Tough Call

Slashing or spearing? Linesman or linesperson? And have I gone soft on boarding? What is the line between great hit and dirty boarding? This and more! Theme song written and performed by Everett Boulton. Subscribe to Tough Call on YouTube Follow and rate this podcast!

15 minutes of regular episode, 15 minutes of how the NHL completely botched the Panthers/Lightning fiasco, and how the DOPS has set the table for more trouble moving forward.

Covering the NHL pre-season period of Sept 21st-29th. What suspensions should there have been? In terms of checking, how late is LATE? When should we start teaching "checking" in minor hockey? and HOW do you teach it? Spoiler: It doesn't have much to do with legalizing hitting. This and more!

What's the deal with Connor McDavid not signing yet? Did the Q fighting ban make hockey more dangerous? Does fighting have a place in hockey? Should neck guards and face masks be mandatory in pro hockey? Find out here! Theme song by Everett Boulton Subscribe to Tough Call on YouTube Follow: @ToughCallPod on Twitter and Bluesky @toughcallpodcast on instagram and Threads @tough_call on TikTok

Welcome to a new season of Tough Call! Mitch Marner and Leafs aura. Which country promotes real hockey: Canada or the US? What is the real purpose of body contact? This and more... Now also a video podcast! Theme song: Everett Boulton (eb_hunter0 - instagram) Subscribe to Tough Call on YouTube Follow: @ToughCallPod - X and Bluesky @toughcallpodcast - Instagram @tough_call - Tik Tok

Tough Call Podcast is back four a fourth season! Get caught up on the latest NHL hits and suspensions through the first week of the pre-season. What’s the deal with all the open ice hitting? Is it here to stay??? And why are forecheckers so surprised when defenders “turn their back” when they’re the ones who forced them into doing it? Why are we so surprised when angling works?

The Markstrom spear, the Cogliano knee. And what would happen if we called the NHL rulebook to the standard to which it’s written?

This is an 18 minute rant on all that’s wrong with the NHL and the fans who won’t allow it to be fixed. My apologies. 😬

The theme is exploding into contact and maybe not doing it. The Zadorov check to Kase, the Dunn slash on Zegras, the Brad Marchand suspension, and more! Plus the trivia: last week’s answer and this week’s question. Subscribe to the Tough Call YouTube channel, and to this podcast!

The Myers boarding to Lewis, the Gourde boarding to Vaakanainen, and why basing suspension length on injury is a bad idea. My usual segments and as always I end off with some trivia.

The Greenway interference on Kuemper, the Drouin crosscheck to Seguin, and what’s my motivation for doing Tough Call? As always, fun trivia at the end.

This covers NHL incidents from the week of January 2nd - 8th, 2022.

I’m back for a third season! This tells you everything you should expect to get out of this podcast when you follow me this year (and you absolutely should). Plus, why is there such a difference between hockey player personas on the ice vs off the ice? And finally, a little bit of trivia to end off!

What is a hockey play? Keeping things within the context of the game. Also, what do we do wrong when comparing incidents? Who’s dirtier? Reaves or Wilson? Find out here!

Ryan Reaves of the Vegas Golden Knights was issued a 2 game suspension for his actions against Ryan Graves of the Colorado Avalanche in game 1 of their second round series. This is the last straw for many in a years long chain of poor decisions from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. It’s time for real change.

Why did Nick Foligno fight Corey Perry after the Tavares injury? Why did Dmitry Orlov have his major penalty against Kevan Miller reduced to a roughing minor? How did Jeff Petry avoid any discipline at all from both the on ice officials and the Department of Player Safety for his blindside hit to Alex Galchenyuk in overtime of Game Six? Also, subscribe to the new Tough Call YouTube channel for all...

The Kadri incident. Brad Marchand and his after the whistle antics. And how to keep the right kind of physicality in hockey.

In this show I explain my suspension scale in a little more depth and how I apply it. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and see how it plays out with real incidents. Plus, Brayden McNabb has a habit, but is it good or bad?

Why Tom Wilson SHOULD be treated differently.

Why did Edler have to fight Simmonds? Also, can Matthew Tkachuk throw a normal check? And Tough Call is now on YouTube! Listen to find out more.

Was the McDavid hit on Byron really a dirty elbow? And what do people mean when they talk about “playoff” hockey? Find out here!

Would a crackdown on dangerous incidents really change the fabric of the NHL game? And if so, is that a bad thing? Looking at NHL discipline practices and seeing if there might be a better path to consistency.

Brandon Tanev was ejected for his hit on Jarred Tinordi in a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins. What makes this hit stand out from the rest?

The Tom Wilson hit on Brandon Carlo. A look at that incident, explaining Wilson’s disciplinary history, and how I would get Wilson where he needs to be moving forward.

Why is crosschecking still prevalent in the NHL and why is it so accepted? What’s with all the slew-foots these days? The Wilson hit on Jankowski, goaltender interference, and incosistency.