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. 268 - Becoming Elite
Erik Westrum is the eighth guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. We connected…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 267 - Edina Roots 1
Paul Ranheim is the seventh 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. 266 - Uptown Funk
Kalli Funk is the sixth guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. Kalli was kind…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 265 - In a Father's Footsteps
Derek Shepherd is the fifth guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. We got into…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 264 - The Trailblazer
Delaney Middlebrook is the fourth guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 263 - The Torpy-doh
Kenzie Torpy is the third guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. Kenzie and I…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 262 - Player, Coach, Lawyer, Author
Chris Middlebrook is the second guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. Chris…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 261 - The Minnesota Vagabond
Tom Peart is the first guest in the "Minnesota Chronicles", a special series from my time in Minnesota for the Boys State High School Tourney. Tom goes through…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 260 - Born to be a goalie
Kassidy Sauve came on and we go into her timeline of involvement, as we do on the show. Hers is a Canadian story. She was almost born with skates on, and was…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 259 - Big Cardio
Amanda Provan was kind enough to join the show, and we explore her passion for the game. She began playing at 12, but had loved it since her youth. The path of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 258 - Big Edge-work Guy
Kenny Simmons was the third live guest of Never Far from Home. We sat down at West End Sports Grill, and had a great chat about his timeline within the game of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 257 - Minister of Defense
Tristan Lindberg comes on the show, and we explore a timeline that includes sighted hockey for a large chunk of time, including some time in juniors. Then, as…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 256 - Chicago Strong
Salmaan Chaudhri joined the podcast, and we were able to get into some of his timeline connected to the rink. We talk about one of my favorite things…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 255 - Somewhere beyond the S-E-A
Lee Becker and I have been pining to get together on a podcast for a while, and his stories do not disappoint. We explore a timeline that includes growing up…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 254 - exe-Kucy-ioner
Ryan Kucy and I dive into his hockey timelines, highlighted by his first few times skating, and eventually, finding blind hockey a little later in his teen…
- Never Far from Home
Never Far from Home Ep. 254 - exe-Kucy-ioner
Ryan Kucy and I dive into his hockey timelines, highlighted by his first few times skating, and eventually, finding blind hockey a little later in his teen…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 253 - Hockey and Skiing
Hannah Croonquist and I met up at the Howie Dome, and she regaled me with stories about falling in love with the game. Originally from Minnesota, she wasted…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 252 - One of the Flock
Missy Segall came on the show and we wasted little time diving into the stories and timeline! Missy grew up just outside of Boston, and she fell in love with…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 251 - Gear Junkie
Spencer Wayman was guest #2 live from West End Sports Grill! We had a great time going through his involvement within the game, from his youth days in Craig…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 250 - My Friend, Doc
Mike "Doc" Emrick was welcomed to the show, and shared some great stories. We had limited time, but made the most of it, exploring some of the roots of his…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 249 - Call Sign - "Boozer"
Dave Paolillo joins the show and we were able to explore many stories within his great life. He spent some years in New York, where he learned to love the game…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 248 - Hockey and Fishing
McKenna Hulslander joined the show, and shared wonderful stories about growing up in Montana. She talks about some of the challenges faced being in such a…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 247 - A-Dater
Adrian Dater grew up in the Northeast, and found a draw to sports through his connection to some Boston TV. He was lucky enough to grow in the game with names…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 246 - Hockey Pure
Brian Ripley was the first live show for Never Far from Home. We plan to have more in the future, and what those develop into may change, but it was a blast to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 245 - The Maccabiah Games
Sydney Bierwirth had some awesome tales to share, from growing up in the Detroit area, and falling in love with the game at the height of the Avalanche-Red…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 244 - Schrammer the Hammer
Dan Schramm and I sat down after a great lunch, and he shared many stories, from growing up in the Vail valley in a household already in love with hockey, to…
Never Far from HomeNever far from Home Ep. 243 - The Dented Puck
Drew Garza was an interesting story to listen to. He was sighted, and played hockey through his college years, then stepped away from the game for some time…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 242 - The French Connection
Tristan Brooks was kind enough to join the show, and told some fantastic stories. We covered his youth, from Alabama to Oregon, to France. He shared tales of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 241 - Finding the game
Adam Young joined the show and we were able to explore his love of the game. From being a fan and enjoying the game on multiple stops around the country, to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 240 - Women's Hockey Life
Jaclyn Hawkins kindly came on the podcast and shared some fantastic tales. From a big career and life moment when heading to the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 239 - Dawg Nation St. Louis
There was a special event on Never Far from Home today: a round table discussion with the Dawg Nation: St. Louis boys. Jared Schmierbach and Matt Heath joined…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 238 - Grit and Grace
Justin Goldman did a fantastic job diving into stories as we explored his wild timeline, from a child playing hockey in Texas, through being an EBUG for the…
- Never Far from Home
Never Far from Home Ep. 238 - Grit and Grace
Justin Goldman did a fantastic job diving into stories as we explored his wild timeline, from a child playing hockey in Texas, through being an EBUG for the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 237 - Southern Sleds
Declan Farmer joined the show and we get into his story. From finding the game of sled hockey around 8, all the way through his three gold medals to date with…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 236 - A Battle of the Mind
Sierra Natzke joined the podcast, and shared stories of falling in love with the game of hockey at a young age. She started in roller, and switched to ice. I…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 235 - 10 a.m. Whiskey's
Kelly Cook joined the show as one of the first people to have known about the idea of Never Far from Home. While she only started playing in the last few…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 234 - The Penny Arcade
Brandi Kerns came on the podcast and we barely scratched the surface on this hockey life. We explore some of her timeline, there are plenty of laughs, and we…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 233 - Texas Hockey
Gary Russell joined the show, and while time kept us from going deep into some storytelling, we were able to explore his timeline of involvement within the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 232 - Wild, Wild West
Andy Hudson came on the podcast with a history of being on a few others. We were able to get into his start within the rink community, and discussed how it all…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 231 - The New Hampshire Avs Fan
Pat Salvas joins the show and we have a good change of pace from the normal scene of Never Far from Home. While there is a timeline exploration, Pat and I are…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 230 - The Couch GM
Jenna Hoffman joins the show and talks about her time playing hockey in the Colorado Select organization. Her biggest impacts were the friends she made along…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 229 - Tales of a Traveler
Kendall Hanley talks about her hockey journey, one that has taken her all over the globe. She found the game, then after college, found reffing. It proved to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 228 - A Different Path
Sydney Harris joined the show and spoke on her youth days growing up in Pueblo. It was there that she fostered a love for the game, and her journey since has…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 227 - The Old Man
CJ came on the show as only the third guest that I grew up playing hockey with. That is always a special occasion for me, and hearing his tales, and connecting…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 226 - The First Few Years
Taylor Zion grew up in Texas, but was introduced to hockey at a young age. We explore what it meant to be a hockey player in a football-centric culture, and…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 225 - Select Memories
Taylor Gross grew up in Colorado Springs, and regales us with stories from her days playing with the boys, all the way through some time with the Tigers girls…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 224 - Post
Jack Engdahl comes on the pod merely a week after meeting me. We share some experiences about Dawg Bowl 12, and what a top notch organization Dawg Nation…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 223 - Barriers and Gatekeepers
Sam Schacter talks about growing up in the rink world. We delve into his family life, and the uniqueness of his siblings age range. He grew up playing from his…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 222 - Hard Pass
Jade Bettine joined the show, and regaled us with the tales of an Arizona girl who turned into a hockey player in college. She talks about finding the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 221 - Citizens of the Rink
Dylan Sanders came onto the podcast, and had some fantastic tales from his time in Nashville, growing up in a time where the nucleus was small in the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 220 - As a Parent
Alton Simones found the game of hockey on the tennis courts and streets of Aurora as a young child. He recalls the "Sandlot" vibes with his friends, as they…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 219 - Calm is slow, slow is good, good is fast
Charlie Marchese Jr was introduced to hockey, and the community of the rink, at an early age. He started out playing D and goalie, accepted his role as goalie…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 218 - Two Miles in Barcelona
John Schiavo was born to be a hockey player. From his youth days, and getting introduced to the game through his dad, to the present, where the game consumes…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 217 - Hockey is good, I'll do more
Lee Zerfass joined the show, and shared some wonderful stories, from growing up in Chicago, to moving to Florida. Lee has found himself in plenty of situations…
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Never Far from Home Ep. 217 - Hockey is good, I'll do more
Lee Zerfass joined the show, and shared some wonderful stories, from growing up in Chicago, to moving to Florida. Lee has found himself in plenty of situations…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 216 - Horns up
Lindsey Ellis joined the show, and told fantastic stories from the desert! From a "late start" to winning a national championship, and from playing to starting…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 215 - Fox Hunting
Lee Cox shares stories from childhood, near Baltimore. She grew up on horses, and is the last of three kids. At her house, there was a pond that froze each…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 214 - The Collector of People
Travis Gainsley joins me after quite some time trying to convince him to be on. He was a huge piece to getting NFFH off the ground, and I was happy to listen…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 213 - Connections
Scott Graham joins the show. We were able to dive into his timeline, exploring his youth hockey days in Westminster, CO, all the way to his Italian year in the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 212 - For Those that are Listening
Ben Sheridan joins the podcast after being a big fan for a long time. Ben comes on to share his stories of hockey, though sparse. While there may not be a huge…