Holy Toledo Sports Edition
Behind the scenes stories from the Toledo Mud Hens, Toledo Walleye, and Hensville that spotlight the people, partnerships, and impact shaping the Glass City.
Holy Toledo Sports Edition
#018 Chaz Reddekopp - Toledo Walleye
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Join host, Brad Rieger, and Toledo Walleye Assistant Coach, Chaz Reddekopp, in an inspiring conversation about Reddekopp's journey through life and hockey and how he learned to balance it all.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Holy Toledo Sports Edition. Glad you joined us today. And for this episode, our guest is Chaz Radekop. And Chaz is an assistant coach for the Toledo Walleye. He had a great career, a professional playing career. He had seven seasons in the AHL and the ECHL. But the one thing that really comes through is that Chaz is a leader on and off the ice. Hi Chaz. Well, thank you for uh spending time with us here and giving us the opportunity to get to know who you are a little bit better. We have a pretty good glimpse of you for those of us that have followed you on uh on the rink, but there's a whole other side of you. But uh thank you for for carving out time for us.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thank you. I appreciate you uh for having me on this. I'm uh really excited.
SPEAKER_01So, Chaz, you grew up in West Kelowna. Kelowna. Kelowna, Kelowna, yeah, British Columbia. So paint in picture uh for us uh about West Kelowna. What it was like growing up there?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was awesome. Um I was actually born in a city just outside of Vancouver and then uh moved to West Kelowna in fourth grade. So basically grew up there. It feels like home to me. Um, lots of family there and stuff. So um once I moved up there, um, just continued hockey, obviously, and grew up there playing a lot of sports. I played baseball growing up. I played hockey, a little bit of basketball, kind of all over the place doing uh snowboarding, skiing in the winter times. And um, it's a great place to grow up, especially if you like the outdoors, tons of outdoorsy stuff, um, hiking, all that kind of stuff. So it was a great place to grow up. And any chance I get to go back there um in the offseason, I definitely do.
SPEAKER_01And when did hockey get introduced to you? And when did you start playing on a team?
SPEAKER_00Um, it got introduced to me as as young as I can remember. I think I was a couple years old. Um, I might have been skating before I could walk. Um, my older brother played hockey growing up. So some of my oldest memories for hockey were going to his hockey games as a as a younger kid in my family. Um, my mom bringing me there and watching him as a kid. So um I can remember that since I was a few years old. Um, and then ever since then, I think my brother's done a really good job of kind of showing me how much he enjoyed hockey growing up and how much it meant to him. Um, and then ever since then, I've just I've loved it. I've been playing since I kid, obviously, and then um was fortunate enough to play professionally as well. So it's it's been in my whole life since I can remember.
SPEAKER_01And who did you uh cheer for in the NHL?
SPEAKER_00Um, I was a Blackhaw uh fan growing up, which was um because I was I was born, like I said, around Vancouver. So everybody kind of asks, Oh, were you a big Canucks fan? Um, so my dad growing up, he was a big Blackhawks fan. And he passed that down on to my older brother. And then as soon as I got into hockey, my older brother was telling me you gotta be a Blackhawks fan, you gotta be a Blackhawks fan. Exactly. So he pushed that on me. And then um, so me and him have been diehard Blackhawks fans growing up. Um Patrick Kane fan? Yes, big Patrick Kane fan, big Jonathan Taze fan. Those two were kind of my idols growing up, watching them. Um, and then obviously when they won all those cops in the 2010s, we were we were pretty excited about that. So um it's been Blackhawks for most of my life.
SPEAKER_01School-wise, what was your favorite subject?
SPEAKER_00Um, can I say PE? Am I allowed to say P? Yeah, I loved PE, obviously. I think I like English. I liked English a little bit. I re I read a little, I don't read as much anymore, but I did as a kid. I I enjoyed it. Um, but yeah.
SPEAKER_01Got it. Okay. So uh Chad's a big part of your youth, you were hit with some pretty life-changing events, and there are two of them. The first, obviously, is your dad passed when you were two years old. He uh he died of uh brain cancer. And because you played hockey, you um there's always a fight cancer night. And even back in juniors, uh you've raised your hand and and have done um uh commercials and interviews just talking about the impact of losing your dad that that had on your siblings, your mom, um but also you provided um just support for people and empathy for people going through cancer, and then obviously advocacy for research. So I might I'm wondering, Chaz, if you you obviously have very minimal memories of your dad, um, but your mom and siblings and others share stories about him. So are there characteristics about your dad that you see in yourself now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, like you said, obviously I was two years old when he passed away. So um I don't want to say it was easier for me, but um, my older siblings, I have an older sister who's six years older than me, my other older sister who's eight years older than me, and then my oldest brother's 10 years older than me. So it was a bit of a tougher age for them to kind of go through a traumatic experience like that. Um, but at the same time, it's kind of cool. I kind of get to live through their experiences with him, live through their memories of him, which has been really cool. Obviously, my whole life, my older siblings, my mom have been telling me stories about him and how he was, and one thing about him, he was so passionate about hockey. And I think that's where it kind of comes from in our family, where my brother got it from, how he passed it down to me. And um, so just being able to live through those stories um and all those little memories that they get to talk about has been um really cool. Obviously, the older we've kind of got, the more we're comfortable talking about it and sharing those memories. Um, so that's been really cool. Um and uh yeah, like I said, obviously it was a little bit tougher on my older siblings, I think. Um, but it's kind of bonded us together a little bit as a family um growing up. And then my mom remarried um a little bit later on. So I've had a stepdad in my and my um family, John, since um I was just a little kid. So he's obviously done a great job coming in and raising us as a family growing up. Um, so a lot of a credit to him as well. Um, but it's just been cool to kind of live through those stories and those memories and and be able to kind of hear about how much he loved hockey and how obvious it is that that's kind of where we got it from.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thank you for sharing that about your dad and also your constant uh advocacy for cancer research and just helping people impacted by the city. Absolutely, yeah. Your willingness to share that really, I think is very helpful to people, even though it's difficult, obviously. Uh, the other big challenge that came your way, uh, when you're 11 years old, you were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. So prior to that diagnosis, Chaz, when did you know something wasn't quite right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it was it was right around the time, I was 11 years old. It was right around the time of hockey tryouts, actually. I was in the middle of uh trying out for our hockey team um in West Kelowna there. And one of my best friends growing up, his mom was a doctor. So um I had a few of those main symptoms um of type one diabetics. And um, I was around my best friend a lot, and obviously around his mom too. So I think she was able to notice some of the symptoms I was having. Um drinking a ton of water, always thirsty, uh, going to the restroom a lot. Um, and I remember as a kid like being on the ice for hockey practice and those tryouts, like I couldn't even go 10 minutes without having to get out because I had to pee or I had to drink more water, I had to fill up my water bottle again. So some of those kind of symptoms, and my my best friend's mom was kind of like, something's not right here. So she kind of suggested I go to the doctor, go to the hospital and um see what's going on, get some tests done. And then um I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. So um it was obviously a lot going on. Um, as I said, only being 11 years old, it was kind of a tough thing to swallow, tough pill to swallow. Um, as I didn't really have too much knowledge about it um before being diagnosed, I really didn't know anything about it. So it was um very challenging for that. Just and then obviously the time for a long time after that, it was just a lot of learning, um, managing, learning as much as I can, going through all those things um and kind of just going from there step by step.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and you're playing hockey at the highest level when you join when you're playing juniors, and then you obviously the AHL and ECHO. Um, what did you have to pay attention to in your body that most of the other players never have really had to worry about?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's obviously just managing your blood sugar. Um, it sounds kind of simple, but there's a lot of details that go into it. Um, you got to make hundreds of decisions a day, what you're eating, what you're drinking, checking your blood sugar. Um, I've been pretty fortunate now that technology for diabetics has come a long way ever since I've been diagnosed. Um, when I was a kid, when I was first diagnosed, I had to prick my finger every time I wanted to see my blood sugar, I had to pull insulin out of a vial with a needle just to inject my insulin. So it was a it was a lot more of a process back then. Um, but like I said, like the last five or so years, the technology has come such a long way where it's it's making it a lot easier to manage. So I'm fortunate for that. Um, but it's just been tough. I mean, obviously, there's just things you you don't really think about if you don't know anything about the disease or you don't have it. Um, but you're just like I said, managing your blood sugar, checking your blood sugar as much as you can. Obviously, when you're practicing or during games. Um, I mean, the last couple of years when I've had those, the DEXCOM and it tells me my um continuous blood sugar on my phone. So I'll I'll bring my phone with me everywhere. I'll bring it on the bench as a player. Um, so I come off the ice, I'm checking my blood sugar, or if I'm practicing and we're in between drills getting water, um, got to check my phone, make sure my blood sugar is in range. So um, your body can feel a lot of different ways as a diabetic. Obviously, the way that your blood sugar is feeling is gonna make you feel certain like different kinds of ways. So it it's a big deal. Like it's it's definitely stressful. Um, but as I've gone on, obviously it's been quite a long time since I've been diagnosed. So there's just those things that you're continuously learning and um doing whatever you can to kind of make it easier on yourself.
SPEAKER_01And Chaz, I know you've given encouragement to young kids who get diagnosed with diabetes, and even kids that are just challenged with other hardships. Uh, what do you say to the kids that say that give them encouragement that, hey, you can live a normal life?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, that was one of those things where, like, when I got diagnosed, I remember being diagnosed in the hospital. And like I said, I really had no knowledge of what the disease was all about, what was about to kind of change my life. Um, but I remember the first one of the first things I asked the doctor was, can I still play hockey? Like, will I still be able to play sports? was one of the first things I asked. So um that's kind of what I was thinking about. I was like, oh my, I hope this doesn't ruin my like ability to play sports or whatever I want to do. And um, at the end of the day, it doesn't. It really doesn't. Um, sure it's gonna be a little bit challenging, it's gonna make it a little bit tougher, but at the same time, it teaches yourself a lot about yourself, about how you handle things. Um, and especially when it's something like type 1 diabetes, it's it's challenging, but there's been tons of proof nowadays that you can do whatever you want. There's been multiple people in the NHL with type 1 diabetes, um, people playing Major League Baseball, making the Olympics, um, all sorts of things, which is obviously inspiring, especially for little kids. Um, so it's it's gonna be tough, but once you're diagnosed, there's not much you can do other than just do your best at managing it um as well as you can and and live a healthy lifestyle.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01And Chaz, obviously losing your dad at a young age and then also being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it's something you never would choose, anyone would choose. But what are those two experiences, life-changing experiences? What what do they teach you about when life throws you stuff that you can't control?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's it's obviously tough. Like you said, it's it's not something you wish upon anyone. Um but at the end of the day, once those things happen, um, you kind of just gotta push forward as um as much as you can and do whatever you can to manage it. Um it's extremely difficult. Um, but it teaches yourself a lot about yourself. I mean, it's it's one of those things where it's gonna you're gonna continue to live. You're gonna continue to do whatever you need to do to live a lifestyle that you dream of of living when you're a kid. Um, so obviously those things are they've been challenging, but um it's taught me a lot about myself, it's taught me strength, it's taught me mental toughness, um, which are things that come and come into your life as a hockey player as well. It's all the time. Exactly. So it's it's one of those things where it's okay, it's not ideal, but um I think it helps you in different ways where you might not think about um before they happen or or going into it.
SPEAKER_01But um and despite the the the rough uh some of these rough challenges we've just been talking about, you your hockey game continue to flourish. When did you realize, hey, I'm good?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean were you? Yeah, it was um probably when I was like a teenager. I mean, I was always a bigger guy, so I was always kind of bigger and stronger than a lot of the kids that I was playing with, with which kind of gave me an advantage um growing up a little bit. Um, but I would say like when I got drafted in the WHL, I think that was kind of a big step for me, my first serious step where I was like, okay, this is this is cool. Like obviously growing up, you dream of playing junior major junior hockey, and where I was from, you dream of playing in the WHL growing up, and that's connected with a Canadian Hockey League. Yes, that's the CHL, so the Canadian Hockey League. Um, and I was living out west. Um, so I was drafted to the Victoria Royals. Um, so once that happened, I was like, okay, this is this is pretty cool. Oh shot. Yeah, and you get drafted for that, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you got drafted when you were 14 or 15 for that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you get drafted at a pretty young age. Um, and then after that, you start going to their camps, and then you're not eligible to actually make the team until you're 16. So you go to the you go to the camp the first year, you're not technically eligible to make the team, but it's kind of okay, what has he got? Let's see what he's working with, all that stuff. And you kind of just get a cool experience to play with those older kids for once. And then um, so I was able to go back, play um minor hockey again, and then uh the next year I was able to make that team. So uh that I'd say that kind of around that 15 to 16 year old range where I was starting to think, okay, this is this could work out.
SPEAKER_01And you continued to elevate your game because then when you were 18 in 2015, uh the LA Kings drafted you in the seventh round. What was your initial reaction as an eight-year-old getting drafted?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that that was really cool. Um, probably one of the coolest memories of my hockey career for sure. Obviously, being a younger 18-year-old. Um once you dream about playing major junior, then you're you're dreaming about making the NHL. Obviously, that's every kid's dream. You want to make the NHL, you want to get drafted to the NHL, you want to put on that NHL sweater one day. So once that happened, um, it was extremely cool. And obviously, it being the LA Kings was was pretty cool too. I get to go to California and and play hockey down there. So um that was awesome. Um, extremely grateful to be drafted by that organization and end up playing a couple years in their um their farm team.
SPEAKER_01So when you got that call, who was the person you thought of instantly as far as someone you wanted to thank to help you get to this point at 18 getting drafted?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, uh one of the first people I think about is my brother for sure, my older brother. Um as we talked about, like he was he was uh I want to say like a father figure growing up. He was my biggest fan. He took me to practice, he came to all my games, he did all that stuff for me. Obviously, my mom, my stepdad um doing that as well. But my brother was kind of always by my side, he was always motivating me um to do his best I can and and to move on with my hockey career and do whatever I can to be successful. And um, once I was drafted to the NHL, he was by far the most excited person. Him and my mom were were so happy. So um he's probably the first person I thought about.
unknownThat's great.
SPEAKER_01And you played a couple more years in uh minors, and then um you spent seven seasons uh playing professionally in AHL and ECHL. And during that time, Chaz, you were um uh regarded as a real solid uh blue liner, um, great on the penalty kill, you could dish assist to your teammates, you could score, and you had a physicality to you. And so you had a great you contributed on the ice in uh multiple um many ways. Um if you when you look back on those seven years professionally, Chaz, what do you value most?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um it it sounds crazy, but I think the people that you meet along the way, um, and it's it might not even be the hockey aspect of it, it might not be the the actual playing professional hockey, but you get to meet so many different people along the way. Um and obviously I was I played for a lot of professional teams along the way, so I think I was able to play with a ton of different people, meet people from all over the place, um, guys who are still my friends to this day. Um, some of my best friends in hockey are people I played with uh during my career. So just that aspect of it was really special. Um and then obviously just the professional side of it. Um, like I said, growing up, that's always your dream. You want to make the NHL. Um, you want to play at the highest level you can possibly play at. So um that was cool. And then um obviously making my dad proud and and how much he loved hockey. Um I was always kind of reminded how cool he thinks he would think it would be um what I was doing. My mom would always tell me that, my brother would always tell me that, um, how much he would enjoy being being along for this ride. So that's something I would think about a lot. Um, but just the overall experience. I mean, the places I got to play, the people I got to meet was special.
SPEAKER_01During those seven years uh professionally, um, is there a game, um, a situation, a moment, an exchange that will stay with you forever?
SPEAKER_00Um that's a tough question. There's a lot of them. Um, maybe my first professional goal was pretty cool. Um, I was playing for the Ontario Rain at the time. Um when I turned pro, I wasn't really known for my goal scoring at the time. Like you said, I was kind of more of a defensive guy, played hard, penalty kill, all that kind of stuff. Um, so my first professional goal was pretty cool. It took a little bit of time um in that first season approach.
SPEAKER_01Did you have a Sally ready?
SPEAKER_00Um, I didn't. I mean, I I didn't really have anything planned, which is unfortunate. I think it was just all raw emotion at that point. So I was pretty fired up, and like I said, it was a little bit of a long time coming. So um that felt good. Um, but that's probably that one of the core memories that sticks out for me. Yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01And then uh obviously the the aspect of all seven years, um, you had a leadership aspect to you. So players looked up to you, uh, coaches relied on you. And uh, even back in your junior days, you wore the A for several teams, and in Kalamazoo, you wore the C. So, how did you approach that role of captain? What did you see your role as?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think um anybody who knows me, like knew me as a player, I don't think I was an overly talkative guy, an overly loud guy in the dressing room. I'm not gonna be the guy who comes in with a motivation motivational speech uh before games and stuff like that. I think something I pride myself on is how I play. Um, lead by example, you hear a lot of people say it. I think that's kind of something that I took pride in. I played extremely hard. Um, I was always gonna be working hard. I was gonna be playing hard to play against for other teams. Um, so that's kind of something I wanted to pride myself about. Um, sticking up for my teammates is something I always love to do. Um, kind of being that guy who people can rely on. Like you said, coaches can rely on players who can rely on, okay, we know this guy's gonna be playing hard tonight. He's gonna be doing whatever he can to win games tonight. Um, that sort of leadership I think is something that I um tried to focus on a lot. And then just kind of being a personable guy as well, like helping out younger guys was something I enjoyed doing. Um, rookies or guys who kind of just started playing professional, um, younger guys, if they need any help, then that's something I can kind of help them with and be a shoulder to lean on for um people who might need a little bit of help. So that's something else that I enjoyed doing a lot. Um, but like I said, just kind of playing that hard style game who um that's respected by other people.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh related to leadership is your service to others, community service. In 2023, you uh were awarded the ECHL community service award or league uh honor, which is uh very significant. And uh but you've been connecting with the community since day one. You um connect with fans, you're a fan favorite, it's about everywhere you've gone. Um and you connect with kids especially. And um you've been involved in um service campaigns with um different nonprofits, charitable organizations, plus you have gone into schools and given talks about leadership and and character. So Chaz, what motivates you to give back in such a big way? And you've been doing it consistently for 10 years.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think um that's kind of one of those things where I think about how I was as a kid. Um whenever I was going to school as a kid, and there was those older hockey players coming in, um, talking to us kids, reading us books, all that kind of thing. Um, when like when I I went to elementary school. I always thought that was like the coolest thing in the world. Um, and then obviously I was growing up around some junior hockey teams as well. So, like when I was a little kid, I'd be going to junior hockey games a lot. Um, Kelowna Rockets was a team around my area, the West Kelowna Warriors uh in the BCHL. So we were always kind of going to those games with my buddies, and those guys were always just your idols. Like they were the coolest people ever. I thought it was so cool to interact with them any chance we got. So um I think when I started to kind of grow up, um play major junior, play professional eventually, that's something that I was just like, okay, this is something that I'm gonna be really good at. I'm gonna go out of my way to make time for kids, make time for, like you said, charities, um, community service, anything like that. I'm gonna, it doesn't matter what team I'm playing for, what city I'm going to, I'm gonna do my best to really kind of put my best foot forward and and help kids as much as I can. Um, and then like you said earlier, kind of with the the diabetes as well, it's really cool interacting with kids with diabetes and getting to kind of share my experiences with them and and help them out as much as I can. So yeah, it all kind of stems from when I was younger and kind of how how I felt as a kid, um, and kind of just turning into something that I wanted to do when I was older.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh your last year playing was here in Toledo. Unfortunately, got cut short by a season ending career-ending uh injury. But what about playing in Toledo? Um, energized you as a player and even as a person.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, I was really fortunate to play in Toledo. Obviously, when when I signed that offseason coming into that first year, I was so excited. Um playing in Kalamazoo the year before. Um, I kind of get that taste for Toledo and how cool it was to play here at the fan base, the community, how passionate they are about Toledo Walleye. Um, so as soon as I could saw the opportunity to be able to play here, I was really excited about it. Um, unfortunately, like you said, had some injuries and had to cut it short, but it it kind of gave me that taste of okay, what it would be like to be here. Um, and I enjoyed it a ton. I mean, it was it was awesome to play here.
SPEAKER_01And when you the injury occurred midseason and you stayed around. And uh Coach Mikish has shared on numerous occasions that you were a real positive force um as almost like a player coach and helping your teammates. Why'd you stay around? We're glad you did, but why'd you stay around?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I I um yeah, I had a pretty bad concussion that year. So it took me a little bit of a while to kind of get back to my normal self, get back to feeling good. Um, but I remember as soon as I did, as soon as I was feeling good again, I was like, I want to be around this team. Um, because first and foremost, I knew it was a special team. I knew it was a really good team. Obviously, being a part of it the first half of the year, I knew what we had here and I knew um that we had a serious chance of going on a good playoff run and ultimately trying to win a Kelly Cup. So um as soon as I started feeling better, I was like, I want to be around these guys, I want to help these guys as much as I can. Um, and that was something I kind of missed the most from playing, is like I mentioned earlier, being around those guys and the hanging out with the guys and getting to know guys on a personal level is is one of my favorite things about hockey. So um when Pat said I kind of had the opportunity to stay here and and help out as much as I can, it was a no-brainer for me. I I was excited to do that. Um and I kind of just take pride in helping guys as much as I can. And obviously I wanted to be out there, but this was kind of the next, the next best option. So it was a no-brainer for me.
SPEAKER_01And then he officially um invites you to be an assistant coach, which he did last this past season. And what is it like? What was it like for you to be behind the bench and experience that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was it was really different. Like obviously going into the season, um, you I you talk to a lot of people, I talked to some people who went from playing to coaching um just to kind of get their experience about it. And they all kind of say the same thing. You don't really understand it until you're behind the bench, until you're doing it. So um that was definitely true. You can imagine how much it would kind of be different, but until you really do it, it's you're you're not really gonna truly understand. Um, just the points of view. Obviously, as a player, your mindset's a little bit different. You're you're worried about playing well and you're worried about yourself and your own personal game, where from the coaching aspect, okay, I'm kind of I'm worried about the whole team. I got lots of people to deal with or to worry about, um, and all those things to to prep for games and all that sort of thing. So the point of view is definitely different, but uh it was something that I enjoyed.
SPEAKER_01What did uh Coach Mick is uh delegate to you? What's your responsibilities?
SPEAKER_00So I ran the defenseman and the penalty kill. So those are two things. Um obviously I took a lot of pride in as a player. I loved penalty killing as a player, so that was something that I was really happy about getting the opportunity to be a part of. Um what's the key to a good penalty kill? Oh, that's a tough question. There's a there's a lot of good keys. Don't give away any secrets, yeah. No, there's a lot of good keys. You you just gotta be willing to do whatever you can to kill a penalty. Obviously, you're outmanned, so it's you're gonna be at a disadvantage to begin with, but there's a lot of systematic things that go into it, a lot of strategies that go into it. But if you have four guys that are willing to do whatever they have to do to kill a penalty, it's you're gonna have a good penalty kill.
unknownGotcha.
SPEAKER_01What have you learned uh about hockey or coaching from Coach Mikish?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he's been awesome. Um, really enjoyed him as a player. Um, he's a player's coach, he's very personable. Something I've liked about him, he's he always has an open door policy. If if you want to talk to him as a player, you want to talk to him as a coach, as a anybody on the staff, you need to talk to him. He's he's an open door kind of guy, which is nice. Um, as a from a player's point of view, that's something that's really important. Um, you got to be able to talk to your coaches, you got to be able to communicate whenever you can. So he's um does a really good job at that communicating with players, um, being honest with players, telling players whatever they need to hear, if it's whether it's good, bad. Um, he'll be honest with you, he'll communicate with you, um, which is something that's really important as a coach. Um and he's just extremely intelligent. His hockey knowledge is unbelievable. It's something I learned pretty quickly playing for him as a player, and then being on the coaching side of it, he's been um, he's been awesome to work with, very easy to work with. Um, and his knowledge is unbelievable.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. He said that uh when he brought you on, he saw your leadership right away and great communicator and your rapport with the players. This is when you're a player. So now how do you, now that you're in a coach's uh role, how do you provide that positive impact in the locker room and on the ice with from your coaching standpoints now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think it's something that I I like to keep it light. Um, I think obviously when you gotta be serious, you gotta be serious. There's some serious things where um you you can't always keep it light, but I like to do that. Um and I like to be a personable guy, like I said with Pat, he's he communicates really well with guys, which is something that I'm trying to do um very well as well. So that's something that if you can talk to guys, if you can communicate with them, if you can, if they can approach you with any problems, if they can approach you with something that they need to work on, if they want to tell you, if they disagree with something that you're saying, we can talk it out, we can figure it out and go from there. So I think um communication, like you said, is a big aspect of it, something that I um take pride in, obviously. And then I just really enjoy the the helping part of the coaching um side, the being able to prepare as much as you can, help guys prepare and give them the best chance of being successful, um, especially running the D or running the penalty kill. It's something that that pregame uh video or the pregame meetings, stuff like that, it's something that's very exciting for me. I love doing it. Um, and like I said, giving those guys the best opportunity at being successful, the best opportunity at winning hockey games. Um, so that's something that's I've really enjoyed.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, as I uh your ability to connect with everyone is is obvious. My I get my guess would be that there's a lot of uh roster movement. So obviously, uh players that are arriving, I bet you're a good ambassador for those folks. And then the other scenario I can see you being real helpful given your disposition is players that have hit a rough patch, maybe aren't as performing as what they want to.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, 100%. Um that kind of goes hand in hand with the communication, like you said, being able to that's important for players. If they're able to communicate with coaches, maybe they're going through something, maybe they're not happy with how they're playing. Um, if they can communicate with their coaches um and have a conversation about that, I think it goes a long way. So um I like to kind of look back on the seven years that I played professionally and even going back to junior hockey, all those years of hockey, um, all the challenges that I go through. I think it's something that I really enjoy doing is helping those younger guys. And if they need anything, if they have issues, if they need any pointers on things, just little things that you might be going through as a professional, as a young professional, as a rookie, uh, for example. So I think that's kind of one of those things where it's I take pride in being able to help those guys feel comfortable, being able to help those guys succeed and kind of just play their game and be successful that way is um that's kind of one of those things that is a very good feeling as a coach.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh and where do you see yourself, Chaz, five to 10 years from now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's it's tough. I mean, like the last couple of years has been a it's been a whirlwind for me. It's been a lot going on, obviously a lot of changing for me. Um, but I mean, at the end of the day, I want to be a head coach. I think that's something that everybody, all the coaches probably dream of. Um, and I've been fortunate enough to start out in this great organization. Um, like I said with Pat, with Boehner, they've been great for me. Um, so I've been fortunate that way, but I think I want to be a head coach um moving forward. I think that's the ultimate goal. Um, and it and it's similar as a player. Everybody wants to move up, everybody wants to play at the highest level. Um, but at the end of the day, I want to I want to win. Um, I want to win a Kelly Cup and I want to be a head coach one day. And I think those are kind of those things where what I'm thinking about the next uh handful of years. Those are great goals. Last one for you, Chas.
SPEAKER_01What are you most proud of?
SPEAKER_00Um I think I'm most proud of just kind of the way I've handled the things that I've been given in life. Um, as we've talked about those things that you're not ex you're not really in control of, um, the things that you don't necessarily wish upon anyone. Um, but I think I'm I'm proud of the way I've handled things. I'm proud of the way that um I've continued to live my life from the type 1 diabetes aspect of it, um being motivational for kids, um, going through kind of the same things that I went through as a kid. Um, so anytime I can be motivational to other people, I think that's something to be proud of. And then um, and just helping people. I love to help people as much as I can, um, whether it's from a players aspect or a coaching aspect or diabetes aspect, little kids growing up, all those sort of things. I mean, that's something I can definitely be proud about.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh well, Chaz, thank you first of all for being so candid and open here in this conversation. And uh your professional, your hockey um accomplishments speak for themselves. But what you're doing for um causes and people and connecting with people um outside the outside the rink is really impressive. And you've been doing it for a long, long time. So thank you for being such a great ambassador for the little walleye, the game of hockey. And uh we're cheering for you all the way.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Um this is a lot of fun, so I appreciate it.