Nicole Hensley Interview: Olympics & The PWHL

In this episode we sit down with Nicole Hensley, a 3-time gold medal winning Women’s World Championship goalie with team USA, a gold and silver medal winning Olympian, a PWHL goaltender and a 2x Walter Cup Champion. And to top it all off, she has some of the most stellar purple mask designs to ever exist. We chat with Nicole about goalie mask art, her Worlds and Olympics experiences, as well as the PWHL. Press that play button to hear all of these stories and so much more. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Every Mask Has a Story. From the mind behind the popular social media page Goalie Mask 101, this podcast series brings you everything goalie mask related from the history of mask art, mask art stories, interviews with mask artists and goalies, and up-to-date goalie news. Every mask has a story, and we're here to bring that story to life. Thank you for being a part of the Goalie Mask 101 community, and we hope you enjoy. In today's episode, we have the incredible honor of chatting with one of the most decorated goaltenders in women's hockey today. I'm so excited for you to hear this interview. Without further ado, let's get into it.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Today we have the incredible honor of sitting down with a goaltender who has an amazingly impressive resume. This goalie is a three-time gold medal winning women's world goalie with Team USA, a gold and silver medal winning Olympian, a TWHL goaltender, and a two-time Walter Cup champion. And to top it all off, she has some of the most stellar purple mask designs to ever exist. If you guessed Nicole Hensley as the goaltender, you are correct. Nicole, thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast. Yeah, thanks for having me. Excited to be here. Yeah, of course. Um, so I just wanted to get started with the first question. So, what was the moment for you that sparked wanting to become a goaltender?

SPEAKER_02 1:21

That's a good question. Um, I started playing hockey when I was seven, and I was a player at first, and we had a goalie on our team, but they let everybody try it if you wanted to. And I don't I don't know exactly why, but I was like, yeah, sure, like I want to try. And then uh I played one game. I think I got scored on a bunch, but you know, I thought it was really cool to get to play the whole game. I liked getting to wear the, you know, the special gear with the pads and the helmet and the gloves. And I just remember having a lot of fun in that first game. And so from there it kind of grew. Like the next year I skated out and was the team's backup goalie. The year after that, it was like a 50-50 split. And then it was after that I decided to play goalie full-time. So um it was kind of a gradual shift into the position. I think as I got into it more, I realized I was a much better goalie than I was a skater. Uh, so I think that that also helped play into it a little bit. But uh yeah, I don't know. I was just always drawn to to the position.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Nice, that's amazing. I like that, like how you aren't sure at first, but then eventually it's like, no, this this does fit. Like that's that's such a good way to figure it out. It yes, it took a minute, but we got there. Yes, yeah. So then kind of going more to the goalie mask side for a moment. What is your favorite goalie mask of all time?

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Yeah, I was thinking about this. I'm I think I'm pretty prone to the Patrick Waugh while he was with the abs, the uh two mountains with the kind of faces on them with like the snow coming down. I think that was just kind of I was very fortunate growing up that I got to watch like one of the very best in my own backyard because I'm from Colorado. Um, I think that he was obviously my favorite goaltender. So then to get to watch that just made that my my favorite mask. I think that's a pretty memorable one. Like it's one that sticks out to me if I see replicas or if if people do a like a tribute to it, you're you immediately know, or at least I do. I'm like, oh, that's the that's a Patrick Waugh mask. So yeah, I think that one's probably the one that sticks out to me the most.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Yeah, that's such a good one. It's like so iconic, classic, like just a nice stellar one, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

Yeah. And he used so long, it wasn't like he stitched masks, or he might have changed up the colors or like mixed it up a little bit, but he really stuck with that design for like most of us in Denver. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Yeah, which I always like to see like the continuation sometimes of a mask design, just because it's so like fan-boated, iconic kind of thing. So yes, I think that's really cool. Awesome. So, what was your first ever custom goalie mask design?

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Um, I think my first ever one would have been my freshman year at Linenwood University. I'm getting to kind of design a mask for that. And I really didn't know what I was doing. I wanted to kind of have like a tribute to Colorado on one side and then a a lion. Uh, we were the lions at at Linenwood, so wanted to have a lion on the other side, and and so it was a pretty basic design, kind of mountains on one side and then uh the the lion on the other, and then scratch marks across the chin. And um yeah, I think I've always been drawn more to the designs on each side, and then more of like a stripe down the middle. So, like my latest frost masks did have the F on top, but I usually like I don't know, I'm more like a design on each side as opposed to something just front and center on the top. Uh that's might just be me, but that's kind of how I like to roll.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Yeah, I I like those ones too. I feel like can do a lot too with like each side, having a little bit of different differences of the design, but kind of mirroring each other. I think that's always cool. Yeah, you can kind of tell a tell a different story on each side, I think. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And we'll get more into your PHL mass like later on in the game, but I'm excited to talk about those ones for sure. So then I just wanted to go over into more of like your world's play. So, as I noted earlier, you have quite an impressive resume on the world stage. You've represented USA in many world tournaments, ranging from 2016 to 2024, and then as well as the Olympic Games in 2018 and 2022. So, what was the difference doing the mask designing process for a world um event versus like your regular college play or like a PWHL kind of thing?

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Yeah, I think for all of those masks, you have to get them approved like by your equipment manager, the league, or um the IHF or the Olympic committee. So there's just different channels you have to go through for a world mask and a Olympic mask in particular. And there are certain things you're not allowed to put on an Olympic mask. You actually can't put the Olympic rings on an Olympic mask, which is kind of interesting. Um there are kind of a lot of stipulations uh for Olympic masks, so you have to kind of jump through the hoops and kind of get the design from the artist and then send that to like your equipment manager, and your equipment manager forwards it on to like uh the people at the Olympic committee that make those kind of decisions. And yeah, like in in 2018, actually, me and uh Alex Cavallini both had the Statue of Liberty on our mask, and they're I just our equipment manager came up to me like during kind of our while we were practicing in in South Korea and was like, Hey, so uh the they won't approve that, uh, so we're gonna have to like cover it up. And it was, I was just like, oh, okay. And I was kind of confused because we had sent the design in, we got it approved, it was all good, and they were like, Yeah, we're just we're gonna have to cover it up. And it was like that was the huge side on my mask, too. So I was like, I was like, I I mean it is what it is, okay. Like they're saying that, and then um they eventually kind of relented on that, but that was kind of like a weird position to be in, was like, oh, I rules and I didn't realize it, and we thought we didn't right. So um, yeah, but they ended up allowing it, ended up being okay. Uh okay, it's kind of it's kind of a longer process than you think. Like you kind of get with the artist and get what you want on there and and they design it and then yeah, get it approved and then go back to the back to the painting. So you have to start the process really early so that it's done in time. Um yeah, but definitely some hoops to jump through for that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Yeah, that's so interesting. I remember seeing news articles there with the a little bit of controversy. Like I I never would have thought that would be something that would be controversial, but yeah, and I don't remember exactly why they weren't gonna allow it.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

Um it was like, you know, I I would get asked in because you have to walk through the media session after like a practice or game for the Olympics, so that anyone can stop you and ask you a question. And so that's what all my questions were with like, why why is it important to you that that's on your mask? And I was like, It's the Statue of Liberty, like it, you know, like it people think of America that's a very big symbol. So I was just like, I it seemed like an obvious one to me, but uh yeah, I mean, you just you never know, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Yeah, that's so important. But I'm glad that you guys were still able to wear them because those were such good masks that would have been really disappointing if it had to be covered up.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

So I'm glad that it worked out, and it was so bit like Rig Alex's was on the chin, and they could cover it up pretty easy and it wasn't noticeable, but it was the entire side of my mask, like it would have been. I remember talking to some of the men's team guys, and they were like, What are you gonna do? And I was like, I I don't know, like it look right, but it'll it'll I guess that's so funny.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Wow, that's crazy. You never know what's gonna happen, especially at a I guess, Olympic event. There's a lot of stories there, I'm sure. Jumping to the world championship, like especially your first one, because obviously that's probably the most highlighted one in your brain. Um, what are some of your favorite memories from that as like a younger goaltender coming in first time?

SPEAKER_02 9:06

It was really cool that it was it was in Michigan, it was in Plymouth. So to be playing um on home soil at a world championship is is a really cool experience. Um, I mean, it's cool, it's obviously cool to play in a world championship everywhere, but to just see more, you know, it's all red, white, and blue in the stands, and it's it's kind of a home game. Um, so that's that's exciting, and it meant that uh my whole family could come. So it was like my parents and uh my grandparents were able to be there. So had we been somewhere else, that might not have been possible. So that was pretty special as well. Uh then I had a lot of my Lindenwood teammates and friends drove up to to watch as well. So all of those were were special, I made it special in in those ways. And then on the ice, um, I mean, to be put it, be so young and be put in a position where you were trusted to to you know uh play well for for the team, I think is I was maybe a little bit naive to the time. I mean, I was at the time I was just like, okay, we're we're going out, we're playing hockey. Just to be chosen as to start a tournament's a huge honor. And then at the same time, we had just uh kind of taken a stand for ourselves as a group to to uh get equitable treatment, equitable pay from USA hockey. So I think at the same time it was uh it was really a big moment. We just told you how much we believe we're worth, and now it's like time to go prove it on the ice less than two weeks later. So I again think I was a little bit naive as to how maybe important it was for us to to win that tournament being so young, but it was just a really cool, cool experience. You're out there with you know Hillary Knight and Megan Duggan, the Lambert twins, um, Kelly Stack, like Brianna Decker. There's so many names that you've heard about and you've watched your whole life, and now you're on a world stage with them. Like I remember Hillary sent me, sent me a text before our first game against Canada and just said like we're gonna play great in front of you tomorrow. And just the little things like that, like things that you don't hear about publicly that happen behind the scenes that that mean a lot. And then yeah, obviously to win in overtime, uh, it's the only time the US has has won on home soil, the women's team. But just to be a part of that is uh really special. And yeah, I just remember I like remember vividly skating down the ice after Hillary scored in overtime and just kind of the pandemonium that ensued was was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Yeah, that's amazing. That's such a core memory, right there, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:25

Like, yes, yeah. That's it was like yesterday in some ways for sure.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

Yeah. Wow. When you were told that you were the starting goaltender, how did you kind of prepare for that, like mentally as a goaltender?

SPEAKER_02 11:37

I'd I'd gotten a phone call from the head coach. We had just done a mini like weekend camp as a group, and he kind of called me when I was on the way home from that, and he was kind of alluding to it. He wasn't outright saint, but I I remember I hung up the phone and I like looked at my parents and I was like, I think I might be playing in this tournament. Like, I think I might get more than one game, and so um, I think that was his way of trying to prepare me for it without like overwhelming me. And so I guess like you don't, you know, it's not fully real till you get like the nod. And that's usually um on most of the teams I've been on, including that one. They they let you know like the night before who's gonna play the next day. So I think that you're like you kind of get that call and you're like, okay, like this is real, we're doing this.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Wow, that's so cool. Yeah, that's good that there was that like preparation beforehand, I feel like, too, just to have the idea rather than immediately like, oh, you're going in tomorrow, which is like kind of nice out. Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:36

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Wow, that's so cool. Jumping to the Olympics, when did you kind of find out that you were going to be on that team? And then what are ways that you prepared for it? Um, differences between the first and second time, like first time going, it's all new, and then second time, what's the difference when you're going back to the Olympics again?

SPEAKER_02 12:58

Yeah, I think so. The way it worked um for 2018 and 2022, because we didn't have uh necessarily a full-time league to play in. Uh generally both the US and Canada get together and it's like six months of training leading up US for before 2018, there was a tryout in like June. Um, and they just bring together like they basically bring enough people to create two teams, and you do like scrimmages against each other two or three days, and then at the end of that, you're kind of called into a room with the head coach and GM, and they kind of either tell you yes or no. So I remember being really nervous going into that room, and I was actually Maddie Rooney was my roommate for that camp. Okay. They flipped a coin and decided to go like backwards on the alphabet to tell people. So Maddie went before me and she came back to the room, and I was like, Well, and she's like, I made it. And we'd been roommates before, but like we didn't know each other super well at the time, but I just like tackled her. I was like, That's amazing, like you know, and so then it was like, okay, like they that you know, that means there's only the two other spots though at the same time. But yeah, in the meeting, I was pretty nervous, and they had told me I made it, and it was a pretty quick thing, and immediately kind of got emotional and and called my parents and was like, Hope you guys aren't busy in February, I think is a kind of what I said, like, or uh save up some money for you guys to come to South Korea type thing. And so I think after we knew they kind of you stay together for a couple days and you kind of get a little bit of the plan and and what you're expected to do when you arrive back to train together, starting in like September or August.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

Kind of go home, you train for yourself for a bit, and then you join the team like September and August, and then the team trains together, plays exhibition games, plays games against Canada up until till February. And yeah, the the 2018 experience was was special for a lot of reasons. In my family, we watch the Olympics every two years when it's on summer, winter, the whole deal, and we're glued to the TV for two weeks. We'd done that ever since I was a kid. So to walk out for the opening ceremonies, my parents were like in the stands, but to just walk out for for that opening ceremony was like second to none. I think that's also a really like vivid memory for me of walking with I was I was with Maddie like the whole time, which is kind of the story of my career. I'm with Matt and Coleys. So to experience that together was pretty cool. And then obviously as the tournament went on and and Maddie was playing and she was playing so well. And we'd had a lot of up and downs that year as a group, but I felt like we had a really good balance of veteran leadership and just young energy. And I think we we lost to Canada in the round robin. And I just remember Megan Duggan looked around the room and said, you know, don't listen to what they're saying outside this locker room. Like, we know we have the answers in this room. And it was just, it was cool. I think everyone like latched onto that and was just like, yeah, like we know we can do this. And then going into that gold medal game, I think there was a lot of confidence in our room that we could get it done. And obviously they're like gut-wrenching to do it in a in a shootout, but yeah, grew it. And uh Maddie was amazing. Uh really special to to stand on the blue line and and accept the medals and then get to sing the national anthem with that that group of people. I mean, it's definitely you're linked forever with that group. Yeah, that's definitely something that is really special. And then like leading into 2022, it was a bit, a bit different. Like the preparation was all the same, but at the same time, we were dealing with with a lot of COVID stuff. And um, at one point that they were worried about potential outbreak on our team, like a month before we're supposed to leave. And so all of a sudden, like we're having to basically we had to separate from everybody for I think it was like three or four days where we were just completely separate from each other. We weren't supposed to be you know going out in public and doing all that stuff because it was like we're going to Beijing, so it's like to get in there, you know, no matter how you feel about COVID or whatever, if you want to go, you've got to test negative. So it was just kind of we're all quarantining separately, and then we got to like skate on the ice by ourselves for like 20 minutes, and they're trying to figure out we're using a facility that's got six different sheets, and we've got people on different sheets and like trying to stay separate and like knowing who's contacted who and all of that stuff just to try and get our whole group where we were supposed to go, you know. So that would created a lot of different challenges, and we did have some people that it was like they were getting over COVID, and it was like, are they gonna test negative in real net in LA with like the rest of Team USA to then fly to Beijing? So it was like this test when you landed in LA was like the make or break, and it was on everyone's mind because the whole team had to go there was some some concern, and thankfully everybody tested negative, everyone got to go, and that obviously creates like some different challenges that you got to work through. Maybe didn't spend as much time together training on the ice as we would have liked leading up when we got there, it was even a different feel because you weren't allowed to leave the village, like in Korea. You could go see your parents, you could go do all these different things and explore a little bit of where we were in South Korea. And in Beijing, it was like you're at the rink or you're at the Olympic Village, and there's not really any in between. And yeah, um, you know, parents obviously couldn't go. So yeah, you're kind of on an island over there, and it's your 23 best friends, and you know, you gotta find ways to entertain yourselves when you can only take so many walks around the village every day. So uh yeah, so that was definitely a different experience. Uh obviously getting to walk. Uh the uh opening ceremony was at like the bird's nest where where they competed on like track and field in in 2008. So that was really cool to just see that building for real after having watched it on TV for that Olympics. I think at the at the end of the day, it didn't go the way we wanted it to in the gold medal game. Um and that obviously hurt, but I think at the the same time, like I wouldn't trade that group of people for the world. Like we we went through a lot together on and off the ice, and uh it's hard to describe when you're not in it, but it was it was a really special group for sure.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Wow, yeah. So it's a a different type of get experience, like a almost bonding like moment as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, that's the word, trauma bonding, yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. That's so like the the first Olympic story, too, it was just I was mind blown. I mean, I watched the Olympics, I watched you guys win and stuff, but like I it's cool to hear it from your perspective. Um that's amazing. I'm just gonna switch gears into talking about something that I'm sure a lot of people are going to be very interested in, which is the PWHL side of things. So I want to start at the very beginning. So just jumping back a few years ago. What was your initial reaction to learning that the PWHL was going to be officially formed?

SPEAKER_02 19:53

Uh yeah, I mean, at the time before that, you had the PHF and you had the PWHPA that was a group of players that had kind of broke off, and and we were looking for like a real backer, like a like a true investor that was going to see this thing through and create uh the league that it is today. Uh we there's have been many iterations of professional women's hockey going back years and years, and I think we were always like on the doorstep of making it what it needed to be, and and I think we had a group of people that was trying to find the right people to connect with to get us to this point and having like Billie Jean King Enterprises as a part of it, and then the Mark Walter group kind of are the ones that they really stepped in and wanted to be a part of this and really were able to help bring it all to fruition. And it took a ton of work behind the scenes from some people that aren't part of the league now, just were part of it back then, and you know, some still are. And yeah, I think it was a true belief that if we built like if we had the infrastructure and if we built it, like people would come, like people would want to watch this game, they would want to be a part of it. And I think the first three years of the league are are proof that that we were right.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

100%, yeah. And with all like the expansions now, too. It's so cool to see all these different new teams coming up. Like, that's amazing. Yeah, it's been really exciting. That's awesome. In September 2023, you were the very first goalie to be drafted to the PWHL, which is now named Minnesota Frost, in the second round 12th overall. So, what was it like to learn that you were officially the first goalie on a PWHL and that you're going to be part of this Minnesota organization?

SPEAKER_02 21:31

It was a pretty interesting the whole draft itself was a pretty interesting experience because it wasn't really something any of us have really been through before. And so you're kind of going into it like today decides which of these six cities I'm gonna live in for the next however many years. And there were definitely some nerves going into it. Um, I knew I had potentially a couple options that would be interested in drafting me. And uh, when one of those teams didn't take a goaltender earlier. In the first round, I remember like at that point, Lise Deckline had already signed with Minnesota. And I remember I kind of looked at her like, does that mean Minnesota's gonna take? And she just was like, She's trying to be, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Like, I don't want to sway you, make you think it's gonna go either way. And so I I actually was me and my friend Hannah Brandt and Savannah Harman and Jesse Comfort were sitting where we could see the teleprompter before they could say it. And so I just remember like we're not even looking at the stage, we're just looking at the teleprompter, and like my name came up, and my friend Hannah just started like hitting me. And so I was like, it was just a a big relief. Like I I lived in Minnesota already, it's where I wanted to go. And I knew I already had quite a few friends gonna be on the team, and so it just was kind of like the perfect situation for me, and I couldn't have asked for you know a better landing spot. Uh so it was kind of a whirlwind that day to find out I got to stay here and be here, and it was it was pretty special, and obviously we were able to take that year all the way through and and make it special at the end, too. So um it was a really cool year when I look back on it.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Yeah, that's amazing. I'll definitely jump over to the Walter Cup uh stuff after this next question. But I think that's just so cool that like being the first goalie officially in something that you guys work so hard to build. That's just such a special thing to be a part of and look back at, and then continue to see everything grow. It must be so like incredible from your perspective as well. So then getting to your first mass design for your PWHL team, what was the process like for that? And how did you decide on a mass design?

SPEAKER_02 23:49

Yeah, it was actually the first year was kind of hard because uh, like you said, the first year it was just like PWHL Minnesota or like PWHL New York or uh Montreal. So like we didn't have logos, we were like black and purple. So it's kind of okay, black and purple, no logo, no mascot. You know, it kind of gave like you could go a lot of different directions with it. Um and due to kind of the time constraints, we weren't able to get painted masks. So we had we did a wrap. Um, and I think I wanted to go, I always try to like like I want my helmet and my my gear to flow. So when I've had like the striped pads in the past, I've done like a striped design on the helmet and things like that. So I knew I was gonna have a black base pad, so I wanted to have a black base helmet uh with the purple accents, and so I ended up doing the city of Minneapolis on one side and then the state of hockey logo on the other, and then striping down the middle with the 29, and then my back plate is always um Red Rocks Amphitheater, because that's uh like 10 minutes from where I grew up, been to a lot of concerts there, a lot of movies, ran the stairs a zillion times when I was in high school working out, so that's always a special, special place to me and kind of a representation of Colorado, and then there might be a couple different things on there, but that one always sticks, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Yeah, I like that. I always like to see what goalies put on their back plate too, because I feel like it's the moment where you can really be deeply personal, doesn't have to necessarily rough represent everything else. It's like this is fully me. Um that's very cool. I like that. So then what is your favorite memory from the year that you won the first ever Walter Cup for the PWHL? Like even within that game or leading up to that game, what was a highlight for you?

SPEAKER_02 25:35

I mean, the whole end of that season was a whirlwind. Because you had this, especially that year, you had this worlds break. So you've got like this two-week break where you go to worlds and you come back, and then we only had, I think, five games left of the regular season, and we legitimately needed one point. We needed one point to clinch a playoff spot in five games, and the way our team had gone all year, it seemed that seemed like it should be absolutely no problem. And we could not win a game to save our lives. Like we were we just were in a funk and could not get out of it, and so we ended up losing all five in regulation, and it was just like we had to sit and watch Toronto and Ottawa play each other, and I think I think we needed Toronto to win the game, and that would then put us into playoffs. Okay. So I was just like sitting, I went over to Maddie Rooney's house to watch the game, and we were just like, Well, like, you know, we'll see what happens. Toronto ended up winning, so we got in, and then Toronto picked us to play us, which who wouldn't have? We were horrible, we were just playing horribly at the time. So then we go and we lose our first two games to Toronto. Oh my gosh. Like, all right, we're on a seven-game losing streak, and just can't seem to do anything right. And honestly, like in game three, it was like Maddie just like flipped a switch and she was just on, and we she had to be because we were just like taking on water for a lot of the game, and then we were able to to win game three, and it was either overtime, double overtime, something, and it was like, okay, like cool, like we got one, you know, we get to play again the next day, and then somehow I think we won in that one in overtime two in game four, and so now it's like okay, we're going back to Toronto with a chance to win this thing, and that was kind of when the offense came alive, and nice just yeah, it I I think everyone was as mind-blown as we were that all of a sudden we won the series and we were then gonna play Boston, and we ended up losing game one to Boston, which I don't think was as much of a surprise just because you were on such a emotional high that like kind of was maybe prepared for there to be a little let down in that game one, and then uh I got the nod for game two, and we were able to to beat Boston in Boston and kind of even the series and came back home and won game three, and then game four uh ends up going to like triple overtime. Wow, and uh we score in triple overtime. Think we've won, have thrown the gloves, like all of that.

SPEAKER_03 28:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

And I see a Hillary Knight on Boston talking to the officials as like we're all swarming gloves on everything. And I grabbed Kendall coin and I was like, uh, you you something's happening, like you gotta go talk to the ref. And then I see the replay of the goal, and I just went and picked up my helmet because I knew it was goalie, like it was goalie interference for sure. So I just it's like, okay, I like we gotta play a hockey game here still. So and then Mueller ended up having a nice, nice shot that went in on me, and all of a sudden we thought we had won and the season was over, and now we have to go back to Boston for game five. And oh my gosh, it was like I got home because it was triple overtime game. I get get to my house at like 1 a.m., I think, and I'm walking my dog, like you know, she's been inside for the whole game, so I gotta walk and I'm just like walking around in shorts because it's so hot because it's like June at this point, and I just was like, this is crazy. It's 1 a.m. I'm in shorts, we're still playing hockey. Like, what am I doing? It was like this weird, surreal like reflection of the last couple months. And so we go to Boston and it just felt, I don't know, like it just you could just tell in our locker room before the game, like we weren't losing that game. It was like we wanted to leave no doubt that that it should be us and that we should win this game. And so to to do that, and I I think that was one of the best games we played all year, um, and we're able to win. And then it was like a really cool thought because everyone had seen maybe drawings and renderings of what the Walter Cup was gonna look like, but nobody had seen it. Like it had still been in its box the whole time, you know. So um, it was like one of those things where we're the first people to see it in person, we're the first people to get to touch it, the first people to get to hoist it. Uh when I think like that's just something you can't. There's gonna be a million teams from here on out that win it, but there's only one that got to win it first, and I think that's something that we'll all look back on and and be really proud of that.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

Yeah, that's amazing. That's such a cool story, like to hear it from you, like from your perspective.

SPEAKER_02 30:08

That's crazy, but we got through it.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Yeah. What is it like to be the goalie in triple overtime? Like, do you remember like how you felt at that point? What's that perspective like?

SPEAKER_02 30:19

I think it's like when you're in it, you're just in it. There's not a lot of going on. You're just playing the game you've played your whole life and just trying to make the next save. I think, you know, in the finals, that was kind of how it felt for me was like you're just playing hockey, you're just in it like it is, yeah. It just is what it always is. And then, but if you're on the bench watching, like I was for our second Walter Cup run for the for the finals, it's like that's when it's nerve-wracking, you know, because you're you can't do anything about what's going on out there. And um, you just want everyone to do their best. And so I think that's actually when it's more nerve-wracking is when you're when you're watching rather than actually on the ice. That's very fair.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

I that makes sense though, because when you're in the moment doing something, you're like, okay, this is just happening. But then when you're the observer and you're like, oh no, look at that. Then jumping to you guys winning back-to-back Walter Cups, what do you think some of the strengths with your team that allowed you guys to go back and be repeat champions?

SPEAKER_02 31:15

I mean, I think obviously through that first run, you get a lot of experience, and we'd never really had playoff series like that before. I mean, we've got people that are used to a one-and-done game to win a national championship in college or a conference championship in college, or a gold medal game. It's there's just one. So I think like adjusting to a playoff series, especially a five-game one, was a lot different for what most people have done on the women's hockey side. But I think at the same time, like we just had a lot of championship DNA in our locker room, like from Kendall, Lee, Kelly, Matty, down, like, and then you've got Michaela Kava, who's won, like, there was I think she won six championships in a row or something. Like, it just so she just knew how to win, you know. And then you've got Oliv Shepherds who's an NCAA champion and like just has a winning mindset, and you you would just had the right group of leadership and understanding of what needs to be done to win big games, I feel like. Um, and and that's and at the same time, we trusted everyone in our room both years to like do their job. It was everyone. We lean on our top goal scores as much as we lean on our our fourth line. Like it was everyone had a job, everyone knew it, and everyone believed in everyone. And that that went for the coaching staff too. You know, they trusted who they were putting on the ice in different moments, and so that's where it starts. If you have that from the top down, that's what's gonna help you be successful.

SPEAKER_01 32:39

Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 32:41

I love that.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

Jumping to your mask designs when it became Minnesota Frost, like you had your logo, you kind of had more idea of the colors that were gonna be established. Well, going to your light purple mask design from this year, I think that's the mask you wore most of the season from what I saw. I did another one done, but I mostly wore the other. Yes. Okay, okay. So, how did you come up with that mask design? And you worked with Silo brush on it?

SPEAKER_02 33:11

Yes, uh, I love Silo brush. She's done pretty pretty much every single one of my masks, minus like my college ones, I think. Yes. Um, and the thing I love about working with her is she has great ideas and is so creative, but really listens to the goaltender and what they would like to have on their mask. Because I feel like sometimes that doesn't always come across. And so uh I'm really appreciative that even if she's like, I don't know about this, but all right, we'll give it a shot, that she's she's willing to do that. Um because she's done, you know, the temperature changing masks. And I thought that was like the coolest thing I've ever seen, like when Vasilevsky's mask changed colors. I had asked her, like, do you think you can do that with purple? And she was like, I mean, we can try. And I was like, I I love that. And so at room temperature, my mask is very white, and then as I get on the ice, the purple like starts to come out. That was that was really cool. And I yeah, it's probably my all-time favorite helmet. I I just love it. And it's kind of on one side, uh, it's got the frost logo on top. My number looks like it's like a snowman kind of a 29 made out of snow on the bottom, and then on one side it's the Minneapolis skyline uh with the Stone Arch Bridge in it, and then on the other side it's like a forest, a snowy forest, and then there's two like red eyes, like uh Yeti or something is back in there. Um and that was just kind of I kind of knew exactly what I wanted on both sides. Uh and then obviously giving it I thought the it being white at room temperature kind of helped give it that like frosty look that I was kind of going for. And yeah, I mean she did an incredible job. Like it's for sure. I'm gonna have it on a mantle one day. It's it's my all-time favorite.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That one's such a good mask. Like, I I love everything about it, so especially the color changing. Because I feel like that kind of went away for a little bit, like with a lot of like Vascolefy brought it in and then it kind of disappeared. But then I'm glad that you brought it back because I just think it's such a cool way to, I don't know, change up the mask as well. Yeah, depending where you see it. Like, that's so cool. And then, so your other mask that was released, I think that was for your dog is on it, correct?

SPEAKER_02 35:26

Yes, I've got um kind of uh the peanuts are a big thing up here uh since the guy that created them was from here. So I've been to like they had a whole exhibit about it at one of the museums down here that I that I went to and checked it out. But so I really like wanted to have my own dog on my mask, and then I thought it'd be cool to have Snoopy on the other side. So I've got like Snoopy when he's flying on his house on one side, and then my dog Kai is flying a plane on the other side. So uh that one's a little bit darker purple, not as lavender as as my other mask, my other frost mask. It definitely uh the design on top and the the chin's very similar, but yeah, it gets a little darker.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

Yeah, I like that. I also like with that with the logo and the coloring that you guys can do kind of like variations of purple because like that's also something that's not really seen at all at this point because there hasn't really been that many like purple dominant color teams. So I think that's really cool to kind of play with that as well.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

Yeah, I've definitely enjoyed that. And then like with my with True's color palette for my pads, they don't have a lavender, so I can't add the lavender to my pads as much. So I think um the sticks a little bit brighter purple, it's not quite lavender, and then having the the lavender on the helmet is nice just to like tie it together with the jerseys, I feel like.

SPEAKER_01 36:43

Yeah, yeah, that's really cool. Yeah. So second last question before I get to the last one. Do you have any like mask idea hints of what's coming up in the future or like something that you've seen on other masks that you maybe would think about at any point, or is it just happen when it happens, kind of thing?

SPEAKER_02 37:02

I mean, I think I always like have thoughts. Uh, I just signed with uh PWHL Las Vegas yesterday. So I guess when I think about a mask for for Vegas, the first thing that comes to mind is the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Yeah, but I'll definitely I'll definitely be thinking on it for a bit. Like colors, we've got like a green and like a gold or yellow. Uh so it's gonna take me, you know, I gotta kind of switch my gears a little bit from the cold winter to uh desert. So uh yeah, it's definitely gonna take some time to to figure out exactly what I want to do there.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

Yeah, that's gonna be so exciting though. I'm excited for that. So our final question is what is one piece of advice you have for young goaltenders or even just for anyone listening?

SPEAKER_02 37:48

Uh I think for young goaltenders, it's kind of like a combination of don't be afraid to be yourself. Um, I think sometimes uh we like to create these robot goaltenders that you know gotta make the save the right way. And like we do everything this way, and I think like that's what makes you stand apart and makes you special is the things that you do to stop pucks. And that's not to say don't listen to your coaches or they're wrong or different things, but I think it's okay to be creative, it's okay to stop the puck a little differently than everybody else does. So yeah, I would just encourage enjoying it. It goes by so fast. Uh, I'm very fortunate that I'm about to turn 32 and get to continue playing this game, but I would just say just enjoy it and it's the best position in the world. Uh and yeah, try to continue grow and learn, but don't let anyone take away what makes you you when you play the position.

SPEAKER_01 38:38

Yeah, I love that. Even in life in general, being yourself is important, but especially like in what you're passionate about to continue that passion. That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast with us today. Any last notes you want to share with people, um, where they can follow you if they're not already following you, because they should be.

SPEAKER_02 38:58

Yeah, I guess my like handle for everything is at and then Nick N-I-C Hens H-E-N-S 29. So you want to follow me, feel free.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

Perfect. Awesome. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 39:11

Yeah, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 39:18

Thank you so much for joining Nicole and I with our conversation about goalie mask and goalie life today. This was such an incredible interview with so many interesting stories and great conversations that I hope you enjoyed listening to. We'll have many more goalies on our show in the future, so make sure to stay tuned. To see video clips of this interview, please visit our Instagram page at GoalieMast101. For now, that's all we have for you today. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or want more Goalie Mask content, go follow us on Instagram at GoalieMast101. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider following us wherever you listen to podcasts and share with your fellow hockey fan friends. Your participation in this Goalie Mask community means the world to us. Thank you so much for listening and for being part of the Goalie Mask 101 and every Mask has a story community. See you next time.