Nation Real Life

The sportsless life rolls on but that didn't stop the boys from getting together virtually to record a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast. This week, the guys recapped the personal goals they set for this period of self-isolation, broke down how everyone is passing the time, snack rationing, and a whole lot more. To kick off this week's podcast, Jay told the story of a recent drunken purchase he made despite not necessarily thinking it through. Now the proud owner of a new Peloton bike, Jay recalled having to explain to his significant other why the bike was a good purchase and where it's going to fit in their house. Changing gears, Chalmers explained how he is now homeschooling his boys during the school shut down and how coming up with a lesson plan is something he never thought he'd have to do in his life. Then again, how could anyone have predicted the ways they'd be spending time during a pandemic? Speaking of passing the time, the guys offered a few updates on their social distancing goal, inclu

With all kinds of time on our hands with not a whole lot to do, the boys decided to record a second episode of the Real Life Podcast this week as a means of creating a little bit more contact but also to have some social interaction with each other albeit from a distance, of course.  To start off today's podcast, the guys started with a look at how social distancing is going so far and what everyone is doing to stay connected. All three of Tyler, Jay, and Baggedmilk had different ideas and ways to keep in touch with friends at a time when we're not supposed to be in the same room as each other, and it will be interesting to see how the methods change and adapt as the practice of self-isolating continues. Changing gears, there is obviously a lot of free time that has come up as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and that spawned a conversation about the best sports movies of all time. Seeing as all three guys are of varying ages and eras, the lists they put together were about as random as you'd expect. Lastly,

The world is changing day by day but a few of the boys decided to make their way into the studio to record a new episode of the Real Life Podcast. This week, we're talking about the rumoured playoff format that was circling Twitter yesterday, NHL players being permitted to return home, and personal goals to accomplish while being socially distant. To start off this week's episode, the guys kicked the podcast off with a discussion about the NHL playoffs and what it might look like if the league is able to resume operations. What would a 24-team playoff format look like? Would play-in winners have an advantage over the teams that get a bye through the first round? From there we looked at personal goals we've all set during this time of social distancing and how we plan to spend our time while sitting at home. Whether it's vowing to read more, watching classic movies, or teaching your dog new tricks, the boys had all kinds of ideas and thoughts about how to spend some time. Obviously, this is a strange time in h

The boys were back with a very special episode of the Real Life Podcast! The usual crew was joined by Frank Becker, who's in town with 25 other Oilers fans from Germany! Not only is Frank a die-hard Oilers fan, and he's been loyal since the '80s, he also hosts an Oilers podcast! We also talked about how the lacklustre atmosphere at Oilers games, the recent few wins, and the tough stretch ahead! It was a fun hour of learning about our friends from Germany and their unique connection to the Oilers! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Isn't it hard to believe it’s already been a week since the boys recorded the last episode of the Real Life Podcast from a hotel room in Las Vegas, right? Thankfully, the boys got back in the studio to knock out a fresh episode of Real Life and get you set for the week and scratch your podcast itch.   To get things started, the boys looked back at the last two games for the @Edmonton Oilers and how this team really seems to be making a charge towards the postseason. Not only are the boys playing incredibly well, but they're also getting contributions from throughout their lineup at a rate that we haven't seen in years. Whether it's Yamamoto assuming his role as The Answer or Josh Archibald going to battle against men 5x his size, this could be the most complete Oilers roster that we've seen in this city in years. Changing gears, the boys looked at Brett Kissel's appearance last night in Nashville and debated whether or not he got too much airtime on the broadcast. Speaking of Nashville, the guys then went on

The boys are on the road this week for a #NationVacation to Las Vegas which meant a very special on location episode of the Real Life Podcast.  The boys are down in Las Vegas for the Oilers game tonight, but they still wanted to record a podcast to talk about the trip and all of the amazing people that have made it so special. From the incredible watch party that happened at the PBR Bar last night to the Nation citizens that travelled from all over the continent just to be here, it really has been an overwhelming couple of days for all of the boys and they were quick to share those feelings on this week’s show. Jay, in particular, couldn’t contain himself when speaking about the amazing community that surrounds this website and how grateful he is to be able to interact and hang out with such wonderful people. Then, just when you think the podcast was going to be all sappy and full of feelings, things take a hard left turn as the guys dove into a recap of night one along with an incredible story about what hap

Can you believe it's already been a week since the last episode of the Real Life Podcast was recorded and released? Thankfully, the boys got back in the studio to knock out a fresh episode of the podcast to get you set for the week.   To open this week's podcast, the guys started with a look at their favourite TV shows from throughout the year and also gave a passionate plea for people to watch whatever they want unless it's Dr Pimple Popper. With that out of the way, the conversation turned to the previous week and the plethora of Oilers news that happened since the last episode, including Zack Kassian's kicking suspension, @Matt Benning take a slash to the face against Carolina, and Jay Bouwmeester's health scare down in St. Louis. Changing gears, Chalmers made his return to the show after missing last week's episode to recover from his 40th birthday party, and he told the story of quitting smoking, how needed his friends to help keep him accountable, and the plan to make sure he's successful. Back to the O

Can you believe it's already been seven days since the last episode of the Real Life Podcast was released? You can't, can you? Luckily, we have a brand new podcast that's ready to bang away on your eardrums and get you set for the rest of the week.   The Nation was struck with some terrible news this morning as word came out that Connor McDavid would miss the next two or three weeks as a result of a quad injury, and the guys needed to start this week's podcast figuring out what that means for the Edmonton Oilers. This time around, McDavid is expected to miss 7-12 games and it will be a monumental test to see what the rest of the roster will be able to do in his absence. Sticking with absences, the boys also walked through the seemingly neverending timeline for our lost Instagram account and what's the plan to try and get it back. Will we be able to get @officialoilersnation unlocked by the man? Time will tell. Shifting gears and taking a hard left-hand turn, Tyler told the story of being mistaken for a woman'

With 674 career NHL games under his belt, Jason Strudwick has seen it all when it comes to professional hockey and that's why the boys were so excited to welcome back the former host of the Real Life Podcast to teach them a little bit about sports and a whole lot about life.   To start off this week's podcast, the boys spent a few minutes making fun of Baggedmilk for coming back from Mexico with a very weak tan. After getting roasted in the first couple of days, BM admitted that he didn't finish up the trip with the bronze he probably should have after a week in Cancun but he did make up for it with the amount of alcohol he consumed. From there, the boys discussed the upcoming Nation Vacation to Las Vegas that's coming up at the end of the month as 50+ fine citizens will invade T-Mobile Arena to watch our boys take on the Golden Knights. With Vegas at the front of mind, the guys broke down their gambling strategies while visiting Sin City, including a detailed breakdown of the best way to play Craps. Sticking

The boys are back with a fresh episode of the Real Life Podcast and this week was a very exciting episode with a very interesting guest! 'Connor McDavid: Whatever It Takes' was the talk of the town this weekend and we were beyond excited to chat with Shane Fennessey who was an Associate Producer with the documentary!  We shared our initial takes on the doc and got some great insight from Shane on the process behind making the film. He talked about meeting Connor and his family, which naturally turned Wanye into an even bigger fanboy than he usually is!  As with any production, there were lots of great stories and quotes that didn't make it into the final version. Shane shared some of those stories with us! There were even some things that he wanted to add to the doc that he didn't get the chance to put in. He was sitting right there as the crew interviewed the doctors, staff, and players that were involved with Connor's miraculous recovery. Think of it like a peek behind the curtain from a guy who actively pu

Is the lack of Oilers hockey getting you down? Are you bored with the bye week already? Thankfully, we have a fresh episode of the Real Life Podcast that's ready to help you get through a small part of it.   To start off this week's podcast, the guys looked at an unorthodox retirement plan that involves a quick trip to Medellin, Colombia. And sure, you may have ideas that Wanye's plan would never work, but that's only because you don't know how to dream, people. Think that was all Wanye had to say? Heck no, friend. He also described a newly founded beef with Canadian icon, KD Lang, that started when she denied living in a very specific house in Edmonton's river valley. Switching gears, Jay spent a few minutes talking about the Finnish invasion that just wrapped up as 30 of the finest folks you'll ever meet travelled to the City of Champions to take in a couple of hockey games and see the sights. Touching on the Oilers, the guys spoke a little bit about the Connor McDavid documentary that is set to come out an

It's Tuesday, which means the boys are back with a fresh Real Life Podcast! This week's episode features two guest-hosts as Zach Laing and Nick Good filled in for Wanye (sick), Baggedmilk (alleged car issues), and Chalmers (busy with his "real job"). Emotions were high and there was plenty of Oiler's topics to get to with the Zack Kassian/Matt Tkachuk beef. Before they got to that, they quickly shared some tales from the road as Tyler Nick, and Jay recapped the #NationRoadTrip down to Calgary for the Battle of Alberta! Jay got into it with a guy in a Tkachuk jersey and Yaremchuk has too many Saddledome beers. It was also a hell of a trip for our friends from Finland, who travelled for nearly two days to get to Alberta. From there, they really dug into the Kassian vs Tkachuk incident and speculated on what the next game between the Oilers and Flames could be like. Jay was fired up while Nick thought that the Oilers needed to take a more levelled approach into their meeting with Calgary on January 29th. See aca

The Christmas break is over, New Years is in the books, and the boys are back for a fresh episode of the Real Life Podcast to talk all things life and Edmonton Oilers. After a couple of weeks on the shelf, the boys are back in the studio with a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast. Obviously, a lot has happened since the last podcast was recorded so there was plenty to catch up on as everybody recapped the Christmas break and looked ahead at what's coming in 2020. To start things off, Chalmers stepped in with an update on where he's been and why he's been so rudely neglecting the podcast over the past month or so, leaving construction fans wondering where their source of free advice has gone. Back to the Edmonton Oilers, the boys started with a look at the NYE game against the Rangers and whether or not that win could be a turning point for the team moving forward. Stepping away from the Oilers for a minute, the boys discussed the idea of having phone vacations where you shut things down for a few days

With today being Tuesday, we know that you're expecting a new episode of Real Life. With today being Christmas Eve, nobody except Yaremchuk wanted to work. The result of that? A best-of episode that features clips from our favourite interviews of the year. We were lucky to be joined by many great guests over the last twelve months but our favourites were without a doubt these three. Former Oilers defenseman Ladi Smid joined our show over the summer and among many things, he discussed the future of the Oilers and what it was like to play in Edmonton. We were also joined by the iconic Kelly Buchberger and when Wanye found out, his head almost exploded. Buchy told some great stories about Doug Weight and also touched on the future of hockey and where he hopes to take his coaching career. We finished off our best of episode by replaying the interview that Yaremchuk and Baggedmilk did with Eric Gryba, who just announced his retirement this past fall. He talked about the biggest goal of his career (that came in an

The Real Life Podcast is back with a fresh episode of the show to get you ready for a new week as we draw closer to the Christmas break.    A new week means yet another fresh episode of the Real Life Podcast, and this week’s show was filled with the usual hijinx as the boys look to make sense of life and all things Edmonton Oilers. This week, the boys had a skeleton crew for the podcast but that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot to talk about as Tyler Yaremchuk made his return to the show after his non-engagement and the Oilers finally got themselves back in the win column.  From there, the guys looked at the Taylor Hall trade that happened yesterday and worked through whether or not Ken Holland made the right choice by not pulling the trigger. Does having Hall go to a divisional rival increase the pressure on Holland to make a move? Lastly, the guys finished off this week's episode with a look at the iTunes reviews for the podcast and Baggedmilk gave an impassioned plea to the boys to sign up for TikTok with h

The Real Life Podcast is back with a fresh episode of the show to get you ready for a new week as we draw closer to the Christmas break.    A new week means yet another fresh episode of the Real Life Podcast, and this week’s show was filled with the usual hijinx as the boys look to make sense of life and all things Edmonton Oilers. This week, the boys had a skeleton crew for the podcast but that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot to talk about as Tyler Yaremchuk made his return to the show after his non-engagement and the Oilers finally got themselves back in the win column.  From there, the guys looked at the Taylor Hall trade that happened yesterday and worked through whether or not Ken Holland made the right choice by not pulling the trigger. Does having Hall go to a divisional rival increase the pressure on Holland to make a move? Lastly, the guys finished off this week's episode with a look at the iTunes reviews for the podcast and Baggedmilk gave an impassioned plea to the boys to sign up for TikTok with h

Nation Real Life Episode 151 – Talking about life and sports with Neville Wright   It's a very special episode of the Real Life Podcast this week as the boys were very happy and lucky to welcome former Olympian, Neville Wright, to talk about his journey in sports and life in general.   It's not every day that a three-time Olympian comes into the studio to talk to the boys on the Real Life Podcast, but that's exactly what happened today. Thanks to our friends at Cornerstone Insurance, Mr. Wright was gracious enough to offer up an hour of his time to talk about his life in sports, the journey to the Olympics, and what it was like to compete for his country. From his start as a track athlete to his entry into bobsledding, Neville's experiences as an elite athlete were absolutely fascinating and the guys were thrilled to walk through his training stories to his time at Olympic village. From start to finish, this was a fantastic interview and Neville could not have been more fun to listen to. Lastly, the boys wrap

A new week means a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast, and this week’s show was filled with plenty of Edmonton Oilers talk as the team enters December sitting atop of the Pacific Division standings.   To start off this week's podcast, the boys jumped in with a look back at the history of the Real Life Podcast, including a breakdown of the newly revamped podcast studio. With 150 episodes in the books, the guys wanted to spend a few minutes talking about how this show has progressed over the years and what's yet to come. From there, Jay recapped his trip to Buffalo to watch the Bills while also explaining himself for why he thought wearing Uggs and fanny pack was a good idea. Back to the Oilers, the boys discussed whether now is the time where the Oilers should look at potentially moving some of their defensive depth to bolster the offence for the back half of the season. Is it too soon to think about trading a player like Jones/Broberg/Svechnikov/etc to try and improve the top six? What if the target w

It was a very special episode of the Real Life Podcast this week as the boys were very lucky to be joined by former Edmonton Oilers, Cory Cross. In the interview, Cross spoke about all aspects of his career, some of which including his recruitment into the U of A hockey program, being passed over at the NHL Draft, his 'welcome to the NHL' moments, and a whole lot more.   Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1992 Supplemental Draft (these don't even exist anymore), Cross had to bust his ass for every minute he played at the NHL level but, as you'll see, that's exactly how he would have wanted it. Hard work and appreciation of the process were all part of the fabric of Cross' life and those were traits he'd rely upon heavily in his journey as a professional hockey player. From his first NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins to his time spent in a few major markets, Cross had an incredible NHL career which led him through a few different cities, including a brief stop in Detroit where he was c

Welcome, Nation, to a brand new episode of the Real Life Podcast! This week, the boys had a lot to talk about this week as the Oilers continue to roll along at the top of the Pacific Division standings. Will they be able to maintain their position? The boys had plenty of thoughts.   To start off this week’s podcast, the boys jumped in with a look at the Oilers’ upcoming week which includes a swing through California and into Vegas for the weekend. If you’re an NHL team, would you do what you could to avoid spending more time than what is absolutely necessary in Sin City? From there, Jay and Chalmers spoke a little bit about their upcoming football trip to Buffalo and whether or not either of them will end up going through a table at the tailgate party. From there, the podcast takes a hard left when Chalmers gets into some house winterizing tips that most people don’t ever think about, including the removal of your garden hose so that you don’t get water in your basement. Getting back to hockey, the boys talke