Are today's athletes coddled? How do coaches extract maximum discipline and adherence to a system or culture if bag skates are frowned upon? We discuss these questions while also diving into a discussion about treating coaches as people, teams who found value at the trade deadline, responses to your emails, and our Prospects of the Week.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending (www.mattsmithgoaltending.com).

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He went from southern Ontario to Sault Ste. Marie, where he fell in love with the OHL's northernmost market. But like so many others, he went to school down East and hasn't looked back since. When you listen to Jason Denomme, the Maritime accent is so distinct you'll have to remind yourself that he's actually from Kitchener. Even though he's a back-to-back OHL champion, Denomme might best be remembered as being one of the guys in the Eric Lindros deal.

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If I had a nickel for every fan that shouted, "Fire the coach!" ... well, I'd have a lot of nickels. So, sure, if you shout it that often, every now and again the team will do what you're shouting at the team to do. But that doesn't make every fan right, every time they yell for a coach to be fired, does it? This is a long way of saying that I have a lot to say about the temperature right now around the struggling Kitchener Rangers. And Dan is right there with a counterpoint to every rant. Plus, we share stories about members of the team who are largely unseen ... but who are getting deserving recognition this week. And, our Prospects of the Week.

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From a championship Petes team to the Knights, Wolves, Quebec Nordiques and, yes, even the Wheeling Nailers. Suffice to say, John Tanner got around. But he could also stop the puck. And over a career that covered that much geography, you know "Tans" has got some stories to share about the coaches he played for and the characters he played with (though, listening to this, you might come to the conclusion that it's Tanner himself who is the character). The best of the bunch might be the story of how Petes fans treated Tanner during his first return visit to the PMC as a member of the London Knights. Thoughtful, well-spoken, and colourful as hell. In other words, just another typical goalie.

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The deals are done, but the analysis is just beginning. And let's face it...nobody can decide "winners" and "losers" in the hours after the deadline passes. Hell, that would take months to determine, if not a full season. Still, Mike and Dan don't shy away from telling you who they think is now best-positioned for a deep run, and they run some numbers to tell the stories of some other teams. Because numbers never lie, right?

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Oshawa-Peterborough is probably the most storied rivalry in OHL hockey and not many players can say they competed on both sides of it. But that's just the beginning of Brian Drumm's story. Drumm holds a record that many believed to belong to Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr. And even though he was born in and then played in Oshawa, it was with the Petes that Drumm had his greatest success, including an OHL championship, Memorial Cup final, and chance encounter with Darren McCarty. Prepare for stories and laughs as soon as you hit "PLAY!"

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The trade deadline is one week away. OHL'ers are making noise at the World Junior Championship. And the league has a problem with slew footing. It's not that the players are engaging in dirty play, it's that the crackdown on slew footing is having unintended consequences. And it's not a good look for the league. We cover it all on our first podcast of 2023.

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Talking openly about mental health, analyzing big trades, assessing Canada's chances at the WJC, retiring Commissioners, reimagining schedules, gifting for Christmas, our Prospects of the Week ... and the story about David Branch you haven't heard before. Oh, and a partridge in a pear tree. Enjoy our final episode before Christmas!

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It's a celebration of a half-century's worth of major junior hockey in the Nickel City. But there's so much more behind the Sudbury Wolves, including appearances by Gerry Cheevers and Don Cherry. There's also a championship, albeit more than 90 years ago, and not the coveted Memorial Cup the teams in the OHL compete for today. Maybe the 50th year will be the Wolves' year? Author Scott Miller does a deep dive into the ups, downs, and quirks of an important northern franchise in his book 'Leading the Pack: 50 Years of Sudbury Wolves History.'

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World Junior rosters begin to take shape (we're happy for a kid in Ottawa but still concerned about a slight in Sarnia), the Battalion get deeper in the East while we wait for someone in the West to blink, and a couple of D highlight our Prospects of the Week.

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