Episodes

What’s better than one Ben? Two Bens! Wild centerman Ben Jones hops on the bus with Ben to chat the good, the bad and the bumps along the way in his career, skating in a career high 26 NHL games with Minnesota last season, his charity golf tournament and more. Benny G fills fans in on what to expect at the Iowa State Fair… including his prep for the Cow Chip Throwing Championship.

Lots to catch up on this episode… Including a great chat with recently re-signed wild forward Brad Marek. Brad talks signing his first ever NHL contract, getting stuck in northern Michigan on the bus, his youth hockey camp he ran this summer and more. Ben fills fans in on the outdoor game announcement, touches on some of what Iowa’s depth chart might look like, thoughts on schedule and Wild on Wheels dates!

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. After far too long of a Hiatus, Ben is back with an apology and a brand new guest to the organization. New Iowa Wild Head Coach Greg Cronin hops on the bus to talk his philosophy on winning/development, coaching acumen, his time in New Zealand and much more.

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. Caedan Bankier and Luke Toporowski are back with Ben this week to celebrate episode 50, and officially introduce their segment as the “This is Greatness” podcast… (Listen to episode 48 for more reference to the name.) Banks and Topper have Wild forward Mikey Milne on as a guest, and discuss Mikey’s lackluster job as fantasy football commissioner, excluding Topper from a summer round of golf and tons more to laugh alo...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. This episode’s guest host is Wild Video Coach Ray Sylvester. Ray and Ben welcome Iowa Wild goalie Dylan Ferguson onto the bus. “Fergy” shares his incredible stories about his NHL debut at 19 years old, his first NHL win which included a huge stop on Evgeni Malkin and more great tales from his pro career. Our hosts breakdown the Wild’s recent hot streak, and bring you inside “Video Headquarters” within the Wild locker...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. It’s our first show without Joey Goldstein… but don’t worry, we’ve got some great things in store. The first round of rotating guest hosts features Wild players Luke Toporowski and Caedan Bankier. Topper and Banks ditch Ben for a hilarious interview with Carson Lambos. They talk Topper being picky about who he sits by on the bus, stories from playing against eachother in the WHL, why Luke’s time in Spokane was “nothi...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. We have some sad news. This is Joey Goldstein’s final ride on the bus. Ben and Joey reminisce about some of the great Ridin’ the Bus moments, like Joey playing goalie against the players, Ben podcasting in full hockey equipment, Joey becoming a local “celebrity” and tons more great memories. It’s a bittersweet show as we bid Joey farewell… but don’t worry, the show will go on!

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. Joey is back from his siesta. Before he returns serve on some of Ben’s comments from last episode’s solo show, new Wild defenseman Joe Cecconi jumps on the bus with the guys. Joe talks about being a Bills fan, special relationship with his grandpa, surviving an ice storm in Austin, TX and plenty more. Ben and Joey recap opening weekend, discuss the arrival of Jesper Wallstedt back to Iowa, amongst other topics as the...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. It’s all Joey’s fault! Ben and Joey planned to have a quick training camp chat to get more familiar with the players in camp this week. Joey bailed, so he left Ben riding the bus alone this week… but don’t worry. You’ll get a deep dive on the roster and plenty more with Ben. It’s a Training Camp info extravaganza.

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. 2nd Round Draft pick of Minnesota, Jack Peart joins the guys this week for a trip up north to the “Iron Range” in Minnesota. The defenseman chats on growing up in the hockey rich town of Grand Rapids, MN, playing with his idol, Gavin Hain, his favorite fishing spots and more on this week’s episode. Ben and Joey wrap up the last offseason episode of the summer with some overview of Iowa’s roster.

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. For the first time in Ridin’ The Bus history, our show features two “Voices of the Wild”. Former play-by-play voice of the Iowa Wild, and current Minnesota Wild radio voice, Joe O’Donnell steps onto the bus with TONS of travel stories. Joe shares some of his favorite tales from handling team services with Iowa, the joy of achieving his lifelong dream of broadcasting NHL hockey, how to broadcast a hockey game with no ...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa Central Iowa Pool & Spa. Attention goalie fanatics (like Ben), this episode is for you. Former NHL/AHL goalie and current Iowa Wild goalie coach, Richard Bachman hops on the bus. Richards shares stories from his time as a goalie, like who the best shooter he ever faced was. “Bacher” also covers his transition to coaching, where Jesper Wallstedt is at in his development and his thoughts on coaching young goalies, like his son Knox. Ben and Jo...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Central Iowa Pool & Spa. This week, Ben and Joey take a detour on your regularly scheduled Iowa Wild themed guests. Des Moines resident and recently retired AHL linesman, Chad Evers, hops on the bus. Topics range from how he got into officiating, his favorite and least favorite Wild players to deal with on the ice, a hilarious interaction with a former Wild coach and much more. It’s easily the most informative interview the guys have done to date. The show finishes...

Ridin’ The Bus would like to welcome our new sponsor, Central Iowa Pool & Spa as our official podcast sponsor. This week it’s the third annual “Faircast” where Ben and Joey chat with fairgoers from Iowa Wild booth at the Iowa State Fair . Topics include a huge bobblehead collection, Ben trying to coax a choir member into singing on the pod, best fair food and the time one fairgoer took Wild defenseman Matt Bartkowski’s cookies on accident.

Pranks, pranks and more pranks. Assistant Coach, and resident prankster, Ben Simon joins the show with lots and lots of prank stories. From a car filled with packing peanuts, to shock pens… he’s got gags galore. Coach Simon also shares experiences from winning Calder Cups as a player and a coach, plus plenty more. Ben and Joey gear up for their annual “Faircast” and Joey talks preparation for defending his cow chip throwing title.

We’ve got our first new signing joining the show this week… though he’s an old friend of Goldstein’s… New Wild goalie, Troy Grosenick, hops on and has story after story after story. Troy takes us through some crazy travel experiences from his 11-year pro career, how shy his son is around cameras, casino skills and a ton more. Ben and Joey chat on the Wild’s 3-year renewal with their ECHL affiliate, the Iowa Heartlanders and some other current event items.

This week is a double feature. First Wild defenseman Ryan O’Rourke climbs on the bus to talk favorite chirps, declining a phone call inviting him to the Canadian World Junior team, taking laps around O’Hare airport on the Wild bus and more. Interview #2 is with 2022 2nd Round draft pick, Hunter Haight. Ben and Hunter caught up at Minnesota’s Development Camp in St. Paul to talk about the OHL/WHL rivalry (specifically with Caedan Bankier), his expectations for his 1st year pro, winning the Memori...

Wild 3rd round pick in 2022 Mikey Milne hops on the bus this week, as the show is back after a couple weeks off around 4th of July. Mikey shares some hysterical golf stories, his recovery process through a long injury rehab last season, his expectations for his 3rd year pro and more. Ben and Joey catch up on a lot of news that’s happened over the last few weeks. Topics include: free agent signings, Iowa’s 2024-25 schedule, the Adam Beckman trade and more.

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Explore Minnesota (www.exploreminnesota.com). Head Coach Brett McLean joins the bus crew for his 3rd appearance on the show. Brett lets us in on some of the hilarious antics from his staff throughout the year, how his club found their stride in March of last season, how he handled the strain of missing playoffs, and how year one is building towards an exciting second season behind the bench with Iowa. Ben and Joey touch on Joey’s upcoming day caddying for Ben on th...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Explore Minnesota (www.exploreminnesota.com). First round draft pick, Carson Lambos, climbs on the bus for this week’s episode. The defenseman chats on his rookie year with Iowa, being the lone rookie to play in the veteran’s card game during bus trips, his love for CFL football and plenty more. Ben and Joey hit up the bus line again and welcome new Digital Media Manager, Brooklyn Dean, to the show for a staff spotlight.

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Explore Minnesota (www.exploreminnesota.com). One of Iowa’s brightest personalities, Caedan Bankier, hops aboard for quite an entertaining ride. Banks shares his thoughts on his rookie year, stories from a heated NHL video game rivalry with Mikey Milne and Carson Lambos, loving the Pirates of the Caribbean series and tons more. Outside of the interview, Ben and Joey take on some Bus Line questions, talk both NHL & AHL Cup Finals scenarios and somehow touch on the e...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Explore Minnesota (www.exploreminnesota.com). Fresh off of winning World Championship Gold… Wild defenseman David Spacek hops on the bus. “Spacco” shares the thrill of winning Gold in his home country of Czechia, the lengthy party tour that came after the championship game, his car engine starting on fire in Des Moines and more. Ben and Joey have their first podcast bet loaded up, as the guys pick their horses for the Belmont this coming weekend and the first ever ...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Explore Minnesota (www.exploreminnesota.com). The first big news of the offseason has hit. Matt Hendricks is the new General Manager of the Iowa Wild and he hops back on the bus for his second ride… this time as GM. Topics include: what he’s looking for to fill out the Wild roster, jorts (jean shorts) and the time his “can” shattered from blocking a shot… plus much more. Ben and Joey introduce “the Bus Line” where fans can chime in on the show, break down what they...

Ridin’ The Bus is presented by Explore Minnesota (www.exploreminnesota.com). Ben and Joey officially close out the ’23-’24 campaign. It’s exit interview day for the Iowa Wild and the guys conduct their own exit interviews with a host of Wild players. Guest include Jesper Wallstedt, Carson Lambos, Steven Fogarty, Caedan Bankier and Ryan O’Rourke… with two special surprise guest players as well who crashed the interviews. Ben and Joey also talk their favorite moments of the season, and plead for o...