The Power of Role Models in Girls Hockey with Olympian Tessa Bonhomme

From the outdoor rinks of Sudbury to the heights of Olympic glory, Tessa Bonhomme has lived nearly every chapter of a hockey dream—and she’s still writing new ones. 

In this powerful episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Tessa joins Lee, Sherri, and Mike for a heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply insightful conversation about the journey from “just wanting to play” to becoming one of the most recognizable voices in hockey.

Tessa opens up about:

• Her path from a neighborhood daycare game to captaining Team Canada
• The moment being cut sparked her fire to chase national team dreams
• The power of representation—and the female role model who changed everything
• Her transition into broadcasting and how it mirrors life in a locker room
• What today’s youth coaches and parents can do to actually grow the women’s game

Plus: stories of pranks, parents with guitars, being a “grocery stick,” and why just turning on the game might be the biggest step forward we can all take.

This episode is a masterclass in resilience, leadership, and love for the game. Whether you’re a parent, player, coach, or fan—don’t miss it.

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Transcript

Lee MJ Elias [0:08 - 1:04]: Hello, hockey friends and families around the world, and welcome to another edition of our Girls Play Hockey. I'm Lee Elias, joined by Sherry Hudspeth and Mike Benelli. Our guest today is a true trailblazer in women's hockey. A world champion, an Olympic gold medalist, now one of the most recognizable voices in sports broadcasting. Tessa Bunham is a former standout defenseman for Team Canada, having won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, multiple medals in the double IHF Women's World Championships. She played her collegiate hockey at Ohio State where she captained the team and left a lasting legacy. Following her playing career, Tessa transitioned into broadcasting, making history as the first female correspondent on TNN's Sports Center. Today, she's a prominent face in hockey media and a passionate advocate for growing the women's game. We're honored to have Tessa with us today to talk about her journey, the growth of girls hockey and what it means to lead both on and off the ice. Tessa, that was a fun intro to read. Welcome to our Girls Play Hockey. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:04 - 1:06]: Thank you. Great job on my last name. You nailed it. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:06 - 1:15]: Thank you. Like I said, we take pride in that. We try and make work for not just the guests, but the audience because we want people to know what you're supposed to be called at the end of the day. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:15 - 1:18]: But you did good for a non French speaking, non Canadian. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:18 - 1:25]: So I appreciate that. You know, when we all know this, we're in the hockey world. You got to strive to get that right. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:26 - 1:36]: Yeah, you listen. You usually get it wrong the first three times and then once Twitter finally, or X whatever they call it nowadays, the people will let you know exactly how to do things right. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:36 - 1:57]: Yeah, this is not Starbucks. We're going to get it right on the first try. That's what we try to make. Tess, I think the obvious place to start, but I actually want to hear this too. You had such an incredible playing career. Can you take us back to the early days? What first got you into the game? When did you realize it was something you were going to pursue? Seriously, what's your origin story? 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:59 - 11:33]: Gosh. So I grew up in Northern Ontario. It's a city called Sudbury, Ontario. We are a nickel mining community, home of the Sudbury Wolves and the Sudbury Lady Wolves. And I was a very active kid growing up. I loved getting dirty. I loved playing outside. No matter what game or sport it was. I just wanted to play with people in the neighborhood. And it was actually my babysitter at the time, Shauna Creswell, who she noticed when we were over there being babysat after school for post secondary care, that I was constantly playing, you know, ball hockey or street hockey with the. With the kids. And albeit there weren't many girls that went to this daycare. And I have a sister, and I saw her every other minute of the day, so it was like, well, I can play with you whenever I want, so I'm gonna go play with these kids. And she just saw how much I loved playing. And she actually mentioned to my parents her husband at the time coached an outdoor hockey team. And she just said to my parents, you know, she loves it and she's having a ton of fun with it. If you want her to play, I'm sure, you know, he would be more than happy to have her. And my parents had a discussion about it. My dad wasn't too keen on it, which is funny because, you know, he played hockey his entire career. He was an OHL scout for many years. So as he coached hockey himself, and it was my mom that kind of put her foot down and was like, that's what our kid wants to do. Like, that's what she's gonna do. So my mom went across the street to our neighbor's house and asked if we could borrow their son Chad's old hockey gear. So I got Chad's old gear, his Cooper alls, all the cool stuff. And so my dad, when he saw how, you know, driven my mom was to let me do whatever the heck I wanted, he was like, all right, cool. I got this because I don't think my mom really knew how to put gear on. So my dad took over, and the rest is history. From there, I feel like, you know, I was playing on an outdoor hockey team with frozen fingers and frozen toes, just having a blast with, you know, a bunch of friends. And it got to a point where I always knew how to skate. My dad made sure we knew how to skate. But it got to a point where all of a sudden, I was a little bit better than some people. Not that I knew, but my dad was like, we're going to go to a tryout and you're going to try out for this team. And I'd gone to the tryout, and the team jerseys were black. For whatever reason that was intimidating to me. Might have had to do with Mighty Ducks, I think. I'm not sure. But I decided to go try out with one of my friends, Tyler Lawson, for the Copper Clifford. And I made that team. The coach, you know, saw something in me. Did I deserve to make it? I'm not sure. I don't even really remember back then. I just know that I. I just tried hard, and I just wanted to have fun with everybody out there. And the group was great. I had a ton of growth that year, and the rest is kind of history. I mean, I played boys for as long as I could, and then they obviously grow bigger, and the long blonde ponytail becomes a larger target. Back when body checking was introduced in Peewee. And, yeah, my dad and my good friend Rebecca Johnson, and my good friend. Sorry, Katie Johnson, and my good friend Megan Shutt, their fathers were big into hockey. Rod Shut actually played in the NHL. And they're like, let's start a girls team. And so they did. And they literally took our soccer team that played together in the summer, and it was like, who can skate? Anybody? And so they're like, all right, you, you, you, and you. Come on over. And we became the wintertime hockey team. We were literally, like, just a traveling roadshow. The parents got along real well. My dad always had a guitar on the road. He had printed binders of songs that he knew how to play. So we'd be playing mini sticks, and the parents would be boozing and singing songs. So we kind of had, you know, our own dj, if you. I guess they didn't sound great, but whatever. It was music. And, yeah, I. I think the first time I. I. Hockey was always fun to me. It was never anything I took super serious. I didn't like it that way. I didn't want it to be that way. That hockey my escape for. For a long time. And to be honest, I was a little bit ashamed at first. When I first started playing, I didn't tell my friends until, like, probably grade two or three. And it was only because I feel like I played against a teacher's son or something, just because that's. Kids weren't do. Girls weren't doing that back then. And so it was kind of like my escape where I could, like, go run amok, be that rambunctious little girl and have fun. Fun and laugh and score goals and be a winner or be a loser. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. I was playing hockey, and that was the best thing about it. And then we were at provincials one year around this time of year, and my father was approached by Wally Kozak, one of the scouts for hockey Canada. Guy's a legend. Love Wally. And he was like, I think your daughter's got it. Like, I would really. I'm gonna try and get her invited to the under 22 tryouts this. This year. I hadn't gone to university yet and there was no under 18 program. And my dad was like, cool. And so he had mentioned it to me. And at this point, I had never been cut in my life or looked over for anything. But I didn't understand that Hockey Canada had a process like I had to. I should have tried out and gone and tried to play for Team Ontario at some point, which I didn't do because I was playing soccer in the summer with my friends. I didn't want to be playing hockey in the summertime. I was being recruited to universities and that was kind of scary, yet exciting and eye opening for me. So I just had other stuff going on that I didn't. And I don't even think I really understood. I don't think my parents did either. The avenue that you had to take in order to. What boxes needed to be checked really, to make an under 22 team back in that day. And so he had sent my dad an email. We went home after that, that tournament. I committed to Ohio State shortly after, and I got looked over for the under 22 team. And I was kind of like, I was pissed off. Like, it really upset me. And it was the first time, like I said that I'd ever really been left off or looked over for any team. And it's funny because that really made me angry. And I didn't know at the time that that was. I don't want to say the right reaction, but the right reaction, like, that was fuel for my fire. And when I went to University of Ohio State, my coach was like, we're going to get you there. And I was like, I'm gonna have the best year anyone's ever seen. Like, this is it. And I had a pretty successful freshman year. It really forced me to turn to. I chosen Ohio State, by the way, because Emma Laxonen, who was a leader and a captain on Team Finland for many years, she was on that team. And I wanted to play with her. I wanted to learn from her. I didn't want to, you know, go to a school and play with every American and Canadian teammate that I was going to play with. I wanted to learn from somebody different who sought from a different avenue, who knew what it was like to lose to Canada or and stuff like that and see how they trained, because I knew how we were training and stuff like that. And Emma really pushed me and taught me a lot. And in being cut, it kind of forced me to mature in that sense where it was like Start absorbing everything you can, like whatever someone's telling you to do. Try it and learn. Does it work for you or not? Did you like that or not? You know, when you're practicing, you know you can't go end to end anymore. Start making a pass and taking those three extra steps and bust into space. You know, it's not a, it's not a one trick pony show. And it, that moment was a, the first probably true growing moment for me in my career at that point. Point. And after my freshman year at Ohio State, then I got the invite to go try out for under 22s, which was a ton of fun. And that was also an eye openening experience too because I was like always used again to being the most fit, I don't want to say the strongest looking. I was a rather slight child. I was, it took me for. I was so pumped when I finally broke 110 pounds as a kid. Like, and so I go to these camps and everyone there looks like me, if not stronger. And so that was kind of like an aha moment for myself where it's like, okay, so right now you're doing the bare minimum you got here. And so did all of these other people. Like, what's going to separate you? And I remember putting a lot into the fitness testing component, thinking to myself, you're going to be sore if you go as hard as you can in all of this, but that's okay because you want your name to be at the top of that list. You're the new kid. They looked you over before and then the rest is just hockey. Like, just go play hockey. And so I did. I mean, bench press was never my strength. I blame my long arms for that. But yeah, it, that, that moment I remember, that's, that still really sticks with me, that moment. Those under 22s and, and what that felt like to be amongst other people that actually like played the game the way I did in a sense that loved it as much as I did. And the coolest thing about that group was, and I still love that group, that's probably one of my favorite Hockey Canada groups ever was that under 22 group that we had. Everyone had so much fun and like, it wasn't that dead serious, make the team, you're on the bubble kind of thing. Everyone was there just having themselves. It was like an all star team from university teams and we all got together and just shot the breeze and played hockey and had a blast, you know. 

Lee MJ Elias [11:33 - 12:57]: But before Mike, you jump into your question. Tessa, I want to Say, we do a lot of these shows, and I'm always looking for commonalities between guests. Right. And one that every guest that has played at your level has shared is that the game begins in a love for the game and an enjoyment of the game. It didn't start with I have to make an Olympic team. Because this and my. No, it starts with love of the game. And then there is a moment where the fire turns into an inferno. Right. And there's a lot of different versions of that. Right. But a lot of the times it's. It's. I didn't make the team I thought I was going to make. And then from that fire, the complete laser focus of what needs to be done to achieve a goal. Those are the commonalities. And I say that to the hockey parents listening, because there is no direct path to wherever you think your kids should be. Right. And the truth is that a lot of this origin story is letting them live their life. You have to have a love of the game. You have to face adversity, and then your kid, or you, in this case Tessa, has to have that drive and passion to put the work in. You can't give your kids any of those three things. We always say you can cultivate it, you can't create it. So I appreciate you sharing that story because, again, it's an amazing thing. 

Tessa Bonhomme [12:57 - 13:09]: I think, too, it's all teachable moments. Right. I was lucky enough that, you know, I had a family that loved hockey, so my dad made sure that I. Well, I fell in love with it before he could even teach me to love the game. 

Lee MJ Elias [13:09 - 13:09]: Right. 

Tessa Bonhomme [13:09 - 14:40]: And then when your kid finds the fun in something, then you get them to work a little hard at it. Like, you know, skating is probably the hardest thing to learn. That's what makes hockey so hard at first. So before you throw a kid in gear with a stick on the ice in Timbits hockey or whatever you want to do, put them in, learn to skate before they even know what they're doing, because then they know how to skate and it's all done. And you can throw the stick in their hand. And it's not this giant obstacle. It's just adding something unique and different. Right? Right. But I think the. The moments that you talk about, the adversity moments, those are, like, very teachable moments that you can't protect your kid from. Like, you have to let them hurt in those. And it's important. Some of my most favorite moments in my career were losses and being cut. And that came from that Comes from a moment of growth that I recognize in myself. Wow, look where I came from there. Or look how I overcame that. Or you learn something about yourself that all of a sudden you're like, wow, I really don't like that about me. You know, I. I should probably shape up and get better here. And so I think I had, you know, parents that weren't ever finger pointers, like, they made a mistake, that it was always like, okay, let's assess. Let's assess what happened? This is hard. I get it. It sucks. But, like, okay, where could we have done better? Let's look at that kind of thing, you know? And it's like, I'm not saying you're bad. We're saying, let's work together, and we're all going to get better at this, and you'll be happier. 

Sheri Hudspeth [14:40 - 14:40]: And. 

Tessa Bonhomme [14:40 - 16:41]: And then, to be honest with kids, when you like, my favorite coaches were the ones that were hardest on me. They weren't the coddling ones, because when you put. And I don't want to set an expectation, but when you tell a kid or when my parents told me, like. Or a coach told me, you know, you should. Tessa, I want to see you do that. And it's not saying like, or I know you did that, but you gotta be doing this. And it's not like they're asking me to do something that they think I can't do. Do them saying things to me like that were letting me know, hey, I know you can do it. Go do it right. It wasn't harping. It wasn't anything. It was an expectation because they had the belief in me that I could do that. And as much as you think kids might not digest it that way, it is that because the belief is there. Now. I'm not saying you have to yell at a kid, but you just have to let them know, you know, hey, go do this, or I expect you to be able to do this because you can. And it's like, that is instilling the confidence by. By coddling and protecting, you're wiping away all confidence. You know, there's a time to push. I always say, my dad got it right. There's always a time to push, and there's a time to let go. And so in the moments when they need a little bit of a push, you have to constantly. Because when they see themselves all of a sudden get better and they can do it, then all of a sudden it's like, holy smokes, I am that good. You know, and then it's like, how did coach know that? And it's like, okay, well now what can I do? And all of a sudden the kid's coming to you, you know, what else could I do? Hey, what should I have done in that play? Like, all of a sudden you're going to see this kid, their mind open up to the game and then that's when you kind of get to work on their hockey iq because the skills and stuff, that stuff comes, that stuff comes when they're playing outside with ball hockey with their friends or mini sticks in the basement. All that stuff comes and they're absorbing it like crazy. With YouTube and on TV now too, which is wild. The athletes were all visual. The fact that these kids are, have been watching YouTube from day one, it doesn't surprise me that some nine year olds doing the Michigan in a league, in a league game, you know. 

Mike Bonelli [16:42 - 18:07]: Yeah, it's crazy. So I, I think I want to find out and hear more about the guitar fireside stuff at the tournaments. But I think, because I think, you know, it's awesome that, you know, you're with a group of families that, you know, just understood the, the, the, the fact that, you know, that that family piece and that piece of, you know, my, all our daughters are in this like, and we're in an environment where if we can get along and we can support each other, that's going to translate to the on ice and translate to, you know, why people want to go to tournaments and want to go to games. And I think we've lost that a little bit, you know, certainly in our game now where, you know, people take their corners and take their spots and don't, don't have that. I mean, I know it's like when I grew up, like my family, like, I don't think my parents even knew we had practice. Like they were upstairs, like a wine and cheese party or something. Like, is practice over yet? Like, and now you see like every dad on the glass, you know, watching every moment. So it's a really, it's a really great, you know, I think, thing to understand from, you know, your perspective. I mean, obviously coming from the Ohio State University and then, you know, competing at the highest, you know, all these great international levels and you talked a little bit about it, but I hope you could talk a little bit more about your first foray into having like, like you said, these, these, these women that you saw as great leaders. How did you take that then and translate that to what you did with the younger players that came up, you. 

Tessa Bonhomme [18:07 - 24:47]: Know, with, you oh, yeah, man. I didn't really have a female hockey role model, gosh, until I was. Until the 98 Nagano Olympics were announced, which was what? Like, that women's hockey would be in it. So I was real young, and, you know, my dad had done a pretty good job, and my mom, they did their due diligence in making sure that when Women's Worlds was on once a year and the only game that was on was the final, that I was sitting down and watching it. And, you know, I would. My dad would randomly come home from scouting God knows where with a magazine. I remember Vicki Sonohara was on the front of it, just her face. And I read everything about Vicki San Nahara. And then there was another one, same magazine with Wick on a motorcycle on it. And I was like, that's pretty rad. Like, look at how badass this chick looks. Like, who is she? And learn about Wick. And then I remember my dad waking up making. Waking me up for the Nagano Olympic final game at 5am before school. And we went downstairs. We kept the basement dark, but we had pillows with blankets, and we were watching. And I remember, like, crying when Canada lost. And a player that had played like me or had a similar style to me was Geraldine Haney. And that was my first ever female role model that I had discovered during the 98 Olympics, where I was like, I could see myself in somebody, and it was like, I wanted to learn everything about her. And my dad saw that, and he had a connection through my mother. My mom's an optician, so she had a. An Oakley rep who was buddies with someone who coached the Beatrice Toronto Arrows. And so they knew Geraldine Heaney. My dad's like, debbie, can you ask if Geraldine Heaney would be willing to come up and coach hockey school for a week? I'll start a girls hockey school. So my dad did, and Heaney came up for five days and, like, hung out with us, let us touch her metal. She played with us. It was like, that moment was the coolest. And I still have friends that I went to that camp with. I keep in touch with all of my hockey pals, to be honest, but. And we still talk about that sometimes. Like, not crazy. Like, way back in 98. Like, what was Geraldine thinking? Like, imagine driving from Toronto up to Sudbury. You'd never been here, like, in the winter or, like, you know, fall, whatever it was. And I remember it was just so chill. She was just so casual and kind. And, like, my dad was like, hey, you're in town. We met her at the hotel. He made sure there was, you know, a 12 pack of beer in her room and told her where the gym was. And she came out for dinner with us that night. We had wings, and they had a beer, and she just talked to me and talked to my dad. And it wasn't like, to me, she was a superstar, but to her, she was just hanging out with people. And I remember how nice that made me feel. And then the next day on the ice, she was like, what's up, Tess? And it was like. Like, can you believe Geraldine just called me? Like, this is insane. So then it was like, hey, Jer, how you doing? And I was this little, you know, spunky kid talking to her. She just treated every kid like that and every parent, and she took time for everyone. And I was just like, man, you know, what a. What a cool person. I just. I honestly thought she was the coolest. So then in my mind, that's where I was like, well, that's how you act when. In my. Like, when you're famous. And I remember she drove a Jimmy, and I was like, I'm gonna drive a Jimmy, too. Like, I was like, I'm trying. I'm. Put a Canada flag on the back of it. Like, I don't know. Anyways. And, yeah, I just kept watching her and cheering for it. So she really set the precedent for me on what it was like to act like a role model and a pioneer. And it wasn't. She didn't act like she was special. She didn't act like she was better than anybody. She talked to everybody as equals. She ate wings and drank beer just like everyone else I knew. And she was damn good at hockey. And she trained. She went to the gym before. Every morning before she came and worked with us. So, yeah, I. I. Jera's a friend now of mine, which is, like, kind of cool. I kind of laugh sometimes when I talk to her. I'm just like, man, you have no idea how much I was nerding out over the fact that, like, you came to Sudbury. She's like, yeah, I still can't believe I. That I was like, me neither. But I'm glad you did. So I feel like. Right, yeah, that's it. You know, she just let me know and let every kid there know that, like, sure, she's from down south, a big city, and we're from up north, but I'm just like, you. Like, you want to do this? Go do it. Like, we're all here. You Know, we're all doing it. You love hockey. I love hockey, like, play. And I think that's kind of how I treat everything. You know, any kid that, you know comes to my hockey school in the summer, or any hockey school that I go work, or any Toronto Scepters game or PWHL game that I'm at, you're talking to anybody, and. And that's just the conversation. It's like we're equals here. We're all pushing for the greater good. I know you're good at hockey. You know you're good at hockey. We know the hockey we're watching is great, and that's all that matters, you know, And I think that was a hard thing, actually, now that you're. You're making me talk myself into something here. And you. You kind of learn growing up because, like, I always knew we had something really great because everybody watched our finals and everyone loved them and wanted to talk to us at events about it. Like, oh, man. Or like, when someone be. Play at my beer league, you'd go play at beer league. People be like, who's that? Like, you can play. And it's like, yeah, I know, man. Like, we always knew there was. There was. It was there. The appetite was there, too. We. It just wasn't out there enough. And I think instead of getting frustrated and mad, it's. It's a matter of having your focus on one thing. Is it fact or is it opinion? To me, the fact of the matter was we were good and we were great and we just didn't have a platform yet. The opinion was, well, whatever. NHL hockey is better. It's like, well, we're different. Like, we're not. That's apple and oranges. It's a completely different game. And so I think focusing on and dumping our energy into the facts of the matter, as opposed to all these random, crappy, you know, blockheaded opinions, really helped get the league to where it is today, too. And I mean, I'm not saying that we had a big hand in it. I played in a couple iterations of. Of professional Women's league prior to the pw. But I think that's that thought process with those ladies back then being passed on through all of us and through the ladies that made the PW happen kind of was the reason for all this to happen. 

Sheri Hudspeth [24:47 - 25:13]: So I'm happy you brought that up and brought up the Arrows. I'm a former proud. I'm still proud Arrows alumni. A little bit more than you, a little bit older than you. So in 1998, I was on the Junior Arrows and similar story. It was like Angela James, Cassie Campbell, Geraldine Heaney, Cheryl Pounder. Like anyone who was anyone on the national team played on the Arrows, right? And I was just 17 on the junior Arrows. So, yeah, you're right. 

Tessa Bonhomme [25:13 - 25:14]: It was probably there too. Was Piper there? 

Sheri Hudspeth [25:14 - 25:49]: Yep, I played with Piper, yeah. Since I was like 14. Like her dad was my coach on the Toronto Marlies before that. Very small, small, small circle. But yeah, we missed each other by a few years. But anyways, so, yeah, you're the fourth Arrow to come on the show. Sherry's been on the show, Cassie's been on the show, Kendra Fisher on the show, and now yourself. So hopefully we'll get everyone in the organization one day. But it's nice to see we all, we all turned out okay, you know, but that, that time was really impactful on me and I'm sure yourself being around, you know, those players and having someone to look up to. And for me it was. Excuse me, it was Angela James, right? 

Tessa Bonhomme [25:49 - 25:50]: And now, yeah, AJ. 

Sheri Hudspeth [25:50 - 26:15]: Same sort of, same sort of thing as now. AJ's come here, help me with stuff. I stay at her house when I go there now. So it's like your idols kind of become your friends, like as you, as you get older. And what I wanted to kind of get into with you is, is playing Toronto Arrows. Your cwhl. When I was playing, it was Senior Junior Arrows nwhl. Then we had phf. Pwhl. So can you talk about how you've seen the women's game evolve since you were playing? 

Tessa Bonhomme [26:16 - 26:49]: Oh man. We were called a professional league, but there it wasn't truly professional. We were practicing. Practices were at like 9:30 at night, once, maybe twice a week. Everyone had full time jobs. We had lawyers, we had firefighters, we had teachers. I was a sportscaster at the time. And it was like, yeah, who can, who can make practice? You know what I mean? And then it's like we didn't have a dressing room at first. We didn't all have. Do we have matching helmets the first season? 

Sheri Hudspeth [26:50 - 26:53]: Maybe in cwhl. 

Tessa Bonhomme [26:53 - 26:55]: Yeah, I can't remember. 

Sheri Hudspeth [26:56 - 26:58]: They were kitted out with all the Beatrice stuff. 

Tessa Bonhomme [26:59 - 33:02]: Yeah, I remember the Beatrice eras had the best. But in the Toronto. Toronto Furies were the Toronto team. Yeah, I think we all matched anyways. We, it was like we were. It was, I don't want to say a little. It was a lot of smoke and mirrors. Like we, we had a lot of people. We played out of what was then the MasterCard center, now the Ford Performance Center. So the Etobicoke Dolphins practice and played out of there. So when we would have, like, a Sunday afternoon home game, our rink was packed. Because, like, what parent isn't going to want their kid to go watch for very little money, a ton of Olympians play, and then have a chance to meet them after? I mean, you're. You're not doing your. Your due diligence as a parent if you. If you don't realize what impact that can have on your kid, especially if your kid likes hockey. So we had a ton of fans and we had some pretty good followings in Toronto. But was it a professional league? No. You know, like, we were getting. We were still getting pizza on the bus sometimes, and it wasn't like they have it today, but it was as professional as it could have been in that moment of time. And to say that we didn't take it seriously is a lie. We absolutely made sure we treated it as professional as we could, because there's a lot of people out there that thought it was a joke, and we didn't want to add to that. Like, if we treated it like a joke. Well, of course it's a joke. You know, it's a glorified beer league, which it wasn't. It was a place where all of these women needed to play hockey, especially the ladies who were training and trying to compete at a national level. And to be quite frank, all of the ladies on my time who were training and competing and trying to make a national team are in endless debt to all of the lawyers and the teachers and the firefighters who sacrificed their time and their weekends to make this league even be a thing. Do you know what I mean? Because without them, we wouldn't have had anything. And so that was the coolest part. It was almost like they were investing in our hockey career, in a sense. But it was cool because we all got to hang out. We're all pals from before, went to university together or played against each other at university. But to then watch, you know, another league get created in the phf, which is fine. It just meant more women could continue to play hockey after school, which I thought was very important. And then you're like, okay, now there's two places to play, what's going on? And then to have the CWHL fold and every single national team players say, we're not even gonna play anywhere unless there is one proper professional league that is founded properly and has the, like, a good business plan in place. It was, like, scary. And I remember thinking, like, this better work. I like, if this doesn't work, I don't know what's gonna happen because this has to be the play. And it took a couple years, but thankfully for, you know, Kendall Coin Schofield, Jaina Hefford, Hillary Knight, all the ladies in the mix, Sarah Nurse, Brian Jenner who are on that board, Billie Jean King in particular. Finding the Mark Walter group at an event one day just completely changed the trajectory of, I think, women's hockey and women's sport too. It's crazy. It was a moment in time, and I'm sure you guys have talked about this before, was a moment in time when all of a sudden all the stars were aligning. So, you know, we had had. I grew up in the Dana Tausi era, which was awesome. Dana Tausi Sub Bird, like, unreal. Got to watch them at. At in March Madness. And then, you know, you had the Sabrina Unescu moment come, and it was kind of like, oh, there's a little blip, but nothing really what's going on? And then all of a sudden, it was like the Caitlin Clark era and Angel Reese and the PWHL dropping. And all of a sudden women's sports had this, like. It was like this build up, like this volcano that was just waiting to erupt. And it all happened at the right time. The league took off. Year one, people were like, this feels like year five. And everybody just kind of pushed and carried the same momentum and. And they're flourishing in it in a sense that, like, okay, yay. You know, we weren't. We weren't wrong. We were right this whole time. The facts were the facts. And let's continue to build on this. And I think that, you know, none of them are taking it lightly, which is nice. And I think that the younger generation is of the understanding as well just how fortunate and lucky that we are that we have this league started. But it's just started. We're not even done year two yet. People are acting. Sometimes I feel like we're in year seven or eight, but we're only in year two. And so it's important for the longevity of this league, parents out there for you to continue to watch the games on tv because ratings matter. That's where all of money in sports comes from, is broadcast rates. So make sure you're tuning into the games, having your daughters watch, because, like, I don't know, I feel like sometimes for. For parents, fathers in particular, to throw a game on, be like, that's Connor McDavid. Watch Connor or like on highlights or whatever? And it's like, why is that so easy? Why can't you just throw a game on and be like, that's Marie Philippe Poulet. You'll never see a female hockey player as good as her for a long time. You know, there's Sarah Filier. She's the up and next up and comer. That's Hillary Knight. She's the goat. No one scored more points than her in a world championship ever. And it's like, you know, it's easy. It's a very easy thing to do. So I. Parents, I hope you realize just how important that is, not only for your daughters, but for your sons as well. I mean, to be well rounded and down to earth. I mean, what sister that. What, what girl that has a brother, you know, who. Who lifts them up and loves them? Those kids, you notice, they have the most self. Self confidence. And so to have a brother that knows female hockey players that is interested in their sister's hockey career and shows that interest is only going to be better for the little girl as well. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:02 - 33:34]: Yeah, Tessa, I can comment on that too, because I have a boy and a girl at home who both play. And in our house, sports are just sports. I mean, that's kind of the way we've presented it to them. I'm actually, I'm thinking about the other day, you know, we went from Major League Baseball to the women's NCAA Championship game. It's just seamlessly. It wasn't. It wasn't. Oh, it's boys and girls. It was just, this is the next game we're watching right now. And then, same thing with the pwhl, which is very easy to get, by the way. Obviously, you know, people. Where do you watch? It's YouTube. 

Tessa Bonhomme [33:34 - 33:34]: It's not. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:34 - 33:35]: It's not tough to find it. 

Sheri Hudspeth [33:35 - 33:38]: Women's World 2 all over NHL Network right now. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:38 - 33:39]: Right? And. 

Tessa Bonhomme [33:39 - 33:40]: And there you go. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:40 - 34:44]: That's how we present, again, hockey. But sports in general in our house is like, no, we're watching this game. And I think that, you know, as a father and you alluded to this, it's so important my son sees that too. Right? Like, I think sometimes dads. Oh, girl, there's. There's women on the tv like, no, just son and daughter. This is a hockey game we're watching here, you know, and you're absolutely right about the athletes. There's no shortage of talent, the PWHL to pick from. And these games are exciting. I mean, so I guess I'm being a Little rah rah here. But I just think commenting from the parenting standpoint, it's like, yeah, expose both your kids, all your kids to all of this because it's. It's super fun. And I don't know what. What changed the environment with. We'll call it the Caitlin Clark era with those. It's weird to say, but the two NCAA championship losses somehow vaulted that storyline to the front. And I guess the environment was correct and, and the mindset was correct forward to it explode later than it should have been done, but it was done right. And. And I, I just don't see it going anywhere now. 

Tessa Bonhomme [34:45 - 35:16]: Yeah. And I think we have to give credit to the soccer players as well, who started a. A fight a long time ago for equal pay, because that. That was the seed. A very big. Actually, you know what? It started back at the World cup when me and him and, and those ladies were playing and they won the World cup. And. Yeah, I'm having a brain fart. She ripped her shirt off. She had a Nike thing and she took a ton of flack for it. And I remember. I remember thinking, like, why do they care about that? Like, that was a wicked moment. Every dude rips their shirt off after they score. What are we talking about? You know what I mean? 

Lee MJ Elias [35:16 - 35:51]: It was just a hoopla for nothing, you know, going. And Sherry and I talk about this all the time. Like, I. I was early teens in 98, and I watched that Olympic final and I didn't. Like, it wasn't. I. I'm. I'm the result of that era of hockey influencing me because, you know, Cammy Granado, for me, obviously, that you're American. It was like, wow. Oh, my God. This is an amazing moment. So, you know, it's. It took too long. It took 25 years, I think, from that moment. But you're right with me, a Hammond, all this stuff, it's just the environment finally set itself right, and I think we're on a better trajectory now. 

Mike Bonelli [35:52 - 37:42]: Yeah, I think Tessa. Tessa said it. She. You mentioned it earlier, Tessa, that, you know, like, when I was coaching with the Whale, I mean, I can't. I can't. You know, every weekend it was like, Dad's asking me, hey, can you get me tickets? You know, hey, get me in. I'm like, the tickets are seven bucks. I said, just go support it. Like, like, you. You need like, that's that. And again, it's not their obligation. But if you certainly are somebody that's getting your kid into sport early and you want equal Opportunity, then you have to. You have to foster that equal opportunity as well, you know, for the. For the women that are ahead of you. Right, or doing. I mean, I remember I'm sitting in the back room, like, these women are getting dressed in two different locker rooms and some, you know, some little, you know, podunk rink, you know, I'm like, you know, you gotta. You gotta. You gotta. You gotta treat them. You know, it's got to be treated the same in order for them to elevate. I completely understand that. But the people that are supporting those. Those sports need to also do that from the grassroots level. And, you know, I could never understand why, like, you know, you mentioned, like, when the girls were in the rink anyway for practice, they would just happen to be there for these games. And I'm like, I just don't understand how every youth girls organization doesn't surround their team events around professional women's hockey events. Like, to me, it's a very easy thing to do, you know, so it's odd that they don't do it, but they should do it. Just as far as your breakthrough in media, can you just talk a little bit about, you know, your advice and the challenges of, you know, from going from a player to all of a sudden breaking through media? I mean, a lot of our younger players probably know you from Shoresy more than they know, you know, But, I mean, I think. I think it's just one of those things where, you know, maybe you could talk a little bit about, you know, what that transition was like and then. And really how hard it is whether you're a male or a female. Right. To go from a player into, like, a broadcasting role and, you know, a mainstream hockey media role. 

Tessa Bonhomme [37:42 - 42:47]: Yeah, it was not planned. I. I had graduated with a degree in speech and hearing science. I wanted to be a speech language pathologist. Cassie Campbell had called me one summer and was like, I have an opportunity. I can't do it. My neck's still not great. Did you want to do it? And I was like, well, I don't know what it is, but sure, I trust you. And it turned out to be battle of the Blades. And that's just kind of how I go about life. I often say yes to things just to see where it leads me. And because I did battle the blades, Leafs TV saw me on. On CBC and asked, you know, would you think about coming in and hosting for us? Talking hockey. They were losing Andy Petrillo to Hockey Night in Canada. And I was like, I think so. I mean, how hard can that be? You know, I play hockey and it turns out when that red light comes on, it's very hard. There's a lot of homework involved. I was never a big homework person, but the first thing one of my bosses said to me or one of my producers said to me, and I appreciate him more than anything. Mark Askin was proper preparation prevents piss poor performance. The six P's, the only things you need to remember. And I wish he told me that during my career as well, because I could have used that some days. But so his thing was like, just be over prepared because you never know what's going to happen on live tv. And that's what I just jumped into was live tv. Okay, so I knew the game. Sure did. I know everything about every NHL team that was coming in to play the Toronto Maple Leafs at the beginning. No, I knew nothing. I wasn't doing the six P's. I think the hardest part about being on camera is being yourself, which is the strangest thing because you're, you have someone talking in your ear, you have a basically a rundown to follow. And on live tv, everything is to time. So you have to hit your time. And then obviously knowledge and getting the facts right is wildly important. So it's like there's a lot going on and you find yourself robotic. I remember at tsn, I was about almost six months in and my mom called me on my ride home at like midnight one time after an 11 o'clock sports center. I did, and she was like, I finally saw you on tv. I'm like, mom, I've been working for like six months. She's like, no, I've been watching. She's like, but I finally saw you. And I was like, okay. And so I went back and I watched it. I pulled that up just like hockey. I went and watched the video and I was like, huh? Okay, I see it now. Like, why wouldn't, why wasn't I doing that before? And it's like a moment where. Because in certain shows that are very scripted and like Sports center, it's really hard to find areas to be creative. But the way you can do it is just by being yourself and being goofy and saying inside jokes that your friends that are watching TV know and they'll text you or whatever. But it's hard. Like it is way harder than anybody understands. And I think what people miss a lot is like, if there's ever an error, it's our face on tv. We take it. But we have a team of like wildly impressive and Talented people in the background that no one ever gets to see or understand or know that are making this whole thing run so smoothly. And at the end of certain tournaments and stuff, or at the end of the NHL season when, you know, people are signing off at the end of the broadcast, they'll be like, and camera guy so and so, and you know, Nate at the director. And they're naming all these people. They're not just saying names. Like, these are people that actually make us look good when we are really bad. And I think that's the coolest part that I learned is TV is the furthest thing from an individual sport. It's actually an incredibly intricate team sport. And I loved it. Because the newsroom or any type of meeting space that you have when you're doing an event is so much like a locker room. Like, people have fun, people joke around. Like, they'll surprise you when you're on air with. You know, some people would rip on me for being a Buckeyes fan if, you know, Ohio State lost to Michigan in a football game. I'd. They'd put me up on air with a Michigan banner in front of me. It's stuff like that. So it's, it was like a really cool eye opening experience for me to see. Like, okay, this is what it takes to be on camera. It's not just like sitting here and spewing hockey knowledge. There's a lot more to it and there's a lot more people to it. And so that's what I fell in love with. And I still am in love with, with broadcasting, TV and even podcasting now that I'm doing. And I, I love what you guys do because you guys, you know, it's, it's a familiar thing. It's a part of your routine. It's ever changing. But the things that are, you know, consistent are the three of you. And you get to have some good chats and, you know, you know, you have a really good audience that actually cares about their kids, that cares about the sport of hockey and love it the same way we do. So kudos to all of you for doing this and for doing things for the greater good, especially for the ladies that play. 

Lee MJ Elias [42:47 - 42:53]: So thanks, it sounds like. Have time to thank our producer Caitlyn and our editor Xavier and everybody. 

Tessa Bonhomme [42:53 - 42:54]: There you go. 

Mike Bonelli [42:56 - 44:01]: I just thought you turned on the mic. I didn't know all that stuff happened in the background. I said, what the heck? Yeah, listen, Tessa, I love the fact. So you're in media work. I mean, you're in. Now you're in it. Right? You have to. And you're doing all your P's. You know, so you have to have. You have to be prepared. I mean, so one of the things I think you have is you. Which very unique with broadcasters is you have a front row kind of seat to all these great coaches and bad coaches and. And, you know, really get to see, you know, what coaches do to push buttons and motivate players and work the lineups and get players to play at their best. Can you just give a little bit of a background and maybe talk a little bit about what you've seen out of these coaches that our youth coaches can take to be really, you know, supportive leaders and I mean, on the bench and what their Persona is, you know, sitting up on the bleach, you know, you know, sitting up in the back of the bench. But what are these. What are you seeing from your perspective from the media side that. That you could maybe give to our youth coaches and say, hey, listen, this is what pros do, but this is what every good coach does. 

Tessa Bonhomme [44:02 - 48:20]: Yeah. I think Jessica Campbell from the Seattle Kraken said it best is. And I. We had even gone out and interviewed her, and I was just like, how are things? Like, how are the guys with you? And actually, a couple of the guys, like, had walked in, was like, hey, Supi, like, talking to her, and I was like, that's cool. And she's like, they all respect her and they all go to her for things because her mantra and it made me think about, okay, well, what coaches were my favorite and did they have those? Quality is caring about the person first. So coaches, if you see a kid come in one day that's kind of down, the second they get on the ice, just be like, hey, Paul, are you okay? You know, what's going on? You look a little sad. I'm here if you ever want to talk, you know, you want to have some fun today? Let's, you know, let's go have some fun. We'll see if we can turn that frown upside down kind of thing, start the practice off of the game, whatever. So that. And then I think, like I said before, knowing when to push and. And. And when to. To let go. I remember my dad, and these are just for the competitive teams, probably some older players. My dad, when he coached college, he had a really good leader. He had a really good captain on his team, and they'd have a terrible period or, or led a team back in a game, whatever. Wasn't. They weren't playing or performing the way they should, and he knew they were capable of. And he was gonna go in the room, and he was thinking to himself, like, do I yell? What do I say? And he walked to the door, and the captain was there, and he put his hand up, and he was like, we don't need you in your hair. Don't worry, I got it. And so that's when my dad was like, I picked the right guy. And so I think in those moments, it's important to talk to, you know, your players to be like, I am the coach, but, like, you know, the locker room sometimes better than I do, and I want to put that responsibility on you, too. And that kind of helps not only give them a little bit of power and make them feel like, right, this is our team too. This isn't just the coach's team. Like, we get to dictate some stuff, too. So to have conversations with your players that, like, sometimes I'm going to rely on you to do that. I'm going to tell you I'm not coming in the room. You handle it. And. And then it starts generating conversation in the locker room, player to player, where they can actually have open conversation and really start breaking things down themselves and understanding the game themselves. And I think coaches that offer you that opportunity as a. As a player, it doesn't only breathe confidence into you to you and your teammates, but it also kind of forces you to grow and learn the game from a coach's standpoint. Right? Because, like, okay, so you're used to only thinking, how did I play out there? Like, after your shift, you're breaking your shift down. Okay, well, you're. Watch. Watching the three other lines go, what did you notice? What's consistently not great? Or what are we consistently not doing well? Or what are we consistently doing well that we should keep doing and then adjusting the rest. And I think that coaches that. That give their players that luxury of coaching each other works well. And I think, you know, the whole yelling and kicking the. The garbage can thing is. Is kind of gone. I mean, I'm sure it serves its purpose at some point, but I like positive reinforcement. So if you're a team that does video, I always like clipping the good clips that players do to remind them what they're doing well. And if there's something else you want them to do or maybe that they weren't doing, but you notice someone else on your team is good at it, then just clip the other player that's good at and be like, I Want you to incorporate this in your game. So then, because visually, keep in mind, we're all very visual. The more you reinforce and show them doing good things, the more their brain is developing that narrow pathway. And then if you see, okay, maybe you know, the reverse is constantly. A defender is reversing and the puck's constantly staying on the boards. Instead of showing them that their puck constantly stays on the boards, pick someone else on the team. Look at the angle, look how they bounce that back. I want you to incorporate that in your game. You always got to make sure it's a foot and a half off. Cool. I know you can do it. I'm just showing you. This is what I want you to do. So I think those teachable moments where you're reinforcing a good habit as opposed to putting a thumb down on a bad one, is, is the way to go. And at least what I enjoyed in a coaching staff, very much so. But yeah, definitely teaching the. Sorry. Treating the player like a person first and foremost. 

Lee MJ Elias [48:20 - 50:09]: I love it, Tess. And I'll tell you what, we. We actually had Mike Keenan on the show not that long ago, right? Iron Mike. And what was pretty astounding is, you know, he just had a book come out and he's older now, but he talks about how much he actually cared for his players. Now, he also fully admits, like, I coached in a different time and I coached the way I had to coach in that time. But I wouldn't say there was regret there. That's not the right word. But there was this longing of like, I really did care about my players. And I think that as the game has evolved and you're using, in my opinion, like, the teacher is the right word for coaching. Like, when you're not teaching, you're not coaching anymore. It's the one in the same. But I always get asked this question about, well, especially at the higher levels where you have to cut kids or, you know, choose lineups, like, how can you coach that way and maintain it? Well, look, it's two things. You have to establish trust with your team. Number one, you have to establish what that is and what that means. And then the second thing is communicate. And so when I'm coaching, I'm very upfront with my players, especially the high level players. Look, I will always be honest with you, and that means that there are times you may not make the team or I may not play you, but I will be honest with you about why. And I don't think that that conversation happens nearly as much as it needs to. And I can tell you, coaches, you could be a very genuine person, but if you're kind of a yes person and very caring and not explaining to your players that I'm going to have to make some tough decisions. Well, when you make those tough decisions, they're going to think you're fake because you haven't really told them the full picture. So it's, It's. It's about respect, but it's also about understanding clear expectations of when you're building a team. I have to make tough decisions. And again, my belief is the door should always be open. A player who doesn't play should be able to come to you and you should have a discussion. You don't have to agree. 

Tessa Bonhomme [50:09 - 50:09]: All right. 

Lee MJ Elias [50:09 - 50:18]: But you should be able to have that communication. I think that's what you're talking about. And I'm more asking, this is kind of a question. Is that what you're seeing in these top level coaches is that kind of. 

Tessa Bonhomme [50:18 - 53:57]: Trust and communication which should be there? I can tell you that certain teams that I played for were trying out for. That wasn't there. And if you want your players to compete at their lowest or their worst, have them constantly guessing what they're doing right and doing wrong. And if the conversation was there to be had, it would be like, oh, okay, that's all I have to do. Okay, I can do that. I can play better. As opposed to like, you're on the bubble and it's like, what does that even mean? Or like, you're not dressed tonight and it's like, oh, what did I do? Or right. All of a sudden someone's got tossed down. And then you know what? That sparks is behind the scene talking and rumors and then people say stuff. And then all of a sudden you got clicks and things aren't going well and you have horrible team chemistry. So you're the adult as a coach, it is your responsibility to act as such. And if you are not good at having tough conversations, perhaps maybe ask your assistant coach to do it. But I can say from a player standpoint that there was. I. There was never a point that I liked hockey less than when I had. I was in a position where I had no idea what I was doing right or wrong. And the game didn't become fun. The game wasn't fun anymore because I couldn't. I couldn't figure out. I was too busy worrying. And like, when. When was the last time I ever worried about playing hockey? Do you know what I mean? I never worried about Playing hockey until this moment, where it's like, I actually cared about wanting to make this team, and I was sacrificing a lot and I was working my tail off, and I still had no idea what I was doing there. Not a clue. So I think as a coach, your job is to make every single player at a tryout or on your team, whether you think they're 1A, 2C, whatever, is to have everyone perform at their best. And I think it's important for kids and players to understand, too, that everyone's going to have a role and it'll be different every game. Some games, your third line might be your best line, and that third line is going to play a lot, and sometimes the backup goalie is going to steal a game and play out of their face, and people are going to celebrate that backup goalie, and they might get another game right after it just because. And that's okay. Some games, you might be the grocery stick like I was. And what's your job when you're separating the forward and the D? You know, your job's to watch the game. Hey, I noticed when they're four checking there, watch the game. Help the coaches, coach. You see a player make a mistake, give them a tap on the back, let them know it's okay. Kim St. Pierre arguably could have been the starting goaltender in 2010. We had three goalies that, quite frankly, we're starting goalies. You could have plucked a name out of the hat. We would have won. Shannon Zabados in net. Of course, Kim St. Pierre could have been sulking on the bench. That was her net. Fair to say it was her last Olympics. I came off the ice really ticked off one time, slammed my stick, dropped an F bomb, shook my head. I feel this hand on my shoulder, and I turn around, and Kim's like, hey, Tess, look around. Look where you are. Every single person in here would pay a ton of money just to sit where you are and to have the opportunity to make that mistake. And I was like, oh. And she's like, still nothing? Nothing. You're fine. Go have fun. I was like, holy, here's a goalie that should be cranky and sad that she's not starting because she felt like she got ripped off and I was her roommate. And it hit her hard when she found out that she wasn't starting. Don't get me wrong, she's a competitor. It should have. But she didn't have to take that moment to do that for me. She acted as a true, proper teammate, and she played her role to perfection, which in turn help me be successful in that final game and you know, help me wear the same jersey as Medi Philip Poulet, who scored the two. 

Sheri Hudspeth [53:57 - 53:59]: Goals to get us the gold. 

Tessa Bonhomme [53:59 - 54:12]: But my point is, is she played her role to perfection and she didn't have to do that. And I, I very easily could have, you know, gone in a very bad direction, a poor mentality and played really crappy the rest of that game. And she, she pulled me out of that. 

Lee MJ Elias [54:13 - 54:14]: It's an amazing story. 

Sheri Hudspeth [54:15 - 54:42]: Yeah, I love these stories. We could do a whole other show which is like behind the scenes Team Canada stories. I love it. Yeah. So 2025, obviously we're here right now. Very, very special time. We talked about the growth of women's sports and obviously it's, it's exploding. What I want to know is like, how can organizations and coaches help support the next generation? These kids that are 7, 8, 9, 10 coming up now and help us grow the game intentionally for girls and women. 

Tessa Bonhomme [54:45 - 59:16]: Growing intentionally. Like I said, tune in to the games. All these women have hockey schools, as do I. Some of them fill up real fast, some of them don't. I always find, you know, when I'm at games and I'm, and they're like, oh, we're from the same hometown as so and so I'm like, oh, is, does your kid go to their hockey school? And they're like, no, we haven't really decided yet. Whereas if they had a son and there was an NHL player running a hockey school, they would have been registered last year. So I think getting these players and kids to interact with these athletes like it happened to me at these hockey schools. These PWHL teams are now running their own hockey schools themselves. Getting them out to that, but just getting to the game. And I don't think it's only hockey. I will say that I think it's just women's sports in general and just any type of sports. So nwsl, NSL in Canada now, when the WNBA is going, just make sure you're getting out to support these kids and these, sorry these players with your kids. As far as supporting the coaches, I started taking. I've got two young kids and, and I'm starting to have to do the coaching clinics now. There are a ton of books out there. Follow Cassie Campbell on, on social media. She posts a lot of good leadership books. I have read some amazing, mind blowing books. DM her if you want some good ones. Yeah, they're real, they're great. They're all good reads. And, you know, people always see leadership as like this very one dimensional, straightforward thing. But I think there's. It's so intricate and there's so many facets to it that, you know, it's. It's okay to look within ourselves and lead as a better parent, as a better coach, as a better teammate, all that stuff. So I think just reading and doing yourself a favor and educating yourself on leadership, but to be honest, I think for the future of women's sports and women's hockey, I think it's taking the time to, like you do, Lee, is turn the TV on and just have it be on. And it's. That's just what normal is. And that's what it is. And talking not only about, you know, sure, there's NHL playoffs going on too, but you can just be like, man, did you see that Victor game last night? Can you believe it? Just comfortable, normal, regular conversation and keeping it more normal. And I think, you know, we're almost at a point where we can stop celebrating. Do you know what I mean? Like, let's not always make it like, can you believe it? It's like, yes, I believe it. You should. Let's start acting that way. Do you know what I mean? And owning that space. And I think teaching your daughter to own that space and not be shy to talk about it or feel awkward to talk about it. And, you know, any guy friend would come up to me and talk to me about, you know, a football game or a basketball game, an NBA game or an NFL game. So why should I feel any more awkward to go up to them and talk to them about the PWA PWHL game. So I think normalizing those conversations too. Coaches, do yourself a service and get to know every single player in the pwhl. If you coach and you should be asking your players, who do you think you play like or who would you like to emulate your game after? And if they say a boy player that is great and totally fine, then say, okay, who on the female side ask for a counterpart? Because it's these ladies responsibility as well to get to know these players. And if they don't know someone and you know who they kind of play like, just be like, hey, you should watch the Boston Fleet play Alina Mueller. You have an exact game like her. She's very cerebral, she's got good hands, and she's a fantastic playmaker. Start watching her. So then it's like, oh, okay, I should. So then they're gonna go in the Car. And their mom will be like. They'll say to their mom, hey, I want to start watching the Boston Fleet play. Okay. Then all she has to do. Okay, where do we watch it? If you're in the United States, YouTube. It's free. It's easy. What kid doesn't know how to get to YouTube? So I think those are the types of conversations and things that we need to normalize. So, coaches, you got a lot of hockey watching to do. If you have no idea about things, drop me a dm. I'll be more than happy to help out, because it breaks my heart when I run my hockey school and I ask kids, girls, who their favorite players are, and every single one of them says a boy player. Because there are a plethora of amazing women hockey players out there that have done nothing but bring this game to where it is today. And. And they deserve to be looked up to equally as the men do. 

Sheri Hudspeth [59:16 - 59:39]: I love that you mentioned the camps, too. Like, there's so many camps. I saw PWA Boston just put out 12 unfortunates all summer. Megan Keller has a. You know, like, there's camps everywhere. You can go meet these people and when you can meet the athletes, it's so impactful, regardless of what age you are. Like, we just took. Well, not just. It was February. We took our 10 new girls to Wickfest up in Calgary. 

Tessa Bonhomme [59:40 - 59:41]: Nice. Awesome. 

Sheri Hudspeth [59:41 - 1:00:51]: It was awesome. But Haley is such an incredible ambassador. Like, made time for every single girl. And she did Back to back, two weekends, 2,500 girls. She's, you know, signing autographs for, shaking hands, taking photos. These girls, my. My team came back so inspired. They're. They're American girls. So it's like they. We had to teach them a little bit about Haley's past, but. Yeah, but they can't stop talking about it. And the really cool thing here now, it's. Is the boys running around City national arena here in Vegas in Wickfest hoodies. So I love that the brothers all bought Wickfest stuff. We got the water bottles and stuff, but the girls just meeting her, taking photos, you know, it's. It's shown them that there is a path for them. And. And Cassie was here. She came out on the ice with our 19 new girls at T Mobile. And our girls couldn't believe they got to skate with someone like that and aspiring, you know, to. To pursue their dreams and stuff, because they did have the chance to meet these ambassadors in the game. So parents, if you do have time to go to a camp or you Know, there's, there's people in your town like, that you can go meet, go to the games, meet them. It's going to be really impactful for their future. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:00:51 - 1:01:25]: And, and the coolest part, I, my, my dad. Well, I don't know how much, how often we did this, but you can make a little vacation out of it too, right? Like, if you're not from Boston or if you're not from Minnesota or whatever, you. You can take a trip with your families, go to the hockey school, spend the day playing some hockey, and then you can go out on the water or go do whatever you want in a city and discover the city as a family as well. My dad used to be really good, creating moments like that where it's like a hidden vacation or a hidden hockey school within a vacation, which was kind of cool and kind of fun. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:01:26 - 1:01:35]: Yeah, what kid wouldn't want that? And I'll tell you, as we kind of get to the, the end here, Tessa, you know, like, we are waiting for an expansion team to come to Philadelphia. There's a lot of girls. 

Sheri Hudspeth [1:01:35 - 1:01:37]: Vegas first, Vegas first. Get out of here. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:01:37 - 1:02:56]: Maybe, maybe it's easier to travel, but just to kind of round out the point. And this is for you too. Sure. You know, again, my daughter's eight and she said something to me this past winter that really hit me. She goes, well, I want to play in the PWHL one day. And I'm realizing two years ago, no, no girl had ever said that ever. Right. In fact, the question would typically be, has a girl ever played in the NHL? I've heard that a few times. Right. So the fact that, like, this is the impact that you start to see at the younger ages, like the, the women that are pioneering now. And I think you're right. This, it's like, what are we celebrating at this point? It's just great hockey. Let's just make it, make it bigger and bigger and bigger. But the eight year olds, and I know my daughter's not the only one, the eight year old saying, I want to play in the pwhl. Like, that is a moment of impact. And I'll remind everyone, dads, mothers, everybody, that's a new, that is a new thing that has not been said before. Right. So that's the future impact. And you know, and 10, 20 years when, when, when, you know, assuming she's still playing or the women that are playing at that time, it's amazing to think about what that that landscape may look like. But Tessa, this has been awesome. We finish every Episode with rapid fire questions. You're a broadcaster, you're a hockey player. You'll do fine. Are you ready for a few quick ones? 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:02:56 - 1:02:59]: Sure. Are these one word answers? 

Lee MJ Elias [1:02:59 - 1:03:08]: No. You can, you can, you can ask answers as long as you want. They're just quick questions. I'll put it that way. Right. So I'll, I'll lead off here. Favorite rink he ever played it. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:03:08 - 1:03:14]: OSU Ice Rink. It's a dirty old barn. But everyone else pack barn. 

Sheri Hudspeth [1:03:14 - 1:03:17]: You guys would pack that place. It was awesome. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:03:17 - 1:03:33]: Yeah, but everyone else hated playing there. That's why I love it so much. We, we make it very uncomfortable for the visiting team. So OSU Ice Rink or the Sudbury arena, that's also an old, old school rink that like it's got a smell to it, you know, Everybody knows said. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:03:33 - 1:03:39]: Right now at least, at least it exists. Right? Who wants to dive in the next one. 

Mike Bonelli [1:03:39 - 1:03:40]: You guys take them. Okay. 

Sheri Hudspeth [1:03:41 - 1:03:41]: I'll take three. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:03:42 - 1:03:54]: Okay. I'll do number two. This is what I'm actually curious about because depending on when you played, we get a lot of different answers on this one. But best pre game hype song that you used to listen to or that you still think is the best one ever. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:03:55 - 1:04:40]: I was never a dj. I was just like along for the rider. But we used to actually. So New Orleans is sinking. We used to always put it on before going out and Megan, Augusta and I would be the last ones walking out of the room onto the ice for warm ups. And we would whatever, at whatever point of the song, we would walk out, we would just sing the rest of it all the way down the hall onto the ice. And while we skated around until we finished the song. That's tragically hip for any American listeners that don't know they're a great Canadian band. Rock legends gourd. Rest in peace but give them a listen. New Orleans is sinking and it's like it's not anything crazy or upbeat. It's just like we love them anyways. It's a good tune. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:04:40 - 1:04:43]: Downloads are about to go skyrocket on that song. 

Sheri Hudspeth [1:04:44 - 1:04:54]: Every American should know the hip get into it. Yeah, this, this one's a layup. Aside from our girls play hockey, what is your favorite podcast? 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:04:57 - 1:05:29]: I've got a bunch that I listen to. I'm a Mel Robbins listener. I'm. I'm a Empty Netters listener. I. I listen to a lot. Gosh, to be honest, if you looked on my Spotify probably. Do you want to know what my most listened to podcast would be? It's it's called the 10 Minute Ride for Kids, where it's a kids podcast and they teach you about why you brush your teeth and how popcorn pops. I'm a nerd. I'm a loser. I've got kids. That's what I do. You're not really. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:05:29 - 1:05:30]: I'm okay to be a nerd. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:05:30 - 1:05:49]: I'm. I'm, I'm into all of it. Like, I could pull up my list of podcasts and it literally is just like, whatever. I'm kind of feeling like that day, truly. Do I feel like laughing? Do I feel like, you know, learning something? Sometimes I listen back to my own podcast just to take notes and have teachable moments. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:05:49 - 1:05:55]: But, yeah, we would love for you. Speaking of the layup, why don't you tell people about your podcast so we can get people out of that one real quick? 

Sheri Hudspeth [1:05:55 - 1:05:57]: It's awesome. I love it. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:05:57 - 1:08:28]: So I started the Jocks in Jills podcast with my friend and co host, Julia to Sherry. I was very upset and offended at the lack of coverage that was that the PWHL was receiving in its first year. And so I thought to myself, why would I not just create something? And so I was like, let's do a podcast. So we did. We called it Jocks in Jills because we were a couple of jocks. We wear jills. If you don't know what a Jill is, it's a jock for a female. Female privates. And our goal was to help make these women more marketable and help everyone get to know them better. Because the one thing I always got when I went to events was, we can't, we don't really know who any of you ever are because you always have cages on. We can't tell. And I was like, you also don't know anything about me, but cool. And so I was like, we're going to do a podcast where we break down the games in the league. So if you didn't add time to watch anything but you wanted to know what the heck was going on, we do headlines, the biggest hits that happen that week, and then we have a new player on every week. And we don't do your prototypical hockey interview where it's like 110, you know, the team tried, we'll be better get pucks deep, all that stuff. Yeah, we, we, we, we pull up some dirt on these ladies. We, we make sure we have some fun with them and get to know them as people, what makes them tick, why they fell in love with hockey, where they were from, because we also want our younger listeners to find a way to relate with these players. So if you live in an area that doesn't have a team in market, you can find a favorite player and cheer for them. I mean, I lived in Sudbury and I cheered for the Colorado Avalanche because I love Peter Forsberg. Right. So we just kind of have them talk through their hockey career and throw some laughs in there as well. I mean, one of the best laughs I had in a while, I think, was recently we had Brianne Jenner on, and she was talking about a pranking war that took place when she was in her senior year at Cornell. And they did. It was the rookies against the vets against the seniors. And things had gotten pretty wild between both. Both classes. And they came home one day to a bouquet of flowers on their front porch, and it said truce on the card. And they're like, we won. This is great. They were, like, taking pictures with the flowers to, like, send back to the ladies saying thank you. And Brianne was like, these flowers smell like, what's up with this? And they had pooped in the vase. 

Sheri Hudspeth [1:08:29 - 1:08:30]: So the. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:08:30 - 1:08:32]: The rookies actually beat the vets. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:08:33 - 1:08:34]: That's going. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:08:34 - 1:08:37]: It was one of my. Right. Committed. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:08:37 - 1:08:48]: Yeah. Well, Tessa, listen, we didn't pull up any dirt on you today, but we did get some amazing stories out of you and. And we're gonna make your dream come true. You're gonna appear on our 10 minute podcast, the Ride to the Rink here shortly. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:08:48 - 1:08:49]: Love that. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:08:49 - 1:08:54]: Directly to the kids and then you can play it in your car. Although I, you know, we don't listen to our own podcast, I think, in our cars either, so. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:08:54 - 1:08:56]: Totally can. I'm gonna start playing it for my kids. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:08:56 - 1:09:10]: There you go. I appreciate that, Tessa. And listen, I just want to thank you for being on our Girls Play Hockey. This really was a fantastic episode and. And you know, what you've done for the game and your teammates and really, everybody, it's well appreciated. So thanks for being here today. 

Tessa Bonhomme [1:09:11 - 1:09:29]: Appreciate everything you guys are doing too. Sherry, down there, the Vegas Golden Knights, I know they got a good thing going, so thanks for being a part of that and helping grow the game down there too. Mike, good seeing you, bud. Thanks for your input. And Lee, thanks for being a great dad and doing that for your kids, putting women's hockey on and women's sports on all the time, that's huge, man. 

Lee MJ Elias [1:09:29 - 1:10:11]: Well, that means more to me than probably any complicated compliment you could have given, because I do. I really do identify as a dad, but thank you so much that's going to do it for this edition of Our Girls Play Hockey. For Tessa Bunham, Sherry Hudspeth, Mike Benelli, I'm LE Elias. We'll see you on the next episode. Everybody take care. 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 kids play hockey.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.