The Hockey PDOcast

Uffe Bodin joins the show to discuss what he saw covering the World Championships in Russia, the differences between Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine as players, and the trials and tribulations of following the NHL from overseas. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 1:00 Watching Matthews and Laine up close at the World Championships 4:55 The rivalry between Sweden and Finland 7:00 Buildi...

Chris Johnston joins the show to discuss the dire situation in Vancouver following another puzzling move by the Canucks, how the Penguins managed to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Lightning go from here. Every episode of this podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and can also be streamed right here on the website. Make sure to not only subscribe so that you d...

Jeff Marek joins the show to discuss this year's Memorial Cup, how dominant Mitch Marner and the London Knights have been, and some half-baked ideas for how to improve the on-ice product moving forward. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:30 Former players as broadcasters 6:00 Memorial Cup Coverage 9:00 Mitch Marner's dazzling play 16:30 Draft eligibility 24:00 Rule change ideas 41:30...

Nick Mercadante joins the show to discuss how much seasoning goalies should ideally get in the minors, the upper limit for how many games a goalie should start in the regular season, and the next frontier for evaluating goalie performance quantitatively. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 1:51 Giving goalies time to mature in the AHL 5:20 The human element of the position 7:54 Squeezing...

Jonathan Willis joins the show to help unpack all of the action Round 2 of the NHL playoffs brought us, and look at what to expect from the respective conference finals matchups. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:30 Victor Hedman's dominance 5:00 How Tampa Bay has overcome injuries 8:30 A Different Penguins Team 12:00 Phil Kessel busting lazy narratives 14:30 Matt Murray's rise to st...

With the league steadily announcing the finalists for the various individual awards up for voting this season, Chris Johnston joins the show to help shed some light on how he filled out his personal ballot. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:30 Methodology for filling out ballot 2:21 The Selke Trophy 7:00 The Calder Trophy 13:30 The Norris Trophy 19:18 Kris Letang's suspension 23:20 T...

Pat Holden joins the show to share his own first-hand experiences of life before, during, and after having Bruce Boudreau as his team's head coach. We also discuss what we're looking for in the Penguins/Capitals series, where subtle advantages for either team can be had, and whether Tom Wilson is crossing the line. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:30 Bruce Boudreau's coaching résumé...

Mike Johnson joins the show to discuss how the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues each finally got over the hump, whether there's a quick and easy fix to the league's review problems, and what we're looking forward to seeing in round 2. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:30 How the Sharks beat the Kings 14:00 The Coach's Challenge 19:20 The good and bad of Ken Hitchcock 30:50 Ducks a...

Nick Mercadante joins the show to react to the New York Rangers meekly bowing out of the opening round of the playoffs with the visuals of the Penguins skating laps around them fresh on the mind. We discuss where they go from here, whether Alain Vigneault is still the man for the job, and how blaming Henrik Lundqvist for the loss is missing the forest for the trees. Here’s a quick rundown of the t...

Chris Johnston joins the show live from a New York Rangers practice at Madison Square Garden to go around the league and discuss the main storylines stemming from every series to-date. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:30 Penguins vs. Rangers 5:45 Evgeni Malkin's deployment 11:00 Rick Nash's poor luck 12:45 Panthers vs. Islanders 16:45 Lightning vs. Red Wings 19:20 Capitals vs. Flyer...

Arik Parnass joins the show to discuss how the importance of special teams execution has carried over from the regular season to the playoffs. We discuss how the disparity in power play efficiency has broken up the series for the Capitals, the changes the Lightning have made without Steven Stamkos, and a quick fix solution for the Islanders. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:30 Phila...

Jon Press from Japers Rink joins the show to discuss how the Capitals were victimized by the NHL's ongoing search for rivalries, and whether this is the best team they've assembled in Washington while Ovechkin has been there. Then Thomas Drance joins us from sunny Florida to help pinpoint the distinct points in the season in which the Panthers improved their play, and try to figure out why there w...

Jen Lute Costella, Adam Gretz, and Prashanth Iyer all join the show to help preview the upcoming playoff matchups, providing perspective on the teams they've been covering closely all year. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 0:36 Blackhawkvs vs. Blues 17:08 Penguins vs. Rangers 36:30 Red Wings vs. Lightning Every episode of this podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and c...

Jeff Marek joins the show to help perform an autopsy on this year's Colorado Avalanche, weigh the pros and cons of the current draft structure, and take a look at prospects will be worth following in the next couple of week. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 1:45 The grind of the 82 game season 8:45 How much of the blame should Patrick Roy take? 26:00 Coaches potentially available this...

Thomas Drance joins the to discuss how the Vancouver Canucks went from winning the Presidents' Trophy to being one of the worst teams in the league in just 4 years, with the bottom particularly falling out on them this season. We also look into how he'll approach filling out his awards ballot, and give advice on how to break into this industry. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 7:00 Ji...

Seth Partnow joins the show for a big picture discussion about where hockey is right now compared to the other major sports in terms of its tools for analysis, and how it can cover that ground moving forward. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 3:10 Hockey catching up to the other sports 6:28 Misapplication of new information 9:30 Predictive vs. Descriptive 12:25 Tracking data 16:55 Team...

The Official Colour Commentator of The Hockey PDOcast Mike Johnson joins the show to help answer a wide array of listener questions. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 2:08 The playoff path for the Penguins 7:28 The St. Louis Blues as sleepers 12:00 Ken Hitchcock and Bruce Boudreau 15:12 Incorporating analytics into broadcasts 19:45 The preparation for a game 22:30 A coach's obsession w...

Chris Johnston joins the show to discuss Jimmy Vesey's decision to leave the Nashville Predators at the altar, and where both parties go from here. We also dive into how likely the Oilers are to make a big trade this summer, why Eugene Melnyk is the person to blame for the Senators struggles, and Vinny Lecavalier aging like a fine wine. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered: 2:20 Jimmy Vese...

Arik Parnass joins the show to discuss what he saw and heard at the Sloan Analytics Conference. How far has the NHL come over the years, and how big is the gap it still needs to fill to catch up with all of the other major sports? We also check back in with his Special Teams Project, looking at how Shayne Gostisbehere has rejuvenated the Flyers, whether drop passes in the neutral are effective, an...

Sean McIndoe joins the show to help unpack the Norris Trophy debate, including debunking the myths that Drew Doughty has been snubbed in years past and that Erik Karlsson is a one-dimensional player. We also discuss the direction of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the NHL system incentivizing teams to bottom out, and the playoff races to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. Here’s a quick rundown of the t...

Jonathan Willis joins the show to help cut down the list of teams we can realistically consider to be Stanley Cup contenders this postseason. Here’s a rundown of the topics covered: 2:56 The Fringe Teams 7:20 The Blues are stuck in no man's land 11:30 Henrik Lundqvist raises New York's baseline 15:00 The Penguins without Evgeni Malkin 22:00 The streak the Ducks are on 28:10 The Lightning flying un...

Gus Katsaros joins the show to discuss how scouting has changed over the years, where it's headed, and the challenge finding a balance between quantitative and qualitative evaluation. Here’s a rundown of the topics covered: 2:30 Finding a balance between data analysis and the eye test 6:00 Entire organization being on same page 9:00 Misconceptions about scouting 13:45 Overvaluing the wrong skills...

Chris Johnston joins the show to discuss the fallout of the Dennis Wideman arbitration process, from which essentially everyone involved came out looking bad. Then Emmanuel Perry comes on to discuss the emergence of his newest hockey stats website. Here's a rundown of the topics covered: 0:00 State of the Union 2:45 The Dennis Wideman arbitration process 13:00 Lull in action since the trade deadli...

With the preliminary rosters for the World Cup of Hockey being announced, Jeff Marek joins the show to help dissect Team Canada, Team North America, and Team Russia. Then we rang Jen Lute Costella up to discuss Team USA's roster and their chances in the tournament. 01:47 - Trade Deadline Day at the Sportsnet studio 05:29 - 'The Sochi Model' for roster construction 08:48 - Injury risk scaring off p...

After a marathon day at the office, Elliotte Friedman and Sean McIndoe join the show to reflect on all of the trades (and maybe more notably, all of the near-trades that fell through) that we saw unfold all of the way up to the deadline. We discuss the premium the Dallas Stars paid for Kris Russell with Jim Nill uncharacteristically finding himself on the losing end of a trade, the Canucks decisio...