Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 671: Featuring Liam McHugh & Bill Guerin

Summary of Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 671: Featuring Liam McHugh & Bill Guerin

by Barstool Sports

2h 16m•September 29, 2026
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Overview of Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 671: Featuring Liam McHugh & Bill Guerin

This episode kicks off the NHL season with the full Spittin’ Chiclets crew back together, mixing season-preview hockey talk with classic chaos. The hosts break down major league storylines, debate playoff projections, react to a bizarre jersey-tucking rule, and welcome Bill Guerin and Liam McHugh for extended conversations about the Minnesota Wild, the state of the league, and what to expect from TNT’s hockey coverage this season.

Big Picture Themes

NHL season opener energy

  • The crew is excited that hockey is finally back and frames the episode around opening night storylines.
  • They also highlight that it’s the podcast’s 10th NHL season, treating the milestone like a mini celebration.

The show’s signature mix of analysis and nonsense

  • Alongside real hockey debate, the episode includes:
    • Biz’s skunk disaster at home
    • jokes about “Pink Whitney,” “Pinkies Up,” and Chiclets Cup
    • over-the-top chipping at each other throughout the show

Bill Guerin Interview: Minnesota Wild, Trades, and Team Identity

Guerin defends Minnesota’s direction

  • Bill Guerin joins to address the crew’s preseason criticism of the Minnesota Wild.
  • He makes clear he believes the team is still a legitimate playoff group and pushes back on the “fraud” label.

Quinn Hughes / trade speculation

  • A major discussion centers on the idea of Minnesota potentially trading for Quinn Hughes or dealing with uncertainty around him.
  • Guerin explains his philosophy: if a player is helping the team win and the Wild are in a strong playoff position, he’d be willing to ride it out rather than panic-trade.
  • The crew revisits their earlier skepticism and jokes about needing a “mulligan” on their Minnesota pick.

Why Guerin likes this Wild roster

  • He praises the team’s core and especially the top defense group:
    • Brock Faber
    • Quinn Hughes (in the hypothetical scenario)
    • Jonas Brodin
    • Jared Spurgeon
  • He also points to the forward group’s improvement and the team’s competitiveness in a stacked Central Division.

Player control, no-move clauses, and the modern NHL

  • Guerin says trade requests and player empowerment are nothing new.
  • He explains that the rise of player leverage, larger contracts, and no-move clauses is simply part of the business now.
  • He also emphasizes that negotiation is about leverage: if a player wants a full no-trade/no-move, the tradeoff is usually money.

Contract talk and cap growth

  • The crew asks about the NHL salary cap rising dramatically in the next couple of years.
  • Guerin says the rising cap reflects a healthy league and gives teams more flexibility, but not every team will spend to the cap.
  • The conversation turns into a broader joke-fueled debate about whether some of that money should go toward former-player pensions.

Big praise for Marco Rossi / Boldy / team depth

  • Guerin talks up younger contributors and says the Wild are comfortable with their internal growth.
  • He’s especially bullish on Matt Boldy, calling him a true high-end player with size, strength, and skill.

The Middleton farewell

  • Bill says goodbye to Brandon Duhaime? No — the actual discussed departure is Middlestadt? The transcript references “Midzie,” which is clearly a longtime Wild player the crew and Guerin both respect deeply.
  • Guerin calls him a top human being and says these are the hardest parts of the job.

Liam McHugh Interview: TNT, Biz, and Hockey TV

TNT’s approach to hockey coverage

  • Liam says TNT allows the show to be entertaining rather than stiff and overly scripted.
  • He credits TNT’s executives for understanding that personality-driven TV works, especially in long regular seasons.

Biz’s on-air freedom

  • McHugh says Biz gets away with a lot because:
    • he’s generally good-hearted
    • he often makes himself the butt of the joke
    • he’s not attacking people maliciously
  • He also admits there are definitely moments where he wonders if Biz will get a call from management.

Favorite segments and skits

McHugh highlights some of the best recurring TNT bits, including:

  • retiring Wayne Gretzky’s sweater vest
  • Connor McDavid hot tub jokes
  • the goat delivery stunt
  • the “Department of Broadcaster Safety”
  • the fabricated Mr. TNT award

Olympic-style anthem skit that got cut

  • Liam reveals they filmed a ridiculous Canada/USA anthem bit that had to be scrapped because the political climate made it too risky.
  • He says it was funny and over-the-top, but the timing was wrong.

Big season storylines he’s watching

McHugh says the most compelling teams/storylines entering the year are:

  • Edmonton Oilers and the pressure on them
  • Florida Panthers and how they respond to expectations
  • Detroit Red Wings trying to end their long playoff drought
  • the uncertainty around Canadian teams and player movement

Major Hockey Debates and News

The jersey-tucking rule sparks outrage

  • The NHL penalized Trevor Zegras for having his jersey tucked in during a preseason game.
  • The crew thinks the rule is ridiculous and argues that players with style should be grandfathered in.
  • They joke about creating an “approved tuck list” for stars like McDavid, MacKinnon, Pastrnak, etc.

Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini hype

  • They discuss the league’s next generation:
    • Connor Bedard already gets the spotlight as a future face of the league
    • Macklin Celebrini is treated like the next truly special franchise player
  • The panel compares him to past generational talents and says he’s the kind of player that changes a franchise’s culture.

Detroit and Montreal futures

  • McHugh says Montreal feels like the strongest Canadian team long-term.
  • The crew also discusses Detroit’s ongoing rebuild and how long the franchise has been stuck outside the postseason.

The Oilers and the “bad guy” narrative

  • The crew debates why so many fans seem to dislike Edmonton.
  • They conclude the Oilers are becoming the league’s villain in a way that actually helps the overall drama.
  • Babcock’s arrival only adds fuel to that storyline.

Mike Babcock and Mark Messier comments

  • The episode touches on Mark Messier’s criticism of Mike Babcock.
  • Biz says he understands the criticism but also notes that hockey culture has always included tough coaching and player friction.
  • They talk about the possibility that Babcock can still succeed if he adjusts and learns from past experiences.

Other Notable Moments

Biz’s skunk house disaster

  • One of the funniest segments is Biz describing how his dog got sprayed by a skunk during a storm, leaving his house smelling terrible.
  • The smell becomes a running gag for the rest of the episode.

Chasing Goals / Chiclets Cup / live events

  • The crew talks about:
    • Chasing Goals road trips
    • the upcoming Chiclets Cup
    • fan meetups and live events in Boston and elsewhere

Fantasy-ish and betting-style predictions

  • The hosts make several bold season predictions, including:
    • Minnesota playoff debates
    • Toronto trade speculation involving Matthew Knies
    • potential movement for Kirill Marchenko
    • a long-shot Connor Hellebuyck to Buffalo theory

Main Takeaways

  • The episode is a strong season-opening mix of preview, debate, and comedy.
  • Bill Guerin gives a confident defense of Minnesota and explains how GMs think about trades, cap hits, and player leverage.
  • Liam McHugh reinforces why TNT’s NHL coverage has become such a successful, personality-driven product.
  • The biggest hockey themes are:
    • rising cap and player empowerment
    • the next wave of franchise stars
    • the league’s growing emphasis on entertainment and personality
  • The crew also proves, once again, that Spittin’ Chiclets is as much about the jokes and chaos as it is about hockey analysis.