Phil Tomasino. Just saying that name might be enough to send shivers through the spines of every member of the Oshawa Generals front office as the Gens spent big to acquire the talented forward in 2020, anticipating that Tomasino would be part of a Memorial Cup bid in 2021. COVID had other plans, so where does Oshawa go from here? We check in on the shattered dreams in the 'Shwa and also listen back to a conversation with OHL legend Pete James, who's been broadcasting in London for more than 50 years.

The North Bay Battalion were in the midst of a turnaround under a new coach and GM when COVID stopped the 2019-20 season. Will the trend continue? Play-by-play voice Matt Sookram joins us to talk Troops hockey in 2021-22. Plus, we catch legendary coach Stan Butler in a talkative mood and he shares some stories from his more than 1400 games behind an OHL bench.

The Niagara Ice Dogs followed a premature playoff exit with a battle for a playoff position, and then followed a missed season with a draft that did not feature a 1st round selection. So, all is lost in St. Catharines, right? Not so fast. We look ahead to the 2021-22 Ice Dogs with play-by-play voice Steve Clark, who says there’s a lot to look forward to in the upcoming campaign. Plus, a feature interview with a former Ice Dogs assistant coach who returned from life-threatening health concerns to coach his hometown team to back-to-back championships.

Don't sleep on the Steelheads. That might be the message in the Eastern Conference as Mississauga promises to bring an up-tempo and tenacious team to the ice for the 2021-22 season. Iain Colpitts of the Mississauga News brings us the perspective from Peel Region, we recall one of the most memorable things we've ever seen happen during a game (and it happened in 2019-2020 in Mississauga), and then we talk to a young man who played only 7 games in his rookie OHL season but still managed to make national headlines. Ben Fanelli's inspirational story is also featured this week.

When it comes to OHL powerhouses, it's often said that the London Knights don't rebuild, they reload. So, after a full season away, how much have the Knights been able to reload? We check in with play-by-play voice Mike Stubbs to get a look at the 2021-22 Knights and hear some fun stories from his time covering the team. Plus, we're joined by the man who helped London win its first Memorial Cup and who was arguably part of one of the most interesting trades in OHL history. Adam Dennis, now the GM in North Bay, shares his OHL stories that include his own "Patrick Roy Moment" that didn't go quite as he'd planned.

Two of the biggest questions in Kitchener coming into the new season are Donovan Sebrango and Declan McDonnell. After spending considerable time this past season in the AHL, will they be back at The Aud? Farwell and Pope can't seem to agree (shockingly) but the pair still bring you a preview of what's to come for the Rangers this season. And speaking of The Aud, you just never know who's going to show up there. Today's episode features an interview with a former Ranger who won a Memroial Cup before going on to win two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and was named a 12-time NHL all-star. Back when we were inside arenas, Al MacInnis took in a game at The Aud and joined the broadcast for a chat about his playing days.

OHL fans in the west are understandably upset that the Conference-based schedule means they won't get the chance to see Shane Wright in what will likely be his last year in the league. But that's not stopping us from checking in with Ian MacAlpine, who covers the Kingston Frontenacs and thinks this year's team could feature one of the league's most dynamic lines. Plus, we celebrate the game's unsung heroes in a feature interview with former Storm equipment manager Rusty Hammond, who left an indelible mark on the OHL.

The Hamilton Bulldogs appear primed to contend again in the OHL’s Eastern Conference, only three seasons after their championship run. Plus, they’re among a handful of teams that have found a new face behind the bench. Play-by-play man Reed Duthie sizes up the 2021-22 Bulldogs team – literally – and then we get to know that new face behind the Bulldogs bench. It’s a familiar face, though, since he’s also coached in Erie and Kitchener. This amounts to a must-listen for Bulldogs fan as Jay McKee shares OHL stories from Sudbury to Niagara Falls, and throws in some NHL stories for good measure.

They’re still the defending OHL champions, and Tony Saxon has been covering them for two previous OHL championships. But the Guelph Storm will look a lot different this fall since graduating one of 2020s best stories in goaltender Nico Daws, and hit the ice with a crop of 19-year olds that have been doing, well, whatever they could over the past 18 months to be game-ready this fall. Tony talks to us about what to expect from the Storm this season, shares a memorable encounter with a former Storm coach, and then we listen back to an earlier conversation with the current bench boss and one of the winningest coaches in the OHL, George Burnett.

When the OHL went dark, the Flint Firebirds were in the midst of a franchise-best season and headed for a playoff berth with home ice advantage in the first round. A lot has changed since March of 2020. The Firebirds general manager and head coach are gone, owner Rolf Nilsen is back in the picture after five years of exile, and the team will even welcome a new play-by-play voice. We meet Jack Sznewajs this week to find out where the Firebirds are at as we head towards fall, plus we play back a previous interview with now former head coach Eric Wellwood as he shares stories about winning Memorial Cups, his first OHL coaching job and, naturally, the best pizzas in his hometown of Windsor.

As the rebuild continues in Erie, look for a team that's built on speed. When last we played, the Otters were battling the Greyhounds for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Reporter Mark Scheig breaks down the up-tempo Otters team we'll see on the ice this season, plus we listen back to an interview with Erie GM Dave Brown, the architect of the team's record-setting string of 50-win seasons and now readying for the rebuild.

The home openers are set! The schedule is out! Now, what does your favourite team look like heading into the start of the 2021-22 campaign in October? We're spending our summer taking you around the league alphabetically, so we start today in Barrie where there have been front office departures and rumours of a sale. Plus, stories about being stuck in a press box and a retro interview with the late Dale Hawerchuk.

He's a Quebec kid who thought that the Ontario Hockey League would give him the best shot of reaching the NHL. He realized that dream, but not before playing in the greatest Memorial Cup tournament of all time. While he came up short in junior, he did win the ultimate prize in the NHL. And while he won the Stanley Cup in a hockey-mad Canadian city, that's not the city where there's a "Gilbert Dionne Day." Today is your Gilbert Dionne Day on the pod.

Rico Phillips proves it's possible to have a hockey bag full of OHL stories without ever having played a game in the league. The OHL's new Director of Cultural Diversity and Inclusion joins Farwell and Pope to talk about making the game more accessible, his own journey that brought him to this prominent new position and, oh yeah, the time a stranger saved his life. You'll see Rico around the rink when the league returns in the fall but you can learn all about his incredible life story in this episode.

He was the only voice the Plymouth Whalers franchise ever knew and he was as consistent as the team's playoff appearances. In 25 years, the Whalers earned 23 straight playoff berths, missing only in their inaugural and final seasons. Along the way, play-by-play and media relations pro, Pete Krupsky, called more than 1400 consecutive games. "Krupper" is a scientist-turned-sports broadcaster and he's one of the great characters the OHL has ever known. Working today with Hockey USA's National Team Development Program, Pete took some time to reminisce about a quarter century of hockey that started when the OHL decided to include teams south of the border.

He played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League and managed to suit up for SIX teams. He played for coaches that had been NHL all-stars. He once racked up more than 500 penalty minutes in a 48-game season in the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey (LNAH). Safe to say Sean McMorrow has a few stories to tell.

He spent 15 seasons coaching in the OHL with three different teams. He won two OHL championships and a Coach of the Year award. And he finished in the O with 997 games coached. Now, he’s coming off a Romanian championship (yes, Romania) after taking his coaching career to Europe eight years ago. Dave MacQueen brings his no-nonsense style from behind the bench and onto the microphone as he talks about coaching ups and downs, playing for the OHL’s most legendary coach, and playing alongside some of the game’s greats.

He relished the David versus Goliath approach to building the Owen Sound Attack into a contender. He knew that getting Bobby Ryan to commit would open the floodgates to attract more high end recruits. And even though he fell short of the ultimate prize with the Attack, Mike Futa went on to help build two Stanley Cup champions. He also celebrated from afar when the Attack did finally break through in 2011, with a little help from Joey Hishon, another player Futa drafted to the club. With a great sense of humour and a flair for storytelling, you're going to love this behind-the-scenes account of building a champion. And don't you dare stop listening before hearing the story about the big 50/50 win.

He was a member of one of the most lethal power play units in OHL history. He competed in a Memorial Cup final. And if he'd been drafted today, he'd be a multi-millionaire. Scott McCrory is all of that, plus our first guest by request of our listeners. You'll love the stories from his days tearing up the OHL (150 points in his final year) to the beautiful places in the world that the game took him. Today, McCrory makes his home in Oshawa, where he's an active member of the Generals' alumni committee.

From Canada's correctional system to Canada's most treasured past time, if Paul Henry hasn't seen it all, it's hard to imagine who's seen more. Henry has been around the game for six decades, serving as a scout, a psychologist, and the architect of several Canadian Olympic teams. The toughest losses, the biggest arguments over players, the best players he's ever seen, and that unique name he gave to the boat that carried Henry and his family over the lakes near Peterborough.

Ask anyone who has played in the OHL and they'll tell you how fast the four or five years fly by. But they'll also tell you how the bonds they forge while playing last for the rest of their lives. That's the case for a couple of Kitchener Rangers who played together in the mid-1990s. Neither Darcy Harris nor Jason Byrnes were what you'd call "shrinking violets." In fact, one former opponent said "Byrnes beat the shit out of me one night. He was a tough prick." The toughest part of this podcast might have been getting these former teammates together, and that's a story in itself. But we're sure you'll agree that it was worth the wait.

Mike Torchia was a career Kitchener Ranger in the Ontario Hockey League and had the chance to compete in the greatest junior hockey championship of all time. If you've ever wondered about the agony of defeat, you'll hear about it first-hand in this episode as Torchia still recounts in vivid detail how the game-winning shot got past him in double overtime, and the opposition Oshawa Generals captured the Memorial Cup. Torchia's post-OHL career saw him turn into something of a "suitcase" as he travelled from team to team, city to city, and league to league. And that means a suitcase full of stories from a guy who never had a hard time making friends.

After almost 40 years in junior hockey, Sherry Bassin has about as many stories as anyone. And he tells them in a frank, forthright, and funny-as-hell fashion. The question is, do you have time to listen to them? Sherry says he has two passions in life right now -- walking and talking. We caught him in the mood to talk and we promise you won't be disappointed to hear what he has to say. From taking a pass on Wayne Gretzky to hammering out a new deal between the OHL and NHL to drafting Connor McDavid, if Bassin hasn't seen everything, that's because everything hasn't happened yet. This one is a long listen but it's well worth your time, and you'll come away with a renewed sense of what junior hockey is all about, straight from one of the game's true characters.

You see it all the time. A referee, at the bench, explaining something to a coach (or being yelled at by the coach). An official having a little chat with a player in the face-off circle or near a scrum. You've probably even booed a referee once or twice. But what does the game look like through the eyes of that official? Is he ever worried about going to the bench for a conversation? What's it like being graded after every performance and being judged on a rule book that's constantly evolving? You'll find out this week with former OHL ref Scott Hutchinson who dished it out as well as he took it and found success as an official at the pinnacle of junior hockey. This might even change your opinion on the guys in stripes...

Most of us know Bob McKenzie today as one of the most influential voices in hockey. Fewer remember McKenzie's roots as a reporter for the Sault Star, covering the Greyhounds. But McKenzie remembers those days fondly as being the time he met some of the best people in the game. Have a listen to how it all started for "The Bobfather," including controversial columns and NHL-like atmospheres in junior rinks. You'll learn about a deep love not just for the game but for family, and you'll find out that the original "insider" is also a master storyteller.