Podcast Summary: The Athletic Hockey Show - "Who Has the Most Punchable Face in the NHL?"

Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: Sean Gentille (D), Sean McIndoo (C), Frankie Corrado (E)
Theme: Diving into the annual NHL Player Poll, player reputations, and recent league action—with plenty of laughs, banter, and unfiltered opinions.

Overview

This episode centers on The Athletic's always-entertaining NHL Player Poll, with a special spotlight on the infamous "most punchable face" category. The hosts discuss the poll’s standout results and share behind-the-scenes player quotes, offering insights into the league's personality dynamics and locker-room culture. The crew also takes a fun detour through questions about tax advantages, the future of Connor McDavid, wild recent games, and wraps with a classic trivia segment.

Key Discussion Topics & Insights

1. The “Most Punchable Face” in the NHL Player Poll (03:15–13:02)

• Nick Cousins reigns supreme:
  • Back-to-back (possibly three-peat) champ: 24% of votes—well above Brad Marchand, who’s nine points ahead of third place.
  • Frankie: "Nine-year-old Nick Cousins was a rat. Ten-year-old Nick Cousins was a rat. Every single year he's been a rat." (07:28)
  • One anonymous player voted for Cousins: "I don't even know if he's in the league." (08:12)
• Players often vote not on face, but on who annoys them most or who recently trashed their team.
• Brandt Clarke: Notable new entry, with a player saying “everyone hates him and wants to punch him in the face.” (09:38)
  • Frankie: “In such a short period of time... everyone hates you and you know the guy.” (09:49)
• Joel Eriksson Ek: Unexpectedly received several votes, including from teammates.
  • “That’s like a classic case of we see it... and we’re like, man, I would hate to play against that guy.” (11:22)

2. How the Poll is Built & Player Polling Insights (05:58–07:25)

• Internal Athletic chatter and hard work goes into getting ~120 player responses.
• Poll categories and quotes get intense social media attention—especially among fanbases urged on by local rivalries.

3. Connor McDavid’s Future: Where Will He Be in 3 Years? (13:03–19:35)

• Polling result: ~56% of players think McDavid stays with Edmonton; Leafs get 10% as speculative #2.
• Host reactions:
  • McIndoo: “Almost 50% of the league thinks he's going somewhere, but nobody can agree on where.” (15:14)
  • Frankie: “If I were to guess... I would have said high 30s, low 40s, maybe.” (13:51)
• Host jokes about blow-off votes, like the lone vote for McDavid to Calgary.
  • “You can just tell the writer to get lost!” (16:07)
• Vegas and Tampa surprisingly receive few votes as possible destinations.

4. Does State Income Tax Matter to NHL Players? (20:31–23:21)

• A resounding YES from 86% of poll respondents.
  • Frankie: “They all seem to agree that it matters for them... they're the ones that have to work with their financial advisors.” (22:30)
  • McIndoo admits: “I think I was wrong. I don’t know that you could get 85% of NHL players to agree on whether ice is cold.” (21:25)
• Yet, despite tax advantages, top markets for McDavid remain traditional hockey cities.

5. Poll Methodology and Timeline (19:49–20:31)

• Polling started in September; responses collected over months—context shifts as season progresses.

6. Recent NHL Game Recaps & Rookies to Watch (27:02–36:36)

• Wild finishes: Four late game-tying goals in one night—a rare feat.
• Beckett Seneca: Scored a short-handed goal with 0.1 seconds left (Anaheim/Pittsburgh), and leads all rookies in points.
  • “First rookie to 10 goals... would not have guessed that.” (28:52)
• Montreal Canadiens crisis: Goalie struggles, major call-ups (Owen Beck, Angstrom, Fowler) after a loss to Tampa.
  • Frankie: “They obviously want him [Fowler] to play in the minors for a reason, but they can’t get a save at all... Crisis mode.” (29:35)

7. Breakout and Underrated Player Performances

• Bo Horvat (Islanders):
  • “Bo is playing great... he’s kind of popped offensively more than he has in quite some time.” (32:27)
• Emil Heineman: “He has done well... Now he’s getting the opportunity and making the most of it.” (34:03)

8. Coaching Surprises and the Jack Adams Award Conversation

• Patrick Roy (Islanders), Marco Sturm (Boston), John Cooper (Tampa), Dan Muse/Damien Wright (Pittsburgh), and Joel Quenneville (Anaheim) all get shout-outs for overachieving with limited rosters.

9. Trivia Segment: Most Points in First 50 Games with a Franchise Since 2005-06 (41:42–47:39)

• Toughest NHL trivia stumps the hosts. Key answers:
  • Joe Thornton (San Jose) is #1 with 74 points.
  • Alex Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin (Rangers), Matthew Tkachuk (Florida), Dany Heatley, Marian Hossa, Peter Forsberg (Flyers), Mark Savard (Bruins).
  • Frankie quips: “Michael Bunting. No, I’m just kidding.” (45:48)

10. Listener Engagement and Running Jokes

• Hosts urge listeners to tweet who they think has the “most punchable face” across The Athletic podcasts. (03:31)
• Banter about the “pasty white guys named Sean” at The Athletic. (05:58)
• Candid debate on fans/media feigning ignorance of rules like hand passes and goalie interference.
  • “I gotta do two things. I gotta write an article about what a hand pass is and before I do that... I gotta learn what a hand pass is.” (51:17)

11. Color-on-Color NHL Jersey Talk

• Discussion of upcoming jersey color matchups and league attitudes about accommodating more variety for fans.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Frankie Corrado:
  "Nine-year-old Nick Cousins was a rat. Ten-year-old Nick Cousins was a rat. Every single year he's been a rat." (07:28)
• Anonymous Player on Cousins:
  "I don't even know if he's in the league." (08:12)
• McIndoo:
  "Almost 50% of the league thinks he's going somewhere [McDavid], but nobody can agree on where." (15:14)
• Frankie:
  "They all seem to agree that it matters for them [state income tax]. And it's hard to argue, man... as long as the team's good or semi-good, they're taking that option." (22:30)
• McIndoo (on conceding the tax debate):
  "I think I was wrong. I don't know that you could get 85% of NHL players to agree on whether ice is cold." (21:25)
• Gentille:
  "It's a battle between you and I. Who could imagine punching Frankie?" (53:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Player Poll & Punchable Face Discussion: 03:15–13:02
• McDavid’s Future & Player Opinions: 13:03–19:35
• State Income Tax Debate: 20:31–23:21
• Game Breakdowns & Rookie Watch: 27:02–36:36
• Bo Horvat & Islanders: 32:27–34:47
• Coaching Discussion: 34:47–36:36
• Trivia Segment: 41:42–47:39
• Listener Engagement/Riffing: Throughout (esp. 03:31, 05:58, 51:17)

Tone & Style

The episode is classic Athletic Hockey Show: sharp, irreverent, consistently self-aware, and rooted in the inside world of hockey journalism. Hosts openly rib each other, reference ongoing debates (like the income tax issue), and share plenty of behind-the-scenes color from both the press box and locker rooms. Jokes about their own personalities and past articles keep things light, even as they weigh in on major league developments.

Takeaways

• Player reputations are real—and often deeply personal for both players and fans.
• The NHL’s internal economics (taxes, destinations) are top-of-mind for players.
• Media polls provide a fascinating, sometimes comical, snapshot of league sentiment.
• Wild finishes and surprise performances continue to shake up the current NHL landscape.

For the full, unfiltered experience—with every witty barb, groan-inducing trivia gaffe, and dig at “punchable” media colleagues—listening is highly recommended!