Sportsnet reveals Jeff Marek's replacement and hockey fans aren't happy

It's been over two months since since Sportsnet unceremoniously dumped long-time host and analyst Jeff Marek after it was reported that Marek leaked information to players from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Marek has yet to surface elsewhere in hockey media, but he did share a message earlier this offseason confirming that he's no longer with Sportsnet and that he's pursuing new opportunities. In the meantime, Marek's long-time 32 Thoughts Podcast co-host Elliotte Friedman has gone mostly silent regarding Marek's departure. Today, however, Sportsnet announced that in-arena host Kyle Bukauskas will take over Marek's role with the podcast.

Check it out:

To be honest, I like Bukauskas just fine but he's got some work to do in order to fill Marek's shoes. Marek and Friedman had such a good on-air chemistry and would often go off on entertaining and educational tangents. I'm not sure how things change with Bukauskas steering the ship now, but I'll give him an honest chance.

It's safe to say that not all fans see it the way I do though. Many on social media are saying they won't download the show until Marek is brought back.

"It's going to be a fascinating experience, because I think I'm one of the last people in the media world to not have done anything podcast-related," Bukauskas said in a statement on Sportsnet's website. "Yes, I took my sweet time getting to this point. But yes, it's going to be a change of mindset for sure. You're so used to go on television on Saturdays, you've got, at max, maybe a minute to try to hit on a couple of different points and so you're trying to be as concise as possible. And to now switch to more of a longer-form format, I just hope I have enough to say."

More from Bukauskas courtesy of Sportsnet:

"Of course, I think the world of Elliotte. He’s been so good to me from when I was just first starting. And I've got such admiration, like it is an experience watching him work the phone when he’s in that mode, right? And so, it's no surprise he's consistently on top of all the goings on around the [NHL]. And I remember Dave Amber and I having a conversation about this during the playoffs this year, because we were traveling together in the third round and then again in the Final: the amount of times leaving a game, leaving the building and there's still some fans milling about and how often you heard, ‘Hey Elliotte, love the podcast,’ ‘Hey Elliotte, try the ribs,’ you get a sense of how big a reach that podcast has made."

"I've been a loyal listener myself from the beginning. I've always leaned on what they've done and the information they brought every week for staying on top of what's going on around the league. So, I've got a great deal of respect for the audience, the listenership that they've built up over this time. I don't know how I'm going to go about doing this, but I just look forward to just first and foremost being myself and just helping to add to the experience for those that take time out of their day to listen to us."

The new season of the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman begins Friday.