Jayna Hefford Talks PWHL Preseason + Claude Julien on Coaching Structure

Jeff kicks off the show with Hockey Hall of Famer and Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for the PWHL, Jayna Hefford! They discuss the PWHL pre-season, the rule changes that the league is experimenting with, how the league is preparing for their opening game on January 1st, 2024, ticket sales, and more. Then, former NHL head coach and Stanley Cup champion, Claude Julien stops by to chat about the importance of coaches and upper management being on the same page, his time coaching Brad Marchand, and if he ever thought Marchand would wear the ‘C’ in Boston (17:50). They also reflect on some of the players who Julien coached in the NHL, shed some light on the reality of the myths surrounding players like Zdeno Chara, and discuss the evolution of coaching philosophies. To end off the show, Jeff is joined by Sportsnet’s Luke Fox to discuss the Leafs blue line being hit with the injury bug, William Nylander's contract situation and it’s correlation with Mitch Marner’s next deal, and where Ilya Samsonov ranks in the Leafs depth chart at the quarter mark of the season (50:00). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.