Welcome to good game with Sarah Spain. Where we had to leave Canada, not by exile or extradition or official decree or anything. It was just time to go home. But we'll be back. I still got to get to a Scepter's game and I want to go to the
top of Toronto c And Tower. It's Friday, June twentieth, and on today's show, we'll be talking to hockey power couple and teammates on the Canadian national team and the Montreal Victoire, Marie Filipoulen and Laura Stacy about the adorable moment their romance sparked their decision to share their relationship publicly, YPWHL expansion sides Vancouver and Seattle will be threats next season, and why Laura wanted league gms to consider her as
her own player and not Whoo's plus one plus. The WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship is set, a quartet of newbies get their first national team call up, and a reminder that everything we see on the internet isn't automatically true. It's all coming up right after this. Welcome Max Slaiceys, Happy Friday. Here's what you need to know today in WNBA Hoops. The Commissioner's Cup Final is set after Minnesota went five to one in Cup play and Indiana went four in one, so it'll be the Links versus the
Fever July first, at eight pm Eastern on Prime. The team that wins the n season tournament will be awarded a prize pool of five hundred thousand dollars, and each player in the championship game earns a chunk of one hundred twenty thousand dollars pool of cryptocurrency from sponsor Coinbase more hoops. Former Fever draft pick Brie Hall, who was waived by Indiana before the start of the season, was picked up by the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday, just
ahead of the team's game against Indiana on Thursday. The former South Carolina standout had been set to play for the three XBA A three x three league before redirecting to the Bay to join the Valks. Even more hoops, I want to shout out a fun moment Tuesday night after the Dallas Wings first home win of the season and eighty seventy one victory over the Valkyries. In her postgame presser, rookie Page Beckers unveiled a custom Gatorade flavor
made just for her. Beckers, who was the first NCAA player to sign an NIL deal with the brand, has often talked about her love of Shirley Temples, so the brand cooked up what they're calling Page's favorite flavor. They even slapped her face and signature on the label. Shirley Temple is like my favorite drink of all time, Beckers told the media Tuesday as she admired the bottle. No word yet on whether the rest of us will ever
get to try it. Finally, an on court action, We've got three games in the w Tonight two contest tip off at seven thirty pm Eastern, the Washington Mystics at the Atlanta Dream and the Dallas Wings at the Connecticut Sun. Then at ten pm Eastern, it's the Seattle Storm at the Las Vegas Aces. All three games can be found
on Ion and League Pass to the Soccer Pitch. US women's national team head coach Emma Hayes is named the twenty five player training camp roster for their upcoming matches against Ireland and Canada, remaining true to what she told friend of the sho Jeff Casoof on ESPN earlier this week. Naomi Germa is the only European based player on the roster. The other twenty four play their club soccer in the NWSL.
Included in the call ups are friends of the Show Angelina Anderson, Emily SAMs, Corey bethoon Yasmine Ryan and Izzy Rodriguez. Special shout out to Izzy for earning her first call up. She joined Seattle Rain center back Jordan bug Gotham FC fullback Lily Reel and Seattle Rain midfielder Sam Mezza as first time call ups. All four players have been part of US youth national teams and played in Youth World Cups, World Cup, and Olympic champ Rose Level is also on
this training camp roster. She returns to the US women's national team for the first time in about six and a half months after recovering from ankle surgery. The US will play Ireland on June twenty sixth outside Denver and again three days later in Cincinnati, and they'll conclude the international window against Canada July second in Washington, d c. To the NWSL. Two games tonight, both get underway at eight pm Eastern. Angel City FC pays a visit to
the League leading Kansas City Current. That one will be on Prime Video, and at the same time, the Orlando Pride take a trip to Kentucky to play Racing Louisville. You can catch that game streaming on NWSL plus. One last bit of NWSL news shout out to friend of the show Ali Riley, who returned to training for Angel City this week after missing months to a nerve issue in her leg. The issue forced her to withdraw from the Paris Olympics and prematurely ended her NWSL season last year,
causing her to question her future in the sport. While she's not back to full strength, We're so happy to see her in uniform and out on the field with her team, and you can tell she's overjoyed as well. We'll link to a video of her addressing the squad at practice in our show notes. More soccer in USL Super League news. The Tampa Bay Sun, this season's USL Super League champions, have announced plans for a purpose built women's soccer stadium, a fifteen thousand seat venue on the
Ebor Harbor waterfront. The USL Super League a professional women's league that launched last year with plans to compete directly against the NWSL completed its first season last Saturday, with Tampa Bay lifting the inaugural trophy after defeating Fort Lauderdale
United FC one nil. In April, the league sold its naming rights to Gainbridge, and starting with the twenty twenty five twenty six campaign, will be known as the Gainbridge Super League to hockey, roster moves abound in the PWHL this week as expansion squad's PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle continue to build out their rosters. Here are some of the highlights. Forward Hannah Miller signed a three year deal to join PWHL Vancouver after playing for the Toronto Scepters
the past two seasons. Vancouver also added two time Walter Cup champion forward Mikayla Cava, forward Terresa Venisheva, and defender Emma Greco on two year agreements, as well as defender Melissa Channel Watkins on a one year deal. PWHL Seattle added defender Mariah Keppel and forward Natalie Snodgrass on one
year deals and signed forward Lexiagia for two years. Plenty of moves elsewhere in the league as well, will link to the PWHL's roster updates page in our show notes too golf three major championships taking place the next six weeks in the LPGA, beginning with the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, which teed off yesterday in Frisco, Texas. South Korea's Amy Yang is the defending champion last year's breakout Superstar Nelly Corps, but still looking for her first win of the season.
She's finished in the top ten and four of her nine starts, and tied for second in last month's US Open. We got to take a quick break, yet when we come back, it's Marie Philippe and Laura joining us now. She's the captain of the Canadian national hockey team and the Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women's Hockey League. A three time Olympic gold medalist and four time World champion, she's known as Captain Clutch after scoring the game winning goal in the gold medal game in three out of
four Olympics in which she's competed. The first female hockey player to win the Northern Star Award is Canada's top Athlete of the Year. She was named a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in twenty twenty four. She was also just named the International Ice Hockey Federation Player of the Year. She studied psychology at Boston University, and she shares the cutest dog ever, Arlow, with her wife. It's Marie Philippe Polen.
Hi.
Marie Philippe, Hi, how are you? I'm good? Thanks? Speak of her wife. She's also with us. She's also a Canadian national team player and member of the Montreal victor of the PWHL. A two time Olympic medalist and winner of three Golds for silvers at a bronze with the World Championships. She comes from a sporty family, including her great grandfather, Francis King Clancy, who's in the Hockey Hall of Fame at Dartmouth Grad. She's the other half of
the Arlow Fan Club and Hockey's greatest power couple. It's Laura Stacey.
Hi, Laura, Hey, thanks for having us.
Thanks for joining us. Happy, Pride, Happy. She's gay. Marcus Month the best month of the year as far as we're concerned. I want to start with Arlow because you both seem to be as obsessed with him as I am with my three dogs, including putting his face on the napkins at your wedding last September. The only thing we had in mind for our wedding before we planned anything else, was that our dog would be the ring bearer, and then our venue would not allow dogs no matter what,
and we were so sad. So I totally get your obsession. And it really feels like, Laura, that Arlow has actually genuinely changed your life. Is that right?
Yeah, He's definitely on a big part of it.
I think both of us we weren't really sure when we were going to get a dog how we were going to be able to do it, just with traveling and playing hockey year round. But at the end of the day, we're like, let's just go for it, let's give it a try. It was covid. We just went out of limb We're like, let's let's buy a dog. And it was definitely one of the best decisions we've made. And you're right, we're pretty obsessed, that's for sure.
He is extremely cute. And I don't know if it was your doing, Laura, but I read or listened to somewhere that Marie Philippe was like no dog with any like fur that might shed I don't want a big one. I actually don't know if I want a dog at all. So safe to say you were completely wrong in every way, Marie, Fleep.
Yes, exactly, You've done your research. I love it.
Yeah, I didn't grow up with a dog, and honestly him, I did like them, but I was not obsessed. And honestly, I would always probably judge people that they would be sad when they're leaving the house or they're kissing them or living making them sleep in their bed. I was probably a first one to judge down. But I gotta say, now my whole world kind of turn around for this little arlold boy, and I'm obsessed with him.
So I'm pretty excited about him.
Yeah, I feel like that's all I need to tell people, is like, you just don't understand. Just get a dog, and soon you'll be one of us and you'll be a total.
Free I agree. Until you have one, you don't.
Know what they do for you and the love they give you and even coming home after a loss or a bad day, or honestly he has no idea and does not care. He still loves us no matter what. So it's been a pretty great feeling through everything.
It's truly therapy, and not in a hyperbolic sense. It literally like one of my dogs sleeps directly on top of me like a weighted blanket, and I'm like, yeah, this is this is therapy. Actually, Marie Philip, not only did it cause you to like love dogs in a way you didn't understand, but you actually said in an interview a few months after your wedding that Arlow has you convinced that kids are in the future and that
that's your next big project as a couple. So I love that the dog was like the little tester for that. That's tough to navigate when you've got two professional athletes. So what are those conversations like for the two of you as you're both still competing at the highest level, trying to figure out timing and things like that.
Yeah, obviously, I think we're both still trying to figure out. I think we're both in the a little bit getting older, and we're all aware of what can be in the future. And for sure, for us, having your family having kids is in our project and that's what we want, but we still love to figure out we still want to be part of that.
Let Victoire.
We still want to be at the Olympics in twenty twenty six and we're working hard for that. But I think after that it'll be awesome to make this happen. But we know it takes a lot of work and we'll go one day at a time.
Speaking of your Montreal Victoire finished the regular season at the top of the standings in the PWHL, but exited in the playoff. Second season in a row for that sort of disappointing finish. What needs to change for the team this upcoming season, Laura, Honestly, that's a great question.
I don't know if we have the answer to that yet.
I think obviously we've been taking a little bit of time after the season to take.
It in and of deal with that disappointment.
You're right, two seasons in a row, when you think you're close, when you think you're getting there and it gets taken from you pretty early or you don't quite have it.
It is disappointing.
We feel it, our fans obviously feel it, and so I think just moving forward, it is finding those different ways to win, and obviously we were able to do pretty well throughout the season, but at.
The end of the day.
What matters is the playoffs and winning a championship, and we weren't able to do that for our team and for our city.
So obviously it starts with us.
We need to find a way to make a difference in the playoffs and to have a bigger impact. And then again, I think it's just little things and working together, becoming more close with our team. And obviously there's a lot of big changes here coming up in the PWHL, so that's going to be a big thing, is how can all these teams adapt to those changes quicker and also just get to know their new teammates, get to know the new feeling because the teams are changing so drastically.
So I think to get to the championship, that's what it is. It's being able to adapt, being able to change. Different things are happening in our environment and our league it on a regular basis, and so I think it's important for us as veteran players on the team to find a way to help every single person adapt and be a part of this new team that we're going to see next year.
Yeah, I want to talk about expansion, but first I want to ask you, Marie, Philip you've won it every single level. No secret that you're widely considered the best player in the world. It's been two seasons only, so very early in this PWHL. But how much pressure do you feel when it comes to p WHL titles versus the pressure you feel for Canadian national team events like the Olympics or World Championships.
Well, honestly, we like, I'm pretty fortunate to be part of such amazing teams and having teammates in the environment that allowed us to win. But honestly, being part of the PWHL, being part of La Victoire, it is part of right away. You jump into that team, you want to win, and I don't think it's extra pressure. I think it's part of me as an athlete to be competitive and wanting to win day in and day out, and honestly, starting this league, every team wants to win.
Every team wants to raise that Walter Cup that first time. See the Sea Minnesota doing twice in a row, just like the Panthers.
The Sneaky Frost exactly.
I think for all of us, we want to win.
I want to bring him back to Montreal and it's gonna be saying yes, there's pressure, but I think thinking of pressure in a positive way and just moving forward towards that day in and they out.
We haven't yet seen the logos, the names everything for Seattle and Vancouver, so at least for now, Montreal hands down, best logo, hands down best jersey. I don't want to say, you know, I can't say it for next season because we still got to see what's happening with the new teams. But that's the jersey that I want. It's so sick. Let's talk about expansion. So the expansion draft wrapped up
last week. The two of you are staying put with the Victoire, but the league saw a lot of big moves, including Hillary Night signing with Seattle after Boston left her unprotected, Montreal losing Kayleb Barnes, Jennifer Gardner, among others. What was your reaction when you heard that teams could protect initially just three players, Laura.
Those are tough questions here, obviously, as as players of the Victire, it's sad. It's sad to see our only three people be protected. Obviously, we didn't know what was going to happen, myself included. I didn't know if I
was going to be protected. So I think just just obviously that first unknown and that first scary feeling of wow, only three that's quite a small amount, and especially in this team that we've created that we thought was going to do so well, and obviously even with the result of this of the playoffs, I think we still had an incredible team. We had great people, great culture, and so I think our first reaction as WHOA, this is a big change. A lot is going to be different here.
This team that we have is not going to look the same at all. So I think that was our initial reaction. And then we've obviously tried to take with some perspective here in the sense of like, it is.
Amazing for women talking.
It is amazing that two new teams are being able to be at to this league in such short time because of how well the PWHL and how well all six teams have done. So I think that perspective gives you like, Okay, this this is for something so much bigger.
And we started this league with that same sense of we want this to be a legacy, we want this to be long lasting and forever, and so it is important to look at it in all the disappointment in the fact that we lost some of our friends and our favorite players, Like it is important to zoom out a little too and see how how awesome it is. But yeah, I think obviously three players is it is not a lot, And to see how Vancouver and Seattle are shaping up, it seems like they are quite the
great teams. But with that being said, I think all six teams have built something pretty special in each market for the last two years and I don't think that disappears with just this new process. That's still those those cultures, those that what's started in all six of those cities is still there, and I think all us six original teams are are going to rely on those fan bases and in order to kind of keep pushing forward here.
So there's a lot to it. There's a lot of thoughts.
Obviously it's pretty fresh to all of us, but I think it is important that there is a lot of positives to it as well.
I actually had Hillary Knight on the show about a week before protected players were announced, and I was joking about like, oh, what if Boston didn't protect you? Ha ha ha, And she said one of her biggest goals before retiring was to bring a cup to Boston and then boom, she's gone, which is crazy. I didn't actually
think that would happen. But it also speaks to the kind of talent that these rosters are going to have from day one, the talent that they got between the signing window and the draft and the noun free agency. Just how big of a threat do you think they're going to be in their first seasons? Murrayfully, because expansion teams usually you can be like, it's gonna take a little while, but they look pretty good.
They look very good. I gotta tell you, they're going to be a threat from day one. Honestly, they props to the GM that the in drafting those amazing players, and yeah, honestly, like hearing Nighter not getting protected, Honestly, I was very surprised and shot for us. For me, it's the face of women's hockey and especially around the world, and.
It's hard to see.
Honestly, she's created that league since day one, so it'll be interesting to see, but honestly very happy to see her in Seattle creating something.
Very special there.
But to see these two teams lining up with these with the free agency, with the draft, it's amazing.
Good for them, but we.
Got our work, toy. You do worried, I would be worried about an angry Hillary Night with something. She's been bad enough already. Happy go lucky Hillary Night is scary enough.
I do think Seattle is quite lucky to have her to grow that program with a face like that and a player like that. I mean, to start a brand new program in a new city like Seattle, I think having Nighter there couldn't be more beneficial to them, and honestly, probably to the league. I know Boston is really going to miss her, but it's it's good for her. That's like in that sense too, Laura.
It's a dream that you two ended up on the same team. But as this league was coming together, you did not want to be considered a package deal. In fact, you've said you had conversations with all the gms in the PWHL and said, I only want to be drafted if you want me as a person and as a player, not as Marie Philipp's plus one or some package deal. So can you tell me about that time, because you said it was quite hard on you.
Yeah, I think obviously I want to be my own person as well. My own player, and that's that's important to the two of us, is we're not just doing this to be a couple and to live in our own house. We're doing it to chase our own passions and our own dreams, obviously in support of one another
as well. And so from day one when this league started, I had no idea what to expect, and it was a nervous feeling coming to Montreal, a new city where obviously not a Quebec Quebec Qua player, and they didn't really know who I was or where what I was doing. So I just I didn't want to have that feeling
of I'm only in Montreal for that reason. And obviously Danielle silvia Jo made that really clear to me and important to me that that they wanted me as as not only a hockey player, but as a person as well. And so yeah, I think obviously that's that's been a big part of my focus even here throughout the Protection draft, that that was important to me as well.
And I think we're always going to be like that.
We of course we want to play together, we want to live in the same city, we want to spend time in our house with Arlow that's that's the dream. But on the same side of that, we are both passionate about our dreams and and our aspirations and living out those and chasing our own goals and dreams. Obviously, if we can do it and support of one another in side by side, that is the dream and that that is the goal. But with that being said, it is important for both of us to be our own, our own people.
Marie Fileapel, you say quebec qua, Well.
You can't be.
Yeah, right, so that sounded a little bit more natural for you. Laura, how is your French when you join the team.
It's not amazing. I'm still working on it.
I've taken some classes. I have an awesome French tutor teacher. It's like one on one. We work together a little bit, so she's definitely helped me out recently. I would still not great. I still don't have that nice crisp accent, but I can definitely understand it a lot more when people speak to me.
Yeah, I love that your tutor isn't your wife. That's smart. That's this Honestly, you need a little time away. I actually want to get back to what's been called the Royal wedding because you two have been together on and off since twenty seventeen. I actually read about that scary break. I hadn't heard about the break until I started diving deep. I love that it required one of you to like literally stalk the other's team bus and be like, get out here, we need to talk, not letting you go.
But you only more recently, despite having Benji together for a number of years, really started sharing more of your life and your love publicly and being more open about it. And before we get to talking about it now, I'm sort of obsessed with the story of the moment you both realized that there might be a little spark there. So Laura, can you can you share that? Because I love that story.
Uh yeah, it was quite early on. It was right after centralization. It was at my first time on the senior after my first World Championships on the senior team, we had this golf tournament.
It was called good as Gold. It was used to it. It used to just be there.
It used to just be a really fun weekend with all of our teammates and sponsors, and it was amazing, the best weekend ever.
Anyways, we were there and.
We like we were just having drinks with everybody having fun, and a bunch of us ended up going skinny dipping. Just it was like one two in the morning, no idea. There was a big group of us and the shares an.
Ocean, a pond, a lake, a pool in Blue mountain, Blue Mountain, Okay, And a shooting star came flying across the sky and there's tons of people in the pool and for some reason, like only the two of us looked up and saw this shooting star in the sky and we kind of made eye contact.
After and we're like, WHOA, this is a weird feeling, a weird spark, And honestly, it wasn't anything. It was literally just like this feeling, this moment, and it passed and we kind of never did never thought about it again until later on, obviously when we started getting closer and talking more often. But it always kind of came back to that moment of like, WHOA, I felt something.
Then did you?
Oh?
I love that?
And then in the wedding vows you said she was the wish I always dreamed of and I didn't realize until now that's so cute love. I love cute romantic stories, and I think that's such a sweet one. It's also very sapfic that you're like, well, we were just in a pool with a bunch of naked chicks and we caught eyes. We were the two that stood out. It's like a little too on the nose, guysfullief. You told CBC Sports in November that this is probably the most
myself I've ever been. I've always been the hockey player, but I have a wife and I can be myself. People are coming to the rink and saying thank you for allowing me to be myself. So what inspired you to be more open with fans and family and community.
I mean, like it did take a while to like kind of be okay and be open to this whole new world. But I knew my environment, knew about us, and it was okay. But I think for us and what I saw lately with this league, to have the people that come through a game, and it's from all different aspects.
It's from the sport.
World to the art world to the music world, and it's everybody can be themselves. And seeing signs in the rink, people on the street where you from afar, You're like, there's no way they know about hockey, and they stop you and say, oh my god, I came to my first hockey game and I love it can be yourselves and those are all little moments in the last couple of years. I'm like, Wow, it's beyond hockey. It's beyond
the plays on the ice. It allows people to be themselves enjoying something else that maybe they never knew about. And it's women's hockey now. And you hear people saying I had the best winterever. Have a season ticket, I
come to every game. Like those all little moments interaction that you have with people that are like, really, open your eyes two bigger take that hockey and to me, like, I still am the hockey player, but now maybe I realize a little bit more that I can have more of a little bit more of an impact on the social aspect, on the people aspect. So that it did open my eyes for sure, and I think they did open your eyes as well to be okay with what
we do. And honestly, we're not the most social media people. I think we're just trying to be ourselves and if people can connect with us, that's that's amazing. And I think it's been amazing to see.
And yet some of the wedding clips did end up going viral on social media, particularly the Celine Dion moment, which which is so great. Laura, you two have changed out of these gorgeous dresses, you guys both look so beautiful into these white, awesome suits, and you're dancing to Celine Dion and all these players are around you and everyone's so ecstatic. It's such a cool moment. I have to ask if you're aware that rose Leavelle of the US women's national soccer team also has a viral social
media moment belting out Celine Dion. Have you seen this?
We saw it after actually and we're like, wow, this is this is amazing.
Apparently this is the women's sports anthem. Or I guess Celine Dion brings us all together somehow. Speaking of people, you wouldn't necessarily assume no a ton about sports, you know,
Marie fleep. I just hosted this event in Canada espnW Summitt, Canada, and there was a presentation about growing interest in women's sports, and there was a bunch of quotes from folks that they'd spoken to for the study, and one of them said, I came out of protest, and I've stuck around out of admiration, which is wild to me because there is this element of crossover in women's sport where it's not just about rooting for players or a sport, but about
what it stands for. And it does feel like you take on this burden of not only being the best at what you do, but also representing so much more than that. Whether it's by choice or not, it's sort of hoisted upon you. And I've talked to Hillary Night about this for literal decades, like you have to sell your sport, sell tickets, be a market or be a role model, get your workouts in all the other stuff. Was that something you had to psych yourself up to
do because you seem a little bit shyer. Did you have to decide to take on the burden of being the face of Canada hockey and hockey in general because you knew that there was more to be earned and won by doing that.
I think I was lucky enough to follow into the footsteps, honestly, from the pioneers and from these amazing womens that came before us. Honestly, my dream started in two thousand and two when I watched the Olympics on TV and Lily,
that's when that spark came. And honestly, I was like enough to get invited to camps and make it at a young age, and where you get to be in the dressing room with these amazing pioneers, where you know, and as you get older, and as you get with these ladies on the World Championship at the Olympics, you get to hear more of their story. You get to see what they went through and how hard it has been or how hard it is right now to push
women's hockey. And I think a all my career I learned so much by it's just up like by just looking and watching and hearing. And as I got to find my voice on the team as I got older, as you're a little bit less shy to ask questions, you allow yourself to, yes, become one of the leader, but not by yourself. Honestly, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by such amazing group and girls that that came on the team. And yes, I'm lucky enough to
maybe be one of the role models. But honestly, like every day I look to my left and right to see how lucky I am to be surrounded by such amazing leaders and to see from my role in the national team today seeing the league has been created, It's been amazing and honestly, wasn't a decision.
I love it.
I love doing and honestly, I think I'm somebody that leads by action and by leading the way in that sense, and honestly, there's not a way that I take a day off. I love pushing myself to be the best, but honestly, I'm not there by myself, and I'm pretty lucky to be doing that.
Yeah, you know, it is Pride Month, and we're so happy that so many athletes, especially in women's sports, are able to come out and be their authentic selves. But there's lots of folks that are still nervous about taking that step. And I wonder, Laura, if you have any advice to share with young athletes trying to figure that out.
Yeah, honestly, I think I mean our path, it wasn't like, Okay, let's do this specific way or do this. We honestly were just stay true to who we are. We didn't necessarily want to go and post everything and have all
these pictures and when we did post. Obviously, sometimes it went a little further than we thought and we didn't know how to react or who to talk to or but it was important to kind of lean on the people around us who supported us, who cared about us, whether it's our families, our parents, our siblings, our our hockey community, our friends. So I would my first advice would one percent be lean on the people who love
you and support you. There's so many people who want what's best for you, who care about you as a person and just want you to be happy, and so lean on those people. They're they're always going to be there through the ups, the downs, the ugly and the amazing moments. So the people who are there for you and the tougher ones, those are the ones who you want to keep around. So that would be my number one.
And number two is honestly, just be yourself. I think at the end of the day, when you're genuine when you find the right person, when you are genuinely happierself, things around you seem to fall all fall into place a little bit easier. And those would be my two things. Is it's easy to get caught up in social media and what's around you and feeling like you have to
do certain things or fall into the norms. But at the end of the day, like as hockey players, we're going to be better when we're ourselves as human beings first. So I think both of us our careers have been better because we're happy in our own selves and we're happy together, and our relationships and our life and all of that is genuinely true to ourself and who we want to be as people first.
So those would be my two for sure.
It also feels like there's more folks who came before you now to talk to about the decision to come out and when and how, especially like soccer and basketball, there's been more I think women who are openly gay in those sports, and more recent years that athletes in
hockey really felt like they could come out. Have you guys talked to any of them or did you reach out to anyone in advance and be like, how did you navigate this, especially with sponsors or other folks that you're more worried about than maybe friends and family.
Honestly, we're right, we are really really lucky.
I think when when we started, honestly, we didn't really have those conversations we kind of slid a random Instagram post in and everybody was like, oh my god, it's so hard.
Launch We tried to.
Have as little of conversations as possible and just pretend it was.
But we're lucky.
I think we know so many people who are a little bit older than us, a generation or two who don't, who haven't and still don't have it as easy and don't feel as comfortable because that's how they grew up or that's all they knew, or it wasn't as normal back then, so there's still a little bit more standoffish today.
So we are extremely lucky and fortunate obviously to be able to be at the right timing in the world that not only could we play in this new professional hockey league, but we could also play together and be together. So we're pretty fortunate.
Obviously. We've leaned on a lot of our friends.
A lot of our friends are in relationships with girls as well, and I think of one hundred percent, our environment around it around us made it a lot easier to have those conversations, to feel like it was normal.
There's always going to be people that have comments and people that have different opinions and that's life and that thing we're aware of. That I think to us is just focusing on what's good our environment and that people wants the best for us.
All right, last two most important questions. Was Marcus invited to the wedding?
No, he was not. Haven't met Marcus?
Yes?
Has anybody heard from Marcus? I think we need to have Marcus on the show. I want to ask him some important questions about just life and his ability to see things and learn things and know things.
That was like one of our first moments of like, Okay, I guess we are a little bit more out there than we thought. You had no idea about this whole situation, and it blew up right in front of us. So it made it a lot easier to transition, like we're together. Everybody knows it now, you know.
It would be cool is if Marcus and Stacy got together. I don't know if you guys have heard about their lesbian Stacy, but I feel like I don't know if they're straight. I don't want to assume anything in twenty twenty five, especially during Pride Month, but what if Marcus and Stacy could get together? Wouldn't that be a sweet moment they're lesbian stacy is a similar to a their gay Marcus moment. Okay, final most important question. How many American players were invited to your wedding?
Two?
Yeah?
Two?
Or three? Julie two?
Yeah, just Victoire teammates or.
No?
No, like, like Julie Chu was invited Julian as Meghan dug In.
But isn't Julie Chou married to a Canadian player, So that's kind of I feel like, I feel like that's sneaky. That doesn't count.
We had a few Americans invited, not as petty as Canadians.
But.
All right, well allow it if you renew your vows. We expect more Americans who are not married to Canadians to be welcomed in because I feel like one thing that the PWHL has done, beyond all the other amazing things, is perhaps defrost a little bit of the rivalry, at least when you're not on the ice against each other, because it's a little harder to hate each other quite so much when you play together and in pursuit of
the Walter Cup together. Right, I mean that I have met way more Canadian hockey players of late, and I'm like gosh, Dan, it's harder to hate them. I feel sad for them about twenty eighteen. Not that sad because it was one of my favorite games ever, but a little sad.
I hope you film even more so after this interview I do, which.
Makes it hard. Also, I want to be a Canadian at this point because of you know, everything that's going on in Canada's basement right now. I used to call y'all America's hat, but now I call us Canada's basement.
And at the espnW Summit Canada, I did put out a petition to ask if anyone would have me if things really go badly and I need to relocate, And so far Diana Matheson and her wife Anastasia have offered me that I could be their roommate, and also Tessa Bonham said I can sleep on her couch for a while. So I've got a couple offers. But your place looks nice too, so I'll add you. I'll add you to the list. Thank you so much for the time. We're such big fans at the show and it's so great to talk to you.
Thank you, thanks for having us. We'll get you a Victire jersey.
Thanks again to Laura and Pooh for joining us. We have to take another break. When we come back, check your sources people, welcome back slices. It's time for another What the fact? Last Saturday, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark made her highly anticipated return to the court and helped her squad to a one O two eighty eight win over the New York Liberty, a win that helped the
Fever secure its spot and the Commissioner's Cup Championship game. Now, we're accustomed to Fever games drawing a ton of eyeballs, and Saturday's contest was no different. With two point two million average viewers, it was ESPN's third most watched WNBA
game on ABC ever. But after the game, something caught our It was a post from at the Indiana Fever on Twitter slash x that read quote, the Indiana Fever versus New York Liberty game was the most watched game in WNBA history, with twenty point nine million viewers via at WNBA on ESPN. Okay, four important things to note. One that's not true obviously, as I just told you, the number was two point two million. Two at the Indiana Fever is a parody account, and it says so
in the bio. Three at WNBA on ESPN is not a real account, and four the infograph reads viewvers viewvers. Despite that, over twenty three thousand people like the post and over two thousand shared it. What the fact, y'all? Now, more than ever, it's important to check your sources, click bios and check for parity notices or other stories that might look fishy, and look for corroborating stories about the alleged incident or report. Well, this is just a throwaway
clickbait post about viewvers. We've talked in the past about far more damaging tweets and stories that fundamentally impact how folks view women's leagues and players. So do your homework. Our social media accounts are basically megaphones at this point. What you choose to share and repost matters, So make sure you're sharing the facts and never the what the facts? This what the fact? Brought to you by elf Beauty.
And here's another fact. When a company reflects the community it serves, it makes elfin sense, especially when it starts in the highest seats of decision making. Elf Beauty, who has delivered twenty fivective quarters of net sales growth and market share gains. Is one of only five publicly traded companies in the US with a board of directors that's sixty seven percent women and forty four percent diverse. It's the only cosmetics brand to grow market share every single
quarter for the past twenty five quarters. Elf is for every eye, lip, and face, and when you're further every everyone wins. Learn more about what ELF Beauty is doing to help diversify corporate boards, visit changethboardgame dot com. While we're on the subject of Caitlin Clark's return, videos for the interview I did with Marina Mabray a few weeks ago started getting flooded with comments this week after Maybury's aggressive bump of Kaitlin Clark during the particularly physical Fever
Sun game on Tuesday night. In case you missed it, J C. Sheldon accidentally poked Clark in the eye while defending her, and Clark pushed Sheldon away, leading to Mabrey's bump of Clark hard enough to knock her to the ground.
Tita Charles stepped in and she and Clark were both assessed technical fouls, while Maybury was given a flagrant three players Sophie Cunningham, J. C. Sheldon, and Lynz Se Allen all ended up ejected late in the game for a completely different incident, and Maybury's flagrant foul was upgraded to a flagrant two on Wednesday. So yeah, like I said, particularly physical game, Maybury's bump was clearly not a basketball
play and the league handled it correctly. But Caitlin Clark stands now see Maybury as public enemy number one, which leads us back to my Instagram and the interview I did with Marina where she's hilariously discussing her worst trash talk making fun of another player's dog, and that video is now seeing a lot of clown face and trash can emojis along with some unhinged comments like trash talk from a trash player, No one will remember you, Karma
is coming for you, You'll get yours. You look like a McDonald's employee, and without CC you'd make less than a McDonald's manager every year for the rest of your career. Room temp IQ petitioned to cancel the Connecticut Sons and Marina Maybury for not showing sportsmanship and displaying violence on the court. What a D list player looks like you're a clown emoji. Can't wait to see you get legit knocked out mid game for your third grade trash talk. Whoof.
While I love fans of women's sports being passionate about their teams and players, I'll never enduse harassing folks on social media, and I certainly can't understand spending your one wild and precious life searching the Internet for videos of a player so you can comment with trash can emojis and a desire to see them injured. Also, I got some strays just for being in the video.
What the fuck?
Come on, folks, Get some perspective. Root for your faves, heck hate on your rivals if you want to. You can even trash talk about them at baverbial water cooler, but taking personal shots at someone's looks and wishing harm on them for a flagrant foul or a physical play that's out of control. I promise you no WNBA player, Caitlin Clark or anyone else wants you up in the comments of other players with this messiness. Get a grip. We love that you're listening everybody, but we want you
to get in the game every day too. So here's our good gameplay of the day. Follow the new PWHL Seattle and Vancouver squads on social and the existing PWHL squads if you don't already, got to keep up with the league ahead of season three. And while you're at it, follow Marie Filip Puhlan and Laurastac two. We'll link to their accounts in our show notes. And of course, again remember to vet your sources on the innerwebs. People, that's not a one time play, that's an all time play
of the day. We love to hear from you, so hit us up on email Good Game at wondermediaetwork dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review, y'all. It's easy. Watch the Supreme Court upholding a Tennessee state law banning gender affirming care for minors, rating just three out of nine justices with common sense
and compassion review. On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court passed down a ruling in the case of the United States Versus Scrimmetti, which was filed last year by three families of trans children and a provider of gender affirming care the six conservative justices on the Supreme Court voted to uphold SB one, a Tennessee law prohibiting certain medical treatments for transgender miners. Under SB one, someone assigned a female at birth could not be prescribed testosterone, but someone assigned
male at birth could receive those drugs. Justice is Sonya Sodomyor, Katanji Brown Jackson, and Elena Kagan dissented from the majority opinion, and in her descent, Justice Sodomyra wrote, in part quote, by retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.
In sadness, I dissent end quote. This is a disheartening decision with implications that could set a negative precedent for other lawsuits across the country involving the rights of transgender children. Power is being taken away from the people who should be making these decisions and instead put in the hands
of government officials. Just in my own circle, I know a family that's moving abroad to a different country so all their children can feel safe, and another family that's seen the hospital that provides care to their child pause gender care surgeries in response to Trump executive order back in January that threatened to cut federal funding to healthcare
providers offering gender affirming medical care. My friend posted about the hospital after the EO was announced, saying, quote, I will only speak from my experience and my perspective on here as a mother. It has helped me better support my gender non conforming kid. It has welcomed us, celebrated us, and opened a door to community we really needed. We waited a year to get in, and now that we finally are, and EO is trying to shut it down. There are so many scary things happening, and our lives
are steeped in so much privilege. Whatever happens, we will fight loud and hard and be okay. But the larger implications for multiple eos targeting queer youth are dizzying. All parents and educators should fear that the highest office is dictating who a child can or cannot be. I could talk to you about how much I've learned from my kid about the social construct of gender, the nuance of gender,
the beautiful spectrum of who we all are. But honestly, I'm tired, and I just want to say, at its core, This is healthcare, babes. What a thing to have to fight for. End quote. Trans kids and trans people continue to sit in the crosshairs of political bullies within and outside of government. But though this moment stings, the fight continues to ensure their autonomy, their safety, and ability to make decisions that reflect what's in the best interest of
their mental, emotional, and physical health. Now it's your turn yal rate and review. Thanks for listening. See you next week. Good Game, Marie Philippe, Good Game, Laura you Conservative Supreme Court Justices. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You could find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network,
our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rudder, Brittany Martinez, Grace Lynch, and Gianna Palmer are associate producers. Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain