Episodes
Wow! This is one from the archives! A show from the first few months of our podcast. It's from April of 2020 and we talk about Henry Aaron's 715th home run versus Barry Bonds' 756th and other records. We talk about Jackie Robinson Day and what it means to us, and we also discuss some of the heroes we lost from that time. At the beginning of the show, we talk about some of the new platforms we were on at that time and the dawning of our then-new Facebook page. There are a few things in this one that date it but it's a compelling (and fun) classic episode of The Sports Lun...
In this episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie look at the life and career of Bill Walton. Walton was an amazing basketball player, a one-of-a-kind broadcaster, and a man who was so loved by everyone who met him. Shawn and Howie engage in such a spirited conversation and Shawn employs his skills as a producer to include so many great audio clips. This episode will leave you with goosebumps. As Shawn said, "I'd want to run through a wall for Bill Walton." As Howie said, "As we pass away, all we are are the stories that people tell about us." If that's the case, Bill W...
It's NHL Playoff time and conversations generally turn to which great star has yet to win a Stanley Cup. In this edition of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie discuss a few great players who went through their careers without ever sipping from Lord Stanley's Mug. In this particular episode, you'll hear stories about Marcel Dionne, Jarome Iginla, Dale Hawerchuk, Mike Gartner and Peter Stastny. Enjoy the show, everyone.
In the spring of 2022, Bodog put out a list of what they thought were the Top 10 Canadian athletes of all time. Immediately, Shawn and Howie took issue with the composition of the list. They discuss the integrity of the Bodog list and which athletes might be valid and which are not as well as who they thought were missing from it. It was a fun and a lively episode.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs' forward Ron Ellis, one of only five men who have played over 1,000 games while wearing the blue and white, passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2024. He was 79. He played his entire 15-year career with the Leafs. Ellis was a stellar defensive forward while at the same time, scoring twenty goals in eleven different seasons. In this edition of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie examine the life and career of one of the most popular Maple Leafs ever.
In April of 2023, I got to sit down with Lisa Bowes. Lisa was a field reporter and sports anchor for The Sports Network in Canada. She is now a successful author. Her Lucy Tries Sports series of children's books is not just a story of success though, it's also a story of persistence and never giving up on a dream. Enjoy this classic Sports Lunatics Show rebroadcast!
After yet another gut-wrenching Game 7 loss in the opening round of the NHL Playoffs, the eternal question looms large over Toronto: Are the Maple Leafs cursed? It's been 57 long years since the franchise hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1967, and with each passing season, the weight of expectation seems to grow heavier. The Sports Lunatics' Shawn Lavigne and Howie Mooney delve deep into the tumultuous history of the Maple Leafs, exploring six decades of organizational missteps, playoff heartbreaks, and the tantalizing prospect of a new era in Toronto.
In Part 5 of their series on NHL Forgotten Stars, Shawn and Howie go over another group of names that were submitted by members of The Sports Lunatics Show's Facebook group page. In this episode, they discuss Danny Gare, Terry O'Reilly, Craig Janney, J.C. Tremblay and a couple more players that some may have lost track of over time.
We lost Bob Cole on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. In this Sports Lunatics Show episode, Shawn and Howie look back at Bob's life and career, from his trip as a 23-year-old who went to Toronto to meet Foster Hewitt unannounced to play his audition tape to working on Hockey Night in Canada to becoming their top play-by-play man. They also discuss many of the amazing things Cole did outside his work as the preeminent personality on Canadian hockey broadcasts for more than four decades. When you think about the principal men who have called games on Hockey Night in Canada - Foster Hewitt, Dann...
On April 22, 2022, former Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur passed away after a battle with cancer. Howie sat down with the noted and often-published hockey historian Liam Maguire to talk about the life, career and legacy of The Flower. Liam talked about what made Guy Lafleur so great, so revered and so admired. It was a spirited and a visceral conversation. Liam had been asked to do many media requests in a very small window of time and we were thrilled to be able to have him on the show.
It seems that every year, somebody has an outstanding playoff performance that extends through their team's entire run. They may not win the Stanley Cup, but they capture the imagination of hockey fans everywhere for as long as their club is alive. Shawn and Howie discuss a number of great playoff performances from over the past fifty years. From Chris Kontos in 1989 to Ken Dryden in 1971 to John Druce in 1990 to Reggie Leach in 1976 to Dwayne Roloson, Fernando Pisani and Chris Pronger in 2006. The boys take us on a trip through some memorable moments in hockey history.
A few weeks back, Shawn posted a question on our Sports Lunatics Show Facebook page asking members to mention a former NHL star whom they feel has been forgotten. Our listeners responded incredibly. Here's the fourth in our series in which Shawn and Howie discuss a few more former players. In this episode, we talk about Adam Oates, Bob Baun, Mats Naslund, Jason Blake, Ray Bourque and Pavel Bure. Thanks to Jason Radey, James Perry, Denise Karl and Rick Jones for their suggestions. We hope you enjoy the conversation.
The Sports Lunatics Show can be heard on CKDJ 107.9FM in Ottawa. In honour of their being included in their rotation, Shawn and Howie recorded a special episode of The Sports Lunatics Show for the National Capital Region. In it they discuss their Ottawa sports memories and what it meant to each of them growing up there.
On April 11, 2024, we got the news that O.J. Simpson had succumbed to cancer. He became one of the most polarizing figures in the world back in June of 1994 after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. He had been a great football player, a Hall of Famer, a broadcaster, a commercial pitchman and a movie actor. But all that was forgotten after that day in June. His chase in the Ford Bronco compelled millions to be glued to their television sets for days and months afterward. Shawn and Howie discuss Simpson, that week in June and so much more on the life and impact of O.J. Simpson.
Shawn posted a question on The Sports Lunatics Facebook page asking members to list former NHL stars that they feel have become forgotten. People responded magnificently and here is another episode in which the boys talk about a few more of the players that the members mentioned. In this episode, we talk about Brad Park, Bill Goldsworthy and Pat Lafontaine. We hope you enjoy the conversation.
Recently, on our Sports Lunatics Show Facebook page, Shawn asked the members to name a one-time NHL star whom they now viewed as forgotten. Shawn and Howie discuss those players and what made them great. In this one, we look at players like Marcel Dionne, Al Secord, Pierre Turgeon, Andy Bathgate, Luc Robitaille and Ronny Ellis. Thanks again to all the loyal members who are the engine who make the Sports Lunatics Show Facebook page go!
Recently, on our Sports Lunatics Show Facebook page, Shawn asked our members to name a one-time NHL star whom they viewed today as forgotten. We discuss those players and what made them great on this episode. Players like Kenny Wharram, Steve Larmer, Larry Murphy and Guy Lapointe. Thank you to our loyal members who keep the Facebook site hopping all the time!
In this episode, The Sports Lunatics, Shawn and Howie, discuss their top ten NHL Mount Rushmores -- their top ten list of teams and each team's top four players of all time. It's not as easy at it might appear. In this one, they cover Teams 5 through to Number 1. Their choices are their own and some of their selections might surprise or even shock you. If you feel the same as Shawn and Howie or if you feel differently, don't be afraid to check out The Sports Lunatics Facebook Group Page and let them know how your thoughts on this or any other episode!
In their latest episode, The Sports Lunatics, Shawn and Howie, discuss their top ten NHL Mt. Rushmores -- that is their top ten list of teams and each team's top four players of all time. In this one, they cover Teams 10 through 6. Their choices are their own and some of their choices might surprise you.
This week, we saw the retirements of Jason Kelce and Josh Donaldson. Shawn and Howie discuss what Kelce and Donaldson meant for their particular sports. They also talk about what Kelce meant as a person to both his family and to the people around him. They talk about memories of Donaldson, especially as a Blue Jay in 2015, his MVP year. The boys also go over the intelligence, integrity and the talent that Chris Mortensen brought from his newspaper background to the medium of television and how he helped so many others around him. 26 minutes.
Women's sports are thriving in 2024 and are expected to bring in record revenues this year. Shawn and Howie discuss the growth of sports on the women's side and how Caitlin Clark's success has revived talk about 'Pistol Pete' Maravich, whose points record she beat this past week. They also talk about LeBron James reaching the vaunted 40,000 career point mark and how he's continuing to outperform much younger NBA players as a 39-year-old veteran. 22 minutes.
A few weeks ago, a Penguins fan posted a picture of Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and proclaimed it to be the greatest NHL Mount Rushmore of any team in the league. Shawn immediately sent the post to Howie and they both agreed that there were teams in the league with better Top 4's than the Pens. In this episode, they discuss some of the teams, some of the players and some stories that will appear in their Top Ten NHL Mount Rushmores.
After another month of enduring All-Star Games (and all the requisite skills competitions that come with them) in football, hockey and basketball, Shawn and Howie discuss whether or not there is any kind of future for these glorified exhibition games in which very few of the players actually care. Do you care about them? Leave your feedback on any of our platforms.
The Sports Lunatics, Shawn and Howie, talk about the 50th anniversary of the passing of Tim Horton, their memories and what it all meant to them. They share a couple of stories as well. Howie reacts to a post on social media that stated the Big Four (Crosby, Jagr, Lemieux, Malkin) of the Pittsburgh Penguins was or is the greatest Mount Rushmore of NHL players from any single team. 33 minutes.
It is Super Bowl time again! Recorded in 2021, the Sports Lunatics Shawn Lavigne and Howie Mooney recap their favorite Super Bowl games, players, and moments. The guys reflect where they were in their lives and the great experiences watching the BIG game! It was a fun ride down memory lane!What were your favorite Super Bowl memories?
The Sports Lunatics Shawn Lavigne and Howie Mooney unveil their Top 5 NHL Goaltenders since 1970. The guys did not agree on much from Numbers 6-10 with a few surprises. Will they agree on the Top 5? Give the show a listen and let us know what you think! Do you have a similar list as Shawn and Howie?Please check us out on YouTube @sportslunatics8241
The Sports Lunatics, Shawn Lavigne and Howie Mooney, went back through more than fifty years of NHL play to select their top ten goalies from 1970 to the present. Some of their selections might be predictable and some may surprise you. Roy, Brodeur, Hasek, and many many more. This is Part 1. Numbers 5 to 1 will follow.
Recently, on the Sports Lunatics Show Facebook page, Shawn has been asking members to give the players they associate with certain jersey numbers. As time has gone by, he has gone number by number starting low and moving up. In this episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, the boys talk about who they associate with jersey numbers 6 through 10. Some of the names might be predictable and some may surprise you. Do theirs match yours? Listen and find out.
On the evening of January 23, 2024, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted three new members -- Joe Mauer, Todd Helton and Adrian Beltre. Shawn and Howie discuss the new members and who else might have gone into the prestigious Hall.
Shawn and Howie discuss the fact that the publisher of Sports Illustrated has laid off all of its writers, signaling the eventual death of the once great magazine. The boys talk about their memories and the role the magazine played in their sporting futures. They talk with joy and sadness about the former sports publication of record.