The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz — The Hockey Show: Keeping One Eye On Milan

Episode Date: October 31, 2025

Episode Overview

Live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Roy Bellamy, Ethan, David ("Drock") Drock, and others deliver an irreverent and deeply knowledgeable “Hockey Show” installment focused on an action-packed week in the NHL ("Frozen Frenzy"), Olympic roster debates, young stars taking over the league, stories from the South Florida sports scene, and an extended interview with gold medalist and ESPN analyst Cassie Campbell-Pascall. Amidst Halloween costumes, failed parlays, and local color, the crew breaks down the state of hockey with signature humor and insight.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

I. Frozen Frenzy - 16 Games, 100 Goals, and Betting Regrets

(00:00–03:32)

• Unique NHL event with all 32 teams playing on the same night; incredible offensive output (100 goals, 2 hat tricks: Connor Bedard and Victor Olofsson).
• Ridiculous cumulative stats: 769 saves on 876 shots, collective skaters covering 1,464 miles.
• Failed 16-leg parlay story: Roy and David nearly win big—"It would have been $93,000, dude. Yeah, it would have been ridiculous." — Roy (02:30)
• Effect of broadcasting changes: Staggered start times a big win for fan experience.
• Highlights: Blackhawks outperform expectations; Wild struggle despite recent investments.

II. Young Stars and Surprising Standings

(03:32–04:41)

• Chicago Blackhawks (with Connor Bedard) are a surprise in the Central Division.
• Minnesota Wild faltering, especially after investing in Kaprizov.

III. Big Contract Extensions — Setting Up for the Future

(04:41–06:45)

• New deals:
  • Logan Cooley: 8 years, $80M (Utah)
  • Thomas Harley: 8 years, $84.7M (Dallas)
  • Martin Necas: 8 years, $92M (Colorado)
• "Dallas is just a sneaky, good depth team...His analytics numbers particularly have been pretty good the last couple seasons. So I'm excited, man." — David (05:44)
• Roster building strategies and comparisons to past big-money deals.

IV. Olympic Roster Projections and Debates

(06:45–11:34)

• NHL.com’s projected rosters for Team Canada and Team USA spark debate regarding young talent inclusion.
• “Macklin Celebrini...is playing otherworldly right now, considering how young he is and how amazing he’s playing.” — David (07:34)
• “The guy to me that's left off here that should be on is Cole Caufield...He just broke the record for most overtime goals by a Montreal Canadien a few days ago.” — Ethan (10:20)
• The need to balance experience with giving future leaders Olympic exposure.

V. Halloween Antics, Watch Parties & Costume Mishaps

(11:34–12:28)

• Stories from Flanagan’s Dolphins/Ravens watch party.
• Ethan’s Power Ranger morph suit debacle: “It’s not the most feasible thing for eating, going to the bathroom. You gotta do what you gotta do.” — Ethan (12:00)
• Shout-out to sponsors and community events.

VI. Puck Luck Parlay and NHL Gambling Takes

(12:28–13:59)

• David’s weekly parlay advice (Capitals on puck line, Chychrun shots, Detroit moneyline).
• "Thank you to DraftKings for providing us an opportunity to show our lack of knowledge on the gambling aspect of this sport." — Roy (13:59)

VII. Rosa En Un Minuto & Vancouver Canucks Recap

(14:55–16:54)

• “Rosie” files her regular “Rosa En Un Minuto”—a quick Spanish-language summary—quietly from an airport terminal.
• Ethan capably recaps Vancouver’s week: Kiefer Sherwood’s breakout, injuries, and Jonathan Quick’s record-tying shutout.

VIII. Weekly Wins and Fails

(17:01–21:30) Wins:

• Nashville Predators’ “Florida Man Cam”: “10 out of 10. This was a great job by Nashville.” — David (17:17)
• Kid dressed as a Matthew Tkachuk trading card receives costume kudos.
• Connor Bedard’s first career hat trick: “Everything looks better in Chicago this year...This is the Connor Bedard year.” — Ethan (18:29) Fails:
• AHL empty net whiff by Walker Duehr: “That is about as fail as a hockey fail can get.” — David (19:50)
• Capitals forward Ethan Frank gets injured trying to check “Moose” (Mikko Rantanen): “Don’t check a guy named Moose.” — Roy (21:08)
• Blues’ Braden Schenn’s shootout blunder, St. Louis’ goaltending disasters.

IX. Rapid-Fire Hockey Rants & Honoring Franchise Legends

(22:31–26:39)

• Discussion over under-honored franchise legends (e.g., John LeClair in Philly, Datsyuk/Zetterberg in Detroit).
• “Give ‘em some love.” — David (24:56)
• Ring of Honor vs. number retirement; Florida Panthers’ lone retired number and the idea of recognizing more franchise history.

Extended Interview: Cassie Campbell-Pascall

(30:13–48:12)

Panthers' Early Struggles & Injuries

• “To three-peat is going to be an incredible accomplishment for them...But I think losing Barkov in particular and what he does for that team...is going to be something difficult to overcome.” — Cassie (30:51)

New York Islanders' Lack of Identity

• “Over the years I’ve been lost at what the identity of the New York Islanders have been...Are they a skilled team? Do they want to be a physical team?” — Cassie (32:29)

Growth of the PWHL (Women’s League)

• “It’s been incredible...to have the ownership group of Mark Walter and his team...It’s giving us our best chance to survive... Watch the expansion happen—you know, Vancouver and Seattle—those teams are going to be competitive and bring parity.” — Cassie (34:40)

The Raise in Women’s Hockey’s Popularity

• “You go back to the ’98 Olympics and the first Olympics for women’s ice hockey— that was a huge step.” — Cassie (36:36)
• Increased visibility and opportunities with the PWHL, Olympics, and professional stability.

Olympic Roster Youth Debate

• “It’s a little bit less about exposure for these young guys more so than experience... They have to play a two-way game in order to be on these rosters.” — Cassie (38:50)

What It Feels Like to Be at the Olympics

• “It’s the ultimate... If you lose in the quarterfinal, it’s like losing in a Game 7. If you lose the gold medal game, it’s like losing in a Game 7.” — Cassie (41:34)
• “I had this out of body experience where I was this little girl at home watching myself walk into the Olympic Games...” (43:24)

Milan 2026 — Olympic Uncertainty

• Venue delays and spartan conditions: “As an Olympic athlete, you expect the unexpected... you just get out on the ice and you do your job.” — Cassie (43:55)

International vs. NHL Ice

• “It can be a difference for sure...but everyone’s playing on the same ice, so there’s no excuses.” — Cassie (45:38)

Overtime/Shootout Format Tweaks

• “If they just went from five minutes to 10 minutes [of 3-on-3], it would probably eliminate like 90% of shootouts…” — David (46:29)
• “I wouldn’t mind seeing it move to 10 minutes...But as an athlete, three-on-three is tough. It’s like a bag skate.” — Cassie (47:00)
• Cassie floats the idea of an “over and back” rule for overtime, akin to basketball.

Panthers Den & Brad Marchand’s Good Deed

(48:19–50:56)

• Brad Marchand absent from Ducks game for personal reasons; coaches youth game in Nova Scotia in honor of his late friend’s daughter.
• Warm appreciation after his trade to the Panthers: “He’s a good man. He’s a stand-up guy. And still weird to see him in a Panthers uniform, but...he’s here. Good guy.” — Roy (49:29)

Panthers’ Recent Games & Trends

• Defeat vs. Vegas; shootout loss to Anaheim despite dominating play.
• Shooting woes: “Their shooting percentage...third worst in the league right now. They’re shooting 7.02%.” — Ethan (53:17)
• “If the dam ever breaks, they're going to look like the Panthers again. I just don’t know that the dam is going to break anytime soon right now.” — Ethan (54:05)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “It would have been $93,000, dude. Yeah, it would have been ridiculous.” — Roy, failed 16-leg parlay (02:30)
• “All he does now is score overtime goals. He's been spectacular start this season.” — Ethan, on Cole Caufield (10:20)
• “This was Connor Bedard’s year, and it's going to be really exciting because this is a player I’ve been waiting to break out for since he came into the league.” — Ethan (18:29)
• “It’s not the most feasible thing for eating, going to the bathroom. You gotta do what you gotta do.” — Ethan, on his Power Ranger costume (12:00)
• “Give ‘em some love.” — David, on teams slow to retire legendary players’ numbers (24:56)
• “If the dam ever breaks, they’re going to look like the Panthers again. I just don’t know that the dam is going to break anytime soon right now.” — Ethan (54:05)
• “I had this out of body experience where I was this little girl at home watching myself walk into the Olympic Games...” — Cassie Campbell-Pascall (43:24)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 — Frozen Frenzy stats and highlights
• 02:38 — Connor Bedard’s emergence, Blackhawks/Wild analysis
• 04:41 — Key player contract extensions
• 06:45 — Canadian and U.S. Olympic roster projections
• 11:34 — Flanagan’s watch party, Halloween costumes
• 12:50 — DraftKings puck luck weekly parlay
• 16:06 — Rosa En Un Minuto (Vancouver recap by Ethan)
• 17:12 — Weekly wins; hilarious “Florida Man Cam” in Nashville
• 19:50 — Weekly fails; AHL empty net disaster
• 22:31 — Rants on number retirements/franchise legends
• 30:13 — Extended interview with Cassie Campbell-Pascall
• 48:19 — Panthers Den: Brad Marchand’s charitable act
• 51:43 — Panthers' recent games, shooting woes, and pessimism/optimism
• 53:17 — Ethan on Panthers’ finishing problems
• 56:37 — Closing thanks and costume jokes

Tone and Style

• Conversational, irreverent, and affectionate toward the quirks of hockey and its fans.
• Frequent good-natured barbs, local South Florida references, and moments of hockey nerdery.
• Solid mix of stats, on-ice breakdowns, and fun, with an emphasis on storytelling and inside jokes.

Summary Designed to Catch You Up — Whether You Missed the Show or Want the Most Memorable Moments.