Two Man Forecheck

Episode 0118: Bruins in the Final, GM of the Year, IIHF Championships, Winnipeg Shopping List, Cap Casualties, New Sabres H.C. and More!

Another week, another podcast!  The Bruins are in the Stanley Cup Final.  The General Manager of the Year candidates have been announced and are the topic of this week's Twitter poll.  The IIHF Championships are on day 9 and the U.S. are playing Germany.  Winnipeg has to start putting together a shopping list and it should start with a center.  We talk about the cap casualties and trade bait that have come up since being eliminated from the playoffs.  Finally, the Sabres have announced a new head coach.  All this and much more!  Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0117: ECF/WCF Games 1, Playoff Goaltending, Are Penguins Fixable, IIHF Tournament, Ottawa Coaching Circus, Women Boycott and much More!

New Episode here at the start of the Conference Finals.  We talk about playoff goaltending and some surprises.  The Colorado Avalanche future endeavors.  Are the Penguins fixable?  The IIHF Championships have started and may have some influence on the top of the draft this year.  The Ottawa Senators are looking for a new head coach...and the choices are...interesting is the best way to put it.  The women are boycotting, saying that they can't support themselves on their hockey salaries.  There is so much more to it as we discuss.  Twitter poll responses and should Tuukka be considered for the award.  All this and so much more...Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0116: Housley Firing, Columbus/Boston Games 4 & 5, DeBrusk Death Threats, Playoff UFAs, Bruins Signings, Twitter Poll and More!

We start the show at full speed (no soft open today) discussing the apparent firing of Phil Housley in Buffalo.  We move on to the Columbus/Boston series and discuss games 4 and 5.  We delve into the death threats received by Jake DeBrusk during and after the first round against Toronto.  Mike and Chris pick two playoff UFA's that they would consider signing and two they would not.  We talk about two recent Bruins signings and finish with the Twitter Poll results from the last week.  Look for the latest Twitter Poll (it may involve the Conn Smythe) and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0115: B's/Blue Jackets Series, NHL Apologizes to VGK, Should Babcock be Replaced?,Selke Twitter Poll Results, Conn Smythe Odds and More!

 We have seen the start of the second round of the playoffs at this point, and we discuss the matchup between the Bruins and the Blue Jackets.  The NHL has sent an apology to the Vegas Golden Knights for the penalty call on Cody Eakins and have suspended Dan O'Halloran from officiating any second round playoff games.  Mike Babcock has once again lost to the Bruins in the first round and there are some rumblings that he should be replaced as head coach of the Maple Leafs.  We delve into our Twitter Poll results for who deserves to win the Selke Award.  Finally, we begin the discussion for the Conn Smythe Award with an article by Robert Duff of SportsBettingDime.com.  You might be shocked at some of the potential winners.  All this and so much more!  Enjoy the Show!

 

Episode 0114: Playoff Picture Still Murky, New Coaches for Philly & L.A., Yzerman in Detroit, 20 Year Droughts, Selke Nominees, Best Playoff D-Pair, Julien Vindicated and More!

This week we are deep into the first round, some top seeds have been eliminated and the playoff picture is still murky.  We delve into some disappointments and surprises so far, as well as what to expect.  We have two head coaches with new teams and a new GM in Detroit.  We discuss some franchises and their 20 plus year droughts.  The Selke nominees are in and they are interesting to say the least.  Who is the best playoff defense pair?  We break them down.  Are the Jets the biggest disappointment?  Were there too many distractions for Tampa Bay?  Finally, Claude Julien is vindicated.  All this and a Twitter Poll to boot!  Enjoy the Show!!

Episode 0113: CBJ Dominance, Playoff Physicality, Kadri/DeBrusk, Hobey Baker & the NCAA Champs, Pens End of the Line, 1st Rnd Predictions and More!

The Playoffs are just as topsy turvy as the regular season appeared to go.  St. Louis and Columbus are both ahead two games to none in their respective series.

Columbus has shown dominance for 5 of the 6 periods they have played against Tampa Bay.

The Boston/Toronto series has been heating up for the last two seasons.  Kadri and DeBrusk both being physical.  Kadri heading to the Office of Player Safety.

Cale Makar wins the Hobey Baker Award, but UMass falls short against Minnesota-Duluth.

Is this the end of the line for the Pens Malkin, Crosby and Letting?

Chris makes his first round predictions (with a little help from the games already played).

Episode 112: Saint Cloud State's Ryan Poehling, Old Man Ovi, Playoff Predictions,

Welcome to the 112th episode of the worlds best podcast done by two guys named Chris and Mike. This week Twitter Poll, playoff predictions, Selke and Calder talk, Decline of Kessel and Malkin, Bloody Monday to come and more.

Episode 0111: NCAA Regionals, Entry Level Signees, Jets Issues, Boston's Top Line, Jon Cooper Extended, The Masterton Nominees, Caps Worst Opponent, Twitter Poll and More!

The latest episode of the Two Man Forecheck spans all levels of hockey.  We start in the open with a breakdown of the NCAA regional round held in New Hampshire this weekend.   While the four teams the Forecheck watched on Friday were entertaining, they were also eye opening from the standpoint of talent in the college ranks.  We were witness to a team that struggled to get the puck out of their own zone, as well as a team that put up a stoic fight even while losing one of their top talented players early in the second period.  That plus a chance meeting with the ESPN crew after the games made for a fun day.

We branch from here to the number of college players who have finished their respective seasons and immediately signed their entry level contracts.  No fewer than 10 players from BU and BC have moved on from their current squads, leaving their respective schools to search for new talent.

The Winnipeg Jets have been a strong team for the last couple years, but, as reported by Andrew Berkshire of the Winnipeg Free Press, they are a leaky ship this season.  Using many advanced metrics, he explains how this team may not be as good as they appear to be playing.  Missing a couple key components would be one reason.

The Bruins have arguably the best line in hockey this season, with Pastrnak, Marchand and Bergeron all averaging better than a point per game.  We break down the line and compare them to other top lines in the NHL.

Jon Cooper, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has signed an extension to remain with the organization for years to come.  While not shocking, he is the longest tenured coach in the NHL, having been with the Bolts for the last 6 years.  We unpack his time with the team and discuss just how difficult his job may or may not be while leading his squad.

The Masterton Award is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.  This year’s nominees have, for the most part, one thing in common…age.  Most of the players are 30 plus years of age.  There are a few around 27, but for the most part, teams seem to have nominated their oldest player.

Peter Hassett of RMNB feels that the Capitals may have a team to fear this season in the playoffs…the Carolina Hurricanes.  Even though the Caps have won all four games this season and 15 of the last 20 matchups, the stats he proposes bear out that the Canes have a chance.  Discuss amongst yourselves…and with us!

Finally, we reveal the results of our Twitter poll.  Barry Trotz wins with 50 percent of the votes, but some feel (namely Mike) that it will be someone else.

As advertised, we span many topics this week so give us a listen and send us all your feedback, but most of all…Enjoy the show!

Episode 0110: Chara Extends, Tampa & Boston Running Away, Babcock/Dubas Rift?, Toronto's Depth, Street Hockey in Salem Mass, The Jack Adams and More!

Zdeno Chara has inked another one-year extension with the Bruins.  We discuss the benefits of having one of the best defensemen in the NHL back for another year.

Tampa Bay and Boston have the two best points records this season.  Is this a product of how much better they are than the rest of the league or is the rest of the league just average or worse?  As we discuss, it becomes clear that we disagree on which is the correct choice, but they aren’t the only two choices.  We would love to hear what you think.

Toronto is no stranger to controversy when it comes to their hockey team, and Mike Babcock may have inadvertently brought up another touchy subject when he discussed the depth of his team with the media.  Of course this led the media to write that there may be a rift between Babcock and Dubas. Chris feels that this is much ado about nothing but there could be something behind the scenes.  Where do you land?

There is a street hockey game that takes place on Chestnut Street in Salem, MA every year.  The story is that this game has taken place for over 40 years!  The participants travel from over an hour away, the ages range from the early 20s to mid 60s, and the whole community gets behind it.  A feel-good story to be sure and one that puts the love of hockey on display for all to see.

At this point we delve into our main topic…the Jack Adams award for best coach in the NHL.  As Mike and Chris have known each other for a number of years, their lists are almost identical.  The one difference is between Barry Trotz and Bill Peters.  This is also the topic of our Twitter poll this week, so we would love to hear your thoughts on who should get the award.

Finally, in our new segment, we talk about who will retire first.  This week’s subjects, two players from the vaunted 2003 draft, Marc Andre Fleury and Corey Perry.  Here Mike and Chris agree as to who it will be.  To find out which player, you’ll have to listen and let us know your feelings.

Short and to the point, but no less enjoyable.  Give us a listen and enjoy the show!

Episode 0109: Draft Lottery, Key Player Injuries, Complete Schedule Breakdown of Playoff Bubble Teams, Playoff Picture: AZ and CAR, CBJ Cap Situation, B's Legit Cup Contenders? and More!

Another week heading into the stretch run for the NHL playoffs and we at the Two Man Forecheck have you covered.  We open mentioning the draft lottery, which has been moved up to April 9^ththis year.  The particulars remain the same from last year so Ottawa, as it stands, have an 18.5 percent chance at the number one pick, which isn’t theirs to make.

We delve into the key injuries to some of the playoff teams and who could have the biggest impact upon their return.

Now for the main topic of the show; a schedule breakdown of the playoff bubble teams (4 from the east, 5 from the west).  The teams we expect to make it into the postseason, and which will be watching from home.

From here we focus on Arizona and Carolina, two teams who are currently in the postseason, and appear to be doing all they can to stay there.

We talk about the Blue Jackets current cap situation.  While it isn’t as dire as the issues Toronto may experience, they have some that need to be addressed.  Number one on the list is goaltending as none of their goalies is signed past this year. They also need to figure out what to do with the breadman, Artemi Panarin.

Finally, we break down the possibility that the Boston Bruins are legitimate Stanley Cup winners this year.  While sitting currently in second, they would be up against the Maple Leafs, but a bigger wall to climb would be the Lightning.  As we discuss, that might be easier for the B’s as they match up well against Tampa Bay.

Give us a listen, tell us what you think, and as always…Enjoy the Show!