A longtime executive (and part owner) with the Guelph Storm, Jim Rooney's name is synonymous with Guelph sports. He's a member of the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame and remains active today working with previous podcast guests Roger Lajoie and Chris DePiero on their ' Teammates ' project. Rooney also chaired the OHL's Board of Governors for several years, including during the league's expansion in 1996. He's got some great stories about that, including where he thinks the game could still go today. ...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 275
Two weeks into the season and we are content-rich with coaching news out of Flint, a spat with the media in Barrie, and the return of OHL hockey to Brantford. Not only that, but a longtime linesman officiates his final game, three teams are still in search of their first wins, two OHL'ers ink entry-level NHL deals, a legend is remembered in Oshawa, and our Prospects of the Week. If you need to know what's happening in the OHL, you'll find it here.
Oct 10, 2023•50 min•Ep. 274
Steve Bancroft was a career Belleville Bull who was a part of the longest playoff game in OHL history at just under 124 minutes. He would go on to a 16-year pro career that included stops with 21 teams, making Bancroft's Hockey DB resume one of the most interesting in the game. Bancroft was also a 1st rounder to the NHL in one of the most unique drafts in hockey history. Fresh off his induction into the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame, Bancroft shares some terrific stories from his career with us...
Oct 06, 2023•54 min•Ep. 273
The regular season finally arrives and while the returns are early, there are some interesting storylines already developing. Do the Ice Dogs have more bite than most expected? How do the Firebirds bounce back after a truly forgettable opening weekend? Meantime, the Sudbury Wolves and London Knights make an early splash in the trade pool, and our weekly Prospect of the Week is back. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending ....
Oct 03, 2023•35 min•Ep. 272
It's finally here! The OHL season is underway and we're headed into the first full weekend. So, naturally, after previewing the Eastern Conference, it's time to offer our bold predictions for the West. Will London's deal for OHL champion goaltender Michael Simpson be enough to propel them past Saginaw as the Spirit try to soar straight to a Memorial Cup? Whatever happens, it's going to be fun...especially in the West this year. Feel free to save this episode to remind us later how far off base w...
Sep 29, 2023•26 min•Ep. 271
Just before the regular season gets started, we start the silly season and Mike and Dan make their predictions. Not just one team here or there but conference by conference, beginning with the East today. One of the guys ends up with a perennial favourite, the other with a historical loser. Which prediction will pan out? Likely neither, but now the guys are on the record and you can remind them of this later in the season. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending ....
Sep 26, 2023•33 min•Ep. 270
The regular season hasn't even started but one of the best in the junior hockey business is already out with a preliminary list of the top NHL draft eligible players we'll be watching this season. Mike and Dan discuss bob McKenzie's list and add a few more OHL'ers you might want to have your eyes on this season. Plus, if a player isn't ready for the pros but doesn't want to return to junior, what does his team do? And there's a pipeline to the pros that some skaters are still taking. Whether or ...
Sep 22, 2023•35 min•Ep. 269
OHL fans in Hamilton have every right to be confused, and the Bulldogs have every right to stay where they're being welcomed with open arms. Has Hamilton lost yet another hockey franchise? Plus, the OHL sends 160 players to pro camps, old school tactics that don't work in modern coaching, and the passing of a patriarch leaves a lasting legacy. We've got you covered as we count down to the start of another OHL season. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending ....
Sep 19, 2023•34 min•Ep. 268
Just over two weeks until the regular season begins and we've got so much to discuss, including how badly Brantford seems to want an OHL team. Plus, a new way of policing scrums, curious new language on the OHL's "Standard Player Agreement," what's next for Shane Wright, the player Dan and Mike think is poised for a big season, the Ice Dogs raise eyebrows in making another trade with London, and a former OHL head coach is back behind a bench, this time in the AHL. The OHL Podcast is presented by...
Sep 12, 2023•47 min•Ep. 267
The OHL preseason has started and we're back into regular season form with a discussion on picks not reporting and the draft loophole that needs to be closed. Plus, a retiring Commissioner, a minor change to your in-arena experience that's drawing mixed reviews, and the Ice Dogs add another big name. It's go time!
Sep 08, 2023•34 min•Ep. 266
He's joined us as a guest before, talking about his experiences playing major junior hockey for his hometown team, what it was like coming back to that hometown after being traded to North Bay, and how he flourished in Windsor before returning home to end his junior career as a Kitchener Ranger. But Tyler Ertel's story does not end there. After watching his sons grow into OHL players themselves, Ertel is back in the game, coming off a championship season coaching U16 and now joining the coaching...
Sep 05, 2023•18 min•Ep. 265
Another new face added to the bench in Kitchener, and there's nothing new in Niagara as the trade window opens but we throw the Ice Dogs a bone anyway. Plus, Joe Thornton Day in the OHL, Canada (and the OHL) shines at the Hlinka, and calling our shot early as to who might be a formidable foe for the London Knights in the Western Conference this season.
Aug 11, 2023•33 min•Ep. 264
There's been an awful lot of coaching movement in the OHL this summer, and none bigger than two head coaching hires in the Western Conference. So, Farwell and Dan knew it was time to come in from the beach and chat a little junior hockey. Along with coaching movement, we mourn some league losses, look ahead at international tournaments, and pay a little homage to the guy who will call Game Number 3000 in the OHL this season.
Jul 25, 2023•38 min•Ep. 263
Once again, the OHL leads the way in players selected to the NHL from the Canadian Hockey League. We break down the picks in our final episode before a summer break, including some names that were called later than we expected. Plus, with movement in the NHL, plenty of former OHL'ers are finding new homes. Less than 90 days until the season opens... The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending .
Jul 04, 2023•42 min•Ep. 262
One of my favourite parts about working in the OHL is the people I meet along the way, and scouts are some of the best. They're travelling the same roads to the same cities at the same crazy hours and, after a while, it's like seeing family. There's just something about the idea that you're all out there together, playing your own role in the game. So, as we present our last feature interview before a 2023 summer break, why not have a member of that extended family join us? After all, as we anxi...
Jun 28, 2023•39 min•Ep. 261
Forget the regular season and even the Memorial Cup, what we're really playing for in major junior is the chance to climb the professional sports ladder. As fans, we also like to test our own personal scouting skills and see where our favourite players get selected in the OHL. So, with the draft now just hours away, here's your preview. Plus, coaches climbing the pro sports ladder, the OHL develops another future front-office pro, and some big news out of the GOJHL. The OHL Podcast is presented ...
Jun 27, 2023•50 min•Ep. 260
He was a "too-small" forward who went in the 9th round to the Soo. But he impressed the Hounds enough at rookie camp that he was signed by the following Christmas before embarking on a 300-plus point OHL career. Rob Hisey would go on to play for the Erie Otters and the Barrie Colts en route to a 14-year pro career that included a championship in Austria. And Hisey's legend lives on, online. Just pop his name into YouTube and see unthinkable goals like this from the OHL's skills competition in 20...
Jun 23, 2023•41 min•Ep. 259
Finally, some intelligence on this podcast! Dan and Mike has some fun with AI but not before talking about a slick coaching move for Saginaw, celebrating Stanley Cup winners, and listing our favourite NHL draft eligible prospects of this past season.
Jun 20, 2023•34 min•Ep. 258
An OHL captain who played for legends like Larry Mavety and Lou Crawford. A 2nd rounder to the LA Kings. And, most importantly, a member of the only championship team in Belleville Bulls history ... even though he was never supposed to play for the team. While his pro career didn't turn out the way he expected, Justin Papineau has no regrets. He's also got a hockey bag full of stories to share this week. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending ....
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 257
The OHL trade window opens and the first team to jump through should surprise no one. Plus, Dan and Mike discuss the pipeline to the pros that goes beyond players and coaches and also debate the goals of a major junior hockey team -- is it winning championships, or feeding the NHL and Hockey Canada with talent? Then, it's our four top performers of the season (forward, defence, goaltender, and rookie). We didn't really pick the same forward, did we? The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goa...
Jun 13, 2023•40 min•Ep. 256
Former radio executive. Family man. OHL owner. We get our first view from the owner's box on The OHL Podcast, as current Otters owner Jim Waters joins us for a chat. From his bloodied introduction to the team to his competitive streak and his philosophy on running a hockey team, we cover all the ground with Waters, including a look back on one of Canada's greatest broadcasting legacies. Anyone who knows the legendary 1050 CHUM will enjoy this for more than just the hockey talk. The OHL Podcast i...
Jun 09, 2023•56 min•Ep. 255
The drought in The Dub continues, the captain of the Petes gives us the interview we've all been waiting for, Dan and Mike climb onto their soapboxes, and did things actually just get worse in Niagara? We've got you covered on this post-championship podcast. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending .
Jun 06, 2023•31 min•Ep. 254
From inside the league offices to on the road to create the film that captures a century of Memorial Cup, few have seen junior hockey from as many angles as Aaron Bell. He was a big part in getting the OHL's draft online, even staging his own apartment as the back-up connection in case things went sideways. He helped to establish OHL Images and, to this day, many photos from the game will still have Bell's watermark on them. Oh, and he's a Belleville native who can tell the hockey history of the...
Jun 02, 2023•56 min•Ep. 253
It's been a tough go for the Peterborough Petes so far at the Memorial Cup. The guys talk about that, plus a perceived Western bias that may make some think the WHL is a stronger league than it truly is, why the NHL Department of Player Safety has its nose in major junior hockey, and how close we came to nearly two dozen former OHL'ers in the Stanley Cup Final. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending .
May 30, 2023•32 min•Ep. 252
It's not often that you get such a candid conversation with someone so recently removed from the game. But that's what you get with Connor Crisp, who was forced due to injury to retire from hockey at 24 (just six years ago). We talk about that injury (a concussion), his still-unapologetic love for fighting, the challenge of moving to another country at just 16 years old, and the most infamous night of his hockey career -- when the power forward was called upon as an emergency back-up goalie. You...
May 26, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 251
For the 10th time in franchise history, the Peterborough Petes are OHL champs. They've got a pretty solid track record of making it to the Memorial Cup Final when they do make the tournament, but winning the championship is another story. As much fun as this Petes playoff run has been, we can't overlook the team that Peterborough beat because if you think London was a pain this year, just wait. Also, are the Hunters NHL-bound, what is a penalty box attendant supposed to do, and our final Perform...
May 23, 2023•35 min•Ep. 250
Do you like winning? Then you'll like Ryan Lindsay. He won an OHL championship and followed it up with a USports title, an international prize, and a pro trophy. Oh, and he did it all in five years. Lindsay also played for a laundry list of legendary coaches and he once was part of a Memorial Cup prank played on -- of all people -- Commissioner David Branch. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending .
May 19, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 249
Two things have already happened to the London Knights in the OHL Final that had not yet happened to them in the playoffs -- they've lost a game on home ice, and they're trailing a series. We've got ourselves a dandy going, so naturally we break it down a bit. Plus, can an abundance of caution negatively impact a championship series? We'll also go deep into the Inbox to respond to your flood of emails following the fallout in Niagara, and our Performers of the Week are featured. The OHL Podcast ...
May 16, 2023•38 min•Ep. 248
He's got one of the most fascinating Hockey DB pages in the game. He won a Memorial Cup with Oshawa, coached with Guelph, won a championship in the IHL, and played more than 100 NHL games with eight NHL teams. That's right, eight. He's okay being tagged as a "suitcase" because he doesn't have a single regret for a single move. Well, except maybe the one out of Oshawa when he just couldn't bear the idea of playing second fiddle to another star centre. And that's just one of the stories you'll get...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 247
We're feeling like stern parents who have to give the OHL a proper scolding but, well, when a scolding is warranted, it should be delivered. Farwell is particularly frustrated this week, for reasons you'll hear. And it's too bad the cloud of controversy overshadows two very good championship series' ... but we'll talk about those as well. Plus, our unanimous choice for OHL champ and our Performers of the Week. Plenty for your ears as we head into the Final. The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt S...
May 09, 2023•48 min•Ep. 246
