Puck Yeah – PUCK YEAH!

A Kiwi guide to watching hockey at the Winter Olympics

Sat, 10 Feb 2018 03:01:01 +0000

With a spectacular opening ceremony behind us that celebrated the idea of humans and technology living together in peace and harmony, while uniting the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and South Korea under the one flag of Korea, it’s time for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

It’s already been four years since Sochi and now it’s PyeongChang’s turn to play host to some of the world’s best athletes in ski, snow and ice sports. Despite what feels like a more subdued build up than previous Olympiads, we’re most excited about the ice hockey.

It will be the first time Olympic hockey has been played in an Asian nation since professional players were introduced for men’s hockey at the 1998 Nagano games in Japan. Two decades later, the NHL won’t be sending their players but there’s still plenty of “good pros” around representing their country. Many of whom have years of NHL experience but are now continuing their careers in the European leagues, the KHL, or the American Hockey League.

Women’s hockey also made its Olympic debut in Nagano and their game is stronger than ever as professional leagues like the CWHL continue to grow.

Team USA Hockey before the Opening Ceremony at PyeongChang2018. Photo: @usahockey, Twitter

HOW DOES IT WORK?

For the men’s tournament there are 12 teams divided into three groups. After three preliminary games, the top four teams made up of the winner from each group plus the second-place team with the best record automatically qualify to play in the quarterfinals. The remaining teams must play a qualifier (5th v 12th, 6th v 11th, 7th v 10th, 8th v 9th) with the winners going through to the quarters.

As for the women, it’s a little different. Eight teams are split into Group A (Canada, USA, Finland, Olympic Athletes from Russia) and Group B (Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Korea). With Group A featuring a tougher draw the first and second placed teams after preliminary play will qualify directly for the semifinals, while the other two teams must play the top-two from Group B in the quarterfinals. Not too confusing, right?

Like many things in hockey, the rules on deciding a winner can vary for different levels of the game. Here’s how it breaks down for PyeongChang:

Both tournaments will award 3 points for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime or shootout win, a single pity point for an overtime/shootout defeat, and no points for a regulation loss. So yes, there is overtime AND shootouts but that changes depending on the game.

If a preliminary games isn’t decided in regulation there will a five-minute overtime of three-on-three hockey followed by a shootout of five shooters each, while any elimination game (aside from the gold medal game) will play ten minutes of 4-on-4 overtime plus shootout if needed. Overtime extends to a full period of 4-on-4 for the gold medal game, and if that’s not enough to decide the Olympic champions, then it all comes down to the shootout. You can expect some great sporting drama if we see many one-on-ones.

For the shootout, international hockey does it with five shooters a side, rather than the three you see in NHL play. Speaking of the NHL, those coach’s challenges for off-side and goalie interference that we all love so much are also present at the Winter Olympics.

Team Korea practicing ahead of the Olympic tournament. Photo: AP

GET THOSE SNACKS READY

Not all games will be live and free to air on Prime, but you can expect most, if not all, to be live on Sky Sport with six pop-up channels for the Olympics.

Here’s the Puck Yeah guide to watching hockey at PyeongChang2018 with all times displayed in New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT). Times and details are subject to change by the official broadcaster – be sure to check this article regularly for updates.

Saturday, February 10: Women’s preliminaries
Japan v Sweden, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 2 (Sky56)
Switzerland v Korea, 1:10am (Sunday) on Olympic Pop-up 6 (Sky260)

Sunday, February 11: Women’s prelims
Finland v USA, 8:40pm on Sky Sport 4 (Sky54)
Canada v Olympic Athletes from Russia, 1:10am (Monday) on Olympic Pop-up 4 (Sky58)

Monday, February 12: Women’s prelims
Switzerland v Japan, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 1 (Sky55)
Sweden v Korea, 1:10am (Tuesday) on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)

Tuesday, February 13: Women’s prelims
Canada v Finland, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 3 (Sky57)
USA v Olympic Athletes from Russia, 1:10am (Wednesday) on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)

Wednesday, February 14: Men’s & women’s prelims
W: Sweden v Switzerland, 4:10pm on Sky Sport 4 (Sky54)
W: Korea v Japan, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 2 (Sky56)
M: Slovakia v Olympic Athletes from Russia, 1:10am (Thursday) on Olympic Pop-up 3 (Sky57)
M: USA v Slovenia, 1:10am (Thursday) on Olympic Pop-up 6 (Sky260)

Thursday, February 15: Men’s & women’s prelims
M: Finland v Germany, 4:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)
W: USA v Canada, 4:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 6 (Sky260)
M: Norway v Sweden, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 2 (Sky56)
W: Olympic Athletes from Russia v Finland, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 6 (Sky260)
M: Czech Republic v South Korea, 1:10am (Friday) on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)
M: Switzerland v Canada, 1:10am (Friday) on Sky Sport 4 (Sky54)

Friday, February 16: Men’s prelims
USA v Slovakia, 4:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 6 (Sky260)
Olympic Athletes from Russia v Slovenia, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 1 (Sky55)
Finland v Norway, 1:10am (Saturday) on Olympic Pop-up 4 (Sky58)
Sweden v Germany, 1:10am (Saturday) delayed on Olympic Pop-up 2 at approximately 1:30am (Sky56)

Saturday, February 17: Men’s prelims & women’s quarterfinals
M: Canada v Czech Republic, 4:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 4 (Sky58)
W: First quarterfinal – Olympic Athletes from Russia v Switzerland, 4:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)
M: South Korea v Switzerland, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 2 (Sky56)
W: Second quarterfinal – Finland v Sweden, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)
M: Olympic Athletes from Russia v USA, 1:10am (Sunday) on Olympic Pop-up 6 (Sky260)
M: Slovenia v Slovakia, 1:10am (Sunday) delayed on Olympic Pop-up 2 at approximately 1:20am (Sky56)

Sunday, February 18: Men’s prelims & women’s classifications
M: Germany v Norway, 4:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 4 (Sky58)
W: 5-8 Classifications – Switzerland v Korea, 4:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)
M: Czech Republic v Switzerland, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 1 (Sky55)
W: 5-8 Classifications – Sweden v Japan, 8:40pm on Olympic Pop-up 5 (Sky259)
M: Canada v South Korea, 1:10am (Monday) delayed on Olympic Pop-up 2 at approximately 1:25am (Sky56)
M: Sweden v Finland, 1:10am (Monday) on Olympic Pop-up 4 (Sky58)

Monday, February 19: Women’s semifinals
First semifinal – USA v Finland, 5:10pm on Olympic Pop-up 3 (Sky57) and replayed on Prime at 11:30pm
Second semifinal – Canada v Olympic Athletes from Russia, 1:10am (Tuesday) on Sky Sport 4 (Sky54) and replayed on Prime at 10:30pm (Tuesday)

Tuesday, February 20: Men’s playoff qualifies & women’s classifications

M: Teams TBD, 4:10pm
W: 7-8 Classifications, 4:10pm
M: Teams TBD, 8:40pm
W: 5-6 Classifications, 8:40pm
M: Teams TBD, 1:10am (Wednesday)
M: Teams TBD, 1:10am (Wednesday)

Wednesday, February 21: Men’s quarterfinals & women’s finals
M: First quarterfinal, 4:10pm
W: Bronze Medal game, 8:40pm
M: Second quarterfinal, 8:40pm
M: Third quarterfinal, 1:10am (Thursday)
M: Fourth quarterfinal, 1:10am (Thursday)

Thursday, February 22: Women’s finals
Women’s Gold Medal game, 5:10pm

Friday, February 23: Men’s semifinals
First semifinal, 8:40pm
Second semifinal: 1:10am (Saturday)

Saturday, February 24: Men’s finals
Men’s Bronze Medal game, 1:10am (Sunday)

Sunday, February 25: Men’s finals
Men’s Gold Medal game, 5:10pm

(Main photo: @HC_Women, Twitter)

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PUCK YEAH 35: Quack, Quack, Quack!

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 22:44:46 +0000

Plus we look at the performance of Adam Henrique since being traded to Anaheim. Let’s be honest, it’s approximately 85% Ducks chat – with honourable mention to the Junior Ice Blacks who are currently in Bulgaria for the IIHF Under-20 Division 3 World Championship.

Puck Yeah is a weekly hockey podcast produced in Auckland, New Zealand. Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, or with your favourite podcast app to get every episode free.

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Harrison leads St. Lawrence with shutout win over Harvard

Mon, 22 Jan 2018 19:41:15 +0000

Over the weekend New Zealand-born goalie Grace Harrison backstopped the 10th-ranked St. Lawrence Saints to a 3-0 victory over ECAC rivals Harvard. The win comes almost two years to the day when Harrison got her first start in net as a freshman – that too was a shutout win versus Harvard.

Between then and now, Harrison has earned 14 shutouts in her collegiate career, tied for the second most by a goalie in the St. Lawrence hockey program. The record is currently held by 2008 alumni Meghan Guckian with 17.

In her latest start Harrison turned away 28 shots, helping the Saints improve their record to 14-7-3 overall, including 10-3-1 in ECAC play.

Watch a quick recap of the game below, thanks to Harvard Athletics!

H/T: St. Lawrence University and Harvard University

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PUCK YEAH 34: Kerry Goulet and the 2018 Ice Hockey Classic

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 19:00:52 +0000

Tickets for the 2018 Ice Hockey Classic are now available at Ticketmaster for Auckland and Ticketek for Wellington and Queenstown.

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PUCK YEAH 33: Winter Olympics Is Coming

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 22:35:43 +0000

0:00 – Hockey at the Winter Olympics: Rosters are getting announced but do we really care about the men’s tournament without NHL players?

06:16 – How can we get a more diverse range of hockey nations competing at the Winter Olympics?

09:31 – Poor Team USA and what could’ve been according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.

14:40 – Resorting to watching the World Juniors tournament illegally because apparently no one cares outsides of North America or Europe and isn’t broadcasted on New Zealand TV.

18:47 – The 2018 NHL All-Star roster selections and our frustrations with the league’s ‘need’ to have every team to be represented that leaves out much better players.

29:12 – Joe’s crazy concept for a new event at the NHL All-Star skills competition.

29:55 – An update on the Puck Yeah fantasy hockey league.

33:45 – The quality of hockey commentators for the Winter Olympics

35:48 – A short ‘rusty’ story of Logan trying to get his Sky TV signal fixed.

38:28 – A quick wrap of what we did over the Christmas/New Years break.

40:58 – New Zealand’s Secret Santa that’s done through Twitter and the amazing gift Logan got.

44:30 – The death of all other hockey podcasts is here, we welcome the arrival of 31 Thoughts: The Podcast with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek – just don’t forget about us!

(Main photo: Chung Sung-Jun, IOC)

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Two Pigeons: The 2018 NHL All-Stars

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 06:53:47 +0000

Welcome to Two Pigeons, where Logan and Joe from Puck Yeah Podcast look at what’s happening in the hockey world and set each other up for a few takes, because they can’t score on their own. Kakaw, kakaw!

First up: the 2018 NHL All-Stars. With the All-Star Weekend coming up later this month the rosters were announced earlier today.

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Logan: Tampa Bay play hosts this year and they’re the hottest team in the league, it’s only fitting that four of their players feature here – it’s just scary that Kucherov, Stamkos, Hedman and Vasilevskiy are in the same team, never mind there’s also Tyler Johnson and Vladislav Namestnikov. But by having four elected, others have to miss out. Namely Mitch Marner. The Son of Marleau struggled early on in the season but his recent play shows how dangerous he is carrying the puck with confidence.

Also, is Carey Price there on name alone? Montreal are having a mediocre year backed up by equally average goaltending from their starter: 13-14-2 record, 2.89 GAA, .911 SV%, 1 shutout – the worst of the 2018 All-Star goalies. Tuukka Rask is more deserving, but the NHL needs someone from the Canadiens represented so that’s that.

Joe: First of all I want to say how much I hate this stupid every team must be represented bullshit. It’s lame and creates a “It’s not truely an All-Star but we had to be fair to the crap team” All-Star Game.

It’s true the Leafs were robbed, but not by Mitch Marner missing out, but by Morgan Rielly not being selected. Top 5 in d-man scoring, can skate like the wind, and gets beaten out by old man Mike Green. Get rid of Green and add one of the Wings young kids like Dylan Larkin or Anthony Mantha. Unfortunately, that would mean one of Tampa’s forwards miss out so that would never happen and we’re stuck with Green.

There’s nobody good on the Canadiens, even CP31 hasn’t been up to his best, but if they could, the NHL should have picked Marc Bergevin for the All-Star job he’s done at ruining this team.

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

Logan: The Metro is so loaded with talent they should have to pay a luxury tax. Crosby, Ovechkin, Tavares, and Holtby are some of the best in the game over the past decade – with Lundqvist proving that age isn’t slowing him down either. The emergence of Josh Bailey as a late-bloomer is an inspiration and he’s only getting better. Scoring a career-best 13 goals and 43 assists last season, he’s already poised to surpass that with 12G, 38A at the halfway point of the 2017-18 season. I’ll be surprised if the Metro team don’t make it to the finals. My only question is this, where the bloody hell is Phil Kessel?

Joe: I think we both know the only person that would be upset if Phil Kessel was named to the team would be Phil. I think he’s pretty stoked he doesn’t have to go. But the real issue with this team is how Noah Hanifin got picked ahead of Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce or Justin Faulk?!

CENTRAL DIVISION

Logan: It’s strange to see Tyler Seguin elected without Jamie Benn by his side – Seguin’s stats are only slightly better, scoring at a 0.93 points per game rate, while Benn is 0.91, they’re almost a packaged deal at this point and shouldn’t be separated. I’m a little surprised to see Brayden Schenn picked over Vladimir Tarasenko, again the numbers are almost identical but when I think of the St. Louis Blues the first player that comes to mind is always Tarasenko.

Finally P.K. Subban is getting the love he deserves after being taken for granted by the Montreal Canadiens front office. What happened to all those rumours about him being a toxic guy in the locker room? Seems like he’s doing just fine in Nashville.

Joe: Schenn to me only makes it because of Mark Scheifele’s injury – I’d even put Patrik Laine or Nikolaj Ehlers in over Schenn. And because this is an NHL event, how is there only one Blackhawk? Only Patrick Kane? Where’s Toews and Keith? I’d put Big Buff (Dustin Byfuglien) in over John Klingberg and have a skills game where you have stunt men skating across the middle with their heads down while defencemen crush them.

PACIFIC DIVISION

Logan: Fleury! Fleury! Fleury! Going to the Vegas Golden Knights, many thought this was the beginning of the end for Marc-Andre Fleury where he could just kick back and enjoy the Vegas lifestyle – but that’s not how the Flower works. After losing his starting role with the Pittsburgh Penguins to young gun Matt Murray, he’s proving to everyone that he’s still got plenty in the tank to steal a few games with a 9-2-1 record, 1.73 GAA, .945 SV%, and 2 shutouts. The Golden Knights could have more players here, in particular Jonathan Marchessault or William Karlsson, instead the selection of James Neal feels more like a ‘one last time’ for the Real Deal.

I would argue that the Pacific Division All-Stars have the best blueline with Burns, Doughty, and Ekman-Larsson. All three are offensively gifted and could easily set up the likes of McDavid, Gaudreau, or rookie sensation Brock Boeser for a few highlight reel goals.

Also, young sniper Rickard Rakell is set to make his first NHL All-Star appearance, but I’ll leave the Ducks chat to Joe…

Joe: James “I Can’t Deal” Neal being selected annoys me. How former Ducks draft pick Wild Bill Karlsson didn’t make the team is a travesty! The other crime is OEL – he’s playing like he’s got a suit on under his gear, but gets selected over Clayton Keller, that’s rough. But hey, everyone’s got to play so I guess he’s got to make it and the fact he’s in the backend saves him too.

It’s about time Ricky Rakell gets some love! The East Coast bias fans and media will get the chance to see the unbelievable hands and skills he has. P.S. Cam Fowler was robbed…

(All photos sourced from NHL via Twitter).

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That’s a wrap for Year One

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 03:21:11 +0000

A WORD FROM LOGAN:

One way or another I’ve been working in New Zealand sports media for the past five years, trying to get hockey on the 6pm bulletins whenever I could. Of course being a rugby-mad nation, that’s not always easy.

I’m sure I’ve annoyed a few producers along the way by suggesting we cover certain events like the Stanley Cup Finals, the Winter Classic, or the NZIHL – but they’d threw me a bone from time to time that would keep me going. My personal favourite remains hanging out with Chris Belanger at Camorra Hockey School and highlighting his great character for a feature that aired on 3News back in 2013.

I learnt a lot about storytelling from those experiences and decided to launch Puck Yeah Podcast as a way of creating a platform for ice hockey in New Zealand. After a quick search, my co-host Joe Durie came onboard and we’ve been having fun talking puck ever since.

From the first ever podcast recording session. Our setup is usually a lot more modest than this.

From covering the NZIHL’s axing of Slapshot Productions, to the Ice Blacks at the IIHF World Champs in Auckland, and interviewing great people about their own hockey journeys, 2017 has been unreal. In a few short months, the website has grown from strength to strength, while Joe and I continue to improve as podcast hosts.

There are so many interesting people around New Zealand’s hockey community that we are yet to feature. I can’t wait to share their stories to the rest of the hockey world come 2018. Bring it on!

A WORD FROM JOE:

Logan and I had never met, but over a lunch of Mexican we decided to tie the knot professionally and start this little podcast.

We bonded over the Steve Dangle Podcast and within the first 365 days we had Steve Dangle as a guest on our podcast!

From Mock Expansion Drafts to lost episodes, to breaking news stories and international guests – I’m so proud to be a part of Puck Yeah, which has become the exclusive home of hockey news and information for fans and players in New Zealand.

Bring on Year 2!

Thank you for all the support! Be safe this holiday season and enjoy your time with family & friends. We’ll be back next year.

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PUCK YEAH 32: Bad Drugs and New Coaches

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 01:06:11 +0000

We dedicate this week’s podcast to co-host Logan’s incredibly generous Secret Santa. If you don’t know, in New Zealand a nationwide Secret Santa is done via Twitter and it’s the most amazing thing ever!

If you didn’t get involved this year, don’t miss out in 2018 – it’s a heap of fun plus the kindness of strangers can really surprise you.

I’m lost for words over my #nzsecretsanta gift this year. For what it means to me, I’ll wear this with so much pride. Thank you very much! pic.twitter.com/gSvQ6eIpct

— Logan Swinkels (@swinkfilms) December 19, 2017

(Main photo: Skycity Stampede / Source: Facebook)

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The Ice Hockey Classic is coming back to New Zealand

Sun, 17 Dec 2017 20:47:41 +0000

While New Zealand has frequently hosted various divisions of international ice hockey tournaments in recent years, this tour hasn’t hit our shores since 2011 and this time the Ice Hockey Classic will include an outdoor game to be hosted in Wellington at Westpac Stadium – making it the first outdoor hockey game in the Southern Hemisphere to be held in a major stadium. There will also be games at Auckland’s Spark Arena and Queenstown’s Ice Arena.

TEG Live state that the USA and Canada exhibition teams will feature a collection of current stars, illustrious veterans, plus promising young talent that will showcase the speed and skill of international ice hockey. Previous tours have featured the likes of Brent Burns, Scott Darling, Kyle Quincey, and Mike Commodore.

Commodore captained the Canadian side for the 2017 Ice Hockey Classic and mentions that he thoroughly enjoyed the series. “It was great to see so many passionate ice hockey fans come out and support us in Australia,” Commodore said. “Touring Australia with the Ice Hockey Classic has been a highlight in my career and it will be fantastic to reignite the rivalry with USA (in) New Zealand for yet another year.”

This is what the Ice Hockey Classic could look like at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium.

Hosting an outdoor hockey game takes a lot of work as seen on the ‘Road to the Winter Classic’ documentary series that follows the progress of the NHL teams and ice crew as they prepare for the annual event, but it’s a challenge that Westpac Stadium’s chief executive Shane Harmon is aware of and excited for.

“The team have a 72-hour turnaround period to build, freeze, unfreeze and dismantle the rink. But we believe it is worth the effort to create such an exciting and innovative event experience for fans,” Harmon told Stuff.

Artist renditions of the stadium paint a different picture but Ticketek currently shows Westpac Stadium hosting the outdoor game in a half-arena format.

Tickets go on sale from midday today via Ticketmaster for Auckland and Ticketek for Wellington and Queenstown.

Auckland: June 22, tickets range from $79 to $199.
Wellington: June 23, tickets range from $31 to $171.50.
Queenstown: June 28, standing for $81.50, $101.50 for unreserved seating.

(Photos supplied by TEG Live)

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PUCK YEAH 31: The Catch Up

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 20:39:30 +0000

Three weeks without recording a new episode felt like a long time, but we’re back!

Of course last week we were on location at Paradice Avondale covering an amazing weekend of beer league hockey at the BHL Holiday Classic tournament. There’s some great characters involved with the Backyard Hockey League who are incredibly passionate about growing and improving hockey in New Zealand, so make sure to catch up on that episode on SoundCloud, iTunes, or on this website.

We know that we’ve taken a couple breaks over the course of our first year – so there hasn’t been as many episodes of Puck Yeah Podcast as we would’ve liked, but in 2018 we’re aiming to have one out every week! Expect a lot from us when the NZIHL season rolls around too.

If you were wondering where we were, well… Joe has been in Memphis for work as Radio Hauraki’s resident Instagram husband (hence why there’s no photos of him in this post), while Logan was traveling around LA, Toronto and Nashville with his now fiancée – more on that later.

Logan takes in the warm ups at the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks.

Puck Yeah 31 does have hockey talk and yes, it’s mostly about the Toronto Maple Leafs and we are sorry (not sorry), but we also compare in-game experiences between Toronto and three other NHL franchises. On top of that, we talk about the Linkin Park & Friends concert that the band put on at the Hollywood Bowl as a way of celebrating the life of Chester Bennington with fans from all around the world.

Speaking of in-game experiences, as mentioned in this episode, ‘Maple Leafs Forever’ is one of the best sports montages around today. Brilliantly edited by Tim Thompson; it covers so much Toronto Maple Leafs history while looking towards the rather hopeful future. The team currently use it as one of their three hype videos that play before the puck is dropped for another period of hockey at the Air Canada Centre.

While in Toronto, Logan proposed to Sarah, his girlfriend of over six-years, on the waterfront of Lake Ontario with a personalised hockey jersey – there’s a good story behind the meaning of that jersey, which we get into on the podcast.

There is more to tell, but you’ll have to listen to this week’s episode for all the details.

A lot happened on our separate trips, so much so that we ran out of time to mention everything – otherwise this podcast could have been really long. Like Steve Dangle long. We might save that for next week, but for now, we hope you enjoy Puck Yeah 31.

– Logan & Joe

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