Empty Netters Podcast

Episode: Firing Season! Vegas Dumps Cassidy And The Leafs Sack Treliving

Date: March 31, 2026

Hosts: Dan Powers, Sean Buffini, Chris Powers

Episode Overview

This episode opens at a crucial time in the NHL season, with the wild-card race heating up and two shocking management firings: Bruce Cassidy by the Vegas Golden Knights and Brad Treliving by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The hosts—brothers Dan and Chris Powers, joined by Sean Buffini—dive into the fallout and implications of these leadership changes, using their sharp, conversational style brimming with hockey insights and irreverent humor. They explore what’s next for Vegas with John Tortorella stepping in, debate Toronto’s ongoing dysfunction, and provide their signature rundown of the electrifying wild-card races, plus detours into college hockey and a spirited Harry Potter casting debate.

Key Discussions & Insights

1. Vegas Fires Bruce Cassidy, Installs John Tortorella as Interim Head Coach

(Discussion Start: 02:13)

• With only eight games left in the regular season and Vegas still in a playoff spot, Bruce Cassidy is fired. The hosts are stunned ("shocking move. Shocking move.") but draw historical parallels—specifically, to the 2000 New Jersey Devils firing their coach eight games before the playoffs and winning the Cup under Larry Robinson. (03:23)
• Tortorella’s appointment is discussed as a pure caretaker role, with his future in Vegas uncertain regardless of results.
  • "He is very much a caretaker head coach... does not mean he's gonna be the coach next season" — Dan (02:29)
  • "This is cup, this is cup city. Just saying." — Sean (04:09)
• They refute the myth that Tortorella is a universally hated coach, citing positive relationships with players like Jack Eichel and PLD.
  • "This narrative that he's one of the most hated coaches in the league is not true." — Dan (05:06)
  • "It’s a little bit of the Belichick thing... in the media he’s a robot, but players say he’s funny and chill." — Sean (05:35)
• Vegas’ team strengths and weaknesses are reviewed—especially the goaltending issues.
  • "Their goaltending has been really, really tough all season long and there does not seem to be a savior coming." — Dan (09:00)
• Expectations: the move could give Vegas a short-term boost, but questions remain about playoff viability, especially with likely first-round matchup against Edmonton.

Notable Quote∶

"Vegas...they just do what they got to do. They are the biggest pull the trigger team in the league. They should change their name to the Vegas Gunslingers because they just let it rip and I respect it."
— Dan Powers (08:31)

2. Brad Treliving Out as Maple Leafs GM: "Clean House" Era Starts

(Discussion Start: 12:43)

• News breaks during recording: Brad Treliving, Toronto’s GM, is fired after the Leafs fail to make the playoffs.
• Immediate reactions frame it as overdue: firing was inevitable after underperformance, especially following Mitch Marner’s departure.
  • "You had to see this coming. Big changes need to happen. Missing playoffs with this group instigate lunacy." — Dan (12:54)
• The hosts speculate that a coaching change and major roster moves (even Austin Matthews being traded) could follow.
  • "If I was going to start a new era of Leafs hockey without Auston Matthews... I certainly wouldn't want my dead man walking GM making that deal." — Sean (13:47)
  • "Line them up and knock them down. Tree living's gone, Berube's gone and players are about to be gone." — Dan (13:33)
• Dan argues that missing the playoffs could be positive: "I said...this is good for the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is going to instigate real change." (15:51)

Notable Quote:

"Missing playoffs with this group instigate lunacy."
— Dan Powers (13:11)

3. NHL Wild Card Race Rundown: East & West Chaos

(East: 17:38; West: 26:10)

• Lightning round through recent results, with Dan and Sean reacting in rapid-fire.
  • E.g. "Habs beat the Blue Jackets." — Sean, Dan: "Great for the Habs." (17:51)
• Eastern Conference:
  • Teams in the race: Islanders, Penguins, Bruins, Blue Jackets, Senators, Wings, Flyers
  • Philadelphia Flyers, written off earlier, are heating up (8-1-1 in last 10). Detroit has collapsed again in March, a recurring theme.
    • "Unacceptable for me to sit here and say the Philadelphia Flyers have no business being in this conversation." — Dan (22:15)
  • Dan: "Detroit Red Wings have nine games left. If you want to make it into the playoffs, you have to win seven of those nine." (23:29)
• Western Conference:
  • Pacific is a cluster, with no team truly scary outside Dallas/Colorado. Anaheim’s grip on first is loose.
  • Kings, once left for dead, now control their destiny.
    • "You, if the King... win the games left, you win." — Sean (30:38)
  • Playoff teams are mostly sub-par, ripe for upset: "You're all 500 hockey teams... sneaking into the playoffs to get fist fucked by the Colorado Avalanche is like, crazy." — Dan (29:18)

Notable Quotes

• "It is an absolute disaster... How bad they are in March three years in a row now." — Dan, on Detroit (22:43)
• "The Kings currently control their destiny... That is so awesome." — Sean (30:25)

4. Frozen Four & College Hockey Update

(Discussion Start: 33:13)

• ESPN coverage griped about; North Dakota dominates—haven’t allowed a goal.
• Michigan State’s heartbreak; Denver rolling; Michigan squeezed through vs Duluth (Dan’s team).
  • "[Denver] are so well coached. They are so good. They've been here. It's just scary." — Dan (39:02)
• Player movement: Porter Martone to Flyers; hosts mull NHL teams poaching NCAA talent for playoff pushes.

5. NHL Oddities: Troy Terry’s “No-Hit” Record

(Discussion Start: 39:30)

• Troy Terry becomes the first in NHL history to log 50 games in a season without a single hit.
  • "We are not hit shaming Troy here... but what I want to know is how did you do that?" — Dan (40:07)
  • "I don't know how you do that... how you play 52 NHL games on a top line and avoid contacting other players." — Dan (43:23)
  • "I want Troy to hit us up... I wonder if this stat came out and he's like, 'Come on, I’ve hit someone.'" — Dan (41:59)
• Lively debate—Sean jokes maybe Troy is actually the “most controlled and poised skater in the NHL.” (41:46)
• Suggest Troy should deliberately go for a hit to break the streak, riff about the crowd’s response.

6. [Bonus] Harry Potter Movie Casting Draft

(Section Start: 46:07; Major entries at: 51:01-81:10)

• In a long, impassioned segment, the guys snake-draft their 5 favorite Harry Potter film casting decisions, balancing faithfulness to the book and performance.
  • Highlights include: Rupert Grint as Ron, Imelda Staunton as Umbridge, Alan Rickman as Snape, Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, and more.
• Animated defense and critique, with deep dives into performances and fun trivia.
  • "Lord of the Rings, incredible love, Lord of the Rings. But those movies...get all of this love. How did John Williams not win a single Oscar for the Harry Potter scores?" — Dan (47:37)
  • "The performance is perfect. The way she looks is perfect. The teeth." — Dan on Bellatrix/Helena Bonham Carter (63:39)
• Spirals into social analysis (on race-swapped casting in HBO’s new reboot), book-to-movie differences, and love of the franchise’s universe.

7. Beer League Hotline: “He Got a Two-Game Sussy for ‘Tummy Sticks’”

(Discussion Start: 90:47)

• Listener story: Player gets suspended ("sussy") after a ref mishears "tummy sticks" chirp as "you've had cum in your ass all night."
  • The hosts dissect whether this could really be misheard, and the absurdity of grassroots league ref drama.
  • "I hate it when refs take it upon themselves to do shit like this." — Dan (92:10)
  • "You gotta be careful...this guy needs a sussy!" — Sean (95:21)
• Advice: “You have to fight this. I don’t think you’ll ever win.”

8. Blind Ranking: John Tortorella’s Alternate Careers

(Discussion Start: 95:51)

• The hosts rank alternative jobs (“wedding planner,” “TSA agent,” “park ranger,” etc.) for Torts, riffing on his personality.
  • Dan: "There’d be no lollygagging when it comes to picking cake flavors...Torts would come out with a broom and sweep you off the stage if your speech was going long." (100:50)
  • Wedding planner wins: “This is a perfect one.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Vegas’ Daring Organizational Culture:
  "They are the biggest pull the trigger team in the league. They should change their name to the Vegas Gunslingers." (08:31)
• On Tortorella’s Reputation:
  "This narrative that he's one of the most hated coaches in the league is not true." (05:06)
• On Detroit’s Struggles:
  "Detroit Red Wings have nine games left. If you want to make it into the playoffs, you have to win seven of those nine..." (23:29)
• On Troy Terry’s No-Hit Record:
  "I don't know how you play 52 NHL games again on a top line…and avoid laying a check." (43:23)
• On Harry Potter Casting:
  "If that isn't exactly what JK was picturing then I don't know who she was because that is fucking perfect." — Sean, on Filch (75:44)

Important Timestamps

• 02:13 – Discussion of Vegas firing Cassidy, hiring Tortorella
• 03:23 – Devils 2000 coaching parallel
• 05:06 – Myth-busting Tortorella’s reputation
• 12:43 – Breaking news: Brad Treliving fired in Toronto
• 17:38 & 26:10 – NHL wild card race, east and west
• 33:13 – College hockey & Frozen Four update
• 39:30 – Troy Terry’s “no-hit” stat discussion
• 46:07 – Harry Potter casting snake draft
• 90:47 – Beer League Hotline: The ‘tummy sticks’ incident
• 95:51 – Blind ranking: John Tortorella’s alternate jobs

Style & Tone

• Banter is casual and irreverent, with plenty of inside jokes, personal anecdotes, chirps, and occasional profanity.
• The hosts balance sharp, knowledgeable hockey analysis with off-the-rails tangents (notably the Harry Potter segment) but always return to the puck.
• Direct speaker attribution and timestamps make it easy to follow.

This episode is perfect for listeners looking to catch up on the seismic coaching/front-office shifts in the NHL, enjoy razor-sharp playoff race analysis, and revel in the colorful personalities and offbeat asides that set Empty Netters apart.