Spittin' Chiclets Episode 638: Featuring Joey Kocur

Date: April 17, 2026
Hosts: Ryan Whitney, Paul "Biz Nasty" Bissonnette, Rear Admiral (RA), Keith Yandle, Mike Grinnell
Special Guest: Joey Kocur

Episode Overview

This stacked, irreverent episode is all about the end of the NHL regular season and the start of the playoffs, bringing trademark Spittin' Chiclets banter on league controversies, playoff matchups, and legendary hockey tales with a special interview featuring four-time Stanley Cup champ Joey Kocur. The hosts deliver their outspoken takes on playoff matchups, the drama in Toronto and Columbus, and reminisce about old-school hockey stories with Kocur.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Pink Whitney Stories

[01:02–03:11]

• Paul Bissonnette recounts recent fan interactions and unexpected moments of Pink Whitney branding.
• The gang riffs on the Buffalo Sabres’ social media trolling, with Biz recounting being mercilessly blasted by the Sabres’ admin and even put on a Buffalo billboard.
  • “They did that, like, bravo, bravo. Just incredible, incredible trolling by them to a guy who deserves it. A true scumbag. Myself, it's somebody who just doesn't know what he's talking about.” — Biz Nasty [05:23]

2. The Sabres’ Playoff Return & Buffalo Fan Baggage

[02:29–08:42]

• Sabres clinching a playoff spot sparks deep talk about long-suffering fan bases (Buffalo, Detroit, Columbus).
• Respect and empathy for Buffalo's playoff drought, with shoutouts to the loyal fan base and memorable moments in Buffalo hockey history.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets & Coach Rick Bowness’s Epic Rant

[09:04–24:36]

• Hosts play and dissect Rick Bowness’s scathing end-of-season press conference, calling out his team's lack of fire.
• Multiple perspectives debated:
  • Player Perspective: “That's fucking bullshit ... straight up calling out the character.” — Biz Nasty [16:53]
  • Middle Ground: Balance between old-school coaching and a new generation of players.
  • Quotes from players—some supporting Bowness, some likely seething.
• Discussion turns philosophical:
  • “Not enough of these guys hate losing enough more than they enjoy winning. And that's the—I was. And you know, it kind of made me think…” — Keith Yandle [13:39]
• Debate continues on locker room vs. public criticisms, and whether Bowness should return as coach (it’s announced he’s back for another year).

4. Toronto Maple Leafs Dysfunction & Organizational Chaos

[35:41–44:47]

• Deep dive on the Maple Leafs’ very public internal struggles, with messy management moves, cost-cutting, fan gouging, and Austin Matthews’ noncommittal future.
• Twitter and fan outrage targets the organization’s lack of hockey vision and “private equity” approach.
• Hilarious rants about kids needing to pay to wave the flag, and “corporate” culture draining energy out of the lower bowl.
• “You need hockey people. You, you need to, you need to build a family and a culture. And all of a sudden they're nickel and diming...” — Biz Nasty [38:00]

5. East Playoff Series Previews

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

[45:15–56:59]

• Glorious hype for this old-school rivalry. The panel breaks down key players, stats, and the “Sidney Crosby show.”
• Flyers’ PK/PP struggles analyzed, and the impact of their young core debated.
• Theatrical Darth Vader moment by Keith Yandle donning the mask and picking Philly for the upset.
• “Darth the Meech God. All hail the Meech God. He will have the series of his life.” — Keith Yandle [50:40]

Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

[57:08–66:49]

• Can resurgent, speedy Montreal topple battered, veteran Tampa?
• Debate focuses on recent playoff letdowns for Tampa, Kucherov’s postseason game, and Vasilevskiy's stats.
• “I’m going to pick Montreal. Yeah, I know.” — Keith Yandle [60:16]
• “If Vasilevsky's given up those numbers, they're done again in the first round.” — Biz Nasty [63:47]

Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres

[68:09–77:39]

• Analysis on the mammoth defensive size on both teams, with focus on Sabres’ breakout season and whether Boston’s structure/goalie Swayman can hold them off.
• Heated debate on who wins head-to-head matchups and which forward group is more playoff-ready. Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson as keys.
• “I think it's just Buffalo's time. ... but I think it's going seven.” — Biz Nasty [71:11]
• “If Swayman is on, he steals games.” — Ryan Whitney [76:07]

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators

[80:28–91:55]

• Ottawa as a dark horse: Brady Tkachuk’s hunger, matchups at center, and Carolina’s D structure scrutinized.
• Split panel with hot takes: “I got Ottawa shocking them in Carolina game seven.” — Biz Nasty [89:48]
• “You're playing to become a team that doesn't make trades using chat GPT.” — Biz Nasty [90:23]

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Utah Mammoth (Western preview, brief)

[94:45–101:25]

• Utah's first playoff run, the impact of John Tortorella (“Torts”) as new Vegas coach, and matchups dissected.
• “I'm betting with my horn. And I got Utah tusks up in seven.” — Keith Yandle [101:07]
• Most of the panel sticks with Vegas as the safe pick, but predict Utah's core has a bright future.

Joey Kocur Interview

[102:55–163:47]

(Timestamps [103:34]–[160:49])

Major Themes:

• Saskatchewan Farm Roots & Upbringing:
  • “My dad was. He was a tough old bastard, and he pushed us pretty hard. …there was no sassing around.” [105:55]
• Fighting Origin Story:
  • Kocur credits junior coach Jerry James for shaping his game—recommending he specialize in fighting to make the NHL.
• Teammates & Friendships:
  • Stories involving Kelly Chase, Wendell Clark, Bob Probert.
• Rivals and Team Loyalty:
  • Never fought Chaser or Clark in the NHL due to close friendships: “I always felt that I was maybe their bigger brother… just too close to family.”
• Role on Teams:
  • Accepted the grinder/enforcer role after being a high-scoring junior. “I knew my place on the team... I accepted what I had to do.”
• Legendary Coaches:
  • Contrasting experiences with Mike Keenan and Scotty Bowman.
    • “Keenan called me to his office one day to vent … [he] got up and walked out of his office and I was there sitting by myself…” [122:23]
    • “Scotty wasn’t like that. He just kept you on edge all the time… to me, he was the best coach I ever had.” [123:07]
• Stanley Cup Memories:
  • Tales from 1994 Rangers run—parade, lifting the curse, and legendary teammates like Brian Leetch, Zubov, Messier.
  • “Canyon of Heroes... people 20, 30, 40 stories up, sitting outside their window... that's something I will never forget.” [125:56]
• Stanley Cup Antics and Mishaps:
  • Soldered the Cup back together himself after receiving it broken on the baggage claim.
  • Lost Cup stories involving teammates during the parade: “...they found it 15 blocks away a few hours later with a bunch of Irish dudes.” [127:42]
• Return to Detroit:
  • How Probert's instigation in a game led to Kocur’s return and two more Cups.
• Physical & Medical Battle Stories:
  • Near loss of arm to infection after a fight, long hospital stays, and harrowing recovery.

Notable Quotes & Anecdotes

• Kocur on fighting:
  • “I never, never bothered me to get hit. So if, as long as I hit them harder than they hit me, I was always happy.” [108:40]
• On the grind line:
  • “As long as I'm on the bench, he [Scotty Bowman] can send me out there. If I'm in the penalty box, he doesn't control me.” [136:55]
• Favorite fight:
  • “Getting back in the league and winning two cups with Detroit after the Probie fight was… would be the top one.” [161:31]

Ari's World (RA's Segment) & Playoff Picks

[168:08–185:47]

• RA delivers heartfelt playoff hype and makes his series picks.
• Notable take: Bruins in six vs. Buffalo, leaning on Swayman’s playoff experience.
• Picks Flyers to upset Pittsburgh, “just think talk is going to have him gunning” [175:15].
• Tampa-Montreal—leans Montreal in seven, trusting in the “magic.”
• Dallas-Minnesota: “Mini in seven … should be a bloody one.”
• Vegas-Utah: Flipped from Utah in 7 to Vegas in 7 after research (“Hart stays in that zone, I don't know how Utah beats him.”)
• Shoutout to Tidbits: US Thanksgiving playoff team stat, movie/TV recs (Arrested Development, Untold: Portland Jailblazers, The Social Reckoning), soccer World Cup ticket fiasco.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Sabres Billboard Payback:
  “Bravo, bravo. ...to a guy who deserves it. A true scumbag. Myself, it's somebody who just doesn't know what he's talking about.” — Biz Nasty [05:23]
• Rick Bowness's Accountability:
  “These guys, they don't care. ...Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn't bother them. Like, how can you go and play like that?” — Rick Bowness (clip, ~[10:30])
• Keith Yandle's Flyers Fandom:
  “Darth the Meech God. All hail the Meech God…” [50:40]
  (while wearing a Darth Vader mask)
• On the Leafs Management:
  “They're the richest team in hockey and they're nickel and diamond. Not just the players, but fans...like, what the.” — Biz Nasty [38:00]
• Joey Kocur's farm upbringing:
  “There's no question my dad was. He was a tough old bastard, and he pushed us pretty hard. So there was no, there's no sassing around.” [105:55]
• On soldering the Cup:
  “The top is broken from the bottom... I bought some silver solder and I soldered it back together, and it lasted for another. Another month or two.” — Joey Kocur [127:18]
• On losing the Cup:
  “...they found it 15 blocks away a few hours later with a bunch of Irish dudes.” [127:42]
• On fighting:
  “I think the Stanley cup, soldering it back together was one of. One of them. ...I think the only reason I have my hand today is because, I mean, you guys know, we got stitched up.” [151:57], [148:48]
• On Nick Lidstrom:
  “You never. Nobody ever had to talk to him. And I never once saw him lose his cool, get mad, ever. I mean, that's. That's pretty impressive.” — Joey Kocur [144:00]

Important Timestamps

• [01:02–03:11] — Pink Whitney Story & Sabres Social Media Billboard
• [09:04–24:40] — Rick Bowness Rant and Columbus Culture Debate
• [35:41–44:47] — Leafs Dysfunction Segment
• [45:15–56:59] — East Playoff Series: PIT–PHI Preview
• [57:08–66:49] — East Playoff Series: MTL–TBL Preview
• [68:09–77:39] — East Playoff Series: BOS–BUF Preview
• [80:28–91:55] — East Playoff Series: CAR–OTT Preview
• [94:45–101:25] — West Playoff Series: VGK–UT Preview
• [102:55–163:47] — Joey Kocur Interview: farm stories, NHL fights, 1994 Rangers Cup run, Red Wings brawls, soldering the Stanley Cup, and more.
• [168:08–185:47] — Ari's World: playoff picks, Bruins press credential saga, playoff statistics, new show/movie recommendations, U.S. Soccer drama

Final Thoughts

A marathon playoff preview episode with legendary hockey storytelling. The Chiclets crew blend deep-dive analysis, old war stories, and classic irreverence—especially in the Joey Kocur segment full of epic fight tales and NHL lore. Fans of playoff hockey, salty team dysfunction, or classic enforcer memories will not want to miss this one.