Chirping Zebras

The boys are joined by 1/3 of The Jims, Jon Mirasty — former enforcer, absolute beauty, and a guy who’s lived the parts of hockey most people only chirp about from the couch.

We get into the real stuff: locker-room brotherhood, growing up in the game, playing overseas in the KHL, and what it’s actually like being that guy when things boil over. Mirasty talks fighting, respect, culture shock, language barriers, and why the enforcer role doesn’t end when the skates come off.

We also dive into his time on Shoresy, what that experience was really like, and how close that show hits to real hockey culture — not the Hollywood version. That leads into a great story about the Boston Bruins Alumni vs. Shoresy cast game at TD Garden — with Mark Riley reffing the game and Josh Dolan up in the booth doing play-by-play. Absolute circus. Electric building. One for the memory bank.

From there it opens up:

• the mental side of being the tough guy

• transitioning from hockey to MMA

• protecting the game and the room

• leadership, accountability, and earning your keep

• empowering kids in his community to stand on their own two feet

There’s plenty of laughs too — chirps about sports media, fake toughness, and the difference between how hockey looks on TV versus how it’s actually lived. No PR spin. No nonsense. Just honest talk with someone who’s been in the fire.

Lace ‘em up and get in the barn.

We were down at Harmon Golf in Rockland, MA — unreal setup, private club, golf + fitness, big-league vibes — and the chirps were FLYING. We had Lou Merloni in the barn… former Boston Red Sox, longtime WEEI voice, and NESN guy. Hometown kid from Framingham who actually lived the dream.

Lou walked us through his first game at Fenway, the ENTIRE city of Framingham showing up like it was a holiday, what it was really like wearing the Sox across your chest, and what life in Boston sports media is like behind the scenes. We could’ve kept him for three periods — absolute beauty.

Safe to say… Chirping Zebras is on a serious heater right now. 🔥🦓

We’re talkin’ to Mike Pitt about where this whole thing started — the Peter Frates ALS Foundation, built off the back of a beauty of a human who battled like a first-line grinder every single day. Kid had wheels, heart, and more compete than half the league combined.

Then boom — Ice Bucket Challenge hits. Absolute wagon of a movement. People dumping buckets on their heads like it’s a Game 7 celly — except it actually did something. Raised a stupid amount of money, put ALS on the map, and got everyone from your beer league buddy to celebs involved.

Now we’ve got the Ice ALS Charity Hockey Game — and this thing’s not just a skate, it’s a full barn-burner for a cause. Alumni, refs, the whole crew showing up. That’s how you grow the game and take care of your own.

They get into what ALS actually does too — and spoiler: it’s brutal. Not just physically, but financially. We’re talking real-life, off-the-ice battles that make a bad loss look like nothing. Families grinding harder than a PK unit down two men.

Shoutout to the work with the Pete Frates Foundation — absolute studs over there. Boots on the ground, making a difference, no shortcuts.

Then the convo takes a turn — refs catch a stray (as they should 😂). Talking youth officiating, how tough it is, and yeah… maybe we gotta stop screaming at 14-year-olds like it’s the Stanley Cup Final, eh?

Mix in some locker room nonsense, comedy bits, chirps flying — the boys are buzzing. You can tell there’s some sketch ideas cooking there too. Might get a couple beauties outta that.

They wrap it up with what’s next — events coming up, more ways to get involved, and maybe… just maybe… an Ice Bucket Challenge comeback tour? Run it back. Let’s fill the bucket again.

Fish from Shoresy — rolls through and gives the full story: how a hockey guy ends up in front of the camera, what it’s like sharing ice with legit NHL legends, and how the character everybody knows actually got built from real hockey blood, bruises, and locker-room life. It’s hockey stories, behind-the-scenes stuff, and the kind of honesty you only get from a guy who’s lived both sides of it.

Then it gets deeper — Jacob talks about life off-camera too: faith, family, purpose, staying grounded when people suddenly know your face, and figuring out who you are when the noise gets loud. Humble guy, grateful mindset, no fake tough-guy act — just real talk about growth, perspective, and keeping your skates on straight while life starts moving quick.

Basically: laughs, hockey, some real-life perspective, and a few stories that feel like they should’ve been told over beers after a road game.

🎙️ Chirping Zebras Podcast — Episode: Don Gavin (The Godfather of Boston Comedy)The barn doors are open and this one’s an absolute heater.We had the godfather of Boston comedy himself Don Gavin in studio — comic, actor, road-dog legend and certified OG of the scene. If you’ve ever wondered how Boston became a factory for absolute comedy killers, this is one of the guys who helped shape it before it turned into a full-blown war zone.Don chops it up with the boys about:🔥 The Boston comedy boom and how the city became a breeding ground for savages🔥 Being a massive influence on monsters like Joe Rogan, Bill Burr, and a whole generation of killers🔥 Why comics and hockey players are basically the same species — locker room vibes, thick skin, zero mercy🔥 His runs on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Shallow Hal, and a pile of wild TV & film stories🌍 Doing stand-up in more countries than your buddy who “almost joined the military”Old-school wisdom, new-school chaos, and stories you won’t hear anywhere else.Strap in, ya beauties. This one’s for the culture. 🦓🏒🎤🙌 Big Thanks To Our SponsorsSupport the sponsors that support the show — that’s just good locker-room etiquette.🔥 Damon Financial LLC24+ years of straight-shooting financial guidance. Retirement planning, investments, tax strategies — real pros, no fluff.👉 https://www.damonfinancial.com/📞 508-321-2101🏒 Townshend HockeyBuilding elite hockey players and elite humans with Discipline. Respect. Leadership.👉 https://townshendhockey.com/🦓 Referees CreaseRecruiting, developing, and advancing the next generation of hockey officials.If you wear stripes, these are your people.🦓 Chirping Zebras MerchLook good. Chirp better.👉 Get geared up: https://chirpingzebras.com/shop/🌐 Everything Chirping ZebrasEpisodes, clips, merch, socials — all in one barn.👉 Zebras HQ: https://chirpingzebras.com/

This one’s got more bite than a two-hander behind the play.The boys sit down with Alby, aka Andrew Alberts, and immediately start wheel-snipe-chirping his whole journey — from grinding it out in Boston during his college days, to pulling on the Spoked-B and officially becoming a Boston Bruin. Then it gets a little uncomfortable when he talks about being a Vancouver Canuck in 2011… yeah, while Boston was busy burning the league down and lifting the Cup. You already know we made him live it again.We also dive into the Warrior For Life Fund and relive the legendary Montana trip — mountains, mayhem, brotherhood, and stories that would get most locker rooms shut down by HR.And because this is Chirping Zebras, it finishes with Josh and Alby chirping each other’s leg size like it’s playoff warmups, agreeing to settle it the only way real refs do it — shorts only next time he’s in studio.Big thanks to our sponsors for keeping the lights on 🙌 Couldn’t do this without the beauties who keep the wheels turning.Support the sponsors that support the show — that’s just good locker-room etiquette.🔥 SPONSORSDamon Financial LLC – 24+ years of straight-shooting financial guidance. Retirement planning, investments, tax strategies — real pros, no fluff.👉 https://www.damonfinancial.com/📞 508-321-2101Townshend Hockey – Building elite hockey players and elite humans with Discipline. Respect. Leadership.👉 https://townshendhockey.com/Referees Crease – Recruiting, developing, and advancing the next generation of hockey officials. If you wear stripes, these are your people.🦓 Chirping Zebras MerchLook good. Chirp better.👉 Get geared up: https://chirpingzebras.com/shop/🌐 Everything Chirping ZebrasEpisodes, clips, merch, socials — all in one barn.👉 Zebras HQ: https://chirpingzebras.com/

Big Guests & Even Bigger Chirps – The Boys Close Out the YearThe refs are out of the box, the tape’s fresh, and the boys are buzzing harder than a beer-league locker room with free Bud Lights.In this episode of Chirping Zebras, the crew takes a lap around the year that was — holiday stories, on-ice chaos, behind-the-scenes madness, and the kind of moments that only happen when you’ve got mics, no HR department, and too many former NHL guys in your phone.We get into what it actually takes to develop in hockey — not just players, but refs too. How the game’s changed, why today’s kids are faster but the old-school dogs were meaner, and why nobody respects your stripes until you’ve blown a call in front of 18,000 lunatics screaming at your mother.The boys also relive their favorite guests of the year — legends, beauties, grinders, broadcasters, and absolute weapons — breaking down what they learned from NHL vets, media killers, and guys who’ve seen every barn from Worcester to Winnipeg. It’s about building relationships, working the room, and knowing when to talk shop… and when to chirp someone’s tape job.Plus we’re talking community, the Zebras family, the fans who keep this circus running, and what’s coming next — more chaos, bigger names, wild social content, and enough upcoming projects to make Bettman nervous.

On this episode of Chirping Zebras, Mark Riley, Gino Binda Jr., and Josh Dolan are joined by Bruce Cassidy — former Boston Bruins head coach, current bench boss of the Vegas Golden Knights, and an actual Stanley Cup–winning beauty.Cassidy comes on and does not waste time. We’re talking room-building, standard-setting, and how you coach grown men without treating ’em like peewee players. He breaks down the jump from the AHL bus league to the NHL pressure cooker, what it really takes to win a Cup, and why communication beats screaming (most of the time).The boys get into:Winning a Stanley Cup and why it’s chaos you can’t prepare forCoaching in Boston vs. Vegas (media animals vs. desert vibes)Adapting to today’s players without losing the roomMentors, leadership, and knowing when to let guys be guysOlympic prep and managing egos the size of ZambonisTalking to officials without getting tossed in 30 secondsAnd yeah — there are bench stories, laughs, and a few moments where you just sit back and go, “Yeah… that’s a coach.”If you like real hockey talk, no fluff, no buzzwords, just guys who’ve been around the game forever — this one’s a wagon.🙌 Big Thanks to Our SponsorsCouldn’t do this without the beauties who keep the wheels turning.Support the sponsors that support the show — that’s just good locker-room etiquette.🔥 SPONSORSDamon Financial LLC - 24+ years of straight-shooting financial guidance. Retirement planning, investments, tax strategies — real pros, no fluff.👉 https://www.damonfinancial.com/📞 508-321-2101Townshend Hockey - Building elite hockey players and elite humans with Discipline. Respect. Leadership.👉 https://townshendhockey.com/Referees CreaseRecruiting, developing, and advancing the next generation of hockey officials. If you wear stripes, these are your people.🦓 Chirping Zebras MerchLook good. Chirp better.👉 Get geared up: https://chirpingzebras.com/shop/🌐 Everything Chirping ZebrasEpisodes, clips, merch, socials — all in one barn.👉 Zebras HQ: https://chirpingzebras.com/❤️ Support Bruce Cassidy’s CharityAbsolute class act off the ice.Support the Cassidy Murray Foundation, helping kids and families who need a break.👉 Donate / Learn More:https://cassidymurrayfoundation.org/Like, subscribe, tell a buddy, don’t be a pigeon — and if you don’t enjoy this episode, take a lap.

Buckle up, ya beauties — this one’s a heater.

On today’s pod, the boys dive into a ripper of a conversation that somehow covers Mario Lemieux saving the entire sport, Tom Brady aging backwards like a Benjamin Button mutant, and the absolute wagon of a life story belonging to actor Lillo Brancato.

Lillo rolls in like he’s back on the block, just casually dropping truth bombs about addiction, trauma, and clawing your way back when life two-hands you across the mouth. Guy’s got more resilience than a junior B goalie who refuses to be pulled.

So crack a cold one, sit down, shut up, and don’t be a pigeon — this episode goes.

🔥 SPONSORSDamon Financial LLC24+ years of straight-shooting financial guidance. Retirement planning, investments, tax strategies — real pros, no fluff.👉 https://www.damonfinancial.com/📞 508-321-2101Townshend HockeyBuilding elite hockey players and elite humans with Discipline. Respect. Leadership.👉 https://townshendhockey.com/Referees CreaseRecruiting, developing, and advancing the next generation of hockey officials. If you wear stripes, these are your people.✅ FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBEWebsite: https://chirpingzebras.com/TikTok: @chirping.zebrasInstagram: @chirpingzebrasFacebook: @chirpingzebras💬 JOIN THE CHIRP-FESTDrop your chirps, stories, questions, or requests below. If your comment’s funny enough, we might read it on the show. If it sucks, we’ll pretend we never saw it.⭐ SUPPORT THE PODHit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS so you don’t miss the next episode from the stripes.

Buckle up, boys — we’ve got Tim Lovell in the house. Absolute wagon of a human. The guy turned Lovell Hockey into a full-blown factory for weapons, beauties, and certified mutants on the ice. From Hingham roots to pro barns across the world to running one of the biggest hockey development outfits in North America — this guy doesn’t miss.🔥 SPONSORSDamon Financial LLC24+ years of straight-shooting financial guidance. Retirement planning, investments, tax strategies — real pros, no fluff.👉 https://www.damonfinancial.com/📞 508-321-2101Townshend HockeyBuilding elite hockey players and elite humans with Discipline. Respect. Leadership.👉 https://townshendhockey.com/Referees CreaseRecruiting, developing, and advancing the next generation of hockey officials. If you wear stripes, these are your people.✅ FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBEWebsite: https://chirpingzebras.com/TikTok: @chirping.zebrasInstagram: @chirpingzebrasFacebook: @chirpingzebras💬 JOIN THE CHIRP-FESTDrop your chirps, stories, questions, or requests below. If your comment’s funny enough, we might read it on the show. If it sucks, we’ll pretend we never saw it.⭐ SUPPORT THE PODHit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS so you don’t miss the next episode from the stripes.