The Suspendables

We're joined in this one by former NHL defenceman Jason York. Yorky talks about owning and coaching a junior hockey team and the difference in today's players. He discusses his own junior OHL career which started out badly due to the toxic environment fostered by former coach Bill LaForge. He talks about getting passed over in the NHL draft twice...and then almost a third time! Yorky chimes in on...

In this one, we discuss the Stanley Cup Finals so far. What happened to Tampa in Game 2. We talk about why Jon Cooper's son now has the Honda bike Russ bought for one of his daughters. The Memorial Cup is underway and just like the Stanley Cup, Russ also has some regrets from his Victoria Cougar days about not winning that trophy. Russ says the game today is like pond hockey, at least compared to...

In this one, Russ tells a hilarious story of last week's member-guest event at Sherwood that went very, very wrong. We discuss the Stanley cup Final matchup between Colorado and Tampa and how this year's playoffs have been fantastic. There are a lot of players putting in Conn Smythe level performances so far. Will Brayden Point and Nazem Kadri be able to play? Russ thinks Kadri might be able to pl...

Jim had a tough week, dealing with insurance after his big car accident. The boys talk abut the Avalanche sweeping the Oilers. They get into some of their experiences with the Stanley Cup, including Russ and his brother Geoff having a day with the Cup in Victoria to celebrate the City's 1925 Stanley Cup title. Yes, the Victoria Cougars actually won it all. Russ thinks the Oilers need to upgrade th...

In this one, Jim describes his bad car accident this week. We discuss the Stanley Cup playoffs, with only four teams remaining and the excitement level this time of year. Russ gets into his days in Montreal that included a screaming match with Habs coach Pat Burns. There was definitely no love lost there. He also relays the story of tequila shots with Jyrki Lumme. Minnesota tough guy Shayne Churla...

We're joined in this one by former NHL goalie Kelly Hrudey, now an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada. Kelly talks about life behind the scenes on the broadcast, his journey to the NHL, how he became a goalie, and how he was cut from every top team until he turned 17. We discuss his scrappy days in the Western Hockey League, he provides some great advice for young goalies, and how he when he knew i...

In this one, Jimmy talks about messing up another opportunity for romance. The Leafs messed up another first round Game 7. Regardless, the NHL playoffs are better and more interesting when the Leafs are in it. Russ went 6-2 in his first round predictions. We give our round 2 predictions. We get into the excellence of Jake Oettinger who was elite in a losing cause for Dallas. We preview the Battle...

In this one, we discuss what's happening in the Stanley cup Playoffs. Russ says his one big surprise so far has been the New York Rangers falling behind 3-1 to Pittsburgh. The boys discuss their fondness for the NHL on TNT and Darryl Sutter's post game press conferences. They get into officiating so far in the playoffs; a moment of surrender from William Nylander; the NHL draft lottery; whether mu...

In this one, the boys discuss the Montreal farewell for Guy Lafleur. Russ relays some great advice he received from Hall of Famer Borje Salming, a beloved mentor and Leaf teammate. Russ attended a funeral this week and talks about a tragic story of a young Wisconsin athlete. Russ remembers his first playoff series win, helping the Leafs upset Chicago in the first round of the 1986 NHL playoffs. He...

In this one, we remember the great Guy Lafleur who recently passed away at age 70. We're joined by hockey historian Liam Maguire who knew Guy and knows absolutely everything about Guy and the Habs of that era. To give you an idea of how big a Habs fan Liam is, he proposed to his wife at the Montreal Forum, the only person ever to do so. Liam and the boys remember the life and times of "The Flower,...

We're joined in this one by former NHL defenceman Jamie Macoun, who has some amazing stories from his NHL days, particularly with the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs. Russ never enjoyed going into the corner to battle with Macoun. Jamie talks about some colourful general managers he had in the past like Doug Risebrough who didn't exactly treat Doug Gilmour fairly. He had zero love for Toron...

Theo Fleury joins us in this episode. He and Russ swap memories of battling in the 1989 Stanley Cup (Theo's Flames beat Russ's Habs) then being teammates two years later in the Canada Cup. Theo talks a little about the Hall of Fame, saying being asked about it is one of his least favourite questions. He discusses how he had to create room for himself on the ice by getting creative. Some opponents...

We're joined in this one by former NHL'er Chris Nilan, one of the most feared fighters of the 1980s. "Knuckles" (or Knux" for short) has a million great stories of his life in the NHL. He talks about the Montreal Canadiens only drafting him out of Northeastern as a favour to some guy. In his rookie AHL season, Nilan remembers the one fight in the American Hockey League that won him an NHL contract...

In this one, the boys get into the Will Smith slap at the Oscars. They talk about the passing this week of Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. Russ is asked about the toughest part about being an NHL owner. Leafs GM Kyle Dubas talks about NHL officiating and how Auston Matthews draws almost five times fewer penalties than Connor McDavid. The boys admire the work that Sheldon Kennedy is doing; Rus...

We're joined in this one by Edmonton broadcaster Bob Stauffer. We discuss the NHL trade deadline. We get into fighting in the NHL and how the game cannot be policed by the referees alone. The boys swap some junior hockey stories from Russ' time in Victoria. Bob is adamant about not offering commentary on NHL players OFF the ice. What are the biggest changes Bob has seen in the game over the past 3...

Russ meets his match in this one as he and PJ Stock get some serious chirping going. So many great stories and laughs in this one, like the hilarious story of PJ being told not to celebrate is annual NHL goal. He also tells the story of his first shift with Wayne Gretzky and the funny way that he signs off on his texts with Gretzky. They touch on the trade deadline; competing with each other in th...

Who knew that former NFL head coach Sean Payton was such a big hockey fan? He talks about his love of the Broadstreet Bullies - the Philadelphia Flyers of the mid-1970s – and even fondly remembers their exhibition game against the Soviet Red Army. He tells a tale about his friend, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper, and how the the student surpassed the master. He talks about the decision t...

This week, at Michael Jordan's super exclusive golf course, you won't believe what Jim did. He did something that Gretzky specifically asked him not to do and...it didn't go very well for our boy. They also talk about Martin St. Louis taking over as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. They get into what life is like heading into the annual NHL trade deadline. We touch on the awful situation with...

In this episode, we're joined by renowned Canadian actor Chris Potter, who plays the role of Tim Fleming on the CBC TV series "Heartland." Chris is a massive sports and has a ton of great stories in this one. He talks about his childhood, trying to decide between hockey and theatre. He remembers the conversation with his dad – a former Toronto Argonaut – that helped push him toward a career in act...

With the Winter Olympics and NHL all-star weekend in full swing, Russ shares his experiences and how special it was to be chosen for both events. Postmedia's Doni Brennan joins us again this week. While he loved being an all-star, he can't remember the last time he watched all-star weekend. Meanwhile, his youngest daughter has been chosen for Team Canada's U20 Soccer club. Russ identifies the NHL...

We're joined by longtime sportswriter Doni Brennan from Postmedia, based in Ottawa. We discuss how the Evander Kane signing hasn't been a hit with every Oiler fan. We get a sports writer view of Leon's Draisatil heated exchange with an Edmonton media guy. Connor McDavid is the best player in the world, but is he truly Edmonton's best choice for captain? We ask Doni about not seeing eye to eye with...

This week, the guys discuss the awkwardness in Edmonton between Leon Draisaitl and a reporter who accused the superstar of being "Pissy" toward him. They talk a little about last week's guest, Mark Messier. They address the racism accusations over the weekend during a game in the East Coast Hockey League involving P.K. Subban's brother Jordan, a teammate of Russ's son Laughton. In fact, Laughton w...

We're joined in this one by six-time Stanley Cup winner Mark Messier. We talk about his new hockey analyst job with ESPN. We discuss his new book, No One Wins Alone. Mess gets into family and team lessons he learned from his dad; the importance of "glue" guys on championship teams; how the real game of hockey is between the ears. Mark shares the one big regret in his hockey career; they discuss hi...

Tons of laughs in this one as we're joined by three-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Daneyko. Ken is easy with a laugh and a force of nature in this one, bringing some great NHL stories! We discuss the game where Russ accidentally took out Ken's teeth. Ken has a great story about Devils' GM Lou Lamoriello and the day he helped him accept his role in the league. He discusses how the Devils' Cup winning...

This week, we review some of our famous hockey guests we had on the show in 2021. They were all fantastic! The boys also talk about a great story about the Canucks equipment guy who averted a cancer battle, thanks to a keen-eyed Seattle Kraken fan. We're inside a month away from the start of the Winter Olympics. Should the games be cancelled or should they go ahead? After an amazing start, the Edm...