The run-up to the start of the National Hockey League season is chaotic, and for someone covering a team, it involves a lot of prep, a lot of reading, and trying to figure out how to get yourself organized for the upcoming 84-game, 194-day grind that is the regular season. Despite all that, I was able to read and watch a lot of really fascinating stuff in September.

In the spirit of British novelist Nick Hornby’s old “Stuff I’ve Been Reading” column from The Believer, I’m sharing the best stuff I consumed every month that didn’t otherwise lend itself to writing about here on the site.

Here are the most interesting things I consumed in September.

If you’ve been following the Western Hockey League so far this season, you’ve probably noticed that they’re streaming on YouTube now rather than Victory+, their prior streaming home. The “why” and “how” of Victory+’s demise is pretty fascinating, and Robert Tiffin gets into a lot of the nitty gritty.

Last month, Flames defensive prospect Bode Laylin, a 2026 draft choice originally committed to the University of St. Thomas, changed his college commitment to the University of Minnesota for the 2027-28 season. We chatted with Laylin about the move, too. Over at Puck Preps, Ryan Sikes got into the details of what makes Laylin such an exciting recruit for Minnesota’s program.

It’s the final year of the Saddledome, and I’m a sucker for a deep dive into history, and Chris Wahl delivered. He’s doing a series of features about the construction of the building and chatting with some of the key figures in the process. It’s great stuff.

Arena design – and the business model behind stadiums and arenas – has changed a ton since the Saddledome opened its doors in 1983. Over at Forbes, as part of their Performance Layer series, they spoke with the Flames’ Chief Strategy Innovation Officer, Ziad Mehio, to really get into the weeds about how Scotia Place will change things for the Flames. (This came out in August but I saw it in September.)

Finally, we are big jersey fans here, so Icethetics’ videos are right up our alley. Here is there annual deep dive into every team’s jersey situation for the upcoming season.