Our Girls Play Hockey: A Day in the Life (Mid-Season): Hayley Scamurra, Olympian & PWHL Veteran

Hello, hockey friends and families around the world, and welcome back to another edition of Our Girls Play Hockey. It's Lee, Elias, and Mike Bonelli with our very own hayley Scamurra today. And I introduced the show that way because today is another day in the life of hayley Scamurra, and we're really enjoying... This series, because I'm actually not going to say this like humbly. This is amazing. We've got a PWHL athlete. We have a Team USA athlete in an Olympic year going through what is becoming the best season for the PWHL ever. Not only is this just a great series, hayley, about a day in the life, but it's it's it's a banner year for. for, for women's hockey, Olympic hockey. I mean, all these things. So I actually want to start again by thanking you for sharing your journey for, for allowing us to kind of get a peek behind the curtain and what it's like to be you. I think it's amazing. So again, this won't even be the last one, right? We got to have to do one after Italy too, but you know, thank you so much for doing this. Yeah, no problem. I think it's, I love sharing this with people because so many people don't understand the ins and outs and, you know, with the league and how I play for a Canadian team, but I'm on the USA team. And so you'd be shocked how many questions I get about that. And so I love to shed light on kind of everything we're doing as professional athletes and as a Team USA athlete as well. Well, I can't wait to dive into that on this episode today. I joked with you before the episode, prepare to be interrogated or questioned. But we have to really start with this. You have been named Team USA. You are now an Olympian. This was the goal at the start of the season. We mentioned in previous episodes, while you are favored to be on Team USA three, four months ago, you have to earn it. It is not guaranteed. There's nothing that says you're going to be on the team, but you have been named to the team. So for Mike and I, from, from the whole show, from the whole audience, congratulations on being named an Olympian to the USA hockey team again. Oh, thank you so much. Yeah, it was, um, just incredibly exciting and just such an honor, honestly. And I think I kept my calm, pretty cool, calm, collected and everything. But the day we heard we were going to get the calls, it was a little stressful. So just kind of staring at my phone, waiting for the time to go by a little faster. And when I got the call from guests of the show, Katie Million, and you know, she was doing chit chat and I'm like, okay, hopefully this is good news then after we chit chat here. And um yeah i just like i cried after it was just incredible it was just such like a relief and excitement and just all the things yeah so as they say you make the team right but now this is really where the hard work begins and i think you'll maybe uh talk a little bit about like how did your how did your mindset change when you you made the team there's relief right there's joy and you're like okay this is awesome and it's like Oh, my God, how am I going to do all this? Like, I got to play pro hockey. I have to live. I have to play for the Olympics. So, you know, what goes through your mind right away when that when that call happens and you have to start, like, looking at your calendar saying, OK, how am I going to make this work? I think the biggest thing was honestly to just enjoy that moment. That was my second time having that news about making the Olympic team. And so, yeah. I really just soaked it in that day. I called my family. I shared it with like close friends and just kind of allowed myself to be just happy in that moment and not really think too far ahead yet. But then it is funny. So the next day it was like kind of back to business with the PWHL. And we talked a little bit about that on the call with hayley Wynn where it's like, yes, like I'm an Olympian or going to the Olympic soon. And, um, but you didn't really celebrate that with your teammates for team USA. You kind of just went back to business. And so that was kind of the difference between the two for myself. And, um, that was definitely interesting. But honestly, it kind of helps you stay grounded and kind of stay in the moment. Cause like, I can't really think too far ahead. It's like, we had a game last night, have game, a game coming up on Sunday. Like you don't really have a choice, but to stay in the moment and just to keep playing your game. Cause that will ultimately prepare you for the ultimate goal in the Olympics. Yeah, and just to set the stage for everybody listening again, this is a very unique year. This is the first time that there's been a prominent women's professional league as the Olympics are going on. We talked in previous episodes how when you made the Olympic team, you were with the Olympic team, but potentially when it was picked, and then really for months leading up to the event, this is the first time that has not happened. Obviously mirroring NHL players, right, who are also returning to the Olympics for the first time in many, many years. Um, hayley, here's a good question for you. Um, and again, we're going to jump around here a little bit. Um, the last Olympics you were at that were not NHL players here. Now it's not so much, I'm asking you, are you starstruck? You're a professional player too, but have you given any thought that, you know, you might be rubbing elbows, uh, you know, with Connor McDavid and some of these other, you know, you know, uh, uh, players on team USA, team Canada, uh, that are around. I don't think they stay in the Olympic village. I don't know where you stay, but has that crossed your mind at all? This is more of, I guess, of a kind of a fan question, right? Yeah. I don't know. How do you approach that? Cause it's going to happen. Are you sending hayley over with some bag of jerseys or something like that? How many favors can we pull? Um, I it's super exciting. It's, it's so cool that we'll be in the same kind of realm with them and sharing in the same experience and, um, hasn't fully hit me yet, but I think it will, as soon as we're all hanging out or going to the dining hall together or at opening ceremonies, we'll be walking in together. And, um, it's different this year with the Olympics in terms of the villages are all kind of spread out. So I believe at our village, it's just like hockey. So men's and women's speed skating. That actually might be it. I think it's just like those two. I think figure skating might even be further away. I actually don't quite remember. But so in that sense, it's going to be even kind of a smaller group of people together where we're sharing in this experience. So it'll be more intimate for sure. And maybe to be able to like hear like about their experiences and what it's like for them going from the NHL to the Olympics. And like this is their first time, a lot of them. They haven't been able to do it for a while. So that's also really cool. So I think they're going to be super excited and probably asking us questions, to be honest, because it is different for sure. I'm just saying it's really cool that I mean, I think the NHL players have experienced this for a long time. But I think now that you mentioned earlier that you're on team team and all the women on the Olympic team are on teams that have other Olympians on them. So now you have to go into the village. And are you staking out your claim there? Does the game face go on during that period of time? How does your mental process go in to knowing that every night you have to go battle against your teammate, basically, and win? That's your objective at the end of the day. Absolutely. I think, honestly, as soon as we get to Olympic time, it's like I'm hanging with my Team USA athletes and there's... no one else like i'm not hanging out with anyone else not talking with anyone else i would say game face is on for sure well and i would you are the enemy right well here's the funny part about it this is why i said this is a unique year uh we're recording this on january fourteenth uh last night hayley olympian lined up with the captain of team canada on her line I mean, and I know you're not thinking of when you're with the Victoire, you're thinking about that. You're thinking about winning a team like like you're two true professional. But like that's the situation, you know, both of you are in right of like we have to compete together to win this game. You did win. It was a great game. We joked earlier, gave a great interview last night. We can want to say that. But that's the world you're in now. And here's the thing. I'm going to say it. It's about darn time that this is something you have to deal with, right? And I was going to say, too, you know, when you're in the Olympic Village, you know, and when the Kachuks come up to you and ask your advice on how to play more physical, I hope you give it to them, hayley, because that's part of your game that we love. No, listen, it's super exciting about the Olympics. This is a buzz question that I have to ask, right? That I don't want to ask, but I'm going to have to ask. There has been a lot of questions about the rink in Italy. I think it is completely overblown. I do believe that it's not to the standard we're used to in the United States of a billion dollar arena. But... There's always I'll phrase the question like this. There's always noise. This is just such noise. Right. When you approach this, you hear these things. Is your focus like I don't care what the arena looks like as long as the ice is good or is there chatter about this? Do you guys roll your eyes at this? Because from a fan experience, it's all over the news. And I'm going to say it too. I just think it's so ridiculous that like, you know, well, no one we know, guys. It's like you're creating something out of nothing. What is the experience from the players? How are you all dealing with that information? Do you even care? Does it even register? You know what I mean? Are you being briefed on it? These are the things I want to know. Yeah. yeah um honestly i think it's blown out of proportion as well i saw there was the video they're like there's a huge hole in the ice or whatever and then like someone came back they're like we played in the game it was just a normal divot it's the first ice testing it's no big deal like it will be fine it was the size of a car hayley what are you talking about they made it sound like it was a gaping hole they will be missed i'm like okay you guys like let's relax a little bit but like we were told like lower expectations in terms of like the rink like they are building this ring from scratch that used to be like a conference center or something crazy like because they're doing like a whole like reusable thing it's not going to be torn down after oh that's great um yeah And so it is interesting, but they're like, you know, lower expectations. It's not going to be an NHL arena. Like, we know that. And to be honest, it really hasn't even been a conversation in our room. Like, I think we're just like, we just want to play like we don't care. And you've seen that from other NHL players, too. They're like, I don't care if it's a box like we're playing at the Olympics. Like, I don't care what the, you know. And, like, honestly, all ice dimensions are slightly different. Like, people have bigger neutral zones, smaller neutral zones. At Lowell, at UMass Lowell, where we play Boston, like, in the PW, the behind the net is massive. Right. Like, it's just, there's all different dimensions everywhere. You adapt. It's really no big deal. Well, and... For the hockey players listening, both teams have to play on this ice. Who's going to have an advantage? It doesn't work that way. Everyone's got to play on that ice. The other one I was hearing now is, and this is how I know things are blown out of proportion, they're not focusing on the ice now as of this recording. It's the scoreboard. the scoreboard is not up to snuff. I'm like, okay, if we're complaining about the scoreboard, I think we're going to be doing all right. Um, you know, cause I know when we're watching on TV, it's going to be real hard to look at the scorecard at the top of the screen. But, uh, you know, I do want to say this too, just, you know, educationally for people, um, When it comes to the Olympics, most Olympic cities, like ninety eight percent of them, it's not a moneymaker for these cities. They're actually losing money on the Olympics. It is kind of one gigantic tourism ad at the end of the day for these nations. The only cities that make money on the Olympics are cities that are using existing buildings. So, for example, when the Olympics were in Los Angeles, they used Los Angeles buildings when it's in Salt Lake City. They will use the arena at their disposal. So they're not spending money. I'm just saying that because there's not a lot of education out there about how the Olympics work. There is a lot of hoopla and this, and I can't wait to hear about the food out there and things like that. But the point that I was hoping you would make, which you did, is that you guys focus on what you can control. It's not about looking at all these other things. This is part of being a professional athlete, right, or an Olympic athlete in this case. I also want to say, too, we were joking with hayley before the show. For those of you not watching, she's wearing a Team USA hoodie right now, and we were joking, there it is, that you're not just a fan of that team. You're on that team. That's your team. Yes. Hopefully that was free for you. Yeah, well, hopefully all of it is. So that brings my next question. We will dive into the PWHL stuff here in a minute. I just want to keep it on, you know, you making Team USA. You know, we've talked in previous episodes about the need to understand representing what that means. So when you put that hoodie on this morning, It's not like, hey, I'm supporting my favorite band here. When you put that on, do you go, that's my team? What is that experience like from now on or even prior that you know you're representing the nation? I'm trying to say, I can't really wrap my head around that fully. I have it on a small scale. You know that. I can't imagine. Can you even put that into words for us? It's kind of hard, honestly, but Oh yeah. It's just an incredible honor always. And yeah, I get, I get free merch that because I represent my country and things like that. But yeah, when you put the Jersey on, it's definitely a special feeling and it's, yeah, it's hard to describe to be honest. No, that's fair. I went to the Olympics and I got this t-shirt. That should be the, that should be the merch. Back in the day, that's what you did. That's what you got, right? You got this. Cause you get to keep the opening ceremony stuff. No? Yes. It looked pretty nice this year. Yeah, yeah. So that will get, when we get to Italy, they'll do, it's called processing. And so we get all of our gear. So opening ceremony, closing ceremony. And then there's just outfits to wear like around the village. So basically you just wear everything they give you. So Nike, Ralph Lauren. uh skims like that's awesome ton of stuff so like you just wear usa clothes the whole time so you don't really have to even bring much small carry-on right yeah that's great yeah yeah just dress clothes for the game yeah no that's awesome here's another kind of dopey question you get the opening ceremony stuff which is usually a little fantastical that's the word i'll use uh what do you do with that when you're done it's not something typically you wear around town no it's right now it's in storage but um I, you know, it's so cool. You obviously keep it and you want to savor it, but yeah, it's pretty like, uh, it's out there for like, it's in your face USA, you know, so you're not wearing it too often. Um, but you know, for USA events or whenever I'm celebrating Olympics in the future, I'll be pulling those out for sure. Yeah. Maybe, maybe we'll be able to convince hayley in a future episode to wear it on, on an actual episode. We'll see. Yeah. For sure. When I come back with my stuff, I can put it on the outfit. There you go. Just compared it to Olympic outfits. Yeah. So I had a question as you're talking about, and it's really a PWHL and an Olympic question, really, just from the point of view of the day-to-day life of Hailey Strumer and how you actually look at this. From a professional point of view, because I think as fans, you're like, oh, she's got to hate those teammates. She's got to, you know, she's got, you know, everything like that. Could you just express at the NHL level, too? We see it all the time. Like, and I think actually fans get mad that players interact like when the game ends and the buzzer goes off. They're like high-fiving and hugging and signing each other. Like you're like, wait, you can't like that person. You must hate them. Can you just talk about the dynamic of that a little bit and how you kind of understand that for yourself and how you actually, you know, work within, you know, the ability to, you know, turn it on and turn it off and understand that this is being part of a professional. Yeah. I think, you know, we're all on the same page. We all have like that mutual respect for one another, but it's also a sign of respect to play hard against one another as well. Like we've talked about that in a previous episode for sure. And if I'm like, I would be doing a disservice to everyone if I'm going easy on anyone out there. So whenever you're on the other team, I'm going to play physical. I'm going to hit you. You know what I mean? Like it doesn't change. Yeah. And how much we want to win for the team we're on outweighs however I feel about someone on the other team, for sure. Do you think that fans don't appreciate that? that part of it, like they don't, I don't know if like a fan, like, I think, you know, when you see this, you know, that, that, that they, how upset they get that, like that you're having a conversation with another human being and they're like, well, listen, there's, but I think that's what separates the professional, right. That says, no, no, no, we, we are going to compete. And then when we're done competing, I mean, that's a, that's a great life lesson probably, you know, in a lot of ways too, right. That, you know, when we're done competing, we're, We're going to be able to go out and have dinner together and then go back at it tomorrow. Yeah, I think sometimes fans have a hard time understanding that. I think it's people who maybe weren't competitive in sports necessarily or like not at that level. They don't understand how you can flip that switch. I remember with like, we have Abby Rock on our team now and she got into things with Poulin when she was on the other team. And now their line was like, how are you doing that? And we're like, it's not a big deal, you guys. Like we literally, I'm sure Abby literally hung out with Poulin after the games when she was on the other team. Like it's really not that deep. We don't hold grudges. It's like what happens on the ice stays on the ice. So it's not as wild as you would think it is. I'll say, too, a few things. One is that, Mike, to your point, where she'll be playing against teammates in the Olympics, every night that hayley plays, she's playing against a teammate on the other team. There's a Team USA athlete on every team. So she's playing against one of them. The second thing, too, is we're speaking about fans and the life lessons here. the ultimate sign of gratitude, the ultimate sign is to give everything you got against your opponent, even if they're a friend. To the point that, and for the fans listening, I'm actually, I can be insulted if you're not giving me your best, right? I want you to challenge me to do my very, very best all the time. I know that's a professional mentality. I think what happens with sometimes fans is they allow the emotional side to cloud their judgment. As a pro athlete, if you do that, I'm not saying there's not times where the emotions run high, but I'm saying if you allow those emotions to control you, it will inevitably lead to really bad results. decision, bad play, bad outcome. You know, I think I can't remember who said it, but they said it really great that like, if you're really angry, that will give you a short, like Hulk level burst of energy, but it will not last. Right. And it's, it's like a, it's a ten percent, twenty percent chance that it may work. But the consistency of gratitude, the consistency of competition that will almost always breed results. Right. Right. Again, because like hockey, hockey is a physical sport. There's aggression. I'm not I'm not denying that. Yeah, but maybe it's people that don't have siblings either. Right. Because you want to. Because I think when you play against your siblings, you love everything. You will never lose like you refuse to lose. And I think when somebody gives you like, oh, I'll give you this one. You're like, don't give me this one. I'm going to take it from you. And I think that's where like I think that's like, you know, hayley, we see it all the time right on our show. about all like depending on where you fell in the sibling birth year i mean it's like it really is telling like where where athletes end up being because they were you know from six years old to twelve they were beaten up and they had to compete for every single scrap right and i think uh when you have to go through that type of life it it it really molds you as a as an athlete later on that's such a great like analogy i actually love that I haven't really heard that before. That's so funny. Oh, it's true. It's like I'm the younger brother. Right. And I'm the youngest. Yeah. Yeah. I always it's funny because my older brother, I don't have the one older brother, but he hates when I say it. But I always say like you kind of paved the way for me. And I realized when I got older, the reason he hated that is because no one paved the way for him. Um, and in the sense of, I shouldn't say he hated it cause he's, he's a great older brother and he's all, he really has always led the way. But for him, it was like he was pioneering the way, you know, and he had to figure it out, which, which gave me, and it did, it gave me an advantage. Right. Um, but well, it's funny in the development world, you try to replicate that. Like I know when I see it, when I see an evaluation or a tryout, I tell you right now, I guarantee that. Ninety percent certainty. I can tell if that player is a younger sibling. I can almost, almost always tell. And it's just even their swagger and their maturity and their, you know, just little things that you're like, oh, this kid has an older like I don't like my guy. And that's what I dread. Like my my kids are six years apart. And I was like, oh, this bus driver is going to be in one hell of a heap of trouble when my younger guy hits the bus. Right. Because he's used to listen to a bunch of fifteen year olds like he thinks he's fifteen. I'm like, you ain't fifteen. You're eight. You know, so I think it's just like those little those little pieces about development that that come up when you're in like a sibling rivalry. But I think it really does replicate. That's why I think that's why. And Lee's talked about this all the time, is that's why like teams that are families fight harder together because they fight harder against each other. Like those practices are the worst. And it's like, well, because I love you. Like, I want to I want to make sure that I'm going to beat the heck out of you so that you're getting better and I'm getting better. That's a professional mentality. The best athletes, they push you to the uncomfortable. That's what it takes. Last thing I'll say too is my brother's five years older than me. That's a guaranteed loss for me at most athletic activities. The first time that I remember ever, we'll say come out on top, was I was in college. I was in college the first time. I really felt like I got him at something. Because, you know, it was a little more equal at that point is what I'm trying to say. But, man, it was just chasing and chasing and chasing and trying to do it. And it builds some grit inside of you. And I'm going to say this, too. My brother has a tremendous amount of grit, but he paved that way. hayley, let's get back to you because it's about your episode here. So, look, look. Again, we talked about the Olympics and the excitement. For the listeners, again, obviously, we'll talk to hayley again after the Olympics as well. But let's paint the picture here of where you're at today, right? I said it again. It's January the fourteenth. We're recording this. You had a game last night. You were up late last night. Probably didn't sleep that well. You got another game coming up. You got to be traveling to Washington, D.C. here. You're all over the place, right? As of today in the standings, the Victoire are in second place. I know you guys probably don't look at that too much, but you just proved it by your reaction. You just play the game in front of you. It's like we are. Having a good season. Actually, we should note that for the listeners. When we said that, she didn't even know. She didn't even know where she was at. Because let's start there, right? You're not really looking at the table because it's just you got to play the game in front of you. And standings take care of themselves, right? Can you maybe comment on that for a minute? They definitely do, and especially in our league, we have the three-point system, for those that don't know. So that means with a regulation win, it's three points. If it's an overtime or shootout win, it's two points. And then, obviously, if you lose in an overtime or shootout, you get one point. Right. So that allows huge jumps in our standings. So literally, we were in last place three games ago, I think. You know what I mean? So that's how crazy the jumps can be. Right. So if you get caught up in the standings, you're just going to... go make yourself a little crazy. So honestly, I don't really look at them too much, as you could tell by my reaction. But I do follow the games. I'll watch other games and things like that. But it's interesting to see for sure. But yeah, they fluctuate like crazy. And it's always a tight race. Yeah. And for the fans at home, just to confirm what you're saying, it's a seven point spread between second and eighth right now, which like you said, two games can dramatically change where you're at in the standings. But yeah, no, I will say you are leading the standings in best jerseys in the league. I've been saying that for a while now. Especially those maroon jerseys. Yeah, they're pretty awesome. They're my favorite. Yeah, they're really nice. If anyone from the Victoria is listening, please restock your jerseys so people can buy them. they're in demand guys come on all right so i wanted to say that um but yeah you said you're about a third of the way through the season um why again this is a very broad kind of question walk us through it how's the first third of the season talk to us about um the team but also where you're at physically mentally right like like this is the point of the season after the holidays you know it now starts to drag isn't the right word but you're feeling it i guess it Yeah, a little tired right now. Late game, so kind of hard to fall asleep. A little sore. Not too bad, though. I expected to be feeling it more. So overall, in that sense, I feel like I'm doing really well. As a team, I thought last night was one of our best games of the season. Every single line, every single deep pair, we were all clicking. We didn't give them, like, anything, really. Like, five on five, especially, like... They barely had ozone time. And then we just smothered them at all times. And then any chances we had, they were all grade A chances. Like, we didn't... We didn't have like just a lot of volume shooting from out far. Like we made the most of all of our chances, I thought. And like I said, all of our lines were just going. So it was a lot of fun to play last night. And I think that that was a huge win for our team. And I think a huge confidence boost as well for our group and just kind of shows what we're capable of when we're all working together the way that we were and playing as hard as we were. this is like when you look at like when you're looking at the team right and you're looking at like how you feel like you played last night and and all the work that's going into there like what is that message now that like oh so like you just said you don't look at the standings but somebody's looking at the standings right and the coaches are trying to say like okay well how do we continue to keep this momentum going uh and and following that direction so how much time goes into like reviewing last night now, because we all know at the professional level, you're just going right. It's just like, go, go, go, go, go. So there's not a lot like in college hockey, which probably a lot different, right. Where you played your weekend series, you had your review, you had your, you know, and then you prepared for the next team. Maybe talk about the little differences in that and how, you know, your, your coaching staff and the organization is now preparing you for the next game. We usually will review the game like the next practice we have. So today's an off day. Tomorrow we'll practice and we'll have a meeting before practice where we'll probably talk about things we did well, things we can improve. improve on um and then usually we have like themes to our practices so like let's say they notice we didn't create chances on our entries for example then they'll kind of show us where on our entries we can improve and upgrade our chances um and then we'll like work on that a lot in practice like all of our drills will kind of um, have some sort of entry involved. Um, I think that's probably the biggest thing is like the, the things we work on are pretty quick. We'll have one practice to pretty much work on that. Maybe two, cause we'll travel on Friday. We go to DC practice in DC and then game Sunday. So it's like a lot quicker of a turnaround. So like the things you need to improve on and work on, you're doing it for like maybe one, maybe two practices. And then you're onto the next game. Um, But I think that also helps in terms of moving on from like maybe a bad game or mistakes or things like that. You can't really dwell on it. Like in college, you have a whole week to think about it. But in the pro life, it's like you're on to the next. You got to refocus pretty quick. So I'm looking at a lot of statistics now, and I'm just doing this to get some good questions. I know it's maybe not the complete focus. Looking at the victoire mainly, best home record in the league right now, right? Maybe talk a little bit about playing in Montreal now. You've been there for a while, right? You've got a great fan base there, obviously, in Canada, a fan base that's going to completely turn on you in about a month. Yeah. for two weeks. But what's it like being in Montreal? Again, look, when you have the best home record, I mean, I think that does say something about the environment. A thousand percent. Our fans are just so loud. Like regardless of how many are in there, they just envelop the entire rink. Like it's so, it's hard not to play well in front of them. They're just giving you so much energy and they're so excited to be there. And they're like, they're just, it's always loud in there. Like I swear it's never quiet. And it really gives us so much energy. I don't know how much they realize that, but it helps a ton. And so we're always very grateful for them and, I think you're right. It shows in our record for sure. Yeah. No, I always find that amazing because, you know, look, I know fans don't, you know, play the game, but I don't know any player that would say they don't impact the environment of the game, which, which is part of it. Right. And I think that the fact that people, this is across the league are just showing up in droves to support this league still. Cause like, let's be honest, hayley, after the first season, and I know we're in the third season now for anybody listening to this in the future, there was that question of like, okay, is this just a one-time thing? And that was across women's sports, right? We saw it in the WNBA of, okay, people are coming out to support it. Is this a one-time thing? It's not. It has not been a one-time thing. It's three seasons now of people showing up I don't want to ask how does that make you feel? That's such a broad question, but that must make you feel confident in where this is heading, right? Because if it was a one-year thing, we would know by now. Mm-hmm. Yeah, for sure. I think it's been really cool to see with the takeover games, like, in markets that we're not normally in. I think that's one of the cooler parts about our league is that you see how much other markets want women's hockey. Right. Because they're coming out, like, they don't have a stake in the games, you know? Like, I'm sure they obviously, like, have their favorite players, their favorite teams, but, like, there's not that, like, hometown excitement necessarily. But it's there because they want a team to come there next. And I think... that's probably the coolest part about it and where you see the growth the most. Because like, you know, especially in the Canadian markets where I'm at most of the time, obviously, the fans have been there the whole time. And that's also been really cool to see. Like over and over again, They're still coming in the same amount with the same energy. And so they ain't going away. It's staying there for sure. And then other like all the average attendances throughout the whole league, U.S. states involved as well. All of them are up. Yeah. So I only see it going up from here for sure. And that's definitely the coolest part. It's not just a year one thing like we're in year three. Yeah. And look, it's one of the most comforting things to talk about. Like the ceiling's broken. Right. Which is great. And don't worry, there's other ceilings that have to be broken still with a lot of different things. But it's cool to see. Like, I don't hear anybody complaining too much anymore. That first season, it was like, OK, everybody loves women's sports. It's like, no, it's just kind of real, guys. It's not, you know, the ceiling's broken and it's here to stay, which is fantastic. Another stat I'm looking at, like Mike and I are both coaches, right? You guys are second best penalty kill in the league. And I know you log a lot of minutes on that PK. Can you talk to us a little bit about the dedication to special teams? And do you feel like that's something that's starting to define you a bit? Do you feel like that, you know, we'll talk about roles on the team in a minute. But another very important stat is to have that special teams. And talk to us how special teams works on a pro team. I thought we were first in the league, PK. Did it change? Oh, man. It did change. But you don't look at the standings, I thought. Now, as of today. Well, she's on the PK, so that's a little different. Yeah, I take some special pride in my PK. There's a little pride there. As of today, Boston has that number one spot. That's so funny. I bet you maybe because they scored against us. Because we were, we had, so I do look at some stats. So we had, I think. Yeah. Twenty four power plays we killed off without letting a goal against until last night we did let one in. Yeah. And I'm looking at the stats and like that is what it is. I think that. Yeah. So I'm just giving you a hard time. But no, I I take a lot of pride in my PK for sure. You know, with USA Hockey, it's definitely like. one of my bigger roles with this team. It's still a role that I take very seriously. And I love, like, even as a kid, I loved being on PK. It was my favorite to like make the power plays life miserable. Like I loved it. I loved ruining their time, you know, like thinking they could come in and just, you know, set up. It's like, no, like get out of here. Right. So I, I love that part of the game. And I think it's, Having a good PK gives your team so much energy. Like, it's such a momentum boost when you kill off a penalty. And especially, like, I think we had one last night where, like, they literally didn't enter our zone. We just kept turning it back. And we were changing on, like, our possession. Like, we're like, oh, yeah, let's go back in. And, like, that kills the other team's momentum, like, hugely. So PK is so important in the game. And we're just super confident with ours. And it's one of my favorites. I love PK. Let me ask you this on the PK too. PWHL has the jailbreak rule, which is electric. All right. For those of you listening, if you are shorthanded in score, your teammates out of the box. And I have coached in some environments where that's possible. It's not so much that when we coach, we're looking to do it. It's one of those things of if the opportunity presents itself, you go for it. But when you get it, I actually don't know of anything in the game that is that big of a momentum shift, you know, outside scoring a goal. Right. Like just a generic goal. But I would say this is even more electric. But how do you approach that as a team? Is it something that is even talked about or is it is it more along the lines of like like we said, like, well, if it's there, you can go for it. It's more like if it's there, you can go for it. I think it does. There are certain teams who go for it more often, I would say, because that is a really cool aspect of our game. Or like when we're about to go, we're like, let's just go get a jailbreak goal. Like, that'll be fun. And it's so funny because it's like, even without the jailbreak rule, you can do that anytime. But it just like gives that little extra incentive to like go for it. Right. um but yeah definitely if it's there we like to attack for sure yeah i actually love it because it's strategically you know from a perspective of the other team too it puts so much pressure on you because usually like if you get a shorthanded goal scored against you you almost get to reset your power play and try to score right you say hey okay okay it happened no big deal but you lose the opportunity now so the the amount of pressure that goes on the team i think that that is fighting that jailbreak rule I love it I think it's I think it adds a dynamic to the game that you know players to your point hayley like if you're a PK person it just adds another dimension of pride and like another dimension of wow that that's that's pretty cool too we've scored like for instance you probably know like how many how many goal how many times you've been on the ice for a jailbreak goal myself yeah Never? I don't think I have actually. Okay. Yeah. So, but I mean, but your team has scored. I've been on the team. Yes. And it's really fun. Yeah. It's a great, it's all of a sudden, it's an added statistic that who would even imagine, you know, you could do that. I'll tell you, Mike, that, and for the audience, like the scenario that I always talk about with jailbreak is, and I've been in this scenario, is that you're ahead by a goal and the other team gets a power play. and now it's their momentum, right? And then you score a jailbreak goal, and the entire game flips upside down. You get a go-ahead goal, and the other team has lost their power play. I'm going to say it again. It's electric both ways. One way you're getting shocked. One way you're getting excited. But it's amazing. I will say to the audience about special teams, like, you know, when you get older, this is not for sixteen you and down or fourteen you and down, but you can live and die on your special teams. They're very, very important. And I would encourage everyone listening to watch. well, really anybody, but watch hayley on the PK because you are meticulous and your positioning is fantastic. But what I notice about you on the penalty kill is your focus. And you can literally watch hayley process the play in front of her. And I don't think five-on-five – uh, lends itself as easily to do that because, you know, defense is the main goal at this point, but just watching your head on a swivel, watching you process, seeing who's on the ice, you dictate where you want that puck to go from a defensive standpoint. You really put on a clinic, hayley, every time I watch you do it. Um, And I just think that's something that everybody should watch or do. And again, you'll have a chance in a few weeks in the Olympics as well. If for some reason you don't have YouTube in your house to watch the PWHL for free every game, there's no excuses not to watch. So I just wanted to dive into that special teams thing for a minute. You know, hayley, here's another thing I want to talk about. Great lesson for the kids listening. Points, right? Yeah. You got three of them, right? Yeah. You're on the top line right now, okay? I want to talk about this because we talk about roles. We talk about how you play the game and how the team comes together, right? Your goal is not to be the leading goal scorer or point scorer in this league. You are a defensive-minded two-way player that creates time and space. At this point of the season, roles are very defined. Right. Without, you know, again, do not tell us anything you can't tell us. But what are discussions like with the coach? What are discussions like with the team now with your role established? Like, again, I'm bragging here a bit because you're our co-host. Like, I love seeing you on that line last night. Yeah. But that tells me something because they know that you're not up there to get fifty assists here. You're up there for a reason. Right. Again, can you can you give us a peek behind the curtain with any of that? You know, there wasn't really much conversation. So the reason that happened last night the way it did was just Abby Rock was suspended for a game. Right. And then we've also had players who have been coming in from injury that weren't there the whole beginning of the season. So it's like we've still been trying to find the right line combinations, the right gelling. But I kind of just know innately for myself being on that line was I'm going to go in and hunt for pucks. And get it to my players to create more chances. And, like, I'm going to box out people. I'm going to, like, take people with me to the net. Like, my goal is to bring as many people as I can with me so there's more space for them. Like, things like that. You know, getting pucks out of the zone for breakouts. knowing where my support was coming from, like with poo coming through the center, like making sure I'm getting pucks off the wall to her so she can go with speed out of the zone, um, chipping pucks North, like Stacy's coming, she's going to get that puck too. So, um, just doing little things like that, I think, um, is super important and what I was really focusing on, uh, because I'm not there to play their game. I'm there to play my game that will allow them to play their game. I gotta say this. And, um, I love that every time we put you on the spot like this, you show how much of a pro you are. I've referenced this several times. There's this documentary, The Last Dance, about the Bulls and their sixth championship run. And there's a famous scene in there where Dennis Rodman talks about rebounds. And for the layman, when you think about a rebound, it's like, yeah, the ball rebounds and you get it. And he talks about like ten different ways to get a rebound. And it's like a master class of this is how a pro thinks about rebounds. You just did that in the way that you play the game. And what I want the audience to do, okay, we'll probably make this a micro clip. Actually, I'll make the commitment. We'll write out everything you just said that you do. And I want you parents to show it to your kids or coaches show it to your kids and say how many of you think about any of these things when you're playing? Age appropriate. Don't show this to your mic player. That's not what I'm talking about. Okay? Off the boards, creating space, bringing people with me, fight for it on the board. Invaluable aspects of a team player to get the puck to the point scorers And that positioned you where you were last night. I appreciate you being humble saying that players are out. They have a choice when they put someone on the first line, you were that choice. You have to earn that choice. I do. I really do appreciate what you said, but this is earned. Okay. And I want coaches listening to, you got to say that everybody listening, the chemistry is finding people that create opportunities for each other. All right. And, and this is a pro athlete telling you that that's what, that's how they're positioning me. You have many jobs. I'm a PK specialist. I am a time and space specialist. I will hit you. One of my things I love about hayley. Again, getting a little bit off topic from the day in the life, but when we uncover these things, hayley, I like to share them because you're devoted, and I'm using that word intently, to this role. You understand that's my role. Here's a good question for day in the life. How do you... practice this how do you work on your craft in season to get better because I know at your level you're not going to get twenty percent better you're going to get point five percent better how do you find that every day I think for me, watching video is really helpful. I already watched my shifts from last night. And just seeing little things that I'm doing well and then ways that I can upgrade certain plays by being maybe just a little more patient, moving my feet a little bit more. And I was even doing it during the game. I was like... there was one time where I tried to like wrap it to the net fast. And then I was like, I think poo was open in a quiet spot. Like she's really good at finding those areas in the ice. So that was a note to myself. Yeah. That was a note to myself. Even before the email, I was like, I know she's good at finding those areas. I need to find her. And so I missed her the one time and I kind of took like a mental note. I didn't get too hard on myself. I was just like, okay, I know she's going to be there. And the next time I was able to hit her in that spot. So it's just little things like that. I think improving it in real time and then also in watching it back and then just doing your best to do that in the next game and in practices. And then what's the communication like between you and your line mates, right? Because I'm guessing, and again, I'm trying to set this up, but like in the moment, you're not like, oh my God, I'm sitting next to, this is my line mate right now right how's the communication on the bench between the team it's great everyone most of the girls like to talk and talk about what they see on the play and you know what you did well what they maybe saw things like that so it was like an open line of communication the whole time and I think I said I was like oh okay I know you were there there on that play and little things like that just working through kinks if you will Yeah, I'd like to see more of that in youth hockey, just the nature of our show. Kids, we always say that communication is everything. And hayley, I'll tell you that I don't know if it's just the time we live in, but I'm very adamant on the ice and at games. Speak, talk, let each other know you're there. There's no path to the game where you don't do that in the future. So the kids listening, you heard it again from a pro, they talk all the time. Um, Mike, did you have a question? I'm taking up a lot of the airtime here. No, no, I love it. I mean, this is great stuff. I mean, I think, I think just, you know, based like I'm thinking about like this day in the life and I'm hearing about all the competition and all the travel and all the preparation and like, what are you doing now going into the Olympics? and trying to manage this schedule and now kind of doing a double schedule and thinking about I'm going to be on an airplane. I'm going to be, I'm going to be traveling. Like, how are you preparing like nutritionally? Like, how are you, how are you setting yourself up, you know, so that you can maintain, you know, obviously, you know, the energy that you need. But then that, you know, that whole piece of eating the right things to get the right rest and get the right recovery and, and preparing you for, you know, which is a really tight schedule and, of uh of going at it pretty good like what are you doing nutritionally for all of this Great question. Nutritionally, very focused on eating healthy whenever I can, obviously. And then rest and recovery has just been huge. Whenever we do get an off day, I actually take an off day. So that's been super helpful for me. And luckily, I have a sauna in my apartment, so I take full advantage of that. I will be going in there later today. So yeah, I think just taking care of your body as much as you can and taking advantage of off days when you get them because there's not a lot. Yeah, I'm guessing it's a day at a time too, hayley, right? Yeah. Do you even look ahead or is just this is where I'm at today, this is what I'm doing today? It is a day-to-day thing for sure. Because there's just so much going on with the travel schedule, with the itinerary and things like that. It's so hard to really look ahead, to be honest. I'm definitely a day-to-day, trip-to-trip. Does USA hockey offer you like is there is there is there a designated nutritionist or, you know, cook or somebody that's going to deal just with you, you as athletes or they deal with all the athletes in the USA system. So Team USA, we do have a dedicated nutritionist. They were huge for us in Beijing. I don't know how we would have gotten through without them, to be honest. They were so prepared to help us. You're on your own. Go ahead. Yeah. So they were massive. And then they still are. Yeah, we always have them at every USA event where they're making sure we have the right amount of food and protein and recovery and just literally everything. They think of everything. And then with the pro teams, We do have nutritionists on staff, but they're not there as often as USA Hockey, I would say. But they are making sure that all the meals we're getting have the right requirements and things like that. And we're doing better at having snacks on the road and drinks and electrolytes and all those types of things. When we talked about scheduling, Mike left out your incredible podcast career that you have going on here too. Just to give the audience an idea of how we have to schedule with hayley because we fully respect what you're doing. When we schedule with hayley, sometimes it's like, hey, I have this day open. which is great. But sometimes it's like, I may have practice. I may not like we, we have to find the time to do it as well. And again, you work, you work that in for us, which we're incredibly thankful for. Right. Which is pretty amazing. Fully expect a call from, from Italy. What? No, I'm just kidding. Again, won't have any problem with the food in Italy. I'm sure you'll be plenty of options out there, which is pretty cool. All right. So let's, let's kind of, like I guess wind this down a bit, right? Like I know we're saying you go on day to day, but it is, it is mid January. Olympic break is coming up, you know, and then it's like right to the Olympics and then right to playoffs. Like I said, we're, we're about a third of the way in, right? What are your broad kind of overview thoughts right now of the entire season so far with this being an Olympic break? You know what I mean by that? Like how I feel personally? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm really proud of myself. I feel like I've been playing really consistently and doing what I can to make sure my body feels good. And this is probably the best I have felt physically and mentally in the P-Dub season so far. So just kind of riding that wave and continuing to do whatever I can to make sure I put myself in the best spot for the Olympics. I love that. And let me ask you this too. We had hayley Wynn on recently and she referred to you as a veteran, which made me think about this of mentorship and leadership, right? You know, I don't know if that's something you had heard before that. I honestly don't know. But is that aspect of leadership or mentorship starting to take grip, right? Again, second time Olympian, third season in the PWHL. You've got a lot of these, you know, I'm going to say like hot shot college kids coming into the group now. And they said, you're a veteran. Like, how is that experience panning out or how do you take that on? It's so funny. Yeah, I forget. I'm like the old one on the team now. You know, all these girls are in their twenties and they're like, you're thirty one. No way. Like, that's crazy. That's not old people just want to say that anyway. Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah. but I do, I do take that role very seriously. And I, I'm just always there to just help anyone whenever there may be struggling or like lift them up when they are doing well. And just always just, I don't know. I just always try to think of others and just make sure they're feeling comfortable so that they're able to play at their best. And it's something that I've taken a lot of pride in. And then something I take very seriously with USA hockey and in the pro league now. So. Yeah. No, it's just really cool. I mean, you, you could see that hayley Wynn, cause we know I don't do nicknames. You know, she had, she had an affinity for you and that was really cool. Right. Yeah. Yeah. It was really cool. I think that's such a gift in a career that you've had thus far when people start to see you that way. Even though you're still growing, you're still learning, you're still trying to figure things out. Like that process never ends. So hayley, look, I've loved every second of this. Yeah. and everything you've done so far today and so far this season. The next time we have one of these, I think it will be after the Olympics. And we'll be able to review for the listening audience. Again, there'll be episodes in between. We record with hayley all the time and we kind of space them out on purpose. But I'm really proud to say that, again, the next time we have this conversation, it will be post your second Olympics as we kind of head into the PWHL second half. Right. Yeah. Like the last third of it. Right. It's amazing. Mike, any final questions before I close this out? I'll just, we'll be watching and best of luck. And, and I'm an extra large, by the way, if there's any good, but no, it's going to be great. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and it's going to be, you know, such a different, as Lee said earlier, it's, it's such a different atmosphere with players being extracted from their current teams and now playing together and playing against each other. I think it's gonna be a fun thing to watch. Absolutely. So speaking like a true coach, hayley, I'm not going to wish you luck because I don't think you need luck to, to win. I'm just going to wish you the best and may your feet be swift, your teammates be healthy and may the food be delicious. I love it. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it. You guys know, we appreciate you. Thanks so much. That's going to do it for this edition of our girls play hockey. Remember if you have questions for hayley that you want to know, Email us, team at ourkidsplayhockey.com. You can always message her or us on Instagram. And also in every episode, there's a link accompanying it in the description. You can tap on that, leave your name, where you're writing from, text us, right? We love answering those questions. But for hayley Scamurra, for Mike Benelli, I'm Lee Elias. We'll see you on the next day of the life of hayley Scamurra, Olympian, PWHL player, penalty kill specialist, great teammate, great coach, and American in Canada. We'll see you on the next Hour Girls Play Hockey, everybody. Take care.