Morning Cuppa Hockey

Season 3 rolls on and Morning Cuppa Hockey dives headfirst into the Islanders’ rise, the broken shootout, and a Board of Governors news cycle that feels like the league is bracing for a global reset. The Isles continue to look more legit every night — layered pressure, structured exits, high-effort puck retrievals, and Horvat cementing that sneaky-loud Team Canada case. But a fantastic hockey game once again ends with the league’s most chaotic mechanic: the shootout. We’ve said it, you’ve said it, everyone on Long Island has screamed it — great hockey should not die on a skills contest.Around the league, the nightly rhythm is changing shape. Edmonton falls flat again, the Devils keep stacking momentum, Anaheim continues to get real contributions from young forwards like Sennecke, and the Flyers keep punching above their weight going 5-2-0 over their last seven. Tampa dismantles Montreal on the second half of a back-to-back, Winnipeg keeps sliding without Hellebuyck (even though Scheifele still looks electric), and Boston is Boston — quietly dominant. Meanwhile, St. Louis remains stuck in neutral and the identity questions there grow louder by the game.Then David Pagnotta jumps in with the full Colorado Springs Board of Governors briefing — and it’s loaded. Olympic venue panic takes center stage with the Santagiulia build falling behind and the ice-safety question forcing a real NHL-participation threat. If the sheet isn’t NHL-safe, the players simply don’t go. The league is sending its own ice engineers to Italy, and suddenly the Olympics feel less like a celebration and more like a construction-deadline thriller. Layer in World Cup 2028 host decisions coming, U.S. media rights positioning, and Bettman holding firm on the cap path (95 → 104 → 113), and it’s clear the governors aren’t just thinking season-to-season — this is next-decade planning.Roster noise and injury ripples add another layer: Quinn Hughes to the Rangers? Montreal, meanwhile, is slipping and slipping fast, now 2-4-0 in their last six and just blown out by a tired Tampa group. The second-line center urgency has never been louder in that market.Quick Hitters keep the pace humming: Bobby McMann gets one game, Evgeni Malkin shifts to week-to-week, and Thatcher Demko finally returns after a 12-game absence. The league is reshaping itself daily — playoff math hasn’t begun, but identity math definitely has.🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com

Commissioner of the USHL, Glenn Hefferan, joins the show to talk about the state of the USHL, rumours of a merger with the CHL, and much more!🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com

Barstool Chief comes on the show to discuss all things Chicago Blackhawks including Connor Bedard's hot start, the bright future of the team and much more!🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com

Morning Cuppa Hockey rolls into another loaded show as Barstool Chief jumps in to unpack Connor Bedard’s second-year evolution, Jeff Blashill’s coaching impact, and why Chicago’s development curve suddenly feels real. We dig into Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, and the balancing act between winning games and letting young talent breathe, plus Spencer Knight’s breakout form and whether his workload is built to last. With Rinzel and Slaggert sent down, we examine what the Blackhawks’ internal timeline truly looks like and whether the league is still underrating this group.Then we whip around a stacked NHL recap: the Leafs steady behind Dennis Hildeby and a blue-line revival featuring Jake McCabe and Troy Stecher, Calgary’s surge continues with Nazem Kadri and Yegor Sharangovich driving a 7-2-1 heater, and Detroit takes another step as James van Riemsdyk scores again with John Gibson grabbing his first shutout of the season. Minnesota rebounds, Los Angeles stays clinical, and we ask whether this is the moment standings separation finally starts to take shape.Glenn Hefferan closes the show with a deep look at the USHL’s shifting world: the NCAA–CHL eligibility overhaul, rumblings of league collaboration, and what the “Declaration of Excellence” means for modern development, recruiting models, and the future of junior hockey in North America.Subscribe, drop your reactions live, and stick with us every morning as hockey’s busiest conversation hits full stride.🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com

Head Coach of Western Michigan Broncos, Pat Ferschweiler, joined the show to discuss his team's National Championship last season, their continued success this year, his experience coaching the Detroit Red Wings, and much more.🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com

A loaded Morning Cuppa Hockey as we dive straight into the Trouba hit discourse. Was it clean or dirty? With Tom Wilson weighing in and Spencer Carbery frustrated over Ryan Leonard being “engaged” with another player at the moment of impact, the conversation around intent, responsibility, and on-ice etiquette takes center stage. Then, because hockey is hockey, Trouba scores the very next night against Chicago while Anaheim continues to look legitimately dangerous in the Pacific mix.Next we'll recap a busy weekend across the NHL. Jack Eichel buries the OT winner for Vegas, Boomer Esiason jumps into the discourse on social, Macklin Celebrini remains tied with Connor McDavid for the league lead in assists, and the Sharks stun Carolina. Colorado keeps rolling—but recent history warns us what happens when teams cruise wire-to-wire like Boston and Tampa did.Finally, our "Cuppa College" segment Presented by OutWest with Pat Ferschweiler. Fersch joins the show to break down Western Michigan’s weekend split with Minnesota Duluth and the bounce-back win in Game 2. William Whitelaw continues to impress with two goals, including the OT winner, and we dive into what has fueled his jump this season, how a championship group stays motivated, and which standouts fans should circle heading into the second half. Plus—stories from Detroit featuring legends Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, and what rookie Dylan Larkin looked like. 🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com

Former NHLer, Derek Stepan joins the show to talk New York Rangers, Ryan McDonagh's contract extension, his experience at the Olympics in Sochi and more!🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com

Former NHL goaltender and media personality, Andrew Raycroft, joined the show to discuss if Jeremy Swayman is in contention for the Team USA Olympic starting job, Morgan Geekie's hot start and much more! 🏒 #HockeyTalk #NHLPowered by @bet365. Whatever the moment, it's Never Ordinary at bet365. Download the App today and use promo code: NATION. http://www.bet365.ca/Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. Eligible iGames conducted and managed by iGO are only available to those physically present in the Province of Ontario. 19+.Proraso USA: http://www.Proraso-USA.comOutwest Golf: https://outwestgolf.us/Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caJP Wisers: http://jpwisers.com