from Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union,

On the 30th day, the NHL rested, and so did Liam McHugh.

For the first time since the Stanley Cup playoffs began April 16, no games were played Thursday, giving McHugh, studio host for NBC Sports Group coverage, a day off....

Q: How many straight days has it been in the studio for you? Do you even count?

A: I think it's best not to count. I have a day off today, which is a rare thing, so I'm enjoying it thoroughly, doing as little as possible.

Q: You're in the studio with ex-players (Mike Milbury, Jeremy Roenick and Keith Jones) who spent a lot of their playing days in the penalty box. At times, do you feel like you should wear a striped shirt and referee them?

A: My position is strategically located in that I'm never in the middle of them, just for my own personal safety. I love working with those guys. They keep me on my toes. The big thing is, they're not afraid to ever speak their minds or take the show in a different place than it was originally intended to go. It becomes a little more of a free-flowing type show. That's good for the viewer.

The beautiful thing, they get into arguments -— Jonesy and Mike, or Mike and Roenick, which happens a little more often — and everyone's friends off the set. It's one of those things that happens in the heat of the moment, it's very real, and then we all decide to move on, which is not unlike hockey, where you see guys drop the gloves, throw down and then pat each other on the butt as they're heading to the penalty box.

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