Inside The Truck

Send us a text This episode features a deep dive with TSN Hockey analyst Mike Johnson on the upcoming 2026 IIHF U20 World Hockey Championship aka The World Juniors, (1:32) Steve & Paul debate the most notable number 53s in pro sports, (7:41) Steve shares an bizarre story tied to E52, (12:42) Mike Johnson intro, (14:34) his tournament preparations, (16:00) shifting gears from mid-season NHL to analyzing the top under-20 players in the world, (18:37) the amount of resources TSN invests in these broadcasts, (19:20) TSN’s philosophy of celebrating the greatness of the game & skill of best under-20 players in the world, (22:17) focus level of Team Canada versus their opponents, (23:50) Canada’s emotional investment in this annual event, (28:50) the competitive balance of the under-20 landscape, (32:12) the TSN-IIHF partnership, (35:00) a holiday season staple for Canadians, (35:40) TSN Play-by-Play announcer Gord Miller, an integral part of TSN’s coverage for 30+ years, (39:30) favorite moments from tournaments past, (42:07) thoughts & predictions on this year’s tournament in Minnesota, (43:45) supplemental programming & how TSN stick-handles 80+ hours of television over the two weeks, (47:55) the boys talk about their World Juniors experience with a peak behind the curtain of Paul’s 16-year run at this tournament, (52:55) the episode wraps up with social media promotion and a shout-out to our newest Truckers in Sydney Australia, Abilene Texas & Yorkton Saskatchewan. Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

Send us a text This episode features a 35-minute conversation with Alex Faust, (1:30) Steve & Paul debate the most notable athletes to wear the rare number 52 in pro sports, (5:35) the boys share a hilarious story about their recent meeting in Calgary, (11:50) Alex Faust intro (12:27) Alex joins the boys from an NHL road trip stop in Seattle, (13:33) dream job of calling his hometown NY Rangers broadcasts, (15:50) collegiate days at Northeastern, (16:44) growing up in a broadcasting family & moonlighting in sports broadcasting during college, (20:15) aspirations of becoming an NHL broadcaster, (22:05) memories of his first network assignment at NESN, (23:05) solid advice for younger broadcasters, (24:12) becoming the NHL’s youngest TV play-by-play announcer with the LA Kings, (26:55) expanding his broadcast skill set while in LA, (29:30) the importance of knowing the sports you’re broadcasting, (31:49) shares a funny story about NHL hockey legend Dave “Tiger” Williams, (33:33) inside scoop on the Alex Trebek-Jeopardy story that broke in 2018, (37:20) shares the broadcast booth with Will Ferrell in full character as Ron Burgundy, (39:10) the uniqueness of calling Grand Slam tennis, (41:55) complexities of calling MLB games in the pitch clock era, (45:50) winds up with a couple of technical nightmare stories from his career, (48:00) Steve shares a story about the day Nick Kypreos put him in a headlock at the Sportsnet NHL studios, (50:27) Paul discusses recently working Matt McConnell’s 2,000th NHL broadcast, (53:30) the episode wraps up with social media promotion and a shout-out to our newest Truckers Oksave, North Ostrobothnia (Finland), Caracas (Venezuela) & Sao Paulo (Brazil). If you're a fan of sports, television production or just love hearing great behind-the-scenes stories from inside the industry, this podcast is a must-listen. Don’t forget to follow, rate and share this pod with your fellow fans and sports TV geeks. #insidethetruckpodcast  #sportstv #sportsmedia Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

Send us a text This episode features a 30-minute conversation with TSN’s Rod Smith, (1:20) the boys debate the most notable athletes to wear the rare number 51 in pro sports, (6:36) Steve & Paul discuss their time on the front bench for CFL broadcasts with CBC & TSN, (16:20) feature guest Rod Smith introduction, (17:00) Rod Smith joins the boys, (17:25) Rod explains his broadcast preparation & philosophy for the 112th Grey Cup Championship broadcast, (19:50) talks about the thrill of doing football play-by-play at both the collegiate and CFL level, (22:33) shares how he handles Grey Cup Week & all it’s distractions, including his days of hosting Grey Cup Saturday with Darren Dutchyshen, (26:00) the boys talk Rod into sharing the some of his funniest stories from the booth, (34:12) Paul shares a hilarious story about Leif Pettersen working a college football game for TSN in Halifax, (38:30) Paul & Rod share some funny moments from Vanier Cups at TSN, (41:51) memories of an extremely awkward moment while hosting TSN Sportscentre, (42:59) the boys talk about pacing in a football broadcast, from the booth to the TV truck, (47:10) growing up as a CFL fan in Ottawa, Ontario, (49:57) the episode wraps up with social media promotion and a shout-out to all our CFL Truckers on the eve of the 112th Grey Cup. If you're a fan of sports, television production or just love hearing great behind-the-scenes stories from inside the industry, this podcast is a must-listen. Don’t forget to follow, rate and share this pod with your fellow fans and sports TV geeks. #insidethetruckpodcast  #sportstv #sportsmedia Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

Send us a text This episode features a 30-minute chat with Julie Stewart-Binks, (1:05) celebrating our 50th episode, (1:35) Julie joins the boys right off the top, (3:10) all three debate the most notable athletes to wear the number 50 in pro sports, (13:42) JSB relives her unusual path into sports broadcasting, (17:18) talks about her childhood, growing up and her true passion for all sports, (19:37) paying her TV dues in Regina Saskatchewan, (22:20) an Inside The Truck exclusive, for the first time JSB shares the story about her impromptu first date with Matthew Perry, (26:27) a nightmarish assignment involving her beloved Toronto Maple Leafs for the NHL on TNT, (32:31) best golf stories, attending The Masters during an eclipse and being chased by cicadas during a celebrity pro-am, (35:05) Paul pointblank asks JSB what Piers Morgan likes to drink while watching EPL matches, (35:58) final comments and JSB drops a bombshell parting shot, (36:44) the episode wraps up with social media links and a with a shout-out to some of our newest Truckers in Sooke British Columbia, Rochester New York & the Banana Capital of the World, Machala El Oro Ecuador. If you're a fan of sports, television production or just love hearing great behind-the-scenes stories from inside the industry, this podcast is a must-listen. Don’t forget to follow, rate and share this pod with your fellow fans and sports TV geeks. #insidethetruckpodcast  #sportstv #sportsmedia Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

Send us a text This episode features a 30-minute chat with Jody Shelley, veteran NHL analyst for FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, Prime Monday Night Hockey and the NHL on TNT, and as is usually the case, plenty of broadcast insight and laughs along the way, (1:15) Steve mentions that his voice is a little thick due to the smokey air quality in Calgary, (1:37) the episode takes an immediate detour when the boys get into a medical discussion and how to triage household knife injuries and childhood mishaps, (4:00) the boys finally gets back on track with a debate about the best pro athletes to wear the number 49, (9:50) feature interview with Jody Shelley, topics of conversation include the differences between regional and national NHL broadcasts; working in the booth versus ice level, amusing moments from working between the benches; mindset shifting from player to broadcaster; learning on the fly as a young announcer; his former broadcast partner Jeff Rimer and his current one Steve Mears; establishing chemistry with colleagues away from the rink; love for being part of team; involvement growing the game in the Columbus community, (44:20) Paul throws Steve under the bus and calls him out for admitting in E45 that he had no idea who Jody Shelley was, (47:12) Steve tells a funny story about pranking John Davidson on his debut as an NHL analyst, (52:17) the episode wraps up with social media links and a with a shout-out to some of our newest Truckers in New Taipei City Taiwan, High Prairie Alberta & Ooltewah Tennessee. If you're a fan of sports, television production or just love hearing great behind-the-scenes stories from inside the industry, this episode is a must-listen. Don’t forget to follow, rate and share this pod with your fellow fans and sports TV geeks. #insidethetruckpodcast  #sportstv #sportsmedia Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

Send us a text This episode features a 30-minute chat with Kenny Albert, veteran play-by-play for the NFL on FOX and as is usually the case, plenty of insight and laughs along the way,  (1:26) Steve takes care of some housekeeping, addressing his previous selection and other notable 47s in pro sports, (2:48) The show kicks off with a debate between the boys on the best pro athletes to wear the number 48, and it becomes no easy task, (7:35) feature interview with Kenny Albert who takes us behind the scenes of the NFL on FOX, shares some memorable moments from 31 years calling NFL games for FOX Sports and reflects on his former and current NFL colleagues, (41:20) the boys flashback to the infamous 1982 Cal-Stanford football game; "The Band Is On The Field" is one of the most replayed moments in sports TV history, (45:34) Paul revisits the impressive list of NFL analysts that Kenny Albert has had the privilege of working with and the boys kick around how they'd craft their own autobiographies (47:26) the episode wraps up with social media links and a with a shout-out to some of our newest Truckers in Sayville New York, Inkster Michigan & Corpus Christi Texas If you're a fan of sports, television production or just love hearing great behind-the-scenes stories from inside the industry, this episode is a must-listen. Don’t forget to follow, rate and share this pod with your fellow fans and sports TV geeks. #insidethetruckpodcast  #sportstv #sportsmedia  Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

Send us a text This episode features a 30-minute chat with Abby Labar, the host of MLB Network’s “Quick Pitch", mixed with some behind-the-scenes sports TV banter with plenty of laughs and entertainment along the way. (1:10) things kick-off with a debate on the best pro athletes to wear the number 47. The NHL and MLB selections result in pure comedy, (6:10) this week's "After the Pod" segment highlights the final results of the most recent "Athletic NHL Broadcast Fan Poll". Paul discusses how Utah scored Number 3 on the national vote and gives some behind-the-scenes insight into the Mammoth Production crew, (12:30) feature interview with Abby Labar, host of MLB Network’s nightly recap show “Quick Pitch”. Abby discusses her broadcasting journey from her college days at NC State, relocating to New York City and her step onto the national sports TV stage with MLB Network, (44:10) Steve wants a 'take two' on the best producer-actor combo in Hollywood, switching from George Clooney to Reese Witherspoon, (44:40) Steve recounts working with young announcers, coaching them up into feeling relaxed and execute with free-flowing thoughts instead of regurgitating rehearsed lines, (46:20) Steve reflects on the moment he realized that he could trade his job at the bank for a career in sports TV, (48:50) the episode wraps up with a shout-out to some of our newest Truckers in Garden Grove California, Bensonville Illinois & the “Mushroom Capital of the World”, Kennett Square Pennsylvania! If you're a fan of sports television production or just love hearing great behind-the-scenes stories from inside the industry, this episode is a must-listen. Don’t forget to follow, rate and share this pod with your fellow fans and sports TV geeks. #insidethetruckpodcast #sportstv #sportsbroadcasting Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(1:16) Steve & Paul debate the top 45s in pro sports, (7:20) "After The Pod" pays tribute some of sports TV’s family that we’ve recently lost ~ spotlighting longtime Pittsburgh Penguins announcer Mike Lange, (9:06) the boys share their fondest memories of Greg Millen, (12:22) "Front Bench Banter" spotlights viewer reaction to Stanley Cup Playoffs remote broadcasts, (18:23) Ken Daniels, Detroit Red Wings play-by-play announcer joins the guys for some laughs & shares fond memories from his award-winning broadcasting career, (51:45) Steve takes us behind the curtain at CBC Sportsweekend, (55:15) social media promotion and shout-out to a special Trucker in Gibsons, BC. Home of CBC’s “The Beachcombers”!  Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(1:17) Steve and Paul debate the Best 44s in pro sports, (10:30) Steve pulls one over on Paul during Mailbag regarding Paul’s selection of Tom Wilson as a top NHL 43, (11:48) in After The Pod, Paul addresses some incorrect numbers from the 2024 Inside The Truck analytics, (13:01) Shane Hnidy, Vegas Golden Knights TV analyst joins the boys to share highlights from his broadcasting career and talks about the controlled chaos of live sports TV, (37:22) Steve comments on Hnidy’s candidness during their conversation, (39:33) Steve asks Paul if he took things more seriously earlier in his career than nowadays, (42:12) social media promotion and a shout-out to all our newest Truckers Boydton, Virginia & Smiths Falls, Ontario. Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(1:10) Steve and Paul debate the "Best 43s" in pro sports, (5:10) "2024 Inside The Truck: By The Numbers" highlight some of the pod’s analytics from the last 12 months , (8:14) "After the Pod" features a very kind message to the podcast from Finland (10:14) Paul reveals a couple of his favorite memories from working the 2017-18 NHL season in San Jose (16:30) San Jose Sharks play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn joins the boys to share some entertaining stories from his award-winning career (51:53) Steve remembers a couple of stories that parallel Randy’s (53:30) social media promotion and a shout-out to all our Texas Truckers in the Lone Star state Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(1:00) top 42s in pro sports (6:18) Steve takes care of some housekeeping from E41 (6:57) the boys dive into the concept of “the axis” in sports TV (10:56) Paul takes a moment to send some support and love to two special people in our sports TV family (14:12) Sportsnet's Anna Dua bio and intro (15:36) feature interview (34:45) Steve, Paul and Anna play a quick game of “2 Truths and a Lie” (43:45) Steve doubles back to dive into a couple of Paul’s “Truths” (46:18) social media promo and s shout-out to our newest Truckers in Sydney Australia, Hausham Germany and London England. Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(1:05) top 41s in pro sports, (5:14) the NHL Western Conference rink tour continues with the Pacific Division beginning in Anaheim, (8:37) Calgary, (12:54) Edmonton, (18:44) Los Angeles, (24:25) San Jose, (26:30) Seattle, (28:16) Vancouver, (33:42) Vegas, (36:09) social media promo, (36:41) shout-out to our newest truckers in Charlotte NC, Melbourne Australia & Thunder Bay Ontario Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(0:56) Top 40s in pro sports, (5:12) Shag Bag reveals Steve’s obsession for The Beachcombers, (6:40) the boys get compared to Statler & Waldorf of The Muppet’s fame, (7:39) Steve outs Paul’s new gig in Utah, (14:12) NHL western arena tour begins in the Central Division in Arizona, (18:08) Steve calls a time-out to fact check some details from E39, (20:20) Chicago, (23:20) Colorado, (26:12) Dallas, (27:26) Minnesota, (30:54) Nashville, (34:29) St. Louis, (39:36) Winnipeg, (48:27) the E40 clock expires forcing the boys to tour the Pacific Division in E41, (48:59) social media promotion, (49:32) shout-out to new Truckers in Frankfurt Germany, Cape Town South Africa and Toledo Ohio Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(1:07) notable 39s in pro sports, (4:14) Mail Bag becomes Shag Bag again this week, Steve takes care of some E38 housekeeping items, (7:05) After The Pod acknowledges some Truckers feedback from E38, (8:30) the boys discuss the thin line between confidence and & ego, (11:07) Front Bench Banter debates announcers calling out officials during a broadcast, (16:46) the boys reminisce about their favorite NHL Eastern Conference rinks, past & present, (20:55) Atlantic Division beginning with Boston, (23:04) Buffalo, (26:49) Detroit, (31:19) Florida, (33:02) Montreal, (37:55) Ottawa, (40:41) Tampa, (41:49) Toronto, (46:39) Metropolitan beginning with Carolina/Hartford, (50:24) Columbus, (51:59) New Jersey, (55:32) NY Islanders, (59:15) NY Rangers, (1:02:45) Philadelphia, (1:06:43) Pittsburgh, (1:12:19) Washington, (1:19:22) social media links, (1:20:00) shout-out to Truckers in Hartford, Quebec, Minnesota Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(01:40) notable 38s in pro sports, (03:20) cleaning up some items from our last episode, (05:41) "After The Pod" highlights some listener feedback from E37, (07:05), Zach Greenberg intro, (08:19) Zach Greenberg joins the boys, (08:47) role of the Technical Director (aka TD), (12:40) intensity on the Front Bench, (15:21) back to the start of his career, (18:30) NHL debut disaster, (19:46) NHL bounce-back, (20:46) NFL on Fox: Line One, (22:40) Canadian full circle moment, (24:45) first NFL Superbowl assignment, (26:20) Fox NFL Sunday behind-the-scenes, (41:29) Fox NFL Sunday rookie roasting, (43:19) Greenberg extro, (45:10) Steve tells a humorous TD NHL story, (46:52) Hockey Night in Canada postgame gong show, (48:15) Q&A talks serious injury philosophy, (55:02) social media links, (55:35) shou-tout to Marseilles, Brussels and Liverpool …. New York. Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

(01:08) Paul’s gratuitous plug for his new X account, (01:45) the boys recall their elementary school days, (02:39) shoutout to the pod’s musical director Jeff Kozak, (03:59) all-time top sports TV themes, (08:53) notable 37s in pro sports, (14:50) pop quiz since E36, (16:27) listening in 31 countries, (17:30) Mailbag addresses our 3-year absence, (19:21) NBC’s Summer Olympic Games coverage, (29:51) Q&A features HNIC’s funniest announcers, (40:26) social media plugs, (41:00) shout to our listeners in Dubai, Tel Aviv & Lebanon … Oregon Find us on social media at: X - @insidethetruck IG - @insidethetruckpodcast YouTube - @insidethetrucktv

Inside The Truck Podcast Dates: May 27, 2020-November 14, 2021 Episodes: 37 Content: 28h 15m 37s All-Time Downloads: 15.1K Most Popular Episode: E1: Genesis Top App: Apple Podcasts (41%) Top Device: Apple iPhone (67%) Top Category: Mobile (88%) Locations: North America (95%), Europe (2%), Other (3%) "Until Paul and I can chat with you again" ~ Steve Lansky

(1:01) Welcome Back! (1:19) Welcome Back, Kotter & American Top 40 memories (2:30) the boys are back in business with E35 (4:40) Paul talks about joining Turner Sports & prepping for the NHL on TNT’s debut (7:28) Turner Sports influence on their NHL broadcasts (9:27) creating the foundation & philosophy of a new show (12:13) how the telestrator enhances the broadcasts in real-time (15:40) Paul’s feelings on the TNT NHL shows only a month into the season (17:45) difference between Producers & Directors (23:16) have fun & entertain the viewers is the TNT mantra (24:15) Steve talks about Gretzky’s personality inside/outside the dressing room (25:50) NHL on TNT breaks the traditional studio model (28:18) NHL Winter Classic preparations are already underway (31:54) conquesthockey.co Q&A features the camera complement for the NHL on TNT (36:25) Twitter, Instagram & YouTube promotion (37:10) salute to listeners in Reno, Nevada

1:15 -  Paul announces he has a new job with Turner Sports 2:04 - interesting NHL off-season & Paul's new position with the NHL on TNT 3:49 - waiting on an approval to continue the podcast 5:35 - crazy first 3 weeks at Turner Sports 6:50 - what it’s like to work on a show from day one 9:15 - producing a show for people in bars 10:23 - trying to nail down all the elements required for a new show 11:15 - creative collaboration between broadcast crew members 14:40 - hopeful that Inside The Truck can continue 15:30 - Twitter, Instagram & YouTube promotion 16:00 - salute to listeners in Atlanta, GA

(0:00) Drew Esocoff intro (2:42) NFL trivia (6:42) SNF trivia & show information (10:08) Drew Esocoff, NBC Sports & SNF Director intro (12:00) on transition from ABC MNF to NBC SNF to Sunday Night Football (13:42) on SNF Producer Fred Gaudelli (15:42) on SNF crew (16:27) on SNF cameras (18:13) on SNF replays (18:32) on SNF graphics (19:51) on SNF audio featuring a story on Wendel Stevens; SNF lead audio mixer (21:33) on SNF travel crew (22:26) on SNF innovation technology (24:44) on incorporating broadcast innovation (25:30) on SNF booth set-up (26:40) on SNF weekly preparations (32:47) on SNF broadcast philosophy (34:35) on SNF broadcast workflow (37:10) on hardest part of SNF (38:49) on the best part of SNF (39:33) Q&A presented by conquesthockey.co spotlights SNF innovation technology (40:32) Drew Esocoff wrap up & thank you (40:46) wrap & chat monitor walls in today’s production mobiles (43:27) the boys talk about getting lazy in broadcast production (45:10) Steve tells a classic behind-the-scenes story about original MNF Director Chet Forte (48:50) Twitter, Instagram & YouTube promotion (49:27) salute to Inside The Truck listeners in Tampa, Florida