Award-winning sports broadcaster Kenny Albert hosts the series that celebrates the Hockey Hall of Fame’s newest members including Players’ Natalie Darwitz, Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Krissy Wendell-Pohl and Shea Weber and Builders’ Colin Campbell and David Poile. Each share their stories of greatness from the ice to the boardroom, and a lifetime of dedication to the sport to achieve hockey’s highest individual honor. The first six episodes are available now, here.
· Colin Campbell (28:35): Inducted in the Builders category, Albert speaks with NHL Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell in this episode. Campbell shares memories from his five decades in professional hockey as a player, coach, and executive. He discusses the experience of both playing with and coaching Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, how he developed a close relationship with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and his vision and creation of the NHL’s “Situation Room”.
· Natalie Darwitz (24:45): A role model for many young girls, hockey legend Natalie Darwitz is one of two women in this year’s HHOF induction class. She talks about playing youth hockey against boys as a young child in Minnesota, her Olympic debut for Team USA on home ice in 2002 in Salt Lake City, the national championship-clinching goal that capped her collegiate career, and why she once appeared in a local circus.
· David Poile (41:23): An inductee in the Builders category, former Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile discusses the highlights of his 51-years in professional hockey including the untold stories behind his biggest trades, why he took a chance on an unproven first-time head coach named Barry Trotz, and why he feared for his job after his first season as an NHL GM.
· Jeremy Roenick (27:24): Nine-time NHL All-Star Jeremy Roenick is the focus of this episode. Roenick discusses first meeting Wayne Gretzky as a 15-year-old, memories from his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1988 as a teenager, relationships with some notable former coaches, and how he developed his dynamic style of play.
· Shea Weber (23:44): Seven-time NHL all-star Shea Weber is Albert’s guest in this episode. Weber shares his initial reaction to the blockbuster trade that sent him from the Nashville Predators to the Montreal Canadiens, how he developed the hardest slap shot in the NHL, and how Sidney Crosby’s iconic game-winning goal for Team Canada helped him experience Olympic victory on home soil in 2010.
· Krissy Wendell-Pohl (20:15): In this episode, women’s hockey legend Krissy Wendell-Pohl chats with Albert about her historic appearance in the Little League World Series, the unique distinction she shares with a pair of American Presidents, why she was “terrified” the first time she stepped on the ice with Team USA, and her current work as an amateur scout with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
· In the final episode of NHL Induction Class™, to be released in the days leading up to the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Albert will talk to former Detroit Red Wing superstar Pavel Datsyuk on his career, memorable games, his trophy collection and playing his NHL career with the same team.
The NHL Studios Podcast lineup also includes popular shows like NHL Fantasy On Ice™, NHL Draft Class™, NHL @TheRink™ and NHL Backstory. Fans can download individual episodes of the series at www.nhl.com/podcasts. NHL Podcasts is an NHL Studio Production. NHL Podcasts are available on Apple podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, iheartradio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn Radio.
