March 22, 2025 • 5 mins
On a bonus episode of the PodKaz from the Frozen Four in Minneapolis, Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com chat with 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Casey O'Brien from Wisconsin.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for our mailbag? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for our mailbag? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Usccho dot com podcast is back here in Minneapolis at
the Women's Frozen four with Casey O'Brien, the twenty twenty
five winner of the pattycasm My Award, Todd Bluski, and
Nicole Hasey Here, Casey, can you just put this in
the words real quick for us what winning this award
means to you?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's really difficult. I mean, this is one of those
things you dream of and you know, to actually be
here today and hear my name was a surreal feeling.
I do think it's more of representation of you know,
like the whole team in the whole season. But I'm
extremely honored to be named the recipient.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I'm going to ask you to repeat what you said
in the media scrim about the things you have in
your closet and what and how you've been looking ahead
to what you could accomplish in your career.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
So ever since I was younger, my closet at home,
I put up I printed out pictures and you know,
tape them on the inside wall of the things that
I wanted to accomplish, just so you know, every day
in the morning get dress, I could kind of remind myself,
like why I'm doing this and what I hope to achieve,
and so some things in that closet included, you know,
the Patty Cas an Olympic Gold National Championship, and I
(01:10):
think you know, as of earlier, say, there's only two
things left in there, and it was Olympics and the
Patty Cas. So I'm excited to go home and take
one of those down.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Sarah Bauer, Jesse Vetterer, Megan Doug and Brianna Decker Andray Davienn,
Casey O'Brien. That's a pretty good list of Badgers players
that have won this award, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, it's surreal to just be in the same breath
as them. They're legends and just it's an honor.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
You often talk about the wee before me and the team.
Can you just kind of put in perspective sort of
like what this means. I know that the team will
take pride in this as well, and like what it
means for you all to have been recognized for this.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, it's obviously this is only a one person, you know,
receiving this award, but it is a reflection of every
single person, Like I would not have the season that
I've had without my linemates, without you know, like the
d out there without Naughty that every single person out there,
and neither would anyone else Like everyone else who was
recognized as a finalist, sim's kk leila, like it comes
(02:13):
from everybody. And so I think, no matter who it
was going to be today, the team was going to
be proud and extremely happy. But at the end of
the day, you know, what we came here for was
the Natty tomorrow. So that's what the focus is on.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I was just gonna say, you've got a game to
play tomorrow, and this all this coach tells you all
the time that he hates distractions. You guys are sitting
here and it's the ultimate distraction. But how do you
kind of refocus get this badway? And maybe does the
experience of last year being in this you know, ceremony
help you with that to kind of know, Okay, here's
what we have to de turn the page and get
ready to play tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I think having gone through it last year, it was,
you know, kind of taught me how to manage my
emotions a little bit more like I would say last
year was one hundred percent focused on the Natty as well,
but it is hard to you know, kind of separate
the two when they're back to back days and so
I'm super excited, but you know, most of my mind
right now is telling me Natty, like, you got to
(03:04):
focus in and I think we have our team activity
after this to get ready for tomorrow. So I think,
you know, the second I walk out here, like we'll
leave the celebrating for another day and focus on what
we got tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
And you had said you were in a situation where
you felt like any of the three of you you
would be happy with whoever took home this this whole word.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, absolutely, whether it was one of the three of us,
if Sam's got in there, naughty, whoever it was, like,
I'd be extremely happy because they'd be deserving. I think
so many players have had exceptional seasons and they might
not have you know, Patty next to her name this year,
but I don't think that takes away from the seasons
that they have, and they had one of the best
(03:43):
in the country. It's phenomenal and so this shouldn't take
away from that at all.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
This was Scott's a team has just been so incredible
throughout the season, with you know, one loss and two
ties and just really seeming like it's you know, sticking
to the plan, you know, not looking too far ahead. Well,
here you are. You can't really look too far ahead
at all anymore. You've got one game to know what's
been this This team's I guess defining feature of how
it stays in that moment.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I think we all just have so much joy, Like
we love each other, and so it's easy I think
for some teams to kind of panic, you know, maybe think, oh, like,
what's gonna happen when we started playing elimination games, Like
we're just happy to be here with each other, and
like I've talked about before, like when we're playing, when
we're having fun, when we're playing Freeze, when we play
our best and so just to have that happiness, the
(04:28):
laughter in the locker room, like it keeps us you know,
where our feet are, and I think that's what gives
us the best results in the ice.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Did you see mary An Picard come up playing paparazzi
for you? She was ducking around all of the photography
rator sorry when you got up here. I feel like
that really shows that sort of like you guys are
all just just friends and really happy for each other,
and like that joy really comes through it, and so
it was so much of what you do. But that
made me laugh.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, she is the best. She's one of my best
friends in the whole world. And you know, I was
looking for her during that speech. She's kind of a
calming presence. But I also know, like she's also one
of my biggest fans, So I think that's something special
about our team too. Is like I don't know if
you guys saw one Pick one, the Jackie or the
Jackie Robinson nomination, or you wouldn't have seen when we
found out Naughty was Goalie of the Year. Just the
(05:11):
reactions that we all have. It's insane, Like there's every
single person is happy for the person next to them
and it's a really cool environment. I'm not sure every.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Team has a twenty some girl hidespod.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah literally, Yeah case so.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Brian twenty twenty five Patty Kazmer Award winner, Congratulations, thank
you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Thank you guys,
Usccho dot com podcast is back here in Minneapolis at
the Women's Frozen four with Casey O'Brien, the twenty twenty
five winner of the pattycasm My Award, Todd Bluski, and
Nicole Hasey Here, Casey, can you just put this in
the words real quick for us what winning this award
means to you?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's really difficult. I mean, this is one of those
things you dream of and you know, to actually be
here today and hear my name was a surreal feeling.
I do think it's more of representation of you know,
like the whole team in the whole season. But I'm
extremely honored to be named the recipient.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I'm going to ask you to repeat what you said
in the media scrim about the things you have in
your closet and what and how you've been looking ahead
to what you could accomplish in your career.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
So ever since I was younger, my closet at home,
I put up I printed out pictures and you know,
tape them on the inside wall of the things that
I wanted to accomplish, just so you know, every day
in the morning get dress, I could kind of remind myself,
like why I'm doing this and what I hope to achieve,
and so some things in that closet included, you know,
the Patty Cas an Olympic Gold National Championship, and I
(01:10):
think you know, as of earlier, say, there's only two
things left in there, and it was Olympics and the
Patty Cas. So I'm excited to go home and take
one of those down.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Sarah Bauer, Jesse Vetterer, Megan Doug and Brianna Decker Andray Davienn,
Casey O'Brien. That's a pretty good list of Badgers players
that have won this award, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, it's surreal to just be in the same breath
as them. They're legends and just it's an honor.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
You often talk about the wee before me and the team.
Can you just kind of put in perspective sort of
like what this means. I know that the team will
take pride in this as well, and like what it
means for you all to have been recognized for this.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, it's obviously this is only a one person, you know,
receiving this award, but it is a reflection of every
single person, Like I would not have the season that
I've had without my linemates, without you know, like the
d out there without Naughty that every single person out there,
and neither would anyone else Like everyone else who was
recognized as a finalist, sim's kk leila, like it comes
(02:13):
from everybody. And so I think, no matter who it
was going to be today, the team was going to
be proud and extremely happy. But at the end of
the day, you know, what we came here for was
the Natty tomorrow. So that's what the focus is on.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I was just gonna say, you've got a game to
play tomorrow, and this all this coach tells you all
the time that he hates distractions. You guys are sitting
here and it's the ultimate distraction. But how do you
kind of refocus get this badway? And maybe does the
experience of last year being in this you know, ceremony
help you with that to kind of know, Okay, here's
what we have to de turn the page and get
ready to play tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I think having gone through it last year, it was,
you know, kind of taught me how to manage my
emotions a little bit more like I would say last
year was one hundred percent focused on the Natty as well,
but it is hard to you know, kind of separate
the two when they're back to back days and so
I'm super excited, but you know, most of my mind
right now is telling me Natty, like, you got to
(03:04):
focus in and I think we have our team activity
after this to get ready for tomorrow. So I think,
you know, the second I walk out here, like we'll
leave the celebrating for another day and focus on what
we got tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
And you had said you were in a situation where
you felt like any of the three of you you
would be happy with whoever took home this this whole word.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, absolutely, whether it was one of the three of us,
if Sam's got in there, naughty, whoever it was, like,
I'd be extremely happy because they'd be deserving. I think
so many players have had exceptional seasons and they might
not have you know, Patty next to her name this year,
but I don't think that takes away from the seasons
that they have, and they had one of the best
(03:43):
in the country. It's phenomenal and so this shouldn't take
away from that at all.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
This was Scott's a team has just been so incredible
throughout the season, with you know, one loss and two
ties and just really seeming like it's you know, sticking
to the plan, you know, not looking too far ahead. Well,
here you are. You can't really look too far ahead
at all anymore. You've got one game to know what's
been this This team's I guess defining feature of how
it stays in that moment.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I think we all just have so much joy, Like
we love each other, and so it's easy I think
for some teams to kind of panic, you know, maybe think, oh, like,
what's gonna happen when we started playing elimination games, Like
we're just happy to be here with each other, and
like I've talked about before, like when we're playing, when
we're having fun, when we're playing Freeze, when we play
our best and so just to have that happiness, the
(04:28):
laughter in the locker room, like it keeps us you know,
where our feet are, and I think that's what gives
us the best results in the ice.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Did you see mary An Picard come up playing paparazzi
for you? She was ducking around all of the photography
rator sorry when you got up here. I feel like
that really shows that sort of like you guys are
all just just friends and really happy for each other,
and like that joy really comes through it, and so
it was so much of what you do. But that
made me laugh.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, she is the best. She's one of my best
friends in the whole world. And you know, I was
looking for her during that speech. She's kind of a
calming presence. But I also know, like she's also one
of my biggest fans, So I think that's something special
about our team too. Is like I don't know if
you guys saw one Pick one, the Jackie or the
Jackie Robinson nomination, or you wouldn't have seen when we
found out Naughty was Goalie of the Year. Just the
(05:11):
reactions that we all have. It's insane, Like there's every
single person is happy for the person next to them
and it's a really cool environment. I'm not sure every.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Team has a twenty some girl hidespod.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah literally, Yeah case so.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Brian twenty twenty five Patty Kazmer Award winner, Congratulations, thank
you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Thank you guys,
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