Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Hockey Inside Out

Before becoming general manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes spent more than 20 years as a player agent. One of Hughes’s clients was former Canadiens forward Torrey Mitchell, who joins The Gazette’s Stu Cowan and former Canadiens defenceman Rick Green on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode to talk about what Hughes was like as an agent and his transition to becoming a GM.

The NHL is changing quickly with players taking more control over where they want to play — even if they have long-term contracts with no-trade clauses. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck forced a trade from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils and Dylan Larkin has quit playing for the Detroit Red Wings and has been suspended by the team while demanding a trade despite having a no-trade clause in his contract. Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov, who is in the last season of his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has told the team he won’t re-sign there and wants to be traded.

Could the Hometown Remix jerseys be jinxed like the baby-blue Reverse Retro sweaters the Canadiens wore during the 2022-23 NHL season? The Canadiens went 1-6-1 while wearing those sweaters. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens Rick Green and Torrey Mitchell to share their thoughts on the Hometown Remix jerseys.

How did the Canadiens blow a 4-0 lead in the last three minutes of Tuesday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre and lose 5-4 in overtime? The Jets scored four goals in the last 2:39 of the third period to set an NHL record for the latest comeback from a four-goal deficit. On this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green, who was also an assistant coach with the team, and former Canadiens forward Torrey Mitchell to break down what happened against the Jets and what impact it might have on the Canadiens.

The Canadiens beat the Stars 5-2 in Dallas on Thursday night to complete a four-game road trip with a perfect record. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to talk about their favourite NHL road cities when they were playing and share some fun stories about their annual trip to Los Angeles, when it was the only warm-weather city in the NHL.

Halloween parties are a big thing for NHL teams and have been for a long time. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to share stories from the Halloween parties they attended during their playing days and who had the best costumes.

After the Canadiens blew a 3-1 third-period lead to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 20 at the Bell Centre — losing 4-3 in overtime — winger Cole Caufield called out teammates Arber Xhekaj and Jakub Dobes for the costly penalties they took that resulted in the tying and winning goals being scored on power plays. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to discuss Caufield's comments about his teammates after the game.

Canadiens goalie Jacob Fowler won his sixth straight game Tuesday night, stopping all 46 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Blues in St. Louis, improving his season record to 6-1 with a 1.54 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage. On this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to talk about what has impressed them about Fowler's play and if they were surprised head coach Martin St. Louis gave the 21-year-old goalie a third straight start. Meanwhile, struggling netminder Jakub Dobes will return on Thursday and start in Dallas against the Stars.

The Canadiens will play the Jets on Sunday in an outdoor Heritage Classic game at Winnipeg’s Princess Auto Stadium. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland share their memories of playing in outdoor games with the Canadiens’ alumni team, including at the first Heritage Classic in Edmonton in 2003 in freezing conditions. Nilan tells the story about why he threw up on the bench during that alumni game.

The Canadiens’ Cole Caufield earned the nickname Mr. Saturday Night. He showed why again last Saturday, scoring two goals — including the winner — in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre. During his seven seasons in the NHL, Caufield has scored 66 goals in 106 Saturday games. Saturdays are obviously special to Caufield, but were they also special to former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland?

The Canadiens' power play has been struggling this season, ranking 26th in the NHL after Tuesday night's 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks with a 13.8 per cent success rate. The Canadiens went 0-for-2 against the Sharks on the power play and are 4-for-29 on the season. What do the Canadiens need to change to get the power play clicking? That's the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland are joined by The Gazette's Stu Cowan.

The Canadiens blew a two-goal lead for the fourth time in nine games this season when they lost 4-3 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Are the Canadiens just playing dumb hockey after notching only one regulation-time win this season — in the first game, beating the Maple Leafs 3-2 in Toronto — while posting a 4-3-2 record? That’s the main question answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, as former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan.

Playing for the Canadiens comes with a lot of pressure under Montreal's very bright hockey spotlight. That spotlight is even brighter for francophone players and the Canadiens have several of them this season, including Phillip Danault, Alexandre Texier, Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Carrier and Samuel Montembeault. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to discuss what it's like playing under Montreal's intense spotlight and how it has impacted players.

The Canadiens’ Lane Hutson was averaging 26:27 of ice time through the team’s first seven games this season, which led the team and ranked sixth in the NHL. Can the 5-foot-10, 163-pound defenceman maintain that type of workload all season? That’s the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to discuss how head coach Martin St. Louis manages his bench and ice time for players.

The Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov is in danger of losing his Quebec drivers’ license as a result of a couple of speeding tickets for going 111 km/h on the Bonaventure Expressway — where the speed limit is 70 km/h — and for going 145 km/h while he was on a highway in Trois-Rivières last February, where the speed limit was 100 km/h. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to share some stories about bad driving habits some of their former teammates had, including Guy Lafleur and Petr Svoboda.

That's the main question answered on this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland. Jakub Dobes allowed five goals on 24 shots in Wednesday night's 5-4 loss to the Capitals in Washington, dropping his record to 1-2-1 with a 4.63 goals-against average and an .842 save percentage. Meanwhile, Jacob Fowler has a 2-1 record with a 1.91 GAA and a .906 save percentage since being called up from the AHL's Laval Rocket after a lower-body injury to Samuel Montembeault.

There was some very sad news last weekend with the death of former Canadiens defenceman and 1993 Stanley Cup champion Lyle Odelein at age 58, eight years after having a multi-organ transplant surgery the result of a blood infection. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champs Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland, who share some fond memories of Odelein, their former friend and teammate.

Chris Kreider was the only major addition the Canadiens made during the off-season, signing the 35-year-old veteran forward as a free agent. Kreider has scored at least 20 goals in each of the last eight seasons, including 22 last season with the Anaheim Ducks. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champs Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to share their thoughts on Kreider’s performance so far with the team.

After winning their season opener 3-2 over the Maple Leafs in Toronto, the Canadiens allowed 12 goals in their next two games — losing 6-5 in overtime to the Penguins in Pittsburgh and 6-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre. Is it already time to sound the alarm about the Canadiens’ defence? Find out what former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland think on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as they join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan.

The Carolina Hurricanes showed why they are the defending Stanley Cup champions during a 6-4 win Tuesday night at the Bell Centre in the Canadiens’ home opener. What’s the biggest lesson the Canadiens can take away from that game? That’s one of the questions answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland.

The Canadiens headed into this season with high expectations after advancing to the Eastern Conference final last spring before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. What will the keys be to the Canadiens taking the next step in 2026-27 and how can they beat the Hurricanes? Also, which Habs players might surprise people this season? On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to answer those questions.

Defenceman David Reinbacher, the fifth overall pick at the 2023 NHL Draft, was among the final cuts by the Canadiens after training camp and will start the season again with the AHL's Laval Rocket. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to discuss whether that was the right decision.

After an impressive training camp, 6-foot-4, 215-pound forward Florian Xhekaj made the Canadiens to start the season, joining his brother, Arber, on the team. On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to discuss what impressed them most about Florian during training camp and what kind of impact he could have, along with his brother, a 6-foot-4, 236-pound defenceman.

Welcome back to a new season of The Gazette’s weekly Hockey Inside/Out Show. This week, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Brian Skrudland to talk about the team’s 3-2 season-opening win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night in Toronto.

The Carolina Hurricanes put targets on the backs of the Canadiens’ Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield in the Eastern Conference final, hitting them every chance they had.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to discuss whether Hutson and Caufield are too small to really be effective in the playoffs.

Only three days after carrying to torch into the Bell Centre ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes, former Canadien Claude Lemieux died by suicide at age 60, shocking the hockey world.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, Chris Nilan and Rick Green join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to share memories of their former Canadiens teammate. Nilan, Green and Lemieux were part of the 1986 Canadiens team that won the Stanley Cup.

Has defenceman Arber Xhekaj played his last game with the Canadiens?

What about forward Kirby Dach? Xhekaj and Dach, both 25, can become restricted free agents on July 1.

Those are the questions answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

Now that the Canadiens’ season is over — losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final — what was the main takeaway from this season, and where do they need to improve the most?

Those are the main questions answered on the final Hockey Inside/Out Show of the season, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

It’s impressive that the Canadiens were able to advance to the Eastern Conference final in Year 4 of a rebuild.

However, the Carolina Hurricanes have shown that the Canadiens still have a lot more work to do before becoming a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan and Brendan Kelly are joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green to discuss what general manager Kent Hughes has to do this summer to make the team better.

The future is looking very bright for the Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov, who led all NHL rookies in scoring this season with 19-43-62 totals while playing in all 82 games.

But have the playoffs been a coming-out party for the rookie?

That’s the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan and Brendan Kelly are joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green.

The Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky got off to a great start in the playoffs, scoring three goals — all on the power play — in a 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their first-round series.

But Slafkovsky hasn't looked the same since taking a huge open-ice hit from the Lightning's Max Crozier in Game 4 of that series. Is Slafkovsky playing injured?

That's the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green and The Gazette's Brendan Kelly.

It certainly looks like the Canadiens’ season will come to an end when they play the Hurricanes in Carolina Friday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final.

On this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens defenceman and 1986 Stanley Cup champion Rick Green and The Gazette’s Brendan Kelly to discuss how and why the Hurricanes have dominated the Canadiens.

Heading into the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes the Canadiens had a 2-4 record at the Bell Centre in the playoffs. Why are the Canadiens struggling to win games at the Bell Centre during the playoffs?

That’s the question the panel tries to answer on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show preview episode, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to set the stage for the best-of-seven series against the Hurricanes.

Nilan and Green discuss what will be the keys for the Canadiens to beat the Hurricanes and advance to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2021 against the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Canadiens are headed to the Eastern Conference final against the Hurricanes, with Game 1 slated for Thursday at 8 p.m. in Raleigh, N.C.

On this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green to talk about what impressed them most about the Canadiens beating the Sabres in the second round, needing an overtime goal from Alex Newhook to win Game 7 by a 3-2 score Monday night in Buffalo.

The Carolina Hurricanes will be very well rested when they begin the Eastern Conference final series against either the Canadiens or the Buffalo Sabres.

Could that actually be an advantage for the Canadiens if they meet the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final? How much rest is too much rest?

Those questions are answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

After stopping 26 of 28 shots in the Canadiens' 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series at the Bell Centre, goalie Jakub Dobes described himself as a "goofy goalie."

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to talk about the goofiest goalies they played with.

Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj was fined $3,385 by NHL Player Safety after roughing up the Buffalo Sabres' Sam Carrick at the end of Game 3 in their second-round playoff series and dropping him to the ice with a gloved punch to the face.

Was it money well spent by Xhekaj?

That's the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

For the second straight series, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves in a best-of-three situation with the opposing team having home-ice advantage. The Canadiens were able to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round by winning Games 5 and 7 on the road. Can the Canadiens bounce back again in Buffalo against the Sabres?

That's the main question answered on this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

Former Canadien Chris Nilan — a regular guest on the weekly Hockey Inside/Out Show and our bonus episodes — was given the honour of carrying the team’s famous torch into the Bell Centre ahead of Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Canadiens ended up losing Game 6 by a 1-0 score in overtime, but it’s a night Nilan will never forget.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, Nilan joins his former Canadiens teammate and 1986 Stanley Cup champ Rick Green and The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to talk about what that night was like for him and why the Canadiens are so good at doing pregame ceremonies.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan to discuss the decision to sit Arber Xhekaj for Noah Dobson in Game 7, and whether Xhekaj has a future with the team or would be better off going to another team where he could play more often.

What will be the keys to success for the Canadiens when they face the Sabres in the second round? And what does Cole Caufield have to do to start scoring at five-on-five again?

Those are two questions answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

When it comes to playoffs, it’s hard to beat the NHL — especially when there’s a Game 7.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show Bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland, who talk about their most memorable experiences in Game 7s and how players try to control their nerves when facing elimination in a sudden-death game.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland to discuss which players surprised them the most against Tampa Bay.

Special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for Game 5 photos.

The NHL continues to have a problem when it comes to officiating — especially during the playoffs.

That was evident — yet again — in the Canadiens’ first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning with questionable and missed calls on both sides, plus the embellishment by players looking to draw penalties.

On this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland to discuss the officiating problems and suggest ways they might be fixed.

Special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for images from Game 5.

The Canadiens are one win away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs, leading their best-of-seven series with the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 heading into Game 6 Friday at the Bell Centre.

On this week's Hockey Inside/Out Show, three members of the Canadiens' 1986 Stanley Cup team — Chris Nilan, Rick Green and Brian Skrudland — join The Gazette's Stu Cowan to talk about what impressed them the most in the Canadiens' 3-2 win over the Lightning in Game 5 Wednesday night in Tampa and set the stage for Game 6.

Special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for Game 5 photos.

It really is incredible how NHLers in the playoffs compete at such a high intensity level basically every second night for two months if they end up winning the Stanley Cup.

They also have to battle through injuries to keep playing, which gets harder the longer a playoff run goes on.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green, who know first-hand how hard the NHL playoffs can be on a body.

Special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for photos from Games 1 and 2.

For the first time in his 14-year NHL career, Brendan Gallagher was a healthy playoff scratch for the opening two games of the Canadiens’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 2 — after blowing a 2-1 third-period lead — Tuesday night in Tampa that evened the best-of-seven series 1-1, should Gallagher be in the lineup for Game 3 Friday night at the Bell Centre? If so, who should come out of the lineup?

Those are the questions answered in this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

Special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for photos from Games 1 and 2.

The Canadiens went into their first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning without defenceman Noah Dobson, who is sidelined with what is likely a broken thumb.

In this Hockey Inside/Out Show bonus episode, The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Rick Green and Chris Nilan to discuss how big of a blow the loss of Dobson is to the team and how the other defencemen have performed in his absence.

A special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for their photos from Games 1 and 2.

The Canadiens were able to split the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Lightning in Tampa, with both games decided in overtime.

But has the momentum in the series shifted to the Lightning after the Canadiens blew a 2-1 third-period lead in Game 2 because of big mistakes by Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach.

That’s the main question answered on this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, as The Gazette’s Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.

A special thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for the images from Games 1 and 2.