Sara Civian: Hating On Hate 12/23/24

Jeff Taylor and Jordan DeFigio are joined today by storied hockey writer and founder of The Civ Report,* Sara Civian! As a co-host of the Too Many Men Podcast, Civian has also reported for Bleacher Report and The Athletic.

Maybe it’s because the holidays are upon us, but few conversations we’ve shared with our guests have been quite as delightful as this one with Sara Civian. As is often the case on Fly Penguins Fly, our topics of conversation wound their way around some strange and hilarious bends in the road. See time codes below to customize your listening experience, or just buckle up and take in the full hour.

We deeply appreciate YOU, our listener. Fly Penguins Fly podcast is here to provide a safe space for you to unwind and hang out with us, to laugh at the ridiculous side of our great game and to ponder some of the weirder corners of the social media wastelands we all frequent.

In said spirit, we really feel that Sara brought some very cool insights and experiences to the table, recounting her own navigations of the unpredictable digital tundras, airport terminals, and aging hockey barns we all can’t help but love.

(00:38) Jordan DeFigio: Coffee in Nashville, TN
(07:27) Sara Civian: The state of sports journalism as an industry
(13:54) Civian: The darkening of Twitter
(15:25) Jeff Taylor: F-ing up online
(19:38) Civian: Hating On Hate
(21:29) Taylor: On not “running”
(22:51) Actual hockey talk commences!
(23:16) DeFigio: State of Penguins hockey
(24:35) Taylor: On Bryan Rust bringing the positivity
(27:09) Civian: State of Penguins hockey
(29:47) Civian: On Alex Nedjelkovic
(31:59) Civian: What it’s like being around the Carolina Hurricanes
(34:50) Taylor: NY Rangers rant
(38:20) Civian: The NY Rangers are in trouble
(43:10) DeFigio: On “gotcha” trolls
(47:09) Civian: The beauty of going indy as a hockey writer
(48:26) Taylor: Discussing PIT@NJD game
(49:58) PHI@PIT 12/23: All hands preview and predict
(51:15) Jeff’s Baron Silas von Greenback impression

Thanks to Espresso A Mano, Pittsburgh’s finest coffee roasters and cafe, for partnering with Fly Penguins Fly podcast. Visit an Espresso A Mano location near you:
https://espressoamano.com/

Subscribe to Sara Civian’s “The Civ Report” substack feed:
http://thecivreport.substack.com/

Listen to Too Many Men Podcast featuring today’s guest, Sara Civian:
https://toomanymenpod.podbean.com/

Subscribe to Jeff’s new Penguins-related Substack feed:
https://substack.com/@penspod

Thank you for listening!! Follow the podcast on X/Twitter: @penspod
Jeff Taylor: @penspod_JT // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO

Intro/Outro music composed and recorded by Jeff Taylor
Speical thanks to Mark Guiliana and Ashley Taylor for lending their musical talents as well.

Shane Taylor designed and delivered our artwork.
To hire Shane for design work: shanetaylordesigns@gmail.com - tell him Fly Penguins Fly sent you!

Josh Yohe: The Knitting Lady’s House 12/19/24

Jeff Taylor and Jordan DeFigio are joined by The Athletic’s own Penguins beat writer and longtime friend of the podcast, Josh Yohe.

(14:55) Josh shares a fun little Kyle Dubas story
(18:37) Pierre Olivier Joseph traded back to Pittsburgh!
(22:33) Thanking our partner: Espresso A Mano
(23:51) Nashville’s struggles of late
(26:58) Penguins’ upcoming schedule
(29:32) Dubas showing players he believes?
(33:30) Grittier PIT needs to STAY gritty
(39:06) Jordan’s inspiration for handling Christmas season
(44:21) Steelers talk
(47:39) Black Hawks and Ducks as case studies for Penguins fans
(52:56) PIT’s playoffs hopes
(55:33) Josh Yohe’s Matt Tkachuk story: A good one
(58:19) Yohe’s Paul Maurice Story: A fun one
(60:32) Yohe on Russian players’ exclusion from Four Nations Face-off

Thanks to Espresso A Mano, Pittsburgh’s finest coffee roasters and cafe, for partnering with Fly Penguins Fly podcast. Visit an Espresso A Mano location near you:
https://espressoamano.com/

Subscribe to Jeff’s new Penguins-related Substack feed:
https://substack.com/@penspod

Thank you for listening!! Follow the podcast on X/Twitter: @penspod
Jeff Taylor: @penspod_JT // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO

Intro/outro music composed and recorded by Jeff Taylor

“Hardly Best On Best” 12/16/24

On the way to stealing a point from their loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost Marcus Pettersson to what has proven to be a week-to-week lower body injury. That’s not good, especially for a team who’ve just recently begun banking points en route to a possible wildcard berth.

Jeff’s gears have been ground. The culprit? The NHL’s decision not to include Russian players in a so-called ‘best-on-best’ tournament. Promoting an event as featuring the world’s most elite talent is far from genuine, when the odds-on favorite for Hart Trophy winner, Kirill Kaprizov is at home or on vacation. Alexander Ovechkin. Artemi Panarin. Igor Shesterkin. The list goes on, and none of them will be participating in what could otherwise have been a truly killer shindig.

Subscribe to Jeff’s new Penguins-related Substack feed:
https://substack.com/@penspod

Thank you for listening!!

Follow the podcast on IG:
@flypenguinsfly

Follow your hosts on Blue Sky:
Jeff Taylor: penspod-JT.bsky.social // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton.bsky.social

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO

“Defying Gravity” 12/12/24

Jeff and Jordan are back at it for this Thursday edition of Fly Penguins Fly podcast, and there’s plenty on tap. Songs from Wicked and Aladdin are on the menu, as well as long-held grudges against former GM’s who shall - if at all possible - not be named. The Penguins are in Montreal this evening to take on les Habitants, the childhood favorite team of both Sid Crosby and Kris Letang.

Thanks to Espresso A Mano, Pittsburgh’s finest coffee roasters and cafe, for partnering with Fly Penguins Fly podcast. Visit an Espresso A Mano location near you:
https://espressoamano.com/

Thank you for listening!! Follow the podcast on X/Twitter: @penspod
Jeff Taylor: @penspod_JT // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO

This episode includes portions of the following musical selections:
Kid Kodi by Blue Dot Sessions

“The Needle Finally Moves” 12/09/24

Jeff flies solo today and recounts his experience of attending Saturday’s exciting game in which the Penguins vanquished the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs. And Fly Penguins Fly has a new partnership! We’re proud to welcome onboard Espresso A Mano, one of Pittsburgh’s finest purveyors of hand-roasted specialty coffee.

The Pens’ next matchup is against the Colorado Avalanche, tomorrow night right here in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby’s hometown pal Nate McKinnon, along with standouts Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin, look to bring the surging Penguins back down to earth.

Topics discussed on today’s podcast:
(1:17) Welcoming our debut partnership with Espresso A Mano!
(5:13) Recapping Saturday’s W over Toronto Maple Leafs
(11:30) Hockey fan culture in Pittsburgh versus Philly + Boston
(12:43) Success for new-look PP1/PP2 with 87 + 71 split up
(18:31) Looking ahead to Avalanche matchup: An opportunity
(20:50) Penguins’ 2024-25 campaign: The needle finally moves
(22:41) Good signs in dark times for Black Hawks and Connor Bedard

Visit an Espresso A Mano location near you:
https://espressoamano.com/

Subscribe to Jeff’s new Penguins-related Substack feed:
https://substack.com/@penspod

Thank you for listening!! Follow the podcast on X/Twitter: @penspod
Jeff Taylor: @penspod_JT // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO

“Josh Getzoff Has The Call” 12/05/24

Back for a third time on Fly Penguins Fly podcast, TV play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Josh Getzoff sits down with Jordan and Jeff for some spirited hockey talk.

Friend of the pod Getzoff shares his account of attending last night’s US Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony, at which the careers of Penguins veterans and Stanley Cup Champions Kevin Stevens and Matt Cullen were forever enshrined and immortalized.

After fielding some prompts about the current Penguins’ win streak and an otherwise fraught ’24-’25 campaign, Getzoff - a veteran broadcaster of ten NHL seasons - shares some behind-the-scenes insights from his recent experience of settling into the TV side of calling pro hockey games.

Topics discussed with Josh Getzoff:
(09:47) Panthers the best-constructed team in the NHL?
(12:38) Previewing PIT@NYR
(19:24) On the ground at US Hockey Hall of Fame Induction
(23:51) Thoughts on Kevin Stevens’s career and impact on Penguins hockey
(28:47) Sled Hockey USHHOF induction / Rick Middleton’s role
(32:38) Matt Cullen’s own induction to USHHOF and stories
(37:30) Appreciating the Captain: Crosby’s assist on Rakell goal in CGY@PIT game
(48:31) Calling games on TV vs. Radio

For more information on Kevin Stevens’s foundation:
https://powerforward25.com

Subscribe to Jeff’s new Penguins-related Substack feed:
https://substack.com/@penspod

Thank you for listening!! Follow the podcast on X/Twitter: @penspod
Jeff Taylor: @penspod_JT // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO

“Improving D: The Puck Of Destiny” 12/02/24

On this day, Monday December 2nd, 2024 Jeff and Jordan kick off a new release schedule:
Monday and Thursday afternoons, regardless of the Penguins’ itinerary. We deeply appreciate you for tuning in, and you deserve a timeline you can depend on. Happy Holidays.

Subscribe to Jeff’s new Penguins-related Substack feed:
https://substack.com/@penspod

Thank you for listening!! Follow the podcast on X/Twitter: @penspod
Jeff Taylor: @penspod_JT // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO

“Uncanny Valley” 11/19/24

Your Pittsburgh Penguins are living up to the flightless reputation of their mascot. And with Jake Guentzel's Tampa Bay Lightning occupying in the visitor’s locker room at PPG Paints Arena and the red-hot Winnipeg Jets licking their chops for what should be a no-brainer dub for them this coming Friday, things don’t promise to get any better any time soon.

Jordan shares a few predictions as to what fans can expect of the Penguins’ front office in the coming weeks/months, while Jeff invokes both the West World and West Wing TV universes, in a hapless attempt to illustrate a point he’s not even sure he really has.

Subscribe to Jeff’s new Penguins-related Substack feed:
https://substack.com/@penspod

Thank you for listening!!

Follow the podcast on IG:
@flypenguinsfly

Follow your hosts on Blue Sky:
Jeff Taylor: penspod-JT.bsky.social // Jordan DeFigio: @fidgenewton.bsky.social

LETS GO PENS.

JEFF TAYLOR + JORDAN DEFIGIO