The Gospel In The Game Sports Podcast
Conversation and stories about real athletes and the journey thru sport, faith and life.
Connecting athletes, sports families and the church. Build bridges and telling real stories to help repair, build and grow people.
Hosts Dan Dromarsky and Dave Dawson
The Gospel In The Game Sports Podcast
Dion Knelsen - From Professional Hockey to Small-Town Purpose
What happens when a professional hockey player at the peak of his career walks away to prioritize faith, family and community? Dion Knelsen's journey from European hockey leagues to coaching in remote northern Alberta reveals powerful truths about purpose and priorities.
Having played 12 years professionally across Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, Dion was actually playing some of his best hockey at age 32 when he made the difficult decision to return to Canada. The COVID pandemic had created space for reflection, and both he and his wife recognized their children deserved stability, extended family connections, and a faith-centered community.
Their search led them to La Crete, Alberta — a town where "they measure the population by church sizes" and traditional values remain firmly intact. With refreshing candor, Dion shares how this remote community (five hours from the nearest shopping mall) provided exactly what his family needed, even as he transitioned to coaching a startup Junior B hockey team.
The La Crete Lumber Barons' story is remarkable. Despite fielding players with less formal training than competitors, they reached provincial finals in just their second season. Games regularly draw over 1,000 fans in a small northern town, creating an atmosphere many professional teams would envy. Dion describes the players' "pond hockey" creativity and how community support transformed this expansion team into provincial contenders.
Throughout the conversation, Dion's transparency about faith stands out. He acknowledges the ebbs and flows of his spiritual journey, moments he falls short as a coach, and the ongoing challenge of surrendering control. His simple yet profound statement — "God has never screwed me over" — captures a hard-earned trust built through years of uncertainty in professional sports.
Whether you're contemplating a major life transition, interested in hockey culture, or simply seeking an authentic story of faith lived out, Dion's journey offers valuable insight into choosing what truly matters. Listen now and consider what might happen when we trust God's plans over our own.
the on toughest question of the year for you. If you could have a framed piece of art in your house, what would it be? Framed piece of art, any art, in the whole entire world, in the, in the history of the world. Put something in a frame and put it in your house on display. What would it be?
Speaker 2:could be a picture of an athlete, or maybe something like that, or oh man well I do actually like like art, like going to the museums in europe and stuff like that, um, but now I'm thinking about pictures of athletes. Oh man, um off, I don't know I I'm gonna go off sports here, probably say something from vincent van gogh, maybe sunflowers, or something like that okay, good choice here.
Speaker 1:I thought everyone would be like mona lisa or something like I'm glad, something well, I mean value wise. Yeah, for sure, maybe one of your paintings or something like I'm glad.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean value-wise, yeah, yeah, for sure. Maybe one of your kids' finger paintings or something like that. Right, One of your kids' finger paintings.
Speaker 1:Your insurance rates just went up dramatically.
Speaker 3:You're listening to the Gospel in the Game sports podcast with your hosts.
Speaker 1:Daniel Jomarski and Dave Dawson. Excellent. Well, welcome to the Gospel in the Game. I'm Dan Jomarski, and with me always, or majority of the time, is Dave Dawson. Dave, we're going to put our guest on the spot and we're going to just give him 20 seconds to describe who he is. But he's got to use his name, of course. He can't just randomly describe himself and make everyone.
Speaker 3:I am some guy with no name on the show, but if you read the description you know who he is, but maybe you don't. So dion canelson. Uh, how would you introduce yourself? How would you describe yourself? Who are you? All right?
Speaker 2:um, yeah, my name is dion canelson. Uh, I'm uh I always say I'm a former washed up, has been hockey player, um, but I used to play professional hockey for about 12 years. Now I just coach hockey locally here for the Junior B team in town. Yeah, I've been a Christian my whole life and I got to navigate my whole hockey experience with that as well. And yeah, I'm very blessed to have been able to play this game and stay healthy and to also continue doing it.
Speaker 3:Now, dion, we have listeners all over the world. Analytics show it down in the States as well, and all over the place. So where is here in town for those that are maybe listening somewhere around? And who do you coach for and where do you live?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so just go to the middle of nowhere and go 100 kilometers north. I live really far up north in Alberta. I live in La Crete, alberta, not a very big town. That's kind of where my family's from, where my wife's family's originally from as well. I was born in high level nearby town but La Crete, alberta. Way up in the north I coach a Genobee team, locrete lumber barons. Uh, only a pretty yeah new team only got formed about three years ago and uh had quite a bit of success so far.
Speaker 1:but, um, yeah, that's that's it I do love, I do love, I do love the name, because lumber barons is very fitting for where you are in the world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of loggers, a lot of big logging and trucking companies up here.
Speaker 3:That's kind of what makes this town tick. Dan's also wearing a plaid shirt right now. You can't see that because it's an audio. He's got a big beard. He looks like a lumberjack.
Speaker 1:I actually have the nickname at the place where I work full time. I'm known as lumberjack farmer, that's like, but a couple of guys randomly call me, so that's quite funny that you said that, yeah.
Speaker 3:Now, dion, you and I got to know each other a couple of years ago and you have, like many, an intriguing story. One may wonder okay, well, you grew up, you were born in high level. That's how you are coaching in Lacrete and Junior B. But maybe those who aren't aware how does one go from playing professional hockey overseas? You had a great Junior, a career as well, played some excellent hockey in Alberta. How did you not end up? I don't think is the word, because I think the lord had something planned. So take me into the journey of where how you got to lacrete, alberta, from a pro hockey career interesting question.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, I mean, uh, I'll be completely honest with you. Um, it wasn't in the plans at all. We kind of COVID year, I think it was 2021. I was, yeah, it was kind of at the tail end of the season. There I was pretty miserable, you know. We couldn't. We didn't get to go home that prior summer and my wife, our kids were getting older, my wife was starting to feel like, okay, now it's time to, uh, maybe start the next chapter.
Speaker 2:And uh, um, we were just kind of like thinking, you know where, where would you want to even live? You know, and, um, and we're just kind of racking our brains and we were thinking maybe we'd build a house, whatever, wherever we went, we'd build a house. So we messaged some friends um, it was actually, yeah, it was actually, it's actually curtis rempel, who was a member of the band high valley I don't know if you've heard of it, but um, anyways, he, he, he moved to la cree too, um, and uh, um, but we messaged him just basically asking uh, uh, for some pictures of their house plan, just because we were building a house and we want to just kind of see. We heard their house was nice. Then he's like you know, just so you know, I have a piece of land I'm selling here too. And then I just kind of chuckled and then I was just thinking like wait a second, I actually love that town. I've never even thought about moving there, like my parents grew up there but I didn't, um, but I have lots of family, lots of aunts and uncles, and uh, it's a really, really nice town.
Speaker 2:Like and like you talk about communities that are faith-based. This is probably, um, one of the most faith-based communities. They measure the population by church sizes. Um, it's a town. I'm, I'm born mennonite. Um, uh, it's so it's. It's just like lots of people, families have lots of kids. Um, I'm uh, I don't want to get too political, but they handled covid in the way I think the people should have handled covid. Um, they, uh, they, uh, they. Their churches were they. They just kept rolling and they, uh, it was just an inspiring thing when you say you didn't saw that.
Speaker 2:I saw the insanity in the world and uh, then you see this one town that's just holding strong and sticking together as a community and, uh, it was, it was amazing and um, that was kind of what made me kind of have a soft spot for the town and then I just, obviously we visited a lot and I just love the mentality of family first, and uh, the church is a huge part of the community and, um, you know, in terms of where you want to raise your kids, in the craziness of this world, in the secular society that we live in, I mean, where else? Like it was just the perfect, it was the perfect place. And when, even with all the woke stuff, all that stuff happening, um, it was just this is the town that the schools, you know, they didn't really budge. You know, like none of that stuff is in our schools here which is like in the public schools and um, it's, it's just like nowhere else do you see that it's such a unique place. I I don't want to talk it up too much because I, I love the town the way it is and I don't want everyone to hear but, like, um, I just love it and I just think, like, I mean, it's the way community should be and so anyway.
Speaker 2:So then we ended up, uh, I ended up, we bought land here and then I had one more year left in my contract and then during the season, I was actually having a great season, probably one of the best seasons of my life. But I got a phone call from the superintendent in this area for the schools here and he offered me the job to kind of start up a hockey academy here in, uh, in this area, high level in lacrete, and uh, I mean, I was interested but, um, I was kind of like I don't know, I will see, like my season's going great. I don't really know if I want to quit now. You know what my wife is like yeah, you're quitting, um, but then I got, yeah, then I got a bad injury on my shoulder and then, you know, things kind of went a little south and I just like, okay, now, okay, now it's for sure, it's time.
Speaker 2:And, um, it was really an unexpected thing. We bought land before you even had any kind of sort of employment or anything and it kind of, you know, fell into place perfectly. Obviously, that's easy how it works, right? So, um, yeah, so then we moved here and, uh, I, you know, I started, got started with that, I got roped into coaching the junior B team and you know, the rest is history.
Speaker 1:You used a great term. I love it Family first. All of a sudden changes your priorities and your scale and for some people family might be just extended family, but for you it was household and family and kids. But at the same time you saw it in the community Growing up.
Speaker 2:Was this also an important dynamic for you, that you were drawn yeah, I mean, I guess, like my, my I mean my, I had it came from a pretty great friend, great great family, like um, I just were very blessed, like uh, my siblings and I were all best friends and um, and it's just uh, you know you're close with your extended family. You always have gatherings and stuff and that was kind of just a part of things you know like kind of keeps you grounded, you know to have extended family and people kind of know where you're from and all that. And yeah, I just I really really wanted my kids to have friends that were from good Christian families and it's we're just we have so many here. It's honestly insane. It's just like, yeah, just, we're so blessed we just we have to such an amazing network of people here that our kids can, we can go to go to their house and every one of our kids has another kid to play with, whereas, you know, in Europe when you go and you're playing, like me and my wife, we had kids pretty young.
Speaker 2:So I was like 25 and she was 23 when we had our first one, or 24 when we had our first one, and and then you know, you know, by the time I was 30, our kid, our, our teammates were having, you know, their first kid. You know what I mean. Or like when they're 35 they had their first kids. There's not really like, it's just tough to like have that, those connections, and then we come here and and it's just for our kids especially, it's just it's really special, like I don't know if they know how good they have it, but it's, it's pretty fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Just for context, do you want to frame it so that listeners can understand? So you were playing pro hockey in Europe for how many years? And then that time came when you had mentioned that it was time to move back to Alberta. Take me into that decision, part and parcel with the concept of everything you said about family, because I know there are many people. You're in the middle of a great career. Hey, dear, I'm making X amount of money, I'm scoring 20, 30 goals. We're winning championships. Look at your elite prospects. You've won some championships, right? So how does that go? That separation from this is no longer important anymore. It's now about family and it's now about sacrifice, I guess, for lack of a better term- yeah, I mean, that's a great question.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I played my first six years in. I played four of my first six years in Norway in Sparta, in the Norwegian league, and then two of those first six years in the second league in Sweden, in the Allsvenskan. And then I got the amazing opportunity to go to Switzerland, and that's an amazing country. I was in the Swiss B, I was with Rapperswill. So in my second year in rappers will we got promoted to the a league in switzerland, which was just a dream come true. You know all that. You have all that fulfillment, like you work so hard to try to get to a league that high and like, obviously, quality of life is amazing in switzerland. Um, I played one more year in rappy. That year in the a league, uh, things didn't go as planned. I just you know one of those seasons where you just you wish you could have, you know, buried a few more of your chances and done better than you did, and it just didn't happen. I just, yeah, it was disappointing. So then I ended up signing in the Swiss B with Olten. So then I played there for three more years and that was in the swiss b. So, but in year two, it was, you know. After, at the end of year one, um, uh, it was when 2020. So covid happened, right, so we, we got, uh, right before we got eliminated. It was the game we got eliminated was the first like ghost game where no one came. And then that summer was the insanity of covid. And then the next year we actually still had hockey. Um, whereas other team places did north america didn't we still did. We had ghost games and those kind of things. Like I met mason mctavish came over to play on my team there, um, because he was an 18 year old kid but had a swiss passport. Brennan ottman, too, was also a first round draft pick for the Rangers. These kids that could came over cause they could didn't have any hockey. We still got to play hockey and we still got you know percentage of our salary and stuff. So it was like all good compared to what a lot of people had to go through. But, yeah, our kids like at that time I think my daughter was like seven or eight, so like kind of getting into like the more formative school years, and so then I was done. I was on that second year. I was just done. I was so tired of hockey, I just wanted to be.
Speaker 2:I bought that land and as soon as I bought the land, all of a sudden I started playing well again and I started scoring goals and somehow managed to get another year's contract because I didn't have anything lined up yet. Right, I had no idea what I would do. It was still kind of a little bit insanity in Canada with COVID and stuff. So I was like, well, I can stay, I'll stay one more year, hopefully get enough time to. You know, maybe something will come up or maybe I'll have some options. And yeah, it was hard like that last year. I was just, I was playing really well, I was playing kind of loose, I was playing free.
Speaker 2:I felt like, just in terms of terms of the things in my game that, um, maybe had held me back in my younger years, just in terms of decision making and play making ability and those kind of things, like suddenly it started clicking for me and I was like man, I'm actually my best right now when I'm 33 years old or 32 years old. But honestly, the hockey at the end of the day, it's like you do it your whole life and it's just a game, right, like it is fun and it's and it's great. But at what point am I just holding my family back? Like I think my kids kind of deserve to eventually be able to see their grandma and grandpa every once in a while, you know, and their cousins and all these things, and it's just like you start to feel a little bit selfish, kind of holding them like you're in an amazing place, you're in switzerland, you go on a train ride, you do, you know, you'll go on a weekend, you go to como and you do all this cool stuff.
Speaker 2:But like I mean, at the end of the day, like what I want my kids to have, like lasting relationships and have them have like a childhood, that kind of what I had when I grew up, you know. So, um, is it? You know? I've never, I've never been like the person that's like a hundred percent hockey obsessed. I'm like I have a lot of other interests, a lot of things that kind of, you know, like that get me excited and uh, um, so the thought of being something different wasn't scary for me at all, even though it wasn't, it's still just hockey, which is way more hockey than I really ever thought I'd do. But, um, but it's just like it gave me, gave my kids and my my, my wife a chance to have like kind of the community that we always kind of wanted.
Speaker 1:Well, right now, you probably got like 25% of our listeners wanting to like pack their bags and move to some of these great places that you talk about. But good thing we have like 17 listeners and two of them are our parents. But anyway, we might get up there. I love the phrase I'm just done when you're done with hockey. What? What did that look like is was coaching something that you saw yourself getting into?
Speaker 2:uh, well, you know, it was one of those things where, yeah, I think I've always kind of thought, hey, maybe I'd be a good coach because you have coaches that are. You have coaches and you're like, man, this, this guy's awesome, or man, this guy's brutal, he doesn't know what he's talking about, like. So you kind of start collecting all these things in your head, like you know, if I were a coach, I would do this that this guy does, but I wouldn't do this, but this guy does, you know. And then you you kind of think, like you sort of kind of I don't know form an aggregate of all these different things and you kind of feel how you'd be as a coach. You think that would be fun.
Speaker 2:But then you move to a place like La Crete where we're like we're like five, six hours from the nearest shopping mall, like it's not, like there's a lot, it's not a lot of high level hockey around here. You know what I mean. So, but they, yeah. So then they got a junior B team and I wasn't super excited, just because the travel is insane, like we have a lot of long road trips. Like our closest game during the winter is like five hours away or four or five hours away, depending on if the ferry is in, not the ferry, the ice bridge, and so it's just like I wasn't really wanting to do it. But you know, then as I got started, it was like you know what this is? This is kind of fun, you know. I I offered to help with their camp and then I thought, like you know, this is definitely a could be a fun thing. So I told them I would do it, and and, uh, still doing it.
Speaker 3:So and in your second year you made the provincial final in Alberta. I believe there are 57 junior b teams in alberta. You were second right. So, dion, take me into the process of using your faith to trust the lord and build this program as you now are there, you're like you're going to be the coach of this expansion team and a pretty good junior b league that's won you know, a few titles over the years, like how did the lord guide your steps into trusting that? That way up north, as you mentioned, five hours is your closest trip. You're just going to find players and then all of a sudden, not only finding those players, you became like a provincial juggernaut man?
Speaker 2:um, well, I'm, any success we had, I would I mean a lot of it, I'd say would be despite me, not because of me, that's for sure. Um, you know, I, uh, yeah, it's hard. That's an interesting question. Um, well, this town is very unique and that's what it kind of is not a normal thing in the sense that, like, there are a lot of kids that play hockey, there's a huge hockey passion, um, but there's not a lot of aspirations, for parents don't want their kids leaving town to go play a higher level, so very few kids leave to play triple a. There's never been a kid from this town who's played a full season in the AJHL. I think the most has been nine games from one guy.
Speaker 2:So that's crazy, because this town isn't small either, like, and there's lots of hockey players here, but, you know, parents don't want their kids to leave, and so they play with their U18 and then they're, they go into senior league, and so we had some really talented kids that maybe were a little bit raw, um, in, just in terms of you know, uh, you know coaching or maybe technical skating ability. Like you, you watch our team in warmup. We typically don't look like as good as all the other teams. You know, just just because you know these kids haven't had their skills coaches and all these things like growing up, because you know these kids haven't had their skills coaches and all these things like growing up. But, um, the, uh, the playmaking ability and uh, then, just their hockey sense, um, is just pond hockey, like they. They have that right, so they know how to make plays and and, uh, I didn't, honestly, like our first year was a struggle I got. I'm not gonna lie to you, the first year was hard like we lost a lot of hockey games and it was just like I felt like I had to teach everything to everyone and, um, you know, we just had such a good group of kids like these kids just, um, they, they tolerated me and my the roller coaster of emotion that you kind of go through and um, and they're just, I mean, they worked hard and they did their best and they were just good people, um, like, and so it's.
Speaker 2:It's one of those things where it's like a faith-based community and and everyone's kind of have their parents. Everyone, most of the kids came from really good homes and their parents are coming to every game and it's just a different vibe than what you know, what you normally see. So you kind of have that that. You know our games I don't know they didn't mention this, but like our home games this last season I think we had over a thousand people average for Gina B, which is crazy, but that's just like mom, dad, uncle, aunt, like cousins, the community, and so it's just, it's really a fun vibe, fun, fun community to play hockey in.
Speaker 2:And I'm just like really blessed because, as I said, I didn't want to coach and I didn't think it'd be. I knew, I kind of figured they'd eventually be. You know, have a like, be successful in terms of attendance and stuff. But you didn't know how they'd be in terms of actual like standings. I wasn't sure if we'd ever be any good because everyone else has all these triple A kids and we and we have these kids that play tier one, and so it's been a bit of a ride.
Speaker 1:Well, we often talk about how, the importance of acknowledging that you're a person before you're ever a hockey player, because hockey does end and you mentioned having a bunch of good kits and you mentioned more of a faith-based community than others, and you mentioned like a more of a faith based community than others. How does, how do you integrate your faith and what opportunities has God given you amongst these players?
Speaker 2:and their families. I mean I honestly I need to do it more, I need to do it more. And that's the thing where I mean we do sometimes pray before games and stuff. I mean I think we should do it more, I need to do it more. And that's a thing where, um, I mean we do sometimes pray before games and stuff. I mean I think we should do it before every game, but it's one of those things where I never had that, so it's not like a habit, like there's things where I, you kind of always do things the way they've always been done and uh, just that's what I'm used to, and sometimes you lose track side.
Speaker 2:I can totally reinvent this whole thing. We can change this entirely. Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely human. I definitely exhibit moments where I'm not the best example of Christ. I'll say that, but I do try to. I think it is important. I've always found it really important when a coach would just admit that they messed up and admit that they asked for forgiveness because that's how it had to happen. A few times you hope you're having an impact on these kids' lives, but you feel like you miss opportunities in that. But it's a thing where I'm working on trying to be a better example for the kids, but also trying to just. You know there's a lot of things just in the games and the ups and downs and the emotions that are just life lessons. You learn throughout the whole thing.
Speaker 3:Dion, I love your transparency because I think one of maybe the misconceptions somebody might think when you watch, we'll use NHL players as an example. Right, this guy's getting really hot. Well, isn't he a Christian? This guy looks really angry Well, isn't he a Christian? You're watching an NFL game? Well, isn't this guy a Christian? Looks really angry Well, isn't he a Christian?
Speaker 3:You're watching an NFL game? Well, isn't this guy a Christian? Well, I think what maybe some people listening to this show might really gravitate to is the fact that Christians are human, right Like we desire to be more like Christ. You know, if you get cut off by a Ford or a Chevy on the highway, no, one in a Ford, certainly not Ford, I just thought of that. You get cut off by a Chevy on the highway? Certainly not Ford, I just thought of that.
Speaker 3:You get cut off by a Chevy on the highway. You're not going to go to a Chevy dealership and say you know, I demand that you give me a free car, right, like, and it almost seems like sometimes, as we as Christians, it's really easy for us to get down on ourselves because we forget that aspect of grace. Dion, how has God's grace made you and your like in your walk, your family, your role as a husband, as a father and as a coach. How has that become so real to you and allowed you to really understand who you are in Christ, through his grace? That's a good question.
Speaker 2:That's a good question. Honestly, my relationship with God, it definitely ebbs and flows in the terms, like my faith that God is real and God is in control and God God's will like God's plan. Especially if I surrender to God's plan, it's going to be the best for me, regardless of what happens. And and holding, like you know, situations with open hands is difficult and I know what I learned through a hockey career. You know, hockey career is stressful, like it's really stressful. You don't know where you're going to play in three months, you don't know where you're going to live. You got family, you got kids, and so there's a lot of stress that went into that.
Speaker 2:And I just I just remember throughout the whole thing and and still to this day, um, you know I always say this but like God's never screwed me over, like I've you trust him and you just got to trust that he's going to take care of you.
Speaker 2:And and you know, and because you know the things that happened with the hockey career and you know down years and you have the COVID thing, all that stuff, and you just see how he carried you through the whole way, it's like I really I mean the, the, the challenge is just remembering that you know, like, just remembering in the time, the next time it happens, remembering that you're going to be okay, god is in control and that he it might not look like what you had planned, but you know, if God typically knows better than than what we, what we know, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like you kind of have an idea for what you want your life to look like and, um, uh, you know, he seems to look, he looks outside the box and he knows he has, he knows better, like, and so just trusting that and knowing that like, just cause it's outside of you know what you were planning, doesn't mean that like, yeah, just because it's, just because it was good, doesn't mean it's the best, it's ever going to be like, god can make things even better and even like, so, um, yeah, there's just yeah, it's uh, it's, it's still an ongoing thing.
Speaker 2:It's not like you just arrive and then it's just like I'm there now, here I am, I'm godly gotta figure it out. Like it's just a I'm there now, here I am, I'm godly Got to figure it out. Like it's just a work in progress. When you think you haven't figured it out, all of a sudden you feel like you don't, and when you feel like you're as lost as ever, that's all of a sudden you're closer to God than you've ever been. And yeah, it's a journey, but thankfully he's in control, not me. Amen.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay. This brings us to a quick rapid fire session that we have. We're going to ask you a bunch of quick questions. You got to think on your feet, be sharp, uh, sharpen your skates. Here we go gordy. Um, okay, very first one. Uh, we're going on a road trip. We pull over at a gas station. What's your go-to one snack? What drink one?
Speaker 2:drink, I don't know Starburst mayonnaise and A&W root beer.
Speaker 3:Okay, you're going for a walk into a secluded spot. Do you like to sit by a river? Are you a mountain guy? Are you a forest hiker? Which one of the three do you go for?
Speaker 2:I love mountains, so it's actually quite hard. We don't have any mountains where I live now, but in switzerland I was in paradise okay, uh, you find an axe.
Speaker 1:Is it a weapon or a tool?
Speaker 2:hopefully a tool. If needed, it'd be a weapon oh, there you go.
Speaker 3:The answer is both yeah, yeah, oh, there we go at any point in time during your hockey, one of your teammates pranks you and puts something in your hockey bag that you pull out in the middle of a championship game. What was most likely, I guess, listener-friendly that somebody would have put in your bag to mess with you.
Speaker 2:Oh man, oh wow, I'm blanking here.
Speaker 3:Okay, what about this Underneath your car seat seat? What's very likely we'll find there that you may have dropped that hasn't been cleaned up yet oh man, probably some candy or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, some starburst okay, you got, uh, you're at hockey academy and you've uh grabbed all your gear. It's the, the day that uh coach brings all those in whole entire gear, and you've forgotten one item and you have to go out and play. What is the one item in your hockey gear that you're willing to go out and play without?
Speaker 3:oh, probably just the shoulder pads, yeah okay, we had can on our last episode in that race, so I'm sacrificing that.
Speaker 2:I don't care who you are. I don't know how guys do that.
Speaker 3:If you were to play any other sport and be a pro at it, like other than hockey, what would you have done?
Speaker 2:Man, I wish I was good at golf. I wish I was, but I didn't put enough time into being good at it. So I'm not, but I just I imagine myself being good at golf.
Speaker 1:Favorite go-to meal, your wife's making you a homemade meal for your birthday. What is it?
Speaker 2:Man, it's probably probably just the steak. Yeah, Like a ribeye steak.
Speaker 3:Okay, describe La Crete Alberta Hamlet of 3,800 people in the Northern part of Alberta to us in 15 seconds or less.
Speaker 2:People in the northern part of Alberta to us in 15 seconds or less. It's actually like 12,000 people, because the surrounding areas, acreages and farms are just a lot of people with a lot of big families. Yeah, very conservative town. There's no, no liquor stores. Lots of industry, industrious people. They work hard, go to church.
Speaker 1:I would have went with bustling metropolis.
Speaker 3:Myself. Dan and I are going on a road trip there this summer for sure Favorite Bible verse.
Speaker 2:Favorite Bible verse oh man, Whatever you do, do it as unto the.
Speaker 3:Lord, not unto men. Dion, if you could go back and tell yourself something when you're playing for the Drumheller Dragons what would you have told yourself about faith, life and hockey?
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe it won't work. It's not going to work out the way you hope, because I want to make the NHL, but you're going to have an amazing life.
Speaker 1:That's a great thing. Well before Dave wraps things up for us, we have two conditions on all guests that come on the show. One is you got to come back. You got to update us on how things are going. But the second one is, as always, we got to pray for you. So let's take a minute and do that. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for Dion and thank you for his willingness to come on and what a wonderful heart that he has shown us, that you've given him, and just a passion for people and for those that are around him. And, lord, we just pray that you would use him in a mighty way, that you would have your will done in his life. And, lord, we thank you for his family, for giving his time for him to be with us today. And, lord, we just pray that you would bless him for your glory, honor and praise. In Jesus' name. We pray, amen.
Speaker 2:Amen. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1:Wow, what a fantastic interview.
Speaker 3:The Lord's just really blessed that man with not only just a willing heart to go and participate, but action on it and I love the authenticity Cause I think you know sometimes if you listen to testimonies and you listen to somewhere past podcast, you know with Taylor Joseph, you heard a lot of that authenticity in his story. And you know Dion, it sounds like he's in a spot that, yeah, like he's. He's not wrestling with God, but he's like God is good and he'll never leave me high and dry. But some days it feels like I'm navigating this journey in a difficult spot and that's really what the Christian faith is is just be real with the Lord. The Lord will never leave you high and dry. So, yeah, great interview with Dion and I really, I really wish him the best in the future.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very exciting and one of the great things is the gospel in the game is just people from all avenues, walks of life, different ages. What a blessing to have someone who's a father and a coach and probably even a mentor right now in his life to some of his players, and in a unique community as well, a unique environment. So, yeah, what a great interview.
Speaker 3:For sure We'll have more of those in the future. Follow us on Instagram Gospel in the Game as well as Twitter or X. You can find our podcast wherever podcasts are found and like and subscribe and share that with somebody to send some a positive message to them and they might need some encouragement. And if you like something you heard, you can contact us. Let us know and any guests that you prefer to have on the future. And if a Ford truck cuts you off on the highway, if anything, send a message to Dan and he'll track them down for you, yeah, yeah, think of us.
Speaker 1:Think of us and think about how exciting that journey was.
