Overview of Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 665: Featuring Glenn Healy & Jim Vesey
This episode mixes offseason hockey banter with two strong interviews: Glenn Healy on the NHLPA’s work improving player health care and post-career support, and Jim Vesey on growing up in Charlestown, Boston hockey culture, his pro career, and raising/ coaching hockey players. The hosts also riff on preseason fitness testing, hockey cards, leafs culture, and their usual “Sandbagger” and gambling-adjacent jokes.
Episode Highlights
Offseason hockey talk
- The crew opens by talking about the offseason lull in hockey and how players now arrive to camp much more prepared than in past eras.
- They revisit old-school training camp practices, including:
- brutal fitness testing,
- bag skates,
- the Wingate test,
- and how some teams used to rely on basic push-up/sit-up/squat tests.
- They joke that modern players are “fine-tuned machines,” which makes old-school camp letters and conditioning standards feel dated.
Hockey cards and memorabilia
- A big chunk of the banter centers on the booming hockey card market.
- They discuss the record-setting Macklin Celebrini rookie card sale, which reportedly went for about $1.28 million.
- The hosts compare it to older Wayne Gretzky card values and joke about how absurd it is that a current player’s card can sell for that much.
- This leads into stories about their own old cards, misprints, and hilariously bad hockey-card photos.
Sandbagger / golf chatter
- The crew talks about potential Sandbagger matchups, including dream pairings like:
- Crosby and MacKinnon,
- Marshawn,
- Phil Kessel,
- and even a fantasy trio of Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady, and Michael Jordan.
- They also mention Bob Does Sports and their own shrine/video collab, plus joking about where it should be displayed.
Glenn Healy Interview: NHLPA, Health Care, and the Player Brotherhood
The big issue: player health care
- Glenn Healy gives a detailed update on the NHLPA’s work to improve health care and wellness benefits for former players and families.
- He explains that the system now includes support for:
- family doctors,
- mental wellness professionals,
- dental,
- prescriptions,
- blood screening,
- transition support,
- and help for catastrophic medical situations.
- He emphasizes that the goal was to build something for every player, from someone with one NHL shift to someone with 1,000 games.
Why it mattered
- Healy stresses that many former players fall through the cracks after retirement, especially those who spent time in the minors or had short NHL careers.
- He shares emotional examples of former players whose health issues spiraled because of a lack of access to care.
- His core message: the game owes players and their families more than just a paycheck.
What changed
- He explains that the NHL and NHLPA have finally reached a point where players are being treated as a long-term community, not just labor during their careers.
- The hosts and Healy discuss:
- player-to-player advocacy,
- current stars helping fund the plan,
- and how former players have pushed hard for these benefits.
- Healy repeatedly credits the players for creating momentum and says the plan is a major step, even if it’s not the final step.
Transition after hockey
- Healy talks about the difficulty of leaving the sport and finding purpose afterward.
- He says the NHLPA now offers resources to help players:
- find work,
- build structure,
- and move into a new phase of life with support.
- He frames this as a “better tomorrow than today” mission.
Hockey culture and leadership
- Healy also touches on:
- the importance of the locker room culture,
- how current players still respect the game’s history,
- and why leadership from people like Marty Walsh, Gary Bettman, and the players themselves helped push these initiatives forward.
- He mentions his Scottish roots, the annual alumni golf event, pipe bands, and the ceremonial side of NHLPA events.
Jim Vesey Interview: Charlestown, Boston Hockey, and a Hockey Family
Growing up in Charlestown
- Jim Vesey gives a classic Boston hockey story about growing up in Charlestown, where hockey was deeply tied to neighborhood identity.
- He describes:
- playing ball hockey constantly,
- sneaking into Bruins and Celtics games at the Garden,
- and the rough, tight-knit community that shaped him.
- He says the neighborhood produced both hockey players and “bank runners,” joking about the kind of town it was.
Path to hockey
- Vesey talks about:
- youth hockey at the Bobby Orr rinks,
- split ice time,
- outdoor/limited-rink setups,
- and how playing ball hockey helped him develop toughness and hands.
- He says BU was his dream school, but academics pushed him toward Merrimack, where he became a star.
Merrimack and the pros
- He discusses his strong college career at Merrimack, including a huge point total and how the program grew under coach Ronnie Anderson.
- In the minors and NHL, he says his scoring ability was always there, but skating was considered his weakness.
- He recalls:
- the IHL/AHL grind,
- bus trips,
- fighting tougher opponents,
- and the reality that the league was full of characters and ex-city kids from all over North America.
NHL and injuries
- Vesey reflects on his time with the Bruins, Blues, and Coyotes.
- He shares that a shoulder injury and repeated damage ultimately ended his playing career.
- He also talks about:
- the physical punishment of the minors,
- old-school coaches,
- and how much the game changed over time.
Fatherhood, coaching, and his sons
- A big portion of the conversation centers on his sons, especially Jimmy Vesey:
- Harvard star,
- Hobey Baker winner,
- and long NHL career.
- Vesey says the biggest advice he gave Jimmy was to get his education first and finish school.
- He also talks about coaching youth hockey, being hard on his own kids, and how different the game is now:
- more structured,
- more specialized,
- and much more travel-heavy at younger ages.
Player development and scouting
- Vesey now scouts and says he enjoys finding under-the-radar players.
- He talks about:
- building trust with scouts and coaches,
- identifying late-round or overlooked talent,
- and how some players separate themselves through skating, power, or hockey sense.
- He mentions names like Jack Eichel, Conor Garland, and some of the Boston-area hockey pipeline players.
Life after hockey
- He’s candid that post-playing life can be hard for former players.
- He says the hockey world is smaller than people think, and the relationships last because everyone goes through the same transitions and hardships.
- He clearly values the connections made through the game and the opportunity to still work in hockey.
Other Notable Moments
RA’s “A’s World” update
- RA joins from a cabin in Vermont and talks about:
- reading the Karen Read book,
- hiking,
- rodeos,
- stargazing,
- and local life in Vermont.
- He shares a sad personal note about a death in his hometown and shouts out a local Little League team and a fan who recognized him on the Appalachian Trail.
Current sports/news banter
- The show also hits on:
- college football jersey-number drama involving Jaden Daniels,
- the general hype around college and NFL quarterbacks,
- and Pat McAfee’s album release.
Key Takeaways
- The NHLPA’s post-career benefits are a major win for players and families, especially around health care and transition support.
- The modern hockey card market is wild and increasingly speculative.
- Charlestown/Boston hockey culture produced a generation of tough, tight-knit players with deep neighborhood pride.
- A lot of ex-players struggle after retirement, and the best support often comes from player-to-player relationships.
- The episode is a strong mix of nostalgia, current hockey issues, and personal stories from people who lived the game from youth hockey to the NHL and beyond.