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. 152 - Good People
Craig Blumegold began playing hockey just before he turned 30. He shares stories about how he fell in love with the game so quickly, and how it has become a…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 151 - From fan to guest
Allan Marini is a huge hockey fan, and since finding the podcast, he has become a fan of the trip as well. It was an absolute pleasure discussing some of his…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 150 - Mom's of Hockey #7
Kira Ripley has been in the rinks since she was a little girl. Her older brother of two and a half years was a hockey player, so Kira has many memories of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 149 - Mom's of Hockey #6
Cathy Lapointe grew up on the East Coast with hockey ever-present in her peripheral. She was enamored by the sport, but didn't fall in love with it until she…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 148 - Mom's of Hockey #5
Doris Donley has played a wonderful games of hockey. Period 1: Falling in love with the sport, and her now husband. Period 2: Learning more about the rules…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 147 - Mom's of Hockey #4
Olga Chase grew up in What is now the Czech Republic. She is also my mom. I was lucky enough to have her on as a guest, and hear some of her incredible…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 146 - Mom's of Hockey #3
Lori Mitchell became involved with the game of hockey when she was dating her now-husband, Paul. When they moved to Colorado and had kids, they were quickly…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 145 - Mom's of Hockey #2
Lori Walsh was introduced to hockey in her later teen years, when she started dating a hockey player. As fate would have it, she married him eventually, and…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 144 - Mom's of Hockey #1
Lesli Cochran was first introduced to hockey when she was a kid, but didn't truly begin following the sport until she was a mom. Her oldest, Mike, is one of my…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 143 - Musician Turned Sportsman
Chris Garner grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and watched hockey as a kid, but he didn't find himself playing until his late thirties. We talk about his…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 142 - Overseas Knees
Taylor Cook was born into hockey. She grew up in a very supportive family, and in her mid-teens, she shifted gears, and became more serious within girls…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 141 - UND Tendy '87
Ed Belfour grew up in Manitoba, and was born into the hockey culture. He tells stories of his youth days, playing on some very competitive and strong teams…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 140 - Community Gained
Sawyer Lorenz got involved with hockey in his teenage years. He was a fan first, and talks about how and why he was watching the '07 Finals. We go through his…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 139 - Thorby
Chris Thorburn grew up in Canada, and was born into the hockey scene. we talk to him about his journey through youth hockey, to juniors, to eventually making…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 138 - Big Booming Red Wings Fan
Alex Coffey did have a few years of hockey when he was young, but stopped playing in second grade when he decided to pursue skiing. He was a member of SSWSC…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 137 - The Crossover
Sady Tobin was involved with the rink from a young age, as her brother played hockey and was three years older. She didn't start playing until she was a…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 136 - Birdie
Ian Anderson spent most of his youth days in Steamboat. He started playing hockey at a young age, and fell in love with the sport because of a former Avalanche…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 135 - VC Bobcats
Ellen Tully grew up around the rink. She was the youngest in a hockey family, and though she did not ever play organized hockey herself, she fell in love with…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 134 - Legalized Carnage
Gary Whiteley became involved in the game of hockey in his early twenties. He fell in love with the game, and wishes now that he had gotten involved at an…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 133 - UND '87
Bob Joyce was born into the hockey world. His father was a player himself, and Bob quickly found a love for the game. We talk about his early days, and some of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 132 - One Sheffield
Martin Peters was first introduced to the game of hockey with a family name that many know, the Gretzky's. He met Keith and Walter, and shares that brief…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 131 - The Middle Triplet
Zack Slezak began playing hockey shortly after he could walk. He shares stories about growing up in the Chicago area, falling in love with the sport and the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 130 - The Clumsy Artist
Jacquelin Zimmerman began figure skating in her youth days, as she was exploring the many sports available to her at the time. She fell in love with skating…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 129 - Strength in Culture
Connor Lyons began playing roller hockey, and a few years later got into the realm of ice hockey. His journey has taken him all around the world, playing and…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 128 - Big Roller Hockey Guy
Jordan Mackenzie began playing roller hockey, and has been able to stay involved with the rink since he was eight. He now is participating with the Lightning…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 127 - Blueprints
Ryan Cronin grew up in upstate New York, and was introduced to the hockey world by his grandpa at just three or four. He was fixated on the game when they…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 126 - Born into Boston Fandom
Nick Strid began skating around eight years old. He began skating on figure skates for the first few months, then quickly transitioned into hockey. His love…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 125 - Lightning Outreach
On this unique episode of NFFH, I am joined by a couple guys working for the Tampa Bay Lightning in their outreach programs: Aaron and Jordan. They are able to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 124 - The Grind
Dusty Henning began playing when he was a youngin. He regales me with some of his best memories of his youth days, before we get into his long list of pro…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 123 - Small Town Juneau Boy
Colter Pritchard began playing hockey in his early teens, after first getting introduced to skating at three. He quickly became a goaltender, and loved it. His…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 122 - Real Life
Ricky Gnatowsky was not born into hockey, at all. He happened into the rink life, after REAL LIFE, and he has since fallen in love with the community. We go…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 121 - The Metro Method
Glen Metropolit grew up in Toronto. We sat down today over some coffee, and he shared some stories from his youth playing days, moving from ball hockey in to…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 120 - Florida Fans
Amber Niland was born to be a hockey player. She started playing when she was around five, and has been engaging in different aspects of the community of the…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 119 - SteelKings
Jake Oakley was introduced to hockey at a younger age, but at first, he was not a fan of skating. He would attend games with his father and sister, and loved…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 118 - Block 17
Liz Stewart always seemed to fancy hockey. She was not involved in the game in her childhood, but around her teen years, finally found her way to the rink. She…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 117 - The Rink Life
Graig O'Brien was able to explore the community of the pond as a kid, as well as deck hockey. He was then introduced to the game later on as a dad, and has…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 116 - Block Party
Seth Kushner was introduced to hockey as a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was able to grow his love of the game after working with some of the players, and…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 115 - Working Hard
Kyle was at rinks from a young age, watching hockey, but didn't begin playing till he was ten. We get into details about his youth hockey days, and eventually…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 114 - Taranaki Masters Games
I am joined by a few awesome guys from the Taranaki Masters Games in New Zealand, and we are able to talk about inline, and how it is growing in the country…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 113 - Whale Tales
Jamie Goldsmith began skating on Beaver Lake, and played boys hokey for a few years before making the shift to girls around twelve or thirteen. Enjoy her many…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 112 - The Bus Boy
Ernie Hartlieb was born into the hockey community. His father was a big fan and player of the game, and being in Michigan, it was an easy sell. He remembers…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 111 - The Parking Lot
Tom McLean got a later start in hockey. He was already in his early twenties when he began playing, and being in Florida in the 90's, he was first introduced…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 110 - Morty
Craig Morton was another NFFH'er born into hockey. His father was a big hockey guy in Detroit, and Craig had an older brother that was already a player as…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 109 - Shaggy
Warren Hewett began playing hockey in his mid to late teens. He started in the roller arena, before moving over to ice within a year or two. There was an…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 108 - Surrounded by Talent
Bryan Smith began playing hockey a little later in life, but was able to catch up quick. We talk about his journey through his playing days, through his short…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 107 - Through Hockey
Brent Pearson began skating from the age of two. He was born into a family of hockey players and figure skaters, as his mom was on the ice at high levels of…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 106 - Black Butterflies
Kam Fink began playing roller hockey, and within a few years had transitioned to ice. We step through his journey, including a couple tough years in Peewee…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 105 - Shrode-a-saurus
Kaitlyn Shrode started skating around six years old. She is the younger of the Shrode sisters, and tells many stories of growing up in the hockey household she…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 104 - Shrodey
Taylor Shrode began playing hockey when she was ten. She fell in love with the game a few years later when she started traveling for a team on the Front Range…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 103 - Home is where the rink is
Bobby Davis began playing hockey around nine or ten. He shares tales from a young age of the impact his mom and dad had on him, not just on the ice, but in…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 102 - Betting on myself
Nicco Cardarelli began playing hockey early in his childhood. He gathered rather quickly that it would not lead him to the NHL as a player, but he accepted…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 101 - Elbow Crease
Kyle Hayton began playing hockey when he was seven. He found more of a pssion for the game around twelve, and pursued his dreams of playing professionally. His…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 100 - State of Hockey Address Feb. 2021
In the first ever State of Hockey Address, Mike Cochran returns to the show, as we talk about what the first one hundred episodes have done. There is a recap…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 99 - Car rides
Sheldon Randell grew up in Newfoundland, and was started skating at a very early age. His dad was a big influencer in his hockey, and he shares some fantastic…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 98 - Data Points
Paul Podkulski became involved with hockey as a fan as a young child. He grew up in upstate New York, but because of family, he was a Flyers fan. We go through…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 97 - Go Figure...
On a special edition of the pod, I am joined by two figure skaters to tell some great stories. Alex and Michelle Aiken chat about their respective time growing…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 96 - Back and Forth
Dajon Mingo began his journey in the rink on figure skates. He participated in that capacity from 5-7, then found himself in hockey. He talks about his journey…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 95 - Jax Ice
Laura Belluccia was a figure skater in her younger days when she grew up near Tampa. She got into a few of her favorite memories from her younger time, but our…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 94 - Gin
Kevin Gintoli began playing around nine, and it was my pleasure to talk to him. Our conversation spanned his days playing competitively at the youth level…
Never Far from HomeNever Far from Home Ep. 93 - Ice Tigers
Jimi Drinkall began playing hockey in his twenties, after attending a professional game in his local rink. He loved the physical side of the game, and found…