Laz and Powers: A show about the Chic...

Some call them the Jordan and Pippen of hockey podcasting. Others, more appropriately, call them the Kane and Toews. They just call themselves Laz and Powers. Back for another season, The Athletic's Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers bring you a twice-weekly, in depth look at everything happening in the world of The Chicago Blackhawks.

Sports
Hockey
News
101
The Seattle Kraken, Corey Crawford, Jonathan To...
27 min
102
Absence of Corey Crawford Ominous as Blackhawks...
Laz & Powers return with a new podcast, as they dissect the first day of Chicago's Summer camp. Starting goaltender Corey Crawford has been deemed unfit to play. The guys discuss the impact of Crawford's absence, and how it will effect the Hawks, if Corey is unable to play vs the Oilers at the beginning of August. The guys look at the return of Calvin Du Haan and possibly Brent Seabrook to the hawks blueline and the risk of teams practicing in their home cities ahead of traveling to the hub cities of Edmonton and Toronto. Plus the guys look ahead to how the Blackhawks face-off against Edmonton, as they have two weeks to prepare, for the NHL play-in series vs the Oilers.
23 min
103
The Latest on COVID-19 and the NHL, Brent Seabr...
Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers discuss the latest with the NHL's return to play plan, and if it's feasible. Also, if Brent Seabrook returning for camp complicates things, they discuss Scott's story about the Blackhawks' logo and more.
27 min
104
Race in Hockey, Analytics and the NHL Draft Lot...
Scott Powers is joined by Hockey Graph's Chris Watkins to discuss race in hockey, analytics, how the NHL Draft lottery can affect the Chicago Blackhawks and more.
29 min
105
A Hub City Update and Marián Hossa's Hall of Fa...
Scott and Mark give an update on the latest with return-to-play hub cities, and with the Hall of Fame class announcement coming later this week, a discussion of Marián Hossa's chances of getting voted in.
21 min
106
An Opportunity for the NHL, Chicago as a Poten...
Scott and Mark further discuss the NHL's plan for return-to-play, and the opportunity the NHL may have in being the only major league returning in the summer. Also, having too much time to gameplan, thoughts about Chicago possibly being a hub city, and more.
21 min
107
Hypothetical Hockey
Scott and Mark engage in some much-needed frivolity and talk about the NHL's return-to-play plan, how realistic is is, and the possibility of Chicago being a hub city for the 24-team tournament. They also welcome in The Athletic's Oilers writer, Daniel Nugent-Bowman, to break down the proposed Blackhawks-Oilers qualifying-round series. Turns out this Connor McDavid fella is one to keep an eye on.
34 min
108
What We'd Give for Hockey to Return
Mark and Scott catch up on all the news from the week about the Blackhawks and NHL. They discuss the Blackhawks' business decisions of reducing salaries, furloughing people and even laying employees off. They also get into the possibility of the NHL returning and dive into what a 24-team format could mean for the Blackhawks. They also debate the 2010, 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup teams.
38 min
109
Listener Mailbag
Scott and Mark talk about the latest rumblings of a 24-team playoff that would include the Blackhawks, and how fair and realistic that may be. Then they open it up to listener questions, and talk about the current state and the future of sports journalism, what their jobs might look like when sports return, their own paths to the Blackhawks beat, and, naturally, whom they'd most like to punch in the face.
50 min
110
Moose Call
Scott and Mark welcome one of their favorite former Blackhawks, Dennis Rasmussen, to the show to talk about the daily stresses of being on the roster fringe, about playing for Joel Quenneville, about getting a little help from Jonathan Toews at his first rookie dinner, about how life in the KHL compares with life in the NHL, and about how he can work his way back to the NHL.
29 min
111
Presidential Politics
John McDonough has been fired, and nobody saw it coming. What does it mean for the Blackhawks and their front office moving forward? Scott and Mark discuss possible ways this could all play out and what it might mean for Stan Bowman and Jeremy Colliton. Then they get into some of the wild ideas that the NHL is kicking around for conducting a draft and finishing the season — none of which seem all that realistic to these two Debbie Downers.
29 min
112
Bleepin' Versteeg!
Two-time Stanley Cup champion Kris Versteeg joins the show to talk about the old days, his love-hate relationship with Joel Quenneville, the epic 2010 Cup crawl, his return to the Blackhawks in 2013-14 and his career-closing stint in the minors and Europe. He also weighs in on what challenges current players might be facing if the NHL manages to start back up again over the summer.
35 min
113
On The Defensive
The Blackhawks have signed top prospect Ian Mitchell to a mysterious, pandemic-dependent contract. How does he fit into the team's present and future? And how much optimism should there be for a blue line that's not stocked with NHL-ready youngsters and roster-clogging veterans? Scott and Mark also have their weekly Max Shalunov update before diving into The Athletic's fan survey and what it all means for the Blackhawks brass.
40 min
114
Special guest Steve Larmer
Former Blackhawk Steve Larmer joins Mark and Scott to discuss the old days. They talk about everything from being drafted with the Blackhawks to winning the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers. He shares stories about former teammates, Chicago Stadium and much more. And, yes, he's asked about whether his number should be retired.
30 min
115
I'm sorry I called you an inanimate object
Mark and Scott continue to abide by the rules and remain isolated in their respective homes while recording the latest Laz & Powers. They discuss the Blackhawks' recent signings and what each means to the organization. They also dive into a trade rumor about Dylan Strome and explore that. Mark also reviews the movie In Bruges and questions Scott's overall movie catalog.
31 min
116
Hitting unpause
Scott and Mark discuss whether the NHL should just cancel the rest of the regular season immediately, or whether it's worth holding out hope (and holding on to fans' and gameday workers' money). Then they answer some listener questions about the draft and about Stan Bowman before taking a hard left turn into movies. In a public service for everyone responsibly staying home these days, Mainstream Mark and Independent Scott offer their top three movies in various categories, from sports to action to comedy to drama to guilty pleasures.
43 min
117
Rocky's Reverberations
Rocky Wirtz told Scott last week that Stan Bowman and Jeremy Colliton are safe in their jobs, and will be back whenever hockey returns. Scott and Mark discuss the ramifications of that decision, as well as the rationale behind it. They also ponder how the Blackhawks (among other cap-strapped teams) will even be able to field a full team if the salary cap stays flat or decreases. Then they get nostalgic and reminisce about the 2010 series against the Predators, and whether that or the 2013 Detroit series is truly the defining moment of this era of Blackhawks hockey.
39 min
118
NHL TBD
Hockey's on hiatus, and the short- and long-term ramifications are ominous for the NHL, the Blackhawks and fans everywhere. Scott and Mark talk about if and when they think games will return, what it could mean for the salary cap and how it could affect Stan Bowman's plans for next season. What are they going to write and talk about in the meantime? Three words: Let's get weird.
22 min
119
Pressing On
Scott and Mark put on their hazmat suits and recorded a new podcast at Blackhawks practice on Tuesday. They talked about the new media rules and how that changes things, and more importantly how the players — and the all-important salary cap — could be affected by the continuing and expanding coronavirus crisis. They also talk about what the Blackhawks can do to make the next four weeks meaningful, and what the roster might look like next season.
32 min
120
What's the plan, Stan?
Scott and Mark are back together after spending most of February on the road, and they get right into the most pressing question facing the Blackhawks these days: What's the plan? What's the plan in the front office with Stan Bowman under fire from the fan base? What's the plan behind the bench with big-name coaches available? What's the plan in net with Robin Lehner traded away? The guys break it all down and try to figure out what next year's roster will look like, then answer some of your questions.
45 min
121
Deadline Dilemmas
The Blackhawks got modest returns at the trade deadline for their two top rentals, Robin Lehner and Erik Gustafsson. What does that mean for the present and the future, as well as the fates of general manager Stan Bowman and coach Jeremy Colliton? Scott and Mark dive into that discussion, then wonder about the direction the franchise is headed, and what options owner Rocky Wirtz and team president John McDonough have.
36 min
122
Trade Deadline Countdown
Mark and Scott reunite after a week apart to discuss the latest about the Blackhawks. They break down the Canadian road trip and analyze where that puts the Blackhawks in the playoff race. They dive deep into the trade deadline and look at what options Stan Bowman may have in the coming week. They also discuss the present and future of the organization.
33 min
123
Powerless
Chicago Sun-Times beat writer Ben Pope joins Mark Lazerus for this week's episode to talk about the punchless Blackhawks power play, and brainstorm some radical ways to fix it. Before that, they share some war stories about being a first-year beat writer, the advantages and disadvantages of walking into a locker room with fresh eyes and no clue, and life on the road.
36 min
124
We're Back
Mark and Scott return refreshed from their short podcast hiatus. With the Blackhawks back in action, they discuss the Hawks' meaningful and entertaining win over the Coyotes on Saturday and what's ahead for them in the playoff race. They also talk about possibilities at the trade deadline, how Jeremy Colliton has done as coach this season, the recent player poll, Mark's All-Star Game experience and more.
32 min
125
A New Hope
For the first time in a long time, it's all sunshine and rainbows in Blackhawks land, and Scott and Mark discuss just how sustainable this impressive surge is. They also debate whether Patrick Kane is the greatest American player ever, whether Alex Ovechkin is the greatest goal-scorer ever, and just how long Joel Quenneville's standing ovation will be on Tuesday night. They also dive into The Athletic's player poll and what it all means.
35 min