THW Podcast – Ep. 3: Lightning, Penguins, and NHL Officiating with Kerry Fraser One-on-One

On the third episode of the Hockey Writers Podcast, my made quick stops in Pittsburgh to chat with Shane Darrow and Tampa Bay to talk with Eugene Helfrick but the bulk of our show this week was on the topic of NHL officiating. A hot-button topic recently, just this past week there were countless instances where calls weren’t being made, where stars were getting frustrated with the inconsistency in the games and one coach addressed the state of the NHL towards star players as troubling.

It made sense to go straight to someone who would really know how to put a label on the problem. Our special guest this week was former NHL referee, Kerry Fraser.

Segment 3: Eugene Helfrick – Tampa Bay Lighting

As strange a question as it might seem to ask, are the Tampa Bay Lightning too good?

While a few teams have the ability to compete in the Eastern Conference, Tampa is far and away the best team in the NHL right now and have, perhaps, the greatest depth of any organization in the NHL. What happens to all that depth when the regulars start to return?

We’ll talk to Eugene about the Lightning’s season, who is playing well, what the team will do and how they move forward after this season knowing there’s a good chance they can’t keep everyone.

Segment 4: Shane Darrow – Pittsburgh Penguins

There Penguins are never a team to stay to far away from the major headlines. A team that has struggled a touch out of the gate, there are consistent rumors of potential moves, namely with a player like Phil Kessel and just recently, former Penguin Pascal Dupuis had some not-so-kind words when it came to the communication between the coach and the team’s star players.

What exactly is going on with the Penguins?

All this, plus we’ll take a look at the week’s hottest rumors and get another “Under 5-Minute Runaround” for teams like the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, and more.