Two Man Forecheck

Episode 0230: SCF Recap; Tarasenko Wants Out; Etem, Stewart Now Owners; Shanny Snubbed; Johns Skates Across America; Next Boudreau Up; Vasy's Pads and More!

We have reached the end of another NHL season and Tampa Bay have repeated as champions.  Congrats to the franchise!  We start with a recap of the Stanley Cup Final and venture into what the champions will look like next year as well as the runners up.  Is Perry back?  Will Point be traded?  Tarasenko wants out of Saint Louis and he could use a change of venue, but will the return be enough for the Blues?  Will Vladimir be the same player he was prior to three shoulder surgeries?  Tkachuk wants out of Calgary.  Is there a deal to be made there?  Also, it has been written that the Maple Leafs should get in on Tkachuk, but do they really need him?  Emerson Etem and Chris Stewart are now owners of hockey franchises, Stewart in the NA3HL and Etem in the USPHL.  This is a great sign of the diversity needed in the game of hockey and hopefully a trend that will continue to rise in the coming years.  Brendan Shanahan was snubbed by Rick Vaive when he was 14 years old and 4 years later exacted a measure of revenge by fighting him in an NHL game.  Stephen Johns is skating across America to raise awareness for people who suffer from concussions and the seriousness of post concussion symptoms.  He has retired at 29 for the same reason and still has symptoms to this day.  Ben Boudreau, son of Bruce Boudreau has won the Kelly Cup in the ECHL.  Is he ready to make the jump to the NHL?  Mattias Kivlenieks has passed away at the age of 24.  We extend our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and teammates at this difficult time.  We also touch on rumors brought up on Twitter about the size of the pads on Andrei Vasilevskiy during the playoffs.  So much to discuss and comment on so let us know what you think and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0229: Playoff Roundup; Playoff Questions; UFA Impact From The Final; Pastrnak Condolences; Aldrich & the 'Hawks; Carey Price HOF?; Ryan O'Reilly 3rd Annie.; Twitter Poll Results and More!

The Fourth of July is upon us in the USA so Happy Fourth to all!  Also, Happy belated Canada Day to our friends to the north!  The playoffs are still ongoing so we are as well.  We start the show with a playoff roundup and summation of what has happened in the Final.  We ask a couple questions that may have obvious answers but we present alternate opinions.  There are 8 players who will be UFAs after the final and we talk about which ones will have the biggest impact going forward.  David Pastrnak and his girlfriend Rebecca lost their son, Viggo after 6 days.  Its a terrible loss for them and we offer our sincerest condolences, thoughts and prayers to both and their families.  We delve into the Brad Aldrich affair and its impact on the Blackhawks and the game of hockey.  Is Carey Price a Hall of Famer?  We attempt to answer that question.  On the third anniversary of the Ryan O'Reilly trade to the Blues we dig into the other players involved and there is still one pick to be made by the Sabres.  Finally, we offer the Twitter Poll results from the question "Is the current SCF lopsided result a bad look or even an embarrassment for the NHL?  We also have a new Twitter Poll up for your discussion.  Lots of material here to digest so let us know what you think, have a great weekend and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0228: Post Mortem: Isles and Knights; Kerry Fraser Tweet; Lehner Motivation; J.T. Brown joins Kraken TV Crew; Hakstol New Kraken Coach; Tom Kurvers Passes; GM of the Year Award and More!

The Stanley Cup Final is upon us!  We at the Two Man Forecheck are ready for this and we have many stories regarding the teams which will take part in the festivities.  Starting with a post mortem for the Isles and the Golden Knights, we break down a tweet from Kerry Fraser regarding the officiating in this year's playoffs and a tweet from Robin Lehner explaining his motivation prior to game 4 against the Canadiens.  We talk about awards...even ones not given out by the NHL.  The Sports Representative of the Year was Octagon...they rep many players across all the sports including Jaro Halak and Marc-Andre Fleury.  Also, the GM of the Year goes to Lou Lamoriello and the Messier Award goes to Patrice Bergeron.  The Kraken make some noise hiring Dave Hakstol as their first head coach and J.T. Brown officially retires and joins the Kraken TV crew.  Tom Kurvers, 11 year NHL vet and assistant GM of the Wild and Lightning has passed away at 58.  We extend our deepest condolences to his family and extended NHL Family.  We mention a couple other tweets from Andrew Taverna (a poll regarding Bergeron as a top 5 two way forward) and Joey Vendetta (regarding Matt Martin).  We break down the All USHL teams 1-3 and finally give our picks for the Stanley Cup.  A packed show to be sure, and plenty to comment on so give us your feedback and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0227: NHL Awards So Far; Ducharme Out; Eichel Rumors; B's '15 Draft a Disaster; Torts to Seattle?; Boston Best Hockey City; TB/NYI Series Turning Point and More!

We are well into the semifinals of the NHL Playoffs and both series are very entertaining.  So is this week's show as we delve into the NHL Awards that have been handed out so far.  Dominique Ducharme  has tested positive and is missing from behind the bench for the Canadiens.  How will that affect their chances of moving forward?  We discuss all the possible moves mentioned by Pierre LeBrun in his Athletic piece.  The Bruins have acknowledged that the 2015 Draft was a complete disaster and we break it down even further to who may be responsible and what needs to happen.  Dave Grosby writes that he feels John Tortorella would be the ideal head coach for the Kraken and we deconstruct the thinking.  Boston is found to be the best hockey city by Wallethub using 21 metrics.  We look at the turning point in the Tampa Bay/N.Y. Islanders series and talk about who the surprise Washington Capital player to be exposed for the expansion draft.  Still lots of content and Mike's Kraken breakdown (link is below).  Give us some feedback for his team and enjoy the show!

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Episode 0226: NHL Awards; Zach Aston Reese; Marc-Andre Fleury; Bruin's Post Mortem; Maine Nordiques; B's Conspiracy Theory and More!

As we sit down and get ready for the semi-finals, we start looking at the NHL Awards which will be handed out during the playoffs as opposed to an awards ceremony.  We discuss the possibility of Zach Aston Reese getting nominated for an award as a bottom six forward.  Marc-Andre Fleury is fourth on the all time playoff wins list and could pass Ed Belfour in the next round.  We go into a long discussion of the Bruins, post mortem, and all the moves made by the GM, Don Sweeney.  Should he be replaced?  We say yes.  We congratulate the Maine Nordiques for winning the Eastern Conference of the NAHL.  Their playoffs start this week for the Robertson Cup.  Finally, we discuss a conspiracy theory that a couple of forwards on the B's may have been angry at the coach and management for playing the injured goaltender in game 6 rather than the healthy one.  Lots here to break down and comment on so let us know what you think.  Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0225: USA Gets Bronze; Barzal-Krejci Reaction; Scheifele Suspended; Preds May Have Moves To Make; Draft Lottery; Pelech an RFA; Connor Toms, Taya Currie, Charlie Coyle and More!

We are well into the second round of the playoffs and we are seeing some surprising results.  Here at the Two Man Forecheck we have another week of candid discussion, starting with the USA getting the Bronze medal today against the Germans in the IIHF World Championships.  We break down the Barzal/Krejci incident in game 4 of the second round series between the B's and the Islanders.  We have a frank conversation regarding the 4 game suspension of Mark Scheifele.  Should it have been less? The Preds may have to move one of their high price players after their early playoff exit in order to start some kind of rebuild in Nashville.  Should it be Duchene or Johansen?  Draft Lottery took place June 2nd, and Buffalo is in the top spot.  Detroit, once again, has fallen, as they will be picking 6th.  Adam Pelech is an RFA at the end of this season and could possibly see offer sheets from teams other than the Islanders.  Connor Toms is heading to the Soo Greyhounds, Taya Currie is heading to the Sarnia Sting, the first female drafted in the OHL Draft at 267.  Finally, we discuss how Charlie Coyle could be considered elite.  Lots to discuss and comment on, so Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0224: Series Results/Predictions; Seth Jones, Free Agent; Hall Nixed Vegas Deal; Duclair, McDonagh Incidents; Too Late for Pens; A Possible New Rule and More!

So the playoffs have moved on to the second round, well, for the most part.  Toronto and Montreal have not completed their first round series at this point.  We at the Two Man Forecheck are ready for all circumstances, so here we present the next installment.  We start out with Seth Jones announcing to the Blue Jackets that he will be exploring free agency at the end of his contract.  Taylor Hall always wanted to end up in Boston, but now we are reading that he actually nixed a deal sending him to the Golden Knights.  Anthony Duclair and Ryan McDonagh were both involved in incidents that could have resulted in fines or suspensions but didn't.  Mike has a new rule which could bring about some discussion. Is it too late for the Pittsburgh Penguins?  We say yes, they should have traded Malkin and/or Letang years ago.  Finally we give our predictions for the second round. So lots to discuss amongst yourselves, but let us know what you think. Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0223: Miller, Tavares Out of Hospital; Mantha Fined, Kadri Suspended; Johansson, Kucherov Injured; Green Extended; Twitter Poll Results and More!

Playoffs have started and everyone is complaining about officiating, but the hockey has been exciting.  Kevan Miller and John Tavares are both out of hospital and recovering at home. The Boston/Washington series may end sooner than 7 games.  Is Ovi hurt?  Do the Capitals look tired? Struggling on 5v5 scoring.  Mantha has been fined $5000 for hit on Rask, Orlov gets nothing for his hit on Miller.  Nasem Kadri has received an 8 game suspension for his hit on Justin Faulk.  Marcus Johansson is done for the playoffs with a broken arm.  Kucherov has suffered a knee injury.  Owen Tippett is leading the rookies in playoff points.  Travis Green has been extended by the Canucks.  We discuss our last Twitter Poll results and briefly touch on the IIHF World Championships.  Lots of content so give us a listen and your comment and...Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0222: Mailbag Comments; Point Leaves Practice; McDavid Ahead of Lemieux; Kraken First Signing; Wild Playoff Aspirations; Playoff Predictions and More!

Here we are, the second season, but wait, the first season isn't over yet.  That being said, we discuss the Dallas Stars this season and Ben Bishop's future.  We answer some comments that went unmentioned, Brayden Point leaves practice but coach says he's "nicked".  McDavid beats out a record held by Mario Lemieux with the highest percentage of points he was involved in this season.  Marchand gives out a stick to a young girl who was hit by a puck prior to game one.  The Kraken sign their first player and it has the Rangers nervous about losing one of their players.  The Wild have a goal for this year...to score more during the playoffs.  And their first round matchup appears to be favorable to them over the Golden Knights.  We discuss briefly the poll question from last week and we give our first round playoff predictions. So much here and Vancouver is still playing!  Enjoy the games, vote in our Twitter Poll (link below) and Enjoy the Show!

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Episode 0221: Battle of Florida; First Round Matchups; Torts Out; Tocchet Out; McDavid Hits 100; M. Smith for Hart; Ritchie 7th Player in Boston; Gorton Available; Twitter Poll Results and More!

First off, its Mother's Day so we hope that all the mothers out there got to enjoy the day and didn't have to lift a finger.  Its also May 9th, so the NHL season must be over...except it isn't. But that didn't stop us from discussing the first round matchups that will be taking place.  We also talked about the battle of Florida, two head coaches moving on (John Tortorella and Rick Tocchet both mutually agreed to do so) who would be ideal for Seattle and Connor McDavid hitting 100 points.  We chewed the fat over the Hart Trophy and should Mike Smith of Edmonton get consideration, as well as Brad Marchand and Adam Fox. The 7th Player Award was handed out in Boston and Nick Ritchie was the recipient.  Well deserved to be sure, but Chris wanted to see it go to Connor Clifton.  Ondrej Kase could possibly play before the playoffs but it has come with some strange reviews.  Jeff Gorton is available so we break down a few GMs that should start wiping the sweat from their respective brows.  Finally, we discuss Twitter Poll results on Zdeno Chara and we offer a bet regarding whether a Canadian team will win the cup.  First responder to take us up on this and we will donate $100 to a charity of your choice if they do win.  Lots of content this week so listen, comment and Enjoy the Show!  We will get to the recent comments next week as well.  

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