On this episode of Developing the Story, Sean Gordon joins Sean Fitz-Gerald to chat about his feature on The Athletic about the masters of "chirping", or trash talking, in the NHL. 

READ THE STORY: https://theathletic.com/1325001/2019/11/06/the-art-of-the-chirp-an-hommage-to-the-masters-of-the-uniquely-nhl-form-of-trash-talking/

Mark Lazarus of The Athletic joins Sean Fitz-Gerald on Developing the Story to talk about his article where he asked his six-year-old daughter to rank the best Mascots in the NHL. 

READ THE STORY: https://theathletic.com/555994/2018/09/29/where-does-gritty-rank-among-nhl-mascots-ask-a-mascot-obsessed-6-year-old/

Katie Strang and Hailey Salvian join the show to discuss their extensive reporting on Women's hockey. They talk about the history of the sport, where it is now and the process behind writing about this ongoing narrative. 

READ THE STORY: https://theathletic.com/924693/2019/04/17/amid-talk-of-boycotts-one-league-and-the-nhls-involvement-womens-hockey-is-at-a-crossroads/

In this episode, I'm speaking with Dan Robson, head of features and a senior writer for The Athletic in Canada.

Dan takes us behind the scenes of his story about former NHL goaltender Don Edwards, and his three-decade battle for justice and peace following the murder of his mother and father.

Edwards, a former all-star, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He has struggled with uncertainty, and he has lost so much of what had been planned in retirement.

Robson attends the parole hearing for the man convicted of the murder. And he leads the reader through what happens next, and what lies ahead for a man — and a family — who has already suffered so much.

READ THE STORY: https://athletique.com/1255863/2019/10/09/never-ending-nightmare-former-nhl-star-don-edwards-three-decade-battle-for-justice-and-peace/

In this episode, I'm speaking with Joshua Kloke, a writer who covers the Leafs and Toronto FC for The Athletic.

Joshua spent time with Maple Leafs prospect Pawn-tus EH-berg, whose climb up the hockey ladder is being made with an unusual twist. The 26-year-old forward from Sweden is one of the NHL's rare single fathers.

Professional hockey is often associated with a life spent on the road, isolated from family by the time commitments of being on a team. Aberg has found a balance. As he tells Joshua of his daughter: “She makes me happy.”

READ THE STORY: https://theathletic.com/1439752/2019/12/06/she-makes-me-happy-with-call-up-to-maple-leafs-pontus-aberg-becomes-one-of-nhls-rare-single-fathers/

In this episode, I'm speaking with Katie Strang, a senior enterprise and investigative writer for The Athletic.

She dug into a story about recreational drug use in the NHL, with a special focus on players use of cocaine and ecstasy. It is a topic that has been discussed in private among those in the game, where some describe it as the secret that everybody knows.

Katie brings us into the issue with careful, meticulous reporting. And now, she tells us how she was able to shed light on a subject that is often only discussed in the shadows.

READ THE STORY: https://theathletic.com/1324841/2019/11/05/the-secret-everybody-knows-drugs-like-cocaine-and-molly-becoming-more-popular-in-nhl/

In this episode, I'm speaking with Dan Robson, head of features and a senior writer for The Athletic in Canada.


Dan tells the story of Ray Emery, the talented — if misunderstood — NHL goaltender who drowned on a weekend in July 2018.


Dan takes the reader into Emery's life through the eyes of those closest to him. He finds some answers, but also many more questions. Including the central one that Emery's mother continues to ask: Why?


READ THE STORY: https://theathletic.com/813857/2019/02/19/what-really-happened-to-ray-emery/


Sean Fitz-Gerald is a senior writer for The Athletic in Canada. 

Host Ailish Forfar is joined by Dr. Donna Gall, Dr. Courtney Szto and Katrina Galas, MBA for an industry panel at The Dream Gap watch party on January 11. 

The Dream Gap is a documentary that portrays the current state of women’s professional hockey through the lens of the #ForTheGame movement. 

Marie-Philip Poulin, Hilary Knight and Liz Knox join Ailish Forfar at the Dream Gap Watch Party on January 11. 

The Dream Gap is a documentary that portrays the current state of women’s professional hockey through the lens of the #ForTheGame movement. 

Homestand Sports' Sam Davis is joined by Jacob Ardown and Ollie Postanin from On the Bench live at The Rec Room. 

Sean Fitz-Gerald chats his new book "When The Lights Go Out", while Stu Grimson talks "The Grim Reaper" with Bruce Arthur, James Mirtle and Danielle Emanuele at The Athletic Toronto's third-anniversary party.