SPORTS Episodes

Broadcaster/Stanley Cup Champion/Entrepreneur Nick Kypreos talks about his spectacular cameo alongside Kobe Bryant/Sandra Oh/Robert Wuhl in HBO’s Arli$$, his outstanding relationship with Doug MacLean, repping the Greek community while playing for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, winning a Stanley Cup with the NY Rangers, winning a Calder Cup with 'the NY Yankees of the AHL' the Hershey Bears, the fortuitous bounce of almost but not quite getting fired after his first year at Sportsnet, and how...

Journalist/Author Jean-Jacques Taylor talks about his new book providing an all-access insider's look at Deion Sanders, how Deion went from PRIME TIME to COACH PRIME, how Deion meets his college athletes at THEIR level [dominating IG, a DJ in the locker room] while still keeping it Old School, Deion’s surprisingly calm & quiet favourite pastime of fishing, why Deion never pays attention to ‘they,’ why all Deion’s meetings start as soon as he shows up [and why even his sons are not exempt from pu...

Former Toronto Maple Leafs GM [and goalie!] Gerry McNamara talks about Brandon Walsh/Jason Priestley playing him in the upcoming Borje Salming bio-pic, Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan personally reaching out to bring him back into the Maple Leafs alumni family, the first time he hit that Maple Leaf Gardens ice [replacing Johnny Bower!], the day he got hired as a Maple Leafs Special Assignment Scout, the incredible story behind his Xmas 1972 trip to Sweden where he discovered Borje Salming...

MLSE’s Bill Manning talks about his leadership of the Toronto Argonauts & Toronto FC, working alongside Brendan Shanahan [Maple Leafs] and Masai Ujiri [Raptors], growing up with 2 of the Baldwin brothers in Massapequa on Long Island [did you know Alec was actually called Xander as a child?], what culture change Pinball Clemons told him was needed with the Argos [‘too many silos, need more bridges’], sharing memories of Argo greats Condredge Holloway/Terry Greer/Rocket Ismail/Terry Metcalf, how h...

Go Get It! 1996 Olympic Gold Medallist Sprinter & Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympics Bruny Surin talks about why ‘the me I see is the me I will be,’ coming to Quebec from Haiti as a 7 year old, his infatuation with Carl Lewis [and eventual visit to his Houston mansion], being linked together forever in Canadian sports history as brothers with Donovan Bailey/Robert Esmie/Glenroy Gilbert/Carlton Chambers, why he no longer accepts unsolicited sprinting challenges from the general ...

The Region 105.9’s Morning Man Jim Lang talks about the power of hyper-local radio, the awe–inspiring signage he encountered while visiting Lee Eckley at CHUM-FM [‘through these doors walk the finest radio talent in Canada’], his Humber College internship with an absolutely all-star broadcasting team at Q107 [John Derringer, Gene Valaitis, Jane Hawtin, Andy Frost, John Gallagher, Jimmy James, Bob Mackowycz Sr, Steve Anthony], enjoying his one & only LIVE Stanley Cup parade while working in Montr...

NHL Coach/GM/Executive/Broadcaster and now Author Doug MacLean introduces his new book DRAFT DAY: How Hockey Teams Pick Winners or Get Left Behind and shares stories from a lifetime in hockey including his first pro head coaching job with the Baltimore Skipjacks, his first NHL head coaching job with the Florida Panthers, starting the Columbus Blue Jackets from scratch, why you need at least 10 of your own draft picks on the team to win a Stanley Cup, and the difficulties of the ‘GM Conundrum.’

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Room 442 & Footy Prime the Podcast host James Sharman talks about his UK accent drawing more girls than fights as a 16 year old being plopped into a Mississauga high school, being a pre-launch pre-day oner at Headline Sports [and its eventual morphing into The Score], tagging along with Elliotte Friedman to interview the great Pele, the importance of TFC’s birth in 2006, the mentorship of Sportsnet’s Gerry Dobson, the differences between British and North American play-by-play commentary, John H...

Sports betting industry expert Harley Redlick provides an outstanding primer on the Ontario sports gambling industry [as it moved from black to grey to white market], shares his ’10 Commandments of Successful Sports Betting,’ explains why the NFL is King when it comes to sports wagering, suggests that the consumer/operator/regulator relationships serve as a ‘Betting Business Bermuda Triangle,’ and asserts why the Connor McDavid sportsbook ads are obviously targeted at children [“No adult is taki...

With the imminent publication of his memoir A Mic For All Seasons, the most versatile sports broadcaster in North America Kenny Albert talks about learning by osmosis from Dad Marv and Uncles Al & Steve, working alongside The Great One Wayne Gretzky [and #99 writing the foreword to his book], taking over for ‘the Vin Scully of hockey’ Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, the confusion about how John Tavares pronounces his own name, starting his career as the voice of the AHL’s Baltimore Skipjacks while rooming on...

King of NHL ’94 World Championships organizer Darrell Sampson talks about why the GOAT of all hockey video games [from a 16 bit computing world!] still resonates today at its 30th anniversary, that scene in 'Swingers' where Vince Vaughn made Wayne Gretzky’s head bleed and legs spasm [actually NOT from NHL '94 which was fightless/bloodless], Jaromir Jagr being the last player to play in the NHL who also played in the entire 16 bit era of hockey video games, the craziness of holding their inaugura...

Raising Empowered Athletes author Kirsten Jones talks about her membership in the William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame alongside Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, shares stories from 15 years on the global footwear team at Nike under founder Phil Knight, parses the real from the fictional in Matt Damon/Ben Affleck’s Nike movie AIR, draws lessons from [in]famous athlete/parent combos including Tiger/Earl Woods, Bronny/LeBron James & Lonzo-LiAngelo-LeMelo/LaVar Ball, transferring her experiences as a pe...

Canadian boxing legend Syd 'The Jewel' Vanderpool talks about working out with his 4 older brothers in the makeshift boxing ring in the carport of their Kitchener home, winning his first bout at 6 and a half years old [!!!], meeting the emotional hurricane that is Iron Mike Tyson, missing out on meeting Wayne Gretzky despite arranging for his daughter Paulina to sing the national anthem before one of his bouts, his epic internationally televised championship title fights against Bernard ‘The Exe...

PointsBet Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer Nic Sulsky provides an A+ primer on the Ontario iGaming market, why it was essential to move from a ‘grey’ to a licensed/regulated sports betting market, how partnering with MLSE builds on the strength of 365 live events per year, building a ‘challenger brand’ by being authentically Canadian & wrapping yourself in the red & white flag [via The Trailer Park Boys!], his Family Channel days of driving coast to coast with 2 puppets transporting a jar of oc...

While awaiting his day with the Stanley Cup in Scottsdale, Vegas Golden Knights Director of Goaltending Sean Burke talks about his 18 year NHL career, lugging his goaltending equipment on the TTC from his Bloor/Dufferin home [before buying a Chevy Cavalier hatchback!], the misfortune of facing Wayne Gretzky on his return to Edmonton in the 1989 All Star game, representing Canada at TWO Olympic games, why he wasn’t shy to chuck the knuckles, why it’s great to play in warm weather markets and go s...

Sirius XM/Kool Button Podcast’s Steve Kouleas shares tales from over 30 years in hockey broadcasting via TSN/The Score/Sirius, gives shoutouts to the gang from Woburn CI & Ryerson, shares the parallel universe of his Dad being at Paul Henderson’s Goal of the Century in Moscow 1972 AND Steve being at Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal in Vancouver 2010, talks about sharing a smoke & a drink with St Louis Blues superfan Jon Hamm, supporting Bob Uecker & Bob Costas in the SkyDome broadcast booth, being in...

Canadian Elite Basketball League Co-Founder/Commissioner Mike Morreale talks about his TWO Grey Cup championships, playing for BOTH Hamilton and Toronto in numerous Labour Day Classics [and the differences in playing in Steeltown vs Hogtown], the completely different personalities of his teammates Doug & Darren Flutie, why the late great Don Matthews was the ultimate players’ coach, the surreal experience of sharing his first training camp with ‘Swervin' Mervyn’ Fernandez/Danny McManus/Darren Fl...

5x Grey Cup Champ/TSN Analyst Jim Barker talks FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL, why Doug Flutie is the BEST, why Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons is even BETTER, stories behind his XFL experience and winning the ‘Million Dollar Championship Game,’ how he helped convince Vince McMahon to honour his financial commitments despite losing $120MM on the XFL, provides an explanation of the ROUGE [and why he loves it], discloses that he will imminently be dragged kicking/screaming onto social media, shares why he p...

Author/Card Collector/Sportsnet’s Ken Reid talks about his instant chemistry with co-anchor Evanka Osmak [Country Mouse & City Mouse], how 70,000 sportscards doesn’t take up nearly as much storage space as you would think [T&P to his understanding wife!], chasing his sportscard ‘white whales’ [1950s Gordie Howe & Mickey Mantle], Kirk Muller breaking the tension of working rinkside for HNIC at the Bell Centre, his appreciation for Troy Gamble while chasing down the first card of every Nova Scotia...

The Hockey News Publisher & Hockey Stick/Equipment Mogul Graeme Roustan does NOT talk about his possible interest in purchasing the Ottawa Senators, but DOES talk about living in Los Angeles with roommates Pat Brisson [now CAA’s Super Agent] & Lucky Luc Robitaille [greatest left winger & best 171st draft pick in NHL history], being an oh-so-close finalist in the competition to purchase his hometown Montreal Canadiens, how close his group actually came to getting an arena built in Markham [to wel...

Longtime Hockey Commentator & Author Scott Morrison talks about writing his upcoming book 'Draft Day' with pickleball devotee Doug MacLean, serving as a protégé of the late great George ‘The Baron’ Gross at The Toronto Sun, why Harold Ballard called him ‘Whiskers,’ why the 1972 Summit Series is still so fascinating 50+ years later, why Rick Vaive’s #22 should ABSOLUTELY be raised to the Scotiabank Arena rafters, why Nelson Millman remains his trusted Vice-Chair for the annual Conn Smythe Sports ...

Literary Agent & Published Poet Brian Wood shares stories from representing diverse authors including Peter Mansbridge, Stu [The Grim Reaper] Grimson, Terry David Mulligan, Bob [Bobby Margarita] McKenzie, Tie Domi, Ellen Roseman, Steve Simmons, John Shannon, Colleen Jones, Scott Morrison, Justin Davis and Al Strachan. Brian talks about his three published poetry collections, and how they complement rather than replace his ‘day job’ as a literary agent. He also explains the economics of the book ...

Hey Landsberg!! Ex-TSN’s Michael Landsberg shares stories from his 37 year SportsDesk/Off The Record career [Gene Simmons, Thea Andrews, Mark Tewksbury, Stéphane Richer, Vince McMahon, Meat Loaf, Claude Lemieux, Darren McCarty, Dan Hill, Manny Pacquiao, Rick Vaive, Dikembe Mutombo, Jeff Marek, Caroline Cameron, George Cope] and his ongoing mental health advocacy via SickNotWeak.com!

SickNotWeak's online community is here to reach and help that lonely person. Together we can end the stigma that ...

Sports Broadcaster/Author/Podcaster John Shannon talks about 'Team Baby Blue'/Hockey Night in Canada [that themesong, those blazers!], who Dave Hodge telephoned FIRST immediately after his irreverent on-air ‘pen flip’ in 1987, separating Don Cherry ‘the person’ from ‘the performer,’ pivoting from behind the camera to in front of the camera, podcasting with his longtime sidekick Bob McCown, why he is a ‘radio-holic,’ the definitive answer as to whether the rest of Canada really hates the Toronto ...