The Athletic Hockey Show — "The Cole Caufield Revenge Game"

Date: January 21, 2026
Hosts: Sean McIndoo, Shayna Goleman, Frankie Corrado

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Cole Caufield’s high-profile “revenge game” following his exclusion from the Team USA Olympic roster—a snub he emphatically answered with a late game-winning goal. The hosts break down the ongoing Olympic selection debates, the social media fallout, technical aspects of Caufield’s play, and broader lessons about NHL decision-making. The crew also covers wild moments from recent NHL action, notably a rare goalie fight, the Lane Hudson "phantom penalty," and the recent Kiefer Sherwood trade. Mental health, sports rumors, and the Linus Ohmark interview round out a lively, insight-packed episode.

1. Introductions & Banter (03:16–05:00)

• Sean McIndoo fills in for regular host Sean Gentile, coining it the “next Sean up” episode.
• Shayna Goleman jokes about stepping into “Sean” mode:
  “Usually I’m boy Dom, a girl Dom, but today I’m Sean.” (03:45)
• The crew welcomes back Frankie Corrado, who laments Toronto’s frigid weather and jokes about assembling a Team Italy roster for the Olympics.

2. Olympic Roster Talk: Team Italy & Snubs (04:42–07:46)

Key Points

• Frankie presents a tongue-in-cheek Team Italy Olympic hockey roster, emphasizing players with “a vowel at the end of their name.”
• Snubs and eligibility gags abound (e.g., Macklin Celebrini, Matt Zuccarello, Anthony Sorelli).
• Discussion about the real-world implications of Olympic snubs, injuries, and dual citizenship.
• Shayna on roster realism:
  “There's been so many injuries this season... it feels like we are being realistic, right?” (07:17)

3. Cole Caufield: The Revenge Game (07:46–12:32)

Main Theme

Cole Caufield, omitted from the Team USA roster, scores a last-minute game-winner against Bill Guerin’s Minnesota Wild, sparking outcry and debate.

Key Discussion Points

• Frankie Corrado:
  “Speaking about players that should be on Team USA, did Cole Caufield have a night last night? Did he do it or what?” (07:46)
• Sean McIndoo:
  Notes Lane Hudson’s strong game, and questions if Bill Guerin is reconsidering U.S. roster choices.
• Shayna Goleman:
  “It’s ridiculous to me that he didn’t make the team... I get it, he’s short. Okay, can we get past—everyone’s like, you can’t have a short player…” (08:55)
  • Laments the continued exclusion of “short kings,” and sets up the rivalry storyline: If Team USA falls short, this will haunt their decision-makers.
• The Montreal Canadiens' Twitter account’s “@usahockey” tag after Caufield’s goal is lauded as one of the best social media moments of the year.

Memorable Quotes

• “When Bill Guerin is home at the end of February with the silver or bronze medal, if he’s lucky, when he goes to sleep at night, he needs to close his eyes and all of a sudden that goal like, replays through his head with Celine Dion backdropping it. That’s what needs to happen for him to not make that mistake again.” — Shayna Goleman (09:20–09:44)
• “As far as NHL team Twitter accounts, that may be the best tweet of the year.” — Sean McIndoo (11:09)

On Caufield’s Clutch Ability

• Frankie emphasizes Caufield’s “clutch gene”—most game-winning goals in the NHL over the last three years, scoring against top defenders like Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes.
• Shayna argues for his Olympic selection based on his big-game, matchup-tested experience with Nick Suzuki (16:19): “He pulls it off in those minutes. To me, that says, okay, maybe you do have the chops to play for Team USA…”

4. The Phantom Hudson Penalty & Officiating Fixes (17:30–25:52)

Incident

• Lane Hudson called for “phantom tripping” on Marcus Foligno (who simply tripped over the blue line). Ref apologizes; debate erupts.

Key Opinions

• Frankie Corrado:
  Vets should have huddled and reversed such egregious calls without replay: “There’s a lot of experience…there has to be some kind of understanding. Maybe it’s a memo between the league and all the teams that… if it’s egregious, bottom line, we can get the call right.” (24:47)
• Shayna Goleman:
  Wants minor improvements like "eye in the sky" help, but NOT endless video reviews: “Just have someone else from above be like, hey, actually, no...in a non-distracting way.” (20:04)
• Sean McIndoo:
  Warns that overreacting to “easy” officiating mistakes ruins the sport: “Easy cases make bad rules…We got instant replay review for offsides out of that eventually. And in 10 years, we have not had a single other Matt Duchene, offside by 10ft case.” (21:45–23:40)

5. Goalie Fight Mania! (27:15–38:44)

Recap

• A rare goalie fight between Bobrovsky and Nadelkovich thrills the panel and fans alike.

Notable Discussion

• Frankie Corrado:
  “Goalies are…they’re lunatics. Once those wires cross, there’s no going back.” (27:15)

• The panel celebrates the cinematic quality of Bobrovsky charging down the ice, comparing it to a WWE referee rushing in (31:35).

• Shayna reasons goalie fights must remain rare for maximum fun, urging officials: “If you so choose to do it, let them cook.” (29:41)

• Historical Non-fights:

  • Patrick Roy vs. Ron Hextall (the “Hogan-Flair never headlining WrestleMania” of goalies)
  • The infamous Cujo–Mick McGeough incident
  • The lost Hasek vs. Roy bout: “Absolutely devastating.” — Sean (36:48)

• Best Modern Candidates:

  • John Gibson (Corrado’s “sleeper pick”), Jacob Markstrom, and Jordan Binnington (“the Jake Paul of goalies?” - 37:10).

6. Trade Talk: Kiefer Sherwood to San Jose (38:44–43:50)

• Frankie Corrado:
  Praises Sharks’ position but notes limited return value for Sherwood given lack of a lengthy scoring track record. “It was going to be hard for them to get a first-round pick ... as good as it was going to get.” (39:30)
• Shayna Goleman:
  Wonders if waiting would have raised Sherwood’s price, but likes the fit for the Sharks, especially given their cap flexibility and asset stockpile.
  “I really love it for the Sharks…and I didn’t think I would, because again, I thought this was a piece for a contender, not a fringe team.” (42:09)
• Vancouver’s decision to deal early due to Sherwood’s streaky scoring trends is debated.

7. Returning to the Phantom Penalty: Accountability (43:50–45:20)

• Frankie recounts an instance where Cale Makar’s sportsmanship leading to a rescinded penalty proves on-ice conferences can work.
• Mini-debate about whether Marcus Foligno should have publicly admitted the miscall.

8. Linus Ohmark Interview & Handling Rumor Fallout (48:23–55:23)

Main Theme

The panel responds to Linus Ohmark’s candid interview about taking leave and the media/rumor backlash.

• Shayna Goleman:
  Reflects on the challenges Ohmark faced:
  “I hate that he was forced into the spotlight with this. When a person, a player…these are people, right?” (49:26)
  • Debates if the Sens did the right thing confronting rumors publicly with a statement.
• Sean McIndoo:
  Ultimately sides with the club’s approach since Ohmark appreciated the support. “That kind of made Steve Stao’s the—not the villain in the story, but one of the main characters…maybe it takes some heat off the rest…” (53:44)
• The hosts warn every situation is unique—future rumors may require a different touch depending on the player’s wishes.

9. Closing Notes: Next Shows & Announcements

• Frankie reveals he’ll be filling in on Red Wings broadcasts to cover for Mick Redmond (45:23).
• Technical fun: “Sean’s power went out, so now our Seans per 60 has plummeted.” — Shayna (55:23)
• The Athletic Hockey Show returns next week; Haley and Gentile take the next episode.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Caufield's Omission:
  • "It's ridiculous to me…that he didn't make the team." — Shayna (08:55)
• Clutch Gene:
  • "No one scored more game-winning goals in the last three years than him." — Frankie (09:48)
• Canadiens Social Media:
  • "As far as NHL team Twitter accounts, that may be the best tweet of the year." — Sean (11:09)
• On Officiating:
  • "Easy cases make bad rules…We got instant replay review for offsides out of that eventually." — Sean (21:45)
• Goalie Fights:
  • “Goalies are…they’re lunatics…once those wires cross, there’s no going back.” — Frankie (27:15)
• Ohmark Situation:
  • “I hate that he was forced into the spotlight with this…these are people, right?” — Shayna (49:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:16 — Show open, host intros, Italy roster gags
• 07:46 — Cole Caufield revenge game, snub fallout, social media
• 17:30 — Lane Hudson's phantom penalty and officiating debate
• 27:15 — Goalie fight: Bobrovsky vs. Nadelkovich and historical context
• 38:44 — Kiefer Sherwood trade to San Jose
• 48:23 — Linus Ohmark interview & handling rumors
• 55:23 — Wrap up and show announcements

This summary captures the breadth and energy of the show while highlighting the personality and insight each host brings. For listeners who missed the episode, it offers a thorough, engaging account of everything — except the ads!