0:00: Benjamin welcomes Emily and SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel 3:42: A discussion of the Hot for Hockey audiobook initiative, the NHL's latest failed attempt to connect with fans that has been relegated to the Guardian Project dimension. Includes a special offer to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman. 22:34: A deep dive into the spluttering Calgary Flames and whether or not they are in a good position for a rebuild. 42:15: The Hotel staff toss out some ideas for possible names for the new PWHL teams. Are they any good? Listen and find out!

The NHL season has started! Let's make some wacky predictions to celebrate. After that, we discuss the need for increased wheelchair and mobility aid accessibility in arenas and the US Senate's Protect College Sports Act. Benjamin welcomes Madison and Alex to the Neutral Zone Hotel 01:21 Wacky NHL Season Predictions 26:09 Arena Accessibility 36:37 Protect College Sports Act

In letter to the university president, players disputed the school’s initial report on the workout that left their teammate on life support.

It's NHL draft time.  0:00 Benjamin welcomes SJ and Trevor to the Neutral Zone Hotel. 2:38 In the first part of our NHL Draft wrapup, the crew discusses the pre-draft trades. 24:33 The crew moves on to discuss the draft itself and its host, Justin Bieber.

A mostly light palate cleanser as we move towards the end of the season, featuring a fairly fun and informative game, a deeply useless and ridiculous game, and Trade Talk. 0:00: Benjamin welcomes Madison, Emily, and Alex to the Neutral Zone Hotel 2:04: Discussion of the various trades (Raddysh, Tkachuk, trades of that nature) 16:48: The gang plays Wikipedia Third Line Jeopardy (this is the fun and informative game) 36:22: The gang plays Old Timey Hockey Player or WWII General, Nickname Edition (this is the deeply useless and ridiculous game)

Today we chatted about the Stanley Cup Final and the NHL coaching carousel, from John Tortorella and Ryan Craig to Jim Hiller, Peter Laviolette, and (somehow still) Mike Babcock. We then moved on to some scintillating PWHL awards discussion and a retrospective on the expansion process and entry draft, which was happening as we recorded.  Benjamin welcomes Madison and SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel 01:52 Calendar updates for the podcast (Mailbag next week! Send in your questions!) 03:03 Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup and the Vegas Golden Knights lose 14:16 Jim Hiller hired as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs 18:26 Peter Laviolette hired as the head coach of the LA Kings 21:46 Cursed to talk about Mike Babcock again 33:42 PWHL awards talk 37:18 PWHL entry draft and expansion process discussion

Somehow Mike Babcock has returned. Plus a long discussion of some of the more notable events that occurred in Phase 2 of PWHL expansion. Benjamin welcomes Emily, Trevor, and Madison to the Neutral Zone Hotel 01:56 Gabriel Landeskog wins the Masterton and the Messier awards 04:54 The Edmonton Oilers may hire Mike Babcock 22:38 Discussing Phase 2 of PWHL expansion

On Dec. 5, 2025, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Donald Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, nominally for Trump’s “tireless efforts to bring people together in a spirit of peace.” I f...

The PWHL coaching carousel continues to spin and we talk a bit about expansion. Then we switch to some news in the NHL across coaching, front office moves, the tragic death of Claude Lemieux, and more. SJ welcomes Emily and Trevor to the Neutral Zone Hotel 01:15 Does the PWHL have a coaching problem? 15:20 Alex Carpenter and Sarah Nurse re-sign and expansion process talk 30:24 The Vancouver Canucks hire Manny Malhotra as head coach 37:59 Chris MacFarland goes to Nashville and Joe Sakic steps back into the GM role in Colorado 45:04 Stanley Cup Final 48:35 Claude Lemieux dies - Content warning for discussion of suicide. If you are in crisis and need help, reach out to 9-8-8 or https://988lifeline.org/ for resources. 51:35 Memorial Cup and Men's World Championship results

This week the NZH crew celebrates the Everett Silvertips winning the WHL Championship! They also discuss PWHL player salaries, GMs and coaches being hired and moving around, and then spend a grand time speculating about who existing teams should protect in expansion. Benjamin welcomes Madison and SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel 01:31 Tips Talk 11:45 PWHL player salaries released 29:41 Discussion of PWHL GM and head coach movement 38:02 Who would you protect in PWHL expansion?

Players recently voted to disclose salaries publicly, according to a statement from PWHLPA executive director Malaika Underwood.

MONTREAL — The Montreal Victoire have won the PWHL’s Walter Cup, ending an excruciating three-year period where the championship resided south of the border. “I’m honoured to have helped bring a champ...

0:00 - Benjamin welcomes Trevor and Madison to the Neutral Zone Hotel. 1:44 - Benjamin deals with SJ's truancy in a fair and just manner. 3:14 - NHL Finals Preview Time! 22:38 - The gang discuss the recent dismissal of Craig Berube & Adam Foote and ramifications for the league, plus Cassidy shenanigans. 30:29 - The crew discusses the PWHL's new cities and ranks the new colour schemes.

The NZH crew brings you a PWHL-heavy episode, discussing the playoffs and making sense of the PWHL's decision to expand to Las Vegas and Hamilton. Benjamin welcomes SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel 1:03 Junior hockey talk because SJ just can't help themself 11:12 PWHL playoffs and Ottawa's move to the Canadian Tire Center 23:30 PWHL expansion to Las Vegas and Hamilton 45:13 NHL playoff predictions, a tangent on PWHL refereeing, and the need for more diversity in hockey

The Neutral Zone Hotel crew react LIVE to the NHL Draft Lottery! You, too, can experience Trevor's misery in the moment it occurs. After that, they chat about PWHL expansion news. Detroit is getting a team and the expansion process is very complicated! Benjamin welcomes Trevor, Emily, and SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel 04:26 The Toronto Maple Leafs hire John Chayka and Mats Sundin 09:34 NHL Draft Lottery live reaction and continued Leafs talk 20:05 Live reaction to second draft lottery draw 27:48 Very brief NHL playoffs talk 29:37 PWHL expansion news and process explainer 54:26 A short discussion of the recent Curl and McAvoy dirty plays

Some celebration, some speculation, some PWHL playoff and expansion talk. And finally, a tribute to a great one. This episode has everything. Benjamin welcomes Trevor, Emily, and Madison to the Neutral Zone Hotel 02:47 Anže Kopitar retires 10:38 Will Brady Tkachuk remain an Ottawa Senator? 21:39 PWHL playoffs matchups 35:23 Current reporting on PWHL expansion cities 48:48 Trevor pays tribute to John Garrett after his sudden and unexpected passing

This week, the crew talks awards and playoffs.  0:00 Benjamin welcomes SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel 1:58 SJ gives an updated on the Everett Silvertips 10:17 It's time to announce the winners of the 2026 Neutral Zone Hotel Awards. 17:54 A discussion about the start of the NHL playoffs turns into wide ranging discussion on NHL ownership and history.

The crew lets you know which teams to bandwagon in the NHL playoffs and then discusses the nominations for the 2nd Annual Neutral Zone Hotel End of Season Awards. You can vote for the winners on discord! Benjamin welcomes SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel 01:45 Carney and Stubb skate with the Ottawa Charge 04:35 NHL playoffs bandwagon rankings 21:58 The 2nd Annual Neutral Zone Hotel End of Season Award Nominations!

The Neutral Zone Hotel loves junior hockey, the Habs, and talking about weird management decisions in the NHL. Benjamin welcomes SJ and Trevor to the Neutral Zone Hotel 02:12 An unplanned discussion on Canadian junior hockey 11:39 John Tortorella in Vegas and what are coaches even for anyway 25:10 Brad Treliving is fired and the media's Leafs obsession 51:21 Benjamin really loves the Habs

Because the last Alan Eagleson episode was really long and we didn't have a huge amount to talk about, here's Episode 7 of the History's Greatest Bastards series. Hope you have fun!

0:00 - Benjamin welcomes Madison and SJ to the Neutral Zone Hotel. 5:31 - Mailbag time! 34:23 - Part 6 of the Alan Eagleson series. 

The Olympics are over, the leagues are back in swing, and it's trade deadline season. The crew discusses the NHL deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the next segment of the Alan Eagleson saga. 0:00 Benjamin welcomes Emily, Madison, and Alex to the Neutral Zone Hotel 2:18 The crew recaps the NHL trade deadline. More like trade dudline, amirite? 29:09 Alex recaps the Penguins season so far. 55:38 Episode 5 of Hockey's Greatest Bastards: The Life and Crimes of Alan Eagleson.

Lively discussion this week as the LA Kings fire Jim Hiller, Elliotte Friedman says something gross, we play a very fun game, and we continue learning about all-time jerk Alan Eagleson! Benjamin welcomes SJ, Trevor, and Madison to the Neutral Zone Hotel 02:00 The LA Kings fire Jim Hiller (finally) 17:57 Discussing the gross thing Elliotte Friedman said on HNIC 29:43 Let's play Connexions! 1:03:40 Episode 4 of Hockey's Greatest Bastards - The Life and Crimes of Alan Eagleson