Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is officially a solo pilot — at least when it comes to his popular podcast.
Today, Friedman dropped the first episode of 32 Thoughts since Jeff Marek’s high-profile departure from the network, going solo for the time being.
According to an investigative report by Katie Strang and Dan Robson of The Athletic, Marek was fired from Sportsnet due to allegations of sharing information about draft picks during the 2024 NHL Draft.
“Marek had come under scrutiny from the NHL during the first round of the draft for allegedly revealing to a friend which players teams were drafting moments before those picks were publicly announced,” wrote Robson and Strang, citing league and media industry sources. “The NHL shared concerns about the situation with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which probed further, according to multiple sources briefed on that investigation.”
The reported “friend” in question is Mark Seidel, a former NHL scout and current independent scout, who has repeatedly posted highly accurate draft predictions on social media.
But while many people might’ve tuned in to see if Friedman had much to say about the topic of Marek’s departure or if there will be a replacement co-host, he avoided it entirely in the 26-minute episode, choosing to focus primarily on the Edmonton Oilers’ offer-sheet dilemma and Auston Matthews taking the reins as Toronto Maple Leafs captain.
Earlier in the summer, botb Friedman and Marek posted short statements about the conclusion of their partnership.
“I will miss being his teammate, and thank him for being a tremendous co-pilot on the start to our 32 Thoughts podcasting voyage — which will continue,” Friedman said on X on July 26. “When we started the podcast, Sportsnet asked if I wanted to do it myself or have a co-host. I liked the idea of playing off someone; [Scott Moore] suggested Jeff Marek. It was brilliant. Jeff has his loopy suggestions, but they made for fun debates and great moments. Life throws curveballs at you.”
Marek also took to social media that day to share some short words, but has been silent ever since on X.
“Firstly, thanks for the outpouring of kind words on Twitter/X,” Marek wrote at the time. “It really means the world to me. After 13 great years at Sportsnet, I’m moving on. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m thankful to have worked alongside so many great people and played a role in bringing sports and hockey news to fans across Canada and the world. More to come soon. Jeff.”
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