Bardown Beauties: A Minnesota Wild and hockey podcast · SKOR North

#297. The Minnesota Wild D Is Back -- and So Are the Minnesota Frost (with Frost goaltenders Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley)

·37 min·3 clips

Jessi and Kirsten welcome goaltenders Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley to discuss the Wild's defense and season start.

This episode features hosts Jesse Pierce and Kirsten Kroll, joined by professional goaltenders Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley, discussing the upcoming Minnesota Wild season and women's hockey. The conversation centers on the team's defensive improvements and the guest athletes' own careers. Pierce and Kroll engage the Olympians in a wide-ranging hockey discussion. The hosts and guests analyze the Minnesota Wild's defensive pairings, specifically mentioning players like Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon. They examine how the team's defensive structure has solidified compared to last season. Maddie Rooney shares insights from her first practice with her professional club. Nicole Hensley discusses the transition from the international stage back to the regular season grind. The group talks about the overall competitiveness of the NHL's Central Division. Specific on-ice strategies and goaltending philosophies are exchanged between the hosts and the professional goalies. The episode also touches on the experience of being featured on arena Jumbotrons. Kirsten Kroll receives the new nickname "Jumbo Girl" from Norwegian fans who recognized her from the video board. Rooney and Hensley provide a unique perspective on facing NHL-level shots and breakaways. The guests reveal the mental and physical preparation required for an Olympic gold medal game. They detail the differences in playing styles between North American and European professional leagues. A surprising discussion emerges about the specific culinary dishes, like mushroom shawarma, that players miss during road trips. The hosts learn about the intense fan interactions and nickname creation that can occur in international markets. The tone is casual and celebratory, filled with inside jokes and mutual admiration between the hosts and their accomplished guests. The style is a free-flowing conversation that blends technical hockey analysis with personal storytelling. This episode is ideal for Minnesota Wild fans wanting an optimistic preseason analysis and for followers of women's hockey interested in behind-the-scenes perspectives from star players. Listeners seeking a highly structured, debate-focused sports show might find the conversational style too informal.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Bardown Beauties: A Minnesota Wild and hockey podcast