December 24, 2024 • 32 mins
In sports, the bond between teammates often goes beyond the game — you become family. In this episode, the Packers reunite with one of their own, Emma Woods, to reflect on the unforgettable moments of last season. Emma, who lived with Madison and Anya while playing for the Sirens, quickly became a "pseudo-mom" to their kids, forging deep and unexpected connections. Join us as we dive into life off the ice — from how Madison and Emma went from rivals to best friends, to that unforgettable (and hilarious) moment when their son Waylon had an accident in Emma's bathroom. It’s a heartwarming, candid conversation about the true meaning of team spirit and family.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey everyone, I'm Madison Packer and I'm Anya Packer. I'm
a recently retired pro hockey vet. I was a founding
member of the National Women's Hockey League, a pillar in
the PHF with the Riveters, and an inaugural member of
the PWHL Sirens.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And I played too. That's how Madison and I met.
But I stepped away to start our family.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Now we're married and moms two awesome toddlers, ages two
and four.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And this is these Packs Puck where we talk about
everything for professional women's athletes, to sports, to raising children
and all the messiness in between.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Hey, pack how you doing adjusting to me being home
more frequently?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
That's quite an adjustment.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
But yes, Anya actually said to me the other day
when I was in the kitchen it was an adjustment
for her for me to be home so much because
she was used to having more space, to which I replied,
it's really herful.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I love you. You're the best. You just touch everything all
the time.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
It's not a function that I don't love you and
I'm not happy that you're home. It's just different. It's different.
But I did miss you, so I'm happy you're home. Well,
let's get into the hockey. Hot take.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Hockey, hot take.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
The best part of being on a hockey team, without question,
one hundred percent, is the locker room.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
That's the best part.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
That is number one, hands down, the best part about
being on a hockey team is being in a locker
room with your teammates. Why because there's nothing better.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
The game is the game. Practice is practice.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
But the thirty minutes pre game, thirty minutes pre practice,
thirty minutes afterward, getting unchanged, blasting the music, acting a
complete fool.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
That is the best part. That's where you build a team.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Here's what I'm going to push back, because you and
I are opposite personalities. So you're probably the person with
the iPad or iPod in hand in the center of
the room, dancing.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
A fool, yes or not, one hundred percent that's me.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
That's not me.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
I'm in my corner eating gummy bears, mining my own business,
talking to whoever's to either side of me, not dancing,
not listening to the music.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I never get the ox.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So my favorite part of the off ice portion of
hockey is the bus wrong because it's a similar vibe.
The whole team is together, you're chill, like you're relaxing,
but we're like playing cards or talking or watching a movie.
Like everyone's just like hanging out and it's not like
a big dance party.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
No, there's no chance.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
You can't tell me that you'd rather be on a
hockey bus sitting, probably smell. You probably didn't shower because
the visitors showers are always nasty. You definitely can't tell
me that that's more fun than the thirty minutes you
get to spend time ramping up for a game.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I think the nastiest visitor showers that we ever had
was bu get out of here.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I disagree. I think the bus is better.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, but you know what, now, you guys don't bus anymore.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
We still bus.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
We took buses down to ubs all the time. Last season,
Whaley came on the bus with me. The food on
the bus is good, the movies are good.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
I like the bus.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
You like the locker room.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
I like the bus. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I feel like the problem that I have with the
bus is that I want to sleep. If I'm driving,
I want to be sleeping.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
I'm tired.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
I don't want to talk.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, but you still can, like in the locker room,
people branch off and you have like pockets of people
on the bus. If you want to be part of
a conversation, you just like walk from row to row.
You can literally be engaged in so many different things
in the locker room, Like everyone is more grouped off.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I think, do you read a book in the locker room?
Like what are you doing in the locker room? That
doesn't make it the most fun place in the world.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
I'm not saying it's not fun.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I'm just saying you're also prepping for things in the
locker room, Like on the bus, you're just in full
chill mode.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
See here's the thing. I feel like I'm the consummate
benchwarmer in the locker room. I'm hyping everybody up. I'm
getting ready to like go out on the thing, like
get my couple shifts, rip around, but hype up the
team so I don't have to focus on all that.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
I'm not going to a powerplay meeting. I'll tell you
that right now.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I'm hyping people up too, Like I didn't.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I wasn't going to any powerplay meetings last yeason either.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I'm not saying I don't like the locker room. I'm
just saying the.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Bus is a different Like for me the bus last season.
What stands out most is we would play exploding Kittens
and or Yuker, Like that's just fun. You just like
you grab any different group of four and you can
play Yuker.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
You can sit however you want to sit.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
On the bus, we would bring cards against Humanity, Like
we would just sit and chat and hang and you
there's no pressure of the game, there's no pressure of
the rink. You're not thinking about anything other than where
are we going, where are we coming home from? And
we're relaxing doing something else that we all enjoy doing together.
So I feel like that's like a more bonding, laid
back vibe.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Well, now we just have to have a debate back,
We'll have to somehow, we'll duke it out.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
If bus wins, they all get gift cards.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Well, speaking of gift cards, babe, we are getting ready
for the holidays, and it's typically been very.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Crazy in this house. So where you at has the
madness hitting you?
Speaker 5 (04:48):
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I uh, I'm not going to put a number on
it today because I think that the number would be depressing.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Oh but I'm struggling. I'm struggling a little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
I think I now understand what it means when people
say that to be sensitive around the holidays, because like
such a happy time can be hard for people who
are going through something hard. So I think I've gained
a new appreciation for that. I'm struggling a little bit.
I think that while the choice to retire was the
best one for our family, for my body, for just
(05:26):
a lot of reasons, I wasn't prepared for what that meant.
Like you're used to being told what to do and
where to be, and you know how everything works for
thirty years. I've been playing hockey for thirty years. So
I just feel a little bit. I think lost. I
think that the kids help a lot, because it gives
me purpose and it makes me feel like I have
(05:47):
a reason to get up and I've got something to do,
because if I didn't, if we didn't have the kids,
like I would just be I'm not in a real
rush to figure out what to do next, which I
think is important, but that's also hard because you're really
defining part of me, isn't there anymore.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
It's a hard adjustment.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
So feeling a little bit low, But we're going to
jingle Ball and got some fun stuff planned, so.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
I've got stuff to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I'm doing okay, but it's just one foot in front
of the other a little bit.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Well imagine, I just said I was at one hundred,
and I was just like, I'm perfectly happy.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Well, never there.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I'm just kidding that we're at a crisp for the
day because I'm hovering right around zero.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I had to make a joke because I wanted to
hear you laugh. But I see that in you.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
People ask me what it's like now in our house,
and I'm like, it's the definition of like a little
bit of mourning, a little bit of celebration. And so
sometimes I see you ebb and flow between those two things,
because it's not just.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Your way of life. You live with structure. You love structure.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So this world that has been basically laid out for
you is now changed. And it's not that you don't
have any structure, because the kids have a schedule, the
kids have structure, You go to the gym, you've got
you know, you're doing all these new things. It's different, though,
and so I see that for you. I'm empathetic for
you in the sense that I know what it's like
(07:09):
to redo your life and redo that structure.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I think the part that I'm struggling with most is
if we're going to be talking about being real, firmanent,
I feel like a failure a little bit, you know,
the way at least the way that I was raised,
the environment.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
That I grew up in.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
If you don't achieve what you're set out to do,
Like for me, I was going to play another year,
and then there were a lot of things that came
into play that made that picture look less clear, right,
So to me, I didn't achieve that goal, and once
I kind of got through that, it was like, what
fills my cup the most is making a difference in
(07:47):
the lives of other people, truly, right for me, like
I found the difference that I was able to make
through sport, and a lot of it because of you, right,
me becoming more open, whatever, whatever, it's making an impact
on people, Yeah, whatever, thanks, But how I can continue
to do that? And that's my biggest challenge now I
wake up, you know, I join a kickboxing gym where
I'm part of a community that's different than something that
(08:09):
I'm used to being a part of and learning from
those people and just trying to figure out what's next
by trying to discover how I can continue to make
the biggest impact in communities that are important to me.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I think a big part that you're not appreciating as well.
And I know that you think your reach hits scale
through that larger community base, But it's even the like
day to day family that you build with your teammates.
Every hockey team that you're a member of, you are
a family member of. And that's the thing about you know,
the bus, the whatever, Like we go through this whole
(08:43):
kind of conversation, the locker room versus the bus, the
team versus the act. Like I think for you, it's
always been about that family that you find in the rink,
and so as you step away from it, that family
picture looks different.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Yeah, I mean I think that that's a big part
of it.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Right. You think about sports and you think about working
in at least my experience in a corporate environment like
a hockey team is a family.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
At least every team.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I've ever been a part of, And so for me,
I feel like, in a weird way, I've lost a
part of my family. And I think for me, all
of the emotions are coming back at the same time,
so it's like, you know, the grief and loss of
you know, the team now, but even bigger than that,
I think that I'm processing all of the emotion of
(09:29):
the loss of the Riveters and just looking back on
all of it and what a huge part of being
a part of Team sports has done for me.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Without a question.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
I'm a better mom, I'm a better spouse, I'm a
better friend, sister, person, daughter, granddaughter, everything because I grew
up in team sports. And I think that's going to
be the biggest challenge for me in the next chapter.
Is not necessarily replacing because I don't think you can
ever replace the bond that I've shared with my teammates.
There's not a thing I wouldn't do in the world
(10:03):
ever for any one of them, but finding something that
fills my cup in the same way as being a
part of that team hockey I loved. It's done so
much for me. But the game was a vehicle to
open doors and relationships and friendships.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
That reflects really nicely into our next conversation because last
year was a community. We had people in this home.
We had Emma Woods, and that's who the next conversation
is with I love her so much. She has been
such a good friend. We always joke that our house
kind of becomes this like stomping ground for everybody that's
ever played women's hockey in the Tri State. Everyone comes here,
(10:42):
we converge upon the home, We share our space. You know,
it's like family dinner time. I think that's just like
the law of being your teammate. Emma lived with us,
she became a fast friend, and for lack of a
better term, she was like a second mother with us.
She was that aunt to our children. I'm so excited
to talk to her all around. I think it will
(11:02):
help elevate some of the emotions and vibes and feelings.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
But truly I just miss her.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So we will have the chat with Emma Woods right
after the break. I'm so excited for our guests today.
It's kind of like a middle ground between a mother
and a daughter.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
In our family. We have Emma Woods. She's joining us.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
She was on the team with you last year, Mattie,
your teammate, and then was also a rival narch nemesis
of sorts in the National Women's Hockey League then PHF
for the Toronto six.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
She was drafted to New York.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Ended up coming, ended up moving in we'll talk about it,
and became another.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Mother in our little crew having me girls. Yeah, welcome
em We're so excited. We miss you. You've moved out,
which is so rude.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Left your hockey bag behind, though she still has some
stuff in the storage unit, bathers me daily.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
No, she just steers on it on a daily basis.
So you're here on the pod. You lived in our house.
Take me back before that, How do you and Madison
know each other?
Speaker 5 (12:09):
How did you meet? Where we first meet? Probably on
the ice phf days. I was in Toronto, Mattie was
in New York. Didn't know what I thought about Maddie
at first.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Yeah, we didn't really know each other.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
I don't know if Emma didn't like Madison, but I
will confirm that Madison would come home after a Toronto
game and.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
Be like, what is rug with that Woods kid? That
Wood kid.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
The context there is so you are good friends with
Chayenn Darcangelo, who at the time was the captain of
Toronto six and played with me growing up Little Caesars.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
You guys played in college together at Quinnipiac.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
So I knew that you were friends with her, and
so we'd like randomly see each other around the rink
and stuff and like give the athlete nod, But we
didn't really know each other. Yeah, from a distance. Once
he seemed cool and then she high sticked me in
the face one time during a game.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Was like, oh sorry, Pat, And that was like that's
when I came and said to Anya. I was like,
who's this kid?
Speaker 5 (13:01):
Even think she is?
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Like sorry pack, she was no nicknames.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
So the best part about this is, and for everyone
that's listening that's not yet a hockey fan, is that
Emma and Madison play a very similar style of hockey.
It is brutal, but like you both like to get
in each other's kitchen, like you like to stir it up.
You're both big bodies in front of the net. There's
a lot to both of your games that's very similar.
So when you guys played against each other, it was
(13:27):
natural that you guys were like arch enemies.
Speaker 5 (13:32):
It was easy. Yeah, And I went to the All
Star and Naughty bought run around a drink, So, all right, she's.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Cool on Anya's credit card.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Well, I feel like I knew Anya before I knew
you through all the mutuals.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Madison called me after that All Star game and was like, Uh,
you won't believe who I had drink.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
Smith last night, which could mean a thousand things.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I'm like, I don't know who she was, Like that
woods kid? What am I seventy five year old man, like,
I don't think I said that woods kid, That's what
I remember. So, in a similar fashion to how we met,
when Woodsy got drafted to New York and I obviously
lived here, got the compassionate waiver, was gonna stay here,
try to make the team, and so, trying to be nice,
(14:13):
I texted the whole team and was like, Hey, anyone
want to like need a place to stay for a
few days whatever, like let me know, and heard from
a couple of people here and there. Chloe Rard also
lived with us last year. Woodsy texts me out of
nowhere and was like, Hey, I think I'm gonna take
you up on that offer, but like I'll let you
know right Like it was kind of vague, wasn't it, babe.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Yeah, So we.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
Talked to Chloe.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Chloe's moving in and we're getting closer and closer to camp.
Haven't heard anything from Woodsy and then just like randomly,
She's like, yeah, so I think I'm gonna get here
there on like blank date and I'll let you know
if that changes.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
And Anya and I were like, wait, so is she
moving in? Is she coming to visit?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Like and now knowing you, it all makes perfect sense,
like like you just blended right in with the family.
But it was just like so bold and so confident
and just like.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Yeah, I'm gonna I'll be there on this date. Gotta
figure out how'm gonna get my stuff there.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
I felt oddly comfortable showing up when I got there.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
You literally did. You were like, hey, I'm here.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
We didn't miss a bee, like moved in and it
was just like boom, part of the family.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Silvey was already there too, probably helped.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Yeah, we kessity sober.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
We had a lot of people. That was a lot,
We had a crew. I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
And then also back to the Woods kid, Madison was like,
can you believe Emma Woods is just moving in?
Speaker 5 (15:22):
She's just gonna move in. She's not gonna talk to us.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
And then I go through Madison's texts because like the
reality that madison lives is sometimes different than other people's
real life.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
I go, Maddie, you.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Sent her a seventeen minute tour a video of the house.
I was like, I think you invited her to move
inn yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
But then heard nothing bad and then it was just like,
I'll be there in four days.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
It's Madison like opening up closets in our bedroom, being like,
and this is our closet.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
I'm like, she'll never need to say.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
She's like, this is where Harlan's diapers are, and this
is where the room you'll stay is.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
I was like, it's kind of clear that you've invited
her to live with us. So good and pretty sure.
I held Harlan back at the Oh yeah, the American
dreamer dream. That's true.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
We saw you, yeah, we saw you after a game
one time.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Pre any of this, Harlan was like six months old
and you guys played against each other. It was like
a Riveter's Toronto six game again, like in the crew
of people that we all know, like familiar faces. And
I had Harlan and something was going on, and you
love babies, right, and who does it? And my baby's
so cute. Our baby's the cutest baby ever but Emma
literally puts her hands out and goes, you just kim here.
(16:28):
I was like, okay, fine, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
I remember that because I'm not gonna name who, but
one of my teammates had a crush on Woodsy and
they were like, was what's you holding Harlan?
Speaker 4 (16:36):
After the game, I was like, she's so annoying?
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Who is this kid? You're like, why is she hitting me?
Why is she baby?
Speaker 4 (16:45):
And talking to my wife?
Speaker 5 (16:46):
You come into the house, you move in.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Was it what you expected?
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Oh yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
I didn't even have an expectation. I was just coming in. Actually,
I felt like it was gonna be more chaotic than
it was.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Really.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
Yeah, I feel like you guys just handle things with ease,
you know.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
No rules.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Well, Anya dusts most of the time, Madison, some of
the Madison lives an anxious life.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
I think I think easy, easy, like.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
For two kids, and like hockey and like work, and
like there was like three other adults living there. Like
I felt like it was actually like very chill.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
You definitely bring a piece to our crew, though, like
without you hear that presence is felt because there's not
that other person to.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Laugh the number of nervous breakdowns that Woodsy talked me
through in the first forty eight hours of living with us.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
She's like, what have I gotten myself into?
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Nah, it's good.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Do you remember when it was in your bathroom off
the kitchen when you walked in and you were like Madison, Anya,
and we were like what, You're like, what is that?
We walked in there was something in the toilet, something
on the floor. You're like, is that poop? It was
from when Whelan had gone in and used your bathroom.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Emma comes out it was absolutely poopy, and she turns
and looks at both of us, and.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
You get immediately angry. You're immediate like, why is there
poop in the bathroom?
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Waylan comes over now at the time, he's like three
in change and he's fully potty trained, and he looks
at Emma and I and he goes, I missed and
I tried to clean it up.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
But yeah, it was so sad.
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Actually, he was so hurried of it, like he tried, like.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
He definitely bundled up the toilet paper and tried to
clean it up and wipe it up. It obviously didn't work,
but to a three year old it was like pretty
good work, and you were like fumes and Emma and
I were both like, wait, he tried so hard to
clean it up. Naturally, having a baby somehow tangentially associated
(19:00):
to the team is a different dynamic. Did that dynamic
feel like felt across the team? Did you feel it
differently because you kind of operated in that third mom mentality?
Speaker 5 (19:09):
I feel like the whole team felt it. I feel
like they're just like their presence was like felt you
know what I mean, Like around the rink, I felt
like that was like actually important. I don't know. I
feel like in women's sports, there's not many of us
yet that have kids. I think it's important for also
all of us to like see that you Anya, but
specifically that you Madison, like continue to like operate as
a professional athlete and like you normalize it. And I
(19:30):
feel like you do such a good job of talking
about your kids a lot too around the team to
like make people realize like you can do this, and
you can do this, you know, for me like being
at home with you guys even more so, like there's
always a way to make it work, and like you
guys just make it work. And I feel like the
kids are like better because of that. They're more flexible,
they're more chill, they can move on the fly, they
(19:52):
can mean, and they love it. I don't know, it's
like role models for them too. I think it's like
actually awesome.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yeah, I think you see more than anybody because you
live with them. I think sometimes the team doesn't always
recognize the impact that they have, but like it is
genuinely the center of Whalen's universe, and they get genuinely
excited after the game to come in the room. It's
always a hard balance of like if we lose a game,
like is it really appropriate to bring him around? And
I felt like the team last year was so considerate
(20:18):
and understanding and no one ever had a problem. Like
they were running in the locker room, running through the showers,
Whalen's like falling all over the place, and the girls
just like embraced it and loved them. And that's the
best part for me is seeing it kind of through
their eyes. I mean, they obviously know our team, but
like for them, it's it's so much more just about
the all encompassing experience. And I think that I was
(20:38):
a little bit nervous because we had only experienced Whaleen
with the Riveters, and that was just a different dynamic
and environment. And then we were immediately thrown into this
and like the team just completely rallied around everybody. He
was on the bus, like it was the best experience ever,
and even even more so because we had more resources
for him to be able to travel with us.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
They were able to be there at the first game.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Your sister has us son also, like he was able
to see kind of some of the other kids across
the league. I think in the end that they started
to understand and see more that like it's really not
just like we're dragging our kids of these things, but
they're genuinely excited to be there.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Well, it's also like good that you brought way on
as much as you did, because I think the league,
like we have so many more resources available test, but
like there still needs to be more people can have
the confidence to have a kid and like bounce back
and like integrate that into their professions.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah, I think it's probably the biggest thing afterthought, because
there's not a lot of us, right and having an
extra room, having an extra seat on the plane, like
those things are expensive. Also, like you can travel your kid,
But then who's going to watch the kid when they come?
Speaker 5 (21:37):
Right?
Speaker 4 (21:37):
Like I could have brought Whalan or Harlan or both
with me to Utica. We don't have childcare afforded to
us through the league. Once we're there.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
I think those things will slowly get ironed out, hopefully
as more people become moms and like the CBA.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
Process works itself out.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
But those are hugely important things because the more benefits
you can provide to your athletes and encourage them to
continue their careers while having access to resources to be
mom is huge.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
I mean, if you think about it from the perspective
of every team almost now has a baby. There's lots
of babies, Like you have Natalie Spooner, who we're lovingly
calling spoons but she's on Toronto with you now she
has a son and immediately one MVP like it doesn't
stop anybody in their pursuit of excellence. That is like superhero,
(22:23):
next level human and go back to back MVP monster.
She's actually a monster and a huge, amongous part of
it right in all the things that we're saying, showing
women that they can right by just having kids, and
for us it's having multiple kids and that's not typical
as well, and also having all those teammates. I don't
think sometimes people recognize how much support a team provides
(22:46):
us as moms or Madison as the mom in that network,
Like there were times where we were here, there, and everywhere,
and you pick the kids up from school. The network
of just having a bunch of reliable women all dedicated
to the same thing is also really important but makes
all the hockey stuff possible.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Thinking about last season and like everything kind of that
we went through on a team level, like with the
new league, et cetera. Do you think being in the
environment that you were in and being around the kids
and having that outlet when you came home helped you
and made it easier In some of the frustrating points
of the season.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
I felt like it's like so easy to get caught up,
especially like when you're away from home, Like I don't know,
it's easy for us to come home and talk about hockey,
go to the rink. All you think about is hockey.
Every day is like consumed by hockey if you allow
it to be. But I feel like the kids like
takes you away from it, and really you realize is
like other things that are important. Obviously, hockey's like our life,
but it's nice, I don't know, step away from it.
(23:42):
I think it makes you like appreciate it in a
different way too. Yeah, And I feel like for me,
like if I lived in like a one bedroom apartment
last year, it would have been like I'm living away
from home. All I would have thought about is hockey.
I had a bad game, I probably just like it
would have been miserable, like I would have patted it.
Whereas like I can come home and be miserable and
event and like whatever, hash it out and then we
can move on from it.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Well, especially on a tougher season too, it wasn't the
season anybody wanted. We have to call it how it is.
Did you guys finish last You had a whole bunch
of games that theoretically didn't count for anything, right, So
it's all those things and then compartmentalizing that with the
fact that you got to have that experience of like
something else to live for, like Madison's always had that
clear something else.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
Yeah, but it gave you a glimpse into it. Yeah,
Alsworts made it feel like homely for me, being a
part of like us family, like made it just actually
feel like a home and not just a place where
I was crashing for seven months or whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Are there any times that stick out in that feeling
of homeliness that you remember, either with the kids or
like with the nonsense that goes on around this house,
things that made you feel that sense of family.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
Yeah, I think dinner time always, kids watching frozen, crushing dogs,
whatever they're doing, and you're like cooking like a nice
meal for us to eat, like an hour after the
kids go to bed, Madison, tossing the kids on the couch.
You know, we're just relaxing watching Sunday football and the
kids are just like loving it. Picking the kids up
from school. Love that part of it.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
I always loved when we needed you to pick the
kids up from school because they were like the happiest
selfies that we've ever gotten was when you and Amanda,
your girlfriend, would pick them up from school together and
I would be like, no one likes when we go, Madison,
no one cares when we picked them up. I want
to love up another idea, just to talk about, like
what our life looks like now.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
Before we only knew each other through hockey.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Now we're moms' is mom's is because there's no world
where our kids don't ask about you, see you on
our socials and freak out and or want to be
involved with what Aunt Emma's doing.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
And impressions of each other. What did we think of
each other going into it and what do we think now?
Speaker 5 (25:44):
Yeah, give me a before and after living together? All right?
So going in, I would say I just thought you
were like tough, Maddie, like hard shell, a bit of
a like bitchy side you, like not in a bad
way like hockey, Like just hard honestly, but like fun.
Like I knew you like to have a good time.
(26:04):
I had a couple you know, good times with you
and Annie. I just thought was like chill, cool, smart,
And then I got to know you and I realized
you're both brilliant and can like talk anyone's year off
in a great way because of your experiences and the
way you just process things. And I think Maddie is
not hard at all. So soft, I mean she's like
(26:28):
so soft and definitely like an anxious side to her
and an overthinker, but like just big family girl and
like gentle and soft and then Anya just funny and
very smart.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I like to use the word empathetic, not soft. Empathetic
and sensitive, Maddie.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Everyone in the world that meets you thinks you're like
this tough gal, so sensitive.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
I think that my.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Perception of you was like spot on, but like I
understand you so much better now that I know you. Like,
you're fun, you're creative, maybe the best teammate I've ever had.
You're just like a gal for the gals, and you're
super loyal. And I was nervous because I didn't really
know you, but I knew people that knew you, and
(27:12):
from the interaction I had with you, I was like, Okay,
this is gonna be a good fit. And then it
was so much more seamless than I anticipated. It was
literally like you just fit right.
Speaker 5 (27:20):
In so easily.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Everyone that came into the house you got along with,
which is almost unheard of with my family. It was
so easy, and even with the kids, like there's always
an adjustment period, and the kids were just like they
still are always like.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
Where's aunt Amma, Where's Aunt Amma?
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And I think, obviously having lived with us, like that's
a bond and a friendship and a relationship that lasts forever,
but the impact is bigger because the kids, I think,
just like the impact that you had on them and
seeing the way that you really loved them the way
that we love them, I think is something that we
can never thank you enough for.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
Just I think for that, like you'll forever be like
family to us, I.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Would say almost all the same stuff. I feel like
you have such a thing about you, like an aura
about you. I've always been attracted to like your personality,
You're funny, You've got all the like similar friends. I've
always been attracted to you. But no, but I just
be like energy wise, like we're just we can be
kinship in that way. I always get nervous integrating someone
(28:20):
into a house. So I always feel like when we
can integrate somebody that works with our family and that
we then trust our kids with, it's that much more
rewarding and gratifying for all the things that we want
out of our life, Like we want our kids to
have such a better life than we ever had, And
when we can integreat people like you that have a
different perspective that you know, have a different sense of
(28:42):
home and have a stiff different sense of family and
a different way to communicate, Like it just makes us
all better. And yeah, I feel like I definitely learned
a lot about parenting.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
Did you expect to.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Be relied upon as heavily as you were when you
moved in with us and we were like, we need
your help with things, because I feel like we did
in Anya.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Crap if I'm wrong, but I think we.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Were like a lot more heavily on Woodsy and Amanda
when she was in town than we did of other
people that lived with us throughout our time with having kids.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
I feel like I came in hoping that I would
be relied upon. You know, obviously, I was hoping it
was just gonna be a good fit and we'd I'd
maybe be there all season. I didn't know what it
was gonna look like when I got down there, but
I was like, I knew I would feel more comfortable
in your space if I was like a part of it.
So like within me to just like go down my room.
Like everyone's different, but like for me, it's like I need,
(29:27):
I need to be like present and like I want
to be like a part of it, and I want
to feel like I'm contributing too.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
I feel like it would have been like a wasted
opportunity for me in a lot of ways, building relationship
with you guys, but also like with the kids, and
like you learn a lot seeing how people parent. You
guys bring like so much like patience to the way
you parent. So I felt like I actually learned a lot.
And I feel like I'm a leg up going into it,
you know.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
That's what I was gonna ask. Do you feel like
now I'm hyped to have kids or like I need
a little space from that. No, I feel like I'm
ready to have kids. I'm hoping in the next like
year or two that we have a kid.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Baby, baby, a little baby. Disclaimer there's lots of poop
involved that part.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Well, you lived with us.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
At a good time too, because Harlan was just turned
one way and then it just turned three.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
Harlan was like learning everything. I saw Harlan start talking,
start walking.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
Yeah, you got to see all of that with Harlan.
You wouldn't believe it.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Now she's like full sentences, like boss, she put me
in time out yesterday at the park.
Speaker 4 (30:23):
She's just a full moment. She is Anya, but smaller.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
Like to a t he's a boss.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
She put me in time out twice, actually once because
I wasn't pushing her the right way on the swing
at the park after we'd been there for almost two hours.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
Those are the best.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
What advice would you give yourself before living with kids
and after living with kids that you didn't have moving
in a house with two toddlers.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
I feel like before, just based on I feel like
my nephew, like I had spent quite a bit of
time with him when he was like Harlan's age, would
be like have a plan, but like be okay with
the plan and going sideways, which I think got confirmed
living with you guys. And then I think the other
biggest thing that I think I advice I give myself
(31:10):
now is to like just have patience, be understanding of
their emotions, because I feel like before I would have
just reacted more. But like seeing you guys like wailing,
he was going through like you know, his phase where
like he just wants to like scream and stuff, and
you guys are just like so chill, like at your
energy and like it calms him down. I feel like
before I maybe just reacted different, but I realize it
(31:31):
works Thanks.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Em so validating sometimes to hear other people's perspective on
how we're doing it. Yeah, you guys are awesome.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
Thanks, love you guys, Appreciate you big time.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
This has been another episode of These Packs Puck.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Thank you everybody for listening. We'll see you next week.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Happy holidays everyone, and for those who the holidays are
hard for, our love is with you. Next week we'll
be back with a reflective conversation for the end of
the year.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
These Packs Puck is a production of iHeart Women's Sports
in Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. It's hosted by Us
Madison and Anna Packer. Emily Maronoff is our senior producer
and story editor. We're mixed and mastered by Beiheit Fraser,
and our executive producers are Jennifer Bassett, Jesse Katz, and
Ali Perry.
Hey everyone, I'm Madison Packer and I'm Anya Packer. I'm
a recently retired pro hockey vet. I was a founding
member of the National Women's Hockey League, a pillar in
the PHF with the Riveters, and an inaugural member of
the PWHL Sirens.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And I played too. That's how Madison and I met.
But I stepped away to start our family.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Now we're married and moms two awesome toddlers, ages two
and four.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And this is these Packs Puck where we talk about
everything for professional women's athletes, to sports, to raising children
and all the messiness in between.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Hey, pack how you doing adjusting to me being home
more frequently?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
That's quite an adjustment.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
But yes, Anya actually said to me the other day
when I was in the kitchen it was an adjustment
for her for me to be home so much because
she was used to having more space, to which I replied,
it's really herful.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I love you. You're the best. You just touch everything all
the time.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
It's not a function that I don't love you and
I'm not happy that you're home. It's just different. It's different.
But I did miss you, so I'm happy you're home. Well,
let's get into the hockey. Hot take.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Hockey, hot take.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
The best part of being on a hockey team, without question,
one hundred percent, is the locker room.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
That's the best part.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
That is number one, hands down, the best part about
being on a hockey team is being in a locker
room with your teammates. Why because there's nothing better.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
The game is the game. Practice is practice.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
But the thirty minutes pre game, thirty minutes pre practice,
thirty minutes afterward, getting unchanged, blasting the music, acting a
complete fool.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
That is the best part. That's where you build a team.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Here's what I'm going to push back, because you and
I are opposite personalities. So you're probably the person with
the iPad or iPod in hand in the center of
the room, dancing.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
A fool, yes or not, one hundred percent that's me.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
That's not me.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
I'm in my corner eating gummy bears, mining my own business,
talking to whoever's to either side of me, not dancing,
not listening to the music.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I never get the ox.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So my favorite part of the off ice portion of
hockey is the bus wrong because it's a similar vibe.
The whole team is together, you're chill, like you're relaxing,
but we're like playing cards or talking or watching a movie.
Like everyone's just like hanging out and it's not like
a big dance party.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
No, there's no chance.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
You can't tell me that you'd rather be on a
hockey bus sitting, probably smell. You probably didn't shower because
the visitors showers are always nasty. You definitely can't tell
me that that's more fun than the thirty minutes you
get to spend time ramping up for a game.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I think the nastiest visitor showers that we ever had
was bu get out of here.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I disagree. I think the bus is better.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, but you know what, now, you guys don't bus anymore.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
We still bus.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
We took buses down to ubs all the time. Last season,
Whaley came on the bus with me. The food on
the bus is good, the movies are good.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
I like the bus.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
You like the locker room.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
I like the bus. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I feel like the problem that I have with the
bus is that I want to sleep. If I'm driving,
I want to be sleeping.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
I'm tired.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
I don't want to talk.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, but you still can, like in the locker room,
people branch off and you have like pockets of people
on the bus. If you want to be part of
a conversation, you just like walk from row to row.
You can literally be engaged in so many different things
in the locker room, Like everyone is more grouped off.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
I think, do you read a book in the locker room?
Like what are you doing in the locker room? That
doesn't make it the most fun place in the world.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
I'm not saying it's not fun.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I'm just saying you're also prepping for things in the
locker room, Like on the bus, you're just in full
chill mode.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
See here's the thing. I feel like I'm the consummate
benchwarmer in the locker room. I'm hyping everybody up. I'm
getting ready to like go out on the thing, like
get my couple shifts, rip around, but hype up the
team so I don't have to focus on all that.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
I'm not going to a powerplay meeting. I'll tell you
that right now.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I'm hyping people up too, Like I didn't.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I wasn't going to any powerplay meetings last yeason either.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I'm not saying I don't like the locker room. I'm
just saying the.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Bus is a different Like for me the bus last season.
What stands out most is we would play exploding Kittens
and or Yuker, Like that's just fun. You just like
you grab any different group of four and you can
play Yuker.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
You can sit however you want to sit.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
On the bus, we would bring cards against Humanity, Like
we would just sit and chat and hang and you
there's no pressure of the game, there's no pressure of
the rink. You're not thinking about anything other than where
are we going, where are we coming home from? And
we're relaxing doing something else that we all enjoy doing together.
So I feel like that's like a more bonding, laid
back vibe.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Well, now we just have to have a debate back,
We'll have to somehow, we'll duke it out.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
If bus wins, they all get gift cards.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Well, speaking of gift cards, babe, we are getting ready
for the holidays, and it's typically been very.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Crazy in this house. So where you at has the
madness hitting you?
Speaker 5 (04:48):
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I uh, I'm not going to put a number on
it today because I think that the number would be depressing.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Oh but I'm struggling. I'm struggling a little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
I think I now understand what it means when people
say that to be sensitive around the holidays, because like
such a happy time can be hard for people who
are going through something hard. So I think I've gained
a new appreciation for that. I'm struggling a little bit.
I think that while the choice to retire was the
best one for our family, for my body, for just
(05:26):
a lot of reasons, I wasn't prepared for what that meant.
Like you're used to being told what to do and
where to be, and you know how everything works for
thirty years. I've been playing hockey for thirty years. So
I just feel a little bit. I think lost. I
think that the kids help a lot, because it gives
me purpose and it makes me feel like I have
(05:47):
a reason to get up and I've got something to do,
because if I didn't, if we didn't have the kids,
like I would just be I'm not in a real
rush to figure out what to do next, which I
think is important, but that's also hard because you're really
defining part of me, isn't there anymore.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
It's a hard adjustment.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
So feeling a little bit low, But we're going to
jingle Ball and got some fun stuff planned, so.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
I've got stuff to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I'm doing okay, but it's just one foot in front
of the other a little bit.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Well imagine, I just said I was at one hundred,
and I was just like, I'm perfectly happy.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
Well, never there.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I'm just kidding that we're at a crisp for the
day because I'm hovering right around zero.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I had to make a joke because I wanted to
hear you laugh. But I see that in you.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
People ask me what it's like now in our house,
and I'm like, it's the definition of like a little
bit of mourning, a little bit of celebration. And so
sometimes I see you ebb and flow between those two things,
because it's not just.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Your way of life. You live with structure. You love structure.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So this world that has been basically laid out for
you is now changed. And it's not that you don't
have any structure, because the kids have a schedule, the
kids have structure, You go to the gym, you've got
you know, you're doing all these new things. It's different, though,
and so I see that for you. I'm empathetic for
you in the sense that I know what it's like
(07:09):
to redo your life and redo that structure.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I think the part that I'm struggling with most is
if we're going to be talking about being real, firmanent,
I feel like a failure a little bit, you know,
the way at least the way that I was raised,
the environment.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
That I grew up in.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
If you don't achieve what you're set out to do,
Like for me, I was going to play another year,
and then there were a lot of things that came
into play that made that picture look less clear, right,
So to me, I didn't achieve that goal, and once
I kind of got through that, it was like, what
fills my cup the most is making a difference in
(07:47):
the lives of other people, truly, right for me, like
I found the difference that I was able to make
through sport, and a lot of it because of you, right,
me becoming more open, whatever, whatever, it's making an impact
on people, Yeah, whatever, thanks, But how I can continue
to do that? And that's my biggest challenge now I
wake up, you know, I join a kickboxing gym where
I'm part of a community that's different than something that
(08:09):
I'm used to being a part of and learning from
those people and just trying to figure out what's next
by trying to discover how I can continue to make
the biggest impact in communities that are important to me.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I think a big part that you're not appreciating as well.
And I know that you think your reach hits scale
through that larger community base, But it's even the like
day to day family that you build with your teammates.
Every hockey team that you're a member of, you are
a family member of. And that's the thing about you know,
the bus, the whatever, Like we go through this whole
(08:43):
kind of conversation, the locker room versus the bus, the
team versus the act. Like I think for you, it's
always been about that family that you find in the rink,
and so as you step away from it, that family
picture looks different.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Yeah, I mean I think that that's a big part
of it.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Right. You think about sports and you think about working
in at least my experience in a corporate environment like
a hockey team is a family.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
At least every team.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I've ever been a part of, And so for me,
I feel like, in a weird way, I've lost a
part of my family. And I think for me, all
of the emotions are coming back at the same time,
so it's like, you know, the grief and loss of
you know, the team now, but even bigger than that,
I think that I'm processing all of the emotion of
(09:29):
the loss of the Riveters and just looking back on
all of it and what a huge part of being
a part of Team sports has done for me.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Without a question.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
I'm a better mom, I'm a better spouse, I'm a
better friend, sister, person, daughter, granddaughter, everything because I grew
up in team sports. And I think that's going to
be the biggest challenge for me in the next chapter.
Is not necessarily replacing because I don't think you can
ever replace the bond that I've shared with my teammates.
There's not a thing I wouldn't do in the world
(10:03):
ever for any one of them, but finding something that
fills my cup in the same way as being a
part of that team hockey I loved. It's done so
much for me. But the game was a vehicle to
open doors and relationships and friendships.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
That reflects really nicely into our next conversation because last
year was a community. We had people in this home.
We had Emma Woods, and that's who the next conversation
is with I love her so much. She has been
such a good friend. We always joke that our house
kind of becomes this like stomping ground for everybody that's
ever played women's hockey in the Tri State. Everyone comes here,
(10:42):
we converge upon the home, We share our space. You know,
it's like family dinner time. I think that's just like
the law of being your teammate. Emma lived with us,
she became a fast friend, and for lack of a
better term, she was like a second mother with us.
She was that aunt to our children. I'm so excited
to talk to her all around. I think it will
(11:02):
help elevate some of the emotions and vibes and feelings.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
But truly I just miss her.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So we will have the chat with Emma Woods right
after the break. I'm so excited for our guests today.
It's kind of like a middle ground between a mother
and a daughter.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
In our family. We have Emma Woods. She's joining us.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
She was on the team with you last year, Mattie,
your teammate, and then was also a rival narch nemesis
of sorts in the National Women's Hockey League then PHF
for the Toronto six.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
She was drafted to New York.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Ended up coming, ended up moving in we'll talk about it,
and became another.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Mother in our little crew having me girls. Yeah, welcome
em We're so excited. We miss you. You've moved out,
which is so rude.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Left your hockey bag behind, though she still has some
stuff in the storage unit, bathers me daily.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
No, she just steers on it on a daily basis.
So you're here on the pod. You lived in our house.
Take me back before that, How do you and Madison
know each other?
Speaker 5 (12:09):
How did you meet? Where we first meet? Probably on
the ice phf days. I was in Toronto, Mattie was
in New York. Didn't know what I thought about Maddie
at first.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Yeah, we didn't really know each other.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
I don't know if Emma didn't like Madison, but I
will confirm that Madison would come home after a Toronto
game and.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
Be like, what is rug with that Woods kid? That
Wood kid.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
The context there is so you are good friends with
Chayenn Darcangelo, who at the time was the captain of
Toronto six and played with me growing up Little Caesars.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
You guys played in college together at Quinnipiac.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
So I knew that you were friends with her, and
so we'd like randomly see each other around the rink
and stuff and like give the athlete nod, But we
didn't really know each other. Yeah, from a distance. Once
he seemed cool and then she high sticked me in
the face one time during a game.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Was like, oh sorry, Pat, And that was like that's
when I came and said to Anya. I was like,
who's this kid?
Speaker 5 (13:01):
Even think she is?
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Like sorry pack, she was no nicknames.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
So the best part about this is, and for everyone
that's listening that's not yet a hockey fan, is that
Emma and Madison play a very similar style of hockey.
It is brutal, but like you both like to get
in each other's kitchen, like you like to stir it up.
You're both big bodies in front of the net. There's
a lot to both of your games that's very similar.
So when you guys played against each other, it was
(13:27):
natural that you guys were like arch enemies.
Speaker 5 (13:32):
It was easy. Yeah, And I went to the All
Star and Naughty bought run around a drink, So, all right, she's.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Cool on Anya's credit card.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Well, I feel like I knew Anya before I knew
you through all the mutuals.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Madison called me after that All Star game and was like, Uh,
you won't believe who I had drink.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
Smith last night, which could mean a thousand things.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I'm like, I don't know who she was, Like that
woods kid? What am I seventy five year old man, like,
I don't think I said that woods kid, That's what
I remember. So, in a similar fashion to how we met,
when Woodsy got drafted to New York and I obviously
lived here, got the compassionate waiver, was gonna stay here,
try to make the team, and so, trying to be nice,
(14:13):
I texted the whole team and was like, Hey, anyone
want to like need a place to stay for a
few days whatever, like let me know, and heard from
a couple of people here and there. Chloe Rard also
lived with us last year. Woodsy texts me out of
nowhere and was like, Hey, I think I'm gonna take
you up on that offer, but like I'll let you
know right Like it was kind of vague, wasn't it, babe.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Yeah, So we.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
Talked to Chloe.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Chloe's moving in and we're getting closer and closer to camp.
Haven't heard anything from Woodsy and then just like randomly,
She's like, yeah, so I think I'm gonna get here
there on like blank date and I'll let you know
if that changes.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
And Anya and I were like, wait, so is she
moving in? Is she coming to visit?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Like and now knowing you, it all makes perfect sense,
like like you just blended right in with the family.
But it was just like so bold and so confident
and just like.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Yeah, I'm gonna I'll be there on this date. Gotta
figure out how'm gonna get my stuff there.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
I felt oddly comfortable showing up when I got there.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
You literally did. You were like, hey, I'm here.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
We didn't miss a bee, like moved in and it
was just like boom, part of the family.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Silvey was already there too, probably helped.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Yeah, we kessity sober.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
We had a lot of people. That was a lot,
We had a crew. I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
And then also back to the Woods kid, Madison was like,
can you believe Emma Woods is just moving in?
Speaker 5 (15:22):
She's just gonna move in. She's not gonna talk to us.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
And then I go through Madison's texts because like the
reality that madison lives is sometimes different than other people's
real life.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
I go, Maddie, you.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Sent her a seventeen minute tour a video of the house.
I was like, I think you invited her to move
inn yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
But then heard nothing bad and then it was just like,
I'll be there in four days.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
It's Madison like opening up closets in our bedroom, being like,
and this is our closet.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
I'm like, she'll never need to say.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
She's like, this is where Harlan's diapers are, and this
is where the room you'll stay is.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
I was like, it's kind of clear that you've invited
her to live with us. So good and pretty sure.
I held Harlan back at the Oh yeah, the American
dreamer dream. That's true.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
We saw you, yeah, we saw you after a game
one time.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Pre any of this, Harlan was like six months old
and you guys played against each other. It was like
a Riveter's Toronto six game again, like in the crew
of people that we all know, like familiar faces. And
I had Harlan and something was going on, and you
love babies, right, and who does it? And my baby's
so cute. Our baby's the cutest baby ever but Emma
literally puts her hands out and goes, you just kim here.
(16:28):
I was like, okay, fine, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
I remember that because I'm not gonna name who, but
one of my teammates had a crush on Woodsy and
they were like, was what's you holding Harlan?
Speaker 4 (16:36):
After the game, I was like, she's so annoying?
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Who is this kid? You're like, why is she hitting me?
Why is she baby?
Speaker 4 (16:45):
And talking to my wife?
Speaker 5 (16:46):
You come into the house, you move in.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Was it what you expected?
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Oh yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
I didn't even have an expectation. I was just coming in. Actually,
I felt like it was gonna be more chaotic than
it was.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Really.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
Yeah, I feel like you guys just handle things with ease,
you know.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
No rules.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Well, Anya dusts most of the time, Madison, some of
the Madison lives an anxious life.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
I think I think easy, easy, like.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
For two kids, and like hockey and like work, and
like there was like three other adults living there. Like
I felt like it was actually like very chill.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
You definitely bring a piece to our crew, though, like
without you hear that presence is felt because there's not
that other person to.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Laugh the number of nervous breakdowns that Woodsy talked me
through in the first forty eight hours of living with us.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
She's like, what have I gotten myself into?
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Nah, it's good.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Do you remember when it was in your bathroom off
the kitchen when you walked in and you were like Madison, Anya,
and we were like what, You're like, what is that?
We walked in there was something in the toilet, something
on the floor. You're like, is that poop? It was
from when Whelan had gone in and used your bathroom.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Emma comes out it was absolutely poopy, and she turns
and looks at both of us, and.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
You get immediately angry. You're immediate like, why is there
poop in the bathroom?
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Waylan comes over now at the time, he's like three
in change and he's fully potty trained, and he looks
at Emma and I and he goes, I missed and
I tried to clean it up.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
But yeah, it was so sad.
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Actually, he was so hurried of it, like he tried, like.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
He definitely bundled up the toilet paper and tried to
clean it up and wipe it up. It obviously didn't work,
but to a three year old it was like pretty
good work, and you were like fumes and Emma and
I were both like, wait, he tried so hard to
clean it up. Naturally, having a baby somehow tangentially associated
(19:00):
to the team is a different dynamic. Did that dynamic
feel like felt across the team? Did you feel it
differently because you kind of operated in that third mom mentality?
Speaker 5 (19:09):
I feel like the whole team felt it. I feel
like they're just like their presence was like felt you
know what I mean, Like around the rink, I felt
like that was like actually important. I don't know. I
feel like in women's sports, there's not many of us
yet that have kids. I think it's important for also
all of us to like see that you Anya, but
specifically that you Madison, like continue to like operate as
a professional athlete and like you normalize it. And I
(19:30):
feel like you do such a good job of talking
about your kids a lot too around the team to
like make people realize like you can do this, and
you can do this, you know, for me like being
at home with you guys even more so, like there's
always a way to make it work, and like you
guys just make it work. And I feel like the
kids are like better because of that. They're more flexible,
they're more chill, they can move on the fly, they
(19:52):
can mean, and they love it. I don't know, it's
like role models for them too. I think it's like
actually awesome.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yeah, I think you see more than anybody because you
live with them. I think sometimes the team doesn't always
recognize the impact that they have, but like it is
genuinely the center of Whalen's universe, and they get genuinely
excited after the game to come in the room. It's
always a hard balance of like if we lose a game,
like is it really appropriate to bring him around? And
I felt like the team last year was so considerate
(20:18):
and understanding and no one ever had a problem. Like
they were running in the locker room, running through the showers,
Whalen's like falling all over the place, and the girls
just like embraced it and loved them. And that's the
best part for me is seeing it kind of through
their eyes. I mean, they obviously know our team, but
like for them, it's it's so much more just about
the all encompassing experience. And I think that I was
(20:38):
a little bit nervous because we had only experienced Whaleen
with the Riveters, and that was just a different dynamic
and environment. And then we were immediately thrown into this
and like the team just completely rallied around everybody. He
was on the bus, like it was the best experience ever,
and even even more so because we had more resources
for him to be able to travel with us.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
They were able to be there at the first game.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Your sister has us son also, like he was able
to see kind of some of the other kids across
the league. I think in the end that they started
to understand and see more that like it's really not
just like we're dragging our kids of these things, but
they're genuinely excited to be there.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Well, it's also like good that you brought way on
as much as you did, because I think the league,
like we have so many more resources available test, but
like there still needs to be more people can have
the confidence to have a kid and like bounce back
and like integrate that into their professions.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Yeah, I think it's probably the biggest thing afterthought, because
there's not a lot of us, right and having an
extra room, having an extra seat on the plane, like
those things are expensive. Also, like you can travel your kid,
But then who's going to watch the kid when they come?
Speaker 5 (21:37):
Right?
Speaker 4 (21:37):
Like I could have brought Whalan or Harlan or both
with me to Utica. We don't have childcare afforded to
us through the league. Once we're there.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
I think those things will slowly get ironed out, hopefully
as more people become moms and like the CBA.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
Process works itself out.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
But those are hugely important things because the more benefits
you can provide to your athletes and encourage them to
continue their careers while having access to resources to be
mom is huge.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
I mean, if you think about it from the perspective
of every team almost now has a baby. There's lots
of babies, Like you have Natalie Spooner, who we're lovingly
calling spoons but she's on Toronto with you now she
has a son and immediately one MVP like it doesn't
stop anybody in their pursuit of excellence. That is like superhero,
(22:23):
next level human and go back to back MVP monster.
She's actually a monster and a huge, amongous part of
it right in all the things that we're saying, showing
women that they can right by just having kids, and
for us it's having multiple kids and that's not typical
as well, and also having all those teammates. I don't
think sometimes people recognize how much support a team provides
(22:46):
us as moms or Madison as the mom in that network,
Like there were times where we were here, there, and everywhere,
and you pick the kids up from school. The network
of just having a bunch of reliable women all dedicated
to the same thing is also really important but makes
all the hockey stuff possible.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Thinking about last season and like everything kind of that
we went through on a team level, like with the
new league, et cetera. Do you think being in the
environment that you were in and being around the kids
and having that outlet when you came home helped you
and made it easier In some of the frustrating points
of the season.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
I felt like it's like so easy to get caught up,
especially like when you're away from home, Like I don't know,
it's easy for us to come home and talk about hockey,
go to the rink. All you think about is hockey.
Every day is like consumed by hockey if you allow
it to be. But I feel like the kids like
takes you away from it, and really you realize is
like other things that are important. Obviously, hockey's like our life,
but it's nice, I don't know, step away from it.
(23:42):
I think it makes you like appreciate it in a
different way too. Yeah, And I feel like for me,
like if I lived in like a one bedroom apartment
last year, it would have been like I'm living away
from home. All I would have thought about is hockey.
I had a bad game, I probably just like it
would have been miserable, like I would have patted it.
Whereas like I can come home and be miserable and
event and like whatever, hash it out and then we
can move on from it.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Well, especially on a tougher season too, it wasn't the
season anybody wanted. We have to call it how it is.
Did you guys finish last You had a whole bunch
of games that theoretically didn't count for anything, right, So
it's all those things and then compartmentalizing that with the
fact that you got to have that experience of like
something else to live for, like Madison's always had that
clear something else.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
Yeah, but it gave you a glimpse into it. Yeah,
Alsworts made it feel like homely for me, being a
part of like us family, like made it just actually
feel like a home and not just a place where
I was crashing for seven months or whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Are there any times that stick out in that feeling
of homeliness that you remember, either with the kids or
like with the nonsense that goes on around this house,
things that made you feel that sense of family.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
Yeah, I think dinner time always, kids watching frozen, crushing dogs,
whatever they're doing, and you're like cooking like a nice
meal for us to eat, like an hour after the
kids go to bed, Madison, tossing the kids on the couch.
You know, we're just relaxing watching Sunday football and the
kids are just like loving it. Picking the kids up
from school. Love that part of it.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
I always loved when we needed you to pick the
kids up from school because they were like the happiest
selfies that we've ever gotten was when you and Amanda,
your girlfriend, would pick them up from school together and
I would be like, no one likes when we go, Madison,
no one cares when we picked them up. I want
to love up another idea, just to talk about, like
what our life looks like now.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
Before we only knew each other through hockey.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Now we're moms' is mom's is because there's no world
where our kids don't ask about you, see you on
our socials and freak out and or want to be
involved with what Aunt Emma's doing.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
And impressions of each other. What did we think of
each other going into it and what do we think now?
Speaker 5 (25:44):
Yeah, give me a before and after living together? All right?
So going in, I would say I just thought you
were like tough, Maddie, like hard shell, a bit of
a like bitchy side you, like not in a bad
way like hockey, Like just hard honestly, but like fun.
Like I knew you like to have a good time.
(26:04):
I had a couple you know, good times with you
and Annie. I just thought was like chill, cool, smart,
And then I got to know you and I realized
you're both brilliant and can like talk anyone's year off
in a great way because of your experiences and the
way you just process things. And I think Maddie is
not hard at all. So soft, I mean she's like
(26:28):
so soft and definitely like an anxious side to her
and an overthinker, but like just big family girl and
like gentle and soft and then Anya just funny and
very smart.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I like to use the word empathetic, not soft. Empathetic
and sensitive, Maddie.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Everyone in the world that meets you thinks you're like
this tough gal, so sensitive.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
I think that my.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Perception of you was like spot on, but like I
understand you so much better now that I know you. Like,
you're fun, you're creative, maybe the best teammate I've ever had.
You're just like a gal for the gals, and you're
super loyal. And I was nervous because I didn't really
know you, but I knew people that knew you, and
(27:12):
from the interaction I had with you, I was like, Okay,
this is gonna be a good fit. And then it
was so much more seamless than I anticipated. It was
literally like you just fit right.
Speaker 5 (27:20):
In so easily.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Everyone that came into the house you got along with,
which is almost unheard of with my family. It was
so easy, and even with the kids, like there's always
an adjustment period, and the kids were just like they
still are always like.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
Where's aunt Amma, Where's Aunt Amma?
Speaker 1 (27:36):
And I think, obviously having lived with us, like that's
a bond and a friendship and a relationship that lasts forever,
but the impact is bigger because the kids, I think,
just like the impact that you had on them and
seeing the way that you really loved them the way
that we love them, I think is something that we
can never thank you enough for.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
Just I think for that, like you'll forever be like
family to us, I.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Would say almost all the same stuff. I feel like
you have such a thing about you, like an aura
about you. I've always been attracted to like your personality,
You're funny, You've got all the like similar friends. I've
always been attracted to you. But no, but I just
be like energy wise, like we're just we can be
kinship in that way. I always get nervous integrating someone
(28:20):
into a house. So I always feel like when we
can integrate somebody that works with our family and that
we then trust our kids with, it's that much more
rewarding and gratifying for all the things that we want
out of our life, Like we want our kids to
have such a better life than we ever had, And
when we can integreat people like you that have a
different perspective that you know, have a different sense of
(28:42):
home and have a stiff different sense of family and
a different way to communicate, Like it just makes us
all better. And yeah, I feel like I definitely learned
a lot about parenting.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
Did you expect to.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Be relied upon as heavily as you were when you
moved in with us and we were like, we need
your help with things, because I feel like we did
in Anya.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Crap if I'm wrong, but I think we.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Were like a lot more heavily on Woodsy and Amanda
when she was in town than we did of other
people that lived with us throughout our time with having kids.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
I feel like I came in hoping that I would
be relied upon. You know, obviously, I was hoping it
was just gonna be a good fit and we'd I'd
maybe be there all season. I didn't know what it
was gonna look like when I got down there, but
I was like, I knew I would feel more comfortable
in your space if I was like a part of it.
So like within me to just like go down my room.
Like everyone's different, but like for me, it's like I need,
(29:27):
I need to be like present and like I want
to be like a part of it, and I want
to feel like I'm contributing too.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
I feel like it would have been like a wasted
opportunity for me in a lot of ways, building relationship
with you guys, but also like with the kids, and
like you learn a lot seeing how people parent. You
guys bring like so much like patience to the way
you parent. So I felt like I actually learned a lot.
And I feel like I'm a leg up going into it,
you know.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
That's what I was gonna ask. Do you feel like
now I'm hyped to have kids or like I need
a little space from that. No, I feel like I'm
ready to have kids. I'm hoping in the next like
year or two that we have a kid.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Baby, baby, a little baby. Disclaimer there's lots of poop
involved that part.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Well, you lived with us.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
At a good time too, because Harlan was just turned
one way and then it just turned three.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
Harlan was like learning everything. I saw Harlan start talking,
start walking.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
Yeah, you got to see all of that with Harlan.
You wouldn't believe it.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Now she's like full sentences, like boss, she put me
in time out yesterday at the park.
Speaker 4 (30:23):
She's just a full moment. She is Anya, but smaller.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
Like to a t he's a boss.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
She put me in time out twice, actually once because
I wasn't pushing her the right way on the swing
at the park after we'd been there for almost two hours.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
Those are the best.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
What advice would you give yourself before living with kids
and after living with kids that you didn't have moving
in a house with two toddlers.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
I feel like before, just based on I feel like
my nephew, like I had spent quite a bit of
time with him when he was like Harlan's age, would
be like have a plan, but like be okay with
the plan and going sideways, which I think got confirmed
living with you guys. And then I think the other
biggest thing that I think I advice I give myself
(31:10):
now is to like just have patience, be understanding of
their emotions, because I feel like before I would have
just reacted more. But like seeing you guys like wailing,
he was going through like you know, his phase where
like he just wants to like scream and stuff, and
you guys are just like so chill, like at your
energy and like it calms him down. I feel like
before I maybe just reacted different, but I realize it
(31:31):
works Thanks.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Em so validating sometimes to hear other people's perspective on
how we're doing it. Yeah, you guys are awesome.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
Thanks, love you guys, Appreciate you big time.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
This has been another episode of These Packs Puck.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Thank you everybody for listening. We'll see you next week.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Happy holidays everyone, and for those who the holidays are
hard for, our love is with you. Next week we'll
be back with a reflective conversation for the end of
the year.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
These Packs Puck is a production of iHeart Women's Sports
in Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. It's hosted by Us
Madison and Anna Packer. Emily Maronoff is our senior producer
and story editor. We're mixed and mastered by Beiheit Fraser,
and our executive producers are Jennifer Bassett, Jesse Katz, and
Ali Perry.
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Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!