Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Big Suey: Hockey Player or Prescription

Date: February 26, 2026

Episode Overview

Recording live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their cadre of regular contributors blend sports chatter with signature humor and cultural banter. This "Big Suey" episode is anchored by a playful new trivia game ("Hockey Player or Prescription"), shoe mishaps, creative team names in sports, and a discussion of the immense pressure in Canadian hockey markets. The hosts’ relaxed, improvisational style and rapid-fire exchanges are on full display.

Key Discussion Points

1. The LeBron/Bronny Shoe Mishap

[03:14–08:30]

• Mike Ryan’s Sneaker Fiasco:
  Mike describes ordering a pair of limited-edition LeBron sneakers through the secondary market app, Goat, only to discover each shoe is a different color—one a LeBron and the other a Bronny James model.

  • Mike Ryan: "One shoe is gold and black and white and perfect...The other shoe is purple and black...I’m 40 years old. I cannot pull off this look." (04:35)
  • Frustration about aging out of sneaker culture and feeling "washed" ensues.
  • Amin Elhassan: Jokes the packaging is akin to “hiding a pork barrel rider” in Congress (05:22).
  • The group riffs on possible ways to salvage or trade the mismatched shoes.

• Orthopedic Shoe Conversation:
  Dave talks about resorting to unhip orthopedic shoes due to flat feet and plantar fasciitis.

  • Dave: "I don’t like wearing my orthos because...they look like orthos and B, I feel like an old man" (09:03)
  • Chris Cote: Suggests inventing "cool-looking orthos" (09:49)
  • The group humorously debates velcro, slip-ons, maximum grip soles, and confesses to owning “oofos” (orthopedic slides/shoes).

2. Segment: "Hockey Player or Prescription"

[13:23–18:35]

• Premise: Chris Cote hosts a quiz where participants must guess if a given name belongs to an NHL player or a prescription drug. The names cleverly mimic the linguistic style of both categories, exposing their similarities.

• Examples:

  • "Brukinza": Is it an NHL grinder or lymphoma medication?
    • Amin Elhassan: "Brukinza is a hockey player." (15:05)—Incorrect.
  • "Anzubko": Is it a speedy defenseman or hand eczema treatment?
    • Mike Ryan: Correctly guesses it’s medication.
  • "Van Robies": Player or esophagitis medication?
    • Dave: "The fact that you’re having trouble pronouncing it makes me believe that it’s a medication." (17:20)—Incorrect.

• Memorable Quotes:

  • Chris Cote: "It’s hard to distinguish... whether I’m talking about an NHL player or a prescription drug." (14:33)
  • Chris Cote: "I want to do... a Oscars award style award of the greatest prescription drug jingle out there, because there are a lot of them." (18:17)
  • Several name puns and an extended riff about the proliferation of eczema commercials.

3. Canadian Hockey Pressure & Media Scrutiny

[20:00–24:37]

• Connor McDavid’s Challenge:
  The show discusses a pointed media question about McDavid’s lack of a Stanley Cup, sparking a debate about expectations for Canadian hockey stars.

  • Reporter’s Question: “Stanley Cups found Gretzky and Crosby...Did you think it would be this hard?” (20:24)
  • Hosts note it’s the “nicest possible way to ask” about a legacy gap.
  • Chris Cote: "That is the whole point...He hasn’t won. So that is why he is out of that conversation at this point.” (21:21)

• Media Intensity in Canada:
  Hosts cite the Toronto Star’s harsh headlines on Auston Matthews, and Sarah Sivian is mentioned as a future guest to further the conversation.

  • Mike Ryan: "The pressure is immense. The media coverage there is very intense. It’s like New York City media." (23:05)
  • Discussions about national pride, cross-border rivalries, and potential player backlash after the Olympics.

4. Game: "Same Nickname, Different Teams"

[25:27–28:18]

• The group plays a trivia game trying to name North American pro sports teams who share nicknames across leagues (e.g., Jets, Panthers, Cardinals, Giants, Kings, Rangers).
  • Mike Ryan: "It’s the same name, but two different sports." (26:54)
  • The challenge sparks playful confusion among the hosts.

5. What’s Left? The 'Cool' Team Names Crisis

[30:21–41:26]

• Amin Elhassan: Asserts that there are "no more cool names" available for pro sports teams—everything’s been taken or copyrighted (30:35).

  • Minor league baseball gets a pass for playful names, but Amin wants names fit for national marketing and seriousness.

• Group Riff:
  They deride single/plural noun names (e.g., Mammoth/Mammoths), revive the "Washington Bullets" story, and unearth bizarre historic names (e.g., Brooklyn Bridegrooms).

  • Chris Cote: "Any team whose name doesn’t end in S...it’s basically a tie at the bottom." (34:16)
  • "Predators" is labeled the laziest name: “Let’s just get out. Predators it is.” (34:53)
  • Miami Heat and Utah Jazz get special derision for awkwardness.
    • Dan Le Batard: "Jazz is the worst for me. That’s the goat of bad ones for me." (35:50)
    • Amin Elhassan: Explains locally the St. Louis Blues are called “the notes” (36:02)

• Naming After Local Features or Animals:
  The group debates the unfamiliarity or irrelevance of names like Lakers/Clippers, and proposes more locally appropriate or creative options.

  • Chris Cote: "Clippers...should have just...rebranded as Hollywood Knights...or Rhinos." (37:35)
  • On the Oklahoma City Thunder: "Twisters" was suggested but rejected as too sensitive (38:29).

• Hurricane/Storm Names as Teams:
  Tangent into meteorological storm names and the missed opportunity to use football player names for added fun (39:36).

• Amin’s Final Pitch:
  He suggests the last good name still available: “Mako Sharks…Miami Makos." (40:25)

Notable Quotes & Funniest Moments

• Mike Ryan on shoe mix-ups:
  “I got got big time.” (05:55)
• Chris Cote on medical naming games:
  “I get it right here too. Look at us, we park our car in the same garage… I don’t like that garage though.” (16:16)
• Chris Cote on lazy team names:
  "Let’s come up with a fearsome beast...It’s 4:59 on Friday. Let’s just get out. Predators it is." (34:53)
• Amin Elhassan on jazz/jazzman:
  "If I play for the Jazz, I’m a—you’re a jazz player, a jazzman. That’s the...literally what?" (35:33)
• Dan Le Batard (jokingly):
  "Jazz is the worst for me. That’s the goat of bad ones for me." (35:50)
• Chris Cote on the redundancy of “Wild” (Minnesota’s NHL Team):
  "The Minnesota Outsides is a terrible name." (41:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:14–08:30] – Mike Ryan’s LeBron/Bronny shoe mix-up & orthopedic shoe banter
• [13:23–18:35] – "Hockey Player or Prescription" trivia game
• [20:00–24:37] – Connor McDavid’s quest for the Cup & Canadian media pressure
• [25:27–28:18] – Same Nickname game (teams across leagues)
• [30:21–41:26] – Crisis of cool (and uncool) team names; heated naming debate

Tone & Style

The episode is full of loose, witty, and at times, self-deprecating humor. Segment transitions are sharp, and the group’s chemistry gives listeners the feel of being in the room for a freewheeling sports-and-pop-culture conversation. No topic is too trivial to escalate into big riffs or silly games, and their lampooning of team names and pharmaceutical ads is textbook Le Batard Show energy.

For New Listeners

This episode is quintessential Le Batard: digressions, running jokes, group games, insight into sports fandom and culture, and a constant blur between earnest debate and comic absurdity. The “Hockey Player or Prescription” segment is a highlight—demonstrating the show’s inventive approach to commonplace sports talk. The extended naming debate, meanwhile, offers both laughs and legitimate musings on branding in sports.

If you love sports, language puzzles, and a self-aware, irreverent approach to both, this episode is essential.