Call the Rulebook

Slashing or spearing? Linesman or linesperson? And have I gone soft on boarding? What is the line between great hit and dirty boarding? This and more!Theme song written and performed by Everett Boulton.Subscribe to Tough Call on YouTubeFollow and rate this podcast!

15 minutes of regular episode, 15 minutes of how the NHL completely botched the Panthers/Lightning fiasco, and how the DOPS has set the table for more trouble moving forward.

Covering the NHL pre-season period of Sept 21st-29th.What suspensions should there have been? In terms of checking, how late is LATE?When should we start teaching "checking" in minor hockey? and HOW do you teach it? Spoiler: It doesn't have much to do with legalizing hitting.This and more!

What's the deal with Connor McDavid not signing yet? Did the Q fighting ban make hockey more dangerous? Does fighting have a place in hockey? Should neck guards and face masks be mandatory in pro hockey?Find out here!Theme song by Everett BoultonSubscribe to Tough Call on YouTubeFollow:@ToughCallPod on Twitter and Bluesky@toughcallpodcast on instagram and Threads@tough_call on TikTok

Welcome to a new season of Tough Call! Mitch Marner and Leafs aura. Which country promotes real hockey: Canada or the US? What is the real purpose of body contact? This and more... Now also a video podcast!Theme song: Everett Boulton (eb_hunter0 - instagram)Subscribe to Tough Call on YouTubeFollow: @ToughCallPod - X and Bluesky @toughcallpodcast - Instagram @tough_call - Tik Tok

Tough Call Podcast is back four a fourth season! Get caught up on the latest NHL hits and suspensions through the first week of the pre-season. What’s the deal with all the open ice hitting? Is it here to stay??? And why are forecheckers so surprised when defenders “turn their back” when they’re the ones who forced them into doing it? Why are we so surprised when angling works?

The Markstrom spear, the Cogliano knee. And what would happen if we called the NHL rulebook to the standard to which it’s written?

This is an 18 minute rant on all that’s wrong with the NHL and the fans who won’t allow it to be fixed. My apologies. 😬

The theme is exploding into contact and maybe not doing it. The Zadorov check to Kase, the Dunn slash on Zegras, the Brad Marchand suspension, and more! Plus the trivia: last week’s answer and this week’s question. Subscribe to the Tough Call YouTube channel, and to this podcast!

The Myers boarding to Lewis, the Gourde boarding to Vaakanainen, and why basing suspension length on injury is a bad idea. My usual segments and as always I end off with some trivia.