The Athletes Podcast
The Athletes Podcast is a leading source of information, inspiration, and education for anyone interested in optimizing physical performance, maintaining good health, and living an active lifestyle. Join David Stark as he interviews some of the world's biggest athletes and fitness professionals, The Athletes Podcast provides practical advice, expert insights, and real-world strategies to help listeners achieve their health and fitness goals.The goal is to entertain, educate & inspire the next generation of athletes!
The Athletes Podcast
From Quitting Hockey to Olympic Ice with Paris O'Brien - Episode #256
Paris O'Brien shares his remarkable journey from quitting hockey at age 15 to becoming the Chinese national hockey goaltender and Olympian. His story demonstrates how stepping away from sport temporarily can sometimes be the catalyst for future success when combined with passion, hard work, and being ready when opportunity arises.
• Growing up playing minor hockey in Coquitlam before deciding to take a year off at age 15-16
• Returning to hockey with Delta Hockey Academy before being spotted by Mike Keenan at a tryout
• Playing professionally in Finland at 17, then in Russia's VHL and KHL before the Olympics
• The critical importance of mental training for goaltenders—"90% mental, 10% physical"
• Working with mindset coach Pete Fry and now mentoring younger goalies himself
• Using technology like Visual Edge and Sensorina to train cognitive aspects of goaltending
• Comprehensive recovery protocols including cold tubs, heat therapy, and compression boots
• Playing at the Olympics against Team Canada after briefly practicing with them
• Custom gear setup including a helmet painted by his girlfriend artist
• Balancing hockey with other interests to maintain mental health and perspective
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I'm a huge advocate for that just because I've seen that improvement in myself using those tools, yeah, and learning how to bounce back after not coming up with the save you know little things like that as a goaltender are so many more like beneficial I guess you could say yeah than compared to like working on nutrition. Obviously those are important too, but the same time, the mental aspect is so much more important, right, yeah hey, welcome back to the athlete.
Speaker 2:Hey, welcome back to the athletes podcast.
Speaker 2:This is 256th episode of the show featuring paris o'brien, the chinese national hockey goaltender, someone who I can now call a friend. We've been chopping it up for 45 minutes. He's an amazing human being. He's someone who's also passionate about educating, entertaining and inspiring the next generation of athletes. Along with our partners in Perfect Sports Supplements, they provide the best supplements on the market. I take a scoop of diesel, a couple scoops of diesel, a scoop of collagen, my creatine every single day. You guys see it in my shakes If you're following along on social media, whether it's the athletes podcast, dave Stark one, I sincerely appreciate you being along for the ride because we're here to get better together. I'm definitely getting better Thanks to Paris. He's providing me with both mental, physical and emotional benefits from this conversation alone, so I know you're going to enjoy it as well. I want to make sure you folks know he brought it up during this episode. It's kind of cool. We get to drive around in a Jeep for this podcast and, in particular, we get to highlight these incredible individuals on a weekly basis. And that's all. Thanks to Pioneer Auto Group, alder Grove, they give us this amazing plug-in hybrid Jeep. We get around, we put it in electric mode so it stays quiet during this episode, and it's an amazing mobile studio, so shout out to Pioneer Auto Group for hooking us up. Hope you enjoy the episode.
Speaker 2:The 256th episode of the Athletes Podcast featuring Paris O'Brien here we go. You're the most decorated racquetball player in US history, world's strongest man, from childhood passion to professional athlete, eight-time Ironman champion. So what was it like making your debut in the NHL? What is your biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes, from underdogs to national champions? This is the Athletes Podcast, where high-performance individuals share their triumphs, defeats and life lessons To educate, entertain and inspire the next generation of athletes. Here we go, here we go, there we go. What is this? Episode 256 of the Athletes Podcast, paris O'Brien, welcome to the show, thank you. Thank you for having me Dude, powered by Perfect Sports, we're going to be peeling around Coquitlam, where you kind of grew up.
Speaker 2:Lower mainland, british Columbia right yeah, Doug Lynch a couple weeks ago who we had on the show. You Lower mainland, british Columbia, right? Yeah, doug Lynch. A couple weeks ago, who we had on the show. You got to introduce yourself where you're from Chinese national goaltender playing in the Olympics, no big deal, and now we're cooking here in Coquitlam before you end up taking off playing pro somewhere else. I'm going to put this diesel right on my lap and I'm going to let you talk.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah. So I mean to be totally honest with you, it kind of sounds a little weird obviously to me, with you know, the olympics and stuff like that it's. It's hard to like even now to grasp my you know head around. That actually happened, you know, and experiencing those things. But uh, appreciate the little bit of introduction there.
Speaker 1:So obviously I grew up in the quillam area here minor hockey and then I played pretty much minor hockey all the way up till I think I was 15, 16 years old and then I actually decided to quit hockey. Not a whole lot of people know that, so I quit hockey for a year, just did everything kind of on my own, pretty much training, and then the next year I got an opportunity to go play at Delta Hockey Academy for the U17 prep team out there. Great experience, I mean, phenomenal academy, what they have to offer, the program. And then kind of one thing led to another. I got invited to this kind of like, so to speak, tryout, I guess you could call it, just because they needed an extra goalie, and it just so happened that it was kind of out of the blue right and how I went there and more or less kind of the rest is history. I got approached by Mike Keenan of all people you know at the eight rinks all the way on Burnaby. That's where I play.
Speaker 2:Tuesday, saturday night, shl.
Speaker 1:Right on. So I played out there. And then, yeah, they invited me like two weeks after that tryout camp to go meet them in finland for their major junior team. So I played a year there and then at 19 played my first pro game or pro season, the vhl, and then played the khl and then the olympics and then kind of snowballed and now kind of transitioning the career back to north america now.
Speaker 2:So it's been a whirlwind of events for sure you just spent some time out at Laurier Wilfrid Laurier University, similar to where I went out at Brock University.
Speaker 1:Oh, really no way. We both spent some time in the Middle East there the Middle East of Canada.
Speaker 2:That is and I was curious the transition from playing pro hockey at 19 years old. Mhl, vhl you're playing Delta hockey, mike Keenan comes up to you, you have Alexander Barkov, senior coach, and, yeah, you've had all these crazy experiences. This all leads from someone who quit hockey at the age of 15. Was this before or after you decided you weren't going to pursue water polo at a full-time career basis?
Speaker 1:Wow, you really did your research here? Yeah, I mean, I just kind of want to touch on, obviously, like for me growing up playing minor hockey. At the same time my brother he's four years older than me. He played for Team Canada, the national team for water polo. So during the summers I played water polo with him he's actually my coach one of the years and kind of balancing between the two.
Speaker 1:And then around the age of 15, like you said, I kind of decided because of politics and I just wasn't getting the right development for myself, goal tending wise, I decided to kind of do my own thing with my own goalie coaches. You know, self pace a little bit, so still wanted to be competitive, but it just figuring out what I want, what kind of direction I wanted to go into. So did that and then, uh, yeah, I mean, obviously it's just one of those things that you know are really even now I mentor younger goalies and the biggest thing that, uh, when I mentor these guys, is that you just never know who's watching, right, you know having that opportunity and just I'm a big believer in that.
Speaker 1:Everything kind of happens for a reason, you know. So going through the whole experience, obviously it's been super kind of I mean surprising. It's surreal even now. But you know, when people mentioned that I'm an Olympian, you know, and stuff like that and you're playing the KHL, but I mean a lot of hard work's gone into it, so for sure. But yeah, just kind of excited to experience and take everything day by day.
Speaker 2:Now you know, as you can tell you've listened to previous episodes we bring on goalies frequently because I personally think they're the best athletes.
Speaker 1:We are, we are Right. I figured you would agree with me on that one, the best athletes out.
Speaker 2:There we are, we are right. I figured you would agree with me on that one, and I think that stems a lot from being the last line of defense. Yeah, having pressure on you 24 7 365, like people talk about in the hockey world. It's like we have a job, yeah, when we show up, whereas a player line gets scored on you change for sure the finest one, whatever.
Speaker 2:As a goalie, you got to live with that mistake for the rest of your life. How do you stay calm? How do you stay composed? I've heard you talk about grounding. I'm going to dive into that. But first, calm composed, you're a cool cucumber. How do you stay?
Speaker 1:like that. I mean to be totally honest with you, it's a lot of. I guess time and experience is the biggest thing. And I guess time and experience is the biggest thing, right? And you know, I think when I, especially when I was younger, nerves would sometimes get the best of me and how, in some cases, our enemy, our biggest enemy is ourselves. Right, and the way we think, and I think a big help that I've had the last few years now is really working with some kind of mindset coach. You're going to plug Pete Fry here, I can hear it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I got pete fry.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I started working with pete. Obviously, you know great guy, he's kind of been a mentor to me, kind of learning from him, yeah. And then the last few years, now last two years, um, pete asked me, just because he's got a ton of younger goalies, if I kind of wanted to help mentor these younger goalies and work with them on the side, obviously continuing my hockey career, but, you know, helping out the younger goalies in the community more or less so well and there's benefits from coaching that you 100% learn so much.
Speaker 2:I'm doing the same thing right now coaching basketball.
Speaker 1:I'm by no means a pro basketball player, but I come back to my high school.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm like hey guys, I know a thing or two about hard work absolutely, it's being in the weight room was especially it's.
Speaker 1:It's kind of rewarding too in a sense that I think you know seeing, you know development with these younger athletes and it helps my game as well, right. I feel that you learn more from teaching than you know experiencing some in some cases totally so, but 100 super rewarding, seeing the growth of these younger athletes and kind of see them mature and become more confident, it's a huge thing, right, and I think it's kind of transitioned into you know my own game as well, right.
Speaker 2:So one of our sponsors for the podcast other than perfect sports, who provides the best protein on the market is can I wellness supplements?
Speaker 1:have you heard of them? No, I have not, dave well paris.
Speaker 2:You take a couple sprints of that. I'm not gonna make you do it today, but they provide four separate kinds of products a mend, a fresh, a boost and the sleep super solid product. Uh, it helps me stay calm. I take this before I go in the sauna after a workout okay, heat exposure cold, oh yeah, huge. Okay, here we go see we got the grounding, we got the heat, the cold. What? Do, you do what's your routine tell. Tell me more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, obviously grounding is a big thing. I actually started to get into, you know, putting more attention to recovery the last few years when I was in the KHL. And you know, obviously you need to play a ton of games. You know, even if you're not starting games, a lot of practices, you know, a lot of time on the ice. You need to find different ways that you can recover from those, you know high intensity moments. So big thing is obviously hot and cold therapy. You know, I actually have an ice tub in my backyard and then I've got the Normatec boots. The big thing.
Speaker 2:The next kind of installation for my house is, I think, a sauna of some sort, but I've been to the Tality's wellness yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, went. Uh, last weekend was my first time, yeah, heck, yeah, yeah, so it was my birthday on on the 15th, so the last weekend I went there, yeah, with a couple of my buddies and stuff, so it's a nice way to spend the morning for sure, happy belated yeah thank you, uh, was that a way to get rid of?
Speaker 2:you know?
Speaker 1:sweat out some of the yeah, yeah a little bit of that and a little bit of you know, I'm just like a big morning person so obviously usually my morning routine is me waking up early, going to the gym or whatever, and then having some kind of involvement with cold tubs, doing something like that. I love doing stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So recent research has shown cold exposure limits muscle protein synthesis by like 66, I'm not gonna reference.
Speaker 1:I'm not a scientist, but I'm sure you've seen it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've seen the research what's uh, what's your take on it? What do you think?
Speaker 1:well, I mean to me same with most athletes I can imagine is whatever you can do to gain that extra percentage above, yeah, your competition's huge right. So obviously it's going out there experiencing things like that. You know firsthand from my. So obviously it's going out there experiencing things like that you know firsthand From my experiences is that it's worked wonders on me.
Speaker 1:You know my body with recovery and stuff, especially, you know, during the summers I work with my trainer, kai Heinen, and he's worked with a bunch of pro guys and NHL players as well. And the biggest thing that he kind of emphasized especially because our workouts are like two hours and a half hours every day, right, plus ice time on top, right, so it's a lot of wear and tear on the body. So a lot of cold therapy with ice tubs and then obviously the biggest thing that he recommends is doing like hot bath with epsom salt, right, just for lactic acid buildup. Yeah, get rid of that. So those are big things that I've done and learned to develop and incorporate into my game, yeah, which has helped a lot, right. So doing things like that. I've also done the cryo chamber as well, yeah what do you think of that?
Speaker 1:it's different. Yeah, it's definitely different for sure, but uh, yeah, I mean, cryo chamber is one of those things. Especially the first time, it was more of a shock factor, yeah yeah, have you ever done it?
Speaker 2:I haven't done the cryo. I am a big advocate for the sauna post-workout I spend my 20 minutes.
Speaker 1:It's like my routine.
Speaker 2:I can't drop it. I literally have two memberships so that I have a sauna membership um, but the cold. I can see why athletes, especially in, like the bodybuilding, hypertrophy, hypertrophy world, are trying to limit their cold exposure, but it's more so for after workouts for sure, so for people listening.
Speaker 1:If you're like hey, I really like the way the cold exposure makes me feel, do it before your workout or in the morning and it's like a great way to start your day, absolutely even if it's just 30 seconds, a minute, two minutes you get some crazy benefits, especially just that kind of dopamine rush that you get compared to you know, obviously I drink coffee most, like most people but when you do a cold tub jumping in the water, it kind of wakes you up, you know, but way better than a coffee Way better.
Speaker 2:Exactly, it should be my pre-podcast routine. Yeah, if we weren't, if we weren't cold tub going, if we weren't in the mobile studio thanks to pioneer auto group, uh and the alder groove location specifically, I'd be doing it maybe we'll like throw a tub in the back of the jeep I think we can make something happen.
Speaker 1:You gotta get a pickup truck next time.
Speaker 2:Yeah put it in the back or something I'll ask cody, he might be down, he might, we might be able to swing it that'll be.
Speaker 2:That'll be for our next episode when we do the training portion. Yeah, so for sure. So we'll figure that out, we'll. We'll get a pickup, we'll fill it up with ice, cold exposure pre-pod train and then we'll get after it. What do you think has like been the biggest adjustment for you as you go through this process? You're flying literally all over the world playing hockey. I heard on ingol meg's episode that you did last year with them, the fact that ice rinks ice like the actual nets themselves that you're playing on are different sizes. Is that true?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. I mean when I I mean I played overseas for the last seven, eight years now, and the first couple of years there was a massive difference. I find it was difficult, especially as a goalieie, just because of rank, size and the different angles. Um, it was harder the first few years that I went overseas, just because I find it's more difficult to go from a North American size rank to a European size rank and, uh, things are a little bit off. But I started to become more easier to adjust to it. But it takes a few days to get used to it, I think.
Speaker 2:Have you played at Sosuri and centennial arena? Yeah, I have. So you know the two different sizes of those ones.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, but that's the thing. Every rink is kind of different for the most part. Um, I know the last few years, especially in the khl, they're trying to make all the rinks nhl size okay, so it's the same yeah standardize it.
Speaker 1:But, uh, I remember my first year in the kh KHL that I got called up back in 2019, 2020, some of the rinks were a European sizes and some were NHL sizes, so it's going like back and forth between the two, which is super difficult, especially as a goalie. Hmm, but you kind of get used to after a while. In the last few years now, because of new development that they're doing to the league and stuff they're trying to expand, so everybody's, every team's rank is identical, right, yeah, it makes it easier for the players anyways. But uh, yeah, I mean obviously traveled a lot and over the years, which have been phenomenal, but at the same time, it's, you know, nice to be back home as well, right, yeah, yeah trying to stick around in north america yeah, that's the goal, anyways, for this season with uh, with the athletes podcast, we've had 255 plus episodes now.
Speaker 2:Our goal yeah, over five years we were chugging away our goal is to educate, entertain and inspire the next generation of athletes. Thank you, yeah, I uh.
Speaker 2:It's kind of a very aspirational goal, probably something I'll never actually be able to fully achieve which is allows for me to do it for the rest of my life, for sure, but I'm always trying to dive a little deeper and be like okay, if I'm having this episode with Paris today, would you prefer to educate, entertain and inspire? Would you like to do all three and if so, how would you do that with this podcast right now?
Speaker 1:yeah, I mean obviously you know, like I mentioned before the episode, that uh, I'm an open book, so I mean whatever kind of questions you had for me or ideas, but I mean, for the most part, I I love you know, educating in the sense of you know, obviously, with you know the position I am playing pro hockey, having the experience and then mentoring as well. Right, educating the younger athletes is a huge thing and I think, in a way, especially being on you know, zoom calls with pete and the other pro guys, yeah, um, it's kind of I've learned a ton of things from them, you know, soaked up as much information and kind of showing these younger guys that you know these are the mistakes or things that I learned over the last few years. You know, giving them you know tips and tricks that help their game, right, I I think it's huge.
Speaker 2:And then, obviously, with educating, it comes with recovery and those other aspects that are huge as well, right, the one piece that I had to bring up is the fact that you're wearing a Visual Edge hat.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:One of our athletes at Cook Stark Management, megan Warner is also a Visual Edge athlete.
Speaker 1:Okay, nice Former, uconn Husky goaltender.
Speaker 2:goalie of the year like sub one GAA. No big deal, no big deal. I was curious how has that helped your game? I know you used Sensorena in the past as well. Where does that fit in? How do you incorporate technology? I feel like that's something that most people, if they aren't privy to it yet, should be.
Speaker 1:I don't have a code for it, but in gold mag it's a discount code?
Speaker 2:yeah well, I actually I have.
Speaker 1:I mean, you got your own there you go my own, but uh, yeah, I mean, obviously, when it comes to technology, it's the same as, especially for a pro athlete, you're trying to get it, gain that one extra percentage over your competitors, right?
Speaker 1:And uh, it was one of those things that I started to do a little bit of research into sensorino at the time back in I think it was 2020, just before the Olympics and then I started to use it more, especially during the off-season, and I think it's a huge tool, you know, to get some off-ice training that you can work on.
Speaker 1:That's similar. Obviously, the best kind of training you can do is on-ice stuff, especially as a goalie, but it's the closest kind of comparison that I've experienced you, virtual reality, to work on those skills, you know. When it comes to reaction time, you know, catching the puck, visualizing those little key aspects, and then, obviously, the last few years now, I started working with visual edge, yeah, and I was fortunate enough to become, you know, an athlete for them, kind of working with their tools. When it comes to more cognitive sense, okay, which I think over the last few years, I've learned to develop that, or learn and better understand that, especially as a goalie, we don't really train our eyes at all, right, so true yeah, so interesting yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:So I started working with them and their program and obviously they've got a ton of, you know, nhl teams or pro teams that they work with and NHL goalies, right. So I have a buddy who plays at Boston University, matthew Caron, and he started using it and I reached out to him kind of to see you know what exactly the program is. I know I have another buddy, conor Lecouve, who does it as well and getting feedback from them, obviously from they've experienced it. So I tried it over, tried it out last few years and really loved it. I think there's a huge benefit in the game, you know, especially when it comes to reactionary stuff memory, uh, cognition, and uh, reaction time uh, divergence, convergence stuff too, right so, and I think it helps the overall game, right so I've seen improvement in my game using it.
Speaker 2:So definitely keeping that in the toolbox for myself, but recommend using those two tools sensorina, visual edge if you were a 15 year old goalie coming back 16 year old goalie in those same shoes when you're just starting back up your, your hockey career. What lessons have you learned now that you would go back and say, hey, this is something that I would maybe do differently, approach differently, whether it comes to training, nutrition, sleep. Again, going back on that education piece, I'm like, oh, I wish I knew how much it would hurt me if I didn't sleep or didn't eat the right things. What?
Speaker 1:do you?
Speaker 2:suggest.
Speaker 1:To be totally honest with you. I think I mean everybody's routine, especially at that age most guys who are competitive they already have the right kind of routine or habits. So the biggest kind of piece that or piece of advice I can give to my younger, 15-year-old self was work more on the mental side of the game, just because I think it was a huge benefit learning to how to control those nerves, how to build confidence in yourself, doing that movement like Pete talks about. I think those are huge things. I'm a huge advocate for that, just because I've seen that improvement in myself using those tools, yeah, and learning how to bounce back after not coming up with the save. You know little.
Speaker 1:Things like that as a goaltender are so more such like, so many more like beneficial. I guess you could say, yeah then, compared to like working on nutrition. Obviously those are important too, but at the same time the mental aspect is so much more important, right? Yeah, it goes back to the saying. I mean probably everybody's heard about it, right, goaltending is 90% mental and 10% physical, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like golf in that sense, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've actually been talking to Pete because he just lives up the hill from me that we should go to the golf course and, you know, work on our swing while we do the movements and stuff like that?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We should do a little rain session and maybe film that too. I know that's something that I still have to work on in my game, and I think again it applies to everyday life, though, right For sure. Think again, it applies to everyday life, though, right for sure. How you handle situations, adversity, when you're young, you learn how to deal with that. You're going to be better off down the road too. You touched on the mental piece, more specifically, the eyes, that we don't train them. I know you looked up to watch guys like luongo and braden holtby growing up holtby specifically with his like water bottle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, water drops. Yeah, that was some visual work there. Was that something you ever incorporated, or did you? Was that what?
Speaker 1:Yeah, actually the last few years I started to incorporate that into my game as well. Obviously, it's like a reset mechanism, same as whole beat right throwing the water up and watching one water droplet come down Instead of putting my attention on, you know, those what ifs or that negative side of my brain when you have doubt or insecurity or whatever pops up in your head as a reset mechanism to ground you back in the present moment. So a cool little trick that I learned from holpy. A bunch of pro guys use it as well. Um, but phenomenal, uh kind of tip for that anyways.
Speaker 1:But uh, I mean a lot of other goaltenders I looked up to were, you know, in. Obviously, carry price is probably a big one for most guys, right, yeah, and kind of, uh, kind of used kind of his game as a reference to build off of with technique and the technical side of the game, but kind of adapting into more versatility, like vasilevsky or you know that compete that raw, just hunger for the puck, you know, yeah, so, but I mean, I think in a way, as a goaltender, your best kind of teacher is obviously yourself. But on top of that, that extra layer is just watching guys that you idolize right in the NHL or whoever that is right in your career was there ever a moment where you looked at the way you were playing or the way others were playing you?
Speaker 2:you're like oh, I can totally do this.
Speaker 1:I always look at those pivotal moments.
Speaker 2:For me. I've now interviewed 250 plus individuals. You start to realize, okay, there's some consistent themes that these high performers have similarities that these high performers have. Similarities. And there's also those pivotal moments where you realize, hey, I'm a human like this human, I'm capable of these things as well, if I set my mind to it, if I am consistent with my routines, habits.
Speaker 1:I can see the same success.
Speaker 2:Obviously there's some genetic components of that, but for you, was there that moment? Was it that Delta skate the first time for the id camp? Or what was that moment for you when?
Speaker 1:you, yeah, I mean for sure, I gained a ton of confidence after having that moment when I was in the academy. I mean, funny story, when I got, I got a call from my mom who, um, basically she just got off the phone with a family friend when I was at Delta and I was just after our practices. Because that's how it works at Delta is you have your morning practice, then you would drive by bus with the whole team to the school. So during that bus ride I got a call from my mom saying you know, they're having this trial camp in the afternoon. So it was one of those things that was out of the blue. I ended up skipping school that day to go thing. Don't advise against doing that.
Speaker 1:But um, yeah, I mean the biggest thing. Obviously that was a big moment for me, um, having that experience which I gained a ton of confidence from. But you know, adding to that, I think the biggest thing as well was just, you know, I always, you know, just love playing hockey and it's always been a passion of mine, right, I think, for most guys and, to be totally honest, I had this kind of, like most guys, this enact, you know, this feeling or gut feeling that you know you want to play at the highest level you can, right, and but it's also understanding that you know which comes with maturity as well that you know if you play hard, you work, you know, put the hours in, it's inevitable you're going to get success, right, if you're in the right position at the right time, because everything's kind of left up to chance at that point, right. But it's also understanding that you know if you put the hard work in, success is supposed to be inevitable, right. But at the same time you know, on top of that, it's you know, experiencing those little things which kind of helped me gain more confidence. And obviously it kind of goes back to, you know, that year before Delta, you know, coming off of not playing and wanting it, getting that passion.
Speaker 1:I never really did any of this for wanting it, gain that passion. It I never really did any of this for because I wanted to play in the nhl or I wanted to earn so much money. It was more so for just the love of the game. Yeah, and going back to that, and I still have that passion I want obviously most guys including yourself, I can imagine you know you just play because you love it, right, you want to have fun, right yeah, I also just get asked by every team under the sun because I'm the emergency backup for the lower mainland and most guys charge money to play and I'm like, yeah, it's all good, I'll, I'll, I'll just come play that way, I don't feel any pressure if I let in a dozen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly Right, but it comes part of it, right? Obviously there's a huge amount of pressure but it's you know, learning to develop that sense that you know you put all this work in, you're just having fun and you're wearing, when you're in that like hyper focused or like flow state, everything you're just, you're like glue, everything just attracts and sticks to you. Right? It is crazy how that works.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you stop thinking, almost right yeah, and you just start living and you realize that hey, I'm going to attract the energy that I put out there, for sure, and if you're able to for lack of a better term be comfortable who you are and understand that you're not going to be able to please everyone. I've had to learn that with this podcast yeah, I'm like not everyone loves to talk about training, nutrition.
Speaker 2:I get jazzed up about it. Yeah, I don't mess with seed oils. A lot of people are all up in a tissy about seed oils, like those are things that I. I think that these kind of conversations need to be had more, because, sure you are.
Speaker 2:A prime example of something that I'm trying to hit home with our listeners is the fact that people should continue to play sports, be active, move their bodies after high school, after their teenage years, because you can still play professional sport, you can still pursue amazing athletic feats and you know you're supposed to live till 70, 80, 90 now with life expectancy and if you don sprint at the after the age of 18 you're probably not going to be moving very well, for sure and it's a scary sight to see our society at the state that it is and everyone hears this podcast and thinks, oh, athletes, high performers, whatever.
Speaker 2:But it's like everyone's got a body. Everyone is ultimately an athlete to some degree. How much they are able to express that is another question for sure, but I'm of the opinion. That's why I bring people like you on, because I think it's important to share the fact that you can quit hockey at the age of 15.
Speaker 1:Come back and play in the olympics yeah, it's I know it's, it's kind of crazy when I say it out loud, but those things really did happen. I think in a sense it's having that passion, having that drive obviously is a big component of that, but on top of it it's just making sure to do other things.
Speaker 2:When I was younger especially.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of friends of mine at that age. When it came to, I believe, second year bantam, they would just quit hockey because they didn't get drafted or things didn't really necessarily go the way they had planned. Right? So, because they lose that passion in a sense, right so, even with the younger goalies that you know I'm mentoring on the side and I'm starting to develop these last few years with myself, is that hockey isn't everything. And I think, in a sense, when you start to play other sports and put more, you know focus on recovery and getting away from the game, you actually give back to yourself, which helps your game, you know, in turn, right so I mean it's you need to do those things, those little things, because it's important, right, especially for your mental health as well, you know, not get consumed by it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, especially for your mental health as well, you know, not get consumed by it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, we're wrapping up here. We're nearing back to your crib. We got to ask, though, you're a big gear guy, I am. Yeah, you're particular about some stuff. Tell me, what's the setup right now. Who are you using?
Speaker 1:Yeah, um. Well, this season I went with the uh.
Speaker 2:Bauer shadow setup custom digiprint. So I kind of went all out. The team kind of more or less gave me full reign to whatever I wanted. How nice is that? Super nice. Every team should do that.
Speaker 1:I know goalies there's only a couple of you come on. Yeah, I know, especially as goalies we all love gear, right. So having that added like a little bit of touch was nice, especially kind of the way that they treated me when I, you know, got there was thatM.
Speaker 2:Very professional, bauer. Sorry, and was that at the hockey shop?
Speaker 1:No, because I was back east right, oh, right, right so it was the source of sports out there in Ontario or in Toronto. That kind of did my whole gear set up out there. But super great guys I think they work with I believe it's Franchise the source of sports, okay, but they work in unison sometimes with the hockey shop here. So but I mean hockey shops, obviously goalie utopia right, I know it's crazy there.
Speaker 2:I get lost.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So the setup this season obviously cause they gave me free reign. I've worked with power for many years, basically full cost of shadow, everything. And then my girlfriend she's actually an artist, so I actually asked her if she could do my helmet. So she did her first goalie helmet, which is the helmet I'm currently wearing now, dang so fully custom she sprayed it and painted it and so made it really authentic, because there's no goalie helmet that I've seen on the market like that. And I've worked with Dave Art. I know the Fred out there seen on the market like that and I've worked with, uh, dave art.
Speaker 1:I know the was um, uh, fred out there or on the island trav on the island yeah yeah, and getting ideas, you know, having worked with other you know goalie artists, and kind of telling her what I wanted and she obviously did a phenomenal job, so kind of uh, tap hats off to her for that, but uh, that's so cool to be able to have that as a part of your playing, like you've got her with you wherever you go. Exactly, yeah, having that little bit of signature from her. Yeah, support from her as well.
Speaker 2:So yeah and uh. I like I was in bantam and I saved up a couple hundred dollars and I got my helmet spray painted and that was my most prized possession forever afterwards and that was just some random car, auto body guy that's like yeah, I'll paint some bricks on your helmet for you.
Speaker 1:I know it's, but it's phenomenal. When you have a goalie helmet, you know, like that you can like fully customize and the team gives you full reign so you don't have to put necessarily the team logo on it. You can really express yourself through that art, right so? But obviously I've been fortunate enough to work with dave art because of the olympics and a guy that you really kind of idolize having. Yeah, his experience of work with you. Know numerous nhl guys right yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:so having that in my back pocket, it was kind of a cool experience having being on the phone with him and explaining, you know, our thought process and putting it, you know, pen to paper, right, less right, so okay. So I'm wearing their shirt.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in goal I've got to ask yeah, they've been around for a decade plus now they're, I feel, like the go-to goalie resource out there they are. How have you been consuming? Do you go through pro reads? What's your? Tell me, give me some details on in goal mag. We got to give them the thrill of the shill here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah yeah, I mean obviously, woody and hutch are phenomenal guys great guys.
Speaker 2:My uncle really no way.
Speaker 1:So maddie and I, that's okay, yeah because I knew you were buddies with maddie but I didn't know you were that close. But I mean, small world right, yeah, that's cool, yeah. But uh, obviously phenomenal guys right, and you know, after the olympics they had reached out to me immediately and kind of wanted to do an episode with me. And it was, and I thought I was super honored, having grown up watching them and listening to their podcasts and stuff and still do the pro reads. I think it's a phenomenal tool that they have that they offer, you know, gaining experience and knowledge from these NHL guys and you know, and learning from the best right, more or less. So very cool experience to have having done that and had the opportunity to do that. But uh, yeah, I think obviously, you know, having your ties with Hutch um is that kind of why you wanted to create a podcast.
Speaker 2:It's so interesting you bring that up. Uh, they started in goal radio, yeah, a little bit prior to me starting a podcast. Um, I was, yeah, it's interesting, I had Hutch podcast. Um, I was, yeah, it's interesting, I had hutch, obviously, who'd been doing it for five, six, seven years before. Um, andrew harding is my cousin's husband.
Speaker 2:he started knocking point winery, yeah, and so I've had a couple entrepreneurs around. My dad was always a serial entrepreneur, so I wanted to man keep having conversations with people. I was graduating university at Brock, I was in a sport management program, so I still had a sport lens with business, and well, I can tell you're a people person.
Speaker 1:That's why I figure you know podcast works perfectly into it, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, and it keeps you out of trouble. You know you're just talking with people like for me. After school I now have continued to build my network, chat, learn from people like yourself. I get to train with world's strongest man. He's, like you know, benching 500 pounds overweight and I'm trying to spot like stories that I will take for the rest of my life we're gonna go step on the ice. We're going to train together.
Speaker 2:We're going to go to the driving range, like that stuff that you would never do if you weren't having conversations and being a yes man. And I've done that, or I'm going to try and continue doing that.
Speaker 1:I think, in a way, you know being on this podcast and I've been on a bunch of other podcasts and I think, to be totally honest with you, you just being in a, you know, in your car, in your Jeep here, or doing things like that, it separates you a hundred percent from other podcasters or other interviews and it leaves that impact, you know, especially as somebody coming on like you know, as an athlete, like I'm going to remember this. You know More or less, but I love what you're doing with this.
Speaker 2:Thank you. I appreciate that, I guess for your way to wrap this episode up. We normally ask our biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes. You drop some in there. There's some gold nuggets. Throughout this 40-minute conversation You're always talking also, though, about as an athlete growing up. Was there anyone that you looked up to? Parents, friends obviously your brother a couple years older, anyone that? You looked up to parents, friends, obviously your brother a couple years older.
Speaker 1:Yeah, were there athletes that you were aspiring to look, train, approach sport, like I mean obviously, like you said, I think, growing up as a kid and I really idolized my brother um, obviously he's four years older than me, but he was also a goaltender, right so but uh, in water polo, yeah, so it's a little bit different from hockey per se, but obviously I idolized him growing up because he played for Team Canada with the national team, our national development program, and he traveled a lot.
Speaker 1:I remember telling my parents when I was younger that I wish one day that I'll be able to travel and now, looking back, I've traveled more than he has.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but uh, I mean it's kind of what you wish for I know exactly ask and you shall receive, right, yeah, yeah, so obviously somebody that I looked up to was him. Then I got a lot of, I think, my characteristics from both my parents. Obviously, you know my dad's super hard working, so I learned a learned a ton from him and from my mom as well, I think more patience from my mom and work ethic from my dad.
Speaker 2:So it's a good balance. Exactly yeah, you need that. Exactly so. Who's the better athlete between you and your brother?
Speaker 1:I have to say I am. He's a little bit uncoordinated. He's 6'6".
Speaker 2:Oh, you're a little lanky, eh, yeah.
Speaker 1:But he's filling out now. But he's just, you know, especially when he's filling out now. But uh, he's just, you know, especially when he's younger, is a little bit more uncoordinated than I was, but I have to say that I'm the better athlete, I'm the olympian in the family.
Speaker 2:There you go. He pulls that card. Pull that card out. I love it. You got the tattoo yet, or what?
Speaker 1:yeah, I've got it on the inside of my arm. That's like the first thing when I go back home. Yeah, I reached out to a bunch of tattoo artists and, uh, I got that inked on my, on my body here. So I got that and through my sleeve here. Um, like a dragon, I gotta pull it out here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but uh careful.
Speaker 2:This is the.
Speaker 1:This is the r-rated portion of the podcast. Yeah, but I've got this dragon here all the way down and then I've got the uh, this word means like home in chinese okay, so it's really important to me. And then obviously the rings on the inside here with Beijing. Yeah, on the inside there. But yeah, kind of cool Working down the arm here, hopefully now Heck yeah. But we'll see how things pan out in the future.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. Last question the Vancouver Canucks and the Montreal Canadiens both offer you a contract. You're making carry price cash 10 mil per year. You had to decide between Montreal and Vancouver.
Speaker 1:Putting me on the spot. I know these are your hometown versus your raised family ties.
Speaker 2:Obviously, you play in any team that offers you a contract in the NHL. But you choose between those two. You go on East Coast or West Coast.
Speaker 1:I mean, obviously it's a tough choice between the two but I've got to give it to the Canadians. I mean with you know the heritage that they have, you know, especially growing up, my dad's from Quebec, you know watching their games when I was younger, montreal kind of holds a place in my heart. I've never actually been to the bell center but uh, I mean I've seen games and stuff like that with the crowd and the atmosphere there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so much more electric yeah.
Speaker 1:So definitely, if I got the option between the two, I have to give it to Montreal and you bring up the bell center story.
Speaker 2:Now it's bringing up like where has? It been your favorite place to play.
Speaker 1:Um, I think like overall. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean obviously the Olympics was a big thing for me, right Center stage, yeah, center stage Against Canada I know, against Canada, and I mean funny story with that.
Speaker 1:Actually I, a month before the Olympics, I got invited to join the national team with Canada for the channel one cup. No way, yeah, so they need an extra goalie. So I stayed with them for a few days for training camp and stuff and yeah, but unfortunately, because of IHF ruling, I couldn't play any games with them, I could only practice. So but they obviously allowed me, the Chinese Federation allowed me to go there, practice, gain some experience from them, and it was kind of cool because obviously went through that experience with Team canada and then later going to the olympics and playing against canada, which was essentially the same players more or less, that I practiced with before, right, so yeah, so it's kind of cool with that. Olympics was a big moment, that center stage with that. Um, I think other big rinks that I've been to obviously ska in st petersburg's got a massive facility. I believe it's like 15 or 18, I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but it's massive.
Speaker 2:Someone in the comments will.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 15 or 18,000 people, that kind of the seating capacity there. So electric in that building. I mean a bunch of the NHL or KHL rinks I can imagine are very similar to NHL size with capacity, so it's just absolutely electric. But for sure, the Olympics probably is the biggest moment in my mind that comes, you know, front stage for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, tough to beat. Hey, this has been fun dude.
Speaker 1:I appreciate it tremendously.
Speaker 2:I'm excited to get some cold therapy in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we should Get some training on the range. With Pete We'll work on the mental game.
Speaker 2:Pete was one of our first 100 guests. Now we're getting Paris on Pretty soon, over the next 5, 10 years we're going to be featuring your athletes that you've been working with who are on the next stage.
Speaker 1:That's the goal After my career doing something like that, Right.
Speaker 2:That's what the Athletes Podcast is all about. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Paris O'Brien for coming on.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I appreciate it. Thank you, folks for tuning in. This is the 256th episode of the show and you folks are hopefully learning being a little bit more educated and inspired from every single person we have on. And if you're not enjoying the episodes and who we're having on, let me know who we should bring on down below in the YouTube comments. I'll reply to every single one. If you let me know, we'll.
