Healthy Scratch Podcast - March 10, 2026

On the Healthy Scratch Podcast this week, Kevin discusses the playoffs as well with some advice for players on how to approach it. The show also sees Kevin discuss preparing for the summer and the upcoming NOJHL playoffs.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

It's time now for the Healthy Scratch Podcast with your host, Kevin Kane. The Healthy Scratch Podcast is sponsored by Kane Hockey Management, Hockey News North, and Hockey News Windsor.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Hi again, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the Healthy Scratch Podcast. Uh I'm Brad Cochemelio, and uh with us as always is our uh is our host uh Kevin Kane of Kane Hockey Management. And uh getting into uh getting into another week as uh we get into uh get into the late stages of regular season play in uh in a lot of leagues uh you know a lot of leagues overall again in the last couple weeks of uh of regular season play. And um that's something actually we're gonna kick off the show with today is uh talking a little bit uh talking a little bit about the playoffs and uh you know maybe taking a different look at it. Uh Kevin, one of the things we were talking about kind of before we jumped on was uh you know, with playoff time, there's obviously a lot of responsibilities for players at the time of year when you know I I would think a lot of things are on their minds as well as you know, we're getting close to the ends of seasons for for guys. But uh, maybe let's talk about some of the responsibilities players have at uh you know at this time of the year, especially when you're getting into the last week or two of the regular season and uh you know and into the playoffs.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Well, uh Brad, the big thing right now is it's you know what you would consider sort of money time. You know, you've played all year, um, you know, the good and the bad, you've made mistakes, you've you've you know played really well. Uh now's the time when you really, really need to focus. Um the big issue at this time of year is uh a lot of scouts around, a lot of people watching, a lot of people want to talk to you. Um but it's really, really important to be completely all in with the task at hand, with the team that you're with, because um how you play in the playoffs will go a long way to um you know your future. Uh just as an example, you know, if you had maybe a so-so regular season and and you know, maybe um, you know, middle of the pack guy as a forward or whatever, and you have a big playoff, that certainly will elevate you because people are a creature of now. And remember what you did in the playoffs, they remember what you did last, and um it's a great opportunity to um really elevate yourself. But i it's just there's so many things going on right now. Um you know, we have March break coming up, yeah. Um you just need to focus on the task at hand and give yourself an opportunity to be the best possible um you know um side of yourself going forward to the end, because if you're both feet in, all in, on the team, the regular um individual stuff will follow for sure.

SPEAKER_02 3:10

And you kind of touched on it as well in t in terms of just you know, maybe the stuff that people see, and um you know, a lot of people, you know, be it scouts, reporters, you know, advisors, you know, we we tend to hold, you know, we t we tend to look at playoff time as you know the the the tough time of the year, the crunch time of the year. Um you know, you you talked about maybe that um you know that almost that recency bias in some sense that uh you know you can really put yourself in a position where you know people are considering you and you know how many times we've talked about guys, whether it's you know in junior or in the pros, where you know, hey, that guy's a real good playoff performer. He always you know even when he struggles during the regular season, he always tends to be good around playoff time. Um maybe you know let's talk about that a little bit as well in terms of you know just how big it can be in terms of you know if you come through and you know at least you play consistency and consistently and play well, you know, you're gonna make a name for yourself with you know whether it's reporters or scouts and everybody, you're gonna make a name for yourself as you know, being someone that can be a role relied upon at this time of year.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Yeah, and then I guess in the big picture, if you look at you know, pro hockey, um, there are some guys that have extended their careers dramatically by being uh great playoff performers that everybody seems to want um going into a playoff. So I'll give you an example. Like Ryan O'Reilly was um a guy that um has you know created a career for himself um because he's been a big playoff performer, and there's so many others. Um but you know, those kind of guys can extend a career um you know by years by being um relied upon um guys come playoff time, and you look at unfortunately you look at on the opposite end of the scale, you look at a guy like Austin Matthews, who in the regular season is an absolute stud. Um and because the you know he hasn't been the greatest in the playoffs and the Leafs haven't um, you know, prior to this year, they're obviously not going to make the playoffs, but in other years, hasn't had the best playoffs. Um they look at you like a regular season guy. And and so um, you know, it can really benefit you to have a strong playoff, especially in junior. Um you know, you might have somebody with the Thunderbirds or somewhere um has a really great playoff, and it certainly uh bodes well for um you know down the road in in next year's opportunities and next year's um and you know uh teams value those people um you know um immensely because not everybody is cut out to be a guy that plays his best when it's the most important.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

Yeah. And maybe uh another kind of idea or thought on this is um you know what can players do? What do you think players can do to kind of prepare themselves at this time of year to, you know, to be the type of player that you know a team would look to to be relied upon? What's you know how how would you how would you kind of you know advise a player, you know, what would you say to a player that's you know looking to kind of be at their best at this point? What's kind of some advice you would give them uh at this time of year to kind of be that type of player?

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Well, first off, be locked in. You know, locked in at practice. Um, you know, a lot of times teams will change up some systems for the playoffs. Um be locked in and understand what you what you need to do. Um away from the rink, you need to make sure that you're eating right, um, making sure you're getting enough rest. On road trips, you're prepared, you have everything you need. Um you know, i in in the playoffs a lot of times you're traveling. Just make sure that you're locked in. And the, you know, um stuff away from the ring kind of needs to take a back seat. I know in junior uh it's kind of a different, you know, thing, but I I know that you know, a couple times with the Thunderbirds, well, not a couple with the Thunderbirds, um you know, players were allowed to go out and stuff during the year, um, you know, on a Saturday night after two game or whatever. Um, and we just asked, you know, playoff time that we just shut it down. And we had you know jobs to do and and and things to really focus on. And and um, you know, we had lots of success because I think players truly understood what was at stake and um you know enacted accordingly. So um, you know, maybe some of the late night uh with your buddies uh and you got a game on Saturday, maybe you shut that down early. Um you just need to be locked in. Um and you know, it again, it only comes once a year and it and it can be very short. Um or you could survive a long time. So you want to be ready. Um there are no you know uh do-agains in in the playoffs. You may be the better team, but if the other team is better prepared, um you're so you're gonna lose.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Yeah, which makes uh which makes perfect sense, right? And uh maybe we'll shift gears slightly uh here a little bit. And um, you know, again, now we're at a point where um you know end of the regular season is coming, which means end of the season for for some teams. And um, like you said, the end of the year can come pretty quick, uh, you know, and pretty unexpectedly, uh, you know, if you're expected to go on a long run and get upset. But uh one of the other things I know you mentioned you wanted to talk about is with the off-season coming up is uh you know, and and the the ability for players to move now, uh which is a lot easier, I guess. Uh maybe you know one of the better ways to put it. Uh you know, kids are gonna have to make a dis start making a decision because let's face it, tryouts are gonna come awfully quick as seasons uh wrap up. And um, you know, maybe let's let's talk about that a little bit in terms of maybe some advice as far as that's concerned, and revisit that topic of you know making the decision on what's best, whether you stay in town or whether you uh whether you decide to go out of town to to play. Maybe let's uh you know, maybe some thoughts on that, Kevin, and maybe some advice for players on that as those decisions start to come up now.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

So the you know, the big thing at this point is um because it is relatively easy to move along, um you know, I I know players have had um you know other teams watching games, and I'll give you an example, like the U-15s as an example. I know that um I've fielded a bunch of calls um from U-16 teams about players on the U-15 team. And um so there are other team there are teams out there that are are paying attention, maybe because some of the kids have already committed to go elsewhere, and and so you know teams learn that well in the Sioux there's a lot of kids leaving, maybe I can jump on that train or Sudbury or whatever the case may be. So um so the thing to remember is every player is different. Every player has um a different mental makeup, um a maturity level. Um can't worry about the three guys that you play with, or the you know, if you're a forward, the two guys you play with are planning to leave. That doesn't mean that that you should be leaving. It just means they're leaving and you know, they're prepared to leave, or they've done what they needed to do to get prepared. Um it's not for everybody. There are a hundred horror stories um of players that have left, um you know, compared to the a hundred uh success stories. So um you generally only hear about success stories, um, but there are you know a lot of stories that that um aren't written because they didn't turn out as planned. So the big thing is make sure that you're talking to people, make sure you're talking to your coach, make sure you're talking to your family, make sure if you have an advisor, you're you're absolutely talking to them. Because again, there are so many things that go into this. Um I'll give you an example. The Sioux is a big Italian place. So um, you know, you're used to mom and dad, you you have supper, um, you know, you eat the same things, all of a sudden your billet wherever you go is Polish. Well, they eat a certain type of food or certain eat at a different time, or you know, some kids can adapt and just push on. Some kids can't. Um you're used to going to a school where you know all all you know all the kids in school, um you have lots of friends, all of a sudden you're dropped into a situation where you know nobody, and you're in a big school, and it's a culture shock. So um, you know, you have to weigh all of the different things. Just because a team calls and the team is good doesn't mean that this is going to be a positive thing for you. It just means somebody else likes you as a player, as I'm sure a hundred teams like you as a player. It doesn't mean that that's the best fit for you. You have to ensure that you have all of your ducks in a row and you're prepared for all of the different things that you know go into making the decision to move out of town. Um I'll give you an example. I I said I know of a family right now where you know I I think the family wanted you know uh the player to move, but I I think the player deep down thought, you know what, I'm not ready. And good on him, because he understood that maybe this wasn't the time for him and um is prepared to return, you know, to the team at the next level, and uh good on them. So it's very, very important to understand, you know. Uh I know as a kid for me, I I would have never survived because I I was structured in the and and I like to eat what I like to eat. I you know, you have your friends, you it wouldn't have been uh uh an idea for me, um, but nowadays it's it's you know um very prevalent, lots of, you know, um and you know then it comes down to to uh where you want to go.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Yeah, and I think that's an interesting point is you know there there's so much there's so much to think about in this type of situation. And um, you know, i i I I feel like it's interesting that you mentioned the idea of um you know that sometimes you know the player, the kid knows what's best for them um you know, just based on on the way they are. Um you know, and it the interesting point, like it's almost it's it's almost very similar in terms of choosing you know whether when you're going to university and college, you know, later on, it's kind of a similar thing. I know even for me, you know, you use the example of you know going away and not going away. That was I mean, I spent four years at home university here in the street before I left town, and it was partially because uh I didn't feel like at 18 I was quite ready to go out of town and live on my own uh you know and and do everything for myself. And uh you know, and then I went after four years went away, and you know what, all things you know seem to work out well, but uh you know It does seem like that's one of those things that there's really it's not a decision that can be made on a whim. There's a lot of you know discussions and thought that that has to go into uh into a decision like this.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Yeah, and the other part is where. So I'll I'll give you an example. Like if you believe that you're capable of being a Toronto kid, and uh, you know, again, you could be two, three of your teammates out of school, you could be the only one, yeah. Um in a you know, a huge school, um eight hours from you know for your from your family having to drive, um it's an entirely different um you know uh way of life there, yeah. Um then then good for you. On the flip side, if you want to leave and you want something resembling um normal and uh you know good opportunity geography-wise for your family, then I suggest like Windsor, that area, because yeah um I you know I I I'm there a lot. I know that uh um there are great teams there that you know uh uh OMHA is is uh you know really, really good.

SPEAKER_02 16:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Um you have you know the junior Spitfires, you have Biosteel, you have uh Elgin Middlesex, you have you have a lot of really good teams. Um and it's a nice casual five-hour ride, four-lane highway, um, you know, not real expensive, um good coaching, really good coaching.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

Um so you know, that to me is is as much a part of it as anything. Um because it has to be somewhere comfortable because mom and dad aren't gonna be there. Yeah, you know, in a very rare case, maybe one of the parents can can be there and and and you know, and and you can live with them, but it's a rare, you know, it's a rarity. So you have to really, really look at all of this stuff. And as a father and a parent, I look at you know, accessibility, and I would much rather make a five-hour ride down a nice four-lane highway, uh, you know, to that side of uh of the province than I would an eight-hour ride into Toronto and you know, with having schools with 3,000 students and and all that stuff. Um I I think that would, you know, I I think there are some great programs, obviously, in in Toronto.

SPEAKER_02 17:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

If you're of that caliber, um, you know, or a prep school guy, you know, Upper Canada College or King College or something, oh you know, uh I get it. But um I just think it's a difficult, you know, um part of of figuring out where to go as much as if to go is where to go, and based on some of the um real factors, like your family being able to visit.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you know, like you said, lots to uh you know, lots to factor in uh you know making these decisions. And you know, like you said, they're uh you know, we're at a point in the year where you know life's gonna start coming at you fast as you know decisions start getting made. And uh maybe shift gears one final time here for for the show. And uh you know, we talked earlier about uh you know leagues getting into uh you know the final weeks of the regular season in one of those leagues is the NOJHL. And uh you know they're uh they're right up against the end of uh the end of the regular season here and uh you know playoff time on the horizon. Um you know, standings are set, or uh playoff seatings are you know slowly getting set. We've got uh you know a few teams still battling for uh you know for some certain positions, but um yeah, it's gonna be it feels like it's gonna be uh an interesting playoff season uh you know in the NOJHL, Kevin. I mean, you know, maybe some uh let's get some thoughts on uh on what things could potentially be like you know in the playoffs for the NOJHL Well, I mean, my first thing is I I I just have uh sit you know sort of uh feeling or thought for Kyle Brick.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Um not making the playoffs is never something that he's probably ever imagined would happen to him, and unfortunately this year just wasn't his year. A lot of things went wrong. Um and uh so as a rarity, well, uh the first time that I can ever remember, yeah, um, since he's been there, um they're on the outside looking in, and um I know one thing, uh this won't happen again. I I can assure you that uh what went wrong uh will not go wrong again, and I and I you know it's just unfortunate. The people in Blind River love their team, and and um it's gonna be kind of a sad spring with no uh playoff hockey. But um yeah, it's it's definitely gonna be interesting. Um you know, again, I I don't know um if there's anybody that can you know hang with Sudbury um if they decide that that they're really interested in winning. I I I think they're just they're loaded. Um Hearst, you know, has struggled a bit down the stretch here, um, you know, lost a couple games. Um but you know, I I I think you know, in that group at the top, um, I think it's segregated to lose.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

And we'll see. I I think Timmins, I I like Timmins a lot um because they have the ability to be um very physical. Um you know, playing playoff games uh at the match is uh very tough. Um they draw very well, and uh so Timmins is kind of my dark horse. I think they have a legitimate shot. Um I think they'll be a finalist with Sudbury, but uh you know we'll we'll we'll see. I mean it's it's gonna be a great um uh you know playoff for sure. Um and you know, now you have the Sue and Timmins, unfortunate because of the distance, but um you know, and and again, it's very tough to win in Timmins, and they have home ice, so yeah, um but we'll see. It's it's It's gonna be a fun you know, down the stretch. Um but I still think it's that reason to giveaway. Um you know, I I think the Eagles have been after their really, really bad start, yeah. Um have been good. So I think you know, they play Hurst uh uh and I think they you know they could give Hurst a run. So we'll have to see what happens. That two and seven matchups interesting. So um it's exciting. I I mean every year I post uh I make a post about my old teams and and um you know the pictures from when you win and stuff, yeah, because this is the time of year that everybody looks ahead to. Everybody wants to be part of. Um and you know, in someone's dressing room right now, um there's gonna be a hero, and uh, you know, and and it's just an exciting time to uh see where you stack up.

SPEAKER_02 23:02

Yeah, you know, and like you said, it feels like there could be some uh you know, sometimes you you look at the first round matchups and um you're thinking, wow, there's you know, there's potentially gonna be a lot of duds in the first round where you know this year with the way the standings have you know kind of shuffled around over the course of the year, there's it feels like there's probably gonna be a uh you know a pretty decent handful of you know really good first round matchups uh in the O J H L this year uh as well.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

Well, you look at the Thunderbirds and the Eagles being in the bottom four, yeah, um you know that's not normal. You know, they're normally two of the you know better teams. Um you know, you have Hurst, Plawson, and Timmins and Sudbury, like I mean, I mean it's it's you know, you have Sudbury got 79 points, and obviously uh um to me is the clear favorite.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

After that, the next uh three teams, 71, 71, and 70. So I mean, they're all very, very tight. Um but home ice for some teams means a lot.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

The Thunderbirds won't have home ice, I would assume, at all. Um, but playing home games for them is tough because they just don't draw. Um Eagles draw well, um, and all the teams at the top draw well, so um it'll it'll be fun to watch.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

Yeah, it's definitely uh definitely getting into uh into that exciting uh exciting time of the season. And uh and with that, that's gonna that's gonna wrap it up for uh for this week's edition of the Healthy Scratch podcast. And uh for Kevin and myself, uh always a pleasure uh coming to you week after week. And uh again, thanks for for tuning in. We look forward to having uh having you tune in again next week as well.