Never Far from Home

Nick Strid began skating around eight years old. He began skating on figure skates for the first few months, then quickly transitioned into hockey. His love for the game developed fast, and even now, he understands that he wants to be involved in some capacity as long as he can. Enjoy his tales from youth days, through high school, and even into some college club.    www.beautyunis.com www.danoste...

On this unique episode of NFFH, I am joined by a couple guys working for the Tampa Bay Lightning in their outreach programs: Aaron and Jordan. They are able to talk about the great programs that they are lucky to be a part of, and there is a small piece of their backgrounds mixed in as well, including how Jordan is a roller hockey guy. Enjoy this one, a glimpse into at least one organizations effo...

Dusty Henning began playing when he was a youngin. He regales me with some of his best memories of his youth days, before we get into his long list of pro hockey. The man has played a lot of different places, and struggled to find good management in his early days, running into a few situations of teams that folded before the year was done. Enjoy this one, it's entertaining.   www.beautyunis.com w...

Colter Pritchard began playing hockey in his early teens, after first getting introduced to skating at three. He quickly became a goaltender, and loved it. His hockey journey took him from AK to the lower 48 for juniors, then to Utah for college. We talk about the journey, the different people who impacted him along the way, and we touch on his future plans. Enjoy.   www.beautyunis.com www.danoste...

Ricky Gnatowsky was not born into hockey, at all. He happened into the rink life, after REAL LIFE, and he has since fallen in love with the community. We go into stories from his early days when he was still learning the ropes of the pro shop, to his time now as a manager of the Brandon facility. Oh ya, and he raps. Oh ya (again) and WE rap. So there's that...   www.beautyunis.com www.danostequila...

Glen Metropolit grew up in Toronto. We sat down today over some coffee, and he shared some stories from his youth playing days, moving from ball hockey in to the ice rink, and eventually, finding the game could take him many places. He talks about his transition from high school hockey to Junior B, then moving from Junior B right into pros. Enjoy the tales he shares, all leading him to developing...

Amber Niland was born to be a hockey player. She started playing when she was around five, and has been engaging in different aspects of the community of the rink since. She talks about playing, then her transition into women's hockey in the state, and eventually, she found her way into coaching. Enjoy her many tales!   www.beautyunis.com www.danostequila.com

Jake Oakley was introduced to hockey at a younger age, but at first, he was not a fan of skating. He would attend games with his father and sister, and loved the atmosphere, falling in love with the many aspects of the sport. Later on in life, he found himself presented with the chance to be a part of a great organization, in the Steel Kings. Enjoy his many tales.   www.beautyunis.com www.danosteq...

Liz Stewart always seemed to fancy hockey. She was not involved in the game in her childhood, but around her teen years, finally found her way to the rink. She shares her stories of why she loves the game, and we get into a tough subject as well: mental health. She is currently working to become a sports psychologist, and we go into some details about her dissertation. You guessed it, it's on hock...

Graig O'Brien was able to explore the community of the pond as a kid, as well as deck hockey. He was then introduced to the game later on as a dad, and has fallen in love with the community of the game, both from the parenting standpoint, and from that of someone now playing in the beer leagues. Enjoy his many tales.   www.beautyunis.com www.danostequila.com

Seth Kushner was introduced to hockey as a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was able to grow his love of the game after working with some of the players, and getting a closer look at some of the inner workings of the organization. Enjoy his tales of transition from radio days to podcasts, and the many great guests he has had on.    www.beautyunis.com www.danostequila.com

Kyle was at rinks from a young age, watching hockey, but didn't begin playing till he was ten. We get into details about his youth hockey days, and eventually his tales from junior hockey, until his injuries forced him out of the game. Enjoy!   www.beautyunis.com www.danostequila.com  

I am joined by a few awesome guys from the Taranaki Masters Games in New Zealand, and we are able to talk about inline, and how it is growing in the country. Each guy gets a few minutes to tell his own story as well. Enjoy this one. It is a little bit of a tough one, listening-wise, as we were on a zoom call, and my internet was barely holding up. But even with that, you can tell how much they lov...

Jamie Goldsmith began skating on Beaver Lake, and played boys hokey for a few years before making the shift to girls around twelve or thirteen. Enjoy her many stories from playing time, to her coaching days! We also get a few good laughs about how we connected, which can be fun in and of itself.   https://www.facebook.com/one2onefitnesstraining https://www.beautyunis.com/

Ernie Hartlieb was born into the hockey community. His father was a big fan and player of the game, and being in Michigan, it was an easy sell. He remembers falling in love with the game right from his first pair of skates. Enjoy his tales, as we work through his timeline inside the rink, and tell some fun stories along the way.   https://www.facebook.com/one2onefitnesstraining https://www.beautyu...

Tom McLean got a later start in hockey. He was already in his early twenties when he began playing, and being in Florida in the 90's, he was first introduced to the roller rink. We talk about some of his storyline, how he eventually became involved in ice hockey, and of course, we explore what he is doing now with his podcast and Facebook group, "The Parking Lot". Enjoy!   https://www.beautyunis.c...

Craig Morton was another NFFH'er born into hockey. His father was a big hockey guy in Detroit, and Craig had an older brother that was already a player as well. He grew up in the midwest, and shares stories of his youth days, including a couple bad injuries. His transition from player to coach was a quick one, and we explore the different involvements with the game that he has had. Enjoy.   https:...

Warren Hewett began playing hockey in his mid to late teens. He started in the roller arena, before moving over to ice within a year or two. There was an overlap of a few years, when he was doing both, but eventually injuries forced him into ice in a full time capacity. Enjoy his many stories from his local rinks, to some European tours he partook in.   https://www.beautyunis.com/ https://www.face...

Bryan Smith began playing hockey a little later in life, but was able to catch up quick. We talk about his journey through his playing days, through his short stint as a seasonal employee enjoying the best of summers and winters in Colorado. He then goes into great detail, and shares some fantastic stories, about Rocky Mtn. Hockey schools. Enjoy his many tales of travel and hockey, and how he has...

Brent Pearson began skating from the age of two. He was born into a family of hockey players and figure skaters, as his mom was on the ice at high levels of figure, and his father was a hockey guy. It was easy enough to fall in love with the game, and we explore some of his favorite memories of his competitive days, some fro his time in senior AAA, playing with his brother, and of course we get in...

Kam Fink began playing roller hockey, and within a few years had transitioned to ice. We step through his journey, including a couple tough years in Peewee, all the way through his college days. Like all of us, Covid has impacted his playing nowadays, but he is anxiously awaiting returning to the rink, and soon enough getting involved in coaching. Enjoy his many stories.

Kaitlyn Shrode started skating around six years old. She is the younger of the Shrode sisters, and tells many stories of growing up in the hockey household she did. Her tales span youth time spent in Craig, to her time spent on the front range, then Chicago, and eventually, how she found her way back into the hockey life in Naples, Florida, of all places. Enjoy!

Taylor Shrode began playing hockey when she was ten. She fell in love with the game a few years later when she started traveling for a team on the Front Range of Colorado. She talks about her trip through the rest of U19, then into her college career as well. Enjoy the many tales she has about her hockey!

Bobby Davis began playing hockey around nine or ten. He shares tales from a young age of the impact his mom and dad had on him, not just on the ice, but in life. He was well travelled in the game by the time he graduated high school, and has found himself plugged in to the community of the rink at every juncture of his life. Enjoy the many stories he shares about what exactly makes this community...

Nicco Cardarelli began playing hockey early in his childhood. He gathered rather quickly that it would not lead him to the NHL as a player, but he accepted this, and found a love of the game amidst the camaraderie with teammates, and eventual lifelong friends. His passion took over again in his mid-twenties, when he decided to get into broadcasting, and he shares stories from his many experiences...