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A relatable and honest podcast about the highs and lows of being a youth hockey parent. Join us as we share real stories, struggles, and wins from the rink, offering insights and support for parents navigating the world of youth hockey.
This is for the sled dogs in the trenches. Real hockey parents, real stories. The Good and the Gong Show. No filters, no sugarcoating, no politics, just straight hockey talk, and the best guests around the barn. Welcome to the Crazy Hockey Dads Podcast.
Intro:Alright, boys. Grind them corners, chirp responsibly, and bring that savage fire.
Scott:Alright, everybody. Welcome to episode 79 of the Crazy Hockey Dads Podcast brought to you by Pacific Rink, the unfiltered podcast for hockey parents. No politics, no sugarcoating, just real talk for hockey parents in the trenches. Take two. Or three or four or some other number more than one, which is not what I wanted.
Scott:Just so everybody here knows,
Jamie:we just recorded the entire beginning and ending of this episode and
Scott:it didn't record. At least not all of it.
Jamie:It it didn't record well.
Scott:No. So we are doing a take two. Take two. Take two. And on that take two,
Jamie:we're gonna go over to
Scott:you for our sponsors and our partners. And why don't you kick us off with
Jamie:Alright. So before I get into Howie's Hockey, which is fantastic, I wanna say thank you to Big John Dangles Oh,
Scott:no doubt.
Jamie:For our intro. Yep. Because he's been doing some pretty cool stuff over on his Instagram channel. You So guys might wanna check out BJD at Big John Dangles on Instagram. He's been doing some really cool stuff.
Jamie:His stuff is kind of evolving pretty impressively. So Yeah. Thank you to BJD for our awesome intro. We really appreciate it. Go check him out.
Jamie:And then we go into Howie's Hockey.
Scott:Kick
Jamie:it. Go use our discount code crazy 10 for 10% off.
Scott:Crazy 10. You can get
Jamie:a tape, laces, gear, the blackout sweatshirts that Scott and I just got.
Scott:Oh, those are dope.
Jamie:Thank you to Mason for our awesome blackout sweatshirts.
Scott:Yo, shout out Mason.
Jamie:Seriously, thank you very much. We really appreciate, you know, the stuff that that Howie's Hockey does and go check out Scott's Favorite The Candle, the yellow handled scissors, which you know is a fan favorite of mine. So yeah. So go check out Howie's Hockey. Use the discount code crazy 10 for 10% off your Howie's hockey gear.
Scott:And also wanna thank Mason because we did get sweatshirts
Jamie:We did.
Scott:But we also have stuff to give away.
Jamie:We do.
Scott:More to come on that one. Yes. Stay listen to the pod.
Jamie:Follow our socials.
Scott:Follow the socials, but we got some stuff to give away. And that not just from Howie's. A few few giveaways to come up, so stay tuned for that.
Jamie:Yeah. We have a bunch of actually.
Scott:Yeah. We do.
Jamie:And before you go on, I just wanna let everybody know that, you know, keep paying attention to our podcast. It's probably not gonna be on our socials, but it's gonna be on our podcast. We are gonna do it an episode with Brad Serkin. He's one of the founders of Pacific Rink. We love Pacific Rink here.
Jamie:So so we're we did an episode with him. It's gonna come out shortly. Pacific Rink, for those of you who don't know, has awesome bags, awesome hockey bags, awesome stick bags, hockey bags. The pond pack is sick. The tape bag's awesome.
Jamie:I think they call it a toiletry bag. I use it for tape and gear and stuff like that. Yep. When I say I, I mean Dominic. Yep.
Jamie:Oui. So they have great stuff. They are they're giving us a discount window for our listeners. So once Brad's episode drops, there's gonna be twenty four to thirty six, like, forty eight hours. It's gonna be a day or two ish that you're gonna be able to go on and get a discount through us with Pacific Rink.
Jamie:Pacific Rink does not do discount codes. They do not do holiday specials. They don't do sales. You know? So for those of you who are looking to get a new bag for you or your kids to start the season, you wanna keep paying attention to us.
Jamie:So keep paying attention to our episodes. You gotta listen because if you miss it, couple days later you come to the episode, it's gonna be gone. Yep. So so you know, keep listening for our Pacific Rank discount code. It's coming shortly.
Jamie:It will only be if you listen to the episode, it will only be for a certain amount of time after.
Scott:There you go. So Make sure to yeah. A 100%.
Jamie:People listen for it.
Scott:And then let's move over to
Jamie:Coach k.
Scott:Coach Kevin, hockeytraining.com, hockey training h q on Instagram, and for listen, off season is winding down.
Jamie:It is.
Scott:But there's still plenty of time to get some more reps in. You still got about a I don't know, a couple weeks, month before the season really kicks off in earnest. So for anyone that's looking to get some off ice training, the comfort of your home, garage, backyard, wherever it might be, go to hockeytraining.com. Check out coach Kevin's library of off ice stick handling, speed strength agility training programs. He's got a massive library.
Scott:And for this summer, hockey training or for at least the rest of the summer, hockey training is offering a thirty minute live stick handling session every week, through the hockey training HQ app. Okay? So these sessions are coached live and combined stick handling drills with Hockey IQ teaching for players when and how to use different moves on the ice. Again Love it. Thirty minutes live and completely free through Hockey Training HQ app.
Scott:Completely free. Complete. No shit. Complete.
Jamie:Wow. That's like a home run.
Scott:Yeah. It is. So there's no reason not to try it.
Jamie:No. There's no reason not to try it at all.
Scott:A 100 yeah.
Jamie:He's great. He's got a super robust, you know, app and platform. Tons and tons of stuff there as far as, like, his library goes. Yep. Insane stuff.
Scott:Yep. So make sure to go over to hockeytraining.com and hockey training HQ app for the free stick handling sessions and a whole lot more.
Jamie:Love it. And then we have Titan Battle Gear. So go check out titanbattlegear.com or use the link in our show notes, which is titanbattlegear.com backslash Crazy Hockey Dads. Go use our discount code Crazy Dads 10 for 10% off. Scott and I trust our kids in it.
Jamie:It's the most protective stuff on the market, and it looks awesome too. They have the Miami Vice three point o that just dropped. They have The USA stuff. They have the like I said I said before, they have the Frozen Rocket. Mine's out of the gutter people.
Jamie:This is not anything sexual. This is a frozen rocket like the bomb pop. You call it frozen. It's called the frozen rocket.
Scott:Yeah. But why would your mind go to the gutter when you say a frozen rocket? That's not where my mind goes. Well. What kind of stuff do you do?
Scott:Anyway, when I say a frozen rocket It really means.
Jamie:I mean a bomb pop. For those of you who who are old enough and I know you know what I'm talking about, the red, white, and blue bomb pops. That's the frozen rocket. Nothing else. We have a clean show here, people.
Scott:Okay. Right. Okay.
Jamie:So go check it out. They have some awesome stuff. Go again. Go to titanbattlegear.com. Use the code crazy dads 10.
Jamie:Like I said, the most protective stuff on the market and it looks the best too. Go check it out. Use our code crazy dad sent for 10% off your Titan battle gear.
Scott:That's it. Yeah. I love their stuff. And then for any of you coaches and managers that I I'm sure are looking at, you know, video analytics for your upcoming season. I know Jamie's team is.
Scott:I know my team is. Yeah. But there's one place that you need to check out for sure, and that's athleticperformanceinsight.com. We call it API, but go to the website, fill out the contact form. Eric will get back in touch with you.
Scott:I'll give you a demo of the software or the platform, and he can also break down a game at no cost so you can see what you get out on the other end. Loads of analytics, team stats, you know, all the video is tagged by his team of analysts over there, and it just gives your coach loads to look through and help connect some dots for your players when they're looking at video off the ice. It's good for the youngest of ages up to college. Everyone's using athletic performance insights. So please take a look at them if you're undecided with your video analytic needs for this upcoming season.
Scott:Again, that's athletic performance insight.
Jamie:Fill out the contact form, mention Crazy Hockey Dads. $100 value. Just saying.
Scott:There you go. You get a discount.
Jamie:Just saying.
Scott:So say you know the guys over at Hot Crazy Hockey Dads.
Jamie:Dom needs a certain color gloves this season and
Scott:Does he?
Jamie:Save me a $100.
Scott:Oh. Yeah. Well, I
Jamie:Which which kind of email saying no helmet stickers, your gloves have to be a certain color. They can't
Scott:be white.
Jamie:They cannot be white. No white gloves, no gold and black like he had the year before. They are dropping the boom on us.
Scott:Okay. Well, listen, you gotta get in line. Anyhow Seriously. So Totally gotta get in line. Way to go.
Scott:Got got got through those ad reads. Great job. Yeah. Likewise. Now we're on to the episode.
Scott:We are. We are on part two of our time down in Princeton. Yes. Tremendous student athlete. We got to interview in Chris Reiniger.
Scott:Yep. A sophomore who's who's there for his, know, for he's now a sophomore. Yeah. And he's coming up on the second season. Yep.
Scott:And really interesting story, you'll hear all about in the interview, but you know, he came from he's from Maryland. Yep. Grew up in a not a major hockey center. No. You know?
Scott:He he was sacrificing a lot along the way at the younger ages, and, you know, he stuck with it despite questions, you know, whether or not he was missing too much. But he he has a, you know, passion and a love for the game and kept up with it, and then went on to South Kent. Then he went to the USHL, played for the Chicago Steel.
Jamie:Chicago Steel.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. Like, high level hockey.
Jamie:Yeah. Very
Scott:I mean and and now he's over at Princeton. High academic kid.
Jamie:Yes. Good character guy.
Scott:Yeah. Great character. He was fortunate enough and then like as Jamie likes to say, drew the shortest straw because he was Dominic and Otto's counselor during week. During their time at Princeton. So we had an opportunity to talk with him and Yeah.
Scott:Yeah. Great guy.
Jamie:He was great. Yeah. I'm not how he got that duty of being the counselor of our kids. Not sure how that happened.
Scott:You said I'm
Jamie:sure I'm sure he was Jesus Christ. You're watching Beavis and Butthead. No. You know what that
Chris:made me think of. Right?
Jamie:Tell me I was like Beavis
Scott:and No. Did totally Beavis and Butthead. I need TV for my mom. You remember that Friends episode when Chandler Bing started like RIP. Yeah.
Scott:Know. RIP. And those the whoever his like assistants were and doctors were getting prison sentences, I'm pretty sure. Yeah. But there was an episode where he he was like talking with his boss and and the boss says something to the effect of, like, I like, if you need to do due diligence or you you need to he said
Jamie:Do due diligence.
Scott:Said do do. Yeah. Yeah. Like, Chandler starts laughing, and the boss did not find it funny. He didn't.
Scott:No. Yes. It was really said doo doo. It was funny. Yes.
Scott:That's Anyway.
Jamie:Yeah. Now listen.
Scott:Friends. And I watched I watched
Jamie:Good show.
Scott:Yeah. No. It's still funny. Very funny. It's still very funny.
Scott:Super funny. It's worth it for any of you youngsters that don't know what Friends is.
Jamie:I feel like
Scott:Most of our audience knows Friends.
Jamie:I I well, just knowing the demographics of our audience Yeah. I would think that Friends and Seinfeld are like no brainers.
Scott:No Yeah. I would I would agree No with brainers. No brainers.
Jamie:Yeah. Like no brainers. Yeah. Speaking of like, have you seen have you seen the calzone clip in Seinfeld with George Costanza in the calzone?
Chris:I don't
Scott:think so. I don't think so. God. So funny. I need to check it out?
Jamie:Yes. Yes. The reason I bring it up is because the Yankees happen to be doing like and I totally forgot about it. The Yankees happen to be doing a promotion, like Okay. Bobblehead day of George Costanza.
Scott:Wait. Wait. Wait. Was he holding
Jamie:A calzone.
Scott:Oh, I thought you was a chicken ice cream.
Jamie:No. No. He was ice not cream? No. He was not holding a chicken ice cream.
Jamie:No. Not this time at least.
Scott:Okay. Fair.
Jamie:But they do like a like the Yankees have been doing like a Seinfeld. I think they've I think this is their third one in a row if I'm not mistaken.
Scott:Oh, yeah? Ran out of ideas.
Jamie:The the I gotta tell you, like, they're pretty sought after, buddy.
Scott:Are they?
Jamie:Super sought after.
Scott:Collector. Like Collectors item. No.
Jamie:No. If you're if like, you know the Yankees and they're like super sought after.
Scott:Okay. Yeah. Like big time. I'm not I'm not in the know on that one.
Jamie:It's okay. You don't really need to be. But it's I guess it's it's you're like meshing baseball with like entertainment.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. Pop culture perhaps. Correct.
Jamie:Yeah. Yep.
Chris:Totally get it. So yeah.
Jamie:But yes. That that's kinda anyway.
Scott:Alright. So become
Jamie:my friends.
Scott:Well, in any event.
Jamie:Yeah. So hockey season is like barreling down at us.
Scott:Barreling down on us. Right? Yeah. We've got like the getting the emails, the the sports engines, the team snaps, the whatever apps are popping off like wildfire.
Jamie:They sure are.
Scott:You know, we got Parents starting to talk. Next week. A week well, we're recording on a Monday night. This is coming out on Wednesday. Right.
Scott:So this the next Monday, next next week, whatever it is, the seventeenth, think. Today's the
Jamie:tenth. Right.
Scott:Auto starts his two week mini camp or training camp.
Jamie:That's right. You guys because you guys are triple a, so you hit the ice earlier.
Scott:We hit the ice. Yeah. They got like two hours. I don't know if it's all on ice, but there's like a I think four days, Monday through Thursday, next week and the following week, they're gonna be getting after it. The team's gonna start doing all the team things.
Scott:We're we're right there, dude.
Jamie:Oh, yeah. No. No. It's here. I mean, it's it's it's it'll be here before you
Scott:know it. What about what has Dom got?
Jamie:So we don't have any ice next week. I think we have off ice next week, if I'm not mistaken. Yep. I'm not even sure who planned that. Like, it was kinda put together through our coaches.
Jamie:That would make sense. I don't think it's through the organization.
Scott:What do mean the coaches are running the dry land? Or off ice or whatever you wanna call it?
Jamie:Not They're not running it but they were looking for a facility to run it. And we have to pay for it.
Scott:Not included in tuition.
Jamie:Doesn't seem that way. No. Yeah. Doesn't seem that Yeah. Thanks, Black Bear.
Scott:Thanks, Black Bear.
Jamie:Yeah. You know, it doesn't seem that way. You know, so I think we have two ice sessions before we get on the ice. You know, like, for for like a showcase, I
Scott:mean. Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie:So I'm pretty sure next week is off ice.
Scott:Okay.
Jamie:Then maybe we have an on ice, and then I think we have a showcase coming up to that.
Scott:One of Otto's birth year, the team, the double a team Mhmm. We still talk to, you know, Otto's got Yeah. Friends on that So I maybe I'm confusing two stories, I'm pretty sure their that team is training at d one.
Jamie:Not shocked.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. I think that's what they arranged for the for that team. So that's like so I don't know where your team's looking to
Jamie:I don't know why it seems to be like a shit show.
Scott:And what yeah. You don't
Jamie:know yet? Why like people you have to find like a location to do off
Scott:ice training?
Jamie:I'm not really sure what got fucked up at the organization level, but something got fucked up. Like, I've never heard of coaches like putting together like off ice.
Scott:What do you mean?
Jamie:Like our coaches put together like like a bunch of off ice like workouts at like and they were looking for a facility to do it.
Scott:Oh wait, so maybe I misunderstood. So the coaches are the ones that are programming the off ice. Just don't have a physical location to do it?
Jamie:That's what I was on
Scott:Like you need like a gym?
Jamie:Again, like like I've said before, I don't really pay attention to TeamSnap, Nancy tells me. Yep. But like it sounded like they were trying to find a facility to like host our kids. And again, we have to pay for it, it's not part of our tuition.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:So something sounds a little strange, not gonna lie. Mhmm.
Scott:A little odd, you know? Especially like the the last minuteness of it. Correct. I mean, maybe it's don't know.
Jamie:Who knows? Maybe something I I This is a I don't have the answer.
Scott:But here's a good question though. And my question to you is, what are your thoughts about, you know, youth sports Mhmm. Impeding on the summer? Because it happens it happens in a variety of places. Like, my buddy's kid has been practicing football all summer,
Jamie:which did change. My godson's doing it as we speak.
Scott:Okay. So then there's that. There's tons of sports that do this. But what's so for hockey, right, like my my family, like my wife's been saying for years, well, we can't go away at the end of August because you we're gonna have hockey. Know?
Jamie:So She's not wrong.
Scott:No. I know that. But I'm just saying what do you do you have any issue with it?
Jamie:With going away or with
Scott:not With it starting, you know, just like getting into the weeds with like commitments going to the rink. For us, it's gonna be eight days and four you know, eight times in fourteen days. We're gonna go up to the rink in the evening. Gosh. You guys have like
Jamie:a mini camp.
Scott:Yeah. But but we're not unique. So I'm just curious, like, do you think that's you take any issue with it or you think it's So
Jamie:so now these days you have blackout weeks for towns. Yeah. Right? So the town has like a blackout week where like they won't have any sports for the town. Okay?
Jamie:So everybody goes away that week. Right? So listen, as far as hockey goes, you've been off since like April. Yep. Right?
Jamie:So if you can't find a time to go away, April, May, June, July, half of August. Yep. Like if you are struggling to find listen, I don't know what his work schedule is and maybe sometimes they don't line up. But like you have time to go away.
Scott:To figure it out. No. A 100%.
Jamie:Like if you can't figure out time to go away from like the end of June through like the second like the second like next week in August Yeah. Like then, you know, something, you know, but you can there's probably no excuse.
Scott:That that shouldn't be the reason why your family didn't travel.
Jamie:Correct. Right.
Scott:Exactly. So what we had last year was
Jamie:Plenty of time to to travel.
Scott:Right. But there are there are exceptions, and I say that only because last year was my father's eightieth. A 100%. And we planned a big family trip
Jamie:100%.
Scott:Out of town, and we You don't you don't miss that. No. So like, Otto had missed the first couple games Fine. Of a showcase
Jamie:It's fine.
Scott:And then we got back in time for it.
Jamie:It's fine.
Scott:So that worked.
Jamie:Listen, it's fine.
Scott:But there's plenty of families that are just like, yo, not cool.
Jamie:Listen, yeah.
Scott:Not cool. And and less and probably less so hockey because to your point, hockey is generally not really kicking up until like the last two weeks of August, but some sports like football for example, it's like going on all summer. And like when you get to the end of the summer, it's like, now it's like doubles.
Jamie:Like I said, buddy, that blackout week is huge for people to go away.
Scott:Yeah. No. A 100%.
Jamie:My my my good friend, you know, and my godson, you know, so now now his other one is playing too now. Yeah. So he's got two playing
Scott:in high school.
Jamie:So like he they can't go anywhere. No. So if they don't do that blackout week, they're, you know but listen, I I can't remember when like when like a seven on seven started for him, but listen, it's restrictive. Yeah. You know?
Jamie:Yep. But there's there's always time. Like, July, right? Like, you can find time.
Scott:No. Of course you can. I'm just curious of what your thoughts were about it.
Jamie:You know, like when I was when Don was younger, would have like you know, it's it's so funny that we're talking about this now. I'm on the fence. Okay. Right?
Scott:Like you see both sides of it is what you're saying?
Jamie:So like I always like I always thought it was strange when people went away like mid season. Mhmm. You know what I mean? Like that I always thought was odd.
Scott:Right. Like you're not gonna be around for a weekend because they're on a family vacation.
Jamie:Right. Like so you're you're obviously making a commitment. But listen, if it's an eightieth birthday like something with your dad or a wedding or something like that. Like, you can't you can't not go to that.
Scott:Well, so Right? So we have gotten an invitation to to go away at the end of the summer and, you know, or it was like, you know, we can't, you know, blah blah blah. And then she Just for
Jamie:like a regular vacation or was
Scott:it Just like just just to like just yeah. Local, like, just like someone's beach house.
Jamie:Okay.
Scott:And then they were like, oh, well, you know, like if you, you know, if you can't go, like, you can go anytime, you know, in the fall or whenever because you can go to the snowplays area. And Riley's like, yeah, no.
Jamie:Yeah,
Scott:no. She's like, that's not a thing. And then so she turns around, she's like, you know, this is a little annoying. And I'm I I get it. She's like, we have an opportunity to like, you know, spend family time at like a really, you know, a nice place like on the beach and Sure.
Scott:We can't because of sports. Yeah. It's true. And I was like, well, you know, that's we we signed up for it. Knew we were commitment.
Scott:Getting honor it. But all I'm saying is that like with with youth sports in particular Right. We talk often about how like things are now like, you know, twelve months out of the year.
Jamie:Like any yeah.
Scott:Like like anything else. Anyway, just not not that I'm complaining because I'm not. I'm just just just want to kick that up because we're, you know, it's about that time where people are starting to get back into it, and these are conversations that have come up, you know.
Jamie:Listen, we had we had a kid who who who missed a lot of time Mhmm. A couple years ago. He missed a lot of time because he was playing another sport.
Scott:Mhmm.
Jamie:Right? And and the coach didn't select him for the team the following year because he couldn't count on him to be there.
Scott:And did the parents, like, did they acknowledge that that was, like, that was true?
Jamie:So I don't I don't know if that conversation happened. It's certainly possible.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:But like But
Scott:that was a consequence of those actions.
Jamie:You listen, you have to choose. If you have a conflict, you have
Scott:to choose. Mhmm.
Jamie:Right? And you have to be okay with somebody not picking you the following year if they can't count on you. It's just kinda how life works.
Chris:Right.
Jamie:Right? Like if you
Scott:Especially if it's a pattern of behavior. It's not like it's
Jamie:a one off thing. No. Was not a one This multiple Right. A pattern. We were going we were going away like buffalo in a tournament and they made it.
Jamie:Like listen, and that's okay. It's fine that you guys missed. You know? So but I understood where the coach is coming from and not selecting that kid the following year because you couldn't count on him.
Chris:Right.
Jamie:And he was a defenseman, and it's hard to set up like you know, it's hard especially if you want, if you're trying to like win and develop and and that type of stuff. I think it's hard when you can't and you're going in with less defensemen now.
Scott:Listen, we That's hard. So like to that point It's not
Jamie:like we had extra defensemen to throw around. No. So like there's a consequence to it and you as the parent need to be okay with that decision because no, you weren't kind of maybe all in like some other families.
Scott:Well well listen, we don't know what the or at least I don't, but all I think more to not more to the point, but it's about communication. Right? So it's like, as a parent, like, if that's a situation that, you know, your family has where you have a lot of travel commitments, like, you should voice that early on. And if you don't voice it, like, you're clearly not communicating. You're not managing the coach's expectations.
Jamie:Yeah. Yes. But even if it was voiced, and that's okay, the coach still has a right to be like, hey listen, this didn't work for me. Right. Right?
Jamie:I agree with that. That's okay. That is okay. And that parent has to be okay with that because you weren't there the whole time when everybody else was.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:You know I mean? So as a parent, you have to be okay with the decision.
Scott:Right. But my hope would be that before it came to that decision Sure. That there was communication and that
Jamie:That I don't know. Right. That's high level stuff that I was not privy to.
Scott:Yeah. Totally understand I'm I'm just
Jamie:Way above my pay grade.
Scott:I'm just suggesting that communicating
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:And making sure people's met, not only the coaches, but then vice versa. Sure. Like expectations need to be met. So if this family, let's just say they were highly communicative, told the coach the coach never had a problem with it, let's just say, I'm making that up. But then at the end of the season, their kid doesn't make the team, and now they find out he didn't get picked because how much time he missed.
Scott:Well, as a parent, I'd be like, well, you could have given me an opportunity to like, you know, or I do something differently
Jamie:because now my kid's
Scott:paying a price for my decisions. Listen. And that happens.
Jamie:How many times does that happen?
Scott:No. Okay. But like what?
Jamie:Especially these days when like a kid's late to practice, it's not the kid's fault.
Scott:But that's why I'm saying communication's really important.
Jamie:Yes. Listen, you're not wrong. Communication is very important. Right. But but but I also think that things change.
Scott:Things do
Jamie:change. Communication could have been like spot on and still
Scott:change. Look, I I'm Yes. There there's probably all different ways that this could have unfolded, but bottom line is parents, coaches, in your best interest
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:To be good communicators, to manage expectations, because like you're saying, you never know what could be some consequences you didn't think were going to come along.
Jamie:And a coach could have been okay with the situation to start and then realize, oh shit,
Scott:this is a Well, can I tell you, when Otto, when I was coaching,
Jamie:we
Scott:we were pretty strict? Maybe that's not the best way of putting it. But we we were always asking for the parents to make sure that they say yes or no on like whether or not their kid was attending practice. We're like, maybes don't help us. Because like if we have to plan a
Jamie:practice and
Scott:we're gonna do certain
Jamie:Maybe drills snapping maybe?
Scott:Yeah. Like what the fuck's the point of maybe?
Jamie:That's so annoying by the way Keep your maybe. I'm like, what the fuck?
Scott:Just say
Jamie:Like, maybe?
Scott:Just say no?
Jamie:What is a maybe?
Scott:Just say no until it's yes or say yes Right. Until it's
Jamie:Right. Yeah. That that may the fact that there's even a maybe option is like Yeah. You know.
Scott:Yeah. But my more to my point, you're talking about a whole season and a kid missing games. Yeah. Like, we were talk well, it was just the whole season too, but, like, we were we were wanting to know. If you're not gonna be a practice, like, let us know.
Scott:So if we need to change something, and especially goalies, cause we'd be expecting we had full ice. Yeah. We expected two goalies. Yeah. And now you only have one, you're just like, oh, great.
Scott:Thanks.
Jamie:Yeah. We we don't listen, this is just us. We don't go on vacation during hockey season.
Scott:No. When you stay in downtown for every tournament, like you go on vacation five times a hockey season.
Jamie:You're not wrong about that by the way. I mean, yeah. I mean, I I I kind of do it other ways. Right?
Scott:So you
Jamie:you And I do. 100%.
Scott:That's what I'm saying.
Jamie:Yes. We've we've gone from like Buffalo to like Lake George, Buffalo to Lake Placid, you know. We've gone from Boston to Placid, you know. So yeah. So we figured out other ways, but I I was never one of those families that like plan a vacation during hockey season.
Scott:Yeah. I hear you.
Jamie:I just never did.
Scott:Yeah. We didn't And
Jamie:and and again, I'm not saying I'm not like knocking down families that do. If you do, okay. You know, it was just not something that we did.
Scott:We went away once two years ago for a weekend and auto missed both games. We did that once in his
Jamie:When you're younger, it's almost like Less important? Correct.
Scott:No. I I
Jamie:hear you. When you're younger, it's it's not when you're a mite or a squirt, like, it's not a big deal.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:Right? It really isn't. Like, Come on.
Scott:What what do you mean? Lock in, dad.
Jamie:Lock in your mites. You don't go vacation during mites. What's
Chris:wrong with you?
Jamie:But as you get older, it's hard. That's hard to do. I mean think about that, you're a high school player, that's why they have these blackout weekends. Like you're a high school player, again, I remember. You probably remember it because when I played high school basketball, my parents would go on vacation.
Jamie:My parents would go to Florida during Christmas break, and I had basketball practice. And I slept at your house. Because I had basketball practice so I was not in Florida. So it was not an option. I was not able to go to Florida.
Jamie:If I did, I probably would've not be alive right now. Our coaches were pretty hardcore back then.
Scott:Wow. That's legit.
Jamie:Yeah. I probably would not be here to do this podcast. Wow. Yeah. I would've been frightened for my life to go away.
Jamie:Seriously, I'm joking. Dude, now I I was frightened to go skiing during basketball season.
Scott:And they if the coaches found out?
Jamie:Bro, coaches found out you went skiing during basketball season? Oh my god.
Scott:God forbid you children were kids.
Jamie:Yeah. Exactly. Listen. Listen. There there's plenty of time to go away.
Scott:No. Listen. I I I also understand that. I understand. But like this this conversation is relevant because like people that have been in it doing it for a long time Yeah.
Scott:They they kinda know the drill. Know, maybe there's some people out there that haven't crossed this bridge yet. Right. Right?
Jamie:So And going away is fine, but you just have to be aware of like unintended consequences. Right. Right? And you have to be okay with it. Right.
Jamie:Right? Because the coach may be okay with you, might not be okay with Be a good communicator. That's very helpful. No question about it. Yep.
Jamie:Yeah. Or don't play a high level, you know, where it's kinda more casual. Where it doesn't matter if you go away.
Scott:Don't play a what?
Jamie:Don't play such a high level.
Scott:Oh, don't play such a high level.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. Do a more casual version of hockey. Sure. Where it's not it doesn't really matter if you miss.
Jamie:Right?
Scott:Yeah. But like, you know, but but even when you say that, even like when when my kids are playing like Wreck
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:It's still, well, I guess vacation is different. Right? I I guess all I was saying is that it went for kids skipping, and I think it's what when maybe you said you said skip. Right? Is that how I get am I starting this train of thought?
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. Just because we wanna tell our kids, like, you know, you fulfill your commitments. Yeah. You don't wanna go, like, you have a better
Jamie:You signed up for something, you see it through.
Scott:You see it through.
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:Right. Right.
Jamie:Which is a life skill.
Scott:Right. But there's more leniency obviously and and less and less competitive levels.
Jamie:Yes. I have a question for you.
Scott:Answer for you.
Jamie:So when I when Dom was like a squirt Mhmm. Okay, I remember this one family went away on like a ski trip or during the season.
Scott:Okay.
Jamie:Okay? Like he missed I think he missed three practices in a row.
Scott:That happened with auto last season too.
Jamie:And then he came back and started. Yeah. What's the what's your comfort level with that?
Scott:So part of it is like the age.
Jamie:Squirts. Squirts? First year squirt.
Scott:And then the kid started after missing three practices? Correct. That sends the wrong message.
Jamie:That's what I said.
Scott:It totally sends What the wrong
Jamie:the fuck? All those other kids were working really hard Yep. While that kid was on vacation.
Scott:And I'll tell
Jamie:you And again, it's not the kid, it's the parents. Yep. The kid didn't have a choice whether he's going on vacation or not. It's the parents.
Scott:No. I understand that. But look, if you were just talking about starting a game.
Jamie:He played the whole game. Well, you said because he was goalie.
Scott:Wait. Oh, okay. But hold on. Time out for a second. Are you asking me if it if it thought it's okay that he started the game or do I think it's okay that he played it all?
Jamie:No. No. I I don't I don't think the kid should miss the whole game.
Chris:Okay.
Jamie:Yep. Like like like as a as a position player, like like should you sit the first period or not? Again, they were first year squirts, so it's like like, you know, like probably not again, not the kid's fault at all. Probably should be playing. But does that send the wrong message to like the other kids who were there practicing for the other three hours?
Scott:I I also think, yes. In my opinion, yes. And I also think that starting a game at the young ages, like, typically, you don't have a first line.
Jamie:He was a goalie though. He played the
Chris:whole game.
Scott:Okay. We're okay. Fine. And there was a second goalie?
Jamie:Yes. There was.
Scott:Okay. So the so that's that's like unique because
Jamie:second goalie.
Scott:Because if this is the first game of two games over the weekend, that first game maybe is the, you know, the team the the competition was better suited for that goalie as opposed to the other goalie. Like, you know what? Like, goalie's a little bit different. I still don't think it sends the right message. I'm making excuses for the coach in this one.
Scott:No, ultimately, think, look, if you're gonna miss a whole bunch of practice Yeah. You don't need to start. Like, and I think
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:And and yeah. And I think
Jamie:that's okay. And I don't
Scott:even think the kid I mean, would the kid really care if he played the second half of that game or played the second game of the weekend? Like, I don't even think like, letting that kid start
Jamie:is just I'd be so curious to hear, like, other parents' opinions on this. I'd be so curious to hear. Because I see it from both sides of the coin. As you get older, that kid probably should should sit for a little bit. Right?
Jamie:Well, but when you're older, it's also more
Scott:serious and you're probably not taking that time off.
Jamie:Listen, this was triple a hockey at the time. Right? Again, but it was it was squirrel. Minor. Was for sure squirrel.
Jamie:So when the kids were like nine?
Scott:Yeah. So I I don't even know if
Jamie:it's big
Scott:I don't even it would probably
Jamie:How do you sit at nine
Scott:or 11 kid? It's probably also lost on the kids. If anything, the optics is gonna be like noticed by the parents.
Jamie:I think that she's like,
Scott:kids probably didn't give
Jamie:a shit.
Scott:Johnny was away for a week and he gets to start and my kids not started.
Jamie:Kids probably didn't a shit
Scott:at all. The kids probably didn't give a shit. And from a as a coach, knowing that the optics might not look the best, even though I maybe like me as an apparent, like wouldn't give two shits. Yeah. But like, if anything, like, just don't start the kid.
Scott:Like, you don't need you probably don't need to. Yeah. By starting him, you're only setting yourself up for a potential confrontation. As the coach yourself. As the coach.
Scott:Just don't start the kid. If he's a skater very It's easy Especially for
Jamie:a first year squirt.
Scott:If he's a skater, you know, you you start a different line.
Jamie:Right.
Scott:Right. If he's the goalie, play the second game or the second half of that game.
Jamie:Oh, I was gonna say At squirts. Maybe put him in like halfway through the second period.
Scott:Anyway, I feel like we're kinda beating a dead horse. Yeah.
Jamie:Because I because I gotta tell you, I see it from both sides of the coin. At the time, I was like, what the fuck? Why is this kid playing? Like, why is he starting? They you know, all these kids I thought it sent the wrong message too, but then I'm like, first your squirt like
Scott:But not starting. Is that really a panel? Is that really like a big consequence?
Jamie:No. For a goalie, it's different. Okay.
Scott:But even still, like, when you have two goalies at the young ages, they're not playing you don't have a true first and second.
Jamie:I gotta tell you.
Scott:You know what I mean?
Jamie:I I gotta tell you, I've I have yet to be on a team where people split halfway through games.
Scott:What are you talking really?
Jamie:Never. I've yet to be on a hockey team where people split halfway.
Scott:Oh, that's that's that's really interesting.
Jamie:I've yet to be on one. Really? Yeah.
Scott:You always have like a Doesn't happen. Every they always played full games.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah.
Scott:Which I And what what if there's only
Jamie:I kinda like it.
Scott:What if there was only one game on the weekend and it was away? They would make they would definitely have like
Jamie:No. Our kids I'm pretty sure our kids did not split one game last year. The year before the year before, we only had one goalie, so it didn't matter. We were at the Rockets. I don't ever remember them splitting.
Jamie:The year before that, we only had one goalie, it wasn't an issue. And then you go back to when we were like squirts, second year squirt. Yeah. No. One goal yeah.
Jamie:No. I've never been on a team that's split. Like, hey, John, you take half game, and Billy's gonna come in for
Scott:the win.
Chris:We had
Scott:so I would
Jamie:I've never been on a team that's done that.
Scott:Otto's always had two goalies.
Jamie:Yeah. I see it all the time, but it's never I've never Yeah. Been on
Scott:I I will last year, I didn't understand why they took the splitting approach.
Jamie:Mhmm.
Scott:Like, it's like certainly as like because if you're the second no matter if so two things. One, if your team's winning and you put in a cold goalie Right. And then they lose it, that sucks.
Jamie:Alright. So
Scott:But then but then if you're if you're losing and then you put in the goalie, right, like, okay. So it depends how badly you're losing.
Jamie:I see what you're saying.
Scott:But, like, if it's a one goal game I you know, I'm just saying it puts a lot of pressure on the kid coming into the game in certain situations.
Jamie:With no warm up.
Scott:And there's no warm up. Yeah. And I just part of me, like I just don't even think that's I really
Jamie:agree with you. The second kid always coming in, I always thought unless you're come well, but again, here we go with you know, like if a kid's having a bad game and the coach just
Chris:Okay. Pulls
Scott:That's a different story.
Jamie:Right. Then you're
Scott:like Sometimes you might you might be counting down the seconds until it's time to switch goalies. Right? Like if
Jamie:they're getting I've been part of that. So I've never had to have that feeling. Right? Because I've never had that. Yeah.
Jamie:So And I gotta tell you, now that I'm thinking about it, I've been on very few teams where goalies got yanked.
Scott:Yeah. I think we
Jamie:Like like a handful, dude. A handful. Like a real handful.
Scott:I Very few. Very few.
Jamie:Very few.
Scott:Yeah, I agree with that.
Jamie:I could probably count them on one hand and I don't need all five fingers to
Scott:do.
Jamie:You know what I mean?
Scott:Yeah. That's an interesting question to bring
Jamie:up. It is, isn't it?
Scott:Yeah.
Jamie:As the season is kind of drawing near, it's I'm sure parents
Scott:Think about it parents.
Jamie:I'm sure parents are gonna be confronted with this shit. I do think that the age of the kids definitely makes a difference.
Scott:It definitely makes a difference.
Jamie:Right? For sure. Again, kids get older, I think that they should be around and put in the same time as the rest of their teammates, as long as they're not sick. Right? Or like I
Scott:don't know. Injured.
Jamie:Yeah. Or have like an engagement that they can't miss. Right. Right? And again, it also it also matters the level they're playing.
Jamie:Yep. Right? Like a triple a team is not gonna be handled the same way as a split season bantam team whose guys are playing high school. The season goes from August to October, whatever it is. So I think that's gonna you know play a part in in how the coach handles stuff.
Jamie:Yeah. I don't know, man. I don't know. Yeah. It depends.
Jamie:My answer is it depends.
Scott:It depends. Yeah. But anyhow. Yeah. Moving on.
Jamie:Our our interview today has never had to deal with this. He's not a goalie.
Scott:Yes.
Jamie:You know, he is a he is a defenseman like Scott said from from the University of Princeton. Again, I don't know how he drew the short straw of having our children as the kids that he was being the counselor of. But thank you to Chris for putting up with our children for the week.
Scott:Putting up with us for
Jamie:our age. Up with us when he talked to us. And thank you to Princeton and Coach Sire, the whole coaching staff was great. All the counselors are fantastic. They run a phenomenal camp, know, like you and I have said.
Scott:Yeah. Otto's Otto's like counting down the days to go next So
Jamie:good. What was it? Princetonsportscamps.com?
Scott:Yeah. The link is in the show notes.
Jamie:Right? Go check it out. Was run so Nancy was even commenting on because we had their schedule. Right? And they kept them busy the entire day.
Jamie:I mean, there was there was very little they left early in the morning to go to breakfast. I think some days they were back in their room for like a half hour.
Scott:And that was it,
Jamie:And that was it. And they weren't back until like after 08:00 at night.
Scott:Yeah. Otto said that of all the camps that he went to, like Super structured. Yeah. But then also just from a physical, like physically demanding Yeah. He's you know, that was definitely
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:It it was it worked the boys good.
Jamie:It did. And and I don't know if the rest of the Princeton camps are set up like We were kinda chatting with coach, you and I. He gave us a ton of time. He's been more than gracious to us by giving us access to Princeton. We're kind of now have like a little partnership with Princeton, which is fantastic.
Jamie:But we were talking to him and I even made a comment to him, like, wow, you keep these boys pretty busy, coach. And he's like, yeah, it was all by design.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie:Of course. I mean, he gave talks in the evening, like, after the kids ate, after they did whatever the skate. Whatever they whatever the kids were doing, were always busy. But coach Cyrus spoke to them every evening, I think.
Scott:Yeah. Well, Otto came back telling me about like his path. He's like, this is gonna be my path. And I'm like, oh, yeah.
Jamie:Interesting. He told me about that.
Scott:Yeah. And so now Otto but that was the result. And look, no matter what Otto said, that's not even the point. The point is that
Jamie:he's Something rubbed off on him.
Scott:But he was thinking about, oh, there's a path here.
Jamie:I wanna do this. Yeah.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. Didn't think about it like that.
Jamie:Yeah. Listen, I think they did a listen, I I was part of this camp like when Dom was eight. Right? And he didn't sleep there because he was too young at the time, but but I was very impressed with how they put this.
Scott:Yeah. No. It was done.
Jamie:It was it was more than well done. Yeah. Yeah. And our kids had a blast, so I can just, you know, talk about our kids. They had a blast.
Jamie:I I didn't see one kid that was even remotely upset. Mean, I were all had huge smiles on their face the entire time. Like I said, the the coaches, the Princeton Ice Hockey coaches did a phenomenal job. The counselors were all awesome. They they really know how to how to run a camp
Scott:over there. Yeah. No. It was good.
Jamie:Yeah. It was impressive.
Scott:Yeah. Check-in check-in was a little dicey
Jamie:Well, at because you got there super late.
Scott:No. Let's hold on for a second. Yeah. Yeah. But leading up to us being quote unquote super late.
Jamie:Were you guys the last ones online?
Scott:But let me can I tell you something? We we followed the last email that we got. Don't don't don't
Jamie:Was that the one that came at 6AM?
Scott:That morning?
Jamie:Alright. So that was a little that was a little questionable. We What do
Scott:you mean? I got there? We got there.
Jamie:Get there?
Scott:I don't even remember. But the point was is that, like, the email went out. Yeah. We kinda followed that. Clearly, there was a lot of other people that were there before us because we were one of the last people online.
Scott:And then we went to the room and then there was like that that dad had like
Jamie:The dad grabbed yeah.
Scott:Yeah. Dad like dumped his stuff in out of his room and then we had to go back and forth.
Jamie:There's always some logistical stuff, but I must say, they handled it very well. So even even you're gonna have hiccups with anything, right?
Scott:No, of course. All I'm saying is that not everything is perfect, but we got through it and it was
Jamie:all good. Yes, yes. And of course it winds up happening to us, Right? Like I'm sure they were like, goddamn it.
Scott:Like Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Jamie:You know? But but it was fine. And the kids and and Dominic and Otto, you know, wound up being in a room together, which is a pretty sick room. It had like a fireplace and their own bathroom.
Scott:Yeah. You mentioned that. I mean Yes. It was good.
Jamie:It was it was awesome. Yeah. It was the dorms are beyond cool. I mean, super old if you like like architecture and history, that that that campus is ridiculous. Yes.
Jamie:So yes, you guys should go check out the Princeton Ice Hockey campus next year, the summer camps because like I said, especially ice hockey, I can't speak for anything else, but coach Sire has that thing super dialed in.
Scott:Yeah.
Jamie:He does not mess around.
Scott:Nope. Yeah. No. He talks, you listen.
Jamie:Oh my god. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It was awesome.
Jamie:Yeah. And thank you to Chris, you know, our student athlete who came on with this. He was expecting big things from him.
Scott:Oh, yeah. Pressure's on Chris.
Jamie:Yeah. Not only as a hockey player, but as like, you know, like what he does after Princeton.
Scott:Oh, well, he's got some time before that. But yeah.
Jamie:He does. Only a certain time.
Scott:We're gonna keep tabs on him.
Jamie:Yes. Number 33.
Scott:33. Let's go.
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:Big things. Number 33.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. So it was it was was fun. It was a fun interview. I hope you guys enjoy it because we had a lot of fun talking it.
Scott:Yeah. Alright. Let's kick it over to him.
Jamie:Sounds good, buddy. Alright. Here we go.
Scott:Alright, everyone. We're here with our next interview at Princeton University. We got Chris Reiniger, sophomore here. And Chris, thank you so much for joining us. I know you're taking time out of the the summer camp day and your responsibilities there, but, dude, thanks for joining us.
Chris:Yeah. Of course. Thanks for having
Scott:me. Yeah. A 100%. So if you could just, like, share a little bit about where, like, where you're from, what position you play so the audience gets to know a little
Chris:bit about who you are. Yeah. I'm from Maryland. Originally, I live now in Jersey, about an hour away from Princeton, so it's a nice short drive. Yeah.
Chris:I'm going into my sophomore year, like you said. Nice. Had a pretty sweet freshman year. The team was amazing. Fair wise and people.
Chris:It was amazing. I spent two years in Chicago for the Steel, another great experience. And then for two years before that, I was playing prep school at South Kent School.
Scott:Wow.
Chris:Sweet. Yep.
Scott:So you've had, like, I I guess, like, your your journey to get to Princeton, like, you've played a lot of high end hockey. Was that always the case? Like, when you go back to, like, the beginning, right, like, were you always playing tier one?
Chris:Yeah. In Maryland, tier one didn't really start until PB first year, so, like, that's
Scott:Oh, okay.
Chris:Over 13 maybe. So yeah, I played double A, single A before then, but I actually started a little late. Started when I was like eight years old, so Oh, yeah. Pretty late to the party, probably my second year.
Scott:Okay.
Chris:And then, yeah, kinda every year after that it was like single A, then the next year was double A, and then once triple A came out, I kinda went there and then spent four years at team Maryland. So
Scott:Alright. Well, so, you know, we were just talking about this yesterday because we were just looking at players out on the ice, and we were just it was that I think the kids from the Colonials, but, like, maybe they were, like, little Caps pants. And I was just saying, like, when I was a kid, I played in the Ay, and I played for the played against the caps. But, like, in, like, you know, around us, like, you have some teams from Delaware, but, like, the the real Mid Atlantic, like, you know, who are who are, like, the top teams there? Because we don't hear much at least about the little caps and, like, it's like it's like Delaware and then like the Canes.
Chris:Yeah. Even I was like probably a good hour from the rink going up so
Scott:Were you?
Chris:Yeah. There's only yeah. Maryland's only team Maryland's the only tier one team in Maryland. Yeah. Wow.
Chris:Some guys would travel out there but yeah there's not much going on. Yeah. The Colonials were always really good for Interesting. When you were young? Yeah.
Chris:For your oh, okay. Really good. Had a pretty stacked team, but, yeah, there's not much going on. There's good amount of travel if you if you wanna Interesting.
Scott:That must be the reason why.
Jamie:Yeah. Think about it. There's like there's like even on the tier two, there's like the Delaware Ducks. There's like Montgomery, which is in
Scott:Blue Devils. Yeah. Yeah. The Blue Devils. Right.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:And there's not a whole and then there's the junior Canes,
Scott:which are No. I just find that so interesting. It kinda like Hockey kinda falls off a cliff.
Jamie:A little bit when you when you start going south Yeah. Out of Jersey.
Scott:I mean Yeah.
Jamie:Kind of gets so sparse, which is shocking, actually.
Scott:We had weird theories about this. We would talk about it, how it's like, you know, in terms of, like, where geo geographically people are living and, like, as further you get north, colder more often, so you have more of, like, who the better athletes. Right? Like Yeah. Are gonna end up playing hockey because it's more a part of the fabric of those
Chris:outdoor rank when it freezes. Yeah.
Scott:Right. And as you get further south, like, if your your top athletes are gravitating probably to sports that are, you know, not indoors on ice because of the weather. Right? Like, that that makes sense. But I just always thought, like, oh, course, my phone's
Jamie:your phone.
Scott:Yeah. That's, like, the first time. But I always thought, like, over It's my phone. It's always his phone. Like, with getting down in that area, like, I kinda feel like, how could they not have leveraged that more?
Chris:Yeah. You'd think so. I mean, there's lot of street hockey going on. Know that. Yeah.
Chris:Just in my neighborhoods and my friends. Yeah. Growing up, we were riding all street hockey.
Jamie:When you were
Scott:in Right.
Jamie:Yeah. So so alright. She went to South Kent, and tell us how you kind of came about Princeton, how that process kind of
Chris:Yeah. So I had a like, I
Jamie:Who was recruiting you from here? Because we've talked to just about everybody here minus one person. So I'm just curious who how
Chris:that process Tommy who Tommy Davis was my Okay. Like, main recruiter. I absolutely loved him. Just such such an awesome guy. I mean, yeah, was talking to Shane, I know you guys talked to him for years.
Chris:Yeah. He's pretty big into it as well. But, yeah, Tommy was Tommy was the guy. We were chatting all the time. He was coming to lot of the games.
Chris:It was was sweet. He was awesome. Nice. But, yeah, the the route to get here, I think my my fifteen u year, which was my first year at South Kent, it was a solid year. Nothing nothing crazy numbers wise.
Scott:But, like, going there though, that decision to go play prep school, like, was that a difficult decision? Were you, like, deciding between other things? Like, how'd you even land on that?
Chris:Yeah. I I think I think it was kind of always known if you kinda wanna go as far as you can in hockey. I think I was gonna have to get out of Maryland and kinda get to a Okay. To a more of like a hockey focused place because
Jamie:Like we
Chris:were saying. Yeah. The the the freshman year school I went to, my my freshman year is called DeMath, a great school, but my brother's graduated from there. An awesome place, but yeah, it was just like
Jamie:The hockey
Chris:Maryland High School hockey. Okay. Right. And it was alright, and I think I was kinda done traveling well over an hour, not really seeing my buddies a lot.
Scott:It was
Chris:hard to get hard Right. To to just be only hockey, hockey, hockey when I was a young kid, so I think I knew I wanted to go to a place where it was like I could sleep here and be at the rink in a five minute walk. Long walk there and there's nothing. Yeah, be with my buddies twenty four seven like that, so yeah, was a it was a hard decision to to get up and leave all my like childhood clothes.
Jamie:Yeah, sure.
Scott:Yeah.
Chris:But I think I knew it was necessary, and I knew it was, like, it was gonna be really good for me.
Scott:So let me ask you that, because when I was younger, and I talk about this often, like, there was less rinks, there was less teams, I didn't come from a neighborhood that played a lot of, like, hockey. I was the only one playing club hockey, know, that I was, like, you you know, let alone my friend group, like, know, the entire grade Yeah. You know, if not multiple grades. So I always said, like, I I had made a junior b team in Jersey, and then I I didn't end up, like, playing that season because at that point, I would just had, you know, felt like I'd missed out on a lot socially. And it was at the point where I was, like, thinking about where I'm going to college and, you know, maybe could I have played d three somewhere?
Scott:Yes. But, like, I also didn't wanna go to a school in the middle of nowhere in my mind at that point to play, like, d three hockey. Right? And so I made a decision just to kind of, like, just focus on, like, my next steps, like, either academically, socially. But for you, I see there you go.
Scott:That's your that's your phone, buddy. Right? But, like so I I felt like I was kind of alone. If and if I had more people around me that were like minded into the game, that it would have been easier for me to, like, kinda stick to it. Yeah.
Scott:Like, what was it about the game or about, like, you yourself as a person that, like, kept you on the path of hockey when it sounds like someone else? Like, if if I was in your shoes, like, you know, I'm I'm hanging up the skates, but you decided to stick with it.
Chris:Yeah. I mean, like like I was saying in maybe seventh grade, stuff like that, leaving having practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then being on the road probably all weekend, like Yeah. I was missing my school friends for sure. Yeah. Hearing them all hang out, stuff like that.
Chris:Missed everything. It got really hard for sure. Like, there was probably times where I was having talks with my mom on the ride to the rink saying, like, I don't know if I wanna do this, like Yeah. Stuff like that. But but once you hop on the ice, you kind of forget about everything.
Chris:It feels feels amazing. Like, it's just the love of the game. I I don't don't know where it comes from or who's given it to me, but neither my parents played or anything like that. But Right. It just you step on the ice, you forget about everything.
Chris:It just it feels so good. And I I yeah. I think I knew I wanted to go to a a spot like that where you said like minded people where where hockey was felt right to them Because and, yeah, it just keeps you determined, stuff like that. So I think I knew I needed a change or else I don't know if I would've kept me on. Keep sticking on with it because, yeah, missing out all my friends and Yeah.
Chris:Going, just hanging out with the boys, doing stuff like that because even even with my my friends on team Maryland, everybody lived an hour away from each other.
Scott:Soon as
Chris:We're coming from different spots and stuff like that. So it wasn't like I was really hanging out with them too much either. We were on the ice and then I go back home and get ready for school the next day. So it's like, I think, yeah, once you're with with those guys that have the same kind of mindset and the same drive that you do, it's Yep. Makes it a lot easier and it keeps you motivated for sure.
Scott:Makes sense.
Jamie:See, that's a very good point, by the way, because let's just think about it, like, Dominic so used playing for the Rockets. Everybody was like, I want for the ring. Yeah. For the most part, kids that play ice hockey are not hanging out in town. Yeah.
Jamie:No. Right? And if you're in school there, then you practice after race. So you're like you said, for the most part, your good buddies are your hockey friends. Yeah.
Jamie:Right? Which is which is a really good point. I mean, think about that. I mean, most hockey players, their friends don't live in their town. Right.
Jamie:Right? They're they're an hour away, forty five minutes away, half hour away.
Scott:But but in some more densely populated areas, like, you'll have kids that are playing for other teams, like, know, like in our area, we'll have kids that play for the Avalanche, that play for the Saints, that play for the Colonials, that play for Woodbridge, that play for you know, the the those kids aren't far. So if you know them from hockey, you know, but still, a 100%, it's yeah.
Jamie:If you don't play locally, you play, like, somewhere else.
Scott:And so I think it's Connor.
Jamie:Is that is that Connor?
Scott:Yeah. It's Connor? You Saw the lights wanted he wanted some.
Jamie:Yeah. I mean, hey. But if you don't play locally, like, your buddies are not around. Yeah. I know.
Jamie:Yeah. That's hard. I mean, hockey players have to sacrifice. So let's like I said, you know, you're on the road for the most part every weekend. If you're playing, like, high end triple a, you guys are gonna showcase this.
Jamie:Yep. That's a very good point. I didn't even think about that until you said
Scott:it. Yeah.
Jamie:It's hard for kids to, you know, to keep close friends that are low.
Scott:A 100%. That's that was, like, my big I think that was my biggest issue with, you know, staying with it. Yeah. But so let me ask you this. So you played junior and you went to prep school.
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:Right? So there are people that just play prep and then go to college and some that, you know, just play, you know, junior. Yeah. What from seeing both sides of that coin, like like, how do you how would you kind of, like, you know, explain that experience in in terms of, like, preparation? Right?
Scott:Like, was was boarding school, like, a big transition from where you came from? Did it make the jump to junior easier? Like, how did that play out for you?
Chris:Yeah. Honestly, well, I'd say they're actually pretty different. Like, structurally wise, like, boarding school, you have a pretty strict schedule. Like, you know, you wake up 07:30 going to breakfast, like, with the team, maybe getting on the ice, then going to class. Like, kind of have everything just completely planned out for you.
Chris:But I think that's really good. It definitely gets you prepared for college and Yeah. The rest of your life. Just structure. Structurally wise, just yeah.
Chris:Yeah. Being a little more, like, you know, gets you more focused, gets you more dialed in on what you really need to do. And then kind of juniors is there's a lot more freedom. There's a Okay. Be at the rink from maybe 09:00 to Yeah.
Chris:Till 1PM and then they kind of just send you off and let you do whatever
Scott:you want. Let's go boys. Yeah.
Chris:It's a it's a lot more freedom, but I think it's both experiences are really good just to get you more of like I don't even know the word, but they both like get you more prepared for for whatever's coming next because, you know, you know, if you have all this free time and you're just kinda effing off and doing whatever you want,
Scott:like Yeah.
Chris:Rather it's not gonna help you. And then same thing at school, giving you that structure kinda teaches you how to how how it how it feels to have a structure and how it feels.
Scott:Right. So you could kind of like just replicate that on your own. Like you knew the drill, you knew a routine, you could fall back on that if you're like, what the hell do I do with myself now type of thing. That's really interesting. But what how about the level of play, you know, in terms of, like, junior versus did you was that, like, was that what was the bigger step up, like, going from youth hockey to prep school or going from prep school to junior?
Chris:Oh, I think prob well, my prep school, we were still playing, like, triple a teams. It wasn't like we were in the prep league. We were still
Scott:Oh, okay.
Chris:Youth, like, a a youth team. So we were still playing, like, the Little Caesars, the still. Yeah. So it was, like, the same competition, but just obviously at a little higher level.
Jamie:Mhmm.
Chris:The jump to juniors was definitely super hard just because there's guys that are four years older than you. Sure.
Jamie:These guys
Chris:are huge and way bigger than you and stronger, so that was definitely a big adjustment. But, yeah, you kinda you just have to pick up on it quick and learn learn the new kinda style of play and
Scott:Yeah.
Chris:Yeah. You can you can get it. The coaches definitely help a lot too, kinda giving you advice and kinda teaching you how to absorb everything and and learn and stuff like that. But yeah, I I think probably my jump to juniors was definitely hard. Yeah.
Chris:The jump to college is another thing. That's another Yeah. Well, so Super hard one.
Scott:I wanna hear about that. But but what yeah. But we wanna hear about it. When you say hard, like so, like, for you, like, everyone's gonna have different hard parts. Like, right?
Scott:Like, yours maybe what I you know, someone could be like Hockey IQ. Right? Like, someone else could just be like the overall speed. Mhmm. Like, what was it for you that was the hard part?
Chris:Yeah. So I said being a smaller guy Smaller. Okay. Obviously, and being a defense when you know, you get a puck chipped in. And a junior's like, and they're coming.
Chris:Duck chase Danny. They're coming hard. Yeah. They they
Scott:they Shoulder chipped.
Chris:Two two two one or two one two, like
Scott:Oh, no. Hard. You got two one, you got it.
Chris:You gotta learn how how that works. But, yeah, definitely, I think my speed and my skating was always my a strong suit in. Yeah. So I I kinda tried to learn how to kinda maneuver and get out of get out of the way or if I needed to just absorb a hit, just Yep. Learn how to take it.
Chris:But, yeah, I think that the the size and the strength of the guys was was pretty big big jump for me.
Scott:Right. And then yeah. And then what okay. Then they jumped to college?
Chris:Yeah. It's just another beast. These guys, they're they're grown. They're they're two twenty. They're huge.
Chris:Yeah. And they're also all every single guy in this league and and in college is just a great skater, great passer, great great hitter. Just Right. Created everything. So it's just another another step.
Chris:But you you kinda get prepared seeing it in juniors because these guys, they're also really good. Most of them are committed to a division one school already, so they're
Scott:Right.
Chris:They're, you know, you're gonna see them for the next probably five years of your career too, so it's like, you just gotta prepare for it and see see how hard it is, and then Yeah. You just keep every year just just getting a little better.
Scott:Yeah. Well Was this
Jamie:always a place you wanted to go or was there like another school you wanted to go to? Yeah. Like decision, how how did that process work out?
Chris:Yeah. Honestly, I I never had like a dream dream school, and then once kinda my 16 new year started, had a Right. A pretty pretty good year, kinda got schools reaching out to me. It was like super Must have been exciting. Super exciting.
Scott:Oh, sure.
Chris:Yeah. Unreal. Kinda you go out and visit some squares and you're just like, wow.
Jamie:Where'd you visit?
Chris:Michigan State was the first school I visited and then Merrimack, Yale, came maybe a few other schools. But I think once the Ivy League started reaching out, think that was a a pretty easy decision for me. Right. Just got my parents, everybody. You fall back on a degree like that.
Chris:You're not gonna keep playing Right. Forever or so. Right. And so it's just such a great opportunity. So once that kinda happens
Jamie:Yep. Sets you up for the rest of your life.
Chris:Yeah. No brainer.
Scott:So that so that you bring up, well, a few things that are super interesting. No. Well, my first question was in terms of, like, your academics and getting into a school like this, we all know that, like, it's you you had there's a high bar. Is that something along, like, your academic journey that you always had in the back of your mind? Like, I need to keep up grades to keep my doors open hockey wise, or were you just like an academic kid, like you would just, you know, you schooled whatever, you just did well in school?
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. Kinda just got lucky. I always found school to be like easy, not yeah. Not not too hard.
Chris:It was found if you just focus and listen to the teacher and did your work, turned your homework in all the time, that you're gonna get As, you're gonna so you're gonna get harassed. But, yeah, probably once once I got to South Kent and kinda started realizing that hockey, like, D1 hockey could be a thing.
Scott:You Right.
Chris:You realize that you should definitely keep your grades up and just, work super hard. So, yeah, it was probably not until I got to my sophomore year high school, but even before then, was just like, school is not too tough if you just listen and you do your work. So Yeah. Right.
Scott:Yeah. Well, you should tell it's my kid. Listen, dude.
Jamie:What was the academics like at South Kent? I'm curious.
Chris:Oh, yeah. They We they weren't they weren't easy, but it definitely probably wasn't as hard as like a Phillips Exeter or like one of those top top prep schools. Okay. We had a I forgot what it's called, like a bridge system or something like that where we would do the same classes for six weeks. So it'd be like, we'd have math and science for six weeks and then like history and like languages like that for another session.
Chris:Interesting. You'd have two or three classes a day and it'd be the same type of thing, you're just learning. So it's not it's not like you have to balance a bunch of, like, math,
Scott:history,
Chris:and science. Did you like that? Honestly, yeah, I loved it. It was like you could Wow. You could really just focus on one thing, you know, maybe maybe two things of homework each Yeah.
Chris:But you could really just hone in on whatever you were learning about, and then obviously
Scott:Oh, I never heard of that before.
Jamie:Yeah. That's cool.
Chris:Yeah. No. I I really enjoyed the schooling at South Camp.
Scott:Yeah. That's sick.
Jamie:That is. That's impressive. And and so, like, I'm just curious, what's the plan after after college?
Chris:I mean, obviously, I'd I'd love to play pro hockey for at least few years, and both my brothers are now in in, like, the workforce, and they say it's tough. They're like, dude, keep playing. Keep
Jamie:playing. Were they hockey players too or no?
Chris:Yeah. They both played ACHA at University of Alabama. Oh, they did. Okay. Juniors or anything like that.
Jamie:Dude, I hear we we've talked about ACHA. Oh, yeah.
Scott:It's really
Jamie:That place
Scott:is nuts. It's awesome.
Jamie:Yeah. Now they didn't get the one for this is 6,000 people that watch every night.
Chris:Pack it. And it's off campus. It's, like, good thirty, forty minute drive. No shit. Still packed.
Chris:Oh, I That's pretty sick.
Jamie:Yeah. Thought it was on campus.
Chris:No rink on campus, and they still Wow. Crazy amount of fans.
Jamie:I have a feeling. We've talked about this before. I have a feeling that DSC
Scott:is gonna They they have to. Yeah. Yeah.
Chris:Yeah. A 100%. It'd be insane. Oh, it wouldn't They wouldn't wanna go there. I mean, it's like Exactly.
Chris:Right. It's like beautiful places. It's like a 100% people, and it's Right.
Jamie:Be amazing. So they both played club
Chris:in Alabama.
Scott:Yep. That's awesome.
Jamie:We didn't wanna follow that path.
Chris:No. I I kinda wanted to go more of, the d one route. Yeah. Had to take it a little more serious, but they also, like, they just had the best times. Yeah.
Chris:They said it was still super competitive as well. Yeah. It's really hard. Yeah. These leagues are getting better and better.
Chris:Really good. Yeah. Each year, especially with the new changes. Like Yeah. I mean, even even, like, well, d three's always been pretty good, but now d three's getting, like, top scores in the null, and, like, they're getting Oh, yeah.
Chris:Every league is just getting better and better with with time, so it's like Yeah. These ACHA schools are good. Well, he just wants
Jamie:Always someplace to play. Oh, yeah.
Scott:Yeah. And to stop playing. Mhmm. And you know that and that's something that I I don't think enough parents really kinda take to heart, and we've had a few that have talked to us about this, in different ways. But ultimately, say, like, hockey, if you look at it as a vehicle, it can take you wherever you wanna go.
Scott:Yep. And It's doors. Oh, yeah. And for so we were talking to a dad. Sons are super talented athletes.
Scott:One's going to Penn State full ride, you know, for lacrosse, and the other one's going to NTDP. And he was he was saying, he's like, you know, but, like, for a kid who goes on to play hockey and plays for his high school for four years in front of his friends and then goes on to play club or whatever it'd be at, a good school that's, like, in a good area. Like, why why would you like, it doesn't have to be, like, d one or bust. You know what I mean? And, like, a lot of parents, know, like, I think at some points in time have this, like, tunnel vision, but that doesn't have to be it.
Scott:And part of what that also brings up, and you were talking about wanting to play pro, you know, certainly as we've, you know, talked to, you know, hockey for over a year with, like, people that have played all levels of hockey. You know, just playing pro, like, when you say that statement, is that definitively the NHL? Is that, like, you know, that that's obviously the goal, but I mean, like, would you would you include a career, like, maybe, like, you know, in the AHL for an extended period of time? Would you go overseas? Like, are all those doors
Chris:open to you? I think the doors are definitely open. It's not like, oh, if I don't make it to the air in the NHL, hanging the skates up or anything like that. I see senior year, you're gonna see kinda who's knocking at the door, what opportunities you have or what's open for you. Yeah.
Chris:Yeah. I mean, I'm I'm definitely open for whatever's going on, but Yeah. NHL is obviously the goal. Sure. Of mean, AHL would be awesome, overseas would be sweet as well, like Yeah.
Chris:Anything is really is really awesome, at least for a few years to
Scott:to check it out.
Chris:Especially when you're young. Yeah. Check it out, see what see how it feels, and see if you're still loving the game. So Okay. That's up.
Jamie:Yeah. With a degree from Princeton, I'm sure you'll land somewhere where Yeah. You're playing. You're gonna I don't think you have an issue. You'll love where your base hits here.
Scott:Which which also is interesting because if you think about it, like, for those that, like, love the game, if you're falling back on a degree like one from Princeton Yes. You could probably, know, you get a little more grace. Yes. Like, you know?
Jamie:Yes. Your I think your buffer is a little longer than Right. Wider than than normal.
Chris:Right? They also do, like, such a great job, like, networking us with guys. Oh, yeah. I'm sure. I've been on the program, not been in the program, just getting us on Zoom with these guys, just telling us how that stuff works.
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. We've we have a bunch of meetings with alumni Oh, that's people that are from the hockey program that kinda tell us internships, do whatever we need, like, it's it's awesome. They take
Jamie:care of Yeah. Definitely. Is really nice.
Scott:Yeah. And I'm sure that's look, I mean, that's true with a lot of like, any school has got a strong alumni program, but like, yeah, for sure. So alright. So upcoming season, in terms of, like, the team, in terms of you personally, what's got you excited in terms about, like, what's coming up for the next year?
Chris:Yeah. I mean, this this past season we had was outstanding. One of the best I think they've had in a long time. So I think our main goal this year, our our slogan's kinda just be finish it, you know, we got to the we got to the finals this year in the ECAC, such a great team, we had such great leaders, I think we're just trying to guard that culture and kinda bring back that same feeling we had going into every game, like, the confidence we had in that locker room going out every single time before the puck drop was like Yeah. No chance for losing.
Chris:Just we knew the boys were gonna do everything we could for each other and
Jamie:Yeah.
Chris:For Benny, like, you get you play your heart out for him, you see how passionate he is, like, it's just you literally do everything you can for him. So, yeah, that's what we're gonna try to do this year. You know, we lost nine seniors, so it's gonna be a big jump, but I think Wow. I think our our returners and our guys coming in were were well prepared, and I think it's gonna be an awesome year.
Scott:That's awesome. And have you had a chance to meet the incoming kids?
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. So I think two or three of them have come up, like, for their official visits where they, you know, come up, hang out with us for a night and Yep. Yeah, mean, all of them. And then we also have this, like, pod system where it's, like, two or three returners and two of them Mhmm.
Chris:Where it's, we're just texting and pretty much chatting all you guys. So it's, like, we're we're getting to know these guys pretty well before we even see faces on campus. But, yeah, no. Seems like it's gonna be a pretty good group.
Scott:That's unreal. Yeah. Pretty sweet.
Jamie:I'm just I know where where are we
Chris:Right.
Scott:Right. It was we've on for, like, twenty four minutes.
Chris:We've got some time. You guys are at lunch. Yeah. So
Jamie:it's Okay. Cool.
Scott:Oh, nice.
Jamie:So I'm curious. What so so talk a little bit about the about the camp here this summer. Mhmm. You guys did last week too.
Chris:Yeah. Last week. I was more middle schoolers and maybe It was. Maybe some ninth graders, but just pretty much strictly middle schoolers.
Scott:Yeah. This
Jamie:camp's kind of you know? So Dominic went to this camp when he was seven. Yeah. And then COVID hit, and it Mhmm. Disappeared.
Jamie:And and then the rink was being granted last
Scott:year.
Jamie:Right? So I know they didn't have it last year. So what's, like, the philosophy of the camp? Like, what's what's the whole idea behind, like, the Princeton? It's like
Chris:I mean, yeah, it's just, obviously, coaches are gonna be watching you anyway, but I think just getting out with everybody else, with kids you never met before, and kind of making new friends and and Yeah. Kinda just spreading the love of the game, I think that's probably the main main goal. I think, you know, when you're when you meet new kids, you kinda have to get with them pretty close because hockey is, like, the biggest team sport ever. You can't you can't do it alone. Right.
Chris:To be to be good out there with the kids you just met, you gotta you gotta be a good teamwork player, like you gotta get to know them pretty quickly, you gotta you gotta call for passes, you gotta call their names, so
Scott:Yeah.
Chris:It teaches you how important it is to like meet new people and and get close to them pretty quick, and how how being a good person can bring them to you closer, so I think that's that's probably the main thing. Just meeting new guys and getting close to them pretty quickly, and then Yeah. Showing how how it shows out on the ice when you have a game on Wednesday and Thursday at the camp.
Jamie:Yeah. It's cool that not only the coach is out here, but you a bunch of you players are out here too. Yeah. Which is really good for the kids to see. Yeah.
Jamie:Yeah. And I connect with, you know, because if they if this is a dream for them, you know, playing higher level hockey, I mean, it's it's awesome, you know, to kinda pick your guys brain.
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. They've been asking questions all
Scott:the Yeah. Like serious questions? Like like
Chris:Yeah. Obviously.
Scott:I mean, you're gonna get like
Jamie:You're gonna
Chris:get some serious Yeah. Yeah. Of course. But no. Yeah.
Chris:You can you can tell when they kinda flip the switch and get
Scott:to And they wanna know something serious. Yeah.
Chris:Yeah. When you're interested as a kid and you you kinda see, I mean, I remember it, it doesn't feel like it now that I'm here, but when I was when I was a kid and I I would see like a division one player or something like that,
Jamie:their eyes are wide.
Chris:Yeah. It's like, oh my god, I think it was the coolest thing ever and you just wanna ask them Yeah. You know, what it takes or like, you know, what what you did to get here. And yeah, I think it's pretty cool to be a, like, role model for them a little
Scott:bit. Absolutely.
Jamie:And the kids the kids love it, by the way.
Chris:Oh, cool. Yeah. Good. Yeah.
Jamie:So you're lucky enough to have both of our kids. Lucky. That's sweet. Lucky. Yeah.
Jamie:Not sure how you drew the short straw, but
Chris:totally Oh,
Jamie:that was great. They're great. Yeah.
Scott:You got dominator and the blondie.
Chris:We're still looking for Otto's apple water. Oh,
Jamie:Oh, he told you that thing was not?
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. This is yeah. We have
Chris:We actually had all of team perils out there
Scott:looking for you.
Chris:Did you?
Jamie:He think about out in the field somewhere?
Scott:Well, he showed
Chris:or I guess Were you in mom's phone or something? The the screenshot of Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever the location of it.
Chris:But I think that thing maybe like it's like a 50 feet radius. So we got a Yeah.
Scott:You guys some more gotta get some more ground to the cover.
Jamie:You guys are like combing the field trying to fire
Scott:It's like from space It's like space
Jamie:balls. Space balls. Yeah. You've seen
Chris:space balls
Jamie:in You the have not seen Spaceballs? You're too young.
Scott:That's alright. Oh, dude. That you're
Jamie:like twenty twenty one, 22? That
Scott:hurts my heart.
Jamie:Yeah. Oh, you're trying to get Oh,
Scott:it hurts my heart. Because
Jamie:yeah. There there's a
Scott:scene I'm old.
Jamie:There's yeah. So it's like a spoof on Star Wars. You know? And it's funny. I I was never a big Star Wars guy, but this was one of
Scott:the Yeah. Me me neither.
Jamie:So alright. So it's your job to now go watch this, by the way. Because if you tell your coaches that you haven't seen Spaceballs
Scott:Yeah. That might that it might it might be a mandatory, like, team
Jamie:That means for, a team building thing. Yeah. Because you guys will die laughing. So it's a there was a funny part in baseball.
Scott:I wonder if like younger generations like appreciate like our movies. Right? Like we're such well, we should stop talking about this.
Jamie:I have quick question. Do do you know who Mel Brooks is?
Chris:Merian? Honestly, I think maybe if I saw a picture, I'd probably recognize him, but
Scott:Fair.
Chris:Off the top of my
Jamie:head. Mel Brooks was like a like a comedy producer when when we were kids, and he has some really like, some ridiculous
Chris:It's really funny. Yeah.
Jamie:Some are not exactly appropriate for for for today's day and age, but spaceball, it's like like I said, was it was a kind of a spoof on the Star Wars movies. And and so they're they're combing the desert, you know, so they're obviously look I forgot what
Scott:They're looking for something in the desert.
Jamie:For something, but they literally have, like, these big combs, and they're, like, raking the desert, you know. That's the same. That's kinda when you said you guys were, like, looking for that. That's right. Yeah.
Jamie:That's why he said
Chris:that pretty much. Yeah. Some guys roll their hands and knees looking for Where'd
Scott:that go? So funny.
Chris:Dude, sport. I love it. They're getting tight already. I love
Jamie:it, man. Everybody's eating down and look at Prado's watch.
Scott:But it was like, that that that closeness and, like, that team building stuff, like, he here at here at the camp, that's an interesting point that, like, that's something, you know, that you need to kind of figure out quickly if you're you know, and look. You're only here for a couple days, so it's like, you know, I don't know how much effort, like, kids really put into that team building stuff. But I'm curious from, like, being a coach out there on the ice. You know, we've got we talk often about, you know, what's, you know, like, what's the maybe the purpose of summer camp or doing extra sessions in the summer or the spring, you know, know, do something. The kids play so much hockey during the winter and the fall, like, just go do something else.
Scott:But, you know, like, just if, you know, having kids here on the ice, is there anything that, like, as a coach for a summer camp in particular that you would like to see from kids, you know, like to help them get the most out of this experience? Like, do you think they should ask the coaches more questions, whether it be about, like, how to get into Princeton or even technical stuff on the ice?
Chris:Yeah. Definitely questions like that are huge. But again, I think the the biggest thing is just interacting with your teammates and
Jamie:Mhmm.
Chris:Kinda talking to them and and getting close. I mean, obviously, you're gonna have a shyer kid that's, you know, just maybe sitting sitting in the corner on his phone, which is fine if that's Yeah. If that's shy, but I think, yeah, I think the biggest thing is, like, just interacting with these people and and and feeling, you know, close and feeling good out there on the ice with them, you know, feeling good to say, hey, here, here, here, call for a pass. Right. I think that it just it teaches you so much more than just playing Totally.
Chris:You know, how to interact with these people, how to how to be a good kid. Life skill. Yeah. Def definitely.
Scott:Right. So it's interesting. So it might not even be about the hockey as much as it might be just about, like, the socialization and, like, being with different personalities.
Chris:I mean, yeah. Definitely talking to the coaches and picking their brains Yeah. Sure. And figuring out that's obviously huge. That's gonna happen at a hockey camp for sure.
Chris:But, yeah, the the amount of time you're spending with your team, it's, you know, we're we're meeting in the courtyard at 07:45 for breakfast and Yeah. Lights are out at 09:30 and you're with them the entire day. So I think you're gonna you're gonna have to talk to them and interact, and I think, yeah, that's that's definitely the biggest thing for me.
Jamie:Yeah. I'm not gonna lie, like, so Dominic was at was at Penn State Ice Hockey game last week, and it was not a sleepover. And I think that the kids lose something without it being a sleepover. Yeah.
Scott:Oh, from like a team perspective? Correct. I mean, that makes a lot of sense.
Jamie:I think it's different. Yeah. Hanging out hanging out in the in the door with the boys with more lights out Mhmm. Around the courtyard, whatever you guys do. I don't what you guys do when you guys are out to guys and go back that direction.
Jamie:Yeah. But the the that's where you start to, like, start hanging out with people. Really get tired.
Chris:No. Most definitely.
Jamie:I I think you miss out a lot without sleeping Yeah. I agree.
Scott:Did over the summers and and springs, what was your hockey schedule like growing up? I mean, it probably varied, but, like, did you go to camps like this when you were younger?
Chris:Growing I think probably, again, once I hit maybe Banhams, I was going to camps like this too. Was Yeah. I went to Shattuck, St. Mary's camp, like Oh, nice. Everywhere three years.
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. I'd be going to camps, I don't know if Eastern exposure, that type of stuff is Yeah. Sure. Yeah.
Chris:Sure. Our guys have been going to camps, playing in summer tournaments like that. That's always what I was doing, and then Nice. Kinda once you got maybe a little more serious, I would start to find, like, a skills coach and then hit the gym a lot more.
Jamie:I You should be more local, but Yeah. Just train and work out on ice off ice.
Scott:Yeah.
Chris:Pretty much. But, yeah, younger, I was always going to camps like this. Yeah. Going In spring tournaments. Yeah.
Chris:Definitely.
Scott:So that's actually so as far as, like, the and then when you made that jump away from, like, the camps into, like, you know, some more, like, you know, private skill stuff, Were were you getting involved in skates? Like, how much of your stuff, you know, along the way was private just one on one versus, like, small group with, like, a few other kids that are maybe home from junior or home from college or whatever it is?
Chris:Honestly, my I might be a little different. I I never had one on one sessions like that. I never had okay. Even even Stuff. Starting start even starting the groups, I think I probably started a little later, but, yeah, think nowadays, you probably probably gonna need to do that more with how competitive, how One on one stuff.
Chris:Yeah. And just just group sessions. Just getting out there with a guy that knows what he's talking about whether it's alone or with a big group. Yeah. I think it's good to get out there with other guys your age that are pushing you and you can push them and Right.
Chris:And that's that's a good thing. So I'm definitely more of a fan of the group sessions, but Right. One on ones, obviously, if it's like a skating coach or something like skating, anything. Yeah. Right.
Chris:That's obviously huge as well. But Yeah.
Scott:Yeah. Someone else it might have even been RJ. Are you familiar with the top line guys? Top line I I don't heard of them?
Chris:Guys have skated with top line.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. And Yeah. So we had one of the the coaches and owners on, and he was just talking about how, like, with when he does one on ones, you know, he often doesn't do them because he thinks and maybe I'm miss maybe just misquoting him. But one of the but they were just saying it's like, you know, when you have another kid there that, you know, there's built in competition.
Scott:Like, there so so because of that, he's like, it's I don't even know if it's necessarily even worth the money. And this is like their, you know, their their business that they they do day in and day out. But, like, from a development perspective, you're gonna get like you said, there are gonna be situations. Maybe it's better just one on one. But, you know, is it mandatory for these younger kids to have, you know, one on one coaching, like especially even before puberty?
Scott:Like, you
Jamie:know? Probably not.
Scott:Probably not?
Chris:I mean, look, it it's probably all personal preference and, like, what you you think is best for me. Personally, I think I'd I'd probably say it's not worth the money or not worth, like, all the time or even even on the kid. Even if he even if he loves hockey, sometimes it could be too much for him, you know, if he's Yeah. On the ice with his team, and then even before that, he's on the ice with a single guy, you know. Right.
Chris:It can be a lot for sure as a kid. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, it's it's good to be out there with, I think, with somebody else, I think that'd be my Right.
Scott:Your preference.
Chris:That competition pushing each other.
Scott:Yeah. It makes total sense.
Jamie:Yeah. Because I don't mind the small stuff, you know? No. I definitely don't.
Scott:As you know, and I think part of it as long as like, they're
Jamie:Kids ish.
Scott:If they're, like, on, like, the same skill level. Right? Like, if it's a big mismatch there, you don't need, like, that that'll take away. But and then, you know, the other thing we talk about or there's so many other things, but we often often talk about, like, the mental strength part of all of this, and there's more and more mental performance coaches out And, you know, I think from a parent's perspective, like, okay. Might it seem like a crazy hockey parent to say, like, yeah, I'm gonna get my kid who's in fifth grade hooked up with a mental performance coach?
Scott:Like, maybe. But one of the things that I like about that is that you're focusing on things that are more often thing skills that that will serve you well in whatever else you might do. Like, you're not it's not just applicable to hockey. So I do see, like, kind of this, like, added benefit with that stuff. I appreciate it.
Scott:But for you personally, along your journey, and then maybe even now on the collegiate level, or you speak feel free to speak at any level, where and did, like, mental performance start becoming part of your equation to, like, train it, to like seek out like, you know, that type of like support?
Chris:Yeah. I think, I mean, in Chicago we had, her name was Joe Hockey, she was a good mental strength coach. We we would have Zoom calls with her and she would come in probably every maybe month or two, like, to our actual rink just to be in person and kinda talk like that. But we'd have Zoom calls at least once a week. We're talking about mental side.
Chris:And even before that, I think I was always a huge, like, visualizer. I was always, like, maybe before my pregame nap or before I go to bed the night before,
Jamie:I was Mhmm.
Chris:I was thinking about what was gonna happen and kinda just, like, positive self talk, like, stuff like that even before I realized what it was. Right. Even before I knew it was, like, mental training or
Scott:Yeah.
Chris:Had it already kinda Yeah. Like, things for now. But I I think it's huge. I think that's, like, one of the biggest parts in hockey. Not even talking and everything.
Chris:Just Yeah. Just being positive, telling yourself you can do this, you can you can do that. Because I think if you're negative you have negative thoughts already going into it, it's just it's not gonna be good.
Scott:And It's
Jamie:like what Evan said
Scott:Right. At him. Oh, and the confidence That that down That viral. 100% down. It's hard to get out of it.
Chris:Yeah. Definitely.
Jamie:No. It's they should have bad places. Mhmm.
Scott:And is it is that something that amongst players, you you know, like, may is that something you guys talk about, like, in terms of, like, keeping a stronger, more positive mindset? Like, is it or is that more of just, that that work you do with the performance coaches is more just, a personal one on one thing?
Chris:No. I think it's definitely, like, throughout the team. It's not so much like, yo, hey, like, we're gonna sit down and talk about our mental, but, like, every every time, you know, in the gym, we're we're every time you pass somebody, you're giving them knocks, you're giving them a high five, you're saying like, yeah, let's go. Let's do this thing. Like, it's just super positive energy and and super, like, just outgoing and up Yeah.
Chris:Upward kind of lifting feeling. So it's just Yeah. Everybody getting that same kind of vibe, if you wanna call it. It's Yeah. Y'all It's infectious.
Chris:Yeah. 100%. Very infectious. Definitely. And it helps.
Chris:We caught we had a in South Bend, we caught it the the vampire, the, like, fun vampire or something like that.
Jamie:Oh, yeah. As opposed to the, at the, like, energy vampire, which I know
Scott:Yeah. Is are. Sucks it. Yeah. Everybody just
Jamie:sucks it
Chris:out. Yeah. No. It can't be that guy. Yeah.
Chris:Can't have any guys like that. Everybody pulling on the same because Yeah. Same direction guys saying like, oh, it's too hard. And you're like, is it too hard? Maybe it is too hard.
Chris:Maybe I could take a look at Right.
Scott:No. He's never too hard.
Chris:With everybody giving knocks, giving high fives, screaming, jumping around, like, we're running from set to set, like, you just see it and you're just like, oh, yeah, you get going. Like, I'm my heart's racing.
Scott:That's amazing.
Jamie:When we had Shaner here yesterday, he said that he's like, I maybe did you ask a question about, like, what's the but did you ask maybe?
Scott:Oh, no. No. I was no. I was wait. Yeah.
Scott:I was asking him because, like, you were talking about, like, the chickless youth stuff and how they showcase that. And, like, I was curious about, and maybe if you could speak about it, the, like, just balancing, like, at a high academic institution where there are these higher standards. Like, you
Jamie:you there's probably smart kids.
Scott:No. But not not that you don't spend time in the gym, but, like, I Maybe not as much as presumptuous. But maybe the UBC.
Jamie:That was kinda like the
Scott:Like, do you have do you spend less time in the gym on the physical training stuff because maybe you have more academic stuff to balance? Or or there's enough hours in the day. And then coach and then Shane was saying
Jamie:Shane was like, yeah. Have you seen he's like, you should go really watch one of our work outs. He's like Yeah.
Scott:He said it's off the
Chris:chains. Yeah. Yeah. It's crazy. No.
Chris:I don't I don't think they're doing anything more than we are or we're doing anything think it's We might be doing more than they are, honestly. Maybe. We work. I think it's it's not like, we've got five things that are due tonight, I can't be in the gym today, it's
Jamie:Yeah.
Chris:We all I think we've all got pretty good at managing our time and realizing what we need to do, so I think, yeah, we we get after it.
Scott:You get after it.
Chris:It's not it's not any different.
Jamie:Yeah. About managing time, talk about that a little bit. Because you guys obviously are are playing an institution that's has some major academic trail. Shane mentioned that you guys have the highest academic bar to hit Yeah. In the ECAs.
Jamie:Yeah. That's saying something as far as, like, GPA and stuff like that Yeah. As a team. So I'm just talk about managing time because you guys obviously have a full load Yeah. Just as a student here, let alone being a d one athlete.
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's definitely hard. I mean, you get thrown right into the ringer right to the start, and if you're not ready, you'll you'll realize it pretty quick. So I think it's just you figure it out pretty quickly, and then if you if you don't have it, your grades will show, and probably your your performance on the ice will show as well as well.
Chris:So it's like you just you you learn and then you see the the older guys, the juniors, seniors, but even sophomores before you, how how well they're doing and ask them questions, you know, they build they're so helpful. Like, every guy on this team is just such a good guy. They'll Right. They'll do anything to help you. So Yeah.
Chris:You see, I mentioned Ian Devlin, he'll I don't know if I'll say, he'll probably be our captain next year. He's such a great guy. He's Right. He was valedictorian of his high school, just like super smart on me, right on the ice and I five anything. I'm saying, yo, Dev, like, what else are we gonna do here?
Chris:And, you know, we'll up and then hopefully, when I'm a senior, some guy Come up to you and kid will ask to see a freshman coming in saying, I got a lot on my plate right now because it definitely is super hard. There's our our time is limited with all of our classes and on the ice a bunch, and it's hard, but, yeah, you learn that you just you sometimes if Sunday night, you gotta grind something that's due on Thursday or, you know, something like that. It's just yeah. You you learn pretty quickly. If you Yeah.
Chris:If you're not ready for it, you're you're gonna get ready for it.
Jamie:Curious. What's a normal day during the season for Normal student athlete. Normal student athlete. Yes. For you for you guys, you know, what's a normal day look like?
Jamie:What time do you wake out? What's the day look like? What time do go to bed? A lot of stuff. When do practice?
Chris:So, typically, we we have practice in the morning, probably around 07:45, 8AM starts, so we'll get up, we have to be at the rink about an hour before because we'll we'll watch video, we'll we'll show what drills we're doing out there, so probably show up around 06:30, 06:45, and maybe get a quick bite, and then after we we skate, we go right to Whitman, which is just across this road right here. Right. We eat breakfast as a team, and then typically we try not to take classes before 10:40. We have there's classes obviously before, but you know, just for our time and and our schedule, it's good probably to start around 10:40 and then you'll have three, maybe four classes at switches throughout the day and whenever we're done, we'll probably we'll have a lift at around four.
Jamie:Okay.
Chris:And then in the afternoon, yeah, you have lunch in there, you can eat it by yourself or with some few buddies or anything like that, and then, a, you come back, probably gonna have some homework to do, but, yeah, you kinda wanna get to bed early, you're getting you're waking up,
Scott:but Right.
Chris:There's there's definitely still time to to hang out with the fellas. It's not like it's not like I've got practice in the morning, you know, class all day, lift, and then go back and you're studying or doing homework for the for the next five hours a night. You can can definitely manage your time to where you hang out with your friends. Yeah. It's it's good.
Chris:Right. But, yeah, it's it's definitely a tough schedule, but when you're in it for first week, you realize that it's it's a fun schedule. It's not just Yeah. It's cool. Yeah.
Chris:It's not just a grind, you know, it's it's good stuff too, so I mean, it's a hard day, but it's a good day.
Jamie:Yeah. And and then do you guys all are you guys all living in the same building, same, like, house? No. Or is everybody all over the place?
Chris:Yeah. So so freshman and sophomore year, you get put into a residential hall. You know, there's Whitman, Yeh, Matty, like those are bunch
Jamie:of Like the ones that the kids are in. You guys are in those
Chris:same buildings? Those are actually the upperclassmen dorms. That's that's Henry and Folk. Those are the upperclassmen.
Jamie:Oh, yeah. There's Yeh's over there.
Chris:Yeah. Yeh's over the outside. Those are those are, newer, you know, nicer inside. Outside of the upperclassmen dorms. They're sick.
Chris:So awesome. Yeah. Sickness. Historical looks Yeah.
Scott:Gothic. A 100%. Like the vaulted ceilings going up in Henry.
Jamie:You would have seen doors walking in.
Scott:Yeah. No. A 100%. Yeah. The hardware.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah.
Chris:It's unbelievable. But yeah, so those are the upperclassmen dorms, and so freshman and sophomore year, you have to stay in the same, like, residential, or the same room, but I'll be in Whitman again next year, and then you could choose to live in there your junior and senior year as well if you want to, Okay. But most guys go to upperclassmen housing and stuff like that because Off campus? On campus? No.
Chris:Mo mostly every guy's off-site. I think Robbie was actually the only guy that lived off campus, but Really? So most of guys stay on campus. It's all for the most. Yeah.
Chris:Because then once you're up there, they're all a little bit, like, more north of campus, and that's where your eating clubs are, and that's where you're gonna go for lunch and dinner and stuff like that.
Jamie:So Okay.
Chris:So, yeah, it's a little better location for that.
Jamie:Gotcha. Alright. So I've got I've got a crazy question. Mhmm. On Prospect Street Yeah.
Jamie:What are all of those, like, those, like
Chris:Yeah. The match those are the eating clubs. Oh. Those are around
Jamie:That's why I
Scott:asked are frats.
Jamie:I I thought
Chris:Oh. I heard
Scott:Oh. Okay. Clubs.
Chris:Yeah. Eating
Scott:club. Yeah. Was like
Jamie:Club, the athlete.
Chris:Yeah. Is that Cottage and Cannon are the two. We kinda usually try to split up the teams between that because you if you have all the guys in Cannon, if you kinda wanna go to a night out there, have to make a a list and you only get a certain number of list spots. So if you split it up evenly, we can get we can get all the All the boys? On the all boats, whether we wanna go to Cottage all night or Cannon one night Yeah.
Chris:Or any other other spots, yeah, we kinda usually split it up to pretty even.
Jamie:So how does that work? Like, is it like do you have to like is like your traditional fraternity, like, you have to like pledge? Or is it or because you're an athlete, you just kinda get into it?
Chris:No. Yeah. There's there's You don't to
Jamie:worry any secrets either. Like, I'm not what I'm what I'm actually what I'm what I'm moving towards. Yeah. Know? But I'm just curious because when I because Nancy and I walked by the other day, and I it's funny.
Jamie:A a client of mine's really good friend was the president of the Cannon Club. Are they normally alumni that are the
Chris:president would
Jamie:assume. Of Cannon
Chris:I I honestly, as I'm not too sure, but I yeah. I definitely assume it's Right. Alumni of Yeah.
Jamie:I I think still maybe president's cannon club.
Scott:Oh, yeah.
Jamie:I walk by, I'm like,
Scott:I'm like,
Jamie:I know what this is.
Scott:Right. Right. Right.
Jamie:You know? And it's for mostly most of for athletes. And is there, like, a chef in there? Do they
Chris:like Yeah. Yeah. They have their own their own kitchen, their own everything, their own dining. Oh.
Jamie:And they live in those buildings or they just for
Chris:think there there's like, I think five to 10 people that are just like, they're like, not not your president but like the student president, I'll lift back the like, the chair or whatever, but no, it's not like a normal frat house where there's Oh. Fucking guys
Jamie:Right. Right. Sure how that worked.
Chris:Yeah. That's pretty much just for eating your meals and then on on the weekends or whenever there's like, nights out, you have options. Yeah. You go there.
Scott:So Yeah. Go on over.
Chris:It's just, yeah, back to like the pledging. It's not pledging. There's a
Jamie:I didn't think so.
Chris:There's like a a bicker week where you kinda, probably like this, where you're sitting in the chair with some people that are already in it, and then like, if they Yeah. You're just having conversations, and if they like you, there's
Scott:Come on in.
Chris:Yeah. Pretty much. Alright.
Scott:Reminds me
Jamie:of like, color both type stuff. I'm like, you know?
Scott:Well, my my my sister and her husband went to Yale and Right. The societies are Yeah. And so my my my brother-in-law was in Wolf's Head, And so when we were there for some for his graduation weekend, you know, they took us down and you're talking, like, into, like, with the Wolf's Head something. I don't know. But, like, you know, it's like the same thing, like, you know, castles and Gothic, and, like, you know, you're walking downstairs.
Scott:It's all stone, like heavy stone, and, you know, big blocks and vaulted ceilings, and it's, like, so gorgeous. But what I was gonna ask you in in, you know, as a student athlete, like, and being on university and part of the college experience, there's so much more to to it than just hockey and academics. What else, like, throughout the course of the year are, like, either you individually or perhaps the team collectively getting involved with, like, from things away from the rink, away from away from the the classroom?
Chris:Yeah. I mean, there there is there's so many extracurriculars going on here that, like, you could pretty much just pick and choose what you wanna do.
Scott:Any favorites?
Chris:I mean, I I got pretty actually religious this year. I've been going to a a bible study group with some a lot
Jamie:of the
Chris:athletes are doing it too, but there's obviously some they call them narps. There's non like, just just normal students here.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. It's not
Chris:not athletes. Non it's not athletic regular people. That's that's what it's called. Was like, that's not just a saying here,
Scott:I think. That's that's everywhere.
Jamie:That's good. I'm totally gonna use that, by the way, moving forward.
Chris:So yeah. Yeah. You meet awesome people. Excellent.
Jamie:So that's a good differentiator. You're the athletes from a Yeah.
Scott:It's like civilians and, you know, like, law enforcement and military.
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, there's the the narps, but, yeah, you meet they're also just amazing people that
Scott:you
Chris:get to meet and
Jamie:Yeah.
Chris:Super smart, super intellectual, you get to Right. Talk to them and yeah, it's great conversations, but yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure other guys do other things, but Yeah.
Chris:Yeah, if you wanna be with the teammates, can, like, either there's five of us like this and some other
Jamie:Right.
Chris:Guys go to other things, but there's just so much going on always that you can You go to the church?
Jamie:Nancy and I walked in the church.
Scott:Oh, you would've Yeah. Gorgeous. When
Jamie:I walked in.
Scott:I have not. No.
Chris:Oh, I
Scott:That is gorgeous, Yeah.
Jamie:Mean, like, Scott.
Chris:Unreal. My god. Yeah. You gotta check it out.
Scott:He edits. Okay.
Jamie:Is that where you go on Sundays?
Chris:No. It's just in in any of the, like Okay. There's any open room, like, study rooms or anything like that. Actually, yeah. We we've got up there before that footage.
Chris:Yeah. Re in there. Ridiculous.
Scott:So you know, like and and when you talk about narps, they're just very funny, by the way. No. But, like, again, just think about the network, think about, like, setting yourself up for life, like, you know, beyond talking, whatever it might be. But is there, like, is there like a pressure, an emphasis, or anything like that to like network amongst like like nonathletes just to kind of like, you know, make relationships with people like in different in different fields doing different things? Is that like part of like something that like you do intentionally or anyone does intentionally or not necessarily?
Chris:Yeah. I I don't even think it's intentionally. I think they're just like it's it's kind of a cool dynamic. Think the the narps think we're super cool for
Scott:for being here.
Jamie:Yeah.
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. And we think it's incredible that they can come to a place like this without playing a sport because they are getting with their brains and the academics. How smart they are, stuff like that. Yeah.
Jamie:Yeah. It's
Chris:a dynamic where we both kinda like respect each other.
Scott:That's cool.
Chris:Yeah. It ends up just I have so many great friends that aren't athletes here
Scott:That's awesome. Yeah, guess that's what ultimately was kinda driving at. That's great that that yeah. That was awesome.
Chris:Yeah. I'm not gonna say I'm not intentionally talking to them because I know that I could I could learn a lot from these people and maybe it's gonna be the next, like, GM of the Yankees It's true. There you go. President of The United States, something like that. So Right.
Chris:It's It's definitely something.
Jamie:You guys you guys must have because Shane said GM of the Yankees too. You guys all Yeah.
Scott:Must have was that on the recruit? Was that on the recruiting?
Chris:There's been a few I think I've but yeah, I actually heard him
Scott:say that.
Jamie:We go. He said the exact same thing. I was like, okay.
Scott:Like, Alright. We know that one. Yeah. Dude, we could be Princeton recruiters by the end of this trip.
Jamie:We know all the lingo.
Scott:Totally. You just need to get a pair of custom custom Nikes.
Jamie:That's right. Yeah.
Scott:Shane's got some pretty
Chris:nasty sneakers. Yeah. The coaches get hooked up. They say, how they dump my shoes, like, rich.
Jamie:You got you guys still breaking Connor's chops for wearing, like, checker pants and stuff like that?
Chris:Well, Well, he he wears some tight high waters. We he did we he let him hear. He says he's got he's gained some weight in the last he's getting a little bigger.
Jamie:He wore them with us.
Scott:Wait. But that's not a hockey thing? Him an ECAC.
Chris:Tight tight pants are probably a hockey thing to say, but Yeah.
Scott:I think so. John. But but, like
Chris:Might be a little over
Scott:A little aggressive on the the length of his pants.
Chris:Him. Oh, we do. We got him here.
Jamie:You say you guys get him? Yeah.
Chris:Yeah. We do. Is that
Jamie:a man? And then I'm pretty sure that that Rand Pecknog saw the the the, like, clips that we did with him Yeah. And or the interview with him and and got on him for even, like, crossing his legs. Like, what green Oh, really? Joining this?
Jamie:We're getting classic. Yeah. Poor poor Jonesy, man. Yeah. He's getting the
Chris:heat. Slings and arrows
Jamie:Getting the heat. From everywhere. I'm sure he does. Alright. Knowing him, I'm sure he does.
Jamie:We interviewed him and his brother too.
Scott:Oh, yeah. Okay.
Jamie:That was a lot
Scott:of fun. So so now that we're I would never thought, but this is like a this is for my for my son. This is for my son and all the young kids out there listening. Talks to me about collegiate hockey sty. Need to know I need to know more about this because surely all about it.
Scott:There there's part like, you know, there's part of, like, you know, you see with, like, NHL and, like, all the all the pro athletes are walking in with you or whatever they're walking in with. Yeah. What's what's the approach there on the collegiate level? Is there an opportunity to weave in some style or are we strictly on a dress code here?
Chris:I mean, yeah. You can you can kinda do what you want. I mean, we have mandatory shot blockers around our skates, so a lot of guys don't think that's sty, but Oh. That's like a mandatory here. You don't wear an open foot for something like that.
Scott:But There's some extra padding
Chris:in your skates. Oh, yeah.
Scott:No. It's like the plastic ones. They put on how you strap on the top. Yeah.
Chris:Well, blocking shots in college is huge. Like, we're selling out every time a shot comes.
Jamie:Yeah. Talk to Dominic about that, by the way.
Scott:Yeah. He needs bigger shin guards, dog.
Jamie:He does. Needs bigger shin guards. Still wearing his Mike shin guards.
Scott:That's amazing.
Jamie:He doesn't wanna get rid of him. Like, buddy, like,
Chris:I have Brendan Yeah. He's comfy with him. I get it. Yeah. But Yeah.
Chris:I mean, sty, obviously, you wanna look good out there. But Yeah. I I think I might have a a little bit of a hot take. I think if you if you have your own kind of sty, even if it doesn't look good, I think if you perform out there and have your own unique style
Scott:Go for it.
Chris:Yeah. I think that if you can rock it and you're performing out there, I think that's that's awesome.
Scott:Alright. So here, so we gotta know who's who's leading this die charge on Princeton?
Chris:That's tough. I'm gonna
Scott:You you you yeah. Alright. Give one. Just give one.
Chris:Yeah. Just Crown. Crown. If I have to, I'm gonna give it to my man, Kai Greaves.
Scott:Alright. Let's go, Kai.
Chris:Okay. He looks good out there. Performs with it too. So I'd yeah. I'd say I'd say him for sure, but I don't even think he tries.
Chris:I think it's
Scott:just It's just natural. Oh, what a stud. A stud. Natural sty, brains, hockey, all of it. Let's go.
Jamie:The craziest thing you've seen that somebody's trying to, like, you know, be stylish and you're like
Scott:oh, that's rough. It it could be anywhere.
Chris:Yeah. It it has to be here. Yeah. No. I've I've definitely seen some crazy things, whether it's like candy canes going up and now there's sticks or Oh, yeah.
Chris:Yeah. Or like even just like the helmet, I see some chrome domes like I just any tailors. There's a lot of different
Scott:Oh. Yeah.
Chris:Lift different things out there. But yeah, I'd say I'd say probably like a lot of Europeans wear chrome domes. So if you're like Okay. A normal North American kid with a chrome dome and maybe if you've kinda start stacking things together, that's when it gets a little a little sus with me.
Scott:Oh, yeah. Okay. But like what talking we gotta talk about K Chang. We gotta talk about K because I am about to take clear tape at Howie specifically, and I am going to wrap the room. Because he they always get loose.
Scott:Like, the straps always get loose and he has hang. What is it about hang? And let me ask you this. Is it, like, in all seriousness, is it not like, you know, when you get like No. Yeah.
Scott:Like, when you're getting crunched along the boars, is that It's more dangerous. Like, you ever get clips, like, bad from hangs?
Chris:I'm shitting too. Oh, yeah. It does. Right? Yeah.
Chris:Definitely definitely
Scott:Okay. So why do people do it? Here and
Jamie:I'm sure.
Chris:Style? Yeah. Think Or is there really
Scott:something else?
Chris:It's just like a stigma. I think it's like people just think like, oh, that's the hockey style. That's like what you what you wanna do if you wanna look cool out there. I don't I don't think it's anything. I mean, maybe some guys will say they want their chin guard off their neck a little bit.
Chris:Right. A little bit. But no. Yeah. When you get You hang?
Chris:Thing flopping a little bit. Not much to
Scott:be honest. Not much. Okay.
Chris:Like, it tight.
Scott:Keep tight? Yeah. Smart.
Chris:I mean, safety out here, especially in college. You don't wanna you don't wanna No. Pop into the face.
Scott:No. Not even a little bit. It sounds so unnecessary. I have a fake tooth and I from getting hit in the mouth with a puck as an adult. And it was and when I started playing men's league
Jamie:She tried to sport the visor.
Scott:Not the visor. No. So Well, I did sport, but not try. Oh, I did. You did.
Scott:I did. But the stupid thing was I only had a visor because when I was a kid, never played, you know, up to the point where I could wear a visor. And so I had gotten a helmet just to go on the ice for stick and puck. And then I started playing men's league, and I'm like, well, I better cover my eyes. So I'll just get a visor.
Scott:It's not checking, whatever. And then it was like maybe six months into playing men's league, gotta take a puck to the mouth, and there we go. Unnecessary. Yeah. Anyway.
Scott:Dangerous. Yeah. No. I just wanted to know about the hang because it just seems like such a ridiculous thing, but kids love it.
Jamie:Yeah. Any crazy superstitions of for you or any of your teammates, or or does they have you guys at Princeton?
Chris:Yeah. I mean, I've I've definitely seen some crazy things. I mean, for me, nothing nothing too ridiculous. Maybe I I go everything left first, like left skate, left elbow pad, left shin pad. Interesting.
Chris:Everything like that. I mean, obviously, we have some handshakes. Things like that.
Jamie:Yeah. Right.
Chris:Yeah. Mean, we have some guys that maybe don't put their skates on until, like, thirty five seconds before running out there. Gotta go, maybe it gets their heart rate. I don't know what it does but Yeah. I mean, I'd
Jamie:definitely feel unprepared.
Scott:I would feel very unprepared.
Jamie:So that's what that gives me, like, unprepared anxiety. Like, I'd be like, wow, like, what's you know, like, that's
Chris:Yeah. I don't know if it gets them going or if it's been Yoda for a long time.
Jamie:Forever. Yeah. Listen.
Chris:Yeah. I have a works. I haven't seen too many crazy things, but I think a lot of guys have some things in their brain that, like, maybe you see the clock in the in the in the locker room, you stand up exactly at two minutes or something like that, like Oh. Just any any little kind of things, maybe?
Scott:That is that's so interesting. I feel like Listen. I don't know. I was not superstitious when I was a kid. I didn't do anything, but that also wasn't a thing.
Scott:And it was funny. We interviewed Evan Rodriguez, who's now the newest New Jersey Devil. Yeah. But it was funny the way he said it because he asked him a similar question. He was like he's like oh, he said, I'm, I'm littlestitious.
Scott:Yeah. He's he's yeah. He's he's he's littlestitious. He's known to be a littlestitious. Yeah.
Scott:And then what did he what did he call it? He called it a it was a slight a subtle differentiation between being superstitious and just being what what is it when you're or disciplined perhaps. I don't know. Something like that.
Jamie:It was actually pretty funny, but he he was saying that he has one of his kids
Scott:Oh, this is a good one. His coffee.
Jamie:Like, all the time. Like, he can't be the other one. It has to be the one. And then they he has to pick out the coffee and the coffee cup, and he and that's who has to, like that's his thing.
Chris:Wow. Yeah.
Jamie:That's his little stick. Yeah. Yeah. You know? But, yeah, listen.
Jamie:Whatever works. Right? Yeah. Know. Definitely.
Jamie:Whatever gets duh.
Scott:Yeah.
Jamie:That's how I look at this stuff. So
Scott:so alright. So then for you you personally, this upcoming season, any areas of growth that you're hoping to improve upon from last season?
Chris:Yeah. I mean, definitely just well, if we wanna talk about like points wise and kind of execution out there, obviously, I wanna be a little bit more impactful in the offensive zone. But I think the main thing is just like being meaner out there, just being harder to play against, whether that's in the corners and that front, just January kind of being a little test. I think that's that's the main thing to focus on, just just making it hard for the other team to play against. That's that's my main thing and what I've been talking to coaches a lot about, and yeah, what I'm definitely focused on.
Chris:And even in practice too, because that makes your teammates better, it makes it like
Scott:Absolutely.
Chris:That switch right before you get on the ice and
Scott:Be a dog out there.
Chris:Every time you're out there, you're just making it hard for everybody.
Scott:So what is this? So so that's that's a really interesting thing because it's it's twofold. Right? I think for people to be more aggressive, unless you're kind of like born like a like a you know, an animal. Well, guess we all are.
Scott:That was a stupid thing to say. But no, but like in all seriousness, is this something about like actual like techniques, things that you're looking to deploy out on the ice? Or is it like or is it between the ears like, you know, just like how do I how do I get myself into a different state of mind where you're you're more aggressively?
Chris:Yeah. Yeah. I think it's definitely a mental thing. Think it's mental thing. Because, you know, I like to have fun out there.
Chris:I like to, you know, like, joke around my teammates' practice and stuff like that, but I think it's not making them better if I'm out there kinda not giving them That's
Scott:the name.
Chris:Not giving them everything I got and making it super super hard for them. Yeah. I think it's just like, gotta flip that switch right right when you get on the ice. Yeah. Just make it make it super tough for them.
Scott:Is part of that have anything to do with like the age, like, you know, like you're playing against like much maybe older guys? Like, I don't know. Not all the older guys are necessarily gonna be like bigger or stronger than you, but like is that is that part of it? Like it just takes some time to like kind of adapt to playing with such older guys?
Chris:I think coming in as a freshman you think like, oh, these guys these they're older. The older guys might handle stuff like that and Yeah. They might be the ones that are getting in the other team's faces and stuff like that.
Scott:Yeah.
Chris:It's not like juniors where it's like rookies and and vets and stuff like that. It's like everybody's part of the team here.
Scott:Right. You gotta do the same shit. Yeah.
Chris:You gotta you gotta jump. And I wish I kinda learned that a little earlier in my freshman year. Okay. Yeah. Going into sophomore year, I'm definitely ready to
Scott:It's a mix it up. Oh, we're gonna have eyes on 33 out there. Absolutely.
Chris:Ready to get rowdy out there.
Jamie:So I'm curious. What's something that, what's something that maybe, you know, kids that are looking to go to school like this, what's something about Princeton that, like, that you didn't know when you got here that you learned that you're like, wow. Like, that's something that I never really thought about.
Chris:Honestly, I'd I'd literally just say the people. Okay. The kids on the team, not not even just on the team too, but all my classmates, all my peers, like Yeah. I every mean, hockey team you go to, you're gonna probably have a guy that's, you know, a little bit of an airhead, a little bit of a I don't know if Yeah.
Scott:No. You you can say whatever you are. Yeah.
Chris:Can swear. A little bit of a Yeah. So
Jamie:Yeah. Sure.
Scott:Hockey house. Everywhere. Hockey house.
Chris:Yeah. Selt like that, but, honestly, like, moment I got here like every single kid is just amazing. Like it just makes you wanna be a better person. That was my biggest thing. It's just like everybody's top tier human.
Chris:They wanna get better every year and it literally just pushes you to to try and be the same as them. Yeah. Bar is high here. Yeah. Definitely.
Scott:Yeah. That For us. Yeah. You like walk into a room of like your new 20 best friends
Chris:or however many are on the Mhmm.
Scott:How many are on the roster?
Chris:We have 30 last year.
Scott:30?
Chris:It's gonna be 27 this next year.
Scott:Wow. Mhmm. Interesting. Wow.
Jamie:I'm I'm curious. Do you know the the history behind Asshole Hall?
Chris:Like the where it was the White House for about Yeah. Four Yeah. We've we've heard we've learned a lot of
Jamie:history. Was gonna say, I'm assuming you guys you guys have to learn that when you get here. Is that like an elementary thing?
Chris:I don't always think it's mandatory. Think it's just I guess people are proud of it. People are Yeah. You should. Proud of the school.
Chris:A lot of a lot of talk of Yeah. This place happens and and it just gets around.
Jamie:Yeah. Another unbelievable building on this campus. Yeah. At U. S.
Jamie:Wakasean, a brownish, reddish stone building.
Scott:Mhmm. Mhmm.
Jamie:I mean, it was the White House for while.
Scott:That's wild. Yeah. This guy said
Chris:he had some treaties in there and stuff, a lot of stuff
Scott:on there. There you go.
Jamie:It was listen, I already read it. It was it was again, there's a lot of history on it.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. No. You can tell. Yeah.
Scott:It's unreal. Jersey I mean, Jersey is a you know, whatever. We live here, so I we're a little biased. But Jersey's I don't know. It gets a bad rep sometimes, but I think it's it's an unreal state.
Scott:I mean, it's close to two major cities. Can you know, getting in and out of, like, you know, the country is easy. You have the airport there. You've got the shore. You've got rural America.
Scott:You've got you've got suburban. Not far from skiing. You're not far from anywhere.
Chris:It's Yeah. It's got Irish.
Scott:Jersey's Jersey's pretty legit. Yeah. Alright. Well, listen, we've been we've had you here for a while. I got some got some rapid fire questions for you.
Scott:Are you ready for it?
Chris:Send to my wife. Are you sure?
Scott:I'm so Alright. We'll keep the we'll keep it light. Alright. Favorite hockey player growing up?
Chris:TJ O'Shea.
Scott:TJ O'Shea. Alright. Yep. Best rink in North America?
Chris:If I'm going in the USL USHL, I'd I think the Rush the Rush Centers where Green Bay plays. I Yeah. I always loved that rink. I don't know if it was I had a good game there my first time, then it kind of gave me that confidence always going back in there or something like that. But Yeah.
Chris:I always loved playing in the rush. It was they they packed it. It was Right. Super nice bar and it was it was awesome.
Scott:That was awesome, Alright. Well, okay. What about a favorite collegiate barn so far? Away. Let let's just say Away.
Scott:Yeah.
Jamie:Yeah. So this this one's
Scott:an easy This one's really good. Yeah. Away barn. Oh, for sure. It's an easy one.
Chris:Honestly, I'd say Cornell was pretty sick. Wasn't that super rowdy? Yes, they do. There's news papers. Yeah.
Chris:Yeah. And you could you could like catch an edge and fall and you're you're hearing it from from their student section.
Jamie:Surprised they're not talking about like the goalie's sister or something.
Chris:Yeah. They probably aren't. So they're they're yeah. They're crazy over there. And it should they it gets you talk about flipping a switch.
Chris:If you're not Yeah. In it to start, yeah, you'll get in it pretty quick there. It's it's awesome.
Scott:Alright. What's the most overrated hockey skill?
Jamie:Oh. That's a tough question.
Chris:I'd say it'd have to be some sort of like stick skill, like dangling or
Jamie:something Toe like dragging?
Chris:Yeah. Toe drag. Yeah. That's totally fair. I don't know if I've seen a single toe drag this past year in college.
Chris:It's worked. Right. That's But how
Scott:many of you seen these past two weeks?
Chris:Yeah. I'll tell I
Jamie:bet you've seen the ton of those. Yeah. For sure. I'm sure.
Scott:And as you're then the more one or two. Yeah. Maybe one or two.
Jamie:Alright. It's competition to go. Yeah.
Scott:Hockey hockey or skating?
Chris:Well, they're both so important. Uh-huh. That's a hard That's a tough, tough one. I I I'd say probably Hockey IQ, though. I think you're dead in the water if you don't have Hockey IQ.
Chris:You can see guys that are phenomenal skaters that just skate themselves into a into a ditch or something like that. Interesting. Okay. But again, I think even if you have hockey IQ, if you don't have the boots to to make the play, it can be tough. Because I've seen a lot of guys that can think the game really well, but they can't execute on that.
Chris:What's it matter? Right. So I think they go hand in hand, but I think I'd say Hockey IQ takes the cake.
Scott:Okay. Alright. Early morning practice or late night practice?
Chris:For sure. Early morning practice.
Scott:For sure. Okay. Alright.
Chris:I'm a morning guy, though. So
Scott:Alright. Okay. So in that case, coffee or tea?
Chris:Coffee. What's your order? Just black.
Scott:Just black. You you have a favorite bean? Don't care.
Chris:About that.
Scott:You know, do you know
Chris:what that dial? Jonesy buys all the stuff down there in the kitchen. So, yeah, I just I just throw it in the Keurig and put Oh,
Jamie:you just threw a cake of action like starting then Yeah. Me go?
Chris:I don't even know.
Jamie:Alright. It's got water. Yeah.
Scott:Yep. Favorite music before a game?
Chris:Oh, we listen to a lot of rap. I like rap. Fired up.
Scott:Alright. Let's go favorite artist
Chris:right now. Well, my favorite my favorite, like, genre is country. So I would say John Party for that.
Scott:Alright. Alright.
Chris:But rap, I think before games, like, maybe some Kodak Black. Kodak gets me fired up.
Scott:Okay. Need to do my research on this on
Chris:on Scrilla. That was our pre we listened to Scrilla before the Elf.
Jamie:Okay. It worked for the boys? Oh, yeah. Okay.
Scott:Alright. And now this is alright. So now this is, just reflecting on, like, your youth hockey journey. And if you could just fill fill in or, like, finish the sentence. The biggest myth in youth hockey is?
Jamie:You go so many ways with this.
Chris:I'm gonna say being the best at a young age matters. Okay. I think, yeah, everybody develops at such different times and like I know so many kids that when I was 11, 12 years old were absolutely dominating us, and
Scott:Yeah.
Chris:Right. I haven't heard about them in the past three years. His dad and they're probably not even playing hockey anymore.
Scott:Right.
Chris:Because you know they were five eight, five ten when we were that age and just far and along better than us and now And everybody caught up. Yep. Yep.
Scott:Yep. And you see that like the you would say like size is probably the biggest thing that ends up like being a differentiator between those that like were like if those kids that were dominant, maybe better put. If they had grown, you think they would have been like better players? Like is it a size thing or not not necessarily?
Chris:Yeah. I think also like, I mean, it's I'm a little biased. I think being a smaller guy growing up and still being a smaller guy, I think it kind of teaches you how to play the right way being small. And when you're that dominant at that age, you can kind of do whatever you want, flirt around
Scott:Right.
Chris:Trip a pocket the net and it goes in. It's easy. It's easy. It doesn't really doesn't really teach you teach you the right things, but
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. That's what Topher said. Topher's like, I think it's such an advantage to be an undersized player because you learn to play the right way real fast, and Pretty sure you don't
Jamie:said that too.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. A 100%. Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie:The exact same
Scott:thing. Mhmm. Yeah. Anyway alright. Well, dude, this was awesome.
Scott:Thank you for taking time to talk with us. This was sick.
Jamie:Sorry we ripped you away from I'm sorry we ripped you away from
Scott:Wait. Our children are gonna be devastated. Dad, you came to my camp. You took my counselor. Like, dude, what the fuck?
Scott:I was supposed to be away from you. You're there all week. No. These kids god. Talking to my counselor.
Scott:What am I supposed to tell all the kids?
Jamie:Right. Yeah. No. This was great, man.
Scott:No. Yeah. Alright. You guys. Thank you so much for
Jamie:being Reiniger, man. Sophomore Princeton defenseman. Looking forward to seeing you next next season, buddy.
Scott:'33. Let's go, buddy.
Chris:Let's go. Thanks, man. Thanks.
Scott:Alright, everybody. Welcome back from our interview with Chris Reiniger. Dude. Rhino himself. He's the man.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Let's go, Rhino. Was that was that his nickname, Rhino?
Scott:I think so. Well, if not, now it is.
Jamie:Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure it is.
Scott:Let's go, Reiniger.
Jamie:If I if I have that off, I would
Scott:be surprised. I'm pretty good with that. With what?
Jamie:With, like, Nick hockey nicknames.
Scott:Yeah. But, like, remembering?
Jamie:Like just no. You can figure it out from their name.
Scott:Yeah. Oh, I see what you're saying.
Jamie:Yeah. You can figure it out. Like like there's one that one dude that his last name was something called him Lats. Like that was obvious. You know?
Jamie:Like I forgot what his last name was, but like can dude, if you know a kid's name, you can figure out what his hockey name is.
Scott:Now it's funny you're talking about this because because I was watching, as you know, I finished up watching Full Ride by
Jamie:Pat Shea. Yes, you did.
Scott:And in the beginning, she
Jamie:Shout out Pat Shea. Don't remember what episode he was, but shout out Pat Shea.
Scott:Oh, yeah. Pat Shea.
Jamie:Episode we had him on. Yeah. Go watch Full Ride if you He's like
Scott:a legend in the making.
Jamie:Dude, I'm telling you, go watch Full Ride if
Scott:you want Oh, and by the way, I Fucking He also has a podcast, Soda's the Road.
Jamie:So Does The Road.
Scott:Yeah. I was listening to one, like, first episodes.
Jamie:You mean Wheels?
Scott:But so we're talking about nicknames. Right? And then so Wheels Yeah. What is that? G sun?
Scott:But but G sun, was Garrison. Yes. So G sun.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. G sun. Yeah. It's easy.
Scott:I get that.
Jamie:Yes. Wheels is different. Wheels is different. Yeah. Well, that's that was just for the show.
Scott:No. Know. But it's Yeah. But when we were first calling him G sun, like, on this on this show Yeah.
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:I didn't real like, I was like, G Sun. I was like, that's interesting.
Jamie:You didn't realize what his name was?
Scott:Well, but here's here's the thing. Well, right. Exactly. But because like Wheels Yeah. Is not Is not anything I'm thinking like this is a comedy.
Jamie:His name is Bobby Carpenter? Bobby Who? What was his name on the show? What was Wheels's real name? Bobby
Scott:I just know him by Wheels.
Jamie:No. No. But he had a name
Scott:On the show?
Jamie:On show.
Scott:That's not Wheels?
Jamie:No. Was Bobby something.
Scott:Well, just know him as Wheels.
Jamie:He's like Bobby something. He's like, guys call me Wheels. He's and then Patrick is like, like, Cartwheels? He's like, yeah. But anyway He's like, car wheels?
Jamie:He's like, yeah.
Scott:Yeah. So that so I finished watching Full Ride and I so G Sun, I finally got those dots connected. You did. Wheels Wheels, I was I'm actually asking if there was something that I missed because that that one I couldn't No.
Jamie:I don't think you missed it. That one did not go with his name, if I'm not mistaken. No. Okay. I forgot his last name in it, but it was some it was not Wheels or not even close to that.
Jamie:Yeah. But when Pat Shea introduces himself in in the whatever class it was with the dude with the goatee.
Scott:Yeah. Right? He's like Yeah. With the the teacher?
Jamie:Yeah. He's like he's like he's like he's he's like, I'm Pat. He's like, you can call me Patty, Shazy, Shazo. He's like he's like he's he's like anything but Pat or something like that, you know? But like, again, Shazy, Shazo, like Patty, like, you could figure it out.
Jamie:If know a hockey player's name, you can figure out basically what his nickname is.
Scott:Okay.
Jamie:Like Connor Jones, Jonesy. It's just, you know, like, you know, it's you just fucking figure it out. Okay. Okay. You know?
Jamie:But but dude, good shout out by you. Shout out Full Ride.
Scott:Full Ride is very With Pat Shea. For those of
Jamie:you who don't know, I don't remember what episode we had Pat Shea on. I wanna say it was like 60 or something like that. 65. Yeah. But Pat is a is in wants to be he played at the University of Maine.
Jamie:Yeah. He was drafted by the by the Florida Florida Panthers. Yeah. And and he wanted to be an actor. Yep.
Jamie:And he produced his own like like three, five five episode like kinda series on YouTube. Yeah. Yeah. Called Full Ride. You guys haven't seen it, go watch it, you'll die.
Scott:So this so I'm bringing this up not to go on a major like side side thing, but such a funny story that he told while he was interview he was the pod was an early episode. He was still playing pro at the time.
Jamie:Okay. So does the road
Scott:you mean? Of his podcast? Yeah. And so he was telling the story of how his father who did he play at BC? His dad played at BC,
Jamie:I think? No. He was like a high level scout.
Scott:Well, nonetheless, scout. Okay. Let's just jump to that part. Like his dad's working as a scout. Knows
Jamie:His brother played at b or was gonna play at BC and he was injured.
Scott:Something. So yeah. But he
Jamie:was supposed to play at BC.
Scott:So Jerry York, long time famous coach from BC had attended, I think it was Pat's grandmother's funeral.
Jamie:Okay.
Chris:Okay. Right?
Scott:And he's telling the story on how like, you know, obviously Pat's father and and Jerry knew each other.
Jamie:Right.
Scott:And he said something along the lines of just talking about like, you know, like, hockey lingo and like Yeah.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah.
Scott:And like just hockey crazy stuff. And so apparently York had, you know, said to Pat's dad, you know, like, know, so sorry for your loss, blah blah blah. And he and, you know, he asked how how old she was.
Jamie:Mhmm.
Scott:And, you know, the dad said, like, 83 or something like that. Yeah. And so, you know, Jerry York says, '83.
Jamie:It was a good year.
Scott:Hell of a shift.
Jamie:Oh, hell of a shift.
Scott:Or that
Jamie:That's a long shift.
Scott:Yeah. Or that that was a good shift.
Jamie:Yeah. Wasn't listen. That is it's a long shift. No. But it's the
Scott:fact that, like, that's, like
Jamie:That was the that was that was how he described
Scott:described like and then Pat was kind
Jamie:of like guy.
Scott:Pat's like giggling at the fact that like, you know, this hockey coach is equating his grandmother's life to a shift
Jamie:to shift. I gotta tell you, it's funny how that is.
Scott:So now I'm talking with Otto and like, you know, and he was saying something like took a long time. I'm like, yeah, was a long shift.
Jamie:So now you're it?
Scott:I just thought it was remarkable. Yeah. That's what he would actually say. At like a funeral?
Jamie:Dude, can can I tell you like the the fucking kids today, man, dude, I'm gonna tell a fucking gross story. Ready? No? Yeah. I'm gonna tell Gross one?
Jamie:Yeah. This happened the other day. Dominic and I Dominic and I went to Garden State Plaza. For those of you who don't know in our area in North Jersey
Scott:It's a mall.
Jamie:It's a big mall. A very big mall. Because they have an Oakley store, Oakley sunglass store. So we're at the Oakley store and I'm in shorts, t shirt, flip flops. So Dominic stops and when I was talking to the guy at Oakley, Dominic went to like John Bajuice, or whatever the juice bar next door was, right?
Jamie:And grabbed like mango pineapple. He said, what do want? Just get me whatever you're getting. So like, I drink it while I'm talking to guy in store and then we leave and I go to hit like the bathroom on the way out. Right?
Jamie:So Dom didn't go. So I went in and I came back out. I'm like, dude, I'm like, you know what's fucking awful? And he's like, what? I'm like, I'm like, any dude knows what I'm talking about.
Jamie:Like, if you're in flip flops and you're pissing in a urinal Yeah. And you fucking feel it on your feet, you're like, goddamn it.
Scott:Bad news.
Jamie:And there's no way to avoid it.
Scott:Dude, that happened to me today
Jamie:I know.
Scott:While I was on the phone with you.
Jamie:Who wears flip flops and goes and takes a leak in a urinal, hey dude, you know what I'm talking about and it doesn't matter how far you stand back. You are just screwed no matter what. So I come out of the bathroom and I said to Dominic, was kinda laughing to myself, he's like what's so funny? So I told him, he's like dad, what kind of fucking PSI do you have? And I'm like, that's pretty fucking funny dude.
Jamie:What kind of PSI do No, looked at him and go, did you just fucking come up off the top of your head? He's like, yeah. I'm like, that was pretty fucking good, I was like, that was pretty good. Give him like a high five right down the middle of the mall.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie:Yeah. I'm like, good for you, buddy.
Scott:Well, it's funny you say that just to like keep going on this like discussing conversation.
Jamie:But Any dude who wears flip flops knows what I'm talking
Scott:But listen, this this might
Jamie:I'm You're all laughing in the fucking car
Scott:right I'm not I'm not gonna frame this out the way I was about to, but I recently connected the dots on understood why you ever go into a bathroom and someone who like maybe like starts taking a piss next to you flushes it first. Okay. Okay. Or if someone goes into the stall or like and flushes first.
Jamie:Right.
Scott:Okay. Obviously, if there's like a shit or like the toilet's full of urine
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. Like, you would flush it, but like, it's not always yellow. It could be piss in there. Right?
Jamie:Right. Right. Right.
Scott:So what I'm saying is that it occurred to me that probably a good reason why people flush these things before they use them is so they don't get the Somebody piss else water on them or shit water on them. Because I'll tell you, hold on. Let me just finish this thought because the other day I was like, you know what? I'm not We'll save that for another time. Never mind.
Jamie:The show is getting very out of hand.
Scott:Yeah. This is not
Jamie:I gotta tell you, like I remember it happened to me. We're on our way home from the beach and we stopped like a rest area. Dang. I had flip flops on. And I looked like such a jackass because I wash my hands, dry them and then I grab a piece of paper towel and I wipe my fucking foot.
Jamie:Right? Because I can't not. It's like a thing of I have to wipe my foot. I can't leave
Scott:it No. It's gross because especially this like popping out
Jamie:of urine
Scott:it's Even Even if it's your own piss.
Jamie:Yeah. Because again, now when you walk away from these things, they self flush. Yeah. So for the most part like it's not gross when you when you grow
Scott:up plenty that don't self flush, dude.
Jamie:Listen. Don't of course. Right? But for the most part, even if it's your own, it doesn't matter. Like, I have to wipe my I have
Scott:to wipe I my don't know. Now now I'm like completely understanding why for so many reasons, you flush even if it looks like it's flushed, you just flush it so you don't get enough. Dude, a 100%. You gotta flush before you
Jamie:use it. Bro, urinal splatter is a real thing.
Scott:Yeah. It is.
Jamie:And that's and if you remember, I don't know if you've seen, the the new urinals that are like those tubes, they look like a like a circular tube going back, those are like splatter proof.
Scott:Oh, yeah? That's the
Jamie:That's where you wanna go.
Scott:Smart.
Jamie:Yeah. You the the places that have updated their situation.
Scott:Yeah. Okay. Cool. Let's stop talking about the bathroom. Although this was very enlightening.
Jamie:Well, was funny because we're talking about, you know, Pat Shane, like hockey players saying witty shit. And that's what made me think of Dominic saying PSI because it was pretty good.
Scott:Yeah. And I
Jamie:He's like, dad, what the fuck kind of PSI do you have going on? Like, I don't know. That was pretty funny, buddy.
Scott:Sounds like a freaking racehorse.
Jamie:And again, you can't stand so far back, because if you stand so far back, then you're standing behind the like the like the The divider? The divider. And then you're just sitting there with your junk
Scott:hanging out. Okay. But there's plenty of there's places that also don't even have dividers.
Jamie:Fair. 100%.
Scott:Yeah. Well, you know, when I went
Jamie:I haven't seen You just look like a pervert then.
Scott:But I haven't seen this a long no.
Jamie:No. But listen Think about that. You're like, is this dude an exhibitionist or he just not wanna get fucking pissed on his butt?
Scott:Well, it depends how how well you're hung, dude. Mean, let's let's be serious there. Some people just, you know, they want you to know.
Jamie:Unfortunately, yes. So so I'll Or maybe fortunately for that person.
Scott:Maybe you remember, but like remember there were times where there was like trough urinals
Jamie:Yes.
Scott:Which is like one massive trough. Certain bars. Yeah. Like it was just like
Jamie:With constant water
Scott:flushing down. Just like a truck. It even like would have like
Jamie:100%.
Scott:It's like an l section couch.
Jamie:Yeah. 100%.
Scott:So old bars used to have that shit. Dude, so I went over to England a couple times and went to like, know, soccer match, football matches, whatever. And like there was you go I wanna remember, I forget where we were. It was in some like, you know, sticks like town watching Premier League and Right. Yeah, go to the bathroom.
Scott:It's just like everyone's it's like a cockfest.
Jamie:It's just like
Scott:You can't turn
Jamie:Just kicks out everywhere? Yeah. Listen, listen, you go in the Yankee Stadium and I think it's the same shit, there's no dividers, it's just all fucking urinals. Yeah. I was gonna say something, I'm not even gonna go.
Scott:Yeah, anyway. Because this
Jamie:conversation's going so off the rails, but funny, I will say that. Yeah. And super true.
Scott:And also true. It is
Jamie:reality, unfortunately. So
Scott:Anyway, so we were we were recapping.
Jamie:We were recapping. The interview. Our interview with with our buddy Chris Reiniger.
Scott:Yeah. Thanks, Chris. Sorry we had basically We detoured. All of your family and friends listen to us talk about men's urinals.
Jamie:Yeah. But it makes for entertaining
Scott:Yeah. You know. Entertaining listening. But Yeah. So a few things just to like call out about like his his path, when we talk about paths, and you know, this will this is like, I don't know, you know, good for people that maybe don't even live in, you know, major hockey centers.
Scott:Right? Yep. Like Maryland didn't have a lot of hockey
Chris:around Not
Jamie:a huge hockey area.
Scott:Yeah. And then ended up having to go away to play higher level hockey. He didn't have a lot of private lessons, if any, if I'm not mistaken.
Jamie:I I don't think he did a ton
Scott:of these Or at least not at the younger ages.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Scott:So so right now he's at Princeton. Yeah. Right? But he played for going backwards, he played at USHL. He played Chicago Steel.
Jamie:Chicago Steel.
Scott:Yeah. He went to South Kent.
Jamie:South Kent.
Scott:Yep. And, you know, and didn't have a ton of private lessons. He played a I'm pretty sure he played a, but if he didn't play a, he played double a, and I then he went to triple
Jamie:think Maryland was single a
Scott:and Single double a and double a. Mistaken. Right. So so
Jamie:I think today it's still like that, by
Scott:the way. Okay. So Yeah. So here's someone that, you know, started at eight Yeah. Played tier two and tier one Yeah.
Scott:You know, and then went on to do a lot of great things without being inundated with all the extra clinics and all the extra extra
Jamie:Yeah. No. It's true.
Scott:So while it's not that's not a recipe that's gonna work for everyone, you know, it it worked for him. And so
Jamie:Yes, it did. Yes. Yeah. And he he was a he was a fun interview. I'm not gonna lie.
Jamie:He was it was a very fun interview. Some good insight to like the, mind of a player, a student athlete. And they have to be pretty dialed in at Princeton, by the
Scott:way.
Jamie:Super dialed in.
Scott:And he was not shy, not that there's anything to be shy about, but talking about like the mental performance side Yeah. And how that's a big part of like what Yeah. You know, what they do to keep themselves like, you know, game ready, mentally sharp, and you know, just Yeah. It it was great to to hear more from a student athlete and you know, we should do more of that. You know, for sure.
Jamie:I agree with that by
Scott:the way.
Jamie:I hope you guys enjoy it because he was a pleasure to talk to. Really nice kid. Like, you know, I think I think Shane, you know, the week before was talking about like the type of person they want there. He's like, don't want good kids. We want great kids.
Scott:Yep. Exactly.
Jamie:You know, and this kid is, you know, a perfect example of
Scott:that. And
Jamie:They all were too. A bunch of other kids we spoke to. They were all like top tier kids.
Scott:Yeah. No doubt.
Jamie:It was pretty it's impressive. Yeah. It's a very impressive building. It's a very impressive program. Yep.
Jamie:And coach has that place humming now, I think. Yeah. You know, so I'm looking for big things from number 33 this next season. Yeah. No pressure.
Jamie:Seriously. Sorry, Chris. You know, and and and listen big things from the from the program, from the coaching staff. Yeah. You know, I so we're gonna
Scott:They got an axe to grind with the ECAC finals.
Jamie:They do. Yep. They gotta come back. That that first Dartmouth game by the way is going to be Banana Land? Very interesting.
Scott:Yeah. Let's get tickets now.
Jamie:Dude, everybody should be getting tickets. Everybody should be going, and if you've not been to a game at Hockey Bakery yet, Princeton's rink, like, you're missing out. Yeah. You are missing out. We are all so close.
Jamie:New York, Philly, you know, DC, Maryland, Delaware, like you're all not far from it. Like make a weekend, go stay at the Nassau Inn, go hang out in Downtown Princeton, it's a cool place to hang out, especially around like Christmas time.
Scott:Yep, good for the kids too.
Jamie:Oh yeah, right.
Scott:Yeah, yeah.
Jamie:It's a great place to hang out for the kids. I mean, you you will not be bored there. Let's put it that way.
Scott:No. It's great.
Jamie:Yeah. Good restaurants, good little shops, good like it's a great toy store called Jazam's. Great toy store for like kids if you have young ones. Ice cream places to go to. I mean, it's such a cool little town.
Scott:Yeah. Couldn't agree more.
Jamie:Yeah. So yeah. Go go check out Princeton game because we gotta pack that bar in this year. We gotta pack the shit out of it.
Scott:Something tells me it's not gonna necessarily need our help. I think we're gonna gonna be pretty locked in but no doubt we gotta support the program.
Chris:Yes.
Jamie:Yeah. So so thank you for hosting us that week, you know, and letting us have the access that we have to Princeton. We're super grateful for the partnership we have with them. It's fantastic. The coaches are great.
Jamie:The players are great. It was it was first class.
Scott:Yep. Couldn't agree more, man. It was awesome. Well, this was a great episode. Yeah, man.
Scott:And looking forward to next week. Got some good stuff on the horizon, some great interviews, we've some giveaways. Keep Sure do. Listening, follow on socials, share the show, friends and family, all that stuff.
Jamie:Yeah. Thank you so much for for supporting us. We really appreciate it.
Scott:Yeah. Appreciate you all.
Jamie:Yeah. Alright. Alright,
Scott:buddy. Till the next one.
Jamie:See you. Peace.