anonymous asks have you ever had a coach or teammate you didn't get along with and how did you handle that situation hard-hitting question to start the episode

I yes I've definitely had you know my times from youth on there's been plenty of people I maybe haven't you know, clicked with or gotten along with exceptionally well.

I would say that during those times, I just found my people.

I found the people that I was comfortable with and I would just kind of stick with them.

You know, it wasn't ideal.

I definitely had some hard times in the past and it was tricky and I felt like isolated at times.

But then once I found my people and I just hung out with them, I would either carpool with them or... you know, just go to dinners with them or at the hotels and different things like that.

again? What qualities do you notice in a captain that makes them a great leader? So from the player perspective, what do you see in captains that really you love?

So forth and so on.

That's a great question.

I started playing hockey when I was three.

My dad played for the Washington Capitals in the 70s.

And so we grew up in Buffalo, New York.

And his one requirement for our home was that we could build a backyard rink.

And so he built one.

How do you stay mentally prepared and focused before and during a game?

Tell me about that process and how that first game kind of went.

Man, that first game was crazy.

I mean, the amount of goals that were just being scored was we were like, OK, this is a weird game.

Like this is something is crazy going on right now.

And I think I was super proud of our team that game because we just kept coming back.

Like we just kept we kept fighting.

We were like and then the ability of us to score multiple goals in the comeback and then to continue doing that.

And we only have 40 minutes.

And the way to do it is to interact with those kids.

Yeah, we do that, you know, with our takeover games a lot, too.

I say we do it a little bit extra there.

So we'll go there like a day or two before we would normally get to like an away game.

And the takeover tour games are typically in different markets where we don't have a PWHL team.

And so I think, you know, that also shows the growth of the game.

But we always get so many people out at those like coming to watch because like we never get to see this like because it's so far for them.

him, but Haley, I want to ask you, like, are there even smaller steps coaches can take from a inclusion, a belonging standpoint, an impact standpoint, For all the kids, right? If we're on a co-ed team and making sure that all the kids understand that, hey, we belong together, right? Like what are some steps coaches can take to help grow the game in this nature?

Yeah.

So I think it's huge to, like, have your own standards and what gives you confidence when you're out there, what defines your game, what you define as success, and attribute that to your confidence and not... 'Cause otherwise, if you're focused on external validation, like, that's what it's dependent on.

And then if you don't get that, you're not gonna be as confident.

And so I think it's super important to, um, to give that to yourself, to give yourself credit, um, and to set your own standards in that sense.

And so I think as an athlete, that's what I'm continuing to work on.

[laughs]

Like, I really do think that is something in women that we're kind of conditioned by in just different ways in society, that we're expected to be able to do things perfectly.

And sports is not perfect, and that's what's so beautiful about it.

Sure.

Oh, I mean, [laughs] that's a harder answer for me, if I'm being honest.

I think my...

Like, my family, like, we just, we connected through sports.

Uh, so honestly it was usually just different sports.

Like, in the summer we did a lot of tennis and soccer together.

Um, and in the fall I kind of started with soccer and then would go into hockey later.

... you know, acclimate to not being on the ice or not being on the field, on the pitch?

Yeah.

Um, and then we also did a lot of, like, game system stuff, so to make sure we were kind of all on the same page.

So we would do a lot of, like, you know, team structure.

What did our forecheck look like? What did face-offs look like? D zone.

Like, different things like that.

Um, and then just adding in games, uh, to make it more competitive and things like that.

And then as you get older, obviously, you know, maybe it changes, like when you're in college.

Like, uh, did you, was there a moment you realized you might be able to get more out of practice than the person next to you? And how was your approach to it?

Yeah

... you know, who knows, right? But I think that's probably the only time I really got benched.

And then, um, in college, uh, that was never really a thing.

We had enough players where no one was really being benched, I would say.

Uh, we didn't really have healthy scratches or anything like that.

Um, I think, and then with USA Hockey, just my role has been just usually less lice- ice time, in general, just with the nature of it and where I've been utilized and, and how I've been utilized.

And, uh, to be honest though, I would be on that team and just sit on the bench if I needed to.

Yeah.

So at what point did you realize that hockey can become more than just something you love doing on the pond? And what did your path in youth hockey look like? Did you play with the boys starting out? When did you transition to play with the girls?

I started off playing boys hockey.

There wasn't really any girls programs until probably, I want to say 14U, maybe 12U.

But I played boys hockey with the Wheatfield Blades in Buffalo.

My dad was the coach.

I absolutely loved it.

I played up until I did one year of body checking.

What's next on the mentorship? What are we looking for?

Yeah

... medalists.

Um, and then the bobsled teams were there.

So there was a few guys, and, like, some figure skater guys.

But other than that, it was all women.

And, uh, just got to meet more people, which was really fun and, uh, especially 'cause, like, a lot of the snow athletes, like, we didn't really get to meet because their village was so far away.

So meeting a lot of them was really cool and- Um, yeah, just sharing stories, sharing experiences, and it's, it was amazing.

This is a PR move here

Mm-hmm.

There's a lot of similarities in terms of the space that opens up on plays, like your running patterns, uh, getting the ball or the puck into space for someone to run onto it, rather than right directly on their stick.

Um, there's a lot of things that I felt, uh, translated in that sense, and I think that helped me tremendously with my hockey IQ.

I also had my dad always talking hockey with me, like, uh, you know, showing me plays on the boards.

Like, um, I remember, I mean, just growing up, whenever we'd have a game or a practice, we'd kind of dissect different plays and be like, "Okay, what could we have done better on this play?" Like, when this-

Right

... always something that was natural to me and something that- Um, I really enjoyed about the game, like, I like understanding the different aspects to it, and like little things I can work on to improve, like, with my timing, like getting to the net.

Like I remember that was one...

Yeah

... something like that.

And I was like, "That could be really fun." My dad had just been getting back into coaching a little bit.

He would help, uh, kind of youth teams in the area, and just go on the ice with them and work with them.

And he's, like, 71 now, so, like, he doesn't move, uh, you know, as great as he would like on his skates.

Uh, but he just loves hockey.

He lives, breathes, eats it.

Yeah.

Right.

So basically, each expansion team made a list of 20 players that they wanted to negotiate with.

And let's say they didn't reach their five players by the end of that phase, they had to pick from that negotiation list.

And I think that might have only been contracted players.

But again, you guys, there was a lot of nuances.

It was very complicated.

It was complicated to be a part of.

what's that process? Is it excitement? Is it wonder? Is it fear? I mean, what are the, what are the, maybe not fear, but you know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

Um, and it was also a lot of focus on what you could do outside of the sports to get better.

Like, I remember, like we were always being active, like always, uh, you know, doing like different types of workouts.

Like, you know, obviously safe and healthy workouts for whatever age I was.

And I think also having three older brothers, I always wanted to be playing up with them, so I did [laughs] whatever it took to kind of play with people who were always older than me, faster than me, um, and different things like that.

So I think that was a huge cultivating piece for me as well.

Like, I remember I was like probably 9 or 10, and I was working out with my brother's team, who was 12 probably, 12 or 13 at the time.

... about that for a minute?

Mm

... and with the energy they showed up with w- was unparalleled.

Like, I've never experienced something like that in my life.

It was incredible.

So I'll start at the beginning.

We went to, we met at our practice rink, which is in Verdun, which is like a, uh, a suburb, if you will, outside of the downtown Montreal area, probably like 15 minutes or so away.

We met there at like 9:00 AM.

[laughs]

Good [laughs]

... to celebrate the cup.

Um, which was real- you know, it's, it's hard, right? But I think they were just excited to see a Canadian team win it as well, and obviously bummed for their own team.

But we had a lot of people who stayed, and then a lot of Montreal fans were there too, so it was really nice to be able to celebrate it with them.

And, um, yeah, I'm like, h- like, again, like this is so...

It's just so surreal.

It was just so amazing and, and like I said, though, it was like a different kind of celebration just because, you know, it was a whole season that led up to this.

Yeah.

Yeah

... playing hockey? Like, and kinda get on with my life.

Like, when is this league gonna happen? Like, I'm, you know, happy to have, like, tr- you know, worked on the ground floor and try to, like, uh, get this league going, but, like, how much time can I keep doing this, right? Like, we weren't getting paid really.

Um, it was a lot.

And I was training by myself, so it was kind of lonely and isolating at times.

And so, uh, having her kind of point that out made me realize just how far we've come in such a short amount of time, and now we're a 12-team league, um, breaking records all the time.

Like, it just keeps happening, honestly.

Yeah

Give me that process.

Yeah, I think, um, what was great about the goals was, like, our retrievals for pucks.

So it was, like, a board battle on the side, and I remember I was in it with, like, Abby Roque.

Yeah, so Abby Roque and I are in the pile, uh, working on getting the puck.

We know we have our D release, but then we also had that dot release in the middle.

Uh, it's super important to have that, 'cause usually two defenders kind of go to the walls to block those releases off.

Um, and so we were able to get it to her, and she did a great job kind of possessing it, waiting for, you know, pressure to come to then release the puck back to the point.

Um, do you have any just final thoughts on, on the topic, right? Net front presence for the, for the group.

I'm just gonna put it on net myself"?

Um, I think I thought about going up there, and then I realized, I was like, "This is open." Like, I have it to the net.

Um, and then I just sh- shot it.

Like, I honestly wasn't even thinking that much.

I just ...

It almost felt like a floater, in a way.

Um, and I also saw there was a lot of traffic going to net, so just, yeah.

[laughs]

Top five in points, right? So how do you evaluate your own season?

Yeah, I am very proud of myself.

I had a really hard year the year before.

I think I had three points total in the whole season.

Like it was just, and then I was trying so hard to get points.

Like that was my only focus that season.

And then of course, the harder you try, the more it's not coming.

And