Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Hi there and welcome to awareness episode number three. Thank you so much for being here. I'm your host, Rob Daniels and I want to thank you so much so far for all the love on social media for this podcast, of course, supporting mental health awareness and wellness. The feedback has been incredible via Instagram, Facebook and on YouTube as well. And if I haven't gotten back to you, I will make sure to do so via your comments. So please feel free to engage in each and every episode and subscribe and like where you can, depending on which platform you are watching or listening to this podcast. So with that being said, episode number three is here and very much look forward to speaking to my guest right here. It's been a while that we've had this in the works and I'm so happy to have him here officially on the show. Spencer Hyman, who is the president of, of hockey operations for the Markham Royals in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. And I'd like to officially welcome him to the program. So Spencer, thanks so much for being here remotely. That's amazing. Thank you.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: Yeah, thanks for having me, Rob. It's a pleasure to be here and really excited to talk with you.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. So, you know, I'd mentioned that you are the president of hockey operations for the Markham Royals in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Now you've recently added a new title to your resume. Why don't you tell us about that?
[00:01:57] Speaker A: Yeah, my family and I have purchased the Brantford Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League. And I've been entrusted from my brother and father to, to take over as the chief operating officer and vice president of the organization. And it's been a great journey so far and you know, I've been having a lot of success with the hockey team and been great meeting everyone in Branford. So we've, we've been having a really great time.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: That's fantastic to hear. So you've, you and your family have officially taken over the franchise then like it's, it's official. You guys are in the works and doing the day to day operations?
[00:02:38] Speaker A: Yeah, we, we took over as of January 15th and so it's been about two months now, which has been a lot of, a lot of learning and you know, meeting new people and a lot of people in Branford. The community is unbelievable there and so it's been, it's been a great journey so far and you know, really excited for what's to come.
[00:03:01] Speaker B: That's good, good to hear. So why don't you walk us through what led to this transition for you. Why Brantford? Exactly.
[00:03:10] Speaker A: Yeah, we, you know what? My, my family's had a long history of. My father of, of chasing an OHL franchise. Junior hockey is really important to us. It's what Zach and, and myself and all of my brothers grew up in. We all played for our tier 2 junior A franchise which was the Hamilton Red Wings and, and now the Markham Royals. And you know, Junior hockey is, is part of our, our family. It's, it's, it's part of my soul really. And you know, it's, it's what, what gives me life and, and what excites me every single day. So.
Brantford is a phenomenal place. It's a phenomenal community. It's the home of Wayne Gretzky. It's a really special community that loves hockey and loves Bulldogs hockey. And so when Michael Anelauer gave us this opportunity, it's one that we don't take lightly. It's one that, you know, we, we know is a massive honor and something that we, we hold dear to our heart and we're really excited about this journey that we're all on together.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm excited for all of you guys. Like, it's a, it's an incredible thing and the OHL is, you know, that is the gateway to the NHL, I've heard many people say. So you're going to be in front of, you know, many future NHLers, I would imagine. So why don't you touch on what exactly your day to day duties are going to be with the Brantford Bulldogs? And when does the work officially get started for you on that?
[00:04:45] Speaker A: Yeah, it started. It's, it's been, it's been a journey, like I said, for the last couple months here and, and you know, I was, I guess I was the forefront person putting this whole deal together with Michael as well. So it's, you know, the work has kind of started, I'd say last May, but it's, it's been a, it's been a, a long process and day to day operations is, is really just managing the entire club from a business and a hockey standpoint, making sure that, you know, everything's running smoothly and you know, up to Bulldog standards and you know, that's really high. So it's, it's been awesome so far and just really looking forward to, you know, keeping this thing going in the right direction.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: It's fantastic to hear.
So you got your position with the Royals too here and you're going to be spending, I imagine, a lot more time In Brantford, with the new franchise that you're with there, are you able to work for both teams at this at the same time? How does that work?
[00:05:50] Speaker A: Yeah, you know what, we see the Royals as being an affiliate franchise for the Bulldogs. So, you know, in junior hockey and the landscape is changing daily, and now with the rule change of OHL players, CHL players being allowed to play NCAA hockey, what that does is it allows kids more time to develop and get ready to play in the OHL before they either head off to pro hockey or. Or head off to the NCAA school. So Markham becomes a really pivotal piece in this whole puzzle because if you draft a kid at 16 years old and he's not essentially ready or physically ready to play in the Ontario Hockey League, we've got a great development system in place because I've got the Tier 2 team and the Markham Royals that will be affiliated with the Ontario Hockey League, Brantford Bulldogs. And so from that dynamic and perspective, both clubs will be intersected in that way.
[00:06:38] Speaker B: So are you saying then in the OJHL for Markham that some of the players there could get called up to Brantford in the same season that they're playing in the OJHL for Markham?
[00:06:50] Speaker A: 100. That's the goal. That's. That's something that we plan on starting as early as next season. I think you'll see it happen very often.
[00:06:58] Speaker B: Is it what's going on then with eligibility then? Because we, from my understanding, the NCAA at one point or another didn't allow you to go to the OHL and then go to the nca. Is that been taken away now that that rule of thumb? Can. Can you still get a scholarship and at the same time play in the ohl? How is that looking now in the fear in the future?
[00:07:29] Speaker A: Yeah, you can now officially play in the Ontario Hockey League and then go to school. So the NCAA schools are heavily scouting within the Ontario Hockey League in the chl, and it will be an excellent, excellent path for. For players that maybe aren't ready to play pro hockey immediately at 19 or 20 years old and maybe need some more development or maybe want to go to school and get an education and continue their hockey career. So all it does is it gives the players more option. And that's something that, for my family is always the focus. The focus of junior hockey is to develop young men and giving them more options and experiences is unbelievably incredible. And I. I credit everyone in the NCAA as well as the CHO for allowing this to happen.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Yeah, it's fantastic. I Would. I would say the same thing. Just that that whole thing about opportunity and that they don't have to worry now about the education versus taking that step from the OHL directly to the NHL. And they could always fall back on their education. So it certainly gives them more options and I would imagine less anxiety.
Speaking of anxiety and mental health, you know, it doesn't get talked about a lot in pro sports, necessarily, hockey specifically, what these guys go through on the ice and off and even yourself, people in management and coaches. How about for you being an executive, why don't you talk about one of the most challenging situations that you could think of? Let's say that you have faced mentally as a hockey executive? Maybe it had to do with a certain player or a co worker. And how did the situation resolve?
[00:09:20] Speaker A: Yeah, excuse me. I think the first thing I'd say is that mental health is extremely real and extremely important to, to understand, especially as someone in a position of power, understanding how your actions can affect someone else without knowing it or, or without having that understanding of, of exactly, you know, what it is. I think the, the thing a lot of people don't realize is that, you know, the expression, you know, if you break your arm, you can see that the bone's broken. If you cut your arm or you cut your, you know, piece of your, your skin, you can see that there's a cut. You can't see mental illness. And that's part of the challenge of understanding. And I think, you know, from, from, for me personally, you know, difficult situations are having to release players, having to tell a kid that, you know, his, his. He's not able to, to play on the team this year, whether that be in Minor Hockey, Tier 2, or, or, you know, the Ontario Hockey League, and, you know, making sure that they understand the development plan and that it's not, you know, a never. It's not, you know, this can't happen. It's, you know, hey, maybe, you know, the approach needs to be a little bit different. Maybe you just need a little bit more development.
And I think the approach like that has to be done in a very sensitive way because these are human beings and I don't care who you are and what role you're in. Everyone deals with some sort of mental health. And it's important to check in on people. It's important to check in on your players, and it's important to understand that this is real and making sure that, you know, you're, you're in a safe environment and your players are taken care of. And protected amongst that self and having an open door policy where you can talk about things, that's really critical. And I think a lot of hockey clubs are starting to understand that even greater now. Mental health is real and supporting your players is a must.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. That's, you know, a fantastic answer. I could only follow that up with. Let's just say for yourself, for example, being a mental health advocate, is there any sort of routine that you, Spencer Hyman, would follow, let's say, to take care of your mental health daily before, let's say, starting your workday? Like for me, for example, I feel like I need to exercise first thing in the morning, you know, need to move my body. To me, movement is certainly medicine. So do you, do you have a routine that you follow before you start your day?
[00:11:54] Speaker A: Yeah, I drive five hours to get home after a game to wake up and see my daughter. And for me and my son and for me, that's what helps me take care of my mental health, my kids, and being around my family and having conversations with my brothers, being with my wife, like, like, you know, little things like that, you know, being with your family. Right. I'm very fortunate that, that I haven't really dealt with mental health myself and you know, and, and, but I have seen others around me struggle and you know, just being understanding and supportive is, is always the best way to, to handle things. I, I believe, because like I said, just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there, doesn't mean it's not real. And that's the stigma that in society, I believe, is progressing. But we're not there yet. And we need to be better.
[00:12:48] Speaker B: Absolutely. For those that don't know, your brother is Zach Hyman, star right winger for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League and formerly a Toronto Maple Leaf. Now, can you touch on your relationship as brothers growing up in Toronto? Any vivid memories? Was, was it a good relationship that you had growing up? And, and if so, are you guys still fairly close today?
[00:13:17] Speaker A: Yeah. There. So Zach and I are two of five boys. Right. So we've got, I've got four brothers. Zach's the oldest, I'm the second oldest. So he's, he's my only older brother.
What I say about Zach is like, we're extremely close. All of my brothers are extremely close. Zach's the leader of, of our generation and our family. And you know, he's, we're very fortunate. He's the best brother you could possibly have. And I say this before Zach wears a lot of different caps. He's an incredible human being. He's the most humble person you'll ever meet for all the success that he's had. But the biggest and best cap he's ever worn or will wear is that he's the best brother you could possibly have. Incredibly supportive, incredibly helpful, you know, and. And would do anything for any of us. And. And we feel the exact same way. So we're very close. Obviously, we're doing this Bulldogs venture together, and I can't thank him enough for entrusting me and giving me this opportunity to lead this franchise into. To the. Into the future because obviously he's playing hockey still and he'll be playing for many years to come. He's a phenomenal player, and that's his favorite job in the world, and he'll play as long as he can.
But for me, to give me this opportunity and to entrust me in means the world to me, and it's something that I don't take lightly.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: Yeah. How often do you get to see him then during the regular season with how busy. Well, both of your schedules are, but I imagine he's like all over North America. And is he able to come home every now and then to hang out with family or is it. Is it just a little too difficult, schedule wise?
[00:15:03] Speaker A: Yes, we have it. We have a family group chats. We talk every day. We talk all day, just, you know, randomly in different chats and you know, with my brothers and my parents and whatnot, and our wives, everyone, and our families real close. So. But, you know, I get to see Zach. He's home all summer, which is great. You know, when our seasons wind down and, you know, the NHL is in playoffs, we get to go out to Edmonton a bunch, which, which is also great. And you know, this year, for example, last night I got to see him. We took our Bulldogs team to. To Buffalo for the Oilers Sabers game, which was awesome. And you know, so sporadically around the year, if he's in Toronto, if it works with both our schedules, if he's in Detroit, you know, it really depends, you know, on proximity and timeline. But we keep in contact, talk every day and you know, whenever we can see each other, it's always special.
[00:15:54] Speaker B: Is he going to be able to help out, would you say a lot with, with the Brantford Bulldogs since he's playing, you know, all over the states and in Canada, or will he mostly be checking in online? How does that gonna work?
[00:16:08] Speaker A: Yeah, he, he. Zach's the brightest hockey mind I think. I think I'm gonna say I think this world's ever seen. And, and that'll be evidently clear as he gets more into to managing hockey as he's done playing. For me, to have that resource with me is the biggest advantage I could possibly have. There's no one smarter than my brother, and I can confidently say that. And so anything Zach does, he's all in. His focus is 100% on the Edmonton Oilers. His focus is on being the best player for the Edmonton Oilers. But in his spare time, his focus is on helping me lead the Bulldogs into the future. And he's actively involved. He's helping me. He's watching video. He's a hockey junkie. He loves it when he flies on the plane, he flies to a different city, he's watching Bulldogs hockey. He's giving me opinions, giving me advice, helping with our staff. He's a phenomenal person. He's brilliant mind, and he'll be actively involved in helping us when it doesn't, you know, intersect with his actual career, which is playing hockey.
[00:17:08] Speaker B: Fantastic. It's. It's so good to be chatting with you here, Spencer. I'll leave you with, I guess, you know, one final thing, if you'd like to, and if you want to just take a moment to think of it like the name of this, you know, relatively new podcast is awareness. And it's based on just what you may think needs to be brought into awareness that we may not know is out there, mental health wise.
Or maybe it's just a reminder or two that because we're all fighting, you know, a different battle, I think it's, you know, nobody knows what anybody is fully going through in their mind. Like you said, there's no band aid for mental health in terms of it's showing. So do you have a message to, let's say, the hockey community or to your players, to your staff that you want to bring into awareness here today when it comes to mental health and hockey?
[00:18:07] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, I think I'm a big. I'm a big Buffalo Bills fan. Right?
[00:18:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:13] Speaker A: And, you know, when Josh Allen had his MVP speech, he. He said three lines and I. It stuck with me. And, and if you just stick to this, it's very straightforward and, and, you know, awareness wise and mental health wise and being. Being a good person, like, it goes such a long way, you know, and he said, be good, do good. And then he said, go Bills. And so I would say, be good, do good, go Dogs. And whatever team you cheer for or you're part of or you play for. Be good, do good, and then go whatever team you cheer for. So be a good person. That's it. You don't know how your actions can affect someone else. You don't know how someone else's actions can affect you. Maybe you're having a tough day.
Kindness is free. Being a good person is free.
Respecting others is free. And it goes a long way and it helps people become better. And if everyone just follows those principles, that's. That's the key to life. That's the key to a positive mindset. Be good to others.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: Exactly. A very good message indeed, Mr. Spencer Hyman. Listen, I wish you and your family continued success and all the very best with the Bulldogs moving forward. Certainly some exciting times await you and your family, and I'm so happy for you.
[00:19:38] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you so much, Robin. I appreciate you. And this podcast that you're doing, I think is really important. And I think the name of it is, is truly what's important is awareness. Right. Being aware of mental health and being aware of people in your surroundings and treating people the right way. So I think what you're doing is making a difference. I'm happy to be a part of it.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: Exactly. I'm so thankful you did this today. Awareness, fostering a more compassionate, empathetic and accepting society. That's Spencer Hyman. Thank you so much for doing this.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: Thanks, Rob. Appreciate.
