Hey everyone, Happy New Year’s, hope you are doing well. Tonight, we are back again for another great Episode 17 of Season 7 of Two Guys & Hockey Talk for the first episode of the year. It has been a very busy time in the world of hockey so let’s get into it:
- Coaching Change – The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a coaching change by firing head coach Dean Evason and hiring Rick Bowness, marking a mid-season leadership shift. Bowness, who was previously in Winnipeg, made his debut in Calgary where the Blue Jackets beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 with Boone Jenner scoring the go-ahead goal late and strong performances from Charlie Coyle and Zach Werenski. The team has been hovering around .500 this season and has made a coaching change to spark improvement.
- Coaching Milestone – Speaking of head coaches, Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has become the second-fastest coach to reach 600 NHL wins after their win over the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1. The milestone came in Cooper’s 1,005th game behind the bench, making him the second-fastest coach to reach 600 wins in league history and one of the longest tenured coaches in the league. Cooper is the 25th head coach in NHL history to reach that milestone.
- Outdoor Game in Buffalo – It appears that the NHL is set to return to Buffalo for an outdoor game, at the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium potentially in 2028. The date hasn’t been set as there are still a lot of logistics to determine but this should be fun for the city of Buffalo and for all hockey fans. This would line up with the 20th anniversary of the NHL’s first Winter Classic, which was played across the street at the then-Ralph Wilson Stadium on Jan. 1, 2008.
- Olympic Arena Preparation – We have now seen some pictures and videos of the arena from the upcoming Olympics and both the NHL and NHLPA reported successful test events at the new Milan–Cortina Olympic hockey arena, a positive sign ahead of the 2026 Winter Games. There have been some tests at the arena but there is still a lot to complete along with a very small jumbotron (or screen) for the fans.
- Connor McDavid making History – Connor McDavid, who recently celebrated a birthday, recently made franchise history Monday night as he recorded his 10th career 50-assist season to pass Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri for the most in Edmonton Oilers history. The milestone came in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center, giving the Oilers captain yet another line in the team’s record books. They did lose in overtime against the Nashville Predators, but the team continued to gather points as the season moves forward. He is also on a 20 game point streak and he will also represent Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics.
- Winnipeg Jets Finally are Flying– Don’t look now, but the Winnipeg Jets are on a three-game win streak after beating the Islanders 5 to 4. This comes after a free fall for the team and going on a 10 game losing streak and the team looking very shaky. But the team in the room still believes they can get themselves out of this mess (and after being President’s Trophy winners last season). It is still a big climb uphill but they are going to keep clawing away. They are at 18-22-5 so far this season and face the Minnesota Wild next.
- ECHL Player of the Week: Chase Yoder of the Norfolk Admirals has been named player of the week, as the 23-year-old scored four goals in a 6-1 win on Friday and dished out a pair of assists in a 4-3 victory on Saturday. Yoder is under contract to Manitoba of the American Hockey League and he has 7 goals and 6 assists in 20 games with the Admirals and one assist in eight games with the Moose. Prior to turning pro, Yoder tallied 62 points with 32 goals and 30 assists in 172 career games at Providence College. This is a great honour for him. Yoder was selected in the 6th round or 170th overall at the 2020 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Rumour & Contract Talk – with the season getting closer to March, we are starting to hear more rumblings around the league and names like Elias Pettersson, Kasperi Kotkaniemi, Nazem Kadri & Blake Coleman) are names being thrown out there for interest by other teams. There will be some movement given that many teams are still in it and could potentially make the post season. It should be fascinating to see who gets moved and how teams look post Trade Deadline set for March 6, 2026.
- Montreal & St. Louis Signings – The Montreal Canadiens have extended forward Alexandre Texier to a two-year, $5 million extension. Texier, 26, previously signed with the Habs on a one-year, $1 million deal after being released by the St. Louis Blues back in November. His new deal begins next season and takes him through 2027-28. He has put up 7 goals and 9 assists in 25 games since joining the Canadiens. As for St. Louis, they have signed defenceman Logan Mailloux to a one-year, $850,000 contract extension. Mailloux, 22, has played 31 games this season and has 1 goal and assist, with 31 penalty minutes. He came over in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens.
Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Then remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey as we start up Season 7 of the Podcast each Wednesday night at 7pm MST, where we dive into some of these great topics, interview many in the game and so much more. For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two & @revinev on X and give us a follow on YouTube, and check out our website for articles that we share regularly at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/. If you wish to reach out to us, feel free to email us at twoguyshockeytalk@gmail.com
- Pawel ‘The Cat’
