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4 Nations Face-Off: Brian Boucher Breaks Down “Pure Hockey Drama”

The 4 Nations Face-Off has resumed at TD Garden in Boston, and who better than a Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Famer to break it all down for us? Brian…

2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off - United States v Canada

(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The 4 Nations Face-Off has resumed at TD Garden in Boston, and who better than a Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Famer to break it all down for us?

Brian Boucher spent 13 pro seasons between the pipes, causing Bruins fans much consternation during his stints for the Flyers and Hurricanes. He also holds the modern-day NHL record for most consecutive shutouts with five.

4 Nations Face-Off: Get Wise Before the Puck Drops

Now, Boucher is an NHL Analyst for TNT. He'll be between the benches at ice level at the Garden for Canada vs. Finland at 1 p.m., then Sweden vs. USA at 8 p.m. It's all airing on TNT, who have a preview and updates for you here.

We were lucky enough to have Boucher on to talk about the tournament so far and to outline the different scenarios that will shape the final on Thursday. Listen below, and don't forget to connect with the Sports Hub on YouTube.

Top Albums of 2024: Toucher & Hardy React to the Best of List

The top albums of 2024 lists are being rolled out on the regular, so we plucked one from the web for the show to break down.

We love going through lists like these. And since it's the end of the year, there are plenty to choose from. In fact, if you missed it recently, I quizzed Fred, Hardy and Wallach on the best songs of the 2000s, as we're now a quarter of the way through the century.

Bringing the focus back to the current year (or the year that just ended, if you're reading this in 2025), we have Rolling Stone's latest list: The 100 Best Albums of 2024. They're not the only outlet with a year-end best-of list, but they're one of the biggest.

Top Albums of 2024: The Setup

With a list like this, you need to pick where you're going to dive in. And with a show like ours, if you dive in at the end of the list, you're going to have a trio of hosts that are confused and pissed off, trying to name a bunch of albums they've never heard of.

To avoid such a scenario, I took the Top 20 of Rolling Stone's Top 100. Then I took the seven albums from that top fifth that I thought Fred, Hardy and Jon would have the best shot at naming if I played them a clip from one of the album's bigger hit singles.

Top Albums of 2024: The Breakdown

Surprisingly, as you'll hear above, the boys did better than I expected. And not so surprisingly, Jon Wallach led the pack. Whenever I bring a list like this to the table, Jon comes pretty close to running the table, which is quite impressive.

Scroll down for a sampling of some songs.

20) Jack White 'No Name'

Jack White's surprise-release solo album is rock-solid and one of the better rock releases of the year. Check it out if you haven't yet.

17) Tyler the Creator 'Chromakopia'

I was fully expecting Fred to get this one straightaway as he's sheeling out big bucks to see Tyler at the TD Garden in '25.

8) Ariana Grande 'Eternal Sunshine'

I'm not too familiar with the songs on this one, but I can tell you Grande was as good as ever on her recent SNL hosting stint.

5) Billie Eilish 'Hit Me Hard and Soft'

Another artist who slays on SNL and here she is cracking the Top 5 on Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2024. Impressive.

4) Sabrina Carpenter 'Short and Sweet'

There's a Sabrina Carpenter photo pinned up to the wall in the Sports Hub production studio. I don't know who put it there or why.

2) Beyonce 'Cowboy Carter'

Queen Bey crushing it with the country album this year. I don't remember hearing any of the songs on the country station down the hall from us.

1) Charli xcx 'Brat'

Brat Summer became Brat Fall and eventually Brat 2024, I guess. Cheers to Charli.

adam12Writer
Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.

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