Standing By: The Terry and Ted Podcast · Terry and Ted

Knuckles and the playwright: an improbable collaboration

March 12, 2025·1 hr 4 min·4 clips

Chris Nyland says his John Abbott College talk left him 'totally elated' and convinced them they 'got a show'.

1. Standing By: The Terry and Ted Podcast centers on 'Knuckles and the playwright: an improbable collaboration,' with Chris Nyland and Vittorio Rossi joining Terry DeMonte and Ted Byrd. 2. Chris Nyland is a former NHL player, and Vittorio Rossi is a playwright, actor, and director whose work has been staged at Centaur Theatre. 3. The episode asks how a hockey career, addiction recovery, and stage storytelling can be turned into a one-man show without losing honesty. 4. Nyland says the project began at a charity hockey event tied to Barry Lawrence Eddie's mental health foundation. 5. Rossi says the two met at Da Vinci restaurant after the event and started talking about doing something together. 6. Nyland jokes about the show's working title by calling it 'death of a hockey player' and 'Chris Nyland is McBeth, McNuckles.' 7. Rossi explains that he is not writing memorized dialogue because Nyland made clear, 'I ain't memorizing no fucking line.' 8. Nyland says the show will use pictures as cues instead of a full script, which helps him keep the story organized. 9. Nyland says his John Abbott College mental health talk lasted about 90 minutes and left him 'totally elated.' 10. Rossi says that performance showed them they 'got a show' and needed to refine the structure around it. 11. Nyland says he wants people to laugh, say 'oh my God,' and maybe cry during the performance. 12. Rossi says a strong play needs a central character, obstacles, and a conflict that forces the character to overcome something. 13. Nyland says parts of the story connected to his family origin need softening before the stage run. 14. He says he is not worried about sharing vivid details of the addiction period that he put himself through. 15. The hosts ask Nyland about dressing-room conflict in hockey, and he says frustration can build when talent and work ethic do not match. 16. Nyland uses the Vancouver Canucks' J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson situation as a comparison point, then compares team tension to kids hearing their parents fight. 17. The conversation stays informal and immediate, with jokes about microphones, rehearsal nerves, and the contrast between speaking to 400 people and speaking one-on-one. 18. Terry and Ted also ask Nyland about being a Montreal Canadiens ambassador, and he says it is a great honor and that he does about 10 events a year. 19. Listeners interested in Montreal hockey, recovery stories, and stage biography will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a tightly edited sports interview with no detours may skip this one.

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