Vancouver Canucks Head Athletic Therapist, Roman Kaszczij joins Canucks Insider Podcast host Chris Faber to talk about his experiences on the bench from University to an NHL team.
The Mississauga, Ontario native got his introduction to professional sports as an intern for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017. He attended McMaster University and then Sheridan College and knew he wanted to work in hockey when he was Athletic Therapy Intern for the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.
He talks about his first job out of University with the Brandon Wheat Kings for a year before joining the Utica Comets, spending four seasons with Utica/Abbotsford before being promoted to Vancouver.
“I was at Mac [McMaster] and they asked us if you could have a dream job what would it be. I remember, I love to snowboard, and I was always like working for the Vancouver Canucks one day would be so cool, just to be able to live out west and to be a part of everything that that organization has. A Canadian team – that means a lot to me too. When things happened and the opportunity came up in Utica, I was like, Holy Christ this is really cool, who would have thought,” Kaszczij said.
“I definitely don't take it for granted. It's fun to be part of this community and live out on this side of this beautiful part of the country, and to work with a lot of really great people too. You see the history, I think it's very cool that retired athletes that you think of, like the Sedins, are still very, very involved. I feel like a lot of our staff have been involved in one way or another and have still kind of found their way back [to Vancouver]. It's a special place to be. It's a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward for this year to get it started.”
Abbotsford Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson has supported Kaszczij’s career, and Kaszczij also talks about the impact RJ has had on him.
There’s no typical workday with an NHL team, but Kaszczij talks about the general workflow during the season on game days and practice days. He talks about the preparation for practices and morning skates and his role in updating the coaching staff on players and the importance of communication between everyone within the ecosystem.
He also spoke about being ready for emergency situations and what it means to be prepared for anything.
Kaszczij worked with Canucks’ former Head Equipment Manager, Pat O’Neill for two seasons and says seeing his send off at the end of last season was heartwarming.
“I joked with Patty when I started in Vancouver, I said we might be setting a record here for biggest games-worked gap between head athletic therapist and head equipment manager when I worked my first game in Vancouver two years ago,” Kaszczij said.
“There's a lot of wisdom there, a lot of years, a lot of time put in. I’ve worked 164 games, I guess now, as a byproduct of those two seasons. He’s worked almost 3,500 that's a lot of lives touched, a lot of years just absolutely grinding and sacrificing a lot. For me, it was really special that he was able to have that kind of send-off. It's something that's so deserved just as he’s a really, really kind human, and he's going to be missed around here.”
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