Shaun Newman Podcast - #30 - Paul Laberge & Sydney Smythe

Episode Date: August 23, 2019

A double feature.  In the 1st half Paul talks about losing his father to suicide and his own battle with mental health. He has started Let‘s Walk the Talk where he will walk from Saskatoon to Lloydminster raising money for Project Sunrise In the 2nd half we sit down with Sydney Smythe and dig into Women‘s division 1 hockey followed by her road to Red Bull Crashed Ice

Welcome to the podcast. Today's sponsor is T-Barr-1 Transport. They are locally owned and operated trucking company here in town that have been going since 2002. That was their first year. Hard to believe 17 years ago now. And along the way in 2013, they won small business in the year for Lloyd Minster. They have a pipeyard and servicing anything from tank-moving heavy haul and picker services.

So if you're in and around the area and looking to get something moved, give the boys a call 780-205-1709 and tell them Sean sent you. So next, the Boundary Battle of Alberta happening on September 28th has announced its next couple of players from both sides. I'm super excited for this one. George LaRocke is coming to town. And I feel like I've been ranging on the Oilers a little bit. They've been bringing in a lot of tough guys, and everybody's going,

Sean, do you know who George LaRocque is? And I'm going, yeah, I know. He's another big tough guy. We're going to be the broad street bullies in this charity game. But George Lark, I have fond memories of watching him play. He was, if you ever had the opportunity to watch him a fight, nobody, he was an absolute heavyweight. Corey Cross talked about it on last week's episode.

Like, he was a giant amongst men. but I also liked when he got behind the net and he basically just stiff arm the biggest defenders and nobody could get around them or nobody could push him off the puck not to get around him, nobody could push him off the puck you couldn't just, you could not handle

Georgie. On the flame side, they must have been looking at the lineup going, man, if we don't bring in some grit here, we're going to, all of our skill players are going to get pushed around. I'm sure the NHL lovers right now are going, You don't need the tough guys.

Well, when you dress eight of them in an alumni game, you might want to bring in one in the Flames of Counter with Brian McGratt. Here's a guy who knew his way around the rough stuff. He had over 600 penalty minutes in his day in the NHL. I think it's 600. What does it say? 600 career penalty minutes in 300 games. Yeah, he was doing something there.

Whereas Georgie, what do he have? He had 1,100. 1100 in his career. and he was drafted 31st overall. That blows my mind. George Lorak drafted 31st overall. Anyways, if you're wanting to get involved in this, get some tickets, all the proceeds go directly to Project Sunrise,

which you're going to hear Paul Labrge talk a little bit about here coming up. $25 gets you in the door. You can pick up tickets from Boundary Fort in Lloyd Minster. They still have tickets. So head on down there, guys, and get a couple. Last week I brought up the podcast experience. I want to throw that term out because it confused a few people. And basically, guys, what I was meaning was a private recording for your own personal use.

Where I can capture whether it's family or friends, one of you, a few of you. we have the ability to come out, interview whomever. And for me, I guess, I always think of Grandma Newman. My Grandma Newman, Grandma Dora Newman. She was a spectacular lady. And I know I've had siblings tell me that, you know, they tried convincing her towards the end to write a book. And I don't know about her, but I know I come in the same bloodline as her.

we're not good writers and so I just think man I wish this right here what I'm doing right now would have been around 10, 12 years earlier so I could have sat with her and asked her questions

and captured it all so that we had that for generations to come because the people that come before us have amazing stories and went through so many different experiences and what we're currently going through right now. And if we don't capture it, soon it'll just be gone.

And if life has taught me anything, is that we think we're invincible, but in the snap of a finger, a blink of an eye, things can change so quickly that I'd rather have things captured than wake up tomorrow and think, man, all I got is, you know, a picture or two. when I could have had their stories, in their voices, their personality, and essentially everything told by them. So if that sounds like something of interest to you, shoot me an email, Sean Newman Podcast at gmail.com, Sean with a you,

or look us up, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and just direct messages, and we'll get to work with you, all right? Now, this is the first time I've done this on the podcast, so it's broken into two parts. the first about 45 minutes is talking with Paula Burge who this coming week so August 26 to 31st he's doing let's walk the talk which is a fundraiser for Project Sunrise and it's his story about his father and losing his father to suicide and then his struggles with mental health essentially and I won't give off any more than that it's super

raw it's a story I think that everybody should hear and then the second half is a friend of mine from down in Minnesota Sidney Smyth she was a former Division I player who did Red Bull crashed ice and you get to hear her crazy story about how she gets in a Red Bull crashed ice and And yeah, so enjoy guys. Without further ado. Cool. Well, I got Paula Burr sitting in here with me today,

and he has a fundraiser walk coming up here next week. So August 26 to 31st, over a six-day period. He is walking from Saskatoon to Lloydminster to help promote Project Sunrise or fundraise for Project Sunrise Mental Health. And I thought, Paul, maybe you could just talk about a little bit of your story how mental health has affected you.

Yeah, so it honestly started when I was living in Regina back in, I say, 2014, 2015. You know, I can tell things we're going on at home and like with dad and all that. And just one of those gut feelings, you knew something was up. And once it kind of started going a little bit further, like around, it was around, well, I should remember exact date. It was June 11th, 2015. And I remember exact time, too, that Tyler called me, my brother. It was 9 o'clock.

I was on my way to my first line-agent meeting, line owner meeting. And Tyler called, and it was just about to jump in the shower. And then I decided, well, I'll just leave it. And then you called again. And usually with Ty calls me twice, it's pretty important like that. So I got off and asked for the phone. And Ty was almost in tears. and he said, you got to come home, something's going on with that.

And I said, okay. And I wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but I flew from Regina to Lloyd, and I made a record of time. I was probably going about a buck 50, buck 60, got a photo radar ticket through the roof. Once I got to the hospital, I wasn't sure what happened. I walked in the room. There was about eight bottles of pills emptied. and mom was like raccoon eyes. You think you would know off the bat and I still hasn't really hit.

What I was thinking that I forgot how me pills he took. That's what I was thinking because I didn't know how much he had left. And then once we, well, once I started talking to mom, I found out that he tried committing suicide for the first time. So that was really tough. That took a lot out of me. I didn't really want to really want to go back to Regina right away

and go back to work or anything I wanted to come home. And right then and there, that's when I decided it's probably better for me to come, you know, move home. So it didn't take too much longer, about two weeks after that. Work kind of released me. It was like a short-term disability,

just, you know, take time off from work. So I used that time, spent time with family, and then, of course, with the downturn in the economy, I ended up getting laid off. And then it kind of got, more importantly, I wanted to come home and I kind of had a feeling that I was going to get laid off because everyone else was getting laid off. And I mostly came home because I wanted to spend time with my dad because I knew something wasn't right.

And I didn't know what mental health was or anything. Like I heard people have anxiety attacks. And to be flat out honest with you, I feel bad for feeling this before. I just thought people are just kind of trying to draw attention to themselves. And I was just going to like, what do you mean to have an anxiety attack? Like, what does that? Like, what does that mean? Like, I didn't understand.

Or I knew people get depressed, but I didn't think people get like literally depressed. Like, you know, like me, when I first dealt with depression, was when I got laid off when I was like 19. I was like, I thought my world was coming to that. I'm like, what am I going to do? What, you know, what's my next job? What's my next move? and for what depression I dealt with the last four years

I was not even like a stepping stone it was just like basically nothing the depression I've dealt with is where I couldn't even get out of bed not because I was lazy it's just I just physically could not get out of bed and my head couldn't barely lift off the pillow

I just didn't want to I was in a really dark place I was in my parents' basement and you know at the time I was really in a great position I was looking at buying a house and then when I got laid off I was in a position where I couldn't even find a job and I looked around and everyone else was you know like either getting married or buying a house and how old are you at this time I was around 24 25 um 29 or today

29 today yeah sorry to interrupt no that's right just for the people listening yeah so at that time you know it was hard for me because I look around and everyone you know at my age was either getting married, getting engaged, or having a relationship, having kids, you know, getting in the house. And here I am, you know, trying to make ends meet, basically spending everything out of my savings, trying to find a job, trying to look for a job. That's something I would like. I didn't want to jump in anything. And then I used a time to hang out with my dad.

And that's how I learned about mental illness. The time I hung out with him. him he was trying to hide it from us like that he was feeling like that finally when i caught him he came down the stairs and i knew that's when he just woke up and it was like four in the afternoon and that's not like my dad um he's an early riser he's up at six a m and he's gone to work or wherever he's doing he's always up at six so i knew if my dad's coming out of bed at four o'clock something was up and the more time i hung out with him the more time he was he was he was he was he was he was telling me what was going on. So with my dad, growing up when he was about seven years old,

he was sexually abused, and he would go to Sunday school, and he got abused by the priest. And how I found out about this was back in June 11th, 2015, when he was basically, like, he was knocked out for all the pills he took. And we weren't sure when the next time he was going to wake up. Like, we knew he was still alive, but he was just in a, I wouldn't say a coma, but it was a, in deep sleep. He's all of the sudden he kind of just whispered in my name. So I came up to him and then my auntie was on the other side of me. And then that's how he told me the story. It was my first time I ever heard of this. He kept it in for 46 years. And at that point, I didn't know what to think. I was starting to think what else is there? This guy hasn't told us. And I was just

I was puzzled. I didn't know like this was a dream. Like at times I was pinching my arm trying to think you know this is actually happening. And then so at this time when he woke up you know I never he looked at me and he said I promise I'll never do this again and I just looked at him and I was like well

you do realize like a week from now it's Father's Day and two days after that me and you go on a father and son trip to Florida and draft like to the draft yeah I know I I didn't want to miss that he said and I said well you almost did so when we got there we had a great time we're in the Toronto airport we're at the at the bar and the bartender is telling us you know at the end of the table or at the bar Wayne Greskeske was there and he was drinking a few and he was drunk and blah blah so we got a good combo and and at that time we were watching the

movie or the show, so our TV show, Sons. And right when we walked out of the bar, the one cop, or I think he's the, with the Mexican cartel, he walks by us. And me and dad are about 12 beers deep. And there's us. We're pointing, hey, that's him. He's from sons. And this guy just looked at us, smiled and just shook his head and walked away.

And I was like, Dad, I could be right back. I go to go to the washroom. So I come back and I looked at my dad. And look, he was like a kid on Christmas Day. His mouth, like his jaw was like on the floor. And I was like, what? I'm like, what are you looking at? Is this girl this hot?

So I come around the corner. You know, I'm all excited. And there's Rob Blake, uh, Bob McKenzie, you know, the TSN, SportsNet guys. And I looked at him like, well, why don't you go say hi? No, no, this trip is for you. You go say hi. And I'm like, well, no. I was like, I can tell you.

I'll go talk. Well, I'm going to say hi. So yeah, dad goes over there. Hey, you know, I was a good. going. So then I got a laugh. I introduced myself and then so we go on the plane and I had to laugh because

I'm okay on the planes but if I'm sitting in the back I'm not good with the plane because in the back you feel everything. Every little movement everything and I'm telling them I don't want to sit by the window. Yeah yeah yeah you're sitting yep for sure you're the youngest you're sitting by the window

okay so we sat down and right when we put our seatbelts on that's the worst BEO ever and dad looks to me yeah we're switching spots I'm like oh no

like we said I'm talking by the window you have the middle seat so dad puts on the AC and he's feeling around with the light and then all of a sudden

the guys are just about to put his arm up to hit the AC and dad grab his arm and puts it down and dad hits the AC for him I was like, don't worry, I got it for you. So once we started going on the airplane, we're having a few. And the guy across from us was the Philadelphia Flyers Scout.

So we're talking to them about hockey, and we're trying to, you know, talk around this guy who's sitting on the aisle. And the more we drank, the louder dad got. And a louder this guy can hear what dad is saying. He keeps looking at him. He's like, God, this guy stinks. And I keep him like, Dad, like, this guy can probably hear you, like, keep it down. I don't care. You do not realize how bad this is sitting by this guy?

So anyways, we get there to Florida, and we haven't even left, like, got off the plane yet. And Dad is drenched with sweat. Like, look, he just came out of the shower. And I looked at him, I'm like, are you sure? We have, like, five days in this weather. Like, are you sure you're going to be okay? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like, all right.

So we go out, we go buy some booze, and we sell on the balcony, we had a good talk. And, you know, I just told him, you know, how scared I was. you know, from June 11th, what he did. He looked at me, he said, I won't never do it again. You know, my plans are trying to get, you know, back on, you know, get my feet on the ground and keep going. And, you know, I know I really embarrassed the LaBerge name, he said. And I just smiled and I said, no, you can never do that to us.

You mean a lot to us. That's why you need us around. Or we need you around. Yeah. And at that time, I believe, yeah, Allie, was just born. So, you know, I was telling you know, like Linnae and Ty are probably, well, they are at that time. Linnea just told us that Nash is going to be born. So I say, you know, you have another kid coming, our grandchild coming, so we need you around. And we polished off that whole 40. And by that time,

it's about 4 a.m. We have the sports, uh, management worldwide course I took. They have a conference next day, starts at 7 a.m. And we're going to bed at 4.30. And plus 4.4.5. And plus, from the day, the whole day of boozing on the plane and all that. So we're feeling pretty good. Woke up. It was about 6 o'clock. A little over at Dad. Dad is already ready.

He's showered. He's shaved everything. I looked at him and I'm like, holy crap, what you got like two hours of sleep? I didn't sleep at all, he said. I was on the balcony. I couldn't sleep.

I'm too excited. I just can't wait to get there. And I just heard a lot of good help. I just burst out laughing. See, I even got you a coffee. I'm like, oh, okay. So I went and showered. And he's knocking the door.

Before I can even hop in. the shower. You ready? I'm like, I just turned the shower on. Oh, yeah, yeah. No worries. No rush. My dad, it's 6 o'clock. The bus doesn't leave until 7. Oh, yeah, okay. Okay, well, I'll grab breakfast. I'm like, well, just wait. We'll go together. Oh, yeah, okay. So I get out of the shower. And oh, yeah, dad is like literally outside the bathroom door. I open the door. I just have my towel on. You ready? I'm like, no, I need to put my clothes on. Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay. Well, what do I wear? And I'm like, well, wherever you're wearing right now is it's fine. Oh, okay. So we get out, get in the elevator.

Now, you might have to help me with this. I can't think this is a brain fart here. The GM of the San Jose sharks. His, oh, man. Yeah. Who the hell? Doug Wilson? Doug Wilson.

Yes. He walks in the elevator. And Dad just looks at me, and I just burst out laughing because the same thing. That look on his face, like, wow. Because the hotel of Mom booked, that is right where the conference, It's where we're going. It's like literally maybe five minutes away, maybe 10. We could have walked there.

And so, yeah, the hotel we're saying that majority of all teams were staying there. So dad's looking at me and he's like, whispers like loudly. Say something. And I just like, hey, Doug, excited about the draft? Yeah. What are you guys here for? So I told him about the conference. Oh, yeah, I'm coming.

I'm going to come talk what you guys' name. So we introduce ourselves. And you go, dad. And then there's Brian Burke, Gary Bettman, you name it. They're all there. And then dad just like, his eyes just got wide open. And I started laughing. I was like, well, we let's go grab breakfast.

And then let's come out here and talk to him. So I go to Starbucks. And right in front of me is Craig Conroy. And he turns around as I'm a Calgary fan, turns around and hey, how's it going? I'm like, I'm good. How are you, Craig? You know, excited about the draft. Yeah, yeah, you bet.

And now you looked at him and I go, let me buy your coffee. No, I'll buy you guys coffee. I'm like, well, my dad has a drink coffee, but you have a hot chocolate. Okay. So we're, you know, we're bullshading and having a good time. And Craig's like, well, where are you guys staying? I'm like, well, we're staying at this hotel. Oh, where are you guys going?

I'm like, well, I have this sports management conference to go to. Oh, yeah, I heard about that. We have a guest, one of our, you know, staff members have, are going to be a guest speaker there. I'm like, oh, okay, well, that'd be cool. So anyways, we get on the bus. And we had to this conference. And the first person that went up there was Brian Burke. And I talked to, or I was in talks before with Brian.

So it was kind of cool because everyone I talked to that I met or took the course with, I was telling how I talked to Brian and you can tell everyone's kind of like, yeah, whatever, like this guy's lying. So the cool thing about it, when I was in the backer, I'm in a coffee, when they called up Brian Burke, the first thing he said, hey, Paul, how's it going? and everyone looked at me and was, you know, handing me their cards. And I'm like, I am honestly, I know, buddy. Like, I'm not going to help you get a sports job.

So don't be handing me your card, right? And Brian kind of laughed and went on there. And so he, you know, talked about it. And one thing that really hit home now when I look back at it, like Brian lost a son too to suicide. He was gay. And he does the, what's the one organization he does? You can play. so you know that going back you know it's home for me and uh so anyways we're you know we're

sitting there and finally at the end it's just it's getting to the point where we wish we would have planned our day oh better like you know see who's the guest speaker because some of them not saying they were horrible but it was just like you're sitting there and you're tired become long days yes and it's very uncomfortable sitting your seat so the the best thing after that in the afternoon was when kenny holland went up there And one of the fans will like to hear them, won't they? And I looked at dad and dad's like, are you going to go talk to him? And I was like, well, yeah, I'm going to try.

Because they didn't want you to interfere with these guys. So what I did is I got my business card ready and I tried to time it off because he knew when the mentor or the president of the sports management was up there, he's going to wrap it up. So I planned it that I was pretending going to the washroom. So I went to the washroom because everyone outside of the staff was watching me. James bonded. Yeah, I did. And I was pretend I was going to the washroom. And right when I came on the washroom, that's where the speaker exit out.

So right when I came out of the bathroom, Cannon was right there. So I went over there, give him my card, shook his hand. And that time, I had a profile online on sports management worldwide. And I was going to Pat Games and doing reports for the Pats, or not for the Pats, but at the Patt Games. So I gave him my card, told him to look at my reports. And he said, yeah, I'll give him. get right back to you never thought you ever would but a year later he did and he said uh i need you go to the moose draw game and gave me a report on point this is before he was drafted by

okay yeah or he maybe could no he before he got drafted and i said okay and so i went up there or i went up to the game i met with tim hunter and told him what i was doing i got information on point and all that, and then I put it on the profile. And then Tim Hunter came back and, you know, read my report, and then I was doing some other reports with Moose Jaw. And then, you know, that's kind of started my networking process from there. So then, so after that was done, me and dad, after Ken Holland, we looked at the rest of the list, and there was no one we knew.

So me and dad said, let's go, let's go grab a beer, let's come back, We'll grab our draft ticket and we'll head to the draft. And also, keep in mind, I have a Connor McDavid jersey in my bag, Erie Otter Jersey. And I brought a pen and I was on a mission. I was going to find this guy. I didn't care where I had to go. I was going to get this thing signed. So I went to the draft.

We did a full lap around the building. And dad was like, there he is. There's Connor. Go get him. So I went down there and immediately where he stops, right? right you can't talk to him you can't do anything people are in the back trying to take pictures of this guy and it was just like shit like I'm not going to get this signed like what am I going to do so the draft started and then after the about the first five picks we went

back we got a hot dog and more beers and all of a sudden I I could feel someone behind me trying to steal my beer and I looked behind me and it's Jeff O'Neill and I burst out laughing and Jeff's like, got to have a sip of your beer and a nicer laugh. I'm like, you could have it if you want. And so he drank some of my beer and I looked at Dad. That's like, now that's pretty cool.

And then he goes off to the panel. And so Dad kind of chuckled. And so draft was done. And the cool thing about, well, it was cool to see it, but it was not cool at the same time to witness it at the same time. We're on the bus.

A lot of kids didn't, who were expected to get dropped the first round, but didn't. You know, they're in tears, but it was kind of neat to see how the dad's reacted. There was two or three of them. We're on the phone with their agent, yelling at them, saying, you told us we're going to be in the first round. And the whole bus was silent, and it was just awkward. And I'm looking at dad. Dad just looking at the ground. We're not even making eye contact.

And Dad's just like, don't look at me. You're going to make me laugh. Don't look at me. So I'm looking at the front of the bus, and I'm thinking, like, well, this isn't. nuts. And dad said, well, it's too bad. You didn't get your jersey sign. And I said, well, the night's not over yet. We're going to run. There's going to be a draft party. There's going to be something. We're going to run into them somehow. You think? And I said, well, I'm going to make it happen. So kid you not, if you know me, I like to eat. So we had to go

grab something to eat before we went to bed. And of all places that we picked to go eat, that's where Connor McDavid is having his draft party. And I have no idea that. I had no sign or anything. I had no idea this was going on. And so my food came, and by the time you get your beer, you had to pound it back because it would turn warm. That's how warm it was in Florida at the time. So, you know, we were feeling pretty good.

We're getting lit up. And all of a sudden, I've seen this young guy wearing his older jersey and a bunch of media, huge family walking. And I looked at Dad, and I said, give me that Jersey now. And Dad has no idea what the hell's going on. I'm like, give me that F in Jersey now. So dad gave him the jersey, I go follow him. I follow him right to the bathroom.

And I'm yelling to him, Connor, Connor. And he looks back and he looks at me. He's like, oh. And then I wait outside the bathroom. I'm out there about 10, 15 minutes. The agent comes out, he's like, can I help you? And I'm like, all the thing I want is just an autograph. Oh, okay.

So he comes out and Connor is tired. And I'm like, I'm so sorry, Connor to do this. But I drove or flew all this way to get his jersey sign. Like, can I please have your arm? photograph yeah and i looked at the agent and i'm like long day he's like yeah long day and i'm like i'm really sorry but he's like no no it's all good so i come back and dad's look at me what's going on i'm like i got the jersey sign well dad got up high-fired me he's like okay let's go let's go back to hotel room like okay so we're on the way back to hotel room get in the elevator and

patrick wall comes in and he's hammered like absolutely hammered and he has this like cookie probably besides like a steering wheel comes in, stumbling in, and he looks at my dad, and he looks at me, and he just smiles, but he looks at the name tag and sees our last name, right? So he looks at me, he's like,

ah, Paul LeBerge, come on Francie, and I burst out laughing, and I was like, no, I don't speak French. Oh, and he looks at my dad. And he's like, hey, Marcel, on Francais? No, tabernac.

and we're looking at each other like shit what do we say right so Patrick walla leaves and I look at dad and we were like why didn't we ask them come have a drink with us he was already piled and I was like well of course we think about after the guy leaves right so anyways long story short I'll wrap this part up here with Florida trip another funny story and memory with dad so dad's at the pool and I'm inside trying to look for towels and I'm wearing my wet sandals and I'm trying to hurry to go back because we're having a good time. We're at the pool or you know or kind of our

last day and I grab these towels and I come around and I trip over my sandals and I go fly into this wall and I body check this poor guy and the only thing I can hear this guy say is I don't think I ever been hit that hard in my entire career

when I look down is Joe Sackett and I just burst out laughing and I was like I am so sorry and he's like no it looks like you're having a good time And I'm like, yeah, it's it for you though. And he kind of laughed and he's like, you know, why are you here? So I told my story. And he's like, you know, right on, good for you. And I shook my hand.

And I went out by the pool. And I said, you should have saw who I just saw. Martan Berger just walked by. And I started laughing. I was like, well, you should see what I just did inside. I just body checked Joe Sacket. What? Why would you do that?

I was like, well, I didn't meet to. I tripped over my sandals. I just like laid him out, like literally. And dad burst out laughing. He's like, well, what did he say? Well, that was the hardest hit he ever had in his whole career. So you got that cold career. So that, you know, burst out laughing.

So anyways, we go home and, you know, I'm telling mom, you know, I had this great time at this event and, you know, I'm in cloud nine. And also two days later, boom, back to where I was before on the couch. Depression, everything, anxiety, what am I going to do, blah, blah, blah, just panic mode. and so I'm talking to mom and mom's like I think you have you know really bad depression like and anxiety and I was like yeah I was scared you're going to say that and she said well you're going to have to go see a doctor so went and got some medication I was pissed right off so I didn't

want to do any I didn't want to take any medication like I was actually mad and I took it and I think about two or three months later I just stopped taking it and I think that's probably the worst thing I did because it even got worse. And I fought it. It was too stubborn to keep doing it, keep taking it. And this time, I was in really good shape, and then after that, I didn't even see a gym. And the only thing

was really helping me of my mental illness was scouting and coaching. I was coaching the Bantam Heat Team. Now they're the Bobcats. That's right. And that's the only thing was really keeping me going. It was because I got really close with the boys. And a lot

of them, I still keep in touch. And one of them, he's pretty much like a little brother to me. I still talk to him. I probably talk to them every second week or, you know, here and there. And so that helped. But when the hockey season was done, things got even worse and got worse from my dad as well. So as days went on, and it just seems like the rotation was hockey season and then also in summer. And then when summer came around, my good buddies, Dave and Darren would come home until summer, you know, my mood kind of.

and then when they went back to hockey my mood this even went even lower and that's when i noticed my dad was even getting worse too some days i would get so frustrated i could even be around him just as just how he was acting and then and then there's some days like he was just extremely happy and then he's like he knew what he's going to do and he's going to go do it and then turn out didn't work out so it was just like at that time you didn't know what the hell is going to happen And, you know, he was... So were you just worried then about Mars? Yeah, I think it was that.

And I also was worried about what I'm going to do. And what you're going to do. Yeah. And in that time, I really wanted to be there for my dad. And I was hoping I could maybe pick him up a little bit and get him back going. We had so many arguments at night. And, you know, I was just trying to challenge him and do more. And he was getting mad at me.

He's like, you know, you're not supposed to talk to me. You're my son. and I just smiled and I said yeah but we're also best buddies so I'm talking to you as a friend I'm not talking to as father and son and dad kind of his eyes got big and he's like okay well this is what's been going on and then in July so a short story I think what happened with depression anxiety dad was getting investigated at the time with Husky so July 29th came it was blasted on the

news everywhere I just had a great day at the lake with my buddies, came home, noticed my truck window was a little bit open, came into the house, and Desire's in tears. And I didn't know what the hell was going on. I was like, what happened? And she's like, look, and she passed me at the warrant. The cops came to the house, looked, like searched the whole house,

made Desire leave. And all of a sudden, you guys were at Kobe's wedding. And dad came back. And so he had to tell us what happened. And that was probably the toughest moment besides his funeral I had to deal with. Dad was ball in his eyes. I was trying to tell us what he did. So at that time, I wasn't even, I didn't even know what to do.

I couldn't even look at him. I was pissed off. I was worried then what the hell is going to happen, right? so every other job that applied it got flagged and because husky just said we're never going to allow them to work for us again so it was you know if you if you know lloyd pretty well you know husky's pretty big it's a big chunk of yeah so that you know ate them up pretty good um you know years pass on um um Um, I, uh, same thing. Still try to get him going.

And finally I got him an idea what he can, can do. And I said, you know what? You have the personality and you have that attitude like I don't care kind of attitude, like that F you kind of attitude. I'll do what I want. I'm like, I really think you'd be good as a safety guy. You think? I think you will.

Okay. So he took the courses. He was enjoying it. It was probably the happiest I ever seen him. And he came home. He's like, I got an interview tomorrow. And I looked at him like, are you serious? He's like, yeah.

I was like, wow. I'm like, great. So he went upstairs, got all dressed up for his first day, went. And I never, it was around 11 o'clock. I was helping mom make lunch, you know, for dad's big day and we're all happy. And mom was like, I'm so happy. This is, you know, he finally found a job. Like, I know, right?

Dad came home and looked at his dad. dog just died and comes around the corner. I'm like, hey, like, what's wrong? Like, how was your first day going? I just got fired. And me and I'm kind of laughed through. What do you mean? You just got, I just got fired. And we kind of paused and I'm like, what? He's like, yeah. He's like, I filled out all the paperwork and then all of a sudden Husky got red, I got right flag and they had to let me go. And I was holy shit. And this was like, probably around this time it was you know around August 14th 15th of 2018 and I looked at mom and I was just like oh what the hell is like now what she's got I don't know so

him and mom talked and talked and talked and then so mom went to sastatoon and she just kind of need some time you know the for herself and going with my auntie and so at this time the chuck wagons were going on and uh and the cabaret was on that night and i was hung over for the night before from the chuck wagons and uh i'm sitting on the coach and i can tell dad is just like down like just down and i'm like i'm not going anywhere i'm staying here and dad looked at me and he's like i don't know what else to do paul and i said it'll work out dad it's saturday relax joy the week we'll figure out on Monday.

And he looked at me, he's like, I just don't know what else to do. And I said, well, something will come up. And I said, usually the most difficult path turns out to be the best at the end. And I think it's just got to stick in there. I just don't know how much more I can take, he said. And I said, okay, well, we can sit here or talk. And he said, no, I know there's a dance tonight. I want you to go to it because it would honestly bother me if you stay here.

And I said, well, okay. And I said, I kind of want to hang out with you tonight. No, I need to be by myself. And he literally refused to hang. He's like, no, like, you got to go. Okay. So I pick up my buddy and Devin. And we grabbed some beers and we went to 7-Eleven.

So Devin will grab some smokes. Devin comes back. I looked at Devin and I said, something doesn't seem right. Like, I got to go home. And he said, well, why, man? And I said, come on, let's go out. Let's have, you know, and I'm trying to kind of give him not the full story. Yeah, kind of beating around the bush a little bit because I'm not sure we're, like, if I should say anything or if I'm going to bring down the mood for the night, you know, kind of thing.

So I wasn't really sure. I was kind of sugarcoat and everything. So then looked at me, he's like, Paul, we're going to go out tonight and we're going to have a blast and we're going to have fun. Okay. And he said, we're both single guys. We're going to go out and we're going to try to find a girl. I'm like, perfect. I'm like, sounds good.

So we went out, we had a few drinks. Sure enough, you know, we found ourselves some ladies. We had a good time. And I had a great night, woke up, went to the bald diamonds, hung out there. And, you know, ended up getting day drunk. And Sunday afternoon, having a great time. And just starting to, at this time, I can honestly feel, I'm starting to feel about, like who I used to be.

And everything is just going great. Like I'm seeing old friends and it just felt like a high school reunion almost. And part of the kids younger me, but I didn't really care. I just fit right in. I was having a great time. I actually wanted a little story here. We had these green tickets. So you'd buy them and you can go get beer or whatever you want.

But I also had money underneath those green tickets. So these girls came by, pick up our bottles. And I went to give them the green tickets. ticket so they can go get some candy not knowing i give them the two 40 or two 20 dollars i had in my pocket and also these girls are picking up every can that's dropped hanging out with us all afternoon and we're like why are these kids not leaving us and all a sudden we need some money we go get more tickets for everyone i'll go yeah i'll pitch in i go in my pocket and i only have about six seven tickets left no money and i'm like

i look to everyone but i know why these girls are hanging out i gave them all my money So I'll get my tickets. I'm like, I don't have nothing. I'm sorry, guys. Like, go get more beer. So anyways, around 6, 7 o'clock, I get a text from mom. I haven't heard from dad. And dad was supposed to go back and finish his course off on Monday.

I was like, ah, you know what? He probably went to Emmington, Mom. Like, don't think about it. Like, he's just went to, he's trying to study. He's trying to focus. Don't worry about it. Okay. So anyways,

um, slept over at a friend. house, woke up, and I said, you know what? I got to get going. My brother lives around the corner. And it's like, okay. So I went to Ty's house, call a cab, and my vehicle's at the Lori Craven, so I took Mom's vehicle. And that night, at midnight, I knew, I lost my dad, I knew. I woke up, I went out of a cigarette, and I was coming back, and I saw the reflection of myself in the window of the door. And I looked at myself, and I said, real loud, I'm like, you lost your dad. And I just knew. That second I knew. So I couldn't sleep. I was sweating. I had a headache.

And yeah, it was just an awful feeling. I just knew I lost my dad. But second I guess of myself, maybe, you know, maybe he might be somewhere else. So first place I looked was the storage unit he was looking after. Looked everywhere in the yard, looked in the shed, everywhere, not there and it just came to me I'm like I have to go to the one place and uh how harm was not

it was probably the toughest thing I ever had to face in my life because I just I knew that he was gone and right when I went over the railway tracks I honestly you know when you go to really kind of feel the tires vibrate

it felt like my heart was vibrating my chest and I could even move my hands were like so sweaty that the steering wheel was literally was wet and i'm not kidding it only it looked like you took a wipe on it that's all sweaty my hands were um my palms were sweaty my shirt was drenched i i didn't know what to do i came around the corner the truck was right there um in front the house because the first time he parked in the back and we couldn't find it so at this point when i saw that truck i knew that what was what happened i knew he

I knew he wanted us to find the truck. So I pulled up and I looked at the window and I just saw the back. So I thought he was still there. And then I like nailed on the window, try to scare him and and everything. I won't say what I saw, but he took his light. And at that moment, I didn't know what to do. I had mom texting me. So I called her.

I had to tell her what happened. And so mom said, Paul, you have to call to police. for the next month the only thing I dreamt about I had nightmares of what I saw and sirens in my head and cops ask me over and over and over again of what happened after

I honestly don't know if I even told them but in my head I thought I literally told him about eight or nine times I don't know if I only told him half the story but at one point that really got me upset is when the cop asked me look well how you knew to find him here Like the way he was coming off is like, do you have something to do with this?

So at that time, I was raging. I looked at him and I said, are you kidding me? And then so the cop left and all of a sudden this neighbor cross street comes and she's like, I think I have the right to know what's going on. And I won't say word for what I said, but I pretty much gave her directions where to go. And then also I looked over, Laura and Doug Quest were there really good family friends. And I looked at them and Doug said, you don't need to be put up with this shit. I'm taking you out of here.

And I said, I need to call Des because Des was pregnant at the time. And that's my next worry. I'm like, how am I going to tell Des. So the cops are like, oh, well, we're not quite done. Doug's like, well, I say we are. And you can bring them back later. Oh, okay. So I'll go back to the house and Mama recalled Des.

And so, yeah, we had to deal with all that. and then you know the funeral um it might sound crazy but actually right after the funeral that's when i decided i have to do something um with mental illness i didn't know it was going to be the walk but it had to be something for the listeners he's pointing at his hat yeah that i complimented him on when he first walked in so i i i just knew i to do something and so for the listeners um not to interrupt because I mean that's a lot man yeah I appreciate you coming on here and talking about it it takes a lot of

takes big donuts come on and talk about what you just talked about let's talk about what you're about to do this coming week or yeah on August 26 right yeah where or yeah where did the idea come from the walk from Saskatoon and Lloyd maybe you could just tell the listeners what you're about to your journey you're about to do yeah um yeah i'm i'm going to be walking from sastun to lloydminster it's going to be about two two hundred seventy nine kilometer walk yeah over a six day period yeah um average about 45 kilometers a day 12 hours hopefully a day yeah um the idea it came from is actually from uh an ms event my dad and my brother did but they rode on bikes

um from leoval to chittick saskatchewan um not as crazy as is my walk, but it came from that idea because there was people on the highway coming in and trying to be involved with it. And I just remember, like, I was a little kid. I had no idea what MS was, and then I lost the ante to MS. So thinking, you know, if I was five years old and that's how I learned MS, I should almost do something like this for younger kids to understand why I'm doing this walk. Or, yeah, at the time, I didn't know what the hell. I was going to do it. To be honest,

the first idea I came to my head was I was going to walk from B.C. to Lloyd. And I told Tori and Dave Dersinski, and they both burst out laughing. He's like, well, I think you should hit the brakes here. Like, this is going to take about two or three months to do.

And I was like, yeah, maybe, I'm like, well, I'm walking somewhere. I don't know where, but I'm doing this walk.

I don't care where it is. I'm doing this. So I'm okay. What's a shortened distance? Well, came up with SAS tune. Why SAS tune? When we're growing up,

Auntie Lee and Uncle John, were like our second grandparents second parents you name it they were always there at every hockey game every dance for des you name it they made sure they were there so sassatoon and my mom or my auntie and my dad were very very close if you didn't know my mom very well you would have thought my dad and my auntie lee were related but they weren't that's just how close they were so that's why i picked sastune yeah and the walk i don't know I just said, you know what? I think it's going to be, I think it's going to be awesome for you, to be honest.

Yeah. I think it's going to be a good healing process. Yeah, well, and it's going to teach you, you know, it's a long way to go, right? We were saying before we met, right? McDonald's, yeah. I mean, you put your body, I mean, it's not like you're running it as fast you can, but when was the last time you walked 40-some can today? I challenged any listener when last time they walked 10 can a day, right?

And now you're going to do that six days in a row. your body's going to be tired. Tired, but it's going to be a good tired. Yeah. And it'll be something to put your hat on at the end of this. Yeah. Now, for all the listeners that are sitting there going, holy crap, what did I just stumble upon it

and realize this was going to, you know, this is going to happen on the podcast? How can they help you out here? Is there anything you're looking for if they want to donate money because you're, you know, you're going to have people listening down in the States, maybe, maybe across Canada, all over the different place.

If they want to look this up, it's called, let's walk, the talk the talk is it just Facebook do they just look it up

is there a way to donate is there a way to reach out yeah maybe you can give them a little bit of information

yeah for sure so if you go to the minister regional health foundation website you go to

third parties and then you go to let's walk the talk and right on there I'll show you where you

can donate how much click it's a credit card you got to use okay and yeah

you donate money or if you want to do a sound auction How do you do that?

You can email me at LWTT19 at jmail.com. Okay. Drop the item off at Abbey Road, the flower shop. And yeah, give us, well, we can take the picture, but give us the value price, and we'll post it on the auction. And what is your auction saying? I don't know what the link is at the moment.

Okay. But it goes live. I tell you what, for all the listeners, once the link goes, live just search the Sean Newman podcast Facebook Twitter Instagram and I'll make sure the link is there and you can look it up and follow it from there yeah

that'd be great it goes live from the 26 and it'll end the last day of the walk to the 31st awesome yeah well I really enjoyed having you on and I already told you and for the listeners listening to us going well get him to tell a little bit more what we're going to do is we're going to have him back on after he finishes the walk to talk

about the experience maybe the journey a little bit how hard it was to six days in a row, maybe how much you raise, that kind of thing. Yeah. But I just want to say it again. Thanks again for stopping over

and sharing your story with us. Yeah. That's pretty, well, that's pretty raw, man. Yeah, it's very raw. And, well, thank you for having me.

I just also want to put in. We are having a stake fundraiser at the brewer else in the 31st. If you want to buy a ticket, contact the goat, go to Abbey Road, grab a ticket, or even visit our Facebook page and contact us and $25 a ticket.

Awesome. Yeah. Not really cool, Paul. Well, best of luck on your walk. I know I'm probably hanging out with you for day three. Day three, yes. That's right. Okay.

Well, thanks guys. Thanks, Paul. Yeah, no, thank you guys. Yeah. Thank you, Sean. Thanks again to Paul for hopping on a podcast and talking about some real stuff going on in the world. That takes a lot of guts to, you know,

as a young guy to come on and talk about losing his dad and the things that he's going through. If you're looking to follow along with Paul, he is walking August 26 to 31st from Saskatoon to Lloyd Minster. You can find all the information on his Facebook page. Let's Walk the Talk or they're on Instagram as well. And the Sean Newman podcast, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook will be pulling. posting along as well trying to share his message and get him any you know any followers or help that uh wants to find them kind of thing next up is sidney spithe and i introduced her before but essentially she's a division one hockey player former division one hockey player and she uh

was one of the first red bull crashed ice ladies she's got a really cool story so uh enjoy guys without further ado a little bit nervous very actually There's nothing to worry about. First off, how are you feeling? You are the second pregnant lady I've had on here, so you're getting very, very close to popping your first kid out. I am, but luckily, I feel good. I've had a relatively easy pregnancy so far compared to some of the stories I've heard.

While you look kid. Thank you. I was curious. You are the first American I've ever had, first female hockey player I've ever had. Yes, those two. You're a couple of first. And so we're going to go down the road of,

I'm curious on the differences between the states and Canada on where programs are at, and if you have any thoughts on that. But I'd like to go first and foremost back to how you got your start in hockey. You played Division I, and I think a lot of people who would listen would like to know how you got your start and maybe just what you had to maybe go through

when you were starting hockey. And you're in Minnesota here, like what it was like growing up as a female hockey player. Yeah, so for me, being from Minnesota, very fortunate, female hockey is a lot bigger here than it is in any other state. But growing up, I had a brother really close in age to me. So it was one of those things, anything he could do, I could do better. So when he started playing hockey, I went to the rink a few times and I wanted to play hockey. And then I got into it that way. How much older is your brother?

He's only a year older than me,ish, year-ish, yeah, older than me, so we're very close in age. Yeah. Yep, and then getting into it, played a little bit of boys, not for any season or anything like that, because I was young enough where I had girls hockey, what, fourth grade, I think. What age did you start playing on? Team sports was fourth. I skated, you know, at the park and everything like that, before that, third or fourth grade. Grade four?

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yep. We're laughing because she's going to say the American version of fourth grade, and I'm going to keep saying grade four, I'm sure. So did you start skating when you were, like, what age did you start skating at then? You know, I don't know the first time I ever put skates on, but it was younger, right?

Like, we had a park down the road that was flooded every winter, so you'd just go down and you'd throw on skates and mess around for a while. How old's grade four? What is that? Nine? Eight? I don't even know. Yeah.

Yeah, like nine, eight or nine, yeah. That's about when I started. But that's like team sports. So you were skating before that? You never were on teams before grade four? Not hockey teams, no. Were your brothers? Yeah, yeah, my brother was.

So what changed at grade four then, fourth grade? Well, instead of going to watch, I'd rather go play them, right? So then I wanted to participate more. I played other sports too, though, growing up, like gymnastics and softball when I was younger. Okay, yeah. And so I was in those for a bit. And then at one point, Mom said, you got to decide because she didn't want to drive me everywhere anymore. So then just went all for hockey.

So then you join a boys team at that time, or do you go right in all girls? I did some boys in the summer, but then for team stuff, it was all girls for me. No, that's not everybody. Some girls will play boys when they younger, but for me, I had the opportunity in my hometown to play for the girls, so I did. And your hometown is Pryor Lake, correct? Correct. How big is Pryor Lake? Oh, now you're going to ask me a question about my home.

I don't know the number, but it's getting bigger now. It's become more of a desirable area to live these days. You have to take it with a grain of salt for me. I come from a hometown of like a hamlet. Like it doesn't even register on the map. That's how small it is, right? And then Lloydminster is about 30,000. So for people back in Saskatchewan and Alberta, are we talking 50,000?

Are we talking 25,000, give or take? I don't know, Sean. I'd have to look it up. It's not 50,000 though. Oh, okay. Yeah, it's small. It's like, I don't know, maybe 20 now, more. I don't know.

I could be lying to you. Oh, okay. No, for some reason, I thought it was bigger than that. Hmm. No, I don't really have a good gauge at how big it is compared. Probably not my forte. You got a phone quick? Now I'm curious.

You got me, you got me, uh, I had, I thought Prior Lake was a bigger center, but obviously I'm the one mistaken. Yeah, it says 26,4001. Oh, crap. It's like the size of Lloyd then. Yeah. Lloyd, we're on from is relatively 30,000, give or take. I wonder if this is accurate, yeah.

Oh, cool. Okay. So, sorry, I keep getting you off here. You keep spurring on different questions in my brain. So in grade four, then you start playing girls hockey? Yep, organized. And then is it, like, how far do you have to travel to go to games, that kind of thing? Yeah, again, where we are, there's almost rank in every town, so I didn't have to travel that far to play.

Some summers, I know for your tournament play, you go out of town, those were always fun trips. And then I joined a team, I think, in high school for summer one, and we did a lot of things out of Somerset, Wisconsin. So there was that driving to there. That was probably some of the furthest, but Blaine, in the super rink, that was a big spot to drive to in the summertime. How many rinks in the super rink? At the time, there were only four. Now there's eight, eight rinks.

Frigg. That's a lot of hockey going on. Yeah. So did you play summer hockey then, too, or in the summers you were off? I played in the summers, that was my more competitive hockey, I would say. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah, summer league.

Okay. So here's a question that. gets asked or I ask a lot of the specific hockey players that come on. Actually, I pretty much ask everybody of it now is a big discussion back home right now is the all year-round athlete and the dual athlete. The one pushing kids to either just train a single sport year-round or letting them explore different sports and what the pros and cons are of it. If you were advocating for one or your own experience, would you want to play hockey year-round or would you you suggest trying and dabbling in different things? I would absolutely not suggest playing one sport

all year round. I'm a big advocate of being an athlete, an all-around athlete. So play as many sports as you want. At some point, you do have to get more specialized right as you get up. But as you get, when you're young, just body awareness, playing strategy. It comes from all sports. So I encourage playing multiple sports. Figure out what you like, what you don't like, right? I think if you play one sport all your life, you're going to one probably have injuries down the road from just overuseage, right? Not building the rest of your body up. But then also being in other sports, it teaches you so much more that you can apply to your main sport if you want. And it's fun. Like if you have to be in a ring 24-7, you might grow to

hate it, right? What other sports did you say you played growing up? I played. I played. I was in gymnastics and I played softball. I played basketball for a little bit, but my dad was my coach and he benched me, so that ended real quick. That did end real quick. Why was he benching you? I probably wasn't that good. I'd be honest, not a basketball. Never played soccer, though, never got into it. That's pretty much the only one. Why did lacrosse draw in? Because you said you played lacrosse in your high school years. I did. I picked it up because some of my friends in hockey, They were playing it in high school. I'm like, do you want to come play?

And I was sure. And then I got hooked on it. It was kind of fun. I would have liked to play it maybe in college if I had the chance. Was it a tough adjustment? I've only, I can't say I've played lacrosse because I have not played lacrosse. I've only used the sticks a few times to throw the ball back and forth. And it's a very unique skill set, I would say.

Was it like a hard adjustment going from hockey into that? Well, it was because I'd never cradling the ball. ball right I've never done it before yep but uh guys and girls are very different if you ever watch them the sport is like complete opposite oh so guys is very rough tough you know hitting checking all that girls it's like you have this sphere and if somebody enters your sphere it's a penalty whistle and end of play you move x-mound meters back and then whistle continue to play really yeah oh god I thought for sure when I saw you played the cross I'm like I bet you said it was whacking and hacking no no not like

even a lot. Why is that? I don't know. Guys, girls, sports, if, yeah. Well, I know there's no hitting in women's hockey, right? But I've always heard women's hockey is pretty rough. Yeah, you can get, I mean, we can't full on check. You can if you want a penalty, but there's ways you can still body people on the ice. Yeah. So why do you think they don't put checking in, or body contact in women's sports? That's a great question, Sean. Because now, Now they're trying to pull it out of men's sports, right? Well, in Canada, I can't speak for Minnesota. I don't know how it's going here.

Do you know when boys get checking here in hockey? Well, they're pushing the bat back further and further, aren't they? So isn't it like Bantam now? Yeah, it's Bantam in Canada now too for most of Canada. Yeah. So why not then just do that in women's hockey? I don't know. Did you ever...

Did you ever just want checking in? I don't know. I'm assuming women were one checking in hockey. hockey? Yeah, there's, you know, there's pointing times where you definitely want it, but you get so used to just playing the way you do. Sometimes if you watch it, you know, the girls, there's a little bit more, I don't know if you want to call it finesse, but a little bit of that in the play, as opposed to guys. And I think we learn that because we can't check sometimes, you know, but for sure it would be fun to have checking and girls hockey. I don't think you'd talk to too many who'd be like, no,

or maybe you would, but. Well, it changes the game. It definitely changes the game, right? but it's a curious now you're, well, that lacrosse, you can't even go in the sphere as you call it. And in women's hockey you can't. I mean, you can and you can't, but it's not full-on contact. And I wonder if that's, well, I don't know why.

I'm curious. I'm like, why is that? Yeah, I don't know. I've never played with it though, so I guess you don't know what you're missing in that aspect. But the further you go up, the tougher and the more, contact there are in the games for sure it's not just you know barely touching people you

watch some of those groups watch some of the games in the olympics canada raced usa there's some big big body contact happening uh what was playing in prior lake like you'd played your high school hockey there yeah it was uh it was fun right you sometimes um growing up playing hockey you have opportunities maybe go play for another school. You'll hear of kids, you know, go to these private schools or something like that. And my dad is from Pirate Lake, his family grew up there and everything. So it was something that we were never going to play for another school. It was just always your community that you're in.

And that was kind of fun to be a part of a community like that. So in a high school, you guys, I think I wrote down eighth grade, right? You started in eighth grade? Yeah. It was a little, so I went to a Catholic school, kindergarten through eight, and then 9 through 12. Okay, yeah, 9 through 12, yeah. But because of the hours of the school, I made it in seventh grade, but was unable to play

because I would have to miss a bunch of school. What did you make? I made the high school team, the varsity team. In seventh grade? Yes. Playing with grade 12s? Yes. But you have to think going back then, too, it's not like we had this huge talent pool to draw from.

Still, you'd be, like, that's like 12 years old, 13 years old? Yeah. Playing against 17-year-olds? Yeah. That's still impressive. Talent pool or not, because you're going to have to go play other talents that are going to have 17, 16, 15, all these older girls in you. Oh, yeah. Yeah, and it's a different dynamic when you're that old in the locker room.

with some seniors too, right? That's a different experience. It's kind of fun, but... What do you remember from back then? The girls were good. They were really fun. They would give you hard time, make jokes that you didn't quite understand,

but you still laughed at. But nothing that really sticks out. Sometimes we do the team parties, and those are always funny. I was never, I was the innocent one hanging out on the couch while everyone else was probably having a good time. That's just what it was. Did, for varsity, they had trials in, obviously?

Yes. Did you have, like, conditioning camps or summer camps or anything like that you did in order to train for that? Now you got me thinking. I think that sometimes they did. We did captains practices, obviously leading up to season. But I don't know if we did any training camps per se at the time. You mean, like, in preparation for trials? Yeah.

Yeah, I don't think we did. I don't think we're at that level. it's such a contrast coming from like Canada and just being on the guy's side of it right like by the time you hit high school you've already been probably to

while in 15 year off to you can be to WHL camps junior A camps or all these just different camps or trials or conditioning camps all these things in preparation for the upcoming season and trials and everything like that and I don't know how it is in the in the states because I know you guys got for men you have some junior leagues and that kind of thing

but for girls you just there's not too many opportunities like that no they're not really especially in Minnesota that we just have you know the progression you have your youth then you have your high school and then college essentially and I guess now you know professionally if that continues which hopefully it does like it it should You know, if you can get the right places going on, it doesn't have to be a 40-team league for it to be a success. Yep. You just got to get the right ones going, and, I don't know, it's tough.

NHL is just such a juggernaut where we come from. It's hard to have anything else. And yet, if you build it the right way, people will come. They always do. For sure. So what was, I'm curious, I never got to play high. school hockey. So high school hockey is always intrigued me. I've always wished like Lloyd had high school hockey. What was it like, so your first year you sued up for the varsity team that is grade eight?

Correct. Yep. What was it like your first game like? Or was it, was it that big a deal to you back then? No, it was a big deal. It was fun because you never did the national anthem before. Now you're on the blue line doing the national anthem for your game. So now you feel big time, right? So that was fun. I don't know how now, but I was probably pretty nervous. I had to be. There's no way I wasn't nervous as an eighth grader. Were you just, were you playing a regular shift as an eighth grader? I don't think so. I probably got in the mix, but I wasn't on power play or anything like that to start off. Not that I can remember. I always remember like my first games at different levels and it's just like, don't make a mistake. Don't make a mistake.

Just pick your guy up, make the first pass, get off the ice. I don't know. Eighth grade was a long time ago, Sean. Okay, well, 12th. Well, yeah, I'm digging back in your memories, that's for sure. I'm just curious what stuck out to you then in your time in high school. Because, I mean, that's a few years of your life back then, playing for your high school, which would have been, I assume, you would have got decent if you're the only high school in your town,

or your only Catholic high school. There have been a rival team in Prior League? My high school wasn't Catholic. It was just regular public school, but we did have, we have towns so close to us that we do have natural rivals anyways. The big one was Shokopi for us growing up.

And they're just the town right next door. So those were big rivals. And it was fun because if girls obviously wouldn't get a ton of fans, you got your friends and your families in the stands. But if we would play like Shokopipi, and sometimes they would do the boys and the girls, well then some people might come in early. or hang out later and watch a game, that's fun.

Oh, well, and there's a curious question. What was the biggest crowd you ever got in front of that plan? In high school? No, and just in general. Oh. Is there one that sticks out? No, there isn't. I don't know if playing-wise that we got a bunch of fans in any of our,

I mean, sometimes at college we would have like special nights and the fans are, Our fans in college, like the diehards, they were pretty fun. Yeah. So we would get a packed house kind of night a couple times a year. Those were fun. You get a lot of people fill the barn. Yeah. What's the best rink you ever played in?

Ooh, the best rink I've ever played in. That's a good question. I don't know if I know the answer to that one. Do you have a favorite? You're taught? Whoa. It's a favorite, and I don't like talking about it because we got absolutely shelled there. but Adrian and Michigan in college,

they had like, it felt like a Division 1 rank because I played Division 3, so we didn't get, we had some nice ranks, but they had a nice rank. They packed it. And I always love fan interaction. I always said, I still say, I go play where you get a full barn every night. I don't care how tough that is or hard they are on a team.

Like it's way better when there's people watching. And in Adrian, we got shelled, but I remember they had two guys come back from Division I were playing with them and one of the guys' last names was Kruger and so there was a sign when we rolled in it was my freshman year and it said Kruger's gonna haunt your dreams, Newman

and I remember skating by that and looking and being like that's kind of cool right that sticks out in my mind it was a gorgeous rink, it was a gorgeous facility and then of course they sheled us MSOE in college. They had the Milwaukee School Engineering. They had the pirate ships. Every time they scored, they'd shoot T-shirts over the top of the ice. That was pretty cool. That's something you can't soon forget. Yeah. It was a little different. So I played out east, and some of those ranks are a little bit older. You walk in, and there's a little bit more history, you know,

behind some of them. But we came out and played Wisconsin and theirs, and that obviously is like a top-notch facility, so that's fun in and of itself. And then playing up at the Ralph in North Dakota. Yeah. That one's, you know, in a league of its own. Yeah. So that's nice. That was a fun one.

Yeah. Yeah, for me, yeah. I think the memories that stick out for me on rinks have always been, like, skated at some cool, beautiful facilities. But I always liked the, we played River Falls, and they were tailgating before we came, and they had a lumberjack mannequin, chained up and had labeled it a whatever in Northland college lumberjack or whatever

drinking and stuff like that I always liked the building is one thing the atmosphere is another yeah and uh well you got to play in some you know you you uh glazed over a little bit of it but you got to play in some like pretty spectacular barns though right like the harvards of the world like that's got to be something yeah we had some memorable we had a well at least one very good memorable game at the harvard rink and then And then some funny ones too. Like, have you seen Quinnipiac's rink before up on the hill there? They've got these, like, beautiful glass all over the place,

and our coach had those transition glasses. So he would start with glasses, and then as the game went on, if you looked at him, he was sitting there, and they turned on him, so he's sitting there, and the thing coaching him with sunglasses. That was pretty funny. We would always wait for that every time we played there, see what time they'd turn.

That's pretty funny. Take bets on it. Yeah. We had hot dogs running out of our backup goal at time when we were at Harvard, too. Hot dogs. Yeah. She was sitting there opening the door and somebody who started checking hot dogs at her. So those are what the memories are awake, what make the rings at the end of the day, I think.

Speaking of going to college, I was curious. How did you get scouted out of high school? Or was that, as you talk about it? there was youth, high school, college. So there's nothing in between there. So did you go to camps or it was just strictly on interleague play for high school teams and you get scouted from there and talk to teams? Yeah, like I mentioned a little bit before, but so you play for your community and there

you get what you get, right? It's not bad or whatever, but that's all the talent you get and that's as competitive as going to be. But then in the summer we would get, you know, traveling teams, triple A teams. And so they would enter in terms. tournaments and then you'd really get competitive play that way. So my summers were much more competitive than my high school season was. And actually I had a, where was it? Up in Winnipeg maybe. Oh, okay.

That went up in Winnipeg. That went really well for me and that's actually where one of the college coaches told me that they had seen me and then contacted me after that. So that was during the summer like a Labor Day tournament or a Memorial Day tournament or something like that. Oh man, you did a lot of playing then A lot of traveling Well Were there Are there, I assume there was tryouts for the summer teams Yes, yep, there were tryouts

But it's funny because Girls Hockey Minnesota is so I don't want to say Well, kind of like clicky, right? So you know back then like Oh, she's a let's say for example An Ice Cat and oh she plays for Walzer And you know like you knew the teams and organizations

that the girls played for. So you had an idea going into the summer who was going to play for what and you still kind of do today. Like it's just such a small world, you know? I'm having vivid flashbacks to the Mighty Ducks. Yeah. Yeah.

They have the town line and he can't go across. Yeah. But this was you could play anywhere, right? So there was no. There was no boundaries. No. Nope. We had girls from Wisconsin on our team.

Yeah. It was just you put a team together and that's what it was for the summer. No kidding. And then we're all digital. you go for tournaments? Like, I mean, obviously you mentioned Winnipeg, but how, what was your farthest tournament you went to? The furthest, I think my dad drove us to was Mercyhurst. I drove out east once. In Vermont? In Vermont? Jeez, that'd be a haul. Yeah. It was fun,

though, right? Like, that was a good time. You wouldn't take a bus? Some people took vans out there. Sometimes if you couldn't, you know, make that, then your parents would drive you or you get out there however you could. I think it was my dad took me and maybe one more player brought us out there. Yeah. Yeah. Growing up, did you guys take buses everywhere? Like high school hockey, was that buses everywhere? Did you even need to around here? High school, we took the cheese wagon everywhere. The cheese wagon? Yeah. The school bus? Yeah. Yeah. Luxurious. Did you not? Oh, you said you didn't play high school hockey? No, so we

don't have so Ontario still has high school hockey, although I believe it's kind of dying out. We have, we just call it minor hockey, so you have for your youth years, you have, now I'm going to butcher the names because they keep changing

them, but when I was a kid it was Tom, Thumb, novice, Adam, Peeley, Bannum, Midget. Midget is your high school years, Bannum is your grade eight, nine years. And then in Canada and Bannum, you have the Bannam draft or you can get selected to go to the WHL, which is the Western Hockey League for my area. And as soon as you hit, honestly, like, Adam, they start tearing.

So in Adam, you have the different tiers. But I believe it is Peewee. If you play on a rep team or Pee-E AAA now, then you're taking a bus every weekend. And from that point on, if you're playing a team, if you're playing a team, you're playing a football A now, then you're taking a bus every weekend. And from that point on, you, if you're playing. if you're playing that level of hockey, PUE, up until you pretty much done, you're always on a bus. Yeah. Whether it's a school bus, but more than likely it's a charter bus.

Is it? Yeah. But back home, like, where I'm from, we're unique because Lloyd is in that AAA league, you've got to be almost like an hour and a half, I bet, is your closest game. And after that, it just gets worse. Really? See, we were fortunate. You could throw a rock and just about hit a rink from where we were. You could have like the dinas, Shocopi, Farmington, Lakeville.

Like those are just within, you know, 20-minute drive. Yeah. So school bus was no big deal. Heck, a bus isn't even needed pretty much because you could just hop in a vehicle and be right there. Yeah. Yeah. Whereas back home, that's what, Canada, like, we're just so separate, right? We don't have a big city after big city, which Lloyd is a 30,000 population town,

and the next closest big center like that are the two cities, and that's Hamilton, Saskatoon, they're both over two hours away. Wow. I mean, you can kind of go a little bit closer, like cameras and stuff like that, but that's still like, you're still talking at least an hour, an hour and a half kind of thing. So it's just a little different playing minor hockey. I like the cheese wagon. That's, I can't say that's been uttered.

on the podcast before. Is that a new one for you? It kind of is, yeah. Really? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it makes sense, but I guess I just didn't ride the bus enough to understand that it was called the cheese wagon. Yep.

Yep, and if you're lucky, you got the trailer, so you didn't have to haul everything in and out of the back of the bus. But it wasn't always a guarantee. So what was it like getting a phone call or an email or however they contacted you for RPI? I? Wow. I don't remember how we first got contacted if they called my dad. It was exciting. Definitely. I was a little bit late commitment, a little bit late of a committer as far as getting going with colleges. But I was originally always wanted to just stay in the Midwest, right? Like playing for the golfers. Like when I was that young, like everybody wanted to play for them, right?

And so then there were the other ones saying cloud was still around here and, you know, Mankato and all that. So we had options here and I always thought it would be fun, again, coming from a community, playing in front of a community, right, that you knew. So out east, I never really had any interest of exploring or searching. And then after being approached by them and, you know, talking to them and then they, you know, you fly out and you go visit and they treat you nice and show you everything. hook line and sinker. All of a sudden you're like, yeah, I can do this. Yeah. Were you approached by different schools or just one?

Now that it's all said and done, you know, we were talking to a few of them. One more outies and, you know, a couple here in Minnesota, but nothing that panned out. I remember talking to, I won't mention his name, but talking to a coach here, more north. And he basically was like, yeah, I think you're all right, but I don't think you're ever going to really play like D1. so many words. He said that. And my dad was in the room and I left and I was, I've never been so upset. I was like, really? Wow. And I was like, well, screw that guy. And then a little bit later, I think, I think actually a little bit later we had the tournament up in Winnipeg and then got contacted by RPI, which by the way, I had never heard of in my life before. What does RPA stand for?

Rensleyer Polytechnic Institute. Thank you because I tried pronouncing that word to Mell last night and she laughed at my face. So I went, it's going to be RPI from now on. Well, if you can't say it, try to spell it. Yeah, no, you can't do that either. And where city is it out of? It's Troy, New York. Troy, New York.

Yep. Yeah, for the listeners, they can look that out. Yep, yep. So, I'm curious. You know, you talk, I want to go back to the coach who tells you can play D1. Did that just, like, fire you up? it did at first you're super butt hurt and you're like well he he's a coach he's got to know what he's talking about when after a while you're like no then then you get fired up you know and my dad

was always my sounding board too so we drove all the way up there and then you know we had to drive all the way home so talking back to him all the hours in the car so it just keeps you level-headed and then it was like yeah yeah I uh I always joke with everybody that comes on because they can see me I've never been a tall guy. I stand five, seven, maybe a smidge under. But I went to a ton back home, I went to a lot of junior A camps. And the one that has ingrained upon my brain was Kinner's Lee, which is in Saskatchewan. It's about two hours from where I grew up.

And I went and tried out for him, and the coach told me that if I was four inches taller, I'd be on the team. And I remember coming out of there, and to use your word, I was pretty butt-hurt. Like I was ready to, I was ready to break my stick. over somebody, right? Like it was to be told something like that. But sometimes you need to be a told stuff like that, I think, because it helps. And sometimes it's just, it's good they say that right away, so you get out of that situation. Because you, you know, you watch players go to, I always just go back to the NHL, right?

You watch a player go to a situation where they don't get along with the coach or they don't get along with the organization or their values and the organization's values. that organization values don't jive, and they get buried there for their career for a few years, and then they go somewhere else, and all of a sudden they're like, well, who's that player? I was never going to work out with the mantra of what the one coach or the organization was saying. And so for me personally, having guys like that helped me find Larry Winoniac as a guy interviewed on here probably in my first couple months. he's by far I always say top three but he's right at the top

he's the best coach ever had he changed where my life was going but I would have never got to him if one of the other coaches that had told me in so many words that I wasn't going to play good hockey and kept me around I probably wouldn't have him landed with him and

that took me where I am now right so and I mean would you agree there's no better feeling than feeling wanted by an organization right I feel like you're just going to perform so much better for them instead of fighting tooth and nail to like make all the expectations of somebody you don't even like anyway. I would agree 100% and you're probably the fifth person to come on here and I just had Kyler Hope on. He played Junior A won a national championship in Canada and I asked him how he got out tight play and played in British Columbia, which is a province over. And I was like, how do you get out there?

He's like, oh, their first team called and said they wanted me. And I hadn't heard that very much. It's like, oh, yeah, okay. Well, that makes sense because that was the same way I was. I didn't get told I was a gift to every team, right? I was pretty much told I'm going to have to work my bag off to maybe crack the lineup. And then all of a sudden somebody walks in and says, yeah, you're good. Okay, I'll follow you around.

Like, that seems pretty nice. I can get that. Mm-hmm. So that's what takes you out to your API then? Yep, yep, that was it. So what was it like Because that Where do you even fly to for

Or did you drive? Maybe you drove probably drove a boat No we I want to say that was like my first or second Time ever being on a plane was visiting the college And then you'll fly into Albany Airport Okay Albany, yeah?

Yep And then drive So first time ever being away from home As a girl who just graduated high school Mm-hmm What was leads through the walk that is. Yeah, do you ever say yes to something,

but you don't exactly think about all the ramifications that might mean? So it's like, yes, I'll go school. All the time? Yeah. And so it's like, yeah, I'll play hockey out there right at first, which is bad to say because you are a student athlete. So I'm like, yeah. And then you get there and you're like,

I know my geography is so bad. I couldn't even tell you where I was in relation to the rest of the world or the United States or anything. but getting out there and then luckily right you have hockey which is like an instant family so that was that was a saving grace having real friends real teammates it was a special group of people when I went out there in my class like we got along very well so that that was very helpful what was um what was the jump from high school to college like like was it was it like you stepped on the ice like holy crap wow

men something because i mean like you're talking division one hockey and men or women i assume that you've now just compiled some of the best players in the nation and it must have been yeah no it's it's so you guys have juniors right you have that in between or other things right you mentioned all the other things um and we don't so there is a huge jump and sometimes you feel like you're you're drowning in the deep end as far as catching up with everybody so you'll see from like u16 to you-19 play, those first-year kids, really tough, an adjustment period. So the same thing, those high school kids coming in college, you know, there's a few gems who shine and do just fine.

But then I would say a majority, though, they really, it takes a bit of adjustment period, getting used to it, the speed, the style, right? Like, even playing out east, it was different style of hockey than I was used to playing. How so? Systems, like high school hockey. We didn't really have a ton of systems. you had your basic this, this and this. But going off of face-offs, running plays off face-offs, doing video, even working out as a team.

Like, we didn't have, I don't think we ever have organized workouts that were quite like that was. So now you're just trying to keep up with everything and then throw in school to mix it all in. But there is, you're just trying to figure everything out, right? Life way from home, how to do, you know, how to do school, how to do hockey, how to be. good at all of it at once. It's a little bit of adjustment. Was there ever a time you thought I may have bitten off more than I can chew? No. No, I don't think so. There were times where you're overwhelming and you're stressed out, but I don't think I ever felt like I wasn't good enough out there. Did you ever get homesick? Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely got homesick. I'd never

been away from my family that long, and this was also the time where the economy was thinking. So it wasn't like my whole family was coming out and visiting me on every weekend. What year did you go to RPA? 2007. 2007? Yep. Yep. So didn't have a lot of that.

But saving grace, too, for us was that one of the girls who was in my class, she was from New York. And so her family was relatively close. And they would come in and then they just kind of acquired us as their other kids. And that felt good. that was that was special and really well received on our end and who was that uh you're ready for you're ready for name yeah sure Ashley Gaylord so her family live close by and they kind of just took us in we did Easter at their house and um they would come down so it was fun isn't isn't

isn't gaylord sorry for a name isn't that right off straight off of um fuckers yes absolutely I'm thinking the jokes are endless. They really are. Okay. Well, we don't have to go down that road. No. No, that's cool. You talk about going places now.

I mean, it was no different for me. At 18, I'd never been away from home or as soon as I graduated high school. I left and I went to Ontario, which is maybe not as far as you because that would have been, it was still like 16 hours away from home. It wasn't like by any means it was close. but I got to bill it and I got put in with a family I lived with for three years. They were unbelievable. And to have somebody looking out for you and caring for you like that is special.

And then, you know, you always talk, I can always relate to the hockey side of it because you get put in a group with 20 to 25 individuals, which usually, even on the worst teams I've ever played for, there's three to four people you really connect with. And you kind of get like a little tight-knit circle and sometimes it's bigger than that. Sometimes you get the greatest team in the world and it just all goes like that. And then it's like you got 20 brothers or sisters for you. And that can really make moving away from home easier. Like not such a...

I always go back to homesick. It took me... It's probably the first like three months I was away from home and then I... I remember calling my oldest brother being like, I don't know. I don't know. Maybe I should just come home because I'm freaking... I don't know if I can do this. And then he laughed at me and I can't remember.

what he said basically that I wouldn't worry about everything at home we're all doing the same thing we all wish we were there what you're doing right and you're like oh okay yeah right that was dumb but I was homesick because I'd never been and that's back now we're going back to 2004 where there was no Skype no cell phones right right like the the communication now like you across the over to Finland and Kyle your husband wants to talk to you he can literally FaceTime, and it's easy. Yeah. Like, it's, like, personal connection is used to feel like it wasn't there anymore

because literally you had to pick up a phone, and half the time you talk about the financial crisis, stuff like that. I remember having to buy phone cards to call home, and you can only have so many minutes on a phone card. Now everybody's got a nationwide package. Like, it doesn't matter where anybody lives. You can just call them, and heck, I think I got an international package. I can call anyone now from Canada.

It doesn't charge anything unless I get, I guess unless I go to Europe, right? Like the world over time just keeps like shrinking. Whereas I know the older generation, if they're listening, they're going, I know nothing. But 15 years ago or 12 years ago for you, 12 years now is a long time.

Because like the technology advancements they've made now are ridiculous. Yeah. It's convenient to stay connected now, right? So now you don't have an excuse not to call mom though on the weekends, right? That is a good point. I always had an excuse of, ah, I didn't have money. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Oh, cool. What did you do to train in the off season for going to college? You're talking about summer hockey. But did you, were you like working out at the gym? Were you, I don't know. Yeah, once I think my first year they gave you this strength and conditioning packet

that I remember taking lifetime with me and trying to follow these exercises that I had never even heard of before. I can relate. But no, we had some training programs that people would put on during the summer that you'd hop on board with and there'd be like an elite group of girls

getting ready training for heading off to college. whether it's their first year or it's their senior year, you know, they'd get together and kind of train together. So you did have a program that you could go through to help you with that. You could do as little or as much as you wanted to through it, though, right? Like, I could be on the ice one day a week, two days a week, or twice a day. Did you work at the same time then? No, I didn't actually. Well, yeah, no, I didn't work. I was fortunate. My dad always, you know, he said you'll have plenty of time to work down the road. So he was a big push of training.

Some years I did as I got older. Yeah. I did for sure. So when you rolled into camp working out like that all summer, were you like on top of the world or were all the girls doing that? Some were able to do it. I mean, I felt pretty good and fortunate that I was able to do as much as I could. But most girls were doing that much.

So it's not like I had a huge advantage over everyone because the people who made these programs, they made the time as convenient so they could pull as many players in as possible. I don't want to skim through, I've got to keep you to a timeline here, so I don't want to skim through college, but we better talk about Red Bull here at some time. So I want, I've written down two things, and we kind of partially talked about it, but you said beating Harvard was one of your favorite memories from college in Harvard's rank. It was. What was so special about that? It was pretty cool. It was overtime, you know, semi-final game.

And I think, if I remember correctly, I think it was a too many men penalty that Harvard got in overtime. Yep, and overtime. And then I wasn't even on the ice for it, but I had a front row seat. And our D, I think, shot it. Screen in front goes in, and we just erupted, right? Because we felt like a team that had no business being there. and we'd just beat Harvard in their own barn. And going into it, they had put us in this, the tiniest locker room you could ever imagine.

It was like a closet. So then we were, so it was just, everything was perfect about it. And then the next day, obviously, we got smoked by Dartmouth. So was that a tournament format then? Yep, ECAC championships. Yeah, a tournament format. So it was all on Harvard's campus? Correct.

How was Harvard's campus? It was cool. It was really cool. We didn't spend a lot of time like me and read around, right? But it was cool. It was fun to see it's more old school, you know. Well, you think of like universities in the United States and Harvard's got to be like one of three that is just like,

if I could name one university in the States, Harvard's one of the ones that comes right to my mind. Right. How about Quinnapiac? Yeah. Longest game. in college history? Now that I can't remember the exact title of it,

but it was a game, I can't remember if it was the same year or not. It may have been, but we went to, we went in five overtimes. Like I said, my parents couldn't come out to many games, but they made this trip because it's playoffs,

and then it went into five extra overtimes, and that was fun. But, like, I felt like we were flying, but if you watch us, we were just barely moving out there, you know, in between, in between periods, there's just nothing coach could say after, you know, the sixth period. How did the goal go in? I'm curious.

Was it an ugly goal? I think a D rushed it up and just threw it on net and it went in. If I remembered, I couldn't even give you the specifics of it. But yeah. And it happened where everyone was so excited. Everyone jumped out and we split 50, 50, 50, half went to the goal and half went to the girl who scored. So it was just kind of like, we were just so dead. Well, that's eight periods of hockey. Like, that's, that hurts my head. We played in triple overtime. I'm still playing senior hockey,

and we played in triple overtime, lost this year in playoffs. And my triple overtime, I couldn't even, like, I was doing nothing. Like, tack on another two overtime periods. Like, that's silliness. Yeah, it was fun.

And then we're like, oh, someone's like, yeah, you have the longest record of game ever played. And I think then the next weekend, the boys are going to be like team win. beat us, went longer or something. Another game, bizarre. Why didn't they go to a shootout or something?

That's because it's playoffs and playoffs just continuous OT? Yep. Yeah, that's how it was then. Is it still like that? I don't know, to be honest. I'm not quite sure. I haven't seen any of them going to five over times. Yeah, I'm pretty sure our league was, like our call,

like the Division 3 wasn't continuous OT. I was surprised that you guys went continuous OT. Yeah. Because I thought most collegiate sports had the shootout now or the modified OT where you start losing players. Yeah, well, this was a few years back, so I don't think we had shootouts. I don't remember ever having a shootout in college hockey. Okay, let's go to Red Bull. You graduate, you think about trying pro?

There was no pro. Oh, you mean like overseas? Yeah. Actually, I really wanted to at first, looked into it, but they only get so many, what, imports a year. And then some availability were spots that I really wasn't in love with. And so you're torn between, do you just, you know, move on, give it up? Or, you know, and for me, my decision was I didn't know what I'd be getting into. And after being away from home, it just felt good to be home for a little bit.

Okay. So I didn't pursue that. So how in the world do you get into Red Bull crashed ice then? So after I graduated, then I got a coaching job down at Shattuck. I'm sitting there one day and we have a friend of ours, a former player, just a Facebook message being like, hey girls, and this is in the middle of the winter. She's like, just wondering if any of you want to show up. My friend works for Red Bull and she's trying to get some girls out to the train.

tryouts to maybe, you know, have you, like, to show that there's girls included. And to my understanding, we were just going to be, like, in the background or the pictures, you know, so so it looked even Stephen, right, guys and girls. I was like, yeah, I'll, whatever, sure, I'll go do it. What do you, like, sure, so she contacted us, because it wasn't that far of a drive, right, up to the Excel. And the girl gave us all the information, what day it was, and, you know, what to bring or what to do. I was like, go. I was like, okay and I had never really seen Red Bull. I mean, I kind of had heard about it one time.

And then I had, we had a game. I was coaching a game. And this game went into two overtimes. And it was like, I was like, I've got tryouts, you know? And so I messaged later. I'm like, hey, I don't think I'm going to make it. She's like, I don't care how old you are to show up. I was like, okay, all right.

So I pick up my friend on the way. And we just come running into the rink and we're getting dressed. And I ran into, remember I said I played that the summer hockey. So when I walked in, there was another girl there, and I played summer hockey with there. And I was like, hey, I know you. She's like, what are you doing here? Like, I don't know. Were you trying out?

She's like, yeah. And she had done it before. So she knew what she was getting into. So I'm getting dressed. And I'm like, well, I guess I don't need, you know, you don't need your stick. But you wear full gear, right? Full gear, yeah. And we get out there and everyone's taking their, like, hot laps.

And she's down there, like, crouching and doing these squats. And I'm like, what is she doing? And I didn't realize you had to, like, it was an off. course. So you had to go, like, you got a duck gun or something, and you had to jump over something, and she had done it before. So we were just, like, a whole bunch of minions following her, trying to mimic whatever she was doing. And then it was that. It was an obstacle course on flat ice, and you race, you know, the person next to you, but essentially the clock, right? And you had two chances. And then they would put your time on a sheet, and then all of a sudden, I can't remember 16 or 6 or whatever the magic number was, advanced. And they're like, all right, you guys are going to go do the race. And we were like, what race? I had no idea what it was. Someone showed me, I was like, oh my God.

And then that's how it happened. You're telling me, you got a random text. You went down to the rink, skated through an obstacle course on flat ice, and for anyone who's never looked up Red Bull crashed ice, just please pause this and go do that for a second. And then skated fast enough through the obstacles, and they're like, okay, we're going to put you down a downhill sheet now?

Yeah, that's exactly how it would happen. So what the heck do you do next? It was one of those things where it's like, well, you know, like, do you ever say yes to something and not realize what you get yourself into, right? We're back to that. Yeah, but it doesn't lead to Red Bull crashed ice. That's for dang sure. It leads to Sean helping build a deck.

He knows nothing on what to do. But this was, so then what had happened was one of the guys there, he actually went to RPI as well and he had been in I can't remember if he was into it for like a couple years or something like that but he built a mini course on the side of his house in St. Paul and he was like he was friends with some of the hockey girls

and so he's like well you want to come over and try it I was like well yeah if I'm going to go down a big hill and so going down he literally built it on the side of his house it was insane but you walk up these wooden steps Then we were up top. And I think it took me probably like 10 minutes. So just even, you know, like when you walk to the edge and you're like,

I'm going to do it. No, I'm not going to do it. No, I'm not going to do it. And then you walk back off and you're like, no, okay, no. And then finally you just basically just fall off the ledge because your legs are so noodley because you're nervous. And so then we did that like for a whole night one night and that was pretty fun. So what's the, in my brain I go, yeah, I think I could probably go down that course.

not fast, but I think I could go down it. I've never been labeled as a lightning bolt on ice by any means. But what was the biggest surprise then of like jumping off and going down? Like, I don't know. What were you like, oh, I didn't think of that? Yeah, so I'd never skied before either, so I feel like maybe if I skied, I would have had a little bit of knowledge on it. What do you mean you'd never skied? I'd never really skied ever.

I mean, maybe it went down a hill a couple times, once or twice when I was younger. But I always had so much hockey. I never really got in any other winter sports. So then someone suggested, you know, go to a skate park. It'll help you with transitions, you know, the up and down. And I had never not been on flat ice while you're skating. So it goes against everything as a hockey player that I would naturally want to do, right? You can't be on your heels at all because then that's when you're going to fall backwards and really hurt yourself.

So you kind of got to lean forward and the whole weight of your body is slightly different, which I had never felt ever before in any of my like training or play or anything like that. So that was different for me. So did you end up going to a skate park then? Yep. And rollerblades? Yeah, me and a couple other athletes and about 50, 10 year olds. And did you just suit up in all your gear? No, no.

We put like shin pads on, I think, at the time, maybe some wrist guards that I found, helmet. And you're out there and you're like, what am I doing? Your legs are like, you're so nervous. Your legs are kind of like shaky. And then you make one pass through something and you're just so stiff, right? And then you do it again and again. And then eventually you get more confident and you try something you probably shouldn't have and you fall and it really hurts. You can get back up and you do it again.

So how long from the tryout on flat ice until you did your first race? How many, like was it two weeks? Was it six months? I think it was just a couple weeks, a couple weeks in between them. Yeah. There wasn't a lot of prep time. No. How did you do in your first race?

So if you ever look at the track, they actually never let the girls. start at the top. There was this cut out that we could walk in. And then some of the girls you'll be like, oh, what a bunch of sexist pricks, blah, blah, blah. But it's like, we would have died had all of us gone off the top. Like, it's a fact. None of us would have made it. I'm like, so whatever, you can be buttered, but like this is where we're starting and don't tell me any different. And it was, it was pretty funny because how fast you bond with other people when you're all really scared to do something is unbelievable. So it's like, well, no, you go first. and know when you go first, and then eventually you're giving each other like little pet talks,

and then you do something, something small, right? And then you're like, high-fiving all around. You're like, yeah, I just went over that five-foot, like, jump or whatever. Or like a little bump in the ice, you know, and then you feel very accomplished. But it was you just fell down the hill. That's all I did, fall down the whole hill the first time. Because you're nervous, too, so. And you've never done it.

But for us, it started, there was like a straightaway, which was, kind of came out of the cathedral this way and then there was a drop down and if you've ever jumped off on your skates rollerblades and not know where your feet go it's a very scary feeling Sean so every time I landed I would just bail

and just hit the boards get back up turn around you know what I love about this story as you say you ever say you ever have time to say yes and you don't know where it's gonna go and I'm like yeah of course everybody has that but you said yes and then you go to a tryout and then two weeks later you're going down red bull crashed ice like my brain can't even fathom it red bull crashed ice now has become

my in my mind it's become popular right like back then like you say you don't even know what it is but this is awesome yeah and it's it's it's also like the perfect the timing and opportunity we're there too because if somebody were wanting to do that now it's it's changed since so you You wouldn't have as easy of an entrance as some of us who originally got into it. But yeah, that's how it happened. So your first race, leading up to it, I assume you get to go down the course a couple of times. You're talking about falling the entire way. Yeah, this was probably, my first one was probably the most wild, one of the wilder rides

because you get these exploration runs, which you go with like a lead instructor. you know, someone who knows what they're doing, and you go in a group and you do a section of it, but you don't go fast. You just kind of check out the ice conditions, see the features, try to remember it. And then, like, that's always been my favorite because it's leisurely. You got to go down.

You get to look at things. And then you might have, like, three or four practice runs, if you're lucky, depending if the ice will hold. And then you've got to do time trials. One second. What do they build the course on? What do they put the ice onto?

Because you say the ice has got to hold. What is the ice on? It's like scaffolding that they'll build up and then they'll put the wood down and they've got these like hoses almost. They're flat and then they refrigerate the ice. But sometimes you just can't, like if there's, you know, how many athletes go down.

And everyone's turning and there's ruts and weather conditions and so the ice can get pretty chewed up or if they flooded it, you know, there might be some pockets. or things like that. Has anyone ever died in Red Bull Crash days? No, not to my knowledge. Not to your knowledge? Okay, fair enough.

Yeah. So you do time trials, and that's just the seed where you skate, or in time trials, you have to hit a certain speed, you have to be in the top. How does that work? Yeah, so time trials, you usually have two, you know, two time trials that you get to do, and you want a place for the girls, it's always been the top 16. and you need to qualify for that to even make the big race, right, like the final race or the quarterfinals for us, because that's just how many we had. And so, you know, if you were to travel over to Europe and you didn't make it, then you're done.

Then you don't even get a race. So there's that, too. But this one, yeah. Yeah, okay. Yeah, so this one. So you've got to be ready to roll right from the get-go. Yes. And then it's a mind game.

too right do you floor it and punch it the first time and then or do you like play it safe so you don't fall and you get a good time and then the next time then you really got a giver so you have to decide what's gonna be best for you so let's go back to your first race so you climbing how did they get you the top of the hell you gonna walk it elevator every every every race is different so sometimes we'll have these gators or four-wheelers and in St. Paul that's what we had and they would always you pile a bunch of people people in and they would drive you back up to the top. But like I said, we didn't start at the

top, so we didn't have to walk up all the stairs. They dropped us off at a certain point, and we just kind of walked out a gate onto the course. So that's where the girls were. And then I think, I can't remember what I placed, but I didn't place first in time trials by any means. I played second. And I know that because this year they had, they had, they all of us athletes where, by the way, they only allowed four of us to race that day. And we were actually like the entertainment in between the men's races, which we didn't know going into it, right? So we were like the commercial break for the fans. So there's four of us going, but they, we each wore a jersey representing the four countries that were involved

in it. Right. So the girl who got first, she got to pick her jersey first, she was Canadian. So she picks the Canada jersey. And I'm like, well, now. Naturally, I'll pick the USA jersey. So I got that, and I think the next one that went was Russia, and then the other one was maybe Finland, right? But this was also the year of the Olympics. So on the race day, I remember they walked us through the crowd because we still weren't going to start where the top was,

and they walked us through the crowd, and then we get on the ice, and we're, like, you know, getting all hyped. And I remember someone just started slow chanting USA as we got on. but little do they know like everybody else is also American besides Miriam but and so one of the girls like turn around give them some love so I'm sitting there and I'm just like being a donkey getting it you know making gestures and stuff doing one of these you know giving them giving them the old rock yep so that was fun then you're on cloud nine you're just feeling good you're just out there to have good time and then I happen to make it down the track first

which then put me into the world championships in Quebec. So this is your first racing weekend? Yep, that's my first time racing ever. Which two weeks prior you had no idea this existed. Yeah, I think it was a little maybe more than two weeks, but close enough, yeah. And then you get to go into worlds. Yeah, the world championships. I got like the American Wild Card and then.

gotta go up to Canada and race again. How many people did you skate in front of for your first race? St. Paul drew a huge crowd, so there's like 100,000 people. 100,000 people? Yeah. Oh! There's a lot of people. How loud was that when the USA goes across the finish line?

That was fun. That was really fun. Yeah, that was... And it was, like, the group of girls that I did it with, like, we're all still good friends today. And so doing it, the whole experience was awesome, right? So, but that was like the cherry on top for sure. So when you win, do you just get a trophy, a medal?

I don't know. What does Red Bull give you for winning a race like that? Anything? So this one, no, I think they just paid for my trip to Quebec. But, I mean, now, because that was really different, right? There wasn't, that's kind of like when the girls first got on the map. Yeah. And so now you get a trophy and prize money.

What are they winning for prize money? Any ideas? I'm two years out of it now, so I can't speak on what they get these days. But I was telling you way back when when I was doing it, I think they said the top female athlete, if you won the whole Cheban made just as much as like the 32nd guy at the time. Taught, a 30 second guy. God, that sucks. unless the 32nd guy's making millions

I don't know definitely not because I mean the top NHL doesn't make nearly as much as like the 40th NBA star so it's just different leagues different and nobody's using this as you know making a living off the money anyways guys or girls guys are girls

yeah sponsors maybe that kind of stuff you know the supplementing stuff but not the prize money I was going to world I was going go back? That was crazy because, again, I worked a job at the time, right? Like being a coach, you know, you don't want to miss games. Now you feel obligated for your team, but luckily my, where I worked, they were really flexible in understanding. They're like, yeah, absolutely go for it. And I was like, okay. So I said yes again. And then I met one of the male athletes because we went

up, we flipped together and our manager, right? That's what he was called. at the airport bar the day that we were flying up. So I walk in and he's like, hey, how's it going? And I'm like, I don't even know what this guy looks like that I'm meeting that I've been corresponding with. And they've already arranged hotel and stay. So I walk in and then they're sitting there with Bloody Mary's. And I was like, all right, I can get on board.

So then we flew up there. And then it was big time because now there are girls from all over the world there. Yeah. And not just small time, you know, Minnesota. So that was different. What was the event like? Like was it like a big show? Yeah, they make it pretty big.

They do a good job, kind of hyping it up. You know, they got the lights and all that on the track, and they got the DJ that's going. They make it a pretty good production. How did you do it, World? Not good. No, I don't think I advanced very far, but I would say I learned the most in that one,

because all these other girls have been doing it for so long. Yeah, you've been doing it now for a month? Yep. Yep. So that was a learning experience. That I went into knowing that I probably wouldn't do that well, but it just kind of catapulted me into it, though. So what did you learn coming out of there? A lot.

Every time you go down the track, you learn something different, right? You learn something new. And when we went down it, or I think actually in between, there may have been one rider's cup. So Montalach here, they build a race or a track into the ski hill. Okay. And it's a race put on by the athletes. So I actually think that year there was one in between St. Paul and Quebec.

So I did have a chance to go down that track as well. And then that one, though, they used to have, they would allow team races. They don't do them anymore, but you get a team together. and then you'd race down against another team and you're trying to, it's more of a team event than individual. So then they let the girls do it too this year knowing that none of our times would qualify us

to make the main show, but it's just another opportunity to go down the track. Yeah, over and over again. And then you get practice times and then you get to, you know, do it. And so that was fun. Coming out of your first season then, in the off season, what do you do?

Like, what is the Red Bull season? Like, when does it go from? One. Like when does it start? When does it end? Like is it hockey season? Yeah, but it's shorter, right? So it's like, I can't remember.

Maybe this year they did December. Maybe there was just like a two-month period almost. Okay, so over two months you're doing like four or five big events? At the time there were four main stops. And then let's say we call them Riders' Cup. So maybe three, four of those at the time mixed in. And so where are the big stops? They change.

But the years that I were doing it, some were a big stop would have been St. Paul. Okay, Minnesota. Yep. Germany. Okay. Finland. Where's the other? Canada.

And Canada? And you were saying like Ottawa, Quebec City out there, that kind of neck of the woods? Yep. Yep. And then it was Munich, Germany, which was on the Olympic ground. So that was kind of cool in and of itself. And then Marseille, France was one as well. Okay.

So you know what's coming. What are you doing and what do you do for training for that? Yeah, well, first you got to convince some other people to do it with you, right? So now we got a couple of the other Americans on board. And we have this thing. Well, we did it out of. It's called Acceleration, Minnesota. So it's like a skating treadmill that we would go a couple times a week if we could.

And then they put us through a workout and as well, agility and that kind of stuff. and then when I got more serious about it or when I wanted to do better in it, right? I started to do like weight training where I lived with one of the trainers there at a CrossFit gym and that was fun. But you didn't like have a track you were skating on? I assume the only way you can get stronger.

You can get better cardio, that kind of thing. But that doesn't help you when you're going straight up and down round corners, up, down, balance, feeling your edges, that kind of thing. Was there anything you could do in the off season to help prepare for that? Because it's not, you said it, it's not like you get to go down the track 12 times before you skate it. Right, that's, I mean, that's a magic question. Everyone's trying to figure out the best way to train.

So sometimes skate parks, you know, we have, we had one around here that a bunch of us would go to, and then we would try to find different skate parks in the area, right? And then there's a, there's a dirt, like a BMX track up in St. Cloud. Some of the guys got us on board and, you know, we would go up there and train on that. I did that a couple of times. That was fun. Where it's packed so hard that you can roll blade on it. So there's that.

Yeah, you just try to get creative and find ways. But to be honest, I don't think, like, especially for the girls that many were doing it all summer long, right? Because we all had our own jobs and lives. And then once it came closer, then people were kicking in gear. So. It's interesting. Because you'd think, well, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong on this. You'd think if you could somehow get an edge above other women do really well,

you could then, in theory, attract a sponsor, which would then make it easier for you to do it more full-time than just like a part-time passion. Yeah. But there is no, like, oh, yeah, you just got to buy a membership at the course over there and you can run down it as many times you want in a week because there is no course. Right. Right. No, the biggest advantage was being able to get to all the stops so you could get better, right? So some people just couldn't with work or...

You're talking the stops on the actual tour? Yep, yep. Because it took two years before they had girls in the world tour. Do they pay you to travel over there? Or like pay for your flights or anything? Yeah, so for for myself, what had happened was the year before, I think I was this number two American, right, ranking. for USA. And then the number one girl, unfortunately, she got injured with a,

you know, like I think a severe head injury. And so she was out, well then that puts me as number one. So being the number one American, they actually paid for my flights to go over there in some of my state and majority of my state. That's cool.

Yeah, because that's the only way that I, right, that's a huge chunk of money. No kidding. And so, so that's one of the ways that I was able to do it. Yeah,

because you're like, it's a very expensive hobby. It is. Right? And once again, you're not talking about driving to the Mall of America or something just down the road to go skating in Minneapolis, I mean, or even a state over in Wisconsin or something. You're talking like, well, Germany is no small flight.

And I mean, once we're over there, I guess if a week after the Germany one happened, the Finland one happens, now you're within reason. But even that, now you've got to pay for your room and food and entertainment unless you're going to sit in the cardboard box and stare at the TV in a different language. language, which I highly doubt most of us would. Right. And then if you're doing that, you're also not working your job usually, right? Yeah.

You're back at home job. So, yeah. How about after event? What did all the athletes do after, like, is it a big party? It is the after party. Oh, yeah. That was a fun time. Yeah.

Yeah. Yes. Those are always, well, it's so nerve-wracking, right? Like, there's so much that leads up to it. And, you know, then you guys. You got your friends who did well, your friends who didn't do well, people, like happy people, angry people. And then all of a sudden at a certain hour, everyone just turns happy and you just go have a good time. You let lose.

Yeah. Yeah. And those are always fun. You're with everybody from around the world, so the stories are endless, you know, that I can tell you about all of the after-party scenarios or whatnot. But it's a fun. What all countries competed in? Oh, boy. Right?

You'd have Canada, the States, but you'd have, like, all of your, you'd like talking Sweden, Finland, England, Russia, Germany, France. Yeah, I think we had a guy from Australia too. Really? Yeah, one guy. I think he eventually moved somewhere else to do it more often. You get people from all over. It was cool because I don't know any, I've never been in any place at least where everyone's

talking their own language and then, you know, you're all getting along doing the same thing. I have to assume that the stronger hockey. nations were the best at this. Is that true or am I off on that? Yeah, no, that's, I mean, that's generalizing. That's pretty fair, yeah. What was the country that surprised you? You're like, ah, there's no way this country's going to be that good at.

And then they went down and you're like, oh, actually, they were pretty quick. I don't know if I, I wouldn't say too many of them, like caught you off guard. Like, oh, I wouldn't suspect that, right? Like, Canada, USA, like the Finns. Did you ever have, like, a Japanese skater or South Korea or something like that? Junco. She was a Japanese skater. Yeah?

How'd she do? She does well. She's still in it. She still does it. No kidding. Yeah. She's great to have around. She's just bubbly all the time.

I don't know if we get, I don't know if we understand a word of each other saying, but she's a great person to be around. What's the worst injury you got from this? Because I assume the jumping, the turns, the landing. It's got to be hard on the body. Yeah, my worst injury, I did tear a little bit of my meniscus doing it. And then, or was that it? An ACL maybe, one of those? Something in the knee.

Now I can't remember. I'm getting a mixed up. But I also ruptured a bursa at my knee too. What? Like the burst sac around your knee, and if you rupture it, it just swallows up. Yeah, yeah. And essentially what that does is it self-cats. You know, like if you, you got them all over.

So if you did it in your elbow, it self-casts your arm so you can't bend it anymore as well. Oh, okay. Yeah. How was that? That was gnarly because what had happened was I was going on the rollers, right? And then I jumped one and then I need the next one. So I just crushed it with the top of my knee. And I didn't know I did it.

And this was like my final race. So I wasn't feeling any pain. go to the after party, still feeling no pain. And then looking at my phone, I have a flight in like four hours I got to get to, right, or less. So then you get, usually you leave in like chunks of athletes getting back to the States or something. So then I'm going and I'm, you know, I am half-lit at the time in the hook back at the hotel. And I look down and I'm like, oh my God, my knee is huge. And this thing was massive.

It looked like I had a softball in my knee. And I was like, I don't know what happened. Like, I couldn't remember doing it or anything like that. And, well, then it just progressively got bigger and, like, hot. And then I'm trying to travel, and I get to the airport. And we're almost, we're stuck in the Toronto airport at this point in time. And I don't really know everybody there. I'm still getting to know people.

And then I connected with some of the group of these Americans, some of the guy racers. and eventually one thing leads another and I got one of them pushing me down down the airport in a wheelchair like we're sprinting to our flight so we can get back to the States it was something else I don't think I joke about it

I think I'd still be in that airport if it wasn't for them but yeah forgot to ask Smyth had asked me Kyle if about your first race after you win the live internet

Is there a story there with that? About my live interview. Well, clearly I do really well in interviews. I think you're doing fantastic. I probably swore, to be honest, said something inappropriate. I can't remember. But I, no, I do remember. It was inappropriate.

And it was broadcasted on the big TV. And I don't remember what one I said, but it was colorful. And I just dropped it in excitement. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Dummy Did the fans go nuts for it though Or were they like Ooh

Well no no They were into it I don't Half the people weren't even listening Right So they were looking to get another Another drink somewhere But

Yeah I do remember that He's got a good memory I forgot about that Well He is your better happen Sometimes Yeah Yeah

Yeah You know We When you Have a significant other. They like to remember things you would soon like to forget. My wife does it to me all the time. All right.

I got to, at some point, because we're running out of time, at some point I'd love to go into your coaching and delve into that, maybe another time. But I like to do a couple of fun little questions at the end. Okay. So the first one I always do with everybody is if tomorrow I gave you a time machine, You could go to anywhere. Any event in history or in the future, for that matter.

Where would you go? Oh, any time, anywhere. I don't know. Here's why I'm bad at these questions. Because I don't have any favorites either. When people are like, well, what's your favorite movie? I don't have a favorite movie. Okay.

Or your favorite color. So I don't think I have a favorite time or place that I would go back to necessarily. So I feel like I'm boring in that respect. Okay. Well, let's narrow in out. What's your favorite sport to watch? Hockey. Okay.

So if you could pick one event from hockey's history to go back and witness firsthand, is there one? Let me think. I don't know. I'm sure it would have been fun to watch some of the USA Canada games in the Olympics. Those were probably fun to be at the atmosphere. I wouldn't mind the last one. I was thinking all the time. I was thinking all the times that Canada beat the states myself.

Yeah. The last one would have been a good one. You know, we had a good stretch there to the Canadians, where no matter where I was, I always seemed to be surrounded by Americans, and Canada would pull it out and I get to cheer. I've always sucked at losing. I've never been a graceful loser.

So when Canada loses and you're surrounded by Americans, that's no fun. If you could pick two linemates to play with, could be anyone. It could be male or female. Who would they be? Who would they be? Yeah, it could be anyone. It could be superstars or linemates you played with back in high school for all I care.

Oh, that's a good one. Probably pick my husband to be one. He'd be a pretty fun guy to play with. Oh, Mr. Smyth, okay. Yep. And then, oh, this is good. I don't know what the other one. I've got.

You know, I should be such a brain buster, but it is. Yeah, for when I put people on the spot like this, everybody's different. Yeah. I don't know. I think maybe I'd throw in a childhood friend or something like that. I played with some good. I played with a lot of good people growing up. I've been very fortunate.

Best player you played with and against. Is there a person that sticks out that you played with? That I played with? I, huh. Well, I used to, I don't know, Sean. These are going to be very uneventful questions for me. I mean, I played in college. We would play against like Olympians and things like that.

Sure. So there's those people, right? Played against some of the top end girls there. Were they that good when you played against them? Yeah. Yes. Is there any names that stick out? You're like, oh, that girl was just fantastic?

At the time, I'm sure there were. I'm drawing blanks now. Okay. You know, because we don't, there's nothing after, right? So, I mean, some are still playing to this day, but. I never really actually thought about it. To play on the U.S. Olympic team prior to them having the women's national hockey league, were they taking the U.S. hockey team from only women in college then?

or were there women who were just sitting around all year or did they have a traveling team or how did that work yeah so you go through the you go through the trial process right and some kids were college kids and then some kids or players i guess were we're post post college players but then you go to the camps and then you know that you're prior you all travel together and play teams or months prior if you so let's say Sydney yes gets selected to play on the U.S. Olympic team tomorrow. Naturally. You're not in college.

So what are you doing to stay in, you're just skating? Or is there, if the, and if the National Hockey League wasn't around, the women's national hockey league. So you couldn't play any. What are you doing? Oh, there's plenty of things around. Like some, you know, who I work for, they put on camps all the time, they get college kids out there.

You can rent your own, if you wanted to. Yeah, there's plenty of things to do around. Well, I mean, there's no shortage ice. No shortage. I just, you know, from a... You get an elite group of kids together and then get them running in the summer and put a program together for him.

Sorry, the reason you caught me off guard is you're like, oh, yeah, I played with really good players, even some of them were Olympians. But you know what? When I'm done, they got nowhere to go play, and so everybody's just done. It's like, I come from a very special place when it comes to hockey specifically, right? I come down here and I have a hard time even explaining it and Saskatchewan is even more special because A, growing up, you have hockey as a boy, you have hockey, well, now it is a girl

but that's changing and it's getting better. But from a very young age you have organized hockey from when you're like five years old on. And then when you hit 18, you can go play juniors as well as junior B, junior A, major junior which is your W.HL is that kind of thing. Then after that, you have your university, your college for another four or five years. And then when you're done with that, then you can go play

pro over in Europe, states. And then when you're done with all of that, in Saskatchewan, and I'm sure, I know all the provinces have it, but Saskatchewan is just like this special little hub. They have senior hockey where you can play out your days until you can't play anymore. In competitive of hitting organized leagues where you still win the trophy we won a few years ago is like the trophy my father competed for when he was done playing his college hockey right that's cool

it's just i come from this very unique place so to hear like yeah when you're done you're just like there's not many options it's like that's that's a hard thing for me to understand because i never ever have ever had to do with it as it is right now my wife is pregnant with our third as you know. And I'm trying to figure out if I can physically manage or if she'll kill me between having three kids and trying to play one more season of senior, right? It's like. Yeah, that's a tough one. But I've never, absolutely, you could rent dice. You could do all those things. I just mean where I come from, you can still play competitively all the way up until you're like 50. Yeah. And I mean, and here again, we're super fortunate because we have a women's like senior

league that exists in Minnesota that's pretty popular. Yeah? Yeah. So it's called Wham and everyone plays Wham. Before you were pregnant, you were playing WAM then? Yeah. Yeah. And after we have the kid in this fall, I'll probably play WAM again.

Nice. Yeah. And it's fun too and there's different levels. If you want to be maybe more relaxed, you're going to join a level lower and then some of the top end girls, they get together and they do like an elite skate, you know, on Sundays and those are just those are just fun you know you'll jump on board

so there's still stuff for us to do yeah and I don't want to make it seem like it isn't right but as far as competitiveness you know people and a lot of people lose it too a lot of people don't want to you know they want to have a good skate

they do not want to get you know angled up in the corners they're not looking to back check they're just seeing the problem I got is every time I go play wreck back home I get high stick in the face and I'm bloody, I get more, at least when you're playing competitive, you know what I expect it, right? Like, I know that guy's going to try and knock my block off.

At least you know what I expect it, right? You go play rack. You're expecting everybody to take it kind of nice and easy, and then all of a sudden, your bucket goes flying off because buddy doesn't know how to handle the stick, and it goes through your vizy, and now you're leaking blood everywhere and upset, as you can tell this has happened before. Yeah, yeah. And we started, we started like this little co-ed group, too, that we get together with,

And those skates are pretty good. Those are fun. What's the next, what do you think the next step for women's hockey is? Is it the women's national hockey league? I don't know why I have such a hard time saying that. You know, somebody a lot smarter than me might have a better answer for this one.

But I'm not quite sure where it needs to go or what direction. I have my ideas on what I think. could help but there's a lot of people out there we're saying a lot of their ideas and i just you need to get everybody on board and uh it needs to be the right people the right time for the right reasons type of a deal in my opinion um and when when you don't have that you're not going to get a cohesive you know productive league i don't think you think you think the women's national hockey like frig me i want to say

W-N-HL, but instead I can't spit that out. The Women's National Hockey League, you think that's a really good idea, and that it should be done. They just have to do it the proper way. Correct. And like you said, anything that's worthwhile, it's not to come easy. So there's going to be growing pains. There's going to be learning lessons.

It's not just going to come unfold, and people are going to give you a bunch of money, and it's going to be, bam, a league, right? So it's got it. No, that's not the way it works. No. So get out the kinks. create a product that's worth, you know, being proud of. Well, I always say this about women's hockey back home, along with a lot of other sports,

is it's starting to grow like exponentially. Like, it's the talent is, well, heck, you just saw it at the NHL All-Star game with a girl who skated in the fastest skater, right? Kendall Coin. Thank you. Yep. Like, that's pretty impressive, right? That wouldn't have happened five years ago.

Yeah. Heck, let alone like three years ago. Yeah. Right? And so as that stuff continues to progress, and it seems like every year you see like five or ten dangles where you're like, holy crap, that girl's got some hands on her. Like, that was pretty good.

And I already said, like, when the Olympics comes around, women's hockey when it was first in there back when Canada was winning. It was good, but it was different, right? But now you watch it. It's like, it's good. It's fun to watch. Those girls can move. Yeah, it's come a long way.

And it'll continue to go a long way if you get the right people moving the needle, I think. Final question for you. We play a fun little game called Sign trade and buyout. Sign trade and buyout. Yes. So you are an NHL, GM, for the Minnesota Wild. I'm going to give you three players. You have to sign one.

You have to trade one, and you have to buy one out. All right. So I got Zach Preeze, Ryan Seward, and Devin Doobnick, Dubnick. Dubnick. Ooh, you're going to put me on the spot here. I certainly am. I am. I do this to everybody.

And I'm happy this time that it's Minnesota, because as you can imagine, where I'm from is Amiton Oilers. We hear a lot about the Amateur Towers. And so it's nice to do a different team. All right, well, I don't really have a dog in the fight here, but what were the three again? Zach Preezing, Ryan Suter, Devin Dubnick. All right. Well, working ties, I'll say, I'd sign Zach.

Prezzy. Yep. What are my other two options? I mean, for what am I doing? Trading. Now you've got to trade somebody? Yep. And then you've got to buy somebody out.

I got to buy somebody out. Oh, sugar. You got to trade one of the Minnesota, or you got to trade a Minnesota boy? You've got to buy a Minnesota boy out now. Yeah. All right. It was a loaded question.

I'm not going to lie. Yeah, you've really put me on a spot. All right. I'd trade Suter and I'd buy the other guy out. Yeah, Devin Dubik? Yeah. Well, Suter's signed to like a big chunk of money, so at least you'd be getting that off the books, I guess.

I'd keep them all for funsies, though. You like your guys' team in Minnesota? Well, I like them better if we want more games, but I don't put it on any one person. Hey, we got the best player on the bloody planet, and we can't make the playoffs, so. Yeah, that's sorry for you. Yeah, right?

We'll see. We'll see what happens this year. Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I enjoyed having you on. I know I got to let you get on with the rest of your day, so I would have loved to and stay in Chad a little more, but I think it's been a lot of fun. Yeah, thanks for having me, Sean.

Yeah, cool. Yeah. That was all. Hey, guys, I hope you enjoyed the double header. It's the first time that I've ever put two together. And so you got to hear Paul Lepersia's story and his initiative coming up here, his walk for Project Sunrise. Let's walk the talk that sees him go from Saskatoon to Lloyd Minster over six days, 279 kilometers among six days there.

And then I followed that up with Sidney Smyth, a friend from Minnesota. And I just want to say thanks, guys, for coming on. It was a blast having you. next week I have the head coach and GM of the Lloyd Minister Bobcats on Nigel Dubay he took over the job this past November it's coming up on a year that he's been in Lloyd but it still feels pretty new and I wanted to get to know him and see what where he's going and what his thoughts are with the team and the upcoming season and that kind of thing so here's a clip from our interview so enjoy you have a little different mindset than traditional hockey that I would assume both of us played where you bring in as many people almost as possible to tryouts and I put that in parentheses because the game has changed a little bit and every different organization has their own theories on how to go about it but instead of bringing in 50 guys 40 guys you're bringing in 28 and you already know the number yeah well that's that's the big thing

you know, through the process is a lot different. And there's other coaches that say, well, you know, it's a way for us to get our hooks and the other guys and stuff. And I think we've done a good job of that through the year. And, you know, we're straight with players. Hey, we love you and we're excited to watch you next year. But this is where we're at with numbers and this is who we're bringing in. And they might get to experience the camp in another place.

But, you know, we've been up front with them the whole time from the way we did camp at spring to the summer camp to this one. I think it also gets us a little bit with all the new bodies, and we'll stick to this format moving forward, but especially this year for us to stick to the format of getting right into things. You know, the two days on Saturday and Sunday, and then there won't be an inter squad this year. So I got asked by the media, which team am I, you know, coaching,

and we don't have an air squad.