No placeholders here. Jeff and Elliotte take it late into the night following the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery, breaking down what it means for the league that there is no winner yet and which teams are riding high or wishing for different results. Then, they are joined by three guests.

Find out how happy L.A. GM Rob Blake is after the Kings jumped up into the No. 2 slot. Senators GM Pierre Dorion discusses what holding the Nos. 3 and 5 picks means for his team. And while Alexis Lafreniere seems destined to go No. 1 to a TBD team, Sam Cosentino looks at which players could fall where based on his feel for best fits.

We’ll be back in a few weeks following some vacation ahead of (we hope) the start of training camps.

31 Thoughts: The Podcast is presented by GMC Sierra trucks, complete with the World’s-First Six-function Multi-Pro Tailgate. GMC — we are professional grade. www.gmccanada.ca.

Music Outro:  Magic in Threes - Lottery Walk

Listen to all our Season 3 music on Spotify.

This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

The pod kicks off with Week 2 of listener-submitted Word Association for Elliotte, who also has an update on New Jersey’s coaching search. He and Jeff discuss the CHL lawsuit, if the culture within major junior hockey has improved and the financial implications of the case and COVID-19 for the league. 

Dan Paille joins the podcast to talk about how he got into competitive hockey, why the “Merlot Line” worked so well for the Bruins, trash talk, what he learned from playing with Mark Recchi and what he’s up to now.

Then Andrea “Dre” Barone, who spent four years in the ECHL and is the first openly gay referee in hockey, joins the show. He talks about why he came out publicly, his work with the NHL’s Kim Davis, stepping away from the game, overcoming challenges and the unintended discrimination he experienced.

"There wasn't anything to hide anymore" by Sonny Sachdeva

Why Kurtis Gabriel is the ‘gold standard’ of LGBTQ allies in hockey by David Singh

31 Thoughts: The Podcast is presented by GMC Sierra trucks, complete with the World’s-First Six-function Multi-Pro Tailgate. GMC — we are professional grade. www.gmccanada.ca.

Music Outro: Al Campbell - Take A Ride

Listen to all our Season 3 music on Spotify.

This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.

Audio Credits: Global News, MGM. and Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Zachary Binney, PhD is an epidemiologist and Assistant Professor of Quantitative Theory and Methods at Oxford College of Emory University. He joins Jeff and Elliotte to discuss what the NHL should look for when setting up bubbles, areas of concern, saliva test versus swab tests, when fans will return to sporting events and if leagues should change rules for safety measures. 

Andy Sutton played 13 NHL seasons and is now the president of Wholesale Sports Inc., the parent company of inline hockey brand Alkali, Verbero Hockey and the North American distributor of Tackla. He lives on three acres of land in California with vegetable beds and an array of animals, including alpacas, goats and others. He talks about transitioning out of hockey, equipment improvements, why Minnesota tried to turn him into a forward, memorable experiences with coaches and his famous "Are you an expert?" post-game scrum.  

31 Thoughts: The Podcast is presented by GMC Sierra trucks, complete with the World’s-First Six-function Multi-Pro Tailgate. GMC — we are professional grade. www.gmccanada.ca.

Music Outro: Curtis Fuller Quintet - Love Your Spell Is Everywhere

Listen to all our Season 3 music on Spotify.

This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman. 

Audio Credits: CBC, NBCSN, Sportsnet, WGRZ and WKBW.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Less than a month after ownership publicly supported Jason Botterill, the Sabres GM is out. So are his assistants, the AHL coaches and more than half the club’s scouting staff. Jeff and Elliotte discuss what happened, why so many changes and where the team goes from here.

31 Thoughts: The Podcast is presented by GMC Sierra trucks, complete with the World’s-First Six-function Multi-Pro Tailgate. GMC — we are professional grade. www.gmccanada.ca.

Music Outro: The Jokers - Sabre Dance

Listen to all our Season 3 music on Spotify.

This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.

Audio Credits: Buffalo Sabres.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Jeff and Elliotte kick things off with word association, take some #Ask31 questions and finish it off with a surprise. Then, they are joined by two guests. 

Cincinnati Cyclones assistant coach Jason Payne talks about his lengthy hockey journey, his thoughts on what can be done to see more diversity behind the bench, racism he experienced during his career and then shares a few stories from his time playing in the North American Hockey League.

Lou Nanne is a legend in Minnesota, where he played college hockey and spent his entire NHL career with the Minnesota North Stars as a player, coach and GM. He joins the podcast from Minneapolis to discuss the current social climate in the city and how he hopes to help the community. He also talks about the art of negotiating, some of his best deals (on and off the ice), and the story of how he led the push to get Herb Brooks his job coaching the U.S. Olympic team. 

31 Thoughts: The Podcast is presented by GMC Sierra trucks, complete with the World’s-First Six-function Multi-Pro Tailgate. GMC — we are professional grade. www.gmccanada.ca.

Music Outro: Hitch Hikers and The Mighty Pope - Mr. Fortune

Listen to all our Season 3 music on Spotify.

This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.