UPDATE: This podcast has undergone significant changes since the original publication of this article. For an updated version, see this post.
At long last the summer is coming to an end, and hockey journalists and podcasters are emerging from their three-month slumbers to get back to work. A podcast that took such a break during the hotter months (though they did have select audio snippets for Patreon subscribers) was the Puck Soup podcast with Greg Wyshynski and Dave Lozo.
Wysh and Lozo are both currently employees of ESPN. Greg joined the network prior to the 2018-19 season and Lozo came on board in August as a writer for a new show on ESPN+ Always Late with Katie Nolan.
Puck Soup is an entirely separate entity from ESPN where the duo independently produces weekly content during the regular season that focuses on the hockey world while also incorporating the occasional movie review or television show conversation.
Puck Soup – A Difference of Opinion
One aspect of this podcast that makes it particularly interesting to tune into is that Wyshynski and Lozo are not afraid to take completely opposing opinions on topics. This leads to intense conversation that breaks down issues so that listeners are able to get differing sides of an argument that are substantiated by two often very compelling points of view.
Now Wyshynski and Lozo don’t always disagree, some matters are pretty black and white and don’t require debate. However, there are times when the Puck Soup podcast gets a little heated. Nothing personal at all, in fact the two seem to pretty good buddies, but once in a while they will dig their heels in on opposing sides of an argument and refuse to budge, making for some great audio.
An Element of Pop Culture
While some hockey podcasts focus almost exclusively on the sport, others like Puck Soup will add elements to the show that branch away from hockey to discuss unrelated topics like movies and TV shows as I mentioned above. Now I understand that this type of podcast may not be for everyone, and that there are people out there that want to listen solely hockey talk. Usually one of the two hosts will give some warning that the podcast is transitioning from hockey to pop culture so if there are those out there that want to listen to only a specific segment then that is pretty easy to do.
Top Notch Journalism
Wyshynski and Lozo, aside from being insightful podcasters, are also accomplished hockey writers. I wrote the inaugural Trusted Journalist Review for The Puck Review on Greg’s work which you can read here if you want to learn more about what he does. I am less familiar with Lozo’s writing, but his resume speaks for itself. He has done stints at Bleacher Report, Deadspin, UPROXX and most recently Vice Sports along with contributions to The Athletic.
Neither Wyshynski nor Lozo is afraid to say what they are thinking, and that gets them into trouble from time to time with players and management across the league. However, they are not “hot take artists” but rather very skilled and informed journalists. People may disagree with their opinions from time to time but usually their opinions are spot on and they will address valid issues and concerns that others might try and tip-toe around.
The Puck Soup podcast is a great place to head to for unfiltered hockey takes (and language) from two guys who have been around the league for a while now. If you want a podcast that is going to give it to you straight, look no further.
You can find the Puck Soup podcast here or on twitter @PuckSoupPodcast. You can follow Greg Wyshynski on twitter @wyshynski and Dave Lozo @davelozo.
