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This is the home of the Two Man ForeCheck: The Hockey Podcast you deserve. What is it about: Hockey Hockey Hockey With occasional splashes of hockey. More specifically we focus on the NHL, major events, NCAA hockey, and all the things that happen on the ice and in the front office.
Episodes
Sunday Mar 17, 2019
Sunday Mar 17, 2019
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 9ththis 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!
Sunday Mar 10, 2019
Sunday Mar 10, 2019
This week’s episode is large and varied. We talk about everything from Junior Hockey to goaltenders from the late 80’s. But we start with the most important of topics…listener feedback.
MMarchand1978 wrote to us regarding the comparison we made last week between Jaroslav Halak and Tuukka Rask. We thank you for the comments and addressed them right at the start. Yes, Halak did go through a 3-week spell of mediocrity however he has since pulled out of it and now both goalies are playing well. The issue is that when Rask went through his start of the season mediocrity, it was Halak that kept the net clean. We go into detail in the show.
Mike Sullivan has won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins as head coach. The team is currently hanging on to the first wild card spot in the east. If the team misses out on the playoffs, does Mike lose his job? We believe that there is a bit of cache earned on Mike’s part that he would get into next season before being relieved.
Did Columbus do too much at the deadline? They have been middle of the road at best since then. Duchene has one goal, Dzingel has none. Why get another goaltender? Did they address any of the actual issues in the locker room? Quick consensus answer from the Forecheckers is Yes, they did too much, but tell us what you think.
We break down the playoff matchups as they would be “if the playoffs started today”, and some of them may not be as entertaining as you may think. Hockey-wise some are fun to watch, but the networks may not be happy about the viewership.
Has your boss given you a vote of confidence? Do you believe him or her? If you are a head coach in the NHL, you might not want to do so. We discuss past coaches who have been given a vote of confidence and were fired shortly thereafter.
Anze Kopitar was named captain of the Kings in 2016, now there is chatter about him being relieved of the captaincy. Should he lose the “C”? When should they make the move? We discuss at length and invite you to give your opinions on the matter.
The Humboldt Broncos suffered a crushing setback last year with the bus crash that affected so many lives, but they are back. This season, 11 months after the devastating events that left so many injured, they are in the playoffs in their league. We also talk about some of the players who have moved on to other things including a couple players who still play competitively in sled hockey.
We briefly touch on Kucherov’s run to finish as the top point getter in the league and where he stands in hockey history as well as who should sit when Pastrnak returns from his injury.
A packed show to be sure, with plenty of opportunity to give us your feedback. Please let us know what is on your mind about these or any other topics and…Enjoy the Show!
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Here we are at the start of March, the deadline has come and gone, and now everyone is settling in for the playoff run. That being said, there aren’t so many topics to discuss so this week the Two Man Forecheck delve into a couple of conversations that need to be had regarding parity and goaltending. But more on that later…
We start with Zac Parise being hurt again. He blocked a shot and is day to day, but are Wild fans noticing, or is the offensive explosion of Ryan Donato making his absence less noticeable? Also, Eric Staal has signed a two-year extension to stay in Minnesota for short money (6.5 million). A team friendly deal to be sure, his production appears to be on pace with the money.
Garnet Hathaway has been suspended two games for his hit on Luke Kunin. The argument here is that he was given a match penalty and has never been to the league offices for any kind of punishment before. Was the suspension warranted? We feel it may have been a bit much.
Marc Savard sent a nice tweet to Jarome Iginla on the night of his number retirement in Calgary. We delve into the number and quality of teammates that Marc has had over the years, and it is impressive.
The first main topic of the show, Parity is D-E-A-D, gets Mike going on a rant that needs to be addressed. Chris feels that parity is on life support but with teams such as Arizona on the cusp of the playoffs there is a possibility that it still exists.
Speaking of Arizona, Derek Stepan is out 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury. How this will affect their playoff chances remains to be seen.
Guy Boucher has been relieved of duties, effective immediately, and Marc Crawford has been named interim head coach. The team has stated that they will search for a new head coach at the end of the season and have listed what they are looking for in a candidate (we touch on the requirements in the show).
Finally, we talk about a Matt Kalman post in which he states that Tuukka Rask has played himself back into the Vezina conversation. Mike and Chris poetically break down why this may not be the case, or that you have to make the case for Halak and others who should be in the conversation. This leads to a conversation about the love affair in Boston with Tuukka as well as Charlie McAvoy. He is still only 100 games into his career but is he as advertised?
An intriguing show to be sure, please send us your feelings and feedback, but most of all…Enjoy the Show!
Monday Feb 25, 2019
Monday Feb 25, 2019
The NHL trade deadline expired at 3:00pm eastern time today and when all was said and done, the Western Conference did most of the damage. We at the Two Man Forecheck discussed most of the big trades, some of the depth moves, who are the big winners and losers on the day as well as who made the best effort at winning the Hughes sweepstakes.
Deadline day, always an exciting day for hockey fans, or maybe just an anxious one, didn’t seem to disappoint.
Mark Stone not only got a new home but also will be moving into a new tax bracket next season. Duchene got a new home and brought his friend along with him in Dzingel. Simmonds and Johansson are on the move as well.
Give the show a listen and tell us who you think won the day. And if you haven’t done so already, below is the link to this week’s show, recorded yesterday! Give us your feedback and Enjoy the Show!
Sunday Feb 24, 2019
Sunday Feb 24, 2019
With the trade deadline looming, the Two Man Forecheck have decided to not mention trades during this week’s show. That being said, here is this week’s fun ride…
We start out with a spirited conversation regarding the Jack Adams (Best Head Coach) Award. We agree on one coach but diverge on two others as both Mike and Chris chose three coaches. This leads into a great constructive criticism of Bruce Cassidy and his coaching style. This segue’s into other conversations about players abilities to score, perform in shootouts and how selfish should a player be on the ice.
Jimmy Howard has played 500 games with the Detroit Red Wings. Third goalie to do so, but is he the 3rdbest goalie of the three? We discuss.
Up next are a couple of undrafted free agent signings: Kole Sherwood and Karson Kuhlman. Kole is looking to get back to Columbus and Karson is currently playing with Boston.
What is the best team in the NHL outside of the playoffs? We know who we picked, but who do you think it may be? Let us know.
How many players will score 40 goals this season? Mike figures 14 players while Chris says 17 will get to 40.
Tom Dundon, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes has given 250 million dollars to the AAF (Association of American Football) to help pay players that went unremunerated. He also became the chairman of the league. When asked, Tom stated that he hasn’t been that busy and was looking for something to do. Really? We discuss.
Ryan Miller was rumored to be headed to San Jose for a third-round pick, but he was apparently asked if he wanted to be moved and Ryan stated that he wanted to stay in Anaheim.
McDavid was suspended after hitting Nick Leddy in the head area with his shoulder. While Chris believes the suspension was warranted but not so much Mike. We explain why.
Finally, a new segment, Who Retires First? Our two contenders are Cam Ward and Ryan Miller. We made our choices, who would you believe is going to retire first?
We will be back tomorrow for a quick trade deadline supplemental, but for now…Enjoy the show!
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
The Two Man Forecheck is kicking off its third year of existence with a packed show spanning coaches, players, prospects and deals.
To start, Randy Carlyle has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. This may have been overdue, but we can’t help thinking that it is a good thing for Randy. He can take some time to decompress and come back to a new job on his own time and at his own choosing. His résumé speaks for itself and should make him attractive to other organizations.
As for the Ducks, the GM, Bob Murray, has stepped in behind the bench. Does he really have the time to coach while trying to make the changes necessary to get the team headed in the right direction?
The Bruins’ Zane McIntyre was having a rough start to the season (as was Dan Vladar), but he has reeled off 12 wins in a row, the last against the Toronto Marlies while allowing only one goal. Our questions: When will he get the chance at the top level? Will he get that chance in Boston?
Philly traded away one of their young goaltending prospects to Edmonton for…a goaltender. Cam Talbot is the latest entry in the Flyers’ goaltending carousel. Both players are UFAs at the end of the season, but it is a fair bet that Talbot will not be staying with Philadelphia. Apparently, Cam and Carter train together in the off-season and Carter sees Cam as a mentor at the position.
We cover a few of the possible moves to be made between now and the deadline. Andre Burakovsky has appeared anemic this season with the Capitals, could they move on him? One of the better offensive minded defensemen in the league, Keith Yandle, could be a trade piece for a floundering Panthers squad, but who could take on his contract at 33 years of age? An intriguing player posed by Mike could be Mark Stone of Ottawa. He has strong offensive numbers, but I don’t see the health consistency that I would like from someone earning what he does. Finally, could Gustav Nyquist be moveable? We have already discussed blowing up the Detroit Red Wings, and Stevie Y could do just that when he takes over (Chris assumes) but moving on from Nyquist could be the start, but how is his attitude? He has shown a little aggression issue in the past, but he has a scorer’s touch as well.
The Women’s National team is currently playing three games against the Canadian National team. There are no less than 3 women playing with the squad for the first time. We discuss not only the new players but their influence on the youth and their impact on the areas they come from.
Ryan Spooner is on the move again, this time to Vancouver for Sam Gagner. The trade is for similar players, but this could be a positive one for Spoons. He will be going to a young, fast, offensive minded team where his playmaking ability can be appreciated.
We close out with discussions on Ben Bishop, goaltending in general, last week’s Twitter Poll and Bruins prospect Oskar Steen. At 20 years old he is still playing in Sweden, but when he shows up at development camp, he displays what the Bruins could have.
A packed show to be sure, with plenty of opportunity to comment and disagree. Let us know what you think and Enjoy the Show!
Sunday Feb 10, 2019
Sunday Feb 10, 2019
Here we are…Show 104…2 years…and yet we didn’t even mention it. This week’s show covers a lot of topics so here we go…
Thatcher Demko, goaltender for the Canucks has injured himself in a pre-game warmup. The issue here isn’t the injury but the fact that the Canucks don’t have reliable goaltenders.
Roberto Luongo is about to hit 1000 starts in his career. He is tied with Patrick Roy and about to pass Ed Belfour for third all-time in wins.
Sidney Crosby is about to pass Mario Lemieux for most games played in a Penguins jersey.
We then dive into the 1000 games played by Patrice Bergeron in Boston by talking about our favorite Bergeron moments.
Zdeno Chara is approaching 1000 games in a Boston uniform. He has passed 1000 for his career but will he play long enough to get to 1000 for Boston. He would need to get another contract for next year to do so.
The Kings have made Ilya Kovalchuk available for trade but are there any suitors? He is third in scoring for the Kings, but he is not the player he once was, and with the speed of the game being what it is, how many teams will take him? The Bruins could be a potential landing spot, as could the Nashville Predators, but they have made a few moves already.
Auston Matthews signed a 5-year extension this past week, which will get him 11.6 million over the next 5 years. Our question is…Where is the money coming from to pay the rest of the RFAs that need contracts by July 1st?
Charlie McAvoy entered the NHL with some fanfare, and he is revered in Boston, but he hasn’t shown the progression necessary of a player at his position. We break down how he plays positionally compared to some of his defensive teammates.
We close the show with a brief trade recap to this point.
Don’t forget to vote in the new Twitter poll regarding the best player of the 2003 Draft and Enjoy the Show!
Sunday Feb 03, 2019
Sunday Feb 03, 2019
At two years of existence, the Two Man Forecheck is still humming along at top speed and we show no signs of slowing down. With that being said, here is another week of mirth and mayhem for your listening pleasure!
We start out talking about the Boston Bruins and their situation of being in a playoff spot with a team that struggles to score goals. Should they be buyers or sellers at this year’s trade deadline. Chris feels that the B’s will stand pat with what they have. There are pieces available but what is out there that is worth acquiring or will help them with what they need.
The trade market has already opened for business with Pittsburgh sending two players to Florida for some younger players. New Jersey has made a move with Minnesota and, of course, Toronto acquired the biggest prize to date, landing Jake Muzzin for a package of not much. Who is the next piece to fall? Will there be a bigger player than Muzzin?
There were no less than 19 scouts at the Buffalo/Dallas game a couple nights ago. What were they all there to watch? The Forecheckers break down the players that are potential movers from these two organizations.
The Beanpot Tournament is about to take place for the 67thtime and this year it’s the first time that we feel the result is completely up in the air. Each school has won the tourney each of the last four years, so it’s been half a decade since a repeat winner has lifted the pot. Harvard and Northeastern are ranked teams while BU and BC are currently not ranked. It has been an upside-down season for college teams in Boston.
Antoine Vermette played 14 seasons in the NHL but has called it a career. He played for Ottawa, Columbus, Phoenix (now Arizona), Chicago and Anaheim. Vermette finished with a 56.5-win percentage in the faceoff circle and the 14thmost faceoff wins in NHL history. Antoine has been known as one of the better two-way players in the game for his career and we enjoyed watching him. Congrats on a successful career and much luck in any future endeavors. For now, Antoine has said that he looks forward to spending more time with his family.
Finally, we talk about the player most likely to be traded but never is…Jacob Trouba. He has not played a full season since 2015-16, when he played in 81 games. It has not always been a love affair between Trouba and the Jets, with his signing of a one-year deal back in late July leading us to believe that he might be dealt this season. He could certainly help a playoff team or become the start of something solid for a younger team such as Detroit.
The Twitter poll question this week is a simple one: Should the Bruins be buyers or sellers at this year’s deadline?
It has been a fun two years and we look forward to many more. For now, please send us your questions, comments and feedback, but most importantly…Enjoy the show!
Sunday Jan 27, 2019
Sunday Jan 27, 2019
Show number 102 brings with it the upcoming anniversary of the Two Man Forecheck. Two years in and we are still having fun!
With that, we welcome everyone to our weekly discussion which we open with our memory from 2 years of recording. This plunges us deeper into a conversation about the coaching, specifically goaltending, of the Flyers. Mike waxes poetic about the captaincy of Blake Wheeler for the Winnipeg Jets.
The Edmonton Oilers have relieved Peter Chiarelli of his G.M. duties and not too soon we feel. He has not identified any direction for the team, and they seem to be adrift in a sea of mediocrity. Yes, they made the playoffs two years ago, but haven’t really made any inroads toward staying a playoff contender.
Josh Gorges played 13 seasons in the NHL, most with the Canadiens. He also played 4 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres but Jason Botteril did not offer him a contract at the end of last season. As he didn’t catch on anywhere else, he officially announced his retirement on January 14th. We at the Two Man Forecheck wish him well in all his future endeavors and will miss a defensive defenseman that played with heart, grit and determination, never taking a night or a shift off. Thank you, Josh.
Kendall Coyne and Brianna Decker were involved with NHL All Star weekend festivities, but only Coyne was officially competing during the skills competition. Brianna was paid the $25,000 but was not officially part of the passing skill.
Overall talk about the All-Star Weekend didn’t last too long, but some of the individuals were mentioned, John Carlson in particular as it was his first all-star selection (hard to believe). We also came up with some events to add, tell us what you think should be added to the all-star weekend.
We finally move on to our comparison of Eastern and Western Conference teams we created (big Thank you to Capfriendly) from the bottom three teams from each conference. The teams had to comply with current cap restraints and be comprised of players from Detroit, Philly and Ottawa (East) as well as Chicago, St. Louis and L.A. (West). Chris broke the cap rule by not getting to the cap floor with his Eastern Conference team. Most of the players were the same on both squads, but some differences appeared, and some issues came to light such as the lack of left-wing players that were worthy of our choices in the East.
Our Twitter poll from last week revolved around the most surprising team from the first half of the season. The results were to be expected, with the Islanders garnering the most votes, but Buffalo should have been given serious consideration in our opinion, although they have hit a rough patch.
We have two Twitter Polls this week, one related to our teams, which can be found at @theoffwing, and a second poll regarding women playing in the NHL at what position, to be found at @pucksage.
We hope you enjoy this show and vote in our polls. Thank you for two years of listening, we hope you stay with us and…Enjoy the show!
Sunday Jan 20, 2019
Sunday Jan 20, 2019
The first snowfall of 2019 brings with it another episode of the Two Man Forecheck. In this episode we speak a lot about goaltenders and where they could end up.
The open continues the subject of the topsy turvy standings which show the N.Y. Islanders at the top of the Metropolitan Division. Hands up from those that predicted the Isles would be on top at any point this season. You in the back with your hand up…stop lying.
We move onto Chris’ list of 5 goaltenders that could potentially have new homes for the end of the season. Mike adds on with a couple of potential buyouts that could take place.
Corey Crawford suffered a concussion back in mid-December but was seen on the ice before Blackhawks practice yesterday facing shots. It’s good to see him back in action, but should the ‘Hawks look to get him back into games this season? We discuss.
The Twitter poll this week garnered no less than 80 votes on which player would be most likely to move from their current locale by the deadline. A whopping 65 percent of you voted for Wayne Simmonds to most likely be on the move. At the bottom of the list was Jake Muzzin (5%), who is rumored to be the interest of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
From here we continue the possibility of the Bruins picking up Wayne Simmonds and what it would cost.
Speaking of the Bruins and goaltenders, Tuukka Rask was injured and diagnosed with a concussion when he was hit by Filip Chytil just before the end of the first period of last night’s game (01/18/2019). He was hit very high by Chytil but had help getting there from Charlie McAvoy. Can’t really blame Filip though, he was doing his job. All parties have to take some blame here. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope he is back at 100 percent.
Mike Farwell tweeted on January 13thabout 6-year olds that were banned from playing in any Hockey Canada programming for the remainder of the year. Where are we as a society when we are banning children from playing a sport because they played in a non-sanctioned event? Something is clearly wrong in Canada when this happens.
Mike asks the question: Is it better to be lucky than good in reference to Bruce Cassidy and his personnel decisions.
Torey Krug is an integral part of the Bruins Defense, and Mike discusses his playing style and who he most resembles.
Finally, we touch on Ryan Johansen and his recent two game suspension. He has never been suspended, nor is he a repeat offender. Here is the video from the OPS: https://www.nhl.com/video/johansen-suspended-two-games/t-277440360/c-65038603
One last link, to the new Twitter poll regarding surprise teams this season: https://twitter.com/pucksage/status/1087041827113521154
Please vote, send us your feedback (We love it, good and bad) and Enjoy The Show!