Behind the Gear

On the Move! Wade Russell joins Behind the Gear from Fredericton, New Brunswick where he’s attending teachers college, finishing up his masters, working with minor hockey groups and helping out with the U Sport UNB Reds hockey team. Wade shares his hockey journey from minor hockey to Jr and how he realized that coaching and … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 150: Wade Russell – Moving to New Brunswick, Hockey Development, much more Read More »

Live Podcast! Tons of information for any player or parent looking at getting an edge during their off-season training. This was an awesome episode with 2 elite Speed, Strength and Conditioning coaches talking about off-season training, the importance of speed training and how to correctly incorporate it into your program. Josh is an Olympic athlete, … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 147: Live – Josh Kirkpatrick, Mitch Stewart – Speed, Power and Strength Read More »

Live Podcast! It was great to sit down with Mitch Stewart to discuss the NHL off-season during COVID, how players prepared to get back to playing and dealing with a strange off-season and hockey year all around. Wade Russell joins the podcast as well who always shares some great perspectives on development, teaching skills to … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 147: Live Podcast – Mitch Stewart, Wade Russell and Dwayne Blais Read More »

Another Great Live with Boone Jenner of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Strength Coach Mitch Stewart. We chatted about the NHL season and what is was like to play with the COVID restrictions. Boone discussed is off season training and we answered some questions from the audience. It was great to have some parents, coaches … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 146: Live Podcast – Columbus Blue Jackets Boone Jenner and Mitch Stewart Read More »

Live Pod! Great episode with Michael Houser of the Buffalo Sabres and Mitch Stewart of Total Package Speed Strength and Conditioning. This was a live discussion with some great questions from the audience. We talked to Houser about getting his first NHL start and earning back to back wins for the Sabres. We discussed how … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 145: Live Podcast – Buffalo Sabres Goalie Michael Houser and Mitch Stewart Read More »

A Meaningful Journey! It was awesome to catch up with Jukka Schotter, he’s a mature 20 year old who’s seen many parts of the world, played hockey in 3 different countries and just finished hiking all 900KM’s of the Bruce Trail from Niagara Falls to Tobermory in 25 days. In January 2021 Jukka’s mother Gabi … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 143: Jukka Schotter – Walked the 900KM Bruce Trail in Honour of his Mother Read More »

Passion! This was a blast to chat with film maker AJ Messier, he’s a creative gem and possess the long lost gift of communication or gift of gab! I loved chatting with AJ and hearing his authentic story of how he got in to photography (beers and class mixed well!!), he chatted about his work … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 142: AJ Messier – Pro Photographer, Writer, Co-Director of “The Cannons” Read More »

GM, Coach, Minor Hockey! This was a great episode with Rob Simpson the Associate GM of the London Knights. We chatted about drafting players through the pandemic, advice for players who may not have been drafted, developing young players and navigating minor hockey as a dad and coach. This is a great episode for any … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 141: Rob Simpson – Associate GM London Knights OHL – Talking Draft, Minor Hockey and NHL Playoffs Read More »

Mapping out Your Hockey Journey! This was a great conversation with Leevi Kinnunen an 18 year old hockey player from Finland who will stop at nothing to find ways, resources, coaches to help improve his game. Leevi has a goal of playing NCAA hockey and he shares what he’s learned over the past couple of … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 140: Leevi Kinnunen Jr aged player from Finland and Mitch Stewart of TPSSC Read More »

The Boys are Back! It was great to have Kevin and Wade back on the podcast to catch up and talk some hockey. We chatted about the NHL Playoffs, the winners, losers and our take on how some of the series have gone. We also added our picks to make it to the cup finals … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 139: Kevin Galerno and Wade Russell – NHL Playoffs, OHL Draft, Mental Skills Read More »

A Blast From The Past! This was a very personally awesome episode for me. Have you had anyone in your life who made a major impact but you never told them? I did and I told him and although I was nervous it was a great conversation. Ron was a.major influence in my life and … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 138: Ron Dubuc and Jean-Gille Larocque – High School, Coaching, Parenting… Read More »

Getting the Edge! Get out a pen and paper, Dr Callum Cowan shares some great insight into how we can optimize our performance by changing some of our daily habits. Dr Cowan is a Naturopathic Sports Medicine doctor who owns Phenom High Performance Medicine working with with professional, Olympic, MMA and many other high performers … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 137:Dr Callum Cowan and Mitch Stewart, optimizing health and performance Read More »

Gear Talk! It was a lot of fun to have Ryan Messier join me today to nerd out on hockey gear. Ryan is a CCM Sales and Pro Services Rep, with a ton of knowledge when it comes to hockey gear, performance and specs. We discuss how Ryan found his profession, his hockey beginnings and … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 136: Ryan Messier – CCM Sales Rep – Chatting Stick, Skates, Helmets and More Read More »

An Influencer in the Game of Hockey! It was great to have a good friend and a great hockey mind on this episode. Joe Birch has twice been recognized by the Hockey News as Top 100 People of Power and Influence. Joe played his way up from Jr B hockey to the OHL and used … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 135: Joe Birch – Working in the OHL, Player Agency to Leading an OHL Team Read More »

Hockey Bloodlines! It was a lot of fun to catch up with Griffin Luce and chat about his hockey journey. With a father who’s been a professional scout in the NHL for years, currently Scott is with the Vegas Golden Knights and a grandfather, Don Luce who played over 890 NHL games, Griffin has been … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 134: Griffin Luce – Hockey is in his Blood from Prep Hockey to Pro Read More »

You made the Show! Dan Pietens was a normal guy with a great career, a wife, things seemed to be going very well, but were they? Dan, like many of us found himself in a career that he didn’t love, long days at work and longer evenings complaining about it. So he made a change … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 133: Dan Pietens – Creating NHL Art by Putting Pencil to Paper Read More »

Follow your Dreams! It was an absolute pleasure to chat with Bulbul Kartanbay, she’s not only the first female hockey player from Kazakhstan to play in the National Women’s Hockey League, she’s an entrepreneur, a coach and a trailblazer for young female athletes worldwide, especially in her home country. Bulbul has an amazing hockey journey … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 132: Bulbul Kartanbay – First Woman from Kazakhstan to Play in the NWHL Read More »

Hockey in Hong Kong! Jordan Laroche is an awesome young man with a ton of life experiences that he’s accomplished through his hockey journey. From growing up and starting to play hockey in Hong Kong, being a part of the Honk Kong National Team Program, moving to Canada and attending Stanstead College in Quebec to … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 131: Jordan Laroche – From Hockey in Hong Kong to Canada Read More »

Never say Never! It was a lot of fun to chat with former NHL player and Stanley Cup Champion Blake Sloan. He shares some great stories of his career from almost hanging up his skates after winning an NCAA National Championship with Michigan to playing 290 games in the NHL. Blake is a great example … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 130: Blake Sloan – NCAA and Stanley Cup Champion Read More »

Canada’s Captain! What an inspirational story from an awesome young man. I feel very fortunate to have Tyler McGregor on this episode today, a hockey player that at the age of 15 faced the fight of his life, being diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma (bone cancer). Through support from family, friends and his sure determination … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 129: TYLER MCGREGOR Captain of Team Canada’s Paralympic Sledge Hockey Team Read More »

Words of Wisdom from Coach JG! It was great to have Jean-Gilles Larocque on the podcast again, we talk some hockey, baseball and sport in general along with the lessons learned through athletics. Coach JG has a ton of knowledge in coaching, training, skill acquisition and mental performance. He founded The Baseball Academy in Sudbury … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 128: Coach JG Larocque – Coaching, Building a Culture, Mental Performance Read More »

To Hell and Back! WOW, what an amazing person tackling about some amazing initiatives with mental health and addiction. Brady Leavold has lived it all, from a young up and coming hockey star, playing in the WHL, signing a pro contract and playing in the AHL to struggling with mental health, using drugs and alcohol … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 127: Brady Leavold – Addiction, Mental Health, – From the Gutter to Recovery Read More »

Enjoy the Process! Great to get back in studio with Kevin and Wade, always fun to chat some hockey, skills, parenting (Kev sharing some dad stories), minor hockey, Walter Gretzky and his legacy and much more. Wade always offers a great academic perspective and Kevin’s weathered veteran skill coach approach is always appreciated. We share … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 126: Kevin Galerno and Wade Russell – Some fun hockey talk! Read More »

The Kraken! It was a lot of fun to sit down with Tim Ohashi the Head Video Analyst with the NHL’s newest team the Seattle Kraken. Tim takes us behind the scenes into the world of video analysis and what it’s like to be a part of an NHL coaching staff. Tim shares his journey … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 125: Tim Ohashi – Head Video Analyst with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken Read More »

Making the Game Better! It is always fun to sit down and chat hockey with a coach who’s in the game working and focusing on players fundamentals. Danny Heath, founder of Project Hockey feeds his passion every day, working with players locally on the ice and virtually around the world. He shares some great stories … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 124: Danny Heath – Making the Game Better with Project Hockey Read More »

Is the Game of Hockey In Jeopardy? This was a very interesting conversation with Sean Fitz-Gerald, he’s a senior National Writer for the Athletic who’s written a book, “Before the Lights Go Out” – A Season Inside a Game on the Brink. Being a hockey fan, a player, a hockey dad and a coach, Sean … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 123: Sean Fitz-Gerald – Author of “Before the Lights Go Out” Read More »

The Man Behind the Journey! This was a fun episode with Tyler Butler who shares his hockey beginnings from Kanata ON to playing 10 years of professional hockey. Tyler is a great example of a player who took advantage of opportunities, from playing NCAA, being called up to the AHL, becoming a CHL All-Star, captaining … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 122: Tyler Butler – A Hockey Journeyman, behind the scenes of pro hockey Read More »

A Strong Young Man! This was a great conversation with Jukka Schotter, a very interesting young man. Jukka shares a huge loss that he and his family have just faced with his mother Gabi losing her fight with pancreatic cancer. Jukka discusses the charity that he’s started in honour of his mother @CardinalStrong where he’ll … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 121: Jukka Schotter – A Hockey Journey, Challenges and Life After Hockey Read More »

From Canada to Colorado! It was great to talk some hockey with Karen Rickard, she’s a coach and a mentor to many young female hockey players looking to achieve their goals. Karen began as many Canadian hockey players do, on the outdoor pond. Following minor hockey Karen accepted a scholarship to Wisconsin, where she finished … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 120: KAREN RICKARD – Impacting Women’s Hockey as a Coach and Mentor Read More »

Jump on the hockey ride! Zac is the type of player that you enjoy being around, works hard, great teammate, makes good choices and is pushing hockey as far as he can. I love when players pursue their dream and enjoy doing it and Zac is a great example of that. Zac shares stories of … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 119: Zac Tierney – From Minor Hockey, Jr A, NCAA to Pro in Europe Read More »

Never Give Up! It was a pleasure to get the opportunity to talk some hockey with Jason Brooks. Jason shares his hockey journey from minor hockey, playing Jr. B, making the OHL, overcoming injuries and deciding to pursue coaching at a young age. Following his playing days Jason's coached over 13 years in the OHL, … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 118: Jason Brooks – The Ups and Downs of Hockey, Coaching and Life Read More »

Never Give Up! It was a pleasure to get the opportunity to talk some hockey with Jason Brooks. Jason shares his hockey journey from minor…

What a Hockey/Life Journey! It was great to catch up with Alan Keeso, he’s an awesome human with more than just an amazing hockey journey,…

What a Hockey/Life Journey! It was great to catch up with Alan Keeso, he’s an awesome human with more than just an amazing hockey journey, he has an unreal life journey filled with great stories and insights. Alan is from the small town of Listowel ON, where his work ethic began at an early age, … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 117: Alan Keeso – From Listowel ON, Jr, NCAA, Canadian Army, Oxford Univ Read More »

Part 2: In our first episode (#103) Aaron Snow came on and shared his hockey journey sharing some great stories and touched on his battles…

Part 2: In our first episode (#103) Aaron Snow came on and shared his hockey journey sharing some great stories and touched on his battles with mental illness and addiction. In part 2 we re-live some of his fun memories of playing in the OHL, being drafted to the NHL but we also dive into … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 116: Aaron Snow – Part 2 – The early years, Mental Health and Addiction Read More »

Hockey Talk! It’s always fun to have Kevin Galerno and Wade Russell, 2 professional skill coaches, on the podcast to hear what they are seeing…

Hockey Talk! It’s always fun to have Kevin Galerno and Wade Russell, 2 professional skill coaches, on the podcast to hear what they are seeing in the rinks and on the ice. We discuss a variety of topics, player development and the roles parents can play when trying to motivate and help players succeed, social … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 115: Kevin Galerno and Wade Russell – Hockey Talk Read More »

Hockey Dad! This episode was a blast, we were joined by Kevin’s father, Kenny Galerno. Kenny played multiple sports, he was a hockey player, hockey…

Hockey Dad! This episode was a blast, we were joined by Kevin’s father, Kenny Galerno. Kenny played multiple sports, he was a hockey player, hockey coach and a hockey dad. Kevin and I had a lot of fun picking Kenny’s brain on parenting, coaching, being a hockey dad and how to navigate the hockey world. … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 114: Kenny and Kevin Galerno – A Hockey Journey Through Dad’s Eyes Read More »

Earn It!! It was a lot of fun to talk with Mitch Brooks, at the young age of 25 he shares some interesting perspectives and…

Earn It!! It was a lot of fun to talk with Mitch Brooks, at the young age of 25 he shares some interesting perspectives and insights into his hockey journey. Like many players Mitch had a minor hockey wake up call when he was cut from his AAA team at 13, he talks about how … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 113: Mitch Brooks – Earning It – From Jr C to University Hockey Read More »

How bad do you want it…30 fights in 36 games bad! It was a great to catch up with Josh Gratton, he’s a great person…

How bad do you want it…30 fights in 36 games bad! It was a great to catch up with Josh Gratton, he’s a great person who’s had to battle for every opportunity that he’s earned throughout his hockey journey. Josh was un-drafted to the OHL where he played 3 years, he was un-drafted to the … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 112: Josh Gratton – 16 year professional career – NHL, AHL, KHL, Europe Read More »

Cancer Survivor! This is an unreal episode with an incredible young man who’s all ready fought cancer twice at the young age of 20 years…

Cancer Survivor! This is an unreal episode with an incredible young man who’s all ready fought cancer twice at the young age of 20 years old. Jake Murray currently plays in the OHL for the Hamilton Bulldogs where he was picked in the 4th round in the 2016 draft, the same year he found out … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 111: Jake Murray – OHL Player, Hamilton Bulldogs – 2 time Cancer Survivor Read More »

In the mind of a strength coach! This was a great conversation with Mitch Stewart, he’s the head strength and conditioning coach at Total Package…

In the mind of a strength coach! This was a great conversation with Mitch Stewart, he’s the head strength and conditioning coach at Total Package Speed Strength and Conditioning, training and designing programs for a variety of athletes from NHL, AHL, College, OHL, Junior, minor hockey players to moms, dads and beginners. Mitch has a … BEHIND THE GEAR Episode 110: Mitch Stewart – Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Total Package SSC Read More »

25 Years of Coaching! What a great episode with a coach, father and friend who’s brought a ton of experience and expertise to the show this week. Clarke has coached at all levels, from minor hockey, jr hockey, University hockey, Professional hockey and shares some great stories and knowledge that he’s picked up over the … Episode 109: CLARKE SINGER Read More »

25 Years of Coaching! What a great episode with a coach, father and friend who’s brought a ton of experience and expertise to the show…