Usually we'd be starting to talk about training camp around this time. Instead, the focus is still the possible lockout, the summer's activities by Canada's NHL teams and advanced stats and how they enhance our enjoyment of the game. We explore these topics and others with guests Harrison Mooney, Terry Jones and more.

This is Nation Radio.

Terry Jones talks about Oilers over the summer, what we can expect of them and Dubnyk's importance to the team this season. Terry also discusses his upcoming series on coach Ralph Krueger (first installment today in the Sun and online).

Next up, Harrison Mooney of Pass It To Bulis and Puck Daddy talks about the Olympics and then shifts to CBA discussions. LT and Harrison then slide into Canucks matters, including Luongo, Kesler and Mike Gillis. 

LeafsNation's main man Cam Charron drops by to discuss the Toronto Maple Leafs and their summer. LT and Cam get into a conversation that ends with both openly wondering about Brian Burke's long term future in the city.

Our own Jonathan Willis has interesting opinions about the Oilers in 12-13, the CBA negotiations and the strength of the OKC Barons with or without the Nuge.

Eric T. of NHLNumbers and Broadstreet Hockey explains his take on the Flyers season, their injuries and Ilya Bryzgalov. Eric then explains the concept of "A Competition Metric Based on Ice Time" and how it can improve our enjoyment of the game.

Finally, regular Thomas Drance stops by for a quick discussion of the Canucks and Shane Doan. Drance and Cam Charron have been going back and forth on Shane Doan and LT asks Thom if the Canucks should bite the bullet and sign Shane Doan to a big 35+ contract. You may be surprised by his answer. 

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As always, we'd like to remind prospective sponsors that we still have a few spots available on Nation Radio. Lowetide LOVES to play ads for Nation Radio clients--he actually turns UP the volume for the Nation's business partners. Don't ask us how he does it, but they sound louder and have more clarity. If you'd like your loud ads on Nation Radio, contact Kent at [email protected].

Allan, in front, does the show while Kent Wilson (note the glorious mustache) and henchmen watch

It's the labour day long weekend! While most everyone was out enjoying the long weekend, drinking a beer or watching the kids run around for the last, few, short hours before school starts again, Allan Mitchell was hunched over a desk, calling people enjoying the break, and demanding they talk to him about hockey. A surprisingly large group of helpful experts not only answered the phone but also answered his questions - and here we are.

This is Nation Radio. 

Allan's first guest is the Nation Network's newest writer: Gus Katsaros. Gus has spent the better part of the last decade with the venerable McKeen's Hockey and is now contributing at Leafs Nation. They discuss his latest work, a pair of intriguing yet also disappointing prospects in Nazem Kadri and Magnus Paajarvi, and a ton of other stuff.

A re-broadcast of an interview with Steve Tambellini, a man some here may have heard of.

Strangely, given that he's been the Oilers' leading scorer for the last two seasons, Jordan Eberle has been a hot topic of discussion this summer: Allan goes into his thoughts.

Archduke of the Nation Network Kent Wilson returns once again to discuss the Calgary Flames and hockey in general.

Zach Bogosian had surgery on his wrist earlier this week, and is now going to be on the shelf for the next four to six months. Jets Nation's Robert Cleave joins Allan to talk about Bogosian and hockey in Winnipeg.

The Edmonton Journal's David Staples closes out the show, talking with Allan about the Oilers and the deals handed out to young stars Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.

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And there's the show in it's glorious, unabridged entirety, for everyone's long weekend enjoyment.

Finally, a brief note for prospective advertisers: we're all about commitment. It's why Allan slaves away during the last long weekend of summer. If you're interested in promoting your business on the show, we will advertise, ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE!!! and not stop until you are completely satisfied. Please contact [email protected] for full details.

Enjoy the long weekend, everyone!

While NHL fans do a slow burn and the league's player prepare for a season that may never come, the owners and Bettman appear to be enjoying another season of good times on Boardwalk, Park Place and Pennsylvania avenues. Allan Mitchell tackles the issues with some heavy hitters.

This is Nation Radio.

Tom Lynn from Veritas Hockey gives us insight into the recent Ivan Hlinka, the CBA negotiations from player and management veiwpoints and we talk about the impact on players inside and outside the NHL. 

Ilya Ostrovsky owner of the Edmonton Municipal Hockey League and a man who grew up in the shadow of the Kremlin. Ilya talked about adult hockey in Edmonton and what’s available and his unique connection to hockey in Russian and in Canada.

Kent Simpson, Oil Kings color commentator touched base on the Oil Kings training camp, their chances of repeating and some 'inside stuff' as it relates to their season.

Jason Strudwick, former NHL player, OilersNation contributor and bon vivant about town. Jason spoke patiently about the lockout, recalled his own experience from last lockout and passed along a delightful story about his success in the shootout.

Tyler Dellow from mc79 hockey did a terrific job of breaking down the Taylor Hall contract, passing along insight on the CBA discussions and giving fans an idea about how this might turn out (and when).

Rob Soria from Oil Drop talked about the incredible impact of both Chris Pronger trades that he wrote about in this Chris Pronger article.

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Have a nice day.

As the billionaires ready themselves to lock-out the millionaires over a few percentage points of total revenues, we here at Nation Radio nevertheless resolutely march on with continued hockey coverage. It may be mid-August and we may be talking about the same stuff in November because the powers-that-be are having their white collar slap fight, but what the hell...it's why we're all here right?

This week, Allan invited some tried and true guests like Corey Pronman, Jonathan Willis and Corey Graham to talk about Oilers prospects, other high-end kids and summer tournaments.

This is Nation Radio.

First up is Guy Flaming of the Pipeline show. Guy shares his thoughts on the Ivan Hlinka tournament, the draft and the recent issues faced by the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.

Next we have Derek Zona of Coppernblue and NHLNumbers. Derek talks with Lowetide about Oilers Prospect rankings and where newly drafted Nail Yakupov falls on that list. 

Hockey Prospectus and draft/prospect guru Corey Pronman is guest #3. Pronman goes over the prospects in the recent Canada-Russia series as well as the undrafted but majorly talented Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones.

OilersNation's own Jonathan Willis stopped by this week as well. Jon discusses what he will do during the lock-out, some Oilers thoughts and his "zone entries and exits" project.

Finally, play-by-play voice of the Oil Kings Corey Graham rounds out the guest list. Topics include prospects Henrik Samuelson and Curtis Lazar as well the Oil Kings upcoming season.

Lowetide finishes the show about his thoughts on a variety of topics.

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As always, we would like to remind prospective sponsors that Nation Radio still has a few advertising packages available. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

We're in the midst of the interminable mid-August hockey lull, and news is sparse. But neither CBA uncertainty, nor a lack of material can deter Allan Mitchell! On this week's episode of Nation Radio, Allan is joined by the likes of player agent Tom Lynn, Andrey Osadchenko, Nations overlord Kent Wilson and Scott Reynolds of NHLNumbers and Copper and Blue. Allan and his guests breakdown the news of the week, gush about Nail Yakupov's play at the Subway Super Series and, of course, suss out some reasonable expectations for Jordan Eberle.

This is Nation Radio.

At the top of the show, Allan disucsses the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and other topics with player agent Tom Lynn.

It's the hot topic in the Oilogosphere this summer, and Allan breaks it down: what are some reasonable expectations for Jordan Eberle's production this upcoming season? 

Russian hockey writer Andrey Osachenko of allhockey.ru, the Hockey News and the Nation Network joins Allan to chat about the age old hockey rivalry between Canada and Russia, as well as the 2012 Subway Super Series.

Allan is joined by Nations overlord and happy newlywed Kent Wilson, who updates us on the rumoured dealings between the Flames and the Detroit Red Wings concerning Jay Bouwmeester.

Scott Reynolds of Copper and Blue drops by to chat with Allan Mitchell about C+B's top-25, the relative merits of Yakupov, Hall and Nugent-Hopkins, the NHLNumbers team annuals, and how difficult it is to acquire "power forwards." 

Ryan Whitney is a good guy who admits that the call that levelled the women's semifinal soccer game between the US and Canada at the Olympics was "bogus." He also talks with Jason Gregor about hockey, CBA negotiations and his long road back from a recent ankle injury.

Full Show

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It's the August long weekend! Hockey may be on the back-burner for many, but that doesn't mean that Nation Radio is hurting for things to discuss. Host Allan Mitchell talks about the Oilers with Jason Gregor, the Canucks with Thomas Drance, the NHL in general with Eric T., the AHL with Jim Byers and the WHL with Guy Flaming, with a little soccer talk with Scott Francis Winder in acknowledgement of the fact that when the thermometer is pushing 30 degrees all the talk can't be about hockey.

This is Nation Radio.

Jason Gregor of OilersNation and The Jason Gregor Show joins Allan in the opening segment, and they talk about the Oilers' defence and what it might take for the team to add another reaguard. He and Allan go through the team's entire roster, looking at options all over and what might happen if there's an NHL lockout.

Following Jason Gregor is Eric T of NHLNumbers and Broad Street Hockey. Eric has been tracking some fascinating things over the past season and goes into how much neutral zone play and how a team enters the zone matters to a club's bottom line performance.

Thomas Drance shows up for Part 3; the CanucksArmy and Pass it to Bulis writer talks about advanced statistics and the Vancouver Canucks.

Jim Byers, the voice of the Oklahoma City Barons, talks to Allan about the team's off-season additions and the opportunity for younger players to move up the lineup with some veteran subtractions.

In Part 5, Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show (and accompanying blog) joins Allan. Flaming does incredible work tracking junior hockey, and shines a spotlight on Curtis Lazar, Tristan Jarry and the rest of the Edmonton Oil Kings

Scott Francis Winder closes the show with Allan, and he spotlights FC Edmonton, Ronald McDonald House Charity and a Guiness World Record video game marathon. 

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It's summer but there's still lots of hockey to talk about. Shane Doan is the league's foremost free agent and is rumoured to be going just about everywhere. In Edmonton, Nail Yakupov is now under contract and discussions on the new downtown arena are ongoing. 

Allan Mitchell (better known as Lowetide) talks about all this and more with guests David Staples, Jonathan Willis, Kirk Luedeke, Cam Davie and Jeff Krushell.

This is Nation Radio.

Allan opens the show by talking about the signings of Nail Yakupov, Alex Semin and the rumours surrounding Shane Doan, and then jumps quickly into an interview with David Staples of the Edmonton Journal and the Cult of Hockey. Staples has strong opinions on the proposed downtown arena as well as the Oilers and considers both in detail.

The second guest on Nation Radio is Jonathan Willis. Willis writes for the various Nation sites - particularly OilersNation and NHLNumbers - and is also a regular at the Cult of Hockey. He's back from holidays and talks about Shane Doan, Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz and what 2012-13 will look like for the Oilers.

Allan looks at line combinations and who may or may not make the 2012-13 Edmonton Oilers out of training camp.

Kirk Luedeke of Red Line Report and the New England Hockey Journal joins Allan to talk about the 2012 Draft. They consider the most surprising picks as well as which teams did the best at restocking their system.

Cam Davie, who writes as Tinfoil Tuque on Canucks Army, talks to Allan about Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer. Davie wrote about his family's personal experience with cancer earlier in the week and discusses the initiative as well as the Vancouver Canucks.

Jeff Krushell, a former strength and conditioning coordinator with the Toronto Blue Jays and now the owner of Krush Sports Performance, talks to Allan about how players prepare for a new season as well as how they rehabilitate their injuries.

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The on-going Shea Weber drama is making the deep summer a bit more interesting than it would have been otherwise. Will the Flyers snatch Weber away from Nashville and cripple the Predators in the the wake of possibly their most successful season ever? Will Poile and company match? If not, will the Preds GM turn to the demon drink in bitterness? Stay tuned to find out!

This week, Allan discussed the Weber issue (and much more!) with guests Tom Lynn, Harrison Mooney, Ryan PIke and Jonh Matisz.

This is Nation Radio.

The Nation's go-to guy for labour relations and contract talks, agent Tom Lynn talks about various aspects of free agency, including the pressures players feel when they recieve offers as UFA's. Other topics include offer sheets and why they are so rarely used by GM's in the NHL and current CBA talks.

Guest number two is Harrison Mooney of Puck Daddy and Pass It To Bulis (and also a self-professed fan of teams that never win anything). Allan and Harrison talk about the ongoing Roberto Luongo situation in Vancouver as well as Mikael Samuelsson's criticisms of Vancouver management and the addition of Jason Garrison. Harrison also offers his take on the Alex Semin and Rick Nash situations.

FlamesNation's Ryan Pike makes his first appearance on Nation Radio by discussing the on-going Leland Irving negotiations, the fading Jay Bouwmeester trade rumors, his recent Craig Conroy interview and what Roman Cervenka addition might mean for the Flames.

Next up is John Matisz and Vancouver first round pick Brendan Gaunce. John talks about his book project ("Draft Year, Brendan Gaunce") as  Brendan went through his draft year, how it came about and what the experience taught him about the process and the player. Gaunce discusses preparing for the season, his performance and his reaction to being picked by the Canucks.

The final guest this week is Lisa McRitchie of both Kukla's Corner and CoppernBlue. Lisa offers her take on the Oilers draft performance in June, including some thoughts on second rounder Mitch Moroz, the club's focus on size at the draft table and the Justin Schultz addition.

We finish up with a Jason Gregor interview with the freshly signed Sam Gagner. Gagner talks about avoiding arbitration and why the contract was only for a single year.

The full show is not available to stream right now, but we'll try to get that published as soon as possible.

Finally, we would like to remind prospective sponsors and advertisers that we have a few spots available on Nation Radio. We can help you reach thousands of die-hard Oiler fans each week at a very affordable rate. Please contact Kent Wilson ([email protected]) if you would like more information.

While the UFA "frenzy" remains a sort of tepid, apathetic singles dance, in the distance one can hear the rumble of thunder that signifies the impending battle between the league and the NHLPA. Gary Bettman has already fired a few shots over the bow of Donald Fehr and company, so it looks like the CBA talks are going to be...contentious at the very least.

For now, we'll continue to ignore the whole "there might be another lock-out" thing and keep on talking trades and stats. This week, Allan invited number crunchers and hockey writers from around the league including Benjamin Wendorf, James Mirtle and Corey Pronman to help with our denial.

This is Nation Radio.

First up is Ben Wendorf, the editor of SBN's Artic Ice Hockey and a contributor to NHLNumbers.com. Ben talked about the Jets 2012 draft performance as well as the club's free agent signings and development camp.

Hockey Prospectus' prospect specialist Corey Pronman joined LT to discuss the Oilers top-10 prospects as well as draft strategy.

Globe and Mail's Leafs writer James Mirtle is guest number 3. He and Allan go over Toronto's swap of Luke Schenn for James Van Reimsdyk and whether the ex-Flyer will play center for the Leafs or not. Shane Doan, free agency and NHLPA negotiations are also discussed.

Eric T. Of Broadstreet Hockey and NHLNumbers has recently published a number of fascinating articles on the impact of neutral zone play, particularly zone entries. He and Allan go over his studies and what they might mean for hockey analysis and strategy.

Finally, Rob Vollman of Hockey Abstract and FlamesNation stopped in to talk about advanced stats and measuring player usage.

We wrap things up with Allan's thoughts on a variety of topics.

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Full show.

Finally, we want to remind prospective sponsors that Nation Radio still has some limited advertising packages available. For more information, please contact Kent Wilson ([email protected]).

With summer weather finally arriving on the ol' dusty plains here in Alberta, a lot of folks thoughts are probably turning to backyard barbecues and water parks and picnics and pin wheels and county fairs and whatever else folks associate with summer vacation.

Not us here at the Nation though. Our hearts and minds stay rooted at the rink - or, as it were, in spreadsheets, internet squabbles over player contracts and twitter flame wars.

This week, Lowetide snubbed the the inviting sun and instead talked contracts, drafts and free agency with a gaggle of guests including Jason Strudwick, Andrey Osadchenko and Jonathan Willis.

This is Nation Radio.

Allan opens the show with his thoughts on the off-season so far.

Next up, Nation Overlord Kent Wilson discusses the Flames loss of Olli Jokinen, their moves in free agency as well as Jason Garrison and Shea Weber.

Our intrepid Russian Reporter Andrey Osadchenko updates the Nation on some of the Oilers European players as well as his recent interview with Nail Yakupov.

Ex-Oiler and current Nation contributor Jason Strudwick talks about getting drafted, what it takes to make it to the show and what it's like to be a free agent.

The OilersNation's own Jonathan Willis drops in for some draft talk as well a look at potential line combos.

Finally, we end with Jason Gregor's interview with newest Oiler Justin Schultz.

We do not have the full show file quite yet. Once it arrives, we will update ASAP.

Finally, as always we would like to remind prospective sponsors that we still have a few advertising packages available here at Nation Radio. Feel free to contact Kent Wilson ([email protected]) for more info.