Daren is joined by Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. Rod is the winner of the 2020-21 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. He spends a half hour chatting with Daren about why winning the award is meaningful to him, how his dad impacted his hockey career, the many mentors he had as a player, his relationship with Tom Dundon and Don Waddell, why watching Sebastian Aho's growth as a player has been so satisfying and how he found his coaching style through the years. He explains why he doesn't love iPads on the bench, discusses why he uses his experience as a player in Carolina to motivate players, and shares an awesome story about how playing defense as a young player may have been the best thing that ever happened to him in his hockey career. It's a fascinating conversation and one that will leave you with an appreciation for Rod as a coach and as a person. 

Daren welcomes Dan Feeney and Greg Van Roten of the New York Jets (4:20) to this week's episode and is also joined by Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson (23:59). Feeney and Van Roten talk about their love of hockey and how the Jets have come together to support the New York Islanders during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Van Roten is a lifelong Islanders fan and coordinated a few trips to Nassau Coliseum with his teammates (including Zach Wilson). Feeney had a great time, slugged a few beers in the stands and instantly became an Islander fan favorite. The two explain how it all happened and why Feeney (and his LGI mullet t-shirt) will forever be remembered by Islanders fans. 

*All proceeds of Feeney's t-shirt sales go to the National MS Society and can be purchased here: https://bit.ly/3pVHg6u

Davidson talks about why he decided to go back to Columbus, what happened with the New York Rangers, the process of hiring a coach in Columbus, working again with Jarmo Kekäläinen, his desire to re-sign Seth Jones and Wayne Gretzky moving into the world of broadcasting. 

Daren is joined by Hockey Hall of Famer Brad Park and 4-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Morrow. They take a trip down memory lane to discuss the 1983 Conference Final matchup between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders (the last time the teams met in the playoffs). The Bruins came into the playoffs as the top seed and the New York Islanders were a dynasty trying to win their 4th straight Stanley Cup. Park and Morrow talk about Nassau Coliseum and the Boston Garden, share memories of just how dominant Mike Bossy was in the series, the intense and physical style that Billy Smith brought to the rink, the coaching edge the Islanders had with Al Arbour behind the bench and the difference in experience between the two rosters. Park talks about just how tough it was to play against Bryan Trottier and Morrow explains the unique chemistry that Trottier and Bossy had both on the ice and off. It's an awesome conversation between two hockey legends with lots of stories, laughs and mutual admiration. 

Daren is joined by Dominic Moore (3:10) to talk about the unlikely series in the North Division between the Jets and Canadiens. How do the teams stack up against each other? Plus, he talks about being a part of 4 teams in his career that came back from 3-1 playoff series deficits and what it does for a team's mindset. He tries to dissect what went wrong with the Maple Leafs and why Jack Campbell can't be blamed for the series loss. Daren is also joined by Meghan Duggan (35:51). She talks about why she's so excited to join the New Jersey Devils in a player development role and how she intends to leave an impact on the organization and its players. Meghan discusses how important it is for women to be represented in hockey and explains why it's always a winning proposition to include people from different backgrounds in hockey. 

Daren is joined by Eddie Olczyk to discuss just how the Winnipeg Jets swept the Edmonton Oilers and what adjustments might have to be made to the Oilers roster in the future. Daren and Eddie ponder Connor McDavid's future and also talk about just how important the series win was for the Winnipeg Jets. Edzo dissects the Florida Panthers 3 goalie situation and breaks down why the Minnesota Wild are so tough to play against. He explains why the Colorado Avalanche will miss Nazem Kadri and talks about joining Turner Sports, having the ability to still work on NBC's horse racing coverage and now having a chance to work along side Wayne Gretzky at Turner. 

Daren is joined by Mike Kelly of NHL Network and Sportlogiq to take a look at the analytical side of hockey. Mike previews the North Division playoffs and discusses the matchups through an analytical lense. What can the Montreal Canadiens do really well against Toronto? And why does Winnipeg have a shot of slowing down Connor McDavid and the Oilers? Plus, he talks about the Avs, Predators, Wild and Hurricanes. Mike also explains how analytics and certain statistics are used by coaches, players and television analysts to get a competitive edge and to help tell better stories. It's an awesome foray into the world of hockey analytics with one of the sharpest analysts in the game. 

Daren is joined by Patrick Sharp at the start of the episode to preview the playoffs. He talks about the tactics Joel Quenneville has implemented with the Florida Panthers, the intrigue that surrounds Zdeno Chara squaring off against the Bruins, the unpredictable nature of this year's playoffs, the pressure the Toronto Maple Leafs face, the responsibility he feels and process he uses when voting for NHL awards, and he tells us the team that he thinks is an absolute lock to get to the semifinals. Renee Paquette joins (40:00) to share some quirky stories about being a Canadian living in Vegas and tries to explain why she had to transform from a Maple Leafs fan to a Golden Knights fan once she moved to Vegas. She talks about her interest in hosting TNT's NHL coverage and tells Daren who her ideal running mates would be on the panel. Who's her Charles Barkley? She discusses what she misses most about working in TV and how she went from hosting at the WWE to now having her own podcast and writing a cookbook (Messy in the Kitchen). She shares some stories about her husband, professional wrestler Jon Moxley, including some details with a run-in they and their dogs had with a few coyotes. How did Moxley scare them off? 

Daren is joined by Dave Tippett to talk about Connor McDavid's ridiculous season, the unique nature of coaching McDavid and Draisaitl and what the expectations are for the Oilers as they head into the playoffs. He explains why he prefers to not have so many coaches on his bench and what Mike Smith brings to his team's locker room. He looks back at his Olympic accomplishments and discusses a trick he learned early on in his coaching career to avoid embarassing his family while interacting with referees. Where did his mustache go? The story may surprise you. Daren explains why 100 points for McDavid is going to happen and why the Canadian playoff matchups are so intriguing. 

Daren starts the episode chatting with Ray Ferraro. Ferraro explains why the Maple Leafs power play has struggled recently, why voting for the awards this season is very difficult, and how he will lean on analytics more than ever as he determines who to vote for. He talks about how players on the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights can't fall in the trap of looking ahead to a potential playoff matchup and marvels at the depth of coaching in the NHL. Ray gives his picks for the Hart Trophy and the Calder trophy. Sam Bennett also joins Daren (41:00) to talk about getting traded to the Florida Panthers, playing for Joel Quenneville, learning the quirks of his new teammates, and playing more minutes for the Panthers. Bennett explains why it didn't work out in Calgary and discusses what his plans are for his mustache as he's now playing in Florida. 

Daren is joined by Nick Foligno (3:00). Foligno talks about the emotions he felt when he found out he was being traded to Toronto and just how excited he is to join the franchise his dad played for and he rooted for as a kid. He discusses the logistics of quarantining and explains what it was like for him and his family on Trade Deadline day. He looks back on his time in Columbus with fond memories, but also talks about how rejuvenated he feels to be joining a competitive Maple Leafs squad. As a former captain, he talks about playing with veterans and leaders like Tavares, Thornton and Spezza and describes how pumped up he is to play with such top-not talent in Matthews and Marner. He shares some of his memories of rooting for the Maple Leafs as a kid, and explains how excited his father is for him to be joining the franchise. Ever wonder what happens on team text chats when a player is traded? Nick also discusses that, as well as so much more.