From the Maple Leafs to the Canes…

If you've been following me on Twitter, then you understand that there has been over the last few days some back and forth with hurricanes fans over recent moves or potentially more potential moves than anything else. And we'll get to those discrepancies, those disagreements in time. But I think one thing that everybody will be in full agreement on is that the Carolina hurricane's second move, the addition of forward Michael Bunting seems to check every single box.

And I am excited and why not jump right back into it with Michael Bunting here on the Adam Gold Show. Sir, first of all, happy Canada Day to you. I'm a few days late to that, but I couldn't have wished you a happy July 4th either. So how you doing?

I'm good. Thanks for having me and happy July 4th as well. I hope you had a good celebration. You know what, my dogs are not no fans of fireworks.

So we were pretty chill at the house and that's all good. Let me ask you this right off the bat. Why did you choose Carolina, Michael?

I think it was pretty simple. You know, when they came to me when Free Agency opened, it was a place that I was excited to be with. Just obviously because, you know, they've been so close the last few years to get into the Stanley Cup final and it was kind of a win now mentality and that's something I want to do. I want to win in this league. I want to chase the Stanley Cup and it kind of seemed like a no-brainer with Carolina.

Who was the first person to reach out to you as the deal was close to happening? Did somebody kind of tip the scales in the Hurricanes favor? Rod, I reached out and he kind of just explained what it's like to be a Carolina Hurricane and kind of their mentality and what he thought I could bring to the table and I saw the kind of the same thing that he saw and it kind of excited me and obviously him reaching out meant a lot and that definitely went a long way.

Michael Bunting is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show brand new Hurricane. Have any players, have you spoken to any players, you know, about what to expect? I mean the head coach is obviously intimidating in and of himself. Have you spoken to any players about what to expect? Not what to expect but to be honest almost half the team has reached out and welcomed me and that just kind of shows the character of the room of you know welcoming new players, new guys to the organization so makes you feel a little bit more comfortable coming in to a new spot when you you may not know many people so obviously that that was nice that they were they were very welcoming. Did any of the Finns, I don't know, did the Finns text from Finland when they go over there? I don't even know. Yeah he reached out and yeah so he reached out and welcomed me to the team as well.

Michael Bunting is with us here on the Adam Gold Show. First of all do you see yourself, your style as an easy fit with the way this team plays? Yeah I think anytime we play Carolina that's one thing I notice is that they're a hard team to play against. They're fast, skilled and you know they make it difficult for opposing teams so that's something I want to bring as well.

I feel like that's my game is play fast, play on the edge a little bit and bring a little bit of scoring touch to the team so that's what I kind of plan on doing and not changing my game because I was successful doing that in Toronto. Yeah I want to ask you about your last couple of years with the Maple Leafs but I'm curious about this because you mentioned Carolina being a hard team to play against. Who are you happy to no longer have to play against?

I'd probably say Burns. Me and him kind of got into it a little bit last year and he was a big boy and I kept going at him but didn't really affect him so not having to play against him. Obviously he's a right-handed shot and defenseman so I'm a left-winger so I go against that pairing every time so I won't miss that.

Well good answer. Brent here's the other thing about it and I'm glad that a bunch of guys reached out to you and I don't really have any way to gauge it other than my own experience covering this team is that it is it really is a bunch of really good dudes in that locker room that are very welcoming and everybody who has come here even for a short period of time has said the same thing so I hope I get I guess all of that already is going well. So what clicked for you for the the two years you spent with the Maple Leafs because obviously is it just opportunity or did something just click in your game? Yeah I think a little bit of both I kind of went into Toronto I had a relationship with Sheldon Keith and Kyle Dubas prior when I was playing in junior so they kind of the similar thing as Rod did reached out and told me the opportunity to see where they saw me and so I kind of I kind of stepped in that luckily and it was just more of my confidence the more and more I started playing with playing with guys like Austin and Mitch I gained my confidence and kind of realized that I belong and I I can fit in there so I just kept building on that each year and and then I'm looking forward to continuing that. What is your what is your plan for you know your offseason training and I mean I know you're probably already into it we've the season seems like it's been over for about a month and a half but what is your plan for that and when do you plan on getting to town? Yeah yeah obviously summer flies by it feels like it we're only a couple months out and like you said I feel like feel like you've been out for a while now but yeah I'm gonna spend some time at home spend some time with family and friends and and train train in Toronto and and work out where I'm from but after that once once it's go time I'll probably be heading down just at the end of August to get ready get you know move in get familiar with the area and meet all the guys so I'm looking forward to that. Who do you train with in the because I know a lot of guys train together who do you train with in the summer?

I'm moving I'm moving gyms obviously since I changed teams I used to just work out at the the Maple Leafs facility so I'm stepping in I'm stepping into a new gym this coming week with Matt Nichols so I'm looking forward to that and meeting all the guys there. All right Michael Bunting here before we let you go just a couple of things that have nothing to do with hockey another sport that you played growing up another sport that you have a great interest in um I it's funny I I don't really watch it but one game I won sport I really enjoyed when I was growing up I played a lot of it in high school was was volleyball I'm a big ball like at any time like beach volleyball or indoor volleyball I was all over that in in high school kind of a different sport but I really enjoyed it and then also tennis I love watching tennis and and playing tennis so I would say those two. All right who's the goat is it Roger Federer or is it Novak Djokovic? It's not even a question it's Federer. Oh you're the oh gosh Michael Bunting just became my favorite hurricane gosh I love you already.

Yeah not even a question. Good for you and what are your what do you like to do outside of hockey when you get away or in the summer now when you're not working out what are you doing? I just I like spending some time with you know family and friends I got a big family so I'm as much time as I can spend with them and yeah like I like the golf and and just kind of hang out I actually just purchased the cottage so I got a lot of moving in with that so that will probably take up a lot of my summer up there by the lake so I'm looking forward to switching to that. All right you will we'll talk Federer when you get to town in a couple of months Michael Bunting I appreciate your time congratulations on the gig I know you'll fit in.

All right thank you for having me and I'm looking forward to getting down there. You got it Michael Bunting here on the Adam Gold show that was fun he answered the question correctly. He did.

I don't want to get into it I know that Djokovic has more grand slams I know that Nadal has more grand slams as well than Federer and maybe. You can't. You just can't. Roger. Yeah. Roger. You see the the ovation he got yesterday? No. So he's in the sitting next to Kate uh-huh in the in the royal box and like when they put they acknowledged his presence it was thunderous. An uproar like fans in the canes. He just he is he is tennis. Yeah he is.

I understand Djokovic has more grand slams we can have that debate another time. Mountain Dew Zero Sugar asks ever wonder what it would be like to live in an alternate universe? Well friends welcome to the alternate universe of Mountain Dew Zero Sugar because even though it says zero sugar right there on the bottle when you crack one open and try it the taste is nothing less than outrageously delicious. Hey transport yourself to an alternate universe with Mountain Dew Zero Sugar.

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