The PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 19: A True Hockey Lifer ft. Jeff Marek

On Episode 19 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show we welcome on hockey media legend Jeff Marek, currently of The Sheet at The Nation Network / Daily Faceoff, and The Hockey Lifers with Bruce Boudreau on Monumental Sports Network.

Jeff brings us in a ton of different directions, much like his career. We start the show talking about how violence in hockey might be making a comeback (4:45). Jeff brings us down memory lane on the origin of the Gordie Howe Hat Trick (8:00).

Then Jeff tells us about his background, how at the age of 8 he would go to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and take notes on all of the exhibits there (9:30). Also how he spent much of his time at the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Then we get a little heavy as Jeff tells us at the age of 16 his mom passed away from brain cancer, and it was hockey who saved him from going down a deep drugs and alcohol spiral in 1987, one of the best years for hockey (13:30).

Then Jeff dives into his Hockey Night in Canada career with CBC and Sirius XM (18:00), as well as his move over to Sportsnet. Jeff then tells us his tricks for how to tell a story in the hockey world, which leads into a previous PuckPedia episode where the Florida Panthers almost offer sheeted Nikita Kucherov, and also a possible Leon Draisaitl-Kucherov swap with the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers (22:00).

Then we discuss the fun debate where Quinn Hughes referred to Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald as “Fitzy” and what that all means, and if brothers Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes have any impact on that (25:15). We touch on a recent interview Lou Lamoriello recently did on the Steve Dangle Podcast Network, which got Jeff to ponder how good these stories would be from General Managers once they retire on things that didn’t happen (28:00).

Then we talk about Jeff’s move to The Nation Network, and how his producer Amil Delic from Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts, who is now Jeff’s boss, played a key role (32:00). He talks about how he enjoys some of the younger shows (Morning Cuppa Hockey and What Chaos!) and how his veteran presence adds some value. Jeff talks about his On The Road series over the summer and why he was able to get such good stories out of the players and executives (36:00).

Then we wrap up the episode talking about the Olympic ice rink dimension issue in Milan, and how that got Jeff thinking about how each NHL team could have different dimensions similar to MLB with Fenway Park and the Green Monster, or the New York Yankees with their short right field porch (40:30).

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