Hockey Related

Cale Makar has represented Canada at the World Juniors, the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the Winter Olympics. But being Canadian wasn't always a given for his family.

In this episode of Hockey Related, genealogist Mat Trotter traces both sides of Cale's family tree — from a great-grandfather who rode out the Depression in an Alberta coal town, to a great-grandfather born across the border in New Jersey, to a fourth great-grandfather who left the British Army and crossed the Atlantic from Ireland — and reveals a second twist the paperwork never quite captured.

In this episode you'll hear:
🏒 From UMass and the Hobey Baker straight into the Stanley Cup Playoffs
🏆 The Calder, the Conn Smythe, the 2022 Stanley Cup, and two Norris Trophies
🥈 Olympic silver at Milano Cortina
🦣 Mammoth connections, from Ian Cole and Alex Kerfoot to Michael Hrabal
🎓 Why Cale skipped major junior to play college hockey
⛏️ The Makars of Bow River, Alberta
🇺🇸 John MacGregor's move from Trenton to Calgary
🇮🇪 Patrick Galligan, an early settler of Fitzroy, Ontario
🎬 How Cale got his name
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Brother Taylor, wife Tracy, and the couple's brand-new twin boys

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🎥Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/k4SXNDKFxww

Anders Lee spent more than a decade as captain of the New York Islanders, and this summer he brought that leadership to the Utah Mammoth. But the "Lee" on his jersey isn't the common English surname you'd expect.

In this episode of Hockey Related, genealogist Mat Trotter traces the family from Norway's old patronymic naming system to the farms of Shelby County, Iowa; meets Mathias Moes, a Luxembourg-born postmaster who rebuilt after the deadly 1876 Rockdale flood; and follows Herman Pape into the German heart of Carroll County — then reveals the one family choice that decided what Anders's jersey says today.

In this episode you'll hear:
🏒 From the 152nd pick in 2009 to Islanders captain — and now Utah
🔢 The 9 → 27 → 72 number story
🇳🇴 How Norwegian surnames worked — and when they were finally frozen
🌊 Mathias Moes and the Rockdale flood
🏪 Herman Pape, a general store, and German Iowa
🐕 Gordie, Howie, and life off the ice

Follow the show for more hockey stories, genealogy deep dives, and episodes that prove we're all Hockey Related.

🎥 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/XlFOIqFN-8s

Vincent Trocheck just won Olympic gold with Team USA and joined the Utah Mammoth — but his own last name is amystery even his family's records can't solve.

In this episode of Hockey Related, genealogist Mat Trotter follows the Trocheck family from a Slovak village on the map since 1423 to the coal mines of Fayette County, Pennsylvania; from Sicilian "birds of passage" running a fruit standin America to Calabrian roots shaped by the 1908 Messina earthquake — and reveals the surprising meaning hidden inside the name.

In this episode you'll hear:
🏒 His path from the 2011 draft through Florida, Carolina, and New York — to Utah
🥇 Olympic gold in Milan alongside Mammoth captain Clayton Keller
⛏️ John Trocheck's 1896 journey to Pennsylvania coal country
🍋 The Fazio family's fruit stand and their many ocean crossings
🌊 Calabria, pedigree collapse, and the 1908 earthquake
🍝 Grandma's legendary Italian dinners for the entire team

Follow the show for more hockey stories, genealogy deep dives, and episodes that prove we're all Hockey Related.

🎥 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/YiWuVFf7MQA

Megan Keller scored the overtime winner that won Olympic gold for Team USA — the first American ever to do it in a gold medal game. But this episode isn't about the highlight reel. I dug into her family tree to answer a question I keep getting asked: is Megan Keller actually related to NHL star Clayton Keller? The answer traces back through a Pennsylvania lumber boomtown, a WWII Navy veteran, Polish immigrants, a surprise Canadian crossing — and, it turns out, a direct line to Polish and Lithuanian royalty.

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Have a family story to share? Drop it in the comments.

Why does Hockey Related only feature American and Canadian players? What happens when a featured player's family says no? And how did Mikhail Sergachev end up married in under ten minutes, the day he flew back for training camp?

In this Year Two preview, I answer the questions I get askedmost, share the story behind Sean Durzi's family — who trace back to a city under Ottoman rule before it became part of Israel in 1948 — and catch you up on the Hockey Related alumni: Clayton Keller's whirlwind year, Alex Kerfoot'snew baby, Keith Tkachuk's Hockey Hall of Fame election, and Eddie Olczyk's decision to step away from the broadcast booth.

This isn't just an update. It's a look behind the research.

It's Hockey Related.

In this episode you'll hear:

• Why the show has focused on North American players so far and where that's headed
• The Sergachev wedding story, from a two-day plan to a 2026 baby announcement
• Sean Durzi's family history and the limits of thegenealogical record
• How I choose who to feature — and the one person who asked me not to
• Updates on Clayton Keller, Alex Kerfoot, Keith Tkachuk, and Eddie Olczyk
• What's coming in Season Two

Follow the show for more hockey stories, genealogy deepdives, and episodes that prove we're all Hockey Related.

What kind of family produces an NHLlegend (“Edzo”), NHL executives and scouts—and a broadcaster who’s fearlessenough to stand between the benches?

In this episode of Hockey Related,we dive into the story of Nick Olczyk—Utah Mammoth ice‑level analyst andone of hockey’s most fascinating new voices.

You’ll hear how Nick went from callingvideo games and junior hockey to a defining moment in 2022—when he jumped intoan NHL TV broadcast at the last second for his father and didn’t miss a beat.

But the Olczyk story starts long beforethe NHL. We trace the family back through a 1943 arrest in Poland, a displacedpersons camp in Germany, and a 1951 crossing to America aboard the GeneralC.C. Ballou—then forward into Chicago’s Polish community and, surprisingly,a Mayflower connection.

This isn’t just a hockey story.
It’s a broadcast story.
It’s a family story.
It’s Hockey Related.

In this episode you’ll hear:

Follow the show for more hockey stories, genealogy deepdives, and episodes that prove we’re all Hockey Related.

What kind of family produces three first-round NHLbrothers—and the player who scored the 2026 Olympic Golden Goal toend a 46-year drought?

In this episode of Hockey Related, we go beyond thehighlight reel of Quinn, Jack, and Luke Hughes—and into the ancestry andinfluences that shaped their hockey IQ, competitiveness, and poise.

But their story starts long before the NHL—and long beforeMilan.

We trace the Hughes family through a mother who built theblueprint as a Team USA medalist, a grandfather who pioneered child neurology,a grandfather who rose to NYFD Battalion Chief, and an 1878 Polish record thatset the whole "fast break" in motion.

This isn’t just a hockey story.
It’s a family story.
A century-long chain of cause and effect.
A Hockey Related story.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The staggering Hughes brother milestones: three first-round picks, one Olympic legend

• The blueprint: Ellen Weinberg-Hughes and the family’s international hockey legacy
• The brain line: Dr. Warren Abraham Weinberg and why the Hughes hockey IQ is different
• The fire line: NYFD Battalion Chief Marty J. Hughes and the family’s high-pressure DNA
• The postgame reveal: the 1878 Polish record that connects to the 2026 Golden Goal

Follow the show for more hockey stories, genealogy deepdives, and episodes that prove we’re all Hockey Related.

What kind of family produces two NHL superstars, a U.S.Hockey Hall of Famer, and a legacy built on chaos, toughness, and pure talent?

In this episode of Hockey Related, we dive deep intothe story of Matthew and Brady Tkachuk—from basement mini‑stick wars and St. Louis youth hockey…
to Stanley Cups, international brawls, and a moment in history where two brothers finally suited up for Team USA together.

But their story starts long before the NHL.

We trace the Tkachuk family back through Ukrainian,Austrian, and Croatian roots, immigration journeys, coal‑mining towns, wartime sacrifice, and the generations whose grit shaped the players we know today.

This isn’t just a hockey story.
It’s a family story.A legacy story.A Hockey Related story.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The rise of Matthew & Brady from St. Louis to NHL stardom
• The legendary career of their father, “Big Walt” Keith Tkachuk
• How the Tkachuks fit into hockey’s long line of famous brother duos
• Deep genealogy: immigration, identity, and Eastern European heritage
• The powerful historical moment the family is about to make

Follow the show for more hockey stories, genealogy deepdives, and episodes that prove we’re all Hockey Related.

In this episode of Hockey Related, we break down the unbelievable story of Nate Schmidt — not just the player, but the person, the heritage, and the family history that shaped his journey.

From going undrafted to becoming a cornerstone of the Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural season, to lifting the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, Schmidt’s hockey career is only half the story.

His family history includes:
🌍German, Austrian, Hungarian, and Dutch ancestry
🚢Two ancestors who crossed the Atlantic on the same ship and fell in love
🌾A cluster of relatives rooted in Stearns County, Minnesota
🌀A fascinating example of pedigree collapse
🎶And a moment in Austria that reconnected him with his grandfather in the most unexpected way

It’s hockey. It’s heritage. It’s humanity.
Discover why Nate Schmidt’s journey proves we’re all more connected than we think.

Welcome to Hockey Related, where we explore theincredible family stories behind the biggest personalities in the world of hockey. Today’s episode dives into the life and lineage of Paul “BizNasty” Bissonnette—enforcer, media personality, podcast legend… and descendant ofroyalty?!

From a biracial family in Welland, Ontario, to fightinglegends in the NHL, to co‑owning an ECHL team, PaulBissonnette’s story is one of grit, humor, resilience,and some truly surprising ancestral connections.

📌 Highlights:

• Paul’s roots in Welland, Ontario
• His biracial heritage, including AfricanAmerican, Belgian, English, Native American, Spanish, and Austrian ancestry.
• The remarkable story of the Moody–Jackson line
• A connection to Isabella I of Castile, sponsorof Columbus
• Another royal connection to William the Silent,Father of the Dutch Nation
• BizNasty’s NHL journey
• From enforcer to entertainer
• A deep dive into the evolution of the enforcerrole in hockey