These Packs Puck
Anyone who's a parent knows how chaotic life with kids can be -- but being a professional athlete and a parent comes with its own unique challenges. On their new podcast, These Packs Puck, Madison and Anya Packer, professional hockey players and moms-of-two, speak candidly about their life on and off the ice. They cover everything from the chaos of raising two kids under four, to conceiving as a queer couple, prioritizing mental health, and parenting while in the spotlight of a sport newly on the rise. Madison and Anya also turn to fellow athletes, parenting experts, and other boundary-breakers to learn about their varied parenthood journeys and collect advice valuable for anyone embarking on the messy, complicated, and joyous journey of parenthood.
Episodes
This week, the Packers address an issue tough for any parent. This year alone, there have been over 120 school shootings in America. This topic hits home for thousands of families and Madison and Anya are here to share their thoughts as concerned mothers. No matter your political party, all children should feel safe going to school, and no parent should ever have to wonder if their child will make it home. Take a seat for a heavier...
Fall feels a little different for the Packers this year. For the first time ever, Madison isn’t at training camp and honestly, she’s not mad about having more free time and not getting her ass kicked on the ice. Anya, on the other hand, is nostalgic for her training camp days–the camaraderie, the euphoria of making the team, and yes, even the soreness. But better than all of that is what comes after training camp:...
Everyone is going back to school, including college athletes. Join the Packers in a discussion about the ways the D1 recruitment process has changed drastically since their collegiate careers. The two also share their wildly different recruitment experiences and provide advice to kids and parents who might be in the weeds of this process now. At the end of the day, Madison and Anya are proof that it doesn’t matter where you s...
After discovering the latest self-improvement TikTok trend, The Great Lock In, The Packers are on a mission to optimize the last four months of 2025. But first, they catch us up on the latest with their little ones and school and Madison lets us in on an exciting career shift. Then, the Packers’ Great Lock In, or as they’re calling it, Great Pack Up, begins. Come along on this manifestation journey, whether you’re...
This week, the Packers are recording in a quiet, calm household because the kids are finally at school! Madison and Anya debrief the bittersweet sendoff and share their hopes and dreams for their kids as they start to develop their own interests, friends, and personalities. Come for the cute stories and stay for Anya’s most controversial hot take yet where she proposes a way to…heat up…the women’s hockey s...
School is almost back in session, and for the Packers this means entering a new era of parenting. As the kids get ready to go off to school, Madison and Anya’s plates are full with shopping, scheduling extracurriculars, and the hope of making parent friends. On top of that, the Packers are navigating the never-ending quest to overcome mom guilt. Despite the chaos and the cruel realization that school supplies and athletic gea...
Back with another solo episode, Madison and Anya kick things off by calling attention to a phallus fad plaguing the WNBA. Dildos have been thrown on the court at multiple games and no one quite knows why. Some think it’s a marketing ploy, others say it’s innocent fun, but many see it as an act of misogyny and disrespect. In light of this, The Packers give a little insight to the sexism experienced during their entire at...
Chirping, yard sales, and reconnecting. Three words that may seem random, but not after listening to this week’s episode. First, Anya and Madison school us in the world of hockey slang. Whether it’s a play, diss, or luscious head of hair, the Packers teach us how to talk like a hockey vet. Then, the Packers talk about their journey to reconnect with themselves and each other after having kids, featuring details from the...
The Packers asked for sapphic hockey romances—and Kelly Farmer delivered. Her Out on the Ice series follows love stories set in a fictional women’s hockey league with a surprisingly realistic take on the sport—from access and equity to league politics and locker room chemistry. Madison and Anya talk to Kelly about building such an authentic world and discover that one of her fictional couples might just be ba...
The WNBA All-Stars demanded what they’re owed — and the Packers are all in. Madison and Anya dive into the fight for fair pay and the importance of Collective Bargaining Agreements in sports. They revisit the early days of pro hockey, from Anya’s time leading the Players’ Association to the PWHL’s still-imperfect CBA. Finally, they unpack why women athletes keep getting shortchanged — and imagine...
The Packers are stuck in Michigan and catching up on all things parenting— from hot takes on gentle parenting to the hilarious story of how their one-week vacation turned into three. Then comes the main event: sleep coach and Why Won’t You Sleep?! author Macall Gordon joins to talk about Waylon’s sleep drama (which they spilled a couple weeks ago). Macall specializes in deeply feeling kids and explains why tempera...
In this solo episode, the Packers get into two very different but equally heated topics. First, they speak out on how horrific it is that the government defunded 988, the suicide hotline that provides support for LGBTQ+ youth. They discuss why this is essentially an attack on the queer community’s mental health and provide resources for where to go if you’re in crisis. Then they discuss the person who always sends women...
This week, the Packers talk to someone who has beaten the odds at every turn. Eva Erickson is a lifelong hockey player who holds her own on men’s teams, an engineer who is getting her PhD at Brown University, and most recently the runner-up on season 48 of Survivor. She got there by being authentic in a game usually known for lying and deceit, but that’s not the only way she's defied expectations. As a baby, doctors tol...
The Packers are tired. Their son, Waylon, is going through a new phase where he won’t sleep. As believers in being transparent about the messy parts of motherhood, they get into what's been going on—the funny stories, the frustrations, and the sleep deprivation. Now they’re turning to you, our listeners, to seek help and solutions for this problem. So please, send advice!
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Rivalries, locker room laughs, and the chaos of parenting — the Packers cover it all with Tessa Bonhomme, retired Canadian pro ice hockey player, sports broadcaster, and host of the Jocks & Jills podcast. Together, they dive into the highs and lows of women’s hockey, the reality of working moms in sports, and why there’s no “off-season” for badass women on and off the ice.
In this solo episode, Anya and Madison share their deeply personal journey through postpartum depression, partner support, and rediscovering identity in early motherhood. It’s a conversation about cracks, resilience, and the quiet things we’re too afraid to say out loud.
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We’re back with another edition of hockey romance book club! This week, we’re diving into the hugely popular Game Changers series with the mastermind behind it, Rachel Reid. She explains that her fun, moving, and extremely spicy books were born out of one simple question–what would NHL culture be like if gay players felt free to come out? This is a question Anya and Madison have thought about a lot, and they chat ...
The PWHL season may be over, but the Packers still have plenty to say about women’s hockey. In this solo episode, they recap playoff highlights and look ahead to the expansion draft for Vancouver and Seattle. Plus, in a fun game, they play GM for each of the existing teams and pick which players they’d protect from being drafted. Listen to see who the Packers pick and if you agree.
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Hockey can be a platform for positive change. The Packers know this well and so does their long-time friend and colleague, Kate Whitman Annis. As Executive Director of the New Jersey Devils Youth Foundation, Kate promotes equity in the Devils’ surrounding community by inspiring kids, particularly young girls, to get into hockey. To Madison and Anya, Kate is also an exceptional leader–one who navigated tough discussions ...
Madison and Anya have never shied away from talking about mental health — and in past episodes, Anya even shared her initiative to bring a sports psychologist onto the Riveter’s team. Today’s guest is the doctor at the heart of that effort: Dr. Joe Galasso. Together, they explore the powerful intersection of athletics and mental health, and why support systems are essential for athletes navigating public scrutiny,...
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