Hockey Now!

Thompson's Teddy Bear Toss Goal and the Mid-season Lull

Taylor Thompson joins the show after his Teddy Bear Toss goal! We'll ask him about his quick stint in Europe earlier this season and what it was like to re-join the Solar Bears locker room after the tough start to the season. Eugene Helfrick from TheHockeyWriters.com jumps on the line as we continue to try and dissect the Tampa Bay Lightning and their inconsistent season thus far. Is it all part of the plan? Are they waiting to flip the switch and get hot? Bryan has a concern. He's feeling the mid-season lull. Is that a normal thing? Luckily, Eric was part of pro-hockey locker rooms...and he shares some surprising information about the lull in the locker room.

Figuring out the Solar Bears, and where are the Old Time Hockey Fighters?

The Solar Bears broke a 4 game loss streak with an OT win Monday Night at Amway...but will that be enough to turn fortunes for the club? We'll take a look at some of the strengths and weaknesses so far this season, and what the addition of Blake Kessel does for the leadership of the team. Are we being patient enough with the Lightning? Are they saving their best efforts for the latter part of the season? If they're not, what ARE they doing? As the Atlantic Division separates around them, the Bolts find themselves outside of a Wild Card spot and in need of points. With the extra time, we have a discussion about Fighting in Hockey...and the personalities of the tough guy role in the modern game, vs. "the old days". There are 3 traits we come up with that defines the traditional enforcer...and realize the new generation of "tough guys" may not have any of them.

Kuqali Calls, Maroon Lays it Out and Babcock's Out in Toronto!

OSB D Alexander Kuqali calls in to be the first "Hat-trick Guest" on Hockey Now. In his third visit, Kuqali breaks down the Solar Bears turnaround after the Everblades losses, and whether the message in the locker room relayed to the ice. Alexander also talks about the recent Orlando Sentinel article about his Mother, Marcia, and her ongoing battles with Cancer, and the support from his Hockey Family through this time. Pat Maroon received his Stanley Cup Ring when the Lightning visited St. Louis this past week. The Lightning dropped their 2nd straight, and Maroon has some frank and direct comments about what his team needs to do moving forward through the early part of the season. In the "it was a matter of time" headline of the week, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired their Head Coach, Mike Babcock, and replaced him with their AHL coach, Sheldon Keefe. It's clear that the Leafs, led by GM Kyle Dubas, are trying to point in a more modern direction, and Babcock was the hurdle. What happens, though, when a Coach "loses the room"? Who better to ask than Eric, who was in Maple Leafs camp with these coaches, and his playing career experience.

Slumping Solar Bears, Bolts Back at Home and Strong Islanders Streaking!

The Solar Bears have had some troubles as of late, dropping their last 3 games to the same opponent, the Florida Everblades, which they round out the series of games with on Thursday Night. What is the first step for the Solar Bears? Should we be worried? Is talent enough to win hockey games? The Tampa Bay Lightning have returned to North America after their trip to Sweden for the NHL Global Series. Eugene Helfrick from thehockeywriters.com joins us to look at the trip, whats next for the Bolts, and whether or not its too soon to think about the trade deadline for this team trying to return to form. Going into the new season, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils got all the attention, and now the odd team out in that area, the New York Islanders, have picked up points in their last 13 games, winning 12 of them. Why are the Islanders as good as they are? Is it Barry Trotz? And who's this John Tavares guy anyways!?

Tyler Bird, Bolts in Sweden and Lazlo Holmes!

Hockey Now is BACK! The Solar Bears had their traditional School Day game, with the largest attendance in Solar Bears History, a game where Tyler Bird picked up his first goal as a Solar Bear. Tyler jumps on a call to talk about his time with the team so far, his NHL Development experience and the Everblades/Solar Bears Rivalry. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in Sweden for the Global Series, a pair of games with the Buffalo Sabres at the Globe! Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin and other Swedish-born NHL stars return to their homeland to play, but are these games more important than the other Global Series games? Plus - a trip away doesn't hide the Bolts early season woes. What is the problem? Bryan knows. Lazlo Holmes. Chance the Rapper. An SNL skit that is taking the Hockey World by viral storm. Do you like it? Are you a crotchety traditionalist? Someone on the show is...to no surprise! Also, the next chapter of the Evander Kane story is a can of worms for the NHL, at a time when the league is embracing gambling. Dangerous? Maybe! Eric, though, isn't surprised the guys would hit the tables, but with conditions.