On Episode 60 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Doug MacLean.  MacLean served as the first General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He helped usher the Blue Jackets into the NHL for the inaugural season in 2000-01, and it was his relationship with Crunch Owner Howard Dolgon that led to the affiliation between the two clubs. MacLean was the Blue Jackets' General Manager through the 2006-07 season. In that span, the Crunch qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs four times and won a division title in 2002. After his time with Columbus, MacLean transitioned into media, where he spent a decade with Sportsnet as a host for Hockey Central. Recently, MacLean co-authored a book with Scott Morrison titled "Draft Day" on the history and importance of the NHL Draft. The book became a bestseller and is available here. On the show, MacLean discusses the origins of the affiliation agreement between Syracuse and Columbus, what he liked about Syracuse and more.

On Episode 59 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Marc Methot.  Methot spent three seasons playing for the Crunch during the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliation. A sixth-round pick in the 2003 NHL Draft by Columbus, Methot began his pro career with the Crunch in 2005-06. The defenseman skated in 70 games as a rookie, contributing 13 points. He spent the majority of his second pro season in Syracuse, skating in 59 Crunch games in 2006-07. He also played in 20 games for the Blue Jackets that season. The 2007-08 campaign saw Methot dress in another 66 games for the Crunch and nine for Columbus. That year, he helped the Crunch to their record 23-game point streak to close the season. After the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, Methot graduated full-time to the NHL starting with the 2008-09 season. He played in 624 career NHL games for Columbus, Ottawa and Dallas through the 2018-19 season. He retired following that season due to injury and now works as an analyst on TSN. Methot finished with 195 career Crunch games, totaling 42 points (10g, 32a) from 2005 to 2008. On the show, Methot discusses his time in Syracuse, retiring from the game and more.

On Episode 58 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Robert Dome.  Dome spent two seasons in Syracuse during the late '90s as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. After being selected in the first round of the 1997 NHL Draft, Dome joined the Crunch as an 18-year-old in the 1997-98 season. He scored 21 goals and added 46 points in 36 games for the Crunch that season, earning a spot in the AHL All-Star Game, hosted by the Crunch, in 1998. Dome also skated in 30 games that season for the Penguins after initially making the NHL roster to start the season. In his second and final campaign with the Crunch, Dome contributed 18 goals and 35 points over 48 games in 1998-99 before finishing the season in the IHL with the Houston Aeros.  Dome finished with 81 points in 84 Crunch games over his two seasons in Syracuse. The Slovak continued his playing career through 2008-09; he totaled 243 career AHL games, 132 IHL games and 53 NHL games during his career. He has been coaching in Europe since 2012-13. On the show, Dome discusses his time in Syracuse, transitioning to coaching and more.

On Episode 57 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Michael Bournival.  Bournival spent three seasons in Syracuse with the Crunch between 2016 and 2019. He joined the Lightning organization as a free agent in the summer of 2016 and split his first season between the Lightning and Crunch. He played a big role in the playoffs in 2017, collecting 15 points (8g, 7a) in 22 games to help the Crunch advance to the Calder Cup Finals. As a veteran in 2017-18, Bournival was a leader on a young team that finished near the top of the AHL standings. He added 34 points in 57 games for the Crunch that season, while also skating in five games for Tampa Bay. His final season came in 2018-19, a year that was cut short do to an early injury. Bournival was limited to just five games before his injury; his rehab brought to to within days of returning, but the Crunch were eliminated from the playoffs.  Bournival played in 100 career games for the Crunch over his three seasons. He retired following the 2018-19 season and returned to school to earn a degree in kinesiology. He is now pursuing a masters degree. On the show, Bournival discusses his time in Syracuse, the Calder Cup Finals run, his masters research and much more.

On Episode 56 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Sarah Costello.  Sarah is currently the Sr. Manager, Lightning Foundation & Community Events for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She's in her ninth season in Tampa, and oversees all things community relations and charitable foundation for the Lightning. She began her journey as an intern with the Syracuse Crunch - first in public relations, then in community relations. She accepted a full-time role with the Crunch as the team's Community Relations Manager ahead of the 2012-13 season, the Crunch's first season as the Lightning's AHL affiliate.  After her time with the Crunch, Sarah spent time working in golf before her path took her to Tampa Bay, where she has seen the Lightning win two Stanley Cups while the organization has become a pillar in the Tampa community. On the show, Sarah discusses her time in Syracuse, boat parades and much more.

On Episode 55 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Nick Holden.  Holden spent two full seasons in Syracuse with the Crunch during the team's affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He began his pro career by joining the Crunch at the end of the 2007-08 season, and made his pro debut during the Crunch's incredible win streak. He played the next two seasons with the Crunch, contributing 45 points over 130 games between 2008 and 2010.  After the Crunch's affiliation with Columbus ended, Holden split the next three seasons between Columbus and AHL-Springfield before finally landing a full-time NHL role with Colorado in 2013-14.  Holden went on to play 654 NHL games for Columbus, Colorado, the New York Rangers, Boston, Vegas and Ottawa. After retiring this summer, Holden accepted a position as a player development coach for the Vegas Golden Knights. On the show, Holden discusses his time with the Crunch, his welcome to Syracuse moment and more.

On Episode 54 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Jared Nightingale.  Nightingale spent one full season and parts of one more in Syracuse at the start of the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliation. Nightingale joined the Crunch for the 2012-13 season after signing an AHL contract with the Crunch as a free agent that summer. It marked his seventh pro season, and the veteran carved out a solid role on a loaded team. He played in 56 games during the regular season, amassing seven points and 121 penalty minutes as the Crunch won the division.  When not dressed for the game, Nightingale remained engaged with the Crunch fans by stepping into the broadcast booth to serve as a color commentator. He returned to Syracuse late in the 2014-15 season, skating in eight regular season games and one game during the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs.  Nightingale retired following the 2016-17 season and immediately jumped into coaching. Outside of one game played in 2017-18, Nightingale has been climbing the coaching ranks ever since, and he is currently an assistant coach for the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. He also returns to the Syracuse area every summer for his Great Lakes Hockey Camp, which returns to Cicero in July. On the show, Nightingale discusses his time with the Crunch, his path into coaching and more.

On Episode 53 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Troy Bodie.  Bodie spent one season in Syracuse with the Crunch in 2011-12, when the team was affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks. An immediate leader on the team, Bodie was an alternate captain for the Crunch and accumulated 15 points and 119 penalty minutes in 69 games. He helped the Crunch earn a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. After playing in both the NHL and AHL for several more seasons, Bodie retired following the 2014-15 season and became a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He remained with the Leafs until May 2021 when he was hired by the Seattle Kraken to help launch their expansion AHL franchise. Bodie was brought in as the Director of Hockey and Business Operations for the newest AHL franchise and he has been there ever since, seeing the birth of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The Firebirds are near the top of the AHL in their inaugural season. On the show, Bodie discusses his time with the Crunch, his role in the beginnings of the Coachella Valley Firebirds and more.

On Episode 52 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Cory Conacher.  Conacher spent parts of five seasons in Syracuse over two different stints with the Crunch during their affiliation with Tampa Bay. Conacher was a member of the Crunch's first team during the Lightning affiliation in 2012-13. He produced 28 points in 36 games to begin the season before being recalled to the Lightning when the NHL Lockout was lifted. After a trade to Ottawa during that season, Conacher spent the next three seasons with several other clubs, including a full season with Bern in Switzerland. He returned to North America starting in 2016-17 when he re-signed with the Lightning. He split time between Syracuse and Tampa Bay, but spent the majority of the season with the Crunch. He led all players in scoring with 28 points during the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs to help power the Crunch to their second Finals appearance.  He remained with the Crunch through the 2019-20 season, helping the Crunch win division titles in 2012-13, 2016-17 and 2018-19 and being named an AHL All-Star in 2018-19.  Conacher currently ranks fifth all time in Crunch scoring with 205 points (72g, 133a) in 224 career Crunch games. He has the second most playoff points all time for the Crunch with 31 in 26 playoff games. On the show, Conacher discusses his time with the Crunch, the desire to continue his playing career and more.

On Episode 51 of Crunch Chronicles, presented by Wendy's, Lukas Favale is joined by Mike Ayers.  Ayers played one season with the Crunch. He joined the team early in the 2005-06 season on a professional try-out (PTO). He earned a second PTO before eventually signing an SPC (standard player contract) with the Crunch later that season.  In 23 games that season for the Crunch, the Hingham, Massachusetts native posted a 12-8-1 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. He also logged three shutouts as he helped the Crunch win 47 games and notch 102 points. Following his one season with the Crunch, Ayers played two more seasons before retiring and stepping away from hockey following the 2007-08 season. After a year in retail, Ayers returned to hockey and has been a coach ever since; he has been on the Boston College coaching staff since 2013-14.  On the show, Ayers discusses his season with the Crunch, how he ended up as a coach and more.