Kool Button Hockey Podcast

Welcome to our 60th episode! And if we are talking 60 we are talking about the games best goal scorer right now, Auston Matthews who became the 21st player in NHL history to hit the major milestone!

Talking about the league's top players the other top dog, Connor McDavid (2:30) continues to demand respect, attention and no doubt has forced himself in the Hart Trophy conversation with his play and another Art Ross!

We continue the Hart Trophy talk as we go over the wide open race (4:45) for one of the top individual trophies in hockey! So many names still in play in addition to 34/97 we also have Shesterkin, Josi, Gaudreau, Huberdeau and more!

Our other main topic in the first half of the pod has us talking about the Vegas Golden Knights messy miss (7:35). Are management, coaching and players all on the table for possible major changes in Sin City? We try and make sense of what happened this season and what might happen with the team going forward.

Our Sports Interaction (18:41) features our inside look at the final Friday night of the NHL’s regular season!

In the 2nd half of the pod we talk about potential matchups and everything up in the air on a freaky Friday in the NHL (21:49)

• Tampa, Toronto, Boston
• Washington/Pittsburgh (28:05)
• The Wild West (30:45)

And our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (32:16)

• Button on Matthews 60 / a tribute to Steve!
• Kool on Dustin Brown/Ryan Getzlaf

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We start this edition of the pod talking about the Tampa Bay Lightning and the statement games vs Toronto, Nashville and Florida ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Never rule out a champion! 

We get into the Hurricanes goalie MASH Unit and try and make sense what is happening in the Carolina crease (5:54). Antti Raanta left a 5-2 win against the Islanders on Sunday with a lower-body injury. Goalie Frederik Andersen has missed four games with a lower-body injury. Alex Lyon in the AHL is also out with an injury, leaving the net for Canes 2nd round pick Russian Pyotr Kochetkov!

The West Side story (11:36). Vegas Golden Knights blow it vs SJS, what now? Who do we blame? Are changes coming on or off the ice?

Our Sports Interaction features our inside look at the final terrific Tuesday in the NHL! (20:32)

In the 2nd half of the pod we take a look at some of the Stanley Cup Playoff 1st round matchups that are set! 

Minnesota vs St. Louis (23:04)

Edmonton vs Los Angeles (30:28)

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (36:42) we talk about Anaheim's tribute to Ryan Getzlaf and the amazing ceremony in Montreal done the right way for Guy Lafleur!

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Our 58th edition of the pod features Craig live from Germany!

We go heavy on the playoff races and chases for seeding with a week to go! (1:30) It looks like the final playoff spot in the West could come down to Dallas or Vegas

• Dallas trip in Edmonton
• Golden Knights staying alive
• Lehner, DeBoer the goalie change.

We then shift gears taking an early look at playoff matchups!

In the West:

Minnesota Wild vs St. Louis Blues (5:45)

Edmonton Oilers vs LA Kings (9:13)

In the East (14:18) still lots up in the air! Toronto vs Tampa, Carolina Hurricanes with no Freddie and exciting times with the Metro undecided and coming down to wire!

Our Sports Interaction featuring our inside look at the NHL with a big weekend ahead! (20:19)

We start the 2nd half of the pod talking U-18 World Championship with Craig on location at the tournament (21:18) and lots of excitement around Connor Bedard for Canada and USA's Logan Cooley.

And we conclude this edition of the podcast talking about Hockey Hall-of-Famer and Montreal Canadiens Ambassador Guy Lafleur (29:34). With found memories of The Flower, Steve and Craig share stories and talk about his legendary NHL career.

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Welcome to our Heinz 57 edition of the pod! We start as we should talking about the highest-scoring weekend in NHL history (00:44) featuring 153 goals: 102 Saturday, 51 Sunday!!!

A big reason for the high-scoring affairs around the NHL the red-hot St. Louis Blues! (1:44) Blues are looking good thanks to Robert Thomas, Vlad Tarasanko and the way they have played possible 1st round opponent the Minnesota Wild!

The Playoff Paths in the West (7:10) - Nashville and Vegas must wins, Dallas Stars and LA Kings chasing!

In the East(10:18) - With goalie injuries to Freddie and Jarry what does it mean for Carolina and Pittsburgh Toronto vs Tampa or Boston and then Florida. And we also talk about one of our fav teams to talk about the New York Rangers and how they have been put together the right way using all tools!

Our Monday Sports Interaction (19:20) features our inside look at the NHL tonight and a big one for Vegas!

In the 2nd half of the pod:

• Carey Price's future (21:31)
• Patrick Kane future? (26:03)
• Calgary + Gaudreau! (30:00)
• NCAA players entering the league and Owen Power with Buffalo (33:11)

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (39:29) we talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs record without Auston Matthews and how it’s all about the team!

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Episode 56 for Sergei Zubov! We start this edition of the pod looking back at Wednesday and the 9-3 beat down the Colorado Avalanche handed the LA Kings. Nathan MacKinnon factored on five goals and Cale Makar had 1-3—4 to eclipse the 80-point mark as the Avs (53-14-6, 112 points) established a franchise record for most wins in a season, besting their previous high of 52 from 2000-01 and 2013-14.

The New York Rangers (10:45) also took care of business Wednesday with a win over Philadelphia. Another big 2-points for the Blueshirts as they fight with the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metro Division 

Our Sports Interaction (18:18) features our inside look at 12-games in NHL Thursday! 

Washington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs (20:23) and the marquee matchup between two of the NHL’s top goal scorers “the master” Alex Ovechkin vs “the apprentice” Auston Matthews! 

Edmonton Oilers still need to show us what they got! (26:35) a good test Thursday with a big matchup vs Nashville. Also a big game for Preds chasing the playoffs!

Minnesota Wild (29:45) KK97 Kirill Kaprizov becoming a superstar and possible best player to ever play in the State of Minnesota. Players coming from Russia explained 

Looking at some of the other big storylines Thursday in the NHL (35:06) Vegas visits Calgary and Vancouver hosts Arizona with both VAN/VGK push to the playoff in desperation mode. 

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final (39:09) we talk about some of the NCAA players making their NHL debuts and have high praise for Owen Power with an early comparison to Chris Pronger. 

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Welcome to episode 55 “dedicated to Larry Murphy” and fitting we start with some LA Kings and the Wild Western Playoff picture! It looks like it's coming down to LA, Vegas, Nashville, and Dallas for the final spots in the West as both the Wild Cards and Pacific 3rd seeds are up for grabs.

However we still think the Western Conference comes down to (5:24) and the matchup we all hope for in the playoffs and that's the Colorado Avalanche vs the Calgary Flames.

In the Eastern Conference (10:02)

The Metro: the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers are now fighting for the top spot in the Division! Meanwhile the Washington Capitals are chasing down Pittsburgh Penguins and there is still a ton to be decided down the stretch!

Our “KB on Ice” Sports Interaction feature (19:34) our inside look at a wild schedule in the NHL on Tuesday night!

In the 2nd half of the pod (21:34) we start with some talk on play-in games and possible format changes for getting into the playoffs as we look at the NBA playoffs. Do we want more teams in the post season? Would it be good or bad for hockey?

The Atlantic (28:20): its the Florida Panthers Division title as Toronto, Boston and Tampa fight for 2 and 3 and a Wild Card Spot. Does positioning matter? What does Florida taking the division title mean?

Auston Matthews special season continues (30:46) as he closing in on the 1st 60-goal NHL Season since 2012. We talk about 50 goals in 50 games and what it means.

Carey Price (37:03) returning to the NHL and the Montreal Canadiens maybe this week…but the big question We ask is will he be the Habs starting goalie next season? Or will teams with goalie needs come calling?

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (40:05):

Button - on the University of Denver Pioneers NCAA Frozen Four Championship and head coach David Carle.

Kool - with some high praise for Nashville Predator Matt Duchene after not expecting much from him this season.

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This edition of the pod starts where it matters the playoffs and positioning! Who's in? Who's out? Where does everyone slot?

We begin in with the Wild West with Vancouver beating Vegas Wednesday (1:00). How will things playout with Nashville, Dallas and the Wild Card Spots?

The LA Kings and Edmonton Oilers (2:55) look like a lock for a 1st round matchup and they play Thursday!

What's happening in the the East? (5:40) What's going on with the Tampa Bay Lighting mini slump? (9:13) How will things shake out in the Metro with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins?

We get into the Florida Panthers Comeback cats and the Toronto Maple Leafs playing 1980’s hockey (13:17) and also look at possible Atlantic division playoff matchups.

Our Sports Interaction featuring our inside look at the NHL Thursday night! (20:12)

In the 2nd half of the pod (21:50) we getting to the biggest losers. What now for all the losers NHL? What will happen with some of the teams not in the postseason and already focused on the future:

Montreal Canadiens and Martin St. Louis 

Thoughts on Arizona, Buffalo, Columbus, Philadelphia, Ottawa (25:50). We talk about the long play and the importance of recognizing where your team is at and knowing your path.

And thanks to difference makes we feel that Detroit and New Jersey are in the best position for the losers to get out of the basement (33:20).

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (36:13) we highlight the NCAA's Frozen Four starting Thursday as Eastern Michigan takes on Denver followed by Minnesota State vs Minnesota with both winners going to the championship game Saturday!

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Another busy weekend in the NHL means another busy pod filled with controversy.

We start with Arizona vs Anaheim, Jay Beagle vs Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras involvement and comments (00:35). Thoughts on no suspension? And how things played out with the Coyotes Analyst Tyson Nash who had controversial comments during the incident.

The other big incident from the week saw P.K. Subban earn 27 penalty minutes and ejection reacting to a hit by New York Islanders Oliver Wahlstrom on Subban’s star teammate Jack Hughes (6:26).

Where are we on enforcement in the game? (9:23) As we share our thoughts on Teemu Selanne's tweet about the Ducks needed a Tie Domi.

Monday’s Sports Interaction (17:48) features our inside look at 4-games in the NHL tonight!

And in the 2nd half of the pod we continue to look back at a wild weekend of action hitting on a number of storylines (19:41):

• Comeback Cats (20:10)

After surrendering a hat trick to Yegor Sharangovich and entering the third period facing a 6-2 deficit, the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers scored five unanswered goals to claim yet another four-goal comeback win!

• Draisaitl/McDavid greatness (22:50)

Oilers Leon Draisaitl became the 2nd player to reach the 100-point mark this season, joining teammate Connor McDavid(40-65—105 in 69 GP) who posted 1-2—3 Sunday to extend his point streak to 13 games (11-15—26).

• Hart Trophy Talk continued...(26:06)
• Vegas vs Dallas for the Playoffs (29:44)
• Sean Durzi + LA Kings impressive play (35:00)
• Ottawa Senators taking next steps (37:00)

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (39:41): we take a closer look at Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs!

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Welcome to Episode 52 where we start with some football talk…Yes some football talk lol...However, we quickly get into the hockey talk with Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (2:00) once again becoming the 1st player to reach the 100-point mark! Also discuss in this section: The Wild West playoff picture, where the Oilers rank vs the Kings and Leon Draisaitl's Rocket Race as he scored his 49th Wednesday!

Also out of Wednesday's storylines we talk some scouting (7:15) and bring up the rookie of the year conversation. Is it clear that The Calder Trophy must go to Detroit Red Wings Moritz Seider?

We continue talking some NHL trophies (11:18) and wonder would you rather win the Art Ross or Hart? Voting vs stats...And how can we make voting for awards more complete?

Thursday’s Sports Interaction (20:00) features our inside look at 9-games in the NHL Tonight with a focus on the Billy Guerin Bowl as the Minnesota Wild host the Pittsburgh Penguins.

We start the 2nd half of the pod with an officiating conversation, talking about the balance of special teams and penalties called, thanks to an article put together by TSN’s Travis Yost (22:11)

• are teams treated different?
• what is the best solution?
• what will playoffs look like?

Thoughts on teams in big games from Tuesday (34:10):

Maple Leafs vs Bruins

Penguins vs Rangers

Hurricanes vs Lightning

Flames Vs Avalanche

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (39:53) we talk some hockey broadcasting as we share our take on NHL on TNT, ESPN and think of ways to make hockey broadcasts more engaging.

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We start this edition of the pod talking about two great stories form the weekend, involving two big names part of the NHL Trade Deadline day: Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgenii Dadonov!

Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves in his Minnesota Wild debut, a 3-2 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

Evgenii Dadonov scored in overtime as the Golden Knights rallied for a 5-4 win against Chicago at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. The first-ever three-goal, third-period comeback win for Vegas!

We also look at some other key weekend storylines as part of the first half of the pod including:

• Clean hits that result in fights (6:15)
• Avs, MacKinnon and control (7:20)
• Saturday's Battle of Alberta (12:01)

Our Sports Interaction features our inside look at the NHL on a big Tuesday night in the league (18:13) and also has some opposite George energy.

We start the 2nd half of the pod talking tracking some trophies and with Roman Josi's special season we feel he has added his name to a long list of Hart Trophy possibilities (20:44)

• is there a Hart frontrunner?
• so many names in play!

We dive deeper into Montreal's Cole Caufield and New Jersey's Jack Hughes 2nd half turnarounds (29:37). With high hopes and potential for both, Steve and Craig talk about reasons for the positives 2nd half's and look forward to both players exciting futures!

And in our Ultimate Hockey Fans Final Thoughts (38:11)

Kool is on all over the curious case of William Nylander and the way he is treated and Button talks about the importance of great coaching and how it can apply to the Willy Styles situation in Toronto.

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