It’s a big day in the Rock the Roar podcast room because for the first time ever… we have a special guest! We’re joined by the brilliant, unbothered, and dangerously insightful Sydney Cristall, Columbia University Sports Management grad student and certified women’s sports super fan! Sydney takes on our toughest questions, from how the PWHL became that girl, to what the NHL should be writing down (don’t worry, Candace brought the notepad… the league can copy her homework later). We get into visibility, marketing, fan culture, and why the women’s game is thriving in ways the men’s side should probably stop ignoring. And in a shocking twist that absolutely ruins Candace’s day, Sydney joins Kristina in the “Canadian national anthem is elite” camp. So yes, Candace is now officially outnumbered. Karma? Justice? We don’t label things here. Come for the women’s hockey deep dive, stay for Sydney taking us all to school in the gentlest but smartest way possible.

Follow Sydney on TikTok and Instagram at @SydneyCristall

The Hershey Bears kicked off the season with pure vibes, elite chaos, and enough storylines to keep us screaming into November. Speaking of chaos, we made a friend! Yes, we met a random stranger on the internet, and plot twist: she’s actually so nice that we immediately dragged her into the full Fenicci’s initiation. (And yes, we’re still livid they took the Dark Side of the Moon cake off the menu. Justice for chocolate!)

In this episode, we dive into the Bears’ October roll and early November shenanigans, from the highlight moments to the “please audit the referees in Hershey” energy. We break down who’s buzzing, who’s surprising us, and who owes us compensation for emotional damage.

And obviously… Sam. Freaking. Bitten.

Our newly acquired menace wasted zero time making a statement in his first game in Hershey. We talk about his arrival, the vibes he brings, and why we’ve already decided he’s an instant fan favorite.

Plus: side quests, lineup thoughts, chocolate cravings, and whatever else we spiraled into along the way.

Tune in! The Bears are rolling, our new friend survived our chaos, and we want our cake back!!

It’s our first monthly Washington Capitals recap, and shocker we couldn’t stop at just October. We had to sneak in that first November game too because, honestly, we just love to chitty chat too much. We’re diving into the first 12 games of the Caps season, highlighting who’s leading in points and goals, and giving full credit where it’s due to Logan Thompson’s incredible start. (Kristina’s still convinced he won’t make the Olympic roster, and she’s still absolutely wrong.) Plus, we’re a little concerned the Caps might’ve run out of Ovi Flakes these past few games. Somebody please restock the supply before it’s too late! It’s a full month of highs, lows, and classic chaos as we relive all the best (and most baffling - looking at you refs and “goalie interference”) moments of October hockey. Hockey’s rolling, the vibes are strong, and we’re so back.

Kristina is still learning how to use the NHL app (progress is… questionable), we’re still struggling to stay on topic (sorry, Barb), and we couldn’t be happier because hockey season is officially back!

We’re breaking down the opening games across the league, sharing our first impressions, early hot takes, and a few questionable predictions. Kristina also announces her dream interview with Logan Thompson’s parents because if she ever got to talk to the big man himself, she’d probably just sit there in stunned silence.

The energy is high, the chaos is real, and the obsession is back in full force. Let’s dive in because it’s hockey season again!

This week on Rock The Roar, we’re diving into final rosters and all the chaos brewing in the Metropolitan Division. It’s officially Kristina’s turn to absolutely butcher players’ names, while Candace begs her to stop calling Brock Faber “Nerd Alert” before legal action becomes a real possibility. Plus, Kristina might be a little too thrilled about her new phrase “NHL Debuties.” Hockey season is finally here! It’s October, the games are on, and we’re ready to roar.

Disclaimer: Kristina knows how to pronounce Jonathan Toews’ last name, but she just refuses to, because it’s dumb.

This week on Rock the Roar, Kristina and Candace take a deep dive into the world of Nepo Babies in Hockey, the last names that just keep popping up, the Hughes brother dynasty that’s poised to take over the league, and our tips to keep track of which sibling is which on the ice. We also recap the first half of the Washington Capitals preseason, complete with hot takes, emotional whiplash, and our “dinner” with Clay… where we definitely didn’t overreact. (Okay, maybe just a smidge and Kristina might've literally thrown her phone at one point.) It’s chaos, laughter, and no seriousness whatsoever ever, but that’s just another week at Rock the Roar! Disclaimer: No brothers, phones, or Clays were harmed in the making of this episode. Listener discretion is advised if you’ve ever sat next to a very famous hockey goalie in an empty dinning room and tried not to lose your shit.

This week we cover some fresh hockey news before diving into Kristina’s deeply depressing hot take on what she thinks the final Capitals roster will look like (spoiler: it’s bleak, y’all). From there, we spin the wheel of delusion and ask: what does every NHL team actually need to win the Stanley Cup? Spoiler: for some it’s simple, for others… it’s divine intervention. Oh, and a teaser for next week’s episode: instead of responsibly staying home to watch Caps vs Flyers from the couch, we impulsively road-tripped to Hershey, PA and watched from the glass. Episode 13 will be full of chocolate, chaos, and way too much yelling. Disclaimer: This episode was recorded before Aleksander Barkov’s unfortunate training camp injury. We wish him a safe and speedy recovery—he’ll be deeply missed on the ice this year. As for our original take on what the Florida Panthers need to three-peat the Cup? We’d like to officially amend that answer to: Jesus, Buddha, and a rabbit’s foot.

This week we dive headfirst into rookie training camp, where the energy is high, and the competition is fierce. We break down which fresh faces stood out, who’s likely to crack an NHL roster, and which rookies might need to brush up on their cardio. Then we shift gears into the big “C” conversation: NHL captains. Every team’s got one (well, except when they don’t). We debate who actually deserves the letter, which teams need a shake-up in leadership, and Candace absolutely refuses to let Kristina nominate Andrew Cristall as the captain of every franchise. And a surprising turn of events, we predict J.T. Millers naming of captain before it was announced this week!

It’s part camp report, part captaincy chaos and 100% us being unhinged.