Once again, the Ontario Hockey League leads the way at the NHL draft, sending more players to the pros than either the WHL or QMJHL. We've got some thoughts, plus chatter about the new Commissioner, coaching changes, and the current cost of buying your way into the Canadian Hockey League. Celebrate your early summer with a little hockey talk!

What could have been more fitting for this podcast other than an all-OHL final at the Memorial Cup? And what a final it was, as Saginaw and London delivered one for the ages. Dan and Mike break down what went right for Saginaw and what went wrong for London. Plus, the definitive answer on which championship means more (the league or the Memorial Cup)? And as we look ahead to next season, the impact of a recent ruling in the US that will see NCAA players get paid, stronger bonds between the OHL and GOJHL, and which OHL'ers will be returning to junior as property of NHL teams.

One team proved itself the best in the OHL this season and now it's the team to beat at the Memorial Cup. One of the guys still wonders why they won't admit who they are, but that's probably best left for your ears and not this summary. Dan and Mike also talk about why a 5-game suspension is warranted for merely uttering a word (sorry, Landon Sim), the new/old coach in the OHL, and a celebration of OHL content in the NHL's final four. It's a jam-packed episode with an important message that explains the two-week break between shows. Please consider supporting the Canadian Mental Health Association's 'Talk Today' program by buying a Memorial Cup 50/50 ticket.

As the Memorial Cup opens in Saginaw, we welcome an original Spirit. Okay, Pat Asselin joined Saginaw in its second year of existence and grew with the team until his OA year when a trade sent him to a chance at a deep playoff run with Oshawa. Which is interesting because Asselin is a Peterborough native and was even wearing Petes maroon during this interview...

Asselin is a great example of making the most of a hockey career, leaving North America and winning back-to-back-to-back titles in Europe. Along the way, he also developed a passion for photography, which now has the budding entrepreneur thinking about options beyond the game. But he's not done playing yet, and Asselin has plenty of stories to share.

For the fifth consecutive season, we enjoyed a Game 7 in the Conference Finals. And now, the championship is set as London will host Oshawa. But there's so much more to discuss, including the continued inability for the Memorial Cup hosts to win their league, a concerning rash of suspensions, another coaching search, and Canada's golden U18s. Oh yeah, and our Performers of the Week as we whittle the 20-team league down to the last two standing.

Little drama to-date in the OHL's final four as London and Oshawa show that they're best-in-class. And, really, the signs were there long before the playoffs even began. Also, another coach is added to the list of this season's casualties, a former OHL'er makes his NHL debut, and our Performers of the Week.

I'll never pass up the chance to talk to a former Cornwall Royal on the podcast, so please join me in welcoming Eric Calder to the show. A second round pick of the Royals in 1980, Calder would win the Memorial Cup in his sophomore season, the second of back-to-back titles for the Royals as they moved from the QMJHL to the Ontario league. He played as one of the youngest-ever players with Canada's World Junior Championship squad in 1981 and was ultimately drafted in the third round by the Washington Capitals. Calder made his professional mark in Europe, though, and is also credited with helping to grow the game in, of all places, China. A self-proclaimed "hockey lifer," Calder remains committed to helping young players develop their skills today and he's always ready to spin a yarn.

Three sweeps and seven games. That's how the second round of the OHL playoffs have shaped up, and we'll start with the most surprising at all. It's not the victor, though. It's the vanquished, and another long off-season ahead with questions to be answered in Sudbury. Don't worry, North Bay gets its due as well, and Dan and Mike dive into the Oshawa sweep of Ottawa, they've got more to say about London, and they look ahead to a big Game 7 in Saginaw. Plus, how everybody is suddenly re-refereering the refs, increased options for 16-year old hockey players, and our Performers of the Week.

North Bay and Oshawa surprise, while London continues to London and we've got a series between Saginaw and the Soo. Of course, all of this is subject to change with a quartet of terrific semi-final match-ups in the OHL. Dan and Mike also dive into ticket-selling tactics, the escalating costs for new arenas, and their Performers of the Week.

The Barrie Colts bring some playoff heat to the red-hot Oshawa Generals and this season's ultimate suitcase story is there with the Battalion as they close out the Frontenacs. We had to look for stories in the East because the West was won in sweeps almost across the board, leaving lingering questions in Owen Sound and Guelph. Plus, the hard work that has to be done to end the embarrassment of coaches being kicked out of games, the end of the 3 Stars forever (?), and our Performers of the Week.