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All right. So start off the part two. I got booted by a group of figure skaters. So that's

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always awesome. But just to kind of go back into, we kind of finished up with, you know,

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your playing career, some helpful tips that you got from, was his name, Quarters, how's

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the coach's name?

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Yeah, Marty. Yeah, Marty.

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Nice. So now you're crushing the fitness game. Again, like, as I mentioned, when I worked

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with you, it was probably the best I've ever felt. So I know that you're doing that for

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a boat of other people too. So how did you get started in like the fitness journey? How

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did you get to where you are now? Talk everybody through that a little bit.

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I've always been like, just, I've always liked the gym, to be honest. Like when I was doing

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my own training for hockey, like I was, like the best part of the year was going back in

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the summer and being able to do like summer training, off season training, like that's

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what I really looked forward to. So I've always had like an interest in it. And yeah, just

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kind of knew like going into school, like something around that realm was something

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I wanted to do. Originally, I was going to go to school for physical therapy, actually,

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because I had some, some like injury troubles. So I kind of that's, you know, like wanting

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to help other people get, get healthy again. So then I was like halfway through PT school,

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like did my first like internship and then realized like PT maybe wasn't for me was a

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little, little too slow, slow pace for me. So then I was like, well, I liked off season

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training. So maybe we'll try to do, do him being a strength coach. So kind of same like

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set of principles with like, like science and, and like human physiology. So is it pretty

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easy like switch. So, and ironically, that was like the perfect timing when I was transferring

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schools. The school was that did not have a exercise science program. School I transferred

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to Robert Morris did. So I was able to kind of get my degree in exercise science and,

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and then yeah, got my got my first internship with with GVN and then kind of the rest is

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history there. Nice. So you went from GVN and I guess I don't understand the relationship

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between like GVN and steel. They go hand in hand. Are they, you know, same thing or

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I could just talk me through that a little bit. Yeah, so it's a it is an interesting

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dynamic. So I still work for GVN as well as the steel. GVN is kind of when I had when

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I took the job with steel last year, like I'm employed by the steel. So like during

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the season, I wouldn't do anything GVN then in the off season when when our when our season

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is over, I'd go back to GVN and do the summer program and train all the guys in the off

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season. So I still kind of like work there. And then this year it turned into again still

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being employed by the steel, but then opening up a GVN in Fox Valley, I Serena in the gym.

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So then now I'm kind of doing both at once. So I'm doing everything for the steel. And

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then on top of that, all the business that comes in for GVN performance during the end

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season for like double A clubs and the the figure skating clubs and other teams that

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we train is still going on at the same time. And then we'll also have our own summer program

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here for training out in Fox Valley as well. Alright, nice. And so you probably have seen

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like a lot of like, big variety of like athletes and stuff like that, especially hockey is

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working with you know, GVN, GVN and steel. But like, do you see like a direct correlation

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between like what they're doing in the gym to what they're doing on the ice?

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Yeah, yeah, like it's the gym is is hugely important, especially for for this this group

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of like with the steel, like between 16 and like whatever 1820, it's super important for

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them for in terms of like developmental standpoint, like getting bigger, stronger, faster. And

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then right like working with pro guys, it's super important and vital for keeping them

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healthy at the same time. So like, like the gym plays a really big factor, right in sporting

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performance. You know, we talked to, I have a really good line of communication with the

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coaches here, like there are our coaching staff is all bought into to the idea of the

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gym and and they they understand how important it is for them to to have during the season

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so that they're building and getting better as the year goes on instead of maintaining.

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And you know, we see we see a lot of guys getting better as the year goes on the ice,

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right, because they're getting they're getting stronger, right, they're they're staying healthy

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because they're strong. And we're like managing their their workloads the correct way. So

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yeah, the gym is a huge piece that I think some places kind of and I'm obviously biased

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on this but some places don't value as much as I think they should during the season.

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Yeah, that makes sense. I guess what's the biggest thing you think in terms of like in

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season out of season, I don't know if that's given away like the secret sauce and like

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the recipe or whatever. But if you have any like tips on that like what to do in season

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versus off season, obviously, that's two different things. But if you want to talk about that

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a little bit.

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Yeah, so I'm I love just giving out information that we go on my Instagram, like there's a

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ton of like really good insight and information like directly kind of like what we're doing.

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So I'm no I'm not afraid to kind of share anything about that.

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But my in season and off season training here for the steel looks very similar with and how

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we're able to do that is because here at the steel we have like a very developmental mindset

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towards the athlete. So so like I said, again, like some places their their mindset is to

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okay, we just want to win. We just want the guys to feel good so they can perform their

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they can feel good going into a weekend every every weekend. Here, it's the complete opposite.

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We want we're more developmental mindset. So we want again, we'll push them a little bit harder

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in the gym. And we'll we'll push them a little bit harder in the ice and and go into a weekend

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knowing that they're not going to be performing at a optimal level, because they are tired from

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all the work that we did during the week. But it's all part of right like a like a plan and a

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process and a very thought out process as to right like we want these kids to to keep improving,

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keep getting better, keep getting stronger as the year goes on. So then we hit playoffs, then we can

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kind of dial back into more of like traditional in season where like the volume and the load in the

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in the weight room is a little bit lighter, believe in our guys a little bit more fresh.

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And then at that time of year, then, you know, we're like, we're a scary team to play against

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because all year we've gone into games, not at 100% at like 60 70% at some points. And, you know,

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we're still super competitive winning games. And then when we go into playoffs, feeling

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like 100% fresh, ready to go, like, like, that's like, that's our team at that point. That's that

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comes from all the work that we did pushing in the season. So it's like to answer your question,

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like my in season here looks very similar to kind of what I'm doing in the off season, maybe just

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like changing some some movement patterns and some volume, but like we're still, we're still

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left and heavy, we're still doing ply metrics, we're still doing speed work, we're doing power work,

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we're kind of doing, we're doing everything, which again, trying to get these kids bigger,

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faster, stronger, put on weight during the year, you know, improve jump play, improve power outputs,

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just keep getting better every week. Yeah, that's awesome. And you tell like, like you said, the

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process that you guys like developed and that you're working through, it's proven to like work

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because the team's been pretty successful, like, relatively recently, right? Like, did they,

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didn't they win? I don't know if it was last year or two years ago. So you could see like that the

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proof is in the pudding. Yeah, so 2021, they won. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And that's, and that's

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all, that's all the coaches, right? Like their, their dedication and, and willingness to,

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to devote themselves to a system that's focused on development, and caring more about the player's

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future than, you know, the short term window of right, like junior hockey, like that's, that's,

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what's unique about this place and what's, what's awesome about being in this environment is,

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is it's always for the player, everything we do is for the

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setting up the athlete to be successful when they leave here. And having success at the next levels,

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whether that be the vision one hockey or the NHL and, and like, and like I said, I think like,

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he said the proofs in the pudding with, with some of our alumni, how they're performing,

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and things like that, and that they're taking a lot of stuff that they learned here,

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and still implementing that into their game. And that's what's helping them, you know, have

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the success that they're having at, at those higher levels. Yeah. Getting closer to the end here,

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but I guess all the guys that you work with or girls that I'm not sure, but everybody that you

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work with to you, they kind of show up dialed in ready to go or like, is there sometimes where you

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have to like, kind of give them a swift kick in the ass and get them going a little bit?

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It's like, especially like in season, there's right, there's, there's peaks and valleys. So

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it's a long season, 60, 62 games here. And, you know, with, with all we, we put these guys through

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like the two sessions of ice a day, like the hard work out every day, like there's, there's some

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undulating effects with, you know, like their, their energy levels and, you know, maybe how

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they're feeling that day. But, but no, they, they're all the guys here are bought into, to the fact

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that like this is what they need to do. And, and I think the culture that we have here as a, as an

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organization coaching staff really pushes to, you know, kind of embrace that monotony of being a pro,

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right? You're not going to feel good every day. But all that we care about is right, like that

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you're giving your 100% that day for whatever level that may be, right? Like, like we understand,

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like we do a lot. And, you know, there, there needs to be some motivation, like externally from,

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from myself and the coaches sometimes, but, but every, every kid here is, is here for the right

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reason, right? And you, you as a coach can't make a kid want to do something, right? Like if, if, if,

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if a player wants to be great, and they want to want to be something special, like that has to

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come like intrinsically from inside them. And like you can only do so much as a coach to bring that

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out of them. But, but at the end of the day, like they have to be motivated to do it. And I, I do

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believe that, that our, that our guys here and, and who we work with are here for the right reason.

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And, and really they, they dedicate themselves to, to being a better person every single day and,

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and being the best that they can be day in and day out. Yeah, that's a, that's awesome. That's

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good to hear. You, you touch on like a thing that's kind of relatable to it right now. Obviously,

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I was telling you that I just got off the ice and I was doing like a private session with a kid who

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goes to Culver Academy, a sophomore. And you could tell like, if he has a bad rep with something,

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like, I don't have to say anything. He's kind of like beating himself up. And he's like, he's pushing

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himself to get better. And so the other point that you just made too, right, like, he's a really good

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kid. He's, he's relatively quiet, but like, you know, he shows up on time, he does like the right

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things and he's like working hard. So it makes any coach's job, I feel like way easier. When somebody

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has that like internal motivation to like, just get going and they're already like dialed in and

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you don't have to like try to sell them on it. Just last couple of things to wrap up. What,

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what are you like, what's your biggest goals moving forward? What do you look into? Like in the future,

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that type of stuff? Sorry, you're cutting out there. Oh, sorry about that. I was saying to like

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kind of wrap it up. What are you looking forward to? Like moving forward, some of your goals, stuff

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like that. Sorry, one more time. All right. I was saying, what are you looking forward to? Like

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moving forward and like some of your biggest goals, like ahead of you?

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So biggest goals ahead of me, I think are just like anyone I want to be, like just like when I

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was playing, right? Wanted to make it to the NHL, wanted to kind of take it as far as I could. I

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think that's kind of the same mindset. I'm kind of carrying into my professional career is,

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right? Want to try to be the best I can be as a coach and a professional and, you know, make it to

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the NHL one day or whatever the highest, my highest potential could possibly be. So yeah.

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Nice. Well, yeah, again, dude, thank you for doing this. This is awesome. It's great to have you.

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Good luck with everything moving forward. And, you know, if that's what you want to do is keep

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moving forward and keep moving up. Dude, I totally believe in you and just, you know, keep doing

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your thing. And, you know, obviously, everything's been working. So thanks again for coming on.

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Is there anything else that you want to like touch on before you go?

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No, I just thanks for having me and, you know, I appreciate what you're kind of doing with this.

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I think it's a really good thing to kind of get stuff like this out there to people,

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you know, kind of different way of motivating people and kind of seeing a different side of

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things that, you know, isn't always talked about. Like you see a lot of stuff on social media that,

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you know, it gives you like a glimpse at maybe things that aren't realistic and aren't really the

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truth. Kind of getting talking to people that are actually there and giving more of like the

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maybe not so pretty, pretty details about how things work and come to fruition or is really

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helpful to people. Cool. Well, I appreciate that. Thanks, big guy. I'll let you go. Last note is

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obviously happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and congratulations on getting married. That's

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awesome. Thanks, man. Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for having me. All right, bye.