The Hockey Think Tank Podcast

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on our Uncle Tim...Tim Scott.  Uncle Tim has a lot of different opinions on hockey development and we're excited to have him on to debate them.  Cross ice vs. Full ice...Structure vs. Letting them play, we have a great back and forth while also talking about our experiences in the game.  Uncle Tim has been coaching hockey at the youngest levels for over 20 years and has a lot of opinions on the game...and isn't afraid to share them! On this podcast, we bring you inside the Scott Family holiday party hockey conversations! As always, thank you to our title sponsor GelStx. If you'd like to purchase the top training stick in the game...go to gelstx.com and use the promo code "THINKTANK" to receive a discount on your order. Thank you to everyone tuning in as well, we appreciate your support for our podcast!! *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on former tough guy for the St. Louis Blues, Reed Low.  Here is his roster of players that he went toe-to-toe with in his career: Probert. Domi. Larocque. McCarty. Brashear. Fedoruk. Stock. Manson. Worrell. Godard. Parker. Downey. Dingman...that's a pretty heavy list and it's only the half of it. We have a great discussion on Reed's role as an enforcer, protector, glue guy, and how that role played such a big part in his teams' successes. We also talk about the role of fighting in the game today. It's a spirited discussion to say the least, and brings incredible perspective into a topic so hotly debated in the hockey world. Reed is an unreal guy, and you're sure to laugh a lot, think a lot, and reflect a lot during this episode.  As always, thank you to everyone for tuning in, and thank you to our title sponsor GelStx for your support as well. If you're looking for a great training aid to help your shot, go to gelstx.com and enter the promo code "THINKTANK" for a discount on your next stick. *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, Jeff and Topher do things a little bit differently and go IN DEPTH on the power play and penalty kill.  It's an awesome conversation that dissects what makes each successful, what makes players on each successful, and the different habits and skills that are important in each game situation.  Thank you to everyone that tunes in, and we hope you enjoy this talk on special teams! And as always, thank you to our title sponsor, GelStx. Go to gelstx.com and use the promo code "THINKTANK" for a discount on your next order! *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on Jon Lounsbury...one of the harder working guys we know in hockey. He is a skills coach in the Boston area along with being a Volunteer Assistant Coach at Division One Holy Cross and a Partner with our title sponsor, GelStx Sports.  This was an awesome conversation where we get into a lot of great hockey topics. Here's a sneak peek: 24:05 – Power of community. 28:35 – What’s wrong with youth hockey in Boston? 44:00 – Switching positions at the college level. 48:00 – Is Tier 3 junior hockey a money grab? 56:15 – Benefits of playing an extra year of junior hockey. 1:01:50 – Thinking about the game differently through analogies 1:10:15 – How GelStx formed and how it can transform your shot. As always, we want to thank all of you for tuning in to the podcast...if you think it will help someone else in the hockey world please share and help to spread the positivity.  If you also would like to purchase a training stick from GelStx, visit GelStx.com and put in the promo code "thinktank" for a discount! *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on certified nutritionist and owner of nutritional company, Kelly’s Choice…Kelly Springer. This was an unreal conversation on the power of nutrition, not just for your health but for performance too.  We cover… 14:35 – The overall power of nutrition 19:30 – Knowing where are food comes from and knowing how to read labels 30:35 – Food testing 34:00 – Advice for families on the go that may not have time to cook big, healthy meals 38:00 – How to make smoothies 41:00 – A great discussion on sugar 43:15 – When you eat for athlete performance 46:50 – Are probiotics beneficial? 50:55 – How to buy and do research on supplements 53:10 – How important is hydration? 56:35 – Is Gatorade good or bad for us? 1:04:25 – What should athletes be eating before and after performance? 1:09:50 – What’s the deal with plant based diets? Thank you again to all our listeners, and if you can, please leave us some feedback in a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts! We also want to thank the sponsor for our podcast, GelStx…go to gelstx.com and get the top training stick on the market right now with a discount if you use the promo code “thinktank”. *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on women's professional hockey player Alyssa Gagliardi.  Alyssa has literally won a championship at every level she's played...including a National Championship at Shattuck St. Mary's, 4 Nations Cup with USA Hockey, 3 ECAC Championships with Cornell, a CWHL Championship with the Boston Blades, an NWHL Championship with the Boston Pride...and now she is giving back as well to the hockey community in her hometown of Raleigh NC with her AG2 Hockey Camps.  She currently is on the "Dream Gap" tour with other high level women's players promoting the game.  We had some great topics on this podcast episode, including: 25:10 - Playing Girls vs. Boys hockey growing up. 30:20 - Playing at National Powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary’s (she had a class with Nathan MacKinnon. 37:35 - The recruiting process to college hockey for girls hockey players. 42:05 - The incredible culture turnaround at Cornell. 45:05 The importance of experience in hockey (we discussed what's going on in San Jose & Toronto). 53:00 - Playing professional womens hockey. 55:25 - The inspiration of Denna Laing. 58:20 - The state of Pro Hockey for women today. 1:03:15 - Sexism in hockey, at multiple levels. We want to thank all of the listeners of this podcast, and we want to thank GelStx, the official sponsor of the Hockey Think Tank podcast.  Go to gelstx.com and enter the promo code "thinktank" to get a reduced price on their training sticks. *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast we bring on one of the top young players in the NHL, Alex Tuch.  Al has had a great young career that spanned the USA NTDP, 2 years at Boston College, a first round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild, and now playing a pivotal role for the Vegas Golden Knights.  This was an incredible conversation into the mind of an elite hockey player, and here were a few of the highlights: 25:10 - Growing up playing against older competition in NY. 33:10 - The ups and downs of playing for the National Team Development Program 37:45 - Playing on a line with Jack Eichel 47:40 - His time playing at Boston College and choosing BC over Cornell! 58:00 - A few great Auston Matthews stories and his experience at Darryl Belfry's 88 summit over the summer. 1:07:10 - The magical run for Vegas to the Stanley Cup finals as an expansion team. This podcast is sponsored by GELSTX...which is not the official training aid of The Hockey Think Tank podcast! Go to gelstx.com and enter the coupon code "thinktank" to receive a discount on training sticks used by top programs including the Tuchy's NTDP! We really enjoyed this conversation and are confident that you will too. Thank you for tuning into the podcast, we appreciate it!  *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on VP of Development for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Joe Birch.  This was an awesome, really informative conversation on a wide range of topics, including: 12:36 - Importance of SLOWING DOWN the youth hockey process 14:30 - Parents, coaches, or entrepreneurs...who's driving youth hockey crazy? 20:50 - How do parents get educated about the process? 26:45 - The foundation of teaching in hockey 30:40 - Birchy's roles and responsibilities with the OHL 35:55 - OHL education packages 49:55 - Advice for parents and players in their minor midget draft years for the OHL and USHL 57:00 - Advice for parents and players for what to do after their draft years *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on Assistant Coach of American International College, Steve Wiedler.  Steve comes on to talk about their storybook season last year, going from NCAA basement to winning not only their league regular season and playoff titles, but also upending #1 team in the country St. Cloud in the NCAA Tournament.  Here are some the highlights: 30:35 - The process to becoming an NCAA Coach 37:40 - Growing up training with Russian coaches and how they got the best out of us 44:15 - Playing in Knoxville in the SPHL 51:30 - How AIC changed the culture (they coached to the culture) and became a champion 1:02:00 - Recruiting mentally tough players *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)    

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on multiple time Stanley Cup Champion, Colin Fraser.  Colin won Cups with both Chicago and LA as a defensive forward who was awesome on the PK and one of the best guy in the business in the room.  Here are a few of the highlights from the conversation:   25:45 - What it was like playing for both Brent and Darryl Sutter 38:00 - Winning a World Junior Gold Medal for Team Canada 44:35 - Winning Stanley Cups with two teams (Chicago and LA) with differing styles of play 50:15 - The camaraderie of the Blackhawks team that won in 2010 (and how crazy the celebration was afterwards) 58:15 - Colin explains his "Make em Pay" growl... 1:04:55 - A great conversation about habits on the penalty kill 1:11:20 - Colin discusses a new venture he's working with, scoolu.com. Colin is known as an unbelievable teammate and that shines through in the episode.  You don't win 3 Stanley Cup without it!! Thank you to everyone that has tuned in, if you like the conversations please shoot us a rating and review on your podcast app and share with those in the hockey world you think would take something out of it.  Have a great week! *Opening music: Forget the Whale - Take to the Skies (Instrumental)