A new era of Athens hockey is about to begin. In Episode 8 of Peach State Puck, host Matteen Rad sits down with new Athens Rock Lobsters head coach Scott Burt for his first extended public conversation since taking over the team ahead of its inaugural season in the SPHL.

After the latest news from around Georgia hockey, including developments surrounding Atlanta’s pursuit of an NHL franchise, new signings across the state, and the latest additions to the Rock Lobsters roster, Matteen and Burt look ahead to what Athens fans can expect when the puck drops on October 16. Burt explains the hard-working identity he intends to establish, his approach to recruiting and developing young players, the importance of creating an NHL-style professional environment, and why he believes Athens already has the foundation necessary to build a championship-caliber organization.

Burt also reflects on a career shaped by winning. As a player, he became the first in ECHL history to capture three Kelly Cup championships, learning firsthand what separates championship locker rooms from everyone else. Now, he hopes to bring those lessons to Athens as he pursues the next major goal of his hockey career, winning a championship as a head coach.

Then the conversation takes a deeply personal turn.

Burt shares the remarkable story of his battle with brain cancer, beginning with the subtle warning signs that something was wrong and the devastating discovery of a brain tumor in December 2024. He recounts suffering a seizure, undergoing emergency brain surgery, waking up in intensive care, beginning treatment at the Mayo Clinic, and astonishingly returning to the rink only days after surgery. Through it all, his family, players, organization, and the hockey community rallied around him as he fought his way back behind the bench.

That experience gave new meaning to the philosophy Burt carries with him every day: “It’s a good day for a good day.” He explains how surviving cancer changed his outlook on family, hockey, leadership, and the importance of appreciating every opportunity to wake up and pursue the life you love.

Part season preview, part championship conversation, and part story of extraordinary resilience, this episode introduces Athens fans to far more than their new head coach. It introduces the person behind the bench and the experiences that shaped the culture he now hopes to build in the Classic City. For Scott Burt, the next chapter is about developing players, building a family, winning hockey games, and ultimately bringing a championship home to Crustacean Nation.

00:00 - Welcome Back to Peach State Puck

04:11 - Around Georgia Hockey

08:18 - Meet Scott Burt

10:35 - Building a New Rock Lobsters Identity

17:14 - Creating a Championship Culture

22:26 - Building the 2026-27 Roster

24:17 - Lessons From a Championship Career

27:55 - Developing Players and Building Family

32:34 - Scott Burt’s Battle With Brain Cancer

55:12 - Family, Survival and a New Perspective

58:14 - A Good Day for a Good Day

01:00:02 - A Message to Crustacean Nation

What does it take to build a hockey player? More importantly, what does it take to build a lifelong hockey fan? In Episode 7 of Peach State Puck, host Matteen Rad explores one of the biggest challenges facing hockey in Georgia and across the United States. How do you keep young players engaged, excited, and connected to the sport for years to come?

After opening with the latest news from around Georgia hockey, including updates from the Atlanta Gladiators, Savannah Ghost Pirates, Athens Rock Lobsters, Macon Mayhem, and Columbus River Dragons, Matteen sits down with Hockey Barn founder and longtime coach Kyle Kinzie for an in-depth conversation about the future of player development. Drawing from more than two decades of coaching experience, Kyle explains why traditional development models often fail to retain players, why creating a positive environment matters as much as teaching skills, and how his vision for The Hockey Barn is designed to help players not only learn the game, but truly fall in love with it.

Throughout the conversation, Kyle shares the personal journey that shaped his coaching philosophy, from growing up in Buffalo and Ohio to having his playing career unexpectedly cut short by a life threatening medical condition. He discusses how that experience redirected his passion toward coaching, leadership, and ultimately building a completely new model for hockey development centered around three core ideas: train, compete, and belong. Together, Matteen and Kyle examine the unique opportunities and challenges facing hockey in Georgia, including youth participation, player retention, access to ice time, community building, and the possibility of an NHL franchise returning to metro Atlanta.

Whether you are a parent, coach, player, hockey fan, or simply interested in how sports communities are built from the ground up, this episode offers a fascinating look at the future of hockey in the Peach State and the people working to ensure its continued growth for generations to come.

00:00 - Welcome Back to Peach State Puck

04:02 - Around Georgia Hockey

09:55 - Meet Kyle Kinzie

17:14 - From Player to Coach

24:00 - Why Georgia Hockey Needs The Hockey Barn

31:42 - Building a Better Hockey Environment

40:08 - Inside The Hockey Barn

49:26 - Growing Hockey Across Georgia

57:18 - Closing Thoughts

Every hockey game begins long before the opening faceoff. Before the lights come on, before the cameras roll, and before a single goal is scored, hours of preparation have already taken place behind the scenes. In this episode of Peach State Puck, host Matteen Rad takes listeners inside the world of minor league hockey broadcasting and reveals what it truly takes to bring a live game to fans from start to finish.

After covering the latest news from around Georgia hockey, including offseason player movement, league rule changes, the Athens Rock Lobsters, Savannah Ghost Pirates, and the future Ice Cove development, Matteen shifts the focus to his own preparation as the voice of the Athens Rock Lobsters. He explains how researching every player, building spotting charts, studying game film, tracking transactions, and preparing storylines all become essential parts of telling the story of a hockey game long before the puck ever drops. Listeners also get an inside look at the technology behind a modern broadcast, from score bugs and Stream Decks to live graphics, production workflows, and the unexpected technical challenges that can derail a game at any moment.

The episode also serves as a heartfelt tribute to the people who transformed the Rock Lobsters broadcast into one of the most polished productions in minor league hockey. Matteen shares how producer Stephen Turner helped build the visual identity of the broadcast from the ground up, while Steven Selph streamlined the technical side of the production to create an experience that rivaled broadcasts at much higher levels of the sport. Their passion and creativity became the foundation of a production that grew alongside one of hockey’s newest franchises.

Along the way, Matteen reflects on some of the most memorable moments of his broadcasting career, including unforgettable playoff calls, lessons learned behind the microphone, and the emotional impact of remembering former Rock Lobsters forward Orca Wiesblatt. The episode concludes with a rapid-fire listener Q&A covering broadcasting influences, television versus radio, favorite arenas, difficult broadcast positions, pregame routines, and whether a hometown broadcaster should openly cheer for the home team.

Whether you’re a hockey fan, a sports broadcaster, or simply someone fascinated by the work that happens behind the scenes, this episode offers a rare and personal look at the preparation, teamwork, and passion required to make every hockey broadcast come to life.

00:00 - Welcome Back to Peach State Puck

01:42 - Around Georgia Hockey

08:24 - How a Hockey Broadcast Begins

12:15 - Building the Perfect Spotting Board

15:20 - From Research to Live Broadcast

17:43 - The Team Behind the Broadcast

24:05 - When Live TV Goes Wrong

30:00 - The Moments That Matter Most

32:53 - The Future of the Broadcast

35:04 - Broadcaster Quick Fire Q&A