Episodes

Former Hockey Pro & Author Justin Davis walks us through a hockey journey that involved being drafted by the Washington Capitals, multiple championships at multiple levels of hockey, playing overseas, disturbing accounts of hazing rituals, suffering multiple concussions [one of which saw him hospitalized with brain bleed], and ongoing battles with mental health/depression/anxiety. How did he end up putting his memoir together, and what has the feedback been from his kids, his parents, his high s...

Sportsnet anchor/host Jesse Fuchs talks about growing up in Scarborough, playing hockey for Birchmount Park Collegiate [Anthony Stewart made the team...Wayne Simmonds did NOT!], interning at TSN for Michael Landsberg, working on his penmanship & video tape editing skills at The Score with Tim Micallef/Sid Seixeiro/Steve Kouleas/Cabbie Richards/Simon Bennett, transitioning from the family-owned Score to the Rogers corporate mothership, getting distracted by Auston Matthews’ quads, explaining to D...

Gaming News Canada Editor/Parleh Media Group partner Steve McAllister delivers a primer on the past/present/future of sports gambling in Ontario, speculates on the gambling prospects for niche sports such as table tennis, cricket, jai-alai & pickleball, talks about moving from Prescott to Ryerson/Toronto to Kincardine, following in his Dad’s footsteps [skates?] as a hockey referee, interesting career stops at The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, Yahoo Canada, the NHL Players’ Association & Te...

Ex-NHL Goaltender Curtis McElhinney talks about playing in Toronto [lots of Instagram messages] and in Tampa Bay [scootered from the beach to the arena], his TWO Stanley Cup rings, his Save of the Season on Sid the Kid to get the Maple Leafs into the 2017 playoffs, meeting celebrity fans [like rapper Yung Gravy], packing up & moving 35 times over a 16 year professional career, arriving at the backup goalie's peaceful acceptance that there is only ONE net, and the biggest mind-blow of all time: a...

Author/Journalist/Wrestling Historian Greg Oliver talks about his memoir on Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons [“tried to watch a video compilation of all his umpire ejections...couldn’t get through them all!”], his biography of Billy Van [Hilarious House of Frightenstein & Bizarre with John Byner...classics!], and his Sports Illustrated online piece about Canadian wrestling icon Rocky Johnson’s unacknowledged children [the half-siblings of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson]! OLIVERBOOKS: The home of author...

Four-time Canadian Screen Award winning Producer Stuart Coxe talks about cutting his teeth at CBC’s The National & The Journal, Peter Mansbridge’s calm & consistent presence during 9/11, launching Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank, why Mark Burnett’s track record proves he is the ‘Wizard of Oz,’ working on the late Gord Downie’s ‘Secret Path’ project, first meeting Gord while giving a tour of Robert Scully’s VENTURE set, working with Kevin O’Leary [“your tears add no value”]/Evan Solomon/Robert Herjav...

700+ NHL game enforcer The Grim Reaper Stu Grimson talks about catching a scout’s eye in a Kamloops street brawl, being ‘a player so NICE that I got drafted TWICE’ [first by Detroit and then by Calgary], the liberation he ironically felt after suffering a horrible beatdown at the hands of the Oilers’ Dave Brown, his appearance on The Simpsons as an Instructor at Top Goon Academy, the Disneyland benefits of playing for The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim [owned by Disney], post-NHL career being back on a...

Legendary heavy metal bassist Rudy Sarzo talks about rejoining Quiet Riot [his 3rd stint!], playing with Ozzy Osbourne/Whitesnake/Dio, and his friendships with the late Randy Rhodes/Kevin DuBrow/Frankie Banali. Rudy shares memories of the stellar ping pong table & overwhelming portrait of Queen Elizabeth at Maple Leaf Gardens, the controversy behind the scenes of the 1990 KISS/Whitesnake concert at the CNE Grandstand [KISS without pyro?!?!?], his admiration for Paul Stanley and KISS, his ‘sister...

Comedy hypnotist/motivational speaker/author The Incredible Boris Cherniak talks about his journey from Moscow to Toronto, running out of material early in his first professional show [at age 17!], being Facebook Friends with The Amazing Kreskin, enjoying conversations with a surprisingly chatty Teller backstage after a Penn & Teller show in Las Vegas, appearing on The Howie Mandel Show on the exact same NBC Burbank studio stage as The Tonight Show’s Johnny Carson once did, working on people wit...

Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider joins the podcast from Kirkland WA [home of Costco!] to talk about the life of a [baseball] retiree at 35, learning perseverance over adversity, his love for Cito Gaston & Alex Anthopolous, literally being pulled off the field mid-game in Seattle and being traded to Pittsburgh [‘that was awkward!’], the difference between 4A vs Triple A ballplayers, maximizing his energy, fire & drive until the wheels came off, serving as the 'pacecar' for off-se...

Ed the Sock Creator Steven Kerzner remembers North York’s Newton Cable, shares Ed’s origin story [involves the Crafts Closet] and namesake [think Lou Grant/Carl from UP], talks about Ed’s Night Party transitioning from community cable to CityTV to a national MuchMusic audience, why he thinks Moses Znaimer is responsible for the greatest phase of creativity in Canadian TV history [people love to watch people], and presents the REAL STORY behind the conspicuously similar Robert Smigel/Conan O’Brie...

HC Davos Coach/Ex-NHLer Glen Metropolit talks about going from Cabbagetown/Regent Park to playing pro hockey literally around the world, getting training inspiration from ‘The Killer’ Doug Gilmour running the hills of Christie Pits, lining up for his first NHL faceoff against Pavel Bure [flanked by Adam Oates & Peter Bondra], utilizing ‘The Metro Method,’ doing his morning skate with the Philadelphia Flyers and then that exact same evening playing for the Montreal Canadiens AGAINST the Flyers, t...

Gibby!! Former Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons talks about why he loves Toronto [and why Toronto loves him back], the story behind writing his new autobiography, why Josh Donaldson wrote the foreword, his back to back ALCS appearances in 2015/2016, the Jose Bautista bat flip [“whole stadium was shaking!”], the Jose Bautista punch up [“he got rocked but never went down!”], the Shea Hillenbrand incident [“it was gonna be him or it was gonna be me...and it sure wasn't gonna be me!”], the Ted...

Degrassi Co-creator Linda Schuyler talks about producing over 500 episodes of the iconic franchise, why Drake will always be Aubrey Graham to her, sets the record straight on the urban legend that Drake threatened legal action to get Jimmy Brooks OUT of his wheelchair, gives HER side of the Aubrey Graham audition story [in contrast to Drake’s version as delivered to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show], claims that Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith know MORE Degrassi trivia than she does, clarifies Degra...

OverActive Media Group’s Bob Hunter updates the E-Sports venue project at Exhibition Place and shares stories from the ORIGINAL Ontario Place, BC Place Stadium, Expo 86 Worlds Fair, SkyDome [now Rogers Centre], Air Canada Centre [now Scotiabank Place], BMO Field, Lamport Stadium, the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, putting together the ‘puzzles’ involved in venue conversions [‘my back is still sore’], his three Toronto championship rings, concerts by The Hip/Pink/McCartney/...

Stand-up Comedian & Podcaster Ben Bankas talks about taking his ‘Permission 2 Laugh’ tour across Canada, the strength of Mark Breslin’s Yuk Yuk’s brand, launching his ‘Please, Wear a Mask’ stand-up special on YouTube, travelling from Kingston to Toronto for his very first set [5 minutes!] at P.J. O'Briens Irish Pub, his creative process of using journal entries to create new material, the post-script to dealing with $7,000+ in fines for performing outdoors in parks during lockdown, and his upcom...

Toronto FC & 2017 MLS Cup Champion Justin Morrow talks about playing against David Beckham, the bitter feelings/lessons learned from the 2016 MLS Cup loss directly fueling Toronto FC’s amazing successes in 2017, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s memorable karate-kick goal, growing up in a 'sports town' [Cleveland] with both parents as collegiate athletes, getting his education and NCAA D1 playing experience at the University of Notre Dame, his MLS SuperDraft experience in Philadelphia, the potential reasons ...

Actor/Writer/Author/Musician/Comedian Paul Reiser talks about stand up comedy being his first love, creating Mad About You & casting Helen Hunt with his wife’s approval, stumbling into his breakout role in Barry Levinson’s ‘Diner,’ seeing George Carlin/Robert Klein/David Brenner/Robin Williams/Billy Crystal/Rodney Dangerfield LIVE in the local NYC clubs, sharing the set with Carol O’Connor/Carol Burnett/Mel Brooks & noted comedienne Yoko Ono, using his son as the cultural canary in the coalmine ...

Scarborough rap superstar Choclair talks about coming up together with Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall and Saukrates, morphing from ‘Junior’ to ‘Choclair’ [and how he got that name], literally getting called out of the classroom to rep his high school in rap battles, his appreciation for MuchMusic’s Michael Williams & Master T, the bump from the Little X-directed ‘Let’s Ride’ video, using paper-scissors-rock to determine his role in the recording of ‘Northern Touch,’ growing up listening to the ...

Financial Literacy Expert & Consumer Advocate Ellen Roseman talks about being BLOCKED by Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey, her Montreal roots, moving from covering Women’s Wear to Business at Maclean-Hunter, going from The Toronto Star to The Globe & Mail [and back to The Star], her initial feedback to David Chilton’s draft for The Wealthy Barber [“Where’s the beef?? You are no John Le Carre!”], interviewing Mr Wonderful Kevin O’Leary, hiring Rob Carrick at The Globe & Mail, whether she is friends/ene...

1992 Barcelona Olympics 110m Gold Medal hurdler Mark McKoy talks about being a gum-chewing Mr. International, why he still [after 30+ years] gets goosebumps watching his Gold Medal-winning run, where he keeps his Olympic Gold medal, his admiration for ‘exquisite’ hurdler [and eventual roomate] Ronaldo Nehemiah, devastatingly being prevented from attending the boycotted 1980 Olympics in Moscow, missing the podium by 0.05 seconds [!!!!] at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, why '4th place feels worse ...

Comedy writer Darrell Vickers talks about being Head Writer for The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, how after being hired he did not actually talk to Johnny again for two and a half years [!!], moving freely past Ed McMahon’s bodyguard, working with guest hosts Garry Shandling/Jay Leno/Billy Crystal/Bill Cosby/Chevy Chase, why Johnny wishes his 2nd last show [Robin Williams, Bette Milder] had actually been his LAST show, the surreal enormity of educating standup legend George Carlin about h...

Ex-NHL Player and Coach of the Year Ted Nolan talks about starting from a small house of 12 without electricity nor plumbing in Garden River First Nation [“leaving for Kenora was like going to Disneyland”], learning he was drafted by Detroit Red Wings on the radio [“I was worried it was a military draft”], watching & learning from teammates Wayne Gretzky/Pete Mahovlich/Stevie Y/Mario Lemieux/Hanson Brothers, gaining coaching insights from Al Arbour & Phil Jackson, putting Pat LaFontaine and his ...

Former MuchMusic & Entertainment Tonight Canada host Rick Campanelli talks about morphing from ‘Rick the Temp’ into ‘Rick the Franchise,’ how his father unplugging the house phone almost prevented his MuchTemp contest win, meeting both an AMAZING and a HORRIBLE celebrity within the same band interview [spoiler: involves Aerosmith], the endless sea of people at Woodstock ’99, going from 2 suits at MuchMusic [‘funeral + wedding’] to a personal stylist/full wardrobe at ET Canada, experiencing a car...