WhyHockey

Jack Han joins me for a brand new WhyHockey show to talk about not just his new Hockey Tactics 2026 book (which you can buy here), but plenty more about the evolution of NHL X’s and O’s in the 2025-26 season and more including:

2:15: Jack’s experience at the HALO analytics conference in Denver

9:15: Have the Panthers changed anything tactically because of their injury crisis that can be carried over to next year when they’re healthier?

14:00: How does Jack expect the playoffs to evolve tactically, particularly in the East with the Panthers not there?

23:00: What is Jack most interested in watching heading to the playoffs?

26:15: What’s been reenforced for Jack writing his book for seven years?

32:45: What is Jack’s advice for rebuilding the Maple Leafs front office?

The Panthers did lose in the end to the Habs because they scored right after we stopped recording, but in a shootout. It happens.

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

Tommy is back for a new WhyHockey show in an unfamiliar spot for the Panthers: playing out the string. How do the Panthers go forward from here? We look at that and more including:

5:00: Matt is mildly amused by some stories around Pride nights and Heated Rivalry adjacent stuff

15:00: Boy this Panthers season has completely collapsed, hasn’t it?

28:00: An early preview of some Panthers offseason roster decisions

45:20: If you’re watching these games and following Mike Benning, what should you be looking for in his game?

59:00: Are we going to see one of the Checkers goalies get a NHL game or two?

1:03:30: The rest of the league and the wild playoff picture

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

David Dwork of the Hockey News and the Hockey Show joins me to go over how quiet the Panthers trade deadline turned out, plus plenty on the future for this team including:

2:30: Was this an unsurprisingly quiet trade deadline for the Panthers?

9:15: The Sergei Bobrovsky trade rumors stumped Matt

14:15: What could a new Bobrovsky contract with the Panthers look like if he signs?

26:45: A Bam Adebayo diversion

28:45: Are the Panthers “tanking” by load managing and shutting down players and does it really matter if they are considering their circumstances?

33:30: A philosphical discussion on whether missing the playoffs in seasons like this is “better” than going out in Round 1 or not

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Enjoy the show!

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

It’s time for a new WhyHockey show right as the Olympics get underway, but there are Florida Panthers items to attend to first. We get to a lot on this show including:

4:30: Should the Panthers throw in the towel on the 2025-26 postseason?

13:30: The load bearing injury for the Panthers? Seth Jones.

26:15: Is Mackie Samoskevich going to be a Panther next eason? How did we get here?

47:00: The Panthers goaltending has fallen apart. What do they have to do next season in net?

1:01:45: What are the Flyers doing with Matvei Michkov?

1:12:40: The shortest Olympic preview ever

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

If you want to listen to the show I referenced with Igor Larionov II, click right here.

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

On the newest WhyHockey show, Tommy headed to Detroit for Sergei Fedorov’s jersey retirement night and he talks about the experience here plus much more including:

0:00: Tommy’s experience at Sergei Fedorov’s jersey retirement night

13:00: Gary Bettman (and Matt’s sister) binged Heated Rivalry! What a world!

18:30: The Panthers finally get Matthew Tkachuk back. Is it enough to get on the run they need to make a firmer playoff push?

26:45: Why haven’t the Panthers been able to go on a winning streak like many in the East have? Why is that consistency not there?

41:00: There’s a Panthers standard that hasn’t been met in more games this season than usual

47:00: Tommy on the Flyers, brace for impact

1:09:45: Rasmus Andersson to Vegas, and explaining a type of defensemen

Note that since we recorded this the afternoon of the 19th, no goalie fight discussion on this show. Podcaster’s curse.

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

Armando Velez of Locked On Panthers joins me to talk about covering and experience the Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park in person and much more including:

2:45: What is it like to cover a Winter Classic in person?

7:30: What does it mean for someone from Dade County to cover an event like this?

13:15: Does the idea that the Winter Classic is more for the people there than those on TV make more sense now than ever before?

20:00: Will the Winter Classic capture hearts and minds in Dade County?

28:00: Are the Panthers in a decent enough standings position considering their first half and injury list?

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

The first season of Heated Rivalry is done, and I have enjoyed the heck out of it and have a bunch of thoughts I wanted to put down in podcast form, and thankfully I have WhyHockey to do this, even though it took nearly 100 minutes to get as many of them out as I could! I apologize, but I’ve got timecodes for you to jump to the section you want to listen to right here:

4:45: There’s hockey stuff in the show I didn’t mention on the show with Tommy that I should have!

9:15: I think I know why this show has broken contain, and I go through some personal theories on why.

19:30: Episode 3 recap.

27:00: Episode 4 recap, including an autism spectrum anecdote from your host who is on it

39:05: Episode 5, it rocks! Scott Hunter, I wish what you did in this episode could happen in reality!

48:10: Episode 6, great way to end the season (Shane’s car is a piece of junk).

55:00: How have men in hockey, like Luke Prokop, actually come out publicly? It’s not like what Scott Hunter did, but equally as amazing! (Listen to the Outfield Podcast too!)

1:11:00: How the Empty Netters Heated Rivalry recaps taught me an important lesson on how the NHL and its teams can bring the show’s audience into hockey for good, and how the show’s fanbase can make the sport of hockey better.

1:16:45: Support Brock McGillis, who does the really hard work of changing the culture of hockey on a daily basis, and how out current and former athletes have reacted to the show.

1:27:30: Remaining good points and bad points that I hadn’t mentioned yet.

1:32:15: Can we please not speculate on Hudson and Connor’s sexuality? Pretty please?

And more that I almost certainly didn’t have time to list in here! Enjoy the show, and I hope you stick around, welcome to the wonderful world of hockey and WhyHockey if you’re new here!

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

Just in time for Christmas, there’s a new WhyHockey show out where I get to bring up to Tommy some of the most interesting on ice moments of Heated Rivalry, plus the myriad of big NHL news since we last did a show together including:

4:30: Tommy reacts to Heated Rivalry hockey stuff, like how there’s a team in Sunrise in this universe

12:00: Quinn Hughes to Minnesota!

30:30: Tristan Jarry to the Oilers!

36:30: What’s up with the Maple Leafs?

50:30: The Sabres fired GM Kevyn Adams! The Heated Rivalry joke was definitely a coincidence...

55:35: Other trade notes

57:00: Finally, Panthers talk! How have they gotten their season back on track?

1:11:00: What are the Flyers doing with Matvei Michkov?

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt Lichtenstadter is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter, @mattlichtenstadter on Instagram

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

There aren’t many better analytics sites out there than Evolving Hockey, and it is a privilege and pleasure to have Josh and Luke on the show to talk about all sorts of wonderful topics and more, including:

7:15: Notes and takes from the first quarter of the season

14:30: How do Josh and Luke evaluate a team like the Panthers with their uniquely difficult circumstances?

28:15: What do they make of the increased parity for this season with the standings all scrunched up?

39:00: It’s the Evolving Hockey twins, we’re talking the Wild

43:00: Michael Amadio for Selke...? How should the Selke be evaluated?

52:00: Where is the future of hockey analytics heading? What would Josh and Luke like to do in the future if they had the ability to?

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt L is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com

I’ve been excited to watch the new show Heated Rivalry for months and now that the first two episodes have been released, I have many thoughts I wanted to share. Since the podcast is the best place to ramble on like this in a hopefully coherent fashion, that’s what I did, which has all of these topics and more including:

3:30: My history with the book Heated Rivalry and my expectations for the show coming in

8:00: This show is really, really gay! Like extremely so!

11:30: Does it matter that the author of the book is a woman writing about queer male stories? Would it matter if the actors aren’t gay or bi?

17:00: What does it say about the show and the book that the world created here is basically the NHL in all but name?

28:00: What I like about this show, and there’s a lot!

36:00: Things I didn’t like, and the show not perfect

43:40: What do I want to see in the final four episodes?

49:00: Wanting this show to be a happy queer story, and wanting this show to inspire people to believe that they belong in the sport of hockey

Hope you enjoy this little detour from the game on the ice and I look forward to hopefully talking about this show even more in the future, in addition to all of the usual WhyHockey goodness you’ve come to know and love. Enjoy the show!

Thanks for reading Whyhockey Periodical! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Remember that the Substack is your new full time home for the podcast, Matt’s written pieces and much more, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet! Enjoy the show and please give it a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Apple Podcasts:

Spotify:

Follow us on social media:

Matt L is @MattsMusings1 on Bluesky and Twitter

WhyHockey is @WhyHockey on Twitter

Intro and outro music is “Arcade Montage” by Lee Rosevere from his album “Music for Podcasts 3”, which you can find here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-beats/arcade-montage/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whyhockey.substack.com