NHL and iHeart Launching Two Hockey Podcasts

 Sports podcasts have begun to proliferate in podcasting, and so far, with a few exceptions, the industry has escaped the screaming, incendiary, fake outrage for ratings shenanigans of those sports jockeys who dominate sports TV. Unlike TV and radio, women's sports podcasts have been developed and found an eager audience.

Here we go with iHeart and the NHL figure skating their way into a partnership. Indeed, iHeartMedia and the National Hockey League (NHL) have announced a partnership to produce and distribute two new shows with iHeartPodcasts over the next year. The first show -- NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers -- launched in December and features Prime Monday Night Hockey co-host Adnan Virk and former NHL player Jason Demers in a weekly discussion about all things hockey, on and off the ice.

In an extremely enthusiastic statement, Will Pearson, President of iHeartPodcasts said: “Our listeners crave sports content and iHeart continues to be the audio sports destination for fans, delivering top sports talent and programming from insider access and interviews to play-by-play coverage and live reports across all our platforms. Partnering with the NHL to develop, co-produce and distribute new podcasts amplifies our continued commitment to providing the very best audio sports content to audiences everywhere.”


“We’re excited to partner with iHeartMedia for its global reach and powerful distribution channels,” gushes Matt Nicholson, NHL Vice President of Production and Creative Development. “We know NHL fans are avid consumers of audio content and will be amped up about the creation of these new, engaging, and fun podcasts that will further connect them to our great game, and provide NHL insight they won’t get anywhere else.”


The first show of the series, NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers, debuted on December 5, with subsequent episodes airing each Thursday. Virk and Demers will provide the latest NHL news and discussion from what’s happening around the world of hockey and beyond.

Adnan Virk says: “I love podcasts, and I love hockey. I hosted a movie podcast called Cinephile for 8 years and 333 episodes and co-hosted GM Shuffle, an NFL podcast with Michael Lombardi for 3 years. I can’t wait to share my thoughts on all facets of the game and I’m confident my experience will benefit me to keep the conversation fresh and fun. I am, however, less confident in my ability to wrangle in the free stylings of my co-host Jason Demers, because he strikes me as slightly unhinged… but in a good way.”


In September, Virk was named co-host of Prime Monday Night Hockey bringing the skill and expertise he honed at ESPN, MLB Network, DAZN, and WWE to the desk on the NHL’s new Canadian Monday night program. Aside from his work with MLB Network which garnered him a Sports Emmy for MLB Tonight, Virk has also been a frequent host on NHL Network for a variety of its studio programming.

Demers played in exactly 700 career regular-season games from 2009-10 to 2022-23 between the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers. He recorded 20+ points in seven seasons, with his best campaign coming in 2013-14 as a member the Sharks (5-29—34 in 75 GP). He is one of nine defensemen in NHL history to appear in 700 contests after being selected in the seventh round of an NHL Draft. Demers last wore the red and white as part of Team Canada’s National team at the Beijing Olympics in 2022, where he tied for second in the tournament with a +7 while recording two assists. 

 

The second hockey show is expected to debut early in the new year. Right now, it's in the penalty box.