Brandon Astle

Both are very, very elite communicators.

That all stands out.

But what I keep going back to with both of them, they're just really great people.

Like, it's no secret, both are extremely well-liked.

The fans rallied around them when they were players.

They had the same type of role, like third, fourth line grinder with blocked shots, penalty kill.

They had focused on the little things that could help a team win.

And for RJ and Manny, their playing mentality has carried over into how they conduct themselves in their roles as a GM.

For RJ and for Manny as a coach, like...

Manny got his name chanted as a player.

That's common.

He also got his name chanted during the Calder Cup run.

I've never seen anything like that other than, I guess, the Bruce, there it is thing, but that was a different situation.

The fans just knew they had something special in Manny behind the bench in Abbotsford.

and they both are on the same page they're compassionate they connect with their players they're easy to talk to like you're not walking on eggshells when you're around rj or manny they truly want what's best for everyone that's not just like the first round pick it's the undrafted player it's the stick boy they want everybody involved and on the same page and that's when you know you got good people and i can't say enough about those two i'm just so happy that they got this chance

Yeah, that's a great point, Vic.

And Manny and RJ treat everybody the same.

It doesn't matter if you're a first-round pick and think you're very good and going to be in the NHL in a few years.

You will have a pretty big reality check early on, and Manny will let you know where you stand.

What I really admire about Manny is that he holds the players accountable.