GRACE KLIENBACH: GETTING HER GAME ON
Hey now, you're an All-Star, get your game on, go play...Greg Camp
Our amazing #94 right wing Grace Klienbach, is just that, an NWHL All-Star. And weāll get to that in a bit. But in case you didnāt know it, Grace is also an All-Star off the ice. She is a medical professional, still going to work during this pandemic. So when we caught up with Grace, that aspect of her life is what we discussed first. So let's see how and where GraceĀ is dealing with the current situation, and how is it effecting her at home and at work. Grace revealedĀ
āIām still in Connecticut right now, and Iām still working as an athletic trainer at Orthopedic Specialty Group. So weāve still been working away, but our hours have been cut recently so Iām working about half of the hours I normally do. Itās kind of crazy, because obviously Iām working in the healthcare field, so our screening precautions are kind of intense when we see patients. And itās kind of hard being in that setting, where youāre having all these people come in, and everyoneās kind of on edge. Itās definitely a weird feeling, especially now that Iām not working as much and being home. Not working is not something Iām necessarily used to, so itās definitely different. I feel this is just surreal, itās a weird situation, weāre trying to make the best of it. Doing a lot of walks in he park just to get some fresh air which is nice butā¦ā
Grace continued āShayne and I have to be extra careful because one of our roommates and really good friend, I met her working here two years ago, sheās at higher risk for getting it. Sheās in chemotherapy so sheās very high risk. So me and Shayne take extra precautions in everything we do, just to make sure weāre not doing anything to bring it home to her. It is crazy because I live with someone who could be seriously effected. Everybody could be effected, but sheās at higher risk from other people and sheās only like thirty-three. So we all take really high precautions here just to be sure that sheās safe, and comfortable. Especially If weāre going out to pick up groceries or anything, we always make sure we make her feel comfortable that weāre taking precautions. Hopefully people everywhere kind of think about that itās not just if you get sick, but if you transmit it. Itās not about you necessarily, itās about people who are at high risk you are trying to protect.ā
GraceĀ introduced us to her Dad in her last interview, and so we asked how things were going with her folks back in her home state of Florida. She replied
Ā āTheyāre pretty good, itās the same kind of thing thatās going on up here. Everythingās crazy, everythingās off the shelves because everyoneās grabbing everything they can. I think itās good though because my Dad, even after he had a heart attack, has always been go,go,go. I know my Mom especially is happy that he has to chill out. So actually, ironically, I think itās a really good thing for him personally, Heās like out of the house every single day doing something, and now he;actually at home most days, he still goes out here and there, bit for for the most part heās at home, which is good.ā
Grace and Shayne Morrissey (her fiancƩ) have a company that is now called 14-94 Hockey, and will operate eventually again at IceWorks in Aston, PA. In the meantime, they have put together a program for their young athletes to use during the current crisis. Grace explained
āSo we just figured out a way to get some of the kids active and stay up to date with everything. Since our hockey camps and private lessons have been put on pause, we do a weekly or a daily newsletter. So we put together a little video, with either a stick handling drill or a challenge for the day. And then we go to one off ice exercise. Yesterday we did depth jumps, and weāve done quick feet taps on a stair, or whatever you have. So weāre trying to do things that anybody can do, anyplace, with things you already have. I was doing dead bugs, but instead of using yoga blocks, I was using a water bottle. Weāre trying to do things that everyone has access to, so like one kid canāt say: I donāt have that so I canāt do it! So we are trying to use things that we all have at home to try to help out and not have the kids go stir crazy. So just have a little bit of hockey drills to do. Iāve been seeing a lot of funny posts where someoneās saying: This is the time Iām grateful ! donāt have kids! Obviously Iām bored here, so I canāt imagine having other little ones running around. Especially if they are used to being active, and playing sports everyday, I canāt imagine. I know weāre already going stir crazy, and I still work three days a week:) ā
Ā
Coming off a year away from the game (see her preseason interview here for more on that) Grace hit the ice flying this season, and as we mentioned in the opening, was selected to the All-Star Game. We asked her to tell us about that, because she had a great, but āunusualā experience. She related
āIt was kind of crazy and surreal. I donāt know what the exact term to use is, but Iām very modest about myself. I look around the league and see so many other amazing hockey players, so wasnāt like: Oh, I could never be there or anything like that. But I used to think about how great all these other girls are, and it was definitely an amazing feeling when Bray emailed me telling me that I was chosen to be an All-Star this year. I was like over the moon, it was awesome. Especially with taking the year off (2018-2019). Not that it is something I never thought I could accomplish. But I took a year off and didnāt play hockey at all, and I was just helping my family out. And I didnāt get to train until later into the summer. So from not playing at all to being in that position, it was a great feeling. And Iām definitely proud and very happy that the league and the fans think the same way and think that highly of me. It just means the world to me and Iām glad that I had at least the opportunity to experience that.ā
Grace continued āI didnāt really know what to expect, because Iāve never been in one. But itās very laid back, which is cool too. It was just for fun, literally all of it was just for fun. No hard feelings, no one was getting upset, it was just a good time all around, it was a blast. I will say, I wish it was a little bit longer, it was pretty quick since it was running time too, so I wish it would have been a little bit longer:) It was a great time, a great experience. I got to talk to girls, and hang out with girls, and play with girls that you would never talk to and play with. So definitely a cool experience to see some of the other players behind the scenes and get to know them a little bit better. So the game was great.ā
Then, at our behest, Grace delved into her experience in the fastest skater competition, the āunusualā aspect we mentioned. GraceĀ laughed and said
āThen the skating:) I was super excited, I was so nervous going into it, but I was pretty proud of how I did. Obviously it was sad about how everything went down, I think it was kind of jangled, kind of weird. But at the end of the day, I was like: You guys have your mind made up and thatās OK. But I did suggest that next year they have the automatic laser timing (FAT), so I did say that, I didnāt think we should be doing this by stopwatch, thatās kind of silly. Especially since most facilities have them or you could even rent one if you donāt own one. So I donāt know why we werenāt doing that from the get go. Iām still happy with how I did and I was glad to see all the support I had behind me. In and of itself, that was an amazing feeling to know I had so many people who were probably more upset than I was about it. Thatās just a good feeling, knowing that a bunch of people are on your side no matter what the outcome was. But I was just very grateful to be involved in it and to know I did well enough to at least have this happen:) Everything happens for a reason, and itās not something that keeps me up at night. At the end of the day, it was just for fun anyway. Itās not supposed to be super serious, I was having a good time, I was just enjoying being there, being immersed in the moment, and I just loved every minute of it. No regrets there!ā
Grace was one of six Whale to play in every game this season, ending up third on the squad in both scoring and SOG, and utilized her speed to help out the defense with her backchecking, playing on the special teams as well. We mentioned that GM Bray Ketchum had indicated a desire to bring back the core players, and this is what Grace had to say.
Ā āI really hope so, I think we have a really good group of girls. We all get along, and thereās no hostility, which is always so key, on a girls team I feel. Everyone just really liked each other and everyone was nice, no one was disrespectful or anything like that. So I do think, just on a personality level, it was a great group of girls. And then top that with we have skills and weāre all willing to get better and learn, take criticism where itās due. And I think all of that can really lead up, and did have a good push at the end. I really believe we can do something special with this team. So I do hope that they keep the core of us together. I think that would be great, because we all know each other now.ā
Ā Grace added āI was very grateful to the coaches putting their trust in me, allowing me to play every game obviously. I know some of the girls couldnāt play every game because of prior work commitments and stuff like that, but definitely grateful for the coaches Colten and Laura, always having faith in me. And allowing me to be someone to be able to help out every single game in our big push towards the Isobel Cup. I was very thankful for that."
All the fans in Cetacean Nation know that Grace scored the first goal of the season for the Pod this year, as she had done in Season Three. We had also posted that Grace had scored our final goal this yearns well, and she noted
āI did see that, itās kind of funny how that worked out. Gotta keep it up, oh my gosh. I gotta give it my biggest push, gotta get it my first game I hope weāll be playing Buffalo first too, because itās always been Buffalo that I scored first on. Iāll make that a request, Ah, can we play Buffalo first maybe? ā :)
Ā We talk a lot about Graceās speed, but another big aspect of her game is her physicality and strength. We asked her about that and she thought and said
"I think in college, playing at Neumann, I was a bigger girl on my team. And I played boys hockey up until midgets. SonI always played a physical game obviously, because thereās hitting in boys hockey. So Iāve always played physical since checking was allowed. And then definitely going into college, I guess I was a little bit more of a goon back then. Not intentionally, but I was always in the box, because I was so much bigger than all the other girls. So Iād barely touch them or go for a battle and theyād fall over and Iād just get called. And then I realized as soon as I went to the NWHL, I stopped having penalties. And I said OK, so Iām allowed to be physical and battle for pucks! And I wasnāt the biggest girl anymore. For one, girls werenāt falling over as easy so I wasnāt getting called there and two they let us play a more physical game, which I was so grateful for, So I think, Iāve always been physical, than some girls in womens hockey just because I played boys for sooo long and it was just kind of ingrained in me. And as I mentioned in previous interviews I have an older brother who I used to play with, so itās just how I played hockey. So itās great being in a league where thereās stronger girls and better refs, in the sense that they will let us be more physical than college for instance. So, itās something Iāve always been doing, and definitely how I am. And also we, me and some of the other girls on the Whale, would train at Prentiss Hockey Performance, so that also helped us out. and allowed us to be a little bit stronger on the ice.ā
We had mentioned the 14-94 Hockey Camps, and Cetacean Nation thinks they do a great job of continuing to grow the game in the Philadelphia area. And we think it is a potential market for a future NWHL team. Grace concurred, stating
āI would absolutely love for there to be a team in Philadelphia. I know I talked a little bit about it to one of the owners/partners in the rink (IceWorks in Aston, PA) and theyād be interested in potentially doing it. But obviously itās just an interest right now. I talked to Dani ( Commissioner Dani Rylan) briefly about it. And Dani and the rink would have to talk more. So Iām like: Itās time to get things going :) But right now Dani says maybe itās a possibility for down, down the road, but Iād need more information. So obviously nothing yet. But yeah, I would love for there to be a team there, especially just with how much that area means to Shayne and I, it would just be awesome to be able to have something down there. That would be unbelievable.. obviously itās going to take time. Since weāve done a few games in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh would probably be next just because weāve already played in the facility and we saw what kind of crowd came out. So I think Philadelphia is still a few years down the road no matter what. I think Pittsburgh will probably be our next pit stop. I know we have enough girls to fill another whole roster if there is another team added, there are just a lot of really great hockey players and just not enough roster spots right now.ā
Cetacean Nation shared that we thought it had been a great season for the NWHL as a whole. And some fans who were on the fence with the changing landscape of womenās hockey, are now clearly on the NWHL side. Grace added
āIām definitely excited to see what comes of this, I think it was a great year and I think the NWHL does a great job. I know that there were a lot of obstacles to overcome, with the PWHPA and all that stuff going on, but I think Dani and the NWHL did a good job of holding their ground and not giving up. And I think all of us knew that we werenāt going anywhere, and I think that support doesnāt go unnoticed and Iām glad that weāre still thriving right now. Itās cool when you see people who were in the fence, and they say OK, itās cool what the NWHL is doing, theyāve got a great thing going and we are a sustainable league right now. So I think thatās all we can ask right now, Weāre doing all the right things and moving in the right direction. And itās good to see that even one of our girls who used to be a PWHPA member (Alexa Aramburu), came over. Thereās girls making the switch and itās not going to reverse, at least that Iām aware of, that any NWHL girls are going away to the PWPHA. I think it kind of shows everyone weāre doing something right.ā
Before letting Grace get ready for her next shift, we asked about a photo we had seen recently of Grace from back in her days at Neumann University: on the back of one of the collegeās vans! Grace laughed and revealed
Ā āNeumann would ask people to do little photo shoots, and they would tell you itmight be for a billboard ot this and that. But they ended up putting me on the back,of a van, shiv he was pretty funny, I got plenty of Snap Chats saying: OMG youāre on a van! I will say, I was a little upset when they took me off the van. When I visited Neumann afterwards and I was no longer on the van. I was a little bit upset, but thatās OK:)" We wonder if the next time we see Graceās likeness on a van, it will be in her Whale sweater. Wouldnāt that be cool! Ā Cetacean Nation thanks our amazing #94 Grace Klienbach for her candid and engaging content as always. Fins Up, and looking forward to watching Grace get her game again next season. Hey now, sheās an All-Star! Can an Isobel Championship be far behind? Letās go play and find out!Ā
Note: For more on Grace, check out our interview with her Dad in All In The Family #2