Our Girls Play Hockey - So You Want To Play On The Olympic Hockey Team With Katie Million

Lee MJ Elias [0:08 - 0:51]: Hello, hockey friends and families around the world. And welcome to another episode of our newest series, our girls play hockey. I'm Lee Elias, and I'm joined by Mike Bonelli and Sheri Hudspeth. And remember, our goal with this show is to tackle the topics and discussions surrounding girls youth hockey to better the game for everyone. So again, if you're involved in youth hockey in any way, we're going to provide you value and insight to create both a better environment and experience for all. You're going to love the name of this episode. The topic is. So you want to play for the Olympic hockey team. And our expert panelist today is the director of the women's national team program for USA hockey, Katie Million. You can't get any more top than that. Katie, welcome to our girls play hockey. 

Katie Million [0:52 - 0:58]: Oh, thanks, Lee, Sheri and Mike. It's awesome to be here and excited to have this conversation with you guys. 

Lee MJ Elias [0:58 - 1:11]: Well, we are equally as excited, but I'm gonna start by saying this, katie, that is one of the greatest titles I have ever heard in my life. What does it mean? What do you do? How cool is that job? And can we visit you at work, please? 

Katie Million [1:11 - 1:24]: Absolutely. Well, you know what? It's a really, like, all encompassing title. Very long. I like to shorten it a lot and just say general manager. I'm the. I'm the GM of the women's national team. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:25 - 1:27]: Cooler. That just makes it sound cooler to everybody. 

Katie Million [1:28 - 1:31]: Maybe. Maybe I should put in a formal request on that. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:31 - 1:40]: You probably should. Who are you? I'm the GM of the women's Olympic team and national team. That sounds pretty good on a card. That's an amazing thing. 

Katie Million [1:40 - 1:44]: Yeah, just that. All right. All right. I'm going to. I'm going to petition for that, guys. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:45 - 1:47]: We'll be there because we're going to visit you at work. 

Katie Million [1:47 - 2:20]: Perfect. Well, it's funny because I work from home. This is my home office, and you're welcome to stop by any time. But, yeah, as I mentioned, general manager, basically everything all encompassing having to do with our national team programs and obviously coming up super quick, 18 months from now, the 2026 Olympic games. So we're already gearing up for all of that. Super excited for. For the future. 

Sheri Hudspeth [2:21 - 2:51]: Katie. As you know, I'm in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada, growing girls hockey out here in Nevada. Our 14 new girls team just won a USA Hockey national tier two championship this year. And so, I mean, there's a lot of eyes on sort of the next steps. So the question I want to ask you is say, I'm a parent of a 14 year old girl that just, you know, won these, won one of these titles. What is the next step? Like? Do they go to a state camp? Do they go to district camp? How do you get on this high performance path pathway towards national teams? 

Katie Million [2:51 - 4:40]: Yeah, that's a great question, Sheri and everybody. I will say every player's path is different. You can't compare any one person's path to another. But what I would say is on those younger, younger players, have fun. That's first and foremost. I think everyone will tell, say that, make sure you're having fun. But if there are, you know, desires to, you know, be on an Olympic team or play for the PWHL or play on a d one or d three college team, obviously there's. There's all the elements that need to go into that training and mindset. I'm sure you guys have talked about it a lot, but not just the on ice portion, but all the off ice things, the recovery, the nutrition, the hydration, the mental performance piece of it, all of those things are important and all encompassing. And then, you know, again, just to get more detailed into your question, Sheri, you know, in order to get into the USA hockey program, you do have to go to district tryouts. And from there, those district tryouts, we hold player development camps. They're now in Oxford, Ohio. Every summer we do a 15 camp, a 1617 camp, and then this year we changed it up a little bit and we did a U 18 select camp in Lake Placid as part of our August national festival that we host every year, which I can get into a little bit later. But the, the pathway is to go to those district tryouts and be seen by all the coaches and our scouts as well. 

Sheri Hudspeth [4:41 - 4:52]: And then. So once you go to the district camp, what is the first age group and first opportunity to be on a national team? Is there a U 18 team? Is there a U 22 team? What is the first, very first step? 

Katie Million [4:52 - 5:52]: Great questions. I love this. Yes, the very first national team and where you come under my umbrella would be to make our U 18 team. And we just named a u 18 team this summer that we went and competed in st. Catharines against hockey Canada in three games. I can talk more about that and how fun that was because we are defending a U 18 gold medal. So that was super cool and fun, and we're hoping to build a team that we take to, whereas our worlds this year for U 18s is in Finland in January. So, yes, looking to defend that gold medal but yeah, to answer your question, our U 18 team is our first team that you make as a national team member and you can be 15, 1617 years old to make that team. 

Mike Bonelli [5:54 - 6:45]: Yeah. So I've been a part of the women's and men's and boys girls select process here in New York state for I don't know how many years now. Many years. And the excitement on these girls right. When they make that regional camp and the opportunity to compete in New England or New York or Mid Atlantic or whatever it is, but we always try to preface them. Right, okay, you made it. You're there. You're in what I would consider the elite of status of players. But then what's the progression from there, though? You know, they're amongst very high performers. These are the best girls in their age group at the time. You know, what summer recommendations you would give to, you know, what is that progression? And then, you know, how does a player separate themselves from the pack, from a group like that to get to where you need them to get to? 

Katie Million [6:46 - 7:28]: Yeah. And I think, you know, we're going to get into like, the tactics and all of that, but for sure, you know, we're looking for players that, you know, have speed, have physicality and have the mental, mental game and obviously very coachable. I mean, this is no secret for any team whatsoever. And we're just looking for those same elements at a super elite level. You know, again, I would continue telling players to make sure you're having fun. Cause I, one of my things, even at the Olympic level, is we can't be successful unless we're having fun. And we do make sure we have fun in there. 

Lee MJ Elias [7:28 - 8:21]: You know, I wanna jump in here because, Katie, I think you're making a great point that you said at the beginning, everyone says to have fun. I don't think we dive into what that means enough in the sense of the players at that level are having fun. Right? It's one of those things like, oh, yeah, everybody tells me to have them. Well, they are having fun. And it's, it's, I don't want to say it's a skill set, but I think it is a mind set that they have to bring the game of that. You know, look, there are some aspects of training that, quote unquote, aren't fun, especially when you're hurting. But any pro athlete, any high level athlete, Olympic athlete will tell you, you know, because embrace the suck a little bit. Like that part of it is fun. Right? So I. Can you dive into that a little bit maybe about the mentality of some of the athletes that, that you've come across about what. What is fun? When you say that, what does that mean? 

Katie Million [8:21 - 10:15]: Yeah, it's a. That's a great question, and I haven't really thought about it much, Lee, but I think you kind of nailed it. Is kind of embracing the sock because, you know, it's a grind. You guys know what it's like on high level teams, and, you know, you're. You're working hard at all those different aspects that we just talked about. And, you know, you might be giving up going to your high school prom or friends, you know, parties or, you know, I don't know, summer camp, but, you know, wherever. To be part of these camps and to be training all the time and to have that elite mindset and working on all the different aspects, it is a grind. And, you know, how we have fun is a great question, but we do try to make sure we're having activities and having time for them to just relax and not be on the go and on the grind all the time. And, and, you know, every now and then, we definitely have, like, team activities where, you know, they're focused around fun. For instance, we just had our big August national festival in Lake Placid. And, gosh, there's so many fun things to do in Lake Placid. Like, one day, we took all of our players out to the ski jumps and had, you know, a tour of the ski jump. They did the zip line, they saw ski jumpers, they saw freestyle aerialists jumping into the pool. You know, just learned about different Olympic sports and what other athletes go through. So that was, like, one example of something fun that we did just to break up, you know, the on ice and off ice piece. 

Lee MJ Elias [10:15 - 11:31]: Yeah. And I think, too, you know, look, we just went through a Summer Olympics a little different than the Winter Olympics, but one of the reoccurring themes I was seeing, especially this year, that was really brought to light more, was these kind of positive affirmations that these athletes give themselves before they compete. And just the I'm going to win, I'm going to compete mentality. And, you know, as you get older, Katie, in sports in general, I think you start to appreciate the comp. The competitive nature of sports, of it's such a wonderful thing to get to compete. And, you know, where. Where I want to go with this is this is that. I love it still playing. I love getting on the ice. There's not a day I don't want to be at the rink. It's fun for me. I think when it comes to parents and players, parents have to make sure if you feel that way as a parent, doesn't necessarily mean your kid feels that way yet. Right. And it's important that that love, if you feel that love for hockey, you can cultivate that kit in your kid, but you can't create it. Right. And developing that mindset of this is fun. We're having a good time. Right. We want to enjoy ourselves, but you have to let them come to that on their own. That's not something that they can. Like I said, you can't really give it to a kid. You can just cultivate in the kid. 

Katie Million [11:31 - 12:07]: Yeah, you're so right. And, you know, we talk about that, too, with grit. We need players with grit. That's something you can't teach. You cultivate that. You get it from your gut. You get it from, you know, whatever mindset. But that is another thing that we look at is who is going to be gritty and who is going to, like, you know, go into the corners and battle and, you know, be ready to, you know, dig the puck out. So definitely something you touched on is that some of those things are things you can't really teach. 

Mike Bonelli [12:07 - 13:03]: They're in bread, you know, and that's. And again, that's what you guys do, like, as player evaluators, right? I love, like, I go deep diving with, like, a guy like Richie Hansen and going like, okay, I want to hear, like, how are you picking these teams and what are setting these kids aside? And one of the things that keeps coming back to me is all the girls are good. They all have great skill. They all have their pieces for what you need, you know, making a team. Just maybe talk a little bit, though, about, like, what are the qualities you need to have to represent your country? Cause it's so different from representing your division one college team or your club team or your, you know, it's, it's this, it's this quick opportunity to get all these girls in one place. And you have to have girls that want, like, that love and have so much pride in wearing USA jerseys. 

Katie Million [13:03 - 13:04]: 100%. 

Mike Bonelli [13:04 - 13:27]: How do you find that? Like, what are some of the tools that you guys use to say, okay, this girl, she's in and she's going to fight for all of us here and not worry about if she's going to get a pwo shell contract or if it's going to enable her to be a better, uh, you know, gopher or something like that. Like what, what are the things that you're looking for to really embrace the fact that they're playing for Team USA. 

Katie Million [13:27 - 14:16]: Yeah, obviously, Mike, like, you know, you have to have all the tools to be successful at the national team level. And, you know, that includes the on ice and off ice stuff we've already talked about. But I think the one big word I'll use is character. You know, we have to have players that have elite character and are going to, you know, again, just like you said, represent our country, represent the jersey, represent our flag at an unbelievable level. And I think you'll find if you talk to any one of our national team players, they have that elite character. Yeah. Sheri, I know you've. You've had a lot of them come visit you through the. Through the years. Would you agree with that statement? 

Sheri Hudspeth [14:16 - 14:27]: Yes. They're very polished and they all talk about character. We've had Megan Bozak on here and she's, you know, very well spoken. Very. But, yeah, they are on another level. Like. 

Katie Million [14:27 - 14:36]: Yep. And again, is that something you can teach? I'm not sure. I don't think so. I don't think that's. 

Sheri Hudspeth [14:36 - 15:10]: Yeah, it's a whole other level. Like, there's tons of division one hockey players or tons of pro players, but there's not a ton of Olympic players. Like, you're a good hockey player, d one. But do you have that next. Next 1% of the 1%? So, yeah, we can dive into just sort of another question I have when we're. We're looking at the Olympic team, right. The big, the big dog team. How does that work? There is so many players. Like, how many get invited to camp? How long is the process? And then, yeah, if you just want to dive into how many players get that opportunity and how to make the real big team. 

Katie Million [15:11 - 18:40]: Well, you've touched on a question that I don't have all the answers on right now because, as you guys know, the landscape of women's hockey is changing right before our eyes with the PWHL, which we're so excited about, and have that opportunity for our players to go on and play, you know, professionally after college is incredibly huge for us. So we're. We're fully invested in that. And the biggest cheerleaders there is on the sidelines with that, though, is a changing landscape of how we're looking at this Olympic year coming up. So, like I mentioned before, we're. We're 18 months out and already, like, making plans and, like, you know, having calls with the US OPC and, you know, surveys are due on what. What our plans are and all that kind of stuff. But when it comes to selecting players, we're doing that on a. On a daily, monthly, yearly basis throughout the entire quad. So, you know, right from, you know, after the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, we started that process for the 2026 games. And, you know, those players that we select for our campsite for our world championships are being evaluated to potentially make that 2026 Olympic team. What I will tell you is this past August festival was really like a deep dive into who do we have in this camp? What is the. What does it look like for each and every one of these players at the over 18 level? I mean, you never know. There can be some U 18 players that certainly jump out at you. Like in 2022, Caroline Harvey was. Was one of those players, but that's. That's usually an oddity, but not. Certainly has happened. Kayla Barnes is another one who was an Olympian before she was even in college. So. But again, back to the process is just like looking at each and every one of those players, evaluating them at our camps, and then, like, this year, moving into that Olympic year is going to be, you know, I'm not going to say it's going to look exactly like the Olympic team, but some of those rosters that we pick for our rivalry series in November will be a good indicator. This year, we're doing something different in December. So during the international break in December, we're not having a rivalry series, but we are taking a college team over to Finland and play in a Six nations tournament. So us in hockey, Canada will take college teams where the other four nations, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland and Czechia, will have their national teams. So we'll have a really good gauge of some of our college players and what they're looking like against the other country's national teams. So I am so super excited about that. Yeah, it's a development touch point for us that we've never had in the past, and it's going to be unbelievable, I think, and hopefully something that we do for years to come. 

Lee MJ Elias [18:40 - 19:19]: You know, Katie, what's cool about that, too, is, correct me if I'm wrong, but there's also, it seems like some initiative there to help the other developing hockey nations within the women's program with that as well, which I love, because the conversation not too long ago was that this is only a two country race all the time. And I know that it's a bit of a catch 22. Right, because you want to win, you always want to win, but at the same time, there's a responsibility on really, all of us to develop the game globally. So I love that you're taking college teams over there because that's only going to help Finland, Checha, and some of these other countries as well. So they must be excited as well. 

Katie Million [19:19 - 19:39]: Yeah, they're super excited. And it's a. It's a great collaboration. And you're. You're right. I like we, we know we've been dominant with Canada in the past, but I will go back and say to anybody who doesn't think that other countries are on our tail, is look at u 18 results over the last couple of years. 

Lee MJ Elias [19:39 - 19:40]: Totally. 

Katie Million [19:40 - 19:57]: Czechia came in with the silver medal, beat hockey Canada in the semifinals to play us for the gold medal. That came out of nowhere. And the year before, Sweden beat us. So they're chasing our tails and we can't be complacent at all. 

Mike Bonelli [19:58 - 20:29]: It's a funny dynamic now, too, right? Because now you're throwing in almost like what NHL players deal with back in the day, right. That now you have the PWHL. You gotta look at the calendar. College, college coaches don't want their players leaving. Although it's a great accomplishment. PWHL is not gonna let a contracted player go. And now, you know, yes, it must be a great. I mean, it's a great problem to have that you have to juggle these great athletes and figure out ways to fit them into an international schedule when they're trying to make a living, too. So it's. It'll be fun to watch that, the maturation of that process. 

Katie Million [20:29 - 21:20]: Good luck. Thank you. You definitely nailed it. Because it's like, you know, trying to pull in all these players at these different times. And we're very careful to, you know, try to keep our events in the international breaks in November, December, and then again in February, which, yeah, if the world doesn't know what an international break is, it's that time period when the IIHF from around the world, men, women, we all have that opportunity to play games and to get our national teams together. So we strive to do that. And as things progress and as the landscape changes, we'll continue to. To change with it. Like, like this college opportunity in December and, you know, see where it goes. 

Lee MJ Elias [21:20 - 22:33]: There's going to be a time we look back and say, you know, it used to just be the transfer portal in college. That was annoying. And now we get all these professional contracts and things like that. But no, that's, that's great perspective. Katie, I got another perspective question for you. And it kind of leads into what you were talking about. Making the Olympic team is incredibly hard. Um, but high level hockey, Olympic hockey, however you want to look at it, is really a small amount of time in your life that you get the opportunity to play for it. Right. So you might say there might be an outlier at an 18 or U 18 team that might make the team, but they're, you know, we all age. Right. You can age out of the team. Um, there have been players that have been on the team in their prime and not on the team later on. So the perspective I have is. And this is kind of advice for the young girls that have that dream. Right. The Olympic experience or opportunity is a. Is a small window in your life. So if you're trying to reach that goal, what is your advice? Right. And I know we said, have fun, but I want to. I want to go beyond that, right. Because this is something you might work for your entire life leading up to it, but you got to remember, you have a life after it, as well. Right. So what's your perspective on that? 

Katie Million [22:33 - 24:22]: Yeah, that's a great question, Lee. And, like, you know, like I said before, every player's path is different. When you look at the number of people that actually make an Olympic team, it's incredibly small. I should have this percentage in front of zeros. Yeah, exactly. I would guess that it's, like, less than 1% that. Of people that are, you know, let's just talk. Women that play hockey that are gonna be on the Olympic team, it is so small. And so while. While everyone should have their dreams and not here to crush anyone's dreams, but, you know, have that backup plan, and, you know, I always tell it, well, in another life, when I was the commissioner of the WCHA, I always told players, if you wanna be in hockey, and that's a career goal for you. And, you know, you. You might not make it as a player, but there are so many other things that you can do to still stay in hockey, right? Like, you could be a podcast producer like Caitlin, or, you know, youth hockey, like Sheri, podcast people like you guys, broadcasters, officiating, coaches, administrators, general managers. There's so many avenues in hockey, and that's. That's one thing that I think is important, is that you can still be in hockey without being an Olympian or being a professional athlete, and that, you know, don't give up on your dream, but have your backup plan, because hockey can't always define you. 

Lee MJ Elias [24:23 - 25:26]: Right. But listen, I say all the time that you are a hockey player. This is like the kids that play, but you're so much more than just a hockey player, and you don't want to get lost in the identity of. You are only a hockey player, because just the skill sets it takes to become an efficient hockey player lends itself to all sorts of opportunities in the game and outside of the game. Right, right. And I just. I would have, as a parent, I think I'd be, you know, I never want my kids to just gauge their success on what team they make or how far they go. I want them to gauge their success on, hey, I had the guts to try. I had the guts to pursue this goal. And look, here's the other thing, right? The Olympic dream is a worthy goal, and it's a very, very hard goal to achieve, but attempting the goal has so much merit. Right. So many lessons, and I think sometimes that gets lost on people or vice versa. People will say, what's the point? You're never going to make it. That is not the point. 

Katie Million [25:26 - 25:27]: Right. 

Lee MJ Elias [25:27 - 25:31]: Had the guts to try. And again. Yeah, go ahead. 

Katie Million [25:32 - 26:19]: I was just going to say, you can try and you like, like, I'll take myself for. As an example, as an eleven. Well, I shouldn't say that. Gosh, I just aged myself as a. As a kid. I'm watching the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid and, you know, just inspired by the whole thing, ended up working in Lake Placid at the Olympic arena, essentially the. Her Brooks ice hockey rink that I walked through every single day. That inspired me. And now I'm, you know, in charge of the Olympic team and have been to three Olympics and, you know, headed to a fourth. And, you know, just because you didn't, you couldn't play doesn't mean you can't still achieve those dreams. 

Lee MJ Elias [26:19 - 26:35]: Right? I love that. I love that. And just do me a favor, just because I want to say your title one more time, whatever, whichever. Whichever one you want to use. Because. Because, like, there's a deal. It's actually harder to get your job than to get on the Olympic team because there's only. You're a one of one variant. Yeah. What was your. 

Katie Million [26:35 - 26:35]: You know what? 

Sheri Hudspeth [26:35 - 26:36]: I never. 

Katie Million [26:36 - 26:38]: I never looked at it like that. You're right. 

Lee MJ Elias [26:38 - 26:40]: That dream turned into a one of one. 

Katie Million [26:42 - 26:54]: But it is, you know, super exciting and, you know, it's awesome. And I, again, like, believe in your dreams because you just never know how you're going to get there. 

Mike Bonelli [26:54 - 27:26]: So. So I think. I think leading up to that, right, you made the team, you're an Olympian. What leads up to that event for these players. Like, it's not, it's, it really, at the end of the day, it's not a two week tournament. It's a lifelong dream. Right? So now these players finally make it. They're in it. They're in with their group. You know, maybe tell us a little bit of, like, the day in the life of an Olympian leading up to the tournament and what goes into all the. All the progress for this particular team in this particular. 

Katie Million [27:27 - 29:25]: And what I tell you is, as we move into this Olympic year, leading into Milan Cortina in February of 2026, it's going to look different than it did in 2021 leading into the 22 games. So our focus right now is for our pro players to continue playing with their pro leagues. We think that that is the best conditioning for them. Leading into the Olympic Games, where in the past we had what we call residency or the Canadians called centralization, we would get together in the fall and live together and be together every single day through the Olympic Games and through the tournament. That's likely not going to happen this year or this lead up into Milan. We want our players to play with their teams to continue that conditioning, and then, you know, we'll get together at certain points throughout the season, likely a touch point every month starting in August of next year, September, October, November, player rivalry series. December, player rivalry series. January, we'll announce our team, and then late January into February, we'll head over to Europe, hopefully have a little pre camp leading into the games. And that's. That's what that calendar looks like. But to your question, Mike, each player, they're going to continue, you know, what they do on a daily basis with their teams. They're going to continue, you know, training on and off the ice, having their games with their. With their pro league or their college team. And, you know, it's gonna look a little more like what the men's side has always looked like. 

Lee MJ Elias [29:27 - 30:17]: That creates its own challenges, too, in the sense of when you are able to be together for an extended period of time. That bonding team of cohesiveness kind of comes with this now, like you said, it's a little different. Like, you might be together for a short amount of time and have to figure that out in terms of. I mean, I mean, I guess you've got several athletes that have seen how this has done in the past, but that's going to be an interesting point because we have seen, not in USA women's hockey so much, but we've seen in other Olympic sports all star teams, if you will, come together and not get the prize because they're not able to figure it out. Obviously, the NBA, right, like the men and women's national team and basketball are great examples of this right now. Do you look to them at all in other sports to maybe get tips or share information with things like this? 

Katie Million [30:17 - 31:07]: Oh, for sure. Yeah. And we, as a winter sport community within the US OPC, we get on calls and talk, you know, best business practices amongst our winter sports group, which is always really helpful. And obviously, look at other models and like you mentioned, the WNBA, the women's soccer league, you know, all the different leagues to see how things are going. I think, you know, with the PWHL being so new, we're all, like, trying to figure it out together. You know, calendaring is a. Is a thing. We. We don't know yet when those players will be released so that we have them for the Olympic games. Things like that. That make it a little more challenging than it used to be. 

Lee MJ Elias [31:07 - 31:14]: Have your people call my people, and. Well, pretty much actually plays into Sheri's next question perfectly. 

Sheri Hudspeth [31:15 - 31:49]: I actually have a two part question, one I just kind of thought of as part of this question, but obviously, we know the Olympic team is the top 1% of the 1%. There's no harder team to make. Can you give some insight, you and your team, as evaluators, how hard making those decisions are and how razor sharp that those lines are when you're selecting players, how close they are together? Second part, can you give some advice to the listeners and, you know, players who don't make it and get cut? How do they. How do they bounce back? How do they work harder for next year? Just talk about the kids that get cut. 

Katie Million [31:49 - 31:52]: Yeah, that's probably. 

Lee MJ Elias [31:56 - 31:59]: Katie. We lost your audio. Can you still hear us? 

Katie Million [31:59 - 32:00]: Are you there? 

Lee MJ Elias [32:00 - 32:06]: Yeah, yeah, we're here. I wonder if your headphones just popped out of. It's right. We can edit this out. So don't. Don't worry about it. 

Katie Million [32:06 - 32:08]: Don't know what happened there. Sorry. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:08 - 32:13]: It's okay. Well, now I hear you. We can hear you just sound far away now. 

Katie Million [32:14 - 32:17]: Yeah, my airpods definitely did die. 

Sheri Hudspeth [32:17 - 32:18]: Did they die? Yeah. 

Katie Million [32:21 - 32:22]: Let me see. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:22 - 32:25]: Caitlin, you're muted if you're trying to talk to us. 

Sheri Hudspeth [32:26 - 32:26]: Yeah. 

Katie Million [32:26 - 32:36]: So what we'll do is we will just edit this with the four different audio tracks, and I will raise your audio from this point out so you'll. Am I back? 

Sheri Hudspeth [32:36 - 32:36]: Yeah. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:36 - 32:37]: Yeah, you're back. 

Katie Million [32:38 - 32:39]: Awesome. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:39 - 32:40]: What happened there? 

Katie Million [32:41 - 32:48]: You know what? I think I got I got a phone call. That's probably what. Cut it out. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:48 - 32:52]: It's okay. Well, we appreciate you telling them to screw off for us. That was. 

Katie Million [32:52 - 32:54]: It was Mike Carusioni, too, by the way, people. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:54 - 32:55]: Yeah. 

Sheri Hudspeth [32:55 - 32:58]: Captain super casual. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:58 - 33:04]: Yeah, I'm going to tell. I'm going to tell everybody that she's doing something right now. 

Katie Million [33:05 - 33:07]: He does it to me all the time. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:07 - 33:20]: Yeah. That's amazing. Well, sorry, you got me a little flustered there. You know how much I care about that team. So where we'll pick up is just right after Sheri finished her question. You remember the question? 

Sheri Hudspeth [33:20 - 33:21]: Do you want me to re ask it? 

Katie Million [33:21 - 33:23]: Yeah, re ask it. If you would. 

Sheri Hudspeth [33:24 - 33:46]: All right, so my next question, it's a two part question. Obviously, we know the Olympic team is the hardest team to make. The top 1% of the 1%. Can you talk about your role as an evaluator and give us some insight on how hard it is to make those selections and how close the competition is? And then second part is, can you speak to the kids that get cut and give some advice on how to bounce back after being cut? 

Katie Million [33:47 - 37:47]: Yeah. And I. I can tell you that is the absolute worst and hardest part of my job is telling someone that they have not made 18, especially the Olympic team. When you're that close and you might be at a selection camp to try out for a team, especially the Olympic team, I'm going back in my brain to 2021, June of 2021, to be exact. Exact. Where we. We did hold an Olympic selection camp where we chose the top 28 players that would compete with us throughout the season, and we'd whittled that down to 23. Absolute worst part of the job is telling someone that they didn't make the team. What I can tell you is there's players that will take that and make that their motivation for the next time, or players that may just give up the dream. One player that I will tell you who has taken the bull by the horns and is not stopping is a. Is a player. You guys have all heard of Taylor Heise. She did not make our 2022 Beijing team for another number of reasons. She has just taken her game to another level. And barring any craziness, I cannot see us having an Olympic team without her. So that's an example of someone who just takes that news and makes it their entire motivation. And, you know, she's obviously done that as an evaluator. And, you know, I am a very collaborative person, so I don't like to make the final decisions on my own unless I have to. But we collaborate as a. As a coaching staff, as a scouting staff. We bring in lots of people, share lots of ideas, share feedback, comments. We get into fights like it's intense and I feel it's really healthy because if it was just solely me, I might miss a person that should be on that team. But with a collaborative way of evaluating and scouting and having these discussions, I feel like we. I feel like our process is 100% dialed in and we're looking at, you know, how players can fit into different roles, what that, you know, what they do for the team, how, who's going to play on the power play, who's going to play on the PK, like what kind of role each player is going to going to play. And I can tell you that those decisions are incredibly difficult. If you guys got a chance at all to watch our USA Hockey docu series, defending their ice last year leading into the world championships, you'll get a glimpse of how hard it is not only on us, not only on the players, but on us as staff. It's heart wrenching. So if you haven't watched that, I highly recommend it. Defending their ice. It's on. It's for free on YouTube. It's incredible. And our team did a really, our production team made a really good job putting that together and showing what it's all about and how hard it is. 

Lee MJ Elias [37:48 - 38:40]: What's amazing about cuts at the level you're talking about is you are cutting one of the best players in the world. There's not many scenarios where you say things like that, right? In a college environment, if you're best player, one of the best players in the world, you're probably on the team. But for the Olympics, you have to cut one of the best players in the world. And I can tell everybody listening this and everybody on the calls experience this. There's a lot in coaching that through experience, you get used to, um, or, or you just kind of. You get better at cutting anyone. Just never gets easy. It never changes. Uh, you might know something to say, you might get a little bit better at the verbiage, but it's. It's never any easier. It is easily the hardest part. I want to say it's the worst part. It's the hardest part of the job by a mile. Right. 

Katie Million [38:40 - 38:41]: Agreed. 

Lee MJ Elias [38:41 - 38:44]: Worst part being injuries and other things like that. 

Katie Million [38:44 - 38:44]: Correct. 

Lee MJ Elias [38:44 - 39:20]: But, yeah, it is so razor sharp. But with that said, like, reiterating what we talked about earlier, Katie, it's. It's a worthy pursuit. And you talked about how you argue in the back room a lot of times when I, when I teach coaches or I teach organizations, solid land is not made without volcanic eruptions. It's not made without molten rock and earthquakes. All right. Like you have to go through that process. If it's easy to pick the team, that's probably not a good thing. 

Katie Million [39:21 - 39:23]: Exactly. Exactly. 

Lee MJ Elias [39:24 - 39:57]: So it should be hard. You should be able to tell your players to this for all the coaches out there. I want you to make this hard. I want to have a hard time picking this team. Right. Exactly. That means you're battling in your. And you're trying. And that documentary is definitely something to check out. Sorry, I had to throw that in. Mike, I think you have the next question here, but I'm just fascinated with that kind of process. And I love that you said that it's a two way process on the staff as well because I've never met a coach at the level we're talking that takes enjoyment. No, in that process. 

Katie Million [39:58 - 40:10]: Well, that's just it. I mean, you want every single person to be successful and just to tell them that they're that close, but. Sorry. Yeah, it's awful. 

Mike Bonelli [40:12 - 41:43]: Yeah, no, I mean, I mean, and just to reiterate on that piece, because we all, we've all been in these trial situations, too. I think for the, for the, for the, I think the almost the player does understand that when they get to the Olympic level and, you know, there is, there is a business like approach at that level. I mean, at that point, most of those players have gone through a process of, you know, and I think Megan Bozack talks about it. She's like, well, listen, you know, I got cut from this team and this is the first time I experienced this. And it's a. For anybody at any level, even the young girls that are listening to this, at any level, you get cut from something, you take that and build on. It doesn't have to be so much of a motivator, but it does have to be a lesson learned. It does have to be a. Listen, I can't take to your point. You can't take 16 1st line centermen. I mean, somebody has to play roles on a team. And the more we can teach our young players that there are roles all the time growing up. And one year you might be the fifth goalie in that grouping, and then the next year, maybe because you were the youngest, you're the first goalie in that grouping. And I think that's where this whole. And that's. Listen, that's the bottom line that's why you love sport, right? Because you, you get to go through those, those grinding ups and downs and hopefully it churns you out a little stronger. So it's a great lesson to get cut. Not that anybody likes it, but very few people don't experience it. 

Katie Million [41:43 - 42:36]: Yeah, you're right, Mike. And I think another thing that makes it interesting, too, is when you are building a team, especially at the younger levels, like the U 18 level, like you talk about goalies, you know, you, you might have a clear number one, but then 2345 get a little cloudy and like, you know, a trend might be to, you know, take a younger goalie who's going to be with us for a couple of years, who we see as having a higher trajectory, might be our pick as that third goalie. Just for experience and just to get them used to our team, our systems, how everything works within our group is a strategy that we have done as well. So building a team is like, it's not as easy as just picking the best players. 

Lee MJ Elias [42:36 - 42:56]: We just saw this play out on the women's basketball team with the exclusion of Caitlin Clark. And again, it's very easy to have an opinion on that. But when you get into the back room, and I'm not saying I agree or disagree with it, that's not where we're going with this. But you can see that that was a really hard decision that they had. 

Katie Million [42:56 - 42:57]: To make sure it was right, and. 

Lee MJ Elias [42:57 - 43:07]: There was probably a lot of things that they talked about that we're not privy to that would blow your mind in terms of how that decision gets made. Again, not trying to turn this towards the basketball or WNBA. 

Katie Million [43:07 - 43:08]: No. 

Lee MJ Elias [43:08 - 44:35]: I've got one for you here, Katie. So this is also going to kind of be a two part question kind of leading into the rivalry series. So you can kind of tell us about that. But let's, let's go back to the year 1998, when I'll just say I was a young man and the Olympics were in Nagano that year, and first time I ever saw women's hockey on the tv. And I'll tell you what, I remember feeling such immense pride when the us women, led by Cami Granado and several other players, won that gold medal. And I always, I always give that moment so much credit because I was young enough to see, like, this is normal, this is women's hockey. This is awesome. It was a real transcendent moment for me and many other people. Right? And that was not the first USA women's hockey team that ever existed. What it did start, I think, nationally, was this rivalry that we have with Canada. Right. Can you. Before we get into the rivalry series, is there even a way to describe that rivalry? Because I don't think, in sport, and please correct me if I'm wrong, there's any rivalry quite like USA Canada and women's hockey because they have both been so dominant for so long. And again, I love that we talked earlier that other countries are on the tail, but to date, it's Canada us. How can you even quantify that and what it means to your athletes and the organization as a whole? 

Katie Million [44:35 - 45:13]: Yeah, that is a crazy question, Lee, and you're right. Such an incredible rivalry. Like, you know, it doesn't matter when we play them, how we play them, whether it's, you know, a game this summer with our U 18 team or a college team in St. Catherine. It's a rivalry series. It's a world championships and Olympic games. It doesn't matter. The level we're talking about, we always want to beat Canada. Always. Always. And there's just nothing like that rivalry. Sorry, Sheri. I know you. 

Sheri Hudspeth [45:13 - 45:17]: You know, I'm just waiting for my turn for the canadian perspective here. 

Lee MJ Elias [45:17 - 45:21]: I set this question up on purpose. I might have known what I was doing there. 

Sheri Hudspeth [45:21 - 45:22]: You're trying to fire me up here. 

Katie Million [45:24 - 46:27]: But I think you would agree, like, you guys probably feel the same way. It doesn't matter. You want to beat us every time, and we want to beat you. And I. What's really funny is I think, you know, when we're on the ice, you know, the gloves literally drop and we're all in and, like, competing, and, you know, that grit and will to win. But then off the ice, there's a number of players who are, like, really good friends, and, like, I'm pretty good friends with Gina, the GM of Canada. And, you know, there's even been a couples that have now gotten married and have children. So that is also a mind blowing thing. But to answer your question, the rivalry is. Yeah, I mean, I'm obviously close to it and in it, so I don't see anything, you know, as big, but it is crazy and fun. 

Lee MJ Elias [46:27 - 46:33]: It's. It's like that an anchorman quote of I hate you with all of my being, but darn it, expect you. 

Sheri Hudspeth [46:34 - 47:38]: I think you could do, like, an entire episode on how 1998 changed the landscape for women's hockey in America. You know, like, they were on the Wheaties box and just, like, the exposure that they got in the states. And I think, like, without that, I don't know, if we're here now, if we don't have those players like Megan Duggan that saw those, you know, 98 players and wanted to be like them. And it's just, I think it's where we're at now is because of that. And it's like I always kind of wonder because like I was aging myself 17 and 1998 and, and I played on a team, junior Arrows and on the senior Arrows was a lot of those players like Cassie Campbell, Geraldine Heaney, like the Olympians were on that team right. Right in front of me when they lost. Like it was devastating because Canada was so dominant at that time. Right. And then started to feel like, well, us is like a real, real threat here now and, and yeah, went, then went to the states and played hockey in the States, but it's just taken off because I think that year was the changing points. It's almost the 2024 back there now. It's like another, it was another revolution then. 

Katie Million [47:38 - 48:20]: I completely agree with you, Sheri. And just like, even if you look at like membership numbers of girls and women playing hockey from 1998 till today, it's just been like that. Like it's, it's. And you're absolutely right. It's a direct result of that team. And then, you know, I will say every olympic year there's always that boost and like, it always helps to win medals and especially gold. And that's our, certainly our focus for 2026. But the growth of girls and women's hockey has just been incredible and like you said, do a lot to that 1998 team and the success that they had. 

Lee MJ Elias [48:20 - 48:23]: Yeah. I won't age myself and tell you how old I was then, but I. 

Sheri Hudspeth [48:23 - 48:26]: We already both did. So you might as well jump on, right? 

Lee MJ Elias [48:26 - 49:41]: I was, I was. I was close to you, Sheri, I'll put it that way. But I, I'll say this, too. You know, when you look at progressions and this is pertainment to the episode, too, of just how to make it because, because evolutions will happen. You know, if you're ten years old today and you want to make the team in eight or ten years, it might look a lot different by then. But that 1998 team led to a lot of things that led to professional women's hockey in general, that led to the PWHL and so forth and so on and the expansion, if you will. And Katie, obviously you played a massive role in the college side of this as well, which was a wonderful prerequisite for your super awesome kick butt title now and things like that, but it's been amazing to watch the sport grow, to watch society also grow, I think is a big part of this as well. And it look, as the father of two children, but my son and daughter, both of them, to see this and to see the possibilities with this as a dad is really heartwarming. Now, let's turn back to what we were talking about because the rivalry series is coming up. We wanted to give you some time to, to promote that. Um, again, just so you know, before you answer, we are going to come visit you at your office and, uh, can get tickets for this. But why don't you tell everybody listening about the rivalry series coming up because we'll make sure this episode is out in time for them to, to look into. 

Katie Million [49:41 - 50:47]: Awesome. Yeah, no, I'd love to talk about that. And I have one other, like, kid, kid based story I want to tell you guys because I think it ties in. But, um. Yeah, the rivalry series coming up in November during the international break. Oh, gosh, I should have my calendar in front of me to give you example, dates. But what, what you'll see is our roster of pro and college players be part of that event. So this is the, the event that we're really, we're really testing is as a indicator of what the next 18 months look like. This, this event is going to be huge for us. So we are going to be in the US for three games in November 1. One is in Boise, Idaho. Bear with me. 1 second that game is. Sorry. We start in San Jose on. 

Lee MJ Elias [50:47 - 50:50]: I love the way you're teasing our audience here. This is working out. 

Katie Million [50:51 - 50:55]: I know. I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to be telling this information right now. 

Lee MJ Elias [50:55 - 50:58]: But give us the scoop. We'll take that any day. 

Sheri Hudspeth [50:58 - 51:04]: Inside or inside Edition? Inside Edition only on our girls play hockey. 

Katie Million [51:04 - 52:30]: That's right. So November 6, we're going to be in San Jose playing our first rivalry series of the 24 25 season. Tickets go on sale. I don't know when, but buy them. Then we on, on Friday, November 8, we go to the new market of Salt Lake City for another rivalry series game there. So excited to get there and see all the new hockey fans in Salt Lake and show them the US Canada rivalry and get them excited about our women's hockey teams. And then we do wrap up that November rivalry series in Boise, Idaho on November 10. So super excited to have three of our five rivalry series games this year in the US. Then in February, we'll go up to Canada with a pro team and play, you know, two games up there. I'm not sure those have been announced yet, but sounds like it's going to be in eastern Canada for all the eastern folks out there. And then, like I said before, in December, instead of doing a rivalry series, we're doing that Six nations tournament with a college team in Finland. So we're super, super excited about that. 

Lee MJ Elias [52:30 - 53:11]: So you're not busy at all, is what you're saying. You're just. No, no, nothing going on. No, nothing going on. I think the point here is that this is a year round process, not just for you and your staff, but for the young women that want to make this team and the professional players that want to make this team. And I think kind of book ending this episode. This is why it's so important to have fun, because. Because it is such a challenge. Right. And if you're not able to enjoy it, what are we doing? Right? The grind is fun. The hard is fun. To quote one of my favorite movies, a league of their own, the hard is what makes it great. Right? 

Katie Million [53:11 - 53:14]: But you are full of quotes, Lee. 

Lee MJ Elias [53:14 - 53:31]: Yeah. You know, it comes with watching movies, growing up, and memorizing them, which to some people, like my wife, is the worst thing ever. But for the sake of a podcast, it works out pretty well. But no. Am I wrong, Katie? Like, in terms of just book any this, like, have fun. You got to have fun with this game. Yeah. 

Katie Million [53:31 - 54:12]: And, you know, Lee, it's like, you know, there used to be a hockey offseason and, you know, there you take the summer off. At least for us, the summer is our busiest time with all of our district events and player development camps and then our big August festival. And then, you know, you have the ebbs and flows for sure, but it's a year round thing for us. And obviously our players, too. You know, they're putting in the grind every day and making sure they're healthy and ready to go for all of our events as well as. As their professional and college team. So definitely a grind. And you gotta enjoy the suck, as. 

Lee MJ Elias [54:12 - 54:32]: You said, my new favorite quote that I've been saying to all the parents that gets a chuckle is like, only twelve more months to go. We only have twelve more months to go. Right. But that's how long the season lasts. The audience will kill me if I don't remind you that you said you had another player story to share and we'll end on that and we'll let you go on. 

Katie Million [54:33 - 55:38]: It's not really a player story, but I think it's just a. It's an example. We were talking about, you know, how the 98 team inspired, like, a whole new generation of players. And we just had our women's world championships in Utica, New York, this past April. And for me, it was a, it was a home game. I'm from the central New York area, so it was really special to me that we, we had the opportunity to be back there and, oh, sorry, phone was ringing again. So my story is that my family was able to come out and watch several of the games. And my niece and nephew, or my niece is ten and my nephew, who's seven, got to come to a bunch of games and meet players and get autographs and they loved it so much. My little seven year old nephew has just started playing hockey because the women inspired him. 

Lee MJ Elias [55:38 - 55:39]: That's awesome. 

Sheri Hudspeth [55:39 - 55:40]: Love that. 

Katie Million [55:40 - 56:05]: And, like, I just think that's the coolest thing that, you know, from him going to see our women and meeting them and, and watching the games. Now he, he wants to be a hockey player. It's not because he went to an NHL game or, you know, saw the guys play. It's because he saw Layla Edwards and KK and Taylor and all those players out there and wants to be like them. And I think that's, like, the coolest thing. 

Lee MJ Elias [56:05 - 56:33]: That is cool. And, and I'll say this, too, as a compliment to you. You're not, to me, the women's GM. You're a GM. You're just a hockey GM. And like I said, the more we can push towards kind of like you're a hockey player or something like that, it, it just goes to show you that we can all inspire each other. And, you know, women's national program is very inspiring to all of us. But you are as well, Katie. And the fact you gave us so much time today really means a lot. So appreciate you coming on here. 

Katie Million [56:34 - 56:39]: Well, always a blast talking with you guys and reconnecting and appreciate you having me. 

Lee MJ Elias [56:39 - 56:43]: I appreciate you being here, Mike, Sheri, any other final thoughts before I close this out? 

Sheri Hudspeth [56:43 - 56:46]: No, this was great. Thank you so much, Katie, for being here. 

Katie Million [56:46 - 56:48]: Thank you, guys. 

Mike Bonelli [56:48 - 56:49]: Good luck with the scheduling. 

Katie Million [56:52 - 56:53]: Thank you. 

Lee MJ Elias [56:53 - 57:41]: All right. That's going to do it for this edition of our girls play hockey. Remember, all of the episodes available on ourkidsplayhockey.com. or you can email us if you have any questions, thoughts, concerns, anything you want us to talk about. Team@ourkidsplayhockey.com but for katie Million, Sheri Hudspeth and mike benelli, I'm Lee elias. We'll see you on the next edition of our girls play hockey. Skate on everybody. We hope you enjoyed this edition of our kids play Hockey. Make sure to like and subscribe right now if you found value wherever you're listening, whether it's a podcast network, a social media network, or our website, our kidsplayhockey.com. also, make sure to check out our children's book when hockey stops at when hockeystops.com. it's a book that helps children deal with adversity in the game and in life. We're very proud of it. But thanks so much for listening to this edition of our kids play hockey, and we'll see you on the next episode.