The Rink Live

Joe O'Donnell has paid some dues before the Minnesota Wild hired him as a radio play-by-play announcer. O'Donnell, who grew up in Havertown, Pa., started his broadcasting career at the University of Delaware as a color commentator for its club hockey team. After graduating from college, O'Donnell worked for the Reading Royals (2003-05) and Idaho Steelheads (2005-08) in the ECHL and then in the AHL...

Early in this season, Mike Hastings has coached the top-ranked team in NCAA Division I men's hockey at Minnesota State University-Mankato. The Mavericks (4-2) are ranked No. 2/3 this weekend and begin CCHA play against Northern Michigan this weekend. Hastings talks about his current team, playing for Herb Brooks, coaching with Dean Blais, how the United States Hockey League has changed over the ye...

Joel Johnson has some busy days this fall. The USA women's national hockey team has set up base in Blaine and Johnson is the head coach for the Americans. Oh by the way, his day job is being the head coach of the University of St. Thomas women's team, which is in its first season as an NCAA Division I program. Johnson discusses his juggling act and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten and Jess My...

Bob Motzko will have a bit of a homecoming this weekend. He will be behind the bench for a game at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center for the first time since he left St. Cloud State to become the head coach at the University of Minnesota. in 2018. Motzko talks about his time at St. Cloud State, discusses the Gophers' opening weekend, tells stories about growing up in Austin, shares a good Her...

Joe Micheletti grew up in a family with nine kids in Hibbing and his family name has been synonymous with hockey in Minnesota for decades. In 1973, Micheletti helped Hibbing win a state title and he went on to help the University of Minnesota win national titles in 1974 and 1976. He went on to play in the WHA and NHL as a defenseman. He talks about all of this, previews the NHL season and more wit...

The Rink Live reporters Jess Myers, Mick Hatten, Brad Schlossman and Matt Wellens discuss the opening of the WCHA season, St. Thomas hockey, the CCHA, Gophers men, Big Ten hockey and more in this episode. 

Phil Fox grew up in Stillwater and played junior hockey in the United States Hockey League and North American Hockey League before playing four seasons (2007-11) at Northern Michigan. As he begins his third season as the head coach and general manager of the NAHL's New Mexico Wolves, Fox discusses what has changed in the league since he played in it, playing for Wildcats head coach Walt Kyle, beco...

University of St. Thomas men's hockey assistant coach Leon Hayward's hockey career has taken him from the East Coast to Texas to Colorado before ending up in St. Paul for the first season of NCAA Division I hockey with the Tommies. But it all started in ... Seattle. Hayward talks about growing up and playing hockey on the West Coast, playing and coaching prep hockey on the East Coast, playing pro...

On July 28, Ashley Chase was named the director of operations, media relations and play-by-play broadcaster for the St. Cloud Norsemen in the North American Hockey League. She is the first female team play-by-play broadcaster across junior hockey in the United States. She discusses her new job, how she became a hockey fan growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania, breaks news on Eric Schlie and f...

Last week, Cory Laylin was named a new assistant men's hockey coach for the University of St. Thomas after spending the last seven seasons as the head coach at Hamline University. He fills the position vacated by Stu Bickel, who took a job as an assistant coach in the AHL. Laylin was a star for St. Cloud Apollo High School, then played for the University of Minnesota (1988-92) and played professio...

Jordy Christian's family includes some of the biggest names in USA Hockey. Christian talks about growing up in a hockey family, his playing days at St. Cloud State, trying his hand at pro hockey and giving back to the game by volunteering for youth hockey associations in Grand Forks and Fargo with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten and Jess Myers. Christian is currently volunteering for the Fargo Angels...

Pat Ferschweiler has been around Western Michigan's hockey program for three stints. He was a forward for the Broncos from 1990-93 and then served two stints as an assistant coach (2010-14 and 2019-21). He was named to replace Andy Murray as the team's head coach on Aug. 3. Between his two stints as an assistant for WMU, he spent one season as an assistant coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins of th...

David McNab recently retired after working for the Anaheim Ducks organization since 1993. His history of working in the NHL goes back to 1978 when he started out as a scout for the Washington Capitals after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, where he was a backup goalie. He worked for his father, Max, a former NHL player, and his brother, Peter, played in the NHL from 1973-87. McNab talk...

Ben Barr grew up in Duluth and playing youth hockey players that would end up at Duluth East. He ended up following his dad's footsteps and attended Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep School. He then went on to play college hockey for RPI. Since finishing college, he has been an assistant coach at RPI (2004-08), Union (2008-11), Providence (2011-14), Western Michigan (2014-16) and Massachusetts (2016-21). H...

Ben Hankinson has been on the hockey scene in the state for decades. He played for Edina High School before playing for the University of Minnesota (1987-91) and then in the NHL and in the minor leagues and as a player agent since he retired from playing. Hankinson is one of the founders of Da Beauty League, which begins play on Wednesday, July 14. It is a summer league played for charity with pla...

Bill Robertson was contemplating what his next career move would be when he was contacted by United States Hockey League commissioner Tom Garrity. Garrity was looking to move on and reached out to Robertson to see if he was interested in replacing him. After an extensive interview process, Robertson was named the Tier I junior league's 10th commissioner on June 11. He begins his new position in Ju...

Last week, Brett Larson signed a contract extension to be St. Cloud State's men's hockey head coach that runs through the 2027-28 season. His original five-year contract to become the program's third coach in the NCAA Division I era was signed in 2018. Larson talks about his contract extension, shares memories of Tom Kurvers and JT Brown, gives an injury update on Easton Brodzinskim talks about th...

Joel Johnson was introduced as the new head women's hockey coach at the University of St. Thomas on June 10. Johnson discusses his new position, recruiting, being the interim head coach of the USA women's national team, playing three sports (soccer, baseball and hockey) at Bethel University, convincing his daughter that working for the Tommies is a good idea and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatt...

Mike Randolph resigned this week after his second stint as Duluth East High School's boys hockey coach. He leaves the program after leading it to 18 state tournament appearances, two state titles, six second-place finishes, four third-place finishes and three consolation titles. He coached the Greyhounds from 1988-2003, and again from 2004-2021. He discusses coaching at St. Scholastica, Minnesota...

Jeff Nygaard was recently named the executive director for the Fargo Youth Hockey Association. It is a new position where he will oversee an association with 1,200 players and 20 board members. Nygaard talks about some of the challenges with his new post, but also about playing junior college hockey in Fergus Falls, helping establish some junior hockey leagues on the East Coast, being an on-ice of...

Jenny Taft grew up in Edina, Minn., in a hockey family. Her dad, John, played defense for the University of Wisconsin and in the 1976 Olympics. Her brother, Charlie, played hockey for Colorado College from 2011-15. Her mother, Mary, was a speed skater. She played lacrosse, hockey and tennis at Edina before going on to play lacrosse at Boston University. There, she met her husband, Matt Gilroy, who...

Jenny Taft grew up in Edina, Minn., in a hockey family. Her dad, John, played defense for the University of Wisconsin and in the 1976 Olympics. Her brother, Charlie, played hockey for Colorado College from 2011-15. Her mother, Mary, was a speed skater. She played lacrosse, hockey and tennis at Edina before going on to play lacrosse at Boston University. There, she met her husband, Matt Gilroy, who...

Fargo Force coach Pierre-Paul Lamoureux discusses his team rallying to upend the top-seeded Tri-City Storm in the first round of the United States Hockey League's Western Division playoffs. He also discusses some of his top players, including Gophers recruits Tristan Broz, Aaron Huglen and Brennan Boynton and St. Cloud State recruits Jack Peart and Mason Salquist. He also discusses his large hocke...

Jessi Pierce from NHL.com and the Bardown Beauties talks with Jess Myers about the Minnesota Wild clinching a playoff spot on The Rink Live podcast

Rico Blasi was introduced as the new University of St. Thomas men's hockey coach on April 6. As you can imagine, his life has been a whirlwind since that time, but he gets everyone up to date on what he has been up to, including beginning the recruiting process for the Tommies. Blasi also talks about playing for George Gwozdecky at Miami University, then working for Gwozdecky as an assistant coach...