Steve “Dangle” Glynn may know a lot about the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the hockey-ranting fan-turned sports podcaster doesn’t know how to skate.
“I’m teaching myself how to skate. That’s an ongoing (goal),” he told BradfordToday. “I never played the game (growing up). Hockey was never forced on me. It was just something I loved.”
The Oshawa resident behind The Steve Dangle Podcast and Steve Dangle Blog is a content contributor for Sportsnet, and he has worked for some of the largest media and sports organizations in the world, including the NHL, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, and Nike Canada.
For more than a decade, starting with videos made in his basement, with what he calls a “nice little Leafs shrine” in the background, Glynn has created a sports-media niche for himself as a professional Maple Leafs fan.
And over the years, Glynn has had some wild experiences — everything from hosting online playoff tailgates for the Leafs in 2017, to meeting his “childhood hero” Felix Potvin, to interviewing Alexandre Bilodeau, the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil, in the back of a gold Cadillac.
And now, he is coming to Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Glynn will be at Experience Toys & Games on June 8 at 1 p.m. signing copies of his new book, This Team Is Ruining My Life.
Glynn, who grew up in Scarborough, said he has loved hockey — especially the Leafs — “since before I can remember.”
In fact, one of his first childhood memories is watching a Leafs vs. Los Angeles Kings game in 1993.
“I remember having this conflicting thought: ‘(Wayne) Gretzky is the best player, but he’s playing against the best team,’” he said. “I love how fast (hockey) is. I love how exciting it is. Sometimes you just love something.”
Glynn said his takeaway from this Leafs’ season is that, ultimately, any team has a shot at the Stanley Cup and fans should stay true.
“I have every doomsday scenario possible hidden in the corners of my mind,” he said. “The Washington Capitals didn’t win the Cup until they weren’t supposed to. So keep the faith, no matter how hard it is.”
With the Leafs out, and the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues battling it out in the final, Glynn reluctantly said his bets are on the Leafs’ rivals.
“Unfortunately I think Boston will win,” he said with a laugh.
But whether the Leafs win or lose, Glynn has still had some incredible experiences over the years, including playing hockey (“very poorly,” he said) with Mats Sundin, getting an impromptu one-on-one interview with Brendan Shanahan, and doing an in-depth interview with Ron MacLean on everything from hockey, to politics, to professional wrestling in Alberta.
One of Glynn’s favourite experiences is interviewing athletes at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 for Nike Canada.
“That was mind-blowing. It was 17 days of absolute mayhem,” he said, noting he was just 21 years old at the time.
He went from having just some previous interview experience, to doing 10- to 20-minute corporate interviews with athletes and Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, and filming YouTube videos.
To top it all off, he and his team pitched an idea to Nike Canada so wild they never expected it to actually happen — interview Bilodeau in the back of a gold Cadillac, drive up to a Japadog food stand popular in Vancouver, and bypass the massive lineup for some food.
“It was so absolutely (crazy), we were like, ‘Here, go ahead and say no to this.’ Nike said yes to absolutely everything,” Glynn said. “It’s hard to describe what a cartoony Disney ending that was.”
Back home, Glynn said he is “having a good time being a YouTuber” and is looking forward to meeting people at his BWG book signing.
While hockey is his focus, he is following the Toronto Raptors through the playoffs and said he will consider doing a video if “something truly special happens” like they make the final.
For now, “I want to be happy and at a parade,” he quipped. “I’ll settle for a Raptors parade.”
