On a podcast last year, Wayne Gretzky quietly—almost meekly—revealed his "grandfather was 50 percent Jewish", and fled Eastern Europe at a time when having any Jewish blood was a good reason to get out. Now that this news is out in the open, our Jewish sports podcasters need to dig in. The most pressing question: is one-eighth of Wayne Gretzky the greatest Jewish hockey player of all time?

That dovetails with this week's roundup of Jewish sports stories from our sports podcasters the Menschwarmers, including how Jewish athletes are performing in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. We also have some Jewish stories from women's pro leagues, including the PWHL and WNBA.

Then we dig into the ridiculous controversy surrounding the FIFA World Cup, where president Gianni Infantino tried to make peace between the Israeli and Palestinian delegations in Vancouver—and failed, miserably, on a global stage.

Finally, the boys give a send-off to John Sterling, an iconic sports broadcaster who left an indelible mark on the industry.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, " Organ Grinder Swing ")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here )

Alan Shipnuck is one of the most celebrated golf writers in the industry. When he began penning a biography of Rory McIlroy in 2024, he assumed he had some time to work on it—until McIlroy won the acclaimed Masters Tournament just a few months later. His publisher called him and said they needed the book in the fall.

Shipnuck's book, Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf's Most Human Superstar, was released March 31, 2026, just weeks before McIlroy won his second consecutive Masters this past Sunday. The timing could not have been better for Shipnuck, who joins the Menschwarmers sports podcasters to explain more about his book, his professional journey and the world's best Jewish golfers.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, " Organ Grinder Swing ")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here )

Curling is consistently one of the most-watched Winter Olympic sports, pulling in millions of viewers worldwide. But when the athletes return home—and curlers return to their day jobs—audiences don't have much opportunity to keep up with the sport, even if they wanted to.

Nic Sulsky wants to change that. This week, the Toronto-based entrepreneuer is debuting Rock League, the world's first professional curling league, launching out of the Mattamy Athletic Centre (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens) in downtown Toronto. With broadcast deals across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Korea, Sulsky is hoping to capitalize on the momentum garnered by some of the top curling teams from the recent Milano Cortina Olympics—while keeping Canada at the centre of it all.

One of Sulsky's star players is Korey Dropkin, a 2026 silver medalist with Team USA, who's travelling up to Toronto to play—and, like Sulsky, happens to be Jewish. Both Sulsky and Dropkin join the Menschwarmers to talk about how they got this league off the ground, why the sport is appealing to watch, and what is was like coming in second place at the 2026 Olympics.

But before that, hosts Gabe and James recap a major couple weeks in Jewish sports news, including the start of baseball season (with disappointingly few Jewish players) and Amar'e Stoudemire's induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, " Organ Grinder Swing ")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here )