Shows / Never Far from Home
Never Far from Home
NFFH uses story-telling to examine the community of hockey, nationwide. Each episode will have an interviewee that fields questions from the host, Vladan Chase. Some content is explicit, just as life sometimes is.
Episodes
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 328 - Roller hockey passion and growth
Ron Alexander comes on the show with a rich history of participating in the roller hockey world. We dive into his beginnings in southern California, and how he…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 327 - Family and advocacy
Emma Gardner jumps on the podcast, and we are able to explore a timeline riddled with passion for the game. She is a southern California girl who started in…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 326 - The bucket with the flag
Monica Quimby joins the show and we were able to dive into a fascinating tale. It includes a history of skiing, which ended in a bad accident leaving her…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 325 - Columbus Street Hockey
David Hartle joins the podcast, and we are able to explore his timeline, which has always come back to the game of hockey. While he only started playing full…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 324 - Blazing Trails
Zac Pearson joins the podcast, and we are able to explore his timeline that is full of passion for the game. While he navigated his professional career within…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 323 - Hockey and Tennis
Delaney Collins joins the show and we hop right into a timeline that included growing up in Manitoba, earning a spot on the Canadian National team for a number…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 322 - Hockey or baseball?
Garner Christensen joins the show a couple episodes after his mother was on. We dive into some storytelling about a young man who loves the game of hockey. He…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 321 - The Captain
Guy Mitchell joins the podcast after a long push and pull to get him on! We were finally able to lock down a day to meet up, and the stories did not…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 320 - The Hobbies Guy
Mason Wade joins the podcast on a trip home to Bellingham. We find time to share stories about his youth hockey days, falling in love with hockey right there…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 319 - The Texas Edge
Shannyn Pierce comes on the podcast and we dive into the laughter right off the hop. There were stories about growing up a fan of the game, and her family…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 318 - Passion and Laughter
Jill Christensen comes on the podcast and immediately her infectious personality took center stage. We share many laughs amidst stories of her early…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 317 - Dreaming of Paris
Hayley Chang joins the podcast and we go through a bunch of great stories! She grew up just North of the US border, and played hockey with the boys from a very…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 316 - Gleno
Mike "Gleno" Glenovich joins the podcast and we go through a bunch of great stories! He grew up playing hockey in the Bellingham area, and we are able to dive…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 315 - Hockey gear for all
Patrick Michael jumps on the podcast, and tells of a story he was born into. His roots in hockey are deep, especially around the Chicago area. As he grew up…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 314 - Bellingham Born
Allison Reeb joins the podcast, and we dive into family, tales of igniting passions on the rink, and also hop into some motocross. Of course we hit on some…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 313 - Is that your banner?
Eric Feiro joins the podcast and we quickly realized this would be a two-part episode. In this first piece, we dive into some stories about his competitive…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 312 - Born to be a goalie
Owen Brown joins the podcast and we dive into stories from his start at Sweet's Corner, through his time in the big cities, and how he ended up a dual citizen…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 311 - Passion and Perseverance
Erik Ruud joins the podcast and we dive into a tale filled with hockey, heartbreak, and perseverance. Affectionately known as "Ruudy" in the locker room, you…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 310 - Your mess becomes your message
Bailey Bennett joins the podcast, and we explore her tales. As the youngest of four, with all three older siblings being brothers who played hockey, there was…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 309 - A Rollerboat Community
Bill McCoy joins the podcast after discussion about having him on for over two years. We dive into his St. Louis roots, explore a timeline that includes…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 308 - The Dadcast
Cade Bangs joins the show after we had gone back and forth trying to get him on for a while. He tells a great tale of falling in love with the game he…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 307 - Becoming a Captain
Casey Nolan joins the show after being a big fan for most of the duration of Never Far from Home. He tells tales setting the scene for his move to Steamboat…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 306 - Don't be everybody
Sara Brayton joins the show, and we take deep dives on her love of family, her passion for the rink community, and the great lengths she has gone to, to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 305 - Finding intrinsic value
Lindsey Hjelm joined the show, and we go through a storyline that is filled with ups and downs. As she was sharing her stories, it was evident quickly that she…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 304 - 43° Sports
Dan Webb comes on the show and we review a history of passion associated with the game of hockey. Dan found the love of the game, and let it thrive. We speak…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 303 - The return of Billman
Matt Billman joins the show for the second time, and does not disappoint! We go over his recent coaching changes, and dive deep into his experiences over the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 302 - A journey of self-advocation
Nick Kent came on the show excited to share some stories, and he did NOT disappoint. We obviously talk about his involvement in the rink. When it started…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 301 - Close your doors
Katie Baldwin was another great guest on the show. We dive into her time growing up in love with the game in the Ohio area, and how she saw, firsthand, the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 300 - State of Hockey Address Mar. 1 '25
Mike Cochran, who was the original episode, at #1, comes back on for another "State of Hockey Address". It has been four years since we last had one of these…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 299 - The Journey
Jerry DeVaul joins the podcast for the first of two episodes. He goes in depth on the story of how he lost his legs. We dive into the next six years after the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 298 - Wanting More
Jen MacAskill came on and shared some wonderful stories. She found the game young, with two brothers and a dad who played. Being the youngest, it made sense to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 297 - "I write to live 1,000 lives"
SC Megale joined the show for a wonderful take on life. We dive into stories about her brief, but poignant, memories on the ice, and how so much of her love of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 296 - Total Female Hockey (Pt. 1)
Kim McCullough was kind enough to spend an evening regaling me with a part of her tale, and we hope to link up again soon to finsh what we started. We dive…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 295 - Fully Consumed
Kelly Damphousse joins the show and immediately I knew our allotted time would not be enough. We dive into his history within the game of hockey, and he tells…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 294 - Hockey Unlimited
Steven Barnes talks about how he first came to fall in love with hockey, as a teenager on a Canadian trip, but expresses how it took a few more years until he…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 293 - Skate Free Charlie
On Never Far from Home today, Jeff and Erika Boike. This was a special show. We dive into a little storytelling with regards to how this husband and wife met…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 292 - Working in hockey
Nick Bowins joined the show and we were able to go through a great range of tales. He got involved with the game at a young age, and we talk about what aspects…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 291 - The water filled tennis ball
We step back in to the Minnesota Chronicles 2.0 for the sixth installment. Thomas Lorincz talks about his youth, growing up in Slovakia. We touch on family…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 290 - A loving family and a sparked passion
We step away from the Minnesota Chronicles 2.0 for another episode after NFFH had the pleasure of representing in a tournament in Denver. Spencer Tscherpel…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 289 - Summit Custom Sticks
We step away from the Minnesota Chronicles 2.0 for a few episodes after NFFH had the pleasure of representing in a tournament in Denver. Brad is the first…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 288 - A coaches impact
Mike Randolph joined the podcast as the fifth guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We head through a timeline that includes growing up in a large family…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 287 - The brown shopping bag
Dave Almquist joined the podcast as the fourth guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We dive into his tales of growing up in the Duluth area. He speaks of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 286 - We are more alike then we are different
Alex Frecon joined the podcast as the third guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. The stories he shares stem beyond the game we love, and the rink…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 285 - You cannot be what you cannot see
Emily West joined the podcast as the second guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We took a trip all around her rink life. She was born into it, with a…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 284 - Learning, Loving, and Fostering Growth
Emma Sobieck joined the podcast as the first guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We dive into her stories, including growing up playing at the same rink…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 283 - The Kodiaks
The Oak Creek Kodiaks came on a very special episode. Coaches Chris Hagen (Episode 65), and Kyle Pastor (Episode 10) approached me about the idea of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 282 - A Bronco's Energy
Graysen Cameron joined the show from Canada, and we wasted no time in jumping right to his timeline within the game. He was born into it, with a brother who…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 281 - The Low-Down
Lowen Epstein came on the show to talk about his odd connection to the rink. We delve deep into his rich love of sport, and the many ways he has connected to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 280 - Stepping out of the shadow
Sara McClanahan joined the podcast, and we talk about her time growing up in Minnesota, falling in love with the game at different times, and the reasons that…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 279 - Late to the rink
On Never Far from Home today: Kelli Standekar! Kelli came on to the podcast, and shared about a wonderful timeline. Her stories span her youth where she found…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 278 - Chasing the love of the game
Gabe Levin shares tales from his early days in southern California, falling in love with the game, to his time with DU. In between, there are some marvelous…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 277 - Stay Present
Jackie Wilson came on the podcast and shared stories from her playing days through her present situation, as an official. We explore her time within the game…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 276 - St. Lawrence "D1"
Gib Mitchell came on the podcast and shared some wonderful tales. From growing up in New York, playing youth in numerous rinks, and eventually settling on…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 275 - The Dirty Alberty
Adam Albert Joined the show after a few months of hearing all about it at work. He shares some funny tales from his years playing hockey, touching on many…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 274 - The Sign Man
Dave Leonardi came on the show and shared some incredible stories. You may know him by a different name: The Sign Man. He has been a season ticket member of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 273 - A Coach from Youth
Mikey Spencer joined the show after the two of us became acquainted through Team Tucker. We explore his timeline which includes youth hockey in Minnesota…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 272 - The Handshake Lines
Mike "Doc" Emrick joins the show for round two, and does not disappoint! We delve into some more tales, and explore some of the impactful calls "Doc" has been…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 271 - Team Tucker
Dana Anderson-Helstrom is the tenth guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. We…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 270 - IIHF Down Under
Beth Bowshall joins us from Australia. We talk about how she came to fall in love with hockey and the rink in general in an area that does not have a robust…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 269 - Motivational Toaster Strudel
Corey Brenner is the ninth guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. He is an…