways, we all have different things that we're doing in our lives. And when you have something to look forward to, like the game, it's terrific. But it's those memories, and it's the camaraderie. And whether you're sitting beside your brother, your sister, your husband, your wife, your grandfather, grandmother, your best friend, going to a game, sitting there for three or four hours, it's like I've often said, it's like fishing or going golfing. It's. It's quality time. And at a time in our world where you don't have that quality time, sometimes just to turn everything off, put your phone away, and enjoy something together. And now, over the last eight or nine weeks, this is something none of us have lived through before. And there's, I guess, a silver lining, you know, under any cloud. And for this particular journey that we're on right now, it's the camaraderie of your family and your friends and the people you love. And at times, I'm sure my kids would say, and probably my wife would say, too, that, you know, you need your space, but this is a special part. And the game itself, and Steph, those people that in New York. And that's why being a Ranger is such a privilege, because the same support that you get at the Garden you get at events and how hard is it to put a smile on your face? And a lot of people that, you know, they're extended family. Yeah, the Ranger family is an extended family and it's so much fun. And it's always because we're fortunate enough to be part of the organization that does things in such a manner that it's such a positive environment with whatever we're doing. And we talked about that. From our Junior Rangers programs to our Garden of Dreams programs, to all the different programs and all the staff and our colleagues at the Garden who do such a wonderful job with these events. It creates a culture and an energy where everyone wants to be there, there. No one's being forced to be there. It's their free time and it's a choice they're making, it's a choice we're making and it's just a lot of fun. And I think it's a celebration of. Of hockey, but more importantly, the camaraderie of hockey and the people of hockey. And that's why when we go to different events, I mean it's. It's fun as much as give. You get. It's. It's terrific.

But I have to share that with you guys that I've learned a lot from you because we do a lot of. When we do a lot of signings, there was a time that I could not wait for the line to end, for us to leave. And then I would watch you engage with the fans and you always stalled the line and you were engaging and you knew the fans by their names and you knew their kids name. I was always impressed. But you really inspired me over the years and I forever since then, that moment when I go to those events, I do take my time. It's because your leadership led me to engage with the fans. So I wanted to thank you for that.

Hey, Gravy, why don't you tell us too a little bit what you do with the Rangers now? Because I know people know you work with the team. People have asked me, hey, what does Adam do? Why don't you share that a little bit what you do with the team?

Well, essentially talking business ops. I'm lucky enough to be part of. Of everything from. And you guys know because we're at a lot of different things together from our Junior Rangers program which we have a try hockey for free. Then it goes to a learn to play and then a rookie league and it's all over the tri state area. We have 30 plus partner rinks and then we have Hockey camps in the summer, to our season ticket retention programs, to our sponsorships, to our season ticket holder programs. On the hockey side go to the draft, the combine development camp, rookie camp in Traverse City. In fact, you know, during this last probably seven or eight weeks, we've been focused on the draft and certainly the other side of what we're going through, you know, looking at players for the future and certainly in my younger, I guess probably maybe up to five, six years ago, I was doing a lot more player development. But now we have Jed Ortmeyer, who does just a wonderful job and, and Tanner Glass and Rutu, and under Chris Drury, who's as sharp as they come in hockey, and certainly the leadership of John Davidson, Jeff Gordon. So in a lot of ways just support a lot of different areas as far as the organization is concerned. So I guess I'm support person in all the different areas.

You know, it was really special and I think Steph could tell a special story. I, I knew you were going in because the Rangers third farm team was Greenville. That might have been four or five years ago. And I have a good friend out of Charlotte who's a big Ranger fan, a big executive at Wells Fargo, one of the top guys. And I said, I know you drove in three hours to see me, which meant, meant the world. And we were having lunch in North Carolina and I invited my friend and his nephew and I said, I need you to come to lunch. He says, well, I got a meeting. I said, cancel it. And he left there. And he manages without saying his name, over 500 people. He says, I have never met a nicer, more down to earth person. And that goes without saying. You hear that all the time. But he says, man, he not, he would have only made it in hockey. He would have made it in anything. And I said that and I 100% agree. And, and I know Steph had a question for you about something that was very special. Do you remember Steph? We talked about it earlier about what happened at the Garden a few years back.

I don't recall that part, but I want you to share with us. Gravy. I never heard that story. When you get the phone call, who called you to retire your jersey in how, how does it, how does it work?

Because that's it.

I'm waiting for that phone call also. And who calls you and how emotional. What were you when you get the phone call?

Well, it was actually, I guess Violet knew before I did because Brian Leach on the ice had announced it during Leeches. Leeches night. But I will tell you, without getting too deep into it, other than the fact that. And I've said this to Steph, and I mean it, that I don't know if I'll ever be 100% comfortable with it, very humbled by it. But I also understand that I'm a product of my environment. And I was very lucky, very lucky to play alongside number 11 and number two and number 35. And as you know, because we were kind of like more grinder type of guys that sometimes you play with people that make the game easier, they simplify the game for you. And certainly I was very lucky in that regard. So I'm still a little sheepish. I don't like talking about it. Just very humble. As humbled as you can be. And that's it.

Gravy's not going to say much. Go ahead, Steph.

When the banner was going up, who were you thinking about? Who were you thinking about when your banner. I was on the ice with you guys, and I was.

I was. I was thinking about certainly my. My. My dad, because he was such. That was my. My hero inspiration. And I know looking down at my son, he started to tear up. And that made me emotional and thinking about my dad and that. And it was. But again, that's. These moments are all to be shared with the people that you love. Right? Otherwise, they don't. They don't carry the same meaning. And that was something that, like I said, I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with it because I understand that honor, but I also understand the type of player I was. And I wasn't, you know, the fanciest of players, as you guys well know. So it was a great privilege.

Yeah, I remember Gravy, when I. When I just got traded, it was at the. It was at the deadline at 3pm and I was playing for Tampa Bay, and I was at the hotel in New Jersey, and Phil Esposito called and said, we just traded you to New York. Right at the deadline, my heart started beating fast. He goes, well, they're just gonna pick you up. You're not flying anywhere. You're gonna take the car service over to New York. And the first guy I thought about was you. I played with Jay Wells and very close with Jay and Joey Kosar. I knew some of the guys I played with before, but it just made me feel comfortable. And when I walked in, you were the first guy that greeted me. Then we ended up living close together. We drove to the rink, and the year I was on the team. I didn't play much. I was in the in and out of lineup, never knew, go for warm ups, not sure I was going to play. And you really calmed me, like, almost like a coach, like you were a coach to all of us because you're very calming. You were just right to the point and you would say, hey, don't get down. You know, you're playing out of the lineup this year. Just, just work hard and that's what you did. And Step, I think, believes in the same thing. I'm not going to speak for him. That's one thing we talked about was you really made us feel good under any circumstances. And being one of the captains and a leader, we're going to get into leadership for a few minutes after. That's greatly appreciated and never forgotten.

Again. It starts with friendship and respect. And I think for those people that have seen that special. When we had the reunion after 25 years that Al Trudwick hosted on the pier, I, I think for me that encompassed why we became champions. And it was because of the respect that everyone had. And people sometimes you, when you're, you know, from afar, you don't see it, you don't see that, that respect. And I think watching it's something like that really for me. Al went around and spoke to every player that was, that was there that night. And everyone had their own anecdotal stories and Steph was as funny as could be talking about the Stanley cup and welding it and all these other things. But the whole point being is that everyone played an integral role and not just skill wise, but what they meant to the culture, what they meant to the identity of the team. And whether you played 25 minutes or you played like Brian Leach, 33 minutes a night, it didn't matter. We don't win without Mike Hartman. We don't win without Eddie Olczuk. We don't win without Mark Messi. We don't win without Glenn Healy or Kipper or Kosher or Huddie or, you name it, Mike Huds. It was one of those teams that we depended on each other in so many different ways. And it wasn't just on the ice. It was emotionally, it was respect, it was brotherhood, it was inclusionary behavior. Certainly it, you know, with, with Mark as our captain, I mean, we were spoiled in that regard. It's well documented, his leadership is second to none. But when it starts at the top like that and you have that inclusionary behavior and you have friends, I mean, we're, like I said, we're like, we've been like brothers skating together in the summ summers. And I. And I used to always. And I can remember when, when you referred because I just had so much respect because, because Mike, people don't know this well. People that know. You can see that Mike wasn't a big guy. He's 5 11, 190 pounds, right? 185 pounds. And Dave Brown and some of these other fellows that I played with, I would never like, not in a million years, want to, you know, stand up and stand in there for, for teammates and for me, that camaraderie and that respect for people that, you know, that fought together and played so hard together and that it just. And it wasn't about goals and assists, it was about who you were. And that was the most important thing. And that's for us in 93, 94. That's why we won.

Yeah, we were a big team. And you know, I tell you, it's been so great, especially the last couple years, just doing a lot of events with you being around here, bringing me back to this great environment. I am going back to Charlotte because of all this and going back to my place. And I'm excited because my son is there going to school. My daughter was between LA and here now in Florida. So I get to go back. But I'm going to be coming back and forth. But I'm going to miss being with you guys all the time, lunches, just being around you. It's been. You really revived me, which I think personally I needed. And you know, I can't thank you enough. And your leadership skills are just second and none. And I just have a few things about leadership that how you apply. How can you apply like hockey leadership to business or corporate leadership? And I believe it's the same thing. Leadership is leadership. Like I. The first thing I said, some leadership skills. You have to have an open mind as a leader and listen and be fully present. How would you relate that to the hockey world? Because in the business world it's the.

Same thing and empower people and put people in a position to succeed. And I think a lot of that starts with humility and certainly inclusionary behavior and respect and I think to a degree challenging people in a positive way and supporting them and giving them the emotional tools and the other tools in business obviously that they need to succeed and, and, and leadership can come in so many different and certainly in sport. As an example, I play with Stevie Eisenman in Detroit. And one of the things that I always think about When I think about Stevie. Why? Because you, you know, the champion he is with Detroit as a player. 3 Stanley Cups in management, another cup, the incredible job he did in Tampa Bay, now being back in Detroit, Canada cup, the Olympics, everything else. But Stevie has this reputation, not only in hockey, but it's not only as a player, but in management, that his work ethic is second to none. And that's what resonates with me. Because he's one of the youngest captains, one of the longest term captains in NHL history. But I play with him. I was 19 or 20 years old. He was only 22 or 23. But I'll never forget one night we were playing against the Quebec Nordics. It was a year. He scored 65 goals, had 155 points. He was unbelievable. This particular night against Quebec, we were down by a goal or two. Jacques put him, coach Jacques put him on the ice for 17 of the last 20 minutes of the game. In fact, he put him back on defense. He'd go up to forward. It was like ridiculous. He must have played 35 minutes that night. After the game, I think I played maybe two or three minutes. I got to shift the period. I don't think I played in the third period. And he came in and tapped me on the shoulder, said, come on, and we're going into the weight room. We did squats or worked out for an hour and a half. That was after playing. How about as a young guy, if that doesn't resonate with you as far as work ethic, Mark Messier, the same, same thing where not asking someone to do something that you're not willing to do yourself. And I always said what made Mark Mess such an incredible leader was he led with his heart. He led because he cared. He led with his intelligence. But he also walked the walk and he backed it up. And he supported and empowered people.

He sure did. So I'm going to say Gravy, can you hear me okay?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

And Steph, I'm going to say you mentioned Steve Iserman, you know, you mentioned Mark Messier. I'm going to mention Stephon Matteo and yourself. One thing that you guys have is you replace, you know, an ego with empathy and you put people first, whether if it's in sports or in life and if you're running a company or you're running a business, it's the same thing. Your people are everything. And that's something that you guys do. The other thing that I've noticed with all, with Steph and you, and I know Steve, Just a little bit from Detroit and Mass. It's all about communication and how you communicate with others. Both of you, Steph and Adam, you're great communicators, and I'm learning. So for me, I take everything I believe you can learn from anybody. You don't have to win a. You know, it's called develop the mindset of a champion, But I don't mean winning a championship. It's about being a champion, whatever you do, and giving 100%. And both of you guys, I just want to thank you both for being here again. You both mean much to me as a friend and more importantly, as great people. I want you guys to have a great, safe day. And thanks to both of you.

Thanks, Mike. Thanks, Gravy. Good to see you guys.

Yeah, thanks. Hey, always great to be together.

Always even. You know what? This. Tell everybody this was a coincidence. We're all wearing black shirts. I thought that was funny. In fact, I was gonna go change it, and my girlfriend says, why are you gonna change? I said, I don't know. We all have black shirts on, Which I think is funny, but.

Well, that's. Steph is our fashion consultant.

A $10T shirt.

That's. He's French. He's French, but he's not from France. Thanks, guys. Thanks.

Thank you, Mike. Thanks, Gravy.

Thanks, guys.

Thanks.