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059 - Life of a Semi-Pro Hockey Goalie with Talor Joseph
89 Plays28 days ago
Show notes are available at https://thediygoalie.com/pod059
This week we sit down with Talor Joseph, who has played games in the SPHL, ECHL, and AHL. He touched on his experience so far trying to find a stable pro hockey contract and what it's like for semi-pro players. Tajo also talks to us about preparing for a transition away from hockey and how athletes can prepare themselves for that.
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Transcript
Introduction to DIY Goalie Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome to the DIY Goalie Podcast, where hosts and goalie coaches Nathan Park and Connor Munday share their insights on how to become ah better goalie.
00:00:18
Speaker
Goalies, welcome back to another episode of the DIY Goalie podcast. I am back after missing the last couple weeks of interviews. um And I am joined as always with my co-host Connor Monday.
Experiences in Minor League Hockey
00:00:33
Speaker
And today we have another guest on for an interview, a ahl echl sphl all the hl goalies um taylor joseph he's a personal friend of mine and has done some work with us at true north goaltending he is fresh off of an sphl championship with evansville right evansville at evansburg yeah um
00:00:59
Speaker
um And so he's he's going to kind of join us today and talk a little bit about bouncing around in the minors and kind of the territory that a lot of us don't really get to see. So thanks for joining us, Tejo. How are you doing today?
00:01:15
Speaker
No, thanks for having me, ah Nathan and Connor. it's things are good it's hectic just got back home from evansville a week ago i'm from just outside edmonton and now i'll be and my wife's from vancouver so we'll be heading out there in a couple weeks so just spending some time with family and friends and then gonna get the summer going the off season going yeah always a good time for uh for the pro goalies trying to figure out what to do with their free time Yeah, it's always something. But yeah, no, it's ah it's been good. I've been blessed be able to play. It's my finishing my third year pro now. And it's been awesome. And yeah just some really cool experiences, a lot of different experiences, as we'll touch on, I'm sure. And and no, it's been awesome. So.
00:02:03
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's that's great. Tejo, thanks for thanks for coming on the pod here. I guess we'll just kind of get things started a little bit. Just kind of give us a little bit of a background on you. um You know, you said you grew up in the Edmonton area here. So where did you play? Why did you get into playing goalie? And just kind of what brought what just what brought you to the position? And we'll go at from there.
Journey and Challenges in Hockey
00:02:25
Speaker
Yeah, no, I think, um like, so my dad was a pro football basketball player. He played some, spent some time in the CFL with the Eskimos and begged him for years to play hockey. And he finally let me start playing when I was, I think, eight.
00:02:38
Speaker
So I was in Northside Edmonton to start with, played minor hockey there, then moved to Shear Park, Strathcona area and spent some time there. And finally, like I, and this is for kids that like, if you're not playing triple A or double A right now, like I think my first year triple A was midget.
00:02:55
Speaker
So I, I kind of just, my fan, we didn't know much about how hockey worked. And as you know, and um all you guys know, there's a lot of politics involved. my My parents didn't really get involved in that. And so I, I, we just kind of learned as we went and I'd often play house or tier three, like be everything. Like I think my first year rep,
00:03:16
Speaker
ah and it's not really rep anymore, was Bantam And that was in my draft year Bantam. So I went from last cut AAA to playing in Bantam A that year. And and then um somehow the next year played 15 AA, which I don't even think is a thing really anymore.
00:03:34
Speaker
um And then went to WHL camp from there and won a championship that season. So that kind of helped. But then the next year I played midget AAA and Lloyd Minister. We had seven or eight goalies from Sherwood Park, I think playing AAA somewhere. So I ended up having to going to go to Lloyd Minister to make a team and spent a year there and then end up playing junior B 17 year old year, which is kind of unconventional in this area. Junior B wasn't too big. So it was almost, wasn't sure if that was the of my
00:04:06
Speaker
career there, but was able to manage to play junior A my 18, 19, 20 year old year and um was fortunate to host a national, um host nationals, um the RBC Cup back in the day um with my team in Portage in Manitoba.
00:04:23
Speaker
um was Things were going great there, was number one ranked goal in Canada for that season with leading shutouts, goals against a percentage, had um quite a few Division I offers and I end up tearing my meniscus and I think Christmas and rebound playing rebound in practice was done for the year lost all my scholarship offers so that was hard at that time just having to deal with that because you're at that age as we know that's kind of everything to us at that time and you think it's the end the world when something like that happens so um yeah and then just end up playing youth sports in in um
00:05:02
Speaker
and at Nipissing University ah in North Bay, Ontario for four years. Transferred to Trendy Western to do my master's in play, and it was their first year youth sports. And then, yeah, kind of got my crack out of pro there in the American League after that for at the end of that season.
00:05:18
Speaker
So that's kind of how a little short story two minutes. but um But yeah, that's kind of how it started for me. Yeah, you and I share a very similar couple of years in our career yeah and I ended up playing in Fort Francis because Tejo got me the coach's number after I got cut from my team after tearing my meniscus and then ended up getting traded to Portage. So I basically, you know, was just following Tejo around after he moved on from one place, I would come and fill his spot.
Pro Career Insights
00:05:55
Speaker
So yeah. No, it worked out. It worked. I think you, didn't you you guys win too or get close the, you, you wanted, yeah one I think. And then. Yeah. Both years we won the league. So in Fort and and Portage, um, and both times we came within one win of going to nationals.
00:06:13
Speaker
So yeah, that's awesome. yeah No, it's, uh, great, grateful for the, uh, introduction there to, uh, the good old strainer.
00:06:24
Speaker
Um, yeah. So, we kind of touched a little bit on, uh, your move to the AHL, um, for a brief cup of coffee when you're at Trinity there. and um Kind what, ah why don't you tell us about kind of overall your pro career, kind of the different levels you've hit on and and some of the, i don't know, background stuff that the the normies, I guess, we don't really see too much of when we're not involved in kind of the up and down and some of the behind the scenes stuff that the semi-pro goalies and just players in general have to deal with.
00:07:04
Speaker
Yeah, 100%. I think, I think for young goalies, I think it's so important. And I know it's a balance. Like you got to know if you really love the game, but you almost want to treat it as a job or young, like when you're younger, like this is like, if this is something you really want to do, you got to treat it as a full-time job. And yes, you have to make money and work in the summer. Like I totally get that. Not everybody comes from money and,
00:07:29
Speaker
um For me, I was working jobs and doing whatever I could to train, but I think I wish I knew earlier, as we all we all say now. um I wish I knew what I knew now earlier and um just really treating it full-time job and like this is what I want to do.
00:07:45
Speaker
um As I got older, I really realized what I had to do um to be successful and to work and like nothing really came easy to me. So it it just, I had to grind for whatever I got.
00:07:57
Speaker
And um I think a cool experience, and I'll share this with um young kids and goalies, is when I, my first day in the American League, I got called up to Abbotsford. And um I just remember, like, I was like, I'm going to get there super early, like in the morning.
00:08:14
Speaker
Like, I'm going to get there super early, like be want be the first guy there. and um And I've been doing this in university and getting um doing like working on mobility, working on different things just to be ready before practice. But I just i remember I got there at 7 And we had a meeting at nine. so I was two hours early, which is pretty early. And I remember getting there and I was like the seventh guy there.
00:08:36
Speaker
um Michael DiPietro, who's he's with Boston's Farm System. Now he's with Vancouver for a while. i I remember I got there and he'd been stretching since 6 a.m. like in the gym and stuff. So it was just really it was a cool eye opening thing just to see how like these pros, how seriously they take their job and like how how early they get there, how they work on their craft. And it's not just on the ice. They're doing things off the ice they have to do.
00:09:01
Speaker
But it it really is like a 24-7 job for them, and that's how they treat it.
00:09:07
Speaker
Yeah. So – Yeah, no, that's pretty cool. Yeah, so with that then – because they like you you see it across different kind of avenues, I guess, like in the the federal level, the Southern Pro, ECHL. I mean, like it's it's a constant switch of – players going up and down the system basically.
Mental and Career Challenges
00:09:32
Speaker
So as a goalie and as a pro athlete, how do you mentally approach the, the bouncing around aspect that goes on at the semi-pro level? Like one one week you're in the fed, the next week you're in the, the coast and then the week after you're in, you're in the Southern pro. So how do you mentally approach that and how do you effectively try not to let that potential for change affect how you play?
00:09:59
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's good. I i remember, um so just little story here. what my My first, my stint in the American League that I had, it was short and sweet. um It went really well. Like, I think i my first game, I got first a star. I got an assist, um got the win.
00:10:16
Speaker
And I just remember thinking like, oh, I'm set. Like I'm going to have a full-time East Coast job the year, next year. Right. and And maybe I didn't look at, I had some European offers after that, that I should have taken a little bit more seriously just because they are hard to get.
00:10:32
Speaker
And, um but I thought, you know what, no, I'm going to be in the coast. Like I really had that. tap ah I saw, that it's possible and you're right there. And so I like, I was like, I want to try to go for the NHL. I want to stay in North America. Cause that's usually how it goes. If you want to um pursue the and NHL, once you kind of go to Europe, it it doesn't completely close the door, but it makes a little harder.
00:10:51
Speaker
But um I stayed and tried to pursue the East coast league. And I realized off the bat, like that it's not as glamorous and easy as it looks. You got to get really fortunate to get to a right spot or else you can land somewhere you don't really necessarily want to be, or,
00:11:07
Speaker
um or saw being so i remember i like after that american league um time i i had some advice from an agent at the time just to go to the southern professional league start a bunch of games and then get called up to the east coast league right away because in the east coast league it is tough to find a full-time position because most of the goalies on those rosters are nhl contracted goalies right and so you'll have one, at least one, maybe two NHL contracted goalies in the East Coast League team.
00:11:41
Speaker
So for a guy that if you're not drafted, or you're not signed with a NHL team, it's it's really it is a tough spot to get um to get full time in the East Coast League. So um I went to the Southern Professional League and I missed camp there since I had a um one of my best friend's dad's passed away. So I missed camp and wasn't able to go and it ended up not making that team when I finally was able to get there.
00:12:03
Speaker
And you realize how important it is to like, when you're going to camp somewhere, you want to stick because it is hard to bounce around and find a team that you can stick with, especially if ah if a coach has seen goalies for two weeks in camp.
00:12:16
Speaker
he's going to give them a chance if he likes them, right? So it it is tough. So I remember after my American League stint, I got let go from the SP team I had went to and bounced around a bit, went back up to the East Coast League with New Jersey's farm system, didn't catch a break there, didn't get a start when I was supposed to, and ended up getting sent back as an American League goalie, dropped down, and then um couldn't find an SP team, really, and ended up having to go to the Federal Prospects League, which was, like, for, like,
00:12:46
Speaker
It's the lowest league in North America. And i was on such a high from being in the American League and doing well that it was almost devastating. it well was It was devastating at the time.
00:12:57
Speaker
And for it's so easy at that point to just call our quits. And it really you realize how much you love the game when you go down there because it's not the most glamorous. it it is It's still decent hockey. like it's It's fun to play, but it's kind of I had to use it as a stepping stone to move up. And when I went there, was I only wanted to go there for like two weeks, three weeks max and leave. And I think I spent a year and a half in that league um and just kind of worked hard, didn't try to just stay in the moment, try to stay focused on where you're at, not where you want to be. Because as soon as you do that, you're not going to succeed at where you're at.
00:13:35
Speaker
You're going to really just look at you'rere If you're looking at where you want to go, you're not going to focus and do what you want to do where you're at. So I had to learn there to stay focused, be content in any situation where I'm at and be happy that I get to play hockey um as a profession.
Being a Supportive Teammate
00:13:54
Speaker
And for me, it's just to grind and get called up back again. And that's what I was able to do this past year. I was able to get a full-time position SPHL. And um yeah, and it definitely, it's it's it's not easy, um yeah especially when you're you don't want enough you're not where you want to necessarily be, but you just got to stay focused on where you're at, perform where you're at, and the rest will kind of work itself out.
00:14:20
Speaker
So that being said then, um because I know you kind of talked about ah trying to find somewhere to stick. And obviously, like you had your good performance in the in the A there and that didn't really help. um So just given your time a little bit more experience after the last couple of years, like what do you think are some of the things that help goalies stick at one level or maybe even kind of like work up the ranks of semi-pro to potentially even get like a full pro contract yeah i'd say the biggest thing is being consistent um when you're when you're getting your starts you don't know when you're gonna get them you have to make the most of it um so the biggest thing is just like having like having for me i have a routine that kind of gets me prepared and you got to trust and believe in yourself every time you get in the net and
00:15:13
Speaker
not worry, like I said, again, of like, you're in a game, maybe you're pitching a shutout going to the third period, and you're thinking, oh, if I get the shutout, it's going to help me move up. You can't you can't think about that at all. You have to just strictly just live in the moment, play where you're at, and then kind of let the rest work for itself out.
00:15:31
Speaker
I think the biggest thing is just being consistent, and you have to be a good teammate. You have to work hard in practice. um That's something I learned. um i used to not, like, i have a very chill style of play like I'm very conservative very relaxed like I'll use my athletic ability when I need to but I i try to make things um look easy and and for me so I think at times um I'd make things look easy and sometimes coaches would look and be like oh is he really working hard is he you know I mean and that's something I had to you almost have to just throw that out of the way and just bat every time you're in practice battle on every shot every
00:16:08
Speaker
opportunity, like um make sure you're going down when it's appropriate to go down, right? Like just not taking shortcuts and and then, um yeah, just being an amazing teammate because when you're not in the net, you got to be able to bring some sort of value to your team and that's even in this championship run, I got traded to a team later in the year and um their starting goalie was doing really well for them all year and I got a game in when I was there and did really well but he was our guy and and during playoffs, I wasn't playing but I had to just continue to be a good teammate and help the guys any way I could win.
00:16:44
Speaker
Right. And it worked out. We ended up playing two of my previous teams in the playoffs that I had been with that year. So i was able to um kind of give key insights and just do pre scout, help the coach with pre scouts and just do whatever I can to help, help the guys out. And that's, I think that goes a long way. You'd be surprised at how far that goes. It's been good teammate.
00:17:04
Speaker
Because if you're a good goalie and you can get things done on the ice and then it's a bonus if you're good teammate as well and you can kind of help be a leader on and off the ice as well. So. There's a little bit of a ah little bit of a meme, i I suppose, when it comes to you know being the glue guy on the team in that aspect. But I don't think people actually fully understand the the role or the or the importance of it, especially for somebody being in the number two spot as a goaltender on the team. It's just kind of being that...
00:17:36
Speaker
that that That guy that keeps the boys engaged, keeps everybody in a good mood and just and keeps the team in in a way where they're where they're still able to to to to proceed. I mean, you saw that in this last series with the with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights as an example, you know, where...
00:17:54
Speaker
Calvin Pickard, you know he's he's going on he's going on a role here. and so Obviously, it was Stuart Skinner's net for a while, but then Calvin Pickard comes in. so Now, Stu's got to take on that role as being you know the guy that supports Calvin instead of sitting there and pouting about it. Even then, when Calvin Pickard got injured, i mean there's there was a clip think Jason Greger posted here in Edmonton. Stuart comes off of his first shutout, and Calvin Pickard basically screams out, bleep, yeah. But You know, that's that's like you need you need those kind of people in the locker room. So I just I don't think people fully understand the the the effect with that sometimes.
00:18:30
Speaker
No, and Pickard's an amazing example there because you got to think like the he he's been a career American League goaltender. He realistically probably shouldn't have gotten a shot with Edmonton.
00:18:43
Speaker
just with his age, everything. No, honestly, and like the the reason why he's he's been able to carve out a career for himself is because guys say he's an amazing person the locker room.
00:18:54
Speaker
He battles every day in practice. He does all the right things. He's a pro. And that's what's given him this opportunity. And like, it's, i we love, as goalies, we love to see guys when they get an opportunity and they're able to do what he did. Because it just shows like,
00:19:09
Speaker
A, his perseverance as a goaltender, and B, just how great of a teammate he is. Like, the guys wanted to play for him when he was in that, right? Like, they were so fired up for him when he was having success.
00:19:20
Speaker
And there's a reason for that. And that's something I've learned is, like, just when you're a good teammate, guys want you around. The coaches aren't stupid. They know – coaches know what's going on in their room most of the time. Not all the time, but most of the time.
00:19:31
Speaker
And when they see there's a guy that yeah adds value um in the room, but also can stop pucks on the ice, like that's the best case scenario for a coach for having the number two guy. So. Yeah. One of the few things that, you know, coaches kind of look for when it comes to goaltending, because they have no idea about anything else. So, you know, but be a good person. And yeah. Yeah. and So.
00:19:59
Speaker
Just to kind of go back a little bit, like you had talked to about potentially getting a few European offers.
Comparing North American and European Leagues
00:20:06
Speaker
And I know that, you know, with the grind that comes from being semi-pro in North America and just the fact that there's a lot of goalies fighting for not very many spots, um a lot of guys carve out really good, stable, solid careers with European teams.
00:20:27
Speaker
So, What are kind of the pros and cons, I guess, of trying to stick it out in North America as opposed to going to, overseas somewhere to play in one of the European leagues? And kind of what are some of the factors I think that some of the goalies listening might take into consideration if they're going to be making this decision in the future?
00:20:52
Speaker
Yeah, I think... um Guys love Europe, especially towards the their career. They realize maybe the NHL might be able to grasp, which it comes as a realistic point to everybody at some point when you know you realize maybe you're not on the trajectory of the NHL.
00:21:10
Speaker
And I think um Europe provides a really, like, stability, more or less. In North America, like, you're our contracts are week to week. So you could sign a contract, you're making...
00:21:24
Speaker
585 a week, whatever in the East coast league. And then someone gets shot, sent down from the American league. You're gone. It doesn't matter if you pitch to shut. I've seen guys pitch two shutouts in a row or whatever, and then guy gets dropped down they're gone.
00:21:37
Speaker
Right. So it it is tough. And um if you do well, yes, you can get picked up, and then you're still bouncing around. You might be moving from city to city putting, i remember my first year pro I put 10,000 kilometers on my vehicle in two months.
00:21:49
Speaker
So it's you you could be bouncing around, you could get fortunate and find a spot that you stick around with. But like that's kind of the risk you play. um And yes, it's good to build a resume to go to Europe.
00:22:02
Speaker
But like once you do get to Europe, your contracts are yearly. So you're sometimes even two years. um If they want to let you go, if you're not performing, they often have to pay you out. So at least you're getting your money.
00:22:15
Speaker
um But yeah, I think that's the biggest thing. They really take care of their imports. You'll get your own apartment. You're not um rooming with somebody. You might get a vehicle. um yeah But that's the biggest thing compared, I'd say, to North America and Europe is Europe is a little bit more stable.
00:22:31
Speaker
Money is pretty good, um depending on where you go. And um yeah, your, your job's a bit more secure. Whereas in North America, there's a lot more options. It's, it's awesome being in North America because obviously the language is the same, you don't have battle language barriers.
00:22:47
Speaker
Um, you, it's, it's a little bit more pro like, I guess, I guess in some, some spots in Europe, it can feel a little bit different as well. Um, in the pro aspect of things where it's, um, professionally, how professionally run it is.
00:23:00
Speaker
Um, but yeah, like I think, I know guys that will stick in North America just because they like to live in the US. they like They want to be closer to home. They want to be closer um to yeah, home. They're more homebodies. Whereas in Europe, you're going 10, 15 hours away flight and you're totally different language. um Most places, yes, no English, but it is different.
00:23:22
Speaker
um Everything you do is different. I've been this, I went to Sweden during COVID with my brother. um He stayed up until Christmas. He had up until he played in the Western league. He had up until Christmas to decide if he wanted to go to school or go play, continue playing professional. So he went, I went up until September just to kind of go on a tryout just to kind of see how it was.
00:23:43
Speaker
And it was amazing. We love Sweden. But for me, it was just, I wanted to pursue my master's and um get that done out year left of eligibility, excuse me. So, Yeah, no, it's definitely there's pros and cons to both. it kind of depends on what stage you are in your career, what you're looking to get out of it.
00:24:01
Speaker
North America, if you the dream is to play in the NHL still, like that you want to probably stay North America. So probably not a question.
Deciding to Retire from Hockey
00:24:13
Speaker
that i really want to put forward, but I think something to consider at, at some point, because although it's different for everyone at, at different points in their career, at what point do you believe that it's time to, to hang up the state, to hang up the skates instead of trying to pursue a career in professional hockey?
00:24:36
Speaker
Yeah, that's that's ah that's a question I think is a yearly question for me at this point. um I'm now married. It's not just me. As Nathan knows, he's married and has a couple of kids. it Life changes once you once you have a family. So um my wife is extremely supportive. she's She was with me this year. She was um went through the moving around and um finding spots, but she she's um she's completely supportive with me. So and at the end the day, it's If I'm continuing continuing to progress, great.
00:25:10
Speaker
We'll continue to to do it. um I think a goal of ours would be, obviously, hey, if the American League came back knocking and I got an opportunity, um got a full-time East Coast job, that'd be great. But eventually, it'd be nice to go play in Europe and be able to play and also do a little bit of traveling and stuff, right? Like, that's something that we'd both like to do. And with the European schedule, I think you have, like, four weeks of breaks throughout throughout the season. So it gives you that ability to kind of do that as well. So that's that's something we've looked at. And so for us, it's kind of a year by year thing. And I think at least we'll do at least one more a year in North America and see how it goes. But it it completely depends on how I progress. Like if I get a full-time East Coast League job and get in games next year, then maybe I stick it out a year or two, right? it It totally depends kind of how things go with that. And the more, the higher I get up in North America,
00:26:02
Speaker
and get games and play well the easier it is to get a good job in europe where you can get paid good where i can actually you can have a good make a good living out there as well right so there's there's factors and i'm i'm blessed that i got the opportunity to get a lot of schooling done and um almost done my master's as well so like i know um hopefully there will be some opportunities for me post hockey career um but i think the big thing for us right now is just trying to take it year by year.
00:26:31
Speaker
i still love playing. I think my body is the best it's been in my whole career with it's that's funny the older i've gotten the more my body's felt better playing so so just uh we'll see how that goes and yeah it'll be a family decision on when that time comes but yeah it's it's different for everybody um people have different priorities some guys just i know guys that are playing pro that are just done they they just realize hey i there's more to life i'm ready to move on and that's okay that's totally okay and For me, I don't think I'd be quite satisfied yet leaving the game. And um I'm fortunate enough to have a wife that supports that. And um we're able to do this together.
00:27:10
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. That was... I kind of had a brief struggle as to if I wanted to keep going after college or and try and, you know, grind it out or not. And I just decided that it wasn't, uh, wasn't for me at where I was at in life. And, but kudos to you guys that, uh, that go and do it. Cause I mean, I can't imagine how rough that is being in a place for two weeks and then getting the boot and who knows what's going to happen. But, um,
00:27:42
Speaker
Before we kind of th into um what you kind of have planned for after your career, I do want to go through just your youre kind of championship this year since it's still fresh in the mind and all of that. So um why don't you kind of tell us a little bit about...
00:28:01
Speaker
like some of the approaches mentally that you had for some of those big games. Cause I know like there are a lot of people out there that get really nervous before those games and, and anxious. So just kind of see what personally worked for you. And then also, um, just talk about finally kind of finding a foothold after bouncing around a couple places this season and, and kind of being able to ride out the end of the season and, uh,
00:28:29
Speaker
a bit more of a stable environment and and going through that. Yeah. So I think, um, a big thing is, sorry, can you repeat the first question again? Uh, that was a, yeah, just your kind of like mental approach, I guess for, uh, for, you know, the championship run and, and all of that stuff.
00:28:49
Speaker
Yeah. So for that, I think a big thing, like for me, like I said earlier, like I, I didn't get to play in the playoffs. Um, we had a We had a really hot goalie and there's actually CeCe's brother that plays for that played for Evans and he's in Dallas now.
00:29:04
Speaker
He was playing phenomenal. And um for me, it was just kind of be ready every game. Like, even though I'm not starting, I still have i still had to be prepared, right? um i For me, I have different have a different preparation for when the days I'm playing, the days I'm not playing. It just kind of, you got it you got to relax. I learned, like, if you get too tense, too...
00:29:26
Speaker
you can psych yourself out. I've learned like hockey's hockey. We've, we've played it for years. You know i to play the game. It's so much more mental at this point. I'd say it's like 95%, if not more mental, because you know, you can do it. It's just making sure you're in the right headspace. So,
00:29:39
Speaker
For me, I have different routines for days I'm playing, days I'm not. But um' during the playoffs, and there's times that there's a chance I could have went in in playoffs this year. and And for me, it's just, you got to be mentally sharp. You got to be engaged. Even though you're watching, you're still engaged. You're still staying mentally sharp and focused for when you have to go in. And I think um one thing I've learned instead of having nerves is I kind of change it from nerves to excitement.
00:30:07
Speaker
So it's like talking telling myself like, even though I might be feeling nervous, it's just I'm excited. I'm excited to play. I'm excited to play the game I love in front of thousands of people every night. and I think for games when I was playing, because there's times this year where I'd be put in after maybe our team lost three straight or where we need a big win and it's against the top team in the league and we're in their barn on a Sunday afternoon and you just had six hours of bus trip, right? Or the night before, right? So there's a lot of factors, but you just got to, I just, you put yourself in the best situation you can at the time and try not to focus on
00:30:46
Speaker
things you can't control. Stay in the moment, enjoy it. like Like I said, you never know when your last hockey game is. So it's really just try to enjoy the moment and just be prepared and dial it in. But I think for me, I think the biggest one is just staying in the moment, keeping your mind clear and just positive self-talk. I'm always talking positively for me and um always praying throughout the game, just give my, just stay in it. And um for me, that's how it kind of works. And um During the championship run, it was just, like I said earlier, just really doing whatever I could to support guys, build guys up. like You don't realize even like just giving someone else positiveup positive self-talk or someone comes off the bench and they're upset or frustrated, flustered. you just
00:31:32
Speaker
I was able at times just to calm guys down and tell them, hey, you're playing great. You're a great player. like You got to do this. You got to do that. like Just to any way I could to help and stay positive, right?
00:31:44
Speaker
So I think – Yeah, it's just as and I didn't realize I kind of when you're not playing, you don't you try to think like, hey, did I really do much to like earn the win, earn the championship?
00:31:57
Speaker
And like looking back now, I can say, you know what, I did everything I could and that in that position to help the team win. And that's kind of what I'm thankful for, thankful for that opportunity.
00:32:09
Speaker
So. Nice. Do you mind sharing with us your two routines by chance? Yeah, like so like when I'm playing, like I have more of a rigorous routine, like it it'll start the night before and it's nothing crazy. Like just like I have a playlist I listen to in the shower the night before, um playlist before the game um that I have. And it's just years like for me, it's like it gets when I keep my routine, it's whether it breaks or not, whatever, you got to adapt.
00:32:37
Speaker
I don't want people to just be superstitious and I have to do this to be able to be successful. That's not what you want. um I have a routine that like when I'm able to do it, it just kind of gets me and the mental headspace I have to. I think I've been doing it since I was 18 years old, right? So it's kind of, I've built it over years and it just, every time like there's a timestamp for certain things, but it just gets me mentally prepared for where have to be at that moment up until puck drop.
00:33:02
Speaker
So like well on what I'm not playing, I'll be a lot more relaxed. i'll I won't be as rigorous. Just give yourself a mental break as well. um That's important. And it doesn't mean if I go in that I'm not going to perform. Like, it's just that I found ways for me to, I can be relaxed. And if I get called, I'm ready. I'm ready ready to go.
00:33:23
Speaker
So, um yeah, no, that's kind of how it works for me. like I don't really, I'm not really a big into the, like, I'll eat good, but I don't need to eat the same meal for, I know guys that have to eat the same meal for pregame and stuff. I'm not like that. I'm pretty relaxed with that.
00:33:38
Speaker
um but just having a routine i'll take a nap around a certain time at the same time at least relax a bit and then i like to get to the rink at the same time um and on home games on away games you might be delayed on the bus right so you can't control you got be able to control what you can and um roll with the punches with whatever it looks like but yeah that's kind of a little bit difference in my routines from when i'm playing when i'm not
00:34:05
Speaker
So jumping back into kind of our previous conversation, just Tejo, you and I have worked together a couple of times in Leduc with just the summer camp that usually happens about mid-August around that time there.
Post-Hockey Plans and Mentorship
00:34:22
Speaker
um Just kind of leading into that, just when you do decide it's time to hang up the skates, just what plans do you have after hockey just um like you were mentioning before you were talking about like you did you got your master's with schooling you know what do you like is anything you plan to do with that uh just kind of what sort of things have you done to prepare for as best as possible yeah i think um that's something i still every day like kind of think about is like what i want to do after hockey i think um
00:34:55
Speaker
One thing I'll touch on quick too is like for young hockey players is like, don't have your identity wrapped up in hockey. Like hockey isn't who you are. um I know it's going be tough to transition. I haven't hit that transition period yet where I'm transitioning out of hockey, but I know guys do struggle with it because you've been doing this for 25, 30 years, some point times at that point. Right. So it is hard to transition out.
00:35:17
Speaker
So I think it's important, like just not to have your identity wrapped up in hockey. um You're a hockey player and, that's something you do, but it's not who you are. um So for me, like I've, I've been fortunate to play in a lot of different places, make some really good connections and networking. And that's important too, because you never know after hockey, what will open up.
00:35:38
Speaker
For me, I think now at my point, like I think I'm gonna start doing some mentorship while I am playing. Because I think um like what I've been through and what I go through is valuable. And like, if I could, like I said earlier, like I wish I knew now what I, what I do when I was 15.
00:35:53
Speaker
So I'm thinking of like just starting mentorship, maybe some advising for um young athletes and just helping them through the day to day of what they go through as a player. And just so they can use my experience to learn and not learn maybe the way I had to learn and later on as well. So,
00:36:12
Speaker
So, yeah, that's something I've always been passionate about. um I'd love possibly to coach. Like I've done goalie coaching for years and been able to work with some of the best goalie coaches in the world. And um I've learned a lot from many, many different goalies and goalie coaches. So that's something I've looked into.
00:36:29
Speaker
And then also having the business degree, that's something that's always there too. So it's it's hard right now for me. and that's partly maybe why I'm still playing. It's like I know it's not time for me to transition yet because I don't know exactly what I would want to do.
00:36:41
Speaker
um and So that's something i that's for me, like as I'm playing, I'm still thinking about that and trying to figure out what would be the best route for me. So I think, um yeah, just tried to prepare myself with getting schooling done and was fortunate to get scholarships full playing, which is amazing. And I think for me, it's just,
00:37:01
Speaker
kind of taking it year by year at this point. And whether it's in the coaching aspect or the advising or and mentorship aspect or completely out of hockey and doing business, like that's something that will, I think, just kind of pave its way as I continue to go down this way, this process of playing. So so i wanted I wanted to jump into the to the coaching aspect of that quickly because, cause like I said, like you the you and I worked with Wyatt Waslinchuk.
00:37:29
Speaker
for a couple of summers here in, in the Edmonton area. Just how did that connection come about? And just more broadly, how did you get into coaching to begin with?
00:37:41
Speaker
Yeah, i think um like working with Wyatt and those guys, I think it was like Luke Lush actually texted me and was like, Hey, like, would you like goalie coach this week where we need coaches? And like, I love any chance I get to be able to help out kids and,
00:37:56
Speaker
and work with them and share my knowledge, the knowledge I do have that I've gained. um I love doing it and passionate to about seeing kids take the next steps and their hockey and their careers as well. And so I love any way I can help with that. And then I think for coaching, I've always like working back in the day with John Stevenson, who's completely out of hockey now and doing sports psychology is used to go with coach, I think since I was like 12, just helping him out with the younger groups and then helping out Dustin Schwartz. He's with the owners now. And then,
00:38:31
Speaker
Michael Lawrence is a guy I've worked with quite a bit in Ontario and he has some of his goalies is like Elvis Merzlankis, Zach Bucali, some good good goalies, right? So I've been able to learn from some really good goalie coaches and and then I have a passion for helping younger athletes kind of pursue their dreams. So that's kind of how that's shaped for me and and whether I do that full time or not um and when I'm done, like that's something i have to look into. But for me right now, it's just,
00:39:00
Speaker
whenever I can't like the summers for me as a pro athlete, it's nice to, I can do that. I can go a goalie coach with different goalie schools and help out and stuff. Right. With the flexibility of my schedule schedule. So, yeah, so yeah, no, it's, we'll see kind of where that goes, but that's something definitely I'm passionate about.
00:39:16
Speaker
Friend of the show, Luke lush. Uh, we had him on, few episodes ago but yeah it was fun conversation there but no Luke's ah Luke's a great guy and we were we were fortunate enough to have him i'm not entirely sure what's going on with Mr. Park over there so we're going to hey continue on
00:39:38
Speaker
ah with audie Wouldn't be a DIY goalie pod without without some kind of a struggle city happening here. and Persevering. Persevering to adversity. That's all it is.
00:39:49
Speaker
We're grinding it out over here. Glue guy. Glue guy. Glue guy. yeah um Can you guys even hear me? Yes, we can. Yes. yeah i just like I just like talking over you. that's that that's right Well, I only hear like half of what you say.
00:40:08
Speaker
It's like blah, blah, blah. As he's freezing right now. Oh my god. as he as he's freezing right now so my god
00:40:21
Speaker
uh screw it we'll do it live um okay well Nathan could just sit there and look pretty as we move on um just um what Taylor do you think are some important skills for goalies to focus on to help them get to that pro level
00:40:41
Speaker
that's that's such a broad question like it's Everybody has their own certain style as Parks, you know, was like he, i remember watching him when he was in junior and midget, like even seeing him develop
Skills and Advice for Aspiring Goalies
00:40:56
Speaker
too. Like I remember watching him in his young days and it was, he just was a battler.
00:41:01
Speaker
Like he just, he'd make saves and I don't even know how he made those saves. Right. But then it was cool to see his progression. Right. And see him like kind of still have that and not lose that, but also like just become a really technically sound goalie at the same time.
00:41:15
Speaker
and that's that's something you can teach the the battling and the athleticism is not something you can teach right so everybody has different skill sets and different height like i hey if i was six five that maybe wouldn't be talking right now you know who knows who knows where we'd be right so it's like everybody has different um different aspects to their game size but i think the biggest thing is like you need to be able to track the puck that's the key one and um being able to track the puck, you got to be a good skater. as um That's the one thing I think, and I'm sure you guys have seen coaching, is there's kids need to emphasize their skating. I know a lot of them don't like to do it.
00:41:53
Speaker
They like to see the pucks right away in practice, and but it's so important to be such a good skater. You watch any NHL goalie, they are elite. level hot like skate anywhere anywhere in pro you got to be an elite skater and i think that's something that is so pushed away now and like whether it's the passion that kids have for it they don't really necessarily what i've noticed is kids don't necessarily want to skate as much they just want to really focus on pucks and i think it's a key thing is you got to be able to skate you got to be able to really good edge work you got to be able to track the puck
00:42:24
Speaker
And then kind of you can you can play with everything else around that. Right. There's there's guys that are more athletic. There's guys that are more um more poised, more sound. Right. So I think the key things you got to be a good skater and you got to be able to track the puck effectively.
00:42:39
Speaker
I think I came off the struggle bus for a little bit. If if I could so chime in.
00:42:51
Speaker
We'll send you back on assignment here. Don't worry about it. Yeah, no, I appreciate the, uh, the sucking up for, uh, you know, my, my game back in the day.
00:43:03
Speaker
Um, very flattering. Um, but yeah, no, so just building off of that, then kind of a similar question, but, uh, If you could kind of go back and either give a younger goalie or even maybe like your younger self or anything like that, kind of one piece of advice moving forward, um what what do you think that would be?
00:43:26
Speaker
I think work as hard as you can. you want to work smart, but you got to work hard. And you got like everybody's doing it nowadays. Like we we didn't have social media the way we did when we were younger. So you see all these young kids doing all this stuff.
00:43:41
Speaker
I think is getting on the ice as much as possible without burning yourself out, um working on the fundamentals, being a really strong skater. And then I think just if you love the game, go for it.
00:43:52
Speaker
Because like I remember I think I really started working um my game like seriously at like 14 or 15 years old. and still it was it's late nowadays right you have kids at 10 years old that are really taking it serious i remember i remember watching a kid um i had a goalie coach i was goalie coaching in university um part-time and a goalie coach was like hey can you go look at this like nine-year-old kid and i was like sure like if you if you really like i guess like he's nine but like sure i'll go take a look and give you my but my um input and i remember i got on the ice and
00:44:29
Speaker
he looked good. i was like, okay, he has really good fundamentals, like very solid fundamentals for a nine-year-old. But I remember I started taking shots on him and he's making it look easy. He's just tracking it easy. He's making easy save and,
00:44:41
Speaker
And then out of nowhere, I'm i'm i'm like really trying now. i I'm really firing the puck at him. I'm taking slap shots. Like I'm shooting as hard as I can. And he's just making it look easy. Like he's just effortless. And I was like, okay, this kid's special.
00:44:55
Speaker
And then I remember meeting with the family. I just wanted to give him some advice because they he was the first really, he's the oldest in their family. he was the first hockey player in their family. He was um young and I just gave advice on kind of what he wanted to do And I remember talking this kid and he was like,
00:45:10
Speaker
having a conversation with an 18-year-old, 17-year-old, just his mentality. Like, he was so dialed in. Like, at nine years old, wanted to play in the NHL and wanted to, um like, was prepared, completely more prepared than I was at that Like, not even close at that age.
00:45:25
Speaker
And, like, I kind stayed in touch him and helped him out along the way, done some coaching with him. And now he's playing in the QMJHL and he's doing phenomenally well. But, like, it was weird because, like, usually with goalies, too, you never know, really,
00:45:40
Speaker
where they're at in their development. It's really hard to kind of see where they're going to be at that age. And I remember just, I, he, the kid reminded me a lot of Carter Hart when Carter was at that age.
00:45:51
Speaker
right and like no And I know things have happened and stuff, but you can see kind of where where he's what he did right with his career. and um But I remember just seeing this kid and I'm like, this kid's going to be a good goalie.
00:46:05
Speaker
And he had that mentality. He was focused at nine years old, 10 years old, and he wanted to be the best player he could be. He wanted to put the extra work in. He wanted to work on his skating. He wanted to work like as much as he could.
00:46:16
Speaker
And there's a reason that's where where he is now. Right. And he'll probably get drafted this year in the NHL. So, yeah. So I think it's just like for kids this age, like there's a lot of competition. There's a lot of good goalies. There's a lot of resources.
00:46:30
Speaker
Tap into all the resources you can. If you're really serious about it, like have a conversation with your parents, like, Hey mom, dad, I really want to do this. Um, if it's in the means, let's try to get this done.
00:46:42
Speaker
Yeah. We have a ah client that we work with too. Like he's 10, um, um And he is like at the rink two hours before a game. And he is like,
00:46:54
Speaker
doing ball drills and he's got like the visual edge at home and all this stuff. And he's like for his age, he's phenomenal. um But it's crazy to me, though, because like a lot of these nine, ten, eleven year olds are better than we were at 14, 15, 16. Yeah, now it's crazy. There's there's there's too many resources now. Like it's you can go online and look up things that like we had to like go somewhere for.
00:47:24
Speaker
hey We had to go to a summer camp to get that information. So it's like, it's, and even the development too. Yeah. A hundred percent. and So that's what I'm saying. It's like, it's, it's only going to get harder, I think for, um, as long as there's kids, like the generation's also also a lot different too. But like, if you have that mentality and you want to give yourself an edge and, um, get ahead of the game, I guess, like start now, start early and you don't have to be crazy. Like you have be in the rink 365 days of the year um that's not what I'm saying like it's good to take a break from hockey and do other sports in the summer too like it's very healthy um I think sometimes you can overdo it but like when you are training and you are getting prepared and it's just make the most of it don't go through the motions make the most of it and like getting coaching phenomenal I wish I had more coaching now even right like it's
00:48:17
Speaker
the The more knowledge you can get and the more you can have eyes on your game, the more it's going to help. there's There's a reason why NHL goalies, NHL-developed goalies that are drafted, like they have eyes on them all day. When I was up in the American League, you a full-time goalie coach there um every practice. right So there's a reason why guys are getting better and better and better. right It's got to tap into the knowledge around you and do what you can to to make it work.
00:48:45
Speaker
Connor and I will just shadow you. We'll be your full-time goalie coach.
00:48:50
Speaker
I'll take it. I'll take it too. Trust me. please um Well, you know, Taylor, it has been fun catching up
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:49:02
Speaker
with you. I don't think I've seen you probably about a year actually. So it's good to see you, my friend.
00:49:07
Speaker
ah Just one last question here, just to wrap up for today. Just where can people find you? Yeah, I guess um my Instagram would be a good one if anybody ever needs to reach out and um or is looking for any type of mentor mentorship.
00:49:24
Speaker
and Let me just confirm my Instagram account here. But um Taylor Joseph 35. So my name's spelled little different. It's T-A-L-O-R Joseph 35.
00:49:37
Speaker
um That's the best way to reach out. And if someone really wants to get a hold of me, you can get my number from Nathan or Connor as well. So, but anyway, I can help out and just, uh, yeah, be, be a light for these kids and give them opportunity to pursue a hockey career. That's all I can ask for. So we'll throw that in the show notes too. If you guys want to check out Tejo's Instagram.
00:50:06
Speaker
There you go. Well, Taylor, thanks again for coming on the pod. We really appreciate it. Oh, hey guys, it's always awesome talking hockey. It's great to catch up with both of you. I know life life is different now as we age and stuff, but it was awesome getting on the show with you guys and make this work.
00:50:25
Speaker
Well, we'll definitely we'll definitely bring you back for for a second episode here at at some point. But anyways, goalies, we will cap it off there for today. Another episode of the DIY goalie presented by True North Goaltending in the books.
00:50:41
Speaker
If you are watching over on the YouTube side of things, make sure you hit that subscribe button and like this video. The more goalies that we are able to bring to our little community, the better. You can also follow us. on your favorite podcasting platforms, whether be Apple, iHeart, or Spotify. Make sure you hit that follow button. It's free.
00:50:59
Speaker
Share with your friends because, again, more goalies that we can bring together, the better. You guys can follow us on your favorite social media platforms all over at True North Goaltending, except for Instagram because we like to be different. You can follow us there at Y-E-G Goalie Coach.
00:51:14
Speaker
I think we're just about in the tail end process now of transferring everything over to the ah True North website. Yeah, I'm probably about, I don't know, 60% done. It's a process. Fair enough. But so just just make just makes sure, I mean, the DIY goalie website is still live, so you guys can check us out there, but it would just be better just to start checking us out over at True North Goaltending. We do have...
00:51:39
Speaker
ah Some camps that still need to be filled. I think it's our week-long camp in August that still has some spots open. So let me show guys a book over there. If you do happen to be in the Edmonton area, you can follow myself over on Instagram at Monday GC until next time goalies make some saves.
00:51:58
Speaker
Take care. We'll see you next time.