Now I think I should probably put the disclaimer up front. If you aren’t familiar with Spittin’ Chiclets, they are the Barstool Sports hockey podcast. If you don’t know what Barstool is, which most people do by now, they are a “satirical sports and pop culture blog”. That is the definition straight from Wikipedia. This means the site essentially takes a non-traditional approach to covering sports that directly targets your average loud, drunk, foul-mouthed sports fan. Spittin Chiclets is a podcast that caters to that type of fan in the hockey world as well. But even if you wouldn’t describe yourself as that type of sports fan, there is more to get from this podcast that still might be of interest to you.
Spittin’ Chiclets, not your grandma’s hockey podcast
The show in its current form stars former NHLers Ryan Whitney and Paul “Biznasty” Bissonnette along with Barstool host and die hard Bruins fan RA, short for “Rear Admiral”. Whitney played the majority of his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers while Bissonnette also did a short stint with the Penguins organization but spent most of his time in the pros with the then Phoenix Coyotes. He presently works for the team, now the Arizona Coyotes, where he does radio color commentating. Whitney is currently a host on NHL Network.
The podcast didn’t start with Bissonnette, he joined later on. But everyone I’ve heard from that listened to the show early on says that having Biznasty on Spittin’ Chiclets greatly heightened the show’s appeal. Biz, in his playing days was a bonafide enforcer. He totaled 340 penalty minutes in 202 NHL games, posting 22 points.
A unique audience
Along with the pro stats, it is safe to say Biz is a true guys guy. That’s not a typo. Essentially what it means is he, and the rest of the Spittin’ Chiclets cast, appeals to a somewhat specific audience of uncensored men roughly in their 20’s and 30’s. So if unfiltered “locker room talk” sounds like something you’d be into, then go no further, you should need no more convincing.
If this doesn’t sound like your style, stay tuned, you’ll still want to listen.
Star-studded guest list
Because of their NHL experience, Biz and Whitney have connections to the hockey world that allow them to offer a strong list of guest appearances on the show. That list has ranged most recently from former league all-star Keith Tkachuk of the Coyotes and St. Louis Blues to current players like Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers and Keith Yandle of the Florida Panthers.
Having former and current NHLers on the podcast allows for the telling of stories both new and old about playing in the league, and the activities that go on after hours. The hosts have their own collection of stories, but in order to keep the material flowing they dig as much as possible into the experiences of their guests to get some legendary tales out of legendary guys like Tkackuk, who told one particularly incredible story during his interview on the show.
Not a Barstool fan? You should still listen in
Just because you aren’t a traditional Barstool Sports fan doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the podcast. The stories shared on the show are unique, and are often only known of through rumors, like some sort of urban myth. The Spittin’ Chiclets cast does a great job of getting these stories out in the open to the best extent possible (some stuff just isn’t meant for public consumption).
The podcast has found its niche among a sea of hockey podcasts by being able to provide this type of content, and anyone who wants a glimpse behind the curtain into the real life of NHL players should certainly tune in.
Difficulty Rating: Average
- It would help to have some knowledge of hockey phrases/words before listening.
Language: Hide your wife, hide your kids
- It is strongly recommended that you listen alone or with your buddies.
Even if you don’t think of yourself as the average belligerent sports fan, this podcast offers insight into the hockey world that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
You can listen to the podcast on Barstool’s website here.
