The 2018-19 NHL season is officially less than a month away, and as fans are getting back into hockey mode and looking for new podcasts to check out as the season begins. A new favorite show of mine is The Morning Bagger hosted by University of North Dakota alum and pro minor-leaguer Brad Miller.
The Morning Bagger is a podcast with a slightly different twist. The show takes its name from the infamous “bag skate” which refers to morning practices, usually after a bad game, where players repeat skating drills until they are often puking on the ice (as depicted in the movie Miracle).
The Morning Bagger – A Snapshot of European Hockey
The Morning Bagger is currently going through a transition of sorts, as fomer NHLer and host Patrick O’Sullivan has recently left the pod to pursue opportunities in the hockey world that would not allow him to be a part of the hockey media, leaving Miller as the sole host of the show for the time being. Miller, who currently plays tier-3 hockey in Germany’s Oberliga for EC Peiting, has teased listeners with the news that he is in discussions with a few individuals to fill the slot as a replacement for O’Sullivan.
The episodes Miller has done on his own have not been short on engaging topics, and despite the difficulty that comes with hosting a show solo, Miller handles the task while still producing content that educates and informs listeners. Miller is able to bring a unique addition to the podcast as well, through his experience playing hockey abroad.
European hockey is something that I feel many hockey fans in the United States and Canada know little about, and that goes for myself as well. Sure, most people have heard of the KHL, and if you know your stuff you probably have heard of the SHL (Swedish Hockey League) and DEL (“Deutsche Eishockey Liga” / the top German hockey league). However, when it comes to anything past that, most hockey fans are in the dark. Miller, who plays in the third-highest league in Germany, brings his experience as a minor league player in Europe to the podcast.
I won’t get too much into why this perspective is worth hearing, I’ll let the podcast show that. But I will say that it is interesting to learn about the similarities between minor leagues and the NHL. And guys in the minors, while there may be certain perks to the job, don’t get paid anything like their major league counter parts. It goes to show where a love of the game can take you.
Telling It Like It Is
In an interview with The Grand Forks Herald (North Dakota) back in June, Miller gave his own take on what to expect from The Morning Bagger, “It’s going to be a look at things through our eyes, unfiltered, honest opinions on certain things. If certain teams or players are stinking the joint up, that’s what we’re going to say. If guys are playing great, that’s what we’re going to say.” That pretty much sums up everything I have heard from the show thus far. The takes are fair, yet sometimes brutal. The show isn’t over the top by any means, but Miller doesn’t hold back when giving his opinion on a topic.
Brad Miller is a level-headed, knowledgeable host that not only gives his opinions on stories around the hockey world, but also educates listeners on various facets of the game. This podcast nicely blends education with entertainment, two features that aren’t always easy to combine in the hockey media world.
While Miller never made it to the NHL, he played four years of college hockey, where he skated alongside current NHL champs Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie. He knows his stuff, and he shares his experiences in the hockey world with viewers regularly. If you don’t want more of the same old, check out The Morning Bagger to get a behind-the-scenes look at the sport that is hidden from the average fan, and stay informed with a podcast that you know will give it to you as it is.
You can find The Morning Bagger on the web here. You can follow Brad Miller on his personal twitter, which also doubles up as the show’s twitter, @Bradm14.
