Never Far from Home

Sara Brayton joins the show, and we take deep dives on her love of family, her passion for the rink community, and the great lengths she has gone to, to educate todays skaters in her area as to the proper techniques. She grew up a figure skater, skating nationally and internationally, and winning some big championships. She has always felt the rink has been a constant for her, and a rock in some of her most challenging moments of life. We explore how and when those were, and you can truly feel the immense gratitude she has for her people that were so instrumental in her growth in the sport, and how she shaped her life. Enjoy a wonderful and passionate episode. https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://43degreesports.com/ - Use the code "home" at checkout for free shipping in the US and Canada!

Lindsey Hjelm joined the show, and we go through a storyline that is filled with ups and downs. As she was sharing her stories, it was evident quickly that she took the time to find her value, during her playing days, and even now, she continues to reflect on the rink, and what it has done for her. Enjoy discussions ranging from her time in youth hockey, through her playing days at Augustus. We even connect the dots with a few past Never Far from Home'ers. The connections grow, the stories are all acutely each guest's, and Lindsey was no different. Enjoy another great episode full of wonderful tales, straight from the doctors mouth! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://43degreesports.com/

Dan Webb comes on the show and we review a history of passion associated with the game of hockey. Dan found the love of the game, and let it thrive. We speak to his time playing competitively through his time in college. He ended up at Hobart, and played some club hockey there, which gave him the balance he was looking for between school and hockey. Dan and I talk about his process of decision making for the next steps in life, which led him to Hollywood. He enjoyed his near decade there, but has returned to Colorado, and with a new mission: to help hockey players (and other athletes) kill the germs and smells associated with wet gear. 43° Sports was born. We talk about the concepts connected to the business, and what types of ambitions he has to spread his bags around the nation and beyond. Enjoy! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://43degreesports.com/

Matt Billman joins the show for the second time, and does not disappoint! We go over his recent coaching changes, and dive deep into his experiences over the last few years. There is some reflection on what has become of the project, but we stick closely to his recent days behind the bench. The tales include multiple trips to Nationals. Enjoy! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/

Nick Kent came on the show excited to share some stories, and he did NOT disappoint. We obviously talk about his involvement in the rink. When it started, where that was, and how it progressed. As always, it was a balancing act between storytelling, and exploring who Nick is as a person. This was a fun one with plenty of dramatic shifts inside of his tales. Enjoy! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/

Katie Baldwin was another great guest on the show. We dive into her time growing up in love with the game in the Ohio area, and how she saw, firsthand, the development of women's hockey. Her tales range from a scary incident that almost left her without the ability to play, all the way through multiple National Championship runs in college, and through today, where she maintains her connection with the rink via work. She runs her own business that helps young hockey players with training. Enjoy her stories! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

Mike Cochran, who was the original episode, at #1, comes back on for another "State of Hockey Address". It has been four years since we last had one of these, and much has happened since. We talk about the Avs winning the cup in '22, then catch up on some of the more recent moves. We also touch on the 4-Nations tournament, which has unanimously been considered a resounding success. And, of course, we talk about the show. There is discussion on the evolution of NFFH, and what has been going on lately. And there is also hope, that not too long down the road, we will see Jared Keeso on the show. We are willing it into existence… Enjoy! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

Jerry DeVaul joins the podcast for the first of two episodes. He goes in depth on the story of how he lost his legs. We dive into the next six years after the accident, and how he managed to come out of a darkness. In part, it was hockey that helped pull him out. Jerry goes into Colorado Sled Hockey, and some of his ambitions for the non-profit in coming years. We hit on community, and generally set up episode two beautifully. Enjoy the tales, and get excited for those to follow.   DISCLAIMER: Jerry does not hold back on the story. He does go into details about a very traumatic event. https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

Jen MacAskill came on and shared some wonderful stories. She found the game young, with two brothers and a dad who played. Being the youngest, it made sense to her to pursue this game she saw for so long as a fan. She quickly found her love for the team, and always found herself wanting more at each crossroads. Eventually wanting more led to leaving home for a boarding school, which led to college hockey, and an eventual stint in the CWHL. Hockey had its ideas for her, and coaching became a big focus, and soon, Jen was at the helm of Manhattanville University, where she still is the bench boss. Enjoy some great stories! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

SC Megale joined the show for a wonderful take on life. We dive into stories about her brief, but poignant, memories on the ice, and how so much of her love of adventure, sports, and everything in between, stemmed from her family. She tells of the schooling she has pursued, and the tales she has written herself. And of course, we dive into one of her works: "Hockey's Hidden Gods." This is a book about the 2002 US sled hockey team, and their ability to convert gold on the biggest stage. This coming at a time when sled hockey was losing funding. SC dives into her experiences while writing the story, and we explore life beyond as well. Enjoy! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

Kim McCullough was kind enough to spend an evening regaling me with a part of her tale, and we hope to link up again soon to finsh what we started. We dive into her upbringing in the Toronto area, and how she was a multi-sport athlete. Eventually, when the timing lined up, she found hockey and never looked back. Her passion to push herself catapulted her through a D1 experience at Dartmouth, then into a pro career for a few years. We touch on coaches who had an impact, her lessons she learned at different points through her career, and we tease a great story at the end that will make you want to listen when we link up again for part two… Enjoy! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

Kelly Damphousse joins the show and immediately I knew our allotted time would not be enough. We dive into his history within the game of hockey, and he tells of how a young boy fell in love with the game whole-heartedly. That vey same young boy grew into a young man, and we talk about some finer points of life, including facing the decision to put aside his passion for something even greater: love. I feel lucky to have had Dr. Damphousse on the show, and his tales are sure to inspire. Enjoy!! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

Steven Barnes talks about how he first came to fall in love with hockey, as a teenager on a Canadian trip, but expresses how it took a few more years until he was able to come into playing more regularly. He found himself finally at the helm of a hockey career when he was in his twenties, and quickly found himself staring at the barriers to entry that are faced by so many. He addressed it by the best means he could, by starting a non-profit. We dive into the stories of how he began Hockey Unlimited, and what he is looking to grow it into in the coming seasons. Of course, we dive into personal tales as well. Enjoy! https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

On Never Far from Home today, Jeff and Erika Boike. This was a special show. We dive into a little storytelling with regards to how this husband and wife met, and how each of them first found hockey. Without much hesitation we dive into family. The two had three sons: Drew, Charlie, and Lewis. The family was taxed with one of the hardest hands to be dealt, and lost their son Charlie when he was 17. We talk about how they dealt with the loss, as a unit, and individually. I was lucky to have them open up on a lot of things, and we took a wonderful stroll through memories laced with love. This was a heavy episode, littered with brightness. Enjoy. https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/

Nick Bowins joined the show and we were able to go through a great range of tales. He got involved with the game at a young age, and we talk about what aspects of hockey he fell in love with over the years. Much of what he loved spurred him into creating "Working in hockey", a social media and online presence that sends out every posted hockey job each week. His foundation was the love of the game, built upon by some social media work he did in his early twenties. Of course, we dive into some storytelling as well throughout the time! Enjoy another great episode. https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.thegardensicehouse.com/ https://summitcustomsticks.com/ https://rinksystems.com/ https://otpsteamboat.com/