GRACE KLIENBACH: Act II, Scene 94
One of the highlights of this off season for the Connecticut Whale fans of Cetacean Nation, was the return to the Pod by our #94 Grace Klienbach. We had a chance to speak with Grace recently and had the opportunity to discuss a number of things that had been on our minds. And since she became one of our ā Once and Futureā Whale, our very first question delved into that. Where was our energetic fan favorite last season? Grace quickly filled us in on what occurred. āLast season I think the stars just didnāt align for me to play, but I think that was a good thing. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. My dad ended up having a heart attack in October and my family needed me to come home to help out. My dad was recovering and needed extra help with work and things around the house. Our house was damaged by Hurricane Irma a few summers back, so most of the hockey season for me was spent on top of the roof with my dad, taking off the old roofing and putting up the new. Once that was done, we moved on to tearing down the old pool shed and rebuilding a new one. I was needed at home and that is okay, it was where I needed to be. Iām glad I had the ability to go home and help my family out as much as I could. Family always comes first. But that being said, myself and my family couldnāt be more excited that I am playing for the Whale again this season!ā
One of the other things we first thought about while preparing to chat with Grace, was the fact that the fans had really missed #94 last season, both on and off the ice. We had heard it in the stands, and on our social media. When we mentioned it to Grace she replied, āBecause I was away from it, obviously I didnāt hear what other people were saying and I wasnāt aware that I was missed. But I am glad I was, and Iām glad to be back now. I wanted to play for the Whale, and I really wanted to be in Connecticut. And the one thing that I really did love the most about the Whale were the friends, genuine friends, I made on the team. I got a lot of support from a lot of different people. Even though I wasnāt on the team last year, I still had awesome friends there.ā
And it was those friends, like #9 Kaycie Anderson, and #33 Laura Brennan, who kept her informed and urged her to attend this yearās Whale Free Agent Camp. She did, and was signed up by GM Bray Ketchum, as our first veteran forward to join the Pod. Grace said āBray I did a really good job at the tryouts evaluating players, but of course I guess Iām a little biased:) She didnāt know much about me obviously, because this is her first year. She knew I did not play last year but that I had played the year before but didnāt know why, and she didnāt just write me off. I think it is awesome that they got a former player as a General Manager. Grace has said that āWhether itās the best team in a league or the worst team in a league Iām going to play the same, so it really doesnāt matter to me who were playing.ā Weāre sure Bray saw that competitiveness and fire in Grace on the ice at that camp, and Graceās attitude surely played a role in how #94 returned to the Pod as a member of Brayās Bunch!
A big part of Graceās life last season revolved around her involvement with 14Hockey. Cetacean Nation has posted some about this enterprise than Grace and former classmate and hockey star at Neumann University Shayne Morrissey has put together. We asked her to tell us how that got started, and what itās all about. Grace filled us in āWe met freshman year at orientation our freshman year, and first semester we had five classes together so it was pretty inevitable that we would get to know each other. And we first started talking about what became 14Hockey last summer and into the fall. Shayne was saying he really wanted to do his own hockey program. He already did clinics and lessons but he wanted to try to make it bigger. So we started talking and playing around with names. We got a logo we took a look at everything this summer and to try and see what we could do with it, and we had our first camp. What we actually do is drills for local teams, camps, clinics and private lessons. Teams have asked us to come out and conduct practices so the coaches can sit back and watch the players in a different perspective. Instead of just correcting every single detail they can watch it overall. It has wotked very well this summer. Our first camp was great, and our second even did better which, was awesome. Then we also had a three on three tournament, the first time we ever thought about doing that. The last one we had we actually had too many kids. We had 108 kids show up and we had to turn away 15 others.It was amazing how makids showed up! We were not expecting it to explode as much as it did.A lot of parents signed the kids up the day before and we were like 0h my god this is too many kids! Before we didnāt have enough kids and then all the sudden we had too many kids!ā
As to the camps themselves, Grace explained āWe do everything together so we have two different perspectives.I like to focus on the skating and puck drills. Puck control, and skating Mohawks and figure eights and those kind of drills. Shayne likes to do a lot of the tricks and stick skills like popovers for example. Heās got all those fancy skills and puck tricks, so we both bring different elements to it which is good. Depending on which kids come, I teach certain things And Shayne teaches certain things. So depending on what the kids want or need, we have different skills to offer. And since we both have different perspectives to as well, I play professional womenās hockey and he plays professional menās hockey, we offer a well rounded field of knowledge and experience.ā
Grace elaborated, telling us āShayne came from somewhere where hockey was everywhere and I came from somewhere where hockey was nowhere to be found. When he was a kid he would just go outside and shoot pucks or do puck drills. We were joking and talking about it the other day and you would have thought I did not like hockey:) if I wasnāt in the rink for practice or a game, whenever I was home I didnāt touch a puck. I didnāt shoot a puck, I didnāt look at a puck, I literally did nothing with hockey except whenever I had practice or had a game. We lived on a farm and we had a net and my dad would try to get me to shoot pucks and Iād be like, Oh, Iām OK. I loved hockey, but when I was home, I was home. I associated that attitude with being home and thereās just not a lot of places to play where Iām from. Even when I was down there last year I didnāt really touch the ice. One, because I was busy helping my parents with stuff around the house but then Two, itās so hard to find a place to skate. Even where I am right now, I still have to drive an hour and pay tolls there and back and make it a whole event for me to go to train at the hockey rink. And end up playing playing with bunch of older men who donāt know what theyāre doing:)ā
We asked Grace how long the camps lasted, and if 14 Hockey was going to be a year round enterprise. She explained āThe camps were all weekend camps, but next year weāre going to try to to do some weeklong camps. Right now itās mostly just a summer thing only because we both play, so after the season weāll get back to it. We donāt really have the time to actually build it up anymore at this point. And the other āproblemā is, I work at Fairfield Ice Academy (with Laura Brennan) and I cant promote a competitor while Iām there :) Seriously, I love working there and I love working with Laura. Itās an awesome atmosphere and since I was coming back to the Whale, Laura asked if I would coach again this year. I am also an athletic trainer! and work about 42 hours a week. I usually work some overtime and then work at FIA, and also give private lessons. I was probably working way too much in season three, but it was awesome working with a friend. So although right now 14Hockey is mostly an off-season thing, we are going to try to keep our social media pretty active. We āll talk about it, and post pictures from the camp. I think that what we are going to do is to be proactive with the parents to keep us up-to-date on what their kids are doing. For example, if they score their first hat trick or something like that, they could send pictures and the information, and we could post it. So we will remain active on social media but not on the ice coaching during our playing seasons.ā
Grace then began to talk again about her initial NWHL experience. Specifically she addressed some of the nuanced aspects of being a professional athlete. She told us āMy first year, season three, it was great having girls who could help guide you. It was kind of like in college freshman year. You could ask the upperclassmen how does this work or how does that work. There werenāt any players on the Whale that I did not get along with my first season. Everyone was great! If I ever had a question, there were so many people there willing to take you under their wing and show you this is how this works. Itās a lot nicer than college because youāre an adult now and more mature, and you donāt feel embarrassed to ask how something works. I really liked it because thereās less drama and weāre not dealing with all that stuff we are all just adults who are playing professional hockey. Weāre not forced to be there.ā
Grace continued āI loved college and I loved playing hockey in college but playing professionally was was a lot different, it just awesome! Everyone does their thing and everyone shows up and does what theyāre supposed to do. Like I said, thereās no drama in between so itās perfect. The only thing that I wish is that maybe in the beginning of the season there were a couple more practices than what we have. itās hard to just have two. I know I was disappointed in some of the practices from my first season which were only 50 minutes long, which is not enough when you have only two per week. I feel that practices are when you really start to kind of match, mesh, and jell as a team. You do so many drills with so many different players you start to see who works together and who doesn't That type of practice is what I liked about college. I do know it is extremely hard with everybody working jobs. But if maybe there was a third optional practice that you can go to, (but if you canāt itās OK) I think that would be a good thing. I would go to those kind of practices anytime I could because I think it would just help us all as a team and individuallyā.
Grace added āA lot of people I talk to, ask about the practices and everyone is always shocked that we only practice twice a week with one game on the weekend. They say āThatās it? and I say āYeah, thatās itā. And I tell them that thatās just where her game is right now By comparison in the pro leagues that Shayne (Morrissey, her partner in 14 Hockey) plays in, that is their job. They wake up in the morning, they go to the rink, they work out and then go home. They do that for four days that they have a games and one off day each week so they are on the ice six days a week. It is very, very different Weāll get there eventually.ā
Grace also offered these insights about her teammates, and the lives they live. āEveryone takes things seriously, thereās no missing practice because you have a class (like you might have in college) The players are dedicated and willing to make sacrifices, often having virtually no social life, full-time jobs, practices at night on weekdays and games on weekends. Weāre making sacrifices because we love playing and we are obviously not doing it for the money weāre just doing it because we love it.The playing professional hockey in the NWHL is a special opportunity not many people get in their lives. I think the fact weāre the first ones is awesome. I remember my first year everyone talking about the Founding Four. itās so great to be a part of that and no one can take that away from us, which I think is so special. And, the fact that we all have full-time jobs and are able to do that because of the fact that we are so strong willed and can make it work. We come to practice, then give it our all on the weekends always communicating with our work to make things fit. I definitely think that is special.
Commenting on her own particular situation Ā Grace added āAnd at my own work (Orthopaedic Specialty Group), they have been more than flexible with me. They even told me that if I need to be at a special event they are good with me not working at a certain time even if itās not a game, maybe itās a community event to go to. They know that Iām here for hockey, and they are more than accommodating with that, which is awesome. Grace also explained āOPG is where our team physician was from (in season three) and that is actually how I got the job thee. They also have a contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers which is pretty cool too. I still want to go back to school, and plan to go to med school as well when I finish playing. But I do feel like I can try that any time, while playing professional hockey is a once in a lifetime opportunity.ā Grace also told us this story about her place of employment āTen people from my work came to one game just to watch me play. They never went to a game before but then they started coming because I was from their workplace. So our careers can actually help bring fans. We are building a fanbase through our work, because we do have those full-time jobs thereā
One of the changes to the NWHL since Grace last played in season three, is the expanded schedule. We asked her about that and she told us āI think it is awesome, I love it, The more games the better for me. Especially as I mentioned, with where Iām working they know Iām up there for hockey they have no problem with letting me get days off and adjusting my schedule to fit. I am still jealous of all the menās league where they get to play so many more games than we do. I do wish it was more like college with the number of games and practices. But we do have a lot of weekends this season where we are playing multiple games and which is awesome and I love it. I am really excited since gives you a little more time two to bond and and get used to each other and even mess around with lines. I feel like you have to give everything a little bit of time, and this gives the coaches more time to see who works well together and who doesnāt and to try to mash it out before we make our push for the playoffsā
The Whale will be playing their NWHL games in three new rinks, including home ice at the Danbury Ice Arena. It will be four new ones for Grace, but our home venue will not be unfamiliar. Grace revealed āI have played in Danbury, and I think we had a couple of Junior New York Ranger events and we were up there a couple of times with their youth program. In fact, it was one of the first community events I did when I was first with the Whale. And after that Rachel Ade and I used to actually play in the menās league there. I did find it was nicer (than TCR) but itās been just under a year since I was there last. aI donāt know if they did anything different, especially with the Danbury Hat Tricks coming in, I donāt know if theyāve done anymore to it or not.ā
Grace also weighed in on possible future NWHL expansion, and feels strongly, as does Cetacean Nation, that Philadelphia would be a great fit. Noting that Pittsburg should be the next expansion site, considering the crowds that showed up for neutral site games there, Grace commented āI think that we should have a neutral site game in Philadelphia, and obviously advertise for a long time in advance, and see what kind of turnout we get. I think that Philadelphia would be pretty awesome, I think we should 100% have a team in Philly. I think it would work well because thereās just so much hockey there. Itās kind of outrageous how much hockey there is! Some of the girls that I coached in Philadelphia will be playing in Connecticut this season, and theyāre going to come to some of the games Thereās a girl I used to take out on the ice with me when I coached the mites in college and she would skate out with me for the national anthem. She still follows me which is pretty cool, and she came up to watch me play the Rivs, and plans on coming up for another game this year.
She cintinued āFans from there travel a distance to see us but I really am hoping that we get a team in Philadelphia. As much as I love the Whale, if we had a team in Philly I would love to play! And especially with Shayne and I doing our 14Hockey programs in this area we know more kids, we know more parents. Weāve been involved in Philadelphia hockey since 2013, our freshman year. I wasnāt involved as much as he was from the get go, and literally everyone knows him here, so itās just the right fit in terms of area, And if there were an NWHL team down there then 14Hockey could be a year round thing. Even if Shayne was on the road, I would still be around to keep things going.Fingers crossed, fingers crossed:)ā
CetaceanĀ Nation was excited about the return of our #94 Grace Klienbach even before talking with her, and we are even more excited now. So keep an eye on Grace in Act Ii wih the Pod this season, on her stage which is the surface of the ice rinks. Scene #94 is bound to be really exciting! Fins Up to Grace, for these great content and insights she shared with us.