The Bruce Ciskie Show

A brief moment to remember the great Barry Melrose and what he meant to this sport, then we start our 2026-27 College Hockey Preview with Miami head coach Anthony Noreen. The RedHawks pulled off a 15-win improvement last season and will now try to get into the NCAA Tournament picture.

Jim Boos is in his 25th season as UMD's volleyball coach, and while his team is very active on social media, he's usually nowhere to be found. Unless he's in a group TikTok or whatever from the top of Pikes Peak. Anyway, the Bulldogs are 7-1 and set to open the NSIC season this weekend, and we talk (mostly) volleyball on the show. (I say "mostly" because Jim is also a die-hard Packers fan. Sorry not sorry.)

We rant about bad officiating (Michigan v Western Michigan) and cowardly football (Luke Fickell again) from the holiday weekend, then UMD football coach Curt Wiese talks about his team finding a way to win Thursday night before facing another ranked opponent this weekend at Wayne State (the Nebraska one).

Chris Long of KSTP provides some takeaways from a pretty useless (but still newsworthy!) Gopher football blowout of FCS cupcake Eastern Illinois. We briefly discuss UMD's win and the weird circumstances, plus the Vikings' QB room.

After waiting out a nearly two-hour weather delay, UMD scores with 37 seconds left and keeps Augustana out of the end zone on the final play of the game to secure a much-needed win. We recap the game and the weather-related shenanigans with Jeff Papas.

UMD isn't the only local college trying to replace a four-year starting quarterback. Donald West accounted for over 9,000 yards of offense in four years at St. Scholastica. Second-year head coach Matt Bremer checks in ahead of the Saints' opener on Saturday to talk about West's impact, what he learned in his first year as a head football coach, and the rest of the 2026 Saints.

Longtime Packers radio voice Wayne Larrivee talks about the heartbreak in Chicago last winter, Micah Parsons, Jordan Love, and much more, as we preview the 2026 Packers ahead of Week 1 next weekend in Minnesota.

Welcome to the podcast that used to be a radio show and a podcast but is now just a podcast, which means nothing has really changed for you! We talk hockey with Pat Micheletti (from the State Fair!) today, primarily discussing a potential Quinn Hughes contract extension with the Wild, but dovetailing into talk about Bulldog and Gopher hockey with their sibling stars this fall.

Jeff Papas starts his 17th season of Bulldog football on KDAL tonight in Pennsylvania. He joins the show today to preview UMD vs Slippery Rock.

Before his 25th season as head coach kicks off Thursday in Michigan, UMD volleyball coach Jim Boos previews the 2026 Bulldogs.

Hear all three parts of our 2026 UMD football season preview, all in one place. In order, we chat with offensive coordinator Chase Vogler, defensive coordinator Trey Dill, and head coach Curt Wiese. Join us for coverage of the Bulldogs' opener against Slippery Rock, Thursday at 5pm on Northland News Radio (610AM, 650AM, and 103.9FM), streaming at northlandnewsradio.com!

Matt Snyder of CBS Sports checks in on baseball's playoff races, awards chatter, why the AL stinks, why the Twins won't call up Walker Jenkins, and lockout thoughts.

We wrap up our UMD football season preview with head coach Curt Wiese, then preview UMD soccer with its longtime head coach, Greg Cane.

Our UMD football season preview continues with defensive coordinator Trey Dill.

Matthew Coller of Purple Insider checks in on the Vikings after their preseason opener, with the latest on the QBs, Jamal Adams, and other positions to watch.

Part 1 of our UMD football season preview features offensive coordinator Chase Vogler.

Longtime UMD athletic communications director Bob Nygaard joins the show to talk about the Class of 2026 for the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame.

Former UMD and St. Scholastica defenseman Brenden Kotyk is back in Duluth, this time as the head coach for the CSS men. Hear about his playing career and his journey back to Duluth.

Jim Rich of Fox 9 offers a less-than-glowing review of the Vikings quarterback situation after Sunday's annual night practice at TCO Stadium.

Former UMD volleyball All-American Kate Sterns joins the show to talk about her induction into the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026, as well as her return to the UMD coaching staff.

Chris Long of KSTP-TV joins to talk Vikings camp, specifically the Murray-McCarthy QB competition that should be over soon. We also talk some Twins heading into the trade deadline.

Christian Koelling spent 18 years as UMD's men's hockey director of operations before departing this offseason. Hear him talk about initially getting the job, how the position evolved over the years, being around for three national title runs, his decision to leave, and what he's doing now.

Brandon Warne of Access Twins helps break down the Twins deadline moves.

We talk some offseason hockey with our dear friend Pat Micheletti. Gophers, recruiting, Wild, and more!

The man behind Phil Steele's College Football Preview joins the show to talk Gophers, Badgers, Big Ten, and Notre Dame. Learn more about Phil's work and the products available at philsteele.com! The podcast will be off the rest of this week, back on Monday, Aug. 3. Browse the archives if you haven't already. Thanks for listening!

We preview Minnesota Vikings training camp (and have a therapy session on the Packers' recent failures) with Matthew Coller of Purple Insider.

We preview the start of training camp with Andy Herman of the Pack A Day Podcast.

We wrap up Bulldog Week by catching up with UMD men's basketball coach Justin Wieck. Then you get to hear the conversation I recorded with former UMD goalie Alex Stalock a couple weeks ago. At the end of it, I got to surprise him with news he is in the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which was announced this week. The induction ceremony is Sept. 18 on the UMD campus.

UMD football coach Curt Wiese and soccer coach Greg Cane join the show as we continue Bulldog Week.

Bulldog Week continues with one of UMD's longest-tenured head coaches, Scott Sandelin from men's hockey, followed by a first-year head coach in Brooke Olson of women's basketball.

The show returns as we kick off Bulldog Week. Volleyball coach Jim Boos checks in, followed by UMD's director of track and field/cross country, Brette Jensen.

We talk Timberwolves trades, LeBron, Wild, and Twins with Jim Rich of Fox 9. The show/podcast will be off next week. Please watch your feeds for one special interview that we'll likely be posting at some point next week. We return with new shows July 20, as we kick off Bulldog Week, our annual summer check-ins with numerous UMD coaches. Thanks for listening and subscribing, check out the archives, and have a great week!

The NCHC's commissioner, Heather Weems, joins the show to talk about age-based eligibility, the NCHC Frozen Faceoff tournament's first year on campus sites, St. Thomas joining the league, and more.

CBS Sports baseball writer Matt Snyder joins the show to talk about the upcoming trade deadline and some about both the Brewers and Twins.

Pat Micheletti contributes thoughts on college hockey's boom era, the Wild's moves, player empowerment in the NHL, and the World Cup.

We talk Twins at (just past) the halfway mark of the season with the great Brandon Warne.

We're joined on the show by WCHA commissioner Michelle McAteer, who talks about age-based eligibility, the WCHA's success sending top talent to the PWHL and Olympics, rules changes, and the future of the WCHA Final Faceoff tournament.

With the Wild set to embark on free agency Wednesday, we get a lowdown from Jess Myers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

CCHA commissioner Don Lucia talks about the new five-year eligibility rule in college sports and what it means for hockey and the CCHA.

We're joined in studio by Jason Watt and Todd Fedora for a conversation about the state and future of youth sports in Duluth.

We chat with the four UMD women's hockey alums off to the PWHL. In order, hear from Tova Henderson (Minnesota), Thea Johansson, Ashley Messier (both Vancouver), and MK O'Brien (Detroit).

Chris Peters of FloHockey previews the 2026 NHL Draft, happening this weekend in Buffalo.

Former MSHSL media specialist John Millea joins the show to talk about life after nearly a year of retirement, plus the book he's working on for a November release. Pre-order Prepville, MN, here: https://us.amazon.com/Prepville-MN-Unforgettable-Stories-School/dp/B0GWK7M8WW

Senior forward Barrett Hall talks about his decision to move on from St. Cloud State after three years there and join UMD for his last year of college hockey. Then hear from incoming UMD freshman defenseman Keith McInnis about playing in the Memorial Cup and making his way to the NCHC.

Madison Schoolfield is running Grandma's Marathon this weekend to benefit Special Olympics, thanks to a connection she developed with a Special Olympics athlete named Michael when she was a volunteer in college. We also get to know incoming UMD men's hockey forward Peyton Platter, who transferred to UMD after two years at Alaska.

We talk Grandma's Marathon and a little bit about the FIFA World Cup with Chris Long of KSTP, who is hosting WDIO's marathon coverage on Saturday.

Former professional snowboarder Kelsey Boyer is running Grandma's this weekend for Save A Brain, a non-profit she founded after her snowboarding career was ended by a traumatic brain injury. Learn more at saveabraininc.com. We also catch up with Duluth running legend Kara Goucher, who is working the WDIO race day broadcast this weekend.

Matthew Haas had his left foot amputated, and from there became a runner. Now with a fitted running blade, Matthew is running Grandma's Marathon Saturday for the first time after a couple years of running the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.

Jim Rich of Fox 9 talks Grandma's Marathon, Vikings, Wild, Wolves, and even Twins. We also get to know our summer intern, Emily, a little bit.

Former Duluth News Tribune writer Kevin Pates checks in from sunny Arizona to share memories of Grandma's Marathon ahead of race weekend next week.