If you have not noticed, I greatly support hockey personality Jonny Lazarus.
He works incredibly hard, he knows hockey inside and out, he has great perspectives on the game, and he is someone who loves the sport. Simply put, Jonny is an amazing hockey guy through and through.
With that in mind, I figured now was as good a time as ever to check in on him and see how this year’s NHL campaign has been for him. If you continue reading below, you will find out that he has a new show, is contributing to a different hockey outlet, and is doing everything he can to make the game fun for everyone.
PH: Just before Christmas, you and Colby Cohen announced a new hockey show, Morning Cuppa Hockey, that you will be doing for DailyFaceoff.com. How did this opportunity come about for you?
JL: It is funny because a live NHL morning show is something that I have wanted for years, not necessarily as a host, but as a hockey fan. I grew up watching the NHL Network every morning, and it was always the reruns from the previous night as I would rewatch what I had already seen all morning.
I thought the NHL needed some fresh, new opinions to start each day, similar to a “Get Up” or “First Take.” Colby has been a mentor of mine for about four years now after I reached out to him cold on Linkedin during my senior year of college.
When I told him I wanted to do a morning show, he said right away that he would love to do it together. The timing was perfect.
PH: What are you and Colby trying to bring to your viewers/listeners with your new show?
JL: What Colby and I are trying to do is talk about hockey in a “formally informal” way. We are not buttoned-up reporters. We are two former players who come from different generations of the game that have had completely different yet similar hockey experiences.
We are passionate fans, and we disagree on a lot of things, so we will most likely do a ton of arguing, while also trying to have fun and interact with guests and listeners. We know people are hungry for fresh discussions about hockey in the mornings, so we will be talking about all of the trending topics from the night before or possibly even that morning in the NHL.
PH: You also mentioned that in addition to being a co-host of Morning Cuppa Hockey, you will also be providing general NHL and Rangers coverage to DailyFaceoff.com. How did that opportunity come about for you?
JL: I was not going to be able to cover the Rangers for The Hockey News while also doing the morning show for the Daily Faceoff. Luckily for me, when I told the Daily Faceoff I was leaving The Hockey News, they presented me with an opportunity to cover the league more as a whole.
So, in addition to my Rangers coverage, I will also talk to visiting teams and players for specific feature stories.
PH: What was the best thing about being a part of such an iconic hockey brand in The Hockey News?
JL: I think that the access that The Hockey News gave me to the players and coaches was incredible. Being able to sit in and feel comfortable on post-game pressers and locker room scrums was something I had never experienced before, so I am very grateful that they gave me that opportunity.
PH: You have done an outstanding job of continuing to build your hockey resume. What does that mean to and for you?
JL: I mean, as much as you want to call it building a resume, I am just trying to figure out which part of the media I love doing the most. I have never been afraid to try new things, and I have always been a hustler who is hungry to learn things that I am passionate about.
I guess it never hurts to build a resume, but I am still trying to figure out which lane in media I want to go down.
PH: Is there anything else that you would like to share with us hockey fans?
JL: All I aspire to do is make the game fun. I was not raised to be such a fierce competitor as my parents always told me to go out there and have fun. That is what I did as a player, and that’s what I’m doing now in the media.
I do not feel that I have anything to prove. I just want the players and fans to know that if they ever see my content, my goal is to have fun.
ITR 43: It's Winning Time – Inside The Rink
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