The Compher siblings join; Meal room appointment viewing, Elevated Cupcake Experience with Randy Hahn

(upbeat music) All right, welcome to Never Upside with Julian Cat. Today we have a history-making brother and sister in Jesse and J.T. Confer in Detroit, which is just crazy that they're both there now. And then we also are going to talk to Randy Hahn from the San Jose Sharks about the infamous elevated cake experience. And so lots to talk about on this episode, so. - So much to talk about and catch up on Miss Cat because all of our dreams are coming true with Never Upside here. You know, it's always been like the carrot dangling in front of us and NHL Network was always a goal to get on the network. And we've reached that goal and we are on TV every week. And it's starting, it's already haunting us. - It's haunting us and it's haunting Tyler and Jeff. - And Jeff. - And all just everybody around, which is hilarious, but a little the first week, the episode aired on the network, you know, it's exciting. We're getting screenshots from people and then one morning, we get a screenshot from a TV monitor from Tyler and it's a group chat and he's like, I just had to walk out of the meal room because you guys are all over the place. - Yeah, Tyler was on the road and was like, I couldn't even sit and eat breakfast because I was watching you too and I couldn't handle it. - Just and all of his teammates are watching us and you know, seeing what those trips were. - Jeff is getting texts from all different teammates from all different teams being like, look who is on, we are in every team meal room. - Meal room. - It's become a thing, it's literally become a meal room Julian cat, with meals with Julian cat on the NHL, so. - So thank you network, hello all, a network viewers, we are just finding this hilarious. We will get used to it and the boys will get used to it. - I don't know if Tyler will get used to it, but he is taking his food to go. - He thinks it's funny, but also the other thing that's crazy too is I walked into the SAP Center the other day for a game and on, you know, they have the game all over. They have a million TVs in the club. And then the corner TV, which is the kind of like the best spot in my opinion was us. So I was like, okay, now I'm taking over the game right now, you know. - Yeah, it's pretty surreal, but all jokes aside, it's amazing, and it's an honor to be on the network. I think we're working it out now that it's a given schedule and we're Fridays at three. Hopefully, I mean, maybe we're catching them in their snack meal room time, but whatever it is, we're there at three o'clock on Fridays, and we'll just giggle our way through this and get used to it. - And just screen text from Ty and just whatever he sends us. So just know that we're getting lit up a little bit by our husband's in the best of way. We're very, very grateful for it and it's really cool. So that's awesome. And up next, we're gonna chat with Jesse and JT Comfort, all things hockey, sibling competitiveness, and just everything that has gotten them together now in Detroit playing for the professional teams there. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Jesse and JT Comfort, JT with the Detroit Red Rings, and Jesse with the PWHL team in Detroit now. So please welcome this lovely brother, sister duo. Hi guys. - Hello. - Hey guys. - Thanks for joining us. - Yeah, thanks for having us. We're excited to be here. - I think you, I mean, it's always so busy to get players in season and before season. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Let's just start right away. You guys are making history. Like you realize that? Like you're making the record books here with that sibling duo playing in the same town. Like that's awesome. - Yeah, it's very exciting. You know, I don't think anything that we dreamed of when we were young, both be playing professional hockey, especially in the same city. And, you know, we're excited to be the first duo to do it, but we hope there are going to be plenty more just like us in the future. - It's really crazy that you guys are the first ever to do that, both in Detroit. How did your family react when they found out that you, Jesse, were going to Detroit? - Yeah, I think everyone's super excited. I think that it's going to be pretty easy on my parents. I'm just a one-stop shop. But yeah, it's definitely exciting to be so close to be able to go to each other's games, to be able to support each other a little bit more, for sure. - And kind of going back, like Jesse, you were playing for Toronto. Like, how did it all happen that you were going to Detroit? Like, how did that all come to fruition? - Yeah, the expansion draft was a little bit crazy, but I was hearing rumblings of a Detroit team last year. And I wasn't really sold on the fact that JT was here, like that didn't really do it. For me honestly, I was always, like I loved my time in Toronto, and I always said, if Chicago got a team like that would be it. I never really considered Detroit being like, this team that I would jump upon, and then what Mono was building in this organization. I was super excited about that, and then they were able to sign five players before the expansion draft, and they were four girls side and four me, and I played with all four of them before, and I was just like so excited about that. Excited about what the organization was building, and then obviously such a philosophy in the same city as JT had been so much closer to home. So it was kind of like everything was aligning, and that was for me, like it just seemed like the perfect fit. - That's awesome. I love the little subtle chirp saying he wasn't the reason that I wanted to go there. It's not a value JT. - Yeah, I know. - So how's this work now? Now you're in the same building. Are we looking over our schedules, like how many games are we tasked to go to of each others? - I actually did that last night. - Yeah. - I'm sure JT did the same. - They put out the first game a couple of weeks ago, and of course it's like on a day that we play. I think we play Friday night and Saturday night at home, and they play Saturday at like noon. So you guys know how the schedule is. It's hard to be there midday. We were lucky enough a couple of years ago in Pittsburgh. We played on the same day. We played a night, they played during the day, and I hadn't seen her play in the PWHL, so I skipped my pream nap, went over and watched the game. So I was at the ring from noon through our game, and probably wasn't all me going to that game's fault, but I played pretty bad that night. So I was like, I might not be doing that again. So you said there's not a ton of opportunities, but hopefully there'll be a fewer. I get to go see her live this year. March 10th is the first time he's in town. Oh my gosh, all the way in March. I just like kept going, and I was like, this is not real, like seriously. Yeah, that's why I love March 10th. And I was like, nice, that's like so far away. Here in my mind, I thought like from the jump in November, you guys were gonna be going back and forth, but. Yeah, but I was like, can't wait for you to be in the building once, and I was like, nice. I bet the first week I'm not be a busy weekend for the family and friends having us all there the same weekend for her. Oh, I know your family's gotta just be thrilled and to have that kind of all your people in one city and not only convenience, but just like how fun for the city to get to cheer on a duo like you. How has the reception been with this? And I feel like since the seasons are starting, you guys are doing a lot more together, and it's really fun to see from a social perspective, but how have you guys felt with that reception? I feel like I got a good feel for it. We did our red carpet before our first home game at Little Seasers. And I don't think anyone mentioned the red links to me. It was all, I can't wait to see Jesse here. I can't wait for the girls team. And I mean, I'm excited as well. I think that it's been super fun to watch the girls growing to the league and to have another city that's super hungry for hockey, and they love hockey. They're super proud of their hockey history, and I think they're gonna accept them right from the hop. - Again, I feel like the same for me. I was here for the draft and we were outside signing autographs. Everybody came through and was like, I love your brother, I have your brother's autograph. And now I have yours too, so it's exciting to see how proud they are to have both of our autographs and my little things like that, so it's just fun. - Going back to Y'all's childhood, born and raised in Chicago, how did you guys get into hockey? And then Jesse, there's stories that you were a goalie is at 'cause JT forced you. Like, how did that work and play out? And then I wanna expand kind of on when the, I wanna get to, like, when did the PW child become like, oh, this is gonna be maybe an opportunity for me. But I wanna go back to childhood first. - Yeah, we, you know, my parents were in the hockey, my dad never played hockey. It was my, really, one of my best friends so this day, he was going out for, like hockey is that it was the coach invited me to go along with and I just really liked it right from the beginning and I feel like Jesse and my other sister Morgan both gave it a try how old were you guys probably six or seven and our sister Morgan gave it about one year and said this isn't for me and Jesse's obviously stuck with it so we didn't have a ton of like crossover when young you know like four years apart not playing on the same team or and once you get in the travel it's hard to like be at each other's games all the time I'm sure she's watched a lot more by games growing up then I got to see her but I feel like once we got a little bit older is when you know we became a little more aligned when she was in college and was able to come skate with the pro players in Chicago and then we kind of got a little more on the same page with it all I would say was there like a moment when you both realized that you both had had it I guess I feel like it's almost easier to see for the other one at least like when you're in it you don't really know you know people can say whatever they want about you at a young age you don't know if you're gonna be good in college or be a professional make the NHL but I feel like watching Jesse especially when she got to college I could see that there was like something you know different about her than than most of the other girls and then you start hearing about calls from Team USA and real championships and the Olympics and so I feel like for me it was almost easier to see watching it than my own experience because you never know what people are counting if it's true or if you're actually gonna make it but I feel like watching her I always can see like something different about her feel like for me like I just always watched him from someone such a young age I just knew he was so good like obviously I didn't know where it was gonna take him and I don't think I ever thought he was gonna be in the NHL but non bias I was like whoa he's like always the best player on the ice growing up and I thought it was like the coolest thing in the world and then like as he got older the NTP program and in college hockey like that's when you really started to see like oh like he's legit do you guys have a specific like favorite memory hockey memory of the other one like that just sticks with you watching him when the Stanley Cup was the coolest thing in the world like I was standing with our family and said me in the stands and we all just started solving and it's like I think being in the stands since I'm an athlete myself you just know the feeling and like how much pressure has been on your whole life and how hard you've worked and I was just like wow to see his dreams come true was like the coolest thing I've ever experienced I was more nervous for that than gold medal gaming Beijing for myself yeah I mean I feel like I've had the you know the opposite or sorry like the same experience of like being more nervous for her games like the gold medal game but her when she played in the Olympics it was like COVID we couldn't go but they had Team USA parents and family and Park City Utah so we did like we got to experience it with the other families I think we got to watch two or three games there and we got to all be together to you know see her or first only Olympics and I think there wasn't a dry eye between the five of us there my parents and Morgan and my wife Sydney was just like super proud to all be together I feel like the nervousness part I have this like memory when I was in college she was playing and I think it was like the national championships or like the tournament you know maybe not the finals but she took a penalty like the two minutes left in the game like a championship type game and I remember watching like online and I was so nervous for her being in the talent box like like I you know that feeling as a player and it's like even worse because like you know how you would react to it if they end up scoring and you lose but like you don't want your sister or someone you care about to like have to go through that so but like we've always talked about like the more nervousness part of not being playing the game and watching I didn't even think about that like I was always when coming into this episode I was thinking about like how excited you guys were to watch each other growing up and now on the big stage and everything but I never thought about like the nerves like this you know the first hand second hand nerves that you feel so you can like know exactly what they're thinking like if he's on the ice and like he makes turnover but you just know exactly what's going through his head they like a normal fan wouldn't exactly see so I feel like it's like not the best part about being a fan who truly understands what's going on yeah right like the most understanding of what's going on do you guys have any like what's the post game look like for you guys texting wise or anything after a good game a bad game what not what's that like oh he hears from me if I didn't quite well yeah I would say yeah she's she's more likely to text me first and I maybe if I don't have a good game I'll kind of just get like a UK text and I feel like we have our we both have different ways of dealing with stuff but we kind of are able to chop it up between the two of us and get each other back to neutral but I think we you know between our family and you know my wife sent me like we have good support systems and we're just another piece of up the puzzle there to reach out after a good or a bad game we couldn't be more opposite when I was like kind of building this episode out and was like writing questions out I'm answering like I know what JT is gonna say for this I know what I know what Jess is it like I I just kind of like knew just the little I know about just I know JT a little bit more but I'm like I know y'all's personalities and I'm like oh well I'm gonna go in this like I don't know the answer but it's so funny and I just I think y'all it's a perfect sounding board you know a sibling knows each other better than anything else and the fact that you both play the same sport at the highest level is so cool and now I don't know maybe y'all could debrief after games you know on each other's couch it's it's a whole different level so that's probably likely even when she was playing Toronto you know they get a little more time off because it don't play as many games and we'd get a text like I have three days off like can I come I'm gonna drive down to Detroit and I'd be like yeah sure what do you want to do and she's like lay in the corner your couch and eat your food and it's like all right perfect that's what you need like you guys know too like during hockey season you just need like that decompress time get away I feel like you know she always knows that the corner of the couch and bag of chips is whatever she wants to get away I think he came home this year Sid was out of town and he would he had just landed and I'm already in his house I already drove from Toronto lights her off in the family room I'm on the corner of the couch and he just walks in he goes you think you could turn it light on like you need anything else I'm good perfect well now you got to do a TikTok from corner of that couch I've been trying to get in my TikToks yeah Jesse keep going keep keep going I need it's hard work Julie you don't understand no I think I do I think I've got one that's cut from pretty much the same cloth and and wanting to be involved in any sort of TikTok but I never see Jeff in one I'm like all that's bad news for me that's coming right that's coming right for me right Jesse and Sid gets together it's like they just can talk something for me to be embarrassed yeah it always meant Jeff was injured or something so there was a lot of time that that we could work with him on something well I love the TikTok that you did make of celebrity appearance in on vacation and the Red Wings commented like yes thank you Jesse yeah that was like that was a couple hours of bullying in the making I think a couple drinks yeah I think Red Wings admin is going to be very happy they have Jesse to assist in some some work this season so well I've kind of always said like you know I don't maybe like to do all of the videos during the season but anything like women's hockey related I'm always like yeah I'm in that's that's for me I didn't know like when I agree to that a couple years ago would be a team in the city and now like my now doing podcasts and doing all the extra media where it's worth it and it's fun so you manifested when you said that you manifested this whole thing exactly it's all for growing the game so things for doing the work um Jesse going back to you uh when when PW Child kind of came on the radar was that during college for you um and then I want you to elaborate a little bit like maybe the first time JT organized escape with you and like some of the professional guys like how did how did that make you feel um in that part of your journey yeah I can start with that part um I've been very lucky he's always brought me with like workouts and skates and whatnot and I think probably two summers in a row I was nervous every single day I went out there I was really lucky though um every pro that I worked out with or what not it made me feel comfortable not only as like a female but as like a professional athlete they never treated me any different and I think they did the same as I was on the ice and I think that I'm very lucky for that um JT's always been very good about making sure that if I'm in town and I want to skate either in Detroit or Chicago. Wherever he's skating I'm skating with him. And not I know that not all girls have that so I'm very fortunate about that. But I mean I will never ever forget the first time when I worked out next to Patrick Kane. Like how do you forget that? Like I used to have an 88 jersey. I used to work to games. But he walked into the gym and my trainer was like Jesse, do you want to meet Matt Kane and we're wearing heart rate monitors at the time. I don't know if you've ever heard this story. But like this green says your heart rate. Oh my god. I just remember it was through the room. I was friends around. He's going to think I'm dead. Wait that's actually hilarious. I was so nervous. Like I'm meeting my idol right there in there. And I'm wearing a heart rate monitor. Like please. What are the chances of that? That's such a good story. And he's just as down to earth as everyone. So I'm sure five minutes into it. You're back to level and you're realizing like wow this is surreal but you know it's you know he puts on his shoes just like everyone else. Exactly. All right well we love to play games here. So we want to we want to put a game in right here. And it is called who's the better comfort. So it's going to be a pretty quick, quick answers unless you've got a story to elaborate on it. All right so who has the better shot? That's Jesse. Who's the better skater? Him. Who has a better chance at scoring a Michigan? I don't think that's neither. We all have that. No. Okay. Neither. All right. Who has the better chirps? On the ice probably her off the ice probably me I think. I like that. That's a good answer. Yeah. Who had a better chance at forgetting a piece of gear? Probably in the childhood because now you're not really forgetting your gear. Child that's you for sure. Yeah. But now maybe me more likely than you. But yeah we're lucky enough we're not so worried about that as much anymore. Right. Okay who's better at taking a loss? You hide it better than I hide it. Yeah. You're not good at it either. Probably. Yeah. Neither of us. We're both really competitive with each other too. Yeah. Okay. No. No. Not just with each other but yeah. Do we have any stories there? Nothing too bad. I have one from my last summer. He doesn't even know how competitive I am but our trainer was like oh I'm really starting running 60% and I just like took off because I just thought I had to beat him. And I think he looked at what he'd do it. I was like that's one beat you. Okay. So your training or your off season training is just one big competition it seems. Well I don't ever win. So like sometimes you have to pick your battles. Yeah. That sounds similar to me and my brother. Who would you say is the better locker room DJ? Her. Because you're just country? Yeah. Yeah I'm not DJ ever. Yeah. I can see that. You're more all over the place and he's just straight country. I feel like I'm not like wild on the DJ but like I don't picture him doing anything but country. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Better chance at getting kicked out of a game. Have you ever gone kicked out? No. No. I don't think so. I did my first year in Toronto. Yeah. Her. Jessie. Just elaborate. Well I was just hit from behind. She didn't protect herself. Is that where we're calling it? Yeah. So I don't know what to hit these days. Yeah. Alright. So Jessie's been kicked out once and and JT. Let's not manifest this. Yeah. Well that is who's who's the better comfort game. I love how self-aware. Like Kat said you guys are very like to it. Yeah. There was no hesitation on like any of those. Yeah. I feel like we kind of know each other as well as ourselves. Like she's a little more emotion on the sleep I would say and I'm a little calmer in that kind of weeks and the hockey end off the ice as well. I love that. Well I was given a little inside scoop that you guys are going to work together this season and do something special for families in Detroit. I would love for you guys to share it here about how you guys are teaming up this year to give back to the community. Yeah. So we're still kind of working through it. But our general idea was to give away tickets to a hockey family in the area to go to a PW to each PWHL game this year. I just think that you know obviously for a while it's been if you're a girl hockey player you have to go watch the red wings. And now with the you know the women's team it's a good opportunity for the brothers to go start supporting their sisters and watch the women's game. And I think that's how we grew up was you know we we do both we go to each other's games. I go watch here. I should go watch my games and I think that it's important for you know everyone but also the brothers of women hockey players to see that there is a route for the women to be professionals and exceed and climb in the game of hockey and when you have you know two people in the same family that have very similar goals I think that it'll just breed hopefully more siblings playing hockey as long as possible. I love that. I think it's really fun like in the PWHL games to see how much little boys are loving being at the games. I think that maybe it takes a little extra push for them to get there from their family or whatnot but once they're in the building it seems like they're having just as much fun as every little girl so I think it's like another fun way to show them how much skill and talent we have at the same level as the boys do. My you know you know all of my boys but you know they're at the age where they're still playing with the girls on their team and it's so much fun to see these girls and their families now get like the girls you can see it in their eyes now that they have this tangible thing in front of them that they can work to and to get for the boys to be alongside them and now they both have like these goals that they're working to together whereas the girls it would just like they can go to college and play for a nationality like it is so it I just can't tell you how moving it is to see it and how much of a like I just love it for the boys like they get to see these girls have this goal and you guys have had it your whole life without even knowing it it's just innate so I think it's just so special and what you guys are going to do in Detroit together is bigger than on the ice and I just can't wait to watch you guys shine and do bigger things together. Yeah it'll be fun to be role models for so many little girls and feel like Michigan's been looking for a lot of women's hockey here and it's finally getting its chance especially not having any college women's teams it's definitely it's time to shine here. Jesse do you have like a moment that sticks out since you've been in the PWH all that just really you know like just stood out with like a fan a little girl anybody that just you know really showed you what a role model you guys are to them. I think my first year in Toronto we played both at Scotia Bank and in Montreal where the Canadians play like we sold out both of those buildings which aren't like our home arenas and seeing the amount of people in those stadiums and hearing how loud it was like I will never forget those two experiences for sure because we played in so many smaller arenas throughout the season but being able to sell out those rings and the amount of girls who wait for us after and just want our autographs those are the two games that stick out for me for sure like wow we've been able to sell out two historic buildings that NHL teams play in that we'll be able to this week will be around for a really long time and be able to inspire so many little girls. I can't even imagine like I've been to a sold out bell center as a fan I cannot like for you that must have been so surreal I mean cat too sorry not just me. Oh yeah no that I felt I felt that story because of how we've experienced that so. There was an last plan thumb there was the loudest thing I've ever been a part of like I will not forget that for the rest of my life. I think I turned around and my head coach Troy Ryan had tears in his eyes and I was like wow like this is like a big moment. That's awesome. That's so cool. What is what does it look like getting ready for season start you guys start at end of November um you guys have a training camp what what goes into all of that these next couple weeks. Yeah just a couple more weeks of the off season um then we start training camp like middle of November only a couple preseason games and then we start games I believe it's December 6th so training camp for us isn't really that long which is really nice obviously so just kind of getting to the next couple weeks and you're living situation will be the like on your own will you have a roommate will you be bunking up at said and JT's what's that gonna look like for you? No we'll be a healthy distance of 10 minutes apart. No I'm gonna be living alone but just pretty close to them which will be really nice. Oh that's gonna be so fun. JT what was your first like welcome to Detroit moment? Did you guys how'd you celebrate? I need time I've celebrated at least my first year here was in the Petri Basement party for the most part. I feel like you know going to U of M being around the red wings you know in college you just saw like the pride that Detroit has for hockey and you know with the nickname hockey town like it's it's earned and the fans here are super passionate and super proud of the history that this team has and it's really been a pleasure to play for this team you know the last you know three plus years and I think that with the girls coming like hockey town just gonna accept the girls the same way that they do the red wings and obviously you don't have the history but I think that the pride of hockey in the state is very very noticeable and I'm really excited for the girls to get to experience it too you know playing at the same arena that we do you know the same fans and how passionate they are. We're gonna have to have Jesse over for official Petri one night so we'll schedule that in when we're back in town. Are we perfect I'll put on my calendar yeah I know how to reach you all right well we are gonna wrap this up with our quick hitters we I think this is gonna be fun and a little bit of banter between you guys um so let's start it off JT if Jesse had to play with the red wings who would you put her on a line with. I think that I think I'd put her on wing with uh Andrew cop who she would probably call her second hockey brother whenever I don't answer Andrew gets a phone call and then those two are a little um two similar so I'm gonna put uh Lucas Raymond on the right wing someone a little like call her cheerler to even even that threesome now. I like that. I feel like I could suit up tomorrow. Let's go. And I don't think we can be no we was maybe not we know yeah I love the other hockey brother yeah that's amazing. Well yeah because sometimes JT doesn't want to answer and I'm spiraling about something so you just have to have somebody on back up. Oh Andrew, wait a go. That was adorable. Um do either of you have superstitions. I don't I just have to take a two hour nap with that count. Routine yeah. I don't really have anything um everyone's while you score a goal and then you're like which uh you know which jacket that I wear last game I might wear that again something like that but there's too many games of you two superstitious I think for us at least. Fair maybe I said not to wash something once in a while. Yeah something like that. Jesse if JT was put on staff for PWL Detroit would he make a better coach trainer equipment manager or GM? Coaching's like in his blood. We skate in the summers and he always picks like one kid that like in the back of a set or like in the gym that he wants to help for some reason and he like gives him little tips throughout the entire summer. Oh I'm like okay it's really sweet and nice. I'm going to shove one of the p-tree boys off to you guys in the summer. One at a time though I think. Yeah which one are you choosing? Yeah well you can tell me offline. Um JT which of your teammates would Jesse have the most fun chirping? I feel like the easy answer would be Andrew because Sherry does that um but I don't know I feel like if you gave her you know kind of how we are in the summer when she gets comfortable she'd pretty much go out at anyone it doesn't really matter. She just needs a little time to warm up. I like pretend I'm shy for a little bit and then it's game over. We change your shy. Do we have any memories from like summer workouts that stand out? I just like don't think I really talked to Kristian DeVorek for like a while and then one day just it went off and it stopped popping and he was probably like who is she and can she stop? Oh my god. The board was Kristian like every day he didn't know when he agreed to sign up to work out with me and our trainer that Jesse would be there every day in the last three years and um yeah I would agree with what she said for like longer than normal Jesse was pretty quiet and then all of a sudden one day she just fully opened up and um I think his eyes were wide open for about a week there and now I just know what to expect every day. That's amazing. You just unleashed one day on Christian. Yeah I was like you know what I think he'll accept me to marry white and here we go I just buckle up. That's funny. Jesse what is something JT tries to give you an advice on that you did not ask for? I ask and then if I don't like it I'm like no can you try again? That's not what I wanted to hear. Yeah or if it's like too calm and like come on like see it from my perspective be a lot more crazy. Yeah that's not true. You know he just doesn't have a girl's mind. Come on JT tap into it. I'm learning slowly. Okay both of you which one of your teammates other than the Andrew answer and everything which one of your teammates would the other get along with the best? Well you and Sam have been worked out for a while together. Yeah but I think you and Abby Rock could be pretty good friends. Yeah I feel like I've been fortunate to meet a lot of the girls like along the way at different events and um I remember when you got drafted it was like I finally got to meet like all the girls that have been on the national team with her for a while and you hear all the stories you know the names you watch them forever but then finally like to actually get to meet them is always more fun. I feel like you and you and Mo would get along pretty well I would say. Both have a little bit like a streak to you like calm and then there's a streak okay. Okay Mo being for everyone. Mo sider sorry. Defense men for the Red Wings I can totally see that like it's it's actually you guys could go on a terror together that would be yeah that would be fun to see. Who spends more time and money on a pregame fit? Me? Well money no probably not more effort we'll just call it effort. It's so hard being a girl these days in the P. W. Chow when you want to look good. I imagine having to put you in a 35 out fence. Roll right and then you're just going to get undressed to go sweat and you know like you're looking all great and put all the effort I get it. I think he came to watching and playoffs was the last year of the year before and you walked from my apartment and I was in like a skirt and high boots and like really cute outfit and he was like that's what you're wearing. I was like yeah I have to go take a photo before I play hockey games. I mean not that it matters but I kind of feel like guys can get away with rewearing all throughout the season right yeah right so it's a little bit harder to repeat an outfit for us girls because you're taking your photos you're taking your tiktok's whatever and you know well and it's become a moment with these walk-in fits for all sports like now that the NHL is allowed to wear with they whatever they want like it's a thing so you want to dive into it if that's your thing yeah I found it fun like I've enjoyed it but sometimes you're on the road and you're like wow this is the last thing I'm packing for a road so I don't want to deal with this anymore yeah I loved your St. Patrick's Day line change mashup I thought that was really cute yeah that one was really fun yeah she's always rapping JT is too which I have to respect I love that I feel like my line change stuff every time I like going on the road I come back and there's another thing in my closet that has has grabbed and thrown and yeah I got the whole cowboy collection a couple weeks ago so I have to wear some for the pregame fits I guess I appreciate it okay so JT yes JT what is one thing Jesse is genuinely better at the new outside of hockey I feel like she's very like outgoing like when she's around people she's she likes to be like in the mix and like she's just like genuinely herself all the time and comfortable and she said before that it may take like a second but it's literally like a second and then she's like herself and she's genuine and I think that I think a lot of the girls do a better job than the guys of letting you know people into their lives online or whether it's like take talk or Instagram or interviews and stuff and I think that you know that's really good for their vegan for all of them. Last question, what is one thing you admire most about your sibling that you probably don't say enough? You can go first. I can go first. You know I think that kind of tying it all in is I feel like her Jesse's work ethic is equal to if not above a lot of the guys in Pro-Aki in NHL and I think that being around her every day is inspiring to see you know how much she cares about becoming a better hockey player and I think that with the way that Lee has been going the PWHL and all the new teams and the new opportunities I just think it's really special to have these girls just included as as role models for not even just young girl hockey players but boys as well. I really do encourage like anyone that hasn't been to a PWHL game to go it's fast it's exciting it's skilled it's it's a fun time it's the crowds are way louder at women's games and they are at men's games and I think that you know they've had to forge their way they've had to fight for everything the last few years to have a league of their own it was easy you know maybe not easy to make the NHL as a guy but it's already set up you know it's we didn't have to do anything besides for trying to make our way to the league they had to force and create their own league and and push for all these you know young girls and and to have them as role models I think it's very special and it just I'm just super proud to get to watch that unfold and see the behind the scenes of everything they're fighting for whether it's like wages or you know better being treated better by the teams or the leagues and yeah just whenever I like it to tell anyone about it anyone that I'll listen like it's it is truly special what the girls are doing and and I'm just proud to get to watch oh sweet for me I would say that you've been such a great role model and I'm very lucky that you bring me along no matter what I feel like as a mother brother having a younger sister you could have just gone about your life not making me like work out with your group told me to kind of fend for myself but you've always been so considerate and looking out for not only me but other girls who are in the area if that's South coming home the dream with us and whatnot you've been always very nice about bringing people along and getting new experience everything that you have so I'm very lucky about that and that's why I wanted to be JT Junior when I was younger oh making history you two seriously thank you guys so much I love oh well you know you guys know I adore y'all already but I just love getting to see this side of you and JT you are the doting admiring brother like just the most supportive and to see that and you're passionate about you know the PDub and and Jesse your tenacity and being you're making history you are setting you're a trailblazer and just to get to watch you do this and now alongside your brother in the same city it's so special and I cannot wait to follow this and and just see everything I'm full for you guys together it's awesome thank you very much yeah thank you thank you guys they're lovely again history history making brother and sister it's crazy that they're both in your city Detroit it's wild I love I mean I know them personally so but to see them together like this and just to see what they're going to be able to do together is so special and JT's just like that's how he is he wants to sit back and put people up on the pedestal and that's exactly just kind of how he showed us how he is with his little sister Jesse and again cannot wait to see them do big things in Detroit together she's spicy I loved it yeah she brings the color to that hockey duo there and it's it's just they're so fun to be around they balance each other with with their energies and JT's wife said mixed in with them it is just it's it's a ball the whole comfort family shout out they're going to bring a lot of energy in Detroit and that's going to be fun to watch from afar I love it amazing well thank you for bringing them on coming up next we have a friend of mine mr. Randy Hahn from the San Jose sharks to talk a little bit about the elevated cupcake experience here in San Jose with Will Smith and McLennan Celebrity all right welcome back to Never Offside we're here with our next guest he is a long time the long time beloved broadcaster for the San Jose sharks please welcome mr. Randy Hahn welcome Randy thank you it is so fun to be on here with the two of you uh been following the podcast and uh congratulations all the success it's fun to be here thank you well normally you and I would have a lot to talk about on this podcast but today we have one sole purpose and it's something near and dear to you your family the community and all of us and that is the elevated cupcake experience and taking people behind the scenes so that's what we we've we've got to dive in and lift the veil a little bit Randy absolutely yeah it's it's just been a phenomena kind of has occupied mine and my wife's brain and our time to some extent more so her than me for about almost it seems like almost a year yeah so can you kind of give us the origin of how it started well how it started the origin actually goes back to you because last Thanksgiving I think Will Smith made chocolate chip banana bread and you posted that chocolate chip banana bread and it went viral and that kind of sparked an idea for my wife Andrea now Andrea is a professional baker she owns a baker for us cupcake factory ta-da in in San Jose and a number of years ago when she was first starting out of business she got an opportunity to go on cupcake wars on the food network so if you're just starting out of business I mean the potential exposure for something like that is amazing for her and we hadn't met back then yet and so she auditioned and eventually went down to LA to Studio City and did the show and she wanted but the way those things worked they're taped so far in advance that she couldn't tell anybody that she wanted for I think it was six months before it actually aired so it was agonizing because she knew it would it would take her business to another level once the word got out that she was a winner but she couldn't say anything until they finally aired it and sure enough it aired she won and there was a line wrapped two blocks around to get into her cupcake shop the next day so that's her background in baking and being particularly in the cupcake space and of course who would know that I would ever marry somebody who won cupcake wars no offense but I probably wouldn't have dated her if she was the runner up but just kidding but she definitely brought some swagger to the relationship already having a championship that's something we're still striving for with the sharks as we well know but anyway so back to after you posted your post on Andrea talk to Jenny Johnson who you know from the sharks foundation and they do so much great fundraising in the Bay Area helping out charities have for many many years and Andrea who had done many things for the sharks foundation in the past reached out to the foundation and said look why don't we do something baking wise let's do a cupcake decorating advance something like that so Jenny said perfect we are doing our big wine fundraiser during the Olympic break in February let's build something for that perfect so now Andrea comes back we start talking about this and I said well you've got we got to have a name it's got to be catchy so somehow we collaborated and came up with elevated cupcake experience that was it and Andrea said well what does that mean and I said I don't know but we'll figure it out so that was the origin of how it all started that was the best at the sampling with the sharks event when you came out on the mic and you said the elevated cupcake experience the entire room just started laughing everyone's like what does that mean and then Julia a very funny part of it too was will obviously Randy went over to well and said oh do you have someone else you might bring well yeah well actually will will think you know he's such a big part of how this whole thing really came together because when we went to that auction that night and you were there and Tyler we didn't know when we walked through the door who the players would be often with these things they'll say you know two sharks players and then depending on who's available and how that works you know you you may or may not get who you think you will so before the auction will came up to me and said I want to do it i said what do you want to do he said i want to do the cupcake event i said okay but we need two players he said macklin's going to do it well macklin was at the olympics i said how do you know he is he said he'll do it so he he he volunteered so then i now i'm on the stage and i said you will do this event with with will and mac and uh. i'm just ballparking but i think things like that from past auctions that we've done you know maybe five thousand dollars that would be a really good uh. donation to the foundation by some uh. supporters and fans that want to be part of that well as you know because tyler was in on the bidding at the beginning and and i think it around seven or eight thousand dollars his hand went down i don't know if you were prompting or not i was filming him but i watched him all of a sudden be like all right because i do a lot of these uh. charity auctions i do them at golf tournaments and things like that i i have a regular uh. roster of charities that i do this thing for every year this type of a thing and my one rule in the auction is no spousal interference uh. we only want spousal support during the bidding process so when when uh. when tyler put his arm down i kind of look where's cat you know did she poke him say calm down no he wanted it but then the bidding went up real fast well sure yeah and that's the way i do it too because if you know i'll go who will give me a thousand if if five arms go up i'll go one two three four five and then all said it's at five in in ten seconds and just to move the thing along so um. yeah for it to go i think it ended up going for eighteen thousand dollars to make cupcakes now the pressure was on of course because how do we elevate this how do we make it special and turn it into thankfully what it what it ended up turning out to be this was amazing coming from a fan of this and also from the beginning when cat is you know kind of talking about rumblings about this elevated cupcake experience i'm in the same boat being like what actually is like what what could this actually be like baking cupcakes with some sharks players and to see it come to life and it the production kudos to the sharks production team on this because we what we've watched it three times in my household i have four little boys we were watching it before school this morning and they're all in did they're all into all the baking shows it was just so well done uh. maclin and well being so into it uh just was and we can get into the judging because i've got a lot to say about that but you guys just did such a wonderful job and it truly wasn't elevated cupcake experience and whether this started with a little picture you know here on never offside and our little manifestation hacks here i'm going to put it out there that this is the first of many cupcake elevated experiences because it was it was awesome well you know somehow collectively and and you're you're correct to mention the sharks foundation the sharks digital media team ESPN for like they they heard of one once they heard about it the story i get is that they went to the sharks and said we want this for the frozen frenzy day when all the teams are playing we want this to be one of our features as part of our broadcast and we don't want anybody else to have it until then so the sharks said okay you know you guys can have this and then that elevated it again and and and you know when we reached out back to the sharks foundation about how to produce this thing they're now producing it for not only so sharks social media but also for ESPN so a lot more went into it uh production wise and you're right they did just such a good job and andria immediately like went into turbo mode getting the bakery ready you know because you don't you don't have your bakery it's a bakery it's a working space and i'm sure you can appreciate it's just like when you're working in your office at home doing something it's not always pristine or perfect or your garage or whatever all of the sudden teeth national tv cameras are coming into your workspace so you want to get it right so she and her staff worked really really hard and then at the very end the date pivoted like two or three times and you were probably in on that to cat wear it's going to be this day no it's going to be that day because right around training camp schedules change for the players and we totally get that and at the last minute it got moved up by three or four days so uh for andria and and her staff at the bakery that was really a challenge to get everything ready but they did and it worked out and you know as i look back on it now with a little bit of hindsight uh somehow we we tapped into something that interested uh all these fans that are like you said into baking shows young people women men the new fans the uh the hardcore sharks fans and then fans outside of the shark's realm uh you know people enjoyed this whole experience and the and the suspense in the build up as to when is this thing actually going to air because it started in February we recorded in September and then it didn't air till October so there was a lot of build up to it yeah we had a lot of people DM-ing us and asking us on the pod for when this was going to happen i had to clear back up up in the spring that it was not until September because they're going to be gone for the summer um but it was a hard secret to keep for all of us but it was well worth it and i'm so glad that the community and the foundation got so much pub um Randy how much did it mean for you and Andrea that how just how into it and how seriously will and mac took the competition well from the very beginning of will wanting to do it and then volunteering mac and then mac agreeing to do it and then on the on move out day at the end of last season i shot a quick like 10 second video with the two of them it's the famous one now that people say they were being held hostage when they did it uh because they wanted to get out of it you know what it's like at the end of a season you want to go home and get on a plane and go wherever you're going to go and lay on a beach for a week but they agreed to do that little thing so we would have something to use to promote it from that point on they were 100% in and you know how those two guys are wired it's all about competition and once we told them that it was going to be a competition will versus mac that was the game changer they were totally locked in but you were there on the actual night of the of the shoot and they couldn't have been nicer they were on time they weren't in a hurry to leave in fact they were they stayed longer than everyone else they wanted pictures there they wanted to snoop around the kitchen afterwards and i just thought the way that they interacted with the donors who who made that great donation and all the production people and they were so patient and and then once it started we're so locked in and into it i know that it wasn't maybe overtly funny and no one got a cupcake smashed into their face or something slapstick like that that maybe some people expected but just when you watch them and how into it they were and then and i know we're going to get to the judging that part of it and the drama there and since then by the way they were they were just so involved and i really appreciate what good people they are and that speaks to to where they're from my friend Jamie Baker former shark one of the most famous goals in shark's history he always said elephants don't raise giraffes and that speaks to Will and Max family good people raise good people and boy those two guys sure are well yeah judging uh that was uh that was a really really fun time obviously anything with you guys and those two uh we have we have an elevated time but i it was a little daunting when 12 cupcakes were presented in front of us with a bunch of camera crews you know um and we have to eat 12 cupcakes on camera but i have to say they were so impressive like both teams it was crazy like some of these cupcakes that people that they came up with i i whoa you know like like what did you what how did you react to seeing like what they created it was well we're pulling back the curtain here so i have to tell you the way the judging ended up was not the way the judging was intended at all the way that that competition typically goes is the two teams make their cupcakes and then they present to the judges here's our cupcake here's what it's called here's what's inside there's ganache inside whatever it is but when Will and Max got there and i don't know if they knew about the composition of the judging team or not maybe but they said we want blind judging i said well what do you mean you're supposed to present and no we want the judges to not know whose cupcakes they're eating and then decide so we had to pivot at the last minute that's why you had to eat so many because they made all those cupcakes and you had to taste all of them and it was supposed to be like come up with your best one and then present that as your entry and it totally changed at the last minute so sorry because of them yes okay so i'm going to go on top of that right okay so here we also had a judging technicality because of them um when we first walked in the room and represented our 12 cupcakes which was a little daunting um maclin was explaining the rules to us um just he was just just off camera explaining the rules and he said to us you're supposed to pick two you're supposed to pick your favorite cupcake and then you're supposed to pick your favorite overall elevated cupcake team so so we went back and And in the end of the day, both of them won, because Maclin's cupcake won overall. Taste it was the best for all of us, and then Will's team overall, in our opinion, was the most creative and the most elevated, and overall the better plate. So in the end of the day, they both won, but it was a technicality because of the way that they explained it to us. Well, but only one team got their hands on the elevated cupcake cup at the end, didn't they? And I mean, the shots of Will in the background, he was not happy, he thought he had his presentation of his cupcakes. The Christmas cupcake he made where he took the M&Ms and separated all the green and red ones from all the rest, I know, I thought, oh my god, that's going to win. That was my pick, that was my pick. Oh my god, overall, overall, my pick was the Christmas cookie, and I'm not going to lie. It was not, I probably knew it was his, obviously, but overall, it was so beautiful. It was the most beautiful cupcake ever, and it tasted exactly like an nostalgic Christmas cookie. And I am not a crazy Christmas person like Will, and I still loved one of the hearts. Yeah, it was, that was such a great cupcake. Did you try that? Oh, yeah, I didn't try as many as you and Tyler, and I still can't get over Tyler. It's the, it might be, I know that Will and Mac are the stars of that whole experience, but oh my god, that was the best. Tyler with, with his like knuckles on the counter, like trying to take a breather in between bites might be, I want like different little memes made of this. Oh, they're there. Don't worry. Send to me so I can like save them and send them when I'm feeling like, I don't know if I can do this anymore. And that's the great thing about the internet is it'll live forever. It was amazing, and the great thing is that Stanley Cup, cupcake cup, whatever we're calling it is the elevated cupcake cup. Or yeah, the elevated, I, you know, it looks like a ceiling, it's going to live at the same house. So both winners in their book, so at least it goes to live on a shelf. They know over, over at their house. Absolutely. I have to say, Randy, the funniest part of Tyler being the judge and looking like he was an absolute painian, tired time, other than it seemed like his children were torturing him by eating 12 cupcakes, was that when Tyler was on the king's, his nickname was cupcake. Unbelievable. So that, like that was Tyler's nickname. He's always, when he left L.A. it went away, whatever, but yeah, Tyler, 10 years later got to live up to his nickname in the strangest of ways, so there he is. Well, I got to ask you, the two of you, if you will advocate for me with me and Andrea, but we've got to have a rematch. Yeah. There has to be a rematch, and I was, you know, we were just spitballing ideas. And I think the rematch has, the team has to grow a little bit. Like Macklin needs another teammate, and we'll needs another teammate, and we'll do it again and give Will that opportunity for a rematch, because I think he's a little better. I know. His reaction was devastating for me, but Randy, honestly, also maybe the two of them team up against another duo. That's a thought. That's a thought. I didn't think of that. That might be better. Yeah, there were a lot of fans online that were a little sad to see them against each other. So maybe if they team up and take on like a Samisa or somebody like that, you know, who knows? We could blow this thing up more. We could even get Swedish cupcakes involved. You never know. Oh my God. I like this. And I'm going to guess that Tyler's going to opt out of judging. So I'll fly in, and I will be another cupcake judge, because that looked just so fun. It was so fun. Randy, thank you so much, honestly, like the fact that this blew up so much for you guys and the community. It's just like, it's such a special thing. And as we know these guys, it was just such a natural, honest, fun time for everyone. So I really appreciate you coming on and giving some behind scenes tea for us. Thank you to both of you. And for all the hard work over all the years, 30 some years, that the Sharks Foundation has done for Bay Area Charities. I'm so glad this happened for them. OK, well, that was so much fun. He is just adorable. And like the voice of the Sharks, he is something else. I mean, what a voice, right? What a voice. And I, I mean, I told you this, we have watched, we have watched the, what are we calling it? Elevated cupcake experience, yeah, we've watched it like I'm not alive three times already. And I'm like dissecting it now, so I'm going to break down a little bit with you, not me. The judging you, Ty Brody, y'all have me rolling in it. I don't know if the, like the viewer that doesn't know you guys, I don't know Brody actually. But just y'all's banter together and facial expressions have me giggling. OK, so Loki, the funniest thing is, so Brody loves sweets, Tyler loves sweets. You wouldn't. I wanted to go here. Yeah, you wouldn't know from watching his reactions. I don't know if he was just being dramatic because it was Will and Mac, but like, I mean TV and he's trying to pretend like he's not, I'm like, Tyler could put away all those cupcakes. Yeah, it was a lot, though, and it was not what we expected as Randy just pointed out. And now that was news to me as to why we didn't expect it, but we didn't expect, I maybe thought we were going to try four or something, you know, I didn't expect to walk into this room full of cameras and have 12 cupcakes just staring at me and be like, OK, well here we go. And Julie knows this. I'm not the biggest sweet gal. So that goes back to us in Montreal and we were trying to celebrate Kat's birthday and I like get this cake and it's kind of, it's your first birthday we've ever celebrated together. And I bring this cake out and it's like beautiful. And she's like, she's just kind of like, you know, it was getting on and like whatever we start to cut it. And I'm like, I'm like, aren't you going to eat the cake? And she's like, so I don't like love sweets. And I'm like, who are you? Hey, it was our first, yeah, you didn't know me yet. You know, it's not my biggest, I'm not the biggest on sweets, but I have to say these cupcakes were so, it was so impressive. Like it was so crazy that they, well, for the girl, and that was my observation, for the girl who knew that you don't love sweets and you were all in on this, yeah, like your notes were amazing. Like you like root beer, you were like right away and they were like, the guys were like, yes, that's it, you like had your palate, like you were so dialed in and like you're just a gamer is what you are. And you're going to like, but you were like a legit great judge and I'm, I'm proud of you because I knew it was hard for you. It was a little hard for me. Some of them were very, very flavor bombs in the, in the coolest of ways. Like I don't know how they, they baked these things. Which one was the one where you like, there's got to be the viral meme of your face where you make like two like, ooh, mm, mm, faces. Okay. Which one was that? Because they didn't, the way the edit was, it didn't, like I literally rewound it to be like, what cupcake was that that she did that to? I'm, I'm not sure, but I, it might have, you know what, look, I looked back at it too. And I'm pretty sure it was the one that Brody and Tyler, their favorite one of wills. They gave it a 10. Yeah. I'm pretty sure it was this one. And the only reason was because it has a very strong banana flavor. And I think I just like didn't expect it. Like I wasn't like, yeah, I, I, I don't know, but I, I realized that I have crazy reactions and I don't. Oh. I'm like better you than me because I would have been like, my mouth would have been open and screenshot it in like the worst positions of like, just embarrassment because I'm so like animated. Yes. So you were the perfect judge and Brody was great and Tyler had me rolling, like rolling, like the knuckles like we said, the knuckles on the counter, like he's like, oh, yeah, doing it. So we didn't realize each other's reactions because we were so in our own world, right? Like we're trying to get through 12 cupcakes. There's cameras everywhere, like Will and Mac are like trying to like come in and do their thing. So I wasn't like looking at Tyler. I wasn't looking at Brody. Brody killed me. Brody, like literally looked like she was like, in a Willy Wonka Charlie fat, like what do you know what I mean? Like he looked like it was the best day of his life. Tyler who loves sweets was having a crisis. And then I thought that I was, you know, going to be the one that didn't look whatever. No. But, you know, I texted you right after or called you right after and I was like, I just had to eat 12 cupcakes on camera and it's going to air on me. It's Vietnam. We have been laughing about that ever since. Yeah. What it was, my only defense to Tyler is that it was was filmed in September. And that's kind of when they're the most dialed in after training and they're diet. So you're not having sweets and you're not really like your stomach is really not used to that. So that's where my mind was with Tyler, like homeboy has been on his strict diet right here. And that is not working. - He cut out a lot of sugar, like leading up to that. - That's what they all do. It's like the cleanse, the two-week cleanse leading up. - Yeah, you really dial it in and he was dialed and then he was just subjected to eating 12 cupcakes in front of by his children. But you know what, it went to the best cause. They raised so much money and hopefully way more. And wow, like what a great idea by Andrea Randy, the sharks, it was like you said, it was so well done. And if I have to be on TV eating 12 cupcakes and looking like I'm going to die for charity, I'll do it any day. - Yeah, well there you go, you looked great. And you know what, I think this is the beginning or the continuation of the manifestation. And we spoke about maybe well a mat teaming up against other players. And then I just feel like it could get bigger. Like we could just go versus some two other big duos on a team and do finally get the NHL baking competition. Everybody didn't know they needed. - Well you know, maybe the will versed that we've been manifesting will eventually. - What is that? - What's that? - What's that? - We'll leave that at that. What a fun, that was so fun to finally see it come out into fruition 'cause I surely did not expect to be so intuitive if I'm being honest. You guys did great and I can't wait to see what else the sharks have at their sleeve. - It's never ending over here. - Yeah, it is. - It's never ending. - Amazing. And then I want to go back. I want to give Sid a shout out for her first episode. Y'all killed it, Todd knocked it out of the park. Oh my gosh, what a joy that man is. - I hope we're all in Long Island and you get to meet him IRL because it was a really fun first episode for Sid and she did so well so. - Yeah, it was so fun to see and I can't wait to catch her on the network now. - Today. - And give me a break from my screen time there. - Yeah, so I got to NHL Network this whole week because NHL Network will be playing Todd's episode. So you never know when it's gonna pop on in the meal room. You just never know. You never know and go back and listen to his episode. Actually watch it because he's animated and just the duo between them sitting next to each other. Like it's just, it was great. And then Matt surprising you guys was so fun too. I loved it. - I just loved that episode. - I literally smiled the whole time. - That's fun. - Yeah, it was great. So kudos to you guys and I can't wait for Sid's next episode 'cause it was just a fabulous. - Yeah. - So thanks again for listening to Never Offside. We always appreciate it, like subscribe and catch us on the network. Like Kat said, we're there, meal rooms and all. - Yep, see you next week. See you all next week. - Yeah. (upbeat music)