Blue Line Banter artwork

Blue Line Banter

21 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 6 ratings

Blue Line Banter is podcast about hockey, business, life, and everything in between.

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Episodes

Ep. 20 - Mikey Lee III

April 25, 2021 15:27 - 40 minutes - 38.1 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by my favorite guest of all time – my son, my main man, Mikey Lee III.  Mikey was born in 2013 and plays on the Junior Canes Super 8 hockey team as well as the 8U Snipers of the PHHL.  Mikey started skating when he was three years old and fell in love with the game after attending his first Carolina Hurricanes game back in 2015.  Our discussion covered Mikey’s early days in the game from learning to skate, to the Hurricanes First Goal Program, ...

Ep. 19 - Kaleb Dahlgren

April 22, 2021 16:35 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MB

On April 6, 2018, sixteen people died and thirteen others were injured after a bus taking the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team to a playoff game collided with a transport truck in a rural intersection.  The tragedy moved millions of people from across Canada and around the world to leave hockey sticks by their front door to show sympathy and support for the Broncos.  On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Kaleb Dahlgren, the former assistant captain of the Humboldt Broncos hoc...

Ep. 18 - Alyssa Gagliardi

February 26, 2021 15:32 - 1 hour - 55.5 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Alyssa Gagliardi, head of Girls & Women’s Youth and Amateur Hockey for the Carolina Hurricanes.  Outside of that role Gags is also an Assistant Coach & Player Development Coach for the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes as well as a Board Member for the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA).  Our discussion covered Alyssa’s early days playing youth hockey and moving to Raleigh around 10 years old, her time spent playing at hockey pow...

Ep. 17 - Sam Weinman

February 03, 2021 17:07 - 42 minutes - 39.5 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I’m joined by Sam Weinman, award-winning sports journalist and author of Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains. Sam has long studied the ripple effects of losing. But as a father of two competitive boys, he struggled to convince them that failing - whether losing a hockey game or bombing a math test - can actually be a critical part of success. So he sought out the perspectives of men and women who have turned significant s...

Ep. 16 - Rich Cohen

January 29, 2021 15:49 - 41 minutes - 38.9 MB

Hi everyone this is Michael Lee.  On this episode of Blue Line Banter I’m joined by Rich Cohen.  Rich is the author of several New York Times bestsellers including Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football and also The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse. He is a co-creator of the HBO series Vinyl and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. He has written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harper’s Magazine, among other publications. Our discussion today...

Ep. 15 - Larry Sprung

January 22, 2021 17:42 - 51 minutes - 48.1 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I’m joined by Larry Sprung. Outside of his day job running Mitlin Financial, Larry has a deep hockey background as a player, coach, and also as the father of two boys, Zach and Jeremy, who he’s been able to share this beautiful game with.  Our discussion covered his early days at the rink playing with the Little Rangers in Rockland County, some of the unique characteristics that make the hockey community so special, the bond created by traveling to youth h...

Ep. 14 - Rob Schremp

January 15, 2021 14:26 - 41 minutes - 39 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I’m joined by Rob Schremp – and what an incredible journey in hockey he’s had. Rob was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 25th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Oilers, New York Islanders, and Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL.  Our discussion covered his youth playing days including his 11 year old campaign where he lit the lamp over 350 times and had over 600 points, winning the Memorial Cup with the London Knights in 200...

Ep. 13 - Eric Rigsby & Jon Walker

December 30, 2020 16:33 - 1 hour - 72.6 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Eric Rigsby and Jon Walker, two of the four hosts on one of the leading podcasts in all of hockey, Beers in the Lot. Our discussion covered a range of topics including how they fell in love with the game, coaching youth hockey, playing in adult leagues and the Slapshot Cup Tournament in Johnstown PA, what led to the idea for their podcast Beers in the Lot, and of course many other stories that had all of us dying in laughter. These guys are ...

Ep. 12 - Sara Civian

December 17, 2020 21:09 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Sara Civian, Staff Writer for The Athletic, covering the Carolina Hurricanes.  Prior to The Athletic, Sara covered the Boston Bruins and also spent five years as the managing editor for Onward State while attending Penn State University.  Our discussion covered Sara’s early days growing up in Boston and playing high school lacrosse, her move to Raleigh NC to cover the Canes for The Athletic, the outlook for the Hurricanes upcoming season, a ...

Ep. 11 - Thomas Whitmeyer-Weathers

December 17, 2020 17:39 - 56 minutes - 52.7 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Thomas Whitmeyer-Weathers, Director of Youth Hockey for Polar Ice NC and the General Manager of the new Wake Competition Center in Morrisville, NC – home of the Carolina Hurricanes team practice facility.  Our discussion covered Thomas’s early days playing youth hockey and when he fell in love with the game, how coaching youth athletes has impacted his life, the mantra of “creating hockey players for life” and how important that concept is t...

Ep. 10 - Wade Minter

December 11, 2020 00:22 - 1 hour - 59.1 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Wade Minter, the Public Address Announcer for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.  Our discussion covered Wade’s background growing up in Southside Virginia, his early experience as a PA announcer, how he got the opportunity with the Carolina Hurricanes, and the many ways in which he has given back to the community through his involvement with the Canes Foundation.  We then went into questions from Canes Twitter, some amazing stories including a ...

Ep. 09 - Vladan Chase

December 09, 2020 18:11 - 1 hour - 59.1 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Vladan Chase, host of the Never Far From Home podcast, one of the leading and fastest growing podcasts in all of hockey.  Our discussion covered Vladan’s early days growing up in Steamboat Springs, how he fell in love with the game, his family and siblings, a very fine tequila by the name of Dano’s, some stories from his playing days, and how his podcast isn’t really just a podcast, but also a journey and adventure that will take him to all ...

Ep. 08 - Chuck Norris

December 05, 2020 15:28 - 1 hour - 63.6 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Chuck Norris, owner of the Fayetteville Marksmen, a veteran-owned and operated professional hockey team competing in the most elite independent hockey league in the United States, the Southern Professional Hockey League.  Our discussion covered Chuck’s background and early days attending Detroit Red Wings games with his father, lessons learned as a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group and Paratrooper in the United States Army, the importan...

Ep. 07 - Taylor Marchin

December 03, 2020 22:39 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Taylor Marchin of the NWHL’s Connecticut Whale.  Prior to joining the Whale, Taylor spent time playing professionally in China and was also a member of the Yale Women’s Ice Hockey Team.  Our discussion covered Taylor’s early years growing up on Lake Saint Clair, a story of resilience and toughness that led to her attending Yale University, the heart Taylor showed during her college career not missing a single game - playing in 123 straight, ...

Ep. 06 - Bill Beaney

December 03, 2020 14:59 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by the legendary ice hockey coach Bill Beaney.  Coach Beaney led the Middlebury College men’s ice hockey team to 8 NCAA National Championships including five straight from 1995-1999.  Our discussion covered lessons learned from his college coach and mentor Charlie Holt, the importance of small area games in practice, his overall coaching philosophy, and of course the epic National Championship run in the late 90s. Coach Bill Beaney is one of th...

Ep. 05 - Shane Willis

December 01, 2020 19:01 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Shane Willis, Head of Youth and Amateur Hockey for the Carolina Hurricanes.  Prior to his current role with the Hurricanes, Shane spent over a decade playing professional hockey and made his NHL debut for the Carolina Hurricanes in 1998 while enjoying a career high 20 goals and 24 assists in the 2000-2001 season.  Our discussion covered Shane’s early days playing youth hockey in Sylvan Lake, the current state of youth hockey in North Carolin...

Ep. 04 - David Hoffman

November 24, 2020 23:09 - 35 minutes - 33.3 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by David Hoffman, Owner of Hertz Arena and the ECHL’s Florida Everblades located just outside of Naples, FL in Estero.  Our discussion covered David’s recent purchase of the Florida Everblades from Peter Karmanos, his passion for the Naples community, the upgrades and improvements him and his team have made to Hertz Arena, the friendship he shares with GM Craig Brush, and David also shared a heartfelt story about his grandson and how the hockey...

Ep. 03 - Roger Grillo

November 20, 2020 23:25 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Roger Grillo, with USA Hockey.  Roger joined USA Hockey in 2009 having spent the previous 12 years as head coach of Brown University’s men’s ice hockey team.  His tenure at Brown was highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 2003.  Prior to coaching, Roger was a member of the University of Maine hockey team for two seasons and was a NHL 10th round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks.  Our discussion covered Roger’s path from player to coac...

Ep. 02 - Neil Conway

November 20, 2020 20:30 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MB

On this episode of Blue Line Banter I am joined by Neil Conway, Owner of Conway Goaltending and Founder of Easy Crease which is an innovative ice hockey training product designed to mark a crease anywhere a goal is positioned during hockey training sessions.  Neil’s playing career spanned over two decades including his time spent with USA Hockey at the U17 and U18 level, along with 5 seasons playing in the OHL, and he also took home a National Championship while playing at Saint Mary’s Unive...

Ep. 01 - Ryan Minkoff

November 20, 2020 14:30 - 54 minutes - 50.8 MB

Ryan Minkoff is the founder and owner of 83, LLC, a global ice hockey agency representing players at the junior, college, and professional level.  Ryan is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he became the first player from that school to play pro hockey. In this conversation we discuss his rollercoaster path from youth hockey in Minnesota, to club hockey at UW, all the way up to making it at the pro level.  We also covered the release of his new book titled 'Thin Ice' which c...

Ep. 00 - Intro to Blue Line Banter Podcast

November 17, 2020 05:02 - 10 minutes - 19 MB

In Episode Zero of Blue Line Banter, Host Michael Lee discusses why he decided to launch this podcast and shares a fun story about his son Mikey meeting Sebastian Aho in Harris Teeter after scoring his second career hat trick.