Best Friday Faceoff Podcasts (2025)

1
FRIDAY FACEOFF - WHAT AGE TO START CHECKING?! 10:45

1h ago10:45

10:45

On today’s FRIDAY FACEOFF episode, Toph and Vechs discuss the controversial topic: what age should we allow youth players to start checking? TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Follow us: IG: @HockeyThinkTank X (Twitter): @HockeyThinkTank TikTok: @HockeyThinkTa…

1
Friday Faceoff: Mark Sainsbury and Polly Gillespie dissect the year that was 2024, live from Prefab Cafe 30:02

3h ago30:02

30:02

It's the final Faceoff for 2024 - so who better than two Wellington broadcasting legends to dissect the news of the year? It's been a huge year in politics - and much of it has centered on Wellington. How has both the government and the opposition performed, and who is the stand-out political performer of the year? Also, Wellington City Council and…

1
SHORT SHIFTS - CONSISTENCY (RERUN) 10:20

1h ago10:20

10:20

Happy New Year fam! The boys are on holiday break, so we have a rerun of one of our most popular Short Shifts for you guys! On today's SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about consistency. What players, and coaches, can do individually (with preparation, routines, habits) to help with team consistency. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! W…

1
Home for the Holidays with Toph & Jeff: The Christmas Special - EP 345 54:43

4h ago54:43

54:43

This week Topher and Jeff are home for the holidays in Chicago with the whole fam to bring you a Christmas special episode. This episode helped us remember our why and we hope you enjoy getting to know us and those closest to us a little better. Happy holidays from all of us at the Hockey Think Tank! Thank you to our title sponsor IceHockeySystems.…

1
[Ch 2] Nerd Noise Game Club - C2F: “Finally our Final Finale” (the grand finale) 5:22:51

1h ago5:22:51

5:22:51

Well, this is it, folks - our very last episode of Channel 2, taking a long….VERRRRRRY LONG last look back through the entirety of our show’s history, and featuring at least one track from every single episode! This episode really is obscenely long - just shy of 5 ½ hours! But it covers so much history, and is our way of putting a bow on everything…

1
[Ch F] "The Fire and the Glory" (XMas 89) 2024 35th Anniversary Edition 25:26

2h ago25:26

25:26

A 2024 rebroadcast of a 2016 production (with 2024 introduction) reading a 2012 essay on the events of Christmas 1989 - also a tribute to Christmas 1994 (by way of the 2024 intro) Background music in the 2016 production by Doctor Octoroc (mistakenly said "DJ Octoroc" in the recording) from their collection "8-bit Jesus" - except for brief interlude…

1
SHORT SHIFTS - HOW TO COACH REALLY YOUNG PLAYERS 10:48

3h ago10:48

10:48

Merry Christmas fam! On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to answer a question from one of our listeners: how do you best coach really young players? What drills can you do to balance making it fun, but also continue to develop their skating and stick abilities? TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, com…

1
Things to Know for Those Aspiring to Play High Level Hockey With Guest Drew Shore, Former NHL Player - EP 344 1:11:00

9h ago1:11:00

1:11:00

This week Topher and Jeff talk with Drew Shore, former college and NHL player. This is a must listen episode for those aspiring to play high level hockey. In this episode we talk about: — How development is a process: find the best fitting program, not the flashiest — Earning more rope by working hard every day — The emotions of the game and trying…

1
FRIDAY FACEOFF - ICING VS NO ICING ON PENALTY KILLS?! 10:27

3h ago10:27

10:27

On today’s FRIDAY FACEOFF episode, Toph and Vechs debate allowing icing on penalty kills at the youth level. Are you pro icing or pro non-icing? TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating, and share on your social sites! Follow us: IG: @HockeyThinkTank X (Twitter): @HockeyThinkTank TikTok: @HockeyTh…

1
Friday Sport Kickoff: Grant Nisbett and Jason Pine celebrate 2024's sporting successes 13:41

3h ago13:41

13:41

It’s been a magnificent year in sport. New Zealand had a record haul of 10 gold medals at the Paris Olympics, Wellington took out the NPC championship and the Phoenix had their best ever season. To talk the sporting successes of 2024, who better than legendary sports broadcasters Grant Nisbett and Jason Pine. The pair joined Nick Mills for the fina…

1
Nicola Willis: Finance minister wraps the year that was 2024 17:53

4h ago17:53

17:53

It’s been a big year for Finance Minister Nicola Willis. She delivered her first budget which included her promised tax relief package, she laid off thousands of public servants and she’s facing deteriorating books, all in the midst of a technical recession. So how would she rate her performance over the year, and what’s in store for 2025? Willis j…

1
Politics Thursday: Chris Bishop and Ginny Andersen talk economic outlook, ferries and their thoughts on 2024 23:07

3h ago23:07

23:07

Parliament has officially adjourned for the year and MPs and Ministers are journeying home to various parts of the country. Still in Wellington, though, are the two Lower Hutt-based MPs, Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Chris Bishop. The pair joined Nick Mills for the final Politics Thursday panel of 2024, where they debated the economic outl…

1
Tory Whanau: Wellington mayor on rates increases, engagement with businesses and how she'd rate her performance 31:37

3h ago31:37

31:37

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau says she would rate her performance as the capital's mayor over 2024 as a "seven or eight". "I think it's gone up and down. Mid-year was probably around five, and if I would do things differently on certain things I would." It's been a difficult year for Whanau who has struggled to find a win. The deal to redevelop Read…

1
SHORT SHIFTS - SKILL DISCREPANCY WITHIN TEAMS 11:04

40m ago11:04

11:04

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about teams that have a wide range of skill and how to best coach the skill discrepancy. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Shout out to this Short Shifts supporter: SkateTech Skate Sharpening & Equipment Rep…

1
Anita Baker: Porirua mayor reflects on 2025 and how she's kept next year's rates rise low 9:38

6h ago9:38

9:38

Porirua could have been in store for a rates rise of more than 10 per cent - but the city's mayor says that could be limited to around half of that after careful spending decisions. Porirua mayor Anita Baker says the council has been careful how its spent money and made cuts in roles where they weren't needed. This week Wellington Mornings is catch…

1
Capital Letter: Georgina Campbell on two resignations from Tory Whanau's business group and ongoing ferry fallout 8:08

6h ago8:08

8:08

It's been a huge year for Wellington. Local government has hogged the headlines, and repeated issues with ferries have caused the crossing between the North and South islands to become a hot political issue. With her finger on the pulse of the city's news, NZ Herald Wellington issues reporter has joined Nick Mills weekly since the start of the year…

1
Brad Olsen: Infometrics chief executive on the government's latest economic forecasts 9:26

6h ago9:26

9:26

The Government's half-year fiscal update paints a bleak economic picture for the years ahead. It won't be until 2029 that the government will finally be out of deficit - longer than previously forecasted. Despite that, Finance Minister Nicola Willis is pushing back on calls to make more cuts to government spending, saying the government has to mana…

1
Music Time: James Irwin on the best and worst Christmas songs 9:16

5h ago9:16

9:16

Christmas is upon us, with festive tunes ringing in stores and even around the home. Wellington Mornings music man James Irwin has compiled a list of some lesser-known New Zealand Christmas tunes, and even uncovered a long lost Beatles Christmas song - released long before Paul McCartney and John Lennon released their own festive hits. LISTEN ABOVE…

1
Wayne Guppy: Upper Hutt mayor on whether he's running for a ninth term 8:30

12d ago8:30

8:30

New Zealand's longest serving current mayor has revealed he is running for another term. 2025 will be Wayne Guppy's ninth run for the top job, which he has held since 2001. This week Wellington Mornings is catching up with the mayors across the Wellington region. Guppy joined Nick Mills to discuss how Upper Hutt has fared over 2024 and what's in st…

1
Too Serious, Too Soon: The Professionalization of Youth Hockey - EP 343 48:44

22h ago48:44

48:44

This week Topher and Jeff continue their heated discussion from our latest FRIDAY FACEOFF episode on AAA Mite Hockey. We had so much to say on that episode, that we had to keep it going and transition into the topic of the professionalization of youth hockey. In this episode we talk about: — The pressure to perform and how it’s making kids fall out…

1
Campbell Barry: Hutt City mayor reflects on 2024 and looks forward to the new year 11:04

1d ago11:04

11:04

Over the next few days, Wellington Mornings is talking to local Mayors around our region for their thoughts on the year that was 2024. Today, Hutt City mayor Campbell Barry joined Nick Mills shortly before his last council meeting of the year, where councillors will discuss next year's budget and potential rates rises. He told Nick Mills it's been …

1
Daniel Gerrard: Water Safety NZ CEO on two water-related deaths in Wellington over the weekend 7:33

1d ago7:33

7:33

Two people tragically died in water-related events in Wellington over the weekend. It comes as the country heads into the summer break, where drowning incidents typically spike. Water Safety NZ CEO Daniel Gerrard says the country's provisional drowning figures are still below average for this time of year, and it is important people heed warnings o…

1
FRIDAY FACEOFF - MITE AAA?! 20:05

4d ago20:05

20:05

On today’s FRIDAY FACEOFF episode, Toph and Vechs discuss the controversial topic of Mite AAA hockey. Pop in your headphones and buckle up as we got FIRED UP this episode. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! (...plus a couple of minutes again, excuse our rant!) We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating, and share on your social sites…

1
Friday Faceoff: Julie Anne Genter and Phil O'Reilly talk ferries, rise in drug use and debanking 33:36

4d ago33:36

33:36

The government's plan for new Interislander ferries doesn't seem to be much of a plan at all - with no new ships or details on what they'll cost. Has the government dropped the ball? Also, fuel company Waitomo and other independent service station owners say BNZ has told them there'll be no more loans and all outstanding debt must be paid by 2030 -…

1
Friday Sport Kickoff: Jason Pine and Adam Cooper talk Blackcaps v England and the Breakers string of losses 12:36

15d ago12:36

12:36

The Blackcaps take on England in Hamilton in the third test - a dead-rubber after a dismal performance by the home team over the first two tests. What went wrong for the Blackcaps? Also, the Breakers have suffered five losses in a row, including in Wellington last Saturday night. What's going wrong for the team? Weekend Sport host Jason Pine and Al…

1
Politics Thursday: Paul Goldsmith and Willie Jackson talk ferries, boot camps and support for media 24:19

5d ago24:19

24:19

The government's plan for the Interislander ferry was light on detail - we don't know what new ferries we're getting, nor how much it will cost. Did the government drop the ball? Also, the Fair Digitial News Bargaining Bill that forces social media giants to pay for their use of NZ news still hasn't been introduced to Parliament - when will we see …

1
SHORT SHIFTS - 4 ON 4 10:10

21d ago10:10

10:10

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about playing 4 on 4. We discuss defensive and offensive strategies that we recommend to master 4 on 4 play. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Shout out to this Short Shifts supporter: SkateTech Skate Sharp…

1
[Ch2] Nerd Noise Game Club: C2R4 - “The Best of Season 4” (our 2nd-to-last episode!) 3:09:45

16d ago3:09:45

3:09:45

Today’s broadcast is C2R4 for Wayback Wednesday, December 11th, 2024. Today’s Episode, our 2nd-to-last Ch 2 episode ever (or at least, 2nd-to-last one we PLAN to ever do) is our annual retrospective of the previous year of Channel 2 - in this case, of our Season 4. Today’s broadcast, therefore, is “C2R4 - The Best of Season 4” containing our custom…

1
Chris Hipkins: Labour leader on ferries, boot camps and whether he'll still be leader in 2025 22:17

6d ago22:17

22:17

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has spent a year in opposition now - holding the top job longer than many commentators expected he would. Looking forward to 2025, Nick Mills asked Hipkins how Labour plans to grow its vote and what policy it plans on looking at. Also, what is likely to be in the government's new plan for the Interisland ferries, and why…

1
Clint Schoultz: VSCT spokesperson on demand rising 80% for their Christmas hamper initiative 7:09

12d ago7:09

7:09

The Vulnerable Support Charitable Trust (VSCT) is calling on the help of Wellingtonians ahead of the festive season. The trust is behind an initiative to provide Christmas hampers for families across the Wellington region, now in its second year. But demand for the hampers is up almost 80 per cent on last year, and spokesperson Clint Schoultz says …

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