Pucked in the Head

Russell and Jason discuss the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, warts and all. The States didn’t show up until it mattered, when they put beatdowns upon the Germans and Japanese. Do we have to like Wambach, Solo and Leroux? No. Do we have to live with the fact that they’re the class of the joint when it comes … Continue reading Episode 071: The dirty rotten stinkin’ Americans totally deserved to win the Women’s World Cup →

Russell and Jason go with off-season hockey for episode 70: mostly Canucks stuff, but we throw some Brandon Saad and Phil Kessel in there for good measure. Bonus CanCon with Trooper hitting up the outro track. Introduction Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway Scars, plasma and exposed dermis, oh my! Canucks bleeding out Sell … Continue reading Episode 070: the Canucks are bleeding out →

John Stewart guests in our second baseball episode. We talk the back side of the ball in this, the 69th episode of Pucked in the Head. • Introduction • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway • Mike Zunino can’t hit but he frames pitches like a master • Paxton designed Zunino’s mitt • Robinson Cano … Continue reading Episode 069: The back side of the ball →

Russell and Jason wax poetic on the beautiful game, specifically with respect to the Vancouver Whitecaps upcoming six-week road swing. • Introduction • Thanks John • Whitecaps take a loooooong road trip • Want to be an MLS referee? Your fraud charge is no problem! • Whitecaps got jobbed in Colorado • Even the Rapids thought it … Continue reading Episode 68: the last Whitecaps home match for six weeks →

Russell and Jason wax poetic on a range of hockey topics, from Mike Babcock’s monster contract to Brian Burke’s monster ego and Ilya Kovalchuk’s monster cajones. • Introduction • Pop Tart Girl by the Orchid Highway • The Russians have left the ice • McKayla is unimpressed with Ilya Kovalchuk • Kudos to Alex Ovechkin • … Continue reading Episode 67: Babcock, Russians and Brian Burke’s ego →

Jason sits down with John Stewart, Pucked in the Head’s official baseball correspondent in the Emerald City. Music this episode by Vancouver-based rockers The Matinée. Introduction John Stewart, ladies and gentlemen John’s shower is a puzzle worthy of Perseus himself A quick trip in the way back machine Dave Niehaus, the Jim Robson of baseball Felix … Continue reading Episode 66: Mariners talk, round one →

Russell and Jason, awash in the euphoria of another Whitecaps home win, record under the dome at BC Place. • Steve Ewen bumper • Russell was conceived to A Flock of Seagulls • The Whitecaps should beat the Union • Robbo concedes his side should have won this game • This is why Edmonton can’t have nice … Continue reading Episode 65: Whitecaps atop the MLS table →

Pucked in the Head records under the dome of BC Place after a Whitecaps win, and the boys discuss the after effects of Jason’s first-ever full marathon. • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway • Recording under the big roof • 42.2km is a looooong way • People along the route are quite lovely • Be … Continue reading Episode 64: Hating every minute of it →

Russell and Jason queue up a little of the beautiful game — specifically a review of the impressive start to the Vancouver Whitecaps 2015 MLS campaign. • Exploding intros • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway • Pedro likes to doff the jersey, doesn’t he • Laba gets too handsy for our taste • … Continue reading Episode 63: We’re Blue, We’re White →

A tough week for Vancouver sports fans, as the Canucks, Whitecaps and Stealth all lose on home turf. Is there light at the end of the rainy, oil-slicked tunnel? • Introduction • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway • Vancouver Canucks: plosion guards extraordinaires • Russell sucks at basketball brackets • The Canucks outperformed expectations … Continue reading Episode 62: A little Help! for the Sedins →

After unanimously anointing the Vancouver Canucks as round two participants in the last podcast — thereby sending the Calgary Flames into the wasteland of central Alberta golf courses — Russell and Jason break down the seven remaining series. • Shoddy math • Next World by the Orchid Highway • Arbuthnit? Arbuthnet? Arbuth… Russell, anyway • The Seven Deadly … Continue reading Episode 61: Round One Chatter →

It’s playoff time, so we put on our tin foil hats and go a-prognosticatin’. This episode is just Vancouver versus Calgary. We predict a Canucks win. What a shocker. • Intro • Raunchy Harmonica by Harpdog Brown • Compound nouns • Are you trapped in your car? • Cream cheese • Canucks v Flames • Shaming … Continue reading Episode 60 – Canucks vs Flames →

Pat Quinn, may he rest in peace, leaves a massive, Irish imprint upon our community, having changed the course of franchises at the professional, junior and minor levels of hockey in Vancouver. Russell and Jason discuss the big man and give him one last tip of the Pucked in the Head hat. I dig out … Continue reading Episode 59 – The PatQuast →

We introduce One-Timers, a new podcast segment wherein Pucked in the Head talks about several timely topics in the news, then promptly takes a week to post the episode to iTunes. • Intro • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway • Jason can’t skate • Milos Raonic unlocks the Beat Rafa Nadal badge • … Continue reading Episode 58 – One-timers →

A podcast episode in which Rusell and Jason ride the peanut butter mullet wave of Jaromir Jagr’s career into a discussion of the Canucks, ex-Canucks and Canucks that never were. • Introduction • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway • False start / Rubber Ducky • Jaromir Jagr’s 8th NHL team • Holy hairstyles, … Continue reading Episode 57 — The peanut butter mullet, a do as old as time →

Russell & I trade semi-researched factoids for the second time in short order, getting into John Tortorella’s recent soul searching on Tampa radio. In an attempt to show something reminiscent of range, we stretch into Davis Cup tennis and trade two dozen words in French. • Intro • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway • … Continue reading Episode 56 – Torts, Milos, French girls & grapefruit →

Now with more fibre! Pucked in the Head rises from the dead, groans uncomfortably and attempts to bite your brain to death before you deliver the all-important head shot takedown.  The NHL watched carefully, strategizing the zombification of the World Cup of Hockey. Sports poet Russell Arbuthnot sits in the big chair, but Jason Kurylo … Continue reading Pucked in the Head Podcast – Episode 55 →

It’s here at last: episode 54 of the podcast, in which Chris and Jason discuss the most egregious omissions from Team Canada men’s hockey rosters, from 1972 right through to the 2014 Olympic team. Sadly, we neglected to include the sublime Tessa Bonhomme, whose sudden dismissal from the 2014 women’s squad sent shock waves through … Continue reading The Top Team Canada Snubs of All Time →

Here’s episode 53 of the Pucked in the Head podcast, in which Chris admits to having “pale delicate skin that blisters easily” but makes up for it by calling Jason out on several vocabulary errors. Oh, and we also talk hockey. As many of you have observed, Chris and I don’t have much of a … Continue reading Podcast 053: A Day Late & a Dollar Short →

Jason & Chris examine the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and somehow wind up talking about Derek Roy and the Canucks. Along the way, they utilize as many metaphors as you can shake a dead horse at. Or something. Episode 52: Leafs & Habs & Midgets, oh my! • Intro • Sofa Surfer Girl / Regularity … Continue reading Podcast: Leafs & Habs & Midgets, oh my! →

Chris & Jason discuss the midseason surprises of the shortened 2013 NHL season, and wonder if the window has perhaps shut early on the Vancouver Canucks wündercore assembled by Mike Gillis & predecessors Brian Burke & Dave Nonis. They also wave buh-bye to the Vancouver Giants, whose season ends without playoffs for the first time … Continue reading Episode 51: Habs, Ducks & Lacklustre Canucks →

Can you believe it? We’ve finally made 50 of these damned podcasts. Half a century of Pucked in the Head. We yak about old guys, young guys, rule changes that should have been, and other fanboy wank. Jason hasn’t had his morning coffee, so in the course of today’s podcast, he threatens to drop the gloves … Continue reading Episode 50! The Uncaffeinated Rage Edition →

Jason and Chris dance around the line between blogger and journalist. Just how much fanboy should creep into a blogger’s actions should they garner media accreditation — partial or full — with the teams they cover? Listen after the jump, or hit us up on iTunes. • Introduction • Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid … Continue reading Episode 49 – Jason’s Questionable Ethics →

Chris wears a shirt that is destined for ugly jersey greatness, offers to help cheer your opponents into oblivion, and makes an inappropriate comment about his ancestors. Jason is his usual smug, snickering self, but he scores a few points for adding some of Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven” into the opening of the … Continue reading Episode 48 – What Lockout? →

With loads of people complaining about “NO HOCKEY”, Chris and I decided to talk about the options that abound for puck-crazed fans to scratch the itch left by Gary Bettman and his immovable shitshow. Along the way we tackle the disaster that replacement players would present, and Chris makes several points that I have no … Continue reading Episode 47 — Of Tears and Children and Lockouts →

In an unprecedented show of ambition, Pucked in the Head is today releasing its second podcast episode in as many weeks. This is sure to prove to be an unsustainable production level, so get in while you can! In a desperate, and mostly unsuccessful attempt to keep on time and on topic, we’ve modeled this … Continue reading Episode 46 – Pardon The Interruption →

After way, way, WAY too long, we at Pucked In The Head have finally found the time to not only record, but actually edit a podcast and upload it to the server. Yes, thank you. We’re a little out of practice, so forgive us as we get a little ranty about the current NHL labour … Continue reading Episode 45 – When Millionaires Fight Billionaires →

No matter which team you like best, there’s a special feeling that precedes a big matchup against their biggest rival. This year, people around the hockey world stopped to watch the Vancouver Canucks battle the Boston Bruins in a one-game rematch of last year’s injury-filled Stanley Cup final. But as much as the Bs and … Continue reading Pucked in the Head 44: Top 7 Rivalries of All Time, Part 1 →

As Boston Bruins resident spelling “champian” Brad Marchand prepares to return from his 5-game suspension for clipping Sami Salo, Chris Withers and Jason Kurylo gather a slew of four-letter words to dis #63. Chris probably sums it up best: “Hey Brad Marchand: Stop being such a f*cking douche.” For reference, here’s a link to Brendan … Continue reading Episode 43 – Brad Marchand is a douche →

Never afraid to be late to the party, Jason and I tackle the no-longer-recent topic of NHL realignment. Happy Holidays to all our listeners, and we’ll try and be a little more timely in the new year. NHL Realignment Opening Theme – Sofa Surfer Girl by The Orchid Highway Bye bye, Minnesota! Conference Outline Schedule … Continue reading Episode 42 – NHL Realignment →

In one of the most bizarre sequences you’ll ever see in hockey, the Philadelphia Flyers recently showed the NHL and the world exactly what the Tampa Bay Lightning are all about: boring neutral zone traps. Jason and I talk a bit about how the league could change its rules to prevent this from happening in … Continue reading Episode 41 – Solving The Trap →

When David Booth came to town, we fans of sports nicknames rejoiced. Surely a 20-something fledgling scorer with that name coming to a team that plays in a stadium named for a telecommunications company would have a clever pseudonym. Think of it: David “The Operator” Booth. David “Long Distance” Booth. Hell, even something that displays lateral thinking … Continue reading Episode 40 – Top 7 Canuck Nicknames of All Time, Part II →

The Northeast Division is one hell of a dogfight just about every single year. This season should be no exception, as the Sabres and Bruins duke it out for the division title while the Habs and Leafs fight for the final playoff spot. Ottawa? Well, someone’s gotta be a fifth wheel I guess. Introduction Sofa … Continue reading Episode 39 – Let’s look at the Northeast Division →

With fighting very much in the NHL fan’s collective consciousness right now, Jason and Chris weigh in on whether the dinosaurs who say the Canucks are pussies are right. Spoiler: they aren’t. The Canucks are “soft”, apparently. Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway The void in Chris’ skull. B-Mac angry! The role of fighting … Continue reading Episode 38 – On Thuggery →

Warm, sunny destinations! California! Phoenix! (For one more year, anyway.) Dallas! (They’re on the Atlantic, not the Pacific, but the NHL does hockey, not geography.) It’s Pucked in the Head’s 2011-12 Pacific Division preview, in which we utterly fail to convey the magnitude of the Dallas Stars’ 2012 suckage! The Pacific Division Sofa Surfer Girl … Continue reading Episode 37 – Pacific Division Preview →

Original Six powerhouses! Nouveau expansion also-rans! And the St Louis Blues! It’s Pucked in the Head’s 2011-12 Central Division preview – complete with a pre-season chat with Nashville Predators expert Buddy Oakes from Preds on the Glass!. Introduction Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway Welcome back, Chris. Momentary gear geek-out. The Central Division. The dirty … Continue reading Episode 36 – Central Division Preview →

In this year’s series of NHL division previews, we start with the Southeast Division, home of two of the league’s most prolific scorers. Introduction Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway Let’s start with the Jets. The new Jets logo/jersey situation. RIP Rick Rypien The Jets on the ice. The Washington Capitals The Tampa Bay … Continue reading Episode 35 – Southeast Division →

From August 26th to September 5th, 2011, an amazing group of forty women will be playing hockey continuously in an attempt to set the Guinness world record for the longest hockey game ever played. The record will be broken around 10:00am on Labour Day. We challenge you to get down to Burnaby 8-Rinks and, whether … Continue reading Episode 34 – Longest Game 4 CF →

Over a month after the Boston Bruins quite literally broke the Vancouver Canucks’ back – well, okay, one of their backs, anyway – Chris Withers is still bitter about the whole thing. We decided to get together to shoot the breeze anyway. Introduction Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway Shooting the Off-Season Shit The … Continue reading Episode 33 – Shooting the Off-Season Shit →

Pucked in the Head is so giddy about seeing the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup final, they were barely able to contain themselves long enough to put together a podcast prior to Game 1. But here it is, in all its season-ending glory, with a few jokes about severed fingers and Japanese monster movies … Continue reading Episode 32 – 2011 Stanley Cup Final predictions →

The Canucks have no decent nicknames at the moment, unless you count Sami Salo’s Balls of Steel. With guests Kennedy Goodkey and Rob Tarzwell, we look back over the forty years of team history to discuss the best nicknames in Vancouver Canucks history. Here’s part one. Intro by the Orchid Highway Top Seven Canuck Nicknames … Continue reading Episode 31 – Top 7 Canuck Nicknames – Part 1 →

The Vancouver Canucks are the first team in the expansion era to lead the NHL in both goals for and goals against. Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross trophy, and they won the Presidents’ Trophy going away. Will that push them through to their first Stanley Cup? Pucked in the Head explores the first round … Continue reading Episode 30 – 2011 Round 1: WC Predictions →

Every year, we try to wrap our pretty little heads around the playoff picture. We fail miserably, but we hope you’ll enjoy listening to us devolve into grunting, excrement-flinging monopods during this 20-minute chat anyway. Intro Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway 2011 Playoffs #1 Washington vs #8 NY Rangers #2 Philadelphia vs #7 … Continue reading Episode 29 – 2011 Round 1: EC Predictions →

Hockey fans are everywhere. One at a time, we’ll bring them to you. Here is Pucked in the Head’s first episode of… Interview with a Fangirl. Ridiculous Intro Sofa Surfer Girl – The Orchid Highway Cathy Chuchro – AKA @KeslerGirl Time for a Change – The Orchid Highway Introduction to a Fangirl Cathy Chuchro Defense Shoots right … Continue reading Episode 28 – Interview with a Fangirl – Cathy Chuchro, a.k.a. @KeslerGirl →

In our latest foray into the wonderful world of hockey-themed tuneage, Jason and Jamie dissect the famousest (yes) hockey ditty of all: The Hockey Song by Stompin’ Tom Connors. Want a new drinking game? Take a sip whenever Jamie says “Golden Mean of Songwriting” during this episode of Pucked in the Head. Intro Who the … Continue reading Episode 27 – The Hockey Song →

As regular listeners of this podcast will be well aware, we at Pucked in the Head believe that life isn’t solely about hockey. It’s also, occasionally, about hockey music. Here is the third chapter in our look at excellent hockey-related music. Today we ponder, peruse and play… (I Feel Like) Gerry Cheevers by Chixdiggit. Intro … Continue reading Episode 26 – I Feel Like Gerry Cheevers →

Continuing our look at the best hockey nicknames of all time, we bring you the best nicknames that didn’t play goal or for the Canucks. Intro Sofa Surfer Girl by the Orchid Highway An ode to old-timey nicknames. Top 5 Skater Nicknames of All Time #5 – “Captain Serious” #4 – “Cyclone” #3 – “The … Continue reading Episode 25 – Top Five Skater Nicknames of All Time →

The Canucks recent callup of Lee Sweatt, dubbed “Rudy” by his new teammates, reminded us of the dearth of good nicknames in hockey today. To spur on the creativity of today’s NHL players, here’s some examples of great hockey nicknames. And this is just the goalies! Intro / theme by the Orchid Highway Top Seven … Continue reading Episode 24 – Top Seven Goalie Nicknames of All Time →

Keeping up the age-old tradition, “If Kevin Weekes can do it, why can’t we?”, Chris and Jason cobbled together some opinions and rugged good looks to create our very own show. The result? Broadcasting gold. And so we bring you Episode 23 of Pucked in the Head: Mid-Season Trophies Mid-season reflection Intro Sofa Surfer Girl … Continue reading Episode 23 – Mid-season reflections →

Since we recorded this podcast, the Canucks have followed up their remarkable 20-game undefeated streak by getting shut out twice in four games. Even carrot-top himself, Cory Schneider, lost two in regulation. Still, our boys are tied for first in the league, and sit atop the Western Conference. Our observations about team chemistry on ice, … Continue reading Episode 22 – Canucks in top spot at the halfway mark →

At Pucked in the Head, we believe there’s more to life than just hockey. There’s also hockey music. We’re here to talk about a little Canadian band called Rheostatics. Intro Rheostatics Dave Bidini – Tropic of Hockey who are the Rheostatics anyway? The Ballad of Wendell Clark That’s a wrap Time For a Change by … Continue reading Episode 21 – The Ballad of Wendel Clark →