The hottest seat in hockey media has been filled: Sportsnet has found a partner for Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
Today, the network announced that longtime Sportsnet reporter Kyle Bukauskas would be joining Friedman on the popular hockey show, following the high-profile departure of Jeff Marek earlier this summer.
Bukauskas has been with Sportsnet since 2013 in various on-air roles.
“It’s going to be a fascinating experience because I think I’m one of the last people in the media world to not have done anything podcast-related. Yes, I took my sweet time getting to this point. But yes, it’s going to be a change of mindset for sure,” Bukauskas said in a piece on Sportsnet announcing the news.
“You’re so used to going on television on Saturdays, you’ve got, at max, maybe a minute to try to hit on a couple of different points and so you’re trying to be as concise as possible. And to now switch to more of a longer-form format, I just hope I have enough to say [laughs].”
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.”
Friedman didn’t have much to say on Marek’s departure but did address it in a thread back in July.
“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.
“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,” Friedman said about the start of his long-running podcast.
“It was brilliant. Jeff has his loopy suggestions, but they made for fun debates and great moments…Life throws curveballs at you.”
The first episode with Bukauskas and Friedman is expected to drop Friday.
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