Coyote Torch Pass: Bob Nielson, Travis Johansen, Jon Schemmel

Happy Hour with John Gaskins

On a historic day in which Bob Nielson held his "retirement" press conference, then his hand-picked successor (with authorization of A.D. Jon Schemmel) Travis Johansen was introduced to the media and Coyote masses in another press conference, John Gaskins and Nathan Swaffar start the show with their thoughts on both media events, plus their one-on-ones with Nielson, Johansen, and Schemmel.

Then, we bring you the three one-on-one chats:

Nielson dives deeper about his decision to retire, conversations and messages from past and current players once his retirement was made public, handling the transition to Travis Johansen during the "portal window," how the Coyotes blossomed into a Top 5 program the last two seasons, and his future plans.

Johansen tells his side of the story of chatting about the "succession plan" over the summer with Schemmel, and how he was able to keep the USD roster in tact the last two weeks, knowing he was about to take the helm. He also talks about learning head coaching from Nielson and what he plans to make of the program with his own leadership.

Schemmel gives more detail on the timeline of knowing Nielson did not want a new five-year contract, the succession plan, and why it was clear Johansen was the pick.